Posts by jo

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17/06/2014 by jo

Fitbug Orb

The Fitbug Orb is the latest tracker from the Fitbug family.

The Fitbug Orb is the latest tracker from the Fitbug family – up to now we’ve been using the Fitbug Air, so I switched over when the Orb arrived in February, and found that while they’re identical (a straightforward setup and you wear them), there was quite a discrepancy in the number of steps I do daily. With the Air I’d be doing 5-6,000 a day, whereas with the Fitbug Orb it’s more like 12-13,000.

However, I’ve found it doesn’t matter it isn’t 100% accurate for me, as I do roughly the same amount of steps in the week, and a lot depends on what I do at weekends. So I’ve been using the Fitbug Orb as a guide to make sure I stay within a certain range of steps.

The Fitbug Orb can be worn several ways too – I choose to wear mine like a watch. Wearing it like a watch can have its moments thanks to occasionally popping off my wrist, but overall it’s sturdy and stays on. An extra loop on the wristband would have been a good idea.

Every day I sync with the app on my iPad (my Android phone is running old software), which requires an internet connection. Every week I get new targets for the following week which I try to achieve, though more often than not miss – but for me it’s about keeping active as much as possible. If I go to Pilates or swimming I log it online (it would be great to do that on the app). I haven’t been as active as I should be and my Fitbug Orb is a good reminder when I could walk rather than drive.

In summary, what could I say to persuade you to buy a Fitbug Orb?

I like that I can sync it easily, I like that it keeps me motivated and all I have to do is log any extra activity I do. There are a lot of extra things on the Fitbug website you can log such as food – hands up though, I am pretty rubbish at doing it – though might do it if you could within the app again. If you want to keep track of your daily steps and don’t like the idea of a pedometer on your waistband, it’s worth considering a Fitbug Orb. Given the other places you can wear it (attach to your bra or to your pants or just use the belt clip). I like that you can track your sleep, something I know I don’t get enough of.

The Fitbug Orb retains information for 14 days, so if you can’t send it to the app straight away you can do it when you’re ready.

So what do you get for £49.95? A years worth of Fitbug membership which gives you access to KiK – your own digital coach. When your year is up you have various options to continue to use the device, so can still be used. Check out the site here.

What do you get in the pack? A wrist strap, belt clip, lanyard and battery. I’d recommend a spare 3v cell lithium battery as mine is starting to lose its charge since February – but at 95p that doesn’t cost a lot. If you want a pedometer that will keep you motivated, I’m pretty pleased with the Fitbug Orb. I haven’t lost weight, but I’m keeping active – and that was my main motivation.

We were sent a Fitbug Orb for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

16/06/2014 by jo

I’m Going to BritMums 2014

Hello, I’ll be at BritMums 2014 on Friday and Saturday this coming weekend, my second one. What is there to say? I’ll do a few bullet points.

• I am the blogger who is very excited about having cassette shaped business cards.
• I am going to make loads of notes, as ever. They will probably go unread but I’ll remember everything.
• I will try not to drink too much wine.
• I will be on a search for savoury treats as sugar and me aren’t the best of friends at the moment.
• I might have a Powerpuff Girls/Star Wars t-shirt on if I’m feeling brave.
• I will almost certainly have a Uniqlo t-shirt on.

Things I learned last year.

• plan which sessions you want to go to. I missed some, and regret it.
• there is vegetarian food and it’s delicious!
• get into your ‘talking to other people’ mode as I blanked out a lot of the time and talked rubbish. It was nerves, caffeine and sugar last year!
• Everyone else will probably feel like that anyway.
• You’ll come away inspired. Even when there are things which you’re not a part of, something may set it off over the next year and take you back there. You’ll find new blogs to read.

Things I’m doing differently this year.

• I’m sharing a hotel room with Sonya and Lynn (who is a finalist on the video category of the BiBS). Wise move – going home on the Friday last year was tough, and I didn’t really sleep well. I want to get there early the next day.
• think about where you’re going and what you’re going to take. Do I really need the posh camera? No. Pens? Maybe, but they’ll be provided. Paper? Ditto.
• the brands. Talk more to the people on the stands, to the brands I’m interested in.

Anyway, I’ll be there at BritMums 2014, I’m looking forward to it, I’m less nervous and I’ll see YOU there too.

16/06/201416/06/2014 by jo

A Morrisons Summer Pudding

Morrisons have a price checker tool on their website, which helps identify low-priced everyday goods in-store. We got the ingredients together for a meringue treat for Shaun’s Fathers Day meal, so here are our Morrisons Summer Sweet Treats!

Fathers Day Meringue Sweet Treats

You need – Small meringue nests

Creme Fraiche

Fruit of any variety (we had cherries and blackberries as well as some tinned raspberries)

A chilled banana (important!)

It’s a simple one to make, and one which Shaun took over what with it being his day, him being Australian and loving anything pavlova-esque.

Simply wash and prepare your fruit. We used the cherries and blackberries (which were on a multibuy deal) for the meringue decoration, so washed these. TOP TIP – to remove a cherry stone, use a piping nozzle – the larger the better and twist it into the cherry. It comes out every time and your cherry stays intact.

The creme fraiche doesn’t need any preparation as it’s nice and thick. We chose the Morrisons NuMe Less than 5% Creme Fraiche which comes in at 90p currently on the price checker. Spoon it onto the meringue nest carefully.

Add the fruit – we did two cherries and two blackberries, with the puree on top.

No meringue nest is complete without a fruity sauce to drizzle over the top, so I put the majority of the raspberries from a tin of Morrisons Raspberries in Juice into a blender and gave it a good whizz around. (which comes in on the price checker at £1.14) I like my purees to have a kind of ice cream type of texture, so added half of the chilled banana – it makes such a difference cold rather than straight from the bowl too. Blend again.

Chill in the fridge until it’s time to eat.

Prep time is around five minutes, chill time as long as you want (though I’d make it as close as possible to when you plan to eat it), the meringues also lasted approximately five minutes too!

So that’s our Morrisons Summer pudding.

I was quite pleased to see that Morrisons intend to start deliveries in London by the middle of this year – I’m signed up and ready for the alert – hopefully it’ll be soon!

This post is an entry for the #MorrisonsMum Summer Recipe eBook Challenge sponsored by Morrisons, which has recently cut prices on over a thousand every day products. Find out more here: price checker tool

15/06/201426/03/2018 by jo

Moominsummer Madness at the Polka Theatre

The Polka Theatre in Wimbledon has a wide variety of children’s shows. Moominsummer Madness is on right now, and we got a chance to see it yesterday.

Moominsummer Madness is a play featuring of course The Moomins, based on the book of the same name by Tove Jansson.

Moominvalley is flooded, and the Moomins (Moominmamma, Moominpappa, Snork Maiden and Moomintroll and Little My) escape their flooded house after carefully retrieving their breakfast. They find a floating home which happens to be a theatre. They meet Emma who is in charge – after a few strange happenings. The Moomins are split up and try to make their way back to each other; the story ends with Moominpappa’s play ‘The Lion’s Bride’ being performed and the family are reunited. Misabel and Snufkin also make an appearance as well as a Hemulen Policeman who H got a photo with – the sign says ‘No Smiling’ (a bit blurry I’m afraid – but check out her fab t-shirt!)

I found the production wonderful – the four actors/puppeteers who controlled the Moomins did a brilliant job – and the Moomin puppets were amazing. There was a wonderful score with musical instruments accompanying it on stage, with a simple yet stunning set which complemented the story well. It was magical – everything complemented the feel of the Moomins. Truly, if you want an afternoon at the theatre and to come out smiling (and probably singing the songs in your head), choose Moominsummer Madness.

The Polka Theatre have a trailer which shows the wonderful puppets as well as some information about the show and how it was put together.

Moominsummer Madness runs from the 11th June to the 16th August in the Main Theatre and ties in with the Tove 100 celebrations, celebrating the art and life of Moomins creator Tove Jansson.

If you book your Moominsummer Madness tickets in June, the Polka Theatre have a draw to win Moomins goodies.

The running time is approximately 1 hour 35 minutes, and the recommended age is 4-8 years.

We were given tickets to watch Moominsummer Madness and a complimentary programme. All opinions are our own.

13/06/201426/03/2018 by jo

A Higgidy Challenge

We were sent a selection of Sarah Raven salad seedlings by Higgidy, with the task of making a salad to go alongside some of their delicious pies. You can’t beat a freshly grown salad – after all, you just pick it and eat it. Read on to find out how we got on!

Higgidy Pies need no introduction here. They’re my vegetarian pie of choice with excellent varieties to choose from as well as several meaty ones for Shaun and H. I love that they’re freshly made with healthy ingredients and that they taste good.

Higgidy are currently working with Sarah Raven on a ‘Grow Your Own’ campaign; you can get £5 off at the Sarah Raven site via Higgidy – and having grown our own this last month it’s much easier than you think – the time it took to grow to then being on our plates was around three weeks.

We were sent a selection of Sarah Raven salad seedlings which were: Rocket, Mizuna, Red Solix, Mustard Red Giant and Green Salad bowl. These were carefully planted in our back yard and lovingly watered by Shaun on a daily basis, though he had to claim another of my wine boxes that I’d converted into CD racks – I let him though. So what makes a good accompaniment for a Higgidy pie?

Take several rocket leaves (and a couple of mizuna too, and a few red solix). Slice an apple and a pear. Add some colourful dried fruit to the salad (I used cranberries and goji berries), and set aside to chill while the pie cooks (not too long as the apple will start to discolour) which should be around 25 minutes. I then chopped up a bit of red pepper, added it to some 0% Greek Yoghurt with a generous helping of freshly chopped mint and a couple of basil leaves, added a few cubes of feta, mix together and chill.

I received a selection of Higgidy pies, and for this meal chose the Sweet Potato & Feta Pie with Pumpkin Seeds, there’s a bit of a feta thing going on here, but the whole dish is also cool and fresh tasting which is nice when it’s hot like this.

Higgidy Pie and Salad I used the yoghurt as my dressing as I didn’t want too much of a flavour clash (and it mixes well with the apple) – if you wanted to thin out the yoghurt a bit use some lemon juice – it doesn’t overpower the taste. Once the Higgidy pie is ready, serve straight away. Yum! If you’re like me, not having a lot of time to spare this is a nice quick and easy meal to put together and filling too. The fruit in the salad kept it crisp and fresh tasting too, and I felt quite healthy afterwards!

Thank you Higgidy for this chance – we’re loving our salads so much I’ve just invested in a Salad Zinger, so we’ll have the best dressings to go with it!

We were sent a selection of Higgidy pies and seedlings from Sarah Raven to complete this challenge. Thank you!

11/06/201427/03/2018 by jo

School Shoes with Clarks

This morning it became patently obvious H needed some new school shoes and urgently. I put the question out to my Facebook friends – given we bought the Clarks Breamy Dream shoes back in September which have been used daily and have lasted well, what should I do? Should I get a cheaper pair to keep her going until the end of term, then shop at Clarks again for September?

The general consensus was to go with Clarks again – after all, they’re a brand we know and trust, we like the shoes and we can get a decent pair for around £30.

After school today I could tell H’s toes were right at the very end of her shoes. They didn’t hurt but it can’t have been much fun wearing them, so once she was changed from her uniform we headed straight out to our local Clarks in Wallington.

Clarks have a new way to measure feet in-store. A sort of iPad type of thing plugs into a foot gauge which is meant to measure your feet – interesting. We gave it a go, H putting in her age on the iPad type of thing, and standing on the gauge. Our reading came in at a size 11, fitting E. That felt a bit small to me, as when I’d last had her measured in January she was a 11. Five months at the same size didn’t seem right. Our server got us a selection of shoes, but each pair we tried didn’t quite fit, and felt tight.

So I went on my old-school gut feeling. We got out the manual measure and did H’s feet again. This time they came up a 11.5 G – which sounds much more how it should be. Our server got us another selection of shoes, and the first pair we tried fitted perfectly. Not tight, just right.

So now she’s a proud owner of a pair of Clarks Dance Step Infant shoes, costing just £28. We also bought some nail varnish type stuff, as these have patent toes which will inevitably get scuffed.

I was quite surprised the computer shoe fitter wasn’t as accurate as doing it manually, so if it doesn’t seem right do ask for your child to be measured again. They’re smart shoes, and most importantly of all, she has a comfy pair to dance in at the school disco tomorrow night!

We’ve been really pleased with Clarks quality on the Breamy Dream shoes, and the fact they’ve lasted so long and still look good is important. I’m hoping the Dance Step Infant shoes last just as long – I suspect they will.

Having checked the Clarks site, you can even buy a gauge for £8 to measure feet at home – now THAT appeals…

05/06/201427/08/2017 by jo

A Shelf In My House

This is a shelfie, a snapshot into the chaos that surrounds my life on a daily basis. This is also my favourite shelf, it’s the one I seem to keep the important bits of my life on.

If we were to work from the top left, there are a pile of CDs. Box sets from work by Buffalo Tom, The Icicle Works and The Fall as well as an Indie Anthems compilation. Above that a Seriously 80s compilation. These really need moving upstairs with the rest of my music, but haven’t moved for a while. If you go along the shelf there’s my address book and our National Trust 2014 Handbook. Underneath that there’s some MoYou nail patterns – I picked them up at the Devon County Show last year and couldn’t get them to work as well as the ladies who were demonstrating them at the show. Always the way. To the far right are some Comic Relief deely boppers from last year and a pile of DVD-Rs.

If you move down the shelf, there are a section of DVDs, including the Mr Men one (the proper 1970s version of course) and the card tube is something H made which is apparently “very precious”. It has lived there for a couple of months now, hiding the Wiggles DVDs. In front of those is my sparkly limited edition Clarins perfume bottle and some Caffeine eye roll on from Aldi – if I kept all this in my bedroom I’d forget to put it on, when it’s on the shelf I remember. The Clarins perfume props up more CDs. (and yes, there’s more below that too)

That’s a wedding photo of Shaun and I in the middle, we’re coming up to our eleventh anniversary soon – I like that picture as the confetti covers my face, so I don’t spoil it by pulling a funny face. Tucked behind it are some loom patterns which we need to work through. In front of that is a gemstone which is meant to bring good luck and harmony to a house. I bought it in Lyme Regis, and H chose the stone. Next to that? A Marie Curie daffodil in a pencil sharpener. Obviously.

Three red love hearts from H are next to that, made from clay from Hobbycraft, waiting for a piece of string to be threaded into a little necklace for me. There’s a small acorn which lost its hat a few months ago, and Shaun glued back on for H, and we left it there to dry. Next to that, a green bottle we got in our Cybher goody bags last year, and a horse badge H got for her birthday. A shell that H picked lives next to that. On the end there is some kind of USB connector, I don’t know what for, but it’s there for the time I do remember what it is, and I know it’ll be on The Shelf.

After that, there’s just books behind. A Grow Your Own, some cookery books, Shaun’s Perth book and if you work your way back you can just about see the Red Ted Art book which we use from time to time. A Crystal Palace Foundation football medal hangs down which H was awarded recently in her classes.

So that is our shelf – easily the one I use the most in the house.

01/06/201401/06/2014 by jo

Sleeping Beauty – Out on DVD, Blu-Ray and Download

On June 2nd 2014, Walt Disney’s classic Sleeping Beauty is released on DVD, Blu-Ray and download. We have been sent a copy to watch, so had one of our ‘moovy nites’ (according to H).

Sleeping Beauty needs no introduction – the Walt Disney film is 55 years old. I know I’ve seen it, and remembered parts when we watched it, and it was a lovely opportunity to revisit childhood memories.

So, the story. The princess is born and named Aurora, three good fairires Flora, Fauna and Merryweather cast magical gifts to her, though before the third can be done Maleficent the evil sorceress places a curse on her – that she will die before sunset on her sixteenth birthday by touching the poisoned spindle of a spinning wheel. Fortunately Merryweather casts a spell – Aurora will fall into a deep sleep and just has to be kissed by her one true love to wake up.

The film is easy to follow, the memories came back (the changing colour of her dress mainly!), and the ending is a happy one. H liked it best when “the mean lady was dead, and when the colours changed on the dress as that was very funny listening to their argument!”

This Sleeping Beauty release is perfectly timed with the new Angelina Jolie film Maleficent. It’s a film I’d like to see but as it’s rated PG it’ll be one we watch at home I suspect. Maleficent isn’t cast as an evil sorceress, she’s a badly treated one – something which the Disney film doesn’t portray. Both stories are based on the Brothers Grimm story ‘Little Briar Rose’.

Sleeping Beauty took most of the 1950’s to produce – and was Disney’s last animation which was hand-crafted using ink before they moved onto xerography – though it did feature in this film in the dragon sequences before being re-drawn in pen and ink. The music throughout the film is taken from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet, which earned the film an Academy Award.

There are bonus features on the DVD and Blu-Ray too – we enjoyed watching a short about the Grand Canyon which was shown in cinemas at the original theatrical release of Sleeping Beauty.

We have some lovely activity sheets for you to download and print out – have fun! We’re going to have a go at them all – right click on the image to download the pdf please!

Sleeping Beauty is released on DVD, Blu-Ray and download tomorrow, Monday 2nd June 2014. (affiliate link)

We were sent a copy of Sleeping Beauty for the purpose of review – all opinions are our own!

26/05/201426/05/2014 by jo

Polesden Lacey May-hem this Half Term

Come to Polesden Lacey this half term for a bit of May-hem!

It’s Polesden Lacey May-hem! As part of the National Trust’s ’50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾ ‘ campaign, children can choose to hunt for mini-beasts or a spot of orienteering (or even do both like we did!), from 11am every day, Saturday 24 May to Sunday 1 June. We visited on Sunday 25th May, a fine day as far as weather goes too!

For the price of normal admission, plus £1 per activity, pick up a trail journal with lots of information on the bugs you might find in the Polesden grounds, and the best places to start looking. Or find your way around the gardens using only a map and compass. Collect the secret letters, but don’t get lost!

At the end of the trail there are further activities to do – see the world like a fly would by wearing the groovy glasses! Do some bark rubbing on the trees (and we used our new Usborne cards to spot which trees we’d chosen as well) and feel how a fly can walk up a wall.

Of course, a trip to Polesden Lacey isn’t complete without a walk around the grounds which these two trails are perfect for – plus they follow the same route so if you’re feeling really adventurous, do both! How else can you check whether you like butter or not? Or spend a quick half hour in the natural play area? While there aren’t many toilets around the grounds, there are plenty of refreshment stops, which we made good use of (as well as the fantastic cafe as you come in which was well replenished and had freshly baked food on offer).

’50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾’ is a great way for your family to enjoy a day out together, including trails, activities and loads of inspirational ideas.

You can visit any participating National Trust place to pick up your 50 things scrapbook; then download a planner to find out where to tick off the activities in your area at nationaltrust.org.uk/southeast.

You can log your adventures, unlock secret challenges and collect rewards at nationaltrust.org.uk/50things.

20/05/201420/05/2014 by jo

belVita – Because Sometimes I’m a Bit Too Busy.

I seem to be constantly rushing around and finding I’ve run out of time to get things done – such as remembering to bake some bread for toast for my breakfast. It’s good to know there’s something out there which can help; belVita Breakfast Biscuits is their name, and you need to know more.

belVita breakfast biscuits come in thirteen flavours, which all release carbohydrates slowly over four hours. Slow release. I know a bit about that, having followed the GI diet a couple of times – one of those being when I had Gestational Diabetes. I had to look foods that release carbs slowly to help keep my blood sugars level – so a quick croissant is a no-no due to the sugar crash you’ll get. Slow-release carbs also make you feel fuller for longer too.

When you’re rushing around constantly from around 6.30 in the morning until 10 at night such as we often are, you often need a bit of help, which is where belVita comes in. I have a fine selection on my desk thanks to being sent some; some even have chocolate in – which is important when you crave chocolate as often as I do. To stop me going overboard the biscuits are wrapped in individual portion sizes. Too many people skip breakfast, and it’s probably the most important meal of the day.

Here’s a sample day in my week:

2.55pm arrive home from work. Leave bags at home, fill washing machine, set wash off, head to school pickup.
3.30pm – home from school, snack time. Read schoolbooks and get H changed out of her uniform and ready for her swimming lesson. Make sure we eat no food an hour beforehand.
4pm – The washload has finished need to get it out on the line. Put in another load. Check some work I needed to keep an eye on.
4.30 – Head out for swimming lessons. Forget to put talc in H’s swimming hat so rush inside and do it quickly.
5pm – swimming. H gets a couple of awards so we hang around afterwards to pick them up from reception.
6pm – back home again, washing done. Make dinner. Go upstairs to switch on water. Switch it on. Do something else. Think “I really must switch on the water” so go to switch it on, realise it has already been done. Go downstairs again. Curse myself for forgetting to switch on the water, so head back upstairs. Realise I’ve done it and I am losing the plot. Remember to cook dinner though.
6.30 – Shaun arrives home, I head out for a swim.
7.15 – get home again, put H and my swimming things in the wash. Eat the dinner I made at 6pm. Read emails for the day and reply to what I can in around ten minutes.
7.40 – dry H’s hair, get her into bed, cuddle with her for a bit.
8pm – Forget about dessert.
8.45 – watch The Amazing Race on YouTube via our new Chromecast. It’s much easier and nicer than cables from the laptop into the tv too. Too tired to think about anything else. Shaun is also too tired to think about anything else. Remember I forgot about dessert.
10pm – write up some blog posts I need to do.
11pm – bed.
6.30am – wake up and get ready for work.
7.15 – realise we have no bread as we’d forgotten to make some the previous night. Feel kind of relieved I have a good supply of belVita at my desk at work; the sensible place to leave them as otherwise Shaun would eat them all at home (in fact, just tonight he asked why I didn’t bring them home – for that VERY reason!)
8.10am – get into work, settle with a large cappucino from Costa and a belVita biscuit portion.
8.30 – start work, and I don’t feel hungry.
11.00am – I usually have my morning snack around now, but still feel full – result!

This represents a typical day, where I’m constantly forgetting things in our daily lives (as is Shaun). Having belVita handy means I’m not buying croissants or sticky buns – which are always the till options when I’m buying my lunch.

belVita’s balanced breakfast would include the following – a belVita breakfast biscuit portion (they’re individually wrapped), a portion of fruit, a serving of dairy and a drink to hydrate. See? Not too tricky at all really!

You can follow belVita on Facebook. If you fancy trying them, they’re available in all supermarkets.

This post is an entry for the #morningstories linky challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at www.facebook.com/belVitaUK

We were sent three packs of belVita Breakfast Biscuits to try, all opinions are our own.

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