Friday 31 October 2014

Alternative Ideas Instead of Trick Or Treating

I might sound like a mean parent but I'm not keen on trick or treating. It is a tradition bought over from America that doesn't really translate so well over here. I don't like the idea of taking my kids out  walking round the streets after dark and the only trick or treaters I seem to get at my door are rowdy teenagers asking for money which isn't what Halloween is all about.

However I don't dislike the idea of Halloween itself so I have five alternative ideas to trick or treating to share with you all.

1. Halloween treasure hunt.

Now this can be done either indoors or outdoors depending on the whether. I like to hang up spooky clues and directions and of course you either find a trick or treat in each hiding place.

Thursday 30 October 2014

Come And Party With Dora

Being a mum to four girls there is one programme I have watched a lot and that is Dora the Explorer. With memorable characters like Boots and Back Pack and the added bonus that it begins to teach your kids Spanish, it is a cartoon that I've always been happy to put on.

And just like my children, Dora has changed over time.

This Monday she is back with a whole new bunch of friends. Dora's new programme, Dora and Friends : Into The City will be premiering over on Nickolodeon at 5pm on the 3rd of November and what better way to celebrate than with a party.

I have been picked along with some other lovely bloggers to host a fantastic Twitter party, hooray!!!

So come and join myself and Dora over on Twitter between 4 and 6pm on Monday for lots of fun, games and competitions. With plenty of prizes to be won, this is one party you don't want to miss.


Simply follow myself @MamaMummyMum and @UKMumstv and join in and using the #doraandfriends hash tag.

I hope to see you all there, looking forward to tweeting with you all.

xxxx

Worms You Can Eat…..

Worms you can eat?? No I've not been auditioning for I'm a celebrity get me out of here, I've been attempting to make jelly worms ready for a Halloween treasure hunt for the girls.

A simple procees that turns out to be a bit tricky in the end….


Ingredients

* 1 packet of jelly in your flavour of choice
* 1 sachet of gelatine
* 2 tsp of food colouring (I chose red)
* 2 tbsp whipping cream (optional)
* 1/2 pint boiled water
* 1/2 pint of cold water
* hanful of straws

Wednesday 29 October 2014

Ecohydra Hand Sanitiser Review

ecohydra hand sanitiser
Germs, they are all around us and although we can't completely iradicate them, we can certainly do our best to lower the risk of spreading them around. And the silly thing is, most methods are so simple, like washing our hands after going to the toilet. It is surprising just how many people don't do it!!

Ecohydra antibacterial hand sanitiser foam makes keeping our hands clean a simple process, especially when there aren't things like soap or water around. 

This alcohol free santiser comes in two sizes. A larger 200ml bottle and a smaller travel size 50 ml bottle, perfect for popping your changing bag or your hand bag.

Barbie Fashion Design Maker Review

As my girls get older they are becoming more aware of what they wear and are gradually creating their own style rather than relying on me to pick out their clothes. They're certainly gaining an eye for fashion as I am always catching them drawing their own clothing designs.

We were recently sent a toy which was just perfect for my eldest two daughters, the Barbie Fashion Design Maker.

barbie fashion design maker

This is Barbie with a twist.

This doll doesn't come with any clothes, oh no. Instead it comes complete with printable fabric and accessories ready for you to create your very own clothing line for Barbie using the app which can be found both on the computer and on tablets/iPad.

The styles that your child creates online can then be saved and/or printed out. Once printed you can stick your designs straight onto Barbie or save them in the included portfolio bag.

Celebrating Halloween With A Little Help From Aldi

You may have noticed a certain theme to my posts this week, yes Halloween is the hot topic at the moment. And whether you are planning on going trick or treating, throwing a party or just doing a spot of Halloween baking, Aldi have something for your every need in their Halloween special buys range.

I was kindly sent a few items from their range to help the kids and I have a bit of Halloween fun over half term.

Tuesday 28 October 2014

10 Spooktacular Halloween Activities

Tis the season for trick or treating. Yes Halloween is upon us. I've asked a few other lovely bloggers for some wonderful Halloween activities to share with you all, ideas of things that you can be doing with your kids whilst they're off on half term. So below are 10 spooktacular craft and baking activities for you to try.

1. First up are some amazing Halloween candles over on In The Playroom. An activity that might sound complicated but is infact easy to do with spooktacular results.

Monday 27 October 2014

Read With Me #43

Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Firstly let me say thank you to all that linked up last week, lovely to see new and old faces with a brilliant mixture of posts.

This week I thought I would follow a Halloween theme on the blog so here are a few spooktacular book recommendations :

For Kids

Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Funnybones by Allan Ahlberg
Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas

Teenagers

Harry Potter series by J K Rowling
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

I Want To Be A Witch Book Review

Seen as it is Halloween this week I thought it was appropriate that I shared a review of a Halloween themed book with yourselves.


I Want To Be a Witch is a wonderfully illustrated book written by Ian Culiffe and published by Little Tiger.

There are lots of things about being a witch that don't sound good. Like having yucky green hair and cooking up spells. 

Find out what happens when one little girls decides to make up her own witchy rules…

Saturday 25 October 2014

Project 365 Days 292 - 298

We've been on half term this week due to the girls school clubbing all their teacher training days together. This means that they get two weeks off instead of one.

Typically the weather hasn't been brilliant this week but we've been making the most of our time off together regardless.

Day 292

Daddy Hazelden treated us all to dinner out and course it just had to be a carvery, lovely roast dinners all round.

Friday 24 October 2014

Getting Creative When Playing

I've always said that for a child playing is important, getting creative and having fun is how they learn new skills.

And creativity can stem from many places.

Using clothes, towels and blankets to create designer dresses and secret dens.


Pots, pans and kitchen utensils make the loudest of instruments.

Thursday 23 October 2014

Baked Tomato and Egg Recipe

I love a good fry up, the combination of bacon, sausage, egg, tomato and the much loved hash brown is   the perfect naughty but nice food.

Trouble is when you're trying to lose weight, it isn't the best dinner option.

So I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a healthy alernative which combines some of those much loved ingredients.

In the end I came up with baked tomato and egg….

baked tomato and egg

Wednesday 22 October 2014

September's Degustabox, What's Inside??

It's that time of the month where I show all what I received in my monthly Degustabox.

Caseapp Review and Giveaway

Technology is all around us. From tablets, to phones to computers, it gets used daily. The problem a lot of us including myself have, is keeping these sorts of things safe, preventing them from getting damaged/scratched if accidently dropped or knocked into.

Caseapp make custom, phone, iPad and laptop skins and cases.

Designed to not only look good but offer a degree of protection, each case and skin bought is personalised to you.

I opted for a case for my iPad 2.

Chelsea Flippin Pup Pool Playset Review

My girls are huge fans of Barbie, we've got the dolls, dvds, bags and there are many more things on their wishlist to Santa. We were very fortunate to be sent a brand new Barbie toy recently, the Chelsea Flippin Pup Pool Playset.

chelsea flippin pup pool playset

chelsea flippin pup pool playset

Tuesday 21 October 2014

W is for …. Writing

The past couple of weeks both my 4 year old and 6 year old have been learning to write in cursive.

I have to admit I haven't joined up my writing in a long time so to help my children learn how to do has felt like I've been back at school myself.

So this weeks alphabet project photo is showcasing my daugher's writing efforts.

Monday 20 October 2014

Read With Me #42

Hello. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me, the linky where you kind find all sorts of book/reading related posts.

I read a lot of books, on average I read 3 books a week, all of them good but not always ones that I would necessarily recommend.

Last week I think I found my book of the year, Gravity written by L.D. Cedergreen.

I can't say too much as there is a huge twist which I wouldn't want to spoil for any of you.

Just know that it is book filled with, love, passion and second chances.

Tissues will be needed, I was crying buckets but I think that is a sign of a truly good book, one that penetrates your emotions!!

Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake by Sue Watson Review

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Su Watson's latest book to review, Snow Angels, Secrets and Christmas Cake.

Now I admit I was extremely excited about this having read one of her previous books which I absolutely adored.

snow angels, secrets and christmas cake
For Tamsin Angel, Christmas is always the biggest and best… chic parties and a little showbiz sparkle are a must. This year though, things aren't going quite as planned…

With baliffs suddenly at the door and her husband nowhere to be found, it looks like Christmas just got downsized. Moving into her sister's one bedroom flat, she wonders whether things will ever be the same again.

After losing her husband on Christmas Eve, Same Angel has rebuilt her life around her son Jacob and her new business - The White Angel Bakery. She's also found herself a very handsome, loving boyfriend, but is struggling to let go of the past.

Thrown together with a sprinkle of Christmas magic, Sam and Tmasin might just learn a littlemore about each other- and themselves. But when disaster strikes at the bakery, will they be able to save the say in time for Chrismas?

Saturday 18 October 2014

Project 365 Days 285 - 291

How to sum up this week of project 365?

Wet, rainy, soggy, lots of puddles oh and did I mention wet?

I think it felt more like Winter than Autumn this week, well except for the fact the the temperatures were still quite warm, not ideal when you need to wear a coat in the rain but you end up sweating from the heat.

Apart from the weather I think we've had a good week.

Gracie, Freya and Elise have been in the golden book at school for various efforts. 

Layla has managed a whole week having dry nappies at night, so I'm thinking it may be time to take the plunge and get rid of nappies completely.

And we had a letter from our solicitor saying searches have been done, so we are now due to discuss contracts, a house of our very own is closer to reach!!

I think the positivity shines through in this weeks photos too….

Day 285

Got to love having a scrummy hot chocolate on a rainy lazy Sunday.

Friday 17 October 2014

Autumnal Sensory Walk

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. There are so many things to be seen and to be discovered. And what better way to explore than going on a sensory walk.

autumnal sensory walk

So what do you need?

Thursday 16 October 2014

I Should Have Been On The GBBO

The Great British Bake Off may be over for this year but that doesn't stop the rest of us from baking. I personally think I should have been on the GBBO for amateurs.

Aldi recently set some of us lovely bloggers a bake off challenge of our own.

Using some Aldi's Home Baking SpecialBuys and core ingredients, I had to pick a recipe from one of the many used on the GBBO show this year, I opted for the Fruity Swedish Tea Ring which Richard cleverly made.

fruity swedish tea ring

Now this isn't something I've made before and I'm not lucky enough to own a freestanding mixer or a proving bag for that matter but I gave it my best shot….

Wednesday 15 October 2014

The Mumsnet Book of Animal Stories Review

the mumsnet book of animal stories
Mumsnet, Gransnet and Walker Books recently held a children's story competition for people to send in the own stories written about animals.

Out of hundreds of entries, 10 lucky people were chosen by a panel of celbrity judges which was chaired by former Children's Laureate Anthony Browne.

"Chairing the judging of the Mumsnet, Gransnet and Walkers Book children's story competition was a difficult task. The number of entries showed just how important story-telling is to so many parents, carers and grandparents."

These stories have now been compiled together into The Mumsnet Book of Animal Stories.

My girls and I were lucky enough to receive a copy of this book to read and review, we couldn't wait to get reading.

Chad Valley Design-a-Boutique Review

During the Summer I took part in Chad Valley's 100 days of play. The idea to encourage children to step away from the Tv, the games console, social media and get back to good old fashion play. As a thank you for joining in, I was recently sent some of the toys from their new Design-a-Boutique range.


Well I had to share my thoughts with all of you.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

V is for …. View

We're nearing the end of the alphabet project, reaching the letter V.

V was another one of those letters where I struggled to come up with an initial word for my photo subject.

In the end I settled for the word View

view of Dover

Monday 13 October 2014

Read With Me #41

Hello lovely readers. Welcome to this weeks read with me. I've been rather busy with reading books for reviews this week, like buses none for ages and then suddenly lots all at once. I can't wait to share my thoughts with you all.

read with me
In the mean time my list of books to read is forever growing, a few that I really want to read right now :

Love Nouveau by B. L. Berry

Locke by Harper Sloan

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Becoming Calder and Finding Eden by Mia Sheridan

Some brilliant posts linked up last week, thanks to all who stopped by.

A couple of my favourites :

The EndGame Has Begun

Endgame is real. Endgame is now. Endgame has begun.

Twelve players. Young in body, but of ancient people.
All of humanity is descended from their lines.
They were created and chosen thousands of years ago.
They have been preparing every day since.
They are not supernatural.
Nne can fly, or turn lead to gold, or heal themselves.
When death comes, it comes.
For them, for all of us.
They are the inheritors of the Earth,
and the Great Puzzle of Salvation is theirs to solve.
One of them must do it, or we will all be lost.

Endgame follows 12 individuals, each the "chosen one" from their specific tribe. Every chosen person must be older than 13 but younger than 20. Their mission, to find the three keys to the Great Puzzle.

The best part, you the reader can play along too.

Saturday 11 October 2014

Project 365 Days 278 - 284

This week has certainly felt more like Winter. The days have bought with them lots of wind, rain and cold temperatures.

One word for this week, layers.

The jumpers, coats and blankets have been dusted off.

But the advantage of all this bad weather, lots of snuggling has been done.

All this means that this weeks Project 365 sees a lot of indoor pictures…..

Day 278

A morning spent building and creating.

October Park Life

I don't know about you but I was pleasantly surprised last weekend to find the sun still shining brightly, even though we have reached October, I mean the Autumn season means golden leaves, wind and the beginning of colder temperatures doesn't it?

As with anything I think we have to make the most of these moments and what better thing to do than visit the park.

I mean, the park isn't just for kids is it…

 

Nice having that feeling of freedom to run around.

Friday 10 October 2014

Q Pootle 5 DVD Giveaway

This week saw the stars of CBeebies animate series, Q Pootle 5 land on DVD.

For those of you that haven't heard of Q Pootle 5 before, it is based on the best selling books written by a favourite author of mine, Nick Butterworth.

My 6 year old daughter is huge fan of the programme, she didn't realise that there were books to read too until recently (these have already been popped on her list to Santa), she loves it that much that she wrote her own little Q Pootle 5 story last year.

The programme itself is fun and it manages to engage all of my daughters, making it fantastic for a wide range of kids.

Here's Nick talking about just how he made Pootle's spaceship, brilliant for little imaginations :


Good Things Can Happen In The Morning

Britmums and Belvita breakfast biscuits recently set bloggers a challenge to tell people all about the little things which help to make their mornings better, the good moments that make us feel like we're winning!!

Here are just five situations where have managed to put a smile on my morning grumpy face :

Being able to brush my hair/apply my make up

Having four girls means I have to put all of their hair up (keep away the dreaded head lice), this leaves me with little or no time to get myself ready.

In actual fact I'm winning if I manage to get dressed and manage to swap my slippers for shoes, let alone stop myself looking like a walking zombie.

This leads me onto…

Thursday 9 October 2014

Bringing The Ordinary Potato To Life

The ordinary potato.

A staple for many dinners in households across the world.

We can bake them, roast them, fry them, mash them, you can cut them into all shapes and sizes but sometimes the potato can end up seeming a little boring, in need of finding its WOW factor.

Britmums recently set bloggers the #FluffyMarisPiper challenge, the task, sharing their favourite potato recipes.

Well I do love a good recipe so how could I resist.

My offering is a simple one, but sometimes these ideas can be the most effective, I give you…..

Mushy Mash

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Lunch Made Easy With Naanster

I was never the best at eating at meal times when I was younger but since having kids my eating habits have got worse. There are days when I reach what should be dinner time and realise that I am yet to eat breakfast or lunch.

Time always gets away from me and either end up with something cold on my plate because I've got distracted doing something else or if I am honest, after cooking food for the kids and my husband, I am left  not wanting to make anything else, just seems too much of an effort.

I was recently asked if I would like to review Naanster.

naanster

Two things made me say yes initially :

1. They sounded delicious.
2. They cook quickly.

So just what are Naansters?

Getting Dressed With Yellow Mellon

Is it just me or do kids tends to conspire together and all grow out of clothes at the same time?? Luckily for me online kids wear retailer, Yellow Mellon got in contact a little while ago to see if there was anything that my children were in need of.

Of course my answer was yes, but deciding which items was a hard task.

In the end I gave Yellow Mellon my children's ages and asked them to surprise us.

Well when my package arrived I was not only impressed with the speedy delivery but the contents inside were nothing short of wonderful.

yellow mellon clothing

Tuesday 7 October 2014

10 Years Gone By, A Lifetime Still To Go

This day ten years ago was the moment Justin and I officially declared ourselves boyfriend and girlfriend.



Picturing the future back then, I certainly wouldn't have thought that we would have ended up where we are now.

Husband and wife, married for six years, mum and dad to four beautiful daughters, in the process of buying a house of our very own.

Him looking older, me looking younger...

U is for …. Underneath

This weeks alphabet project sees us reaching the letter U

I was looking through Charly's suggestions : up, unzip, unlock, unique, unfit (definitely me) but none of the words filled me with any inspiration.

In the end it was looking back through the photos on my phone that gave me an idea of a fitting word….

Monday 6 October 2014

Read With Me #40

It's Monday which can only mean that this weeks Read With Me is here. After a week of sick children, all germs were gone and I managed to get the chance to pick up a few books.

read with me
There were a lot of great new releases last week.

The trouble I had was deciding firstly which books to purchase and then of course the hard decision of which one to read first.

Incase you fancy a nosey, I read Stepbrother Dearest by Penelope Ward, Fallen Fourth Down by Tijan (must read), Veiled Innocence by Ella Frank and Conklin's Blueprints by Brooke Page.

All of thoughts can be found on my goodreads page if you fancied a nosey.

My favourite post that was linked up last week was from over on Story Snug.

I have always been a huge fan of Elmer the Elephant and Catherine shows us a few ways of how our children can learn and have fun using Elmer as the focus point.

The Parent Agency by David Baddiel Review

I was recently sent David Baddiel's debut children's book to review.

the parent agency by david baddiel
Barry Bennett hates being called Barry. In fact it's number 2 on the list of things he blames his parents for, along with 1) 'being boring' and 3) 'always being tired'.

But there is a world, not far from this one, where parents don't have children. No that's far too random for something so big and important. In this world, children are allowed to choose their parents.

For Barry Bennett, finding himself suddenly inside this world seems like a dream come true. Only things turn out to be not quite that simple...

The story is aimed more at children from age 9 and upwards so I thought it was best if I let my eldest daughter, Elise have the first read and let me know whether David had done a good job :

Saturday 4 October 2014

Project 365 Days 271 - 277

October has arrived, less than 3 months of project 365 for this year to go!!

This week has been filled with lots of positives for a change.

Layla has now managed over a week of using the potty like a big girl, only a couple of accidents, although I have to say I am slightly sad as this seems like the last transition from baby to toddler.

We've also had good news on the house front, after 3 failed purchases, we've finally had a mortgage offer issued on a lovely 4 bedroom house, the only downside we are now in a chain so the waiting game begins.

Onto the photos….


Day 271

Visit to Nannie Hazel's house, good job she has a good toy collection for them to play with.

Friday 3 October 2014

Get Thrifty And Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

Wrapping paper.

Something we use a lot but also something that tends to just get thrown in the bin after usage, so why do we all spend so much money on it??

The fact that we are in the process of buying a house and that Christmas is just round the corner (yes I did just say the C word), I'm thinking of ways that I can save myself money.

One idea, making my own wrapping paper.

homemade wrapping paper

Thursday 2 October 2014

Chocolate & peanut Butter Banana Bites Recipe

This week I had a few bananas which needed using up. I decided to make banana cupcakes, as you'll see as you carry on reading, these cupcakes got transformed into something slightly different along the way…..

chocolate & peanut butter banana bites

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Making S'mores With a Little Help From Flamers

Recently I was lucky enough to an exclusive S'mores Kit from Certainly Wood. The package contained  : Fire Starter Kit which included kiln dried logs, kiln dried kindling, Flamers Natural Firelighters and CW Matches as well as all of the ingredients to make some yummy s'mores.

flamers natural firelighters

Now the actual star of the show is the Flamer Natural Firelighter.

Teangi Shampoo and Conditioner Review

With the kids well and truly back at school, I know a big worry for me is head lice. A new survey by tea tree hair care brand Teangi actually revealed that I'm not alone, 60% of parents were worried about sending their kids back to school because of this very reason.

Teangi asked 2000 parents of school aged children what they dread the most about their child's return to school. Six out of ten parents agreed that they idea of dealing with head lice was the worst implication of going back through those school gates!!!

Some of the reasons :

* Embarassment
* Passing around to other family members
* Having to use messy treatments

I was recently sent some of Teangi's shampoo and conditioner to try.

teangi shamppo and conditioner

Make Someones Day With CardNest

Now I'm someone that likes to be organised, especially when it comes to things like birthdays and Christmas, I like the personal touch, none of this eCard business. I tend to buy my cards in bulk, just incase an occasion happens to arise. However there are times when I have forgotten and I've been left panicking. CardNest have come to the rescue.

CardNest logo

Their mission :

"We want to inspire people to reconnect with their loved ones and help them keep in touch with each other."

So what do CardNest do?