Morrisons Mum for a day

Confession number one: I am not a regular Morrisons customer. I have been in the past, taking advantage of their cheaper prices compared to Sainsburys and Waitrose (my other two local supermarkets). But then along came Lidl and I was lured by the even cheaper prices and surprisingly good quality products.

Confession number two: I was offered £80 of Morrisons shopping vouchers to go and try out the supermarket now that they have dropped over 1200 product prices. New everyday low prices, so off I went.

The first thing that struck me was the signage. The promised yellow "I am cheaper" signs were everywhere as I walked in, and images of things I would buy were right beside them. It was doing everything to set my expectations high and expect a low shopping bill.

The downside was that the choice of some very attractive products was too much and I found myself sneaking in a few extras here and there because a) they are things I wouldn't normally find in my regular supermarket and b) the prices seemed very reasonable.

Take the deli section for example: £1 for some mini vegetable samosas, £1 for a pot of mixed olives and £1.10 for a pot of chick pea salad. They found themselves on my table for lunch along with some Signature Scottish smoked salmon which was a third off. Lovely treat if a little eclectic for one meal!

It was certainly easy to spot the products which had been reduced in price and yes, I was drawn to them. Curse those Jammie Dodgers (only 49p)! But I was a bit confused at some of the pricing. For example, the Morrisons British Butter was reduced to £1 from £1.49 (I think) but it was on the shelf right beside Savers Butter at 99p. Why would anyone now buy the Savers butter when you can get perceived better quality for a penny more. I expect the rest of the pricing will sort itself out in time.

My only other gripe was the layout of the Market Street fruit and vegetables. Does it seem unreasonable to expect all the fruit to be together? All the root vegetables to be together? Ordinarily I would expect to find my salad ingredients within a few hundred meters of each other. Obviously there is a school of thought that thinks not and they are in charge of the fruit and veg layout in Morrisons. I suppose if you shopped regularly there you would learn where things are but in the meantime the member of staff who suffered my repeated requests for directions amongst the legumes was very helpful.

At the till, I was relieved that the bill wasn't too scary given all the extras that had found their way into the trolley (like the half price wine I stumbled upon. Well it was the bank holiday weekend). And I had managed to get everything I needed/wanted for our first BBQ of the year.

It was a joint BBQ with some friends and I had promised to bring a couple of dishes.

First on my list was my BBQ standby homemade burgers.

For the burgers:
400g minced beef - £1.99
1 finely chopped onion (69p bag of 8) - 9p
Two crusts of dry bread
Handful of coriander (1/3 of a bunch at 79p) - 26p
Teaspoon of toasted coriander seeds crushed
1 egg (18 saver eggs for £1.62) - 9p
Salt and pepper

For the coleslaw:
1/2 savoy cabbage finely sliced (80p) - 40p
2 carrots grated (69p/kg bag) - 13p
1 onion halved and finely sliced (69p/kg bag) - 7p
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt (large pot at £1.15) - 20p
Juice of 1 lemon (6 pack 99p) - 17p
salt and pepper

Pittas: pack of 8 - 75p


Combine all the burger ingredients together in a bowl and shape into 8 burgers. Chill in the fridge before grilling. They take roughly 5 minutes each side but BBQ are notoriously varied in heat so go with you instinct, or cut one in half to see if they are cooked as you like them.
Prepare all the coleslaw vegetables and mix in the yoghurt, lemon juice and seasoning. Stir thoroughly.

I served them in a pitta bread with lashings of coleslaw.

Cost per serving : 53p but it's hard to only eat one!


I also decided to try something new and found a fab recipe for Salmon Tikka Parcels with raita:

For the Salmon Tikka:
Four fresh salmon fillets - £6
1/3 jar tikka masala paste (£1.50) - 50p
Pack of 4 mini naan bread - 67p

For the raita:
Small pot of natural yoghurt (1/4 large pot at £1.15) - 29p
Handful of coriander finely chopped (1/3 of a bunch at 79p) - 26p
Half a cucumber peeled, de-seeded and finely diced (whole cucumber 49p) - 25p
Juice of half a lemon - 8p
Salt and pepper

Slice each salmon fillet into 3 lengthwise and coat each piece well with the tikka paste. Allow to marinade for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Prepare the raita by adding the cucumber, coriander, lemon juice and seasoning to the yoghurt and stir.

Flash grill the salmon when the heat has died down a little. It will literally only take 30 seconds on each side to cook so be quick! Warm the naan bread at the edge of the grill and when ready, split the naan, fill with 3 thin slices of salmon and add a generous dollop of raita.

Cost per serving: £1.99

Both dishes went down very well, although for future reference I wouldn't attempt to grill the salmon or warm the naan on a furnace hot BBQ. Slight over-charring occurred!

Thankfully, I didn't quite ruin the dish although it was remarkable how volcanically hot the inside of a naan bread can get if left to 'warm' for too long.

As a finale we were treated to this pavlova for which I can take no credit. It was pretty amazing though!

In summary, I was impressed by the range and quality of product available at Morrisons and will certainly be returning for the deli section and to the wine aisle. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many regular everyday products at such reasonable prices too and if it wasn't for the completely baffling layout I might even think about switching shops.

Disclosure: I was sent £80 of Morrisons shopping vouchers in exchange for this review. All views are my own honest opinion.

Not a Me&i photo shoot - Review

I am a sucker for a great print. Like Orla Kiely and her retro bright designs, me&I have captured some amazing Autumn colours in their new season range emblazoned on some fabulous T-shirts and dresses.The prints are bold and funky and easily coordinate into any wardrobe. They are also largely unisex which makes for some very cool kids on the block.

Having been sent a couple of pieces to review I really wanted to capture their coolness is all their glory. I was thinking a beautiful autumn setting, conker hunting and a soft afternoon sun to light the colours of the clothes. Yeah right.

Take this t-shirt for example:

That shot is from the catalogue. Look at the perfectly composed photo.

Now look at my shot of the Wee One 'modelling'. Or not.

He was having too much fun to sit still or smile or pose or in fact do anything I asked him to. This wasn't just on one day either. This is is new favourite t-shirt which he wears just as soon as I can get it clean and dry. It has been through the wash at least 4 times already and is still looking amazing.

Did I mention they also have womenswear?
Love the colours and the print of this dress.

The cut is excellent and perfect for my 'curves'. Unfortunately I had just been out for a rather gut busting pizza lunch with a delectable tiramisu for dessert so my curves were more curvy than normal yet the dress was still very forgiving.

I look just like a model don't I?

The best bits of this dress are the sleeves are nice and long and actually reach my wrists ( I'm not a fan of 3/4 length sleeves) so I'm thinking I'm going to layer this dress up over vest tops or long sleeve tops as the temperature drops. Another plus is the wrap ties are really long so I could tie them all the way round to the front or at the back. The fabric is a lovely soft jersey with loads of stretch for those pizza lunch days and has washed really well too.

The prices may be higher than your average High Street store with the t-shirt ranging in price from £18 to £20 depending on size and the dress at £55, but I think the quality more than justifies the price. That dress is going to be a winter staple for me, and as The Wee One has already proved, the t-shirt is going to last and last and last.

me&i is a Swedish clothing company that designs and commissions cool, high-quality clothes for children and their parents, and sells them at home parties. They are really keen to attract more representatives so that the product is accessible to more mums across the UK so if you think you might be interested in joining their sales team, have a look at their company page here.


Disclosure: I was sent these items by me&i for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Lavender Dreams - Review

Did you sleep well last night?

No of course I didn't. I have a three year old who refuses to stay in his bed and comes and nudges me in the middle of the night for a cuddle. Lovely. But so not lovely.

So when an email drops into my mailbox asking if I slept well and would I like to test a sleeping aid my first response was yes. My second response was, are bed restraints for children legal?

Seems the answer to that question is no, probably.

I wasn't sent any restraints to review, but I was sent a heavenly White Lavender pillow mist from the White Company to apply onto my pillows to aid a restful sleep. The scent is indeed heavenly. Imagine slicing a lemon in a field of lavender. Inhale... ahh yes.

Not to be left out the children have also been sneaking a quick spray or two before bedtime, reminding them of infant days when I would waft a lavender oil scented hanky around their cots. Worked brilliantly. They would nod off gently (that may be rose tinted memories on my part).

And so the White Lavender Pillow Mist was sprayed, and heads were rested upon sweet scented pillows, and gentle dreams were dreamed. Until approximately 2am when a small person would nudge me into the middle of the bed. oh well.

Maybe a more liberal  application of pillow mist for him.

The pillow mist is a wee bit pricey at £15 but all you need is a couple of pumps to get enough scent so the bottle will last and last. I fell asleep very quickly while I used the product and the children enjoyed it too.
On the down side, it was so effective that I haven't managed to read more than 1 page a night of my book before I have to give into my droopy eyelids. I am consequently way behind on my reading and have consistently failed to catch up on any blog reading.

Disclosure: Thank you Silentnight who sent me the Pillow Mist for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own. I have not and do not intend to restrain my children in their beds.

Little Adventures with Barny

These feet are made for... scooting apparently so a-scooting we did go.

This is a new thing for the wee one having decided he is too big for the pram now and finding a 3 year olds walking pace not always conducive to necessarily fast paced school runs. We have spent a couple of weeks dragging him along with a bag tied to the handle bars which is hard work going up hill but reassuringly under control going down hill.

But yesterday was time for free scooting. With a little Barny cake to refuel en route.


It started well with The Wee One enjoying the freedom of whizzing along (must get him to wear a helmet) and learning how to control his speed and direction. He even tackled a slalom of parking posts.

We then stopped for a snack in the form of a milk filled Barny cake. According to the Wee One I made two mistakes here:

1. I only brought one cake with us.
2. The second cake that I should have brought should have been chocolate filled.


Duh!


http://picasion.com

Hence the last three photos were of a less than impressed three year old showing Stamford how to sulk professionally.

What adventures have you got up to today?

This post is an entry for Britmums 'Little Adventures Challenge' in partnership with Barny, the bear-shaped snack providing a little discovery in every bite. Find out more about Barny here.

The Buddha in the Attic - Review

It's not quantity. It is quality.

I distinctly remember reading my first 'big' book. One that was more than 100 pages. One that would give me street cred. It was Diana by RF Delderfield. I still have it in paperback for purely sentimental reasons, not for any great literary achievement. It took a long time to read but I think I enjoyed reading it.

Most of the books I read seem to be at least an inch thick. Why does a book need to be 300 plus pages? Can you even find a book less than 300 pages on the WHSmith bestseller shelves?

One book that should be there is The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. (129 pages).

From the first line on the first page I was absorbed into the lives of the mail order Japanese brides shipped to the States in the early 20th century. With only a photo of their future husbands, and a few possessions from home in a cardboard case they set sale. This book takes us with them. Some happily. Some terrified. Some abused from the start. Some quietly and some obediently. Each bride, each life, is given a voice in the collection of voices captured in this book. The writing is beautifully simple and evocative, narrated by the brides collectively as one voice. From marriage, to the marital bed, to child birth, to teenagers, we are privileged to listen to their stories right up to the point when they are quietened, freighted to who knows where, away from the coast where they might be helping the enemy. Each life is a battle and precious for the story that it tells. I wish there were more stories to tell. I would happily have carried on listening past the 129th page.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of the book for review for the BritMums Book Club. Join in the discussion here.

Diary of Five Go To Center Parcs

When a blogger of Actually Mummys status invites you to go with them to review a Center Parcs break at Elveden Forest, it would be rude not to. BIG TIME thank you x


Day 1

Did you know you can get into your accommodation from about 3pm but if you can get there early you can make full use of all the facilities from any time on the day of arrival? Next time we are setting off at 6am.
Did you know you can pre-register online before your arrival so there's no form filling when you get there? Just hand over your booking reference and the keys are yours (plus Haribos for children. If I was being picky I would suggest Haribos for adults too).
Did you know there is a supermarket on site, you can order a family grocery pack and they can deliver takeaways? Or you can bring something to have for a meal on your first night so you don't have to order a bike with a trailer just to carry your wine back to your villa *points at Actually Mummy*

Our home from home

We stayed in a Woodland Lodge which had three bedrooms, an open plan kitchen dining sitting room, a family bathroom and a separate toilet. The patio looked out over the forest and we had regular visitors in the form of squirrels rabbits and deer. The squirrels were very brave and tried to come into the villa which was a bit over familiar I thought given we hadn't even been introduced. We had a similar problem with our neighbours! *points at Actually Mummy*

The Wildlife

The kitchen is more than adequate with a microwave, dishwasher and full oven and with the fridge pre-stocked with bacon sausages milk eggs and fruit juice, the cupboards loaded with cereal, tea, coffee, sugar, fruit, biscuits, jam, marmalade, crisps, ketchup, HP, olive oil, Pepsi, squash and water, we were only short of a chef to cook it for us.

Pick a bike. Any bike.

Did you know you can hire bikes for the weekend for all ages and abilities? Adult bikes, kids bikes of various sizes, trailers, child seats, tagalongs, tandems and adult trikes are all available. Book before you go to be sure to get the right option for you or better yet, bring your own. It's not cheap to hire. Our combination of bikes would have cost £95. They also provide locks for the bikes but look after your key! *cough - thanks Tony from the maintenance team for saving the day with your bolt cutters - cough*

Did you know that the beds in the lodges are the most comfortable I have slept in for a long while and meant that the Wee One actually slept in his own bed all night every night. It may have helped that he stayed up late every night and was wrecked by the time he got to bed.

Day 2

Did you know that the Tropical Cyclone at Elveden Forest is new this year and reaches speeds of 30 miles per hour and achieves zero gravity? I didn't either and nor will I ever be able to testify to these facts first hand. I am as far removed from a thrill seeker as it is possible to be. Scared. That is all. There are some amazing water slides, none of which are suitable for anyone with a nervous disposition which put me, the Princess and the Wee One seeking out the toddler splash area. Shame it wasn't open :-( We pootled around in the shallow area and in the lagoon which was just a bit too deep for the week one while The Big One and the Mr shrieked and whooped around the slides.
Did you know that you don't need to take bouyancy aids for toddlers? They have mini life jackets which were perfect for the young ones so the arm bands I spent 2 hours hunting down at home weren't necessary.
Did you know I didn't see a cleaner at the swimming pool once but those changing rooms were immaculate. Not a used plaster in sight.

You can't keep a blogger away from wifi for long

Did you know that there is a Spa at Center Parcs? Aqua Sana Spa - Oooooh yes. Thank you very much. I palmed the kids off on to the Mr to go ten pin bowling while I made good use of those steam rooms. Yes steam rooms plural. If you like it steamy or dry, warm or scorchio there was one for you. The heady aromas, sent my senses into overdrive and the tropical rain showers were special in their own right. I could quite happily of spent the day there, not least because it had wifi (more on that later), and a lovely peaceful cafe with not a child in sight. After my lunch I would have happily dozed on a water bed (had there been one free - Wake up bed hogs!) and then meditated/tweeted in the Jasmine garden. And *whispers* you know when you are in a sauna and your thighs get all wet and make a farting noise when you sit down on a smooth seat? Well they had little tiles on the seats at center Parcs so no embarrassing thigh farts.

Did you know that Hucks restaurant has kid sized steaks on the menu, serves starters on surfboards and pretty awesome ribs with alcohol laced ice cream sundaes for dessert? And should your darling kids actually manage to eat their way around the whole junior buffet *points at the Big One* then they can amuse themselves on the i-macs or in the play area. A useful distraction to allow parents to chat and enjoy their meal without cries of I'm bored, I found.

Day 3

Did you know that technology and a good walk can be enjoyed simultaneously? They can if you go geocaching. Imagine a geek fueled treasure hunt and you will know what I mean. Really good fun except...

Things I wish I'd known first #1- you will walk about 5k which was too far for our younger team members.
Things I wish I'd known first #2 - the order you find the clues is important or you will end up walking 10k.
Things I wish I'd known first #3 - the GPS technology can have a bad day and send you 100m the wrong way.

The Big One takes the lead

The Mr feeding his inner geek

We didn't finish as it was just too far for the Wee One, much to the Mr's disappointment but for Actually Mummy and her team who came in second it was an chance to bask in glory! 

Did you know you can do nothing at Center Parcs and still have a brilliant time? You could fill your days to overflowing with a multitude of activities that drag you across the lake with planks of wood tied to your feet (water skiing), swinging from trees, shooting arrows, or you could build your own arrow in the forest by your back door and play. 

 

Or play and blog *points at Actually Mummy*

To blog or not to blog?

Day 4

Did you know that you may have to check out at 10ish in the morning but you can carry on and use the facilities right up till midnight? And I would take full advantage of the 'ish' to avoid traffic jams at the exit gate and parking.

Did you know that you can't get wifi or a mobile reception in the parc unless you are at the central Village, Sports Plaza or Spa? I didn't either and missed posting IG photos and missed tweets from our friends saying where they were. On the plus side, we chatted and laughed our way through several bottles of wine rather than tweeting each other. On the down side, if there was an emergency you would have to run to find a telephone box in the parc to get help or head for the dry sauna to update your followers *points at Actually Mummy*. Not always convenient and something that I would say needs to be addressed.

Overall we had a truly lovely time and struck the balance of activities versus relaxing time well. It isn't a cheap break compared to booking your own holiday cottage but there is genuinely something for everyone to do on site, whether you are an adrenalin junky or like a more relaxed pace.

I'll leave it to the Actually Mummy and Five Go Blogging children to give you their thoughts on the weekend.

Disclosure: We were invited by Actually Mummy to go with them to review a Center Parcs break free of charge. All opinions are our own.

A lie-in with Dunelm

After the brain fizzing, emotionally exhausting, blogging banter of Britmums, on Saturday night I crawled into my bed, grateful for the love of my family.

Sunday I woke and this was my view.

Dunelm Mill has filled my bedroom with some beautiful luxurious textiles, birds flying at my window, ripples of crisp blue and cream on my bed and a wonderfully calm atmosphere. I should point out that Dunelm hadn't snuck into my bedroom during the night and transformed it. It had actually been like this when I got into bed the previous night but I was just to darn tired to appreciate it.

My bedroom curtains have always been a sad disappointment. The windows had previously been draped with some rather naff beige chintzy polyester, followed by some dark red velvety swags, neither of which did anything for the room at all. Then Dunelm suggested I try out their curtains. I drew up a short list of my favourites which I passed over to the Mr to select from. I then ignored what he said and went for these embroidered song bird curtains instead.

What I love about these curtains is that the birds contrast so beautifully when the morning sunlight shines through. The birds look like they are a dark colour but they are in fact a lovely duck egg blue which coordinates perfectly with the blue in Dunelm's circles bed linen set. Harmony in the bedroom.

I was pleasantly surprised by the prices particularly given the great quality of the fabrics, and the choice was almost too much for someone who couldn't make a decision. I made my choices using their website which although is excellent in being able to see the range available, was not so brilliant when it came to seeing the detail of the fabric up close. The quality of some of the photos they used could have been better. The images were not a high enough resolution to zoom in close enough. I was confident about the curtains as that image was good on the website but the bedding was actually nicer than I thought it would be.

Browsing their website was very easy, too easy! I could have spent many a happy coffee break virtually dressing my home. Well done Dunelm Mill, and thank you for a lovely Sunday morning in bed *cough*.

Disclosure: I was given the curtains and bedding free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and if I didn't like it, I'd tell you x

Magic Knickers

So if someone offer you a pair of magic knickers to try, what is the polite response?
I suppose your answer would depend on who was offering.
Should I blush?
Should I pack the kids off for a sleepover?
Should I book a date night with the Mr?

Well my blushes were saved when I discovered that the magic knickers are in fact cropped leggings in the style of Knickerbockers. In Sweden cropped trousers are known as Knickers and when Meandi brought them to the UK the name just stuck.

As for the magic part, well I feel magic when I wear them!

They are made from very high quality jersey, which fit perfectly round the bum, are looser through the leg and then gather into a wide cuff at the calf which really flatters my legs. The waistband can be worn high (particularly comfortable after a curry night) or can be folded down for a low waist look. The waistband isn't super tight so it doesn't hold it all in (or bulge it all out) but it just smooths out the stomach area nicely.
 

I am not a fan of showing off my bum in leggings so I will ALWAYS wear a tunic length top with these but I have worn them with a hoody and trainers for comfy Sundays and with a long length tshirt and ballet pumps for a shopping trip. I think they may be my summer uniform!

Meandi is a Swedish company that has brought fabulous bright and modern clothing for kids and women to the UK. We have previously tried the kids canvas trousers which the Wee One would wear every day if I let him. They are launching their Autumn collection on the 14th August so I will be logging on to see the new great colours and prints.

Although you can order Meandi online you can also arrange a clothing party with the benefit of a social gathering with friends and gifts for the hostess. You'll find all the information you need on their website and anyone who is interested in becoming part of the sales team in the UK should contact them through the online application form.

Disclosure: I was sent a pair of Magic Knickers free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and if I didn't like them I would tell you!

Obsessed with Stationery

I have a minor obsession.
And no it's not Instagram this time (although I am still obsessed).
Todays obsession of choice is stationery.

It was National Stationery Week in May, as if I need a week to obsess with it, and Parragon have launched a gorgeous collection of notebooks *swoon*, journals *fans face* and jotters *faints*. The collection is called Life Canvas and includes something for all tastes, mine included.

I have already shown you the Mini Monsters in a previous post but let me now show off a couple of other things that Parragon sent us.

These two notebooks are from the Collage range and are simply gorgeous.

The smaller notebook called My Life Organiser has loads of tabs to just about cover all eventualities. To do, notes, ideas and a section called The Best. This is then divided into the best music, books, films and websites. A perfect place to note down those songs caught on the radio, that film your friend recommends or a book that one day, when you have some time, you will definitely read.
The beauty of this notebook is the illustrated pages. Every single page looks like something torn from a beautiful scrapbook and really justifies the title Life Notes. It is small enough to easily fit into a handbag, so I now have the perfect notebook!

The larger book, My Life Organiser Set, is double fold and has the prettiest sticky notes you will ever find! I am loath to even use them because they are so lovely, that is if I can keep them away from the Princess. The middle section is a notepad, beautifully printed of course, and the third section is a pocket to keep important slips of paper in. A great little desk organiser if ever there was one.

There is a final treat from Parragon to show you.

Dear Mr, If you are reading this. stop now. Avert your eyes. Click elsewhere. Nothing for you to see here.

.
.
.
.

Has he gone?

Okay, the third book is this fabulous Me and My Dad Journal for Fathers Day.

It is designed for your child to fill in with pictures, notes and stories to give to Daddy on Fathers Day. Each page has something that is to be filled in or coloured or stuck in, a story of an adventure, a picture of somewhere they have been together, or a way to make fun of Dad. It is the sort of gift that I can imagine The Big One adding to over time to keep their memories safe.

If there was a criticism, it would be that the journal is for one child to give to Daddy and doesn't really have the scope to be from all three children, due to how it has been written. That said, I'll let all three of my children fill in sections so it can be from them all.

Disclosure: Parragon sent us these journals free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and if I didn't like it I wouldn't be able to stop myself telling you!

Mini Monsters - A review

The mini monsters were being more monsterous than ever. The end of a visciously intense week of 'challenges'/ SATs and too many early mornings left the monsters lacking in energy but with an overabundance of attitude.
Thankfully Parragon Books had sent me a little parcel from their new range called Life Canvas to review which included Mini Monsters, especially for mini monsters.

Triple win.

1. They are assembled in an instant.
2. There are 60 to choose from in the tin so even they could decide on a couple each without the need to grapple.
3. They took their attitude out on mini monster roll play.

And just in case there is a mini monster with a creative streak there are blank mini monsters to doodle and decorate at will.

Big win. Lots of fun. Great distraction. And very entertaining looking monsters.

Disclosure: I was sent some samples from Parragon Books free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

Me&I - A Review

Check out the trews on this dude!

me&i canvas trousers

Sorry, should have warned you to wear sunglasses.

These Me&I trousers are his all time favourites and in the space of 3 weeks he has worn them every other day. He totally loves them. I was asked if I wanted to review an item of clothing from Me&I and was spoilt for choice. I love the whole Scandi design vibe and the prints and colours available in their range certainly don't disappoint.

Being honest, when I opened the pack and saw the colour of the trousers my first reaction was Opps! I thought I had asked for the brown colour and was wondering if it was rude to ask to swap them, but he immediately loved them, and I have got used to the colour so I am glad I stuck with them.

They are a heavy weight cotton canvas fabric which means there is a chance that he will be able to continue to wear them every other day for the next 12 months and they still won't wear through the knee. I'll keep you posted. They were quite large for him but the clever adjustable elastic bit at the hem of the trousers mean they gather round the ankle and don't drag along the floor. Even at speed...

So I reckon he will easily still be wearing them next summer.They have an adjustable waist too and are generous around the bottom so if your child is in nappies, there is plenty of room for maneuvering (as demonstrated here).

Whaad you looking at?

To get hold of the range you need to pop along to the Me&I website, make your choice and it will be sent to you from their nearest sales rep. You can also host a party if you fancy making it a social occasion. There is the kids range but there is also a womens wear range to check out too.

Me and my wee one are very pleased with what we have seen and will be popping back for a few of their summer t-shirts like this one possibly...

*adds to wish list*

Disclosure: Me&I sent the trousers free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinion are my own.

Honour by Elif Shafak - A Review

I have joined a book club.
This has been on my to-do list for a very long time but I selfishly thought that I wouldn't have to time to read the nominated title and be able to fit in the books that I really wanted to read. Well funnily enough, even without being in a book club, I haven't found time to read everything that I have wanted to read so what had I got to lose.

Britmums launched a book club last month and I clicked on that link faster than the kindle sales of 50 Shades of Grey (which I haven't read).

Honour by Elif Shafak is the story of a Turkish family, their heritage, their secrets and their struggle to be at peace with themselves. The story steps between Turkey and London, and between different members of the family both in the past and in the present, putting down layers of misfortune and misunderstanding on which the youngest generation are raised. Three children, with very different personalities, try to do what they believe is right upholding the honour of their family through their mother. She has her own challenges brought from a difficult childhood as an identical twin and her large, all female family, and to her estranged marriage and her affair.

It is a beautifully written novel, evoking a sense of unease in places, tension in others and warmth. I particularly liked the sections of the book devoted to Turkey and the older generations, loving the colour and texture of the authors language. It wasn't at all difficult to read, and not too 'literary' but felt like a worthy read none the less. I am not belittling chick lit at all but I can't live off a diet of Prossecco without the occasional glass of wine or bottle of cider.

I would definitely recommend this book and am passing it on to a friend who kindly gave me Me Before You by Jojo Moyes as a gift for World Book Night.

And if you want to join in with the Britmums Book Club then follow the link and sign up.

Disclosure: I was sent a free copy of this book by Britmums for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.