Sunday, 7 December 2014

LuLu Teaching Wall Clock - Review

LuLu Teaching Wall Clock
Review



I was recently sent a lovely childrens wall clock to review from Roomtogrow.co.uk who specialise in everything you could possibly need to kit your childrens bedrooms out.

Our eldest son, Adam, is getting on quite well with learning how to correctly read a clock and tell us what time it is and Wyatt has just started school so this is perfect for them.

The LuLu Teaching Wall Clock is a nifty wall clock that has big numbers on its face as well as markers for "half past", "1/4 past" and various others to help children tell the time correctly. The face covering is glass and the frame is a thick plastic which comes in either red or green. We chose red.

I think it's really important to teach our children how to tell time properly and that's not always easy when most childrens clocks are digital these days. This clock is a brilliant teaching resource that you will always have out on display to help your children and isn't "too babyish" as the children grow older. The relatively simple design also means that will go well with any theme you might have decorated the bedrooms in.

How old was your child when they started learning to tell the time? What teaching techniques do you use? Let me know in the comments below :)

Sunday, 9 November 2014

Recipe - Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

Recipes
Simple Vanilla Cupcakes


This recipe makes 12 large vanilla cupcakes that are moist and have a generous amount of frosting on top!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 175g butter
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
  • 100g butter or margarine
  • 500g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 50ml milk 
Method
  1.  Pre-heat your oven to 160oc and line a cupcake baking tray with 12 cases.
  2. Cream the butter and caster sugar together until smooth.
  3. Add each egg one at a time, beating well as you do.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
  5. Gradually add the self-raising flour until all completely combined.
  6. Spoon the mixture equally into the cupcakes cases and cook in the oven for 22 minutes or until golden in colour.
  7. Whilst the cupcakes are cooling cream the butter/margarine until soft and spreadable.
  8. Gradually add the icing sugar and mix with the butter. As this gets harder to do, add a small drop of milk until you have a smooth buttercream that is thick enough to keep its shape but also soft enough to pipe.
  9. Add the vanilla extract and give it on last mix.
  10. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag that has a large star nozzle. I've used a Wilton 2D but any open star nozzle will do.
Next I am going to shop you how to pipe a simple classic swirl with the buttercream.

To begin with pipe a small amount onto the very centre of the cupcake. This gives the swirl something to hold up with so you can get better height.


Start to pipe around the edge of the cupcake.




As you reach where you began piping continue on the next level and so forth until you reach the very top. Release pressure from the piping bag and pull it away from the cupcake to create a tip.


You should finish with something like this. 


You can now either leave them as they are or add some sprinkles or toppers to make them look extra special. We used  Dr Oekter Banoffe and Popping Candy sprinkles to top our cupcakes with.


I hope you enjoyed reading my little how-to and if you decide to make some vanilla cupcakes of your own I would love to see how you did in the comments below!

Thanks for reading :)

Sunday, 2 November 2014

Halloween 2014

Halloween has been and gone so I thought I would share some pictures of my little monkeys in their costumes.


The cutest pirate ever <3


Can you guess who Adam and Wyatt dressed up as? ;)

What did you little ones dress up as this year? Let me know in the comments below x

Thursday, 23 October 2014

Happy 5th Birthday Wyatt!



This week saw our little Wyatt turn 5! That came around fast and I guess he's not so little any more. I've had mixed feelings about him turning 5. Befor Isaac, he was my baby boy and now he's growing up quicker than my motherly side would like to admit.

As his birthday fell on a Monday this year we decided to celebrate it over the week-end so he could spend it with his friends and family. Hubby works nights so we've had to factor that in too.

He's been a very lucky little boy this year as he's had not one but TWO birthday celebrations! We originally planned just bowling on the Sunday but then I won the chance to host a Mega Bloks First Builders party through www.houseparty.com/ so we decided to incorporate that into a birthday party for him on the Saturday.


For the Mega Bloks party we were selected to receive all these fab goodies to keep. They included a Big Building Bag, Fast track Racing Team play set, Fast Tracks Rescue Squad play set and 11 assorted Fast Track Buildable Vehicles to give as favors for his guests.



All the play sets were very easy to build and included clear instructions or you can build whatever track you can think of. Needless to say these went down very well with all the kiddies at the party but didn't stay built up for very long!


Wyatts birthday cake...not made by me this year unfortunately :(




Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Giveaway - Pebble Grey Leto LED Battery Mirror

Giveaway
Leto LED Battery Mirror
by Pebble Grey




For my wonderful readers I have been given the chance to give away this stunning LED battery mirror from www.pebblegrey.co.uk/.

Pebble Grey are a fab company who specialise in mirrors, cabinets and bathroom accessories. They have a huge range of high quality, modern and contemporary products to help make your bathroom (or dressing room!) look amazing.

The Leto LED Battery Mirror is of everyone woman's (or mans!) dreams, providing the perfect lighting for even the smallest of bathrooms. It is easy to install and being battery operated it requires no wiring at all. It instantly gives your bathroom the wow factor.

Also for a limited time only you can get 20% off their battery powered mirrors range by entering the code BT20 at the checkout on their website.

For your chance to get your hands on this amazing product simply enter using the Rafflecopter below. Please note that this is only open to those in mainland UK.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, 29 September 2014

Review - Flip Case for Kindle Keyboard with LED Light

Review
Flip case for Kindle Keyboard with LED Light

Reading books is one of my favourite past times when the kiddies have gone to bed and having a Kindle suits me well. Wandering little hands are always finding their way on to my Kindle Keyboard so a good case to store it in is an absolute must.

Finding a decent enough case which is both of a good quality and a reasonable price isn't an easy task. Luckily I was given the opportunity by CaseHappy.co.uk to review a case from their massive online collection of cases. They sell everything from Kindle cases to iPad cases to laptop cases and all at very reasonable prices.

I chose the Flip Case with LED Light in black for my Kindle Keyboard.


It's a simple but attractive case that doesn't obscure any of my screen or keyboard whilst holding the Kindle snuggly in place so it isn't moving around whilst I'm using it.


At the back is a handy little built in stand that gives you multiple viewing heights. The only problem I found with this if I'm honest is that the stand will occasionally slip out of the little nooks which can be a bit pesky.


However a highlight which really attracted me to this case was the removable LED light which is great if you like reading in low light. The bulb is super bright! The whole body of the light is bendable which allows you to angle the light to however you like it.

Overall I'm quite happy with my case and would definitely recommend checking out CaseHappy.co.uk next time you need a case ;)

Thursday, 25 September 2014

Book Review - Five Little Ghosts

Five Little Ghosts
Book Review


"Five little ghosts at the end of the day
Are on the lookout for somewhere to play
Follow the adventures of five little ghosts in this comical caper!"

We were recently sent this lovely little book from Little Tiger Press which is one of this years Halloween titles by them.

It follows the tale of five very cute little ghosts who go on an adventure to find fun things to do. They get up to lots of mischief as they discover different things to do including riding skateboards and making a splash in the tub.



The book itself has sturdy cardboard pages which are a necessity when a book is primarily aimed at children aged 0-5 years. The front cover has a nice soft padding and each page is covered in brightly coloured pictures which are a joy to look at.


I really enjoyed reading this with my two youngest children. Wyatt, aged 4, has asked to have this as the bedtime story several times since we got it. he also enjoys sitting a looking at the pictures whilst telling mummy and daddy what's happening in the story.


Baby Isaac has enjoyed trying to eat it! ;)


If you're looking for a nice little book for the upcoming Halloween festivities then I would highly recommend this book. With a RRP of £5.99 it's a bargain too for the size and quality.

Does your little one have a favourite book? Do they have any that are of a Halloween theme? Let me know in the comments below. If you've liked this review then please consider sharing x

Sunday, 14 September 2014

Review: Wrapped For You - Personalised Chocolates

Review
Wrapped For You

With so many special occasions throughout the year it can be a bit daunting finding a gift that is just right. You can some times find yourself worrying if someone else has bought the same gift or even worse, that the recipient wont like the gift!

That is where Wrapped For You comes in handy. They are an online company that provide quality, personalised chocolates for all occasions. Who doesn't like chocolate?!

Their website is easy to use too. Simply select which occasion you are buying for, choose an image you like from their premade designs and enter your the details you would like to personalise the chocolates with. Can't find a design you like? No problem. You can also add your own image/photo/logo to make the design unique and more personalised to your recipient.

In regards to sizes you can choose from mini (4g), midi (40g) or maxi (100g). Mini's are perfect for for party/wedding/christening favours and the maxi bars give you a generous portion which are perfect as a gift on their own.

We received our chocolates well packed in a carboard box. Each one was neatly wrapped in brown wrapping paper and finished off with a lovely ribbon and name tag.


Wyatt's fifth birthday is coming up so we ordered 30 mini chocolate to give as party favours to his guests. He's having a bowling party this year so we chose a design to match that. "Happy 5th Birthday Wyatt" was printed on the front and "Thanks for coming to my party" on the back.


A wonderful touch added by the company was a little keepsake card in a plastic sleeve saying "A little something for your memory box" and an extra mini chocolate to go along with it. What a fab idea!


Hubby's birthday is coming up too so we chose to get him a maxi bar of chocolate from the kiddies, personalised with his favourite sport and a picture of them. The picture printing quality was very good and a special message was printed on the back in case he didn't know who the bar was from haha!

We had a little sneaky taste of one of the mini chocolates and they were delicious! It tasted of good quality chocolate, rich and smooth.

I will definitely be using Wrapped4you.co.uk in the future for when I want to get family and friends that something a little extra special.

What do you think of personalised gifts? Are personalised chocolates something you would consider giving as a gift? Let me know in the comments below.

Friday, 12 September 2014

Review - Nuby Weaning Range Prize

Nuby Weaning Range prize


I am a big fan of entering competitions and there's only one thing I like better than entering...winning! Recently I entered a competition on Nuby UK's facebook page and was chosen as one of their winners. I won a weaning set containing a selection of the first stage products.

This couldn't have come at a better time as Isaac is now 5 months old and we've begun weaning him. So far he's taken brilliantly to it and loves his food. He eats just about anything you give him!

Here is what we thought of each of the products we received as part of our prize.


The Nuby weaning and feeding spoons come in a pack of 6 and are brightly coloured with a fun design on the handle. The long handle is designed to reach to the bottom of even the tallest baby food jars and are easy to grip. What we particularly liked about the spoons is that they were the perfect size for Isaac little mouth. We've tried other brands but they all either seemed too small or way to big.


The Grip 'n' Sip No Spill cup has a soft silicon spout and features Nubys Touch Flo technology which activates as soon as baby starts to suck. This is really handy as my little boy has struggled to figure out how to get drink out of other type spouts and gives them no attention when you give the to him. He loves being able to hold on to his cup and feed himself. This cup is available in a range of colours but we like the blue ;)


The Garden Fresh Freezer Tray is great for mums who like to make their babies food from scratch. The soft silicon tray consists of 9 compartments which are the perfect portion size and allow you to freeze in batches for later use. The lid easily clips on to prevent freezer burn and spillages. In all honestly I've not had the chance to use this yet as I'm not confident enough in my cooking skills to make my babies food. I'm determined I will though!


The Squeezy Feeder is handy for feeding your baby whether you are giving them milk, formula or pureed foods. Simply twist off the yellow hygienic spoon cover, place the spoon end into milk/food and give it a squeeze for a instant spoonful.

I just can't seem to get along with this product as I'm not really that keen on the idea in general. It allows you to control how much is going on to the spoon when you feed your baby but I can do that without it too. I had a go at trying to fill it up with a whole pot of baby food using this method but I found I had to squeeze real hard on the very end of the feeder. Regardless of what angle I put the spoon end in the food pot eventually it just couldn't suck up the remainder of the contents. As you can see from the second picture A LOT of food was still left in the pot!

It's a nifty little product. It's just not for me.


This last product, although not necessarily a weaning product, was Isaacs favourite! He absolutely loves his new Wacky Loops teether. It features multiple teething surfaces and promotes sensory development. I love the bright colours, fabric rings and little beads that rattle away as baby waves it around. Definitely recommend this one!

Do you have a weaning product that you swear by? Have you tried anything from Nuby's range of products? Let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring ;)

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Guest post - The Most Embarrassing Parenting Moments

The Most Embarrassing Parenting Moments

Some parents make raising a child look easy, but the truth is that it can be hard at times – more often than not, in fact. While we love our children, there are times when they do something in public that makes us just want the ground to swallow us up as we apologise profusely to anyone around us. Issues ranging from lice in children, to bad behaviour, can have us feeling stressed and out of control.
Sometimes it can be hard to discuss this with other parents as you’re ashamed and feel you’ll get judged. This article will look at some embarrassing issues that parents have to deal with and how best to tackle them. The important thing to remember is that public embarrassment is something that all parents have to deal with and these issues are completely normal.

Head Lice

This is never a fun one and all parents have to deal with it at one time or another. It’s a tedious task and there’s that panic moment when you discover lice in one of your child’s hair. Lice in children is one of the most embarrassing things a parent can endure, and one they don’t want to share with other parents as it’s seen to be a sign of dirty hair, even though this is not at all truei. Lice don’t have preferences when it comes to what hair they choose, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about at all! In fact, it’s much better to tell other parents and the school so that they can be on high guard and help to cease the infestation.
There are numerous ways to treat lice and get rid of them once and for all. Head lice shampoos and sprays are often easy to use and effective solutions. They help kill lice, but also get rid of nits. This means that you should have no concern about having to catch the eggs once they hatch too.

Chicken pox

Chicken pox is another unavoidable issue, I’m afraid. Again, this is one that most parents have to deal with. Like lice, this can be an embarrassing situation, especially as chicken pox is a lot more visible than something like lice. It may cause other people to squirm and move away, even if they’ve had it before. Interestingly though, chicken pox is often shared. Parents tend to bring their children round to see other children who have chicken pox so that everyone can get it over and done with at a young age. It might be best to do this as chicken pox can become more dangerous if you get it while you’re older, which could result in shingles.
The best treatment is time and rest, but creams like calamine lotion are really useful to use too as they cool the area and offer relief. The spots usually clear up by themselves but it can be a painful process so you’ll definitely need something to soothe the itching and discomfort. You’ll want to keep your skin as comfortable as possible, so avoid any itchy fabrics and stick to cotton and loose clothing. Avoid scratching the spots if you can too. Excessive scratching can lead to long term scars or infected spots. If you really have no control, put mittens or socks over your hands so you don’t scratch. Also, while parents might think it’s a good idea to sponge their child with cool water, this might actually make them very coldii.

Clumsiness

If your child was anything like me growing up, they came home with all sorts of unexplained bumps or bruises. I was forever knocking into stuff and tripping over, and no doubt my parents were very embarrassed when I walked head first into a glass door.
Clumsiness can be really embarrassing for both a child and for a parent, especially when other kids seem to be scoring goals while yours are tripping over laces. Mostly, this is something that your child outgrows, so you just have to wrap them in bubble wrap and hope for the best. The important thing is not to make a big deal out of it if they do fall somewhere they shouldn’t – it’s a common problem with many children being a little bit behind their peers in terms of motor skillsiii. If they haven’t grown out of it, it might be something like dyspraxia. This is nothing to be concerned about and there are a lot of different ways that you can treat this. They might just need a bit more attention or training than other children.

Too much honesty

It’s true when they say that ‘kids say the darndest things’, with it most likely being in a public place, where all your friends tend to hear it. This can include publicly asking questions such as ‘where do babies come from’ or a loud remark about someone they see. This issue can be the one that mortifies parents the most, leaving most parents red faced. It’s important not to make it a big deal as this can embarrass your child. Instead, tell them quietly that they shouldn’t have said that, so they know not to make that same mistake again. No doubt though, each parent will have to deal with one or two inappropriate comments from their kids at times. This does, however, make for hilarious stories when your kids are older. Public tantrums fall into this category and it can be difficult not to lose your cool while in public.
Quick fixes, like a brutal telling off, or ignoring them, only get you so far. You might have to be a bit sterner in certain situations, but again, this is something that they’ll grow out of in good time. You’ll have to just be patient, and bear with some embarrassing outbursts.


Go on, share with us your most embarrassing moments of being a parent!


Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Recipe - Iced "Party" Ring Biscuits

Iced "Party" Ring Biscuits


Whenever I take the boys with me to do the food shop one of the first things they will ask for is Foxs Party Rings biscuits. With their bright colourful designs they tend to be quite popular with kiddies.

I decided to take a look on the internet for recipes and managed to find a very helpful one on Good Housekeeping. They are easy to bake and lots of fun to decorate. You can use your favourite basic biscuit recipe or you can use this one which I took from the website:

Ingredients:
  • 200g plain flour
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100g butter, at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extra/flavouring
Makes about 30 biscuits.

1) First, take all of your ingredients and place them in a bowl and mix until combined.
2) Tip out your dough onto a work surface and knead until you get a smooth dough that you can easily roll out later.
3) Wrap your biscuit dough in cling film and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will help the dough to keep its shape when it's cooking in the oven.
4) Pre-heat your oven to 180c(160c fan) or gas mark 4.
5) Take your biscuit dough out of the fridge and sprinkle some flour onto your work surface. Roll out the dough until it's about 5mm thick all over.
6) Take two round cookie cutters in the size you want your biscuits to be in, one slight smaller than the other. Stamp out your biscuits with the larger cutter making sure you use the smaller one to make a ring effect.
7) Place onto a sheet tray lined with greasproof paper and bake for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly golden in colour.
8) Once cooked, place onto a cooling wrack until cool to touch.

This is what you should have so far, some yummy looking buscuits:


Next you will need:

  • 300g icing sugar (Royal icing is best but not essential. Royal icing hardens more when dry)
  • 1tbsp vanilla extract/flavouring (or whatever flavour you like!)
  • Food colourings in your choice of colours (I use Suagrflair colour pastes)
Place the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually add a little bit of water at a time until you get a thick, spreadable consistency. Add vanilla flavouring, or whatever flavour you like, and mix well. Separate into enough bowls for however many colours you want to use and colour with the food colourings.

On with the decorating!

Start by taking a biscuit ring and spread one colour over the biscuit to completly cover the top surface. You could use a cutlery knife, spoon or whatever is easier for you.


Next, take a different colour and drizzle a few lines over the iced biscuit to give it a bit of contrast (I'm not so neat at this part!).


Take a tooth pick and draw it across the icing to give it a feathered effect. Do this as many time as you like until you get the apprearence you want.


Continue these steps until all your biscuits are iced. You can make as many different colour combinations as you like.

I hope you like our little how-to guide and if you do make some of your own I would love to see your creations!

Have fun :D

Monday, 1 September 2014

Review & Giveaway - Beanies Instant Flavour Coffee

Beanies Instant Flavour Coffee Review & Giveaway

Recently I was sent 3 jars of Beanies Instant Flavour Coffee to try. Being a busy household, coffee is something that is a staple with myself and hubby.


Beanies have a large selection of different flavoured instant coffees available to indulge in as well as premium roast. Our top three flavours were Irish Cream, Ameretto Almond and Cinder Toffee.


Each jar is packed full of rich flavour with no need for syrups or chemicals to get such a flavour hit. With only 2 calories per serving these are perfect for having a luxury cuppa that's quick to make and guilt free!

Beanies Flavour Coffee also have an exclusive range available at Sainburys in both instant and premium roast varieties.

For more information and to check out their complete range please visit their website www.beaniesflavourco.co.uk

As part of our giveaway you can enter with the Rafflecopter Below to win a selection of not one but 9 jars of Beanies Instant Flavour Coffee! Wow! Please note that this is only available to UK entrants.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, 25 August 2014

Disney Junior VIP Summer Party 2014




Today we attended one of Disney Junior VIP summer parties for 2014. Lot's of people entered a contest to win tickets and we were one of the lucky winners! The prize was for tickets for 1 adult and 2 little ones to attend at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens venue.


I took Wyatt along with me as well as my little niece, Lily-Mai and on arrival we were greeted by some lovely members of the Disney team who gave us all a special wrist band and were shown to the function were everything was being held. 


There was lots of little stations with activities for the kiddies to do.


Wyatt's favourite activity was Jake's treasure game. He had to through juggle balls at several buckets filled with gold dubloons to put them in the team treasure chest. It took some time to get him to move on to the other activity stations ;)


Lily-Mai's favourite activity was making her own special amulet, just like Princess Sofia's. I ended up with 6 of them hung around me neck!


Other activities including building blocks...


Colouring their favourite playhouse characters...


Helping Doc McStuffing diagnose her patients...


and learning about different food groups with the activity plates.


There were also lots of characters to have their photos taken with but unfortunately I couldn't persuade either of my little ones to do this as they aren't a big fan of people in costumes at the moment.


I did however get them to sit still long enough to take their picture on Princess Sofia's throne.


At the end of the party all the little ones were given a lunchbox to take away with them and a goody bag each.


This is the loot in each goody bag. It included a DVD, stickers, Disney magazine, Henry Huggle Monster bag, inflatable sword and lots more. Wyatt and Lily-Mai were very happy with all their goodies ;)

All in all the kids had lots of fun participating all the activities and we are very grateful to Disney Junior for giving us the chance to attend one of this years events x