All Mum Said

Telling it like it is...

Counting down the days

By 5 Comments

I am counting down the days until school resumes. It feels like the longest 2 weeks ever. I have not been able to hear myself think with the constant talking, fighting and yelling. It’s like they feel they have to compete to be the loudest and thoroughly enjoy playing ‘How can push mum over the edge and send her bat shit crazy today?’. I’ll be honest; I love it when they go to school. I get to reclaim a portion of my sanity and take pleasure in a cup of coffee WHEN IT’S HOT!! Oh it really is the little things that bring me joy. Lol. It’s not all bad when they are on holidays because we do get to discover who the kids are again because they change so often but a few minutes of peace wouldn’t go astray. Counting down!

My boys teachers are constantly telling me how well they get along and that they are like best friends but I am calling bull shit on that. (Sorry teachers) Maybe they just use up all their tolerance for one another at school and their personalities clash at home when they have been around each other too much but from where I stand I only ever get a glimpse of this ‘best bud’ behaviour you speak of. It actually reminds me of me and my brother and how we used to get along like a house on fire and then suddenly we were constantly fight – SORRY MUM!! You can call karma off now, surely I’ve paid my dues. I understand completely how exhausted you felt, not only physically but mentally. I am completely and utterly mentally drained. Still counting down the days.

Tell me it’s not just me – tell me your kids fight too. Tell me you count down the days until school resumes as well.

Back to School with That! + GIVEAWAY

By 79 Comments

For most families school is now back into full swing and life is returning back to its normal routine. In our home the afternoons consist of homework, outside play, dinner, showers and the making of lunches in preparation for the next day. I try and mix their lunch options up to keep it exciting and interesting but the one thing that is always requested is something from the That! range. They don’t care if it’s a That! Dairy Snack or a That! Milkshake, they just want one of them which is quite alright by me because I know that they are a healthier option in comparison to many other products in terms of kids lunch snacks. I like the fact they are convenient, great portion sizes and the kids will always eat them meaning no transferring them from lunch box to fridge continually like many of their yoghurts do!

As I have mentioned previously on Mad Mummas blog That! Dairy Snack is lunch box friendly, it’s gluten free, contains no preservatives and is a great source of calcium (made with Aussie Milk!) and is 98% fat free. The fact it doesn’t require refrigeration and can be enjoyed straight from the cupboard makes it ideal for not only school but also car trips, camping and when on the go. If you haven’t already tried them make sure you enter the giveaway below for your chance to win some or if you can’t wait that long add them to your shopping list this week! *That! are also running a giveaway on their website so once you have entered the one below pop over and enter that one too!* and just to sweeten the deal a little more enter their facebook giveaway away as well.

*****************************************************

Giveaway ~ I have 5x That! Product Prize packs each containing: 24x Pouches of That! (4 of each flavour of That! Dairy Snack and That! Milkshake) plus an exclusive branded That! apron. RRP $70.00 to giveaway to 5x deserving Mad Mummas readers. Total Prize Pool $350!

*****************************************************

To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions on the rafflecopter below.

1.Winner is decided based on skill and chance plays no part.

2.Australian residents only! Sorry everyone else.

3.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!

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

Back to School with Smiggle

By 1 Comment

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? 

Learning with LeapFrog + GIVEAWAY

By 108 Comments

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!

Spencil has you covered!

By Leave a Comment

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.

Top Posts & Pages