Friday Fantastic Five

Ah, here I am…chic little me…ready to bring you the first of my Friday Fantastic Five!

Cafe Bebe has had the distinct priviledge of testing and reviewing loads of brilliant products.

Some are for Little Miss.

Some are for me!

Some are for the Cafe Bebe famille.

Every Friday I will bring you my Fantastic Five!  Five products which have been tested, used, experienced & enjoyed.

I hope you’ll enjoy the journey!

I was approached by the PR for Three Mobile to see if, as a family, we’d like to enjoy a day out and trial their new, genius product called MiFi.  This is a Mobile Broadband unit which allows you to be out and about and tap into your own, personal broadband, wireless internet.  It’s similar to a dongle which can be used for a laptop but it’s totally wireless and allows you to use any wi-fi enabled device (phone, laptop, iPod Touch, Nintendo DSi) and allow up to 5 other individuals to tap into your connection if you so choose. The signal is secure, meaning no one else can tag on unless they have the password. Three Mobile MiFi can be used in the car, in public, on the train, at your desk…anywhere you choose.

In addition to the MiFi device, we were also afforded an iPod Touch for trial purposes. I tested the Three Mobile MiFi on a trip to London last week for the Pampers Play Day. It required me to charge it overnight but can also be powered and charged with a simple car adaptor which plugs into a standard cigarette lighter. I simply plugged it in, stuck it to the window with the included suction cup, pressed a few buttons and BINGO we were cooking with gas! I maintained a strong signal the entire way from Peterborough into London allowing me to be on Twitter, check emails, read blog posts and check on my own blog. I was also able to connect to the MiFi during the Pampers Play Day event which was exceptionally convenient. We tweeted, emailed and blogged our way around London and back home thanks to MiFi!

This product is really simple to use, convenient and compact. It will fit in your mobile pocket and weighs very little. It’s ideal for trips and would be a welcome companion on summer holidays. I was also immensely impressed with the iPod Touch! I know, I’m a bit behind the times…I only have an iPod Nano and barely use that…it’s 5 years old! The iPod Touch has all of the features of an iPhone minus the PHONE. That’s alright with me…I don’t ring anyone anyway! I’d happily skip about London with a Three Mobile MiFi and iPod Touch…you can do all of the business you need with this tiny technology in your pocket.  Do check it out…you won’t be disappointed!

Hitting store shelves earlier this week is a chocolate version of the Weetabix cereal which is a favourite of so many households in the UK. As a family, we were sent a box of Chocolate Weetabix, a lovely bowl in which to eat it and a few other bits and bobs which were much appreciated by Little Miss.

I have to admit something…I’m not a huge fan of Weetabix in general. It’s good for you; is a great way to start the day but I sometimes struggle with it when it goes all mushy! I gave Chocolate Weetabix a whirl. It has half the sugar of most chocolate flavoured cereals, is low in salt, high in fibre, is fortified with vitamins and iron…what’s not to love? Well, it was interesting and more appealing to me than everyday Weetabix. I didn’t find it sickly sweet as some sugar cereals can be. I am not a chocolate cereal lover and Chocolate Weetabix did not convert me but I think it would be very enticing to children in particular. The fact that it contains half the sugar of other chocolate cereals is reassuring.

One of my good friends was staying with us when we had our trial box of Chocolate Weetabix. She’s from the US but is a big lover of Weetabix. She adored this new version but found that her usual two squares of Weetabix was a bit too chocolatey! So Sarah came up with a one Chocolate Weetabix & one Regular Weetabix recipe and was thoroughly satisfied. That’s enough of a judgement for me! Next time you’re looking for chocolate cereal for your child, give Chocolate Weetabix a go…you just may have a winner with this one!

The Cafe Bebe Famille have been big fans of Little Dish for a year or so now. I’ve had the priviledge of testing some of their dishes, been listed on their site as a Little Dish Favourite site and have now been able to preview their latest effort.

The Little Dish Favourites Cookbook is a lovely book with easy to follow recipes, several of which are in Little Dish form in grocery stores near you. The recipes are intended to encourage cooking with your child and they definitely deliver on that score. Little Miss adores cooking with me in the kitchen and we quite enjoyed trying our hand at Macaroni Cheese (Little Miss is a pasta freak!) and Eton Mess. Your children will thoroughly enjoy the recipes and you’ll make some beautiful memories together!

A glorious package of numerous flavours and varieties of Rachel’s Organic yoghurts was delivered to our door one weekend morning. Ah, blogging is really a brilliant job sometimes! We were able to try NORMAL sized Low Fat Yoghurts, Pouring Yoghurt, Greek Style Yoghurt…such delightful yoghurt! And so good for you!

Here’s what Rachel has to say for herself:

Here at Rachel’s we are dedicated to making gorgeously pure tastes. All of our products are made simply and with care – using only the very best organic ingredients – to create the deliciously natural flavours we know you will enjoy just as much as we do!

So, how do we do it? Our secret is really quite simple… We believe that you get out what we put in. That’s why every single pot is made with passion and care using only the finest unadulterated ingredients from nature. What do you get? Sophisticated and authentic tastes that are, quite simply, a delight to discover.

In addition to the adult yoghurts, there is a whole range of Children’s products and a quite entertaining site to explore and enjoy. You can find Rachel’s Organic Yoghurts on grocery store shelves near you (in the UK at any rate) and I can say that the entire Cafe Bebe famille was most satisfied with the lovely flavours and textures on offer with Rachel’s Organic.  Rachel’s Organic even joined forces with the beautiful Emma Bridgewater if that helps to sway you to the Rachel’s Organic side!

And to round out the Friday Fantastic Five this week…Pampers Active Fit with Dry Max! As many of you know, I have worked with Pampers and their PR firm, Fleishman-Hillard on a number of projects. Recently I was invited to the Proctor & Gamble Research and Development Facility in Schwalbach, Germany to learn more about the new nappy technology in Pampers nappies.

I’ll preface a future post with my own personal endorsement, as a mother, for Pampers Active Fit nappies with Dry Max. We have started using the Pampers Active Fit with Dry Max nappies and I have been immensely impressed with their efficacy. Little Miss has not had a leak in the 5 weeks we have been using them and we use them as her overnight nappy. She has not had a “chemical burn” (because there are no chemicals in them but I’ll save that for another day) nor has she had a nappy rash. The Pampers Active Fit with Dry Max is remarkably thin and comfortable for Little Miss and she’s a very happy young lady in these nappies.

I know nappies are controversial…gah! What isn’t about being a parent? But I trust Pampers and on the basis of my daughter’s experience, we’re very happy with Pampers Active Fit with Dry Max…more to come on this. You’re going to learn more than you ever wanted to learn about nappies. You’ll be able to go on Mastermind as a Pampers Nappy expert! Now, remember, I’m just one mummy…don’t hate me because I use Pampers!

So, there you have it! Cafe Bebe’s Friday Fantastic Five! Come back next Friday for more amazing products that have come through the Cafe Bebe front door. Give them a go…you just might like them! Have a great weekend…

Off I go now…glamourous me…new products to trial and test…ah…the life of a parent blogger…’tis exhausting!

Photo courtesy of www.mummy-tips.com