September 2013 | Mum In The Madhouse

September 2013

The Tefal Steam Generator means I can iron with broken ribs

Review / By

There is no way I could have used a traditional iron and have been so thankful of my Tefal Steam Generator as the iron part is much lighter as the water for the steam is not stored in it, rather it is stored in a separate part. The model I have is the Pro Express Total Auto Control – GV8930, which retails at around £299.

Now I appreciate that this is A LOT of money for what is an iron, but really it is more than that. Since getting mine I have halved my ironing time. I used to take around an hour on a Sunday to iron 5 mens shirts, the boys school shirts and tops and all the rest of the weeks ironing. Now that is down to 30 minutes. Plus is it easier and looks better too.

The Pro Express Total Auto Control means that I do not have to set the irons temperature, but I do have control of steam with its two preset steam levels. It has 5 bar of steam pressure which means that the results are pretty impressive.

It also comes with the following:

Tefal’s unique anti-scale collector and Auto clean soleplate
Unlimited ironing time thanks to the permanent refill and 1.8L detachable water tank
Added safety with the auto-off feature
Environment friendly product with an “Eco” setting saving 20% of energy
The cord winds back in to the iron
The iron locks on to the base, even when hot

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Back to School 2013

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Back to school 2013
After what has been an epic summer the boys went back to school today. I am sure that the summer of 2013 will go down in the anals of history. It couldn’t have been better weather wise and they have experienced the summer I have always wanted for them.

I am a little sad to see them go back to school, but know that they have so much to look forward to this coming year. It is also amazing to see how different they are this year in comparison to this time last year and the year previous. How their likes have changed and developed.

Both of the boys had first day nerves today as not only do they have new teachers, but also new class groups too. Maxi is going into year four and Mini year three. Hard to believe that both my boys are in junior school!

My hope for them this year at school is that they have fun, stay happy and learn to get on with new people. I want them to continue to remain individuals and learn to stand by their morals and opinions. I also want them to remember that learning is not a spectator sport. So get stuck in and enjoy it boys, when I look back at my school life, primary where the happiest and most carefree time of my life.

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Wishlist – Back to school for me

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Alphabet Index Tabs – Papermash. Oh stationery how much do I love thee! I adore index tabs and these are a little bit quirky with their different fonts.

Shoes – Clement Derby from Hobbs. Not your typical court shoes. I adore these for the understated chic. Perfect for girly dresses or with jeans for the autumn and winter. Grey goes with pretty much everything

Journal – Paperblanks. Nothing screams back to school to me more than a blank journal. The potential of a new book, with words to flow and fill the page. I love the decoration on the outside of this journal which is inspired by Buddhist monks.

Faber-Castell UFO Perfect Pencil – The Pen Company. I love pencils and this is a great way of making a standard HB pencil look that little bit more grown up. I love the fact that it extends the size of pencils and it has a built in sharpener.

Now I just need a fairy godmother to look down on me and fulfil my wish list!

What would be on your back to school wish list?

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tassimo, how a coffee machine has revolutionised our lives (no exaggeration)

1 Comment / maximad / By

I never thought that a coffee machine would make such a difference to our home. I am not a coffee drinker, but MadDad loves a good coffee and it is his affordable luxury in life. So when offered a Tassimo machine I thought it would be something that he would really appreciate. I was right, he is really impressed with the quality of coffee, however, this months challenge was to create our own drink, but MadDad’s coffee is sacred and he would not allow me to fiddle with it at all!

The only time I drink coffee is in the lead up to Christmas when I add Baileys, so I decided to add some and yum, very nice grown up coffee.

But the thing that has been most wonderful and completely unintentional is the freedom the Tassimo machine has brought to Maxi and our morning routine. Maxi has always been an early riser and he loves to have a hot chocolate on a morning, but at 8 I feel that he is too young to operate a kettle, so one of us has to make him one. The Tassimo machine means that Maxi can make chocolate for both him and Mini. I love instilling independence in children and Tassimo has certainly revolutionised our mornings. They are calmer, more relaxing and we get a little longer in bed!

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Things to do at La Croix Du Vieux Pont (France) when you are eight

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Details: 7 nights accommodation in a Vivaldi Mobile Home at La Croix Du Vieux Pont, which sleeps 6 and Eurotunnel Crossing for one car costs £1214 for 2 adults and 3 children on August 17 2013. Special offers and discounts are available at certain times of year, see the Al Fresco website for details. We received free Eurotunnel crossing and accommodation for the purposes of this review. You can see more photos of our trip over on Facebook.

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Back to School with Florence and Fred at Tesco and back to school link up

4 Comments / school / By

I think that good uniform needs to stand the test of time, be a good price point and also fit well and Tesco seem to have hit all these points for us this year.

Plus points:

Adjustable waists – This is essential for my boys, who seem to thin out every time they grow!
Hardwearing – Football every lunchtime on a MUGA really takes it out of the knees of trousers. Tesco’s have survived year on year
Shirts that stay white when washed – Maxi is a shirt boy
Do not shrink – polo shirts and sweatshirts that do not shrink when washed. Mini wears polo shirts
An embroidery service (if your school is registered)
A good selection of styles
Trouser that keep their crease when washed
Shirts that do not need ironing when dried on the line or in the tumble dryer
collars on polo shirts remain white and do not go grey compared to the rest of the shirts
The Mad House give school uniform by Florence and Fred at Tesco a HUGE thumbs up.

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