When I was offered to review Clarks Maple , I said yes for two reasons. Firstly, the last time I bought some maple syrup it was an incredible £5 a bottle and secondly it gave me an excuse to try out their white chocolate and blueberry pancake recipe.

We were given a large Clarks Original Maple Syrup whose (rrp is only £1.98 for 180ml) and a smaller bottle of Clarks No.2 Amber Maple syrup at an rrp of £2.99. I was extremely pleased with the prices as they aren't anything like I have previously paid. Next up was a blindfolded taste test to see if we could tell the difference. Without a doubt me, my husband and big man identified the more expensive syrup as it tastes stronger. Middle man didn't really understand what was going on and just wanted to eat more maple syrup!

And so for making the pancakes.....








I will certainly be buying the Clarks Maple syrup and if the boys have their way I will be making these pancakes again as they were delicious!


We were given the maple syrup for the purpose of this review but the opinions contained here are my own.

The Anagranimals and the Wishing Tree is a new book by Leith Moghli with fantastic illustrations by Ian King. It tells the story of a group of animals in Pogo Bogo who find a wishing tree and chose to wish for the best parts of their favourite animals.

When I opened the book, I was initially shocked with the amount of text. For this reason, I decided that it was best suited to big man who is nearly 6. I didn't think the younger ones would have coped well with the long story, but I'm sure they would have enjoyed looking at the pictures. The book is aimed at 5-9 year olds.


Big man described it as a chapter, which in a way it is, as it will be part of a series of books about the animals adventures. He also enjoyed the pictures and the names of the new animals. For example the Piggy-Croco-Puss.


Big man enjoyed the book and asked if we could get the next one in the series. Anigranimals and the Wishing Tree is released on 1st September, and I am pleased to be able to offer one of my readers a signed first edition copy. Open to UK entrants only. Please see terms and conditions on the rafflecopter below.
Good Luck!


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I was given a copy for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own

As part of my 99p stores blogger challenge I bought a DK Baking Book. We had some bananas and I had never made a banana loaf before, so I waited for baby man's nap time and got big and middle man to help me cook. It turned out to be a bit of a learning curve. The lessons I learnt are here:

1. Just because you thought that you put butter on the internet shop, doesn't mean that you did.
2. Butter doesn't last forever, and just because you have found some wrapped up in the fridge, doesn't mean it is edible.
3. The flora cuisine that you bought on a special promotion can be used like butter. Even better is that it is like melted butter!
4. Just because you bought half a kilo of raisins a week ago, doesn't mean that you have any left. Just because you hate them doesn't mean the rest of your family do.
5. Maple syrup is a good alternative to honey

So as you have probably guessed, I promised the boys to make a banana loaf, put baby man to bed and then realized we didn't have half the ingredients. We improvised with the ingredients available and it tasted pretty good. To be honest, I was only going to put raisins in it to stop me eating it! And what did the boys think? Well they were just happy that they got to crack an egg an lick a spoon!



I bought the baking book as part of the 99p stores blogger challenge. Other posts for the challenge are: Picasso at work, Why I am not a food blogger and A celebration fit for my princes

Although my friends might disagree, I think that before I had children, I used to be able to hold a reasonably intelligent conversation. Now? Not so much. My husband is away with work at the moment and what do I find myself asking him when he contacts me? Not have you had a nice day? Has work gone well? How was your flight? No. I ask him my most important query of the day.

This weeks Gallery theme is pets.

We don't have any pets as such. Although we briefly had our caterpillars.


They were loved very much and big man was distraught when the butterflies were set free.


Actually I tell I lie we do have one more pet. Patterly. A dog. Here he is doing doggie paddle.


Middle man still insists on pretending to be a dog once in a while. Sometimes he puts a belt round his hand, pretending its a lead. When in character he refuses to answer to his real name. I can tell you now that I felt pretty stupid yelling "Patterly" when we were at the beach earlier this summer. He often reverts to being a dog when he is doing something a little bit naughty. I don't know why, but he perceives that he will get told off less if he is a dog. On a recent trip to the park, Patterly went into the paddling pool fully clothed. He then bounded up to me saying "Woof, I wet, I cold!" Yes he is a very clever dog that can speak too! So for now, we will not be getting any pets as Patterly is a handful. Maybe just some more caterpillars next year.

What pets do you have? Are they hard to look after? Do you have a child that is obsessed with being an animal?

Middle man is slightly obsessed with Disney Junior. I like it too as I love all this Disney. Doc McStuffins is a favourite of middle mans. It is about a little girl whose Mum is a doctor. The girl puts on her toy stethoscope and turns into a doctor herself, who is able to fix her various stuffed toys with the help of her other stuffed toys, Lambie, Chilly, Stuffy and Hallie. It is a nice programme with catchy tunes. The only problem with Doc McStuffins is that because the main charterer is a girl, Disney have aimed pretty much all the Doc McStuffins merchandise at girls. I am sure that I am not the only person with a 3 year old boy that likes the show. Luckily though Disney have now released a CD including the songs off the series. I think a CD is pretty unisex. Middle man beamed from ear to ear when I gave it him in the car.


The CD is a collection of all the songs from the series with my personal favorites Time for Your Check Up and Eat Good Food. Middle man loves it and you will now find me singing along to Doc McStuffins tunes in the car when I have no children with me, because I have forgotten that I don't need to listen to it!

We were sent a copy of the CD for the purpose of this review but opinions contained in here are my own

At the beginning of the summer, big man came up to me with an oragami kit asking to make a pumpkin. After a long time, I managed to make one, but there was no way he was going to be able to do it. When I saw Popagami, I wondered if it would be any easier. Thankfully I can say it is. I recieved a combo pack which consists of an instruction booklet and 24 large printed papers. It took me a couple of goes at folding to get the hang of it, but after that it was simple. Big man even had a go, although he needed a little help, he did most of it himself. Here he is at the last step, blowing it open.



I like the product as because there is a printed design it makes it easier to work out where you are meant to fold it.


Once made they make great little puppets. Another suggestion for their use is to fill them with small gifts or sweets and they become party decorations that double up as a favour.

Whilst I appreciate that origami isn't everyone's cup of coffee (sorry I couldn't help myself with that one) I think that it is a great activity to get the children doing in the school holidays. (No glue or glitter involved!) It would also make a good little stocking filler at Christmas.



Fancy having a go yourself? Well Popagami have kindly offered a combo pack for one of my readers. All you need to do is complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

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I was given a Pogagami combo pack for the purpose of the review, but the opinions contained here are my own.


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This week I am linking up to "What's the story?" with this picture. My husband and big man looking for treasure! Well looking for a geocache. We first went geocaching a few years back with some friends and it is a great way of making an afternoon stroll more interesting with the kids. It has really taken off recently and there are loads of them around, to start with you need the app. This tells you the geocaches near you and then acts as a map and compass so that you can get close. You also need this:


All geocaches have a piece of paper to record the date and who found it so you will need to take a pen or pencil with you. So why do you need a couple of whistles, bat ring,  lizard and plastic frog? Well one man's party bag rubbish is another man's treasure. Some geocaches (the ones my boys love the best) are filled with treasure. The idea is that you can swop a piece.

So off we set to our local park where 2 geocaches were near by.


We got close


We read a clue and Mummy found it! I was chuffed as it was the first one I had done by myself. Tucked in a hole in a tree. It was just a pot covered in duct tape (to make it waterproof) with a list inside. We wrote down that we had found it and headed across the park to find another.

This one was tricky. I had to read some of the comments from other people to help me locate it, but we eventually found it. We recorded that we had found it and agreed on one more before heading home.


The last one was tricky. My husband and big man were bent over looking under a tree stump. But this was treasure worth finding! Yes we had found a clip lock treasure chest filled with bounty!


So we swopped our treasure. Big man had a nice "new" skull, middle man a jewel (aka a glass bead used in flower vases) and baby man with a gold coin that he could put in his pocket. Tired and hungry we headed home, and just got distracted by a few puddles.



Have you been geocaching before? Have you made your own? I am so pleased there are so many round us now, I can see this being a regular outing.







Don't forget I have 2 giveaways open at the moment Popagami Combo Pack and Jack the Giant Slayer Blu ray

Warner Brothers is pleased to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer on DVD and Blu-ray, starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci.

So what is the story?  "Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing Jack (Nicholas Hoult), into the battle of this life to stop them.
Fighting for a kingdom and its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face
with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend... and gets the chance to become a legend himself!" 

The film is directed by Brian Singer (X-Men,Superman Returns)

So how would you like to win a copy of the Blu-ray? How brave are you? Just take the quiz 
here and fill in the rafflecopter for your chance to win. I am so brave that fear is afraid of me! I think if I had saved the dog I might be a courageous warrior. (Please read the terms and conditions as the winner does need to provide contact details in a small amount of time to claim their prize, or a new winner will be drawn.)




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Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

One of my Get Good Summer Challenges was to lose half a stone. Unfortunately weeks of picnics and eating out doesn't really go hand in hand with losing weight and I have decided to refocus myself in September and enjoy the last few weeks of the Summer holidays. I have, however, been trying out a pair of Zaggora Hotpants. The fabric of the HotPants is designed to harness the body's natural heat when you exercise to help you burn more calories.

I am a size 12 and was given a pair of small HotPants to try. I was worried that they may be on the tight side but they fit nicely. They are made of a type of neoprene and are a bit like wearing a wet suit to do exercise in. I have managed a couple of Bokwa classes in them and definitely have the impression that I have worked harder, due to the sweat. I would like to add that you don't appear to be sweaty as the sweat  collects under the trousers but doesn't appear to come through the material.

Zaggora challenged me to wear my zaggora hotpants everyday for 30 mins whilst I was active for 2 weeks. Again with the summer holidays and day trips this hasn't been possible everyday but I have worn them most days. Although my weight hasn't really changed, my waist has gone down an inch and my hips by 1/2 an inch.

It is hard to say if the Zaggora HotPants work. They are no miracle cure, if you over eat whilst wearing them, you will still gain weight, but I think they can motivate you to do exercise. What I can tell you is that they look really nice on. They are easy to wash. I have washed mine by hand, but they can go on a cold wash in the washing machine. They are comfortable to exercise in and although you get hot in them, you only feel sweaty when you take them off. I really like them and as I am often tired when I manage to drag myself down the gym, I am happy with the thought that they may be helping me burn a few extra calories whilst I exercise.  They are on the expensive side. These trousers cost £55 online. However, if they help encourage people to do exercise and become healthier, then they are worth paying out for. I am hoping that they will help focus me into shifting a few pounds come September and I will have another attempt at the 2 week challenge.



I was given a pair of Zaggora Hot Pants for the purpose of this review, but the opinions contained here are my own.

This week's funee post is from big man. We were chatting about the holidays and going back to school. He was beaming from ear to ear when he said he was really happy about going into year one. This is turn made me happy. My boy enjoys school and is looking forward to learning. So why is year one going to be even better than reception?

"Well in year one you don't do Maths Mummy!"

"Mmmnnnn, I think you find you will....."

"No Mummy, because when I do Maths, I see year one running around outside"

Bless him, I think that big man may be disappointed with year one and the 10 years after! I think he will however, learn that the PE timetable has to vary so that you don't have the whole school using the netball courts at once!

Recently I wrote about our holiday to the Aparthotel Alcudia Pins in Majorca. Because the children are little and the main attractions are the other side of the island, we generally stayed around the hotel. My husband, however, can't spend a week playing in the pool and the on the beach so we broke the week up with a few short and inexpensive trips.

The first trip we went on was to Alcudia Old Town. We didn't actually mean to go there, but the bus was busy (due to a market in the old town) and we missed our stop for the port. We did, however, have a nice time wandering round and looking at the fortress and stopping off for a drink in a local cafe.



As we hadn't made it off at the right stop we tried again another day. Alcudia Port was beautiful and you could paddle along with the small fish. There was also a climbing frame of the beach that big man enjoyed.





We also broke up the holiday by taking a few bike rides. When I say bike rides, I mean one of these car type bikes. I was fine pedaling along the quiet roads but not so happy on the bigger ones!



We had a fantastic holiday and it was lovely to take things slowly for a while and recharge our batteries. How do you keep your little ones entertained when you are away?

I always wanted to live by the sea, so when it came to choosing a university, Swansea was top of my list. Now we have moved away we try to visit every once in a while, and so for our 8th Wedding Anniversary we headed off to the town where we fell in love.

Caswell Bay was our first stop. It is a small bay on the Gower, but isn't too much of a drive. After getting soaking wet in Bristol, we weren't hopeful at going surfing (well bodyboarding to be precise) with the boys but luckily the weather held out and the sea wasn't too cold.



The afternoon was spent in Mumbles eating ice cream in Verdi's and catching up with an old friend.

Monday we headed for a day at the caves and then headed to Langland bay - just up from mumbles to try and fly a kite and look at the rock pools. Big man was well away looking for wildlife.


Monday was of anniversary so we celebrated in style by taking our little men to our favourite curry house, The Viceroy. With the mess baby man made, I think they may have preferred having a load of drunk students in there instead.




On our final day we headed to West Cross where they have a fabulous free splash pool and playground looking over the bay. It was bright and early and the boys had the place to themselves for the first half hour!


To end the break we headed to see the Gruffalo's Child in the forest of Dean for baby man. A lovely end to a lovely anniversary break with the people I love. Swansea may not be top of the list for your anniversary break, but it is our hidden gem. How do you celebrate your anniversary? Do you buy presents or do something instead?

The National Lottery and BritMum's have teamed up and challenged bloggers to say how they would spend 20K if they were lucky enough to win. The Lotto game is changing on 5th October, giving players more chances to win more prizes and you can find out more here.

When I asked my husband what he would do if we won 20K, he said he would do the bathroom or the driveway. I can absolutely guarentee that if I win 20K on the lottery, I will not be letting him spend the money! Yes we need both of these things, but we will do them whether we win money or not. It will just take longer.

We could just blow it on a holiday, but I would like it to last more than 2 weeks. I would want to do something special with it by using it for things that I wouldn't do normally. Things that are just that bit too expensive to justify.



Before children, we went on a trip of the US. We visited Vegas and I loved it. My one regret though was not buying a massive overpriced capsule filled with a blue cocktail. I know it is silly but it is little things like this that I would use the money on.

I would love to take the boys skiing, and yet again we would probably be able to save up for this, but then to be able to take them on a huskie dog ride whilst we were there would be amazing.

If we visited Florida, I would want to make sure I had a butter beer in Harry Potter World and swim with dolphins in discovery cove.

I would love to go shopping in style with my Mum and sister. Not worry about the cost of the clothes we were buying and have a champagne lunch. 

So how would you blow 20K? Would you be sensible like my husband? Blow the lot on a once in a lifetime holiday? Or are you like big man and would like to visit Blackpool and go to Legoland. (The later he already does on a regular basis!)




This post is an entry for BritMums #Spend20K Challenge sponsored by The National Lottery, with more time to win more money on the new Lotto game. Find out more about new Lotto, which starts in October.

On our recent trip to Swansea we went to visit the national showcaves centre for Wales. My husband and |I had visited before we had had children, and it had changed quite a bit. For a start there were dinosaurs everywhere! Big man had just been learning about these at school and he was very happy to see these. Middle man made friends with a stegosaurus that he pretended to feed.

There are 3 caves you can visit.

Dan-yr-ogof cave is the main one. Middle man claimed he was scared, big man cold. But we had a good walk round and by the end big man was happy with the idea of stalagmites and stalactites.

..... decide that they should stop off at Bristol to do some Gromit spotting when it is pouring down with rain!

I absolutely loved Wenlock spotting last year, so when I saw that Bristol would be invaded with 80 Gromits this year, I had to stop off there on our trip to Swansea. We didn't get to see many, and I may have to see more later this summer holiday but once again the boys loved it.




Again this is a prime example that it is hard to get everyone smiling at the same time. They really were happy, even if in every picture there is one person looking miserable/confused! If I lived nearer to Bristol I would have done all 80! Have you been? How many did you find?

Last week I wrote about the Giantte stacking cups and shape sorters we were sent to review. We also received the Miniland Minimobil traffic mat in a bag and Minimobil Jobs tubs. When I saw the cars I immediately thought that they would be fine for baby man, but that middle man wouldn't be interested in them as they are chunky plastic ones. As usual I was wrong and he insisted that I get them out for him to have a play in the garden.


I particularly like the mat. We previously had a play mat that doubled as a box. However, there were two problems with this. Firstly it was a rubbish box as the sides fell in and secondly when it got wet the picture peeled off. This play mat is made of the same type of material as a pop up tent. It is therefore fine if it gets wet. Amazingly it is really simple to get back into its bag too! Just fold both ends towards the middle and it folds flat and is easy to store.

The cars are chunky, so little hands can grasp them easily. The parts move so you could use them in a sand pit as little diggers and dumpers.



We were given the toys to review by DKL toys but the opinions contained here are my own.

I always spend ages looking at reviews when booking a holiday, so felt that a review of our stay at Alcudia Pins with Thomson Holidays in Majorca in May, might be useful to some of my readers.

My requirements for a holiday this year was that we went somewhere warm, no more than 2 1/2 hours flight away. My husband added to this with wanting a 2 bed roomed apartment, and only having about one week in the entire year he could take it! It didn't leave us with much choice. The hardest part was the 2 bed apartment in an all inclusive. We finally found this hotel and it seemed to fit the bill.

On arrival we were immediately pleased with the look of the hotel and when walking inside the boys were pleased to see an array of swimming and splash pools.



Our apartment wasn't huge but there was enough room and there was also a kitchen area with fridge to keep our drinks and snacks in. Baby man was in a travel cot, and if he had of needed a bed we would have needed to use the sofa bed in the lounge that would have been a squash.

We were particularly pleased with the all inclusive food. The main restaurant was to the front of the hotel and you could eat here for all three meals. There was a large selection of food. There was also a beach side restaurant that you could eat at for breakfast and lunch, and twice per week for dinner (you were given dates for this on check in) Whilst the view was lovely there was less choice here. It also doubled as a snack bar throughout the day, which was very handy when baby man overselpt and missed his lunch. We were also allowed one meal at a beach side a la carte restaurant. This was tapas and it was lovely to sit down and the food come to us rather than the buffet style. They can also provide a picnic for you if you let them know the night before that you need one, and on the day we left we had a take away breakfast.

The hotel was situated on the beach front which was fantastic as it only took a few minutes to walk there and you didn't need to stay all day. Sunbeds and shade was available to hire as were pedalos.


We spent most of our time in the swimming pools. There was a waterslide that the boys loved, even if they only went fast when they went on with Mummy. For some reason the friction caused by the swimming trunks meant they got stuck half way down. Middle man loved the splash pools and especially the tickle machine (aka the water jet)



There was a kids club but we didn't use it. The evening entertainment wasn't great but better than nothing. Whilst baby man loved Thomson dog, the rest of the family weren't that fussed by him. Generally middle man asked to go home at about 8 each night. It is part of the Thomson Blue Villiage which means there are a lot of scandinavian guests. Therefore the entertainment program included an act from Scandinavia that did songs from the 80's. Although I found it a bit odd at times, it was generally better than the English entertainment in my opinion. It may well have got better later in the night though.



The main downside to this hotel is that a lot of Majorca's attractions and Thomson's tours are over the other side of the island which makes them even more expensive and too far to go with little ones.

Overall we thought the hotel facilities were great and I would recommend a stay there if you are happy to spend a week relaxing by the pool and the beach. (Just make sure that you keep any receipts for safety deposits boxes as apparently giving the key back isn't good enough proof.)