Steps Are Back - #20YearsOfSteps

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Well today when I got home and started to browse through Facebook I did not expect to see this news trending - STEPS ARE BACK. Woohoo I am so excited. I have been a very loyal fan for 20 years so I am delighted that not only are they back with a new album but a tour too. I have seen Steps live many times and obviously their music is poptastic but they were born to perform on stage, their live shows are amazing. #20YearsOfSteps here we come.

So over the years I have continued to listen to Steps, watch various programmes featuring individual members of the band and also their reunion a few years back. There have been rumours since late last year that they would reform but sometimes those type of rumours fizzle out so I didn't want to get my hopes up. 

I quickly popped over to the Steps Official page and there was the news that their album Tears On The Dancefloor will be arriving on April 21st and the tour will commence in November 2017. Tickets go on sale March 10th and I've popped a list of dates below.

Mon Nov 13 - Dublin 3Arena

Tue Nov 14 - Belfast SSE Arena

Thu Nov 16 - Glasgow SSE Hydro

Fri Nov 17 - Aberdeen AECC

Sat Nov 18 - Liverpool Echo Arena

Mon Nov 20 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Tue Nov 21 - Leeds First Direct Arena

Thu Nov 23 - Brighton Centre

Fri Nov 24 - London The O2

Sat Nov 25 - London The SSE Arena, Wembley

Mon Nov 27 - Bournemouth BIC

Tue Nov 28 - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

Wed Nov 29 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

Fri Dec 1 - Birmingham Barclaycard Arena

Sat Dec 2 - Manchester Arena

So the big question is are you excited that #20YearsOfSteps are back and if so are you going to buy the album or tickets to the tour. I'm guessing it's obvious that I will be doing both. Can't wait - roll on April and November.

Michelle

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What To Expect On The Gruffalo Orienteering Trail

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A few weeks ago I was reading another blog and noticed that The Gruffalo Trail was at Delamere Forest. I was so excited because I knew little J would love hunting through the woods in search for the Gruffalo. It's been one of his favourite books for a few years now and last year he even had a Gruffalo birthday party. So last weekend we headed to Delamere Forest in search for the Gruffalo.

If you have been to Delamere before you will know that there are quite a few car parks, however we decided to head straight to the Forest Centre car park as we wanted to buy a map of the Gruffalo trail. 

The Forest Centre car park is situated by cafe, toilets, bicycle hire and the starting point to all trails. It is a sharable car park with an all day charge of £6. You can pay less if you are only staying for a hour or two.

Once we were parked we headed to the shop to purchase our map which was £1.50. The starting point is just outside by the picnic benches. There are 12 points to follow on the trail so once we had a quick toilet stop we were ready to go. I would recommend going to the toilet beforehand as once on the trail there are no toilets available. It is approx one and a half miles however it does seem longer especially if you venture off track and go exploring in the woods and den building. 

The trail is accessible for all ages and abilities however it was very muddy and I did see people struggling with prams at some points throughout the trail. 

We wandered in to the woods a few times firstly to do den building although there was a den already built so after playing in it for a little while we knocked it down. We found big logs and sticks and had lightsaber fights with them.

There is a point at the beginning of the trail were you walk over a bridge. The bridge is over the railway tracks although we didn't get to see a train unfortunately. As you go along the trail there are 12 sign posts to look out for - this lets you know you are going the right way. They have questions on and if you have bought the map you can answer them in the activity booklet.

We got almost half way before we stopped to have a snack. It was the first time we had seen a bench so took the opportunity to have a quick drink and a cake that I had brought with us. 

We went in to the woods a few more times looking for leaves and pine cones. Little J loves exploring and getting muddy. 

Shortly after we had got back on to the path we saw a crowd gathered ahead so we assumed the Gruffalo was close by, we were right.

When we got to the Gruffalo little J was so excited. He was huge and looked like the real thing. 

After we had posed for a photo we noticed just behind the Gruffalo there was another den. Was a this were the Gruffalo sleeps at night? We went down to have a look and little J climbed inside. 

The Gruffalo isn't actually at the end of the trail there are still 3 more sign posts to look for until you come to the official end of the trail.

It took us about one and half hours to complete the trail although like I said earlier we did go off the trail quite a bit so I suppose the time it takes depends on whether you stick to the trail or not. 

When we headed back to to the Forest Centre we were going to stop for a hot drink in the cafe however the queue was huge. In fact every time we have visited Delamere the queue in the cafe has been large. We brought our own lunch so decided to give it a miss. 

We will definitely be back to Delamere Forest again for more Gruffalo adventures after April 1st 2017 when the Gruffalo Spotters Trail begins.

You can also now take part in the Highway Rat activity trail, check out Captain Bobcat's Highway Rat Adventure.  Have Kids Will travel also did the Fforest Fawr Sculpture trail which looks fun, check it out.

Michelle

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Kaspersky Kids Safe App

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I have to admit that both boys are regular online users. It's the world we live in now and with so many devices around our hime having instant access to the world wide web it is impossible to stop them. Little J is a big fan of You Tube Kids and it's perfect for little ones as it has videos and adverts that are designed just for children. Big J however is a teenager and is able to access all sorts of information online which sometimes can be quite worrying.  In a recent European study* of 5040 children aged 10-15 conducted by global cyber security company, Kaspersky, discovered some alarming stats about how children are using the internet, and how they may not be protecting themselves as they should. 

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What Are Your #LovelyMoments?

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I have just been reading about Swizzels and how they would like the nation to share their #LovelyMoments for the chance to win a dream day. I suppose owning my own blog I already do share my #LovelyMoments with you all already but if I could pick just one moment from my life I wouldn't know which one to pick. 

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Doc McStuffins Medical and Doctor's Role Play Set Review

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Little J loves Doc McStuffins and he has done since he was a baby. He has all the stuffed animals and he will sit and watch Doc every day on Disney Junior. Now he is older he understands Doc more and what she does. For those that don't know Dottie 'Doc' McStuffins is a six year old girl who fixes' toys with a little help from her stuffed animal friends. A few weeks ago we were sent Doc's Medical set and Doc's Role Play Set to review so you can imagine how happy little J was.

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What Would You Choose? #ImpossibleExperiences

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If you could do anything or go anywhere in the world what would you choose? For me it would be a family holiday to Disney World in Florida. I've dreamt about going there all my life but what if I could do something even better. What if I could create #ImpossibleExperiences. Have you ever thought "I wish I could do that?' or "If I won the lottery I would...". We have all had those thoughts at some point but what would your impossible experience be?

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Chad Valley Underwater Rescue Base Review

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You may know already that last year we were chosen to be on the Chad Valley Play Panel. It was so exciting for us as we love Chad Valley and obviously we were very honoured to be given such an amazing opportunity. Over the last few months we have received some amazing toys including Chad Valley Wooden Police and Fire Station and Chad Valley Airport. We also gave our readers the chance to win Argos vouchers. I am sad to say that we have just received our final package for review.

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Jamie Raven Live 2017

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On Tuesday Daddy and I headed to Southport to see Jamie Raven. For those that don't know who he is, Jamie came runner up in the 2015 Britain's Got Talent final. He narrowly lost out to Jules and Matisse by just 2 per cent of the vote. We remembered his performances and loved watching him so we were quite excited to see his live show. We have been to a few magic and illusion shows and whilst they have been okay we have always left the theatre feeling quite underwhelmed. Hopefully Jamie would amaze us and we would be heading home with confused looks on our faces and wondering "How on earth did he do that?'

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Schleich Wild Life Starter Set Review

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You may remember that last year we reviewed the Schleich Farm and how much we loved it. We still do and out of all of little J's toys this really has been played with the most and it is still in perfect condition. Quality is everything when it comes to toys, obviously you want them to be enjoyable but they also need to be durable. Last week we received a Schleich Wild Life Starter set which includes 4 animals. Little J is really enjoying playing with his animals at the moment and it wasn't long before they were introduced to his lion playset.

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Tech Tuesday - Valentines Day on Netflix #StreamTeam

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We don't really do anything exciting for Valentines Day, usually we will grab a takeaway and pick a movie to watch. We usually have to decide which movie a few days in advance otherwise we will end up scrolling through 100's of movies on Valentines Day deciding what to watch. This year we have Netflix so even more movies to choose from, however Netflix have provided us with a list of best Valentines Day films to watch for all types of romantics. 

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Tech Tuesday - Nintendo Switch : Do We Need Another Console?

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The Nintendo Switch is being released on 3rd March in the UK.  With a price tag of £279.99 for the basic package it will be interesting to see how this fares with gamers. I remember buying the original Wii console not long after release.  It was expensive at the time, I can’t remember how expensive, but expensive enough for us not to have bought at initial release.  Honestly, with Wii for us did bring us years of enjoyment, mostly on Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, but also with Wii party, played almost exclusively at Christmas - but so much fun.  Wii Fit was also a firm favourite - even it was just to tell me I have put another pound on.

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La La Land Review - City of Stars, Are You Shining Just For Me?

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La La Land was a film that I had wanted to see for a few months after seeing trailers online, reading about it on Social Media and although I had an idea of what it was about nothing could have prepared me for just how fantastic this movie is. Most of my childhood saw me acting out the dance scene from West Side Story in my front living room or singing Grease songs in front of the bathroom mirror. La La Land took me back to those memories and how good musicals were and how sad it is that they just don't make movies like that anymore, until now. 

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Tech Tuesday - 4K Definition The Future Of Streaming

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You may have recently read my review of the Xbox One S in which I talk about the difference I have seen with 4K and HDR definitions.  One of the features is the ability to stream HDR and 4K definition through the Xbox One S with 4K compatible providers like Netflix. As part of the StreamTeam, I have written recently about Stranger Things - the superb TV series with a retro feel to it. We watched that in 1080p through Netflix and the quality was brilliant. If I had waited a few months until we got the new 4K TV then we could have watched it in 4K definition on Netflix. 

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Slimming World Slow Cooker Lasagne Recipe

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Recently I bought myself a slow cooker and I've made a few things in it so far but our favourite last week so Slimming World Slow Cooker Lasagne. I've just started my Slimming World journey so I will be making more meals but for now I thought I would share with the Lasagne recipe.

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Teletubbies - Big Hugs DVD Giveaway

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The Teletubbies are back with a brand new DVD and I am giving 3 of my readers and followers the chance to win. Big Hugs features 6 episodes, special features and a colouring pad. 

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The Lion Guard Hyena Hideout Playset Review

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Little J was so excited to receive the Lion Guard Hyena Hideout Playset to review. As you probably already know we are huge Disney fans and we love watching The Lion Guard Series, which is a spin off from the movies The Lion King. We already own a Lion Guard Defend The Pride Lands Playset so little J is happy to have a 'bad guys' playset too. 

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Tech Tuesday - August Bluetooth Wireless Headphones Review

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We already own a number of August products, most recently we reviewed Augusts WS300 and WS150 Multiroom Wireless Airplay speakers.  We use these a lot throughout the home as they are portable and easy to use.  When I was asked to try a set of wireless headphones I was happy to give them a try. We were sent a pair of EP636R wireless stereo headphones

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Our New Years Eve

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This is a little late, but better late than never I suppose. We ended 2016 with a visit to the Liverpool Ice Festival. It's something we did a few years ago and we thought it would be nice to do it again. Both Daddy and I aren't keen on New Years Eve so a nice day out was perfect.

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Tech Tuesday - Xbox One S Review

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I am a Xbox owner after converting from the PS2 to the original Xbox a long time ago.  I still have PS consoles, but the Xbox has been my favourite for some time. I bought the Xbox One on initial release date in 2013 - the Day One edition. I have had no problems with it at all, other than running out of storage space. Luckily the Xbox allows external hard drives to be connected in a plug and play style to improve the capacity overall. 

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A False Pregnancy

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A few months ago I was convinced I was pregnant. I think I knew in my heart I wasn't but my head convinced me otherwise. We are not trying for another baby in fact another pregnancy is definitely not something we want to go through again after everything that's happened in the past. We are completely happy and blessed to be a family of four, not forgetting our two angels in the sky.

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Review - Droidbox PlayOn

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I recently bought the Droidbox PlayOn handheld console.  For years I have looked for and bought a number of units with the intention of being able to play emulated games from computers and consoles long gone, in a simple format with easy to use controls. 

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Changing Our Blog Name - Say Hello To Playdays and Runways

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I'm guessing that if you are reading this then you will have noticed that we have decided to change the name of our blog. This wasn't a decision I made easily, it's taken  months and months to finally pluck up the courage to do it but now that we have, we are so happy. When we first started our blog back in February 2014 we had no idea of a) what we was doing - we winged most of it in the early days and b) we didn't really think of a name that would be able to grow with us as a family. I loved Mummy 2 Monkeys when I first started blogging but now neither of my boys call me Mummy anymore so it was time to change to a name that reflects us.

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£75 Argos Gift Voucher Giveaway

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To celebrate the ending of 2016 and the beginning of 2017 we are offering one lucky Playdays and Runways reader and follower the chance to win a £75 Argos voucher. We were so proud to be asked to be part of the Chad Valley Play Panel and have loved reviewing so many fabulous toys this year.

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Chad Valley Airport Playset Review

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Just before Christmas we got a special delivery from Chad Valley. As we are part of the Chad Valley Play Panel, little J was sent the Chad Valley Airport Playset to try out. It was perfect timing as little J was getting fed up waiting for Santa to bring him new toys. Little J absolutely loves everything that involves cars, planes or trains so the Chad Valley Airport Playset was the perfect choice. 

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Ravensburger Stick Man and The Gruffalo Puzzles Review

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This week we had an early Christmas treat when Stickman and The Gruffalo jigsaw puzzles arrived. We love The Gruffalo and Stickman so we were thrilled. The two jigsaw puzzles are by Ravensburger and are based on the popular books written by Julia Donaldson.

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Win Mr Blooms Talking Veggies

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On The 9th day of December I have teamed up with Little Babas Toys and Costumes to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a full set of Mr Blooms Talking Veggies

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Win a Baylis and Harding Gift Set

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On The 9th day of December I have teamed up with Baylis and Harding to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Baylis and Harding Gift Set

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Win Shuffle Games

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On The 8th day of December I have teamed up with Cartamundi Shuffle Games to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Connect 4 and Game of Life.

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Festive Menu at Beefeater

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A few weeks ago we were treated to a delicious meal from the new Festive Menu at Beefeater. We have never dined at a Beefeater restaurant before so we were all excited. When it comes to eating out we do usually like to try different places but the Beefeater has never popped up and I'm not sure why as we have many close by.

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Win Say Hello Glove Puppet

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On The 7th day of December I have teamed up with East Coast Nursery to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a 'Say Hello ' glove puppet.

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Win Little Tiger Press Christmas Book Bundle

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On The 6th day of December I have teamed up with Little Tiger Press to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a Christmas book bundle.

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Hollands Micro 2 Go Pastie Slice Review

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When I was younger Hollands was the only brand of pie I knew. It was the brand my Nana and Grandad bought, My Mum and Dad and whenever you had a pie from the chippy it would always be a Hollands. Growing up I was never a lover of meat based pies but I loved Cheese and Onion. A cheese and onion pie with lots of tomato sauce, yummy.

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Win Nick Jr Ready Steady Dough

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On The 5th day of December I have teamed up with The Entertainer to offer one lucky reader the chance to win Nick Jr Ready Steady Dough - Swirly Whirly Sweets.

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Win Bed Socks from Suttons

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On The 3rd day of December I have teamed up with Suttons to offer one lucky reader the chance to win two pairs of bed socks, perfect for chilly Winter evenings.

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Win Og on the Bog by Drumond Park

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On The 2nd day of December I have teamed up with Drumond Park to offer one lucky reader the chance to win Og on the Bog

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Signed Tigeropolis Books Giveaway

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On The 1st day of December I have teamed up with Tigeropolis to offer one lucky reader the first two Tigeropolis books signed by the author.

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Switch It Up and Drink Smart

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As soon as the Christmas season begins we usually have lots of invites for nights out, get togethers, and meals and to me this means lots of fun but others its an excuse to have lots of alcohol. I am not a big drinker in fact whenever I go out I am usually the driver and would much rather drink water or a glass of diet coke than wine or vodka. To me drinking is a social thing and people use it to have great time but I don't need it. Don't get me wrong when I was younger I would party all weekend but I was younger then and had no responsibilities but I now one night of partying would make me feel ill for a week after and with two kids and a husband to look after I much prefer to to stay alcohol free. Recent research commissioned by AB InBev was done to demonstrate the benefits of smart drinking encouraging Brits to 'Switch It Up' 

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Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide

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Christmas will soon be here and whilst I love buying presents I often get stuck for ideas on what to buy. So this year I decided to make notes every time something caught my eye on TV or whilst browsing the internet.

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Go Ahead Snacks Review #SnackSmart

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We love reviewing new products as it gives us the chance to try out new stuff we may have missed in the shops. However when we were asked to review some Go Ahead goodies it reminded me of a brand I used to love but just forgot about somehow. We used to eat Go Ahead bars a few years ago but stopped and I'm not sure why as they are so tasty and low in kcals.

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Our Top Five Takeaway Apps

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*collaboration

Its nearly time to decorate our home ready for the Christmas celebrations. We have a tradition that every year on decoration day, we will tidy up, then get the decorations from the loft. After that the usual ornaments and pictures take their turn up in the loft for a month or so, and then the decorating begins. At about the time we are sorting the teddies and ornaments, we will usually order a takeaway meal to be delivered. Now I remember when we first started the tradition of decoration day we would go out for something to eat, but we would find ourselves short of time and rushed. Over the years that we have been ordering in I think that Pizza has been the most popular choice, but then is that because until recently Pizza was one of the only things you could get delivered?

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Annabel Karmel Frozen Meals Review

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When it comes to mealtimes I have mentioned before that I do like to cook from scratch but realistically there are days when this does not happen. Being a parent it's busy, busy, busy and there are days when I just have to throw something together quickly if we are running late and I haven't had time to prepare something. Having said that I still make sure what we eat isn't junk and that it is something that is nutritious and healthy. When we were asked to try out Annabel Karmel Frozen Meals I took a look at the website and the products and I was impressed. Annabel Karmel has turned her best-loved children’s recipes into nutritionally balanced freezer fillers for parents like me that have days when we are just too busy to cook.

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TechSavvyDad Tuesday - S+ by ResMed Review

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Sleep. Does anyone ever get enough these days? I know that being a dad to two boys, one a toddler and one a teen, there is a huge differential in the times that they sleep. Little J is often asleep by 6pm and up again ready for the next day at 5am whereas Big J will be in bed by 10pm on a school night and much later at weekends. I get to sleep in-between these times but generally I have some ‘Dad’ time that means actually I think I average around 6 hours each night. I know that's not enough, but how can we monitor and improve our sleep? I have tried a few apps from the google play store over the years, with mixed results. I have never stuck to one app to try to improve my sleep as I haven’t yet been convinced that any of them actually work. I have been trying the S+ by ResMed to try and improve my sleep.

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The Lion Guard Defend The Pride Lands Play Set Review

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Being huge Disney fans we are quite shocked that we haven't sat down yet and watched The Lion Guard TV series which is based on The Lion King movies. We've heard of it and it has been on our 'to watch' list for a while. When we were asked to review The Lion Guard - Defend The Pride Lands Play Set it gave us the excuse to sit down and watch an episode before it arrived. Little J loved it as did I. It's a lovely series following Kion, Simba's youngest cub.

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Epic Moments From The Middle Earth Collection

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This week I have noticed that Christmas is already everywhere. Shops, adverts on TV, Online ads, you can’t get away from it and its not even 5th November yet. This got me thinking about some of the traditions we have at home for Christmas, one of which is to watch the extended editions of all three Lord Of The Rings movies, we attempt this usually in one epic sitting when Little J and Big J are having their Christmas day out with their grandparents.

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