PacaPod Designer Parent Bag Review and Giveaway

Alright, so I LOVE a good nappy bag. Especially because I use one pretty much every day, and I am always shoving things in them, digging around or trying to find something for the kids every five minutes when I'm out! I'm always lugging kids and stuff somewhere. So for me organisation and space is essential. But, I also know that most Mum's I hang out with, and me included, actually like to have a stylish bag, that doesn't make it look like you've given up on all sense of fashion and just lug kids stuff around! Right?

Well, I've found the bag that has both! The PACAPOD Portland is new to Australia, it has great organisation, heaps of space and looks really nice and is easy to carry! Pacapod actually has a great range of parent bags!!  PLUS, it has the added bonus of including some other daily essentials like an insulated bag for food and drinks, that can become a back pack for little ones!! And a separate changer pod for nappies, clothes and creams. It includes heaps of really thoughtful features that when I used it for the first time, I kept discovering new things and I was constantly thinking, Ohhh thats cool, ohhh good idea, ohhh nice.

With my last nappy bag Joel absolutely refused to look for anything in there because it was absolute chaos. He could never find anything and it would frustrate him so much! He actually really likes this one, and especially now that he knows where everything is, plus, he doesn't mind carrying it because it isn't super Girly!

All of the PacaPods have the 'POD SYSTEM' which is so clever, and its nice not to have to dig around your whole bag to find wipes or nappies or whatever they all have their own little home!

The Pod System is 3 great parts
1: The parent bag! That is stylish and lovely and even can fit an iPod or Laptop! Plus a zip pocket for your phone, keys, wallet and such!

2. Changer Pod: Which has 7 pockets, clothes pouch and comes with a padded change mat. The amount of stuff I can squeeze in the pod is awesome!

3. Feeder Pod: Which is insulated and has enough room for your kids food! And, it also detaches to be a neat little back pack, which Ez keeps telling me 'thats me's backpack' so obviously a hit with the kids!

This particular Portland bag retails for $279, but there are a great range of PacaPod bags that start at $159

If you want to check out the range of Pacapod Parent bags available in Australia click HERE
And you can also check out your local baby store to see if they are a stockist!

I'm really excited because I also have one the PacaPod Parent bags from their range to GIVEAWAY!

For your chance to win, just follow the Rafflecopter Prompts Below!! 

And GOOD LUCK!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE is coming to PERTH (WIN A FAMILY PASS)

*This is a sponsored post: but all opinions, and dance moves are my own!

Have you heard yet that the Yo Gabba Gabba Live show is making its way to Perth for the 1ST TIME EVER?

To be honest, I was pretty excited when I found out that DJ Lance and the crew were including Perth in their tour this time round. I may have actually jumped out of my seat and squealed a little bit (who have I beome?!?). A few years ago I never thought I would get excited about something like this, and then well, I became a parent, and the thought of my little boy having an absolute blast, being super excited and  getting his Dancey Dance on makes me pretty stoked as a Mum, and the fact that I get to enjoy it with him is pretty special. I mean, we had a pretty awesome dancey dance time ourselves this afternoon, rocking out to some Spoon and Led Zeppelin, playing air guitar and singing into plastic cutlery microphones, but I'm so looking forward to seeing his face when he realises that all his favourite characters have come out of the TV!

 Plus, I will totally admit that Yo Gabba Gabba is one of my favourite kid shows, I love their positive messages in each episode. But, it might also have something to do with my punk-rock loving teenage years and the fact that one of the creators is from the Aquabats, so the show includes heaps of awesome bands (like The Roots and MGMT) and famous personalities, so I like to watch too! I'm also pretty keen to find out who the surprise Super Music Friends live band will be at the Perth show, and who the special dancey dance guests are! See, its not just for the kids!

We've been listening to the Yo Gabba Gabba CD's since Ez was a baby, basically because he loves it, and I can't stand any other kids CD's. I know the Super Music Friends album off by heart, and of course I find myself singing "You can't always get what you want" song to Ezra fairly often, and I probably get a little too into Pool Party by the Aquabats, to the point that people in other cars stare. So, just like when I was 13 at my first Silverchair concert, I will be one of the many I'm sure singing along to every word! Luckily, my kids aren't old enough to be embarrassed by me yet!

So lots of singing, lots of dancing, lots of favourite songs and new ones too, plus special guests, and if the past shows on the east coast are anything to go by, it is going to be such an awesome show, for all ages!

It's coming up really soon, next month actually, so make sure you get your tickets!

(CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS)

You do not want to miss out on a chance to get your sillies out!

You can even get platinum tickets that give you the opportunity to get photos with the Yo Gabba Gabba Cast!

For ticket and event information visit www.zaccariagroup.com. 
For full tour information visit www.yogabbagabbalive.com.au.

DATES IN PERTH:

YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE!

Saturday 7 June, 2014 

Sunday 8 June, 2014 

Riverside Theatre, PCEC 

AND Thanks to the Zaccaria Group, You have the chance to 

WIN A  FAMILY PASS (Admits 4) to the YO GABBA GABBA LIVE SHOW IN PERTH! 

just follow this link to enter the giveaway on the Yellow Dandy Facebook Page! 

ENTER HERE

Here is a clip from the 2010 Yo Gabba Gabba Live show, if you want to get an idea of what you're in for!! 

Sorry Non-West Aussies, this is a special giveaway for my fellow WA dwellers!

Also linking up with Jess for #IBOT

Win a Gorgeous Robe or Kaftan from Be Still Homewares

Wow, two giveaways in a row, how exciting!! What a good month to be a Yellow Dandy reader, I mean, apart from the fact that I STILL don't have an internet connection in the house and am surviving on my phones 3G, so my posts have been a bit few and far between. .. The end of this month they tell me!

Anyway!! This is an awesome giveaway that I have the pleasure of co-hosting with Down That Little Lane, where Sarah from the gorgeous Be Still Homewares is offering the chance to win your choice of Robe or Kaftan!

Personally I love a good robe, especially on a lazy Sunday morning, and these are so lush! I don't always get the chance to look presentable until late into the morning, so a stylish robe is the perfect way to greet the mail man, or to run down the street after kids! Ha!

Be Still Homewares was founded in January 2008 by Sarah an Australian Industrial and Graphic Designer.

Sarah has a passion for fabric and pattern and after a trip to Bangkok in 2008 where she fell in love with the gorgeous fabric that was available, she felt a need to transform that fabric into beautiful designs. The unique products created by Sarah make up the Be Still Homewares range.

Sarah continues to collect and use fabric from several countries including Thailand, Japan, India, Uzbekistan and Kashmir. In 2011 Sarah further added to her collection with a range of embroidered cushions that are designed by her and produced in India.

You can view the full collection from Be Still Homewares here.

All you need to do to enter is leave us a comment telling us in 25 words or less - your favorite way to spend a Sunday morning.

Then follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget below and you are in with a chance to win.

The competition is open now and closes at midnight 20/04/14 AEST. Good Luck!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c9c3a814/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kiinde Twist Breastmilk System Review and GIVEAWAY

* I was sent a Kiinde Twist Starter Kit for the purpose of a review, but as always, all opinions are my own. 

Pumping, oh pumping. I used to think (before I was a Mum) that just pumping a bit of breast milk and then heading out for the day would be such an easy task. I thought I'd be leaving Joel with night time bottles and we'd be sharing night feeds, and I'd heading out on the weekends frequently. Then I had a baby, and then another one, and I realised that pumping and leaving milk behind isn't as simple as it seems! First you have to find time to pump, and it always takes longer for me than breastfeeding, because my let down doesn't trigger for AGES when I pump. Then, you have to actually have milk left to pump. It's easy in the first few weeks with my over abundant milk supply, but after that I have a hard time finding a time when I'm not stealing my baby's milk for her next feed. Maybe it's just me, but I have never been that great at pumping, if I know I need to go out it can often take me a few times pumping just to get enough milk for one feed!

So, if after all that time and effort, I then spill even 20ml of milk when I'm trying to transfer it to freeze it, or back into bottles, I will definitely cry over spilt milk!

So, when I saw this Kiinde Twist breastmilk direct pumping, collection, storage and feeding system I was desperate to give it a go! Anything that gives breastfeeding Mums a little more freedom and makes feeding my baby when I'm away easier, makes me a little excited! The Twist system is so simple, and prevents those breast-milk spills because you never have to actually transfer the milk.

So from pumping, to freezing, to warming, to feeding it all stays in the same bag! Brilliant! 

The Kiinde Twist system comes with attachments for most of the popular brands of breast pumps, so I use my Medela swing and I can attach the Twist pouch right on to my pump with the attachment, not like the Medela pouches, that if you dropped your pump (which happens more than you think when you have to jump up and stop a toddler or protect a baby) then your freshly pumped milk would go everywhere. The Twist pouch with the pump attachment won't spill, yay! These pouches are 150ml, but they also come in larger size of 225ml, but for someone like me who can't ever seem to pump very much, the smaller pouches are perfect!

You then just untwist the bag from the pump, put the lid back on, write the date on it, and store it in the freezer in their freezer storage system, the Kiinde Keeper, that means no loosing breast milk to the back of the freezer, or in my case with freezer drawers, the bottom! Yay for organized freezers!!

When you need to use the milk, you simply warm it in a bowl of warm water, or use the Kiinde Kozii, (which will be available in May) milk warmer, then snap the pouch into the Kiinde Squeeze bottle, attach the nipple to the top and you are ready to roll! The folk at Kiinde say that the active latch nipple can eliminate gas from your bubs meal, which is awesome! I just really love how easy the whole system is, and it is especially helpful that this part is easy because there is a pretty high chance it won't be Mum feeding the baby the breast-milk. It can easily be used by a grandparent, Dad or babysitter to quickly get a hungry bub their milk. There's nothing like a complicated bottle system to throw off a first time babysitter! The pouch, like the other leading pouches on the market, isn't reusable, but it can be recycled!

I'm a pretty big fan of anything that saves time and energy when you're a Mum of young children and I'm a fan of things that make sustaining breastfeeding easier! When you don't have a lot of extra time for stuffing around, things like this make things just that bit faster and simpler. I love that this Kiinde Twist system just helps to give breastfeeding Mums a really great system to pump, store and feed without unnecessary time wasting or spillages! And, the big plus is that Willow LOVES it, she thinks she is so clever holding onto the squeeze bottle and feeding herself, she's always been pretty efficient sucker! She actually cried when I took it off of her, even though it was totally empty!

The best part!! Well the folks at Kiinde Australia are giving away an entire Kiinde Twist Starter Kit (See picture above) to one lucky Yellow Dandy Reader, valued at $79.95 !!! Woop, Woop!

What You Get:

20x Twist Pouches

8x Direct Pump Adapters

1 x Keeper breastmilk storage bag holder

2 x Squeeze natural feeding bottles

1 x Slow flow active latch nipple with case

1x Medium flow active latch nipple with case

2 x nipple cleaning brushes

That is a WHOLE lot of stuff!

How to enter? 

Check out rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ahh look at her, she does not want to give this up! 

Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 Review & GIVEAWAY

*The Love to Swaddle UP 50/50 was given to me for the purpose of a review, but all opinions, as always are my own.

Well, it's not really a secret that I am a big advocate for the awesome products made by Love To Dream, I've already written rave reviews for their Love To Swaddle UP Organic and their Love To Dream inVENTA Sleep Bag. So once again I jumped at the chance to try this one too!

Willow is a great sleeper, and I honestly think it has a lot to do with the Love To Swaddle UP, and of course the love she has for her dummy. But, to get her to sleep she ALWAYS has to have her hands covered up, if those little fingers are free, she immediately pops that dummy out, throws it across the room, plays with whatever she can and then screams bloody murder. So, usually either I put her in the love to Swaddle UP or I put her in a sleep bag with a wonder suit on with the bits that fold over her hands. But, with the warmer weather the long sleeve suit isn't really an option, and now that she is rolling she should be transitioning out of the Swaddle. I've been avoiding it though, because I really don't want to loose my great sleeper, and I am not prepared for bedtime battles!

Me & You, the Keepsake Book & Giveaway

{Firstly, wow what a great response to our first podcast episode, my nerves have been (somewhat) relieved, so Thank You to everyone who listened and gave us such great feedback! It really is appreciated so much}

Today, I have such a lovely book to share with you. When I first saw this book I really was taken aback at how gorgeous it was, and how many loving hours must have gone into creating something that is so beautiful and so personal.

Love To Dream inVENTA Sleep Bag: Review & Giveaway

{I was sent a free Love To inVENTA Sleep Bag to review, but all opinions are my own}

I have a child that hates blankets! I know I am not the only one right? I try to get him all bundled up on the couch with a blanket to watch a movie, and he screams and cries and kicks the blanket off. I don’t know what it is, but blankets are just not his thing! Our solution since he was a few months old (because, surprise, surprise he also hated swaddles) was a sleeping bag. Because apparently even though blankets are from the devil, sleeping bags are perfectly acceptable, and even desired, and now without one he doesn’t really understand that it is bed time, it’s like his comforter. It’s also really nice to know that he can’t kick it off in the middle of the night, so I don’t have to keep checking on his blanket situation in the hope that he doesn’t wake up freezing at 5am. Like most parents, I’ll do just about anything to avoid those 5am wake ups.

Recently, I was hunting around for a good deal on a new sleeping bag for him, because he has outgrown his old one, when I was contacted by Love To Dream about trying out their new Love To inVENTA Sleep Bag. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Ahhh yes please!!!

I opted for a 1.0 tog, gender neutral taupe sleeping bag with an owl on the front, which Ezra likes to point out to me every time I put it on him, it is then followed by the customary hoot, hoot (thanks to ABC2).

The first thing I noticed about the Love To inVENTA Sleep Bag when I pulled it out of the box was the softness and the quality of the material, the lining is 100% natural hypoallergenic bamboo and feels so nice, it made me wish they made one in adult size, I could totally sleep in that! It has some other pretty great features that I haven’t seen in other sleeping bags, but they make a lot of sense to me.

• It has an unique cooling system consisting of two zippers that open to mesh ventilation, they are easily accessible so you can open or close them depending on the change in temperature to help regulate your baby’s body temp, without waking them! It seems so practical to me, I leave them open at the moment for daytime naps because it is still pretty warm around these parts, but then zip them closed for the night, and I don’t need two separate sleeping bags.

• It has studs at the bottom to shorten the sleeping-bag, meaning you can use the one bag for a longer amount of time because it can grow with your child.

• The side zipper is a bonus for me, having a child that likes to try to undo zippers!

• It includes a travel slot, we have found these really handy if you go out somewhere at night and want to either transfer them from a porta-cot into the car, or get them dressed for bed before putting them in the car. Then you don’t have to wake them to put the sleeping bag on when you get home!

Note the blanket pushed to the side! 

I really can’t fault this sleeping-bag, to me it seems both clever and really cute!! It has great features that give me less things to worry about as a Mum, and it seems like a lot of time and thought has gone into making them really practical, so I’m sold on them. The only thing I wish it could do is perform miracles and stop my child from climbing out of his cot, but I think I would need a straight jacket to see that happen!

As you may have realised from the title, I'm really excited that Thanks to the lovely folk at Love To Dream I also have one of these gorgeous Love To inVENTA Sleep Bags to giveaway.

I really wish that I could give one to everybody. But, if you want to check them out yourselves, here is their website www.lovetodream.com.au

To enter in the draw to win just follow the prompts on the Rafflecopter application below.

The competition will close on: Tuesday 18th June

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The cheeky boy wouldn't sit still for a picture, but this is still pretty cute!

Karen xx

Posted with Blogsy

SnoozeShade Plus: Review and Giveaway

I was really excited when I was contacted about the opportunity to review this product. After having a browse around their website I thought that the SnoozeShade Plus looked really good, and it looked like something I would actually use. It is both a sun shade and block out sleep-aid cover for your pram or stroller. It takes the place of using a towel or blanket to cover the pram, of which older babies like mine will simply grab and pull off.

This weekend we had the perfect opportunity to put it to the test. We were at a wedding (like I mentioned in my previous post) and Ezra's nap time was right in the middle of the proceedings. Before this point I hadn't even had a chance to pull it out of the packaging and have a good look at it, but it was so simple to use and attach to the pram, I just attached some velcro and it was ready to go. It is designed to fit any pram (stroller or buggy), I have an ICandy Peach pram, one that you don't see around too often, and it fits great.

I gave Ezra a quick feed, plopped him back in the pram, covered him up with the SnoozeShade Plus, went for a short stroll (in the bright sun) and very quickly he snoozing away! Now time for me to sit down and enjoy a drink!

One of my favourite features about the SnoozeShade Plus is the little zip opening, so that I can peek in on the little man to make sure he is asleep! The zipper is so nice and quiet that it didn't disturb him either.

You can use the SnoozeShade Plus to block out light (94% of outside light is blocked, and UPF 50+) if you want your baby to nap,  or it can be used just as a sun shade by unzipping the front panel, in this mode it shades their precious skin from UV rays (filters 80% of UV ) but lets them still look out at you and the world around them!

The ease of use and the fact that it is lightweight earned big bonus points with me, it is easy to fold back into the little mesh bag that it comes in. This means that when I'm not using it, I can store it in the bottom of the pram or in the nappy bag, or the bag draw string has little velcro bits so you can hook it around the handle of your pram. With the Australian sun being so harsh, it is a good peace of mind to know that it keeps their bare skin covered and protected from harmful UV rays. 

This product has become one of my new go-to items, especially as a sun shade, Ezra doesn't nap in the pram as much as he used to, but I know it will be very useful for future bubs whenever they come along!

He insisted on modelling the bag for me!

The SnoozeShade Plus Retails for $49.95 AUD and you can buy them from this list of Retailers in Australia: HERE. They are also available globally so check out their website: HERE for international retailers and distribution.

As a special deal for my Aussie readers if you use the discount code "YELLOWDANDY" to purchase online at www.snoozeshade.com.au you will get 20% off!! 

Here is a direct link to the shopping cart: snoozeshade cart

The lovely people at SnoozeShade have also sent me a SnoozeShade Plus to 
GIVEAWAY
So one of you can have one too, YAY!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

1. LIKE the YELLOW DANDY Facebook page (click HERE or Like button below), or Follow via Google Friend Connect (on the right hand side of this blog) then, ALSO

2. Leave a Comment at the Bottom of this post in the Comments section letting me know which one you have done. 

I will then use a computer randomiser to pick the lucky Winner.

Winner Will Be Drawn on TUESDAY 17th JULY at 5pm (my time).

 This product was sent to me free of charge for the purpose of reviewing it, all opinions are my own and based on my experience with the product.