#Win A Beautiful Wooden Miracle Pounding Toy From Toys Naturally

I’m always happy to run the odd competition, god knows I enter enough everywhere else on the web. Given the fact I’ve won a few great prizes, some sensational ones this year, I know how nice it is to win a little something, whether for yourself, children, friend or family member.

So when a newly launched independent online retailer asked if I minded running a competition, I headed over to check the site out.

Yes, I was quite honestly in wooden toy heaven! Anyone who reads this blog, knows I’m a sucker for a wooden toy, I just love how they last the distance and are of a much higher quality than most other toys on the market! My youngest has lots of wooden toys, some we have even featured on youtube. Harley has everything from wooden arks to wooden people, while my daughter has the most stunning three-story wooden dolls house.

Little man (aka a boy with aspergers) isn’t a stranger to the wooden toy neither, he host a rather impressive collection of wooden games, as-well as a great collection of transport models all craved out of wood.

Toys Naturally prides itself on stocking a range of ethically minded, beautifully crafted open-ended wooden toys. The aim is to be sensitive to children, to nurture and develop their growing minds to their fullest potential, to be intelligent, creative, robust and happy. Above all Toys Naturally goodies aim to be enjoyable, FUN and appealing to both child and parent/guardian.

This truly is a site hosting a fine selection of impressive wooden creations, whether your after something for baby, toddler or young child, my guess is you’ll find it here.

With this in mind, I agreed to run a competition for the readers of “A Boy with Asperger’s”

The prize on offer, is this fantastic

Miracle Pounding Toy

Product description

Gross motor skills and hand eye coordination develop exponentially when children reach toddler hood. Miracle pounding encourages toddlers to explore cause and effect and exercise their control over the world. we love this toy!

age guide 2yrs+

size 23cmx8.5cmx17cm.

Plan toys use untreated recycled rubber wood. Green toys from a green company.

The prize is worth £15.50

I really don’t know any little toddler who wouldn’t enjoy pounding some balls with a hammer, I know Harley would be delighted to receive a Miracle Pounding toy to inflicted some good bashing upon.

Please bear in mind that this is a pretty short competition, you therefore will have till midnight on the 27th March to enter, and here’s how…

Complete the compulsory actions, those that don’t will not be entered into the final draw.

Compulsory Action

Follow @toysnaturally on twitter

Comment here on the blog letting me know you have done the compulsory action by leaving your twitter handle, and you’ll be entered into the draw

Additional Entries

Remember, the compulsory action above must be completed in-order to take part in additional entries!

You can complete how many additional entries you desire, however you MUST leave an additional comment for each action taken.

1x Extra Entries: Visit the Toys Naturally site and subscribe to their newsletter (located at the bottom of the page of the toys naturally website, click HERE) Remember to comment informing me of the name you have subscribed under, so we can validate your extra entry adding it to the draw

1x Extra Entry: Tweet the following: “I want to win a miracle pounding wooden toys with @clairelouise82 and @toysnaturally” ensuring you attach the URL to this post and then return to comment to alert me that you have done it, providing a way I can find it (link or twitter handle).

1 Extra Entry: Subscribe to this blog via feedburner, (located, very top right of the sidebar) comment telling me the name you subscribed as.

1 Extra entry Pop over to the Toys Naturally Facebook page letting them know I sent you.

So… What are you guys waiting for? You have just 15 days (27th March 2012) to get yourselves entered and possible bag yourself an awesome prize.

T&C

Competition is for UK residents only, all participants must be aged 18 years or over to enter. Winner will be randomly drawn soon after the closing date and time of the 27th March 2012 at midnight. Remember to leave a valid twitter handle for the compulsory action and a valid contact with all additional entries, this could be twitter or email address. Those who do not complete the compulsory action will not be entered for any of the additional extra entries. Winner has a maximum of 72 hours to reply to the winning notification given by either email or twitter. Winners name and details will be handed over to the brand offering the prize in order to get your miracle pounding toy delivered (note details will not be passed to any 3rd parties)!

Related articles

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ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

YOU CAN MAKE £ FOR YOUR FAVOURITE CHARITY WITHOUT DONATING A PENNY

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DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS

I really aimed to post this on Saturday as one of our weekly recommended charities that are worth supporting this Christmas, but a little thing called life happened to ruin that plan.

This is actually not a charity, more a way to help a number of charities. ‘Give as you live’ is a programme brought to you by Everyclick that enables you to make money for your favourite charity just by shopping online as you normally would.

You yourself don’t actually need to donate a single penny.

Hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of online retailers have joined the ‘Give as you live’ programme pledging to donate a percentage of its sales to your chosen charity, all you have to do is shop as you usually would. Basically this gives you the opportunity to raise money without actually donating a cent.

To get a better understanding of what ‘Give as you live’ was really about, I headed to Liberty’s in London’s West End to find out more.

Liberty’s is a high-end department store just of London’s Regent St. Over one or two glasses of bubbly the lovely Polly Gower’s CEO, Everyclick and founder of ‘Give as you Live’ told me all about it!

The lovely Polly told me that the Give as you Live programme is connected to all 220,000 UK registered charities and the programme unlocks an untapped, additional fundraising revenue stream that is free to all charities online. Participating charities can receive up to 90% revenue share and already more than 600 charities are raising funds through ‘Give as you Live’ with more charities being supported every week.

The Give as you live programme can be used with over 1,300 of the biggest online retailers, from supermarkets, travel agents, to dating sites. I decided to go and checkout and discover just how many stores where part of the programme and as promised all the big names were there. Every retailer that I used online was part of the programme… Some Examples are Tesco’s, John Lewis, Sainsburys, M&S, itunes, Debenhams, play.com, Boots, Mothercare, Topshop, Toysrus etc… honestly every single store I could think off is listed on the Give as you Live programme.

Another thing I learned from Polly is that Everyclick are able to provide your publication with a gift guide sharing the best-selling gifts this Christmas for all it’s readers and sites such as mumsnet are already a part of it.

Here is a list of products that seem to be pretty popular this Christmas, and here’s how much the online retailer will donate and your chosen charity will raise from the purchase of such items.

Product: Apple ipod 2 Price: £399.oo Raised for charity: £5.99
Product: Iphone 4S Price: £499.00 raised for your charity £7.49
Product: Amazon kindle Price: £89.99 Raised for your Charity: £4.45
Product: Ride on Dalek Price: £209.99 Raised for your charity: £6.30

In December 2010 £6.8bn was spent shopping online, if the same amount was spent on Christmas shopping this December 2011 through ‘Give as you Live’ a potential £170m could be raised for UK registered Charities.

The whole online shopping experience for you is no different, you spend not a penny more than you would if you didn’t shop via the Give as you Live site! Just by using Give as you Live to access your favourite online stores this Christmas you raise money for YOUR chosen charity. All you need to do is decide what charity you want the funds donated to? Mine would have to be the NAS 🙂

You can even make your own wish list and share it with friends and families.

So… If you still have Christmas gifts to buy and plan to do so online, please do it through ‘Give as you Live’ site making sure your chosen charity benefits this Christmas.

To shop or find out more go to www.giveasyoulive.com today.

Give as you live are also running a competition allowing you the chance to win a fantastic £500… to find out more click HERE

Lastly a big thank you to Polly and her team for a truly fabulous night at Liberty’s.

Santa’s Little Helpers, The JD Bug review

So, here’s another great toy for your little angels Christmas wish list.

 The stunning JD Bug, super stylish original pink scooter. 

Not only does this baby look the business, it acts it too! 

 This isn’t a brand new scooter to hit the market, the JD Bug has actually been bringing us this super sleek JD original for almost a decade, though it’s just as popular today as it was 10 years ago! JD Bug has done well to establish itself, appealing to a wide spectrum, it’s managed to secure itself a title as one of the top scooter brands of our time!

 Kids today have gone scooter gaga, I can’t leave the house without almost being mowed down by one of these “Must Have” gadgets, each with its own brand, design and smiling rider. Seriously everyone has one and those that don’t normally want one!

This includes my own little monster princess. We, or should I say Alice-Sara has been incredibly lucky to receive a JD Bug Original Pink Scooter to review from the fabulous ‘Skates.co.uk’  who delivered the well packaged scooter in a mere 24 hours (Now that’s a service!)

 We had an evening delivery which was perfect for us and meant no sitting around all day waiting for the delivery man to come knocking.

 Alice-Sara totally freaked when she saw her new scooter, she went at the box like a monster as she tried to prise it from it box (Kids, they have no patience what so ever!) 

Once opened I was please to discover a fully assembled gadget, Alice-Sara was also frilled given she wouldn’t need to wait for her mother to work out what goes where.

Also enclosed in the box was a CD Rom, some fab stickers and an instruction manual and warranty info.

 The Scooter is very compact in its folded form, there is a  trigger release lever that opens out the scooter and the handlebar is fully extendable which is done by simply pulling another release cap. Even the JD Bugs hand-grips detach from the handlebar with the use of a release button and an elastic mechanism. All this is done without the use of any screwdriver which is always a bonus in any mothers book!

 The JD Bug Original also comes with a detachable thick carry strap allowing you to carry the scooter with ease when not in use. 

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The design is pretty sleek too, chrome with splashes of baby pink on the handle-grips, foot-plate & clear wheels. It’s really well made, I discovered recently that the JD Bug is constructed from airplane graded aluminium as to provide maximum strength, whilst still being lightweight.

 This is a scooter aimed at both children and adults alike, looking at it you would never guess! Yet, it’s extendable handlebar makes this totally possible and yes, “Of course I had a go” Mummy has to make sure its safe for her princess after all!

 Well, it is safe… actually the JD Bug Original has received numerous safety awards recognising it as Europe’s safest folding scooter, so there is no need for mum’s and dad’s to worry! 

Alice’s Thoughts 

Alice-Sara Love’s it and said it was very grown up and cool! She loves the colour and the clear pink plastic wheels and enjoys cruising to school on her new best buddy. She noted it was very smooth to ride and can pick up some nice speeds. Alice-Sara finds it simple to open and fold the scooter and said its light enough for her to carry.

Alice-Sara gives her new scooter a 5***** star

 Prenatal perspective 

 This two wheeled scooter is a pretty nice piece of kit with a not so massive price tag of £49.99

Yes, there are many other scooter brands that charge a lot more! JD bug Original Pink, looks absolutely awesome works well and is pretty hard to outgrow with the recommended age of 4+ Its even ideal for adult use once fully extended.

 Alice-Sara hasn’t managed to fall off the scooter and I’m pretty impressed at her scooting skills.

 We love scooters in our house and Alice can now enjoy scooting at the park with her older brother (he has a three wide scooter which suits him better with his OT needs).

 Skates are a fantastic online retailer stocking a wide range of scooters, BMX bikes & skates.

4**** stars from mum

 The JD Bug Original has all the official bearings such as the ABEC 5 Chrome bearings.

It takes a Maximum rider weight of 100 kg and is suitable from age 4 years

Scooter extends to a maximum of 97 cms and weighs 2.7 kg

 The JD Bug Original also comes with a 90 day manufactures warranty and is intended for both recreational and commuting purposes.

 Price £49.99 (30 days returns & exchange policy)

Click HERE to check it out now

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It’s a pyjama day

I don’t know about you guys but I love it when my little ones and not so little ones have had their bath and are ready for bed in a pair of cosy pyjamas.

We will huggle (Yes, that is a made up word) and watch a DVD together.

When Indulging in a little twitter recently I replied to a tweet about testing a range of toddler PJ’s. The lovely Tracey, owner of Stitch, baby + kids an online Australian store, shipped me a total of six pyjamas, two girls and four boys in a range of different cute designs.

I decided that little Amy-Leigh, my cutie-pie of a niece who is just 10 weeks younger than my little Harley, would test the girls pyjamas while Harley of course would put the further four boys pairs to the test.

Harley, like little man (aka a boy with aspergers) is a tad fussy when it comes to clothing. He will get pretty stressed out if his clothing is baggy, flopping over his ankles or worse still his feet. Another of his pet hates is wet clothing, anything gets the slightest bit wet there coming off.

Tracey let me chose the six pyjamas myself via her online store which states…
“We’re always on sale”
She also offer’s free shipping for orders over $15 which is great for us in the UK and so easy done.
The site offers a range of baby and toddler pyjamas, all in ones, rompers and a range of tees.

Tracey a mother of two states that she has opened the store to offer her buyers the chance to buy brands which are quite hard to find online to order in Australia (Through she ships to a number of countries including the UK)
She doesn’t stock a massive range but is steadily adding to the store all the time.

All Pyjamas are currently on sale, priced at $12.00 each, a reduction from the $16.00 price they started at.

We had our delivery in under a week which is quite impressive given they travelled from the other side of the world.
Note: It was clear to see the items were brand new however non are tagged and even-though they are sold individually all come packaged together. This is fine, I guess its like buying a pack of six here in the UK

Here’s what we got.

Loin Pyjama’s

Rock Star Panda

Rocket Pyjamas

Porcupine Love Pyjamas

Dinosaur kids pyjamas

Love Bird

Both Harley & Amy-Leigh were pretty impressed with the designs. Harley loves pandas so the, ‘Rock-Star Panda’ went down a storm. Harley also roared an awful lot while wearing his loin set.

All pyjamas were two piece sets. Five long sleeves tops and full length bottoms and one short sleeve tee and shorts.
I ordered three pairs at a size 2 years, two pairs at an age 3 years and the remaining pair in a size 18-24ms. I figured Harley would be fine with the 2 years as at 22 months his tall and I could put the age 3 years away for a later date. However the trousers are a little tight on the leg of both Amy-Leigh’s and Harley’s pyjamas (the waist was fine) this is either the design (the long-john effect) or the sizing slightly differs here in the UK. So I guess Harley will be in his age three PJs sooner than I first thought.

What I found awesome about the PJs were the bottoms of the trousers are elasticised meaning they don’t go baggy around the ankles or flop over the child’s feet. This was perfect for little Harley just as he liked them.

Also I should mention that the pyjamas are branded as baby gap which was a pleasant surprise as I wasn’t expecting a well-known brand label to arrive.

I’ve only washed them once and they washed up fine on the first wash.

Visit the store and check them out
Stitch baby + kids
Don’t forget that these are priced at $12.00 Australian dollars which is currently around £7.79 at the moment.

Back to school with Matalan

Some weeks back, I wrote a post giving some, ‘Back to school tips’ to fellow parents of children on the autism spectrum. One of these tips related to shopping and the common issues experienced when having to shop with a child on the autism spectrum. With these issues in mind, I made the suggestion of purchasing your, “Back to school necessities” online, and to do so within good time!

Well, I must admit, that I myself failed, “Yet Again” to follow my own advice. Last week I still had school shoes, lunch boxes, PE kits and more to buy!

Well, thank you Matalan for saving me from what may have been, a shopping nightmare! Little man has been known to have some almighty mid shop meltdowns and I didn’t fancy another!

Yes, the lovely people at Matalan sent me an email setting me a challenge. I’m pretty used to challenges, but in this case it was the welcomed type!

The Challenge

Matalan online sent me a £50 voucher,  all I had to do was spend it carefully, getting as much for my £50 as possible. Lastly, I was to share my bargains here with my readers!

No problem, I’m not only a mother but a woman who loves to shop!

Bring it on!!!

So,  from the comfort of my sofa, with no meltdowns, anxiety or tears, I went shopping at Matalans online store.

On loading the site, I discovered that there was a sale showcasing items from just £1, (Oh yes, that’s my type of sale)!

So, voucher at hand, here’s what I got…

1) Girls button shoes (Black) Price: £8

2) Boys black trainer (Black) Price: £7

3) Black slash design leggings, Sale Price: £1 (reduced from: £6)

4) Back to school wheel design lunch bag, Price: £5

5) Back to school wheel design drinks bottle, Price: £2

6) Girls red school cardigan, Price: £4.50

7) Grey baker boy girls hat, Price: £3

8) Red Pump bag, Price: £1.50

9) Black Velcro Plimsolls, Price: £2.50

10) Girls five pack of briefs, Price: £3.50

11) Girls Hooch studded biker boot, Sale Price: £3.75 (reduced from £15)

After having added all the above to my trolley, I discovered I still had £8.25 left to spend, and what with having already got all I needed, I decided to get…

12) 3 Price red pan non stick pan set, Sale Price: £5.50 (reduced from £22)

13) Non padded Balconette bra, Sale price: £2 (reduced from £6)

14) Daisy white D plus bra, Sale Price: £1 (reduced from £6)

Total £50.25

Ok, Ok, I went 25p over, though I think that’s good for me.

That’s 14 items listed there, didn’t I do well?

Red pump bag £1.50, black plimsolls £2.50 and 5pk of girls briefs £3.50

Girls Baker boy hat, £3

Left: Boys wheel design lunch bag £5 and right matching bottle £2 

Red girls Cardigan, £4.50  

Delivery

delivery was super fast, arriving at my door with a smile just two days after I placed the order. My delivery was free as part of the challenge, however, Matalan are offering all customers spending £40 or more a special delivery rate of just £2 for a limited time.

Exclusive

I also received an exclusive reward, ‘A boredom busting voucher booklet’ entitling me to a discount of 20% of at ‘Yellow Moon’ as well as lots of other offers to keep the kids smiling such as, Kids bowl free, kids go free to Merlin attractions, (Legoland, Chessington and more) 2 for one on visits to Merlin attractions and many more.To little man’s delight the boredom busting booklet also contain a 25% off City sightseeing bus tours (yep, we’re going next week).

I am unsure if the promotion is still active. To find out, or check for any other offers, check the Matalan site or the blog (URLs at the bottom of the page).

Sale

The Sale is currently still on and is offering some items at a massive 75% off  As you can see from the above, it hosts some great bargains!

For me my best buy has to be the Hooch boots that had a fabulous £11.25 saving. These will do Alice-Sara proud in the winter I’m sure! They look really well made, as-well as being bang on trend.

Leggings £1 (were £6) Girls biker boots by Hooch, £3.75 (were £15) 

The non stick pans, well, how can you resist a price like this? £5.50 is a steal.

Non-stick pans in Red, £5.50 (was £22) 

The two bras are a bargain at £6 each but getting them both for £3 is super, and was simply my little teat to me! (Sorry guys I haven’t posted a pic of these but you can check out the underwear range online)

We decided that the leggings were much to nice for PE and having only cost £1 we are very pleased with them.

Even the items not in the sale were a steal. Little man has problems with his fine motor skills, making laces a problem! His black trainers with velcro fastening are ideal and a great price too!

Girls Black button shoes, £8 

Boys black trainers, £7

Autumn range

I was sent some fantastic books showcasing the new women’s and homeware range for the Autumn. The books were super posh and came with CD-ROMs

It’s clear to see that Matalan’s have had a redesign and I was pretty  impressed and excited at what was on offer throughout both of these books.

Looks like its going to be a fantastic Autumn at Matalan this year.

to shop at Matalan just click HERE

Visit the Matalan sale Here or the blog HERE

Like Matalan on Facebook Here Twitter heads, follow Matalan on twitter by clicking HERE

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