Did someone say..CHRISTMAS?!

Did I just mention the 'C' word in October? I will say it again but very quietly and very, very quickly:

............Christmas.

You know you are getting old when you start saying things like "it gets earlier every year"

Molly got to be a pop star for the day - An invited review.

Imagine being 5 years old and being told that you will be having a singing lesson with the teacher to the stars, CeCe Sammy AND having a try with the new Vtech Kidi Superstar microphone.

Well....

We were invited to London to Jet Studios where we met by the lovely Vtech team and introduced to CeCe, who was just perfect with the kids!
The children were shown their microphones and had a little time getting used to it, working out what buttons did what etc..

Then CeCe begun the singing lesson. She taught the children lots of different warming up exercises and then they managed to have a go using the microphone. It was pretty noisy (as you can imagine), so in all honesty it was hard to hear all the different features, for example; the robot. This converts your voice into a robot plus many other features too.

They then split up into 2 groups: fast or slow. Molly chose slow and was given the song 'Let It Go' to sing. Its not a very well-known song......of course, I'm kidding! Anyway, this meant that they got to sing out to their hearts content which they clearly all enjoyed very much.

It truly was a great day and was made even better by Molly taking home a Kidi Superstar Microphone to enjoy at home. I must admit that we managed to understand it a little more in the comfort of our home and we most certainly have a budding Taylor Swift on our hands.

A more detailed product review will follow soon.

Thank you Vtech for such an excellent day out and for absolutely guaranteeing zero peace and quiet in the house now!


Press Release:

With the X‐Factor season in full swing encouraging people all over the nation to test out their singing skills, VTech has teamed up with vocal coach to the stars, CeCe Sammy, to launch Kidi Super Star, a unique karaoke microphone and stand for all budding young singers.Best known for her work on Pop Idol and The Voice among others, CeCe has a long list of celebrity clients who have turned to her for her expert coaching including Leona Lewis, Charlotte Church, and Rochelle Humes from The Saturdays. Now she is willing to share her sought after advice to help youngsters benefit and enjoy singing even more.
VTech’s new Kidi Super Star karaoke microphone and stand uses innovative technology to reduce the vocals on any song. Whether you’re plugging in a mobile phone to access YouTube or Spotify or an MP3 with your own music library, the Kidi Super Star will reduce vocals to allow children be the star of the show. 

With a glowing light which changes colour for a magical atmosphere and unique microphone effects, children can record up to four minutes of a song allowing them to create individual versions of their favourite tracks. If that wasn’t enough, there are also six fun games to play.  

 The Kidi Super Star is the perfect toy for those 6+ who love to sing and is available from the VTechwebsite and all good toy stores nationwide with an RRP of £49.99

Ayra Rose - A review.

Ayra Rose is a new online clothing range which stocks the cutest but also beautifully stylish clothes for young children.
The clothes are custom designed, so you can be quite certain that your fashionista is wearing a completely unique style. From gorgeous rompers to beautiful denim dresses, I've even seen a cute black and white stripe 'twinning' outfit. Thats right, mum and daughter set - I LOVE a little twinning moment.

We were sent some lovely items for M and J. Take a look:

J's outfit is absolutely adorable. It looked incredibly comfortable and perfect for warm, sunny days. I was really surprised at the quality of the material. Where the clothes are not from a well-known high street brand, there is the risk about quality but J's body vest and harem trousers were soft and passed my 'hand' of the fabric test - which literally means how it feels when touched. The fabric is thick (ever noticed how Primark clothing is VERY thin!) and smooth which needs to be when you have a toddler who is into everything!

M was sent a gorgeous necklace which she instantly fell in love with, in fact, she hasn't taken it off.

The colours are bright and highly complimentary of most outfits. I'm not sure of the exact materials used but has a 'rubber' feel which M loved. She says it felt soft on her skin and not too heavy either.

Have a look at some of the other gorgeous items for sale at Arya Rose:

Shake, Ruffle and GO - Hairydust Review

As a young girl, I used to dread that sentence my mum would shout from up the stairs, whilst running the bath:

" Hair wash, tonight".

NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Now, as a parent, I dread saying that very same sentence to my daughter. I know a huge hissy fit will ensue followed by every excuse under the sun as to why she doesn't need one and once I have promised her that daddy will buy her a pony if she has one, the bathroom soon resembles a scene out of Waterworld (a really bad Kevin Costner film!)

So let me introduce you to Hairydust (love this name!):

The first natural and organic dry shampoo for children. and unlike adult dry shampoo's, Hairydust does not volumise the hair. I wouldn't want Molly going to school with Dolly Parton-esqe hair. It also has a lovely, natural fragrance which isn't too overpowering. 

I wash Molly's hair 2/3 times a week, so I thought I would give this a whirl on an in-between wash day. We did a little patch test on her skin the day before and proceeded the following day. The sprinkle holes are fairly small which is a god send as there is nothing worse than powder going everywhere. I worked in into her roots and her hair INSTANTLY looked fresher and natural.

                                    

                                   

                                    

                                    

I highly recommend Hairydust because lets face it, kids love getting food, mud, snot (gross!) and anything else I can't think of right now, in their hair. And, who has time to wash hair every night - for my own sanity, I'd rather not.

Hairydust is £9.99 and is available to buy from www.maxandnancy.co.uk

I h.e.a.r.t MAC

There is something about September/October that has me reaching for the red wine, brown chelsea boots and chunky knits. But it's not only my wardrobe that I love updating - my make-up bag gets a good seeing to too. Gone are the pretty pastels, to make room for dramatic eyes and deep lips. 

The beauty calendar is bursting at the seams with new autumnal collections and various palettes - a beauty junkies paradise. But MAC draws me back every time. I'm completely obsessed with their lipsticks, 'Please Me' being my staple lip colour but its time for a change.

I went for 'Twig' satin lipstick. Still long-lasting, but heading to the more warmer shades in the range. It's probably too dark for the school run look but perfect for those cosy winter evenings snuggled by the pub fire. 

I've never tried MAC's mascara before,  I've always been a YSL gal, but change is always a good thing. Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash sounds a bit OTT but honestly, its given YSL False Lash a run for their money. My lashes were defined, volumised without looking clumpy - perfect for a statement look!

What's your favourite A/W lip colour?

New starts..

I don't know about you, but although I left school 16 years ago - wait, WHAT??! Shit, I'm old - I still see September as the start of a new year. It's almost as good as January as far as I'm concerned.

So it seems fitting that our September brought us lots of changes.

We moved house. That's right. Stressful, chaotic, no idea where my beloved Russell & Bromley bag has gone in the big move. But not only have we moved house, but we have moved to a village. It's so beautiful, I didn't see myself as the 'country bumpkin' type, but it's growing on me. It's very peaceful, and quaint - although the church bell practise is still yet to grow on me. Why on earth do they need to practise so much?!
Molly started school. It feels like it's been a long time coming, with Molly being more than ready for it. However, a few days before, I started looking at Molly. That sounds odd - I do look at Molly, but I mean really looking at her, taking it in, that my baby is actually growing up. She is still very young but I know that in less than a year, she won't be as little. And she has started denying me kisses at bedtime - I HATE that. Really hate that. She used to love our kisses and cuddles in bed but now pushes me away. Im assured it's a girl thing as our son, Jack, albeit only 9 months, is so very different! He loves a snuggle with me....

So after all this craziness, my mum and dad are selling their house. Wait. Did I say 'there' house? Whoops, I meant MY house. The house I grew up in. From nappies to falling up the stairs blind drunk and inviting boys back to sitting in my room waiting for James (daddy to Molly and Jack and my other half!) to text me back.
Selling my childhood home is really starting to get to me. Some people don't understand it. 'It's just bricks!' But to me it's waaaaay more. It's memories. The BEST memories.

So change is good. And one day I won't want the change to change - but for now, I'm just getting used to our new life.

A place in the..... UK!

As a young girl, the thought of having our actual summer holiday 'holiday' in the UK would've made me stamp my feet and throw an almighty strop! Back then, late 80's/90's, it was all about the package holiday. Of course, we did spend