New Cuddledry ‘coffee and cream’ range designed exclusively for Mothercare

Cuddledry ‘hands-­‐free’ apron towels are a regular on a new parents’ list of must-­‐haves for their baby. This Spring, Cuddledry will launch a brand new range designed exclusively for Mothercare, in gorgeous ‘coffee and cream’ colours. Made with supersoft bamboo towelling, the range includes the award winning apron towel, a cute little bear poncho and a handy hair towel. The new range will be available in leading Mothercare stores across the UK.



The super softness and absorbency stays after washing – unlike normal cotton only towels -­‐ thanks to Cuddledry’s signature blend of pure cotton and bamboo. The bamboo is amazing stuff – antibacterial, 60% more absorbent than cotton, and with an incredible lasting silky softness – perfect for tender young skin.

‘Mothercare have thought of everyone with the exclusive new ‘coffee and cream’ range of products from Cuddledry. To make life simple for new mums and dads there is our stress-­‐ busting apron towel, as seen on TV. For toddlers there is the gorgeous ‘litte bear’ poncho towel made with Cuddledry’s signature staysoft bamboo towelling. And finally there is the bamboo Cuddletwist for drying your little one’s hair, or to pinch and use for yourself!’ Helen Wooldridge – Cuddledry

Coffee and cream apron towel £29.99
Little Bear poncho towel £27.99
Coffee and cream hair towel £8.99






The coffee and cream range will be available in stores and on the Mothercare website www.mothercare.com from the beginning of May.


We love Cuddlydry because their items really are the softest I have felt.

I did not receive payment of any kind for this post, I shared because I think every parent needs a Cuddledry to give their child a Cuddledry cuddle.

PL Child overnight kids bag

Pink Lining have a beautiful range of changing bags but did you know that they also have a beautiful range of kids bags?. PL Child have mini rucksacks, overnight bags, lunch boxes, picture satchels, toy bags, wheelie cases, wash bags & pencil cases. What ever you need a kids bag for PL Child has it covered. From the dinosaur print to a cute lady bird print, you will find a print that your child will adore.

I have been sent the lovely Dinosaur Walk PL Child overnight bag, it came beautifully wrapped giving it that special touch. I shown my son his new overnight bag and he instantly fell in love with it. He wanted to pack straight away for his weekly sleep over at his Nanna's house. My little man tends to pack a lot just for 1 night so having a bag large enough to fit it all in is a must. I set about packing to see how much I could actually fit into the overnight bag. I laid out everything he needed and added a few extras. Watch the video to see for yourself how much this overnight bag can hold.

In the PL Child Overnight bag we packed

2 pairs of trousers

1 t-shirt

1 jumper

1 thick jacket

1 set of pyjamas

1 fleecy dressing gown

1 pair of slippers

underwear

socks 

a hat 

3 DVDs

1 hand held video game

3 games

a comforter cloth 

sooty

Walter(the donkey)

1 juicy apple

1 wash/medical bag

and still had room for more

The PL Child Overnight bag  is a nice size bag, it measures 42(l)x26(h)x22(w)cm & as you can see in the video it can hold more than enough for an overnight stay. It is lined with blue nylon which features one internal zipped pocket. On the outside of the bag there is also another zipped pocket with the appliqued dinosaur patch. It has double carry handles to make it easier to carry. The price of the overnight bags is £25.00, I think this is a fair price as you are getting a good quality kids bag that your child will adore. I would happily recommend the PL Child range to family & friends. I also think my little man needs the Dinosaur walk wash bag to match his overnight bag so will be purchasing one very soon.

I received the PL Child overnight for the purpose of the review, all wording, images and opinions are my own.

Where there is love, there is life!

 Looking at a dented, faded, scuffed piece of furniture can make you feel 3 different ways. You either A. love each dent & scrape, after all your child has most likely had fun making them & some people love the distressed look. Then there is B. you want to reach for the sand paper, paint and varnish or C. take it to you local skip, now option C should never be done to a Stokke Tripp Trapp, not when it is still a very solid chair. Where there is love, there is life, with each sanding, each layer of paint & each coating of varnish you can bring it back to its glory days. 

I started a hunt for a pre-loved Tripp Trapp & my luck was in, I managed to bag myself a bargain for just £21. I didn't care that it had seen better days, I knew that I could make it look just like new.

I began by dismantling my Tripp Trapp, all the screws and bars should be stored away in a safe place. I began sanding it all down with a rough sand paper, I did do mine by hand but if you have an electric sander then use it(your muscles will be grateful). Start with a rough stand paper, gradually moving onto finer sand paper when you come close to the bare wood. It is important that you do go onto a finer grade paper to sand out any scratch marks that the rougher paper will leave. You can also strip it by using a paint & varnish stripper, take care if you are stripping it this way because you could easily scrape into the wood which would ruin the finished effect. 
Once you have sanded it down, I recommend coating it with a primer. I used a kitchen cupboard white primer paint that can be bought from large diy stores. I gave mine 2 coats of the primer, make sure that the screw holes do not become clogged up with paint. I wanted a perfect finish with no brush marks so used a gloss roller to apply the primer. Leave to dry fully before moving it.
Now for the exciting part, I recommend using a face mask & maybe covering your hair for this part. Choose a well ventilated area, outdoors is recommended for this job & cover any area that you don't want to spray the same colour as your Tripp Trapp.

I gave my can of painters touch spray paint a good shake & began to spray(I needed 2 tins of painters touch spray paint). When you spray, lighter layers are much better than one thick layer. Move your can side to side never stopping the flow of the spray till the whole piece is lightly covered. I would recommend that you don't make the sides where your pieces slot together too thick. Leave the time it says on the tin between coats. Once you have fully coated it with colour allow to fully dry, I left mine 24 hours before starting on the other side. If you turn your piece over to spray before the paint is dry you will ruin the finish. I gave mine 3 thin coats of pink spray.
Once fully dry give it 2 coats of varnish the same way you applied the paint, taking care not to go too thick on the pieces that slot together & making sure your screw holes do not become clogged. Again leave them to fully dry before assembling your Tripp Trapp.

I recommend that you wait till your warranty has ran out on your Tripp Trapp before painting because painting it will void any warranty you do have.
If a pre-loved Tripp Trapp is not for you, fear not, Stokke have a full range of colourful Tripp Trapps to choose from. 

Memory Monday 17/2013

This week I finally got round to giving our Tripp Trapp some tlc & a makeover. It was a fun project, so much fun that I am on the hunt for another Tripp Trapp that needs a little love. 

To join in with Memory Monday click on the

 image below to find out more.

Knit & Stitch Baby Special

Regular readers of my blog will know I love to knit, it a skill my mum taught me when I was quite young and have gone on to learn much more knitting skills. I have been sent the Baby Special issue of the Knit & Stitch collection. In this issue you will find some wonderful patterns that are easy to follow which make some really beautiful knitted items. 

In this special issue you also get free gifts, you get everything you need to complete the striped cardigan for either a boy or a girl. I liked the quality of the Bergere De France caline yarn & when knitted using the knitting needles that come with this issue it gives you a nice neat finish. This pattern is so easy to follow and the results are beautiful, there is no complicated stitches so  even a novice could make a beautiful cardigan.

In this issue you also get plenty of patterns to keep you busy for a while, I love the fur trimmed hat & jacket which I plan to make for my nephew for autumn. I also plan to make the dress for my daughter but sadly will have to leave out the beautiful shoes now she is walking. You also get a pattern for criss cross bootees that look rather cute, they are also really easy to make.

I love this hand & foot print sleeping bag, it is so adorable I just wish my daughter was small enough to go into it. I love knitting items of clothing for my children, I love seeing them in something I have made for them. If you are a novice don't be afraid of making something for your child, practice makes perfect. If you are a pro knitter you will also love the patterns in this issue.

The Baby Special of Knit & Stitch can be found in shops & will soon be available on the EagleMoss website

Adidas Ladies AdiSTAR ride 4 running shoes review

Sportsshoes.com sent me a lovely pair of running shoes to review for them. After browsing their website looking at their extensive range of running shoes I settled on the Adidas Ladies AdiSTAR ride 4 running shoes. There were 2 reasons I chose this pair of running shoes, 1 because they have GEOFIT+ which uses FitFoam that moulds to your foot giving you a nice comfortable fit & the 2nd reason was they matched a light weight jacket I have. 
When I was younger I did a lot of competitive cross country running so I know how important having the right running shoes are.  

What Sportsshoes.com says about them

• *** NEW *** Continental Rubber Outsole - For superb grip, more durable and longer lasting mileage.
• *** NEW *** miCoach SPEED CELL™ compatible - For keeping track on record of your running distance, pace and many more.
• *** NEW *** PUREMOTION™ Tooling - which is inspired by the original Feet You Wear series, to handles impact protection and reduces shock impact on your feet giving you a smoother ride.
• adiPRENE+ - for protection from harmful impact forces and great cushioning.
• adiPRENE® - Located under the heel for superior cushioning at impact.
• FORMOTION™ - adapts to the ground to ensure the smoothest, most comfortable run possible
• GEOFIT™+ construction - Uses FitFoam™ to mould the shoe to shape of the foot for anatomical fit, reduces irritation and guarantees a comfortable and secure fit.
• Torsion System - gives midfoot integrity and with full forefoot adiprene plus maintains effective propulsion
• Air mesh lining - An air mesh lining which provide great breathability providing good air flow.
• Molded respoEVA sockliner - for anatomical fit and great step-in comfort
• Reflective Detail - A reflective stripes on the shoe to help keeping you visible in low light conditions.
• adiWEAR® outsole - Offers the ultimate in high-wear durability, helps to extend the life of the trainers.
• Soft and Durable synthetic Lining - This soft material gives you excellent comfort, so you don't get blisters after or during a training.
• Blown Rubber - Located on the outsole promote an efficient stride while boosting cushioning.

What I say about them 

The soles really do give you a good grip on your running surface, together with the adiPRENE+ placed in just the right places to absorb any shocks on impact these running shoes are the most comfortable I have ever worn.

The airmesh lining allows your feet to breathe, I loved that my feet stayed cool & I didn't need to take them off as soon as possible to allow my feet to cool.

They come with reflective detailing that allows you to be more visible in low light conditions, this is really important for where I live as many of the running routes are actually on the road due to me living in a village. 

They feel like they hug your feet & offer great support around the ankle.

The Adidas Ladies AdiSTAR ride 4 running shoes are priced at £84.99 and can come in UK sizes 4-9. I would recommend them to family and friends & I am pleased with my choice of running shoe. Visit Sportshoe.com to find out if they have a running shoe that is suitable for you, I am sure they have. They also stock a wide range of mens & children's shoes.

Falling

I am just 9 years old,

I walk through the kissing gate onto the damp grass.

The sweet smell of morning dew is all around me,

the sound of the river brings a sense of calm over me.

I walk 10 meters through the damp grass,

my jeans become damp to the knees from the morning dew.

I steadily walk down the steep hill beside the tunnel, 

the tunnel that I had walked through many times.

The sound of the water is loud as it rushes by,

it drowns out the sound of the traffic.

All you can hear is the sound of the river,

surrounded by the noise of the birds in the trees.

A yapping noise startles me,

I look to where the noise was coming from.

Across the river is 3 golden Labrador puppies,

standing over them is an old lady.

The old lady bent down to play with the puppies,

her focus never averted from them.

I slowly cross the river,

my trainers slowly flooded with the river water.

The old lady noticed I was there,

she stood & smiled, a friendly smile.

Her skin was pale, her cheeks was rosy,

her dark grey hair was pinned back.

She wore a multi-coloured cardigan with a black skirt,

she was wearing black knee length boots & clutching a purse.

Suddenly one of the puppies jumps up excitedly,

he pulls the purse out of the old ladies hand.

He runs off, the other pups follow,

the old lady throws her hands up to her mouth.

She calls for the puppies to come back,

they keep on running, 

running faster than the old lady ever could.

I start to run in the direction the puppies ran,

my damp jeans tight around my legs,

my trainers heavy from the river water.

I can hear the puppies just ahead,

I run past a huge bush and just catch sight of the puppies.

I run faster, my heart pounding,

just as I am a few feet away I lose my footing.

I suddenly start to fall down a huge sand hill,

falling around 40ft, I close my eyes.

I hit the river below me with a huge thud,

landing on my back, on the hard stones of the river bed

I can't move, I can hardly breathe.

The water from the water rushes over me,

Just as I take my last breath.

I wake up, sweating & my heart is racing!

It was all a dream, a scary dream, a dream that was so real.

It was a dream that kept recurring.

Not all of it was just a dream, as a child I did fall down the same  sand hill & into the river below. I lay winded, lucky for me the water was shallow & friends helped me up. Since this happened I kept having this dream, for about 10 years I would have this dream at least 4 times a year till I started dreaming a new dream.

I was being chased by bears!