Playpennies

In case you haven't been paying attention, Mother's Day is looming. It's on Sunday 3 April this year so you only have one and a half weeks to sort out suitable presents and cards and stuff.

I said SUITABLE presents, not a last minute dash to the One Stop or 8 til Late first thing on Sunday morning!

I know that chocolates and flowers are the most obvious things to choose, but what if the mum(s) you're buying for aren't chocolate fans or are currently on a no-chocolate diet?

Soap Star Gifts got in touch with us recently and we think they have the PERFECT solution to this no-cake-no-chocolate pressie dilemma.

I found myself utterly mesmerised by the things we sent to our mum tester, Becky; I've never seen anything for the bath that looks as fabulous and good enough to eat - although you can't, so please don't try!

The response in Becky's household was just the same...

"OOH! How gorgeous! A lovely box of chocolates!" was Becky's reaction to the Luxury Chocolate Lovers Bath Melt gift set (£10).

"They look so edible.  In fact, I had to keep the cupcake one hidden away so that my toddler couldn't eat it; it looked far too scrummy."

And she's not wrong, just look at them!   The presentation is beautiful and the six 'chocolates' all contain natural Cocoa Butter and essential oils; cocoa and chocolates without a single calorie.

Now that's what I call the perfect chocolate gift for those in a no-chocolate-fly-zone and Becky told us that they smell 'absolutely gorgeous' too.

"My children were incredibly jealous, especially my 7-year-old daughter who could not believe her eyes," me neither - this review could take me some time to write as I can't stop staring at all the Soap Star Gifts images.

This wasn't the only Soap Star Gift we sent to Becky and whilst she confessed she's not the biggest 'bath person' in the world, she felt this put her in an ideal position and could test them from a position of bath impartiality.

A firm, but double-edged sword, favourite were the three cupcake bath bombs (£7.49).

"I love the drama of the bath bomb.  The smell is lovely, the oiliness feels very moisturising, but I really don't like the job of having to clean out the bath afterwards," Becky told us.

I have to agree, there are few things as 'soul destroying' as enjoying a lovely bath and then having to spend ages cleaning the tub when you get out.

"The glamour of petal like bits floating in the bath is replaced by the hassle of trying to get them off your skin and bath afterwards.  Although the 'bitty' ones have the most dramatic effect, they are quite tiresome to deal with."

Becky decided she preferred the ones that had just one or two flower embellishments on the top as they didn't come with all the cleaning after effects.

If you're going to give such a Soap Star Gift to the mum in your household this Mother's Day, then I think it should also come with a firm promise that YOU will clean up the bath bomb aftermath for her!

Becky's children totally fell in love with everything from Soap Star Gifts, but due to their lovely oiliness (the bath bombs, not the kids) it did leave them with greasy hair afterwards which required washing again in different water from the bath water.

Becky felt this was a small price to pay for the sheer enjoyment her children got from having cupcakes and chocolates in the bath.

There are bigger and more 'grown up' cupcake bath bombs available from Soap Star Gifts that really are a bit special.

I'm completely in love with these two: La Vie en Rose Bath Bomb (£8.95) which comes gift boxed and is big enough to last for more than a few baths apparently, and this Wedding Ring bath bomb (£8.95).

They are just TOO stunning for words; perfect should there be a Mother's Day proposal in the air or a just to say I LOVE YOU!

And finally...

Everyone is in agreement that all the goodies from Soap Star Gifts are amazing works of art that come beautifully packaged; it almost seems a shame to 'ruin' them by putting them in the bath!

The prices are not extortionate either, and nicely pitched, for a special gift that really will be lovely to give and even more lovely to receive.

If you want to push the boat out and give something ultra special, Soap Star Gifts also offer a bespoke service with prices starting from £25...

"At Soap Star Gifts we specialise in creating luxury gifts to your exact requirements. Whatever the occasions or price we can provide you with a stunning and individual Bath & Body Gift Set made up of the finest products available."

The cost of delivery will depend on how much you spend but once you're over the £50 mark delivery is free.

You also need to allow up to seven working days for your order to be dispatched, so if you're thinking about a Soap Star Gift for Mother's Day then start getting organised now.

That said, Soap Star Gifts do say that they'll try their best to get things to you if you need them sooner, you just have to let them know.

www.soapstargifts.co.uk

Fresh herbs. Salads. Two of my favourite things at any time of the year. I use herbs in everything. They add flavour and contain trace elements and minerals we need. Thyme, for example, contains a compound the brain finds particularly nourishing and which isn't found in any other foods.

Salads, I live on these in the summer. I like to make a big bowl up at the start of the day, and have it there to nibble away at throughout the day. Just with a simple dressing. A spoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of lemon juice is my favourite. It stops the leaves from curling up as well.

So, why not grow your own rather than buying them from the shops? Which is why when the Stewart Company asked if we'd like to see their new products, The Kitchen Garden Propagator Set and the self watering Herb Pot I said yes.

I gave them to PlayPennies mum of three Linda to test out. Read on below to find out how she got on, in her own words.

The Kitchen Garden Propagator

I'm not a great gardener. We have a garden but I don't really know what to do with it. Generally plants I put in there die, unless they're really hardy. So it looks pretty much as it did when we moved in 15 years ago.

The Kitchen Garden Propagator (which you can buy from Plant Me Now for £9.95) comes with a 67cm long tray, two 22cm propagator trays, and five little flower pots. You put gravel in the tray that the propagators and pots sit on.The compost and seeds go in trays and pots. All of that you have to buy yourself though, they don't come with the set!

This setup makes it quite nice and tidy, and while it was a little large to fit comfortably along the window ledge in our kitchen, it was easy to slip it into a sunny but sheltered corner of the conservatory.

This was necessary as the box says you need temperatures of 15 to 21 degrees to germinate. We've put in tomato, and carrot seeds so far. I'm looking at some other types of vegetables to plant. I just need to find out when the best time to plant them is. Did I say I know nothing about growing plants?

What I liked was the practical and simple advice given on the instructions on the box for this. Such as sprinkling water gently if the surface of the compost is drying. I suspect now that over watering was the reason why I've failed to grow plants in the past.

They sent me a third, separate propagator tray. I could just about squeeze it onto the tray with the other two. But it didn't really fit three propagators, with one slightly on a tilt it wasn't really ideal. It would have been nice if they did fit, so you had the option of three propagators or the flower pots. I haven't used the flower pots yet. I think I will put herbs in them, but I'm worried it is still a little bit cold even in the conservatory.

The propagators seem to be working well, even though the weather hasn't really warmed up a lot yet. I already have a few green shoots peeking through. I'm worried though that by now I should have a lot more!

The Herb Pot

The self watering Herb Pot (which can be found at Veg Growers for £9.99) is pretty much a necessity for me I think!. I'm really excited about this as I love fresh herbs but always kill any I try to keep on the window ledge in the kitchen.

I am wondering now, after my experience with the Kitchen Garden, whether in fact it is over watering that is my problem.

Despite the name, you do actually have to put some water in it! Unfortunately it doesn't turn the tap on and pour the water in itself. Maybe one day.

I liked that this is an attractive pot, and looks a lot nicer in my kitchen than a standard brown pot sitting on a saucer. There are four compartments that can be picked up and taken out individually. So you can grow four herbs in there, with their own soils, and replace as necessary without disturbing the others.

You pour half a litre of water into the central reservoir while the pots are out. There is a capillary mat in there, which is the key to the self watering system. You can then keep this topped up by pouring water down the middle of the column. Overflow goes into the tray beneath the pots. So there's no chance of flooding the pots unless you put a heck of a lot of water in there!

The pots then soak up the water the plants need, and you're sorted. Right now I have basil, thyme and sage in there. I bought these from the supermarket. The herb pot contains very clear and practical instructions for transferring these plants to the pots, so I am fairly confident that they will do well. It has been two weeks now, and they aren't dying yet!

And Finally ...

For less than a tenner I would say that these are good value. I am not keen on the white of the herb pot, I seem to spend a lot of time cleaning that. But it does look very fresh on my window ledge. The Kitchen Garden Set isn't exactly a design classic. I would have liked it to have had something less of a potting shed look to it, as I have to keep it in my conservatory at the moment.

But it does keep everything tidily together, and will make it easy to put the propagators outside when the weather gets warmer.

The important thing is that I know now I can grow plants. It is just a matter of having the right equipment, and importantly, the right knowledge. I think having the basic, simple instructions included with the sets has made a huge difference for me.

I have to confess that I have an enormous weak spot for teddy bears. They are so utterly soft and cute and cuddly. My 1st Years have a Mother’s Day bear that can be customised to say that your child loves mummy.

Let me explain. Based on all the rave reviews of My 1st Years I decided to get a Mother’s Day bear for my mother-in-law. I customised the shirt to say “Tabitha loves Grandma” and I can’t wait to give it to her.

The bear is utterly soft and scrummy. Not too firmly stuffed (I hate that) but not floppy and yuk either. He is just right. The print has come out really well, although the Grandma is a bit squished and not perfect.

When you create your Mother’s Day bear you add in the names using their personalisation software. You can adjust the colour of the text, and the font you use. You are, however, limited to only 15 characters per name.

The Heart Mummy bear sells for £25 and comes in a free luxury gift box that is, I have to say, really lovely. This big blue box is reminiscent of American movies where they open big boxes of soft paper to reveal gorgeous frocks. I love it. I wish I didn’t have to give it away.

If you fancy giving a bear to a grandma or mother-in-law you can personalise a bear with just their name for £20, or you can give one to your partner for all her hard work which has a big heart and your names in the middle.

These bears are a little above the cost line, I agree, but they are excellent quality and feel really furry as opposed to plasticky and stiff. A buy that will last for ages and that’s wonderfully sentimental.

Who doesn’t love the Honey Monster, eh? Yeah. And Sugar Puffs are also pretty darn scrummy. Well, they’ve just launched a new flavour – Choco Puffs – and this is utterly divine. I am not a fan of Sugar Puffs if I am honest, but these are too delicious for words.

I find that Sugar Puffs are a bit too sweet and get too soggy too fast. I like my cereals crunchy, so these are not my thing. The Choco Puffs, on the other hand, are crunchy and delicious, and surprisingly not too sweet.

I am the first to admit that I have one heck of a sweet tooth. I could happily die in a bowl of chocolate. So perhaps someone with a very savoury tooth may disagree with what I am about to say. The Choco Puffs leave a faintly bitter taste on the tongue after each mouthful.

Not a nasty bitter taste, not at all. It’s that rich bitterness you get from dark chocolate. Chocolate that hasn’t been overly processed. Choco Puffs have an almost connoisseur type flavour that doesn’t overwhelm with sweetness, but rather leaves a rich and pleasant aftertaste.

Choco Puffs don’t seem to get as soggy as Sugar Puffs either. Now, this could be purely because I ate them so fast that they never stood a chance of getting all that milk into them. Or perhaps they are slightly less absorbent. I honestly couldn’t tell you.

Interestingly, though, my daughter adores Sugar Puffs but really does not like Choco Puffs. She will not touch them. She says that she “doesn’t like them and doesn’t want to have them for breakfast”. She doesn’t eat her cereals with milk so perhaps that’s why.

Result? Adults in my house love Choco Puffs but the kids do not. Weird, but true.

Skin Wisdom, the skin care range from Tesco, is celebrating its 10^th birthday. In celebration of this, Skin Wisdom has been refreshed and re-launched. Bharti Vyas, the renowned holistic and wellbeing beauty expert who helped develop the products, says, “The new ranges bring together a collection of 34 exceptional products. The age indicator takes the guesswork out of skin care so you know what ranges will suit you. These new additions enable women to concentrate on individual features ensuring that every part of the face is given the care it deserves.”

That sounds fantastic, so we sent a test package to Tamara, mum of one, to trial for us.

The first item Tamara tested was the Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Wipes.

“These are soft and tingly and smell fantastic”, she said. “The are really good at removing make-up and your skin feels clean when you're done.” She would advise using a toner anyway just to be sure you've got everything, but feels that they're ideal for travel. “If you're away for the night and don't fancy schlepping your entire regime around with you, these wipes are perfect. You only need one wipe per night really, although I don't use heavy make-up and so don't have a lot to remove.”

Next up was the Age Delay Deep Wrinkle Concentrate. It came in a gold tube with clear instructions on how to apply it – although Tamara did make me laugh when she moaned about the font size of these instructions. “The instructions are in a tiny print which, for a cream aimed at older women, is hardly useful!”

The need for a magnifying glass making her feel older aside, Tamara liked the Age Delay Deep Wrinkle Concentrate. “The lotion dabs on nicely and absorbs really well leaving a light sheen behind. It doesn't disappear entirely but it isn't excessively oily either. I like this one a lot and have found my eyes look a lot less bedraggled since I started using it about two weeks ago.”

The Skin Wisdom Moonlight Renewal Cream, looks, according to Tamara, “ bobbly”. In other words, “it was a bit wet and sort of clumpy.” (Yes, we were grateful for the explanation of 'bobbly' too!) A little further into the tub the consistency was better, but it is a thick and very heavy cream and definitely meant for night time. While Tamara loved the smell, she did think it was a bit sticky and heavy. “I would put this as a great night cream for anyone on a budget but it still had my skin feeling a bit tight afterwards. And, the big minus, is that a couple of hours after application it sort of rubbed off in weird little clumps. Like peeling skin after a bad sunburn. Not a lot, mind, but enough to make me think twice about it. Not a keeper.”

Moving on to something she liked a whole lot more, Tamara tried the Skin Wisdom Age Delay Treatment Serum next. “This serum is lush. It applies to the skin like silk and velvet. It is so creamy and luscious that I want to eat it.” This serum is applied before your moisturiser and after your toner. It absorbs instantly, and is good value for money as one squirt will cover all the areas. Tamara loved it. “It leaves your skin feeling really silky. I love it and would definitely buy it again and again.”

The Skin Wisdom Face Wash sent to Tamara was a winner too. “This is a very gentle and pleasant wash with no granules or harsh textures. It foams up quickly and spreads really well. It cleans beautifully without making my skin feel excessively dry, more so that my usual anti-aging face wash actually and this is a youth one for younger skin! I like the smell and the way a little goes a long way.”

For not so young skin, there's the Skin Wisdom Ultimate Lift Eye Cream and Tamara loved this too, calling it “the stuff of dreams”. She felt that her eyes really did look less tired and black underneath than they had before. “I don't care if that's in my head, if it works for me I am happy to keep on using it. The cream has a lovely smell too.  I have used the eye cream with the serum and the moisturiser for a fantastic feeling skin all day.”

Skin Wisdom Instant Benefits Beauty Balm comes with a warning on it telling you to get more sleep, a warning Tamara doesn't always heed. As a work at home mum, she often works late at night when her daughter is sleeping. “This is the cream you use when you've been up all night with baby (or working) and your skin is tired and dry and fed up with your bad behaviour. It will boost your skin with extra moisturiser and make it look like it had a good nights sleep. I can't say that I saw any major difference between it and the others but I did get compliments when I used it after a wedding this weekend.”

And the final product we sent to our tester was the Skin Wisdom Ultimate Lift Face and Decollatage Serum. “Another of the potions to protect and stop the ageing of your sensitive skin areas, this serum is another silky delight that I could happily use all day”, says Tamara. It is very very luxurious to apply and feels fantastic, she told us, but unfortunately it also suffers from the same strange peeling thing that the moisturiser does. “It seems to leave a residue that then flakes off during the day. You won't see gigantic flakes or anything, obviously, but you can feel them if you run your hands along your skin. I would buy it again regardless, though, because I really like the way my skin feels after I've used it.”

So, there you have it – the full verdict on the Skin Wisdom range from Tesco. Those we haven't linked above aren't available yet, but do keep an eye out for them at Tesco, because they'll be out soon, for prices ranging between £1 and £7.

The Makeup Works gift box sells for £39.99 which sounds pricey but actually includes quite a lot of lovely kit for the aspiring make-up lover. The set would make a stunning Mother’s Day present for someone who still uses old and tatty brushes, or who hasn’t quite moved past the days of using her fingers or cotton pads to apply make-up.

The box comes packaged beautifully, wrapped in a black ribbon with the pseudo-leather wallet inside. You get a set of six professional make-up brushes neatly packaged inside the wallet that folds up truly tiny for easy carrying in a handbag.

There is a large bushy brush for bronzer or powder, an angled brush for blusher, an angled brush for lining and lids, a flat eyeshadow brush, a round blending brush and a retractable lip brush. I have never owned any brushes before (stop shouting in horror) so this set has pretty much sorted me out for life.

You also get a neutral eyeshadow palette that has four basic colours to suit most skin tones. I tend to prefer these colours so it was a complete score for me, but people who prefer bolder colours may not be as entranced. The mascara included is lovely. It slips on easily and gives a nice thickness to the lashes without being too clumpy or making you look like you are a goth rocker.

The £39.99 gets you a complete make-up starter kit that will be hugely appreciated by any mum this Mother’s Day. Plus, if you have a mum that isn’t a dab hand at applying her make-up, they have included a tutorial DVD by make-up artist Trisha Chandler. It has brilliant tips for a quick daytime routine, perfect for mums.

The kit is worth £60, you pay around £40. Bargain.

Not all mums want chocolates and flowers for Mother's Day (Sunday 3 April), especially not with Easter following on so soon afterwards.

The St Eval Candle Company are a UK company based on a farm on the north coast of Cornwall.  They're in their twelfth year of trading now and still make their candles using traditional methods; they also offer a bespoke candle making service too.

We were sent a St Eval candle to review in time for Christmas and it was lovely, so we were very excited when St Eval told us they were sending us two new candles to look at as gifts for Mother's Day.

National Gallery Candle Collection

We sent a National Gallery Candle and a Scented Tin Candle off to PlayPennies mum Sasha to review on our behalf.

"I love candles," Sasha told us, "but then who doesn't? There's just something hypnotic about the flame and if you get one that smells wonderful then they really are a treat."

The National Gallery candles are a collection of fragranced candles housed in glass.

They've been designed following a partnership between the National Gallery and the St Eval Candle Company, and were inspired by the paintings of history’s greatest artists, all of which are on display at the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square.

"The first candle I took out of the box was a Vincent Van Gogh National Gallery candle. It came in a box with his iconic Sunflowers painting printed on it; very nicely packaged," Sasha described.

The other artists and paintings which make up the National Gallery Candle collection are:  Suprised! by Henry Rousseau, The Hay Wain by John Constable, The Water Lily Pond by Monet and A Wheatfield with Cyrpesses, also by Van Gogh.

"Of all the candles I could have been sent it was the Sunflowers by Van Gogh; I can't stand him and really don't think his Sunflowers deserve all their hype," Sasha revealed.

She went on to say, "The smell of the candle was ok and it was encassed in yellow glass featuring the signature of Mr Van Gogh, well the word 'Vincent' anyway."

The Sunflowers candle is described as smelling of

Breezes of French mimosa with hints of amber and linden blossom in this light and delicately inviting candle.

and it retails for £17.30.

Sasha told us she was very disappointed with the Vincent Van Gogh 'Sunflowers' National Gallery candle.

"The burning time of the Sunflowers candle is supposed to be 60 hours; mine managed a total of about five hours before the wick drowned in melted wax," Sasha told us.

"When it had cooled, I gouged the wick back out, removed about 3cms of wax , trimmed the wick to a sensible length and tried again."

Sasha reported that this time the candle burned for another six hours before the wick drowned again.

"I'm sure that I was just unlucky to have been sent a candle with a wonky wick, or whatever it was that caused it to keep falling down into the wax and being snuffed out.  But even so, if I'd paid £17.30 for it I'd be pretty miffed!"

Scented Tins

The other candle we sent to Sasha was a scented tin called 'Joy'.

We reviewed a scented tin from the St Eval Candle Company over Christmas and it got a rave review from our tester, so we were interested to see how this one matched up.

"I really liked the look of this 'Joy' scented candle tin; it's simple and basic looking without looking cheap," Sasha described.

She went on to say, "I was a bit worried about the description 'Joy - A Light floral fragrance based on mimosa'.  Hmmm, well the other one was based on mimosa too (and what IS mimosa?!) and whilst it wasn't unpleasant it wasn't my favourite smell in the world, but then I'm more of a vanilla candle person than flowers."

We're pleased to say that the Joy Scented Candle Tin fared much better than Vincent Van Gogh did!

"OH! OHHH!! I'm in love with this scented tin candle," Sasha enthused, "it's just fabulous! How it smells so different from the other one I do not know, but it's lovely.  It smells fresh, light and clean.  It's not sickly floral, if you know what I mean, it's just wonderful."

Sasha also told us how it just seemd to burn forever and ever, "I read the other scented tin review you had over Christmas and can only conclude that there's something about it being in a tin that makes it burn so evenly, and have the wax turning in on itself as it goes.

Oh and one more thing about the smell, even though it's light it pervaded almost the entire house which is not small; I had it burning in the lounge and within an hour you could smell it everywhere downstairs, up the stairs and right across to the far end of the landing. I'm very impressed with it."

And finally...

So two very different verdicts on these two candles from the St Eval Candle Company with the cheapest winning by miles!

The National Gallery candle retails for £17.30 and really didn't live up to expectations or it's 60-hour burning time, whereas the Joy Scented Tin Candle did exactly what it said on the tin - gave Sasha a lot of joy and burned beautifully.

The scented tin candles retail for £8.65 and have a quoted burning time of 45 hours, Sasha is pretty sure it will burn for a lot longer than this.

www.stevalcandlecompany.co.uk

Here's the thing. We all want to be fitter, but if you're a parent, finding the time to do that is tough. So, if you're like me, you've probably gone out and bought fitness DVDs and videos. Only to have them gathering dust because they weren't the right exercises for you, or it doesn't seem to fit in with your lifestyle.

So I was pretty intrigued when I heard about ThinqFitness. Now this is on-demand fitness videos, with more of a personal feel to it. You can just pay per view, if you want. There are samples available to try out on the pay per use pages, if you're not sure you want to join. Once you've signed up, there are freebie fitness videos as well.

PlayPennies mum Tracey is one superfit lady, who just loves all this sort of thing. We got her to give them a try, and gives us her opinion.

Tracey is a self confessed exercise addict. Her first impressions were pretty good. "The range of exercise options on there means I can do whatever exercise fits my current mood and time frame. There are videos for women about to hit 40 (or over) designed to help you get the best from your body, short workouts, disco workouts and more."

If anything she was overwhelmed by the choice. "It was actually quite boggling to choose from at first and I haven't even touched sides in terms of all the different options available. Brides to be, maternity, childrens, teens, dance. It is all there. "

There are different ways to participate. Some of the free workouts available are pretty good according to Tracey. Aternatively you can join the site and pay full membership. This is  £4.99 a month.

In her experience of various gyms and fitness regimes Tracey thought that was pretty good value. "You'd pay far more than that to join a gym and this way you can be sweaty and clumsy in privacy, rather than at the back of the class behind skinny superfit maniacs who make you wonder if you should have had that hot cross bun for breakfast."

She did wonder how people would find it as the system is online. This could be a disadvantage. "I am fortunate enough to have a PC hooked up to my TV so I just boot up and get going. I found the videos a little difficult to follow on my netbook and that was my only other option." However, if you have a PC in the bedroom or lounge with some space around you, there are quite a few workouts you can do in limited space. It may get a bit frustrating but Tracy didn't think it was too bad.

As a mum Tracey found another positive in the exercise routines."Some, especially the dance ones, are great for including kids. My little one had loads of fun bopping next to me while I danced to the beat. She may not have got the actual exercises right, but she definitely had fun and got some much needed energy boosts."

ThinkFitness has in fact built this child-friendly approach into some of the dance routines. The idea is to get mum and/or dad dancing away with the kids joining in. Their expert, Vanessa May (BSc Nut Med, NTC and BANT reg) proposes taking a holistic approach. If you set a good example and show that exercise can be fun, then your children will do the same.

This, coupled with other activities (as she points out, walking around a museum can be a fairly strenuous exercise) will raise the fitness level of our children. If they enjoy dancing about, you can use that as a reward for good behaviour (instead of chocolate or a cookie. Oh I am a bad mummy!).

And Finally ...

The site can only take PayPal for the pay per view products, but for membership you can make arrangements to use another payment method. There's a range of activities to choose from. The categories are general, sport, dance, breathe, health and gym.

Positives: easy to use, good range of exercise routines, can do this in the comfort of you own home, dance along with the kids, inexpensive

Negatives: you are tied to the computer, which is not good if it is a netbook or if it is in a cramped space.

My little girl loves bath time and has since birth. Recently, however, she didn't want to stay in the bath for long enough to bath at all. We decided to add a few toys to bath time, and it's been a great success.

We bought a few different sets of Alex Rub a Dub Bath Tub Stickers with numbers, shapes, animals and so on and now they pretty much live in the bath. They're made of thick and chunky foam, which makes them easy for little hands to grab onto and when wet they stick to the bath or the tiles, without leaving any residue when they come off.

The only negative to them is that eventually the ink fades, so the pictures become a bit light and start looking a little old, but my daughter certainly hasn't noticed.

The stickers can be packed away in the hanging bags that they come in, which is great for when you want to bath without floating bits in the water.

From an educational point of view they've been good too. My daughter can recognise quite a few of the shapes now. Say “bee” and she'll find the bee, upside down, with or without the picture. The same goes for 'wower' (flower) or “fish”. And every week the list gets longer.

They're not super cheap, but they're worth it, I think. We'll be adding to our collection soon.

When we were planning our nursery, we realised that the 'box' room was actually too small for the beautiful sleigh cot I had my eye on  and, in fact, the only cot that would fit was a travel cot. As it turned out we never used the nursery, but the cot did spend some time in our room, so its 104 x 73 x 91 cm dimensions really counted in its favour.

The Graco Countour travel cot comes with a bassinet which is suitable from birth until baby can push up on hands and knees. It is really useful to have the bassinet as it definitely saves on your back when you're bending down to pick up your infant.

The mesh sides are great for visibility, so you can actually see the baby through the sides when you're tip-toeing past at nap time. The problem we found with the net, however, was when my daughter turned around seven months old, she would hold the bars, shuffle her feet up the mesh and hang like a bat, which really worried me, so we moved her to a bed instead. This could just be specific to my child though.

The detachable control box is in charge of the light, the music and the vibrations. Apparently some babies love the vibration and it soothes them to sleep, but Kyra didn't. The music is a bit tinny, but acceptable, and the 'white noises' – like running water – worked well to drown out background noise. The light broke one day when I accidentally put it in the wrong way round, and seems quite tough to replace, but it's not a very bright light, so it wasn't really missed.

There's also a detachable toy bar with three hanging toys in beige-ey tones, not very bright or colourful, but apparently that's better for newborns so they're not overstimulated – or something like that.

The travel cot has 7 feet for stability, two of which are actually wheels, so that it can be moved easily, even when it's in the travel bag.

All in, it's a good cot, I'm glad we bought it and used it.

It's almost Mother's day – 3 April, if you didn't already know – and we know you're on the lookout for something extra special for your mum, your wife, or – ahem!- yourself, from, you know, the kids.

Most mums love a little R&R time, the ability to relax and unwind and just have a nice massage. Unfortunately few of us get to have those as often as we would like, so HoMedics have stepped in and created a wide selection of massage and well-being products. We sent a few test products off to PlayPennies mums Lola and Heyejung to see what they thought.

The first product sent to Lola was the HoMedics Snuggly Bear Massaging Booties set. “These are,” she says, “quite simply, insane.”

Lola wore them. Her kids wore them. Her husband wore them. Apparently they all giggled the whole time. For her, they were both nice and weird.

“These doodads have battery compartments at the back of each shoe which take two AA batteries each. You then slip the booties on (they are super soft and comfy) click the button on the side and bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz your feet get massaged.”

Functionality wise, Lola says ”If you sit with your feet up, they vibrate your entire foot. If you walk around they tend to vibrate your ankles. The actual fabric is super soft and snuggly and the little bear adorable.”

While it wasn't quite the hit it should have been with Lola's family, she says other friends “found it fun and lovely and one friend actually stole them from me she loved them so much.”

The HoMedics Snuggly Bear Massaging Booties are available from Argos, Amazon, Next and House of Fraser in sizes 4 – 8, come with 4xAA batteries included and cost £19.99

Our next product was the HoMedics Splash Water Resistant Mini Massager.

To Lola, this was a hit. She says, “The Husband sits with him at night using him on his back and shoulders after a long day at work. The child chases me around the house with it and massages my bum. She has so far massaged the fridge, the cabinets, her bed, Mr Piggly, the washing machine, the dishwasher, the bath and the oven.”

Apparently the Splash Water Resistant Mini Massager has a strong massage power, which makes your hand rather itchy, which means you can't hold it for very long.

“The solution,” says Lola, “is to place it against the sofa/wall/floor and lie back against it so it works without discomfort to your hands.”

A downside of the mini massager is that you have to press down on it to activate it, which can be tiring.

Although it can be used in the shower, our mum tester wasn't sure why you would – although that sounds rather lovely to me! Her husband did test it in the shower and said it was nice.

The HoMedics Splash Water Resistant Mini Massager is avialable at Argos, Amazon, House of Fraser and Boots for £9.99, and in three different colours .

The final product was tested by PlayPennies mum Heyejung. We asked her to review the HoMedics Shiatsu Foot Massager.

“In short,” she says, “I absolutely loved the Shiatsu Foot Massager!”

The Shiatsu Foot Massager has six rotating nodes to provide the ultimate relaxation to your feet. It warms up to soothe sore muscles and has 18 massage heads.

Heyejung says, “Considering I'd never had my feet massaged until I got this machine, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself getting into it.

In particular, the heated massage experience was something else!! Having grown up in South Korea, where all the houses have under-floor heating, I always really miss warm floors in the English winter.”

Initially concerned about it tickling, Heyejung was relieved to find that wasn't a problem. “As soon as my feet touched the heated moving massage heads, it was a lovely sensation. The heads gently press and roll against your skin, providing a relaxing and soothing feeling, which was especially nice against the balls of your feet. I was more than happy to keep my feet on the massager for half an hour. If it wasn't the instruction to use for a maximum of 30 minutes at a time, I would have left them there much longer!”

Operating the massager couldn't be easier, and Heyejung loves that it's a good size, and easy to store. “You simply plug it in, turn it on and press a button. There's no waiting around for it to heat up and all you have to do is put your feet on, and relax. On top of that, the Shiatsu Foot Massager is a handy size, and easy to put away without needing too much space. Another plus point is that because it is recommended that you use this machine with socked feet, there's no problem with keeping it clean.”

The HoMedics Shiatsu Foot Massager is available from Argos and Amazon for £69.99 - and Boots, where it's currently on sale for £40.84.

Final thoughts from the mums?

Lola gives the HoMedics Snuggly Bear Massaging Booties a 9/10 for comfort and looks but the vibrate function , “not so much”. She says it's an “awesome Mother's Day gift, really, for someone who likes to have their feet massaged, a NO for anyone who hates having their feet touched.”

The HoMedics Splash Water Resistant Mini Massager gets a 6 or 7 from Lola. “For this price,” she says, “And the sheer entertainment value, I have to say it is great. As a massaging device I think the fact that you have to press down so hard and that your had vibrates is a bit of a downer.”

“Overall,” says Heyejung of the HoMedics Deluxe Shiatsu Foot Massager “I thought this was an excellent product. And I'm seriously considering buying one for a mother's day present.”

So, for not too much money, you can invest in a little bit of home relaxation for mum, and with the options available, you can make sure she gets something she will like.

As part of the Valentine’s month of love, I was sent a bottle of Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil to review. It sells for £7.95 (including free delivery) at Feel Unique.com and has several different uses, making it a rather versatile product.

Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is made from a bunch of local herbs, is free from nasties like parabens or PEGs, and has been dermatologically tested. You can either use it as a massage oil or you can drop some into your bath for the ultimate relax and unwind.

The oil itself has Evening Primrose and sweet almond extras included, making it very good for hydrating the skin, and the lavender and grapefruit extras are supposed to calm and relax the mind. Certainly my husband seemed very relaxed after I’d given him a massage with this oil!

The oil smells very nice, it has enough of a lemony edge to make it gender neutral. Your man won’t shy away from it in case he smells like a flower garden. My husband gave me a course on professional massage as a present so I knew exactly how the oil should work. And it did.

It stayed warm, spread well, and didn’t need constant reapplication. As a massage oil it is very good indeed.

Then I followed the instructions for a relaxing bath by pouring two capfuls under water. It was very milky and soft. I did feel a bit oily after I had finished soaking in the hot water, but it was a worthy trade-off against how yummy I smelled, and how relaxed I felt.

Overall, I think that Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Oil is expensive but worth it. It smells good, does what it should, and a little goes a long way.

Ah Mother's Day! Isn't it nice to get something special in appreciation of all your hard work? For me, special can mean time. One year my partner went to a lot of trouble to make up a frame, border and photo in a A3 size with my son, complete with finger painted decoration, handprints and of course his gorgeous smiling face.

But time isn't something that we always have plenty of in our lives, especially when you're a working parent as well. Something that you can use for a bit of me time, with a scent to blow away the smells of everyday life (car fumes, cooking, muddy PE kits etc). Smellies.

Lush Body has only been around for a very short time. Although their products cost a bit more than we usually look at for our reviews, they are, well, lush! And if you're looking for something a bit special but not too expensive for Mother's day, they look like a good buy.

Body Lush specialise in luxury bath and body care products. What made us want to look a little more closely at them is that they offer a bespoke product service. Bespoke? That intrigued us mums at PlayPennies - we do take our bath time seriously as it is often the only private time we get. Although, can you call it private time when little ones are traipsing in and out every 30 secs with urgent requests to call the zoo police as the lions are eating the yogurts, and what stops the earth from crashing into the sun?

In practice what this means is that you can, when buying online, choose your own fragrance. Or if you go into their shop you can choose the scent and colour.

Body Lush bespoke lines include

• Hand washes
• Shower Gels
• Face Wash
• Foam Bath
• Bath Salts (DEAD SEA)

Also, and this is what makes these a particularly good present I think, most products are packaged in glass bottles, (except for the Dead Sea salts and shower gel that is). And they're put in hand-made velvet pouches.

Here's what our panel of busy mums thought of the products I got in for review.

Hand and body lotion

Tracy, mum to a five year old, got the Heavenly Gingerly hand and body lotion (£20). She found that the scent is very, very light but refreshing and pleasant. Tracy also really liked how the lotion is quickly absorbed and non-greasy so you could, theoretically, start smashing away on your ipad without leaving big fat oily finger stains. "This is a big plus for me as I am usually doing something computer related after washing my hands and it is a pain to have to sit and wring them until the lotion is absorbed."

She did feel though that it was expensive. "I am not sure they are quite worth the hefty price tag as I didn't faint with joy when I used this. But the bottle is gorgeous and, alongside the handwash, look awesome in my bathroom. People have commented on them when they've been to the loo."

High marks for presentation then. In addition, Tracy found that unlike some hand creams where your hands still feel dry afterwards, this lotion has a high moisturising factor. She also loved the smell, describing it as divine but not over powering.

Hand wash

Along with the lotion, we also got Tracy to test the hand wash. Specifically the  Mango leaf and guave scented handwash (£15). "Again it has the same lovely glass bottle with minimal branding. The lovely little label tells you all about your handwash and how to use it etc.You don't need very much and your hands feel clean and fresh afterwards."

Tracy liked that the hand wash doesn't "dry out your skin horribly, smells lovely, feels great, and I want to stretch it out forever. Have banned husband from using it because it is too scrummy for fat squirting man hands."

Top marks all round for the hand wash from Tracy. Her final verdict? "I would definitely buy this again even if it is pricey."

Dead sea bath salts

Tracy received a packet of purple Dead sea bath salts.  "I just love the smell of these so much! I don't want to use them, just have them scent up the bathroom like pot pourri."

She was a little disappointed in the packaging. "While you get these amazing glass bottles in a black velvet bag for the hand and body lotion and handwash described above, this comes in a plastic bag with a bow tying it shut." She didn't find this practical in terms of storing the salts, so you can use it over and over again. "Think about kids in the bath and splashing and bumping. Before you know it your packet of crystals will be all over the floor."

But at only £4 for 250g with a scent blend of your choice, Tracey thought they were fantastic value for money. "You can always decorate a jar with the kids before filling it with these salts for Mother's Day."

And finally ...

All the Body Lush products are SLS free. This is a common detergent used in daily products such as handwashes, shampoos, dish washing and floor cleaning products.  This detergent can be highly irritating and drying to the skin.

The products contain olive oil, wheat protein and vitamin E. There are no animal ingredients.

Where possible Body Lush use recyclable packaging, and all glass bottles bought back for refills get a 5% discount.

It only seems like yesterday we were reviewing Poundland Halloween and Christmas Goodies! 

I know Easter's not until the end of April (it's as late as it can be, bar one day, this year apparently) but even so, time is most definitely whistling by at a frantic pace.

We sent a HUGE box of Poundland Easter Goodies to PlayPennies mum, Tanya, to review on our behalf.

"Opening the box of things from the Poundland Easter Range was like Christmas all over again," Tanya commented, "there were so many things in there to discover that me and my young daughter decided to take them out via 'lucky dip'; it was so much fun."

The first thing Tanya pulled out of the box were these ridiculously CUTE Easter Farmyard Animals (£1 each)

"These were stolen by my child and have names like Piggly, Mr Duck and Squeaks; she adores them. They are incredibly soft and cuddly, really VERY cute and excellent value for money," Tanya told us.

She also said that each Farmyard Animal is about the size of an adult hand; perfect for your child to be able to take out and about without YOU feeling like you're hauling around everything including the proverbial kitchen sink.

Next up in the 'lucky-dip' were these Easter Chicks with Crowns (£1 for a pack of six) Tanya didn't 'get' these.

"I don't get these but then I am not a 'decorate the house like Christmas for Easter' kind of person," she confessed.

My ex-mother-in-law was and used to make all sorts of Easter cakes and chocolate Easter Nests with broken Shredded Wheats coated in chocolate, moulded into nest shapes, filled with chocolate mini-eggs AND these little fluffy chicks!

"Regardless," Tanya continued, "they are really cute and their legs quite sturdy. I've taken to putting them on toast and eggs in the mornings to surprise my husband.

So far he has not been overwhelmingly amused by them." What an Easter scrooge...

Next up, a Decorated Easter Bonnet (guess how much it costs....go on! That's right, £1).

Tanya wasn't impressed with the Poundland Decorated Easter Bonnet, she felt it was a bit too plasticky and wouldn't buy one.  However, her daughter LOVES it.

"The hat is a nice size and fits most heads," Tanya explained, "and my daughter loves it; she puts it on as soon as she gets home from school.

Seeing as she is the target market for this, not me, I have to say this is a winner."

Tanya made us laugh with her appraisal of the eight little Decorated Easter Eggs; they ARE very pretty and come in a little pink or yellow net bag.

"Personally I would punch anyone who gave me these plastic decorated eggs rather than a monstrous chocolate one, but I can undertand why people would love these," she said.

If you are planning an Easter party, or family gathering, then these would make lovely table decorations taken out of their bags and scattered around place settings perhaps.

Everything was going well with Tanya's Poundland Easter Goodies lucky-dip, until she and her daughter came across the Make Your Own Easter Bonnet; tears ensued.

"This is flimsy and fragile," Tanya told us, "once we had finished building it my daughter wanted to wear it all the time, she was so proud.

But after about half an hour of pre-schooler wear and tear it fell to pieces and was relegated to the bin; tears flowed. Bah Easter humbug!"

The Easter Colouring Mat was a big win in Tanya's household.

"The Easter colouring mat is brilliant," Tanya enthused.  "Not only can kids actually paint this mat for themselves but it can be washed and reused, coloured, washed and reused and coloured over and over again.

It is an excllent product and doesn't have to just be used at Easter."

The Poundland blurb for the Easter Colouring Mat also suggests that it could be used as a floor protector or Easter-themed kids table cloth.

There were lots of other arty-crafty things in the Poundland Easter Goodies box we sent to Tanya, including these Make Your Own Easter Bookmarks.

"These are fun and easy to make sure you have your own glue handy as this doesn't come with any. We enjoyed ourselves immensely making these and will definitely get this kind of thing again.

The Make Your Own Easter Bookmarks are a BARGAIN for about 30 minutes of happy sticking and creating."

Carrying on with the 'Make Your Own' theme, Tanya and her daughter had a go at making some Easter puppets.

"We made the stick puppets and not the felt ones as we were kind of swamped with stuff to make," she told us, "The stick ones also don't come with glue included so we used the standard kiddy craft glue from ELC but they kept falling apart.

They really aren't worth the tears and tantrums. A definite NO."

Tanya and her daughter, even by this time, had barely scratched the surface of all the Poundland Easter Goodies they were sent and we just don't have the time, or the word space, to go through them all.

Other Poundland Easter items included:

• Make Your Own Cross Stitch Bookmarks
• Egg painting kit
• A plain Easter Bonnet
• Character Face Masks
• Easter Bunny Ears

And finally...

On the whole Tanya was very impressed with the huge collection of Poundland Easter things she was sent.

There were a few misses among all the hits but with everything costing just £1 you really can't go too far wrong and won't be breaking the bank this Easter.

www.poundland.co.uk

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Tags: Easter, Easter Gifts, Poundland

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