You've either seen the commercial, heard about it from someone or you received a brand new Mastercard with a "Paypass" label on it. So what is it???  MasterCard PayPass is a new, contactless way to pay. It’s like having exact change wherever you go.


In the real world everyone is busy juggling a career, family, social life, and social networking, this is where Paypass fits in a simple tap of your card is all it takes to pay and off you go.

I know what your going to say : Now come on how busy can one person be that they cant place their order, swipe their card, enter their pin, wait for the "approved" tick (phew....) and collect your items...!


Then let me give you a birds eye scenario from my day to day life....


All 3 kids are dressed ready to go the doctors, woolies then my sisters, so we decide to stop over at Mcdonalds for a quick meal maybe a coffee and off I go...right??? wrong...


Ignoring how long it took me and the kids to get ready to leave and how stressed out I already am  , we finally arrive at Mcdonalds - yeah the kids scream...


As we always do, I line up while the kids play but on Friday the line was long with 2 registers working. Just when I realised we only had 15 minutes to order, eat, and get to the doctors it was then my turn.
As I was ordering my son who was red faced and sweaty came crying with my two girls following him, some kid pushed him and made him cry..."ok sweetheart wait while mum orders and pays...."


Calmly I ignored him and continued placing my order which made my little man even more furious which then led to him  on the floor having a wonderful tantrum & banging his beautiful head on the floor....AAAAA the joys...


Mind you the cashier is still standing there, because of McDonalds policy you have to pay before they can prepare your food ...now the good bit!!!! I whipped out and tapped my new super smart debit CBA Mastercard and using the Paypass technology it was paid for allowing me to calm my son while everything was being prepared.

Well I lied abit, we did have troubles with the Paypass reader and after I tapped the card 5 times, the cashier tried twice, then I had to explain why I insist on using Paypass and not swiping, the lovely cashier explained the story to her manager who was nice enough to tell us we were doing it wrong.


We had to hold the card horizontally pressed against the sensor and presto all 4 small lights flicked on and that was it.


The cashier said "great, done" and I was still standing there with my red faced snotty son in my arms, my girls behind me, wallet opened looking at the women thinking "is that it? " "is there anything else I need to do?"


Now is it safe????


According to CBA Mastercard:

• MasterCard PayPass is at least as secure as other MasterCard cards.
• Because your PayPass card never leaves your hand when you make a payment it means you are in absolute control.
• With PayPass, there are no accidental payments – your card must be tapped against the reader at the checkout to work.
• You also don’t need to worry about being billed twice. Even if you tap more than once at the checkout, you’ll only get billed once for the purchase.

Another good bit is MasterCard’s Zero Liability protection means cardholders are covered from the costs of unauthorised transactions and you have the option of requesting a receipt.


Hubby said someone could "copy" your card and off they go using Paypass so off I went and done some  research (spoke to a rep at CBA, & online search) - for someone to clone your card they have to be something like 4cm close by and thats uncomfortably close in your personal space....


While doing my research I came across another site Zug, for those who believe signature credits are the safest - how many times have you signed the purchase receipt only to have the cashier not compare signatures?


Overall, while noone can live or live without the banks we all know how strict they are when it comes to fraud and if they believed their would be the slightest chance Paypass will be prone to fraud do you really think they would have around 88 million MasterCard PayPass cards worldwide?

Where the Good goes

Each year, almost 9 million children in the developing world die of largely preventable and treatable illnesses before they reach the age of five – that equates to approximately 24,000 child deaths a day!

Save the Children and the Ad Council launched a new national public service campaign, “ See Where the Good Goes" to raise awareness and support the importance of local health workers as a critical part in newborn and child survival in the developing world.



The care is delivered by these local health workers who serve in their own communities or local clinics. In fact, Save the Children estimates that every 4 seconds a child’s life is being saved as a result of the care provided by these local health workers.

The interactive website, Good Goes provide an opportunity for their visitors to learn more about the issue of child survival and the role of the local health worker and “See where the good goes.” Also, connecting through social media strategies, an innovative Facebook application, users will be encouraged to become a part of a virtual wallof support for local health workers and share messages of encouragement. Audiences will also have the opportunity to sign up on Twitter to receive tweets about local health workers and their journeys.



So what can we do???


SPREAD THE WORD AND SHOW OUR SUPPORT  by signing up.



Facebook.com/GoodGoes
Twitter.com/GoodGoes
YouTube.com/GoodGoes

Thousands of local health workers walk miles each week to check on newborns and treat children with life threatening illnesses. For them, there is no such thing as too far away. Many of us walk for our health. But how many steps would you take to help save a child?

Goodgoes.org is giving a pedometer to one lucky reader, to measure your own steps and keep yourself healthy. All you have to do is

visit GoodGoes.org to join Save the Children’s campaign to support health workers and to see all the steps you can take to help the good go further.



notes:


find photo of pedometer, competition details and put 2 photos plus/include banner...

Have you heard about Aromaclay?

(Bubbee Website) Aromatherapy has tip toed into your child's play with AromaPlay!

This is an exciting addition to your childs playtime and is a natural, non toxic, biodegradable & 100% Gluten free Play Clay.

Seven carefully chosen essential oils have been added to our clay and when played with release the aromatherapy oils into the air.. these scents can assist with easing the sniffles, calming to a quiet roar, aid in concentration or bringing some joy; all whilst the child creates, imagines and enjoys. 

This time luck was on my side, I won two Gluten Free Aromaplay clay from Bubbee's Facebook competition. A week later I received both the green coloured   "Your Attention Please" and also the "Sniff Snuff" .

My Review

Just look at the packaging - how cute!
The containers are small but adorable, the colours are bright and match the string decoration. 

When I took the clay out of the box and noticed the bright clay, I actually thought maybe the clay is for adults and not kids 

( or maybe it was my own wishful thinking. )

stamped flower - simple but cute

The main difference between commercial regular play doh and the Aroma Clay is the bright colours and the fresh aroma. You notice it when you remove the lid and welcome the aroma even the box the clay came in had the slightest distinctive smell to it.

The clay does have a dry texture and you will need to knead it for about 2 minutes to smooth it out.


My 3 year old couldnt roll it out properly but once I kneaded it a little, she was fine to play, shape and roll it.

My 5 year old liked the "soft feeling inside" when she cut it in 1/2. She also liked the clay not having a "squishy" feeling (according to her, commercial play-doh feels squishy).


She loved how she could peel/separate the colours that were mixed in her ball.


But this also meant, the colours didn't hold or mix therefore we had dramatic tears when her snake kept breaking.









My 18 month old little man has been at it again, this time I went to grab my camera and he decided playing with the clay wasnt enough, he had to taste test it as well. This is why I love non-toxic children's products,and the Aroma clay is thankfully non-toxic.


According to the Care Instructions, Due to its non toxic all natural state this Play Clay WILL dry out when left for too long however a few drops of water or olive oil and a quick play will bring it back to life. Try to get it into an airtight container whenever its not in use and keep in a dark place. Scents will fade in time all depending on use and care. Please keep out of heat & sunlight

I left the lid off but wrapped the clay in bubble wrap so  I can see if it as simple as a few drops of oil or water.


I definitely recommend to add oil instead of water, not only did it 'bring it back to life' quicker but the clay kept the soft texture during play. The water did take longer and was a little sticky.


Despite drying the clay, the aroma was still there, obviously not as strong as before but still noticeable.

While I received my clay over a fortnight ago, I prefer to do my 'test drives' over a week or two so I can write my reviews based on accurate play or use of the products.

Overall, the smell and the colours is as described and I highly recommend any mum who has a sick child to grab the "Sniff Snuff" clay with the eucalyptus in it.


Packaging: The clay were in small containers and packaged well in a small box.
Delivery: I received the covers within a week.
Communication: prompt on emails
Price: 200g Tubs for $8.90 each

fotofone

(from website) Creator John Wilson – who with wife Vuthea created the entire concept - says the whole idea of Fotofone is to give people or businesses the opportunity to create their very own personalised phone cover to protect their mobile phone at a reasonable price. He says mobile phones have now become a key part of life for millions of Aussies.

My kids seem to be growing by the second, and like most mums I have an obsession with photos and keeping precious moments forever.So, when I saw Fotofone in Australia's major Family & Parenting magazine, I had to have one now.

Fotofone was aspired by an anxious Hubby & Wife team in Victoria / Australia who wanted to proudly display a photo of their then expected little baby girl on their mobile phones. Over  2 1/2 years later John & Vuthea's dream, success and hard work has become today's latest mobile accessory "must have".

Fotofone covers are Australian made hard plastic phone covers and not simple stickers which in my personal experience have always peeled off. The website is easy to navigate, userfriendly and gives you complete control in the design of your own personalised photo cover.

I received both the plastic cover and the rubber cover for my review, and believe me once you see the covers you'll know why I'm so excited..

Plastic Cover

 
- I prefer the plastic cover over the rubber -I don't know if its the white background that blends nicely with the photo, or being plastic it looks more solid or simply because it is my favourite photo.

 1 & 2. Phone and cover thickness. 3 - removing the snap on cover 4. inside of cover

Like most new accessories, I did have to play around with the cover before getting the hang of connecting it to the phone, its easy to "snap on" but tricky to remove. Also with the cover attached, the phone does feel the slightest bit thicker than normal (nothing dramatic) but you do get use to it after a couple of days.

Rubber Cover:   

My babies photos were taken using a low resolution mobile, but the photo on rubber cover turned out amazing.

As a tip, if you choose the rubber (with black background) either use a Black & White photo or a bright photo as this will not only bring out the photo more but I think it will look much better.

Because its Rubber, there wasnt any visible wear to the cover nor to the photo, and was very easy to slip on /off of the phone.

 1 & 2. Phone and cover thickness. 3 - My cover 4. removing the snap on cover 

Initially, I had two concerns about the covers - first I thought the cover would fall off . But once you snap it on you know there is no way the cover will fall off. Second, my bag is a scary place to be and I thought about the scratches or damages to the photos during my day to day activities but what surprised me was, there was only the slightest wear but nothing to the photo. The quality is impressive.!

Overall, its the best and affordable present for anyone or simply yourself. Fotofone also offer gift certificates.

Packaging: The covers are sent in individual plastic taped slips and well packaged.

Delivery: I received the covers within a week.

Communication: Highly recommended, Fotofone are very prompt on replying to emails and during my dealing I felt they really value their customer satisfaction.

Price: $29.95 plus postage - very safe & secure transaction.

fotofone approval

(from website) Creator John Wilson – who with wife Vuthea created the entire concept - says the whole idea of Fotofone is to give people or businesses the opportunity to create their very own personalised phone cover to protect their mobile phone at a reasonable price. He says mobile phones have now become a key part of life for millions of Aussies.

My kids seem to be growing by the second, and like most mums I have an obsession with photos and keeping precious moments forever.So, when I saw Fotofone in Australia major Family & Parenting magazine, I had to have one now.

Fotofone was aspired by an anxious Hubby & Wife team in Victoria / Australia who wanted to proudly display a photo of their then expected little baby girl on their mobile phones. Over  2 1/2 years later John & Vuthea's dream, success and hard work has become today's latest mobile accessory "must have".

Fotofone covers are Australian made hard plastic phone covers and not simple stickers which in my personal experience have always peeled off. The website is easy to navigate, userfriendly and gives you complete control in the design of your own personalised photo cover.

The How to 

Firstly, choose your phone - Im using an Iphone  and considering my favourite colour changes with every mood I decided to be safe and choose the " upload your own image" option to keep it plain and simple.

You do have more control over the design of  your cover in the  "Design your own cover" option with different backgrounds, patterns and preloaded graphics available.

Once you've chosen your photo and clicked "upload' keep an eye out for the  small grey message to the right of the "phone preview" which I didnt see, so I did repeat this process a few times.

I did have to rotate and resize my photo by 'click  drag' method on the corner of the lined box outside the photo. I was fortunate when I received both the Rubber and the Plastic covers for my 'test drive' (imagine my excitement!). 

Plastic Cover - I don't know if its the white background that blends nicely with the photo, or being plastic it looks better  or because that it is my favourite photo but I prefer the plastic over the rubber.

Like most new accessories, I did have to play around with the cover before getting the hang of connecting the cover also it does feel the smallest bit thicker than normal (nothing dramatic) but you do get use to it after a couple of days.

The photo wasnt scratched during the 'test drive ' week, but there was the slightest wear to the cover but Im happy with that.

Rubber: I had combined 3 baby shots on Photoshop so I could upload a single photo and I do like the rubber feel protecting the phone. I was suprised with the photo quality, as the initial photos were taken on a low resolution photo mobile and despite that the Fotofone quality was excellent.

As a tip, if you choose the rubber (with black background) either use a Black & White photo or a bright photo (designs or background) as this will not only bring out the photo more but I think it will look much better.

Because its Rubber, there wasnt any visible wear to the cover nor to the photo.

Packaging: The covers are sent in individual plastic taped slips and well packaged.

Delivery: I received the cover with in the week.

Communication: Highly recommended, Fotofone are very prompt on replying to emails and during my dealing I felt they really value their customer satisfaction.

Price: $29.95 plus postage - very safe & secure transaction.

Skin Soothing Lotion and Chest & Nose Relief

Baby Concepts is 100% natural and organic, containing Australian certified organic essential oils for its pure and therapeutic purpose.  Calendula is chosen as the main oil in this range due to its anti-inflammatory and gentle properties, which is wonderful for rashes, eczema and sensitive skins, commonly found in babies.

I really looked forward to Baby Concepts review, not only because im TRYING to become an Organic convert but because my daughter has sensitive skin therefore any lotions we use on her must be fragrance free. But each time we try something new it either aggravates her rash or doesn't live up to the promise therefore we always return back to Sorbelean Cream.

The 10g samples I received were Baby Concepts most popular products - "Skin Soothing Lotion" and "Breathe Naturally" Chest and Nose Relief Balm.

open - Skin Soothing Lotion and Chest & Nose Relie

My review

Skin Soothing Lotion.

I didn't expect to see as much result as I did from these tiny samples. The lotion is very creamy but yet has a thin texture which made it conveniently quick and easy to apply on my active son who hates creams.

I tested a small amount on my hands prior to my son, the lotion didn't have an oily base nor an oily feeling after. The texture made it easy to blend into my skin and it left a refreshingly soft feeling after.

I'm not sure if it was the Almond or Vanilla extract that gave the lotion a faint soothing smell. Once I applied the lotion to my son, the smell wasn't noticeable at all - which I didn't mind.

Test Drive on my Daughter

According to my daughter the lotion "doesn't itch or burn" , nor did she have a reaction to it. YEAHHH 

Test Drive on my son - 

What better way than to 'test drive' on my son who bumped his chin onto the coffee table the same week we received the samples. Now, this is what you call a dedicated PR team ....!

(before)maybe not the best shot - but he was very sick & clingy .

signs of healing

If you can make it out, the "before" photo was taken 2 days after he scraped his chin. I applied the lotion 3 times a day, mainly on his sore, and his cheek areas. I started noticing the red circle around the sore on day 3.
A week later the scrap had fallen off and his sore was healing on its own.

(after)Notice the scrap has fallen and now its just new skin healing.

Overall, I was impressed with Baby Concepts "Skin Soothing Lotion", this is one review I enjoyed and benefited from, so much so that I purchased a 125ml lotion. I did find $16.95 a little pricey compared to other Organic lotions but we also know we do get what we paid for, and this I believe is one of  the best Lotion we have tried til now.






"Breathe Naturally" Chest and Nose Relief Balm.

I did have to mix the balm while in the tub, as the oil sits on top of the balm giving it a melted look.

The balm does have a slightly grainy texture when rubbed between my fingers but when applied onto my sons chest it had a more smooth easy to spread feel. As it is a balm, it does leave the skin with a slight shine but that's expectant.

I did have to mix the balm to blend the oil back with the balm prior to applying.

I currently use Vicks Vaprorub on my kids, while I don't feel its enough to help clear their chest or nose, as a mum though who is desperate for quick results and solution, I will continue to rub Vicks on their chest and their pillow.

I found the Balm to work just as well as Vicks Vaparub but without the heavy Eucalyptus scent to add to the "cold/flu smell" - which only a mum will understand what a "cold/flu" smell really is - dirty house, Eucalyptus oils, closed windows, and kids coughing.

  The balm is Non-Toxic which was accidentally tested by my Tarzan JNR who has a habit of eating and drinking everything that's a no-no. His tried my "non-toxic" craft glue, the girl's crayons, my vitamins and now he decided he will eat or lick (don't know how he did it) but he finished the balm sample tub. So, not only did I have a panic attack,but I also had to request another sample to finalise my review.

Overall, I loved the smell of the balm and will continue applying the balm on all three of my children and myself.

 Delivery & Packaging: I received the package well packed in a bubble wrap envelope 3 days after my payment. Again, very impressive, safe, secure and friendly transaction.

Cids Photography

CIDS Photography (pronounced as Kids)are professional portrait photographers who specialise in 

• Pregnancy and Newborn portraits,
• babies and children portraits,
• couples and family portraits,
• Engagement and wedding Portraits,
• and any other special occasions  including the messy but wickedly delicious Cake Smashing.

The creative and successful artists behind CIDS Photography cameras are Tina Sampson and Sara Wisnewski, who are  2 inspiring ordinary Australian  mums who followed their dreams and combined their passion to capture and create amazing visual memories.

Taking the "perfect moment"  newborn or wiggly toddler photos can be tough but fun, Tina and Sara are mums themselves and also have the experience to capture life's precious little moments with the finest essential details and present spectacular images and lifelong memories.

Now is your chance to win beautiful professional memories , CIDS Photography is giving away to one lucky reader, a 1hr photo shoot including a disk of 10 photos at a local park in Penrith.

Competition is open to NSW residents only.

Photo session to be done in Penrith only.

How to enter:

 

What does C.I.D.S stand for? (hush hush clue) leave your answer on this post.

Competition ends Friday, 28 May 2010.  

The winner will be notified both here and via email will have 72 hours to reply to our notification or we will choose a new winner!  

The winner's details will be forwarded to the sponsor to organise session details.

The winner will be chosen via random integer generator at Random.org. This is a courtesy giveaway for our readers, and is not a review or endorsement of the product or service by Bargains for mummy.  The prize and the use of the prize is the sole responsibility of the winner.  Bargains for Mummy is not responsible should discrepancies occur between the stated prize and actual item shipped or received by the sponsor.  All spam and inappropriate comments will be disqualified.