Regardless of whether you walk, drive, use a pushchair or babywear there's one thing that all mums need; a changing bag.  Travelling light when you have a baby is mission impossible as you find the need to pack for every possible situation.

There's cutesy changing bags, sporty changing bags, plain ones, patterned ones, designer ones etc.  Sometime's however, you want a grown up bag.  Something that looks good as well as being functional.

Letterbox Cake Review - Baker Days

Life is better with cake, in fact everything is better with cake.  It's one of those facts of the universe.  So, imagine my delight when presented with the chance to review a Letterbox Cake from Baker Days!

Review: Step2 Little Bakers Kitchen from Activity Toys Direct

If there is one toy very child should have access to at some point, it's a kitchen.  Children love to role-play, to emulate grownups they see around them.  What we see as chores they see as fun.  I still remember my yellow small plastic kitchen from my childhood in the 80's.

I'll admit my personal taste leans more towards the wooden style toy kitchens yet there's no denying the look of glee the Step2 Little Bakers Kitchen  brought to Thing Two's and The Dude's face.

It's rare to get a toy the'll both play with yet Thing Two at the grand old age of 8 and The Dude (4.5 yrs) both happily flocked to it and were utterly ensconced in play for quite some time.  We have had two kitchens in the past, the first a small plastic one which valiantly survived Things One & Two yet fell at the brutal reign of The Dude.  Thing Two briefly had wooden separates which looked darling yet lasted mere months before hinges broke doors hung off and parts chipped.




Pros:

* The design is robust, chunky and very child-friendly which feels and looks incredibly durable.

* At 104.5cm tall, it's tall enough for smaller children to be able to play standing up making it much more realistic than smaller ones where they have to sit/kneel.

* Perfect for small hands, everything is easy to grip with no metal hinges to trap wee fingers.

* As well as coming with accessories there's plenty of space to store your own too.

* Although compact it manages to incorporate most things a child would expect to find in a kitchen such as oven, hob, sink, fridge and microwave which is pretty impressive.

* The 'buns' come apart so children can pretend to decorate them.

* The dolls high chair seat is a unique addition to the usual play kitchen design which Thing Two really likes.

* There's enough accessories to be able to play straight away.

* It was relatively quick and easy to put together meaning The Husband didn't tantrum whilst putting it together.

* The recycling tub makes great storage for play food.

* All kids love a toy phone so it's always good to see one included

Cons:

* Although some young girls will be attracted to the 'girliness' of it, I am somewhat opposed to the unnecessary feminising of toys.  Thankfully The Dude couldn't give a hoot about colour but I know some little boys may be unwilling to engage with it.  I also think it gender stereotypes; that kitchens are for girls. Colour shouldn't matter, yet this seems purposefully aimed at girls.

* The Spawn love the two sounds the hob makes yet for the RRP I think a 'pink' from the microwave, a timer sound on the oven and a tap sound would turn this great toy into an amazing one.

* One of the most popular kitchen related play items for children is a kettle, something not included with the accessories.



All in all we're impressed with the Step2 Little Bakers Kitchen.  It's compact yet not small, robust and comes with some nice accessories.  The proof of the pudding is that a week later it's still being played with and due to the design and build I have no doubt it will still be in tip top condition for when Moomin is old enough to play.

Weight: 13.2kg

Dimensions: H 105.4 x W 71.1 x L 35.6 cm

Extra Information

Step2 Little Baker's Kitchen

• Kitchen has a realistic electronic stove top “burner”
• Oven, microwave and refrigerator enhance children’s play and provide valuable storage of playtime accessories
• Upscale, granite-look counter top
• Pull-out fruit or vegetable “basket”
• Decorative plate rack and storage shelf
• Sink with faucet
• Attached doll seat for added play (doll not included)
• Includes 30-piece accessory set

***The lovely people at Activity Toys Direct provided us with this item for reviewing purposes.  All opinions are my own.

Product review: Hotpoint RZA36G freezer

We were recently incredibly lucky and frightfully grateful to be chosen to review the Hotpoint RZA36G under counter freezer in Graphite thanks to the wonderful people at Appliances Online.

First impressions upon setting it us was sleek insofar as to say the freezer looks incredibly sleek. The Graphite colour and the slightly convex design give it a very modern look that would easily be right at home in most homes. Alternatively if you want ultra modern they also do it in an ultra chic black.
We already have an old and decrepit fridge freezer that moans more then The Husband does but unfortunately It's simply rather to small to cope with the demands of The Party of Five, fitting in the weekly shop has become a tactical and logistical art in conjunction with a shed load of luck and crossed fingers. If I ever find that sugar daddy, an American style fridge will be top of The list. 

For a couple or a singleton under the counter appliances offer a decent amount of storage yet requiring little space as it makes use of under counter space yet could also be used as a stand alone product if you have the space. However as many families will agree in the current economic climate with astronomical increases in food It's becoming a nightmare to feed a family on a budget. Two excellent ways of making the most of your food budget is to batch cook and to time your trips to the super market to coincide with their daily reductions. Yet, the one thing both of these have in common is the need for a lot of freezer space. After all what's the point in buying some bargain fresh meat if you have nowhere to put it? Likewise, batch cooking saves time, effort and money yet is simply not viable if you don't have the freezer capacity. If you don't have the space for a roomy chest freezer, this is where a second freezer that fits easily under your counter comes in to it's own. Enter the Hotpoint RZA36G . With three decent sized drawers plus top skinny drawer its perfect for freezing all your bargains, your batches of home cooked ready meals as well as the family favourates. Or alternatively you could use it to to store your secret ice cream stash and emergency vodka supply, whatever freezes your boat.

 The RZA36G is easy to set us, literally plug in and wait until the high temp light goes off. Simples. It boasts a nifty 'quick freeze' function which is activated by a quick press of a button which is ideal to ensure your supermarket frozen goods remain frozen after the journey from shop to home. The four main drawers feel sturdy and spacious, however they are opaque so you do have to open them to see what you have lurking in there but in all honesty It's only a minor con and If you have an organization OCD you could always get jiggy with a labeling system. Another thing worth mentioning about the drawers is that if you need that little bit more room you can easily remove the drawers and just use the crevices instead.

 Personally I like the slightly convex shape however I can see that this might not be to your taste if you prefer a more flat streamlined look.  I'll also admit i'm terribly shallow and love the sparkle effect at the top.   The door can be fixed either side so perfect whether you're a lefty or a righty and the handle is incorporated into the design and unobtrusive. One con that was mentioned on another review of this product is the noise. I won't lie to you, It's not silent. However, neither is my ancient groaning fridge which makes far more noise then this! The noise is minor and importantly normal. According to The instruction booklet It should also decrease within a few months of use. To put it into perspective, if I'm baking or cooking in the kitchen, I don't notice it. At family meal times in the kitchen, I don't notice it. At night when everyone else is in bed, if The Husband sits at at the kitchen table which directly in front of it, he notices it. However, you can't hear it in the adjacent room nor in the room above. It really isn't an issue, especially if its a secondary freezer that you keep in a utility room or garage. It certainly wouldn't put me off purchasing. In a nutshell, It's a great size, looks good, very reasonable RRP, cost effective to run and I'd highly recommend it. If you purchase from Appliances Online this product is currently eligible to qualify you to receive a £50 Ocado gift voucher to use online (minimum spend £80 and offer expires on 22/10 )

 Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review and the review is an honest and genuine account of my opinion and experience of this product in my home.

I can't let this post end without saying a few words about Appliances Online. I am a stickler for good old fashioned customer service, especially as I have worked in that arena. Far too many companies lack the very basics of customer service in attitude, actions and demeanor. Not so with Appliances Direct. I can honestly say dealing with them has been am absolute pleasure. From arranging to review to arranging delivery to receiving delivery, all three separate points of contact involving four members of staff were brilliant. The staff are enthusiastic, friendly, respectful, helpful and clear. It was all effortless and seamless. They offer three different delivery slots, you get an automated reminder call on the morning of delivery and the delivery men even phoned to let us know they were five minutes away. If required they will deliver into a room of your choice, unpack and set it up for you and for a small additional cost even take away your old appliance. I really do recommend them and wouldn't hesitate should funds allow to purchase from them in future. If you don't already you can follow them on  Facebook and take part in their fab competitions.

 Disclaimer: I was not asked to review the company and received no payment for doing so. I believe in credit where credit is due and thought it only fair to share my genuinely positive experience of the company. 

Epic Straws

We were lucky enough, thanks to Brit Mums and Cravendale to receive some Epic Straws to have a play with and even some free milk too. Due to The Spawn and their cereal habits we easily get through 12+ pints a week. I have asked The Husband for a pet cow on numerous occasions but The Husband says no (as he has to another baby, a pet penguin and chastity) meanie. The idea is you use the various lengths of straws and connectors to build epic straw concoctions with which to sup a nice glass of milk with. Upon seeing them Thing One exclaimed 'woah! Sic-age! Those are well sic!' Which roughly translates to him apparantly thinking they're rather good, or so I am lead to believe. Strange creatures that children are, especially eight year old boys. Thing Two was ready and raring to go, she's part feline when it comes to downing milk. The Toddler who remained restrained in his high chair for health and safety reasons (the health of my sanity and the safety of Things One and Two's fun that is) looked enraptured by the whole thing and despite my piss poor attempts to fob him off with the rather funky red and green jiffy bags he stared at the straws with a frightfully demented glint in his eyes and declared war 'MINE!' And out shot his wrecking ball hands.... doom bringers. How is it that when a toddler decides they want something their arms extend in length by several feet and they appear to sprout a dozen extra ones too? Arse. So in the name of anything for a quiet life, I let the little booger have a go. Now bare in mind he only drinks water and draught booby juice and always spits out cows milk with a profound 'yuck! Ming!' So imagine my disbelief when he gleefully started sucking the straw like a maniac glugging a considerable amount of Cravendale in the process. Just look at the intense concentration...It's serious business is this there epic milk drinking. Needless to say I had to physically wrestle it back using special mummy ninja tactics so that Things One and Two didn't leap on him and start an all out brawl. The Toddler was only the the iceberg of obstacles waiting to thwart the construction process as even The Cat tried to steal them. Furry little git. I'll be keeping an eye on that one and regularly checking for secret thumbs. Even Thing One ,who finds drinking anything other then water absolutely abhorrent, had a jolly good go whilst at the same time practising the ancient art of sharing before Thing Two took over again. All in all they all had a jolly good time playing with no tears despite the spilt milk. I guess you could say they thought the Epic Straws were ex-straw-ordinarily straw-some. Don't worry you can slap me for that later, I'm here all week. If you fancy some strawtastic adventures you can find out more from the 24th onwards by going to www.epicstraws.co.uk