Author: Scottish Mum

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Tata fine lines & wrinkles…. Not sad to see some of you go…..

nomake-uphiOne of the lovely things about blogging, is the opportunity to do things I would never have thought of beforehand.  Yes, I’m getting to the age where old leather and hide boots has been more apt to describe the surface of my face, but I’ve done not too badly in the grand old scheme of things at my age.

Most of the people I know who are a decade or more, younger than me, haven’t been so lucky, which is surprising, especially since I was a smoker for many a year in my youth. But time marches on for all of us.  If you’re still a spring chicken, don’t worry though, it doesn’t hurt to get older.  We just look wiser to everyone else….apart from our kids – for whom we look like old crocodiles…

Saying that, I do have some sticky points that mean I avoid looking in a mirror…  I think we all do at some point in our lives.  Go on, laugh if you recognise this…  Especially if you need glasses or contacts like me. Pull on clothes, squint in mirror, slap on some foundation and squint some more, before applying squint eyeliner and lippy.  Raise eyebrows and pucker lips – we look awesome in the mirror… The first picture on this post is me, three days after my first treatment, and no make-up on. I’m happy with that.  I don’t look so red already. It seems a good skin clinic is something I’ve been looking for all my life.

Rolling back the years is something I am conscious of these days.  I’m doubtful that any of us want to look old, but neither do most of us want to look like some of the A listers who’ve made some of the biggest mistakes of their lives by going for extreme cosmetic surgery. I’ve thought about having some gentle work sometimes, but as a sandwich carer for 3 adopted kids and 2 dementia parents, one of whom lives with me, as well as finding time to work, I tend to spend my life doing things for other people, and only recently started spending time on me. I should have done it years ago, but none of us are perfect.

When you start looking at the different treatments and salons, it can get quite daunting.  So many different options, and no way to know if it’s safe or not, until you get it done….which was why I decided to accept a lovely offer from a company in Aberdeen, to have a consultation and see if there was anything they could do for me.

The Temple Medical Clinic is based in Aberdeen, and owned by Dr Sam Robson, a GP since 1997, who’s been practicing medical aesthetics since 2004.  With a recognition of how difficult skin, premature ageing and obesity affect morale, she set about finding a new way to tackle this very real issue that affects both men and women.

I fully understand that.  For the years when I was well overweight, I did nothing, avoided gatherings and nights out, even crossing the road to avoid people I knew before the pre busted thyroid weight gain, and absolutely hated looking in the mirror at myself.  I’ve written about how my low points affected me before, and now that I’m back to a more normal weight, life seems much brighter again, but ageing catches up with us all.  I’m not one of those people who pretend they’d have nothing done, so I’m happy to try out some of the procedures at Temple Medical and shout from the rooftops about it.

Feeling good is what it’s all about.  Without feeling good, life is a pretty rough road indeed, and if some pampering can de-stress us and raise the good hormones in our bodies, then I’m all for it. BUT, and this is a big but..  I have to feel comfortable that I’m not entering some back street alley with someone who did a 3 hour course to do my treatments.  Having a medical doctor in control is a hugely reassuring thing indeed.  I’ll write more about Temple Medical itself and the service in another post, as I’m steamrollering my way down the page at a rate of knots, and I haven’t told you anything about my treatments.

My first consultation was with Karen Urquhart, registered nurse, who is an independent prescriber.  She explained the effects of skin and ageing.  I was surprised to find out that as we age, the volume loss in our faces is due to reduction in bone size, which leaves the skin more loose, and ageing of collagen which deflates our supportive soft tissue.  So, instead of tight and plump skin, that’s attractive, and makes us feel good when we’re young, we start to squint in the mirror to avoid seeing the fine lines, or just throw on some slap and go.  I don’t know what I thought, but I realised my slightly saggy skin wasn’t due to something I’d done, but due to my advancing years, and possibly effects of the early menopause I went through in my thirties.

lesley-omnilux

On arrival, I was whisked off for my consultation with the lovely Karen, who took images of my skin to show the sun damage, and where skin could be improved.  I have very little sun damage.  That means my strategy of using factor 50 on my face, in all weathers for the last few decades, has paid off.  I had a low score for that, a fairly low score for wrinkles in my age group, but a higher one for redness in my face.

I’ve always had rosy cheeks, even as a young child.  I suspect it’s a form of Rosacea that us Celts suffer from, but thankfully, mine has never progressed to pimples and acne.  I just have the dreaded red cheeks that get so red in some situations, I look as if someone has burst a bottle of red ink on my face.  I have never, ever, had the need for blusher…  As a red face sufferer, I know I’ve had it fairly easy, but still, it embarrasses me a lot, and when I run, my face is scarlet all the time.  It’s not quite as bad as when I was younger, but it’s still there, taunting me every time I look in the mirror.  I know it’s a first world problem, but if something makes us feel uneasy, it’s worth looking at.

I had no idea something could be done about it.  None at all.  Although I wanted to do something, I’d read years ago that nothing helped, so as time moved on, I just hadn’t done any more research.  When Karen mentioned a course of light treatment would help, as well as help rejuvenate skin, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles, there was no way I would even consider saying no.  That would be like shooting myself in the foot.  The picture above, was taken lying down on a couch at Temple Medical.  Now if only my skin could look so line and blemish free when gravity was working on it, I’d be a happy lady indeed 🙂

I first tried Omnilux, which promotes our own natural healing processes.  It’s a rejuvenant to leave us glowing and looking younger and more radiant, with not a needle in sight.  It also helps acne and eczema. I had my first session, which has us lie under a bank of lights, which are actually very bright and take a little adjusting to.  As someone who rushes around non-stop, I appreciated the relaxing time, and when Karen suggested I go for a course of 8 treatments, with the maximum results showing over time, I was happy to go with that.

As luck would have it, Temple Medical had an open night for a new treatment, which includes a full facial. I couldn’t go as it clashed with parents night, and being a responsible parent, I couldn’t miss that, but Karen suggested I might prefer that to the light treatment alone.  So, although I was going to talk about Omnilux first, I’m going to go more in-depth about the new treatment.

SkinFusion Signature Facial

temple-medical-kim-aMy therapist is Kim, who’s lovely and chatty, but not intrusive.  She’s calming and very relaxing to have a treatment with.  Kim explained the process very well, and talked me through it the whole way.  There are a lot of lovely little bits that go into this facial, and including a hand and shoulder massage was the icing on the cake.  The recommendation is a course of 3 treatments, 1 per month, but to keep the effect, a top up as a core monthly treatment is recommended.

Kim said.

When your skin just isn’t looking its best and you are looking for a rejuvenating treatment that will leave it glowing, looking more youthful and radiant, light therapy promotes your own natural healing processes and works at brightening your skin as well as tackling problems such as acne, rosacea and eczema. Even the most sensitive skin can cope with light therapy. It is quick and has no side effects such as pain, redness or irritation.

Cells within the body contain receptors that naturally absorb light. When the body is exposed to light, these receptors absorb the light waves. This process stimulates normal cellular activity that occurs naturally within the cell; light therapy accelerates these processes making the cell more efficient and able to deliver visible improvements in the skin. It stimulates the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid. This plumps up your skin, resulting in a fresher and more youthful appearance.

We went for a snapshot before the therapy, as Kim assured me results can be instant, with a noticeable difference right away.  This was a nice touch, as I could really see the glow and increased plumpness in my cheeks afterwards, as the faint smile lines beginning to form in my cheeks are noticeable when I laugh.  I have to say though, that it was a full three days afterwards before I noticed a big effect.  My cheeks looked more like they did when I was younger, slightly rounder, and the smile lines were much reduced.  The plumpness smoothed them out.

Honestly, I felt like a Princess during this treatment.  I’ve never had a facial done before.  Ever.  I’d never made time for me.  I can’t believe I’ve got to this age before doing it, but I’m here now.  I think I made a very wise choice indeed.

The treatment is gentle and relaxing and is suitable for most skin types but it also incorporates advanced cosmeceutical ingredients that give instant results to brighten, firm, purify soothe and lift skin.

Kim cleansed my face with Vitage Cleanser, the exfoliated my skin with Vitage C02 Micro Peel.  My skin tingled slightly, but not uncomfortably, more invigorating, with a pleasant aroma.

A very high tech Hydro Mask was next, placed directly onto my face in two parts, before the Light Fusion equipment.  It’s a red light and plus light incorporated into one device, for more powerful results, and is on for 10 minutes.

Kim kindly told me to relax while the light does its magic, as she massaged each of my hands in turn.  I very nearly fell asleep…

After just 10 minutes, the lifting mask was applied, which made my skin feel slightly tight – while Kim carried out a neck and shoulder massage.

At the end, Kim applied a Vitamin C Serum, and massaged it into my skin, before also applying Vitage Eye Cream and Vitage Age Defense Power Repair Moisturiser, and finishing off with Vitage SPF 30.

At the end, we went back to take another picture.  Wow.  My cheeks had popped out a bit.  My skin was brighter and glowed, and not just from the products.  There really was an instant effect.

What Did I Think of SkinFusion Signature Facial?

  • I love the idea of once a month treatments instead of every week for light treatments.
  • I’ve already said how much I loved the effect three days afterwards, when I realised cheek laugh lines weren’t so obvious.
  • I really loved how my cheeks seemed more plump and I felt I looked younger in the mirror.
  • Having all the other little bits as part of the facial made it very special indeed.  Massage, exfoliation, light treatment and face mask, all in one go.  It’s genius.  While I enjoyed the Omnilux, I think SkinFusion is a far more pampering experience.  It’s like a whole course of luxury in one session.
  • I can’t wait to see the final results after three full treatments.  I would never have believed my skin could feel so much better than it does already.  As a skin treatment newbie, I had the best of both experience, and products, in the SkinFusion Signature Facial at Temple Medical, for my first toe dipping into growing older gracefully.

Here are the images of my before and after using the very unforgiving camera in the practice, for close up comparison.  It’s a scary thing for sure.  When I first saw Karen, she said this was the point where you realise how much like your mother you look like.  She was right.  No holds barred here, and frightening to see, but in the interests of blogging honestly, you can see for yourself. I’m going to be very interested to see how my skin is after the three full treatments.  There’s no way I’m going into Xmas without one of these treatments now.  I can see a new hobby coming on…

Shininess from products aside, especially in images 1 and 2, you can see the difference in volume in my cheeks already. The redness didn’t show in the images, due to the lights, and my face was a bit pink from the lovely facial, but the first picture at the top of this post helps to make it obvious that some redness has gone.

before-1 after-1

before-2 after-2

before-3 after-3

nomake-uphi

temple-medical-waiting-room

Temple Medical Ltd
6 West Craibstone Street
Aberdeen
AB11 6DL

Thanks to Temple Medical for my consultation and treatments.  All opinions are my own, based on my experience of red light therapy.  It’s quite interesting that there’s also blue light therapy for acne, as well as wrinkle relaxing treatments, skin rejuvenation, blemish removal, body contouring, ipl laser hair removal, and many more non surgical cosmetic procedures.  I am very much enjoying this.

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Cream of Peppercorn Pumpkin Soup

Did you know raw pumpkin seeds are actually good for you?  I only found out when I was looking for more ways to add protein into my life.  I’ve tended to mostly roast my seeds before eating, but it’s not necessary at all. Straight from the pumpkin, these little pale seeds also have iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and magnesium.  Don’t throw away those seeds when you’re carving up your pumpkins this year – get them in your bellies somehow. You can use them in soups, salads, sandwiches, porridge, cereal, pasta and even curries and stews.

I like to add seeds at the end for extra crunch.  I haven’t tried adding them at the cooking stage, but I’ll be trying that over the next week before Halloween.  We’ve ended up with far too much pumpkin to use…

peppercorn-pumpkin-soup-2

Cream of Peppercorn Pumpkin Soup

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Soup Maker
Cuisine Soup
Servings 4 -6 Bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 460 g Pumpkin peeled, chopped.
  • 100 g Onion diced.
  • 130 g Leek chopped.
  • 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes.
  • 2 Teaspoons Ground Peppercorns. I used rainbow peppercorns.
  • 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg.
  • Salt & Pepper to Taste.
  • Water.

Instructions
 

  • Saute your onions in a little oil if you wish. I didn't this time round, as I was in a bit of a hurry.

  • Add all your ingredients, apart from the stock cubes to the soupmaker.

  • Top up with water, to above the minimum and below the maximum levels.

  • Crumble the stock cubes over the top, and mix well with a wooden spoon.

  • Make sure your lid in on properly.

  • Choose the smooth setting.

  • At the end of the cycle, I used my blend setting for another 10 seconds to purée the soup even more. Pumpkin can need a little longer to break down than other vegetables.

 

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Are you drinking enough water to be healthy and hydrated?

highland-spring-4Highland Spring is on a mission to encourage healthy hydration. Because when you’re 100% hydrated, you’re much more likely to be on top of your game – mentally, physically and emotionally.

As a fairly newish runner, who’s only been pounding the streets and treadmill since January this year, I’ve been drinking more and more water as I train, and often carry some with me on a run now, if it’s over 5k.  I find I need the hydration, even though other runners can often manage fine up to around 12k without any fluids at all.

The easiest way to stay hydrated for anything, is to drink water.  Research has shown that 66% of us Brits feel we don’t drink enough.

For an experiment, I had the boys drink nothing but water for a full day, to see how they got on.  For middler, it was simple.  He loves water, and always has done.  He happily went round with his bottles of H2O and needed nothing else at all.

For the other two, we had to change the format slightly, with the addition of a little squash, which did a great job along with the sparkling spring water.  It tasted like a fizzy drink, and looked like a fizzy drink, but without much of the sugar and additions we find in the regular fizzy drinks.

highland-spring-9I have to say, that apart from running hydration or in hot weather, adding a little squash and ice to fizzy water, is my favourite way to imbibe a drink that’s good for me.

We do tend to buy quite a lot of bottled water normally, so I’m used to incorporating it into daily life at some level, but it was lovely to have our delivery from Highland Spring, and to drink it, quite literally, all the time for a while.  I tend to dislike tap water, and have to be organised, putting it into the fridge to try and reduce the chemical taint.  It’s also nice to have spring water.  I used to love going hiking when I was young, just to be able to drink the water streaming down from the hills, fresh and quite sweet to drink, just like my family would have, a few generations back.

I’ve always been someone who drinks a lot of fluid.  It’s one of the reasons my diabetes was missed early on, as drinking a lot of fluid has never not been normal for me.  If I ever have a headache, a glass of water tends to be the first thing I reach for, as it almost always seems to solve the problem.  I’ve never been able to understand people who manage to get through a day with one or two cups of coffee……  My mum is one of those, and I don’t know how people who drink so little manage to survive.  Just overnight, we can lose a fair bit of water weight while we sleep, just through breathing and surviving.  If you’ve never tried it, weigh yourself before going to sleep and again when you wake up, to see how much lighter you are.  I can lose a couple of pounds overnight, easily….

I often think children who struggle to concentrate at school can be helped along their struggles by keeping well hydrated.  Without enough fluid, concentrating is tough going, even for me…

highland-spring-2

How to get water into daily life.  Our tips…

  • Drink from the regular plastic bottle with sports spout for the kids bags when out and about. These also make great packed lunch additions.
  • For me, carrying a bottle while out for a run, and being able to bin it at the recycling station I pass on the way back is great.  I don’t have to carry my hand bottle for so long.  There’s nothing worse than carrying it when it’s empty, yet I still have a few kilometers to go.
  • broccoli-and-asparagus-spears-3I made Broccoli, Sweetcorn and Asparagus Soup using some of our Highland Spring this week.  I wanted to see if it made a difference in comparison to using tap water, which can be a bit whiffy at times, due to the chemicals.  My soup did taste more creamy that I’d expected, so perhaps it was the lack of chlorine in the water which made it extra tasty.
  • Use fizzy water to make your own drinks, including Bucks Fizz, with some orange juice, and a little alcohol if that’s your tipple.  Fizzy water mixed with a little fresh fruit juice is especially awesome, and healthy.
  • If you can’t give up regular fizzy sodas, alternate them with healthy drinks and a water substitute in-between.  Add some whizzed fruit to jazz up the taste.  It’s easier to get young children into the habit of drinking water, so make the best use of their age while you can.
  • As adults, aim to drink around 6-8 glasses of water a day, or a couple of litres.  The European Food Safety Authority recommends younger children drink smaller servings, around 150ml each, whereas older children need around 250-300ml.
  • Drink plenty of fluid the day before exercising.  I find that if I’m well hydrated the day before a long run, I manage to run further.  If I’ve been skimpy on fluid the day before, it doesn’t matter how much I drink on the day, I can’t go so far.  Hydration really does help our performance.
  • The glass bottles look fabulous on a table during a meal.  Very sophisticated.

highland-spring-3

Here’s the official skinny on water from Highland Spring….

  • Drinking water can make you happier: brain scans show that when you’re properly hydrated the parts of your brain associated with anger, fear and alertness are de-activated.
  • Lots of us visit the doctors for fatigue each year, when actually the problem could be due to dehydration. Keeping hydrated can help give you the energy you need!
  • When you’re hydrated, your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. It’s much easier for your body to pump blood through the blood vessels to muscles.
  • Staying hydrated before and during exercise helps avoid cramp. Hydration levels are affected by how long and how hard you are exercising, so if you are sweating or in a warm environment you might need to drink more than usual.

Highland Spring Water is natural water, that comes from Scotland’s beautiful Ochil Hills.  If you want to see other people’s tips for using water, check them out on Twitter, at the hashtag #HyGreat

 

 

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Pressure Cooker Soup: Broccoli, Sweetcorn & Asparagus Spears

It had to happen, didn’t it?  Soup in a Pressure Cooker from me….

This is an Instant Pot Recipe, or the 7 in 1 Pressure Cookers that do it all for us.

I imagine most pressure cookers work the same, and this is the first soup recipe in my brand spanking new machine, bought this week from Costco.  There are times when I’ve got need of a larger pot of soup than my soup maker, but I still don’t want to spend the time standing over the stove.  It helped that my pressure cooker has a soup setting, and I was keen to make the most of it.

broccoli-and-asparagus-spears-3

 

 

Pressure Cooker Soup: Broccoli, Sweetcorn & Asparagus Spears

Lesley Smith
Overall, broccoli and asparagus are the strongest flavours to come out in the soup. The taste of onion, leek and potato seem to blend into the green vegetables, giving a lovely texture that I didn't expect. I'd make this recipe x 1.5 or double it in future. This was just an orientation recipe that came out rather well. I'd also be tempted to stir in 50g of grated cheddar cheese at my next attempt with this.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Pressure Cooker Soup Recipe
Cuisine Soup
Servings 6 - 8 Bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Asparagus Spears chopped.
  • 100 g Tenderstem Broccoli chopped. I remove leaves.
  • 200 g Onion diced.
  • 200 g Leek washed and chopped.
  • 100 g Sweetcorn. I used Niblets.
  • 50 ml Rapeseed oil.
  • 100 g Potatoes peeled and cubed.
  • 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes. I used Knorr.
  • 100 ml Milk.
  • 8 Instant Pot Cups Water.
  • Salt and Pepper.
  • 1 Clove Garlic.

Instructions
 

  • Add the rapeseed oil, onion, garlic, stock cubes and leek to the bottom of the Instant Pot pan, along with 1 cup of water. Set the machine to saute, and stir until the strong flavours are well combined. This took a few minutes for me.

  • Add the remaining ingredients, along with salt and pepper to your taste. IMPORTANT: Ensure you don't go over your pressure cooker maximum levels for high liquid content.

  • Stir the mixture and select the soup setting, which runs for 30 minutes.

  • Allow the pressure to release naturally.

  • Using an immersion blender, whizz away until you get the texture you are looking for.

  • Serve, or use the keep warm setting if you need to wait for a while.

This post contains an affiliate link.

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Review: Captain America Nerf Slide Blast Armour, Magnetic Shield & Gauntlet

This is a great wee duo. Captain America is possible for two to play….

One child can happily wear the magnetic shield and gauntlet, allowing them to fend off the foam darts of the Nerf Slide Blast Armour when they comes flying toward them.

captain-america-nerf-gun-magnetic-shield-and-gauntlet

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the youngest ones who began to play with this initially….  Scottish Dad and the oldest teen got their hands on the goods first, and decided to have a good old shoot out.  It was pretty cool to see to big strapping lads play like little kids again……

The man did have a little trouble fitting the Nerf Slide Blast Armour onto his hand, but with careful shuggling, he managed just fine.

captain-america-nerf-gun
I’ve got three boys, and two nephews, so Nerf products are always well received in our house.  I don’t think age is a barrier to enjoying these.  At my sister in law’s house a couple of weeks ago, the kids, and by kids, I mean the grown up men, as well as the kids, ran about with Nerf guns, whacking the bullets off each other.

Even mum was able to get a few choice shots in with one of the rapid fire guns…..  Who says Nerf is just for pre-teens?

captain-america-nerf-gun-magnetic-shield-and-gauntlet2

For ages 6-10 (plus all grown ups).

These toys are great for all good superhero fans…..

Toysrus Hasbro Captain America Civil War Iron Man Slide Blast Armour.
The Nerf Iron Man Slide Blast Armour toy is from the Captain America film, and a 2  year old even enjoyed himself with the armour here.   The armour covers almost the whole arm of a child, clipping over the arm.  You pull the trigger, hold down one button and then press the other to release the darts, which go a good few feet before falling gracefully to the ground if the miss their target.  The fire action isn’t hugely powerful, so they landed without causing damage here, although they did end up being fired towards the ceiling on occasion.

Toysrus Hasbro Captain America Civil War Shield and Gauntlet.
The shield and gauntlet is in two pieces.  One piece goes on the arm, and the shield part snaps onto the gauntlet fairly firmly.  I like how the shield comes off if a little one gets caught in a door etc, as the magnet releases.   It’s fairly tough stuff, and kids can pop on and remove the shield without having to remove the arm gauntlet all the time.  We did initially have an issue with the shield falling off easily, but found we hadn’t put it on right in the first place.

The descriptions tell us the shield can be thrown just like Captain America does.  We found it tricky to get it to work like a frisbee, but it was easy to pull off and throw.  I wouldn’t recommend trying to throw the shield back onto the gauntlet

With these toys, kids can role play as characters from the film.  All they need to do, is snap on their goods and save the world at home, by pretending to be one of the best super heros ever imagines, blasting into fabulous imaginative play, which is always good for kids.

If only we could invent super powers to finish the complete package…..

Where to buy.

Available from all good toy stores, including Toysrus and Amazon.  As of 12 October, 2016, the Shield is currently on offer at £11.99, with the Slide Blast Armour at £19.99.

(Affiliate Links)

Disclaimer:  Thanks to Hasbro for the Captain America Nerf Slide Blast Armour, Magnetic Shield and Gauntlet, which we received free of charge to test as part of the Toy Tribe.  All opinions are our own.

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Furby Connect – Stick it on your Xmas list.

furby-4Yep, Furby’s are back, and they’re jazzily souped up for this year.  I know, raising the Xmas or Christmas as a subject has most people throwing their hands up in horror.

“But it’s October, go away,” I hear you all say in the back of my skull, as I chatter away with our most recent review toy.

Furby’s are now hi-tech, with lots of key features that change this to a far more interactive toy than any previous versions of the plush pal.  I’m way too old to have had an original Furby, so this has been all new to me – completely…..  Who knew how addictive these things really are?  I spent about ten minutes giggling my head off when I switched it on. I’m easily pleased…..

furbyconnect

Furby Plays Without The App

I woke Furby, and he said, “I’m so hungry, why you no feed me,” or something like that.  And when I stopped speaking to Furby, it started whistling at me….  Then asked for “meatballs,” and “Gimme gimme.”

furby-2All we need to do with Furby out of the box, is tickle him, shake him, or pet the fur.

At one point, Furby asked us to turn him upside down. When middler did, he came out with “bat furby.”  I don’t know who laughed the most.  Me or the boy…..  There are around 150 expressive animations, which work by the LCD eyes, ears and the light-up antenna, which we can press, and sometimes Furby sings….

Furby goes through a range of emotions and mood changes.  He can be happy, sad, scared or excited, and they’re all amazing to watch.

There’s a sleep mask included, so now Furby sleeps all night long.  I’ve heard stories from others, who’ve woken up Furby Booms and not been able to get them to sleep afterwards.  Furby is pretty easy to wake up, and the eyes are amazing.  Flickering through different emotions and images, they’re super cute.  I love the heart one, and as much as I tried to capture it for the blog, I never seemed to click my shutter fast enough to show you.

Middler was too shy to let me take a picture, so you’ll have to put up with me…  On the other hand, he’s had Bee-Boo on and yakking for the last six hours, so I  might have to put Furby to sleep before he goes to bed, or I imagine Bee-Boo will be singing all night long…..

furby-1    furby-sm

Furby Connect World App

Connecting our Furby to the Furby Connect World was really easy.  Make sure Bluetooth is switched to “on” for your gadget.  Open the app, switch on Furby and the screen guides you through furby-3connecting until Furby announces it, and lets you choose a name…. We named our Furby Bee-Boo, or Strong Beak.

With the app, Furby knows which time of year it is, so even on Valentines or Xmas, your Furby has a world of surprises for you.  In the app, you can collect eggs and baby furblings, feed your Furby, and even take him to the toilet.  When something new is downloaded to your Furby, his antennae will flash.  Press it, and you’ll hear what the download is.

It’s important to realise that anyone can play the Furby Connect World app.  You don’t need a Furby to play, although you’d get so much more fun out of watching your Furby Connect interact as you flick through the activities, and watch videos with our Bee-Boo.  I am soooo looking forward to seeing my youngest nephew, who is 2, having fun with this toy….

Colours

Furby Connect is available in Pink, Purple, Blue, Turquoise.

Where To Buy

From all good toy stores.  I did a quick search and saw Furby Connect in ToysRUs, House of Fraser, Argos, Amazon, and Smyths.  I’m sure there are many more.  If you’re a Twitter friend, you can see the chat at hashtag #FurbyConnect, and find out what everyone is saying about their new furry friends.

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Disclaimer: Hasbro provided our Furby Connect free of charge, as part of the Toy Tribe.  All opinions are our own.

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Review: Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

My middle boy quite likes a puzzle or two, and although he struggles with much of life, sitting with someone to do a jigsaw is very satisfying for him, when it’s one he can cope with.

For my review, I chose a 50 piece puzzle rather than a larger one.  It’ one he is likely to be able to do for himself, with simply someone sitting beside him for a little support and guidance, and to give reassurance that he’s doing well.  Wentworth have all kinds of puzzles, for all kids, big and small….as well as their parents, grandparents, and anyone looking for a little distraction time.

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Wentworth Wooden Puzzles are suitable for everyone.  The farm scene is something that he is passionate about.  Actually, anything digger, tractor and farm related has him a very happy boy indeed. And as anyone knows, pleasing a special needs teenager is never an easy thing to do.

Wentworth Puzzles come in a broad range, to cover everyone.  From art to animals, nature, nostaligia and dedicated children’s jigsaws.

Why Wentworth Puzzles

As a present, especially, they’re presented in a lovely box, with the puzzle pieces kept in a drawstring bag, which ensures they never get lost.  It’s so easy to lose one or two small pieces from a box once it gets tatty, or has been well used.

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The puzzles are made in the UK from sustainable sources, and are 100% UK made.   On their website, you can even turn your own photo into a personalised puzzle.  Now that’s a great and unusual present for anyone.

Children’s Jigsaws

Jigsaws have benefits for school-aged kids, at any time of the year, but especially during school holidays, particularly when encouraging them to take a break from technology.   Mindfulness is the word Wentworth use, to explain the calming effect of a jigsaw puzzle on our moods.  So, if jigsaws are good for those who suffer from stress and anxiety, it makes sense to include one or two in your Xmas shopping baskets over the next few months.

These are especially good for children, as the thick wooden pieces mean the edges don’t get dog eared and ripped easily, which is always a good thing if you want to pass puzzles down to younger children or donate them when you’re finished.

And in case you’re already on the lookout for your Christmas Shopping, how about this Farmyard at Christmas for a lovely post Xmas day parent/child bonding session…

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Image Courtesy of Wentworth Wooden Puzzles
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Image Courtesy of Wentworth Wooden Puzzles

Find Wentworth at their website, or below on social media.

Disclaimer:  Thanks to Wentworth Puzzles for our review Puzzle.

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Soup Maker Recipe: Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

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Soup Maker Recipe: Cream of Butternut Squash Soup

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Total Time 31 minutes
Course Soup Maker Recipe
Cuisine Soup
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g Butternut Squash.
  • 150 g Leek chopped.
  • 150 g Onion chopped.
  • 200 ml Milk.
  • 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes.
  • Salt & Pepper.
  • 1 Teaspoon of Ginger spice.
  • Water.

Instructions
 

  • When you chop your butternut squash, leave the skin on. It makes the soup extra creamy in texture, but chop your pieces quite small, as butternut takes too long to cook if it's left in big chunks. The skin breaks down nicely for the smooth setting, but I'd probably remove it for a chunky soup.

  • Add all your ingredients to the soupmaker.

  • Top up with water, to above the minimum and below the maximum levels.

  • Crumble the stock cubes over the top, and mix well with a wooden spoon.

  • Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

  • Make sure your lid in on properly.

  • Choose the smooth setting.

 

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Me. Yes. In a Dress!

This is what happens when you ask a child who’s in a hurry to take some pix for you. Ever so arty, squint and wiggly, slightly sepia photos, but there was nobody else around to help, and as I don’t get the opportunity to dress up too often, I thought I’d share a part of my life….

lesley-4Wearing dressy clothes just isn’t usually on my radar, as I’m often uncomfortable in dresses.  For holidays, perhaps one or two, but when I go out at home, it’s usually with a pair of black trousers and a nice top.

This is the first new dress I’ve had for going out, for around oh, 15 years or so……  I do have a function coming up, and was on the looking for something I could wear, and then again to anything else in the next wee while.  I’ve still got a bit of weight to drop, but this dress will still fit, even if I go down a size.  It’s a bit like magic material in this one.

lesley-jd-dress-2From JD Williams, the lace detail dress is part of the Together range, and at £85, it’s a good price for an occasion dress. It’s part of their maxi dress lineup and there’s another one that I’m itching to get my hands on. I’ll have to wait a while for that one I think.

I changed the straps underneath for something more comfortable and supportive for me.  I’m not averse to changing something if it’ll be more practical for me.

lesley-shoesSo.  I’d had the dress in my wardrobe for a while, and had just been waiting for a pair of shoes to wear with it.

Finally, in Matalan, I found a bargain for £6 a couple of days ago, so although they’re not navy, they go fine, and I needed insoles for them.  I bought them too big, so I could put in nice squishy soft insoles.  I don’t do sore feet….

This could be the only time anyone sees a photo of me in a dress for going out in the UK this year.  I often wonder if I’m the only dress adverse person out there, but I’m sure there are many others, just like me.  I have to say a big thank you to JD Williams for persuading me that I could actually wear a dress over here in cold, wet and windy Scotland, and still be comfortable.

As for the shoes, I’m not quite sure I’ll be able to wear them for too long at a time.  On the night, I suspect I’ll be carrying a nice comfy pair of flatties with me, just in case…

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Disclaimer: Thank you to JD Williams for providing the dress for my function.

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Skoog 2: Making Sweet Melodies

For the budding musician in all of us.

Imagine being a child, and then imagine being a child, or an adult, who can never learn to play their own music….  Then imagine being a child or an adult who not only can’t learn to play their own music, but also doesn’t have the manual dexterity to operate a keyboard, or press the tiny button on an app.  It’s a significantly difficult thing to even begin to imagine for most of us.

We all seem to enjoy and want to play music at some level, especially if we’re young, disabled, or even musically challenged, but how do we do it?  Sometimes, just listening isn’t enough, and music apps can be pretty challenging to learn, even for those of us who don’t struggle to read and write, or find it difficult to learn new things.

Skoog asked me to review their cube music box, which I think would be fabulous for schools, parents, clubs and music groups, and not just for those with special needs.  I can think of many hours over the years that all my boys would have spent with one of these if we’d had one.

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The Skoog is an easy to play instrument for almost everyone, and I mean everyone who can reach out and touch.  With a special needs youngster, I am always on the lookout for things that are good fun and easy to use.  You don’t have to be musical, or know anything about pitch, scales, instruments or anything to use it.

Skoog says “The easy-to-play instrument for everyone.  Free the musician inside.”

I’d been looking forward to this one for a while, and rightly so.

How to use the Skoog

The Skoog is so very simple it’s incredible.  Just a little light pressure on the foam, and it activates perfectly.  For people who have no ability to apply pressure, it’s even adjustable, so that simply resting a hand on the Skoog should get it going.  The battery life is around 10 or so hours, and works within around 10 metres of the iPad, so they don’t need to be next to each other to work perfectly.

How does it work?

The Skoog has 5 big soft buttons, one on each side as a visual aid, and helps control the little cube.  The whole Skoog is touch sensitive though, even the area around the buttons, but just not the bottom that rests on your table or desk, or knee.

Setting up your Skoog

My version works via Bluetooth, but as our grown ups iPad is a second generation one, it doesn’t work as it’s so old, so we went to the PC to make the most of it initially, and hooked up ours via the cable rather than Bluetooth at the beginning.  I downloaded the Skoogmusic for PC direct from their website, knowing I could go to the app when one of my children actually gets off his iPad mini at some point.  It’s always nice to know that it’s accessible for those of us who are still on old school type machines too, but it’s far preferable to use the iPad for us.

With setting up, I was being extremely dim, when it’s actually pretty simple.

The Skoog is designed to be best used via Bluetooth I think.  Make sure your iPad is updated to the current software, and to get the best use out of it, install Garageband alongside it.  When the Skoog is charged, log onto the Skoog app from the Apple Store, press the button on the bottom of the Skoog to turn on the Bluetooth, and when you see the blue light flashing, use the app to connect your Skoog, not the general iPad settings.  When the Skoog is connected, the bluetooth light stays lit.

It’s compatible with iPads supporting bluetooth low energy.  This means iPad 3rd & 4th Generation, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini, mini 2, mini 3, iPad Pro + onwards.  Our old iPad 2 is not compatible.  Thankfully, we have an iPad mini, and we got it set up, when I updated to ios 9, but Garageband needed to be updated too, for the best effect.   Unfortunately, it’s not available for Android yet, but I’m sure if enough people ask for it, it’ll be considered.

The sound comes out of your iPad, and not the actual Skoog, which confused my middle child for a while.  It can connect via USB to PC or Apple Mac, but does need the accompanying software. I’d recommend going the iPad route.

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Apps to Use with Skoog

How genious.  The Skoog lets you connect to apps to interact.  Hold onto your hat here.  It’s amazing and opens up a whole new world of things to do with your Skoog 2.

Skoog says:

Skoog can talk to any app that supports MIDI. Examples are Garageband, NOISE by Roli, Nanologue, Orphion and ThumbJam. It is also compatible with Network MIDI, which will allow you to connect your Skoog to apps on any compatible device via your WiFi network.

What did we think?

It’s fabulous.  When my kids were younger, they’d have spent endless hours popping the buttons on this, and my special needs boy is finding it incredibly easy to use.   I think any school would find this amazing when coupled with the Garageband app on an iPad, never mind what else it can do.  When I played music, it searched through the music to see if it could find a score for the song.  I haven’t had the time to play around with that yet to see how it works, but I’ll let the boys figure that one out.

My Final Thoughts and Where to Get Your Own Skoog 2

As a toy / music maker / sensory tool, it’s well thought out and does far more than I expected.   We’ve had ours a wee while now, and while they’re not cheap, retailing around £199, the value for money in this, far outweighs the price if it can be done for a school, kids group, or hospital.  It’s sturdy, and as it’s squishable, I imagine it’s hard to break.

I can’t even begin to say how good I think this is, especially for children who struggle to control the regular music apps for themselves.

We’re really just beginning to find out what this nifty little gadget can do, a couple of months after getting it, and it’s going to get a lot of use here.

Find out more at Skoogmusic.  You can buy it at the Apple store online or at Amazon.  Apple even have a new section for Accessible Accessories, which included the Skoog.  That’s brilliant recognition for this gadget.

Honestly, if you’re looking for a fabulous gadget to supplement a school music department, or you’re part of a parent teacher association, you don’t have to look further than this as an unputdownable teaching aid and sensory gadget.  Try and find somewhere that has one, and give it a go for yourself if you think your budget could stretch to one.  My middle boy tells me there’s one at his special school, which is really great news.

I did try to take my own video, but the ones from Skoog actually demonstrate this far more beautifully than I ever could.  We’re looking forward to many long years with our Skoog.

Disclaimer:  A very heartfelt thanks to the people at Skoog for providing us with our review Skoog 2.

 

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What’s the best soup maker machine for me? Kettle Style?

Ok, so I’m in the market for a new soup maker, but which is the best soup maker?  I make soups so often, that my kids should really go around with vegetable heads……  Since I’m going through all the options, I thought I’d share what I turned up with you all, and hope I can make my decision by the end.  I don’t know how to take reviews on websites, so I’m just comparing functions for what I could do with them, apart from making soup.

My current model is a Morphy Richards Soup Maker, with non stick coating, and saute function.  I have cherished my machine, but I’d also like a different option, and to keep my existing one as a spare or back up.  There may even be days, I use my old machine, alongside a new one, as quite often, I need more soup than a small machine can handle at once, and it would save me from making two batches back to back.

The drawbacks to a largish household, is massive food output……and I make so many soup maker recipes, that whichever machine I choose, has to stand up to a lot of use, and I mean a lot…  And these days, we don’t want just a blender that cooks soup.  We want to use it for other things.

There seems to be two styles available on the market.  The jug style, which I mostly use, and a blender style, which I have not had the pleasure of using yet.

 

Kettle Soupmakers (This post contains affiliate links, served as images.)

Morphy Richards    

The one I have currently is dependable, finishes soup pretty well, and is actually cheaper than when I bought mine.  It’s easily identified by the rounder handle on the top. I’ve had two of these in the last few years. The update to my Morphy, is the new version, with a slightly flatter handle, and is a bit more expensive.  Both versions seem identical to me.

  • Capacity 1.6 litres
  • Functions:  Saute
  • Soup Features: Smooth & Chunky
  • Additional Features: Juice & Blend
  • Pause: Yes

I can’t see what the difference is between the two styles, apart from the different lid, but I’d be happy for someone to enlighten me.  Some do come with a serrator blade, which others don’t, so I’d look out for one of those if I were buying Morphy Richards again.

Tefal

  • Capacity 1.2 litres
  • Soup Features: Smooth & Chunky
  • Additional Features: Blend, Keep Warm and Easy Clean

Von Shef

The Von Shef by Domu UK, is one I had my eye on for a while, but am disappointed not to see a non stick coating on it.  It’s more like my very first first soup maker, but still a good price.

  • Capacity 1.6 litres
  • Soup Features: Smooth & Chunky
  • Additional Features: Blend

Hometech

  • Capacity 1.6 litres
  • Soup Features: Smooth & Chunky
  • Additional Features: Simmer & Pulse

Salter

There is a Salter Soupmaker, but I can’t find a product image, so it’s a comparison only.

  • Capacity 1.6 litres
  • Soup Features: Smooth & Chunky
  • Additional Features: Blend & Clean

Conclusion

From these, my choice would be the Morphy Richards again.  You might have different needs, or not need the extra functions that I use, and can buy a cheaper model.  Before I decide, I’m off to look at the other styles.  Perhaps I’ll go for a whole new world of soupmaking, to compare with my kettle soup maker, rather than having two of the same one.

I think I’ll go and research the blender style now.  My heart slightly sank, as I was actually hoping I could find a slightly larger capacity soup maker, but it seems not.

I’ll share those too.

Happy Reading.

Lesley

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Jealous Sweets. Vegan and Gluten Free.

Remember back to when you were a kid, unless you’re like me, and you can’t remember that far back…

Joking, but what were your favourite sweets?

I know when I think back a couple of decades, I used to like fizzy sherbet and all things face wrinkling.  I don’t know many people who didn’t.  I also have boys, for whom, the more sour the better when it comes to sweets, so trying the new Jealous Sweets seemed like a good idea.

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Image Courtesy of Jealous Sweets

When I used to think of gluten free sweets, I tended to think of cardboard sweets with no taste. Thankfully, the advances in making confectionery over the years has improved to the point where it’s impossible to tell at all.

I was convinced I wouldn’t be tempted to eat any of them, as the sophisticated grown-up I’ve turned into wouldn’t like something so obviously childish!

So – I went for sours and fizzies, to make sure I didn’t.  Nope, that didn’t work.  The little pinky round sweeties that were sour beans, were my downfall.  I popped one into my mouth and then another, and yet another.  To the point where I boxed them back up and sent one of my boys packing, to hide them where I couldn’t find them….  I am diabetic after all…..although a little of what you fancy does no harm at all.

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We tested Sour Beans, Tangy Worms and Fizzy Friends.

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jealous-sweets-4Weirdly, we all liked a different one.  For me, it was the Sour Beans.  Middler and youngest preferred the Tangy Worms and the man liked Fizzy Friends.   When my middle boy tried the Sour Beans, he puckered his face up, but not with the Tangy Worms.  Go figure!!!!

The pretty boxes would make for great stocking fillers, and persuade adults to revisit their inner child.

About Jealous Sweets

The people from Jealous Sweets say:

Come and live the Jealous Life with us

The story begins with two university friends Imran and Taz. Both with respectable careers in the city, in chartered accounting and banking. They couldn’t deny the temptation to escape the city and do something that would make others jealous.

Armed with a belief in a life less boring, the pair created the Jealous brand – with a mission to create irresistibly enticing products and set out first to tantalise the tastebuds of adults around the world with their Jealous Sweets.

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Colourful, tasty, and free from anything artificial, at around 170 calories for a 50g pack of sweets.    No artificial flavours or colours.  Gluten-Free, vegetarian, vegan and no alcohol.

Sweets come in 50g for £2.50 and 200g for £8.99 online.   They’re also sold, among others, in Claridge’s, Selfridges &Co and Harvey Nichols.

You can even buy them at Amazon. (Affiliate Search Box)

Flavours

  • Yummy Bears
  • Tropical Wonder
  • Fruitilicious
  • Sour Beans
  • Tangy Worms
  • Fizzy Friends
  • Grizzly Bears

The sweets created by Jealous Sweets, are beautifully grown up.  The ones I liked were lip smackingly eye watering, but oh so good.

Great presents.

Disclaimer:  Thanks to Jealous Sweets for our samples.