Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

SENSSE ULTRASONIC FACIAL BAR: REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

I am in my mid thirties. 35 to be exact and I am beginning to concede that certain things in my life need a bit more consideration. Things which previously I hadn’t really seen as much more than a bit of a fuss. Things like a skincare regime. I have had a facial or 2 on the odd sneaky spa day but every day?

I would love to tell you that I cleanse, tone and moisturise

Sadly, I am not a liar so I can’t make that claim. If I am baring all then you should probably know that a quick face wash with some Aldi cleanser is about as good as it gets – most of the time I use baby wipes. Baby wipes have been a loyal and most useful friend.

Moving on

Receiving an invitation to review the SENSSE ULTRASONIC FACIAL BAR whilst pondering my now impending wrinkles seemed rather serendipitous so of course I agreed.

What’s in the box?

I was pleasantly surprised when my Facial Bar arrived. It comes elegantly packaged in a high quality white cardboard box. The SENSSE ULTRASONIC FACIAL BAR itself is something to behold. You would be forgiven for thinking it might be a microphone (as my 2 year old, Moose, did and does) or something a little more… adult. What it is however, is a white wand measuring 6.5″ tall with rose gold detailing  and a power button and 3 LED’s.

What does it do?

Well apparently quite a lot! The SENSSE ULTRASONIC FACIAL BAR claims to;

  • ENERGISE AND BRIGHTEN YOUR SKIN – Hot and cool face massager gives your skin an instant refresh that relieves skin fatigue and energises your facial muscles for a lasting, radiant glow.
  • SOFTEN AND RELAX FACIAL MUSCLES – The 42°C temperature in hot mode is optimal for increasing blood circulation, relaxing your facial muscles, smoothing wrinkles, and activating cell regrowth.
  • REDUCE REDNESS AND SWELLING – Uses optimal 6°C temperature to soothe sore facial muscles, and relieve skin fatigue; Also reduces redness and puffiness to make your skin look bright and beautiful.
  • INCREASE MOISTURISER ABSORPTION – Ultrasonic vibrations increase absorption of your moisturiser while cool mode closes pores, locking in your skin care product and preventing dirt and grime buildup.   

It looks complicated. How does it work?

It is really not as complicated as it looks at all. Firstly, remove your make up and then press the power button once to activate the “hot mode” and glide the wand all over your face to open your pores.

Next you should grab some moisturiser and either put it on the wand or dot it onto your face and then press the power button twice to switch to “hot mode with vibration”. The ultrasonic vibration is supposed to aid the absorption of your moisturiser.

Lastly, press the power button again to activate “cool mode” and close your pores. Yes you could just put moisturiser onto your hands and rub it into your face but this makes your skin feel so good that you won’t want to go back to your primitive moisturising ways ever again (probably).

Did it work?

In a word. Yes. It worked in that it made me take 5 minutes out of my day to concentrate on myself (which any busy parent knows is something in itself) 

It’s too soon to say whether it has made a big difference to my skin but it certainly feels better and I will continue to use it so watch this space! 

Want to win one?

SENSSE are giving you the chance to win a SENSSE Hot and Cool Ultrasonic Facial Bar (RRP £100)

 For your chance to enter visit the link below. Please note that I am not the owner of this giveaway. Any problems or questions regarding the giveaway please contact them direct.

Good luck!

Win A SENSSE Hot and Cool Ultrasonic Facial Bar #4 

 

Disclaimer: I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine!

B&B La Dimora Degli Angeli Florence

Buzzoole

Travel has long been something which captures my interest and imagination.

We probably won’t have a ‘proper’ family holiday this year – but that doesn’t stop me thinking about and planning for the future! Sometimes far into the future, when the children have flown the nest and MrG and I are planning escapes on our own.

La Dimora Degli Angeli is a B&B situated in the heart of Florence which instantly catches the eye. Rooms here are all located on the fourth floor and lend themselves to a great view of the Duomo. The name of this boutique style accommodation is aptly translated into English as The Mansion Of Angels.

DOUBLE ROOM

The Decor

As you can see the stunning decor gives a definite boutique feel to the La Dimora Degli Angeli but all of the air conditioned double rooms come with an en suite bathroom and free wifi as standard making them as comfortable as they are stylish.

Owner Claudio has another equally stylish B&B, La Dimora del Centro, just around the corner overlooking Piazza della Repubblica

ROOM

Italy is such a beautiful country and Florence is no exception. With several outdoor pools to enjoy and history abound there are plenty of things to do. I love exploring old buildings so I think the duomo (Italian term for a cathedral) would definitely be on my must see list but for MrG it would be all about the food! Luckily Florence would not disappoint I am sure, I could imagine us dining al fresco or visiting one of the many gelato bars. 

We wouldn’t have far to go either because La Dimora Degli Angeli really is right in the heart of the action. Breakfast is not served at La Dimora Degli Angeli but rather you will be given vouchers to take to a choice of 2 local cafes. I quite like this idea – I would imagine it’s a great way for independent hoteliers and restaurateurs to support one and other while simultaneously introducing tourists to somewhere they may otherwise have missed!

 

La Dimora Degli Angeli does however have a tea room which is open to guests 24/7 giving access to coffee, tea and biscotti galore.

LAMP

I love the idea of stealing away to the heart of Italy’s Tuscany region but there is no way I would entertain the idea until the children have left home – this one would definitely be adults only! 

love 

Mummy & Moose

 

Collaborative post with La Dimora Degli Angeli

 

 

Admiral Young Driver Experience

Recently my eldest two children Col & Bess were invited to get behind the wheel for an hour long driving lesson.

Yes, driving. In a real car. I was a little apprehensive – they are after all still babies really (sorry kiddos!) and both under the legal driving age in the Uk.

Still, one look at their pleading faces as well as a glance at the informative Admiral Young Driver website and I found myself agreeing to take them along.

Why Put A Child Behind A Steering Wheel Anyway?

Admiral Young Driver offers lessons to children aged 10 to 16 with experienced and specially trained instructors. According to Admiral Young Driver research shows that early driving experience cuts road accidents by 40%. That is a massive amount and anything which has that kind of effect on the safety of our young adults has to be a good thing!

Just So You Know

 

At the time of our experience Admiral Young Driver only used ŠKODA cars but have now moved over to Vauxhall. Young drivers will now be able to practice their driving skills in one of their brand new Vauxhall Corsas – all fitted with dual controls. All of their highly experienced instructors are DBS checked in keeping with the companies child protection policy.

 

The Young Driver Lesson

Admiral Young Driver has several centres in locations all over the Uk. Our nearest was in Milton Keynes.

Pupils are given a “Drive Diary” booklet on arrival at their first Admiral Young Driver lesson which serves as a record of what they’ve covered in each lesson and the progress they make. This was a lovely thing to take away to prompt and encourage our youngsters to talk about what they had learnt during their time behind the wheel.

After getting a warm greeting from their respective instructors, Bess and Col took a nervous walk over to a fleet of Skoda Citigo cars. Their nerves appeared to melt away, the instructors were great with both of my budding Stigs and you could tell.

Upon entry to their vehicles there was a quick run through of safety procedures and how to start and of course stop the car and other useful information such as when to use clutch and handbrake. Bess who is 11 steered the car at first while her instructor controlled the pedals until she built the confidence to take the reins – this was a matter of minutes. I was pleasantly surprised by how many manoeuvres were covered in the space of a single 1 hour lesson.

Waiting to spot a Bess or a Colin

During the one hour lesson we were able to stick around and watch from the semi-comfort of a grassy hill. Moose was most impressed at the opportunity to let of some steam as you can see

 

After the lesson we were met with 2 very happy kids. Both Bess and Col thoroughly enjoyed their driving experience. Not only does it make sense on paper to give them a chance to get as much experience as possible under their belts, it was above all fun!

Col has changed his mind about driving altogether going from someone who didn’t really intend to rush into getting his licence until much later to someone who is absolutely adamant that he needs to start lessons as soon as possible!

I have had both of my darling offspring begging me to take them back for another go and to be honest, I think we may well do it!

We received this experience in exchange for a review. All opinions are as ever our own.

Half Term Fun At Wicksteed Park

During half term we were invited by Wicksteed park to come and try out their theme park and playground for the day in exchange for an honest review. We were only too happy to oblige!

Wicksteed

Our day began calmly enough.

I had a quick check of the weather and made a picnic lunch. We were in the car and away by 10am. We only live a 40 minute drive from the park and since the rides don’t open until 10:30 it made sense not to rush.

Family in car

This plan would have been foolproof had it not been for a major road closure resulting in us making a very bumpy detour around some very pretty local villages. Col played navigator and thankfully I happened to have a map handy so it wasn’t long before we were back on course.

Wicksteed entrance

The first big difference you will notice between Wicksteed and other theme parks.

Instead of a big entrance fee, Wicksteed Park charge for the rides. This can be paid for either by purchasing a wristband granting unlimited access (aside from a few things – I will touch on those later) or with ride tokens.

I used to come to Wicksteed Park as a child and it has been the same charging model for as long as I can remember. That is a good sign that it works well! (Moose decided that he could just take his wristband off halfway through the day and although he did have a good go, it weathered quite well I thought)

The wristbands appear to be highly priced at first at £19 per child and £16 per adult but actually it turns out that they offer very good value indeed. A sheet of ride tickets costs £22 for 20 tickets or £37 for 40. They can also be purchased singularly for £1.25.

I counted 22 goes on the rides (and I am sure I missed a couple) and as each ride cost 2/3 tickets it is clear that the wristbands do represent better value for money. It was so lovely to be able to answer with a resounding YES when asked if they could go on something!

Parking at Wicksteed is not free.

With 137 acres of parkland to maintain and a wonderful free playground for the children to enjoy I can understand why. The charge for parking is £6 for the day which I don’t think is unreasonable.

group photo

Everybody loved the train!

Our first stop of the day was the train. This was 3 tickets per person and took passengers around the park. It was a lovely way to explore and to plan what we wanted to do next!

Moose watched the others on the drop tower ride.

Lex doesn’t look particularly impressed but I can assure you, they absolutely loved the teacups! I think Bess and Col were in an unspoken competition to see who could spin the fastest. Bess won.

The Astro Slide was a big hit with all. The children loved that they could have more than one go and certainly made the most of it! Children under 1m have to be accompanied by someone over 14 so Col rode with Moose.

I think the dodgems might have been Bess’ favourite. We aren’t allowed to talk about how many times she crashed into the sides…

I really liked the little train station and the train. Moose said it was “a proper train”. High praise from a 2 year old.

kids lunch

Moose scoffed his lunch early so he had another one! This was the childrens meal – good sized portion.

Col, Bess and Lex all wanted to have a go at the driving. Much to the girls dismay and Cols amusement, he was the only one tall enough to drive so the girls were resigned to being his passengers and he got 2 goes!

Wicksteed is more than just rides. Although the rides are brilliant. There was so much to see and do that even though we were there for over 6 hours we were nowhere near having seen it all!

There is the opportunity to camp at Wicksteed Park and I think it would be a lovely way to spend a weekend.

We Loved Our Time At Wicksteed Park

Moose’s favourite ride was also the oldest! The Waterchute. Wicksteed Park opened in 1926 and the Waterchute has been there from the start. It was invented by Charles Wicksteed and was the forerunner to many of the theme park rides now popular all over the UK. In 2016 it was added to Historic England’s list of protected heritage sites. Moose just loved the SPLASH! and rode it 5 times!

waterchute

We will most definitely be returning. It is difficult to find days out to suit all ages but Wicksteed absolutely gets it right!

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Mummy & Moose

My Teenager Had Something Big To Tell Me.

My son has many fantastic qualities.

Qualities which any parent would be proud of. He likes to wear a sharp suit, he has a wide and varied taste in music and film and he loves to cook. He loved dance and drama when he was younger and for quite some time aspired to be an actor. 

Ever since he was little he has been a sensitive sort. Never interested in the rough and tumble of playing with other boys and always more into the arts than sports. We always knew he was a little different. 

He wasn’t particularly clingy by any means but he was always up for a cuddle, never afraid to show his emotions or talk to me about anything really. Or so I thought. 

I have always tried to instill acceptance of others in my children

I have always taught them that people are different but difference among our community is an opportunity for education. The world is rich and varied and it is all there for them to learn about and enrich their lives hopefully as a result. I once thought that I could accept anything my children wanted to be or do. 

All I wanted for them is for them to be happy and to be loved. To be content in the life they choose to lead and know that they are avoiding regrets where possible. Not much to ask? 

Our little talk started innocently enough

I had just come home from the shops and Col was doing some washing up. We chatted about his College interview next week. He wants to see the world so he has applied to study travel & tourism with a view to becoming cabin crew. I am incredibly excited for this path he has chosen and I can’t wait to see how it all pans out. 

Then I asked him something I had been wondering for a while. I asked him had he been old enough, who he would choose to vote for in the General Election next week. 

He looked me in the eye and in 1 sentence he said something I could never have expected. “I wouldn’t vote at all” 

I didn’t take it well

He went on to say that he felt like his vote wouldn’t make a difference so what was the point? I told him that the point was that each vote makes all of the difference – if everyone decided the same then what would happen? 

He said that he thought that governments are corrupt so it doesn’t matter who is in power. He just doesn’t see the point. I tried to reason that if people of his generation didn’t use their vote then there would be no reason for political parties to incentivise them or even consider them when deciding key policies. I pointed out that when we voted for Brexit (which, by the way I did not. Staunch Bremainer here) a high proportion of the youth vote was to remain but over 60% of youths didn’t vote at all. If they had then the result may well have been completely different.

I have always used my vote

Maybe that is why his apathy riled me so much. I have always felt very strongly that the quickest way to lose our democratic right is to not exercise our right to vote. I thought I had always made my feelings on the matter known. But I guess it’s not really my choice. I guess that’s the point.

The funny thing is that I could accept basically any other life choice (aside from maybe declaring himself a nazi but that’s unlikely) but I just don’t see how not voting can be a viable option. These were my reasons for him (when the time comes) to haul his butt into a polling station

People made sacrifices for him to have the right to vote

Suffrage was not just a feminist issue. In fact before the 1870’s the electorate was made up of just 30% of men. Elections were irregular and there was no secret ballot meaning that even if you were eligible by way of property qualification you could still be out of a job or a home if your boss didn’t like how you cast your vote!

Men had to fight and it wasn’t in demonstrations or debating halls. It was the case that during the first world war, men aged 18-41 were subject to conscription to die in their millions for a war that they had absolutely no say in.

There were men who stood against the establishment and through their sacrifices (whether that be their exile or death in squalid prisons) electoral reform was made possible. In 1928 a bill was passed which not only gave the vote to women aged 30 and over but also to all men aged 21 and over whether they owned property or not – this was only lowered to 18 years for all in 1969.

You cannot afford apathy

Did you know that under our current government there is no entry to the “national living wage” until you are 25? It is also the case that only 40% of those aged under 25 come out to vote. Coincidence? I highly doubt it.

If you want issues which directly affect you to be addressed by our government then you cannot afford apathy. Think that not casting your vote is an act of protest? think again. If politicians know that those aged 18-24 will sit out an election they will continue to centre their policies around the people who will vote. Mainly those of retirement age. Sure, we will all get there eventually but why would you want to be largely ignorable until then?

Its not just about policies

The word Democracy is made up of 2 Greek words; Demos meaning people and Kratos meaning power. It literally means power belongs to the people. If people do not participate in democracy then how much democracy will be left to participate in?

I told my son I don’t care how he votes. It is HIS vote to do with what he will; just vote. If you don’t know who to vote for then vote with your heart. Vote for the party you believe will implement a change. Yes of course our various medias have their agenda but if you feel like that then read something other than your facebook feed and make your decision. Don’t leave it up to those who would revel in your losses to line their pockets. Be engaged.

In V for Vendetta, Alan Moore wrote; “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

I believe he was right. The only way to get the government we deserve is to make our voices heard – no matter the age group.

The best we can do as parents is to lead by example. So please, use your vote. Talk with your children about why you are voting. Open a dialogue about what they would vote for, how they would like changes to be made. Perhaps if we engage our children before they are 18 we can change the statistics and push them to the forefront of our governments policies. Worth a try, right?

love 

Mummy & Moose 

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