Today was a very long day as we drove to Devon to visit family. Travelling for 5 hours with a 1 and 2 year old is not fun!A couple of things kept us sane: Snacking on the new Kingsmill Fruit & Fibre bread on the way. The range consists of Fruit & Fibre loaves, muffins and bagels, all containing a selection of tasty real fruit pieces and delicious juicy berries. To be honest I found the addition of the berries a bit strange as I’m so used to fruit loaves but the toddler loved it! A great way to…
-
-
Can I be smug and say I’ve done 95% of my Christmas shopping? It stresses me out every year and the only way I can cope is to be organised, make lists, purchase and wrap. We’re having Christmas at home (our last in this house) so I’m happy to be organised and swap gifts with family before the big day. The lovely people at Lakeland who sell wonderful Christmas hampers contacted me and asked if I would like to review one of them. They sent me an adorable St Kew Teacup Basket: It’s a small (but beautifully formed) hamper which holds a few…
-
I love eating fish and always make sure the toddler eats a healthy portion at least once a week too. One of our favourite recipes is for tuna pasta bake. It’s really quick to put together and I always make plenty so I can freeze a couple of portions. Ingredients: Dried pasta (I usually use 60g per adult and used 240g for this recipe) 1 onion, chopped garlic puree 1 tin of Reel Fish tuna 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g) sprinkle of dried mixed herbs grated cheese for the top Method: Cook the dried pasta, drain, and leave to…
-
I’m going to be brave and use the C word. There’s something about September that just gets me thinking about Christmas. I’ve written my Christmas wishlist (iPad mini please), been buying stocking fillers and joined in some swaps for Christmas crafting. Christmas doesn’t have to be all about the money. We’ll be keeping it simple. I’ve decided to buy and wrap 24 books to put under the Christmas tree. I love the idea of reading Christmas stories with the children during Advent so have been buying second hand festive books whenever I see them. We’ll also been starting early on…
-
I was delighted to be asked to try some products by Organic Monkey who make nappy balm, scalp oil for cradle cap, belly oil and massage oil. We tried their Cheeky Monkey Cheek Rub oil and Rock the Cradle cradle cap oil. My 10 month old has been teething for months but, just like her older brother, her teeth are v e r y s l o w at making an appearance. In fact they are being so slow that it’s putting my husband off having a third baby, gggrrr. Anyway, I’m happy to try any teething products as I…
-
We’ve just returned from a couple of days at my mum’s house. We got to do all our favourite activities. I went round the local charity shops (more Bob the Builder toys for the toddler), the husband flew his model aeroplane from the top of the local beauty spot and my mum kindly looked after the kids so me and my husband could spend the day at Yeo Valley, more of which later. My mum has one of those kettles which is always on, boiling water for cups of tea. She is constantly asking if we want a cup of…
-
As a home baker I love products which make it easy to whip up a batch of biscuits or cakes for the hungry hordes. I love the Dr Oetker range so was really pleased when they asked me to try out some of their latest products. We’re not usually a family who eats pudding but their chocolate brownie mix had a suggestion that it was perfect chopped up with ice cream. It was really easy to bake and everyone enjoyed it, especially the toddler who covered his with sprinkles. I also used some of their decorations to jazz up a…
-
Little Sis was sent some lovely Miffy products to review. We’re huge fans of Miffy toys and still play with the Miffy rattle car that the toddler had when he was younger. To add to her toy collection she was sent the Miffy Soft Activity Cube. This is new and exclusive from Holland, a chunky and soft activity cube. It features rattle and crinkle sounds, a baby safe mirror and patches of the softest velour. Each side also has a fun character or activity including Miffy, a crinkley cockerel and a fluffy lamb. It’s the perfect size (14cm x 14cm…
-
As a home baker with a *very* sweet tooth I was happy to receive a copy of Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever to review. It may be summer but with the wet weather it’s also pretty good to hide indoors from the rain drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows. I didn’t ever think of making my own marshmallows but Marshmallow Madness gives you all the information you need to make them at home. The book is well set out with a helpful introduction and a list of key ingredients as well as marshmallow-making tips and techniques. The book…