KINDY Kamper is a fantastic all-in-one bedding solution for kids. It’s great for holidays, kinder/daycare naps, overnight stays at the grandparents…the possibilities are numerous.

What impresses me most about the Kindy Kamper is its quality. It has a padded base and attached top sheet and light quilt or fleece blanket (depending on the style you choose). And the Kindy Kamper rolls up beautifully for ease of storage and travel.

I have a Kindy Kamper Deluxe (featuring a removable and lightweight quilt) in the flowers & hearts design and my three-year-old has had her afternoon “rest time” on it all week. Yay!!

Washing the Kindy Kamper is also easy because you can remove the pillow insert and pop it all in the washing machine, and with this great weather it should dry quickly on the line.

The Kindy Kamper represents great value with  the standard style $54.99 and deluxe style $69.99. You really are getting a fantastic product with Kindy Kamper. And it is a product designed by an Aussie mum so you are supporting a WAHM business when you purchase from Kindy Kamper.

I wish Kindy Kamper came in adult size…

kindykamper.com.au

Be prepared…this stuff really works!

Milky Foot is an amazing home foot treatment that is a really easy way to exfoliate your tootsies and get them looking Summer-sandal-and-flip-flop-ready!

Here’s the skinny: You place your feet into the exfoliating pouches filled with the Milky Foot  solution (the special ingredient is ExMilac that is a Milk Ferment Filtrate) that removes hardened skin and softens cracks and calluses.

You need to keep your feet in the pouches for 60 minutes so makes sure you do it at a time when you will have minimal interruptions. (I did my Milky Foot treatment late at night when my three-year-old and baby were in bed!)

The treatment makes your feet feel lovely and over the next three weeks after it your feet will start to peel. I did wonder whether it would work but about five days after I did the Milky Foot, the skin started to come away and still is (it has been about two weeks since I did the home treatment). Just let the skin come off naturally and your feet will start to look tip-top.

This really is a great treatment and works! (It is not recommended for people with diabetes, pregnant women or children.)

Milky Foot is available in pharmacies nationwide for $29.95.

For more information go to Biorevive.com.au.

Peek-a-Boo Bags are square beanbags stuffed with goodies for little fingers to find. With a clear, vinyl front and corduroy fabric, the Peek-a-Boo bag is tough and fun. There are three types - Rough ‘n’ Tuff, Everything A-Z, and Sugar & Spice and all have cute little items to find within the white bead filling.

I bough a couple to keep my three-year-old entertained when we go on holiday in a few weeks (Very long car trip involved!). My husband and I even found ourselves having a wee play with them!

I purchased the Peek-A-Boo Bag from new Australian online store Green Goat for $26.95 each. (Green Goat’s service was excellent!)

We are big tea drinkers in our house - hubby is a Brit and I was turned on to the drink (in copious amounts) after living in London for seven years.

Now we are back in Australia, most teas don’t really cut it for us. Usually, my mother-in-law sends us Glengettie Tea over from Wales - it is the only tea we like and is strong enough for us.

Thankfully, Tetley has come out with a British Blend that is strong and is available at Aussie supermarkets. When brewed for just the right amount of time and with the perfect amount of milk, the British Blend produces a fabulous cuppa.

British Blend from Tetley is available from supermarkets nationwide.

Green Balloon Club is a fantastic show shown on CBeebies (the BBC’s children’s channel) and follows four eco-warrior children - and their adult helper Skye and dog Skipper - who discover nature and are passionate about environmental issues.

It is the absolute favourite show with our three-year-old at the moment and it is quite enjoyable for adults to watch too.

Each episode starts with the children doing the register and then they sing the very catchy Green Balloon Club chant. At the end of the show, the balloon lands after their eco-adventure and everybody sings a song. (The songs are great!)

Goodie (The Goodies) turned backyard nature champion and presenter, Bill Oddie is a regular as is a cute little puppet called Jelly.

A great show that celebrates childhood discovery and educating the little ones about the environment around them.

Here’s an item to pop in your baby bag when you are out and about - a reusable coffee cup.

The aptly named KeepCup looks great and has been designed to barista standard so that you can simply hand it over at the cafe and your brew fits perfectly!

KeepCup is available in medium and small sizes and in great colour combos. There’s even a calculator on the website that gives you an idea of what you will save for the environment by drinking your coffee from a KeepCup instead of disposable ones.

For instance, I drink about six takeaway coffees a week (more when I go back to work!) and according to the environmental footprint calculator I will save 312 paper cups, 8kg of woodpulp and 14 KeepCups worth of plastic!

KeepCup is available online and costs $10.20 (small size) and $12.20 (medium size).

KeepCup.com.au

“Mummy, this is berry good.”

That was my three-year-old’s comment as we watched the DVD Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker. In her three-year-old world, those words are a glowing recommendation. She is at that age where she loves to dress up in her fairy costumes and whirl around the room so this DVD is very popular in our house at the moment!

Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker is, in a word, delightful. I am not a huge ballet fan but when I was living in London I saw the Nutcracker  at Christmas at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and really enjoyed it.

What I like about this DVD  is that that there is a combination of animation (a cartoon fairy ballerina narrates); ballet performance from the San Francisco Ballet; School of American Ballet students demonstrate actual ballet moves; and of course, there are mini ballerinas and fairies (just like my three-year-old) tottering around. Add to this a Christmas/holiday theme and you have a winner of a DVD for your little princess (and prince too!).

Just like Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake, the Nutcracker DVD is fantastic for introducing youngsters to the beauty and culture of ballet. (The Nutcracker is also one of those Christmas traditions that never lose their appeal.)

In this world where kids are bombarded with technology and “stuff” and seem to grow up so fast, this interlude with snow fairies, toy soldiers and ballerinas is a reminder of the beauty and wonderment of childhood!

Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker has just signed with a distributor in Australia so the DVDs will be available in stores soon. For more information on Prima Princessa DVDs go to primaprincessa.com or check out the blog.

I am delighting in watching Open Sesame (classic segments from Sesame Street that is shown on Nick Jr) with my three-year-old.

Memories are flooding back when I see classic segments from the late 70s and early 80s like “Me and my Llama” where the little girl walks her Llama through New York Streets to the dentist (who owns a Llama in Manhattan?); “Everybody Sleeps” (Joe Raposco singing “do, do, do/do, do, do); and the little girl making the stool with her dad called “there’s a stool for me”.

The memories are going way back for me when I watch these and I get a real sense of happiness and warmth. Even though some of these segments are as old as I am (I was born in 1976) my daughter really engages with them. Somehow it seems like life was a lot better then. A lot slower and less distractions of technology and the relentlessness of modern-day parenting where you buy miniature versions of adult clothes and kids grow up too quick.

I love the fact that in Sesame Street clips, kids wear clothes that are simple and no one seems to care whether they are fashionable or not.

They are Volleys, they are pink and they are for a good cause.

I am loving my pink Dunlop Volleys I bought from Kmart this afternoon. (For the unaware, Dunlop Volleys are iconic Aussie sport shoes that have experienced a revival in recent years.) They have ribbon shoelaces but also come with a traditional pair in pink.

These shoes are cute and proceeds from all sales of this special, pink style go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

$40 from Kmart stores nationally. (Australia only.)

Baby Jogger - a US company whose peams are sold worldwide - has recalled 41,000 of its Citi Mini and Double strollers in the USA because its harness buckle can be released too easily.

The recall includes both Baby Jogger City Mini single and double strollers manufactured between Nov.1, 2007 and Feb. 28, 2009.

If you own one of these strollers or want further information email the firm at recall@babyjogger.com, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.babyjogger.com

In Australia, the distributor of Baby Jogger says on its website:

“…The USA voluntary replacement of selected City Mini Buckles does not affect any current mini stock in our Australian warehouse or retail stores…”

For further information or questions Australian customers can contact info@bjstrolllers.com.au