16/09/201306/01/2015 by jo

Vegetarian Step By Step from Parragon Books

Vegetarian Step By Step from Parragon Books is my kind of cookbook. I’m definitely a visual learner, rather than reading pages that describe what to do and getting a bit lost.

Vegetarian Step By Step from Parragon Books is taken from their Love Food range, and features loads of meat-free meals grouped into Soups & Starters, Salads & Light Meals, Midweek & Family Suppers and Special Occasions. The recipes are presented in a really good way, lots of pictures so you can see what you’re doing, and written clearly so even impatient people like me who miss instructions don’t go wrong.

Lucy recommended the Spaghetti with Fresh Pea Pesto and Broad Beans, so that was our first stop as she’s a good lady who knows her food. I love how the recipe is set out and it’s based on ingredients you’ll probably already have. I know good cooking is based on good photo presentation and this book makes me want to try everything. Like the other Love Food book we’ve reviewed, it’s presented in a really uncomplicated way.

For this recipe, the pesto is made from cooked peas blended with garlic and cheese until it makes a paste, with added almonds at the end, plus salt and pepper seasoning. All you do after that is boil the broad beans, remove the skins and add to spaghetti. Toss the pesto in there at the very end.

Oh my, it’s good. This is where I’d normally have a photo, but I was horribly disorganised and didn’t take one. So instead see the presentation of the recipe, and you’ll see what I mean.

I’ve been a vegetarian for 30 years now, and I’m happy this book isn’t packed with mushroom or tomato recipes – my two least favourite things. So many places seem to assume vegetarians like them, and it drives me mad. Where there are recipes which feature them, I’ve found they’re not the main part so can be substituted with something else easily.

Now I’ve got more time in the evenings with working shorter days, I can see me trying out more of these recipes. The Roasted Root Soup with Ginger and Créme Fraîche looks particularly good!

Vegetarian Step By Step is available now, and is currently £9.86 at Amazon, with a RRP of £16.00

I received my copy of Vegetarian Step By Step as I am a Parragon Book Buddy. All opinions are my own and honest.

15/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Make, Bake, Cupcake from Parragon’s Love Food Range

Make, Bake, Cupcake is a wonderful visual book of cupcake goodness. A treasure trove of all the cupcakes you’ve thought about baking made easy. Every page is a feast for the eyes, with straightforward instructions how to make your cake.

Make, Bake, Cupcake is one of my favourite books right now. There are so many varieties of cupcake recipes in there – ice cream cones, squashed witches, brains, and the one we made last week, the Chocolate and Stout variety.

I really love how the book breaks down the kind of cupcakes into sections, so you can bake for an occasion – Cocktails and Mocktails, Feisty Flavours, Fun & Frosted, Scary Cute and Hidden Surprises. Each type of frosting has clear instructions so you know which one applies to your cake.

As far as the recipe goes, it was really straightforward to follow, but we have one problem – our meringue icing turned into a nightmare. We couldn’t get to the shops to buy more eggs and the mixture wouldn’t thicken, I’m sure something we’d done wrong. It would be handy to have a guide what to do when it goes wrong (and fortunately after a lot of googling Shaun found a video, and stayed up until 1am to fix it) – I’m sure it’s probably just for meringue icing as it’s tricky anyway. If, like us, you’re doing them for a reason then have a practice run beforehand!

We made two lots as our cakes were for the Great Beggars Bake Off at work – raising money for Missing People. Do feel free to donate as well, although I can’t give you a cake.

My workmates all said the cakes were delicious, and considering there had been a week of cakes so they could potentially be cake-d out, that’s a good thing! Over the coming weeks we’re going to try more recipes from here, the Popcorn Cupcakes look interesting (a good one for movie night maybe!), and the halloween ones look like loads of fun – squashed witches, ghosts and cobwebs – marvellous!

Make, Bake, Cupcake is available now (and a good price at Amazon), and is published by Parragon as part of their Love Food range. I received my copy as I am one of Parragon’s Book Buddies. I’ve already had several friends gushing over the pages – it’s the kind of book you want to make what’s inside rather than feel like you can’t. Who’s up for some brain cupcakes next then? Hehehe…

14/09/201326/03/2018 by jo

Outdoor Play

This week is flying by. H is now in school and loving it, and we’ve had a few days of outdoor play this last week. We’re joining in with Country Kids, and I figured we could roll three posts into one.

Saturday we headed to Reigate Fort – a local National Trust place we’ve always fancied but never managed to get to (and it’s silly, it’s easy to get to and there’s plenty of parking for free as well). We got to the fort which is as you’d expect – various deserted buildings dug into the hillside overlooking a vast area. Trying to explain to H that it’s there because sometimes countries fight with each other proved a bit difficult. Hopefully school will help give her a better context!! You had views all the way to Gatwick which was good – we spotted loads of planes landing and taking off. There was a big grassy area, perfect for a picnic and playing tag with Daddy – before we headed back towards the car park.

There’s a walk from the car park at Reigate Fort which goes along the South Downs way, taking you to Gatton Park, so we started that one, but had to turn back after a short while – H was tired and not quite right and we didn’t want to tire her out too much before school. We like to get outdoors and she was trying out a pair of shoes for review that we chose which are perfect for outdoor use, with plenty of grip and support. I figured that if she has some good shoes for outdoor play she’s less likely to tumble over; most of her shoes have minimal grip and when you’re climbing trees you need a little bit.

H felt sleepy, so we drove home hoping she’d nap in the car – and went past Coulsdon on our way. I’ve had a bit of an obsession about the former hospital Cane Hill and hadn’t been near it since I’d heard about it being demolished. It just so happened we drove past Cane Hill on our way home so I got out for a wander, with my camera of course. I was in for a shock; what was once an old derelict hospital is now grass, land with just the chapel and a tower (not the clock tower) that have survived. Cane Hill was an amazing building and I recommend you do a spot of googling on it – and now it has gone. If you see it now, you’d never know what was there. We got some photos of it back in 2008 when it was still intact just from the outside, and seeing what is left now really shocked me. I want to go back with Shaun and H properly and get around the other side – last time I was there it looked something like this. An amazing building left to rot until a fire in 2010 (ish?) which led to most of it being demolished.

The following day she felt much better so we headed to Mayfield Lavender. Rain was due so we knew it would be a flying visit, but we still got to walk or run up one length of the field and make it to the cafe/shop area before the skies opened – luckily we were under cover, and I’ve noticed H is running much faster with proper running shoes too, although she still likes to check what her competitors are doing (and then fall over). We’ll work on that one…

After school on Wednesday we headed out, stopping in the park for a run around. H is mastering the big girl swing and getting her co-ordination sorted out (she takes after me I think). Being outdoors is good too, as I feel like we’ve not done enough of it since school started; we’re all so tired. I’m letting go and letting her be on the stepping stones and watching her gain confidence on the ‘older’ things in the park. I’m not quite ready to do the climbing wall – maybe with her new shoes when she has a bit of grip!

So that’s our week. This weekend looks like it should be quieter, all being well, but rainy. Sigh!

We have been sent the Adidas shoes for the purpose of review and promoting outdoor play, all opinions are our own. Linking up to Country Kids as well.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

12/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Mister Maker App – Let’s Make It

H has always felt like Mister Maker is one of her friends after she met him at the Brighton Baby Show a couple of years ago. The opportunity to try out the Mister Maker App ‘Let’s Make It’ was one I couldn’t turn down!

Mister Maker is a Cbeebies favourite, and P2 Entertainment have devised an app based around his activities. H has been having a play with it when we’ve had chill out time, and is enjoying it a lot so far.

Mister Maker comments “I love having fun and being creative wherever I am in the world and enjoy being inspired by everything around me! Making things is always brilliant, whether with paper and pens, cardboard tubes and gloopy glue, or even digitally!”

Budding artists can create unlimited pictures with nearly 400 different art materials from the digital Doodle Drawers. This includes patterns, stickers, things to glue and funny faces. You can then design a frame for your masterpiece by experimenting further with items from the Doodle Drawers and personalise your creation by typing a special message.

Families can show off their art skills by taking part in the popular Minute Make challenges by choosing and completing items from two different themes: Nature and Underwater World.

Children can have fun with Mister Maker’s friends ‘The Shapes’ in a brand new multi-level interactive shape finding game. We found Mister Maker pops up quite a lot in this one, we had to tell him to be quiet…!

Throughout gameplay, kids can unlock a variety of materials for the Doodle Drawers as special reward content.

The game has up to four users with their own photo album and they can choose to email their favourite creations to the Mister Maker Gallery on the P2 website to be in with a chance of winning monthly prizes.

The app also allows children to take a picture using the camera function and then enhance their real world creation in Doodle Drawers or Frame It!

We’ve been playing this on our older iPad, so for the purpose of review I’ve also put it onto the iPad Mini where we can take photos and make silly faces with them, and H is really loving putting silly things on Daddy’s face. In turn I’m enjoying her creativity, and what she’s turned daddy into! This would be even better if you could use existing photos and add those to the gallery to edit them, rather than having to take new ones.

Essentially it’s like having all the elements of crafts you’ll find in the Mister Maker show within an app; craft without the mess and ideal if you’re travelling and don’t want the mess. You can ‘glue’ things onto the picture you’re creating, and sprinkle various things onto it, glitter and so on. It’s pretty good and one that will help with fine motor skills.

There’s so much to do in this app that even after the short time we’ve had it I feel like there’s a lot more we can do – it definitely feels like something which will grow with H rather than being bored of it after a few months.

Mister Maker – Let’s Make It is available now at the App Store for £2.99. We received a promo code for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own and honest.

10/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Rug Doctor – A Review

We were given an opportunity to review a Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner – not your average review item, but perfect for us!

Rug Doctor’s website says all carpets really should be deep cleaned every twelve months. We have just signed our third year tenancy agreement, and while all the furniture is our own, the carpets aren’t, and they’re the proper ‘landlord’ kind. They also show dust. My Dyson cleaner wasn’t doing what it should and you could still see the dust, so having an opportunity to review some Rug Doctor cleaners with a loan of a machine was something that we HAD to do.

The last time our carpet was properly cleaned would have been as we moved in, so it was long overdue. While we don’t own our house, it is our home, so I took H out for the day while Shaun stayed at home and cleaned. (lucky him!)

One really good thing about the carpets being damp after cleaning was the warm weather – most surfaces were dry enough to walk on after 2-3 hours. There was even enough of the cleaner to clean our old armchair – something which has been needed for a long time (gulp, seven years?) as the stains on the arm rests were driving us mad. Add to that the car which again was long overdue a clean, and all of a sudden I could breathe again!

The Rug Doctor cleaner did more than that – a clean settee, clean carpets with only one stain it couldn’t remove (Shaun thinks it may be pink felt tip) – our house feels clean, and really now we need to keep on top of this and do proper weekly cleans.

The Rug Doctor was very easy to use, the instructions were easy to follow, and the carpets in the house were all done in a few hours. It cleaned the carpet really well, the hand-held nozzle was useful for sides in the bathroom as well as doing the settee. We also received a Spot & Stain Removal Spray, a Heavy Foot Traffic Area Spray and an Odour Removal Spray, all of which worked really well.

The car was cleaned within an hour, and after three years of making do with the odd vacuum the car does look fresher than before. How long it will last is another matter…

In summary, our surfaces cleaned have come up much cleaner than before, and we’re really happy with the results. You can hire a Rug Doctor for 24 hours from many places – if you’ve been holding off I’d say give it a try, you could be pleased too!

09/09/201326/01/2014 by jo

A Back To School Big Hug Of A Soup

I have no idea why I’m calling it this, all the relief and tension of the last few weeks disappeared this morning sending H off to school, which means I can think about evening meals properly again and have a little bit more time in the evenings. Here’s our Back To School Big Hug Of A Soup.

I needed a Big Hug Of A Soup tonight. I tried to think of all the comfort foods I’d turn to, without thinking about chocolate or things which will make me big. Soup works and it’s quick. I concocted a soup which just works, autumnal and warmer now that the hot days are coming to an end. I’ve got into the trap of making easy soups with a butternut squash so I left it out this time. It’s a Big Hug Of A Soup. Oh yes. (I think if it were possible to add chocolate it really would hug you too)

So: ingredients. A lot of this is what’s left in the cupboard the day before our food delivery, and of course it is prepared in our trusty Morphy Richards Soup Maker.

Two sweet potatoes
One red onion
One red pepper
One clove of garlic
Two sticks of celery (this may be pointless but we have lots that need to be used, so may as well)
A blob of Aussiemite (this may not be necessary but I put it in anyway)
Five carrots
Some ginger. (by some, I mean however much you’d actually like, you want the flavour to come through in the soup)

Seasoning – a bit of curry powder and a bit of bouillon (by a bit, I put in a teaspoon but you may like more if you need a more salty flavour to it).

This may sound like a flavour-clash, but it actually works pretty well. I set the Soup Maker to smooth, and added the maximum amount of liquid so it wouldn’t be too thick. Once it was finished I added in some pre-cooked small pasta shells (a handful, not too much) and some edamame beans. Once the soup was ready we had to pop out for twenty minutes, so by the time we got home it had cooled nicely and the flavours had come through – I could taste the ginger, it was nice and subtle. For me, the mixture of vegetables is a good portion size and easily a couple of your five a day.

I would recommend making the Big Hug Of A Soup at least 30 minutes before you intend to eat it and serve with a nice crusty loaf of bread (I was lazy and bought a Giraffe Loaf from the supermarket). One big reassuring hug of a soup for those of us who just got through our first day of school, whether you’re a parent or a child. We all ate ours, anyway.

This post contains three very content and full stomachs and one affiliate link.

08/09/201326/03/2018 by jo

Munchkin Bento

We’ve been sent the new Munchkin Bento Box to try – and with school imminent it has come at a good time!

Munchkin Bento Boxes are perfect as a starter for your child to make lunchtimes a bit more interesting. It fits into a backpack perfectly, we haven’t tried with a Book Bag yet. I really like the separate compartments – they’re nice and airtight too, we (accidentally) kept some chopped apple in one which didn’t discolour for 48 hours! I tried the apple and it still tasted fine as well.

H will have school dinners to start with, though I haven’t ruled out lunches so we’ll be well prepared, so for now we’re using the Munchkin Bento box for daytrips. Today we headed to Reigate Fort and for a short walk along the South Downs Way, somewhere there’s plenty of seats to sit down and have a snack or two when you need them.

I packed some cucumber and carrot in one section, with blueberries and grapes in the other. In the main section there were a pack of Pom Bear shapes, mainly as I decided if we needed something a little more substantial we’d eat out – this was just for being out and about. Everything fitted fine anyway!

You have one main section which would hold small sandwiches fine, possibly a drink (although at school I’m guessing they’d have water rather than take in their own?), with the small sections fine for fruit and vegetables. The main section has a cover which will stop any food getting caught in the knife and fork in the lid, with the two small sections having airtight lids – they’re firm enough to put on and easy enough for a 4-year-old to remove. My next step is to try some food which might leak to see how we get on – I’ll report back!

The lid has a spoon and fork which clip in safely. There’s more information over here at the Munchkin site. The novelty of having food in sections is something H really isn’t getting tired of, every trip is an adventure wondering what her next snacks could be. It reminds me a bit of the Tupperware containers we had in the eighties, but airtight!

All parts of the Munchkin Bento Box are dishwasher-safe, but top shelf only. We’ve washed ours a few times now and have had no problems at all.

Underneath the box is a space to put your child’s name – I’ll be adding H’s with the Stamptastic stamp as that will hold firm, though it would be perfect if you could do this on the fork and spoon too!

You can follow Munchkin on Facebook and Twitter

We were sent the Munchkin Bento Box for review, all opinions are our own.

07/09/201326/03/2018 by jo

Starting School

H is starting school next week. There, I’ve said it. Actually, I’ve said it everywhere.

Starting school is such a big thing – mainly for the parents I think! It doesn’t matter how many times I repeat it, it still hasn’t quite sunk in. We’ve all been there, we all remember the good and bad times and now it’s becoming a reality for our little ones. Slowly one by one Facebook friends are posting photos of their children in their new, oversized uniform as they all start their journey.

We have uniform – lots of. Some might say too much. I’ve kept Marks & Spencer, H&M, Aldi, the school uniform supplier and the school going with my money, as well as a last-minute fitting for shoes in Clarks. Friends have passed on old bits of uniform, a book bag and a PE bag too. I know the Children’s Centre attached to the school sells a lot of second-hand uniform for around 50p a time.

Somehow everything we’ve bought has cost over £100. Fortunately we’ve had help from family to meet all the costs so it wasn’t too hard on our bank balance, so now we’ve got to hope everything lasts! We have so much but my thinking is if I can have five full days of uniform before washing then that’s good. There’s another thing which changes, see. I no longer have my day off in the week – I’m going back to five days in the office.

Label-wise I’ve got the Stamptastic stamp pad which has marked all the clothes, as well as the Bandino cup band which will have her new cup labelled and ready. I bought some Clarks shoe labellers (at £3.50) as the insides of her shoes are black and I couldn’t use the Stamptastic pad, which is the last thing we need to do.

She’s having school dinners to start with, but we do have a fabulous Bento Lunchbox that we’re reviewing which I’m really impressed with so far and is very child-friendly.

I have various iPad apps ready to complement her learning – the Biff, Chip and Kipper one, quite a few numeracy ones and loads of phonics ones as well, she’s going to be overloaded with learning. I know the first thing they’re working on is syllables.

I guess all I have to do now is pack her book bag and we’re ready. Gulp.

05/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Moshi Monsters The Movie

Coming to a cinema in the UK and Ireland this December is Moshi Monsters The Movie.

Moshi Monsters The Movie is the long-awaited full length monsterific adventure featuring the Moshi Monsters. H has a nice little collection building, and likes to do swaps with her cousin so I know we’ll be there.

Moshi Monsters The Movie is released on December 20th. The animated feature will see the six lead monsters (Katsuma, Luvli, Diavlo, Furi, Zommer and Poppet) travel across the weird and wonderful world of Moshi on a fun-filled, roar-some adventure.

The film will see the monsters in a race against time to collect the ransom for an ancient and extremely rare Moshling egg that has been stolen by the evil Dr Strangeglove. With Katsuma and Poppet (H’s favourite) at the helm, the monsters learn that both Monsters and Moshlings can overcome big odds when they stand together.

“We’re excited to launch the first ever Moshi Monsters movie,” said Michael Acton Smith, CEO and creator of Moshi Monsters. “This is our first foray into movies and Universal brings the expertise needed to ensure the best possible success. We can’t wait for Moshi to hit the big screen!”

With over 80 million registered users to date, it’s no surprise the wonderful world of Moshi Monsters is taking the leap into movies, after occupying the entertainment franchise with best-selling toys, books, video games and the best-selling monthly kids’ magazine in the UK. We attended their 5th Birthday Party at their offices and wow – what a fantastic place! I can appreciate Moshi Monsters – there’s a LOT out there a child might want, but it also has an educational element to it, as well as fun!

The animated feature, which is currently in production, is produced by the Moshi creators, Mind Candy.

We can’t wait!!!

04/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Polesden Lacey Family Events

Polesden Lacey Family Events for October 2013 to February 2014

We’ve just got our latest National Trust membership through, and are already looking forward to doing some of these events – if you’re local to Polesden Lacey, then read on!

October

Surrey Hills Challenge

Sat 12 Oct

Walking reveals secrets of the Surrey Hills that can only be discovered on foot. A range of different length circular walks in this beautiful countryside will be available all starting from Polesden.

Register in advance by calling 01372 452048: £15 per walker, or £5 per family for the short family walk (including children under 16) . Runners also welcome to take part

Behind the Scenes Family Tours

Sat 12, Sun 13, Sat 26 and Sun 27 Oct 11.30am

A rare chance to catch a glimpse below stairs, in these guided tours of the kitchens, and servants rooms. Tours include rooms in the basement and last 45min-1 hour.
Normal admission applies

Woodland Skills Workshop

Sun 13 Oct

Drop in and learn a new skill with Andy and the Ranger team. Whittling, hurdle making and using a pole lathe
Normal admission applies

Halloween Spooks & Stories

Sat 26 Oct – Sun 3 Nov 2013

Scary ghost trail in our wild woods!
Normal admission, plus £2 per child

November

Glorious Glimpse House Tours

Every Saturday & Sunday

Discover more about the house with these limited entry guided tours. Please book on arrival.
Special family tours at 11.40am, 1.20pm and 2.20pm
Normal admission

December

We Three Kings Christmas Festivities

Sat & Sun 30 Nov, 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 & 22 Dec, 11am – 4pm

See the house dressed for a period Christmas and discover the stories of the three kings who visited Polesden – Edward VII, George V and George VI. Plus sleigh rides, Father Christmas and more…
Normal admission for grounds, plus £4 adult, £1 child, £10 family for the house, including members

Polesdenopoly

Thurs 26 Dec – Sun 5 Jan 10.30am-3pm

Become a millionaire like Mrs Greville in our fun, family version throughout the Polesden grounds
Normal admission, plus £5 per set

January 2014

Glorious Glimpse House Tours

Every Saturday & Sunday
See November for more information

February 2014

Half Term Activities

Sat 15 – Sun 23 Feb
Normal admission, plus £1 per child

Glorious Glimpse House Tours

Every Saturday & Sunday
See November for more information

Mum Friendly

the things we do, the things we like

Vegetarian Step By Step from Parragon Books

Vegetarian Step By Step from Parragon Books is my kind of cookbook. I’m definitely a visual learner, rather than reading pages that describe what to do and getting a bit lost.

Make, Bake, Cupcake from Parragon’s Love Food Range

Make, Bake, Cupcake is a wonderful visual book of cupcake goodness. A treasure trove of all the cupcakes you’ve thought about baking made easy. Every page is a feast for the eyes, with straightforward instructions how to make your cake.

Outdoor Play

Mister Maker App – Let’s Make It

H has always felt like Mister Maker is one of her friends after she met him at the Brighton Baby Show a couple of years ago. The opportunity to try out the Mister Maker App ‘Let’s Make It’ was one I couldn’t turn down!

Rug Doctor – A Review

We were given an opportunity to review a Rug Doctor Carpet Cleaner – not your average review item, but perfect for us!

A Back To School Big Hug Of A Soup

I have no idea why I’m calling it this, all the relief and tension of the last few weeks disappeared this morning sending H off to school, which means I can think about evening meals properly again and have a little bit more time in the evenings. Here’s our Back To School Big Hug Of A Soup.

Munchkin Bento

We’ve been sent the new Munchkin Bento Box to try – and with school imminent it has come at a good time!

Starting School

H is starting school next week. There, I’ve said it. Actually, I’ve said it everywhere.

Moshi Monsters The Movie

Coming to a cinema in the UK and Ireland this December is Moshi Monsters The Movie.

Polesden Lacey Family Events

Polesden Lacey Family Events for October 2013 to February 2014