Pre- children and all that – the word ‘vouchers’ didn’t really grab my attention, I was more of a saw it, liked it, buy it girl. When I look back in my childhood, I remember my mother having countless vouchers in her purse and going shopping with her was not something that I looked forward to every week.
Being dragged around town by your parents when you’re 16 years old is never cool… specially when you’re with a voucher wielding mother who doesn’t care if she holds up the queue for 5 minutes or not, as long as she gets 10 pence off that box of Alpen. But, of course, now, I’ve grown up, I have kids, and I welcome any kind of money saving scheme, after all every penny counts, and I get that slight feeling of satisfaction knowing that I saved a little bit of money (Note to my husband: Yes, believe it or not, I do try to save money).
The days of voucher collecting are diminishing and over the past 10 years, on-line shopping has become more and more popular. Fabulous sites such as Voucher Hub is a great resource of on-line vouchers and discounts. All you have to do is search for the voucher you need and Voucher Hub will do the rest for you.
If you’re web savvy like myself, I’m sure you don’t need instructions on how to search for a discount on their site, but if you’re a little bit unsure on how everything works, then have no fear, here is a very straight forward video tutorial on how to grab that bargain! Or if you really don’t fancy their on-line service, then they also have printable vouchers for you to use on selected outlets.
Of course, I can’t write a post about shopping without including a wishlist, so here are just some items that I’m drooling over lately and if you have the same taste as I have then grab them now and use the discounts available.
For £300 it's over my budget, but a girl can dream ^_^
Debenhams - Ultimo Couture Multi Coloured Feather Maxi Dress
Apple 17in MacBook Pro
Additions Direct – Apple 17in MacBook Pro
Bourjois Limited Edition 2009 Vintage Blush
ASOS - Bourjois Limited Edition 2009 Vintage Blush
Too Faced Insurance Policy Kit
ASOS – Too Faced Insurance Policy Kit
So there you go, did I get you excited about using vouchers? You can also follow Voucher Hub on Twitter, Facebook or receive a weekly email featuring the best voucher codes by signing up for their newsletters.
Go forth and save some moolah! 
Vouchers powered by VoucherHub.com
My busy and stressful week was rewarded by a lovely day out with my daughter over the weekend. I’m sad to say that now that she’s growing up so quick, we hardly get the time to spend ‘girlie’ times together, so any bonding time is precious. Now that she’s reaching the ‘teen’ stage I’m glad that she hasn’t changed drastically… yet, and we’re still able to enjoy each others company. However, playing house and dolls had been replaced by shopping trips and meals out, but we don’t mind so much… like mother like daughter I guess! 
Sam's Chop House Leeds
Firstly was lunch at Sam’s Chop House, Leeds. A great place with a vintage Victorian feel, I’ve always been a fan of the ‘ye olde look places and was pretty impressed with the décor and atmosphere.
The combination of bringing traditional British food and adding a modern twist gives the menu an interesting look. The Crispy Corned Beef Hash Cake that took 10 days to make particularly caught my attention and I’m sure that MrB would have also appreciated the Home-made Pork Pie too. Must take him there next time.
To begin, I had the seared salmon with pickled cucumber, artichoke purée & artichoke crisps, finished with a bitter lemon & herb dressing. I’ve never had artichoke before so I was curious of what it would taste like. Also having cooked my own salmon dish a few weeks ago I wanted to see their own version with the purée.
My starter came in a nice presentation I actually felt a little guilty to ruin all the pretty arrangement. The salmon was cooked to perfection, the concoction of the fish, artichoke crisp, puree and the tang of the dressing made this starter a little piece of heaven. Though I could have done with a bigger piece of salmon. But I guess I’m just greedy 
For the entrée, I went for a medium rare 28-day aged Yorkshire Rib-eye steak. Served with a miniature cottage pie, bacon bubble & squeak & finished with a red wine & pink peppercorn sauce. Again, the presentation was nice and I loved the miniature pie, the steak was cooked to my liking but found the bacon in the bubble and squeak very dry and tasteless. It was almost like chewing gravel, a little disappointing but I’ve eaten worse dishes and this certainly was not one of them. So, I guess I can be forgiving after I’ve picked off all the dried bacon I can say that my main was excellent.
Of course we can’t go on a girlie lunch without ordering desserts, even though Ellie and I were bursting at the seams 
. I decided on the White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake with a McVitie’s Digestive Biscuit base finished with fresh raspberries & raspberry coulis. Impressive presentation but the cheesecake itself was not the best I’ve had in comparison to MrBs creations. It was rather sugary and soft, not like an original New York Cheesecake where I cake itself is firm but melt in the mouth.
To sum it all up, I was impressed with the whole setting, meal and service, we both enjoyed our lunch and of course spending time with each other over good food and a glass of Coca Cola 
and the best thing of all is looking forward to the shopping day that we had ahead. 
Fillet of Scottish salmon
Rib eye steak with pink peppercorn sauce
White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake
The fruits of our labour after spending 4 hours in Leeds town centre. 
Nautical stripe star top
Nautical stripe star top
Nautical Stripe Top (Jane Norman)
Stud split sleeve cowl neck top
Stud split sleeve neck top – Jane Norman
Lovely to know that I have something in common with my daughter, for that age and the rate they grow it’s pretty hard to find something that interests both of us. But Ellie and I both agree on the cuteness of Momiji. We’re both have a small collection hopefully growing in to something really big
I think it has become more of a competition because she never fails to mention that she has more than me. So you can just imagine the excitement when we found out that they have some great Momiji dolls at Cadeaux, and it was obviously rude not to bring some back home.
Momiji mug - Hank loves it too *^_^*
Love coffee x
She likes Dexy's midnight runners
My girl
Something to make you smile and feel lucky to be blessed with a daughter.
As you might be aware with the current economical state many families in the UK have opted to spend their holidays in Blighty this year. In a way the credit crunch has been helping to promote a more traditional family holiday here in Britain, with the typical seaside experiences, holiday camps and pier shows get many families looking forward to summer time.
So, when Fuel My Blog informed me that I was one of the winners fortunate enough to stay at Butlins Skegness for 4 nights I was ecstatic. Having had no holiday plans for this year the thought of having a FREE holiday would give something the kids to look forward to. My sister and brother in-law also decided to join us and immediately booked themselves a Standard Half Board Apartment.
ARRIVAL:
June 29th, everyone was excited, the weather was in our favour and the 2 and a half hour trip doesnt seem so bad, we finally reached Butlins at about 1.30pm, we were directed to the Gold Reception, I must admit that the reception was impressive, our guide was very helpful and he informed us about the attractions, facilities and other services available to us as a Premium Guest. We were told that we can check in at 2.30pm on our Neptune Apartment allocated just a few yards from the reception. So far, so good. Friendly service, the apartment exterior looked great; we couldn’t wait to start our holiday.
WHATS THAT SMELL?
2.30pm, we finally get to go in our apartment and unpack. I was a little disappointed that we were in the upper floor which is not toddler and pram friendly.
First impression was good, but there was a distinctive smell that lingered and it was of the unpleasant kind of what I can only describe as cheesy feet. To be honest, I was a little put off knowing that we will have to stay there and get used to the smell for 4 days.
Gold Apartments in Butlins Skegness are very roomy, definitely great for a family of 5 or more. The apartment consisted of 1 double bedroom with a portable TV, and 2 twin bedrooms, enough to sleep 6 people. The living area had a reasonable size TV and DVD player. There is also a fair sized dining room which had a table and 4 chairs and the kitchenette area was sufficient with all the necessary appliances and accessories.
I’m sure the housekeepers do their outmost to keep the apartments in good working order, but there are a few faults that I have noticed.
- Cigarette burns on the floor and settees.
- Microwave was smoking at the back when used.
- Stains on one of the twin beds.
- Kitchen floor was sticky.
- The back of the TV remote was missing.
- The seat on the dressing chair was loose.
- Shower trimming was rusty and the bathroom floor was stained.
I also noticed that the balcony area is not child friendly as there were gaps where toddlers legs can easily slip through. So even though the weather was glorious outside, we were unable to open the double doors.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOLD AND STANDARD:
At about 3.45 the BIL decided to make his way down to the check in while we stayed in our apartment and pondered about our agenda for that night. We couldn’t wait to try out the Yatch Club so at about 4.30 we headed out to have our dinner. On our way there we noticed a long standing queue just outside the supermarket and surprised to see that BIL was standing there, understandably not looking very happy. He told us that he’s been queuing for 40 mins for check in. What check in? All I can see was a make shift stand with a rather jolly Red Coat handing out information and meal cards. Oh yeah… meal cards, that’s standard for you.
YATCH CLUB RESTAURANT VS OCEAN DRIVE
Feeling rather guilty, we told them that we’re going to have our dinner and then probably meet up and have a drink after. So off we went to the Yatch Club Restaurant, we were greeted by pleasant members of staff, checking out our name and showing us our table.
The restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere with subtle brown and cream decor. The buffet was pretty impressive and the choice of food were varied and catered for all tastes. Not only that, I found the staff very helpful and friendly which made meal times a more pleasant experience, compared to Ocean Drive which I thought treated their customers as second class citizens by giving them meal cards that had to be stamped at each visit.
Surprisingly food that’s served in the Yatch Club is also served in Ocean Drive, but I guess they have the cheaper option by holding back the black puddings which my BIL was not too pleased about.
The Ocean Drive surroundings can only be compared to a ‘greasy cafe’, and if you’re lucky you might see a live fight (according to my SIL).
STANDARD ACCOMODATION
After our meal we managed to meet up with BIL again, only to find them lugging suitcases and finding their new accommodation. They have decided to upgrade to a Silver Apartment, as the Standard Accommodation did not meet their expectations. They complained of unstable ceilings, faeces stains on the bathroom walls and the room had an unpleasant smell to it. To be honest for a price of over £300, you could have stayed in a more hygienic and accommodating B&B. Considering this is their first time in Butlins, things were not looking good and I felt more and more guilty as they continuously find faults as the days go by.
PLAYTIME FOR THE KIDS
My 21 month old particularly enjoyed the rides in Bob’s Yard. The rides seemed to be well kept and brand new from the last time I went about 10 years ago. We also found the play area pretty good and the kids spend many hours tiring themselves out which was a bonus when it came to bed time.
FUN WITH BILLY BEAR
My 21 month old particularly liked this, he got to join in and dance with the Red Coats and Billy Bear. Great fun for the kids but I will advice that you turn up early to get a good view as it gets pretty packed!
THE REDS
Even though the husband wasn’t too keen on the idea, we managed to drag him to watch the REDS. The acts were good and the kids loved them, probably one of the best shows in Butlins. We only went twice as we found that the acts and music can get a little repetitive, but then the kids didn’t mind that. But having a 21 month old can prove a little difficult as he was not too used to the loud noise and music, but all in all it was a great experience.
They also have a photographer that takes photos on the dance floor; he would give you a ticket to collect your photo later on, which I thought was a great idea as you don’t have to worry about getting your camera out while enjoying yourself.
THE SUN AND MOON PUB
On our first night we decided to chill out in the Sun and Moon, the weather was glorious and there’s nothing better than sitting down sipping a glass of wine while watching the kids play. It has a traditional pub look and there are sufficient seating’s in and outside.
On one of the days we decided to have dinner there, but found the food pretty poor. As I wasn’t that hungry my daughter and I decided to order a combo to share, whilst my husband ordered the chilli con carne and my son had the lasagne. My combo was very greasy and it was obvious that everything on that plate was frozen and fried. Hubbys chilly was mediocre and my sons’ lasagne was pretty gooey and burnt. We weren’t impressed.
OUTDOOR POOL & SPLASH WATER WORLD
The outdoor pool consisted of a large pool and a children’s pool with fountains and shallow water. Having been lucky enough to have the beautiful weather at the start of July, the outdoor pool was a great hang out for us. My toddler loved splashing in the kiddie pool, and even though the weather was hot, the pool was still quite cold, but he didn’t mind at all. I think this is one of the best features of Butlins Skegness (if the weather is blistering hot!). It almost makes you forget that you’re in Skegness when you’re on the lounger soaking up the sun and enjoying a glass of wine while watching the kids splash around. Thumbs up from us!
RELAXING @ THE SPA
Along with the FREE holiday I was also given a 3 hour complimentary spa session in Butlins. But instead of taking the other half, I decided that my sister in law would appreciate it a lot more, so we went together early in the morning. We were greeted by pleasant staff and relaxed surroundings. We were given our locker keys which contained our robes, towels and slippers. The changing room was impressive and just by being there we realised that after looking after the husbands and children, we were ready to relax and forget and responsibilities for 3 hours.
The only thing that we noticed were that our robes seemed to have unknown fake tan stains on the collars, but apart from that everything was good. We were treated to free complimentary, coffee, tea and juice, but sister in law and I opted for the more appropriate and needed glass of wine each… actually two, if you want me to be honest.
At first we were quite unsure what were going to do for 3 hours, the place wasn’t big, there was a pool, 2 saunas, a small gym, and a Jacuzzi. We forgot to bring our gym gear so working out was out of the question. So we just decided to try everything. We found the saunas particularly relaxing and spent at least over an hour in them. It wasn’t full of people so it was great having the steam room all to ourselves. As the 3 hours passed by very quickly we were relaxed as anything and to be honest, I think we could have done another hour in there. But to our disappointment, the kids and husbands were already outside awaiting our return. So much for relaxing. But it was great while it lasted; I think my sister in law would agree with me, when I say that was probably the best part of our holiday!
BEACH HOLIDAY WITHOUT THE BEACH?
One thing we were excited about was how close the beach is from our accommodation. There is a gated access where holiday makers can access the beach from 10am to 4.30pm. But upon close inspection we found that the nearby beach was littered with rubbish and to be honest it was not clean at all.
The facilities on the beach was practically nonexistent, it’s surprising that Butlins has not taken advantage of this beautiful location by building seaside cafes, play areas and other things that beach holidays should have. Instead we drove to the main beach in Skegness to enjoy the sea side, which was far better than what Butlins had to offer.
LIFE BEYOND BUTLINS
After 3 days exploring and doing mostly everything that Butlins has to offer, I must admit that the bigger kids started to get bored; they’ve been on everything and explored everywhere. So what is there left to do? I started to get a little worried when they’ve turned their attention to the enticing lights of the arcades. While most family would probably savour the idea of spending their holiday money on slots machine, I’m afraid it’s not an ideal pass time that I’d like my children to get used to.
So we decided to venture beyond Butlins, and have found many attractions that involved family time. We found Hardys Animal Farm in Ingoldmells, a great place to visit, a genuine working farm where you can walk around and see the animals in their natural surroundings. There is a large adventure park where the kids can burn their energy, a tea room where they offer a large selection of food and drinks and you can even ride a horse and cart which I think is a great experience especially for city kids like mine.
WOULD WE GO AGAIN?
To summarise I think the children had a great time, however we felt that the central pavillion is aimed to be the main attraction where parents and children are encouraged to spend money on overly expensive food, while children get high on litres of fizzy drinks endlessly feeding the hungry slot machines.
Our spa experience was the main highlight, the kids said that they loved the rides and Splash Water World. But would we go again? Probably not. It would be nice to see Butlins to take full advantage of the beach side location instead of having limited daily access. It didn’t exceed expectations, in fact, we were dissapointed that the Gold Acommodation was nothing great and the Standard Acommodation was in a desperate state.
It was a shame, as we all looked forward to it, but in the end even the kids couldn’t wait to get back home.
*BIL (Brother-In-Law)
When I first saw this perched on the display shelf I knew I had to have it. My first impression of the Sony Vaio NS20EP was that it’s VERY pink, you can’t deny the fact that it’s solely aimed for the younger teenage girl. But the more I inspected the Vaio, the more I was impressed. Yes, it was pink, but not in a tacky way, actually it was pretty cute. The sleek and subtle metallic pink finish was impressive and unusual, nothing I’ve ever seen before.
But as we know it’s not all about apperance. So let me go through the specs with you.
15.4 in TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 - is very neat and bright, even when you let the machine run on battery the brightness does not waver, which surprised me a great deal. I have owned 3 laptops before this and I have found in those that when ran on battery mode the screen dims to save power, but this machine stays on the same screen brightness as if it was plugged in on the mains.
250GB – Hard Drive
3gb of RAM – more than enough for daily use.
Intel© Pentium© Dual-Core Processor – copes perfectly well with large intensive applications. I have had no problems running multiple programs such as Photoshop CS4, Dreamweaver, Illustrator all at the same time.
Integrated 1.3 megapixel camera - which to be honest I’m not too impressed with, but then again maybe I was used to my previous laptop camera which was about 2 megapixel. But don’t let that put you off, the Vaio I bought came with the ArcSoft Magic-i Visual effects which proved a big hit with the kiddies or adults. I don’t know whether this comes as standard with all Vaio NS20E but it’s certainly a plus.
4 USB ports – great for connecting all your gizmos. Ipod, digital camera, memory stick etc.
DVD Rewriter Drive – which obviously lets you burn information and media on a wide variety of DVD disks.
WiFi enabled- this means that you can connect your Vaio to the internet within range of a wireless network. Personally, I find that as soon as the Vaio is turned on it connects very quickly on my network and have not had any issues with connectivity.
Firewire port - offers you high-speed transfers, mainly used for transfering large amounts of data usually videos. You will need a firewire cable for this.
Energy Star Certified – products that carry the Energy Star Label are more energy efficient.
Battery Life – is excellent! I have a seen a few reviews that complained about poor battery life, but I found that it lasts for more than 2 and a half hours whilst running different programs (this usually drains the power). As I have mentioned before, even when unplugged from the mains it does not compromise the brightness of the screen either.
Sony Vaio NS20EP
Keyboard & Front
Front
Metallic Pink Texture
There are also a few cons that I wish to point out with the Sony NS20EP, firstly, there is no volume control apart from the one on the desktop. Back up disks are not included to I would suggest that you burn your own once you have your laptop set up. It would have been nice if it came with a 19′ screen. I would have also liked it if it had Bluetooth but hey we can’t have it all can we?!
So there you are, I think that the Sony Vaio NS20EP is a great buy, not only that it’s ideal for a first computer, but anyone that wants a reliable, stylish, user-friendly laptop. Just what I expected from Sony, and for £458.00 you can’t really go wrong. It’s not just for teenage girls… suitable for grown ups too!
A few weeks ago the lovely people behind Fuel My Blog have asked me to review a few products from the Aveeno® range. To be honest I have never heard of them before, but hey, I’m willing to try anything.
One thing that impressed me about Aveeno® was that it is made from natural ingredients such as colloidal oatmeal and shea butter and if you are passionate about your beauty products as I am, you would know that these ingredients really have great benefits for the condition of your skin.
I have been blessed with combination skin and have never really had problems when it comes to using different lotions, bath stuffs and moisturisers, but I have also suffered from eczema in the past and unfortunately have passed it on to my 8 year old son.
At the moment he suffers quite badly on his joints, especially in the cold weather. So, when I read that Aveeno® can be beneficial to this condition I was more eager to give it a go to see whether it would really make any difference.
The first product I tried was the bath powder, my son is usually particular in using new products and took a bit of persuading to try this one out, he didn’t seem to like the idea of bathing in ‘oatmeal’, but after running the powder in warm water and seeing that it didn’t really resemble a thick gooey substance he soon came round, I also found that the fragrance was mild and pleasant.
I let him soak in it for half an hour or so, I did hear him complain that there wasn’t any bubbles, but that’s kids for you!
After his bath, I have noticed that his skin seemed softer to the touch and he commented that it didn’t irritate his eczema.
Before I used to use Oilatum Bath Formula, but I find that Aveeno® does the job maybe just a little bit better as it’s not as slippery.
After his bath we tried the Aveeno® Daily Moisturising Lotion, I found that it was easily absorbed and it didn’t leave a sticky residue. I would recommend to use this after showering or bathing to lock the moisture in your skin, thus having a silky smooth feeling to it after.
We tried the lotion a few days of trying out Aveeno®, I was really surprised how it has left my sons skin feeling and looking moisturised and nourished. He seemed to scratch less and thus leaving his eczema to heal more quickly along with the use of his normal eczema cream.
Now, I’m not saying that I have found a miracle cure for eczema, but because it’s so mild it’s suitable for children and most of all it does not contain any steroids.
Last but not least, I saved the Aveeno® Cream for myself, I decided to keep it in my handbag, just the right size for carrying it around. After a few days of religiously applying it on my hands, I did find my hands less dry. Its also great to use as a base for applying make up as its easily absorbed without any oiliness.
If you’re usually skeptical about new products like me, I would suggest you should give it a try, Aveeno® offers some free samples on their website, so what do you have to lose?
In 2008 Aveeno teamed up with NetDoctor.co.uk2 and surveyed people with very dry skin or conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. Before the trial, many of the participants revealed having dry skin conditions had a huge impact on their lives: 94% said dry skin affects their confidence and 71% said their dry skin can stop them from carrying out their usual routine. After trialling Aveeno® Cream for three weeks, 94% felt more confident, and 98% felt there had been a change in their dry skin. The full results can be found here.
