Monday 30 June 2014

Read With Me #26

Wow we've made it half way through the year and hasn't that gone quick. According to Good Reads I've managed to read 88 books so far this year, that's 59% of my target, ahead of schedule!!

read with me
If you didn't spot it already, there is a giveaway live on my blog to win a copy of Shoutykid. A funny book that I would say it is aimed at children more between the ages of 7-12, my 8 year old daughter really enjoyed it!!

Lots of great books linked up last week so I thought I would share one childrens book recommendation and one adults one.

Lindsey over on 101 things to do with kids reviewed Jumpy Jack and Googily. The ending has not been revealed and I don't know about you but I am now eager to find out just what happens!!

Melanie over on A Bit of Mel Time recommended the very romantic The French For Always. I am a sucker for a good romance and Mel's 5 star rating made me put this straight on my TBR list.

Saturday 28 June 2014

Project 365 Days 173 - 179

So we are nearing the end of June and mine and Daddy Hazelden's holidays seems a long forgotten memory already!!

This week the house hunting has continued, we've managed to view two houses and we have applied to get on the councils housing list, fingers crossed something works out soon.

It was also back to being busy with the kids, trips, tests and broken glasses oh and it was Layla's turn for the chicken pox, she waited until I got home, too kind ;)

Enough by my week, on to this weeks Project 365 ….

Day 173

Daddy Hazelden and I arrived home at 2.30am and I was eager to go and collect my girls. Luckily Grandad provided us with a scrummy BBQ in the sunshine so I didn't need to worry about cooking.

Joining Peppa Pig's Oinkestra

Ok it is time to admit it, you've watched Peppa Pig haven't you, if you haven't then where have you been?? I know I have watched Peppa, it has been a firm favourite with all my children for almost 9 years. So when I saw an opportunity to join in with Nick Jr's Oinkestra celebrations, I was eager to have a chance to get involved, for the kids that is ;)

peppa pig

Friday 27 June 2014

Love, Lies and Lemon Cake by Sue Watson Review

I was recently gifted a copy of Sue Watson's newest book, Love, Lies and Lemon Cake, I haven't read
Love, Lies and Lemon Cake by Sue Watson
anything from this author before but was told as I like a good chick lit that it would definitely be to my liking.

"Fay Dobson has lost her sparkle. Living on film star fantasies and vague memories of a marriage thatonce was, she can't help feeling that life is passing her by. She dreams of being whisked to Paris for dinner, making three wishes at the Trevi fountain and having sex under the stars. But wrinkles are multiplying, her husband's passion is for plumbing and the nearest she'll get to Rome is a take-away pizza."

You can take a look at the first chapter here and it is available to purchase from amazon right now. Read on to see just what I thought about the book…..

Faye is not only a wife but a mother too. From the opening pages you can see that she has become bored with life, with her daughter, Emma, now away at university, Faye is struggling. She dreams of her alternative life, whilst laying in the bath tub she sees her escape, cheeky meetings by the pool with sexy male celebrities. Midlife crisis maybe?

Tales From My Kitchen

I was recently picked to join in the Britmums challenge #kitchentales with Fairy Platinum. I was sent a pack of fairy platinum to help with washing my dishes, which gave me the time to think of ideas of the stories to tell you lovely lot about what goes on in my kitchen.

Now I have to admit the kitchen I have isn't my dream kitchen.

I long for a nice big kitchen with an island in the middle so that everyone can congregate
and be social as I cook.

Of course a fridge dedicated to wine would be nice and quite honestly some more storage space would be appreciated but I make do with what I have.

Finally, there's the colour. I'd love for all of the kitchen doors to be a nice shade of grey accompanied by marble worktops and white splash backs.

Pinterest worthy would be how I'd describe my dream kitchen.

I would say my kitchen is slightly chaotic due to the lack of cupboard space but I like to see it as organised chaos, it is like the rest of our house, it looks lived in and surely this is part of what makes a house a home.

It is open plan, so the kitchen, dining room and living room are all in one.

What I love about this, is that I can always see what the girls are up to. They can be sat at the
dining room table drawing or of recent times making loom bracelets whilst I make dinner. Or perhaps lounging on the sofa watching Frozen for the millionth time as I do the ironing.

Thursday 26 June 2014

Unveiling The LeapPad3 and LeapPad Ultra XDi

I was lucky enough to review the LeapPad Ultra a month or so ago and I told you guys yesterday about a few of the apps we were able to download. Well now LeapFrog have widened their range of tablets again with the LeapPad3 and the LeapPad Ultra Xdi.

LeapPad tablets have always offered the perfect first tablet experiences for kids, since pioneering the children's tablet in 2011, LeapFrog's tablets have received over 40 accolades from parenting and industry organisations and time and time again have been seen as "must have" toys at Christmas. The latest versions to the family offer the same top quality educational apps, books, games and videos as well as being highly durable and extremely safe for web browsing.

“Parents searching for their child’s first tablet are confronted with many choices that say they are designed for kids or have access to a library of ‘educator-endorsed’ content. However, on closer inspection these tablets may be fun but lack the essential deliverables parents are looking for in a safe educational experience for their child,” said Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos, director of LeapFrog’s Learning Team. “LeapPad3 and LeapPad Ultra XDi offer parents the perfect introductory tablets that are high-performing, and have access to a kid-safe web experience designed for a child to explore their passions and interests along with a learning library of high-quality games and apps. Parents can feel confident that when they hand their child a LeapFrog tablet, whether a LeapPad3 or LeapPad Ultra XDi, they are providing the perfect first tablet experience designed for kids – full of learning and packed with fun.”

Chocolate and Beetroot Muffins Recipe

I love to bake and I think it is fair to say that the kids enjoy eating the cakes that I make. I like a good cake myself but since I am always trying to stick to a diet, I have been looking at ways to add a touch of healthy to those sweet treats. I've seen a lot of people suggest putting beetroot with chocolate. Now I love beetroot in a salad and it is known to have a lot of health benefits including reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and because it is low in calories it can help stabilise blood sugars. So if I were to put it with cake it would balance out the naughty factor right?? The real test is if it tastes good though…..

chocolate and beetroot muffins

Wednesday 25 June 2014

LeapFrog Download Card Review

Last month I, I mean my girls were lucky enough to have the chance to try out and review the LeapPad Ultra from LeapFrog. One of the only negatives I found was the price of the apps, affordable for some but not for my family as with four girls to cater for I would need to buy different apps for each of them.

LeapFrog to the rescue. They kindly sent me to download cards worth £30 all together so that the girls could experience just what some of the apps were like.

Dettol Handwash and Wipes Review

Dettol are a company that know how important family is and they believe that our families health can sometimes depend on the choices we make at home when it comes to disinfecting, hygiene and first aid.

I was recently sent some Dettol products to try out and review. I received Dettol's Nourishing Handwash with E45 and their Cleansing Surface Wipes.

dettol handwash and wipes

Tuesday 24 June 2014

Shoutykid Book Review and Giveaway

I was recently sent the newest kids book from Harper Collins, the title of the book, Shoutykid. Now it wasn't actually myself that read this book, seen as it is aimed at children, I left it up to my eldest daughter, Elise to read and review. We were told to be ready to meet the funniest kid in fiction and I could tell just from reading the blurb that Elise was going to enjoy this book :

"Hi there,
My name is Harry Riddles and I am ten years old which my mum says is too young to have problems
shoutykid
but she is WRONG. My dad just lost his job, which means we might have to move house and I need money to make my mega zombie movie but there is NO WAY I will sell my X-box!! I've writen to the Queen, Harry Styles and the people off Dragons' Den who might be able to help but I don't know if they'll write back. If you have any bright ideas for making money I'd love to hear them and I can te;; you how to get past level 6 on World Of Zombies if you like
Good luck and fun
Harry Riddles"

The book is aimed at kids around the age of 8 years old and above and the way it is written makes it easy for a child to put down and easily pick up again where they left off but I'll leave it up to Elise to tell you just how good the book is :

F is for…… Freya

I said last week that my photos for the alphabet project would end up with a little theme over the coming weeks and I think you can guess why with this weeks photo. My chosen photograph is of my lovely, attitude filled six year old Freya.



This girl is my mini me, I definitely recognize the hands on hips and the back chat when it gets thrown at me!!

However I wouldn't change her, not even for a minute, the way she winds up her sisters and the cheekiness that oozes from her always manages to keep me entertained and I can never stay angry at her for long.

xxxx

*This post is linked with the alphabet project*

Monday 23 June 2014

Read With Me #25

Hello you lovely lot. Welcome to another week of #ReadWithMe. I'm so pleased to see so many of you  continuing to link up, it is wonderful having all of these great book recommendations for both kids and adults.

I don't want to rub it in but I was on a beach last week soaking up the sun and enjoying some much needed chill out time. This gave me the opportunity to read some great books. A couple to take a look at, Butterfly Weeds by Laura Miller and Love, Lies and Lemon Cake by Sue Watson which I will have a review post about later on in this month.

A great mixture of posts were linked up last week and I would just like to highlight a couple.

Barefoot Mahala is running a fabulous competition where you could win £100's worth of Barefoot childrens books, well worth entering!!

And the lovely Emma from Purple Mulberries recommends a few great quick reads, just perfect for those Summer holidays.

How To Have an Amicable Divorce, Book Review

With the good weather here and Summer holidays being booked, I'm sure many of you are looking for a nice book to read whilst sunning yourself on a beach far far away. I was recently sent a kindle copy of How To Have an Amicable Divorce by Lindsay Harper and I think this could be the perfect book to pop in your luggage.

"Have you ever got yourself in so deep you feel like running away and starting a new life? 


how to have an amicable divorce
That’s exactly what wife and artist, Denizon Cartwright felt like doing. After deciding that she couldn’t put up with her unfaithful husband any longer, she leaves him for smooth-talking artist and professor, Damien Johnson – but she soon learns she’s swapped one liar for another and beats a hasty retreat … only to become entangled with Jay, the ex-lover of her best friend, Robyn. 

Could her life get any more complicated? 
Yes! A surprise encounter leaves Denizon with an ever-growing list of men falling in love with her. 

Her escape route is at hand in the shape of Escuela de Montana d’Armentera, an artistic retreat high up in the Spanish mountains. But her problems only follow, as she discovers. 

Will she find true happiness in the Spanish sun or lose everyone she ever held dear? 

And is the cost of finding herself too high a price to pay?"

Sunday 22 June 2014

Silent Sunday

duck

Project 365 Days 166 -172

This weeks project 365 post has gone up slightly later than usual this week because myself and Daddy Hazelden have been on holiday for half this week. This meant that I passed a camera on to my lovely mum who kindly volunteered to look after the children were away, so some of these pictures I'm only just seeing too :)

Day 166

I was trying to get an up to date picture of all the kids together, it didn't go well!!

Friday 20 June 2014

Growing Your Own Vegetables

My second guest post of the week comes from the lovely Jo over at My Monkeys Don't Sit Still. She is sharing with us just how she is getting her children more enthusiastic about eating those vegetables….

Do you have kiddies that are reluctant vegetable eaters? I know I have! One way we have found that helps them to try veg is to get them involved in growing your own. The first time we did this, we grew carrots and it worked a treat getting the eldest involved with sowing the carrot seeds and watching them grow. He helped thin them out and then pulled the carrots from the soil when they were ready and loved trying his own produce.
11/05 Getting prepared to plant the seeds

Thursday 19 June 2014

Energy Boosting Smoothie Recipe

So while I'm unning myself on a beach somewhere ;) I've got a couple of guest posts for you reading pleasure. First up the love Kate from Family Fever shares with us a scrummy smoothie recipe :

Some days, I feel like I don’t stop at all. With school and nursery runs, clubs, work and household jobs I often don’t have time to sit down and eat a proper meal – let alone anything remotely healthy (yes I have had cake for breakfast before, please don’t judge me lol)

One way around this is to whizz up an energy boosting smoothie – full of the stuff I know I should eat but just, well, don’t. It goes down a storm with the children too!


energy boosting smoothie

Wednesday 18 June 2014

What To Watch On POP

Having four children of different ages can become difficult when it comes to deciding what to watch on the television. Each child has their favourite programmes and not all channels show tv shows that are suitable for them all to watch together. I was recently asked if my kids would like to watch a DVD containing some of the programmes that are shown on the channel POP.

pop channel logo


POP is a high energy children's channel which is primarily aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 9 years old. It can be found on Sky channel 616, Freesat channel 60 and Freeview channel 75. It is actually the first channel to be added to the Freeview children's portfolio in eight years!!

We received two DVDs, each containing episodes of four different programmes.

Disc 1
Oh no! Its and alien invasion
Art Zoopla
Eliot Kid
Littlest Petshop

Disc 2
Finding stuff out
Sally bollywood
Totally spies
Transformers - rescue bots
Yu-Gi-Oh! zexa!

May's Degustabox, What's Inside?

Last month I received my second Degustabox, I couldn't have been more pleased with what I received inside my box, so when I was asked if I would like to review the next 3 months Degustaboxes, I jumped at the chance.

Just incase you haven't heard of Degustabox before, let me tell you a little bit about them. Degustabox provide you with a monthly food box, the exciting thing about this, is that you don't know what you will receive, it is a surpsrise each month when you get your delivery. The boxes are packed full of delicious goodies including some well known brands and some that are new to the market. You can find out more here.

So what did I get this month….

degustabox

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Getting Into The World Cup Spirit with DuckTape

If you hadn't noticed yet, the World Cup has started!! Duck Tape are joining in with celebrations and they've asked myelf and 7 others bloggers to take part in the #duckworldcup.

Each blogger has been given a different group and we have all been sent the colour tapes that we will need to create the flags for each of the countries in our groups.

I was given group B containing : Spain, Netherlands, Chile and Australia. Now I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to football so I don't really know the best team to be supporting but this gave us a great opportunity to learn a bit more about different countries and their accompanying flags.

I decided to make something different for each team so that the girls and I could show our support each time they played.

Netherlands Flag

1. Get prepared with the materials you will need : scissors, sellotape, ruler, 4 straws and an A4 piece of paper.

2. Fold the piece of paper in half and in half again.
Cut along the folds, giving you four pieces of paper.

3. With your ruler measure one of the pieces of paper to find the centre.
Put the white duck tape through the middle of the paper.

4. Using your ruler again to measure out the lines equally, you then place the red duck tape at the top of the paper and the blue at the bottom. This forms the pattern of the Netherlands flag.

5. Turn your flag around. Place one straw on one side of the paper, left or right, it is up to you.
Then stick it down with sellotape. I stuck some sellotape vertically and some horizontally to make sure that the straw was secure.

6. Your flag is now finished. All that is left to do is start waving it around!!

E is for …… Elise

There was no question what or in the case who was going to be in my photograph for the letter E, infact you will probably notice a little theme over the next couple of weeks. E is of course for my eldest  daughter Elise. This beautiful girl amazes me every day, her thirst for knowledge is astounding, she is definitely more intelligent than me!! I couldn't be more proud her.


xxxx

*This post is linked up with the alphabet project*

Monday 16 June 2014

Read With Me #24

Hey there. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. I read Amy Harmon's newest novel last week, Infinity + One, if you haven't read any books from this author yet then I highly recommend her, all of her books that I've read have been written so well!!!

read with me
Thanks as always to all of those who linked up last week.

A couple of my favourites that I would love for you to take a look at :

Tracey over at One Frazzled Mum shared with us a short piece that she had written herself, simple yet really thought provoking!!!

And the lovely Emma who writes My Book Corner tells us that we MUST read We Were Liars by E Lockhart. She doesn't give away to many details about the story but this has me more intrigued. I popped it straight on my TBR list.

Now on to the link up. If you are new to #ReadWithMe you can read more about the linky right here.

The Divergent Series Book Review

Recently The Works kindly sent the Divergent series of books to me. This is another set of books which has now been made into a film and I suppose you would compare it to stories like Twilight and The Hunger Games.

In the world of Divergent, society is divided into five factions - Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity
divergent trilogy
and Erudite. Every year all sixteen year olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. 

For Beatrice Prior, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is. Her choice shocks everyone, including herself

During the initiation that follow, Tris and her fellow initiates undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them, Tris must determine who her friends really are and whether she can trust the man who both threatens and protects her.

Because Tris has adeadly secret. And as growing conflict threatens to unravel their seemingly perfect society, this secret might save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Saturday 14 June 2014

Project 365 Days 159 - 165

The house hunt goes on this week, two viewings were cancelled because the house were already let :( trying to remain positive. This week I also managed to jinx myself. It was only Sunday when we were at a friends BBQ, we were discussing chicken pox and the fact that it had started to go round again. Well Gracie woke up the next day covered in chicken pox, this has meant on a beautifully sunny week, we have been stuck in the house, hooray for having a back garden!!! So whilst we wait for Layla to come out in spots too, project 365 carries on….

Day 159

We were round our best friends house having a BBQ, the girls and my godson were all playing nicely whilst enjoying the sunshine.

Friday 13 June 2014

Making a Simple Father's Day Card

Quick reminder, Father's day is this Sunday, the 15th of June. If you haven't managed to buy anything yet or if funds are running low, here is a simple idea for a Father's day card that you and your kids can do together.

making a simple father's day card


You will need :

A4 plain paper
Scissors
Ruler
Pencil
Colouring Pencils

Book Tag - My Reading Habits

I was tagged by the lovely Fiona over at Little Cambridge Kitchen to tell you all about my reading habits. If you read my blog regularly to will know that I love a good book and I read whenever I get a free moment so this tag was perfect for me!!

Do you have a certain place at home for reading??


I don't have a specific place for reading, I am quite happy to plonk my bum down anywhere an start reading but there are two places that I find most comfy, my bed and the middle seat on our corner sofa. When on the sofa I liked to get curled up under my favourite blanket because I plan to be sat there for quite some time.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Neither. I've been given plenty of bookmarks in the past but I have to admit that I have never used any of them. If I am reading a good old fashioned book I tend to either turn the corner of the page over where I'm stopping or if I'm having a good day I will just remember where I got to.

Thursday 12 June 2014

Paella Recipe

Paella is Daddy Hazelden's favourite dish. I think he would eat it every day if I was to cook it. I think it is a meal that everyone manages to put their own little twist on and I don't know about you but I always end up making far too much, good job it can be frozen ready for another day!!!

paella

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Ozeri Pedometer Review

Being a mum to four children, I find myself constantly on the go, every time I get near to plonking my bum on the sofa, one child calls out for something, it is a sixth sense children seem to have!! I was recently asked to review the Tri Axis (3D motion) Pedometer from Ozeri and I thought it would be interesting to find out exactly how many steps I take in a day.

ozeri digital pedometer

Stuck On You Review and Giveaway

With Summer making an appearance in recent weeks, now is the time to get prepared for the warmer weather and Stuck On You want to help.



Originally started in 1995 as a cool kids label company, Stuck On You have added many more personalised products to their range including lunchboxes, ideal for transporting those picnics, summer pyjamas for the muggy night times, puzzles to play with in the garden and beach towels, perfect for whether you are at home or abroad.

I was kindly allowed to choose a couple of items from their range to review. After much delibiration, I decided upon the budding artist kit and the personalised short sleeve pyjamas.

Considering my items came all the way from Australia, I was extremely impressed with the short 5 days waiting for the delivery to arrive and the girls and I couldn't have been happier with what we received.

stuck on you

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Make-A-Wish Kids Drawing Competition

London Designer Outlet are celebrating the launch of their play park in a big way.  They have teamed up with top charity, Make-A-Wish foundation UK and they are on the look out for talented little artists to send them drawings of their dream play park.



London Designer Outlet will be donating £1 per entry received to Male-A-Wish so not only will you have a chance of winning a fantastic prize, you will also be helping to raise money for a fantastic cause.

D is for ….. Doughnuts

I've really enjoyed coming up with ideas for photos. This week it was actually Daddy Hazelden that gave me the inspiration. We went to Bluewater at the weekend and it has sort of become a tradition to go to Krispy Kreme before we leave, so this week the letter D stands for doughnuts….

krispy kreme doughnuts

To be honest I only just managed to take the photo because the doughnuts were disappearing fast, into the kids mouths, not mine of course ;)

What's your favourite flavour doughnut??

xxxx

*Linked up with the alphabet project*

Monday 9 June 2014

Read With Me #23

Hello. Welcome to another Read With Me. Is it bad that I sometimes like it when the hubby is away because it means I get to read my books in peace?? Anyone else feel like this? I read the Divergent series last week and I have to say it wasn't what I was expecting, a review will be going up next week so keep an eye out for that!!

read with me
Thanks as always to everyone who linked up last week, I notice a couple of new people joining in which I am more than pleased about.

A couple of my favourites for you to check out :

Early Play review Little Cloud by Eric Carle, now I am a huge fan of this author so I don't know why I hadn't heard of this book but I'm very grateful for the recommendation, if you haven't seen it before, then you should definitely have a look now.

And the lovely Tattooed Mummy reviewed Farenheit 451, a 'classic' book which I have had on my TBR list for a while and this post gave me the shove I needed to finally start reading it!!

Now onto the link up. If you are new to #ReadWithMe then have nosey at what it is all about here. All you old timers know just what to do, link up any book related post that you like, can be a review, competition or even a story you wrote yourself. Please comment on atleast 2 other post which have linked up and I would be forever grateful if you could display my badge or link back in some way.

Love Undone by Diana Nixon - The Book Tour

I was lucky enough to join with Diana Nixon's previous book tour for Love Lines. This week I'm joining the tour for her newest book Love Undone.

The synopsis :

What would you do if all your memories were gone?
One day Kassie wakes up and realizes that her life is nothing but an endless emptiness…
One tragic incident takes away everything that she has ever cherished and loved: family, friends and all the best moments that she ever lived through. 
Now everything seems unknown, including a beautiful stranger, 
whose mere look makes her heart beat faster. 
Who is that reckless and mysterious man? Is he just an old friend or an enemy? Sinking into the vortex of indescribable emotions, they will give in to the most irresistible temptation ever, 

just to fall in love with each other, again and again

Saturday 7 June 2014

Project 365 Days 152 - 158

We are almost half way through the year, I am honestly shocked at how fast this year is flying by. So this week we had a bit of bad news, our landlord is selling our house so we need to find somewhere else to live. Queue lots of panicking from me, trying to find a new house whilst decluttering the house ready to pack. I also had a welcome meeting at the primary school, making it more of a reality that Gracie starts school in September. Enough about me here's what the girls have been up to.

Day 152

With half term almost over, Sunday was a lazy day. Layla decided because it was raining outside that she best wear her wellies indoors. Freya was unimpressed at having to do her homework. I hinestly don't know what Elise was thinking when she put this on lol. And Gracie was getting creative with her giraffes.

Friday 6 June 2014

Our Day Out To Chessington World of Adventures

I was very fortunate when SuperBreak offered tickets for my family and I to go to Chessington World of Adventures last week, what did I need to do in return?? Enjoy our day out and tell you lovely lot all about what we got up to.

We live around an hour and half car drive away from the theme park, Chessington opens at 10am so we set off at 7.45am as we needed to get petrol and travel sickness tablets before we could get on our way. Well turns out the petrol station we normally use wasn't working, first set back, then Daddy Hazelden realised he had forgot his drink and music CDs, quick about turn to go back home, good job because I swiftly decided I needed a wee, oops.

We eventually got on the road about 8.30am and we still managed to arrive at Chessington before 10am so we made good time and an added bonus is that we got parked right by the entrance.

SuperBreak had provided me with a printout that included our reference number so all I needed to do was hand this over at the ticket office and we were provided with our tickets to enter the park and maps to help us find our way around.

Once in the park Freya decided to be chief map holder, although I struggled to understand it so I wasn't sure where we would end up first.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Savoury Pancake Recipe

We love pancakes in this house, I put one of my favourite recipes up in a previous post for banana and oat pancakes but pancakes don't just have to be for breakfast or pudding, oh no I've found them great to have at lunch or dinner time too, they are quick and easy to make and the same as sweet ones, you can whatever filling you fancy in savoury pancakes. I recently found a recipe on Mumsnet and decided to give it a go, adding a few of my own ingredients, I opted for chicken, sweetcorn and cheese filling ….

chicken, seetcorn and cheese savoury pancakes


Ingredients

* 115g Self Raising Flour
* 150ml Semi Skimmed Milk
* 1 Egg
* 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
* Pinch of Salt
* 1 Tin of Sweetcorn
* 1 Chicken Breast Cooked and Cut into Small Pieces
* 75g Grated Cheese
* Oil/batter for Cooking

Wednesday 4 June 2014

Reczema Review

I've spoke previously about my children suffering with eczema, especially my youngest daughter and my 6 year old. Over the years I have tried many creams, lotions and potions that claim to sooth irritations and get rid of the dry skin itself, 9 times out of 10 I have been left extremely disappointed. I was recently asked if I would like to try Reczema, a product made in Sweden that is fairly new to our country, used for the treatment of not only eczema but other skin rashes too.

reczema


This cream has been clinically proven to improve the symptoms of skin rashes, irritated skin and eczema and best of all it is free from steroids, preservatives and perfume, this could be a great alternative to cortisone creams.

Little Miss Hug Review

We are huge fans of the Mr Men and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves in this house, I think I was more excited than the kids when I got the chance to review Mr Men The Christmas Tree last year. So you can imagine what I was like when I got a surprise book in the post….. Little Miss Hug.

little miss hug


Can you believe that this is the 35th Little Miss book in the collection and I think it has become one of my favourites because I do love a good cuddle. With her cheeky smile and pretty pink bow in her hair, she is an instantly loveable character.

Tuesday 3 June 2014

Nappy Kind Leg Warmers Giveaway

Nappy Kind Boutique are a lovely little company that stock a range of  baby clothing and accessories including leg warmers, leggings, shoes and cloth nappies. All of the range come in some gorgeous designs and patterns which are reasonably priced.


Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to review a fab pair of baby leggings from Nappy Kind Boutique, I loved them instantly, this was one item of clothing that was worn over and over again.


I now have something to offer you lovely readers. Nappy Kind Boutique have kindly allowed me to give away a bundle of three leg warmers.


Leg warmers are perfect for both Winter and Summer months. I use them on my youngest daughter and I have to admit I have become slightly addicted to buying them.

They make a great alternative to tights and with so many designs to choose from, you will definitely be able to find a pair for any occasion.

C is for….. Cuddles

Everyone loves a good cuddle right? Just manages to instantly cheer you up, well they make me smile.

Yesterday Layla was a bit naughty and broke her sister's glasses, this meant she got told off, queue one unimpressed toddler stomping off with the hump.

Gracie being the lovely sister that she is, went and found Layla hiding by the sofa and decided to give her a cuddle to make her happy again.



I'm pretty certain it should have been Layla dishing out the cuddles to say sorry but I thought it was such a sweet moment anyway.

Do your children get along??

xxxx

*linked with the alphabet project*

Monday 2 June 2014

Read With Me #22

Hello you lovely lot. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Have you had the time to do much reading this week?? I had the chance to read a couple of my own books as well as a couple of books which I've been asked to review.

One of my favourite books from last week was Love Lies and Lemon Pies by Katy Cannon. I would say it is more aimed at teenage girls but I really enjoyed it, it was an easy read filled with not only a funny and sweet story but there were some great recipes popped in there too and I do love a bit of cooking/baking.

Thanks as always to all of you who linked up last week.

A couple of posts I would like to highlight, Michelle from Twice a Mumy Double The Fun shared with us a post about a lovely children's book, What's The Time Mr Wolf, I used to love playing this game as a child so I think it is a fab idea using this as an idea for a book.

And Rachel from Parenthood Highs and Lows introduced us to the wonderful Bing with Something For Daddy, maybe a gift for your little ones to give daddy on Father's day??

Jack Hunter Book and App Review


jack hunter the french connection
I was recently sent Jack Hunter, The French Connection book for my daughter to read and review.

However this isn't just any old book, oh no,  it is the world's first interactive augmented reality book, bought to life with the use of the app which can accompany the book.

The book itself takes you on adventures with Jack and his friends, you are taken back in time, entering ancient mysterious worlds, finding treasures and uncovering secrets.
The story is good by itself, Elise said it had a bit of real life goings on within it as well as added suspense to keep you reading.

However there is a twist to this book. The clever thing is that when used in combination with a smartphone or tablet, it allows your child to join in the adventure. The app uses augmented reality technology to make the pictures come alive in 3D, putting you right in the middle of all the action!!!

This is a brilliant concept, especially for kids that are more reluctant to read books, I think it is a creative idea that encourages them to keep reading the story. The game allows the person playing to find clues,  unlock secrets, discover treasure and solve mysteries the same way as Jack Hunter would.