New mini-Dino world from Schleich

Every week I help in Eddie's school as a volunteer, taking Reception children to the library, collecting the books they return and issuing new books. I have noticed that each time the shelf with books about dinosaurs is emptied very fast. The dino-books literally fly of the shelves. Dinosaurs are such a fascinating topic, and aged 4 Eddie probably knows more about dinosaurs than I do (as Daddy and he enjoy reading books on the dino-world together). Schleich, a much loved toy brand, has released a new range of mini-prehistoric animals.
We often pop into the local toy shop, and always admire the miniature world of Schleich toys. Their craftsmanship is of high quality, with great attention to detail. Their animal and fantasy figures appeal to both children and adults. When our older son was little, we started a collection of animals, which later was "inherited" by our younger boy. They are excellent for imaginative play, and they don't fade with time.
This year Schleich has introduced a new collection, and I can see this new range will be very popular.
Eddie loved the new collection (he's got 6 out of 10 new mini-dinos, and now wants the whole set, so we'll be visiting the toy shop soon enough).

Eddie calls them bad guys (omnivores) and good guys (herbivores). Let's start with the bad guys, and the "baddest" of them all, according to my little man, a T-rex. With a height of almost 7 metres and a length of almost 13 metres, the T-Rex was too big and bulky to be a good hunter, he was more of a scavenger.

On the contrary, Velociraptor was the perfect hunter. It is considered to be a very intelligent dinosaur. Small and fast, they hunted in packs and could overwhelm a much bigger prey. Just look at its flat snout and sharp teeth!

Triceratops might have looked scary, but it was a herbivore. Its head was the weight of a small car and about one third of its body. A long tail kept the body balanced on the ground. The name derives from the three horns on its head.

Pentaceratops is quite similar to Triceratops, with five horns on its head. It had the largest known skull of all terrestrial animals, how amazing is that.

Saichania is known for its distinct appearance, with the thorny excrescences all over the top of its back. It could defend itself with a club-like tail.

Stegosaurus is a real beauty, with spikes on the tail and plates on its back. Though ten-metres long, it had a tiny brain, not more than a size of a walnut.

This is a beautiful collection, great for imaginative play and with an educational aspect. Children will want to discover more about these prehistoric animals.
Great fun, according to my son Eddie. We have looked up all the animals online, as I confess I couldn't name all of them (I got 4 out of 6), and enjoyed discovering the facts about these fabulous creatures who roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

Disclosure: we received a selection of Schleich toys for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Ceramic Heart Dip Set

Mother's day is almost upon us... Are you still looking for the perfect gift? Special Mums deserve special gifts. Whatever you decide to do, a personalised gift will surely make it a special occasion. As a foodie, I'm happy to receive any kitchen or food and drink-related gifts. As you might know, I love pretty china, both patterned and plain, classic or fancy-shaped, and was thrilled with a personalised Ceramic Heart Dip Set from Treat Republic.

This stylish set comes in a sturdy box, and consists of 3 heart-shaped dip server bowls and a solid base made of bamboo. Not only that, it is personalised.
My guys and I love dips and what my men call "snacky things": hummus, guacamole, salsa, soured cream and herbs, olives of all sizes and kinds, sun-dried tomatoes etc etc. And though I have a nice little selection of bowls for dips, none of them are heart-shaped.

It's a perfect set for dips or nibbles. The board is sturdy and smooth, and of course bamboo is an environmentally friendly material. The board has carved grooves for the bowls (I've been singing all day "Groove is in the heart...").

Ceramic dishes are deep and durable. Just imagine how good they will look when you are entertaining. And the personalised message is just the icing on the cake. Needless to say, I love it.

For other gift ideas for Mother's day or any other occasion, have a good browse at Treat Republic.

And if you for one reason or another cannot afford a purchased gift, don't worry. Us Mums are easily pleased with a big hug from our loved ones, a cup of tea in the morning, a homemade card and a mini posie of flowers picked in the garden


Disclosure: I received a dip set for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Our first Twitter party with Blaze and the Monster machines

My younger son Eddie loves parties. He's a true social animal, and is counting days until his next birthday party (which is in July). Despite me showing him on a big calendar when July is, and how many months are still in between now and then, he is talking about his party as if it's going to happen tomorrow. He tells me who he is planning to invite and what cake he wants to have (at the moment it's a split between Spiderman and Ninja Turtles). Being so enthusiastic about parties in general, he was absolutely thrilled when I told him we were going to host a NickJrBlaze party.

Waiting for the arrival of our guests, sitting in the big box which contained all the party goodies before

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen my avalanche of tweets before and during the party.
We invited Eddie's nursery and school friends (as well as their Mums). All the boys settled on the sofa to watch the premiere of Blaze and the Monster Machines on NickJr.
Just who or what is Blaze?
Blaze is Axle City's greatest hero and its number one racer. He is super fast and fearless, but also smart - he knows a lot about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). He uses his scientific knowledge in the difficult situations. His best pal AJ is a driver and a techie expert.

The boys were literally glued to the screen. You should have seen them, quiet and absorbed into the new show. I even joked to their Mums, saying how angelic they looked. The boys are all four years old (turning 5 in summer), except little C who is just over two. They all gave the new show thumbs up and told me they enjoyed the race on the tracks the best.

Eddie and his buddies watching Blaze and the Monster Machines

Since Friday my son watched the DVD of the first episode several times already (we were sent a preview DVD).
Having fortified themselves with some tasty snacks and drinks, kids were happy to do the activities, and for the next hour and a half we were very busy. You can say - chaos reigned supreme.
First activity was quite an easy one.
The boys had to follow the maze and help Crusher find Pickle.

They were happy to create mini-cars from Milky Way bars, making Smarties' wheels and Jelly Babies' drivers. I made one in advance to show how it was supposed to look like. When the time came to do this activity, I got all flustered: "Where's the driver?" Eddie looked at me with guilty eyes and said "I ate it". Never mind, there were plenty of jelly babies to make another one.

Boys assembled their cars with great enthusiasm. And then, mini-cars, quickly disappeared.

The next activity was the most challenging: we had to build cars from cardboard boxes, wooden sticks, wheels, using stickers and plasticine.

We split into three teams, and worked hard on our cars. We kept laughing, saying we'd never be good as the Blue Peter presenters.

That's Eddie's and mine creation, it didn't last very long, as the wheels kept falling apart.

After a car-building session we moved onto a colour, shape and number sorting activity.

For technology we tested the laws behind buoyancy - in simple words, finding out which items sink and which float. I had to to take the bucket out in the garden, so that we don't splash the floors.

Lemon Clock from Great Gizmos was a big hit. I had to read and re-read the instructions, as I'm not very good at techie things, but this was easy enough.
We were all amazed when the clock started working. This is such a fun little gadget, and will make a fab gift to anyone who loves technology.

It was our first Twitter party, and we had a fantastic time. All the boys were thrilled with their goodie bags. Little C uttered his first words of the party (he's been pretty silent until then), exclaiming "um-bella, um-bella! wain, wain!" Older boys were as excited. When it was time to go home, and C's Mummy tried to put the umbrella in the bag little C had a bit of a meltdown as he didn't want to part with his um-bella even for a second.
It was a great fun, and a lovely active party for all the boys.
If you ask my son, he's ready to host another party any time.

Disclosure: we received all the party activities and goodies bags to host a Twitter party.

Photo diary: week 10, 365

1 March: the spring is officially here, and we are starting to enjoy our garden more and more. Soon we'll hopefully spend much more time there after school. playing and gardening. 

02.03: On Monday we had to go to an eye clinic in Oxford. We spent an hour and a quarter in a taxi which was moving ever so slowly thanks to the traffic jams. Eddie was feeling poorly, gagging and retching. He takes after me, I also hate cars, they make me feel sick. We finally made it to the clinic, 15 minutes later than our appointment, but we called them to say we were coming, so it was all right. My poor little man had to endure the eye drops and tests. After the clinic we visited Daddy in his college and had coffee and cookies together. Eddie was fed up with me taking photos, and kept making faces, whenever I picked an iphone.

03.03: I love, love, love crocuses, and this year my garden is like a bright colourful tapestry.

04.03: We spent an evening making a vegetable animal character for World Book Day in school. Eddie insisted on creating a Ninja turtle and I couldn't argue with him, we do have books about Ninja turtles. Eddie painted the potato green, and it took ages to dry, we even put it on the radiator. Then he drew the nose and mouth. I helped to attach the bandana with a double-sided sticky tape, and then we pinned some colourful eyes. The next day Eddie proudly took it to school. When I saw what the other children brought in, it was so obvious what was made by kids and what was made by parents. 

05.03: I found this Delamere cup and saucer from Spode in the local charity shop. I've been ogling at for a couple of weeks, then finally treated myself, as it was my birthday a week ago. It is now my new favourite cup. 

Friday the 6th was a totally hectic day. We hosted our first Twitter party, and I was getting ready all day. Eddie insisted on wearing his King's costume. Here he is sitting in a box, waiting for the arrival of our guests. What is it with kids and big boxes? it seems they are drawn inside as if by a magnet.

07.03: Eddie and I went out to buy some bread, and as usual ended up buying more than we planned. We popped into the Whittard's to sample some new teas, and we both fell in love with Green Mango & Bergamot tea. We tried it there in the shop and pronounced it very tasty, so of course, I had to buy it - says she, whose kitchen is groaning with the endless boxes and packets of tea.

Dinner at The Blue Boar (Witney)

Mummy, why don't you take one of your boys with you? Me? (Eddie)

I don't often go out for dinner, it happens maybe twice a year, or three times at the most these days. In fact the previous dinner out was way back in July, when we stayed in Cornwall, and my Mum offered to look after our guys. For my birthday this year my husband insisted on taking me out. We left our kids with the childminder, and arrived to The Blue Boar for our dinner.

My husband booked a table in advance, though I think it wasn't necessary, as there were quite a few tables available. I haven't dined at The Blue Boar before, but my in-laws stayed in the hotel for a couple of days and enjoyed their breakfast and lunch at the restaurant. I was curious to give it a go, and venture from our usual gastropub Fleece, where I had a few of my birthday dinners in the past.
We were offered a small side table for two. The light was quite dimmed, I guess the owners think it creates a more intimate atmosphere, with the candlelight. It does make wonders, I agree, to smooth the wrinkles, but it's not the best light to take photos. Hence, I apologise for the poor quality of my photos. I didn't want to carry my bulky camera, and I hate the flash anyway. The images taken with my mobile, even edited, are quite inferior but at least they give an idea of what we had for dinner.

We started our dinner with drinks. I really fancied a Bellini (prosecco with peach juice), while my husband ordered a glass of champagne.

The Blue Boar offers a varied selection of starters. In fact, they all looked so good, that I was very tempted to skip the main course and just order a few starters.
After much deliberation we chose to have a shared starter of Antipasto Misto (£14)which was presented on a lovely thick wooden slab. It consisted of prosciutto, Napoli Salami, olives, buffalo mozzarella, bruschette pomodorini (tomatoes), grilled peppers, courgettes, aubergines and bread. This was accompanied by two bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was a very good choice of a starter. The bread was excellent, mozzarella melting in the mouth, peppers grilled just right... I wasn't very keen on prosciutto, as it was sliced thicker than usual, but then, it gives a more rustic appearance to the cured meat.

My husband ordered a Grilled salmon fillet (£11.95) for his main, with buttered tenderstem broccoli, rosemary and garlic crushed potatoes and sweet chilli sauce.
I opted for braised Cornish lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic crushed potatoes, grilled peppers, roasted Marzanino tomatoes and red wine jus (£17.95). It was pure comfort food. The lamb was perfectly cooked, falling off the fork, and the jus was superb, very tasty and rich in flavour.

I had a glass of Sangiovese with my main. It was a fruity red wine, with peppery undertones and slightly smokey.

I wasn't very impressed with the wine list. There was a choice of bottles, but if you wanted just a glass of wine, the choice was very-very limited.

We were quite full after the mains, and deliberated whether we have any space left for a dessert. Well, there is always space for ice cream or sorbet, isn't it?! I had two scoops of sorbet - in lemon and blood orange. It was excellent, zingy, refreshing and tangy, especially the blood orange. It was simply beautiful. And a perfect ending to a rich meal.

My husband loves banoffee-style puds, with bananas and cream, and he was very happy with his dessert. I tried a spoonful, and it was lovely.

The service was friendly and efficient. My only mild criticism is that when I eat, I don't want anyone asking if everything is all right. It feels rather awkward to try to say something when your mouth is full. If I need something, I will let you know. It's not just the Blue Boar, it happens in the other restaurants as well.
I would also suggest to The Blue Boar to expand their choice of wine by the glass.

The total sum was a tad more pricey than I hoped for. We didn't get any free bread or snacks offered, which is fine, but would have been quite nice too.
Last year, when we celebrated my birthday at The Fleece, we were offered complimentary glasses of prosecco (my husband did mention that it was my birthday when he booked a table). And it's gestures like this which make you appreciate the place more.

Would I choose to dine at The Blue Boar again? Perhaps, though maybe not for my next birthday.


Have you been out and about this month? If you have a review of eating out or visiting a place of interest, please come and join in Out & About linky hosted by Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust and me.

To join in, please add the post to the linky.
You may use any post about going out, but please a recent one, not more than 3 months old.
I promise to repin each post added to the linky, leave a comment, RT and give a G+.
Please use a badge for Out & About and link back to hosts: Chez Maximka blog as well as Dragons and Fairy Dust.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Chocolate box brownies

I read a lot of foodie blogs. There are times when a delicious recipe stays with you and just asks to be replicated. That's happened when I saw the most delectable recipe for lush chocolate box brownies cooked by Dom from Belleau Kitchen.

I fancied them from the moment I saw them. a kind of "You had me at Hello" moment. I also had a half-empty box of Thortons chocolates left from Christmas that nobody wanted to finish. Chucking them in a brownie mix together with some Polish chocolate-covered marshmallows seemed like a problem-solver.

Unbaked brownie

I followed Dom's recipe closely enough, perhaps adding more chocolates than he did. I also cooked it for at least 10 minutes longer, as it was still pretty uncooked after half an hour.
That's how the brownie tray looked after I just took it out of the oven, still pretty glossy.

Once it got cooler, I carefully took it out of the tray, and cut into squares and rectangles. These brownies are so rich and gooey that the pieces have to be on a smaller size. They are verrry good though, so I recommend you try the recipe yourselves.
We had them with cream and without, delicious both ways.

And of course the possibilities are endless. Next time I'll try to add some Ferrero Rocher or my favourite Raffaello.

Sweet potato, butternut squash and coconut soup

Just the other day I mentioned the Knorr Flavour Pot - Product of the Year challenge. I have received a lovely hamper of foods including a full range of Knorr Flavour Pots, and have been using them in lots of different meals. For a meat-free Monday, I decided to cook a sweet potato, butternut squash and coconut soup.

Sweet potato, butternut squash and coconut soup
Ingredients:
1 big onion, finely chopped
2tbsp olive oil
180g red lentils
350g cubed sweet potato and butternut squash mix
1 carrot, sliced (about 100g)
1 Knorr Garlic flavour pot
1 Knorr Ginger & Lemongrass flavour pot
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
1/2tsp chilli paste
salt

Finely chop one big onion and fry it with the olive oil for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a big pan put the lentils with the fried onion, cubed sweet potato and butternut squash mix, carrot, Knorr garlic flavour pot and Knorr Ginger & Lemongrass flavour pot, and chilli paste, pour enough water to cover all the vegetables and bring to boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft. Add the coconut milk for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Season with a bit of sea salt. Blitz it with a hand blender. If the soup consistency is too thick, add a bit of boiled water.

This happened to be such a tasty soup that I am definitely going to cook it again. Sweet, spicy, zingy and full of flavours, a real comfort food.
Also after going out for dinner on Saturday and having guests over on Sunday, I didn't fancy anything too complicated. We all love soups, and this soup was a big hit.
Knorr flavour pots were very handy, and they turned a simple soup into a veritable feast, especially when served with a spoonful of soured cream and a chunk of sourdough bread.

Disclosure: I received a hamper of products and a gift card for the purposes of creating recipes with Knorr Flavour Pots. All opinions are mine.

If you fancy reading what the other foodie bloggers created with their hampers, may I bring your attention to
delicious Spicy bacon and chickpea soup as cooked by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews;
delectable Grilled Shetland Salmon with ginger and lemongrass as made by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary;
Emma aka Mellow Mummy cooked a delightful Thai Chicken Laksa with sweet chilli rolls; while
Jenny from Mummy Mishaps baked an incredible Chocolate and Chili Cake.

What will you cook with Knorr Flavour Pots?

You're invited to #NickJrBlaze and the Monster Machines Twitter party on Friday 5 March!

My son Eddie loves parties. He's a true party animal. Imagine hid delight when I told him we were chosen to host a #NickJrBlaze and the Monster machines party on 5 March. Every morning he wakes up and asks eagerly if it's a Friday yet. Well, just a few days to go.
We have invited a few tearaways friends of Eddie to come to our party. There will be activities to do, a new show to watch at 4pm, prizes to give away.
Nick Jr Blaze and the Monster Machines party starts at 3.45pm on Friday. The party will be hosted by UKMumsTV as well as several bloggers.

We plan to watch a premiere of the new TV show and following that, do some educational STEM activities (science, technology, engineering and maths).
Keep an eye on the Twitter party - the hashtag to follow is #NickJrBlaze
You will get a chance of winning some lovely prizes. So mark the date in your calendar, head over to @ukmumstv and @NickJrUK on Twitter, watch the premiere of Blaze and the Monster Machines at 4p on Nick Jr and tell what you think using #NickJrBlaze.
Throughout the two hour party there will be prizes given away.
As a host, I also have a prize to give away, so head over to @maximka25

Disclosure: we received a big parcel with party bags and activities for the party.
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Easy Mexican stir-fry

As a foodie blogger, I enjoy taking part in cooking challenges. It is always great fun. To celebrate winning the first prize in Sauce & Cooking category for this year's Product of the year awards, Knorr Flavour Pots have invited food bloggers to take part in Knorr Flavour Pot - Product of the Year challenge. The whole range features nine different tasty flavours including Mixed Herbs, Three Peppercorn, Curry, Garlic, Mixed Chillies, Garden Herbs, Ginger & Lemongrass, Paprika and Mexican. I have tried quite a few flavours from the range, and was glad to have an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the range.

I received a hamper of food ingredients including the whole range of Knorr Flavour Pots and a gift voucher to buy extras.
With the varied range of flavour pots, I cooked a whole plethora of meals from butternut squash risotto to soup, from pasta bake to Mexican chicken stir fry.

Mexican chicken stir fry

2 chicken breasts, cubed
2tbsp avocado oil
1 sweet red pepper
1 Knorr garlic flavour pot
1 Mexican flavour pot
a hanfdul of sweetcorn, frozen
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
1 avocado, cubed
sea salt
lettuce leaves, to serve in

Cube two chicken breasts and fry them with the avocado oil, together with the sliced sweet pepper and two Knorr Flavour pots - Garlic and Mexican. Add the lemon juice and zest and a handful of frozen sweetcorn. Once the chicken is cooked through, mix it with the cubed raw avocado and serve in lettuce leave boats.

This is a very easy recipe, yet full of flavours and textures. It will make a light lunch or dinner.
Knorr Flavour Pots save you time (no need to chop the garlic or mix the spices for the Mexican flavour). The chicken was succulent and tasty.

I used an avocado oil in this recipe, but you can substitute it for the olive or vegetable oil.

Disclosure: as mentioned above, I received a hamper of products to play with. All opinions are mine.