Our new eco bed

Firstly I had to include the shot of my cat Maddie as it keeps making me laugh haha her face!
A couple of weeks back I was contacted by Silentnight to tell me about their eco range. As a family we try to be eco conscious as much as can. We're certainly not perfect but I'm always interested to hear about recyclable products on the market.

The eco comfort mattress is made from 100% recyclable plastic bottles and sustainable fibres that are both breathable and eco-friendly. We were asked if we'd like to try it out and I can confirm that their is no compromise in comfort. The mattress has actually won 'Which Best Buy' for five years in a row!

We chose the medium firm mattress in the slate grey colour-way. We also chose the Bloomsbury Headboard and the option of 2 + 2 continental for the storage option which offers two large drawers and two smaller drawers to leave space for a side table.

The kids filled our storage drawers with their toys ha!

We did previously have a super king bed as when Mabli was smaller we'd find we would often have both kids in our bed come the morning as we need the space. With them getting a bit older we downsized to a king and think it works much better in our space. Although as have a really large bedroom the super king did overwhelm it a bit and we still have plenty of room with a king for those little nighttime visitors!

I love the headboard too as it really fits with the mid-century/scandi kind of look we tend to go for in our home.

I'd love to know what you think of the look of it and if you'd consider the eco alternative when buying your next mattress?

*We were sent the Silentnight Eco Comfort Pocket bed and mattress in return for an honest review but all words and thoughts are my own

Neutral 0% for Sensitive Skin

Mabli has a best friend, his name is 'dog dog' (original I know) and he comes pretty much everywhere with us. Only parents will know the fear of possibly forgetting a favourite softie on a trip away (we've actually turned back on a journey for Wilf's 'Panda' softie before!) and how much that little bundle of fluff means to them. Consequently he needs a good wash fairly often before he is replaced back into her arms and squished against her face as she sleeps.

We're working with Neutral 0% in this post to highlight how brilliant it is for those with sensitive skin which as a mum I'm always conscious of with my two little ones. I was surprised to hear that 1 in  4 people in the UK suffer from allergies and this number is growing by 5% year by year .Currently almost half of households are affected.
We've actually used this brand a lot since being introduced to it last year but Neutral 0% have a range of products designed specially for sensitive skin with 0% fragrance and 0% colourants’. It's perfect for sure on her blankie and softie as these are items that are used daily and are in contact with her skin throughout the day.

It's also brilliant for using on Wilf's school uniform which also gets washed A LOT ( how do they get so dirty every day??). We used to find that Wilf would come out in a rash along his back where his trousers rubbed and despite changing the brand of uniform it would often still flare up. It's really important to us for that reason to use products made for sensitive skin to stop any rashes or itches. It's also used our bedsheets and duvets, there is nothing worst then having sheets that irritate you as you sleep.

I'd love to know if you've heard of the brand before and your experiences of sensitive skin.

Neutral 0% has received the Allergy UK Seal of Approval and is recommended by Netmums. If you’re interested in trying the products, the Neutral 0% Washing Liquid and Fabric Conditioner are currently on promotion in Ocado and the range is also available from Sainsbury's and Amazon. To find out more about Neutral 0% visit www.neutralsensitiveskin.com.

In partnership with Neutral 0%

A weekend away with friends

I've just come back from a weekend away in the Cotswolds and I can't tell you how good it's been for the soul.

After a pretty emotional week of stopping breastfeeding and colds and generally feeling a bit overwhelmed and run down a break was 100% appreciated. We were invited to Marsden Manor in the Cotswolds by Kate & Tom's and it was such a perfect venue and I'm really excited to share the pictures with you.

I also couldn't resist sharing a few outfits with you whilst I was in such beautiful surrounding of course ;) The top outfit is a two piece from Zara and the below is a dress from Anthropologie

Marsdon Manor sleeps ten couples or 20 friends (beds can be made as king size or twin) so its brilliant to have with a group of friends or a couples weekend away but also totally set up for families too. There is a play room for smaller children, a games room for older children (think pool table, ping pong ect) plus loads of books, dvd's and boardgames. It also has an amazing outdoor heated pool which was just perfect for an early morning swim!

Only an hour away from Bristol it really felt like the most tranquil secluded location. I wasn't sure what to expect from the interior of the manor  being that it it such an old building (some part of the house are 600 years old!). The owners however have managed to make the bedrooms modern and luxurious whilst keeping with the country feeling of the place. I can testify that the beds are so comfy and a good sleep was had by all which as most of us were mums was very much needed.

I loved that their was an Aga in the kitchen as it really brought back memories of the farm house my parents used to live in. It also had a 'normal' oven and hob for those not used to working Aga's (although they are really easy to use!). Diana the owner also had baked us a cake and left us essentials on our arrival like bread, tea, coffee, milk etc. We took it in turns to make meals and as we were a group of 90% veggies this worked so well.

As well a beautiful grounds and manor house they also had a tennis court! Whilst there were only 7 of us you can really feel that even at full occupancy you would never ben under anyones feet. The house also has two living rooms, a dining room and a eating space in the large kitchen. Pretty much all the bedrooms had their own bathroom also.

Thank you so much to Kate and Tom's for inviting me and my friends for a weekend away. If you are new to their site they have some beautiful properties that I'd definitely recommend checking out. We were guests at Marsdon Manor but all words, thoughts and pictures are my own.

I also made a little video of our time away if you fancy a watch!

Being the sort of person with a tidy house..

I've always wanted to be one of those people that 'can't relax until the house is spotless', that can always invite people over whenever as it wont involve a panic clean up and that always make the beds in the morning before they leave the house. I've come to terms with the fact I'm never going to be one of those people as as long as things are clean and a bit jumbly thats OK.

I have become much better at keeping on top of the household jobs lately though and find that as long as I don't let it get 'too bad' it's pretty easy to maintain. There are a few areas in our home that need cleaning daily and thats around the dinning room (think crumbs from breakfast or tiny bits of paper and fluff from the kids crafts). We pulled up the carpet off the stairs around a year ago and although I love that it is wooden floors throughout it also means that it just collects fluff. We have two very hairy cats who seems to malt just as soon as you touch them and the stairs are the worst hair collectors.

We're working with Bosch in this post to test our their new Unlimited Vacuum. It's unique in that it is battery powered and whilst you are using one battery in the machine the second one can be charging in the battery doc whilst you're not. You can use this piece of kit like a normal vacuum below but my favourite aspect of it is using it with the hand held element. It's perfect for the stairs and we now store it on the landing so we can do this really quickly daily. I never used to vacuum this often with our machine with a cord as it's a real pain to lug up and down the stairs like this.

The charging time on the batteries are so quick that it actually charges faster than when it's being used! This gives it an infinite and unlimited lifetime of use.

This is another way you can use the vacuum to suck up dust in hard to reach places (and not as Wilf thought as a light saber ahem..)

I found the design really simple and uncomplicated. It was immediately easy to see how to use it and empty the cylinder. I definitely love the small handheld dust vacuum the best and can really see how it will help keep on top of everyday cleaning without it becoming a chore. It's also really easy to store and you can attach the charging station to the wall over a plug so that its always there to charge up. We haven't done this yet as we're about to move house but I'm looking forward to tackling the new place with this new piece of kit!

In Partnership with Bosch