Saturday 30 May 2015

Project 365 2015 Week #22

Can't believe half term is almost over, I really do hate it when the kids go back to school even if they wind me up sometimes!!

This week hasn't been as good as it could have been, my husband was in a car accident Saturday night (he was unhurt!!) which left us without a car and the weather seemed to change it's mind constantly but we made the best of things as you'll see by this weeks project 365 photos.

Day 144

Checking out the damage made to our car from the previous night.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates Book Review


LeapFrog likes to choose a different book each month to be it's "Book of the month" and this month Jake and the Never Land Pirates is the top pick.

This book is part of the Get Ready to Read Series which can be used in conjunction with the LeapReader Junior. Aimed at children primarily aged 1-3, it aids in number recognition and counting objects.

As with all products from LeapFrog it is fun and engaging whilst remaining educational. This is one of the reasons I loved the LeapReader Junior in the first place because kids take so much in when they are younger so I find it brilliant that they can be gaining useful skills whilst playing.

This story is 15 pages long and it follows Jake and his friends as they try and stop the naughty Captain Hook from stealing the bongo drums. As they go about their adventures they find themselves coming across tricky obstacles which your child can help them count.

Friday 29 May 2015

Car Accident Drama

Last Saturday night my husband was in a car accident. It's one of those phone calls that you never want to receive. Before I continue I will say thankfully my husband is ok but that doesn't make the situation any less frightening.

I had 2 missed calls on my phone from him and when I returned his call all he said was, "I've been in an accident, police are here, can't talk now". This immediately had me panicking, at that point I didn't know how bad the accident was, if he or anyone else involved was hurt, I was shaking just thinking about it. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind, I think we automatically think the worst don't we.


An hour later he phoned me back to let me know what was going on and honestly I think you'll be just as annoyed as we are after reading what happened.

The young lad in question was riding a bike which may or may not be his down the wrong side of the road, in other words driving straight towards my husband coming out of a junction leaving him no time to swerve to miss him.

Thursday 28 May 2015

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

I love a good crumble, it is a pudding that reminds me of childhood days spent at my grandparents house. Up until recently I'd never made one myself, either eating shop bought or ones made by my lovely nana. I think in my head I imagined it to be complicated to create a really good one.

This changed when my friend kindly gave me a few freshly grown sticks of rhubarb and of course my first thought was to make a good crumble. Searching the web for recipes, there are so many alternative ways of not only cooking the rhubarb itself but also on how to create a good crumble mix.

rhubarb crumble

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Animagic Tickle Tum Tilly Review

 To my kids I am sometimes known as a mean mum because as of yet I haven't allowed them to have any pets. Between the cost of them and the 5th child husband, I just don't have the money spare. So when I was offered the chance to review Animagic's Tickle Tum Tilly (£14.99), I thought it might make a good substitute to the real thing and of course the fact that I didn't actually have to feed her appealed ;)


Father's Day Gift Guide

I always struggle to buy gifts on Father's day because my husbands birthday always ends up around the same time and he is difficult enough to buy for in the first place. So this year I thought I'd put together a little gift guide to help those who may have the same problems as I do.

For the gamer :

The newest Call of Duty might be on their list of wants.

For the beard grower (seems to be the latest trend which my hubby has latched onto) :

Dear Barber Beard Oil rrp £9.99 for a 30 ml bottle. This contains both almond and coconut oils and is said to nourish, soften and smooth out any beard, this may just be the perfect father's day gift for him.

dear barber beard oil

The Summer of Broken Stories Book Review and Giveaway

The Summer of Broken Stories is the latest novel from writer James Wilson and I was lucky enough to be given a copy to read and review from Alma books.

England 1950s. While out playing in the woods ten year old Mark meets a man living in an old railway carriage. Despite his wild appearance, the stranger who introduces himself as Aubrey Hillyard is captivating - an irreverent outsider who is shunned by Mark's fellow villagers and a writer to boot. Aubrey encourages Mark to tell stories about his own make believe world, an in return he informs the boy about a novel he is writing - a work of ominous science fiction.

As the meddling villagers plot to drive Aubrey out, Mark finds himself caught between two worlds - yet convinced that he must help Aubrey prevail at any cost. 

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Food Is Not The Enemy

Ok so a short but sweet update from me this week. I've come to realise over the past few weeks that food isn't the enemy, yes it can be fattening and far too tempting at times but the real enemy when it comes to my body, my weight and my appearance is me.

I am my own worst enemy. We are all in charge of ourselves and what we eat and drink and how we let that affect ourselves.

I mentioned recently that I've been weighing myself less, well I actually jumped on the scales yesterday and in 4 weeks I've put on one lb, this I'm more than happy with, I'm actually hoping that gain is down to my period being on the way, yes I said the word period!!

Monday 25 May 2015

Read With Me #21

Hello you lovely lot. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Hope you've had a chance to either read something yourself or perhaps read a great book with your kids?

read with me
I got my reading mojo back last week and got stuck into a good few books.

My favourite was a set of two books written by Amanda Maxlyn.

What's Left of Me and What's Left of Us tells the story of Aundrea and Parker. There relationship is by no means straight forward.

When Aundrea meets Parker she is battling cancer, something that she doesn't want him to know however what develops between them, neither could have imagined.

I love their relationship but I also enjoyed the story that was portrayed alongside their coupling.

Saturday 23 May 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 21

Another week of project 365 complete and I think it's been a rather lovely one if I do say so myself. I got a bit of much needed one on one time with the husband. I've managed to make a few little improvements to the house and the sun finally made an appearance!!!

Day 137

I made my first ever rhubarb crumble and I am happy to report it was liked by all.

Friday 22 May 2015

Bring Letter Writing Back To Life

The internet has been a great invention, this I can't deny but sometimes I think the online world has taken over. Everything seems to be digitally done. Cards have become e-cards, less 'real' books bought,  I mean I love my kindle but nothing beats the smell of a good book or is that just me? And then there's the lost art of letter writing.

Emails are so quick to type and instant to receive that putting pen to paper seems to be a rare thing these days. I love following The Reading Residence and her idea of bringing back paper. More people should follow this concept, I mean even just writing out a simple list instead of popping a memo on your phone!!

I recently bought myself a lovely letter writing set from paperchase with the promise to myself that I would start writing more letters, especially to my nana who I get to see so rarely because of not living close by.

Thursday 21 May 2015

Strawberry and Meringue Coconut Ice Cream

I love ice cream, especially on a nice hot day however it probably isn't the best thing for my diet. However I think I may have found a healthier alternative.

strawberry & meringue coconut ice cream

Wednesday 20 May 2015

What's Inside This Months Degustabox?

Last months Degustabox certainly was a mixed bag. There was drink and food with a mixture of sweet and savoury and plenty of treats. I have to say it wasn't my favourite box but it went down well with the rest of my family.

The price of this surprise food box still remains the same, a bargain £12.99 with delivery and you receive a variety of items which give you an idea of new things available as well as some favourite brands.

As a reviewer I am lucky enough to receive all products however be aware that there are alcoholic and non alcholic versions available.

So what was inside the box this time round??

Veetee rice £1.49 per pack : My husband loves this rice. Available in a variety of flavours, it takes only 2 minutes to cook so is ideal for him to take to work with him. I love using it in stir frys too.

veetee rice

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong #BringBackPaper

bitten by kelley armstrong
I hate to admit how disorganised I am lately but I am and it has taken me a while to catch up on my post overload but I wanted to share with you all what I thought about the book Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. I received this book as part of The Reading Residence's #BringBackPaper book swap.

Jocelyn very kindly sets this up for fellow book lovers to swap a book that they own with someone else, it gives everyone a chance to read something that they wouldn't necessarily have picked for themselves.

I was paired up with the lovely Laura over at Book Chick City and she chose to send me one of her favourite books, she actually bought me my own copy which I am so grateful for.

LeapFrog LeapReader Review

Having recently reviewed the LeapReader Junior, a toy aimed to encourage reading amongst 1-3 year olds, I was extremely pleased when LeapFrog gave me the chance to review the original LeapReader which is aimed at 4-8 year olds.

leapfrog leapreader

LeapFrog say that this is a complete learn to read and write solution, cleverly sounding out words, allowing children to practice their letter strokes within the books and building up comprehension along the way.

Silver Spoon Giveaway

Did you know that when HRH Prince George was born Sudocrem launched Sudocrem Care and Protect and to celebrate both occasions they commisioned Theo Fennell to make a charm bracelet with a tiny pot of Sudocrem attached to it. This was kindly auctioned off and raised a lot of money for one of the Duchess of Cambridge's favourite charities, EACH (East Anglian Children's Hospice).

This time round to celebrate the birth of HRH Princess Charlotte, Sudocrem have been working with silversmith Christopher Hamilton to create a solid silver spoon. Each spoon is to be engraved with the child's initials in a lined box with authentication card, only 100 of these have been made.

Sudocrem have kindly allowed me to give away not one but two of these spoons to you lovely readers. Each spoon is worth £130 and is definitely a worthwhile keepsake.

silver spoon

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Maintaining Weight After Losing It

With all my new found revalations about losing weight and my change in attitude to just what I want my body to look like I've been thinking how I'm going to maintain the weight that I've managed to reach.

I mean when you think about it maintaining a steady weight can be just as hard as the process of losing it in the first place. It all comes back to getting that elusive balance doesn't it.

At the start of the year I seemed to be exercising almost every day, this is something which was hard to keep up and to be honest now that I've lost over a stone in weight this year, I don't really need keep up such a vigirous routine.

My trouble is that I've always been a yoyo dieter and although I always manage to lose weight fairly quickly, I also allow it to creep back on far too easily as well. It is a vicious cycle that I would really like to avoid this time round.

Monday 18 May 2015

Read With Me #20

Hey there lovely people and welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Last week I had a few books that I actually needed to read for reviewing purposes.

read with me
One of them happened to be from a Mumsnet giveaway.

More Than Enough bu Liza Hoeksma is a fictional book that actually rings true to real life.

It deals with life as we know it, babies, relationships and all the things that we as grown ups have to deal with.

I liked it because it came across as truly believable and that made it more interesting to me.

Definitely worth reading.

My favourite that was linked up last week was from Apparently Awkward.

Saturday 16 May 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 20

Another week has flown by, only one more week of school and the kids are back on half term, yay!! So this week saw the eldest starting drama club, something which she really enjoyed, it was nice for her to do something by herself. We finally got the hubby's phone sent off for repair (£60 later) and Layla started doing an extra morning at playschool, this has made me feel rather lost.

Onto the photos

Day 130

A lazy Sunday after a busy Saturday. We invested in a headset for the xbox upstairs so that Elise could play with her friends on minecraft and chat at the same time.

Testing My Baking Skills #FloridaTixbakeoff

FloridaTix are turning 10 and of course any birthday celebration needs cake so they set myself and 9 other bloggers the task to create them a birthday cake as part of their FloridaTixbakeoff challenge. Now I'm ok at making cakes and I don't like to blow my own trumpet but I think I'm pretty great at eating them!! However my decorating skills I admit are somewhat lacking.

I always have visions in my head as to how I want my finished cakes to look but honestly they never come out looking how I imagined them but I'm not one to turn down a challenge so I've given it my best shot.

We were each sent a little hamper of baking goodies to help us with our creations this included icing, edible glitter and a madeira cake mix.

Friday 15 May 2015

Dining Room Inspiration

When my husband and I finally bought our home last December we immediately started planning in our heads just how we'd decorate each room. No offence to the previous owners but their style definitely wasn't to our tastes.

One room that I'm desperate to give a little uplift, a Spring time revamp if you will, is our dining room. In our previous house we didn't really have a dining room, more like a space in our living room which we used for eating. So when we moved the dining area was left looking rather bare as we had pretty much no furniture to fill it with. You can see in the picture below that we have our "well used" dining room table and chairs and a princess tent which doesn't quite fit my vision.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Raw Peanut Butter Cups

I am a sucker for a few things in life these include chocolate and peanut butter. And when these two are combined, just wow. Heaven was found when I discovered peanut butter cups, I mean there is no way that I can just have one but this becomes a problem for my diet so  in my quest to eat better I've been experimenting and trying to find ways of making a slightly healthier version.

My recipe still combines that solid chocolate with the smooth peanut buttery goodness but you don't to feel so guilty when they pass your lips because there is a lot less sugar in them.

raw peanut butter cup

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Miffy's Birthday Book Review

You must know by now that the classic bunny Miffy is turning 60 and I don't think it would be right if we didn't have a look at one of her books and what better book to have a peek at than one that celebrates this special rabbit's birthday.

miffy 6oth anniversary

Cuddledry Swim Poncho Towel Review

You may have notest the shiny new badge on my sidebar recently. I'm lucky enough to have been kept on as one of Cuddledry's superbloggers and of course this means that as well as bringing you some of their latest news and offers, I also get to test out and review some of their products and let you lovely readers know just how good they are.

So today I'm sharing with you my thoughts on the Swim Poncho Towel. Priced at £26.99, this towel is designed for children aged 1-3, that all important toddler stage. They come available in blue only but you have the choice of two different pipings, orange or green. Being honest I'd love to see more colour options available but I can see the appeal of the coours chosen as they are bright so your child can easily be spotted when wearing it.

cuddledry swim poncho towel

Barbie Colour Me Cute Review

It's no surprise that with four girls we love Barbie in this house. We've been lucky to play and review other Barbie products in the past including the Barbie Malibu house.

This time Barbie is back with a new pet pal and she's waiting for you to colour her in. Colour me cute Barbie (£23.99) comes complete with a vanity stand, basin and puppy ready for you splash water over them revealing some wonderfully bright and vibrantly fun colours.


barbie colour me cute

barbie colour me cute

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Not Weighing In

So I'm trying something different this week. I'm not weighing in. I've decided not to step on the scales and I have to say it is strangely liberating. Continuing on from what I said in my post last week, I'm trying not to obssess so much when it comes to the numbers, the lbs and inches because as I keep trying to remember, it is how we feel that really counts.

I know I had a not so great week when it came to what I consumed. A tad to much alcohol was drunk and not all the right foods were eaten but my clothes still fit so I can't have piled on too much weight no can I?

Monday 11 May 2015

Read With Me #19

Waves to everyone, welcome to this weeks Read With Me. What's everyone been reading lately? I have to admit one problem I have is actually picking which book to read.

read with me
I personally blame Amazon once click oh and the fact there are so many great books available on Kindle for free.

My list of books to be read seems to be forever growing, I read one and tend to add five more.

Anyone else have this problem??

One of the books I managed to read last week was The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen. A sweet coming of age story with a twist. It made me laugh, it made me smile and I'll admit I even cried a tad.

Do click the link as it is currently free on Kindle.

Saturday 9 May 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 19

This has been a mixed bag sort of week. A mix of highs and lows, I must say I'm really glad for the weekend.

So lets start with the positive. Gracie is really excelling in her phonics, a wonderful thing to hear especially because I was worried at the start of the year at just how she'd cope with it all.

The not so great times include the hubby breaking his 2 week old phone, big sighs and the eldest and youngest gaining real attitudes and paddying constantly, they've really tested my patience this week!!

Enough of the moaning onto this weeks pictures…

Day 123

Layla was feeling especially lazy, sleeping whilst everyone else was up already.

Friday 8 May 2015

Husband's Carpentry Skills Come in Handy

I knew my husband being a carpenter would come in handy one day. Owning our own house now means there is plenty that needs either changing or fixing and then there is the issue of storage space.

The attic room is where my 7 year old resides and because of it's size and shape, it has become difficult finding places to put all of her belongings ie toys, books, shoes.

Below are a couple of pictures that show just how untidy her the floor in the bedroom was looking.


Thursday 7 May 2015

Creme Egg Chickpea Blondies

I'm sure it isn't possible seen as Easter has been and gone but if you happen to have any Creme Eggs left over you can use them in this scrummy recipe for chickpea blondes, of course you can always make them without the creme eggs, this will make these delicious slices of cake less calorific but no less tasty.

creme egg chickpea blondies

The blondies themselves are wonderfully healthy, high in protein and fibre because of the included peanut butter and chickpeas, a great example that healthy foods can be flavoursome.

There is no butter, eggs or flour involved in this recipe so it can be adapted to be vegan too.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Ozeri WeightMaster II Scales Review

Since January I've been trying to lose weight and tone up and obviously to be able to track my progress I needed a decent set of weighing scales. Up until a few weeks ago I was using my old set of scales which I always suspected were a little bit out as they always came out different to my mums so when I was asked if I'd like to review the Ozeri Weight Master II scales, I was happy to accept.

These digital bathroom scales come in either black or white. I opted for black to fit in with my bathroom decor. Coming with batteries included (always a win), they are able to track weight up to 200KG.

ozeri weightmaster II scales

Damart Clothing Review

The seasons are always changing and of course a change of season also means a change of clothes. Spring/Summer collections are popping up everywhere and I was lucky enough to have the chance to pick a couple of items from Damart's latest  range.

Damart is actually a French based company, I'd previously heard of them but I have to admit that I've never worn anything from them before. What they offer is a range that is both stylish and comfortable and let me tell you I'm all about the comfort these days!!

I chose to receive a printed jacket (£49) and a pair of Amortyl shoes (£35).

What I liked about both items was that they could be dressed up or dressed down, they worked with an array of different outfits which immediately makes them great value for money.

The Amortyl shoe comes in two colours, black and white. I chose white. You get a second pair of contrast laces with the shoes so that you can change the look of the shoe. The orange laces can add a pop of colour and really give a Summer vibe.

damart amortyl shoe

Trunki Yondi Review

You may have noticed the recent giveaway on my blog, the one where you could win a Trunki Yondi, I also mentioned that I would be reviewing one of these too. Now you can read on to find out how my kids and I got on with this innovative travel product.

The Yondi is a travel pillow which is specially designed with hidden magnets that connect under your childs chin.

Available in 11 different designs and two sizes, the Yondi is made to be a soft and supportive pillow which stops your child's head from rolling forwards uncomfortably if they happen to fall asleep whilst you are travelling. I was sent one of each size to try.

Size small is designed for kids aged 2 and upwards and size medium is aimed at slightly older children starting from age 5. I chose Yondi Betsy for Layla (s) and Yondi Koko Koala for Gracie (m). You can see the difference in size in the photo below.

trunki yondi size comparison

Tallulah Book Reviews

Clare Grogan is a successful singer and actress but recently she has ventured into the world of book writing. Her debut book, Tallulah and The Teen Stars, follows the adventures of Tallulah Gosh…..

Tallulah Gosh is really Teresa Gordon - an ordinary girl living on an ordinary street. Teresa feels almost invisible to the wrold, except when she's in her bedroom pretending to be the world famous singer of 'Tallulah and the Teenstars'. 

One day her grumpy big sister Patti challenges Teresa to start a real band and to enter the school talent contest that is just a few weeks away. 

What will she do? Can she really do this? And if she dies will everyone just laugh at her?

This is going to be the biggest challenge of Teresa's life but she's determined to prove that she's no ordinary girl!

Tuesday 5 May 2015

The Best of British Bingo

I have to be honest, I always saw Bingo as something that old people went and played. No offence to anyone it's just I imagined lots of elderly women, like my nan, all sitting around listening (or at least trying to listen) to the numbers being called out. You know the classics like, "two fat ladies, 88".

My opinion happened to change when a couple of my friends admitted to attending bingo with their dobbers in hand and not just girl friends but friends of the male variety too, that's right ladies and gents bingo is not gender specific I'll have you know!! It seems this is the new place to be when it comes to socialising.

bingo

Weighing In, The Progress Edition

Last week I talked about trying the 3 week diet plan and how I came to the realisation that perhaps I don't need to be on such an extreme diet. I want to make progress in the right way. I've always been quite hard on myself when it comes to my image and my weight, realistically I know how I see myself is not how I appear to others but I just can't get myself comfortable in my own skin.

Even last week I happened to mention that I didn't really see any difference in my body. I mean I've lost almost a stone in weight since January so you'd think that there would be a noticeable difference right?

I've been taking photos to document my journey, up until this point I'd not put them together, only ever looked at them separately and I suppose that made me more blind to the reality that my body is infact changing.

The photo below shows me in January, at the end of March and last week.

Monday 4 May 2015

Read With Me #18

Hello lovely readers. How are you, did you have a good weekend?? I have to say I was as much as I love having the kids at home, it was kind of nice having them back at school last week.

read with me
Back to regular bed times which in turn meant a little more quiet time for me.

So on my reading list last week, I start reading the Hart Family series by Ella Fox.

I managed to get this for a bargain 99p for my kindle a couple of months ago, lucky for me as you can no longer by the box set, you have to buy each book separately.

I've only just got around to reading them and I will give fair warning that they are quite erotic.

The series consists of 6 books and follows a different couple in each one.

Although each could technically be read as a stand alone, it is better to read the whole series in order to get the whole story as such.

Saturday 2 May 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 18

I know I say this often but I cannot believe how fast the year is going. May already!! That's 4 whole months of taking photos for this years project 365. I think I'm enjoying it more this year as the photographs are more varied and they don't always just represent the kids.

Anyway our week, how has it been? Well pretty good I'd say. The girls are happy in school. I had to buy Gracie a new school bag as she'd managed to put not one but two holes in hers.

Some friends of ours announced that they were expecting their first child together, so happy for them.

And my husband got great news because he got a promotion at work, very proud of him, he works so hard and it is nice to see it paying off.

Day 116

Layla's teething days are over but I was still rather sad when her teething bracelet broke, seemed like the end of an era.

Win With Swimshop

Summer is coming, I repeat Summer is coming. I'm thinking sun, sea and sand and I'm sure for a lot of you this means that you have upcoming holidays, you lucky devils. However if you're like me and staying at home this year, then there will be lots of trips to the beach in order. Whatever you are doing I'm sure swimwear will be needed. And luckily for you, the lovely people at Swimshop have allowed me to give away £25 so spend on swimming costumes and accessories over on their site.


swimshop uk logo

Friday 1 May 2015

Losing Weight Means New Clothes Needed

Since January I have lost almost a stone in weight, go me!! The issue with losing weight is that new clothes are needed, the old clothes don't fit anymore, they either fall down or are so baggy that they make me look bigger than what I am.

Now every girl loves an excuse to buy new outfits right? However this of course comes at a price. This means I am always on the look out for a bargain.

I tend to do a mix of online and high street shopping.

When on the laptop my first port of call is eBay, I have no issue with wearing second hand clothes and lets be honest you can end up with some fab items for a quarter of their normal price. I'm one of those people that waits for the last few seconds and manages to get a steal. It's about the only time that I get crowned a winner!!

One of my latest purchases was this amazing jumper, it's from Forever 21 but it cost me a small £4.20 including postage. #winning

Creepy Crawly Crafting Fun

Nestle recently carried out some interesting research, revealing the kind of challenges that parents like myself face when trying to make sure that their children are receiving the vitamins and minerals that they need. There were some weird and wonderful findings :

71 % of kids refuse to eat a plate of greens (you know the good stuff!)

47% of children have had a chew on some sort of bug from the garden. Some of the creepy crawlies included were worms, caterpillars and snails.

This gave nestle the idea to build a caterpillar of their own made from cereal. So they worked alongside food artist Prudence Staite to create a huge 10ft one to showcase just how nutritious cereal can be…..