You've Got Mail

With online shopping becoming a big part of our everyday lives it is safe to say that we all rely on courier services delivering our parcels to us. I am no exception to this rule, living in a small riverside town that could quite easily be mistaken as a ghost town these days, we seem to have more empty shop windows and pound shops than any other town on the globe!

These days shopping online is the only way I can ensure that I can find exactly what I am looking for, and instead of heading to the high street to watch the tumble weed blow, I take to the internet.

I receive parcels on a very regular basis and more often than not I provide my parents address as there is usually always someone there to take receipt of them for me, or to have them left securely hidden away in our designated hiding place!

Parcelforce seem to visit us regularly, in fact our local delivery driver refers to me as ‘the pram lady’ as apparently I have more pushchairs than the average Mummy would. I guess I must be in receipt of a fair few parcels for this distinguished name to have been awarded to me! In fact as soon as a delivery van pulls up onto my Mother’s drive I have often heard her mutter ‘Oh not another parcel!’ like she is already mentally signing her signature on their digital signing machine!

Now being the impatient lady I am, I do like to know where my packages are and when I can expect them to arrive with me. This was especially the case when I was pregnant with Leo and ordering all of the things that we were going to need. I ordered everything online through Kiddicare and Mothercare, and with the provided tracking number I was able to see the process that took place on the run up to delivery.

The same can be said if you are the one sending a parcel, you still want to be able to check in from time to time to see if it has made its way to the intended destination.

Being able to track your package is really reassuring and if you are impatient like me or just wanting to know that the item you sent is moving along as it should. Tracking your parcel gives you an idea of when to expect delivery and reassures you that everything is being taken care of.

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Sponsored Video: Organix Goodies

Organix Goodies have a exciting range of healthy treats and snacks for toddlers, these ‘Goodies’ are different, and you could even go on to say unique, as these treats contain a No Junk Promise! The No Junk Promise guarantees to the Mummy's and Daddy's of the world that there is no added salt, processed sugars, colouring's and even no nasty additives in any of their range.

Leo and I have used the Organix Mini Gingerbread Men in the past and they have always gone down a storm with my little man. One of the first Organix range we ever tried though were the Carrot Stix. What I loved about these were that they are a great finger food to take out on a journey with us for the day, Leo always seemed very impressed.

Organix has recently launched 'Goodies Organic Veg & Oat Bars', an innovative tasty savoury snack to keep toddlers going between meals.  The bars are part of the new Goodies Savouries range which offer a variety of toddler snacks full of goodness and a welcome alternative to sweet flavours.

Organix offer a great range of Baked Corn goodies such as the Carrot Stix I mentioned, and they are a great healthy alternative to crisps. To compliment the range there is also a selection of flavoursome Organic drinks. 'Just Fruit and Water’ is a blend of exactly what it says on the label, Organic Fruit Juices and water. 

There are plenty more yummy treats in the Organix range too, you will find Organic Biscuits, Organic Dried Fruit and Organic Cereal Bars. There really is an Organix option to meet each and every toddlers taste.

Organix have a rather sweet advert running at the moment that you should have a little look at.


This is a Sponsored Post by Organix - All views and opinions are my own.

The City of Friends App Review

I had not heard of the City of Friends television show until I was asked to review the new app that has just come out. City of Friends is currently running on Channel 5’s Milkshake, and has reached over 1.6 million viewers in the UK and is the 5th most watched show on Channel 5’s All Day Video on Demand service.

This new app is currently number 1 in it's native Norway and teaches children all about the emergency services through 8 different games, using the exciting characters that they know and love to get the message across:

- Max the police officer

- Elphie the fire officer

- Ted the paramedic

 I enlisted the help of my younger sister for the role of reviewing this app - I know...It is a hard life! Between us we both had a go on all the different games and here is what you can find and expect out of the app:

- Fight fires with Elphie the Elephant - In this game you have to spot where the fire springs up in the building and put it out as quickly as possible, with Elphie's save the day trunk.

- Fly Hayley the police helicopter with Max the Monkey - You have to collect envelopes and goodies on your flying mission. Be warned it is not as easy as you first think, but I have to admit it kept me entertained for a little while...

- Help Ted the Teddy-bear sort out his first-aid kit - In this game you have to figure out which piece of equipment fits in the shape in Teddy's first aid kit.

- Play with Pete the police car - Here you have the option of looking at a Ambulance, Police Car and Fire Engine. Each of the vehicles can be touched and depending where you click, you will get a different reaction. Clicking the lights will make them flash and the siren's sound.

-  A memory game for preschoolers based on all the characters from the show, you have to click on the masked squares in order to bring up a picture of one of the characters. The mission is to locate all of the pairs. This kept me and the younger sister very busy.

Each of the games have different levels available depending on the child's ability (or the adults in this case!)

Over all I think there is a good range of information presented in a very appealing way. It get's the children to interact and identifies the different roles that each emergency service has to carry out. The only reservation on my part is that I had simply never heard of 'The City of Friends' before and wonder if this would put me off purchasing the app. However I don't think this really matters as the app is very appealing and really does have a lot of relevant information.

The City of Friends app retails at £2.50 from the App Store and is available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

If you were interested in catching a few episodes of The City of Friends, you can catch them weekdays on Channel 5’s Milkshake at 6.20am, Saturdays at 6.15am and Sundays at 6.25am

or visit www.cityoffriends.com

Laura

xx

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Merci Maman Review

Leo and I have been sat pondering over Father's Day for the last few weeks....What could we do to mark Daddy's first ever Father's Day? How could we make sure it is really special?

Then it his us...Merci Maman do some beautiful pieces of jewellery, they cater for baby, Mummy and most importantly....Daddy!

If you are wondering who Merci Maman are, then you are about to be completely enlightened, and I am sure you will be falling in love with their beautiful jewellery just like I did.

Introducing Merci Mamam

Merci Maman was set up by Beatrice De Montille in 2007. Beatrice's aim was to create a place where you could find a selection of many charming, unique and carefully-made gifts, where shopping was simple and fun, and where you could always find the most inspirational and wonderful ideas. Merci Maman is now a small business whose passion for quality, innovation and style shines through in every little detail. Their team make most products in London and dedicate time and energy to produce the best gifts for your loved ones

All their items are completely unique and can be personalised with important names, dates and little messages. The whole range is just stunning, and I was over the moon at the chance of reviewing their Sterling Silver Bracelet. This is just one lovely item from their long list of gifts for the lovely men in our lives, and they happen to have a whole range to help us all find that perfect gift for Father's Day.

I found the whole Merci Maman experience fantastic, I cannot fault them on their customer service, delivery time and above all else...The finished product. I made my decision as to what I wanted engraved on the bracelet and the colour of the braid, and this morning we received Daddy's stunning gift in a beautifully presented gift box.

I am really looking forward to presenting Luke with his bracelet, it is something I know he is going to absolutely love. It has 'Leo Matthew' engraved on the front and Leo's birthday '27/06/2011' on the back. Any engraving you have on your jewellery is all completed by hand in beautiful script.

The disk is Sterling Silver and is presented on a Black cotton braid. There is a wide selection of different braid colours available, so you are sure to find one that suits. The braid has adjustable sliding knots so you can alter the bracelets size to one that fits all, which takes away any stress or worry that it will not fit the recipient.

It is the perfect gift to mark Luke's very first Father's Day and is something that I know he is going to treasure for always.

The Merci Maman Sterling Silver Plated Bracelet retails at a very reasonable £39.00, which includes the option of engraving on front and back, the braid colour of your choice and the beautiful gift box it arrives in. 

So if you are stuck for ideas for that special man in your life this Father's Day, Merci Maman will have something to knock Daddy off his feet and put a big smile on his face.

I am pleased to share a fantastic Merci Maman giveaway for a bracelet just like the one I have had pleasure of reviewing. So make sure to come back and enter when it is live tomorrow morning, for a chance to present one of these very special gifts to a very special Daddy.

Laura

xx

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The Zippy Suit Review

Have you ever got your little baby all ready for bed in that lovely onesie, and felt that great feeling of satisfaction?

 After all you have won the battle by getting all those poppers following in succession, while you were fighting your munchkin's wriggles and squiggles, the rolling away and then of course the inevitable crawling away... It is only then you sit back and take a satisfying deep breath, and suddenly that satisfaction is snapped away right there and then....You suddenly realise that the poppers are all skeewiff and you actually have to catch your little monster, to try and do them up... all over again.

Of course over the last Two weeks I have had this frustration again and again, with Leo being poorly and creating the task of many extra nappy changes. The amount of nappies was soon the size of Mount Everest...and those poppers were not helping me in the least. My frustration only increased at night time, when the nappies still kept coming. Have you ever tried doing poppers up in the dark? I have and I do not recommend it. It added much extra time to the task in hand and by the time I had got it 'kind of right', Leo was wide awake and wanting to play. In my eyes...That is a mission fail!

I found myself asking for a solution, surely someone had an answer to my popper nightmare!

It was around this time I became aware of the Zippy Suit.

We have been sent a Zippy Suit to review, and as you will discover, our findings have been incredibly positive, and taken away the frustration of the fiddly poppers.

Zippy Suits are a revolution in baby changing, instead of the traditional poppers which frustrate so many tired parents like myself. In the poppers place there is a zip! With One magic 'swoosh' Leo is nice and snug, ready for bed. The zip makes the nappy change less time consuming and of course takes away the frustration for Mummy and Leo!

Zippy Suits was born when the founder of the company Nicole Graham realised the frustration it entailed matching up the poppers on babygrows. Nicole's daughter was a wriggler and squirmer, just like Leo... Nicole in her search for a solution, made the very first Zippy Suit and has never looked back.

Nicole conducted research and discovered that their was a perfect Zippy Suit shaped hole in the market, and a growing number of frustrated parents, who would welcome the new concept with open arms and a grateful smile.

Zippy Suits are a luxuriously soft, all in one babygrow that are perfect for babies to sleep soundly in or even play in. Not to mention the fact that the designs are bright and come in a range of different colours.

The Zippy Suits are unique due to their single zip fastening along the leg instead of many annoying poppers. Parents such as myself, simply put Leo's feet into the Zippy Suit and then zip from one foot to the other.

Very simple and takes seconds...rather than minutes!

This is considerably quicker than trying to match up pairs of poppers, especially when babies are wriggling around, or at night-time when they are wriggling around and being changed in dim light.

To complete the look, you can also purchase a matching Bandana Drible Bib that match the Zippy Suit's exciting designs.

Leo is a very active baby boy, he does not have the time to be sat around waiting for his silly Mummy to do up those silly poppers. Especially when it will sometimes take 2 or 3 attempts! He would much rather be crawling away to greener pastures...Sometimes this occurs even before I have chance to put a new nappy on him!

Tonight on the other hand, with the help of the Zippy Suit. This has all been avoided. Yes Leo did wriggle and he most certainly did squirm...The difference being? Well it only took me a couple of seconds to do up the zipper. That was it, he was free to play. There was no frustration on either side.

 Happy Mummy and a happy Leo!

So what does Leo think of the Zippy Suit? I think these photos speak for themselves!

 So after seeing my very happy baby boy in a fabulous Zippy Suit, the question on all of your lips is, how do you get one of your own?

Well firstly let me tell you that it is very possible to accomplish this, and they come in a good size selection, ranging from 3-6 months right up to 12-18 months.

Zippy Suit's cost a very reasonable £12.00, in my eyes they will take away any nappy changing frustrations you may have, and have quite honestly made life much easier at certain times of the day and of course...Night! 

You can purchase your Zippy Suit right here and with this special discount code: FIRST10Z, you can get 10% off your order.

The Zippy Suit has a very big thumb's up from Leo and I, I continue to look forward to the new found ease of nappy changes with my wriggly baby boy.

Thank you Zippy Suit!

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