Steroplast Kids’ First Aid Kit Review

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When we were asked to review the Steroplast Kids’ First Aid Kit, I decided it was probably a good idea as, with four children, there’s always a need for things like that.  And it wasn’t long before the little ones found an opportunity to use it.

First Aid Kit 1

The kit is a convenient size for taking out and about in the car, in a change bag or even in a large handbag.  It also has a belt clip on the back if you are not the handbag type.

First Aid Kit 2

The kit includes:

  • Bandage
  • Eyewash/woundwash pods
  • Gloves
  • Low adherent dressing for larger wounds
  • Micropourous tape
  • Kids’ plasters
  • Triangular bandage (sling)
  • Alcohol-free wipes

It’s a fairly reasonable list, though I’d add some antiseptic cream, and some safety pins for the bandages.  Everything is clearly labelled, albeit in very small print.  I had to take a photo of the Sterowash label and zoom in to read it as even with my glasses on I couldn’t make it out at all!

first aid kit 3

Rabbit and Tiddler loved the kids’ plasters and immediately found some microscopic scratches to try them out on.

first aid kit 4

The kit costs £4.60 and I think that is good value compared to similar products I have used before.

We were sent the kit free of charge for the purpose of this review.

Pregnancy Diary: 31 Weeks

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Today I am 31 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

31 weeks

Baby is: the size of a head of lettuce (about 18 inches, and 3.2lbs.) I can feel that he’s getting pretty squashed in there now, because there are all sorts of interesting wriggling and rolling movements going on!

I am: still having trouble sleeping, and thinking I may need to start taking the sleeping pills most nights.  I was trying to alternate, but I’m struggling to keep going with so little sleep on the days in between, and it is still affecting my blood sugar levels in the morning.  It’s been a difficult week as my back has been quite bad again, and the combination of that and the painful Braxton Hicks contractions is quite overwhelming.  I suppose it’s a good sign though – the end is in sight!

Pregnancy Diary: 30 weeks

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Today I am 30 weeks and 6 days pregnant – and leaving this to the last minute as usual, though I did take the photos last Friday.

30 weeks

Baby is: the size of a butternut squash.  All his organs are almost fully developed, just the lungs need to mature and he is gaining weight at the rate of about half a pound a week.  His eyes are now open when he’s awake and closed when he’s asleep.

I am: very tired but otherwise ok.  I’m having Braxton Hicks contractions which are quite painful.  I remember having them for a month at the end of the last pregnancy, but I didn’t expect them to start this early!

Aveeno Skin Care Products Review

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I was very happy to receive this parcel of goodies from Aveeno because I’m already a big fan of their products.  I discovered them in an earlier pregnancy when I had dry skin, and they are now a pregnancy essential for me.  They are also suitable for children because all the products are unfragranced and very mild.  I might consider sharing them with my children, but I think I won’t let them get their hands on them straight away!  The bath oil and the lotion are ideal for every day use whatever your skin type, and the cream is particularly good for dealing with dry skin.

aveeno skin care

The products are also perfect for those who may be prone to eczema, and this is the focus of Aveeno’s new campaign.  They have teamed up with acclaimed children’s author Penelope Harper to create a series of books following the adventures of Ellie (a little girl) and Eddie (a gecko) who both have dry skin.  It’s available as an eBook and can be downloaded here.  I was a little unsure about the idea of reviewing this book when it was discussed at Britmums Live in June.  I think it’s pretty hard to write an interesting children’s story on the subject of dry skin, but the author has done a reasonable job.  It’s a simple story, and though it’s not very exciting it reads quite well, and both Rabbit and Tiddler enjoyed it.  At the end of the book, there’s a colouring page which Rabbit had fun doing.

Aveeno colouring

I would recommend the book for children who have eczema, especially if they are reluctant to have cream put on when their skin is dry and painful.  The products are so versatile that I would recommend them for anyone.

Merry’s Banana and Sultana Muffins

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I’ve mentioned the marvellous multi-talented Merry on this blog a few times before, and if you haven’t discovered the Merrily empire yet you definitely should.  I’ve always considered Merry to be my main source of home ed inspiration and encouragement (and though her big girls now go to school, it seems to me that she still home educates but just in less time!)  Then there’s the fab businesses she runs – Play Merrily, the place to go for quality toys online, and Craft Merrily, for all the Hama beads, Fimo and Loom Bands you will ever need, among many other lovely things.  And I’m continually impressed by Merry’s own crafting – her Instagram feed is full of beautiful pictures of the knitting and crochet projects that she always has on the go.  Frankly it’s enough to make me feel a little inadequate, but Merry is so lovely that I’ll have to let her off.  And now, if all the above wasn’t enough, she has recently got the baking bug, and has moved remarkably quickly from “I don’t do baking” to “I invent my own recipes.  Move over Nigella…

So when I saw this recipe for banana muffins, I knew it would be good and I couldn’t wait to try it.  With my usual forward planning I decided about 20 minutes before supper that it would be a good idea to make them for pudding.  They were so quick and easy that Monkey and I managed to make them in the time it took for Owl to make pesto (with a little help from daddy) and cook spaghetti.  They were very popular (as was the pesto, which probably deserves a blog post of its own) and the children have asked when we can make them again.  I think they’ll be able to make them without much help from me, so the answer is probably once a week at least!

banana muffins

Lionboy: The Chase review

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This post is written by Owl.

lionboy the chase

This review is about Lionboy: The Chase, written by Zizou Corder (which is a name used by authors Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young, whose names were too long to fit on the book). This book continues the trilogy of the catspeaking boy, Charlie (see my review of the first book, Lionboy, here), whose parents get kidnapped. It starts with a micro-version of the last book, explaining briefly what happened before. It was chosen by the Blue Peter Book Club.

The story continues in the Orient Express, where Charlie takes his lions, whom he rescued from a circus, to meet King Boris, the friendly king of Bulgaria, in his carrige. Edward, who worked for King Boris, went to Venice with them. While they were there, Charlie and the lions, with the help of Claudio, the boatman,  overthrow the Doge, the evil ruler of Venice, and sail to Morroco, the lions’ home. Meanwhile, Charlie’s parents (who escaped) head to Morroco too.

This book is excellent, it uses powerful verbs, adverbs and adjectives to make the passages exciting to read. I will give this book a 5/5 rating and I highly recommend it.

 

Pregnancy Diary : 29 Weeks

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Today I am 29 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

29 weeks

Baby is: the size of a small cabbage!  He is still very active which is reassuring, and I’m finding that watching my bump move is at least as entertaining as watching the television in the evening.

I am: still not sleeping much.  I’ve been using the sleeping pills a bit, but I don’t want to take them every night.  They work to some extent, but they can’t stop me being woken up by children in small hours, so short of moving out for a while I’m not sure what I can do about it!  I’m a bit stressed, but also feeling very blessed by my lovely family, including the smallest one who is making his presence felt with all the kicking and wriggling.  I’m really getting impatient to meet him now.

Spot a Lot Animal Escape

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Spot a Lot Animal Escape has been a huge hit with Tiddler – it’s probably our favourite Parragon book so far.  In fact, as soon as I sat down to try and write this review he saw the book and said “Now mum, I like this book, can you read it to me?”  So I’d better stop writing for a minute and do just that…

spot a lot 1

…I don’t think he’ll ever tire of it.  We’ve been reading it several times a day and he’s just asked “Can I take it into Preschool? It’s so good!”

spot a lot 2

In this story, the animals have escaped from the zoo and the reader follows the zookeeper as she searches for them all throughout the rest of the book.  On one level it is a simple counting book, with the main text line taking us from “1 very tall giraffe trying hard not to laugh” to “10 warthogs tapping feet dancing to a hip-hop beat!”  Within the illustrations, though, there is much more to find.  There is a tortoise to search for on every double page spread, and in addition there are instructions to look for extra animals, such as “Spot 3 green lizards” and “Where is the hippo hiding?”

We’ve had many counting books over the years, and plenty of books with hidden things to spot too, and I think this is one of the very best.  In some cases they can become a bit tedious, but not this one.  It has just the right number – and difficulty – of things to find, the text is fun to read aloud and the illustrations are excellent.  Having read it to Tiddler at least once a day for a couple of weeks, and sometimes to Rabbit separately, I’m happy to report that I haven’t got bored of it yet!

We received this book free of charge for the purpose of this review.

 

 

 

Pregnancy Diary: 28 Weeks

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This diary started as an attempt to pay at least a little bit of attention to baby number five, and recently I haven’t even managed to write once a week so the mummy guilt has started before he is even born!

24 weeks

24 weeks

Baby is: the size of an ear of corn.

I am: suffering with lower back pain and wishing I could take my usual cocktail of drugs, instead of just paracetamol which has absolutely no effect.

25 weeks

25 weeks

Baby is: the size of a courgette.

I am: tired and ill.  Just a virus but a nasty one, with a sore throat, earache and hacking cough, as well as a permanent headache.  It is making me quite grumpy!

26 weeks

26 weeks

Baby is: the size of a coconut.

I am: still feeling ill and I’ve had enough now.

 

27 weeks

27 weeks

Baby is: the size of a cauliflower.

I am: starting to feel a bit better, but still not sleeping very well, which is making me quite stressed, especially as it is messing with my early morning blood sugar levels.

28 weeks

28 Weeks

Baby is: about the size of an aubergine – or, to be more accurate, about 1.1kg.  Today I had a growth scan because of the gestational diabetes, to make sure he is not getting too big but he is an average weight for this stage of pregnancy and practically perfect in every way!  The scans are always amazing, and although I never expect to see anything new after five pregnancies I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a baby opening and closing his mouth and drinking amniotic fluid before.

I am: surviving, but very tired and emotional.  I went to see my GP this morning because of the insomnia, and she has prescribed sleeping pills to try and help keep my morning blood sugar levels down.  I can take them every night if I need to, but I’m going to try every other night first.  I really hope they work.  I need to keep my blood sugar stable so I won’t have to take the diabetes drugs.  If I go down that route, I won’t be able to go over my due date, or give birth in the midwife-led unit.

baby blanket

The nicest thing that happened in the last couple of weeks was the arrival of a very special parcel.  One of my favourite bloggers and tweeters, Kimberley from Ruby+Lottie, made this beautiful blanket, along with two cardigans and a hat – the very first gifts I have received for this baby, and they are just perfect.  Thank you Kimberley, you are lovely xx

Pregnancy Diary: 23 Weeks

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Today, I am 23 weeks and one day pregnant.  I’m more behind with this diary than usual, having missed two weeks, but I did take photos each week.

21 weeks

Week 21

Baby is: about the size of a large banana!  His brain is developing rapidly and constantly producing lots of new brain cells.  I know this is a cliche but it definitely feels as if I am losing mine at the same rate.  I am definitely suffering from baby brain, and really struggling to concentrate now.

I am: fine (apart from the baby brain) though I have several annoying symptoms – dizziness (still), leg cramps and quite severe lower back pain which is making everything more difficult.  As a result I am feeling frustrated about not getting much done.

22 weeks

Week 22

Baby is: the size of a papaya.

I am: finding it increasingly difficult to do anything at all because of the back pain.  Trying not to let it get me down but not entirely succeeding.

23 weeks

Week 23

Baby is: the size of a grapefruit.

I am: hanging in there.  Mainly just tired and grumpy because of the pain, but occasionally snapping out of it and remembering how incredibly lucky I am.  And feeling very thankful for my lovely husband.  As I am writing this, at 10pm on a Saturday evening, he is cleaning the dining room floor – he knows the way to my heart!