Last night I went on a date.

I went out for dinner, had drinks, flirted a little and indulged in adult conversation.

My meal wasn't shared with a small person.

My meal didn't have half eaten and slightly chewed bits of food placed on it.

I managed to have a whole conversation without any interruptions (aside from the attentive waitress).

I laughed.

We held hands, not for safety crossing the road or for fear of losing each other, just simply because we wanted to.

Life changes you, changes the things you once took for granted.

I remember once upon a time going to on an indulgent two week 5* holiday  where my only consideration was whether the bar stocked my favourite alcoholic beverage. Fast forward to today and I am more concerned with checking for suitable flight times, length of transfer and childrens facilities.

Life changes you.

My "date" last night wants us to have some time to ourselves, to find a perfect break for just the two of us.

My "date" also knows how difficult it would be to leave the children.

Being a mom changes you.

Once upon a time I would have been dreaming of hot exotic climates and how tanned I could get in a short space of time but now, I want to protect the skin of my girls and don't let them outside in the sun without applying factor 50. *insert wriggling child and resistence to suncream*

I happen to be marrying my "date" from last night and the girls will obviously be bridesmaids.

I do wonder whether we will get through the ceremony without the toddler interrupting.

I do wonder whether part of her meal will magically end up on my plate.

I know that they will really want to come on our honeymoon.

But do you know what? I wouldn't change it for the world!

I have to admit that I hadn't heard about the BubbleBum Travel Booster Seat before we had the opportunity to do this review but I have no idea how it managed to pass me by! 

I did a little bit of research before the Bubble Bum arrived and it seems that there is divided opinion about it and as I am usually the first to know about new products, space saving and indeed child safety items, I was thrilled to have the chance to try it out. I then found a friend has had one for years *insert slightly cross face for not sharing this fabulous find!!*

We were told that BubbleBum is the world's first inflatable, deflatable, portable and packable car booster seat for school aged children, 4-11 years old and weighing 15-36 kgs. I like the fact that BubbleBum is ideal for everyday use, taking on holiday, rental cars, taxi's, car pooling and with to its narrow design, you can easily fit 3 seats across the back seat of any vehicle!  Thankfully it doesn't take much "puff" either. I managed to inflate it with relative ease .... which is something for a woman who gets lightheaded blowing up balloons!

The 9 year old couldn't wait to test it out, putting her own seat straight in the boot of the car and declaring that one is now the "spare". She took abosolutely no notice of the installation instructions and said it felt a bti "wobbly" but when we clipped it in correctly, she was delighted at how comfortable it was. (whereas I was more thrilled about the safety aspect of the additional securings).

 

In terms of safety, the car booster seat has even been safety tested and approved under the United Nations ECE Regulation R44/04 in its deflated state, making it completely safe to use! It inflates in seconds with just a few puffs of air and deflates and packs down into a carry bag just as quick. When deflated this lightweight car booster seat can be carried in a hand luggage, mum's handbag or any little one's rucksack, saving you money on expensive car seat hire. 

 

 

 

There are handy reminders on the side of the seat, incase the grandparents borrow it for the day, so there is no reason for anyone not to be strapped in securely. 

 

For those who like to co-ordinate (like me), the BubbleBum also comes in four colours including: purple & lime, black & silver and brand new BubbleBum neon pink and neon yellow. Everything is a bit pink in our house, so we went for the neon yellow for a change and my daughter loves it!

 

All in all, the BubbleBum gets a huge thumbs up from the 9 year old and from me (and the two year old who can't wait till she is old enough to have one) and if you would like the chance to win one, just enter our giveaway below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Last weekend I met up for a friends birthday.

It was a big birthday (we won't mention the number but it *might* rhyme with naughty).

We have all been friends for over 15 years and don't get to see each other as often as we used to, you know the way work, children and life kind of takes priority at times but we do make an effort every couple of months and especially on birthdays.

It is kind of obligatory for me to insist we take a picture, so that we will all remember these times in our old age (although the years seems to be creeping up on us now).

Unfortunately I was trying to take the picture with the four of us in it, I managed to crop myself and my friend Kim out of it completely and this must have been the third or forth attempt. (We must have looked bonkers).

But do you know what?

I kind of like it!

I am linking up with Actually Mummy and her Expressions Linky, go and have a look at some of the other great expressions posts this week.

We love supporting UK style and products, so when we heard that tommee tippee® closer to nature were celebrating all things British this summer with a limited edition Best of British collection of bottles and gifts, we knew we neeeded to see them. (Our baby blogger is originally from London, so this was particularly well received).

The Best of British Limited Edition collection is a range of essential baby products decorated with iconic British imagery. The collection from British brand tommee tippee® closer to nature® consists of 3 gift sets containing 2 bottles and 2 soothers in pink, blue or traditional London bus red and 3 single 260 ml bottles. Each bottle has a unique iconic London Bus design, and comes in a gorgeous presentation / gift box.

The tommee tippee® closer to nature® bottles are suitable to use from birth and are designed to mimic the natural flex, stretch and movement of a mum’s breast.  The quality is second to none and typical of what we know and expect from a recognised brand. We also love that they fit perfectly into the Perfect Prep machine too!

With England out of the World Cup and Andy Murray out of Wimbledon, we can still rely on tommee tippee® to celebrate what is good about being British!

The tommee tippee® closer to nature® Best of British limited edition range is available from 16th June in Mothercare but we are giving you a chance to win a set (colour of your choice), by entering below:

<a Rafflecopter giveaway

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