Keeping healthy and on top of life in winter is a hard thing to accomplish especially when you have kids that attend school or childcare. They pick up bugs, flus and god only knows what else. Being the sharing little people they are they distribute these germs around the home and to everyone else in the vicinity of a 100m radius. Extra precautions are required in the cooler months to keep immune systems at their best, to kick the health draining illnesses in the backside before they have a chance to take hold and keep you out of the game.

As soon as we feel the season changing we ensure we take our vitamins and eat extra vegetables so that we are doing everything we can to maintain our health. While I find it easy enough to swallow vitamins the kids struggle and it’s near impossible unless they are chewable. Up until recently when I was contacted by Hivita Vitamins I wasn’t aware that there was a liquid vitamin. The Hivita Liquivita is a multivitamin in liquid form which is ideal for children over the age 2, people who cannot swallow tablets and the elderly. The benefits of this are wonderful and stretch far beyond just your immune system – it also assists in the maintenance of healthy teeth, gums, skin and blood.  I have tasted the liquivita and while it isn’t the nicest tasting, I have definitely tasted worse medicine. The kids didn’t seem to mind the taste though which is a benefit in them wanting to take their supplements.

Hivita also cater to women with their Women’s Multi which offers a blend of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that assist in maintaining your nutritional needs, vitality and stamina. I have been taking this vitamin for almost a month now and while friends of mine have caught everything that they could possibly catch I have been living life as usual. The multi-vitamin also helps relieve the symptoms of PMS and assist your bodies ability to cope with stress. It is a great feeling knowing you have that additional help to keep your body (and mind) fighting fit and because Hivita are passionate about health and wellbeing  I didn’t see the harm in giving them a trial as my immune system body guards. They can stay on full time. Hivita are Australian owned and 100% Australian made and offer many wonderful posts on healthy living and staying well so pop over to their website and check out how you can maintain your health this winter.

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

The post Keep healthy this winter appeared first on All Mum Said.

I have said this time and time again; everything has changed so much in the baby department in terms of selections and availability. While it has only been 4 years since my previous baby it seems that so much has evolved and changed directions. Baby food for example has expanded and the options that are now available are incredible.

Gone are the days of having preservative filled jars or having to make meals from scratch to give your baby the best quality food. You can now purchase readily made organic meals! Ella’s Kitchen is one of the wonderful brands that cater to parents who only want the best for their children. Ella’s Kitchen was actually created by Ella’s dad, Paul Lindley who was so passionate in his belief that his daughter along with every other child should have the opportunity to eat healthy; and so Ella’s Kitchen was born. I love that I can walk into my pantry and choose from a large selection of meals and textures in conveniently portioned squeeze tubes and know that my 6 month old is getting nothing but the best. Nothing but 100% organic, nothing but real food and most importantly nothing but great flavours! Ella’s Kitchen pride themselves on the fact that there is no added sugar, salt or water, no additives or thickeners, no GM, no gluten, wheat, dairy or lactose, no lumps or bits and nothing artificial in their products.

 I will be honest and say that some of the meals I was a little unsure of flavour wise like the spinach, apple and swedes for example however Ella’s dad knows what little ones like because Hadley absolutely loved it!! She loved it so much that the spoon wasn’t fast enough for her and she ended up eating straight from the squeeze pouch. There are 7 flavours available in stage 1 (from 4 months) and 2 breakfast pouches for 6 months. Each and every flavour is unique, tasty and full of absolute goodness!! Ella’s kitchen (stage 1) is available at Coles for only $1.99 and in my eyes this is incredible value for money. We get approx. 3 feeds per pouch of this healthy natural baby food.

For your chance to try these for the first time or stock up on your babies’ favourite food enter the giveaway below. Prize contains: 1x upcycled lunch bag, Ella’s Kitchen bib and a selection of Ella’s Kitchen pouches (total value approx. $50).

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!

Disclaimer: I was sent some of Ella’s Kitchen products to try for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own as always. 

The post Ella’s Kitchen is a healthy winner + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

When you live in a house of mostly males there are bound to be some a lot of horrible, awful and unimaginable smells. A lot of the time I don’t think I want to know what the odour is that they have just wafted through the house from room to room but being a mother I always have to ask just in case it is something that has crawled into their school bag, bedrooms, etc. and died! Luckily this is yet to happen and hopefully won’t – ever. I like my house to be fresh; not only in appearance but aromas as well and having kids and a husband makes it near impossible. Since it would be very impractical, time consuming and quite costly for me to follow the boys and my husband around and spray pretty smelling stuff in the rooms they have just stunk out I have opted for something that freshens the rooms automatically.

You may have seen recently the new Dettol Glen 20 healthy air system in your local supermarket or on TV; I have been using it and want to share with you my thoughts. It has only been in action for a few days but so far it is great for neutralising the bad smells; I have noticed a more pleasant scent around my living areas! I love the convenience that it automatically releases bursts of fragrance allowing my home to remain smelling fresh, clean and welcoming. It is also very easy to use; basically you put the refill in, set the intensity control and it does the rest by itself! Set and forget – it doesn’t get much more convenient than that.

When there are majority males in the household the bathroom tends to become a zone of ‘enter at your own risk’. The smells left behind can be quite unpleasant at times. Thankfully the freshmatic air system helps to neutralise the bathroom odour and periodically releases bursts of fresh air scent to leave my home smelling wonderful.

For more information click here.

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As a mum I try to limit the amount of sugar and additives that my kids consume. Drinks are a hard one as they are really only limited to water and plain milk. Like any kids mine like to mix it up and change things on occasion like adding cordial which we all know contains enough sugar to give them a high for the next week. I love finding alternatives that are good for them as well as fun and interesting. They recently tried Water Buddies which both them and I are thrilled about! You can find them at Woolworths for $1.99.

Amazingly Water Buddies contain 80% less sugar than most oranges juices which makes them a fantastic option for kids. They are actually made from pure New Zealand water with no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and just a dash of natural flavour. Each flavour has an exciting character and every bottle has a joke or fun fact on the side so it keeps kids entertained as well as hydrated. Did I mention it contains less than 2% sugar per 100ml? Well it does! My boys loved their Water Buddies and drank them that fast I didn’t get a chance to taste them but I’m told they are deliciously awesome! The website contains a heap of fun stuff for the kids as well – find it here and facebook here.

If you haven’t yet tried them and want to or you have and you loved them you can win yourself a Water Buddy Goodie Pack – valued at $40!

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 Keeping Hydrated With Water Buddies + GIVEAWAY appeared first on All Mum Said.

For the past 10 days my kids and I have taken part in a 10 day challenge ~ Live Well Go Orange. It wasn’t a hard task to do all – eat 10 oranges over 10 days. I love the taste of oranges so I didn’t have to convince myself much it was worth doing; the amount of health benefits and delicious taste did that all on their own.

  Everyone knows oranges are a great source of Vitamin C but they are also full of valuable antioxidants. They are great for heart health and if that wasn’t enough they keep the aging process in check! Why wouldn’t you want to go orange?

There are many health benefits to be gained by eating oranges – for my family and I it is important that we boost our immune system and the antioxidants in oranges assist us to do so. Oranges are low GI and fibre which means they will help keep you satisfied for longer and ward off hunger pangs.

After taking the 10 day challenge I must say that I don’t look or feel any different on the outside but I know the benefits that my body has gained by having an orange a day and it is well worth it (especially with how cheap they are in the shops now!)

 Do you like oranges? Will you take the 10 day challenge?

The post I Went Orange! appeared first on All Mum Said.

Squishy at 20 weeks

Belly at 20 weeks (It’s much bigger now – update photos coming soon)

The post My Baby Is A ……. Pink Or Blue? appeared first on All Mum Said.