You're sweet like chocolat - A Hotel Chocolat review

Never have I been more excited than when I received an email from the lovely people from Hotel Chocolat. I mean, what girl wouldn't like the chance to "test" a box of chocolates?

I chose the Sleekster Classic Christmas Selection RRP £23.00.

The box itself is stunning, it made me feel all Christmassy just by looking at it. It would make the perfect gift for someone as it even comes with a little card.

The chocolates were a variety of flavours; from the delicious Milk Bauble, containing milk chocolate, to the melt-in-your-mouth Cranberry Cup. Each chocolate was so exquisite and tasteful, you could tell these were made to taste good!

The only problem I had was that they didn't last very long! Once the kids knew I was hiding a box of chocolates that was it! Of course, being the good mummy that I am, I had to share with them :(

The description of each chocolate is very clear and made it easy for the kids to choose which ones they liked (boo!) and which ones I could have they didn't. Unfortunately, that didn't leave me with many, sob! But, I liked being able to share with the ones I love.

Aside from being awesome at chocolate making, Hotel Chocolat are well known for their support to cocoa communities in Ghana and Saint Lucia. Their own Engaged Ethics program has being running for 8 years and allows benefits to the cocoa communities. I like a company looking out for everyone involved in the process, I wish more would follow suit. You can read more on the Hotel Chocolat story here on the website.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, why not have a browse through the website, there are some fantastic boxes on there, all suitable for gifts. Just make sure you buy extra for yourself too!

Disclaimer: We were sent the chocolates for free to review. However, our opinion is 100% our own. 

To declare or not to declare? That is the question!

Since I started blogging 7 months ago (has it really been that long?!), I have joined numerous groups on Facebook. These groups are full with other bloggers that can help, or at least point us in the right direction, if someone is ever stuck with something. From how to find statistics to finding the best domain to use for the blog, there is almost always someone in there that can help. I love these groups!

Today, I was doing my daily nose through them when I spotted a post from the lovely Sara Thomas from Pretty In Pink blog about specific guidelines when it comes to reviewing items or being paid to post content. You can read her post here and read the ASA's post here.

In a nutshell it basically states that if a company pays for content or a "positive review" then it MUST be disclosed (A little note stating that you received payment).

Now, my regular readers will know I have done both reviews and paid for content. I disclose on every post that I feel needs to be. But it turns out I needn't had to.

I sent an email to the ASA enquiring as to where I stood when a company sends me a product, for free, for a review. I always thought it had to be disclosed. Their reply certainly put me straight!

"Thank you for your email.

If you are sent the product for free that doesn’t present a problem as your subsequent review will be (should be) you own opinion, and we aren’t here to regulate opinion. However, if a company sends you a product for review and pays you to give it a positive review, then you should disclose this in your review so that your readers/followers are not mislead by the information you have provided. If you would like further clarification on the rules, please contact the Copy Advice team, who can provide free and confidential advice to bloggers and advertisers.

I hope this is helpful."

It turns out that you don't have to disclose on a product review as long as you weren't paid for a positive review. In all honesty, I would never accept a payment for a review, my reviews are always 100% honest, if I didn't like it, you'd know about it! I know other bloggers may not be the same but at least with this they can see how and what they need to disclose!

So, for all bloggers worried about if they're disclosing properly, I hope this helps.

Weighing it up! An Ozeri Digital Kitchen Scale review.

Having found a new passion for baking and designing character cakes, we were thrilled when asked to review a set of Digital scales. I've always used cheap tacky scales from the discount shop which never measure precisely.

After taking it out of the box, I was surprised at how small and compact it was. In all honesty I didn't think I was going to like using them. I like my kitchen bits and bobs to be big, hence why I have no room in there! But after reading through the instruction manual and having a little play around with the buttons, I was quite astonished that it was, in fact, a nifty little thing to have!

For a start, you don't have to use one set of units for measuring. I always use grams and kilograms but my nan likes using pounds and ounces, and it's so easy to switch between the two. The "Tare" button allows you to reset the weight - so if you put on a bowl, as I did, you can reset the weight to zero therefore enabling you to measure whatever you put in the bowl.

Nice, simple design for ease
of use.

With the Tare button, you can reset
the weight easily!

It also allows you to add multiple things and measure them separately. Weigh in some flour - reset - add the eggs and weigh - reset - you see where I'm going. It's a brilliant gadget that will make my life that little bit easier, when it comes to baking at least!

A rare problem I faced with the cheap scales bought from the discount shop was that I struggled to get the exact measurement I wanted. These scales are so precise, you can measure as little as 1g!








These scales are so simple to use, a must in every busy kitchen! I almost forgot the little surprise! It even has a timer! So you can set the clock for however long you need it and carry on with the day! I think it truly is a great item!

You can buy these from Amazon at a bargain price of just £9.95!


Disclaimer: We received a set of scales for the purpose of this review. However, our opinion is 100% our own.

The Anagranimals & The Wishing Tree review and giveaway!

Our household is a big reading one. We love books. If we go on a long journey, we all have a book in our hands. If we go on holiday, we all take our books. If we want some quiet time, we get the books out. We've always encouraged books as we believe it helps contribute to a childs intelligence and vocabulary range. With reading tests in school, C and T have always been above average. In their last tests, C was 5 years older in reading level and T was 3 years older. I hope J and Baby B follow!

When we were sent "The Anagranimals and the Wishing Tree" book written by Leith Moghli, the kids couldn't wait to read it!

It is aimed at 5-9 year olds, but each of the kids really enjoyed the story (and the pictures!)

 The story is about 6 animals who wish they could do things that other animals can do. They literally bump into a magical tree. This tree is a Wishing Tree, and it grants each animal a wish!

J loved looking through the book himself, but he loved T reading it to him too. He said he'd like to see animals change in real life. I'm not sure I would like to see a Leo-Tiga-Mur!!

The book has an open ending for another story "The Anagranimals and the Weeping Willow". We are looking forward to any future releases, especially J!

It's such a warm and fun story that any child will enjoy! In fact, that any person will, as I enjoyed it just as much as the kids did!

Thanks to Leith Moghli, I have 1 signed, first edition copy of The Anagranimals & the Wishing Tree to give away! All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter below.

The first four options are mandatory and you MUST complete all four to be entered. The other options are free for you to choose from. If you have any problem trying to enter, please see my guide on how to enter.

Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If the shoe fits! Brantano shoe fitting review

A couple of weeks ago, J and I took a little trip to Cardiff to visit Brantano. As J started school in September, I knew the importance of getting the correct size shoe for him. And because he has weird feet just like his mum (sorry babes!) I knew that it was even more important to get him measured so he would be comfortable all day in his school shoes.

Excited at having a new pair of school shoes!

 The lady that measured J's feet was lovely. J is normally very shy around strangers, but she made him comfortable and kept him talking about school and his friends whilst she measured his feet.

Having his left foot measured.

First,  she started by measuring the length of each foot. Many children, and adults, have different sized feet. You probably wouldn't even realise without measuring them!

As it were, J's feet were the same size.

Now for the wideness!

After the length's been measured, the width of the feet is then done. J's was off the scale as he has such wide feet.










After having his feet measured and picking out a pair of shoes he liked, J received a certificate and a sticker. On the certificate is his name and his feet measurements. I thought this was a great idea as it means I can just refer to that if I needed to get him another pair in the coming weeks!

"Look at my certificate mum!" - J

So, with J's feet measured there was only one thing left to do - try his new shoes on! We went for an 11.5 H shoe and they fitted lovely, with space for growing too! The lady explained that when buying shoes you should always be able to squeeze your little finger around the heel and there should be about a thumbs width at the toe of the shoe to allow for growth.

His new shoes fitted perfectly!

J was really chuffed with his new shoes and couldn't wait to show them off in school! We really enjoyed our little trip to Brantano, it was so simple and relaxing to get him a pair of school shoes with no stress! Why not take a visit to your nearest store? The shoe fitting service is free! I think it saves a lot of hassle and moans of "They're hurting mum!".

Disclaimer: We received a free pair of shoes for doing this review and visit. However, our opinion is 100% our own.

When? What? Where? Who? A Paperblanks 18-month dayplanner review

Are you like me? Do you forget almost everything? I am useless when it comes to appointments. Birthdays I'm pretty good at remembering - just don't ask me how old - and some phone numbers, but you can almost guarantee I'll forget an appointment. And with four children, that's not great.

Paperblanks were very kind to send us an 18-month dayplanner to review. I'd been looking for something I could store everything in and this was perfect!

 There is everything you would ever need in this planner. As well as week-to-view pages there was a removable address book, national and international holiday dates, a world time zone chart, birthday and important dates page - the list goes on!

Simple and perfect.

Don't forget to add your I.C.E. details!

With monthly-to-view pages you can mark and see all of your important dates at a glance!

I can even add the kids timetables so I know what they need each day for school!

Plenty of space with the week-to-view pages.

A detachable address book!

The ideal size, this diary now has a permanent place in my handbag. I have all my dates in reach and I now have no excuse to forget any!

Disclaimer: We were sent the dayplanner for free to review. However, our opinion is 100% our own.

Back to school - The Bento Box review

J is such a fussy eater, so I was dreading him going to school. At home, when asked what he wants for dinner, he'll normally ask for either bread and butter or rice pudding. Sometimes, he'll surprise me and ask for sausages, but that's not often. So I was secretly hoping that, by having his school friends sat eating the same things as him, it would encourage him to eat more things.

Normally, the kids would have school dinners. I prefer them to have different things each day and I remember how much I hated having sandwiches! But, looking through the school dinners menu, I realised there was a lot of things J would just not eat.

So when Munchkin offered to send us a Click Lock Bento Mealtime Set to review, I jumped at the chance!

The Click Lock Bento Mealtime Set

 From the outside, it looks much nicer than a normal sandwich box. The Clip Lock on the sides make the lid very secure (which means no crumbs or other bits of food in the bottom of his school bag!). There's even a little fork and spoon!

 Inside the box there are three separate compartments. One large and two small. On some food boxes I've found that lids are difficult to remove. Not a problem here though, they were so easy to remove and place back on, which is great as it means J can be independent with his lunch box.

 I sliced up some cucumber, J's favourite food at the moment! As you can see, I managed to get a good few slices in the one compartment. I put some coleslaw in the other, just for the picture, but it shows how much you could put in there.

 Nice and secure in the pots, I love that they are removable so if I wanted to make J some pasta (another favourite) he could have his sandwiches in one side and pasta in the other.

 The only thing I was disappointed with was that the main part for the sandwiches wasn't that big. In the photo you can see I had to remove the crusts from the bread for them to fit in, which was a shame as J loves his crusts - but there was a little extra room then so could fit in a sausage roll.

It looks so tidy and smart when everything's inside. J was so excited to take it into school and show his friends. I've even had other mums ask me where to get it as their child wanted one.

Overall, it was a brilliant lunch box. It certainly does the job it's intended for and with many uses I can see us using this for many years to come.

Disclaimer: We were sent the Click Lock Mealtime set for free to review. However, our opinion is 100% our own.

Bizzybee Gloves review

As any mummy knows, or daddy for that matter, children come hand-in-hand with mess. Whether it be muddy shoes, toys strewn over the floor or little puddles of water over the bathroom floor after their bath - us parents need to be on our toes, ready to sort it out! Little messes I can cope with, but any that require cleaning fluid (like mopping the floor, wiping down the sideboards, even washing the windows!) are part of my nightmares! You see, my skin is really dry, so wearing rubber gloves irritates them, and I don't know what it is about the smell - it's just something I don't like.

So, when Bizzybee sent me two pairs of gloves to review I hoped they would help rid me of my scares!

The first pair, moisturising gloves, I was looking forward to using the most. On the Bizzybee website, they are described as "A brand new glove with built-in TLC" and I really couldn't agree more! 

 As soon as I put them on, I noticed the difference between them and normal rubber gloves. These were softer, it was like they had a velvety lining inside. They are also latex-free, which is great for all those who suffer with the allergy!

They were so lovely to wear while washing up. I'm not usually one to wear gloves whilst doing the dishes, but I will be from now on! They were so comfortable, so soft, and I couldn't feel the heat of the water either! Perfect for washing Baby B's bottles in!

The only downside to these gloves are they're not available in any size except medium. They were perfectly sized for me but would be no good for anyone with big hands, including the Mr., even though it'd be a struggle to get ANY gloves on his hands! *chuckle*

The second pair, scouring gloves, seemed a god-send. Come on, hands up, who has left a pan on the stove for a little-bit too long? Who has burnt something in the frying-pan?  I'll admit it if you do! In fact, I'm the master of leaving pasta in the pan for too long! Ask the kids, they'll tell you - mum always gets distracted when cooking pasta - nothing else, just pasta! Do you realise just how hard it is to get burnt pasta off the bottom of a pan?

For the sake of this review, I did the unspeakable. I left the burnt pasta in the pan for 48 hours. Shock! Horror! Arghhhhh! Yep, I did just that. I'm not proud of it, I hate foodstuff left anywhere, let alone in a dirty pan on the sideboard in my lovely new kitchen. Yes, 48 full hours or torture! Of course, it was no problem for the Mr. and the kids, they didn't even see it there. But I knew I had to do it to test these gloves out properly!

Disgusting, 48-hour old burnt pasta!

And what a shock I had with the results!

They fitted comfortably, these are available in size large, so better for the bigger handed. The scourers were over the palm and fingers of the right-handed glove so, again, no good for the Mr. (being left handed) but, again, no gloves on his hands!

The first and second finger had scourers that went over the tips, perfect for those corners that are hard to reach!

All I added into the pan was a drop of hot water and left it for a minute to soak. Even without any washing liquid, the burnt pasta came away so easily! I didn't even have to scrub hard, so minimal effort for maximum result!

These gloves are amazing, a mother's work is always hard, but these make it that bit easier!

All sparkly clean!

So, thank you Bizzybee! You gave me something I will cherish for a long while! They might look like just a pair of gloves to you, but they are my helping-hand!

Disclaimer: We were sent the two pairs of gloves for free to review. However, our opinion is 100% our own.