Everyone knows that I love to put a clip into Millie's hair. To be honest I am really surprised that she actually keeps them in her hair! But I suppose as she is already showing signs of being a really girly girl at the age of 16 months its to be expected.
The problem with this of course is that she has many clips, she probably would have many more but I seem to misplace them regularly. Our window sills are littered with clips I have even taken to clipping them onto the childrens bedroom curtains!
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Friday, 17 May 2013
Today my blog SHOULD be renamed One Naughty One Cheeky
Today Chester woke up in the worst mood ever. He was like a teenager, he had an answer for everything and everything was a big effort for him. On the way to Nursery he said he didn't want to go because it was boring. I could tell that he was in a really bad mood, so when we got to Nursery I warned them. Whilst I was warning them Chester kicked me. I got down to his level and explained that he mustn't do that it would be a good idea to behave himself today. He laughed in my face and ran inside. I said to the staff, if he is naughty today call me and I will come and collect him and I left it at that.
So next Millie and I had an errand to run to the post office. Whilst waiting in the que I decided that I would take Millie swimming today. Yes I have got loads of stuff to do at home but my baby needs some Mummy/Daughter fun time after being cooped up for the last fortnight so everything else can wait.
I decided to take her 5 miles up the road to a swimming pool we had not been to before, and I am really glad we tried it today. It is not very big but it is perfect for kids. It has a flume for older ones and a splash pool area for little ones including some water jets and a little slide. Millie was a little unsure at first, she has been swimming before but not in a zero depth entry pool so she was not quite sure what to do! She kept toddling along a little, stopping, squatting down, giggling, then toddling some more! Whilst we were playing with the water jets she decided the best thing to do was to try and eat the water coming up! She was laughing so much! We were in the pool about an hour before Millie started to get a little cheeky and wanted to climb on everything. That was the downside to this pool, everything had low walls making it easy for Millie to climb onto everything. So after a couple of tantrums I decided it was time to get out.
By the time we had got out and got ready (what an ordeal that was) it was lunch time. So I drove along to the local Harvesters so Millie and I could have some more Mummy/Daughter time! We were just settling down to our salad cart (Millie was busy smiling, waving and entertaining the other tables) when I received a phone call from Chester's Nursery. I had been having such a nice time with Millie that I had forgotten how naughty Chester was this morning. It turns out that Nursery rang to let me know how naughty he had been. He had been so naughty that he had told his key worker he was going to kill her. I was mortified. I know that Chester can be a bit of a handful sometimes but he has been at Nursery School for 3 years and this is the first time he has been so bad that I have had the phone call.
I explained that I was just in a restaurant. I spoke to him on the phone and he was aware that he should not of done the things he had. He said sorry to me and his keyworker and I left it that I would pick him up when we had finished our lunch, but I wouldn't rush.
Millie and I carried on with lunch, Millie spent most of her time smiling and waving to other people. She is such an attention seeker! We ended the meal with a Rocky Horror and I wasn't at all surprised that Millie ate most of it herself!
There was quite a wait between ordering and getting the mains/dessert but I could see they were busy so that was not a problem. I was a little concerned at how Millie would cope with having to wait. But it turns out that I had nothing to worry about, she was more than happy watching other people and eating her food. She sat so well and only started to get fidgety right near the end. Being used to Chester who can not sit still for 5 minutes in restaurants I was shocked!
We then went to pick up Chester, he didn't show the slightest bit of care when I got there. He just went off and found his coat. I think he was trying to play it cool because I seriously doubt for one second that he thought that I would come and pick him up early! His keyworker told me his attitude had been exactly the same as before she had rung me. So even the threat of being picked up early had not phased him.
Chester has been a bit of a monkey all week, I really hope this phase will not last very long. If it starts to be obvious that he is going to be like this more often Craig and I are going to have to come up with a way to tackle it. But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it. For now we will take each day as it comes.
Chester is 4 and a half, anyone else had problems like this around this age? Is it because he is ready for School or is it just him?!
So next Millie and I had an errand to run to the post office. Whilst waiting in the que I decided that I would take Millie swimming today. Yes I have got loads of stuff to do at home but my baby needs some Mummy/Daughter fun time after being cooped up for the last fortnight so everything else can wait.
I decided to take her 5 miles up the road to a swimming pool we had not been to before, and I am really glad we tried it today. It is not very big but it is perfect for kids. It has a flume for older ones and a splash pool area for little ones including some water jets and a little slide. Millie was a little unsure at first, she has been swimming before but not in a zero depth entry pool so she was not quite sure what to do! She kept toddling along a little, stopping, squatting down, giggling, then toddling some more! Whilst we were playing with the water jets she decided the best thing to do was to try and eat the water coming up! She was laughing so much! We were in the pool about an hour before Millie started to get a little cheeky and wanted to climb on everything. That was the downside to this pool, everything had low walls making it easy for Millie to climb onto everything. So after a couple of tantrums I decided it was time to get out.
By the time we had got out and got ready (what an ordeal that was) it was lunch time. So I drove along to the local Harvesters so Millie and I could have some more Mummy/Daughter time! We were just settling down to our salad cart (Millie was busy smiling, waving and entertaining the other tables) when I received a phone call from Chester's Nursery. I had been having such a nice time with Millie that I had forgotten how naughty Chester was this morning. It turns out that Nursery rang to let me know how naughty he had been. He had been so naughty that he had told his key worker he was going to kill her. I was mortified. I know that Chester can be a bit of a handful sometimes but he has been at Nursery School for 3 years and this is the first time he has been so bad that I have had the phone call.
I explained that I was just in a restaurant. I spoke to him on the phone and he was aware that he should not of done the things he had. He said sorry to me and his keyworker and I left it that I would pick him up when we had finished our lunch, but I wouldn't rush.
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| Peep Oh!! |
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| oooh is this ALL for me Mummy?! |
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| Nooo, that can't be it. I can't of eaten it all?! |
We then went to pick up Chester, he didn't show the slightest bit of care when I got there. He just went off and found his coat. I think he was trying to play it cool because I seriously doubt for one second that he thought that I would come and pick him up early! His keyworker told me his attitude had been exactly the same as before she had rung me. So even the threat of being picked up early had not phased him.
Chester has been a bit of a monkey all week, I really hope this phase will not last very long. If it starts to be obvious that he is going to be like this more often Craig and I are going to have to come up with a way to tackle it. But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it. For now we will take each day as it comes.
Chester is 4 and a half, anyone else had problems like this around this age? Is it because he is ready for School or is it just him?!
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Today was a bit.... meh
Sorry for the rubbish title, I actually could not even think of any other words to describe my day without being overly dramatic!
Both Chester and Millie woke up in very mischievous moods. Bouncing off of one and other creating havoc upstairs before we had even made it downstairs for breakfast! Honestly, if a burglar had got into our house this morning he would have thought someone else had beaten him to it. It was that bad.
So after two and half weeks of being cooped up I gave Millie a thorough check over and decided that today was the day that she is allowed back into the wild! Her spots have almost all gone and the two or three that are left are totally scabbed over. Enough is enough there is only so long you can stay indoors without going slightly crazy!
However, this evening I totally regret my decision to take the terrible two out today and this is why....
Last week we were meant to attend a 'course' at a local Childrens Centre. The course was all about Art and it was for children aged 1-5 and their parents. Brilliant I thought, Millie is 1 Chester is 4 I am a parent, everyones a winner. Obviously last week we did not go because of Millie's Chicken Pox. So when I turned up with them today I was instantly made to feel bad for not attending last week. Even though I explained my reasons why, it seemed to go over the 'teachers' head. I sat Chester and Millie down at a table with crayons and paper, Millie instantly ate the crayons and Chester asked to go home. Great. Just great.
Only a couple of other people turned up, apparently it was busy last week but none of those ladies had shown up this week. A bit strange I thought. One of the other Mums today had twins the same age as Millie. They were just as hands on as Millie and wanted to explore all of the craft items in the corner of the room. The teacher sternly said make sure you keep an eye on your children and do not let them touch anything. A bit strange seeing as the art side of it was for them?!
All in all the whole afternoon was a disaster, Chester and Millie constantly messed around and did not do as they were told. Thankfully they were not the only children to do this but I think a lot of it stemmed from being told no and do not touch far too many times.
Chester drew this picture, which I am very proud of (its a person, an apple tree and a skylander)
But apart from that I left feeling very deflated and a little bit worried about bringing them to a group like that ever again. It is hard as a Parent to take more than one child to a group on your own. It was very hard for me to keep both Children interested and to include them both even though they are at different stages. I really did not need to feel any less confident than I already did.
Needless to say I will not be going next week. I will find another way to entertain my children without feeling like I am being judged or frowned upon for not being able to keep control of both of my children at once.
Lets hope that tomorrow is a better day!
Both Chester and Millie woke up in very mischievous moods. Bouncing off of one and other creating havoc upstairs before we had even made it downstairs for breakfast! Honestly, if a burglar had got into our house this morning he would have thought someone else had beaten him to it. It was that bad.
So after two and half weeks of being cooped up I gave Millie a thorough check over and decided that today was the day that she is allowed back into the wild! Her spots have almost all gone and the two or three that are left are totally scabbed over. Enough is enough there is only so long you can stay indoors without going slightly crazy!
However, this evening I totally regret my decision to take the terrible two out today and this is why....
Last week we were meant to attend a 'course' at a local Childrens Centre. The course was all about Art and it was for children aged 1-5 and their parents. Brilliant I thought, Millie is 1 Chester is 4 I am a parent, everyones a winner. Obviously last week we did not go because of Millie's Chicken Pox. So when I turned up with them today I was instantly made to feel bad for not attending last week. Even though I explained my reasons why, it seemed to go over the 'teachers' head. I sat Chester and Millie down at a table with crayons and paper, Millie instantly ate the crayons and Chester asked to go home. Great. Just great.
Only a couple of other people turned up, apparently it was busy last week but none of those ladies had shown up this week. A bit strange I thought. One of the other Mums today had twins the same age as Millie. They were just as hands on as Millie and wanted to explore all of the craft items in the corner of the room. The teacher sternly said make sure you keep an eye on your children and do not let them touch anything. A bit strange seeing as the art side of it was for them?!
All in all the whole afternoon was a disaster, Chester and Millie constantly messed around and did not do as they were told. Thankfully they were not the only children to do this but I think a lot of it stemmed from being told no and do not touch far too many times.
Chester drew this picture, which I am very proud of (its a person, an apple tree and a skylander)
But apart from that I left feeling very deflated and a little bit worried about bringing them to a group like that ever again. It is hard as a Parent to take more than one child to a group on your own. It was very hard for me to keep both Children interested and to include them both even though they are at different stages. I really did not need to feel any less confident than I already did.
Needless to say I will not be going next week. I will find another way to entertain my children without feeling like I am being judged or frowned upon for not being able to keep control of both of my children at once.
Lets hope that tomorrow is a better day!
Zoe and Beans board books Review
We love Zoe and Beans in this house, a while ago we reviewed Zoe and Beans Hello Oscar and really loved it. Chester has this on the top shelf of his book stand. In our house if a book makes it to the top shelf it means that it is read often and is easily accessible to Chester from his midi sleeper bed!
Whilst Millie loves the book she is very rarely allowed to hold it by herself, for fear of her tearing the pages. At only 16 months old she can sometimes be a bit heavy handed, although she is just learning so its not really her fault. But this is all about to change for Millie as we have been sent two Zoe and Beans board books! So Millie can now explore the books however she likes!
The first book Zoe and Beans How many pets? is a great book about counting from one to ten. Millie responded really well to this book. I got lots of 'what's that' 'who's that' shrieks from her! In fact I would say that this one is Millies favourite of the two. Millie is a big fan of animals of any kind, she likes to imitate sounds and try to say their names. So whilst teaching her numbers 1 to ten it is also teaching her about a variety of animals in a very fun way.
The second book Zoe and Beans Look at me! is a book about dressing up. Zoe, Beans and Oscar find a dressing up box and they decide to dress up as lots of different things. The pictures in this book are beautiful, Millie loved turning every page and finding yet another bright and beautiful picture to look at.
Both books have some lovely gentle rhyming that seems to interest both of my children. The books RRP at £5.99 each, I think that is perfect price for them. I would happily pay that. The fact that they have been released as board books is a great plus for us. Millie likes to be independant and hold/explore her own books. These books have got it right on every level. Perfect for little hands like Millies, yet the stories also interest Chester who is 4. They are the kind of books that will be in childrens collections for a long long time to come.
To show you how much Millie likes the books, here is her review in pictures....
Whilst Millie loves the book she is very rarely allowed to hold it by herself, for fear of her tearing the pages. At only 16 months old she can sometimes be a bit heavy handed, although she is just learning so its not really her fault. But this is all about to change for Millie as we have been sent two Zoe and Beans board books! So Millie can now explore the books however she likes!
The first book Zoe and Beans How many pets? is a great book about counting from one to ten. Millie responded really well to this book. I got lots of 'what's that' 'who's that' shrieks from her! In fact I would say that this one is Millies favourite of the two. Millie is a big fan of animals of any kind, she likes to imitate sounds and try to say their names. So whilst teaching her numbers 1 to ten it is also teaching her about a variety of animals in a very fun way.
The second book Zoe and Beans Look at me! is a book about dressing up. Zoe, Beans and Oscar find a dressing up box and they decide to dress up as lots of different things. The pictures in this book are beautiful, Millie loved turning every page and finding yet another bright and beautiful picture to look at.
Both books have some lovely gentle rhyming that seems to interest both of my children. The books RRP at £5.99 each, I think that is perfect price for them. I would happily pay that. The fact that they have been released as board books is a great plus for us. Millie likes to be independant and hold/explore her own books. These books have got it right on every level. Perfect for little hands like Millies, yet the stories also interest Chester who is 4. They are the kind of books that will be in childrens collections for a long long time to come.
To show you how much Millie likes the books, here is her review in pictures....
Sunday, 12 May 2013
The first Disney Milestone has been reached!!
Well as you may know last year we booked to go to Walt Disney World. We are not going until later on the year and we booked over a year in advance. But as I am a plan a holic I have been planning every little detail since day one!
This week we reached the first big Disney holiday milestone. 180 day countdown!! Which means we could book most of our Advanced Dining Reservations!! I was super excited about this, I have spent months looking over all of the restaurants trying to decide which ones to go for. The problem is that I know which ones MY favourites are, but seeing as this is the childrens first Walt Disney World trip I needed to think in the mind of a child. Which should not of been too hard for me to be honest, seeing as I am just a big kid who loves all things Disney! Also it it not just us going, my parents are coming too, infact they are the reason we are going so it is very important to make sure they are happy with them too.
After we all discussed it we decided that we would go for two Character reservations as that should be enough seeing as we will see Characters around the parks.
During the last few weeks we had also all been discussing Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. It starts on selected nights just before we get there, it costs extra on top of our park tickets and for this reason it took us a long time to come to the decision that we would book the tickets for that too! It means that the kids (and the adults) can experience some Disney Christmas magic, such as christmas parades, snow down Main Street and even hot chocolate and cookies!
So this weekend my parents came round, we booked our Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party tickets and then we sat for ages and discussed our dining reservations! As I am an obsessive planner they were all taking the mickey (no pun intended) out of me for creating a chart showing the extra magic hours plus the expected crowd levels for the parks whilst we are there. But they all soon realised that my chart was indeed very helpful (no one admitted it though!)
So in the end we decided to book Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom for an early dinner on the afternoon of the Christmas Party. We love Crystal Palace, ironically we actually support Crystal Palace football club but this has nothing to do with why we love the restaurant! We have only ever been to Crystal Palace for breakfast so fancied a change and had heard from others that Dinner was lovely.
Our next choice was Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Although we can not book that one yet as we need to wait a few days for the reservations to open up. Again, we have been to Chef Mickeys before but only for dinner and my parents have never been (apart from when it was at Downtown Disney when I was small) so we thought it would be nice for everyone.
That should of been it for Character meals but we all got a bit carried away and went on to book Sunshine Grill at Epcot. Mum really loves this revolving restaurant so why not! Chester is obsessed with Chip and Dale so he will be in his element here. A while ago I managed to get Chip and Dale rescue rangers on DVD, it was a childhood favourite of mine and Chester is now as obsessed with it as I was back in the late 80's early 90's!
I then remembered that Hollywood and Vine do a Disney Junior character breakfast. Both kids love the Disney Junior characters especially Handy Manny so I decided it would be nice to do this one just in case we can not meet the Disney Junior characters in the parks. Mum and Dad are not really fussed about this one so we are just going to do this one as a family of 4 and give the oldies a lie in!
There are a few other restaurants on Disney property that we would like to eat at but we also want to make sure we allow time to eat at some of the Cross Roads restaurants on Lake Buena Vista especially Denny's for breakfast and then there are some other restaurants that were not there the last time visited Disney in 2007.
The other reason I was reluctant to book too much else was because this will be the kiddies first time and they will only be 5 and 22 months I am totally unsure on what their energy levels are going to be like and how well they will adapt to the 5 hour time difference. So the only other restaurants we pre booked are Planet Hollywood and T Rex Cafe. Planet Hollywood because Craig loves it there, we all do really but especially for Craig who is having withdrawal symptoms from the fantastic Race Rock that used to be on International Drive! T Rex Cafe because it was not even built last time we went so not only do the adults want to check it out we think the kids will love it too!
I wanted to book Harmony barbers for Millies first hair cut and Chester's blue hair colour and pixie dust! Its a barbers on Main Street in Magic Kingdom that I have never noticed before but since I started planning I have read lots of great things about it! However I soon realised that I actually need to ring up to book that so may well do that some point this week.
So all in all I feel relieved that we were able to book the ADRs on dates and times we wanted. Craig is sulking because he wants to swim in the big tank in Epcot like he did on our Honeymoon. I keep having to remind him that I brought that for him as a wedding present and now we have two children funds are not as available as they were back then! The next big milestone will be pre requesting our airplane seats at 90 days. Let the countdown begin!!
If anyone has ANY Disney tips or suggestions I would be really grateful to hear them!
This week we reached the first big Disney holiday milestone. 180 day countdown!! Which means we could book most of our Advanced Dining Reservations!! I was super excited about this, I have spent months looking over all of the restaurants trying to decide which ones to go for. The problem is that I know which ones MY favourites are, but seeing as this is the childrens first Walt Disney World trip I needed to think in the mind of a child. Which should not of been too hard for me to be honest, seeing as I am just a big kid who loves all things Disney! Also it it not just us going, my parents are coming too, infact they are the reason we are going so it is very important to make sure they are happy with them too.
After we all discussed it we decided that we would go for two Character reservations as that should be enough seeing as we will see Characters around the parks.
During the last few weeks we had also all been discussing Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party. It starts on selected nights just before we get there, it costs extra on top of our park tickets and for this reason it took us a long time to come to the decision that we would book the tickets for that too! It means that the kids (and the adults) can experience some Disney Christmas magic, such as christmas parades, snow down Main Street and even hot chocolate and cookies!
So this weekend my parents came round, we booked our Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party tickets and then we sat for ages and discussed our dining reservations! As I am an obsessive planner they were all taking the mickey (no pun intended) out of me for creating a chart showing the extra magic hours plus the expected crowd levels for the parks whilst we are there. But they all soon realised that my chart was indeed very helpful (no one admitted it though!)
So in the end we decided to book Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom for an early dinner on the afternoon of the Christmas Party. We love Crystal Palace, ironically we actually support Crystal Palace football club but this has nothing to do with why we love the restaurant! We have only ever been to Crystal Palace for breakfast so fancied a change and had heard from others that Dinner was lovely.
Our next choice was Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Although we can not book that one yet as we need to wait a few days for the reservations to open up. Again, we have been to Chef Mickeys before but only for dinner and my parents have never been (apart from when it was at Downtown Disney when I was small) so we thought it would be nice for everyone.
That should of been it for Character meals but we all got a bit carried away and went on to book Sunshine Grill at Epcot. Mum really loves this revolving restaurant so why not! Chester is obsessed with Chip and Dale so he will be in his element here. A while ago I managed to get Chip and Dale rescue rangers on DVD, it was a childhood favourite of mine and Chester is now as obsessed with it as I was back in the late 80's early 90's!
I then remembered that Hollywood and Vine do a Disney Junior character breakfast. Both kids love the Disney Junior characters especially Handy Manny so I decided it would be nice to do this one just in case we can not meet the Disney Junior characters in the parks. Mum and Dad are not really fussed about this one so we are just going to do this one as a family of 4 and give the oldies a lie in!
There are a few other restaurants on Disney property that we would like to eat at but we also want to make sure we allow time to eat at some of the Cross Roads restaurants on Lake Buena Vista especially Denny's for breakfast and then there are some other restaurants that were not there the last time visited Disney in 2007.
The other reason I was reluctant to book too much else was because this will be the kiddies first time and they will only be 5 and 22 months I am totally unsure on what their energy levels are going to be like and how well they will adapt to the 5 hour time difference. So the only other restaurants we pre booked are Planet Hollywood and T Rex Cafe. Planet Hollywood because Craig loves it there, we all do really but especially for Craig who is having withdrawal symptoms from the fantastic Race Rock that used to be on International Drive! T Rex Cafe because it was not even built last time we went so not only do the adults want to check it out we think the kids will love it too!
I wanted to book Harmony barbers for Millies first hair cut and Chester's blue hair colour and pixie dust! Its a barbers on Main Street in Magic Kingdom that I have never noticed before but since I started planning I have read lots of great things about it! However I soon realised that I actually need to ring up to book that so may well do that some point this week.
So all in all I feel relieved that we were able to book the ADRs on dates and times we wanted. Craig is sulking because he wants to swim in the big tank in Epcot like he did on our Honeymoon. I keep having to remind him that I brought that for him as a wedding present and now we have two children funds are not as available as they were back then! The next big milestone will be pre requesting our airplane seats at 90 days. Let the countdown begin!!
If anyone has ANY Disney tips or suggestions I would be really grateful to hear them!
A tea party to cheer Millie up! #Cbias
So Princess Millie has still got Chicken Pox! Admittedly not many are left but the ones that are left have not scabbed over or still look a little suspect. Sadly this means that we had to re arrange our plans for this weekend. We were supposed to be going out with my parents to Matilda Maes mile in memory walk. But as the week went on I realised that we clearly would not be able to go, there was no way I was going to risk it. Millie has been getting very stroppy about the whole Chicken Pox thing and I think that she is just fed up of not being able to go anywhere. I do feel really sorry for her.
So to cheer her up I rang my parents at the beginning of the week to arrange a back up plan! The back up plan was to host a tea party in my garden as Millie loves a little picnic. By Thursday I had decided that the back up plan needed to be used.
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Thursday, 9 May 2013
Cheeky Shoes review and giveaway
Everyone I know will tell you that I hate heals. They are just not comfortable for me. I am a trainers girl. But sometimes trainers can be a little boring. Luckily for me I was recently sent a pair of Cheeky Shoes to review.
Cheeky Shoes are sold online, now normally I would not purchase shoes online as I would need to make sure I have got the right fit. This has been thought of because you can actually download and print a Cheeky Shoes foot measure. Very handy and I am glad I used it as I am normally a size 4 but when measuring I came up as a 5. I chose Cheeky Shoes in Sumptuous Cerise as I love anything pink or purple. I loved the choice of 6 bright colours, it is so nice to see something a bit different.
My other worry with these shoes was the strap across the front. I have a high instep and often find strap shoes a bit of a discomfort. Well after wearing them for a few weeks now I can safely say they are very comfy and the strap has caused me no irritation at all. In fact they are so comfy sometimes I have to look down to make sure I have not gone out of the house with my slippers on!!
The shoes are made from a blend of Lycra and Neoprene with a lightweight natural rubber sole. So they are really flexible and allow stretching and expanding to fit your feet. They cost £19.99 which I think is a fair price for a really well made pair of shoes.
If you like the sound of these shoes then you are in luck because Cheeky Shoes have been kind enough to offer 3 pairs for a giveaway on my blog! So all you need to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below (if it does not show straight away then please refresh your page). There is one mandatory question, you simply need to post your answer to the questions as a comment on this blog post . You then have the option to gain more entries, however these entry methods are not mandatory. The prize is one of 3 pairs (3 winners) of Cheeky Shoes in the colour and size of your choice. The competition is open to UK residents only and will close on 30th May 2013.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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giveaway,
review
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