review

Trutex Uniform Review Update 1

 in Review  tagged back to school / review / School Uniform / Trutex by

Over a year ago I was sent some Trutex Uniform to review and I have recently been sent some more for the boys and I wanted to update you on how well they have washed and worn.

The uniform is of good quality and is the brand of sweatshirts we would get from the school with the logo on if we bought direct from them. The sweatshirts have washed and better washed throughout the year and have withstood nearly everything the boys could throw at them with the exception of black permanent marker that Mini somehow got hold of at school! In fact they have washed so well that Mini will be wearing Maxi’s hand me downs come September.

Hyundai New Generation Santa Fe – Six go road tripping

 in Review  tagged car / review / road trip by

I love driving. I only learned to drive when I was pregnant with Mini and ever since have never looked back, but I only have a little car, so when Cass and I decided to go on holiday together to Bognor Regis with our four children there was no way we could all fit in to my tiny car. Thankfully Hyundai came to the rescue and loaned us a New Generation Santa Fe for the week. The New Generation Santa Fe is a five plus two seater and we have three children in booster seats between us. My two boys use a high back booster whilst Master Frugal is a little taller and use uses a booster seat.

Pong Ipad Case review

 in Review  tagged electronics / ipad / ipad case / pong / review by

by directing wireless energy and radiation away from the user by up to 52%. As a parent this is a BIG factor for me.
It increases wifi speed by up to 2.6% thanks to a special patented wafer thin ariel in the case. This also helps boost battery power b y some sort of hocus pocus too!
The case enables you to use the ipad both in portrait and landscape mode and feels really secure.
It closes down you ipad when you close the cover to save on battery life.
It fits really well. The ipad clips firmly into the case without any flexing and feels really secure and safe, which with two destructive boys is a must.

Cut the rope Toys review

 in Review  tagged cut the rope / review / toys by

They received a plush cut the rope OmNom that makes the cut the rope noise, which Mini really loved. As it is a circle the boys took to throwing it at each other and it wasn’t long before Alvin decided that this must be his new toy. This is around £9.99 and has been a big hit with any of the many children that come through my house.

We were also sent a joke book (RRP £4.99). My boys who are now seven and eight really love and understand jokes. This book has been well thumbed and has 64 pages of age appropriate jokes. It is a super book for any reluctant reader and prepare yourself to be inundated with jokes.

We were sent a comic, which is a monthly publication and is £3.99. I find childrens comics quite pricey, but this did have a lot of content and was also filled with puzzles posters, experiments and also things to make and do, so Maxi enjoyed it and as always the boys love the freebies that you get on the front of childrens comics and magazines. This edition came with a small book and pen and some cut the rope stickers.

We were also sent a doodle book, which I actually nabbed to put in the boys summer activity packs for the car. This is £5.99 and is filled with activities including dot to dots and mazes (which are Maxi’s favorite).

Tefal Optigrill – A Review 6

 in Review  tagged kitchen / meat / review / tefal by

As I am a Tefal Innovator, I was sent the brand new Tefal Optigrill to test. This is a revolutionary new grill that can detect how thick your meat is and tells you when it is cooked to rare, medium or well done.
steak

We like:

It does what is says it will – We had three different cuts of meat all cooked to different specifications and it was delicious.
It takes the guesswork out of cooking – I love that it has an audible beep as well as a visual identification when your meat gets to a certain specification
The cooking plates are removable and dishwasher safe. _ no mess, no stress and no burning your fingers cleaning it.
Large drip pan – We tried burgers on the Tefal Optigrill today and they were either fatty, but the drip tray more than coped and it fits snuggly to the machine
It is versatile with settings for fish, sausages, burgers, bacon, chicken and a manual setting for vegetables. My mushroom today was divine
We weren’t keen:

At £130 is isn’t a cheep bit of kit, however, I have had three of the competitors grills in over two years. So if this lasts then it will be much better value for money than its competitor
It has a large footprint. I know that this is something we will use regularly, so didn’t want to put it in a cupboard, but it takes up two thirds of the top of my microwave where it now lives!
Overview:

The Optigrill has such a familiar look and feel to me. My mum had a tefal grill with removable interchangeable hot plates for over 30 years. She used it a lot and I am hoping that I get just as much use out of this as she did. The grill plate is a great size and could easily cook six burgers on it and is perfect for a family of four. I am looking forward to trying out tuna steaks on it and fish next week.

Don’t just take my word for it, see what my fellow panelists think of the Optigrill

Trash Packs or Trashies for those in the know! 1

 in Review  tagged review / toys / trash pack / trashie by

Whilst Maxi was at Cub camp last week, Mini and I had lots of fun making up the Slime Trashies. We made gooey, sticky, sewer ooze slime that defies gravity, then we used our ooze to create 3 giant, slime filled Trashies that you can squish, poke and squeeze.
Making them was great fun, Mini had to measure, stir and time his slime and had to wait 30 minutes for it to become fully slimelike, which was great for his patience.

The good thing about trashies is that they are reasonably priced and make great reward and pocket money priced toys.

Chatham Marine Wake Pro Deck Ankle Boot Review

 in Featured and Guest  tagged boots / chatham marine / review by

Now we do not have a boat, but MadDad has been wearing these for the last few weeks and said that they are extremely light and conformable. They are perfect for the warmer weather as they have side ventilation in the leather and look smart with trousers or even shorts.

The blurb:

The professional quality performance deck boot everyone has been waiting for. Wake G2 is a technical boat boot with 5 eyelets, premium leathers, mesh panel inserts and a butted raw edge apron seam with rolled mesh padded collars. Full interior leather and cotton linings for your comfort, a strobal construction and a full length perforated padded sock make this one of the most comfortable ankle boots on the market. On top of all of that, this shoe comes with a 2 year manufacturers guarantee.

A boot that comes with a two year guarantee well that is new to me and we are really impressed with the quality of these boots. They might be designed for the sailor, but they are also perfect for walking and playing with the boys too.

House of Secrets 10

 in Uncategorized  tagged books / house of secrets / review by

We love books in The Mad House and one of my favorite times of the day is when we read to each other.  As the boys are growing up I still feel it is important to read to them and I am aware that sometimes the length of books is daunting to younger children if they want to read them themselves, however, chapter books are great for family reading.  We were recently sent The House of Secrets and we have been reading a chapter or two each night and it is a fab family book.  It is a real page turner. We were keen not to let too much away, but have decided to do a very quick video review for you. more »

Black and Decker Steam Mop Review 7

 in Review  tagged black and decker steam mop / cleaning / review / steam mop by

The Black & Decker® steam-mop™ with Autoselect® digital handle commands and steam burst technology easily gets rid of tough to move marks and germs with minimal effort, ensuring that your floors are sparkling clean. Ready to use in 15 seconds and it will run for 25 minutes on a single tank.

With Autoselect® digital handle command technology, simply push the button to select the specific floor type -hardwood/laminate, tile/ vinyl, or stone/marble – and the mop automatically releases the right amount of steam. Autoselect® helps to assure thorough yet delicate cleaning on all sealed hard floors and is even safe on sealed hardwoods. The addition of steam burst mode removes even the most stubborn dirt – it releases 50% more for steam in a concentrated 5 second burst when you need that extra cleaning power, you don’t get from ordinary steam mops. With the unique and innovative design of the delta lift off head you can, with a quick push of the foot peddle, use the triangular cleaning head to get in to all the corners of your home.

Kills 99% of bacteria and germs – no chemicals required.
Quick dry and streak free, it takes less time and work than a mop and bucket.
Swivel head for ease of use around furniture and awkward areas.
Self standing for convenience with auto shut off when locked in the upright position.
1600 watts.
6m power cord.
0.5 litre water tank capacity.
Ready to use in 15 seconds.
Steam ready indicator.
Steaming time 25 mins per tank.
Machine washable pads.
Suitable for all floor types.
Accessories included.
Weight 3.07kg.

Keeping hypersensitive heads warm with Zaini hats 1

 in Review  tagged hats / review / zani kids by

The boys chose their hats from the Zaini Kids range.

All Zaini Kids hats are fully fleeced lined for the utmost comfort and quality and are made from 100% acrylic which is extremely durable towards rain, snow and wind. It is not waterproof , but it will resist rain without altering the hat. They can be hand washed only at 40 degrees.
The idea of Zaini started in 2010 in a ski resort in Northern France, when Scottish ski instructor Miranda Harper started hand knitting hats for friends because she couldn’t find the kind she liked. Since then Zaini, and Zaini Kids, has become an established brand which sells and distributes hand made products throughout the world.

So back to the hat, how did it fair. Well he has been wearing it for a week, as it is fleece lines it doesn’t itch per say and he is doing much better than he has with any other hat. He loves the pom pom on the top and it has withstood both hail and rain. At £14.99 it is much more than I have ever paid for a hat for him, but as a cost per wear it is the best value hat I have ever had for him too!

Must have Christmas Gifts for Scooter Lovers

 in Christmas / Gift Guides  tagged CXhristmas / review / scooters by

I have made no secret that as a family we love Micro Scooters. Both the boys have a Maxi Micro, we also have a Macro Sprite and one of their stunt scooters. We are also loving the accosories that they have and the boys have been testing some more out.

Scoot Beamz (£6.99)

These have been a huge hit and I have had four of the local mums ask me about them. They are lights that for on to any scooter. You can have them on fast flash, slow flash or constant and they come in four colours. They make the boys stand out on dark and dismal days.

Rucksack (£25)

Simply Swimwear Review – Boys wetsuits 2

 in Review  tagged review / swimming / swimsuits by

I was starting to despair that we would have no sun this summer to be able to review these for you. but finally the sun has come out and so have our supersoakers!

These shorty wet suits are £18.50 each and will see them throughout the summer. The service we received was suburb as the first ones they sent were the wrong ones, so we received a paid return label and the replacements by return. They are much less restrictive that the full neoprene ones, so your children will be more comfortable in them and I like how they cover more of them up than just trunks or swim shorts.

More Small Stuff 16

 in love  tagged grateful / instagrams / review / small stuff by

am struggling to see the good and light in everything at the moment and finding it hard to be bright and bubbly with a broken arm. I can not sew, stitch, type, bake or craft, all the things that feed my soul. I can not bear to travel on a bumpy bus, especially as my fracture is not in a cast and mobile, so we are pretty much stuck to the small (very small) village we live in.

Orchard Toys Football Game – Review

 in Review  tagged board games / boardgames / games / Orchard toys / review by

The mini mads are very fond of board games. However, at the moment, Mini is an extremely sore loser, which is compounded by the fact that Maxi is older and does tend to win more often when it is a strategic or tactical game. So although we adore Orchard Toys and have never had a bad game (in fact I think we already all their games), I did hold out much hope of the Football Game being placed by just the boys on their own. How wrong could I have been.

The football game is a take on the standard game of snakes and ladders, but with many added extras all linked to football (which my boys loved). In order to win you have to score the first goal, but this is a game of chance as you have to spin the spinner to score the goal and be careful as you could get a red card if you land on the wrong space.

The instructions are clear and concise and very simple to follow. I had one game with the boys and by then they had the hand of things and have played it often ever since on their own.

I adore that this game has leveled the playing field for my boys, th

Trutex Uniform Review 2

 in Review  tagged review / School Uniform / Trutex by

You can never have enough school uniform when you have two boys that are as active as mine. We have to have a clean set for every day of the week otherwise the washing machine would be on all the time.

So when the nice people at Trutex sent me some of their uniform to review, I was secretly delighted as the boys had already managed to go though quite a lot of what I bought for them in september.

I was really impressed with the quality of the products they sent. The polo shirts and jumpers didn’t shrink when washed and tumble dried like some can and the trousers were lovely and soft, but also very durable. Both the boys looked lovely in their uniforms and they have warn really well. I love the fact that the jumpers are a lovely bright red and that the shirts do not need an iron if you give them a shake when you get them ut of the tumble dryer. The whites have remained white and the collars on the polo shirts are the same colour as the res

Win a Bunk Bed Buddy Around the World Limited Edition 4

 in competition  tagged bunk bed buddy / competition / review / Tidy books by

We have a bunk bed buddy in natural finish in Mini’s room for his mid sleeper bed and it has been a real revelation for him.  Like all tidy books products, it is superbly well built and designed and the buddy is very lightweight, but perfect solid and strong at the same time.  We live in a new house and the walls are made of plaster board so we have to be careful of what we put up, but this went up in seconds with the addition of some plasterboard screws and if you have brick walls then the appropriate fixings already come with the kit. It is W53cm x H33cm x D13cm and comes already preassembled, so all you have to do is more »

LEGO Duplo Cars 2 and an Amazing Competition 6

 in competition  tagged cars 2 / compeition / Lego / Lego Duplo / review / toys by

o matter how many times I profess my love of LEGO Duplo and LEGO, I just don’t think I can put into words just how much we love it as a family. Yes we are opn the cusp of the top end of the age range for LEGO Duplo, but due to the fact that it is compatable with LEGO (yes you can connect and interchange the bricks) it is still one of the most played with toys in The Mad House.

We were sent a super duper selection of LEGO Duplo Cars 2 sets to play with as part of the expert program. Rather than do a straight review of the kits (which are fabtastic), I thought I would give you a run down on why we love it so much:

Morphy Richards Intellisteam discount code 6

 in Uncategorized  tagged kitchen / Morphy Richards / review by

So I was really excited to be sent the Morphy Richards Intellisteam, especially as all my vegetables are ready for harvesting in the garden. The intellisteam is unique as it has three compartments in which you can steam different foods and you can also set the compartments for different times and the steamer will ensure that they all finish at the same time, which means your food will be perfectly cooked and ready to serve at the same time.