Monthly Review Round Up | December

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Disclosure - We received the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

We love finding out about new products and this month we have received some tasty goodies to try. 

Whenever we go to the supermarket little J loves looking for snack ideas that he can take in to school to enjoy at snack time. Although he has a few favourites he is also keen to try out new foods. 

We first heard about MadeGood when they were available to try for free on a cash back app I use. We headed to ASDA and picked up a box and little J loved them. I did manage to try a bar myself before they disappeared and they were really tasty.

As they are totally allergen free they are safe for kids to take in to school and eat. It's always a worry when choosing snacks in case they get in to the wrong hands at school but with MadeGood there is no need to worry.

So not only are the allergy friendly they're a perfect healthy, tasty and nutritious snack choice.

Available in three flavours - Mixed Berry, Chocolate Chip and Chocolate & Banana, in ASDA stores

 One of little J's favourite snacks is Fruit Bowl Yogurt Flakes. I hadn't realised until recently that there is a wide range of Fruit Bowl snacks and treats.

The range of Fruit Bowl products include Peelers; School Bars; Fruit Flakes; Yogurt Flakes and Yogurt Coated Raisins. Each bag or bar is perfectly packaged for slipping into a school lunchbox or popping into a bag for parents on the go.

Peelers are 100% fruit, six-sticky-stranded snacks that are a delicious and fun way for children to eat fruit.

School Bars are bar-shaped snacks, also made with real fruit.  Each school bar is a super tasty, chewy snack, packed full of fruity flavour that contains only naturally occurring sugars.

Fruit Flakes are soft, chewy fruit pieces made from fruit purées.

Yogurt Flakes come in three flavours and are little fruit pieces created from puréed real fruit pieces, which are then covered in delicious yogurt.

With no added colours or flavours Fruit Bowl’s Yogurt Raisins are a great treat made from juicy raisins covered in tasty yogurt.

Fruit Bowl’s other Yogurt Coated Raisins come in two flavours: Zingy Raspberry and Moreish Mango, a great snack choice for the slightly more grown up little ones in our lives. Juicy raisins are coated in either raspberry or mango flavoured yogurt to give them an extra fruity kick that mum and dad will love too.

Fruit Bowl snacks are available at Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, The Co-Op, Asda, Waitrose and on Ocado.

Nature's Path Envirokidz have a range of three new kids’ cereals available - Gorilla Munch, Leapin’ Lemurs and Choco Chimps. Each of the cereals is gluten free, dairy free, organic and most importantly - tastes delicious.

The range use fun animal names, interesting facts and drawing activities on-pack to inspire children to care about the world they live in. In fact, 1% of sales are donated to support endangered species worldwide, with each animal featured on an Envirokidz pack representing an endangered or vulnerable species that Nature’s Path helps through its donations.

I'm not a fan of popcorn but the boys love it. Metcalfe’s have created a new popcorn invention called Jumbles.

Available in two fabulous flavour combos, Toffee Apple and Eton Mess.

Metcalfe's Popcorn Jumbles Toffee Apple is toffee and caramel-coated popcorn jumbled up with slices of dried apple.

Eton Mess has strawberry pieces and crunchy meringue shells with strawberry-coated popcorn

The popcorn Jumbles are gluten-free, suitable for vegetarians, high in fibre and made without artificial flavours and colours.

Metcalfe’s Popcorn Jumbles Toffee Apple is just 107kcals per portion and Eton Mess 80kcals per portion.

Exclusively available now at Sainsbury’s

Get in to the festive spirit and indulge with the high protein, low sugar Gingerbread Brownie Bites from Nibble Protein. Packed with goodness and just 1 gram of sugar per bite, these tasty treats will boost your protein and fibre intake to keep you feeling fuller for longer, as well as preventing any sugar highs and lows throughout the day, improving your mood and sustaining your energy levels

Nibble Protein Bites are available online at Amazon.

Michelle

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How To Help Your Child With Their Confidence | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with Parsons Green Prep

Having a confident child is probably close to the top of most parent’s lists when they’re asked what attributes they’d like their child to have. Confidence comes naturally for some children, they don’t question their place in the world and forge ahead quite happily without ever becoming anxious or worrying how others might see them. For others it’s not so simple and if your child lacks confidence, you’ll know only too well how worrying it can be. You can help your child by introducing new hobbies but one of the key factors in helping children to grow to their full potential is through security and routine. 

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Christmas Gift Guide | For The Adults

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Disclosure - We were gifted the items for inclusion in our gift guide. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

I find buying for adults really hard. I tend to look online for inspiration and this year I have found some really nice gift ideas so I thought I would share them with you.

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Exploring Different Cultures With Your Child | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with Oaks International School.

Educating your children about different cultures is an ideal way to help them learn to respect and celebrate diversity. It will also give them a deeper understanding of the traditions and customs their classmates may follow. This kind of knowledge about various cultures will benefit your child throughout their lifetime. Here are some great tips from Oaks International School on how you can explore other cultures with your child.

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Escape Room - The Game | Review

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Disclosure - We received Escape Room - The Game for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

Last year John and I did our very first Escape Room together. We had never done anything like it before and although it was tough we managed to solve all the clues and we broke out just in time. Over the last week we have been playing Escape Room - The Game at home and it's actually been lots of fun and just like the real thing.

Escape Room The Game is all the fun of a real Escape Room with puzzles to solve, clues to find and a countdown timer but in the comfort of your own home.

Ideally the game is designed for 3-5 players aged 16+. John and I played with just the two of us and it was absolutely fine. Once we had read the instructions we both decided to start with the easiest of the three scenarios included which was Prison Break.

Each scenario comes with a back story to give you more information and once you are ready and have laid out all the pieces for this Escape Room you press the chrono decoder. The chrono decoder is your time and as soon as you press to start it will begin to count down. It also doubles as your 'door' to break out. You need to get four keys throughout the game to 'Escape'.

The chronological decoder will alert you at various intervals to remind you that you can use a 'hint' if you wish and we found at the beginning we needed more hints but I think it was just because we needed to get familiar with the game.

Working together as a team is a must when playing Escape Room as the puzzles are tough and really make you think.

We escaped 'Prison Break' with 6 minutes and 22 seconds to spare which I was really impressed with as I felt we had struggled at the beginning and lost a lot of time.

The sense of achievement when you 'escape' is crazy even though you are just playing at home. There is an app that allows you to download free background music to add to the intensity. I think we will definitely do that on the next game.

Escape Room comes with three separate scenarios, Prison Break, Virus and Nuclear Countdown. Each scenario is a little more difficult than the previous. I would definitely recommend starting with Prison Break.

Michelle

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Helping Your Child Resist Peer Pressure | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with Surbiton High

Peer pressure is an inevitable part of life, especially during the school years. As a parent, there are things you can do to help your child make sensible choices and resist peer pressure. A prep school in Surrey have put together the following advice to help you.

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Should I Encourage My Child To Go To University? | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with St Catherines

For many children, the end of school can be a confusing time. This is because they have to decide on their next steps and what they want for their future. For parents who are trying to help their children decide whether or not to go to university, here is some useful advice from St Catherine’s School.

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Christmas Gift Guide 2019 | For The Kids

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Disclosure - This post contains gifted items for the inclusion in my gift guide. This post also contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

If you are looking for some gift inspiration for the kids then check out our 'For The Kids' Christmas Gift Guide. 

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Top Tips for Marketing Your Business at Christmas | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with Shout PM

When it comes to marketing your business at Christmas time, there are countless things you could do. Of course, the earlier you start the better, but it’s never too late to get into the Christmas spirit. If you have a store, restaurant or other retail location, don’t be afraid to go all out and decorate the place from head to toe. This will attract more attention and boost your profits. You could also hand out little chocolate Santas to passers-by to make a good impression. In fact, promotional Christmas gifts are a great method for attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.

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Giveaway | Win A Cosy Night In

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To celebrate that December will soon be here we are giving you the chance to win a cosy night in. Christmas time for us means Baileys, chocolates and a good Christmas movie. For your chance to win a bottle of baileys, a tub of chocolates and a £10 Netflix voucher enter our giveaway below.

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Make Your Own Christmas Wreath | AD

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Disclosure - This post is a paid collaboration with Rainbow Chalk.

When it comes to Christmas decorations around the house and on our tree our theme each year is always 'anything goes'. I love seeing photos of trees and houses that are decorated in certain colours but since big J was little we have always added homemade decorations each year to our tree and I wouldn't have it any other way. We have already started creating some decorations and this year little J asked if he could make a Christmas Wreath. We browsed the internet for lots of ideas but in the end he just went with what he felt right and he created the most perfect wreath ever, and I love it.

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If Injuries In The Movies Where Real | AD

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Disclosure - This is a paid collaboration with Compare Compensation Claims

It's that time of year when we start writing down all the movies we want to watch before Christmas comes. Every year we try to add at least one new addition however we do have our favourites and Christmas just wouldn't be the same without them. Our favourite family Christmas movie has got to be Home Alone closely followed my Home Alone 2. I don't know why watching Kevin inflict lots of pain on Harry and Marv is Christmassy but it just is and we all belly laugh every time we watch it. 

I actually saw a post just recently on Compare Compensation Claims that talked about movie scenes from some of our favourite movies that involved accidents or injuries. It looked in to how much compensation the character would receive if those accidents were real. 

It actually lists Home Alone as one of the movies and details the injuries that occurred when Harry and Marv break in to Kevin McCallister's home.

The injuries included mild scarring, blowout fracture, severe burns, deep cuts, facial fractures and head injuries. Now when you read the injuries involved those burglars really did have a tough time from Kevin! So based on the injuries that are inflicted throughout the film to the characters they would be expected to receive £114,370 each. 

There are lots of other movie scenarios but the highest paying was from a scene in Mean Girls. i'm sure we have all watched Mean Girls and you will probably guess the scene I am talking about. It's when Regina George gets hit by a bus. Now this injury causes Regina to have a spinal injury that is life changing. If this would happen in real life you could expect to receive £141,150. To be honest this doesn't seem a lot to me but like most I'm still shocked she actually survived such a horrific accident!

There are lots of other movie scenarios which I have attached below for you to browse over. 

Do you know any of the movies or recognise the scenes? Do you think the expected payout for the injuries involved is enough?

Michelle

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Choosing An Eco-Friendly Christmas | AD

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Disclosure | This post is a paid collaboration with Liverpool One. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.

I was watching a series of instagram stories from a celebrity I follow recently and she was making her own Christmas crackers. I was intrigued so I watched as she made them and filled them with prizes that she knew the recipient would like. It got me thinking about the amount of crackers we have pulled over the years and how all the plastic toys inside have just ended up in the bin. It's such a waste and not very environmentally friendly at all. I am actually thinking of making my own this year too. I have also been looking at more ways that we can enjoy an eco-friendly Christmas.

We did start thinking more about waste and our environment a few years ago and we started to make some steps to becoming eco friendly. We made a decision to stop giving and receiving cards, not just at Christmas but birthdays too. Not only do they cost a small fortune but it's such a waste and they do end up in the recycling bin anyway.

This year I will definitely be making our own Christmas crackers and I am thinking about ditching the wrapping paper for brown paper and string. I actually think it looks so much prettier than the multi-coloured paper.

We love heading to Liverpool One at Christmas time to buy all our Christmas shopping. There are so many ways that you can enjoy an eco-friendly Christmas and you could start by making little tweaks when it comes to buying gifts.

John loves coffee and we have a lovely Nespresso coffee machine at home so for Christmas I am thinking about buying him a nice supply of Nespresso pods and a new reusable take out cup. This way he can make his own coffees in the morning and use his cup. Then once he has finished with his Nespresso pods we will take them back to the shop for them to be recycled. I know there will be some morning when he will feel like a Costa Coffee and that's fine, all he needs to do is take his reusable cup with him and they will fill it with his favourite drink. Not only is he helping to save the planet but the pennies too as Costa will take 25p off the cost of his drink.

John will probably head to Lush for some goodies for me this Christmas and if you didn't know already the black pots that Lush products come in are not recyclable everywhere so to encourage you to help the planet Lush asks that you bring back your pots so they can be reused. As a thank you for every five pots returned they give you a free face mask. The Body Shop also offer you the chance to return bottles to them for recycling and whilst there is no reward it is nice to know that you are helping the planet.

These a just a few ideas that we have in mind for this Christmas and whilst they are only small if everyone made just a little effort we could all be enjoying an Eco-Friendly Christmas.

Michelle

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