Pink Parcel ... something to look forward to every month.

If you happen to be a man reading my blog then this post probably won't interest you, unless you

have a temperamental woman once a month who needs cheering up.

Have you guessed what Pink Parcel specialises in yet?........Yup making your 'monthlies' so much more bearable.

Panda Drinks are back

If you were an 80s / 90s child then you  probably grew up with Panda Pops... yummy fizzy goodness that artifically flavoured cherryade and the orangeade that well come to think of it wasn't really that
orangy and don't get me started on my views about 'cola'.... then the health police came around and they disappeared.  The good news is they are now back... with a soft drink that tastes JUST as good (if not better) then the fizzy pop of our childhood.

         VS  

#mysleepout .... an update @archerproject

On the 12th of July we got all set for out outdoor sleepout.  This was to raise awareness of homelessness in Sheffield - see my earlier post  and after a week or 2 of glorious evenings we were very excited.

Shoutykid by Simon Mayle

"Hi there

My name is Harry Riddles and I’m ten years old, which my mum says is too young to have problems but she’s WRONG.

My dad just lost his job, so I need money to make my mega-amazing zombie movie and save this family, but there’s NO WAY I’m selling my Xbox! So I’ve written to the Queen, Harry Styles and a bunch of other famous people, who MIGHT lend me a hand, or a tenner, but so far no one’s written back…

If you have any bright ideas for making money I’d love to hear them.

Good luck and have fun.

Harry Riddles

P. S. If you wanna know how to get past level six on World of Zombies I can definitely help you out."

My boys are both shouty and obsessed with Zombies (I blame daddy's games) so when I found out about Shoutykid (full title:  Shoutykid, How Harry Riddles Made a MEGA-amazing Zombie Movie") I had to try and get a copy for our family.

Liberty Belle ... the new magazine to look out for....

Liberty Belle is a student-led magazine aimed at female students of Sheffield.  But don't let that put you off, don't stop reading.  It is equally interesting for 30something mums of 2 or for any men who are curious to know more about a woman's world *cough* birthday, Christmas *cough*.

I was concerned that having put my uni days behind me almost 10 years ago I may be a little old for Liberty Belle but they soon eased those worries, I'm even off to their Launch Party on Friday and cannot wait to feed back to you all.

Liberty Belle are fairly new to the magazine scene.  Beginning with a vision, and a team of 20, in September 2012 to give Sheffield's female students a voice and a place to find more about their city and living life on a budget.  This team of 20 is now a team of 70 who on 1st March released their first e-magazine.  They are now about to launch their first ever 64 page print edition.

Wall Art Stickers Review

This is a sponsored post for 

As you know we recently moved into our new house and Ben went from having a themed room to 4 bare walls, with the exception of a lovely blue feature wall. just screaming out for something. With his bed against this wall it wasn't the place to hang posters so we were toying with the idea of a large sticker. You know the type that are EVERYWHERE at the moment a nice wordy graphic in a beautiful font that sums him up to a T. At 5 years old he's growing up too quickly so I didn't want anything too babyish as he's practically a teenager (as I get reminded daily with his attitude and allergy to mornings!).

Anyway the hunt took us to many places but with prices ranging anywhere from a few £ to an A1 size to upwards of £30 for a huge one the hunt had been postponed until payday (then the next payday, then the next.....) or until we found something perfect.

Then, as if they could read my mind, Wall Art Stickers UK asked for bloggers to test their wall stickers, naturally I signed up with fingers crossed......and got some brilliant news.

Frozen (review)

Length: 102 minutes


Features the voices of:  Kristen Bell as Anna
                                        Idina Menzel as Elsa
                                        Jonathan Groff as Kristoff
                                        Josh Gad as Olaf
                                        Santino Fontana as Hans

Released:
November 27th 2013 (in America, after premiering on 19th).

December 6th 2013 (UK)

Zoe and Beans by Chloe and Mick Inkpen (book review)

Wow i cannot believe how long it has taken me to finally sit down and write this (didn't help I have clearly saved the original photos I took in a very well filed folder on my laptop and now can't find them).

Right back at the beginning of March my boys were lucky enough to win 2 signed copies of Zoe and Beans books from Macmillan Children's twitter competition.

Review: "The Week" Magazine

I was a little wary when I saw a request for people to review "The Week" magazine.  I'm not a big follower
of the news, I rarely watch it on TV and I cannot remember the last time I picked up a newspaper.  I follow BBC/ ITV/ SKY news channels on social media and figure if I miss a headline on them someone else will tweet it or facebook it and I'll look at it on the relevant website.

The Week is different,  it is a round up of the previous weeks important, and not as important news stories giving you everything in bite sized chunks.  for £3.10 a week, which - lets face it, is cheaper then buying a newspaper every day and in a handy A4 sized format makes it a lot easier to read on public transport then a large tabloid/ broadsheet newspaper.

For those who prefer their Kindle to a paper product The Week is also available online and electronically, you can also receive daily briefing updates.

Cross Stitch Crazy Review, March 2014 issue 187

Please note that I get this magazine on a UK subscription so free gifts/ charts may differ from those in the shop/ overseas subscribers.

Free Gifts

Teapot chart (sorry no pic as I forgot to take one).

This is a smallish chart (44 stitches wide x 44 high) of a blue teapot with flowers.  It's certainly different.... not my cup of tea (if you'll excuse the pun) but I can see its wider appeal.

Notebook

I loved this notebook and immediately got my (sadly lacking) stitching bug back by turning it into my Blogging notebook.  There are designs further through the magazine tho if you'd rather use a ready made pattern.

Review: Haba First Nativity Playset

Last year I hunted website after website, department store after department store trying to find a Nativity Set for my boys. You wouldn't thought it would be a difficult thing to find ... I only had 5 criteria:

• It had to be wooden 
• It had to be well made 
• It had to have large enough pieces for small children to handle 
• It had to be robust enough to withstand toddler play. 
• It has to be affordable 

I found Nothing out there that fitted the bill. The bits were either too small, or didn't include all the characters or was plastic or worse cost far more money then I would every spend on a toy.

Then this year I discovered The Toadstool........ and the

Haba First Nativity Playset

Book review - You Are The Love Of My Life. Susan Richards Shreve

You Are The Love Of My Life

 by: Susan Richards Shreve

It's 1973 and the Watergate scandal is on everyone's lips.  Lucy Painter, a children's book illustrator and single mother of two (Maggie and Felix) leaves New York and the married father of her children to return to Washington DC, to the neighbourhood where she grew up and the house where her father committed suicide.  

Legoland Discovery Centre, Manchester

Ben is absolutely Lego obsessed - the PS3 games, the toy itself and the latest addition to his set the Creationary game.... last year we took him to the 'real Legoland' in Windsor (Grandma's treat) and a fantastic time was had by all.  This year (thanks to Tesco Clubcard) we decided to take him and his little brother to the Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester staying in a local Premier Inn next to the Trafford Centre on the Friday night beforehand.

Legoland Discovery Centre, Manchester

Product Review - Thames and Kosmos Solar Boat

Thames and Kosmos

Solar Boat

We were sent this product free of charge to review, however all opinions expressed are entirely my own (or that of my kids).

Enjoy Cross Stitch at Christmas ............ My Review

Continuing a habit I got into on the MSE Cross Stitch Cafe here's my review of what I think.
Please note that I got this magazine from a UK stockist so free gifts/ charts may differ from those in the shop/ overseas subscribers

**apologies for the picture quality - my camera battery went and I had to make do with my phone**

Angel Delight Ice Cream - review

Over a year ago Angel Delight released their Ice Cream mix, my youngest found it in the dark depths of the cupboard today where it had sat unused (I have no idea why) and decided we were going to make it today (I won't tell you how out of date it was).  He also emerged holding a bar of white chocolate.  so that was an easy decision White Chocolate Ice Cream!!!

Cross Stitch Crazy Review, november 2013 issue 182

Ohhh yayyy Mr Postie made me very happy today - he brought me the new Cross Stitch Crazy and........ it has a Christmas Theme

Nibble Nibble.... Crunch Crunch.....my Walkers Mighty Lights Review, in association with Tots100

As a family that enjoy Walkers crisps (who doesn't enjoy a ham sandwich with cheese and onion crisps squashed into it for their picnic??)  Me and the boys were really pleased to be invited to review Walkers Mighty Lights, a paid review through Tots100.

Getting back from my holiday (a weeks after the email notification) I was off to the shops to get my weekly shopping, picked up the multipack of crisps we normally get ...... and promptly put them back remembering that any day now our parcel was due to test and excited about the new flavours and textures a new type would bring.

My kids would eagerly await the posties arrival wondering if today was parcel day..... but sadly not - another delve into the stash to retrieve those poor forgotten crisp flavours that no-one really enjoys but somehow seem to find their way into the house.

Watching everyone's reviews go live I was growing more concerned that my parcel was lost in the post (I am sure my postie enjoys crisps as much as everyone else).  I tried to contact Tots100 through various methods eventually being told mine were in the '2nd batch' to be posted.
   I attempted to ask how this was going to affect the 2nd September deadline for reviews to be submitted  but unfortunately no responses have been forthcoming.


So apologies Walkers - My review should be in this space but sadly the only information I can pass onto readers is what I have been told 

"With 30% less fat than standard crisps, Mighty Lights are perfect for kids' lunchboxes. They are tasty, ridged crisps that come in three flavours - roast chicken, cheese and onion and lightly salted. All the flavours are suitable for vegetarians, and are available in shops nationwide. They're made from real potatoes with no artificial colours of preservatives-  and they're a source of fibre. "

As a mum it is important to me to know what is in the snacks I am feeding my children, I am pleased that walkers clearly answer some important questions on their website:

Are Walkers Mighty Lights suitable for vegetarians?Yes, all our Walkers Mighty Lights products are suitable for vegetarians. Take a look at our product pages for more information. 

Are Walkers Mighty Lights gluten free?None of our Walkers Mighty Lights flavours contain gluten as an added ingredient; however they are made in a factory that handles gluten, wheat and barley. You can contact our Consumer Services team free on 0800 274 777 or 1800 509 408 if you would like more information. You can also email them.

 Are there nuts or sesame seeds in Walkers Mighty Lights?None of our Walkers Mighty Lights flavours contain nuts or sesame seeds, and we do not handle either in our factory.

 If you would like to find out more for yourself I am informed they are available in supermarkets priced from as little as £1 for a multipack (6 packs)

With the new school year around the corner I may just have to get some myself to try for the healthy lunchbox as it's always tricky to know what to put in it.

Please check out their website at  www.walkersmightylights.co.uk 

Should my product arrive I will be happy to amend this review.

 UPDATE............ 4th September 2013

Well after a bit of negative publicity tots100 eventually contacted Walkers and seems my postie munching suspicions were correct.

The lovely people at Walkers immediately apologised and sent some more.

I tried the original ones in my sandwich (ham salad) yesterday and must say I was quite impressed not greasy at all and had a lovely crunch. With 30% less fat they are also better for a mummy trying to loose the baby weight then normal crisps.

 Will let you know what the kids think tomorrow when I spend more then 5 minutes with them :)

 Ohhh and will put some more mouthwatering pics on too......

  

We've now had a chance to try all the flavours and my favourite is definitely the Roast Chicken, with Cheese and Onion in second place and lightly salted coming in last.

Ben (almost 5) on the other hand prefers the cheese and onion the best..... unfortunately lightly salted comes in last for him too.  In his words it has a "strange flavour".  

Noah (2 and a half) actually ranks lightly salted first, tho he is a human dustbin and will eat anything lol.

................... saying that I asked them what they wanted with their samdwiches today (8th September) and BOTH asked for the ready (lightly) salted ones!!

I'd love to see Mighty Lights in salt and vinegar flavour or even better bring back the roast turkey and stuffing  for slimming mummy's in time for Christmas - they were amazing as a normal crisp flavour.

Toby Carvery - lovely food, great prices........... shame about the service.

This is  a review for Toby Carvery, The Martello Inn (Clacton).  

Eating: 2 x adults, 2 x children (4yrs old and 2yrs old).

Upon entering the Martello we stood looking at the bar before working out that the 'please wait here' sign was past it.  We were, however, welcomed promptly by the server and shown to our seat where he got us a high chair.

We were instantly swooped upon by a member of staff wanting to know what drinks we wanted so (with childrens menu in hand) we asked for 2 adults fizzy drinks and 2 waters for the children (meaning the fruit shoot H2O's on the menu).

Perhaps we were unclear but the waitress eventually returned with 2 glasses full of tap water.  we questioned why they were glasses of tap water and not the bottles on the menu and was told quite abruptly that "you asked for water", we accepted this and asked for a couple of straws, to receive the very rude reply "did you not bring a bottle for the baby?".   I replied I did, but he would be fine with a straw (so she went and got a couple).

I cannot fault the meal, 4 different meats (pork, beef, turkey and gammon) all well cooked.  Yes we had to wait a long time to be served  as he had run out of turkey and yorkies and as no-one else was serving we had to wait while he re-stocked (why they only ever put one person there is beyond me).
vegetables were cooked to perfection and ohhhhhhhh the ice cream was amazing.

They were also more then happy to let my 2 children share a childs portion which was appreciated.

When we asked for our free refills we were informed the servers machine was broken and we would have to take our glasses to the bar for the refills ourselves as they only had diet pepsi.  We replied that was what we wanted for her to take the glasses and reply "but we've no ice".......... is it REALLY that difficult for the server to go to the bar??????

Apart from the total on the receipt paying was pain free :)  next time I'll remember to check the website first as I've just spotted a 2-course for £12.50 voucher on there.