Category / Review

by jo

Higgidy Quiche – A Follow-Up Post

We promised a follow-up post when we managed to locate the new Higgidy limited edition quiche.

Higgidy have a new limited edition quiche – Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar in stores now. Today was a hot day, the kind of day you don’t want to bother doing the cooking so we headed to the large Sainsburys in Croydon and found it there as well as a good selection of the other Higgidy pies and quiches in their range.

eating outdoors

I knew H might not be keen on the Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar as she really doesn’t like onion so I also picked up a Higgidy Spinach, Feta and Toasted Pine Nut Pie.

And as predicted she wasn’t keen but ate the pie without any bother. It’s definitely the onion, which I didn’t think was that strong (but it could also be a texture thing).

Higgidy Tea

I really like the Spinach, Feta and Toasted Pine Nut pie as we’ve had it before. The Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar quiche was yummy and went well with our salad (spinach and watercress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil).

The large quiche is a limited edition but is still available in-store. I had a bit of trouble finding it but found the large branches of Sainsburys stock it – so bear that in mind if you’re looking for that one specifically.

Higgidy Quiche
Higgidy are running another competition – you can win some goodies from them (as long as you’re a new parent or a parent-to-be), all you have to do is pop your details on this page – the competition is open for one week after the royal baby arrives, so given today is (allegedly) the due day, you don’t have too long to try! Good luck!

We were sent vouchers to try the Higgidy pies and quiches, all opinions are our own.

by jo

Monsters University Soundtrack

Out now is the Monsters University soundtrack – here’s our review.

The Monsters University Soundtrack  is out now. We saw the film a couple of weeks ago, and loved it. I reviewed it for the very lovely Sharon over at I Heart Motherhood where we had a fabulous time.

Monsters University soundtrack

So, the soundtrack – think of it as more of a score than a soundtrack. While certain things didn’t bring back memories, one of the key bits of the film, the disco in the frat party, stood out and the music from Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia is definitely our highlight of the songs here. It also has H jump up and dance every time (while pulling her best monster face).

The score is composed by Randy Newman and doesn’t disappoint, as ever. The last song is the only one with any vocals, everything else is instrumental – and Newman added a unique flair to his score, calling on renowned international drum corps The Blue Devils to contribute a definitively collegiate sound. The composer also used elements of concert band music to create the feeling of being in school. In fact, said Newman, “There’s a little bit of Brahms’ ‘Academic Festival Overture’ when Mike is riding the pig. I like to think Brahms would be extremely flattered by his inclusion in the score.”

Not all songs featured in the movie are on the soundtrack. Mastodon’s song ‘Island’ is one which jumps out, though you can buy it separately rather than as part of the soundtrack anyway. If you enjoyed Monsters University, then you’ll probably enjoy the Monsters University Soundtrack.

Check out the trailer which features a lot of the Swedish House Mafia song!

The Monsters University Soundtrack is available now as a download

We were sent a digital copy of the album for review. Please note the download link is an affiliate link.

by jo

We Love Books – Goodnight Little One by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Little OneWe’ve reviewed a Margaret Wise Brown book (‘Runaway Bunny’) a while back which H loves, so having the opportunity to review this book was one I jumped at.

‘Goodnight Little One’ was published for the first time by Parragon in 2012 and is a lovely calm book, perfect for night time reading. Lots of simple lovely rhymes with each animal in the story, the last line of each verse ‘little (animal) close your eyes’ until you get to the little child at the end.

It has a lovely slow pace to it and is already one of H’s new favourite books. If you’re looking for a beautifully illustrated  book which will appeal to 3-6 year olds, then this is one to consider.

We Love Books at Mum Friendly

We received a copy of this book as part of the Parragon Book Buddy blogger book review club that has recently been launched. All opinions are our own and honest.

by jo

We Love Books – Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs by Giles Paley-Phillips

Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs

H is entering a fabulously non-girly phase in her life, with a love of monsters and dinosaurs, so this book is perfect for us right now.

It’s funny, it has silly rhymes and makes us all laugh – ‘Did you know that dinosaurs, are still around today? They didn’t die off long ago, they never went away’ then goes into everything that dinosaurs actually do these days.

The illustrations are fun and there’s a lot to talk about on each picture. Did you know dinosaurs like to rollerskate, doing the Highland fling, starring in movies, and sailing the seven seas?

It’s a fun book, and one that has been receiving a nightly read since BritMums – it is released properly in the UK in August 2013, so keep an eye out on Parragon Books!

We Love Books at Mum Friendly

We received a copy of this book as part of the Parragon Book Buddy blogger book review club that has recently been launched. All opinions are our own and honest.

by jo

Write To Read – App Time

Write To Read is a new app which encourages children to learn to read. We’re finding it really interesting too, surprisingly so!

This is going to be a two-part review – Write To Read is a new app from WriteReader which encourages children to learn to read. Now, H is  almost four and already knows a few words – so I was curious to find out more.

Write To Read

What you get is a really straightforward app and one which I can see how it works – H is doing this at a very basic level (one word descriptions – ‘mummy’ rather than ‘this is my mummy’ sort of things). She starts school in September so I fully expect her to get a lot more from this towards the end of the year, which is when I’ll post a follow-up.

Essentially, you’re creating an online photo book and your child will explain what each picture is – in their own writing and spelling. You (as the adult) then type in the correct sentence underneath so the child knows what the correct words are and this in turn helps them learn to spell – you’re working together making your own story. We’re actually doing something quite similar – a couple of months ago I started a photo blog for H which has one new photo a week which she describes and I type up –  and this app takes the learning a step further. She will often try to spell words, so the formation of them is there – and I feel like this complements what we do really well.

Write to Read - basic

Also – Write To Read has no Comic Sans!

It’s really clearly explained and straightforward to work, and I’m looking forward to using it as her spelling progresses.

Once your child doesn’t need help from a parent they can create their own books without the repeated spelling, so this does have a long life ahead of it – you’re spending a fair amount for something which could last you seven years or more.

The Write to Read app is aimed at 3-10 year olds and completely revolutionises the way children learn to read. It has been phenomenally successful in Denmark where it is used in more than 300 schools and nurseries. Write to Read encourages children to learn to read by physically writing and spelling words on the iPad rather than reading the printed word on a page.

Write To Read costs £4.99 from iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/write-to-read/id590707197?mt=8

We’ll post a follow-up later in the year, but right now I think this is brilliant and has a lot of potential. For the month of July Write To Read is available at a cheaper price as well!

We were gifted this app to review, all opinions are our own and honest.

App Time at Mum Friendly

by Shaun

Mick Jagger by Philip Norman – We Love Books

Mick Jagger by Philip Norman was recently published by HarperCollins.

Shaun here, having stolen Jo’s book to read on the condition I review it here. I’m going to sprinkle in a few Rolling Stones song titles (see if you can spot them)…. so start me up!

Mick Jagger by Philip Norman

The author has one a good job of covering the formative Mick Jagger years, and the 60’s/70s era Stones – this period makes up most of the book. It’s interesting to learn that Mick comes from such mundane surroundings as Dartford and later went to the London School of Economics (although he didn’t graduate – he chose to see how far the Rolling Stones would take him), and how he met Keith Richards on a train platform one morning, as he happened to be carrying around some blues records and Keith spotted them. We can also see how the Rolling Stones started off with Brian Jones as the leader and driving force, then Mick taking the mantle later on as Brian succumbed to drug and health problems.

Mick Jagger by Philip Norman generally portrays Mick as a fairly ruthless unsympathetic character – he doesn’t treat the (many!) women in his life well, and also had a child with singer Marsha Hunt and strenuously denied it was his though it was eventually revealed he was wrong. I had no sympathy (for the devil) (Sorry!).

On the other hand it was clear he was the driving force behind the Rolling Stones – they wouldn’t have got as far or done as well had it not been for him. He is also given a lot of credit for staying on stage in very difficult circumstances during the Altamont concert in 1969.

It doesn’t go into any detail whatsoever about creating music or recording the albums, and just tends to say something like (to paraphrase) “and then they went in to record ‘Exile on Main Street’ in the south of France” without any depth – so look elsewhere if you’re looking for any great insights into the recording process or music writing process.

About 7/8 of the book brings the reader up to the mid-seventies, with the last eighth of the book covering then until now – it’s very abbreviated to say the least – obviously the sixties and seventies are going to be more interesting than later on, but I found it a little disappointing how quickly the last 30 years was covered. You can’t always get what you want, I guess…

Overall the book does succeed in describing the events, people and comings and goings in Sir Mick Jagger’s life – although you are left with a feeling that he is a somewhat aloof figure, not particularly interested in reliving and going through his past life. It’s a long book and took a while to read – it’s a comprehensive read and I did find it enjoyable.

Wild Horses wouldn’t have prevented me from finishing this book (sorry again!)

We received this book for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own.

by jo

App Time – Ben and Holly’s Magic School

Ben and Holly Magic School

P2 Games have recently released ‘Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom – Magic School’ where you’ll find familiar games, sticker rewards and all the characters from Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom all together.

I currently have Nanny Plum telling me to “GO onnn! Touch the game you want to play!!” which amuses me.

The sections you get in this game are:

Wand Creator – Get creative by designing your very own wand! Pick your wand shape, colour, face, sparkles and sound! What will you choose?

Wand Practice – What will you turn Wise Old Elf into? Practice your wand skills by joining the stars to transform Wise Old Elf into a variety of objects and animals!

Potion Making – Create your own magic potion by picking ingredients and fairy dust and mixing them in a large cauldron to test the funny effects on Ben!

Magic Picnic – Help Holly transform the plates of food for each character into something tastier! Use your wand to tap and zap the right food at the right time!

Box of Burps – Holly wanted to show off her magic skills by creating a beautiful flower but she accidently created a box of burps instead! Use your wand to stop the burps escaping from the Box!

Elf Tag – Touch the elves and fairies that are covered in jelly to splat it off them with your wand.

End of School Photograph – Create your own imaginative photo with the stickers you have won.

Yet again the game is a hit with H – she enjoys all of the games and I like there’s different difficulty levels in each section – she particuarly likes changing the Wise Old Elf into various characters (it cracks her up, she thinks it’s hilarious!).

If you’re a fan of the show you’ll love it – and it’s available now from the App Store for £2.99.

We were sent a code to review the app, the link is an affiliate one.

App Time at Mum Friendly

by jo

V05 Dry Shampoo and Replacing My Eighties Nightmares #cbias

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

VO5 have a Dry Shampoo which has recently been launched in some stores around the country. We wash our hair every day, though this weekend past at our local carnival Sutton and Surrey Water had a stand and gave us a timer to attempt a three-minute shower – so trying out a dry shampoo was something I was keen to do as I don’t need to wash my hair every day. I have long-lasting memories of going to school having had talcum powder rubbed into my hair by my mum in the eighties – and I can definitely remember a time it wasn’t rubbed in very well – so I was keen to see how it would work.

We don’t have a lot of time at home, and I often use my soup maker to save time and get some quality family time for meals, so need all the help I can while it’s not possible to magic another hour in the day. (that would be good though, just the one)

I work in Wandsworth Town, so have the shops at Clapham Junction to choose from most days, including Superdrug and Sainsburys within the station. I decided to try Superdrug as they have a wide range of haircare (and the previous day I’d checked Boots in Waterloo who didn’t have very much at all – you would think a decent selection of dry shampoo would be something a commuter would go for?) – it’s very convenient and has a broad choice of goods available and means I can walk in, get what I want and get out – Clapham Junction Station shops aren’t for browsing in. I have approximately five minutes to do my shop and make it into work on time so I’m always in a rush.


They had two kinds of VO5 shampoos, though disappointingly the front two rows of cans had no caps. I had to get to the cans at the back before I found one that was intact – and that included a smashed up lid too. The cans were fairly easy to spot on the second to bottom row of the shampoo aisle. I went for the ‘Plump Me Up’ range which suits my thick fine hair, that often looks flat and drab by the end of the day – it ‘has been developed with collagen to give instant body to tired, lifeless hair & banish greasy roots. If you want you can backcomb loosely for added oomph. Now you can skip a wash and still look beautifully bouffed!’. That’s me sold.

 

I don’t need a bag as I always carry a large reusable one with me, so left the shop, purchase complete. A quick trip to Sainsburys and Caffe Nero and I was ready to head to work. There’s some photos over here in a Google+ album. Now to put the shampoo to the test…

This picture was taken on Monday night, my hair was flat and dull, but with a bit of shine.

This morning I sprayed it onto my hair, having carefully read the instructions. It took me about thirty seconds which is much quicker than my usual process where I’ll wash my hair and then condition it if it is feeling especially dry which can take anything up to three minutes on it’s own even with my short hair length.

I have to say, my hair felt good, and did have a bit more ‘oomph’ to it and was definitely plumped up, oh and it smelt good too – though my eighties nightmares came back mid-morning when I visited the toilet at work and the bright lights near the mirror showed a white circle around my head. Oh no! So I dampened my hair to make it look less obvious and cursed myself. The instructions say to spray it near the roots, leave and then rub it in so it’s definitely something which I need to work on – but also as I have quite dark hair, maybe it’s more obvious. I suggest practicing at home a few times first, if you’re anything like me.

Overall my lasting impression is my hair hasn’t flopped and felt heavy and although it lost the nice smell the dry shampoo definitely helped. I can see it fitting in with my day-to-day life when I don’t want to spend long in the shower or we’re running late and my hair needs something to make it look presentable.

by jo

Review – Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco – London Wonderland

Monski MouseMonski Mouse is doing a monthly DJ session at London Wonderland at the moment (Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco), so we popped along today to check it out!

We were already in Central London so headed over to the South Bank Centre, finding London Wonderland eventually (it isn’t on any of the signs around the South Bank – if you’re reading this, head towards the London Eye and look for the upside down inflatable cow – it’s the area to the left of that) arriving inside just in time for some brilliant tunes.

The Lovecats by The Cure

Beware – the set is only 45 minutes long, so get there early so you don’t miss out – and you’ll find yourself in a tent-like area with seating around the sides, with cushions and beanbags to sit and a circular dancefloor which is just perfect to dance on – with tons of enthusiasm from Monica and her dancers. Songs like ’99 Luftballons’ by Nena or ‘The Lovecats’ by The Cure (Shaun and me have this as our unofficial wedding song, as my sister insisted we danced to it on the big day, so made H dance to it today), with ‘Sleeping Bunnies’ thrown in for good measure, or how about a slow then fast version of ‘Rock a Bye Your Bear’ (not The Wiggles though!) make an appearance, big smiles all round. I noticed while H was a bit shy at first and didn’t get into the dancing quickly, once she was warmed up there was no stopping her, there was no self-consciousness about her at all.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/25560961″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

There’s some country music, the charleston, oh you name it, it was there. (apart from death metal)

There’s so much enthusiasm, and the most refreshing thing of all is how the kids all want to dance – we’ve been to two parties now with music for our kids, which has involved One Direction – there’s none of that here, no no – this is PROPER music. (to be fair, H has shrunk away from this modern pop music thing, she’s going to be a retro child like her parents I think…)

H and I doing the charleston

H and I doing the charleston

The set finished with Monica Monski Mouse joining the kids to dance to ‘Nellie The Elephant’ by The Toy Dolls (which makes me very happy as I’ve been playing it to H for a while now), and loads of happy kids.

Dancing to Monski Mouse

£8 is quite a lot for 45 minutes, but when you bear in mind the amount of free activities there are to do around the South Bank it doesn’t feel quite so bad and you could easily spend a day up there and not spend much.

H meets Monski Mouse

We received free tickets to attend, all opinions are our own – based on H’s enthusiasm when she warmed up we definitely want to come again! 

by Karen

Lindam – Easy Fit Plus Deluxe Baby Gate

I think I must be the only person I know that doesn’t own a Lindam gate. This is not surprising when  4 out of 5 gates sold in the UK are Lindam gates, impressive stuff. Lindam is the UK’s number one safety brand, so I very interested to give them a go!

I was sent the Easy Fit Plus Deluxe baby gate to test. The gate is designed, amongst other things, for easy one handed opening, triple opening action, double locking action. It also has an extra wide walk through section that can open one or two ways for extra flexibility and a frame specifically designed for easy fitting.

Lindam 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gate arrived well packaged and I was glad to see that there wasn’t too many little bits to fiddle around with. Now I am absolutely terrible at instructions, mainly because I am very impatient and hate reading through pages and pages of stuff. I’m one of those that would much rather spend ages playing around with the various pieces and try and work out what they do, not very productive, but still. Now this is where I have to say the Lindam instructions are fantastic. They are brief and user friendly, this is great because it means I actually read them and as a result found the gate really easy to install.

I love the fact the gate gives you the option to either fix by screws or sticky pads, this is great for renters or indeed anyone who doesn’t want a permanent reminded of their baby gate!

Once up, the gate was very sturdy and attractive (as baby gates go!). My only two niggles were that it took a little practice to eventually open the gate one handed, though arguably this could be because I am so used to my other gates. Also, as a bare foot family, I found the flip lock at the bottom a bit stiff to open, though am sure this would loosen up with use. The gate is very good quality and sturdy and I am confident it would stand up to a lot of abuse, even from my little one!

I would highly recommend this product. The gate can be bought for an RRP of £29.99 from a wide variety of stockists and is designed to fit openings from 75cm to 82cm, though it can extend up to 138cm with separate extensions purchased.

I was sent this item for the purpose of review, all opinions are my own