Gallstones

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Lots of people have gallstones and don't even know about but if you have an attack, trust me you'll know about. It's been three years since my last gallstone attack and my goodness it was bad. The horror of what I went through is still so fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday.

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We had a DVD weekend with Fireman Sam and Q Pootle 5

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Little J likes to watch TV and is starting to have a few firm favourites. He won't sit and watch a programme from start to finish just yet but he is certainly starting to enjoy it. He will glance over every now and then and if there is something in particular he likes then he will sit and stare whilst fiddling with a toy in his hand, but not for to long before he's off playing. I usually find myself still watching children's programmes even when he's not around.  We have recently been watching two DVDs which were sent for little J. Fireman Sam - Ocean Rescue
I am a fan of Fireman Sam myself. We have been watching him for years since big J was little and it's nice to see Fireman Sam has stood the test of time and is still a favourite of little ones. I have to say we really enjoyed this. Little J has watched Fireman Sam before and he seems to like it. I thought the episodes were really good. I loved the fact they were on the ocean and I have been looking at the range of toys to go with this.

New coastguard Ben works alongside the Rescue Team to keep everyone safe with heroics on the high seas. Mike takes on the choppy seas alone as he attempts to set up some fireworks but they accidentally all go off at once. Meanwhile Norman and Mandy row out to sea in search of a rare turtle. Its not long before they are lost and the waves keep getting bigger. Will Fireman Sam be able to find them before disaster strikes? Find out all this and more in this collection of new, daring Ocean Rescues. The DVD features six episodes  All at Sea Whale Watch The Pontypandy Cup  Turtle Hunt The Treasure Trap Stage Fright running time is 70 mins approx. Q Pootle 5 - The Great Space Race and other adventures
If I am honest I hadn't heard of Q Pootle 5 before which i'm shocked at really because as you may already know we are huge fans of cBeebies. I was eager to give the DVD a try because after watching the trailer ( which you can below) it looked great. Again little J seemed to really enjoy it. We watched two episodes over the weekend and its a really cute show.

Join Q Pootle 5 and his friends in 13 of your favourite episodes The Great Space Race Pootle's House Guest Groobie's Spacewash A day with Ray The Biggest Picture Ever Maurice Rocket Bird Oopsy Flower Power Hitting The High Note The Singing Valley Runaway Rocket Eddi's Hat It Came From Outer Space\ Also includes extras
Okidoki Karaoke The Making of Q Pootle 5
So both DVD's got big thumbs up from us here and I am sure they will stay in our dvd collection as little J gets older. *we were sent the dvd's for review purposes. All opinions are our own*

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Blast From the Past - #AngelDelightMoments

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When I was younger I always remember Angel Delight being a treat we would have on a Sunday after our roast dinner. My mum would make I and I would eagerly wait for it to set in the fridge. It only took minutes but it felt like forever.  Sometimes we would have it with jelly which was another after dinner treat. I don't remember having any other flavours except for strawberry. Maybe strawberry was the only flavour available back then.
Not there are five classic flavours to choose from chocolate, raspberry, butterscotch, banana and strawberry. There is also a no added sugar option in butter witch, chocolate and strawberry. A new flavour which has been introduced to the classic five is Bubblegum and we have been trying it out.  Bubblegum is probably big J's favourite flavour in anything. Ice cream, lolly-ices, lollipops anything he can find in that flavour really. 

When I told him angel delight had brought out bubblegum his first words were "can we buy some?" So today I got our sachet of angel delight and milk and made the new bubblegum flavour. 

We were sent some bubblegum angel delight to try out so I got big j to give me a hand mixing it together.

When you open the packet the flavour is really strong and smells delicious. 

If you have never made angel delight before it is really simple you just add milk and whip. That's it. Pop in the fridge for five minutes and it's done.

After dinner big J and little J gave it a try. They both really enjoyed it. There are other ways to enjoy angel delight you can make ice lollies, smoothies and milkshakes but big J just wanted to try something different.

He wanted to make angel delight ice cubes? So we poured the mix into the ice cube trays and waited for them to freeze. Big J enjoyed a glass of milk with angel delight ice cubes. He said it was delicious and definitely worth a try if you are an angel delight fan. "This post is entry for #AngelDelightMoments Linky Challenge"

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Wool Overs Celebrates 25 Years

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I have said it before but Autumn / Winter is my most favourite time of year. I love shopping for new clothes when the cold weather starts to creep in because it means I can buy nice warm jumpers, cardigans and jumper dresses to keep me warm and cosy. I love wrapping up warm on a cold wintery day. I recently found Woolovers website and I was so impressed with their choice of knitwear. 

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Have You Tried Laser Hair Removal?

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Laser hair removal is becoming more and more popular nowadays. Its safe to do and its virtually painless so maybe that's why people are choosing to remove any unwanted hair this way. I have heard many celebrities have chose laser hair removal but I have never tried it, have you? I was browsing Sk:n and I came across the section on laser hair removal. They have a process they follow to help review your progress and ensure you know how to maintain hair-free skin.

Its done in steps as shown above. First you are invited to a consultation including test patches and a personalised treatment plan. Then you will receive your treatments At your 4th treatment appointment you will receive a review of  your progress. After your last treatment you will then be invited back for a +1 reward treatment where they will assess the results and give you a free deep exfoliating glycolic peel which is value at £80. The process is very simple. An experienced member of staff will provide goggles for you to wear to protect your eyes. The laser is attracted to the dark pigment in hair called melanin. The hair must be at a certain stage of growth cycle for it to be effective. Once done cold air of gel will be applied to the skin. Lasering can take between 15-45 minutes depending on the area. Repeat treatments will be every 4-6 weeks for around 8 months. this is to achieve the best results. Laser hair removal is available for any unwanted hair including Eyebrows, Earlobes, Fingers, Upper Lip, Cheeks,  Chin,  Sideburns,  Nipples,  Jawline, Underarms, Feet. With the most popular treatment prices starting at from £45 you can visit the website HERE to view the full range, including venues and prices. *in collaboration with sk:n*

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Little J Loves His Read Along Woolly

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If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know we have always been a big fan of Cbeebies and since having little J we have been watching it more and more. Little J has started to have a few favourites including In The Night Garden and he loves Squidge but he's just started to enjoy Woolly and Tig too. 

When we were sent Read Along With Woolly I knew little J would love him and I wasn't wrong.

As soon as I took him out the box little J just dived on him.

I managed to get him for a minute so I could take a photo.

 Read Along Woolly comes with his own story book and within the story book is symbols that represent a sound. 

When you come to the part in the story with a symbol you look on Woollys leg for the symbol, press it and he will play the sound.  It's made story time so much more fun for little J and i have been reading the story and getting him to press the correct sound.

Although even with the story book Woolly's leg can just be pressed for fun which little J enjoys too.

And of course he is soft and cuddly for you to snuggle up to or jump on if you are little J.

Woolly has become a firm favourite for bedtime alongside little J's taggy (which is in his mouth)

You can see more of Read Along Woolly in the above video.

Woolly is available from Golden Bear Toys and can be viewed HERE. He is currently priced at £29.99 and is suitable from 10 months +

I also just wanted to mention too that there is currently a Christmas bundle offer on Golden Bear Toys website which offers a 6 Woolly and Tig toys all for £50 which is a bargain. Saving of £53

*we were sent woolly in return for a full honest review. If you choose to buy either of the products i have listed - please note I wil not receive any sort of compensation *

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Daddy and Big J go to Play Expo

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Last weekend daddy and big J had a great time at their first games convention. We had been invited to review Play Expo at Event City, Manchester. 

I would class Big J and Daddy as 'gamers', big J loves FIFA and daddy likes lots of different games and has been playing since he had his first zx spectrum - a long time ago!  Although they both love games, they had never been to an event, and both where looking forward to it. 

Daddy's post
When we arrived, the queues looked huge! Luckily we had press passes and manger to squeeze through to the front of the queue to get in.  When we first walked in bumblebee and barricade - the actual cars from the transformers films, where on show protected by some guards with guns, that anyone could handle - hopefully replicas!    

The cars are very impressive, whether you like the films or not, and everyone was talking a photo or two. 

We had a look at the size of the event as we walked in. The place was enormous. It really was difficult to know where to go first as there really was so much on show.

The first thing little J saw that he wanted to look at was a stall full of all types of t-shirts, collectibles, toys and all kinds relating to games. He liked the look of some of the minecraft bits, but decided to wait before parting with his money. 

Next was a section with approximately 100 ps4 consoles showing new and older games for anyone to play. Driveclub is a new ps4 exclusive racing game and we enjoyed a few goes on this.  Big J is definitely a FIFA fan, whereas I grew up with PES being the only football game to play, back when FIFA was a game that allowed you to score easily from the halfway line! A match was due and PES 2015 was on show. After 3 games, I was the 2-1 victor overall. 

After this is was time for some pinball.  I have honestly never seen so many machines in one place, and all free to play.  We both had a good few games of some classic machines, the Addams family, lord of the rings and nba basketball to name a few.  

Next to the pinball was a large arcade with, again,  more machines than I have ever seen in one place.  All free to play, and we played the classics, outrun, afterburner, hard drivin' even virtual striker ( which little J comprehensively battered me on with a 3-1 score line).  SCI was next - for those who remember chase hq, this was chase hq2. I loved this game when I was younger but never managed to get past level 5. Now that I had lots of free credits, I managed to get to the end - and got the high score,

There was a large retro console area, which didn't really excite little J too much, although I was impressed and so many stalls selling all manner of gaming goodies.

The best parts of the show for me have to be getting my picture taken in the delorean from back to the future 

and on the iron throne from game of thrones. 
Although these needing paying for, well worth a fiver each in my opinion. 

We finished by visiting the same stall as we looked at when we first went in, little J sticking by his initial thoughts of minecraft stuff. One foam sword and cardboard box later - and he looks like he is from the game!

Then it was another look at barricade and bumblebee, and home, after a really good day.  We will definitely be attending another gaming convention!

To find out more about Play Expo you can visit the website HERE

*we were invited to review Play Expo all thought are our own*

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Lena Dunham - Girls

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A few weeks ago I didn't feel to good, well it was just a cough and cold but it took me out. I was really bad with it and it lasted almost a week which is really rare for me. I usually just have it for a day or two and still able to do my normal things, this wiped me out completely.   I looked after little J as normal during the day which was okay although he had his usual appointments so I just made sure I had lots of tissues with me. When Daddy came home he took over and I was able to go to bed. I just couldn't sleep, which didn't help me get better. Instead I was flicking through some TV Shows and I couldn't believe it when I realised the third season of GIRLS was out.   

I'm not quite sure how I came about watching GIRLS I think I had read an article about it when it had just premiered on HBO in America.   I watched the very first episode and I was hooked. It is such a great programme and I can relate with all the GIRLS in different ways.   If you have never seen it, GIRLS was created by Lena Dunham who also stars in the show. It follows the lives of four friends in their twenties living in New York City.   It reminds me of Sex in the City but more realistic and genuine.    Anyway so I wasn't feeling well and found season 3 of GIRLS to watch. Now all parents will know it is hard to get a few minutes to yourself and it normally takes me a long time to get through a series of a TV programme but once I started watching it I couldn't stop. Although I felt like rubbish I was enjoying my chill time and I watched a whole season in less than a day. I really enjoyed it and I'm gutted I have to wait till next year for season four. 

Do you watch GIRLS?

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#Win Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset

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Daddy has been trying out the Gioteck EX3-R and you can read all about it HERE If you would like to win one then all you need to do is answer the question and leave the answer as a blog comment.

Q: If you won, who would you give the headset to? Good luck Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset To view more Gioteck Products please visit the website HERE Terms and Conditions Competition closes on Sunday 26th  October 2014 at 12AM Entrants must have a valid UK address Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified All entrants and entries are checked and verified. All entrants must follow the mandatory step and answer the question as a blog comment. 1 lucky winner will be chosen at random by the Gleam application. Mummy2Monkeys will contact the lucky winner within 1 day of the competition closing The winner must respond within 28 days. If no response a new winner will be chosen. The prize is a Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset There is no cash alternative.

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Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset

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You may have already read that Daddy and big J love their console games. 

Daddy has wrote a post for me based on a review of the Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset

Gioteck recently sent us the EX3-R inline messenger headset to try, as a quality alternative to the usual range of headsets on offer for ps4.

The headset arrived in a well packaged and typically blue and black box, with some of the headsets key features shown.

Inside, the headset is of good sturdy quality, simple and easy to set up with your ps4 controller - it really is plug and play (or plug and talk I should say!)

The set fits nicely around your ear to keep it in place and the earphone fits into your ear like any other in ear headphone would. You can adjust the set to get the right fit for you. The voice piece is nice and short and doesn't get in your way at all, but picks up very clearly what you are saying.

You can hear clearly what your friends (or enemies depending on the game) are saying and the quality does rival some of the more expensive sets outs there. 

If I was to sum up the EX3-R inline messenger headset, I would say simple, inexpensive, and good quality headset. If you are looking for a cheaper chat headset, but don't want to lose the quality then I would recommend the set. 

As an added bonus, I have also discovered that this set works on Xbox one too, when used with the controller and adapter.

Thanks Gioteck, I am now looking at buying my next gaming chair from your site. 
***************** To view the Gioteck range you can visit the website HERE If you would like to own a Gioteck EX3-R Inline Messenger Headset make sure you check out my competition HERE

*we were sent the gioteck headset in return for a full honest review - thought and any opinions as always are our own*

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Frozen and Fajitas

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At the weekend we had a Frozen and Fajita night. Frozen is one of my favourite Disney movies and it was perfect to cuddle up to, all cosy on a chilly Saturday night.

Our movie feast was Fajitas. We were sent a selection of Santa Maria goodies and Frozen to create the ultimate movie night in.

You may already know that Santa Maria is the new brand name for Discovery products. We have bought Discovery products in the past but we hadn't tried the new Santa Maria products yet. 

So for movie night Big J wanted a bowl of Sweet Chilli Nacho Rolls with Salsa and Guacamole to dip. He's not a lover of peppers or onions so has never tried a fajita before but he said he would give it a go.

There is a chicken fajita recipe online for those who have never made them before

I am not the best cook but they are very easy to make but I have included the recipe below 

Chicken Fajitas (serves 4)

2 tbsp oil

500g chicken breast, cut into thin strips

1 sachet of Santa Maria seasoning mix mild.

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 packet of Santa Maria corn and wheat tortillas

To serve

Green Salad

Fresh tomatoes, slice

Santa Maria Salsa 

Santa Maria Guacamole

1. Coat chicken in oil and seasoning mix. heat a heavy based frying pan until very hot and add the chicken. Fry for about 3 minutes until well browned.

2. Add the onions and peppers and cook for a further 2 minutes or until meat is cooked.

3. Serve with warm tortillas, green salad, tomatoes, salsa and guacamole, roll up and enjoy.

There are two fajita seasonings available hot and mild. For me the mild is hot enough so I wouldn't try the hot one but that would be down to personal choice.

So fajitas and nacho rolls were ready and we were ready to watch Frozen.

We have not tried corn and wheat tortillas before but I would definitely buy again, they were delicious. They were slightly smaller than are usual tortillas but they were very soft and had a nice taste to them.

The salsa was mild too so perfect for me who doesn't like to spicy. It was nice to try guacamole as we have never tried it before. It was actually quite nice. I think the colour usually puts me off which I know sounds silly but it did so i'm glad I had a taste.

We were all fans of the nacho rolls they are so yummy. I love anything sweet chilli flavour so for me they were probably my favourite. I could just eat them on their own without dips, just like crisps.

I was really impressed with the Santa Maria range and it was nice to sit down as a family with a movie and have something different for dinner. Quick and easy to prepare and cook and very tasty.

You can visit the Santa Maria Range HERE

  *we were sent a selection of goodies in return for a review*

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Pop Art Fun

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We have recently taken part in a challenge to create some POP art. We are not the most creative family in the world but we give it a go and we ALWAYS have fun. So no matter how amazing (or not) our creations turn out we know we had a giggle doing it.  POP is a high energy childrens channel for 4-9 year olds and they are hosting the blogger challenge. So what did we decide to create? Well big J wanted to create Bumblebee from Transformers, which is shown on POP I had no idea how to make a Bumblebee but we got a box and paint and just went with the flow.

So here it is our POP art fun creation. We had lots of fun making it and was nice quality family time with big J. He did want to make it so it turned into the robot but I couldn't even imagine how we would do that..haha.

So big J is happy with his creation and that's all that matters.

Its now took pride of place on his bedroom shelf.

To find out more about POP the first channel to be added to the freeview children's portfolio in eight years you can visit the website HERE

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No More Stinky Smells

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When little J was born I was actually overwhelmed with what you can buy for babies these days. It was so long since we had big J that I actually forgot how much stuff a little one needs. On top of all the 'must haves' we did get a little carried away with buying stuff we didn't actually need.  Not once did it cross my mind to buy a nappy bin. I'm not sure why but I didn't actually think we would need one. Since having one for just a week I realised that a) We did need one and b) We should have got one from day one.

We were given the chance to review the Tomee Tippee Nappy Disposal System and like I said I had never thought we needed one so I wanted to give it a go. The nappy bin comes in two new colours, pink and blue and are exclusive to Mothercare. I chose blue for my monkey.

When it arrived it was smaller than I imagined and was a nice soft baby blue. It was already set up and ready to use in the box but I'm not sure whether all bins come like that. If not there was a step by step guide on how to get it ready and it does seem quite easy to fit the nappy bag refill. I will need to refer back to it when its time to refill the nappy sacks. So its not rocket science really what the nappy disposal system does, basically your little one does a stinky and you pop it in the bin. It is however quite clever so let me explain. You pop the nappy in the bin which is lined with a nappy sack.

Once the nappy is in the bin you need to twist the outside wheel which is grey with a little handle to grasp.

As you twist in a clockwise direction you will see the nappy sack start to close with the nappy inside.

Once you have have turned the wheel clockwise in a 360 degree turn the sack should be completely closed.

Then all you need to do is close the lid. This then pushes the nappy and sack down in the bin.

When you open the lid again a new fresh nappy sack is waiting for the next nappy.

I thought the nappy would just fall to the bottom of the bin but it doesn't it hangs onto the fresh nappy sack and so on. It reminds me of a string of sausages. 

The nappy bin came with a free refill which is just a cartridge which like I said earlier seems easy to fit.

So that's it. Very simple but very useful and easy to use. 

There is a  list of key features on the website HERE but a few points to mention are

The system holds 28 nappies at any one time (based on size 1). I can't imagine letting it fill up with that many nappies though.

The system comes with a nappy cassette pre loaded.

The Blue and Pink version are exclusive to Mothercare at the moment and are currently priced at £15.50 although it does say original RRP is £31 so if you are wanting to buy one I would suggest sooner rather than later as the price may go back up. This does include two refills.

For more information you can visit Tommee Tippee HERE

I am really pleased with the nappy disposal system. It has saved me going back and forth to the bin and there has been no nasty smells lingering since we have been using it so I would definitely give it a Mummy2Monkeys thumbs up.

*we were sent the nappy disposal system to review in return for a honest review. all the thoughts and opinions above are my own*

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