The Oliver’s Hit The Baby Show

As most of you know I AM A PRAMAHOLIC … there I have said it … Although if I am honest I love baby paraphernalia in general!

So with Ollie and Joshua in tow, we hit The Baby Show at Birmingham last weekend and I am a little gutted that this is the first time I had ever gone since it was amazing.

BundleBeanWe visited Bundle Bean who have lovely universal cover/cosey toes that has been designed to fit pushchairs, carseats, bikes and can cover baby slings and carriers too! Their new product which I am fortunate to be reviewing shortly is the Bundle Bean Solar and we can’t wait to report back on that!

Maxi Cosi & LoolaMy excitement grew as I realised that Maxi Cosi had brought their new Loola pushchair to the show. The Loola and the Loola up were my favourite pushchairs with Joshua when he was very little and after Reviewing the Rubi Car Seat a few months ago, I do love the continued quality from Maxi Cosi products.

The new Loola has had a few tweeks and one of them is that they have reduced the width of the pushchair so it is more shop friendly which is fab to hear, lets face it ……. anything that helps you get into a shop surely is a bonus??!

I am also reviewing the Maxi Cosi Noa so watch out for that one in a few weeks time!

Tommee Tippee Perfect PrepWe were super fortunate to see the lovely people from Tommee Tippee and were able to check out the latest from them in the form of the Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine which seems to have everything covered for formula feeding with its ability to make preparing bottles quicker and more accurate, this clever device makes a fresh bottle at just the right serving temperature in less than 2 minutes! Its seem like a super bit of kit me.

While at The Baby Show we were also really pleased to come across a new company that I had not heard about before: Nappies 2 Go. Now I liked the idea of reusable nappies while pregnant with Joshua but not the thought of having to clean and wash them, so we opted for disposable like many parents do.

Nappies 2 Go have a great concept and actually are able to deliver,  dispose and recycle disposable Pampers nappies, so all the convenience of disposable with the eco friendliness of reusable so win win in my opinion!

Joie Baby ChromejoiechromeAs some of you may remember we were introduced to Joie Baby when Joshua was asked to a photo shoot a while ago.

So visiting them at The Baby Show meant I was introduced to more of the fantastically affordable yet stylish products they have on offer, and I have to say I was impressed!

I fell in love with the Chrome 3 in 1 Travel System which is really beautiful and comprises of pushchair, car seat, carry cot, rear/forward facing seat unit and a fantastic extendable hood so no need for the fiddly parasol!

It folds with the seat attached and yet is still has a really compact fold.

I have found that Joie products do combine fantastic price with quality and they are certainly a company to keep an eye on!

I do also like the Aire + which is a fantastic lightweight stroller, along with the fantastically unique Mirus Scenic with its reversible handle making it optional to parent or forward face! .. love it.

It was an amazing day although chocolate was needed to bribe hubby! ..

Disclaimer: I have not been paid for this post, it is made up purely of some of the products/brand we came across at The Baby Show that we have loved. All opinions formed are independent and come from The Oliver’s Madhouse.

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Grandpa In My Pocket: Teamwork

Grandpa in My Pocket Team Work

We were very kindly offered by the Nottingham Playhouse to visit them and watch the production Grandpa In My Pocket: Teamwork, produced by Adastra Creative Limited.

The production is based on the hugely popular CBeebies television series which I watch with my toddler Joshua all the time and the fact Beth (just turned 12) watches too (although she would claim it was just for Joshuas benefit) meant Beth and I were really excited to go!

Before we even got to the Theatre a debate on the bus ensued on how they would make Grandpa Shrink and if I am honest I was a little skeptical they could pull it off … I was wrong!

It’s new story told by a cast who bring all the Sunnysands characters to real life in an imaginative and creative way. I personally expected to think this production would be “ok” due to it being based around a children programme. However I loved it. The songs and the dancing and the high impact flow of the storytelling had me captivated from the beginning.

Beth loved the fact they brought the story into the audience and that there was a chance for audience participation with clapping and shouting (although not all the way through … thankfully for the adults!)

The use of the props were fantastic, imaginative and fun and the costumes were fantastic! Since some of the actors played multiple parts I expected there to be some degree of cross over however each character was played so well you forget who else they played! Grandpa in My Pocket 2We both really loved the production and raved about it until bedtime. I can safely say that I would certainly go back and see them again!

They are going to be touring so should you wish to check out where else you can find them the dates and locations can be found on the Grandpa in My Pocket WebsiteGrandpa in my pocketDisclaimer: The tickets for this production were given to us free for the purposes of reviewing. However all opinions and thoughts are independently formed by members of The Oliver’s Madhouse.

Photo Credit: Robert Workman

 

Posted in Book & Outing Review, Family, Fun/Creative, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Tommee Tippee Active Sipper Cup

Tommee Tippee Active SipperWhen I was very kindly asked if I could review the Active Sipper Cup by Tommee Tippee I was excited for 2 reasons .. the first being as most of you know I am a little OCD on mess and I was beginning to get a little anxious about moving to the next stage of cup for Joshua without encountering the spills. Secondly I wanted to get something that would help keep his drinks cool in case the weather decided to be kind and give us some lovely warm weather.

I found the Tommee Tippee Active Sipper Cup to be a lovely funky design and with 3 lovely colours to choose from the hardest part was choosing which one!

They hold a really nice amount of water and are super easy to seal the lid, unlike some others which need several degrees to work out how to put it together.

I expected Joshua to resist the change from the baby beaker with spout and double handles to grown up cup, however we had no problems at all. In fact Joshua took to it well and even took to carrying it under his arm!

We are loving this cup and have even been today and bought another 2!

Disclaimer: This product was given to us free for the purposes of reviewing. However all opinions are individually formed by members of The Oliver’s Madhouse household only.

 

Posted in Baby/Children Review, Reviews, Toddler | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Poem – A Normal Girl

Proseimage.large_-783x1024I’m a normal girl

Just not into butterflies and ballet twirls

I don’t really like makeup

No eye shadow or blush

Coz I am always in a rush.

 

I dont spend hours on the phone

Just simply chatting away

I have only 5 minutes a day

To have my hair the same way.

 

My room is not spotless

But its not a tip!

I don’t put powder on my nose

I don’t give teachers lip!

 

I don’t go after every boy

And become attached at the hip

I just want to get through

These awful days of school.

 

I don’t care what you think of me

I don’t care if i’m not cool,

So turn to the mirror and look at yourself

Coz your hardly a complete drool!

By Bethany Oliver 2013

Posted in Fun/Creative | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Saaf Pure Face Cleanser with Organic Face Cloth & Ultimate Moisture Face Serum

Saaf SkinCare

I was recently contacted by the lovely people at Saaf to see if I would be interested in reviewing some of their organic and pure products for my dry tired face I was of course over the moon! …

Here is the low down on the Brand for those of you that have not heard about it before:

Nature is at its finest when it’s organic and pure. Natural ingredients have the power to smooth, soothe, nourish, nurture and restore. 

At Saaf, which is Persian for pure, we believe in harnessing the powerful properties of organic ingredients. Ingredients that are so pure they allow our range to be one of the most certified & accredited in the world, including approvals from vegetarian, vegan and halal societies.

Based on 100% naturally derived ingredients, our organic skin care range is gently but effectively nourishing and protective.

So with that being said I was super excited to get going but also a little apprehensive as to if it would work!

Over the last few years my face has become very dry and sore in places and smoking and a bad cleansing routine has not helped. I had struggled with the mammoth task some cleansers and toners expect you to perform in the name of cleaning your face! … ok I can be lazy!

The Saaf Pure Face Cleanser I have to say was not what I expected in fact it seemed a little odd. The only way I can describe the texture is like hard butter, not a soft cream that I had in my head. It was really easy to use though since a little does go a long way!

The cloth that came with it was a lovely large size and also I could feel the exfoliation at the same time without the ouch factor as it was still fairly soft (not like sandpaper!)

After washing it off it left a lovely feeling of softness behind although I did expect a greasy look, but no ……….. all good!!

The Saaf Ultimate Face Serum I was a little dubious about using, and that was based on the smell. Although not strong or offensive there is a slight herbal smell to it. But lets me honest its herbal and organic so I am not sure what I was expecting!! It  also does seem to take a while to soak into the skin and found it really easy at night since no one cares if you are all shiny, however in the morning I did use a little less and dabbed with a tissue before applying makeup and that worked fine.

The low down over a week on is:  Not only is the red and inflamed area on either side of my nose less prominent it is also not as scaly…. Phew.  I am intending to keep using this now I am in the swing of things and it seems to be making a difference. I think I may even pop this on my Christmas list!

Although this is not the cheapest product on the market I have to say that I believe you only need to use a little of the product so this is something that should last a really reasonable amount of time.

Disclosure: This product was given to me free for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions that have been formed and entered in this review were given independently by me.

Posted in Household & Health Reviews, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Active Family Month Challenge – Get Sporty

Get Sporty 2

This week for the Mark Warner Active Family Month Challenge the theme for this week is ‘Get Sporty’ ….. Through the winter months Beth and I are quite competitive and sporty as I play hockey for a local ladies league and Beth and I train with them once a week. We have been looking for alternative things to keep us active through the summer and with Joshua now being bigger and the weather improving the garden seemed a great place to start.

So Sunday saw us undertaking some competitions in the garden, ranging from boules, bats and balls, footballs and skipping!

I have to say Sunday was the funniest day of the week. Ollie skipping and nearly loosing his shorts was somewhat amusing! Joshua doing a nose dive and the whole thing dissolving in to chaos of all of us doing different things and falling over each other in the garden was incredibly therapeutic (check out the video!)

I think this task for us boiled down to laughter and activity, lets face it that’s what was needed!!

Why not join in Active Family and add your link (You can find the info HERE)

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Posted in Diet & Exercise, Family, Fun/Creative, Life, Linky | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

The Gallery: Drink

Now reading the theme was Drink this week I almost laughed out loud!!

Not only could I of completely gone to town! In order to save my modesty and that of my friends I have selected my shots wisely! .. although please let it be noted that in no way do we ever get out of hard nor arrested, in fact these days we hardly drink at all!

The Gallery DrinkI fear we need to rectify this immediately!

Gallery-logo

 

Posted in Jaime, Life, Linky | Tagged , , | 41 Comments

Weight Loss Journey Week 20 of 2013

weight Loss Week 20 of 2013Highs and lows for me this week!

I am going to start out by saying the scales are now banished! .. I have been obsessing over those pesky numbers for at least the last 15 months and If I am honest I am buggered with it all. I if I take 3 measurements within a 5 minute period they are never saying the same thing.

I am also going to own up to in fact weighing when I had blogged that I hadn’t. I was so ashamed that I had been working so hard and the scales had barely shifted that in fact I was getting very upset.

Although that was about to change last week…. stay with me and I will explain…..

This fatty was measured 3 weeks ago when I really got into the boot camps. Then as part of the challenge we have been set by Tim Lawson my Boot Camp instructor (you can read about it in Last Weeks Weight Loss Post) last week I was measured again to get my starting figures for  the boot camp challenge.

I was a on the verge of tears as it seems although the scales are not moving rapidly I have in fact lost a fantastic figure in inches!

8.5 inches

Yep you read it right I have lost 8.5 inches in 3 weeks combined from my legs, arms, chest, waist and hips. Its safe to say that the combined watching of what I am eating and by going to between 3-5 boot camps a week is making ALL the difference!

I even went shopping this weekend to start getting some holiday clothes for the Oliver’s family holiday in 19 days and I got into a size 16! .. although I did buy the 18′s as the tops would chafe a little under the arms. But hell who cares this fatty is getting there and this is the first time in more years than I care to remember I have fitted into a 16!

Total Weight Loss Since Jan 2012

4.5 Stone

This Weeks Target

  • 3 x Boot Camp
  • Organise meals in advance in order to cut any urge to snack
  • keep drinking more water
  • Try and cut as many carbs from meals as possible still
  • Eat Breakfast  everyday
  • Eat smaller portions and more frequently

What I Completed:

  • 4 x Boot Camps – 1 extra than I thought!
  • Cut Carbs Out After 5pm – Completed all 7 days
  • Drank more water – Everyday
  • Breakfast everyday – Completed
  • Eat smaller portions, more frequently – Completed 6 out of 7 days

Next Weeks Targets:

  • 5 x Boot Camp
  • Organise meals in advance in order to cut any urge to snack
  • keep drinking more water
  • Try and cut as many carbs from meals as possible still
  • Eat Breakfast  everyday
  • Eat smaller portions and more frequently
  • Think positively about myself!
Posted in Diet & Exercise, Health, Weight Loss | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

Magic Moments 20/5/13

magic momentsIt’s that time of the week again and I don’t know about you but I am now loving Mondays!!

Last weeks link up was the highest ever with 84 linked up and let me tell you that each and every one of those posts was an amazing #magicmoments in your lives and I am honored you agreed to share them by linking up!

If your new to Magic Moments you can find the details HERE.

If you would like to participate I would love it if you would pop on the Magic Moments badge so others can see where you are linking up and they may decided to pop over and link up too! Remember the more people that take part and link up, the more people that are likely to visit.

Also feel free to tweet your link to me on Twitter once you have linked up and I will happily RT anytime you tweet throughout the week.

P.s Don’t forget you can always join the #MagicMoments Google + Community too if you would like too!





Posted in Blogging, Linky, Magic Moments Post | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

The Joy Of Copying

My Little man has entered the full on copying stage, I thought his love of hoovers over recent months was a fully established obsession … I was wrong…. a dolls pushchair has now completely taken over my little mans life and he happily spends most of the day pushing the thing around!

He is quite content to push with nothing in it and going round in circles he has more than cracked!

Where has my baby gone? it seems his obsession is to copy and maybe my obsession with pushchairs has rubbed off?

Now I must remember to watch what I say as this is also starting and have provided a few comical moments. I am hoping they don’t lead to any embarrassing ones!

The Joy Of CopyingMy baby is now a boy!

magic moments 150x150

Posted in Family, Learning, Life | Tagged , , , | 48 Comments