Refresh & Rehydrate Your Kids With Robinsons

Kids do everything at 100 miles an hour and, in their haste to pursue the next shiny thing, or toy, or chance to make a mess, sometimes things like drinking enough fall by the wayside.

We know that staying hydrated is vital for our health.  In fact just a slight drop in hydration levels affects our brain and our performance.

Robinsons Sparkling Orange & Ginger

And, for school age children, staying hydrated is even more important to give them the best chance to learn as much as possible.

So how do we encourage our kids (and the rest of our family!) to drink more?

Ideally, of course, the drink of choice would be water but, having regularly had to remove barely touched cups of water, it's good that there is another weapon in the parenting arsenal.

Robinsons Squash is a regular item on the shopping list with eleven flavours including no added sugar varieties. Caitlin's favourite is orange whilst Ieuan is an Apple & Blackcurrant fan.  They have to be different, don't they? But there's also Lemon & Mango, Orange & Raspberry and the more exotic Mango & Passion Fruit.

I drank Robinsons as a child too (yes I know that's a few years ago), although I'm afraid it never improved my tennis.

Caitlin about to make her grown up drink

This year Robinsons have a new recipe and are encouraging us to be a little more creative with their squash to encourage us all to drink more water in a tasty, easy to prepare way.  All their squashes are now 'no added sugar' too.

So why not indulge your inner mixologist and see if you can come up with something a little more exciting than straight squash?

How about Warming Lemon & Ginger?  Robinsons Lemon with fresh lemon juice and finely grated ginger, served with warm water from the kettle?

Or, just right for Christmas, Mulled Apple & Blackcurrant? Apple & Blackcurrant squash with cloves, black peppercorns, star anise and ground allspice?  Just warm in a pan, simmer for 3 minutes and then set aside for 3 minutes to infuse.

Don't Worry - I Was Supervising!

Caitlin's new twist on her favourite orange squash was to combine it with ginger ale for a bit of sparkle and a touch more zing. Well, actually it was Robinsons' idea but I hadn't the heart to discourage her.

Adding the squash

We used approximately 50 ml of Robinsons orange per glass and topped it up with sugar free ginger ale and sliced of orange.

Adding the ginger ale - other brands are available!

The drink was really refreshing and Caitlin really enjoyed having a hand in making a drink she found a little more exciting.

You could add a few extra touches if you wanted to with coloured straws, glace cherries on sticks (I'm going back to the 70's here) or even a cocktail umbrella.  Strangely the latter seem to have vanished from supermarket shelves.  Can't think why.

Caitlin's "Orange Fantasy"

We're looking forward to mixing up some more combinations - next on the list is a St. Clements with orange and sparkling lemonade and I'm looking forward to warming some lemon squash and adding some honey the next time someone has a sore throat.

Why not give some of your own blends a try?

To find out more about the Robinsons range you can visit www.robinsonsquash.co.uk.  Alternatively you can talk to them on Facebook @RobinsonsDrinks or Twitter @DrinkRobinsons.

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*collaborative post

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12 Tips To Avoid All Out War At The Christmas Table

Christmas is a potential minefield for arguments; with family, with partners, with children, with the cat, with shop assistants and probably with yourself.  

If you’re the sort of person who could start an argument in a phone box, and if you’re hosting Christmas this year, channel your inner Kirstie Allsopp and consider the following.

Christmas seems to be a real flashpoint for some people

It does not all have to be perfect.  You do not have to greet people looking like an extra from a 1950’s retro greeting card in a twinset and pearls.  

You do not have to have place cards inscribed with perfect calligraphy, table confetti, ice cream sparklers or anything else you’ve longingly coveted in the Lakeland catalogue.  

It is a good idea though to adhere to some basic etiquette.  Either that or employ a bouncer.

Hospitable Hosting

Set time frames

There’s nothing worse than the embarrassment of having to turf out guests who overstay their welcome. If you can, send out written invites – e.g  “Coffee & Mince Pies, 4 – 6 pm".  Or then there’s that helpful phrase “would you like a coffee before you go home?” 

This has to be delivered with a certain amount of aplomb lest you come over like a Christmas curmudgeon and you probably won’t get away with it with close family and definitely not on Christmas Day. 

Avoid flashpoints

You know, I’m sure what topics are likely to start World War III but a couple of glasses of fizz and the urge to start talking about them is hard to resist.  

Think of it this way. Christmas Day is 24 hours. Even during World War I, the opposing sides took a day off at Christmas. Surely you can avoid talking about your ex, that outstanding loan, and why your children are never invited to Aunty Flo’s house for just a day. Stick your fork in your hands. Bite your tongue. Otherwise you’ll regret it.

Do not remark upon half-finished plates 

Annoying if you’ve slaved in the kitchen all morning but they’ve probably had too many Quality Street before turning up.

Eat your own food

It sounds weird but there’s nothing worse than a host who loads everyone else’s plate to the rafters and then eats half a potato and a pea because they’re on a diet.

Don’t get sloshed 

Alcohol and a stove whacked on to full power plus igniting the Christmas pudding is a recipe for disaster.

And, if you’re lucky enough to be a guest at someone else’s festive lunch this year….

Gracious Guest-ing

Bring a gift 

At the very least turn up with a bottle of something decent.

Curb your urge to flirt... 

....with your sister’s boyfriend, the next door neighbour or anyone else you know full well is off limits. 

And if you see someone flirting with your partner, try to ignore it and not cause a scene – at least till you get home! Tell yourself you must have made a good choice if someone else is after your partner.

Wear the paper hat

If everyone else is wearing their cracker hat, don’t be a mardy guts and refuse to on the grounds that “it will ruin my hair”. 

If Lady Gaga can go out wearing a meat frock, you can manage to balance a few grams of coloured paper on your head for half an hour.

Try the food 

You’re not 12. A mouthful of Brussel Sprout won’t kill you. And make sure you’ve told the host / hostess about your wheat allergy / gluten intolerance / fear of scallops well in advance of the day.

Join in 

Yes I know you hate party games but unless it’s “strip Twister” or someone’s suggesting throwing car keys in an ash tray, at least give it a go. 

Why not bring a pub quiz book with you or Trivial Pursuit so you can steer the post meal fun in a generally less embarrassing direction. You can’t go wrong with Charades, can you?

Don’t talk through the Queen’s Speech

In some houses, watching the Queen’s annual address is de rigueur and even if you think the French had the right idea with their guillotine, Christmas Day is not the best time to mention that. Keep your jokes about corgis and an annus horribilis for another time.

Know when to go home 

As a general rule, when your host’s eyes have glazed over and if anyone has started to snore, it's time to leg it.

In all seriousness though, if an argument does break out, the best thing to do is to try not to get involved. 

A dignified silence usually works well, as does “shall we discuss this another time? We don’t want to spoil the party”. 

Or there’s one of my favourite anti-argument techniques learned from Agatha Christie’s legendary Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. On hearing anything vaguely insulting, Poirot would raise his eyebrows and utter just one word in a questioning tone – “Indeed?”.

Happy Conflict-Free Christmas!

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Let The Bells Ring Out For Christmas - Except If You've Got Tinnitus

Spare a thought this Christmas for those of us whose ears are musical all year round.

We hear crickets chirping, kettles whistling, bells clanging, strange voices and a whole cacophony of sounds which the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra would struggle to replicate at full pelt.

Tinnitus sufferers don't want to hear bells at Christmas!

Add to this the problem that, for many Tinnitus sufferers, they are isolated by the fact that very few people understand how soul-destroying and draining a condition it can be.

Many Tinnitus sufferers live in a permanent state of heightened anxiety just waiting for something to set off their particular collection of sounds.

We travel with earplugs in our bags in case shop music is too loud.  We cannot attend a concert with 'naked' ears. Or, if we are brave enough to do so, we sit there just wondering whether we will pay for it tomorrow by a ramped up buzz (known to sufferers as a spike).

Car radios are a no-no.  The sound of a pneumatic drill or an ambulance siren when we are out and about may make us cover our ears.  Hairdryers, coffee machines, grass cutters, balloons popping - there is literally no end to the sounds which can set our ears off.

Simple things like attending a carol concert, a school nativity play or a pantomime become a sort of aural Russian Roulette.

Because the condition is so isolating, Tinnitus sufferers need to mix and socialise but the very thing they need the most can be the trigger for days of anxiety afterwards.

The great irony is that many sufferers are prescribed antidepressants to help them cope with their anxiety - and the tablets they are prescribed have been heavily implicated (at least anecdotally) in the increase or even causation of Tinnitus.  If you think I am exaggerating, a quick search of, for example, "Citalopram (a SSRI) and Tinnitus" brings up reams of stories from people who wish they'd never taken the stuff.

It is symptomatic of the fact that Tinnitus is so little understood by the medical profession, so infrequently acknowledged and so under-researched that sufferers are left to their own devices to seek for endless homeopathic or alternative cures, and fall prey to every quack who comes up with a 'miracle cure'.

We are left to cope with our problem alone and that, at Christmas, can be pretty miserable at a time when music is so important and such a part of the festivities.

So please be kind to those with this miserable condition.

And remember, they'll want fewer jingle bells and more of a silent night.

Further information:  if you suspect you have Tinnitus, please talk to your GP and contact the British Tinnitus Association who have lots of helpful information.

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Parents - Christmas is NOT "just for the children"

There comes a time when, it seems, those of us who love Christmas with a passion are expected to subjugate our need to cover every inch of the house in fairy lights and accept that now Christmas is "just for the kids, really".

It's easy to forget yourself in the chaos of Christmas 

Bah humbug!

If ever there were a time when the stresses of parenthood should be acknowledged and rewarded, it's surely at Christmas.

Now I can accept that if you hate Christmas, then telling yourself you are putting yourself through the nightmare of shopping in the overheated and overpriced emporia of commercial excess for them may well make it a bit more bearable.

But how sad.

How sad if we can't enjoy the fun.  How sad if we can't bedeck the fridge with tinsel.  How sad if we can't indulge our inner child and cover shelves with elves, stags, fake snow, snow globes and enough tealights to illuminate a football pitch.

Christmas should be a time to reflect; to congratulate yourself on another year of challenges and triumphs.  Another year of seeing your children grow, develop, mature in wonderful ways you probably never dreamed of.

Why dull their pleasure by not entering into the spirit of things?

Children want to see their parents happy.

And, the Christmas story is very much a celebration of parenthood isn't it?

Traditionally we women bear the brunt of the shopping, cooking and organisation.  Some of us put ridiculous amounts of stress on ourselves because we focus on making everyone else happy.

But why don't we find a few ways to make ourselves happy?

Whether that's a bottle of our favourite liqueur or our favourite chocolates, a scented candle, a new cushion or a special Christmas decoration to add to the tree, there are many ways to acknowledge ourselves.

It's not about buying things;  it's about acknowledging that we are very often the rock to which others cling and sometimes we need strengthening - otherwise we will find ourselves chiseled away.

Sometimes the best treat we can give ourselves is a little while alone, with a book and a coffee.  Time to reflect, regroup and breathe.

I hope that, as the Christmas preparations ramp up a gear this week, you will remember that it's your Christmas too.

Like what you've read?  Why not join me on the Mother Distracted Facebook page, tweet me on @lindahobbis or follow me on Instagram.

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My Sunday Photo - 06/12/15

Caitlin, ready for her role as a soldier in  The Nutcracker Ballet tonight

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A Colourful Stationery Giveaway For Kids From Maped Helix

There's nothing like the incentive of colourful, fun pens, pencils and stationery to encourage kids to do their homework.  Well, that and various bribes and muttering about the removal of WiFi privileges.

Maped Helix is a stationery company with a long history and has been making educational and stationery products for many years.

Although best known for educational stationery, including the Helix/Oxford Maths Set, this year Maped are all about colour.

A Selection of Maped Helix Pens & Pencils *note prize bundle differs

They also have some quirky ideas which my two loved. What about the Zenoa Collector eraser (PVC free) which has a happy or sad face or the pink Twin Tip Girly ballpoint pen which has four colours,two at each end.  Then there's the strangely bendy Flex Box full of coloured pencils which you can bend to fit in your backpack or satchel.

Maped Helix Color Peps Flex Box

The Zenoa Eraser

We found the products to be solidly made and good quality.  We have got through endless packs of cheap supermarket 'value' pens or pencils which give no colour and last precisely 15 minutes before they've been dropped on the floor and are impossible to sharpen ever after.

Caitlin has claimed the Girly pen as hers

I have a great prize bundle to give away which contains some ideal stocking fillers for Christmas.

There is:-

Maped Color Peps Flex Box with 12 coloured pencils
Maped Zenoa Collector Eraser
Maped Twin Tip Girly Ball Point Pen In 4 Colours
Maped Graph Pens - Fine Point In 4 Colours
Maped Geo Custom 15 cm ruler.

Please note some of these are different products to those pictured above.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget - just click on the link.  Terms and conditions apply.  UK entrants only.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Saturday 19th December.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Further information about Maped Helix products, including stockists, is available on their website www.mapedhelix.co.uk/products.

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Review: Salcura Bioskin Junior & Giveaway

Having had two kids who have occasionally suffered from mild eczema, I was interested to discover Salcura Natural Skin Therapy.

Salcura is a British Skincare Brand that creates natural formulations for problem skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and sensitive skin.

Salcura Bioskin Junior Bathtime Bath Milk - £9.99

One of Salcura's most popular ranges is the award-winning Bioskin Junior, which caters to dry skin conditions in children. In particular the range is designed for babies and children prone to eczema and psoriasis.

Bioskin Junior offers a range of products to form a skin therapy regime which uses only naturally active ingredients. The products are free from steroids, SLS, parabens, lanolin, phthalates, antibiotics and paraffin.

The products are designed to work with the skin to aid its own natural healing process and will also help sooth dermatitis, dry and itchy skin. We were invited to try some of the Bioskin Junior products.

We tried the two step system (Daily Nourishing Spray and Outbreak Rescue Cream) and the Bath Milk.

The bath milk is designed to cleanse, soften and soothe and has chamomile as the active ingredient. There is also a face & body wash and a shampoo. The product has quite a botanical, natural fragrance and is non greasy - helping to avoid dangerous slips in the bath.  Salcura suggest using 2-3 capfuls of bathmilk per bath.   We found the bathmilk gave a soothing, gentle bath with no harsh aromas and no greasy residue left to scrub off the tub.

Salcura Bioskin Junior Daily Nourishing Spray - £9.99

Eczema can damage the skin's protective membrane. Traditional creams and emollients can help to manage this by creating an artificial barrier but the Bioskin Daily Nourishing Spray works differently.

Salcura say it penetrates deeply to nourish and support the growth of new cells, helping the skin to repair itself and rebuild its own protective membrane.  

The nourishing spray is designed to be used on affected areas of skin twice a day. The spray can be used on the face too - just take care to avoid the eyes.

We found it to be a light, colourless spray which is easy to use, pleasantly fragranced and quickly absorbed.  

The Daily Nourishing Spray is part of a two step system.  The spray is for regular maintenance when skin is not flaring up. Its active ingredient is Sea Buckthorn, rich in Omegas.

Salcura Bioskin Junior Outbreak Rescue Cream - £9.99

The Outbreak Rescue Cream is designed to be used during flare ups. It should be applied liberally to the skin as often as required and can also be used on the face.  I tried it on a sore patch of skin I have on my hand and the cream did not sting, was very soothing and left a definite protective layer.

The active ingredient is Natural Volcanic Zeolite, said to be rich in rejuvenating minerals.

I was quite impressed by the Bioskin Junior products and like the fact that there are no harsh additives. The spray, in particular, is a great way of applying skin care to wriggly, grumpy little ones! Older children could even apply it themselves.

There are some brilliant customer reviews on the website too.  If your child has eczema you tend to work your way through all the 'usual suspects' - Doublebase, Diprobase etc until you find one that works but the customer reports here are promising.

The Salcura Bioskin Junior products are available at  www.salcuraskincare.com and have a 30 day money back guarantee. Alternatively, you can find them at Boots and some wholefood shops.

I have a set of the products we reviewed to giveaway - the bath milk and the two-step system (the nourishing spray and the outbreak cream).  Entry is by the Rafflecopter widget.  UK entries only and terms & conditions apply. Please see my competitions page. The giveaway ends at midnight on Saturday 19th December.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Further information at https://www.salcuraskincare.com/bioskin-junior/.

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