My boys recently got some very cool watches to review.
We received two Tikkers watches and a Mr Men Mr Strong Gift Watch Gift Set. The Tikkers watches are amazingly boyish with the bright skulls and suit my boys down to a tee. Tikkers and Mr Men Watches can be found in Debehhans, H Samuel, Bentalls Kingston, Fenwich Newcastle and John Lewis.
You can also buy them online at:
watchshop.com
watches2u.com
Littlest and elder wanted a more grown up watch, but middler is still struggling with time and wanted a watch that he could show off at his school.
The Mr Strong watch is much more sturdy than I expected and even fits my adult wrist which is always good for growing room.
The Tikkers watches are fabulous. The straps are fairly thick rubber with good quality fastening and they feel solid. Again, there is plenty of wrist growing room in the well made strap.
The Giveaway
Choose from one of these watches if you are selected as the winner.
The winner will be drawn by random generator on the 14th December 2013. The competition closes at midnight on the 13th December 2013.
I did say that I would be putting one up for a giveaway and here it is.
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to complete the steps in the rafflecopter widget and obviously get in touch within 7 days if you are picked as the winner through random generator.
It’s currently on sale at the discounted price of £44.99 by using the code GH2255 on the Morphy Richards website.
Good luck to you all, this is indeed a time saver in the kitchen and one that is now my new best friend.
The winner will be drawn by random generator on the 14th December 2013. The competition closes at midnight on the 13th December 2013.
It’s interesting that Antivirus company BullGuard had added a Protection Product that not only covers devices, but also covers the people as well. It seems to be a shift over just protecting what we use to get online and moving to also helping keep us safe with our whole persona online.
The video explains that to help protect our identities, the service also checks the “dark web” to see if our personal information, credit cards, driving licenses, login details and much more have been shared. If BullGuard finds our information being shared, they let us know by e-mail and we can log onto the dashboard at any time to see the status.
BullGuard says that one in five parents are shocked by content on their children’s email, text or Facebook account. I know I was in the realms of traumatised when I first began to be aware. I’ve learned there is no point thinking my kids wouldn’t do or say things I’d not like them to, but it isn’t just about what our kids say, but also about what other people say or do to them.
What Do I Think?
The Facebook issue is a huge one in our family and with the profiles of children now being public instead of being allowed to be hidden, this software appeals to me greatly. I’m glad I agreed to try it as Facebook worries me a lot.
Inside the box, there is an instruction card which holds the license key number on it and a pen. Following the instructions seemed to go fine until I hit the stage where it said to refresh to show the Identity Protection and Social Media Protection tabs. I did that and it told me my licence key had already been activated and I couldn’t see the tabs. It was simply a case of going to “my account” to see my options so it wasn’t a big deal, but it might happen to others as well.
Social Media Protection
To use this, we enter the kids names and birth dates and we can either send our children an e-mail for them to install it themselves, or if we have their account details and passwords, we can add the code manually. It sends an e-mail to them to get their account linked up. I did hit a problem though. When I added the application to their accounts, it first showed up as an error and I had to contact BullGuard to sort it out, which was quickly done.
It flags up:
Links to malicious websites.
Inappropriate content.
Posts, photos and private messages with violent or offensive content.
Suspicious friends.
Possible bullies or predators.
I quickly noticed that the suspicious friends includes people who request access who have a significant age difference being flagged up quickly. A malicious link was flagged up within the first hour of being live and I could see the chain of interactions that were good to talk to my boys about.
Seeing a malicious link flagged up allowed me to have a conversation with my eldest about not clicking it and seeing if the friend who posted it was actually someone he should be friends with. It’s not too intrusive, with only a small icon in the application section of their Facebook and they can also see what has been flagged up for themselves too.
I’d have to say that I like the Protection Suite and it saves me having to keep checking their profiles or logging into their accounts.
What does BullGuard say?
TOP 10 WAYS THAT PARENTS SNOOP
1. Reading messages on social networking sites 2. Checking their internet history 3. Reading their text messages 4. Monitoring their list of friends on social networking sites 5. Checking their pictures on social networking sites 6. Reading their emails 7. Checking their call list 8. Finding out their passwords 9. Asking teachers to keep an eye on their internet use 10. Getting a sibling to help to snoop
London, 24th October 2013:
One in five parents have been ‘shocked’ by content they have discovered on their children’s email, text or Facebook account, a study by internet and mobile security firm BullGuard has revealed.
The alarmingly high figure emerged amid a study of 2,000 parents of kids aged 10-17, which showed 61 per cent regularly snoop on their kids.
It also emerged that one in five mums and dads are convinced their offspring lie about their age to gain access to social networking sites.
More than one in ten parents have had to deal with their child being bullied online and a whopping 17 per cent have had to intervene after their child was threatened.
What’s more concerning is that 23 per cent of parents said their child didn’t know the perpetrator.
It’s no wonder then that one in four parents have confessed their snooping to their children because they were so concerned about what they found.
The worrying stats also revealed the average child doesn’t actually know 40 per cent of the people they are friends with on Facebook.
Alex Balan, Head of Product Management at BullGuard said: ”Parents do face a real moral dilemma as to whether they should check what their children are doing online. It’s understandable to want to keep tabs on the sites that they are visiting but whether to read private emails, texts and messages poses a real quandary for parents. Whilst you want to look out for your child and ensure they are safe you also want them to be technologically savvy and have their own independence.’’
The study also found around 38 per cent of parents believe they would lose their child’s trust completely if they confessed to snooping.
A more discreet 37 per cent had brought up the issues they were concerned about but hadn’t let on they had seen private content on their child’s computer or phone.
Researchers also found 30 per cent of concerned parents admit that although they were aware they were invading their child’s privacy they felt it was necessary in order to keep tabs on who they were talking to online.
Reading emails, texts and messages were the most popular way for parents to spy on their kids as well as checking recent call lists and monitoring their internet browsing history.
But nearly a third were wracked with guilt after hacking into their child’s email or Facebook account.
Of the parents who took part, one in ten said they knew the passwords to their kids’ smartphone or computer despite their son or daughter trying to keep it private.
And 34 per cent of parents of kids aged 10-17 said they have no idea what the passwords are to their kids’ gadgets.
The main areas of concerns for parents were who their kids were talking to online, how much time they spend on the internet and the type of sites they are visiting.
Half of parents said their biggest concerns when it came to social networking sites were that their children could be talking to complete strangers.
In fact 16 per cent said their offspring had signed up to social networking sites behind their back, despite the fact they knew their parents would object.
And 40 per cent fretted that Facebook and Twitter distracted their kids from school work.
Posting suggestive pictures, declaring the family is on holiday and leaving the house empty and coming across as boastful were other concerns for parents.
One in five parents said their kids weren’t aware of ‘stranger danger’ whilst online but 30 per cent of parents admitted they had no idea how to safeguard their kids by keeping their gadgets safe.
Alex Balan, Head of Product Management at BullGuard added: ”It’s a minefield for parents, whilst you want your children to have freedom and make friends you want to ensure they are safe when they are online. And this is where BullGuard Identity Protection can help. It’s hard enough watching your children 24/7 in the real world, but keeping tabs on their movements online is the real challenge. BullGuard’s Identity Protection offers Facebook protection for parents concerned about what their children are being exposed to such as cyber bullying, social predators or inappropriate content. It provides unobtrusive parental controls that permit parents to keep a discreet eye on their kid’s Facebook activities, so they can go back to just worrying about them in the real world.”
Giveaway
The Protection Suite is £34.95, and I have 5 codes to access it as a giveaway. I also have a 25% discount link for those who don’t win or can’t wait and would like to buy it anyway.
Most women love jewellery but I suspect most men love the odd bit of bling here and there, especially if it’s good quality and makes them feel good.
Although my husband rarely wears any jewellery other than his wedding ring when he goes out, he does like a good set of cufflinks. It’s coming up to Christmas and I’ve got a fabulous set of cufflinks up for grabs that can be personalised to make any one of the men in your life a great present.
Brighton based Jewellers, Ring have lots to choose from, but they also supply celebrities with personalised photo cufflinks. The ones on offer are the ones worn by Theo Walcott and Greg Lamb which can be personalised to your taste.
To enter, all you have to do is follow the rafflecopter steps, and good luck.
Anyone with children will tell you that a well earned break can be enough to give us the rest and relaxation that comes with the hard work that it brings. Spending a weekend away can be enough to give us the welcome break we need, and what better if we could win one and not touch the family budget to do it.
Many of the memories we make as young children stay with us for life and who wouldn’t want make the most of lush surroundings and someone else making the evening meal. My boys were once completely impressed by the fact that a hotel room included a set of plush double bunk beds behind a big set of cupboard doors. They were only 4, 5 and 6 when they went, but they’ve never forgotten how extra special they felt at the time.
If you’re looking for a break away for free in a high quality hotel, I suspect you would take the opportunity when it came around. I know I would.
The Holiday Inn Hotels are running a wee competition that gets social media users involved in sharing their best family holiday or childhood holiday images to Twitter.
IHG are the people behind most of the Holiday Inn hotels and their competition is very easy to enter. All we have to do it post our own memories and photos of holidays and holiday hotel stays. Any family hotel photo will be what they are looking for, they don’t have to be from the Holiday Inn.
There are two parts to the competition and entry.
Part 1 – Weekend Away – Share An Image On Twitter
There are 10 weekends away to win at 10 hotels who will be asking their followers to submit their best family holiday or childhood holiday images to Twitter. To win the weekend at a Holiday Inn, you simply have to tweet a picture of one of your favourite family holiday photos or even a childhood holiday picture. To do this, you must mention the hotel you pick from the 10 to add to your tweet and also include the hashtag #himemories.
The 10 hotels that will be undertaking the photo competition are: Bloomsbury, Regent’s Park, Mayfair, Heathrow M4J4, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Kensington Forum and Bristol-Filton. Their Twitter username are below.
Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury – @HIBloomsbury
Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park – @HIRegentsPark
Holiday Inn London Mayfair – @HILondonMayfair
Holiday Inn London Heathrow M4, Jct. 4 – @HIHeathrowM4J4
Holiday Inn London Gatwick Airport – @HIGatwickHotel
Holiday Inn Edinburgh – @HI_Edinburgh
Holiday Inn Glasgow Airport – @HIGlasgowAirprt
Holiday Inn York – @HolidayInnYork1
Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum – @HIKensington
Holiday Inn Bristol Filton – @HIBristolFilton
Part 2 – One Night Away – Share A Memory On Twitter
For those of you who don’t have any photographs to share on Twitter with the participating hotels, you could still win a night in one of 49 other Holiday Inn hotels. You can simply describe a cherished family holiday or childhood memory in a Tweet. To do this, all you have to do is mention the hotel you would wish to stay in should you win, and describe your memory using the #himemories hastag on Twitter.
Why not try it and see if you can win yourself a night away.
This is going to be my entry:
My boys loved finding secret bunk beds behind cupboard doors in an unscheduled stop over on the way to France. #himemories @HIEdinburghWest
Here are the participating hotels and their Twitter names.
The lovely people at Delish Fish have offered a lovely giveaway for my readers. I’ve had the pleasure of using Delish Fish produce in the past and their Wild Haddock made for very happy kids with their breaded fish.
In the giveaway for my blog, Delish Fish are giving away a high class box of:
1kg Monk
1kg Freedom Salmon
1kg Lemon Sole
To enter, simply work through the Rafflecopter widget with the entries you’d like to make and you are entered for the randomly generated giveaway.
1. Open to UK Mainland Entrants only. 2. The prize will be delivered and you must give us your address to send it to you. 3. Winners will be notified within 3 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, a new winner will be drawn. The draw closes on 30th September at midnight. 4. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator. 5. Delish Fish reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time. 6. Each entry method entitles you to the corresponding amount of entries stated.
Order Fish from Delish Fish
If you’d like to order a pack yourself in the meantime, simply contact them online or by phone during the giveaway promotion time on 01779 477930, and mention Scottish Mum to have this £67 box of fish delivered for £56 anywhere on the UK mainland.
Beginning in Peterhead, the fish they bring to customers is brought directly by the Milne family at auction and hand filleted to be as skinless and boneless as possible. The fish is caught, landed, prepared and frozen within 8 hours in Peterhead.
They’ve opened a new shop in Rose Street, Aberdeen and also take online orders.
In conjunction with 1stFone, I am giving a phone on my blog. It’s a fabulous peace of mind gadget for a young child or an elderly person who struggles with regular phones.
I wrote about the 1stFone we received a few weeks ago and how great it has been for my special needs boy who can’t read or write, yet can still use this phone.
I don’t have any problems with young children having a means of getting themselves help rather than approaching a stranger if they are in trouble.
I’ve always told my boys that if they get lost, they are to go to the nearest person who looks like a mother with kids. While it’s not 100% foolproof, I do feel like the path of least danger is in the harassed mother whose heartstrings will be pulled and will remain at the scene until someone the boys trusts gets to them.
Very young children could have one of these phones tucked into a t-shirt or jumper and give them the confidence that if they find themselves alone, the first port of call is the phone stashed safely away for emergencies. Not that it is just a phone for emergencies as my boy is loving being able to just have a phone of his own, even if it can only dial out the pre-set numbers that we installed on it. They can only call the numbers you approve on the phone and it doesn’t use the Internet, nor can t text.
Our one is such a fabulous success that I’ve partnered with 1stFone to offer one lucky person a free handset with the first month of 50 minutes free. If the winner wishes to continue with the phone, they will need to agree to a monthly contract, or can choose to go pay as you go. The winner will be able to keep the phone, and will be able to choose from a 1stFone or OwnFone for seniors. Either phone could be used for special needs children and adults who can’t manage regular phones.
The giveaway deadling is the 25th July at midnight so get your entries in.
The prize will be delivered and you must give us your address to send it to you.
Winners will be notified within 3 days of giveaway end. If the winner does not respond within 7 days, a new winner will be drawn.
The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter random generator.
OwnFone / 1stFone reserves the right to amend, add or withdraw this giveaway at any time.
Each entry method entitles you to one entry into the draw.
You may tweet daily. Each tweet counts as a rafflecopter entry, only if you enter it into the rafflecopter widget daily.
The prize will be for one 1stFone or OwnFone with one month of 50 inclusive minutes. After the month is up, you will need to buy airtime, or continue a contract to enable it to continue working. You will be required to set up a direct debit as part of the process of ordering and designing your winning phone and it will be used if you plan to continue using the 1stFone or OwnFone after your trial period, or first 50 minutes are used up.
Winner Graeme McMillan announced via Rafflecopter.
This is a fabulous opportunity to get away from the processed food that we really seem to be mistrusting as a nation these past few weeks. With the advent of the horse meat scandal, we seem to be enjoying a return to real meat from real butchers in the UK.
Shop local is on the lips of many a Tweeter and Facebooker, so to help you along, Andrew Gordon Butchery and Fine Foods is THE butcher in Aberdeen to have released a Trusted Food Luxury Meat Pack for me to give away. He recently launched meat packs for sale online to the whole of the UK, with more products going online soon. Ever popular with the fitness communities, Andrews butchery meat is gaining a reputation as second to none.
Anyone wanting to make up a bespoke meat pack just has to phone the shop and they will arrange your purchase and delivery.
With beef that is traced back to prized Aberdeen Angus and aged for maximum taste, the quality is out of this world.
In the whopping meat pack, there will be centre cut fillets, Aberdeen Angus sirloin steaks, rib eye steaks, family sized roasts and much more.
Don’t forget to enter and check back to see if you won the £200 meat pack.
Entry is by rafflecopter. If the form doesn’t show up here, just click on the link to go to it.
Funky Foodies took a break in December, and is now open for February 2013. Only 10 days to add your recipes, so get clicking.
THIS MONTHS FUNKY FOODIES LINKY IS OPEN AND THERE MUST BE LOADS OF RECIPES TO CHOOSE FROM.
Is a monthly linkie, which will close on the last day of the month.
A medal will be awarded for the Star Recipe every month, and the fabulous trophy in the blog badge will be awarded at the end of a whole year of the Funky Foodies. If you want to find out more about it, read here.
All you have to do is share as many recipes from your own blog a month as you’d like. If you struggle to add your recipe, send me your link and I’ll add it for you.
Try to pop around and share the comment love with other funky foodies. We all like a little love and might come across some fabulous recipes.
If you want to host the linkie on your own blog as a blog hop, get the code here :
Simply add the link to your recipe on your own blog, and share your latest recipe with everyone taking part. If you don’t want to miss the linkie being opened, subscribe to RSS or by email in the blog header.
I’ll add recipes of mine to share, although I don’t count in the recipe challenge.
Feel free to copy the badge to use on your own blog, but you don’t have to.
If you want to add the blog hop to your own website, get the InLinkz code
STAR RECIPE WINNER – for November was : Coombemill with her Apple and Cinnamon Festive Cakes as they look like something that we would love to eat all year round.
Funky Foodies took a break in December, and is now open for Janary 2013. Only 10 days to add your recipes, so get clicking.
THIS MONTHS FUNKY FOODIES LINKY IS OPEN AND THERE MUST BE LOADS OF RECIPES TO CHOOSE FROM. We didn’t run at Xmas, so feel free to add your xmas recipes too.
Is a monthly linkie, which will close on the last day of the month.
A medal will be awarded for the Star Recipe every month, and the fabulous trophy in the blog badge will be awarded at the end of a whole year of the Funky Foodies. If you want to find out more about it, read here.
All you have to do is share as many recipes from your own blog a month as you’d like. If you struggle to add your recipe, send me your link and I’ll add it for you.
Try to pop around and share the comment love with other funky foodies. We all like a little love and might come across some fabulous recipes.
If you want to host the linkie on your own blog as a blog hop, get the code here :
Simply add the link to your recipe on your own blog, and share your latest recipe with everyone taking part. If you don’t want to miss the linkie being opened, subscribe to RSS or by email in the blog header.
I’ll add recipes of mine to share, although I don’t count in the recipe challenge.
Feel free to copy the badge or use the html in the widget at the bottom of the page to add the small blog badge to your own blog / post. It makes finding you easier for other funky foodies.
As much hard work as it is to get everything ready for Christmas day, it’s nothing in comparison to the people who have to spend it alone, for whatever reason. We like to stay together as a family, but I do know people who spend it alone. Friends and family are very important in the holiday season.
Everyone also has a favourite family Christmas film, and we all like to reminisce about our favourite oldies. Whether it’s a comedy like Elf or a rom com like Love Actually, it is an undeniable fact that there are still so many films to enjoy this season, both new and old. I’m told that it’s quite common for families to go altogether to the cinema on Boxing Day which seems like a lovely tradition. It’s not something we have ever thought of doing as a family, but there is always room for a new tradition or two.
It’s for this reason that I have joined up with dating site eHarmony to offer one lucky reader unlimited cinema trips for a year. Up for grabs is one Cineworld ‘Unlimited Card’, which also comes with access to exclusive advance screenings and meal discounts. Think about a whole year of unlimited films at Cineworld, and you could have plenty to talk about to get any conversation started, whether you go film watching with your family, your friends or even with a new date.
I know a lovely couple who met online after a few years Internet courtship, and they lived at the opposite ends of the Country, so it is possibly to find love through a keyboard.
eHarmony have given all the readers of Scottish Mum the opportunity to win the unlimited cinema card for a year, so if you do find love in Scotland on eHarmony.co.uk, you’d have plenty to talk about with all the movies you’ll be watching.
If you’re not based in Scotland, that’s no problem either. They have members all over the UK, and they are all looking for that special someone to share their lives with.
To be in with a chance of winning the Cineword Unlimited card, complete as many of the entry methods as possible, then leave a comment to say you have done so. Each method – and comment – counts as a different entry. Good luck!
Entry methods: Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget.
As a festive thank you to customers and social media followers, SSE is offering everyone the chance to win a brand new Kindle Fire HD tablet! All you need to do to enter is like the SSE Facebook page and help the Christmas Elves charge their Kindle in the competition App.
The competition will end Tuesday 18 December at 4pm, with winner being informed the next day. This gives you the chance to win a great gift just in time for Christmas.
To play the game all you have to do is :
Head over to the SSE Facebook Page and like it before you play the game.
Click on the actual game to start it off. There is also a like button to hit on this page.
The object is to use your right and left arrow keys to make the Elf run fast……
Then you use your up and down arrow keys to help the Elf charge up the Kindle Fire HD.
Then we have to follow a couple more instructions to fully charge the animated battery, then we can leave our name, address and e-mail to enter the competition.
ps, it’s a little harder than you realise at first.
Good luck.
Site Notice:
This website contains affiliate links and banner adverts, mainly labelled advertisement. Opinions are always my own and are not brand influenced. Links to brands are not guaranteed, & are at my discretion. Posts which are commissioned by/in collaboration with brands, supported by brands, or reviews, will be labelled as such.
Newest Comments:
I agree with you John ogroats is a dreary miserable lifeless place stuck in the 1940s full of greedy little…
Hi Made lot of rolls and bread. Try make 50/50 rolls and come out great.and used my bread machine.
For your dry potato, look for Kerrs Pink, September onwards.
Loading InLinkz …
I agree with you John ogroats is a dreary miserable lifeless place stuck in the 1940s full of greedy little…
Hi Made lot of rolls and bread. Try make 50/50 rolls and come out great.and used my bread machine.
For your dry potato, look for Kerrs Pink, September onwards.