Octaland 4D+ Review and Flashcard Giveaway

"Grandad, do you want to see an astronaut floating in our kitchen?" This was how Number One greeted my dad when he arrived to visit us the other day. 

It may sound a little bit crazy, but it was a valid question. We were asked recently to review the Octaland 4D+ flashcards and were sent a couple of sample packs to test out. A astronaut floating in our kitchen was one the the amazing things we discovered. 

Image Credit: Octagon Studios

When the Octaland 4D+ flashcards arrived, they looked like regular alphabet flashcards but I was highly excited about showing them to Number Two. He's alphabet-mad at the moment. You see these are no ordinary flashcards. They come to life once scanned.

Now, when I first read that the pictures on the cards come alive, I was seriously sceptical. But then again, I had never encountered augmented reality before and it is augemented reality that gives these cards their magic.

On the back of the packs there are instructions on downloading the relevant apps from the App Store or Google Play. You need the apps to use the cards to their full potential. 

Unfortunately for me, I have a Windows laptop and a Windows phone and the apps are not compatible with those. 

As soon as the Bavarian set foot through the door that evening, his Android phone was commandeered, the apps were downloaded and the fun began. 

For the next half hour there was a steady stream of "Mammy, look!" , "It is moving!", "He's floating in the air!" and "Did you see the horse jump the fence?" from Number One and Two, while The Bavarian and I marvelled at the animation. 

The effects are mind-blowing. When viewed through the phone, the characters appear to be standing right on top of the flashcard that is lying on the kitchen table. 

The animals make noises, chew, look around or walk. The characters in the Occupation series go about their business, the vet seeing to a sick dog, the orthodontist fitting a brace on a boy, the builder building a wall and the firefighter spraying a fire extinguisher. 

Whether you are looking for a stocking filler, a fun little gift or something educational to go with a child's tablet, I can recommend these Octagon Studio products. 

We  took our two sets with us when we went away this weekend and they were handy to have as a lightweight, portable form of entertainment. Even without using the app, the cards can to used for reading practice or as regular letter flashcards. Whether we were in our hotel room, a cafe or the car, the cards could be taken from my handbag and immediately the children were kept busy. 

Image Credit: Octagon Studios

COMMENT AND WIN!

If you fancy being in with a chance to win a set for yourself, leave a comment on this post. We'll pick a winner at random at 9pm GMT on the 15th December. 


The giveaway is open to all residents of the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

Good luck!

[Disclaimer: I was provided with the two sets of Octagon Studios flashcards free of charge in return for an honest review of the product. All opinions are my own.]

Painted Clans Personalised Crests Review

My Christmas shopping is not done. Not nearly. The problem is that I am trying to avoid impulse buys and, obviously, that entails planning. 

Normally I am a master list-maker and know by the end of November what I am going shopping for. This year, however, I am so tied down with school and kindergarten pick ups and drop offs, nap times, homework and play dates that I have not had time to browse the shops, online or off, and be inspired. 

I could just bite the bullet and sit down at the laptop at ten at night to click my way through a large online store and pick out presents for my family and friends. But the idea horrifies me. 

I have never been a big online shopper, preferring to shop locally. Of course I do, from time to time, buy from large online distributors. Who doesn't? But the older I get, the more I feel that I should support local businesses and new enterprises. 

When I was asked recently to take a look at the personalised crests by Painted Clans, I got quite a nice surprise. Here was an online shop where I could order a personlised, handcrafted gift with the added benefit that it is made in Ireland by an Irish artist, Brendan Mc Carey.

Brendan has modernised the traditional crests, simplifying the imagery, removing text and focusing on the core images. From single painted crests to whole family trees, the range is wide and each item is unique, being hand-painted to order. 

Perfectly packaged for shipping

Our older two sons are mad about knights and have been for years. We've had knight birthday parties, we have countless Playmobil and Lego knights and castles, and we have a vast selection of shields and swords. 

With that in mind, I'm sure you can well imagine the excitment that the arrival of our own family crests caused. I am very pleased with our framed double crest, showing the crest of my maiden name and the crest of The Bavarian's family name as well as the date of our wedding.

The boys are thrilled that our names have such strong emblems - the lion, the eagle, the crown - and I love the clean lines and vibrant colours. That the whole things ties in well with our dark red and white livingroom is an added bonus. 

Our names and the date of our wedding

I imagine these crests would make a wonderful wedding or anniversary gift. Indeed for anyone interested in family history and genealology, a Painted Clans crest would be a welcome present. 

Brendan also paints county crests of the counties of Ireland, something that would make a sentimental leaving gift for anyone emigrating or returning to their home country after a stay in Ireland. I know so many people here in Germany who feel a strong connection to Ireland, having studied or worked there for a period before returning home. 

The Painted Clans Stamp and Signature

While on the whole our framed crests are beautiful, on closer inspection there is one little snag - my family name, Matthews, has been written as Matthew. 

One other thing I would like to stress here in this review is that the crests are hand-painted. The reason I am emphasising this is that the texture of the brush strokes is quite visible and in places streaks of the base colour are visible. I like the textured look. However, on the wing of the black eagle of our crest there is a streak of white which looks like a scratch. 

Despite the above, I still feel this is going to become a treasured family hierloom, a feature on the wall that my children will remember, just as I remember the picture in my grandmother's hall and which now lives in my own hallway.  

[Disclaimer: I was sent a framed double crest by Painted Clans in return for an honest review of the product. All photos and opinions here are my own and I was not paid to write this review.]

Please note that should you wish to place an order, last orders for international shipping will be taken on the 10th Dec and for Irish orders on 15th Dec. 2015.

The Big Clean Up With Dettol

There are five people in our family. Four of us don't care about the state of the kitchen and bathroom. Add to that the fact that it is Winter, with bouts of the sniffles going round school, work and kindergarten and you can imagine that we have a reasonably-sized germ population in the house. 

Hygiene is not in the children's vocabulary. Not in English. Not in German. While neither The Bavarian nor I grew up in the kind of sterile households some people keep, I do think that a little bit of a germ-killing scrub of the kitchen and bathroom surfaces is in order from time to time. 

When I was asked recently to try out a few of Dettol's range of wipes and sprays, I knew we'd really be able to put them to the test. And so we did.

During the Summmer I brought my lovely white tray table out to the garden. It was so handy to have out there. But then Autumn came and we spent a bit less time outside. The table got forgotton and when I finally remembered it, it was in need of a serious clean. 

The Tray Table In The Garden

In true 1980s detergent TV advert style, let me reveal to you the cleaning power of Dettol all purpose cleaners.

I was pretty impressed with the results on the tray. So I decided to put the tougher of the two sprays to the ultimate test - cleaning the dried on food off the high chair. Number Three's high chair had not been cleaned in a week in preparation for this. Food crumbs had been brushed away, but squashed banana, mashed vegetables, gravy dribbles and porridge had been left to dry and harden.

Normally I take the blade for cleaning the ceramic hob to the high chair when it needs a thorough cleaning. This time I sprayed it with Dettol spray and left it for three minutes. One wipe with a warm, damp cloth and the chair was clean. I was pretty speechless. I never knew that cleaning a high chair could be this easy! I am a convert. My elbow grease days are over. From now on I will live the life of a TV detergent ad housewife. 


[Disclaimer: I was asked to test and review some Dettol products and was provided with the above-mentioned products free of charge in exchange for writing a review. All photos and all opinions expressed here are my own.]

Bedtimes and Backaches - A Nurofen Express Heat Patch Giveaway

Bedtime on holiday can be a huge ordeal. We moved around a lot on our recent trip to Ireland, so I speak from experience here. The strange beds, the lack of blackout blinds, the overtired baby from a day of action, the older kids who feel they should be allowed stay up late, the parents feeling they should be allowed a little more relaxation time than on an evening at home. It all adds up to cause a little extra strain on us all, mentally as well as physically.

On a good day the exhaustion levels are high and the boys all fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. On the not so good ones, tempers are lost, tears are shed and all too often I end up spending part of the evening leaning over the side of the travel cot trying to get Number Three to finally doze off. 

Glad as I am when he finally sleeps, the resulting pain in my lower back is not a nice finish to the evening. That's where Nurofen heat patches come in. Stick one on, lean back on the sofa with a cuppa or a glass of red and the back pain just eases away.

The patch itself is about the size of the palm of my hand. This is the topside. The underside attaches to the skin.

What I love about these patches is that they are easy to use and they don't interfere with my breastfeeding because they are non-medicinal. They attach really well to the skin but are as easy to remove as a normal plaster. 

If you'd like to try them for yourself, why not enter my giveaway and be in with a chance to win a Nurofen-sponsored TLC pack including Nurofen Express Heat Packs? 

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.


[Disclaimer: I was provided with some Nurofen Express Heat Patches in exchange for writing a review. All opinions expressed here are my own].

Glenisk Strained Greek Style Yogurt - A Review

A few weeks ago, on The Bavarian's birthday to be exact, I was aked to review Glenisk's new product, High Protein Strained Greek Style Yogurt. With one thing and another, it has taken me a while to get round to doing it. But at last I have. Any of you who have read my Glenisk competition entry will know that I am already a fan, so I was thrilled to have the chance to try out their latest work.

The product is being marketed as high in protein and with 0% fat. Generally speaking, I am 'an everything in moderation' kind of person and don't tend to go for low fat, low sugar, low carbs, etc. I eat what I feel like and try not to over do it on the unhealthy stuff.

My very kind sister, who knows a lot about the good, the bad and the ugly of processed foods from her studies and her work, has helped me out with this review since, as I say, I usually stick to the regular version of any processed products I buy. It can be very tricky for the ordinary consumer to know whether or not to trust all these claims of high this, low that and zero the other. So rather than just saying "Yeah, yum, very tasty. I'd buy that again", I out-sourced and here is what my favourite food expert had to say:

Ingredients:

The ingredients in the natural yogurt are just skimmed milk and cultures. In the flavoured one there is sugar rather than sweeteners So I'd be very happy with that. 

Taste:

The yogurts are extremely thick and creamy for a fat free yogurt. The high protein comes from the fact that is strained twice. It was nice to see that the high protein was an inherent property of strained yogurt and not an added protein powder.

Nutrition Claims

The Glenisk high protein yogurt seems to be the same as Skyr - an Icelandic style skimmed milk strained yogurt that is currently a small but growing trend. To make a "high in protein" claim on food, the protein must be a least 20% of the total energy value of the food, and to say "source of protein" it must be at least 12%. Therefore, a very low calorie (i.e. low energy) food labelled as high protein may well have more than 20% of it's energy coming from protein, but it still may not actually be a very large portion of protein which you are getting. 

To illustrate this, here are some examples: 

 - Chickpeas (labelled as high in protein) 24% of its energy value comes from protein

 - Batchelors Beans (labelled as a source of protein) 16% of its energy value comes from protein

So how much of the energy content content of Glenisk Natural High Protein yogurt comes from protein?.....71%. That is huge. So despite being very low calorie (84kcal for a 150g pot) it still has a good hit of protein.

[Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Glenisk provided me with vouchers for their new product Glenisk Strained Greek Style Yogurt for the purpose of conduting a review. All photographs and opinions are my own and those of my family].