Photo diary: week 43, project 366

It was quite a productive week, we had a big meeting at Sasha's school, and also submitted the application for secondary school for Eddie.

We're only two years behind with Pokémon Go, but last week Eddie asked me if I would download the app to my iPhone for him to play. If anyone is late to the party, like we are, and would like to become friends on Pokémon Go, please let us know. 

Here is Eddie, with his buddy in the café.

On Tuesday we had an Annual Review meeting to discuss Sasha's future. It was a beautiful autumnal morning, when we travelled to Oxford. This church is on the way to the school.

The meeting went well. I'm in awe of the school staff. It's heart-warming to know that there are other people in Sasha's life who are fond of him and care about his future. We were very lucky with his previous school which he attended until 16, and we are very lucky with the current school. I just hope that Sasha will find a transition to college not too upsetting in the next year.

The school are also helping us with sorting out the respite. Up until he turned 18, Sasha was staying overnight at the respite place in Banbury twice a month, but since early March, nothing has been done because of Covid. He enjoyed going to the respite, as they spoilt him rotten there, cooking his favourite meals and taking him out for walks in the late afternoon. We used this opportunity to recharge the batteries and have a good night's sleep too. 

I have entered the Bonne Maman/Waitrose competition on the last day of promotion back in September, submitting the code from the receipt online, and a few days later was delighted to get an email that I've won a Bonne Maman hamper. It has finally arrived, and I love the woven basket. It would do nicely for all my recipe clippings and book reviews. The madeleines and little tarts are delicious too.

I was chatting to a Twitter friend who lives in the States. She wanted to see some of my Mum's artwork, so I posted two portraits that my Mum painted of my sons. This is Eddie, as he was five years old, by the sea in Cornwall. She captured him perfectly. I love this work. The technique is hot enamel. It is similar to porcelain paints, and the artwork is fired in the kiln up to 800C many times, with the paints layered over and over. The surface is quite textured, and there are fine crackles over it, which are not seen in the photo.

Not a photo but a screenshot of one of Memories on Facebook, which made me smile. I don't remember this conversation, but my son still doesn't rate my singing highly.

On Friday my child ran out of his class, clutching a trophy to his heart. He's been selected a Pupil of the week. One very proud Mum here. He totally deserves it. We walked home, and showed the trophy to our acquaintances on the way. 

I have been playing around with props, trying to do a photo for the forthcoming book review of Inside Voices. It is a YA fiction, set in Alaska. It's an unusual story of a young girl who brings up an orphaned polar bear. She witnessed a mass shooting at high school a few years previously, and has a PSTD. It's a beautiful poignant story, and if you want to read my full review, drop by on the 29th.

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Harry Potter gifts at Paladone

There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

Gifts inspired by JK Rowling's world of magic are selling like hot cakes. Wander around any gift shop, and you'll spot some merchandise based on the much-loved book and movie series.
Oxford, for example, boasts not one but three Harry Potter-themed shops. But if you cannot visit any shops dedicated to the wizard boy in person, do not despair.

Paladone, the UK's leading company for gift supplies, has a section devoted to the fans of Harry Potter - Harry Potter Merch - which is filled with truly magical gifts.

If you are looking for Christmas (or birthday) gifts for a Harry Potter and Wizarding World fan, Paladone offers a wide selection of gifts, from iconic mugs to gadget decals, from stationery sets to night lights.
The only problem you will encounter is deciding what to pick.

We were offered a £30 credit to choose anything from the Harry Potter range for the purposes of reviewing, and we found it quite a difficult task, as there were so many tempting goodies.

If you follow my blog, you might know that my younger son is a big Harry Potter fan. We have already bought lots of the Wizarding world gifts, like a Harry Potter costume, several wands, soft toys, LEGO sets, hats and scarves, pyjamas etc.

Eddie was thrilled to be able to add to his HP collection. We looked at six pages very carefully, comparing the merits of each gift, and finally, decided to order a Hogwarts backpack and a Hogwarts stationery set - both of which my son can take to school.

Ordering online is easy and straightforward. You will get a free delivery with any order of £30 and over.

Let's have a closer look at our choices.

Take magic with you anywhere you go with a Hogwarts backpack (£19.99). Carry your school books and pencil cases to your own "Hogwarts".
This nylon backpack is made in the Hogwarts colours and features an embroidered Hogwarts crest.
It has a PVC backing, metal zip pulls and is approximately 42cm in height. This spacious backpack is an officially licensed Harry Potter product.

Eddie loves his new backpack. He can store all his school things inside.
It is instantly recognisable as a Harry Potter-themed product, and will make an excellent gift to fans of all ages.
Our only request to the makers of the backpack would be to make an external pocket for a bottle. There is a pocket on the back, but it is not shaped to hold a drinks bottle. Carrying a bottle inside the bag could be hazardous for any papers or books, in case a bottle is not leak-proof. Most of the school backpacks have a specially assigned outside pocket for a bottle.

Hogwarts Stationery Set (£9.99, currently on offer at £3.99) will delight any Harry Potter aficionado. It comes in an elegant and stylish case with a transparent lid.

It includes a mini notebook, with a portrait of Dumbledore on the cover, three pencils with spells, an Obliviate eraser and a set of three giant sorting hat paperclips.

This set is perfect to use at school, or at home, and will make a lovely gift for any occasion.

Eddie was much taken by the pencils, as he enjoys sketching and is learning the basics of calligraphy. Sorting hat paperclips are my personal favourites.

When we browsed Paladone's Harry Potter section, we also loved the sight of Hedwig mini bell light jar, Hogwarts toiletries bag, gadget decals.

Last year I wrote a post Christmas gifts for Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts fans, and two of the gifts featured in the gift guide - Harry Potter mini bell light jar and Harry Potter egg and cup set - could be also found at Paladone.

What would you choose?

Disclosure: As mentioned above, we received a £30 credit to spend on Harry Potter merch for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

#ACEforSchool Challenge

"I'm never letting you do my laundry. Again."
"I didn't know the red towel was in there, " Prophet protested.
"You did it on purpose to get out of doing laundry."
"Maybe. But it worked."
S.E.Jakes, Daylight Again

This amusing little quote made me chuckle, as I remember dying all our whites pink, when a rogue red sock sneaked into the washing machine. We were just newly married then, and though I didn't do it on purpose, I couldn't stop laughing, looking at my husband's pink undies. He forgave me, well, he had to, otherwise it would have been his task.
We do split home tasks and chores, and washing is one of mine. I haven't done that mistake again, though I might have shrank a few woolen jumpers to the doll's size but that's a different story.
Washing is an everyday occurrence in our household.

When I read about some super organised parents doing their laundry once a week, I'm left in awe and amazement as to how they manage. I load my washing machine every single day.
Having a child with special needs who doesn't care about the state of his clothes and wipes his hands on his school jumper and trousers every time he eats something, does not make my life easier. There is no point in trying to explain to him that he must stop doing it. He would listen, but do it again. And again. And again.
It also doesn't help that the schools use poster paints or glue which are a total pain to get rid of. In fact, we have many ruined white shirts and school jumpers.

Let's just say, stains are unavoidable when you have children in school. It's just a matter of accepting the inevitable and organising the daily routine - as soon as my boys come home from school, they have to change their clothes.
I inspect the stains and treat them before loading into the washing machine.

The evening is my ironing time, now often accompanied by my younger son's reading. Being a victim audience, I have no say in the reading material though, so it's mostly The diary of the wimpy kid no. 10,000 or Horrid Henry, or some other impish character.

And that seems to be my lot in life - to send them off to school in clean ironed uniforms - only to see them returning home all dishevelled, with dried leaves in hair, and a rainbow of stains on clothes, from mud to poster paint, from glue to tuna pate. And don't even mention the PE clothes...

Recently BritMums appealed to blogging parents to take part in an #ACEforSchool Challenge.
We received ACE for Colours and ACE Stain Remover Spray to tackle the stains and keep clothes bright and clean.
I'm always up to any challenge which will make my life easier.

ACE is no stranger in our house. I do often buy one ACE product or another.

ACE for Colours promises to remove stains, clean hygienically and eliminate odours. A new formula has a higher power to remove stains from food, grease, body soils, drinks, vegetable oils, cosmetics, trapped dirt and outdoors.
You can use it either straight in the washing machine, pouring it directly into the drum, or as a pre-treatment on tougher stains.
It definitely keeps the colour of clothes bright.
It also works well as a household cleaning product - just dilute a capful to 5 litres of water.

ACE Stain Remover Spray has  been specially formulated to include an active oxygen which helps to remove dirt and difficult stains gently without ruining the fabric.

ACE works well on many types of stains, but there are some kinds of stains which I find very tricky to get rid of, whichever stain remover I use (and I think I tried all the known brands) - it's poster paints (black paint on white shirts anyone?) and blood.
My elder son is prone to nose bleeds in the night, and unfortunately these stains are tough to eliminate. You need to scrub them with soap under the cold water, or use a bit of white vinegar.

Poster paints... a bane of my life. The water-based ones are OK, they are not impossible to get rid of, but some of the poster paints they use at school stay on clothes after several washings, pre-treated or not, they just fade, but are still pretty much visible.

It's obviously not just the school uniforms that get stains. Just yesterday we went to see Johnny English 3. We laughed so hard, that some of the psychedelic-coloured ice cream ended up on somebody's top. I managed to get rid of the stain, thanks to ACE.

Overall, top marks to ACE for helping to make parents' lives easier.


This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEforSchool Challenge, sponsored by ACE. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper. http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk/ or to buy head to your local Tesco's, Morrison's, Waitrose or Sainsbury's.

Degustabox Breakfast Club (August) box

White shirts are ironed, pencils are sharpened, in the morning you start panicking because you forgot how to do up a tie. Yes, the school is back. And to help you focus at school or work, you need a good breakfast.
Breakfast Club is the theme for latest Degustabox.
This food box arrives every month and is full of foodie surprises. This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops or those which might have been around for while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the box arrives, it's a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in the August Degustabox? Let's have a look.

Cereals are a great addition to your diet, and you cannot go wrong with a tasty selection from Dorset Cereals.
Dorset Cereals Spectacular Grains Raspberries & Apple with toasted spelt & popped buckwheat (3.49) is one of 3 flavours from Spectacular Grains range.
Nutritional information: 172kcal and 7.9g of sugar per 45g portion
Ingredients include grains (68%) [wholegrain toasted wheat flakes, toasted sweetened malted barley flakes, toasted sweetened malted spelt flakes, wholegrain malted oat flakes, wholegrain barley flakes, popped buckwheat, sultanas, dried apple slices and freeze dried raspberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and more.
This is a delicious combination of flavours and textures.
You will receive one of three flavours in your Degustabox.

If you are running out of time in the morning and cannot have breakfast at the table, don't skip it, just grab a cereal bar instead.
Boka Cereal Bars (£0.75) are perfect on-the-go meals. They are unique in having four green traffic lights - they are low in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt, they are under 100kcal each and taste lovely.
Pop one in a school lunch box or sports bag fora healthy snack.

You will receive two flavours of the Boka bar. We got Choco Mallow (96kcal) and Apple Cinnamon (88kcal).

LioBites Smoothie Bites (£1.99) are new, healthy fruit crisps. They are made from fresh fruit, picked in season, blended and freeze dried to create crunchy bites.
We received Mango, Banana & Passion Fruit Smoothie Bites + Mango& Coconut Smoothie Bites. Both varieties are delicious.
These 100% natural fruit crisps provide1 of 5 a day, and contain no added sugar. They are gluten free and vegan, high in fibre, retain all vitamins.
Nutritional information: 49.5kcal and 14.67g sugar per 18g bag
And if you love baking, these snacks are suitable for home baking and cake decorations.
You can also add Liobites to your breakfast cereal.

If you can't function without a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, open a tin of Illy Instant Coffee (£5.85).
Discover the unique 100% Arabica Illy blend, with its smooth and well balanced taste. It has distinct sweet floral and fruity notes with caramel, toast and chocolate.

Good Hemp Unsweetened Dairy Free Drink (£1.60) is a dairy free alternative to milk that's nutritious and kind to animals. Made from organic hemp seeds, Good Hemp is 100% natural, vegan friendly, free from GMOs, dairy and lactose, gluten, soya and nuts.
I haven't yet tried this plant-based drink, but it's supposed to be good with cereals, hot drinks and smoothies.
Nutritional information: 53kcal per 250ml. It's a good source of Calcium and Vitamin D2.

John West Infusions Tuna Fillets (£2.29) are a range of tender succulent tuna fillets, delicately cut from the highest quality part of the fish and marinated to keep them tender.
Infused in oil that's a perfect salad dressing and available in three flavours: Chilli & Garlic, Basil and Lemon & Thyme (you will receive one of the flavours).

This tinned tuna will make a great base for a salad: add a bit of rocket, olives and diced potatoes or pasta shapes for an easy and tasty lunch. Or top up a baked potato.

Maggi Fusian Sticky Hoisin Duck Noodles (£1.39) is a handy kitchen cupboard product for a quick and easy lunch. Sweet soy, oriental spice and roasted duck flavours combined with sunflower oil and veggoes to create a satisfying noodle dish. Ready in just 3-4 minutes, you can eat it as it is, or add to a quick soup with a selection of vegetables of your choice.
Nutritional values: 273kcal and 4.4g of sugar per 1/2 pack.

You will receive either a packet of Maggi Fusian noodles or 2 packets of Maggi 3 Minute noodles.

Maggi 3 Minute Noodles (Chicken flavour) are ready exactly in 3 minutes. And again, either it as a light noodle meal, or use it as a base for a quick soup, with extra added vegetables and herbs.
Nutritional information: 260kcal and 0.5g sugar per serving.

My boys were pleased to see a bag of Rowntree's Randoms 30& Less Sugar (£1.39).

I appreciate that they are free from artificial flavours, colours and sweeteners but I am always worried about the sugar content. Kudos to Rowntree's for reducing the sugar in their popular Randoms.

Gunna Craft Soft Drinks (£1.09) is a new range of lower sugar soft drinks. You will receive two of four flavours.

The Original is a sparkling blend of natural gingers and cola tonic.
It offers a great taste, and is lower in sugar.
This recipe was inspired by the visit to Cape Town, where Steelworks is famed for its uniquely refreshing taste and natural flavours.
Nutritional information: no artificial colours or preservatives,; 73kcal and 16.2g of sugar per 330ml.

And finally the product of the month - Crooked Beverage Co. Alcoholic Soda (£2). You will receive one of three flavours, for example, we got Mother Moon/ Peach & Pomegranate. It sounds really good - a refreshing, sparkling, alcoholic malted soda made with natural fruit flavours,fruit juice and a lightly hopped finish.
Nutritional values: less than 5g of sugar and 46kcal per 100ml. Made with natural ingredients, without any nasties.

Disclosure: We receive Degustabox monthly for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Chilean Easy Peelers

Caterpillars, dealers, healers...
All rhyme well with Easy Peelers.
A juicy citrus to stave off munchies;
They're great for packed school lunches.
We know our rhymes are silly,
But we have fun with fruit from Chile.

Now that Eddie started a new school, he begged me to allow him to have packed school lunches rather than hot meals. He is slowly settling in in this big school environment, and so far I haven't been pressuring him into eating school lunches. I might at some point encourage him to eat school meals on some days.
He loves simple homemade sandwiches or wraps, with ham and cheese. I also add a yogurt on a stick to his lunch box, a cheese string, a drink, a pack of fruit rolls and a piece of fruit.
He chooses which fruit to have, it is usually an apple or a clementine.

Easy peel clementines and mandarins are a great source of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and water, which helps to keep you hydrated. Chilean easy peelers are now in season, and are widely available at the moment, from September to November.
What we like about easy peelers is their juicy sweet taste and convenience. They are portable and easy to peel. Children won't need help to peel this fruit, especially in the school environment. A lovely snack for a lunchbox or after school.

Did you know that last year the amount of Chilean mandarins sold in the UK reached over 2,000 tonnes, that's a pretty big mountain of fruit. Eddie and I tried to imagine just how big a mountain of 2,000 tonnes might be.
Another bit of useful information: Easy peelers are a great source of water; in fact 87% of their nutritional composition is water.

If you've been at school around playtime, you know it is a total chaos. Many a time, when I arrive to school to help with reading, and the kids run around like mad, screaming, throwing leaves at each other, fighting. It's a wild-wild world. They all look red in the face, hot and flushed.
No wonder they are all thirsty after the playtime. Having plenty of fluids is paramount to stay hydrated. And if you have a piece of fruit which gives you more water, it is even better.

Eddie comes home tired and peckish after school. He likes to relax on the sofa, watching his favourite shows on TV, with a few selected snacks including mandarins on a little table nearby.

It was an Inset day at school yesterday, and Eddie and I watched Witches together. We liked the film more than the book for one simple reason - it has a happy end, while the book ends on a sad note.
We were sitting on the sofa, wrapped up in a duvet, and at times we felt like throwing the mandarin peelings at the screen, when witches were getting particularly nasty.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #ChileanEasyPeelers Challenge, sponsored by Chilean Citrus Committee.

Disclosure: we received 10 easy peelers to sample and give a seal of approval. All opinions are our own.

Stave off the munchies with Forest Feast and Acti-Snack

Summer holidays are rapidly coming to an end. I am sooo not looking forward to early hectic school mornings. I usually prepare children's lunchboxes in the evening to save those precious morning minutes. Sasha takes a lunchbox with him to school every day, Eddie once a week, as I want him to eat the school lunches. He is such a fussy eater, but is more inclined to try new foods when his friends are happily eating them. He refuses to eat any roast, so Wednesdays are his lunchbox days.
Parents sometimes struggle with the contents of their children's lunchboxes. On one hand, they have to be healthy, on the other, not too boring. There are perfect families of course, where children will happily eat kale crisps baked with pink Himalayan salt, broccoli quinoa hemp milk smoothie with spirulina and frogspawn aka chia pudding for dessert. Alas, mine would run a mile if I have offered any of the above superfoods.
Thankfully, they love dried seeds, nuts and fruit as well as freeze dried berries. For us, it's usually a mid-afternoon snack.
If your children enjoy seeds and nuts, then you might consider adding small bags of seeds, dried fruit and nuts to school lunchboxes. Forest Feast is a range of delicious, premium quality dried fruit and snacks, which are perfect for kid-friendly lunchboxes.
Their products include Snack Pot Berries & Raisins, Exotic Dried Mango, Whole Yogurt Cranberries. These products are available online and from most leading supermarkets including Waitrose, Tesco and Asda.
Forest Feast, the premium quality dried fruit and nut snack company is encouraging parents to fill their children's lunchboxes with healthier kid-friendly snacks this school term.

My younger son always takes an apple with him for a mid-morning snack, but on the days when I volunteer at school I have noticed a variety of foods children have at snack time - all kinds of fruit, whole or cut into slices, boxes of raisins and other dried fruit.
Last year we were asked not to send anything with nuts to school, as one of the children had a severe nut allergy. But after this child left school, the prohibition was lifted.
Snack time at school is an important chance for young minds to refuel for the rest of the day, at least until lunch time.
"Snacks can play a significant role in the diet of children as, due to their small size, they may only be able to eat a small amount of food at a time. However, it is important to choose the right snacks so that children are getting the nutrients they need to keep them going through the busy school day right through to their afterschool activities", said Ann Woods, Product Development Manager of Kestrel Foods Ltd, owners of the Forest Feast brand.
"Parents want to pack snacks for their children that are both nutritious and energising but also delicious enough that kids will eat it. Forest Feast has created a premium range of dried fruit and nut snacks that are made to enjoy on-the-go so our products are the perfect healthier snack option for busy parents".

We like individual packets of snacks, as they are handy to carry in a bag, whenever we're out and about. While I am not a strict dictator when it comes to eating, or rather not eating, sweets, I do prefer when Eddie eats healthy snacks like raisins or nuts.

Forest Feast Yogurt Cranberries are whole cranberries with a yogurt flavoured coating. They are juicy and quite sweet. Both my younger son and I liked the flavour of tangy cranberries in the creamy yogurt coating.

Calorie-wise, a 60g bag of cranberries comes at 281kcal or 469kcal per 100g. It's probably quite all right for an active kid, but if you're a grown-up and counting calories, an apple at an average 95kcal might be a better snack option.

A few other stats for comparison (I'm just looking at the bags of products which my older son likes in his lunchbox - not altogether, I hasten to add) - a 30g of Kettle Chips Cheddar flavour is 152kcal, Mini Cheddars is 128kcal, Original Hula hoops is 122kcal, Walkers Crisps Bacon Flavour is 130kcal.

Forest Feast Exotic Dried Mango is a PREDA Fairtrade product. It is naturally fat-free, free from any artificial additives and preservatives. Sweet pieces of dried mango are a delicious way of sneaking one of five-a-day into children's lunchboxes. They are available in five single portions at £2.99 per box or in a 130g share pack at £2.75.

Let's look at the calories: typical values are 332kcal per 100g. One single pouch is 25g, so comes at a very reasonable 83kcal per small bag.
Mango slices in a share pack are bigger dried cheeks of mango, while mango in Singles packs are of a chopped variety.

Mango is sourced from the Philippines through the Fair Trade partners.

Preda Fair Trade assists small scale farmers to improve production, encourages organic and chemical free farming, opposes genetic manipulation and guarantees a better deal for the farmers.
I'm very fond of dried mango, and this product didn't disappoint - the mango pieces were chewy soft, sweet and flavourful.

Acti-Snack is another brand which might be a contender as a lunchbox material. It was designed to meet a variety of sports nutrition requirements. They have developed five unique mixes - Sweet & Sour Mango, Fruit, Nut & Seed, Fruit & Nut, Nut & Soya and Nut Mix, all of which are gluten free, free from artificial additives and preservatives.
Products are available in slim-line, impulse pack - ideal for running belts or saddle packs - as well as re-sealable multiple serving packs. Single portion packs might be easily added to the lunchbox contents.

Acti-Snack Sweet & Sour Mango is an exotic dried mango with tender green mango slices. These delicious sweet snacks are gluten free, additive free, fat free and are a good source of vitamin C & fibre.
Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

I used one of the single pouches to add to the muffins I baked the other day - pear multiseed muffins.

Acti-Snack Fruit, Nut & Goji Berry is a mix of nuts and dried fruit. You will find whole almonds and pieces of walnuts here as well as dried sultanas and goji berries. It is gluten and additive free, high in Vitamin E which contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, Biotin (good for normal energy-yielding metabolism) and Copper which contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues.
It is a tasty mix, though perhaps more suitable for grown-ups' tastes. Eddie loves sultanas, but dislikes goji berries, and is not over keen on almonds either. It's all a matter of personal preference, of course.

He was more enthusiastic about Acti-Snack Fruit, Nut & Seed which contains dried apple juice infused cranberries and cherries with raisins and oven roasted hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and cashew nuts.

Acti-Snack Fruit, Nut & Soya is a healthy mix of almonds, pumpkin seeds and soya beans with dried apple juice infused cranberries. I wasn't sure what dried soya (edamame) beans would taste like, but they are pleasantly crunchy. I probably would have preferred them to be salted, but then it would make them less healthy.

This mix is gluten & additive free, high in protein & fibre, vitamin E and biotin, there is no added sugar either.
25g or one small handful equates to a single portion.
For a supercharged breakfast add a handful as a topping to cereals or porridge.

What do you put into your children's lunchboxes?

Disclosure: We received a selection of healthy snacks for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are ours.