Hotel Chocolat - The Festive Wreath

Hotel Chocolat - The Festive Wreath




I have been sent a Hotel Chocolat 'The Festive Wreath' to review.
Firstly the speed of delivery was fantastic and it reached us in pristine condition with beautiful packaging finished with ribbon

It came with a card enclosed saying who it was from so would be great to send as a gift.
My first impressions of the wreath are it looks like a very high end gift to be shared on a special occasion and I am happy to of received it.



The box is well laid out with all the legalities but the mouth watering description stands out.
"Inspired by one of the absolute classic flavour combinations of mellow 50% cocoa milk chocolate working in perfect harmony with nibbly cookies and hand cut Florentines that beautifully balance the sweetness of the chocolate."


Serves 9 just slice & share.

Weight 450g/15.9oz

Suitable for vegetarians, alcohol free.

Contains: Almonds, Gluten, Hazelnuts, Milk, Soya, Wheat. May contain traces of other tree nuts and peanuts.

Price £21.00

To order your own Festive Wreath or another Hotel Chocolat product visit Hotel Chocolat

Taste Test :-

This isn't the easiest item to serve, although nothing a sharp knife cannot get through.
On the first bite the intense flavour of the satisfying thickness of the chocolate is amazing, and the more bites you take the better it gets, the fusion of various hidden pieces within the chocolate makes every bite a different adventure. Very much how you would expect a Wonka bar to be as a child but far more sophisticated.

I would say this would make a nice end to any family gathering or dinner party with coffee.

I give this product 10/10 and will use this company in the future.

Simple Spaghetti Carbonara

Simple Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients

• 260g cubed smoked pancetta
• 2 fresh bay leaves, washed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 150g finely grated parmesan cheese
• 350g Sainsbury's fresh spaghetti
• ½ small bunch fresh basil, washed, leaves picked
  
  Method

1.   Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the pancetta and cook gently for 5 minutes until crisp and golden. Add the bay leaves, garlic, nutmeg, black pepper and fry for a further 2 minutes then remove from the heat.

2.   Cook the spaghetti according to the pack instructions then drain, reserving a ladleful of the starchy cooking water. In a frying pan over medium heat, scramble the egg whites. In a large salad bowl, combine the pancetta mix, egg yolks, scrambled egg whites and cooked pasta.

3.   Combine the cooked pasta with the pancetta and egg mixture; the residual heat in the pan will be enough to cook the sauce. Add the reserved cooking water if necessary.

4.   Top with a few fresh basil leaves and serve immediately with a bowl of the parmesan cheese on the side.

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs And Couscous

Moroccan Lamb Meatballs And Couscous


Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil by Sainsbury's
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika by Sainsbury's
• 1 tablespoon Italian tomato purée by Sainsbury's
• 390g carton Italian chopped tomatoes by Sainsbury's
• Pinch caster sugar
• 80g Sainsbury's ready to eat dried apricots, chopped
• 250g Sainsbury's couscous
• 500ml vegetable stock, hot (made with 1 stock cube)
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• ½ x 28g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 25g Sainsbury's flaked almonds
• Lemon wedges
• 500g pack British lamb mince by Sainsbury's
• 1 red onion, grated
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin by Sainsbury's
• ½ teaspoon Fair trade ground cinnamon by Sainsbury's
• ½ x 31g pack fresh coriander by Sainbury's , finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil by Sainsbury's
  
  
  Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Make the meatballs. Mix together the mince, red onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and coriander in a large bowl. Season, then shape into 12 meatballs - remember to wash your hands after handling raw meat.

2.   Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan, add the meatballs and fry all over for 2-3 minutes until golden. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest.

3.   up with a fork and stir in the remaining ingredients.

4.   Divide the couscous between plates and top with the meatballs. Serve with lemon wedges on the side

5.   Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes, adding in the garlic and smoked paprika for the last minute. Stir in the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes, and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Add in the rested meatballs and toss to coat.

Put the couscous in a large bowl, pour over the hot stock and cover with cling film. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the grains 

Flash Liquid Gel Cleaner

Flash Gel All Purpose Cleaner - 

So I've reviewed the 'Flash Gel Cleaner' the pink one (which I must add is lush)

I decided to clean my oven (very long over due, well over a year) :$ oops.....

New Flash Liquid Gel’s perfectly balanced formula targets dirt, fights grease and helps with stain removal to leave a brilliant shine. Each drop of the all-purpose cleaner contains 2.5x more power compared to the regular Flash Lemon. You won’t waste a drop (or money), as the innovative dosing cap helps you to dose the right amount with every squeeze. Whether you need to clean dried food stains, mop the floors or make the bathroom sparkle, this powerful all-purpose cleaner tackles the toughest household dirt on a range of different surfaces.

How to use Flash Liquid Gel

New Flash Liquid Gel has been designed to be a true all-purpose cleaning product. Thanks to its unique Liquid Gel form, it can be easily diluted in your bucket to act as a floor cleaner or used neat to clean tough stains on your kitchen worktop.

Choose your favourite scent

Flash Liquid Gel comes in the following fragrances:

• Crisp Lemons

• New Zealand Springs

• Blossom and Breeze

• Cotton

I put some gel onto the inside of the oven door undiluted and made circular movements until foamed. 

 I'm really impressed with the outcome I can actually see through my oven door. 

I've never had a cleaner so good, this is a multi purpose cleaner. 

Below are my Before & After Pictures 

I will say it did take abit of scrubbing as it really was a mess. 

I'd give this product 10/10 and I will continue to use aswell and recommended it to a family member already. 

Most supermarkets stock 'Flash Gel Cleaner' at around £3.00/4.50

Radical Reward Chart

We've been asked to Review 'Radical Reward Chart'

I thought this would be a great idea with my Daughter as she's potty training & so far this is helping her to remember to go to the toilet we've had less 'accidents'.

My daughter likes to see the picture of herself moving up the chart so when she reaches a goal she gets a prize or she gets to do something special (you don't need to reward with anything expensive)

There are six designs to choose from £14  each which includes delivery. 

You can choose between a carrot counter or a picture of your child which you send them & they laminate your picture & send with the reward chart. 

There is a 20 step goal to reach which you can decide which number goal they need to reach before getting a prize or gift whatever the reward. 

I definitely recommend you go & have a look at Radical Reward Charts they are on Facebook & Twitter, they also have a Blog you can go over to and take a look. 

Shelbys Snack Shack

I was asked to review Shelby's snack shack which we was looking forward to the game coming, but only just getting round to Reviewing the game.

Shelby's Snack Shack is a counting game, great for educational skills for ages 4+ it's a 2-4 player game. 

Included in the box :

• Colourful game board

• 1 Shelby Squeezer

• 40 Bones

• 4 Bowls

• 1 Double game spinner

Shelby buried bones on the beach and needs your help collecting them. Spin the spinners to determine your play. Then use your bowl. *Collect the most bones to win*

Sounds simple, but be careful - Spin a sneaky seagull, and you'll lose some bones or get sidetracked chewing a flip flop and miss your turn. 

The idea of Shelby's Snack Shack is to develop number and counting skills, while children think its just fun they are actually using counting & number skills. 

My children have had hours of fun playing Shelby's Snack shack which most educational games children don't like  but this is colourful & fun for them. Although it says 2-4 players I have 6 children & we paired them up into 2's and each time their team came up they took turns. 

A fantastic game all round with Education all made for fun times. 

I have already recommended this game to a few friends if you'd like to contact Shelby you can do at 

Email - Shelby@educationalinsights.com

Facebook - Educationalinsights

My Liebster Award Nomination

                                                    This isn't my picture!



So ive been nominated for a Liebster Award by My crazy,Mixed up, Oh so sweet life! which you should go visit it's a great little blog :)

It's been really manic the past fortnight due to the kidlet's being off for the Easter holidays.
Not really done any blogging recently, but tonight I was sat minding my own on my Facebook Page Crazii Mum and got an Email saying i'd been Nominated for a Liebster Award, I was like hmm what's this I asked the hubby.
After reading into it the Liebster Award.
In case your wondering what a Liebster is, it's a fun little thing for blogs with LESS than 200 followers.




So these are the Questions I've been asked, Here goes ...........


1. When do you find the time to blog? When the kidlet's are in bed or i'm awake during the night thanks to Insomnia

 2. If you could be any animal, what would it be and why? I'd be a rabbit lol because they are cute and snuggly

 3. Describe what you feel when you see your favorite color.? I just Love anything that's in Purple

 4. What is your favorite television show? Ummm it'd have to be Eastenders

 5. What one thing would you like your children to take into adulthood? The family traditions we've done since being children ourselves

 6. What does you family think of your blog? My children don't understand but my husband thinks its great.

 7. What would your dream vacation be? My dream vacation would be somewhere far far away with my family :)

 8. What is your favorite midnight snack? Well I don't have a midnight snack but when I was pregnant with my 2nd me and my husband used to have crabstick and seafood sauce sandwich....

 9. What daily chore do you despise the most? Hoovering !!!!!

 10. What advice would you give to a first time blogger? Take it one step at a time, don't expect to get off your feet the day you start.

 11. If you had 3 wishes what would you wish for? If I had three wishes i'd wish that there was no nasty illnesses especially children's illnesses, My family would live forever and id win the lottery to be able to buy all my children their own house and car with savings for when their older.

The Clocks Go Forward.....

Officially from 1am Sunday morning the clocks went forward by an hour.
The result will be more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings - sometimes called Daylight Saving Time.

The adjustment in time means the evenings will be lighter and the mornings will be darker for a short period of time.

Daylight saving is thought to date back to 1895, when it was proposed by New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson. He valued after-hours daylight as it enabled him to collect more insects.

In 1907, Englishman William Willett campaigned to advance the clocks by 80 minutes, in four moves of 20 minutes at the beginning of the spring and summer months.

The following year, the House of Commons rejected a Bill to advance the clocks by one hour during the spring and summer months.
British Summer Time was first defined in an Act of Parliament in 1916 when the clocks were moved one hour ahead of GMT from the spring to the autumn.

In 2011, a Daylight Saving Bill received ministerial backing to bring the UK in line with Central European Time for a trial period of three years.

But in January last year, the bill, tabled by Tory MP Rebecca Harris, was torpedoed by a small group of MPs and was halted due to lack of parliamentary time.

Spare a thought for Roman Piekarski who today has to change 600 cuckoo clocks at his Cuckooland Museum in Tabley, Cheshire.

Does the time change ruin your daily routines with children?

We have found our youngest is waking earlier the last "Few" days not entirely sure if it's due to the clocks going forward or not.

I personally think it can confuse the body clock of children & ruin any routines, sounds daft to be honest just one tiny "Hour" can change such a lot.

Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.

The meaning of Easter

My husband said the other day I wonder how many children actually know the meaning of Easter ?

Do they just think Easter = Chocolate & Easter Bunny?

We always read the Easter Story at this time of year although we don't go to church we believe our children should be educated in such things.
We shall be doing Easter related activities as well as Easter baking (Can't wait to make nests) I'm a big kid when it comes to special occasions at different times of the year.

It's a sad state of affairs that "Some" children don't actually know the meaning of Easter, it's not a hard thing to explain to the children, there's a page on the Internet that is perfect for the Easter Story here at

The Easter Story

Check it out and pass it on to anyone who you think will benefit from reading this to help their child(ren) understand the Easter Story.

Easter Bible Verse :-

From Luke 24:1-12 ESV

(1) But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. (2) And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, (3) but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. (5) And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? (6) He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, (7) that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (8) And they remembered his words, (9) and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. (10) Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, (11) but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (12) But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

I hope you have a fantastic Easter & Remember the Meaning of Easter & Read the story to the children while Tucking into your Easter Eggs.

Family night out

We decided we was going to take the children to see Disney On Ice.

Friday night couldn't come quick enough, the children woke Friday morning so hyper & excited.
I dread to think what they was like at school as the day went along.

We'd got to arrive early so we could park as the arena seats alot more than there is in car parking spaces.

Waiting for the show to begin was abit hectic as it was 1 hour before & trying to keep six children entertained & explaining why the show hadn't started or why it wasn't starting any time soon.

FINALLY it started

My youngest was amazed as Mickey & Minnie Mouse came out. She shouted "WOW" & waved her little hand at them.
It was magical for them.

It was definitely worth the money & a great night out together as a FAMILY.
We are most certainly going to be doing it again in the near future.

It didn't get too packed with people either, we didn't have anyone sat above us or directly infront of us which meant the children could move around freely rather than being stuck in their seats the whole of the show.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you yummy mummies out there! !

All the children was excited, they went off with their dad yesterday afternoon to wrap their pressies & write their cards.
I could hear them all giggling and stomping across the landing upstairs to hide their gifts for me.


Melts my heart to hear them excited & talking to each other about mummy opening them in the morning.

My son aged 3 yr came downstairs and said "Mummy you don't know where I've put your cup. Do you?" Hehe made me have a chuckle to myself.

I was woken this morning by my eldest two who bought me a cup of tea & breakfast in bed.
After going downstairs I was showered in cards & pressies.
Their little faces lit up with excitement as I open each present & card. "Mummy do you like it?"

I'm such a lucky mum to have six amazing children who are my whole world & they make it go round.

I'm so proud to be a mum :)

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day with lots of love & laughter along the day.

Cloth Nappies vs Disposable Nappies

Environmental Aspects

After researching into cloth nappies, I found that not only was cost difference massive, but the environmental impact was huge.

For Example :-

* Each nappy takes an average of 500 years to decompose.

* 3 billion disposables are thrown to landfill each year.

* Disposables account for up to 4% of landfill.

Taking all that into account, it makes for a very scary thought!

After hearing my friends raving about Reusable nappies I started to ask them questions & research for my own knowledge.

After much research I decided I was going to buy a few to try out for myself and to see if we could adjust to them.
Excited I purchased some crazy designs along with the reusable liners & disposable liners. Which would work best for us?

After the nappies arrived we set to trying them, My daughter loved them as they was bright & colourful and she could choose which one she wanted to wear at that time.

We couldn't get over how much softer & how comfortable they was on our daughter. Amazing!!
I have recommended these to friends & will recommend them again if asked about them. We have many of designs & there's loads of different companies that make them also there's people on Facebook and twitter that are reasonable prices.
Why hadn't I tried them before now? I would of loved all my children to have used these instead of the money we've spent on the disposable one.

Easy to clean you just pop them in the wash and onto the radiator to dry, you need to get a good few so your not just washing on and wearing one.
Don't get me wrong I only bought 4 to start with and after we tried and like them I ordered more.
A brilliant design all round. Who wouldn't want to be able to choose a design on a nappy that their child will like along with saving you money asking as you don't get addicted to buy them as new designs are added weekly/monthly you see it you want it or should I say you NEED it :)

Tangle Teezer Original Brush

The "Tangle Teezer Original Brush" -
Professional Detangling Hairbrush

After much research having four girls with long hair I wanted something that wasn't going to hurt them while I brush their hair.

I came across the "Tangle Teezer" well there can't be anything to lose buying one. So I went ahead and bought one.
After receiving the "Tangle Teezer" I couldn't wait to try it out.

WOW after all these years of tears while I brush their long beautiful hair, it broke my heart for the few minutes I brush their hair and it "Hurt" them & Made split ends.
It was amazing it didn't hurt any of them. My youngest daughter even brings the "Tangle Teezer" to me willingly.

I can't praise the brush enough, I 100% recommend this product to mums with girls or even boys with longer hair.
I bought my "Tangle Teezer" from amazon at £9.95

Tangle Teezer Hair Brush is not really a brush or a comb. First seen on Dragons Den it removes knots with ease from knotted hair, no more painful faces, breakage to hair or splitting.
The days of damage to your hair are over. Gently untangle matted hair without pulling it out.
Easy to use on hair extensions.
Detangles. Smoothes.
Ideal for all hair types.
Use on wet or dry hair. Fantastic for using after swimming.
Tangle Teezer really is the easiest way to untangle hair.
The secret of Tangle Teezer is in its specially designed mix of long and short teeth which glide through hair, without pulling. Tangle Teezers unique soft teeth flick through hair untangling knots effortlessly.
Using Tangle Teezer theres less splitting, breaking or damage than any other detangling hairbrush.

Tangle Teezer ensures hair will appear more lustrous by minimising cuticle damage which in turn will help colour last and reduce the risk of fading.
The "Tangle Teezer" is known by children as "The Magic Brush".
Well worth it's money, Comes in a range of colours.

Back To School

So Monday 25th February 2013 and the Crazii mini's are back to school.

Mr Crazii over laid this morning resulting in a mad rush of a morning, you can imagine the mad rush getting 5 children ready for school and Nursery.

Although they got to school in time for the morning bell.

Panicking over for Mr Crazii.....

Youngest little miss crazii and myself overlaid not getting up until 9:20am but there's an exception as baby girl is under the weather.
It's really too quiet today it always is for the first week of them going back to school.

To be honest if I could keep them all at home all the time I would. BUT thats another story.

It's just another day in the house until the little lady is feeling better. So PJ's and warm drinks while watching constant Peppa Pig and Ben and Hollies little Kingdom
I Do love being a Craziimumofmany.

Busting Boredom

"Nose the Balloon"

Let the kids make teams of two. Each team gets a large balloon they must blow up. Between them, they must keep the balloon in the air bumping it only with their noses. Each time it falls on the ground they loose a point - each team starting with say 100 points. The team who takes the longest to loose all its points is the winner.

"Stomp the Balloon"

Each kid gets a balloon and a piece of string about a yard long. They must blow up the balloon and tie the string to the balloon and to his ankle. There should be enough string between the foot and the balloon. The kids must now try to stomp and pop each other's balloons. The winner is the last one with an un popped balloon. 

"Playing In Paint"

Ok so admit it you grown ups would love plaint in some messy paint, its sure to be a fun time with your little ones (even the big ones love it)
So put your protection down on the floor or table, (or if it's a nice day go outside).
Get lots of children's paint and have lots of FUN.

Enjoy :)

February Half Term

So its the first day of half term, do you have to wake your children or do they wake you at silly O'clock? 

As you probably guessed ours are awake very early apart from our youngest, who loves her sleep.
She'd sleep until 9/9:30am every day..

Why do children wake early when its the holidays but dont want to wake for school?

Don't get me wrong I didn't like getting up for school. But I'd stay in bed at the holidays as long as my mum let me.

Ok not really got much planned for this half term. Thinking of booking to go & see "Disney On Ice" I can't wait im such a big kid at heart.