| Bakes, Books And My Boys

Meccano 6036477 Chevrolet Corvette Car

Thursday, June 22, 2017

I grew up in the world of Lego & Meccano and love watching my kids do the same. However, the Meccano that we have is decades old so when we were offered to review the Chevrolet Corvette Car Meccano model from Spin Master the boys in the house jumped at the chance. The Chevrolet is a 279 piece model for ages over 10 and quite frankly I think would be perfect for any adult too!

Inside the box are three bags of parts, an instruction booklet and a special Meccano screwdriver and a spanner to hold the bolts tool and a sticker sheet.

We opened all the bags as pieces from all are required immediately and got started. The instructions were easy in the booklet when you realised there are special pictures of the screws etc to line up yours against to ensure you have the correct screw – there’s nothing worse than having to undo 30 mins of work for the sake of one screw!

While the boys – 10 & 7yrs could easily tell me what to do next and pass up the pieces the difficulty occurred in getting the difficult and fiddly pieces in. I’m certain that I was about three hands short at one point. This is partly where the spanner comes into its own. Secure the bolt into the spanner and then you can angle and hold bolt where your hands can’t reach. This gets more important the further along you go in the building.

It took us a good couple of days to build as it was put down in temper when I couldn’t get a part to do what I wanted or didn’t have the time to spend 5 minutes on one screw. But the further we go in the build the more we wanted to do and the more beautiful and dramatic the car came.

As soon as the car was finished the boys couldn’t wait to play with it and daddy couldn’t wait to put it on his desk! I even watched the other day as it was steered with its pose-able steering up and down the desk.

It has survived playing with though and no parts have been needed to be screwed back on phew! All in all, our thoughts are pretty good on the Meccano. Personally, I think it’s a present more for a teenager or an adult as I suspect children might find too many parts difficult to complete.

lifestyle

Thinning Hair Help

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Did you know that your hair changes every 7 years? Really! It’s possible for dead straight hair to develop a wave, thin hair to become thick and vice versa. And then you also have the dreaded hair day! Hair is such a huge huge part of who are and your confidence that the odd change to hair isn’t the end of the world but when it starts to thin and it isn’t a one-off is can be an incredibly heart breaking. Confidence can be lost and while some hair styles can help (see below) when it becomes long term something more dramatic than a new hairstyle is needed. This is where it’s worth considering Advanced Tricho Pigmentation Treatment which allows a permanent replacement.

So, if you only have light or temporary (new baby, stress etc.) then what can you do?

Prep

Thin hair means you are suddenly more likely to get sunburn on your scalp, sun creams have come a long way and not all are oily but hey there are some gorgeous sun hats around these days! Channel your inner 1950’s goddess and buy a beautiful large one! It covers all manners of sins!

Wash

Use cooler water – hot water dehydrates your hair and can make it more prone to damage and snapping. Also, consider shampoos with biotin, this helps make your hair, skin & nails stronger.

Drying

Mousse! First on use a wide tooth comb to get rid of tangles and then massage mousse in to the roots this helps adds volume, also try and dry with your head upside down! Then use your fingers to help when drying. This helps limit the stress on your hair when its wet and helps prevent breaking. Polish the ends with a round brush.

Dry shampoo is your friend between washes here, but just remember not to pile product up in your hair – it weighs your hair down! This also stands for conditioner. If you must, apply it at the ends only.

Styling

Avoid flat irons, again if you must, work on the ends only.

Go for a sophisticated long, bobs can release the weight and give your hair depth and texture. A great way to disguise thinning hair on the front is with bangs and fringe!

Good luck and why not check out this fab post on giving your hairstyles and hacks more volume and depth.

lifestyle

Jamie Olivers - Olive Oil Buying Guide

Thursday, June 15, 2017

lifestyle

The best of friends: pets and children

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Pets can be a happy extension to your family. A man’s best friend – or your children’s best friend. Some of you might be aware of this yourself, having grown up with a family pet that completed your family. For many parents, this bond is something they want to pass on to their own children, yet many are hesitant to get a pet. Whether it’s a dog, cat or humble goldfish, here grain free dog food retailer, Feedem, explains the many benefits of letting your child grow up with a pet.

Animal companions

Allowing your children to have a pet in the house can give them a companion like no other, as one study found. When a group of 5-year-old pet owners were asked what they did when they felt sad, angry or afraid, over 40% said mentioned their pets. Clearly, having a pet has a positive impact on anxiety, improving their communication skills and the ability to discuss their problems.

Exercise

Getting a pet can have health benefits on all family members – of course, be aware of any allergies, but getting a pet, whether it is a dog or a cat, is a great way to get all members of the family exercising more often.

It’s a great way to combat the sedentary lives an increasing number of British families are living. An NHS report has found that in England, 10% of children in their first year of school are obese. A pet is a great way to introduce exercise into their lifestyles without them really being aware of it. Before they know it, an after-school dog walk will be second nature to them.

Teaching responsibilities

We all know that with having a pet comes a whole host of extra responsibilities. It can be a great way to teach your little one about responsibilities and accountabilities, as well as teaching them about compassion and respect for animals — and is the same whether they’re looking after a dog or a goldfish.

Getting your children involved in feeding times, grooming and other caring responsibilities helps children learn how important their actions are and it’ll give them a greater level of responsibility in the home. This helps to lay the foundation for parental skills in later life.

Improve reading skills

An animal can encourage children to improve their reading skills. Despite not being able to read themselves, dogs can actually aid the development of a child’s literacy skills. When reading to their dog, children feel comfortable and not judged or embarrassed if they make a mistake – and we are all aware of the saying ‘practise makes perfect’. What better way to practise than with your best friend. Dogs don’t interrupt either and make reading more enjoyable. It’s more engaging than sitting at a desk and reading alone, helping your little ones to better engage with their homework.

Pet allergies

There are hundreds of allergies that your children could potentially have or develop. Pets are the second-most common cause of allergy in UK homes. Studies have been carried out to establish the impact of having pets while your children are younger on their allergies. Some have established that children who are exposed to pets at a young age can develop more severe allergy symptoms, while others have shown that the exposure has a protective effect with regards to allergens. Further research is required to fully establish the effects pets have on children’s allergies.

Review

Paul Lamond Murder Mystery

Friday, June 09, 2017

We love a good cosy crime in our house and one of our favourite viewings is settling down to watch a nice Death in Paradise. So when we offered to review a Paul Lamond Murder Mystery Game based on Death In Paradise we had to say YES!

The Lady & The Lizard is set on Saint Marie and the investigation is looked after by none other than DI Humphrey Goodman! And of course, will the islands history of murder there’s no chance you can escape it!

The plot line is that this is the first trip the rich Jeremy Nono has taken to Saint Marie but as of yesterday morning it was also his last after he was found murdered in a rented apartment, tied to a chair and strangled. Strange letterings were found painted on the body! And it’s your job to use the clues and investigating your friends to find out which one of you is the murderer!

We decided to play this at home but due to illness, we didn’t get around to dressing up. However, this in no way took the fun out of the game! Preselected beforehand the invites and character booklets were sent out with their roles, background info, and a few little secrets! Also in the book, you have a couple of menu ideas to make the meal authentic and a useful CD to help set the scene and of course round up in true Humphrey style….

The Lady & the Lizard murder mystery is for 6-8 players and suitable for teens up….

We popped on some fun Caribbean music and cooked up some scrummy food as given in the booklet to help set the scene and started to greet out guests! The party planner helps you throughout the evening and hints when to play the CD, what food to serve, decorations ideas etc Each booklet that the characters had have a start where you discover what you can reveal and what to reveal when promoted. You can only read up to a certain point though in the game before you should stop and allow the cd to take on some of the story.

We found that you had to have 8 players as despite the two characters we had not being used they also held a fair amount of information and in a couple of places were needed in the scripted conversations which confused us a little. We did also struggle to figure out how to start but found a way which worked for us and got stuck in!

It was great fun to play and every person seemed to have a motive for the murder! We also discovered it was leading us down a couple of false lines! After everyone has had a go at guessing who the murderer is you pop on Humphrey for the final revelation and reasoning.

We had great fun and it was a perfect way to spend an early summer evening! I would recommend giving one of the games ago. Everything you need to run the game is in the box but why not go the whole hog and dress up! This is the third Paul Lamond game we’ve done the first I’ve reviewed. They are such great fun and a fabulous way to spend an evening!