Thursday, 13 February 2014

Sorry I've been so quiet lately...


:)
Wednesday, 12 February 2014

The Mum Tag

Bex over at Futures & Helen at Mummy to the Max tagged me in this post. I don't usually participate but I really love the questions so I thought I'd join in!





1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum, or a Working Mum?
A stay at home mum. 

2. Would you have it any other way?
No, I love it. Sometimes I do lose sight of who I am but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love being able to see C's development every day before my eyes.

3. Do you co-sleep?
Yes. When I was pregnant I always swore that I wouldn't do it. Things do change though, and he had a different idea! Within the next month or so, I will be purchasing his first toddler bed in a bid to get him to sleep in there!

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?
A baby bouncer for when they're really little then a Jumperoo. Both great items to keep little ones entertained and for mums & dads to get five minutes to themselves!

5. How many kids do you plan on having?
We don't have a plan. I could have loads as I love being pregnant soooo much but I think when the time comes we'll just know when enough is enough.


6. Date night? How many nights per month?
Never. We went out a few weeks ago for our anniversary (this was out for lunch without C) and before that, it was in September!


7. Your childs favourite show?
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He also enjoys Something Special, Handy Manny & Jake and the Neverland Pirates.


8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?
Foam bath support. I actually think we used it once but it was just easier to bathe him without it.


9. Your child’s favourite food?
Pasta. He's just like his dad. I hate pasta because Chris makes it so much but the two of them seem to love it! It has to be with tomato & mascarpone sauce though!


10. How many cars does your family have?
None. Neither of us drive. We really hope to change that soon though. It will be so much easier to have a car when C starts school.


11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during and after and now?
I was 11st at my booking appointment with C. I'm not sure how much weight I put on during pregnancy but I am 9st now :)


12. Dream holiday with your kids?
It has to be Disneyland. I think in Florida.


13. Dream holiday without your kids?
Chris & I would love to travel all over America.

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?
I don't see as many of my friends anymore. I do see around 4 or 5 of my best friends and that's really all I need. I think I've grown up a lot. I've gone from a lazy 19 year old who would stay in bed until the afternoon to someone which responsibilities. I moved in properly with Chris too so I learned just how hard it is to maintain a household too. I miss lie ins!


15. Finish the sentence: ‘It makes my heart melt to see … ‘
the love that C has for Chris and I. Sometimes he moves his face right in front of ours just to look at us. I love it.


16. Where do you shop for your kids?
Mainly Asda, Primark, Matalan & Next.


17. Favourite makeup and skincare products?
I don't really have any favourites! I do love Rimmel's matte powder & I adore Urban Decay's eyeshadow palettes.


18. Huggies or Pampers?
Neither! When C was born we had some people do up hampers for us containing both brands of nappy. I always found that they leaked! I then discovered Asda's Little Angels which were my fave until cloth nappies came along!

19. Have you always wanted kids?

No. I was never the maternal type and always said that I didn't want children. My sister is 10 years younger than me and I just saw her as an annoyance. As cheesy as this may sound, it wasn't until I met Chris that I knew I'd have a family with him.

20. Best part about being a mum?
I've mentioned this before but just seeing the love the C has for us. Even if I've had a bad day, his cuddles and kisses make it so much better.

I tag:
Everyone! I'm pretty sure that most people have already been tagged so if you're reading this and you haven't done it, go! Make sure you link me in the comments so I can pop over for a read!
Friday, 7 February 2014

Degustabox: January - Review & Giveaway

I LOVE my food and I love the idea of subscription boxes so imagine my delight when I was approached to review Degustabox.

Degustabox is a monthly subscription box filled with delicious food products at only £12.99 per month. The best part is that there is no commitment necessary.

I was so excited as soon as I opened my box and Chris was already wanting to dive in. I had to shout, "No, I need to take photographs!!" Bless him. I must warn you, this is a photo heavy post!




Inside my box was:

Zico Chocolate Coconut Water
This drink is made from 85% coconut water (from concentrate) and a more-ish natural chocolate flavour. It is an excellent low calorie option with great hydrating qualities.

I only took one sip of the coconut water and decided that it wasn't for me. I'm not a big fan of water, even my diluted juice has to be really concentrated. For me, there just wasn't enough of a chocolate flavour for my liking. Chris really enjoyed it though!

Dorset Cereals Berry Granola
This granola contains a heavenly mix of traditionally baked oats and zingy blackberries and raspberries.

This is absolutely delicious and is a great way to start the day. I've only had a few bowls and Chris keeps stealing it all!

Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps
Jules Destrooper are a family company that have been baking biscuits for 125 years. Their Butter Crisp biscuits are made using rich summer butter and a secret blend of spices.

These go down great with a cup of tea and I must admit, they didn't last very long in our house! They have a gorgeous buttery flavour and were bigger than I expected them to be!

Amy's Kitchen Chunky Tomato Soup
This soup is made with organic ingredients and they put the same care and attention into it as home cooked food. It can be found in the free from section of supermarkets.

I'd never tried chunky tomato soup before, I'd usually stick to Heinz but this a welcome change. It really filled me with a roll and lunch and I will be purchasing more of Amy's Kitchen soups with my grocery shop. I don't eat soup very often but it has reminded me of how much I enjoy it!

GO! Kombucha China White tea
This item was included in the Degustabox in celebration of Chinese New Year. This tea faithfully adheres to the ancient Chinese recipe. It is filled with pro-biotic enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

This tea wasn't really for me. I don't tend to drink a lot anyway; water, juice, tea, coffee so the flavours just didn't satisfy me. I do know that others would probably appreciate it but it wasn't my cup of tea (pardon the pun!)

Maggi So Juicy and So Tender Sachets
We received these in So Juicy Sticky BBQ Chicken, So Tender Italian Herbs Chicken and So Juicy Mexican Chicken. We have bought all these varieties in the past as they are a quick and easy solution for a tasty midweek meal. I was really pleased to see these included as we love them. They're so easy to use and they have a 3 step guide on the sachet.

Quinola Express Pearl & Black
These are the perfect way to enjoy quinoa and save time. Quinoa is a superfood which is high in nutrients and it's gluten free. We used ours cold in a salad but it can be eaten heated as part of a side. They are organic and fairtrade and have won 4 Great Taste awards. This isn't something that I've tried in the past, and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have tried if it weren't for this box, but it is definitely something that I'll pick up in the future.

Goody Good Stuff Sweets
Goody Good Stuff sweets are suitable for vegetarian, Halal and Kosher diets and they use high quality ingredients to produce a range of confectionery that are gluten, dairy, soy, nut and high fructose corn syrup free. We received a bag of Tropical Fruit and Sour Mix & Match. These were the first items that we opened, naturally, and I think they were all scoffed in around 3 minutes? They taste no different to non vegetarian sweets. My best friend is on a gluten free diet so I will definitely be picking some of these up for her!

Degustabox have given my readers a discount code for £3.00 off when registering. Just enter: GPEEK

Degustabox have been very kind to offer one of their boxes up as a competition prize! You just need to fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. This competition is open to mainland UK residents only, over 18 and will end on 18th February. Good luck!






a Rafflecopter giveaway


Monday, 3 February 2014

Mr Tumble's Big Book of Counting - Review

I was so pleased to receive an email from Egmont asking if we'd like to review their Mr Tumble's Big Book of Counting. C loves Cbeebies and anything with Justin Fletcher is a huge hit.


I was really happy to see that it is a hardbacked book. C has a habit of being a little rough with his books and he always puts them in his mouth. When he noticed Mr Tumble on the front, a huge smile crept upon his face. He recognised him instantly!

We made our way through the book and C was a little excited and kept trying to turn the pages before we'd even finished the one that we were on! I love the little rhymes as they keep C entertained. I did find on a few occasions that he tried to copy the sound of the number after I said it which was just what we were aiming for.



This is a lift-the-flap book and C was able to lift these himself. He loved seeing all the characters that he knew from the TV show such as Grandad Tumble and Aunt Polly.

This is definitely a great way to teach children to count to five as they can associate it with characters that they're used to seeing. There are also questions such as "Can you count 1?" to encourage your child to repeat it back to you. This is definitely going to be one of our favourites and I know that C will be counting to five with the help of this book.


(Disclaimer: We received this book free of charge in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Saturday, 1 February 2014

What I've Won - Jan 2014

If you follow me on Twitter or have me on Facebook you'll know that I spend most all of my free time entering competitions. I'd like to think that I do pretty well and just thought I'd share with you what I have won in January 2014. Most of them haven't arrived yet so I have included some stock photos!

1) Boofle 2014 desk calendar from Boofle's Facebook page



2) This P&G box came as a surprise from SuperSavvyMe 



3) I won a Cadbury Daim bar from Given to Distracting Others blog

4) A Crawlerz romper from Crawlerz Facebook page



5) A baby box from UK Baby Box's Facebook page



6) A selection of Brabantia products worth £264 from Brabantia's Facebook page



7) A Munchkin inflatable duck bath from Munchkin's Facebook page




8) 3 pieces of Kat&Bee jewellery from InStyle Magazine



9) An amber teething anklet from Handbags to Changebags' blog