Review: Mustela Stelatopia Range - Skincare for babies and toddlers with Dry Skin

Where it comes to matters concerning Kaitlin, I'll admit that I can get pretty fastidious about the food she consumes, hygiene matters and especially the products that we use on her.

I'll make it a point to always read up about the products, do the usual Google search and read reviews about the product before actually letting her use it.

Since Kaitlin has slight eczema, I am very careful with the skincare products that we use on her. She'll be scratching during day time and will tell us about how itchy it is. At times, she'll even cry about it and get cranky. The worst is how it disturbs her slumber at night.

Despite using the prescribed steroid creams from our paediatrician, Kaitlin's eczema problem still exists, and when they flare up it can get pretty bad. That's why besides the creams, I have also tried different skin care products on her. In fact we've already tried out four different baby/toddler body soap brands on her. Her condition has improved slightly with the change of soaps and creams, but I'm still on the lookout for any other products that might improve her skin condition and help soothe the itchiness.

When Mustela sent over their Stelatopia range of products, I couldn't wait to let Kaitlin give it a try. Afterall, Mustela has been a trusted brand that moms have been using on their babies and toddlers.

In case you didn't know, Mustela products are hypoallergenic and contain no parabens, phenoxyethanol, phthalates or alcohol, which makes it safe for even newborns with the most delicate skin.

The Mustela Stelatopia range has been specially designed for newborns and toddlers who have atopic dermatitis. The great thing about this range is that sunflower distillate oil which has a rich content of Vitamin E and essential fatty acids with antioxidant, nourishing, firming and regenerating properties is included.

Kaitlin herself was excited to try out the new bodycare products when I showed them to her!

For the past two weeks, we've been using the Mustela Stelatopia Cleansing Cream whenever we give Kaitlin a shower. At the least, that's two times a day. I like how the practical pump dispenser makes it easy for Kaitlin to soap herself. Besides that, I noticed that the cleansing cream has no strong scents which makes me feel at ease that the product does not contain perfumes which might irritate her already dry skin. This product contains sunflower oil distillate which soothes the skin.

Right after Kaitlin's shower I will immediately moisturize her skin with the Stelatopia Emollient Cream. According to dermatologists, the best time to apply moisturizer is right after a bath as the product would be able to trap some of the water still on the body and use it to hydrate the skin. Kaitlin likes doing it herself as well and would remind us to do it when we are changing her.



I like how the texture of the emollient cream is smooth and does not sting Kaitlin's skin unlike some other products we have used. It moisturizes her skin leaving it supple and yet does not have a sticky after-feel which can get pretty uncomfortable especially in our humid weather. This product contains both sunflower oil distillate and plum oil which softens the skin.

Before we started using the Mustela products, Kaitlin had frequent eczema flare ups on parts of her skin, such as the back of her knees. I applied the Stelatria Purifying Recovery Cream on her skin two to three times a day and noticed a reduce in skin irritation and an improvement in her skin appearance.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the Mustela Stelatopia range. Within the two weeks that we tried the products, Kaitlin's skin condition has improved. Her eczema problem still exists, but it is definitely more controlled with lesser flare ups and we've also noticed that the itchiness has reduced.

Seeing the results thus far, I do think that using the products over a prolonged period of time would have more effective results on her skin. Moreover, I do like how the products are safe and contain natural ingredients.

Having had pretty bad eczema when I was young and even with occasional flare ups now, I do understand how frustrating eczema can be as there is no real cure. As such, for reduced irritations and itching, and a reduction in skin dryness I do recommend giving the Mustela Stelatopia range a try.

Disclaimer: I received the Mustela Stelatopia range of products for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own and was not influenced by any external factors.

The Kiddies Review x GIVEAWAY!

Shopping with an active toddler can sometimes be quite difficult that's why sometimes I online shop for Kaitlin's clothes.

These days it's not easy to find clothing that's comfortable yet affordable for kids. Comfort is a very important factor to me as Kaitlin is at an age where she is very active and as she has eczema I always try to make sure that the clothing I buy is gentle on her skin. Plus, many of the local online shops stock mostly the same clothes and there's a lack of variety.

Thankfully though, THE KIDDIES is one such shop that I can shop at.

THE KIDDIES is a Singapore based online shop selling kids' clothing and shoes at affordable prices and in limited pieces providing that same exclusivity as premium luxury brands. For the latest updates, you can follow them on Instagram!

I was very happy that the apparel that I chose for Kaitlin was delivered so fast. You know the joy you get when you receive parcels from the postman?

Yeah, Kaitlin was just as happy too and couldn't wait to open her parcel when I showed it to her!

She went "See i got shorts and shirt, flower flower one", "See got ribbon also", "Pretty pretty I want to wear". I told her though that we got to wash it first and she listened.

Here's her all excited in her new outfit before we took pictures for her two and a half years old milestone post.

Besides the efficient service from THE KIDDIES, I was also impressed with the quality of the clothing given the affordable price. So far, Kaitlin has worn her new outfit quite a number of times, and no problems at all. The fabric used is very soft and she doesn't sweat as much in it as compared to some of her other outfits which is good news especially with our humid weather and the fact that Kaitlin sweats super easily.

Other than the lovely apparel, babygirl totally loves the owl bag that we received and carried it on her own when we went out. Check out her owl face below!

You know how some clothes are pretty but compromise on comfort? Well, Kaitlin could go crazy at the playground in this outfit and there were no complains from her that she was starting to itch. 

If you are thinking of getting some new apparel for the kids, THE KIDDIES is worth checking out. Thanks to THE KIDDIES, all Hello Little Sunshine readers get to enjoy free normal postage if you mention BWHLS-FNP when placing your order. In addition, there's a giveaway for you readers!

**GIVEAWAY!**

Here's a chance for you to win a 20% discount voucher!

Simply join using the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: We received a set of clothing and lunch bag for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own and was not influenced by any external factors. 

Review: Spa Treatment at Nimble/Knead

We all know how important it is to unwind and relax, but in reality as moms that can sometimes be a little hard for us to do. Time, logistical issues of who's going to look after the kid(s), the list goes on and even when we have everything settled, the truth is some of us just can't stop worrying. Yes, I'm one of those worry warts and that often results in my body being wherever it's supposed to be relaxing, but my mind obviously with Kaitlin.

That also means that in actual fact..I did not get to relax and get a break from my motherly duties!

Recently though, I actually managed to get that break and all thanks to Tranquiltrove and Nimble/Knead. Tranquiltrove is a site that allows you to easily search for reviews and recommendations of health, beauty and wellness services in Singapore. Thanks to them, I had the chance to try out Nimble/Knead's services and experience two hours of pure relaxation! I'm not saying this just because I was sponsored, but because I really did enjoy myself..so much so that I kind of drifted to sleep. I know alot of people can easily forget about everything else and just unwind but I'm not that kind of person, and the fact that I actually fell asleep even for a short while kind of means that it really was that good!

Though I was very worried about leaving Kaitlin with Daddy Li (he's my best and the only person whom I will leave babygirl with!), I won't lie. I was actually looking forward to my spa treatment at Nimble/Knead. It was what I really needed, especially after much that has been going on at home.

Like seriously just look at my tired eyes in the picture that I took while I was omw there D: If not for the wonders of photo editing apps, you would be able to see my eye bags too.

Located within a short walking distance from the famous Tiong Bahru Market, Nimble/Knead promises you spa treatments which not only relax and soothe those tired knots but also leave you inspired.

Unlike most spas, Nimble/Knead's spa concept is very different from most. They have opted for a more industrial look with Zen accents. Their spa rooms are designed as shipping containers and despite the industrial take, I still felt that the place was welcoming.

Shortly after I reached, I was brought to my 'shipping container' and all ready to get pampered.

I got to try out the Thai Thai Aroma massage which started out with a foot rinse. My massage therapist placed my feet in a foot bath and proceeded to help me wash and scrub my feet. I was actually quite surprised as this is the first time I've experienced this when going for a full body massage. Well a pleasant surprise it was. I was impressed that they bothered to go the extra mile to make sure I was pampered top to toe, literally!  

The massage began shortly after and while working out the knots in my body, the massage therapist was thoughtful enough to ask if the applied pressure was alright. It's small little things like this that adds to the entire experience. I was amazed that midway into the massage, I drifted off to sleep! It's really difficult for me to fall asleep and I rarely do cos I'm constantly worrying about life so the massage therapist definitely did a good job in making me unwind! I actually felt quite lazy to turn around when I was supposed to. I know I sound like such a sloth but you need to understand that it was really comfortable laying there. Well I did turned around in the end of course, and I tried to stay awake but failed as I fell asleep for a short while again. 

After that soothing massage, I got try out the Tock Tick Sesame Scrub. It's a new scrub that Nimble/Knead has recently rolled out. Despite the massage therapist turning off the aircon, I felt a little cold while I was getting the body scrub done but I guess it was worth it cos the massage therapist gave me a good all round body scrub, chest and bum bum included. I guess if you feel shy, you could tell the massage therapist to skip these regions. 

When the treatment ended, I was left to shower in the room. A warm hot shower was just what I needed! One thing that's different about Nimble/Knead is that the shower is located in the same room where you receive your treatment. Typically at most spas I've been to, the shower is located outside of the room. I actually like that everything is confined to one room so I don't have to move in and out and the added privacy is a plus.

I honestly wished the treatment never ended and wanted to just sleep the rest of the evening away. I left the room and chilled at Nimble/Knead's indoor garden courtyard whilst sipping on a cup of ginger tea. 

Though the sleepiness lingered, I felt rejuvenated at the end of the spa session. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with Kaitlin's toddler tantrums, but if it happened, I felt like I was ready for it!

The only thing that I didn't really like was that it got a little cold midway through the session. It would have been nicer if it was warmer but that's more of a personal preference and maybe I just feel cold more easily than others do. 

Other than that it was a pleasant experience. Excellent service from the massage therapist and the staff were professional and polite. Not pushy or snotty. No one rushed me, no loud noises, I loved the tranquility of the place. I enjoyed my alone time very much and there was enough privacy to make me feel comfortable and relaxed. Best of all, I fell asleep and the aching in my shoulders and back were gone. 

Having had such a refreshing experience, coupled with their affordable prices and experienced staff, Nimble/Knead is a great hidden find in this quaint neighbourhood estate.

If you are interested to find out more about Nimble/Knead, you can check out their Facebook page for latest updates or click below to schedule an appointment with them.

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Disclaimer: I received a complimentary spa treatment session from Nimble/Knead and Tranquiltrove for the purpose of this review. All content (except for a few images) and opinions are my own and not influenced by any external factors.

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NoQ Store Review and Giveaway!

I recently found about NoQ Store and was thrilled to get the chance to order some books for Kaitlin.

Of course the babygirl was just as happy as I was when the parcel arrived. Just look at how excited she is to receive some new books!

The books we received were all of good quality and no damages at all. I also like how the books were packed into one parcel. With Book Depository, you usually get the books delivered separately even if you check them out together and that can be quite annoying at times.

Yes, I think I got me a little book lover!! Feels like the determination to read to her at least three times a day has paid off :D

Well, in case you haven't heard of NoQ Store, it is an online bookstore of Times Publishing Group that offers over 14 million titles with a wide range of various genres catering to different age groups. Besides books, you can also browse and purchase other products such as textbooks, assessment books, magazines and even stationery.

I much prefer to order books online as I can easily shop in the comfort of my home and have them delivered without having to worry about carrying them. Shopping on NoQ was quite a enjoyable experience and here are the reasons why I love it:

Variety
I like how they have a variety of books genres available from cooking, parenting to fiction books. The Children's range itself has so many titles that you will be spoilt for choice and might end up buying a little more than you intend to. Often, I find there to be limited options or for the books I want to purchase to be out of stock. However, I have had no such problems on NoQ Store.

Easy Navigation and SearchOne of the things I really hate about online shopping is if it is difficult to navigate around the site or being unable to find items that I want easily. I would just close the entire window if that happens. Thankfully though on NoQ Store, they categorize their items pretty well. For example, in the Children's section, they categorize books based on different age range. This makes it easy for parents who aren't sure what titles are age appropriate for their child. Books are also categorized according to themes like animals/fairy tales/history. Besides that, you are able to choose how many items you would like to view per page and how you would like them to be sorted based on popularity, date or price.

Low Prices
The prices of the books are cheaper than most bookstores in Singapore. Besides that NoQ Store also has promotions from time to time which means you can enjoy great savings and buy more books. They also have a Bargain Books section with over 21,000 titles starting from as low as $2.

Currently NoQ Store is having a promotion on their activity books. They are going at 15% off from now till 4th March.

Free Delivery (min. spending of $25)
It's not difficult to chalk up SGD$25 so you can almost be assured of free delivery when you shop on NoQ Store. For orders below SGD$25, you will have to pay a flat fee of SGD$5.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for an account for free and start shopping away especially cos I have got good news for you!

For all Hello Little Sunshine Readers, there's a special 15% discount code valid till 30 April 2014. Simply key in SUNSHINE when you check out your purchases via the NoQ Store website or through their mobile app.

Please do note that:
Promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and discounts/

Promotion code can only be applied upon checkout and not to orders already placed

Promotion not applicable to tax charges.

On top of the special discount code, I've also got a $20 NoQ Store Voucher to giveaway to one lucky reader! All you have to do is follow the instructions for the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I was given store credits to experience book shopping on NoQ Store. All opinions and views are 100% my own and not influenced by any external factors.

Fresh Produce at your Doorstep

Grocery shopping online is pretty common nowadays, but not many online grocers sell and deliver fresh produce right to your doorstep. Recently though, I was glad to find out about SGVegetables and they do just that!

I got the opportunity to check out the entire shopping experience with SGVegetables, and I'm so glad they exist! With the recent rainy days, it's definitely not easy to head out for grocery shopping. With SGVegetables I don't have to worry about carrying heavy loads in the rain (such a hassle cos we don't drive) and I can still get what I want with their wide selection of vegetables and fruits. There's more as SGVegetables also has a selection of Yong Tau Foo (Beancurd), Dried Products and even Meat.

They also do sell by bulk, which is great if you're having a big party or a cookout.

The different categories are pretty self-explanatory and the entire site is easy to navigate around with useful sub-sections within each category. Besides that, they also list new products on their homepage.

I liked that the site gave me the to option to view all the products at one go, which is just the way I like to shop. Also, I really liked the extensive selection of vegetables from those used in usual Chinese stir-fry recipes to vegetables like kale and beetroot that are more commonly used in Western cooking.

I was also happy to see organic fruit options! If you are a frequent reader or a close friend you would know that I like to feed Kaitlin organic food items that are reasonably priced. Especially so for fruits or veggies that fall under the dirty dozen list like apples. With that said, it would be great to see more organic produce options.

I was excited to see some of the vegetable and fruit options like broccolini and blackberries and had wanted to order them, but I guess they were popular items so some of them was out of stock. I actually waited a day in between to see if the items were back in stock but they weren't. I'm not sure why but perhaps they really did not have stock or the site was not updated so I added them to 'My Wishlist' instead. It's an option made available to customers and it's great for me as I can select items that are currently out of stock but that I wish to order in future.

Check out was a breeze and an immediate confirmation was also sent to my email. Whilst checking out, I was able to choose the day/time of delivery and mode of payment. As SGVegetables does not import vegetables on Sunday night, do note that they generally do not do delivery on Mondays. This is to ensure that produce delivered is fresh.

Should you need an urgent delivery you are still able to email or call them, and subject to stock availability it might be possible to get what you need in a matter of few hours.

Free delivery is available on orders above SGD$39 and anything below that would require you to pay a delivery charge of SGD$12. Great news is that SGVegetables does not charge GST as they absorb all GST. 

So after I made my order (in the comfort of my room while I multi-tasked watching Kaitlin nap!), all I really had to do was wait for my order to arrive.

Delivery arrived on time and I was so happy to see the items all nicely packed! They were also sweet to add in a few additional items, and no they weren't items that were about to spoil or in bad condition. In fact, the complimentary bananas weren't even ripe yet.

I also like that upon delivery I was informed that an item that I had ordered was out of stock and had been replaced with another vegetable. This meant that I wouldn't have to call and check what happened. If I had to be nitpicky, I would have preferred if they had called before delivery to inform and if possible that I could get a refund or choose another vegetable item that was of the same price or that I could top -up an amount for. In total only two items I ordered were out of stock and replaced. Nevertheless, since I'm not fussy about veggies, it was fine by me.

Freshness wise, most of the produce delivered were pretty good. Except for certain items like the pre-packed mushrooms were starting to turn bad two days later, but that's how mushrooms are right? Also some of the passion fruits delivered were a little overwrinkled, but when opened they still tasted great. I would rate the freshness level of their fruits and vegetables 7/10.

Now the big problem (kind of a happy problem!) though was finding a place to store all the lovely produce. I kind of had a hard time keeping everything in the fridge but thankfully I managed to :)

The big question though is whether I would order my vegetables from SGVegetables again..and the answer is YES! Honestly though, I much prefer to head to the wet market or supermarket to select the produce myself cos I'm particular like that. However, in situations where I would be hosting friends and need to buy a huge amount of produce, or if I've got no one to help me out with carrying all the groceries or the weather is terrible (like the current rainy season), I would definitely get my produce through SGVegetables. It's convenient and hassle free, they've a wider selection compared to their other competitors, prices are pretty much on par with supermarkets and I find the produce sent to be of pretty good quality.

Besides all of the awesome reasons why you should check out SGVegetables, here's another great one! Thanks to SGVegetables, Hello Little Sunshine readers get to enjoy 10% off your orders. Simply key in sgv-litsun when you check out. Do note that it's only for a one-time use for each customer.


Disclaimer: The shopping experience with SGVegetables was sponsored for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own and was not influenced by any other external factors. 

Review: De Hygienique Mattress and Carpet Cleaning Services

I'm a self confessed messy person..and also quite the hoarder but when it comes to hygiene, I'm pretty particular about it, especially if it has to do with Kaitlin.

Thus, when De Hygienique approached me to do a review on their cleaning services, I was more than happy to try it out.

De Hygienique is Singapore's leading cleaning service provider to introduce soft furnishing cleaning treatment using 100% dry or low moisture and chemical safe cleaning technologies from Europe. They clean and sanitize mattresses, carpets/rugs and upholsteries. Besides Singapore, their services are also available in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong.

What made me particularly interested to try out De Hygienique cleaning services was that do not use water or any chemical solutions to clean. This is great as that means lesser/no drying time needed. Furthermore, the fact that it is chemical safe is great as that means I don't have to worry if it will have any possible side effects on us, and more importantly on Kaitlin.

The cleaning team came by last Saturday, and before I review their services proper,  let me just say that I'm sure glad that they came by! We had two items for them to clean, our mattress which all three of us share and also Kaitlin's play rug.

100% Dry and Chemical Free Mattress Cleaning Treatment

Before they started cleaning, Mr Fendi Zhang, De Hygienique's manager first took a look at our mattress before proceeding to explain the cleaning process. I was happy that as he assessed the mattress and also let us know beforehand that certain stains will not be able to be removed. It's good that they are upfront about what can be achieved after the cleaning and sanitizing.

The equipment you see below is De Hygienique's industrial grade vacuum which definitely does not look like any of  the normal vacuums you see selling at departmental stores. In fact this heavy vacuum uses a high performance mattress cleaning technology designed and manufactured in Germany by POTEMA. 

Prior to cleaning the entire mattress, Mr Fendi demonstrated just how powerful their cleaning system was. His team vacuumed only a small portion of our bed and this was the amount of dirt collected! It's really quite a gross sight isn't it? You don't normally see this much dirt with the naked eye, but the truth is that they do exist on our beds, and are what causes us to have allergic symptoms like asthma, rhinitis and eczema.

Now, this obviously shows that all of that sunning and smacking of our mattress to get rid of dust and dirt is definitely not sufficient enough to keep our mattress clean. Similar to how we make use of the UV rays in the sun to air and "clean" our mattress, De Hygienique's cleaning system does the with it's attached UV-C light that efficiently eliminates bacteria and dirt and kill spores that grow on the mattress.

Our mattress also underwent a pulverization process where the embedded clumped up dirt vibrated into finer particles and were then extracted into the tightly woven HEPA filter bag. Through this process, almost 90% of the dirt from as deep as 4 inches into the mattress can be removed. Both sides of our mattress were vacuumed to ensure thorough cleaning. Here's one of De Hygienique's staff cleaning our mattress with such professionalism. 

After our mattress was completely cleaned, a chemical safe solution consisting of alcohol and 100% natural special pressed orange oil was used to sanitize it. 

The orange oil is said to help delay the re-infestation of dust mites in the mattress for about 4-6 months by neutralizing dust mite excrements and retarding their growth. As a mom, I was definitely more than happy to here the words "natural" and "sanitize" cos that meant it's safe for Kaitlin.

I was very impressed that the cleaning process did not involve any moisture and chemical which could potentially damage the mattress comfort and material. More importantly, we were all able to use the mattress shortly after. 

Dry Carpet Cleaning Treatment

Just like our mattress, Mr Fendi first checked out our rug. Basically, as our rug was still in a pretty good condition and there were hardly any stains, not much intensive cleaning was needed.

The team first started off by doing a general vacuuming of the rug. As you can see the team worked well together in helping each other out which ensures that the shortest amount of time would be needed to clean your items. Moreover, I also felt assured that items like my rug and mattress will be thoroughly cleaned instead of being done in a slipshod manner.

Next they sprayed a solution onto our carpet which would turn the dust particles and dirt into crystals. Once the crystal residues formed, the staff next used their carpet cleaning system to clean it off and removed any other dirt from bottom up, whilst restoring the carpet pile.

The observant team also noted that there was a marker stain on the rug, which I forgot about. Mr Fendi did tell me that stains from markers and pens would be near impossible to remove unless they were fresh stains. Despite that, they went the extra mile and tried to do some spot cleaning using a chemical safe stain removal solution.

Though it was not possible to completely remove the marker stain, it did lighten a bit. After that, our rug was vacuumed once more to thoroughly remove and discard any other dirt and solution before they sprayed the same sanitizing spray used for our mattress. After the entire cleaning process, though our rug did not look visibly cleaner as there were hardly any stains to begin with, it definitely did look brighter and the texture of our rug was just like when we first bought it.

Just a note, we aired our rug and mattress for a few hours after, just to make sure the alcohol from the sanitizing spray evaporated, but really hardly any drying time is really needed.

All in all I'm very happy to have had De Hygienique's team over to clean our mattress and rugs. They did a fantastic job in getting rid of the dirt and dust, and all within a reasonable amount of time. The staff would also place a sticker on your mattress indicating when the mattress was last cleaned, which is a good reminder to let you know when it's about time to give them a call again to have it professionally cleaned.

 Service wise, they were excellent. Half an hour before they arrived, they gave me a call to notify me that they would be coming by soon. The staff were all very professional and polite. They knew what they were doing and did a good job cleaning our items. Mr Fendi gave me an estimation of how long the cleaning will take and did a great job explaining in depth about the cleaning procedures and also analyzing our items to see what could and could not be done. Despite the different questions we asked, he was able to answer them all honestly and did not try to divert the question.

I would definitely engage De Hygienique's services again. We are only able to get rid of surface dirt with the kind of cleaning tools and equipment we have. Thus, if you want your items to be professionally cleaned, it's really best to give them a call.

*** Promotion till end Nov 2013

Just for Hello Little Sunshine readers, you get a 10% discount when make an appointment booking by 30th Novemeber 2013. When booking, be sure to to inform Customer Service that you got to know about De Hygienique through Hello Little Sunshine.

It's a short promotion period, so don't miss out on this good offer. Here are more of their details:

De Hygienique (Asia) Pte Ltd
Address: 53 Ubi Avenue 1 #03-44 Paya Ubi Industrial Park (S:408934)

Email: enquires@dh-asia.com
Contact Number: 6749 1950


Disclaimer: De Hygienique sponsored the cleaning services for our mattress and rug for the purpose of this review. All opinions and views are my own and was not influenced by any external factors.

Grocery Shopping On RedMart - A Mommy's Guide

Awhile back I blogged about how shopping online for groceries through RedMart is so convenient and such a timesaver. Now I'm back to show you how easy it is to do order your groceries on their user-friendly website.

First off, you've got to create an account which you can simply log in to for future purchases. Setting up the account is real easy and can be done with a minute.

After you've signed up for an account, a confirmation email will be sent to you.

From there on, you just have to log in to your account and start shopping away!

There are lots of categories and varieties available on RedMart, so you'll definitely be able to find what you need from food products to pet supplies.

Tip #1: Check out the 'On Sale' and 'New' sections for great deals and products that have just arrived.

For my purchase, I managed to buy beverages, baby products like diapers and household items like floor cleaners. It was very easy to navigate and find what I needed as the items were well-categorized with many specific sections within each category.

Tip #2: When you're in a rush or can't seem to find what you want, use the search tool.

The search button lets you easily key in what you're looking for and view the products available. I tested it out and it made my online shopping experience that much easier.

Shopping online means that I can compare the different products easily and make a comparison on things like the ingredients in that product and the price. What's more RedMart provides a quick description of the product. I found this useful for products which I've never seen or heard of before but was interested to get. 

Take this pack of organic rice as an example. I've never seen this brand before and was interested to find out more. Through the product description and being able to zoom in to read the details on the packaging, I was able to find out more.

When you've found the products that you want, simply choose to 'Add To Cart' or 'Add To My List'.

'My Cart' lists all the products that you want/are going to buy, while in 'My List', you can choose products that you want to purchase, and choose to add to your cart when you've made up your mind. If not, you can just leave it on your list, as a reminder for yourself to purchase it in future. In short, it's kind of your shopping list.

When you're done shopping, the next step is to 'Check Out'. Simply key in your address. The great thing is, you can have more than one address to choose from. That's good for people who want deliver to their own house, and yet sometimes would need the groceries to be delivered to their parents/in-laws or office address.

After selecting the address, you can choose your delivery day and time followed by your payment mode.

Tip #3: For all Hello Little Sunshine readers, you get 10% off on your first purchase. Simply key in 'rm_lilsun' before you confirm your payment.

You will be able to view your confirmed order and a confirmation email will also be sent. All you have to do next is wait for your delivery to arrive right at your door step!

So to all who think that online shopping is difficult, it' actually not at all when you shop on RedMart. Follow the simple steps above, and you'll be able to enjoy fuss-free grocery shopping at your fingertips.

Disclaimer: This is Part Two of a series of compensated, scheduled conversations between RedMart and Hello Little Sunshine. All opinions and views are my own.

'Today I Am' Book Review X GIVEAWAY!

Kaitlin loves reading, so when we received the 'Today I Am' book written and illustrated by Mies van Hout I couldn't wait to introduce it to her.

'Today I Am' is the second English translation of the award winning Dutch children's book "Vrolijk" by Mies van Hout. First published on June 2011 in Netherlands, the book has since garnered many accolades including being nominated for the prestigious Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Children’s Literature Award) 2013.

"Vrolijk" is such a well-received book that it has been translated into German, Italian, French and Basque and there are even plans to have it translated to Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, Thai, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Filled with pages of beautiful illustrations, it's no wonder that Kaitlin enjoyed this book about emotions. "Today I Am" is actually targeted at kids aged two to seven years old. However if you ask me, I find that with such a story, no matter how young or old, everyone will surely enjoy flipping through this book.

 

Daddy Li read the book to Kaitlin and she immediately took a liking to it. He also took the opportunity to act out the different kinds of emotions, and needless to say Kaitlin was pretty amused. Here's an example of how he portrayed the emotions to her!

I liked how the book wasn't wordy at all and the illustrations were colourful and clear. This makes the book great for reading to toddlers like Kaitlin who have a short attention span and are at an age where visuals play a big role.

Kaitlin enjoyed the story so much that after we read it to her, she decided to just flip through it herself!

I personally find that teaching children about emotional awareness plays quite an important role in raising happy and healthy children, and "Today I Am" does help in teaching that. For example, it helps kids learn about what is it that they are feeling, the different kinds of emotions there are and even how emotions can be expressed on paper. Often, we find ourselves telling people that we are "okay", "happy" or "sad", but really there are more emotions than that like "carefree, "frustrated" and "jealous".


Besides that, I find that "Today I Am" which features 20 common emotions and feelings will come in handy as a fun and useful way of broadening Kaitlin's vocabulary.

As an extension of the book, there's a "Today I Am" e-book iPad app that allows children to read on the go.

On top of that, they can also record their daily emotions and discover new words. If you're interested, you can download it over here.

*** Giveaway Closed! ****

Now, all good things should be shared...so here's a special WORLDWIDE GIVEAWAY for all Hello Little Sunshine readers! Courtesy of Fish Book Co. I've got five books to giveaway. Here's what you have to do to win:

1. Like Hello Little Sunshine's Facebook page
2. Leave a comment on this post with your name, email address and Facebook account name

Winner will be picked randomly. Giveaway closes on 10 September 2013. Remember it's a worldwide giveaway, so readers residing outside of Singapore you can join in as well!



***UPDATE!***
Thank you to all who participated in the giveaway! Here are the winners:



Congratulations to Yvonne Lim, Jackie, Jasmine, Kylie and Adeline! I will be emailing all of you soon to get more details, so do check your email inbox/spam folder.

For those who did not win, there will be more giveaways soon, so do remember to check back every now and then, and giveaways aside, of course I do hope that you'll continue to read and support Hello Little Sunshine :)