Month / November 2015

by jo

Project 365 – Week 48

Sunday 22nd November. A trip to Igtham Mote, a National Trust place in Kent that we haven’t visited, which was really charming and all set up for Christmas. Oh god, it’s Christmas soon. Good job I’m vaguely organised. Where is this year going? H took her class bear and we got a few photo opportunities.

H & Clouds at Igtham Mote

Monday 23rd November. Morning! A pink and blue kind of morning to wake up to, heading on my commute to work. Getting colder.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Tuesday 24th November. So Shaun and I went through everything under the stairs, recycled loads and gave away some toys that H has forgotten about. Relief! Space! Which will be filled soon with more things I’m sure. I found my lovely Snoopy which I had back in the 1970s – H wants to adopt him. I’m having none of it. She cackled “hahaaha one day this will be mine anyway. WHEN YOU DIE!!!!” which was a bit weird.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Wednesday 25th November. I don’t remember Wednesday this week. Although H’s friend came to play after school, but I won’t be posting the pic as I don’t have his mum’s permission to do so – just take my word for it.

Thursday 26th November. I really resent having to buy costumes for H for school because I don’t have the time to make them. Fortunately a local selling group on Facebook had this wonderful costume for sale, so she will go to her year’s Christmas event dressed respectably (otherwise she’d have been relying on my needlework skills – I got a CSE4 in it…)

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Friday November 27th. H wrote this poem about fireworks for her home learning from school a few weeks ago. She worked on it well, after writing loads of words which reminded her of the fireworks, sounds, smells, feelings, we looked for ones that rhymed and she wrote this poem.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Saturday November 28th. I woke up feeling weird, my ear making a banging noise – not good. So I did the sensible thing and we took H to football. Mid-way through Shaun went home to get the car, it was THAT cold. Sensible move. H stood in goal, and was sweaty hot – she did get some running around. Someone needs to make clothes suitable for football mums like me…

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

by jo

Chocologic Chocolate

“Would you like to try chocolate with no calories” said the email. HELL YES! I replied, possibly a bit more politely, and a week or two later a package arrived for me from Chocologic.

chocologic bars

Chocologic are launching in the UK at the end of November 2015. I was sent three varieties of the chocolate to try – Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate.

I was interested as my history of having diabetes (when I was pregnant) means I’m at risk of it developing in later life – so I do need to look out for signs. But how diabetes-friendly is Chocologic?

Chocologic Milk Chocolate

Chocologic say their chocolate has “no influence on the glycemic level” – this is marvellous news!!

In addition, there are those times of the month when you need to eat chocolate. Would Chocologic help in those times of need?

It definitely helped. A lot. Include that it has been stressful at work and I haven’t wanted to share my bars and I’ve eaten a couple of chunks and made them last (rather than scoffing the lot), and it gets a thumbs up from me.

One interesting side affect for me, every time I had some Chocologic chocolate, I got the hiccups. Very funny!

Chocologic Milk Choc and Hazelnut

So, why is Chocologic so fantastic? Because it is sweetened with Stevia, a natural plant-based sweetener. It can be up to 300 times sweeter than ordinary sugar. Also, Stevia doesn’t contain calories. At Blogfest this weekend just gone I was given a Stevia plant, so I’m going to be doing a bit more exploring with it soon…

But the main question, how does it taste?

I was sent all three varieties – and of the three, I finished the Milk Chocolate with Hazelnut first which isn’t like me as that would usually be the one I’d leave till last. The Milk Chocolate variety was the next to go, and I have a few chunks left of the Dark Chocolate version in my drawers at work. The two milk chocolate varieties were as good as a regular milk chocolate – say Cadbury’s when they made creamier chocolate. I would definitely buy these again. The Dark Chocolate is one I would buy Shaun – with his dairy allergies, and how quickly he’ll scoff a bar of chocolate, having a low calorie low sugar alternative is a good thing, especially with the chances of him developing diabetes too.

Chocologic Dark Chocolate

The best thing about the bars is how affordable they are – they retail in Tesco for £1.29 for the Milk Chocolate version and £1.49 for the other two. That’s my kind of price, and my kind of product! Keep an eye out for some promotions coming soon too!

Chocologic looks like it’s available from all good supermarkets – I’m definitely going to be buying some more. We were sent the three bars for the purpose of review – all opinions are my own. You can follow Chocologic on Twitter here

by jo

BookTrust Digital Advent Calendar!

BookTrust, Britain’s largest reading charity has launched the BookTrust Digital Advent Calendar featuring the very best children’s books that families might want to share this Christmas.

BookTrust Digital Advent Calendar

The BookTrust Digital Advent Calendar is launching very soon, and visitors will also get the chance to win all 24 books featured, and have them delivered in time for Christmas!

The BookTrust team chose the books that they feel children would most love to find under their Christmas tree or in their stocking. The selection, which is aimed at children up to the age of 12, features both classics and new stories and picture books from the very best authors and illustrators.

Each day leading up to Christmas Day, a picture of a specially selected book will appear behind a calendar window, along with the reasons it was chosen.

BookTrust Chief Executive, Diana Gerald, said: “This is good festive fun with a serious edge to it, we know that developing a love of reading brings enormous benefits and is linked to children doing very well at school and living balanced lives.

“Exposing children to fantastic authors and illustrators at a young age will encourage them to enjoy reading so we want to help parents by pointing them in the direction of books their kids will love.”

Included is Matt Haig’s fantastic new story, A Boy Called Christmas, [Canongate] illustrated by Chris Mould. Matt brings his signature wit and warmth to this seasonal chapter-book, which is sure to delight young readers.

A Boy Called Christmas

Another title, this time for younger readers, is Judith Kerr’s picture book, Mog’s Christmas [HarperCollins]. This classic picture book celebrates the joys of preparing for Christmas, although it all seems rather strange from a cat’s point of view!

Also hiding behind one of the windows is a beautiful non-fiction title, Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill [Flying Eye Books]. This marks the 100th anniversary of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, with informative text and a wealth of beautifully detailed coloured pencil drawings.

The calendar also features the nation’s favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo, with his new book, An Eagle in the Snow [HarperCollins]. Michael, who is also the BookTrust President, teams up with illustrator Michael Foreman for this short but immersive novel. Based on a true story of a highly decorated World War I soldier, children will love this thought-provoking tale. Another inclusion is the The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton [Walker Books] about Princess Pinecone who wants a warrior horse for her birthday but gets a short, fat, farting pony instead. This is a hilarious book with a feminist message that shows girls can be strong and creative.

The calendar goes live on December 1st, and will be found here:

http://www.booktrust.org.uk/advent-calendar or on Twitter #BookTrustAdvent

by jo

Project 365 – Week 47

Sunday 15th November. West Run London day – and it’s probably a good job I couldn’t take my camera with me. A photographer positioned himself in front of H and I and took a picture, never to be shown. Well firstly, we didn’t get the free Fun Run t-shirt everyone had (we got a number, mind) – though I’m hoping that will arrive in the post soon. It was a well-run event with changing rooms (I’ve never seen that before!) and goodies from Wholefoods afterwards too. Our sponsorship total is almost at 100% as well – and H and I ran the whole ONE mile which is quite an achievement for me, and H has never done anything like that before. Next stop Race for Life! Oh, and I’d recommend West Run London – but just make sure you get your t-shirt at the event.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Monday 16th November. Achey. Busy work. The District line has trains like on the Overground – you can get on at the furthest carriage and walk all the way up to the front!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Tuesday 17th November. The latest Okido arrived!

Okido November 2015

Wednesday 18th November. A Lovely album. Played a lot in the office, and I weakened and bought it. I don’t buy albums very often, so they have to be special.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Thursday 19th November – The Elves are in stock at Tiger Stores! Just £1 and much prettier than the ones on a shelf!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Friday 20th November. H got the class bear. We need to make our lives interesting for the next week. Super proud she is Star of the Week (she did well in her maths, she said other kids did more than her, but I pointed out it’s not about comparing herself to others, it’s about doing what her teacher wants her to do and getting it done accurately). So I’m happy with that!

H and clouds

Saturday 21st November. Blogfest 2015! So much to do, so little time. Brilliant content, yummy food, skipped the awards bit (as I didn’t really care) and hung out at the bookshop instead. My phone takes terrible photos, although this one at King’s Cross came out well. Not sure why. I attended the photography session and I’m going to get the DSLR out again and have a proper play, as it has taken a back seat this last year or so.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

by jo

Project 365 – Week 46

Sunday 8th November. A calm day after a crazy night before at the local bonfire. I decided I need to wear the clothes I buy rather than keeping them “for best” – so wore my lovely new Seasalt Cornwall skirt. Love it, and a good length for me too.

Seasalt skirt

Monday 9th November. Would I like to try some chocolate which has no sugar? Oh yes please. So I’ve been trying this, at my desk, at work. I’m not sharing, I need to test it properly.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Tuesday 10th November. Completely random – we were left a blank envelope on our doorstep which had this inside – a random act of kindness. I’m thinking about adding the amount to the sponsorship money we’re collecting for the fun run we’ve done, as we’re raising money for the Little Princess Trust. How random and kind though! I have to admit, once I’d got over how nice it was I then got paranoid – that’ll be living in London that does that to you.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Wednesday 11th November. I’ve been given the chance to test a Leafcard via work for £1 for a year – if you’re with someone and eat at one of their partner restaurants, you can get a vegetarian meal for free. So if I use it once I’ve made my money back. Interesting, but we’ll see how we go.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Thursday 12th November. Giant crumpets. So giant I had just the one and felt full. So good though, I do love crumpets. They’re also handy as a quick breakfast when you’re heading out for a fun run (I now speak from experience).

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Friday 13th November. Work is crazy at the moment, to the point I’m getting home and still doing some work. This is all due to our biggest album release (possibly ever) next Friday, and the lead-up to it and where my work kicks in. It has involved sleepless nights and worried days, but it’s worth it. Fortunately I keep my regular hours and work has employed someone to help me out (he was off sick for two days though, so Thursday and Friday wore me out) – so to get home and get a package for H from my mum-in-law was a good break from it all. There is a Christmas shop in Toodyay which is open all year round, and she sent H some things, two of which are here.

Aussie Christmas decorations

Saturday 14th November. Back in March I bought tickets for H and I to see Annie on stage in Wimbledon. She has never seen the stage show, and didn’t know the songs which didn’t feature in the films (until I bought her the soundtrack for her birthday), and I hadn’t seen it on stage since the eighties. We HAD to go. I may have had little tears in my eyes re-living my youth with my daughter, and she loved it. No Craig Revel Horwood as Miss Hannigan, we had Lesley Joseph (and I was fine with that) – she was good too, although I couldn’t spot her American accent too often! But she was well suited for the role.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

by jo

Aldi Winter Warmers

It is no secret I enjoy drinking a good wine. When Aldi got in touch asking if I’d like to try a bottle from their winter warmers range, I immediately agreed, after all, it’s wine and if I like it I’ll be going back to buy more. So what was the verdict?

Aldi Winter Warmers

Aldi’s new winter warmers range has a fine selection of wine and spirits. I was sent a bottle of white and red to try – and with both coming in at very reasonable prices, I wanted to see how they compared to wines we might buy closer to home around the same price.

I was sent the Vignobles Roussellet Pinot Noir (price £4.39) which is described as a delightful, elegant red with soft smooth flavours of rich red fruits and lush berries. With pinot noir grapes from across france, this wine is perfect with roast lamb.

Now, being a vegetarian I’m not about to try it with lamb, however, I can say this is easily one of the best red wines I’ve drunk in a long time. So much so, that when I went back to buy more I made sure I stocked up on this one for Christmas – it’s divine. You know how sometimes red wine has a certain taste, a heavier one? This feels light and fruity, without being too sweet. I loved it!

I was also sent The Exquisite Collection Gavi (price £5.49) which is produced from the cortese grapes grown around the town of Gavi in the Piemonte wine region. The Exquisite Collection Gavi is refreshing and has aromatic tangy lemon, weighty fruit and a subtle waxy nuttiness. This Italian white wine works well with antipasti, creamy pasta sauces or risotto. It’s a good wine too!

Both wines are available in-store at Aldi now in their Winter Warmers range – although if you’re anywhere near the Coulsdon branch then if there’s a shortage of these two wines, I’m sorry, I got there first…

We were sent the wines for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own!

by jo

How to be a Cowboy Activity Book by Alice V. Lickens

There comes a time in a little girl’s life when she needs some help. Sometimes it’s help that mummies and daddies can’t give, even though we try. Sometimes she likes to think she’s independent and doesn’t need us parents. When it comes to being a Cowboy, well, she’s going to need a bit of help, and this wonderful book from Alice V. Lickens is a very good place to start.

How to be a Cowboy by Alice Lickens

How to be a Cowboy is packed with fun illustrations and activities – and is ideal for any aspiring cowboys or girls. Inside you can find a map of Cowboy States, information about what is On The Ranch, and most importantly of all, information about Cowboy Boots.

As the book says, “A cowboy needs a ranch name to be shouted across the prairie. What would yours be?” – and there are plenty to choose from!

How to be a Cowboy by Alice Lickens

How to be a Cowboy also has a page on stetsons, so you know one from another. Add to that a page of stickers and at the back, a dress up cowboy doll, and it’s a fun book packed with information – and one H is really enjoying reading.

how to be a cowboy doll by Alice Lickens

I love the illustrations by Alice V. Lickens – they’re all very clear and bright. We’re familiar with her work, as we have her ‘Can You Dance to the Boogaloo’ book. There are maps (H LOVES maps) and trails, including some Cattle Trails marked out too. Have you ever wondered what each cowboy has job-wise when they’re on the trail? You can find that out in How to be a Cowboy too!

how to be a cowboy stickers

Of course, no cowboy is truly complete without being taught how to speak like a cowboy. Fortunately this book has plenty of phrases, including ‘Jackaroo’ which Shaun says is an Australian Cowboy. See! I’ve learnt something too.

Finally, when you’re at home on the range you need to have some basic meals to cook – and luckily, How to be a Cowboy has four of them you can try. I’m not convinced about Sock Coffee though!

how to be a cowboy food

All in all, the How to be a Cowboy activity book is lots of fun. Published by Pavilion Books, and with a RRP of £9.99, it’s available on 12th November – perfectly timed for any Cowboys who need something to read this Christmas!

Alice V. Lickens is a freelance illustrator, author and designer based in London. She has worked with Lonely Planet, National Trust, Random House, Pavilion Books, Walker Books and The Guardian. Alice is also one of the first illustrators in the UK who was chosen for the Sendak Fellowship, and went to work at Maurice Sendak’s residence in Connecticut in 2012. Her website is here. We also love that her site links to Maggie Li and Frann Preston Gannon – both are favourites of ours here!

We were sent the book for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. 

by jo

Project 365 – Week 45

Sunday 1st November. The last day of the holidays, and a lazy one at that. Plus we were recovering from Halloween, even though we didn’t do very much apart from drink and be tired. H, on the other hand, went trick or treating with her friends and came back with all these sweets. Sigh.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Monday 2nd November. Sorted for the fireworks this Saturday!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Tuesday 3rd November. We got the Call of Dooom from school, H had been sick in class so that’s a straight 48 hour exclusion from her classmates from the last bit of sick. Luckily, the first bit was the last bit, but it meant Shaun took off Wednesday with her and I took off Thursday. So I took this photo to show her Nanna in Australia she was doing fine. Seriously, had she not been so tired, and been sick I wouldn’t have believed she was unwell!

H in bed

Wednesday 4th November. The only photo I took today was of my list of bands I have to check daily at YouTube which I’m not about to post here! So take my word for it that I posted a photo.

Thursday 5th November. H’s elbow and knee pads arrived from China, and they included this in the package which was sweet.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Friday 6th November. I ordered a Himalayan Salt Lamp on Thursday from Salty Lamps, and it arrived the following day – great service, and a lovely glow. I’m hoping it helps with how rubbish I always feel at home, as it’s meant to help clean the air. I always feel at my best when I’m by the sea, and being stuck in South London is too far away from it, for obvious reasons! So we’ll see how we get on.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Saturday 7th November. Fireworks, the annual trip to Carshalton’s display. It actually felt quite uncomfortable this year when they were cheering the guy (called Boris) until he finally burnt. I think I’m overthinking a lot this year! It was still enjoyable, and H got to play with her friends so she was happy (apart from when she wasn’t!). A good night.

Fireworks 2015

by jo

An Important Topsy & Tim Update

This was posted on the Topsy & Tim Facebook page this morning – in case you missed it, and it’s relevant for the episode next week (October 11th) ‘Lovely Mossy’

Topsy & Tim on Cbeebies

Mossy Storyline
(Plot Spoiler Alert!)

We can see there has been some speculation about Mossy on the Topsy and Tim facebook page over the past few weeks, therefore we are now confirming, for parents who would like to be forewarned, that we will be covering the death of Mossy in Episode 9 of the current series of Topsy and Tim. Episode 9 titled ‘Lovely Mossy’ is to transmit on Wednesday 11th November at 5pm (and again on Saturday 14th November at 10.45am and 3.40pm).

Also, at the end of Episode 8 titled ‘New Glasses’, Topsy and Tim see Dad head off to the vets to visit Grandma, who’s very worried about Mossy. Episode 8 is to transmit on Wednesday 4th November at 5pm (and again on Saturday 7th November at 10.45am and 3.40pm)

A great deal of consideration has gone into this particular story strand of Topsy and Tim. The current series sets out to reflect a time for the twins when there are many new emotional challenges to overcome as they grow up and settle into Year One at school. Topsy’s visit to hospital and Tim’s poor eyesight and subsequent visit to the optometrist reflect the sorts of challenges children of this age might face. We have been careful to handle these topics, and of course the big challenge of the death of a much loved pet, sensitively and we hope parents and carers will find these episodes useful as their children grow. In particular we hope parents/carers will find the episode Lovely Mossy valuable in helping their children experience, indirectly, the emotions involved in losing a much-loved pet. So if you do have any concerns about your child’s response to this storyline, we recommend you watch or record the episode or watch it on playback first and then watch it together with your child when you feel prepared for any questions they may ask.

This article may also be a useful guide – it’s written by the Blue Cross to help support a child at the time of losing a pet… (https://www.bluecross.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/Children%20and%20pet%20loss.pdf)

After Episode 9 ‘Lovely Mossy’, Episode 10 ‘All Change’ (due to transmit on Wednesday 18th November at 5pm, then again Saturday 21st November at 10.45am and 3.40pm) concludes the series with a story, some months later, about other changes in the twins’ lives. There is mention that Mossy has died during this episode.

We hope this information helps.

Source – Mossy Storyline (Plot Spoiler Alert!) We can see there has been some speculation about Mossy on the Topsy and Tim… Posted by Topsy and Tim on Wednesday, 4 November 2015

by jo

Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set

As Parragon Book Buddies we’re sent a different book every month, targeted at older readers. This month’s book is the Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set.

Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set box

The Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set consists of the kind of puzzles you occasionally find in Christmas Crackers – you know the ones. You have two pieces of metal and you have an objective – to get them to link together in a certain way.

The set also comes with a 16 page booklet explaining how the puzzles are solved, as well as 30 Insanely Baffling Puzzles – and they are too! Some are obvious, and some take a bit of thinking about. Try this one – ‘A man sits by a window reading. No light is switched on in the room, there is no moon outside and he has no torch, lamp or candle, yet he can still see to read – how is this possible? I got this one straight away (phew, I’m not losing my common sense just yet then!).

Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set open box

I like that this isn’t just for kids – the puzzles can be just as tricky for an adult, and I have to be honest, I’m the kind of person who ends up going to the solution when it comes to the metal puzzles – and the Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set has six of them!

I know this is the kind of activity book I’ll be getting out when I want to make sure H stays off the Wii U or her tablet – I like that it makes you think about things, and that you can recreate some of the puzzles too (the kind where a shape is built from toothpicks, and you have to remove two to create another shape, sort of thing). Definitely one which will be living on the games shelves and will be getting a lot of use!

Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set book and shapes

The Professor Murphy Metal Puzzle Set has a RRP of £6.99 and is suitable for age 6 and upwards.

We were sent a copy of the book for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own.