So long 2011....what will 2012 hold?

Well it's the final day of 2011... I can't quite believe it. Where has the time gone? What have I actually achieved this year?

2011 has been a pretty tough year for me if I'm honest. It's another year that's gone by where M.E. has ruled my life....but you know what, every year that passes means a year closer to recovery - positive mental attitude!

2011 has also been a very successful year for me - I've managed to keep my blog going for over a year now and I love it. It's a huge achievement for me and I REALLY appreciate all of the support you have given me, my lovely readers.

So what will 2012 hold? Who knows? I'm really hopeful that my new medication will make a difference and that by this time next year I'll be out dancing the night away at a Hogmanay Ceilidh.

I have great hopes and dreams for my blog this year and I really hope you will join me over the coming 12 months.

So as 2011 comes to a close I just want to say...

....to my readers, my twitter buddies, my family and friends for all of your support. Here's to 2012!

BLIADHNA MHATH UR!!

All images from weheartit.com

Swizzels Matlow Stocking Fillers

Well there isn't long left before Christmas - have you got all of your shopping done? I think we are all sorted over here, maybe just a couple of wee stocking fillers still to buy.

Today I have a last minute sweet stocking filler ideas for you - Swizzels Matlow sweets!!!!

I don't know about you but Swizzels Matlow reminds me of my childhood - Love Hearts, Drumsticks, Refreshers....I can still picture them lined up in the sweet shop.

Swizzels Matlow have released these iconic sweets in 120g tubes specially for Christmas.

The tubes are decorated with ribbon and snowflakes to make them extra Christmassy and at only £1.49 per tube they would make a great stocking filler - for the old or young!

We were sent a couple of tubes to review and I was amazed by how quickly I was thrown back into my childhood - reading the Love Hearts and wondering who I should give them to. I don't know if you did the same but we were VERY particularly about who received what Love Heart in our childhood!

BE QUICK - There is currently a competition on the Love Heart website to win a bundle of seasonal sweets! It ends on 31st December 2011 so there's still time to enter. Good luck!!

Swizzels Matlow tubes are available nationwide with an RRP of £1.49.

Samples were received for the purposes of this review. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Lypsyl Stocking Filler Giveaway

Morning everyone! I have one last wee giveaway for you all before Christmas and I'll do my best to get it to you in time for the big day.

The lovely people at Lypsyl have given me a bundle of 5 of their latest "flavours" to give away. These would make a great last minute stocking filler and if I'm honest I'd love to find one in my stocking on Christmas Day - hint hint.

Lypsyl provides daily moisturising care and protection for your lips. Each stick contains Vitamin E to help stop lips from drying out, as well as Aloe Vera extracts to soothe and moisturise the lips - perfect for these cold winter months.

All of the flavours I have to give away today also have SPF15 protection, making them perfect for winter or summer.

To be in with a chance of winning this bundle of 5 Lypsyl lip balms - Original, Pineapple Passion, Watermelon Burst, Cherry Blossom (tinted) and Strawberry Polka-Dot (tinted) just complete the Rafflecopter form below.

NOTE - You DON'T have to have Facebook to enter - click the link below the Facebook login.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

For more information about Lypsyl and their products why not follow them on Facebook?

Thank you to Lypsyl for providing the prizes for this giveaway. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely our own.

An Aldi Christmas

I love this time of year, spending time with family and friends, the festive feeling and the food! I do love Christmassy food. In fact we've had mince pies in our house for at least a month, both Jonathon and I love them so they never last very long!

We were recently sent two of Aldi's top rated products to taste test...yes you guessed it, one of them was Mince Pies!

Aldi's Specially Selected Luxury Mince Pies performed well in November's Which? magazine taste tests, beating competition from Morrisons, M&S, Fortnum & Mason, Mr Kipling, Harrods and Lidl. Well, we simply couldn't wait to try these out for ourselves!

The mince pies are all butter pastry filled with luxury mincemeat and I have to say that I loved them. They are quite rich but I love that about them. The mincemeat is a lovely blend of sundried fruits with just the right amount of brandy - a perfect balance.

The Specially Selected Luxury Mince Pies are available from Aldi with an RRP of £1.69 for a pack of 6.

Next we moved onto some sparkling white wine. Now I'm not particularly into wine, I enjoy a glass now and then and I know what I like and don't like but that's about as far as my wine expertise goes. We were sent a bottle of Aldi's Phillipe Michel Cremant du Jura to review.

This particular wine came second overall in Which? magazine's test on sparkling wines, beating the likes of Jacob's Creek, Sainsbury's, M&S and Tesco Finest. So how did it go down here at Rhoda Reviews?

To be honest I found this wine to be a bit too dry for my tastes, it is a Chardonnay afterall so that makes sense. Beyond that though we enjoyed the citrus tones of the wine, it did have quite a crisp flavour to it. I'd imagine that it would go beautifully with seafood - perhaps a seafood starter on Christmas Day?

This wine is available from Aldi all year round with an RRP of £6.99.

Yet again Aldi has provided products which went down well in our house....and at a reasonable price. Christmas can be such an expensive time so remember to shop around and research the best bargains before you go out and shop. It may take a bit of time but it's worth it in the long run.

Samples were received for the purposes of this review. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Doodlenation - Fun For All The Family!

As children we used to love colouring in and making things from old washing up bottles, empty toilet rolls and lots of sellotape. In fact we probably passed hours this way and although none of our creations were particularly ground breaking they did get us thinking more creatively.

As I've said before we were brought up on an island, a very beautiful island that I love very much. There was no "entertainment" if you will, no cinemas, swimming pool, bowling, soft play...we created our own entertainment, and I wouldn't change that experience for the world!

So what's my point? Well my point is that as kids we would have LOVED the products from Doodlenation.com. Doodlenation sell giant, black and white, A1 colouring in posters complete with a set of 10 high quality pens. We were lucky enough to be sent a sample to review and even as a 28 year old I loved it!

There's something very therapeutic about colouring in - at least I certainly think so - and so having a huge colouring-in project to do is really quite relaxing.

Doodlenation have a choice of seven A1 posters for you to choose from. From Angel to Cyborg City there's something for both genders and all tastes. They are suitable from any age, from 3 to 103!

Cats

Personally, I feel that too much weight is put into technology for entertainment purposes these days. Wouldn't it be nice if kids could just sit around a table, either alone or with family, and colour in? I think these posters offer the perfect opportunity and could keep the whole family entertained over Christmas......with minimum noise too!

Posters are available to purchase directly from Doodlenation.com. They come carefully rolled in a cardboard postal tube, with 10 double-ended Staedtler felt-tip pens to help get you started. The sets cost £16.99 each or you can currently buy two for £29.99. Postage to the UK & Europe is FREE. Please note that the last posting date for these products is Tuesday 20th December 2011.

For more information about Doodlenation visit their website, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (@Doodle_Nation).

A sample was received for the purposes of this review. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Tractor Ted Review & *Giveaway* - CLOSED

Growing up on an island and working on the croft with my Dad I was lucky enough to spend time in the countryside and with animals every day. I learned so much from this experience and to be honest it's probably something I took for granted. It wasn't until I moved to the city for Uni that I realised how lucky I was. A friend of mine was doing teacher training and said that the kids in his Secondary School in the inner city had no concept of what size sheep or cows were! This really shocked me .... how is this even possible?

I was recently asked if we would like to review the new DVD from Tractor Ted. Tractor Ted in Tractorland is a cartoon green tractor who teaches children between the ages of two and six about the countryside using real-life footage.

Tractor Ted was created by mother of three Alexandra Heard when are three children were young and used to ask her to stop and watch the machines at work in the fields, and farmer David Horler.

There are now 15 DVDs which cover big machines, looking after animals, the seasons, growing food etc. as well as a wide range of merchandise. Liz and Jonny were sent a copy of the latest DVD, Tractor Ted Mighty Maize Machine, to review. Here's what Liz had to say about it...

RRP £9.99

"I’m not sure who enjoyed this more; two-year-old Jonny or slightly-older-than-two granddad! The latter didn’t realise that Tractor Ted was being reviewed and bestowed huge praise on the DVD completely independently of me. Since becoming a granddad he has learnt the delights of CBeebies and films such as ‘Happy Feet’, but he reckons this is ‘the best thing he’s seen’.

Tractor Ted as a brand is fantastic. The website (www.tractorland.co.uk) is a delight to look at and fills you with that gooey happy feeling that the company’s primary target isn’t just to fleece you out of as much money as possible for a generic item that ticks some of the boxes for children’s entertainment. Rather, Tractor Ted was created through children and for children. Machines are amazing for kids (and dads J) and you really can spend hours watching them on a cheap day out. We live on a busy main road and some of Jonny’s first words were ‘bus’, ‘car’, ‘lorry’, ‘taxi’ ‘digger’ etc. We often take picnics (especially car picnics on bad weather days) and sit near airport runways and helipads, or near cranes and other big machines near building sites (living in Glasgow you don’t have to go far to find these!). Grandma and granddad live next to a big field but apart from that we don’t really watch farm machinery. This, however, has now changed.

The brand smacks of Farmers Markets and wholesome communities. Who doesn’t want that for their children! We hope to move somewhere out of the city in the not too distant future. Both hubby Mikey and I grew up surrounded by fields and were allowed to roam all day with friends. We’d love some of that for Jonny and sister Sophie. The countryside is so full of life lessons and Tractor Ted educates children about how their food is grown and bred. It’s so important to teach children this rather than them growing up thinking lamb comes pre-packaged at the supermarket. If kids are brought up with the life-cycle of birth and death, and planting and harvesting, they will have a much better understanding of the world.

The fact that the company seems to have such a localised base supports a brand ‘type’ such as this. Local cameramen, farms, office staff etc really make it a brand I want to invest in. In fact, it’s quite tempting to move to their community and become part of it ourselves! The brand seems to have expanded rapidly and they sell a range of clothing, toys, books and DVDs. Although prices are a bit higher than some competitors there is no way a brand like this could compete with some of the prices of the big brands (especially in the clothing range). As a special present I will definitely be buying something. There are animals to watch, games to play, and even Ted’s blog to read. Brilliant!

The DVD we watched is Mighty Maize Machine. It is just brilliant! I’ve never seen such an educational farm programme. The DVD begins with feeding the cows and a very full account of what ingredients are used to make their feed. The Maize machine is truly amazing (no pun intended) and there are loads more things to learn about like milking, grass foraging and cutting sheep nails. The songs that accompany the film are great but don’t take over the main emphasis. Great!

The filming is so honest. There’s no pretension or special effects, except for Tractor Ted appearing once in a while. Many childrens programmes flick from topic to topic really quickly whereas Tractor Ted focuses on one topic for a decent length so children actually learn a lot about it. This is not to say the film doesn’t cover loads. Just as the Maize machine is back in the farmyard the milk lorry arrives. The whole family learnt so much! One thing I love about it is that they don’t try and simplify everything and give all the machines ‘friendly’ names. This not only actually teaches children but means adults don’t get bored either.

I would love to have a party on Rob Hislop’s farm but fear the commute may be a little to much. We will, however, definitely be joining the fan club (and granddad too!)." 

I'm delighted to be able to offer Rhoda Reviews readers the chance to win a pair of Tractor Ted wellies worth £18! 

To be in with a chance of winning these fabulous wellies (in sizes 5-9) just complete the Rafflecopter entry form below.

Good luck!


For more information about Tractor Ted visit the website.


A sample DVD was received for the purposes of this review. Thank you to Tractor Ted for providing the prize for this giveaway. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Perfume-Click.co.uk Review

Well it's snowing outside today and it's making me feel VERY Christmassy.....only I can't get too carried away yet as we haven't actually finished the Christmas shopping!

More of us are turning to the internet to do our shopping these days - we certainly do in our house as it's minimum effort with great bargains.

I recently came across the site perfume-click.co.uk and was lucky enough to be asked to review their service.

Perfume-click.co.uk have great range of over 3000 fragrances available on their website. It is an easy to use website, with great prices and no registration required. I was sent an online voucher so that I could try out their service for myself and I was impressed.

I spent a while browsing the website before I decided to go for Kenzo Flower. Even once I'd decided on my fragrance I then had a choice of products and sizes.

I simply just selected by chosen fragrance and was taken to the checkout page.

A few clicks later, with the choice of paying through paypal, google checkout and Sage Pay, my fragrance was ordered and on it's way.

The product actually arrived very quickly and I was impressed by how well it was packed. I couldn't fault the service from Perfume-Click and any prices I looked at seemed to be very reasonable.

So instead of venturing out in the snow today to do your Christmas shopping why not have a look online and see what bargains you can find?

Perfume-Click are currently running a giveaway on their Facebook page with one winner for every 100 likes -  it's worth a go!

For more information about Perfume-Click like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter (@perfumeclick).

A sample was received for the purposes of this review. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Toddler Bath Wrap

Today I have a guest review for you, written by Liz. Liz and the kids were sent a gorgeous Toddler Bath Wrap from the thebestbedlinenintheworld and over the past couple of weeks they have been testing it out at bathtime.

Toddler Bath Wrap - £15

The towels are 100% cotton and diamond shaped with a hood in one corner and are worn like a cape. They are available with either pink or blue trim and I have to say they are very cute! Before I passed the towel over to Liz I had to feel what it was like....wow it was beautifully soft. 

So what did Liz have to say about the Bath Wrap?

"As soft as a baby’s bottom! At first you think ‘what is there to say about a towel?’ but then you start writing and find there’s actually quite a lot. 

We have the small baby towels which are the same diamond shape but it’s amazing how quickly those little rascals grow and soon the once-snuggly towel just isn’t big enough to wrap your bundle of joy (not to mention sick, poo, dribble etc) in. I have looked for a towel identical, only bigger, but haven’t found one until now. The diamond shape allows you to wrap up even quite big children and get them warm, rather than the traditional rectangular towels. My nearly three-year-old son fits in it too although with the pink trim we decided not to photograph him. The size is perfect – big enough to keep the top of Sophie warm whilst drying her bottom and putting her nappy on even though she’s wriggling like crazy. 

Sophie in her new towel.

I love the fabric – so soft and gentle on Sophie, with a cute pink trim that is just so girly! Easily washable and it dries really quickly as it’s not too thick. Sophie has loads of hair so the hood is great – keeping her head warm and drying her hair. She smiled and smiled when I wrapped her up in it.

This would make a fabulous present for someone – they may think it’s boring to receive a towel but once they open it they’ll think you’re great!"

The Toddler Bath Wrap is available to buy directly from thebestbedlinenintheworld for £15. The company don't just sell baby items, they also sell bedding, bath robes and towels. PLUS it's all FREE UK delivery!

For more information about thebestbedlinenintheworld and to keep up with all of their news you can follow them on Twitter (@thebestbedlinen) and like them on Facebook.

A sample was received for the purposes of this review. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Freya Design Keepsake Box Giveaway - CLOSED

I have a fabulous giveaway lined up for you all today, I'm very excited about it and I think you'll love it!

First things first though...let me introduce you to Freya Design. Freya Design have been creating beautiful solid wood keepsake boxes since 2004, but it was only recently that I discovered this great company.

Train - £29

We were lucky enough to be sent one of their train keepsake boxes to review recently and I have to admit that before giving it to Jonny I did toy with the idea of keeping it for myself!!

The box arrived in a lovely Freya Design white box and was very well packaged. As soon as I opened it I couldn't believe the quality. The box is beautifully finished, smooth and colourful.

I passed the box on to Liz and Jonny and here's what Liz had to say about it....

"The first test of the quality of the box and wrapping came when my two-year-old son, Jonny, decided to be useful and carry the parcel to the table, only to drop it onto the hard wood floor. The slogan ‘stay calm and carry on’ certainly rings true on so many occasions with children. And so, very gingerly, we unwrapped the box knowing we were possibly heading for disaster and having CBeebies and ice-cream at the ready to avert a meltdown (if this was for Jonny or me I am still unsure), only to discover that, thankfully, expert wrapping and a solid box (with no damage at all) had saved the day! I’m so pleased it did because this box is totally gorgeous and one of those gifts you look at and think ‘I would have loved this as a child' (and adult).

The design on the front is a gorgeous train with elevated wheels and driver and three little sheep around the edge. There is a plaque on the front with ‘My Special Things’ written on it and a blank plaque inside which can be personalised with a name. The inside of the box is plain wood and metal hinges gives the item a ‘clean’ finish.

As a two-year-old, Jonny can be a little rough with his toys (and baby sister) but we’re trying to get him to look after them. We’re quite strict about looking after books and jigsaws as children’s toys are certainly not indestructible. When we gave him the box we explained that he could choose some special things to keep safe and then we would look after the box to keep them safe. It appears the most special things to our son are stones (obviously a rounded young man) but the idea is still there!

The brand, Freya Design is environmentally aware so you know what you’re buying has been created for beauty through ethical means, using non-toxic paint. Wood is sourced from sustainable forests. Their beauty is in their simplicity; beautifully crafted traditional boxes with rounded corners and well-fitting lids. You can see and feel the quality immediately (unlike many other boxes I’ve seen in shops).

These are totally adorable boxes and I’ll definitely be putting them on the shopping list for Christmas."

Ballerina - £29

The lovely people at Freya Design have offered Rhoda Reviews readers the chance to get their hands on one of these gorgeous keepsake boxes! The winner will have their pick of the train, dinosaur, car, boat, ballerina, mermaid, pea and thumbelina boxes.

To be in with a chance of winning just complete the Rafflecopter form below (if it doesn't appear first time please refresh the page). Please remember to read all the instructions.

Good luck!!!

Freya Design keepsake boxes would make a lovely Christmas present or would be great for new babies, birthdays and Christenings. They can be personalised (for an additional charge) to really make them the perfect gift.


For more information about Freya Design visit their website, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter (freyadesign).

A train keepsake box was received for the purposes of this review. Thank you to Freya Design for providing the prize for this giveaway. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Accessories Direct Review & Discount Code

I've said before how much I love finding new companies and recently I had the pleasure of discovering Accessories Direct!

Accessories Direct is "Your One Stop fashion accessories destination to instantly update your look". They have everything from jewellery to handbags and umbrellas to sunglasses - plus everything is bang on trend!

I was lucky enough to be sent one of Accessories Direct's beautiful bags - the Kate Benjamin Leather Satchel which is exclusively available at Accessories Direct.

The bag arrived well packaged and in its own wee black bag - I do love a bag in a bag!!! I opened the black bag and the gorgeous smell of new leather wafted out at me! My senses piqued, I couldn't wait to actually set my eyes on the bag itself .... I instantly fell in love!!

The bag is made from beautifully soft leather and can be carried over the shoulder or by the handle. I love the fact that it's an over the shoulder bag as I often have problems balancing my handbag and using my stick - no more! The satchel is fastened with two magnetic fasteners meaning it's easy to access when you need to, but certainly isn't unsafe. 

So picture the scene. There I am with a bag that came in a bag, I'm blown away by the quality of the outside of the satchel and loving the feel of the leather. So what do I do next? Well naturally I open the bag and believe it or not this bag just got even better!

The bag is lined with a beautiful floral print on a turquoise background. It really finishes off the bag fantastically and I love flashing open the bag to show off the interior! What's more it's designed with the user in mind - a handy, secure mobile phone pouch and a zipped pocket mean that you wont lose your phone and keys at the bottom of your bag! The bag itself has plenty of room, whether you're using this bag for work or social purposes I'm sure you'll find this bag fits the bill.

adjustable strap

Just one thing though.....keep your eye on this bag, I showed it to my sister the other day and had to frisk her as she left the house to make sure she hadn't pinched it! It's gorgeous and everyone I've shown absolutely adores it. I'm a very lucky lady and for once I have a handbag that I'm really proud of.

I'm absolutely delighted to tell you that Accessories Direct are offering Rhoda Reviews readers 20% off non-sale items! So I've you're still doing your Christmas shopping then look no further!

To take advantage of this fantastic offer just input this exclusive code - FESTIVE - at the checkout. The code is valid until 9th December 2011 so why not pop over to Accessories Direct now and have a wee peek.......or perhaps send a link to your favourite product along with this code to your loved ones, you never know they might just take the hint!

I feel very privileged to have been asked to review for Accessories Direct and now that I've found this site I'll definitely be visiting it frequently!

For more information about Accessories Direct visit their website, Facebook or Twitter @ADaccessories) page.

HEADS UP! You know how I love a good giveaway, well Accessories Direct have a fabulous competition on their Facebook page right now - you could win a Kate Benjamin bag of your choice by signing up to their bi-monthly newsletter! There also seems to be daily TREAT at the moment - fab!

The Kate Benjamin Leather Satchel I received is available on the Accessories Direct website for £140. 

A Kate Benjamin Leather Satchel was received in exchange for this review. Thank you to Accessories Direct for providing our readers with the discount code. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.