Anywayup cups - they really are leak proof!!

Im very excited about a product that I have been sent by www.habermanproducts.com. Its the Big Suck cup which is from the range of Anywayup cups. There are a whole range of cups for different age groups. This one is 12+ months but they do start from 6+ months and go all the way up to 24+ months. They are all brightly coloured so the kids love them. BoyG has been desperate to try this beaker for me but at 3 and a half years I think he may be a tad too big for a beaker :0)

We can't try this one yet as BabyG is only 4 months old, but BoyG did have a couple of the 6 month plus cups when he was smaller and they were fab! They really don't leak! I was so disappointed when I couldn't find them anymore in the shops but they are now available again! You can now buy then from www.anywayup.com so I will definitly be ordering some soon!

Hasbro Toy Review - Tickle Me Elmo

I have been sent a Tickle Me Elmo toy from Hasbro toys. First impressions.... He is soooo cute!!! I wanted to play with him!!

Elmo still in his box

BoyG managed to prise Elmo away from me so that he could have a go. The first thing he did was give Elmo a huge cuddle. Then he realised he could tickle him and make him laugh - he thought that was great! BoyG has played with Elmo so much, and he likes to give him loads of cuddles. 

BoyG cuddling Elmo

 



BoyG giving Elmo a good tickle!

We showed the Tickle Me Elmo toy to BabyG and he was smiling lots. BabyG isn't quite old enough for this toy yet as it is marketed as for ages 12 months plus, and he is only 16 weeks old at the moment. Although he did have fun and it did make him smile, he will enjoy it even more when he is a little older. 

BabyG's turn to have a cuddle

 

Grandma and BabyG playing with Elmo

Its such a great toy. Elmo is very soft, and a nice eye catching bright red colour. You can squeeze his tummy or feet to tickle him and he has a few different laughs. He is easy to use, and little fingers can make him laugh easily. Elmo has got such a contagious laugh - I challenge you to keep a straight face with Elmo laughing and making your children laugh!

Thanks again Hasbro for another great toy!

Its starting to look a lot like Christmas.... Getting ready for the big day!

We have been getting ready for Christmas!! I'm afraid that when it comes to Christmas, I am the biggest kid in our house!! DaddyG has been working lots, and BabyG can't really do too much this year, so that just leaves me and BoyG to get on with preparations for the big day.

We went to stay with Nanny and Grandad for a few days, and Grandad took us to a huge shopping center for some Christmas shopping. We didn't get much shopping done but BoyG did get to ride around the shopping centre on a train! We also bumped into a couple of Star Wars Storm Troopers while we were there. They were wandering around with Darth Vader!! BoyG loved seeing them and was all excited about telling DaddyG about them.

MummyG, BoyG and the Storm Troopers!!

We were also able to meet Father Christmas!!!! Before we could go through to see the main man himself, we got to watch a lovely little film in 3D. We saw The Night Before Christmas. This is the closest BoyG has come to the cinema and he sat there in wonder, ducking out of the way of the 3D snowflakes coming out of the screen at us!

MummyG and BoyG in cool 3D glasses

Looking like a cool dude in the 3D glasses!

Back at home, we had another Christmas adventure when we went into town to see the Coca Cola Christmas truck! BoyG thought it was fantastic to see this big red lorry although he didn't really know about it as he hasn't seen the adverts before. He thought it was great that they gave him a mini can of coke. It made him feel very grown up as he is not usually allowed that kind of thing! The bit that he was most impressed with was the small carousel. He was asking for so long if he could have a go on it! We finally finished looking at the lorry so he was able to go on the carousel at last!

A happy BoyG on the carousel!

We got our tree out and BoyG helped me put it up while DaddyG was at work one day. BoyG put all the baubles on, including some yummy Spiderman chocolate baubles, and the Mickey Mouse candy canes. I had to put the star on the top but it was the one that BoyG had picked out - A bright sparkly red one (His favourite colour)!

Decorating the tree

Hanging the baubles on the tree

Stirring the Christmas cake

BoyG even helped me make the Christmas Cake. He put all the ingredients in for me and stirred it all very well. He is a great helper in the kitchen!

All very hard work for a 3 year old so he needed a well earned rest - and a hot chocolate with marshmallows!!

Hot chocolate and marshmallows!

Chia Bia Seeds

I have been sent some Chia Bia seeds to try. The seeds are very high in OMEGA 3, fibre, protein and antioxidants. They are said to have several benefits, like being good for your skin, helping with weight loss, giving you more energy, and more. I am currently trialing the seeds for Chia Bia as I have got Psoriasis and I and currently doing Slimming World, trying to loose some baby weight. I have been using the seeds for a few weeks now. I haven't really noticed any change to my skin yet, but it has only been a few weeks. The seeds could still help to make a difference. I have lost 11lbs so far in three weeks. This does seem like a lot to loose in just a few weeks, so this could have been helped by the seeds but obviously I can't say for certain if it was the seeds or not. I have had more energy as well. This may also be down to using the seeds.

I have been sent whole seeds, milled seeds, and milled seeds with blueberry. You can have the seeds simply in yogurt or mixed in with your salad, or you can actually incorporate the seeds into cooking. There are some great recipes on the Chia Bia website, along with some further info on the history of the seeds, how and what they can be used for. You can purchase the seeds on the Chia Bia website.

Book Review - Count To 10 With A Mouse

I have been sent another book to review by Parragon Books. I got BabyG in his cot, then got BoyG bathed and in his pjs then BoyG and I snuggled on the sofa for a story. I love that time of day, just before bed, when we have some real quality time together.

This book is called Count To 10 With A Mouse. It is written by Margaret Wise Brown and beautifully illustrated by Kirsten Richards. Its a lovely story about a cute little mouse that is learning to count as he travels through a hole in his book, counting on each page as he goes.

It was good to read this with BoyG as he is getting very good at counting, and he is starting to recognise numbers when they are written down. This book will be a great help with BoyG's counting.

Thank you Parragon for another great book.

Stir Up Sunday - Fortnum & Mason Come To Longstowe!



The pudding kit

 I was very kindly sent a Christmas pudding set by Fortnum & Mason. I usually make my own Christmas pudding so I thought it would be good to see how a kit compares to weighing everything out yourself.

My Mum is a food blogger and she was also sent one of these sets. So we thought we would make a family day of it! My Mum's blog is heidirobertskitchentalk.blogspot.com



The ingredients from the kit



My Mum and I travelled to my Dad and Step-Mum in Longstowe. I took the boys with me and we all had a lovely time!

First I'll write about the kit....



Lucky charm and sixpence



It comes with pretty much all you need. The ingredients are all weighed for you, you get a pudding bowl in there, a sixpence and lucky charm to put in the pudding, and you even get the greaseproof paper and the string!! All we needed was a lemon, some brandy, and eggs. Mum brought the lemon and brandy and we got the eggs from the chickens at my Dad and Step-Mum's house (This is why BoyG calls them Grandma and Grandad Chicken!).

Freshly squeezed lemon juice for the pudding

I mixed my pudding together then Mum did hers. We made sure everyone had a good stir of each pudding!



Grandad stirring the pudding

 The kits were so easy to use. It was great not having to weigh anything. And the pudding bowls in the packs were very nice, printed with 'Fortnum and Mason' on them. We cooked the puddings at the same time, and they smelled delicious! I can't wait until Christmas day so we can eat them!!

While Mum and I were making puddings, Grandma and BoyG were busy making mince pies and chocolate cake! BoyG was wearing my Grandad's old apron and he enjoyed tasting the mix to 'check it was OK'!

BabyG played with his toys in the living room while we all cooked, and Grandad did all the dishes :0)

 



Checking its ok





Grandma and BoyG



The finished pudding





Mum making her pudding



We had a lovely day baking together. I will be looking for one of these kits next year and hopefully we can all get together to do it again.