I race for life for

Mum x

That was it, the reason for the traffic, the thousands of women and girls heading for the same stretch of road, the sea of pink. The hope that by coming together, standing united and raising funds for research might mean that other families need not suffer at the hands of cancer. That the future might be brighter for our children and their families to come.

I first took part in Race for Life about 13 years ago, it didn't have the same profile then and was certainly a much smaller affair, but the message has remained the same. We can make a difference.

Race for Life is emotional, but it's also fun, it's a little embarrassing to be overtaken by very small children and to hear the announcer say that 4 dogs have already crossed the line before you as well as someone in a chicken suit. The personal signs are breathtaking and upsetting but above all else the whole event is empowering, the atmosphere so charged that anything is possible.

I'm laying here the day after with legs that feel like lead but a feeling of pride inside that hasn't yet diminished. I jogged the whole way, no records were broken, but I played my part in this long battle, I threw a pretty good punch, and one day, together, we will deal cancer it's final blow.

If you have taken part already well done, if you have a race coming up, good luck and enjoy every moment. If you aren't taking part then please do sponsor someone, even if it's only a pound, and if you can get to an event then do so, you will never experience an atmosphere like it.

You can sponsor our team here

The post For Everyone’s Future appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Collecting the car had been a little tricky, I hadn’t really considered the fact that I would need to get my own car home but then also get to the pick-up point, my mistake! Once I had located my passport and driving licence (don’t forget you need the paper part too) collection was a breeze and I headed off in a very new Ford Focus. Never before have I driven such a new car, it was a little scary.

The morning of the race was gorgeous, dressed in shorts and t-shirts, I congratulated myself in remembering to pack sun hats and factor 30 – what I should have done was check the weather forecast for the postcode we were headed towards as it was raining!

Once in the car (having spent 10 minutes trying to catch the dog who had run off with J’s favourite cuddly toy) we had a little sat nav hiccup…perhaps a road map wouldn’t have been such a bad option afterall! After a quick detour to pick up Daddy’s sunglasses that he had left at golf we were finally on our way…to Spalding!

We headed off down the all too familiar A47 and then A17 listening to Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter – the stereo allowing us to plug directly in and control my iPhone, the sat nav was already telling us we would be late, not quite as late as we were though.

That day was the Spalding Flower Parade and the whole world appeared to be queuing to get into Spalding from our direction! We were well beaten as we spent 30 minutes travelling just 1 mile, in the rain.

Finally we reached the car park and flipped for who would dash out to get the pay and display ticket, I came off better. Drenched we met up with the Carhiremarket.com team and went for a well needed pub lunch with Alex and his family who had fared somewhat better with their map reading skills and direction into the town.

The sun finally came out in time for us to watch the parade come by. Beautiful colours and displays were admired by a huge crowd – it really was quite impressive!

Then time for goodbyes and  to play our favourite game on the way home – beat the sat navs predicted time of arrival!

Our hire car was provided by carhiremarket.com for the purpose of this race.

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Who's going, where to meet, what sessions to attend, where to stay (if you haven't sorted this yet get your skates on!) and most importantly of all…what to wear! For many though it's the thought of their first blogging event or the worry of not knowing anyone that is foremost in their minds.

Fear not…the Butterflies are back!

Myself and a kaleidoscope of 6 other butterflies will be on hand to greet you, introduce you to other bloggers, point you in the direction of cakes and generally calm your nerves over the 2 days.

To help you find other likeminded bloggers just search using the tag #BritMumsButterfly and see who else is in the same boat, then tweet each other, maybe leave a blog comment and then try and meet up on the big day.

We know that the Butterflies are not for everyone, and you might be perfectly happy doing your own thing, but if you come across someone who could use our help please do point them in our direction!

My fellow butterflies will be introducing themselves in the coming weeks and look out for a special video message very soon. The BritMums Butterflies 2013 are:

Gemma – Helloitsgemma

Penny – The Alexander Residence

Michelle – The American Residence

Michelle – Mummy from the Heart

Anya – Older Single Mum

Sophie – Super Amazing Mum

Look forward to seeing you at BritMums Live!

The post BritMums Live – Get Your Wings On! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

The last few years have been made extra special now J understands what is going on, he really wants everyone to be excited for you and to make sure that you enjoy every minute of your birthday. So many cuddles from him and Happy Birthdays!

And homemade cards

Easily the best handwriting and colouring I have seen from him!

Daddy seems to be getting better at presents lately too, a beautiful Pandora bracelet with a giraffe charm to represent himself and Mummy and baby monkey for me and the boy.

I am a lucky girl!

I’m linking up with Michelle (who sent me a lovely birthday card) and her Reasons to be Cheerful linky. If you are having trouble finding her she has moved onto a funky new domain name and now lives at www.mummyfromtheheart.com

The post Reasons to be Cheerful – Happy Birthday to me! #R2BC appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Finally this week my dream came true…not a Mr Frosty but a cup that turns any drink into a slushy – really! The ChillFactor Slushy Maker is just that – you freeze the cup, then pour in your favourite chilled drink and then just with the power of your own finger tips you turn it into slush by squeezing!

I must be honest though and admit I was sceptical, how could a cup do all this? I put it in the freezer and left it for a few days (it doesn't take that long I just forgot!), then I filled it with Pepsi Max – I would have preferred Dr Pepper but we are a Britvic family so not allowed – and squeezed.

Instantly the liquid started to solidify, it was ridiculous, like you were watching something in the freezer on fast forward! It was fairly easy to squeeze the cup and you could feel the magic filling in the walls doing it's job. Within a minute or so I was able to scoop out the slush with the straw-spoon provided and eat it.

You could still taste the fizz!

If we get a summer this will be great for kids to have their favourite drink as a slushy, I personally fancy giving some Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime Cider in it next – the only problem I can foresee is that we only have the one! Time to invest in more I think!

I received the Slushy Maker for the purpose of this review

The post ChillFactor Slushy Maker Review appeared first on Seasider in the City.

When Tefal told us of this new initiative at our introductory panel meeting, someone made the comment ‘you are preaching to the converted’ and ‘we all cook from scratch and know that fresh is best’…erm (raises hand in confession)… I don’t.

To clarify, of course I know that eating fresh foods and cooking from scratch is the healthiest way – I’ve worked for 18 years in health & fitness. However I work 40 hours a week, so does my husband, in shifts, I have a 5 year old son and a crazy dog. The one meal of the week we eat as a family is on a Sunday, the rest of the time we get by, we get fed, it’s not all ready meals but I don’t conjure up fantastic hearty cuisine every night. I take my hat off to those of you that can manage to do this every day.

I’ve a feeling you might be the same!

For one week though I’m pledging to make more of an effort, to eat fresh food and not rely on the freezer, packets or tins (although I’m allowing chopped tomatoes). 1 week, it’s got to be worth a go right? Will you join me?

I’m not pretending that I’m going to start baking my own bread and churning butter but I will try to use fresh ingredients and plan my menu for the week so we all eat well.

To help me on my way I have a Tefal Fresh Express to prepare my ingredients and a veg box from Riverford. Everyone that also signs up to Fresh Week has the chance to win these and more for themselves too, just head over to the Facebook page and pledge your support too.

I’ll be sharing my progress throughout the week with you and I’d love it if as many of you as possible would join me for the week. Who knows it could be the start of a new way of life for us!

I’m part of the Tefal Innovation Panel and I can’t wait to share with you the great stuff they have. I received a Fresh Express and Veg box to help with Fresh Week.

The post Fresh Week – 13th May 2013: I’m in! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

First up we made Fajitas! I only used half of the seasoning in the stirfry and I’m glad we did – boy they were hot! I used a good amount of the Soured Cream in each one just to try and cool my tastebuds. I’m sure the kit should serve 4 but we scoffed it between the 2 of us as we were particularly hungry!

Next up I decided to make a little concoction of my own using the Cajun Season and Sauce…I’ve called it Crispy Cajun Bake and it’s a bit of a chuck in what you like dish!

Crispy Cajun Bake – Serves 2 hungry people!

• Finely chop/dice your chosen vegetables – we went with carrots, red onion, courgette.
• Lightly fry your meat of choice – we used pork cut into chunks
• Add sliced peppers and stir fry for a few minutes
• Tip in the Cajun seasoning and ensure all is coated, add the diced vegetables
• Pour in the Cajun sauce and add sliced mushrooms. Fill the empty jar to the top of the label with water and add to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Transfer to an ovenproof container and cover the top with tortilla chips. Put in the oven for 10 mins (180).
• Add loads of grated cheese and return to the oven for another 10 mins.
• Serve with wedges and Soured Cream (and salad if you are feeling healthy)

Delicious!

All you need to do now is put up your Mexican bunting and fill the Piñata with sweets and you are away!

I was supplied with Discovery products for the purpose of this post

The post Mexican Feast with Discovery appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Go on then, I don't think you'll be able to do it though.

See I told you I could do it!

Gaining in confidence (and cheek) everyday.

The post King of the Castle appeared first on Seasider in the City.

I will be using only the brain power of the in car Satnav to get me there and Alex has to rely on a road atlas.

It’s going to be fun! I’m a little nervous as I have no idea where we are heading and sometimes the route my own satnav sends me on can be a little suspect but I’m sure we will make it ok!

You can follow all the action on Twitter by following #chmrace2013 where I’ll be relying on my husband’s social media skills to keep you up-to-date.

For now the car is booked via Carhiremarket.com and all I have to do is pick it up tomorrow – I hope it’s got room for my golf clubs!

The post Family Driving Challenge…coming soon #chmrace2013 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

He has been desperate to go to a ‘real life’ match for ages now but the combination of price and not knowing if he would sit still for 90 minutes had stalled us taking him to Carrow Road.

On Monday his moment came – the Norwich Youth team had reached the final of the FA Youth Cup and tickets for the first leg were just £2. Norwich v Chelsea his excitement was unbearable!

The first 20 minutes of the game were spent answering questions about the ground and all the things he could see, the rest a running commentary of the game. He tried really hard to make out all the different chants and songs and kept us amused as he tried to join in – luckily the place was full of families so the language wasn’t too risky – “Come on my yellows” was my favourite!

With just a few minutes remaining of the match Norwich won a penalty, the middle photo above is his face after they scored it. I felt a little sorry for his teachers the following day as I know that’s all he talked about, he can’t wait for the final leg of the match now…although we won’t be going to Stamford Bridge to watch it

As he started to fall asleep in the taxi he was muttering to himself…Best Day Ever!

The post Come On My Yellows! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Cluttered, odd coloured walls, horrible old florescent lighting, manky horrible extractor fan, dated tiles. Not particularly relaxing!

When we looked at all the suites available as part of the Tots100 and Bathshop321 competition it caused a bit of a disagreement in the house! Daddy wanted a shower cubicle – no good as there would be no room for a bath and me and J hate showers! J wanted a corner bath so there would be room to play – however I like to lay down completely in the bath so that got a no too! In the end, of course, I got to choose – this one Alpha L-shape

But not in white obviously! There would need to be a significant amount of colour involved, mainly orange of course! I’ve been putting together a Pinterest board of my bathroom ideas, here’s what I have so far:

Now I just need a man that can put it in and to win this awesome comp, then I can listen to Harry Potter in peaceful bliss!

The post A new bathroom would be a dream! #bathshop appeared first on Seasider in the City.

This is Steve, Steve the Sloth. Sitting proud on my new Sigg water bottle, happy in the knowledge that another square metre of rain forest has been saved.

Sigg have teamed up with Cuipo and their Save a Meter programme, to help preserve the rainforest of Panama. Cuipo teach the locals the skills needed to gain employment in preservation so they can go on to be park rangers and stewards.

On every Cuipo Sigg water bottle you will find a code to redeem against 1 metre of forest. This is mine

This special range of bottles come in  several colours and striking designs, each with a leak proof Sigg cap. Our Sigg bottles are used daily for school and different sports, J was disappointed that this one didn’t come with a sports cap so he can’t take it to school, but I have a feeling that we’ll be swapping over the caps so he can take Steve in next week as they are talking about Rainforests at school.

This whole campaign is such a good idea and so simple to get involved with. J is fascinated by nature and devastated when he hears of destruction and animals in danger. I have a feeling he’ll be telling anyone that will listen about ‘his’ bit of rainforest!

We were sent Steve for the purpose of this post.

The post Saving the Rainforests with SIGG appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Half way round the park we noticed that the big tree trunk that J likes to climb was smoking a little…then a lot…as we got nearer we saw the flames.

A crowd of people and dogs had gathered, in fairness the dogs were only interested in each other!

Then we heard the sirens, and again, the fire engine went passed twice looking or the entrance…only to find it locked!

Eventually they arrived and took about 10 seconds to put out the fire, J was over the moon to get a close up on a real fire.

It doesn't get much more exciting than that round here, I bet it made the local paper too!

The post Fire, Fire! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

I failed miserably at project 365 this year but Mammasaurus has just pointed me in the direction of this beautiful weekly portrait linky so I thought I'd give it a go.

The lighter evenings mean golf after school, we went up to the course on Wednesday and did a little putting practise. To keep J interested we turned it into a little competition – which he won! This was his celebratory dance.

The post 52: A portrait a week – winner appeared first on Seasider in the City.

During book week J's year one class read Flat Stanley, the story of a boy who gets flattened like a pancake and then has many adventures. As a special project off the back of this each child in the class “flattened” themselves so that they could be posted and then picked somewhere to go.

Instantly J knew where he wanted to be sent, my brother had only recently left for Australia and so Flat J was soon heading that way too courtesy of AirMail.

The plan is for the recipient to take photos of their flat child and then send him back to school with a letter about his adventures. The letter has taken quite a while to get there and so we have only just started to see photos of Flat J in Oz. This is one of the first.

J is very excited to see where he ends up!

The post Flat Stanley – behind the Silent Sunday post appeared first on Seasider in the City.

A quick look at the site and I was amazed at all the designs available, there is the option to create your masterpiece completely from scratch, but not being the most artistic person in the world I went for one of the templates.

I had decided to create J his own picture, him and his best friend. There are dozens of pet and animal designs, in a variety of colours, I settled for a green frame with paw prints and bones on it.

The really clever bit is that you upload your photo and they print this inside the frame for you, so there is no printing or cutting to the correct size to worry about. Once I had resized my picture (which would be great if you could do this on the iPad) I added text to the front and back and placed the order.

Just 2 days later my frame arrived! J is over the moon and talks to it when he goes to bed and wakes in the morning. It can either be attached to a surface via the magnets inbuilt in the back or stood up with the little stand included – it's worth noting that the stand is attached to the packaging along one side and was not obvious to me straight away!

For just £14.99 these make a great gift for all occasions and would be perfect for Fathers Day. For all the latest news and offers follow i-pic on Twitter

We were sent the frame for the purpose of this post as part of the Fuelmyblog network.

The post I-pic photo frame review appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Where do we begin?

First the DVD itself.

A DVD is a DVD, with the exception of when it comes with the UV copy (Ultraviolet) code!

Since wife bought me my Nexus 7 at crimbo, I must say I am hesitant to buy a film without the option of being able to put it straight on my tablet, and this is easy to do. Follow a few simple steps and I am free to watch my movie anywhere!

And so to the movie.

Argo is a movie based on true events in the 70's when the US embassy in Iran is taken over by protestors!

Most of the staff were taken hostage but 6 manage to escape and find shelter in the home of the ambassador for Canada, where they become his secret house guests.

The story tells how the character of Affleck conjures and executes a plan to sneak them out of Iran on Canadian documents, with the help of Hollywood!

It makes for a tense and thrilling story which you would think is doomed to fail.

The characters are played very well, with the likes of Ben Affleck and John Goodman being the bigger names and this adds to the believability of the plan as the 'house guests' are played by actors who are less well known and adds the balance to the story.

All in all, this is a thrilling true story, dramatised excellently and is certainly worth a watch for anyone who likes an exciting plot.

I personally struggled a bit with this film, I think I was too tired, indeed it's only after reading what my husband has said that I've understood a fairly crucial part of the film! It wasn't for me, but he loved it.

We were sent this DVD for the purpose of this post.

The post Warner Brothers Argo Review appeared first on Seasider in the City.

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I have had my Nexus 7 since Christmas and up to now have been happy to use a one of the many cases you can buy from several online retailers.

For the last week I have been using a case called The Snugg Nexus 7 Case.

My previous thinking was that a case is a case and as long as it protects my tablet I am happy!

That has now changed!

The Snugg has given, what I thought was just a functional item, a sense of luxury.

It fits the Nexus perfectly and is both designed and made to a very high quality standard.

All of the Nexus's functional controls and ports are framed nicely by the stitched leather and the case has the added flap on the back to secure the cover, converting it into the stand for watching video. There is also a convenient strap on the back for when you maybe using the tablet whilst walking around, giving a little added security.

All in all, this is certainly a case I will be continuing to use!

We were sent this case for the purpose of the review.

The post Snugg Case for Nexus 7 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Bring out the Character building Scooby Doo playset – 198 pieces of peace and quiet!

Both 5 year olds cracked on -after first checking that they were of the correct age (don't ask me why?!) and we soon had all 198 pieces over the bedroom floor. After a little scuffle over characters Scooby and Fred were built first just so they had something to clutch as they poured over the instructions.

It took a few pages to realise what was being shown but the instructions quite helpfully grey out all the parts you have already placed and just show the pieces you need for that page. That became a little tricky when you were putting grey pieces on but generally this made them easier to follow.

The boys only needed help a few times, mainly after the call of “there is a piece missing” and so I would go and find the piece. They also needed a little guidance when trying to assemble the back of the mystery machine so that it would fold out when they wanted.

Including the usual distractions it took the boys about 90 minutes to complete the build and then I assisted putting the stickers on (we had 2 left over but I couldn't work out where they should go!). Then they were off on a full monster hunting mission.

This kept them quiet most of the afternoon, for which I was very grateful! I'm thinking that the Mystery Mansion Playset will be a great addition to the collection.

My only single negative comment is that the stickers cover several bricks, meaning that you can't take it apart without ruining the stickers. They do however really finish the design off nicely so I'm not sure what the answer to this problem is.

We were sent the playset for the purpose of this post.

The post Character Building Scooby Doo Mystery Machine appeared first on Seasider in the City.

This is the final week you have to put up with me hosting this linky, Mich will be back in charge next week. I had hoped that it would get me motivated to blog a little more after quite a lull, and it has but these last weeks have been incredibly crazy and I have found myself with little time to even read other blogs never mind write my own or publicise them.

But I'm keen again, and have loads of things in my head to get down so that is definitely an improvement and my first reason for happiness this week.

Next up is Next! We had a really lovely day out yesterday with them at London Zoo. J had a great time and loved seeing the zoo. It was freezing cold and a long day but worth it for a really different kind of day out.

Finally it's having a few days off work. I had an extra day before the bank holiday and yesterday and today off, and although they have been a bit manic and I've had a sick dog to look after it was nice to not have to answer the phone! This year I am really going to try to use all my holiday up and do all the things we want to. Even if it is just spending time together.

So how was your Easter? Have you got some cheer to share? Come and link up and remember that next week we are back at Mummy from the Heart.

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 8 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

At Norwich station there is a multi-storey car park, it is used both for the train station and the leisure complex – bowling, cinema etc. When you arrive you can get a rail ticket which gives you a £2 discount on the day rate of £8, or a leisure ticket which you can get validated if you use the cinema or other facilities for free hours of parking. Only a limited number of rail tickets are available but normally you can get one on the 8am train out of Norwich.

These were the published rates as of 23/1/13

Today I arrived at 6.45am to get the 7am train and was surprised to find there were no rail tickets available, not a problem it's only £2 extra and nothing made me think otherwise. Until that is I returned this evening. Tenner in hand I put my ticket in the machine to find the display read £20!!!

WTF? From £8 to £20? No warning, no noticeable signs until the pay machine. I was not the only one caught out by this, many were complaining.

It would seem that they have vastly reduced the number of rail tickets available – there were spaces available on the second floor, usually I have to park on at least the 5th and even then get one of the golden tickets! His leaves you with no option but to get a normal ticket and pay the extortionate new fees. It takes 2 hours to get to London on the train so really there is not much chance of ever being able to get a cheaper tariff.

Disgusted! It would have been cheaper for me to get a taxi! Be warned!

The post A surprise at the car park machine! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

The first day of the Easter holidays loomed so we got the book out and I let him pick what we should make, he chose Chocolate Orange Brownies and wanted to make them all by himself! Looking through there was only melting the chocolate and then putting them in the oven that he couldn't do so I said yes.

First up we checked what ingredients we had in the cupboards which gave him some good reading practise and then he wrote a shopping list for the remaining items. After a quick dog walk to the shops for butter and 'oring' we got started.

I melted the butter, sugar and chocolate whilst he got on with the others, I did intervene and remove the shell from the bowl after he cracked all 4 eggs!

Everything was then combined and the flour sifted, with a little help so we avoided a flour storm! I lined the tin and then stuck it all in the oven while J finished off the remains on the spoon and bowl. 35 minutes later the kitchen smelt delicious and the brownies looked fab!

I'm entering this post into the rangecookers.co.uk competition to win a much needed new cooker!

The post Cooking with Kids – Chocolate Orange Brownies appeared first on Seasider in the City.

We came up with all kind of ideas of what we could put inside – custard, jam, caramel, but when it came to it I wasn’t quite sure any of us had the skills to fill something so small!

We settled instead for just making mini eggs. We melted chocolate, filled the moulds and then left them to set. I say we – all bar turning the hob on was done by 5 year old J.

Before filling, he sprinkled a little edible glitter into each egg shape, so they had a little decoration. Once set we melted a little more chocolate and pasted the halves together.

No matter how easy or unimpressive the final result, the measure of a good recipe is how much fun you had doing it and how much mess you can make!

The post Make your own Mini Eggs appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Wahay, it's Easter! I am now officially on holiday (we'll ignore the 6am text from work this morning though) and looking forward to 5 family days.

I might be mad but today I am entertaining one of J's school friends too, they are already upstairs destroying playing in the bedroom. It's bound to be chaos and I'm sure I'll have a headache by the end of the day but hopefully they will both enjoy themselves and sleep well tonight!

Last weekend I played in a very chilly golf match against a pair from Gorleston (on the coast), it snowed from start to finish and at times you couldn't see the ball as it was so white everywhere! My partner was our Lady Captain and together we battled through and won our match. It took me until about tea time to finally warm up again. Sadly the amount of snow we had closed the course the following day and so the first big event of the year had to be postponed, but that should mean we get better weather next time round!

I know it was one of my reasons last week but the clocks are changing this weekend! Bring on golf after work and walking the dog in daylight once again.

J is getting very excited about Easter, we have a very special bunny here that delivers LEGO to very good little boys. I am really happy though that he seems to understand – as much as a 5 year old that hasn't had a religious upbringing can- the story behind Easter and why we celebrate. We have had a number of amusing conversations when he has been a bit muddled but we got there in the end!

That's been my week, what do you have to share?

Wishing you all a peaceful Easter weekend x

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 7 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

One of our fail-safe options is swimming, I hate it but J loves it and handily it tires him out so I can get away with an afternoon on the settee with a DVD following a trip to the pool! Baking is often a winner too, if you can face the clearing up afterwards.

Sainsbury’s Bank are after your top holiday activity tips and you could win yourself a £25 gift card just for sharing them with us. As I’m a member of the Sainsbury’s Bank Family Blogger Network, this giveaway is being offered on behalf of Sainsbury’s Bank loans

How to enter:

Log in to Rafflecopter and enter the draw by leaving a blog post comment with your ideas for affordable family activities to do during the school holidays. You can also enter by tweeting about the giveaway, using the hashtag #SBschoolholidays, and by referring a friend to enter the giveaway.

The more times you enter, the better your chance of winning the £25 Sainsbury’s voucher!

Whether or not you’re our prize winner, your affordable family activity ideas could also potentially appear in a future Money Matters Blog post.  The winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page.

The deadline for entering the giveaway is Wednesday 3 April.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to all readers in the UK.

Entrants must have a UK address to enter. No bulk or third party entrants.

The prize is non-transferable, and will be sent out from Sainsbury’s Bank.

The name and address of the winner will be passed to Sainsbury’s Bank, but will not be used for marketing purposes

All entries may be featured on the Sainsbury’s Bank Money Matters blog post without further payment.

The winner will be contacted by e-mail, if they do not respond within 7 days another winner may be chosen.

The winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page.

Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will be disqualified.

The post Sainsbury’s Voucher Giveaway! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Fuelling this addiction was the invitation to take part in a shoppertunity around my local Aldi store, in search of a family meal on a budget, bring it on!

I first started to shop in Aldi when my husband was made redundant 4 years ago, he quickly found a new job but the cut in pay meant we needed to adjust our weekly spending. Now with a strict budget I tried to be as creative as I could whilst we tried to enjoy the same standard of living we were used to. By switching the bulk of our weekly shop away from the bigger supermarkets we were able to achieve this, and I have never looked back.

Confident that we could easily meet the brief and knock up a delicious family meal I packed the family off for a shopping trip. Take a look at my Google+ album here to see how we got on.

Click on the picture to view the rest of the album from our trip

Everyone was happy with our choice of Chilli con Carne, nachos and rice followed by apple strudel and custard (we put the sticky toffee pud in the freezer for another day) yet nobody seemed too keen to lend a hand making it so it was left to me!

I let the boys take the puppy out for a long walk in the snow (cooking wasn't such a short straw afterall) whilst I cracked on with making the tea. Luckily it was neither time consuming nor difficult, I browned red onions, garlic and mince in the pan, then drained the fat off. I wouldn't normally use a sachet of seasoning in something like this, but as I usually just add chilli randomly I thought that might be a bit too strong for J. The instructions said to add the mix and then some water – but nobody really uses water do they?

It's not proper cooking if there is no alcohol added!

Then I simply added kidney beans and chopped tomatoes and let it simmer whilst I stuck the rice on to cook.

Once the rest of the family returned I set them to work, first laying the table…

Just don't look how messy my drawers are!

Then dishing out the cheese and nachos.

I'm sure more cheese went in his mouth than the bowl!

I don't know how other families manage, but we seldom all get together to eat and spend an evening just enjoying each others company. There are only the 3 of us, but the combination of working full time, my husband's shifts, all of us playing golf and J's tennis, swimming and exciting social life make it hard to organise much. He tends to eat alone and we have a meal once he's in bed. When I said that we were having tea together J was over the moon – “On a Saturday? And we are having lunch together tomorrow? Best weekend ever!”

Once the work was done we sat down, at the rarely used table, and tucked in to a delicious meal, whilst the puppy was barricaded in the kitchen with a chicken carcass!

Come on, we're waiting to eat!

When we were all suitably stuffed and the dishwasher loaded, we settled down to do the one thing we all always agree on – watch a Harry Potter film!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® #CBias #SocialFabric. All words, opinions and images are my own.

The post Family Meals on a budget with Aldi #CBias appeared first on Seasider in the City.

I have never knitted before (except on a machine I had when I was 7).

The book is still on the shelf!

At the weekend J saw a pack in Aldi containing a knit your own Percy Penguin. It said it contained full instructions. I said I'd have a go! Isn't he cute?

Full instructions? What it meant was, there is a pattern included! Not instructions on how to knit! I said to J that I wouldn't be able to make it straight away as I'd need to do some practise and try and work out what these hieroglyphics mean…

I turned as ever to Google, and then YouTube. Result, knitting instructions for idiots like me!

I didn't go to bed until I had mastered knit, pearl, cast on and off and decreasing stitches, and completed the beak! It's not very neat and I'll probably redo it but I was very impressed with my first efforts!

Percy might be ready for J's birthday in June!

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The post Silent Sunday – 24/3/13 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Last summer he would often bring it to the park, but that meant that if we were walking I’d have to carry everything! But not this year, now we have a fantastic Rucksack and lunch bag that attach to his Micro-scooter and mean that he can carry his own lunch/ ball/ blanket/ swimming stuff with him and I can just concentrate on keeping both him and the puppy on the pavement!

I’ll be reviewing the bags properly in the Easter holidays when we hopefully get chance to get out and use them but for now here’s your chance to win a set in these fantastic bright colours.

To enter all you need to do is visit the Micro-Scooters website and then let me know which accessory you would most like if you could pick any. You must click through to the site to enter – any entries that do not have a corresponding click from here to either the main site will be removed.

Rucksack & Lunch bag

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

This competition closes at midnight on 31st March 2013. I am also participating in a blogger competition to generate the most clicks through to Micro-Scooters.

The post Win with Micro-Scooters appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Currently, the scent makes me think of my bed! I completed a sleep survey with Silentnight and as a result they sent me a lavender sleep spray to see if it would make a difference to me. So during National Sleep Month I have been giving it a go.

I have never been a good sleeper, worse since having J as I now seem to sleep lighter than ever so every little cry, creak of the floorboards, whimper from the dog or indeed my husband simply turning next to me will wake me up.

For many years I struggled to get to sleep, now however I am so tired I drop off after just a few minutes of an audiobook, but it’s not for long. Only a few hours will pass before I wake up, and then it’s a long road to dropping back off again.

This deep sleep pillow spray works well if you mist it over your pillow, I also spray it over the top edge of my duvet for when I’m on my back. I spray it before going to bed but find I sometimes need to apply a little more during the night.

By no means has it been a miracle cure, my sleep is still lousy, however during those times when I wake in the night it does seem to relax me more than without, which I know helps me to sleep again a little quicker.

We already have black-out blinds in our room and all year round use only a 3 tog summer duvet as I can’t stand to be too hot in bed. Our mattress is something we could definitely do with changing as it is very uncomfortable and maybe a general clear out of the room would have a calming effect perhaps.

For now though and until we have saved up enough for a new bed I’m happy that my new spray is giving me a few extra minutes of well needed beauty sleep!

What helps you get to sleep? Do you have any top tips to share?

I was sent a sleep spray for the purpose of this post.

The post Sleep easy with Silentnight appeared first on Seasider in the City.

It’s spring at last! Officially at least, I wonder when someone will let the weather know? This is a big deal for me as it means soon the clocks will change which means only one thing…after work golf! I can’t wait!

Last weekend J had a rare sleepover at my parents whilst we went for an evening out. It was just to the golf club but for a really enjoyable ghost night. Delicious food and some really interesting stories from the chap that runs the Norwich Ghost Walks. Did you know that half the population of Norwich died within 6 weeks during the plague? We finally got to hear the story behind all my childhood rumours of a green lady in the tower on the golf course. I may have drunk a little too much but it was a great night!

Finally, I have been super impressed with J’s schoolwork lately, he has just completed his maths homework for the week (yep on the morning it needs to be handed in!) and he managed to read and answer all the questions by himself. proud Mummy indeed!

Maths!

So come on, what are you cheery about this week? Last week, albeit at the 11th hour I managed to get round everyone who had linked up – there is one that wouldn’t let me comment from the iPad but I’ll rectify that today! This week I’m aiming to go one better and tweet out the links of all posts too!

Have a great weekend x

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 6 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

To celebrate the official launch, BassBuds are hosting a competition with over 100 prizes to win including BassBuds products, VIP tickets to the celebrity launch party next Saturday and VIP tickets to the 90′s R&B concert at Wembley Arena.

To enter, simply head over to the BassBuds competition page and fill in your name & email address – easy!

Here’s what you could win:

But hurry as the competition ends at 5pm on 18th March!

The post Win 1 of 100 BassBuds prizes! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

J was on the phone to my brother for the first time since he left for Australia. We had just had breakfast yet John was saying that he had just finished work and it was tea time there.

J was amazed, it's tea time already? Today?

Later in the car he started to tell me how clever he is, after all he had just spoken to the future!

The post Time Travel for Beginners appeared first on Seasider in the City.

It’s back, over here, like it should have been the last 2 weeks! Luckily Mich hadn’t gone too far so was able to take back the R2BC reins whilst I was unable to.

That definitely is one of my reasons for being happy this week – I have my blog back! It’s strange how you, I guess, take it for granted when something is always there. Even though I haven’t felt particularly motivated to write loads of late, not being able to has been horrible! It seems that I had just got too big for my boots…or at least my hosting package anyway! We are resolved for now but I will definitely be moving to new hosts as I was on the receiving end of some pretty shoddy customer service.

Also this week we had of course Mother’s Day. J made me some beautiful cards and pictures and we went over to the Mother in Law’s house where Daddy cooked us all a delicious (pre prepared) lunch. A lovely day all round and made up for the fact I was supposed to be playing golf but couldn’t because of the snow!

Finally, I feel a little excited as we are starting to talk about having a holiday! More than likely in this country and I have somewhere I’d really like to go, but I’m trying not to get too carried away until we have it sorted. It will mean taking J out of school as Daddy works shifts and doesn’t actually get holidays, so hopefully that will be ok. We just have to wait and see. Fingers crossed!

That’s it from me. Please do link up below and spread the word as to where you can find it this week. I’m pretty sure Mich will be linking up too as even though she is on a break she just can’t keep away!

Have a great weekend x

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 5 #R2BC appeared first on Seasider in the City.

If you asked my husband, he’d want to go on a golfing break and J would be torn between saying Menorca (his only previous foreign holiday) and Disneyland Paris…his dream!

Latedeals.co.uk have all the best offers for your last minute holiday and are definitely worth a look when you are looking at your next break, what’s more they are currently running a competition to win £500 towards a holiday with them! Just think what you could do with that.

To enter all you have to do is go to the Trivia tab of the Latedeals Facebook page, watch the video and answer a quick question. It’s that easy!

If you want to get a head start you can also view the video here…

For now though we’ll keep dreaming and reminiscing of that week long long ago…

Menorca

The post Holiday Competition anyone? appeared first on Seasider in the City.

The last few years have been a little different, usually a token present that daddy has bought (this year some pjs from the supermarket) and then a home/school made card and gift. Something that is instantly recognisable as made by him and something to always treasure.

This year a simple gift of 3 daffodils with a handwritten tag and a picture of our puppy with some scarily large flowers.

Even with the spelling mistake I am so proud of my boy for having a go and creating something beautiful.

I cannot count the number of times he said Happy Mother's Day or I love you Mummy, you're the best. That made my day perfect.

Love my boy x

The post Happy Moths Day! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

This portable speaker is Bluetooth enabled and so lets you listen to your devices with fantastic sound quality. It is charged via a USB cable and just so handy.

Petite in size it certainly packs a punch, there are no volume controls so it relies on whatever setting your device is at, which without realising my iPhone was at it's maximum and so Harry Potter came blasting out as the last thing I listened to.

It paired instantly with each device and we were really pleased at how easy it was to switch between listening to an album on the iPad, to my husband watching a film on his Nexus 7, simply turning of te Bluetooth on each made it possible.

The sound quality is fantastic, no matter what you are playing. If you have the volume too loud though it does vibrate a fair amount, not really a problem for us though as J hates anything too loud.

Currently our little purple speaker lives between the kitchen for when Daddy washes up, and the bathroom so that I can listen to my audiobooks whilst in the bath and simultaneously charging my phone in the bedroom. We are planning to take it with us when we go camping too, the charge seems to last really well and it will be perfect for when we watch DVDs on the laptop (proper back to basics campers us )

As a special gift to you I have a code that will give you £30 off the cost of your very own BassBoomz, just head to http://www.bassbuds.co.uk/bassboomz and use the code BBZ304620 at checkout.

We were sent this speaker for the purpose of this post.

The post Boom boom boom! #BassBoomz appeared first on Seasider in the City.

It's 6.45am, Daddy's alarm went off at 5.15 and I haven't slept much since then, the puppy is whining downstairs and today I have to do both ends of the school run and get to the office and back between them. My workload makes me want to cry and except for a few nice people the rest of my office ignore me unless they need someone to blame for something. I'm not happy.

But it's reasons to be cheerful day, and I'm still hosting for Mich, I can't let her down.

To the rescue came J, bounding onto the bed. I asked him if he was happy, he said yes. Why?

1. Because I have red noses and they are really funny! Now if anyone gives me money, I'm not going to save it for Lego I'm going to give it to charity!
2. My family make me happy, I love everyone and sometimes they give me surprises!
3. The sun is out, seeing the sun makes me happy. Yesterday the sun was shining and I went out on my scooter after school.

So there you are, even if you are a bit down, I bet you can find something to make you smile. Hearing my little boy's reasons certainly cheered me up. Over to you now, what can you share with us this week?

If this post ever goes live you'll notice that it's very late and the linky has actually reverted back to Mummy from the Heart as I got shut out of my blog

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 3 #R2BC appeared first on Seasider in the City.

It’s Thursday again so time to fill your heads, hearts and blogs with lots of happy thoughts. It’s still me hosting for Mich, thanks you to those linking up last week, I’ll finish getting round all your blogs today and promise to do it a bit sooner this week!

After an emotional couple of weeks that have left me pretty drained this last week has been good, I’m still not sleeping but I think that will come. Here’s what’s made me smile in the last 7 days:

• I had the best round of golf of my life at the weekend, should win the competition with it and get a nice handicap cut (apologies to those who don’t know/care about golf but this is awesome!). It just emphasises what I said last week that those 4 hours are where I’m most relaxed and can forget everything else, and this week it really showed. I was very happy and it was possibly the nicest weather of the year so far. Let’s hope it continues (the weather & the golf!)
• My little Lego boy is on cloud 9 at the moment, we let him sell some of his toys on ebay (finally we got rid of the Fireman Sam toys that have swamped us for 4 years) so that he could buy more Lego City sets for himself. Amazingly he netted £160 from his old junk – isn’t it amazing what people will buy? He has bought 3 new (to him) sets so far so it has really made his half term for him.
• On Monday I took a few hours off work and took J to Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk. We met some lovely other bloggers there as we learnt all about the Red Tractor scheme and the campaign to Give a fork about Pork. I’ll be writing a post about the day very soon but at the end Jimmy posed for photos with us all so I thought I’s leave you with this

Join in with us if you can and link up below, I’d love to hear about your week. Have a great weekend!

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 2 #R2BC appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Aunt Bessie’s recently got in touch asking if I would share some dishes prepared using their products, and as even my mother, who is absolute queen of the kitchen started using their Yorkshire puds many moons ago instead of making her own, I felt obliged to say yes! It also got me off my backside and back in the kitchen to make more than a pasta bake.

So here we have a lovely casserole alternative to a Sunday roast and a quick and easy weekday tea.

Voldemort Casserole

One that goes really well in the slow cooker! Add to the pot a large chopped onion, we use red onions, a couple of crushed garlic cloves, 4 medium sliced carrots and a pack of beef chunks or stewing beef (or cut your own up!). If you have a fancy slow cooker then brown everything off, if not just bung it in like me! Add in a tin of chopped tomatoes and a bottle of beer/ale. Traditionally we have used Guinness but I found a lovely bottle of Dark Lord in Aldi and so we renamed the casserole in it’s honour! If you don’t want to use beer you can substitute for red wine or if you are really boring, stock!

Let this cook for as long as you can, 6-8 hours is best but if you don’t have as long then make sure you have it on high. 45 mins before you are ready to serve add Aunt Bessie’s Light & Fluffy Dumplings to the top of the casserole and put the lid back on, at the same time we put a pan of Honey Glazed Roast Parsnips into the oven too. As we were dishing up I stuck some Large Yorkshire puddings in the oven to warm up – I love that these take just minutes to be ready!

The result was a tea worthy of Dumbledore himself!

Good Old Bangers & Mash!

On Tuesday after spending Monday afternoon at Jimmy’s Farm we decided to to eat the Pork and Stilton sausages I had bought in the farm shop, to accompany these we had to have fluffy mashed potato and some veg. Hubby reckons he’s the king of mash so I let him crack on and we served the oven cooked sausages with a mountain of potato and big pile of Aunt Bessie’s Carrot and Swede Mash and the remaining Large Yorkshire Puddings. Simple but very filling and just what I needed. The carrot and swede is very quickly cooked in the microwave and is perfect for keeping to hand for quick teas. J will often have this and frozen Mashed Potato with fish fingers or chicken for his tea and he loves it.

The Aunt Bessie’s range is now considerable and I was really pleased to notice Red Cabbage and Stuffing Balls in the freezers, they will definitely be making an appearance in our next roast!

I was compensated for the items purchased for this post, all words are my own.

The post Easy meals with Aunt Bessie’s appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Whilst it's cooking we're watching Order of the Phoenix!

The post Like a true Potter fan! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

It’s probably lucky that it didn’t arrive until after he went back to school otherwise I probably wouldn’t have seen him for the duration of the holidays! We received the Skylander Giants starter pack for the XBOX 360, this includes the game, a portal of power and 3 Skylanders, one of which is a giant.

It’s basically a good v evil game with the Skylanders each using their own powers to help defeat various robots/monsters/creatures on the way around many different islands. The whole portal of power is brilliant, you place your Skylander on it and then that is the character you become in the game. The more you play with each the more experience and therefore power you gain, once one runs out of energy you just swap for another and you can continue instantly.

Each Skylander belongs to a particular element – water, fire, air etc and each is stronger in different areas of islands. It soon became clear that to unlock everything in the game you would need characters from each element and so J has formed his shopping list. Top are Giants such as Hot Head but then he also really wants some of the LightCore Skylanders which I think just glow a bit more! No trip to the supermarket is complete without a browse down the game aisle, so far I have only succumbed to purchasing Crusher, and that was with his Christmas money, but I can see he’ll be saving up everything he gets for more characters or some of the accessories he keeps seeing.

J finished the easiest mode of the game in about 3 weeks, each chapter takes between 10 – 25 minutes to complete and there were about 15 chapters in that mode. All he has completed though is the story but he has so much more to go back and collect in each chapter, some of which needs particular elements to complete but other things are just a case of exploring in more detail.

I’m not big on fighting and gun games but I think because you don’t actually fight people and it is all complete fantasy that I don’t mind it, he doesn’t seem to connect bashing a robot into submission with fighting in real life (yet).

He loves this game so much, our walls are now covered in the pictures he has drawn and I have caught him sneaking some into bed with him. Each Skylander has it’s own little phrase that it says when activated and J repeats these throughout the game. If I hear a squeaky “Wrecking ball” once more I might go insane!

Here’s the game in his own words

We received the Starter Pack for the purpose of this review.

The post Skylanders Giants #TeamSkylanders appeared first on Seasider in the City.

[cackles] Ah ha ha ha haaaaaaaa! It’s mine, all mine!

Yep, Reasons to be Cheerful has been handed over to my careless hands for the duration of Lent. My best bloggy pal Mich is taking a well deserved break so I have promised to try not to break this most happy of linkies and hand it back to her at Easter.

Now in all honesty I’ve been a bit blah about my blog of late so I think this could be just what I need, focus some attention back on writing about the things I love. Starting now.

1. J had a fantastic parents evening and his reading and writing are coming on so well, he’s a little slow at times but that gives him an easy target to work towards. My worries about his friendships have been eased and he was over the moon with his well done Happy Meal!
2. The weather has finally improved enough that I was able to get a round of golf in at the weekend. There is something about 4 hours walking around with friends that makes me truly relax. It was freezing cold and we got wet but it was golf and I was happy.
3. We all gathered for an impromptu family meal on Tuesday, happier circumstances would have been preferred but it was lovely to see everyone and J had what he called the best pancake day ever!

So nothing earth shattering but just enough to make me smile, and that’s what this linky is all about. What are the little things that keep you going, what are you grateful for? Please join in and share the happiness then come back next week for more of the same.

The post Reasons to be Cheerful: The Takeover – Week 1 #R2BC appeared first on Seasider in the City.

If you have a Tree Fu Tom fan at home then make sure you are logged onto Twitter between 4 & 6 next Tuesday 19th February and you can join in with the fun and games and maybe even win prizes.

Myself and a group of other bloggers will all be hosting our own parties at home and getting involved with games and activities as well as trying out the fantastic range of Tree Fu Tom toys.

So don’t be late and get involved with the Twitter #TreeFuTomToys

See you there!

The post Tree Fu Tom Twitter Party – You’re Invited! #treefutomtoys appeared first on Seasider in the City.

This is Veronica, a vibrant and proud woman, cutting the bread to pass on to be shaped into rolls. She also taught Tanya how to shape the rolls – let's just say Tanya's skills leave a little to be desired! Veronica laughed – a lot at her attempts!

This is a digital postcard sent from TeamHonk (www.mammasaurus.co.uk; www.aresidence.co.uk; www.mummybarrow.com) during their travels with Comic Relief in Ghana celebrating #goodwork.
For the past 25 years the money raised through Red Nose Day has been changing the lives of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa. Let’s Keep Up the Good Work. Find out how at rednosedeay.com

For other digital postcards please do check out the linky on www.teamhonk.org

The post Postcard from Ghana #TeamHonk appeared first on Seasider in the City.

This is one of those films that should come with a warning, or at least a box of tissues and a bar of chocolate! If you don’t cry at this film you have something wrong with you, and that’s not just me being a girl!

Now Is Good is the story of Tessa a teenager with leukaemia and the final weeks and months of her life – from the painful decision to stop her treatment, the list of things she wants to do and falling in love. Her best friend Zoey adds humour egging her on to do some crazy things – drugs and shoplifting to name a couple. It shows the impact that her illness and her decision to end treatment has on her family, contrasting her over protective father with her less bothered mother.

The film is touching but not in any way corny. It’s not trying to be controversial or patronising to teenagers, it is what it is and I thought the story flowed beautifully up to her final moments. It’s not all doom and gloom though, there are some laugh out loud moments, mainly contributed by her little brother, and I couldn’t help spend a fair amount of time trying to get a good look at her converse as well as wondering at what age teenagers start wearing matching underwear?

It was always going to be a weepy one and it definitely delivered. For those interested in cast members the lead is Dakota Fanning – I knew I recognised her, turns out she was one of the Volturi in the Twilight films. It’s one of those films to watch on a quiet evening, but definitely one to watch.

Warner Brothers sent me the DVD for the purpose of this post.

The post Now is Good – DVD Review appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Ideal Cases have started to offer a range of personalised cases for many different devices, including the iPad, and I was lucky enough to be offered one to review.

The designs available are vast and give you the opportunity to fully customise your case, the possibilities are endless. I went for a grid for 6 photos and an orange background.

The process is easy to follow and usefully gives you the option to upload photos from Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. The only tricky bit was getting the sizes correct so that the bit of photo I wanted was in the box, it would be really helpful if there was some information available on the site to say the dimensions of each box.

My case arrived in just a few days and I love it. It fits my iPad like a glove and the pictures are really good quality. If I made another though I would probably not put a background colour on as it is slightly stretched at the edges of the canvas and is slightly distorted. I’m not sure if I was just unlucky with this or it is usual, but obviously this wouldn’t happen if you chose one of the hard cases.

Daddy is hoping that they will eventually bring out a Nexus 7 case as mine looks so great, it’s a real talking point when I get it out of my bag.

I was provided with a code to create my own case for the purpose of this review

The post Ideal Cases Review appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Something that I can have when I get to work, without having to pinch the office milk supply gets my vote. I was keen to try McVitie’s new Breakfast Porridge Oats biscuits with red berries. I love porridge but never have time to make it properly, instead I resort to playing porridge roulette in the microwave – you know, trying to leave it to thicken up only to turn away at the split second it bubbles over leaving carnage behind!

The come boxed with 6 individual packets of 4 biscuits and contain porridge oats as well as cranberries and raspberries. At first taste I thought they were a little dry and needed a cup of tea with them, but the following day I was able to eat them on the go and didn’t notice the dryness at all. On speaking to colleagues that regularly have this type of biscuit that seems to be the norm.

4 biscuits contain 229 calories and 1.9g of saturated fat so not going to ruin your day and I felt my hunger was satisfied for the morning and didn’t find myself raiding the office biscuit tin come mid morning. The taste of the berries come through nicely and if anything a few more would be nice.

The box fits perfectly inside my drawers at work so they are always to hand. I think they would work equally as a snack later in the day and are definitely good with a tea or coffee.

I shared some of the boxes around with my colleagues who reported the following:

They are much nicer than the ********** biscuits I usually have. Can I have another box please?

They are NOT dunkers! This after an unfortunate incident that left her work splattered with tea and a mug full of soggy oats! On further investigation they can be dunked just only for about a second.

I’ll definitely be checking out of they have any other flavours and I think they will be a permanent fixture in our office from now on!

I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network, a group of parent bloggers picked by Mumsnet to review products, services, events and brands. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity

The post McVitie’s Breakfast Porridge Oats Biscuits appeared first on Seasider in the City.

J loved every second and kept everyone else in our capsule entertained with his oohing and aahing! It was a fantastic ride and well worth the trip, the queue was deceptive – it looked like the wait would be endless but because it is always moving it was a surprisingly short time before we boarded. There was plenty of time once up to capture all the photos you could want, zooming in on Buckingham Palace or capturing a shot of the group with a wonky looking Big Ben in the background.

See it really is wonky!

We have teamed up with Superbreak to offer one lucky winner a family ticket (up to 4 people) to the London Eye. All you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway ends on Sunday 10th February and a winner will be contacted in the following few days. The winner will be required to provide Superbreak with the ages of the party, the date they wish to go and a contact number.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Win a Family Ticket for the London Eye! appeared first on Seasider in the City.

The Boy and Me is again hosting a weekly linky, click on the image below to view the rest

The post Project 365 – Week 4 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Got a budding young wizard or witch? If so you need to have a go at Harry Potter for Xbox 360 and Kinect from Warner Brothers. We have loved it!

The game gives you the chance to play out all 7 Harry Potter stories as Harry himself. You are the wizard and take on all the controls using the amazing Kinect technology. From the moment your wand chooses you in Olivander's shop and you cast your first spell you are completely immersed in the magic of it all.

As well as controlling the action with your body, J loved saying the spells aloud to perform them, especially as he has practised the pronunciation of wingardium leviosa like in the films for ages. As you complete each story you mix potions with Snape, learn spells and take part in Quiddich matches, before battling to defeat you know who!

The game is really great fun, and although it won't hold an adults attention for too long J loves it, the chapters aren't too long so it's perfect for him. That is though one of the only downsides for me, it is too short! It doesn't cover enough of the story although what it does cover is done beautifully. The integration of the Kinect controller is brilliant and really helps to bring the character to life. J did try playing the game holding a wand but it wasn't quite the same. Luckily we didn't have a broom laying around or he might have tried riding that around the room too!

It would be even better if there was the option to go exploring around Hogwarts as you can with the Lego game but the prescribed format of this game does work well for the younger players. For a great bit of role play and family fun then you can't go wrong with this game.

We were sent the game for the purpose of this post

The post Harry Potter for Kinect appeared first on Seasider in the City.

Golf – I kicked off what I hope will be a successful year buy collecting 3 awards at presentation evening. To make sure I improve on this I have started having a series of lessons (thank you Father Christmas) to get my game in top shape ready for the new season. I have big expectations for myself this year.

Snow – no I'm not grateful for the snow, it's a pain in the butt however I am grateful that I have a job that can adapt so that I can work from home on occasion. With school closed for 2 days this week I was able to mostly keep on top of things and at least keep my emails at bay. Snow means no golf so I'm hoping it buggers off soon!

Puppy Pie – that's what I nearly made with Obi the other night, when he chewed a big hole in the arm off the settee! However he goes from being so bad to just such a lovely puppy in the blink of an eye that he was easily forgiven (by me at least). He is currently curled up next to me having a cuddle and these are the moments I wanted from having a dog. Love him!

That's me, what's making you smile? Join in with Michelle's linky and spread the happiness.

The post Reasons to be Cheerful – Week 3 appeared first on Seasider in the City.

The Boy and Me is again hosting a weekly linky, click on the image below to view the rest

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A pretty impressive amount fell over lunchtime on Tuesday, enough to prompt me to leave work at 2pm in order to get to school for 3 – usually a 25 minute journey but I thought I'd best be prepared. 25 mins and 1 mile later I called my Dad. Grandad to the rescue he set off for school as it was clear I wouldn't make it!

At 5.30 I arrived at my parents house. 3 1/2 hours to travel 8 miles!

When my phone buzzed at 6.40am yesterday morning I was irritated to be woken up, however when I read the text saying school was closed I happily rolled over and went back to sleep. What a relief!

I quickly made the decision to take a days holiday and not try to work from home – the snow was just too perfect, it called for a proper snow day.

What fun we had!

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The Boy and Me is again hosting a weekly linky, click on the image below to view the rest

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My home office, doesn't quite get the same annual makeover and so it is a shambles. Piles of post, paperwork, golf score cards, toys, press releases, bits of computer, old phones, printer cartridges, photos and much more cover every surface and the floor.

Here it is:

Luckily, I have a plan!

First up I need to sort it all, there are going to be a lot of different piles and this time I'm going to be ruthless! The shredder has been emptied in anticipation and I have stocked up on bin bags. Anything that isn't important and hasn't been used/looked at in the last year can go.

Then it's time for some serious filing, I have got some suspension files, labels and loads of boxes to fill!

The toys, if they are not amongst J's favourites are off to the school bring & buy sale – with strict instructions to not bring anything home with him!

I know there are at least 2 old mobile phones under the clutter, these will be winging their way to Top Dollar Mobile and netting me some cash for all hard work. Once I have checked what models I have, they will send me a freepost envelope to post my phones in, then I just wait for the money. I have never used them before but they have been voted best phone recycling website so they are definitely worth a go.

I'm pretty sure that most of the rest of the electrical items can be go – how many spare power cables can you need? Anything that works will be either sold or given away – most likely given away though as I already have a big pile of stuff waiting to be listed on eBay!

All my photos are finally going to get sorted and displayed. We were given a beautiful photo box for our wedding (6 1/2 years ago) that is on display in our living room, however it doesn't contain a single photo! They are scattered around the house in drawers, random boxes and in amongst the paperwork, we haven't even got an album of J's baby photos. Poor effort.

Anything else is off to the tip!

That's my plan – do you have any tips for getting rid of your junk?

This was a sponsored post for Top Dollar Mobile

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The Boy and Me is again hosting a weekly linky, click on the image below to view the rest

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• We are all finally back to something close to full health. December felt like a very long month with lingering illnesses that came to a head just before Christmas. Thankfully we were all ok by Christmas Day, if a bit drained from it all.
• Yesterday was my 2 year blogiversary! I am grateful to all those who have visited, commented and stuck around (although those that trawled through all my posts looking for things to cause trouble with can stay away please). Over the last year we have had some awesome opportunities and J finished the year as part of #TeamSkylanders and now awaits the postman's arrival everyday in the hope that his game will arrive.

J's winning Skylander

• Christmas was just lovely, as usual we spent the day at my parents house and it was unusually quiet, however that was made up for on Boxing Day with 16 for lunch. J was thoroughly spoilt and loved spending time with all his family. In his words – the best Christmas ever!

Do go and join in with your own Reasons to be Cheerful over at Mummy from the Heart and I'll leave you with our festive photos!

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That is, the first day back at work after New Year. Returning after any holiday is always rubbish but the start of a new year should be about looking forward, instead I had days of catching up to do today. I did nothing on my To-Do list, just took endless calls and helped everyone else with their work, once again neglecting mine.

I guess 2013 isn't going to be any different after all.

The one difference today is that I had a miniature helper! Due to the school holidays going on until the 8th, and having too much that needed my attention at work, J came to the office too today. With a packed lunch, his tablet, some sticker books and a bag of LEGO he kept us all entertained.

He loved it and wants to come back again tomorrow!

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Well the Tots100 Swagbucks Challenge has come to an end, surprisingly enough I didn't win, however I don't think I disgraced myself! I haven't seen all the final results yet, but I was 10,000 off Wendy's lead but more than happy with my 9 thousand-ish Swagbucks which I think will have left me about mid table.

Overall the Swagbucks site is fantastic if you have the time to devout to it and shop at the stores on there. I do most of my shopping online and I'm confident that if Amazon had been one of the shopping partners I would have gained double what I did!

I'm sure I will keep my account active as there were some good offers, but I might only check for new surveys and deals once a week rather than every day. I'll definitely be referring back to my usual search engine too as that really wasn't worth it at all.

I think through this challenge Swagbucks were hoping to reach out to mums who have time on their hands whilst the baby is asleep or toddler is at nursery. For those people it's probably perfect, however for someone like me that juggles working 40 hours a weeks with the school run, tennis/swimming/golf lessons and having a bit of a life too it sadly just didn't fit.

It was fun though, and I've already got my eye on what I'll be using my Amazon voucher on once I cash in my Swagbucks!

I have been reviewing Swagbucks throughout December and will be compensated with extra Swag now the challenge is over.

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Batman is tricked and falls victim to Bane who puts him in a type of prison that only 1 person has ever escaped from. Does he get out? Of course, is it a happy ending? Not quite! I won’t spoil the bulk of the story but the question of will Batman return is on everyone’s lips by the end credits. It’s quite a dark film and maybe one we should have vetted before letting J stay up to watch it, but no harm has come!

The romantic comedy New Year’s Eve has a star studded cast and was destined to be my movie to wrap presents to, sadly it became something to get me through 24 hours of the vomiting bug! It tells the tale of how a group of individuals spend the New Years festivities and unravels how their stories become intertwined.

Funny and moving, its light hearted and honestly exactly what you’d expect it to be. It’s the perfect film for a girls night in, and hopefully I’ll persuade the hubby to watch it with me next time. It left me excited for the New Year, a real sense of put the past behind you. I would also love to see in a new year in New York – slightly more exciting than Norwich anyway!

Today I think we started a new family tradition of watching The Polar Express on Christmas Eve, in fact I think we maybe the only family that had never seen it! J was captivated from start to finish, full of questions and commentary and very keen to tell us how he believes in Father Christmas.

The train ride to the North Pole is almost as thrilling as what the children see when they get there, with the conductor adding so much to the journey. It was the perfect way to get us feeling totally festive, and J is now getting ready for bed even more excited than he was this morning.

I can’t believe we have missed this before, it’s definitely a keeper!

Thank you Warner Brothers, Merry Christmas

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Lately we have been sporting matching hats (albeit different colours) from Zaini. Crocheted in beautiful colours, I have the Rhum (orange and blue) and J the Rona (blue and green) and you can guarantee that everywhere we go someone will comment on our hats, most recently his teacher calling down the corridor “Mrs Anderson, where did you get your hat?”

They are super warm and not at all itchy, J’s Zaini Kids hat also has a fleecy lining which helped keep him dry in the downpour we got caught in the other morning. This is the first hat I have been able to play a full round of golf in as I normally get too hot, I think the nature of the crochet helps let the air out so not boiling my head. You can be sure you’ll be able to spot me on the course too.

I love the story behind the company as much as the hats themselves, Miranda Harper a Scottish ski instructor was fed up of not being able to find a suitable hat and so used her crochet skills gained from her Grandmother to create something new! From there order came in from friends and suddenly you have a business. I wish I had skills like that.

You can now spot celebrities like JLS and One Direction showing off their Zaini’s and they also sponsor many outdoor sports folk – maybe one day J can join the ranks as an up and coming golfer of the future!

If you like something a bit different on your head, and like to stand out and make a statement then you need a Zaini hat!

If you don’t have one you could look like this – Daddy is still a little grumpy!

Sadly, J’s bobble became the latest victim of hurricane Obi and so I got to revisit my childhood love of making pom poms to knock up a (poor) replacement, the hat thankfully remains in tact.

We were sent the hats for the purpose of this review, all words are my own – we really do love them!

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Christmas hampers are an innovative gift idea, especially as they contain lots of small gifts presented tastefully in a basket. As the range of christmas hampers from Interflora will show you, all sorts of things can be placed in such a hamper like scented candles, flowers, expensive foods like jam and luxury chocolate and bath oils. They’re perfect as you can be creative with what you put in your hamper.

Electronic gifts such as tablets, smartphones and e-readers also make great presents for your relatives. An iPad or Google Nexus would make a great stocking-filler, although you should think about what you can afford. Looking for discounts online will help if you want to buy a tablet, as they can be expensive. E-readers on the other hand aren’t that expensive, and are wonderful for anyone with more than a passing interest in literature.

At the other end of the scale, traditional gifts such as socks, aftershave, perfume and jewellery work well, especially as secondary gifts to go alongside the main present. Clothing, especially leisurewear, isn’t universally welcomed, but it helps to keep people warm. Thermal socks and pyjamas are ideal for the cold winter months. As for jewellery, this is great for the woman in your life, whether it’s your daughter, partner, sister or mother.

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I told you last week about how I had begun to earn SwagBucks just by searching online and completing a few special offers – well I am currently just a few hundred bucks short of being able to cash them in for £50 in my PayPal account & I already have enough for a £50 Amazon voucher! Not bad going really!

Most of my SwagBucks come by completing the daily tasks and answering surveys – if I had more time there are so many more surveys I could do. I have also earnt by shopping online and by signing up to some new sites.

One of the fun parts of the site and one that sets it apart from other similar cashback sites is the community. There is a big following on the Facebook page and always people giving tips about places to get the best deals. You also have to be a bit of a sleuth as there are special codes for bonus bucks hidden around the place as well as regular competitions to win more.

One of the ways in which you can gain regular Swag is by referring others to the site, then when they get SwagBucks for searching online you get some too. Sadly I only have 2 people linked to my account and neither have earned me anything yet. But then I so seldom get anything for searching that it doesn’t surprise me!

If you do you shopping online or like answering surveys then this is a great site to belong to. I am planning to devote a little more time to it over the next few evenings as it’s not long until our competition ends – I don’t think I’ll win as some are way out in front, but it’s definitely fun to try!

To get involved sign up at SwagBucks.com

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After unpacking and ignoring the direction to wash it first, we tipped in just half a cup of corn using the handy measure, filled the measure up with butter to be melting and then turned it on.

It was a little noisier than I anticipated and the boys watched fascinated as the kernels whizzed around in the machine. It seemed to take forever, but in reality it was about 2 minutes before the popcorn started to pour out of the opening, and it really did pour…to the point I had to shout for another bowl! How does such a lot come from such a tiny amount of corn?

I was really impressed as only 3 kernels remained unpopped and the taste was delicious. The only disappointment is that the butter didn’t melt, it started to and I guess if you were making 2 batches it might be done by the end but we just finished it off in the microwave instead.

The popcorn maker is a huge hit here and hasn’t been put away yet, I now need to find to just as quick and easy topping recipes! It would make a fantastic Christmas gift for anyone.

We were sent the popcorn maker for the purpose of this post.

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Instead of such European delights I treated myself and the boy to a UK Christmas Market and the sights and sounds of Great Yarmouth Christmas Market last weekend. I had high hopes after seeing the photos online of last years and although the weather as we headed down the A47 was suspect we were in good spirits.

Parking thankfully was a doddle, maybe that should have been the warning sign – everyone else knew better! We got parked in the main shopping centre and headed out into the cold and sleet. Straight away we spotted a massive snowman in the distance so we knew we were heading in the right direction, we plodded though the market square and into the first festive tent.

Inside smelt delicious, a mixture of paella, sausages and mulled wine, however the massive marquee housed maybe 10 stalls around the outside and the roof was leaking at the edges so you couldn't actually get to them. There was nobody around, although it was only 10.30, so sadly there was little atmosphere.

We headed out towards the snowman and found a Christmas landtrain sitting waiting, but it wasn't running yet so we carried on, the snowman was a big inflatable enclosed bouncy castle, although inside looked tiny and it was so wet J didn't really fancy taking of his shoes and going inside. Onwards to the main event, the market inside the church.

Another let down, just a collection of random stalls, some with Christmas lights but nothing to really to catch the eye. The one thing in there that stood out was the stall of homemade coasters, wallets and decorations made entirely from recycled sweet and crisp wrappers. A really clever and eye catching display.

Our final ray of hope lay in the Norwegian Market, with Scandinavian blood in the family J was keen to take a look. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was so small, only a few stalls and again no real atmosphere.

Sadly the market was a bit of a disappointment for us, if anything the biggest thing it lacked was Christmas! There were no carol singers, no band playing, there's a good chance that things picked up as the day went on but the morning was a bit of a wash out for us.

The highlight of the trip for J was the Punch and Judy show in the shopping centre, he had never seen one before and loved it!

That's the way to do it!

We were compensated for visiting the market and writing this review. All opinions are my own, no offense intended Great Yarmouth it just wasn't our thing, we'd try again another year if the weather was better and maybe later in the day.

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First impressions of the BassBuds is quality, particularly the added bling of the Swarovski crystals! As I opened the box everything about the BassBuds was well presented, with one exception, the standard accessories are small, medium and large buds in black and clear rubber along with the same in memory foam which is great but I didn’t have the clear rubber buds in the box. That said, the main problem I have had when trying earphones like these is struggling to get a good fit and the inclusion of the memory foam buds is a real bonus as I have found these very comfortable and the best fit of anything else I have tried in the past.

The sound also lives up to the appearance! I have been using these with an iPhone and they sound very good for all round use and not just loud music as you may think from the name. I have listened to both music and audiobooks alike and in a variety of surroundings from the office, walking the dog and even on a flight to Italy on a recent trip. Given that this was a Ryanair flight, the noise cancelling qualities were certainly tested and they most definitely passed!

As for functionality and practicality of use, they really benefit from having the mic and ability use as a hands free with the iPhone and also start and stop whatever you are listening to with the answer button. The only thing I would change would be maybe the addition of an inline volume control but to be honest the other advantages outweigh the fact it is not there in the first place.

All in all these are a top quality pair of earphones which sound, look and feel great!

So all in all a big thumbs up here! If you’d like to get your hands on some, BassBuds are offering all my readers a £5 discount on their order, simply enter the code BB38480 at checkout!

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Clearly it's meant as an outdoor game, but it arrived long after the nice weather (I think there was some wasn't there?) had departed and had been sitting by my desk waiting to be taken home. We didn't think a quick lunchtime round would hurt!

Well what a competitive lot my office are! It was winner stays on and sadly I only won 1 round, but what a laugh and something totally different to do. The game sets up in just a few minutes – although the first time you do have to unwrap all the individually wrapped counters – and is just as quick to dismantle. The counters have their own little bag for storage, and it would be great if there was something to store the wooden frame in rather than just the box it was delivered in, but that is the only negative thing I can think to put!

This will be a great addition to Summer bbqs and we look forward to getting it out in the garden where it belongs!

There are many different sizes of Connect 4 available at Big Game Hunters as well as many other outdoor activities and games

We were sent Giant Connect 4 for the purpose of this post.

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We were quite excited to open this game as it didn’t require batteries.  Really quick to set up and the aim of the game is to whack your mallet onto six moles to win.  The winner can be seen because once six moles fill the mallet a yellow mole pops up on the top.  Play is for two people only, each with a mallet trying to win.  Therefore each game is over pretty quickly!

F and I enjoyed about 7 games in quick succession before he decided to start using his hands and grabbing the moles and then ultimately stop playing.

This is a good noisy game, you have to use the mallet to whack a plank which then fires the moles out from the molehill, only when they are all out can you start to whack moles! Good brief fun, but the moles don’t fire out that far, so it is only a matter of seconds before a winner has whacked six. And there are only a limited number of times you want to empty the mallet and play again.  The instructions offer 3 levels of play and it was more fun trying to whack the right coloured moles – it prolonged the game by about 10 seconds!  Definitely one for the youngsters, F loved whacking with the mallet!

We were sent Molehill Mania for the purpose of this review.

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I'm not the best at anything and nobody ever picks me to have special lunch with them, not once. It makes me really sad and it's not very fair.”

This was tonight, after persuading him to go to school this morning and that his 'big tummy ache' would soon go, just a week after speaking to his teacher about him coming home in tears every night because people were being mean.

My loving, kind, oh-so sensitive little boy is only 5 and yet already seems to have the same insecurities that have plagued my entire life. Not pushing to fit in and just being yourself has already seen him outcast.

We tell him that as long as he is kind to everyone and tries his best then nothing else matters, that just because someone is better at something now that it doesn't mean they always will be, the tortoise and the hare. But is that enough?

Not even 18 months into his school life and already I feel like we have failed him. Will it always be so tough, get harder as the kids get harsher and actually mean what they say? Should we be encouraging him to push himself forward more or will he just be more crushed if rejected?

Tell me it will get easier? I want my happy carefree boy back!

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