When you hit the shops for back to school everything is the same old. It all looks the same as it did last year with minor variances and no kid wants to have the exact same gear as half the kids in their class.

Smiggle have once again changed things up and offered some cool back to school stuff! From books and bags to cutlery and drink bottles, the bright colours and patterns draw the eye and say how cool am I?! The Smiggle school bags are fantastic quality; my 6 year old had one last year and it lasted all year and still looks in near new condition! I was surprised as usually the boys backpacks last 6 months if we are lucky before we need to replace them. The Smiggle ones are definitely worth the money!

Then you of course have accessories, Smiggle pencil cases and holiday fun to look forward to. The latest release of pencil cases and accessories are funky and certain to have your kids start the year with a grin from ear to ear!

Good news for parents that we have got some to give to a lucky parent for their children.  

Prize includes: 1 x Spinning Top Marker $3.50 (pink), 1 x Pocket Smiggle Pencil Case (purple), 1 x Open Wide Media Pouch $15.95 (purple), 1 x Pocket Calculator $12.95 (purple).

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions: 
1. Australian residents only.
2. Judges decisions is final.
3. Winners must make contact within 72 hours.
4. This is a game of skill. Chance plays no part!
Therefore no extra points are given for sharing however it is good karma!!
5. All Mum Said is not responsible for delivery of prize.
NOT endorsed by or have anything to do with facebook.

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received the above products for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The post Back To School With Smiggle + Giveaway appeared first on All Mum Said.

Back to school can be a stressful time for parents. There is so much to consider, so much to buy and so many options!

I have teamed up with Thermos® for an incredible giveaway that will take the worry out of narrowing down your child’s lunch accessories and storage goods for the upcoming school season. Australian summers can be ridiculously hot and winters can be absurdly cold; this is what makes it so difficult for parents to choose a lunch box that will be suitable for these altering conditions.

Thermos® back to school

Thermos has the answer! The Thermos FUNtainer™ food jars and drink bottles have the well-known and trusted Thermos™ vacuum insulation technology that everyone loves. This technology allows food and drink to remain cold and fresh for up to 7 hours or alternatively hot for up to 5 hours. Parents and children can now experiment and keep lunches exciting; it doesn’t have to be the same boring sandwiches every day. Take a salad, homemade yoghurt, smoothies, dips, soup, noodles, fried rice, etc. to work and school without having the concern it will go off or require heating/cooling.

FIY: Food must be kept below 5°C and above 60°C to reduce the risk of food poisoning. The temperatures in between are what is classed as the danger zone for bacteria to grow rapidly in food.

For more information on food safety click here.

Not only are these products safe, they are convenient because they eliminate the need for icepacks and/or limiting lunch options for your child. To make them just little bit more special, the Thermos FUNtainer™ are available in a range of fun characters. These include (but are not limited to): Mickey Mouse, Tinker Bell, Frozen, Fire Truck, Thomas the Tank Engine and more. *There are also plain options available for the older children and adults.

Many people don’t realise that Thermos is a brand and not a product category. There are so many cheap imitations on the market and while they claim to be just as efficient, will just never stand up to the quality and reliability of real genuine Thermos products. With 110 years of experience and proven excellence, it is no surprise they are trusted by generations of Australians. To put their money where their mouths are, all Thermos FUNtainer™ products carry a 5-year warranty!

Take lunch limitations away and consider Thermos FUNtainer™ products this year for back to school purchases. ENTER BELOW to WIN yourself and your family one of the two amazing Thermos® prize pack with a combined valued of $843.64!! Or if you cannot wait until the giveaway ends, you can purchase these products from specialist children’s retailers such as Toys R Us and Baby Bunting.

2x WINNERS!! Each prize pack is retailed at: $421.82. Total prize pool: $843.64.

Each prize includes:

• 1x 355mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle – Disney’s Frozen (RRP $29.99)
• 1x 290mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Food Jar – Disney’s Frozen (RRP $29.99)
• 1x 355mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle – Fire Truck (RRP $21.99)
• 1x 290mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Food Jar – Fire Truck (RRP $23.99)
• 1x 470mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle – Purple (RRP $34.99)
• 1x 470mL Stainless Steel FUNtainer™ Vacuum Insulated Drink Bottle – Charcoal (RRP $34.99)
• 1x FUNtainer™ Insulated Lunch Case – Fire Truck (RRP $14.99)
• 1x Thermos® Cooler Backpack (RRP $44.99)
• 1x Book – Best Lunch Box Ever: Ideas and Recipes for School Lunches Kids Will Love by Katie Sullivan Morford ($34.00)
• 1x $50 Officeworks Voucher for Back To School supplies ($50.00)
• 1x Discover The Awesome World – kids science book ($29.95)
• 1x Crayola Super Tips 20 Pack Washable Markers ($12.00)
• 1x Minions Googly-Eyed Colouring Pad
• 1x Snap Circuits Beginner Electronics Kit ($34.95)

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions: 
1. Australian residents only.
2. Judges decisions is final.
3. Winners must make contact within 72 hours.
4. This is a game of skill. Chance plays no part!
Therefore no extra points are given for sharing however it is good karma!!
5. All Mum Said is not responsible for delivery of prize.
NOT endorsed by or have anything to do with facebook.

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received the above products for sharing this amazing giveaway with All Mum Said fans. All opinions are my own.

The post Thermos® Back To School Giveaway appeared first on All Mum Said.

We know what a task finding a decent backpack and lunch box can be for the kids when they go back to school. They need to be strong, comfortable while being supportive and made to last. Gooie bags and lunch boxes are a great option because they are durable and designed to handle whatever kids put them through. Gooie is a proudly Australian owned and operated business that creates reliable products for families. Gooie’s range includes, insulated lunch boxes, backpacks, trolley bags, pencil cases and a variety of other multifunctional bags and totes. Below you will find a review of some of the amazing Gooie bags available and one of their lunch boxes plus you will also have a chance to win yourself a fantastic Gooie prize pack.

Gooie Bags

Large Backpack

This large backpack is full of features. Each bag is fully lined for extra protection, has the added benefits of large zip pullers making it easy for children to use and one of my favourite features, a waterproof coating on the fabric. This school bag measures 42x32x10cm and is a great size for 6-12 year olds. It also features contoured, padded and adjustable shoulder straps with a sternum strap for both comfort and support. With 4 zip compartments and a drink bottle holder your child will always have room for their school stuff, jumpers, hats, lunch boxes, etc. They retail for $59.99 and are available in a wide range of prints – spotti dotti, xtreme sport (shown here), car-mo, navy blossom, woodlands and dino.

Small Backpack

The small backpack shares all the great features of the large backpack but in a smaller version. Measuring 36x25x9cm, this Gooie bag is the perfect size 2½ -5 years. A great bag for kindy, preschool and day care as it also has the waterproof coating in case of spills. With 4 zip compartments and a drink bottle holder your little one will have plenty of space to bring home their art creations and keep their lunch safe. It is also available in a wide range of prints – spotti dotti (shown here), navy blossom, car-mo, dino and woodlands. RRP $49.99.

XL Lunchbox

As mentioned above trying to find a good lunchbox is hard. A lot of them are just not big enough and many don’t last a term before they start falling apart. Gooie have put thought into their lunch box making them easy to clean, a sinch to open to close and are generously sized. Perfect for not only school students but also mums and dads taking kids out and about thanks to its detachable shoulder strap and extra zip pocket on the front. The fully insulated interior keeps food fresh and cool when it needs it to be. The XL lunchbox measures 24x24x9cm and is also available in a wide range of prints – spotti dotti, xtreme sport, woodlands, dino, navy blossom and car-mo (shown here). RRP $34.99. These are a must have!!

Prize Contains: 1 x small backpack (suitable 2.5-5 years) RRP $49.99, 1 x large backpack (suitable 6-12 years) RRP $59.99, 1 x XL lunchbox RRP$29.99. Winners choice of design for each item. TOTAL PRIZE POOL $139.97.

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. ** 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The post Back to School with Gooie Bags + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

Smiggle back to school with these goodies! When I was at school I always loved choosing the stationary for the start of the new school year. I would get my new school bag for Christmas and got to stock it with everything we needed for back to school. We would cover our books in posters and choose a pencil case that suited our style that year. Can you tell I’m a stationary nut? I LOVE IT ALL!!

I don’t remember having Smiggle back to school goodies way back when but they are incredibly fun and colourful. My boys cannot wait to check out our local Smiggle store to see what exciting new stock they have to get them prepared for the commencement of the new term. The new year is full of fresh books, clean crisp bags and most importantly unique stationary.

Going back to school with Smiggle, you know you will have everything you need. Smiggle have always got exciting backpacks, lunch bags, pencil cases and so much more to get you back to school looking cool! The stationary is always full of colour and gets the imagination running wild. With aeroplane sharpeners, hardtop bubble pencil cases, holographic rulers and so much more, you know you will be prepared to take on anything. Who said learning couldn’t look great!

Prize contains: Hardtop Bubble Pencil Case (RRP $15.95), A6 Awesome Notebook (RRP $2.95), Flocked Foil Pencil (RRP $1.50), Sunshine Highlighter (RRP $5.95), Travel Lanyard (RRP $4.95), Travel Holographic Ruler (RRP $3.95), Pencil Sharpener (RRP $3.95), Smiles Case Scissors (RRP $3.95), Colour Pen Pencil (RRP $4.95), Travel Name Label Stickers (RRP $3.95) – Total Prize Pool: $52.05.

**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received 1x of these packs for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

The post Smiggle Back to School + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

With school starting back this week it’s time to start thinking about getting organised and getting a head start on lunches. I like to have a stock pile of goodies in the freezer ready for the boys lunches and having a range of options already prepared makes lunch different and exciting each day. I started doing this so I didn’t have to put too much thought (or effort) into packing the kids lunches during the week and having the options in the freezer means I only have to add the basics to their lunchboxes. There are lots of great options that are suitable for morning tea, lunches and even afternoon tea.

I make sure there are always a few staples ready to go and these are usually chocolate chip cookies, banana muffins and double chocolate chip muffins (shown below). What I love about these recipes is that are easily adjustable to suit your taste and nutritional needs. Your local IGA caters to most dietary needs which I found out when my sister was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. IGA has a huge range of gluten free, lactose free and even culture specific foods which can be used as alternate ingredients in my recipes. Click over to their facebook and Instagram pages to check out local stories, inspiration and ideas. I am also running a giveaway for IGA Australia to help you get organised for getting back to routine which you can enter here!

Dietary Specific Food

I want to share with you my personal favourite Double Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe so you too can get a head start on keeping the kids’ lunches exciting and delicious with minimal effort required. I love this recipe because it is so easy to make and the muffins are always moist and delicious!

Now is the time to get organised and the kids can even help with this recipe. Don’t forget to enter the IGA GIVEAWAY here!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

The post Delicious and Easy School Lunches + IGA GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

I cannot believe how fast the school holidays have gone, it only feels like a couple of weeks ago we were counting down the days until end of school while making preparations for Christmas and all of a sudden we are now doing the back to school shopping. Organising back to school items is exciting for kids but can be quite stressful for parents when you have to search for specific items that are hard to find or have minimal stock and sell out very quickly. It hadn’t occurred to me before to search my local IGA for stationary goodies until I was informed they had half price supplies; A4 Copyright Copy Paper, Selected Bic Stationary Range, Marbig exercise books and binder books, Spirax notebooks, Lecture Pads and so much more. Yep all at half price! I love notebooks and pretty much every other forms of stationary and office supply so as you can imagine I have now got a huge stockpile for me and more than enough for the kids’ school book lists.

Knowing that the holidays are fast coming to a close we now have to get prepared and get back into a routine. This of course means school lunches, homework and bedtime being regulated again as life returns to normal. IGA has often got everything I need to get organised and stay on top of the crazy school period; washing liquid for clean uniforms (regularly on special), lunch items, snacks, water bottles, lunch boxes plus a wide range of recipes to give you some ideas for quick and easy meals during the week. Check out the specials catalogue for your local IGA and see what bargains you can pick up this week.  To find out what other mums love about IGA pop over and like their facebook page and check out the Instagram for the latest summer fun.

IGA have been generous enough to offer Mad Mummas readers the chance to a $50 IGA voucher to help you get Back to Reality.

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!**

As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries. It’s good karma though and I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Disclosure: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.

The post Back to reality with IGA appeared first on All Mum Said.

With only a week of school holidays remaining we are now in preparation mode for the boys to return to school. These school holidays have absolutely wizzed by! This year we have both boys at school full time which is very exciting for the kids and of course my husband and I. They are very excited about choosing there new school items like backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes, pencil cases, etc. and as usual our school stock pile looks like we own shares in Smiggle. I completely understand their love for the brand though because I have a ‘slight’ Smiggle addiction myself.

Smiggle has almost everything you need for ‘Back to School’ and the range of options doesn’t disappoint. It is often hard to find backpacks that are made with quality and that won’t break within a few months of being use; the Smiggle school bags have a thick base, padded straps, divider inside, 3 external pockets in varying sizes and 2 drink bottle holders on the side. There is also matching water bottles, diaries, lunch boxes and the list goes on which gets the boys very excited when selecting their school products. Thanks to Smiggle being so bright and fun we got a huge chuck of our Back to School goodies organised without any drama or fuss and at affordable prices.

Are you ready for school to return? Where do you get your school products from? 

The post Back to School with Smiggle appeared first on All Mum Said.

Parents often ask themselves how can we prepare our children for school because I don’t want them to behind or struggle. How do we educate them to differentiate letters, how do we teach them the basics for reading, how do you make them want to learn? In all honesty some kids are just plain not interested and need to be encouraged. Kids want (and often need) to know that learning can be fun and thankfully many of the new tools available to parents today do exactly that.

My 4 year has been ‘playing’ with the new LeapReader for the past month and I say playing because that’s exactly what he thinks he is doing. He doesn’t realise that he is learning to take his time and listen to instructions before racing into the activity. Kye is also being more assertive with letters and is now excited to read and write. The LeapReader is designed to assist children in becoming confident, independent readers and writers. It does this by building their knowledge of reading fundamentals, sounding out letters and words, trace letters and eventually read sentences.

 I love that it takes an approach in education that is suitable for all ages and all levels of learning. With over 40 different books available for the LeapReader (and a wonderful selection at that) there is definitely something to suit every childs interests. We have been using the Learn to Write with Mr Pencil the most because it teaches children to write upper and lower case letters, shapes, direction, helps to understand letter sounds, correct stroke order and pencil control. Most importantly though – It is fun! The LeapReader is available from all major department stores and independent toy retailers for $99.99. For more information click over to the LeapFrog website.

As the title suggests I have a giveaway for Mad Mummas readers! I have 1x LeapReader with sampler book (RRP $99.99) that LeapFrog has generously given me 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!**As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries. It’s good karma though and I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!

The post Learning with LeapFrog + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

I know school hasn’t quite finished yet but with book-lists for next year being handed out in the next week the idea of having to organise ‘back to school’ gear is quite horrible. So many books to be wrapped, pencil cases, folders, writing things to be found and then there are the lunch boxes and school bags. The list NEVER ends!

There are some great alternatives now available to make organising school items so much more convenient. Spencil is one of them; a Brisbane based family business. They have a wide of products that would not only make your life easier but would also get your child excited about school if they aren’t already. You could even kill two birds with one stone and get them some of Spencils awesome products for Christmas. There are some fabulously bright and colour pieces that would make great stocking stuffers, give the kids something to do over the school holidays or get them ready for the new year. Check out the range of letter sets, gift sets and stationary and exciting erasers!!

There are 71 different pencil cases to choose from starting at only $3.95; the A4 Robots is pretty cute if you have a robot lover at home. A gorgeous selection of library bags for $12.95 that are made with PVC coated nylon and have a velcro fastening, name pocket and handle. With 125 different book covers means that there is something for absolutely everyone and every size book. Exercise – $2.25, A4 – $2.50 and Scrapbooks – $2.75. Not only are the Spencil products great quality but they are also affordable for families.

Besides the obvious requirements that are a must for me to purchase products (ie, good quality, safe & affordable), I love that Spencil donates money back to schools. For every book cover purchased between now and the end of February 2014 they will be giving back 10 cents to the school of customers’ choice; simply log onto the website and enter the unique code on the inside of your book cover. For more information check out the website or their facebook page.

Disclosure: I was not paid but I did receive product in exchange for review. As always my opinions are my own.

The post Spencil has you covered! appeared first on All Mum Said.

The words stationary, office supplies and back to school get me so excited!! I know I may be slightly jumping the gun with back to school considering school holidays haven’t even started yet but since I will have both my boys at school next year I am a little excited. Those who know me will know that I am an addict – a hard-core stationary addict. I cannot stop buying it which has everything to do with wanting to always be prepared and nothing to with the fact that I have a slight problem with limiting myself. My kids have inherited this love and so when I told them about the awesome range of products that Smiggle have, they were writing their wish list of what they wanted for school next year and the MASSIVE list for Christmas faster than the click of the pen (and that’s pretty damn quick).

Smiggle Mini Backpacks $34.95

 Smiggle have got a fantastic range of products just in time for Christmas and there is something to please pretty much everyone. Until recently I didn’t realise that the range extended beyond stationary and back to school goodies – my eyes have now been opened. They have so much more than just backpacks and pencil cases (they are great though) and very fitting for school kids but my amazement came from the variety that is suitable for Christmas. My 4 year olds favourites are the headphones that are brightly coloured and light weight and the jumping clock because every kid needs a jumping clock! There is so much on my 6 year olds list that I will only mention a few – desk fan (not sure why besides the fact it looks cool as he doesn’t have a desk), scratch books which I personally love and will be adding to their presents, money boxes/mini book safes, the colour changing umbrella (again awesome), scull wallet and of course he MUST have the rocket lamp.

Smiggle headphones Play $34.95 

Smiggle Scratch book $14.95 & Mini book safe $14.95

There are a heap of items that would be perfect for stocking stuffers as well like elastics (remember them?), watches, hair clips, unique rubbers and they have not forgotten about the family pet – they have a range of goodies for them as well.

Smiggle pencil cases

As the title suggests there is a giveaway that’s bound to score you some brownie points with the kids!! I have 2x amazing Smiggle Prize Packs to giveaway to 2x lucky Mad Mummas readers.

Each winner will receive: 1x Smiggle Jumping Clock, 1x Smiggle Play Headphones, 1x Smiggle Rocket Lamp. Each prize pack is valued at $81.85!

PRIZE UP FOR GRABS

 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!

The post Smiggle – More than just Stationary + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.