I'm a full-time mummy

When I received the pitch request for the release of this app, I immediately thought of how I can use this app with our kiddos for our upcoming family trip at end of this month. Without further ado, here goes my feedback...

* Title: 52 Things to do in the Car
* Price: $0.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Aug 14, 2013
* Version: 1.09
* Size: 19.3 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 5.1 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description from the product page:

"Load every car trip with miles of smiles with these fun, family-friendly activities sure to please kids of all ages on the go. This whimsically-illustrated 52 card deck app includes guessing games, sightseeing challenges, tongue twisters and riddles, and imaginative art projects for car trips both long and short. With 52 Fun Things to Do in the Car card deck app you can:
- Enjoy 52 different activities, including engaging games, creative art projects and mind-bending puzzles
- Swipe between cards or shuffle them
- Flip cards over to see the corresponding activity
- E-mail cards to friends"

* There are altogether 52 cool ideas of the fun things you can do with your family/friends as you travel along in the car. Being stuck in the car does not mean you don't get to have fun, so this app is cool, really!

* I like that there are different types of ideas which can be used from young to old.

* I was a tad worried that there are some ideas which are too advanced for me to try on our kiddos but luckily there are some cool ones which I am thinking of doing for our upcoming trip (hopefully I have the energy and strength to do so!) For example, the 'Activity Lap Box' is a good idea which can keep our little ones busy for some time while they are stuck in the car with nowhere else to go! I might load up some coloring worksheets or number/alphabet writing sheets for our 4 years old to do while we are in the car :)

* Overall a creative and fun app which can be used by people of all ages, worth a try!

You can purchase the "52 Things to do in the Car" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

This post is to journal down the 7th month+ of my third pregnancy now! I realised I did not blogged much about this pregnancy, compared to my previous one which I blogged religiously every month. So far we are back to going for monthly check ups with our gynae. Anyway here goes the update:

* APPETITE

Sweet sugary stuff rages on but trying very hard to control as gynae advised to continue monitor glucose level every week.

* WEIGHT GAIN

My weight at this month (week 30 to be exact) is 52.5kg, that makes it an increase of 7.5kg since I got pregnant, okay, so far so good, weight is bouncing back!

* GYNAE CHECK-UPS

Gynae revealed baby is a girl! So we are going to have another ninja girl I guess! Everything is normal with the check up though gynae did mentioned my amniotic fluid is a bit low, 9.3. He said not too concerned as long as baby's kicking and movement are active.The gynae initially suggested that I should rest more and not work too hard, but hubby and I looked back at gynae and pointing to our 2 kiddos, saying 'These 2 kiddos are my work. Can't rest more at home since I'm a SAHM'. Gynae went speechless and just smiled... sigh...

I was also given a fetal kick count chart to monitor daily from 9am, to note down end time once I reached 10 kicks from baby. As for self monitoring of glucose level, gynae said can do step monitoring or once a fortnight since my glucose level is controlled and normal. I also had to do a blood test this round, results will be known in my next check-up.

* BREASTFEEDING DURING PREGNANCY

Yes, like what I did with Benjamin when I was pregnant with Alyson, I nursed him throughout the pregnancy. This round? Same. I think my colostrum is back as I noticed Alyson's diaper is a tad heavy lately after her night time sleep.

* BABY MOVEMENT

Baby movement very very active especially past midnight. I keep forgetting to monitor the fetal kick count from 9am sigh....

So there you go, updates as at 7 months+ pregnancy... have a blessed week and thank you for reading!

Early July this year, I received an email pitch asking whether I would be interested to review an upcoming diaper brand in Malaysia market. I was thinking 'Wow! To be the early batch of mums to review this diaper brand? Sure why not?!' and after a few emails exchanges to firm up the details (and I also helped share out the pitch to other interested bloggers who wanted to try out the diapers as well for their kiddos) I received our full pack Merries Baby Diaper size L for my ninja girl.

Description from the product page:
"Pamper your little ones with tender loving care and attention with Merries, Japan’s No.1*. Merries is a joy to wear, keeping baby comfortable and happy. Happy baby , Smiling mummy. Be a proud mum and celebrate with Merries, 100% made and imported from Japan. With its superb absorbency, exceptional breathability & ultra softness, Merries provides the dryness and comfort that your baby's delicate skin needs. These are what makes Merries a joy to wear! Merries baby diaper ~ Always Gentle To Your Baby’s Skin "

Our 4 years old boy is definitely not trying this diaper out since he has been fully potty trained (yay!) so, the review this round will be experimented by our ninja girl :)  

** Feedback on PACKAGING: We received the full pack of Merries Baby Diaper Pants L size (RM45.00 for 27 pieces) for our review. I love the packaging and the convenient plastic handles on the diaper pack which is easy to carry around. I can easily open up the diaper pack through the top side slit (instead of usually tearing a long lines for our current diaper brands used on our girl)

** Feedback on PRODUCT FEATURES: I took out 1 piece of Merries Baby Diaper and immediately checked out the features. It's light and compact and I also did a stretch test on the elastic around the waist line and the sides (both legs). The elastic are soft to the touch and can stretch quite far.

There is also a blue colored tape which can be found at the back of the diaper pants which I initially thought the tape is in case we want to stick the diaper pants to our kiddo's pants/dress. But turns out, you open up the tape and you can actually use it to wrap around your rolled up used diaper pants before disposing it to the bin. Very nice!

I also like the yellow line indicator (starting from the front crotch area all the way to the back) which will turn to green color to indicate that it is time to change the diaper. I don't rely on the indicator much as I prefer the touch test (if I squeeze the diaper and it is heavy or stays pressed after touch, it means time to change!) but I do like this feature as I think my hubby and MIL or whoever who has to take care of our girl if I'm not around at the moment will appreciate this feature.

I also like the seams at the sides of the diaper pants which we can easily just tear off prior to disposing the used diaper. Very convenient indeed! The elastic around the legs part are stretchy and not tight, it does not leave any marks around my girl's thighs after used but yet, it hugs my girl's thighs comfortably and no leakage at all.

** Feedback on EASE OF USE: I wanted to take pictures of how I put on the Merries Baby Diaper pants on our girl but she was faster! Very excited with new things I guess! So I snapped the pictures of our girl trying to wear the diaper pants instead! See, even an almost 2 years old could easily wear the diaper pants! 

** Feedback on COMFORT & USABILITY: I let our ninja girl wear the diaper pants as it is just to test whether it lasts long with her being so hyperactive all day long. There are no restrictions or hindrances to our ninja's movements at all while she wears the diaper pants and goes about her ninja activities.

** Feedback on DISPOSAL: As mentioned above, I like the yellow line indicator (starting from the front crotch area all the way to the back) which will turn to green color to indicate that it is time to change the diaper. To change the used diaper, I just tear off the side seams (very easy), fold and roll up the diaper as compact as I can and use the blue tipped tape at the back of the diaper to secure the used diaper before disposing it into a dustbin.

** MY FEEDBACK IN SUMMARY: This diaper is good, lightweight and I love the soft comfy material. The fact that is has very good absorbency and the material allows for breathability for our kiddo's skin is a definite plus too.

I am definitely going to let my girl wear this diaper pants especially during family outing as I think it would be easier to change her out of the used diaper by just getting her to stand still and all I need to do is to tear off the sides seam and pulled off the diaper pants. Currently with the tape type of diaper we used for our girl, we need to get her to lie down to properly secure the tape diaper on her, although I have mastered the skills of putting a tape diaper on our girl while she stood, it is still far easier to get her to wear a diaper pants since there is no need to adjust the sides around the diapers compared to tape diaper.

I have some mummy friends who praise this brand and even went to Singapore just to purchase this diaper as it was not available in Malaysia market then. They are excited to know this brand is coming into Malaysia market and was hoping that the price would be affordable and competitive with the other brands in the local market as they really really love this brand!

Available in tape type for newborns (NB) and S size, and pants type in M, L and XL, Merries will be exclusively distributed at selective outlets within the AEON group. The recommended retail price range is between RM25.00 and RM45.00. You can get more info from https://www.facebook.com/MYMerries

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the product in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.