Let’s be honest, changing nappies isn’t exactly our favourite pastime and as a mum of two, aunt and godmother I've changed more than my share over the last few years! However, Pampers have come up with a great way to turn the moment when you spot that familiar #pooface into a far more enjoyable experience - they’ve launched an exciting new app called Pampers Club which rewards you when you purchase Pampers. So poop now means prizes!
Although Jamster and Minxy generally get on really well, like any siblings, they have their moments. They play tricks on each other and they try to wind each other up to breaking point at times.
I remember similar moments from my own childhood with my brother and sister too - my poor mother!
They currently have a favourite seat in the lounge where they both like to sit at every opportunity and if one moves out of it, even for a second, the other will jump straight into it. The arguments they have had over it, along with who gets to have the remote, are ridiculous. I've no idea why they both need to sit in it as there is plenty of room for everyone on our corner suite. Although this specific chair is nearer to the TV and plug sockets for charging tablets which may have something to do with it.
It’s time to play! Join the stars of children’s broadcaster CBeebies for over 2 hours of fun-filled entertainment in CBeebies Playtime, released by Abbey Home Media on Monday 9th May.
Fans of CBeebies will love this unique collection of some of the very best of children’s television.
The collection features the following episodes:
Teletubbies - Join Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po as they exploreHome Dome and the magical countryside of Teletubbyland through play. In New Toy the children in Tummy Tales play a game of pass the parcel and win a surprise toy, while the Dup Dup delivers toys for the Teletubbies to play with. Even Noo-Noo enjoys a new treat!
Sleepless nights with newborns and toddler tantrum stresses can certainly take their toll over time - it can really leave parents looking a little worse for wear! Mira-Skin™ Hyaluronic Serum is a unique combination of high-quality, short-chained hyaluronic acid, which promotes regeneration and supplies your skin with valuable nutrients and antioxidants for ultimate hydration.
When we travel we always try to fit in as much as we can to make the most of our family breaks, and we like to pick attractions that will keep us busy for several hours at a time. As Minxy is more than a little obsessed with animals and wants to be a vet one day, and Jamster loves everything prehistoric, we thought there was no better place to visit while in Devon than the Dinosaur and Wildlife Park at Combe Martin with rock pooling to follow.
The dinosaurs are set within a beautiful botanical garden with natural waterfalls and streams for a truly tranquil experience. They are often lurking between tropical trees and bushes but as they are seriously huge in size, possibly even to scale, they are certainly easy to spot!
Children today are incredibly tech savvy, with even the smallest of toddlers using mobile phones and tablets to play games regularly, so it's important to know as a mum (or dad) that our little ones are safe and secure online. KidzInMind has been created by a community of parents and they guarantee that the apps within are all carefully selected so that none of them contain hidden fees, external links or ads, inappropriate language or imagery. This allows your child to learn and have fun while providing peace of mind for you - they won't be getting access to adult content or racking up a huge bill!
We downloaded KidzInMind to take a peek at the great security settings in place and to find out what exactly it has to offer for families.
Upon opening the app you're taken to the homepage, an interactive image of a bedroom, where you can click on various objects to navigate to specific activities. It's bright and attractive in appearance and Jamster was most intrigued by the monster photo frame first which once pressed opened into a second room showing a 'Dino Lab' screen. Here he was able to play games which involved matching skeletons to the correct dinosaur, spotting the differences between two pictures and bone jigsaws which he really enjoyed.
Praised for it's thrilling plot, this sci-fi story is action packed from the start and is bound to captivate your tweens while teaching a valuable lesson!
Parker Banks is having a hard time adjusting to his new life in New York after moving with his family from London following the tragic death of his mother. His father, a scientist, is under mounting pressure in his new job, and his sister Emma, despite being deaf, has had no problems making new friends.
Then Parker’s father, on the cusp of a technological breakthrough, is kidnapped. Alerted via E.F.E. – a device invented to help Emma communicate telepathically with her family – Parker, along with his sister, best friend Michael and an albino pig, embark on a rescue mission.
Apple and cinnamon are a match made in heaven and this relatively simple dessert will soon become a family favourite - it goes perfectly teamed with a scoop of soft vanilla ice cream now that spring has arrived!
I was woken just before 8am by the Mini Mes. As the sun began to flood into my bedroom through a crack in the curtain and blind me, I sat up in bed from my peaceful slumber grudgingly. The Mr chose to do an additional 12 hour shift as overtime at work, much to my disgust, so my hopes of a proper lie in and full English breakfast for just once in a year were soon shattered.
Minxy clambered under the duvet, her cold toes brushing my leg like ice, and presented me with an envelope she had created using floral paper and a staple gun. It contained 3 pairs of silver earrings and a personalised card she had made online. She muttered how they were smaller than she had anticipated and then Jamster gave me a hedgehog card and a flower basket before mentioning something about Minecraft and both scurrying away with their tablets in hand.
I ventured downstairs after a few moments, made myself a bagel and drink which I placed on a pretty new tray, before popping back upstairs in my dressing gown to try to relax for a while. But it wasn't long until I could hear bickering. I called down a few times 'What's going on?' hoping the issue would be resolved quickly but with no response and the volume increasing I had no choice but to throw on some clothes and head down again to investigate. Eye rolls, sighs and tuts included.
When the letters come home from school about World Book Day I generally look online and purchase a costume for the Mini Mes and we've had some great ones over the years. But this time, to save money and to have a little fun in the process, we decided to create our own. After all, nothing beats a little imagination and effort for a home made design.
It gives us all a great sense of achievement too.
What the Ladybird Heard is a lovely rhyming tale by Julia Donaldson. The illustrations are bold and bright and the glitter adds even more magic to the pages. Ladybirds have always been a favourite creature of Minxy's so she has dressed as one quite a few times.
To create this Ladybird costume we just used a large cardboard box, red and black Duck Tape - it really is that simple!
I've even surprised myself recently at how motivated and 'in the zone' I am when it comes to losing weight. If you haven't heard, although I may have mentioned it too many times to remember, I've lost 18lb since 29th December which is quite an achievement for a yo-yo dieter like me.
In the early days you don't always notice the changes to your body which is generally the point where I give up and hit the fridge like Pac-Man. The scales and tape measure may show the loss but if you can't see or feel it yourself then it just doesn't seem real. That's why I decided that this time I would make weight loss jars to help keep me focused.
The idea is to have a pot with pebbles, stones or pretty glass beads like these, to represent the pounds you want to lose. You then have a second container to move these across to when you have lost the weight. You should start to see one jar empty as the other fills up and having a visual like this in your home to look at regularly will remind you of how far you have already come just as you reach for the biscuits.
Preparing for the arrival of your bundle of joy can be a costly experience. There is not only the day to day expense of a child's upbringing like nappies, food and clothing to take into consideration but also the initial outlay. Cot beds, car seats and prams don't generally come cheap but NurserySavings.com should thankfully make shopping a little easier on the bank balance for you.
This small family run business launched on eBay in 2011 and has blossomed ever since, due to the low cost but high quality items they provide. Their annual turnover has increased dramatically during the past few years and they have now opened their website due to it's ongoing success, to provide more shopping options for their thousands of customers.
Nursery Savings generally deal with returned nursery stock from high street retailers, like Mothercare, which they then sort, refurbish and grade before selling to you and I at very affordable prices. These are often items that were simply sent back with no or very little use by the original recipient so you can pick yourself up the latest goods for a fraction of the cost and with free delivery too.
Items include highchairs, bouncers, storage solutions and so much more. You can pick up all of the larger essentials all in one place while in the comfort of your own home. This is certainly beneficial for the heavily pregnant as wandering around shopping centres may not be a priority!
Looking for a heart-warming movie to watch as a family? Paper Planes is the highest grossing children's film in Australian history and to celebrate the release on Monday 25th January we have 5 copies to give away!
Sam Worthington (Avatar), Ed Oxenbould (Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings) star in this imaginative children's film about a young Australian boy's passion for flight and his challenge to compete in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan.
Eleven-year-old Dylan meets the junior Japanese champion Kimi in the national paper plane championships in Sydney, Australia. They develop a close bond, challenging each other to create a plane that has never been seen before.
Directed by one of Australia's leading filmmakers Robert Connolly, this is a powerful true story about a friendship between two countries and defying the odds (and gravity in the process). If at first you don’t succeed, fly, fly again!
Watch the trailer here:
I'm really looking forward to seeing this with the Mini Mes and the Mr!
The Christmas break seemed to whizz by in a blur of turkey, presents and festive films so we didn't really venture far, bar seeing relatives. It was therefore lovely to get some fresh (and rather cold) air on the Mini Mes' school training day.
The weather was on the miserable side which was actually beneficial, as we therefore had the peaceful wood all to ourselves to explore.
Between Christmas and the New Year sales I've gathered quite a variety of cook books and I've loved having a browse through the recipes in search of inspiration. My sweet tooth soon had me drooling over the pristine puds and tempting tarts so I decided to make a tasty yet quick dessert of my own.
These cookie pots are crisp on the outside and seriously gooey in the centre - a total crowd pleaser and ready in less than 30 minutes.
The generosity from friends and family is always quite overwhelming at Christmas and although each present is so gratefully received there are usually a few items in particular that the Mini Mes just can't put down!
Here are Jamster's top 5....
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
Jamster had wanted a mobile phone for quite a while, and as a lot of his friends had recently received handsets I thought it was time to get him his own. I felt as though this make and model were ideal for his first and it was good value too at £89.95 sim free. I've set up a monthly contract so I don't need to worry about topping it up.
Spy Net Vibrasonic Walkie Talkies
These have been here, there and everywhere already! Jamster took them to my parent's on Boxing Day and to my sister's the day after to show everyone. He wears a set constantly and gives the other to whoever is willing to use it. Once switched on you don't need to press a button when you speak, like you would on standard walkie talkies, this is constant two way chat with a range of up to 30m so he was rather impressed, especially as he loves his action hero/secret agent movies.
Served straight from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this chocolate and pear pudding is a delicious winter dessert and fast becoming a family favourite. It's relatively easy to make and equally as tasty reheated the following day ... that's if there is any left over!
Ingredients
4 pears sliced (you can used tinned instead if you wish)
175g butter, melted
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
75g plain flour
45g cocoa
100g dark chocolate
Christmas is just around the corner and so is the return of my annual Advent competition!
Each year as a thank you to my followers for their support I arrange 30 giveaways to run throughout November, with a new one beginning daily and all coming to an end in early December.
There are prizes for him, her and the kids which you can choose to keep for yourselves or to gift to someone else. It's the season of goodwill after all and it could save you some £££ too!
For an email reminder when the giveaways begin you can register for my newsletter just here.
