Caboodle Everyday Baby Changing Bag - Review

My husband thinks I have a bit of a problem with bags because my wardrobe is full of them - I just love them, and the more pockets the better! When Caboodle offered me the chance to review one of their lovely changing bags from the Everyday range, I jumped at the chance. I've only ever had the changing bag that came free with my pram so I thought it would be great to use a proper changing bag...with lots of compartments and pockets!

Although Elliot is no longer a baby, I do still need to take a bag out with us. You'd think that the older they get, the less stuff you need but I find I probably need even more things now which means I need a decent sized bag to carry it all in.

I was sent the Caboodle changing bag in grey/raspberry and first impressions were good. I love the design, it's a bit different to my old black changing bag and the colours aren't too girly which is good for me! The inside has a cute starry print which I love.

The bag has a large inside compartment with a divider which is great for organising your bits and bobs and also features lots of compartments - yay! It has two outside pockets on the front, a zipped pocket on the back, and then inside has another zipped pocket plus three compartments. As a parent we need to carry so much stuff and you don't necessarily want everything jumbled into the same section so it's really useful to be able to separate things.

The bag comes with a changing mat , a bottle bag and a grubby stuff bag which will be so useful, I've lost track of the times I've had dirty clothes and just had to wrap them up or put them in a carrier bag.

The quality of the bag feels really durable and unlike some bags, the zips are really chunky which is perfect for a bag such as this. I don't know about your children but Elliot is always fishing around in my bag for snacks and I would be happy for him to open/close this himself without worrying he would break the zip.

Another reason I like this bag is because the strap is really long - it can be shortened and hung on a buggy of course but for a mum on the go, being able to wear it across my chest is a definite bonus!

I've been using this bag for the last week or so and it has been very usable and perfect for my needs. There is plenty of space for all the items I need to take out such as spare nappies, snacks, toys, books, spare clothes etc. Right now it is packed and ready to go for a day out tomorrow and I've even managed to fit in a towel and swimming shorts for Elliot!

Overall, I would definitely recommend these changing bags if you are in need of a new one - and right now, they are on offer at £24 on the Caboodle website which is a bargain :)

Disclaimer: We received the bag for the purpose of this honest review. All views are my own



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Love Where I Live Linky #1

Welcome to a brand new linky - Love Where I Live!

Love Where I Live is a new linky where you can shout about all the things you love locally.  Maybe you have some stunning photography you want to share, or maybe you want to tell the world about a fun local attraction you recently visited. Maybe you've got a favourite cafe, or a favourite shop you want to blog about. Anything goes really, as long as it's about where you live!

Feel free to tweet me @eelliotblog using the hashtag #LoveWhereILiveLinky and I will retweet your posts. I will also comment on each one.

Each week I will pick my favourite post :)

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Rules

There's just a few rules to abide by: 

• You can link up however many posts you like (old or new) but please make sure it is relevant and about your area
• Please display my badge on your post
• Make sure you comment on at least 2 other blogs, more if you have time! 
• Don't forget to comment using the hashtag #lovewhereIlivelinky so people know where you found them

The linky will run from Thursday 12.01am until Sunday 11.59pm. 

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Things I Never Expected To Do As A Mum

Before your kids come along, you have all these grand ideas of what kind of parent you'll be and what you'll get up to. Sadly, things don't normally happen as you imagined them! Here's a look at 10 things I never expected to do as a Mum...

• Using the TV as a babysitter -  I never thought this would be me but sometimes it just has to be done. I'd never be able to have a shower or cook tea otherwise!

• National Trust Membership - I always thought NT was for retired people who liked visiting gardens but this is our second year with a NT membership and we love it! There's so many lovely locations scattered across the UK and we love taking a picnic and exploring. NT seem to have had a bit of a makeover in recent years and I love how kid-friendly they are now.
• Leaving the house with snot on your jumper - substitute snot for sick/milk/food/drool, it's amazing how messy one small person can be and there has been countless times where I've just wiped it down with a wet wipe and got on with my day!
• Post countless baby photos on Facebook - I used to roll my eyes at parents doing this on Facebook and I vowed  to not be "one of those mums". Now? I'm totally one of those mums!! I love posting pics of Elliot on social media and it's a great way of sharing his life with family who we don't see very often. If people think it's boring then they know where the unfollow button is ;)
• Talk about poo on Facebook - Following on from the above point, I didn't expect to be talking about poo so openly but sometimes, a toddler poo story is just too funny not to share!
• Wear leggings , a lot - Prior to having a baby, the last time I wore leggings was probably 1992 but the first year of Elliot's life saw me wear leggings on a daily basis. Comfortable, and that elasticated waist was also good for all the cake I consumed in the early days!!
• Gossip magazines - Never thought I'd stop buying Heat or Closer magazine but these days I'm more likely to pick up Bob the Builder weekly. It does mean my celebrity knowledge is a bit crap nowadays though - I can name every one of Peppa Pig's mates but ask me who's Number One in the charts and I'd struggle!
• Bribery - I never thought I'd have to resort to bribery but sometimes the lure of a kinder egg is the only thing that works! "Swim on your back and we can visit the sweet shop" - <--true story after a particularly stressful swimming lesson!
•  Go out in public with crazy hair and no make up - Pre-children my hair was always straightened, I always wore make up and I actually made an effort to look half decent. Nowadays, we have swimming on a Monday morning and I spend the rest of the day with a big frizzy curly mop and with no make up on. And I go out in public...and sometimes even meet friends - gasp! I'm sure my Mummy friends have seen worse than my bare face and actually, sometimes its quite nice to not have to spend ages straightening my hair!
• Secret eating - Toddlers have amazing selective hearing, ask them to tidy their toys and funnily enough they don't hear you. Rustle a bag of sweets and they come running! Which is why sometimes its absolutely neccessary to hide in the kitchen and stuff a biscuit in before you're caught!

If you like what you read, why not Like Entertaining Elliot on Facebook 

A Riverside Stroll - Wareham, Dorset

Sometimes I take it for granted that I live in a beautiful part of the world and it's too easy to rush about and not enjoy what we have on our doorstep.

Last weekend after a day out at a local farm, we decided to have a spontaneous stop at a place called Wareham for a little walk and an ice-cream. Wareham is a historic market town here in Dorset and the area has some beautiful scenery.

**Sorry, pic heavy post!**

We started our walk on the Quay with our ice-creams - I meant to take photos of the ice-creams because they were so good but we were too busy stuffing our faces to get the camera out!

The weather was lovely and warm so there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine - the Quayside was really busy with tourists and there were boats and kayaks bobbing along on the river.

Elliot kept stopping to pick up sticks and he was pretending he had a magic wand. We've watched a lot of Harry Potter recently and he tries to do the "Expelliarmus" spell but it ends up sounding like he's shouting "smelly armpits!"....which he find hilarious! He did however find a bit of dog poo and started poking it with his stick - what is it with boys and poo?!

Elliot had lots of fun running along the river side path trying to spot the wildlife he saw on the information boards. We didn't see any animals but we did see a Mummy swan with her babies!

We finished up the impromptu walk with a visit to one of the pubs on the Quay for some dinner. If you're ever in the area then I highly recommend The Old Granary - the burgers were fantastic!

I'll leave you with some photos of Elliot that we took along the way - what a cheeky face!

Linking up with...

 

Love Where I Live - A new linky!

I've been toying with the idea of starting my own linky for a while now but couldn't decide on the theme. Tonight I wanted to write a post about how beautiful some of the scenery is here in Dorset but out of all the linkies in my list (and there are lots! See here for Aby's amazing list), there wasn't one that I felt suitable for my post. As it was, the post never got finished and is sitting in my drafts but it got me thinking!

Love Where I Live is brand new linky where you can shout about all the things you love about where you live. Maybe you have some stunning photography you want to share, or maybe you want to tell the world about a fun local day out you recently visited. Maybe you've got a favourite cafe, or a favourite shop you want to blog about. Anything goes really, as long as it's about where you live!

I am looking forward to learning more about where you all live - and I'm sure it will give me some more ideas of where to visit!

The linky will go live each Thursday and you'll be able to link up as many posts as you like, old or new. Please share this, tell your friends and spread the word - hoping to have lots of lovely blogs to read!

Hope to see you all next week! 

Andy Day's Dinosaur Raps - Festival of Nature 2015 Bristol

I first read about the Festival of Nature on Twitter and thought it sounded like a great day out for kids. I then discovered that Andy Day, i,e Elliot's favourite person in the world (well, aside from family obviously!) was going to be there doing some dinosaur raps - amazing! As it turned out, my husband was away for the weekend anyway and Bristol isn't that far from Dorset so we thought why not :)

The Festival of Nature is the UK's biggest free celebration of the natural world. Over 150 organisations got involved and the programme included live music, interactive activities, talks from big names in the world of wildlife such as Bill Oddie and lots of hands on experiences for all ages.

I've written about Andy before (see here) but Elliot is such a fan. He loves both his dinosaur and wild adventures programmes and tends to jump around like a loony when he comes on telly! Last time we met Andy, Elliot was only 21 months old and just stared at him so I was hoping that if we got the chance to meet him again, Elliot might be a bit more talkative. He had a question prepared *just in case* and a few days before the festival he said he was going to say " give mummy a kiss!" to him......cringe! I promise I didn't prompt him to say that!!

Andy was due to perform his first lot of dino raps at 11am so we were up bright and early and on the road by 7am. We decided to use the Park & Ride on the outskirts of the city and it was great - easy to find, just a short journey by bus into the city centre and only £3. Much cheaper than parking in the city centre I'm sure!

By the time we had reached the Harbourside area, it had started to drizzle but Millenium Square was already starting to get busy. We headed over to the BBC tent first and we were amongst the first in - this meant we didn't have to queue for face painting or dinosaur digging much to Elliot's delight! There were lots of things to look at and it was really interesting seeing all the equipment used for all their amazing nature programmes. There were lots of activities available for kids and we coloured some dinosaurs and made a (really really bad) sock puppet!

It was almost time for Andy by this point so we headed back outside and got a spot right at the front. Well Elliot decided he wanted to be at the front, I had to climb over some mums and kneel down on my coat so I could ensure Elliot didn't get under Andy's feet!

Andy spent the next half an hour entertaining the crowd with his dinosaur raps - the kids loved it, Elliot was just enthralled! It was so cute watching him waving his toy dinosaur in the air and trying to sing along!

After his set, Andy was doing a signing in the BBC tent so we got in line and Elliot was talking about what he'd say to Andy. He assured me he wouldn't go all shy but you can guess what happened when it was our turn....my noisy little chatterbox suddenly clammed up! Andy was lovely though and Elliot did eventually tell him his name and show him his dinosaur. He even asked him what his favourite dinosaur was, but in the smallest little voice! The photos are quite funny too, Elliot looks petrified!! I think he was just a bit in awe because as soon as we got outside he was leaping around saying "We met Andy again Mummy!".

Andy did a second set of dinosaur raps after meeting all his little fans and of course we stayed to watch it. Elliot didn't seem to mind that it was the same songs as an hour before!!

Thankfully the rain had now stopped so we decided to have an ice-cream. Unfortunately Elliot also decided to fall head first off a bench onto the concrete floor so we had a quick visit to the first aid tent to make sure he was ok. (He was fine, just a bit shocked I think!)

The bug tent was our next stop and Elliot couldn't wait to investigate. There were so many things to look at such as giant snails and cockroaches. Elliot also helped big a bug home and dressed up as a bee! This was a great tent but just so busy, would have liked to have spent more time in there but it's tricky having a 2 year old with you who wants to look at everything, right now! You need eyes in the back of your head!

A friend of mine Tina, who lives in Bristol came to meet up with us with her daughter and we spent a bit more time exploring the many stands the festival had to offer. I even spotted Bill Oddie! We finished the afternoon with a visit to the cafe at @Bristol. This science looks like great fun and I hope to return to Bristol in the not too distant future and visit here with the family, my husband would love it! Their cafe was great as they have a kids play area in the corner so I got to have a lovely catch up with my friend whilst Elliot burnt off some more energy!

By now, it was time for us to head back home so we said our goodbyes and bid a fond farewell to the festival. We had a great day out and I'm sure Elliot will be talking about meeting Andy for a long time to come!

Linking up with...

Father's Day Crafts with Baker Ross

As part of the Baker Ross Network, we were sent a big box of Father's Day themed goodies. These included Wooden Keyring Kits, Wooden decorations, Face Cards, Handprint decoration kits and Tshirt Craft Boxes (not pictured)

Why is it so hard to get a toddler to look at the camera and smile!

As always Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in! We decided to make the handprint decorations first. The instructions were easy to follow, the hardest part was finding a photo to go in it! Elliot only has little hands so we drew round my hand, he did say that the fingers looked a bit like sausages - thanks Elliot!! 

Elliot did get a bit over-enthusiastic and broke the frame but once it was stuck down, it wasn't noticeable! He loved sticking on the stars and he was really pleased with the finished result. 

Our next activity was the keyrings. These were a little fiddly getting the string through the beads and I had to take over on this one but Elliot did help by choosing which colour was going on where! 

We ran out of time for the other activities but we will definitely be finishing these in time for Father's Day. You can't beat an arty gift like these for the little ones to give their dad!

Baker Ross just have such an extensive selection on their website - there is something for everyone's creativity level, even people like me who have zero creativity! All the craft kits we received are all price under a fiver which is great value. 

For more Father's Day ideas, check out the Baker Ross website

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