Hp Instant Ink...Netflix for ink!

 Recently I was invited to the HP mind and body spa event to celebrate HP's instant ink service. Now you may be thinking the same as I was...''What does a relaxing spa experience have in common with a instant ink replacement service??''. Well let me tell you, they have A LOT in common!

Picture the scene...It's 9pm on a Wednesday night and your trying to print off that really important document that you need to get printed off today and have been working on for the past 2 hours. You set up the printer, click print and that dreaded box pops up on the bottom of your screen saying you
have no ink. What do you do?? Rush out to try and find a 24/7 superstore in the hopes they stock ink? Send the document to a friend begging them to print it for you and then have to run around there and get it? Just sit back and cry into your glass of wine and give up (normally my approach)? Well with the HP instant ink service they have taken all of the stress out of your ink running out..in fact, they will stop that from ever happening all together! That is what we were at the Ampersand Hotel in London to learn all about.

When we arrived we were treated to a glass of bubbly and some spa treatments to get us nice and relaxed and to show us how we could feel if the stress of running out of ink was abolished from our lives. Thom Brown (HP's fantastic Inkologist) then started to explain about ink and why purchasing a quality ink is so important, albeit more expensive than some alternatives. In one 6 x 4 photo print there are over 35 million droplets on ink! Not only is that a huge amount of droplets but they all have to go into the designated space and not blend together to give you a sharp, clear printed image. HP instant ink was developed not to compromise the quality whilst still making it affordable and to show us how important quality is, Thom asked us to do some colouring with some premium pencils and then some cheaper alternatives. The difference was startling! One guess which colour is the premium pencil?

Next we were off to make cocktails!!! The purpose of this exercise wasn't just to make some super scrummy Margarita, but to understand how when you use cheap ingredients, you are generally going to get a lower quality product overall. Thom started by making a Margarita using premium ingredients. Top quality tequila, nectar that compliments the tequila and freshly squeezed lime juice. Next he showed us how one could be made with cheaper alternatives. A cheap tequila, powdered sweetener and powdered lime! Yes it was cheaper to make but it looked grainy, had an awful colour and did not look appetising at all! Just showing that unless the make up of the ink is quality then you will have a lower quality print.

Finally we were treated to a luscious afternoon tea (which was accompanied with more bubbles!) and a chance to have a chat with our fellow bloggers about this service and concept. I was speaking with the beautiful Faye from Tales & Tea and we thought the HP instant ink service was a no brainer really! For just £1.99 per month (which is their lowest price plan) you will be able to print 100 pages of whatever you like (photo, word documents, colouring pages) in black and white or colour. That is a flat fee for those pages and super clever technology in the HP printers (more than 2 years old) will report back when your ink is getting low and automatically send you out a new ink cartridge before the old one runs out. They even send you a little bag through to allow you to recycle your old cartridge. It's a fantastic service that I hadn't heard about until this event and I loved it so much that me and Hubby are now considering upgrading our printer so that we can use this service! To find out more about the service and what HP instant ink can do for you and your printer click here!

I actually vlogged the whole event too so if you want to see some super cool sciencey things from Thom and watch Faye and I make cocktails and being silly then check out the video here:



 Thank you so much to HP for inviting me along to this event! I had a wonderful time and really hope that you guys enjoy the post and the video :)

Blogaversary Giveaway #5 - Japanese Nappies

Today is the final day of my Blogaversary Giveaways Bonanza (why didn't I think of calling that in the first place?!) and today I am giving one lucky reader a chance to win a pack of  Japanese nappies.
Now it may seem a little strange that I am offering this to one of my readers but we were recently given the opportunity to try these nappies out and I was so impressed that I wanted to be able to share the secret that is Japanese nappies with one of my readers.

When I first opened these nappies I was very unsure. The first thing that I was confused about was that they did a boys and a girls nappy. I couldn't understand why that was but upon opening Bubbas pack and taking a look I found that the boys nappies have padding right up to the top of the nappy at the front which is a genius idea as us mummy's with boys know that if they are going to leak it tends to be around the front. They also had a very strange little plastic tab on the back which I wasn't sure why it was there but when I had a look I could see that it was actually a sticky tab that you could wrap round the nappy when you throw it away. Brilliant!!
These nappies come with a whole host of features. They are pull up's so you don't have to fight with wiggly toddlers laying down, they have a wetness indicator and the best thing about them is that they are SUPER absorbent. I was genuinely surprised at how absorbent they were and they lasted all night with Bubba without being huge and bulging in the morning.

If you want to try these nappies then you can get yours by clicking here.

And to be in with a chance to win your little one a pack of these then click below to enter my last giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!!!

Best Relationship with your child DVD launch

This week we were lucky enough to be invited to an intimate workshop with Dr Margot Sunderland, Director of Education and Training at the Centre for Child Mental Health to help launch her three films in the Best Relationship with you Child DVD series. Dr Sunderland is a hugely respected child psychotherapist with over 30 years experience of working with children and families. Using the latest neuroscience research and illustrated throughout with wonderful footage of parent-child quality time, this new series of films has been created to help support parent-child relationships in amazing ways and being able to listen to Margot explain her ideas was a fantastic opportunity.
The event was held at the Centre of Child Mental Health in Islington (which is a beautifully decorated place by the way!) and when we arrived we were shown into an amazing room filled with huge inflated balls, dark tents, sand boxes and so much more. Bubba ran straight off to play whilst I listen to Margot explain some of the techniques that she speaks about in this series of films.

We discussed the importance of sensory and messy play as well as physical play and listening. The parts that I found most interested though was when she was speaking about how sometimes as parents we ask our children too many questions. I am the worst at this as when I am playing with Bubba I am asking asking ''Whats that?'', ''How fun is that?'' or ''Do you like that?''. I do it without even thinking and Margot explained that asking too many questions to a child who can't answer or process the answers that quick may actually cause more stress for them than good. She suggested that for every question we ask our child we should try to follow it with 4 comments or commentary. This gives the child time to digest the question and not get overwhelmed.

I also loved how she mentioned solitary play. I was a little worried that this event was going to focus on parent lead play and would brush lone play under the carpet but it didn't. Margot said that even though adult accompanied play is very important, solitary play is also important for a child's development, as it child to child play. I love that even though this event was focused on the adult to child play techniques, the others were mentioned.

The event was so insightful and I learnt so much more than I thought I was going to. Bubba had so much fun playing with all of the different toys and areas that had been set up and we even managed to get quite a bit of it on camera so I hope you enjoy :)


This series of DVDs cover's play techniques for babies all the way up to children of 12 years old so it's never too late to give them a watch and learn some new skills. If you want to get your hands on these DVDs then click here to get yours now! 

Blogaversary Giveaway #4 - £30 Party Bags & Supplies Spend

Day 4 of the big Blogaversary giveaway and what could be more appropriate than party supplies!!

The wonderful guys over at Party Bags & Supplies are giving one lucky reader the chance to win £30 to spend on their website. So whether you want to arrange your party bags or kit the venue out with decorations, Party Bags & Supplies will have the answer. They have a huge array of themes and products to choose from so you are sure to find something to suit your party.  You can see their full range here! 

To enter, all you need to do is click below and follow the instructions! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1. UK only.

2. Winner will be notified via Twitter or by email if Twitter handle isn't provided.

3. Winner must respond within 7 days or another winner will be drawn.

4. No cash alternative.

5. My Mummy Spam takes no responsibility for any goods damaged or lost during shipping as this prize will be sent directly from Party Bags & Supplies. Your details will be passed across to them if you are the winner. 

6. This offer has been provided to me by Party Bags & Supplies  for the purpose of this giveaway but all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Blogaversary Giveaway #3 - Childs Farm Goodies

Welcome to day 3 of my huge blogaversary giveaway to celebrate My Mummy Spam turning 1 year old!

Today I am giving away a travel set from the wonderful Childs Farm! One of the first reviews I ever did on this blog was of a Childs Farm shampoo and conditioner and I am so excited to now be giving away a few of their products for one lucky reader to try.

Childs Farm is an awarding winning  British brand that uses natural 'free from' ingredients and essential oils to produce mild, kind and extremely yummy smelling toiletries that care for the skin and hair of newborns, toddlers and children. I have always been a huge advocate of this brand as it was one of the only things we could use on bubba when he was little as his skin was so sensitive but now I am also an ambassador for them too!!

To be in with a chance to win this lovely little set, just click on the link below and follow the instructions! To check out the full range from Childs Farm, click here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck :)

1. UK only.
2. Winner will be notified via Twitter or by email if Twitter handle isn't provided.
3. Winner must respond within 7 days or another winner will be drawn.
4. No cash alternative.
5. My Mummy Spam takes no responsibility for any goods damaged or lost during shipping. 
6. This offer has been provided to me by Childs Farm  but all opinions expressed are honest and my own.

Blogaversary Giveaway #2 - Midwife in a Bag gift set

It's day 2 of my big blogaversary giveaway and today I am offering one of my readers the chance to win a luxury 'Midwife in a Bag' gift set from the Natural Birthing Company.

The Natural Birthing Company was set up in 2011 by two experienced, highly qualified NHS midwives, Jane & Theresa, who wanted to create a range of safe, natural and trusted products for Mum's from bump to birth.

When pregnant, you will tend to feel your baby start to move between 18-21 weeks but we all know that us Mum's and Mummy's to be need some TLC way before that!

The Midwife in a Bag gift set is the ultimate TLC kit. With almost £50 worth of products, this gift set includes:

• Bosom Buddies Oil (3 x 10ml)
• Blissful Tincture Perineal Care (50ml)
• Down Below Perineal Massage Oil (50ml)
• Cool It Mama Body and Facial Spritz (100ml)

To be in with a chance to win this amazing set all you need to do is click the link below and follow the intructions. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can't wait to see if you have won and you want to grab your self some of these amazing products then head down to your local boots or check out their website by clicking here. 

1. UK only.
2. Winner will be notified via Twitter or by email if Twitter handle isn't provided.
3. Winner must respond within 7 days or another winner will be drawn.
4. No cash alternative.
5. My Mummy Spam takes no responsibility for any goods damaged or lost during shipping as this prize will be sent directly from the Natural Birthing Company.
6. By entering this giveaway you are agreeing that your name and email address can be passed to the Natural Birthing Company for marketing purposes.
7. This products have been provided to me by Natural Birthing Company for the purpose of this giveaway but all opinions expressed are honest and my own.
8. This giveaway opens on 26/04/2016 closes on 15/05/2016 at 12am

Blogaversary Giveaway #1 - Kiddylicious goodies

To celebrate My Mummy Spam's first birthday I am running 5 days worth of giveaways and where best to start than my sponsor for #BML16 (Britmums Live) and one of my fav companies... KIDDYLICIOUS!!!

If you are a frequent reader of my blog then you will know that we LOVE Kiddylicious! They are the creators of tasty, fun snacks for babies and toddlers and I am giving 1 lucky reader the chance to win a hamper of goodies from them!
This huge hamper features some of Bubba's favourite things such as Crispie Tiddlers, Fruit Wiggles, Fruit Puff and Kiddylicious's brand new Crunchy snacks (which are amazing!!).
To be in with a chance to win this fantastic prize just follow the instructions on the link below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


1. UK only. 
2. Winner will be notified via Twitter or by email if Twitter handle isn't provided. 
3. Winner must respond within 7 days or another winner will be drawn.
4. No cash alternative.
5. My Mummy Spam takes no responsibility for any goods damaged or lost during shipping. 
6. This products have been provided to me by Kiddylicious for the purpose of this giveaway but all opinions expressed are honest and my own. 
7. This giveaway opens on 25/04/2016 and closes on 15/05/2016 at 12.01am

My Mummy Spam is 1!!! (and exciting news!)

I remember when I decided to create this little space of the internet back on the 20th April last year. I was excited, nervous, worried and a little embarrassed.

Fast forward a year and My Mummy Spam has become such a massive part of my life. It has brought me huge amounts of comfort and almost therapy at times where I have written to get things off my chest. It has been through this blog that I have met some wonderful people and made some lovely friends. My Mummy Spam has also connected me with brand that I never dreamed would want to work with little old me and has brought me opportunities that I never even imagined could be possible.

It has been through writing about my life and my wonderful little boy that all of this has been possible and I am still loving every single second of writing this blog.

There is a very special part of My Mummy Spam that I haven't mentioned yet... YOU! Yes, you reading this right now! It is because of you wonderful people out there reading this that all of the last year has been possible!!

To say thank you I am running 5 days worth of giveaways!! That's right...5 whole days?!?!?!
Keep an eye out on the blog as the fist giveaway starts TOMORROW!!!!

Thank you again for reading and supporting my little blog and here's to the next year!!!
:)

Reflection #2

''It may be the smallest of puddles but jump in it! You will still make a splash.''

This post is linked with:

Where is the fairy???

Hubby was away for a couple of nights this week. I missed him terribly and it was so lovely when he got home. I loved having him back for cuddles, chat and help with bubba. What I didn't miss, however, was the fairy that was expected to visit. Now, before anyone thinks I am going crazy and call the men in white coats, bear with me. I can't be the only one who feels like their spouse (or even their older kids) thinks there is a cleaning fairy?!

Hubby comes home from being away, dumps his bags in the corner of the porch, all still fully packed with clothes and toiletries in etc. Who is going to unpack them, put all the washing in the clothes in and put away his stuff? 

He takes a glass of water to bed with him each night and each morning trots downstairs leaving said glass on the bedside table. Who takes that down stairs?

He goes into the garden and when he comes in, treads mud through the kitchen. Who sweeps that up? 

Hubby opens a new bottle of milk and leaves the foil thingy on the worktop. Who puts that in the bin? 

Well, it must be the cleaning fairy as surely he doesn't expect me to clear up after him?? My question is, where the bloody hell is the freeking fairy as it always seems to be me putting his stuff away, sweeping up the mud, taking his glass down and throwing away the rubbish. 

If anyone sees this elusive cleaning fairy can you get her to tweet me please as I'm starting to get a little bit sick of her lack of attendance to my house. 

Thanks very much

;)

 

The 5 things Body Confidence Challenge

Recently the beautiful Hannah from Hi Baby Blog (check her blog out here as she has a totally cute little girl and writes some fab stuff!) tagged me in the body confidence tag which challenges you to find 5 things that you are really happy with about yourself.
Since having Bubba my body confidence is probably at the lowest it has ever been. I am not moaning though as I know it is my body and only I can do something about it (keep an eye out soon for a new feature on here!!) but finding things I like about my body is difficult but here we go...

1. My hands.
I actually really like my hands as I get to see my beautiful engagement, wedding and eternity ring whenever I look down at them and I seem to have been blessed with some pretty soft skin on my hands too! Bonus!

2. My eyes.
I love my blue eyes and feel a bit special to have blue eyes as they seem a bit of a rarity now days.

3. My nose.
This may sound like a strange one and it actually surprising to me that I am saying my nose as I have always referred to it as a little piggy nose but I now love it as Bubba has it and his is super cute!! :)

Now I am stuck and feel a little like I am grasping at straws.... 

4. My hair.
I must admit I am pretty lucky with my hair. If I want to curl it, it holds it curl really well and if I straighten it, it tends to stay straight all day long. It's pretty well behaved overall.

This is now getting really hard...I have been stuck on this last one for a last 5 minutes!! 

5. My mouth.
Really grasping at straws here. I like my mouth because my voice comes from my mouth and that means I can sing and I love singing and it makes me super happy!! That counts right??? :)

So that is my 5 (well 4 plus 1 poor excuse) things that I like about my body.

I now tag so beautiful ladies who I am sure will find this super easy...
Faye from Tales & Tea
Chantal from Milk & Nappies
Nicola from Nicola Says

My top 10 Blogging Peeves!

Recently I was tagged by the lovely Sian from Quite Frankly She Said to share my top 10 blogging peeves (check out her post here!). Now, if your not a blogging you probably won't get why these things annoy me so much but I am sure if you have dipped your toe into the blogging world then you will catch my drift :)

1. Copy cats -
Now I know that all content has most probably been written about before. It is highly unlikely that a lot of content is now fully originally and I'm not talking about that. I am talking about when you are reading a post and you start to realise that you have seen this before...the pictures look almost the same, the content is almost the same just a few words and phrases changed...THAT is what gets on my nerves! I just think that if you haven't got anything to write about then don't write! Don't go stealing other peoples content just so you have something to say.

2. Judging -
This is my biggest peeve! A blog, to me, is a personal space where you can share your thoughts and feelings with the world. Yes you may not agree with everyone's view point but don't judge other and if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything quite frankly! :)

3. Trolling -
Need I saw anymore?? I (very thankfully) have not fallen prey to the 'trolls' yet but I have seen it happen to others and I hate it!

4. Pop up's -
Follow my page...subscribe to my mailing list...click here...do this... NO!! I want to read the blog post that I clicked on, not get bombarded with ads and pop ups thank you very much!

5. Auto Tweets -
When I follow someone I do it because I am interested in them and their blog/services etc. It turns me right off when I get a DM saying ''Thanks for following us..please check out our website..''. Why do that??! I am following you because I want to, you don't need to thank me (although that is very nice) and encourage me to visit your website. Chances are I already have!

6. Irrelevant content -
A parenting blog talking about fishing boats. A beauty blog writing about cooking, A sports blog writing about holidays. I understand that people try to branch out and widen their interests and reach but I really hate it when bloggers talk about something that is completely irrelevant to their blog and brand. If they want to do it..that fine, but just explain why and were the link is?!

7. Constant reviews -
I know that at times bloggers get backed up with reviews and have to post a few in a row. I've had to do it a couple of times myself but when a blog has 20 posts in a month and 14 of those posts are reviews it makes me question where the real content is. Yes review are great and helpful but I do like to read a bit of real, un-sponsored content once in a while.

8. Blogger bitching -
This comes back to point 2 a little bit. Blogging opened my eyes to a whole new world and community that I never knew was out there. Through blogging I have met some wonderful, funny, friendly, caring and talented people but I have also seen my fair share of bitching that has been done on a very public level. Not everyone will like everyone else which is fine but I just don't believe that there should be public slagging matches or bitching contests between bloggers. It's not cool!

9. Bloggers that beg -
Begging for retweets  or mentions directly to another blogger is just awkward and not a nice situation! If they don't want to then they are put in a horrid position and its just all round not good.

10. Broken/unresponsive links -
I get so annoyed when I'm reading about something really interesting and there is a link to get more info or direct you to a store website ect and it is broken! I know it can't be helped when other change their sites or shut down at short notice but run a broken link checker once in a while. That's all I ask :)

So, they are my top 10 blogging peeves. It was actually a lot harder to do that I thought...clearly I don't get as peeved as I thought I did at certain things :)

I really want to know what annoys others though so I am tagging:
Danny from Danny UK
Haydy from Squibb Vicious

WIN yourself a £500 Aldo gift card!

Shoes...Who doesn't love shoes??? I do, my Mum does and I am pretty sure that the majority of my friends do too. In fact I am yet to find someone who doesn't love shoes.

Aldo is a show lovers dream!! From girly pink heels and golden disco inspired sandals to men's casual cool sneakers and gorgeous handbags...they have it all! And you can now be in with a chance to WIN a £500 voucher to spend on all the shoes you can buy. To enter all you need to do is enter your details via the link below by the 1st June 2016!!

                                                                             http://ow.ly/4mOqbU

What are you waiting for?? Good luck!!!!

Note - 
This post includes an affiliate link which means by enter via this link I will receive payment. 

Aldi Baby and Toddler Event!!!

If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I am a massive advocate of the Aldi Mamia range. I love their nappies and wipes and honestly believe that they are the best on the market for day to day nappy changing. So when their Baby and Toddler events comes round (starting in store on 21st April 2016!) I am naturally very excited!

This event, however, is even more exciting as you can now purchase a number of the baby and toddler special buys ONLINE!! So, in celebration of this I thought I would share with you my 5 MUST HAVES from the Baby and Toddler event that starts in store on the 21st April and online NOW!

1. Mamia Jumbo Box Nappies - £5.79

Bubba wear these nappies each and every day and I honestly wouldn't put him in anything else for
day time wear. These jumbo boxes have 78 nappies inside them which would cover bubba for almost a month and for 7p per nappy that is a bargain in my opinion!! They are brilliant quality as well. We never have any problem with Bubba leaking during the day or getting any nappy rash so to me these are a winner all round!!

2. Mamia Fragrance Free Baby Wipes - £5.99

You may look at the above and think 'why on earth are baby wipes over £5??'. Well...it's not one pack of baby wipes. It is, in fact, 12 packs of 64 wipes which works out at an amazing 49p per pack!!! These wipes are honestly the best wipes I have ever used. Bubba used to have very sensative skin when he was a baby and these never once brought him up in any kind of rash. Now I use them daily, not just for nappy changes, but for face wiping, hand wiping, general cleaning (yes really!!) and I can honestly not recommend them enough!

3. Ear/Forehead Thermometer - £8.99

If you haven't got an in ear thermometer then I would recommend snatching this one up at a bargain price when the special buy event starts! In ear thermometers give you the most precises readings and we have always used one with bubba but they are normally ridiculously expensive. At under £10 I
think you can't go wrong with this one but can imagine lot's of people will think the same so get one of these before they are all gone :)

4. Mamia Fragranced Nappy Snacks - £0.89

I always buy these when the special buys come round as I only tend to find them during these events. If I'm being honest I tend to stock pile these as they are not only at a jaw dropping price (0.005p each!!!!). You would think that at a price like this the quality would be compromised but that is not the case. These bags are strong, durable and smell great, even with poopey nappies inside!

5. Blackboard Table and Chairs - £29.99

This table and chairs set is so cute and I can't believe it is under £30!! I love that it comes with two chairs so if your little one has siblings they can join in and I think the blackboard top is a brilliant idea!! The fact that this can be delivered is another HUGE bonus as it means you don't have to haul it out of the shop and attempt to squish in into your car to get it home.

This list could go on and on but rather then me gush about how much I love the Aldi special buys anymore than I already have, why don't you just click here to check out their website and take advance of the free standard delivery (yes, you read that right..FREE) to get all your baby and toddler goodies delivered straight to your door!

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite Aldi baby and toddler product is!

Reflection #1

''Every Father should remember that one day his son will follow his example rather than his advice''

Whats in my changing bag???

My second video is now live on Youtube!! Ekkkkk!!!

This time I am talking about what is in our changing bag :)

Hope you enjoy.

To my 19 month old...

To my 19 month old little boy,

How are you 19 months old?? I feel like I have blinked and now you are closer to 2 than you are to 1. It makes me want to cry!! But I want to remember how you are at this point in your life.

So, you currently have 12 teeth and have the 13th trying to pop through at the moment but it is taking FOREVER to cut. It's a canine and it's even given you another ear infection where it is being such a pain. You seem to be perking up now though.

Your saying quite a few words now and you also make sounds that we recognise as a way of communicating. You say Mum, Dad, Nan, Nandad, Go, Taa (which you are actually saying of your own accord now without being prompted), duck, Bye, Hiya and Sit (usually at Molly dog when she is jumping around). You also say ''Uh Oh'' when something has gone wrong or you have dropped something, you also almost can count to three. You make all the sounds in the right tone but the words just aren't there yet. It is very cute :)

Recently you have really been enjoying colouring and stickers. You will quite happily sit either on your own or with someone else and colour, draw or stick your stickers. You still don't really like paint as it gets your hands dirty and still aren't interested in joining in with any cooking or baking. Although, we have been out in the garden a lot more recently as the weather has started getting nice and you have really enjoyed helping us digging in the flower beds. You have actually loved being outside full stop recently. You have been loving playing in the garden and you particularly like playing with bubbles, your little golf set and collecting stones.

Things haven't been all good though...you have started to have some awful tantrums! These aren't just little crying or stamping your feet tantrums. These are full blown, screaming, hitting yourself, head butting the wall, going crazy type tantrums. I have found them so hard to deal with as I hate seeing you so upset and it must be quite scary for you when they happen as you seem to just get lost in a bit of a red mist but we are finding a way to work through them and they are happening less and less which is great.

The tantrums always seem to be linked to food. That leads me on to the other big thing with you at the moment...food! It has only dawned on me recently that you are no longer a baby eating baby food, you are a toddler who pretty much eats everything. Your favourite things at the moment are spaghetti bolognase, potato waffles, beans, bananas and wotsits!

Your still sleeping really well (as a rule) and tend to go to bed at 7pm and sleep until about 6.30-7am. Your having 1 nap in the day now at about 1/2pm and you tend to sleep for an hour and a half. We haven't put you in your toddler bed or in a duvet yet as your happy in your cot and your sleeping bag. Your not making any attempt to climb out of your bed at the moment so until you start doing that, we are just going to leave you as you are.

I could go on and on about what you are doing and how wonderful you are but the basics of it is that you are still our affectionate, funny, cheeky little pickle who is just becoming more and more independent by the day. I am just doing my best to soak it all up as I know that I will blink and you will almost be 2!

Love you always little boy

Mummy xxxxxxxx

Ella's Kitchen Smooshy Snacks!

As you will know if you have read my blog for a while, Bubba loves his food. He always has but now that he is getting older he is starting to become a little more selective over what he will and won't eat. We went through a phase recently where he didn't want to eat anything but yogurts! I don't think that this occasion was him being a pickle, but more like his teeth were hurting as he is cutting another one so he didn't want to chew anything. I couldn't have him living off yogurts so I set off in search of something that would still be nice and soft on his gums, but that would also get some goodness into him. Enter Ella's Kitchen Smooshy Snacks!

Now, I'm not going to lie..when I saw the flavours of these I was a little bit unsure. The range includes:

Orange & Carrot

Apple & Cucumber

Strawberry & Beetroot

To me, they seemed slightly strange flavour combinations but I should have just left my trust in the experts at Ella's Kitchen as they obviously know what they are doing and these Smooshy Snacks were a massive hit with Bubba!

Bubba loved them. They must have tasted good as he demolished a pouch within about 1 minute and I think he loves these pouches as they are the perfect size for little hands so he can be ''Mr Independent'' and do it all on his own. For me, I love the fact that you know exactly what has gone into one of these pouches. For example, in the Orange & Carrot one all that is in there is organic apples 64%, organic carrots 24%, organic orange juice 12%, a dash of lemon juice and that is it! It means that at times where Bubs is teething and doesn't want to eat, I can be safe in the knowledge that he has had some good stuff go into him if he has one of these. 

I also love that these are so convenient. I can pop one of these into a bag and go. Bubba can snack on this whenever he likes with minimal mess and fuss. Job done! And..at 89p per pouch I think they are great value for money too.

So keep an eye out for these next time your shopping as they are not only great for a day time snack, but they are great to have in the house for teething related food emergencies! 

You can see the full range of the Smooshy snacks here. 

note:

These were sent to us to review but all opinions and views are honest and my own. 

"We're going to the zoo..zoo..zoo.."

"We're going to the zoo..zoo..zoo. How about you..you..you? We're going to the zoo..zoo..zoo. You can come too..too..too"

Anyone else remember that song from their childhood? No...just me then? 

Today we went to the zoo and I brought the camera with me so by reading this, you can come and enjoy our trip to the zoo too! 

We are lucky enough to live less than an hour away from the fantastic Colchester zoo so we tend to go there on quite a regular basis. Located just south of Colchester, this Zoo, for me, ticks all of the boxes. Not only does it have wonderfully modern and spacious homes for over 270 species of animals, it also has numerous play areas, a soft play section, walk through exhibits and lot's of talks and animal shows to watch. It really is a full day of fun for all the family and if I am being honest, I think you would struggle to do everything all in one day.


Arriving at the zoo on Sunday morning, I instantly felt like I was about 10 again! I started mentally thinking about all of the things we wanted to see and set off on our journey round the zoo. Bubba wasn't in the best of mood (turned out he was actually a little under the weather) but, as always, he loved seeing the animals and he especially liked the chimps in their new home. One was sitting right by the window and he stood looking at it for a couple of minutes pointing and saying ''oooooo''.

The zoo has a huge bridge type walk way that goes across some of the enclosures and bubba really enjoying walking across and being able to look down and see all the monkeys running around below him. His other favourite part was the underwater tunnel beneath the sea lion pool. We spent over 20 minutes in that tunnel and at first I thought it was because he was enjoying watching the sea lions swim above him. I quickly realised that it was actually the pattern on the floor from the reflection of the sun through the water that was entertaining him so much :)

As I mentioned before, Colchester Zoo is not only filled with animals, it has some fantastic play areas too. They seem really thought out as there are play areas for older children and littler ones and I really appreciated that. Bubba spent almost half an hour running around one of the play areas aimed at the smaller guests and I think the reason that he loved it so much was because all of the climbing equipment and slides were accessible to him and not too big. We have previously been on days where the weather hasn't been great so we have retreated to the soft play center which is a genius idea! For me, it meant that even though the weather wasn't great and we couldn't walk around and see many animals, the ticket price wasn't wasted as Bubba still was able to enjoy himself. 

The highlight of this Zoo for me is the Kingdom of the Wild section. This section features a massive outdoor space which houses Zebras, Giraffes, Rhinos, Ostrich and Elephants. If that isn't enough, there is then a huge indoor sections which has the sleeping quarters in for these animals but also includes Patas Monkeys, a few snacks and reptiles, leaf cutter ants and (my favourite) pygmy Hippos. 

Overall, I can't recommend Colchester Zoo enough. We love them as they are less than an hour away from us, have so many different things for all the family to enjoy and most importantly, they have (obviously) happy animals who enjoy large, spacious enclosures and numerous of enrichment activities. You can see all the details about Colchester Zoo here and if you are ever down South then I would recommend a day out to the Zoo :)

Coffee!!!!!!

What is a Mummy's best friend?

No, not babywipes...

Not Disney Junior...

Not Calpol...

Coffee! Coffee, to me, is a Mummy's best friend. Coffee has seen me through many of sleepless nights and early mornings. It has been with me through teething and sick bugs. Coffee always gives me a warm, energising hug at the times when I need it most. 

Ok, so maybe that is a little over the top but I do love coffee and from 11th April - 17th April it is UK Coffee Week! What is UK Coffee Week I hear you ask..Well, it is a nationwide fundraising initiative where coffee operators, trade professionals, customers and coffee lovers all join together to celebrate the vibrancy of British coffee culture while raising valuable funds for the communities which grow out coffees. 

This year, UK Coffee Week is supporting Project Waterfall who raise money to bring clean drinking water and sanitation to coffee growing communities. Since 2011, they have raised over £325,000 for this amazing cause which has helped changed over 14,000 lives in Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia. 

To help promote UK Coffee Week and this brilliant cause, Project Waterfall and House of Fraser have teamed up to create a fun infographic looking at what type of coffee drinkers there are out there.

So..are you a gossip, addict, businessman or hipster? How do you like your coffee? For me, I think I suit the business woman one as will take it anyway it comes as long as it's strong and full of caffeine but prefer a good latte or cappa!

To find out more about how you can support UK Coffee Week click here and to get some major coffee machine envy (just like I did when I looked) you can see House of Fraser's amazing range of Coffee Machines here. 

Note: This is a collaborative post. 

Feeling smug...

I can't be the only Mummy in the world that feels a little smug sometimes can I?

Maybe smug isn't the right word. Sometimes, I look at bubba and feel so proud of myself which is a feeling I don't get very often. I always feel proud of him but never really with myself. It's not just when I look at him during the everyday. It's not a case of me thinking ''Oh...look at me...I'm amazing and made a really handsome and wonderful little boy'' (although I do think he is amazingly handsome!) as it isn't about that. It's when I see some parst of his personality/behavior that have a real sense of self pride wash over me.

It may be easier if I explain a recent time when this happened. So, I dropped Bubba off at my Mum's as I do almost every morning when I am going to work. I take him in, take his coat and shoes off, have a little chat with my Mum and then give him a kiss goodbye. This particular day I gave Bubba a kiss and he said ''Bye'' whilst waving. He then blew me a couple of kisses, gave another quick wave and ran off to go and play with the other children (my mum is a childminder). In that moment I felt really proud of myself. I felt proud that my little boy was happy to go off and play. Yes I felt a little sad that he wasn't even the slightest bit worried that I was leaving but I would much rather him run off and play than be clinging onto my leg as I try to walk out the door.

An eye opening experience with Specsavers at intu Lakeside.

Opticians and health professionals recommend that you should have your eyes tested every 2 years as over 80% of medical conditions can be detected from looking into our eyes. I know that they say that eyes are the windows to the soul but who knew they were also the window to our health?! With conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and even brain tumours being detected from a simple eye test, it’s no wonder that we should be going to see an optician regularly. The last time I had my eyes tested was in 2013 before Bubba was born…almost 3 years ago!! So when Specsavers at intu Lakeside asked me if I wanted to go in for a check-up, I jumped at the chance!

For those who don’t know, intu Lakeside is a huge shopping centre in Thurrock, Essex filled with shops and restaurants and it’s very own Specsavers. I wasn’t aware before going in that Specsavers stores are actually franchises and the intu Lakeside store is run by the extremely knowledgeable and friendly Jay and his business partner (who is also an optician). On arrival at the store I was surprised at how busy it was but it was a Saturday and it was 11am so I shouldn’t have really been that surprised. Even though they were busy, there were staff members everywhere helping customers and I had been in the store for a matter of seconds before some approached me and asked how they could help. I was very impressed as there is nothing worse that stumbling aimlessly around trying to work out where you are meant to be. I was then introduced to Jay who started my consultation by asking me about my previous eye tests, my general health and about my lifestyle. This was all to help get a bit of background about me to assist with the eye test. I was then expecting to trot off to see the optician, read a few letters and words from a screen and then get fitted with those glasses that are really uncomfortable and big to allow the optician to change the lenses around to find my prescription. This shows how long I haven’t had an eye test done for as this is not the way it is anymore!!

My top tips for a ''Kid Happy Summer''.

In a perfect world, summer is happy and sunny, filled with unforgettable days and long, warm evenings. In the real world; it’s going to rain, kids will be bored and there’s a high chance of tantrums. Be positive and aim for balance is the plan this year. Here are a few easy ways to make the most of summertime and squeeze in a little time for yourself too.

1. Have a summer project

Whether it’s crabbing, vegetable growing, making a photo-diary, mapping a new local walk every week or putting on a show, having a summer project is one sure way to keep the kids entertained in the holidays. Kids love to plan stuff and, with a bit of encouragement at the start, a good summer project develops a life of its own. So eventually you can take a step back and just be there in an ‘advisory capacity’. Even for the little ones like my Bubba, they can still get involved with the gardening..just be prepared for a little mess!

2. Put a bit of structure into at least some of the holiday

Kids are used to structure at school or nursery so expecting them to cope beautifully with a free-form summer is a big ask. Having lunch at the same time, napping at normal times (if they still nap) or reading a story for an hour each day creates a comforting routine without ruining the holiday spirit.

My everyday Mummy Make Up

As you should be able to tell from the title, this post is about make up! Yes I know I am a Mummy blogger and no I am not going to be turning this into a beauty blog but a few people have commented on my make up recently so I thought I would do a post to share what I use.

Recently Bubba was poorly and it was draining. I was tired, had started to break out in spots and how I looked was the last thing on my mind. I posted a couple of pictures to social media during this time and a few people commented saying how great I looked for such little sleep (which I was very flattered by as I certainly didn't feel great!!) and asking me to share my secrets.

Stepping into Spring.

Spring always makes me think of new starts. There is nothing better, in my opinion, than having a big old spring clean, organising, clearing away all of the toot that has been building up and having a clean fresh start. It's almost like spring fills me with an energy and a motivation to get organised and moving that I don't seem to have in other seasons. Normally this energy gets thrown into my house and I end up spending every spare minute I have cleaning. This year, however, it seems to be going into something different...my blog :)
In a few weeks time I would have been blogging for a whole year (keep an eye out for some exciting giveaways to celebrate!!) and everyone around me is honestly a bit shocked that I have kept it up. Hubby said he other day "wow... I can't believe it's nearly been a year.. I thought you would have got bored within a couple of months". Deep down, I know he has firm evidence to think like that as I can be a bit floozy with things but blogging is different. I love it and it has become part of my every day life. That's why this year I want to put more energy into it to make it really special.
This mainly will be in things that you guys won't see. I want to really learn about the technical side and learn how to make my blog better techically. What I also want to do is...drum roll please.... Dive into the world of YouTube!! *nervous, excited dance!!* This is something that makes me really REALLY nervous! It's not the actual talking on camera hung that bothers me, it's the editing and the time it takes to edit. Maybe it's because I haven't really done it before but it is the only thing that is holding me back from vlogging. Well.. NO MORE :) I have downloaded some editing software and I am going to be getting a vlog live for you very soon..once I have worked out how to edit the damn thing :)
Whilst I'm writing this, I just want to take the time to say thank you all for your support so far! My follower numbers have been growing and growing and it's not just the numbers that matter, it's the fact that so many of you have contacted me or reached out to me and that just makes it so worth while when you know that someone is reading :)
So keep your eye on My Mummy Spam as (I'm hoping) big changes are about to come :)
XXXX