AD | REVIEW 360 Play Milton Keynes Character Breakfast + GIVEAWAY

#AD #REVIEW #GIFTED

On Saturday we ventured down the road to Milton Keynes to attend a special Character Breakfast at 360 Play.

360 Play is an amazing brand of soft play centres filled to bursting with brilliant play facilities for children of all ages. They currently have centres in Basildon, Farnborough, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Redditch, Rushden Lakes and Stevenage. 

The play facilities at our local 360 Play (Milton Keynes) includes a huge soft play frame, musical carousel, a toddler zone for under 4s, 360 Street (a creative play/toddler village zone), dodgems, messy play area and even an outdoor play area which includes climbing, paddle boats, a huge sandpit and outdoor seating area. They also have a brilliant cafe so adults can grab a drink/food/snacks while the kids play - perfect! 

We were kindly invited along to review their Character Breakfast event - where you're treated to a buffet breakfast, meeting some brilliant characters plus a long play session for the kids! 

We arrived at 9am and were greeted by the lovely staff and the two 360 Play mascots called Twizzle and Twirl. Both Bert and Connie were so excited to meet the characters, and they loved eating breakfast among the super friendly and fun mascots. 

We were greeted by Twizzle and Twirl 

Our table was laid nicely - all ready for our breakfast! 

Our table was laid out all ready for us, and after just a few minutes the breakfast buffet was open for us all to help ourselves. There were about six or seven other families at the Character Breakfast, so we didn't have to queue for vey long at all to get our food. 

We could choose from:

- Tea, Coffee, Juice or Water
- Breakfast cereal & milk
- Sausage in a roll
- Bacon in a roll
- Croissants with butter and jams/marmalade 
- Toast with butter and jams/marmalade
- Pain au Chocolat 

The food was delicious and there was plenty of it - allowing anyone to go back for seconds, or even thirds! The kids ate loads, and were thrilled when Twizzle and Twirl served them their breakfast rolls. 

Twizzle and Twirl served us our breakfast! 

A very happy Bertster with ALL THE PASTRY! 

Double thumbs up from Connie! 

A sausage patty soft roll and a croissant for moi! 

Just after we had eaten we were joined by two more amazing characters - Skye from Paw Patrol and Lego Batman!! There was plenty of time for the kids to pose for photos with the characters, which they loved. It just added a really extra-special edge to the breakfast and added even more incentive to take the kids along to a soft play session.

Happy kids! (and colour co-ordinated with their fave characters it seems!)

Lego Batman and Bert

Then ensued a mammoth play session where-in I lost Liam and the kids for about 1.5 hours! Unfortunately, I have a really bad back at the moment and couldn't join them on the soft play frame, but it was clear to see they had tons of fun - and naturally didn't want to go home when the time came. 

Connie's face in this one makes me laugh so hard! Action shot!  

As you can see from the pictures, there really is so much fun to be had at 360 Play - we found the whole place to be clean and the equipment all in good condition, the staff were friendly and you really couldn't fault the range of facilities and play equipment at all. 

We would really recommend going along to 360 Play for a Character Breakfast, if you're interested you can find out dates and book tickets on the 360 Play website. 

Ticket prices for the Character Breakfast are as follows:

Children £12.95 

Adults £6.95

Price includes the buffet breakfast in an exclusive area and early entrance to the centre. We think it's very good value considering all that's included. 

WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO ANY 360 PLAY CENTRE

The gang at 360 Play have kindly offered one of my readers a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) valid at any of their play centres. 

Please enter via the Gleam widget below. 

GOOD LUCK! 

Ends 11.59pm 10/10/19 

UK ENTRANTS ONLY 

360 Play Giveaway

Bambo Nature Nappies - Review & Giveaway

Originating in Demark, Bambo Nature is a premium baby product brand providing gentle, soft, environmentally friendly range that includes nappies, training pants, wipes and skin care products. All of which are skin-friendly, eco-friendly and sleep-friendly! 

We've been road testing their nappies for Connie (22 months) and we're excited to let you know how we've been getting on. 

HOW did our baby girl get so grown up?? Connie, here age 21 months.

A mountain of Bambo Nature Size 6 Nappies all ready for Connie to put to the test! 

So, what should you know about Bambo Nature before we get into the product review stuff?

Bambo Nature takes great care to ensure their products are as gentle on the environment as they are on your child, for example, the fluff used within Bambo Nature nappies and training pants is environmentally friendly and comes from sustainable forestry, where more trees are planted than felled. If that’s not enough, 95% of all production waste at their factory in Denmark is recycled and the other 5% is used as fuel within the local surrounding communities.

What I love about Bambo Nature is that you can be reassured that you are choosing a product that is not only good for your baby, but it is also good for the environment too! Double win!

There are absolutely no colourants, parabens or perfumes used in Bambo Nature products; these are all unnecessary and could cause irritations – so to give you peace of mind they are left out of these products to ensure your child and their delicate skin has the best possible chance of remaining healthy and happy.

All of the Bambo Nature products are dermatology tested making them an ideal solution if your child has allergies. And although we are yet to try them, Bambo Nature’s wet wipes are accredited with Asthma-Allergy label by the Danish Allergy Foundation and are your guarantee that the product is less likely to cause skin irritation or allergies. 

What We Thought:

We've been using Bambo Nature Size 6/XL size nappies for Connie exclusively for 8 weeks now, and we have absolutely loved them. Not only have they been super reliable (not a single leak in 8 weeks), but they are also the softest nappies we've ever used. They have a super soft top-dry layer, which seems to really do the job for wicking away wetness. There is a fully-breathable almost textile-like back sheet which not only feels great when you're changing them, but must feel softer and nicer for baby too. 

Super soft top-dry layer 

Textile-like back sheet on Bambo Nature nappy with cute tiger design

Considering how absorbent they are, we have also noticed that they are really thin, and having read up a little on the Bambo website it seems they have created their thinnest ever core design, which is definitely noticeable and means that Connie can move about freely, without her nappy restricting her in any way - perfect for a very busy and active 22 month old.

They also have a very flexible and stretchy side panels which mould to her (rather sizeable and gorgeously chunky) thighs - ensuring a perfect fit, and preventing any leaks. 

Flexible side panels and securing tapes on Bambo Nature nappies.

What more could you ask for?

Oh they also spot ridiculously cute almost retro-feel designs of a sweet tiger, which Connie loves - she says 'Tiger ROARRRRR!' every time I change her, super cute! And they have a very clear size label at the top which is really handy for knowing what size they are currently in, and especially handy if you have multiple children in differing sized nappies. Other brands size labels are usually really hard to read/see - so a big thumbs up to this point. 

Super cute retro-feel tiger design and clear size label on the front of the Bambo Nature nappies

It is worth noting here that we have exclusively used Pampers for both Albert and Connie after trying supermarket own-brand nappies which always seemed to leak on us. So, I must say that I am thrilled to find an alternative brand that stacks up to a premium brand in terms of performance but can also offer environmentally friendly credentials and a competitive price point. 

We are officially converted!

A pack of 22 size 6/XL nappies from Bambo Nature cost £9.00.

WIN A CASE (6 PACKS) OF BAMBO NATURE NAPPIES IN A SIZE OF YOUR CHOOSING...

Bambo Nature have very kindly offered my readers the chance to try Bambo Nature for themselves by entering this generous giveaway. 

One winner will receive a whole case (that's 6 packs!) of Bambo Nature nappies in a size of their choosing, just enter via the Gleam App below. 

GOOD LUCK! 

UK entrants only.

One winner will be selected using Gleam's random winner generator. 

Bambo Nature Giveaway

*We were given a case of Bambo Nature nappies in return for this honest review.*

Kids Songs CD, Rastamouse App & CBeebies bundle giveaway!

My kids are obsessed with CBeebies: we've always watched it above all other children's channels, and so we are more than au fait with characters such as Mr Tumble, Chris and Pui, Hey Duggee etc. 

Another thing my kids adore is music, especially music they can recognise and join in with such as themes from their beloved CBeebies programmes. We have an old double disc CBeebies CD that we have to listen to in the car on EVERY. SINGLE. JOURNEY. (*Insert manic smile face here*) So when I found out that a brand new CD full of original recordings of children’s favourite TV themes and songs had been released, I was thrilled! Finally something slightly different to listen to in the car. 

The album features some of the biggest names on children's TV as well as theme tunes from popular CBeebies Programmes such as Go Jetters, Hey Duggee, Waybaloo, Tee and Mo, Everything’s Rosie and many more...

Available to buy on Amazon or download on Itunes at www.smarturl.it/kidssongs. 

The album will have a RRP of £5-6

We were lucky enough to be sent a promotional copy of the CD on it's release date along with a cute bundle of CBeebies goodies to enjoy, and it's not even Christmas yet! 

We've been listening to the triple CD non-stop over the past week and the kids have been loving it (I'm not going to lie, the adults not so much - but at least it's DIFFERENT) hehe. We've had in-house disco sessions, car raves and all sorts along to the tunes on Kids Songs - even 18 month old Connie has been busting some super moves! 

It really is the ultimate soundtrack for kiddies and a must have stocking filler for all CBeebies loving families!

As well as busting moves to the sounds of CBeebies, Bert had the chance to explore a brand new app on his tablet thanks to a free-download code we were kindly given. The app is called 'Rastamouse: Da Missing Riddim' and is a fun but educational activity application for smart phones and tablets. 

Drawing inspiration from the stories of Michael De Souza and Genevieve Webster and incorporating the uplifting music of Andrew Kingslow; the Rocksteady Reggae School music project provides a thoroughly cross-curricular experience to excite and engage young minds with this new app. 

Featuring the voices of the incredible Rastamouse cast, 'Rastamouse: Da Missing Riddim' is a fun and educational experience that brings the magic of Rastamouse to your home in a cool new way!

For those of you who haven't heard of it, Rastamouse is an award-winning British preschool television that has a positive message for young children, promoting the need to understand right from wrong in a meaningful context. Through understanding and love, Rastamouse will always “make a bad ting good!”. 

The app includes:

“Bust a move”

Dance with Da Easy Crew on the Mousetival stage. Keep up with the riddim and earn your highest score!

“Ride da Riddim”

Skate through Mouseland with Da Easy Crew. Play each band member’s instrument to find that missing riddim; unlock a wicked tune that Da Easy Crew can skate and jam together on!

“Spin da Riddim”

Spin those crucial sounds of Da Easy Crew you unlocked, and mix them on Scratchy’s boombastic DJ decks!

Bert's been loving it - I heard him chuckling away to himself when he was playing it yesterday, and actually he isn't usually that fussed by the TV show itself, favouring others in its place - but he seems to really enjoy the activities on the app and from what I've seen of it, it seems very educational.

Check out Rastamouse online:

• Like on Facebook: http://fb.com/Rastamouse.irie

• Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Rastamouse_irie

• Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/Rastamouse_irie

• Subscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/Rastamouse

• More about Rastamouse: http://rastamouse.com

Learn about the Rocksteady Reggae School: http://www.rocksteadyreggaeschool.com/

As if that wasn't enough, along with the CD and app code, Bert and Connie were very kindly gifted a cute bundle of CBeebies goodies to enjoy and I'm pleased to say I've also got another bundle to giveaway...

WIN A CBEEBIES BUNDLE!!

If your little one is also CBeebies mad and would love a chance to get hold of an amazing bundle of CBeebies goodies in time for Christmas, then please enter the giveaway below. 

One winner will be chosen at random to win:

• Kids Songs CD
• free-download code for the Rastamouse app
• BOJ DVD
• Everything's Rosie puzzle and purse
• 2018 Clangers Calendar 

Good luck lovely people!

Mrs B x

*We were sent a copy of the cd, free-download code for the app and the bundle of CBeebies goodies in return for this honest post*

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Blue Coffee Box - Review, Giveaway & Exclusive Discount ...

CALLING ALL COFFEE LOVERS!!!
Have you heard of Blue Coffee Box the speciality coffee subscription service? 

Today I'm bringing you an exciting review, giveaway and discount code for this exciting speciality coffee subscription service. The perfect gift for the caffeine junkies in your life this Christmas. 

About Blue Coffee Box
Blue Coffee Box is a UK subscription club for speciality coffee lovers.

Each month, they send a letterbox-friendly blue (unsurprisingly) box containing three bags of freshly roasted coffee with tasting notes and information of the origin and farm where it is produced.

Three new roasters are introduced every month from the top of the UK’s 300 or so craft roasters to hand-roast the beans. These are fresh roasted every week and members can select how they are prepared; whole beans or ground for cafetiere, dripper or espresso.

Membership costs from only £7.99 per month (or less for 3, 6 or 12-month advanced payment). Members can cancel, pause, skip or upgrade any time. 

There’s an entire world of coffee that most of us have never experienced. Speciality coffee is single origin or microlot coffee that scores over 80+ on the SCA quality scale and covers just the top 10% of coffees in the world.

In the UK, 65% of us still drink instant coffee and the quality is very low. But, in Europe, it’s only 2% and in the USA, 7%.

Nestle recently paid $500million to buy a chain of speciality coffee shops in the USA and Starbucks’ founder, Howard Schultz, left the main business to set up Starbucks speciality coffee shops. It’s the fastest growing sector in the industry.

For coffee lovers, a Blue Coffee Box subscription is a veritable world tour of speciality coffee. Members tell BCB their preferences and their Coffee Concierges choose the best coffees from over 17 countries.

The Founders
Jon and Harvey Butt are the father and son team behind Blue Coffee Box who both love good coffee (naturally!). 

Jon is a seasoned entrepreneur and a leader in the fire safety industry. During Jon’s business travels in the USA, he discovered speciality coffee subscriptions that curated from various niche coffee roasters. In the UK, subscription services tend to only supply from the one roaster and are more for convenience.

Harvey, not wanting to be lumbered with a student loan after university, suggested setting up something similar in the UK to pay his way though Uni and not be a burden on society. Bless! And Blue Coffee Box was born in 2017.

It’s growing fast and recently started supplying speciality coffee for business to improve the quality of coffee offered to visitors and guests during business appointments.

Our First Box

Jon and Harvey heard on the grapevine that Mr B and myself are rather coffee-crazy, and very kindly offered to send us a 3 month subscription to Blue Coffee Box to try out. I'm going to share each box with you as it arrives, but they've also supplied me with a brilliant discount code for you lovely lot to enjoy, as well as a giveaway so you can enter for your chance to win a box for free! 

Liam and I have always enjoyed a cup of coffee, but since going off tea in my last pregnancy, I've never really gone back to it, and instead find myself drinking ALL THE COFFEE. Last month, we were very kindly gifted this amazing Dualit 3-in-1 coffee machine from our best friends, and so since then we have been exploring artisan/speciality 'proper' coffee at home - perfect timing for Blue Coffee Box to come into our lives...

Our new baby! Dualit 3-in-1 coffee machine! 

We opted for a surprise box of espresso ground coffee for our subscription but you can choose from beans to grind yourself, cafetière coarse grind, medium grind for pour overs and filter droppers or espresso fine grind like us for espresso machines or stove tops. 

You can choose from light, medium or dark roast coffee, depending on your personal taste preference, or go for a surprise box like us. 

Our first box arrived just under a fortnight ago, and since it arrived we've been in coffee-heaven! 

I absolutely loved how neat the packaging is - it is pretty and luxurious without being over-the-top, it can be posted through a letterbox so it's super-convenient and you get a lot of coffee for your money! In each one-month subscription box you get enough coffee for 6 cups per week, about 24 cups (approx) in total! Each pouch in our box contains 155g of coffee, and two weeks in a drinking multiple cups each day, we've still got a good supply to see us through the rest of the month. 

Ready to dive into our first box!

Oooh excited to see which coffees we've got...!

#LoveBlueCoffee @bluecoffeebox on Twitter and Instagram

So pretty! Such neat and pretty packaging, also very practical with re-sealable pouches for each coffee. 

I dived in head first and ripped open the first pouch that caught my eye straight away - the heady waft of delicious coffee scent as you open your first pouch is aroma gold! 

Our first three coffees...

Our first box contained:

BERILO FICHA NUEVA from Mexico by Clifton Coffee Roasters - with notes of dark chocolate, spice, lychee and lemon. 

GONZALEZ FIALLOS from Honduras by Cast Iron Coffee Roasters - with notes of peach, toffee and mango.

DOS RIOS from Guatemala by Campbell & Syme - with notes of plum, hibiscus, syrup and chocolate. 

I loved how each pouch contains info such as tasting notes, variety, process, altitude, producer, region and even the date the coffee was roasted on. The coffee is best before 4 weeks from roast date but good for 3 months in total - that's a lot of shelf life - there's no way ours will last that long! 

I was amazed by how utterly DIFFERENT each of the coffees are - for those that think it all tastes the same, I urge you to try a box - you'll be bowled over by the difference in aroma and taste between the varieties. 

My absolute favourite in this box was the DOS RIOS - it is so smooth, so luxurious with a sweet and deep flavour, no bitterness at all, but all the coffee hit you'd expect from an espresso powder. 

Having said that, I enjoy each of the three coffees provided in the box and often just pick a pouch out of the cupboard lucky dip style - not a single grain will be going to waste at Chez Bishop. 

Jumping in full-steam-ahead with our first pouch from our Blue Coffee Box

Every coffee lovers heaven: a heady scent of a European coffee shop fills the kitchen when the Dualit machine whirs into action!

The perfect Americano thanks to Blue Coffee Box

A super milky latte for my Friday treat last week - I use Oatly Barista milk and froth it using my Dualit machine, it makes for the creamiest most luxurious coffee! 

If you're a coffee lover or you're looking for a gift for a coffee drinker this Christmas then I couldn't recommend this subscription box enough. We're so excited to see which coffees are in our next box. Check back next month to find out. 

GET £5 OFF YOUR FIRST BOX... 

Use coupon code is MB518 at the checkout and receive £5 off your first order (what a BARGAIN!!)

The code can be applied to gift boxes or the longer subscriptions, too.

WIN A ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO BLUE COFFEE BOX

Use the gleam app below to enter my giveaway for your chance to win one Blue Coffee Box containing 3 speciality artisan coffees along with tasting notes. 

blue coffee box giveaway

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We received a 3 month subscription to Blue Coffee Box in return for these honest reviews (1 of 3).