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Sunday 25 September 2016

Chocolate Caramel Tart - Great Blogger Bake Off!

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Despite not being the best of cooks I love watching The Great British Bake off and it always inspires me to want to get out in the kitchen and bake.

For those of you who watch the program you will have seen that last weeks theme was pastry and so this week I decided to attempt my own pastry creation in the form of a chocolate caramel tart! The tart featured on Bake Off was actually a bakewell tart but since nobody in our house is a fan of Jam except me it seemed a waste, hence the chocolate caramel tart.

So here is the recipe and how ours turned out, please do let me know if you have a go I would love to see your creations too over on Facebook!


Friday 23 September 2016

Bath Time Adventures with HiPP Organic.

Bath time is one of Evelyns favourite times of the day! She is a total water baby and just loves being in the bath splashing around. 

As we are part of the HiPP Explorer team, when we heard this months adventure would be bath time I knew Evelyn would be excited. There is a another reason why this months theme is bath time though, its because HiPP have an exciting new baby skincare range. Introducing, the new baby care range from HiPP which is 100% ‘Free-from' nasties with ultra-sensitive, no tears formulations.
 
The free from baby care range includes:
Goodnight Baby Bath
Foaming Hand Wash (and refill)
Head to Toe Baby Wash
Baby Shampoo




As I mentioned above Evelyn loves bath time so was definitely obliging when it came to running a bubble bath and testing out the HiPP products. We always try to make bath times as fun as possible as it makes washing her so much easier.

(The Goodnight baby bath makes great bubbles for bubbly hair styles!)

We love using big foam bath letters to spell things out and not only is this fun but educational too as it helps her with her letter recognition.


The only problem with Evelyn loving baths so much is that she has sensitive skin and so some products can really dry out her skin and make it quite itchy so I was intrigued to see how she would cope with the new HiPP range. 

The HiPP skincare range has been specifically developed to be free from anything sensitive skin doesn‘t like and to minimise the risk of allergies. All of the new bath time items hold the ‘no tears’ stamp. HiPP is also constantly going the extra mile to make sure that every ingredient and product they produce is the best it can possibly be, both for their customers and for the environment. 

I have to say it got a big thumbs up from us, whilst the products do have a subtle fragrance but they are not over powering and most importantly were very gentle on Evelyn's skin. They left her skin feeling soft and didn't irritate her skin at all. Leaving her smelling great and baby soft, perfect for cuddles in her towel after the bath! A little goes a long way with this range too so it will definitely last! 



HiPP Organic’s free from baby care range is available exclusively at selected Tesco stores from 6th September. If you want to find out more about the new HiPP baby care range you can head to the HiPP UK website.

Do your little ones love bath time? 

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, We were given the opportunity to try out the new HiPP products which I used to write this post. All thoughts and opinions within this post are my own**

Wednesday 21 September 2016

TomTom GO 5100 **REVIEW**

I have been driving for 8+ years now but there is still one thing that really hold me back from heading to far and that's getting lost.

I am not quite sure where the fear has come from but its always been there and I think I panic that I will take a wrong turn and totally panic and get lost. So when the lovely people at TomTom offered me one of their TomTom GO sat nav's to try out I hoped this may help with my fear!

I have to admit I had been using my phone and google maps on the rare occasion I headed out of my comfort zone but this didn't really work. Using Google Maps seems to drain my phones battery so I am always on edge that it may die before I reach my destination. Its also a pretty small screen and a pretty basic set up and information. So I was excited to see what the TomTom GO could offer.

Specifications -

Screen Size - 5" (13cm)
Capacitive screen - Yes
Battery Life - Up to 2 hours
Connectivity - SIM & Data Included
Mount - Active (5")
Memory - 8GB internal, accepts microSD cards
GNSS - GPS & GLONASS (Global Positioning System + Global Navigation Satellite System)
Warranty - 1 year


As you can see from the above picture the TomTom GO 5100 looks great in the car, its flexibility to be placed wherever you need it means it can be adjusted to each driver. The mount that comes with the TomTom GO 5100 offers a sleek designs that fits securely and safely in a car windscreen without obstructing the view out. I was a little worried that with the mount being quite small the sat nav may move around a little but it didn't it stayed firmly put. The suction cup that secures the mount to the windscreen also has a twist function ensuring it stays tight and secure regardless of how bumpy the journey is.


Im not very tech savvy but even I was able to set up and use the TomTom GO with very little fuss. As this was a review the account was already set up for me however following the leaflet it looks very simple to do. If you do need a little more help though TomTom Support have lots of easy to use and follow "how to" videos.

If like me you like to plan your journey ahead and be prepared you will love the MyDrive function. It enables you to plan your journey ahead of time on a phone, laptop or tablet. You can then send this route straight to the TomTom GO 5100 ready for the journey ahead, giving you total peace of mind that you have planned your route and journey.


I love the MyDrive function as it enables me to have a good idea of what time I should leave and expect to arrive. It also allows me to plan ahead and redirect my route through and road works, road closures or other issues which will be shown to me. Of course the TomTom GO will keep you up to date during your journey too but I love being able to plan ahead as much as possible.

The maps in MyDrive have lots of functions to make it easy to use but enable you to plan your journey down to the smallest detail. If you fancy taking a more scenic route you can even select the "Thrill" setting. This will take you on a more scenic route which may not be the quickest route but will allow you to see a little more of the places you are traveling too, perfect if you have some spare time!

Another great feature of the TomTom GO is lifetime world maps. This means you can install and update maps from around the world at no extra cost for the entire lifetime of the device. I love that I can have peace of mind that my sat nav will always be up to date without any surprises whilst I am driving. You will also find lifetime speed cameras on the TomTom GO giving you the exact locations of all speed camera's which again lasts for the lifetime of the device.

As a nervous driver I found the speak and go function on the TomTom GO great! It meant I didn't have to take my eyes of the road and could direct myself with just the sound of my voice! With the speak and go function you can ask the TomTom GO to take you home, find an alternative route, find a petrol station or car park and even turn the device volume up or down.

The TomTom GO 5100 comes with a usb cable for charging, I would have liked to have seen a usb plug included as I personally like to ensure my sat nav is fully charged before I head off. However as it is a standard usb cable this can be connected to any usb plug. The TomTom GO also has an active mount meaning you can charge your sat nav as you drive.

I have loved using the TomTom Go and it has genuinely given me the confidence to venture out of my comfort zone knowing that the TomTom GO will safely get me home. It is simple to use and I really like that I can pre-load and store destinations ahead of my journey. If like me you worry about getting lost or are planning a long or new journey the TomTom GO is a fantastic Sat Nav!

If you want to find out more about the TomTom GO 5100 or to purchase one you can visit the TomTom website here - www.tomtom.com

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, We were given the opportunity to try out the TomTom sat nav which I used to write this honest review. All thoughts and opinions within this post are my own**

Friday 16 September 2016

Our top tips for learning at home.

Since starting school James has always shown a passion for learning. He thrives in the school environment and has a thirst for learning more and more even once school has finished. 

I decided that since this probably won't last and we will soon be hitting the years where I can barely drag him from bed that'll own get him doing homework willingly that we would go with it and provide him with some things he could do at home. 

We purchased a small table and set about filling it with things for him to do outside of school as he pleases and he loves it! We don't push him to do it but its just there when he wants it. Now he has homework from school he especially loves his little at home learning corner to do all his homework in. 

So today I though I would share with you some of the items that have been a big hit for James when learning at home. 

Work books


We picked these up really cheap from places such as Poundland and The Works. They provide a range of question tailored to a certain age or level and most of them have a page of stickers, which the child can stick on each page as they complete it. 

Whiteboards

James loves his whiteboard and its been a great tool for practicing things like spellings and times tables without wasting paper. We picked up this one from Tesco in the sale for around £2.50 so they are a really inexpensive way to make learning a bit different and decreasing waste. 

The Basics


One of the first things I stocked up on when we decided to create this space for James was the basics. Things like plain paper, lined paper, pens, pencils, colouring penils, stamps etc. Sometimes some of James best work or the pieces he has been most proud of have come straight from his imagination. When he has just sat down let him imagination run wild are the special moments and I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed to do this. 

Question and Answer books


These Miles Kelly Question and Answer books have been one James favourite. He always has so many questions and these give him lots of answers in a child friendly way and often illustrated way too. These make a great reference point for homework or just to answer a curious little mind!


Do you have any top tips for making learning at home or homework fun? I would love to hear them in the comments! 

xXx

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Starting Year 2.

How quickly has September come around!?

I can't believe I have just taken my now not so little boy in to school for his first day of Year 2. Its so scary to think how quickly time goes, I can still remember taking him in for his first day in reception. How time flies. 


Despite a school change at the end of the last school year James has taken starting back in his stride as always. He was so looking forward to seeing all his friends he didn't even seem phased by the change of class, teachers and school. 

As the bell rang and I waved him off in to his new classroom he sprinted off book bag in hand and pe bag dragging behind him so eager to start. I am so incredible proud of him and how he handles situations. I am one of those people who can struggle to adapt to anything new to I am totally in awe of this little boy who doesn't let anything phase him and takes it all in his stride. 

James has been pretty eager to get back to school, not because he doesn't want to be with us (I hope!) but because he loves being in school. He loves being busy, learning and socialising so the school environment in one he loves. If you ask him what he wants to do on an evening you can often find him writing in his work works or asking us to write him out some math questions for him to solve. I can only hope his love of learning continues! 

I know today would have been a big day for lots of you too, a day when your babies become school children and it is always a pretty emotional day. I hope that all those of you with children who are heading back settle quickly and for those with children who are new starters, I hope drop off went smoothly and your children return home full of exciting stories about their first day. 


xXx



Thursday 1 September 2016

NEW Pots and Pies range from Little Dish **REVIEW**

A few weeks ago, an adorable cool bag landed on our doorstep. It was full of yummy new meals for Evelyn to try from Little Dish and today I wanted to share our thoughts about them with you.

Evelyn was 2 in June and can often be quite a fussy eater ever since we started weaning, so mealtimes are often quite stressful. Especially now that James is at school and attends numerous after school clubs, we often only have a short window of time for tea.

I like to try to have a few quick meal ideas available to hand for days like this so when we were asked to try out the new Pots and Pies range from Little Dish, I was hoping these may be the answer and they certainly are! The meals can be stored in the fridge and take a few simple minutes in the microwave and ta-da you have a quick and easy nutritionally balanced meal.