Aldi Special Buys

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As you may already know I am a big fan of Aldi and have been doing our main shopping there for a year or so now. We have had two new Aldi's open up close by now so its good to have one within a short driving distance. Although we shop there weekly, I had no idea about Aldi Special Buys. I do have a look though the non-food section and have picked up a few bits in the past but I didn't realise they have items on offer too.

Aldi Special Buys are released twice a week on a Thursday and a Sunday.  They are usually grouped together in categories, for example at the moment there are Rugby Special Buys and on Thursday 17th September all Aldi Special Buys will be Baby and Toddler.  A few weeks ago the it was bedroom ranges on offer and I was lucky enough to receive a few items to try out.

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Letting Your Child Choose New Toys

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I decided to take little J for some new toys recently. He loves toys and he hasn't really had any new ones since his birthday in March. When we arrived at Smyths I told him that he could buy some new toys and he could pick them himself. He was really excited and kept saying 'new toys for me'

Just outside the store was a huge Lego figure so he climbed on and posed for a photo.

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Bananagrams Wildtiles Review

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As soon as Autumn begins I get all the board games out. I love playing board games and as much as Daddy and big J may protest because they would rather play the xbox they always end up having great fun. We usually get a few new games for Christmas but last week we received Bananagrams Wild Tiles in the post. I have heard of the Bananagrams before but had no idea what it was.

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WOW Toys - Tow Truck Tim

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I am genuinely proud and honoured to be a WOW Toys Blogger Buddy and not because we get to try out cool toys but because its a brand that I really believe in. We have a few WOW toys now and little J loves playing with them. He is at the stage now were he is using his imagination to create little role play scenarios with his toys. His favourite is still cars and figures. It's very rare to see him without a car or a little man in his hand. He just loves toys and I could watch him play all day. When we received Tow Truck Tim to review he was so excited. He wanted it out the box and in his hands faster than I could get it there. He eagerly stood waiting for me to pop it out the box.

Tow Truck Tim is a motorised tow truck who comes to the aid of Rolling Ray. Ray is car that has broken down and needs help.

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In The Night Garden Live - The Ninky Nonk Show Review

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In The Night Garden Live is touring at the moment and last month we visited the purpose built showdome in Manchester. Little J has never been to a show before so we were unsure whether he would like it. He loves In The Night Garden and has met Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy many times in Alton Towers. He gets so excited when he see's them so we decided we would take him along.

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August Degustabox Review

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I am genuinely excited to be reviewing Degustabox again this year. I absolutely love the idea of receiving a box full of food / drink surprises each month. When we last reviewed Degustabox we found quite a few brands that we either hadn't heard of or hadn't tried yet so it was nice to explore new foods. 

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World Class Fragrances Giveaway

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I am so excited to team up once again with World Class Fragrances to offer a very special giveaway on my blog. Five lucky readers will win one of the top 5 women's fragrances by World Class. Which one will you choose?

Colour Me Purple

An elegant rich modern fruity chypre fragrance. The fresh top notes of bergamot and watermelon are boosted by a subtle floral accord of pretty jasmin, rose and violet notes. The dry down is a tenacious blend of oakmoss, amber and precious patchouli woods.

Loves Me, Love Me Not

Feminine natural freshness with top notes of wild strawberry, violet leaves and ruby red grapefruit; a luminous modern vintage heart note of violet, jasmine and gardenia; and finishing with a smooth softness and warm notes of vanilla, musk and white woods

 

Miss Tutu

A modern sensuous chypre fragrance with bergamot, muguet and water fruits to sparkle. Precious jasmin, velvety red rose and woody vetivert give heady floralcy which reaches into a warm feminine sensuous background of amber, patchouli and creamy vanilla.

Perfumers Choice - Natalie 

The vibrant top note of a delicious fruity accord combined with the sophistication of a powdery iris. A feminine and velvety floral heart accord tenderly envelopes the transition to a warm and addictive dry down composed of gourmand and sensual woody ambery notes.

Colour Me Femme Gold

Fresh sparkling citrus, neroli and raspberry top notes lift and embrace the rich jasmin and commercial white floral heart. Elegant tenacious base notes blend white honey with warm patchouli woods and sensual musks.

For your chance to win one of the gorgeous fragrances just complete the entry form below. Good Luck

World Class Fragrances Giveaway



Terms and Conditions


Competition closes on Tuesday 18th September 11:59PM
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.
5 lucky winners will be chosen at random by the Gleam application.
Mummy2Monkeys will contact the lucky winners within 3 days of the competition closing.
The winners must respond within 7 days. If no response a new winner will be chosen.
This prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
The prize is each winner can choose a perfume from the women top five fragrances as shown above

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September, The Beginning Of My Year

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For me the beginning of the year is never January its always September. I think because big J starts his new school year September and my work year starts in September it just feels right. So with September here its time for me to start planning. They say there are 3 types of people, a past person, a present person and a future person. I am definitely a future person. I'm not truly happy unless I am planning something.

The iPhone calendar is a great way for me to keep on top of what I need to plan for.

So every year around this time I start thinking about the year ahead and what I need to plan and usually it involves working to a budget.

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Time To Freshen Up Our Home

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I recently mentioned that our bedroom needs a makeover but after sitting back and thinking about it the whole house does too. We got a double extension on our house back in 2007 and we decorated from top to bottom. Since then it has only been painted once. I think when we found out we were pregnant with little J we didn't want to decorate then as it meant lots of work and we didn't have the time or money as we were saving for a new baby. Then it got to the point were we thought we don't want to decorate when he's a toddler because he will be drawing on the walls and getting up to all sorts of mischief. Actually little J is a very good toddler and I don't think he will have the 'terrible twos' at all, *fingers crossed* so we have decided to decorate the whole house.

The beige coloured walls and dark furniture were great at first but now its time to add a bit of colour.

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Back to School Nike Trainers From Get The Label

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I think its just a 'boy thing' but I am forever buying trainers or tracksuits for big J. Trainers for running, boots for football, trainers for playing out and trainers for best. It goes on and on. With school starting he needs a good pair of trainers to be able to use for multi sports indoor or outdoor. I have used Get The Label before and was very pleased with the price of the items we chose and the service too so I popped online to take a look.

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5 Reasons To Get A Dehumidifier For Your Home

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Daddy and I have been thinking about giving our home a makeover. It's in desperate need of a  Spring  Autumn clean. There are a few items we want to get too including a fan. Our home gets so warm during the evenings and I suspect we may have an Indian Summer so I am expecting it to be warm in September. Also we want a Dehumidifier. I actually didn't even know these excited until recently but after reading the benefits we want one. They are a cheap but excellent addition to your home. They come in different sizes and can stop many problems.

Here are five reasons to get a dehumidifier for your home.

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#ChangyEFC Challenge

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Today we headed to Everton Two, Liverpool One to take part in Changy's Challenge. Its pretty obvious that the boys are Everton fans so when we found out about the challenge big J couldn't wait. Changy's challenge offered Everton Fans the chance to win some fantastic prizes including hospitality tickets to the Everton v Liverpool derby, a chance to meet the players or even the 3rd Everton shirt that hasn't even been released yet. Being a true fan big J had his eye on the ' meet the players' prize but would have been happy with any of the prizes. Like I always say its the taking part that counts.

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Our Bedroom Makeover With The Yorkshire Linen Company

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There is one thing about me that you possibly don't know yet but I love sleep. I have always loved sleep and if I don't get enough I get very grumpy. When I was younger I loved my bedroom it was the one place in our house that was mine. Okay my Mum and Dad technically owned it really as it was their house but it was decorated the way I wanted it and my bed was always so comfy. Now I share the bedroom with Daddy and it isn't as cosy as I suppose it could be. Our room can become messy quite quickly especially with little J wandering in early in the morning carrying various toys and teddies. Also our duvets are in desperate need of a change and so are our covers. Sometimes I find it very hard to drift off to sleep and I'm wondering if my surroundings have anything to do with it.

Our current bedding set is very dark and although its New York (which we love) the colours don't really reflect our personalities. We need something a bit more bold and bright. The Disney cushion is years old as you can probably see. Daddy uses this if he is reading or playing on his phone or computer.

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Minion Lab Review

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During the Summer months we spends lots of time travelling around in the car visiting different attractions and days out. Although we do try and be out and about as much as possible there are days when we just stay at home and chill. Especially on rainy days the boys can become bored quite quickly so I am very organised when it comes to making sure that the boys will be entertained.

Although both boys love playing with toys and games together there are moments when they both  listen to music on big J's phone whilst playing games on the iPad. Big J loves games such as Football Manager and Stickmen but he does like to take advantage of free Minion games too.

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Summer Memories With Roberts Bakery

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I can't believe there is only two full weeks left of the Summer holidays. Time has flown by but we have had lots of fun this Summer and still lots planned. We are very lucky to be able to blog about all the fun times we get up to. Our blog is the perfect place to store memories. As you probably know I love taking photos of the boys and watching them spend time together but there are other ways to store your memories. Big J has a memory box which he has had forever. He puts all sorts in there. We used to look at it all on rainy days and think back to the fun we had. Roberts Bakery have come up with a perfect idea and have sent us a huge Kilner jar to store all our Summer memories in.

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Family Snow Park Pass to Chill Factoré Giveaway

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Big J and I were so jealous when Daddy and little J got the chance to visit the new Mini Moose Adventure Playground recently at Chill Factoré. It looked so much fun and I know little J had a great time. We have been looking at all going together soon and I was checking out the website when I came across the Snow Park Pass.

The Snow Park Pass allows you to visit the Snow Park and experience a range of snow activities. They all look very exciting plus this Summer they have introduced a new Snow Luge.  The Snow Luge is built entirely from real snow and you can take on the twists and turns as you race to the bottom.  

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Google Chromecast Giveaway

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 As you may already know Daddy loves his technology and is always tinkering with gadgets and gizmos. His latest project is the Google Chromecast. If I am honest I had no idea what a Chromecast was but Daddy did his best to explain it to me.

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Qwiddle - The Online Piggy Bank For Children

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I recently wrote a post about pocket money and how we should let our children manage their own pennies to help them understand the value of money. Since that post I stumbled upon Qwiddle. Qwiddle is an online piggy bank for children and even better that unlike most things nowadays its FREE.

So after reading the 'About Us" and 'How It Works' sections I was confident that this would work for big J. He does have pocket money which we give him as cash each month. Then he usually spends most of it online either buying Xbox credits or iTunes. So we then usually pay for it out of our bank or PayPal and he gives us the cash back. To save any messing around he could do it all himself via his only Paypal account thanks to Qwiddle.

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Peppa Pig Weebles Pull-Along Wobbily Train Review

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You may remember a few months ago that little J received Weebles Wobbily Farm Mill and Barn to review. He absolutely loves it and plays with almost every day. At the time he didn't really like Peppa Pig but I had noticed they had a Peppa Pig range of Weebles too. I kept my eye on them and was hoping that I could expand his playset with the Peppa pig range for his birthday. Luckily little J did start to watch Peppa Pig so I jumped at the chance to buy him the Peppa Pig Wind and Wobble Playhouse and Rockin' Rocket. Again he loves thems and plays with them all together. Recently he was so excited when we received the Peppa Pig Weebles Pull-Along Wobbily Train, it's a perfect addition to his collection.

Peppa Pig Weebles Pull-Along Wobbily Train

The  Peppa Pig Weebles Pull-Along Wobbily Train has detachable carriages and comes with a Peppa figure with a heart on her dress. 

Peppa 

Learning How To Detach The Carriages

The train engine carriage is at the front and there is room for a driver. Little J always puts Peppa in the front even though he has other figures he could make the driver.

Some Friends Are Joining In The Fun

The other two carriages can be removed if needed or you can keep them connected and then there is room for two more figures. 

Playing With Big Brother

The train can be pushed or pulled along the floor and when it moves it wobbles from side to side. Little J loves the train as he is in the phase of pushing cars across our wooden floor. He is fascinated with wheels at the moment too so is often found with his head on the floor looking under the train or cars trying to work out how they work.

A Train Ride To Wind and Wobble Playhouse

*****

What We Loved

Colourful and Chunky. No flimsy plastic bits that will fall off after a few hours play.

Includes a lovely Peppa figure

The carriages can be connected together or detached if needed

Lovely addition to our collection so far.

What Could Improve

Nothing really. Little J loves it.

*****

The Peppa Pig Weebles Pull-Along Wobbily Train is currently available to buy on Character Online or Amazon with an RRP of £17.99

*We were sent the Wobbily Train in return for a full honest review. All thoughts above are our own*

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Fisher Price Dora And Friends Review

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We are not the type of parents that believe that blue is for boys and pink is for girls, in fact we are the complete opposite. Even though we have two little monkeys you will find lots of pink toys in our home. We have a pink pram that little J takes his doll for a walk in, a pink picnic basket and a pink talking teapot. When we were asked to review the new range of Dora goodies from Fisher Price I obviously said yes because little J is a huge fan. When we opened the box, three of the items instantly stood out and I knew little J would be really excited about them. The two dolls and the smartphone.

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Biscuiteers Ice Lollies Big Biscuit Card Giveaway

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When the Summer months arrive I am always on the lookout for gifts which I can give to family and friends as we have quite a few birthdays. I recently found Biscuiteers. Biscuiteers offer a huge range of biscuits to suit all occasions. Whether its a birthday or new baby they have everything you could want. I did wander over to the chocolates and cake sections too and the bespoke cakes look absolutely amazing.

If I have made your mouth water with all the talk about biscuits and cakes then keep reading. To get you all in the mood for Summer I have a very delicious giveaway. Biscuiteers are offering one of my readers the chance to win an Ice Lollies Big Biscuit Card.

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#DoraSingAlong Summer Tour with Smyths and Nick Jr

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You may have noticed two badges on my sidebar that popped up over the weekend. I am so excited to tell you that this Summer Dora and Friends Karaoke Booth is visiting Smyths Toy Superstores and Sky Retail Stands.

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My Stinky New School Giveaway

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September is a hard month for most parents because it's the start of a new school year. Whether your child is starting a new nursery, school or even just moving up a year it can be tough. I always remember preparing big J for nursery and also preparing myself because my little boy wouldn't be with me anymore.

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Win A Family Ticket to Toytopia

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I am so excited to announce that I am an Official Mummy Blogger for Toytopia. It's obvious from our blog that we love toys here so it will be so much fun to visit a Toy Exhibition. I have never attended anything like this before so I have no idea what to expect but it sounds good. Daddy and big J went to a game event last year which is very similar and they still talk about that now.

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Ravensburger Statue Of Liberty 3D Puzzle Review

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We recently received Ravensburger Statue Of Liberty 3D Puzzle and we couldn't wait to complete it. This is our third 3D puzzle from the range and probably my favourite so far. I say so far because we are planning to collect them all because not only are they fun to complete but they look amazing and now take pride of place in my living room. The Statue Of Liberty 3D Puzzle only has 108 pieces so over 100 less than we were used to. I thought the actual statue would be a puzzle but she is a figure, the puzzle makes up the base.

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Dylan's Reptile Time

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I was so lucky this week to be able to see little J take part in a special nursery activity when Dylan's Reptile Time came to visit. It's so nice that little J goes to the nursery that I work in, every day is like 'bring a child to work day' I love watching him play and chat to the other children and seeing him take part in this activity made me smile. Over the years we have had similar visits to the nursery but Dylan's Reptile time is by far my favourite. We placed all the chairs into a semi circle, the children all washed their hands and then they sat down ready to see all the reptiles. Dylan introduced himself and then showed the children the plastic boxes behind him. Each box had a creature inside. I was actually looking forward to this even though I am not the biggest fan of things that crawl.

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Toddler Tantrum In Public

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Although little J is a toddler this post isn't about him as he hasn't hit the terrible two's yet although I am waiting for the day that my little cheeky monkey turns into a little monster. No, this is a post about another child that I just so happened to see outside a supermarket recently.

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Ravensburger 3D Big Ben Minions Mayhem Puzzle

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Unless you have been on holiday to another planet you will know that Minions have took over this summer. Whether its on yoghurt's, cheese or cereal, Minions are everywhere. Big J went to see the Minions movie last weekend and loved it. I was a little gutted as I wanted to see it too but he went with his friends. Big J was excited when we were sent the Ravensburger 3D Minions Mayhem puzzle. We have done this type of puzzle before and it was lots of fun.

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Buying Our Trampoline

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My regular readers will know that I recently had to buy a new trampoline. Our old trampoline was years old and had seen better days. I did ask some companies over on twitter for some advice on what trampolines were best to cover the age difference between my two monkeys. I wanted a trampoline suitable for both little and big J to play on separately but also together too. You wouldn't believe how many different trampolines there are nowadays, they come in all different shapes and sizes. I got some amazing advice and I was able to put it all together to choose the correct trampoline for our needs. I have also since found Jumpster which is an amazing website designed to tell parents everything they need to know about trampolines.

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Fisher Price Talking Bing Review

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Little J is a big fan of CBeebies and although he is happy to watch whatever programme is on it's obvious he does have some favourites. He gets excited when In the Night Garden is on, Something Special and also Bing. Bing is an adorable bunny who goes on lots of adventures with his friends including his carer Flop.

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Project 365 Days 172 - 178

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 Here is our week in photos

172/365 - The new Everton kit came out this weekend. Daddy and the monkeys each got the full kit. I love them in the football kits, they always look so nice in them.

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An Evening With Giovanna Fletcher

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Last night I attended an evening with Giovanna Fletcher at Waterstones. I have never been to anything like this before because if I am being honest I am not a big reader. I do like reading but I always have something else to do so although I have lots of books, they just sit there gathering dust. So I assume you are wondering why I went to a book event then if I'm not really a book lover. The truth is I do like Giovanna's books and have all four of them but I actually like her as a person too. I know that might sound crazy as I have never met her (until last night) but I follow her on you tube and I really enjoy watching her vlogs.

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Signed Copy Of Dream A Little Dream By Giovanna Fletcher Giveaway

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Tonight I was very lucky to attend An Evening With Giovanna Fletcher at Waterstones. It was an amazing night (more on that soon) and while I was there I decided to buy an extra copy of Giovanna's latest book Dream A Little Dream to giveaway on my blog. To make the giveaway even more special Giovanna signed the book for my lucky winner.

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What's In Our Caboodle Everyday Changing Bag

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I know once our babies reach the toddler stage some Mummy's change their changing bag to maybe a character rucksack or something smaller. I prefer to still have a changing bag because I still need enough space to fit all his essentials. This week we have been trying out Caboodle Everyday Changing Bag and we love it. Firstly its not too big because some changing bags are so huge that they become impractical for a Mum on the go, but you can fit so much inside.

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Keep Your Pet Healthy With Frontline Spot On

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When I was little we used to have two dogs. I loved them so much and they were big part of our family. I loved taking them for a walk and I remember how much fun i had playing with them. Obviously there is a lot more to having a pet than just playing with them, its important to make sure you take care of your pet and keep them healthy. FRONTLINE Spot On have teamed up with the lovely Ruth Langsford to host a series of videos including hints and tip on how to keep your pets healthy and happy this summer.

This campaign is very close to Ruth's heart as she is the owner of Maggie a rescue dog.

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Reviewing Nutmeg - Thinking About Pensions

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Okay so this may not be something that you stop and think about every day - but there are some startling facts around about the UK's general pension provision.

Nutmeg offer an easy to use, intelligent approach to pension planning.

*image credit to Nutmeg*

They offer an expertly managed pension fund that you can tailor make to suit your overall attitude to investment risk, and they will rebalance this on a regular basis as part of the service - with surprisingly low annual management charges.   Rebalancing helps to keep your plan at the risk level you choose, and encourages selling investments when they are highly priced and using the funds to buy other low pried investments, with a constant view on enhancing the value of your pension pot, whilst ensuring that your risk level doesn't go above what you have chosen.

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Project 365 Days 158 - 171

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My blog has been a little neglected over the last few weeks so I completely missed last weeks Project 365 but I did take photos so here is our last two weeks in photos.

158/365 - Big J has recovered from his week in Malaga so it was out in the garden for some splashing fun.

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Early Father's Day Meal At Brewers Fayre

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If you are a regular reader you will know that we do like going out for meals at our local Brewers Fayre. As Father's Day is approaching we popped along for an Early Father's Day Meal. If you have visited a Brewers Fayre before you will know that they offer a variety of Menus. A normal menu with pub meals, Chef's Counter Menu and a Kids Menu.

When we have the kids with us we almost always choose Chef's Counter. Its a buffet style menu that starts at 5pm with a different theme every night of the week. It includes Burger and Hotdog night, Mexican, Curry and on Fridays it is Chip Shop Buffet Night.

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A Double Decker Bacon Sandwich For Father's Day

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I'm not the biggest fan of meat but I do like Bacon so when Roberts Bakery asked me to serve up a delicious bacon butty for Daddy on Father's Day I was happy to join in. 

Daddy doesn't like anything fancy he is likes plain and simple when it comes to food. So I knew there would be no fancy relishes or garnish just a simple bacon butty.

Roberts Bakery sent us a lovely pack which included everything we needed to make the perfect bacon butty. I decided to add a little bit extra to Daddy's butty and included cumberland sausages too.

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