Category: Reviews

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Special Birthday Film Night

Last week there was a little boys birthday in our house.  Thanks to the lovely Claire from Cheshire Claire, and talking to her about the successful film night that she had for her son’s birthday a few weeks ago, I decided to copy her and have a few friends over to play for littlest (ahem, sit and quietly watch a film was the plan).

There was much excitement for the planning of the party to come and littlest spoke of nothing else for about a week before the actual day.

The invitations went badly when a few of the children he asked turned him down flat.  School has been difficult for him recently and living with his brother is not easy, so I was sad to see him being distressed about it all and I decided to make it extra special for the boys who did manage to come.  I asked a few boys whose mothers I know and who do actually like my boy, rather than the popular crowd he would like to be in with.  With a few confirmed film nighters, it was down to me to arrange the quiet peaceful night to come.

I had strict orders of what had to be done for the party.   There were to be no brothers in attendance which I thought was fair for him, since he carries a heavy burden day-to-day with his older brother – and at times he is expected to act older than his years.

We started off with some fireworks.  Apologies for the poor quality photos for this post, but we were all so busy having fun that photos took second place to being mum for the night and I think that just set the boys off into mischievous mode.

I ordered a huge “beast” pizza from our local Snappy Pizza place and I wish I had managed to get a picture of the HUGE box, but alas, the kids dived in far too quickly for me to be able to get any worthwhile photos as I dished out and served up slice after slice of monster pizza, but I did manage to snaffle elders plate as he sneaked upstairs with his pal and their plates of swag from the party food.

This plate is for an 11 year old, and he came back for a double helping.

Now, onto the quiet part of the night.  Was film night as nice and quiet as I had imagined it?

I’ll let you decide that for yourself while you listen to the shy and retiring children play with the fabulous Hexbug Nanos that  we were provided to brighten up littlests night.  You will need your sound on to appreciate the peaceful and calming environment of the evening.

Did they watch a film – not on your Nellie.

The boys were here from 4pm and all picked up at 8.30 so it was a looooong party.  After they all left, I scooped out a lovely tub of ice cream and whipped up a sauce of condensed milk, the Nutella spread that was so thoughtfully gifted to us, and added  Smarties and Fudge.

Wickedly sinful, but perfect end to the day.  Yum.

And to the wonderful PR that provided us with the Nutella and the Hexbugs to make his party go with a bang, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Hexbug Nanos made the night extra special.

Scottish Mum
x

 

 

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Leapfrog LeapPad Explorer – How does it shape up?

We were sent the LeapPad Explorer to review a couple of weeks ago, and because it was so close to middlers birthday, I held off giving it to him until the big day as I didn’t want him to have something so major so close to his birthday.

What is the LeapPad Explorer

It is a tablet device for kids.  That’s it in simple terms.   The age ranges goes from 4 – 9, but I suspect there are many children in the 2 – 3 age group who would get more benefit from one of these than using mum or dads Ipad or Iphone.  They have more information and there is a video you can watch of it here.

It uses apps based around learning, reading and creativity.   A built-in camera which takes photos and videos is included and gives it an authentic tablet experience for children with an attached stylus to help little fingers.   It even has a shake to move ability in some of the games for motion.

Out of the box.

The tablet has 4 apps and the LeapPad really needs to be connected to the Internet to get it to work completely.  It took us about 15 minutes to update the tablet and another 10 minutes to download the apps.  I have to say that we did have some leaplet cards we had bought for our Leapster Explorer and they work in the app store for the LeapPad which was a nice bonus.

We downloaded a full game that took £20 of money worth in cards, but it is the same price in Amazon so that was ok.   There are some E-Books for £5 and some smaller game apps for £5 or less.  The nice touch that I felt was missing when I reviewed the Leapster Explorer earlier in the year, is that you can now buy the apps online, just like in Itunes and they download onto your LeapPad automatically when you log into the account.

Another aspect that I found appealing was how all the apps and games from the Leapster Explorer are transferrable to the LeapPad Explorer so that if you bought a game for one device, it downloads onto the other as well.  For me this is a MAJOR bonus and VERY like how Itunes works with their Ipods, Ipads and Iphones – it’s a nice touch from a games manufacturer.

Testing

Well, I haven’t had much in the way of testing for this lovely little gadget.  Middler has rarely put it down.  At 10, he has special needs and has yet to learn to read and write his name properly, but he is drawing, playing and taking pictures constantly and he loves that it looks like a Tablet computer.  We have the Leapster Explorer with all the same games now and littlest has even been known to sneak one of them away to potter about on, even though he pretends that he is too old for it.

Owning the LeapPad

For me, it is preferrable that my son uses the LeapPad and leaves my phone alone.   On my phone, he tends to delete things I’d like to keep and with the LeapPad he is learning new things each time he uses it.

It’s a thumbs up from us.

Disclosure – We were given the LeapPad Explorer for this review.

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Local Florists with Interflora

This is a Featured Post

This year has been a fabulous year with Interflora for the Scottish Mum Blog.

For Mothers Day, Interflora sent me a gorgeous bunch of flowers to review and gave me one to give away.   They were absolutely beautiful, and I can’t resist showing you the picture again.

There were many smiles in this house (mostly from me), and the vase has been very useful for the bunches of flowers that came after.   I had got out of the habit of having flowers in my home, and Interflora kick started a regular buying habit.   There is just something so welcoming in any house that has a flower in it.

My husbands’ grandmother used to say “a house without a flower or a plant is no home at all.”   Perhaps there is wisdom in that phrase as the smell and sight of a lovely bunch of flowers or a well cared for plant makes many of us feel better.

Interflora also sent a fabulous bunch of flowers to  my mother who really deserved the treat.  She absolutely adored the roses which gave her some much-needed colour and scent to make her little flat seem a more welcoming place to be.

I was pleasantly surprised to find there are 6 Interflora  florists in Aberdeen and that they are easily contactable by telephone.   It was easy to pick from the local florists in my area, and with next day delivery there really is something for everyone.

I know that most of my readers are not just in Aberdeen, so I thought it would be interesting to look at some other cities in Scotland. When someone searches for florists in Glasgow or florists in Edinburgh, they have to enter in the first part of their postcode, and then they can choose from the list of florists close to where they want the flowers to be delivered.

I really like that option, as it means that we don’t have to only order online, and we can call a local shop directly to see what they have available if we need a quick delivery (for when we have forgotten a birthday).

I picked the closest florist to  me, which is the Four Seasons at Rosemount and visited the website.   We all have different ideas of what is safe and what is not, and for me, it was nice to see the Interflora branding on there.   A branding that I recognise does make me feel more comfortable.  I like to know that I am dealing with a reputable supplier, which makes me feel safer when I am handing over my payment details for online or telephone sales.

I couldn’t resist the temptation to go and look at the Interflora Christmas flowers as I would love to get a nice bunch from the man in my life to decorate the Christmas table.   I think I have narrowed my favourites down to these two.

Warm Wishes Festive Christmas Basket

(I may leave some pictures lying around, or simply send my husband the link these flowers by mistake.)

Christmas Perfect Gift

What do you think?  Which one do you think would look fabulous on my Christmas dinner table this year?


 

 

 

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Princes Breakfast Box Giveaway – Closes 15th October

If you are part of the blogger circuit, you may have seen the posts with the hastag #princesbrekkie.   It is all about eating healthier, and making breakfast part of our five a day.  Princes chose some families and sent us a box full of goodies.

In the box was a USB stick with some recipes that we could use with the tins of fruit that we had received.    Princes recipes have lots of ideas for what we can do to reach our five-a-day.  Fruit and vegetables are thought to be one of the best sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre, helping us all to stay healthy.

We chose to make the peach muffins but we doubled the recipe and added pears as well.  In the picture the muffins look burned, but they really were not.  Sadly there are none left to retake another one to show off to you, as they were demolished by the boys very quickly.

We also made the peach and orange smoothie but again, doubled the recipe and as I had used the peaches in the muffins, we made the smoothie with pineapple and fruit cocktail.  We were planning having muffins and smoothie for breakfast the next morning and I was about to put the smoothie in the fridge, but the boys over ruled me, and it was eaten for Sunday tea.   They loved the new place mats and we had the candle burning well into the night.  Thank you Princes, we had a lovely afternoon making new things.

WIN YOUR OWN PRINCES BREAKFAST BOX OF GOODIES by 15th October

I have teamed up with Princes to offer you one of these breakfast boxes to help you take the stress out of the morning routine.

 Princes prides itself on offering good value, great quality food that the family can enjoy. From canned fruit for your cereal to pure fruit juices for a refreshing morning drink, pack your cupboards with these trusty Princes products and you can whip up a healthy, delicious breakfast in minutes.

The Princes breakfast box includes a set of six bowls and six tumblers, table placemats, an alarm clock, a colouring book to entertain the kids, a relaxing candle for the mums, money-off coupons and, of course, a range of Princes canned fruit – including grapefruit segments, peach slices, pear halves, fruit cocktail, pineapple chunks and mandarin segments – and Princes pure juices.

To be in a chance of winning the breakfast box

  • Leave me a comment to say which fruit you like from the Princes website by the 15th October, and make sure you leave contact details in your comment
  • Pass on the competition to your online friends by tweeting  or messaging.
    “Win a #princesbrekkie breakfast box with @scottish_mum http://wp.me/p1aG8Y-FX”

If you don’t claim your prize by the 18th October I will redraw another winner by a random generator.

Good Luck

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A Lovely Bunch of Flowers for a Lovely Lady

My mother deserves much much more than she gets.  At 76 years old, and with diabetes, arthritis, an underactive thyroid, and as a 7 year breast cancer survivor, she never stops.

She drives my adult nephew about almost daily, she helps me with my boys, and she has to put up with more than any 76 year old ever should.    Families like ours spend years waiting for help to come along, and if my mother had not been around after I adopted the boys, and they grew older, I don’t know what I would have done.

I did a post for Interflora earlier in the year, and when they offered me the chance to let someone choose a bunch of flowers from them last week, I debated on who I would send them to.

I considered a blogger, and online special needs mum, and then I realised that it was a chance to give my mother something that she would like.  She loves flowers, and she does like orchids and  roses more than any other flower, so I chose the lovely Rose Vase.

She was highly delighted to receive her roses, and I was very surprised at how quickly they arrived.  The flower delivery service was efficient and they arrived in their vase with plenty of water to keep them fresh.   The vase is nice, but it seems to be painted, and I suspect it would need careful handling in the washing to make sure the paint doesn’t chip off, but it doesn’t affect how lovely the flowers are when they arrive.

Thank you very much Interflora
You made two people very happy.

 

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Competition / Giveaway – Do you get travel sick? Sea Bands might help.

 

When the lovely people at Sea Bands got in touch and asked me to review and giveaway some sets of their products, I jumped at the chance as my eldest suffers quite badly from nausea and queasiness when he is in the car.

They arrived in a nice white padded envelope and my eldest quickly scanned through the pack to find a pair that he liked.   He found the camouflage green ones, and they were never to be let go as you can see.

They are actually quite cool as far as children are concerned, because they look like wrist sweat bands, so they gain kudos for being in fashion.  There is also the added bonus of not having to give him tablets which can make him feel sleepy.

My boy has been using them now for several weeks, and I am happy to say that he seems to be managing to go on car journeys without suffering.   The potential for journeys away has now left the realms of nervous worry for him, and that has to be a good thing.

The lovely Sea Band people have also given me 4 pairs of bands to give away.   I have two pairs of adult gray bands, one pair of childs pink camouflage, and one pair of blue camouflage.

Before I go into the competition, I’ll let you know a little about Sea Bands from their literature.

Travel sickness is the nausea, dizziness and vomiting that is triggered by the messages in the brain.  We may be sitting motionless in our seats, but our senses tell us that we are moving.  That means we may end us as nauseous.

To help with travel sickness – we can:

  • Sit at the front in cars and buses, and face the direction we are travelling in on trains
  • Breathe fresh air when possible and open windows
  • Don’t eat heavy meals before travelling
  • Keep children occupied with games and looking out the window

The Sea-Band is an elastic wrist band that can help.   Accupressure has been used in Chinese medicine for over 4000 years, and the Sea-Band applies pressure to an accupressure point on your wrist, by a small plastic stud on the inside of your wrist  at a point between the two central tendons which is known to prevent or relieve feelings of nausea.

It is a natural, effective and drug free way to help take away the worst feelings of nausea, and can be worn from a young age.

They have been trialled with children aged 2-15 and gained excellent results in a large number of cases.

They are suitable for

  • Adults
  • Children 3 years and above
  • Pregnant women
  • Hospital patients
They are
  • Drug free with no side effects
  • Clinically tested
  • Used by doctors and hospitals
  • Fast acting
  • Simple to use
  • Reusable and washable
  • Sold in 50+ countries
  • Packed with a small plastic case which makes them easy to keep.
Where to find Seabands

Sea-band Website and Shop
Sea-Band on Facebook
Sea-Band on Twitter

You don’t have to wait for long, as the competition for 4 pairs is starting  now, and will close on the 11th September.  I will announce the winner on the 12th.

COMPETITION / GIVEAWAY

To Enter – do the following, if you are not already.

  • Leave a comment below to confirm your entry with a way for me to contact you, ie twitter id.
  • Like my blog on facebook at the right side of this post.
  • Pop on over to the Sea- Band Facebook Page (using the link above) and like them.
  • Follow me on twitter and tweet the following:
    I entered a competition to win 4 pairs of Sea-Bands at  http://wp.me/p1aG8Y-C1 with @scottish_mum
Make sure you check back on the 12th to see if you have won.  Good luck everyone.  They are lovely wristbands.
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Rainy Day, Long Drive & Brewers Fayre (in Elgin)

To brighten up yet another rainy, miserable day in the Scottish school holiday season, we decided to take the kids for a  nice long drive.  Heading off in light rain, we got as far as Nairn when we felt the wrath of Mr Raindrops.  We carried on to Inverness, but the rain beat us back, and we headed back down the road.  It was getting late, and was about 6pm before we got back out onto the Aberdeen road.

Stopping off at the Parkdean (Holiday Camp?)  in Nairn where we saw a sign for a “caravan exhibition”, we were disappointed to find the holiday park whose exhibition was simply the few static caravans that are always out for sale.  Moving to the front door, we decided that we would stop off and have something to eat in their restaurant.  The kids ran to the door, expecting to be able to go sit down, and then we saw the signs on the door saying that we wouldn’t be welcome and would be asked to leave as we were not owners or paying holiday guests.  Shrugging our shoulders at the unfriendliness of the welcome of the “caravan  exhibition”, we moved on and decided to spend our money elsewhere.

Carrying on through torrential rain, and puddles half across the road, we reached Elgin, and briefly flirted with the bowling alley.  We were gobsmacked at the prices for letting the kids go play in the play frame for such a little town £4.40 per child.  We played a game of air hockey, dumped a couple of pound in the bandits, and then moved on again as the place was quickly filling up with teenagers.

We spotted the Brewers Fayre from the side of the road, and we decided it would be the perfect place for a stop of.  It’s been a while since we ate in a Brewers Fayre, and to be honest, I was not very impressed with the food on the last occasion I visited one in Aberdeen.  With a heart half down my sleeve, we all piled in, and I expected dross on a plate, dressed up as food for the kids “supper treat”.

It was too wet for the outside play area to be of any use, and the inside play frame was tiny, and only really suitable for younger children.  As we were late to eat, there were few children in the restaurant, and the boys just went in and played anyway.   Brewers Fayre are one of those places where you decide what to eat at your table, and go to the desk to order.  It works out fine, as you don’t feel the pressure to have your order ready to place within 20 seconds of sitting down, and before you’ve even got the kids jackets off.

Two children’s portions of chicken nuggets, and a childs pizza decided, the adults looked over the menu.  There seems to be many different deals they put on for different times of day, and on Thursday night, it was curry night.  There were about 5 or 6 different currys to choose from.  I chose a korma with nan bread and rice.  The deal was a curry and a drink for £6.99.  That’s pretty good value.

Hub chose a half chicken, and the meals really didn’t take long to arrive at all.  I went back to reception with the bill, as we had asked for coke for the kids, which was down on the menu for 75p.  They had charged us the full standard  price for a pepsi as they had run out of their bottles of coke for the kids.  Hub had ordered the food and he hadn’t thought anything about it.   It was when we looked at the bill, we spotted the price of  the kids drinks was £5.25, where it should have been £2.25.

The girl behind the till was friendly, but not prepared to do anything about the overcharge.  She just kept stating that they had run out of the kids coke, so they had charged for a full price pepsi from draft (which is more expensive).  Mhhhm.   Not a great answer I have to say.   I asked her what she could do about it and that it was poor service.   As far as I am concerned, if the kids menu states a coke at 75p with their meal.  I don’t care if its bottled, canned, or draft, but a coke for 75p is what I expect.  NOT a coke for £1.75.

I also asked her if there was a complaints procedure, or a form I could fill out to feedback on it.   I was told there is no complaints or feedback procedure.   At this point, I asked her if there was someone else I could speak to, and she finally mentioned the Manager.    I think they need some more customer service training.

Fair play to the manager, he came out and immediately refunded the £3.00 extra charged for kids cokes, and on I went to get my meal.  The food was fantastic.  I don’t know if Brewers Fayre in Elgin has a good chef, or sources good ingredients, or whether Brewers Fayre food has improved in general, but I have to say it was lovely.

Kidlets were well impressed with their puddings, which were much improved versions from similar types that we have had elsewhere.

The price was reasonable at £36.72 for

– 3 kids meals with puddings, and drinks
– 2 adult meals with a pint and a diet pepsi
– hubs extra portion of chips and onion rings

If we lived closer, I would be tempted to visit the Elgin branch more often.  It might even make me revisit the local Aberdeen one.  All in all, the food, peaceful evening, and lack of noise and distractions for my boys who need calm as much as possible  – made for a pleasant end to the day.

Sadly, after leaving at 10.30 pm, we then had a hair-raising journey back through teeming sheets of rain.   Back to reality with a bump, bump, bump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thinking Slimmer and the Future of Suggestion Therapy

I think it is about time that I updated my Thinking Slimmer #slimpod journey.

I am now coming up to 5 weeks on the programme.  Many of you will have heard a lot about Thinking Slimmer by now, and all about the bloggers who are trialling the mp3 pods that give us the power of suggestions to help us change our attitudes to food.

I have spent my entire life thinking about food, obsessing about food, wishing for food, wishing to be thin, obsessing about my weight, and being paraniod about it.  When I was thin, obsessing about everying I ate, how much, and when.  There is NOTHING worse as an adult female in company, than to look around the room, and realise that you are the fattest person there.  It’s humiliating, it’s awful, and it stinks.  It made me feel disgusting and not worthy.      That’s maybe not how I looked, but it’s how it made me FEEL.    How we FEEL about ourselves is the important thing.  Yes, some people are happy fat.  I have never been a happy fatty.  I have turned down many many invitations to events and nights out because I could not face going fat.  Life is so short, that it is completely the wrong attitude to have, but it’s the one that I had.

At my heaviest, I had to buy size 20 / 22 tops and if I am honest, they were probably a little bit neat.  I had lost a couple of stone last year, but I couldn’t get down any lower.  I was convinced that the only way was to starve myself into my self imposed rules for society’s acceptance.

After just weeks of listening to this little file on my phone every night, I am feeling human again.  As an emotional and stress eater, I really thought that the power of the #slimpod would wear off, and I would struggle as the stress took over.   I find the opposite to be true.  I also find that with the emotional aspect involved, that I sometimes need to listen to the #slimpod during the day at difficult times when the stress makes me move toward the kitchen cupboard.  A set of headphones on low, the file on, and I get control again until the next big stress moment.  I have a very challenging special needs child so stressful days are very often, as are very stressful moments within a day.

I am finding the increasing confidence that I am beginning to have, is taking me back to the days before I lost my way.  My food choices are becoming very different.   I have always been a carb girl.  Put a bowl of crisps in front of me (as long as they are not plain) and I will happily finish the bowl, while my body will crave the bowl to be filled up again, just for me.

Even friends buy me crisps for when I go round, knowing that I will eat them (ALL).  I am the perfect guest who will stuff her face silly with crisps and dip.  Let me rephrase, that.  I USED to be the perfect guest.   I am now confident enough to be able to ask the host/ess not to have them out.  If everyone can cope with that, then it will be fantastic.  I suspect it is difficult for everyone as crisps and dips are a quick, cheap and easy way to feed guests.

I am losing weight weekly.  I have absolutely no idea what  my current weight it and I have no intention of weighing myself to find out as I am going to rigidly stay with my no weighing policy.  It is working fantastically so far, and I have NO scales weight hangups in an up week, or in any week where I only lose half a pound and then get paranoid about it.

I am in the van so have limited clothes to try on to see what fits and have had to buy some Tesco things to see me through.    I AM into my size 14 Tesco jeans – go me.  My size 16’s are all too big now.    OK, they are all BIG size 16’s, but still.    I have a few cheap size 16 Sainsburys T-Shirts I keep in the van and they are all lovely and loose, and getting a little too big as well.  I usually wear a top that is about two sizes bigger than my jeans to fit my boobs into.   They are shrinking.

I am eating more than I used to eat when I was a huge carb girl.   I am getting most of my carbs from strawberries, tangerines and melons.  I am eating shedloads of cherry tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, sweetcorn, mushrooms, onions and cucumber.  Tesco light caesar dressing is fab as soo low in calories to sprinkle over it all with some  chicken.   Add that to the tubs of Alpro Plain Soy Yogurt that I am now addicted to, and my life is changing.

My energy is huge in comparison to before.  I am managing to keep up with the kids out on their bikes.  I have NEVER been able to keep up with the kids before.   Ok, my fibromyalgia is still there, my feet still hurt daily, but I am managing to feel better about it, and without the daily carb coma effect, I feel lots better than I did.

I have bad days – I am no saint.  I don’t worry about them.  If I have overeaten, then I go to town on the day that I do it.  I am coping better that way.  I throw away my wishlist, and I just have what I crave.  I am not beating myself with the never ending stick that I used to carry on my back, weighing me down with every calorie that I put into my mouth.  I get up the next morning, and I get on with my day, as if the bad day had never happened.

I have the positive feeling, that this time, I can do it.  This time it is a life choice, rather than a lucky year where I have managed to lose lots of weight by starving myself, only  to put it all back on again a few years later.

How it affects us, I really don’t know.  I do know that the power of relaxation must have something in it.   I am in the van with the kids, and hub and grandma tootle back and fro, so on the nights that it is just the kids and I, I have been putting on the #slimpod aloud instead of through my headphones.   My youngest who struggles to sleep is now asking if I can put on the “old mans” voice (sorry Trevor) to help him sleep.  He prefers it to low music.  He is 9 years old.

I wonder if a similar podcast for children who struggle with their self-esteem would be a sensible way to go and put it on at nights for them.  I wish there was something out there off the shelf for it.  I see huge benefits in the power of safe, sensible suggestion therapy where we feel totally in control.

Thank you Sandra and Trevor.

xx

 

 

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Cybermummy and Leap Frog Leapster Explorer 2011

I was taken totally out of my comfort zone when I was in London at the Cybermummy Conference on the 26th June.  Mixing with a HUGE group of women, none of whom I had ever met before had my stomach growling with the nerves that were threatening to overtake my bold statement at booking myself in for the conference in the first place.

I swallowed my nerves, gave myself a stern talking to, and made it to the Brewery in time.  Walking through the door, I was a little taken aback by the number of stalls that were handing away little things, and asking us to enter competitions.   Slightly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people who seemed to be milling around talking to each other, I actually felt like I was the only person there that didn’t already know somebody else.

I had some cups of coffee, browsed, had some more coffee, and sat and listened to Sarah Brown at her keynote speech.   Behind the computer screen, I am a confident, assertive woman, who very much resembles the woman that used to have a career path – but that was pre-kids.  Eight years of caring for a child with learning difficulties, including behavioural and emotional problems, and the other stresses it can add, and my confidence had dropped to ridiculous levels.

I came across the lovely PR’s on the Leap Frog stand, and for some reason, I began chatting and found I qualified for a brand new and shiny Leapster Explorer and Camera.   The chat gave me a bit of a confidence boost, and for that I have to say thank you to Claire.

I have a special needs youngster who needs strong toys that are also “cool”. The Leapster Explorer and the Camera, certainly fitted into that category for him.   He squealed when I took it out of my bag, and it has remained his favourite toy so far.  The buttons are easy, and large enough for him to understand, and the case seems to be tough and practical.   The screen quality is also very good which is often unusual in childrens toys and is bright enough for him to play with during the day without drawing the curtains.

The back of the leapster holds the 4 AA batteries, and the screw is so large that a regular sized knife will open it easily.  I suspect a 5p coin would also do the trick, so no need to carry around a screwdriver just in case of that all important battery run out, just when you need it to keep a youngster occupied.

To get the best use out of it, the Leapster Explorer needs to be connected to the LeapFrog Connect application which you get on disk, or can download it for the leaplets (little apps and games ) directly from their website (here).

To download a leaplet, there is a starter code with the leapster when you unbox it, and linking up via the computer is actually very simple to do.   To buy more download codes, you have to go to specific outlets and have them sent to you, or buy from some toy shops.

It would be lovely to be able to order and pay for the games online and have them downloaded instantly.   Maybe that is something they are looking at in the future.  it’s not a deal breaker and we have another code on the way, along with a game on the way from Amazon, and I do love Amazon.   I looked this morning, and they have the Leapster Explorer which should be £59.99 reduced to £44.89.  I didn’t find the camera, but it seems to be coming in around the £14.99 mark.

One of the things that he is usually very jealous of is that his older brother can take photographs on his phone.   He is never trusted with a camera alone, as sadly things just seem to fall apart in his hands, and we all end up devastated.

The camera fits into the bottom slot of the leapster.  It was surprisingly easy to sort out.   It just takes a second to click it into place, then connect to the store through LeapFrog Connect, and download the software for it to work.

My boy has taken hundreds of photographs with his, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pictures were coming out with reasonable quality, and that the memory in the leapster must be quite good for what you can pack onto it.   He can add effects and use distortion effects to huge amusement and much giggling.  The camera even lets him take videos, which is an added boost, although I don’t think my son has fully understood everything that it can do.  When you set up your parent account, you can also see how your children are progressing through the learning games.  All in all, it’s a pretty impressive little gadget for youngsters, and for older special needs children.

We are waiting for a game to arrive so I can’t yet comment on those too much yet, but the built in software is keeping him happy so far.  The software is all around learning and there are several demos on the leapster that show you what it can do.  The demos are very popular and he seems to watch them a lot.  I can see there will be many requests for the games on the website for his birthday and christmas list.

All in all, it is a huge success in our house for my 9 year old with special needs, and I have seen his brothers sneaking onto it on the rare occasions that it has been laid down.  It seems attached to his hip at the moment, and I haven’t had much time to have a good look at everything on it.   Sneaking into his bedroom when he is sleeping, I have several times tried to quietly slip my hand under the pillow it is hidden under, only to be met by a sleeping hand shooting out to protect his pride and joy by grabbing it firmly.

It’s fantastic.   Thank you Leap Frog.  We love it.

Scottish Mum
x

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Thinking Slimmer – 1st Week In the Trial

I’ve decided to update my Thinking Slimmer post  to let you know how I am going with it.  I have even give it a category all of its’ own.  At the moment, I am not terribly sure how well it is going.  It is still early days in the scheme of the programme.   The programme states that it takes about three weeks for it to become a new habit.  I am ok with that.

How am I doing so far?

In the first few days, I was not sure if the programme was working, or if the fact that I was on the programme was the incentive in itself.  Even, by the nature of posting the results, and reviewing the programme, it can have a placebo type effect.  That’s what I told myself anyway.

Now getting to the first week in, I am noticing small changes, as the programme tells me.  I am making better food choices already.  I am not eating so much, and my confidence is improving.  There is nothing like keeping on hearing it, to help you believe in yourself.

We should try this on the kids when they are dropping off to sleep.  “You will be quiet and respect your mother in the supermarket.”  Joking aside, I am feeling much more positive than I did a week ago.   Is it coincidence, or is it as a result of the programme?  I don’t know, and only time will tell how it works for me.

I have decided not to weigh.  I become obsessed with numbers when I step on the scale, and I want to free myself of that particular reason to shake my confidence.   I am going to do this differently from how Thinking Slimmer is judging results so far.   As a stress eater, taking the stress out of the equation is the best option for me.

I am going to judge my losses and how it works by my clothes and how comfortable I feel, and how positive my outlook becomes.    I don’t want to look at the scales and see how many pounds I have dropped.  I want to know how good I feel wearing whatever sized clothes I am putting on, and how I feel when I look in the mirror.

Roll on week 2.   I began quite sceptical and I have been pleasantly surprised so far.    There is still a long way to go, but  am positive about it rather than feeling like I am being deprived on a diet 24/7.

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Thinking Slimmer – A New Challenge

Thinking Slimmer contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying out one of the podcasts that they have to help people to lose weight without dieting.  As a blogger, I was aware of the original mum bloggers who trialled the system and I have keenly watched their progress. 

The programme consists of podcasts that you play for 10 minutes a day, and which is intended to help train our chain of thoughts, and  help us change our attitudes, perceptions and relationship to food.

Thinking Slimmer has been working with mummy bloggers for a while now, and I am lucky enough to have been chosen for the next phase of the trial. 

As I am a fibromyalgia sufferer, they felt that it might be a good case study for someone to use the programme who has a bad relationship with food.    I certainly do have that kind of relationship with my carbs.  I have never understood the people who say that they cannot eat when they are stressed.  The slightest sign of stress and I am likely to head for the nearest packet of crisps.  Then, sadly, once I begin eating carbs, the guilt cycle begins.

I have chosen to trial the Drop Two Sizes or More Podcast.  

Wish me luck.

Scottish Mum xx

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To Bravissimo, Or Not To Bravissimo…

 

THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST

 What do you know about bras and Bravissimo? Do you think they are just an expensive lingerie company?

Until recently, I was blindly ignorant, and knew very little about bras.  I knew I hated all the ones I had worn over the last two decades, and I had spent a small fortune on supermarket cheap brands, and even on some not so cheap brands from some well-known department stores.

I saw bosom holders as a necessary, but evil need to hold in my growing bust.  I hated the way that I looked in clothes, and hated how I always felt like I was not properly supported.  Blindly, I still bought and then stuffed bras that were never going to be any use to me into my bottom drawer.

I did once have my bosom measured by a very efficient and knowledgeable woman at M&S, who supplied me with a bra that gave me backache.   My next attempts were to do the measure with a tape under the bosom, then add-on for the cup size.  I never, ever got that right, and every bra and brand seemed to be different.

Most of the supermarkets and shops I tried bras on seemed to either be out of stock, or they didn’t stock in my size.  For years I have been blindly wearing 40C or 38DD, or just whatever I could get my hands on.  I even stooped at times, to using bra extenders at the back to make a smaller bra feel more comfortable around my back.

When a friend mentioned Bravissimo to me, I almost snorted to myself, but she made a compelling argument.   I tried to ignore the foreboding feeling that came over me when I walked up to the shop in Aberdeen, and climbed the stairs to the secret lair.  It’s best to make an appointment, as I found out when I arrived, as it takes a little time to be fitted at Bravissimo.

I was lucky enough that there was an appointment within half an hour, and I was soon standing in the cubicle with the assistant surveying my existing excuse for a bra.   I cringed as I saw myself in the mirror, but steeled myself to having to go through the fitting process.  She took my current size as a gauge, and from there, the trying on and off of different back size and cup sized bras began.  I was surprised to find that my back size is actually a 36 / 38 E or F, depending on the chosen bra, and there were a multitude to choose from.

In the end, my favourite one was the Panache Porcelein Bra.  I ended up with it in both the Black, and Nude colours.   I love the way that the nude colours totally disappear under white t-shirts.   I instantly felt supported as soon as I put that one on.  It also has enough moulding that our female bits won’t end up on show if it gets slightly chilly.    The shape it gives me under my clothes makes me a happy girl and it seems to hide my belly, as it shapes my boobs so well.

How tight the back was for me, surprised me at first.  Realising I was wearing most of my bras too loose, then totally leaving me unsupported was a revelation.   Since wearing my Bravissimo bras, my backache has disappeared – totally.  I wish I had found out all of that earlier.   They fit you into the biggest hook of the bra, so that in natural wear and wash, if it gets slightly looser, then you can tighten it up a little.  I would also imagine that would apply for losing a little weight as well.

The assistant spent a long time going through many bras with me, and I bought 4 at the time, and have since gone back to buy 2 more of the panache porcelein ones.

 I have also bought a lovely black tankini with fabulous fold over briefs and I have my eyes on a few more items for over the summer.    I am used to buying swimsuits for either the coverage, or the length, as I have a long body.  I find most swimsuits too short, and tankinis always leave a bare midriff.  I was really pleased to find the combination of tankini and fold over briefs means that I got supported swimwear without a midriff on show.

Why am I writing a review?

I hope to help other people blindly suffering along with supermarket style bras, and who con themselves into thinking 10 cheap ones are better value than one or two good ones, but who feel too self-conscious to go for a proper fitting.

I found the staff very helpful.   The girl fitting me went out of the changing room each time I changed bra so that I didn’t feel uncomfortable.  She offered, and I appreciated that very much.  By the end of the fitting, I had forgotten to be embarrassed by my over ample assets, and settled in to the pampering of having a personal assistant to help with the shopping.  It was a luxurious and indulgent fitting, but oh so well worth it.

Yes, the bras are more expensive than I am used to paying for, but in my opinion, already, they are worth every penny for the support and shape.   They are also washing very well, and I can see these bras lasting far longer than my old ones.

ALL my old bottom drawer bras have been consigned to third world support, through the bra depositories that Bravissimo have in store.  My old bras, that have never fitted me, might come in useful for someone from another country who cannot afford any bra at all.

Even though Bravissimo advertise as for the larger figure at over a D cup, I could understand how many B to D cups buyers could actually be wearing too big back sizes with too small cup sizes.

Don’t take my word for how good they are.  Go and visit Bravissimo to see for yourself.  http://www.bravissimo.com/

 

Thank you to Bravissimo for allowing me to use their photographs for my review.