L.O.L Surprise Movie Maker App Review

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My 7-year-old daughter is a huge L.O.L Surprise fan, she has built up a huge collection of the dolls, pets and babies over the past few years. She also has some of the bigger items like the glamper and playset too and she spends hours playing with them all. So when I heard about the new L.O.L Surprise! Movie Maker app I thought she might enjoy it so downloaded it for her and she absolutely loves it!

What Is L.O.L Surprise Movie Maker? 

L.O.L Surprise Movie Maker is a free to download app that is available now on the app store and Google Play, you can find out more via the L.O.L website. Downloading the app was straightforward and once it was downloaded you can play straight away. My 7 year old managed to work the app on her own within minutes, it is that easy to use. 

What It Is Like Having A Puppy And Why We Need New Flooring

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Back in May, we welcomed an 8-week-old  puppy, Teddy, into our family and we have had him for almost five months now. As first-time puppy owners, it has been a bit of a learning curve over the past few months, however, I am so glad we got him and would recommend a dog to anyone thinking of getting a one. I have never been a dog person, I was bitten as a child and was terrified of them growing up. It has taken my husband and children years to convince me to get a dog, and I honestly think getting a dog has been the best thing for our family. Teddy brings us all so much joy, he is so playful with the children, he gets us all out the house on family walks and he makes us smile and laugh every single day. I think it is safe to say we are all a little bit smitten with him, even me!

So what has it been like being first-time puppy owners?

Thinking About The Photo's We Share Online

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I am a normal 36-year-old mam of three, I am happily married, living in our forever family home with a pet cat and puppy and I am lucky enough to work part-time from home. I enjoy normal everyday family things like days out, meals out and holiday's abroad (although not so much this year thanks to coronavirus.) Life is pretty good and I feel very lucky every single day for what I have. 

You see, life wasn't always like this for me. I spent most of my 20's single. I didn't meet my now-husband until I was in my late 20's. All of my friends were in long-term relationships and I was single and it was lonely at times. I dated but I never met anyone that I clicked with, and I give up on meeting anyone until I unexpectedly met my husband, 9 years later we are married with kids and life is very different. 

Introducing Rainbows and Daydreams

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My teenage daughter recently lost her part-time job due to the covid-19 pandemic, as she worked in the hospitality sector. So she decided to set up an online, handmade gift shop called Rainbows and Daydreams selling bespoke wooden home décor gifts, handmade resin keyrings and clay hearts. As she is still only 17 and studying for her A-Levels next summer, I have been roped in to help her - I mainly order in stock from suppliers, keep track of orders, accounts etc while she creates the items. We have a Facebook and Instagram page and an online Etsy store and we are planning on setting up a website in the next few weeks. The shop only launched last month and we have already had over 25 orders, so it is going well for being such a small and new business.  

Embracing Mischief As A Parent With A Little Help From MAOAM

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With 6 months of lockdown under our belts, the children are finally going back to school! It has been a long time for children and us parents to be home and away from school, friend and family. As a mam of three, including a teen, 7 and a 6 year old (who fight often), I hold my hands up and admit that lockdown was challenging at times. When boredom hit and tempers frayed, I found that laughter was the best medicine and quickly brought harmony back to our family life. 

I recently told you all about the MAOAM Mischief Hub, which launched in April and is home to resident, Mischief Maxer, Max. The site is full of mischievous ideas to prank your family or take part in fun crafts and challenges, even featuring children's favourite pranksters, Dick and Dom. 

Tips For Getting Married On A Budget

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Last summer I got married and wrote so many posts about our wedding day, it even featured in a wedding magazine. As parents, we did not want to go crazy and spend a fortune on our wedding so it was on a bit of a budget, although we did end up spending a lot more than we originally planned. When planning a wedding I always think it is best to decide what you want to spend on and what you don't mind saving on, for example, we splurged on a sit-down meal, decent DJ and booked a venue decorator. Whilst we saved on transport and made our own sweet table, place settings and seating plan to cut down on costs. 

With so much uncertainty in the world right now and so many people having weddings cancelled and having to make re-arrangements I thought I would share some of the ways, I saved on my big day. 

Back To School Ready With Smash Lunch Boxes

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After months at home, children will be returning to school in just a matter of weeks. As a parent I have very mixed feelings about this, my children are so ready to return to the classroom, see their friends and have a bit of normality back in their lives. However, I am a worrier and have been trying my best to think of ways to keep them safe when they return to school. One thing that I have decided to do is to have all three children (one in 6th form, one in key stage 2 and one in key stage 1) on packed lunches. Previously the younger two had school dinners at primary school and the teen would head to the local shops for lunch on her lunch break. So for my teen especially, taken a packed lunch will be a lot 'safer'. 

The kind people at Smash sent all three children lunch boxes and water bottles for the return to school and I have to say I am impressed. We were sent three totally different style and designed lunch boxes and each one is high-quality with Blue iQ lining, which helps protect against harmful bacteria. We all know how grubby kids can get their lunchboxes in, but the lining has a protective barrier which won't allow food to absorb, which prevents bacteria. They are also wipe-clean which reduces smells and stain and they are insulated, helping keep food cooler for longer. 

We were sent a football lunchbox, a mint green one and a blue floral design lunch box.