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.

18/05/201426/03/2018 by jo

Big Fish Little Fish – Camp Bestival Travelling Circus Tour

Big Fish Little Fish and Camp Bestival had their Travelling Circus event last weekend in Balham – and we went along to join in the fun!

Big Fish Little Fish events are ones we’re familiar with, and Camp Bestival is a festival which looks perfect for all of us. With a flyer like this, you know you’re in for a fun afternoon.

Big Fish Little Fish are in Balham these days, in a much larger venue, The Bedford. On entry you get a glowstick if you’re a young person which kept H happy!

Captain Cookie’s Craft Area is much bigger, with long tables and what felt like endless craft supplies, as well as a colouring in mural. With the theme being a circus one, everyone got to make hats with plenty of pom pom’s, stickers and hats to decorate. To the side were plenty of Happy Monkey smoothies and Bear YoYo snacks, all for free for children. There were free tattoos (temporary of course) nearby as well.

The space was shared with a small bar, snacks (£3 Hot Dogs) as well as a Dressing Up area courtesy of Badaboom, which included a photobooth (we didn’t get a chance to try as it was popular!). Adjacent to that room is the toddlers and baby rooms – loads of space and a bit quieter for younger children.

After crafting her hat, H was ready to dance. We all made our way downstairs, a circular dancefloor with a small stage greeted us, with pretty high barriers around the upstairs edge – safe enough for H to stand up and watch without (me) feeling scared. When downstairs there was plenty of space for dancing – although if you’re like H you’ll probably want to stand on the stage and do your thing.

Music ranged from Basement Jaxx to older music we all clubbed to back when we were younger – to the Prodigy, and so much more, all at child-friendly sound levels.

At intervals the glitter cannon was let off (we were upstairs for one which H enjoyed, though was desperate to get downstairs to, to pick up the glitter), closely followed by a bubble machine!

The best thing I found about the venue was having plenty of space to sit down – something which was occasionally a problem in Brixton – so we could sit back and watch everything, or head downstairs and join in.

Bar prices were reasonable, and snacks were priced fairly.

Big Fish Little Fish have t-shirts for sale as well, at £10 which is a good price.

We really enjoyed the Korg Workshop – we were booked in for 4.10pm so right at the end of the day (just as the parachute dancing had started downstairs), so H and her friend M got to try out some Korg Monotron’s and a Kaossilator 2 which were a LOT of fun!

Big Fish Little Fish we know and love going to, Camp Bestival is a new world for us. I was a Reading Festival kind of girl back in my younger days, before festivals became some kind of weird fashion statement and less about the music. I can see us going to Camp Bestival next year as this year’s lineup is perfect for H – a good mixture of everything (especially now she knows people perform music on stage and it’s normal, y’know…) – also, if you head to Big Fish Little Fish today in Hackney you can buy Camp Bestival tickets without booking fees.

Big Fish Little Fish and Camp Bestival’s Travelling Circus visit Hackney this afternoon (Sunday 18th May) – tickets are still available and you’re set for a fun afternoon! Camp Bestival’s Travelling Circus are attending a few events around the country like this – check out their listings page for more information.

We received guestlist places for Big Fish Little Fish, this hasn’t changed our opinion of the event which remains honest, as ever.

16/05/2014 by jo

Eurovision and Music in General

Last weekend H watched her first ever Eurovision. We allowed her to stay up a bit later than usual – much like I did back when I was her age.

When it started, when the first performers arrived on stage, H greeted the occasion with an amazed “wowwww!!” – she had never seen anything like it. People performing songs on stage, taking their turns from various countries who were eligible to compete.

“Are these people really singing?” she asked, as I confirmed this and felt sad inside. See, H is growing up in the world of the music video. Of YouTube or whichever visual streaming place you choose. A place where live performances are rare, and pre-recorded ones are normal.

When I grew up it was the opposite. There’s one reason why she’s never experienced this – because we don’t have Top of the Pops any more. Sad but true.

We would watch Top of the Pops every week when I was young, I’d be loving the Bay City Rollers, and indeed after my first Eurovision a bit of ABBA too. This was an exciting fast-moving world, bands playing live and performing on television.

Heck, I hate to say it as I don’t tend to like most of the bands, but these days programmes like Later With Jools Holland are where I get that fix. Not so for H.

It’s sad isn’t it? For just one night a year she can watch twenty six people perfoming live on stage to get that buzz back again. Performances, silly things, anything. The kind of thing which was normal when I was young. Sure, there’s Christmas Top of the Pops, but that isn’t the same – if you don’t have that connection with the songs on a weekly basis (and we don’t – we currently don’t have a radio other than the one that wakes me up in the morning) then it means very little.

But then this is the digital age, this is where you find it yourself. This is where the older kids, older siblings play it as they’ve found it and the younger kids or younger siblings pass it on to their friends. A different kind of word of mouth.

When I was at school in the eighties I wrote the Top 40 down pretty much every week, stopping around 1987. We’d sit huddled around a radio scribbling down the countdown (and that took some work) then look forward to Top of the Pops later in the week. These days the Top 40 is on the BBC website, you can click on a link and you’re taken to the music. You don’t have to sit through the rubbish (yet sitting through the rubbish helped me appreciate the good stuff) and there are occasional gems.

We recorded the second half of Eurovision and H watched it the following day. The only song she’s remembered a fair chunk of? Our British entry – Molly’s ‘Children of the Universe’. For its poor final score, the fact a four year old can remember it says to me it wasn’t a bad song. I got the Common Linnets (Netherlands) in the work sweepstake, and most of the Top 100 is peppered with Eurovision songs – with this one being the highest. H recognises what she hears, knows where she knows them from.

For all the ridicule Eurovision might get, this is our kids of today’s Top of the Pops. It’s just a pity it’s only once a year!

08/05/2014 by jo

Little Miss Hug

Little Miss Hug is the latest book in the popular series of books from Roger Hargreaves and launches today, May 8th 2014!

Little Miss Hug is the 35th book in the Little Miss series, coming from the Hargreaves family. Adam Hargreaves continues to keep the series going, and this is the latest addition. I grew up with the Mr Men books, and I love that H enjoys reading them too.

The story is a nice simple one. Little Miss Hug likes giving perfect hugs out to her friends. No hug is too difficult, especially when you’ve a wide variety of friends – she can hug them all. One friend isn’t the easiest person to hug, however, so you’re left to read how Little Miss Hug tackles it… I won’t spoil it!

It’s a pleasant story with a nice message. For H as a competent reader it’s perfect for her reading skills – she read the book without any struggles, and there are no tricky words.

Adam Hargreaves said: “I grew up with the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters and I love creating new characters that children will love and identify with, just like I did when I was a boy.”

He continues: “I really enjoyed creating Little Miss Hug; she brings an important and fun character trait with her to the family of Mr Men and Little Miss and I think she’s going to fit right in.”

For the first time ever, to coincide with the launch of a Mr. Men and Little Miss character, an AR app for Little Miss Hug will be available for free download from Android and IOS from the 8^th May. The app will interact with both the Little Miss Hug book cover, as well as pages in the Mr Men and Little Miss magazine. It will see Little Miss Hug brought to life in 3D form and the app will also allow users to take pictures of themselves hugging Little Miss Hug. The app will also feature a fun video story and interactive game.

The book is available now from Egmont Books, and costs just £2.99.

We were sent a copy of the book for the purpose of review, all opinins are our own. The link is an affiliate one.

07/05/2014 by jo

DC Super Friends Books

We were sent four of the new DC Super Friends books from Random House for H to try. There are several titles that have been published at the end of March, from some First Reader titles to some great Activity Books targeted at 5-8 year olds. Read on to find out what we thought!

DC Super Friends need no introduction – the title first came about thanks to the tv series which featured the characters from DC Comics – Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman Spiderman and Aquaman. Wonder Woman does seem to have been written out of the DC Super Friends history, unfortunately, but the others remain.

We’ve been working on expression a lot with H’s reading as she’s progressing well in reception. Generally she can tackle tricky words and work them out, but still reads with one tone. To help her along I’ve been looking for books which have a bit more of a POW! going on where she’ll learn to recognise how to read it differently. These books are ideal!

We were sent Hero Havoc, where Bizarro just wants to be like Superman, but doesn’t quite get it right. He just wants to be a hero too, and doing it the opposite way to Superman does seem to create havoc. Really, it’s all about finding a superhero task for Bizarro which suits him – and as a parent I was glad to see a happy ending.

The other book was Crime Wave where Black Manta steals the worlds biggest pearl, so Batman, Superman and Aquaman all try to get it back while avoiding the Black Manta’s giant octopus. Both books have short sentences and are ideal for children who want to read a story independently. There are great illustrations and plenty to talk about (and read) on each page.

The other two books we’ve received are a fantastic Wipe-Clean Activity Book which has been used the most – H’s superhero name (which you fill in at the start) is Super Robin, and I love the pen can be stored safely and has a little rubber on the lid to remove the pen marks from the page. She has really enjoyed doing the activities, and there’s a good variety of puzzles. The type of things covered are writing, counting, drawing, spot the difference, mazes, colouring – all simple stuff but the kind of thing she enjoys doing.

Finally, The Super Friends Sticker Book has over 50 Super Hero stickers and loads more activities within, from decorating to completing puzzles. Given H loves stickers, this is right up her street.

In summary, I think these books are great. I do feel sad at the lack of female superheroes, mainly as I grew up with them in the seventies and eighties – these days most superheroes seem to be male (but that’s my issue rather than H’s), but I found all these books to be suitable for H and her age and reading ability.

The DC Super Friends books are available now, published by Bantam Books, part of Random House Children’s Books.

We were sent the books for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. Book pictures link to Affiliate links.

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