Peppa Pig Jumbo Jet Toy Review*

Hellooo,

We had such a great delivery this week, we were sent Peppa Pig Muddy Puddle Jumbo Jet Toy for Corey to review :) In this house, we love Peppa and have pretty much the whole collection of the toys now. Keep reading to find out more information and some pictures:

Price: roughly £19.99

Available at: Toys R Us, Smyths, Argos, Asda and Tesco

Included: Plane, Peppa Pig Figure, 2 Suitcases, 2 Compartments, 3 Seats

As always Peppa Pig toys are sturdy and long lasting. This one is not any different. I can see it being pretty unbreakable. Easy to use, came out of packaging easily and needed no set up which is always a bonus with an impatient kid. Stickers already come attached on the toy although I have a feeling they won't last long with a lot of play. Batteries not needed for this particular toy as no noises or anything. It is a decent size, not too big and not too small. Suitable for a good age range I would say from 1-5 ish. Some say Corey is too old for toys like this at almost 4 but who cares right? I don't think it is babyish. I can see Corey having lots of fun with it, especially with our huge collection of other Peppa Pig toys. Price wise I do feel it is quite high compared to other toys in the Peppa Pig range but I would pay for it and I am sure many others would too.

I do have a couple of disappointments. Firstly there is only 3 seats which means if you have more figures at home that aren't included the family would not be able to travel together. Just in my mind, role play with Corey and from watching the shows - we would play with them going on holiday together surely? Couldn't leave one behind! Secondly, Corey is almost 4 and never actually been on a plane but he mentioned that they did not have seatbelts. In my opinion, this is a bit naughty as we try to teach our children the good things like having to wear seatbelts but sometimes kids could go well Peppa don't, etc. So that was a bit hard to explain. Especially as Peppa Pig Rocket that we already own, actually does come with seatbelts. Although, seatbelts are fiddly for younger children - personally we need to be consistent if we are to teach them the right things :) The suitcase compartment is hard to open as you have to push in on both sides but I am sure it will get easier for Corey when I have shown him a few more time - younger children maybe not as much?

Here are a few pictures I managed to snap of Corey playing - didn't manage a smile though!

I personally don't like watching Peppa Pig show although Corey does, I wonder if they will bring a movie out soon?! But we do both love the toys :) Will you be adding this to your kids collection?

Love, Gemma xo

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Silent Sunday #15

........

Finding "The One"

Helloo,

Something a little bit different today, and frankly expect it to be a long one from some actual facts to me rambling on but guarantee at some point you have experienced some of this and will relate.

If you are a friend or regular reader then you will know a couple of months back I was involved in a break-up and was heartbroken. But you see the thing is, it was a couple of months ago now. I spent ages being upset but I had to put a smile on my face every day and act as if nothing was wrong, for Corey's sake. One day them smiles weren't fake any more, I just had to get on with it.

Any ways a few weeks ago, my friend made me sign up to a dating app. I wasn't overly impressed or keen on the idea. I didn't expect anything from it, I just had a little nosey at some of the local guys and cringed when people I went to school with were on it - like hot ones who do not need a dating site. As a stay at home mum, I don't get much time to go out and socialise or meet new people so dating site was the only way. One day a couple of weeks ago, a  nice guy said hi. Frankly, we haven't stopped talking since whether it be on the phone or texting - all day every day. Before I knew it, a date has been arranged. To be honest, he is pretty awesome.

The other night, I actually felt guilty for being happy about this though. Which is silly isn't it? Why don't I deserve to be happy. Whether this thing is short term or long term. Who knows at this point but lets just go with the flow and see.

I saw an amazing article which is 45 life facts written by a 90 year old lady, and I actually came across it whilst writing this so it was perfect timing. A must read which you can view here. This is a few of my favourite quotes that stood out to me:

"Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present"

"Life is too short for long pity parties"

"Time heals almost everything. Give time time"

This old lady is so right, the one thing I need to do - is let go of my past. I never do! I am going to have major trust issues and think everything is a lie because that is what my past relationship came too. But why should I let that stop me from what could happen in the future? Not every guy is the same, and one day I may find "the one". Do I really want to screw my chances up of that because another guy played with my heart? I believe everyone deserves a second chance, including hearts.

Now I was always so set on how my life would turn out when I was younger. I wanted to go to college, fall in love, get married and have children by the time I was well 21. Life didn't exactly go how I planned, but I do have the most amazing kid obviously - which I wouldn't change for the world!

On Facebook. I asked fellow bloggers how old they were when they met "the one" specifically for this post. I thought maybe no one finds true love at this age, remember I am 21. Do we or don't we? Here is some statistics from fellow bloggers:

....STATISTICS....

(out of 56 people - all various ages)

They ages they found their one:

17 & under .. 15

18 - 20 .. 18

21 - 25 .. 6

26 - 30 .. 11

30 + .. 6

Something my friend, a fellow blogger Paige from Paige's Preferences said really put everything into perspective for me and she is right so I just had to share:

"I think you just know, you get that feeling. After a wreck of relationships of thinking you love someone when you meet that one person everything just falls into place"

I agree with Paige so much on this. I've decided to finally go with the flow of things and whether I like it or not I am going to have to let go of all the hurt, and just be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy - even me. Every guy I always thought would be the one, wasn't and then I found someone else. So maybe someone else will come along again. If it is meant to be then it will be.

When I was younger, I imagined love to be falling in love at a young age, getting married and staying like that until death do us part. Why is it that it seems the older generations, they could do it? If you look at your grandparents, I guarantee they are still together. I read once that an old couple said how they didn't throw something away when it was broken, they fixed it. Are their morals better than our generations? Don't get me wrong, if someone cheated then I would kick them to the curb but life has issues so instead of running from them. We should be working on them, to fix it and come out stronger! A couple who fight together, love together and so on - hand in hand all the way.

So I don't actually know why I wrote this post at all to be honest, it sounds like a random mix of random rubbish. Sometimes you don't ever find "the one" do you? When you have children, they are all you need. So I am not saying I will find "the one" maybe I won't or maybe I will. But I won't ever be alone or unhappy when I have Corey :)

Who knows what the future will hold for any of us, but we can only hope for the best and see what happens. I will leave it at that for today, bit of food for thought I guess. Here is another life fact from the 90 year old lady which we should always remember:

"The best is yet to come"

Love, Gemma xo

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Pampers Unicef Campaign - 1 Pack = 1 Vaccine

Helloo,

I am helping raise awareness for these because it is important causes that I fully back and want to do my bit in helping spread the word and also joining in the campaigns myself. As I am doing my bit, please keep reading to find out why and how you can join in too!

If you are a parent, then you will no doubt heard of Pampers nappies. By far my favourite and the only nappies I have ever used on my baby. For as long as I can remember I have always seen adverts, some of which can be really upsetting on how if you buy Pampers, for each packet they will give 1 vaccine to the charity Unicef who provide vaccines in poorer countries who don't have proper health care like we are fortunate to have.

So a little bit more about the back round of this all, Pampers have been doing this campaign annually since 2006, so this is their 9th. It has funded over 300 million vaccines, eliminating disease is 15 countries. Which is just an outstanding amount. But there are still babies in over 24 poor countries who are still at risk.

Do you remember when those firsts you had with your child? I do and they are the best moments of my life, and I will never forget them. Many of you may be aware that Corey was a premature baby and he was very poorly in hospital for the first few weeks of his life. But I remember the moments when he was like 2 weeks old and got to wear his first baby grow and stop being a little naked baby or the first time he actually got to feed from a bottle. That moment was one of the most precious to me, I got to feed him that bottle and here is that picture:

As for Christmas my favourite time of year - Corey was born 6 days before so his very first was spent in hospital non the less. But the year after, we got to celebrate his first Christmas at home. It was a great day and I have this beautiful picture of us two that is still by far one of my favourites ever that I will cherish forever.

All the other firsts too which I don't have a record of but first words, first steps, first everything. Every child, no matter whether they are your first or last - those firsts are just magical every time. Something to cherish, but firsts last for a lifetime. I am 21 and I still have firsts that I will take, like first (and hopefully only) marriage, maybe first degree etc.

The unfortunate thing is many children out there don't get any firsts because their lives are taken too early, for many reasons all over the world. But by the help of Pampers and Unicef, these poor countries will receive help to fight the main causes of child death of diseases which can be prevented by vaccinations. We all make sure our children get the vaccinations that our NHS provides, just encase to give them the chance and help them fight against nasty stuff we would never wish upon anyone, even our worst enemy.

These children everywhere need help, our help. We may not be able to ever come to world peace, even if we ever do, unfortunately death will still be a part of life. But we need to help charities to help fight illnesses and even create cures. One day we can hope this is all possible to help give people a fighting chance of prolonging lives to be healthy like we all want to be.

Now Emma Button - the famous Spice Girl, amazing designer and brilliant mum is actually the Ambassador of this particular campaign for the second year in a row. This is a 2 minute video of Emma explaining a bit more about the campaign and see some of the amazing work that has come out of helping some babies in Madagascar through the help of Pampers campaign:


Here is a another great video on Pampers YouTube, of many wonderfully cute babies having some of their firsts, please take a moment to have a quick view as it will make you smile. But whilst watching, remember the realisation of some babies that don't get their firsts like these, it is a heart breaking thought.


For every like or share of this video, Pampers will donate 1 vaccine. So think 100,000 likes means 100,000 vaccines. So please I ask of you to quickly give this video a like (and share) to help save a babies life.
Here is a little collage of some more precious moments with Corey over the years. I am so lucky I have been able to watch him grow and have these moments that I shall cherish forever with many more to come :) From that little baby above having his first bottle by me his mummy, to pictures from the past years. Not all are some of his firsts, but all great memories we have created and each pictures has a different reason to why I love him so much :) 

If you can share this post with someone too whether it be by email, social media via Twitter, Facebook etc then it will mean someone else can read this and be aware of the good work that is going on in the world and maybe they will like the video and help donate a vaccine to save a babies life. It doesn't take long and won't even take a few minutes of your time so please I ask you to like and share to help a baby, so every baby gets the chance to have their firsts and share it with their parents.
Remember that every 1 pack of Pampers you buy in any shop, will be 1 vaccine for a baby! 
I would love to hear about your most precious first moments with your child or children? :)
Also a very big thank you for taking the time to read this if you managed the whole way through to this point. I appreciate this is a very long post but I hope you took a moment to just like the video and help save a life - myself, Pampers and Unicef will be very grateful if you can :) 

Love, Gemma xo

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Silent Sunday #14

........

Money Saving Tips

Helloo,

Every now and then we all need to save some money, me especially. This year has been all about saving money and cutting down monthly costs etc. I haven't actually been able to save money but my monthly costs have gone down :)

Here is a few of my money saving tips:

Food Shopping 

The maximum there has ever been in my household was 2 adults and 1 child, if I were doing my weekly shop at Tesco I were spending at least £80 a week, we were absolutely terrible at it. In January I decided that I needed to give Aldi a try. I admit I was a bit snobbish at first and thought the worst. But the food is really nice, the fresh food lasts so much longer and I have ended up saving well over £150 a month. You must give them a try if you haven't already :) Or try a different store that is closer and also a cheaper alternative. I hear Lidl is good!

Spending Bans

Words none of us want to hear, trust me I know. I have a bit of an addiction. In July after my birthday haul (which you can view here) but when I totalled it, I realised how much I was spending - alot! Throughout August I done really well and didn't buy anything :) super proud! I decided to carry it on though, purely because I don't have any money too spend. So kind of have too, not really by choice. But although I would love a little treat, I am sticking to essentials that I need. It feels good because I am not worried about money as much and that is a good feeling.

Bargain Sites

There are a few places were you can find some bargains, they don't always have everything you want but they have some amazing deals for limited times etc. Especially there weekends away/spa breaks (hint hint!). I love having a read of the emails I receive with their bargains :) Here a list of a few:

- Wowcher
- Groupon
- Amazon Local
- Zulily
- My Voucher Codes
- Quidco (cashback)
- Top Cashback

Saving

It doesn't have to be much to save, obviously the more you can the better. But £5 a month? You can do it. It will all add up eventually. You aren't going to miss £5 a month. Or even a £5 a week. What my nan used to do, was have a few little bowls in her cupboards, for different pennies. Like 5p, 20p, £1 and £2, adding to it each time and it really did add up. I don't know how she done it but she did :) A good way to clear our your purse of all change that we all hate!

So there you have it, a few tips for some money saving. With Christmas just around the corner, yeah I said it - it is perfect timing :) Do you have any more tips that may be useful? Would love to know!

Love, Gemma xo

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Silent Sunday #13

........

Pregnancy - Losses & False Hope

Helloo,

Today I am talking about something quite serious and maybe upsetting for a few. So if this is a sensitive topic for you, please I advise you to not read on if you know it will upset you and that is not my intention.

Oh plus it is a super long one! It has taken me so unbelievably long to write this post, literally day after day I kept coming back but I could never get the words out and then to press the publish button was just so impossible.

Before I continue I will also be posting about premature babies soon ready for 'World Prematurity Day' on 17th November. Here is Corey at 4 weeks old on the NICU:

Talking about babies lets get on with today's post on pregnany false hope, miscarriages and still birth. 

It recently came to my attention on how common miscarriages, still births and baby deaths are. Not many of us like to share our experiences with this, even though sometimes talking can help. It depends on that individual. But more importantly, talking about it can help raise awareness. This week 9th - 15th October is actually 'Baby Loss Awareness Week'. More information is on the Sands (baby still birth and neonatal death) Charity by clicking here.

I too have been there, it was a few years ago now - way before my blogging days. I really don't want to even talk about it but it doesn't mean that every day I don't think about it. All that pain that comes with it. It was not a nice time in my life, certainly one of the worst. When I hear about other people who have gone through the same or similar, whether it be a celebrity, a fellow blogger, a friend or a stranger. My heart breaks for them knowing how they must be feeling and I can't help but cry.

Some of you may have known that recently I went through a break-up and still trying to mend my broken heart to be quite honest. That wasn't all though,  I thought I was pregnant and then time of the month was late, oh wow did I get excited and get my hopes up. It seems stupid to believe but there were signs, just horoscopes and stuff like that. But mine are always right and I was gutted when they were wrong. Even nausea though I was so ill for the whole week leading up to it.

I am probably as broody as it comes like I can't even describe how much I want another baby. I want that feeling again of growing a baby inside you, the newborn snuggles, the firsts (words, steps, shoes etc). I wanted Corey to be a big brother because I know he would of been an amazing big brother just like I would have been a good mummy to another!

Frankly, when my time of the month came, I was crushed. More than crushed, almost heart broken. I know it may sound silly to some because I didn't lose a child, not like last time any ways but I thought our time had come early, my hopes were raised and then it felt like my dream has now been taken from me.

I knew after a traumatic c-section and a miscarriage, I didn't think it would be easy to conceive - I knew there would be a problem. I just had that feeling. Next year with that said ex partner we were going to try for a baby. Obviously now that won't happen and maybe for the best as being a single mum to two wouldn't of been easy but it doesn't mean it still wasn't what I wanted.

One day my time will maybe come, that is if I can even conceive when that time comes. But god it feels like I may not get that chance now and how awful is that?

I am so lucky to have Corey, he is my best friend, my son, my whole world and so much more. I am so glad I have him by my side every day and I haven't been able to get upset around him as I don't want him to see his mummy cry. Even though he doesn't know it, he is helping me through! Just like my best friend Andrea from Blogger Mumma has been my absolute rock, I don't know what I would do without her right now. Every day she puts up with my texts, tears and moaning. She cheers me up and sends me videos of her singing along to Disney!

I know this experience I am going through is not pregnancy or baby loss, but to me at the moment it hurts. Especially as it is almost 3 years after my actual baby loss. I felt I couldn't really write this post because I felt I would be judged for what may seem like I am being upset over nothing but to me it is everything. But someone somewhere will probably be just as upset as I am too, I think I wrote this post so maybe someone will see it and not feel alone like I do.

People may say there is a way to get over a pregnancy or baby loss, but I don't think there is. That pain will never go away and it doesn't seem right to say it gets easier. I just think within time the pain becomes normal and you have no choice but to live daily life.

It was only until I had become a blogger I heard of the term 'rainbow baby' not realising that one day I would be having one too. I don't know if it is classed as that after a fair few years gone by. Either way a baby is so precious and I hope one say I get another to join my family.

I cry a lot for many reasons, I write about how I feel, I never really tell anyone how I feel though. But right now one thing I wish I could do is talk that person I love and just have a big cuddle, to be told that everything will be okay. If you have someone who can do that for you, confide in them and let them help. Don't suffer alone!

Love, Gemma xo

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Vita CoCo Kids Review*

Helloo,

A little while ago now I was sent some lovely drinks for Corey to try out, they are called Vita Coco Kids and they do grown up versions too :) Here is some pictures of the little tester enjoying himself:

A very fast growing brand, I even saw they provided drinks for the recent fashion weeks, so must be good :) The grown up versions come in many more flavours.

These ones I am reviewing today are "naturally fruit flavoured coconut water" according to their website which come in two flavours: Apple & Blackcurrant and Mango & Pineapple.

Each drink carton (180ml) has:

- 9g of sugar
- 40 calories
- no artificial colours, preservatives, sweeteners or flavours
- gluten and dairy free
- suitable for vegetarians

The little testers verdict, in his own words - "they smell nice, yummy and I love them" (Corey, aged 3.5)

You can buy these drinks (and the grown up versions too!) from supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsburys etc. Roughly £2.99 for a pack of 4.

Have you tried these yet? If not pick some up for the kids to try a healthy alternative yummy juice :)

Love, Gemma xo

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