review

Using a Smart Home System for a More Eco Friendly Home

Have you ever considered using smart home devices to reduce your energy output? Every year our gas and electricity bills go up, however much I nag about lights left on, and doors open to a freezing cold garden. I worry about the impact not only on our finances, but also on whether I’m personally doing enough to protect our planet.  Advertorial content: this post contains links to Hive, who have paid me for my time in creating this post. All images and opinion is my own. I’ve been intrigued by the idea of eco-friendly smart home devices for a long …

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Home: a Review of the iRobot Roomba Robot Vacuum Cleaner

The iRobot Roomba is the most effective vacuum cleaner I've ever had, and I don't even need to do the cleaning!

My kids have been on at me for months now about getting a dog. They will walk it; they will pick up its poo; they will feed it; and they will get up in the night when it cries/vomits/poos/needs a wee. Yeah, right. I have just about managed to come through the fog and exhaustion of early parenthood. Why would I want to go back to the chaos of broken nights, and cleaning up of bodily fluids? With the added bonus of no big holidays, and no spontaneous weekends away, because what would we do with the dog? No. There really is no point in a dog. Besides, …

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Could you have Chefs of the Future? Tefal Cook4Me review

Review: The Tefal Cook4Me We’ve been letting the kids loose in the kitchen recently. They’re old enough now to know a few of the basics of preparing food, and both of them are really interested in creating meals, so cooking with the kids is much less stressful than it used to be when they were very young. What’s really made the difference though, is the addition of a new gadget to our kitchen. We’ve been working with Tefal to promote the Cook4Me, showing how easy it is to use by turning over the kitchen to the kids. Looking for more …

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The gloves are on!

Heat Holder gloves have a tog rating to help keep fingers warmer in winter

This afternoon I saw the tell-tale signs of Winter arriving. No, it wasn’t the first frost, or the last leaf dropping from the trees. It wasn’t the darker mornings, or the need for the electric blanket before bed. It started with a tingle in my fingertips as I finished typing for the day; it progressed to an icy cold sensation as I headed out on the school run; and by the time I got home my fingers were white. I’ve always had cold hands and feet. I remember quite clearly as a teenager doing my homework with a hot water …

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Kate Middleton’s necklace from Merci Maman

The duchess necklace, inspired by Kate Middleton - a beautiful gift for Mother's Day

A beautiful necklace for mothers When the world started asking where Kate Middleton found the lovely necklace she was spotted wearing a year ago, Merci Maman were proud to realise that it was one of their own pieces, purchased by Pippa for her sister after the birth of Prince George. Sweet and simple in design, it was classic enough for a royal mum, but personal enough that any mum would love to have her own version. So they created the Duchess necklace, which retails at £79.  What I love about this necklace is the mix: the simple inscription of a …

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The loveliest book for children – but you’ll have to be quick!

We have the most beautiful children’s book in our house. When you read the words personalised children’s book you automatically think “Toy Story with my child and his three best mates names inserted strategically along the predicable narrative” but this is a story with a huge difference. For every child’s name, there is a different story. Lost My Name is a lovely story about a child who wakes up to find that the name on his door has gone, and with it, his memory of what his name is. He embarks on an adventure to find his name, meeting strange …

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I got my Festival Skirt! Miss Francis pettiskirt tutu review.

“This is epic! I look like a giant fluffy marshmallow. Don’t eat me, will you…?” I got excited on Friday when this fabulous pettiskirt tutu arrived from Miss Francis. It was out of its gorgeous box and onto my tiny tush quicker than you can say #autoawesome. I’ve wanted what I like to call a festival skirt since my visits this summer to Just So, and to Feastival, where I saw cute little girls in spotty wellies and frilly skirts rocking moves to the music in the mud. It’s a seriously cool look, in a “oh I just threw it on and …

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Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival the only family-friendly festival you need (review).

Highs for the kids at Big Feastival 2013

Call me Victor Meldrew if you will, but most of the time I enjoy staying at home. I like my own company, my family (though if you tell my sister I said that I will shoot you with my best stick), and just hanging out with my toys. Going out is – well, it’s hard work to be honest: getting dressed, putting shoes on, walking, all of those things are just an irritation, and I prefer to be getting on with life. But on Sunday I was actually keen to leave the house. I surprised everyone, including myself by looking …

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A new Moshi Monsters app – and what the Bug gets up to on Twitter!

This is a Linky post – go ahead and link up This week we collected some great quotes from other funee kids and were set to do another Wot So Funee? compilation post. But you will have to wait, because at the last minute the Bug came to our rescue with a video review of the new Moshi Monsters app – and some rather naughty stuff he got up to on the iPad! There are 100 digital stickers to customise over 60 Moshlings. Which will take about as long as it takes to drive to Grandma’s house, so that’s all …

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GG interviews author Safia Guerras about her first book: Lou Lou

Well, a film reviewer, and now a journalist. What wonderful opportunities I get to have a go at new things, just by dint of Mummy having a blog! Does it matter that I rarely win anything significant for my efforts? Not a jot! I get to do stuff that most children would give up their Haribo for, in a safe environment, with Mummy’s support and help. So, I may not be Odeon’s official junior film reviewer. So what? I had great fun giving it a go and playing with video editing! And today, I may not be launching a career …

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