Thursday 29 March 2018

Alfie & Elarna's Easter Box 2018!

I do love a themed boxes for occasions like Easter and Christmas. They don't take long to put together, don't have to be overly expensive and can be a nice little treat for the children on Good Friday. This year I have to admit I've put this box together quite late and I've winged it a bit but I think that I've managed to fill it with lots of nice bits and pieces that I know my 2 will love. So, I thought i'd write a quick post with what I've included, everything in the box is either from supermarkets such as Tesco and Waitrose and then Party Pieces online, these are all items I've purchased myself.


I used this lovely, lightweight rustic box this year instead of a basket (purely because they all have toys in them!) and I packed it with bubblewrap and put some yellow tissue paper on the top bulk it out a bit. In any of the themed boxes I create I tend to make sure there are plenty of things to 'do' included rather than a ton of sweets and things like that. I know exactly what my kids will like so I included a mix of crafty and fun bits this year.  I have listed below what I've included. 

  • First up a couple of lovely easter mugs that they colour the insert themselves, they will both love colouring them in and using them. 

  • An egg and spoon race, this was cheap as chips from Party Pieces figured it was fitting for Easter, they will love it - although judging by the weather forecast may need to be an indoor race, fun!

  • Pin the tail on the bunny game, always a winner and again was a bargain price, I couldn't resist.

  • A couple of Easter puzzle backs, these are always well received and will hopefully offer a little bit of entertainment......for maybe 10 minutes haha.



  • Easter crackers! I find that crackers of any sort bring smiles and I spotted these in Tesco the other day for just £3.00 and thought they would make a nice addition to the box.

  • Giant bubbles! Kind of regretting these a bit now as the weather isn't supposed to be great over the Easter weekend and I don't fancy the idea of using them in the house but if we don't get a chance to this weekend I'll just keep them to the side for when the weather is better. 

  • A couple of eggs with grow your own chicks inside, I assume that you put them in water and they grow. Alfie seems to love these (no idea why) so I'm sure these will be well received. 

  • Some really cute little felt baskets to collect their eggs in. I was looking for some nice baskets but couldn't seem to find any so thought these from Waitrose would be perfect, they are really cute and were £3.00 each.



  • Finally, of course I have included some chocolate, I couldn't not put any sweet stuff in at all. I added some gorgeous chocolate egg chicks and a little Easter friend woven bag with choccie eggs in them (from M&S) and some very cute little foil wrapped shapes from the Co-op.
So this is my 2018 Easter box, I would love to know your thoughts! Happy Easter all, have a wonderful long weekend.

Wednesday 28 March 2018

Blogger's Best Linky

Well hello!! Welcome back to the Blogger's Bests linky. We can't wait to read your posts and see what you've been sharing this week. There was a great turn out for the linky again last week, it's great! This week will be the last before Sarah and I have a break for Easter for a couple of weeks. Enjoy your Easter and the choccie that it may bring!

So Sarah from RunJumpScrap and I would like to introduce you to the Blogger's Best linky. A place for any post, whatever the post, the best post of your week or simply a post you are proud of and want to shout about it. This is the place to share it and we can't wait to read them. The linky will open at 05:30 on a Wednesday and remain open until Friday 23:55.

There aren't many rules because lets face it, rules are boring right? However, linkys only work if you share the love and support your fellow bloggers so what we do ask is.....
  • You comment on the host posts and at least a couple of others, of course if you want to comment on more  then please do!
We would also love if you could .....

  • Tweet us over on Twitter (I'm @helsy_1983) and Sarah is (@runjumpscrap) so we know you're joining in ( and please do use #bloggersbest) and we can give you a retweet

  • Join us over on Instagram with the hashtag #bloggersbest and tag us in, we both love a bit of Insta! You can find me here @helsy_1983) and Sarah is @runjumpscrap

  • Add the badge at the bottom of your post so we know which post you've added to the linky
But these are pretty much all the rules. Sarah and I will continue to have featured posts each week and will of course be retweeting your links when you link up. We're really looking forward to hosting a fresh and vibrant new linky and hope you'll enjoy linking up too! Spread the word, Blogger's Best is the place to be!



Run Jump Scrap




    

Monday 26 March 2018

Mr.Stink Puzzle *Review & Giveaway*

I love a jigsaw and so does Alfie. I remember when he was around 2 1/2 years old he loved puzzles and would sit for quite some time doing them. Some of the  puzzles we have in our collection at the moment don't really pose much of a challenge to Alfie, they tend to be the larger pieces aimed at toddler age so perhaps more of an interest to Elarna now, when we were offered the chance of reviewing this fab David Walliams 'Mr.Stink' jigsaw (aimed at age 7+) I knew it would be a good challenge for Alfie to do.


For those who aren't aware who Mr. Stink is, he is a fictional character created by the popular comedian and actor, David Walliams. Mr. Stink is the local tramp who is befriended by a girl called Chloe. Being a tramp he is a bit stinky and when it looks like he may be driven out of town Chloe decides to hide him in the garden shed...... the illustrations you may recognise with the distinctive style of the wonderful Sir. Quentin Blake. 



This 250 piece puzzle features a collection of the characters from the book with funny anecdotes alongside. It's bright and appealing and it definitely posed a challenge for my nearly six year old. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon activity and Alfie and I had a great time putting it together. 



I really liked this jigsaw, the pieces were distinctive shapes and were nice to fit together. It was not so overly difficult that Alfie found it frustrating but posed enough of a challenge that I could see him really working hard to figure out which bit went where. He did of course need a bit of help from me but he did complete most of it himself.


What did we like about the puzzle?


  • Retailing for a bargain price of £8.99, a great price for a jigsaw. Available from most high street shops it's readily available. 

  • The size of the pieces, not too small but just small enough to pose enough of a challenge for child and parent alike. 

  • The colourful design and funny anecdotes from the book. Alfie loved the pictures of Mr. Stink.

  • That it ties in with the books, it's always nice to have merchandise that go along with books or films so this is no exception.

  • That we could do it together, it was a lovely couple of hours spent with my boy doing something that we enjoy together.



Anything we weren't so keen on?


  • Nope, we liked it all. A great little jigsaw.



It took a good couple of hours to complete (with a couple of coffee breaks for Mummy and juice breaks for Alfie!) but once finished we were very pleased with the final jigsaw! Bright, bold and colourful.




So, if you fancy puzzling and a new jigsaw to try with a child aged 5 and upwards AND who love David Walliams books then this could be the one for you! I also have one to give away.....wahoo! If you fancy being in the chance of winning your very own Mr. Stink puzzle entry is via the Rafflecopter below. For further terms and conditions please read below. 



Enter is via the Rafflecopter. UK entries only please, I cannot be held personally responsible for the product being sent out as this will be sent direct from the company. Please ensure you leave valid and regularly checked contact details so I can get in touch with you if you are the luck winner. Good luck!

* Please note I was kindly sent the jigsaw free of charge in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday 25 March 2018

My Sunday Photo - 25/03/18


Is there anything more vibrant and Spring like than daffs? I've waited a few days for them to open but now they're in full bloom and cheering up the house. 

Wednesday 21 March 2018

Blogger's Best Linky

Well hello!! Welcome back to the Blogger's Bests linky. We can't wait to read your posts and see what you've been sharing this week. There was a great turn out for the linky again last week, it's great! How have we had more snow this week? It is crazy isn't it, ours is all gone now so I'm hoping that's the last of it and we will start to see some nice Spring weather......I can hope! 

So Sarah from RunJumpScrap and I would like to introduce you to the Blogger's Best linky. A place for any post, whatever the post, the best post of your week or simply a post you are proud of and want to shout about it. This is the place to share it and we can't wait to read them. The linky will open at 05:30 on a Wednesday and remain open until Friday 23:55.

There aren't many rules because lets face it, rules are boring right? However, linkys only work if you share the love and support your fellow bloggers so what we do ask is.....
  • You comment on the host posts and at least a couple of others, of course if you want to comment on more  then please do!
We would also love if you could .....

  • Tweet us over on Twitter (I'm @helsy_1983) and Sarah is (@runjumpscrap) so we know you're joining in ( and please do use #bloggersbest) and we can give you a retweet

  • Join us over on Instagram with the hashtag #bloggersbest and tag us in, we both love a bit of Insta! You can find me here @helsy_1983) and Sarah is @runjumpscrap

  • Add the badge at the bottom of your post so we know which post you've added to the linky
But these are pretty much all the rules. Sarah and I will continue to have featured posts each week and will of course be retweeting your links when you link up. We're really looking forward to hosting a fresh and vibrant new linky and hope you'll enjoy linking up too! Spread the word, Blogger's Best is the place to be!

Run Jump Scrap




    

Sunday 18 March 2018

To my 1st Time Mum Self with #VicksBabyRub

I have been a Mummy for nearly 6 years. It's hard to believe it, the years truly have just whizzed by. It has been an overwhelming whirlwind, it hasn't been the easiest road but then parenting isn't let's be honest. There have been days where I've been elated, sobbed in frustration and times when I have wondered if I'm doing it all wrong. Of course, I must be doing something right I still have 2 thriving and beautiful children but my god it has been a learning curve. 

If I had to look back and send myself a message before I became a Mum there are so many things I would tell myself. Gosh, if I knew then what I know now ..........


So if I could go back in time what would I say to the Helen before kids. What advice would I give myself? I would say this...... Helen......Mama, you have GOT this.

Helen, I know you are scared, I know you are nervous, I know you're afraid. It'll be ok, things have a funny way of just sorting themselves out. I know that you feel that you're not cut out to be a Mum but trust me you are. Once you have that baby in arms, your flesh and blood you'll realise that everything in life is worth living. 

Embrace your pregnancy Hels. Every single bit......even the acid reflux and the leaky boobs. That bump, the glossy hair (soon to be shed after birth), the glow and the spring in your step. Stroke that bump, feel those magical kicks and wriggles as it's something incredible. You are growing a life, a mini human....a mini you! This life inside of you is like no other, it will give you focus in life, something to live for. I know you feel like you're finally on a path that is good for you and I know this pregnancy has come at a tough time in your life (getting pregnant while in the middle of studying for a nursing course is never ideal!), however you CAN do this Mama! 

The sleep deprivation is hard, I know you can never imagine just how awful it can be until baby arrives but it will pass. Just ride that wave, I promise it doesn't last forever. Take in that newborn smell, listen to those utterly beautiful baby snuffles and cherish every single moment and milestone. You never know if you'll be lucky enough to have another. There will be dark days, there will be days when you feel the crying won't stop, cuddles won't help and you can't take away any illnesses or 'ouchy's'. There will be days when you need a cuddle, need some time out and just to remember who 'you' was and is now. But you got this Mama. 

When you look back on your first time Mum self, you will be amazed how far you have come. Look at you now, you are doing it. You are a Mummy and a flipping good one at that. Because...... you have GOT this Mama. You have got this. 


Of course, we all need a little help sometimes. Baby snuffles as gorgeous as they  are can lead to an unsettled and grouchy baby and no one wants that. This is where Vicks BabyRub (#VicksBabyRub) could be your saviour. This calming and relaxing rub scented with lavender, rosemary and aloe vera is a wonderful solution to not only help you bond with your baby but help them feel calm and settled. Ideal to use after the bath and just before bed, if your baby is unsettled or over tired or just before nap time. It's a gorgeous and calming multipurpose item worth its weight in gold. 

Sometimes it can be the simple things that help the most but ultimately remember Mama.......you GOT this!! You are rocking motherhood and you are acing it (even if you still feel like you really have no clue). 

* Written in conjunction with BritMums and #VicksBabyRub. This is my entry into the Vicks BabyRub challenge, sponsored by Vicks BabyRub. Specially designed for babies aged 6 months and over, Vicks BabyRub is available at Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and all good pharmacy chains. RRP £3.99.

My Sunday Photo - 18/03/18


With Easter not far away I'm seeing so many egg displays everywhere, I popped along to M&S the other day and doesn't this lot look so tempting...... I love the laid back lamb!


Photalife

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Blogger's Best Linky!

Well hello!! Welcome back to the Blogger's Bests linky. We can't wait to read your posts and see what you've been sharing this week. There was a great turn out for the linky last week, I loved reading some of the posts and there was a variety to keep me busy on those snowy days. I look forward to seeing what you've got to share this week. 

So Sarah from RunJumpScrap and I would like to introduce you to the Blogger's Best linky. A place for any post, whatever the post, the best post of your week or simply a post you are proud of and want to shout about it. This is the place to share it and we can't wait to read them. The linky will open at 05:30 on a Wednesday and remain open until Friday 23:55.

There aren't many rules because lets face it, rules are boring right? However, linkys only work if you share the love and support your fellow bloggers so what we do ask is.....

  • You comment on the host posts and at least a couple of others, of course if you want to comment on more  then please do!
We would also love if you could .....

  • Tweet us over on Twitter (I'm @helsy_1983) and Sarah is (@runjumpscrap) so we know you're joining in ( and please do use #bloggersbest) and we can give you a retweet

  • Join us over on Instagram with the hashtag #bloggersbest and tag us in, we both love a bit of Insta! You can find me here @helsy_1983) and Sarah is @runjumpscrap

  • Add the badge at the bottom of your post so we know which post you've added to the linky
But these are pretty much all the rules. Sarah and I will continue to have featured posts each week and will of course be retweeting your links when you link up. We're really looking forward to hosting a fresh and vibrant new linky and hope you'll enjoy linking up too! Spread the word, Blogger's Best is the place to be!

Run Jump Scrap




    

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit *review*

Science!! Who loves it? Well this week is British Science Week..... I never used to be hugely interested in Science when I was studying my G.C.S.E's I have to admit, and then I married a Physicist! Who'd have thought it. My life as a young adult revolved around molecule's, string theory and endless amounts of experiments (some really were pretty cool I have to say!) imagine Penny in the Big Bang Theory.....I was pretty much her without the blonde hair and figure! However, science and physics has not really been part of our life since my husband graduated with his Doctorate but I know he is keen for the children to have an interest in all things 'sciencey'.

Recently, we were sent this awesome Project Mc2 Ultimate Lab Kit to try and out and what a brilliant introduction into the world of science it is. 


This over sized lab bag stores everything you need to create around 15 experiments (or more if you invent your own) and comes packed with lots of items to ensure you can carry out these experiments and have a ton of fun while doing them. There are several fun and quirky items included such as a pair of science goggles, an Mc2 ring, a selection of conical flasks, slides, stickers and a fully working microscope. The best thing.......the lab bag that opens up with a rather cool zip has little storage areas for all of these things to go when not in use 



Everything included is very child friendly and easy to use, aimed at 8+ it was aimed for a bit older than my 2 but I have to say Elarna took a huge interest in it and with my help we managed to do a couple of the simpler experiments and she loved it! Mostly she liked wearing the goggles and squirting things out of the pipette but when we manged to see some success in the experiments it really did capture her imagination. 



What experiments can you do?

Well, included in the kit is an instruction book to guide you with what you can do and what you need. There is a fairly lengthy list of extra items you need to provide but mostly these can be found around the house. 

The experiments you can try are as follows: 

  • Make a cloud in a jar
  • Make fake boogers 
  • Peppermint water art
  • Foam dough
  • Red cabbage PH indicator 
  • Chromatography black magic 
  • Travelling water
  • Rainbow in a jar
  • Make bio-plastic
  • Plastic bottle prank
  • Giant gummy bears 
  • Oobleck
  • Dancing raisins
  • Crazy colours milk
  • Four colour flowers
  • Glitter slime


We decided on a couple of the simpler experiments so that I could get a feel for them and Elarna could help. We decided on a cloud in a jar and crazy colours milk.

The cloud in a jar is very simple. Using a jar, some boiling water, an aerosol spray (we used hairspray) and some ice, the cloud is formed because the boiling water creates lots of warm water vapour which then becomes cooled by the ice forming tons of little water droplets ..... in other words clouds. Using the aerosol gives the molecules something to grab onto as they need to do this when cooling down. 


This was a pretty cool experiment and I did try to capture the clouds on camera but sadly it didn't come out at all. However the overall effect was really very good and we kept having little puffs of clouds from the top of our jar, a great little experiment to do with Elarna. Despite the fact she didn't 'get' the science behind it she loved the process and watching the cloud in the jar and then coming out of it. 






Next we tried the crazy colours milk. Again, another fairly simple experiment and nice and easy to involve a pre-schooler. You will need milk, food colouring, petrie dish, a pipette and liquid dish soap. 



As milk has a certain amount of fat in it and soap likes to dissolve fat when the soap is added to the milk, the molecule's dance around as the soap starts to gather up the fat molecules. The food colouring gets dragged along and the colours start to move and dance around. We used 3 colours green, blue and pink but sadly I think that blue and pink food colouring were slightly different composition to the green and they sank to the bottom. We did have a good result with the green food colouring however, Elarna thought it was fascinating and did get a little over exuberant with the dish soap so I have no photos worth sharing of the end result!



Overall we had a great time testing this out. Although some of the experiments do require some forward planning there are definitely a few in the instruction book that can be done simply and quickly. We are yet to test the microscope out but generally the ultimate lab kit has been a success and a perfect rainy day activity. Retailing for around £39.99 at popular high street retailers I certainly don't think it's bad value for money. This is a great introduction to science related activities and for encouraging an interest in chemistry and science, having the added appeal of the Project Mc2 program is also a bonus. I can see this getting alot of use in the coming months, I am already planning making the foam dough and glitter slime!

What do you guys think of the ultimate lab kit? I would love to know your thoughts!

Sunday 11 March 2018

My Sunday Photo - 11/03/18


Earlier this week there was a glimmer of Spring. It didn't last long admittedly but there was a slight hope that maybe Spring is on the way!


Photalife

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Blogger's Best Linky!

Well hello!! Welcome back to the Blogger's Bests linky. We can't wait to read your posts and see what you've been sharing this week. There was a great turn out for the linky last week, I loved reading some of the posts and there was a variety to keep me busy on those snowy days. I look forward to seeing what you've got to share this week. 

So Sarah from RunJumpScrap and I would like to introduce you to the Blogger's Best linky. A place for any post, whatever the post, the best post of your week or simply a post you are proud of and want to shout about it. This is the place to share it and we can't wait to read them. The linky will open at 05:30 on a Wednesday and remain open until Friday 23:55.

There aren't many rules because lets face it, rules are boring right? However, linkys only work if you share the love and support your fellow bloggers so what we do ask is.....

  • You comment on the host posts and at least a couple of others, of course if you want to comment on more  then please do!
We would also love if you could .....

  • Tweet us over on Twitter (I'm @helsy_1983) and Sarah is (@runjumpscrap) so we know you're joining in ( and please do use #bloggersbest) and we can give you a retweet

  • Join us over on Instagram with the hashtag #bloggersbest and tag us in, we both love a bit of Insta! You can find me here @helsy_1983) and Sarah is @runjumpscrap

  • Add the badge at the bottom of your post so we know which post you've added to the linky
But these are pretty much all the rules. Sarah and I will continue to have featured posts each week and will of course be retweeting your links when you link up. We're really looking forward to hosting a fresh and vibrant new linky and hope you'll enjoy linking up too! Spread the word, Blogger's Best is the place to be!


Run Jump Scrap



    

Monday 5 March 2018

Smoke and Fire - A Year On.

Timehop is great! It reminds you of the good, the bad and the downright ugly. When my Timehop popped up the other day I was reminded that this time last year was pretty damn crap. Not only were we having medical appointment after appointment for Elarna and her neck (which then led on to an operation) but had the fire in our house. If you have no idea what fire I'm going on about have a little read of my 'smoke and fire' post which will explain everything. It really is hard to believe this was a year ago, still to this day I am quite traumatised by it and I don't think I'll ever get over my fire paranoia I have to say. 

We lost alot of stuff you know. Of course this was all immaterial as most of it was replaceable but it is still not nice knowing what happened and just how bad it could have been if I hadn't shut the door..... Of course after the fire we decided to redecorate most of the house and replace many curtains and *blinds to try and breathe some new life into the house and take away the smoky smell which did wonders but it's taken us a long time to get the house back to what it should be. Although, you would never know what happened in the room if you went in now, but there are still reminders. The charred books we managed to salvage, the games singed on the sides, my babies red books, pages still charcoal covered, the birth certificates and baby scans that we so very nearly lost still  all with the scent of smoke. It acts as a constant reminder. So as we have reached the one year anniversary I felt it would be great to write a post about how the fire has made me think differently about things and what I have changed on a day to day basis. Please read on!



  • First and foremost and probably THE most important thing that I hope you can take away with you today is to check your smoke alarms. NO excuses. Without ours things may have been very, very different this year. So please, get up, stop whatever you are doing and go and check your smoke alarms. I regularly check ours, my husband will confirm......usually around teatime so I know they work well! However, in all seriousness I urge you to make sure your alarm works and has functioning batteries. It could save your life. 

  • Whenever I use something electric once finished I often check two or three times that it is actually off. It is probably a little obsessive but I need to know it's off. If we're going away for the weekend I also make sure most electric things are switched on via the plug which I didn't do before. It is so easy to forget to switch things off and considering it's as simple as switching a button I find I make it a habit now so I remember. 

  • Everyday I remember the way I felt when I discovered the fire. The shock, the shaking and disbelief. Not just me, it's clearly affected Elarna as every time she hears the smoke alarm or anything similar she shakes, runs to one of us for a cuddle and quite often cries. Poor little love. For these reasons I find I try and see a positive in each day no matter how rubbish the day. If that fails a smile from the kids often reminds me how lucky we are.

  • Make memories. I bang on about this alot but I want to fill my kids heads with good memories, although we talk about the fire we try not to dwell on it. I instead try and arrange lots of things for the kids to look forward to like holidays, days out and experience's. 

  • I try not to be too anxious about things but I do think it has made me more of a worrier and affected my anxiety levels. I worried lots before but I do more so now, for example if I leave the house I constantly question did I turn off my straighteners, lock the door, turn the oven off etc, etc. I can't really help that but at least it makes me more aware of things I guess.

  • Overall, it's just made me so much more appreciative about the simple things in life. The sun, health, happiness, what we have and on a day to day basis simple things like being able to provide for our children and have things like fresh water, food and being able to give them with the life they have.
As mentioned above, if you take anything anyway from this post then please check your smoke alarms! You just never can predict the future so take each day as it comes and cherish the moment. 

Sunday 4 March 2018

My Sunday Photo - 04/03/18



Well I couldn't not share snowy pictures could I! After the weather in the last few days there hasn't been much picture taking other than in the snow so here are 2 of my favourite's enjoying the white stuff.