GTech AirRAM

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I've previously reviewed an electric, cordless carpet sweeper from GTech which has always been an absolutely dream to use, and I have taken it on holiday with us several times because it is so compact and easy.

A month or so ago I was sent their latest innovation to trial; the GTech AirRAM.

The GTech AirRAM is a high-performance cordless vacuum cleaner. That in itself caused my husband issues because he didn't think it was possible to have a vacuum cleaner that was cordless, but it is. It's a light and easy to use vacuum cleaner which sucks up the dust and dirt into an easily removed container at the front, compressing it into little bundles which can be picked up and dropped into the bin. And its performance is so good that I continue to be horrified by the contents when I empty it; how are my carpets that mucky when I clean them so frequently?

The fact that the cordless cleaner runs from a rechargeable battery does not diminish from its efficiency; there are four green lights on the front to indicate the strength of the power left before charging again. Charging is in itself incredibly easy as the battery can be removed and takes up minimal space to charge (whereas the carpet sweeper required the whole unit to be plugged in).

With an official approval from the Good Housekeeping Institute, the GTech AirRAM is an amazing invention. Over on the web page there is a whole load of information as to its energy efficiency and how it is possible to monitor its performance, however I wanted to show you how good it is, so I've done a vlog!

I am going to be disposing of my old Electrolux to 'Hoover' Heaven and keeping the AirRAM as my main vacuum cleaner. The only downside about it is that there is no hose or tools to clean the edges, and while it gets close to the walls it doesn't get close enough. However it's not enough to keep my old cleaner, and as I have a handheld vacuum cleaner for the stairs and car, then I shall use that to compensate.

Would I recommend the GTech AirRAM? Absolutely!

Available directly online or in most high-street electrical stores from £199.

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

Christmas Bakewell Tarts

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I wanted to try a different version of an old favourite combining different elements of several cakes that are sumptuous and decadent: the frangipance of bakewell tarts, the richness of the currant mix in mince pies and the melted marzipan inside a Simnel cake. With those in mind, I've created my own Christmas Bakewell Tarts.

Ingredients:

  • Shortcrust pastry:
    • 125g/4oz plain flour
    • pinch of salt
    • 55g/2oz butter, cubed
    • 30-45ml/2-3 tbsp cold water
    • 2oz ground almonds
    • 1oz caster sugar
  • currants, raisins and cherries roughly chopped in a food processor for thirty seconds (I'm using this instead of mincemeat as The Boy doesn't like that)
  • marzipan

  1. Make the shortcrust pastry in the traditional way (rub butter, flour, salt, sugar and almonds together, then add a few drops of water at a time until it binds together).
  2. Cut out circles and place them into a small muffin tin. Trim off the excess pastry and put a layer of baking beads over the base and cook for 8 minutes at 180°C.
  3. While this is blind-baking in the oven, make the frangipane mix.
  4. Cream the sugar and butter, add the eggs, mix in the flour and ground almonds, with a teaspoon of almond essence. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Once the tart cases have cooked, remove the baking beads carefully (they're hot!) and place a small circle of marzipan in each one.
  6. Place a teaspoon of currant mix on top, and then put a spoonful of frangipane mix on the top of each tart case.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C until a skewer/knife comes out clean.
  8. Sift icing sugar over the top.

mince pies

For a change I thought I'd video this cooking session. Mainly because cooking with a three year old is fun and I wanted to share that.

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Linking up to Recipe of The Week

366 #49

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I can't quite believe that the year's challenge is almost over. A week or so ago I was fed up with the whole thing, now I'm feeling nostalgic. I know it's hard and there have been times when we've all wanted to give up, but the end is so close with TwoPointFourChildren's project finishing first on Christmas Day; keep going!

You know the drill, join in with your favourite photograph of the week and show some comment love to everyone else in the community.

  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 just a few other entries I know they'd appreciate it!
ShowOff ShowCase

linky



ShowOff ShowCase: The One That Should Have Done Better

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It's been a while since #SOSC last made an appearance.

However, having noticed a distinct lack of interaction in the world of social media lately, I thought it might be time to dust off the cobwebs, bring out the polish and jazz up the badge again. Let's see if we can get people showing a little blog love again, shall we?

This weekend is your opportunity to link-up a post that you wrote that filled you with a sense of satisfaction. It wasn't a review post or a competition, it was an original content post which really spoke to you. You typed that last full stop, pressed 'publish' and thought "yes, this will be a good one!" and waited.

But no bugger actually bothered to read it, or if they did they certainly didn't comment on it!

Why? I can still hear you shouting it.

Heaven only know why. They didn't deserve it, they were good posts. It's not their fault that they were published on a Bank Holiday or when people were experiencing blog-apathy. They don't deserve to feel inadequate, not when they've done nothing wrong.

This weekend, I'd like you to help that post to hold its head up high! Brush them off, stick my badge at the bottom of the post and show them off for everyone to see. Don't be ashamed of them, help them shout at everyone:

I SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER!

ShowOff ShowCase

Growing Beyond The Potty List

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In April of this year I wrote a list of things that I wanted The Boy to do before he was three years old. It was based on the National Trust's list to be achieved by the age of 11¾ and I highlighted five things in particular that I wanted to make sure The Boy had done, giving myself six weeks to achieve it:

  • fly a kite
  • make a mud pie
  • get behind a waterfall
  • visit an island
  • hunt for bugs

As you can see I achieved all of my targets apart from one; I had a waterfall in the Brecon Beacons in mind, but the weather turned foul and I wasn't trekking across slippery rocks to tick something off my list. In hindsight, it might also have been slightly too ambitious.

Slightly before the National Trust published their list, the team from Growingupmilkinfo’s created their first ever ‘Potty List’ (a guide to the 36 things toddlers should cross off by the time they're 36 months). Some of the things that list included are:

  • Baked a cake (Have you not seen my blog?)
  • Sung loudly in public (Remembrance Day 2010 in Tesco. Other customers smiled)
  • Made sandcastles on the beach (You can't stop us!)
  • Worn pants on your head (Does a nappy count?)
  • Poo’ed in the bath (Sorry C&G but I'm proud to say he's never done that!)
  • Had a ‘first love’ (Katy from 'I Can Cook')

Those that I chose from the first list are quite seasonal dependent, the Potty List is more achievable!

However, our inability to get behind a waterfall is not the only thing that's reliant upon the changes in season and weather.

You may be surprised to learn that from April to September is the only period during which vitamin D synthesis from the sun is possible in the UK. British toddlers’ opportunities to get vitamin D are severely limited during winter months.

I'm a little bit shocked to learn that in all honesty! I knew that we didn't have much sun during the Winter months, and I knew that Vitamin D is essential, but I didn't realise our time-frame to access it naturally was so limited. It has genuinely concerned me to learn that; we do get out an awful lot (and our Country Kids posts are testimony to that) and I will continue taking him out and about as much as possible because fresh air is still essential, but it has made me reassess where he is getting his required vitamins from. For toddlers between the age of 1-3 years, one of the easiest ways to ensure that they are getting their daily dosage of vitamins and minerals is through two small beakers a day of 'growing-up milk'.

On Monday 10th December (between 1-2pm), @Tots100 is hosting a 'twitter party' with the people behind Growing-Up Milk to create the Winter Potty List which not only includes fun things for toddlers to crayon off before Spring, but also activities to help their with their intake of essential vitamin D.

Growing-Up Milk and @Tots100 would like you to join in with the twitter party to help create this Winter Potty List by tweeting your suggestions as to what are essential activities for toddlers to do before the age of three years old. The fifteen best suggestions tweeted between 1-2pm using #PottyList will each receive a £25 voucher for Asda – perfect for some Christmas treats… their suggestions will also be included in the final Potty List, with credit for their blog.

Nutritionalist Leanne Olivier will also be on hand to help with advice on how to boost toddlers' nutrition and wellbeing during the Winter.

How to get involved:

  • First make sure you are following @tots100 on Twitter;
  • Tweet us between 1pm – 2pm on Monday 10th December with your suggestions for the Winter Potty List, using the #PottyList hashtag;
  • The 15 best suggestions submitted during the party will win a £25 Asda Gift Card from the Growingupmilkinfo team and their suggestions will be included in the final Winter Potty List.

Will I see you there?

This is a sponsored post

Christmas Cornflake Cakes

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Cornflake cakes are a far better no-cook cake than crispie cakes, the crunch is much better and they don't fall apart so easily! We decided to make some the other day but jazzed them up a little bit especially for Christmas.

You'll need:

  • cornflakes
  • chocolate
  • golden syrup
  • raisins

christmas recipes

  1. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (or bowl over hot water).
  2. Remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl coating the cornflakes and not leaving any residual chocolate in the base. If there's too much chocolate, add some more cornflakes.
  3. Squeeze in some golden syrup, this helps to bind the cake together and give a smoother texture. Stir in the raisins.
  4. Scoop into cupcake cases and leave to set.
  5. Once set, we sprayed ours with edible gold spray paint and sprinkled on multi-coloured candy buttons to resemble bauble.

christmas recipes

 

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'Counting Down To Christmas' is a craft bloggers link-up held each week in the eight weeks preceeding the big day itself. Each week we will be posting a different Christmas craft activity.

This week the co-hosts are Rainy Day Mum ~ Making Boys Men ~ Here Come the Girls ~ TheBoyandMe

If you have any Christmas Recipes for or that you have made with kids please link below