ChillFactor Milkshake Maker – Review

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Fiona Martin

My children just adore milkshakes so were super excited to try out the new ChillFactor Milkshake maker from Character toys. The cup is a well made, solid design and we couldn’t wait to get started trying it out.

The cup comes with a solid straw that has a spoon on the end to get any slushy bits at the end. The cup has an insulated inner with a solid outside. The lid has a handle with a special bit that comes down to mix it all up.

As with all ChillFactor cups you need to put them in the freezer first, in my experience overnight is best and you can guarantee you will then get the desired result. To make your milkshake you simply add flavoured milk into the frozen cup, in our case chocolate for a treat, add the lid and just shake and stir. In just a couple of minutes your flavoured milk will have turned into a thick, frothy, frozen style milkshake. My two children were so eager to try this that they worked together in creating their drink.

And this was the result!

The children took turns drinking through the straw which fits through the lid and informed me that it was utterly delicious and tasted like ice cream! As soon as they’d finished it, they made another one, as fortunately with this cup you can use it twice consecutively before it needs to go back in the freezer. This time they both wanted to get stuck in, so got an extra straw and very kindly shared it with each other.

I did taste the drink myself and have to say I’d happily drink it as I am a fan of milkshakes myself and it definitely tastes better than just flavoured milk. The cup is great fun and also gets the children used to making things for themselves. Why not give it a try?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.

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Christmas Craft with Baker Ross

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Fiona Martin

A great time of year to do craft with the children is Christmas, as the children can decorate the house in all their lovely creations and give the house a festive feel. As usual Baker Ross have come up with some really simple but effective crafts for children that didn’t disappoint and have kept the children occupied over recent weeks.

We started with some peg angels which are so much easier to make than they look and I think the finished decoration is really pretty and effective.

All the pieces are sticky backed and simply stick around the peg to make the angel. A dab of glue for the hair and some ribbon to hang her up by her wings, and there you have it, a sparkly, festive angel to hang up and enjoy. The children were quite pleased with these and couldn’t wait to start crafting some more!

We then tried our hand at some lanterns and again these were easy to do, but gave us a really effective result. The black background is pre cut and the children enjoyed pressing out the shapes. Then simply glue a coloured tissue onto the back and fold the lantern into shape.

They have a loop at the top so we are planning on hanging them on some ribbon to adorn the house this Christmas. With the coloured tissue behind the windows, these look great against held up to the light.

The foam Snowman house kit was great fun and Miss M really enjoyed assembling it along with sticking the decorative shapes around the outside. The pieces simply pressed out of foam sheets, which Mister B did before passing them to Miss M to build. Again I have to say how effective this looks once finished and has taken pride of place in our front room windowsill for the festive season.

The children love these thick card tree decorations which simply required decorating in any way they chose. They love the Deco pens from Baker Ross and used them to come up with their designs. These look pretty hanging from our mantelpiece or could easily be hung from the tree as they come with pre attached gold threads.

We’ve had lots of fun with the Baker Ross Christmas craft selection and would highly recommend them. There are so many more available that it’s well worth checking out the website and finding some to suit your children. I love the idea of children making their own decorations, it’s fun to do and they love seeing the results of their efforts pinned up for everyone to see.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the crafts in order to write an honest review.

Easybelts – Review and giveaway

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Easybelts are a child friendly belt that’s easy to do up, allowing young children to be independent and do up themselves along with stopping their trousers from hanging down and them constantly pulling them up throughout the day.

The belts are made from high quality elasticated webbing, with an adjustable D ring and a velcro fastening. I was impressed by the quality of the belt, it feels strong, secure with no chance of fraying edges. I wasn’t expecting it to be stretchy but this added to the softness and comfort fit of it. The velcro to fasten the belt is strong and a good length, meaning the belt safely stays shut once done up.

The belts come in a variety of designs, colours and sizes. You can choose a size that’s right for your child but you also have the added benefit of adjusting it further with the D ring. There are also motif designs available, such as hearts, butterflies for girls, and racing cars and footballs for boys.

We chose a grey belt with a racing car motif for 4yr old Mister B to try. He’s currently between trouser sizes but the larger ones always hang down a bit despite having adjustable elastic inside, so we have been on the look out for a easy to use belt for a while.

His eyes lit up when he saw this belt, I think due to the racing car motif!

So how did he find it?

Well he was definitely eager to try it himself and yes, he managed it on his first attempt!

This is certainly good news for us and gives him an added independence when going to the toilet. We don’t hear the call for “mummy, can you help me?” everytime now.

I love this belt and would definitely recommend it for any young child that struggles with belts or want to do them up themselves. These belts are not only suitable for children but are available in adult sizes, which are particularly useful for those with limited hand coordination or with a disability.

I’m pleased to be able to offer 3 of my readers the chance to win an Easybelts of their choice. Why not check out the Easybelts website to see their range now?

To win 1 of 3 prizes of an Easybelt, just enter through the Gleam form below:

Easybelts

Free competitions at ThePrizeFinder

All reviews are my own opinions and I received a belt in order to write the review.

Secret Ready Brek Cookies

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Fiona Martin

We love baking and I remember many years ago making Secret Cookies with Ready Brek. I knew my children would love these so thought we’d give them a go as something to occupy Miss M during the summer on a rainy day.

Mister B wanted to assist too and insisted on wearing Miss M’s Hello Kitty apron rather than his own – but whatever makes him happy! Miss M carefully followed my instructions to mix the ingredients herself and was very excited by the ‘secret’ part of the cookie. A hidden square of white chocolate pushed into the centre of each cookie before it is baked.

Here’s the recipe we used for Ready Brek Secret Cookies:

5oz butter
5oz caster sugar
1 egg yolk
4oz Ready Brek
3oz self raising flour
2oz cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
15 squares of white chocolate (enough for 1 per cookie)

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. And in egg yolk and beat well
3. Add the Ready Brek, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder
4. Mix to form a dough then break into 15 balls, flatten each ball down pushing a square of white chocolate into the centre and covering completely within the cookie
5. Bake for approx 15 minutes on 190°C

The best way to eat these cookies is when they are still warm, so take them out the oven, let them cool slightly then take a bite and you’ll find the white chocolate square in the center is all gooey!

These are deliciously yummy, I have to say our plateful of cookies didn’t last long although we did manage to save a few until the next day. They are almost as delicious cold as well, although if you pop them in the microwave for a few seconds it gently warms them up and they taste just like they’ve come out the oven again.