OUR FAMILY PLANS FOR WINTER - #NODULLDAY CAMPAIGN

I am literally counting down the days for Christmas and now that we know that we're going to spending Christmas at home for the first time ever is even more exciting. But before the big day, we've got a few things planned and a couple of special occasions coming up too. Mia will be turning 8 years old in the first week of December and we're going to be staying in Bluestone again, which we're all super excited for. Her birthday will be on the second day that we are staying there and she can't wait. It's one of her favourite places to visit, and ours too.

Before planning our stay to Bluestone, we're preparing ourselves for winter. We're currently through Autumn now and my gosh, the days are cold. Each morning as we get ourselves ready for the school run, the mornings are getting colder and colder. It is nice getting the big cosy coats out again though. Although the sun has gone and it's a lot chillier outside, I do try and go outdoors as much as I can with the kids as I think it's still important for them to get some outdoor fresh air. Plus, if Freddie had the chance, he would live outside, he absolutely adores being outdoors.

During the autumn and winter days we tend to go out for winter walks along the rails or to some beautiful country side walks. If it's too cold, we do tend to stay indoors as there's only so much wrapping in cosy hats and big coats we can do. But I do love a good walk during the winter and letting the kids run around free and warming themselves up using their energy by running.

I am all up for making sure my children's health are still good through the winter as they are during the rest of the year. As they don't go out as much as they did throughout the warmer days, they are more likely to get poorly. We received some new Bassetts vitamins for 3-6 year olds. They are multivitamins with Vitamin D and Calcium. They come in a pack of 30 tasty chewy tablets and it's recommended, by the Department of Health Experts that everyone should consider taking Vitamin D and Calcium through the autumn and winter days. The girls have been taking one Bassett Vitamin on a daily basis since we received them and I've had no problems with them taking it. They are really tasty and really chewy, just like a sweet. They are great for just giving to them as we head of on the school run.

Vitamin D and Calcium are really important for a child's development. By taking these tasty flavoured vitamins they support many things in your child such as:
- Eyes - Vitamin A helps support healthy eyes
- Nervous System - Vitamin B6 helps support the working of the nervous system
- Teeth - Calcium is necassary for healthy teeth and Vitamin D helps support healthy teeth
- Immune system - Vitamin C and Vitamin D help support the immune system
- Vitality - Vitamin B6 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue and contributes to the release of energy from food
- Skin - Vitamin A helps support healthy skin and Vitamin E contributes to antioxidant protection of cells
- Bones and muscles - Vitamin D helps absorption of calcium. Vitamin D and calcium are necessary for normal bone grows and development and help support healthy muscle function.

The new vitamins by Bassetts include Vitamin D and Calcium which is important to help support normal bone growth and development in children. It's advised by the Public Health England that everyone needs an average daily intake of 10 micrograms of Vitamin D to protect their bone and muscle health during the colder autumn and winter days. During the spring and summer, you would get this from the sun.

Bassetts Vitamins 3-6 Multivitams +Vitamin D and Calcium come in a tasty Peach and Apricot flavour, which my girls love. They have no added sugar, colour and made with natural flavour which is a big bonus. One pack of 30 pastilles are £5.50 each. So let's support the fun moments we as a family have each day and even better by staying healthy.

Our friends at Bassetts Vitamins have also created a fab code that you can use to get £2 off one pack of NEW Bassetts 3-6 Yrs Multivitamins Peach & Apricot + Calcium 30s at Boots.com! All you need to do is sign in as normal, apply the code BASSMVS2 at the checkout and embrace #NoDullDays! You can only use the code once per transaction, and the code can only be redeemed on the first 5,000 valid claims until 23:59 on 12^th November.*

*Subject to Boots T&Cs. 

* This is a collaborative post with TOTS100 and Bassetts

HALLOWEEN WITH HMV

I remember when I was a child Halloween was never such a big fuss in buying expensive fancy dress costumes. It was simply a black bin bag put on top of your normal clothes with a witch hat, witch fingers and sometimes those ugly witch noses too- not forgetting the wooden broom! I used to love going around trick-or-treating. I can't remember what age I stopped but Halloween has never been something we celebrated hugely as I grew up and it still isn't now. However, I've got three kids and the two girls absolutely love Halloween. I throw them one or two Halloween parties at home and they always enjoy themselves. The girls will get dressed up, face paint and have lots of games and music.

This year we were given a few goodies from HMV to enjoy a family movie night which we really enjoyed. I did take a lot of photos, good ones too and I'm absolutely gutted that I've lost the photos as my camera decided to break and silly old me hadn't uploaded the photos onto the laptop before my camera broke. Anyway, we watched one of my favourite films, Casper, and the girls enjoyed watching it too. I used to love watching it when I was a child and it was nice watching one of my favourite childhood films with my own children. We were also given The Adams Family, but we haven't put that on yet. The girls have watched it before and really love it. Not very often will we have a family movie night in, so when we do, we really enjoy it. We had lots of snacky foods such as sausage rolls, sweets, chocolate, the girls' favourite chicken nuggets and much more. It was lovely to spend some quality time with them- they are growing up too quickly.

I also planned a little surprise Birthday and Halloween party for my little nephew who's turned 4 years old. The girls had no idea that they were going to come home to celebrate their cousin's birthday but also have a little Halloween celebration too. When they all came home, they were so excited. I decorate the fireplace with a few bits that we received from HMV and I laid out some snacks for their party food. We played a few games and they all had some tattoos which they were super excited about and they all absolutely loved them. It was such an exciting and fun happy afternoon with them all. There's nothing better than seeing a huge smile on your children's faces.

* We were kindly given some goodies from HMV to write this post. However, all words are my own.

PREPARING FOR PREGNANCY

If you’re getting your body ready for pregnancy there’s lots of different aspects to consider from taking folic acid supplements to kicking unhealthy habits such as drinking too much caffeine. Getting yourself in the best possible health will minimise your chances of developing complications and could make your pregnancy more comfortable, as well as being safer for the baby too.

One thing that’s often underestimated is the importance of the pelvic floor muscles. Getting your pelvic floor in good shape before the baby comes along will help you hugely in the long term and could prevent incontinence. Here is more information on why it’s so important and what you can do to prepare.

The importance of the pelvic floor

If you’ve never had children, you won’t appreciate the strength of a good pelvic floor; it’s the one thing that stands between you and incontinence. Being pregnant will put an enormous strain on this part of your body. The larger the baby, the more pressure your pelvic floor will be under.

As the baby grows inside you, the pelvic floor is forced to expand to make sufficient room. The good news is that the pelvic floor is naturally stretchy, often likened to a trampoline. This broad sheet of tissue, muscle and ligaments stretch out from the front of the body at the pubic bone backwards to the bottom of your spine. This sling is very resilient and bounces back even when put under extreme pressure.

However, like everything, there’s a limit to the resilience of your pelvic floor and when it’s subjected to lots of weight for a prolonged period - such as pregnancy - it can become weakened and baggy. This stretching of your pelvic floor can be problematic as it’s this muscle which helps to control your bladder and bowel. When it’s weakened it’s not so easy to prevent leaking, particularly when you sneeze, cough or during exercise.

There are other problems associated with a weak pelvic floor too such as a loss of vaginal sensation during sex and an uncomfortable dragging sensation too. In very extreme cases it’s even possible to suffer from a vaginal prolapse.

Before you recoil in shock and start scrambling for the condoms, there’s good news. Pregnancy doesn’t have to mean you suffer from all of the above: a little preparation goes a long way.

Don’t panic, help is here!

If you’ve never suffered from stress incontinence, the idea may sound terrible but even if the worst happens, there are plenty of products available to make life more comfortable. However, there are plenty of steps you can take to get your pelvic floor in good shape. This means you could avoid suffering from incontinence.

Your midwife can help you with pelvic floor exercises and you may also be shown these in antenatal classes. You’ll need to practice these regularly to increase the strength of your pelvic floor. It may feel like a nuisance, but the beauty of these exercises is you can do them anywhere, even on the bus!

Other things you can do to improve your pelvic floor is not urinating too frequently. You should never become uncomfortable but if you wait until your bladder is full, you will be helping to train your pelvic floor. During pregnancy you will need to go to the toilet more often, so don’t try and hold it in. This could potentially cause water infections so it’s important to get the balance right.

Look after your health

As well as specific exercises to improve your pelvic floor, there’s other things to consider too. Getting your body in the best possible condition will not just help to prevent incontinence, it will make your pregnancy more enjoyable too.

It’s not a good idea to go on a diet when you’re pregnant, although you should still eat healthily. Prior to falling pregnant, if you’re carrying a few extra pounds, it might be useful to try and slim down. Being at a healthy weight during pregnancy carries much fewer risks.

If you do decide to go on a diet, make sure you’re still getting your full complement of vitamins and minerals. Taking a multivitamin with folic acid is also recommended for most women too. If you’re heavier or have a history of babies with neural birth defects you may need to take a higher dose. Talk to your doctor to get advice if either of these apply to you.

Now is the perfect time to kick those unwanted habits before you’re pregnant, such as smoking or drinking lots of caffeine. The latter has been linked to miscarriage and stillbirths so even if you enjoy your coffee, it’s something to take seriously.

If you find that despite following the above advice, you still suffer from incontinence during pregnancy, take a look at HARTMANN Direct. Offering high quality care items you can really trust, there’s everything you need to stay comfortable and dry. 

BIOCARE REVIEW

We received a few products from BioCare a couple of weeks back. We received the Everyday BioAcidophilus, Children's Elderberry Complex and Children's Red Berry BioMelts. During the winter months, we've all got an increased chance of getting a bug or a cold, and it's really common for kids to catch something during the colder months, especially if they go to a school or nursery. It's advised by Chris Newbold, the Head of Clinical Nutrition at BioCare that children and adults should take probiotics. Probiotics help reduce the number of infections and helps support your immune system.

It's thought that probiotics kill the growth of a harmful bacteria and stimulate the immune system, so it is better prepared for infections. It helps reduce how long it lasts and the symptoms too. Chris also says that there is also evidence to suggest the probiotics can shorten an episode of diarrhoea caused by a stomach bug and probiotics that contain Lactobacillus acidophilus may also help to reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance, as well as maybe helping reduce bloating and flatulence in some people with IBS.

Everyday BioAcidophlus
There are 4 x 7 day strips of vegetable capsules in one pack of Everyday Bio Acidophilus. You take one or two capsules daily with food a day or as professionally directed. You do not need to refrigerate, so they are great to take with you out and about. There are no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

£13.96 over on BioCare website and health stores.

Children's Red Berry BioMelts
Again, another brand new product from BioCare are these Red Berry BioMelts. There's a combination of probiotics and vitamin D. There are 28 x 1g powder sachets in one pack. The raspberry and strawberry flavoured powder dissolved on the tongue which is a fun, easy and no-hassle way of getting the kids to take their vitamins.

£17.95 from BioCare website and health stores

Children's Elderberry Complex

This Elderberry Complex contains Zinc and Vitamin C. It's free from artificial flavours colours and sweeteners. There is a strong smell, but it's a fruity taste which my girls don't mind taking. It's also suitable from 3 years old. 

* I was given these products free of charge in return for an honest review.

All words, opinions and images are my own. 

WHY EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN SHOULD BUY AMNIOSENSE

From the moment we see those two lines on a pregnancy test we prepare ourselves to protect our little ones inside of our tummies. Any little twinge, leak or bleed will worry us, and it's only natural to worry about those symptoms. It's also best to get yourself checked by a midwife to be on the safe side, that is what the midwives are there for, to keep you and baby safe. One of the most common reasons pregnant women see the midwife or go to a maternity unit is because of leaking fluid.

During your first 12 weeks of pregnancy, amniotic fluid will surround your baby in the amniotic sac. This fluid will protect your baby throughout the nine months of pregnancy, or when baby decides, it's time to come out. It plays a huge role in your baby's development such as maintaining a constant temperature around your baby, protects the baby and your uterus against infection, helps lungs, kidneys and the digestive system develop too. It also contributes to muscle and bone development by allowing your baby to move around the womb.

Although leaking fluid is common during pregnancy as it can just be vaginal discharge or urine. Other cases it can be you amniotic fluid which can be dangerous, and you will need to be seen by a midwife to take further step on what to do. AmnioSense are panty-liners that can be worn for up to 12 hours and can tell you if it's your amniotic fluid or not. If it is your amniotic fluid, the pad will turn blue, but it will turn yellow if it's your urine. Another good thing about these panty-liners is the results are stable for at least 2 hours, which gives you enough time to show your midwife. By having these panty-liners, it can sometimes give the accurate diagnosis without the need for a physical examination of the cervix using a spectrum.

By using AmnioSense could save the NHS a lot of money. I was shocked to learn that one single visit to an antenatal unit costs £147 and research shows that 38% of women who used AmnioSense did not have to attend because they were able to confirm that leaks were harmless. AmnioSense will give every pregnant woman a peace of mind to know if the leak is their waters are breaking or if it's just a harmless leak.

Are you pregnant? Would you consider buying AmnioSense?

* This is a collaborative post.

OUR FAMILY HOLIDAY TO HUA HIN, THAILAND

A couple of years back we decided to go on a long family holiday to Hua Hin in Thailand. It was never a place I thought I'd ever visit. My partner's parents have a house there, and that was one of the main reasons we travelled there. It was all booked and organised pretty quickly, and I remember panicking so much about going there, mainly because it was my first ever holiday abroad but also because of the long travel there and back with young kids. Mia was years old and Elliw was nearly three years old. We were staying in Hua Hin for 3 weeks, so I was a little worried about how we would keep the kids entertained for those three whole weeks.

When the time came, we were really excited. The girls weren't 100% on what was going on but just took it as it went. I remember my stomach turning full of nerves, I just wanted to arrive in Bangkok to get in the taxi to take us to the house we were staying at for three weeks. We made so many memories during those three amazing weeks, and I always recommend Hua Hin to anyone looking for a family holiday. There are so many things to do in Hua Hin with children, and that's what I loved the most. I honestly can not wait to travel there again.

One of our biggest memories was Elliw learning to swim and Mia playing football with a beautiful Elephant. We visited a park where there was a hospital for elephants, and there was a chance for Mia to play football with her too, it was amazing, and Mia still remembers it to this day. It was one of the best feelings watching her be so confident when normally she was so shy- and still is. It was a hugely proud moment that day. As well as Elliw learning to swim- it took her a while to get used to it, but she absolutely loved it in the end. She learnt pretty quickly, and it was amazing watching her smile so much, with giggles when she was in the pool.

You can book your very own holiday to Hua Hin with Destination2, and I assure you that you will not be disappointed. I never really saw Hua Hin as a family holiday before until I got to experience some time there myself and I know the girls would love to go back, and Freddie would love it there too.

We visited two beaches, and they were so beautiful. I can't remember what the beaches were called, but they were stunning. I don't normally like beaches as I can't stand sand but the views and just everything about it were worth it. I would recommend you put some beach/sand shoes on the kids as the sand can get really hot. We got the chance to celebrate Elliw's 3rd birthday a little early on the beach as she was turning 3 years old a few days after we arrived home. We bought her an ice cream cake from Swensen's which was absolutely delicious. It's not a birthday she will remember as she was too young but we have the photos to show her, and it was such an amazing day.

On one of the days my partners parents looked after the girls while my partner and went to Nava Vana Hua Hin Water Park- which was absolutely amazing. I didn't manage to get any pictures as I left my phone in the locker in the changing rooms. However, it was an amazing time and it was lovely just to have a few hours together to do whatever we wanted and go on any rides we wanted in the park. We also went to the night market twice in the evenings which was a good experience. It was really busy but we managed to get a good few bargains and gifts for friends and family back at home.

Have you ever visited Thailand before? 

* This is a collaborative post.

However, all words, opinions and photos are my own.

FAMILY FAVOURITE RECIPES WITH THIS IS YOUR COOKBOOK {REVIEW}

One gift I love to receive is a good old recipe book, so when I was asked if I wanted to review a personalised recipe book by This is Your Cookbook I instantly said yes. What I loved about this was how easy it was to personalise. It's so simple by choosing what cover you want and what themed recipe book you want. I went for the easy five minute meals, which I thought was the perfect one seeing as we're a busy family of five. The cover with tasty looking meals and some chillies, was definitley our kind of food so that cover was the perfect one for us.

There are 36 delicious recipes in the hardcover book and each page has a high-res bright image of the food on one side and the recipe on the other. Each recipe is clear to read and simple to follow and ingredients. It also tells you how many people the meal would serve. I like how balanced the meals are, many go with my plan on Slimming World and the desserts look absolutely amazing.

The Cookbook is fantastic high quality and I'm overly pleased with it. As well as personalising the cover photo, you can personalise the name and the welcoming page as you open it up. It's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to cook. It's a great addition to the kitchen or bookshelf with lots of tasty delicious meals your mind will never go blank on what to cook.

This is Your Cookbook prices start from £15.00 which I find a very reasonable price for what it is and the high quality it is.

* I was sent this product free of charge in return for an honest review.
All words, images and opinions are my own.

MAKE LEARNING FUN WITH EDUCATIONALQUIZZES

Having two school kids, I do tend to struggle to make learning fun when they're at home. Both, Mia and Elliw have homework once a week from school which includes reading one or two storybooks too. Although I do find homework essential, I don't see it really learns them that much, and something I do find quite often is they get pretty bored of it and loose concentration quick. We then have to spread out the homework through 2-3 afternoons to get it completed. When I saw Educational Quizzes I was really interested to see what it was all about, after reading positive reviews and having two school children myself, I was intrigued to see it for myself.

Having free access to Educational Quizzes and to review it, I was interested to see how my girls took to it. I first had a good read through it and looked at the quizzes myself. There are so many to do for all ages, whether it's KS2 or GCSE's. There are a lot of subjects to take part in such as English, Maths, IT and much more. The ones I was really interested in my eldest daughter, Mia, to try out was the English and Times Tables in KS2. As she is fluent in her Welsh, she struggles a little with English words. Time Tables are her favourite, and although she's not fantastic with numbers and Maths, she does enjoy her Time Tables.

Both girls lose concentration quickly when they are learning something or busy doing something related to answering questions or copying things down. When I asked them to come on my laptop to try out a few quizzes, they got really excited and couldn't wait. One part of the excitement was because they were allowed to go on my laptop, but the other part is they love quizzes.

All quizzes are created by real teachers. Something I find really good about these quizzes is if your child gets an answer wrong, it will tell you it's wrong and also shows you what the answer is and how. Even if you get the answer correct, it will tell you how too. Educational Quizzes want children/students to understand the questions and answers. All quizzes are fun, easy and educational for all ages. There is a subscription fee of £9.95 which is easy to sign up to and easy to cancel at any time too.

If your child has an exam coming up such as GCSE's, Educational Quizzes would be a fantastic way to help your child revise and not get so bored. They will be learning and revising. I remember when I was a teenager myself, I hated revising. I was bored of revision pretty quickly and instantly lost concentration. I personally think if I saw Educational Quizzes when I was a teenager, I'd have more motivation to revise.

Not only parents, but schools can also use this by paying for the Subscription fee on behalf of the pupils for as little as £2.00 per student. I personally think this would be a fantastic way to get children learning in classrooms and at home if they allow parents to gain access to the site too. I would also think my girls would absolutely love it if a part of their homework each week were a quiz of something they had to learn for a little test at the end of the week.

You can also read Educational Quizzes daily blog here that have some interesting articles.

* This is a collaborative post with Educational Quizzes.

But all words and opinions are my own.

PJ MASKS - TIME TO BE A HERO DVD REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

One tv show that my girls absolutely love watching is PJ Masks and it's quickly becoming very popular with many kids this year too. I remember when they first starting watching PJ Masks on tv and I couldn't find many things out there to buy them that was PJ Masks. I had a feeling they were to become really popular- and I was right! They have many toys, and now they are launching a brand new, first ever, PJ Masks DVD. We were fortunate to receive a DVD to watch before the launch date which is the 30th of October 2017. The girls absolutely love the full-packed DVD of adventures with their favourite tv characters; Owletter, Catboy and Gekko!

PJ Masks - Time to be a Hero is full of adventures that your child will fully enjoy. As the day ends Connor, Amaya and Greg, who are three friends and attends school like every other child, turn into the unstoppable and popular PJ Masks to go on a mission and save the day. The superheroes are; Catboy, Owlette and Gekko. Most days I will catch the girls role playing their favourite team or playing with their PJ Mask figures.

PJ Masks - Time to be a Hero will be available to download and on DVD from Monday 30th October 2017.

You can pre-order your DVD on Amazon here.

We are now giving one lucky winner to win their own DVD copy! All you have to do is make sure you read the boring bits (T&C's below) then enter via Rafflecopter.

Good luck everyone!

Terms and Conditions

1. UK entrants only
2. Winner will be contacted via e-mail within 48 hours of giveaway ending
3. Winner will be chosen at random via Rafflcopter
4. If winner does not respond within 28 days, another winner will be chosen
5. Please enter correctly, all entrants will be checked
6. Giveaway ends 4th of November 2017 at 12AM (UK time)
7. Winner receives ONE (1) PJ MASKS - TIME TO BE A HERO DVD

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SHOPKINS FANS

It's still hard to believe some days that the girls aren't little babies anymore. Mia will be 8 years old in December and Elliw will be 6 next March, it's crazy how quickly they grow. Their bond is unbreakable, but they do argue and fight like cat and dog at times. The time I absolutely love watching them is when they play nicely together- no arguing and just sharing. Using their imaginations and making up their own little story in their own little world as they go along.

One of their most favourite toys are their Shopkins, they absolutely adore the little things. We were given a little box for the girls to unbox and have a little surprise with what was inside. They were both over the moon and so excited when they received a Shopkin each. They received Crumbly and Crispy in their little surprise box. They added them both to their other collection of Shopkins and started making up their own little stories with their amazing imaginations.

Click here to buy or download the Shopkins film!