Our Mini-Cruise to Amsterdam

This is a PR collaboration. All words and views are my own. 

Back in 2010, me, Warren and Emily (this was before we had a house-full of crazy babies) decided to go on a little holiday. We were in the process of moving from my old house in Manchester to our new house in Liverpool, so we wanted a little holiday just to see us through the stress of it.

Everyone is better GINGER...

I like ginger people.

I have quite a few gingers in my house, and I just love them.

But you know what...I have an issue. I really just think that there are definitely not enough gingers in the world.

Modern Home Comforts we Cannot Live Without

This article was written by Amanda Walters, an experienced freelance writer and regular contributor to Huffington Post. Follow her here: @Amanda_W84

If you made a list of home comforts you couldn’t live without, it would be simple right? Food, water, family? Before you answer, think of a typical day. Did you wake up and switch on the coffee machine? Grab lunch from the fridge? Log onto Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? As an ever increasing media savvy nation it’s actually appliances that “we cannot live without”.

Review: Hotel Chocolat Valentine Chocolates

Disclosure: We were given these chocolates free of charge for the purpose of the review, all words and opinions are our own.

We don't usually make a big fuss for Valentine's Day. As a couple we like to treat each other now and again to nice things - a book, an LP, nice wine, big bag of posh crisps...we treat each other quite regularly so we don't really go over board on special occasions. However, if we wanted to do something really special, and say it with chocolate - then these chocolates are definitely the ones that we would say it with.

The Time Traveller's Regret

Tonight Emily built a time machine out a cardboard box. It reminded me of a dream I once had.

The dream made me sit up, take stock, and think.

It might be a cautionary tale for you to take with you too.

The Voice of Perfect Parenting

You know when you are doing ten things at once, and that little voice enters your head, usually your own, and this voice tells you things about your life that you actually believe to be true for that moment in time?

No?

Read on, you'll know what I mean.

Gaming...

Are you a gamer?

I'm certainly not. Not these days. The closest I get to playing computer games is writing this blog or making daft videos. You'll be surprised to know that this was not always the case.

5 Early To Work Things

I don't blog about work. I like my job. I realise I am lucky. I usually get in work for around 7am. This is great for me so I can leave a bit earlier, but I still have all the quiet time in the morning to get through a lot of work.

So it's all cool.

If you start work as early as me (you're bonkers) here are some fantastic helpful life hints to set you on the right track.

Let's hear it for 5.30am get ups!

Women, Skincare & Beauty...

Have a look at this lovely infographic about women and beauty. I was surprised by some of these figures - especially Moisturiser vs ..........really, ladies???!

Top 5 Energy Wasters In your Children's Bedroom

Your children's bedroom is the centre of their world and a place you work hard to make safe for them. It can also be a place where a lot of energy gets used up: children have a huge variety of energy-hungry gadgets available to them, and if they aren't carefully watched, a lot of this energy can simply go to waste. However, there are things you can do to make sure your kids' bedroom is energy-efficient.

The Latest Diet-ing Craze

This is a lie. Do you like it when my post titles lie?
Well maybe it's a white lie. I am going to tell you all about my new diet. Don't laugh. I am a bit of a fad person. I tried dry January and spectacularly failed after 10 days.

But this time, this brand new latest diet craze, will be the winner.

We should all DANCE...

It was one of my resolutions to do more DANCING, Dancing is so much fun, you just do whatever you like, wave your arms around and jump up and down like a child. It is so much fun. We have one life - let's enjoy it.
Here is our little dance video - just to say how grateful I am to have these loony people in my life. Love them all the world.

Ten Tiny Toes...

Revision Tips

Whether it’s your first or last set of serious exams coming up this summer, it’s never an easy time. Exams are inevitably stressful and you want to make sure you’ve made the best effort you can – after all, the rest of your life may well depend on the results! So to make your exam prep a little easier, here are some fool-proof tips to make revision more fun and help you get the results you're looking for.

Mummy's To-Do List

Everyone writes lists right?

Here is mine:

What Shall I Do With My 4 Year Old Wedding Cake?

So we got married in 2010.

We had a lovely day. It was perfect. We had a lovely cake.

That was also perfect.

Review: JUST EAT App

We were given a voucher to cover the cost of our food in exchange for an honest review. All words and views are my own.

We were really excited to get a chance to work with JUST EAT to review their app. As you can probably guess, I am a bit of a nerd and I really like getting techy with such a normal thing like ordering a take away! Add to that the fact that I wouldn't be cooking and you have one happy Mummy!
We were looking forward to doing the review on Saturday night when we were all relaxed and enjoying our weekend, and were looking forward to an easy tea. It wasn't all straight-forward, but JUST EAT's customer service was spot on.

ROSIE DON'T SLEEP!

You know when people say "Ooh all babies are different." Listen to them. It is true.
Emily and Alice were remarkably similar as babies. Sleep, eat, puke repeat. Or something like that. It was easy.

Rosie is different.

ROSIE DON'T SLEEP!

Review: Baby Care Product Bundle

We were sent these products free of charge for the purpose of the review. All words and opinions are our own.

Over the Christmas period all of our girls were poorly. We still managed a great Christmas - but they all had illnesses of some description. Rosie had croup, Alice had a chest infection and Emily had tonsillitis - and to top it all off they all had conjunctivitis - all at the same time. So they were all on medicine and we had a long bout of sleepless nights. If you have kids you will know that awful helpless feeling you have when they are poorly. You can't really do anything other than cuddle, keep them fed and hydrated and make sure that they take their medicine. You just wish that you could swap places with them don't you.

Review: LeapPad Ultra

We were sent the LeapPad free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions are our own.

We were very excited to be given the opportunity to review the amazing LeapPad Ultra. This treat came just after Christmas. Just when we thought we had enough toys. However, the LeapPad has proven a firm favourite in our house. What follows is our review of the product. Emily and Alice have been playing with this for just over a week now and they have really enjoyed it.

Giveaway! Family Ticket to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester

What a great January it is turning out to be for giveaways! We have never been to the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester, but we do plan on visiting - it looks like an amazing day out.

Psych'd: Guest Post from an OU Psychology Student

This is a guest post from a fellow OU student and blogger also from the Merseyside area. It's great to read another student's point of view, and to have a glimpse into another experience. I regularly read this blog and really enjoy looking at the reading lists he posts.

Kevin writes a great blog about his OU journey at Psych'd, pop over and take a look. You can also follow his on Twitter @picklewalsh. Enjoy!

Giveaway! £50 John Lewis Voucher

I don't know about you but I find January really dreary. The Christmas and New Year period is over and it's back to work in the freezing cold. Add to that 'dry' January and it's just pretty miserable isn't it.
In January I do like to have a bit of a de-tox for my body and try and treat myself. I find long walks and family time (as well as me time!) helps cheer up January.
If you're feeling a bit like this maybe this little giveaway will cheer you up!

Safety In the Workplace

I am really very lucky that I do have a job that I enjoy. I know that I moan about the travelling and the childcare...but really I am looked after in my job. We always have health and safety checks, we have our allocated break times and I also work on a flexi-system which is great with having the kids as you can imagine. Some people aren't as lucky to be working in jobs that they enjoy, and worse still they are working in hazardous conditions. With that in mind I have put together a little list of things that you can do to ensure your own safety at work.

A326 Empire TMA 02 Results

Remember when I lost all my work? So I cried a bit and then I drank some wine and stayed up all night trying to find it on my laptop. Then with just one day to go until my deadline, that was already an extension, I spent 6 hours re-writing what I had already done. Mulling over my primary and secondary sources desperately trying to remember which ones I'd used and what my argument was. By the time I submitted it, I was just glad to be rid of it. I asked Emily to proof read it and was just happy that it was gone.

British Red Cross Baby & Child First Aid App: Review

 This is a review of a free App available from British Red Cross, as tasked by Mumsnet. This review entitles me to entry into a draw to win first aid equipment, all words and opinions are my own.

Safety is first when it comes our children. If you're like me you will be very conscious of keeping your babies safe and well - I am often heard saying "Alice - get down you might fall" and "Take some food out of your mouth before you choke." If the falling or the choking did happen, would I know exactly what to do?
The British Red Cross have devised a free Baby and Child First Aid App. I was really glad to be picked to review this by Mumsnet. Safety of our children is so important, and I am so glad that I have downloaded this app. It really is so useful. What follows is my honest review. You can download it free yourself here: