Sunday 31 March 2019

Slimming World Friendly Chilli Con Carne Recipe

I received a voucher to buy the ingredients for this post. 

Weeknights are always busy in our house as the children attend various after-school clubs, so I always try and cook quick and easy meals that the whole family will enjoy. One meal that we cook almost every week is Chilli Con Carne and I use a recipe I adapted from when I used to attend Slimming World groups as it is packed full of hidden veg, is healthy and delicious plus beef is a source of iron which helps reduce tiredness and fatigue. This dish takes under half an hour to cook and you can make it in just one big pan, saving on the washing up too - always a plus point in my household. 

bowl of chilli and tortilla crisps
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Friday 29 March 2019

Village Hotel Spa Day With Red Letter Days

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This morning I went to The Village Hotel Newcastle (Silverlink) to relax on a Spa day thanks to Red Letter Days who give me a voucher for the occasion. Red Letter Days have a whole host of different vouchers available for different experiences making them the perfect gift idea - they would make a great Mothers Day gift. To redeem the gift experience voucher you simply register your voucher online, you will then be giving a phone number of your chosen venue to ring and book and then you hand the voucher in on the day. It was really straightforward to book and as I had been given  Blissful Spa Day for two voucher there was a number of different spas I could book into all over the country. I decided on The Village Hotel Spa as it was close to where I live and I had never been before.

Village hotel silverlink

When I rang to book into the spa day the spa was actually busy so I had to wait a few weeks for an appointment which luckily wasn't a problem for us. Arriving at the Village Hotel for 9am we arrived at reception and were directed to the spa area which is downstairs near the gym. We were showing to the relaxation room which had dimmed lights, comfy chairs and was very peaceful and we were asked to fill in some forms.
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Friday 22 March 2019

The Highwayman Sizzling Pub In Whickham Review

AD - complimentary meal.

You know those day's at the end of the week when you are feeling a bit frazzled after a week of school runs, after-school clubs and chores and you just can't be bothered to cook? Well, that was me last week, after a busy week and with no motivation to cook that evening I decided to take the kids out for tea so we could catch up on what they had been up to at school and so I could have a break from cooking and the dreaded dishes. 

Finding somewhere to eat with kids can sometimes be a bit tricky, with fussy eaters and kids who don't sit still we always try and head somewhere family friendly with a relaxed atmosphere that serves food that the children enjoy. One such place is our local sizzling pub, which serves pub food the kids (and us grown-ups) enjoy, plus it is such great value for money too. I was recently invited along to the recently refurbished The Highwayman Sizzling Pub which is on Whickham Highway in Gateshead, not far from the Metrocentre. I have never visited The Highwayman before so we headed there for tea last week after school with my dad.  

Reading the kids menu at The Highwayman pub Gateshead
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Thursday 14 March 2019

ClassDojo Keeping Parents Informed Of Their Child's School Life

This is advertorial content written for ClassDojo.

Every day when I pick my four and five years old up from school I ask them what they have done that day, I always get the same reply "I don't remember" or "Nothing". Sometimes they will tell me they haven't played with anyone that day, which after asking their teacher at parents evening I find out not to be the case at all as they are always playing with other children. As my children are a bit reluctant to tell me about their days, and also because my youngest is one of the youngest in the school (he is an August baby) and my daughter has speech delays I do worry about how they are coping and getting on at school. So when I heard about ClassDojo I wished my children's school used this as it sounds like a great way to help us parents know what our children have been up to and how they are getting on at school. 

mobile with ClassDojo app on


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Tuesday 12 March 2019

Finding Out Where I Come From With Findmypast

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Do you ever wonder where you come from? About all the ancestors who came before and helped make you the person, you are today? Now that I am older and have children of my own it is something that I often think about. When I was a little girl my grandparents would often tell me tales about growing up in the war, about where their families came from and about family members that were no longer with us. I wish I could remember what they told me as I didn't have much interest when I was younger and now I am older and interested my grandparents are no longer with us. I think that is the reason why I am so curious about finding out about my past, My Mam died when I was younger and so did all my grandparents so I only have my dad to tell me things and he can only tell me about his own family, not my maternal side.

Findmypast DNA testing kit box

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Friday 8 March 2019

Things I Loved February 2019

February was a quiet month for us, I know it is a shorter month but it really did seem to fly by this year. We didn't really do anything exciting as we have been limiting days out as we are saving like crazy for our upcoming wedding. The kids had a week off for half-term and it was lush to spend time with all three of them at home, we had lots of lazy mornings in our pj's watching films with the heating on keeping cosy. Things were quiet blog-wise this month, paid work was really good this month but reviews and days out were a bit quieter than normal. For the first time ever I struggled a bit picking ten things that I enjoyed this month, as I feel like we haven't really done much. 

So here is a look at some of the things I loved in February 2019. 

wrap, chips and salad
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Tuesday 5 March 2019

Poopsie Sparkly Critters Review

Items sent for review. 

One of last years must have toys was Poopsie Surprise, a cute unicorn toy that pooped slime. We reviewed Poopsie Surprise last year and my five-year-old still plays with her unicorn Rainbow Brightstar (she is a huge unicorn fan). Well now there is a new Poopsie toy on the block, Poopsie Sparkly Critters and we were kindly sent two to review and see what we thought.

two packs of Poopsie Sparkly Critters toy

Like the original Poopsie Surprise, the Sparkly Critters have the surprise element of being packaged so that you can not see which character you will get until you open the box. This is something that really appeals to my children as they love any kind of surprise toy. The Sparkly Critters come in really fun looking soda can type packaging, when you pop the can open you will then find blind bags filled with the Sparkly Critter and the accessories you will need to make slime. Each set comes with one Sparkly Critter, a soda can style bottle/syringe to feed the critters, spoon, storage bag which is designed to look like a bag of crisps and glitter to add to the slime.
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Monday 4 March 2019

4 Months Until I Say I Do

In just four months time I will be saying I do and getting married and I am feeling very overwhelmed and nervous about it all now. The wedding diet I said I was going to go on hasn't happened, we have so much to still organise and pay for and I am wondering if we will get it all paid for and organised in time. Please, everyone, keep your fingers crossed we manage to pull it off! I know people plan weddings in such short spaces of time and all the big things are in place for the big day but I am a natural born worrier. 

wedding planner book and wedding magazine

What We Have Done This Month

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