Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid Doll Review

We've been super lucky to review some of the fabulous Barbie range and with each new doll they give my daughter something more magical to help feed her imagination through role play.

The Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid Doll encapsulates everything my daughter loves in life, a Barbie, some lights and a rainbow. Best of all, this one reacts to being in the water. With a pink streak in her hair and a tiara making her look every bit the mermaid princess.

You activate her by pressing the button and then you dip her body into the water, her tail twinkles in a magical sequence of coloured lights, being able to put her in water makes her the perfect bath time companion, my daughter stayed in there until the bath water was almost cold because she was having so much fun.

Her lights work out of the water too, meaning she can be friends with all of the other Barbies we have, flashing her lights in a disco style.

This Barbie is part of the new Barbie Dreamtopia, an all-new magical, make-believe world imagined by Chelsea, the youngest sister of Barbie. Join Barbie, Chelsea, and her puppy Honey as they swim through rainbow rivers with beautiful mermaids and fly through cotton candy clouds with fairies. All you have to do is dream!

I love this Barbie and the fact that she isn't just limited to water play, however one thing that frustrates me sometimes is the inability to dress these Barbies with actual clothes, she is a mermaid and thats it. My daughter loves her however and I can see why, she is bright, colourful and brings plenty of light into your day.

Barbie Rainbow Lights Mermaid has an RRP of £20.99.

NB: We were sent this Barbie to review, all words and opinions are my own.

OXO Tot Twist Top Water Bottle Review - Updated

The children were recently sent some new drinks bottles from OXO Tot, they were an instant hit and replaced their usual night time drinks bottle.

Both the kids get thirsty in the night and to save on spillages we have always used a bottle, these bright and coloruful bottles have straws without any valves in, which make it really easy for them to drink from. 

Although not completely spill proof as we have had a few spills when the bottle is tipped up with the straw out.

However, straw closed, they don’t leak. The bottles also have a super handy hook you can hold on to or clip on to a bag, as well as lines on the side so you can measure how much liquid you are putting in and they are drinking.

They are easy to fill with a wide neck and the straw is long enough to ensure all the drink can be finished off.

Both the children have loved their new bottle, taking it out on trips with them and on sleepovers to their nana's house, they were in awe at the magic straw too.

They are dishwasher safe and BPA free, so are easy to look after and the perfect bottle for older children whatever they use them for. 

The bottles are really sturdy and so far stood the test of two children using them every day, priced at £8 I think this is a little more expensive than some you can find on the market, but these have a lot of functionally and for that I think they are worth the money.

UPDATE - We had only had these a month when one started leaking so I have had to replace it.

NB We were sent the bottles for the purpose of the review, all words and opinions are my own.

Black & White Photo Project Wk 14

I loved the reflection of this beautiful swan in the water, so graceful.

What Water Means to Me - Plus Win a Fab Kettle

What does water mean to you? Well, to me, it is an important resource that should not be wasted. From an early age, I have tried to teach my children this and they are forever hearing the cry of “turn the tap off whilst your not using it” and “don’t waste water”.

There are many people in this world, that, unlike us, do not have access to any water, let alone the clean water that we take for granted. It is important that we learn to appreciate how privileged we are to have such easy access to this valued resource.

You only need to look at this video over Just a Drop to see how much water means to some people.

Just a Drop are currently the 2014 charity of Kinetico, who know a fair bit about clean water.

Our family drink water every day, the children drink it on it’s own and my husband and I mix it with cordial or coffee. We don’t have the best tasting water in our house, so when we replaced our kitchen 7 years ago, we chose a fridge that would not only allow us to have cool water and ice on tap but also came with a filter to allow us to drink better tasting water.

I’m not wanting to belittle this most important of resources, but the water we have here can taste pretty awful, flowing through old water pipes and with the chemicals in the water, so for us choosing a water filter (and replacing it regularly) was a great way to get even better tasting water to drink.

The people at Kinetico have kindly offered me something lovely and water related to giveaway to my readers. I have chosen this fab Bosch Styline Kettle, not only does it keep your water warm (which as a parent we all know kettles are often boiled and then go cold several times a day). It also has an audible sound to let you know when it’s done, nothing like a reminder you can here to make sure you pour yourself a cuppa and has different temperature settings too.

T&Cs apply. This is a collaborative post, however all words are my own.

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Painting with Water

My daughter wanted to do some painting the other week but it was late and I didn't fancy getting all the paint and brushes out so instead I offered the chance to paint with water.

She had a little think but liked the sound of it so I got her a pot of water and some paint brushes and outside we went.

I showed her what to do and within a few seconds she'd understood what I was going on about and was painting on the wall outside.

The perfect mess free outdoor activity and great for summer.

Linking up to Magic Moments on The Olivers Madhouse