Category: Reviews

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Crock-Pot 3.5 Litre Slow Cooker Review

I do have to say that I already have 2 Slow Cookers that I use regularly, and my big 6.5 Litre one gets used a lot for soups and bigger things.  Crock-Pot offered me one of theirs to try, and I accepted the small 3.5 Litre one from them  as I wasn’t satisfied with the small slow cooker that I already owned.

My large (but aging) one is too big  for smaller stews, rice puddings and things for the kids.  I had bought a cheap 3.5 Litre Slowcooker and the setting had to be on high all the time.  Using the low setting simply left me with a pile of uncooked mush at the end of 8 hours, so it’s no use whatsoever for dishes I might want done in 4 or 5 hours.

I’ve had my new Crock-Pot for a little while now.  I’ve cooked a couple of things in it, and I am really glad I did accept it, so thank you Crock-Pot.

The one I’ve been sent comes with a selection of recipes to kick start your home cuisine, expertly marrying ingredients to make sure your dish tastes as good as it smells.  Once the ingredients are chopped up and in the pot, they’ll gently simmer away on either a low or high heat setting while you get on with your day, producing a delicious dish for you to settle down to when you’re ready.

As with every Crock-Pot®, cooking in the pot means nutrients are kept within the dish, intense flavours are locked in and you’ll use less electricity than conventional cooking.

 The Crock-Pot® New Design range is available from June and can be found at Amazon.co.uk, RRP £34.99. For more information on Crock-Pot visit www.crockpot.co.uk.

Although the box says the Crock-Pot is for 2 – 3 persons, it easily makes the main part of a meal for 6 people if you are not filling it up with both vegetables and potatoes as well.  It did a fantastic job of slow cooking my sweet and sour chicken for using with wraps.  The chicken was absolutely delicious.

The pot looks great, and although it comes in a darker shade of cream than I was expecting, it’s a lovely shade and blends in nicely with my cream colour kitchen units.   There are also other colours available, and you can choose from Red, Blue or Cream.   The pot is easy to clean, and along with the cooking instructions, there is a set of utensils for using with the Crock-Pot, which I thought was a nice touch.

Here’s my pot in action.

Thank you Crock-Pot, this is one new household item that is going to be well used in the Scottish Mum Home.

 

 

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Warner Bros. Scooby Doo Spooky Games DVD Review

Thank you to Warner Bros. for the lovely box with a their brand spanking newly released Scooby Doo DVD.   I decided to hang on to mine until the paralympics were on, since I have a special needs child in the house.

Along with Scooby Doo Spooky Games, there were a couple of sacks, beanbags, some winner stickers and a whistle for the off.  It’s really helped him get into the spirit of it all.

I don’t think we’re ever too old for Scooby Doo, so the adventures at the World Invitational Games in their brand new episode was actually quite refreshing to enjoy with middler.

I’ll tell you that a statue comes to life and between bullfights and mountain climbing, the familiarity of the tales kept us interested.    There are the Scooby Doobies, the Yogi Yahooeys and the Really Rottens.    There’s even a visit from guest stars Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.

With 4 episodes on the DVD, there’s a whopping 123 minutes of adventure to watch.

 

Thanks again Warner Bros.

The Scottish Mum Blog Kids

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Aberdonian Musician Gordon Duthie

I recently received a copy of the début album of Gordon Duthie, an indie folk singer in Aberdeen.    As a young man in the music scene, it looks like he will go a long way in his chosen genre.

The album boasts ten tracks which range from the mean and moody to the alternative and slightly acoustic.

With a distinctive sound that reminds me of my youth and music of old, it’s hard to say exactly what area of music that he fits into.

With Aberdeenshire as an inspiration, Gordon seems to use an array of musical instruments in his tracks.

Sadness Brings Us Together is my favourite track and I can’t help wishing there were more like this on the album as it brought a Celtic influence of the kind that I really do love.  The track has made it onto my favourite chill out play list on my iPod and I’d like to hear more from Kristen Johnson who features on the track.

This album is certainly a return to the music rather than the more modern commercialisation of musicians with fake instruments and auto tune.

If you want to support a local musician, go and listen to the samples of his music.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of Shire and City by Gordon Duthie, a musician from Aberdeen.  I have not been paid to review this album, and the opinions are my own. 

 

 

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Toucanbox – a review.

We were offered a trial of the ToucanBox.  It’s a new innovation that allows for a boxed set full of craft activities to be sent to kids.  We were sent the Safari Box, and with the kids names put on the front, the experience was directed straight at them from the beginning.

The ages are from 0 – 6 +.  Some of the activities require the help of an older child or parent, and the box does really cover a wide age group.  I mainly accepted the box for middler, as it seemed a perfect activity for an 11 year old special needs child, but to be honest, his two brothers were enthralled for hours with making the animals, colouring in and generally following the fabulous instructions that are enclosed with the materials to carry out the crafts.

You can find them on Twitter at @toucanbox.

We received the Safari Sample Box, which would retail at £19.95 as a one off, £18.95 as part of a 6 monthly subscription or £16.95 a month as part of a yearly subscription.  Adding a sibling costs an extra £9.95 a month.

The boxes can also be sent as a one off gift at £19.99.

I’ve loved having the ToucanBox, and it has kept the kids entertained for hours on end.  Personally, I suspect I’d be tempted to buy one now and again as a one off rather than a monthly thing, but if I had an endless budget, this would be on the list.

 

Disclaimer:  We were sent a ToucanBox and chose to review it.

 

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Mirror Mirror Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.

Mirror Mirror releases on DVD this week.  We couldn’t make the premier when we were invited, so the lovely PR sent us a preview DVD to watch instead.

With a large bucket of snacks and all piled onto my bed on Sunday night, we sat down and watched the movie.  The kids rarely spoke and were quite surprised with the update to the story and how it unravelled.

The kids were suitable enthralled in nail biting fashion and egging on the Princess when she came to the rescue of the dwarfs.   I won’t spoil it by telling you too much about how it unravels.

There’s a fabulous trailer on YouTube that gives you an idea of how different it is to the traditional Snow White tale.

There’s still a Prince, and there’s still a wicked stepmother so there’s lots for everyone.

At first, I thought it might be a girlie only movie as the boys won’t watch the original Snow White, but they did enjoy this version.  It’s actually quite nice to see Julia Roberts in a wicked role.

From the Press Release

STUDIOCANAL are proud to announce the home entertainment release of the lavishly enchanting, UK Box Office smash hit, MIRROR MIRROR.

One of the most beloved stories of all time gets a modern make over and comes to life, in this spectacular motion picture event starring Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen and Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White. A fresh and funny retelling of the classic fairy tale, the film also stars Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as the Prince, Sean Bean (“Game of Thrones”) as the King, and Nathan Lane (The Birdcage) as the Queen’s hapless and bungling servant, Brighton.

Following the mysterious disappearance of the beloved King, his ruthless wife and evil Queen (Roberts), seizes control of the kingdom and keeps her beautiful 18-year-old stepdaughter, Snow White (Collins), hidden away in the palace.

However, when the Princess attracts the attention of the young, handsome and wealthy, Prince Alcott (Hammer), the evil Queen is enraged with jealousy. Aided by witchcraft and her bumbling assistant Brighton (Lane) she plots to steal his heart, which includes banishing Snow White deep into the dark dangerous forest to perish.

Taken in by a band of rebellious but kind-hearted dwarfs living in the forest, Snow White blossoms into a brave young woman determined to save her country from the Queen. With the support of her new friends, she roars into action to reclaim her birth-right and break the Queen’s spell cast over her Prince in this visually stunning, magical adventure comedy that captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over.

 

 

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My Gorgeous New Kettle from Palmers Department Store with an Unusual Result

A lovely email popped through last week, asking me to take a look at Palmers Department Store.  I hadn’t heard of it, so I had a pop over to see what they sell.

The lovely PR people sent me a gorgeous Morphy Richards Accents Kettle to test the service, which was very good all round.

The box came packed inside another sturdy box to give it plenty of protection on route to Scotland.    The kettle is slightly darker than it looks on the website pictures, but it’s still a lovely appliance and fits in well with my cream coloured kitchen.

I really do have to say a huge thanks to Palmers, and for more than the great delivery service.

The one thing that has really surprised me with the kettle is how much easier it is for me to lift than my old one.  My old kettle is a regular jug type kettle that means I have to turn my wrist side on to pick up.  With damage in my wrist that has caused some arthritic type pain, I find the movement quite painful at times, yet I never thought about changing my kettle.

With the Morphy Richards handle at the top, I can pick up and pour hot water by  moving my whole lower arm from the elbow, without twisting my wrist at all.   I was looking forward to a gorgeous new kettle, but I am really happy with the fact that my wrist can pour without any pain.   Why on earth I didn’t think about that before, I have no idea, but I won’t go back to a jug kettle now.

Thank you Palmers, you have no idea how much easier making a cuppa is now.

I’ve also got my eye on a fabulous Swan Stone Raclette in the future as the idea of asking the kids to sit and pick their food, and have them watch while it cooks appeals to me.   I better get my skates on and make some pennies to pay for one.

Palmers Department Store carries ranges for kitchens, bathrooms, living, dining and bedrooms.  There are also some unusual gifts, with some neat Jamie Oliver mugs.

Disclaimer:  I was provided a Morphy Richards Accents Kettle by Palmers Department Store.  I was not told what to write, and was given a choice as to whether to review.

 

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Princes Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon Toasted Sandwiches

Princes sent the Scottish Mum household a box of Alaskan salmon with the request to create our own recipe and report back.

They also kindly sent us a lovely salmon recipes book, and a couple of our tins of Wild Pink Salmon are going to be made into salmon fish cakes as the recipe in the book looks so absolutely and deliciously tasty.   Having salmon in a can is handy for those meals where the kitchen cupboard is looking a little bare and we struggle for something good, nutritious and filling to feed our families.

Inspired by the Wild Alaskan Salmon French Toast Sandwiches in the recipe book, I went to work.

 

Princes Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon Toasted Sandwiches

Lesley Smith
Serve as a snack, or a main meal. I use a panini press, but you could use a regular sandwich maker, or make them under the grill.
Print Recipe
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 x 213g can pink wild Alaska salmon
  • 4 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise
  • 12 slices bread
  • butter
  • salt and pepper
  • lettuce
  • cherry tomatoes
  • coleslaw

Instructions
 

  • Drain the can of wild Alaskan salmon.
  • I removed skin and bones from the can as I know my kids won't eat these, but you can choose to keep them in.
  • Mash the salmon and add the mayonnaise. Use a fork to mix the mayonnaise thoroughly with the salmon.
  • Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix that in gently.
  • Lay out bread for making the sandwiches. I butter on one side only.
  • Spread the salmon and mayonnaise mix on the buttered side of the bread, and top with lettuce and sliced cherry tomatoes.
  • Place the top piece of bread on and put in the panini press to cook.
  • After approximately 4 - 5 minutes, or when the bread is a lovely golden colour, remove from panini press, slice, and serve with cherry tomatoes and coleslaw on the side.

 

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Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Challenge from Britmums

Kelloggs sent us a big pack of Rice Krispies, with a fab case of colouring pens, colour changers, glitter glues and more.  The colouring pack alone has kept my kids entertained for a few days now, and they’ve rediscovered an enjoyment of colouring in again.

Middler has learning difficulties, but he likes to colour in.  His older brother helped him to do the figures and they made a pretty tidy job of it as a team.

The next picture is my entry for the Britmums #ColourMeInRK competition, sponsored by Kelloggs.  The prize is £500, or a year’s supply of Rice Krispies.  When I mentioned a prize, the kids took colouring in very seriously indeed…..

There is also the opportunity for 10 entries to be put on a T-shirt for the child to wear.

Lots of bloggy fingers crossed.
The Scottish Mum Kids

If you want to enter, visit the Britmums Linky and link up a blog post entry of your own.

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Ellos – Kids Clothes Review

The Ellos PR offered me £50 to spend on clothes from their website.   The online store has a good range of clothes for men, women and for kids.  I really was spoiled for choice, but eventually narrowed it down to these lovely trousers and t-shirt, with a pair of bib and brace overalls for the kids.

I would have to say that the quality of the trousers and t-shirt were actually very good, and I noticed today that some of their summer clothes are on special offer for good prices.  It’s worth a little extra for clothes that last a little longer I think, but the prices on Ellos are actually fairly good.

b

The garments did take a long time to arrive and to be fair, we’ve had them a month now, but we haven’t had much good weather to put them to the play test with.

Middler couldn’t wait to try on his T and Trousers though, and although they look like they are sold out on the website, there are other similar products that he would also have been very happy with.

We washed the clothes yesterday for the first time and for me, the washability is what makes a piece of clothing actually worth wearing, so I am very happy with the outcome.

Sadly, the bib and brace overalls come up very small.  They were intended for littlest who is not quite 10, and I ordered a size 146, which is an age 11.  He couldn’t get them up over his normal sized thighs.  Middler is fairly tall and skinny for his age at nearly 11, so they fitted around his legs, but he would really need a couple of sizes bigger to make the legs long enough to fit.  They are meant to be capri style and it looks as if we will have to roll them up to use as  dungaree shorts.

I left it too long to ask the PR to change the bib and braces.  They wouldn’t exchange them for me as we’d had them for more than 14 days, the same length of time that a shopper would have.  At £27 for thick and good quality denim, I think it’s quite a good deal and I’m tempted to buy a pair that is a couple of sizes bigger.

Quality: Very good.
Washability: Very good.
Room for Improvement:  I would have preferred to know up front that I would have had to return in a fortnight for an exchange.

 

 

 

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Restaurant Review – Frankie & Bennys in Aberdeen

When the PR offered us a voucher to go and try out the new menu at Frankie and Benny’s, I just couldn’t turn that down.  It did take us a while to get to using our voucher, so ours is probably one of the last reviews in.

We visited on a week night when middler was on respite, so there were only four of us to sample the menu and no jumpy, moody and excited special needs tornado to work around.  Lots of bribery and behaviour points were cashed in and off we went down to Frankie & Bennys at the beach.

Initial Impressions

When we arrived, the place was quite empty.  Strangely, they tried to seat us right next to the serving / cooking area where it’s noisy and hot with servers walking past all the time.  It was in the middle of the tables so  had servers walking behind and up both sides constantly.

We said nothing, but got up and moved to the back of the restaurant where it was quieter and with more comfortable seats.  It seemed as if they were keeping the quieter booth type seats for later diners, and putting the kids where the noise was.

Excitedly, the kids ran up to the entry desk to get their crayons and paper, only to be told they had run out.   The restaurant is right next to a poundshop, so I’d have guessed it would be easy enough to go out and get some crayons and put them in some cups to share around the kids who are used to getting them.  Disappointing start, but not the end of the world.

Menu wise, there were loads of options to choose from.  I suspect everyone could find something to eat.

Ordering

Ordering was simple and easy enough, and I’d say that the menu for kids is reasonable and well priced on the whole.  I’d expected to see items marked as “new” on the menu, but it looked the same as it was the last time we were in, and that was a few years ago now.  The waitress was pleasant and helpful, but wasn’t sure of what was new either.

Serving Time

It took a while.   We got our food about 20 – 30 minutes after ordering, and people who arrived after us were served their meals first.   We weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a problem although the hungry kids were a bit peeved.

The Food

Mains

The kids had their favourites and the man had a burger.  I wanted a pizza and the rest of them wanted a bit too, so I ordered a 15″ for us all to share.  The chicken and sweetcorn on top was a little sparse on the pizza, but other than that, it was lovely.  The junior burger was as big as his dad’s.  He was very happy with that.

Dad Burger

Kids Junior Burger

Kids Junior Wraps

Sharing Pizza

Dessert

Dessert for the kids was a letdown.  The menu says brownie pieces with ice cream so when a teensy sundae glass arrived with one tiny bit of brownie and one scoop of ice-cream, their faces fell.  With the spectacular dishes for mains, they expected a spectacular sundae.

Brownie Pieces?  There was one.

The grown ups had ordered a sharing sundae so the kids ended up having most of that.

Room for Improvement

Most definitely in the seating and kids arenas.  Kids want to be impressed.  If the parents don’t feel kids have had what they have been promised, they are unlikely to go back and spend more money on it.  For us it was fine as the bill was almost all covered by our voucher, but if I was paying over £60 to have kids disappointed with dessert, I’d have been a tad unhappy about it.

I didn’t complain as we had a large part of the bill paid for us.  For the kids sundae glass, I’d have expected two scoops of ice cream with a couple of brownie pieces to fill the teensy glass and look impressive.

Overall

The waitress got a little stressed out when I handed over the voucher and she immediately whisked away the bill without letting me see the original, and I had to ask for it.  She came back for the remaining £10 or so to be paid and when I asked her a few questions about the menu, she scuttled off and left the card machine and salver on our table.  I had to go after her before we left and give it back to her.

We enjoyed our meal and it was a nice break from the usual school night routine, so yes, it was an enjoyable meal for us, but could have been better if the kids had been catered for more.

Would I pay that price for us as a family, given that we were one person short, and it would end up with a bill over £70 without any starters?  I don’t really know to be honest.  I thought the soft drinks prices were quite high, and the lack of kiddie friendliness spoiled it.

We were provided with a £50 voucher in exchange for an honest review as a family.

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Review: Niermann-Standby Beetle Table Light, sold by Wayfair UK

We were happily sent the Niermann- Standby Beetle Table Light from Wayfair’s range of lamps for children to review.

A delighted middler opened the box with glee.  I was slightly surprised that the lamp had come from Germany, but it did arrive very quickly, so I wouldn’t say that it was a problem at all.

Having a near teen who has special needs is often overlooked by many people.  He wants to be seen to keep up with his brothers and be “cool” and like the same things as them, but I know deep down that he really likes to watch “Big Cook Little Cook,” eat Smilie Potatoes and have toys for much younger children when other people aren’t around.

His bedroom is his private space so the things he really appreciates can live there.  The light in his eyes at opening this box was incredible.  I knew he was likely to be keen on it, but I was surprised to see the jumping up and down that came after the realisation of what he had been sent.

Lets get to the nitty gritty.

Price

At over £57 the lamp isn’t cheap and nor is it big, with dimensions of 10cm H x 20cm W x 20cm D and only 1.5kg in weight.

Brightness

For such a small bulb, this lamp packs a mighty punch.

Quality

I am impressed, I have to say.  The lamp is good quality and solid.   The cord has a slide switch on it to allow little fingers to switch the light on and off for themselves without having to go to a wall socket.  For what seems like a light lamp on paper, it certainly feels solid enough with it’s wood base.

Room for Improvement

With the build quality I have no suggestions as it really is a lovely lamp that any child would be delighted with, but I do have a couple of suggestions for the future.

1 – After realising it was sent from Germany, I was surprised to see there was only external packaging with the lamp.  The box was misshapen and had been battered a bit on the way to Scotland, but the lamp stood up to the rough treatment very well as there was no sign of damage.  To go such a distance, it might be better to have a box within a box for a little added protection.

2 – There is a large transformer attached to the lamp, which is to help overcome the problem of the difference in electrical systems.  It works fine and is a petty point, but I do feel it would have been a nicer touch to have had a UK plug fitted to go to a UK customer.

Overall Opinion

We love it.  Yes, it’s expensive, but when you see it, it looks and feels expensive. It is prized possession of a little boy who delights going to his bed every night with his Beetle for company.  Here is his lamp, in pride of place on the bedside cabinet, and it is not allowed to share it’s space with anything else.

Disclaimer
Wayfair.co.uk sent us the Niermann Standby Beetle Table Light and allowed us to choose whether to review.

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Personalised Gifts for Teenagers

This is a featured guest post.  Who couldn’t use a little extra advice these days about what to buy for their teens.  I had a look at their gifts and I am sorely tempted to get the birthday chocolate pizza for my eldest, mixing the two things that he loves would be fabulous instead of a cake.

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Have you ever had the pleasure of shopping for a teenager? If you have then you probably have learned it is no easy task. Teenagers are for the most part very difficult to please. Knowing this, gift givers often agonise over exactly what they should give them. One type of gift they may want to consider giving is a personalised gift. When giving this sort of gift to a teenager, they appreciate the additional thought that went into making it personal. When choosing personalised gifts for a teen, you want to consider their interests and hobbies to make sure the gift fits them.

For those teenagers who are into sports, a sport related personalised gift can be an option. It doesn’t matter if you are buying for a girl or a boy, if they are into a particular sport; this is always a safe bet. The specific item will vary depending upon their interests. Duffle bags and golf bags are a good personalised gift that any sport loving teen can use. Other sports items that can be personalised include water bottles, hoodies, t-shirts and more.

Today’s teens are very tech savvy as they definitely are more wired than previous generations. Often choosing an accessory to go with these electronics is a good idea. These accessories can often be personalised. All sorts of cases and covers are made today for Kindles, iPads, laptops and iPhones.

Teenagers all are very protective of their rooms as this is their space to escape from the rest of the world. A gift idea that any teen would love is some sort of personalised wall art or décor for their bedroom. When choosing this personalised gift, you can consider the interests of the team. You may also consider colours as some teams may have specific colour themes that were used in decorating their bedroom.