Friday 31 July 2015

New Sure Compressed



Sure recently asked me if I would like to try their new Sure Compressed antiperspirant. As a keen cyclist I get through a lot of deodorant so I was keen to try this new product. I wasn't sure how it would cope with a hectic day at work followed by an evening cycle ride but I knew this would really give it the ultimate test! I sprayed the Cotton Dry fragrance first thing in the morning and popped it in my handbag as I do sometimes need to freshen up by lunchtime. Lunchtime came and went and I was still fresh as I had been in the morning - so far so good! Even after cycling 20 miles it was still working its magic and I kept getting little bursts of fragrance throughout the day so knew it was still working. Sure Compressed has been developed to be softer on your skin, whilst still providing you with the same level of sweat protection no matter what you do. 

The compressed nature of the can means that the antiperspirant is executed in a smaller can that releases less air, but the same amount of product with each spray so it's better foor the environment too.

Sure isn't a brand that I normally use but I am really impressed with the performance and I will certainly be switching to Sure Compressed antiperspirant from now on. 










I received a can of Sure Compressed anti-perspirant for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are my own.

Luke's Potatoes


Luke has been harvesting his potatoes, the boys had potato wedges for tea which Luke said were delicious. I am looking forward to trying them tomorrow!

Saturday 25 July 2015

Evening Bike Ride


You would think I would have learned by now not to cycle down bridlepaths, all the ones we find seem to be incredibly overgrown and full of nettles. The one we discovered tonight,  which isn't that far from home, was just as overgrown as all the rest and as well as nettles had plenty of brambles and low hanging trees. It doesn't seem to put Luke off and he enjoyed his off-roading experience. 


Friday 24 July 2015

Carpet Cleaning with Vanish





If you have children in your house it is inevitable that you will need a stain remover at some point, whether it be for clothes, furniture or carpets. I always tend to reach for Vanish when I find a stain as they have products for pretty much every stain you can think of. They also have a handy guide on their website where you can get advice on how to remove all sorts of different stains and the best products to use. 

Vanish recently sent me a few products to try so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try and get rid of the stains on the playroom carpet. The carpet has been down since we moved in 11 years ago and it doesn't get hoovered as often as it should due to Luke having his farm in there. I usually try and give it a good clean in the school holidays so then Luke has time to redesign and re build the farm.




I used Vanish Powershot which has been specially formulated to deliver unbeatable stain removal for your carpets. The innovative foam gets to work immediately, removing stains by driving deep into the carpet pile. It's unique fizzing action helps dissolve and lift stubborn carpet stains caused by household items like coffee and even red wine! The stains on the playroom carpet weren't caused by coffee or red wine, more likely Ed's wheelchair or one of the boys spilling something but they looked just as tough and sponging them with water hadn't made the slightest bit of difference.



Before I used the Vanish Powershot I tested a small area of carpet in the corner of the room, just to be sure that the colour was fast. The following day when the patch was dry and the colour was still the same I set to and tackled the marks on the carpet.  

Vanish Powershot is really easy to use, before you start you must remove any solid residue from your carpet and then all you need to do is shake the can well and spray from about 15cm above the stained area. You then blot/rub with an absorbent cloth and your stain hopefully disappears!




As you can see from the pictures the stains came out, I was really impressed how easy it was to use and would certainly recommend it. we only had a couple of small stains on the carpet but if you have a larger area to clean why not try the Vanish PowerPowder Large Area Carpet Cleaner. The moist powder helps remove tough ground in dirt, odours and dust trapped deep in the carpet pile. It has been designed for easy use on large areas of your home and the fast drying action of the powder means your carpets are dry in just 20 minutes, so you can enjoy your clean, fresh and soft carpets in no time!







Disclaimer - I received Vanish products for the purpose of this review but all words, photos and opinions are my own.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Tropic Skin Revive Nourishing Cream Concentrate Review




















A What's Good To Do Review

I recently received some Tropic Skin Revive Nourishing Cream Concentrate to review for the What's Good to Do website. Here is my review which has even been retweeted by Lord Alan Sugar!!



I am 42 and have tried lots of different creams over the years, all with amazing claims that they rarely live up to. Consequently I chop and change between products and have never stayed loyal to a particular brand. As I spend a lot of time outdoors my skin does get quite dry so I always moisturise morning and night and do spend quite a lot of money on moisturisers. My current moisturiser is quite an expensive one so I was really interested to see how the Tropic Skin Revive Nourishing Cream Concentrate compared to it.

I have to be honest and admit that I had never heard of the Tropic brand before so when it arrived I had a look on their website to find out more about the brand. The website is excellent and the three values that they follow are Pure, Honest and Effective. They also say “We fill our products with the finest natural ingredients to take the very best care of you and your skin.”  I am a firm believer in natural beauty products and after looking at the website and reading some of the reviews I was quite excited to try this product.

I started to see an improvement in my skin after just a few days; my skin was noticeable brighter and felt lovely and soft. As well as improving the look of my skin it has an amazing fragrance and the silky texture feels lovely on my skin. I found that it is light enough that it absorbs easily into my skin and it wasn’t greasy at all. My face feels hydrated and it really feels like it is doing my skin the world of good.
I have been using this moisturiser both morning and night and I am really impressed with it. I will certainly be swapping from my normal moisturiser as it is so light, smells lovely and leaves my skin in tip top condition.


5  out of 5

Monday 13 July 2015

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

We recently visited Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it was quite a dull day and we quite surprised how quiet it was. We hardly had to queue for any rides which meant we could go on everything and we managed to go on some rides twice. 


The dodgems was one of Luke's favourites.


The Wallace and Grommit ride is new and takes you through scenes from all the films.


Here are the boys on the log flume, they didn't really get wet at all, not like Valhalla!!



Luckily the sun came out in the afternoon as we were absolutely soaked after going on Valhalla!



We had a lovely day out and Luke went on rollercoasters for the first time and enjoyed them so we can all go on the rides together now which is more fun.


Bike Ride to Grandma's


Yesterday we decided to go and visit Grandma and Grandad and went on our bikes. We had lunch there and when we left the weather had improved so rather than cycle back on the main road we picked up The Guild Wheel and cycled along the river which was nice. In total we cycled 26.5 miles which is the longest ride we have done so far this year.


Delamere Forest and Go Ape

On Saturday we took the Cubs to Delamere Forest in Cheshire. We had a very early start, the coach left at 8am, but fortunately everyone was on time! Everyone was very excited about visiting Go Ape in the forest and the Cubs were looking forward to going on the zip wire.



There were two coaches so we had been given a time slot to visit Go Ape, ours was in the afternoon so we explored the forest in the morning. Delamere Forest has a Gruffalo trail, an orienteering course based on the story of The Gruffalo with a carved Gruffalo at the end of the course. It is probably more suited to younger children but the Cubs used the map to find their way around the trail and answer the clues which were dotted around the forest.


After lunch we went to Go Ape and the Cubs were fitted with a climbing harness and given all the safety instructions. They were all keen to get started and they had a practice on a small walkway.



Once they had got the hang of clipping on and moving around the course they were allowed to go on the high ropes course. 









Some of the wooden bridges were quite wobbly but all the Cubs were great and managed to get around quite quickly.



We had an hour slot so they could go around as many times as they wanted in the hour. At the end of the course was a zip wire which they all enjoyed. 

We all had a great day out and I'm sure the Cubs will be asking their parents if they can go back and visit again.

There are lots of cycle trails in the forest so I would like to go back with the boys and take our bikes and explore the forest properly.


Sunday 5 July 2015

Ultimate Dinner Party

As you know we all enjoy cooking and baking in our house so when Finish asked me to describe my ultimate dinner party I had lots of food ideas running through my head. Whilst I don’t organise many dinner parties we do try and cook a variety of different foods and are always trying out new recipes, some are great and others have a cross put in the top corner as a family note not to bother with that recipe again!

So here are my suggestions for food at my dinner party.

Starter - Paté
Main Course - Beef Wellington with roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese and braised red cabbage
Dessert - Bakewell tart with homemade custard or ice - cream


Homemade paté is actually very easy to make and much cheaper than shop bought paté – it is also much nicer! Home made cranberry  sauce and a warm bread roll are the perfect accompaniments. I made this at Christmas and everyone enjoyed it.





We eat a lot of beef and Beef Wellington is a real treat. It takes time to make but it really is worth it. We are lucky as we have a couple of excellent butchers and farm shops nearby so we can always buy delicious meat. I do cheat and use ready made puff pastry as it is just so much easier than making your own. With the Beef Wellington I would serve cauliflower cheese, braised red cabbage and roast potatoes.




For pudding you can’t go wrong with a Bakewell Tart. I always make it in a large tin in the hope some will be left over for the following day but this never seems to happen! I serve it with either custard or home made ice cream.




After all that cooking I am really glad we have a dishwasher to wash all the dishes. I have tried different brands of dishwasher tablets over the years however I have found that Finish takes care of your dishes much more than other brands. Glasses come out sparkling and I have never had any glasses go cloudy and scratched like some of my friends have. Finish have an article on their website about cloudy glasses and what causes it, you can read about it here.




What would be your suggestions for food at your ultimate dinner party?






Disclaimer - I received some Finish products for the purpose of writing this post but all words, photos and opinions are my own