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Free books from Uber and Puffin!
ANYONE having to deal with World Book Day prep right now? I’m literally printing off (fake) money as I write this for my daughter’s outfit tomorrow..!
Well, to celebrate World Book Day on March 7, Uber has joined forces with Puffin and the National Literacy Trust to launch a free mobile book service.
The idea is aimed at parents rushing home to read their child a bedtime story after new research has shown ‘that 43% of British parents admit that working schedules prevent them from reading a bedtime story with their children’.
The mobile libraries, curated by Puffin and the National Literacy Trust, will see a range of books available in select cars for parents to take home.
They include Charlotte’s Web, Mrs Pepperpot, Goodnight Peter Rabbit, Little Leaders and Wonder.
It’s being trialled in London and Manchester, with 1,000 books available until they run out.
Anything to get parents and children reading together sounds great to me, so it’s definitely a thumbs up from The Media Mummy.
Tom Elvidge, Uber’s UK General Manager said: “We know modern life is busy and getting home for bedtime can be a challenge for many parents. To mark World Book Day, we want to make life just a little bit less stressful and make it easier for families to enjoy some special time together.”
While Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, added: “By encouraging a love of reading at home, parents can help their child develop the language and literacy skills they need to flourish at school and in all areas of their life.
“Amid increasingly busy family lives, research shows that finding just 10 minutes a day to read with your child can make all the difference – whether that’s sharing a story at bedtime, over breakfast or even on the school run.
“We are delighted to support Uber’s campaign; we hope it will succeed in bringing families together and stories to life.”
Longer lashes? Yes please!
Believing my eyelashes to be one of my better features, I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for any product claiming to enhance their length or volume. But my desire for longer, fuller lashes has always been within a price range, so value for money would always be at the back of my mind when purchasing the latest volumising mascara.
And not wanting to go down the path of faffing around with false eyelashes, it was with some interest that I took up the opportunity to try out RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum. With celebrity endorsement in the form of presenter/model Lisa Snowdon, it promises ‘up to 50% longer natural lashes with up to 75% more volume’ and already boasts over 1.5m sales worldwide
Easy to use – you just apply to the base of your (make-up free!) eyelashes each night and wait for the magic to work… I’ve been using it for about four weeks now and I can honestly say I’ve noticed a difference – although with a RRP of £39.99 I’d be seriously screwing if nothing was happening!
The other day I even ventured out of the house without a single lick of mascara on. Not a big deal for some, but for me and the lone grey hair in my otherwise perfectly dark set of lashes – it was pretty momentous…!
My verdict? Definitely worth a try, if you have some cash to treat yourself.
RapidLash, RRP £39.99, available from Boots, ww.boots.com and www.rapidlash.co.uk
Another singer turned fashion designer – Rihanna for River Island…
So after much anticipation, the Bajan singer’s debut collection for high street brand River Island finally took to the catwalk for all to see.
And while there were no fireworks, the earth didn’t move and no major fashion boundaries were broken, I can safely say the controversial star, who is never out of the headlines, can rest assured she’s created a collection that stays true to her own personal style.
With streamlined silhouettes, both tight-fitting jersey and flowing summer dresses, jumpsuits and the obligatory midrift bearing tops – as well as a couple of see-through items – everything gracing the catwalk was something you could picture Rihanna wearing herself.
I’m not sure, being in my 30-something years, I’m the the target audience for the collection, but love or hate Rihanna (I’ve personally gone from loving her to finding her on/off situation with Chris Brown totally annoying) – even I would be happy to buy one or two pieces from the collection.
It was also nice to see Rihanna having some support from the ‘celebrity world’, with everyone from model-of-the-moment Cara Delevingne, Jaime Winstone, V V Brown, The Saturdays’ Rochelle Humes and Mollie King, sitting front row. And the likes of Made In Chelsea’s Rosie Fortescue and Proudlock having to stand with the regular people (slient snigger) to watch the show. But there were cheers all round when a shy-looking Rihanna took to the stage to stand with models wearing her designs.
The collection hits the stores next month in March and then it’ll be up to the public and the sound of the cash registers to decide on its success…
Sainsbury’s enters the baby food market
As any parent knows, weaning your child onto solids is not an easy path!
With my little one now 11 months, it’s a trauma/joy/drama (delete as appropriate) we’re currently enduring.
So I was interested to hear that leading supermarket Sainsbury’s has entered the baby food market with their own branded goods.
Strapping my boy into his sling, we jumped on the tube and headed into central London to road test the Little Ones range.
Developed with the help of registered nutritionist (and mum!) Fiona Wilcock, the range appears well thought out and, competing with other popular baby food brands, uses organic products up until those created for children over a year old.
So far the dishes have been a hit with my boy, who gobbled up a portion of the Beef Casserole. The next day he also enjoyed the Lamb and Chickpea Tagine with Prune and Couscous.
There are also classics like Spaghetti Bolognese, fruit and vegetable purees and breakfast cereals.
Like any mum, I want the best for my child and in a perfect world it would be home cooked meals three times a day – but, in reality very few of us have the time or energy!
Instead I don’t beat myself up about giving them the odd ready meal every now and again, so it’s good to see the range is also reasonably priced with products starting from 70p.
There are already 50 items in the range which also caters for toddlers up to three-years-old, with another 14 launching over the summer.