On Monday my fantastic sister looked after my poorly boys whilst I headed to London to learn some top tips for Christmas Dinner. Morrisons head chef Neil Nugent was at the Britmums Xmas Do as were an array of Morrisons festive foods for us to sample.

So what tips can I share with you?

Well for the Turkey, it is important you take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you start cooking, you need to give it a good shake by the armpits and then use softened butter to baste (not melted!)

Cook at 180 or 160 if you have a fan for 20 minutes and then 20 mins per kilo.

Never put foil on it. I can safely say I always do this - but not this year. Not even after you have cooked it and it is resting.

He didn't stop with the turkey tips. Roast potatoes are best made using Maris Pipers. You should simmer them for 10 mins (do not boil) and then he suggested rolling them in  before roasting in the oven.

Neil also suggested saving time on Christmas Day but preparing swede and carrot mash in advance as it works really well being heated up in the microwave.

Much food was sampled and it was great to catch up with my friends and meet some bloggers that I've only ever spoken to virtually before. So Christmas has started, with my first Christmas Party under my belt and thankfully no hangover.


Have you got any top tips for Xmas dinner? I love a nice meal but I don't want to he in the kitchen all morning as I want to enjoy my boys. Any time saving ideas welcome.

I am absolutely certain that my childhood goldfish knew who I was. He excitedly swam around in circles when I went into the kitchen.

Does My Goldfish Know Who I Am?  is a great book for anyone who has an inquisitive child. Questions are answered by a variety of famous people and experts in their fields, and if you are wondering it does suggest that you should never underestimate the intelligence of your goldfish! I already new this as my Art teacher had trained his to swim to the top of the tank when Coronation Street came on!

This would also make a great gift for a science teacher. As I was flicking through the book, I couldn't help thinking how reading one of the pages out in my lessons would be engaging. Although I am not sure that any parent would thank me if their child came home asking to eat sweetcorn so they could measure the transit time of their intestines.



A great book full of interesting questions and answers which would make a good stocking filler. I also have a giveaway running to win a copy so why don't you try your luck and see if you can win one?



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

I have a great Dad. He is good at DIY and has helped me on numerous occasions. I lovingly refer to him as "Bob" and he calls me "Wendy."

Can we fix it?

Most of the time we can!

There is only one problem with my Dad. He lives a long way away. He doesn't see that as a problem. Infact he probabley decided to move away from where we grew up so that he wouldn't have to help out with every DIY catastrophe I caused. I say caused as generally, whenever my husband goes away with work, I decide that I need to investigate things such as strange noises and small leaks.

Most recently was our washing machine. With three small boys and washing coming out of my ears, I think we can safely say that my washing machine is my must have appliance.


There is just too much to do by hand and the nearest launderette is the other side of town. It had been leaking for a while. My husband went away with work. I decided to investigate. Luckily websites such as PartSelect sell replacement parts to help you fix your appliances and offer instructional videos on how to fit these parts. The other good thing is that my Dad is on the end of the phone, and on this particular occasion was coming down to visit a week later.

After a long phone call and me removing a lot of grime from around the insides of my washing machine, I ordered a new rubber door seal and some extra bits that "Bob" said I would need.

A week later we set to dismantling my washer. I wont lie, I was worried that it may all go wrong and I would be rushing out to buy a new washing machine and Dad would no longer be my DIY hero. However, I must say that it was all pretty simple! We had the computer nearby so we could keep watching the you tube videos and checking the hints and tips. These were a great help and finally we did it and the leak was gone.

Can we fix it?

Yes we can!

So the washing machine is my must have appliance but since having children I have a smaller appliance that I would recommend to anyone with kids. When you become a parent for the first time, people tell you how many dirty nappies you will have to change and how little sleep you will have. What they don't tell you the amount of mess little people can create. Pretty much from the moment you start pureeing organic veg into ice cube trays (or buying ready made food for second or subsequent children) the mess starts.

I am totally outnumbered with 3 boys. I sit them down with something to eat, but crumbs appear the other side of the room. If little man drops a crisp on the floor, he favours jumping up and down on it to picking it up and putting it in the bin. That is why my must have smaller appliance is my handheld Dyson. Some days I just follow the children around with it! And if it breaks? Well I have a "Bob" at the end of the phone.


So there are my must have appliances. My washing machine to help me with my overflowing laundry baskets and my handheld Dyson to follow the kids with round the house. Both expensive items that I would look into repairing if they broke. What about you? What would you hate to live without?




This blog post is my  entry into the Tots100/PartSelect ’Love Your Appliance’ competition

Big man is currently off school ill. I wanted to cheer him up with a yummy treat. We had been sent some Kelly's of Cornwall Ice Cream  recipes and this one jumped out at me. I haven't made toffee apples for years...... until now! It is so simple and I can justify it isn't too bad to give the children as there is fruit in it.

Start by slicing an apple



Slowly heat up some sugar in a non stick pan. I say slowly as if you turn the heat up too much you will overcook it and it will taste sour and look black.



Dip the apples in and coat.


Remove and place on a scoop of Kelly's of Cornwall Clotted Cream Cornish Ice Cream.


You can find lots more recipes on the Kelly's of Cornwall website.




We were given a voucher to purchase the ice cream so we could try out a recipe.

In half term we went to London to have a swimming lesson with the Speedo Swim Squad. All our boys take swimming lessons, but I must admit we don't go swimming as much at the weekends as the boys would like. By attending the event, we got to see and try a variety of the Speedo products. Two really stood out for us. Firstly was the sea squad mask. Big man has been known to spend most of an expensive swimming lesson fussing around adjusting his goggles. These have neoprene and velcro straps so they fit comfortably against his head and are easy to adjust.




Secondly, and the boys favourite was the shark dive sticks.



Big man is great at swimming underwater (better than swimming on the surface) so he was keen to start playing with these as soon as he saw them. Speedo have lots of fun water aid to help your child's confidence in the water, which you can view on the Speedo learn to swim website. Going to the event has reminded me how much the boys like going swimming as a family and it is something we should do more of next year.






The boys each received a Speedo Goody Bag for attending the event but the opinions here are my own.

Primula sent me a couple of tubes of their cheese spread recently to try out some of their recipes. This is so simple that even big man helped me make it for him and the boys to eat. Even better is that they ate it! I know that not everyone is addicted to Pampered Chef products like myself, but if you do have their muffin pan it is perfect and means that you don't need to use streaky bacon.

You can view the recipe here, but this is my slightly modified version that I used.

Serves 1:

1 rasher of bacon
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon of Primula cheese and chive spread
1/2 an English Muffin
A handful of chopped mushrooms
2 sundried tomatoes.


Line a muffin hole with bacon.



Crack the egg and mix with the Primula. Pour this mix into the bacon lined hole and cook at 200 degrees for 15-20 mins.


Toast and butter half an english muffin. Scoop out the bacon and eggs and place on top of the muffin. Serve with sundried tomatoes and fried mushrooms.





For more recipes using Primula visit their website.


We were given 2 tubes of Primula to have a go at their recipes.

Little man has just turned two and there is nothing that makes him happier than looking at photographs. He loves to point out Mummy, Daddy and big man. I think he has trouble saying middle man's name and therefore just smiles at his picture.

Love2read make beautiful personalised books for young children. There are loads of titles to chose from. I was tempted to make a "My Family" book but quickly realised that I didn't have all the photos I wanted, so opted for a "Memories of 2013" book instead. I am so pleased I did as I am really pleased with the result. I highlighted some of our favourite trips out last year and wrote a simple caption under each one.



The website is easy to use and uploading the photos was pretty quick. You can then preview your book before finalising the order.

Little man loves the book. He was pointing out everyone and saying their names. He also pointed out things like my bag and a hat he was wearing. One of the really nice things about this book is that big man is able to read it to his little brother. So it would make a fantastic book for a younger sibling or new baby.



I really love our book and think that these books are such a thoughtful personalised gift. They cost £14.99 each (discounts on multiple books) and postage is £2. If you think this is a lovely idea too why not have a go at winning one. Love2Read have kindly offered a book to one of my readers. All you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter below and if you are the winner the book will need to be ordered by 17th December 2013. Please see full terms and conditions in the Rafflecopter widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On 23rd November 2007 my life changed forever. Exhausted and high on drugs a little blue bundle of joy was extracted from me. Broken nights sleep commenced. I was projectile vomited over on numerous occasions. Just as I thought I was going to get some rest, a nappy needed changing. Without a doubt I can say that this was and still is the most special time of my life. The day where I became a Mum for the first time. The day that my gorgeous big man was born. Happy 6th Birthday big man xxx

Last month I got big man joining in with This Mummy Loves Draw with Me linky. Although he was slightly disappointed that his bricks weren't a winner he was happy to draw a picture again this month as he thought that little man would like the Gruffalo themed prize if he won. This is big man through and through, always thinking of others.

I have to admit I have been rather a rubbish Mummy this month as I may have been too eager to tidy away (in the recycling) his lovely toy pictures. I think this is version 3 - oooppppss! Anyway here is big man's toy picture. I found it quite strange that he insisted on drawing traditional toys rather than the toys he actually plays with. I have always thought Jack in the boxes are a little scary and if I opened big man's one I think I would let out a shriek! I am pleased to see that he is still insisting on the labeling - even if the spelling isn't quite there yet.


Oh the rubbish Mum status gets worse. I have now gone to link up to see that the competition closed yesterday not 28th like I had in my head. Might leave that piece of information out when big man asks who wins......

When it come to lunchboxes, I am a pretty rubbish Mum. I have never left a note inside for big man to read and I have only once half heart-idly given the bento style a go. I really don't enjoy making them and I struggle to find healthy things that big man will actually eat. He will only eat bananas in custard, has gone off grapes, is mildly allergic to pineapples and melons. He loves apples but allergies within the school mean that they are forbidden. However, I am pleased to say he does like oranges, so he gets these most days. When Morrisons asked if I would like to review their new snack packs of Chantenay carrots I thought I would give them a go. At first glance I thought the packets were on the large side.


Then middle man ate one and asked for another. They are a great idea for packed lunches and picnics. You are paying a premium price for them being cut up and packaged individually (50p a pack) but sometimes convenience wins! Apparently as well as keeping you feeling fuller for longer, carrots are also great for dental health as they can kill harmful germs in the mouth and prevent tooth decay. What great ideas do you have for kids packed lunches? Do you love or loathe making them yourself?





We were given some sample packs of carrots in a lunch coolbag in order to write this review but the opinions here are my own.

There is no hiding it, Christmas is not far away so it is time to get all festive. The people behind Portable North Pole have released a new app for the iphone and ipad called PNP Santa Sprint. The idea behind the game is that you are an elf who is helping the main man by collecting stars and drinking hot chocolate. I suppose it is probably easiest to describe it as a Pac Man style game, where instead of ghosts there are icebergs and penguins trying to stop you. I found it hard to move the elf at first,  but big man knew what to do straight away and didn't have as much trouble!


When you complete a level, Santa reads you a story.


As you complete each floor, they become progressively harder. Big man has enjoyed playing it and now that we are on harder floors I quite like it too. So if you are looking for a festive app then this is definitely worth considering.



We were give the app free of charge for the purpose of this review but the opinions contained here are my own.

I would love to tell you that I am up with the latest trends in fashion, but that would be a lie. I don't get to go shopping as much as I would like as the boys seem to enjoy hiding in the clothes rails and opening the changing room curtain if I am trying something on. When Buyakilt asked me if I would like to review something from their range they pointed out the current trend in Tartan. I googled this and low and behold they were right there is tartan all over the shops at the moment. I eventually decided I would like to review this red tartan scarf as I have a plain black coat and I thought it would make it look more exciting.



There are 157 new wool tartan scarves to chose from.If you have Scottish roots you can probably find your name. Or if not, you can just pick one you like. I must say i am really pleased with my scarf. It isn't too long so it neatly fills the gap between your coat and head without loads of material needing to be stuffed into your coat. I was concerned that it may be itchy as it is made from wool, but it is not. Infact, I liked it so much I took a selfie! (Which I think we can safely say is a lot better than the last selfie I took!) At only £11.88 I think it is a great price too - if you are wondering this is the MacAulay Modern scarf.


The lovely people at Buyakilt have also offered one of my readers a scarf of their choice too. All you need to do is complete the Rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com


I received this scarf for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved LEGO. Her Dad bought her small models to make as a treat if he had been away with work. She liked to build houses but there were never enough pieces.


(I don't have a time machine so middle man helped out with this picture. Apparently every house needs a dinosaur. It also turns out that we need more DUPLO to finish a house!)

The girl grew up and got a holiday job selling ice cream at a fantastic theme park filled with LEGO bricks.


She went to university and met a man who was a black belt in karate and studied Economics.


She fell in love and married him. He bought her Harry Potter LEGO for Christmas. She bought him Star Wars LEGO. A few years later they had 3 gorgeous little boys together.


Their favourite place to go for a family outing was the theme park the girl used to work in. They particularly liked the pirate show.


Her young boys had a long Christmas list filled with LEGO!


As well as playing with LEGO with her boys, the girl loved having a strong coffee and blogging.


I'm afraid as fairy tales go this might not be the best. No evil wolf, no fire breathing dragon or a fairy godmother.


But this story is actually my happily ever after.


So as you may have guessed we are slightly LEGO obsessed in this house. My boys started their LEGO obsession with DUPLO.  They have some vintage pieces from my childhood and lots of modern characters too. I think the picture below shows how much DUPLO has changed in 30 years!


Writing this post has made me realise how much of an impact these coloured building bricks have made on my life and that of the boys. We are lucky to live near LEGOLAND and visit regularly. Star Wars Weekend was a massive hit with big man this year. We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary at the Brick Brother's Restaurant.


We also celebrated middle man's birthday at the hotel and I found myself making a pirates of skeleton bay treasure chest complete with golden LEGO bricks.


Big man's birthday and Christmas list is full of the Star Wars range and I can see his room soon looking like the miniland experience! I even bought my Dad some LEGO TECKNIC last year for Christmas proving that LEGO really is for all ages!

Next year we have the release of The LEGO Movie to look forward too. I think if you watch the clip you will agree that it looks "Awesome!"


There is one thing however, that I don't like about LEGO. There is always one small piece that manages to escape the box. Treading on LEGO really hurts! What are your LEGO memories? Did you love it as a child and now love it as a parent?