Lasoo Shopping and Reviews Blog

With most of us spending around one-third of our life in bed, it is essential that you have the right mattress which ensures you wake up feeling rejuvenated.

Choosing the right mattress will be one of the most important investments you make, but with so many mattresses on the market choosing a new one can be overwhelming. To help you decide which mattress will suit you best.  Here is some advice from our friends at Beds R Us to help ensure your investment is a sensible one.

There are predominantly three types of mattresses to choose from:

Inner -Spring Mattresses

Inner - spring mattresses consist of spring coils that are wrapped within polyester wadding and polyurethane foam. They’re popular as they distribute weight evenly and give good air circulation.

The springs provide the support, so it’s important to check the quality of the springs and the way they’re arranged. Pocket spring systems, where the springs are independent of each other, are generally considered the best. Try the SwissTek by Sleepyhead, which contains the world’s most supportive and durable pocket springs.

Memory Foam Mattresses

Also known as viscoelastic foam, memory foam is made from polyurethane and was originally created by NASA to be used in astronaut’s seats to soak up g-forces. Highly sensitive to weight and temperature, memory foam moulds itself to your shape, using the body’s heat to provide a personalised sleeping surface.

Memory foam has a reputation for retaining heat which is why some manufacturer’s are now incorporating new “temperate neutral” materials. Kool Comfort by Serta provides the support and durability of normal memory foam, but is infused with Visco Gel to create a cooler sleeping surface.

Latex Mattresses

Latex mattresses feature a hygienic pin-core design that lets the mattress breathe and reduces moisture build-up. Latex is anti-fungal, anti-microbial and hypoallergenic – which means it’s great for allergy sufferers.

Try the Pure Latex range by Sleepyhead, which contains 100% natural Latex Gold.

Deciding which mattress is exactly right for you is very much a matter of personal preference, so it is important to try before you buy.

When trying a mattress spend at least 10 minutes on every mattress, and make sure you lie in your usual sleeping position with a pillow under your head and neck. A good mattress should provide even, gentle support for your whole body and keep your spine in the same position as a person with good standing posture.

For more expert advice and a huge range of quality mattresses – Visit your nearest Beds R Us store, or buy online with free delivery offered Australia-wide. You can also check out the latest beds and bedroom furniture on Lasoo!

Six weeks spent eating chips in front of the television is not the stuff you want your kids to remember about their childhood! Here’s how to give them some great school holiday memories…

Do a swap

This is particularly helpful for working parents: line up a cousin or friend to come and stay for a week, then send your little one to stay at their place the following week. Everyone wins and the kids will have no trouble making their own fun, leaving you free to get on with the business of business. Similarly, sending children to another town or state to stay with family or friends can give them a sense of independence and will enable them to discover new parts of the country.

If it’s free, do it.

Not everything has to cost you $100 just to walk out your front door.

Check newspapers and parenting websites for a list of free activities during the holidays. For example, in Sydney, Homebush Olympic Park offers free Moonlight Cinema for kids where you can take a picnic and enjoy a recent release for free in the fresh air. Best of all, you won’t be paying a week’s wages for popcorn and ice cream! Searching online for free school holiday activities in your city will yield a wealth of options you’ve probably never considered before.

Start a project

If your kids are old enough, keep them busy with a building project such as a cubby house, pet kennel, vege garden or worm farm. They can track their progress through the holidays and their friends can join in too.

Take the initiative

School friends often drift to the four corners of the Earth during the holidays but if you make the effort, bringing them together again can result in good times. Send a group email alerting all class parents to the fact you will be at a certain park/pool/activity at a certain time and date and invite them all to join in. You never know who will show up!

Inspire your little MasterChef

It’s high time the burden of the kitchen was shared, don’t you think? Teaching your kids to cook is messy, yes, but fun and rewarding. Get them searching for easy kid-friendly recipes and let them loose in the kitchen (obviously with supervision if things need to be cooked). You’ll be giving them a valuable life skill and giving yourself a much-needed break as the treats roll out of the kitchen prepared by someone else for a change! So their first efforts at fondue might end up with a fon-don’t, at least it’s a start.

Be a culture vulture

Turn of the Xbox and and drag your little tech-head to some old-fashioned fun such as museums, art exhibitions, and kid friendly theatre. It will open their minds, and expose them to new and exciting mediums outside of touch and computer screens – just don’t tell them it’s educational!

Ever walked into a store and seen a sign saying ‘No Refund’ or ‘No refunds on Sale items’?

You may be surprised to know that displaying a ‘No refund’ sign is actually unlawful!

You are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement if an item you purchase:

> is not of acceptable quality

> is not fit for a particular purpose

> does not match the description

> does not match the sample or demonstration model

And your rights apply even if you bought the item at a reduced price on sale!

Retailers can be fined for misleading behaviour and this gets interesting when it comes to offering you the sale of ‘extended warranties’. If you purchase an item and a normal person would expect the items to last more than 2 years- then Consumer law would be upheld whether you have an extended warranty or not.

Australian Consumer Law is jointly enforced by:

· NSW Fair Trading and other State and Territory fair trading agencies

· Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

· Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) (for financial goods and services)

For more details check out the following links:

A report by the ABC:

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3402232.htm

ACCC

Download the free guide for consumers

http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/963175

VIC

http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/CA256EB5000644CE/page/Shopping+and+trading-Guarantees+warranties+and+refunds-No+refund+signs?OpenDocument&1=920-Shopping+and+trading~&2=010-Guarantees+warranties+and+refunds~&3=220-No+refund+signs~

NSW

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/About_us/Legislation/National_reforms_to_consumer_laws/Consumer_law_changes_in_NSW.htmlhttp://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2012/s3402232.htm

Did you know the ‘No Refund’ sign is unlawful?

Can you remember going Back to School? When I reflect on my school days the main things I recall include:

-School photos- Being in a new class but always ending up sitting in the front row on the end (meaning I’m the shortest kid in the class)

-Stationery Show & Tell- the unofficial bragging during class when you show off your retractable eraser, metal ruler, new set of connector pens (still in colour-order) or new purple glue stick to your classmates.

and finally…

-My name being labelled on everything…

My mum and dad were serial labellers- bags, books, pencils, hats, jumpers, socks and rulers nothing would be left without my name imprinted on it in some way or form. My mum had these special name labels which she could sew onto all our pieces of clothing and she would find stickers to label our names on our lunch box and books.

I even remember my dad showing me how I could write my name on a strip of paper and use sticky tape to stick it to any pen, pencil or any other piece of stationary imaginable.

At first, I thought this strange practice was done in case I forgot how to spell my name, but I soon realised how practical it was when it came to lending your stuff out to your classmates and ensuring it got returned or finding your belongings in the sea of bags outside the classroom.

It was a bit strange at first but the whole labelling thing is actually a great idea!

Are you a serial labeller? What are you top memories of going back to school?

That’s right the latest word on the celebrity street is  the birth of Beyoncé & Jay Z’s baby girl- Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7.

As the news spread around the world  and confusion over the baby’s name (is it Blue Ivy or Ivy Blue…. wait… isn’t Ivy green?);  so did a love song Jay Z wrote to his new daughter.

Lyrics include:

“Life is a gift love…. open it up…”

“Baby I paint the sky Blue- My greatest creation was you…”

The loved-up dad even talks about:

- the joys           “yo mama said that you dance for her- Did you wiggle your  hands for her?”

- struggles           ” Last time the miscarriage was so tragic… We thought you’d disappear”

during the pregnancy.

It’s hard not to be moved by the raw emotion in this song whether you like rap music or not.

Listen to it here: http://youtu.be/rn_3Wf2q8jE

What are your thoughts? Did you do something special when your child was born?

A new school year is fast approaching and this can be a stressful and nerve-wracking time for you and your child!

Heading Back to School brings with it lots of new changes- new friends, new classes, new teachers and new school supplies to shop for!

Whether you are a Back to School veteran or it’s the first day for your little one we have some great shopping tips to help you get prepared!

1) Shop with your child from home- The thought of going to the shops with the kids may get your heart palpitating but you can actually shop with them from the comfort of your own home! Sit with your kids in front of a computer and shop with them using Lasoo. You can guide the conversation by entering items into ‘Search’ or you can browse the catalogues with them to give you a better idea of what they would like. Add the items to your Lasoo Shopping List and you won’t need to bring them with you when you actually head to the store!

2) Special Stationery- To ease your child into a new school year it’s nice to add something familiar to bring with them to school. Buying themed or licensed stationery with their favourite TV or Disney character can help comfort them while they are at school. You can even order personalised stationary to make their school stuff that little bit more special.

3) Label…everything- After spending lots of time buying the perfect school supplies you want to make sure your child doesn’t lose them. Buy a labeller or grab a permanent marker and label everything with their name and even your contact number in case someone finds it!

4) School Bags- Find a distinct key-ring and buy multiples of it so you can attach it to all their bulky items such as their school bag, lunch bag, sports gear bag and library bag.

Do you have any tips for heading Back to School? Let us know!

GPS’ range hugely in price but what bang do you really get for the extra buck? If your plan is simply to get from A-B with a minimum of bells, whistles and bad language, then this super compact, low-priced navigation system is a great solution.

Features include a 3.5” screen, (which may not suit those who prefer a larger view), and voice direction that tells you which street to turn onto in plenty of time.

Adding the address of your destination is easy with the ‘Where to?’ function on the touch screen home page, even though the keyboard is ABC and not QWERTY. School zones are included as well as a speed indicator to help you avoid traffic violations.

You can change the voice to a range of male and female options, and if you do miss a turn or are going the wrong way, you’ll be gently advised the GPS is ‘recalculating’ before being offered a new route. Short on cash? Select the toll-free route or if you’re feeling green, choose the eco settings.

Easy to follow map layouts will show you exactly which lane you need to be in, although you may need to get used to some new terminology such as ‘slip road’ which refers to an exit lane.

If you’re heading to landmarks, shopping centres or tourist attractions, this nifty little gadget is pre-loaded with over five million points of interest.

For less than $100, it’s a great starting point for your next journey.

Chick lit: The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, by Deborah Rodriguez

Five very different women form a Sex and the City style bond in a café in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.

Thriller/crime: The Litigators by John Grisham

Another riveting courtroom drama, this time involving two lowbrow legal eagles who go from ambulance chasing to taking on big pharmaceutical.

Guilty pleasure: 11.22.63 by Stephen King

The master of horror creates a time travel thriller pivoting on the date of the Kennedy assassination.

Biography: Steve Jobs $9.99

Author Walter Isaacson gives a fascinating account of the Apple founder’s short but amazing life.

Bestseller: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Two former teenage lovers return home for a funeral and are forced to confront where life has taken them.