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Archives for August 2013

Exploring First Foods + GIVEAWAY

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I’ll be honest and admit that when my both my boys were little and began eating solids I never made their food for them. It was always store bought in jars or tins from the baby section of the supermarket. I did make them mash potato but that was only when we were having it. So for the most part they didn’t experience homemade nutritional meals until they could properly eat. I always put it in the too hard basket when realistically it would have taken much to make homemade puree meals for them. At least that way I would know exactly what was in their food; not that store bought baby food seems to have done any harm to the boys. I am going to give it go making my own baby food this time round which shouldn’t be too hard now that I have this neat little contraption to help me. Closer to Nature has released an awesome little blender designed specifically for making baby food called Explora Electric Baby Food Blender.

What I love about this is that you can make purees, mash and chunky food with the one machine simply by using different speed settings. The Explora Baby Blender is extremely easy to use and to clean once you have created your baby nutritious textured foods. It is dishwasher safe and microwave safe which is a must in my house or it won’t ever get used (yes I love my dishwasher and despise having to hand wash anything). I was expecting this Closer to Nature baby blender to cost quite a bit but at $40 I am impressed not only at the value for money but also the quality.

There are also Closer to Nature Explora freezer pots that are the perfect size for storing food made in the blender. They have soft easy pop bases and are small in size (60ml each pot) which is a convenient size for first foods. These come in a packet of 4 with a tray for only $10.

I have 1x Closer to Nature Explora Baby Food Blender to giveaway!!

To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below. Winner is decided based on skill and chance plays no part. Australian residents only! Sorry everyone else. **The mandatory instructions MUST be completed or your entry will be void!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

Last Minute Gift Ideas for Father Day

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Fathers Day is fast approaching and if you have left gift buying until the last minute than don’t worry; Mister Minit has you covered. They have a large range of products to suit every type of dad and their interests.

Instead of getting dad socks and jocks this Fathers Day how about getting him something he would like to unwrap. There are so many options at Mister Minit for dads this year and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get something great. All the products are great quality, well known and trusted brands.

The range consists of everything from key rings, Zippos, LedLenser torches to Victorinox and Leatherman pocket knives with prices as low as $9.95! Surprise dad this Fathers Day by getting him something from Mister Minit and getting it engraved with a special message. He won’t be disappointed!

Baby Carrying with ONE

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One thing I didn’t think about too much when having baby number 3 was that I only have 2 hands. How am I supposed to carry a baby and hold the hands of my boys at the same time? By using a baby carrier is how. Shortly after my baby girl was born I realised that I didn’t want be loading and unloading the pram in and out of the car all the time so I invested in a Baby Bjorn Miracle carrier and I couldn’t have been happier. Baby carrying is not only convenient but it allows me to be close to my baby as well. I leave it in my car so it’s always there when I need it; unfortunately I keep forgetting to take it with me when we venture out in my husbands’ car and ended up having to hold her resulting in aching arms.

So when I received an email from BabyBjorn asking if I wanted to try baby carrying with their new Baby Carrier ONE I couldn’t type the response email fast enough! Of course I did. This baby carrier is a little different to the one I use as it is a multifunctional front and back carrier for newborns – 3 years. It can be used 4 different ways – newborn position, carry facing inwards, facing outwards or on your back. We have this carrier set to my husbands size but it is very easy to adjust should I want to use it. As I mentioned this carrier has a range of different features and positions to suit each childs individual age and needs.

My husband channelling Zoolander – Blue Steel and looking really really ridiculously ‘good’ looking!

Close to heart for newborns which is a popular choice for my bubba and me. She is comforted by the sound of my heart and she is close enough that I can kiss her head. We haven’t yet tried out the other positions on this carrier as Hadley is only 11 weeks old (geez it has gone fast!) but I have faith and trust in BabyBjorn that they will be as good as I have come to expect from this brand. I love that instead of having to upgrade as bub gets bigger this carrier does it all! One is all I will need. You can find more information about BabyBjorn carriers including ONE on the website here.

As you can see from the pictures she is comfortable and happy. If she’s happy we’re happy!

Did you or do you use a baby carrier? What features do you look for? Are you pro baby carrying?

Dettol Is Multi-Purpose + GIVEAWAY

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Dettol is something I always have in my home and I’m sure most other families are the same. I use it often for many different things. I mop the floors with it when someone has the flu, I have a bubble bath with a good amount of Dettol in it as it makes me feel better when I’m sick or for the kids if they’ve come of their bikes and grazed themselves and of course I use just prior to putting on bandaids. One thing I never thought of buying is Dettol cleaning products. I don’t know why it never crossed my mind as it is obviously good for cleaning/killing germs and I already use the Dettol soap and hand sanitiser.

When I heard that Dettol had a new cleaning rang I wanted to give it go as it is a trusted brand and with a new baby in the house I don’t want too many germs getting around. Some are good but with 2 school aged boys it’s like having giant germs on legs. I have been using two different Dettol products for the past couple of weeks; the Power & Pure Multi Purpose spray and the Dettol Power & Pure Multi Purpose Kitchen wipes. Both of these products work great and make cleaning easier by cutting through grease, soap scum and dirt. I love that I can use these products on practically everything in my home and there is no need to rinse it clean after wiping. I did find that with the disposable Dettol wipes if you push/scrub harder it makes lots of bubbles which initially I wasn’t a fan of but then I realised it means I get more use out of the wipe as the cleaning liquid goes further. The same goes for the spray – a little spray goes a long way.

For your chance to win these products just follow the instructions below!

 To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below. Winner is decided based on skill and chance plays no part. Australian residents only! Sorry everyone else. **The mandatory instructions MUST be completed or your entry will be void!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

War On Chores!

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Are there chore wars in your home? There is in mine! Always has been and if I were a betting man I’d say there always will be. It’s like a Mexican stand-off to see who can let the horrid jobs go undone the longest. Unfortunately I always cave first. There are a handful of chores that neither my husband or myself like doing (hence the Mexican stand-off) but of course they must be done – scrubbing showers, cleaning ovens, folding the mountains of clean clothes and of course washing those dirty dishes from breakfast, lunch and dinner (especially if he’s cooked)! There is only so long you can put off each job before you know you’ve let it get too bad and in my opinion dishes must be done after dinner every day. I hate having a dirty kitchen! Lucky for me my husband does too.

We know so many couples who fight over who has to wash the dishes and just let them pile up until there is dried food stuck to the benches and blame the fact that they don’t have a dishwasher as to why they don’t wash their dishes. When asked why they don’t just get one if they despise the job that much they say they don’t have enough space in their kitchen for one. I understand not having much space in the kitchen but they obviously haven’t heard of the Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer! They can be installed to suit your kitchen, your lifestyle and your family; which would be perfect for this couple as they entertain quite regularly. Even if your kitchen is lacking in the space department they have a dishwasher that will fit; you can even get one to replace a kitchen drawer! Fisher & Paykel know every kitchen is different so they created this range that is so versatile and caters to every need. The range and formats include – Single or Tall and Double or Extra Wide.

If these friends of ours had a dishwasher they may still debate who has to stack/unstack the dishwasher but at least the dishes would be sparkling clean and the benches clear of mess. No more ‘soaking the dishes’ or I’ll get to them tomorrow; the convenience of the DishDrawer will have the workload covered for you leaving more time to have fun. Housework is one of those things that will always be there but with the right appliances can be made very easy and stress free.

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