A frog, a train and a butterfly - 20/52 - #littleloves

Read

Again, I have failed when it comes to reading my book but that's not the case with Noah's. We read together often and Noah has taken a liking to his "That's not my.." books again recently. Today I bought him the Frog edition to add to his ever expanding collection. I think it's his new favourite as he can't stop laughing when I read it to him.

He also adores his personalised In The Night Garden book which I reviewed here.

Watched
I've watched way too much TV this week with The Following, Mistresses and Revenge on my to watch list. There is nothing like a binge watch when the little one has gone to bed, it is my guilty pleasure.

Revenge has now finished forever and I'm glad because I felt like it couldn't go anywhere else now, it was just going round it circles. It was an okay finale but not one to sing home about. I did shed a tear here and there and I will miss my weekly Nolan fix, what a character! (If you haven't watched it don't look at the photo below, spoiler alert!)

Wore
How crazy has the weather been this week? In the morning it would look drizzly and cold so I would dress appropriately. Then in the afternoon the sun would come out and I would have to get dressed again into something cooler. 

Noah has been wearing his new Bumgenius Freetimes as I had a little spending spree and bought half a dozen of them! I think they are my new favourite nappy.

Heard
Noah has discovered Thomas... Need I say more?!

Made
I felt a clear-out was in need this week as the house was getting a little cluttered. Whatever we didn't use I decided to either throwaway, donate or sell. I ended up listing quite a few different items over on eBay and they were bought pretty quickly. I am now looking for the best parcel delivery as I found it to be cheaper online and I do have a lot to send.

And lastly
I posted on social media a couple of weeks ago that a chrysalis had appeared in my porch. I am a lover of all creatures so this of course really excited me. I decided to leave it where it was because I didn't want to risk damaging it and it was safe where it was.

Fast forward a two weeks and he finally emerged. I did a little research and it turns out he is a Speckled Wood butterfly and his markings are beautiful. I waited hours for his wings to dry before I released him outside. Hope he is okay out there! 

Penwizard - Personalised In The Night Garden Book

We were recently asked if we would like to review a personalised book from Penwizard. As a lover of both books and personalised gifts I couldn't have been happier to oblige.

Penwizard stock many different character books for you to choose from. From Peppa Pig through to The Snowman there's a book for every child. I chose one of the two In The Night Garden books that they stock because Noah recently discovered the show and he's absolutely obsessed with it.

Once we had selected which book we wanted to have the next step was to personalise it. This is theory could be a tricky thing to do but thankfully the website and ordering system is very easy to use.

Creating Noah's little character was quick and fun to do too. Not only do you add your child's name but you can also select different hair colours and styles and different eye colours too. The whole process was very straight forward and stress free and I adore the outcome, his character looks so much like him! 

The story follows Noah on his journey through the Night Garden. He finds all the famous characters from the show and invites them to his special birthday party. The last page is ever so sweet and shows them all celebrating together. 

With the book being birthday themed it would make the perfect birthday gift to an In The Night Garden fan but I think it's a book that could be read all year round. Noah enjoys pointing out all the different characters and at the moment it's the first book he takes from his shelf so that's a big thumbs up from him!

This book is a hardback and is priced at £14.99 which I think is fair. You get what you pay for as the book is well made and you can see the quality. We would certainly buy a book from Penwizard in the future and it would be great to see them extend their range too.

Have you taken a look on the website? Which book would your little one choose?

- We were sent this book for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.

Booking our first family holiday abroad

On Sunday it's my birthday. I'm going to be 27 years old, only 3 years away from 30. Where have all these years gone? I haven't planned any birthday celebrations as of yet because we like to keep things low key but we will probably go out for a family meal at the Ram where I celebrated my last birthday.  

That being said I am using my birthday as the perfect time and excuse to finally book our first family holiday abroad. We are so excited!

Before we had Noah and before we had a mortgage we made sure we had enough money in our UK bank account each year to be able to afford to book a holiday. Having a holiday to look forward to just makes those working days pass a little easier and it's nice to know you will be off somewhere exotic at some point in the year. 

Although we are both terrified of flying we have never let that stop us from jetting off to another country to enjoy some sea, sand, and sangria and it's been far too long now. 

It's been three years since we were last abroad and I remember on that particular holiday we actually said to one another that the next time we would be on holiday we would have a child. We were both ready at that point to start a family and here we are now!

So the search is on! Where will our first family holiday abroad be?

We have been thinking about going back to Alcudia in Majorca as we do love it there. It's a short flight and the clear sea and soft sands are perfect for toddlers. That being said we are still looking at other destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Tunisia too because we don't want to limit ourselves.


We are so excited to take Noah abroad for the first time. To enjoy a holiday abroad as a family for the first time. It's going to be amazing.

Do you have any destination suggestions?

Cocktail Recipes with Echo Falls Fruit Fusion

Who doesn't enjoy a nice cocktail? Especially in these warmer afternoons we've been having lately. The sun and cocktails, a girls best friend. 

Last week Echo Falls kindly sent me two bottles of wine from their Fruit Fusion range to try out. They suggested I try make a cocktail or two with them and I couldn't wait to start experimenting. I would of never of thought to use the wine in a cocktail as it is lovely on it's own but I couldn't wait to give it a go. 

Summer Serendipity

Ingredients:
70ml Echo Falls Fruit Fusion White Peach & Mango
1 slice of lemon
1 slice of lime
1 slice of grapefruit
1 slice of orange
10ml elderflower cordial
5ml pomegranate syrup
Crushed ice
Pomegranate seeds and a mint spring to garnish

Method:
Slice the citrus fruits into wedges and muddle in a hi-ball glass, add the Fruit Fusions White Peach & Mango, elderflower cordial and crushed ice then stir. Drizzle with pomegranate syrup. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and a mint spring.

Echoes of Pink

Ingredients:
50ml Echo Falls Fruit Fusion Summer Berries
25ml raspberry purée
20ml lemon juice
5ml ginger cordial
5ml sugar syrup
20ml egg white
Edible pink glitter to garnish




Method:
Mix and shake together all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake again for 2 minutes. Strain cocktail into a chilled coupette glass and sprinkle with edible pink glitter to garnish.


I did sample Summer Serendipity and it was like sipping pure sunshine, I will be making that again! It was so refreshing and light, almost too easy to drink! I haven't tried Echoes of Pink just yet but as the recipe sounds divine I just had to share it. 


What is your favourite tipple to enjoy in the sun?


- I was sent two bottles of wine to try out for the purpose of this recipe feature. 

Keeping on top of the cleaning with Dettol

Staying on top of the cleaning is vital, especially when you have a hurricane of a toddler running wild in every single room of the house. From dirty hand prints on walls to food crumbs in your shoes they have a talent for mucking everything up. 

That being said I don't keep on top of the cleaning as much as I should. Our house is tidy but I really need to start some sort of cleaning schedule as I am easily distracted throughout the day. Playing with cars and reading book with your child wins over cleaning the oven any day but I think I use that excuse a little too much! 

This week Dettol sent over some products from their range to me to try out and I was really looking forward to seeing what products I would receive. We were sent two Dettol surface cleaners, antibacterial wipes and a no touch antibacterial handwash.

The first product I tried out was the antibacterial wipes. We already use these on a daily basis and always have a pack in the drawer in the kitchen. They are so easy to grab and use when there is just a little bit of light cleaning to do.

Next up I took the surface cleaner up to the bathroom and thought I would give it a little try on our shower which needed a good clean. I simply sprayed on and left it for a while. When I came back I could have just rinsed it off but I prefer to scrub it just to make sure I am removing any soap scum or conditioner marks. The main thing I like about this product is how you can use this spray in the bathroom or the kitchen. This is what I always look for in a surface cleaner, it has to be a multisurface.

Last but certainly not least is the no touch handwash which is now a welcomed addition to this household. I am a stickler for germs especially when it comes to cooking and cooking with meat. Ever cringe when handling raw chicken and imagining all the bacteria spreading on everything you touch, the taps, the handwash? I did but not anymore with the fantastic no touch handwash. You simply put your hand underneath and hey presto, soap! It kills 99.9% of all bacteria so really puts your mind at ease too.


Would you like to win a set of these products to try out yourself? Then simply head over to my facebook page where you will find details on how to enter. Good luck!


- We were sent these products for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

    

3 Dates With A Difference

Back when I was expecting, Nick and I made a promise to make sure we made time for one another once the baby was here. We always said that we would go on date nights, nights out, and have babyfree moments but that just hasn't really happened. 

It was easy making promises like that before we had Noah in our lives because we didn't know what it would be like to be parents. We could imagine it but imagining it and living it is a whole different thing. Once the baby was here all plans for date nights just flew out the window because we literally just wanted to spend every single moment with him and we still do. 

There have been ample opportunities to have a babyfree night but we always tend to turn them down. We want to spend most of our time with our son like most parents do but it's getting to the point now where Nick and I really need to make more time for one another. 

We had a little sit down the other night and discussed the possibility of making time to have 1 date night a month. We used to go for meals, just the two of us, and used to have late-night trips to the cinema. Although those are nice we started thinking a little out of the box too. Maybe my ideas can help you or perhaps you are currently looking for first date advice - if so, you are in the right place.

1. Chocolate workshop.

Okay, well this sounds right up my street. What chocolate lover wouldn't like to pay a trip to a chocolate workshop. Think of all the chocolately goodness you could sample. This is one date I will definitely be looking into!

2. Nature trail.

One thing we have both started to really enjoy lately is just getting outdoors in the fresh air. We are both trying to eat better and exercise more so a nature trail would be a great date for the pair of us. 

3. Fishing trip.

This was obviously suggested by Nick. It's not an activity that I would usually willingly seek out but it is one that my partner would like to do. I can certainly see some perks of going on this trip as I could sit back with a book and enjoy the peace and quiet. One thing though we would need to stock up on some fishing tackle first!

Do you make time for date nights with your partner? Or do you have any suggestions on what we could do? I would love to hear them!