Case Logic iPad Case Review

If you are thinking of buying a loved one a tablet for Christmas this year have you thought about buying them a case to protect it? If not you really should think about it. A recent study has found that two thirds of young people carry between £500 and £2000 worth of goods in their bags every day and nearly half of these are concerned about damage to these products. To me this is a huge amount and quite scary to think how much some people carry with them. The majority of people I know have many different gadgets but don't have a case for them. Again in my opinion if you are paying a high price for something you should protect and even more so if you are doing a lot of traveling with them.

Case Logic have announced a new range of cases and covers designed to accommodate the most popular tablet models including the Apple iPad, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Note, Amazon Kindle and many more.

The cases are available in a series of eye catching colours, including pink, black and navy. So there is something for everyone. I was recently sent a black iPad 2 cover to review.

Case Logic cases incorporate the latest in style and design to provide both protection and portability. They look very stylish and are very light weight.

The case has a soft scratch-resistant material on the inside cover, this protects the iPad screen while closed. It also has an integrated magnet closure to automatically put the tablet into sleep mode. 

The case also has a built-in stand that can accommodate multiple viewing angles when placed on flat surfaces. This is particularly handy in the kitchen whilst following a recipe or whilst the boys want to watch a show on a catch up TV app but so I can keep the iPad out of their reach. 

*We were sent these products for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own*

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Method Cleaning Products Review

When my friends ask me what I do with my days now that James is in full time school, they are surprised to hear that I still spend a lot of my time cleaning and tidying the house. They think that because the house is empty during the day it simply doesn't need cleaning! This really annoys me and sometimes leaves me wanting to ask them if they actually have children of their own? and if their children make a mess before and after school each day? because I know my 3 certainly do, it looks like a hurricane has been through the house. The only difference that all 3 being at school makes is that I can get my jobs done in less than an hour as I can get it all done undisturbed. Recently I was asked to try some Method cleaning products instead of my usual products to see if they worked better. I was sent three products - a hand wash, a multi surface cleaner and a glass cleaner. 

All of Method's products use a powerful formula that are non-toxic and are made using only biodegradable ingredients. They don't contain any powerful chemicals so don't leave that horrible smell / spray that makes you want / need to hold your breath whilst using them. They also smell really nice and leave your worktops lovely and clean.

I wasn't sure if the products would do the job that they stated as when I have used environmentally friendly products in the past they have sometimes been less effective and really not done the job they claimed to. However I am happy to report that the multi surface cleaner really surprised me and cleaned all my work tops well.

If you are conscious of the products you use in your home and are looking for a friendlier solution I would highly recommend taking a look at the products on the Method website.

Method have a range of products available to purchase, prices start at £2.50. You can purchase these from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Ocado, John Lewis, Homebase, B&Q, Co-p, Boots, Superdrug, Amazon and independent stores.

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The best hallowe'en song ... ever!

Happy Hallowe'en!

If everything has gone according to plan and that big storm the Met Office was forecasting didn't get in our way, we should be docking in Bilbao right about now. Tesco Mobile may also be in the process of changing my tariff - they'd better be - so I won't have internet access again until tomorrow but have blogged this special festive post in advance. 

I hope you all have a fantastic evening, especially Michelle who has put so much effort into her fantastic costume. Sorry I'm not there to see the final ensemble!

Please raise a glass to the start of our big adventure and enjoy Are You Happy Now by Richard Shindell, my favourite songwriter and the best Hallowe'en song in the world, ever ...

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Wedding Gifts From GettingPersonal.co.uk

Have you ever been invited to a wedding and thought what can we buy the bride and groom? Or are you due to go to a wedding and in need of a gift idea for those awkward family members or friends? If you have then you will know how hard it is to choose the right gift for them. Luckily for you GettingPersonal.co.uk have a new wedding gift creator that may just give you some ideas.

GettingPersonal.co.uk's wedding creator is just like having your very own personal shopper, only it's faster and completely free. All you need to do is enter the couples names, your budget and watch as the wedding range is completely transformed, giving you the opportunity to preview every gift, uniquely personalised just 
for you. If you want to try a different pair of names or a different budget, it only takes a few clicks to 
edit and view a whole new set of personalised gifts. 

The wedding collection is now bigger than ever and no matter what your budget; it has something for everyone. From personalised champagne flutes and photo frames, to calendars and beautiful  engraved keepsakes, we have something for all tastes.

I tried out the gift creator for myself. It was very easy to use and took next to no time to navigate my way around. I was however very spoilt for choice and found it hard to decide what items I wanted. In the end I chose some beautiful champagne flutes and a lovely set of cufflinks that have mine and Matthew's initials engraved on them.

The Personalised 'Love' Champagne Flutes that I choose are a truly unique gift and one that can be treasured forever. They have a stylish design and when they are placed side by side, they spell out the word 'Love'.

This gift is ideal for a happy couple to toast their marriage. They are personalised with our names, One on each flute. I can't wait to use them on my big day. They are truly amazing and for £14.99 they are a perfect gift for someone with a low budget to spend.

The next gift I chose was a pair of Engraved Love Heart Diamante Cufflinks. Although these weren't shown in the wedding gift creator I think they are perfect for any bride to be wishing to give her groom a romantic personalised gift.

The cufflinks can be engraved with two sets of initials, which appear either side of a love heart on each cufflink. They come in a beautiful box and that too comes in a stylish black gift box. The cufflinks are priced at £21.99.

GettingPersonal.co.uk even have a different take on "save the date" cards. If you really wanted something different to send to your guests why not send them a Personalised Chocolate Bar.

Each bar features a full colour wrapper that’s personalised with any names and date on the front and a special message on the back. Inside the wrapper is a foil covered 100g bar of chocolate. Each bar is priced at £5.99 so a little on the expensive side for an invite but if you were only having a small wedding party these would be perfect. Or even if you are having a large gathering you could just send these to your nearest and dearest.
Overall I love these items that I chose. There is so much choice it really was hard to pick just these items. If you do use this website I hope you have as much fun as I had.


*We were sent these products for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own*

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Anyone for a SPAM Omelette??

This cold weather means only one thing to me - comfort food, whether it be a snack or a meal I seem to crave lots of yummy food. Recently we were asked to make a recipe using SPAM. We were sent some SPAM and also given some recipe ideas to use. We decided we would make an omelette for our lunch, as it is quick and easy to make, and warming on a cold day.

These are the ingredients you will need:

• 1 small tub or can of SPAM 
• 3 eggs - beaten with a little milk
• 50g - 100g of your favourite cheese grated
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 

You can also choose to add other ingredients like extra cheese, onion, potatoes, peppers, mushrooms, garlic and herbs,  

Here is how to prepare your omelette:

• Mix in a bowl the eggs and milk - you can season with a little salt and pepper if you would like.
• Warm the oil in a frying pan, fry your cubed SPAM until it is golden brown
• Once the SPAM is cooked place it in a bowl 
• Now comes the time to add the mixture to the pan
• Now add your grated cheese and SPAM 
• Once the liquid is almost set you can then move your pan to the grill. The grill should be on high, leave under until the top is set and beginning to turn a nicer golden colour.

You can serve your omlette with anything you want, I love mine with chips and bread and butter, but you can serve it with a salad if you fancy a healthier option. 


*We were sent 2 tubs of SPAM for the purpose of creating this recipe - all thoughts and opinions are my own* 

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Apple crumble, the perfect autumn dessert

Recipe by Pille @ Nami-Nami. Above photo by Juta Kübarsepp for the November 2012 issue of Kodu ja Aed ("Home and Garden", an Estonian monthly magazine. I've been their food writer since October 2012). 

As for the perfect autumn dessert, you cannot go wrong with a classic apple crumble. Surprisingly apple crumble - or crumbles in general - aren't particularly well-known in Estonia - we're more cake and pie and tart type of people, I guess. I love adding oats to my crumble topping - or any other porridge flakes (rolled spelt or rye flakes work brilliantly, for example). Oat addition makes the crumble somewhat healthier and the topping more crunchy. If you have some red-skinned crab apples - like the ones on the photo above - add those to the apple mixture for extra colour.

I served the crumble with a cinnamon and cream cheese whipped cream - a wonderfully aromatic addition to the crumble.

Apple crumble
(Õunakrõbedik)
Serves six

600 g tart apples (f. ex. Antonovka, Granny Smith)
25 g seedless raisins
25 g caster sugar
ground cinnamon

Crumb topping:
100 g all-purpose wheat flour
50 g porridge oats or rolled rye or spelt flakes
100 g cold butter
50 g demerara brown sugar

Peel* and core the apples, cut into smaller chunks or sectors. Place into a bowl, toss together with raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Transfer into a buttered 24 cm pie dish or 4-6 portion dishes/ramekins.

Combine the flour, rolled grains and sugar in a bowl. Cut the butter in with two knifes or a pastry cutter or simply using your fingers. (Or simply put everything into the food processor and pulse until you've got pea-sized pieces). Spread the crumb topping over the apples.

Place in the pre-heated 200C/400F oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the apples are soft and the topping golden brown and crispy. Let cool for about 15-30 minutes before serving.

Serve with cinnamon-flavoured cream cheese, vanilla custard, vanilla ice cream or simple whipped cream.

* There's no need to peel organic apples from your own backyard or a reputable orchard.

More crumble recipes:
Rhubarb crumble @ Nami-Nami (gluten-free, if using certified gluten-free oats)
Raspberry and coconut crumble @ Nami-Nami
Pumpkin and apple crumble @ Nami-Nami
Apple cinnamon crumble @ Two Peas and Their Pod
Speculoos + Apple Crumble @ Dorie Greenspan
Butterless apple crumble @ Chocolate & Zucchini

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Santa's Rooftop Scramble Board Game

The boys are big fans of Ravensburger and their jigsaw puzzles so when we were asked to review their newest board game they happily agreed to give it a try.

Santa's Rooftop Scramble is a game designed for between 2 and 6 players aged 5 years and up. Although James is only 4 he wanted to play too, so with a little help from me he was easily able to take part too.

The aim of the game is simple. Be the first Santa to deliver all of the presents on your list. 

The box contains everything you need to get the game underway. You will find:

• 1 game board
• 6 Santa playing pieces
• 36 letters to Santa cards
• 36 transport cards
• 28 surprise cards
• 65 present tokens
• 1 spinner board
• 3 rooftop cards
• 1 die
• 1 rules booklet

The game took us 30 minutes to play but if we had more players it would take a little longer. The boys really enjoyed playing this game and Callum nicknamed them the extra Santa's. He was particularly impressed with the present tokens that had a games console on them. 

To start the game each player is handed 5 letters to Santa. The game has 2 parts to it. the first part you need to collect your present orders for your 5 children. Some of these children have only the one gift, sometimes they have more than one. Each player takes it in turn to use the spinner board, if you land on a present that you need for your children you get to pick up that piece. Once you have all your present pieces you can move on to playing on the game board. Here you need to deliver your presents. If you land on the numbered rooftop that is the same as on one of your letters you can deliver that present. The board has lots of squares that can help or hinder your progress though. There are surprise, transport, pass the parcel and late letter squares on the board. The first person to deliver all their presents wins the game. In our game this was James and I. He was very impressed with this.

This game is available to buy both online and instore. It is priced at £19.99. It is the perfect game that the whole family can play and enjoy in the run up to Christmas. It is definitely one to consider when getting everyone in the festive mood.

*We were sent this product for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own*

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Jambalaya recipe

Today's the last evening before our departure and I'm catching up on things I meant to do but haven't quite gotten around to - one of which is posting this recipe. We spent a few hours earlier stowing away as much as we can in Bailey. It was surprisingly straightforward and we do have some space left, although there's only grams remaining on the weight allowance. (Note to BeValued staff: there's not enough room for stowaways!) So I've got time this evening for a bit of blogging.

This jambalaya recipe is my interpretation of a recipe card from Waitrose and Tilda Rice. Dave says it's a waste of prawns because they don't add much to the flavour but I think the seafood and meat combination is essential. We agree to disagree. It's not essential to sing the Jambalaya song as you cook, but I usually do. I've put a YouTube of Hank Williams singing it at the end of this post in case your memory needs refreshing!

Ingredients (serves 2):
as much rice as you usually serve yourselves
pinch of turmeric
chicken stock
olive oil
2-3 shallots or a small onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
offcuts of chorizo (about 60g), chopped
1 tbsp Schwartz Cajun Spice blend
2 tomatoes, chopped
100g large prawns
fresh chopped parsley

Add the turmeric to the rice and boil in the chicken stock until the rice is cooked. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the shallots/onion, pepper and chorizo until the onion has softened. Stir in the spice mix, tomatoes and prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the pre-cooked rice and continue to fry until all the ingredients are cooked through and piping hot. This should only take another 2-3 minutes but double-check the prawns. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

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Bath Time Means Fun Time With Tomy Aqua Fun Toys

James is and always has been my little water baby. I am sure he was a fish in a previous life. If he isn't in the bath at home he is always asking to play in the sink with toys and at school if you ask him what he has been doing at school at least 3 times out of 5 he will tell you he has been playing with the water tray with his friends.

This month Tomy sent us some of their Aqua Fun toys to play with, as you can probably guess these were a huge hit with our resident water loving little boy.

The first toy James wanted to play with was the Swim 'N' Sing Turtle. He is priced at £11.99. As his name suggests he sings whilst he swims. James thought this was very funny. 

To make him swim you simply wind up the button on his back. To hear him sing you press the button on his head. As you can see from the video below he sings better when he is swimming on his back as the sound comes out of his mouth which is under the water. 

The next toy James played with was the Surfin' Beaver. Just like Sing 'N' Swim Turtle he is priced at £11.99. He is also a wind up toy and has a wind up button on his back and if you press his tale he also plays a tune whilst surfing up and down the bath. 

The last toys James tried out was the Turtle Tots. These cute little things can stick to your bath and squirt water from their bellies! James loved this and is always trying to squirt me or his brothers if they happen to be in the bathroom whilst he is having his bath. What I love about this toy is that you can use the big turtles legs to pour water and as they are different colours and shapes we get added learning whilst having bath time too. This toy is priced at £14.99.

Overall I would say that James enjoyed play with these toys. They are perfect for introducing children to playing in the bath.

You can follow Tomy on Twitter and Facebook to find out more information about this or other Tomy Toys / products. For more information about these toys or similar you can find out more on the Tomy website.

*We were sent these products for the purpose of this review - All thoughts and opinions are my own*

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Teksta - The Puppy of the Future!!

Character Options is proud to introduce the “Best in Show” puppy that has got everyone talking, meet Teksta! The Robotic Puppy! 

Teksta comes from  a pedigree line of first class youth electronics, that wowed the world in 1999, selling over 8 million pieces! Now Teksta is back - This is a puppy of the next generation with all of the innovation and design to prove it! More lovable, more interactive and with an increased ability to learn and adapt - this is the Robotic Puppy of the future! 

Recently Teksta took part in a space jump. He went up to an altitude of 97,000 ft before returning to earth by Parachute and even endured temperatures as low as -61 Celsius. He is most certainly a super dog and toy in my eyes. You can see his jump in the video below.

Teksta is available in two colours - Pink and Blue and will launch to the world with a woof! So if you’re thinking of buying a puppy for Christmas, then choose one that comes without the break-of- dawn walks in the rain, the puddles in the kitchen and the 5am wake up calls!

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Miioon Review

Do you have lots of children to buy for this Christmas? Are they the type of children that are really hard to buy for? If you just answered yes to these questions then Miioon maybe of interest to you.

Miioon is a website where children can design their own pieces of clothing and just in time for Christmas Miioon are launching a gift card through ASDA (but can also be purchased online and sent via email) which makes it a really easy Christmas gift. This is an ideal gift for those hard to buy for god children, friends of children, young relatives etc. And will most definitely give them something fun to do on Christmas Day with mum, dad or an older sibling!

Miioon have different products that you can purchase. You can choose from a t-shirt, rucksack, swoopercape and oonchies. Prices start from £9.99

We were sent 3 gift cards for the boys to be able to make and purchase their own T-shirts. Miioon T-shirts are designed to have a slightly increased diameter at the neck to help avoid ears getting caught. Miioon also uses a super-combed cotton yarn which is lighter in weight and softer by nature than standard high street Tees. These features give that extra comfort and individual style. 

Miioon T-shirts have also been designed to ‘stand out’ from the crowd. They have a unique  stamp on the back of the neck so children can show everyone what they have created at Miioon.com. The T-shirts are made from beautifully soft 100% super-combed cotton. 

The following screen shots show how easy the website is for a child to navigate their way around it and its instructions are very clear to follow. This is the T-shirt that Nathan decided to make.

Firstly you choose the product that you would like to design and which lot of characters you would like - Nathan chose a T-shirt & The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

You then chose the colour of your chosen product and if it is for a boy or a girl - Nathan chose grey and for a boy

The next step involves choosing which character you would like - Nathan chose Donatello from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The next step was where Nathan chose which picture & caption he wanted on his T-shirt. There was a lot of choice.

The final step allows you to see what your finished product is going to look like.

All in all it probably took Nathan (with a little bit of help from me) about 15 - 20 minutes to design the T-shirt he wanted. He was very impressed with the end result and was even happier when it arrived just a few days later. Postage costs £2.50 for standard delivery or £4.95 for next day delivery. It is free if your order is more than £30. 

I think the T-shirts fit the boys really well. They start from 5 - 6 years old. I would definitely recommend Miioon. The T-shirts are good quality, they fit well and were delivered quickly. If you're struggling to find a gift for a fussy child then this is definitely something to consider.

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Persil Small and Mighty Review

Doing the laundry is one of the chores that I really hate doing, especially when it comes to the weekend school uniform washes. As the mum of 3 boys I know that their PE kits and trousers will be covered in grass stains or mud and that their once white shirts will no doubt be covered in the loveliest (I use this term loosely and very sarcastically) shades of green, red and blue paint. In the past I have struggled to get many of these stains out and have even resorted to buying new uniform when the stains have been so bad. Luckily for me I was recently asked to review the new Persil Small and Mighty laundry detergent.

New Persil Small and Mighty is different to other detergents as it can be used as a pre-treater. I usually use a washing powder and then a separate stain remover if I think it is needed so I was very interested to try this out.  The new detergent has a Triple Cleaning System formulation and Stain Eraser Ball it has been specially developed with Mums in mind. The idea is that this detergent saves us mums time, gets rid of all those hard to remove stains and leaves clothes smelling lovely and fresh.

The bottle is easy to open with a flip lid and spout for easy no spill pouring.  You may have also noticed the Eraser Ball in the middle of the bottle. This simply pops out with a gentle push. You fill the ball with the required amount of liquid and then if needs be treat those stains by simply pouring a little liquid from the ball as it has a little spout on it so you can pour it where you need it most. The ball has little dimples on the underneath, this is so that you can rub the liquid into the stain before putting it into the washing machine.

Persil Small and Mighty is available to buy in most supermarkets from £4.69 for a 15 wash bottle. There are larger quantity bottles available too. But do keep an eye out in an eye out for in store promotions as prices will vary from store to store.

When I used the detergent I was very surprised as to how well it worked, I haven't used it on any really bad stains as yet but so far it has removed some very stubborn grass stains and pasta sauce from James' t-shirts. It left my washing clean and smelling lovely. I will certainly be buying in it in the future.

*We were sent this product for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own*

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