Win a Tru Bamboo Tumbler Flask

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I cannot believe how cold it is now getting outside. I have gone from starting to wear a coat to almost already needing my thickest winter coat on. But then I am the type of person that gets cold super easily. 

So I am already thinking of ways to keep warm and that's when I thought about needing a nice new flask to keep my hot drinks in. 

Tru Bamboo have one of the best flasks out on the market with a top rating on amazon of 4.5 stars. Plus its one of the largest with its capacity of 530ml. 

It is going to be so handy on the walk to school as I can keep whatever hot drinks I want in it and they will stay super hot for the entire journey. In fact it will keep my drink warm for up to 12 hours! 

But if you are looking to just stay hydrated and not just warm then it can also be used to keep your drinks nice and cool. Perfect for long walks. 

The Tru Bamboo Tumbler is also Eco Friendly, being made from Bamboo on the outside and made from 100% recyclable stainless steel on the inside. Which also makes the flask have a stunning look to it with each grain of bamboo being different for each flask.

It also comes with a tea or fruit infuser to help keep your drink full of flavour. 

One last wonderful and also new feature is its secret storage compartment. Unscrew the bottom to reveal a little space perfect for keeping your tea bags, emergency cash, or even maybe a flavour topping for your favourite hot drink. 

This tumbler is for sale on Amazon for £19.49 so if your needing a new flask then head over there and get purchasing now. 

To get Autumn all warmed up. Tru Bamboo have kindly given me one flask to give away. So for your chance to win, enter on the Gleam App Below. 

Win a Tru Bamboo Tumbler

Mysteries in Time Subscription Box Review

Who loves a bit of history? I do!! and it's something I am very keen to get Lily interested in. 

Some people find history boring, but I think its a subject that for kids can be made very fun and interesting to learn. 

We have been sent a subscription box which is all about history and is called Mysteries in Time. Lily loved the box which looked like a time machine and was very excited and intrigued to get it opened to see what was inside. 

Inside was a very interesting selection of goodies and all about one of my favourite times in history. The Egyptian times! 

It had a book, a pen, a map, an activity booklet, a yellow bag with something inside, some stickers and a bookmark. There was also a sheet about Hieroglyphs and a little booklet which explains what you can do with each item in the box 

Lily loved pulling it all out and having a good look but she was mostly impressed with the beautiful pen that came inside it which had a Egyptian Pharaoh on the top. It was super fancy looking and caught Lily's eye straight away. 

The first thing we did was open up the map to see if we could find Egypt, and I got Lily to point it out for me when we had found it. The map is an amazing size and it comes in your first subscription box, meaning that you can mark off different places on the map when you look into different areas of history. For examples, roman times and ancient Greece. 

The rest of the box is made up with lots of fun things to do Egyptian wise. There are puzzles, colouring sheets, and lots of facts. I love the little hieroglyphs sheet, I have always loved learning about these myself so its great to be able to teach Lily them. This sheet also helps out with some of the puzzles in the activity book. 

We opened up the yellow bag, and inside was some kids clay, so then we could do a history inspired craft. We love crafts so this was a great thing to find in our box. 

The little booklet with how to use the box is also great, as without it I would not have been sure what to do with things like the clay. 

Last but not least there is a brilliant story book included in the pack. It is a thick book with lots of writing in and so more to be read by the parent or for a older child of about 10 years old. But Lily was very excited to have her own "grown ups" book to be read to her and loved that it came with a book mark she could use too. 

So, now you know all about what was in our box, let me tell you a little more about the subscriptions. 

Our box was a Bumper box which is priced at £13.95 with free shipping, but there is also a more basic box at the price of £6.95 a month. The basic box would come with all you see above apart from the clay and the pen, which is this months history inspired gift and is subject to change per box sent out. the price does change depending on which plan you decide to get, whether you get monthly, or sign up to a years worth of boxes. 

I think that the prices are great. Nowadays if you were to buy a magazine from a shop you would be looking at paying between the £4-£6 mark so to say you get all this in a box including a book for £6.95 - £13.95 is a great price. plus your child is learning at the same time. Box packs come with Free Shipping. 

After you have chosen your plan you can then also personalise your box so then it is special to just your child. 

The box is recommended for 7 to 11 year old's but I think that Lily aged 5 nearly 6 is also a great age for this box. 

If you are interested in starting getting these boxes for your kids then you can head to Mysteries in Time and register to subscribe. 

Would your child enjoy a subscription box like this? 

10 Baby Travel Bag Essentials with Nuby

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When you are expecting, you suddenly have a very long list of things you are going to need. It is pretty crazy the amount that is needed for such a tiny human being, but you will soon find yourself getting prepared and buying all the essentials.

So I am here to help you with one thing you will need to tick off your list. All those things that are handy for travelling. 

Which firstly starts with needing a decent travel bag. 

Nuby kindly sent me a travel bag with some extras inside which all come pretty handy. 

I haven't even used this bag yet, and I am already so impressed. If I saw it on a shop shelf, it would definitely be something I would go for. Firstly I love how stylish it is. They grey is such a lovely colour, and also unisex, perfect for if your having a boy or girl and perfect for either a male or female to carry. Plus I love the little brown leather looking tags that are on all the zips, it really does help add that extra bit of style. 

Next I love that it is a backpack, I have never been a handbag sort of girl and so something I can wear on my back makes me much happier. The straps on it are so plush and so so comfortable to wear and also the back of it is very padded so it is comfortable on your back. 

The next part is probably one of the most important parts, the storage. This bag is a little like a tardis with its space and the amount of space inside is unreal. It looks like you can fit a lot inside. Plus there are so many little compartments which I love. I love being organised and so having a special place for everything is important to me. Some of the compartments are zipped and some are with stretchy tops which are easily accessible. Plus there are 2 zipped compartments on the front and 2 compartments on the side for bottles. You are spoilt for choice for compartments with this bag. 

Plus there is one at the back that at first I didn't notice, which is an opening for you to keep your changing matt, which you won't need to buy as the bag already comes with it already in its storage area. I think its a very clever design with the way they have made space for the matt. 

Last but not least I love that the bag is fully sealed up, making it perfect for all weather. Plus it is easily wipeable meaning that you can keep it nice and clean. 

So, now you need to think about all the things you can put inside the bag, and so I have made a list for you. 

1. Nappies and Wipes 

The obvious, and number 1 needed thing. Pack quite a few as you never know what you may need. 

2. Muslin Cloths 

I found these so helpful when it came to cleaning up after baby, dribbles, milk leaks, spitt up, they are always needed for on the go. 

3. Bibs 

Nuby do an amazing selection of bibs and I was sent a set of 2 which would go nicely into my bag. These super soft organic bibs are perfect for feeding as the thick top is great for catching milk dribbles and is also soft around the neck. Plus the designs are super cute for boy or girl baby. You again go through quite a few of these so packing plenty is a must. 

4. Change of Clothing

It is crazy at first how many times you need to change a babies clothing due to nappy leaks, or baby spitt up and then when they get older messy food accidents. Spare clothes is always handy. 

5. Dummies - 

Spare dummies are a must for a bag and Nuby have a great selection of dummies. In fact I used Nuby dummies for Lily she was a baby. These dummies are for 0-6 months and the nubs are perfect for a breast like feel making them great to use alongside breastfeeding. They also come in a plastic tub which is re usable after opening meaning that they aren't loose in the travel bag. 

6. Baby Bottles / Breast Feeding Pads

Wether your using Breast or Bottle your going to need to pack extra pads for breast feeding leakages and bottles of milk for feeding.

7. Thermometer 

Having a digital thermometer is a great idea for the travel bag as you never know when you may need it. Nuby's thermometer is perfect for a quick reading, you can use it in the mouth or under the arm and with its slim design its perfect for on the go. It also has a protective cover so then it does not get dirty while sat inside the baby bag. 

8. Baby Toys

Always great for helping keep baby entertained. 

9. Baby Creams 

Essential for making sure that your baby doesn't get any nasty nappy rashes. 

10. Baby Travel Matt

If you did want to buy a travel matt that had a little more to it than the ones that come with travel bags then Nuby do an amazing one. This one folds up nicely to fit into a travel bag and comes with a very cute design on it. When it folds out it is massive and also has storage compartments which can hold your nappies and other things you may need. It is lovely and comfortable for your baby to lay on and is fully wipeable. You can also zip the matt away from the storage compartment if need be. This changing matt also comes with a storage tub which you can keep your wet wipes in or whatever else you can think of to put in there. I am actually thinking of using this for when I have used wet wipes to wipe babies mouth and there are no bins around, I ended up with so many loose used wet wipes in my bag making it a mess.

Prices and where to buy

Nuby's prices are all amazingly priced making sure you are getting good quality products without breaking the bank. You can buy all the following items on the Nuby Website. 

Nuby BackPack Travel Bag - RRP £50 Currently on Sale for £30 

Nuby Change Matt - £17.99 

Nuby Thermometer - £6.99

Nuby Tritan Day time Dummies - £5.49

Nuby Snug N Dry Organic bibs  - £4.99

Can you think of anymore items to go in a travel bag? 

Exciting News! I'm Expecting Baby Number 2

You may have noticed that the blog has been very quiet recently. Also my Instagram has. But there is a reason for this, I have exciting news, I am expecting baby number 2! 

I am now at week 14 of pregnancy and I can't say that the last 2 months have been easy, the sickness has been awful and I have spent many days being sick, feeling sick, and just wanting to rest and sleep. Week 14 now means that it has settled slightly (she says feeling sick at the thought of her partner about to cook chicken noodles) meaning I can start to get back to blogging. 

That's the thing with morning sickness, it actually is nothing like the title states and is more like all day sickness. Plus it isn't like any normal sickness, your sense of smell goes through the roof and there are so many smells that you just can't stand and some that even make you end up being sick. Just like the bean juice smell Lily decided to breathe in my face last night. Week 8 and 9 was really hard, I could not get out of bed with out ending up throwing up. The thought of eating made me want to be sick, but yet not eating was also making me feel sick. One big vicious circle and there was nothing I could do to stop it. 

I think I tried every trick in the book, all the tips, ginger biscuits, travel sickness bands, etc, but nothing seemed to help. I was even prescribed sickness tablets, but they didn't seem to work, plus they sent me crazy. I was not myself and was emotional, and also they made me not think straight and made me feel depressed and anxious. I did not expect to have such side effects from these pills but one or 2 days of stopping taking them and I felt much more like myself. So a warning to others, that this could be a unexpected side effect. 

I ended up telling Lily I was pregnant at 9 weeks. I was so ill and being so sick it was hard to hide and I wanted her to understand why I was so poorly. I did not want her to worry. It was such amazing news to her and she can't wait to become a big sister. 

The scan was an exciting time. As partners can't come to scans at the moment, we decided to pay £50 and book a private one so my partner could come. We went with Window to the Womb and unfortunately was very disappointed. Firstly it was around 5 min long total, which a lot of that she spent the time looking at my ovaries, and around my womb. Meaning we really didn't get to see the baby on the screen for long. Plus when she did show the baby, she just kept moving the scan equipment around so much showing different angles much that we barely got a good look. Then the scan picture that was given after had the lines of the baby measurement on it. Which didn't look great.
A week later I had my free NHS scan and wow that was amazing, I got to look at the baby for a decent amount of time on the screen and she took her time showing me my baby. I got to see it wriggle around, and she gave me 3 free pictures which were much better quality. The scan must have lasted at least 10-15 mins. So you can understand my disappointment at the scan we payed £50 for and I think next scan I may look for a non chain scan centre. 

All good news from my scans though and the baby is healthy and growing. 

Next scan will be at week 20, and we will be finding out if it is a boy or a girl. I have a feeling its a boy, but who knows there's a 50/50 chance and so I could be wrong. 

My content for Lily's Little Learners I plan to be the same, it will be focused around Lily and Parenting, but you may see some more baby posts appear on the blog now. 

I can't wait to share with you how Lily gets on with her new sibling when they are born and the new baby will become Lily's Little Learner.

Did anyone else suffer in their fist few months of pregnancy?