As soon as Liv started walking at 10 months old we knew we would have trouble with shoes for her, her feet and very wide, she has a high instep and her feet seem to slope inwards if she is wearing unsupportive shoes.

We took her to Clarks for her first pair of shoes and we haven't looked back since, so when I was offered to do a review I jumped at the chance.

 Here you can see the fitting in progress

The lovely sales assistant placed Livs foot into their measuring device, pushed the block down until it touched her toes (this determines the length of the foot) and then she tightened the strap that was over the bridge of Livs foot (this shows the width of the foot) Liv measured in at a huge 7.5 G, the same size as my 5 year old nephew and she is 2.

She immediately began voicing her opinion and telling her Daddy "Pink shoes and bow for Olivia please?" *flutters eyelashes* Although they were very pretty they did not seem a good choice for Autumn/Winter shoes so we decided on her first pair of big Girl black patent shoes with light up heels - super cute!

We also bought some patent leather restorer which I think is genius!

It is basically liquid patent leather in a bottle that you can paint back on to the shoes once they are scuffed, I wish this had been around when I was in school because I was always getting into trouble for scuffing my patent shoes!

I would always recommend Clarks for little ones shoes, it is so important that they have correctly fitted shoes while there little feet are growing, personally I would not take Liv anywhere else.

Disclaimer - we were sent a Clarks voucher for the purpose of the review, however all photographs and opinion are my own.

Lindam Easy Fit Plus Deluxe Child Safety Gate review.

Liv has been caught attempting escapism three times now, her foot perched on the top of her cot bed rail, looking like she is a ballet dancer doing her stretches. I knew I needed to get another safety gate so when I was offered a Lindam gate I was very pleased to accept.

   

What's in the box:

1 gate
1 spanner

4 double sided sticky pads

4 plastic disks

4 wall plugs

4 screws

4 rubber ended bolts with nuts

The gate was quite easy to fit, I fitted it in place with the plastic cups on the door frame, drew around the cups with a pencil, removed the gate then put a dot through the centre hole in all four cups to mark where to drill. I then drilled 4 holes, attached the sticky pads to the wall, fitted the plastic cups to the sticky pads then screwed them in.

All I had to do then was put the gate in place making sure all four rubber pads fitted into the plastic disks already attached then adjust the nuts until the pressure was correct and the gap closed on the handle.

I then gave it a good old push and shove to make sure it didn't move, hey presto, even if Liv manages to escape her cot she shouldn't be able to escape her room!

For more details and to explore the full range please visit www.lindam.com or like the Facebook page: Lindam UK

Disclaimer - I received this gate for the purpose of the review, however all opinion is my own.

 

Cost Cutter - Wooden Noahs Ark review.

I don't know about you but I really love wooden toys. There is just something about them that draws my attention.

Countless times I have seen Liv push a button and a toy lights up, sings and pretty much plays all by itself, but what imagination does that require?

When we were offered the chance to choose a toy to review from Cost Cutters, I was really excited when I spotted this lovely wooden Noah's Ark as Liv is constantly counting at the moment and loves learning about animals.

When we opened the box, the body of the ship was already made, it only required some simple assembly for the house part on the top.

All of the parts were individually wrapped to prevent them being damaged, this excited Liv because she felt like she was unwrapping lots of presents. I have to say, the quality of the item is brilliant, it is sturdy and very well decorated.

I can honestly say Liv has loved playing with her Ark, learning the names of the animals and singing the animals went in two by two - hurrah, hurrah!

She likes to put them all in the hull, close the door and say where did the animals go?! - Very cute!

With the Ark is Noah and his Wife and 2 Doves, Giraffes, Hippos, Kangaroos, Crocodiles, Zebras, Dolphins, Penguins, Lions and Elephants.

 

Not to mention hours of fun!

 

I would definitely recommend this educational toy to Friends and Family, it has been such a pleasure to watch Liv play, learn and use her imagination with this and I will definitely be looking to purchase from this website in the future.

You can view the full website here: www.costcuttersuk.com

Disclaimer - We were sent this toy for the purpose of the review however all opinion, photography and wording is my own.

Lara Jill Mariposa changing bag review

We were very lucky to be sent this beautiful Lara Jill changing bag, isn't it pretty?

I absolutely love the butterfly design of this bag, it is very eye catching and a very spacious 46cm long, by 30cm wide and 18cm in height.

It has an external zipped pouch to the front, a large zipped pocket on the back as well as a small internal zipper and an insulated bottle pouch externally at either end.

It is made in a waxed canvas type material that is fully wipeable to withstand all of those juice/ice cream/quaver attacks!

The zips are made of a quality thick plastic, while the strap clips and hooks are made from metal.

Included with the bag is the biggest, thickest travel changing mat I have ever come across. It is lovely and padded so your little one is nice and comfy when lying on it.

A lot of thought has gone into the design of this bag, one big thing for me is that the handles are a thick material with the oilcloth design partiall sewn over, this means that the haldles are far more fluid and comfortable to use. 

It is very spacious inside, when packing for an overnight stay last week I managed to easily fit all of this in:

8 nappies

A pack of wet wipes

2 outfits

A cardigan

A pair of pyjamas

3 bibs

Eczema cream

Medicine

Juice cup

2 mini boxes of raisins

A box of breadsticks

Toothbrush and paste

2 fruit pots

3 books

And a pair of shoes

Priced at just £34.99 I think this bag is a bargain and would definitely recommend this bag to family and friends.

You can view the full range of gorgeous bags at www.larajillbags.com

Disclaimer - I was sent this bag for the purpose of the review, all opinion is honest and my own.

Little Us Doll - Amelia review

Liv was very lucky to be sent a lovely new doll from Little Us.

Her name is Amelia, she is 12 inches tall and comes with a tag attached that says "Im Amelia, I am a little bit shy. I like to read my books and look after my animals especially if they are poorly. When I grow up I am going to look after all the poorly animals and make them all better.

Each of the four dolls in this range have their own personalilty so you can choose the one most like your little one, you can view all four dolls here: 

She is the perfect size for younger girls and reminds me of a rag doll I had as a Child (only far more cool!)

My favourite little touch is the few stitches in her hair either side of her face, this prevents her hair covering her face all the time which really frustrates Liv with other dolls and results in me making Dolls hairbands or using hair clips!

I would definately reccomend this doll to family and friends.

Disclaimer: I was sent this doll for the purpose of the review however all opinions are my own.

Livs teething nightmare - our hospital visit.

I honestly had no idea that some Children suffer so badly when teething. Every single time Liv gets a new tooth, her immune system seems to pack a bag and head for the hills leaving my Baby to get a virus/infection.

This time however she has cut four canines all at once, has refused to eat or drink, had a temperature of 38.5 but worst of all her gums are so swollen and red that they keep bleeding and she even had a blood clot/blister type thing. Three trips to the GP's and three diagnoses later (Viral infection, Tonsillitis and a gum infection) the 4th Doctor we saw was quite rightly concerned and sent us directly to Children's ward at the local hospital.

The Doctors there began asking lots of terrifying questions and said depending on the results she may need to stay in, gulp.

6 hours and numerous tests later her blood results showed that she did have an infection and she also had some terrible sores come up on her face.

She was allowed to come home with some antibiotics and cream for her face and fingers crossed she seems to be getting better.

My big strong Girl who is off the chart for a 20 month old in height and wears clothes for a 3 year old, looked so tiny lying in that hospital bed with her poorly bleeding mouth, I would have swapped places with her in a split second.

The worst part of all is she has four more teeth left to cut, the worst ones so I am told, REALLY not looking forward to that.

Liv takes over our "garden"

7 years ago when we were looking to buy our first house, we didn't mind that the house we loved and could afford only had a small back yard.

Fast forward a Dog and a toddler later I really wish we had a nice garden for them to play in.

We have decided to make the most of the small space we have so after a lot of research Liv has a new play house and sand / water table.

She is an outdoor child at the best of times but I have literally had to carry her in the house while she protests loudly since these new toys arrived.

 

Lets hope we have enough nice weather  for her to get plenty of use out of them!

Win a gorgeous Miracle changing bag.

Here is your chance to win a gorgeous bag from Miracle bags - the winner can chose between a Chic, Milan or City bag!

We reviewed the City bag and LOVE it, read our review here.

You can view the full range of
products at www.themiraclebox.co.uk.

Milan

Chic

City

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Karcher SC 5.800 C steam cleaner review

When I found out I was pregnant with Liv, we bought a steam floor cleaner in preparation, we liked the idea that we could kill germs on the living room floor without using harmful chemicals.

 

Trouble was, it leaked, great big puddles randomly. So when I was asked to review a Karcher steam cleaner I was a little dubious.

 

I really needn't have been, it is BRILLIANT!

 

 

 

I have been steaming everything I can, starting with the laminate flooring, grouting in the hallway and plastic front door.

It is simple to set up as everything slots together with a click and lock system, easy to operate as it just has one dial for settings and a simple trigger system to release the steam. it is also very easy to manoeuvre with the 360 degree rotating front wheel.

 

 

My favourite features are the on board accessory storage to save you having to dig out pieces when you need them and also the child safety lock.

 

 

 

 

 

What's in the box:

 

* Steam cleaner unit

 * 2 extension poles

* Lamellae floor tool with cloth

* Hand tool with bristles and cloth

* Small round detail brush

* Detail nozzle

* Descaling tablets

* Hose

As you can see below our hallway had gotten quite mucky during all of the recent rain, this is the area where dirty shoes go and the pushchair is wheeled in and out too so it gets dirty quickly. I won't point out which parts I had steamed as I think it is fairly obvious!!

 

Usually I have to bleach this and scrub with a wire brush, but with a little elbow grease and some steam this is the result, I was amazed!

I would whole heartedly reccommend this cleaner to family and friends.

You can view the full Karcher range at www.karcher.co.uk

Disclaimer - I was sent this steam cleaner for the purpose of the review however all opinion is my own. 

Liv first beach day

Liv has been to the beach twice before, for short periods in okish weather, this was her first full day in the sun and she loved every second of it!

 

She dug holes, built sandcastles, paddled, ate sandy sandwiches, had her first ice cream man experience and flew her kite.
 

I think paddling with her cousin narrowly pipped kite flying to the number one spot, she tried everything she could to get back to the water, she even took her Uncle and Godfather by the hand saying "ta" and pointing to the sea, this was a huge deal because apart from her Daddy and Grandad Liv is very shy around Men, usually not even acknowledging them, THAT'S how much she liked the sea :)