16/08/201327/03/2018 by jo

Lollibop 2013 – Our Review

Lollibop 2013 started today, the first day of a three-day festival for kids.

Lollibop 2013 moved venues to the Olympic Park this year, and although we haven’t been to previous ones, both Shaun and I are seasoned festival goers, a bit of rain wasn’t going to scare us, so we were ready!

Our journey wasn’t too painful, a train to London Bridge then just a few stops on the tube to Stratford with a fifteen minute walk to the park. We also got to walk past the Olympic Stadium, somewhere we never got to last year – it’s huge! (I am seriously struggling imagining West Ham having it as their home)

The Lollibop 2013 site was clearly marked – and helpers were starting to line up to guide everyone. I suspect people with buggies may struggle cutting across Westfield, so look into other ways there, but as we were on foot it wasn’t an issue.

We made it inside just in time for Poppy Cat who did some dance moves on the main stage – the sound cut out a bit but that didn’t spoil it for H. It was running late which was fortunate – H says Poppy Cat was probably her favourite thing about Lollibop 2013 (that and fifteen other things).

On the way in we got chatting to two boyfriends of the GoGoGo Show, and found them near us when they came on stage so insisted they join in with the dancing (they did). Shaun had no idea who they were then realised it was the band he sees every morning when he does his ironing – he knew the songs best of the three of us! H enjoyed it, and I like that one of them wears glasses so hopefully H can relate. We have never spoken about this.

There was no time to stop, as once they left the stage Rastamouse came on – and did a neat little set. The creator of Rastamouse came on too, as well as a lady and man who make the music – and it was perfect festival music, really enjoyable, plus everyone was handed Rastamouse flags. Somehow we caught Rastamouse three times over the day which was pleasant.

Shaun found free yoghurt courtesy of Chobani who were giving away full-sized tubs opposite the main stage, so we helped ourselves to one each and decided to have a wander around the site.

We found the Magic Belles stand, and got to chat for a long time to the lovely Maxine – H coloured in two postcards and posted them, it was such a sweet idea and good to stop. We love the Magic Belles and really you should be signing up for the Flutterbud Club – it’s free and it’s fab – every month we get a lovely picture and some fab goodies from them. H loves them too and they’re a really positive influence for little girls – their tent wasn’t just for girls though, it was for anyone who wanted to send a postcard to the fairies, boys of course are included.

Bear Nibbles were handing out free samples of their scrummy food, and next to them were some Barny edible teddy bear cake-y type things (which H loved). There was also a Haribo man making his way around the audience giving out free packets for those moments when it becomes too overwhelming for your little one and you need to give them sugar.

After that we headed back into the main area to get some food. Oh my, everyone else had arrived and the queues were long. Fortunately Dick and Dom were on stage, my Lollibop 2013 highlight, too funny, no ‘bogies’ but plenty of Dick Vs Dom and brilliantly funny. I think it opened up a new kind of comedy to H who wasn’t sure what to make of it. Definitely the best thing we saw – I could have cried laughing at times. H still finds it very strange someone would shout in a library ‘as you’re not meant to do that’ (oh, she’s so good).

Food queues were getting silly, so after a quick scoot around (Nando’s – too long, The Food Stop – too long) we decided on toasties. Reasonably priced Shaun queued while H and I had a little rest – we hadn’t sat down by this time (Hello Kitty had been cancelled on the main stage much to H’s disappointment and the Mr Men had finished which was our only stage clash) plus we were hungry.

The Toasties are quick, but the queue is slow – we got them after about 20-30 minutes in the end, and headed to the press area to sit down and eat them.

After that we felt a bit more refreshed and headed out to catch the end of the GoGoGo Show – we really liked the sets were repeated so at least we caught them at the start of the day when it was quiet and didn’t miss anything as Rastamouse started again. This time we wandered around the shops.

I saw this. I managed to hold myself back. Just.

There were loads of great stalls but we don’t have a lot of money to spend with H’s 4th birthday next week, so we were sensible – in the end I got her some Hello Kitty Top Trumps as I think she’ll like them. There was an entire Top Trumps stall, so that was good to see. I spotted some Moshi Monsters ones too but will wait for now.

We headed towards the Lolli Kitchen where Katy Ashworth from I Can Cook was about to start, which coincided with Andy & Sid from Cbeebies on the Lollipalladium – both stages pretty much next to each other so you can easily get between the two. Actually, H wanted to stop at the Parentdish stand and colour in some bunting. Eventually we got to see both, and both were excellent. Katy was especially funny and got H giggling – a very talented lady – another Lollibop 2013 highlight. Sid and Andy were singing nursery rhymes by the time we got there and being ever so funny – H was getting tired though and by now was on Shaun’s shoulders.

After that we were a bit Lollibop-ed out, and decided to check the face painting queue – it was still long, but we spotted a Hello Kitty Meet and Greet, so joined that queue instead. They closed it when we were FIVE away from meeting Hello Kitty, cue lots of sad kids who just bombarded her with cuddles. That was enough for H, that and there was a Hello Kitty Twister on the hill too which was pretty awesome (and we got to sit and let her get on with it which was even better).

A quick wander back to the main area and the face painting queue had gone right down so we joined it, where the fabulous ladies from Kattoo were, giving out free tattoos to everyone – we already had ours and I got to have a chat with them. It’s a brilliant idea and perfect for events like Lollibop – keep an eye out for them! H had her face painted like Hello Kitty (see a theme here?) and we headed back towards the Magic Belles stand for one last colour in.

Kattoo Tattoos at Lollibop 2013

After that a quick stop at the Wow Toys stand, I’m kind of sad as we’re at the top end of their age range, their toys look excellent though and one I’ll consider for my new nephew when it comes to Christmas time. Duplo were next door so we had a quick play before it really was time to leave Lollibop 2013 and make a move back home.

All in all we spent the day from around 10.10 until 5.30 which is pretty good going. I was pleased how well H handled it, there was plenty of space to rest up, plenty of shelter from the rain and everything was reasonably priced. Lollibop 2013 was a fantastic day out and I really wish we’d got to the National Geographic Kids area as I would love to subscribe for H if it was age appropriate and they had a good deal on. We missed the science area too. I feel like you need an even longer day to do it all!

It was a wonderful day, we have no complaints and we’ll be back next year.

You can still buy tickets here!

We received free passes for our day at Lollibop 2013 – all opinions are our own and honest.

15/08/201327/01/2014 by jo

Easy No-Cook Brownies

Here’s our slightly modified easy no-cook brownies recipe!

To make these no-cook brownies you need the following :

1 cup of pecans

1 cup of dates

a third of a cup of cocoa powder

one small person for squishing (not literally, just for the mixture, honest).

I blasted the pecans in my processor until they looked like this.

pecan no-cook brownie

Add the dates and process them again.

Then finally added the cocoa powder.

The no-cook brownies mixture felt a bit dry so I added some honey to make it a bit stickier (a not too generous squeeze, enough to make it moist but not sticky).

After that it was a case of lining a tray with greaseproof paper, and getting H to squish the mixture so it was nice and flat.

Put the no-cook brownies in the fridge to set….

All you need to do after that is cut the brownies into pieces and try not to scoff it all at once. The no-cook brownies are really light, feel healthy, quite chocolatey (so if you want to reduce it, add less cocoa) and stick together well.

This recipe is adapted from here and here.

14/08/2013 by jo

A Sad Kind Of Post

Yesterday I was saddened to read about the death of Jon Brookes of The Charlatans. See, I’m not sure if you know, but the name Mum Friendly came about after a night sitting in the pub trying to think of a name as they played The Charlatans ‘Some Friendly’ album – and it happened I had been proof reading the artwork for a reissue at work too. It all kind of clicked into place.

So it feels appropriate to post something here. RIP Jon Brookes. A great drumming talent and a sad loss at such a young age too.

14/08/201326/03/2018 by jo

Lollibop 2013 Stage Times Announced!

The Lollibop 2013 stage times have been announced!

Lollibop 2013 stage times have been published – the festival starts this Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – and if you’re a seasoned festival goer like us, you want to know where to go to make sure you see everything.

Fear not, as the lineup has been made available over on the Lollibop site – the Parent Superhero Pack is available as a PDF for you to download and plan your day.

There’s easy travel instructions, although we’re complicating things by possibly taking a detour via the Thames cable cars, after all we don’t get over to East London very often (despite it being less than ten miles away – probably). Whichever way you go, it’s only a short walk from Stratford’s station which covers the Tube, Overground, DLR and National Rail.

Maybe we’ll have time to visit Westfield Stratford afterwards if we need to get food… mm!

We’re going on Friday and it looks like we’re set for a Rastamouse filled day which pleases me H no end! She’s also a teeny tiny huge bit excited about Hello Kitty too…

One complaint I’ve read from previous years are the queues – so Lollibop have made sure there’s more face painting available (which I think is included in the ticket price?) – so hopefully there won’t be too much waiting around! It’s looking like there’ll be showers on Friday too, so we’ll have our waterproofs packed in case, they’ve also got some on the site in case you’re caught out.

Most importantly of all is the Adult Creche which serves alcoholic drinks, possibly needed when you’ve had too many Hi-NRG nursery rhymes in an hour – phew!

We’re really looking forward to going to the Magic Belles stand in the Village Green. They’ll be there for all three days – they’ve a small marquee with tables and benches where little ones can colour and decorate Magic Belles postcards. As well as that they can write messages to the fairies on the back. After that they can add some special little stamps, and post them in the fairyland post box and quite frankly, I’d like to have a go too! Everyone who takes part will get a special sticker and postcard to keep as well! H is a huge Magic Belles fan so we’re really looking forward to this!

I’m really looking forward to the National Geographic Kids Zone too, as with H starting school soon I think some fun learning could be good (and it’ll mean us adults get a break too, hopefully!)

I’ll be taking photos throughout the day, and probably uploading a lot of them to Instagram – follow me here if you want to see what it’s like at the new site. We’ll be reviewing Lollibop as well.

Don’t forget – get your Lollibop 2013 stage times over here now!

13/08/201323/06/2015 by jo

Dick Bruna Books Reprinted at The Tate Bookstore

There are some Dick Bruna books being reprinted and made available at the Tate Bookstore right now. We placed an order and they arrived today – you can never have too many Dick Bruna books in your collection!

We love all the Dick Bruna books, he’s been one of my favourite authors since I was a little girl and is now one of H’s. She also has a far better Dick Bruna collection than I ever had.

If you head online to the Tate Bookshop you’ll find some editions of the books which haven’t been available in a long time – there’s a book ‘The Apple’ which was the first Dick Bruna book, originally produced in 1959, translated in 1995 and pretty much unavailable since then.

The Tate is doing a 3 for 2 deal so I picked up two other books we didn’t have – ‘The School’ and ‘On My Scooter’.

They’re all such gorgeous books, if you know the Miffy books it’s more of the same – from a time when things felt much more innocent and simple. I’m loving ‘The School’ for the rhymes about a day at school and what they do (and the teacher telling them to ‘listen to what I say!’). ‘On My Scooter’ has a child getting some veg for Pete the Donkey – this only dates back to 2010, but is a 2013 reprint. ‘The School’ is 1964. You can tell which books are older based on the font used as their title.

‘The Apple’ is a short story about an apple that wishes it had legs. The rooster shows concern, and ends up taking the apple for a fly around instead, which cheers up the apple immensely.

For me, these books are likely to be some of the first ones H will read properly as she’s taught at school. She knows a few words now and I love the simplicity of these books with the gorgeous illustrations. If you like Miffy books, head over to the Tate online too. Suitable for all ages, we love Dick Bruna books – from H at almost four to me at 43!

13/08/2013 by jo

What Bugs Lurk In Your Bedding?

What bugs lurk in your bedding?

Bugs are nasty little things and everywhere – I’ve had a dustmite allergy for most of my life. I’ve done all kinds of thing to help prevent me from reacting to them, such as keeping the house dust-free and making sure bedding is changed frequently. Things have improved as I’ve got older so here’s hoping I’m growing out of it!

The Bedding Company have put together an infographic which makes for interesting reading :

What bugs lurk in your bedding?

Courtesy of The Bedding Company. The Bedding Company manufacture and supply premium pillows, duvets, mattress covers, protectors and bed linen at prices which won’t leave you losing sleep at night!

I was paid to host this infographic.

11/08/201326/03/2018 by jo

Porridge On Tuesday – an Update

Porridge on Tuesday is a healthy eating plan I’m working with as an Ambassador.

Porridge on Tuesday has loads of delicious recipes and is helping me organise my life at the moment – when I can’t get things done there’s still one thing that needs to be organised, and that’s food.

I went a bit off-track the last couple of weeks with trips away and other things, but I feel like I’m back and on the case. Fortunately I haven’t put on any weight in the process.

I have made a few lifestyle changes. One thing I’m going to write more about soon is sleep and my general lack of – so I now only drink coffee on weekends and Wednesday when I’m off work. When I’m at work it’s water all day – I need to stop relying on it to keep me awake.

I also haven’t been drinking as much – we’re not big drinkers but cutting out alcohol apart from once a month (when I knit) as well as the no coffee has made me feel much more alert and ‘with it’. There was an unofficial Porridge On Tuesday July dry month which I kept to pretty much, apart from when I went to York and my sister ~~forced me to drink a pint~~ invited me for a drink in her pub.

One of the things I’m finding is that I can lose the weight, but I still see myself as the big girl in the background – some things don’t change. You don’t lose weight and a magic wand makes everything okay, so I’m working on the other things one at a time.

ANYWAY. Without further ado, I have organised my plan for next week, starting Tuesday. Being a creature of habit I have my breakfast and lunch logged as I keep to the same things, with the Porridge on Tuesday meal ideas for the evenings, as well as healthy snacks for through the day. My plan runs from Tuesday every week and we’re out on Friday and Saturday so I haven’t planned anything specific.

I’ve placed my Ocado order so I’m ready. We’re eating a lot of salads at the moment thanks to the previously mentioned Salad Wine Box so this makes things much easier and quicker. For me, I can see Porridge on Tuesday really working for me once H starts school and I’m finishing work at an earlier time every day – giving more time to prepare food in the evenings. While the meals I do are quicker ones I feel like a little more time will benefit us all.

I’ve kept Friday blank as we’re at Lollibop and I’ve no idea what foods will be on offer there – but I want to be healthy. I figure I’ll do plenty of walking too so I’m getting some exercising, as well as bopping to Rastamouse…

Porridge on Tuesday can be found over here.

I have been provided with twelve weeks free to use the service and give my honest opinion.

11/08/201327/01/2014 by jo

Grow Your Own Crops In Pots by Kay McGuire

Grow Your Own Crops In Pots by Kay McGuire is a book we’re getting a lot from. The author McGuire is Kew-trained, so we’re putting our trust in her – and so far it’s all good!

Vegetable Wine Box - Grow Your Own Crops in Pots

Grow Your Own Crops In Pots is a book by Kay McGuire, covering something ideal for our inner-London lives – we rent, we don’t have a garden and we’re not about to join a waiting list for an allotment.

Having said that, we do have a back yard. Shaun picked up Grow Your Own Crops in Pots when The Book People came to his work and it’s been an interesting read. It breaks down over sixty fruit, herbs and vegetables and shows good ways to plant them – even in the smallest of spaces.

One thing we’ve done is to make an old wine box into a salad garden. Back in March one of our chairs in the garden broke, and now makes a handy wine box salad garden stand! It would never have occurred to us had we not had this book – and the wine box was sat in the shed doing nothing.

So, what to do? Get your wine box, drill some holes in the bottom, add soil and that’s it. Shaun also varnished it to keep it watertight as much as possible.

So look – this is how it started and this is what it’s like now – we’ve been eating salad every night this week fresh from the back yard.

H got some free seeds from Pizza Express and we’ve some mint growing there too – can’t wait to try it!

Were it not for Grow Your Own Crops in Pots we’d probably still be buying shop-bought salad – this way it involved minimal effort and the lettuce just keeps on growing. (n.b we bought lettuce from a garden centre, next year we’ll do it from scratch, okay?)

You can find Grow Your Own Crops in Pots here at Amazon

10/08/201327/01/2014 by jo

Movie Night – What We Ate

Who’s in for Movie Night?

Movie Night is something we do from time to time, get H bathed and ready for bed, make some nice food to eat and settle down in front of the tv with a film she’s chosen.

Tonight we’re watching Mary Poppins, I managed to brainwash H quite well so I’m happy with that – it’s one of her favourite films. Our movie food is going to be simple and home made – two pizzas and a garlic bread, a salad, and some blueberry and pear ice cream. We have all the ingredients to make it so it’s going to be a pre-payday cheap treat – good job really as the car insurance is due next week!

So you start off with your ingredients, the breadmaker and ice cream maker on hand. The dough for pizza (300g strong white flour, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp yeast plus 170ml water) takes 45 minutes and the ice cream takes around 40 once you’ve made the mixture. I got everything ready nice and early so it would be ready for a 5.30pm start.

I crushed the fresh garlic with my favourite contraption the Royal VKB garlic crusher. I bought it years ago and still use it a lot – the biggest plus point – you can wash your hands with it afterwards and it gets rid of the smell on your fingers. It crushes up the garlic really nice and chunky too.

You get the food prepped and it’s almost time with it looking like this (this is about the time we realise our greaseproof paper isn’t very good and we need a pizza stone):

Pop in the oven for 20 minutes or so, and then before you know it it’s time for movie night :

I think it’s all a bit Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious myself. Spit spot.

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07/08/201326/01/2014 by jo

Banana and Egg Pancakes with Fruit Splodge

Recently a friend, Kelly, posted a recipe for Banana and Egg pancakes – so we had to give them a go as they look so easy.

Banana and egg pancakes are a really simple meal to make with just two ingredients. We added a fruit topping to it which in our usual style was a little over the top…

What you need :

for the banana and egg pancakes:

a ripe banana
two eggs

small frying pan
oil for frying

for the fruit splodge:

however much frozen fruit you want (any fruit will do, but I like the cold of frozen fruit)
half a banana (chilled)
a splash of milk

Get the banana and mash it up until there are very few lumps left – the riper the banana the better as otherwise they can be quite stiff.

Add the two eggs. Beat the mixture until it’s a pancake-like mixture. A lot will depend on how well mashed the bananas are.

I then got one of my measuring cups and scooped the mixture, putting it into the pre-warmed pan. Remember these are pancakes you’re working with so you don’t need a lot of mixture.

Each banana and egg pancake should take no more than 30 seconds to brown – turn them over and do both sides. They can burn easily so don’t forget they’re there. The mixture will make approximately 8 small pancakes or 5 bigger ones.

Once each banana and egg pancake is cooked, place on some kitchen roll to cool.

Fruit splodge

Get your frozen fruit (we’ve tried with frozen blueberries and with frozen black forest fruits from the Waitrose Essentials range) and put into a blender. Blend.

Once the mixture looks like this, add half a banana. I have no idea why but it gives it a bit of an extra thickness. I add a tiny bit of milk too, and the mixture feels a bit like ice cream but without the sugar and cream. It should be too thick to pour but too thin to scoop, and you’ve got it just right.

Spoon on top of the banana and egg pancakes. Find you’ve made way too much but it’s okay as it’s all pure fruit anyway.

If you’re doing Weight Watchers the only things which would count are the eggs and milk for this which would come in at 2.5 points. They’re gluten-free and really filling too!

I think the preparation time is around five minutes, cook time the same.