If the TV show Friends can get away with doing flashback posts then so can I! I thought it would also be a good way of directing you to my favourite posts in case you had missed them.

With Christmas coming the Degustabox arrived early this month. After some fantastic boxes throughout the year this one was a slight disappointment. It contained GLO energy drinks, which are just not for me. I was pleased to see that there was a Kent's Kitchen sauce as we really enjoyed this in a previous box. Popchips have been a favourite of mine for a long time as have the Balhsen biscuits. I had also not tried the caramel ones before. My husband loves chilli oil so it was nice to see that Fry light have this product, especially as I will be watching the calories after Christmas. I was keen to try the Eisberg non alcohol wine in a hope that it actually tasted like the real stuff. It didn't. Eat Chia was surprisingly nice on porridge. Whilst I have enjoyed Bonne Maman jam before, I am not a lover of marmalade. My husband has enjoyed it. Overall the box was OK but not as good as previous boxes. I would still recommend Degustabox to you as there is usually a great selection.

If you would like to try one for yourself you can get a £3 discount off of your first box by using the code JE524

This has been the question that everyone seems to ask. Friends, neighbours and shop assistants. Politely I say yes and change the conversation. We did have a lovely Christmas, but one filled with sadness too. The boys lost their Nana and my husband his Mum. But more than anything she taught me to be strong. So it was Christmas as usual.

We have been really lucky this year and the children have been to see lots of shows at the theatre. Some I would recommend, others not, so here is a little summary incase you are thinking of getting tickets as a Christmas gift.

Up and Down

Standing head and shoulders above the rest was Up and Down by Gaga theatre company. We hadn't read the book, but had read lost and found. It was proper theatre with no huge costumed characters. The boys loved it as it was engaging and they participated with the audience. The only down side was that as it was aimed at pre schoolers it was in school hours and big man couldn't join us. You can read my full review here.



Justin Live

I know that Justin Fletcher is a bit like marmite, but after seeing him in Panto for a couple of years I loved him. Yes loved not love. This performance has totally changed my opinion on the performer. It was the laziest show I have ever watched. Dancers were used as time fillers. There was very little humour. If you were sat in the stalls you may have enjoyed it more but in the circle you felt left out. All of the boys were bored as were all the children sitting near by. In my opinion a total waste of money.

Dinosaur Zoo

This was another good show. The puppets are amazing. There were a lot of small children here, which was a bit of a shame as it's filled with so many facts I think it better suited ages 5-9 than preschoolers. The best place to sit for this show is on cushions at the front as if you are sitting here you are more likely to be invited up on stage. The downside to the show is other parents not looking after their children. The presenter makes a joke of how rogue children will be eaten by dinosaurs. Unfortunately this didn't stop the same little girl walking up on stage twice and being called a rogue child. Don't worry if your child hasn't got to participate in the actual show though as afterwards there is a meet and greet with the puppets. It was a lively performance for any child with an interest in dinosaurs.

Octonauts Live

I have one massive Octonauts fan and 2 that used to be and still enjoy it. I was unsure what they would make of the show as at the time that the tickets went on sale there was no details about what the show was like. The show was good and consisted of costumes characters and puppets in parts. Personally I preferred the puppets but the whole show was well done and little man was particularly keen.


Have you seen any children's theatre this year? What would you recommend and what would you avoid?

One of my favourite brunch recipes uses primula in cheese and bacon muffins. I was therefore really pleased to learn that it is a charitable cheese too! Primula is owned by The Kalvi Group which is owned by the Kavli Foundation which is a charitable trust committed to supporting new causes. Annually it donates all profits to charitable causes and they have donated 50K to struggling families in the UK this Christmas with The Sun Newspaper. Primula kindly sent me a selection of their chesse's so I could try out some recipes with it. Here is my recipe for cheese and potato cakes which are great eaten with any cold meats.



2 potatoes grated
1 carrot grated
1 onion grated
1 egg
Half a tube of Primula (we choose the cheese and chives)


Start by grating the potatoes, carrot, and onion. Press down on it with some kitchen towel to remove as much water from the mixture as you can.


Mix in an egg and half a tube of Primula.

Fry the cakes and turn when they are brown on each side.



Serve with cold meat and pickled onions.


Primula have kindly offered 2 of my readers the chance to win a selection for themselves. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open to UK residents over the age of 18 only Entries will be moderated, so please make sure that you comment if necessary. There is   No cash 2 prizes of a selection of Primula cheese as shown. There is no cash alternative. No bulk or automated entries. If you have already won the prize on a separate blog giveaway with the same promoter they reserve the right to redraw a new winner.  The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will be notified by email (make sure you leave your contact details) and will have until 26th Feb to respond with their address. If they fail to respond a new winner will be drawn. No PO Box address Competition closes on 26th Jan at 12.00am . 


- See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/2-x-primula-selection#sthash.WNQOM7JY.dpuf

Little man is a MASSIVE Octonauts fan. There was no doubt in his mind that he was having a Kwazi cake for his Birthday this year. After having already made a monster cake, I was OK with this as I had made a tiger for big man when he was 2 so knew it wouldn't be too hard.

I started by covering a sponge cake in orange roll out icing.


To get nice edges I used a bear cutter that I had to make the eye patch and the eye.




To make the ears, collar and hat I prepared some icing with CMC which helps it go hard.


Detail seems to make the difference in a home decorated cake so I made sure the Octonauts badge was on the hat.


And at 8am on the morning of his birthday little man was blowing out his candles ready to tuck in!

This summer we had a lovely week away staying at Le Clarys Plague campsite near St Jean de Monts, Vendee. We stayed in a Thomson AlFresco Vivaldi Caravan which sleeps 8. When we arrived I was taken back with how small it was. Last year we stayed at Haven Littlesea in a three bedroomed caravan and I was expecting a similar size. It was much smaller. It was fine for our family but I did wonder how the party of 4 adults 2 children and a baby coped next to us. 

Here is the lounge/dining/sofa bed for 7th/8th person. As you can see it would be extremely cosy with 8.

One bedroom has a double bed and then there are two twin rooms. 

There is a toilet situated by the twin rooms and the shower and basin by the double room. 

The caravan had everything we needed and as the weather was good the small living space wasn't an issue. 

The caravan itself was looking tired, with slightly grubby curtains and stickers that had covered screws missing. 

The Thomson staff themselves were nice enough, but didn't seem to know much. I asked a simple question about the swimming pool but was told she had only been there once so wasn't sure.

If you are looking at going for the Vivaldi, it is ok but not great. If you have 3 kids I would definitely recommend a 3 bedroomed caravan rather than a 2 bedroomed one. Looking around the campsite however, the Eurocamp tents and caravans all looked the best and I would consider them in the future.

I have written this review off my own back as when it come to holidays I google everything and hope that this may be of use to anyone that does the same.

Back in the Summer we stayed at Le Clarys Plage. It was the first time I stayed on a French campsite since I was a child and with people looking for holidays next year I thought that it would be good to share my opinion of the site. We choose the region as it is possible to get there in a day. We used Brittany Ferries and did the fast crossing to Cherbourg.

On arrival guests are given wristbands to wear to identify that you are allowed on site and in the pools. All the entertainment is at the front of the site. There is an adventure playground which the boys liked. This is open from 9am to 11pm.

Next to this is the swimming pool complex which was fantastic. It contained a couple of children's pools, a main pool with slides, a lazy river (more like rapids) and an indoor pool. On top if this there was a large splash park. The only problem with the splash area was the water was cold so it wasn't as busy as you would expect.

All the other pools were heated which was great if it was a little overcast. 

There were a number of pool attendants but it was stressed to us that they weren't life guards.

There wasn't a restaurant on site but there was a takeaway selling pizzas, chips and doughnuts. We used this a couple of times and it was good. Evening entertainment started at 8.45 so we didn't go to this as our boys are too little. One night we were in the games room at this time and the bar area was absolutely packed so worth going early if it does interest you.

We had a lovely time and would recommend the site purely on the swimming pools as they were great.

I don't know about you, but now that all the Christmas presents have finally been purchased as has the mulled wine and turkey, it is now time to start thinking about reining in my spending for a little bit. The internet can definately help with this. I was once against doing my food shop online. Why would you pay for someone else to go and choose your food? Then I had 3 children and when big man decided to inspect some dippy eggs in the trolley, the decision was made. I have not looked back. I actually think that I save money by shopping like this. Firstly there aren't many impulse buys. I was always a sucker for this in store. I can also see all the offers and buy what I need where as when you are walking round store you can often miss these. To help further, I plan to start meal planning in the new year so we have even less waste.

Like it or not, housework has to be done and having 3 boys there is a lot to do. Greener Cleaner recently sent me some of their products to review. I must say that I actually got excited over some cleaning products - who would have thought it!?!

The company state that 

"We are committed to delivering great products with outstanding performance while ensuring a kinder, ecologically sound way to help and protect the world we all live in."

I do need to make more of an effort at being more environmentally friendly and I was really impressed with the products that I received. They look good and come in a range of colours to suit most kitchens. I was also pleasantly surprised by the value. The scrubbing brush has been the most useful thing, and I am not sure how I coped without one! All of the products have been designed well and make cleaning slightly more enjoyable. I like the idea that you can help the environment without it costing you the earth.

Greener Cleaner have kindly offered one of my readers a cleaning bundle of their own. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway





Open to UK residents over the age of 18 only Entries will be moderated, so please make sure that you comment if necessary. There is one prize of bundle of cleaning products from Greener cleaner.  No cash alternative. No bulk or automated entries. If you have already won the prize on a separate blog giveaway with the same promoter they reserve the right to redraw a new winner.  The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will be notified by email (make sure you leave your contact details) and will have until 26th Feb to respond with their address. If they fail to respond a new winner will be drawn. No PO Box address Competition closes on 26th Jan at 12.00am . 


- See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/greener-cleaner-bundle#sthash.8LwzV25e.dpuf

Middle man has long been a fab of the Toca Boca apps, so when I heard that there was a new Toca Boca Kitchen app I was keen to see what it was like. In essence you get to cook for characters virtually and little man was happy to give the game a go. You can download the app here.

First it is always important to wash your hands.


Carefully grate some cheese, being careful not to grate any of your little fingers.


Using a child safe knife, cut up some ham. Or tear it if you prefer.


It is very important for all cooks to taste their food to check it tastes good so have a little nibble if you like.


It is always good to have some fruit or vegetables in your meal so carefully chop some tomatoes for your dish.


Eggs are great but their shells are not so good. Carefully bash an egg on the side of a bowl.


Then break the shell in half and throw it in the bin.


Whisk the egg with a fork and get your Mummy to melt some butter in a frying pan. get her to add the tomatoes then the egg. Then after a couple of minutes, arrange the cheese and ham as you wish on the omlette.


Now comes the best part! Eating the yummy omlette you have made.

I had never considered how many picnics I would go on when I had children. My boys revolve around eating and on days out we often take picnics. Unfortunately the British weather isn't always kind so having a warm drink is lovely. When Thremos offered me their stainless king flask I happily agreed as I thought of how I could have a nice warm drink on my trips to Legoland next year.

To start with the flask is big, massive infact. It holds a whopping 1.2l when full. Even I can't drink that much coffee. It states on the side that it keeps drinks hot or cold for 24hrs. I had to give it a go. You can watch my little video with how we got on.



I recently used the flask on a day out. I filled it up and left it for about 3 hours. No word of a lie my hot chocolate was too hot to drink as I poured it into the cup. I can see this being really useful on days out with the children and if it keeps drinks cold too then that will be fantastic when the sun does come out. It is really large and therefore really heavy. I am not really convinced about the handle, but I suppose if it was the only thing you were carrying it would be useful. I also think it would make a great present for a fisherman, My Dad often goes off into the cold of the night time to fish so filling the Thermos up before he goes would definately keep him warm. You can purchase a king flask from the Thermos website.



I was given the Thermos flask for the purpose of this review but the opinions contained here are my own.

Yep you read it right. Big man had an idea and managed to get away with if for a couple of days. Often when I go to give big man a bedtime kiss I am greeted with a scene like this:


He usually wears pants rather than PJ's then puts on his snuggly dressing gown and falls asleep in that. More often than not there is some giant soft toy around and since Rudolph is back from the loft he has been around.

It is probably important to stress here that I am not a morning person. It takes me ages to wake up and the other week big man bounded in for a cuddle. I looked at big man in a confused way. He was dressed with his dressing gown over the top. You are dressed already I exclaimed. Beaming from ear to ear he said yes and came for a cuddle. Yes I know looking back now it was obvious but it was before 7 in the morning and therefore I wasn't thinking straight.

It wasn't until the Thursday evening that the penny dropped. I went in to kiss big man goodnight. his duvet had slipped so I went to cover him up and realised he was fully clothed and in his dressing gown. I had left him after reading his story in his boxers! Yes big man had come up with an ingenious time saving method for getting dressed in the morning.

By doing it at night!

It is always nice to have someone else cook for you so when I was asked to review the Brewers Fayre festive menu I was more than happy. We haven't actually visited Brewers Fayre for a number of years so it was interesting to see what it was like. I tried to book for Saturday evening but with party season upon us they were fully booked. They advised that we could turn up on Saturday and see if there was space but we arrived at pm to be told there wasn't and so we booked for Sunday evening.

On Sunday it was still pretty busy but with less parties. However, there was a reserved table that had been set up.



We looked at the menu before going to the till to order. The children's festive menu only had a choice of Christmas dinner so that was easy even though I wasn't 100% sure if the boys would eat it. I also opted for the Christmas dinner whilst my husband went for a festive burger. As it was Sunday we had to have the 3 course menu for £13.99. On a weekday you can opt for a cheaper 2 course menu.



After ordering the manager came over with crackers, party blowers and colouring books for the children as we had ordered off of the festive menu. This kept them entertained whilst waiting for their food.



Our starters came. My husband had prawn cocktail and I had garlic mushrooms. They were both nice, but we would normally have opted for the 2 course purely on the basis that the children's menu didn't have a starter.


It wasn't long before our main meals were served.


I was shocked at how much big man managed to put away. All the meals tasted good, my only comment would be that my roast potatoes weren't the crispiest. Overall though it was nice.

Finally we ended the meal with dessert. The children had ice cream and I enjoyed a chocolate brownie. My husband had the Christmas pudding and commented that it tasted good.


The meal came to just over £50 which is reasonable for a family of 5. I would certainly recommend booking, especially at the weekend as it was even busy on a Sunday evening. The staff were good and came over a number of times to check everything was ok. Overall we were happy with our meal and would consider Brewers Fayre for a family meal in the future.








We recieved a £50 voucher in order for us to carry out this review, but the opinions contained here are my own.