Skechers Shape Ups

Yay for comfy shoes, even more yay when they help you shape up!

I'm not one of those lucky people that after having a baby and breastfeeding that the weight just falls off (could be something to do with all the chocolate) so I've been looking for something else to help me on the journey to get back to pre-pregnancy weight.

I've seen the different shoes around for a while and had always wondered how they would feel, if they worked and if the price was worth it. First came the MBTs with their HUGE price tag, no chance! I saw some cheaper versions at target/Kmart/BigW but they all felt really uncomfortable on my feet and looked really bad. Finally it was Skechers that won me over.

Don't mind the dodgy photography as my 4 year old took this picture when we were at the zoo.

Skechers make a huge range of styles in their Shape-ups, SRR, SRT and Tone-up shoes so there would be something for any taste. I have the Liv-Smart Black/Hot Pink pair and think they are very cool! I think I'm going to change the laces to the hot pink pair that came with them.

 The rocker sole simulates walking on wet sand, the perfect conditions for firming, toning and strengthening it is claimed so I've been wearing them every day since I got them including the trip to the zoo, heading to the shops and everywhere in between. They are so comfortable they just feel like a great pair of sneakers and I don't feel any pain or difficulties during or after wearing them. The Liv range doesn't look as bulky or as obvious as a curved base as a lot I have seen.

RRP is $129.95 but I regularly see them on special around the shops.

I'll be sure to keep you update over the Summer if they actually do shape me up (will try and lay off the chocolate to help it along) or even if they just lift a few bits I'd be happy!

Tag*a*long

With 3 little ones quite close together and getting out without a spare hand this little addition has given me much peace of mind. I used to get M or J to just hold onto the side of the pram but with the wide back wheels it often caught their foot so who would want to hold on? So along came the Tag*a*long!

As you can see it stands out coming in 4 bright colours (tangerine pictured) so the kids know to grab it without a second thought after doing it a few times. I don't ever take it off as it doesn't get in the way when folding the pram. Makes crossing the road easy as the toddler holds onto the Tag*a*long and you have 2 free hands to push the pram.

For the small price of $14.95 it's become a pram essential. Available from Bonito Baby.

Agoo & Baby Banz working together

I had to share this from Agoo especially after recently having a mole scare myself.

Agoo Australia and Baby Banz Australia plan to give the Melanoma Institute of Australia as much money as they can for National Shade Day and need your help.

These two sun smart companies, both founded due to a gap in the sun protection market, and a desire to reduce sun related damage in kids, have joined forces to raise money and awareness for National Shade Day, highlighting the need to protect Australians from our harsh sun.

This year, on Friday 2 September, Melanoma Institute Australia is asking you to put your hat on to show your support for National Shade Day.

Wear a hat to work or school, even if you normally wouldn’t. You’ll be helping us raise awareness and protect yourself from the sun’s harmful UV rays at the same time.


We want you to protect your children’s eyes as well as their skin.

Purchase any Agoo UV rated tee (sizes 0-8) and receive a pair of Baby Banz or Kids Banz sunglasses valued at $24.95 FREE.

PLUS we will donate $5 from every pack to National Shade Day to support their research into prevention, finding better treatments for melanoma patients and ultimately, a cure.

Please help us to help save kids from unnecessary sun exposure and future damage.

You can find more details about our sun smart products at http://www.babybanz.com/australia and http://www.agoo.com.au/



M's 2nd birthday

 M actually turned 2 way back in May but some of the photos have taken until now to get so I can finally do this post!

Was so much fun planning & being able to use to many great companies I follow on Facebook.

Lucky it was a beautiful, sunny day.

The above bunting was all personalised with the matching invites, thankyou cards, lolly bag toppers and more and came from Print a Party. ($40) It was all very easy to do myself. I went down to Kmart and printed it all out and followed the instruction album on Print a Party's facebook page. My favourite was definitely the lolly bag toppers as it was so different to anything else we've gotten from a party.

Of course the birthday girl had to have her own birthday top (below) and I had been eyeing these off at Mezzies Prezzies for a long time! You can grab them from Mezzies Prezzies for $25 and can even get matching skirts. I also have one for J's birthday in August though in her favourite colour, hot pink.

 And finally the most important part of any party, THE CAKE!!!

I got the tin from Party at My Place. It's in the shape of a daisy and HUGE.

I am not the best cake maker but M totally loved it, probably the fact that it had marshmellows all over the top. We had enough leftover for morning tea for the next week. There are so many great tins including Dora, Elmo, dinosaur and more but I thought with 3 girls a flower will get a lot of use over the years.

I'm not big on the whole lolly bag filled with sugar after eating enough sugar at parties to drive any parent to insanity for the rest of the day so I had sultanas, a milky way and some bargains I got from Rudy and the Dodo in the bags which were a hit.

All in all it was a great morning and I didn't need to leave the house to organise any of it!

Now to start planning for the other 2 birthdays I have coming up in the next 4 weeks.....

Denim Baby winner!!!

Our most ever entries!!! With over 100 people entering, most having subscribed to the newsletter there were many names to write out but heres the winner....

Huge congrats to Lisa See who was actually the 2nd person to enter! I will be messaging you on FB shortly and you have a week to respond otherwise it will get redrawn.

Thanks to Denim Baby for the fantastic giveaway and thanks everyone for entering. Hopefully we will have more soon!

Denim Baby and Kutie Protocol jeans

 I only discovered Denim Baby last week and am so impressed by what I have seen and read!

The main aim of Denim Baby is to bring you quality denim products, stylish denim prints and the accessories to go with denim. You can find jeans, denim aprons, bibs, toys and more all with denim on there somewhere or a similar colour.

Friday 5th August is Jeans for Genes day and Denim Baby is a supporter who you can buy tees or notebooks from by hitting the Fundraising tab. The denim notebook is very cool and for only $12 something to justify some spending for a good cause.

I love the Alimrose denim jointed  toy pony (RRP $34.95) which is totally gorgeous with its red buttons and cream hair and also the very cool maternity jeans, especially the Seraphine Skinny Maternity jeans (RRP $159.95).

Most of all I'd like to talk about the Kutie Protocol jeans (pictured above in Kurt & Courtney) as they are unlike most other jeans I've seen for kids. First of all the whole range is Unisex so it doesn't matter if you have a boy and a girl you will get plenty of use out of them, they are an Australian brand, they are less travelled having used local textiles, made using recycled water and non-toxic dyes. I love the names which are made up of famous couples through history (or cartoon) like Adam & Eve, Fred & Wilma, John & Yoko. They start at size 1 and go up to a 7. There are also a range of matching vests and jackets so your little one will look cool from top to bottom.

Thanks to the fantastic store Denim Baby one lucky Bub & Moo reader will win a pair of Kutie Protocol jeans! Simple to enter and you can get up to 3 entries into the draw.

All you have to do is head to Denim Baby's Facebook page, like them and write on their wall 'New liker sent by Bub & Moo' (1 entry) for 2 entries sign up to their newsletter (the Denim Baby homepage on the left)  and write on their Facebook page wall 'New liker from Bub & Moo and newsletter subscriber' (2 entries). For a third entry make a purchase before the end of the competition and let me know here or on your post on their page.

Now the nitty gritty.
~ 1 entry per person
~ Any fake facebook profiles will have all your entries disqualified
~ Australia only
~ The winner will be announced on the blog and has 1 week to get in touch or the prize will be redrawn
~ Competition closes 11.59pm 24th July

Goodluck!

If you would like to read more about the story behind Kutie Protocol head here http://www.kutieprotocol.com/KP/Home.html

Kids nailpolish

With 3 girls I'm sure I have years ahead of them 'borrowing' my makeup but much nicer when it's non toxic and easy to wash off when I let them do mine.

We have 2 brands that I've bought, pictured above is Piggy Paint and also Hopscotch Kids.

Piggy Paint is as 'natural as mud', non-toxic, odourless & kid friendly. It's water based but dries quite quickly, try using a hairdryer to speed up the process for little ones that can't help but touch.

I picked mine up from Little Posh in Perth but online try Infant Boutique or Sharp Kids ($12.95). We have the 'Girls Rule' colour but I love 'Icecream Dream' and 'Dandelion Dance'.

Hopscotch Kids is pretty much the same, non-toxic, water based & odourless.

They say
"Our polishes are eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, fragrance free and biodegradable. It is our revolutionary technology that provides a high gloss, salon quality finish that dries to the touch in three minutes. There is no need for a basecoat or topcoat, saving you time and money, and our polishes have a longer shelf life than other water based products. In addition to our polishes, we have created our very own non-toxic conditioning remover that easily removes our polish without stripping or drying."

I totally love the colours & the names, we have 'Bubblegum, Bubblegum, in a Dish' (bright pink), I also love 'Three sailors went to sea, sea, sea' and 'Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe'. These generally are a bit pricier at $17.95 but have a larger range of colours and I think can be lighter when applied (good for little ones to try doing themselves) or darker with a second coat.

You can also find Hopscotch Kids at a wider range of online stores including A Little Bit of Cheek ($17.95), Little Styles ($19.95) or The Hip Infant ($19.95).

Both brands also make their own nail polish remover & can be bought in giftpacks.

My girls would have their fingers & toes painted every day if I let them! J did mine in the picture above and it came off the rest of my finger (and elbow!) easily when I washed my hands.

Would be a great gift idea instead of a lollybag at a girls birthday pamper party.