Category: Reviews

1. Why we love Joules : Review

   Posted on 7:05pm Sunday 26th Jan 2014

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   It is no secret that I have a love affair with shopping.

   It is no secret that I have two adorable daughters.

   It therefore comes as no surprise then that when I buy something, I usually have to buy two of them and whilst there is 6 years difference in age, from time to time, they do like to dress in similar clothing. (Not all of the time, obviously, as the 2 year old can still get away with cute bunny ears on her dressing gown but that is considered not cool by the 8 year old!).

   So you can imagine my delight when we were asked to review items from the new Joules range. I have to be completely honest and admit that I always thought that Joules was all about delightfully bright wellington boots and attire for country folk and whilst this may have been part of its original creation, the colourful range and beautiful prints are perfect for my "floral" named girls. 

   We choose the gorgeous quilted jackets from Joules and when I say we, I really mean me. I loved how they have a classically British look but the burst of floral lining gives them a beautifully girlie look.

   The quality goes without saying, the jackets are warm and it may sound silly but the zips work and the children can use them! I cannot tell you my frustration with childrens coats where the zips get stuck. This may sound like a small thing but when you are on a strict morning schedule, those few minutes dealing with a zip matter! Also trying to wrestle a toddler out of a jacket with a stuck zip is no fun .... but I digress. 

   

   
   

   Why we love Joules by littlelilypadco on Polyvore

   Joules clothing isnt high volume, low price, it is all about quality, style and standing the test of time. Unfortunately for me, I have now found other things on the site that my girls will look adorable in, I just don't need to let them see the horse print attire as knowing my two, they will want a horse to go with it!

2. On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me ....

   Posted on 7:45am Monday 2nd Dec 2013

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   ...... not turtle doves but outfits for girls I love (it kind of rhymes).

   When we were asked to review the F&F Christmas range, we jumped (or is it leapt like the lords?) at the chance, we love clothes and we love Christmas, so it was a match made in heaven.

   Typically, my eldest daughter had to make her own choices ....... she is 8 after all! (what am I going to do when she is 18???) but I was pleasantly surprised at her request!

   

   
   

   On the second day of Christmas by littlelilypadco featuring metallic cap toe shoes

   
   

   

   Both dresses have roses in the design, a flower that is very personal to us as a family, but each design is very different. As a mom, it's good to know that they are machine washable because my children are like magnets for dirt ... no matter how careful they are!

   The quality is amazing for the price and it just goes to show that supermarket style can rival the high street any day of the week .... usually saving enough money to buy the matching shoes too! This works for me on lots of levels, saving money and having some spare for shoes! 

   If I am honest, F&F is not somewhere that would immediately spring to mind if I was thinking about party dresses but they have a fabulous range of Christmas attire for all ages, including jumpers and some brilliant nativity costumes too!

   

   So on the second day of Christmas, I will happily pass on the turtle doves and have two fabulous party dresses for my gorgeous girls instead. It doesn't rhyme but it works for me!

3. Kelo- Stretch Cream : Review

   Posted on 8:24pm Wednesday 9th Oct 2013

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   As part of our Baby Blog, our new mum blogger has been reviewing the Kelo-Stretch Cream. Kelo-Stretch™ (125ml, £25.99) launched in April 2013 by speciality pharmaceutical company Sinclair IS Pharma and it has been specifically formulated to prevent and correct stretch marks. Stretch marks affect as many as 75% to 90% of pregnant women.¹ They can also appear during adolescence or be a consequence of rapid weight gain or weight loss. Stretch marks may also be caused by hormonal disorders

   So after months of testing, here is what she thought .....

   Pitter-patter of tiny feet, a new bundle of joy that you can’t wait to meet;  what a dream to be a new mum.  Stretch Marks…. not such a dream! But, there is help at hand, in fact there are a lot of products out there that claim to prevent or help existing stretch marks and I am sure that like me, most pregnant woman are rubbing lotions and potions into their growing bumps religiously (and mine was definately growing).

   So how do we know what really works, why do some pregnant woman get stretch marks and some don’t? I put KELO-STRETCH cream to the test through my pregnancy, it features a unique dual formula to address the main causes of stretch mark formation and there is a LOT of science and evidence behind it.

   

   I applied it as per the instructions twice a day from the 4^th month of pregnancy. It sank easily into the skin on application which was a blessing when dressing for work in the morning as you don’t want to be hanging around waiting for your skin to dry off.  It’s also fragrance free, which for me was a true positive because I had made the decision in my pregnancy to be as ‘organic’ as possible and stopped wearing perfumes etc.  For this reason it does have a slightly ‘medicated’ smell about it but that doesn’t stay around for long and gave me confidence that the product had been developed to work rather than just smell good. It claims to increase elasticity and hydrate the skin and I must say that my skin always felt plump and smooth.

    

   So, the million dollar question – did it work? I can happily report I have zero stretch marks! I am still using it now post pregnancy just to be sure, but not one in sight. Will I ever truly know if it was the KELO- STRETCH cream preventing them? Possibly not, but if I am ever blessed with another pregnancy I certainly won’t be taking a chance – KELO-STRETCH cream will be top of my list!

4. Learn to read in 5 weeks for FREE with Reading Eggs

   Posted on 7:16am Friday 4th Oct 2013

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   For as long as I can remember, I have read stories with my girls, (I am not sure whether this is linked to my eldest being the biggest story teller around) but reading is a big part of our every day routine. My youngest daughter is at the stage of loving stories that rhyme while my eldest loves stories that she can read by herself. So when we were introduced to the Reading Eggs Great Literacy Challenge, we were a little intrigued as to what it was all about.

   We found that your child can join thousands of children across the UK taking part in the Reading Eggs Great Literacy Challenge – which is a nationwide effort to inspire children to read! This FREE event will give your child 5 weeks FREE access to Reading Eggs – the online reading programme that teaches children aged 3-13 the literacy skills needed for lifetime reading success.

    

   We have supported Tommy's and raised money through the Water Babies splashathon, so are thrilled to be able to continue this support through Reading Eggs.

   We also love that there are games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, can motivate children to keep exploring and learning. We were also interested to find that over 90% of parents found a noticeable improvement in their childrens reading after using Reading Eggs. So we are delighted to be able to share a FREE trial for Lilypad readers!

   Click here to sign up for your free trial and see for yourself how your child’s reading improves by using Reading Eggs!

   Happy Reading!!