Autumn/Winter Fashion For Men With Jacamo

The cold weather has well and truly set in and now is the time for layering up and getting cosy when going out and for simply sitting at home. Jacamo, who sell a great selection of fashionable menswear kindly asked if I'd like to style my husband for the season upon us and all though the man in my life doesn't like to be in front of the camera, I thought I could still show you what I'd get him wearing.

Think Words Spin Board Game Review

Last week I shared with you my review of Telestrations, a great game from John Adams/IDEAL. This week is the turn of Think Words! The game that asks you to spin it, name it and take it!

A game aimed at anyone aged eight and over, it is what I would describe as a fast paced game that is nice and simple to play, making it the perfect game for all the family to play together.

Wakey, Wakey, Elephant! Book Review

I love reading books with my children, especially when they include things to be learnt, whether that be dealing with emotions or particular situations. Now Wakey, Wakey, Elephant! might not appear to be that type of story but as the tale progresses I think you'll be just as surprised as I was.

WAKEY, WAKEY, ELEPHANT! yells Edgar. But his elephant just keeps snoozing. Edgar tickles him with a feather. He invites a marching band to parade through Elephant's room. His friend stays asleep. Can you guess what Edgar finally whispers in Elephant's ear to get him right out of bed?

Read With Me #48 2017

Hello and welcome to this weeks Read With Me, the last one of November, that month went by fast didn't it!!

Are we all feeling festive yet? My Christmas tree is up and I cannot wait to start the count down. I've decided not to do a book advent this year as we seem to have an abundance of books already and I know there are more to come Christmas day. Instead I am going to use my vast Christmas book collection to read my kids a festive book a day.

My Sunday Photo 2017 #48

I think this photo sums up the season for us at the moment! We live off of soup this time of year and like me, my kids are often found with their hats firmly on their heads. These soups were actually from Coop's new gluten free range which we were kindly sent. I wasn't asked to write about them but they were so tasty I thought it was only right to share.

Wilko Blox Advent Calendar Review

It is almost time to begin the countdown to Christmas, the question is, have you got your advent calendar yet? With more and more on the market each year and the prices for many of them becoming quite expensive, it can be hard to seek out decent ones on a budget. Well look no more, especially if you've been eyeing up those Lego ones because the Wilko Blox advent calendar ticks all the boxes.

Little Loves November

The Christmas count down really is on now and I have to admit that I am really looking forward to the festive season. My Little Loves for the month of November has seen a bit of a winter/festive theme creeping in but just wait for Decembers post!

Read

As well as fantastic parents evening reports for all of my girls, I had a fantastic letter through for my eldest saying that she has got exceptional potential and will be pushed to further her potential, something that even she was excited about. One proud mum here!

Telestrations - John Adams - Board Game Review

I don't know about you guys but one of the things I love about Christmas (yes I said it) is the time spent with family and something we really enjoy doing together is playing a good board game, even though there is always someone complaining that there's a cheater amongst us and of course there is always the obligatory sore loser.

In aid of my love of board games over the next three weeks I will be showing you three board games from the wonderful people at John Adams and IDEAL (before you read on go and check out their Facebook page for more gaming fun). First up is a new favourite of mine, Telestations.

Nineteen Letters by Jodi Perry November Book of the Month

I'm a sucker for a good romance novel but most of them are just light-hearted reads, stories to pass the time, there aren't many that really tug at my heart strings, but my choice for November book of the month, Nineteen Letters by Jodi Perry managed to pull at all of my emotions.

Nineteen. There’s something about that number; it not only brought us together, bonding us forever, it also played a hand in tearing us apart.

The nineteenth of January 1996. I’ll never forget it. It was the day we met. I was seven and she was six. It was the day she moved in next door, and the day I developed my first crush on a girl.

SONIC Chic DELUXE Review

As a parent I'll admit one of the things I take more seriously these days is my oral health, obviously I like to demonstrate to my children that brushing teeth is important and that going to the dentist isn't a scary ordeal like my 5 year old seems to think it is (imagine huge melt-down with lots of screaming). 

Read With Me #47 2017

Hello and welcome to this weeks Read With Me. After last weeks festive selection of books that I shared with you, I've got another Christmas themed book to show you all and this one is HILARIOUS!

The Stink Before Christmas is a very funny festive themed read from BAFTA winning children's TV presenters Sam and Mark. With a good dose of toilet humour I think you'll be hard pressed to not laugh as you read.

My Sunday Photo 2017 #47

Ok, I know it's still on November but I just can't resist a Christmas coffee or five and especially when they come in cups like this. Hands up who's with me?

Pretty Gifted Personalised Wrapping Paper Review

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am a sucker for all things personalised and that even includes the wrapping paper and that's just what Pretty Gifted have delivered to me this week, personalised gift wrap!

"Make what's on the outside as individual as what's on the inside."

Pretty Gifted are a company that are experienced in paper and printing and what they aim to give to you is quality wrapping using the finest papers and metallic foil finishes. And not only that, they want to make this bespoke wrapping paper completely affordable.

Must Haves For Christmas in the Hazelden Household

With only four more Fridays after this until Christmas I thought I'd share with you what my girls and I are considering must haves for Christmas. The toys they already have and are recommending to you and the ones that are on their lists in the hopes that Santa might be kind enough to pop them down our chimney.

So lets start off small. Think stocking fillers.

Here's one for the adults. I'm thinking retro with TOP TRUMPS, a classic game that I used to love playing as a child and it is definitely making a come-back. A great card game to play on Christmas afternoon as dinner settles.

And for the kids how about Hatchimals colleggtibles. The new Hatchimals surprise can be way out of budget for some people but the colleggtibles make a more affordable alternative.

Putting a Little Fun Into Periods With the Bettybox

Periods, every woman gets them at some point in their lives yet it still seems to be a sort of taboo subject, one of embarrassment. I remember vividly the day my period started, my mum was working nights and I was at home with my two brothers. Honest to god I thought I was dying and my poor older brother had no idea what to do, we ended up having to get my mum to come back home. A lot of drama, all because my mum hadn't every really broached the subject with me.

Having four daughters, I wanted to be open and honest with them from the beginning. They all know when I'm on my period, the younger two saying that mummy has got blood, ok not the most appeasing way to say it but they have a rough understanding of what is going on. And my older two at eleven and nine know exactly what is happening, I wrote a post about my talk on periods with them a couple of years ago.

Getting Winter Ready With Trespass

When Winter arrives the temperatures drop and I don't know about all of you but I love to wrap up warm, I won't be seen without a hat (that may have something to do with having a bad hair day but we won't talk about that). I like to make sure that my children are layered up too, even if they do like to complain about wearing a coat! Now Trespass is a brand which I definitely associate with outdoor clothing so what better company to get Winter ready with.

My kids have worn Trespass coats in the past and I've had lovely walking boots from them, there range of clothes and footwear is definitely accessible to everyone, young or old. What I've always liked about their range is that not only is it inexpensive, the quality which you receive is fantastic. There aren't many coats that when they say they're waterproof that turn out to actually protect you from the rain.

Howard Wallace, P.I. Shadow of a Pug Book Review

Howard Wallace, P.I. is a character created by the wonderful author Casey Lyall. The character made is debut last September and now he's back with a new investigation in the follow up novel Shadow of a Pug.

Middle-school detectives Howard Wallace and Ivy Mason are itching for a juicy case. But when their friend and cohort Marvin hires them to prove his nephew— über-bully Carl Dean—didn’t pugnap the school mascot, they’re less than thrilled. To succeed, not only must Howard and Ivy play nice with Carl, they’ll have to dodge a scrappy, snoopy reporter and come face-to-face with Howard’s worst enemy, his ex-best friend Miles Fletcher. Can Howard deal with all these complications and still be there for Ivy when her life is turned upside down? Or will he once again find himself a friendless P.I.?

Read With Me #46 2017

Half way through November so we can definitely mention the C word now, right? Well I'm going to share with you some lovely picture books from Little Tiger so hopefully you're not too much of a scrooge and will stay to have a read.

One Noisy Night

My Sunday Photo 2017 #46

Not the best of shots but I was so busy watching the fireworks last week that I almost forgot to take pictures and not only that I completely forgot to take my proper camera so this was a rush job on my phone.

Become a Popstar With the JoJo Siwa Microphone and Bodacious Bow

You may have heard of JoJo Siwa, she's a TV star and a YouTube sensation (4.7 million subscribers!). Beginning her career on the popular TV programme, Dance Moms, JoJo has since gone on to release hit singles including Boomerang, a range of her famous bows and many more items to accompany them. 

The latest products to emerge from this craze are the JoJo Siwa Microphone and her new Bodacious Bow. I'm sure these will be on many Christmas lists this year and I'm here to give you a close up of what you can expect from them.

Easy Peasy HomeMade Chocolate Scented Moon Sand

Ok so you've probably seen the craze for the slime that you can make at home, well I tried it and I'll be honest it was a disaster, not sure what I did wrong but all I can say is what a mess. So instead of trying again I decided to test out something less messy, and that was moon sand.

This easy peasy homemade moon sand, only takes 3 ingredients (well 2 if you leave out the cocoa) and honestly you can't go wrong when making it.

Prestige Hampers Helping to Celebrate Christmas

For me Christmas is all about eating, drinking and being merry so what better gift to receive than a hamper filled with luxurious food and beverages. Now if you have the time you could of course put together a personalised hamper but if you are like me and always feel like there aren't enough hours in the day then you'll want to check out Prestige Hampers. 

Stocking an amazing range of hampers even including ones for your pets, Prestige Hampers aim to provide you with only the finest products, this is something I can indeed confirm as they kindly sent me one of their Christmas hampers so that I could personally show you just what you can expect when ordering from them.

Jo Jo Deluxe Bow Maker Review

For those of you that haven't heard of JoJo Siwa let me tell you a little bit more about her. Her reall name is Joelle Joanie Siwa  and she is an American dancer, singer, actress, and for my kids a big YouTube personality. 

You may know her from her appearance on Dance Moms along with her mother, Jessalynn Siwa. I now know her from her singles "Boomerang" and "Kid in a Candy Store" which my 5 year old plays on repeat.

My girls were kindly sent a few items from her range and this included and umbrella, some original Jo Jo bows and the deluxe bow maker.

Romeo's Big Book of Clever Ideas Book Review

Romeo's Big Book of Clever Ideas is the first story picture book by Alain Gree from button books. I've had the privilege of reviewing some of his previous books and I have always been taken in by his illustrations, they have a way of capturing the imagination of young ones and when I heard about this new character, Romeo, I had a strong feeling that he too would win me over.

In this book, Romeo has decided that he would very much like to go on a camping trip but the problem is that he seems to think that he needs a lot of luggage so by the time he has finished packing his belongings, well the suitcase seems to be stuck to the floor because it's just too heavy to lift up off of the floor.

An Elf For Christmas - a Modern Family Tradition

For those of you that read my blog, you'll know that for the past four years I have partook in the tradition that is Elf on the Shelf and this year will be no different. The trouble is that with each year that passes, I struggle to come up with new ideas because lets be honest kids have fantastic memories and will soon point out to me that Buddy has previously done something.

Well this year I've had a little helping hand, some festive elfspiration if you will from those lovely people at An Elf For Christmas. Unique, these elves are cute yet mysterious and bring a real magical element to the Christmas season.

Read With Me #45 2017

Hello everyone and welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Into November and I'm starting to think of Christmas books. I like to get the kids a new festive themed book every year because as much as I love watching Christmas films I also like snuggling up with a good story too so any suggestions would be fantastic!

My favourite post last week came from Mamma Filz with her review of the picture book, My Bedroom, a simple yet effective story telling that highlights the importance of having your own space.

My Sunday Photo 2017 #45

This last week has seen the temperatures really drop and with the clocks going back and the darkness setting in, it is definitely feeling more like winter and less like autumn. 

So here's a little autumnal offering in the shape of Jack Skeleton and a sort of Harry Potter pumpkin, all carved by my lovely husband with a multi-tool no less.

What I Read In October

November is here already, the second half of the year always seems to go by so much quicker than the first. I think this shows with how many books I manage to read each month as the number significantly reduce. Here's what I managed to read in October.

Songs About a Girl by Chris Russell

Charlie Bloom never wanted to be 'with the band'. She's happiest out of the spotlight, behind her camera, unseen and unnoticed. But when she's asked to take backstage photos for hot new boy band Fire&Lights, she can't pass up the chance. 

Catapulted into a world of paparazzi and backstage bickering, Charlie soon becomes caught between gorgeous but damaged frontman, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson. Then, as the boys' rivalry threatens to tear the band apart, Charlie stumbles upon a mind-blowing secret, hidden in the lyrics of their songs... 

Kawaii Journal Book Review

Kawaii has become very popular in this country in recent years. This is an abundance of cuteness which is prominent in Japanese culture. It is an artistic style that uses bright colours and cute childlike characters and images. 

I was recently sent the Kawaii Journal (with hugs on the side) from the Christopher Hart Studio. Christopher Hart is one of the world’s leading author of art instruction books and it really shows in this journal.

Saving Space With Joseph Joseph Nest Colanders

You know you're getting old when you get excited over kitchen appliances and accessories and for me that day definitely came when I was asked to review something from Joseph Joseph space saving range. My kitchen is incredibly small so I need all the help I can get when it comes to storing things in my minimal amount of cupboards and if I'm honest I have been lusting after their products for a long time!