British Science Week - Win a Beaker Creature Whirling Waves Toy

Its British Science week and what better way to celebrate than with a competition. 

I have teamed up with Learning Resource to offer you a chance to win a fun Science based toy! 

Lily and I have loved Learning Resource since I was first introduced to it when she was about 1 years old. Their toys are so good for learning and I have always been impressed with how well they make learning fun. They have so many toys that are perfect for helping your child learn science and by providing them with things like their Very First Microscope they help kids become fascinated in science at a early age. 

This toy I have on offer for you today is all about creating reactions in water. Your child gets to have fun creating waves and bubbles while at the same time collecting creatures that are out of this world! 

Beaker Creatures Whirling Wave Reactor set includes:

• Whirling Wave Chamber
• Reactor Pod
• Limited-edition colour-change Frostonian
• Two classification cards
• Mini-poster with fun science facts
• Experiment guide featuring step-by-step instructions for four experiments

The Set is £16 and can be bought from the Learning Resource website. 

So, for your chance to WIN this amazing prize! Enter on the Gleam Link Below! 

Win a Learning Resource Beaker Creatures Whirling Waves toy

Mothers Day Gift Guide 2020

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Mothers Day is on the 22nd Of March and so thats means only 12 days until the occasion.

Have you bought your gifts yet? Or if you are a mum that generally has to hint for gifts, have you dropped your hints yet?

Well if not, here is a guide of lovely gifts that you might just want to concider. 

1. Guylian Belgian Chocolates 

So the pack of these I got sent are nearly all gone because these chocolates are to die for! They are a total classic and a total favourite to many and so make the perfect gift for mothers day. This box is the origional box containing 22 delicious belgian chocolates. All filled with a yummy hazelnut filling and shaped like cute little sea creatures and shells. This pack retails at £5 and can be bought at most supermarkets, or you can head to the Guylian website. 

2. Personalised Mum Cushion 

Every mum loves comfort, so there couldn't be a better present than a brand new comfortable cushion for them to lay their head on. This one is from the online gift store GiftPup and the great thing about it is that it is personalised. You can add your own Love From Message to the bottom just like I have in the photograph. Priced at £24.99 this cushion really is super squishy and comfortable and also really great in size at 24x24 inch. But it is also available in other sizes if you are looking for a smaller sized cushion. It is the best way to let your mum know that she really is the BEST MUM! 

3. Sleep Master Sleep Mask 

What do mums need more than anything? I think if you was to ask them, a lot of them would say sleep. But if they are anything like me then the sun shinning in the window in the morning generally means i'm awake and even if i'm not having to get up for the little one, then the light is telling me its time to get up. No lay in for me! So why not think about gifting the gift of a good lay in to your mum this mothers day by getting her this lovely sleep mask? Its super soft and silky, blocks out all light with its brilliant size and also helps muffle any noises. It is £19.95 for the sleepmask or you could treat them to the deluxe version at £22.95 which also comes with earplugs and a little carry bag case bag.You can buy these from the sleepmaster website. 

4. Sage and Bloom Candle 

Who's obsessed with candles or has a mum obsessed with candles? Both me and my mum love them and it is something we both always appreciate as a gift. But which candle to get them this year?? Why not concider this beautiful Lavender candle which you can get from Sage and Bloom. It is simply beautiful and comes nicely presented in a shinny gold tin. I love the use of flowers that are scattered on the top of the candle, it gives such a beautiful natural look to the candle and I love anything natural. Plus this would be the perfect candle for anyone who is Vegan or loves products that are cruelty free as this is something they stand by. They are a brand new business but already have an amazing range of scents and so if Lavender isn't for you then go check out what else they have on offer. 

5. Mason Cash Mixing Bowl 

I know so many mums who are big baking fans and so a brand new mixing bowl could be the perfect gift for a mum who loves to bake. This one from Mason Cash you can buy from the Silver Mushroom homeware store which also includes lots more of wonderful gift ideas for mum. I love this bowl, you can tell that is a good strong bowl that will get a lot of use out of for many years and the range of sizes means that its perfect for baking anything from little biscuits to massive cakes. You can also get this bowl in a few different colours but this signature colour is stunning and will look lovely in any kitchen. It also has a few other really good features such as being chip proof, and microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe. They are also a really affordable gift with the price ranging from £11.95 to £20.95. After buying your mum this, you won't be able to keep her out of the kitchen. 

6. Love you to the Stars and Back Keyring 

Nan is now becoming a popular term for a grandma, but is it just me or do you think that gifts with the word Nan on it are hard to come by? Well this right here is one perfect for all the Nans out there. You can buy it from Gift Pup and is a personalised Nan keyring. It is made from wood and cut into it is the message Nan I love you to the Stars and Back, which is a classic saying from the very popular kids storybook. You can personalise it with their grand child's name and so every time they look at it they can be reminded of them. I know that every time my mum thinks about Lily she gets a smile on her face so its going to be the perfect gift for her. But if your also looking for something like this that says "grandma, mummy, nana or any other names then you don't just have to have nan, this keyring can have any title placed to the top. It also comes with a cute drawstring bag to make it an even cuter gift. 

7. Cricketers Gin 

Gin fan? I know many mums who love a good drink of Gin. But they have probably not tried the new on the market Cricketers Gin! This gin is naturally distilled and produced on a farm in the countryside by using copper pots stills, making it a gin that is distilled just as it would have been hundreds of years ago. Cricketers Gin is a small batch, artisan crafted, London Dry Gin. Cricketers features the local Berkshire botanicals - wild marjoram, milk thistle and blackberries, these unique flavours harmonise with zesty orange, spicy coriander, and subtle tones of liquorice to deliver an exquisitely smooth juniper-forward gin. I am a huge Gin fan and I must say that this gin has gone down very nicely and I would have been very pleased to receive this as a gift! A bottle of Cricketers Gin is £37.00 and can be bought from their website. 

Which of the above gifts would you love to be gifted?

Do you think you will be gifting any of these to your mum? 

Make your Feet Feel Like their Walking on Air

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This week marks #NationalFeetWeek and so theres no better way to celebrate it than to pamper your feet!

And I have been sent a Foot Pamper Bundle to do exactly that. 

Who here loves looking after their feet?

And who here just totally forgets to do it? Either way I am going to be telling you all about these products which will make your feet feel like their walking on air! 

First lets talk exfoliating. Exfoliating is getting all the dead skin from the bottom of your feet and so you could try Exfoliating socks, these take all the work out of exfoliating and make it so then all you have to do is pop them on, and sit back and relax and let them do all the work. These ones from footner are to be worn for a hour and after will have helped get rid of all that hard, dry, dead skin. 

Then we want to keep that dry skin away so you could use CCS Foot Care Cream which is made to do exactly that. It helps prevent the skin getting dry and rough again and improves foot smoothness. Plus its kept in a handy tube containing 175ml of cream making it easy to use on a regular basis. 

But if your a bigger fan of Oils then the Coconut Oil from Palmers may be the best thing to help keep your feet smooth. It comes in a easy spray bottle and smells amazing. It also hydrates feet and helps them if they get sore. Perfect for someone on their feet all day.

If you think your feet are really in need for some love, then you may want to concider Dr Anders Intensive Rescue Balm. This rubs into your feet absorbing quickly and leaves your feet feeling moisturised and smooth. It is perfect to help rough dry areas on your feet and is to be used on your feet twice a day.
This product is made from natural oils and the formula is especially made to nourish your feet.

Then we have some lovely products from Mavala. One is called Comfort and this cream is for use on very dry feet. The 50ml tube is especially made to help repair feet with dry skin and cracks leaving your feet silky soft and smooth. I must admit this was my favourite of the creams as I was very impressed on how smooth it made my feet after use.

The second tube is called Vitalite and is a refreshing foot gel. I have always enjoyed foot gels in summer time when it is really hot as they cool your feet down. But they are also perfect for after long walks, or days working on your feet and will sooth hot, swollen feet. 

Of corse when caring for you feet you must also look after your nails and so this Nailner brush helps keep your toe nails looking fresh and healthy and also brighter. It also helps treat nail fungus quickly which also helps your nails have a fresh look. 

Another thing to consider when it comes to treating your feet, is by also letting your feet treat your body. Did you know a lot of back ache comes from walking? You can buy special insoles that get placed into your shoes to help with this. Formthotics make ones that are made super comfortable to help with walking and help with comfort and to ease the aches that walking can cause.

I always find that walking around hard floors in places like shopping centre's create terrible back ache for me and so I will be definitely giving these a try next time I go to one. 

So, will you be treating your feet for #NationalFeetWeek? 

Schleich Horse Club Toy Review

We have reviewed items from the Horse Club before so when we was offered some new sets to review we horse jumped to the job!

I have always though that Schleich toys were amazing and Lily has has some animal figures since she was little but lately she has really got into horses and so we have formed a nice collection of these. 

We was sent the horse Club Mobile Vet Van, and 2 of the Horse Club Girls. 

Lily as always was super pleased to see these and could not wait to get them out to play. The horse girls she could already see as the box makes it so then you can touch them. So she wanted me to open these first for her. The horse is tied in with those twisty ties and so didn't take long to get them out. 

As soon as they were out she started playing with them straight away. Making horse noises and putting the girls on and off the horses backs. Each horse comes with a saddle and bridle and so the girls sit easily on top and can hold onto the bridle straps. The girls are both movable figures to and so you can move their arms to make imaginary play with them more fun. 

The best thing about these horses is the detail. They are so beautiful. Painted with amazing quality and detailing and each horse have there own look to them making them different to the other horses. You can tell that they have modelled these horse on real horses with the amount of detail they have put in. As I said earlier, the quality is amazing they are quite hard and you can tell they are going to get many many years of use out of them without them getting damaged.

There are 4 different horse girls to collect, Hannah, Sofia, Lisa and Sarah and are all £15.00 each. 

As Lily was playing with the horses, I decided to get started to opening the Mobile Vet Van. Sometimes Schleich toys can have a bit of constructing to them but luckily this van barely has any. It comes with the wheels off and just a few others things off like the side mirrors for the van, but these all take 2 seconds to plug in. Everything else comes in little bags. I would say its wise for an adult to open these bags as there are small parts that are easy to loose if your not watching. 

The set also comes with stickers and instructions so then you can easily put together anything thats needed and place the stickers in the right places. 

It really didn't take long at all to get this toy set up. As well as the van, the set comes with a vet, a foal, and 15 accessories that are all tailored to helping your child play vet.

Just like the other figure, she comes with movable parts, so she can sit and also move her hands. She comes with a little vet kit which you can make her hold and place around her neck.

The van its set closes up and then opens up so then you can play inside. All the parts of a vet van have been though about and you have tables and x rays and other items in this van that really help with the imaginary play.

The vans doors open at the front so the vet can get in and drive. Lily was very impressed by this. The car wheels also spin pretty fast meaning that is pushes smoothly and effortlessly across the floor.

 

Lily loved playing with these and straight away started taking the foal into the van for a check up. 

She also loved that with it came a little pad of paper. This was to fill in for when she has taken care of an animal. She can tick what actions needed to be done Eg- put a bandage on and then also write about what was wrong with the horse. I can see this being one of Lily's favourite things to do and she will be doing it with all her horses she owns. I am really pleased that they thought of adding this element into the set. 

This set is £30 to buy which I would say is well worth it with the amount of play your child will get out of it. 

This set is part of a huge collection of the horse club and there are so many more available which you can buy at Argos. 

Would your child love to play with this set? 

Mothers Day Breakfast In Bed

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I there is one treat as a mum that I can think of that goes down well on Mothers Day its breakfast in bed. Not too early of corse, but after spending every day of the week, of the month, of the year getting up and preparing breakfast for the little ones, it is lovely to be spoilt by getting it brought to you. 

So here is my post encouraging you to prepare a nice breakfast in bed for mums this year. 

Of corse, no one wants to eat a fry up in bed, so its a much better idea to think of lots of little snacky ideas that are perfect to fill up a tum in the morning. 

First your going to need something to serve breakfast on. Rather than creating lots of washing up and having lots served on different plates on a tray, why not think about getting a extra large cheese board. These make the perfect surface to serve food on and then only makes one item to have to wash up. 

I really recommend Tru Bamboo's cheeseboard which is RRP £22.45, firstly because on the size! It fits loads of food on as you can see from the photograph. The large size means it acts as a tray as well as a plate and is perfect for doing things such as spreading and cutting on. Which is another point about this great board. It is super sturdy with its pure thickness but not at all heavy meaning comfortable to rest on your lap. 

It also looks really nice, smooth and neat and made from Bamboo meaning that its a strong but also eco friendly wood. It also has a little drawer which keeps the knifes in, which are going to be perfect for cutting cheese and spreading jams. 

Plus when you offer breakfast in bed, you can then let them know that the cheeseboard is also a Mother Day gift! Making this a double whammy present.

So what can you put on your board for breakfast?

Here are a few ideas of what I decided to put on.

Yummy Fruit - Always a treat and a nice fresh thing to eat in the morning.
Jam on toast - You can buy really cute jars of jam which look so lovely on a board, also means she can have a choice of flavours.

Pasties - So many selections of pastries but all work so well for breakfast.  

Hot Cross Buns - Nearly Easter time, these are now hitting the shops and are super tasty to eat toasted with butter. 

Cheese and Crackers - Always nice to have something savoury with sweet and cheese always goes down well with me at any time of the day. 

Chocolates - Got to add a little treat on there, plus they make the tray look super pretty!

So, who has decided then that this is what they either want for mothers day? Or are going to treat someone else to on mothers day? 

Monthly Book Roundup - What we have been reading in February

My Monthly Book Roundups are back. It is a post that I do love writing about each month because both me and Lily are big book fans. 

With it being World Book Day today, it seemed like the perfect day to get writing about what we have been reading for February. 

I still read to Lily each night without fail. It is usually only 2 books now because as she is getting older, the books are getting longer. But I still introduce around 3 new books a month for her to read. 

It is crazy, but I did count over 250 books on our book shelf, which some we have just kindly donated to school. We love books but 250 of them is a big much. Its pretty much our own library haha.

So, Here is what we have been reading lately - 

1. That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child 

I will admit, this book has sat on our shelf for quite a while and Lily has never been inclined to choose it. Not sure why, maybe the front cover just wasn't encouraging her to want to read it. But this month she picked it out and we sat down and finally read it. We was pleasantly surprised as it is actually a really good story. It is all about a rat that really wants to become a pet. He talks about all the other animals that he knows who are pets and have owners, and talks about how they get special treatments, though in some cases he isn't too sure about the things they have to do, like dressing up for an example. In the end he puts out an advertisement to be someones pet and someone picks him, but only because they actually think he is a cat. He doesn't care though and is happy to be called a cat if it means he gets an owner. The story is full of comedy, and also is a cute little story about an animal that is generally disliked, simply wanting to belong. The illustrations are very scetchy, I quite like the style of this, but it may not be for everyone.  I would definetly give the book a try if I was you, and not leave it sat on a shelf for as long as we did. You can pick the book up from online. 

2. Spot and Stripe by Anna Shuttlewood 

This book is all about a tiger and a zebra who are best friends. They love doing everything together and they have the exact same interests and they both help each other do things. For example spot shows stripe how to chase birds like a leopard does, and stripe shows spot how to cross a river safely like a zebra can. They very much believe they are 2 of a kind. Until one day they see their reflection and notice they both look compleatly different. This disappoints them and makes them question their friendship, could they really be best friends when they look so different? They then have an idea, they cover themselves in mud so they look the same but then they realise they are still the same person on the inside, and actually miss the way each other looks and so decide they can be best friends looking different. It is a really good story about friendship and is a super happy story to read before bed. Plus the illustrations are super colourful taking up the entire page making it a really attractive book to read. I got this book from the works, but you can buy it online too. 

3. What the Ladybird Heard by Julia Donaldson 

Another story by one of our favourite authors. This story Lily chose out herself when she has £10 to spend in Tesco. I think she was very attracted to the shiny front cover and the colourful sparkly ladybird on the front. This story is all about a farm yard, where lots of farm animals live including the ladybird. The ladybird is very quiet compared to the other animals on the farm and happily sits and observes everything that is happening. One day she over hears some robbers saying they are going to steal the prize cow and she has to tell everyone. She whispers in everyones ear what she heard and so they decide to make a plan to catch the robber. The great thing about this story is the amount of rhyming in it. It really flows off the tongue and is great to read. There is lots of repetition in it which is always great for kids as they love to help read along. Overall its a really fun tale that is super enjoyable to read. As always the illustrations are done really well, with lots of colour and are pleasing to a child's eye. You can pick this up in most book shops. 

Which of the above books do you think sounds the best? 

Make your Mum their own Bath Bombs! Plus Giveaway!

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Sometimes it can be really tricky to think of what gift to buy mums that is more of a gift that has come from your children than yourself. It is lovely to treat mums to flowers, and chocolates, but sometimes it would be nice to think a little outside the box and get mums something more personalised from the kids. 

I think that kids love it when they get the chance to treat their mums and give gifts and so I have an idea for you that not only makes a lovely gift, it gives the kids a way to feel more involved with the present giving plus it is much more fun!

Check out this So Bomb Crystal Geode kit from Canal Toys. 

This set enables your child to make 12 Crystal Geode bath bombs which would make the perfect mothers day gift! If your littles ones mum loves bath bombs then imagine gifting these that are handmade by the child. Nothing says I love you more than handmade gifts. 

The set comes with 

2 moulds
Mixture for 12 geode bombs
6 Crystal colours
1 Mini Pipette
1 Instruction sheet
1 Sticker sheet
Hidden surprises

They are super easy to make, mix the powder with water, add them to the mould, add the hidden surprise and then wait for it to set. Then you will have a fizzy delight ready to gift to mum and be added to a bath to create a wonderful colour explosion. 

If you think that this would make the perfect mothers day gift, then you can buy this set for £9.99 from Argos!

Or you can enter to win one (drawn after mothers day) by entering on the Gleam app below. 

WIN a So Bomb Crystal Geode Kit