Skribbies - the trainers YOU design

The other day I was invited to POP at HOF.  A number of pop up stalls in House Of Fraser in Oxford street. They will be there until 26th May, so if you fancy a visit, check it out!

I was there to meet Jenny from Skribbies! A new hi-top trainer for kids!

When I walked up to the stall it looked exciting from the outset! Lots of bright colours & characters from the brand.

Skribbies are hi-top trainers kids can design themselves! They come in a choice of 3 trims, pink, blue & black with neon. The main surface of the trainers is white, ready for your child to be as creative as they possibly can. Whether it be writing their name, their favourite band, or drawing pictures! Their imagination can run wild!

While I was there, I had a play. I'm not the most imaginative of people, but here's my efforts.....

Skribbies sizes range from 10-3. I ideally wanted a 9 for Mstr J, but 10 was the smallest. I asked why, and their explanation was, that they thought parents would feel, that with smaller children, it might be hard to get across to them that they could draw on these shoes, but not anything else! I must say, I agree! I have never bought into the 'draw on yourself' or 'draw on your doll' toys, as I think exactly that, how does a small child understand when drawing on something is allowed & not!  Starting at a size 10 means they are for from roughly a 5 year old upwards. By that age, they know & can understand what is allowed.

Jenny herself said she regretted them not going up to a size 5. And again, I agree. Stopping at a 3, cuts off before you reach your 'expressive' teens, & even those adults like myself who can still fit into a child's size 5, & may of bought into the brand!

I got a size 10 in the black neon for Mstr J. In the box, they get the trainers of course. But also...... Some fun stickers that can be stuck to the trainers, or wherever they like. A pack of pens which can be used to write on their Skribbies. And a wristband/sweatband which can be worn for fashion & is great for rubbing off your designs!

The great thing about Skribbies is that nothing is permanent! When your bored of your design, or if you go wrong while drawing, you simply rub a bit, or all of it out & start again!!  The fun is endless!!

Mstr J's opinion...

Mstr J was super excited when I picked him up from school & told him what I'd got for him! His face when he opened the box was a picture! He loved the stickers & spent ages looking through them all & picking his fave & asking me which was mine. Then we checked out the pens. He was a bit disappointed that he got 2 pink pens in his lot, but no blue or red! "I don't need pink mummy, why they given me 2!".  He loved the sweat band, swaggering about the room in it stating "I'm a cool dude!". Then the trainers, his face lit up! "They're big boys ones mummy" he said!  I think his only disappointment was that him being only a size 9 still, he wouldn't fit into them yet.  We had a little play.....

My opinion.....

I think they could definitely rethink their sizing structure, and maybe go down to a 8, or at least 9 for those petite 5 year olds like Mstr J.  And of course I think they should go up to the 5, instead of stopping at a size 3!

Price wise, they were £39,99. For a mum like me who mainly shops in Tesco & Asda for Mstr J's footwear, this was a lot of money. But for parents who are used to buying in higher end footwear shops for children, like Clarkes, this price is inline.

The trainers themselves feel & look strong & long lasting. At this age children's feet don't grow as quickly, so they will last them a fair while.

The box itself with the characters & all you get is fun & exciting for kids. Who doesn't love some goodies inside.

But best of all is the trainers themselves! I think the idea of designing & redesigning over & over again your own unique trainers is fantastic! Which child wouldn't want to do that!!  I can see an army of girls in their 'I love 1D' pairs, & boys with their super hero designs etc! Awesome!

You can check out & order your Skribbies from their website...

Www.skribbies.com

Or pop along to House Of Fraser Oxford Street & visit their stand until 26th May!

Im off to play with Mstr J's Skribbies now..... Shhhhh don't tell him!!! 

Stromboli - pizza wrap! Baking with kids

Now I'm back at work part time, I try to savour every moment I can with Miss Iz & Mstr J.

So, today I decided me & Mstr J would make a dinner. I've taken a real liking to Pinterest lately, & the wonders you can find on there! I've been 'pin'ing things left right & centre!  I had a browse last night at my recent dinner pins & wondered which we could attempt! Then I spotted the Stromboli! Or as Mstr J named it when I showed him what we were going to make, the Pizza Wrap!!

There is so many versions on Pinterest that I decided to make our own dough, & wing the rest of it! My usual baking style really!!

So, I found a recipe for some dough.....

1 cup of warm water

2 & 1/4 teaspoons of yeast (roughly a sachet)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 & 1/2 to 3 & 1/2 cups plain flour

Yes this was an American recipe, so it's in cups! You can either find a converter online, or buy a cheap set of cup measures. Think mine came from a £1 shop!

So, here you go....

Put the warm water & yeast in your bowl & stir to activate it.

Then add the salt, oil & 2 & 1/2 cups of the flour.

Use your mixers dough hook to mix.  

Once all mixed together add up to 1 more cup of the flour. (Think I used slightly under & it was prob still a lil too much).  Then mix again.

Give it a nead with your hands, & cover bowl & put somewhere warm to rise for about 1 hour.

Once it was risen I actually stole a little of the dough & made some little balls to have with some garlic butter! Yummy! The rest we split in 2 to make our 2 Pizza Wraps!!

The First half we rolled out into a rough rectangle.. (Ok, not much of a rectangle, but we tried!).

Mstr J spread with our homemade sauce. This being, some ketchup, some BBQ sauce & some tomato purée mixed together.

Then I grated some cheese on top! We didn't want any bits of little finger in our wrap!

For our filling, we used some sliced chorizo & some bacon lardons. (The second one we even added some sliced thin chicken mummy found in the fridge).

Now the fun part! Rolling it!!

Mstr J loved this! You don't just roll, you lift & roll if that makes sense. If you just roll it you will push all your filling out! So lift & roll & kinda tuck it in.

When you get to the end, fold in either end & put upside down (with your rolled edge on the bottom), onto a lined baking tray.

You then repeat for your 2nd Stromboli.

2nd half of dough in the bowl.....

Once both made, cut a few lines in the top to release any air while cooking.

And in it goes. About 30 minutes at 200.

I'd spin your tray half way through so the back Stromboli is then at the front.

And...... Ta da!!! Enjoy!!

Here is a picture of the inside!!

It was very yummy!  You could do any number of different fillings. A few I saw were using pesto, mince, etc.

We all enjoyed it. I ate mine with a knife & fork, but daddy picked his up just like a Wrap & munch his way through it!

Edible play dough / multi coloured cookies - Easter craft fun

Since it's the Easter holidays & I have Miss Iz & Mstr J to keep busy, we have been going a little craft crazy!!

So far I have entertained Mstr J with craft while Miss Iz naps.  But today I wanted something they could both enjoy.

I found a recipe for multi coloured cookies. You can let little ones play with it like play dough, then bake & eat their creations!!! Sounded like fun to me.  I decided while Miss Iz napped, Mstr J & I would make the dough, & chill it, then it would be ready for play once Miss Iz woke.

Recipe -

3/4 cup butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 & 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Assorted food colourings

In a bowl cream butter, cheese & sugar together. Add egg & vanilla and beat til smooth.

Add salt, baking powder & flour. Stir until dough forms.

Divide into as many pieces as you want colours. We did 4.

Add the colouring to each piece (a little at a time until desired colour is reached).

Form into balls, wrap in cling film, and chill for 2 hrs. Or, if you're like me & want to do it sooner, put in freezer for about 15 minutes.

We found the mix very wet and sticky and had to keep adding more flour when we were blending he food colouring in.

It also makes tons, & I mean tons of dough. You can't really half the recipe as you only use 1 egg.  It would be good with a number of children or at a nursery or similar setting.  Or you can always make loads & munch away.

Once our dough was chilled, we ready to start the designs. We set up on Mstr J's table. Miss Iz was in her walker, so I gave her a piece of dough to play with while we was busy creating! She loved it. Squishing it on the walker, picking it up in her fingers & rolling it around. It must have been great for her senses & motor skills! One happy baby while mummy & Mstr J tried to perfect some designs.

I got out some cutters and we used the egg cutter mainly.  We made eggs, swirls, bunnies etc. etc.

2 trays full later they were going in the oven.

Unfortunately nanny & grandad arrived and mummy got chatting...... 15/20 mins later, a over cooked batch came out the oven!!!

My over cooked batch - 

Thankfully, due to the vast amounts of dough this recipe makes, we had plenty more chilling ready to make some more. Lots of giggles later, batch 2 went in. I cooked them at about 180. For about 12 minutes ish in the end.  The aim is definitely to keep your eye on them & get them out when you can tell they are cooked enough. You want them to be at the hardening stage, as they will will continue to cook through more once out, but you don't want them to brown, as you lose all your pretty colourings!

2nd batch much better - 

I can safely say, a number of biscuits later, they are quite yummy, and definitely some fun that all the family can get involved in!!!

Mothers Day at Aldi

In my usual, 'what shall I do today' style, I decided a little trip to my local Aldi would get me out the house for a bit!

When I got there I noticed,  they had their Mothers Day items in stock! Luckily for me, they started today, so there were plenty of items to choose from!

What I bought.........
I picked a pair of cute pyjamas for my mum.
And of course I couldn't leave without a little something for myself, so went for the cosmetics bags set, as I've been wanting to get a new toiletries bag for holiday.

How much............
The pyjamas were £7.99.
The 3 piece cosmetic bag set was £4.99.

What I thought............
The pyjamas. I will only be able to do a limited review on these, as they are for a gift.   Size wise I am pleased, my mum always struggles to get items in 10-12, as most shops do either 8-10 (too small), or 12-14 (too big), but these were perfect.  For those of you who prefer a 12-14, they did this size too! All bases covered, well done Aldi!  They had a number of designs, so plenty of choice to fit your own mums taste. They are made of 100% cotton, so are lovely and soft.  Maybe I will come back and add some more of what my mum thinks when I give her them!! But I can honestly say, if hubby bought me some from Mstr J & Miss Iz, I would be a happy mummy!!

The cosmetics bags.  The gift to myself! Lol! I've been wanting to get a new decent sized bag to put my toiletry bits in for holiday, and the large bag looked perfect, the others were an added bonus.  The large bag and the smallest both have a satin feel. With the medium one being a wipe clean plastic.  Inside the large bag it's one large open space with 2 small pockets on one side. The pockets will be perfect for my little hair clips etc that disappear in the big space.  There's plenty of room for all my bits, bobs, bottles & what nots I will be taking away.  The medium waterproof bag I will use for any little bits I'm taking down the pool.  It will even be good for putting my watch in to keep it from getting wet or sun lotion hands on it!  The small bag is great for taking your little bits out with you in a hand bag.  Whenever we're going out for the night, I always want to take my lipstick & blusher, for top ups in the night. They either disappear in among the junk in my hand bag, or the blusher leaks dust into my bag, very annoying. This will mean I can find them easily among everything in my bag, & no mess!!

Other things they had.........
Above were the items I chose, but there was more, and may suit your mother on Mother's Day!!
Leather purse £4.99
Leather handbag £6.99
Ballerina slippers £2.99

Yet another success under Aldi's belt in my eyes!!

Easter bunny biscuit on a stick !!

Since Mstr J started school in September I've been wanting to do a little more to help the school.  Helping them is helping my boys future in my eyes!

So, I decided to join the PTA, and working with my fellow mummies, we've decided to do a Easter fete, the first theyve ever had!! This is no mean feat, all of us being new & wanting to make it a success.

As I do love my baking, I took to Pinterest for some ideas, putting Easter as my search.  I soon stumbled across a Easter bunny mask type biscuit on a stick.  It was just an image, so I had no means of how to create such a thing.  Using my baking knowledge, I decided to try to create my own version, and today, was my trial run...........

The biscuit

First I needed some sort of stencil, I used a piece of card, and holding it in front of Mstr J's mouth, marked roughly the width of his face, & the height from nose to chin. I then drew a rough bunny mouth outline.

Biscuit recipe.... I used the following.....

260g plain flour

2g salt

226g butter

60g icing sugar

4g (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

In a bowl, whisk your butter until creamy.  Add the sugar, & whisk again until smooth. Add the vanilla, and whisk again.  Add the flour and salt & gently stir through until combined.  On a surface, flatten into a disc shape & wrap in clingfilm.  Chill for at least a hour.

I created the dough at about 1pm and it was left until Mstr J was home from school & we were ready, about 4.30ish.

I found the dough quite sticky still, so you will need more flour for dusting the sideboard & rolling pin.  We rolled a piece of the dough out until it was about half a cm thick.  I placed my stencil on top & used a sharp knife to follow the outline & cut my bunny face out.  I then placed a lolly stick vertical in the middle of the biscuit, almost from the top, straight down & out the bottom for the handle.  You then push it down into the biscuit a bit.  To help secure it in place, take a piece of dough, roll it into a small sausage shape, & place over the stick, & smooth/flatten on top of it.  Then turn the biscuit over, and place on a lined baking tray.

We made four of these as it was just a trial run.  There was tons of left over dough, so together, Mstr J and I, made dinosaurs & hearts.  We even added some chocolate chips to some of the dough to see how they would come out.

Baked at 200c, for about 10 minutes, they were ready.  We left them to cool.

In the meantime, Mstr J decided he wanted to watch a film, so left mummy to it.

I decided rather than the icing it looked like on the image I saw, I would use fondant icing.

I rolled out simple white fondant icing to a thin layer, only a few millimetres.  Using my template, I cut it out.  I also made an additional template for just the nose section.   I added a tiny amount of red food colouring, to a small piece of fondant. This made a lovely pink colour. Again, rolled out thinly, I cut out the nose templates.

The next stage...... Putting it all together.  Being a baker, I have edible glue in my cupboard but you could probably use something sticky like jam instead, just thinly applied.  I then stuck the white face section to the biscuit, and then the pink nose on top.

The final finishing touch...... The smile/teeth!! Again, I have a edible pen, but you could use icing, or gels.  I drew a big bunny smile, with big teeth and whiskers!!

I think the final result is rather cute!!!

And Mstr J was super excited to try one out!!! Hee hee

Daddies verdict, Yummy!!!

I wonder what the children at the fete will think........

Funky Giraffe Bibs - Funky Fashion clothes and more for your little ones

Well, if you read my Babyshow post, you will know, I found a favourite stand at the show, and that was the Funky Giraffe Bibs stand!  As the name suggests, their main seller is their bibs/bandanas, but this is not all they stock!

 

As I walked up to the stand, you could not miss the colourful wonderland.  I fell in love with the array of beautifully coloured bright funky bandana bibs, from Cupcakes, to Cherries, to Dinosaurs, there was so much choice!  As lots of us mummies will know, these are mega useful for dribbly little monsters. My Miss Iz goes through a number of these a day when she is teething!

I was so excited to see their stand as I actually bought a number of their bandana bibs last year at the show while I was pregnant with Miss Iz.

 

There is more designs in the bandana bibs than you could ever possibly think of. Whether you like plain simple colours, or images of girlie or boys items.  I've since checked out their website, and you can now even get them personalised! How cool is that!!  I might be making an order for some Miss Iz bibs, or shall I put "Princess Iz"! lol

 

 

What I bought......

 

Since the hubby was with me, I was kept on my reins and bought much less than I could of!

 

I got, 3 bibs (2 bandana style and a longer one), a cute little t-shirt for the summer, and a pair of their Moccasins.

 

 

How much.......

 

Bandana bibs - start at £4 each, but reduce if you buy more than 1, and you can mix the designs. The offer I like the look of is 5 for £11!!  Good luck in sticking to even 5, I am already eyeing up "mothers day", "Birthday Girl", florals etc. etc.

The larger bib - £4.50

T-shirt - only £3.50!!

Moccasins - £7 a pair

 

The personalised bandanas, are 3 for £12!! fantastic prices! I don't know where else you can buy personalised items at these prices.

 

There is so much more on their site, I don't even know where to start!

 

Best of all, ALL their items come with FREE postage, so no added extras, what you see, is what you get!!

 

 

What I thought......

 

I'm not going to lie, I do get a little impressed with a "bag". and I love the Funky Giraffe bag my goodies came in!

 

 

The bibs..

As I mentioned before, I have bought their lovely bandana bibs in the past, so I had no questions of their quality.  The front is a soft cotton and the underneath is unbelievably soft fleece. It is like a soft blanket.  Miss Iz was born with a cleft lip, and had reconstruction surgery. I always worry when I am wiping Miss Iz's face with other bibs, in case they are rough and hurt her lip. but I never question it with these.  The new larger style, (they never had these last year, or maybe I didn't notice them), will come in really useful for the now weaning Miss Iz. Any food spillage will be easily wiped away with the gentlest bib Ive found.  I will definitely use my bandanas for dribbling, and my larger bib for feeding time. 

They also wash really well.  Some bibs lose shape due to their plastic backing, but these kept their shape & their softness.

The 2 button/popper neck fastening allows plenty of room for baby to grow. You can effectively have it at 3 different sizes depending on which poppers you connect.

And of course theirs the lovely designs! I have some lovely ones from before, like a Cupcake etc.  This time I went for a little angel one, a little sister one, and the larger one, which says "I might be small, but I am still THE BOSS".   About right for my little madam. Mstr J also loved the little sister one, as he is very proud that she is his little sister, and he is her big brother!

 

The T-Shirt..

Ok, so its been raining almost constantly for a number of weeks now, but I am ever positive, and am determined there will be sun, and we WILL have a summer!!  With that in mind, I decided on one of their cute t-shirts.  I went for the 12-18 mths as Miss Iz should fit that size come summer.  Yet again a lovely soft material. There was a number of very cute designs on the front, some of which you could match to a bib.  How great would that look.  I went for the LOVE design.  The current price online is only £3.50!!!  You cannot buy this quality for this price anywhere else.  Although Miss Iz doesn't fit it yet, I put it through the wash to see how it came out, it was great.

 

 

The Moccasins..

When I saw the little Cupcake design pair, I couldn't not buy these. I'm a bit cupcake crazy, so there was no way these were not being bought.  These come in age sizings.  I bought the size "age 1", as Miss Iz is 10 mths.  These fit with room for growth.  The sock part is lovely and thick and warm.  The moccasin sole is leather.  From the inside it feels like the rest of the sock on their feet. But the outside is tough wearing and the base brushed leather, so it has a fantastic grip.  As Miss Iz starts to take them first steps, which I'm sure isn't too far away, these will definitely be on her feet, as I do not want baby bumps on our laminate flooring!

 

 

I cant actually wait for her to fit into the t-shirt and moccasins.

 

 

 

I love their items, and I could buy almost everything they sell.  I think my next purchase might be a summer dress.... or a babygrow... or.... oh I don't know, there's just too much choice of beautiful items!!

Go check it out...

 

www.funkygiraffebibs.co.uk

 

BabyShow Excel Feb 2014

Today we took a trip to the BabyShow 2014 at Excel.  Even though Miss Iz is now 10 months & Mstr J is 5, I was hoping there would still be some things for us to see, new "inventions", and some shopping to be done.

We took the trip down by underground. It was a smooth ride & Mstr J enjoyed the view out the back of the DLR train. I wasn't quite so sure, as speeding along backwards was making me feel a little queasy.

For anyone wondering about getting to excel, it couldn't be simpler. You exit the DLR at Custom House, use the stairs or lift up to the bridge & I think it was barely 100m into the excel exhibition building.

The Babyshow itself is huge! You kind of don't know where to start. We decided to head for a corner & work our way up & down the aisles. This is pretty simple as it is laid out in a grid shape, so other than the odd "larger" stand, you can keep to the up & down, or left to right along the aisles.

 

 

Whats there.....

Where do I start.  Everything you could possibly need, and more that you wouldn't of even though of, is all under one roof!! Plus lots of new 'inventions' to tempt away your pennies!

There is definitely some bargains to be had, and its easy to be tempted into spending more than you intended to.  I would say, as I did last year when we went, when I was pregnant with Miss Iz, go with a list of what you still need/want to get.  That way its less easy to get waylaid with all the amazing baby wonders.  But to be honest, its never wrong to have a little splurge on something pretty for your bubba!

There is a changing area sponsored by Asda, where you can change your rascal with the help of an Asda nappy & wipes, free of charge.

Next to that was the Tommee Tippee feeding area. This was set out lovely, with tables with chairs for mummies & daddies, and highchairs for little ones. Miss Iz loved sitting there eating her lunch.  There is a breastfeeding private area with comfy rocking chairs for mums. There were bottle warmers and microwaves for heating up food for your baby that you'd brought along. Also some free Tommee Tippee spoons and Plum food for you to try. I of course was cheeky and took a few for Miss Iz to try later. Picking up an extra Blueberry Banana & Vanilla one as she enjoyed daddy feeding her that there.

 

Theres a crèche too if you need to drop a little one off to give yourself some free time to browse.

 

Lots off talks & clothes shows take place throughout the day, & there's babynatal classes & Baby Sensory etc too.

 

If your hands are getting tired from all those bags, there is a free Shop & Drop area, sponsored by Emma Diary.  You can even get your shopping delivered to your home, for a charge.

 

Lots of the stalls have special offers & discounts on.

 

 

Some of the bits we looked at / enjoyed.....

We bought some items from the MAM stall as they had a fab offer on for 3 items for £10. The items ranged in value, up to about £7 each, which is a great deal. There was plenty to chose from.  We went for the feeding bowl which had a lid and was split in two. Perfect for days out with Miss Iz now weaning is well under way. A bottle brush, very useful for getting into the depths of your long bottles. And finally a tooth brush training set, ready for when Miss Iz gets her first tooth.

Vital baby were giving away free spoons. These are our fave spoons to use with Miss Iz. We gained a couple at last years show, so I was glad of another.  I must admit, I am still a little disappointed that they don't bring their silicone bottles along to the shows.  We purchased these for Miss Iz, as they are squeezy bottles, and were essential for with Miss Iz having a Cleft Lip, it helped with her feeding.  But aside from that, they are fantastic bottles for any baby!!  Ive been asked about them by so many other parents, when they've seen me feeding Miss Iz, I think they would be a real seller if they were shown at the show!

We got a bag of goodies, from the madeformums stall. All for £2. Definitely worth it for the bits I'll use. & the pregnancy goodies will go to a good friend x

I also purchased some toy bits for Miss Iz from the Mothercare & Kiddisave stalls.

Mstr J of course couldn't be left out, and got himself a Dinosaur walking balloon from the Walking Pet Balloons stall. These were clearly a great seller, as I saw many a child walking various 'creatures' around the show!

My favourite stall by far was Funky Giraffe Bibs!  My usual shopping urge kicked in when I saw their beautiful items & I couldn't help myself! They had a wonderful offer on the bandana bibs. I purchased a number of items.  Even the bag I came away with, was too cute! More to follow on these in another post, as Im going to do a detailed post on these!! I cant wait!!

 

This is just a small sample of the many many stalls & bargains etc to be had!  Whether pregnant or with a baby, its definitely a great place to go.