The Potato Story bus is going home‏

I just wanted to let my readers know that the fantastic Potato Story Bus is on tour again. Last year great fun was had learning all about food provenance which inspired my son to make the above video.

What is the Potato Story?

Child psychologist Richard Woolfson believes understanding provenance and preparation is crucial in teaching children about healthy eating, "Lack of food knowledge and a misunderstanding of what constitutes 'healthy food' may have a serious impact on the eating habits of children. The Potato Story is a great way of teaching kids about healthy food and where it is from in a fun and interactive way. This will help them grow up with a good understanding of healthy eating."

The Potato Story details the journey a potato makes from a farmer's field to your fork in a fun and interactive way. It is a teaching resource which is fully aligned to the National Curriculum at Key Stage 2 (children 7-11 years of age). The Potato Story website includes fun learning games and resources and is supported by a fantastic purpose-designed bus which tours schools up and down the country.

How can I get involved at home?

The Potato Story site www.thepotatostory.co.uk has loads of ideas for activities to do at home, which will help your child learn about plant growth and nutrition. For example, you can find advice on how to grow your own potatoes, or get your children cooking with fun and healthy potato based recipes. You could even pitch your knowledge against your child's by doing the multiple choice quiz games and comparing your scores!

A fantastic purpose designed bus 'The Potato Story Bus' supports the Potato story, so keep an eye out for it at your local school!

Now the McCain Potato Story bus is on its way home to Scarborough at the end of its sixth UK tour. The bus – a purpose-built, unbranded, double-decker bus, specifically created to help educate children about food provenance – will arrive in Scarborough, the home of McCain Foods, on Monday, 26^th April 2010.

As you can see from the above photos, great fun was had. A word to McCain though - pleaaaase come to Wales! We have found the whole campaign in general really educating and think it's a great way to get kids involved in gardening and learning about food but I really want to be able to step on to that bus; it looks such fun! In honour of this campaign my son and I are going to be growing potatoes. So keep an eye on my blog for how we get on. I can only imagine how rewarding it must be to dig up your own potatoes. It will be lovely to try out some new potato recipes too!

The bus will be visiting the following schools:

Monday, 26^th April – Cayton Community Primary School

Tuesday, 27^th April – Seamer & Irton Community Primary School

Wednesday, 28^th April – Barrowcliff Community Junior School

Thursday, 29^th April – Lindhead School

Friday, 30^th April – Barrowcliff Community Junior School

McCain says “As a local company we always particularly enjoy when our campaigns come to life in our home town. It’s great to give something back to the community by helping support schools teach children about the importance of understanding where their food comes from in a fun and interactive way.”

To date the Potato Story has visited over 160 primary schools reaching over 21,000 pupils in the UK. Now, part of a wider campaign by McCain called ‘It’s all good’, The Potato Story forms part of the company’s wider philosophy “It’s all good”, which represents its commitment to good food by good people to fuel active lives.

If you aren't lucky enough to be in one of the regions that the Potato Bus is touring, then don't worry as you can go to www.thepotatostory.co.uk

Pink Lining 'Yummy Mummy' Changing Bag Review

I am absolutely in love with this bag; so I thought I would make a video to show you just how good it is.




Available from John Lewis
For more info please visit www.pinklining.com

Miners Cosmetics suitable for Redheads

Finding make-up suitable for redheads fair complexion can sometimes be a challenge. Take a look at my video to see the Miners products which I LOVE:

Seven Seas Femibion 'Radiance' video diary week 1

I have been using Seven Seas Femibion 'Radiance' for just over a week now and have decided that it would be useful for others if I can keep a video diary of how I am progressing with them. Do they work? Keep watching my weekly video diaries to find out..................

Review: Funpod Highchair

There are so many positive things to say about the Funpod highchair. The design, the appearance, the practicality and the versatility. I am brimming with enthusiasm about it.

Anyone purchasing this highchair will be amazed to the amount of usage that can be extracted from it. It lasts so much longer than your average highchair as the Funpod is suitable for walking toddlers age 1-6; what other highchair can you say has this much product longevity? It's hard to know quite where to begin when there are so many positive factors. The first aspect which can be enthusiastically conveyed to you is the appearance of the Funpod Highchair. It looks ultra-modern and yet the wood makes it look traditional and high quality.

The Funpod part of the highchair is a wondrous invention. The Funpod is basically a stool with wooden back and sides which allows your child to help in the kitchen in a safe and secure environment with no fears of slipping off. This puts no boundaries on kitchen creativity for your child. Using the integral quick release screws you can convert the highchair in to the wonderful 'Funpod.' The Funpod works by having a secure footplate which can be height adjusted to suit your child.

As a highchair you have a fabulous sturdy anti-slip tray which is really easy to clean and doesn't have any horrible crevices for food to disappear in to. The Funpod Highchair is quite heavy due to the quality of wood but moving it is no problem as it has polyethylene feet to avoid scratches and an anti-tip base. The highchair is a perfect height for me to sit up straight on a chair besides the highchair and feed my son. And if I choose to make the highchair in to a low chair it is just a case of simply lifting the chair out. I find that by alternating putting my son in a high chair one day and a low chair the next keeps a sense of novelty about the chair that keeps him wanting to get in to the chair.

The portability of the low chair is great. It is so light that it is perfect for placing out the garden on a summer's day to feed my baby. At the moment I have the tray attached but if and when I choose to take the tray off, it comes off easily with an Allen key. A bonus to taking the tray off would be that I can then have my child sitting right by the table. You can also buy a Funpod Table to go with the Funpod which allows your child to do activities such as drawing and painting.

The cushion of the chair is a comfy material that wipes clean easily. It secures with a sleeve over the back of the chair and harnesses which loop through it.

Why do I love the Funpod high chair? My son will now be able to help in the kitchen and I won't have to worry about him falling off steps. It will give him his own safe and secure little environment. This will allow him to learn about cooking in a fun and safe way and in to the bargain I get a stylish high chair and low chair which is easily converted.

A fantastic 5/5 from me.

I love Fashion Union

I have just discovered the catalogue and online website www.fashionunion.co.uk. So many gorgeous items! As money is a little tight at the moment, I am on a virtual shopping spree. Hopefully by noting the items I LOVE on my blog, I can get to buy them at a later date.

Here's my item for today that I really, really WANT:

Leila Waterfall Jacket £35.00

April 'Just Vlog It' entry - Make us... Nostalgic

www.beauty21.co.uk reviews

I recently entered a blogging contest in connection with 'Mums Like You' and www.beauty21.co.uk. To enter the competition you had to send in an email with your name, address and weblink to your blog. Luckily for me, I won. I'm not exactly sure how the four winners were selected; I am hoping it was after we were selected for our interesting blogs as opposed to a random generator as that would be a lovely feeling. Anyway, the winners were then sent some products from www.beauty21.co.uk and asked to review these products on their blogs and then update their profile picture on Mums Like You with the new make-up on. I hope to be connected with some of the other bloggers that won this competition as not only would it be great networking but I would love to see what the other bloggers thought of these beauty products.

This was like a dream job for me, as I love experimenting with new make-up. Well, some make-up. I love testing out new mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks and lip glosses. I'm not so keen on testing foundations or powders as I have such sensitive skin and so I will never change from Max Factor's Lasting Performance in Fair as that is what suits me. I don't wear blusher or powder as they just clog my pores and give me spots.

My everyday make-up consists of foundation, mascara and sometimes lipstick and eyeliner. So I was overwhelmed when I discover www.beauty21.co.uk and discovered all the make-up bargains. I could have filled my basket up with top-name brands and saved pounds on what I would have paid in the high street. They stock brands such as:

• Clarins
• Clinique
• Chanel
• Lancome
• Elizabeth Arden
• Fake Bake
• St Tropez

It's not just brilliant prices but excellent customer service and speedy delivery. Next on my wish list from www.beauty21.co.uk is Lancome Fatale Mascara. There is even a brilliant demonstration video on YouTube on how to use it. You can find the video here

So the products I was asked to review were as follows:

Benefit The Gloss in Crystal
Elizabeth Arden Sun Goddess Bronzing Powder
Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara

You can find my mini round-up review on YouTube. This will help you see what I looked like after using the products.




Elizabeth Arden 'Sun Goddess Bronzing Powder'
This is a pretty little compact that would look great in any handbag. The cover of the compact features the same design which is featured on the powder, which is a modern floral design. This is the product that I was least looking forward to reviewing as I have such sensitive skin that I can't wear anything like blusher or powder. But my decision was swayed to give it a go as when I opened it there was no perfumey smell like you get with some powders ( you know the smell that just won't go away and smells a bit like old ladies handbags.) The fact that I am a redhead is also a problem for me when I have used bronzers in the past as they just look silly on me because of my skin tone. Surprisingly, this product has really won me over. It gives a really natural glow and looks 'natural' as opposed to glittery like some bronzers can be. The bronzer has two tones on it; the main part being a browny colour, whilst the emblem is a pinky colour. Using the ultra-soft brush that came with it, I was extremely surprised with the results - I looked glowing with health, without looking tangoed. It's absolutely brilliant for highlighting cheekbones. This will be great to carry about in my handbag as it also has a handy mirror in it too. This is priced at £9.99 from www.beauty21.co.uk which is highly reasonable for the brilliant results it produces. And remember even a redhead is able to use this bronzer - worth noting!

Star rating 4/5



Rimmel 'Sexy Curves' Mascara


This was one of the mascaras I use anyway, so this wasn't a new product for me to test out. To get ultimate lashes I use this one and Rimmel Extra Super Lash Building Mascara. The best thing about this mascara for me is not the actual formulation of the mascara but the shape of the brush. You can see the shape of the brush in the picture above, and the shape allows the brush to reach every lash and to push certain lashes further back than others which creates really fluttery lashes. I use around 2-3 coats of this mascara if I am using it by itself and it doesn't leave you with spider leg lashes but perfectly defined ones. Again, I am a very sensitive person and I wear contact lenses so I have to find mascara that has a delicate formula. This one doesn't cause me any eye irritation and is easy to remove. Priced at £7.99 usually but if you buy from Beauty21 you can get it for the bargain price of £5.99.

Rating 3/5


Benefit 'The Gloss'

My praise goes to Beauty21 for sending me this one. Wow! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!! I never wear lip gloss usually as my hair always seems to fly in to it and create a gloopy mess, but this one is just brilliant! It's not at all gloopy and is shiny without creating the feeling of having a load of gunk on your lips. I think my video illustrates how intense the shine is. You can wear it by itself to create a natural gleam or why not wear it over your favourite lipsticks to create an intense effect. You can get these glosses in an array of colours, so I am now eager to try some of them out. It feels like it is conditioning your lips too and has a pleasant but ever so delicate fragrance of lychee and apricot. So don't be surprised if people want to kiss you lol! The applicator is small enough to be able to get to each part of your lip, in particular, the delicate cupid bow area. In fact because this lip gloss worked so well has made me want to try out more of Benefit's range, so look out Beauty21 here I come.........

Thanks for reading.........

Review: JML EZ Combs

I've been taking a look at the hair accessories on the market lately and I've found a fair few that I didn't even know existed. One of those being the 'EZ Combs' by JML. When you look good, you feel good so I think it's really important to have a hair accessory that can make your hair look fabulous in literally seconds.

I first came across the 'EZ Combs' when I was browsing the web. Distracted from reading my e-mails I noticed an advert which displayed some absolutely stunning hairstyles using the clip. I was really eager to see whether these clips really worked. So did they??? Read on to find out....................


It was Thursday morning when the clips arrived, luckily for me it was a day which my husband had booked off work, so I had plenty of time to experiment with the clip. The packaging showed all the hairstyles that could be created and inside the box was two dazzling combs (pictured above), which were delicately threaded with an array of bedazzling beads. I quickly browsed the instruction booklet, but I must admit the fact that I have an annoying habit of skipping the instruction booklet and trying to work things out by myself. The first few goes, without looking at the instruction booklet, I was a little perplexed as to how the comb actually fitted in to the hair. As the comb was not like your average comb it had bent wire looped pieces, and it just kept slipping out of my hair.

Begrudgingly taking a look at the instruction booklet, I realised the simple mistake I had been making and realised that it was all about sliding in the clip and pulling the elastic as far as possible to create tension, and then to firmly place the other side of clip beneath a wad of hair. It was much simpler than I thought. It's important to realise that this tool needs to be learnt how to be used, much the same as if someone gave you a scrunchie and you had never used one before. But once you learn the correct way to use this comb, the potential for this comb is limitless. It creates absolutely stunning hair within seconds. So I found myself rather excited, with these beautiful combs I now had the opportunity to create new and beautiful styles and more importantly create them quickly. No more dowdy ponytails.

My first admirer was my sister. It's important to point out at this point, that we are very different characters, we don't dress the same and we don't share girly tips, so it is a rare moment that I get to impress my sister. She spends a lot of time in the courtroom as a trainee barrister, so I think the fact that the EZ Comb impressed her emphasises how professional the results of my hair looked. She always has to appear smart and so she clearly could see that this comb could offer her a goldmine of beautifully elegant hairstyles.

For any of you eager to see, here is a sneak peek of one of the pages of the instruction booklet. As you can see the photos are accompanied by the right amount of text so the instructions are very easy to follow and means that you don't encounter any problems.

So to round up why I love the EZ comb:

• You can create one of eight stunning styles in seconds.
  
• The step-by-step styling guide is really easy to follow.
• The 500 dazzling beads make it appear that you have had a hairdresser in to delicately thread these through your hair for hours.
• They are really comfortable to wear; you can lie back with no pins or claws sticking in to the back of your head.
• £14.99 which is the price for a set of two clips and the instruction booklet is very good value. It will save me pounds on special occasions when I would usually require a hairdresser.

I was so enthusiastic to show you how great I think these clips are that I decided to create some videos.





I've created two videos. These were variations on the 'Fountain' style. I left more draping out in one video than the other. One looks smart, the other looks funky. I think these videos show the versatility of the EZ comb. Since creating these videos, I have tried out a few styles from the book and I am now officially in love with the JML EZ Comb. If anyone is interested I can post videos of these too.

For more information on the styles you can create with the clip and information on where to buy, please visit JML Direct.