PrintKick Review

We were kindly sent a box of goodies from Printkick for an afternoon of fun. Printkick is a family business which started in 2001. They primarily sell ceramics like printed mugs to small businesses around the UK but they have recently expanded their range to include a whole host of items, some of which we are reviewing today.

A family day out at Chessington theme park

Chessington theme park and zoo is a great family day out as there is so much to see and do, enough for more than a day, I wish that we had gone for two days. 

H.Top Molinos Park - A Review

On June 14th 2018 we enjoyed our third stay in four years at Molinos Park. We absolutely love the hotel as it is such good value for money so I wanted to share it with everyone.

A trip to Shreks Adventure London

When I first heard about this attraction opening in 2015 I knew that I wanted to take FJ there, as she is a huge Shrek fan. Three years later and we finally made it there! DJ, CJ, FJ and I recently spent a weekend in London so a trip to Shrek's Adventure had to be included in our itinerary! 

42 days of summer!

The summer holidays are always a controversial topic with many parents dreading occupying their children for such a long time, other parents worrying about how they will manage with childcare during the long summer holidays and then the parents like myself, that actually can't wait for the summer holidays as we have so much fun each year! No matter what your view on the summer holidays is, there is no doubt that they can be stressful if you are not prepared, so I thought I would share some of my tips on making the most of the summer holidays.

My top tips for a stress free summer (although a little later then I had anticipated) are;

1) Plan! I am a huge believer in the old saying - failing to plan is planning to fail! Now I am all for children having time to use their imagination and deal with feeling bored rather then being totally over scheduled with every minute accounted for, but I also think that as a parent you need to know what you are doing and when, so that you can plan for work commitments, plan budgets, book activities etc so every year I make my children summer holiday books which tell them what we will be doing each day. You can read about these on a previous post which I wrote here. The idea is that the children do not have to continually pester me about when will we be doing certain activities and I can create a good balance of activities and free time where they can play in the garden or out with friends, use their imagination and over come boredom. Having a routine for each week mapped out in the books makes life so much simpler and is good for the children as it keeps them more focused and we are all kept happy.

2) Make a back up plan. I like to keep a few indoor activities in a secret place so that if something happens that you can not predict, such as bad weather or one of the kids becomes poorly, and you can not do what you had planned there is still something fun that is on hand to keep the kids happy and you sane!

3) Be open minded. I think that the summer holidays are really important for bonding with your children and as a family and they are also the perfect time to make memories that will last a life time, so the summer holidays are a time for letting your hair down and being silly! Do cart wheels in the garden, join in at the soft play, cover yourself in homemade face packs, dig for worms in the mud and get stuck in with the kids, they will love you for it.

4) Relax and be a bit more flexible with the children. Yes it is important to still keep some kind of routine for the children as most children do thrive when there are rules and boundaries in place and they know what they are doing, but does it really matter if they have sweets three days in a row, or if they stay up a little later then usual? You need to relax your expectations and there will be far less arguments and stress.

5) Make a budget and stick to it. Money can often be tight for families now more then ever, so decide on a budget that you can afford and then plan your holidays with that in mind. If you are on a very low budget there are lots of free or low cost activities that you can do if you do a bit of research and use your imagination. 

This post was inspired by the McVitie's/Britmums blogging challenge and McVitie's were kind enough to send me some of their BN biscuits. 

We received a packet of the chocolate flavoured biscuits and a packet of the raspberry ones.





The biscuits are artificial free and 45% wholemeal and whole grain. They are also really tasty and make a great treat after a busy morning or afternoon of summer fun!

I was a bit worried about the raspberry flavour if I'm honest, but they actually taste great and my oldest daughter Lauren who is 16 said that the raspberry ones were her favourite. 

I loved the chocolate ones the best as I am a bit of a self confessed chocoholic and Faith said that she could not decide on a favourite flavour as they were both equally yummy!

The biscuits are a good size to fill hungry tummies and I will definitely be keeping some in my cupboards from now on!

I had to laugh when I came into the kitchen and found Faith using two of the biscuits like dolls talking to each other! It's because of the cute faces on the biscuits so they are also great for imaginative play!

This post is my entry for the 42 days of summer linky challenge sponsored by McVitie's BN - Learn more at http://www.mcvities.co.uk

Magnetic notice board review

Acco Quartet Magnetic Weekly Organiser

I am very lucky to be working with Shoplet UK as one of their reviewers and a few weeks ago they sent me this lovely magnetic notice board which I love. 

Shoplet are an Office Stationary supplier but many of their products are also great for use at home.

Pete the cat review

I received a lovely surprise in the mail the other day, the lovely people from Harper Collins sent me a new children's book called 'Pete the cat - I love my white shoes' by James Dean and Eric Litwit as a thank you for some previous work.

The book is so lovely that I thought I would share a review of the book with you all. 

Our relaxed morning story.

Mornings for us are quite relaxed and you may be thinking to yourselves that there is no way a family morning can go smoothly on a school day, but it honestly can if you plan ahead.

We get up at 7am and all the children know that they must get dressed before coming down stairs. I also get ready for the day as soon as I wake up.

My bank holiday as a #MorrisonsMum

This bank holiday weekend I have been very lucky to be a Morrison's mum with thanks to Morrison's and Britmums. 

I was really excited to see how Morrison's would measure up compared to our normal shopping at Asda as I had not shopped in Morrison's for a good four years. I stopped visiting Morrison's as I found them to be more expensive then other supermarkets but I was told that Morrison's had recently launched a new campaign where they have cut the prices of thousands of products. 

My stationary obsession

I must admit to you all about my obsession with stationary, I have had it for as long as I can remember and I am sure that there must be others like myself out there. I can't help it, I just love pens, note books, planners, writing sets, anything to organise myself better and I get really excited when I go to places that sell such items. 

Organic make-up review

For those of you that like to buy organic products I have found a website called Mypure that sells natural organic make up and skin care items which is great for those of us that want to look good but still do our little bit for the planet. I ordered a mascara and a lip gloss to try out as they are my two favourite items when it comes to make-up. 

Easter at Asda

As a mum on a budget I am always on the look out for the best prices of things, especially at times like Easter. I have been keeping an eye on the supermarket prices of Easter eggs and also looking to see how much other Easter themed items each store has on offer.

This year Asda seem to have the best selection of Easter themed goods and the best prices too, so I have been doing all my Easter shopping with them. They have many Cadbury eggs for £1 which is fantastic value.

Even the bakery department has lot's of yummy treats for £1 too such as gingerbread bunnies, bunny shaped crumpets and chocolate chip shortbread flowers. We took the flowers on a recent picnic and they were lovely and didn't last very long between the five of us!

Asda were kind enough to send me a small selection of their Easter range which you can see in the photo I have taken. Each item costs just £1 and there is; Benny bunny's egg hunt basket which is made from felt and also available in a yellow chick. Easter fluffy friends which are strawberry flavoured marshmallow treats that I love and think that they are a great alternative to chocolate and they look very cute! Bunny chops lolly which is a white chocolate lolly that is a bunnies nose, whiskers and teeth. This is funny and made us laugh when we saw it. Finally there is a packet of Easter friends napkins which are great for an Easter tea party.

Faith's favourite item was the bunny bag!

Asda are also doing lot's of Easter crafts this year and I like the look of the 'Make your own Easter foam characters', 'Make your own Easter honeycomb decorations' and 'Make your own Easter bunting' which are all priced at £1.

Asda also sent me their Benny bunny's bumper craft kit which is priced at £5. This is great if you have a lot of Easter themed crafts planned to do with your child in the lead up to Easter or as an alternative to chocolate for a present.

Inside you will find; Easter patterned paper, pompoms, pipe cleaners, glitter Easter shaped stickers, foam Easter shapes, eyes, sequins and glitter glue. A great pack for all your Easter crafting needs.

We were sent the items in the photographs for the purpose of this review, however all words, thoughts and opinions are my own.

Reading eggs review

I was approached a few weeks ago to try a new reading program called Reading eggs and I have to say it really is fab!

Reading eggs is for children aged 3-7 years and is a great fun way to help your child learn or improve their reading.

When we started we were given the option of taking a fun test to find the correct level of your child or you can just start from the beginning. As Faith had just turned six but had been told that she was behind the average levels at the last parents evening we had been too I decided to get Faith to take the test. I must admit, the word test did make me worry a little, but I was soon put at ease as the test is a series of games and activities so your child will not even realise that they are taking a test.

You are then put onto a map and there are lessons along the map so that you are following a path to get to the end of the map.

Each lesson has been very enjoyable for Faith, she loves doing her reading eggs and gets very excited when she knows we will be doing a lesson.


Since starting the program Faith's reading has really improved and the latest parents evening at school showed that she is now on target with the rest of the class. I honestly feel that some of this is down to the reading eggs program.

There is lot's more to keep your child occupied alongside the lessons as well with more games and things to explore.


If you would like to try the reading eggs program yourself or find out some more information you can do so by visiting their website www.readingeggs.co.uk You can also extend the standard two week trial by using the code UKB26RET so that you can use the program for 4 weeks for free.

I was given a free five week trial for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.



AGA foodhall review

On my search for great gifts for people I came across the AGA food hall website and it is very good for all things food and drink.

There are so many different things to buy which suit all manor of budgets. You can even order ready made hampers to treat the ones you love or if on a tighter budget you could order items such as biscuits, cakes, jams etc. and make up your own hamper to give to a loved one.

One of my favourite items which I found on the site was this bar of chocolate. I think it's really funny and a great joke gift for a friend at any time of the year.

This is also a great website for those with special dietary needs or preferences as there is a drop down menu on the home page where you can select to view items that are suitable for diabetics, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, organic and fair trade.

One of the great things that I love about this company is that postage and packing are free. As it is free I thought that it would all be chucked into a box and take ages to get to me but to my surprise it came within two days of ordering and everything was packed very well to ensure no broken biscuits or damaged food packaging.

All in all I was very happy with my purchases from AGA food hall.

* I was given a £16 voucher to put towards the goods that I purchased for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own. *

How to catch a star review and competition!

In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the children's picture book entitled 'How to catch a star' by Oliver Jeffers I was sent a beautiful presentation box to share with my daughter Faith.

The box contained a copy of the book, some glow in the dark stars, some activity sheets, a letter from Oliver and a star shaped USB which contained a video from Oliver.

There was also a second copy of the book so that I could offer one as a prize to you lovely readers out there, so keep reading to the end of this review for your chance to win.

The book is beautifully illustrated and tells the story of a boy that decides to make a plan and try and catch a star. How to catch a star was the debut book of author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers who has since gone on to create a number of books which include 'The incredible book eating boy', 'This moose belongs to me' and The great paper caper'.

Faith really enjoyed reading this book, she is six and found the that the book was at the right level for her to be able to read without any help from me. She found the story very funny and really liked the ending. This will definitely be going on Faith's book shelve to be enjoyed again and again.

We also had lot's of fun doing the work sheets that were provided and Faith especially enjoyed making the mobile which she now has proudly hanging in her bedroom with her glow in the dark stars so that she can imagine that she is outside looking up at the nights sky when in bed each night.

If you would like to win your own copy of this book then all you need to do is enter via the rafflecopter below.

Please note that this competition is only open to residents of the UK. The closing date of this competition is 14/04/2014.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Little winter adventure with Barny bear

We decided to go on an adventure to a local playground which although is smaller then the local park it is perfect for winter time as there is no muddy grass anywhere. It was a sunny day but still quite cold so we made sure we had coats and jackets on.

We played on the slide, the see-saw and the swings and had great fun. We took our Barny bear snacks with us to keep hunger at bay and Faith took one for a slide but then decided she couldn't play with the bear any longer because she needed to eat it. Faith also practiced her photography skills by snapping a picture of mummy and daddy tucking into the cakes!

Barny's are cakes shaped like bears with yummy hidden fillings inside. Apple and strawberry are the two newest flavours and we took the apple flavoured on our adventure to the playground and then had the strawberry flavoured ones once we got home for desert after dinner. Each pack of Barny's come individually wrapped and there are five bears per pack. They retail at £1.69, although I have often seen them in various supermarkets on offer for just £1 which is great if you are feeding your family on a budget. The cakes have no artificial colours or preservatives and make great snacks to have in your bag to take with you when you are out and about, I personally find then really good for after swimming snacks as the kids are always really hungry once they have been for a swim.

We all liked the apple flavoured bears apart from Chloe who doesn't like anything apple flavoured and we all liked the strawberry ones apart from Faith. The cakes are light and fluffy in texture and the fillings are smooth and sweet, they are very nice. I have always been a fan of Barny and regularly buy the other two flavours that they make which are chocolate (my favourite!) and milk.

I will definitely be adding the two new flavours to my shopping list as I am really impressed with quality of the cakes and the fact that they are bear shaped goes down really well with younger children.



Faith enjoyed her cakes so much she soon tucked in to the last cake that we had left over and the above picture is Faith giving her approval!

This post is an entry for BritMums ‘Winter Little Adventures Challenge’ sponsored by Barny, individually wrapped bear-shaped sponges with a hidden filling. Find out more about Barny here.

We were sent the two packets of barney for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Beautiful wall art and a competition!

I have never been a huge fan of hanging paintings in my home to be honest as I can never find anything that I love enough to look at every day and that also matches the décor but when it comes to pictures of my children then that is a whole different story as of course I love to look at them every day!

When Canvas design gave me the opportunity to do a product review for them I jumped at the chance as I knew exactly which photograph I would be choosing.

Canvas design is a family run business based in Darwen, Lancashire. They can put any photograph of your choosing onto a canvas ranging from 6" all the way up to a 72" and prices start at just £7.99 and everything comes with free delivery.

I chose a photograph of my three girls sitting together that is one of my most favourite pictures and I already have it as a screen saver on my computer as I love to see it and every time I do my heart smiles.

The lady I dealt with was very helpful and although I did not have to order directly, I have been on the Canvas Design website and it looks really easy and simple to understand.

Within a few days my parcel arrived and I was so excited I forgot to take some photographs of how it was packaged but it was packaged really well to ensure that the canvas arrived in great condition.

The canvas is made from 100% cotton and framed with 100% pine and it arrived with the attachments so that it could be mounted to the wall straight away.

I was really impressed with the quality of the canvas and it is now taking pride of place in the centre of my living room wall. I am so pleased and every time I see the canvas my smile stretches from ear to ear.

If you would like to order your own canvas you can do so by visiting their website here. If you use the code BLOG15 you can receive 15% off your order.

                                      Competition.

If you would like to win a canvas of your own of any size from a 6" x 6" to 40" x 40" then all you need to do is enter via the raffle copter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bath time fun!

My little one loves having a bath, she has always been a real water baby and her absolute favourite activity is to go swimming. When I had the opportunity to review the H&A finding Nemo bubble bath I jumped at the chance.

The bottle is beautiful featuring Nemo from the Disney film 'Finding Nemo' which went down really well with Faith as we had watched the film over Christmas so she knew who it was.

The bubble bath didn't really have a scent to it and it was a clear liquid. My only criticism was that it didn't make a huge amount of bubbles but that is down to Faith liking there to be loads. This was good in the fact that it was much easier to wash Faiths hair without there being so many bubbles which is the normal problem I have.

It is dermatologically tested, hypoallergenic, suitable from new born and tear free.

I think that having fun at bath time is really important as it ensures that your child will behave when having a bath and leads to them developing good hygiene as they grow. I have written a poem to go along with some photographs that I hope illustrates the fun we have at bath time.

Time for a bath which is always fun,

Trying H&A bubble bath with my mum.

We run the water and bubbles appear,

The bubble bath is gentle so there will be no tears.

   I love to splash as I giggle away,

It is so much fun to wash away the day.

I lather up and wash my hair,

Sometimes soaking my mum, if I dare!

I fill my bath with so many toys,

Each and every one brings me so much joy.

Mum always jokes 'there's no room for me',

But I don't care, I just laugh with glee.

I like to watch the water swirl as it leaves the plug,

I like to hear the sound it makes as it gurgles and glugs.

Then it is time to get ready for bed,

And I drift off to sleep with a smile on my head.

                    

I was sent the H&A bubble bath to review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ozeri bathroom scales review.

One of the things that I always have on my new years resolution list is to loose weight and unfortunately it is never achieved. I have always struggled with my weight but having ME has really made me pile on the pounds as the illness itself made me inactive and the depression that goes hand in hand has made me comfort eat and then the medication that I take has the side effect of rapid weight gain, sometimes it feels as if I am fighting a loosing battle. The thing is, although my husband is very understanding and he always tells me that I am beautiful to him, I do not feel beautiful. I also worry about my health as so many illnesses are related to being overweight such as diabetes and heart disease. I have decided that this coming year, 2014, needs to be the year that the weight starts to go down. I do not expect to loose it all in a year as I have a huge amount to loose and that would be unrealistic so if I could get to Christmas 2014 weighing 2 stone less then I do this Christmas then I will be happy that I have made a start and met my goal for the year.

 

About 6 years ago I threw away my bathroom scales as I felt that seeing my weight going up each month was too depressing, however, I have since discovered that if you do not keep a check on your weight it is very easy to gain a lot of weight without even realising so when I was given the opportunity by Ozeri to review some bathroom scales I was really pleased. Ozeri are a specialty manufacturer of digital lifestyle products for the modern home.

 

Ozeri Precision Pro II Digital Bathroom Scales.      

 

The first thing that I noticed was how beautiful they are. They are a very stylish black and silver and will go with most bathroom décor. They are a good size and made from impact-resistant tempered glass. The scales take 2 AAA batteries and they are even supplied with the scales. I was looking everywhere for some batteries before I realised this!

 

You can choose between weighing in pounds or kilos by simply flicking a switch on the bottom of the scales and the only bad point that I could see, is that they do not weigh in stones which I am use to using. I decided to weigh in pounds and then I just used my phone to divide the pounds by 14, giving me my weight in stones. They will weigh up to 440lbs or 200kg and they weigh in 0.2lbs or 0.1kg increments which I think gives you a very accurate reading.

 

They have a blue backlight LCD screen that displays your weight which I loved, making it very easy to read. I have never seen scales with this feature before and I think that it is very good. There is no on/off switch, you just step onto the scales and they turn on and weigh you so you do not need to tap them first. After you have weighed they turn off automatically after ten seconds of inactivity saving battery life. As with any scales  you need to weigh on a flat surface, but one of the cool features of these scales is that if you move them to a different floor they automatically calibrate so you do not need to do anything yourself.

 

They are currently available from Amazon and are retailing for less then £20 which I think is very good value for money.

 

All in all I am very pleased with my new scales and I am now ready to start the new year with the goal of loosing weight at the forefront of my mind.
 

 

*I was sent a set of these scales for the purpose of writing this review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.*