7 Things I've Learnt As A Parent

Since the very first moment I held my newborns in my arms it has been an incredible learning journey. You may think as a parent you're the one teaching your child as you raise them but you certainly do develop and change as a person too. You grow as your little one does.

Here are seven things I've learnt as a parent...

Your best is good enough
Parents really give themselves a hard time but you should know that you're doing a wonderful job and you are a good parent. If you're worrying about how well you're doing that alone is a sign that you care enough to be concerned and you're therefore a pretty good mum or dad.  It's okay for your child to have chicken nuggets and chips from time to time and you shouldn't feel guilty, it's okay to raise your voice or get grumpy when you're sleep deprived and it's okay to leave the dishes on the side for a day. People may judge you at times for your choices on breast/bottle feeding or disposable/cloth nappy usage but if your kids are happy and healthy that's all that matters.

Updating Your Home On A Budget

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From time to time I like a little change. It might be a splash of fresh paint on the walls or skirting boards, some new furniture or just rearranging what already exists within a room for an alternative layout. It's a great way to make your home feel a bit different without needing to spend a small fortune.

If you're looking to do similar this summer these tips may be just what you're looking for...

• If your walls are fairly bare and neutral in colour you can make a feature wall as a focal point with some patterned paper or by adding a beautiful mural. These methods save time as you don't need to decorate an entire space and it therefore saves your pennies too. Some websites even allow you to transfer your favourite photos onto paper to pop up so you can really personalise it - which is ideal for children's bedrooms in particular.

Feel Good With Heart

The music you listen to can have such a big impact on your everyday mood. I have the radio on during the commute to and from school each day and I opt for tunes over the TV when working from home. Music is a big part of my life and I therefore choose to listen to Heart, the UK's biggest commercial radio brand, which provides feel good music to keep me smiling from dawn til dusk. If I pop out of the house I even leave it on for the dog to keep him company too! It's the happy soundtrack to our day.

Heart have created their #HeartFeelGoodChallenge this year which has inspired me to do something fun and active based on a favourite song of mine to boost my mood even further. Each time 'Shape of You' by Ed Sheeran is played it brings back some lovely memories of meeting my boyfriend for the first time, as it was released around the same time we met, and it reminds me of my admiration for his physique. Being in the military he is in very good shape and he is incredibly fit. The song lyrics 'I'm in love with your body' have since encouraged me to focus on myself a little bit more, in terms of my health and fitness, this January and I've been trying hard to love my own shape as much as I love his.

Christmas Gift Giveaway #12

WIN A BRILLIANT BUNDLE OF THREE NEW GAMES - WORTH £58!

In collaboration with Drumond Park, we have a wonderful prize up for grabs – a trio of new table-top games which will keep the whole family enthralled and entertained over the festive season.

In the DIG IN! game (rrp £19.99, age 8 to adult) players take turns to frantically sift through the big white Dig In! bowl with both hands, trying to find the exact six pieces (all everyday items – button, train, dog, plane, rocket, bike, key etc.) in the right colour which they need to fill their picture card… in just 15 seconds flat. If no one succeeds first time round, everyone ‘digs in’ together, using one hand each. There is no time limit for this stage, and the winner of the round is the player who all the six items illustrated on his or her card. It’s a unique and spell-binding formula, ensuring hours of stimulating fun for the players, who are desperate to be the first to fill their card!

Christmas Gift Giveaway #9

Not forgetting the little ones this Christmas, we have two lovely gift solutions from Rainbow Designs up for grabs.

This beautiful, and washable, character Activity Playmat is perfect to encourage baby’s early developmental skills. They are available in the Peppa Pig for Baby, Peter Rabbit and My First Thomas & Friends collections and are suitable from birth - they've been packed with activities to help stimulate baby’s senses as they grow including a detachable mirror, removable shaped teethers, a cute peek-a-boo flap as well as a multitude of textures and sounds.

Christmas Gift Giveaway #7

Konfidence’s new Platinum Swimming Bundles contain everything you need to take your little ones swimming, so whether you already have a fish in the family or hope to take them to the pool in the new year this is the giveway for you - it's worth £59.99.

The bundle contains:

Fright Nights at Thorpe Park Resort

Thorpe Park Resort’s, Fright Nights, returns in all its gore-y for the nation’s premiere Halloween event’s 15th Birthday celebrations on selected dates from 7th October – 31st October with an all-new scare maze, Platform 15.

Platform 15 is set in the Park’s woodlands; it is the largest scare maze to date covering 450 metres. Guests will depart on a one way ticket along an overgrown railway line which is the last known route of the Sleeper Express, a locomotive that disappeared into thin air with all passengers still on board.

Turning 10

It really doesn't feel like ten years since I gave birth to Jamster on my en suite bathroom floor without a midwife present. He arrived 11 days early and the labour was rather quick at just 2 hours 36 minutes - despite planning a delivery at home, it just wasn't as expected.

But, here I am, celebrating yet another birthday, reflecting on his life so far and thinking about what the future has in store for him. It actually makes me incredibly emotional writing this, thinking that perhaps he is my last baby even though I long for another, yet knowing he has grown into such a wonderful boy that makes me incredibly proud.

I'd woken with pains at 2am and assumed I'd just exerted myself a little too much during the day as I had walked a few miles with Minxy in the pram, being rather a stubborn woman and not wanting to slow down. I had a bath and tried to relax a little but the tightenings became intense and I called the ward to send support out to me. 

WIN a Mini Soy Candle Collection for Mother's Day

We teamed up with Willow and Honey earlier this month for a Valentine's Giveaway and now we have another wonderful candle trio up for grabs - in pretty floral scents!

This elegant trio of soy candles features three floral fragrances: 

• English Rose - Opening with notes of rose and geranium delicately rounded with a hint of musk and tiny touch of wood.
• Peony & Lily - A floral aroma fusing white peony, lily of the valley and undertones of jasmine and bergamot musk.
• Himalayan Cedar & Jasmine - Light sparkling citrus high notes leading to an exotic blend of jasmine, white flower, amber and cedar wood.  

Each is 60g in size with a burn time of around 15 hours. 

The floral gift box costs £30 and can be purchased via the website.

www.willowandhoney.co.uk

WIN a Rose Basket and Buttercream Swirls for Mother's Day

I was so incredibly impressed with the Valentine's Day gifts from Bradford Bakers that we have collaborated again to offer one lucky person this beautiful duo. You can even have it delivered on Mother's Day for that special someone in your life to show your true love and appreciation!


The basket features lots of pretty pink and purple flowers along with fresh white gerberas. This is teamed with 6 beautifully presented cupcakes that are decorated with hearts and glitter galore!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide

Cupid is out in full force this week as Valentine's Day approaches, and whether you're looking for some tasty treats or pampering products our gift guide should help to put a smile on your loved one's face. 

Timeless Truth Rejuvenating Bio Cellulose Eye Mask - £3.70

If you're planning on having a night in with your partner this Sunday then a little r&r will certainly go a long way. Created to reduce lines and wrinkles these masks leave skin feeling soft and refreshed while also moisturising a delicate area. With a formulation of active ingredients - including Olea Europaea Husk Oil, an extract from the olive fruit rich in antioxidants, anti-pollutants, and lactic acid to provide excellent results, it's not surprised they are so well loved by celebrities too.

7 Useful Tips For Your First Holiday With A Baby

We spend so much time planning for the arrival of our bundles of joy. After all, in the best possible way, our beautiful babies can turn our world upside down. But amid the raft of changes they bring to your sleeping patterns, your house, the size of your car and everything else, it’s easy to forget to take care of number one, and your special someone too.

You need your R&R, and having a baby shouldn’t mean you miss out on your holiday when summer rolls around. So how to ensure that your first trip away with the new addition to your family is a trip to remember, at a suitable location, and that a relaxing and enjoyable experience for everyone results? Here are seven bits of advice which should hopefully go some way to helping you out…

Look far and wide

If your dream is to go afar, and your baby is not yet mobile, this may be your time to go long distance. Flying with a very small child is a good deal easier (and more affordable) than doing so when they are a crawling (or walking) toddler, so there’s no time like the present to go to Santiago or Sydney.

WIN an Ultimate English Hamper

This Valentine’s, why not treat your loved one to the ultimate hamper of English fudge.

Launched in 2014, the Ultimate English range offers traditional goods made in Yorkshire, with a modern twist. We obviously think that fudge is great all year round, but what could be better than snuggling up with your loved one and a hamper of traditionally crafted confectionery?

This hamper is lovingly filled with a selection of Ultimate English products for you and your loved one to enjoy this 14th February:

• Rhubarb Coconut Ice
• All Butter Fudge
• Salted Caramel Fudge
• Madagascan Vanilla
• Lemon Coconut Ice

Warning – you might find it hard to share!

The Importance Of Knowing What You Breathe (Plus WIN a uHoo Indoor Air Quality Sensor!)

Considering how much time you and your family spend at home, it's important to ensure the air around you is the best possible quality to inhale, especially if you suffer with allergies! 

The uHoo Indoor Air Sensor has been created to monitor temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC), air pressure, carbon monoxide, ethanol and particulate matter (PM2.5) to keep the kids safe and provide peace of mind. You may think it's the summer months and the pollen outdoors that affects you most, but there are lots of common allergy causes during every season like this graphic below shows:

There are several things you can do to reduce the chances of suffering with allergies but a uHoo may really help in the long run!

Silent Sunday

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Pampers Want To Help Make Life #BetterForBaby!

Today, our friends at Pampers released a short film which showcases just how babies bring out the best in us all, highlighting that there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to make life #BetterForBaby - if you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here:

I must admit, my eyes got a little watery watching it!

Whether for your own beautiful brood, grandchildren, nieces and nephews or friends’ children, we all make changes to ensure that their lives are as happy as possible. And, what better time to celebrate the love that babies bring than Christmas?

This festive season, Pampers want to help spread the cheer by pledging to help make life #BetterForBaby in local communities. Celebrating all that people do to ensure that babies can live their lives to the fullest, Pampers are offering five £1,000 bursaries, to help people like you and I make life #BetterForBaby in our neighbourhoods! 

How you can make life #BetterForBaby?

Is there something you’d really love to see built in your community? Maybe you want to improve some much-needed changing facilities, supply nappies and blankets to a local shelter, or update playtime equipment for a community nursery… anything goes! If so, Pampers want to know exactly what you’d do to make life #BetterForBaby - tell Pampers your pledge using #BetterForBaby to be in with a chance of winning one of five £1,000 bursaries!

Disney Tsum Tsum Toy Shop Playset and Figures

The latest craze from Disney is Tsum Tsum - cute plushies of your favourite film characters to play with at home! The name comes from the Japanese word 'Tsumu' which means 'to stack' and that's exactly what you can do with these adorable soft toys. 

There is now also a Squishies range which features playsets and miniature figures to add to your collection, some of which are exclusive to a specific store, and we received a few to put to the test!

Tsum Tsum Squishy Figure Toy Shop Playset

This set doubles up as a display case as there are two removable units which can fit twenty figures on between them and there is also a pod to show off your favourite! Included are two exclusive figures, Alice in Wonderland and Mickey Mouse, and the set has various little elements to explore with them. 

There is a stacking stage where you can pile your Tsum Tsum figures into a pyramid before pressing the pink Minnie Mouse button to pop them up and make them tumble. There is also a bouncing platform with a transparent tube surround where you can make a figure 'fly' by pressing a different button. Furthermore, there are movable Mickey and Minnie faces on the structure which can be pushed from side to side and a unit that rotates. These simple activities are ideal for pre-schoolers although older children will love them too!

This is quite a low cost set at £25, especially in comparison to others of a similar size for children, although it is currently on offer at £20 which is even better value for money. It seems to be good quality generally but we did find that the platform came out of place from the base when the button to bounce was pressed more vigorously.

Silent Sunday

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Win a Bumper Bundle of Peter Rabbit Goodies!

Young fans of children’s favourite Peter Rabbit will love these gorgeous gifts this Christmas.

We have one of the following prize bundles on offer, featuring products from the charming Peter Rabbit range. The bundle includes a soft and cuddly Story-telling Peter Rabbit from Vivid Toys and Games. A great friend for bedtime, Peter Rabbit wants to tell you a story! Open his journal and he will start telling a tale. The pictures in the journal light up as Peter goes through the story. With hundreds of different story combinations you’ll never know what will happen next! 

The bundle also includes two special seasonal DVD collections, Peter Rabbit’s Tales of the Start of Spring and Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale both from Abbey Home Media, as well as a bright and festive treat for young readers, Peter Rabbit’s Happy Christmas! from Penguin Books.

WIN 5 Megableu Games

At Halloween we had the opportunity to review 2 spooktacular games from Megableu, Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt, and now another lovely bundle of family fun products have arrived to put to the test, just in time for Christmas.

Alien Mission 

£39.99

After popping on your sensor goggles (which are adjustable for maximum comfort) and activating the electronic gun, the intergalatic adventure commences! Aliens appear as if by magic around your home and your objective is to find, shoot and destroy them. The player with the highest score wins.

It's a fast moving and active game and Jamster in particular enjoyed this as he likes the idea of being a hero and saving the world! You get a point for each alien shot but if you accidentally hit an innocent robot you lose a point so you really need to be focused during play.  It's great for building concentration skills.

6 batteries are required, 3 AAA for both the goggles and gun, which aren't included but the on/off switch helps to reserve them when not in use. It's aimed at children aged 5+ and although you can play against others you can also play indepentanlty by trying to beat your previous score which is ideal if a child doesn't have siblings or friends around to join in. 

Each session lasts 90 seconds and the final score will be displayed on the gun for you to view with ease. There are 4 cards included in the set which can be hidden in rooms to find and earn bonus points, 2 for each.