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Sunday 29 November 2015

Rice Krispie Christmas Puddings!

Me and the kids have been busy in the kitchen today making up some very cute little rice krispie marshmallow Christmas puddings! They are really easy to make so even the kids can get involved in making them, they require no baking and minimum ingredients here is how we made them.



You will need -

- Rice Krispies (or supermarket own brand),
- 50g Unsalted butter,
- 150g mini marshmallows,
- Milk and White Chocolate,
- Decorations for the top (optional).

Start by melting 3-4 tablespoons of butter slowly, use a large pan as you will need the room to add the rice krispies later. Once the butter has melted add in the marshmallows and gently heat stirring occasional to ensure the butter encorporates with the marshmallows. Once they are all melted you should be left with a smooth thick slightly sticky marshmallow mixture.


Leave your marshmallow mixture to cool for a few minutes and then add in your rice krispies, I added mine a cup full at a time until I reached my desired stickiness so add your slowly until you are happy with the consistency. Remember you need them to be sticky enough to form balls.

Leave the mixture to cool slightly then form balls from the mixture, you can make them as big or as small as you want I went for smaller palm sized ones perfect for the kids. Now set these aside to cool.



Next take your milk chocolate and melt in the microwave (be sure to keep an eye on it and stir regularly as you don't want it to burn). Carefully dip each ball in to the melted chocolate removing any excess with your fingers. Place in the the fridge for around 30 minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Finally melt the white chocolate in the microwave (again being careful not to over do it) and using a teaspoon (or piping bag if you have one) place a small amount of white chocolate to the top of your chocolate balls and allow it to run down the sides slightly. Once the chocolate has begun to set (but before it completely hardens) apply your decorations to the top, I chose these holly and berry sprinkles from Morrisons which were under £1 for mine!



Do let me know how you get on if you have a go at these! Do you have a favourite sweet treat you bake at Christmas?

xXx

Thursday 26 November 2015

Barbecue Party board game **REVIEW** and Giveaway!

In our house we love playing board games and find it a great way to get all the family together, away from the TV and having fun!

I have found that in order to hold a childs interest a game needs to be fairly quick paced (so they aren't waiting ages between turns), easy to understand and fun of course. One game that ticks all those boxes for us is Barbecue party from Drumond Park.





To play Barbecue party each player takes it in turn to pick a card, depending on what the card shows you must then place or remove different food on the barbecue grill. If the food shown on the card is already on the grill the player must ever so gently remove it, however if the food isn't on the grill a player ust very carefully place it there. Sounds simple right.... but if the grill gets shaken or gets to heavy the grill will catapult all the food in to the air! 


The game is easy to play and easy to understand even for younger children making it a perfect family game. Both James and Evelyn (who was a little young to play but loved watching) loved the moment the grill "popped" throwing the food off both erupting in laughter every time (especially when it happened on dads turn!). 

Barbecue party is fun for all and I would thoroughly recommend it if you are looking for a new family game. With all the different foods its a great way to talk about different food types to children and using the large tweezer style tongs to place the food on to the grill really helps perfect that had eye coordination and fine motor skills. 

The game is aged at children age 4+ and is priced at around £19.99.

Like the sound of Barbecue Party? Well now you can win your very own just by simply entering the Rafflecopter giveaway below. There are several ways to enter and the winner will be announced by 10th December so that your prize can be sent out in time for Christmas!


 a Rafflecopter giveaway


xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Saturday 21 November 2015

Santa's little Elf **REVIEW**

As Christmas looms ever closer the countdowns have begun, advent calender's brought and ready to open I have something a little different to show you to make the Christmas countdown even more fun this year! 

A Santa's little elf! 




Why not let this little elf join your children this Christmas on his quest to help Santa see who is naughty and who is nice. 


Each elf pack includes:
A soft toy elf
Elf passport
Personalised letter from Santa himself
Behaviour chart and stickers
Set of task/behaviour cards
Nice List certificate
Personalised goodbye letter from your elf
All encased in a customisable travel trunk box which can be turned in to the elf's bed.




The full elf pack listed above is priced at £24.99 hwoever if you have more than 1 child thanks to the sibling pack there is no need to buy 2 kits. You can purchase a sibling pack for just £5 extra per sibling when purchased with a full elf kit and this includes a behavior chart, stickers and a nice list certificate. Helping to not only keep costs down but ensure each child feels special. 


Each elf comes with their very own passport too, which gives you their name and some other info such as likes and dislikes which we think is very cute! 



Our very own little Elf will be coming out to stay from 1st December and he will arrive on our door step in his little travel trunk ready for James to personalise. I love the addition of the nice list certificate and also the goodbye letter which helps to explain to children why and where the elf has gone. 


The elf teddy itself is a lovely soft toy with bright vibrant colours and is very good quality (especially important when he may be pulled around by children!). The elf is 31cm long and features velcro on the palms of the hands to help pose your little elf. 

Our elf will be getting up to all sorts of mischief during the night ready for the kids to find when they wake in the morning to bring a little fun to our Christmas countdown. However your elf can do and be whatever you like, there are lots of ideas on Pinterest and all over the internet or you could just have your elf to stay for your child to cuddle up to!



So can you give a little elf a home this Christmas? There is no rule as to when your little elf has to come if you think the 1st December may be a little far away from Christmas why not have your elf come along for the 12 days before Christmas, making his time with your child even more special in the run up to Christmas day!  


You can order your own elf pack via the Santa's little elf Facebook page.





xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Tuesday 17 November 2015

An open letter to my baby on our "Tough Days".

Oh Evelyn, 

Today has been tough you have decided you no longer want milk yet you won't settle to sleep without it. You have been whingy, tired and so so unsettled. Its made me question my self not only as a parent or the way I parent but as a person and who I am. 

This isn't our first tough day and I am certain it won't be our last. I know that the world is so new to you and I will bare with you whilst you discover it. I will be by your side to offer cuddles when you can't sleep and I will scoop you off the floor when you tantrum. Just bare with me to Evelyn as being a mum is new to me too, your so different from you brother who was so chilled and relaxed. Evelyn you want all of my attention all of the time which makes these tough days so much harder as you only want your mum and sometimes mummy needs a break too. 

When your sad and I can't comfort you its breaks me inside, in my head im referring back to these pictures on social media of happy children and smiling families. We don't often see the "tough days" on Facebook or Twitter and I have to remind myself that these days are very real for everyone. 

When you go off to bed some nights I sit in the dark and I have a few tears its not because I don't love you, my gosh far from it! Its because I love you so much! I realise that if these days are tough for me they must be even harder for you, at just 18 months old everything is new, rules cannot be understood and tears are your way of telling me something is wrong.

Today has been tough but tomorrow is new so tonight when I settle you down and wipe both our tears lets wake up with smiles and remember today is a new day, it make be tough or it may be great but remember I always love you! 

xXx

Monday 16 November 2015

Brewbarrel **REVIEW**

If like me you struggle to find something for the men if your life for Christmas then this product be the perfect solution! 

Brewbarrel is a kit which enables you to brew your very own beer/lager in just 1 week and with 100,000 flavour varieties to choose from there is sure to be something for everyone. 


We were sent one of these simple home brewing kits to try and I asked my dad to help out with this review as I knew it would be something he would love. We tried the Lager Experimentation kit which came with Passion fruit, Grapefruit, Lemon, as flavourings to add. 




When you receive the Brewbarrel Home Brewing Kit it comes with all the ingredients you need (hops, yeast, malt and depending on which kit you choose natural flavors). Everything is perfectly weighed and packed to your order so no measuring or weighing is needed. You also receive simple, step-by-step instructions and a pressure control valve, as well as three drip mats. In just a few quick and easy steps, you will be able to prepare your beer for fermentation and in just 1 week it will be ready to enjoy.




We set out to make out lager which using the easy to read and illustrated instructions was simple, quick and took around 10 minutes from start to finish! Do be sure to read the instructions carefully though as it tells you how many bottles of water you need to add etc as its important to get these right. 


As it comes with 3 different flavourings you can make up a simple plain lager with your Brewbarrel kit and then with the pipette provided carefully add drops of each flavour to your pint until you reach your perfect flavour combination! 




The Brewbarrel kit once made needs to be left to ferment and brew so it should be left at room temp for 5 days and then in the fridge for 2 more days. Then your brew is ready to enjoy! 


I think the Brewbarrel is a great idea and the perfect gift for any man (and woman of course!) who enjoy lager or beer. The Brewbarrel is priced at around £27.50 which I felt was a very fair price for this fab kit. My dad really enjoyed it too he loved the idea of making his own lager and being able to flavour it exactly as he wanted to which is why the experimentation kit is fab as you can really experiment with all the different flavourings. 


Check out the Brewbarrel website to see the full range of flavourings available, which kit would you choose? 




xXx



**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Fun Warehouse Fancy Dress Costume **REVIEW**

James loves dressing up!

The first hint of a fancy dress party sends him speeding up the stairs and rummaging through his fancy dress box deciding what he is going to go dressed as this time. In fact there doesn't even need to party! You will often find us wandering around the supermarket or our local park with James dressed as Batman or a Dragon lol!

So when James was given the opportunity to choose a fancy dress outfit of his choice from Fun Warehouse I knew he would be beyond excited and it took him several days to choose as there is just so much choice.

He eventually settled on a Hulk Deluxe costume as despite having almost all the Marvel and superhero costumes this was one he was missing.



The Hulk Deluxe costume came well packaged in a reusable plastic pouch with a popper fastening to the top so if you wanted to you could easily use this to store the outfit when not in use.

The fancy dress costume is made up of 2 items the all in one outfit and a hard plastic mask with an elasticated fastening to the back. The Hulk Deluxe costume is available in sizes 3-4 (small), 5-6 (medium), 7-8 (large). James is 6 but is quite tall for his age so I ordered the 7-8 and it was a perfect fit, if in doubt about size I would definitely recommend ordering the larger size.


James was very impressed by his Deluxe Hulk costume and loved the added touch of the padding "muscles" which makes this costume the "deluxe" version over the standard version. The costume feels well made and the velcro fastening to the back of the main costume feels pretty hard wearing.



James has now worn the costume on several occasions and it still looks as new, the velcro is still holding strong and isn't showing any signs or pulling away or loosing its "stick" which I often find happens in cheaper costumes. The colours are still vibrant and bright too after several washes and the padding is most definitely holding its shape. The mask the costume comes with is a great quality too, made from a hardened plastic rather than your usual flimsy plastic means the mask is certainly made to last through hours of play! The Hulk Deluxe costume is priced at £22.84.


Overall we love the Deluxe Hulk costume and the great service we have received from the Fun Warehouse. If you are looking for a fancy dress costume you must check them out!
They have something for every occasion from Superheros like the one James choose to Christmas and Animals. Fun Warehouse don't just sell children's costumes either they sell a whole range of adults costumes too.

Why not check out all the costumes over at the Fun Warehouse website.

Do you or your children like to dress up? Whats yours or your child's favourite character to dress up as?

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Scholl Express Pedi **REVIEW**

**AD - Review**

As a busy mum I often forget about looking after myself or making time for some much needed self care, that includes well used parts of my body such as my feet! As most mums (and dad's I am sure) will know we spend a lot of time on our feet running after our little ones, tidying up, school runs etc yet we seem to neglect our feet and the care they deserve. 


Slipping off to the beautician or spa alone for a peaceful pedicure may be a thing of the past since having kids but Scholl have brought out the next best thing, the Scholl Express Pedi! This useful little device can be used quickly and easily at home so no need for making an appointment or needing a babysitter to get the perfect summer ready feet this year. 


The Scholl Express Pedi is a hand held electronic foot file which with the help of the diamond crystal roller head leaves feet feeling smoother and softer. The battery operated device spins the specially designed Micralumina roller with diamond crystals at high speed to gently buff and exfoliate away rough and hard skin. 


I have to be honest since the sun has disappeared and Autumn/Winter have been making there appearance my UGG boots have made an appearance and I have neglected my foot care routine all together. So when the Express Pedi arrived I was really excited to give it a go and hopefully have my feet looking some what presentable and soft in time for the sandal and flip flop season.  


The Scholl Express Pedi is easy to use, you simply ensure the roller head is firmly attached then twist the silver ring around the top to the left which will start the roller head. Plus it is painless too, ticklish maybe, especially if you have very ticklish feet, but it is completely pain free when used correctly. 



To use you simply glide the roller head over the dry/ hard skin area's on your feet to exfoliate away the dead and hard skin. Making sure you don't press to hard as this will make the device stop as a safety mechanism to ensure you don't hurt or burn your skin when pressing down. You will also need to make sure you don't hold the device in one area for more than 3 - 4 seconds as this could cause some discomfort.


When you are happy with the results and your feet are restored to a softness you are happy with just twist the silver ring to the right on the device which will switch it off. You then need to rinse of your feet to remove and excess skin that may still be on your feet, you should also treat your feet to a really good moisturiser after doing this to ensure they stay smooth and soft!



(The picture on the left shows my feet before using the Scholl Express Pedi, as you can see I had some hard rough skin around my big toes and below that. After just 5 minutes of using the Express Pedi its gone, as you can see on the right!) 

Over all I was really impressed with the Scholl Express Pedi, it was easy to use and really does work although it did take some persistence on the worst areas! The ergonomically shaped soft touch handle makes it easy to hold whilst in use and easy to manoeuvre around the foot. However being so easy and quick to use it does make it a great tool to have for regular use throughout the year and is a lot more cost effective than regular pedicures too! 

The Scholl Express Pedi is priced at £39.99 which I did initially think was a little steep but since trying it out I think it is most definitely a worth while investment as means you can keep on top of dry skin regularly at home. I can now be certain I have beach ready soft feet ALL year round!

Have you ever tried the Scholl Express Pedi?


xXx



**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Sunday 8 November 2015

Why we're Crazy for Cravendale!!

Milk is something most of us have in out fridges but how do you use yours? 

We have recently been trying out Cravendale and today I am sharing with you how we enjoy our Cravendale Milk for the #MilkDrinkersMilk challenge. 





Since having Evelyn (our little milky monster) our milk usage has gone up and up and we have been finding more and more uses for milk as Evelyn and James are such big fans! 


Of course Evelyn enjoys her milk in bottle form and nice and warm, perfect with a bedtime story.




I love Cravendale warm out of my favourite mug, its my favourite because it was made by my little boy who drew some of his favourite things and a self portrait on the side! Warm Cravendale is the perfect (and tasty) way to keep warm in the chilly winter evenings.



I also love it cold straight from the fridge to get my day started in a milk-tastic way. Both James and Evelyn always start the day with creamy Cravendale too! Sometimes its in cereal and sometimes its just a glass of the good stuff straight from the fridge. The kids also love seeing who can get the biggest milky moustache!




I have to admit we did notice a difference in the Cravedale milk to regular supermarket brand milk but the differences were all positive! Cravedale milk is filtered through ceramic filters that remove the bacteria that turn milk sour. That means the milk stays fresher for longer without additives or preservatives resulting in a creamier, slightly thicker and extremely tasty milk. It got a big thumbs up from us! 






How do you drink your milk? 


xXx


This post is an entry for BritMums #MilkDrinkersMilk Linky Challenge, sponsored by Cravendale.


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 

All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Tuesday 3 November 2015

Og On The Bog Game **REVIEW** and Giveaway!

Og on the Bog is a new tongue-in-cheek game from Drumond Park. A completely outrageous children’s game perfect for the whole family to play, where adventurous players are creeping up on Og while he sits on his bog in the forest. 




The aim of the game is simple, you have to try and steal Ogs toilet rolls without him noticing. You use the tree trunk spinner provided and each player has a spin to take their turn. As you spin you will hear Og in his Bog making all sorts of crude noises including burping and farting. Each player takes a turn and what you do during your turn depends on what the spinner lands on! 



If it lands on the "red cross" it means you have been to noisy and have disturbed Og, you miss a turn this time. When the spinner lands on the hand holding the loo roll you get the chance to pinch a loo roll of another player!



If during your turn the spinner lands on the green tick you get the chance to steal a loo roll from Og! But you must remember to push down the toilet step first and be sure to be quiet because if he hears you or feels you stealing his loo roll his Bog will explode! 



The winner is the first player to successfully get 3 or 4 loo rolls (depending on the number of players). 

Og on the Bog has been a big hit in our house and it has definitely provided plenty of giggles and laughs for all the family. The game is aimed at children aged 5+ and I think this is definitely the right age range and something my son who is 6 and his friends will have lots of fun playing, however this game is very simple and so I would say with supervision would be fine for slightly younger children too. The Og on the Bog game is simple yet fun and will definitely be a game that will be pulled out time and time again. The "jump" factor adds that extra bit of excitement as everyone eagerly awaits the "exploding" bog and this makes for exciting game for all. 

The game is easy to assemble and just requires you to clip on the loo roll holder and slide on the loo roll. You will also need to add 3 AA batteries which are not included. Then thats it you are ready to play! 

You can find Og on the Bog and many more fun games on the Drumond Park website HERE

Fancy a chance to win your very own Og on the Bog game (RRP £22.99)? Then simply enter our Rafflecopter giveaway below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 
All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **