KIDFIX car seat by Britax

We have recently been sent the KIDFIX car seat by Britax which is a test winner in its category.  It is for the older child - group 2-3, for children aged 4 years to 12 years.

This seat is approved for two different methods of installation: either using the ISOFIX system which anchors the seat directly to the car for added protection, or by using the car's 3-point seatbelt.

When I first opened up the box I was immediately struck by the sturdiness of this seat, with  the sides looking well-padded and robust.  And when my daughter first sat in the seat she commented on its 'lovely soft cushioning'.  

The KIDFIX has multiple recline positions, and comes in a variety of fun colours from dark grape to smart zebra.

It has side impact protection, softly padded side wings, seat belt guides, height adjustable headrest, and a soft padded cover that can easily be removed for washing.  

You can  also purchase various accessories to go with this seat such as a cup holder - an absolute must for my daughter to store her random stones and shells in!

Black and Decker steam mop

Black and Decker have just brought out this new steam mop.

This is very exciting for me as I hate the traditional way of mopping - a scraggly mop head that sheds bits all over the kitchen floor, and often doesn't smell very nice.

I am ashamed to admit that I hadn't used my usual mop for so long that it actually had things growing on it when I went to get it from the shed the other day - it has promptly gone in the bin.

So with this new steam mop you don't get any of these problems.  It boasts killing 99.9% of germs and bacteria, and only uses tap water to do it - so you don't need to use any nasty chemicals in the process..

The mop has just a 15 second heat-up time, 180 degree swivel action and can work right up to the edges of the floor.  And the auto select function ensures safety on all sealed floors, and gives a deep clean every time!

Below is a short clip, showing the mop in action:

This is a sponsored post

My cleaning standards have slipped...

It has dawned on my recently, that my cleaning standards have completely slipped in the last six months or so.

After being completely neurotic about having a clean home when my children were babies, I have since decided that now that they are older, a little bit of dust and a few cobwebs won't hurt them!

I remember I would vacuum the carpets and mop the kitchen floor daily - and I even cleaned the skirting boards probably more often than was normal.  The housework was a time-consuming chore that took up valuable time at home with the kids.

But now, I am ashamed to admit, that our kitchen floor barely sees a mop these days, and instead I opt for using a baby wipe to clean any isolated spillages or stickiness - and that's on a good day.  And instead of routinely vacuuming the sitting room every single day, I now begrudgingly get the hoover out if I know that we are having guests.

I think my lapse in housework first started when I read a quote that really resonated with me - it said that your children are only young for a very short period of time, so enjoy them instead of obsessing over the cleaning - as dust will be around forever!

I actually feel rather liberated now that I don't obsess over the cleaning so much, and yes, it does mean that I have more time to make dens, and dress up as cats, and throw glitter around the kitchen, and not have a melt-down in the process.

Plenty have recently launched their Juan Sheet campaign, which I think is hilarious - I love it.  Below is a video of when Juan Sheet takes on a sticky high chair mess with a wet sheet of Plenty...

I'd be happy to substitute a wet sheet of Plenty for a baby wipe any day!

Fly Trap! - a game of fly-flicking fun!

We absolutely love games in this household and so were pleased to receive this new game by Esdevium, called Fly Trap!

The game is for age 4+ (2-4 players) so is perfect for our family to all play together, and what an exciting game it is too!

To play, you have to shoot as many flies into the Fly Trap's mouth as possible while the other players push their pumps to close it and try to stop you from scoring.

There were squeals and much laughter as we played this game, and I was amazed to see my five-year-old became the absolute champion, beating my husband hands down!

The game comes with 20 plastic flies (in two different colours), one fly trap with an electric motor, two fly flickers and two pumps.

This product RRPs at £19.99 and is available on Amazon, Argos and Asda.

Please do go and check it out, it is a great game, and we have had a lot of fun with it!

Mega Bloks Play 'n' Go Table

My girls have always been big fans of Mega Bloks and we have had hours and hours of construction time with all the colourful and different-sized building blocks.

So my three-year-old was thrilled to be sent this Play 'n' Go Table to try out, which provides even more construction possibilities!  My daughter spent hours playing with this table with her two-year-old cousin, giving us peace and quiet!  They built up a tower, and whizzed the car around the tracks.  And we were able to add all our existing Mega Bloks to the set, which was great fun - even my husband Tom got heavily involved!

This set, which acts as a building platform, comes with blocks, building plates, decorated wall plates, a car, and a figure.  The table is portable, and when not in use it folds down flat for easy storage and all the  blocks fit really neatly inside.  And it is really easy to put together.

The kids thought this product was great, and so I would highly recommend it.  

Mega Bloks have 'Time to Build' pages on Facebook and Twitter - check them out!