My blog is fast approaching 3 years old! How time flies!

With time comes change. My 2 girls are growing up. Little E has just finished her first year of Reception and Little I is a very feisty 2 year old. And of course baby number 3, this blog, has changed with us. We are still reviewing prams, cribs, bottles and all things baby through little nieces and nephews who are lighting up our lives. But closer to home we are enjoying finding new places to explore, places to eat and the best toys to play with.  We've been lucky enough be part of the Baker Ross blogger progamme for the last couple of years and Little I is starting to love arts and crafts as much as her big sister.

And a big change has occurred; I'm working again. Freelance from home and even though I am too busy to dust (who dusts these days right?) I'm loving the new challenges and I feel a bit different about life, appreciating having the skills to be able to work for myself and give the girls a few special treats. But, naturally, It can be a struggle to juggle it all at times and get the balance right. Finding time for me is still important and I love writing book reviews and sharing my favourite recipes. Afterall we are all so busy we don't want to waste time on the duds!

​I hope you continue to enjoy reading my blog and share the experiences of our changing family. I certainly love having you visit and a big thank you to all the brands who I have collaborated with over the past few years. There are some brilliant products out there and I love sharing my finds with my readers.

​xxxx

The Tomahawk is without a doubt the Daddy of all steaks. Weighing in at a whopping 42oz it comes from the rib section of the cow has the entire rib bone still attached giving it the appearance of a tomahawk axe. It certainly makes a talking point at the dinner table!

Looking more like a meat joint than a steak and can easily feed 2 carnivores, even 3 at a push. The marbled, fatty texture combined with being on the bone give the meat amazing flavour when cooked.

When Morrisons sent us one I couldn't wait to taste it but unusually there was something which flummoxed me, how to cook it! In the end I opted for a pan and oven combo.

Little I, you missed a little bit...

​Linking up to #mysundayphoto

The Raw Truth for Mums and Dads whose kids have eczema
 
Nearly half of UK parents with a child who has problematic skin, say they feel frustrated they can’t do more to help their skin condition, especially considering 30 per cent also say their little one has received unkind looks and comments from other children about their skin. A further 15 per cent of parents blame themselves for their child’s skin.

Jewellery is a passion of mine. When I met Husband he was astonished by the number of earrings I owned, over 365 pairs so technically I could wear a different pair each day. When the jewellery designers at DIWAH contacted me to trial their new jewellery design software I knew I was the girl for the job.

There are three ways to buy the beautiful designs from DIWAH; You can buy straight from their stunning ranges of jewellery. Easy. Or if you fancy something more individual you can submit your ideas to the jewellery design team and they will create a couple of different unique designs for you to choose from. But if you feel really adventurous you can use their jewellery design software to create your own necklace from scratch.

Bagged mixed salad leaves has been linked to the recent E-coli outbreak affecting more than 100 people across the UK. Symptoms of E-Coli include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Particular strains can be even more nasty and cause anaemia and kidney failure.

It is extremely important to wash salad ingredients and fruit properly and for extra safety using a sterilisation fluid ensures removal of all contaminants. 

The Photographer's Wife by Nick Alexander follows the life of Barbara, a child of The Blitz and the wife of one of Britain's most famous photographers. Barbara's life story is juxtaposed with the present day struggles of her Daughter, Sophie, a photographer herself who is trying to propel her own career by organising a retrospective of her Father's work.

But as Sophie uncovers dusty images from the attic she slowly unravels family secrets, hidden by denial, fear and time to reveal a very different portrait of her family.

Linking up to #mysundayphoto and #mycapturedmoment

The weather looks set to turn sunny (finally) and with the summer holidays fast approaching I have teamed up with Travelbag to give you the lowdown on my top outdoor activities for kids on sunny summer days.

This is a super, cost effective idea for capturing some of the sunshine and keeping the kids entertained for hours. Hopefully you are lucky and have a park within walking distance but if not do a bit of research and find the perfect park with apparatus suitable for the ages of your children. Be prepared for lots of pushing on the swings and why not make a day of it and take a picnic.

Recently Little E has become obsessed with pancakes. All shapes, all sizes. I have become an expert at oven baked pancakes, crepes and now American style fluffy pancakes. This recipe is the quickest, easiest one I have found and seems to create perfect pancakes every single time.

I timed this recipe on a school morning so you can see just how quick it is. I also got to try out  Wykes Farm butter  (If you like their cheese you are going to love this butter) which made the pancakes taste divine.