Cardooo Cards: Journey Buddies

Last November we reviewed Cardooo Cards - the fun greetings cards that encourage children to engage in activities developing literacy, numeracy and creativity. You can read what we thought of them here.

A few months on, and we're still enjoying Cardooo Cards. Last November we were sent a Rapunzel story card. Eden will often pick this off the shelf for us to read, and last month it travelled abroad on holiday to Florida with us, being a very convenient and compact form of entertainment for the flight.  

Today I want to review another of the Cardooo cards, which just like previous cards we've reviewed, offers excellent entertainment value. This is one of their Journey Buddies cards, called 'At the Ballet'. Eden goes to ballet class every week, and has recently taken her first ballet exam, so she was excited to receive this card in the post. Eden is nearly 4.5 and most activities in the card were ones that she could do herself, such as dot to dot, lots of colouring in, and stickers (always a BIG hit). In addition, the card would appeal to older children too, with dancing facts, stories, and wordsearches amongst other activities - the cards pack A LOT in!



Eden's favourite activity in the card was the ballet board game, complete with dice to easily make yourself and counters. We enjoyed the twists and turns of the game, as well as the relevance to ballet, and it was great counting practice for Eden.



Journey buddies cards make a fabulous boredom buster for long journeys, crammed full with lots of activities for on the go.  The card is priced at £3.50 and if ballet isn't your thing, why not browse the selection of journey buddies cards here - in their range there's something for everyone! If you're heading away on a family holiday this Easter, don't leave without one!

Cardooo cards: Plenty of 'do' and lots of oooooo!

If you're looking for a greeting card that stands out from the crowd then Cardooo greeting cards are for you. When I first heard about Cardooo right away they sounded appealing - each card is packed full of entertainment in the form of stories/activities/quizzes/stickers. They are designed to aid literacy, numeracy and imaginative development in a fun and engaging way - all so important for our little ones. I looked forward to receiving some to review, and when they arrived I was expecting something good - but they are great! There's a lot packed into each card, and the majority (all except the cards containing crayons) will post anywhere in the UK with a standard first class stamp.

Cardooo generously sent us some samples from their extensive range of greetings cards. First we read the story card that we'd been sent - Rapunzel. It's well written, with both the story and pictures containing lots of detail. It's more than 'a card with a story' - it holds it's own as a story book, and is one I'll be keeping on the book shelf. Because of its compact form, it would also be great to pack when travelling as it takes up very little space and yet still offers a complete story. Pretty sure it got Eden's seal of approval as when we finished reading it she asked if it could be read again! 

Their Christmas activity card had so much for Eden to do! These would be perfect to send as Christmas cards at the start of the festive season. 

Eden loved the sticker page! 

Throughout the card there's cute little envelopes with mini-cards to write

Eden said the envelopes were her favourite bit

We had a lot of fun with this card and it offers great value for money at £3.50

With Christmas just around the corner, why not have a browse of Cardooo's Christmas range? It contains four fun-filled types of card for you to choose from:

4 Christmas Activity cards with stickers, games and mini-envelopes:  http://www.cardooo.com/seasonal/christmas-cards

1 Christmas Advent card with a surprise within (not chocolate!): http://www.cardooo.com/seasonal/advent-calendar-cards

4 Christmas Story cards with beautifully illustrated Christmassy stories: http://www.cardooo.com/seasonal/christmas-story-cards

6 Christmas Calendar cards perfect for all your friends which fold out in to a desktop calendar for 2014: http://www.cardooo.com/seasonal/christmas-calendar-cards

I'm super-impressed with Cardooo, the cards offer great value for money, and something different to your standard greeting card, these ones will certainly stand out amongst the crowd on the mantelpiece! You can browse their range and order from their online shop on their website here. 

gNappies' gTea

I'm a huge fan of gNappies! Regular readers will know that we've cloth nappied both our children full-time right from the newborn stage - there are so many benefits to cloth nappies, and modern cloth nappies are so misunderstood, which makes me sad, but that's a whole other blog post...

For over a year now, Asher has been in gNappies full-time, I love them so much I sold 99% of the rest of my stash (only keeping newborn, prefolds, and 4 pretty fitteds that I can't bring myself to part with (yet) despite Asher never wearing them! 

gNappies are super-cool and stylish. They're slim and will fit under normal trousers, unlike other cloth nappies which tend to be bulky. I LOVE that they're breathable and I notice such a difference in Asher's skin - the rare times he may get nappy rash (teething related) it clears up within 24 hours with no treatment required other than keeping it clean with plain water, and regular nappy changes. gNappies have a waistband that looks so comfy around little tummies, and an added bonus is that they do up at the back - so this is great as toddlers can't undo their nappy (!!) and also, young babies first learning to sit have nothing digging in around their middle. gNappies are a hybrid nappy - you can buy cloth inserts to wash, or gRefills that are disposable, and compostable if you have a home composter. These are just a few of my favourite reasons for using gNappies. 

Anyway... last Friday we attended a special 'gTea' event - organised by gNappies. It was a chance to chat with other like-minded gMums and gDads, for the little ones to have some fun outside and an excuse for a picnic! My daughter Eden loved the gCakes that had been specially made! 

gCakes!

gNappies were filming footage for their first UK video, so all the gBabies got a chance to star as they took their turn on the catwalk. 

Asher in his gNappies outfit, loving running around barefoot!

I was chuffed to win a gKanteen in the raffle - these aren't available in the UK, but much saught after (thanks gNappies - I love it). There were also some previously released gPant prints available to buy from the past, brought out from the vault :)

It was supposedly meant to be the hottest day of the year so far with lots of sunshine... well being British weather - it rained most of the time!! Fortunately we stayed dry setting up the picnic blankets under the trees, and the damp weather didn't dampen our spirits. 

It was such a fun day and so lovely to meet and chat to other gMums and gDads.

Eden and Asher playing bubbles together

And finally... if you're interested in using cloth nappies - please give gNappies a try - we've tried most other brands of cloth nappies in the 3.5 years we've been cloth nappying, and gNappies win hands down!

(This isn't a sponsored post - all the views expressed are my own, and written purely because I genuinely love gNappies!)
   

Bumgenius Freetime Review

If you're a regular reader you're probably aware that we love our cloth nappies! We started cloth nappy-ing our now 28 month old daughter when she was a week old and haven't looked back.  There are so many benefits to using cloth nappies, and the modern cloth nappy has come a long way since the days of nappy pins, soaking in pails and boiling. The Bumgenius Freetime nappy is one of the newest cloth nappies on the market, and we were lucky enough to be sent one to review. We also have Bumgenius v4s and Bumgenius Flips in our current nappy stash so I was interested to see how the new Freetime compares.

Sizing and Fit:
Like the v4 and Flip, the Freetime is a birth to potty nappy - meaning it grows with your baby, so in theory it should fit both my 4 week old son and my 28 month old daughter - I was keen to test it out on both!

Asher's 10lb and I can get a really snug fit around the leg with the Freetime, just like I can with the v4 and Flip - this is essential for containing newborn runny poo. The Freetime has elasticated legs which definitely makes a big difference in getting a close fit. We have other brand nappies in our stash that I just can't use on him, as I can't get a close fit around his skinny legs.

Eden is 30lb, and I can get a lovely snug fit on her too - this is particularly important as she only wears nappies for her naps and overnight now - so a close fit ensures we have no leaks onto the bed.

Slimness:
Having a boy, this is a big issue for me, as I want to be able to comfortably get cloth nappies under his trousers and this is why I love Flips - they're the slimmest nappy I've come across that remains reliable despite being slim. In comparison, I was pleasantly surprised that the Freetime is a slimmer fit on Asher than the Flip, which tends to be bulkier at the front on my small baby. However, I think as Asher gets bigger this is likely to change, as when comparing the Flip and Freetime on Eden - the Flip is slimmer, as the Freetime requires more boosting for her being older.

Ease of Use:
If you're looking for a nappy that's good for Dad/Grandparents/Carers to use then the Freetime is perfect as it goes on just like a disposable in one easy step. My husband ended up using the Freetime at nappy changes for Asher with no explanation of how to put it on, before I'd even tried it on Asher myself - granted he's fairly confident with cloth nappies, but I was nevertheless impressed and it shows how easy the Freetime is to put on. It's an all-in-one nappy, which means no fiddley stuffing of pockets is required. It has 2 microfibre pads that are attached to the outer shell, but open out to allow the nappy to dry quicker than other all-in-one type nappies do. Having used this nappy for a few weeks now, I can say because of it's design it's one of the quickest to dry of all our nappies - inside it'll dry on an airer overnight, outside if the sun's shining it's dry within just a few hours.

Adjustability:
Another of the things I like about the Freetime is that the pads can be arranged easily in different ways to adjust the absorbancy for if you have a girl or boy. For Asher, being a boy I double up one of the pads at the front for extra absorbancy, and for Eden I lie the 2 pads flat for absorbancy all the way through. As she wears it for naps and so needs extra boosting, there's room for me to place an extra booster underneath the pads.

Overall verdict:
The Freetime has lots of positives going for it in comparison to other cloth nappies. For me, I love how reliable it is - we haven't had a single leak, and I love that it's so easy to use being an all-in-one but with the additional bonus that it's quick drying. As it's a birth to potty nappy it offers excellent value for money.

Bumgenius Freetime is available to buy for £15.99 from Baba Me 

Oh and one last thing......

Here's my little man modelling the Freetime, weighing 9lb.

 

Wow Toys Review and Giveaway

Wow toys have a fantastic selection of bright and eye-catching toys for preschoolers, made to the highest safety standards. Importantly for us grown-ups, they're all PVC-free and battery-free! Many of their toys offer a sensory appeal for the early years as well as attention to detail for the older child to discover - offering great play-value.

Eden was very excited to receive Casey the Camper Van to review. It's captured her imagination and for the past week since we received it, it's been a permanent feature in the middle of our living room floor that she just keeps coming back to. 

What we love about Casey Camper Van

• Casey is bright and colourful, with lots of extra features for preschoolers to explore. 
• The attention to detail makes it fun for kids (and grown ups) to play with
• The Camper Van has a realistic engine sound when driven along the floor
• There's plenty of opportunity to encourage imaginative play and motor skill development through the features and extra props that come with the Camper Van
• Eden loves setting up the table for a picnic, swapping round the boy and girl in the driving seat, and putting the dog to bed in the camper van  

Competition Time

Wow Toys have generously provided a Motorbike Max to giveaway to one of my blog followers. All you have to do to enter is visit their website and pop back over here to tell me what your favourite toy is from there. 

Extra Additional Entries (optional)

If you'd like extra entries you can do one or all of the following. Leave me a separate comment below for each that you do

1. Follow me on Facebook
2. Follow Wow Toys on Facebook
3. Follow me on Google Friends Connect (link on the right of this page)
4. Follow me on twitter and tweet the following - 'I'd like to #win a Wow Toy with @Pondering_Kate. Enter here http://ponderingsfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/10/wow-toys-review-and-giveaway.html   

Terms and Conditions

• Competition closes on Sunday 30th October 8pm
• Winner will be picked randomly using random.org number generator
• UK entrants only please
• No cash alternative

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
Loquax Competitions

AND THE WINNER IS....

  NATALIE HOLLAND


Congratulations Natalie! Please get in touch to claim your prize, and thanks to all who entered!

Tried and Tested: Vital Baby Unbelievabowl

Over the last few weeks we’ve been trialling the Vital Baby Unbelievabowl. It’s a child suction bowl, and I was keen to test out its suction power having tried a few previously with Eden with little success.

The Unbelievabowl is available in fun and bright colours that are appealing to the eye. To Eden’s delight we were sent the bright pink bowl! It is BPA free and latex free, and spare bowls are available to interchange with the suction pad.  The bowl has high sides and I've found this works great in assisting Eden’s progress in using cutlery, as she’s able to use the sides as an aid to scoop food up onto her spoon and fork.

The bowl itself twists and clicks into place onto the suction pad. It definitely requires an adult to do this and so tampering little fingers won’t get very far in attempting to untwist it.

As for the suction, I tested out the Unbelievabowl on a few different surfaces and was genuinely surprised at its suction power. It works really well on smooth plastic surfaces such as high chairs, and it’s important to make sure the surface is clean, dry and grease-free to aid sticking power.  I also tested it on our wooden dining table – it did have suction, but quickly unstuck from the surface, in all fairness I don’t think any suction bowl would stick well to wooden surfaces, I’m yet to find one. It’s more suited to highchair surfaces, but is therefore perfect for the early stages of weaning – a particularly messy time when anything that cuts down on spillages is a parent’s new best friend.   

The Unbelievabowl retails at £4.99, which is I think is reasonable value for a suction bowl that works and makes life easier for us parents at mealtimes. Additional bowls for the suction pad are sold in sets of 2 for £3.99. The Unbelievabowl is available to buy from the Vital Baby website as well as being stocked in Boots, John Lewis, Mothercare and Toys R Us. 

Vital Baby products are bright and fun and thoughtfully designed. For more information and to view their varied selection of products visit their website, or follow them on Facebook by clicking here.

Dino Daisy Amber Teething Necklace: Review and Giveaway

I'm a HUGE fan of amber teething necklaces! My daughter Eden started teething at around 2 months old - her cheeks turned bright red and she had a constant dribble. She was 8 months old when I discovered amber teething necklaces and I only wish I'd found out about them sooner. 


With her teething necklace on, Eden's dribbling improved immensely and her bright red cheeks completely disappeared within a day of her wearing it. On the rare occasions that we've forgotten to put it on in the morning, by late afternoon her red cheeks are back, and that's when we realise we've forgotten to put her necklace on that day – I know this may sound unbelievable, but it's happened a few times and hand on heart it's true!

I think Eden has been a 'constant' teether, rather than an intermittent one. When her teeth are actually cutting through she still requires pain relief from medicine and still gets a sore bottom, but for the daily effects of teething (her red cheeks and dribble) I can say from first-hand experience that the amber teething necklace has worked wonders.

How does it work?

I'd always thought that amber was a semi-precious stone, but it's actually a resin that comes from tree sap. It contains 8% succinic acid, and has been used in traditional medicine around the world for it's healing properties, helping to treat aches and pains. The amber teething necklace when worn next to the skin is a natural analgesic, providing pain relief for teething babies.

Dino Daisy Amber Teething Necklaces

Dino Daisy is a fantastic UK-based site, with a huge selection of necklaces and anklets, something to suit everyone's taste, and with custom designs available. The main focus is on teething necklaces and anklets for your little one, but there's also a Dino-Mumma section, with gorgeous amber jewellery for us Mummies too!

The jewellery from Dino-Daisy makes for a very special RUP (Really Useful Present) for a new baby, a christening gift, or a special first birthday or first christmas.

Safety issues have been considered – each bead on the necklace is individually hand-knotted either side, so in the unlikely event of breakage there won't be any scattering of the beads, which could be a choking hazard. Strong cord and clasps are used for safety.

Important: Baltic Amber teething necklaces are not designed for chewing and parent supervision is recommended at all times when your baby is wearing the teething necklace.

Dino-Mumma Necklaces

I was sent a Dino-Mumma large bean necklace to review. The website describes it perfectly – 'A really pretty necklace, which is simple but elegant'. The beads are beautiful, I've been wearing it every day as it goes with everything thanks to its fashionably classy look, without looking pretentious.

The Dino-Mumma necklaces are a stylish accessory for every Mum. They have the same safety standards as the teething necklaces with knotting between each bead, for extra peace of mind.

Additionally, the Dino-Mumma necklaces have all the benefits associated with the healing properties of amber – they're perfect for post-birthing aches and breastfeeding, as well as helping with that general 'run-down' feeling. Also part of the Dino-Mumma range are nursing reminder bracelets that can be easily switched over between wrists to help remind you which side you last fed from.

Giveaway:

Dino-Daisy have kindly offered a rainbow teething necklace to one of my readers. It's really gorgeous, made up of a combination of cherry, cognac and dark cognac amber beads.

To be in with a chance of winning, you need to do the following 2 things: 

1. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect - the link is on the right hand side at the top of the page (under the tea cup) and 
2. Visit Dino-Daisy's website then pop back here to tell me what your favourite product is on there.

For additional entries you can do the following (leave a separate comment below for each)

• Follow Dino-Daisy on Facebook here
• Follow me on Facebook here
• Follow me on Twitter here
• Tweet the following: 'I've entered @pondering_kate 's giveaway to win a Dino-Daisy amber teething necklace! Enter here http://ponderingsfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/dino-daisy-amber-teething-necklace.html'
• Link to me on Networked blogs - link on the right hand side ->

Winner will be picked randomly using random.org
Remember to include a way for me to contact you if you're the winner - either an email address or twitter ID.
Closing date:  Sunday 11th September, 8pm.
UK entrants only please. No cash alternative.

AND THE WINNER IS.....
Thanks for all the entries to win this fabulous teething necklace from Dino-Daisy. The winner selected using random.org is comment number 11:


@Clairew137! - Well done!

Please get in touch with me to claim your prize!


Find more competitions here:
ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
Loquax Competitions

Review and Giveaway: Doktor Power Magic Eraser

Doktor Power Magic Eraser by JML 

"Removes stubborn marks and stains... just like magic"

On first seeing it, I was a little sceptical of The Magic Eraser's claimed results - it just looks like a normal sponge. To use it, you cut off a small amount and run it under the tap to wet it. I was surprised at the results when I gave it a go. I tested it out on purple paint splashes on our bathroom floor from a decorating session a few weeks ago. I'd scrubbed these dried splashes with water initially, to no avail. Using the Magic Eraser, the paint spills were quickly and easily lifted off just with a gentle scrubbing. 

Next I moved onto our front door, we'd used soap and water two months ago to get rid of the layer of grime on it when we moved in. The Magic Eraser polished it up nicely, cleaning more grime off in the process.

Ok now for the real test I thought, the scuffs and marks on our cream dining room wall from when we had our central heating put in recently. This had caused a real mess at the time and I'd used sugar soap to get the worst off before planning to re-paint, which I haven't got around to yet. I really was surprised at the results

using the Magic Eraser - yes it's going to still need re-painting as it couldn't get rid of the burn marks from soldering the pipes, but the Magic Eraser did do a fantastic job removing the scuffs, marks and grubbiness that the sugar soap had left behind, and the wall looks alot cleaner now, ready to be re-painted.

I've also used it to clean off limescale in the bathroom and the kitchen, and to remove a layer of grime on the kitchen window tiles. 

It's funny this post has made my house sound filthy and like I'm a lazy housewife who doesn't do anything! So I just feel the need to clarify that we bought the house a couple of months ago, it needed a lot of tlc, and we've had a lot of work done on it since, and moved into it just a couple of weeks ago, hence why we're still in the process of cleaning it up.

Anyway, back to the Magic Eraser review. Pro's for it are it really does do what it says on the box removing tough stains and marks, it simplifies the housework by not needing various cleaning solutions, and virtually no scrubbing is involved. 

The Doktor Power Magic Eraser is available from JML and costs £4.99.  You can also find JML products in high street retailers, see JML's website for a stockist near you.  

*Giveaway time*

I have three of these from JML to giveaway. To be in with a chance of winning one, all you have to do is leave me a comment below and a way to contact you if you're a winner - either email address or twitter ID.

For an additional entry you can do the following and leave a separate comment below to let me know:

• Like my facebook page here

• Like JML's facebook page here

• Follow me on Twitter @pondering_kate

All entries will go into a draw and 3 winners will be picked randomly on Sunday 26th June at 8pm. 

Terms and conditions:

UK entrants only please

No cash alternative or exchanges to the prize

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions.

http://www.loquax.co.uk">Loquax Competitions

AND THE WINNER IS:

Firstly a HUGE thank you to everyone who entered my first giveaway!

It's been lots of fun, and fab to promote a great product from JML.

I've used random.org to generate the 3 winners, I would've liked to have done a screenshot of the 3 numbers that were generated but unfortunately just couldn't figure out how to do that - will have a play for next time! 

Congratulations to the following 3 people who were generated from random.org:

• Comment number 12: 'Maci234'
• Comment number 36: googoodoll (Alison Ducky)
• Comment number 40: Bruce (@essexgirlSE) 

I'll be in touch with the 3 winners to get your postal details so that your prize can be posted out to you.

Review: Chalkboard Stickers

As a busy Mum, it can be hard to keep track of the many little mental notes, reminders, shopping list items and to-do lists that emerge everyday. That's why I love these Chalkboard Stickers, from Spin Collective UK. In our family, life revolves around the kitchen. It's not only where we prepare food and numerous cups of tea, but it's also where the hub of family life takes place. We now have one of these Chalkboard Stickers in our kitchen; it's a great place for it as we can quickly jot down notes and reminders to ourself and each other in an area where pens and paper are forever going missing.

The Chalkboard Sticker that we have is in the shape of a tea cup, it's stylish and fun and fits perfectly in the kitchen. I've already had comments from visitors about what a great idea it is. The sticker is easy to apply and remove, and I love the reusable aspect of it - it wipes clean with a damp cloth.

Starting at £12, there's a Chalkboard Sticker suitable for every member of the family and room in the house and it would make a unique and unusual gift for the person who already has everything or is difficult to buy for.

We're really glad we've got one and I definitely recommend that you check them out.