Author: Oana

Lottie Dolls: Let Girls Dream Beyond The Princess Dresses

Published by

I have a girl whose mind is sharp as a needle. A girl who loves to ask questions and learn about the world. A girl who is not satisfied with the appellative princess and who dreams of being a scientist or an explorer when she grows up. A girl for whom Lottie dolls are absolutely perfect as role models and appropriate toys. What sort of dolls are the Lottie range and what sets them apart form the crowd? According to the Daily Mail, they are: “…A range of dolls created to defy gender stereotypes and encourage girls to be adventurous, inquisitive and sporty. Lottie is billed as a ‘fashion doll with a difference’ because – unlike a Barbie doll which has an impossibly slim figure – Lottie has been designed to look and dress like a child.” Our love for the Lottie doll range started exactly one year ago, when Emma got the Lighthouse Keeper Lottie for her 5th birthday. I chose it as a significance-filled toy, for Emma as a surviving sibling to Georgie …

#ShareTheMeal

Published by

I have written a lot about Syria and the heartbreaking crisis we have all witnessed this year in the media and lately, my mind has been doing rounds, trying to find a way we can help again as a family. So when I was invited yesterday by the amazing team behind #ShareTheMeal  to write about their amazing new life-saving app, I knew instantly I had found my answer! Instead of me explaining the idea of the new app to you, I will let Sebastian Stricker do it himself. After all, the app is his brainchild and he does a much better job at passionately presenting it, more than I would ever dream of doing: What we can all do, on the other hand, and from today is download the app and each time we have a few spare pennies in our bank accounts, click and donate to ensure not only our children get fed this winter, but also the Syrian ones still on the road to safety and a normal life. Our (to us!) meager …

On self-assurance, selling oneself short and other employment matters

Published by

I have been very busy lately and had to sort out tons of things and tie loads of loose ends when it comes to employment and personal life. Although I had the summer off and only went back to work at the end of August, by mid-September my part-time day  became a source of huge stress and I had to step right back and evaluate the best strategy concerning it. I have also been extremely busy on the blog, with many great things happening, like Mama’s Haven winning UK Best Parenting Blog Award with the Blogging Edge network and loads of respectable brands approaching us for collaborations and reviews. I did, at the same time, land a wonderful part-time job which I can do from home, during hours that suit our family. As a  Social Media and PR Manager with the fastest growing coupon site in the UK , I haven’t had a dull moment since starting working for them, with every day a steep learning curve that challenges and motivates me! But in the …

Her New Favourite Colour is Yellow – Sibling Grief

Published by

Emma was only 4 when Georgie died and, most appropriately for her age, she took everything in her stride. She accepted without questioning that Georgie went to heaven. She played tea parties in the chapel where his little body rested for three days, undisturbed by the reality of his departure. After the funeral, she got back to her only-child life without any qualms, or so it appeared at the time. But as she grows up, her anger with the situation and her questions grow bigger and bigger too. Half-term was hell term for us. Alex worked long hours that week and instead of having a great week off, spending it relaxing and recharging our batteries, Emma and I spent it at each other’s throats. I haven’t been great myself for a number of weeks so having a screaming, unhappy child for whom nothing was quite right drove me to the brink of insanity several times that week. I did start to make sense of what was happening the week after, when I picked on the …

Love Me Beauty – The Best Subscription Beauty Box

Published by

Love Me Beauty is not the first subscription beauty box I have tried this autumn, but it is by far, the best one on the UK market, in my informed opinion. What makes me view it as such? I have five simple reasons and I am confident you would agree with me, once you have heard me: 1. Price I have tried several other beauty boxes which are decently priced but none of them beats the £10/month that Love Me Beauty sells for! Most of the beauty boxes out there do offer competitive prices but most of them do start at over £12.00. 2. Value for Money Again, I have tried beautiful beauty boxes which offered a varied array of products, from hair, make up, nails, body and accessories but most of their products come in minuscule, sample sizes, with the odd product being full size and worth the spending. I was absolutely impressed with the fact that my review box arrived with ALL five full size products to sample and enjoy! 3. Great Quality …