Wednesday 29 February 2012

Organix Mini cheese crackers review

We were sent out some of the organic Mini cheese crackers from the Organix range to see what we thought of them.

Our tasty organic cheese crackers are a great savoury snack - made with real organic cheese, they are yummy on their own or scrumptious with a dip.  And of course they come with our No Junk Promise, which means they only contain simple, organic ingredients and absolutely zero junk!  Each box contains 4 handy bags for little hands and the RRP is £1.99 per box.

 

Organix
Our No Junk Promise guarantees our food is made with nothing but the best quality organic ingredients - with nothing unnecessary added and nothing important taken away.  All our foods are made with organic, tasty and natural ingredients to suit your baby's nutritional needs.  So even if you don't have the time to make your baby's meal yourself, you can still give them something that's healthy, nutritious and tasty.


The first thing I noticed on their website was their link to their allergy sheet, that in itself was a wonderful change, and makes the life of people like us so much easier, work out what they can eat before you go near the shops.


I was sent 4 packs  to taste, and the first thing I liked about them was the size, nice toddler sized packets, no hulking big 30g + of salt laden crisps you see so many toddlers consuming in their buggies. A nice small pack made for nice small hands and nice small tummies.

Also like the no junk promise, I always feel any child can go through a non eating phase but if you can make sure at that point what they do eat is good for them that is half the battle.

Fifi and I set about testing out the crackers, they contain products Bob allergic too so he sat this one out,  for Fifi it was a blind test, she had no idea what she was eating. No bear in mind these are made for toddlers taste buds which are very different than mine and a 9 year olds, who are using to eating salty junk food. I would describe them as mini cheeselets, same shape just smaller.

Fifi liked the size of the biscuits and thought they would be good for the children in the mother and toddler group ( her mum runs it and it doesnt stop for the school hols so she goes 10-12 weeks a year) but not really big enough for her. She says she thought they were plain and also said they were very dry to eat and you needed a drink with them.

I thought the taste of the cheese came through as an after taste, but feel a toddler would find them flavoured enough. For me the lack of salt was not an issue, again for the market they are aimed at this was brilliant. But like Fifi I found them very drying on your mouth 2 or 3 was all you could eat without feeling you needed a drink, they did dry your mouth out, but then I never gave a toddler something to eat without a drink anyway.

Verdict - taste wasnt quite right for adults, but a nice healthy snack in a nice size portion as part of your toddlers balanced diet, with masses of information on their website. Would recommend.

They are available to buy at our online shop, Waitrose and Boots stores and coming to Asda in March.














We were sent this product to review but the findings are our own thoughts and opinions

Project 366 #60

duplo bricksThis was the kids playing away nicely together last night while I tidied round the kitchen for 10 mins. They emptied all the bricks out of the box they are stored in and then made this double bed for Mum and F, who are lying in bed watching tv, can just be seen on the rhs of box. Now they must come from a posh house as this tv unit has built into it a dvd player, a freeview box as well as the tv.
But when I asked what they were watching the disagreements started, showing the difference in the sexes, Mum was watching Friends, dont think mum does but Fifi loves the program, but according to Bob they were watching football, as F does.

Not quite sure why Mum and F have got toys in bed with them, but brown bunny and baby Dudley are the toys the kids use here in bed.

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Bob wanted to make cakes for E

Bob really does get quite excited by the idea of having E over at this end that he can make "Bob safe" cakes for E  and her mummy S and that she eats them, somebody outside the family who eats this very acquired taste that "Bob safe" actually is.

So while Fifi was adding a few pages to her scrapbook, a project that will take a few weeks and I will post about once finished, we made some "E friendly" cakes. Now E is 17, just started college and has pals to hang around with so I dont think she is quite as excited by this as Bob is but he loves taking cakes to her and she readily accepts them with a smile, a kind word and a conversation.





We made orange cakes with orange flavoured icing.

Bob decorating his cakes
we used 110g flora cuisine as it makes for moister cakes than tub margarine
added 70g of frusianna
 mixed with 2 teaspoons of orange essence
and 1 teaspoon of glycerin
and 1 heaped tablespoon of flaxseed soaked for about 20 mins in 6 tablespoons water
once mixed we added 120 g buckwheat flour
40 potato flour
and 40 g tapioca flour

and added 1 tablespoon of water as mix was a bit dr.popped them into a dozen cake cases

cooked at 180o for 15 mins

once cool we made icing with a small amount of icing sugar, no I didn't weight it, and mixed with 1 teaspoon of the orange essence and enough cold water to get desired consistency
the finished product


These cakes were very nice and surprisingly light considering what's missing.
















This is a review post with items supplied by Healthy Supplies, but the findings are my own.

Project 366 #59

Well last night was Monday, which means my fun night with the grandchildren, and as per normal for us making something was on the cards. We made cakes, some of which Bob likes to share with his new friend E across the road, so here is Bob sorry Spiderman decorating up E's cake.

Sorry the product placement wasn't intentional just the way tub was being held, and the cup was still on the table from tea time.

Monday 27 February 2012

Sweetcorn Bites from Barfoot Foods

I was given the opportunity by 
  from a link with Brit mums to sample some of the new sweetcorn bites from Barfoot foods.


Bob tucking into his.
 These are describes as

Each bag contains eight bite size pieces, which can be microwaved in the bag for added convenience, cooked on the stove or even eaten raw. The product has been developed with both child and family snacking in mind. 
The Bites are 100% natural and grown with love on the UK’s Barfoots of Botleys’ farms.
We have just secured listings in Tesco and Waitrose stores nationwide, along with online retailer, Ocado

over on their website here.

Now this suits us fine, guaranteed to be wheat/egg/gluten/dairy free - what more could we ask for I thought.  
Fifi munching her sweetcorn

Lovingly made on a working farm in Sussex, Sweetcorn Bites are the perfect healthy snack. Packed with goodness, they’re great for all sorts of occasions from kids’ teatime treats to serious side dishes and more.
Harvested in the sunshine for a delicious taste of summer, these fresh little niblets are full of good stuff. Completely natural and with nothing artificial added, they’re a brilliant source of nutrition, containing carotenoids, vitamins A, B3 and C, plus Folic Acid, fibre, carbohydrates, sugars and protein for energy.
What’s more, we’re pretty sure they’re the finest finger-sucking cobs out there, so why have canned or frozen when fresh is the best?
  • 100% Natural & Fresh from the Farm
  • No artificial ingredients
  • No GMO, Nuts or Gluten
I must admit we all love sweetcorn and I eat it straight from the garden as when they are that fresh they do not need cooking. So when these came out I had to try 1 straight from the pack, and must admit they were beautiful.Sweet juicy and so full of flavour.

We we duly popped a bag into the microwave as instructed added a spoonful of water and cooked them as instructed. Well as you will see on Bobs plate he ate them first, hadn't even started the rest of his tea.

We also froze two of the packets we were sent out, just to see how they faired, but they were still edible raw once defrosted and lost none of their taste or structure either.

These are ideal for people like my grandson, something that can be thrown in a pack lunch box or tossed in the car for a journey as they will remain uncontaminated whilst still wrapped.

We received this product in return for this review, but the finding are an honest reflection of our findings.

My little Spiderman gets a Spiderman dinner set

Spiderman dinner set
note the clothes, same outfit as he had on last week,
I was offered a product to review from Heroesforkids, and much to my little Spidermans excitement we got a beautiful Spiderman dinner set sent out to review.



 The items are well made, a nice light weight but sturdy plate for a child, with a slight rim round the edge of the plate to help prevent some of the mess that eating can produce. The plate was a nice size, more than big enough for a child sized meal.

A nice bright set which are dish washer safe, but like most kids plates not microwavable
The tumbler is a good size as well, lovely red plastic with the same Spiderman picture on, not too large then when half filled is to heavy to be lift able comfortably.

I really liked the size of the bowl, Bob does not put milk on his cereal and just eats it dry. The breakfast bowls I have are too deep for him to manage to fish dry coco pops out of easily and so the poor boy he gets his breakfast in a small round tupperware.

I really liked this set, Bob looovvveeessss it and even told me earlier he loves me cos I "gotted him Spiderman"

They have many really nice kiddie items on their site, including cake decal and rings to enhance your baking, which will be fab for birthday cakes, but they have no ingredients or allergy advise in the website ( only somebody like me would notice that) .  So me being me have asked them for this information and got this in from them.

Edible Frosting Sheet Ingredients: Water, Cornstarch, Corn Syrup solids, Cellulose, Sorbitol, Glycerine, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Arabic Gum, Polysorbate 80, Vanilla, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid.

Frosting Sheets Contain No Known Allergens.

Wafer Paper Toppers Ingredients: Potato Starch, water, vegetable oil.

Manufactured in a nut free environment.

Shelf life 3-6 months plus for all items.

so no dariy.gluten/eggs and in a nut free factory, what more could we want. Nom Bobs birthdays in about  weeks so I guess I will be doing some shopping.


The do bedding and bedroom accessories from quilt covers, to fleece blankets, wall stickers. pop up tidies, and I love these bookends.

I also notice they take paypal, which I feel saves an awful lot of hassle in having to put in card details.



This is a review post with the dinner set being sent to us to use, but my post is an honest review of our findings.

Project 366 #58 - what is happening to me??

When on the way back to the car from our walk along the river the other day, the sun was just illuminating this sign quite nicely so it was, loved the way the reflective bits stood out, and thought it made this look very pretty. (Sad sad camera carrier that I am that a cycle lane sign can look pretty - must be turning into a photographic anorak if such a thing exists)

Sunday 26 February 2012

Project 366 #57

I love the way spreading cheese goes pink with mould rather than green, shows up the patterns the knife leaves nicely.
 We dont normally leave food to go mouldy but it get buried in the back of the fridge and I forgot it was there.

Saturday 25 February 2012

Project 366 #56

Our for a walk along the river yesterday, past the new university and  just loved the bright blue sky behind this sign. Took a pile of pictures but want to save some of them for what I plan on experimenting with for the month of March - watch this space.

Friday 24 February 2012

Shows your never too old to need your mummy! :-)

I just love my kids to bits, but there are times where they can be a bit of a nuisance, and their timing can be a bit off.

I was in the shower, complete with shampoo in my hair, water in my lugs and shower gel all over me, when hubby answers the phone last night to a call from daughter No2, who wanted to talk to me, hubby explained I was in the shower but no she needed to speak to me NOW! So hubby comes up the stairs to which I tell him (nicely of course) that Im in the shower covered in shampoo and bubbles and I will phone her back in five minutes. Now I am thinking that this is some sort of emergency where maybe both her arms have dropped off or shes left her head behind, or her dog needs rescuing and it could not wait. So I stagger out the shower dripping every where as I go (not a pretty sight  I can assure you) shampoo getting in the eyes to answer the call.

Well daughter tells me she is at Belfast Airport and is picking up the hire car that the business her company has paid for but they want a deposit against the fuel in case the tank is not full when she brings the car back. But she has a visa electron card for the day to day bank account she uses and they dont take electron, so would I put her the money into her other bank account that she has a normal visa debit card for so she can pay the deposit with it. Cos she cant get the car till her deposit is paid. It wasnt as though she didn't have money it was just not where they needed it to be and they wouldn't take cash

I got her to agree to let me finish rinsing off before I had to do it, so I pop back into the shower, the hall carpet having suffered a soggy patch by now, and finished off the rinsing process before I go down to my laptop and log onto the wonder that is online banking and transfer money instantly from my account to hers. Luckily enough we are the sort of family that due to the fact we all get paid at different times of the month tend to have elastic money that goes from account to account as and when the other may need it so the checks had all been done and the transfer was literally instant.

I updated my status on Facebook to read

why is it kids only want you when you in the shower with a head full of shampoo?
 her reply (amongst others) was Thats ur 30 (and a bit) yr old children too! Show ur never 2 old 2 need ur mummy! :-)
my reply to that was

 nice to be loved enough to be wanted ******, Im actually privileged to be wanted, although your timing could have been better.

I do feel privileged that they still want and need me in their lives- I obviously did a better job of loving them than my mother did on me!!


Thanks for making me feel needed.
 

Project 366 #55



On Monday night Bob picked junior scrabble for us to play, after we finished the game as his reading and letter recognition is coming along really well considering, we decided to play making words, more challenging words for Fifi but Bob was doing great with 3 and 4 letter words.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Project 366 #54

The last of my interesting pictures worth showing from Sundays walk. These 2 trees were cut down due to safety reasons a few days ago, I took my frozen reflection from here a few weeks back. The trees made me laugh as I could imagine Dennis the Menace making them into a catapult and firing bricks at the birds.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

*closed*Win a copy of Gorgeous George & The Giant Geriatric Generator

We were sent this book to read and review, we told you about it here, and as we were well impressed with it, I thought you, my loyal readers might like a chance to win a copy of this book.

To enter to win a copy of this book is quite simple,

Just leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win it.

for extra entries

a) tweet "Win a copy of Gorgeous George & The Giant Geriatric Generator http://tinyurl.com/6oqr7ld with @pooohbear2811" and come back and leave a comment to say you have done so




b) follow me on twitter (button at the side to make it easy), and leave a message to say you have done so


If you leaving anonymous comments please leave some way to be contacted if your a winner - thank you

Competition closes Saturday 10th March at 8pm
  Terms and condition:

the winner will be chosen at random from all entrants.

The winners’ names will be made available on this page as well twitter. If the winner does not reply within 5 days, a redraw will take place.

Competition is open to residents of the UK only


Thanks and good luck.






A book was provided to me for the purpose of the review, but no reward is being offered to myself for running this give away.

ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Competition now closed - and the winner is

which works out to be

I have tweeted - @clairew137

well done Claire

A review of Gorgeous George & The Giant Geriatric Generator

 -
I was asked if I fancied reviewing this new book , Gorgeous George & The Giant Geriatric Generator
by Stuart Reid. Well Fifi loves reading, and we read most weeks when they are here, so we said yes please. We were sent this as both a download and a physical book to look at and read. The press release we got with the book says

Gorgeous George & The Giant Geriatric Generator is an exciting and funny tale following a young boy, George and his Grandpa Jock as they fight to take down the evil Mr Watt’s power plant. Rude, crude and packed with hilarious dialogue and strange events. The book was written to encourage children, particularly boys to read more often, as a self-read for ages 9+ but also to make bedtime reading fun for younger children and their parents. It’s funny, yucky,imaginative and very entertaining.

The author, Stuart Reid has embarked on a book reading tour throughout Scotland and England. He has already presented and read from his book to over 5,000 pupils at a number of different schools. Current bookings at schools and various venues mean he will be reading to at least another 30,000 pupils over the next 12 months.

Bogies, baddies, bagpipes and bums! Farting, false teeth and fun!
Gorgeous George and the Giant Geriatric Generator begins when George witnesses something rather disturbing from his bedroom window late one night. Maybe it was a UFO or a ghostly apparition, or maybe it’s even more sinister.
Whatever it was, nobody believes him. People are disappearing fast and no one seems to care.
Comedian and writer Arthur Smith says about the book, “Hilarious and excellent - I particularly liked ‘blanket of rancid cabbages’ . Fart on, George and Stuart”


Fifi has been reading this on her kindle, as well as us reading it together in an evening.

We loved the front cover of the book, bright colourful and funny. The book itself was a nice read and we found as it has nice short paragraphs that it is an ideal book for us to share read, whereby I read one paragraph and Fifi the next. She loves to do this as it helps her understand the few words she doesnt know, and I love it as bonding time. It is designed for age 9+, and Fifi is 9 and has a good reading age, and this book for me offers what a book should- a good read, that stretches the reader, offers them a challenge and makes them want to read more as they are enjoying it.

Bob likes looking at the illustrations in the book as we share read it, and even at 5 years old enjoys the book, understanding enough to find it funny and enjoyable. Fifi has the download on her kindle but is also enjoying the paper back version

Fifi says she found different parts of the book scary, others funny, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Her review says
I have read 6 chapters of the book so far and thought it was quite interesting. I struggled with a few of the words but my grandma helped me. I have enjoyed what I read but the first few pages in Chapter 1 I thought were scary. I thought chapter  was funny because Mr Watt was annoyed because old people and young people were out and about instead of at home wasting energy and electricity.
 So there you go, we would give the book 10 out of 10.

We were sent the book and the download for free, but this review remains honest.

Want a copy for yourself, then nip over and see my competition to enter to won a copy of your own

Project 366 #53



































It was a very productive walk photograph wise on Sunday when I had the dog in the park, here is a casualty from the last storm





Tuesday 21 February 2012

Using Tamarind

I got an e-mail from my contact at Healthy Supplies the other day offering to send me out some Tamarind, and to let them know what I think I could use it for and what I thought of it, well never one to turn down a challenge I said yes please, well it arrived today so I set to in the kitchen.

Tamarind is described as

Splitz tamarind paste is a convenient way to add tamarind to your cooking. Tamarind is a fruit and has a sour lemon-like flavour with a tartness similar to cranberry. It adds flavour to curries, chutneys, rasams, sauces, marinades and beverages.
This tamarind paste is made by boiling down the tamarind in water and then filtering it to remove large particles. The tamarind liquid is then heated, to evaporate the water, leaving the concentrated tamarind paste.


Well being a baker more than a cook, I racked my little brains as to what I could use it for - well today is pancake day so I made Tamarind pancakes, using just a bog standard egg, milk, flour and Xylitol mix, to some of which I added the Tamarind. It looks and behaves very much like molasses, didnt affect the cooking ability of the product, but added a very nice fruity flavour, almost like plum to the finished product. I also added a few raisins and dribbled golden syrup on them, and served with blueberries.




We also left some of the mixture plain, and served these rolled up with strawberries in. You would not know these are "healthy sugar"















I put some thought into what else I could make and with me being me thought....cake

So I made a double quantity of basic victoria sponge,
( but this time used the fruit sugar adjusting for recommnded amounts) baked 1/2 of it in 2 sandwich tins, and once cool made a butter icing using 2 oz marge, 8 oz icing sugar and 2 dessert spoons of tamarind, and it is beautiful, sweet and again very fruity.


Lastly I used the other half of the cake mix to make a fruit loaf. I pre-soaked some vine fruits in tea 1 hr before I needed them, and added the soak fruit and 3 dessert spoons of the Tamarind.


This made for a very moist cake, tasted like fruity molasses, and all were appreciated by oh. Just dont tell him they are low sugar!!

I also took samples of all  across the road to S (E's mum - Bobs new friend) for her to sample and feed back on.


So there you have it - a totally different use for an ingredient that is usually used in cooking main courses.


This product was supplied to me free of charge but the findings and ideas are my own, and not influenced by this.



Look my cakes made their newsletter and then their article on Tamarind on their website, why not have a look and see other peoples ideas for the product


11 Questions, 11 Answers and 11 Fellow Bloggers Tagged

I was tagged by Kate over on  Life, Love and living with boys to do the

11 Questions, 11 Answers and 11 Fellow Bloggers Tagged

So the eleven questions set to me were as follows 

1. Do you use real names in your blog for the real-life people who feature? E.g. I use Spud, Pooh Bear and Scatty Dad for my boys.
answer - my name is real, grandchildren are made up names Fofo and Bob, and my children are refered to as daughter No 1, No2 etc
2. How long have you been blogging and why did you start your blog?
Been blogging for 10 months now, started as I loved reading other peoples. Love the friendliness of the blogging world  and being able to offer and receive support when needed.  I thought it would be nice for the future generations to laugh about in years to come, and will make a brilliant keepsake for my lot to read when I am gone.
3. Facebook or Twitter?
Bit of both, more so twitter as FB has gone far to commercialised and far to much bit**ing over people winning.losing competitions.   
4. Real friends or Cyber Friends?
At work real friends, outside of work I am a bit of a recluse and apart from family really dont do any socialising so Cyber friends. 
5. Which is your favourite (or one of your favourite) blogs to read?
Gosh thats a hard one, a lot of very very good blogs put there, Kay at brinkofbedlam as I love her sense of humour and she makes me laugh, TheBoyandMe for encouraging me and getting me into the project366, plus many others I read and thoroughly enjoy.
6. Have you ever had a celeb tweet you?
No 
7. Peanut Butter – Smooth, Crunchy or not at all?
Has to be crunchy with jam not on its own, but we dont have it in the house since Bob developed an allergy to nuts, not prepared to risk his life.
8. Tea, milk first or after tea bag?
not at all, just herbal teas for me
9. I love enjoying a bit of crap tv I’m talking TOWIE, Big Brother and *clears throat and whispers* Geordie Shore (vile program but addictive) What’s your guilty pleasure as far as tv’s concerned?

Im into *huh hum Casualty* CSI, Criminal Minds and Without a trace


10. When did you last laugh until you cried?

the other week when my *darling husband* crept up behind me when I had the hiccups and frightened the sh*t out of me, my daughter and grandkids thought the startled look on my face was hilarious and started laughing, and once I got over my near heart attack,  that was it we were all hee-hawing so hard. Needed clean knickers on two accounts.

11. How many of my 11 Bloggers do you think will actually get round to answering my 11 questions?

 6 well Im one of them 6 so good luck.


OK, so now I have to follow the very strict rules below and tag 11 other Bloggers to answer my 11 new questions (See below)
The Rules:
*. You must post these rules
*. Each person must post 11 things about herself on their blog
*. Answer the questions the “tagger” listed for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
*. Choose 11 people to tag and link them to the post
*. Let each blogger know you’ve tagged them

So my 11 bloggers are (sorry folks)
Mibsblog

And the questions I would like  you to answer ? this bit took forever to think of Im not much or a thinker


1 YOUR favourite book ?

2 your CHILDS favourite book?

3) your favourite film?

4) Chinese, Indian or other?

5) Wine red. white or rose?

6) Meat eater or veggie?

7)  what do you do your blogging on (laptop, ipad?)

8) What do you think your best post is you ever wrote, (or if you cant think which had most visitors - link please so we can all read it)

9) Whats the best blog post you read this week? again link please

10) first record you ever bought ?

11) If you could choose any celebrity who would you most like to invite as a dinner party guest?

and then please come back here and add your post as a comment so we can all go read it

Project 366 #52

another picture taken while out for my walk from Sunday, something a little bit different. A littel white feather caught in the undergrowth

Monday 20 February 2012

Project 366 #51

was out for a stroll with the dog yesterday after work, and spotted this cut down tree and quite like the rings. A picture I would never have even seen 2 months ago, but have camera will view world from a different angle.



picked this for 366 link as it is just something I would not have taken a picture of before.

TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky

Sunday 19 February 2012

Project 366 #50

One of the local hotels had a tree come down many years ago, and they got somebody in to sculpt birds into the uprights that were left, this one of them.

wooden bird savoy park hotel ayr

Saturday 18 February 2012

Project 366 #49

when letting the dog out for a pee earlier this morning I was daft enough to take a photo of the raindrops on the washing line.



 I then changed the setting to high ISO to let in more light, think the garden looks better in the dark...lol



The photos were only taken seconds apart, brilliant how changing the camera takes two totally different pictures

Friday 17 February 2012

Looking for a different present for a child?

Saw this in an e-mail and thought it really would make a different present for a child. Being of an older generation I love wooden toys, love the play value, the interaction value, and the fact they are not electronic or battery operated they for me have huge appeal.

Also liked the fact this was made by a mum to fill a gap she saw in the market for an educational toy that will help children learn about the days, weeks and months in a logical circular form, not a flat form as in a calender that children have trouble relating to.

Circa is an innovative educational toy calendar designed to help children understand the cycles of the calendar using the toy's rotating and circular stacking design. The toy encourages parent-child interaction, with itsdesign based on ease of learning for children in a gradual progression at their individual paces. Fully assembled, Circa makes a beautiful children’s perpetual desk calendar, fit for any bedroom or living area. More information can be found at www.circacalendar.com

Testers have said about Circa “This is a beautifully crafted fully interactive calendar helping to teach children the days of the week, months of the year and days of the month. There are fun nursery rhymes on the reverse side of the disc to help children to remember the days of the week and months of the year. Time concept and sequencing is an essential part of language development.”

Melinda, mummy inventor of Circa told us that it has been recognised with the following awards:

·         Top Drawer September 2011: Best New Children’s Product
·         Rainbow Toy Awards 2011: Highly Commended – Wooden Toy Category
·         British Female Inventors and Innovators Network (BFIIN) Awards: Winner – Inventors Award, Semi-Finals 2011 
·         Highly Commended award for “Toys that Help Communication” at the Talking Tots Toy Awards 2011


Help raise £25,000 for the NSPCC



This is really quite an easy one, and it just requires a few clicks, doesn't cost you a single penny but could help children a lot less fortunate than mine or yours.

Sudocrem’s pledge to help raise money in support of the NSPCC's 'All Babies Count' campaign finishes on the 29th February 2012. They are now hoping to achieve one final flourish of support to hit their donation target of £25,000.

For every 'Like' on the Sudocrem Facebook page www.facebook.com/sudocrem
Sudocrem will donate 50p to the NSPCC.
 Sudocrem have pledged to donate £25,000 in total to the  NSPCC's 'All Babies Count' campaign which supports work to prevent the abuse and neglect of babies.

Its only 50.000 people, and considering Facebook has millions of people surely it should not be difficult? but so far there are less than 13.000 likes - so come on spread the word and help them out! Please help by sharing this on your blog, social networks and telling your friends and family. 


Sudocrem is the nation’s favourite nappy rash cream. Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream was created almost 80 years ago and has been used by millions of mums, dads and healthcare professionals ever since to treat the sore skin caused by nappy rash.
Sudocrem is clinically proven to help by soothing, healing and protecting your baby’s delicate skin. Browse our site to find out more.
Did you know that Sudocrem is not just a nappy rash cream? It can also be used to treat cuts and grazes, sunburn, minor burns, acne and bedsores. It’s a very useful pot to have around!


This is not a sponsored post but is done in conjunction with Blog match 

Project 366 #48

This was taken yesterday as well at the Auchencruive Estate, this is taken from the same spot the as I posted on Tuesday  but down the river.

Thursday 16 February 2012

Happy 16th Birthday Tango

Well Monday was a double celebration, but we put this one off till the 14th instead. She is a valuable member of our family, so Happy 16th birthday Tango ( or short dog as you more readily get called).

We rescued her at 18 months old, and all we can suss out from her history is she must have had a gripe with a black dog cos boy oh boy does she hate them.

You love to play in the snow, chase sticks up and down hills, swim in rivers and take long walks. You had a fabulous 6 years living on the farm with all the exciting smells and walks right on your doorstep.

You live for your home comforts, why sleep on the floor when a couch or a bed will do? Why eat out of a dish when dad will hand feed you biscuits?

Your getting older now, and struggle to walk far, but we have plenty of pictures of you, and when you feel like it you can still bounce around like a young thing, just watch to the end of the video to see

What I thought of Organic Burst Maca

I was offered a chance to trial a couple of different products from  Organic burst, and chose the Organic Burst Maca, this was described to me as  
 has energy-metabolising effects. Also known to stabilise hormone levels and the endocrine system: studies showed it helps reduce the discomfort of the menopause and helps with PMS.

and describes itself as


Maca powder has been used in Peru for endurance and energy for over 2000 years. Maca root is called the Peruvian Ginseng due a variety and density of essential minerals. Organic Burst® Maca is grown organically according to the old traditional method. Our maca powder is cultivated in the Andes Mountains 4100 meters above sea level where no other plant can thrive. Organic Burst® Maca is raw, pure and organic, preserving all the nutrient density of this unique superfood.
Benefits
  • Strengthens the body and increases stamina due to the perfect mineral balance.
  • Stabilises hormone levels. Maca powder contains bioactive compounds, plant sterols and prostaglandins that help regulate the endocrine system.
  • Healthy energy levels. Maca powder is high in phosphorus, manganese and iron. Iron promotes oxygen transport thus helping us fight fatigue and tiredness.
  • Metabolism. Zinc in maca powder increases carbohydrate and macronutrient metabolism.
  • Healthy bones and teeth due to high levels of calcium.
  • Nourishes the skin. Maca powder is rich in zinc, which helps maintain good skin.
 It sounded a good choice for me as it is suppose to help with menopause symptoms, and as I am sadly at that stage of life I thought it had to be worth a try.

Now I eat a fairly healthy diet and I sprinkle a combination of sunflowers, sesame and pumpkin seeds on my cereal every morning which contains a lot of the micronutrients.

My biggest issue in my life is tiredness, and lack of motivation to do anything much apart from work. Also fancied it due to the calcium levels as I have never taken dairy then it has become important to me to do something about that ( maybe it is already to late).

Well I have worked my way through this tub and have to admit I do have a bit more get up and go, do want to get up off the couch in an evening after work, and am more willing to go out and walk the dog every evening.  I was not keen on the taste, sort of like burnt seaweed taste, but I have been drinking it in with something flavoured and its not overpowering enough that you notice it.

They do various other organic products, and one of the things I really like about this company is things like
Our products are made using nutrient-dense 100% organic superfoods. We do not use any chemicals, fillers or extracts in our products – only pure and natural raw ingredients. We only source from suppliers who engage in sustainable development of local communities.

and

The sales from baobab powder help employ thousands of poor families in rural Africa. They also help the environment by preventing deforestation.

I have placed an order myself with this company and feel enough of a difference to keep on with it for another few months at least to see the long term impact for myself.

This is a review post with the product being provided for free, but this is an honest review of my findings.

Project 366 #47

I did manage too get both of them before I was rumbled



and now they are performing tricks for the camera....lol


putting this one in for  TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky


Wednesday 15 February 2012

Project 366 #46

The kids are on half term this week so no hurry to take them home, so whilst I was busy in the kitchen the kids were playing, and when I went upstairs they were colouring peacefully and I could not resist getting pictures, so I lay near the top of the stairs and zoomed in.

 Not the clearest picture hard to stay to long without being spotted

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Project 366 #45

When I took the kids home today we came back via the estate to walk the dog, would have taken the kids with me but Bobs not up to walking anywhere at the moment so I couldn't.

the view up the river
Was a tiny glimmer of the sun and I knelt on the rocks at the dam and took some pictures.

Monday 13 February 2012

Happy Birthday to Daughter No1

Well I did one for the granddaughter, so got to do one for her mummy, so Happy 10th birthday daughter dear - well you can only be 10 as I'm only 29, if you remember rightly I refused to become 30, therefore you must have stopped at 10 surely?? No oh well happy birthday anyway.


Heres a few pics for you to look back on. Here you are my first born child, at 2 weeks old out in the February sunshine, most of the snow that fell when you were 4 days old had cleared so we took you out to get some pictures. I have one somewhere of you in your bouncy chair taken the same day with panda, your life long companion your Aunty Coral bought you that you still have to this day.














Here you are on your 3rd birthday, complete with your badge, and your sister with drool running off her chin. How horrible a mummy I was dressing you in matching dresses that I bought you for Christmas.







Then there came your first day at school, not a day you were overly keen on, but you went off dressed in a hand knitted cardigan looking oh so grown up. My little girl was no longer a little girl.











Here is you having a mad moment with your sister, you were 9 here.



And finally I shall stop with you looking very smart on your first day at high school. I didn't dig out the embarrassing ones. the likes of your white pointy skirt at your brothers birthday.

Happy Birthday Daughter dear, and thank you for being my daughter. Love from Mum xx
  










 By way of a birthday celebration we have done you a birthday tea. The kids made cards for you, and beautiful they are as well. Haven't put Fifis one up as it contains too many family names.

Bobs Dr Who card


Your birthday cake was made using the recipe on the back of the Doves farm flour bag, the ensuing sponge was more pleasant as small cakes than a large one, but such is gluten free baking.

We also had marshmallow cakes, you can find the recipe here , and coco-pops crispie cakes, made by melting 2 oz marge with 2 oz golden syrup and 2 bars Kinnerton chocolate and stirring in coco-pops and made them into a heart lolly

and lastly we had some mush, I made this with 2 bars orange carob, melted with 2 tubs alpro soya cream, and once melted I stirred through a mixture of sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds that were put through a blender with some chopped dates and apricots.

a birthday cake

Fifi and Bob blew the candles out for mummy

the marshmallow cake

the mush
 and to see my daughter with her cake, you will need to go and see my picture of the day for project 366

Project 366 #44

Happy Birthday daughter dear, forgot to tell you it was going to be picture of the day till after it was too late