What a fantastic week it’s been! So many Reasons to be cheerful and we even had a visit from the sun!

I went to Cybher

It was a very early start and a long day but very enjoyable. I was very grateful for Gemma, Emma and Kerry for letting me tag along with them all day, if it wasn’t for their company I would have felt even more insignificant amongst the others there.

I got to have a go in a Crystal Maze style cash box and took away a bundle of money – this would have been made perfect if someone could have shouted “Start the fans, please!”

I met up with some fabulous bloggers, some I’ve wanted to meet for a while and came away feeling more confident in taking my site in the direction I want to.

I was totally spoilt on my birthday!

Isn’t everyone you may think, well no not me. Did I tell you about the pillow I got last year? For some reason hubby decided that this jaws the year to make an effort, and how amazed am I – an iPad and tickets to Wembley on Saturday to see Blackpool in the Play-off final! Get me!

And the sun shone, and I won at golf and there were profiteroles for pudding. Could I ask for more?

I have THE most wonderful little boy!

Not content with writing me a beautiful birthday card and keeping me entertained all week as he tried to keep the iPad a secret, he made me very proud yesterday.

He came home from school to tell me that the school in India that they are linked with was hit by a tornado, it destroyed the roof and 3 classrooms. The school are having a non-uniform and fundraising day next week and J declared that he will be taking money from his piggy bank into school that day! He is amazing.

I can bake after all!

Hot off the press (or out of the oven) come these blueberry muffins. The exact same recipe as last week but this time, with the addition of a proper muffin tray. Perfecto!

What’s been making you smile this week? Make sure you check out some of the other posts and pop over and say hi to Mich

Following on from our love of all things City of Friends we had the opportunity to review the new iPhone app (and then after my birthday we gave the iPad one a go too). J was very excited when he saw the icon on the screen and he started playing immediately.

The thing that struck me straight away is that he needed no help playing it at all, his reading is getting better but he is still in reception so his words are limited – this did not matter as he was able to pick it up and work out what to do. This scores it extra points for me.

In the game you play as Elphie, Ted or Max and help put out fires, fly the helicopter and organise the first aid kit. After each level is successfully completed you unlock a new video clip from the show. I really like that for each game you an select the level you want to play, so if the child finds some things more difficult than others it is not a problem.

The only negative for me is the endless playing of the theme tune throughout the game! J completed it all in 2 sittings so it would be good if there were more levels or clips to download, but then I think he is probably towards the upper end of the age range for the game.

I would recommend this app to any City of Friends or emergency services fans. You can download the app for £2.50 from iTunes.

We received the app for free for the purpose of writing this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

My latest baking is another old school dinner favourite of mine, chocolate crunch

It’s really easy to make but be warned doesn’t last long!

How to make Chocolate Crunch

• 8oz margarine
• 11oz plain flour
• 8oz caster sugar
• 1 1/2 oz cocoa powder

Melt the margarine in the microwave
Add in the other ingredients
Mix well
Press the mixture into a lined baking tray – I make it around 1cm thick
Sprinkle with a little water then some more sugar
Bake at 170C for 40 minutes
Slice up and eat quick before it’s all gone!

Don’t forget to keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we have been finally planting on all out seedlings, enjoying a delicious roast at the golf club, doing the new shoe dance, letting the boy have the camera, baking up another disaster (this time muffins), getting up a stupid o’clock and having fun at Cybher!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

What a weekend!

3 days off work and 3 great victories on the golf course – a league match, a county pairs knock-out match and a club Summer pairs knock-out match – pretty exhausting stuff! I also managed a game with my husband and we didn’t argue – result!

This week I have finally seen some progress in a project at work, it’s been getting me a bit stressed so to at last see a little light at the end of this never ending tunnel is quite a relief!

Last night was awesome – I had a lovely meal with my friends, during which I was very anti-social and logged into twitter throughout. With good reason though as Blackpool were playing in the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals. They won and are now off to Wembley again. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it this time, but I’ll try my best. The tangerine was out in force today in celebration!

I have lost another 1 and a half pounds on the Jenny Craig plan.

On Saturday I am heading off to Cybher and I can’t wait! I’m very nervous but I think I know enough people who are going that I won’t have to stand by myself feeling lonely. It’s going to be a long day and I haven’t chosen yet which sessions I am going to go to, but I know I’ll learn a lot and hopefully make some new friends.

Most exciting of all it’s my birthday this weekend! I’m going to be the grand age of 33 and once I have recovered from Cybher I’ll be spending the rest of the weekend on the golf course – perfect! In keeping with our office tradition I have just finished baking some treats to take in tomorrow. I have made some chocolate crunch which always reminds me of school dinners:

I also made some blueberry muffins, out of my Eric Lanlard book. I haven’t made anything of his since the great banana cake disaster. Luckily I have a sense of humour and this is how some of my muffins ended up…

I really must invest in some better bakeware!

What feels like months ago I saw the first Meet and Greet posts going up ahead of Cybher, I did have my ticket but made a decision not to do my post then, let’s face it, if you had read this in February there is every chance you would have forgotten all about me by May 12th. This way I will be fresh in your minds!

Here goes…

Name : Clare

Blog : Seasider in the City

Twitter ID : @SeasiderClare

Height : 5’2.5″ the .5 is very important!

Hair : Long and currently “watermelon” (apparently) in colour. It’s usually tied back but if I get up at stupid o’clock on Saturday it may be straight.

Five things you should know about me…

1. I LOVE anything orange (except, randomly oranges themselves!) At Cybher as a minimum I’ll have my orange converse on, there may be more.
2. My party trick at school was to fit my fist in my mouth – I haven’t tried it recently!
3. My favourite cakes and sweets are chocolate éclairs – this is very important information. 
4. I have a husband, a son, 2 guinea pigs and an eternally messy home.
5. I have no sponsor, my Cybher ticket is my birthday treat to myself. This weekend I turn 33 and I’m choosing to spend it with you

When you have always been pretty sporty to hear someone say that your son shows significant cause for concern during PE is quite upsetting, and at that moment in time we were gutted. Once we had taken a step back and thought about it we took it with the pinch of salt that it deserved – he is after all, not yet 5.

However, we have always known that he isn’t the most agile of children. He was slow to crawl and then walk and has the most comical run I have ever seen, he has also inherited my clumsiness His poor balance however has held him back the most, we struggled for ages to get him to ride a bike with stabilisers and you can see how hard he tries in swimming lessons but gets nowhere.

When an email dropped into my inbox asking if we would like to review a Micro Scooter I couldn’t reply quickly enough. Something fun to do in the holidays that would get J outside and active. Perhaps it would help? The really clever bit was that we were sent 2 scooters – a Maxi Micro for J and a Micro Sprite for Daddy. To have your own scooter is fab, but to be able to go outside and do the same thing as Daddy is just amazing and really sold it to him.

The Easter bunny was a bit early and delivered our scooters on the last day of term, and they were straight outside on them. Daddy had a full week off whilst I worked and so it gave the boys a fun activity that they could do anywhere.

The scooters are really lightweight and the sprite folds down incredibly quickly to make it both portable and easy to store – not that they have been stored at all!

To begin with J found it fairly difficult, the mechanism to turn is different to anything he has done before and it took him a good week of use before he had cracked corners. I was really surprised to find that he had figured out the braking too which was a welcome change to him just jumping off when he wanted to stop! Which reminds me that I really must get him a helmet!

The scooters now come everywhere with us and even I have had a go on the Sprite! They will be great to take camping with us as they won’t take up any room in the tent .

J’s Maxi Micro is quite possibly the best present he has had, he now wants to go outside after school and is really keen to show off his scooter to anyone that come round. The improvement in him on it in just the last month has given him so much confidence, he now even wants to go on his bike as he believes he will be able to do it.

My boy that shied away from doing anything active at school as he didn’t think he would be able to do it has asked to join after school tennis club. I think his teacher was as surprised as I was. The only thing that has changed is his Micro Scooter!

See how he improved in just the first week in this video:

To help celebrate the Jubilee and the Olympics this year you can now get your own special edition Union Jack Scooters, complete with either bag or bottle holder depending on the model – Mini Micro Scooters cost £64.95 and the maxi Micro Union Jack Scooters are £105.

We were sent 2 Micro Scooters for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

Being one of 6 kids meant that a family swim was something of a rarity. Trying to bundle all 8 of us into the car and then finding somewhere that didn’t cost the earth was always going to be a challenge – thankfully adult:child ratios hadn’t been dreamt up then! Swimming was left for special occasions and the long summer holiday.

Every year we would head to Europe camping for 2 or 3 weeks, looking every bit like the Von Trapps, and we would swim…all day, every day, in hot sunshine and clean swimming pools. I learnt to dive whilst in Germany although never braved the high boards and enjoyed the treat of pommes frites mit mayo in a cone most lunchtimes.

The reality though is that I couldn’t swim very well. 2 weeks every summer wasn’t really enough to improve my strokes. It was to my parents huge amazement that I ended up working as a lifeguard for a health club company (where I remain 15 years later, not lifeguarding), and my even bigger surprise when I managed to pass the swimming tests in the lifeguard exam! I dreaded the monthly training sessions and even more the biannual exam!

J loves swimming and we have resolved to make it a bigger part of his life than it was in mine as a child. He attends lessons every week and although he hasn’t learnt to do any more than bob up and down with armbands on and jump in, he loves being in the water and it holds no fear for him. I think that water confidence is one of the most important skills you can teach a child.

I am very lucky to work somewhere that has a pool that we can use. If you are not as fortunate then check out the great offer that British Gas has on – free swims for you and your family!

I am entering this into the Brit Mums Joy of Swimming linky.

Remember you can keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we have been avoiding massive puddles, sleeping in a singe (very comfy) bed, spotting the tiniest bunnies, celebrating the sun finally coming out, practising a bit of putting, choosing our football team very carefully and having a lovely finger licking treat!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

Little Charley Bear is off on a jungle expedition in this latest DVD from the CBeebies favourite.

Charley heads off on an adventure to discover which noises different wild animals make. He takes with him his friends Midge and Nibblit and goes on and exciting animal safari that includes encounters with Sharks and Monkeys. There is no surprise that J’s favourite episode was the one where they discovered a Charleysaurus!

Narrated by the fabulous James Corden the six episodes include:

• Charley on Safari
• The Charleysaurus
• Monkeying with Midge
• Charley Snaps
• Castaway Charly
• Sandcastle for Caramel
• Bear at Sea
• Under Water Explorer Charley

Mike the Knight has been capturing the imaginations of preschoolers everywhere with his great TV show and now your little ones can get in on the act with this great new range of toys from Character Options.

We were sent the Glendragon Arena to review ahead of the launch this week. Whilst it is a lovely set, before we had even opened the box J had asked where Galahad was? The set contains two base plates that can be moved around and fitted together, a stage, various poles and flags and Mike complete with lance. Mike is all set to lift the jousting cup but is lacking in any competition.

It is all very well made and would be an excellent addition to other pieces in the collection, however on it’s own it is a little lacking in things to do. It hasn’t caused a problem though, Mike has been off on adventures in the Bat Cave and also explored a dinosaur world!

Other toys available in the range include the Deluxe Glendragon Playset, Hairy Harry’s Horse Stop and a set of accessories to turn your child into a knight themselves! I know J would absolutely love the electronic sword or the knight’s helmet you can get!

We were sent this toy for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

It’s nearly the (long) weekend – hurray! Up until yesterday this week had been stressful and pretty rubbish and I couldn’t wait for it to be over, but then yesterday the tables turned.

• I had a wonderful email gifting us tickets to Legoland for J’s birthday. I am over the moon as we had been saving our clubcard vouchers for tickets and now we can use these towards some other family days out when we have our holiday in June. He is going to be ecstatic as he is desperate to go there, but we are going to try and keep it a secret until the day before!
• I saw on twitter that we had been chosen as Morphy Richards Innovators after submitting my banana cake disaster post to the Foodies100 competition. This is very exciting, especially as I happen to know they do a rather stunning range of ORANGE gadgets! We can’t wait to get started.
• After seeing a tweet of mine about J’s early morning club celebrating it’s first birthday the fabulous people at When I was a kid organised a gift for each of the children. A really lovely thought and I was so happy to deliver them this morning. They were very much appreciated!
• Finally, in a bit of after work golf I saw this…my shadow, which means the sun had finally returned. Enough to make anyone smile!

Knocking up a delicious recipe this bank holiday weekend? If you are, take a picture and upload the recipe to Aldi’s new cookbook. Judges will pick their favourite recipe and you could win a £200 Aldi voucher, 4 runners up will also get £50 vouchers!

It couldn’t be easier, I’m entering my delicious Cornflake Jam Tart recipe! Hurry though as the winner will be picked on May 7th!

If you are having a bit of a party, make sure you stock up on Aldi’s Specially Selected range for that little bit of extra luxury! We’re planning some lovely nibbles including Basil Pesto Olives and some fresh breads with cheese, Parma Ham and olive oil all courtesy of Aldi.

This time last year we were on our first family holiday abroad in Menorca. We went all inclusive from our local airport (within walking distance) during term time and got a really good deal. This year J is at school and there are no ‘good deals’ to be found. Financially we are not in a position to take a big holiday this Summer and even when you look at staying in this country the price can be even higher!

But what about a stay in a Youth Hostel? Be honest I bet you’ve never even considered it! We certainly hadn’t. The last time I stayed in one was 22 years on a school trip to Great Yarmouth. It rained all week, England played Egypt in Italia ’90, and we got asked to leave the Winter Gardens and as punishment didn’t get our pocket money the next day!

This Summer the Youth Hostel Association is bringing back the Stay at Home Summer Holiday – for just £99 per family you can enjoy a 3 night stay in one of their fantastic hostels! No need to worry about sharing a dorm with some back-packing students either, you will get your own private family room that will sleep between 3 & 5. Obviously you will be sharing other facilities with guests but that just adds to the adventure I think!

There are hostels all over England & Wales, near the coast, attractions and even some in the centre of London. Some hostels are self-catering but others offer superb value home cooked meals and packed lunches for you to take on your travels.

To get your hands on one of these great value holidays visit the Youth Hostel Association Website and use code FAMSTAY-028. £99 holidays are available for breaks between 7th July and 12th September – yes that’s right, all through the Summer Holidays – but must be booked between now and 12th June

We are off to test drive a Youth Hostel in June so we’ll let you know how we get on, but for that price how can you go wrong? Go grab yourself a deal and let me know what you think!

Don’t forget you can keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we have been chasing bubbles with cousins, realised we have no idea what seeds we planted, noticed how beautiful the drive to work looks at the moment, spotted some sheep, made chocolate cakes, had fun playing on the XBox and I was very greedy and finished off the chocolate éclairs!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

I sat yesterday at work and the thought crossed my mind that I wouldn’t be able to write this post as I was so grumpy. I spent the morning fielding ridiculous phone calls and answering stupid questions and being reminded of the cliques that form in offices full of women. I looked out the window and watched the rain pouring down and then heard that the weekend is supposed to be pretty grim too, not good for the golf!

Luckily I woke today in a better mood:

• I chatted and laughed with some colleagues who I’ve known for years. It reminded me that I’m part of a bigger team and of all the things that keep me hanging around, after 15 years sometimes it’s hard to see past the everyday issues.
• The sun came out. Just for a little while.
• I had my weekly chat with my Jenny Craig consultant, another 1/2 lb lost. Not Earth shattering but it’s still going in the right direction.
• J brought a note home in his book bag to say he’s been moved up to a guided reading group as he is doing so well. I’m really pleased at the way he has settled in at school.
• We had a visit from my brother and his fiancée this afternoon. It was great as always to see them and J was over the moon – and very excitable by the time they left! 

The weather still looks lousy for the weekend but It will be good to get out in the fresh air. I’m determined to find the positives.

How’s your week? Link up your reasons to be cheerful over at Mummy from the Heart

I keep totally forgetting to join in with The Gallery at Sticky Fingers but luckily someone hit publish on theirs early so I was prompted to take a look. The theme this week is Action and you might be surprised to see I have NOT used a golf shot of myself or anyone else!

J’s teacher reckons he has problems with his physical ability, and apparently it sticks out a mile in PE.

This is my boy after he had been outside running around in the snow for half an hour.

My boy who wants to go out on his scooter every night.

My boy who came home last night and asked if he could join tennis club

My boy demonstrating a perfect throw, complete with follow through.

In your face! Miss N!

If you’re looking for a great family holiday but want to unwind with a spot of your favourite sport, there are many family friendly resorts to fit any budget that mean you don’t have to sacrifice on either!

Cameron House Hotel, Argyll, Scotland

If you’re planning on keeping it domestic with your holiday, it doesn’t mean you have to skip out on luxury! Cameron House is a five-star Scottish mansion overlooking Loch Lomond. The family can relax in the luxury spa and rooftop pool while you scale the 18-hole championship golf course. Off the course, there are loads of family activities that everyone will enjoy such as sailing, sea plane trips and clay pigeon shooting. After a long day of activities the whole family can unwind in one of the four restaurants across the resort. For really small children there are crèche and childcare facilities at Cameron House, which means all family members can relax.

Sandestin Resort, Destin, Florida, USA

If you’re looking to travel a little further afield, why not try across the pond. Sandestin Resort in Florida boasts four championship golf courses over its 2400 acres. Other facilities in the resort include 19 swimming pools, water sports, children’s activities including a summer Junior Golf Academy and a fully-fledged fitness spa. The site of the spa itself is breath taking with over 7 miles of sandy beaches and the great Florida weather mean that a trip to the Sandestin really is for all the family.

Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club, Jamaica

Jamaica may not be the first destination that comes to mind when planning a golf trip but Beaches Boscobel Resort really is a family affair. The amazing Caribbean weather make the 27,000 square foot waterpark with Pirate’s Island an absolute must for family fun!  The kids can also enjoy other activities such as the XBOX 360 Game Garage and the golf clinic, Golf Wise – aimed at kids of all ages they can participate in instructive golf programs. For the more serious golfer in the family there are packages where unlimited golf is included, check out online booking companies such as yourgolftravel.com for all package details.

Marbella Club Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, Marbella, Spain                                 

Situated in the famous golfing destination The Costa Del Sol Marbella Club Hotel boasts a designer 18-hole golf course. Guests with young children may want to book one of the private villas available onsite.  Off the golf course there is a spa, stunning gardens and just 20 minutes away, fully equipped riding stables.

At our dentist surgery is a huge toy crane. For this reason alone J loves going to the Dentist! He is quite fascinated by them and it always so excited at Christmas when he sees trees decorated on top of them.

When I saw that one of the main features of the JCB Pack Away Playset we were sent was a crane I knew it was going to be a hit. The set is contained in a large tyre and comes with 2 JCB vehicles to play with.

Before you get to play at construction there is quite a bit of construction to do, some of it too tricky for J to do himself. By the time we had finished putting it together he had go so impatient we didn’t even get around to putting all the stickers on the various parts.

Inside the tyre you get  (please excuse the layman’s terms!) 2 scaled die-cast vehicles, a crane, 2 levels and ramps for the vehicles to move along, a lift, a working hopper full of little beads and various containers.

J spent what felt like hours letting a few beads fall from the container into the truck and then sending it down the ramp to unload. Once the bucket was full, the crane would take all the beads back to the start again. In his own little world he has had a great time playing with the set and it is still set up in the living room as he plays with it every day!

A couple of things to note – the packaging says not for children under 36 months, I usually take this with a pinch of salt but in this case the little beads are so small I really would worry about them being eaten or poked into places they shouldn’t! Also I don’t think I’d recommend getting it all out if you only want to play for a little while, as you will spend longer putting it together than playing. Better to find a spot where it can stay out for a while and then pack away for storage. This isn’t a problem for us at all but might be worth considering.

You can buy the JCB Pack Away Tyre Playset from John Lewis, Tesco and Amazon for £19.99.

We were sent the set for the purpose of this review, my review is honest and in my own words.

Remember to keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we have danced to the Oompa Loompa songs on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, given in and ended the building of the toilet roll wall, met an enormous Penguin, had to watch telly on the laptop when our flatscreen broke (it’s still broken), had fun with Ballzoons, lost my laptop to J who is in love with Math Blaster and had a great time at a 5th borthday party.

The main photo is not a great shot and I took many better ones, but I love the story. J dancing with one of his oldest friends, they haven’t seen each other since Christmas and held hands for the first 20 minutes of the party.

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

I had a ticket to BlogCamp UK and was really looking forward to attending, the one last year was really useful. Then life happened and I couldn’t go.

Instead I have spent the day with the 4 3/4 (that 3/4 is sooo important) year old, and I have learnt quite a lot – nothing particularly useful for improving the SEO of my blog or that will help me take better photos but you take what you can I guess! Here are today’s top lessons:

• Ned from Dinosaur train is a quadruped (yes I did just have to google what that was) – that means he has 4 legs. Ned the Quadruped!
• Triceratops and the other microceratops were the last dinosaurs to die. They lived at the end of the dinosaur period and protected themselves with their horns!
• Tyrannosaurus Rex’s lived in the middle of the dinosaur age. They were mainly boys.
• Herbivores lived the longest because there were so many trees!

• Boys are posers! We tried the clothes we received from Ed Joseph’s new Boys Range and he wanted a photo of him in everything! I’ll save the rest for when I do the review but I think this may be my new favourite.
• Boys will only go shopping if there is something in it for them. This applies to boys of all ages! There is just no point taking them with you unless you have time to look at toys/computer games/magazines.
• Not all kids birthday parties are awful!
• The Wii game Step to the Beat is incredibly addictive. My 10 minute session lasted over an hour and now my calves are like rocks!
• The new KFC that has opened near us in Norwich is a dreadful idea, not only will it ruin my diet but it is already, after just 5 days causing chaos on the roads!

Now it’s almost bedtime and so I can spend a little time reading through the #blogcampuk twitter stream to learn something actually useful! Hope everyone that went had fun!

I told you before of our little City of Friends problem and since then we have got our hands on an exclusive interview with the main characters in the Channel 5 hit. Here’s what Max, Elphie and Ted had to say about their exciting lives:

Hello Max, Elphie and Ted, thanks for taking time to talk with us, how are you all today?

We´re all quite tired at the moment as Jump’s had some days off from school and has kept us very busy!

Max, you’re the police officer, Elphie you’re the fire officer and Ted you’re the paramedic – what made you want to work in the emergency services?

Max: Keeping the city nice and safe – and the joy of scooting around on my own emergency vehicle of course! With sirens and flashing lights I am unstoppable! I love my Scooter!

Elphie: with a trunk as big as this, I had to find something useful for it! My trunk is great and perfectly made for my job as a fire fighter or helping Jumpi down from high trees and buildings!

Ted: my daddy is a police officer, so I wanted to do something different – but still be able to help people and drive around with sirens and flashing lights! So becoming a paramedic and driving around in my ambulance is perfect for me!

And what’s the best part of your job?

All three in unison: Helping people!

Max: With sirens, of course!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to join the emergency services?

Ted: Be nice to others – and you will have to love to help others as well! I think that goes for all emergency services.

Elphie: Yes – and you will have to face fear, and still be able to think clear! So be brave!

Max: And if you want to catch thieves, you will have to run fast! Just as I do! Whoo-hooo!

What’s the best thing about living in City of Friends?

Max: Well, it has the best friends around – all in one city! And there is always something going on here, so we have enough to take care of!

Ted & Elphie: Thanks to Jumpi!

Max is J’s favourite character in the show and here are a few extra questions for him

Max you’re everyone’s friend and the city’s mischief-maker. The children in the city think you’re the coolest and the funniest in the whole city. How does that feel? Oh, well it comes quite natural to me I must say! And I love it!

How did you become a police officer? Well, I believe Bobby (City of Friends Chief of Police) saw my talent and hired me at once!

Really? No, not really! I have dreamt about this since I was 4 years old, and been asking so many times for Bobby and his team to take me on as a recruit! I think I was here with my application every day for two years! And now they have taken me on – and I will prove they made the right decision!

We love your police scooter, what’s that like to ride? It´s just lovely! And fast! And cool! So all in all – it´s just like me! We are the perfect match for each other! 

City of Friends airs weekdays on Channel 5’s Milkshake at 6.20am, Saturdays at 6.15am and Sundays at 6.25am or visit www.cityoffriends.com and the Facebook page to find out more information.

Here we are again! It’s Thursday therefore it must be time to think about what is making us happy at the moment, feel free to join in over at Mich’s place!

For me it’s all been about the golf! It’s taken a couple of weeks but I have finally got into my stride again after the winter and have played some of my best rounds in the last week. I played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and by Monday was ready for a rest!

On Saturday we played the first round of the county competition that saw us reach the final last year. I’m pleased to say that we won all matches against Fakenham and are safely through to the next round and back on home turf. On Sunday I won our friendly ladies ball game and also the monthly competition after a really great round. I’m so pleased with the majority of my game and it’s all looking good for the rest of the season

School has started again which means we are back to some kind of normality, which feels great. We have done quite a bit in the holidays but there have also been loads of meals out which has made the diet a challenge to follow. This week I can get back on track again.

If you need something to make you smile/laugh then take a look at this video. It’s us BritMums Butterflies telling you what to expect at BritMums Live and is basically me just making myself look an idiot whilst Alex, Gemma and Penny (who did a fantastic job of the editing) talk sense around me! Let us know what you think!

Have I got a treat for someone here? Male or female…

My latest giveaway to readers is an exciting £40 voucher for Ann Summers to spend on anything you like, anything!

It’s been a good few years since I have been to an Ann Summers party, but we used to have such a giggle, and their range of products is pretty diverse. There are of course the toys you’d expect but also a beautiful range of lingerie and swimwear for all shapes and sizes.

Their current lingerie collection has something for everyone, whether you are after everyday pieces or something for a special occasion. If like me you could do with a little extra cleavage the Instant Boob Job Bra – Coral might be just the thing.

If you would like to be in with a chance of winning the voucher, simply complete the Rafflecopter form below and then keep your fingers crossed! The giveaway will stay open until 4th May and the winner will be contacted the following day.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Before you go please would you spare 30 seconds to vote for Seasider in the City in the Sainsbury’s Family Blog Competition?

It’s a Ballzoon! Lighter than a ball, so much better than a balloon.

J loves balloons, aside from the cake, it’s his favourite thing about birthday parties – if we come away without a balloon it’s a bad sign. There are a few obvious flaws with balloons though – they deflate, pop, blow away and are very difficult to predict and indeed catch when you are 4 and have pretty poor coordination!

Ballzoons are fantastic though, a balloon inside a material skin. The skin makes it more ball like – you can throw it, bounce and catch it. It’s heavy enough that you can play with it outside yet light enough that we have used it inside throughout the wet Easter holidays.

Ballzoons come in 2 sizes: a 23cm one (in 4 designs) that inflates to 800% of it’s original size and the 46cm Mega Zoon that inflates to a mahoosive (J’s words) 2500%. They inflate really easily and the included balloon clips are a really great idea and save you having to try and tie a knot in the end whilst also making each balloon reusable. I was particularly dreading blowing up the bigger size but then realised it comes with a mouth pump that has a non return valve in it – I’ll definitely be keeping that for birthday parties!

It does say that you can part fill your ballzoon with water but I must confess I haven’t been brave enough to try that out as yet – maybe if we get a Summer we will! Ballzoons have been a big hit here in the holidays and helped get J a bit more active, his catching has definitely improved as a result too.

Ballzoons from John Adams are available in toy shops for around £7.99 and £14.99. You can also buy packs of replacement balloons too. I was sent one of each size Ballzoon for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

It all got a bit too much and I could stand it no longer.

This unspoken deed had been lingering around for at least 5 weeks.

The stand-off had to come to an end, and it looked like it was going to have to be me to break the deadlock.

The 13 empty toilet rolls had to go…

I would put money on nobody else even noticing them! Damn house of men!

All you need to do is visit Find Me a Gift and get yourself a Star Wars Jedi Bathrobe! Available in 3 sizes for ages 4 and up (and also in adult versions) these robes are officially licensed and will transform your child in an instant! I know nothing about Star Wars and leave that all to the boys but I have to say my husband was pretty jealous when this turned up!

At £13.99 this would make a great birthday present for your Star Wars fan and the sizing is pretty generous so it should last a good few years. The gown is machine washable and has 2 pockets and a belt plus the all important hood! It is soft to touch and has been particularly useful over these last cold couple of weeks as we turned the heating off ages ago.

It seems to be pretty hard wearing which is a good job as it is not just being used as a dressing gown. The gown appears to be great fun for dressing up too and is often worn over normal clothes and accessorised with a light saber!

We were sent the gown for the purpose of writing this.My review is honest and in my own words

I am hot! Not strictly true but I do tend to be warm most of the time. I would definitely prefer to be cold than too hot given the choice. I sweat very easily and so working in a warm office is a real challenge on the wardrobe at times!

I have tried many different anti-perspirants but none have ever done as they claim and I am yet to discover true “24 hour protection” so I tend to fall back on own brand products that do just as good a job as their costly rivals.

Dove reckon they have cracked it with Dove Maximum Protection, containing 1/4 moisturising cream and giving you 2x the protection against sweat. I put it to the test…

Not putting anti-perspirant on in the morning feels like going out without brushing your teeth – just wrong! According to the leaflet to get the best result from using Dove Maximum Protection you should put it on before you go to bed. When you are asleep and your sweat glands are at rest, your skin is more receptive to the formula allowing it time to build up the protection for the following day. It’s very weird though, and a few times I had to get up out of bed as I’d forgotten to apply it.

To use, you turn the base 2 clicks and the cream-like Dove is pushed up through the top of the applicator. It actually doesn’t take too long to soak into the skin but I found that my 2 clicks didn’t ever release the same amount of cream so one arm would always get more!

Here’s the really surprising bit – it worked! During normal day to day activities, I found I wasn’t sweating at all, no awful patches under my arms in my work t-shirts, at all! Result!

Exercising was a little different. I run several times and also go to Zumba once a week and I do get up a pretty heavy sweat. Using Dove didn’t stop me sweating, but I do think it reduced it somewhat. At the end of my Zumba class I could definitely still smell the deodorant and nothing more than that, I was really pleased.

It’s not going to change your life, but if like myself, you have never found an anti-perspirant that does the job it’s worth a try. For the day to day protection alone I’ll be sticking with it.

You can buy Dove Maximum Protection in supermarkets and pharmacies for a recommended price of £5.09. I received a free stick of Dove to review because I am a BzzAgent. My review is honest and in my own words.

I think I can honestly say that we have never watched so many DVD’s as we have this Easter holidays! Saturday afternoons are usually the only times we sit down together and watch a movie – J normally picks a Harry Potter film which is fine by us as we love them. Some may think that these films aren’t completely suitable for a 4 year old, but the bundle of movies Warner Brothers sent us last week definitely are! Here’s what we have been watching…

Yogi Bear: I was so pleased when we received this DVD! We had been due to watch it at the cinema last year but just before we bought the tickets J decided that stealing peoples picnic baskets wasn’t very nice and that he didn’t want to watch it any more! Thankfully he was more than happy for us to sit down and watch it this time. I loved Yogi, and more importantly Boo Boo when I was a child and it was really great to see them brought right up to date in this movie. Full of laughs for little ones, J giggled his way through it!

Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies: “Mummy look, it’s Baby Looney Tunes but they aren’t little any more!”. I was quite sad on reflection that I had never watched a Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck cartoon with J. He watches loads of Baby Looney Tunes on Cartoonito but had never watched a ‘real’ one! This Easter special features Bugs and all his friends, and gave Daddy a chance to do his favourite Foghorn Leghorn impression “Ah say boy…I’m a rooster not a chicken!”. I guess you had to be there!

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: J had me in stitches watching this, every time the Oompa Loompa’s came out and sang a song he got up and started dancing around with them. He really enjoyed this, even though I find it quite dark in places (the puppets catching fire and some of the clips of Willy as a child). At the end though he wanted to know why in this one Willy Wonka was a girl? He hasn’t quite got his head round boys with longer hair!

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: The original, and some might say, the best of the two films. J had watched this before and kept trying to tell me what was going to happen. I think he was a bit concerned that someone who ate too many blueberries could turn into one and I think it may have put him off them in the future! The magic of this film is still there, just as I remember it being – who wouldn’t want to take a walk through that factory?

Family movies really made our Easter break special, and the (for adults only) Mini eggs that arrived too went down a treat! Thanks Warner Brothers!

We were sent this Easter package free for the purpose of writing this post.

Remember you can keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we were given a beautiful Easter card by the monkey, played with real retro Lego, marvelled over just how much luggage a 4 3/4 year old need for 4 nights away, made absolutely scrummy Roasted Banana Muffins, ate a ton of tapas, played golf in the middle of a racecourse and finished the week with a fab family meal out – complete with corn on the cob!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

I have always thought I was pretty good with words, let’s face it I’m never short of something to say! It would appear however that I have either a pretty limited vocabulary or I’m not very good at anagrams.

When Zip-It arrived I was prepared to rule the roost – turns out I was rubbish at it, no vision at all! This new game from Bananagrams is totally self contained inside a pencil case sized bag. The bag contains 24 dice, each with a letter on every side, the idea of the game is to arrange all your 12 dice into words in a crossword style formation before your opponent.

The winner of each round records their victory with the really clever zips on the bag – just move your colour up one space. That is such a good idea and I can’t believe that no one has done it before now!

The fact that you don’t need much space or a pen or paper to play means that it is really portable. We have taken it on the train and played on those little drop down tables with no problem at all, it would be a great game to take on a plane too as it really wouldn’t use up much room in your luggage.

I really love the speed of the game, sometimes you just see the words straight away and it’s over, but other times you need a lot more time carefully turning the dice around until you get some inspiration. I make the mistake of seeing a few letters and then having a word in my head that I want to make, so frantically try and find the right letters – you wouldn’t believe how long it took me to make this just for the picture!

J spent ages on a train ride home arranging the letters into words he recognised, all the tiles are upper case so he had to think really hard about each sound, at nearly 5 the main game is much too hard for him but he found great satisfaction in being able to play his own little game with the grown ups.

You can buy Zip-It from Amazon for £10.99. I was sent the game for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own (limited) words

Doesn’t time off fly by? I can’t believe my 5 day weekend is already over and we are back at work – boo hoo! Despite the weather it’s been a great week, here are the things that have made me cheerful:

• We had a great day out at the Dinosaur Park. It’s pretty expensive but J loves it there and we don’t go very often. He was running around spotting dinosaurs and using their proper names and then had a good play on the adventure playground and had in his words – “the best day ever”. This was probably also influenced by the Subway we had for lunch and then having tea out at Bella Italia – who seem to have a new kids menu which is fantastic!

I am clearly in the wrong job – it would seem the way to make money is to set up an eBay store selling Lego bricks by the 1/4 kilo!

One of my oldest memories of playing with toys is of the big red Lego box we had, a metal box, all the way from Denmark and probably older than me. I remember sitting up ’til gone midnight on Christmas Day helping Dad put together whatever big set my brothers had got that year and then spending weeks taking it apart and resurrecting it in a different design.

I was so excited when J started to get interested in Lego, he loves it. All the sets we have though are character based – Cars 2, Harry Potter, Toy Story, Batman and he has seen dinosaur and Star Wars boxes that he really wants too. My problem with these is that it’s very hard to just build something with these collections. Where are the 6 & 8 spot bricks in red, blue or yellow?

At the weekend we went for tea at my parents and I sent Daddy up to raid one of the boxes that was around (I know there is loads more – I may have to go back and sneak up to the attic). He came downstairs with a box cardboard box full to take home, when we told J his response was “I wonder what movie it will be from?”.

Yesterday he spent a full day playing with Daddy (he didn’t even get dressed!), they tipped it all out on the floor and just built…stuff! A garage, a couple of cars, a tractor – they were only limited by imagination and the number of bricks they had – we seem to have a huge amount of flat plate like bricks in various sizes but are lacking in bricks still.

At one point Daddy tried to organise and separate into different containers – that didn’t last long I can tell you! The excitement of all the possibilities made tidying up pointless. Turns out that Daddy never had Lego as a child so the new box of old stuff seems as much for him as it is the boy!

From now on we will just be concentrating on building our collection of basic pieces!

I’ll be your buddy, I’ll be your pet! Give me a cuddle, give me a hug, I’ll be your huggle, huggle, huggle, huggle buddy!

We first came across Huggle Buddies when J had his settling in session at school, ever since then he has been desperate for one and sings along every time we see the advert. He is always very quick to point out that you can turn your loveable pet into a super soft pillow in no time – he seemed to think that memorising the ad would help his cause!.

That very lucky boy of mine was totally over the moon when we were sent one in the form of a green triceratops to review, and immediately gave it the name Tang (no idea why!). He is completely in love with it and now it lives in bed with him – I can see at some point he’ll need a double bed as there just isn’t room for him.

Tang is really great quality and he has no problem converting it from toy to pillow and back thanks to the velcro. I would say that it is very big, even though I had seen the adverts I hadn’t seen one in the flesh and I wasn’t quite prepared for it’s size! It really could replace a pillow in bed and J has plans to bring it camping when we go as he can store his pyjamas inside too.

A great idea, and with so many different animals to choose from every child will find a favourite. Tang has already been on 2 sleepovers and looks set to be a permanent bedtime feature!

We were sent a Huggle Buddy for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

I have been on the Jenny Craig programme for 7 weeks now and I’m still going. It’s hard, especially when in the last 2 weeks I have not lost any weight.

The reality is I haven’t stuck to it rigidly over the last fortnight, there have been times when we have had meals out with family and friends, I have been away overnight for work, we have had a takeaway (although I chose a chicken wrap so not too bad), and then sometimes I have just needed to cook. I still can’t get my head around having all my evening meals out of a microwave!

Then there was Easter…need I say more?

But, every cloud and all that – I have not put on any weight! Bigger than that…I can now fit in my size 10 jeans! Just goes to show that my body is changing and it doesn’t always have to show on the scales. Since the clocks have changed I have been able to get out on the golf course after work, and with a round burning around 900 calories this is great. I am also becoming a little bit obsessed with my little Freddie Fitbit – I need to get to 10,000 steps a day! On some low activity days I have taken to walking on the treadmill whilst reading my kindle. This has got to help!

This week I am back to normal, we still have Easter chocolate to eat so I am having a small amount every day – there is no point depriving myself of it as it will only make we want to scoff it in one go! Being sensible and making sure that I have done some exercise to counterbalance it is definitely the way forward for me.

The Jenny Craig diet is really good if you’ve never dieted before or lead a very sedentary life and don’t go far from home – it’s more of a challenge for me when I have to stay in a hotel or have a long car journey or am in London for the day. In these instances it’s not very flexible and I find that having a good knowledge of food and calories helps me to make an informed decision as to what to eat.

I’m feeling good about this week and hoping for a more positive number on the scales on Thursday.

I’m taking part in the programme at no cost in exchange for sharing my views and progress with you. My words are honest and my own.

Remember to keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we were on the look out for wildlife on the golf course, almost lost the boy in amongst the cuddlies on his bed, slept in a four-poster, woke up to snow in Shrewsbury, welcomed our very own Jedi into the family, had a brilliant day out at the dinosaur park and concentrated pretty hard at the park!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

That’s me, a sandgrown’un, grown in the sand – in other words from Blackpool! It’s the excuse I use most when I inadvertently go in bunkers on the golf course – I’m just returning to my roots! So when I heard of this little story and was asked if I could mention it I couldn’t really say no!

The celebrate the release of the latest Chipmunks DVD, Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, the PR company got together a group of sand artists (yes such people do exist apparently) and headed down to the ‘Golden’ sands of Blackpool Beach. Joined by children from local primary school St. Johns they set about creating this…

How awesome?

Now does anyone have any idea how to get this stupid Chipmunks theme tune out of my head? We’re the Chipmunk’s…C.H.I.P.M.U.N.K…do-do-dodododo!

I talk about golf a lot on here and as a family we spend a good proportion of our lives at Costessey Park the best golf club in Norfolk. The staff are great and the food delicious, but the thing that keeps us coming back is the fantastic club welcome we get. Everyone knows J and he loves spending time there. Nobody even blinks when he comes along to the AGM, or minds that he sits in committee meetings with me, he idolises some of our juniors and is proud to support our teams in competitions.

One of his favourite events of the year took place the other weekend, on a glorious March afternoon. The Charity Duck Race!

200 ducks, £2 each with half the money given as winnings, the rest going to club charities. Released at the bridge on the 10th and race down the River Tud to the 18th bridge, where they are rescued by a greenkeeper (someone has told J that he is a troll, so he is now scared to cross that bridge!).

Some of the ducks sadly don’t make the finish line and get picked up out of the reeds later.

We have never won, but its all a good laugh and for a fantastic cause. However, if J asks – number 4 finished in the top 10!

Now to the untrained eye it may seem like I forgot about #R2BC this week…as if! Truth is I have just completely lost track of what day it is! This week has just been manic with the school holidays, work trips away, early mornings and late nights. So slightly belatedly here are the things I am thankful for this week:

• A long weekend! I’m extending mine by an extra day to Tuesday but this weekend is long awaited. A chance to catch up with family and on sleep. It looks like the weather is going to be dire so will hamper the golf we have planned, but I know that J is desperate for some family days so he won’t care what’s going on in the sky!
• I have made the team for the first round of the golf competition our club got to the finals of last year. My game has been a bit shaky lately but I’m finally getting back on track and had my best 9 holes for months after work yesterday.
• I have been away for a few days with work this week and my husband took time off to look after J as it’s school holidays. Thankfully he has been really well behaved and it sounds like they have had a great time together, talking Star Wars, swimming, heading out on their scooters, watching all the channels Mummy doesn’t allow and eating lovely food! I’m really glad they have had this time together as it doesn’t happen very often.

I have never hidden the fact that Aldi is our favourite place to do the weekly shop, and the fact that now and again they send us things to try out makes me truly happy! The last little parcel they sent was full of Easter yumminess!

Choceur Flame Egg – £2.99

For the price this egg is beautifully presented and comes with a selection of milk and white chocolates inside. My husband really loved this egg, I couldn’t eat many of the chocolates due to the nut content and the actual shell itself tasted a little nutty to me too – he was happy though as he got the whole egg! I’m sure it says perfect for sharing somewhere!

Choceur Marzipan Mini Eggs – £1.49

These are amazing! We tried the classic marzipan but they are also available in rum & raisin and hazlenut praline. I had to eat them by nibbling off the chocolate from the outside until I was left with just the marzipan!

Dairyfine Milk Chocolate Eggs – £1.29

Available in strawberry and milk cream flavours these little eggs have a little surprise hidden inside – popping candy!

Choceur Chocolate Bunny – 99p

Made from the finest chocolate, these bunnies rival for taste the famous bell ringing ones! At just 99p you can also get about 5 for the same money! Available in milk and dark chocolate – treat yourself!

Choceur Filled Mini Eggs – £1.89

A bag of mixed mini eggs filled with almond, cocoa mousse, hazelnut, strawberry and vanilla. I have an issue with these – there were approximately 4 times the amount of purple and green eggs as the rest of the colours – very biased towards the nuttivores!

Dairyfine Beanie Bunny – 99p

A hollow bunny filled with multicoloured beans. A real treat for the little ones – they eat the beans and you get the bunny, yes?

Dominion Easter Marshmallows – 99p

Bunny shaped marshmallows, and they are big! Nice as a change from chocolate but we found they were just the perfect size to fit in a mug of hot chocolate and a pre-bedtime snack!

You’ll find everything you need for Easter at Aldi – from treats to all the trimmings for a delicious Sunday roast for all the family! If only they would start to stock guinea pig food I would never need to go anywhere else!

Divine Chocolate Ltd is the first farmer-owned chocolate company in the UK. It gives cocoa farmers in Ghana a say in how their chocolate is produced and sold in the UK and also a share in the profits. Their hard work is rewarded and Divine get in return some of the best cocoa there is, that in turn becomes some of the finest chocolate you can buy.

We were delighted to be sent some Dark Chocolate Mini Eggs from their Easter collection to try and my husband pounced on these before I could blink! The eggs were smooth and melted very slowly in the mouth which made them last slightly longer, although they were still eaten in one sitting!

He declared it the best dark chocolate he has tasted and has requested a larger dark chocolate egg for Easter – looks like this Luxury Egg will be ideal, and even better as it’s buy one get one free at the moment!

Dubble is a branch of Divine for younger chocolate lovers. This Easter they have brought out a Beano themed egg with a Dubble crispy bar included and also a fantastic Easter Egg Hunt Kit containing 6 milk chocolate eggs and directional signs to help lead the way to the eggs. This will be a great hit on Easter Sunday after the bunny has been!

There is still time to order from Divine’s online shop in time for Easter and the chocolate is well worth it!

Aw Mummy, that penguin is soooo cute!

He’s right, Erik the offspring of Mumble (from the original film) is pretty sweet. J adores penguins, we have a good number of cuddly ones that accompany him to bed and they were his favourite animal in Frozen Planet.

We haven’t seen Happy Feet but Happy Feet 2 is enough of it’s own story that this didn’t matter. This latest Warner Brothers DVD release is a fantastic family movie. Full of songs and dancing, it got us all jigging around on the settee!

The story focusses on Erik who runs away because he can’t dance like his Dad and makes friends with “flying” penguin Sven (J’s favourite character!), we then follow Mumble’s plight to bring Erik home, with him becoming a hero after disaster strikes and their home is destroyed. Mumble manages to unite the entire penguin kingdom, proving what can be achieved if you work together!

An all star voice cast includes the likes of Robin Williams, P!nk, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt and is a great film to keep the whole family entertained this Easter.

You can buy Happy Feet 2 from Amazon. We were sent a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this review

Palm Sunday has been and gone so that means 40 days of fasting is over and so it’s time to share some Easter chocolate with you. First up is another fantastic treat from Hotel Chocolat in the form of this Your Eggscellency Extra Thick Easter Egg.

The first thing you notice is the beautiful box the egg is packaged in, definitely something you can recycle around the house. Once inside with one half of the (really) thick shell made from 40% milk chocolate and the other from 70% dark chocolate you get the best of both worlds, and hidden inside the egg lay 12 delicious truffles.

The 2 different halves meant that me and hubby each got our preferred type of chocolate and their were also 2 of each truffle so there were no arguments there either. The truffles come with a tipple guide and are really not suitable for kids, so a perfect reason not to share. There are really luxurious but I totally wasn’t expecting the kick in each!

This egg is a real luxury treat for yourself or a loved one (that you are confident will share). At £26 it is a little more to pay than your standard Easter Egg, but then this is nothing like standard!

Fully recommended!

We were sent a Your Eggscellency Egg for the purpose of this review, which is honest and in my own words.

Just over a week ago I headed down to the Vitality Show at Earls Court for a bit of a nosey about – here are some of the things I spotted:

Speedo Sculpture

It was Speedo Sculpture that had invited me down to the show and it was really good to see their full range. Using exclusive body sculpting technology their swimsuits are designed to leave you feeling good and looking great. The swimwear both slims and shapes your body in all the right places giving you (or at least me) a much needed confidence boost both in and out of the water.

The range comes in loads of different shapes and colours so there really is something for everyone. I also loved the look of their fully waterproof mp3 player – displayed cleverly in a fish bowl!

Whilst on the stand I was persuaded to have a go on the Michael Phelps Kinect game they had set up – slightly embarrassing waving my arms around pretending to swim but I don’t think I disgraced myself too badly!

Sticky Toffee Heaven Cheddar

Yes you did read that correctly – toffee flavour cheese from the Cheshire Cheese Company. I didn’t have any lunch at the show, mainly because I had been nibbling at cheese most of the time I was there. This cheese is amazing, it’s just like eating cake…but cheese!

It was so good that I bought some – that is unheard of from me at this type of event! Sticky Toffee is not the only unique flavour they have, Strawberries, cream and Champagne, Irish whiskey and stem ginger and Jamaican Jerk all feature.

These would make great presents – I’m thinking Fathers Day or something, and I’m going to come up with a recipe that uses the Sticky Toffee Heaven – watch this space!

Fitbit

I was really intrigued to visit the Fitbit stand as I kept looking at them on the internet and had decided that I really wanted one. It is a pedometer but is so much more than just a pedometer – yes it measures how many steps you take, but also how many flights of stairs you climb, how many calories you burn throughout the day, how active you are and even how well you sleep!

The thing I really liked is that it’s web based tools also link to Myfitnesspal which I have found to be the best way of tracking what I eat. I spotted on their Facebook page before I went to the show that they were holding a competition to win a Fitbit if you correctly guessed the average number of steps each team member took throughout the 4 day show. I’m not Clever Clare for nothing you know – guessed within 81 steps and now the proud owner of Freddie Fitbit and I’m obsessed!

When was the last time you crawled into your attic to take a survey of the goods stored up there? Or really searched through the garage to determine what stuff is salvageable and what’s not? Chances are, you’re sitting on a virtual gold mine in your very own home, and it’s time to unlock the financial potential of all your “junk”.

Let’s face it. Nobody owns CD racks anymore. And those who do don’t proudly display them in their living rooms right next to the 60-inch flat screen. Take a big leap into the 21st century by getting rid of all those jewel cases and declaring your home an mp3-zone.

It would be foolish to just throw away all of those CDs, though, not only because someone else could use them but also because you could be making cash off of them. There are tons of buyback sites online where you can find out how and where to get rid of your oldies but goodies in bulk.

And speaking of yesteryear, take a look at your old cell phones. They might seem ancient to you since you’ve upgraded to the latest super-phone, but your handsets from the last decade can be refurbished and given to people in need. While you’re in the selling spirit, bundle up those old cell phones and sell them to a store that buys used electronics.

And now for the fun part. Remember those boxes of groovy attire from the 60s, 70s, and 80s? Well, it’s time to give them new life. No, we don’t mean that you should walk down the street in your old tie-dyes or rock a super vintage headband to work (that is, unless you really want to). But you can sell your old clothing to a vintage store that caters to thrifters searching for ways to infuse their modern wardrobes with a bit of classic style. When it comes to fashion, everything old is new again, so you could fetch a nice sum for your decades-old style choices.

Of course, if sifting through dusty boxes brought down from the attic isn’t quite your cup of tea, you could always look within yourself for money-making potential (in perfectly legal ways, of course). For example, if you are a talented baker, why not start selling pastries in your free time? Or if you have a particular knack for mathematics or the English language, you can market yourself as a tutor for high school students. The best part about turning a hobby like these into a part-time money-making opportunity is that you likely already have everything you need within reach, so there is no need for start-up investment cash.

The secret to the success of at-home money-makers lies in their ingenuity. If you have belongings that are just taking up space, or an itch to create something really great today, why not sell it to give yourself the instant gratification of holding cash in your hand? That attic’s not going to sort itself, so get started already!

About the Author: Matt Bailey is a professional blogger and personal finance expert whose life goal is to find more ways to make money while feeding your passions. From selling DVDs and selling games with Music Magpie to creating your own in-home start-up business, he advocates turning down the 9 to 5 desk job for a career that keeps you on your toes.

Last week we reviewed the brand new Fireman Sam DVD - Mountain Rescue and now it’s your chance to get your hands on a copy!

I have 1 copy of this fantastic 60 minute DVD to giveaway to a lucky fan – all you have to do it complete the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember you can keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we watched a duck race, enjoyed some after school golf, celebrated a great swimming lesson, had some lunchtime scooter fun in the office, discovered a parrot hiding in the mash, had an early  scooter delivering visit from the Easter Bunny and scoffed a whole tray of roasted veg to myself!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

Happy #R2BC everyone! This week’s cheer is drawn from very similar things as last week…but who cares!

• The sun has been amazing! To the point where I got a sunburnt face on Sunday! Being outside in March with a sleeveless shirt on is just so nice.
• Yes we lost an hour when the clocks changed, and we had a spectacular alarm clock fail because of it but the lighter evenings have meant that already I have played golf after work twice this week.
• The school holidays start tomorrow. Although this brings fresh challenges in the form of childcare, it means for me 2 weeks free of school runs and no stressing that he doesn’t have a clean jumper as he has spilt gravy twice this week.
• I have had to take J out with me on 2 occasions where he wouldn’t normally have gone – a committee meeting and a works leaving do. Both times he has been as good as gold and entertained everyone with his old man ways! It has made me really proud. People complimenting you on your child’s behaviour is one of the best feelings.
• We have has some lovely things sent to review this week and I can’t wait to get to work reviewing them – watch this space!

This week Tara has set the theme for the Gallery as extreme closeups. Now to be honest any photos of this nature are normally accidental or taken by the 4 year old so often get deleted straight away!

This photo is one of my favourites of me, and is actually on my About Me page. It was taken by my nephew about 7 years ago, when he was probably 4. We’d had a lovely day at the park with my niece as well and had just come back to our flat for a bit before they went home. They had each had a go with my camera and taken a whole load of random shots. This one stood out as it is just me, not black and white but clean colours (iykwim), my hair is messy as always but it doesn’t look awful and you can’t see the profile of my nose!

Take a look

I don’t know how, but at some point we started a tradition of getting a present at Easter instead of loads of chocolate (we still get chocolate too). Me and the hubby will swap DVD’s or something of similar value and we get J a few small items that he has to hunt for around the house and garden whilst discovering small eggs too. There seems to be loads of things catching my eye that would be suitable this year, here are some of the best:

Shoulder Buddies

These collectable little friends will always be with your child as they attach to their clothing or bags with a magnetic disc. There are a 8 to collect all named and in different colours. We have a Fetti but J has decided to call him Petree. Each comes with a collectors card with some “sharing smarts” – tips for staying safe and having fun.

Shoulder Buddies cost £5.99 from www.goldenbeartoys.com

Lego Darth Vader Key Light

A must for any Star Wars (Star Bores in my eyes but the boys love it) fan. This figures stands about 3 inches tall and shines light form both feet when you press the button on his middle.

It’s part of an exciting new range of LEGO Lifestyles products from re:creation that also includes desk lamps, torches and a fantastic collection of wall stickers to transform any bedroom!

You can get LEGO Darth Vader from Tesco for around £6.99

Angry Birds

You would have to have been living in a hole in the ground for the past year to have not heard of Angry Birds. The game, nicknamed bords get the pigs in our house, has taken the world by storm and there is plenty of merchandise out there for fans.

These cuddly little characters are the perfect alternative to the Easter Chick and could be used to re-enact your own level in the game – they even have sound effects from the game when you press them.

Starting at just £3.99 you can collect the whole set from Character Online

Dino-waurs

These are the new Top Trumps! Inside each packet you get a miniature dinosaur, an information card and a battle card. You place the battle card over the opposing dinosaurs card and you can see at a glance who has the best attributes.

It has the game element and will also appeal to any young collectors as there are 36 different dinosaurs in the set – some familiar and others even my little expert hadn’t heard of.

At just £1.99 for Tesco these are the perfect pocket money toy and I know we’ll be adding to our collection as often as he can get away with it!

We were sent a selection of Easter gifts for the purpose of writing this.

A couple of days ago the postman had to knock on the door to deliver a parcel which wouldn’t fit through the letter box (a guess the Moshi Monster game- if I’d known how many hours I’d subsequently end up trying to decipher between the various indecipherable Moshis I wouldn’t have opened the door). When I finally stopped swearing, after standing on Optimus Prime in my bare feet and made eye contact with him, the look in his eyes was one of pure terror. It was as if he’d come face to face with the Ugly Sister’s uglier cousin. Could I really look that bad? Now that I think about it, it probably had more to do with the carnage in the hallway that lay behind me. Think the Spanish tomato festival in Bunol, if the Bunol tomato festival was to take place inside a Toys R Us rather than a pretty Spanish village. Pretty Spanish village… wine… restaurants…  sunshine… adult conversation…sorry I lost myself there for a moment- where was I?

Ah yes, that’s it- trying to keep yourself looking good when you’re a young mum can be a Herculean task. But just because we have young kids doesn’t mean that we are any less inclined to want to look great. I’ve made two small changes lately and they seem to be making a difference- perhaps they could help you out too. Although quite frankly why I, the woman with a cheese string dangling out of her pocket, is in any position to give advice is another matter!

Try getting into the practice of washing your hair at night. It may be the oldest trick in the book- but believe me it works. As you are not going to be giving your hair the attention it’s used to, consider applying a serum to repair damaged hair, or as I like to do a dry hair treatment. I am still waiting to see the benefits of The Munch Bunch yoghurt which my daughter, Pip, applied to my hair yesterday morning.

A little extra time in the morning can make a real difference to your beauty regime but getting the little ones moving can be a difficult task (unless of course it’s the weekend in which case Jake and Pip decide to activate hyperdrive). Turning the morning routine into a timed race can definitely help speed things up. I only put this into practice a fortnight ago and it still seems to be having the desired effect. For how long that’ll last is anyone’s guess. I can only hope it proves as popular as the hide Mummy’s slipper game which seems to show no signs whatsoever of losing its appeal. A few extra minutes can allow you to apply blusher, some eye make-up or perhaps, god forbid, some lippy.

Actually, who am I kidding- but at least it will give you the chance to make sure you’re wearing matching shoes!

About the Author: Monika Patterson is a beauty specialist, frequent blogger and full time mum. When she’s not busy running the household, or blogging about it, she aims to spend as much time as possible in a spa. She thinks she deserves it.

Sometime around October 2006 I had my last good night’s sleep. This is when I discovered I was pregnant and lost the ability to stay sleeping throughout the night. Approximately 9 months later the choice whether to sleep or not was taken out of my hands by my bundle of screaming joy!

Since then I have never recovered. The combination of sleeping very lightly and having the most uncomfortable bed don’t help. When Dreams Beds offered a glimmer of hope in the way of a new pillow I had to give it a shot – anything for a decent kip*.

They sent me a Latex Down Wrap Pillow and I put it to use that night – luckily my husband was on night shifts so didn’t get to try and claim it for himself! It has a latex core which offers great support and is covered with a 100% goose down wrap for extra comfort.

The zippable outer is fully washable which is a really great feature and should ensure the longevity of the pillow. It is by far the most supportive pillow I have ever slept on and I had to remove the second pillow that I always have and now just use this one.

So is it the answer to my prayers? Not yet! It is so comfortable and I no longer wake up and feel the immediate need to move my head and readjust my position, just a quick glance at the clock now and I can get back off. Having such a quality pillow has confirmed beyond all doubt that we will only really start to solve our sleeping issues if we replace the mattress with one not quite so cheap! I must admit that I haven’t woken up once with a neck ache, I think it is just the right height for me, previously I needed 2 pillows to be comfortable but it was always really too much for my size!

*If my dearest husband is reading this I am in no way ungrateful for the pillow you bought me for my birthday – I know I am a lucky lucky girl! (in fairness it did have inbuilt speakers so not as lame as it sounds!)

I was sent the pillow for the purpose of this review, my review is honest and in my own words.

Today is a big day in the diary for any Fireman Sam household – the brand new DVD comes out! By Fireman Sam household I mean one like ours, where you own every toy and cuddly there is, have worn all the DVD’s out and have gone through months of your child only responding if you call him Sam!

Fireman Sam – Mountain Rescue is not only a new DVD, the new episodes actually have new characters and vehicles. This is ground breaking stuff! Sadly Norman as yet hasn’t a) broken his neck or b) managed to find a change of clothing but even so the story lines have finally shifted enough to make it bearable again – albeit after we watched it 3 times back to back I felt the old familiar stabbing in the eyes sensation!

New to this series are Moose Roberts, a bit of a Bear Grylls character whom Mandy seems to have a little crush on, he runs the Mountain Activity Centre so is sure to keep Tom Thomas in work for many more series to come! There is also Sarah and James’ Granddad who drives the Pontypandy Flyer, the steam train that goes up into the mountains.

Most exciting of all is Sam’s new quad bike called Mercury. Small and nippy it makes light work of rescuing those stuck on the mountains. It’s good to see that Penny is still proving to be the brains behind the whole operation and keeps the boys in check at the same time – I like this as I always have to be Penny when we are playing (I’d prefer to be Elvis personally!).

For 60 minutes of peace this Easter you can’t go wrong with this DVD! Get it at Amazon for just £8.47

We were sent a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

Don’t forget you can keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week I got a beautiful Mother’s Day present, sneaked some of the chocolates when nobody was watching, tried out a new (very expensive) pillow, had fun out in the sunshine, saw an amazing sunset, tried some yummy chocolate wine and arrived at the golf club to the sight of a bbq in full swing – in March!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

J loves animals, all animals. For a while he wanted to be like Diego and look after animals but I think in the end he decided that a life chasing off a naughty fox wasn’t really for him! In our house we have a lot of different animals in the form of cuddly toys, wooden giraffes and lots and lots of plastic. The trend however, seems to be toward zoo animals – we have a whole storage box full of elephants, tigers and monkeys but no replicas of animals we are likely to see on a regular basis!

A new range by Schleich encourages children to get muddy down on the farm with their World of Nature collection. Including a host of family farm animals it helps teach about the nature closer to home and has certainly driven our conversations into new territory as J tries to understand about horses and farms in general.

We were sent a selection of animals including horses and a pony and carriage – I did have to laugh when he said he had seen some of them on TV, he had seen a clip of some of the trap racing on Big Fat Gypsy Weddings!

The first thing you notice about the figures is the sheer detail that has gone into every one. They are exact replicas of the real animals and even the minutest detail has been thought of. One of the most important features for me is that the scale is more realistic than with other animal toys where you would see an orangutan standing at a similar height to an elephant!

We have had a great time role playing with the animals and it has made him want to visit a farm in the school holidays and see some up close, which sounds like a much more affordable activity than many he comes up with.

The range of animals from Schleich is very extensive and will satisfy any young animal lover. There are incredibly well made and will last for generations. Along with the available accessories they would be great additions to any collection – the only difficulty is deciding which one to get next!

We were kindly sent some Schleich farm animals for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

J: Mummy, you like mushroom hoops don’t you?
Me: Mushroom hoops?
J: Yes, those (pointing at a sign)
Me: They are onion rings!

J: Which train station are we getting off at
Me: Liverpool Street
J: Liverpool? That’s Granddad’s team! Are we going there?
Me: No, sometimes streets are named after other places. There may be a “J” Street somewhere but you don’t have to live there (this was a bad example I know)
J: One day can we go to “J” Street?

J: Rain, rain, go away, come again another day
Me: That’s a nice song.
J: Mummy, why is it still raining? I just sang the song to make it stop!

J: It’s not been a very good day Mummy
Me: I’m sorry we didn’t get to see Grandma. We’ll see her soon.
J: If you’d have let us go and see her first, them we would have seen her. I’m really sad and it’s ALL YOUR FAULT

Are you dreaming of crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches? Or how about a week long family trek through humongous mountains and camping in the great outdoors? Everybody needs a break once in a while, and yours is almost due. But first, make sure that your bank account doesn’t prevent you from taking the family holiday of your daydreams by saving money around the house. Here are five family activities that can help you put more money into that holiday piggy bank.

The family that cycles together saves together. And adapting cycling as a means of transportation can save you much more than money. While it’s true that cycling to work and school can cut back on the amount of cash you spend on petrol and auto maintenance, it can also help your entire family stay in shape and avoid doctor’s visits for common ailments. Plus, taking weekend cycling trips as a bunch can be fun and exciting.

Timing your showers can be a race to cleanliness. You can save more than £150 each year by reducing the amount of water you use to shower, so install a low-flow shower-head to help your family be more conservative. But while you’re at it, challenge your kids and your spouse to keep their shower under five minutes-with the person who takes the shortest shower getting a sweet treat at the end of each week.

Switching your electricity company can lead to saving success. The most out-the-box approach that you can take as a consumer is probably to think for yourself. Just because your current provider promises you reasonable prices and good service doesn’t mean that you have to take their word for it. Compare electricity prices by doing a bit of online research, and then determine if you are getting the best deal. If you’re not, switch.

Ditching the java and going for a morning run can help wake you up. We’ve developed something of a coffee culture in the UK, with most of us shelling out an ungodly amount of money each week just to get a daily caffeine fix. If you’re really honest with yourself, you’ll have no choice but to admit that you’re paying more for the frills than the coffee beans, so consider going cold turkey to break your spending habit. Think of other effective ways to get yourself going in the morning – such as a short run before work or eating an apple with breakfast – and you’ll end up doing something good for your body as well as your bank account.

Buying local can be a fun hobby. If you’re fortunate enough to have a farmer’s market near you, get the family together and cycle there to see what goodies you can pick up for cheaper prices than your supermarket. Eating local is a good way to know exactly where your food is coming from, and the prices are often lower since you don’t have to absorb transportation costs as a consumer.

About the author: Mara Bradley is a home finance expert who is constantly thinking of creative ways that families can shrink their expenses without cutting into their comfort. In addition to searching for less expensive energy providers, she also recommends taking on the cable and Internet market to find the best broadband deals for your household.

Another week has vanished, I don’t know how it happens. We are all so happy that Spring is finally here and I know that before we know it Summer will arrive too! The nicer weather gives us a whole new bunch of reasons to be cheerful, here’s mine:

• Spring means lighter evenings and with the clocks changing this weekend I’ll be able to get out and play golf after work! We have decided that this year J is old enough to come round the course with us which will mean I get loads of practice when I am on school run duty!
• I have loads of things to plant this year, we gave it a miss last Summer although I can’t remember why, but previously we have grown tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, lettuce, peppers and chilli’s. We are going to get started this weekend and I look forward to that time spent watering them every evening.
• I had an OK Mother’s Day – I got to use my new golf bag for the first time which was great, but it absolutely chucked it down with rain so we got soaking wet! Daddy decided to cook us a nice tea, but it almost rivalled my baking disaster of last week! It tasted good though and of course it’s the thought that matters. J had “bought” me some of my favourite chocolates and a DVD so I look forward to enjoying those.

It’s lonely sitting here by myself

I’ve never been here before

I only squeezed his cheek

He didn’t even say ouch!

If he’d just given me the dinosaur

I’d still be on the Sun

But now the teacher told me off

My peg got moved like I’m one of the naughty boys

Mummy will be cross and I won’t get my certificate

And maybe the Easter Bunny won’t come…

I’m really sorry!

I think we have a problem. Several months ago J kept seeing adverts for a new Channel 5 show – City of Friends. Instantly attracted to the fire/police/paramedic animals in it I promised to record it in our bedroom so that he had something to watch when Daddy is watching golf on the big telly. I put it on series link.

These pictures of my Sky Planner were taken on Sunday.

It seems we have 61 episodes recorded (and some other dodgy viewings too) but in all my searching I can only find that 53 have been made, yet all the synopsis are different!

He loves this programme! Most of the episodes seem to centre around Max, a trainee police-monkey prone to making mistakes and Jumpi a young kangaroo who is always causing chaos. It’s quite unique in the fact that animals and people are living and interacting as equals throughout which is pretty nice really. Even though there are what seems like a million episodes I can’t tell you how many times I have seen the one where Max loses the keys to Hayley the helicopter!

As is the way with all this type of kids show the characters are all sickeningly helpful and it teaches wonderful life-lessons. Clearly this isn’t a bad thing but the attraction for our 4 year old is the emergency services and the funny adventures that they all go on.

Oh yes, and it’s got a catchy theme tune (haven’t they all), so once you’ve finally got “Ma ma ma ma me me me me more milkshake” out of your head, you get to endure the City of Friends song all your working day!

If you have under 5′s you should give this one a try – catch it on Channel 5 at 6.20am every day. In the meantime, I need to get a life and regain control of my Sky+

There’s nothing I love more than spending quality time cleaning my kitchen! OK, I lied! I can’t stand cleaning, it’s boring and I’m not very good at it! Anything that can make this task easier or quicker is welcomed in my house.

Cillit Bang’s new All in 1 Dish & Surface cleaner claims to do just this with it’s clever automatic dispenser that gives you a shot of just the right amount on your sponge or cloth. It can be used on pretty much all kitchen surfaces so gets rid of the need for many different cleaning products, and eliminates grease, stains and food residues.

To put it to the test we tried out a couple of Holly Bell’s (runner up in Great British Bake-Off) messiest recipes, and then cleaned up with our new detergent.

Carrot Fritters

Ingredients

• 3 carrots, topped and tailed and grated
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Oil for frying, anything except for olive

Method

• Put everything except the oil and carrots into a food processor and whizz for around 2 minutes until smooth and combined
• Pour the mixture onto the grated carrots and mix with a metal spoon
• It will look like there isn’t enough wet mixture to combine the carrot but fear not, you just want to coat each carrot strand a little, not produce a gloopy mess
• Put a good slosh of oil in a frying pan, heat for a minute or so on a medium heat on the hob and then drop spoonfuls of the carrot mixture into the oil. I managed about 4 in my frying pan as you don’t want them touching
• Leave to fry on one side for about 2 mins and then turn over with a spatula. Don’t mess about with them before 90 seconds is up or the skin you’re trying to form on the fritters will break and stick to the pan
• Once cooked on both sides drain on kitchen roll, then serve. They’re pretty hot so be careful with little mouths

The fritters were really easy to make and very tasty, we would definitely have them again! The Cillit Bang worked a treat and was really useful for when you have messy hands and don’t want to touch the taps, just place the sponge near to the sensor and out comes the product. One dose of it really goes a long way too, I washed up all our utensils and plates and cleaned down the surfaces and cooker top with just 2 shots! It is also kind on the skin – my husband came home and thought it was hand soap and has been using it for a while before he realised!

Here’s the before & after:

We also made Holly’s Ginger biscuits but I forgot to take any pictures – I’ll post that recipe separately as it really is a good one!

You can buy a starter pack that includes the dispenser and a Lemon Burst refill for £6.99 on the Facebook Page at the moment which is a bargain! Also available are Super Saver packs that include the dispenser and 3 refills (Lemon Burst or Lime Blossom & Mint), or packs of refills all on offer for a limited time only.

As well as offering me the product to review, Cillit Bang have also given me 5 starter sets to giveaway – each include the dispenser, a 250ml Lemon Burst refill and batteries. To be in with a chance of winning one of these all you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter form below – please make sure you follow the instructions carefully as any invalid entries will be removed. Only the first option is required to enter, all the rest are optional additional entries.

This competition is open to UK residents only and will close at 7pm on 8th April 2012. The winner will be notified by email and must reply within 7 days or a new winners will be drawn

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

That got your attention eh?

If you followed my blog last year you’ll know that I took part in the Norwich 10k Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research UK. On the day I always try to remember to take a bag of unwanted clothes to donate to the charity.

This year to increase the donations and spread the message further, Cancer Research are asking us to take any quality items of clothing to a local TK Maxx store, they will then be sorted, labelled and sent on to Cancer Research shops around the country. Once sold all the proceeds go towards research into beating childhood cancers.

Take a look at this video for the differences that this can make to the lives of many now and those in the future.

As part of this campaign I will be donating this dress, possibly the most expensive item in my wardrobe:

I bought it in the year after J was born when we had two weddings of close friends to go to, and I hadn’t lost the weight I had wanted after giving birth. I am not one for dresses (at all) and would certainly not spend a lot on money on clothes for myself. However, I needed something that would make me feel comfortable, when I was feeling very much less than this about my appearance.

I am happy to say that this is too big for me now, and I am never planning on being that size again. I hope that this dress finds it’s way into the hands of someone that will get good use out of it which helping to raise some much needed cash for such a worthy cause.

TK Maxx are after donations of any of the following

• Clothes: dresses, tops, skirts, coats, trousers, jeans and suits
• Accessories: belts, jewellery, bags, ties
• Shoes
• CDs, DVDs, books
• Homeware: linens, cushions, ornaments

Give up your Clothes at TK Maxx any time in April and help beat kid’s cancer!

The Tots100 are helping to promote this campaign with a special Carnival to highlight everyone’s posts – what are you going to give up?

About 3 weeks ago, J started talking about Dinosaur Train and how it was coming soon. I think that to tease a child for 2 weeks with a new programme is a bit mean, but that’s how long we waited for the new Nick Jr show to start. He was so hyped up about it that we had to put it on to record upstairs and downstairs, just in case we were late home from school and for some reason and then the main Sky+ box failed!

Dinosaur train is a new Jim Henson creation that tells the story of Buddy, a baby T-Rex that finds himself born into a family of Pteranodons. With his new family he sets out on big adventures aboard the Dinosaur Train to find out all about dinosaurs and his own species.

Our house is very much dinosaur crazy and J loves learning about all things prehistoric. I found that the language used in Dinosaur Train wasn’t too baby-ish and teaches real facts in a way that helps him to remember them. It is since watching the first few episodes that he has started talking about Carnivores and Herbivores rather than meat-eaters, and that is where the (slightly annoying) song comes from featuring the words “Woohoo, we love to chew” as Buddy realises that he does not really like eating leaves like the rest of his family.

The detail in the show is fantastic and this really fills the gap left by the Land Before Time for a story based dinosaur programme. The songs are very catchy and having 2 episodes back to back satisfies J’s daily need for dinos!

There are 40 episodes in total and you can see a new one at 4pm every weekday on Nick Jr (or at any time you like in the living room, my bedroom, or downloaded onto J’s innotab).

We were sent a preview disc of the first 4 episodes as well as some Nick Jr goodies for the purpose of writing this review. 

Don’t forget to keep up with my daily 366 entries at Blipfoto

This week we enjoyed a beautiful day playing golf, made friends with Perry the Shoulder Buddy, made a banana cake, dropped a banana cake, finally made some cycling progress, had the best delivery ever at work, and apparently ruined a very grumpy boy’s day!

Don’t forget to check out the others in the weekly linky by clicking on the logo below:

I love it when the days start getting longer, not going to or coming home from work in the dark makes a massive difference. What I don’t like is never getting a lay-in because the sun is streaming through the curtains, and J not being able to get to sleep at night because “it’s not even night time yet Mummy!”

We have had blackout blinds before and I currently have a blackout lining in my bedroom, but we have always found that the light still comes in all around the edges. Even just a little light is enough to disturb us, and with a husband that does night-shifts finding a suitable alternative is a priority. This first picture is taken just before 8am with J’s current curtains.

The answer it seems, can be found at Sunbuster Black Out Blinds. Their incredibly clever blinds fit directly onto the window so no light can get through, they have no cords to cause safety concerns and best of all (to the relief of Daddy) they require no tools whatsoever to fit.

Before ordering any blinds you first need to measure your windows, including the seal as the blinds are custom made to fit your windows exactly, then just pick the colour trim that best suits your room and off you go.

To fit the blind, you first need to warm up the magic gel layer that sticks the blind to the window, to do this I laid it on a warm radiator for a few minutes. Then it’s as simple as peeling off the backing and slowly sticking the blind up to the top of the glass.

We didn’t get it quite right on a number of occasions but it is just as easy to remove the blind and start again, until it was in the correct place. A couple of small Velcro patches are used to anchor the blind to the bottom of the window, and during the day a magnetic strip holds the blind in place so you can raise it to let the light in.

This picture at first glance is just a black rectangle, but look closely and you can make out the curtains. It was taken at just before 8am on the morning after we fitted the blind. The difference is remarkable, and the difference it has made to our mornings is priceless!

One of the really great features of this blind will come into play as the weather gets warmer – we will be able to open the window as normal and the blind will not be affected, this is a massive improvement on previous blinds. The no tools fitting also gets rid of the worry of not being able to drill through the lintel which has happened to us in 2 different houses and caused many a swear word!

We are so impressed with the blind and would definitely recommend to anyone who has children or a problem sleeping because of the light.

We were sent a Sunbuster Black Out Blind for the purpose of this review. My review is honest and in my own words.

J’s teacher at school remarked in his first term that he needed some help with his fine motor skills, since then we have tried to find things to help him develop – chopsticks, Lego etc. When Merry offered us the chance to review some more of her fabulous range of toys I decided to give Djeco light modelling clay a go.

First up we had a go with Djeco Light Modelling Clay Croc Craft Kit which comes in a lovely reuseable box. It contains 4 colours of clay, 4 different picture boards and instructions. The idea is to shape the modelling clay and lay it onto the boards to develop the features of each animal – there is a crocodile, giraffe, rabbit and elephant to choose from and each board has a template of where to put the clay.

I was so surprised by the clay, I have never know anything so light and easy to use. J had no problem at all using it to make the shapes although he definitely still needs to practice a bit! He is crocodile mad so we have made that picture 3 times and not even looked at the other animals! You can leave each masterpiece to dry but instead we have reused the clay each time to prolong the fun!

Next we tried the Djeco Light Modelling Clay Super Heroes Craft Kit and this is a definite winner! You can’t go wrong with super heroes and of course a super croc it the best thing thing ever! Inside the box you get 2 pots of clay, instructions and tons of body parts to help make up 6 different animal heroes.

The idea is very simple yet so effective, form the clay into a simple ball or sausage shape and then insert the different body parts and items of clothing to transform it into your character! The fact that the clay is so easy to manipulate makes this easy for children to do with no adult help. The fun really begins as you start to mix and match the animals and J spent ages just seeing how many different combinations he could come up with for the animals.

I can’t believe I had never heard of Djeco before! I won’t be buying any more playdoh or plastercine from now on, this is so much better for kids!

Wow, sorry for being such a misery guts last week – I’ve read my post back! I can safely say it was all due to being very tired and run down. The following 2 days I felt dreadful and really ill. But a day in the sunshine on Sunday sorted me out and I’m happy to be back to normal!

A change in the weather seems to have made everything a little brighter and more cheery, here are my happy thoughts for the week:

• I have finally felt well enough to exercise again. I’m back running regularly and have properly ‘found’ Zumba! I’ve been going to classes and it’s really good fun! I haven’t gone the whole hog like most and started wearing bells on my wrists though! I was really (pleasantly) surprised when I saw that I had burned 520 calories in the class on Monday!
• The extra exercise has meant that I have lost 3lb in the last week and my orange trousers are a little bit closer to fitting! After a few comments I have decided that if they fit by the Summer I will wear them for BritMums Live  - you’ll have no excuse for not being able to spot me at least!
• I had a pretty rubbish round of golf on Sunday, but I’m putting it down to a bit of rust! I am incredibly excited that my new orange golf bag might arrive tomorrow and so I’ll have it for my round this weekend – that’s how I’m planning on spending Mother’s Day, and the only way I’m likely to get any peace!

Make sure you head over and see the gorgeous Mich and have a read at what’s making everyone else happy!

I’ll leave you with my final reason for being cheerful this week – look how well my boy is doing!

Trash Robot from Great Gizmos is a fantastic way of getting kids interested in science and recycling. Endorsed by the Science Museum they are a perfect way to celebrate National Science and Engineering Week that runs from 9th- 18th March.

We were lucky enough to be sent one to try out and it proved to be a lovely way for Daddy and J to get involved together. All you need to get started is an empty bottle (check the size of the next though – we found double concentrate ones didn’t fit), can or carton and some paper or card for the arms. School are always asking for things for junk modelling so there is usually a stack of bottles and things hanging around our house!

J needed a little help to get the wheels and axles assembled but then was more than happy creating his robot using the huge range of stickers provided. The arms were made with a concertina of scrap paper – although neither Daddy or J knew how to do these so I had to step in an help a little!

It took only about 15 minutes to complete which I think is about the right sort of time for that age group, and now he can’t wait to make the next one!

Introducing J-Bot!

Other great eco-friendly kits include the Windmill Generator and the ultra cool Weather Station which lets kids keep track of weather changes, learn facts about the weather and once they have finished exploring the bottle can be recycled into their very own green house.

So you might have just read my banana cake recipe post – if not take a look at my delicious loaf.

This was my biggest baking disaster ever! However it had nothing to do with the recipe itself, just my incompetence, so it didn’t seem fair to put it in that post, and I couldn’t not tell you about it either! If I had just have been making a cake for me I wouldn’t have worried about any of this, however I had been provided with ingredients and needed to do a post on it so I was feeling the pressure a little!

Here is where it all went wrong…

I had the wrong sized loaf tin

Not a massive issue, but it did mean that I had way to much mixture and had to do some very heavy cupcakes with the left-overs.

I misunderstood the meaning of very ripe bananas

Very basic error I know, but for some reason when I saw that written, in my head I read unripe and went and bought some only just yellow bananas. When I realised I thought I’d be clever and ripen them a bit in the oven as it warmed up. This would have been perfect if I hadn’t forgotten about them – resulting in very black (and hot) bananas!

I used my silicone loaf mould. 

This shouldn’t have been a problem, however when I took a look at the cake after about half an hour I realised that it had collapsed on one side and the mixture was spilling out everywhere!

I made a decision that it would be OK, and once it had finished baking and had cooled completely I decided to give it a rather big trim so that it began to look more loaf-like again. We ate the trimmings and they were lush! It needed to be iced so I thought that instead of just icing the top I would do the sides too to cover the mess.

The icing wouldn’t stick!

For some reason the butter icing just wouldn’t stick to the cake, especially the sides that I had cut. Even worse crumbs were now starting to come away and get stuck to the butter icing and it was starting to look more of a mess. I stuck it in the fridge to see if cooling the icing would help.

It worked! I stuck on a load of banana chips and was pretty happy with my finished cover up job! End of story.

Erm …no

I was making the banana loaf to take into work (see I really am nice!), so I stuck it in a tin and headed off to take J to school. Just as I opened the car door the tin went one way, the lid another and the cake landed at my feet!

From within the car a little voice chirped up “Mummy, it’s just like in that song when the meatball rolled off the table and ended up as mush!”. I’m pretty good at swearing silently these days.

My painstakingly iced cake now had a gorgeous gravel crumb for a bit of extra crunch!

Clearly nobody at work was wanting a slice. I brought it back home tonight to chuck, but before that happened it got an inspection from my husband and I had to answer a few questions, before this…

All sides and the base trimmed off – a much smaller cake as a result, but nonetheless bloody good with a cuppa!

I’m submitting this in a bid to be a Morphy Richards Innovator with the Foodies100 and say goodbye to culinary disasters!

Eric Lanlard, the French Master Patissiere is back on Channel 4 setting our kitchens (and hearts) alight with a new series of Baking Mad. Each episode features 2 of his easy to follow recipes and a 3-way bake off between 3 members of the public who want to show off their baking skills.

The series is almost at it’s halfway mark and you can catch it every weekday at 12.05 – sadly when I’m at work, but then catching up on 4OD whilst running on the treadmill makes 3 miles pass much quicker I can assure you!

The series is sponsored by Baking Mad who gave me the opportunity to try out one of his recipes before it aired yesterday. I had a choice of a whole list of recipes, so did a little poll of my office and we settled on Best Banana Cake. Baking Mad sent over some ingredients and off we went!

Best Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 eggs
• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 150ml whole milk
• 3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
• 75g golden sultanas

Topping

• 150g butter
• 300g golden icing sugar
• Handful of banana chips

Method:

Preheat Oven 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Mark 4. Lightly grease a 25x11cm (10 x 4 ¼ inch) loaf tin with extra butter.

Cream the butter and the sugar together in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, until smooth. Add one of the eggs and beat in well, then add the second and continue to beat well. Sift in half the flour with the baking powder and mix well. Mix in the milk then the remaining flour.

Fold the mashed bananas into the mixture along with the vanilla extract, poppy seeds and golden sultanas. Then tip the mixture into the loaf tin and level to the top with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for around 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and not sticky. Cover the top with foil if it starts to brown too quickly. Allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before turning out.

For the topping, cream the butter and sift the icing sugar in using an electric hand whisk, mixing together until creamy and fluffy. Spread over the cake and garnish with the banana chips and dust with icing sugar.

The cake was really easy to make and tasted delicious – both during and at the end of baking! You have to check right?

Don’t forget to catch the equally delicious Eric, weekdays at 12.05 on Channel 4. Eric (Lanlard) is Banana (cake) Man!

So that was the cake recipe and outcome. However it’s not quite the full story – check out Best Banana Cake – the outtakes!

As a child and early teenager I was hooked on books, I would get 6 out of the library every Saturday after recorder lessons (I know!) and have them all read by about Thursday! As I started to work I found the only time I read was on holiday and I would devour a stack of books within a week. Now I have discovered audio books and have a Kindle, so I always have 2 books on the go at any time.

One of the things I couldn’t wait for J to learn was reading. From a few months old I read to him every night, so much so that every word of the Gruffalo and Gruffalo’s Child are imprinted on my memory! Now in Reception he has had a whole term on phonics and has started to bring home his first reading books. We are currently reading Cat Naps from the Songbird collection as his school book and his bedtime story is George’s Marvellous Medicine – a favourite of mine.

To me books are exciting and memorising, they open up new lines of communication and are a great tool for fuelling a child’s imagination (not that J’s needs any help at all!). A new company called The Book Club has been set up to help build this relationship between children and books, and guides parents as to the best things to be doing at any age or learning stage.

They have a team of experts who can help with ideas for learning games, suitable titles and reading tips for your child’s development. It has over 3000 books listed, many with reviews and shows you the best place to buy them for the lowest price. The site is a place to ask questions, review books, help others and get the best out of your child’s reading journey.

The Book Club are offering one lucky reader a pack of 10 books (with a retail value of £60) that will be specifically put together for their child.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic haul all you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter form below – please make sure you follow the instructions carefully as any invalid entries will be removed. This competition is open to UK residents only and will close at 7pm on 30th March 2012. The winner will be notified by email and must reply within 5 days or a new winner will be drawn


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have now completed 3 full weeks of eating with Jenny Craig and I’m still living to tell the tale! I haven’t yet managed a single “perfect” week, i.e. stuck to plan every day, but even when I have gone off track one day I have found it really easy to get straight back to it the next.

Last week in particular was a tricky one, with a trip to London, meal out with family and 2 days away with work but I still managed to lose weight! I have added a new weight loss tracker in the left hand column, at the moment it is reading 13lb weight loss – this is not all on Jenny Craig and has been achieved over the last 7 weeks so I’m really pleased that I am losing at a steady rate.

When my 2nd hamper of food arrived I was a bit disappointed to see that the first 2 weeks of menu plans were exactly the same as the 2 weeks I had just done so I have been swapping whole days around just so that it didn’t feel too samey. On the days where I have not been able to eat the meals off the menu ( because of not having a microwave to hand etc) I have tried to make sure that I am still only consuming the 1200 calories that I am aiming for with the plan and I have been tracking these on MyFitnessPal. I think this is the key for me.

I’m finding that although the food is really tasty and on the whole, filling, the plan itself isn’t quite as flexible as I need it to be. Trips away on the train for example don’t really lend themselves to pot-mash type snacks or soup, and the idea of taking a thermos fills me with dread, on these occasions making sensible choices makes all the difference, it would be easy to just decide to give it a miss for the day, but instead I have been eating plenty of fruit and choosing a low calorie option for lunch instead.

I think it’s really important to remember that life still goes on and to make sure that you have enough knowledge and information to get through such occasions where you can’t stick to the food inside the box! I’m very lucky in this respect as I do know exactly what I should and shouldn’t eat, and how to lose weight, but I am just greedy!

Off the scales I am noticing a definite improvement in my clothes, I may need a new pair of work trousers soon, as the ones I’m currently wearing are becoming so loose they are chaffing! I also had a little go at seeing how my amazing orange trousers are currently fitting and I am pleased to announce progress – previously they came up just above my knees, and now I can almost get them over my backside! They are going to be worn every day come the Summer!

The team at Jenny Craig are keen for me to stay on plan with them as I start to reach my goals, this is great news! If you are thinking of starting to do something then now is the perfect time to give this plan a go – currently they are offering 50% off a 2 week trial! To take advantage of this great deal just give an advisor a call on 0800 088 2048.

Can you come up with a blue recipe? Not your everyday request, and everyone knows my colour is orange! That was my task for the Appliances Online British Ovens Rainbow Cook Book and here is what I came up with. Granted it’s not actually blue, but it contains blue cheese and I made it in a blue dish so surely I get a few extra points?

Blue Cheese Gratin

Serves 4

Ingredients

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 200 C
• Grease a small oven proof dish (mine is approx. 20cm round) with butter or oil and then half your garlic clove and rub it around the inside of the dish
• Dry fry your bacon bits
• Layer of half the celeriac slices into the dish then layer half of the potato on top
• Add seasoning and half of the bacon bits and crumble 1/3 of the blue cheese on top
• Add the rest of the celeriac and then the potato – again in layers
• Add the cream and stock
• Cover tightly with tinfoil or a lid if your dish has one and then cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid/foil for final 10 mins. Most of the liquid should have soaked in and the vegetables should be cooked, if not cook for another 10 mins.
• Add the rest of the bacon and crumble the remaining cheese on top and return to the oven for a further 15 mins until golden

Enjoy as a side dish with meat or double the portion for a yummy snack.

The other bloggers taking part in the Rainbow Cookbook are: Red - Home Baked, Green – The Crazy Kitchen, Yellow - Pebble Soup, Pink - Kitchen Goddess (in training), Orange - We Grow Our Own, Purple - Nelly’s Cupcakes

Sometimes an opportunity comes up that you just can’t turn down, for me this was wine tasting with Chablis. I know absolutely nothing about wine tasting and so the thought of me providing my views on what food to pair a bottle with was a bit scary. The email however said “There are plenty of blogs out there from wine experts and sommeliers which are brilliant, but we would like to hear from bloggers who don’t necessarily have any experience in wine or food and wine pairing”, now being as I don’t even know what a sommeliers is that was pretty reassuring!

I received 2 bottles of wine and some instructions on how to taste them, then made sure I packed them for my sleepover at Mich’s house!

Here are the 3 steps to tasting wine – the right way (albeit slighted abridged):

Appearance

• Make sure you hold the glass by the base or stem – to stop it getting too warm
• Look to see how clear and bright it is
• Swirl the glass and watch the droplets (legs) – these tell you the alcohol content and the rate in which they fall tell you if the wine is sweet or dry