Top Five Reasons to Visit Santa Ponsa Mallorca

Two years ago my family and I had the pleasure of holidaying in a little place called Santa Ponsa in the country of Mallorca. We enjoyed that vacation so much that we inevitably decided to head back there this year.

But why go back to the same place twice you ask?

Well that's what I am here to tell you. This small town in the South West of Majorca is extremely popular area with tourists and I'm sure you'll be able see why with plenty of shops and bars, even the obligatory mini golf and it's also still within reach of places like Palma on public transport of via taxi but these aren't the top reasons why you should consider taking your next break in this beautiful place.

With that in mind, here are

My Top Five Reasons Why I Think You Should Book a Family Holiday in Santa Ponsa, Mallorca:

1. Beautiful beaches - Maybe an obvious first choice because yes you get beaches wherever you choose to go on holiday but many of them require you to either walk some distance or even jump on a bus to reach your destination. At Santa Ponsa the beach is literally on your doorstep and it seems to go on for miles. With all the usual ammenities available when there like sun-beds, pedalos and showers for cleaning off. It's perfect for families and couples. Whether you are one to lay in the sun, jump in the sea for a swim or play in the sand, you'll definitely find yourself comfortable here. We often chose to walk round late afternoon/early evening time, slightly quieter and a little cooler too. 

SONIC Chic DELUXE Review

As a parent I'll admit one of the things I take more seriously these days is my oral health, obviously I like to demonstrate to my children that brushing teeth is important and that going to the dentist isn't a scary ordeal like my 5 year old seems to think it is (imagine huge melt-down with lots of screaming). 

Trunki Yondi Review

You may have noticed the recent giveaway on my blog, the one where you could win a Trunki Yondi, I also mentioned that I would be reviewing one of these too. Now you can read on to find out how my kids and I got on with this innovative travel product.

The Yondi is a travel pillow which is specially designed with hidden magnets that connect under your childs chin.

Available in 11 different designs and two sizes, the Yondi is made to be a soft and supportive pillow which stops your child's head from rolling forwards uncomfortably if they happen to fall asleep whilst you are travelling. I was sent one of each size to try.

Size small is designed for kids aged 2 and upwards and size medium is aimed at slightly older children starting from age 5. I chose Yondi Betsy for Layla (s) and Yondi Koko Koala for Gracie (m). You can see the difference in size in the photo below.

Travelodge Giveaway

I've always wanted to travel more. The husband likes holidays abroad, he much prefers the almost guaranteed hot weather. I however burn upon looking at the sun so I'd really like to see more of my own country. More weekends away would be great and this needn't be expensive especially when there are so many reasonable hotels like Travelodge to get a room in.

I thought I'd share with you 5 places in the UK that I would love to visit :

The Cotswolds

Described as a natural beauty, the idea of long scenic walks and the laying by a nice warm fire in the Winter months really appeals to me here.

Out and About With The Trunki BoostaPak

I've always known Trunki for their brilliant suitcases but their range continues to expand, including backpacks, storage, travel pillows and much much more. All their products are aimed to help parents and children who like to get out and about and be on the go.

I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review their Boostapak, a car seat which is also a backpack in disguise, clever!!!

Winner of a huge 10 awards including Practical Parenting & Innovation award and the LBP Best Travel Invention award, the Trunki Boostapak is designed so it can be taken everywhere with you.

Car seats can be a tricky subject. The law requires all children under the age of 12 or under the height of 135cm to use some sort of car seat.

The trouble I have with 4 children all needing a car seat is fitting them all car.

Most car seats are quite wide which normally means I struggle to squish three car seats in a row, this leaves me having to sit inbetween two car seats and putting the third in the front passenger seat.

The Magicbed Review and Giveaway

Introducing the Magicbed. This is a company and product created by two dads who like many other parents were growing tired of heavy, complicated travel cots when going on holidays and weekends away.

The Magibed is available in 5 different colours : blue, chocolate, black, pink and spotted pink. 

Seen as I have all girls, I was sent the Magicbed in the pink colourway, which I can confirm is absolutely stunning. The majority of the cot is a beige like colour that has pink around the sides and a beautiful butterfly either side of the cot.

What you get

In the box you receive :

the Magicbed itself

a self inflating mattress

a fleece sheet

a carry bag which all of the above are placed in

Before you can use the Magicbed properly you need to leave the mattress to self inflate for 12 hours, this is done simply by undoing the cap in the corner of the mattress. Once you have done this, then each subsequent time you use the mattress it will self inflate and deflate in under a minute. Deflating the mattress is very easy, just undo the cap, roll the mattress to squeeze the air out and do the cap back up.

Setting up the mattress takes next to no time. All you do is take the strap off from around it and it instantly pops open. The mattress is then placed in a hidden slot on the bottom of the cot, you can then fit the sheet inside which is cleverly velcroed into place, no struggling to reach down and tuck things in.

As you can see from the photo above, there is a pocket either side of the cot. A small one that you can pop your phone or mp3 player in so your little ones can listen to music whilst napping and a larger zip pocket the other side, I would use this to store the sheet in when not in use. 

Measuring approximately 100cm x 60cm inside, there is plenty of room for your child. Not only can you use it when on holiday or nights out, you can also use it as a place where your little one can play when you are trying to get things like housework done and you want to know that they are safe!! Layla was smiling the whole time she was in there and she slept soundly in there too, I'm taking that as a sign that it is very comfy inside!!

Folding the Magicbed is a doddle. You don't even need instructions to be able to do it. Simply place it on it's side, push near the middle and it will fold in on itself, fold over the other side, then hold it between your legs as you bring the straps back over to hold it in place.

Another great feature of the Magicbed is the travel bag that it comes in. The cot folds down very flat and to a fairly small 72cm wide, once placed in the travel bag, it only weighs 3.4kg so is light enough to carry around on your shoulder so you would be able to take it on public transport if needed.

The Magicbed truely is magical. It is as simple to set up as they say and is extremely sturdy for a pop up bed. I have been using it daily as means I don't have to keep putting Layla in her bedroom when she needs a nap, she can just sleep in her Magicbed in the lounge with me. It is very reasonably priced at £109, well worth every penny in my opinion. You can even purchase a sun canopy separately so that you can use it outside in the sunshine as well. I would recommend this to any parent.

Giveaway

Now the lovely people at Magicbed have kindly allowed me to giveaway one of their revolutionary Magicbeds to one lucky reader, all you need to do have a chance of winning is fill out the rafflecopter form below :

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone

xxxx

competition is listed on ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Ruby and Ginger The Original Nappy Purse Review

Ruby and Ginger is a company run by Liz Rhodes and Brenda Farnhill. They originally set up the company in 2009 after becoming first time mums and it was named after their first children.

This lovely twosome appeared on Dragons Den in early 2012 and have since gone from strength to strength. Their products are available in 100 retail outlets and online across the UK and Europe.

I was sent their Original Nappy Purse & change mat to test. There are three colours you can choose from, Berries, Funky Flower and Wallpaper. I was asked which one I would like and I chose Berries.

True to their word, this a stylish yet innovative product which fits nicely into the modern parents lifestyle. Measuring at a small 27cm x 19cm x 3.5cm, it comes complete with a change mat and a free refillable wipes case.

Made out of 100% cotton, the material is both water and dirt resistant, as well as washable at 30 degrees, making it both appealing to the eye and practical. The change mat also made of the same material is backed in a soft towelling, perfect for your little ones skin.

Being a user of both cloth nappies and disposable nappies, I had the chance to see how practical the nappy purse was for both.

As you can see from the top picture, when using cloth nappies, I was able to fit in one birth to potty nappy, two washable wipes, a spray bottle of water and the changing mat, so probably only suitable to use for quick trips out rather than a full day if you wanted to take the purse ot by itself. However if you are placing the purse in a changing bag you can always pop another couple of nappies in the changing bag.

The bottom picture shows that when using disposable nappies I managed to fit in 3 nappies, the refillable wipes case and the changing mat, a lot more than with the cloth nappies. What I love is that unlike a changing bag, this nappy purse doesn't become heavy.

The nappy purse has a handle on one side so that you can take it out by itself, there is even a pocket inside to put your keys of phone. It can be placed under a pushchair, or because of the handle if, you can have it on the handle of your pushchair, it can go in a changing bag as shown here in my Miracle Box changing bag review or even in your handbag, as shown by the picture below.

And if that wasn't enough, you can even use it as a clutch bag for going out if you wanted to, so even when you no longer need to use nappies, it won't be left to get dusty in a cupboard somewhere!!!!

Priced at £20.00, I think it is great value for money. Although not as ideal for a cloth nappy user, I would still recommend it to all mums because it can not only be used for baby things, it is a treat for mummy too. If I am honest I am tempted to buy the other two designs because as I have said before, a girl can never have too many bags.

You can Ruby and Ginger on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all their latest news.

Disclaimer : This Nappy Purse was sent to me free of charge for reviewing purposes, however all views and opinions are my own.

The Miracle Box Changing Bag Review

Never can a woman have too many bags. My husband often asked why I have so many, why do I need  them all, clearly he knows nothing about accessorising!!

And it is this reason that I got extremely excited when The Miracle Box sent me one of their new Chic range changing bags to try out.

The Miracle Box launched their first product in October 2007 at the Earls court baby show and since then have gone from strength to strength. Making birth balls, hiring out birthing pools, pre packed hospital bags and of course their stylish range of changing bags.

I received one of their new Chic changing bags in black spot but it will soon be available in red, stone and navy spot too. I think this kind of design is timeless so you don't have to worry about it going out of fashion any time soon.

As you can see from the picture above, it comes in lovely packaging and once opened up includes a change mat, buggy clips and a wet bag, as well as a built in chain in one of the pockets to hang your keys on. I couldn't believe how many pockets there were, it is definitely big enough to take everything except maybe the kitchen sink.

It is made out of 100% cotton but because it is laminated, you can easily wipe it clean and it has chrome studded feet at the bottom which I think makes it more durable, I always find the corners of my bags wearing away from being left on the floor so the feet should prevent this from happening.

I love how extendable the strap is because not only did it fit over my pushchair handles and over my shoulder, I could also wear it across my body which is extremely handy when I carry my youngest in a wrap. The only thing that could have made the strap better was some sort of padding round it as it tended to dig in a little when having it on for longer periods.

The video I have made gives you closer look at just how spacious the bag is :

Clearly I needed to test just how spacious the bag was and you will be pleased to know you can fit a lot in there. I packed the bag up when my kids were staying at nannie's house over night, so I shall list just what I put inside :

1x sleepsuit

1 x vest

1 x change of clothes

3 x bibs

2 x spoons

2 x cups

1 x change mat

1 x wet bag

1x ruby and ginger original nappy purse filled with wipes and nappies

1 x sleeping bag

1 x comforter

And as you can see from the picture below, there was still plenty more room for more items, so I can see this being a great bag to take on holiday.

Retailing at £45, I can highly recommend this changing bag to all of you, not only is it spacious and practical, it is stylish as well, a great mummy/baby accessory in my opinion.

You can find The Miracle Box on Facebook and Twitter for all their latest product news.

Disclaimer : This changing bag was sent to me free of charge for reviewing purposes but all views and opinions are my own.