Review - Eat, Sleep, Doodle

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I have been following Eat Sleep Doodle Since Lily was 2 years old and I was gifted a doodle table cloth for her 2nd birthday party. (which also got used on her 4th birthday party too) 

I have always loved the fact they are so creative and encourage kids to be creative too. 

So I have teamed up with them again to tell you all about some of their new products. 

So, Eat Sleep Doodle is a brand that supplies a range of things for your child to colour. But they are not just your average colouring book, instead they sell a range of compleatly different items to colour. From Pillow Cases, Pencil Cases, bags, placemats and much much more. 

The idea behind them is that you can colour all these in, and then wash them to be able to colour them all over again. Meaning the fun never ends. The pens that are supplied by Eat Sleep doodle are all washable. Which is also great for the fact that kids ALWAYS end up covered in felt tip when colouring with them. 

We was sent some goodies that came wrapped up all nicely in patterned wrapping paper and a sticker with Eat Sleep Doodle on it. For lily this was like opening a present and she was very excited. 

Inside we had been sent a Map of America Doodle Pillow Case and a Pack of World Map Doodle Wrapping Paper. Also a lovely set of pastel coloured fabric pens. 

One of the great things about the Fabric pens is that it has a thick side and a thin side, which really helps for colouring the smaller patterns in. Lily found this most useful.

The colours are all really varied and have a nice selection of blues, pinks, yellows, reds and greens. 

A pack of Pastel coloured wash out fabric pens is £6.50 to buy which I think is an amazingly reasonable price to say you get 10 pens with 2 sides to them. 

So lets talk about the United States of America Pillow Case. Firstly this pack comes with the pillow case and a set of pens. Secondly it is your average sized pillow case which will go on most bed pillows. On one side it has all the states of america on it, and also the capital city of each state. It then has animals on each section too and so provides education as well as fun. Lily and her little friend love learning about counties and so was asking lots of questions about america while colouring it.
On the other side there is the american flag. This is great for colouring in, or you could use the lines to do some writing on. I think its a great idea to use this part to write some facts about america on!

Some of the images are quite small, so this is where the thin side of the pens came in handy. The pens colour so easily onto the fabric and show up nice and colourful. 

After they have finished colouring on it, they can then wash it and re do it again. Lily hasn't slept with her pillow yet, as she has not finished colouring it but she can't get to get it put onto her bed. 

A Pillow Case set is RRP £14.95 which is great to say it can be used over and over again.

Next we have the pack of Doodle Wrapping Paper which for us was World Map themed. 

Inside there is a pack of pens, and 3 sheets of wrapping paper all doodled ready to be coloured in. 

On this it has the whole world layed out on paper, ready for your child to learn. It shows you different places in the world and shows things such as the 7 wonders and animals that live on our planet. There is so much to see on this map and so much to learn and it will keep your little one busy for hours colouring it in. 

Of corse this one isn't for washing and re doing, but instead wrapping a present to someone in. This way your making your gift personalised with your wonderful art work on it.

The World Map set is £8.95 to buy and is such a great little activity pack for that price. 

Lily decided she wanted her friends to help her do her colour in and all 3 of them found it loads of fun to learn and colour. 

If your child isn't really into geography then take a look on the website because there are many different doodle choices to get. 

Eat Sleep Doodle really have found a great way to learn, be creative and have fun all at the same time! 

What do you think to the idea of Eat Sleep Doodle? 

Win a Kids Love Writing Bundle

(Ad - Gifted)

If your child love writing as much as Lily does, then you are in for a treat with this giveaway. 

Lily has been obsessed with her Love Writing Co set ever since she was sent it and it really has encouraged her to get writing more. 

This prize is amazing and really will help your child when it comes to their writing. 

The first part to the prize is the 3-5 Full Love Writing Pack, inside there is 2 activity books that both have activities to help your child start to form letters and practice with their pencil skills. One book follows on from the other, increasing in difficulty. Plus your child will love the sticker element to it which they get when completing a page. As well as that, the pack has special pencils that are all about making it easier to write, they are the perfect size for this. As are the colourful pencil crayons that they come with, which also rub out. It also includes a special 2 in one pencil sharpener, all neatly places in the branded Love Writing Co bag. 

As well as this, the prize also includes some 6-9 year old pencils for when your child is ready to move on to the next stage in their writing abilities. There are 5 normal pencils and 12 coloured ones. There will also be some special birthday/thank you cards included which your child can write them self. Over all the prize is worth £49.99. 

If you want to know more about the prize then head over to the Love Writing Co website or you can head to my blog post where I reviewed their pack. 

To have a chance to win this prize, enter on the gleam app below. 

Competition ends on the 24th of March. 

WIN a Kids Love Writing Bundle Worth £49.00

Orchard Toys Review - Mammoth Maths and Loopy Llamas

(Ad- Gifted) 

Lily and I are both huge fans of Orchard Toys, We now have a massive collection and have been playing their games for quite a few years now. Their games never fail to disappoint in levels of fun and in education. 

So we was really pleased to be offered the chance to review 2 brand new games that have just been released. 

We was sent both Loopy Llamas and Mammoth Maths and so i'm going to tell you all about them now.  

Both games as usual look so appealing to play. I just love the boxes that Orchard toys supply the games in, they are always super colourful. Plus the Mammoth Maths game comes with a handle so then it can be carried around. 

The first game that we decided to try out was Loopy Llamas. This game is aged for ages 4+ and is for 2-4 players. I generally find games aged about 4+ the perfect age for Lily to play because she finds it easy to play and so has fun with it. 

Inside the box you find - 

 - One Playing Board
 - One Spinner
 - 4 Llama bodies, and matching legs
 - 4 Llama counters
 - Dice
 - 20 Cardboard hoops
 - Instructions 

First you will need to pop out all the hoops and playing pieces. Then put together the board and the spinner. This doesn't take long to do.

Then you choose a Llama Body and build it so it stands up, then choose the matching Llama as your playing piece. Then you need to place all the hoops all the way around the board. You should then be all set up and ready to play.

The idea to the game is to collect the coloured rings and race your way to the end and have your llama jump into the swimming pool. Lily loved the concept of the game and couldn't wait to be able to make her Llama jump into the pool.

Youngest player goes first, they roll the dice and then move that many spaces. If they land on a patterned circle then this means they can pick up a hoop with the same pattern. They can then place this on the Llamas neck. You may end up landing on a Llama face which is a bonus as this means that you can choose any colour of hoop you like which may just be the missing one you need! You may also land on the arrow, and if you do and don't have all the colours of the hoops then you don't take a turn and it passes onto the next player.

Once you have all 5 loops, you then need roll the exact number to land on the arrow. On your next turn this means you now get to spin the spinner to find out your next move. Land on a splashing Llama and move a step closer to the edge, land on the scared Llama and you stay where you are. When you get to the footprints this then means on your next turn you need to spin and land on the splashing Llama to jump into the pool and win the game!

Lily found this game so much fun and wanted to play it for a second time. We both found it really easy to play and also it didn't take too long to play which is always a bonus when we want a quick game to play before bed.

This game is brilliant for helping colour and pattern recognition and helping matching skills. It also helps maths, observational skills and social skills. So overall a great learning game. 

This game is £10.50 and can be bought from the Orchard Toys Website.

Next we decided to try out the Mammoth Maths Game.

This game is recommended for ages 5-8 and is for 2-4 players. Lily is now 5 so its the perfect age for her to start to learn how to play.

Inside the box you will find - 

 - 1 Game Board

 - 30 stone ring cards
 - 1 number line

 - 4 Mammoths
 - 4 cave person playing pieces 

 - 1 dice

 - 1 feather

 - 1 magic torch viewer

 - Instructions

To set up the game you will need to pop our all the rock circles, piece together your board and put together your mammoths and playing pieces.

You then need to give each player four stone ring cards. You can always up the amount of stone cards you play with to make the game longer.

The cards you will notice have a lighter and darker look to them. The darker cards are more difficult than the lighter ones. We decided to use the lighter cards for our game. 

You each get a mammoth and a matching coloured playing cave person which you place on the starting stone. you are then ready to start the game.

As usual the youngest person starts the game, they need to roll the dice and move the amount of spaces shown. When you land on a stone you may land on a - stone or a + stone or a feather stone. Your stone cards have plus and minus maths problems to work out. Choose the corresponding side and work out the maths problem. You can use the number line to help out with this.

When they think they have the answer, say it out loud then check it with the magic torch. If they are correct they can place the stone on the Mammoths Trunk, if incorrect then place it back in front and play passes on to the next person.

If you land on a feather, then you get to choose a players mammoth to tickle to make it sneeze, shout out Aaatchoo and and remove one of their stones and place it back in front of them. Lily found this part a lot of fun. 

Once you have collected all your stones and placed them onto your mammoth, you can then make your way back to the cave to become the winner! BUT if a player ends up making your mammoth sneeze again, then you must return to the game to win your stone back. 

Lily did really well with this game and found it fun, but also loved the challenge of getting to do maths. The number line really helped with how well she did her sums and she was very impressed when she got the right answer.

She loved the addition of the magic torch, she found it amazing that it was invisible until you looked through it and it revealed the number.

This game really is a great way to be able to help your child learn maths by making it lots of fun! It also helps observational skills and social skills and so is overall a really great game for learning. We found it nice and easy to play, which meant that we could focus on the maths rather than the rules of the game. 

You can buy this game for £12.95 from the Orchard Toys Website.

Which of these 2 games do you think your child will love? 

How To Choose A Suitable Nursery For Your Child

(Paid Guest Post)

How To Choose A Suitable Nursery For Your Child 

Choosing the right nursery for your young child can be a difficult process, especially if it’s your first child. The thought of leaving your child in someone else’s care can bring a mix of emotions but it’s important to understand that this a natural step in life and can be hugely beneficial for your child, so don’t rush your decision. 

Nursery is the stepping stone for your child before taking on primary school. It’s a place for them to develop both their social and educational skills and for their imaginations to flourish. It can also be a huge confidence booster for them and make them feel that extra bit prepared for big school.

If you don’t know what the first steps are in making this decision - don’t worry! When you first start out it’s important not to overthink it, start by asking family members, friends or even neighbours. Talking to people you trust and who have already been through this process is a great way to find out all the information you need. Before chatting to them, write down some things that are important to you so that you can ensure you’re asking the right questions. 

The internet is an amazing place, especially for providing you with information about local nurseries. Check out their Ofsted reports online to gauge how the nursery has been perceived as well as reading comments from parents on online forums. Online forums can be particularly useful if you are new to the area and don’t know anyone to speak to in person. The West Finchley Pre School has gone as far to have a page dedicated to parent reviews - this is a great starting point for newer parents looking for honest and reliable reviews.

Once you have narrowed down a select few nurseries, visit their websites and book to go and visit them. When visiting their website you should look out for pages such as their vision and/or their promise, this shows they are forward-thinking and have a goal in mind.

Visiting the nursery will help you to get a feel for the atmosphere and staff. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, this is a good way to assess their friendliness, efficiency and responsiveness. If for some reason you can’t visit the nursery, check out the Meet The Team section on the website. If you do get a chance to visit the nursery, here are a few questions to think about.

• Were you warmly greeted on arrival?
• What security arrangements are available at the nursery to keep your child safe?
• Were you met and greeted by the manager or deputy?
• Did they answer any questions you had?
• Did the person showing you around seem knowledgeable?

It’s also important to ask about the types of activities that your child will be part during their week. London Muswell Hill Nursery & Pre School off a wide variety of activities from maths and English to self-awareness and self-confidence. Having a broad range of activities ensure that your child is always learning and developing and each day is different but equally as enjoyable.

If you really want to make sure your chosen is ticking all the boxes, London Preschool Wandsworth has put together a handy Nursery Visit Checklist to make sure you won’t miss a thing.

We hope now that you feel more confident in finding a nursery suitable for you and your child. Remember the best nursery for your child is one that will care and stimulate your child’s growth for the better. 

If you want to learn more about London Pre School get in touch with one of their friendly team members today. 

Essentials for a Mums Eye Lash Look

(AD- Gifted) 

Sometimes when you become a mum, its hard to keep on top of a beauty routine. Especially when a lot of pour days consist of looking after the kids and cooking and cleaning. But sometimes trying something new can make you feel 100 times better and sometimes we may get that odd occasion where we get to go out and get to make ourself look and feel nice. 

One way that you can differ your normal daytime mum look to a new fun you look could be by adding false eye lashes. 

If you have never transformed your eye lashes before then below are some things you may need. All made by Eyelure Lashes and all available from FalseEyeLashes.co.uk.

False EyeLashes

First is the obvious and you will need to get some actual false lashes. There is so much choice to what you may want to buy, some more natural, some long, some thick. I love Eylure's enchanted range that they have and below you have 3 different packs.

First is a Multipack which comes with 3 different styles of lashes, this costs just £7.95 for the pack. It is a great choice if its your first time wearing lashes as you can get a better understanding of what type of lash you like.

Second is the After Dark set, which features fine but fluffy lashes that are perfect for a night out. Perfect buy for a night out at £4.95.

And thirdly is the Oops-a-daisy set which is described as cute, angled and defined with a velvety feel, which give your eyes a light but striking look. This pack is also £4.95. 

All packs come with Glue, are easy to apply and they are reusable which is great for if you fall in love with how a set looks. 

Accessories 

Of corse next you may need to think of other things you may need.

Like an eye Lash Curler. It is perfect for making your lovely false eyelashes have that extra wow factor with a nice curl. It will emphasise the look to them and make them stand out even more, making your eyes dazzle. This one is easy to use with a simply 'Press and Go'. It is £7.95 to buy and a must have to help you create a great Eye Lash look. 

You then may need to buy something to help remove your eye lashes. This little bottle is only £2.79 and will make removing your lashes so much easier. It is specially formulated to remove superfix glue and is totally pain free and super quick to use. Which is exactly what you want for taking off your lashes after a long day or night. 

Then of corse you may want to buy yourself some extra Eyelash Adhesive. This one is perfect for making those lashes stay on all day or all night and is super easy to apply. It dries clear and is made from a waterproof formulation making there no danger of being seen or coming off. Plus at £2.99 you can't go wrong with keeping yourself stocked up with this. 

Extra's

As a little extra to your eye lash look, you may also want to do your brows. This will totally compliment your new lashes. Eylure also do an eyebrow pencil which comes in different shades to match your style. It is a duo pencil and brush and all you need in one to keep your eye brows looking nice. It is £5.99 and ideal for shading and shaping those brows.

Which of the above would you get to help your eye lash look? 

How a child not being able to HEAR is not important to the NHS

I know that there have been some serious issues regarding the NHS for a while. So far nothing has really effected me apart from the odd time not being able to get a doctors appointment. But what has happened this week has totally shocked me! 

It firstly started with Lily getting Earache. Earache can be a big problem for kids, so a few times I had put it down to cold ears or just getting a little bunged up with a cold. But Lily started suffering with it often. It would come and go and she would have it one day and then have a few days without and then it would come back. 

I did wonder if Lily was making it up at times, Children do have the tendency to do so. But it was when she started saying to me "Mummy, I can't hear the TV will you turn it up". That I knew that something wasn't right. 

I had noticed that a lot of the time she was saying "what?" to me, and that from one room to another I would have to shout extra loud for me to hear her. But I did just wonder if that was just selective hearing. But the Tv was on loud when she asked for it to be turned up and with her again having earache I thought it was best I took her to the doctors. 

First, it took me a WEEK to get a Dr's appointment.

I took her, waited past my scheduled time to go in to see the Doctor, for her to simply look into her ears and say, Yeah they are FULL of ear wax and blocked up, which explains her symptoms. She tells me "If Lily was an adult, I could send her to the other room to have her ears cleaned by a nurse, but as she is a Child, I have to refer her to a special clinic. I was told I would get a letter in the post telling me how to book an appointment. 

So, one week of waiting, to then have to wait longer. 

ONE WEEK later a letter arrives. Lily now suffering on and off with ear ache and 
struggling to hear for over 2 weeks total now. 

I sign onto the website and book the first monday I see, which was just under a week away. (So I thought) 

Monday comes, I get lily 10 mins early out of school, we head to the Ear Clinic. I get to the reception desk, and Lily's not booked in. I then get told "Its not until May"

MAY! 10th of MAY is her appointment. 3 Months from now! 

I am shocked, and said there must be a mistake. I could not see a child having to wait that long with a problem needing to be fixed. 

They gave me a number to call, and when I called there was no mistake, the booking was for that date. Only I hadden't spotted the May part, probably because I didn't expect a child to have to wait that long. 

So I ask if I can get her an earlier one, explaining she keeps being in pain and struggling to hear. How that she will be struggling to hear in school which could put her back. The responce was that NO, from all 3 clinics in my area, there was a waiting list of 3 months and lots of elderly adults all booked in ear problems too. 

I am in shock!
How can they expect a child to suffer for 3 months! ?
How can there be THAT many people on a waiting list? 
Do they have only 1 doctor seeing them in each location? Feels like -1 in this case.

So yes, great, Lily has to now suffer until they can fit her in. The government are so up on Children's Education and they don't want to children to be out of school so they don't miss anything, well not being able to hear correctly is really going help her not miss anything isn't it! I know its not the amazing staff that work for the NHS fault and its the people controlling the NHS causing the problems. But how can it get over looked that because of their systems in place, children will be suffering.

Well Rant over! 

My next plan, is to keep putting olive oil ear drops in her ears in hope that it helps clear it by itself. Poor Lily. 

Has anyone else had any problems like this? 
Anyone got any tips to help her ears? 

REVIEW - Helping your Child Start a Positive Day with Day Dreamimals

(ad- gifted)

If you follow my blog, you may have seen me already write about The Dream Pillow which is a special pillow all about helping your child want to go to bed and also have nice dreams. Well now I have been gifted the latest toy which I can see becoming a little craze, its the mini Dream Pillow called Day Dreamimals. 

There are 3 Day Dreamimals and they are all a different character. You have Sharkie who is of corse a shark, Lamby who is of corse a Lamb, and then Pinkie who is a Koala. You can get all 3 characters in the larger Dream Pillow and Lily waned all 3 of these so the characters are totally collectable and even more so now they come in mini form.

We was sent all 3 to take a look at and try out but Lily's favourite ended up being Pinkie and that is who she decided to use first. 

So the idea of the Day Dreamimals is that it is a little friend that your child can take around with them for the day helping them to think positive thoughts. The Day Dreamimal comes with little Dream Wish notes for your child to draw or write on. They can then start the day by drawing a positive thing that they would like to day dream about, they then fold it up, and slip it inside their day dreamimal for their positive thoughts to stay nice and safe.

Starting the day this way is a great way for a child to have more a positive outlook on the day, and also hopefully be focusing on the day dream rather than any troubles they may have. The Day Dreamimal is a also a keyring, so they can hang it on their bag so their day dream stays with them all day. When they look at their Dreamimal, they will then be reminded about the day dream. Lily decided to draw "cuddles with mummy" on hers. 

The Day Dreamimal also can work for night time as it can work the same way, only you pop your night time dreams inside that you would like to dream. Just like you would a large Dream Pillow. But these ones are perfect for travelling and so it means that your child can take good dreams with them where ever they go. I would happily let Lily take one of these with her on holiday! 

The Day Dreamimals are super soft and super fluffy, and as you can see, they are super cute. Lily can just about fit her hands into the dream pillow so she can still cuddle up to it. Size wise they are about the size of both a child's hands put together. Lily's friends also loved the idea of Dream Pillow as soon as they heard about them and so Lily shared her Day Dreamimals with her friends. I can totally see this becoming something that all kids will want hanging on their back packs. 

These are perfect for any child aged 3 to around 10, though of corse older children can have one if they want one.

They would really help a child who has anxiety or fears or who may be experiencing something challenging in their life.

You can buy a Day Dreamimal for £8.95 from the Dream Pillow Website

Which of the Day Dreamimals do you love?