SIGG Thermo (Review)

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As a family we have been using SIGG bottles for three years now and they are a constant when we leave the house. We always have our water bottles with us, even if we're only popping to the shops, and I can't even begin to imagine how much money we've saved on not buying a bottle of water whilst out, let alone the environmental impact not buying plastic bottles has made. We have honestly not bought any plastic bottles of water in three years!

The SIGG Thermo is the newest addition to the range and something that I've been waiting for for a long time. It is their insulated drinks bottle, and is one of the best flasks we've tried. The bottles are made from high-quality 18/8 stainless steel and due to the double walled vacuum insulation, drinks are kept hot, or cold, for many hours.

And so to test this claim that the SIGG Thermo maintains its temperature for hours, we recently tested the 0.75l insulated flask we'd been sent to review whilst on holiday in Cornwall.

On the Sunday we decided a trip to Polzeath beach was in order, and my sister-in-law brought a Kelly Kettle with us so that we could make some hot chocolate. I filled the Thermo up halfway with cold milk (as I know The Boy can't handle hot drinks very well) and we sent off to make a fire on the beach.

Sigg Thermo 1

The Boy helped make the fire and then we boiled up some hot water to make the hot chocolate. The milk that came from the Thermo was indeed still icy cold and it make it a lot easier for him to drink his warming drink on the beach.

This might not seem a very thorough test of the insulating capabilities but what I will say is that it is a very practical flask to use. The drinking cup can be stored on either the top or the bottom of the flask, but we kept it on the bottom mainly because it meant that we could clip the SIGG Thermo to our rucksack using a carabiner; it makes it a lot easier to carry around. My sister-in-law actually works in the outdoors and pointed out that the added bonus of it not fitting over the top of the flask is that when it's removed for a top-up, there isn't a steady stream of dregs trickling down the flask from the upside down cup! A definite bonus on a beautiful white flask!

To truly test out the Thermo we filled it full of hot coffee the next day when we visited The Eden Project. My husband made the coffee at 11am and we set off for the day. The SIGG Thermo holds three and a half mugs full of coffee which I knew would keep him going during the long day ahead and sure enough he sat down to have his first cup of hot coffee around 1.30pm. He then had another cup at four o'clock when we were recovering from the 33°C temperatures of the Rainforest Biome.

Sigg Thermo 2

And finally when we returned home in the evening, and were unpacking our bag from the day at eight o'clock, he poured the last mug out. I'm not sure if you can see this image properly but the coffee is still steaming and was still almost too hot to drink; a full nine hours after it had been made!

Sigg Thermo 3

I've never known an insulated drinks flask to work as well as this did, to still be producing a piping hot drink nine hours after it was first made is a pretty amazing feat. The fact that the SIGG Thermo is once again a beautifully designed bottle, free from harmful substances such as BPA or phthalates, practical in design and elegant to look at, comes as no surprise to me.

The SIGG Thermo is available in 0.3l, 05.l, 0.75l and 1l bottles, with prices starting from £19.99 for the smallest.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinions are honest and unbiased.

Trunki: Moshi Monsters' Katsuma Suitcase (Review)

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There are certain products made which just appeal to children and adults alike, and a Trunki suitcase is one of them! Anything that can make the 'going on holiday' process easier has got to be a bonus and I'm sure many parents wish that there was an adult-sized Trunki for them to have a zoom around on too!

I've wanted to get one for The Boy for a year or so now, and was very fortunate a couple of months ago to be offered the chance to review the new Moshi Monsters Katsuma Trunki suitcase. I've been unable to review it properly until recently when we went away to Coombe Mill in Cornwall for a short break of four nights/five days.

I will admit to being sceptical that the 18litre Trunki (which is ideal for overhead lockers on planes) would be big enough to hold The Boy's clothing for five days on a farm; after all we're talking about thick jumpers, numerous jogging bottoms and long johns galore, in addition to normal underwear and pyjamas. And of course it is a rigid suitcase so there is no give in it to squash in that extra teddy or book.

In total there was:

  • four pairs of jogging bottoms
  • four jumpers
  • four vests
  • six pairs of pants
  • six pairs of socks
  • three pairs of pyjamas
  • two four story books
  • one teddy
  • and one Oliver Monkey!

Trunki suitcase - Katsuma

Once I'd worked out that the scoop of each side was greater in the middle, I was able to pack everything in bar two of the reading books which just wouldn't fit in due to their dimensions (too wide!). The photo on the bottom left above implies that the case didn't shut, but it certainly did! Everything fitted in very neatly and the two halves closed together tightly.

And what's more, The Boy absolutely loved having his Trunki to scoot around the Scandinavian lodge at Coombe Mill!

I am quite confident that the Trunki is big enough to hold his clothes for our holiday to Butlin's at Easter time, and we will certainly be using it during our Summer trip back to Coombe Mill.

The Trunki Katsuma is available to buy for £44.95 directly from Trunki, or through a variety of online and high street stores.

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

A Garden Makeover

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Pegging the washing on the line for the first time this year, I glanced around the garden and was shocked. Shocked to see how in disrepair various bits of fencing were, how the shed needed a wood treatment, the amount of weeds that had swamped the flowerbeds over the Autumn and Winter. The bench seats need sanding and varnishing, the hanging baskets need replacing, the bushes need trimming, the bamboo needs hacking down to allow new growth.

I love the promise of Spring, the promise of outdoor play, sunshine and laughter, picnics and barbecues. However with all of that brings the realisation of how much work is needed in a garden to make it look a wonderful haven for a family to play and relax in. [Read more…]

Foot Development in Children: Did You Know? (Guest Post)

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Buying school shoes for your children can be a bit of a minefield. With so many types on the market, varying in cost and style, as well as being equipped with various features, shopping for the humble school shoe can be more difficult than you may think.

Some parents insist on spending over the odds on shoes bought from specialist retailers, where you can end up spending £40+ on a pair of school shoes that, if most children are anything to go by, are scuffed and well-worn within a couple of weeks. You will find that many children in the playground can easily get through two or more pairs of shoes every year, which soon adds up in cost – a price that many of us can’t afford. So, is it possible to scrimp on the cost without affecting our child’s feet and their development? You’d be surprised at how affordable school shoes can be if you head to the supermarket ranges, such as George. But before you do, here are a few facts that may interest you. [Read more…]

365 #10

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Welcome to 365 Photo A Day Project linky. This linky covers round-up posts for the week or one of your favourite photos of the week. I've written a post providing tips for completing the project, always ask one of the regulars for help if you're stuck.

The 365 linky only works because of people linking to it and then contributing their thoughts to others' posts via comments. I can't emphasise this enough, it's the whole point of the linky!

Join in by entering the URL of your favourite photograph of the week (either a 52 or a 365 photo) and show some comment love to everyone else in the community. We've got a Facebook group, and now I've created a collaborative Pinterest board (if you'd like to collaborate, let me know and I'll add you).

  1. Choose your favourite photo from the past week and link it up below.
  2. Please add the badge to your linked-up post so that other people know how to find all the other fabulous entries.
  3. If you can spare five minutes to comment on a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
365

By the way, I've changed my linky provider as I'm not at all satisfied with Linky Tools lately, just in case you were wondering!


Days 61 – 67 of Project 365

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Days 61 - 67 of Project 365

61. From Where We Stand (We went to explore a new area of the coastline today, one I last went to around 23 years ago with my dad. However, this went to show that time is kind on memories because I don't remember it being such a pain to get down to, or it being quite so dirty with dog mess or general rubbish. We found an awesome ammonite fossil, but we won't be returning to that beach again.)

62. Contemplative (The Boy was shattered after school but I was blowed if we were staying in on such a nice afternoon! So off I dragged him to the clifftop park.)

63. Hello Gorgeous (I have always wanted a crotchetted blanket for The Boy, it's such a traditional item for a childhood and perfect for snuggling under when watching television or reading a book. Unlike all the other bloggers in the world at the moment, I have no idea how to make one. I do however follow an immensely talented lady called 'Hello Gorgeous' on Instagram who agreed to make one for The Boy. It arrived today and he was over the moon with it! )

64. Bookworm (Shattered after a long old day in work, I curled up on the sofa ready to collapse. The Boy picked up a book for his Tidy Books bookbox and came to sit with me. We looked through the pictures together but then he decided that he wanted to read the text by himself. So he did. Because he's four and is learning how to read. I'm so proud of him.)

65. Carefully Does It (We had a delayed Pancake Day due to Tuesday being a chockablock day which ended late. The Boy was determined to help me make his pancake so I tasked him with chopping the ham.)

66. Three Cousins and a Friend (The Boy went on a wonderful trip to the farm today and was physically drained after school. However, I plied him with milk and a sugary doughnut as he needed to go to a friend's birthday party in softplay from 4-6pm! Unfortunately, the poor girl came down with the nasty virus 'slapped cheek' and had to go to the doctor's during her own party so missed it. I'm hoping that The Boy doesn't contract it. On the way home, we called into his cousins' house where we all decided that 6.30pm wasn't too late to play outside. And the best bit was that it wasn't; it was still light!)

67. I'm Busy! (I love the eclectness of The Boy's ensemble here: hood up because it was windy, sunglasses on, one glove because we couldn't find the other, soaking trousers from jumping into his 'swimming pool'. Ahhh, the first trip to Barry Island of the season.)

—

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

A Digital Postcard From Tanzania

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On Thursday I watched a video of three bloggers (Mummy Barrow, The A Residence and Mammasaurus) who have gone over to Tanzania to investigate the way in which donations to Sports Relief last year have impacted on the lives of women and families in the country.

To celebrate International Women's Day today Tanya, Annie and Penny have been visiting female entrepreneurs and investigating the Lasting Change for women, their families and communities and beyond – rippling out #lastingchange in Africa.

The update video that I watched discussed various women that the Team Honk team had met during the day, however the one which captivated me was Claudia (who Annie talks about at 2:53 ). I immediately signed up for a digital postcard from the team and when I received it and the accompanying story, I was really pleased to find out it was about Claudia! [Read more…]

The Holiday Book Selector (Sponsored Post)

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How do you select your reading material for holidays?

The idea of reading a themed book to suit the location of a holiday had never occurred to me until we were waiting in Heathrow for out flight to Italy about seven years ago. I was browsing the book stand in one of the many shops, and came across the book 'I Love Capri' by Belinda Jones. I'd never read any of her books before but as our destination was the Amalfi coast and a day trip to Capri then it seemed an apt book for a bit of holiday reading. It wasn't until we returned that I had the chance to finish the book, and in actual fact we planned another trip out there the following year visiting many of the places that the main character visited. It felt more real somehow; the holistic immersion into the culture of the people and the places we were visiting really made me appreciate where we were so much more. [Read more…]

Goody Good Stuff: Vegetarian Sweets (Review)

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I have a big internal conflict; I'm vegetarian but I truly adore jelly sweets.

Sometimes I choose to ignore the fact that they're made with gelatine, but it's not an easy thing to do, nor is it something I should be doing; I'm vegetarian for a reason so I shouldn't be putting those morals aside just for the sake of a cola bottle or a cheeky hot lips.

Then one day on twitter I was involved in a conversation with a company which produces vegetarian jelly sweets, made without gelatine. The gelling agent used to make the sweets is derived from plant extracts, which is a far more ethical ingredient to have in a vegetarian food product. Although let's face it, it's far nicer than chewing on ground-up bones anyway, isn't it?

There are eight varieties in the Goody Good Stuff range, four are gummy sweets and four are 'sours';

  • strawberry cream,
  • cheery cherries,
  • tropical fruit,
  • koala gummy bears,
  • cola breeze,
  • summer peaches,
  • sour mix and match,
  • sour fruit salad.

Goody Good Stuff Vegetarian Sweets

I was sent a selection of both the gummy sweets and the 'sours' to try out and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a huge fan of sour sweets, preferring the sugary sweetness of gummy or foam sweets, but even these were quite pleasant and didn't have the consistency of traditional sweets made with gelatine. In fact, none of the sweets required copious amounts of chewing, the texture and consistency was pleasant and made them easy to eat. The only thing I would say is that the gummy sweets are more sticky than conventional sweets.

Goody Good Stuff sweets are available to purchase both online and in a number of supermarkets priced at around £1.49 for 100g.

I was sent the above products for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.