Babble Box

 We were lucky enough to get a chance to trial Babble Box and just in time for C's third birthday. The cute box arrived addressed to her and she was very excited to open it up.

 Everything in it was a surprise for both her and I, you don't know what is coming each month which makes it more fun!

 The August box contained bath toys! We love bath time here so it was perfect!

The box contained bath fingerpaint, bath crayons, a panda shower cap, rub a dub fashion in the tub and an Animal Tales book!

A month on and the biggest hit was the fashion in the tub pack, not a bath goes by without them being used! Our bathtub was a work of art for a couple of weeks with the crayons and we are still regularly reading the book.

A little about the Babble Box in case you have never heard of it. For $29.95 a month, including shipping, the box arrives on your doorstep full of quality products. You choose the age group and gender that the box will be aimed at. You can see on their website the previous months boxes to give you an idea of what they contain but there are no hints to the future ones as that is a surprise!

You can save money by signing up for a few months at a time. 3 months for $85.95, 6 months $159.95 and 12 months $299.95.

I love that you can also gift them! I have family living all around the state so would be much easier to get the box shipped directly to them and would be fun to call them up and see what they got in their boxes, have a babble about it!

The boxes are sent out on the 15th of each month, can't wait to hear what was in September! You need to get your orders in by the 30th of the month to get the next months box.

If all the above wasn't enough each month Babble Box also gives a donation to charity! When you sign up pick the charity you choose from the list or add your own you'd like them to support.

Thanks so much Babble Box for letting us trial a box. Even though we received this for free all opinions expressed are my own.

Rainbow party

 Bub has been planning her 6th birthday since the day after her 5th one (dinosaur themed). She decided it would be a rainbow party. Lucky for me rainbow seems to be very in this Winter!

Above is what I have so far hidden away for her. The Hootkid Take My Heart dress RRP $39.95 and the gorgeous necklace and bracelet set from Madison Grace Designs (Necklace $13 & bracelet $7) .

Now to decide what to go with it!

 Being in August I might need the Tutti Frutti gumboots ($29.95) from Skeanie, even if it is dry they are still so cute! All the rainbow shoes I've found have been sneakers or boots, maybe I should go a white shoe as the clouds at the end of the rainbow? Also looking for a rainbow hairclip or hat.

Working on the party food is so far fun! I've gotten tall sundae cups in bright colours for drinks, small ones for jelly, pinterest has never ending possibilities & the finishing touches will be Aimless Designs rainbow picks pictured above.

Has anyone done a rainbow party & have suggestions for me with the shoes and/or hair?

Acorn Garage

 honk honk, beep beep.

Having 3 girls first we haven't had many cars in this household but they love to play with them!

 The Acorn Garage is quality made out of wood so it's build to last.

It comes with the cute little wooden cars but there is plenty of parking for matchboxes too.

The lift is the biggest hit as you twist the top to make it go up and down then tip it for the car to move out.

Don't forget to fuel up on the bottom level and have a car service!

We have had this a couple of months now and despite a few extra lines added (thanks C and her crayons) it still looks brand new! The kids haven't grown bored of it and makes for a great way to pack up all the toy cars at the end of the day.

RRP $129.99 but currently on sale at Bambini Pronto for $64.99!

Mumma Loves Bubba toilet training competition

 It seems like so long since we have done a competition and boy have we got a good one!! We are currently going through toilet training with #3 and they have all been so different.

One thing we have used for them all are brolly sheets, so much easier to whip them off during the night than changing the whole bed! I've been wanting to try the Close Parent car seat protector as we have had a few little accidents in the car as well as a car sick child and cleaning the whole car seat is painful! Both of these and many other products to help make toilet training much easier are available from Mumma Loves Bubba.

 Brolly Sheets are available 5 great colours, blue, white, red, pink and the lime pictured above. They also come in single, king single, double and queen. RRP is $41.95 but they are currently on special for $35.50. Not just for toilet training they are also good to have on hand when sickness comes through the house.

The car seat pop in is not only useful but super cute! I love the monkey design in yellow and there is also pink owls, pink turtle, blue turtle and grey. Pop it in the car seat or the pram as you know they always are busting to go when you have an armful of shopping while in the furthest shop from the bathroom!

 

Thanks to Mumma Loves Bubba we have a Brolly Sheet single and a pop in car seat protector for one lucky liker! All you need to do is sign up for their newsletter and like their Facebook page. Closing 2nd April.

 

 

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Pixie Night Light by Beaba

 We've gone through many night lights here. Colour changing ones, temperature ones, plug ins & personalised. With toilet training at night time came torches which ended up for reading books after lights were off then left on all night until the batteries went flat in a couple of days.

Then along comes this cute little pixie! He will be sure to keep any monsters away! I love his little hat, he looks straight out of a fairy garden. Put it on its charger during the day and when night time comes place it next to their bed and the light lasts 7-12 hours depending on how bright it is set! The handle is very easy for little ones to carry around when they get up to go to the toilet & it doesn't get hot. There is a little button at the back with 3 settings, gentle light, stronger light & off. It didn't take M (3) long to work it out & claim it as hers.

Available in different colour combos. This is the plum/green, there is also blue/brown and pink/mauve. Available from Bambini Pronto for $64.99.

Trunki PaddlePak - swimming bag

My older 2 had both been doing swimming lessons since 6 months old but when I went to having 3 under 3 they got put aside for a while. Now the older 2 can do them without me needing to hop in aswell we have decided to start again.

Usually I throw everything in whatever backpack I have lying around but being a fan of Trunki (we have 2 of the ride on suitcases) I decided this would be great (and the kids could carry it themselves!).

I managed to fit in 2 towels and 2 pairs of goggles plus dresses to throw on afterwards for each of them in the one bag! Very impressed. Even with all of that in there it is still really light to carry.

It's made of a waterproof material then at the top you clip it up so it looks like a fish mouth. The straps are all padded and it also has a zip in the tail where you can put valuables.

Available in pink (pictured) or blue in the fish design (7.5L capacity) and a shark and whale (10L capacity) you can pick them up for $34.99 at Bambini Pronto.

Rock Your Baby

S opening his Christmas present (yummy!)

 

 One of the most affordable Australian labels on the market would have to be Rock Your Baby. They have such a great range of fun and funky designs for both boys and girls. At the moment each of my children has at least 4 of their pieces in their wardrobes! S is definitely the winner though with the cool onesies and rompers which are so easy when they are little but so not boring!

C got spoilt by her aunty

S has currently got the 'I surf small waves II', 'C'mon get happy', 'security' and 'What you talkin about willis' (top picture) plus a heap of pants & tees in 0 for when he grows a bit more. I love the retro designs and they always get comments!

For the girls they have fabulous party dresses, funky tees, cute skirts & cool shorts and jeans. The current favourite here is the cat girl tee for all those superheroes in training. Miss 5 was very jealous when she saw Miss 3 wearing it the first time! My first RYB purchase was a pair of jeans which not only have last through 3 girls but still look fantastic!

They have recently added cushions into the mix and they look amazing! It's hard to pick a favourite. I think mine would be between the kittens & puppy love but then what little girl doesn't like horses? S would have to be surfing! RRP $39.95

M's super hero pose

They are aimed at the under 8s but really hoping they extend it to 10-12 as mine get older!

Check out their sale section for massive bargains on past seasons. Heaps in the single digits!

Anyone else a RYB fan?

back of c'mon get happy

Love to Dream - wrap me up

little angel

Where were these when I had my first baby? Mine all loved their hands up and I could never keep them in the swaddle but absolutely LOVE the Love to Dream wrap. I used this on my son since birth and all I had to do most days was zip him up, put him in his bassinet and off to sleep he went!

I got the 'lite' version as it gets pretty hot in Perth but on cooler nights I just put him in a long romper and he was fine. Also available in pink & blue normal thickness, an organic one and then when you are ready to wean them off it the 50/50 which S is now in and I will post how that goes when I start unzipping the hands!

RRP $41.95, I got mine from Design Child. 

Pink Poppy Prize Pack!

 How is this? Just in time for Christmas the lovely people at Pink Poppy have a HUGE $150 prize pack up for grabs to one lucky Bub & Moo reader! I know my girls would be in heaven if they saw this Christmas morning.

Pink Poppy have a huge range at great prices! They have you covered from the tiara on your head to thongs on your feet!

Perfect the the very girly girls with lots of pink, sparkles and frills. Stock up your present cupboard or grab some last minute stocking stuffers at great prices without leaving your house or you can find them in stores all across Australia by clicking on Stockists.

It's not just for girls, they now have a large range of boys items. I love the superhero cape, the dragon puzzle & the dinosaur dinner set.

Thanks to the generosity of Pink Poppy the amazing prize pack (pictured top) contains:

1 x Fairy Pixie handbag-multi coloured

1 x Fairy Pixie coin purse-multi coloured

1 x Heart & Rose Necklace/Bracelet set

1 x Colourful Pixie Crown

1 x Fairy Pixie Skirt (size 5/6) - multi coloured

1 x Fairy Pixie Top (size 5/6) - multi coloured

1 x (packet) Pink Poppy Tea Party tattoos

1 x Pink Poppy Tea Party Memory Game

1 x Pink Poppy Tea Party Activity Book

1 x Colourful Pixie Wand

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You can find Pink Poppy at any of these places online

http://www.pinkpoppy.com.au/ 
http://pinkpoppygirl.blogspot.com.au/ 
https://twitter.com/PinkPoppyPretty 
http://www.facebook.com/PinkPoppy1 

Smiley Tots Towel and giveaway!

 I thought I would start with the picture of Jayne from Smiley Tots above as it's such a better photo than mine below that my husband took with an iPhone and 3 other kids trying to get in for a look see of our new addition!

This is THE BEST towel for bathing a little one! They always want to be in your arms and warm after getting out of the bath and it's often hard to juggle a towel and a wet, slippery baby.

The towel is worn like an apron so you can put it on before starting the whole bath routine. Wash bub then pull them out straight onto your chest and wrap the towel around them.

I love the funky teddy bear design on mine!

Priced at $35 each including postage they make a great present for a new baby. You can also find Smiley Tots at a few Perth markets where these sell out super quick! Keep up with which market they are attending on their Facebook page.

Thanks to Smiley Tots we have 2 of these towels for some lucky people to try with their bubs!!! Just head to the Bub & Moo facebook page and under the post sharing this blog post let me know if you want a boy towel or a girls one (both pictured below) and that you have liked the Smiley Tots facebook page. SIMPLE! Entries close 11.59pm WST on the 31st October 2012, lucky people chosen randomly and will be announced on the blog.

The gorgeous girl and boy towels!

If you can't see it says Lisa A for girls & Belinda D for boys! Congrats ladies

Mullins Designs

 When she found out we had a boy the lovely Jesika from Mullins Designs sent these around to me. 2 small but very thoughtful gifts as the Mum of a boy after 3 girls.

First above the Mitten Keepers. We all know how hard it is to keep mittens on little hands and how sharp their tiny nails are (they grow so quickly!!!) They are a soft, stretchy elastic that fits over any mittens and keeps them on. Priced at just $4 a pair for plain and $5 for embellished. We have gotten good use out of them!

Next can you guess what this is pictured below?

This is the 'Fountain Friend'. Can you guess it's use now? I had heard all the stories about little boys and their fountains from friends and S is no different after getting the midwife about 10 minutes after his birth! Just keep it on your change table and pop it over the crown jewels while cleaning bottoms or getting a new nappy to stop any fountain action. Would be a great added extra to a baby shower gift for someone having a boy, sure to get lots of stories and laughs!

Jesika is fantastic at answering any questions on her Facebook page and has some gorgeous items for both boys and girls so head over and have a look!

Thanks so much Jesika x

Crack open the Bubbles from Bambini Pronto

S all wrapped up!

 

 When you have a new baby the good old muslin wraps are much needed for those first weeks and you can't get better than these gorgeous, colourful Bubble Muslin Wraps from Bambini Pronto!

S is only 2 weeks old and I've already used these to wrap him, as a spare bassinet sheet after numerous pooplosions, cover when feeding (he loves to come off and look around!), throw over your shoulder for burping and block the wind in his face when out and about.

Spare sheet!

They are a huge 120cm square!

Keeping the breeze out of his face

Made from 100% pure pre-washed cotton.

The gorgeous prints available from Bambini Pronto

I love the prints in the set I have 'Hey Bright Eyes' with the 2 in the pictures above and also a star print.

There are multiple choices for prints and at just $39.99 I thought they were a great price but I just saw on the Bambini Pronto Facebook page you can claim a 40% off offer that can be used until midnight on the 17th October making them a bargain!

Check out the other brands you can get 40% off in this sale also here.

Pink Poppy

 





This parcel couldn't have arrived at a better time. We had just gotten home with our newest addition and trying to settle in and keep the girls entertained was a mission. They thought it was like Christmas opening up the parcel and all the pretty pink items inside we had to play straight away!

 

First we played about 30 games of memory (above right) until everyone had won at least a handful of times. Both my 5 & 3 year old loved it, my 2 year old didn't quite get it yet & just wanted all the cards!

 Then we worked out the light on one of the pens! (above) So cute & we had fun shining it on paper, hands and walls. Think this one would be a home pen as I can imagine my 5 year old would get easily distracted with it at school, the other one with the love heart would be much better for the school bag.

 Lastly we had to try the tattoos (above). Complete with glitter they were easy to apply & easy to remove. J wanted hers on her hand & M wanted hers in the same spot as Daddy (my future??)

We used to have a little store at our local shops that stocked Pink Poppy and it was always great to grab things to add into a present but they recently shut so I will have to find another nearby!

The prices are fantastic, the memory game is a great one to keep in the present cupboard for those last minute party presents at $15.34 and I LOVE this tea set which is only $11.55!! 

You can shop for Pink Poppy online or click here to find a store near you!

You can find Pink Poppy in many places online

http://www.pinkpoppy.com.au/

http://pinkpoppygirl.blogspot.com.au/

https://twitter.com/PinkPoppyPretty

http://www.facebook.com/PinkPoppy1

 

 

*Pink Poppy provided me with the above products for my honest review*

It's a flower, it's a playmat, it's a...bathtub?

 A new product to the market the Blooming Bath is something I have never seen before! Super cute idea and multifunctional as both a playmat and a bath.

I was in Maylands this morning and whenever I'm in the area I have to drop in and see Jo at Sosi. My sister and I were checking these out and wondering what they were so Jo explained to us and wanted to see how they really work so sent me home with one for our new addition Sam. 

As you can see above he looked like a Spring flower laying on the mat in the sunshine. It is soft and thick so he was nice and comfy laying there enjoying the last bit of sunshine today.

 The main purpose of it though is as a bath, one that you use in your sink! Most of us were probably bathed in the laundry trough when we were first born but this makes it much more comfortable and easier for us to wash them. As you can see Sam above enjoyed it. He is 10 days old today and even though so small he felt well supported in the bath. We did it in the kitchen sink this time but I think next time I'll try the laundry tub as it's next to the change table. I thought it would be a good way to show how it looks not in a display home kitchen.

After you have finished you can hang in on the line to dry or put it in the dryer for 10 minutes.

It has already won awards in the USA, comes in great colours (love the pink too), super soft materials (lovely minky fabric) and does a great job of making bath time comfortable for your little one.

It would be perfect for those that don't have a bath in their house and as a funky baby shower gift.

$59.95RRP drop in at Sosi in Maylands and see Jo or email her on jo@clothesatsosi.com.au for more details.

Go get a life...insurance (but read this first!)

Being 38 weeks pregnant it seems the pregnancy hormones are getting to me. If my husband is 5 minutes late home I assume that there has been a car accident and the pregnancy dreams of the house getting sucked up Wizard of Oz style and us living in a tent in the yard are just some of the joyful side effects this pregnancy is bringing to me. 

I've always been one of those people that always tick the insurance box. Home check, car check, health check, travel check, postage for that pair of shoes my daughter NEEDED check but life insurance is one that I never really thought about until having kids.

Now that we are a one income, mortgage, 3 19/20 children family if something should happen to my husband or I things would be hard, really hard! How do you juggle looking after 4 children under 6, earn a living and think about the future for all of you?

Having one income and trying to trim the fat off the budget it's often tempting to let insurance go or get less comprehensive insurance but people are making more claims than ever. Add it to your 'must have' list rather than the list of luxuries. Just think of the peace of mind rather than the added stress of the 'what if's' if something were to happen.

Why do Australian's need the Life Awareness Movement?

• nearly 50% of people have difficulty understanding insurance terms & gathering unbiased information
• 1/3 of super fund members are unaware their fund offers insurance cover
• Many Australian's don't understand how much insurance cover they actually need.
• Actual cover vs. cover required (based on IFF/AIST formulae)
• Average death cover: $189,000 vs. Average cover required $431,000
• Average level of TPD: $162,000 vs. Average cover required $437,000
• Average level of IP: $2,700 a month vs. Average level required $3,750

(TPD - Total Permanent Disability, IP - Income Protection)

This is something all of us with young families need to think about and sit down and talk to our spouses about. Get out your super and insurance papers and read through the fine print to see what and how much you are covered for.

Visit the life insurance calculator from Life Insurance Finder and then compare life insurance plans to find the right option for you.

I am participating in the LIFE Awareness campaign. I received a VISA gift card for this post courtesy of Life Insurance Finder via Digital Parents Collective. I am also in the running to win an iPad3. As always, all opinions are purely my own.

My Bubbler Deal savings!

 OK most that know me know I'm a bit of a deal voucher addict! OK I'm a LOT!!! Just printed out all the ones I currently have to use and there are 9. A few are from the big guys (Our Deal, Groupon etc) but the one I love to support is Bubbler Deals. Started by a Perth Mum and putting 5% of purchases back into the community and never going bananas selling thousands of vouchers to small businesses that can't handle it.

 I thought I might share some of my deals. My first was (pictured top) a deal for 2 nights at Footprints Preston Beach. For $149 it was the perfect price for our budget. Regular price was $270 so I saved over $100 on my first deal. If that one came up again I'd get 2!! Others I have gotten include high tea at The Pearfect Pantry (above) which I got vouchers for 4 people 52% off, below is Yummy Mummy day spa 67% off for a friend and I, dinner out for the whole family at a kid friendly restaurant 48% off (2 pictures below) and the bottom picture some amazing macarons for half price! In between these I've also done playcentres, tennis lessons and toy stores plus I still have 2 to use from Aussie Farmers Direct and Fired ceramic cafe!

 So I guess I should break out the calculator and see how much I've saved....

 Where is the calculator on the iPhone.... oh utilities obviously!

ok so I have spent $450!!! Jeepers! Not so bad over 9 months though. But the RRP of everything I got was $1,326! Savings of about 64%! It has helped that I have shared with my friends, who have grabbed vouchers, so I earnt some credit, my Aussie Farmers Direct box was nothing as I used credit!

I love that I can spoil us (or just me!) with a few luxuries through the year at a great price and has made some fantastic and fun memories for us.

Bubbler has recently launched Australia wide with a deal every Monday and another on Thursday for Perth people. They recently won the Aussie Mumpreneur award for best customer service! Head over and check out what's on offer this week!

Qubies!

Photo courtesy of Qubies

 Qubies have recently had a change! No they haven't changed their awesome design they have just added pink to their range! Isn't it cute?

Photo courtesy of Qubies

 I've had my Qubies for a few years now and they have had a workout but still look brand new!

 My girls have all gotten past the baby food stage but I will be there again in about 7 months time and with even less time on my hands to cook up something for the new bub each meal so I'm sure they will be getting well used.

 I do still get good use out of them. We have a HUGE lemon tree in the backyard and rather than end up throwing half of them out I have been squeezing the juice into the Qubies and freezing it. Was starting to get low but the lemons are just ripening up again now.

This pregnancy though I have LOVED chomping on some ice and orange juice so I have combined my 2 loves and poured my orange juice into the Qubies and now have bags of these yummy iceblocks to chew on whenever the cravings hit (much healthier than my other craving hot chips and gravy!!!)

You can get some other ideas from their Facebook page on what to use them for. I need to remember to use them for leftover sauces like pesto and egg whites which I always seem to forget about in the fridge, also tomato paste would be great as I freeze our homemade bases so would have one cube of tomato paste for one base! Hmmmm I could really get carried away and have snap lock bags all over my freezer!

One of the big pluses for me is the fact they are BPA, PVC and Phthalate free.

Available directly from the Qubies website, these online stores or Toys R Us stores nationally.

Thanks to Qubies one lucky Bub & Moo reader will win one of the new pink Qubies!!!

Enter our giveaway and cross your fingers!

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