PacaPod review - the most beautiful baby bag !

Oh how i love handbags. Like many I have a handbag obsession ( I have loads ) and when I had G I carried it on with my baby bags, but the cost was getting a little bit silly. At one point I had 6 on the go. With bits everywhere and so the bags had to go :(

But last Christmas H treated me to a bag I first fell in love with a month after i had G and i kept wishing saving but the money always went on somthing else But H came up trupms as he remebered how much I loved it . It was a PacaPod Coromandel in Brown leather it truly is a stunning bag and i get comments on it every where I go. And it fits me and our hectic lifestyle very well.

It keeps me very organised as inside it has 2 pods. One for a changing and one for food. As i have told you before we use real nappies in our house and they fit in the changing pod just fine:) The food pod is also a chiller bag so it keeps milk/ water cool.You can also buy replacement pods which are very reasonable at £20. This is not watertight and its leaked milk a few times on my beautiful bag- but as its leather a quick wipe and it was fine.

The bag also has a top pocket which is fab for mummy bits- and a front pouch which is ideal for phone, key fob and a pen.

You can take out the pods very easily with a simple click and the bag becomes huge- I'm  thinking gym bag swimming bag or even a laptop bag for once we don't need a baby bag any more.

One of the things I love about my Pacapod bag is the zippers - they are very long so it makes them easy for me to grab.

The Pacapod can be worn as a satchel bag across the body or it has pram clips. H loves this bag and he doesn't mind having it across his chest.

After a years heavy use, it still looks in fab condition. I was worried that the strap would wear and get dirty but it actually looks better with age. I'm looking forward to many more years with my pacapod bag.

Positives The pods keep me very organised.

The only downside to this bag is the price RRP £195 but I guess your paying for the quality so I don't mind as it's  a bag I will treasure for a long time. H is also happy because i haven't brought another bag since!

You can find the pacapod bags thought the website www.pacapod.com

The bags start at £75 - £265 and come in loads of different designs and shapes even a rucksack pacapod which i would love to try. The bags are designed by Jacqueline Waggett, Creator of PacaPod…Clothing designer and mum of two small girls, drew on her own experiences to design the unique 3-in-1system bag.
 
Jacqueline was disappointed with many of the baby bags on offer to new parents , a lack of different compartments meant that things were difficult to find and many of the design options were not ideal if Dad wants to take the baby out. 

A huge well done to Jacqueline for designing such stunning bags - one I'm very happy to recommend.  

bye bye 2012 helloo 2013

I was really sad to see 2012 end , its been such a good year. Our little baby turned one. We went on lots of little family holidays. We got married in November which was just the best day of my life, we went on our first holiday abroad as H is terrified of flying. We have watched our little baby turn in to a little man and i also started to blog, which I'm really enjoying,  I really didn't want to see the year end. And what a year for GB, with the Olympics and the Queens jubilee.

                                        Oh its been such a good year,.


It's a new year - new start and how many of us have made resolutions last night ?

To me a new year is just like a new month. So I don't really bother but this year feels different and its time for a change - nothing major as im quite happy with my weight, i dont smoke or drink that much and i've already found the love of my life ,chocolate only kidding H. So i guess my only resolution is to blog more. I'm going too Britmums in June I know my little blog isnt the best but it means a lot to me.

The only big thing hopefuly happening this year is a house move but thats not really in our control.

Every new years day we go to New Brighton for a picnic in the car and a walk but today, it was so windy we didnt get very far. But we tooksome stunning photos of the sea.

The best present ever ???

Well as you may or may not know our little G has been a none walker and well we had both given up ( me about 6 months ago ) and was considering what colour wheelchair to get our little G :(

On  Christmas day we had first steps we just could not believe our eyes and we both burst into floods of happy tears - and the next day he was running up and down the lounge.

Everyone kept saying oh he will do it when he is ready but what a day to do it on :)

It really was the best Christmas present ever.  

Christmas eve - the day i dread !

Christmas oh how I love Christmas its a time for family to gather , to eat and be merry. Which to be fair christmas day / boxing day / the week after generally are :)


But I now dreading with a passion the Christmas eve dash - the buying of the other half's cards cus he forgot, the running around ASDA trying to find cranberry sauce. Or doing a 50 mile round trip to deliver presents. 

I do try to plan ahead, I do ...... but then H always gets ill (man flu) 2 days before, it happens every year. lol 

 This year i have a plan - not to leave the house - but even the best laid plans go to pot. So I'm sure Christmas eve will be spent running around like a mad person. 

Cold feet ??

So Winter has definitely arrived this past few weeks with temps outside not reaching much above freezing. When its this cold we don't go out much the cold air knocks it out of my lungs and so we stay inside. I really feel the cold especially in my feet, something to do with my heart I guess.

I was asked to review Heat Holder socks and boy they didn't disappoint. I may never have to use H as my feet warmer again.

They really do do exactly what they say on the packet ! Not only do they hold in heat they don't make your feet sweat just keep you very tostie warm ( thats a stokieism as H would say )

They come in all sorts of funky colours - I have the Fuchsia/ raspberry strips and I love them.



 These are going to make wonderful stoking fillers - With an rrp  from £6 for the classic to £12 for the wellyboot ones. theses really do make the ideal Christmas gift.

I have two pairs to give away - 1 black pair and 1 pink ....


a Rafflecopter giveaway

SO its been a while

in fact its been nearly two months .......................

I had some nasty comments made on my blog by someone I know - they hid behind the anonymous - but I love technology and I know exactly who you are - and the police will be informed shortly !


Anyway rant over - its been a very busy few months planning a wedding that nearly didn't happen - G got ill ten days before he had a scan on his heart and they found he had fluid around his heart. We came so close to  not getting married and going on honeymoon.

The day itself was just perfect - we even got sun. But wedding day is for another blog post  :)

I'm now going to britmums which is a blogging even in London , I  cant wait.

Trentham Estate (Gardens)

As i mentioned before for our anniversary we went on a day out to Trentham Gardens. This place in my eyes  is one of the best places in Stoke on Trent - second only to my mum and dads home of course! It's a place that means a lot to me because me and H had one of our first dates.


Trentham gardens is a wonderful place for all the family to visit. The Italian Gardens are amongst the first things you see at Trentham as you walk into the entrance over the big bridge. 

There is so much to do to keep your little ones busy include the mile long lake and acres of woodland to explore and a huge play area to keep them busy, which is set on bark chippings within the gardens, within this area there is  a 'Hide and Speak' Maze which has kept my niece and nephew busy for many an hour. There are also huge sandpits to keep the toddles entertained. There is a cafe situated near to the park which has a large glass windows and a patio area which offer wonderful views over the lake.

This place has amazing children's facilities loads of places to eat and drink both inside and outside the gardens. Loads of changing areas and the disabled facilities are amazing but the walk around the lake is not always accessible by wheelchairs / buggys due the surface been very uneven and it gets worse if its been raining - in my eyes this could be improved with a little bit of investment. But If you get to tired at the half way point there is a cafe and a  'Miss Elizabeth' passenger boat trip back to the other end of lake.
The prices are listed below and for all that you get i think its not too bad but if you are close enough by you can get an annual pass which means you can go as many times as you like and you also get discounts of special events such as summer nights and bonfire night (we went last year, it was amazing)
Hear is a link to the Trentham admission prices is HERE. 

A family pass also makes it a little cheaper.  The prices are linked above  and for all that you get i think its not too bad but if you are close enough by you can get an annual pass which means you can go as many times as you like and you also get discounts of special events such as summer nights and bonfire night (we went last year, it was amazing)  Become an Annual Ticket Holder to Trentham Gardens and enjoy: Year-round entrance to Trentham Gardens 20% discount for friends and family you bring with you Privileged access via main entrance, enter one hour before usual opening times Discounts for event tickets such as Hot Summer Saturday evening events and Ice Skating Discounted Boat Trips on the Miss Elizabeth passenger boat Regular ‘What’s On’ newsletter 10% discount on selected items in participating shops and cafes in Trentham Shopping Village andTrentham Garden Centre 20% discount at Frankie & Benny’s Tue-Fri 5pm-7pm 10% discount on hot drinks at Italian Garden Tearoom Mon-Fri excluding school holidays 20% discount at Aerial Extreme 10% discount on Balloons UK Hot Air Balloon Flights