Saltrock Clothing Review

Saltrock is a North Devon based beach lifestyle clothing brand that started off in 1988. Two brothers, Angus and Ross, had a surfing lifestyle and decided to start printing t-shirts to fund their lifestyle. They are still going strong 30 years later. They have a great range of t-shirts and other clothing, footwear and accessories for men, women, and kids. They have 39 stores across the South West of the UK, and when we were asked if we'd be interested in receiving some clothing to review, we jumped at the chance.

We decided to order a t-shirt each for us, and I ordered two pairs of shoes for myself. The girls were super excited when they received their t-shirts, and so were we. We were really pleased with the quality of the clothing. The one thing I worry about ordering online is the sizing not being true to size. However, the clothing we received are true to size, and I'm really pleased as I really love the t-shirt's I received for myself.

They have a great range of T-shirts with all kinds of different prints for men, women, and kids. They are all reasonably priced which is something I always look at first when visiting an online site. They were all true to size on us all, which was another bonus point. All their t-shirts and clothing are perfect for all seasons, throughout the year. You can check them out here

* We received these items free of charge in return for an honest review. All words, opinions and images are our own.

Me and Mine {June}

I missed last month's Me and Mine which I was a little disappointed about but it wasn't a great month, and I didn't manage to get a photo of us all together. However, I managed to get a few at the beginning of this month and have been looking forward to writing this post - for a long time! It's really strange to think this time last year it was the last month of us being a family of four and now we're a family of five. A year goes by too quickly. Freddie will be one in July, and although it's exciting, it's making me feel a little sad too. My baby boy, my last baby, is growing up so quickly.

My Family Adventures in June

We didn't do much together last month because there were a few problems but one of my goals for June was to go out more as a family and do more things together. We actually achieved this goal too. We didn't go out to a lot of places, but we went to a fair few places, even down our local cycle track and in the back garden for a barbecue when the sun was out too. The girls had their schools sports day on the 20th which they were so excited about and really enjoyed themselves too. They did so well.

Mother and Son Bracelets From KayaJewellery

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted kids. For some reason, I knew I always wanted a boy, but as I had two girls first, I never thought I'd actually be a Mam to a little boy. So finding out that our third baby was a boy, was a huge shock. But it was amazing giving my two little girls a baby brother, and they absolutely adore him. He really did fill an empty space in our little family when he arrived. I was asked recently by KayaJewellery if I would be interested in reviewing some jewellery. I took a look at their website and instantly knew what I was interested in. I went for the Mother and Son Bracelet set. I have a few sentimental items for the girls and thought these bracelets would be perfect for Freddie and me, especially that his first birthday is coming up.

Lucy Locket Luxury Cake Stand Set Review

Most of the toys that the girls and Freddie have are wooden toys. I find they last much longer and worth the extra few pounds. When we were asked if the girls would be interested in trying our Lucy Locket's Luxury Cake Stand Set, I knew the girls would absolutely love it and so I said yes. We received it pretty quickly and from the moment I opened it I was really pleased with how it looked and the quality. The girls were super excited when they saw the stand and couldn't wait to play with it. They decided to play cafe and have played a pretend picnic and all sorts. It's durable wood so it's perfectly safe for kids.

There are 11 numbered cakes that all have unique shapes that fit into their own space. Each cake has a different number from 1-11 and the numbers are also written in their correct space on the stand too. So as well as the kids playing, they are also learning their numbers, shapes and shape sorting. It's a perfect toy and gift for kids who are either starting to learn their numbers or shape sorting and even for the kids who know them all but love playing fun imaginable tea parties.

Lucy Locket have a great range of toys for kids. From fancy dress, toys to stationery and more. With lots of pink, glitter and fairies, every child will love them. There are many great gifts for birthdays and special occasions, for reasonable prices.

* We were given this product free of charge in return for an honest review. As always, all words, images, and opinions are entirely my own.

Proud Mum On Sports Day and Watching Them Grow

It's been a long while since I wrote a post about 'Watching Them Grow.' I started writing about the girls and the last time I wrote a post about watching them grow was last year before Freddie was born. The year has flown by, and I couldn't imagine life without our baby boy. He's definitely taken into our crazy little family. On the last post, I was really sad seeing both girls grow so quickly and now, I'm sad that all three are growing too fast and that it's quickly coming up to Freddie's first birthday. I feel lucky that I'm able to work from home and watch all three grow and be a part of everything that they do such as parents evening, new milestones, sports day and the rest. Although it's exhausting most of the time, I do feel lucky that I'm not missing out on things. 

Super Saturdays - Brand New Linky - #1

You may remember that I used to run #justanotherlinky and I really enjoyed running it but it all got a bit too much when I fell pregnant due to being super exhausted and emotional. Then Freddie came along - the worst baby for sleeping ever, so I was even more exhausted and couldn't keep up with the linky. However, I've decided to bring it back with a new name - Super Saturdays. I'm really hoping it will be somehow successful like it was a couple of years back. Even though Freddie is still pretty much a bad sleeper for me, I'm kind of getting used to it.

So what is Super Saturdays and what can you post?
Super Saturdays is a weekly linky for most bloggers. There are a few guidelines below - not too strict but I would really appreciate it if you could follow the ones that are written in blue bold. I am hoping Super Saturdays will have a mix of posts and a way we can all discover new blogs and support eachother.


G u i d e l i n e s 

+ The linky will open every Saturday AM and close Tuesdays 11 PM
+ Do not link up more than two posts per week
+ Feel free to grab the badge below to add at the bottom of your linked post (or just a link back)
+ Comment on the post right before you and another post to make it fair
+ Leave #SuperSaturdays at the end of your comments - otherwise I can't count you for 'top commenters'
+ By linking up you are giving me permission take use one of your photos IF you are chosen as my featured post
+ Feel free to tweet me and I'll retweet you - @lifeasmumblog

F e a t u r e  P o s t  &  T o p  C o m m e n t e r s
Each week I will choose my favourite post.
Each week I will see who are the top three commenters. So make sure you leave #SuperSaturdays at the end of your comments!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Jake Shoes Review

Both girls are now at the age where they have their own personalities, and one thing Mia absolutely loves having new shoes. Elliw is slowly getting to the stage where she has an interest in shoes too. When we were asked by Jake Shoes if we would be interested in reviewing a pair of shoes each for the girls, I instantly said yes. There's a great range of shoes to choose from, from shoes to trainers and different brands to choose such as Converse, Uggs, Heelys and more. They also sell shoes for kids and adults, as well as accessories too. The site is really easy to search for what you want to find. I knew both girls needed new trainers and so that's what I went to find. Mia got the white Converse trainers, and Elliw received some pink sparkly, light-up Sketchers that are super cute.

#CyclingAdventures with Inntravel

We were recently asked to take part in a #CyclingAdventures campaign with Inntravel. As we love to be outdoors, we were keen to take part and read more about what Inntravel do. Inntravel are a Slow Holiday company that offers cycling holidays in Europe. They have something for all 'amateur' cyclists. Not only do they offer this to 'amateur' cyclists, but very occasional cyclists can also enjoy a cycling holiday with them too. Inntravel arranges the hire of a high-quality bike and gives you a detailed map of the routes you can go from one hotel to the other. There are a few routes you can pick from each day. There is no need to worry about luggage, as your luggage will be transported from one hotel to the next.

The cycle holidays are for individuals, so you are free to pick on which route is suggested to you each day. I find when you're in a group, you can miss out on a lot of things because everyone has different interests and you may miss out on the things you want to do because the others want to do something else. As it's a cycling holiday for individuals, it makes it that little better. Inntravel carefully plans out all their holiday routes. They make sure all their routes are on quiet roads and country lanes as well as being interesting and enjoyable routes with stunning views. Each route has been tried and tested.

Personally, I would love this kind of holiday. I think it's perfect for having that little break every parent deserves. Cycling down planned routes from hotel to hotel, with no worries of carrying your luggage, and enjoying the beautiful sceneries is definitely my cup of tea. Inntravel wanted us to visit our local cycling route, and it's a route we take a lot. In fact, our closest cycling track is literally two minutes from us. That's one of our reasons why we bought this house. We take the route very often, especially when the weather is nice. The girls wanted to take turns on their bike and scooter, so that's what they took with them when we went on our route. The cycling track is a long track that goes on for miles. With the kids, we are happy to go for around 5 miles in total.

The day we decided to go down on our local cycle route the weather was really hot and so we decided not to go too far from home. One one side of the cycle track is a busy main road but as you go further along it gets hidden by all the trees, so it's a lot more peaceful. On the opposite side, there's stunning scenery to see as your cycling or walking. Many people went past us, a few on their bikes, walking and others running. The girls always enjoy themselves when they go on the cycling route, they feel free as they're able to run ahead without any danger such as cars.

We tried learning Elliw to ride a bike a few months ago, a few times but she never got the hang of it. We decided we would take this opportunity to try and learn her again. She's taken much longer to learn that what Mia did but I'm not comparing as each child is different. We kept encouraging her that she was doing well and eventually she did it! She actually rode a bike - for the first time. She actually pushed the pedals the right way instead of backward. She couldn't do it for a long time, but she did it. Now we are just going to take her for a bit on the weekends until she can do it properly.

* In collaboration with Inntravel.

Freddie's Sleeping Update and Why We Decided To Mix Feed

It's been a while since I wrote the last sleeping update and since then Freddie did have his first full night sleep at around 8 months old. I can happily say he has had another 2 or 3 full night sleep after that. The sleep has been a big issue for me since he was a few months old and I noticed that he was just a baby that didn't like to sleep or a baby who would just sleep if I was there holding him. It was getting too much for me in the end, especially when it was coming to around six or seven months. That's when things started to change - a lot. I began to feel really down, mostly with exhaustion. He seemed to be getting worse and worse each week. He came to a habit of waking up within 10-20 minutes of me putting him down after his feed. The frustrating the thing was, it took around 45 minutes to an hour (sometimes more) to feed and settle him each evening. Then for him to wake up and only settle back again if I picked him up and feed him. Again, another hour or so on top. It was getting too much for me. To top it off that he was waking up every 1, 2 or 3 hours through the night too.

Siblings in June

I knew being a Mum of three would be more of a challenge than a Mum of two, especially that there is a four year gap between Elliw and Freddie. It felt like I was starting Motherhood all over again, as in having to do night time wake ups, pushing a pram, changing nappies and all the rest. Although I was super excited, I was really nervous too. This time last year I wrote my 'Siblings' post about two sisters, for the last time as I knew in July, Freddie was going to join our little family. It makes me sad that Freddie will be a one year old next month, but I'm also excited too. This year has flown by, and I can't imagine life without our little boy now.

Bedroom Makeover Plans and Brightening It Up

We've been living in our home for over three years now, and I'm still not happy with how our bedroom looks. I hadn't redecorated our bedroom at all, only when we moved in. The previous owner's carpets are still down and looking quite horrible now. The fitted wardrobes are also still an awful blue color from the previous owners. I think as a parent, we just concentrate more on getting the kid's rooms done and never have time to focus on our own room. Although, our bedroom should be a place we can relax in. But at the moment, I never feel relaxed as it's not how I really want it.

Top Ten Celebrities That Inspire Women's Fashion

As I grew up, I was living with my Dad and never really had that woman figure to help me out with fashion styles. Going into teenage years, I started buying magazines and I always used to look at the celebrity fashion and see what the 'on trend' at the time was. Being a Mum since I turned 17, I never really had that chance to buy all the clothes I wanted. I live in jeggings, leggings and tunic tops or long sleeved tops. Some celebrities really inspire me, with their fashion sense, style and the way they look. I love Beyonce's fashion and her hair. I've always looked up to her with her singing, career and her style.

Freddie's 11 Month Update

It just feels like yesterday that I was writing my first ever pregnancy update when I was 12 weeks pregnant. Now I'm writing Freddie's 11 month update. He'll be one years old next month, I'll still be telling people he's # months old instead of a year old, though, I'm sure! It's unbelievable how fast this year has gone. I try and think how life was before our baby boy, and I just can't remember what it was like without him, except the sleep. When I look back at old posts such as his first week update, it makes me so sad because I know I'll never experience that again and it just makes me realise how fast my baby boy has grown. He's in that inbetween stage now of a baby going into the early stages of a toddler. He's learned so many new things this past month, and I'm so incredibly proud of him. Each time he learns something new it makes me sad a little inside because I just know my baby is growing up and he's not going to be a baby for too long now. Someone even told me the other day that his baby looks in his face is going slowly. Slow down, Freddie!

Treat Your Grandfather With Something Special This Father's Day

I've grown up with having one Taid (grandfather) in my life. I've never really known my Grandfather on my Mother's side, and he sadly passed away last year. My Taid, the one who I've known all my life is one person who means a lot to me. In fact, he means the whole world to me. He's someone I really look up to. He's funny in his ways, he's hardworking, and he's just an amazing Taid to me, the rest of the grandchildren and a brilliant great-grandfather to my own kids. Growing up I didn't see him as much as I'd like, he worked a lot, but we saw him when we did. There are so many little things that he does, that is hilarious, something I can look back on and re-tell the story to my kids when they're older.

My Tips For Keeping On Top Of Housework With Kids and Celebrating Marigold's 70th Birthday!

Being a Mum and keeping on top of the housework can be challenging, whether you have 1, 3 or 5 or more kids. The day just goes by without us realising sometimes. Having to keep the kids happy, take the kids to school, feeding them, entertaining them and tidying after them too. I'm lucky that both my girls are in full-time school now and it's only Freddie at home. But still trying to find the time to do all the housework in one day when Freddie is at home can be challenging. I lose around two hours in total during the day because of school runs and a few other hours by preparing and cooking food three or four times day. Losing time again at the kids' bedtime and when Freddie needs a feed during the day too. I used to be awful at housework, but I have managed to get myself into some kind of little daily routine. I don't stick to it every single day but I try my best to most days, and the housework has improved a lot. These are my tips to help keep on top of the housework:

Get Glittery With Dragon Dust

The girls absolutely love anything colourful and glittery. They're both really showing their personalities recently. Especially, Elliw. She's changed a lot. To think this time last year she was all for the big superheroes such as Spiderman, Batman, and the rest. But as the months have gone by she has been looking up to her big sister a lot. Mia has always loved all the pink, glitter and shiny things. So, of course, Elliw now likes similar things too. When we were sent some glitter dust by Dragon Dust, the girls were overly excited to try them out. I find it an honor when friends and local businesses ask me to do a review for them. Dragon Dust is a small business owned by an old friend of mine, in fact, she was one of my best friends through secondary school. So, it was lovely that she thought of us to review her lovely products.

Their dust is vegan-friendly and cruelty-free from the welsh mountains of North Wales and suitable for children to adults. These glitters are perfect for festival lovers, fancy dress, parties and even for day to day wear if you feel like it. The girls and I are having a Mummy and daughters evening, as they call 'girly night' one evening during the half term. We're going to be doing little make overs on each other, and they're super excited to have some glitter on them too. Dragon Dust offers makeup and accessories, chunky glitter and pressed glitter/gel. All from a reasonable price, £2.50 and upwards, you can't go wrong.

The Dubatti One Stroller : My First Thoughts

We have recently collaborated with Dubatti and look forward to sharing all my honest thoughts on the pram and share all of our adventures with you. When we received the Dubatti pram, I was overly excited. Before receiving, I got to choose what colour frame, fabric, and handlebar I wanted. There was a good choice of colours, and there was a preview of the pram of your colour choices so you could see what it looked like. There was also a choice of wheels, all terrain or city life. I decided to go for all terrain wheels as thought it may be better for us as we love to go out for walks and most places are quite bumpy, rocky and got hills.

The first thing my partner and I did was get everything out of the boxes. We were also given the carrycot that comes with the pram, but Freddie is too big now, and so the carrycot won't be used. I did take it out and looked. The first thing that interests me was the high-quality mattress. The mattress is breathable and very padded. It's spacious which is great and has a support base if you wanted to put the carrycot on the ground. The carrycot was also in the choice of colour I chose which was grey. Putting the pram together was simple, and we didn't have to read the instructions, only once when I got confused with the wheels, only to realize I had put them the wrong way (oops). Otherwise, the rest was pretty easy to assemble. 

Handlebar, Tires and Folding/Unfolding

The leather handlebar is adjustable and is a square shaped bar. My partner would have liked the bar to go a little higher, but it was the right height for me, and I am 5 ft 7. There's also bag hooks at the end of each side of the handlebar which is handy for any changing bags. 

The tires of the pram are large but not too big. The pram is smooth to push, and the tires have been perfect for some of our walks. I have found that if you do an 180 or 360 degree turn with the pram, then the front wheels can get stuck onto each other, but it's easy to undo and it's never really been a huge problem. It can also be a little heavy to turn and push with one hand, but the pram is very sturdy and strong. You can also lock the front wheels if preferred. 

I was really pleased with how strong the whole frame is but is also light to carry when folded. To unfold the pram, you have to take the toddler seat off and pull the handle that's on top of the fabric shopping basket. It does take quite a bit of space in the boot, but it has never bothered us. It can also stand upright independently when folded.

The Toddler Seat

I chose the grey colour fabric for the seat. It's a really spacious seat with an adjustable hood which I absolutely love. The hood zips onto the top of the frame. The footrest isn't adjustable but is comfortable, especially for older babies than Freddie when they can reach to rest their little at the bottom of the footrest. There's a different material for the footrest, ideal for mucky shoes! You can face the toddler seat forward or parent facing. Freddie has been parent facing for me, but I have turned the seat to forward facing, and the pram still looks nice. There's a 5-point harness with comfortably padded shoulder pads for your little ones. There's also a padded material that goes over the bottom clip-in strap. A padded leather safety bad clips into either side of the seat. There are 4 seat positions which is great if baby likes to sit upright, half way or all the way down for a nap.

Shopping Basket, Raincover and Break

The fabric shopping basket is really easy to attach on the frame. I wouldn't say it's big but there is quite a bit of space in the basket. With a strong magnetic closure everything is safe inside the basket. The breain frontst infront of the shopping basket with the words 'On' and 'Off'. It's easy to put the break on and off with one foot.
The stroller also comes with a raincover that fits the toddler seat and carrycot. There are no fastenings on the raincover but we have no had any problems in it blowing away. 

Overall, so far

So far, I really do like the pram. We use it a lot and mostly for the school runs each morning. The size of the frame is perfect size to go through doors. It's lovely to push and I'm really looking forward to more adventures with this pram. Freddie has always looked comfortable in the pram and loves having the seat upright as he loves having a nosy around. 

Pros

+ Fantastic suspension

+ You get to choose the colour of the frame, fabric and handlebar to suit you

+ 4-seat positions

+ 5-point harness

+ Looks comfortable for baby

+ Padded shoulder pads on straps

+ High-quality fabric and handlebar

+ Real leather handlebar

+ Simple on and off break

+ Comfortable footrest for older babies/toddlers

+ Very modern looking

+ Toddler seat is spacious 

+ Toddler seat is upright when the seat is up

+ Carrycot is spacious

+ Carrycot mattress is breathable and very padded

+ The frame is strong and fantastic quality

+ The tires and large and perfect for all terrains

+ Safety bar on the seat can be clipped in or out

+ Hood easily zips onto the fabric

+ Hood is adjustable

+ Easy to fold and unfold

+ Quick delivery

+ Reversible toddler seat: forward or parent facing

+ Adjustable handlebar

+ Optional adapters to use other brand infant carriers

Cons

- Front tires can get sometimes stuck if turned in 180 or 360 degrees

- Shopping basket could be bigger

- Does take up a lot of space in the boot when folded

What comes with the stroller:
- Raincover 
- Carry cot
- Carrycot mattress
- Hood that zips onto frame
- Toddler seat that faces two ways
- Your choice of wheels
- Shopping basket

* We have been given the Dubatti Stroller free of charge in return for an honest review and other work. As always, all my opinions, images and words are entirely my own. 

5 Fantastic Family Summer Activities

We all love summer, and with good reason. The days are longer, the weather is beautiful and everything just seems a whole lot more positive.

For families, summer means that you can spend time out and about with your children. Rather than being stuck indoors trying to keep them entertained. So, with this in mind, we have put together 5 fantastic family summer activities that you can try out with your little ones, all to enjoy a spot of the glorious sunshine while it lasts.

Explore nature

The world is a fascinating place, particularly if you are a child. Summer is a great time to see what bugs, creatures and critters are around. Why not create your kids a checklist that features a number of the bugs which they are likely to find in their local area? You can also pick up a magnifying glass and a jar, which will give them everything that they need to enjoy a touch of nature.

Learn a musical instrument

Whilst summer is a great time to get outdoors, sometimes they need to head indoors to escape the sunshine. This means that you will need to think about something that they can do indoors instead. Why not combine an indoor activity with a learning one, and arrange for them to learn a musical instrument? There are a real variety of different instruments that they can learn, and they can do this alone or by attending a music lesson.

Build a den

There is no simpler pleasure than building a den outside. It allows the kids to get mucky, get active and enjoy something a little more on the wild side. Building a den does mean that you need to have the materials to hand, but these don’t cost too much and they are easy enough to buy.

Encourage photography

Do you like the idea of having a budding photographer in your family? Why not set your kids with the task of taking a few summery photographs? There are lots of things that they can take photos of, including flowers, plants and of course a variety of bugs and birds. You could get them to take various photos throughout the summer and then you could put them all together to create their very own “summer album” that they can then keep!

Have a picnic

It may sound simple, but sometimes it is the simplest things that your children will enjoy the most. We all love a picnic in the sunshine, so why not plan one of these in for a summer’s day? You can get the kids involved helping you to prep the food, and think of any outdoor fun and games that they would like to try whilst they are out in the sunshine.

Summer is the perfect time to indulge in a spot of family time. Whether you take a walk, have a picnic, explore nature or simply just enjoy the sunshine, as long as you do it together, you are sure to have the best time!

* This is a collaborative post.

Go Blonder With John Frieda’s Sheer Blonde Range

When I was a little girl, my hair was white blonde. Since growing up, it's gone darker and darker. My Mother dyed my hair using a box colour when I was around 12 or 13 years old. It's something I regret massively as since then I've never really had my natural colour back. A couple of years later, I had a treat from my Dad one birthday, to get my hair done professionally in hairdressers. I had it white blonde on top with black underneath, what on earth was I thinking? But I loved it at the time. Although, many people did call me 'badger hair' which is pretty hilarious to think about it now. After that, I just dyed my hair using the boxes you can buy from the shops. I can't remember how I managed to get rid of the black unless I grew it out. My hair has been all sorts; black, light/medium/dark brown, white blonde, blonde, dirty blonde, and bright red. I think my favourite has to be the bright red colour. I had a lot of compliments, but it was hard to keep, and it did kill my hair in the end. I had to visit the hairdressers and grow it back healthy again.