Play Foam Review

We love play in the Stressy House, but mummy is a little bit tense when it comes to things getting very messy, so when the Playfoam arrived from Learning Resources and I saw the little balls, I was not convinced.

But there it was, bold and clear on the packaging; "No Mess!"

I wasn't convinced, but it was very light and extremely pretty to look at with the little sections of coloured balls with added glitter (this was a definite plus point as far as A was concerned).

So we tore open the packaging and were very pleasantly surprised by its contents.  Playfoam is made up of lots of sticky balls, sticky enough to mould the foam into shapes, but not sticky enough to stick to hands anything else.

Unlike other sand or dough based products, when you combine the colours, you are left with a really lovely mix of colours rather than everything turning into a grungy brown colour.

Easy to mould, Playfoam is great for sensory play and fine motor skill development and is very therapeutic. A and I spent ages squidging and moulding the Playfoam into different shapes and we both enjoyed it. 

There really is no mess.  The odd ball or two escaped occasionally but it was easy enough to scoop them up and join them back with their friends.  

Playfoam is non-toxic and doesn't dry out.  We have had ours out of the packaging now for two weeks and it hasn't lost any of its stickiness at all.

The only negative that I would say about Playfoam is that it is quite difficult to mould into specific shapes and A became a bit frustrated when she was trying to make a duck and struggled.  However, overall, I think that Playfoam is a really amazing product to encourage children (and their parents) to enjoy some relaxing, mess free, creative play.

Learning Resources currently have a competition to win one of five packs of the Playfoam Combo 8-Packs over on their Facebook page.  This competition is running until the 7th June.

We were sent the Playfoam for the purpose of this review.  All opinions and images are our own.

Polarn O. Pyret Children's Clothes Review

Polarn O. Pyret is a Swedish clothing brand for children and I only came across the brand myself recently, on other blogs that I read.  Polarn O. Pyret is pronounced "pole arn oh peeret" and in English it means "buddy and the little one" and their aim is to provide quality clothing designed with babies, children and busy parents in mind.

I was sent two items of clothing to review.  First up was a very lovely dress for A.  Now as you will know if you are a regular reader of this blog, little miss A is a bit of a diva when it comes to clothes, so when I received the original email, A and I had a big debate about whether to choose the red or the blue dress.  A declared both colours to be "boy colours" so pink would be better.  In the end I gave up and chose the red on her behalf.  The dress is aged 3 -4 and I have to say that it is really generous as A is quite tall for her age and I am now buying her at leat 4-5 in most things.

When it arrived, A was not at all bothered by its lack of pinkness, she absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to wear it.  As it has been quite chilly up until this week, I have tended to use it as a tunic style top with a pair of cropped red leggings underneath, but in the warmer weather, it will be great as a dress on its own.

The dress is beautifully made and is really excellent quality, which is a bonus for children but I particularly liked the fact that it is a little bit different and unusual.  A has worn it several times already and she loves it.  It washed really well and even after being covered in chocolate sauce, it has washed and ironed like new.

The dress costs £21 which is on a par with dresses that I have bought A in the past and I love the pockets and the shape of the dress.

I think we will be seeing a lot of A in this dress over the summer because as soon as it is back in the wardrobe, she is wearing it again.

We also received a pair of shorts for L.

Both boys loved these and R would have taken them if they hadn't been too small for him.  These are swim shorts, but you can easily wear them as normal shorts too.  Once again, the quality of these shorts is excellent and L loved the bright colours and design.

L hasn't had too many opportunities to wear the shorts due to the lack of sunshine over the last couple of weeks, but he has worn them a couple of times and I have been pleased with the way they wash and because of the type of fabric, they don't need ironing, which is always an advantage for me.  These swim shorts retail at £16.50.

I will definitely be adding the Polarn O. Pyret site to my list of favourites as there are some really lovely, individual looking clothes for children of all ages and I think that they are really practical, well made and good value for money.

I was sent the dress and shorts free of charge for the purpose of this review.  All pictures and opinions are my own.

Do you still suffer with 'Baby Brain'?

So how long can you get away with the 'baby brain' excuse?  I used it recently when I had forgotten to take in some forms to school.  "Oh I must have baby brain!" I uttered.  The receptionist and all of my children looked at me.  "Do you have something to tell us, Nikki?" "No, definitely not!" was my very hasty reply.  There are definitely no more babies to be had here.  That shop closed three years ago.  But looking at my 'baby', I realised that I really have to think of a new excuse for my seemingly permanent state of stupidity.

So I went home and consulted the great oracle that is Google and low and behold, there are lots of reports and theories about 'baby brain'.  Apparently, scientists claim that due to certain hormone increases during pregnancy, women do suffer with memory loss and other such symptoms, but this should generally wear off around three months after the baby is born.  Three months?  So not three years then.

So what is my excuse then?  My children will vouch that I really do have the world's worst memory and as they all have memories like elephants, this can sometimes pose a problem.  Lack of memory is one thing, I know that I could if I so desired do puzzles and things to help stimulate my memory, but it is the day to day things that really bug me.

Let me give you some examples.

Doors.  Seemingly simple devices. You open them and then you close them.  Yet for some unknown reason, I struggle with push/pull doors.  Most of them have a big sign telling you what to do with them, some of them I navigate on a regular basis.  In spite of this, I still manage to make a complete arse of myself struggling to get through them.  It is a really good job that my front door at home isn't push/pull otherwise we would probably have to move out.

Left and Right.  This problem may well drive my poor husband to buy a Satnav.  When I am giving directions, I really have to think about which is my left and right.  Someone recently taught me to make an L shape with my fingers and thumb and the one that looks like an L is left.  Or my default check is that I write with my right.  That is all well and good, but back in the adult world, if you are dealing with a respectable adult, you do look like a fool by checking your hands before you continue to give directions to someone.  Then there are the obvious problems that come from being chief map reader.  My husband now assumes that he should go the opposite direction to the one given by me, especially if I haven't had time to think about it.  Most of the time, he is right to do so.

Supermarkets.  I have never been one for lists and on the rare occasion that I do make a list, I leave it at home.  So I go out with the list of things that I need in my head and I tell myself that I need five things.  In the car, I will remind myself of those things and sometimes even mentally put them into alphabetical order to see if that helps.  Does it buggery!  The minute I walk through those air-conditioned doors, the list has gone.  Evaporated.  The children can be quite useful at this point as they revel in the fact that they can remember and I can't.

I once watched an amazing workshop at school by a group of people who taught the children some very lively and unusual ways of remembering information.  Colourful mind-maps, acronyms and elaborately visual stories all helped the children to remember a random list of things.  Great if you're revising for an exam, but do they work for my poor weary brain?  Not a chance.

Putting random household objects in very random places.  This is definitely getting worse as I get older.  I constantly find myself trying to put the kettle in the fridge and the children in the tumble dryer.  Toilet rolls end up all over the place.

Keys.  I went through a stage of locking us out of the house several times in a space of a few months.  I keep my car and house key on the same bunch of keys and as soon as I shut the door, I realise that they are still on the table inside.  My poor husband who works an hour a way has had to rescue me a few times.  These days, I have a spare attached to my bag and spares with friends and family just in case.  I am also very good at leaving said set of keys dangling from the lock, inviting any old person to come on in and rob us.  Luckily, someone usually notices and lets us know, but that is definitely not a habit that I would recommend.

My final issue is my children's names.  My gran came from a large family and had more than her fair share of children and grandchildren and she used to work through a list of names until she got to the right one.  It used to make me laugh, that was until I started doing it.  Again, this seems to happen more frequently as I have got older, but the kids do get really fed up with it.  It seems to happen more when I'm cross for some strange reason, but I have contemplated giving them all name tags just to try and help me to stop doing it.

So if it isn't baby brain, what is it?  Is it something that happens as you get older?  I lead a busy life, I probably don't get as much sleep as I should and there are often several things going around my brain at any given moment in the day, so maybe it is simple down to the stress of life as a parent.  Still, I will have to stop calling it 'baby brain' now for fear of giving people the very wrong idea.  Maybe toddler brain?  Or Stressy Mummy brain?  What would you call it?

Don't you just love back seat drivers?

So the teen has been having driving lessons and this week rejoiced at having passed his theory test and is getting dangerously close to taking his actual real driving test.

Dangerously might be the apt word for this situation.

Being a teenager and possibly a male one at that seems to have given him great knowledge and insight into most things and particularly driving.

I am not the best driver in the world.  But having driven for many years and apart from the occasional 'graze' I have only had one accident and that wasn't my fault, which leads me to believe that maybe I'm a reasonable driver.  Yes, I make the odd mistake, but that is part of being human isn't it?

Over the years, I may have been caught out by a couple of speed cameras but since having children, I have become a lot slower and safer in the car; very conscious of my precious cargo.

According to the teen I'm a 'crap' driver. I drive too slowly for one thing. I pointed out to him that comments like that are the reason why teen drivers get such a bad name.  I also don't like overtaking. According to the teen this is another flaw in my ability as a driver.  Me, I would rather be late that involved in a nasty accident, which I think is a good thing personally.

Today I had to drive a reasonable distance in the car with him in the back and the comments came thick and fast.  By the time we arrived, I was gripping the steering wheel so fast, I'm surprised it didn't snap off.  I was criticised for driving too slowly, for being too close to a cyclist, for not signalling properly.  When I stalled the car, he reliably informed me that he was a better driver than me.  Needless to say, he will be walking home.

I just wish that I could instill into him how dangerous cars and driving actually are.  It's not that I want to frighten him, I know how exciting it is to start to drive and the freedom and independence that it brings, but it is such a huge responsibility.

One that he doesn't see.  We have been having many discussions about the cost if insurance as it is around £2500 for him for the first year.  I suggested to him that he have a black box fitted to help monitor his driving and reduce his insurance.  He has already ruled that out as he feels that being limited to slow, daytime driving and  a limited number of miles is not worth the reduction in insurance.  Fair enough, but if he requires any parental contributions, they won't e coming from me.

I was reminded on Friday of the danger of cars.  My car has been making a funny noise for a couple of weeks, but we have been so busy I hadn't got around to ringing the garage.  I dropped the children off and drove to work.  I pulled into a filter lane to turn right near my school and suddenly I couldn't turn the steering wheel.  After a moment of panic, I went for my default 'fix' of turning the car off and back on again.  I was able to turn the wheel but with great difficulty.  I got around the corner and pulled in on the side of the road.  I still don't know what the problem is, but the mechanic said that he could barely drive the car and that I was really lucky it hadn't happened when I was driving at a reasonable speed as I would have probably lost control of the car.

Scary stuff and a timely reminder of the risk we take when we get into a car.

I don't want to be an overbearing mum or to put O off driving, but I just wish that I could make him think about it more and to consider that safety is the most important thing above the independence,freedom and I suppose the kudos that comes with driving at that age. I want him to realise that when he does get behind the wheel of his first car that he doesn't need to drive irrationally or at high speed.

All in all, I am considering starting a campaign to raise the legal driving age and quickly too, but as that isn't going to happen, I will just have to keep nagging. Although, when he does pass his test, if I am brave enough to get in a car with him, I will be the worst back seat driver EVER!

Making room for some new summer clothes

Hooray it's that time of year again. My favourite time of year, when all those crazy people see a glimpse of that rare looking yellow thing in the sky and start showing every bit of themselves humanly possible. I blogged this time last year about my general dismay at the prospect of having to wear anything less than my usual winter 'body armour' as I might be in danger of being arrested for dazzling people with my oh so white skin.

No different this time I'm afraid. I am starting to look woefully at my rather sad collection of summer clothes and wondering if my husband would notice if a large chunk of money from our bank account disappeared on a few floral numbers for the summer. Maybe I could convince him that White Stuff is some sort of amazing cream that I had to buy rather than a clothes shop or that Fat Face is a new aid in my quest for dieting.

Unlikely I know.

However, I do have a cunning plan hidden up my firmly pulled down, full length sleeve. I am going to have a clear out. The house is in dire need of a bit of love and care and working for the last few months has lead to it moving down the list of priorities. I finish in two weeks and so my plan is to have a good old clear out and sell a few bits and bobs; thus when I do finally get to go and splurge a bit of well deserved money on myself, I won't have to feel too guilty.

There are so many different ways to sell your unwanted stuff these days and I was particularly impressed to see that you can exchange your old clothes for cash with Music Magpie.  Clothes for cash = cash for clothes.  This sounds like a plan. The husband couldn't possibly object then could he?

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Stepping on the scales Sunday #1

So I am two weeks into my Slimpod journey. I really should have blogged last week but as I gingerly stepped on the scales after a week of deadlines, an Ofsted inspection, a trip to Harrogate (10 hour round trip) and general other stress, I was not really surprised to see that I had actually put weight on. There had been too much chocolate and too many takeaways. It was a little bit disheartening to see the scales go up, even just a couple of pounds, but in some ways, it was a good thing as it made me refocus and realise that I needed to make more of an effort and also that this process is a marathon and not a sprint.

This week has been easier and I have continued to listen to the very relaxing Slimpod and Fitpod before I go to sleep every night and I am also trying to make time to sit down every day and write down three positives from the day, relating to either eating and drinking or exercise.

There have been no great changes. I haven't starved myself. There have been cookies and cake, the have been normal meals and apart from a long walk yesterday, I haven't really had time to do any exercise. However, I haven't craved food at my danger time in the late evenings and I have definitely snacked less during the day.

A couple of times, I have reached a point where I have actually left food on my plate. Yes, you read that correctly, left food on my plate. This is a fairly new phenomenon for me unless it is  meal that I really disliked. But I am now realising that I'm full and stopping, which is a really good thing.

So what was the verdict? Well, I am rather pleased to say that I have lost three pounds this week. I feel better in myself generally and thanks to the dulcet tones of the Slimpod, I have never slept better. I am drinking more water and trying to eat more fruit and vegetables. All good, and I am really pleased with the results.

This week, I need to tackle my lack of exercise. Work has finally calmed down, so I am going to dust off my 30 Day Shred and try and do it a few times during the course of the week. I have been sent a lovely top and pair of trousers to encourage me to do some exercise but the lovely people at Debenhams and I shall be wearing them to do the 'shred' this week.

If I am still able to type, I will let you know next week how I get on.

The Shoestring Marriage

So, you've accepted your fiance's proposal and you're excited about planning the big day. There is just one problem: money. Do not worry if the thought of spending thousands of pounds on a single day gives you the shivers, as there are plenty of ways to get married on a shoestring. And there are plenty of benefits to doing so as well!

 The average UK wedding costs in excess of £22,000, but this generally puts a great deal of stress on the new couple, who may be then paying off the costs for many years to come. It is far better to enjoy an informal celebration with close friends and family, rather than getting stressed about organizing a huge wedding for all and sundry and spending a fortune in the process.

First, look at your guest list and cut it right down to close friends and family. Be ruthless, as this is your wedding and not a big PR event. When you know the numbers, you can start looking at venues. Consider package offers in hotels and inquire about midweek or Friday prices, which tend to be much cheaper than Saturdays. Look at registry offices for excellent wedding prices and even research package options abroad, which can still work out cheaper than the UK!

Ask yourself whether you really want a formal wedding, or whether you would be happy with something more casual and personal. Savvy couples often opt for the DIY option by organizing their own events, typically in parks, on seafronts or in gardens. Friends can be recruited to take on different jobs, such as photography, bakery and catering. If you intend to have bridesmaids, why not let them wear their own dresses? As for your own dress, why not consider one that is vintage, pre-owned or even hired for the day?

Ask yourself if a sit-down meal is really necessary, or whether a buffet would be more fun. Consider what is really important to you and don't get swept away by the various little extras that rapidly add up, but which add very little value to the day itself.

Also consider how you will finance your wedding. A secured loan from a specialist such as Evolution Money will help you manage the budget and repay the loan at an agreed rate within a defined timescale, rather than putting the cost on a number of credit cards, which can be difficult to clear. Speak to our experts now and you could soon be organizing a fantastic, budget-friendly celebration.

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