I'm a full-time mummy

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews towards the last quarter of year 2016 to prepare for our coming 4th kiddo who was born in early November 2016 and I am now slowly resuming doing product reviews but prioritizing those that can fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

However, as busy as I am with 4 kiddos, home cooking, taking care of hubby's administration site of the business and swamped up with managing my FB page and blog, I just can't say no to reviewing products that either myself and/or my family can use, so of course I gotta give this product a try! When I first read about Robi, I was intrigued. I mean, how cool is it that you can build your very own robot? As I've got an 8-year-old boy who is VERY into robotics stuff, I just can't say no to reviewing this. So here goes, my first review...

About the company/brand:

"Robi is a fusion of sophisticated design and advanced Japanese technology that was designed to provide interactive bonding experience for the entire family.  More than 130,000 Robi robots has been assembled by fans around the world, making Robi the world’s bestselling humanoid robot from Japan.

Apart from having an extensive vocabulary of more than 250 English and Mandarin phrases, Robi can also sing, dance and control your TV. Most importantly, Robi has been exclusively re-programmed to speak several phrases in Bahasa Malaysia, only available in Malaysia."

We received issues 1 to 8 for our initial review prior to the Malaysia launch on 10th March 2017. Some issues are box type while some are thinner but all of them has a magazine packed with educational articles related to electronics and robotics theme.

For this review post, I will touch more on the magazines' features as well as the assembly of Robi. So far, in the 8 issues we have, there are different robots being featured in each issue. You get to learn more on the concept and functionalities of the robots as well as what is the inspirations on its creation.

I used this opportunity sometimes to get our 8-year-old boy to read out loud the articles to me so that he can practise his reading as well as pronunciation skills or sometimes I will read it to him so he can sharpens his listening skills. It is a great bonding moment as we browse through the issues!

In each issue, you will read on the easy to follow instructions to assemble Robi. The clear step-by-step pictures makes it so much easier for even a young child to follow. There are certain parts which I will take over to assemble such as those that require delicate setup like the circuit board or Servo cables. But mostly I'd say both our boy and myself take turns assembling Robi.

Once you have completed the magazine, you will see the parts to be assembled that comes with the issue. Some of the parts may be kept for future issues and may not be assembled in the current issue, so you really need to keep it safe and not lose them.

I really appreciate that there are some parts which has extra pieces (screws for example) as some of these small items are easy to lose or misplaced. I do however get nervous especially when it comes to the part where it involves circuitry board and the delicate Servo cables. It does train you up to be extremely patient and careful in assembling this robot for sure!

What can I sum up in this first review of mine on Robi? I'd say that it is cool to be able to assemble your very own humanoid robot with ease and using a screwdriver and not any fancy-smancy high-tech gadgets.

Some might dread the wait for each issues (weekly) though I think it can train us to be patient and the wait might be necessary as some people might take their own sweet time to slowly read through the magazine part first before going ahead with the assembly part.

For parents, I think this might be a good way to bond with your child, to work together by instilling teamwork spirit and complete the assembling and enjoying the fruits of labor after that.

Robi will be sold at a wide range of Malaysian retailers via a weekly DeAgostini magazine which will feature the latest Robi parts, simple and easy to follow assembly instructions and educational articles focused on electronics and robotics. Robi is also available via online subscription at https://www.deagostini.my/RB/order_series.aspx

Btw, the launch event and roadshow will take place in One Utama Shopping Centre on March 10 - 12, 2017. The event will be attended by Robi’s creator, Professor Tomotaka Takahashi and Hajime ‘Jimmy’ Murano, the CEO & President of DeAgostini Japan.

For more information, please visit http://www.myrobi.my/ and https://www.facebook.com/robimykl/

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost every day) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews towards the last quarter of year 2016 to prepare for our coming 4th kiddo who was born in early November 2016 and I am now slowly resuming doing product reviews but prioritizing those that can fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

However, as busy as I am with 4 kiddos, home cooking, taking care of hubby's administration site of the business and swamped up with managing my FB page and blog, I just can't say no to reviewing products that either myself and/or my family can use, so of course I gotta give this product a try! 

About the company/brand:

"CHIAUS (Fujian) Industrial Development Co.,Ltd., established in 2006, is a one-stop center for the development, design, manufacture and distribution of quality baby & child care products. CHIAUS have been awarded with national patents for the world first “Dual Absorption Cores” in the year 2014."

We received 4 packs of Chiaus baby diapers: 2 packs of Chiaus Baby Diaper Tape S size, 2 packs of Chiaus Jumbo pack Tape diaper M size and 1 pack of Chiaus Premium Soft Diaper Pants L size.

Here's how the diapers look like from biggest size to smallest size. I kinda like the polka dot design on the tape diapers. So cute and artsy :)

By the time we received the diapers for our review, baby Daryl, our 4th kiddo is in the midst to transition from S size to M size diaper. I tried to test out some Chiaus Baby Diaper Tape S size with the brand that Daryl uses prior to transitioning. Apologies but I think best that I blur out the other brand as I just want to highlight the size and outlook comparison. At first glance, Chiaus Baby Diaper Tape S size is slightly bigger and longer than the brand that Daryl uses.

The inside look of Chiaus Baby Diaper Tape S size with the S size diaper that Daryl uses. We managed to try a couple diapers but on one occasion, Daryl had a massive poop and it leaked out. I think the poop is so super massive that the S size diaper is not able to absorb the poop fast enough and hence the leakage. The same thing happened when Daryl uses the other brand as well, so really, it's the massive poop issues, not the diapers problem hahaha...

Since Daryl uses M size now, I think it's better I focus more on reviewing this diaper size. Picture below is the comparison of Chiaus Jumbo pack Tape diaper M size with the M size diaper brand that Daryl currently uses. We received a carton box of the M size diaper pants type from a client of ours before we had a chance to go out to purchase any M size diapers for Daryl.

I really love the Chiaus Tape diaper M size, the soft material is ultra-thin, so inviting and comfortable to the touch. I actually stretched the elastic portion at the back and it is good, springs back to the position. The side tapes to secure the diapers are strong but yet not sticky or prickly to the touch. Love it!

The Chiaus diapers are clinically approved hypoallergenic and hence allows for maximum protection to babies from getting nappy rash. So far, there has never been any leakage with our boy's pee but there are a few incidents of poo leakage, mainly due to his lying down position which created a gap at the thigh elastic area and hence the seepage out.

We only received a pack of this Chiaus Premium Soft Diaper Pants L size and I've been trying to use it sparingly. Pictures below are the comparison of the Chiaus diaper pants with the brand that our 3-year-old girl currently uses for her night time. Our girl is already potty trained for daytime and outing but at night still need to wear and so far, there has never been any leakage at all with her wearing the Chiaus Premium Soft Diaper Pants L size. 

One thing that I would like to suggest is for Chiaus to have the sticker strip tape at the back of the diaper to secure the used diaper before we dispose it into a dustbin. But otherwise, the diaper is really good!

I love the softness of the seams at the sides of the diaper pants, the seams on the current diaper brand that our 3-year-old girl is using seems a bit rough compared to the Chiaus diaper pants. The elastic band around the legs part are stretchy and it does not leave any marks around my girl's thighs after used but yet, it hugs my girl's thighs comfortably with no leakage at all. Awesome!

In summary, this diaper brand is good, easy on the eye design and I love, love, love the soft comfortable cottony material. 

Recommended! 

You can find out more from http://chiaus.com.my/shop-now.html

Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the products in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost every day) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

I have been cutting down on doing product reviews towards the last quarter of year 2016 to prepare for our coming 4th kiddo who was born in early November 2016 and I am now slowly resuming doing product reviews but prioritizing those that can fit into our family dynamics (especially books on parenting or homeschooling stuff, family products, something along those genre)

However, as busy as I am with 4 kiddos, home cooking, taking care of hubby's administration site of the business and swamped up with managing my FB page and blog, I just can't say no to reviewing good books, what more one as unique as this! Reading is my passion and coupled with books that are of parenting, children, family or religion or educational genre, all the more I gotta say yes! 

I think the concept of monthly subscription boxes is picking up in Malaysia though it is quite a norm in overseas with all sorts of things that you can subscribe to monthly - books, arts and crafts stuff, cosmetic products, snacks and so on!

Description from the company:

"Josh & Cherie Books is a Singapore-based premium children book subscription for ages 0-7. Every month, we handpick 2-3 books (depending on your child's age group), gift-wrap it, and deliver it to your doorstep. We make reading exciting for children, convenient for parents, and affordable for everyone. "

Soon after letting Cheryl (one of the founders) know about our kiddos age range, we received this gorgeous box, nicely packed, so exciting!!! It's like Christmas all over again! Love the cute note written inside the box! Special touch!

We opened the box and found 3 books along with a cute little LED torch light to be used together with one of the books.

Let's have a look at the books we received, shall we? We started off with the "On the Construction Site (Shine-A Light Books)" armed with the cute little LED torch light. Kiddos were all excited with this new concept of reading book hahahah!

Now to be honest, I wouldn't have known such book exist had we not have the opportunity to try out this book subscription. What a cool and fun way to get the kiddos interested! They each get a chance to hold the torchlight and shine it from the back of the pages and see what the shadow reveals. Very cool indeed!

Even our almost 8-year-old boy got excited as well as he quickly answers my questions on what could be behind some pages. Rocks and stones underneath the ground, cabling behind the walls and more! Our girls (age 3 and 5) also look in awe as they admire the cablings behind the walls.

I like that there are some pages explaining the different types of machinery shown in the book and our kiddos get to learn about them as well!

The next book we reviewed is 'Pandora' by the Victoria Turnbull. I personally love the cover of the book. Soft satin material and the illustrations is captivating as well as the beautiful storyline. The book is meant for children from age 4 to 7 but our 3 kiddos seem to enjoy the book and feeling sad and happy as we flipped through the book from beginning to end.

The final book is meant for our littlest kiddo but he is a bit too young to fully appreciate this book yet, hence I will keep it until he is ready for it in a few months' time. The "Red Truck" board book by Kersten Hamilton is about the story of Red Truck saving a school bus from a mud puddle.

But seriously, I did try to let our almost 3 months old boy have a look. He was indeed captivated with the book, most probably because of the bright interesting colors hahaha...

Overall, I think the idea of monthly book subscription is really nice.

Imagine feeling Christmas-sy every month, getting new books (without the headaches of picking and choosing suitable ones) and feeling the excitement and surprises as you opened your monthly box!

I am also impressed on the way the books are selected. Picture below is taken from Josh & Cherie Books website. You can clearly feel that they understand the type of books that suit children, right?

I also think this would also make a wonderful present to gift to your loved ones, imagine every month your loved ones are reminded of your blessings as they received their subscription box. Isn't it wonderful? A gift that keeps on giving :)

You can find out more from https://www.joshandcheriebooks.com/shop

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a subscription box in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous book reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My Book Reviews"

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost every day) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.