Fisher Price Charisma 3-in-1 Trike Review

Recently my youngest was really lucky to be sent a Fisher Price Charisma 3-in-1 trike to review and I was so excited for it to arrive, as I just knew that he was going to love it. When the box arrived it was fairly small and lightweight (perfect for wrapping up for Christmas) and I was dreading building it as I thought it would be in loads of tiny bits and take ages. I was wrong as it was super quick and simple to build with easy to follow instructions and an allen key provided, although you do need a screwdriver to fit the wheels.

Building the Fisher-Price Trike  only took 15 minutes and as soon as I saw it I was impressed with just how great it looked. We were sent the trike in green and the colour is really nice and perfect for either a boy or a girl. The quality of the trike is fantastic with a lightweight metal frame, secure plastic seat unit, rubber wheels and lots of fantastic storage space. This trike has lots of little extra features that I loved too such as padded harness straps and seat covers (which are washable), footrests for younger children who can not reach the peddles yet and soft easy grip handlebars and adjustable canopy. As well as a reclining seat, built in suspension and the option to easily swap from parent steering to child steering. 

A Family Movie Night

Saturday nights are family night's in our household, we always watch a film have some yummy snacks and enjoy spending some quality time together after a busy week at work and school. My youngest two get tired and want to go bed by 7pm, so we normally have are family night in the late afternoon so they can enjoy a film after dinner. Sometimes when they are in bed we will watch the T.V or a film with the eldest.

It is such a easy and inexpensive way to spend some quality time together as a family, and we know that we have it to look forward to each weekend. I think the children look forward to the snacks and treats more than the movie or spending time with us, to be honest, but myself and the other half love to just sit and relax and spend time together as a family unit.

Lunch At Blackfriars Newcastle

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and to celebrate the other half treated me to lunch out and a shopping trip. It was just the two of us and it made a nice change going out without little people in tow, we could relax, chat and enjoy eating a hot meal in peace which was utter bliss. 

We decided to visit Blackfriars in Newcastle city centre for lunch, tucked away between the gate complex and china town sits Blackfriars, an award-winning restaurant located in the 13th century former medieval friary that now serves lots of local produce. 

The restaurant is decorated in keeping with the medieval background with bare stone walls, wooden carved chairs and lots of candles dotted around the room. You could tell that lots of attention to detail has gone into the feel of the place with unique carved stone salt and pepper pots on the tables and placemats showing where the local food they serve is produced. 

Win A Bratz Snowkissed Doll

This Saturday the 28th November 2015 the Bratz Snowkissed photobooth will be arriving at Gateshead Intu Metrocentre for one day only. Visiting the photobooth is free and there is no need to book, simply turn up and have fun with your family or friends dressing up with the props and getting your photo taken in the Bratz snow-kissed winter-themed photo booth, which will be filled with props such as fur hats, skis and festive accessories. Everyone who gets a photo taken in the booth will be given a copy of their photograph to take home with them. 

Once you have visited the booth make sure to then log onto Facebook and visit Facebook.com/BratzUK and tag yourself in your photo to be entered into a prize draw where you could win some amazing Bratz products, including a hamper full of snow-kissed goodies. 

A Tasty Taco Treat For Tea

Having three children and a partner that works full-time shifts I am always looking for quick and easy meals to make for tea each night, as I simply don't have the time to spend ages cooking in the kitchen. I like my children to have a home cooked meal each day and they all enjoy a variety of meals from around the world. One of our all-time favourite cuisines is Mexican food, we often go for Mexican meals out and fajitas, enchiladas and Chill's are regular dishes on our midweek menu. 

So when we were recently sent some Old El Paso stand 'n' stuff soft taco kits in mouthwatering smokey BBQ flavour I knew that they would be a big hit in our household, I could not wait to try them out. We have tried tacos before but never these soft smokey BBQ ones and I was eager to see what they would taste like. Each pack comes with 8 Stand 'n' Stuff soft flour tortillas, a sachet of BBQ seasoning and some Taco salsa. 

My New Look Blog

When I started blogging back in 2014 my blog looked terrible, I am not just saying that either as it truly was horrendous. I did not have a clue what I was doing when I signed up to blogger and had no idea that you could buy templates so I had a basic free blogger template that I kept trying and failing to look nice, as I had no idea what on earth I was doing. 

I did not mind that my blog looked a mess though as I had no idea that people would actually read my blog as it was set up to simply record my pregnancy with baby number three and document my girl's childhood. I never knew that bloggers were paid to write posts or that brands would send you things to review or send you on trips. I had no idea how many blogs were out there and that you could change the look of your blog without being a technical wizard. 

The Pampers Baby Dry Challenge

Regular readers will probably already know that I am a huge Pampers fan, I have used Pampers nappies on all three of my children. I have tried other brands now and then but I always come back to Pampers, as I personally find them the best around. They offer unbeatable dryness, look great, are great quality and most important of all my children seem to be happy with them as they keep their little bottoms dry and they have never suffered from nappy rash. 

Pampers recently launched some Baby Dry pants which are a pull-up pant style nappy that offer up to 12 hours of dryness and are designed to make nappy changing easier for mobile babies who are still too young for potty training. I always thought that pull up pants were for potty training but these ones are just as absorbent as a regular nappy but they are designed to be like pants, so they are easier to put onto a wriggling baby and you can just pull the sides to remove them, genius! 

Lick My Dip Hot Sauce Subscription Box Review

Lick My Dip is a subscription box service with a difference, as each month you will be sent a selection of hot sauces to try out and enjoy at home. As with any subscription box service you sign up, pay a small monthly fee and then each month you receive a box through the mail full of surprise items. Lick My dip send out a selection of hot sauces and snacks for you to try out and enjoy at home, making them the perfect gift idea or treat for a spicy food fan. 

I love subscription boxes as I think that it is a brilliant way of trying out and discovering new products that you may not have tried or heard of before. I also love the surprise element of them as you never know what you will be receiving in your package each month. 

Vital Baby Weaning Range Review

A few months ago we were selected to be part of Vital Baby's #WeaningWarriors team, as part of the team we were sent a brilliant selection of Vital Baby weaning products to help us with Jacob's weaning journey. We have been using these products for a few months now and have been able to really put them to the test. 

In the weaning bundle we were sent 

Slimming World October Update

I have not posted a Slimming World update for a few weeks now as I was starting to find them a bit boring now that my weight loss has slowed down. I have decided that I am going to start writing monthly weight loss updates instead now, hopefully, these will be more interesting.

 October was a rubbish month for me Slimming World wise, I don't know what is wrong but I just seem to be losing and gaining the same couple of pounds each week. I just feel like my heart is not really into things at the moment and I admit I have not stuck to plan 100 % over the last few weeks. I have also missed a few classes due to my eldest having surgery and mine and Chloe's birthday celebrations.

Disney Mickey Mouse Library Book Set

As you may already know we are Parragon Book Buddies which means that my little two are lucky enough to get sent a Parragon book to review each month. Last month we reviewed a great Halloween book and this month we were sent a gorgeous Disney Mickey Mouse book library set. The library consists of six brightly coloured board books starring Mickey and his friends, making them perfect for babies and toddlers to enjoy. 

My Favourite TV Show's

Now that it is November and the weather is miserable we have been spending a lot more time indoors, all nice and cosy with the heating on. Like most families we spend a lot of time watching our TV, a 50 inch 3D Panasonic one, but I bet it won't be long until we upgrade to the amazing sounding Panasonic Viera 4K TV as my partner likes his gadgets.  Most afternoons we snuggle up and watch a Disney film with the children and on a night time, we will normally watch a show we have recorded on our planner.

I will be honest and say that I do not watch a lot of TV, as during the day I have two little toddlers running around. I often resort to putting Disney Junior on for five minutes peace as they are huge Curious George, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Doc Mcstuffins and Sofia the first fans. My teen flicks through the music channels non-stop and my other half is always watching sports, documentaries and films. So when I do get the chance to watch the TV it is a real treat to watch what I like and I normally catch up on my favourite show I have saved on the planner. 

Children's Winter Boots

Now that it is November and Christmas is fast approaching I have been busy getting my children's wardrobes winter ready with lots of warm jumpers, woollen hats and cosy winter coats to keep them nice and snug. One thing that I still need to buy for both my children is some winter boots to keep their feet nice and warm on cold winter days. 

I have been looking around for boots for my two toddlers and my teen and whilst browsing online I came across Jones Bootmaker, who stock a fantastic range of children's shoes and boots in a great range of styles, colours and sizes for both boys and girls. I discovered so many cute styles that I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite one's today.

Firstly I came across these Jones Bootmaker star strap ankle boots priced at £36,  these would be great for my toddler Sophia as they would go with just about any outfit. They look cute and stylish and very practical, perfect for a little girl.

Friends Of Sylvanian Families

A little while ago we were contacted to see if we would like to become Friends of Sylvanian Families, of course, I had to say yes as who doesn't love Sylvanian Families? I remember playing with them myself as a child and my eldest daughter used to love them and has so many sets packed away for her little sister to enjoy. We have houses, cars, fish shop, village shop and a cake shop to name just a few along with lots of adorable families. 

If I am honest I think that I love them more then my two girls do as they bring back so many happy memories from my own childhood, this year Sylvanian Families celebrate their 30th birthday which just goes to show how loved they are. They originated in Japan all the way back in 1985 and now they are much loved worldwide. 

A Teenage Birthday

Last week my eldest daughter turned into an actual teenager as she celebrated her thirteenth birthday. One thing that I have noticed over the last few years is that as she has got older organising a birthday celebration has got so much harder. When she was younger I use to get so excited for her birthdays as it was magical seeing her face light up when she saw her gifts and watching the joy on her face as she enjoyed her party.

When she was younger planning a birthday was easy as I just rang up the local soft play booked a party and then turned up on the day with a cake. Soft play is a fail-safe child's birthday venue in my eyes as it is so stress-free, no worrying about making food, entertainment or mess as everything is taken care of. I was able to just sit and relax with a coffee with the other mams while the children ran around burning off energy, and I happily handed over £10 per child for the pleasure.

Fast forward a few years to the tween and teenage years and a soft play party really is not an option any more, so what do you do? The idea of a sleepover fills me with dread, plus is not possible having a baby who still does not sleep all night (who knew sleepless nights would come in handy one day). I struggled thinking what to do I suggested lots of things such as getting her nails painted with a few friends, going to the cinema with friends (apparently nothing was on), going bowling, everything I suggested was met with a no.

Newcastle's Hidden Gems

I have lived on the outskirts of Newcastle my whole life and I have been visiting the city centre most weeks since I was a child. Now as a 31-year-old mam I visit Newcastle with my own children, long gone are the days of leisurely shopping trips and wild nights out on the lash in toon with my friends getting mortal (drinking in Newcastle and getting drunk) most weekends. 

I like to think that I know my way around Newcastle well as I have visited that often, but I think when you live somewhere you kind of take the city you live in for granted and stick to places you know and don't appreciate all the wonderful things around you. So when Travelodge got in touch to ask about hidden gems in Newcastle I was unsure of what to say. Newcastle has a bit of a reputation as a party city full of hen and stag parties and the cast of Geordie shore getting mortal, along with football fans in black and white strips. Yes, Newcastle is like that it has an amazing nightlife with so many bars and clubs and a very loyal football team following with a city centre stadium.

October 2015

Today is the 1st of November and it really does not seem like five minutes since I posted about what we had been up to in September. This year seems to have flown by so quickly and now it is November I can safely say I am on the countdown to Christmas and I have started my Christmas shopping. I love November as it is my birthday on the 11th (remembrance day) but I am not doing anything exciting as I will be 32, gosh I feel old typing that. November is also the month that this little blog of mine gets redesigned, which I am so excited about.

Anyway enough of my babbling on, I want to talk about last month and have a little recap of what we have all been up to. I like doing this as a way to remember what we have been up to each month and for my children to look back on someday. 

Personal Life 

October was the month that my eldest turned into an actual teenager as she celebrated her 13th birthday, she will always be my baby though. She celebrated by going out for a family meal and then having a meal and shopping trip out with her friends a few days later. Her birthday is always just before half term (all three children have half term birthdays) so she has enjoyed having a week off school being lazy and being a typical teenager by staying in bed each day until lunchtime.