Weight Watchers Week 7 & 8 Challenge

WeightWatchers Logo

Yet again I’m lagging behind in my posts. I have two challenges to write about, firstly week 7 is Shop Smart. Week 8 is Out To Lunch. The two do fit perfectly with us, so hopefully this won’t be too long!

As far as the weekly shop goes, working four days a week and having busy time when not working means I have very little time to shop. Today we ended up in Asda, all of us wondering why we were there on our day off – as generally I’ll do my weekly shop at Ocado and get it delivered on a Tuesday using their weekday pass deal. Ocado also do good multibuys and stock Weight Watchers food. Generally I’ll buy a few WW bits – although I’ve found quite often you can go to Poundland and get them there too; so do my shop at the weekend and head to Poundland on the Monday lunchtime, removing anything I’m able to pick up there from my Ocado order.

The Weight Watchers foods we buy are the bread ones – we make our own bread in the breadmaker but keep a supply of bagels, wraps and naan breads in to have with soup. I also get the yoghurts (as they’re 1 point) and often on multibuys. Other than that I stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as passata, spice, quorn or tofu, and that’s pretty much it. Our weekly shop varies from £45 to £60, which is a LOT less than I’d spend if I went into a supermarket.

Eating out is another one I don’t stress too much about. Generally we eat at pizza places, where there’s plenty of choice especially with low-calorie options. I try to go for restaurants that have free WiFi so I can check for deals, but also check the points of what I’m eating. I refuse to deny myself food (as that’s what makes me stop being good if I’m denied something) but I’ll make sure I don’t eat a lot of the foods which are higher points. It seems to work for me, and having the app handy to check is good too, though I have found often they’re not in the system though can be found when you google them.

As far as at work goes, I’m a creature of habit. I’ll buy the same foods every day – I know the points and I’m happy with them. If I fancy a change I’ll head to M&S or Waitrose for their pricier options, but generally I’ll have a Sainsburys Be Good To Yourself Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich (7 points) and some vegetable sushi (4 points) for my afternoon snack. This comes in at £2 and is already cheaper than their meal deal! In the morning I’ll have a banana to snack on. If I go to the pub over the road for lunch I’ll still have some chips – these come in around 5 points, so I’ll make sure I don’t have the sushi so I don’t go over too much – and if I know in the morning I’m having lunch out then I’m more likely to walk from Clapham Junction to my work which is around a mile, so I’ve a few points stored up too.

The most important thing for me is knowing how many calories things are, and I’m noticing more places are now displaying it – just divide the total number by 40 and voila!

If you’re lucky then the points may even be on your sandwich; M&S and Sainsburys both do it if like me you can’t even think straight at that time of day!

 

I’ve been provided with six months of Weight Watchers membership – all opinions are my own. I’ve lost a stone and a half and am now a regular weight again due to my own work with Weight Watchers.

‘Big Fun with Little Trains’ at the National Railway Museum, York

Last Saturday my husband, five year old son and I visited the new half term event ‘Big Fun with Little Trains’. Alongside old favourites like the train themed storytelling, outdoor play area, and steam train rides, there were plenty of additional activities to enjoy. Appealing to a wide age range (adults included!) we excitedly raced other museum-goers on the Scalextric track, before building our own track in a Chuggington themed play area. On the other side of the museum our five year old then rode on a pedal train before building another out of Lego. Although we didn’t participate in any Meccano building (something that slightly older children seemed to be engaging with), there were plenty of seats and tables in this area, allowing a large number of children to participate.

big fun with little trains

Outside, and three train rides later (full and miniature sized steam trains, and a miniature diesel train) we ventured back inside for some food. Although hot food areas are normally situated in each of the two main halls, additional areas had been set up where cold food and snacks could be purchased, making queuing (thankfully) limited. A number of picnic benches both inside and out meant that it was possible to flexibly deal with the unpredictable eating demands of a small child.

Overall, the wide range of activities was impressive – appealing to younger and older children. The positioning of these activities all over the museum also provided the opportunity to browse at the permanent displays which should not be missed (our favourite was the Chinese steam train). Queuing on a busy Saturday was not an issue – either for food or these additional activities, suggesting a very well planned half term event. Clearly enhancing the existing exhibits, we are now really looking forward to the forthcoming Robot Wars event at the end of March.

Hello Baby – A Review

hello-baby

We had an opportunity to review something from Hello Baby – and chose a swimsuit for H. She’s been having swimming lessons since she was nine months and the obvious choice was the Zoggs Swim Free swimsuit as it’s a full body suit and is nice and warm too, handy when you have lessons and it’s cold, especially at this time of year. However, as we’re finding now, H being three and a half and tall means she doesn’t often fit into things which are suitable for three-year olds (they had a 2-3 suit left in stock) and we’re slowly outgrowing stores which supply things for babies and toddlers – so the suit was too small for us to properly try out.

Fortunately it wasn’t a problem – we were able to pass on the suit to another girl in our old swimming classes who is using the suit now and thinks it’s fab (and is nice and warm) – and anyone who uses swimming pools will know the Zoggs brand are a good brand!

As far as price goes, £14.99 is a good price and delivery was quick. They offer free shipping on orders over £50 and have a great selection of brands and ranges. I’d recommend taking a look if you’re looking for things for your baby or toddler as I liked their choice.

You can find Hello Baby on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter

 

Giveaway and review – Justin Fletcher – The Best Of Friends

Justin Fletcher - Best of Friends

So, we recently did a little preview of Justin Fletcher’s new album, and our copy arrived today. Obviously it went straight on the stereo, and immediately I had one of those moments. You know the ones – where you feel like you’ve heard a similar sounding song before? There’s a song by Maps who are signed to Mute, and the title track reminded me SO much of one of their songs, so it got a big indie thumbs up from me.

Here’s the trailer…

There’s twenty songs in total, and if your child loves ‘Hands Up’ then ‘The Best Of Friends’ will be a hit (actually, truth be told, if your child likes Justin then it’s a fairly safe bet) It follows a similar vein (up-tempo bounce around the room) and includes versions  of ‘Reach’ (the S Club 7 song), ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite’ (hurrah!), ‘The Clapping Song’ gets a suitable update, and there’s plenty of classics like ‘Rockin’ Robin’, ‘Ugly Duckling’. ‘Ten Green Bottles’, ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’ and many more.

AND… ta daaaaa! We have a copy to give away. We’ve given away so many Justin related things, so I thought we could all try to be a bit more creative this time – if you were to suggest some songs for Justin to cover for his next album, what would you choose (I’m kind of thinking that Maps song might be interesting)? Please enter via Rafflecopter so I can keep track of entries, ‘The Best Of Friends’ is released on the 4th March 2013 so your prize will be sent out at this time. Closing date is the 1st March 2013. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Personalised Wine

Okay, so my husband is possibly the worst person in the world (apart from me*) for shouting about achievements. For the past (gulp) five years he has been studying for his ACCA exams, and a week ago we found out he passed his final exam. There’s just a few bits of paperwork left and then he’ll be fully qualified!

Five years are a long time – and I had no idea what to get him other than it had to be something which he’d like and something which wouldn’t take up space (as he’s forever telling me we have too much stuff). Then the chance to have a bottle of personalised wine came along and obviously I jumped at the chance, and with him being Australian I chose a shiraz.

I was impressed with how quick it was turned around – I put in the request on the Sunday, and it had arrived on the Tuesday, using a courier with an approximate time when it would be delivered (which was correct) – I’m finding I’m so busy these days so having a facility which gives an idea of when it will arrive is VERY useful.

So here it is!

personalised wine

Obviously, the wine needed to be tasted, and that we did. I have to say, my initial taste I wasn’t impressed, but once it had a chance to air in the room a bit it was pretty good – so if you opt for the shiraz open the bottle a good 10 minutes before you intend to drink it!

The shiraz isn’t currently on the site so I can’t say how much it cost, however, I’d say if you were looking for a personalised gift then definitely head over to Gifts Online 4U as they’ve a huge selection of things available.

Follow GiftsOnline4U here –
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We were sent the bottle of wine for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own

* nobody believes me when I tell them this.

We Love Books – The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

runaway bunny

This book was first published in 1942 and is a classic picture book. HarperCollins have made it available as part of their Essential Picture Book Classics.

In a lot of ways, this reminds me of ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ – which of course came many years later – but the themes are similar and are full of love (and rabbits).

The Runaway Bunny thinks about running away, but his mother has other ideas – but in a positive way. Bunny will be a boat, mother will be the wind that blows him home, for example.

H loved looking at the illustrations and enjoyed reading it – and it has a good loving message too.

 runaway bunny

Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (and pictures by Clement Hurd) is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in paperback and eBook formats.

We were sent a copy to review, all opinions are our own.

We Love Books – Wagtail Town – Lulu and the Treasure Hunt by Emma Chichester Clark

lulu and the treasure hunt

We were sent a copy of ‘Lulu and the Treasure Hunt’ from the Wagtail Town series by Emma Chichester Clark to review, and it has gone down really well with H.

Her first impression was what won her over – the first page is a map of Wagtail Town and given H loves those parts of her Topsy and Tim books, we were given detailed information (by H) of what was in every building – like ‘Mount Fuji Sausage House’ (we’ve no idea either!).

I’m definitely more of a dog person than cats, and enjoyed reading the story – Lulu is taking part in the New Tricks School treasure hunt, and has promised to look after little Bonnie who can’t run very fast. What will Lulu choose to do when she’s faced with staying with Bonnie or finding a clue?

lulu and the treasure hunt

There’s a good lesson to be learnt here – and I’ve found this book to be perfect for H’s age (3.5 years). We’ve been collecting more of the author’s ‘Blue Kangaroo’ series and yet again there’s lovely illustrations.

Wagtail Town – Lulu and the Treasure Hunt by Emma Chichester Clark is published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in paperback, priced at £6.99. It is also available in eBook formats.

We were sent a copy of this book to review, all opinions are our own.

Dentyl Active Mouthwash – a Review

I’ve been using Dentyl Active Mouthwash for years now – since I first spotted it on the shelves in the supermarket however long ago that was. It has always appealed to me, mainly as I don’t have many teeth (small mouth!), and the ones I do have are packed together – so I have to regularly floss and make sure they’re looked after.

Dentyl Active has always appealed as you shake the bottle, pour a small cupful and swish it in your mouth – and voila! It does remove some of the yucky stuff in your mouth and around your teeth. I’ve always felt so clean in my mouth afterwards and for quite some time afterwards too.

Dentyl Active Enamel Restore

Dentyl have recently brought out a new variant – Active Enamel Restore. Which does what it says – now whether it’s working is another matter as that kind of thing takes time, but the key things it does are important:

– helps to strengthen tooth enamel by replacing lost minerals
– helps protect enamel against acid erosion
– helps enamel become more resistant to acid attack

Now, back in my day we never used mouthwash, but statistics these days are shocking – young children being admitted to hospital for tooth decay is on the rise let alone adults. Enamel erosion is on the increase thanks to our eating and drinking habits these days, which is where this comes in – Dentyl Active is suitable for children aged 7 and up – as there’s no alcohol in the mouthwash (which generally can’t be used until age 12).

Dentyl Active Enamel Restore also has the ability to lift and absorb 99.9% of oral bacteria according to 2008 US independent laboratory trials, as well as debris like food particles, bacteria and plaque from the mouth.

What else do you need to know about Dentyl Active?

– It’s alcohol-free
– it contains double the fluoride of several other mouthwash brands
– helps fight plaque bacteria
– helps maintain healthy gums
– tastes great and doesn’t sting
– provides long lasting fresh breath
– lifts and absorbs 99.9% of oral bacteria and debris in the mouth

Also, I have sensitive teeth – and have found using Dentyl Active I don’t get a reaction – which is why we’ve used it for so long.

In summary, I’d buy it, it works for me, and I’d recommend it to you!

We were sent a bottle of Dentyl Active for the purpose of review, all opinions are ours.

Sponsored Video – Samsung Presents the Monkey Thief

You’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about – a monkey thief? Well. There’s a new Samsung Fridge Freezer and it’s got many features that are important these days – as well as keeping energy consumption low.

We rent, but we do own our own fridge freezer (as well as having the landlady’s fridge and freezer too), and while I like it, it’d be nice to have one that’s easily accessible where we can get our food  and drink with hardly any spillage – and Samsung have only gone and created a fridge freezer which has this feature.

Firstly, there’s an Easy Slide shelf which means you can organise your space better and hold all fruit and veg without it being too packed in. There’s also a Full Open Box within the bottom mounted freezer which can be pulled out fully to store and take larger items without losing space (I’m thinking pizza boxes here… I always struggle getting them into the freezer, oh and don’t talk to me about the ice cube tray, the amount of spillages I have when I’m putting the ice cube trays in… sigh)

The Big Guard door shelf also fits big and tall bottles – the amount of times we’d have bottles in our fridge door which have to lie horizontally, not making the best of what little space there is (and again, more spillage).

In the freezer there’s a CoolSelect zone which you can control the temperature of, and the MoistFresh zone which controls air circulation to keep the humidity to store vegetables and fruit for a long time.

But don’t let me bore you with fridge freezer talk – there’s an ad, and it’s quirky – check it out…

So if you did happen to buy one of these Samsung Fridge Freezers, keep an eye out for monkeys, but be safe in the knowledge that whatever happens, your food will be fresh…

The Samsung Newsroom
Samsung’s Website
Follow Samsung on YouTube

This post has been sponsored by Samsung, all thoughts are our own.

Bio Oil – A Review

If you’re pregnant and you’ve a group of friends who’ve had babies, chances are you will have had Bio Oil recommended to you – this happened to me while pregnant, and indeed afterwards for any skin ailments you might have. BUT don’t assume Bio Oil is just for mummies, Bio Oil is for everyone – you too blokes (don’t worry it doesn’t smell of flowers and girly things) you can use it as well.

It’s  really light and easy to apply, and I’ve found I never get too much when I’m using it. I have a really bad eczema/dry skin rash on my legs which never seems to clear, though Bio Oil does stop it feeling itchy, and definitely helps it feel much  better.

Bio-Oil has been clinically proven to help with:

Scars: Improves appearance of new and old scars whether from surgery, accidents, burns, insect bites, scratches and chickenpox

Stretch Marks: Helps prevent formation of stretch marks during pregnancy and periods of rapid weight gain or loss and helps to improve the appearance of existing stretch marks

Uneven Skin Tone: Helps improve appearance of uneven skin tone caused by hormonal fluctuations, skin lighteners or excessive sun exposure

Ageing Skin: Helps smooth and tone ageing, sagging and wrinkled skin on both the face and body

Dehydrated Skin: Helps replenish the skin’s natural oils, stripped away by factors such as extreme weather, water with high chemical content, frequent bathing and the drying effects of central heating and air-con. Try massaging into dry patches such as nail cuticles, dry elbows and heels for targeted relief.

You can even apply Bio Oil to the face!

Bio Oil

Alongside exclusive ingredient PurCellin Oil™ (which dramatically lowers the viscosity (stickiness and density) of the formulation to create a “dry” oil which is non-greasy), Bio-Oil’s Key ingredients include:

Vitamin A – helps improve the skin’s elasticity, texture and tone
Vitamin E – The most widely used antioxidant in skincare products today, Vitamin E increases the moisture content of the epidermis, thereby making the skin softer, smoother and more supple. Vitamin E also assists in the maintenance of healthy-looking skin
Calendula Oil – Calendula Officinalis, more commonly referred to as marigold, has been used for centuries as a natural antioxidant and has the ability to clarify and stimulates the growth of new skin cells
Lavender Oil – Lavender oil is widely known for calming and soothing benefits
Rosemary Oil – Rosemary oil helps to invigorate and it has a mild antiseptic capabilities and thus eases congestion, puffiness and swelling of the skin
Chamomile Oil – Chamomile has a calming and soothing effect and is particularly beneficial for sensitive skin

Bio-Oil is preservative-free and is not tested on animals and is available from all good supermarkets priced 60ml rsp £8.95, 125ml rsp £14.95, 200ml rsp £19.95

Follow Bio Oil on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/biooiluk

We were sent some Bio Oil for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own.