What I loved in May!

Another month has flown over! This year is going way too quickly. Can you believe it's only about 8 weeks until the kids break up from school for the summer holidays. Eek!

The Greatest Showman.

Ohh! I love it, I really do. I have lost count of how many times I've watched it. I still can't see myself getting bored of it anytime soon. Ellie has said the school choir she is in is singing "This is me" from it at one of the end of term concerts. I will cry. If it is the year 6 leavers assembly I know I will be full on ugly crying....

Getting through the SATs. 

Ellie has had her SATs tests at school and we got through them, just! There were a few moments when I seriously considered saying no she is not taking them! She will never admit it but they did stress her out and in turn stress me out which then stressed my fella out. lol

Bank holidays
We have made the most of the two bank holidays we've had this month....On the first one we went to the beach and the most recent one we went to the big park in Blyth. We had a fantastic time....

Hollyoaks....

I love my soaps and watch them all but over the past month I have screamed at the TV so much with it. Kim being locked away & nearly dying, the Ryan story line ending (finally), Sienna, dying, Nico coming back from the dead, the fact Sienna faked her death, Warren returning and stealing the 2nd twin, Adam being shot by his dad, Dee Dee having a life-threatening brain condition and Mandy & Darren! What a month for Hollyoaks! They did well.

Sunshine!!
It feels like summer is coming...The kids have played out. (Mostly Ellie with her friends), we've been to the beach, BBQ's have been had and I nearly even got the paddling pool out....The sunshine really seems to life my mood and makes me feel motivated. I do like it.

New clothes....
With all the sunshine we had I realised that Ellie especially needed some shorts and t-shirts. I couldn't resist buying a few bits for us all though. The girls still won't wear their Disney Princess t-shirts at the same time as I wear mine but Ellie has practically being living in hers. Wear, wash, wear wash is how it's going at the moment. 

What have you loved in May?

I eat the most chocolate in the house...

A Talk to Mums survey reveals mums consume the most chocolate in the household....It revealed that mums eats 10% more chocolate then their partner or their kids.  Despite the fact that over 72% of the mums who took part in the survey have a healthy diet and over 45% exercise more than twice a week.....

At first I thought pfft! There is no way I eat more chocolate than my kids but then thought about it properly. I actually do!

The kids only eat chocolate on a weekend....Usually on a Saturday night while we're watching TV. I eat chocolate most evenings. Not a lot but maybe a bar of something or a few little chocolates....Some mornings I will snack on a bit of chocolate if it's too late for breakfast and early for lunch then on an afternoon I might have a couple of chocolate biscuits or chocolate cake with a cuppa....

I am quite fussy when it comes to chocolate...I am not keen on Dairy milk but will eat it if I have to. I prefer Galaxy....I can only eat Toffee Crisps and Kit Kats if I have a cup of tea but not the Chunky one's. I really don't like them....I love chocolate aimed at kids. Milky ways, Milky Bars, Freddo's, Fudge's and Curly-Wurlys....I am not keen on chocolate which has nuts in like Snickers, Toblerone and Fruit and Nut....I can be stuffed from tea but always need a couple of bits of chocolate after I've eaten....

I think I am a bit of a chocoholic. Eek! So I am going to share some of the best gifts I have seen for people who love a bit of chocolate....

Grow Your Own Chocolate Scented Flowers - £9.99 - Prezzybox.

Chocolate Ice Lollies Set - £15.00 - Choc on Choc
The Classic Chocolate Cabinet - £50.00 - Hotel Chocolat
Nutella: The 30 Best Recipes - £7.19 - WHSmith
Cocoa Creations Hot Chocolate Gift Set - £22.00 - Whittard
Chocolate Truffle Scented Candle - £8.95 - Lily Flame
Chocolate Liqueur and Truffles Hamper - £30.00 - Thorntons
Delicious Dilemma Chocolate pizza - £11.50 - Gourmet Chocolate Pizza
Cadbury Bar Post Box Subscription - £60.00 - Cadbury Gifts Direct

Are you a chocoholic?

Glam Goo - Fantasy Slime Pack - Review!

Over the past month or so we have tried out a couple of Glam Goo sets. First was the Glam Goo Deluxe Slime Pack and then the Glam Goo Confetti Accessory Pack.

We were lucky to be sent another accessory pack to try out. The Glam Goo - Fantasy Slime Pack. I say we but it was all for Ellie....She is still crazy about slime!!

Make slime fashionable with Glam Goo! Start with clear slime, mix in sparkles, fill your accessories and wear!

The fantasy theme pack comes with two wearable slime accessories. A heart necklace and a rainbow charm.

There is of course a tub of Glam Goo (clear slime), three slime decorations. Mermaid Wishes, Cosmic Dust, and Unicorn Fuzz, two shimmer colours. Mint Skies and Magic Hour and one scent. Rose Mist.

Ellie knew what to do with the set after using the previous packs and she got stuck right in. She loves to make 4 or 5 piles of slime and decorate each one differently....

Ellie had fantastic fun with this set....I asked her if she thought it was too similar to the other Glam Goo sets and she said no way. The slime, colours and the decorations were different which pleased her greatly. She showed the same excitement for this accessory pack than she did for all the others.....

She played with this set for at least a couple of hours and has been back to it again and again! I don't think she will ever get sick of slime.

All of the Glam Goo sets we have tried have been fantastic and this one is no different. Ellie has loved each and every one including this one.

You can buy the Glam Goo - Fantasy Slime Pack from Smyths for £14.99. I would say it is well worth the money for the enjoyment my girl got from it.

We were sent the Glam Goo - Fantasy Slime Pack free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

Our half term meal plan! #mealplanningmonday

Last weeks meal plan went OK....We ate just about everything. The pizza wasn't eaten on Friday night. I went for a soak in the bath and the kids decided to make their own teas. They made sandwiches, other snacky bits and even have cucumber and grapes which I did not expect. I thought they'd stuff themselves with cakes and crisps. They did of course later but I am glad they can make the right choices when it comes to making simple meals.

This week the kids and my fella are off school and work. I have the meals planned but I am not going to say what day we are eating them on because I don't honestly know. It's all dependent on the weather to when we go out and have a BBQ.

This week on the menu we have:

A BBQ....

Cheese and bacon quiche and salad....

Home made pizza's....

Sausage, mash and veg in giant Yorkshire pudding's....

Fish & chips when we go to the beach....

Nacho's and Corn dogs....

A roast dinner of some sort....

If you want to see what other people are eating The Organised Life Project and Katykicker have a linky!

Lots of playing with Lego.... #MySundayPhoto

A nice week. Week 21. #Project365

This past week has been a lot calmer than last week with the SATs...My teen did two English Literature GCSE exams and she feels pretty good about them. Her hand was aching with all the writing she did so it sounds positive. 

The weather hasn't been great this week....I was just getting used to the sunshine and now it seems to be gone. Just as the kids got in from school it started raining. Ugh! The sunshine better come back for half term.

Now for a photo every day....

138/365 - 19th May

Behind the laptop of course.

139/365 - 20th May

Monkey got a new dress. My fella made it. lol

140/365 - 21st May

All ready to play out with her friends.

141/365 - 22nd May

She started with her birthday list. Eek! Everything on it is unicorn related.

142/365 - 23rd May

I took a couple more photos of this bracelet for the blog post.

143/365 - 24th May

Ellie has told me she is doing the Cup song in the Year 6 leavers assembly and she has been practicing all week.

144/365 - 25th May

The fridge is full in preparation for the half term holidays....I know I'll have to go shopping mid-week to stock up. I cannot fill my girls. lol

Natural World - Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo & Conditioner!

I have been using the same brand of shampoo for years. I change the scent every now and again but it's been a while since I tried a new one....

Recently I was sent some new shampoo and conditioner to try from Natural World.

Created with the finest natural superfood ingredients from across the world, Natural World is the award-winning affordable luxury hair care brand on the market created in Soho, London. They have natural, vegan and cruelty free ranges!

Each range includes a blend of 95% natural derived ingredients to target your biggest hair concerns. There is: No parabens, No silicones *except for the hair treatment oils, No phosphates, No gluten, No mineral oil, No SLS and No dyes!

I was sent the Argan Oil of Morocco shampoo & conditioner to try out....They came in 1L bottles which looked huge.

The shampoo and conditioner are infused with precious certified organic Argan Oil and an uplifting blend of 4 essential oils (Rosemary, Lemongrass, Orange and Ylang Ylang).

I have been trying this shampoo and the conditioner for the past couple of weeks and have been washing my hair as normal every two or three days.....

When I first started using the shampoo I found it so strange. I was scrubbing but it didn't seem to lather as much as other shampoos. I am guessing it is because it has less chemicals in. 

The conditioner was quite thick and I used a lot less than I usually would with other brands. The only complaint I have about the conditioner is that it seemed to take ages to pump out the bottle.

Since I have been using this I would say my hair has changed. It doesn't seem as dry and frizzy when it is first washed and usually by the 3rd day it's starting to get greasy and needs washing. With this shampoo I could have easily have gone another day or maybe more. I think I am going to have to change my hair washing habits and leave it longer between washes.....

The shampoo and the conditioner are sold exclusively at Tesco. These bottles cost £6.00 each. As Tesco is my usual grocery shop I will be buying them again.

I was sent the Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo & Conditioner free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

After last week, this week has seemed so calm. #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

After last week with the SATs this week has been lovely and calm.....I'm not too impressed with the weather though. I have had to get the jumpers back out for the last few days. I hope the sunshine comes back for the bank holiday weekend.

Ellie's behaviour has greatly improved after the SATs and she is back to being the girl that we know and love....All the stress has gone and she is happy again.....

On Monday night she came in from school and asked if she could play out with her friend. I said yes as long as she took a phone and kept in touch....Her friend and his sister called for her and off they went to the park. She did keep in touch and in the end there was about 7 of them out of her class having fun. She stayed out until 6pm and had a great time. I think it's the first time she has played out where I haven't worried. Her friend is so sensible and I know he wouldn't dream of getting into trouble so he keeps Ellie on the right track. hehehe

Becky had her first GCSE exam on Tuesday but she hasn't been worried in the slightest. She is only in year 10 but they now do the English literature exams a year early. It makes sense. In year 9 and most of this year they have been learning about the books and texts. Today from what I can gather is about An Inspector Calls....She really enjoyed reading that book and even doing the homework a long while ago.....Writing the tweets from a character really sticks in my mind.

Myself and the girls have started to think about what they want for their birthdays. I want to get their presents sorted now because August is an expensive month for us. It's Stu's and Ellie's birthday then Becky's at the start of September. We have to cover the cost of days out during the school holidays and there is school uniform and supplies to buy. I have all new to buy for Ellie as she's going up the secondary school....Eek!

I am staying calm and writing lists. I bought a few presents for Ellie....All she has really asked for is one of the L.O.L Surprise! Pearl Playsets. This week I looked and looked and it seemed to be out of stock everywhere apart from Amazon and Ebay but they cost at least £50 from those sites which I was not prepared to pay....I went onto the Asda, Geroge site for something else and they had them in stock! I ordered one and it was delivered yesterday! I am so glad I did. I just went back to check and they are now out of stock. Phew!

I am really looking forward to next week....Stu is off work and the kids are off school. At the moment we have no plans set in stone but I am hoping for a couple of days out.

Fantastic gifts from Gift Pup for Father's Day!

You may remember a few months ago I shared some Great Mother's day gifts from the fantastic website Gift Pup. 

I have been working with Gift Pup again and this time it's all about Father's day which is on the 17th of June in case you didn't know. It's time to think about the special men in your lives and maybe spoil them a little.....

Gift Pup have a whole heap of gifts for all occasions, ages and type of people. They have gifts that can be personalised with either their name, initials, photo or a message. I always think there is something special about personalised gifts.

I decided to choose a Men's Brown Leather Bracelet for my fella. It is of course off the girls to him. I must say it really is gorgeous!

The stylish men's brown leather bracelet features two rows of braiding with a personalised metal clasp. High-quality with a versatile smart-casual appeal which makes it suitable for all occasions. It comes complete with a fantastic presentation gift box. 

It is presented beautifully and upon opening it, it looked so fancy and so stylish.

It looks like it is made to last and would be a perfect gift for a dad or a special man in your life.

This bracelet costs £34.99 and I would say it is worth every penny....

While browsing the Gift Pup website there was plenty of items which stood out....With gifts starting from £4.99 they have something for every budget to make a loved one's day extra special.

These are some of the items which caught my eye....

Super Dad Photo Durham Mug - £4.99
Jedi Juice Engraved Pint Glass - £8.99
Special Date Wooden Photo Keyring - £10.99
Evolution of Dad Apron - £17.99
Engraved Wooden Hammer - £19.99
I Love My Dad Cufflinks Gift Set - £19.99

Personalised Chocolate Button Tree - £24.99
King of the House Beer 2ltr Monster Beer Bottle - £24.99
Gloss Finish Freestanding Photo Block (8x11") - £24.99
Wooden Phone Holder - £32.99
'Andres' Mens Leather Bracelet - £34.99
Hot Headz Ultimate Hamper - £44.99

Is there anything you fancy for the special man in your life?

We were sent the Men's Brown Leather Bracelet free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

Guilty pleasure foods...

A survey by online butcher, Great British Meat Company anonymously asked people what they would choose to eat everyday if there was no consequences and no guilt attached to eating and what came out on top was a bacon sandwich!

I can quite believe this! I would eat one every day given the chance. I have at least one a week. It has to be fried bacon in white bread with tomato sauce on. Sometimes Stu will make me a grilled bacon and egg sandwich with toast. He cooks the eggs in the microwave which are so good but I have never been able to cook them as well as he does.....

Pizza and Pasta also made up the top three foods that people feel guilty about eating...

I am not fussed about pasta....I eat it but I don't feel guilty about it. When we have pasta it is always with vegetables so what's to feel guilty about....

My favourite guilty pleasure foods are:

Pot Noodles.

It has to be the Beef & Tomato one's and I fish the peas out. hehehe I can easily eat two in one sitting.

Tinned Bacon grill and tinned tomatoes.

I won't even look at the ingredients in the bacon grill. I am guessing not much pork.

A fry up.

With everything fried. Bacon, sausages, eggs, tomatoes, black pudding, mushrooms and even beans. If I'm feeling very naughty I will have fried bread instead of toast which will be covered in tomato sauce.

Ham and Crisp sandwiches.

2 packets of crisps have to be mixed. I usually go for beef & onion & chicken.

Doughnuts.

I buy a packet every week with the grocery shop. We either go for the sugary ring ones or jam filled one's....There is nothing nicer than a fresh one that has been cooked that day.

Skips Prawn Cocktail Crisps

Fray Bentos Beef And Onion Pie with Aunt Bessies Mashed Potato.

This is my hangover meal. It is easy to make and just so bad that it's good....It all has to be covered with gravy and with no veg on the plate.

Sour Cream And Onion Pringles dipped in Thousand Island sauce or dip.

I eat this most Saturday evenings. hehehe

Banana and sugar sandwiches.

Food from McDonalds.

My order is usually a McChicken Sandwich meal with a chocolate milkshake and a hamburger.

What food do you love that you know you shouldn't?

Brain Lab For Kids - Review!

My girls love anything to do with science and sometimes I get a bit stuck thinking of fun things to do with them...I was sent the Brain Lab For Kids book to have a look through with them. 52 Mind-Blowing Experiments, Models, and Activities to Explore Neuroscience.

Riding a bicycle, learning a new language, catching a ball, reading a book: these activities and everything else we see, hear, feel, and do are made possible by the soft, whitish-pink substance inside our heads called the brain. And yet, we take for granted many of the amazing things our brain does for us. Brain Lab for Kids offers 52 family-friendly activities, science experiments, and models to help us understand how the brain accomplishes all that it does.

There are 10 different sections covering The Neuron, The Brain, Reflexes, Taste, Smell, Vision, Touch, Hearing, Sleep & Body Rythams and Memory.....

With each experiment in this book it gives you a clear indication to how long it will take to compete the experiment and what you will need....The “Methods” section provides a step by step guide of what to do and there is also lots of useful information, facts and trivia.

Most of the experiments use things that you will find around the home so there is no need to be spending extra money on things you will only use once.

My girls love this book and have already done a few of the experiments. Blind Spot was one of the first they did. It showed you how to find your blind spot on the retina of your eye....It took seconds to set up and kept them entertained for about 15 minutes.

The girls also did Drop off time on Friday night. An experiment to see how long it takes you to drop off to sleep....It involved noting what time you started to go to sleep, laying in bed holding a spoon over a plate and when you fall asleep you drop the spoon and it clatters onto the plate & it wakes you up and you note the time. In the morning you work out how long it took you to fall asleep.

This was a funny one because Ellie fell asleep and didn't hear the spoon fall onto the plate. It did because Becky heard it. lol My guess is that because she had her good ear on the pillow and being deaf in the other she just didn't hear it....Becky heard her spoon fall and it took her 18 minutes to fall asleep.

There is plenty of more experiments for us to work through and I think we will....The girls really like this book and have learned things from it which is fantastic.

Brain Lab For Kids is easy to understand, bright and kept my girls engaged. I would say it is more suited for older children but younger children can have fun with the experiments but may not understand the science behind them.....

You can buy this book from Quarto Knows for £12.99....

We were sent this book free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

My teen is choosing some of the meals this week. #mealplanningmonday

Last weeks meal plan went OK. We had a busy day on Thursday so ended up getting a takeaway instead of going to McDonalds on Friday.....We couldn't really have burgers two nights in a row although I was tempted. hehehe

My youngest finished her SATs and this week my teen has a couple of GCSE exams to do. English Literature. She's feeling quite confident. Phew! So as a treat she is choosing some of the meals this week....

This week on the menu we have:

Monday - Chicken omelette and chips....

Tuesday - Fish finger sandwiches....

Wednesday - Sausage, bacon, egg, beans, tomato & toast....

Thursday - Slow cooker beef keema curry with rice....

Friday - Pizza....

Saturday - Spaghetti bolognese.... 

Sunday - Leftover bolognese in wraps.

What will you be eating this week?

If you want to see what other people are eating The Organised Life Project and Katykicker have a linky!

Rainbow painting... #MySundayPhoto

Unicorn Mermaid Magic! Week 20. #Project365

This week my youngest Ellie completed the SATs tests at school.....To say it was stressful is a bit of an understatement we never knew what type of mood she would be in but she says they were easier than she thought they would be and she tried her best. That's all I can ask for. 

Now for a photo every day.

131/365 - 12th May

Ellie decided to have a play with my light box....This is so typically her.

132/365 - 13th May

A lazy Sunday. Pj's, TV, & electronics.

133/365 - 14th May

We have been sent a fab book to review. My girls love science so this is right up their street.

134/365 - 15th May

Ellie's favourite t-shirt. She's only just got it. I got some summery clothes from Sports Direct.

135/365 - 16th May

My fella was sent this to review. A razor subscription box.

136/365 - 17th May

An afternoon ice cream. The first thing she does when she comes in from school is go to the freezer and get one.

137/365 - 18th May

The school had a royal wedding celebration day and they all had to wear their fanciest clothes....I bought Ellie a new dress for the occasion. She loves it. I really hope it stays white!