CURLY AND CANDID

When I was asked if Kieran would like to review an animal rucksack for GLTC I nearly fell over. Not you understand, because I have any particular obsession with monkeys but because I absolutely adore GLTC. I’m pretty sure if I had magical powers I would happily climb into their website and live their quite contented (you know what I’m talking about!).

When I showed my monkey what was coming his eloquent reaction went something along the lines of “Cooooool, that is sooooo awesome” (my 4yr old is an early 80’s throwback!). When it arrived I was suitably impressed. It was dispatched as a general order ie the same way that any web customer would order which was great because I could see how it was packaged. Excess packaging is a big no-no for me, it is wasteful and a pain in the bum to get into, but GLTC didn’t let me down. The bag was securely packaged in the minimum of packaging required for safe transit.

The quality of the bag is the same as I would expect from a high-profile company as GLTC. Finished beautifully, this bag would make a fantastic gift or everyday item. Retailing at £20 it is hardwearing (trust me on this – my boy is a thug) and an excellent choice for any parent. If you like the idea of this bag but fancy a different design, have a look on the website to see the bee & owl versions, and the matching lunch bags.

Now the expert reviewer takes the reins….

I love this bag! It looks like a monkey and even has bananas on the zips! (Not real bananas, you can’t eat them!).. I’ve used my bag for all sorts of things. When it was sunny Mummy took me and my brother out for an adventure – I took my bag with a water bottle, suncream, my drawing pad and pencil (so I could draw anything I liked), snacks and my camera (it’s just a plastic one but I like pretending to take pictures). We had a lovely time and lots of people looked at my bag. The very cool part is that you can put things in the insulted (insulated!) bit at the front to stop them getting sticky and yucky and hot). My bag has two straps so I can put loads of stuff inside and it’s not heavy! Mummy took loads of pictures of me at the park and when we were walking with her camera but the silly camera did something wrong and deleted them all. Maybe I should have let her use my plastic one to practice?

I got to use my bag for school too. This was REALLY cool because all my friends thought it was great. Mummy said it suited me because I’m a bit of a monkey sometimes but I don’t know what she means by that?

I could fit LOADS in the bag, my lunch, my books and even my coat when it got really warm. I have to put my water bottle in the drinks holder bit at the side so it doesn’t go on my books when I forget to close it properly. It’s good that is is there. My teacher doesn’t like soggy books!

I’m really, really, really happy with my bag.

Thank you GLTC.

Kieran, 4yrs old

A Mummy Blogger is a SAHM who has little else to do during the day but write about the mundane details of their lives, or make details up to make themselves sound more interesting. Of course there are the freebies too, a Mummy Blogger lives for freebies, will write anything you like to get them, they get loads of stuff for doing nothing. One day when the kids are older they will get a proper job.

WRONG!! WRONG!! WRONG!!

This is the kind of description that gets bandied around all over the internet, amongst families and friends, everywhere!! I wouldn’t mind but what a load of crap. Most of the “Mummy Bloggers” I know (and Daddy Bloggers too!) are amongst the most intelligent, screwed on people I know. Some blog full-time, some part-time, many of them work out of the home (or in) as well as blog and many of them run their own businesses. Those that are SAHM/D’s work just as hard as those who are employed out of the house.

Freebies – oh yes, freebies. Have you ever heard the saying “You don’t get something for nothing” – it’s spot on! Any blogger worth their salt researches and tests a product fully before blogging about it. This often includes getting the family involved, taking pictures (possibly hundreds of pictures if you’re trying to pin down a child and product at the same time) and then a review is written up. A review has to be thorough, original & depending on the product / blogger, creatively arranged to keep the reader’s interest. Parent bloggers are a growing community of writers who are much sought after by PR companies – and why is that? That is because we are uniquely skilled individuals who are able to put a point across in an original and interesting way.

MB’s blog for different reasons. I started blogging to give myself a platform to further my freelance writing, but I fell in love with it, and the blog now seems to have a life of it’s own! For me it is part pure enjoyment, part business. Others raise an income from blogging, some use blogging as a tool to further their existing business, to display a craft, hobby or skill they have, some use it as a diary only- to record family events and personal achievements. WHY people blog is of no relevance to anyone else, it just is , and no-one has the right to belittle that.

And as for getting a “proper job”? Don’t even go there!!

Being a blogger is also not as easy as it sounds either, yes anyone can blog, there are many different free software packages and tools you can use to get started, but for those wanting to blog more professionally, you need now to be a good writer AND an internet genuis lol! Self hosting, design, website maintenance, widgets & plugins… some people find all of this very easy, some don’t, but are self-motivated enough to learn, or ask other bloggers for help.

I have read some absolutely amazing things on our people’s blogs, the places they’ve traveled, things they’ve seen, heard and experienced! So you know what, once you look past all the freeloading and time wasting, Mummy bloggers are a pretty bloody fantastic lot.

Right, best go now and make up some stories for tomorrow’s blog and see if I can blag some more freebies!

Great Little Trading Co (GLTC), a Monkey & a Rucksack #review

This Is What A Mummy Blogger Is… Right?