Sick Days. {and Johnson's GIVEAWAY}

Tuesday night, Ella came down with the most violent bout of gastro I have ever seen. I sat up with her all night, wiping her face, changing her clothes, emptying sick buckets, holding back her hair, and telling her everything was going to be alright.

Come Wednesday morning, I was a Mum on a mission. Every bed was stripped, every sheet was washed. Every bench in sight was disinfected and every toy wiped over. I was whizzing around the house fueled by adrenalin to take care of Ella, yet still give time & attention to Ryder all whilst ridding our house of any germs. I felt very Motherly and nurturing, yet so heartbroken to see my little lady so unwell. For most of the morning she lay lifeless on the couch, falling in & out of sleep. She couldn't hold down food, she could hardly hold down water. She started to pep up at midday so I suggested something that I knew would make her feel a whole heap better.......

A daytime bubble bath!

Johnson's Baby recently sent me their new Top-to-Toe bath wash to try. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to use it. I squirted quite a lot into the running water so it created the perfect bubbly bed for my sick little lady. And that it did....

Ella relaxed & revived in a warm bubbly froth for a good 40 minutes. Both my kids have very sensitive skin. They are both prone to eczema, especially this time of year. So I am very apprehensive about changing washes, lotions or washing powders with them. Yet, I know I can trust Johnson's Baby as it is so mild, yet so effective. And this Top-to-Toe wash is soap free, dye-free & hypoallergenic. It's dermatologist-tested and doesn't sting the eyes with it's NO MORE TEARS formula. I love that it can be a smooth, creamy lather on a washer in the shower, or a bubbly fun mess with enough water pressure in the bath. And I love that I can use it on my kids knowing that it's protecting & moisturising their skin, not irritating it.

And the best thing about this wash - it's safe for newborns and can also be used on hyper-sensitive adult skin too. Perfect for winter dryness.

A warm frothy bath on a winter's morning was the perfect pick-me-up for our sick little girl, and although she spent the rest of the day snoozing & watching movies, she definitely looked & felt fresher after her Johnson's Bath.

And.....to celebrate Johnson's Baby's awesome Top-to-Toe wash, I have TEN {yes 10} bottles of this product to giveaway to 10 lucky readers of my blog!!!

To enter, all you have to do is:

1.  FOLLOW MY BLOG here. You do not need to be a blogger, it's just a way of keeping up with my posts.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me that you're a follower of my blog & tell me "WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER WHEN YOU'RE NOT WELL?"

Ten {10} lucky readers will be randomly selected & announced on Friday 22nd June 2012 {ONE WEEK TODAY!}. I will announce the winners on my FACEBOOK page, so make sure you're a 'liker' there, so you don't miss the announcement. {sorry; Australian entrants only for this giveaway}

P.S. While you're on Facebook, why don't you check out JOHNSON'S BABY page & click LIKE to keep up with their updates, products & features!

And in a cruel twist of fete, even after my germ-killing-rampage, I still came down with the gastro. I guess it was to be expected after the night of cleaning up after Ella. By Wednesday afternoon, I was a woozy sticky mess. In fact, I had horrible morning sickness memories come flashing back. I knew I was going to be sick, but I powered through the evening routine, trying to hold it together. I served up chicken, noodle soup....coz that's what sick people need isn't it? heee! And then, literally, the second Ryder was in bed & asleep, my body gave up & sickness peaked. NOT FUN!!!! Another long, sticky, messy night was had! I spent many-a-minute sitting on the floor of the shower letting the hot water trickle over me, contemplating how much energy was needed to actually stand up & get dried! TERRIBLE!!!!! And another day of germ-killing & washing was had yesterday!! Thankfully Chris held the fort a little more than normal, by attending to Ryder during some of his night wakings, running some errands for me, and getting takeaway last night. We all seem to be ok today!! Fingers crossed Ryder doesn't get it.....it truly was the worst gastro I have yet experienced, and to imagine our tiny little man with it, makes me shudder!

But at this stage, we're feeling good and looking forward to the weekend!

Onwards & upwards.

Hey, it's almost the weekend.....why don't you enjoy a bubble bath? :)

Johnson's & Aveeno Baby Review & Giveaway.

To say I was excited to receive the above package from Johnson's Baby & Aveeno Baby is an understatement. As a Mother of 2 little ones, we go through quite a lot of bath products. So receiving my favourite brands.... for free...to review...was kind of cool!

I've been a fan of Johnson's Baby products since Ella was born & I was thrown into the {competitive} world of baby products. There's A LOT of options out there that all claim to be the best for your baby. And a lot of options to meet all kinds of budgets & family needs. However, Johnson's has always been my pick, because it's affordable, it's trusted & it works! It also does what it claims to do :)

I was pretty excited about the Baby Bedtime collection....because I have 2 cherubs who aren't huge fans of sleep, so anything that says "clinically proven to help your baby sleep better" and is 'safe & natural'.....I'm on board! I decided to use this 3 step routine trial with Ryder.

First we bathed :) I added a few drops of the Bedtime Bath to the running water to create a bubble effect {hey, thats the best part about bathtime isn't it?? The Bubbles!!}. I then used a little more of the wash to clean him all over including his hair {not that he has much yet}.

He loves bathtime...and I was enjoying the smell of the Lavender rich creamy wash.

We then followed up with a leg & arm massage with the Baby Bedtime Oil, which also smelt divine & felt nice & silky. He loved the massage but like all fidgety boys, he'd had enough of lying still. So, a quick rub of the Bedtime Lotion on his tummy, back & neck and dressed ready for bed.

I always say that Ryder is so delicious....but after that 3 step routine, he smelt soooo good :)

I will admit that we honestly saw a different side of him after that. Normally by then, after bath, he's tired & had enough & wants to be carried, cuddled & then put to bed. But this night, he happily chilled in the baby swing & allowed us to eat our dinner while he happily watched on. A definite sense of calm about him :)

I'll be honest in saying that he didn't sleep any better that night.....but {no offence to Johnson's} I think it'll take more than lavender to get my kids to sleep deeply.....I swear they have 'energizer batteries' hidden in them somewhere lol :) However, we did notice he was definitely a lot more calm after the bath routine, during that night & the next morning! Excited about what tonight will bring with the continuation of the Johnson's Baby Bedtime products!!!

As for the Aveeno products, I'll be honest in saying that I haven't used much of them before. But VERY glad that we now have some to trial. We'll definitely be getting more. Ella's skin is quite sensitive. Most bath products, lotions & washing powders can give her instant eczema on her arms. So I stick to very mild products with her {usually Johnson's milk bath or plain baby wash}. However, Aveeno were claiming to be good for sensitive skin & dermatologist recommended.

I took a risk & used 3 of the products on the first night. The wash, shampoo & lotion. And all 3 were FAB! No reactions.....no eczema. Just fresh, clean, dreamy skin & hair. Tangle free hair also, which was a bonus!

I'm so happy to now have another natural, affordable option for Ella's sensitive skin. And although the products are advertised for 'baby use'.....I'll be using the Aveeno products too! They're divine!!

If you think you'd like to use these products.....Johnson's & Aveeno have said they will giveaway one of the exact packs I received to one Scissors Paper Rock reader :) Simply comment on this blog post, telling me which Johnson's or Aveeno Products you use & love most! One random commenter will be drawn on Monday night at 8pm 26th March 2012. The winner will receive the same 7 products I received....as pictured above. GOOD LUCK!!!Winner announced here on the blog....and on my Facebook page.

And thank you Johnson's Baby & Aveeno Baby...for the giveaway, and for making FABULOUS products!!