Get Labelling with My Nametags

So, they're back to school and once again it's time to make sure they have everything ready, uniform, equipment and all the other bits and bobs they need. But how long will it be before something goes missing? If they're anything like my eldest, give it a couple of weeks! My eldest started secondary school last year and managed to lose the whole of his PE kit, complete with rather expensive trainers, TWICE!!! Now, he's probably too old for name tags nowadays but when My Nametags contacted me to review their fab Mr Men Name Tag Stickers*, I thought they'd be perfect for Taylor for when he goes to the childminders and toddler groups.

I chose stickers over iron ons as they are super easy to use, with no ironing or sewing needed... bonus! ;) The versatile stickers are made with a magic ingredient meaning it'll stay put wash after wash. Being suitable for both clothes and equipment, and with their quirky and fun Mr Men design, they're perfect for allowing little ones to seek out their own belongings. I'm confident that Taylor will be able to find his own juice cup amongst identical ones at toddler group, by the blue sticker! And they are dishwasher proof too! ;)

Available at £13.95 plus £1.00 p&p, there are numerous designs to choose from [and many more aside from Mr Men too] and come in sheets of 56 stickers. There is space for a full name and telephone number, but I just stuck with Taylor's first name as there's no need for any more than that for what we'll use it for at this age, plus they'll be great to allow him to start recognising his own name. We've stuck them inside a few items of clothing, his juice cups and a couple of pairs of shoes so far. 

I'm really pleased with them, I had no idea such quick and easy products were available and they're so effective! And I love the fact that they can be used for so many things. Bags, lunch boxes, DVDs, as well as clothes.

I'll most definitely be keeping My Nametags in mind once he starts school!

xxx *Many thanks for My Nametags for the Mr Men stickers.  Stickers received in return for my honest review. All words & images are my own.

Summer Food Fest at Highcross Leicester

It's the last week of the school summer holidays here in Leicester. And what better way to spend it, then treating the kids to some yummy food! Highcross Leicester are celebrating all that's good to eat with some fantastic offers and discounts at their amazing eateries. Grab the kids, download the Highcross PLUS app and head down to the Highcross to snap up those discounts while you can!  I was invited down with a few other local blogger ladies to enjoy some of what Highcross' finest have to offer. We started off in Pizza Express to enjoy a table full of starters including antipasto, calamari, bruschetta and of course some garlic dough balls [as you CANNOT visit Pizza Express without demolishing a plate of dough balls! ;)].  It's a great restaurant and the food is always on point!

Next we moved on to Bills for mains. Now, if you've been to Bills before, you'll understand when I say how beautiful it is, totally instagrammable! ;) The staff were super accommodating and told us how we were about to be treated to their famous Fish Finger Sandwich, and the story behind it. And let me tell you, it looked and tasted SO GOOD. Perfectly thick, toasted bread with crispy cod fingers, tartare sauce, rocket and ketchup, accompanied by skinny fries. I couldn't finish it, it was so filling! I'll definitely be back for another in the future though, it was truly delicious! We happily washed them down with a gorgeous cocktail.

The ladies then moved onto Ed's Diner for dessert but I had to rush off to work but I popped back at a later date to see what they had in store for me. We're big fans of Ed's Diner, my eldest is a huge fan of their shakes and I'm rather partial to them too! I took the Mr along with me and we were both treated to a malt shake, I went for Reese's while James had Nutella. I'd never tried a Reese's shake before and it tasted ah-may-zing!! Since I have a crazy sweet tooth, I was a huge fan!

And this is just a handful of the fantastic places to eat. Highcross offer a choice of stylish restaurants, cafes and places to grab a snack, so if you're picking up the last bits of the school uniforms with the kids, rest assured you have plenty of great places to choose from to refuel!
Don't forget to check out the offers on the Highcross PLUS app including kids eat for 25p in Byron, 15% off YO! Sushi & kids eat for free at Handmade Burger just to name a few!
xxx *Huge thanks to Highcross, the staff at Pizza Express, Bills & Ed's Diner.


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Taylor: My Letter to You on your 2nd Birthday...

Dear Taylor,

This week you turn 2. It doesn't seem 5 minutes ago that I was writing your letter when you turned 1. It has gone SO fast. And you've grown so much... into a little monkey!! :) You most definitely know your own mind and like to be in charge. You've pretty much ruled the roost for the past 2 years and I can't see that changing any time soon.

You're still a bit of a massive grumpy bum and now you've got the language, you've started picking up phrases from your 12 year old brother, which is awkward when we're out for dinner in public and you're telling everyone to 'go away' and shouting 'for god's sake' when you can't get you're own way. Mummy often wishes the ground would swallow her up when that happens!! :/ Hopefully you'll grow out of those bad habits you've picked up soon!! [...but I'm sure they'll be replaced by a few more!] It's funny reading back on last years letter, your favourite word was 'Yeh', well this year it's most definitely 'No!', you've most definitely found your voice this year!

You picked up fantastic speech and language skills very early on, and we can now have little conversations with you. I love how you pick new things up all the time! You're very authoritative, you truly believe you're in charge and you like to communicate your feelings... LOUD. And tantrums are in full swing. In fact, you're just hilarious! :)

You love Mr Tumble and Justin's House. I've often wondered how much Justin charges for babysitting, as he's probably the only person that keeps your attention and you learn so much from him. In fact, I wonder if he'd move in... ;)

You keep me on my toes daily. You never stay still. You always have your head in a cupboard, or rifling through my drawers. You get fed up with your toys and just want to explore. You adore being outside, we're very lucky to have a nice, big garden with lots of shade to allow you to be free, explore and do as you wish. You're much happier when you're in the garden. We often spend sunny days outside all day long.

You're so funny! You have me giggling every single day, with your little facial expressions and your funny little personality. I hope you continue to see the funny things in life.

You showed interest in the potty very early and you're fantastic at taking yourself for a wee when you need one. If I left you nappy free all day, you'd confidently use the potty when you needed. We're still working on pants though, you often forget and we have some accidents but hey, you're still very young and I'm super proud of what you've achieved already!

Earlier this year you started going to a childminder, just once a week. This gives you a chance to have your own social time, away from Mummy [and gives Mummy a few hours to herself too]. You still sometimes cry when Daddy drops you off, but we know you have lots and lots of fun there, I see you playing happily with your friends when I collect you and you tell me all about the fun things you've been doing.

We've continued to be very lucky that Mummy has been able to work part time from home again this year, enabling me to be there with you every day, teaching you, playing with you. We have fun at our toddler groups and I have lots of fun things planned for us to do and see now you're getting a little bigger.  

You're our little miracle baby and we all love you so so much. You can be a monster at times, but you're my little monster. My beautiful, head strong little monster. I truly adore you and I hope you continue to be as inquisitive and head strong throughout your third year... although a little calmer would be nice. ;)

I was obviously destined to be a Mummy of boys. Even though growing up I always imagined me with cute little girls; doing their hair and playing with dolls. Fate obviously had other plans and decided I was to be the Mum that played ball in the garden, stood with baited breath while you climb, jump, throw and be fearless little boys. Rather than shopping and painting nails, I'm up on the high rope obstacle courses! But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm quite happy being the only Queen in our household, running around after my handsome Prince's and keeping you all in check.

Happy 2nd Birthday, little man. I hope you have an amazing day. Mummy loves you more than you'll ever truly know. xxxxx


xxx

Celebrating with Party Bags & Supplies

This week my baby boy turns 2. I can't quite get my head around it but it's most definitely happening. Back when I was pregnant, I joined a Due in August 2014 group on Facebook, from that I met up with a group of local ladies from the group who became very good friends, throughout my pregnancy and since the babies were born. One of which became one of the best friends I've been lucky enough to have. 

We planned a play date at my house and since it was during the fortnight of which they all turned 2, we decided to have a bit of a party, with the help of partybagsandsupplies.co.uk

Party Bags and Supplies is an online specialist party supplies company for all occasions. Their website is full of both children and adults themes for birthdays, christenings, Christmas, weddings and more.

They specialise in children's party ware and have a huge range of children's themes including all the latest character favourites. They sell all the usual party essentials plus filled party bags. 

Ordering online is super easy to do, I purchased a tableware pack and filled party bags for 8 people and they were delivered within a couple of days.

This Fireman Sam Party Tableware Pack* includes 8 paper plates, 8 paper cups, 16 napkins and a plastic table cover, all emblazoned with the bright, colourful Fireman Sam design. And at a price of just £9.99, I think this is fantastic value for money!

I also received these Filled Party Bags* which are an amazing idea. Party bags can be difficult to get right, as I've found over the years with my eldest. But these take the stress out of working out what to include. They offer a few options to choose from starting from £1 per bag up to £2.35 per bag and there are also little extras you can purchase too. Ours included a small bag of sweets, a hat, a badge and stickers.

I'll most definitely be using Party Bags & Supplies again, for stress free party planning. The price, the ease of ordering and quick delivery as well as great products, made the little ones 2nd birthday play date party, just brilliant!! xxx *Items received in return for this post. Many thanks to Party Bags & Supplies.


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A brand new hair salon comes to Leicester... RUSH HAIR

Award winning, top London based salon RUSH HAIR has chosen Leicester as their first East Midlands location. With 80 salons around the UK and over 20 years experience, we're excited to welcome them to Leicester and see what they're all about!

They opened their doors to the public this weekend but I was lucky enough to get a sneaky peak a few days before at a press event.

Situated on the High Street, franchisee Sandra Hopkins and her 20 strong team were all there ready to show us their newly furbished salon. All super excited for the launch and full of passion and enthusiasm for their new work place.

The salon looked fresh, shiny and new and ready to take on the hustle and bustle of new clients. 

We were greeted with a glass of bubbles and there were snacks around the room to help ourselves to as we chatted to the staff about the salon... And all things hair!

Firstly I sat down with Shane to discuss colour. He was super excited to be back working with L'Oreal and spoke about the latest hair colour trends. I explained how I was hoping to get some balayage in my hair and he gave me some great ideas, he spoke about where he'd put it, why balayage would be great for my hair, what would work best and we looked at some colour charts and discussed some ideas we both liked. 

There was also a GHD Styling area which a few of us headed straight for [who doesn't love a bit of a pamper!]. The lovely Rosie put some cute GHD waves in my hair and spoke about how much she was looking forward to the salon opening. It was her first job since qualifying and I loved how excited she was. She was really lovely! Hollie was also on hand to tell me about the equipment and brands they were using.

There was also stylists offering braiding and other hair tips. The staff were all so lovely, they were keen to tell us that they were passionate about not only making sure clients enjoy their experience in the salon and love the hair they leave with, but giving us tips and advice on how to work with our hair once we've left. They want us to be able to continue to love the work they've worked hard on by telling us the best way to style and look after it.

[credit: Amy Elizabeth Porter for this pic of me having my hair curled]

The salon is just beautiful, decorated in super chic black and white throughout for a modern but luxurious feel. And I'm in love with the cosy basin area they have. Tucked away at the back, in a dark, low lit room, imagine a totally relaxing hair wash experience. And what's more... They use Kerastase! This place is just winning with me! I adore Kerastase, and my hair could definitely do with some 'resistance therapist', that stuff has worked wonders on my hair in the past! I've actually chose to visit certain salons over others simply because they use Kerastase! 

Before I left, we were very kindly gifted a fab goody bag featuring a complimentary blow-dry card [yaaaaas!!] , some miniature 72 Hair shampoo, conditioner and intense replenishing mask [can't wait to try those out!] and a cute Redken #Hairgoals bag which included tips, some sachets of their Extreme shampoo & conditioner, a bottle of One United; a multi-benefit treatment spray, Pillow Proof blow dry treatment primer and a leave in frizz control cream. Truly spoilt and looking forward to giving them all a go!

I'll definitely be returning to RUSH HAIR soon, prices are pretty reasonable and they have some amazing offers on currently to celebrate their opening. So if you're local, definitely give them a visit next time you're need your tresses seeing to!!

xxx Huge thank you to Rush Hair, Leicester and Tank PR for the invite!

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Why I Love a Maxi Dress feat. House of Fraser

I love a maxi dress, they're such a good go to during the Summer months, especially on days like we often have here in the UK where the weather wavers between warm and cool. Maxi dresses are super comfortable, suit ANY figure and give you just the right amount of coverage so you're never worried you're showing too much flesh. Plus, when the sun decides to hide for a while, you're all covered up.


A maxi dress is a pretty effortless outfit choice. Dress it up, dress it down, tie it all together with cute accessories and you're ready for the day. 

House of Fraser have pages and pages of maxis on their website this Summer, whether you're looking for a cute, flowy daytime dress, a body hugging dress perfect for a night out or something pretty for a wedding, you'll find something to suit. I love this Khaki Tie Shoulder Maxi Dress from Dorothy Perkins petite range.  It looks as good on a warm summers day with a pair of sandals as it does with some cute wedges and jewellery for an evening out. It's a great colour, and so versatile, I'm confident I could still pull it off as we move into Autumn, with some boots and a leather jacket. 

I often reach for a maxi when I'm in a rush in the morning, I have a screaming toddler in the next room or I haven't had time to shave my legs [come on girls, I know you're with me on this!] I'm not a huge fan of my legs, so a maxi is a hit with me.

The cute tie shoulders bring a little attention to tanned shoulders and the neck line is the perfect shape for a cute necklace and highlighted collarbone!!  At just £20, I think it's a great price for such a worthy addition to my wardrobe!

What do you think? Are you a fan of maxi dresses?

xxx

*Many thanks to House of Fraser for the dress. Dress received in return for this post. All opinions are my own.