Managing Dry Skin With Aveeno

Our family is prone to getting a little dry skin and I have suffered with mild eczema since I was a child, I say mild because I have seen it much worse for others, despite it being very sore and irritating for myself, I only usually have small patches of it, as an adult its usually in the same place on my hands and its worse in the winter, especially where my wedding and engagement rings sit, the bit I don't dry properly after washing my hands as I am always in a hurry and wash my hands countless times a day. Sometimes I have to have a break from wearing my rings and let my hands heal.

My top tips for anyone that also suffers with eczema would be...

• To shower/bath less, "that's disgusting" I hear some people say but water makes eczema worse and too much soap will also irritate the skin.  
• Make sure you dry yourself properly after washing.
• Always moisturise the skin with what ever suits your skin the best - I use Aveeno.
• Use less laundry detergent and fabric softener on your clothes - I use an Ecoegg, no detergent at all and it saves me lots of money too. They are also approved by the National Eczema Society.

Aveeno have some great products to help with eczema and dry, sensitive skin, I have been using it for a while now and so long as I keep up with the routine of moisturising after I wash my hands they have stayed soft and without any irritation. It soaks into the skin easily and does not leave the skin greasy like some 

The products are suitable for use on children and they have also produced a story book to help if you have a child who is struggling with the routine of being moisturised due to having eczema. You can download a copy of it from their website.

You can also claim a free sample of Aveeno from their facebook page. 

We were sent samples of the product for the purpose of this review

Peppa Pig Holiday Time Grandpa Pig's Boat

If you didn't know already, Peppa Pig, who is hugely popular in our house has a new range of toys. They all have a holiday theme, we were sent Grandpa Pig's boat to try out. 

As you can see the boat comes with 3 characterss, Grandpa Pig, Peppa and George, they are all styling their swimwear. You also get a little bell which you can attach to the boat. You will need a screwdriver to remove the boat from the packaging, something which can never be done quick enough when you have an excited child on your hands.  

 The boat has three spaces for the characters to stand in and they stay in place just fine during play. Some of the parts are flexible which is great as it means they won't be easily snapped off and you can see that we have hung the little lantern on our boat and it also stays in place well.

This is suitable for ages 3 upwards and can be bought from Amazon for around £19.99. The boat is great for playing with in the bath and floats really well but ours did take in a little water, as do the characters but they seemed to drain easily. 
All round this toy has brought new fun to bath times for the little ones.

You can check out all the other toys from the new range here.


We were sent this item in return for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did You Know You Have The Right To Request Flexible Work?

Since the UK Governement has put a new legislation into effect, it means that everyone has the right to ask their employer for flexible work. If it suits you better to work less hours or work from home, job share, cram all of your working hours into less days or maybe even just work around the school run then you have the right to request this from your employer, they don't have to say yes but if they say no then they have a legal obligation to provide a valid reason as to why not. 

Citrix GoToMeeting have produced this infographic  to explain this legislation further. Its well worth knowing about for employers and employees because if this is approached in a positive way then everyone is a winner. When someone is happy with their job they are likely to have less sick leave, better work productivity, less stress and better job satisfaction.

Having read the information myself I think its really helpful and a fantastic idea for companies to take on board.   

Written in collaboration with Citrix GoToMeeting

We Invite You To Join us For A Doc McStuffins Party

We have been asked to join in with the Doc McStuffins Twitter Party that is being hosted by UKMums.tv.

The party is being held on 26th February 2015 From 1 - 3pm.

As part of the party we will be creating a Doc McStuffins Eye Clinic for the children to get involved in. We will also be looking at the new range of toys which are pictured here...

We will be tweeting throughout the party so do come and join in, there will be online spot competitions and more fun and games to take part in.

There are new episodes to see on weekdays at 4.55pm. Visit Disneyjunior.co.uk for more fun Doc McStuffins activities and games.

A Black & White Photography Project Week #32

I don't always get a chance to join in with as many of these as I would like to and have found my posts sitting in drafts and it ends up too late to join in the fun but this week has been spent running around after everyone who has been ill in the house, it seems to be never ending already this year but I think we are making progress. Anyway, today I got to stay in bed with the laptop, woo hoo! So I have been browsing through my photos and I came across some that I took at Painshill Park which is just walking distance for us and that said we really don't go there enough. It is a lovely place to visit with the children and last time we went they had a little adventure course for the children that they take part in if they wanted to to. They have the crystal caves that have been totally hand crafted, each crystal has been adhered to the cave by hand, it must have taken some time. Here are my snaps...

   

Reach For The Stars With Shooting Star Chase

REACH FOR THE STARS

Do you want to get fit for a good cause?  Do you have the stamina to tackle 877 stairs? London and Surrey’s leading children’s hospice charity Shooting Star Chase is looking for bloggers to get involved in its first ever Stair Climb up the iconic Broadgate Tower in the City of London at the end of February.

Run, walk, jog or sprint up 35 floors reaching some 540ft into the Capital’s skyline, knowing each step you take, you will be helping make every moment count for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.

You don’t need to be the next Mo Farah to take part. In fact, most people who have signed up so far have chosen to either walk or jog the climb – whatever your fitness level you can take part!

Thanks to medical advances, more young people with life-limiting conditions are surviving into adulthood and helping them move from a children’s hospice into appropriate adult services is an increasingly important part of the service Shooting Star Chase provides.

 So, if you want to be just one of 300 heroic challengers raising £40,000 for this crucial charity sign up here today!

Sign up before 14th February and you’ll automatically be entered into our prize draw for the chance to win a pair of customised NIKE iD running shoes and a Garmin Forerunner 15!

THE LOWDOWN

When is the event?
The stair climb is on Saturday 28th February 2015. Registration will open from 9:15am, with the first wave of participants setting off at 10:00am. Participants will be set off in waves of 30 seconds. You will be able to request a time slot when you register for the event and you will also be asked whether you plan to walk, jog, run or sprint the challenge!

What does my £35 registration fee include?
A Shooting Star Chase t-shirt, commemorative medal, chip timing, post race refreshments plus our fundraising tips and training advice! You will also get the opportunity to take in the amazing view from the top of the tower!

Is there a minimum age?
The minimum age is 8 years old, all under 12’s most be accompanied by an adult.

How long will the climb take me?
The average time is 14 minutes; however there is no time limit – we just want you to enjoy it!

How can I get to the venue?
The Broadgate Tower is located within a few minutes walk from Liverpool Street station with access and links to all major underground and mainline stations.

Are spectators allowed to come along?
We would love to welcome your friends and family to the support you as you take on this amazing challenge. It is set to be a great event and will be a thrilling and exciting day. Refreshments will be available to buy for all spectators.

What time will the event finish?
All participants would have completed the climb by 1:00pm and the event is due to close by 3:00pm.

Can I wear fancy dress?
Yes, of course! Fancy dress is very welcome!

 About Shooting Star Chase

Shooting Star Chase is a leading children’s hospice charity caring for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families.

Whether lives are measured in days, weeks, months or years, we are here to make every moment count. We support families from diagnosis to end of life and throughout bereavement with a range of nursing, practical, emotional and medical care.

Our bespoke support is free of charge to families and available 365 days a year. Our care service includes short breaks at our two hospices (Shooting Star House in Hampton and Christopher’s in Guildford), Hospice at Home, day care, symptom management, end-of-life care, bereavement care and a comprehensive range of therapies and support groups for the whole family.

It costs £9.5 million a year just to maintain our current level of care. Around 10% of that income comes from government funding, so we rely on our supporters’ generosity to keep the service running. What’s more, we know there are many more families desperate for our vital support, so it’s crucial we raise more funds to provide more care.

Toddler Painting - Without The Mess

As I have recently started a part time job and gone back to college to finish my Graphic design degree, things have been chaos. So I decided that when I spend time with the little ones, we should be doing some meaningful activities. I did something brave and bought some brightly coloured paint last week, which has been hidden until I could face the courage to deal with the usual destruction that is kindly provided by George each and every time we sit to the table to do an activity. 

To be honest I had forgotten all about the paint due to being ill all week but today I was feeling better and whilst reading some other blogs I came across the idea of mess free painting from This Day I Love .

We adapted the idea to what we had laying around the house, instead of zip lock bags I used the clear plastic pockets that you put inside folders, I squeezed a small amount of paint inside each one and then put some clear tape over the end to seal it. 

Then let them get creative, George did some brilliant straight lines on his and Molly enjoyed making hand prints. I am sure they will keep for a few days, maybe even longer. These reminded me of those drawing boards you can buy in Hamley's with the rainbow background and the black liquid filled cover, just much more frugal. I think we could have put a little more paint in but the main thing is the kids enjoyed the activity and it was so nice not to have lots of mess to clean up, we will definitely being doing this one again. I wanted to share this with you as I never would have thought of doing this if I hadn't seen it on Leyla's Blog!