Let It Snow With Bostik

Amongst the hectic activity, the lights and the surfeit of sugar, it's good to take a few moments to chill with your kids.

Everyone benefits from a few moments of peace and there's something quite mindful about crafting isn't there?

It's always fascinating to see how your kids interpret the world and crafting is a great way to discover what is occupying them at the time.

This month's theme from the Bostik-meisters was snow.  We rarely see snow here in Dinas Powys and when it does come it usually appears at the oddest time of year - the end of March and even early April being a favourite.

But there will always be something magical about a white Christmas.

Caitlin decided to create her own snow scene which featured (obviously), glitter and stars.  I'm very tempted to declare 2017 the official year of glitter to see if it makes it a bit more, well, sparkly than 2016 which for many of us has been unremittingly grey.

This time we had a new weapon in our arsenal as well as Bostik's trusty White Glue - the Bostik Fine And Wide Glu Pen .

It's a clear gel adhesive that can be applied in a thick or thin line. The fine applicator is great for precise and intricate work whilst the wide applicator is perfect for covering large areas quickly and efficiently.

You can use it for arts and craft, school projects, scrapbooking, photos, paper, card and even as a temporary hold for fabric  It's also washable and safe for kids as it's non toxic and acid free.

Caitlin's final creation is a cute snow scene featuring a snowman and some rather sinister brown figures.  I'm proud to say the pond is all my own work.  (I'm a natural).

Wouldn't it be magical if we actually had a white Christmas this year?

I suspect, as Bing would sing, we might have to settle for "merry and bright' instead.

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Festive Kitchen Time Savers You'll Want To Try

Just in case, like me, you haven't really got yourself organised for cooking one of the most important meals of the year (no pressure!), here are 10 quick time-saving tips to try in the kitchen.

You can spend the time you save doing something more important - like drinking Prosecco or perfecting your Christmas 'look'.  My Christmas 'look' usually just involves taking my apron off as once the kids are up it's chaos.

Plan ahead

I very often make a list and stick it somewhere constantly in sight. You could have a timetable for cooking Christmas lunch or a meal planner for the whole festive period.

Make sure you note down timings, quantities and temperatures.

The Husband and I usually prep the veg whilst watching TV on Christmas Eve.

Buy the trimmings

You don't have to make everything yourself.  I've bought pre-made pork & sage stuffing balls and mini sausages wrapped in bacon which can be quickly put in the oven alongside the turkey.

Whilst you're at it, why not buy some cubed pancetta which goes lovely with brussel sprouts or some flaked almonds which jazz up broccoli.  A drizzle of honey and some orange zest brightens up carrots too.

Berries and sprigs of herbs like Rosemary can add some pizzazz to warming winter drinks.

Don't forget the essentials

You know, the dull but vital stuff like matches for candles and extra bin bags.  You can find my helpful list in this post.  You really don't want to be running out to your local corner shop to hunt for stock cubes or cream either.

Make the most of your gadgets

Christmas is the time lots of kitchen gadgets come into their own.  If you have a breadmaker you can wake up to fresh bread on Christmas morning. Some of these are quite sophisticated, for example the breadmakers by Panasonic have Artisan, Rustic Sourdough and Scone modes as well as fruit and nut dispensers and a gluten free programme.

We also use a Nutri Ninja bullet blender to blend vegetables to hide in sauces (for dishes like meatballs and spaghetti sauces).  Caitlin and Ieuan have no idea how many veg they have actually eaten this year!

Cheat with desserts!

As long as you hide the packaging you can easily get away with shop bought desserts.  Just add some freshly chopped strawberries or berries (keep a bag of frozen fruit in the freezer) to decorate a shop bought cheesecake.

And you can't go wrong with good quality shop bought ice cream which you can jazz up with some warmed dulce de leche and a few toffee cubes - or even M&Ms for the kids.

Make space in the freezer

We make sure we use up some of the stuff lurking in our freezer so that there's room for desserts etc over the Christmas period.  I usually find I've been bulk buying oven chips and fish fingers!  A good defrost a couple of weeks before Christmas is a good idea too - because it's colder the food will survive a bit longer outside the freezer.

Space in your freezer will also let you quickly chill bottles of wine and beer.  Just pop them in for 20 minutes or so.

And you'll need lots of ice cubes too!

Put Individual Portions In Freezer Bags

You could speed up food prep by pre-portioning veg, berries, chicken fillets, mince beef and the like in individual freezer bags so you can just pull out what you need without weighing and measuring.

There are some more great tips on easy festive food prep from Tesco here.

Whatever you do, don't forget to rope in the family to help out where you can.  There's no reason why little ones can't help set the table or lay the crackers out.

Do you have any time-saving festive kitchen tips?  I'd love to hear them.

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Review: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer For Hair

Some products are just too much of a faff I find these days, but I had heard of this particular product many times so thought I'd give it a go.

I'm sure you've heard about the 'reverse washing' trend - where you condition hair first and then shampoo.  This product is arguable ahead of its time for that reason.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer is a pre-shampoo conditioner which you massage into your hair (in sections it is advised) and leave for 10-20 minutes with a plastic cap on so that the heat can do the work. It is priced around £17 for 75ml.

For a start, on a cold winter morning, wandering around with wet hair looking for a shampoo cap (no such luck) is not advisable.

It's true that the product does have a lovely geranium and neroli fragrance but this I suspect is to distract you whilst you hang about waiting for it to work and in any case it is shampooed straight out.

If you have longish hair, like I do, you'll also go through a tube quite quickly.

I remember once reading that Marie Helvin (one of the original supermodels) recommended using mayonnaise as a conditioning treatment and a jar of Hellmans would certainly be a lot cheaper.

The problem I have with many of these 'hero brands' is that they seem quite cold and clinical, standing aloof in bleak cosmetic 'boutiques' like Space NK.

In fact many of today's brands look more like potions stolen from a secret lab somewhere deep in the Swiss Alps.

You need a GCSE in Chemistry just to understand the ingredients.

Busy mums struggling with cash and time don't want to be bamboozled.  We just want products that do the job.

We also want brands that engage with us appropriately.

Somewhere in-between Benefit (desperate to be liked - "look at us, we're pink for heavens sake and we make teeny tiny palettes suitable for elves) and Mac (don't bother talking to us right now we're too busy being fabulous).

And somewhere decidedly south of No.7 (come in No. 7 your time is probably up).

Anyway I duly applied, shampooed, rinsed and used my usual conditioner and yes, my hair did have a little more oomph but not £17 worth of oomph.

Some of the reviews I've read suggest that you need to use this product consistently to see results but it is time consuming when you struggle to get into the bathroom before the husband and kids!

A product to add to your Christmas list rather than your shopping list.

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Easy Life Hacks For Becoming More Self-Sufficient

We’re in the midst of December. Once all the Christmas festivities have died down, you might start thinking of your New Year’s resolutions.

It’s common to set goals such as saving more money, losing weight, and being more eco-friendly. But one overarching goal which can help achieve all of this is becoming more self-sufficient.

In basic terms, being self-sufficient means developing the needs to look after yourself. You can save much more money and time by learning to do things without any help.

It can make a significant change in your life, and it starts with a few easy steps. Here are some things to try.

Grow Your Own Food

Image credit

You might not have a whole farm to create your own produce, but your garden is all you need to be more self-sufficient.

You can grow fruit, vegetable, herbs, and other edible products yourself. It’ll give you a range of healthy and free eating options!

You could start with a patch of soil or a planter in your back garden. But to grow more, you might want to find greenhouses for sale.

They’re fantastic for growing all kinds of plants year-round and make an interesting addition to any garden.

There are guides online for growing food in your garden. Learn how to do it and enjoy your delicious organic cooking ingredients!

Be More Energy-Efficient

Energy-efficiency helps both you and the environment. Some adjustments around the home can help you save a lot of money on your electric bill.

You can also find ways to generate your own power. A lot of energy providers will help you install solar panels to fill some of your energy needs.

One small installation cost can save you a lot throughout the year- especially during the Summer!

Another goal you might want to take on is to rely less on technology. Modern electronics can be a big distraction, so using them less can help you get more in touch with nature.

What’s more, you’ll be able to look after yourself if you’re faced with a power cut or go out camping!

Learn skills like cooking without electricity and cut out the TV for some reading or a walk with nature.

Cut Down On Car Rides

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Another small change that can save you big money is relying less on your car. After all, who wants to deal with traffic jams and annoying drivers?

Instead of driving to work in the morning, consider cycling. You’ll save a truckload of money on petrol costs- plus you don’t have to worry about damaging your vehicle. You’ll also get more exercise and be much more relaxed when you reach work.

Taking walks more is also beneficial. It can clear your mind and get you more in touch with nature.

Learn D.I.Y. Skills

Are you sick of having to call for help whenever you need something changed or fixed in your house? To be more self-sufficient, pick up some D.I.Y. skills.

There are plenty of online tutorials and YouTube videos which can teach you how to deal with home maintenance.

Not only can you keep your home in good shape, but you can also learn to redecorate on a budget.

Overall, having D.I.Y. skills will make it cheap and easy to look after your living space.

What tips do you have for becoming more self sufficient?

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Woznow.co.uk - Shop The Sales From The Comfort Of Your Sofa

You may remember a while back I wrote about a great new online shopping mall, Octer.  It's an online portal which allows you to browse and shop your favourite retailers whilst being able to compare and contrast the things you want.

My physical shopping trips usually involve a hefty amount and to-ing and fro-ing the length and breadth of Cardiff's shopping centres which, if you have the time and energy, is a very pleasurable pursuit.

Usually though I've got the Husband and kids in tow and the boys do not do shopping.  In fact Ieuan's idea of pergutory is the Pandora shop (which Caitlin and I love) and he'll flounce out and sit like a grumpy pixie on the floor outside the display window.

You don't need that on a Saturday do you?  So, particularly where Christmas shopping is concerned, I, like many parents have been doing it mostly online.

Now I'm very fond of saving money and whilst most retailers have a 'sale section', wouldn't it be great to be able to compare those sale bargains side by side online too?

Good news.  There is now a new site very similar to Octer which does just that called WozNow (www.woznow.co.uk) and it's updated almost daily with the newest bargains.

WozNow guarantees that all its sale prices are real sale prices and that every product has been previously listed at a higher price on the retailer's website. They are setting themselves apart from "discount retailers" who have never-ending sale prices.

WozNow allows you to search by category (e.g. Women, Men, Kids), department or store and then to drill down further within each of these to find exactly what you're looking for.

You can check size and stock availability without running around from store to store.  (I've lost track of the times we've had to hike from one Clarks Shoe Shop to another in the quest for a particular shoe in the kids' size).

So for example, clicking on jeans gives you the choice of skinny fit, straight leg, wide leg, tailored etc.  Clicking on Shoes & Boots gives you a choice of Casual Flat, Smart Flat, Heels and so on.

Once you have found your item, clicking on the link takes you direct to the retailer's site which happily opens in a new window so that you can not clicking back and forth on your browser back button.

Then you simply check out via the retailer's site in the normal manner.



WozNow is incredibly easy to use, up-to-date and rather addictive.  If there is a downside to it I'd say that it becomes fiddly if you want to use cash back or voucher code sites to save more money.

You would have to make a note of the item and then enter the retailer's site via Topcashback (or whoever) instead.

That said, generally the cash back and voucher offers I have come across are not usually useable on sale stock so this may be a bit of a red herring.

You do have to be quite quick off the mark too as lots of the bargains I had my eye on were already out of stock when I clicked through to the retailer.  Those bargains are vanishing as quickly as the site updates! For that reason, avid shoppers should visit the site often.

I'm afraid I did succumb and bought this fluffy faux fur coat from ASOS.  You can never have too much faux fur, can you?

Barney's Originals Ombre Faux Fur Coat From Asos £58 reduced from £95

I'll be checking back in the lull over Christmas to see what other bargains have appeared.  Just think - no endless queuing for the car park, no overheated shops and no stropping from Ieuan outside Pandora.

Much less "Oh what now!!!" and more "WozNow".

Bliss.

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Office Party Chic

Office Party Chic by lindahobbis featuring caged shoes

Etro caged shoes
£500 - luisaviaroma.com

Aspinal of London chain handle handbag
harrods.com

Kate Spade watch
£155 - katespade.com

Earring jewelry
tattydevine.com

John Lewis rose gold jewellery
johnlewis.com

Elouise Silver Satin Maxi Dress - REISS
reiss.com

Eliza J Fit & flare dress with jersey top and lace skirt Black & Brown...
houseoffraser.co.uk

seastone sparkle cocktail ring - kate spade new york
katespade.co.uk

Tinsel Half Sleeve Shift Dress | M&S
marksandspencer.com

JOANNA HOPE Lace Dress | J D Williams
jdwilliams.co.uk

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Making The Most Of Christmas With Fun Family Festivities

Christmas can be one of the most joyful times of the year. However, it can also be one of the most stressful times. There’s so much pressure to buy the right gifts, cook the perfect meal and be the perfect hostess.

Image credit: Pexels

All of this is hard to live up to, so we go into overdrive and a frenzy of Christmas shopping and preparations. The flipside of this is that some of the magic of the season is lost.

Don’t spend the rest of the run-up and the holiday itself in a state of panic. Stop for a moment, take stock and remember the important things about this time of year.

If you’re still dashing around trying to find gifts, let the internet take some of the strain. Many online shops deliver right up to Christmas Eve. Shops like Who's It For? provide a range of gifts categorised into recipients, to make it even easier. This will free you up to make the most of the festivities before the New Year begins.

1. Visit The Christmas Markets

Take the whole family and visit the Christmas markets. Many large towns host these now, and stallholders from Europe travel miles to sell their wares. You don’t have to buy lots of stuff. It’s enough to soak up the sights, sounds, and wonderful smells. Try a cup of mulled wine, or hot chocolate if you’re driving. Sample some of the European delights.

2. Christmas Films

Make the wrapping a little less dull by watching a Christmas film. Pick up a copy of the Radio Times and take a look at what’s coming up. Or, find some festive films on Netflix.

Image credit: Unsplash

3. Carol Concert

Check your local newspaper listings for carol concerts in your area. It’s a heartwarming event for the whole family and if this doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will.

4. Give Something Back

Do you have any neighbours who you suspect may be spending Christmas alone? Make sure you call in and take them a little something. It needn’t be an expensive gift, just something to show you’re thinking of them. If you can, invite them to your home to spend some time with your family. Or, find community events that they can join.

If you have time, offer to volunteer with a local charity. Many of them need extra help at this time of year.

Image credit: Pexels

5. Bake Off

The Christmas Day meal can sometimes be a bit of a frantic affair. There’s so much to do, and everything has to be timed. But prior to this, a little seasonal baking can be fun and is something you can do with the kids. Plus, it provides you with something to offer visitors.

6. Christmas Crafting

When the kids have broken up from school, and you’re at a loss as to what to do with them, try an afternoon of crafting. Take out the glitter, glue, and paints and make some Christmas pictures or decorations. You can find lots of kid-friendly projects online.

In all the hurry and last minute preparations, it’s easy to lose sight of the meaning of Christmas. Recapture some of that childhood wonder and magic by setting time aside for some festive fun.

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