Makies - customisable dolls

A couple of weeks ago I presented my girls with a Makie gift card each, which was beautifully presented in a little box.

I told them that with this gift card they could create their very own doll on the Makie's website.  My girls aren't massively into dolls and so I wasn't sure what their reaction would be, but they were positively thrilled.

We set aside an evening to create the dolls and made a real occasion out of it.  They weren't allowed to look at each other's design (their rules) and wanted to be able to show off their design in person. They chose hair colour/styles, clothes, eyes, and a name.  Once they submitted their design they asked me every single day when their doll would be arriving.

And they were not disappointed when the 3D version of their design did arrive ( very promptly).  'It's totally magic' they squealed. There was a lot of excitement.  They are now desperate to order their dolls some of the many accessories available online - Father Christmas May be surprising them with some new shoes and bags etc.

I loved that the dolls have almost a wood-like feel and are of a very high quality.

They are a lot of fun, and we have all enjoyed the whole process from receiving the beautifully packaged gift card, to designing the doll, to then receiving the real thing in the post.  Oh how times have changed!

'Makies are totally customisable dolls - the perfect gift for a creative child! Each one is guaranteed unique, and with an ever-growing range of looks and styles, a Makie is a friend for life.'

Lincoln for families

This is a guest post about Lincoln! Supplied by Linden Homes

If you’re looking for property for sale in Lincoln, you’ll be pleased to learn that it is an extremely diverse area and one that is suited to the entire family.

From the buzzing High Street to the renowned Cultural Quarter, to the surrounding suburbs and the nearby picturesque countryside, there is something to suit all.

Moving to Lincoln

One of the challenges that comes with moving is ensuring your children are going to be happy in their new surroundings. Unlike adults, who are more practical when it comes to a move, children tend to be more sentimental.

Aside from leaving their friends and family, they’re also leaving their very own room, their favourite park and a school that they have become accustomed with.

It’s therefore important to ensure they are aware of the many benefits that come with relocation.

From meeting new friends to having free reign over the décor of their new room, there are various advantages for the little ones to contemplate when it comes to moving house.

Choosing the right place

It’s important to ensure you choose a location that is suited to the entire family. From checking out the local schools and amenities, to certifying you’re a suitable distance away from your place of work, there are a number of factors to consider.

Wait for the right time

It’s important to never move mid-year as this could affect your children’s studies. Try and wait until they are at the end of the year or if needs must, the very beginning of the school year. Doing so will ensure that they fit into the correct curriculum at their new school, without missing any important exams or classes.

Good to know

Lincoln is one of the UK’s fastest growing cities and is also an area that is rich in heritage and culture. Apartfrom this, Lincoln remains at the forefront of contemporary living.

It’s a great place to both work and live, which means it’s a perfect relocation option for the entire family. You’ll find a number of good transport links in this area – many of which are set to undergo a number of improvements in the very near future. Lincoln has been described as botha beautiful and friendly place to build a home, which makes it an ideal option for families.

A healthy start to 2014 with Bimuno IMMUNAID

In the midst of all those January routines and New Years' resolutions, now is a great time to start thinking about your health. Frequent exercise and a balanced diet are great ways to keep in shape and ward off those back-to-work bugs, but supplements have their place in any fitness regime, too. With all the cold weather and drizzly nights we're sure to have over the next few months, your immune system will thank you for any help you can give it.

One way you can help your body stay healthy is by boosting your body's good gut bacteria. While these are naturally-occuring compounds that are present in some foods, you can also give your gut an extra helping hand by using prebiotics, which effectively "feed" your good bacteria, stimulating growth. Bimuno is the leading prebiotic supplement, and Bimuno IMMUNAID has been specially formulated to provide all your prebiotic needs in the form of simple, chewy pastilles. Taken twice a day, IMMUNAID fits into any lifestyle or routine with ease.

What's a prebiotic?

More beneficial than probiotics, but less well-known, prebiotics work in a significantly different manner. Whereas probiotics contain living, "good" bacteria to help top up the immune system in your gut, probiotics instead contain a kind of food which helps the good bacteria already present in your gut to thrive.

In the long run, this has a number of benefits. It's a long journey from your mouth to your gut, and the hostile, acidic conditions in your stomach often kill off large portions of any live bacteria you ingest with probiotics. In fact, even oxygen can be hostile to the good bacteria that live in your gut – so its no surprise that they don't all make it safely.

In contrast, a prebiotic contains a complex carbohydrate, rather than any bacteria. These carbohydrates are incredibly stable, meaning that they can travel through your digestive system without becoming broken down or destroyed. Not only does this mean that the effects of a probiotic aren't affected by your body's natural systems, it means they don't have to be stored in the fridge, either!

What exactly is Bimuno IMMUNAID?

IMMUNAID is one of Bimuno's range of prebiotics, and is specially formulated to help strengthen your immune system. Scientists have long recognised how important the health of your gut is to your overall health. In fact, over 60% of your body's immune system is centred in your gut, so taking care of the bacteria that lives in it can have huge benefits.

IMMUNAID contains a patented prebiotic compound (galacto-oligosaccharide) that is the only second generation prebiotic available on the market. This means that it exhibits extra properties not found in other pre- or probiotics, such as the ability to help force harmful bacteria out of your gut. It's also gluten free, and contains vitamin C for an extra immune boost.

You can buy IMMUNAID, or any of Bimuno's prebiotic range, from Boots, or directly from their website, http://www.bimuno.com/ . You can also follow them on facebook, for access to all the latest Bimuno news and competitions: https://www.facebook.com/BimunoUK .

This post was written and sponsored by Bimuno

Feasting in Pizza Express

Going to Pizza Express in Hereford on Christmas Eve has become a bit of a tradition for the Button family. We normally follow it up by going along to the Cathedral for the carol service, where Tom and I spend an hour trying to convince our children that they are enjoying themselves.

This year we went to Pizza Express as usual but ate so much and so slowly that we missed the carol concert. The restaurant is based in the old post office and possibly the town’s finest family eatery. We were served a really delicious three-course meal from the Christmas menu by an excellent waiter called Nick Selway.

The pizzas are always pretty special - they are becoming ever more inventive in fact - and someone recently came up with the idea of putting an entire roast meal onto a pizza. Tom was almost beside himself as he was served a porchetta romana, which featured small curls of pork crackling and little bits of apple sauce, among other delicacies. He gets a bit overexcited in the presence of pork. Once he couldn’t stop laughing because he was so overwhelmed by the taste of the pork belly that he was eating.

The only downside during the main course was that the smell of the gran padana cheese on Tom’s pizza was so powerful that our seven-year-old Betty threatened to go and sit on a neighbouring table. I managed to win her around with the promise of pudding.

About three hours after arriving we finally left the restaurant, in the dark, with brief flashbacks of the year we left Pizza Express in a snowstorm and got trapped on Whitecross Road. Luckily the weather held and we spent the journey home attempting to sing carols at our shouting children, to make up for the failure to get to the cathedral.

Thank you to Pizza Express for the meal very kindly supplied to us free of charge.

Mini mincemeat puffs - a recipe for the control freak mum

Dolly's mini mincemeat puffs

When my children were babies I threw myself into being what one friend of mine calls a 'Playdough Mum'.  

I indeed made an abundance of playdough, and did lots of baking with them - at a time when they were too young to hold a spoon.

However, when they got old enough to start wanting to crack their own eggs into bowls, or measure out flour, or dollop mixture into cakes themselves, I found that our kitchen became a very tense environment indeed.

I have a friend who lets her kids go wild in the 'baking' stakes, and they make all sorts of interesting (inedible) concoctions and they completely trash the kitchen while they are at it.  I really really respect her for letting them do this in the name of letting them have fun and learn, because when I bake with my kids, it is in very controlled conditions.

So when the lovely people from the Great British Chefs website contacted me and asked if I fancied cooking a festive treat with my kids from their website, I chose the recipe I thought would create the least amount of mess.

And yesterday Dolly and I produced these delicious and extremely easy mini mincemeat puffs - a much nicer version (in my opinion) of the traditional mince pie.

It was the perfect recipe for us, because Dolly almost had total control (for a change) and she really felt she had produced something by herself without me breathing down her neck.  And the best bit was that she and Betty really enjoyed eating them, as did family and friends - they really were a winner!

The Great British Chefs website has loads of fabulous looking recipes for kids, and I am really looking forward to trying out some more.

Thank you to Great British Chefs for sponsoring this post - Dolly now thinks I'm a nicer mum...

Festive filmsets - how to make your home shine like scenes from Sainsbury's new Christmas movie

With friends and family coming from far and wide to share in the seasonal fun and festive spirits, Christmas is the perfect time to deck out your house and show off your interior for all to see.

In Kevin Macdonald’s new film, Christmas in a Day, we have the rare opportunity to glimpse into other family’s homes, seeing first hand how different people celebrate Christmas across the country.

And though these are all real families and real homes, you can’t help but see them as cosy Christmas sets, ready for the performance of the year on the 25th if you’re just about to start building your very own festive scene, here’s how to make your home shine just like those in Sainsbury’s Christmas in a day.

Setting the scene

If you’re like many households, the job of getting the scene ready for Christmas begins weeks before the day itself.

Preparing the tree, making the decorations, digging around in the loft to find those oversized Santa lights from last year; all of this and more goes into transforming your home into a winter wonderland.

In order to make the most of your Christmas set, try to have a big clear out before the decorating begins. This will help you to clear away the previous year’s clutter and will give you more room to store your brand new presents once the festivities are over.

Assembling the perfect cast

If you watch the Christmas in a day video, you'll soon see that it takes a large and varied cast to properly fill your Christmas set.

Everyone from grandparents to neighbours and second cousins to life-long friends can play their part at one point or another, so get those invitations out now and start preparing for a real feast.

If you’re hosting a Christmas party this year, why not go all out and create some personalised decorative touches 

for your friends to enjoy, they’ll appreciate the effort that you’ve gone to and you can reuse any left over decorations to make your house shine on the big day.

Lights

Lighting is always an important feature of interior design, but at Christmas time it’s absolutely crucial. 

A few cosy lamps placed around your home will help to make the space feel warm and well loved. You can also use white and multi-coloured fairy lights to highlight your interior design features and to add a touch of sparkle to your home. 

Camera

Just like the families in Christmas in a Day, you can turn your home into a real film set by investing in a video camera of your own and filming your family as they open their presents and enjoy the Christmas feast and festive fun. 

By capturing these special moments you can treasure them year after year, seeing friends and family grow as time goes on. You could even make a screening of past Christmas videos into a traditional part of your family Christmas celebrations. 

Action

With your Christmas tree in place, the lights plugged in and ready to go and all of your friends and family around to enjoy the fun, there’s nothing left to do but shout ‘Action!’ and let the festivities begin. 

Just make sure that after all of the effort you’ve put in to create the perfect day that you get your due credit and maybe a standing ovation or two once the credits have finally rolled.

This is a sponsored post supplied by Sainsburys.

Styling head from ELC

We recently received this Styling Head from ELC.  Betty has wanted one for a long time and so is very happy indeed (I remember spending much of my childhood wanting one too, but my mum wouldn't wouldn't allow it, and told me to brush my own hair instead).

I have seen many of these dolls in the shops, but this one seems far superior to the others I have seen.  Some of the faces look really scary/distorted, and are just too small to be realistic - but this one has a kind gentle face, thick glossy hair, and is the right size.

I have a nightmare every single morning trying to brush Betty's long thick tangled locks - she is a moving, squirming, moaning target, and we normally end up falling out, and me threatening to cut all her hair off.

So: if I completely tangle up the hair on this styling head, and shake it around and shout a lot while she is trying to make her look nice, she might gain an insight into what I have to go through every single morning.  Of course, once my point has been made, I will leave her in peace to play and have fun with it.

This head costs £22.00, it comes with 13 accessories including brush, clips, and make-up, I am really pleased with it.  I am looking forward to having a little play myself.

Christmas activities to do with the kids

It has certainly started to get a lot colder now and with limited sunlight to enjoy, embracing a number of outdoor activities is quite simply out of the question.

However, this often means you’ll have an abundance of restless kids on your hands, which means having a few great indoor activities up your sleeves is essential. Here are some of our top Christmas favourites.

A redecoration project

One task that can be completed throughout the winter season is redecorating your younger children’s bedrooms. Thankfully this is something they enjoy being involved in so you won’t have trouble persuading them to get their hands dirty! 

From choosing the colour scheme to re-arranging their toys, there are a number of great decorating tips and bedroom ideas to take inspiration from. 

This is also a good opportunity to get rid of the old in order to make way for the new. With Christmas approaching at a rapid speed, they’re guaranteed to receive even more toys from friends and family so take this chance to clear out excess clutter as much as possible.

Simple fun

There are a number of games you can play in the household, many of which require very little effort. Hide and seek is a favourite of many and whilst it wiles away the hours, it never becomes tiresome to your children. 

Other options include gathering the board games that have been stored in the attic all summer and spending a few hours teaching the children how to play. After a while you may even find they’re happy to continue the game on their own. 

Christmas baking

When the holidays hit, you’ll find that you have the little ones on your hands a lot longer than usual. Creating a number of baking projects is a great way to entertain the children and one that keeps them in the warmth of the home. 

From Christmas cakes to mince pies, there are a number of fun recipes to choose from. It is however important to ensure their safety. Stocking up on plastic utensils prior to the event is a great way to do this.

Getting back outside

If your children are raring to go outside, it may be wise to invest in a few garden ideas. From outdoor heaters to obstacle courses, there are a number of options to choose from and of course when it snows creating the best possible snowman they can is a must.

This is a guest post supplied by SuperSavvyMe

Green Earth Wok by Ozeri

I love stirfries but have always struggled with woks in the past, and have found that unless you stir continuously, you end up with a burnt oniony mass in the bottom of your pan.

So, having found the Green Earth frying pan fantastic, I was really excited to receive this Green Earth wok to review.

Like the frying pan, this wok has a smooth ceramic non-stick coating (100% PTFE and PFOA Free) - and it is COMPLETELY NON-STICK!  As my husband said 'food literally hovers above the pan.'  

You only need to use a teeny weeny amount of oil, and it is a joy to wash up - no scraping for hours with a scourer.  And it comes in that fabulous funky green colour!

In addition to being completely eco-friendly and ultra-safe, the Green Earth Wok's natural ceramic coating is far more durable and scratch-resistant than other non-stick surfaces. 

I absolutely love this wok and would totally recommend it, if like me, you have always struggled in the past.  Perfect for all those turkey stirfries post Christmas!

The wok has been reduced from £49.96 to £36.96 on Amazon - go and check it out!

Personalised Advent Calendars from Snapajack

I have to admit that I can't bear most of the advent calendars on sale these days - particularly the ones my children choose - Betty always goes for a Disney Princess one, and Dolly always goes for Peppa Pig.  Both contain cheap chocolate, and they are pretty ugly to look at.  But they make my girls happy, so I go with it.

But Snapajack's personalised calendars might just have recused me from Cinderella and Snowwhite's sickly sweet faces grinning at me from the windowsill throughout the whole of December.

www.Snapajack.com offers a wide range of advent calendars that are completely customisable with personal messages, text and photographs, and most importantly they have a delicious, continental chocolate behind each door!

There are 15 different advent calendar designs to choose from and each cost £12.97, which I think is very reasonable indeed.

Snapajack also offers 100s of other customised gifts, from playing cards, mobile phone covers, to party packs - do go and check out their fab website!

Snapajack say: 'When you order from www.snapajack.com your advent calendar will be produced with care and with the support of world-class technology and print expertise and dispatched within five working days.'

This is a sponsored post

Scribbles on walls, ink stains on wood: how to cover up the mess if your little one runs into mischief

No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to keep an eye on your children 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means you’re bound to come across a few problems every now and again. 

The minute your little bundle of joy starts walking, you need to have eyes in the back of your head if you want to prevent any mischief. Most parents will be able to recall at least a few times that their children have caused mischief in the home. 

Some problems are more common than others and below you’ll find just some of them.

Problem #1: Wall scribbles

Wall scribbles can cause a wave of panic in your mind. You go out of the room, come back in and find bright coloured marks all over the walls. You automatically panic. After all, how are you going to get rid of the marks? 

The good news is if it’s crayon you can iron it out. Simply place an old t-shirt folded up, over the stain. Iron over it on a medium heat and this should remove the stain. There are also some specially designed pads you can buy that wipe off any scribbles and marks.

Problem #2: Ink on wood

If the marks have been left on wooden furniture or on your nice solid timber sliding doors, don’t panic. Use half a cup of water and add baking soda to it until it resembles a paste. Rub the paste over the stain with your fingers. Use a damp cloth to wipe off the paste and you should notice the ink comes off with it.

Problem #3: Removing paint from the carpet

Another really worrying problem is if you’ve let your little cherubs paint and they’ve accidentally got it on the carpets. Scrape as much as you possibly can from the carpet before using a towel to wipe it up. Water based paints will need water to dissolve them. If the paint is oil based you’ll also need to use a little turpentine to get rid of it.

Problem #4: Smartphone and tablet problems

You go out of the room, come back in and find your little one has accidentally sent texts to all of your contacts. Or they have dropped your tablet onto the floor and cracked the screen. You can prevent these problems by making use of parental controls, investing in a good protective screen, and more simply, keeping them out of reach from your child. 

This is a guest post supplied by The Sash Window Workshop

What can elderly and children learn from one another?

The relationship between a grandparent and grandchild is a unique and special one. There is just enough connecting them yet, at the same time, keeping them healthily separate to make contact fulfilling, pleasurable and surprising for both.

Whereas the relationship between parents and children is loving but inevitably fraught with the stresses of life both inside and outside the home, the ties between grandparents and grandkids are relaxed enough to focus on fun, education and enjoyment for both parties.

New eyes

It is difficult not to get jaded with life as the years go by. Sometimes you feel as though you have seen and heard it all before and that there is nothing new left to experience.

Children have the amazing ability to help their elders see the world with fresh eyes and delight with their quirky and uninhibited perspective on life.

It could be the way a child approaches a project, the little things they notice when out and about or simply all of those funny questions they ask which make you think twice.

Whatever it is that is so delightful about spending time in the company of children, it enables a grandparent or other elderly friend or relative to get in touch with their own sense of wonder with the world. 

Past times 

On the side of children, regular contact with their elders can introduce views of the world which they would never otherwise access.

As elders reminisce about their own childhoods, it can open up a view of another time and place which can be enriching to a child’s imagination.

They can also enjoy one another’s company without the immediate pressures and power struggles that are felt between children and their parents!

Keep the spirit up

Most grandparents welcome a visit from their grandchildren. However, ageing often means a drop in energy levels. Just being in the company of a chatty, energetic child can be tiring.

Maintaining energy levels is important. Home devices can make life easier on this front for an ageing resident.

For example, a stair lift takes out the utterly draining task of negotiating the stairs several times a day without compromising the enjoyment of one’s home.

These fixtures are designed for both internal and external use. Indoors, they help in maintaining independence while an outdoor stair lift means there is no restriction on getting out to the shops or to friends. One can be installed for a whole length of stairs or along a few steps which lead to the garden.

It is all about flexibility, independence and being able to accommodate a visit from young people with ease.

Care and responsibility

There is another way in which the elderly and children can offer something to one another.

Older kids can be put in charge of looking after an ageing relative who may need assistance from time to time in simple day-to-day tasks.

This way, the child gets the chance to learn responsibility to others.

This is a guest post supplied by Stannah

Why should you teach children to make their own bed?

Many parents will ask ‘what age is it appropriate to teach children to make their own bed?’ At the age of five, most children will be able to take this task on board; they have both the mental ability to remember the step-by-step guide and the physical ability to complete the task at hand.

Where to start?

You should begin by allowing them to observe the bed making process. After a while they may even wish to help from their own accord. Start by pulling the top sheet, duvet and blanket to the head of the bed, you can then show your child how to tuck in each corner.

Once your child has practiced with you on several occasions, begin renouncing your help. Allow them to complete the last step of the bed making process unaided and then the last two steps and so on until they are fully confident with the whole task.

Growing up

As your child grows, he or she may start to help you change the bed linen. This is another task in itself and as such, your child must be educated from start to finish. Begin by showing them how to pull the fitted sheet from the bed, and also, how to replace it with a new sheet. 

Your child will need to know where to put the soiled sheet and where to find a fresh sheet – you may have a linen cupboard or basket in a certain room in the house so make sure this is accessible to your children. Allowing your child to choose the bed linen themselves is a great way to encourage them to make their own beds. You may have several coloured sheets or bed covers featuring their favourite characters.

You may like to put up a calendar detailing when each ‘linen’ day occurs. You could even issue stars, which will be attached to a board every time your child completes this task.

Why is it important?

It is important for children to learn of various household tasks as they will not be able to rely on you forever. They can then put these tasks into action when they stay at friends or relatives homes too – ensuring that they leave rooms clean and tidy during their stay.

At home, a well made bed will instantly make a child’s room look tidier – helping to encourage them to look after their rooms and giving you a home you can be proud of.

This is a guest post, supplied by Feather and Black

Lego lunch boxes from STORE

STORE recently sent us some fabulous Lego lunch boxes and flasks, and being big fans of Lego in this house, we absolutely love them!

The lunch box is a standard lego brick but in large!  And they are larger than they look in the picture, which was a relief.

There are some great Lego colours to choose from, along with matching flasks which come in the shape of a Lego figure.

Both the boxes and the flasks are £9 each, which I think is pretty reasonable.

I think my girls will be the envy of the school canteen!

Green Earth Pan by Ozeri

I recently received a Green Earth Pan from Moderna Housewares who are a distributor of Ozeri products.

This eco-friendly pan has revolutionised the way I cook fried eggs and bacon (and many other things) - as 'it is so non-stick that food almost hovers above the pan' (in my husband's words!)

Gone are the days when the kitchen fills with smoke, the food sticks to the pan, and then spend a good ten minutes trying to successfully wash it up.

This pan comes in a fun bright green colour, is offered in three different sizes, and no harmful heavy metals or chemicals have been used.

Ozeri is a manufacturer of products for contemporary homes. Their houseware products are distinguished by advanced designs, robust construction, and functional durability.

Experienced Grannies as Au Pair

Gerda Sehr, 57, might be a Granny Aupair, but she is definitely not your typical Granny.

Following 38 years as an employee at the National Insurance Office, the Austrian from Carinthia was on the lookout for a new challenge- “I’ve always been annoyed that I can’t speak English, when I complained about it during a trip to India my daughter just said “Go to an English-speaking country and learn it!”

Surfing the net looking for an occupation for middle-aged ladies, she came across the website www.granny-aupair.com and applied and shortly afterwards was placed as a Granny Aupair with a family in Nottingham.

Prior to her placement she and her husband visited the doctor couple at home and hit it off immediately. Gerda Sehr moved into the couple’s garden house with free board and lodging. “I didn’t receive a fee, but my family, who is very proud of me, could stay with me any time”. She went on a lot of trips with her guest family, among others to Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood’s Tree.

Every year families around the world hire young women aged 20-or-so to take care of their children and housework -- activities that an experienced 50-plus woman like Gerda Sehr can do easily. Why not rely on this know-how and invite a Granny as an au-pair to your home? In 2010 Michaela Hansen, 50, launched the initiative to send young-at-heart “Grandmas“ initially from German-speaking countries all over the world. “Senior citizens often remember their one-time dreams with a bit of melancholy,” says Michaela Hansen from Hamburg/Germany. “Staying abroad is often foremost among these dreams. Some wanted to immigrate to America when they were young, others dreamt of a sheep-farm in New Zealand. But even the wish to work abroad as an au-pair was not fulfilled." Michaela Hansen is amending this by giving these experienced women a second chance.

Thanks to her initiative, older women now have the opportunity to go abroad for an extended period, improve a foreign language and intensify their knowledge of a country – more extensively than is possible during a holiday – an opportunity which has already been taken up by more than 300 “Grannies” placed in 40 countries. The Granny helps with housekeeping and children, and gets free board and lodging in return. Becoming part of a family makes it easier to immerse oneself into life in a foreign country. It’s a win-win situation for both sides, as the idea of au-pair is based on mutual help.

Patricia, a Vancouver Mum states: "The past three months have been an interesting experience for the three of us. The opportunity to have a Granny Aupair has taught us so many things, as we open our home and hearts to that person and there's so much to learn from the experience: from the differences in our cultures and backgrounds to the similarities we might have. But the greatest part is learning to welcome one another and share the space and our day to day lives, and this experience has particularly shown me so much about myself." 

Families and single parents looking for a “Granny” are encouraged to contact Granny Aupair at info@granny-aupair.com. More about the service can be found at www.granny-aupair.com

This is a sponsored post

iPhone case from The Snugg

The Snugg, who sell a whole range of cases for phones, iPads, and tablets, recently sent me a case for my iPhone.

I was pleased they contacted me because I have a bit of a phone case obsession, and like to change them quite regularly.

They supply a  huge range so I found it hard to settle on one, but eventually went for this ultra thin purple case.

And I should add that it is the nicest case I have used.  It is really nice to hold and adds a bit of colour to my phone.

This particular case comes in all sorts of other colours too - do go and check out their website...

Splosh cleaning products - just add water!

I recently received a Splosh starter box, which included kitchen cleaner, handwash gel, washing up liquid and laundry detergent.

But instead of the usual cleaners you might buy from supermarkets, Splosh have come up with a radically new way of doing things, which dramatically reduces both transport CO2 emissions and plastic waste.

They supply a stylish and simple plastic bottle for each cleaning product, together with concentrate sachets.  Then all you have to do is place one (or two, depending on the product) sachet into the bottle, fill the bottle up with hot water from the tap, wait a minute, give it a shake, and it's ready to go!

And once the cleaner runs out, you re-order some more sachets, and re-use the bottle - easy!

I have to admit that my starter box sat unopened in our kitchen for quite some time, as I felt a little daunted about what might be inside.

However, once I actually opened up the box I realised just how simple the whole procedure is - you just pop a sachet into a bottle, and then fill it with hot water from the tap - simple!

I am so pleased that I have discovered Splosh - the smells of each cleaner are wonderful, they use natural ingredients, they clean beautifully, and in using them you are saving money and helping to save the environment at the same time.

Splosher-in-Chief, Angus Grahame says: 'Refilling may seem a novel concept at first, but I promise it won't take long to become second nature.  It's fun watching our sachets dissolve, pleasing not having to throw our bottles away and super convenient when refills pop through your letter box.'

Please do go and check out their fabulous website for more information.

Angus is happy to answer any question you might have.  He can be contacted at: hello@splosh.com or @sploshtweet

mySupermarket - price comparison site

I don’t know about you but I can spend hours hunting round the internet for nothing in particular.

In comes my husband one day and asks me what I’m looking at?  I give my standard response of ‘ nothing in particular’ and I can feel him staring at me.  I think he’s about to say ‘how much is it going to cost us this time?’ but instead he kindly suggests that if I insist on hunting aimlessly round the web  then I might as well be productive about it and buy our groceries online instead of moaning about having to go to the shops when I’m too busy. 

He was right you know, not a bad idea at all. So off I set to pursue my online shopping grocery needs, and I knew just where to go. To be honest, we could do with tightening the purse strings anyway and comparing prices online before you buy is always a good way to help reduce the bills.

mySupermarket is an online shopping site that allows you to compare prices across Asda, Tesco Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Ocado. All you do is choose a store and start shopping. As you go, you can see how much each product costs across all the supermarkets so it’s easy to make price comparisons and find special offers. Add products to your basket and if you decide to switch to a different store because it works out cheaper, your filled basket follows you so you don’t need to start over again. The site is also full of other nifty features like ‘swap and save’. This lets you know if there is a similar product for cheaper within the same store and gives you the option to switch. They also have a dedicated offer shelf which clearly breaks down all the different kinds of offers so you can fish through all those bargains more easily.

Perhaps my most favourite mySupermarket feature is the ‘price alerts’. Take a product that you normally buy or something that you want to treat yourself to and mySupermarket will notify you when the price drops significantly so you know it’s a good time to buy and even stock up.

All the comparing prices and finding good deals could not match my delight at seeing the delivery van pull up aside my house, right on time and with all my weekly shopping hand picked and delivered right to my front door. There is definitely something to be said for online grocery shopping, it takes a lot of stress out of the week and can save money.

Guest post by Sara Flack

Every cloud...

When I wrote-off our old car by letting it roll down our steep driveway into the ravine (as the recovery man referred to it) at the bottom of the hill, I was absolutely distraught.

It was so sudden and unexpected. One minute I was lovingly vacuuming the seats, and lobbing bits of digestive biscuit and banana out over the hedge, and the next minute the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner had caught the handbrake button and released it! I jumped out of the way to see my beloved car go hurtling off out of sight, the open doors flying off as they hit trees on the way down.

I was hysterical, and had nightmares for months afterwards, and kept thinking about all the ‘what ifs?’  And I really mourned the loss of this car – it had become part of the family, and had taken us far and wide.

Living in the middle of nowhere with two small children, we obviously had to get another car immediately.  My save-the-planet husband wanted to go smaller and get a Smart car (??!), and I, being a far more practical person (ie knowing that we needed a car that would fit at least four people), wanted to go bigger and get a people carrier – it was the sensible option.

People carriers are looked down on by 4X4 owners (in these parts anyway), and are seen as a little uncool.  But not being a very cool person, and wanting to save myself a lot of cash, I really didn’t care.

Our eldest daughter, Betty, is now at school and the extra seats needed to ferry her and her friends here, there and everywhere have come into their own.  Not to mention the extra boot space for all our camping trips.  I also love that you are much higher up than in an ‘ordinary’ car (sorry old car), and you get to see over hedges and into people’s gardens.

Every so often my youngest daughter will point and say: ‘Why did you let our other car crash down there?’  And my older daughter now has the old car key on her key-ring, which I often find under beds, and in plant pots etc.

But apart from these emotional little reminders now and then, I have finally been able to move on, and have wholeheartedly accepted our new car into our family – in fact, I positively love her! 

And I now feel a real sense of loyalty towards her, and will defend her to the hilt if anyone dare say anything off-hand about people carriers.

Post sponsored by Jennings Ford