Asda Extra Special Old Vine Garnacha - Review

Last Saturday, the lovely people at Asda were kind enough to send me a case of their new Extra Special wines for review.  When the case arrived I was pleased to see a good variety of wines and I was keen to get stuck right in and try one of the bottles with our evening meal that night. Our menu consisted of Fillet steak so I was sure it would be well complimented by the Extra Special Old Vine Garnacha.

My first impression on opening the bottle was the robust aroma. It was by no means overpowering, but pleasant and rich.  Once poured, this wine had a very deep colour, almost inky with a hue of purple against the light. I couldn't wait to have a taste and see what it had to offer.

There are an abundance of fruit flavours bustling through this wine. To my palate blackberry, cherry and even a hint of plum made this a much more full bodied wine than I was expecting. All in all I found this a very distinctive wine. It complemented our meal beautifully, lending itself well to the chargrilled and peppery flavours of our fillet steak. I would most definitely recommend this wine be served with food. A good piece of red meat or a hearty beef casserole would be an ideal companion for this gutsy red wine.

The Extra Special Old Vine Garnacha is currently on rollback at Asda, making it an absolute bargain at just £5 (usually £8.25).

Am I Less of a Parent?

At the moment Holly is an only child. So most people I meet feel the immediate need to ask when she might expect a younger sibling.

I'm often met with a look of shock, surprise or even pity when I say we are happy as a family of three and that although it isn't a definitive no, I have no actual plans to have more children.

Before having Holly we had always said we would have two children. Yet when Holly came along she completed our family in a way I hadn't expected at all. Unfortunately not everyone understands this.

Apparently it isn't fair on Holly. She'll be lonely and unhappy.

I'm selfish as I could easily have another child and provide for them.

If  I concentrate all my energies on Holly, I might end up putting too much pressure on her as she grows older.

I'm obviously just not maternal at all, otherwise I'd never be able to JUST have one child.

I've got it easy. I have no idea what parenting is really like or how hard it is because I only have one child.

I've heard them all, and more.

I'm tired of justifying and defending my choice. More than that I'm upset that I'm judged as some second class parent because I don't have multiple children. I'm sure if  I had another child it would be wonderful, but I don't need to in order to feel complete. I already do.  Also, I'm in absolutely no doubt that having more children would be harder. I often wonder how people do it, and I'm genuinely in awe of people that do it every day. However, that doesn't give anyone the right to sneer at me for not doing it. To tell me I'm not maternal or I'm less of a parent, less of a mum. I live and breath my daughter. I would die for my child just as other parents would for theirs.  I get that some people simply can't understand this choice, but I don't get why it should be of any concern to anyone other than me. I have a happy family who I love with all my heart and soul, a family I would kill for, a family which to me is absolutely perfect, just as it is. I just wish people would stop insulting me because I don't fit their standards.

Review - Dreambaby Chelsea Swing Closed Safety Gate

It's safe to say that Holly is a very active toddler. Having taking her first steps at just 9 months to being a fully confident walker who would happily attempt walking upstairs at 10 months I am sure you can imagine that now she is 22 months she is into everything in the house. I literally cannot turn my back for a second!  She climbs anything and everything and has recently learned to jump from high objects too! It's definitely a scary time.

As you can imagine we have quite a lot of safety equipment in our house to keep Holly as safe as possibly. Up until now though we have only had one baby gate, which is fitted at the top of our stairs.   We never really needed a gate at the bottom of the stairs as we were simply able to keep the kitchen and lounge doors closed in order to keep Holly away from that area. However, due to a recent grotwth spurt Holly is now tall enough to finally reach the door handles (she has been trying to reach them for a long time) and can easily open all the doors now! So although Holly is easily able to use the stairs now I still don't feel it will be safe to let her near the stairs unattended! We really needed to find good gate for the bottom of the stairway as soon as possible.

I was therefore delighted when Tesco Compare home insurance offered me the opportunity to review a new baby gate!

The gate I received was the Dreambaby Chelsea Swing Closed Safety Gate.  I had already seen this product when browsing online for safety gates before and had really liked the features and design of this gate. Some of the features I liked best about the gate were:

• Pressure mounted. This made it very easy to put up (& to take down when the time comes). Also no drilling into my walls or woodwork! So no mess!
• 2 way opening and swing shut mechanism. This means you don't have to worry about forgetting to close the gate. It will close automatically once you have stepped through.
• It has a double locking mechanism (at the top and bottom) so it is very secure!
• Easy one handed opening for adults.

I will admit at first that I was unsure if a pressure fit gate would be sturdy enough. However I can say that once it was in place I can safely say it was extremely secure and just as secure as our other gate which is screw mounted to the walls. Also, fitting was extremely quick and the instructions were really easy to follow. My partner was the one who fitted the gate and he managed it in about 20 mins. He is not good with his hands at all, or good at following instructions either (I usually do ALL of our DIY). So I'd say the gate is pretty much foolproof!

Once the gate was in place we tried opening and closing the gate. I wanted to see how easy it was to open one handed. I have tried other gates that were impossible to open one handed so Again Imwas doubtful! I slid the button on top of the gate with my thumb, then lifted the gate slightly (the second locking mechanism) and pulled the gate towards me. It opened easily. It wasnt difficult at all. I tried opening it in the other direction too. It opened just as easily. In addition to this, the gate automatically closed behind me each time. I have to say, I was impressed.

I don't often gush about products but I would like to say this is a fantastic safety gate. It is easy and quick to fit (or remove). It's easy to open one handed for adults, but the double locking mechanism makes it extremely secure to keep exploring babies and toddlers out of harms way.

I would definitely recommend this gate to any parent.

Aldi Nappy and Baby Wipes Review

I've always been a huge fan of Aldi stores and Aldi's marvellous range of own brand products. I frequently shop in Aldi stores and feel that I always receive excellent value for money. So when I was approached to review some of their baby products I was more than happy!

The products I received for review were Aldi's own brand Mamia Ultra Dry Nappies and Mamia Baby Wipes.

Mamia Ultra Dry Nappies

When I opened the Mamia Ultra Dry Nappies the first thing I noticed was the design. The nappies are covered in cute little animals! It's such a lovely detail. Even Holly enjoyed looking at all the animals and trying to name them.

 I then tried the nappies on my daughter. At 21 months she has just started wearing a size 5 nappy. Despite Holly being on the small side there were no gaps around her legs but for a long time to come. I was very impressed by the fit and Holly certainly seemed comfortable in the Mamia nappy, and was happily running and climbing around as she usually does. So I'd say she would definitely give them a big thumbs up.

In terms of absorbency, the packing states that the nappies offer up to 12 hour leak protection. We decided to test that out by using the nappies overnight. I'm pleased to say that despite Holly being a heavy wetter, the nappy survived the night completely leak free. The nappies so far have contained everything, even some teething poo which is usually fairly explosive!

I really struggled to find something to criticise about these nappies at all. They are well designed, well fitting and highly absorbent. With packs of 40 nappies retailing at £4.49, that works out at only 11.2p per nappy. In terms of value for money, I genuinely think it would be impossible to find a better nappy.



                                                              Mamia Baby Wipes

 


I have to say, given the price of this product I was sceptical about the quality. I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised though. The packaging of these wipes looks very good quality. The wipe packet comes with a sealable plastic lid, which ensures the product will stay moist. When I opened the packet, the wipes were fantastically thick, durable, moist and beautifully soft. 

I find it amazing that such good quality wipes can be available for 79p per pack. That works out at 1p per wipe for a pack of 80. I can definitely see why these wipes have won a Mother & Baby Gold Award this year. 


I would definitely recommend these Aldi baby products to any parent, they are good quality and excellent value for money. But don't take my word for it, why not pop in to your nearest Aldi on Thursday 19th of September for their fantastic Baby and Toddler Special Buys? Aldi have many more amazing baby and toddler products you could discover and the prices are great too!

Twitter - debate, opinion, argument?

 If you are a member of a particular community on Twitter, you may have noticed lately that things have gotten a bit heated. Maybe the people involved* would deny that. Labelling it "healthy debate". In my opinion it isn't, and if that is a viewpoint you disagree with, I'm happy to hear you out. Then of course I will thank you for your opinion and insight and agree to disagree on this particular point.  Done.


You see to my mind, debate isn't about resolution.  It's about expressing your viewpoint in a clear, concise and intelligent way. If you are debating something it wouldn't be much of a debate if the other person had to listen to you shouting them down repeatedly in a sustained manner. Rehashing the same point over and over.  If someone stands up for what they believe in, nothing you say will change their mind. To continue bringing up the same points, over and over is counter productive. You are no more likely to change your opponents mind than the first time you made the same point. Do you honestly think that bombarding someone with your opinion will make them change their mind, admit they are in the wrong, or apologise?  Would you, if the shoe were on the other foot and it was something you really believed in? Of course you wouldn't! So why would someone else? Hearing each other out and agreeing to disagree is probably the best you could hope for, so why is that such a hard concept to grasp? Making your point then walking away is fine. Respect the fact that someone is strong enough to stand by what they truly believe in, just as you are.

Why must such things be dragged out? It solves NOTHING. All I see are the same points recycled and reworded again and again while these "debates" rumble on for days, weeks, months.  They shouldn't get personal. I don't just mean personal attacks like name calling and badmouthing. I mean that after many of these incidents on Twitter those involved end up viciously opposed to each other. Why? You disagree on one thing, get over it! There are plenty of people I disagree with on Twitter and in real life but I don't react in such a dramatic fashion. Of course I don't mean life or death issues (and to me most of these debates aren't).  I've yet to meet a single person I agree with wholeheartedly on everything. God, if everyone took an "Us VS Them" attitude over everything the world would be a bitter, harsh and lonely place.  Is it really so difficult to make your point and move on?


So there you have it. I've made my point and I am moving on. If you disagree, great! That's your right  to do so. It doesn't mean I have to agree. Now off you pop, and thank you for your time!





*I'm not going to get into specifics here.  Nor will I do the  "she said"/"he said" thing. That would serve no purpose. I'm not about to stir the pot.

Daydreamer

A recent conversation with OH has gotten me to thinking about something. We have noticed lately that Holly is becoming somewhat of a daydreamer. Although she is constantly running, jumping, shouting, rolling and diving off of high things with the enthusiasm of a base jumper she has started to spend a lot of time just daydreaming. Sitting in her swing in the garden, or in the rare moments when she will actually sit on your lap for more than 5 secs. Holly will be somewhere else, miles aways, who knows what she is dreaming up in that toddler brain of hers. She looks serene and calm, which is such a rare thing to behold in my boisterous little beauty. David and I sat watching Holly as she daydreamed one day and he turned to me and said,

"She's going to be a daydreamer just like me when I was little."

I looked at him in surprise.

"Me too, when I was at Primary School it was written in all my school reports!" I said.

It had never occurred to me that we had both been daydreamers as children.   I had always heard about the sporty, smiley, helpful and kind child that David was. Then he said something else.

"I used to get into trouble for being such a daydreamer, especially at school. I was always told off for daydreaming at school especially."

I  suddenly realised that it had been the same for me too, and when I thought about that, it made me sad beyond words.

Is it really a bad thing to be a daydreamer? Should it be written in a report card as a negative attribute?  In a child? A child of 5, or 6 or 7? Or any child of Primary School age? Surely there are far worse qualities to posses than having an imagination? A world inside your head, all your own, secret and special. Deep and wonderous and full of fun and magic? Would any adult really begrudge a child that? It seems to me to do so would be cruel in the extreme. Don't we all worry that children grow up too fast?  Wouldn't it be nicer to let them have their dreams before the harsh realities of life are made clear to them? 

Would it bother you to see those words on your child's school report in such a negative light? Would you agree and wish away their childish ways too? I for one would not. I will never be sad to hear that I have a daydreaming daughter. I will never look on her dreams as fanciful or childish, because that is what she is. A child. A world of wonder and possibility.  There is time enough for reality, and she has time enough to learn it. So while she can dream, she should. Enjoy every magical moment my darling daughter. Dream big...

Review: Sleep Mist

I love to sleep. I really do. There is nothing better than being able to drift off peacefully into a deep sleep and wake up refreshed the next day. It's just one of life's simple pleasures. However, drifting off easily isn't something I'm always able to do. Often it takes me a long time to fall asleep. Despite being tired at bedtime I often don't feel relaxed and ready to sleep and spend a lot of time tossing and turning in bed before sleep. So when I was approached with opportunity to try a product to help me sleep, I was very happy indeed!

Firstly, in order to ensure I received the most suitable sleep product for my needs I completed a short survey detailing my sleeping patterns and habits.

The product I received was Amelie et Melanie White Linen Pillow Mist.  Now I'll be honest, when I received the product I wasn't hugely optimistic that using something as simple as a pillow mist would actually help me sleep. When I first received it, I decided to spray a tiny amount of the product just to see if I liked the fragrance.  It was lovely. It had hints of jasmine, rose and lily of the valley and reminded me of the smell of freshly washed linen.  It's a very light and fresh fragrance and  although the scent lasts well, it isn't overpowering. It's exactly the type of scent I use around my home already which made me very happy! So despite my initial doubts, the wonderful scent had me looking forward to trying it out properly at bed time!

Bedtime arrived and I went through my usual routine as normal. I washed and changed, then sprayed the sleep mist onto my pillows before I climbed into bed.  I sat and read for a little while before lying down to sleep, but even before lying down I could smell the delightful scent of the pillow mist and definitely felt relaxed by it. That night I fell asleep very quickly, taking no more than 15 mins to drop off to sleep, when usually it might take me an hour or more.  The rest of the week was the same. I fell asleep much more quickly than normal, and even when I was lying in bed awake I felt more relaxed by the scent of the pillow mist. It was such a lovely product to use and also made me feel like I was jumping into freshly cleaned sheets every evening which was another bonus.

Since using the pillow mist I have been looking forward to bedtime so much more and have been looking for other ways to help improve my bedtime routine. If using something as simple as a pillow mist can improve my sleep so much then, making other, bigger changes should help too. I have now stopped watching television in bed (as I used to occasionally if I didn't have a good book to read) and this has made my bedtime much more relaxing already. I am also considering changing to all natural bedding and bed linen and investing in a more supportive mattress.

In conclusion, I would say the pillow mist had an extremely positive effect on my sleep. I felt well rested and happy as a result, and the whole experience has made me much more aware of how a relaxing environment can improve sleep. So I would definitely recommend this product as a sleep or relaxation aid.