Orchard Toys Giant Railway - Review

One of my favourite toy brands is Orchard Toys and Elliot has a large number of their games and toys in his games cupboard. (yes, we have a games cupboard - was running out of room in his bedroom!)

Orchard Toys have some brilliant new products for 2016 and one of these was the Giant Railway Floor Jigsaw. Like most little boys, Elliot is fascinated with trains so I knew he'd love this. And when Orchard Toys offered us the chance to review it, we jumped at the chance! 

Like the rest of the range, the Giant Railway floor puzzle comes in bright colourful packaging and you automatically know it's Orchard Toys. 

The puzzle contains 26 large chunky pieces, including two stand up trains, a couple of workmen and a cow! The puzzle pieces are interchangeable which means you can make a different track each time. 

The jigsaw has been designed to: 

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the world - talk about journeys, railway safety and own experiences
• Encourage personal choice and decision making
• Develop manual dexterity - constructing the jigsaw
• promote imaginative play

As I guessed, Elliot absolutely loves this and literally couldn't wait to get it out of the box!! He loves building his own track and actually, some of his creations were better than mine ;)

One of the best things about the Giant Railway is that it can be used with the other products in the Giant Road system. Elliot was given the Giant Road puzzle for Christmas and so he has been able to link this up with the tracks. This has given him hours of entertainment, especially when he bought down a load of cars, animals and people to incorporate into the game. At one point we even had dinosaurs on the track!

Orchard Toys also have a Giant Town which interlinks with the track and road so I'm definitely going to be purchasing this soon.

This is a great addition to the Orchard Toys range and I know that it will continue to be a popular choice for Elliot to play with!

The Giant Railway has a RRP of £13.95 - see www.orchardtoys.com for more toys

Disclaimer: We received the product for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

My Week in Pictures - 14th February 2016

Wow well I can't believe it's the weekend already! Here's what we got up to this week:

Top Row:
- We spent a chilly afternoon at Kingston Lacy which is one of our favourite National Trust properties. My friend had her dogs and we followed the Woodland Trail - Elliot loved running along with the lead! It was a bit of a muddy walk so it was a good job we had our wellies on!
- I've been following the Slimming World diet for the past 4 weeks and on Monday I lost another 4lbs taking me to a 16.5lb total, and my 1 stone certificate! Feeling lots healthier so just need to stick with it...lots more stones to go:-/
- Last Saturday we had planned to go out for the day but the weather was absolutely terrible and put a stop to any outside plans we had. Instead we took Elliot bowling - he loved it and he beat me. Beaten by a 3 year old - really!!

Middle:
- Teatime tantrums - fun! Elliot woke up from a rare nap and was in such a grump. He cried because he had dirty hands....he cried because I made him wash his hands...he then cried because he forgot to smell the soap!!! What a thing to have a wobbly over!
- I've become a bit addicted to making Slimming World pancakes, they taste so good. The only trouble is they take me so long, think I need to buy another frying pan so I can double up!

Bottom:
- Don't get too many pics of me and Elliot together because I'm usually behind the camera but he actually managed to sit still for a few seconds to let me take this one. His face makes me laugh, he was in a funny mood and bouncing around all over the place!
- Thursday saw us back at our favourite place, Farmer Palmers. We have an annual pass and go practically every week, there's so much to do there. This photo was taken just before closing time and we had the place to ourselves!
- Elliot had a disco at pre-school on Friday so thought I'd better make sure he looked smart! He looks so grown up with his hair spiked up like this :)

What Elliot's Been Wearing....Weekend Tot Style #3

Been meaning to link up with #weekendtotstyle for ages now but I never remember to take decent photos of Elliot when he has nice clothes on...usually I'm taking photos of his funny faces!!

Elliot seems to have had a bit of a growth spurt recently so I've been updating his wardrobe with some new things. One of my favourite shops to buy boys clothes is H&M and quite a few of this week's outfits were purchased there!

Left Outfit: 

Minion sweatshirt - H&M

Grey trousers - H&M

Right Outfit:

Long Sleeved Tiger tshirt - H&M

Skinny jeans - Old Navy

The grey trousers were a great buy as they are lined with a really soft fleecy material and so they have been really useful in keeping Elliot warm when he's playing outside. Elliot's Nanny treated him to the Minions jumper on a recent shopping trip - it's a bit on the big side and I had to roll the sleeves up but he wanted to wear it! He'll get plenty of wear out of though and I'm sure it'll see him through next Winter too. 

I loved the tiger tshirt - and this was a bargain from H&M. I paid £2.99 but they have been reduced to £2.09 on the website now - so cheap!!! 

Dinosaur tshirt - H&M (last year)

Blue skinny trousers - Tesco

(you can tell he had a haircut on this day, spot the before and after!)

Elliot has had this stripy tshirt for ages but it was banished to the bottom of his drawers as it was always too big! It finally fits this year so he's been getting lots of wear out it. I think I only paid a couple of quid for it but it's great quality and looks brill with his skinny trousers! 

Wolf Hoody - H&M

I bought this this for Elliot before Christmas and he'd worn it to death since! He loves the wolf print - I love the little claws on the cuff! 

Linking up with the #weekendtotstyle

Good Night Anti-Snoring Ring Review

So here's my confession....I am a snorer, just ask my husband! In his words, it sounds like "a herd of stampeding wilderbeast" sleeping next to him - who says romance is dead ;) I'm frequently getting prodded and poked through out the night to stop my snoring and I'm sure if we had a spare bed, I'd be in it!

I spotted the Good Night Anti-Snoring Ring on Twitter and they very kindly sent me one to try out. My husband has never been so excited about a review!

How does it work you ask? I wondered the same but the ring focuses on two acu-pressure points located on your little finger. When the ring is on, the acu-activators work to free up your nasal breathing passages. I admit, I was doubtful - how could something on my little finger affect my nasal passages?!

The ring comes in three different sizes and is also adjustable - the website shows the different ring sizes making it easy to choose the best fit. It should only be worn at night as continuous wear will reduce the effectiveness.

Heavy snorers can wear two rings, one on each finger but I thought I would try with one first to see how I got on. The rings I received were the smallest size and I thought I might have an issue with the fit as I have sausage fingers! But as the ring is adjustable I had no issues fitting on my pinky finger comfortably. Once the ring was on I went to bed and kind of forgot it was there.

So, did it work?! Well yes and no. Yes in that my snoring has improved - the wilderbeast are no longer stampeding!! There has been a definite improvement but I am still snoring. So this tells me I might need to use both rings to get an even better result.

I'm definitely going to carry on using the rings - my husband might get a peaceful nights sleep soon afterall!

The Good Night Anti-Snoring Ring costs £29.99 and is available from Boots, your local pharmacy or online at www.goodnightsnoring.com

Disclaimer: We received the product for the purpose of the honest review. All views are my own

Baker Ross Valentines & Mothers Day Crafts

We are part of the Baker Ross Blogger Network and throughout the year we get sent lots of lovely things to test out and review.

Our latest box of goodies contained lots of Valentine's Day and Mothers Day crafts and Elliot couldn't wait to get stuck in. Fortunately we've had lots of wet days recently so plenty of opportunities to get arty! 

"Let me take a photo without your hand in the way!"....impossible!

We were sent the Tulip Pencil Pot Kits, 4-Part Multi Paint Pad, Heart Pop-a-crayons, Butterfly Ceramic Flower Pots, Flower Stampers, Heart Stampers, Butterfly Wand Kits and Bug Fingerprint Decoration Kits.

Elliot wanted to open the paint pads first - can't think why!! I have to say these were a bit tricky to open, I was expecting the plastic top to peel off but I had to use scissors and cut into the plastic. Could be a bit tricky for little fingers to open! We used to pads with the heart and flower stampers and it was a really great activity for Elliot to do. He got through about 10 sheets of paper and enjoyed using all the different colours, and then mixing all the colours together to make a multi-coloured stamp. He then used his fingers to experiment with finger and thumb prints...good job he was having a bath later that evening ;)

The stampers are nice and chunky and great for little hands. Easy to wash after too - I used baby wipes!

Next we moved onto the bug decorations - these were really bright and cute and we had to make them all! The kits are really simple and perfect for children, it doesn't matter if things are stuck on a little wonky as it just adds to the charm I think. This kit contained mini ink pads so it was another chance for Elliot to get his fingers dirty! The only thing I needed to help with was threading the ribbon and knotting it, the rest of the bugs were completed by Elliot.

On our next rainy day we decided to have a go at the Tulip Pencil Pots which would make a lovely little Mother's Day present. Again these were really simple for Elliot to make - I did help with the gluing but the sticking was all his handywork! I added a bit of sellotape to the backs of the tulip to help the petals stay in place but this is another great activity for younger children.

This afternoon we decided to try out the Butterfly Wand Kits and we even managed to get Elliot's Daddy involved....whilst the football wasn't on anyway! Elliot is at that age where he likes to do things himself so this was another activity where we could just let him get on with it. The only thing he needed help with was tying the ribbon around the stick but he loved doing all the sticking and gluing.

He spent the rest of the afternoon waving his wand and putting spells on us....."Hocus Pocus, I'm going to turn you into a sausage!" ;)

We've yet to try out the ceramic plant pots or the heart crayons but I'm pretty sure we'll have some more wet days this week so I'll definitely be reaching for the craft box!

All the items we reviewed can be found on the Baker Ross website for under a fiver which I think is great value. The kits are great for younger children because they are very simple to put together and won't take too long which is very important for kids with short attention spans!

I think a homemade gift is much more special than something bought so I will certainly be pointing my husband in the direction of the Valentine's Day and Mothers Day gifts on the Baker Ross website!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2016

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, you might have started thinking about gifts and what you could buy for your other half. My husband and I have never really done Valentine's Day gifts, we get a card if the other remembers but that's about it! But if you need some ideas, take a look below...

1. Lush Love & Kisses Giftbox (£45.95) - Lush have some amazing quirky products, 8 of which are in this lovely giftbox. Everything you could possibly need for a Valentine's night pamper!
2. Hotel Chocolat Valentine's Goody Bag (£18) - Hotel Chocolat do the BEST chocolates and anyone would be a lucky bunny to receive this goody bag. The Salted Caramel Heart Truffles just make me want to order this online for myself right now ;)
3. Marks & Spencers A Touch of Romance Gift Bag (£35) - Nothing says romance more than a beautiful bouquet of flowers - these ones can be pre-ordered from M & S to beat the florist rush!
4. Paperchase Cupcakes journal ( £10) - Who doesn't love a pretty notebook! Perfect for penning your romantic poetry ;)
5. Panasonic Lumix Super Zoom Cameras* (from £249) - Maybe your partner is looking to buy you something a bit special for Valentine's Day, what better than a new Panasonic camera to capture all those Valentine's Day memories!
6. Yankee Candle Valentines 5 Votives Giftset (£8.99) - Featuring fragrances such as Red Raspberry and True Rose, these will help you set the mood if you're having a romantic evening at home!
7. Photobox Canvas Prints (prices vary) - I think having one of your favourite photos made into a canvas is a really romantic idea. Photobox have a great range of canvas prints and wall art.
8. Prezzy Box My Last Gold Rolo (£79) - Would you give away your last Rolo?! I'm not sure I could but if you really must, why not make it a gold one!

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day with your partner? 

* Disclosure - this is a collaborated post

A Sunday Afternoon Walk at Knoll Beach, Dorset

We'd planned to have a day home today as the weather has been rubbish but it actually stopped raining after lunch so we decided to make the most of it and get outside! We've all been a bit germy recently so we were all definitely in need of some fresh air. And what better than some fresh sea air!

We decided to visit one of our local beaches, Knoll Beach which is located in the Isle of Purbecks here in Dorset and looked after by the National Trust. We are NT members which meant free carparking for us!

Resisting the urge to pop into the cafe for a hot chocolate, we headed straight for the beach where we faced with beautiful views in both directions. You can see all along the coastline towards Bournemouth and Hengisbury Head with the Isle of Wight in the distance. Then in the other direction are the white stacks of Old Harry Rocks - these mark the most easterly point of the Jurassic Coast.

Elliot made a beeline for the water and was chasing the waves in and out. At one point the sea took him by surprise and he ended up knee deep in water!! Fortunately he had wellies and waterproofs on but I didn't....had visions of me having to run in to fish him out!!

It's amazing how the simple things in life can entertain a 3 year old. Elliot was kept busy with seashell spotting, stick finding, jumping off things, balancing on stepping stones, writing his name in the sand and watching it wash away, seagull chasing, wave jumping and running away from Daddy brandishing a bit of slimy seaweed!

It was a gloomy day but the sun did try and come out on our walk back up the beach - the beaches in the distance were lit up in the late afternoon sunshine.

Afternoons like this really make me realise how lucky I am to live by the sea - although seeing Elliot jumping around in the waves just makes me long for Summer! I definitely want to visit the beaches more this year :)