Sabrina is a Lifestyle, Parenting and Product Review Blogger. A Writer, Photographer, Reviewer, Home Cook, Crafter & Nature Enthusiast. You will find a bit of all those categories here on Severn Wishes Blog, Welcome to Sabrina's Lifestyle Blogging & Honest Reviews.
Hello and Welcome to another of my Product Review Collaborations! This month I am ecstatic to be working with Gift Company again, as I review their wonderful Journal Stationery Gift Sets.
I am thrilled to be bringing you this collaboration with Gift Company this November, I have been asked to review some of their incredible value Gift Sets! Each set of products has been sent to me in order for me to complete this honest testing and review. I wanted something versatile and unisex and this was what we decided upon.
On the Gift Company website there are four sets to choose from, they include a Robin, Cat, pair of Giraffes and a Bee. I chose the three sets that contained exactly the same items so that I could compare their design and quality. Overall I have been very impressed with them, so let’s take a look at what’s inside each of the decorative display boxes for this stationery set.
Here are some of my photographs to show the quality of the stationery up close.
The gift set is very well presented inside the box which is also decorated front and back with the design that you chose.
Each of the Journal Gift Sets contains: 1 x Journal (with blank date headers to fill in as you please) A Selection of Cards and Envelopes both personalised with set picture 1 x Shopping List Notepad with a Magnetic Back 1 x Notebook on a Ring Bound Coil 1 x Decorative Bookmark with black tassel 1 x Black Ballpoint Pen
Cat Journal Gift Set LINK Robin Journal Gift Set LINK Giraffe Journal Gift Set LINK
Shopping List and Pen
Notebook
My Honest Opinion
Overall these Gift Sets are of extremely high quality, the way the set is designed means that you receive the decorative box as well as the six individual items inside it. A set has every product made to a high standard, be it the manufacturing and final finish of the product, as well as the paper within them, it’s a decent thickness of all the paper products. The image that you decide upon for your set is bright throughout the products and the font on the quotes is easy to read and is clearly defined.
You could choose to gift the set as is, or you could split the set up and divide it into smaller gifts, you can give the journal and pen to one person for example. While offering the cards and envelopes to another loved one. Perhaps you have a family member who always does the food shopping, this list would be perfect for them. Is there an avid reader in your family as well, because this decorative bookmark would be a great addition in their Christmas box.
Considering you get six high quality items and a decorative box for only £10, I think it is definitely great value for your money. If you are on a budget this year, I would consider purchasing two gift sets and dividing the items between four or more different people. You could even buy a gift set and a pack of pens and give every item to a loved one, along with a pen.
You wouldn’t have to gift this set for Christmas though, it’s a perfectly acceptable gift for a variety of occasions such as a Birthday or an Anniversary too.Do you know someone who is going off to University? Or somebody who recently started a new job? A gift like this might be both useful and very well received by people who will need to use stationery items such as these.
I personally love being organised and using stationery definitely helps me to do just that. If you know of someone in your life that does the same thing, then this gift would be perfect for them. And finally as a parent, you can never have enough notebooks and a journal to keep your year ahead organised.
Cards and Envelopes
Shopping List
My Review Scores
Functionality 5✩ Product Design 5✩ Versatility 5✩ Product Quality5✩ Value for Money 5✩ Universal 5✩
Journal Cover
Journal Inside
Bookmark
Thank you to Gift Company for the chance to do this review, it’s great to be working with you again.
For anyone who isn’t aware of Gift Company, they are a long standing British based company with shops across the country, as well as their website which houses a wide range of Gifts and Furniture too.
If you would like to know more you can find Gift Company at the following links and on social media.
Hello! I’m Sabrina and Welcome to my Blog Severn Wishes!
As if this is the second to last box of the year for 2022! I literally have blinked and the past three months seem to have gone by in a blur. Don’t forget that you can click my “Treatbox” tab under my blog categories to look back through all of the Treatbox UK unboxing, Reveals and Reviews from the very beginning up to now.
Without further ado! Let’s get into this unboxing! If you would prefer to watch my video recorded live when I first unboxed this one then please head to either my Instagram feed or my Facebook page.
What’s Inside the November 2022 Treatbox UK
November Calendar Print Treatbox Original Set of Two Gold Foil Cards featuring Sun / Moon / Stars Treatbox Original Moon Calendar A4 Print Popcorn Shed – Toasted Marshmallow Popcorn Bag 24g GF + Vegan Treatbox Original Enamel Pin (two available) “You Matter” / “It’s cool to be Kind” Treatbox Original Coaster “let the universe give you what you need” Treatbox Original Bookmark with Moon, Sun and Stars Navy Blue Faux Satin Soft Sleep Mask Gold Plated Star Stud Earrings Taylors Tea Bag
More photographs below…
My Honest Opinion on the Box
One thing that I really enjoyed this month was how consistent the theme was throughout. I always love the thought that goes into the Treatbox original items, and the quality is usually excellent as well. This box contents was no exception, with the beautifully designed set of cards as well as the bookmark, I believe these along with the coaster are my favourite items for this month’s box.
So what else do we have left, there is the something to eat and drink, and the satin eye mask to wear which is nice for our bit of indulgent self care on an evening. Love it! There is also the enamel pin which are always really lovely. I need to start attaching my pins to an old t-shirt and put them on to a cuddly toy or something like that! A tee of positivity! See what I did there?
Finally we have the lovely Moon Calendar print which is unusual and something not seen before in Treatbox. I really liked this, it won’t interest all people but for me it’s always nice to look and see when the full moon will be.
Overall this is a really lovely box, definitely in my top 5 this year I think. I cannot wait to start using my bookmark and I’m going to tuck into that popcorn soon. I’ve sadly come down with a cold and sore throat this week, so I don’t want to open it and know I won’t be able to enjoy it to its full potential! So watch out on my socials and I will let you know on there what I think!
Thanks for listening to my views today!
Thank you for joining me for another Reveal and Review from me, Severn Sabrina! What a great theme this box has!
Don’t forget to follow me on my social media for more updates and individual product reviews as well as items in use too. Search #SevernSabrina or #SevernWishesBlog
Have a great November and don’t forget to keep up to date with my socials so thatyou can see the items in use too.
If you wear Make-Up you can Revolutionise your Time and Brush Cleaning routine with a Spectrum Collections Brush Laundrette Towel. I bought one of these with the idea of it being a functional and time saving tool, but actually it’s so much more than that. Let me show you exactly what I bought, and then I will go into my Product Review for you.
Bundle Contents: Makeup Brush Laundrette Towel which is Microfibre and highly absorbent, Mesh Bag to put it in when not in use, Luxury Vegan Brush Soap in Pink Grapefruit and Bergamot.
The Spectrum Collections towel is designed to hold up to 32 makeup brushes of varying sizes and widths. With elasticated slots that hold your brushes in place while the towel is hung up. It does so using the sewn on hooks, one either side, hook it up in your bathroom or other warm place in your home and watch those brushes dry. I bought the bundle because my Vegan soap was a few years old and this one comes with a brand new Vegan Luxury Soap tin which has the built in brush cleaner in silicone on the inside of the lid – genius!
Screenshot of the Spectrum website showing the Bundle, you are now able to choose your soap.
My Honest Opinion
The product is overall very well made to a high standard and the quality is good throughout. Very absorbent and soft microfibre towel, which means even when you’re done with it after a few uses it’s also easy to clean too. Even down to the tiny details such as the silicone gripped ends of the hooks, so it doesn’t damage whatever you decide to hang it up on to, that’s why I love this product, because the Spectrum design team thought of everything. The elasticated tabs are in all sorts of sizes so your brushes are never going to fall out, just find the one that’s the correct size to hold the brush you’re currently cleaning. And finally the soap from the bundle is great, it smells good and is Vegan (yay!) and it really goes a long way too, you don’t need much of it to get those brushes clean again. Use the lid to help clean those brushes then gently rinse, and hang them upside down to dry. Oh, and those hooks I mentioned before are detachable, so you can take them off and then throw the towel part in the washing machine with your other pink items. Store everything once dry inside the mesh bag that comes with it and you’re ready to clean those makeup brushes anytime you need to.
If you want to learn more or are considering purchasing then you can find the Brush Cleaning Bundle HERE
BUT WAIT You can also use my REFERAL link code to get yourself 15% off! Just follow the link HEREit will say Sabrina gives you a discount 🙂
My Review Scores
Functionality 5✩ Overall Look 5✩ Durability 5✩ Quality5✩ Features 5✩
I have based these ratings over a product testing period of time which includes several months of use. Overall I rate this product as a 5/5.
You can view a product testing video on my Instagram and Facebook too, watch as I show off some key features of this great product.
Thank you for reading this product review today, it’s been one that I’ve wanted to do for some time, I just found it hard to get around to taking the necessary photography while I was trying to use my hands to actually clean my make up brushes! Ha!
Today it’s the turn of the October 2022 box from Treatbox UK!
Are you as excited as I am? I love October! Autumn colours and Halloween! I wonder how many themes are contained in this months box! Let’s open it and see!
If you would prefer to watch my unboxing video you can find it on my Facebook here
What’s Inside the Box for October 2022?
Treatbox Calendar Print – October Treatbox Original Autumn Theme Socks Treatbox Original A5 Print “I’m Ready for Cosy Jumpers…” The Make Arcade X Treatbox – Spooky Craft Kit – Pumpkin Bag of Cocoba Signature Drinking Chocolate – Eat Drink Love Mini Book by Ruth Jones – Love Untold (Excusive First Look) Mini Jade Gua Sha – Face Relaxing Tool in Organza Bag Spooky Biscuit Little Ghost
Here are more of my pictures… (leaves and pumpkins were not included in the box)
What’s my honest opinion for this month?
When I first opened this box and took a peek inside I just knew I was going to love it. I also appreciate just how hard it must be to keep regular subscribers like myself, happy, due to them not wanting to constantly repeat certain items. But this month Zoe and her Treatbox team have really out-done themselves! Where do I start?! Let’s go with my favourite item, and it has to be the socks! I’m someone who has continually said I love the socks that come in Treatbox, but this time they are extra special due to them having Treatbox sewn into the design along the base. Autumnal themed and beautiful as well makes all the difference too. Following on from the socks to receive a brand new item is excellent, the Jade Gua Sha is a face relaxing tool to help aid the skin and blood flow. We haven’t had anything of this sort before and I cannot wait to give this a go over the coming weekend. The usual Calendar Print and the A5 Print are lovely again this month, I like to rotate my prints around my home and I just put up the ones from the last three years of Autumn Treatboxes! I must get a photo of them all together for my social media to show you! We also have a make-able item this month which I love! Crafting our own little Pumpkin! Yay! It’s not the first time we’ve seen Make Arcade and Treatbox collaborate however it’s the first Spooky Craft Kit we’ve had, and every kit has so far been unique and unusual and I love that! We get to make something and keep it and by making it our own it becomes personal too!Watch out on my socials because I will update you when I do this Craft kit!
What’s next? Oh yes, the huge bag of 54% cocoa chocolate! Which can be enjoyed eaten, drunk or melted. And you can even enjoy it with your Biscuit! Mine was a little Ghost and he’s so cute! Despite being smashed up in the post he will be enjoyed over the weekend too! Finally we have the Ruth Jones mini book which is a first look chapter of an up and coming new story she’s done. Ideal to pop into your handbag if you know you’re going to be sat in a waiting room at any point this month.
Overall I think this has been one of my favourite boxes of this year so far. We have got something to eat, something to make into a drink, something to do, an item to read and something to create, an item to display and an item to wear. Plus an item which could be seen as our new self care. All of which when combined make an all rounded box or treats and will make October better for having them. With the autumn and Halloween themes combined with general luxury treats it’s a lovely box this month.
Thank you for joining me for another Reveal and Review from me, Severn Sabrina! I loved this box it was fantastic!
Don’t forget to follow me on my social media for more updates and individual product reviews as well as items in use too. Search #SevernSabrina or #SevernWishesBlog
Have a great October and don’t forget to keep up to date with my socials so that you can see when I do make my Craft Kit and use the other bits of this box too.
This month is always a great one for pictures! I share Lifestyle and Nature Photography on my Instagram as well.
I love everything about a crisp Autumn day, the colours of nature in the trees, the warm sunshine and the cooler air. Wrapping up in warm clothing and taking a walk in the countryside cannot be beaten at this time of year. But how can you bring that beauty of Autumn into your home in simple yet beautiful ways and on a strict budget! Well here is how I do it!
Throw – Dunelm
My Items I bought on a Budget for Autumn Décor over the last few years
Glitter Pumpkins – Poundstretcher – £1 Plastic Light Up Pumpkin – B&M – £4 Artificial Autumn Leaves – The Works – £1 a bag (50 leaves per bag) Wreaths, Craft Items and Wooden Pieces – The Works / eBay – 50p – £5 Autumn Fleece Throws – Asda £6 / Tesco £6 / Dunelm £7+ Artificial Pumpkins / Pine Cones / Acorns – eBay – £4-£12 depending upon how many pieces you want and which country you decide to order them from (China prices are cheaper but you’ll wait around 3 weeks for the delivery). Autumn Cushions – Autumn Designed Cushions or Cushion Covers – Amazon / eBay / Dunelm £3 – £9
(Some of the items in my pictures I have purchased from years 2020, 2021 and 2022 and only similar items may now be available from their respective sellers).
Glitter Pumpkins – Poundstretcher
My delightful Cat in a Scarf Cushion from Next from 6 years ago.
I love nothing more than to cuddle up on my sofa with my cushions and fleece throws, getting cosy as the cold nights draw in. I have a whole box filled with throws, I have some for every season. It’s the turn of my Autumn throws like the one above, it’s navy and orange design emanating the colours of autumn.
Autumn Basket
I used an old wicker basket that I had laying around to create an Autumnal display. Inside I placed artificial leaves, pumpkins and acorns, with some pine cones. Take some leaves and gently slot them in around the outside, so that no matter what angle you look across at it you will see an autumnal theme. You can use any spare Basket or even a Box you have laying around, paint it if you wanted to! And any size works too, the smaller your item the less things you’ll need to fill it up.
Autumn Basket from above
Light-Up Battery Pumpkin Clear – B&M (2021)
Autumn Wreath
An autumn wreath is simple to make from some of the items you’ve already bought for decorations like the pine cones and artificial leaves. You can also go on a nature walk, gather items off the floor (do not remove them from hedges or trees) and dry them out on a towel over the course of the next week. My wreaths are from The Works and eBay. You can buy them as Metal, Rattan or Wicker, but I try to buy plant based ones where they are sustainably grown and made when possible. To make a wreath take your circle base and then using a glue gun attach a selection of artificial leaves as a base layer for your other items like pine cones and artificial pumpkins. Leave it to dry for at least a day before hanging it up, or lay it flat as a centre piece of a table for example. You could stand a vase in the centre of it to continue the theme. I used some Wooden items as decorations for my indoor only wreath as well, which I picked up from The Works over the past two years. The Owls are a particular favourite of mine. I am proud with how both of my wreaths have turned out. See my images below.
Homemade Wreath I made 2021
My outdoor wreath is a metal ring that I have glued a selection of items including the artificial leaves and pumpkins, small pine cones and artificial acorns.
Homemade Wreath I made 2022
Thank you for reading this Lifestyle blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed looking at my Autumn décor and I do hope I have inspired you to decorate your own home – even if it is on a strict budget like mine has been over the last few years!
Your children may also enjoy making some Autumn Craft pictures with dried autumn leaves that can be painted and printed, or simply glue a nature picture together in autumn glory and all the colours you can find. It’s so easy to do a nice printed picture using dried shapes from nature and you can even display it in your home after as part of the seasons décor.
Welcome to Severn Wishes Blog where I, Sabrina, regularly review a wide variety of things such as this Treatbox! This subscription box has been going for years and I buy one every month as a gift to myself. I review said box here on my website and showcase the products on my social media platforms too, it’s known as Sabrina’s Reveal and Review.
So what’s inside the September box? Well this month our Calendar Print reads “holding on to the last bit of summer” and I am so glad that they did! I’m not ready to admit that it’s over with for yet another year.
A beautiful lilac tissue paper and a white heart sticker leads me into unwrapping a box filled with pretty pieces and Treatbox UK originals.Let’s see exactly what’s inside…
Treatbox Original Calendar Print ~ September 2022 Treatbox Original Blank Page Notebooks with Seaside Design x 2 A5 Treatbox Original Item – Pink Jewellery Bag with Pearl Beads and Gold Chain Oh K! Age Defence Hand Mask with Bakuchiol Shell Shaped Trinket Dish in White and Gold Stationery ~ Rose Gold and Pearl Topped Pen Daily Concepts Multi-Functional Mother of Pearl Soap Sponge
Here are some more of my photographs!
What Are My Thoughts?
Overall this is a very nice box filled with several items that we have not had before from previous months. The necklace in its own original Treatbox bag, the original designed notepads and the trinket dish are stand out items for me due to their quality and appearance.
The other items are also good and I look forward to trying out the hand mask this month and using the pen. I tried it out already and it’s black ink inside and writes nicely and smoothly.
I really look forward to giving the sponge a go as well! Keep a look out on my social media images for the products in use over the coming weeks.
Thank you for joining me for another Reveal and Review from me, Severn Sabrina!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media for more updates and individual product reviews too. Search #SevernSabrina or #SevernWishesBlog
Anyone who has ever put a child in school will know that there is so much to remember that it can make your head spin. For example, last weekend I labelled shoes, 37 items of clothing, 7 lunch boxes and a variety of other smaller items. Your child will have a Bag, a Lunch Box or Bag, quite often a Book Bag, a PE Kit and Bag as well as maybe other things to take in with them too. It’s a lot of work for one person (a single parent like me) to handle, and there are time saving ways of doing things and ways to make it easier on yourself too. Let’s see what ideas I have below and what I have done during these last two weeks in preparation for school starting up again.
Yearly Wall Planner and / or Yearly Diary Get a year long wall planner and some little round stickers to keep track of everything, make a key at one side and then add any appointments, school trips, swimming days, special dates (like those where additional things are required like dressing up or concerts) and keep updating it every time you know a knew agenda item. This is useful as well for the non-school days and other important reminders too such as Dentist, Doctors or Opticians for example. I think I would be lost without my wall planner.
Weekly Planner A weekly planner is also something that I have on my dining room table, it’s so that on a weekend I can prepare for the week ahead, read up on any paperwork sent home from school on a Friday and let my child know what is expected of them for that upcoming week. It could be school photo week or they are expected to bring an item in for show and tell, but we will know not to forget because of the planner. I can also arrange this planner in a way that has both adult and child organised, as well as meal planning if I have items to be used on a certain evening. A useful item and much better than a phone calendar you may forget to look at, but if you sit down to eat as we do together as a family, the planner is there for you to go through so everyone knows what is what and where and when.
Labelling – It is so Important! Label all of your children’s items for school including their lunch boxes, clothing, bags and shoes. There is nothing worse than them going to school and losing something, and because it’s not labelled it’s unlikely to be returned to you. Schools tend to have lost property boxes that are checked at the end of every day or the end of the week and the items appropriately returned, but this cannot be done without labels. I used a permanent laundry pen to write on my sons clothing labels, and I used stickers for the more solid items. Consider using their full names or even getting their own personalised stickers printed as I have done. Especially if your child has a popular first name.
Use the halved sticker hack for getting your children to put their shoes on themselves and to ensure that everyone knows which shoe is who’s. The sticker inside hack allows them to put their shoes on the correct feet every time and it’s genius. Simply cut a large sticker in half and place either side of it into the shoes. When the shoes are correct the sticker will match and the child will know that they have the shoes the correct way to go on their feet. See my photo below for inspiration.
Clothes Piles per School Day Fold up any school clothing into “day piles” in their bedroom on a weekend ready for the school week ahead. This hack of mine is so useful, I did it over the summer too with day clothes as I was getting my son to practice getting dressed by himself. It’s so that I don’t have to police every single item of clothing going on every morning. My son has pants with the days of the week on them, and because that’s the item he will put on first he then has a pile beneath that. So you start with a pair of pants with his daily school uniform laying under it. Pants, Socks and Trousers, then his Polo Shirt last and his jumper is always downstairs and the last item to go on (to save any breakfast getting on it). It’s also so much easier on a Sunday to just make these piles up and put them in the correct bedrooms ready for the week. If you have to wash midweek, even doing two piles of clothing is better than searching drawers first thing on a Monday morning for that missing sock.
Save On Washing – Remove at the Front Door This is always a good one! Take off their school jumpers and any “still clean” uniform pieces as soon as you get home through the door before they have time to get messy and creased. Hang the jumpers up especially on hangers close to the front door ready for the next morning. This helps save on the clothes washing and the ironing by hanging them up safely as soon as they take them off. And it’s always a good idea that a school jumper be the last item to go on in a morning routine anyway, after breakfast and teeth brushing so that it stays cleaner for longer.
Something else you can do to save on washing is always wash with full loads, if that means you get to Thursday and it isn’t full yet then why not consider wearing those similar colours yourself so as to fill up the load space.
Mini Cool Blocks Investing in some mini cool blocks so that the children’s lunch food stays fresh is important during the warmer months of the year. I place a block under a removable plastic section of his large Sistema lunch box, or I place it at the bottom of the small cool bag I send with him. It’s important if he’s wanting chicken for his lunch which should be maintained at a low temperature to prevent it going off. These are great for adult lunches and days out throughout the year too.
Practice Makes Perfect and Less Stressed Children Practice the opening and closing of lunch boxes, bags with zips and coats too. We are getting to that time of the year where bags need to be closed from the weather and our coats need to be zipped up. During the summer holiday we might not have used those items very much so it’s good to refresh your children’s memories by having them practice doing these things again. Lunch boxes are another one, as they might have a new one this term and you’ll need to make sure they can safely open and close it in order to get at their food or snacks. It’s important that your children drinks enough water while they are at school too, so get them a reusable water bottle that they really like and will continue using throughout the day.
Thank you for reading this blog post today I really hope that you’ve liked it and found at least one of my ideas to be useful. By getting yourself and your family into good habits like these early on, it will make sure you have more time and energy to deal with anything else that happens. Because life nearly always throws you a curve ball when you just about have everything under control am I right?
I hope I see you again for another of my parenting articles, I hope you have a lovely month of September with (I also hope) minimal stresses.
So what did the August box offer us for this month of treats?
Treatbox Original Calendar Print Treatbox Original Colour Me In Pages x 2 A4 Treatbox Original Item – Bound Recipe Journal Notebook Oh K! Anti-Blue Light Sheet Masks x 2 with Ginger and Antioxidants Gardners Cookie / Biscuit – “Tea + Biscuit Club” Quote – Vegan Treatbox Original Item – Enamel Pin Badge “Star Baker” Treatbox Original Item – Drinks Coaster “Time for Me” Miss Patisserie “Happy” Essential Oils Shower Steamer Block
Here are some more photographs!
What is my Honest Opinion on the items in this August box?
We have some of the usual items in this box which include (of course) the Calendar Print and a biscuit which are regular in Treatbox and are very nice. I also see there is a Mask again this month but it’s actually two separate masks which is slightly better value as we can do two this month, or invite a friend around for a pampering session!
The Treatbox original products are unique and are really in keeping with the baking theme this month, which include the Drinks Coaster and the Recipe Journal. As someone who does a lot of cooking that is really handy! The Star Baker Pin is very fun and I have a friend that this is perfect for, I will be gifting this to her because she bakes far more and far better than I do! Ha!
The set of two colouring sheets are fun and are back this month. I always find Adult Colouring to be calming for me. Check out my social media for updates on these as I fill them in as the weeks progress…
What do we have left to talk about? Well if you watched my unboxing video on August 2nd you will know that I started having an allergic reaction to the Shower Steamer block during my recording, orange is something I became allergic to a couple of years ago and I could no longer eat or drink this without feeling poorly. When I smelt the shower block my nose instantly started to run and my eyes started to itch. Sadly I had to wrap this product up in the Treatbox plastic packaging as soon as I hit the stop button. I quickly photographed it later that day, before wrapping it again and giving it to my mother so that it was removed entirely from my house. Such a shame because I liked how the product sounded in principal! I hope my mother enjoys it!
So what are the best items this month? I really think the quality of the Treatbox UK original products are excellent and they are items that can be continually used and enjoyed and are also useful. The coaster will brighten your day, the journal is ready for whenever recipe inspiration strikes, and the rest of the items can be enjoyed over the course of the next four weeks. Keep checking my social media for individual item reviews. I will let you know how I get on with the mask!
Thank you very much for joining in for another Reveal and Review from Severn Sabrina!
Wishing you a great August month!Don’t forget to follow me on social media for more updates and individual product reviews too.
We live in an age where so much is readily accessible to us, but there can be so much information out there that it can often be overwhelming, especially for first time parents. With so many websites, forums and blogs that can sometimes be opinionated and not necessarily filled with the facts. Every person knows where they would prefer to get their information from, some of us like books and others like the world wide web!
Sometimes you can have a baby that is completely different to any before it or any you have known, and you may need additional help or advice. During these times you should always turn to a Midwife, Doctor or Paediatrician if you have concerns of any kind.
There were things I wished I had known more about before I had my son, and that was despite me reading both books and websites for hours at night when I had terribly painful SPD. I found lots of the websites and apps that I have listed below extremely useful at one point or another during the last four years. So I thought a blog post might help other expectant parents to see what information is available to them.
As a parenting blogger I often get asked about my personal opinion of which apps and websites have helped me since I became a mother. So in order to achieve this post I have gone back over four years of my browsing and researching and screenshot history, to bring you an alphabetical list of all the things that I have found the most useful. I have only included websites and apps that I used more than once and found them beneficial long term.
A Aptaclub Pregnancy and Birth B Bounty App B Baby Centre Apps and Email Newsletter and Website B Baby Names App B Baby and Child (British Red Cross First Aid)
D Duo ABC E Ella’s Kitchen E Emma’s Diary F Free Prints (Photos and FP Cards)
G Get Creative (CBeebies) G Go Explore (CBeebies) K Kicks Count Website
N NHS Website O Online 4 Baby Website
P Pokémon Smile (Teaching Toddler Teeth Brushing) P PooGoesHomeToPooland (Teaching How To Use The Toilet)
S Storytime (CBeebies) S Snapfish (Photo Printing)
Y Your Baby Club Website and Social Media
Let me now elaborate on a few of these now and the reasons why I found them so useful. Some of them are of course self explanatory, but others are really handy for tips and tricks. Some offer you freebies and others offer key medical advice or milestone information.
Bounty App The app gives you information on the progress of your baby whilst in the womb, and then after the birth it gives you key advice on milestones and growth. An app that I found generally fascinating to look at every week as my pregnancy progressed. Now that my son is older he is still on the app as a 48 month old! And the app offers me developmental advice and articles to read. The articles can be read at any time of your pregnancy and usually the app updates what is relevant to you at the time you need it. There are also useful check lists on it too. I score this app a 5✩.
Baby and Child (British Red Cross First Aid) First Aid is such an important part of human life, however most people go through their entire pregnancy without knowing how to do life saving procedures on babies or young children such as, choking, allergic reactions and dealing with illness. The Baby and Child App gives advice as well as videos that people can watch at their leisure for a variety of situations. Just some of what they cover include; Asthma, Bleeding, Burns, Choking, Epileptic Seizure, Fever, Head Injury, Meningitis, Vomiting etc. This app is one that I believe every single person should have on their phone, just in case. I score this app a 5✩.
Duo ABC I found this app while researching after my son had to start Speech and Language therapy. Due to the support being so sporadic due to the pandemic I did my own research, started my own lessons with my child at home, and created my own flash cards. But this app came up on a results search, and despite it being American my son found aspects of it to be beneficial. Writing the letters on the phone screen with his finger, sounding out letters and recognising upper and lowercase letters all helped on our journey. I did just 20 minutes with him a day for 3 months, alongside my other teaching and he soon knew his alphabet and could say all but 5 of the letters properly. If anyone is struggling with their child and they seem distanced from paper methods, try this app, just ten minutes a day with you, you may just see a difference as I did. I score this app 4✩.
Ella’s Kitchen Once your little one reaches the 6 month milestone and you consider starting to wean them alongside their daily milk amount, you may want some advice. Ella’s Kitchen App provide you with advice, recipes and you can sign up for a free pack with a journey poster, stickers and some vouchers for their snacks. It was fun when my son was little, but when he developed lots of food allergies I made my own recipes up. I score this app 4✩.
Emma’s Diary Emma’s Diary is a fun app where you can create all sorts of fun things to keep throughout your pregnancy, it also offers some information and it gives away bags of goodies at certain points of your pregnancy. It’s worth signing up to this as soon as you find out you’re pregnant to take advantage of all the items on offer. I score this app 4✩.
Free Prints (Photos and FP Cards) Free Prints have two useful apps, the first one is Photo’s and you get some free prints every month just pay the postage. And the second one is Cards where you get one free card a month like a postcard, just pay postage. Upgrade to proper cards for pennies and they offer lots of other fun affordable products throughout the year. The more you order the more deals you’ll get. I score these apps 4✩.
Get Creative (CBeebies) and Go Explore (CBeebies) Apps that I don’t know what I would have done without! When I became a single parent even taking a shower was tricky. Sitting my son on the bathroom floor safely on a bean bag when he was a toddler, my phone playing CBeebies programs and videos off the app were a godsend! Now he is older he is using the various parts of the app to learn all sorts of things like shape sorting, mathematics, role play like shopping and problem solving. The Creative app allows freedom in Art and expression using some of the CBeebies favourite characters, and the Go Explore is more about learning and fun, again with the usual friendly faces. Love these apps! In moderation of course. I score these apps 5✩.
Kicks Count Website Kicks Count is something that is really important, and all pregnant women should visit the website and learn about the importance of kick counting and the work this group do. It’s worth following them on social media too. I score this 5✩.
NHS Website When you have questions in the small hours of the morning the NHS website can have useful information or point you in the direction of help if you need it. I score this 5✩.
Online 4 Baby Website An excellent website for affordable baby items such as changing mats and muslin cloths. Worth a look when they have a sale on for certain! I score this website 4✩.
Pokémon Smile (Teaching Toddler Teeth Brushing) Whether you like Pokémon or loathe it, if you have a child that refuses to brush their teeth you will try literally ANYTHING to make that time of the day and night less stressful. For us it was this app that allowed my son to turn a corner! There is an icon of the mouth that follows them while they brush and indicates where to go next so they don’t miss any teeth. I score this app 5✩.
PooGoesHomeToPooland (Teaching How To Use The Toilet) Another app that is a little annoying but if it helps your child to understand that poo goes down the toilet and not on the floor then so be it! My son watched it every day for about a month and then got bored of it, but it certainly helped him realise that I score this app 3✩.
Storytime (CBeebies) Another CBeebies app and this one is all about books and stories. The app can read to your child or they can try and read themselves. The stories are often interactive as well, lots of fun. I score this app 5✩.
Snapfish (Photo Printing) Free photo’s every month just pay the postage, a great way to keep family up to date with how little one changes and you can make an album of their first year for less than £20. I score this app 4✩.
Your Baby Club Website and Social Media As a Blogger Writer for Your Baby Club I often provide them with useful articles surrounding parenting. These first hand experiences from parents go alongside their informative articles on the websites and on their social media platforms too. I score this 5✩.
Thank you for reading this blog post today, I do hope that you have found it useful. Please pass the link to my website on to family or friends who are expecting so that you can share these excellent websites and apps with them. Hopefully they will be just as happy with them as you were today! (I hope).
Keep on visiting Severn Wishes Blog for Parenting related blogging, Product Reviews and general Lifestyle Posts! Thank you! Have a lovely day!
I hope this blog post finds all of you well as you’re reading this!
So we are just over half way through the year now and it’s time for the July Treatbox UK Reveal and Review.
Thank you for joining me for this unboxing! It’s time to look at the products in this months box and for me to review them for you!
If you would prefer to watch my video then head to my Facebook or Instagram.
The July box features TB OR – Treatbox Original Products only available by ordering from Treatbox UK.
What’s Inside the July Treatbox UK?
July Calendar Print TB OR A6 Print “sunshine and happy days” Smiley Face Socks TB OR Greetings Cards – 2 Cards for Passing on the Sunshine Merci Hand Cream in Hello Sunshine scent 30ml Candy Kittens – Tropical Mango flavour 54g The Happy Newspaper by Emily Coxhead issue 26 Tea Pop Gourmet Tea – Caramel flavour (in my box but may vary)
My Honest Opinion of the July box
What a box of sunshine! When I opened up the Treatbox and I saw the theme was sunshine and happy vibes it was just what I needed to boost my week. We had socks again and I was really happy about that because I love the quality of the socks! They are soft and cute as usual with smiley faces on this time! And what I also loved was the fact that we can pass on the happiness and sunshine from our July box by sending the Treatbox UK cards on to someone we care about!
The Merci hand cream smells lovely like summer flowers on a sunny day, a light cream that melts into your hands and comes in a handbag size to boot! Perfect for use all year round! It made my skin feel very soft after I used it a couple of times.
The Candy Kittens sweets are Vegan, Palm Oil Free and are now Carbon Neutral too! You get 54g to enjoy of this treat with natural fruit flavours in Tropical Mango. Yum!
We have the Happy Newspaper which I haven’t read all of yet, but hearing about happy stories and inspiring people is always a good thing. It’s important that we focus on some of the good things happening in the world even when times are hard, because if you look hard enough there is always some good news to find somewhere.
I haven’t had the Tea Pop yet because we are having a heatwave in the UK right now and I cannot stand drinking a hot drink when I’m already feeling very warm. However I did have an idea for this which was… make up the tea – I had Caramel flavour – and then pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it! Pop these Caramel flavoured ice cubes into Pepsi Max or Water and make it a new flavour! Seeing as the heatwave is set to continue for yet another week I will make room in my freezer and do this! I will post about it on my Instagram and let you know how I get on!
Finally there are the Print, Wrapping Paper and the Cards – Treatbox Original Products – all made with the theme of sunshine! July is meant to be the happy and sunny month of the year (if we’re lucky) and so far we seem to be having just that! May the sunshine continue! I look forward to passing the cards on to people when it is appropriate to use them, and using the paper to wrap a present for someone.
Here are some more photographs now of the products I got within this box.
Thank you for joining me as I have unboxed and reviewed this July subscription box today. Treatbox UK is currently the only monthly box I am subscribed to and the reason for that is due to consistently great content and products that I hold in high regard. Providing items that are Vegan, Carbon Neutral, Sustainable and Healthy are very important to me. I get a treat but I’m also not harming the planet in the process.
I wish you a lovely month of July 2022! Please stop by again soon for another Reveal and Review!
✩ Sabrina ✩
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