Scooter Help!

Hi everyone.
I am looking to get Jack a scooter but can't decide on which one is best suited for him. I don't want him to outgrow it to soon and I would like something which is stable and not going to fall apart weeks after getting it.
There are so many to choose from; I wondered if you has any advice or tips which could help me narrow my choice down. Below are a few which I thought might be suitable. If you have any advice or suggestions please feel free to e-mail or comment on this post.

First up is George Tri Scooter

Only £24.99

Not sure if this would be well made well as it's only a character scooter and made from a lot of plastic! But I know Jack would love George Pig on the front. Only draw back is - it doesn't have adjustable height,

Website states its for ages 3 years and over.

Next, is Chad Valley Children's Tri Scooter

Only £17.99

Could it be cheap and cheerful; not lasting more than a few months?

Nice bright colours and has adjustable handlebars. Again website states it is suitable for children aged 3 years and over.

Another one on my list is, Ozbozz My First Scooter 3 in 1

Only £20.42

Tick's all my boxes; has 4 wheels for extra stability, grows with the child, can be folded down, wheels can be removed to create a 3 wheel scooter and a 2 wheel scooter. Website says it's suitable for children 2 years and over. 

Last, Blue Cosmic Light Scooter

Only £24.99

Now this looks like something Jack would enjoy riding on. It is height adjustable, has 3 wheels for stability and also has flashing lights! Only downside - this is battery powered and could use a lot of batteries to keep the light going! Website states it for children who are 3+.

The true cost of a Mother!

Recently Legal & General researched to see how much it would cost to replace a Mother. The results worked out that the work a Mum does around the home would cost £30,032 to replace!

 

Here are a few highlights from the 2011 “Value of a Mum” survey research:

 

• Even those mums who have part-time jobs don’t hugely reduce the amount of time dedicated to parenting – the value of part-time worker mums is £28,664 compared to the value of those who don’t work, £31,523
• The day to day costs of looking after children have gone up 8.3% over the last two years, rising from £132 a week to £143 and a massive 31% since 1999 when the figure was £109.

 

The research highlights just how easy it is to underestimate the value of the unpaid work Mums do. Considering mums are increasingly combining this with a full or part-time job, their families are getting pretty good value for their efforts! 

 

The good news from the research is that it’s starting to show an increase in the time mums are spending on themselves (on average, mums have 6.5 hours of quality ‘me’ time a week). This can be so important in helping to keep stress levels down and reminding people what’s most important. The key is to ensure that families don’t take their mums for granted.

Street Party Ballistic from Lush.

As you may be aware I am in love with Lush!
I have a huge collection (taking over my bathroom) of their products. Lush have made a limited edition ballistic which has a link to the Royal Wedding. It's called the Street Party Ballistic. I saw a demo of this in store before I brought it; all I can say is Glittertastic!
It adds no colour to the bath water while is fizzes in the bath but leaves loads of glitter and pink and blue heart confetti. There is also a streamer inside which comes out once all the ballistic has fizzed away. It has a distinctive fragrance with a deeply herbal citrus scent of lavender and litsea cubeba. It's like a party in the bath! 
So, forget the Royal Wedding and choose this Royal Bath Ballistic for the ultimate party explosion!

Street Party Ballistic
£2.95/200g

Happy Easter!

Me and Jack just wanted to wish everyone a 

We hope you have a fantastic day and don't eat to much chocolate!

Even though Jack has chicken pox; he still managed to eat chocolate for breakfast!
He was very excited to see the Easter rabbit had been; but got Easter confused with birthdays. I did a little Easter egg hunt and he loved it!

Chicken Pox

From the title of this post you can guess what it's going to be about.
Yes, thats right Jack has chicken pox!
I first saw a few spots on his back after we came pack from a trip to the farm park. At first I thought it might have been insect bites. I didn't think any more of it until the morning when there seemed to be more spots on his back. Obviously he couldn't go to nursery and I needed to be at work; luckily my mum was off for Easter. I left him to go to work and when I came back it was clear he did have chicken pox! Overnight they seemed to spread, all over his back, tummy and on his face and hair.
Jack calls them his spots; which I think is quite cute. I have started putting calamine on them to get him used to me touching him with the cream. We are now just waiting for them to pop. I am not sure how long they stay blistered for. I have calamine & glycerin cream and Eurax ready for when they do pop!
Poor little boy. I can't believe he gets them over Easter; but in a way I am glad he has them now as it's out of the way!

Very Lazy; Posh Sausage Casserole Review

Very Lazy; Posh Sausage Casserole cooking concentrate

Have you ever come home from a long day at work and wondered what to cook for dinner? You obviously want to eat something healthy and something which won't take forever to cook as you have tired and hungry little ones. Look no further; why not cook a Posh Sausage Casserole?
Very Lazy have come up with a fantastic solution. They have done all the preparation for you; all you need to do is add the sausages and an onion then add the jar of cooking concentrate.

All you need is sausages, an onion and a jar of Very Lazy cooking concentrate

I was a little unsure that this would taste nice and cook in one hour. After all, I didn't make the sauce or add the flavour. Well, I tested it out one evening when I returned home from work and Jack was tired and hungry after a long day at nursery. I set to work to prepare something yummy!

Start time: 6:10pm

I started by frying the sausages in a little oil until they turned golden brown. I then chopped and fried the onion until soft.

Onions and sausages sizzling in the pan!

Once the onion and sausages have been cooked I then transferred them into a small casserole dish. I added the jar of sauce plus the same jar full of water, put the lid on the casserole dish and popped it in the oven. 

Sausage casserole before going in the oven

While this was cooking I went and bathed Jack. The hour flew by and when we were done we came downstairs to a wonderful smelling sausage casserole. I popped a bag of microwaveable rice in for a minute while the casserole cooled. I served it with rice as I thought this was a lighter and quicker option; you could serve it with whatever you fancied. I even sprinkled a little parsley on the top to give it the posh restaurant look!

Finish time: 7.20pm

This cooking concentrate surprised me. I thought it would be bland with no flavour or to over powering. I will eat my words; this was one of the best cooking sauces I have ever used! It was truly a Very Lazy way to cook a sausage casserole; but didn't skip the lush flavour. I will defiantly be buying more of these cooking concentrates.

Lush Easter Collection & gift ideas

Donkey Oaty

£1.95/120g

Donkey Oaty Ballistic

All Lush products are handmade in the Lush Kitchens. This lovely donkey smells of their chocolate scented Charity-Pot lotion and is packed full of rice paper ribbons. This will leave your skin feeling soft and it's colour spectacular of summery colours will send the dreariness of winter packing once and for all. This is a very fun and surreal Easter gift for kids.

Fluffy Egg

£2.95/140g

Fluffy Egg Ballistic

Egg-cellent, sweet and outrageously camp bath ballistic egg, made fresh by hand in the Lush Kitchens. This ballistic is great for kids and anyone who loves the bubblegum and banana scent of Snow Fairy shower gel (a Christmas special). It'll transform the waters into a pink wonderland of candy floss sweetness and scent your body for the rest of the day. Layer is with Godmother soap and you'll be irresistible. This Fluffy Egg makes a perfectly fluffy Easter gift for girls and guys with a sense of humour.

Hippy Chick

£1.90/75g

Hippy Chick Ballistic

Chicks everywhere need this zesty grapefruit bath ballistic. The bohemian, refreshing scents of frankincense and citrus essential oils will perk up even the most boring baths as it fizzes off into the water. Drop it in when you're in need of a spring in your step this Easter. Anyone who loves grapefruit-loaded Happy Hippy shower gel will love the Hippy Chick. It;s clucking great, so buy-buy-birdy.

Happy Easter Gift

£12.95/500g

Happy Easter Gift Set

Let's face it, Lush Bath Ballistics are better than chocolate. So this year, you can give a Ballistic egg to wish someone a 'Happy Easter' rather than giving them the choccy alternative. With zero calories, three different ballistics (Avobath, Fluffy Egg and Hippy Chick), as well as a mini Knot-Wrap that you can use again and again, you're bound to give a very Happy Easter indeed.

Bunny Knot-Wrap

£2.50/3g

Bunny Knot-Wrap

Have you tried knot-wrapping? Knot-Wraps are a great fabric alternative to paper wrapping (you can use them again and again, or fashion them into a stylish kerchief or scarf - the possibilities are endless!) Now you can knot-wrap at Easter with this fun little Bunny Knot-Wrap. You can wrap him around your bath ballistics, your Fluffy Egg or even a bar of soap.