Posts Tagged "reviews"

Friday Fantastic Five

Posted by cafebebemama on Jul 23, 2010 in Motherhood, Product Reviews | 0 comments

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

The Great British Blog Festival- Tuesday

Posted by cafebebemama on Jun 8, 2010 in Blogger Love, Guest Bloggers, The Great British Blog Festival | 9 comments

It’s Day Two of The Great British Blog Festival and the great tips just keep on coming!  If you want to learn about blogging and share the love (I’m hearing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King now), you only need visit Cafe Bebe, Littlemummy, Littlemumpreneur, English Mum and Me, The Man and The Baby for the next few days.

Today I bring you some great tips on writing reviews from a blogger who has some very good experience.  She writes at several blogs (New Mummy, New Mummy’s Tips, Make It Bake It, Midlands Mums, Mumstop to name a few) and has reviewed products for The Great Toy Guide and Living with Kids.  Carol Smith managed to share her words of wisdom about reviews amongst all of her responsibilities…

http://mummynew.blogspot.com

How to write reviews by Carol at New Mummy

Once you’ve been blogging for a while you may be offered products to review from PR firms. Whether you decide to do these reviews are entirely up to you.  Some bloggers like to do them and some don’t.  A polite no thank you will do.

You will find that you may get offered things that are not suitable for you.  You have two choices: email back and say “thank you but it’s not relevant to me” (ideally they would have read your blog but that’s not always the case) or just hit delete.

If you are not interested in doing reviews at all, you may want to think about putting a note on your blog asking them not to contact you.

If you do decide that you want to write reviews either on your own blog or for someone else’s here are some tips on reviews.

• Firstly, don’t feel you have to take everything that is on offer.  I’ve been offered all sorts but have learnt to be selective. Is it a product that potentially you would buy yourself?
• Once you’ve agreed to the review, set a clear timeline with the PR firm. For example, you will test the product for two weeks and write the review within a week of the testing. Set your own time frame.  As long as they know, they will generally be happy with that.
• Check to see if they want the product back.  If it’s a large product such as a pram, most won’t but some do. Make sure they arrange the pickup and pay all costs if necessary
• Test the product well before you write the review.  Depending on what it is I suggest 2 to 4 weeks.
• Write notes as you go along.  I always forget things then I write the review and think I wish I had mentioned ‘x, y, z’. Note the pros and cons of the product.
• When you come to write the review think about its layout. There are a few ways you can write it.  Personally I write the review like any other post.  I talk about what I did with it and if my daughter liked it (most products are for her).  I mention any funny stories. You may decide to set it out more formally with titles such as Initial Reaction, What I liked about the product, What I didn’t like, and Overall review. Or Features, Pros and Cons. Some like to give the product a score for example 4/5. Try writing the review in a few different ways and see what works best for you.
• Think about what you want out of a review, what you want to know about a product. Is it durable? Is it safe? Is it value for money? Is it easy to put together? Is it comfortable? Etc
• Add any relevant links to the review, the website of the product or where it can be purchased.
• Use pictures where possible.  The PR person should be able to send you images and logos. If you have pictures of the product being used by you they post them.
• Always be honest about a product.  If it doesn’t fulfill the brief or if it doesn’t do what it is supposed to do then tell us. However be careful how you say this, don’t just write its ‘crap’.  Tell your readers what was wrong with it, why don’t you like it? Did it fall apart? Was it unsafe? We need to know why we should or shouldn’t buy it.

I hope this has been of some help to you and you know have some insight into writing reviews.

Great information Carol!  I’ve reviewed quite a few items in my time and one of my top tips is that if you DON’T like something you are reviewing, find a way to be CONSTRUCTIVE about your review.  Just because you don’t like it or it doesn’t work for you/your family, doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it.

I would also advise that if you do write reviews, find a way to create either a separate page or category under which to file them.  It makes it easier to find when people are searching for reviews.

In my humble opinion, the reviews that I have posted on my blog have probably been the posts least commented on.  Unless it is the latest greatest product that everyone wants and needs, you won’t find a great deal of readers taking the time to comment on your post.  They may read it and may even consider buying it thanks to your recommendations but you probably will not find a great deal of discourse going on with regards to a review post.

Come back tomorrow for a post by a very special blogger and vlogger who just so happens to be getting ready for a VERY LARGE and VERY LONG trip and finds ways to entertain us every day on Twitter.  She’s a mega-fan of a certain Starman (don’t ask) and she is brilliant at orchestrating obstacle courses & den building.  Do you know who she is???

The Weird and Wonderful World of Blogging

Posted by cafebebemama on Feb 25, 2010 in Blogger Love, Motherhood | 18 comments

Midlands Bloggers at the Pampers/UNICEF event, 2009

I have come to realise that I am throughly entrenched in the weird and wonderful world of blogging.  Sometimes I wonder if that is a good thing?  When I began blogging in May of 2009, I never would have imagined what it could have done for me or how it would have changed me.  I’ve found myself; found my voice; found new strength thanks to blogging.  I’m a more confident person now but I still have a weakness…a tender heart.  I take knocks and it seems that quite a few others do as well.  Some react well, bounce back stronger and shake it off.  Others don’t.  Some bloggers have hung up their blogging boots as it just wasn’t worth it.  The word bullying is one that’s dropped in the press these days here in the UK and I wonder, sometimes, if it’s happening here in the blogosphere.

Many bloggers stay well out of it, write, read, enjoy and don’t get sucked in.  Some bloggers seem to be at the centre of every hullabaloo in the Parent Blogging community.  Some bloggers fan the flames and some light the fires.  Why?  Why do we do this to each other?  The UK Parent Blogging community is small but growing and we need to support each other and be proud of each other’s achievements.

It’s hard, I think, when there are incentives involved.  Those of us who are more competitive and are making part-time employment out of our blogs and our writing are understandably ambitious.  But what does that ambition get you?  Not so very long ago, I was motivated by PR requests and a “just ask” philosophy.  I received things in exchange for mention and/or review on my site.  I now see that those choices may not have been correct.  I never wanted to be seen as a “swag hag”.  I wanted to be recognised for my writing and maybe become a “top blogger“.  Not for the  acquisition of THINGS but for the sense of accomplishment and for the knowledge that people enjoyed what I wrote and wanted to tune in for more.  I have changed my tune a bit and focused on my writing and found a new energy for my writing.

Suddenly I have a slightly different feeling about blogging.  I appreciate interest from PR’s but I am not desperate to snap up everything on offer.  I see opportunities for WRITING and not for GETTING.  I want to be respected so I’m trying not to get bogged down in the mud with the games that are played.  It’s a bit like secondary school sometimes!  But what I don’t see are the Daddy Bloggers getting sucked in.  The Mummy Bloggers seem to be the ones throwing teddies and smearing each other.  Is it our hormones?  Our female nature to lash out?  Our Maternal Instinct kicking in?  I think the Daddy Bloggers are far wiser in this case…just blog…don’t slog!

I’ve really been welcomed into the UK Parent Blogging community.  I’ve met new friends who I think I may know better than some of my real life friends.  I know if I have a “wobble”, I can turn to one of them for support and a virtual shoulder.  I love this weird and wonderful world of blogging.  I’d just like for us all to just get along.  The Bloggers who have taken me under their wings and have given me professional advice know who they are and the list is longer every day.  I would like to say, to all of you, thank you for the love and for the warm welcome.  I hope we can all just take a step back, realise that there are far worse things going on in homes all over the world and share the love again.