Limited Edition Carousel Pony Zelf - Redeem Yours Now

This is Mary Go-Round, the Carousel Pony Zelf who is the rarest limited edition Zelfs yet with only 400 to be claimed here in the UK.  May Go-Round can be redeemed for free online at http://www.evolutioncomps.co.uk/carouselponyzelf with £30 of receipts for 2016 Zelfs purchases.

The Limited Edition Carousel Pony Zelf is a sparkly, floral zelf who is part carousel pony, part Zelf.  She has gentle pink and white hair and a spun tail. She comes with a brush and a hair styling attachment as well as a little certificate of authenticity which shows how few of these Zelfs have been issued the world over.  Mary Go-Round is a special addition to anyone's collection.

Lara and Holly both loves this dainty little addition to their Zelf collection - Mary Go-Round has a single horn and a sparkly saddle. Her head and arms move.  Holly could brush her hair for hours.

Series 6 of the Zelfs will be available to purchase at the end of July - you can keep up-to-date with Zelfs news when you join the zelfs club at www.zelfsclub.co.uk.  Don't forget, if you've bought Zelfs this year then you could claim one of these limited edition carousel pony zelfs for free!

Tsum Tsum Squishies - Series 2 Coming Soon!

Tsum Tsum squishies are small collectible toys that feature all of your favourite Disney characters in a compact, collectible form. You can stack 'em, roll 'em and indeed squish 'em!

Lara is very much into collectibles at present - she has just turned 7 and is always on the lookout for little trinkets for her bedroom that she can show off to her friends.  Series 1 of the Tsum Tsum (pronounced zoom zoom, apparently!) is already available and features animals and friendly faces from Disney animations new and old. Lara was very taken by these little characters who are all recognisable (even though they're highly stylised).  Each set of Tsum Tsum squishes comes with a collector's checklist so you can see the other characters in the range and tick them off as you collect them.  In series 1 there are 50 characters to collect, including several ultra rare golden characters including Elsa and Mickey himself!

As you'd expect from the Disney name, Tsum Tsum toys are better quality than any other similar small collectors items currently targeted at kids.  They're made by Zuru - home of Robo-Fish and Go-Go Bubbles. Disney Tsum Tsum squishies come in packs of 2,4 and 5, each with a mystery character hidden inside which adds to the suspense of collecting them (and of course, the risk of buying one you already own).  Tsum Tsum even come with their own app but we haven't tried it yet. 

Fans of Disney Tsum Tsum will be pleased to know that this month series 2 of these collectible characters will be released.  A whole new set of Tsum Tsum characters but this time with a flocked, slightly fluffy coating to make them extra specially cute!

With packs from £2.99 I expect Lara to be saving her pennies and looking out for these sets of Tsum Tsum Series 2 squishies in Argos and Tesco when we pop in over the summer.  You will also find them in Debenhams, Asda, Toys R Us, Smyths, Morrisons and The Entertainer. They make great gifts for Disney fans (young or old) and would be lovely little additions to a party bag.

First-Aid Essentials For Family Picnics

This week is National Picnic Week - will you be sharing a picnic this weekend?

This weekend Lara and I will be picnicking, of sorts.  We are spending the day at a scout activity centre where we need to pack our own lunch to enjoy as a picnic - hopefully the weather will stay dry and offer us a bit of sun.  If you are planning a family picnic over the summer and don't want any nasty surprises, make sure you pack a few first aid essentials as well as the other goodies in your picnic basket so that you can respond in the event of hayfever, insect bites, cuts and scrapes.

For cuts and scrapes, pack a tube of Germolene antiseptic cream.  I'll definitely be taking our tube on our scout activity day, and when we go camping later this month.  When your small people are running amok in the woods, the likelihood of a few grazed knees or insect bites is very high but I wouldn't want to hold Lara and Holly back so as long as we have this we're ready to respond - it acts as a local anaesthetic too so it relieves the pain of a scratch or a sting.

I've blogged several times recently about hayfever as Holly and I are both suffering.  To make sure that hayfever doesn't ruin your family picnic, pack a nasal spray or barrier cream to try and prevent the symptoms.  A set of eye drops might also be useful if you suffer from itchy eyes.

 

On our summer holidays we usually take picnics with us nearly every day and will eat wherever our travels take us. Sometimes this means sitting by a river, on a rock or just smack bang in the middle of a field, cowpats and everything.  I always take a little bottle of antibacterial hand gel such as Cuticura Sensitive so that we can keep our hands protected from bacteria before we start eating.

When we're going on a picnic we normally also pack some baby wipes but other first aid essentials may include:-

• an antihistamine cream such as Anthisan to relieve insect bites and stings
• plasters for bumps and grazes
• sun protection cream
• an aloe vera gel for relief from sun burn
• ready-mixed hydration drink such as Oralyte to help restore body fluids and salts lost on a hot day

  

If you're planning a picnic for National Picnic Week, remember to pack a small first aid kit to keep with you in the car, or your picnic basket.

#Win HayMax Kids Allergen Barrier Balm

Hayfever season is truely upon us.  This year it is me and Holly who are suffering from sore eyes, tickly noses and a mucus cough.  This year is the first time Holly has experienced Hay Fever and now that she is talking about the world and learning about the world she has been fascinated to find out about pollen and allergens that cause her symptoms - she feels almost proud to suffer from hayfever!

You know me, I'd always prefer to try a natural remedy for a problem before resorting to medicines and so Holly and I have been trying out HayMax Kids; it's a natural balm that you place inside your nostrils and around your eyes to act as a barrier against allergen particles.  It's such a simple idea but it genuinely does seem to make a difference.  Last week, on the days when the pollen count was so high that my BBC weather app decided it needed to warn me about it, Holly and I were both totally on top of our hayfever.

This summer I'm also using the Puressentiel nasal spray which I find really works to help clear my nose at the end of the day, and gets me through most of the morning without showing any hayfever signs.

HayMax kids comes in a small pot.  The balm is made using a blend of beeswax and sunflower oil so it it a gentle, 100% organic balm that you can rub onto the nostrils with your fingertips.  Holly enjoys doing this herself in the mornings before nursery.  On the days in the past fortnight where we have forgotten, Holly has once again complained in the evening of a snotty nose and has an evident cough.

I have a summer survival kit for small people to give away to one of my lovely Mellow Mummy readers.  The kit includes a pot of HayMax kids barrier balm and a bottle of Bioskin Junior Bath Milk (we use this for Holly's bathtimes!) - this is a gentle bath additive for use instead of bubble bath which is designed for cleansing and soothing sensitive skin for babies, toddlers and children and is perfect for a cooling bath at the end of a hot summer's day.

If you'd like to win this summer survival kit, all you need to do is to leave me a comment below to tell me the thing you most enjoy about summer.  The competition closes on the 28th June.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. The promoter is: Mellow Mummy
2. Entry is via a blog comment and a valid email address must be supplied when logging into the commenting mechanism. Entries with only facebook or twitter account details will not be deemed valid.
3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
4. Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via www.mellowmummy.co.uk
5. Closing date for entry is 28th June 2016. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
6. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
7. The rules of the competition and the prize for each winner are as follows: one pot of haymax balm and one bottle of Bioskin junior
8. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
9. The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
10. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
11. Winners will be drawn at random by Mellow Mummy.
12. The winner will be notified by email within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
13. The winner will be asked by the promoter to provide their name, postal address and mobile contact number which will be passed on to the prize supplier.
14. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
15. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
16. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
17. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

Play-Doh Town Review

Holly is a bit of a Play-Doh monster.  She plays with Play-Doh almost every morning before she goes to nursery and I often get home in the evening to realise that we left in a rush and it is all still where she left it on the dining table.  Holly's latest thing is making Play-Doh beards...which is surprisingly easy to do with the new Play-Doh town range!

Hasbro have just launched a new range of Play-Doh toys which are designed to encourage imaginative play by allowing you to build a whole town made from Play-Doh.  In the town you'll find a pet shop, a fire station and an ice-cream van (and I'm sure there will be more to come).  Holly is testing out the new Play-Doh Fire Truck which is a wheeled truck that you can zoom around the table through your imaginary dough town and which you can use to create shapes and squirt play doh.

The set comes with three small pots of coloured play-doh, one of which includes some toy flames which also double up as a shape-stamper.  In fact, you'll find little stampers and moulds hidden all over the fire engine as well for making badges, and flames and hoses.

The fire engine set comes with a Play-Doh Town character with a little axe (handy for chopping play doh wood with!) and whose hat can be used to squeeze doh out through his head and through his chin to make a stunning Play-Doh beard.  Huzzah!

But a squeezy beard maker isn't the thing that Holly MOST enjoys about the fire engine... oh no, this fire engine comes with the ultimate in squeezy Play-doh fun.  A fire hose from which you can splurge blue (or inevitably brown) play doh into streams of pretend water.  The girls LOVE it!  Who cares about the fact that this is a working play vehicle, and that the fireman can sit in his cab and drive? When you can squeeze play doh out of the top of a fire truck, life is good.

I've never seen Holly and Lara invest so much time in "play" rather than "construction" with Play-Doh before we received this set; it seems to have brought things to life a little.  Imaginative play mixed with creativity is a fabulous combination.  Even the pots themselves have been brought into play as towers (one of them has windows) and obstacles that the fire engine has to swerve around.

This Play-Doh Town fire truck play set costs around £14.99 and is available from Argos.

#Win the Wet Head game from Zing #WetHeadChallenge

Are you ready for some water filled fun this summer? Brilliant for the hot weather, Wet Head is a roulette game that soaks losers with water following a nerve-racking quiz or truth-or-dare game. Leading YouTubers’ have been taking the Wet Head Challenge and we will be youtubing our family challenges too!

I've got a Wet Head game pack to give away to one lucky Mellow Mummy reader so that you can share the fun this summer.

Take your chances with Zing’s new water roulette game, Wet Head! Grab some friends and family, fill the Wet Head with water, strap yourself in and give it a spin.

Ready for a twist? Players have the option to play with the included spinner or download the free Wet Head Challenge app and ask each other trivia questions. You can dream up lots of different ways to challenge your own family and friends by setting challenges or questions of your own! Any way you play, you might just get soaked!

The Wet Head Challenge app, available on iOS and Android, includes fun trivia questions and a special recording feature. The record feature allows players to capture every drenching moment and share their videos on YouTube or social media. Use #WetHeadChallenge to join in on the splash of fun and to see what others are posting! Will you be the next Wet Head?

Wet Head comes with one hat, eight pins and a spinner. It is available to buy now for a RRP of £19.99 and is suitable for ages 4 and over.

To be in with a chance of winning a Wet Head game pack from Zing, all you have to do is to leave me a comment below with an idea for a challenge or question you would set for your family.  The competition closes on the 24th June.

#DisneyBookWeek - Hardback Disney Movie Favourites from Parragon

Disney book week is coming to a close but there's still time to join in the magic. Until the 12th June, look out for special offers on Disney books from Parragon.

Parragon's exclusive Disney Movie Collection of over 20 Disney storybooks offers a wonderful opportunity for you and your family to relive your favourite Disney (and indeed Pixar) classic tales such as Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Finding Nemo. You can find the full collection of beautiful story books on this special amazon page.

The special series of Disney storybooks is a set of collectible hard-backs with full-page colour images from each movie.  Each book is dedicated to the tale of a classic Disney movie and they make wonderful bedtime reading stories as you can share a familiar story and pictures - building on the love of a favourite movie is a great way of encouraging reading at Lara and Holly's age.  Lara has also enjoyed reading the books herself - they are full stories and Lara quite happily tucks herself up with one of them to read.

Our collection was started by Parragon with The Jungle Book, the story of Mowgli the man-cub, and Frozen (Holly's absolutely favourite Disney movie).  The books feel and look very special and its no wonder Lara enjoys them so much.

If you check out this Disney microsite, dedicated to Disney Book Week you'll even find a competition to win bedtime reading bundles.

NERF Super Soaker Tornado Scream Review

It has become a bit of a tradition at Lara's Beavers colony that the end of term, they spend a session with the older children of scouts, usually playing games.  In the summer this is a water fight and Lara has been looking forward to it because last year she was brand new to the colony and didn't know what to expect - this year she is ready for action and will be well-prepared with her Nerf Super Soaker Tornado Scream water gun which will be a match for most of the beaver cubs and scouts!

The Tornado Scream is a 1 litre water gun which can shoot water upto 10 metres away.  Lara can catch her little sister from the other end of the garden!  interestingly, 1 litre of water doesn't last awfully long when you are blasting it out more or less non-stop but thankfully this water gun stands upright and has a nice wide opening so that you can fill it up with water easily - Lara likes to use a jug of water but her sister prefers dunking it into a bath-tub of water to fill it up.

Holly has also taken to the Nerf super soaker and that just goes to show how easy it is to carry, hold and use.  You have to pump the bottom handle to build up pressure inside before pulling the trigger to release a jet of water.  The Tornado Stream shoots out an interesting jet of water - one directly in front and one that whirls around and around the main stream (like a swirling tornado, I guess).  The second jet isn't as powerful as the main jet but it does catch people out and that's why I think this super soaker will be perfect for the end-of-term water fight.

The NERF Super Soaker Tornado Stream costs around £17.99.  A water fight is a fun way to spend the afternoon when the weather is as hot as it has been these last few days - it cools the girls down AND wears them out at the same time!  The girls like to play water fights and it is usually surprisingly amicable when they play so I consider it harmless.  I'm sure when it comes to a field full of scouts, the water fighting will be a little more wild but this year I know Lara will be soaking and spraying all of the other participants with her super soaker!

Vosene Kids - New Hair and Body products for scrumptious-smelling kids!

This summer Vosene Kids are adding three new products to their range of haircare and skincare for kids and Lara and Holly have had a chance to try them out.

In the Gentle to Skin range you'll soon find this exotic-smelling Caring Coconut & Mango Hair and Body Wash which comes in a 200ml bottle and reminds me of summer holidays!  With coconut oil to help sooth and cleanse sensitive skin it is suitable for use on both hair and body so makes an ideal two-in-one product to take with you on your travels.  Holly and Lara love this!

We also love the strong scents from the fruity goodness range, particularly the cirtussy scents of pink pomelo which you'll now find in both the Pink Pomelo & Vitamin C 2 in 1 Shampoo and also in the Vosene Kids Pink Pomelo & Vitamin C Hair & Body Wash.  Both products are paraben free so gentle on little people's skin.

The 2 in 1 shampoo leaves the girls hair feeling really clean. It is designed to also help reduce tangles in the hair.  The smell of this shampoo is so zingy and fresh and the girls have really come to enjoy the smell of Pink Pomelo.  With added Vitamin C, this shampoo offers a deep clean which gets rid of the build up of several days worth of school and nursery gunk!

The Pink Pomelo & Vitamin C Hair and Body wash from Vosene kids is now Lara's favourite bathtime product. We haven't tried using this directly on the hair but as a body wash it leaves the girls feeling fresh and clean and they love the smell and always seem happy and excited for bathtimes at present.

Look out for these great-smelling, deep-cleaning kids bathtime products from Vosene Kids hitting the shops very soon.

Natural Anti-Lice Solutions from Puressentiel

This little girl of mine is soooo cute at present - her speech is changing, her approach to life (questioning, mimicking, exploring, appreciating life) is changing and she is growing up. Holly has reached the age of her life where EVERYBODY gets a cuddle.  Every friend at nursery, every member of staff at nursery, her big sister, her big sister's friends, family, the cat, complete strangers if she got a chance.  I remember Lara going through a similar stage just before her 4th birthday.

Unfortunately, small people who hug each other a lot tends to be the place where head lice infestations start - it has happened at nursery before and I just know it is likely to happen when Holly starts school in September.

Having recently discovered the Puressentiel natural skincare and healthcare products for myself, I've now also found out about the Puressentiel anti-lice range.  As a preventative measure when Lara goes back to school after half-term, and when Holly is at nursery we're going to try out this compact lice repellant spray which is a natural aromatherapy spray made with lemon eucalyptus essential oil which is a natural lice repellant.  The spray is a fine spray which doesn't use a gas propellant to release it from the can.  It's easy to apply and smells great - let's hope it manages to keep the girls' hair lice-free when school starts again.

We have been very lucky to only have to deal with headlice once to date but it is always handy to have something handy in the cupboard for the day when you need it.  So, I can't yet vouch for the effectiveness of the Puressentiel anti-lice lotion and comb but I can tell you that it is 100% natural in origin, using essential oils and natural plant oils to kill off lice, nits and larvae.  If you leave it on for at least 10 minutes, these oils stop the lice from being able to breathe.  The use of natural oils also helps relive irritation and itching that lice and nits can cause.

Puressentiel products can be found online at amazon and Boots.