The next four days is Bournemouth Air Festival. I plan on telling you all about it after the event, but for now I am just going to share some of my favourite pictures.
So here are our highlights from Thursday 30th August in pictures.
When I was asked to review a Flexibath I didn't really know what to expect.
I have a lovely bathroom - a gorgeous roll top bath, old style toilet and a sink set on a wrought iron stand. What I don't have is any storage and when the little ones were tiny and I had a baby bath, it was forever getting in the way! The Flexibath is the perfect solution. It folds flat and fits neatly under the bath until I need to use it.
Like any baby bath, it has a plug in the bottom to let the water out, so there is no messing about trying to tip it out. It can hold a child up to the age of 4, so it is perfect for home, travel, camping or just visiting relatives!
Isaac (age 4) fits nicely
We had some fun thinking of alternative uses for it too!!
A dolly's cot:
A Washing Basket:
It is a also fab for water based play in the garden and as an impromptu toy box.
Just to prove it fits under our bath:
The Flexibath is made from Polypropylene (PP) and Thermoplastic Elastomeric (TPE). Both types of raw materials are free from PVC, phthalates, heavy metals and other harmful or hazardous materials. It is a safe, clean environmentally responsible product!
My favourite part - it is available in some really funky colours too!!
For more information, see here. Prices do vary, and I have seen other colours between £25 - £30 so I do advise you shop around.
I was sent this stunning World Atlas to review by Carolyn Sharples.
I was introduced to Carolyn Sharples by Joanne Dewberry from Charliemoos. She is an independent seller and Sales Leader for
Barefoot Books and has been an Ambassador since November 2011. She is also a mum
of Ben 12 and Harley 9, who love their football and books as she loves books, especially ones that are beautifully presented with stunning illustrations as
well. The Barefoot World Atlas is written by Nick Crane, a well loved TV presenter and illustrated by a very talented David Dean. It features the story of our planet, as well as detailed information about the Oceans and continents, all set alongside beautiful illustrations. At a time where children seem to glean all their information from the Internet, this Atlas really captured my children's imagination. There are little cards attached with fun facts to discover, as well as information about all the things they will be learning at school e.g physical features, wildlife, transport, people, climate and weather etc.
The Atlas is aimed at 4 to 12 year olds. At the moment Isaac is more interested in the pictures, but it is a great way of introducing him to the world and we had fun teaching him where the UK is. He has actually gone and got the book from the bookcase off his own back and is asking questions about the solar system and volcano's. Kian, on the other hand at 12, can use this for Geography classes and it has been really lovely to see him reading it with Isaac.
It is a book that will grow with your child and inspire them to take a real interest in the world around them. What's more there is a beautiful poster in the back of the book to put on the wall.
If you want to start teaching your child about the world we live in, you wouldn't go far wrong with this book and at a price of £9.99 it won't break the bank either!
Barefoot Books sell puppets, puzzles, stickers, board games and Putumayo
CD’s, the product range is perfect from babies to 12 years old. Barefoot Books is an ethical and community
based independent publishers who inspire Carolyn to be well, herself. It fits around her children and when they are at school she works and when they are not she doesn't! Carolyn has found a company and product that she loves which is what it is all about
surely? You can have a peek at her website at http://www.barefootbooks.com/marketplace/35649
Sometimes you get to a point when you just have to have a clear out and it has to be quite brutal.
Today was one of those days.
We were offered FREE loft insulation and that's something that we can't afford to turn down, with the cost of energy rising and tightening our belts as fast as they will tighten.
What is does mean that after 7 years of dumping the stuff that wouldnt fit in the rest of the house in the loft, that it would have to be sorted and cleared.
Firstly, I don't think I have ever seen so many empty boxes in my life!! Hubby is insistent on keeping them incase anything goes wrong with the products, however they stay up there even after the original product has been discarded!!
So what did we find?
Old gaming consoles - Sega Megadrive, Playstation 1 and loads of games
Old mobile phones (so out of date that Mazuma would die laughing if I tried to sell them)
kettles, a toaster and an ancient computer monitor .
5 video recorders - yes 5!!!!!!!
An old fat TV
A football table
Precious memories too. Boxes of old photo's, baby books (turns out I'm a bit slack at filling them in), favourite toys, first outfits to name but a few.
I have barely started sorting through the boxes, but already I have been distracted by some old photographs
If you are following me on Instagram, I have popped a couple on there, but stay tuned as I will be embarrassing my older children very very soon!!
I am also going to scan my pictures onto the computer so they are safe on a hard drive too........this is going to take me hours!
Regular readers of my blog with know that my children and I are big fans of
Olly The Little White Van , voiced by the ever so talented Justin Fletcher, so you can imagine our excitement at the announcement that they are bringing out toys!!!!!!
Hornby have just launched the first range of Olly toys and puzzles which are available to buy from their website.
We were sent a Jigsaw to review and I have one to giveaway too.
This jigsaw set is perfect for pre-schoolers. There are four jigsaws in one box and each one is a little more difficult than the first.
The first jigsaw is of Olly himself and has four pieces. Isaac (at 4) found this one very easy, but had fun nonetheless.
The next puzzle was Jethro the tractor, and this had 6 slightly smaller pieces to construct. Again this wasn't a problem for Isaac who excitedly put it together.
The 9 and 12 piece puzzles of Ivan and Royston were definitely more of a challenge, but he managed to complete them all by himself without my help!
If you have an Olly fan at home, then I guarantee these will be a hit!!
To Enter:
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Are you confused about what products to buy for your baby?
When you are heavily pregnant or have a newborn or even toddler in tow, you have no time to browse so Alice and Eddie decided to create Nurture Box.
The idea occurred when Alice and Eddie were expecting their first child and started looking around for products that would be helpful for their new arrival. They found so many products, promising incredible benefits, but had no idea which was best. And so the concept was born – a package where parents select the best products for other parents, and making sure they are age and development specific.
All the products have been carefully hand selected and tested by their very own parenting panel, to ensure everything is top quality and most of all useful! They do not allow companies to pay for items to be included in the box, so you can be assured that the products are genuinely favourites of their parent panel.
Every month you will receive a Nurture Box tailored specifically to your child's age, gender and needs. A subscription is from £19 – £22 per month and postage is always free. The contents of the box are worth between £35 – £45 per month, meaning you’re getting great value.
So, what did I think of my Nurture box?
It was beautifully packaged for starters, and I couldn't wait to get beyond the tissue paper.
In my box were:
Piccalilly Reversible Sun Hat - Made from Organic cotton. It is lovely and soft and ties under the chin, which is always a must with toddlers! (Sadly at the time of doing this blog Eliza refused to model the hat as she is poorly)
Green People Organic Sun Cream - made from natural ingredients with no nasty chemicals it protects against UVA & UVB as well as being soothing, moisturising and water resistant.
Green Baby Organic Beach Towel - perfect for bath, pool or beach. I have a pink and white one and it's lovely and soft - perfect for delicate skin.
Organic Mandarin Body Lotion - this smells divine!! It is an extra gently body lotion, made from natural ingredients and free from artificial colouring and synthetic fragrance. Perfect for keeping Eliza's skin soft and supple.
And.......... there is something in the box for Mum (or Dad) too!!
Green People Travel Body Care Duo - Scent free cleanser and moisturiser to soothe and hydrate skin, made with natural ingredients such as Shea Butter and Avocado
Also in the box comes a pamphlet with details of all the products, plus parenting tips. In this box it is about how to get the most out of summer outings - you can view these hints and tips on their Blog. I really enjoyed trying out all the goodies and think this is a fab idea as a gift for an expectant family. It is full of really useful contents and I love the fact that they haven't forgotten Mum & Dad too!
Nurture Box offers the option to sign up for a subscription for £22 a month or buy a package (6 or 12 months), which offer even greater savings. They are also pleased to offer a 20% discount to my readers on any new subscription order* - this will be valid on the first purchase made before 1st October 2012. Please enter Nurture1 when you place your new subscription order.
*Nurture10 offer valid for new subscriptions only. For monthly subscriptions, 20% discount is applied to first month only. Offer not valid for previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Other restrictions apply.
The gorgeous Alice and Eddie are expecting their very own bundle of joy in the next few days and to celebrate, they are offering one of my readers A September Nurture Box!
To Enter:
Fill in the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
Please read the rules below
Closing date: 9th September 2012
If there is no form hit refresh (f5) and it should appear
If it still not working check that your computer is running Javascript
You need to complete the mandatory entry first – answer the question
Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf making it really easy to enter
Really want to win the prize? Come back every day for bonus entries via Twitter
Never have I wanted to attend an event as much as I wanted to take the kids to LolliBop. I found out about it last year, but it clashed with Bournemouth Airshow and I also felt Eliza would be too little.
2012 was different - we were definitely going to LolliBop!!
I made the decision to attend Sunday's Festival as I wanted to see Shrek, who were only performing on that day.
I got the kids (and hubby) up early and we set off for Regents Park. We made the decision to drive as far as Richmond and catch the Tube in the rest of the way. If I am honest, I hate the travelling on the Tube with children, and it is the one thing I hate about any event in London, but needs must!.
Shortly after emerging into the sunlight we saw this:
I have never been to Regents Park, and it was simply stunning, which made up for the long walk to the actual event. It was so hot that I did actually contemplate jumping in one of the fountains!
We soon arrived and I was surprised there was no queueing involved, and we went straight in. The event started at 10am, and we arrived at around 10.30am so we were a little late.
Our first port of call was a comfort break for the little ones, and then we decided on our plan of action.
We headed straight for the Lollipalladium as it was almost time for the Gruffalo to start and were treated to a rather bizarre but hilarious performance by Ida (A man dressed as an old woman and rapping and dancing to Nursery Rhymes)
And then it was time for the Gruffalo!
If you have not seen the stage performance, then you are missing out. It is simply fantastic - Isaac was enthralled from beginning to end, and they even had some audience participation which kept the children interested.
Mouse
Fox
Owl
Snake
Gruffalo
Once the performance had ended, we headed off to see what else the event had to offer.
There were lots of stalls selling arts, crafts, clothing and toys, as well as lots of activities for the children to do.
The boys quickly spotted the Skylanders tent, and probably would have stayed in there all day if we let them, as they were having competitions, photographs and even Wii consoles to play on.
The only other performance that I had on my to-do-list was Shrek, and that was next, so I dragged everyone off to the Live Stage. CBeebies presenters Alex Winters and Katy Ashworth were busy keeping the crowd entertained in between acts, and I don't think I have ever heard so many people all singing the "Washing Hands Song" from I Can Cook at the same time.
In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed with Shrek. They were only on stage for about 10 minutes and Princess Fiona had the most irritating fake American accent. We did have a boogie to I'm a Believer though.
Fiona and Donkey
Shrek
Shrek The Musical
Next on the list was the Laser Room, but unfortunately it was temporarily closed as the equipment needed to cool down, so we headed off to meet Optimus Prime instead. This seemed to excite boys of all ages (including my husband). By this time, it was starting to rain which was a welcome relief from the heat.........until a flash of lightening and a crack of thunder! Using the excuse of getting a sleeping Eliza out of the rain, I made my dash for the Bloggers tent to take shelter.
Not even as tall as the wheel!
Optimus Prime
Once the boys had their photograph taken against a green screen, where we will apparently be emailed a photograph of them superimposed with Optimus Prime, they headed to us in the Bloggers tent, where we all refuelled with tea / coffee and some lunch (as well as some celeb spotting).
Kian was chuffed to bits to meet Dick & Dom and even got invited to join them on stage at their later performance, as it was his Birthday the next day, but he was too shy!
Kian, his friend Stephen with Dick & Dom
I also had a chance to catch up with the lovely Laura from Tired Mummy of two, who very kindly arranged for this to happen:
Squeezes with CBeebies Alex
Despite getting very little break between compering the acts, Alex took out time to meet his adoring fans and chat to them. He is very friendly and made everyone feel at ease, as you can tell from the pictures!
The older boys, went off to do The Laser Room, which was apparently very hot and not very good, whilst I went off to the 3ft and under zone with Eliza, where she got the opportunity to burn off some energy and climb, slide, dance and catch some bubbles, whilst I did some more celeb and blogger spotting.
Kian's wish was to see Dick & Dom, so we set back off for the main stage.
I have heard mixed reports for their act, but Kian loved every minute of it. It was full of innuendo and jokes aimed at older children (boys in particular) which some felt wasn't aimed at the age of the attendees. However, there were lots of older children there that appreciated the break from more babyish performances. Kian got involved in the inflatable Banana race and won for Dom's team and the obligatory custard pie fight and watergun action was a hit too. The Nellie the Elephant dance got everyone involved - young and old!
All four children in our group thoroughly enjoyed the day, and I would recommend this event to all families. The only trouble we had was deciding what to see next.
There was plenty of toilets, although I would have preferred a toilet block like they had at the Sainsbury's Family Festival, rather than Portaloos which did get rather smelly as the day wore on. The baby changing facilities were excellent, as was the provision of a feeding area for breastfeeding mums, with comfy chairs and beanbags. My only suggestion for next year would be a fan in there too.
There was so much to see and do, whatever your child likes they wouldn't be disappointed. There were cooking workshops, art and craft, baby ballet and even a disco. Here are some of our highlights:
And we finally got to meet Titan!
For more photographs of the event, go to their facebook page......... we cannot wait to go back next year!!
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.JPG "It's all about the Guns - Bournemouth Air Fest 2012")
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