As you might already know, I love pretty things. I also love spots and dots, unusual gifts and am a sucker for gift wrapping. I was therefore thrilled to be asked to review a few products from The Dotty Popsy Gift Shop in Hove (Such a cute name).

Now this place looks like somewhere I would love to go with my girls. First up there is the shop itself which sells gifts for all the children in your life. From babies and toddlers to school age children and even teenagers there is something for everyone. They even do party bags. Best of all there is free gift wrapping…I love this!!

There is also a Tea Parlour tucked away at the back of the shop complete with an enclosed play area so you can sit back and relax whilst the children play. Breastfeeding is welcomed so no need to worry about that either. Perfect. Mmmmmm home made cake and a coffee whilst the girls are occupied, I can see myself there now. I wish I lived closer, I would definitely be checking it out.

In the meantime we were sent two cute products to review. A pair of Crawlings knee pads and a clothes plaster.

I had heard of Crawlings before but never used them. The Dotty Popsy Gift Shop is only 1 of 2 shops in the whole of the UK to stock them. Basically they are little baby knee pads. Super soft, vented behind the knee and very stretchy, they are perfect for little legs of all shapes and sizes. Daisy is crawling now so I am so glad she has them.

At 9 months Daisy doesn't sit still and wriggles everywhere. For the past month prior to her taking off I have been watching her rolling over and over, crawling forward 1 pace and then back tons more. She was practising going from lying down to sitting up and then just staying on her hands & knees rocking for ages.

Luckily though we had the Crawlings so I didn't have to worry about her getting sore knees. These are perfect! As you can see she likes them too:

In fact even big Sister Rosie (almost 3) has had a go:

Rosie always has scabby knees from falling off her bike and scooter etc so was quite interested when she realised they would protect her. I'm not she would wear them all the time but had she grown up with them she might do.

Now the clothes plaster has been a real blessing too. A few weeks ago I went through a pile of clothes that used to be Poppy's and found one of my favourite little summer dresses that would fit Rosie now. The only problem was it had a teeny tiny hole. I couldn't bring myself to bin it so I shoved it back in the bag meaning to ask my mum if she had any ideas.

Then this turned up saying it could be used to repair clothes or jazz up shoes. Perfect! It was even the right colours:

We ironed it on and voila……..:

What do you think?

I think it couldn't be any more perfect. It looks great, was super easy to apply in fact the name is spot on too as it really was like a plaster.

Just two of the lovely gift ideas from The Dotty Popsy Gift Shop. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area

Karen x

Wow I have been in need of some pampering recently so was over the moon to receive a deliciously smelling box of goodies to review.

The Mrs Miracles Gift Set from Find Me A Gift comes pre wrapped, so the perfect present for someone you really like and it smells amazing. I can not tell you how good it is:

In the box you will dscover a fantastic combination of Bomb Cosmetics treats, There is:

1 x Sensual Rose Shower & Bath Oil (100g)

1 x Beachcomber Soap (100g)

1 x Stress Less Bath Creamer (30g)

1 x Dark Heart Bath Blaster (100g)

1 x Love Buds Bath Mallow (30g)

All of which are handmade in the UK and contain natural ingredients and essential oils. Even the soap is mild and suitable for sensitive skin. I have eczema and have suffered no flare ups.

The smell is so good you may decide just to place the whole box in your bathroom but if you do decide to use these gorgeous products you won't be disappointed.

I've taken my time to try out each product (which by the way look exactly like the picture above). None of them are too overpowering. They turn the bath water subtle shades, with a few petrels etc and leave your skin silky soft and smelling good enough to eat. My favourite product though has to be the rosé shower and bath oil. It's like a magic relaxation oil that makes me relax so much I just fall asleep after my bath….bliss!

I would definitely recommend as a gift.

Thank you Find Me A Gift Im feeling much more chilled out this week.

Karen x

Desperately in need of a break and dreaming of holidays in the sun, we were terribly disappointed to find we couldn't get passports for the youngest two in time.

A little look online and I soon discovered there was no need to be sad or even to go abroad, there's a whole host of places to go to in the UK. There are even sites dedicated to finding family friendly holidays. From gorgeous cottages and holiday homes close to the sea, lakes or hills to log cabins there's something for everyone.

Deciding to embrace the strange snowy weather we picked a beautiful log cabin in the Sherwood Forest complete with underfloor heating, log burner and even a hot tub. A real treat. We booked it last minute ringing up on Monday morning and setting off that very afternoon. So exciting

Dreaming of long walks in the fresh air, toasting our toes & marshmallows by the fire and playing in the bubbly tub we were not disappointed .

When we arrived it looked like Christmas. Our lodge was draped in icicles and covered in snow. Not sure what to expect really: three bedrooms, two bedrooms and a huge living space awaited us. The letters WELCOME spelt out on the scrabble board and the hot tub warming… We were delighted and instantly relaxed.

I'm not sure if it was the lodge itself, the snow or the forest but we really didn't feel as though we were in the Uk. It felt much more like Canada and we loved it.

The lodge itself was gorgeous. It was very spacious and thought out. The underfloor heating was lovely and the lodge felt very warm (except for the Master bedroom which was freezing).

The kitchen was well stocked with everything needed to cook delicious family meals. We loved the fruit bowl and filled it to the top. If you don't want to cook there are local pubs pretty close by or you could even have pizza delivered (we didn't but they looked yummy).

One of the highlights of these lodges for the girls was getting so close to wildlife. They loved the little squirrel visitors each morning and admired them from the window.

There were dressing gowns and slippers in the main bedroom, perfect for getting to the hot tub. There was even Jenga, Scrabble or a Wii to play on those cold, wet days. We used it all.

Set up for walking and cycling there are plenty of trails to follow for all levels and ages. Bikes are availabe to hire too. There are several play parks for the children, local attractions close by and then after all that exercise you get to relax and unwind in your very own hot tub. We were in ours several times a day and again at night when the girls were all in bed (don't forget your baby monitor).

The log fire was gorgeous too. Perfect for warming up after long walks and hot tubs:

Just a few niggles though Forest Holidays – if you want to improve your service with the price you pay and the promise of a luxury holiday, Internet access really ought to be free, your bottles of products a bit bigger and the wood to get you started on your first night should be a bit more impressive….it looked like kindling to us. Not a log to be seen

That said though, a fantastic short break and an ideal one for sharing with family or friends. We are feeling so much more relaxed and refreshed and would definitely go back

Karen x

Please note we paid for this holiday in full ourselves and received no incentives or discounts in return for this review. I just felt like sharing my experience.

A few weeks ago we were asked to review easyblinds newest blind. I was very keen as at 7 months Daisy wouldn't nap longer than 30-40 minutes.

Both of us sleep deprived: she was tired and irritable and I was going crazy, not getting a break. For some reason I had never put a black out blind in her room, her Sisters have always had them so I'm not sure why not.

When the package arrived we were very impressed. A very large white blind was inside along with suckers, magic velcro and easy to follow instructions:

The blind is apparently the same as their previous ones but what we were testing really was the new Velcro strips.

You could leave the blind as is or cut to size. We chose the latter as Daisy really needed a blind. As she only has a small window there is still plenty left to take way with us. We could also use Velcro to stick the two pieces back together again if required.

Husband put it up whilst I watched with Daisy in my arms and took photos. He just cut the Velcro to size, peeled back the sticky tape and stuck to the window. It was that simple.

Husbands opinion “so easy even a monkey could do it”! Ok so slight exaggeration but I must admit it looked super easy to me.

Next he put the suckers on and then was ready to put the blind up. The blind has a lightly furry feeling on one side and it's this side that sticks to the Velcro and suckers……and then there was darkness! It really was that quick and that easy!

Husband is not easily impressed but thought this very simple idea was genius. I too think its very easy to use but what about the little lady herself?

Well Daisy seems to like it too. She has started on some medication for relux so I cant relate it all to her blind but im sure it plays a huge part. She is sleeping through the night again and even napping longer too.

I still have to settle her around the 45 minute mark (hopefully not for much longer) but she's going back to sleep for another sleep cycle. She's now napping for around 1 1/2 hours twice a day, making such a difference to her, to me, in fact to the whole family!

The main difference is on those occasions when Daisy falls asleep on the way back from the school run in the morning. In the past she would wake as she entered the house and nothing would get her back off again. Nowadays she's fast asleep again, in her cot within 10 minutes. I'm sure its because its darker.

Thank you easyblind, you have changed our life! I would say black out blinds for little ones are essential and these ones are fantastic.

Watch out for exciting new colours and tie backs too.

Karen x

With three little girls, one of whom wears real nappies and is starting to eat, another who is a little dirt magnet and likes splashing in puddles and a four year old who comes home from school filthy – thats a lot of washing.

We were very kindly sent three months of Vanish Stain remover to review. We have of course used it before but rather than just write its good I thought we would test it properly.

It didn't take long for my little ones to make mess and stain their clothes. On day one of receiving the vanish several real life situations presented themselves.

First up I gave Daisy some raspberries but couldn't find a bib. Oh well I had the Vanish ready.

She happily munched away and got covered right though her baby grow, to her vest and even her pretty nappy. I was a bit sceptical but chucked it in the wash basket for later.

Next up Rosie was having cheese on toast with ketchup and of course spilled some down her very white top….I didn't panic though. After all I had the other bits to wash so added it to the pile:

Finally, when we picked Poppy up from School she fell on some slippery leaves. Her white tights got covered in yucky mud. I didn't get pictures as she was very upset & crying.

So what happened when I washed it all? All gone that's what! See for yourself:

Do you use it?

Karen x

I did receive 2x tubs of Vanish for review purposes but all words and opinions are my own.

If you haven't brought your Mum a gift yet you might want to consider the lush reusable bubble bars…just gorgeous! I was sent 2 to try:

Costing £5.25 each they last for around 5-6 baths, meaning good value for money as well as looking and smelling gorgeous!

I'm a huge fan of Lush bubble baths. They turn the bath water pretty colours, have lovely scents which leave you snelling yummy and they make loads of bubbles too, who wouldn't like them?

These particular ones have an added bonus – little bags of seeds to plant with your little ones. Poppy & Rosie will have great fun doing this with me.

Karen x