Seat Kids Safe ~ {Giveaway} child car restraints

Giveaway brought to you by NRMA Insurance & Kidsafe Australia -Safety Campaign  -

This is NOT a Child Car restraint review !

Baby Car seats / child car restraints haven’t changed too much since we brought our eldest, adopted son, home as a 13 month old in 1994. We bought the best money could buy for our precious son and the baby shop fitted it.

The laws were not so strict about toddlers and preschoolers, but I was. I think our son was still in the same 5 point harness car seat till he started school at 5 yrs , then he went into a booster. I would not let friends take him for play dates unless they had a child restraint. When I worked we had a child restraint seat for each car.

The laws governing child car restraint have changed a few times over the last few years . While 90% people are aware of the current National laws for keeping 0-7 yr old restrained , their child car restraint seat may be, unintentionally, incorrectly fitted (Yes, some ignore it anyway) .

Last year , 70% of child car restraints inspected by Kidsafe needed an adjustment. I find it hard to believe and shocking that figure is so high. Four months ago we attended a professional check of car seats organised by our local council . We were surprised that we needed to remove the car seat retainer/locking clip. A Locking Clip normally helps ensure proper and effective car seat retention but wasn’t required in our case.

Making sure child restraints are exactly right can be tricky for parents to determine, so why not let Kidsafe do this for you, for free.

Dec 2007

One guy (a local car restraint professional) also said we didn’t need to bother with the restraints after they turned seven (a month ago). I am keeping them restrained as my twins are at only at 10%  (115cm) & 25% (118cm) height percentiles for their age - no where near the recommended 145cm. It is far safer and no trouble to keep them in correctly fitted child restraints, in my opinion.

I have had friends begrudge the money paying for car seat safety checks , even when it is for the safety of their kids. As well as grumbling about paying for new seats after a minor accident. 

A good friend works as a nurse in a busy Sydney Children’s hospital, Accident and Emergency, she was very vocal speaking OUT to our playgroup mums when she heard people talking about putting siblings 'out' of child restraints for a new baby and into booster seats or a seat belt. Tragically, she had seen children lose their lives due to incorrectly fitted seats or an absence of car safety restraints.

Fortunately, we rarely changed vehicles and still own the same car we bought the twins home in. Every time you remove seats or change cars you are advised to have them checked. When the twins were born we also purchased the best available at the time for 0-4 yrs (Given we also wanted them to last as long as safely possible). 

Sept 2011

We've had their child restraint seats professionally checked a few times over the years .The local hospital provided a free service 2-3 times a year to have a professional check car restraints. It was reassuring to drive away with the certainty that my children were seated safe. It took less than 10 mins a seat, for peace of mind for parents or carers .

Simple mistakes such as having the restraint at the incorrect height or a twisted harness may lead to a child being injured. When I was asked Tuesday for my assistance, in the form of a post, to help promote child safety when traveling in cars I was keen to participate.

A team working with NRMA Insurance and Kidsafe Australia have offered free restraint checking days in QLD and NSW . Encourage your friends and get the word out. Their goal is to educate parents and carers through these free restraint checking days.

They need your help in spreading the word to help keep children safe on our roads. Tell your family and friends to help spread the message about these important events to other parents and carers.

Parents can have their child restraints professionally checked and adjusted to make sure their children are seated safely – in just minutes and for free. 

GIVEAWAY

As part of the campaign I have Two child car restraints (rated three stars and above on the Australian Standards Restraint rating site: crep.com.au), as prizes to give away to my readership base:

• 1x 6 months – 4 years rearward/forward facing restraint (Safety 1st) 
• 1x 4 years – 7 years forward facing restraint (Infa-Secure) 

The seats will be delivered to the competition winners (one prize/one seat per winner)

Enter by leaving a comment telling me  ...

How do you keep children happy in the car ?

Terms and Conditions.

1. Only Australian Residents are eligible to enter.
2. Entries not answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be chosen by originality and creative merit, not by chance. Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
3.There will be two winners - one seat per winner , please indicate in comments which seat you would prefer.
4. Entries - Open 8/8/2013 - Close 11.59pm 22/8/2013 AEST. The winners will be notified by email, and posted to mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au after they reply - Winners have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
5. The Prize is not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash.
6. Prizes sent out by PR firm directly will not be replaced in the event that they are stolen, lost or damaged or delayed in transit.
 
7. Subscribe to my blog  to receive MLDB updates.
8. Follow via Facebook or Bloglovin on the sidebar .

All opinions are my own.

The more parents who get their restraints professionally checked, the safer our children will be.

Winners : Katie P -  4 years – 7 years forward facing restraint (Infa-Secure)
Jody - Six Little Hearts  - 6 months – 4 years rearward/forward facing restraint (Safety 1st) 

What is the quintessential Australian Pie ?

Now that crisp Autumn nights are here there is nothing better than a warming home cooked pie for a flavoursome family dinner or dessert.

credit SFI

I confess I've only had limited success with my pie making ventures. Still, I much prefer my own attempts I worry about the fat content of store purchased ones. Sam loves mini apple pies and has been asking to bake our own.

I cooked a modified verison of the beef pie from Super Food magazine for dinner last night , it tasted great but I didn't get a photo .My round pie dishes are still packed away so I used a rectangular dish. The filo pastry (since I had no puff pastry) was disappointingly broken in the package - on purchase and it cracks up so quickly.

Mine are tasty though a little flaky and unpolished so I'm very keen to follow ...

The Search For Australia's Best Pie!

Super Food Ideas, is on the hunt for Australia's Best Pie. Always on the lookout for Australia's tastiest recipes, this year Super Food Ideas is hoping to track down the "best of the best" when it comes to the quintessential Aussie Pie.

"Australian's love pies. It's as simple as that", says Super Food Ideas Editor, Rebecca Cox. "Whether it's covered in tomato sauce at the footy, a quick midweek meal or a family-sized dinner, a warming home cooked pie tells us who we are and that we're loved".

Chicken & leek Pies - credit SFI

There are so many varieties of the humble pie , whether a recipe passed down through generations or a unusual modern version like Thai Beef pies or Green curry chicken.

I love the variety  ~ pies can be hot or cold, sweet or savoury and especially granny’s famous  apple pie with flaky buttery pastry – served with lashings of cream,  ice-cream or custard.

SFI's competition to find Australia's Best Pie will run over six issues from April through to September 2012, with entries closing May 15, 2012.

The lucky winner of Australia's Best Pie will receive a cash prize of $10,000 thanks to Bertolli.

Readers and followers by commenting on your favourite pie can be in the running to be win a $200 WISH card each week , judged by the editor, Rebecca Cox.



SFI’s - Food Editor, Kim Coverdale has 5 tips for cooking a crispy pie ..

1.    If making your own pastry, be sure to rest it before cooking to prevent it from shrinking during cooking.


2.    Pre-cooking the pastry base (or blind baking as it's called) before adding the filling helps the base stay crisp during cooking.


3.    Make sure the filling is completely cooled before filling the pastry case, otherwise the base of the pie will be soggy.


4.    After placing the pastry on top, make a small slit in the middle of your pie. This lets steam escape and stops the pastry separating at the joins so that the filling doesn't overflow.


5.     Pies are best cooked at a high temperature so that the pastry top crisps. Brushing with a little beaten egg or milk will also make sure that it goes a lovely golden colour.

Grab your copy of Super Food ideas now -
Full terms and conditions are available at: www.taste.com.au/bestpie2012

What are your tips for the best pie ?
Do you have a favourite pie memories or family recipe ?

Tell me to win a copy of Super Food Ideas !

♥

Giveaway ~ Sony PSP-E1000 Prize Packs x 5 !

Friday, a special delivery arrived at our door.Though my 5 year olds can hardly say the name PSP E1000 they know it means SONY  ~  Imagine an affordable, handheld, portable entertainment console with pocket money priced games (@ $14.95).

It must be every parents kid's dream ...to get the best value gaming on the go with the brilliant new PSP-E1000.

PSP-E1000 valued at $139.95RRP

Sony Computer Entertainment have provided five x  PSP-E1000 prize packs for this amazing giveaway which includes  a parent of the Year award ...

1 x Gran Turismo

-        1 x Motorstorm: Arctic Edge

-        1 x ModNation Racers

-        1 x Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier

1 x Little Big Planet
The new PSP-E1000 is a little bigger and heavier than the PSP-3000. While it plays all PSP games it does not include any Wi-Fi features. A bonus for parents worried about children accessing online gaming. It does target those on the go and it can still be connected to a PC via a USB cable, giving you access to  new content on PlayStation Store via Media Go.

I confess, right form the start I am very much gaming console 'Racing' challenged. I cannot stay on the track or navigate successfully, even going slow.

Ah - Mod Nation Racers, I'd totally win if the ability to crash into walls were awarded a prize...my boys were saying "MUM !  you are not a very good driver" ... while the little man inside the game yelled at me -

"Are you allergic to the road"

" Get back on the track and hit the gas "

So I gave up and the kids yelled Hooray!

I haven't had time to check out the other games apart from Little Big planet which looks very interesting

On this new hand-held adventure, Sackboy will be getting lost in the Australian outback, helping to build a theme park in the desert, and starring in a series of movies in the glittering lights of Tinsel Town - But will he make it to the Carnival on time when he's having so much fun? !

My boys are marginally better than me but they are only just entering the gaming console realm at 5 and the games are still a little beyond them. They haven't had much practice yet.

Questions ? well all your PSP E1000 questions can be answered here. It even saves your favourite music and photos for you to enjoy anywhere.

For your chance to win 1 of 5 Sony PSP-E1000 Prize Packs leave a comment in 25 words or less answering

Why you should win a PSP-E1000 prize pack ?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer : I received a complimentary PSP-E1000 via Hausmann Communications and games for review purposes. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are my own. 


Congratulations to the Winners - 

Dr Bron

Heather

Lisa Wood

Wendy Wyatt

Lyndel Rowe

Thank you to everyone it was very hard to choose the winners !

♥

Limited Edition Giveaway ~ Good on ya Mum !

Growing up, this iconic jingle was one of my favourite along with the Vegiemite jingle.



I remember having our 'Tip Top' bread home delivered every afternoon and if Mum wasn't quick enough we'd finish off half the loaf before dinner time... plain or with a slather of butter & vegiemite

Celebrity Aussie mums Anna Gare (Jnr Masterchef) and Fiona O’Loughlin (Comedian) have partnered with Tip Top to exclusively design the world’s first singing bread bins to celebrate the return of the jingle (after 10 yrs hiatus). The new updated ad even mentions Dad and super multitasking mums.


When opened the unique bespoke Bread bins play the iconic Tip Top® ‘Good on ya Mum’ jingle.

Check out the cute and quirky bread bin designed by Anna!

Anna Gare answered a few quick questions for me ...

Do you think it’s important kids learn to cook?

Yes if we engage our children in the kitchen at a young age it will give them a healthy attitude towards food. Learning to prepare and cook with fresh ingredients will give them a healthy food knowledge and a fantastic set of skills that will last them a life time. It’s great to see so many kids tuning on to cooking shows like MasterChef. Everything on the show is basically made from scratch, - Pasta, mayo, breads etc and all the recipes are available on line. This is a great message and valuable food education - As a result, people of all ages have developed a better understanding of food and creative ways of cooking it.

What are the best qualities of being a mum today?

We are challenged on many levels. We are no longer stuck in the home- we have careers, run businesses, marathons and complex households. Life these days is full of so much variety and many new challenges.

What memories do you have of the Tip Top ‘Good on ya Mum’ jingle from when you were growing up?

Every time mum did something funny or nice for us we would all sing the jingle to her.

Production was limited to 50 bread bins, so be quick , this is a rare opportunity to get your hands on a slice of Tip Top history! With a limited number available - if you miss out on winning you can always buy one at Facebook.com/tiptop  for only $99.99.

All proceeds from the sale of Anna Gare’s bread bin will go to Ovarian Cancer Australia and all proceeds from the sales of Fiona O’Loughlin’s bread bin will go to Angel Flight.

Top facts around the ‘Good on ya mum’ jingle:

• ‘Good on ya mum’ has been featured in over 30 adverts from late 1970’s through 80's & 90's..
• Jingle masters, Geoff and Jenny Ayling from Sydney, originally wrote the track back in the late 1970’s. They have composed over 15,000 jingles for household brands including Play School, Westfield, Tooheys and OneTel.

My DH's niece was in a Tip Top ad about 15yrs ago as a child - she had to eat 3 dozen sandwiches (well take one bite out of each of them).

Would you like to recapture some magic memories (to thank your MUM) - by winning this limited edition singing bread bin designed by Anna  ??

Answer this question  - 

What's your favourite lunchbox memory ?

Note - The winner will chosen based on creativity, humour and originality.

See the new ad on You tube here
Ps Also, go LIKE Tiptop on Facebook and enter their competition page to win your Mum one of seven $500 Red balloon experiences.

Disclaimer - They are such a strictly limited edition - I didn't even get one :(   but the good news is I have one to giveaway 

♥

Win ~ Playstation 3 Console + Ratchet and Clank Prize Pack

Today, we start the long trek East, across three states and over 4000kms, to head home.We have a busy month ahead.

Now that it is less than 8 weeks to Christmas the countdown is on. Though Christmas is so far off my radar it isn't funny. Actually I did start my Christmas shopping (online) the other day and I have my awesome Christmas planning guide to follow .

I have the perfect giveaway to announce today ; the chance to make 4 lucky readers' families very happy.

The Ratchet and Clank prize bundle is sure to herald excitement Christmas morning ...if you can wait that long to the impending delight this game will bring.

Thanks to Hausmann Communications, especially to celebrate the release of Ratchet & Clank® - All 4 one - I have FOUR Playstation console and Ratchet &  Clank prize packs to giveaway.

Ratchet Clank®: All 4 One sees the team at Insomniac Games reunite fans with the wonder and adventure of  Ratchet & Clank® universe in PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system exclusive. Each pack contains

• Sony PlayStation 3 (160GB space) console valued at $349.95

• Ratchet & Clank All 4 One game valued at $99.95

•  Ratchet & Clank All 4 One T-shirt
• Ratchet & Clank All 4 One Keyring

The return of this best-selling series brings an all-new twist to action-adventure gaming while setting the stage for a new story, brought to life with vibrant cinematic visuals .




For the first time Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One introduces up to four player cooperative
game play, allowing players to team up as Ratchet, Clank, Qwark and Dr. Nefarious.

I can't wait to play and review the game with my boys. It is a great way to bond sharing family adventures. Three months ago my babies turned 5 and they love electronic games after they were introduced at the Winter with Sony experience. They haven't stopped asking for us to get a video game system.

Giveaway details ~

I try my best not to make giveaway entries complicated , however due to the difficulty of counting through a high number of entries (to get the correct winning random.org number) and because I'd like to allow you a few extra ways to enter I am using rafflecopter.

Follow the instructions using rafflecopter entry form. Good luck to everyone !

Competition is closed
Entries close midnight November 30th 2011 (11.59pm AEST Sydney) 

Winners will be chosen random.org

Australian residents only.

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