Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Three and Four!

I decided at the start of the year, that I would like to write this weekly segment as a way to remember things we get up to, to combat my memory issues, and as a way to write something fun, just for me. However, it's January, so we are not doing a lot, apart from being battered by various colds and viruses, so this is week three and four, as I didn't get a chance to write one last week, and this week we have mostly stayed in and moaned about the weather! I've made it sound really boring now, so if you are still with me, I hope I've managed to liven it up, with tales of epic bargains and a 10 metre rope light! Also this week, the first foray with my new camera and decluttering my nemesis!

Win Cycling Accessories for Children

My Sunday Photo: Sundown Sky

Truly Clear Light Therapy Review

During the run-up to Christmas, I received a TrulyClear 2 Light Therapy System to play with and I mentioned it in a couple of our gift guides, as I really felt it had a lot to offer as a multi-functional beauty product. After the initial first impression, I promised I would give it a proper try and report on the progress and how I got on with it, as it would take a while to see if it worked. I've been testing it over the last few weeks and thought it was time to let you know how it went. The TrulyClear 2 Light Therapy System is available from US company True Company and retails at £329. This is a review based on my own personal experience, all opinions are my own. 

How to Make a Gift Box using Simple Origami

Sometimes, it's good to get creative with children, especially when it comes to gifts for friends or relatives. Creating a handmade gift is so much more personal than a shop-bought one and it's lots of fun to do, too. However, once you've created your masterpiece together, what do you put it in? You can buy a gift bag, but, to add a personal touch, it's not that difficult to make your own box. I have made a video tutorial to show you, but thought it would be good to have some photos and written instructions too. I've been making these for years, so I've found it quite tricky to translate it into a guide, but I hope it will all make sense. If you want to make a bigger gift box, use a bigger sheet of paper and to make a lid, you simply make another one, exactly the same. Happy folding!

Leapfrog Read with Me Scout Review

As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will know, I am a massive fan of education. I qualified as a Teaching Assistant 12 years ago and have always been keen on any subject involving education, particularly inclusion in mainstream school. So, any product that offers little ones a discreet leg up, especially when it encourages them to enjoy the subject it teaches, is always something I am going to want to play with. This is why I was very enthusiastic about reviewing Read with Me Scout. It's cute, appealing and promises to introduce children to the all-important reading comprehension that is a big part of the early years and key stage 1 curriculum here in the UK. So, armed with a host of questions from readers of our Facebook page, I put the little fella through his paces.

My Sunday Photo; Where's the Snow?

How to Handle Trolls and How Not to Be One

This semi-ranty post covers a subject many of us are familiar with and one I have never previously given an inch of cyberspace to. This is because I have learned that when someone wants your attention and is going out of their way to get it, by being as loud and obnoxious as possible, sometimes the best thing you can do is ignore them. Not today, though, because today I am going to have my say and guess what? This is my little space, so you ain't trolling here. I  won't give unconstructive negativity any space on my blog, not even a comment. If you don't like what you read, just troll on by, since that is the polite thing to do. as if we were real people and this was real life. This is how to deal with trolls and how not to be one, unless it's one with pink hair.

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Two!

This weekend was considerably quieter than the last one, mainly because the car is still sulking and flashing various warning lights at us every time we start the engine. It's running like a dream though, stupid car. The weather has been disappointingly dull and L was furious that we weren't even slightly snowed in! The Bristol sky offered us about half a centimetre, for a couple of hours in the morning and that was it! Despite the grumpy car, we did manage a few short trips out and this is a round up of everything we got up to. It's entirely unsponsored, but does mention some really lovely places we went to in our region... 

Win a £10 Amazon Voucher

Our last competition was so popular, I thought it would be nice to give everyone who entered and didn't win a second chance. Although, of course, you are more than welcome to enter for the first time too! Please be advised that the email address you use on the rafflecopter will be the one I send the prize to if you win, unless you tell me otherwise, so do make sure it's up to date. Entry is very simple and you can enter using as many, or as few of the options as you like, there are no mandatory entries. I have had more than one competition winner who just entered through the free entry, so it shows it can be done! Good luck!

Review of the Airram Mark 2, It's Even Better and We Love It!

Last year, I reveiwed the Gtech Multi and I was really pleased with it. It had some great, well-thought-out features and I am still amazed by how powerful it is, and how far it goes on a single battery charge. So, when Gtech told me about the improvements they had made to the famous Airram design, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to put it through its paces. I was given it to try, and am, as always, impartial in my views. I have tried to find negatives, honest, but it really is a great little vacuum cleaner. The first thing I noticed, as soon as I opened it, was how few parts it has. It was ridiculously easy to put together, and very straightforward to use. The husband does not 'do' instructions, and even he hasn't had an issue with it! 

My Sunday Photo: Frosty Patterns

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week One!

This post is a bit later than planned, in fact a lot later, but we're ignoring that. It's January, so everyone gets a dispensation to be late for everything as they recover from the perrenial pandemonium that is Christmas, and the aftermath of chaotic schedule-sabotage and tinsel-vacuuming that ensues every year. This is a new post I want to try and do every week, so we'll see how that works out, but I'm hoping it might be fun. Towards the end of last year, I ended up writing a lot of review-type posts, which is really fun to do, and I hope useful too, but I felt I lost a bit of my identity in there, so this is my attempt at getting back to writing for me. I hope you are still here and humouring me for now. You are? Fab, then I'll begin...

Our Year in Pictures 2016

I really have no idea where the year went, they seem to pass by quicker, the older I get! This year saw us finally take the plunge and do something we'd been threatening to do for years, go properly camping! I was very nervous about this, so in 2015 we had a 'practice' by going glamping on the Isle of Wight, and this was the next step. Just like the previous year, everybody loved it and it was just one of many highlights of another whirlwind year. Once again, thanks to all who support the blog by reading, sharing and commenting, it's really so much fun to be able to write and share our adventures, and we hope to have lots more fun posts for you in the coming year. 

Review of the ReimaGO Activity Sensor for Kids

It isn't always easy in this digital age to persuade children to get outside and get the exercise they need. When I was young, we rode our bikes everywhere, but it's not necessarily safe to do that now. I'm not all that old (although I often feel it!) but there are considerably more cars on the road now than there were then. There's also an awful lot more to tempt children not to bother going out. Social media means it's no longer necessary to troop down to your best friend's house for a conversation and the realistic computer games mean there are lots more entertaining things to do sitting down than there were when I was young. Fighting tech with tech, the ReimaGO activity sensor promises to provide children with a fun and engaging way to boost their daily activity levels and push themselves to get more exercise. In essence it #makeskidsmove