Aunt Bessie's Saves Dinner!

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Why would anyone go to all the effort of making batter for a yorkshire pudding when someone else has done it for you?

Four eggs? Four?!

Why would you when you can buy a packet of either ready-made, or cook from batter, yorkshire puddings? I certainly don't and that is why I always have a supply in my freezer.

Therefore when I had an e-mail asking me to try some of the Aunt Bessie products, I jumped with glee and agreed immediately. A few days later a very nice chap knocked on my door (having driven from Yorkshire) and delivered this for me…

There are a few things that really stood out to me from the selection above:

  • vegetarian toad in the hole;
  • boat-shaped yorkshire puddings (perfect for The Boy);
  • gravy tablets;
  • apple pie.

These vegetarian toad-in-the-holes are absolutely gorgeous. Yes it's a tray full of batter with two vegetarian sausages in, but they are genuinely some of the nicest sausages I've tasted; herby and succulent, they swelled beautifully while cooking in the batter. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have since bought them to eat again because of the ease and convenience.

The image on the left is of the boat-shaped yorkshire puddings which are a genius idea and perfect for children! I managed to fit two hot-dog style sausages in alongside each other (although one 'normal' thickness sausage would fit just as well) and The Boy thought it was magic! He absolutely loved them floating in the sea of gravy and wolfed the lot down. On the right above is a giant yorkshire pudding which I filled with chopped up sausage, carrots, brocolli and topped with a cheese sauce. It's a really quick meal, incredibly filling and because it's presented in a different way, my sometimes-difficult-eater was far more engaged in eating his meal.

The frozen gravy is something that I know Aunt Bessie's are very proud of, and I'm told by the meat-eaters in the family that it's with good reason. A concentrated gel-like capsule which is kept in the freezer, melt it in hot water over a stove and it is just as good as 'proper' gravy and far superior to granules. And for a vegetarian cooking meat, it's such an easy and fool-proof way of producing a quality gravy.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to apple pie; I don't like crunchy pastry, I like a deep filling and the lightest amount of crunchy sugar sprinkled on top. Unfortunately the bramley apple pie fell apart when I took it out of the oven, and the ability to serve it in a complete slice also seemed elusive. It tasted good, but I would have preferred more chunky apple filling with a bit more cinnamon.

I'm thoroughly impressed with the range of convenience products that Aunt Bessie's produce; I had no idea there were so many different items and some of them are truly imaginative. I personally prefer the yorkshire puddings that cook from frozen batter, but I will be adding the boat-shaped yorkshire puddings, the vegetarian toad in the hole and the gravy to my regular shopping list.

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

Christmas Storybooks For Pre-Schoolers #2

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I wanted to share some of the Christmas story books that we've been sent by Walker Books.

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With Love, From Maisy is a fantastic pocket book which would be ideal as a stocker filler for toddlers. With simple text and 'lift-the-flaps' on each page, it's a handy book to fit into a stocker and then keep in a handbag or for in the car.

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We love this book! Santasaurus is a fabulous take on the popular theme of 'child who wants to see Father Christmas' featuring three young, sibling, dinosaurs Ollie, Molly and Milo. They write letters to 'Santasaurus' telling him what they'd like on Christmas Day, but will Milo get his wish to help Santasaurus?

Beautifully illustrated, humorous and a real delight to read; The Boy declared, "That was a lovely story Mummy, can we read it again?"

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"On Charley's first night, Henry tells his new puppy "This is home, Charley". He says that a lot so that Charley will know that he is home. Henry's parents are pretty clear about who will be walking and feeding Charley (Henry will, and he can't wait). They are also pretty clear about where Charley will be sleeping – in the kitchen. But when the crying starts in the middle of the night, it looks like Henry's parents' idea about where Charley is going to sleep may have to change."

Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, Charley's First Night is a gorgeous book with a lovely and compassionate story woven through the pages, explaining how important it is to care for a pet and what they need. The Boy enjoyed the illustrations more than the story, but I suspect it's because he was minimal contextual understanding of having a pet.

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"It's Christmas time at the toy museum and all the toys hurry to the tree, but there aren't any presents! What can they give each other?"

While not the style of book that we would normally choose (because of the illustrations), when we read Christmas at the Toy Museum this morning, The Boy really enjoyed it and it was a great story for discussion about giving and receiving presents.

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No home is complete without a Where's Wally? book and this Santa Spectacular version is the perfect gift to give this Christmas to all observant sorts! There are pages galore of festive puzzles, riddles, searches, trivia and games with over 300 stickers where the reader can create a merry Where's Wally? scene at the end too. The Boy is a little young for some aspects of this book (wordsearches and riddles) but he adores trying to see Wally and complete the sticker scenes.

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The Night Before Christmas is a 'must-read' for Christmas Eve and we already have a version that we tried to read last year. Admittedly The Boy was significantly younger and it's a tricky language for a (then) two year old to digest, but the images were boring as well and we didn't enjoy reading it with him. However, this version is truly magical!

With simple black and white images on each page and cut-outs throughout the book, The Boy has been completely engaged reading this book and listening to the story. The text seems to be a little easier to read and explain, and the way that the story is illustrated really provides the non-reader with picture cues to comprehend the story. As with all interactive books, there is a fantastical end page and I shall go no more in explaining it, but my mum gasped when she turned the page.

Beautiful!

We were sent these books for the purpose of this review, our opinions are honest and unbiased.

Words With Friends & CityVille: Virtual Games Become Reality

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One of the most fun features of mobile technology and social media platforms are the games that are available; fun and attractive they frequently allow the players to interact with other players regardless of geographical location. Two of the most playable games of the past year have been Words With Friends (which I rock at by the way) and CityVille.

Now Hasbro is responsible for bringing these two Zynga games to 'life' as board games, albeit in a familiar format to current games available.

WORDS WITH FRIENDS

zynga games

Before I go any further, yes it is like Scrabble.

  • The game includes a full-size board, four curved tile racks, tile bag and 104 tiles. And just like Scrabble, players choose the tiles, arrange them in the tile rack and take it in turns to place tiles onto the game board, building upon opponent’s word creations to score as high as possible. Bonus spaces such as Double Word or Triple Letters give opportunities for higher scores and the player with the highest word score at the end of the game wins. So no difference there then?
  • However, purchase of the Words With Friends game also includes a bundle of digital features to enhance online or mobile play, including Word-O-Meter, The Count and Tile Pile. To access the digital features, players must be 13 years or older and have a valid WWF account on Zynga.com or Facebook.

This is a fun game, and while it works along the same theory as Scrabble, for me that's not a problem. The Words With Friends game is more attractive to younger players and anything that gets children enthusiastic about playing with language and broadening their vocabulary is a good thing in my book.

CITYVILLE Monopoly Game

There are loads of different versions of Monopoly out there (I'm pretty sure Mr. TBaM would point out the collection we have!) and variants of the game involving different methods of payments, or locations. Zynga’s CITYVILLE and Hasbro’s classic Monopoly game have joined forces to become the fast-play way to build your dream city! Which is great because, quite frankly, I have the attention span of a gnat nowadays!

  • Become the first mayor to build four skyscrapers to win. Skyscrapers are built by building layers on properties, topping it off with the grey skycraper piece.
  • Combines classic Monopolygameplay with new, creative ways to build:
    • Buy and build a variety of locations like train stations, the toy shop and the bakery;
    • Use stackable buildings to build houses, community buildings and businesses in the center of the board;
    • Give and receive 'Mystery Gifts' to decorate neighborhoods and increase rent value (I don't completely 'get' this bit!).
  • Each CITYVILLE Monopoly game includes a unique code to redeem 85 'city cash' of in-game currency for use in Zynga's CITYVILLE online game so the building adventures can continue online (this is where the age restriction of 13 comes in: Facebook 'members' should be 13+)

We played this last night with The Boy and while we had to adapt the rules quite a lot (fines with a three year old? No chance!) he absolutely loved the basic premis of buying the property and having the receipt for them.

Monopoly is a great game to play with children anyway (I can't play it by myself with Mr. TBaM due to an unfortunate incident about eight years ago where I took pity on him and then he bankrupted me!) and the concept of buying property which can they be built up high and set upon an attractively designed board is great fun. The properties are relevant for children; ice-cream parlour, toy shop, train stations, etc. and retain the original idea of Monopoly well to sustain adults interest.

It is worth noting that both of these games come with a certain amount of credit which can be used online with a Facebook account, and it clearly states on the front of each box that in order to use this players must be over 13 years old, in line with Facebook rules and legislation. I would urge parents to act responsibly and not purchase it for children under this age, e-safety and Internet awareness is an essential aspect of online activity nowadays and it is parents responsibility to ensure they know what their children are getting up to.

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

Frosty The Snowman

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When I became a mum, I will confess that a small part of me squealed at the thought of being able to dress The Boy up at specific times of the year; Hallowe'en and Christmas especially. He happily dressed up for his first two Christmasses, was incredibly reluctant last year and I had high hopes that he might have changed his mind for this Christmas.

Luckily when Jokers' Masquerade asked me if I'd like to review a Christmas costume for him, I tested the water and he was more than enthusiastic about it. He didn't stop asking when the nice man was going to send him his Christmas outfit and when it finally arrived, he was overjoyed.

This cute snowman costume is an all-in-one white jumpsuit with two black fabric 'buttons' sewn on the front, and yellow snowflakes embroidered on the torso. The jumpsuit does up with a few velcro fastenings on the back at the neckline, and The Boy finds it really easy to put it on and take it off himself. There is a red and green striped scarf made of double-folded fabric, and a black, floppy hat with green holly leaves red berries sewn on.

With a price of £10.99 (although it is currently on sale for £8.99), quite frankly this is an excellent price for such a good quality item. I've paid a similar price for a supermarket outfit which was badly made and a poor fit. I normally have to buy the next size up for The Boy, and opted for the medium (5-7 years) size based on past experience. Luckily the PR asked me to double-check the dress size against The Boy's measurements and the small (3-5 years) is the perfect fit for my tall boy, with plenty of room for it to be worn again next Christmas.

The Boy is completely delighted with this costume and doesn't stop asking if he can wear it, while trying to remember the lyrics to Frosty the Snowman. And that is endorsement enough for me!

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

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.

Craft-A-Day: 365 Simple Handmade Projects Book (Blogoversary Giveaway #4)

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Having set myself the rather ambitious task of doing an advent activity a day with The Boy, I then needed to find a good selection of activities to do with him that wouldn't require copious amounts of glitter and images of Father Christmas (or I'd go mad!).

Luckily, I was sent a copy of this book by Sarah Goldschadt:

Inside 'Craft-A-Day' is a craft activity for every day of the year, but it's very cleverly split into weeks featuring crafts surrounding one image or theme. And at the beginning of each week, a template is provided for that theme so it becomes even easier to do simple and effective craft with your children.

Next week's craft theme is 'Gingerbread Men':

It's a brilliant idea to enable parents to do crafts with their children, and I'm really looking forward to dipping into it with The Boy and choosing some great activities to complete.

This book normally retails at £16.99, but I have four copies to give away to readers. To be in with a chance simply complete the Rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was sent a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Power-Tower: Demolition

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One of The Boy's favourite toys, and one that is constantly played with by him and friends, is his Hot Wheels Wall Tracks. During the time since we first reviewed the series, we've added to it with several sets and were recently sent the Power-Tower to review.

The battery-powered Power-Tower has a central tower which has a spiral that rotates upwards with two routes back down to the bottom of the central tower, one which takes the cars through 'demolition jaws'.

The Hot Wheels Wall Track range is an excellent toy for little car fanatics, especially as it is wall-mounted and is a marvellous space-saving complex track. The Boy is a huge fan of these, and the battery operated sets really add to the thrill when playing. The Power-Tower is a little more noisy than the Mid-Air Madness set, but for any Hot Wheels fans, it's a good addition.

This set has an RRP of £39.99 but is on offer in various outlets for £25 in the lead-up to Christmas.

We were sent this product for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Christmas Storybooks For Pre-Schoolers #1

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Earlier this year I was sent a large selection of books from Little Tiger Press to review and I have to say that they remain The Boy's favourite storybooks for bedtimes and sofa-snuggle sessions. I think the reason that he is so taken with them (and that we enjoy reading them with him) so much is down to the innocent stories, invariable featuring animals brought to life with personalities and names (they remind me slightly of the Brambly Hedge books of my own childhood), and the beautiful illustrations.

I've been sent some of their Christmas books for The Boy and us to enjoy, and I want to share them with you. Not because this is a review and I have to, but because I truly believe they are delightful books which your own littlies will love.

I've Seen Santa!
In "I've Seen Santa!" (by David Bedford & Tim Warnes) it is Christmas Eve and Little Bear is greatly looking forward to seeing Santa, but is so concerned that he might forget about him that he decides to stay up after Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear have gone to bed to check he comes. Throughout the course of the night (before Santa arrives) he catches both Daddy and Mummy Bear checking that everything is ok because they too are worried. Will Little Bear get to see Santa?

This book is available in both a normal paperback, and a paperback with a story CD read by Lesley Sharp and Jason Isaacs, who read the story beautifully. We've got a few story CDs and the Little Tiger Press ones are some of the best because of the way that they read the story through twice, allowing for the child to follow it page by page on the second reading.

This picture book and CD set has an RRP of £7.99 but is on offer with Amazon for £5.99 at the moment.

The Best Christmas Ever!
Millicent Mouse is looking forward to Christmas greatly, and with only one day left to prepare she busies herself making apple-nut pie and hot honey punch, and gathering ivy and berries to decorate her home. While she is out in the crunchy snow, she discovers a great many animals who need her help and kindness, which she willingly gives. That night she goes to bed without anything prepared for the next day, but the contentment of knowing she's helped her friends. Will they repay the kindness?

"The Best Christmas Ever!" (by Marni McGee & Gavin Scott) is a heart-warming tale of friendship and selflessness which helps to illustrate to children one of the important aspects of Christmas: giving without expectation of reward. RRP £5.99, Amazon has it for £4.49.

Dear Santa
"Dear Santa" (by Kathryn White & Polona Lovsin) tells the story of Little Bear (a different one to the one above!) who, while playing in the snow, finds a letter addressed to Santa. Distressed that someone might not receive their Christmas presents if the letter doesn't get to Santa, Little Bear sets off with Rabbit to deliver the letter by hand (or paw, rather). Along the way they meet a host of helpful friends who help them in their adventure, but once lost in a snow blizzard who can rescue them?

In this hardback book there is also a letter-writing kit so that pre-schoolers can write (or draw) their own letter to Santa, which is a lovely touch and makes this book feel that much more special. RRP of £7.99, available from Amazon.

The Very Snowy Christmas
Big Mouse and Little Mouse are busy on Christmas Eve making food for the next day's festivities and decorating their home. Little Mouse is eager to find some beries and eventually, after straying a bit further from home than normal, finds some but is alarmed when 'the sky starts falling down' around him. He rushes home through the 'sky' which has settled onto the ground to ask Big Mouse what to do, but his journey home is full of new discoveries which he needs some reassurance about.

"The Very Snowy Christmas" (by Diana Hendry & Jane Chapman) introduces snow to young children in a way which many can identify with. This is also a picture book and CD set read by Lesley Sharp and Jason Isaacs, and is available from Amazon for £7.19 (RRP £7.99)

Santa's Special Letter

This one is my favourite book out of the five for the interactive qualities throughout. "Santa's Special Letter' (by Josephine Collins & Gail Yerrill) tells of Father Christmas' final preparations in getting the presents ready for all the chilldren (and creatures) of the world and loading up his sleigh. When he starts to check them off against his list, he discovers that he has missed a letter and hasn't got the present ready. His helpers, including Pip the Mouse, help him to find the red and yellow letter so that he can make that elusive present. Will he have it ready in time?

One of the best features of a book for pre-schoolers is encouraging interaction with the book and interest in reading on to discover the story. In "Santa's Special Letter" there are red and yellow envelopes scattered throughout the pages, each containing a letter to be read, and plenty of flaps to lift and a beautiful final pop-up to enjoy. Top marks for this book! RRP £8.99 with an Amazon price of £5.39. Bargain, buy it now!

Little Tiger Press has a whole heap of Christmas picture books which you can enjoy with your children, if you don't fancy one of those I've highlighted, please explore the others in the range; there's bound to be one for your family!

I was sent these books for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

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Stocking Filler Storybooks (Review)

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I love children's books at the best of times, something The Boy has inherited, but the Christmas versions of popular classic books or series that are available are even more attractive to my inner magpie.

We've been sent three books for The Boy for Christmas:

Thomas & Friends: Snowy Tracks

The island of Sodor is covered in a thick blanket of snow and the engines have been told to be careful and not to go over any big hills. Gordon doesn’t listen, he’s sure that he’ll be strong enough to steam over every hill he comes to. But it isn’t long before Gordon fi nds out that snow is much more dangerous than it looks!

Everything's Rosie: The Last Snowball

When Big Bear wakes up from his deep winter sleep, he’s sad to fi nd that he’s missed out on all the fun that snow can bring. Rosie and her friends do everything they can to do recreate winter fun, but sledging and snow angels don’t work without snow. Will they find a way to cheer up Big Bear?

Mr. Men Meet Father Christmas

When Little Miss Tiny secretly wishes she could visit Father Christmas she doesn’t expect her wish to come true. But magical things really do happen at Christmas and crazy things too when you’re with the Mr. Men and the Little Miss! Complete with celebrating sheep, yellow snow, sneezing elves and a very sooty Father Christmas, this is another classic Mr. Men story.

The thing that I like best about these books (apart from them being about Christmas, and having sparkly embossed bits on them) is that they fit perfectly into handbags, so that if we're out and about over the festive period, then I've instantly got a book for him to read and enjoy. They also fit brilliantly into stockings to make perfect fillers.

And with a RRP of £2.99, they're not going to break the bank this Christmas.

I was sent these books for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Guess How Much I Love You? DVD

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We've just watched the most delightful DVD that we've been sent in a while: Guess How Much I Love You?

I'm pretty sure that we're not the only household to own a copy of the book, or indeed the seasonal versions of the book, and they are a firm favourite at bedtime. Our latest 'guess how much I love you?' consists of 'the moon, the sun and the stars and then back home again!'

The books shouldn't need an introduction but I will give one in case anyone has never heard of them. Little Nutbrown Hare and his daddy, Big Nutbrown Hare, have adventures in the beautifully illustrated (with watercolours) and endearing story where they try to convey to each other just how much they love each other, with daddy always gazumping his son's proclamations. There is an additional set of books with a similar theme set in each season, showing the changes to nature throughout the year.

I've always loved this story so much; my 16 year old niece had the book as a child, my mum bought it for me when I moved away from the family home for the first time, and now The Boy has my copy as his own to read. I adore the book so much that it inspired his nursery…

This new DVD (released on 5th November 2012) features eight episodes, lasting nearly an hour and a half, including; Blossoms, What sound does the moon make?, Bedtime Story, and Big Like You, amongst others. In the episodes there are some new characters, Little White Owl and Little Field Mouse, introduced to help Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare with his adventures which promote love and friendship.

This is a truly lovely DVD to snuggle down on the sofa and watch at this time of year, and would make a perfect addition to any pre-schoolers Christmas stocking.It's available from all major retailers with an RRP of £9.99 but I've found it on Amazon for £5.00!

I was sent a copy of this DVD for the purpose of this review, my opinion (that I love it) is honest and unbiased.

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