The Good Bubble Baby Range | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted the Good Bubble products for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post also contains affiliate links.

Bath time is a major part of little J's bedtime routine. He has always had a bath before bedtime and I really do think it's so important not just to wash away the day but it's also a time for him to relax his body after being active all day. We love thinking of ways to make bath time more fun and trying out new products in his bath and we are lucky that his skin seems to like most products we try. One of our favourites is Good Bubble, they have a lovely range of natural bath products in delicious smelling flavours. We were recently sent their Good Bubble Baby range to try and they smell amazing.

When buying products I always make sure that they are suitable for babies or small children because even at the age of 6 if little J gets the slightest trickle of soap suds near his eyes, he will scream. He hates anything in his eyes so knowing the Good Bubble hair and body range use a no tear formulation is perfect for this like little J.

The Good Bubble Baby Hair and Body Wash comes in cucumber and aloe vera and is designed for sensitive baby skin. It's a mild and gentle hair and body wash suitable from newborn upwards.

The Good Bubble Baby Moisturiser is mild and gentle with cottonseed and aloe vera, a perfect combination to keep babies skin hydrated. Again the moisturiser is suitable for newborns and is paediatrician approved.

My favourite is the Good Bubble 100% Pure Organic Coconut Oil. Paediatrician approved and suitable for those with sensitive and eczema prone skin. I have actually been using this myself around my elbows and knees were I suffer from dry skin and it's really helped soothe those areas and it smells amazing.

If you would like to win Good Bubble Hair and Body Wash, Moisturiser and Organic Coconut Oil all you need to do is enter our giveaway below and pop back daily for bonus chances to win.

Our Giveaway may be closed buy you can still enjoy The Good Bubble Range available on Amazon

Win Good Bubble Bath Time Goodies

  Michelle

Competition closes on Sunday 22nd September 2019

Entrants must have a valid UK address. 

Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified. 

All entrants and entries are checked and verified. 

1 lucky winner will be chosen at random by the Gleam application. 

Playdays and Runways will contact the lucky winners within 7 days of the competition closing. 

The winners will be emailed to the email address given at the time of entering. 

The winners will not be announced on my blog or social media until they have agreed that their name can be displayed. 

The winners must respond within 28 days, if no response a new winner will be chosen. 

This prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative 

The Prize : Good Bubble Moisturiser, Hair and Body Wash and Organic Coconut Oil

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TIG-TAG | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent a TIG-TAG for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

There is an eleven year age gap between big and little J so finding a game that they can both play has always been a struggle. Little J would be too young for some and big J not interested in others. One common ground has always been playing outside. Whether it's football, garden or chase games their love of playing outside has always meant that they could spend time together having fun. We were recently sent TIG-TAG which is an exciting new outdoor game designed to get the whole family up and playing together.

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Hape Anywhere Art Studio | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Hape Anywhere Art studio for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.

We have been very lucky this Summer to be able to get away for a few days visiting different parts of the country. I usually pack a variety of toys to keep little J busy when we are travelling or staying over in a hotel but this time I only took with us the Hape Anywhere Art Studio that we had been sent to review.

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio is a portable tabletop easel which has a whiteboard on one side a chalk board on the other.

When you are ready to play you prop the easel up turning the adjustable knobs tightly so that the easel holds in place.

That is it. Your easel is ready to play with and all you need to do is to decide whether you want to use the whiteboard or the chalk board side.

If using the whiteboard side then you can choose to use whiteboard markers directly in the board (whiteboard markers are not included) or you can use the magnet to hold a piece of paper in place and draw directly on to the paper. The choice is yours.

If using the chalk board then you can use one of the two chunky chalks that are included to create your drawing. When you are finished you can use the eraser to rub it out and start again.

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio is perfect to play with at home or even when you are out and about. Little J absolutely loves drawing, painting and any other creative activities he can think of. The Anywhere Art Studio is completely portable and also very easy to set up. It's been ideal for us this Summer while we have been travelling around and little J loves it.

For more information visit Hape. The Anywhere Art Studio is available to buy in most good toy stores or online

Michelle

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Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 Art Station | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 art station for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post also includes affiliate links.

I have mentioned a few times recently that due to a few rainy play days at home and school little J has really started to enjoy lots of different creative activities. He has brought home a variety of drawings and paintings from school and now has an art drawer at home filled lots of different materials to allow him to be as creative as he likes. We were recently introduced to Little Brian Paint Sticks and I have to say they are an amazing invention. Looking like a glue stick you can use the solid paint stick to create lots of mess free paintings. 

We were sent the Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 Art Station which is perfect for the Summer holidays whether we are at home or out and about. The art station opens up to reveal a double sided easel with a white board on one side and a chalk board on the other. 

The 6 coloured paint sticks can be used on the white board directly or you can use the clip to hold a piece of paper in place so they can paint direct on to the paper. All you need to do is twist the paint stick and the solid paint will appear at the top and just start painting. 

The chalks that are included in the art station again are completely mess free and do not leave a chalky residue that you get with normal chalk. You just twist the chalk and you are ready to go. 

Once you have finished playing it all packs away neatly and can be carried using the handle. 

The Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 art Station is ideal for playing with at home however it is compact enough to take away with you to on either holiday or a day out to keep the little ones busy.

Michelle

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Drinks To Enjoy In The Summer

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Disclosure - We were gifted a Cranes Cider pack in return for a mention on our blog. The thoughts for this post, opinions and photographs are our own. 

I'm not much of a drinker, in fact I can go for months without having an alcoholic drink however there is something about the Summer that changes that. I think it's because we have the warm Summer evenings in the garden and family BBQ's and there are so many nice Summer tipples to choose from.

Cider is a perfect choice and we have been enjoying Cranes Cider this Summer.  There are so many flavours of cider to choose from including Blueberries and Apples, Pomegranate and Raspberries and my favourite Cranberries and Limes. A lovely refreshing drink which boasts 30% less calories compared to other top brands.

 Gin is not a drink I would ever have thought of trying until I was given a pink gin at a Party. Pink gin has become a very poplar choice over the last few years and I like to enjoy it with diet lemonade giving it a sweeter taste compared to tonic.

 For many Baileys would be classed as a winter drink however I like to enjoy a Baileys no matter what the season. Baileys Vanilla Cinnamon is a perfect choice for a cool Summer's Evening in the garden. You can enjoy it neat or over ice. We have only been able to find this flavour in duty free at the airports so we always pick up a bottle when we are travelling.

Again wine was never a drink I would choose until I tried it with lemonade last year and really enjoyed it. It's a drink that you can sip throughout the day or evening and is lovely served chilled. I prefer a rosé wine as it has a sweeter taste.

Do you enjoy a nice drink in the Summer evenings? Do you have a favourite Summer tipple? Let us know.

Michelle

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Yeti In My Spaghetti | Review

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Disclosure - We received Yeti In My Spaghetti for the purpose of this post. We have also been offered another to give away. This post also contains affiliate links.

The Summer holidays will soon be here and I have been planning lots of activities to enjoy with little J. One of our favourite things to do together is to play games. Little J loves games and although we own plenty, including some from when Big J was little, we love having new additions to our games collection. Yeti In My Spaghetti is the latest addition. It's a fun, fast paced game that is perfect to keep the kids entertained and I have a Yeti In My Spaghetti to giveaway to one of our readers.

Yeti In My Spaghetti is a simple but very fun game to play aimed at ages 4+. Setup is really easy. All you need to do is place the bowl on a flat surface, place the noodle pieces on top of the bowl in all different directions and then place the Yeti on top. Each player takes turns to pull one noodle at a time  from the top of the bowl, whilst trying not to let the yeti fall in to the bowl. Once the Yeti falls into the bowl the game is over and if you made him fall you are the loser.

Our giveaway to win Yeti in the Spaghetti may be closed but you can still enjoy the game by purchasing on Amazon 

Win Yeti In My Spaghetti

Michelle

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Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Wooden Sound Puzzle | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted both Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Wooden Sound Puzzle. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

 I would like to assume that everyone knows the song Baby Shark and if you don't I can also assume you haven't been living on this planet for a year. Baby Shark is so popular with little ones and I can promise you if you are heading on holiday this Summer it will probably be a firm favourite at Mini Disco. We have been trying out Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle for the last few weeks and they are a lovely addition to the very popular toy range.

The Let's Go Hunt game is a slow moving 'fishing' type game where each player grabs a rod and tries to hook a fish as it bobs up and down on the game board.

The game is designed for those 4+ and for between 2-4 players. Each player uses the rod to carefully catch the fish as it opens and closes its mouth. Now it may sound easy but it's quite tricky but lots of fun. There is an added bonus of the Baby Shark song playing as you fish.

There is a pattern to the fishes opening and closing their mouths which little J worked out very quickly however that doesn't mean he caught all the fish. You have to carefully place the rod in their mouth and hook it on to their sharp teeth. If you don't they tend to flip upside down.

It's a lovely game that little J actually enjoyed playing on his own too.

The Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle is a 5 piece shark puzzle with colourful and chunky puzzle pieces. When you correctly place the shark in the right place it will sing the Baby Shark song however it will play the part of the song corresponding to the correct piece eg Mummy Shark, Grandma Shark. Lovely feature to the puzzle.

Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle is aimed at those 2+ so was a little easy for little J however it's perfect for when his younger cousins come to play.

Although our giveaway may be closed you can still enjoy Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle and Lets Go Hunt game by purchasing on Amazon

Win Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle

Michelle

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My-Picture.co.uk Framed Photo Print | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted a framed photo for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.

Every time we take a Disney holiday we come home and try to decide which of our photos we will turn in to a large print to hang in the living room. My-Picture.co.uk had offered us the chance to review their service and choose from their framed photo prints so we wanted to make sure we chose the perfect photo.

Once we had decided which photograph to use we then chose a framed print from the many options available and uploaded our photo.

Once the photo was uploaded we could see a little preview of what the frame would look like. We then needed to choose our preferred size.

Sizes available are

24x24 cm

34x24 cm

44x34 cm

44x44 cm

64x44 cm

Once you have chosen your size you can then customise your frame. You can choose from

Black Matte

White

Vintage Silver

Walnut Flair

Oak Vintage Flair

You can then to choose whether to have the photo as it is or change it to black and white.

We then proceeded to checkout and waited for our framed photo print to arrive.

The whole process to order from My-Picture.co.uk was very easy and we are really happy with the quality of the photo and the frame. The finish is lovely and looks perfect in our living room.

Michelle

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Smashers Epic Dino Egg | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Smashers Epic Dino Egg for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Today is hatching day for our Smashers Epic Dino Egg. We received the huge egg a few days ago and Little J has been so excited waiting for the day when he could 'smash' the egg open. We are huge fans of Smashers and have built up quite a collection of Smashers including Smashers Dino so we can't wait to see the surprises inside.

The Smashers Epic Dino Egg has over 25 surprises inside. If your little one is a fan of blind bag type toys then this egg will be perfect for them.

Cracking open the egg was lots of fun. Little J tossed it in the air and let it fall to the ground. Each time a little crack appeared so he did it over and over until it smashed in to 4 pieces and a package popped out of the Dino Egg.

Inside was a Fossil Rock, Fizzy Lava, Dino Dirt, Glowing Slime and an Ice Age Putty. Each one of these will reveal a Dinosaur body part that once you uncover them all will create a large Dino figure. 

Also included was 6 Smashers Dino eggs which include a Dino collectible inside. 

Little J can't wait to create his Dino. We have played with Fossil Rock and Fizzy Lava before. All you need to do is add some water and watch as the Dino appears. Little J loves slime so this will be very popular and also the Dino Dirt sounds fun too.  

Little J is also excited to crack open his Smashers Dino Eggs to see what Dino collectibles he has found which he will add to his Smashers Dino collection. 

The Smashers Epic Dino Egg is currently available to buy in most major toy stores and supermarkets.

Michelle

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Smiggle Lunchbag and Bottle | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Smiggle goodies for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

It was only about 6 months ago we found Smiggle. A store opened up in our city centre, we walked past it one day and the explosion of colours caught little J's eye. From the outside all I could see was pinks and purples and I have to admit I was keen to take a look myself. Smiggle has a huge range of stationery, bags, lunchbags and water bottles on display. Little J was so excited and we agreed he could choose something as a treat. He chose a water bottle and has loved that bottle ever since. Smiggle recently sent us some lunch bags and bottles and little J is over the moon.

This style of lunch bag is called a double decker. So if you want a bag with lots of space than I would definitely recommend a double decker. The top can be opened using the zip to reveal a shallow compartment. This is ideal for snacks or even an ice pack if needed. The bottom is spacious and could fit a large lunch in and/or a water bottle.

The glitz double decker is also spacious and could fit a large lunch inside and/or a water bottle too. There is also a front zip which opens up and is ideal for popping in a water bottle, ice pack or snacks. The glitz double decker comes with the choice of a carry handle or a strap.

There are also a large range of water bottles available at Smiggle. The range includes hard plastic, roll water bottle, stainless steel and also a spritz water bottle that has a water mist trigger that will spray cool, refreshing mist. This is on little J's Smiggle wishlist.

If you don't have a Smiggle close to home you can view and buy the range online by visiting Smiggle. There is currently 25% off all lunch bags and bottles however it is for a limited time so might be a good idea to buy now before the back to school rush.

Michelle

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Celebrating National Picnic Week With John Adams

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Disclosure - We received the three travel games below for the purpose of this giveaway. Any thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links.

As you can probably tell from our blog we love being outdoors and travel around a lot. One thing we love to do together is have a picnic. There isn't anything better than heading out with a picnic to enjoy. Between the 21st and the 30th June it is National Picnic Week and we have teamed up with John Adams to giveaway a travel game that you can enjoy while you are out and about.

We love playing games and usually take a selection with us if we go out for the day. We recently received a selection of new games from John Adams to enjoy and as they are travel size they are perfect to play on the go.

I am giving one lucky reader the chance to winner a Travel game from the following three we have been playing this week.

Triominos Sunshine

Triominos Sunshine is a bright and colourful version of the classic game Triominos. Triominos is the classic triangular domino game which is lots of fun. Each Triomino tile has numbers on players score points by matching numbers on the three-sided playing pieces to pieces that are already in play.

Little J really likes this game and he found it quite easy to understand the rules although does need help with the scoring part of the game.

Othello On The Move

Othello is a classic fast-paced strategy game. The idea behind the game is you must try to trap your rival's playing pieces and turn them over. The lead can change at any moment with a flip of a disk and the player with the most pieces of the same colour wins.

We've never played Othello before but we're enjoying the travel version. It's easy to set up and use and John and I have been playing in the garden in the evening.

Rummikub Travel

Rummikub is a numbers strategy game which is played with 106 tiles. The object of the game to be the first player to Rummikub. Rummikub means you have placed all the tiles from your tile rack onto the table before anyone else. You can lay your tiles down in number runs and colour groups.

The travel version of this game is so compact you could fit all the tiles in a small makeup bag or pencil case.

Although our giveaway may be closed you can still enjoy the games by buying online at Amazon

Celebrate National Picnic Week and Win A John Adams Travel Game

Michelle

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June Bedtime Stories | Our Favourites

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Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links

This month we headed to the library so that little J could choose some new books to read at bedtime. There were so many to choose from however he did manage to narrow it down to just 12 and these are a few of his favourite bedtime stories.

Animal ABC
Learn the alphabet and meet amazing animals along the way using the lift and flap.

Little J really enjoyed this and it introduced him to animals he had not heard of before such as Quokka, Uakari, Ibis and a Yak.

Lunchtime
It's lunchtime for one little girl, but she's just not hungry. A visiting crocodile, bear and wolf however are starving. It's just as well that children taste revolting.

We love this story all about food, friendships and fun.

Mixed
In the beginning there were three colours, Reds, Yellows and Blues. All living together in harmony until one day Red says he is the best. No longer happy with living together, the colours decide to divide but just as it seems there's no turning back, cool blue and bright yellow save the day.

This is a really lovely story about understanding, love, acceptance and also shows what happens when colours mix. 

Something Fishy
There is something fishy going on, but not in a good way. When a cat wants fish, nothing else will do and bringing home a new baby really doesn't help. Who saw that coming?... not the jealous cat.

Little J loves this story and insists that John reads it to him with funny voices. I love listening to him chuckle. 

You Choose in Space

Zoom into Space for an adventure where you choose what happens next. Which alien would you most like to be friends with? What fantastically freaky food will you munch for lunch?

After reading You Choose in Space little J also wants to try and find You Choose and You Choose your Dreams too.

What stories have you been reading this month?

Michelle

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TechDen The Home To Healthier Screen Habits | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted TechDen for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Screen time for your children. Is it a problem?  There are clearly some different thoughts out there when you have a look at some of the recent press around screen time. One thing is for certain though, only you the parent can really decide how much screen time you want your child to have.

We limit Little J's screen time to an amount we feel is appropriate depending on what his day has been like. We look at what time he got up, what he has done before and after breakfast and what activities he has done during the day. Some days he is more tired than others and he may have more screen time that day.  For us, that makes sense, but for him, its difficult to understand how it works!

This is where TechDen comes in. TechDen is the first ever combined physical storage and charging device with its own app to give the user the ability to control screen time on each device. Once the device is in the Den, it's locked away with an "out of sight, out of mind" approach to support parents decisions around screen time restrictions.

The TechDen App is what makes the device so unique. TechDen works with the main app being installed on the parents device and the childs versions of the apps being installed on their devices. The parent is able to predetermine the amount of time available to the child and also how many sessions are available throughout the day.  The system works by requiring the devices be returned to the Den before the end of the allocated time.  Before time is up, the child will get countdown reminders so they are ready to return the device rather than have a "2 minute warning", and they can also request extra time through the app. The parent device will receive all notifications of requests, with the ability to approve or deny requests straight away.

At the end of the session, if the device isn't returned to the Den the parental device will receive notification so that intervention can take place if needs be.

The TechDen app also can operate on a rewards system which can support the child with habits and a sense of achievement.

The Den itself is simple enough to use, and a really great feature is that once the device is away and charging, the doors wont open to the childs request for the device unless it's in one of the predetermined sessions of availability. To make it simple for the child, if the light is green they can use the device and if the light is red they can't. The Den was bigger than we expected, however if you think about a unit that would house and charge two tablets then its easy to see why the size is as it is.

I could see that TechDen could be really useful in cutting down on arguments around device time, as often these can be a result of lack of time planning or parameters set to begin with.  TechDen can support by ensuring that everyone knows the rules to start with and offering simple but effective techniques towards device access.

If you want to know more about TechDen then visit their website here for parental views and guides on how it may work for your family.

John

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