Sponsored post: Joe Delucci's Gelato

I've often passed the ice cream stand in the bottom of the Royal Victoria Place, but I've always had shopping on my mind and a baby in my arms... but today, I had a voucher, as well as a husband to carry the baby (and any shopping that might arise), so I grabbed the chance to sample Joe Delucci's wares.

The first thing I learnt was that it's not ice cream -- it's gelato. I had a cone of coffee (grown-up and bitter) and nocciolata (which tasted of chocolate, and of nuts without the usual soggy, tooth gumming clumps of nut), while Nick went for a tub containing one scoop of stracciatella (snow white, generously studded with chocolate chips) and one of toffee (caramelly). All the flavours were dense and creamy and not too sweet -- apparently this denseness of flavour is because gelato is not served as cold as regular ice cream; and also it has less air beaten into it.

I was an idiot to wait so long to try Joe Delucci's gelato, because it's delicious. I am slightly worried about the effect on my figure if I'm going to be getting a cone every time I pass -- but astonishingly, the fruit varieties are fat free (not sugar free, alas!) so they could be a low-guilt treat every once in a while. There are 30 flavours, and they are adding to the range all the time, so there's plenty to explore.

Sponsored post: Shop and win a year's salary

If I happened to win £40,000 -- Paypal is calling it a year's salary, but I reckon I could make it stretch further than that, as it's way more than I could ever hope to earn in a year, even in my wildest dreams -- I would use it to stretch out my maternity leave for another year so I could hang out with Baby Badger and watch him or her discover this world full of beautiful things without worrying about paying the bills. Children grow up so quickly, and you only get one chance to enjoy each stage of their lives.

If you think you could use £40,000, just use PayPal for some on-line shopping -- Find out more.

Anyway -- with Baby Badger due any day now, and Christmas looming, there are still a few bits and pieces on my shopping lists, so I can think of lots of ways to enter this competition.

From Boots: I could do with a Grobag Night Light for those small hour feeding sessions; and the hollow-eyed new parents who visited our NCT class had one thing to say "Infacol"; I'm also yet to purchase some muslin squares (partly because I'm convinced I'll go into labour the moment I do). And a changing bag -- this Tiny Tillia looks neutral enough that Nick wouldn't mind carrying it! Finally, I'd pick up a squeaky, jingly, crinkly Sir Prance-A-Lot toy.

Lloyds Pharmacy would be the next stop for maternity gear: A TENS machine; Lansinoh is another tip from hollow-eyed new parents, likewise a nose clearing device for the inevitable colds and snuffles; Milton sterilising tablets; and prints of our favourite photos.

Superdrug is always great for little stocking fillers -- particularly as they have a three for two offer on at the mo. I particularly like these bright Naturals Bath Fizzer Trios; this Tutti Cuti purse (this might end up in MY stocking, as I have a summer outfit that matches all these colours); and this string of butterfly lights is rather appealing. I would buy this Thomas Musical handwash because it's totally daft. And finally, this Vaseline Lips Tin -- I always have one of these small tins about my person when I'm wearing new shoes, because there is nothing like Vaseline for preventing blisters.

Fragrance Direct -- I would buy this Burt's Bees Pomegranate and Cranberry Scrub as a gift for someone, but I can see it 'getting lost' and ending up in our bathroom! I've been warned by an experienced mum that a stay in hospital can be very hard on your hands, so I've vowed to treat myself to another of Burt's products: Almond Milk Beeswax handcream. One of my most enduring Christmas shopping memories is picking out Bronnley soaps for various grandmothers and great aunts -- Fragrance Direct has a good range of these, including a set of nostalgic shop tins, each containing three soaps -- I love the Post Office and the Chocolate Shop. And I'd also pick up a bottle of Rose Bath Relaxant.

Another stop in my virtual shopping trip would be Fig Leaves for some nursing bras: Midnight Grace has some pretty ones: Lilly, Rosie Posy and Bittersweet are particularly appealing; but then I would be practical and get a plain black and white two pack like Holly. And I'd also pick up a nursing chemise as a treat for myself.

Some of my best maternity wear has come from fashion giant Asos -- in the summer months, I wore these scoop neck vests as tops, and now it's colder I'm layering them. These three-quarter sleeve tops have also been great because they go under summer dresses as the weather turns colder. I'm on the look-out for a pair of black boots -- these Mango pull-ons would be lovely. And finally I can't resist this Ramones T-shirt for Baby Badger -- they do say that you get given loads of new born clothes and none for when the baby is older!

Enter now for your chance to win

Sponsored Post
Share hosted by Wikio

Sponsored post: Free time at the museum

In Catcher in the Rye, the hero talks evocatively about visiting his city's museum on a rainy afternoon. When I was younger, if we were out shopping, my mother would sometimes leave us to amuse ourselves in the town museum -- it was (and still is) free, and warm and out of the rain. She would come back 20 minutes later and we would still be crouched by the first case, entranced by the animals marching two-by-two into Noah's Ark. We also discovered that if you trod on a certain place on the floor, a single piece of meat in the toy butcher's shop would swing. The next room was set aside for natural history. We would stand and stare at the case of drooping privet leaves, hoping to see a stick insect move -- or at least some stick insect poo falling to the floor.

The village where I grew up had a museum, too -- and for us children, the most talked-about item was a mummified rat that someone had found while restoring their house. In my memory, it is the size of a small cat, with bared teeth. I went back recently, and it seems to have shrunk.

The museums in London were also huge treat -- we had our favourite items in each, and would dart in just to see one thing, which was worthwhile because they were free. At the Natural History Museum, I was content to see the brontosaurus skeleton right by the entrance and then leave. My little sister would always insist that we climbed to the top of the hall, though. Small and determined, she would march through the collection of stuffed mammals to find her Fairy Pink Armadillo -- wrinkled and white and whiskery no bigger than your hand.

In the V&A, there is a gallery dedicated to cast iron, and they have a 1960s casserole dish on display exactly the same as the one my mother had at home. Looking at it in a glass case gave me such a strange, shivery feeling -- as if, you know, maybe, we ourselves would one day be history. I still walk through that gallery whenever I visit the V&A -- even though I have now inherited my mother's red casserole dish and could look at it any time I want.

And once you have had enough of treasures, why not grab some food. Pizza Hut is offering a Kids Eat Free deal, which runs now until 9 January 2011. For every adult main course or adult lunchtime buffet purchased, an accompanying child can choose from either a FREE 2 course kids meal (includes a drink) or a FREE kids lunchtime buffet (includes pizza, pasta and salad). Find more details about the offer at http://bit.ly/a1DhgJ

Sponsored Post
Share hosted by Wikio

Sponsored post: Road manners

One of the things that made me smile during my travels in Asia is the way drivers use horns. Getting ready to turn? Peep-peep! Greeting a friend? Peep-peep! Wondering what's causing this traffic jam? Peep-peep! Need to get past that beautifully painted lorry? Peep-peep! Goats in the road? Peep-peep!

Here in the UK, however, horns are used mainly in anger -- Baaaaaaaarp! "What are you doing you idiot?" The sound of a UK carhorn makes me jump -- and it makes me feel as if I'm doing something wrong (even if I'm not the target). AXA Car Insurance has recently carried out research into the effects on car horns, measuring the mental stress caused by some of the UK's most popular car makes. The Fiat Punto came out as the most evil. Of course a car horn needs to pull a careless roaduser up short, but is it acceptable to distract everyone else on the scene to that degree? On a more positive note, visitors to the Respect on the Road site can vote for their favourite car horn sound.

The insurer is running a campaign to encourage people to say with pride "I respect the road". There's a Facebook group -- 'liking' it would be a good way to make a stand for good road manners, and to encourage your friends to do the same.

And if you're not convinced that politeness is the way forward, what do you think of these little darlings? This short film shows children using road rage tactics to resolve a kiddie car accident. Not a pretty sight.

AXA Respect On The Road also has its own YouTube channel which includes cabcam footage of an unusual taxi driver -- he wants to hear his passengers' opinions, rather than talking away to himself.

Sponsored Post

Share hosted by Wikio

Sponsored post: The Greatest Holiday in the World

What would you do if you won a year's worth of hotel nights to be used in cities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa over the next five years?

Radisson Blu, the international hotel group is offering just that as a prize in a new competition called The Greatest Holiday in the World.

For my part, the thought of a free room at London's Radison Blu Portman Hotel is very tempting -- the last train back to Tunbridge Wells is rather early, which usually means a night at the theatre ends with a crazy sprint to Charing Cross, and we don't always get pudding if we go out to dinner. But I quite like the look of this hotel with its giant fish tank -- I wonder where it is?

It's really easy to enter: you write a short statement saying why you deserve to win this prize, and then persuade people to vote for you. I reckon that a short, sharp paragraph would serve you best. Make it inspiring, and perhaps go for the sympathy vote! The current leader says that he will share his prize with homeless people in winter; and number four says she will give the same amount of time to charity. However, a jokey tone might work, too -- Bruno is pulling up in third place with the punalicious statement: My Teddy looks healthier than me. It's not fair! Nonstop work is more than I can bear...

Once you've submitted your pitch at The Greatest Holiday in the World, it's all down to social networking. People can vote for you once every 24 hours, so the sooner you enter, the more votes you can get.

Looking at the terms and conditions, you could even bribe some friends by offering to let them share the prize. You're allowed to use 20 hotel nights (that is, 20 standard double rooms) at once. So you could treat 39 friends, as long as they didn't mind sharing rooms.

What type of entry would you write to get votes? Sympathy or humour? Or what type of entry would get your vote, and how much canvassing for votes would be too much?

Sponsored Post

Sponsored Post: Ebuzzing gets you through the ad buyer's door

If you are hoping your blog will bring in a little extra income by way of that ugly word monetisation, selling advertising is one way to go about it. But it's hard for us mere mortals to get access to the people who are actually willing to pay up.
Ebuzzing is a platform that has just launched in the UK. It gives bloggers an 'in' with big business advertisers who are keen to promote on blogs. The promotion takes the form of blog posts -- clearly marked 'sponsored' -- and videos both in dedicated players and in banners (again, marked with the name of the advertiser).
Here's a video campaign in a banner -- the set-up appears similar to Adsense, and it seems as if it might be a good alternative.
It's free to register on ebuzzing.com -- it took me minutes (I had my stats handy, though), and 3BT was approved within the hour.
You then sign up for a campaign that appeals, read the brief and write a post. Your text is looked over by Ebuzzing and once approved, you can make it live.
Now to the big question -- money. Looking down the list of campaigns I've been offered: most seem to pay €40 for a short post, and I'm getting a bit more for this one. This strikes me as better than a poke in the eye.
Ebuzzing lists some big names among its clients: Coca-Cola, Intel, MTV, MasterCard, Toyota, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, eBay, Canon, Diesel, Warner Bros and Philips. If these guys have got money spend on blog advertising, I'm willing to earn it -- what about you?

Sponsored Post