CuddleDry Wins LBP Award....Twice!

As you are probably aware i am part of the team of CuddleDry Super Bloggers, I'm thrilled to announce that this year CuddleDry have scooped not only a gold, but also a silver award for the "Best Baby Towel" category in the Loved by Parents awards (LBP).

So not only do we as a family love CuddleDry but it appears other parents have given CuddleDry their stamp of approval!

New Cudddleswim baby towel

Original Apron Towel

The winning products were the Original Cuddledry Apron Towel and the new Cuddleswim Baby Towel. The excellence of its design is combined with the signature Cuddledry blend of pure cotton and natural bamboo fiber, making it truly gold standard. This remarkable towelling makes the Apron Towel super soft and cosy no matter how many times it is washed as well as 60% more absorbent than normal cotton towels, quickly and gently drawing away the water from your baby’s skin. It also has natural antibacterial properties, making it suitable for the most sensitive baby skin. No wonder one in twenty newborns now use Cuddledry towels.

Huge well done to CuddleDry and keep up the fantastic work!
Mel x

AEG UltraCaptic Ucanimal Review - Guest Post

A quick look at the AEG UltraCaptic Ucanimal

We were recently sent the very stylish AEG UltraCaptic Ucanimal vacuum cleaner to review and with a house which has more types of flooring that you can imagine I had a feeling that this powerful vacuum cleaner would certainly be put through its cleaning paces. Putting together the AEG UltraCaptic Ucanimal is both quick and easy to do, a couple of clicks here and it’s ready to go. It's that simple that I even managed to do it without the instructions and believe me that's is amazing for this DIY dunce.

Now if you’re anything like me then the first thing you’ll consider when buying any household appliance is what you’re getting for your money and with an extensive list of features it certainly seems that the AEG UltraCaptic ticks all the boxes. I have to admit that even before I'd plugged the UltraCaptic in I was already won over with its stylish looks, it's very pretty isn't it? But this bag less vacuum cleaner didn't take long to show me that it was certainly more than just a pretty face. The AEG UltraCaptic has 5 power settings which can be switched between at the flick of a button and comes equipped with not one but three different nozzles along with a very nifty AeroPro 3-in-1 tool.

   

The AeroPro 3-in-1 tool can be switched between a fine crevice tool, a small upholstery tool and a soft brush in a matter of nano seconds and is ideal for tackling sofas and curtains, dusting skirting boards and window sills and cleaning those hard to reach places like down the side of the bed which only a skinny armed giant can normally reach. The UltraCaptics Turbo nozzle is brilliant at sucking up pet hair whilst the Parketto nozzle makes cleaning hard flooring really easy indeed. However my favourite UltraCaptic nozzle is the AeroPro Silent nozzle as it cleans with very little noise and can be switched between hard and carpet floors with ease but maybe that's me being lazy!

Weighing in at around 6.9kg this bag less cylinder vacuum cleaner isn’t the lightest on the market which may not be ideal for some buyers however thanks to its super soft AeroPro Ergo handle, AeroPro aluminium telescopic tube and easy to manoeuvre rubber wheels it makes up for it's only real negative point in comfort . Another very handy feature especially for the allergy sufferers amongst us is the UltraCaptics HEPA 13 allergy filtration which traps even the smallest particles of dust and dirt whilst only letting out pure fresh air - genius! Whilst I think that all of these features are brilliant my absolute favourite feature has to be the UltraCaptics Compact, Remove and Go! emptying system. Now at one point or another we’ve all experienced a face full of dust when trying to empty a bag less vacuum haven’t we? Well this very practical emptying system prevents dust clouds from attacking and sneezing fits erupting – check it out below. 

I’ve been using the AEG UltraCaptic Ucanimal for few weeks now and I have been very impressed with its style and it's ability to clean my house to within an inch of it's life, it really is the best vacuum cleaner I've owned and being the clean freak I am I'm owned a fair few! Priced at around £299 the AEG UltraCaptic is at the top end of the market but you do get what you pay for and this powerful vacuum cleaner is certainly worthy it's price tag.

 A guest post from Nicola from www.monstersfunhouse.com

PaperShaker

Paper Shaker asked me if i would like to review and sample some stationary they have to offer. I was thrilled to be asked and immediately hopped on my PC to start designing.

I ordered some bespoke party invitations for my son Valentino, i would of loved to have ordered some birth announcement cards  but i was unaware what paper shaker did or had to offer at the time of my last arrival. Paper Shaker offer a wide range of cards that cover from wedding, birth, thank you cards, down to parties for both adults and children! The cards are beautifully crafted, printed on high quality paper with design inspiration from their Parisian heritage.

The website is incredibly easy to navigate and the options are fantastic, you can add as much or as little as you want to the pre-made designs. The hardest thing i found was making a decision on what to order! There is a wide choice and i'm sure there is something that suits most people and their personality from the extensive rang they have on offer.

We chose this design for Valentino "Space Age Alien"

Space Age Alien

We ordered on a Saturday afternoon and the invitations arrived on my doorstep on the Tuesday morning, super fast delivery i was impressed!

Front and back of invites

**please note i have edited out some details on the reverse for security reasons.**

The invites came with envelopes and the quality of the card is really impressive. They aren't flimsy and the printing (we uploaded our own pictures of Valentino) is second to none!

A pack of 10 invites of this design are £9.90 I personally think this is fantastic value for a 100% customaizable invitation.

As a secret stationary geek i'm looking forward to see what paper shaker have in store for the stationary that is coming soon :)  I will be sure to let you know when it launches.
You can keep in the loop with Paper Shaker on Twitter, Facebook.

Mel x

**I have not been paid for this review,  i did however receive credit onto my Paper Shaker account to order and receive invitations for the purpose of the review, all thoughts, opinions and pictures are my own**

Play Expo Manchester 12-13th October 2013

We as a family are excited to to say were heading down to Manchester to Play Expo gaming event on the 12-13th October 2013. Its being held at EventCity, Phoenix Way, Off Barton Dock Road, Urmston, Manchester M41 7TB. 
We are also thrilled to announce that Nintendo is the first exhibitor for the now.play area at Play Expo 2013.
I'm still unsure as to what Nintendo will have in store for us but I'm sure they wont disappoint. My boys love their 3DS and we have many a family favorite games that we love to play.

To celebrate Nintendo's attendance at Play expo this year there is a pretty awesome competition on Play Expo's Facebook Page.

The winner will receive a cool retro Super Nintendo console with three top games for the console too - Super Mario World, Street Fighter 2 Turbo and StarWing.

Enter Here

You can also keep up to date with Play Expo's latest Information on the following social sites Facebook, Twitter, g+

Leave me a message if your going or pop over and say hi! 

Mel x

Silent Sunday 28/07/2013

She did it! My baby Is walking

Short and sweet post this evening, Alexandra at 14 months has walked across the living room!!! Woohoo proud mummy moment.
My boys were up and away at just gone 12 months, but I fear now she's mastered her walking she's going to have me running round in circles.

This is her getting some practice in at race for life. Go Alex!

Mel x

Stokke Xplory V3 in Limited Edition Pink

Anyone who knows me will know i love my prams, I'm not really sure why, maybe i was deprived as a child growing up or maybe i just love how advanced and the countless options there is available for parents now.
Parents have needs and of course a budget and what may suit one if probably completely unsuitable for another.
So here's my latest toy.... (I mean Alex's wheels)
Introducing our brand new and shiny.....

Stokke Xplory V3 in Limited Edition Pink

So here it is, as soon as the courier brought it i started snapping away

Alex was peacefully enjoying her afternoon nap and i had planned to make a video of unboxing and assembling my new toy so here it is.... (Please note i'm new to making videos)

So what did you think? aside the Northern accent lol.

I had never assembled an Xplory before so i was pleased with my little self and i didn't even need to read the instruction manual... WIN!

TaDa!!!! It looks stunning doesn't it? I do believe i am just a little bit in love. After my two little men pink is perfect and a never been done in a pram colour before (apart from my Camleon...Shh)

Shortly after i had assembled and made my video my little princess soon woke, i couldn't wait to sit her in it.

Alex seemed to like it. I love how high up she is and that she can take in more of the world around her. Stokke motto is  "Higher is better"  and that certainly seems to be the case. Im a tall mummy so i just loved that she was well raised off the ground and more on my level.

Excited to get out and take our Xplory on its first ride we headed out in the village to give it a whirl.

Lorenzo who is 4 has no problem taking his sister for a stroll, he loved that the handle bar could adjust to be his height and he didn't seem to struggle to steer it, even with his little sister in the pram.

We walked round to school to pick my eldest son up and i had numerous comments from other mummy's in the playground, they all seemed to like the Xplory and commented on how high Alex was and that they like that. (There are not many Xplory's around where i live, in fact i haven't seen any so this is probably why people seem so intrigued)

We have only had our Xplory just over a week now and so far it seems great. The weather we have had has been amazing and Stokke make a summer kit that i just had to buy.

Pink Pixels Summer Kit....

The summer kit includes A parasol UPF50 , hood UPF50 with ventilation and rear textile cover, sunsail, terrycloth seat cover and rear textile cover. Perfect for getting out in the sun but still protecting my little princess.

So there you have it, that's our new Stokke Xplory i'm sure over the summer holidays you will see more of it when i'm busy snapping away when were out and about.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions, hope you enjoyed my video.
Mel x

My Beautiful Babies

This is the latest picture of my babies, little darlings, the minis or the other terms i tend to use depending on my day!  
It is rare that i can get a decent picture of them all, normally they are trying to poke each other, argue about a plastic car or some other item they desire only because the other has it!!!!!
That aside i do love my little people :) They are my world....xx 

Valentino 7 Alexandra 1 & Lorenzo 4

Mel x

Blog on MOSI

Yesterday I headed down to Manchester to attend Blog On MOSI, car loaded with fellow bloggers @Charliefunhouse @RaspberryGiggle and @DaysOutBlog. This was my very first blogging event an i have to admit i loved it! The nerves soon disappeared and i met some fantastic people... some almost as bonkers as myself.

Beautiful Blogging

It wasn't all play though, there was of course the important stuff and this was the sessions dedicated to different topics. As a fairly new blogger i still feel that I am still finding my feet so to speak, so i did find all the topics useful and the discussions were really informative. 

Laws and Lies
Topics such as Law are really important to bloggers and its surprising how much we have to deal with. It was slightly mind boggling, but with help from other bloggers the information is out there you just need to grab it and implement it.

Some amazing brands were at blog on and it was great to mingle and have a chat, I really loved talking to SwizzelsMatlow and i'm sure you will agree that the stand was so bright and colourful that it just drew me in! That and my love of sweets and all things bright and shinny. 

Wedding favors from Swizzels Matlow

Other the brands included @sodastream @laithwaitswine @hillarysblinds @theesentialone @Kaleidoscope @legoManchester @Vitamix. I didnt take as many picture as i wanted to due to the fact i was so busy mingling and chatting to people but here's a few of what i did take. 

Blog on Cake

The Essential one

SodaStream

The event couldn't of gone ahead with out a venue and MOSI Manchester was perfect, so huge thank you to them @voiceofmosi

I cant wait to go to my next blogging event and #BlogOnMOSI has defiantly left me wanting to do more.

Mel x

Win a 1stfone

We had such a huge response about Valentino's 1stfone that we have decided to run a new competition to win your very own 1stfone! It will come complete with a months free airtime on Talk50 plan. (50 minutes inclusive call time) 

For your chance to win simply fill in the Rafflecopter below and good luck!!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway   

Silent Sunday 21/07/2013

Race For Life 2013 We did it!

Wednesday 17th July 2013 Me, Alex and my friend Joey took part in Race for Life in Scarborough, along with thousands of other women all taking part for their own personal reasons.

Alex had her own race number but enjoyed her first ever race for life from the comfort of her stroller! Lorenzo was excited to cheer us all on.

Pre Race, getting ready to go!

The ladies in Scarborough taking part in the warm up, getting ready to start the race.

Warm up

Were off, 5k here we come!

Were Off

Nearly at the finish line, it was a lovely evening for Race for Life the weather couldn't have been better.

The final stint!

Me and Alex did it!!

Yay We did it!!! 

Joey and Me 

Well done to all the ladies and a huge thank you to everyone that sponsored us. It mean a lot to many people and Cancer Research UK is a charity close to my own heart! We will see you all next year and hopefully Alex will be on her feet by then.
Mel x