Competition to Win Curriculum-Based Topic Packs

Oaka Books are giving my readers a chance to win their curriculum-based topic packs to boost enthusiasm, understanding and memory recall.

Oaka products are designed for Dyslexia and SEN pupils to make curriculum-based topics accessible for them, even if their reading or comprehension skills are weak.

This is a great opportunity for parents to get assistance in helping their child/ren learn through reading, engaging and learning.

NERF BUNKR Range Review and Giveaway

#Gifted

NERF Bunkr inflatables are the ideal accessory for any NERF battle and with so many different sizes and shapes to choose from, they make the perfect battlefield whether indoors or out.

We put the Nerf BUNKR Competition Set through its paces and it did not disappoint.

Viking Adventure Activity Book by Jen Alliston - Giveaway

Would you like to get your hands on the new Button Books - Viking Adventure Activity Book?

A brilliant new activity book from the same creator of the Ancient Egyptian Adventure Activity Book, Pirate Adventure Activity Book, Dinosaur Adventure Activity Book, Castle Adventure Activity Book and Roman Adventure Activity Book.

Spin Masters New Baby Shark Products and Giveaway

You can now keep the Baby Shark song alive and kicking with Spin Master's new range of toys for preschool children, and we've tried out The Wooden Sound Board and the Let's Go Hunt Finishing Game

#Gifted

Creative Space Journal Review

** COMPETITION NOW CLOSED **

Creative Space Journal by Lucy Irving    ISBN 9781781453070

I have received the most beautiful journal from Ammonite Press.  It's a journal designed to unleash your creativity, to start on a blank(ish) page and doodle your masterpieces.

Japan Candy Box and Giveaway Dec 2016

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

In December I was lucky enough to review the Japan Candy Box, the sweet monthly Japanese candy subscription box which is filled with fabulous sweets sent directly to your door each month!

This is a great little box of goodies that can be given as a gift or a present to yourself each month if you wish to try out something new, something a little different and definitely a bit mysterious.

There were 10 items in my box this month, mainly biscuit based, and complete with a candy DIY kit (which my son loves to complete).

Below is a detailed view of the delicious items I received, a vlog of the unboxing complete with views from a 5-year-old.

What's in a Japan Candy Box?

This month I received a festival themed box, with the following sweets included:

Yaokin Christmas Chocolate Stick / Yaokin Christmas Corn Potage Snack Stick

Fujiya Anpanman Biscuits / Fujiya Milky Matcha Green Tea Candies

Pompompurin Pudding Gummies / Lotte Koala March Strawberry Biscuits

Morinaga Tsum Tsum Chocolate Biscuit / Hi-Chew White Soda Chewy Candy /
Fujiya Anpanman Lollipop

Meiji Mushroom Mountain DIY Kit

With a little help from my son you can also watch what he thought of some of the goodies, but don't be put off with his dislike for strawberry biscuits and gummies - loved them later on that day.... go figure.....

Win yourself a Japan Candy Box

Finally, as a thank you for reading my blog or watching our crazy videos, I am very honoured to host a competition to give you a chance to win yourself next month's Japan Candy Box. 

I received a Japan Candy Box to review. The above wording is all my own and not influenced by products received.

Win a box load of geeky goodies

** COMPETITION NOW CLOSED **

Win a box load of geeky goodies with RachaelJess.com

Those who follow my blog or my Instagram will know I have a BIG weakness for subscription boxes - mainly the geeky ones, so it's no surprise that I've started to accumulate pieces occasionally that don't really float my boat, so I've decided to save them up and when I have enough bits run a little giveaway - and this, believe it or not, this is my 2nd geek box giveaway!

The POP! in this box was bought by my lovely partner who feeds my passion and picked up Thor when he was on special offer in Tesco - for this very purpose!

The T-Shirt is Game of Thrones - and no, I do not watch this.  I know this is a bit of a shocker for some, but I've tried it 3 times now and it's just not grabbing me,  I want it to, but alas it's just not meant to be - but wahey for you guys - guess where all the G.O.T. bits go....

I made the Batman badge!

The trolls were originally for my son's party bags but he pulled the hair out of one of them, so now they are all escaping out my house in various forms!  Finally, there are a couple of other little bits to make up the box.

AND.... I thought I'd make it international!!

So what do you think?  Interested in winning my little geeky bundle?  All I need you to do is complete at least one of the actions from the Rafflecopter below and a winner will be picked from the Rafflecopter entries in a few weeks time.

Good Luck 

Blogger bank holiday staycation competition

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Blogger bank holiday staycation competition

Thinkmoney is currently running a blogger competition with the prize being £300 towards a mini-break, all they want to know is what is your dream staycation break?

Win £25 Hobbycraft voucher with your upcycling know-how

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Win Hobbycraft voucher with bedroom storage maker

I have a rather exciting new competition for my readers and it involves HobbyCraft!  I know exciting right!  The lovely people over at Bedroom Storage Makers want to know your top tips and tricks for upcycling or revamping your home.

For me, plain boring wooden storage boxes have the most potential, especially if old and dated as these can be covered in chalkboard paint, comic book pages or one of my favourites - Harry Potter pages and give you that new WOW factor again.

Do you have a clever use for old jam jars, toilet rolls or milk bottles?  Here's how you could win £25 to spend at Hobbycraft:

Let me know your tips/tricks for upcycling or revamping your home.  You can either:
 Leave a comment on this blog post
 Leave me a comment on this post on my Facebook page
 Tweet me @RachaelJessBlog with #RJRevamp or
 Drop me an email mail@Rachaeljess.com

Lots of choices but only 1 entry per person, please.

I will update this post with my favourite tips by 31st July, and from that list choose my overall favourite.  That tip will then be added to Bedroom Storage Maker's blog and not only will you be credited for your tip but you will also receive a £25 Gift Voucher - how does that sound?

Look forward to reading your tips, good luck xoxo

My favourite tips from my readers :

Cate: I upcycled some milk cartons and bottles in to this water wall for the kids
Jennifer: My tip would be to use keep old clothes to make into new things. Baby clothes make gorgeous quilts... I still have the maternity dresses that I plan on using to make some nice dresses for my daughter.
Esther: My tip is to salvage fabric squares from old clothes- baby clothes are nice as they have sentimental value, and upcycle them into new blankets and cushions
Natasha:I love using toilet rolls in crafts. I have made some toilet roll kids candles, I have used them as seedling trays. But my favourite thing I have made with them was my toilet roll advent calendar.
Jennie: My latest up-cycle project has been painting used car tyres with bright masonry paint and then stacking them up as plant fillers and birdbaths.

I wish I had more vouchers, there were so many great tips, but my favourite thrifty up-cycling tip is:

I use old clothes to make cushions or toys for cats and 

donate them to an animal sanctuary

Congratulations Jenni, you've won yourself £25 Hobbycraft voucher.

Hillarys Crafts Competition

* COMPETITION NOW CLOSED *

I'm rather loving the craft competitions which are out at the moment, especially ones that are relating to Home Decor, and after a bit of hesitation (because it's fabric) I decided to give Hillarys Crafts Competition a go.

UK Getaways

#AD

Whilst reading through some blogs today I came across a post by The Princess and The Pickle who has created some outdoor activity sheets for families exploring the New Forest.  It then dawned on me that I've never been to the New Forest!  For somewhere that is only in the next county to me, and only an hour and a half drive away I find that quite amazing.

But then, thinking about it, I have found the hidden treasures in our own county are usually the least likely places to visit.  When we think of having a breakaway we tend to make it quite a journal and miles from home, why is that?  My own county has some wonderful places to visit.

Arundel Wetlands Centre

The quaint town of Arundel has the most fantastic resorted castle, wetlands where you can feed the birds, a Museum and a Cathedral, it has Goodwood and Fontwell close by to visit, and yet it is not a place I'd think to stay.

Bognor is the hometown of the infamous Butlins, and again a place that I haven't stayed at - day visit, yes, but we've not stayed for the weekend - is it because it's only a 30-minute drive away? Probably.

The iconic over-sized deck chairs at Butlins

So, I've decided to check out local cheap hotels near to the New Forest with a view to visiting in the spring, maybe even for Easter.  From those I've spoken to about this, I'm told that not only is it great seeing the ponies but the atmosphere and scenery is captivating and I'm really rather excited to be sharing my first visit with my boy's first visit too.

Do you have little local gems that you have yet to visit?

 

Autumnal Snuggles

** COMPETITION NOW CLOSED **

Web Blind are currently running a competition to find out how you like to keep warm through this autumn nights - details of the competition can be found here.

For me autumn is all about the colours and snuggles to keep warm and there are some lovely divine gold Fauxwood blinds which are the golden colour of autumn that I love.

Shutting out the cold autumn chills

For the snuggling, there is a lovely deep red snuggle chair from Sofaka which is a perfect size for two - me and my boy in the evening whilst watching a movie before bed or me and my partner watching Walking Dead!

Perfect snuggling for 2

If there is just a chill in the air that doesn't quite warrant the heating going on then body heat is obviously a great way of keeping warm - and pets are also lovers of warmth and a cuddle and I love the fact our dog is the perfect autumn colouring.

My perfect hot water bottle

So we have the blinds to keep the heat in, the big chair to fit us all in (including the dog) and for that extra bit of warm - the snuggle accessories - a blanket - let's go retro and have a good ol' fashioned checked wool blanket from not on the high street.  Obviously I can't let a post go without a hint of geek so to keep your feet warm Dr Who Slippers and a nice warm drink as the final step to keeping warm - I would choose hot chocolate and I would have it the delightful Alice in Wonderland teapot - because I'm bonkers... but then all the best people are ;)

Snuggle Accessories

With my autumn colours and a big snuggle sofa ready for company the minute the blanket comes out is all I need to keep me cosy as the nights draw in and it is always time to make Tea and Snuggle.

So this is my entry to Web Blind's So Cosy competition - what do you think, does it give you a warm feel?

Keeping Children Active

Activity Toys Direct are running a competition for bloggers to find out what we do to keep our little ones active over the summer holidays.

Well for us, we have weekends to keep Max active as he's too little to be in school (and mummy is soo not ready to be thinking about schools.....) So, what do we do to keep him active at the weekends?  Well we are very lucky to live near the seaside.

Whenever the is a hint of nice weather we are down the beach at some point during the day at some point during the weekend.  We have even been known to go down as late as 5 in the afternoon for an hour.

Armed with a bucket we roam the beach for shells.  We go down to the water's edge and practice our throwing with stones and then chase the waves if we have our shoes on or jump them if we don't.

When we get home we put all our shells in a pot and last weekend we got the craft kit out and made our own beach scene.

This is is one of many ways we keep him active and if I'm honest - it's probably my favourite.

FunkyLaser Jewellery Competition

Competition Now Closed

You could win me

For those who read my blog will know I love anything slightly different, personalised and unique so when Funky Laser asked me if I'd like to host a competition for them - of course, I said yes!

Funky Laser offers quirky and distinctive designs via 3 main services - Design, Fabrication and Woodcutting.  All products are handmade.

To help promote their business Funky Laser are running a competition for you lovely readers.  You have the chance to win a personalised named rainbow necklace (as above).  I love it and Funky Laser is the only company in the UK to own these materials!!

So what do you need to do?  Well as you see there is a rafflecopter below.  Depending on how many chances you'd like to win depends on what you complete.  You must follow Funky Laser either via Facebook or Twitter for 1 entry.  Follow both forms of media to unlock the remaining options.

Good Luck

My dog deserves a holiday because…

** COMPETITION NOW CLOSED **

Canvas Holidays are running a competition.... for your dog.  They are offering 1 lucky person £250 in Canvas Holiday vouchers and treat yourself and your dog to a European holiday treat.

So, my dog deserves a holiday because she's had a pretty tough year!

August last year she lost her brother of 11 years to the big C.

January this year she had to have an operation on her knee to help her walk again

But, being a strong little Staffie that she is, she's bounced back and is often seen bouncing around the house going through her second childhood.

When I told her I had entered here into a doggie competition, this was her response.....

I'm taking that as she's pleased :-)

Review: How to Catch a Star Book

** This Competition Now Closed **

We have been given the opportunity to review the book  How to Catch a Star which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

This lovely book is illustrated by world-renowned Oliver Jeffers and it really is beautiful.  The story is about a boy who loved stars very much.  Every night he watched the stars from his window and wished he had one of his very own.

This is rather fitting in our household at the moment as we are potty training and the rewards are stars so as you can see by our images our boy is loving this book and all the stars he finds within it.

We found this book was perfect in size and story for Max, we read it a few times (about 6 but who's counting) in a row and is definitely a hit in our home.

As I said, this is the 10th anniversary of How to Catch a Star and Harper Collins is celebrating this by giving away copies of this hardback edition which is out on 27th March for £12.99.

I am fortunate enough to have been given 2 copies from Harper Collins.  One for us to review and one to giveaway to one of my readers.  I am also giving away the pack of glow in the dark stars.

I was given 2 How to Catch a Star books for the purpose of this review.

All opinions are my own.

My Portable Office

The guys over at Currys want to know about our Portable Offices and by writing a short blog post on the How, When and Where you could win 1 of 2 Surface Pro Tablet 2.

Here is my entry :

Well, I use daddy's iPad with our little boy on toddler apps such as jigsaw puzzles, matching colours and numbers and looking through pictures we've taken.

 I know some frown on youngsters using technology this early but I don't see the harm in it what so ever, he's learning, it's a part of his world whether we like it or not and it's restricted timing so he's not sitting on it all night like some teenage gamer.... yet!!

The mummy in me uses my tablet mainly for videos/movies.  This I will pack in my bag if I know we are going to queue.  We have been waiting in the doctor's office before now for over 45 minutes and Tangled downloaded on my tablet was a Godsend!


The Me in me likes to curl up in bed with my tablet and catch up on programs I've missed/forgotten about during the week - my way to unwind.

I use my laptop in the evenings, chilling on the sofa for social media, blogging and uploading images off my phone (since it went down the loo I don't leave anything to chance with that anymore).  This also only comes out once the patter of little fingers has gone to bed.  Max is brilliant at operating the touch screens but the keyboard is still a mystery of fun for him and I'm not that much of a computer wiz to figure out what he may delete off my screen.

I think I'm that 'older' generation who does like a keyboard.

And my phone - well that really is my portable office.  I use that throughout the day to check/send emails, text, social media and occasionally I might just use it as an actual phone!!  One place it doesn't live anymore is my back pocket - that's just asking for trouble and to be dropped down the loo!

Route 66 Holiday

Competiton Now closed

Travel supermarket is running a competition for bloggers.  They want to know your magical holiday memories with a chance to win £1,000.  

I was torn between our Route 66 holiday and our World Cup South Africa Holiday!  My two best ever holidays.  In the end, I've gone with my first ever holiday with my partner - Route 66.  It's the first time I'd ever visited America and still to this day feels like it was only yesterday.

We had perfect weather, we saw some of the most amazing sights and visited friends I'd made over on myspace!!

We also visited San Francisco and Las Vegas along the way.  I have written a diary blog of each day here.  Below I've told the story of our fantastic holiday in photos.

First Day - San Francisco Diner

Day 2 - San Francisco Muir Woods, Alcatraz & Lombard Street 

Days 3 - 5 Los Angeles

Days 5 - 7 Las Vegas

Days 7 onwards - GETTING OUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66