02/04/201319/07/2016 by jo

Messy Me Oilcloth Tablecloth Review

Messy Me have several solutions available to help keep clothes and objects clean – and we were delighted to get a chance to review their Messy Me Oilcloth.

The Messy Me oilcloth is an essential when you have a small person – since H was born we’ve had our table covered – yet time and time again the cloth has lasted a few months and has cracked, spoiled or just had a hole bitten in them (that was H, she chuckled away to herself afterwards too). These days she’s older, much more sensible and we were still in need of a decent tablecloth. I was always too scared to spend more after going through cover after cover every few months – and it was driving me mad as I felt like the money I’d spent would have been better used on a better quality tablecloth – but I didn’t know if maybe this is what the fabric does?

So our Messy Me oilcloth arrived – cut to 140cm wide, we got enough to cover our table with plenty extra on all sides. We’ve been using it for over a month now and I’m really impressed – the cloth wipes really easily and no stains have spoilt it (there is a note with it to avoid tomato stains by wiping quickly) and the cloth can even be put into the washing machine at a low setting – again, impressive – none of our others could do that.

I chose the olive grey Messy Me oilcloth as it’s a nice neutral colour, it feels nice and thick with the coating being easy for wiping – I need something which cleans easily and this does exactly that. Also, it is certified to meet Oeko-Tex Standard 100 – offering reassurance to customers that the cloth does not contain chemicals or components harmful to health.

So far we’ve made cakes, meringues, done plenty of stickering (it’s really good when your stickers get stuck on there by mistake – they peel off easily!), painting, more messy things, and of course eating. This weekend just gone there were seven of us around the table – the cloth was clean and shows no signs of wearing out which means this gets a HUGE thumbs up from me – anything that makes my life easier is a very good thing!

After this long and having got by on cheaper cloths, I wish I’d just gone ahead and bought this – it’s tough and it looks fab. Head over to Messy Me to see their full range – they have almost anything you could possibly want in their fabulous wipe clean fabrics!

We were sent the Messy Me oilcloth for the purpose of review.

update – October 2014. The oilcloth is still going strong. I think it’s safe to say, pay more and get better quality. There are a few marks on it as you’d expect with a five year old, but overall this is brilliant value for money
update April 2016. The oilcloth is still going strong! There are a few stains which are our fault (from indian takeaways, for example), but again, still brilliant value and definitely worth splashing out on.

01/04/201326/03/2018 by jo

A Cheaper London – an Easter Edition

We had a busy Easter Sunday, and in keeping with my nature of trying not to spend money, we found several things to do….

Easter Island Moai at the British Museum

We started out by heading up to the British Museum – which I found a little bit claustrophobic (disclaimer – I’ve been getting weird dizzy spells, and the light and dark didn’t help, so I felt a bit wobbly), until we headed out into the main area with the roof by Norman Foster – a marvellous sight too and a good place to clear your head. We found the mummy of a Cleopatra (not THE Cleopatra) although I couldn’t help finding it a bit odd… you die and end up in a museum? I know it’s ridiculously old and all that.. but.. I found it odd. We saw the Rosetta Stone too which was interesting, though a bit like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre – you can’t get that close thanks to the crowds!

British Museum

Fortunately the museum is free so we can go back – their canteen was good, and had a deal giving you a free children’s meal if you bought hot food. We wanted sandwiches so didn’t take it up, but keep an eye out as you get there.

Covent Garden Easter Egg trail

We headed down to Covent Garden where they had various easter eggs dotted around, as well as a man dressed as the Fat Controller by the Thomas one, and a large Moshi Monsters bus (which was closed, phew!). We intended to go to the London Transport Museum, but it’s pricey (edited to add – Sharon pointed out you can get 2 for 1 vouchers – check here – we’ll definitely do that in the future!)- it stays open later on a Sunday but even then it was £15 each for two hours (as that’s the time that was left) – though just going into the shop to browse was good enough for the two little ones. We popped upstairs for a coffee to be greeted with this….

EDITED TO ADD – the £15 is an annual price, so actually it’s a fantastic deal – you can go back several times over the course of a year which makes the London Transport Museum fantastic value – thanks for clarifying LTM! (see comments below)

roundel-cappucino

Being in Covent Garden meant I’d have to pop in the Moomin Shop – be prepared to walk upstairs, as it’s unavoidable (so not buggy-friendly), but there are tons of Moomins things to buy, we picked up two books for just over £10.

A walk over the Thames always brings good views, and you can have fun spotting things as well as newer additions to the skyline. On the South Bank is the Royal Festival Hall – and views in the warm.

Thames

I popped into Foyle’s by the river, so caught up with everyone else inside the hall – my sister told me they were on the sixth floor, so on arriving at the RFH found the lifts by the entrance don’t go up that far. I walked further down to the next lift, and stepped into the Singing Lift which is possibly the best thing EVER. It goes higher for the top floors with a “Level siiixxxx” for that, and lower for the bottom with a “Level onnnnnnne” and big smiles from everyone who gets in.

Yes, we may have gone from Level 5 to Level 1, back up to Level 6 and finally Level 2… stopping at most floors. H and G both found it hilarious!

Covent Garden Easter Egg trail

After that we headed home, overall spends were just for food, transport goodies (I got a great 1970-2013 coaster and a kids map of London) and Moomin’s books – so not a bank breaking day at all. We just missed the food market outside the Festival Hall, but I bet it’d be good for bargains…

Oh, and we did plenty of walking – H fell asleep on the tube home and slept well that night – phew!

The Fat Controller at the Covent Garden Easter Trail

01/04/201326/03/2018 by jo

Easter at Polesden Lacey

We love our National Trust membership – I’ll say this a bazillion times as we get so much from it, especially having Polesden Lacey so close (which often makes the Top 10 overall of NT properties and gardens). Last year we went to Claremont for their Easter Egg hunt, but this year we switched.

The National Trust work with Cadburys and do simple trails that two three year olds (and a five year old) get excited about – it’s perfect! They get a sheet with various activities (though it was really too cold), a place to have your photo taken and then the actual trail. It probably took no more than an hour (allowing for a stop in the play area which is conveniently after the second or third clue), and had our three (H, her cousin G and her friend M) running around tracking down each clue.

Polesden Lacey Explorers

My favourite part of Polesden is the tree tunnel (which I’m sure they have a better name for, but we like ours) which had several clues, and leads out to the large grassy area at the front, where the kids had several games of hide and seek, or just rolling down the hill, climbing trees, or sitting on a lion; a stone one that is.

Actually, there was only one gripe – it was a freezing day, and included in the price was face painting. The queue was long and wasn’t moving – so in the end we had to give up, which made the girls sad. On the plus side there’s the free binoculars as you come through the entrance so they could do proper exploring while looking for the clues, so that was fun for them.

Polesden Lacey climbing trees

The Cadburys/National Trust Easter Egg trails have just one more day – today is the last day (Easter Monday) – and there’s loads of trails around the country. Of course, when you finish you get to choose a Cadbury’s Easter Egg at the end, which pleased the three of them a LOT! An excellent day, and it’s all fresh air!

Polesden Lacey Easter Egg trail 2013

30/03/201308/10/2019 by jo

AudioGo Audiobooks – a Review

We’ve held off from reviewing this, mainly as we weren’t sure how H would respond to hearing a story on the stereo – she looked confused the first time “mummy, the tv is switched off?” (oh dear..) – but since we bought the iPad Mini we’ve found that actually putting music onto my iPod Touch is a good thing (and really what it is meant for) – so the audiobooks have made a great addition for long car journeys.

We were approached by AudioGo to see if we’d like to choose some titles to review, so off I went to their site where immediately an absolute corker jumped out – vintage Magic Roundabout! Now, being a child of the seventies, H needs to know about the proper Magic Roundabout – while I’ll happily let her watch the modern one (Flo? Seriously…?!) I do want her to sample parts of my childhood – we’ve already done Bagpuss and Mr Benn and a bit of Rainbow too.

So a vintage Eric Thompson Magic Roundabout album? Oh YES. I chose some Pingu titles too which we’re working our way through.

So – how was it? Well, H fell asleep. I think it’s a different kind of listening – however, Shaun and I LOVED it! We had a proper laugh while driving along – they don’t make programmes like that any more…! I wish they did. I know these audio titles are something we’ll listen to for a long time as well – it isn’t something she’ll grow out of – and I know at her nursery they’re spending more time listening to audiobooks, so we’re picking it up at the right time.

Check out AudioGo – there’s a fantastic selection of titles, and they’re the home of BBC Audiobooks.

We were given an opportunity to review whatever titles we wanted, and I know we chose wisely – I’d highly recommend.

29/03/201318/01/2015 by jo

Love Our Library – Another Couple of Excellent Books

Now I know I often sound like gushy mum, going on about how wonderful my little girl is and all the wonderful things she’s achieved are, but well, that’s all I’ve got to go on. She constantly amazes me on a daily basis – she came home from nursery with a handwritten Easter card which is wonderful. She’s starting to work out words from letters and understand things – which is why I will likely be buying a copy of the first book, as for the first time in the library yesterday H read most of the book to ME!

Jez Alborough – Yes is the book, and it’s fun – like all of his books. We don’t actually own any of them (yet) but have bought ‘Hugless Douglas’ for a few people in the past. What I like the most about it is the simple language – the majority of the book is just the words ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – and for H to read them and recognise the different words is HUGE to me. While I can’t say she’s reading, she’s starting; so most of all, I highly recommend this book to any parent whose child can work out words and wants to have that feeling of achievement when you read the book together. I swear I nearly burst into tears of pride in the library when she read to me. Published by Walker Books.

Oliver Jeffers – The Incredible Book Eating Boy – aaahh we love Oliver Jeffers. Has he ever had a rubbish book published? I doubt it. We’re very excited there’s a new book in the Huey’s series coming soon too, so finding a new book is a great thing. Anyway, this one – there’s even a stage play. Henry loves eating books. He eats them all day – and the more he eats, the cleverer he gets – but it’s never going to last… published by HarperCollins Children’s Books

28/03/201302/02/2014 by jo

Weight Watchers – A Final Challenge

We have our last Weight Watchers challenge to post about – Easter. Yes, that time when people find an excuse to eat chocolate and stuff their faces – I used to. Then when H came along I didn’t want the associations of chocolate and celebrating in her life – I wanted chocolate to be something we eat whenever we fancy. Having said that, I *could* go overboard on the Hotel Chocolat Easter Sale the day after the main event, and may well have. Ahem. Disclaimer: I have then taken another six months to eat it, savouring the chocolatey goodness.

Actually, looking at myself and how I eat around H, I’ve tried my best not to sneak food around her (like a sneaky chocolate) and have waited until she’s gone to bed. Last March (2012) she was given a chocolate Smarties treat which I managed to convince her was a shaker for a year (she ate it last Sunday when I confessed). Doing Weight Watchers has meant I’ve had to really look at myself and this is possibly the closest to ‘me’ time I’ve had in a long time – and hands up I can say it works for me. The hard bit now is keeping it off and not going back to old bad habits.

Which is where chocolate comes in.

We will have chocolate, but we’ll have it in moderation (small eggs! Good plan!). I can eat it and know I’ve enough points to stay within my weekly limit, and seeing as there’s tons of local Easter Egg hunts going on, a long walk to find things with chocolate at the end is a well earned one (I’m aiming for a 10 point one) – that’s if this rotten weather doesn’t let us down. Polesden Lacey here we come….

I started my Weight Watchers journey around September 2012. In that time I’ve lost two stone, pretty much. My old size 38 jeans are gone – freecycled and put into clothing bins around our village. My old t-shirts need sorting out as they look wrong with my new body shape. I splashed out on some of the clothes I posted about on my New Look post, and got that ditsy print skirt – in a size 14. It fits me. The last time I remember being a size 14 was on my eighteenth birthday.

I’m wearing skinny jeans for the first time in I’ve-lost-count years – probably eighties drainpipes – and I’m starting to feel less conscious about myself. Last weekend we had pizza and I still lost 1lb – I’m edging ever-closer to my goal (only 3lb more to go), so I think it’s fairly safe to say that Weight Watchers works – for me.

Has this been life-changing? Possibly, yes. Would I recommend it? I’d definitely say give it a try. Weight Watchers isn’t for everyone – but if you need help in getting a jumbled life of food in check, it’s worth it. I have a link you can click on to sign up (see the sidebar), although three of my friends have gone for cashback schemes elsewhere – the most important thing is that there are opportunities to try it which don’t break the bank (which is what put me off doing it as we don’t have a lot of money!).

What has helped the most? All of us doing it. Not eating foods with sweeteners – just watching portion size. My wonderful Soup Maker.. quick soups are great. Eating chocolate but keeping an eye on how much rather than eating until I’ve finished the lot. Being careful with crisps – more places are stocking Popchips and that’s great because they taste good! Buying good wine – my tastebuds have changed, they’re recognising cheap and nasty wine so now I pick nice wine and savour it (or maybe I’m just growing up at last?).

There’s only one last thing I need to do – just as I’d started doing Weight Watchers I went for a blood test to check my cholesterol levels, as I’m at risk of high cholesterol. I need to book a follow up appointment, as I’ve been watching my saturated fats plus a lot of the Weight Watchers foods are low in them. I want to see if WW has made a difference to my overall health; I’m also going to try using coconut oil in our cooking to see if that helps.

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All that’s left to say is thank you Weight Watchers for giving me the tools to help get my life in check – and thank you to BritMums (for the initial campaign we worked on) and ShinyRed (for the second campaign) for the opportunity to work with Weight Watchers.

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I was provided with nine months of Weight Watchers membership for this challenge. All opinions are my own.

26/03/201326/03/2018 by jo

We Love Books – Love Our Library Again…

love3 Only two this week – I say only, it’s still taken me six days to get to write about them… firstly we’ve got

The Rhyming Rabbit by Julia Donaldson with illustrations from Lydia Monks. We’re familiar with both as we’ve owned ‘What The Ladybird Heard’ for a good couple of years now – in fact, if I was to close my eyes I can probably still remember the whole lot. The Rhyming Rabbit follows a similar pattern – pages with glitter on, but longer rhymes. It’s all about a rabbit who constantly makes up rhymes, and eventually meets with a fellow poet – and as ever it’s fun. Definitely a longer read than the previous book, but still great. Published by MacMillan.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems is another in the Pigeon series – we were recommended ‘Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus’ by a friend a couple of years ago and this follows the same pattern – this time the pigeon has found a hot dog, and a crafty chick wants to know what it tastes like… will Pigeon give up his hot dog? Will he shout a lot? Will you laugh a lot? Oh yes indeed. It’s fun, and another one I’ll probably have to buy now… we love Mo Willems books – published by Walker Books.

26/03/201327/08/2017 by jo

We Love Books – I Heart Bedtime – by Clara Vulliamy

It’s the second Martha and the Bunny Brothers book from Clara Vulliamy – and since the first one came out last year we’ve built up quite a collection of her books – and H loves them all. I’ve noticed some recurring themes – school, bedtime, sleep, counting (lots of counting), sticky buns (mm) and most of all beautiful illustrations and fun stories to read.

This book is no different – and fans of Clara’s work will love this. Martha and her bunny brothers Pip and Monty are pretty excited as mum is going out, so they’re having a babysitter (and Martha would like some special time with the babysitter as she’s older) – but of course there’s plenty to be done beforehand, getting things in order too.

What I’ve found H likes the most with Clara’s books, are the extra bits of text – you can tell the story if you want to go quickly, but woe betide anyone who misses the little details – the little handwritten additions – it’s like a beautiful scrapbook with handwritten notes alongside it – and our favourite bit is as they go up and down the stairs getting things ready – it’s a really lovely visual book with lots to talk about on each picture.

Martha and the Bunny Brothers - I Heart Bedtime by Clara Vulliamy

As an experiment (as H can’t read) I let her look at the pictures and tell me what she could see – and already she remembers a lot of names and things on there – I know children have good memories at this age, but credit to the author too!

I Heart Bedtime also has a new addition – a song! The Bedtime Bunnies song – you need to head over to Clara’s website to listen to it – there’s an instrumental version (from Clara) and one sung by her daughter, Martha.

Martha and the Bunny Brothers – I Heart Bedtime is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, and is available now.

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

25/03/201302/02/2014 by jo

Cat Doorman – Songbook

Cat Doorman is Julianna Bright, a Portland Oregon based musician who makes music for her daughter – and released her debut album earlier this year. ‘Little Red Wagon’ is a traditional song, and very catchy too – I found that ‘Songbook’ sits really well alongside the Megson album we’ve just reviewed – folky and calm.We reviewed the Night & Day ‘Little Red Wagon’ app a while back (which features on here), and loved it so much I bought the album for H. (it was especially cute when she’d sing ‘everywhere my darling’ rather than ‘fare the well my darling’ at the end)

The track ‘Inspiration’ recently had a video made for it – which you can watch over here

Inspiration from Cat Doorman on Vimeo.

What attracted me to this album the most is the other musicians appearing on it – members of The Decemberists, the Corin Tucker Band and many more – bands I’d heard of, so I knew there was a good background there, and it left me curious. Actually, I’m loving that people in indie bands are making music for their kids and it stays true to the music they make.

There’s more audio samples to be heard on Cat Doorman’s site – I’ve embedded them here too. If you like this, consider buying a copy – it’s a lovely album and one we love playing when we’re sitting around playing games at home.

25/03/2013 by jo

A Panicky Tea

If I don’t log this somewhere I’ll never find it next time I get home from work and realise there’s no bread! We have a breadmaker which is used 2-3 times a week so we never run out, apart from tonight. Fortunately I had a recipe for Soda Bread I’d tried thanks to Jax at Liveotherwise, but I couldn’t find the recipe! Time was running out, and I knew it would take 30 minutes to cook, as well as 21 minutes to do the butternut squash, leek, sweet potato soup I had planned. Diasaster!

I found the recipe – I got the oven on and warming up (it’s meant to be 200 degrees), and started off the vegetables in the soup maker. Everything was going well – but I ran out of plain flour! Fortunately I had wholemeal which seemed to work – so I combined the two – but forgot to put the oven on full – and most importantly of all forgot to put a cross on the top of the emergency bread. I now know why this is – it won’t cook inside otherwise – I cut the bread into four and it needed another five minutes to properly cook.

Disaster struck again – the first blend cycle in the soup maker made the top come loose – the 21 minute cycle stopped – argh! My quick fix was to blend the vegetables anyway so they were smooth, then re-start the soup but only have it go for as long as was needed to complete the process – around eight minutes. Crisis averted, I think….

Fortunately the bread was better for being baked that bit longer, and the soup tasted great too – so much so I scoffed the lot and didn’t take a photo. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Soup :

3 sweet potatoes
half a butternut squash

(if you’re really lucky, you’ll have a super husband who will chop them all up into chunks the night before so you just throw it into the soup maker)

I chopped and added a leek, then three teaspoons of low-salt bouillon, water up to the maximum mark, and that’s it.

Bread :

200g plain flour
180g wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
1 carton of buttermilk

put all dry ingredients into a bowl, and make a well in the middle. Add the buttermilk and mix with a spoon until it becomes a big dough-y ball – now put the large cross on the top (VERY IMPORTANT). Put into the oven and bake for 30 minutes. It’ll be ready when it’s hollow sounding when you knock the bottom. It will also be super-tasty when eaten with freshly made soup.

Extra bonus, the washing up isn’t too difficult afterwards. My jeans are a bit mucky though, dough stains…

full credit to Cherished By Me for the recipe in the first place, thank you. It’s so quick and easy, especially when I’m organised. I’ve written it up now, so I reckon it’s foolproof!

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