Playmobil Advent Calendar

Playmobil Advent Calendar

I have always imagined advent calendars to be flimsy things that have a chocolate behind every door .... not now as this advent calendar is really really special!

Behind each of the 24 doors in this clever calendar is a different Playmobil figure or accessory.
Gone is the 'Oh what shaped chocolate will I get today?' it is replaced with 'What will you find behind today's door?' There are choices of one of the three Playmobil figures, or one of the four horses? Maybe you'll find an accessory to add to the Pony Farm stable scene that comes with the calendar.

I think that the Playmobil - Pony Farm Advent Calendar is a fun and original alternative to a chocolate advent calendar.  The set encourages imagination and so leads to the toy being educational too ... all from an advent calendar!


When you've opened all the doors and completed your scene, you can check out the Playmobil Pony Ranch range to add more to it.  Possibly unlocking an interest that can be added to year after year with all the different sets available.

If you have more than one child then buy different sets to make a whole play village - a daily treat to add to their new toy.

The Pony Farm Advent Calendar features:
■ 24 doors of Pony Ranch Playmobil to open.
■ The set builds up to create a Pony Farm scene.
■ Toys include 3 Playmobil figures, 4 horses, and loads of accessories!

Age 4+ due to small parts, the advent calendar is based around ages 4-10.  Emma is nearly 10 and she is very excited about opening the boxes.

Other sets available:
4160 Dragon’s Land £14.99
4159 Pony Ranch £14.99
4155 Christmas in the Forest £14.99
4157 Police £14.99
4158 Unicorn in Fairy World £14.99

RRP: £14.99 depending on retailer.

You can purchase the advent calendars direct from Playmobil’s online shop, www.playmobil.co.uk  but they can also be found at Toys R Us, The Entertainer, and all other good toy shops.

Nelsons Tea Tree Antiseptic

Nelsons Tea Tree Natural First Aid Antiseptic

'Magic Cream' has always been high on my first aid kit list, I like cream that is white as it looks clean from the time you squeeze it out of the tube to when you are carefully rubbing it into the 'poorly'.

Nelsons Tea Tree Cream has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties so can be used in a variety of different ways. The cream can be applied to cuts, bruises, bites, blemishes, acne, scabies, chicken pox as well as other skin disorders.

All natural, this homeopathic Nelsons Tea Tree Cream is suitable for all the family. Nelsons Tea Tree cream is a soothing skin cream prepared using the finest, purest tea tree oil from Australia. Tea tree oil has many uses but is best known for its excellent antiseptic properties.



Nelsons Tea Tree Cream is a nice cream, however the very strong smell of tea tree is a little off putting.  I found that a little went a long way ... not because its very economical but because it doesn't really sink in very quickly so spreads out over the skin.  I put a tiny blob on the back of my hand and rubbed it in, 10 minutes later and I still have white streaks of cream on my skin. 

The area where I rubbed the cream is very very soft and supple, when I applied the cream it felt cool and nice, which is great.  It is a nice cream just takes a bit of getting used too.

Nelsons Tea Tree cream is priced at £4.55 for 30g and £5.90 for 50g, it is available from Holland and Barrett, Boots, selected Lloyds pharmacies, the pharmacy section of Sainsburys, Morrisons and Asda and all good independent health food and pharmacy stores.

Chang Beer

Chang beer is a very light coloured beer which give quite a punch on drinking.  Brewed in Thailand it is quite a smooth beer but tastes quite malty compared with other bottled imports (such as Indian beers). 

Tha appearance is quite appealing, in a tall glass (from a female prospective) it looks very swish, yet when you drink it the first taste that hits you is a slight malty aftertaste at the back of your tongue .. almost like beer that hasn't finished brewing.  However after a few mouthfuls the taste subsides and you are left with quite a refreshing rich beer.

Chang is the Thai word for elephant, an animal that has cultural and historical significance to Thailand. The logo for Chang Beer features two elephants facing one other.

Each bottle is 5% alcohol by volume, which is quite high for a small bottle of beer.
Price wise it is quite competitive with an RRP averaging at only £1.50 a bottle (based on an online store search). 

I quite like Chang beer, but I do prefer Indian beer in comparison.  Chang beer will go lovely with most food particularly anything with a Thai influence.  This beer is also nice as a refreshing drink just to sit and sip, I feel it would be too gassy to drink just for the sake of drinking .. its more a beer that you would savour and enjoy.

Chang has been awarded quite a few medals recently including gold medals from the World Beer Championships, the Australian International Beer Award and also gold in the 2009 World Beers and Drinks Selection.  Obviously this is a beer to keep an eye on as its impresses worldwide.

Available from all Oddbins stores and some larger Tesco stores, Makro and Booker and Booths across the UK. 

You can also buy online at www.changebeerstore.com  where they have a CHRISTMAS SPECIAL OFFER, NOW ONLY £1 PER BOTTLE. 24 bottles of Thailand's award-winning beer for only £24.00.

For more information please visit: http://www.changbeer.com/

Staffs4x4

Staffs4x4

Staffs4x4 are an offroading / green laning club.  They are a group who like to use their 4x4 vehicles to visit the beauty of the UK (and possibly other countries in the future) while driving off road on tracks and lanes.

Recently set up by two experienced green laners they are already busy organising days and events for everyone to enjoy next year.

The team are hoping to be part of large shows across the UK to advertise the club on club stands.  These events normally last all weekend so the members can have a trip away camping or caravanning together. 
In the evenings everyone tucks into a BBQ while sitting round the campfire, winding down from a full day of meeting people and telling them about the club and what they are all about.

Please visit www.staffs4x4.co.uk for more information.

Domino's Pizza

Domino's Pizza

Tonight we had a family treat for dinner ... last week I brought a slow cooker and since then we have had stew every single night, needless to say my poor family were sick of stew and begged me for something different.    So tonight I relented after Andy said "Have a night off love you deserve it!" and ordered in from Domino's.

The clever thing about Domino's is that you can order pizza online, no more shouting "NO! I don't want extra anchovies!" down the phone you can sit and browse the menu in the peace and quiet of your own home.  I am sure many of you are thinking 'peace and quiet? whats that?' and yes you are correct as I had Emma over my shoulder going "I don't like peppers! I don't like onion!" until I told her to shut it or she'd get nothing except crust!

The ordering process was pretty easy, you start off with entering your postcode so that it can link you with your local branch, the next screen has each type of food in a different tab along the top of the screen ... deals, pizza, sides, desserts, subs.  Have a look at the pizza menu and you will see for yourselves.

I started with the 'Deals' tab and found that there was a 'buy one get one half price' deal running and also a deal where you got a large pizza, garlic pizza bread and potato wedges for only £17.99.  I totted up our order and found that the 'buy one get one half price' deal would be better for my budget.

We ordered 2 x large pizza's, a garlic pizza bread, a chicken stripper combo, extra chicken strippers and some garlic mozzarella fingers.  The chicken stripper combo is a good deal as it contains a whole portion of potato wedges and chicken strippers plus dips for much less than buying them separately.  Emma likes the chicken dippers (as does my Dad) so I ordered the extra chicken portion.

My order only took 20 minutes to arrive, which I thought was fantastic!  All products were piping hot and well packed, plus we had a wide selection of dips (garlic mayo, honey & mustard, sweet chilli and BBQ) to choose from.  Each pizza was cut through correctly which was great for Emma as she sometimes struggles to put the slices away from the main pizza.

The side dishes were a good size, although I felt we could have done with a few more potato wedges ... but with the whole of our order we had plenty of food for 4 of us.

We didn't personally try it (as I didn't fancy it) but Domino's have created a Double Decadence pizza.  This is two thin crusts sandwiched with a basil pesto.  You can then have the toppings of your choice.  To be it looks a little strong as I am not a massive fan of pesto ... but I would say that the idea is very very Italian taking pizza designs back to its roots.

Our meal tonight was spot on!  We all enjoyed the pizza and sides, I wish now I had ordered some desserts too as I fancy something chocolaty ... maybe I can convince Andy to nip out for me? no I don't think he will go either!

For more information and prices, please visit: http://www.dominos.co.uk/

Domino's reviewed by Anna at http://little-bit-of-everything-reviews.blogspot.com/

Lilys Kitchen Bedtime Biscuits

Lily's Kitchen Bedtime Biscuits

Ruby likes biscuits! Ruby being a Labrador would quite happily eat a whole box of biscuits in one sitting ... so we have to hide them :)

Lily's Kitchen is a range of proper pet food full of natural organic ingredients, the company put a lot of thought and care into their products, so much so that you could probably eat them yourself (but I wouldn't recommend it!).

The Bedtime Biscuits are traditionally baked using the finest organic ingredients, they aim to provide a good nights sleep for your dog as they are full of ingredients that are renowned for their relaxing properties.

Bedtime Biscuits are full to the brim with organic Oats and organic Rye Flour. Organic Chamomile and Passion Flowers for their therapeutic and nutritious qualities. Also included is organic pro-biotic yogurt to help digestion and other bodily functions.


The oval-shaped biscuits do not contain any chemicals or anything artificial. No pesticides are used in their production. These treats are low in fat which is a great benefit especially to Ruby who is a bit on the tubby side.

I have to say that the Nutritional Analysis sounds a bit odd?? but at least the company are honest in what's in them:
Crude Protein 12%
Crude Oils and Fats 7%
Crude Fibres 6.5%
Crude Ash 3.5%

The treats are available in 150g packs for £3.95 and can be purchased from Lily's Kitchen stockists as well as from the website http://www.lilyskitchen.co.uk/
These treats have a shelf life of 14 months which is excellent if you would like to bulk buy or buy as a gift.


Certified Organic - Organic Farmers and Growers
Certified Holistic - British Association of Holistic Nutrition and Medicine

LIV Maple Lodge

LIV Maple Lodge

Andy has spent the last year trying to get me to go camping or 'roughing it' (well I hope he was talking about camping anyway!) ... I wasn't convinced.  I need a proper bed, a fridge and my own loo .. I can't be doing with all this finding a big bush or tree to wee behind or heading off into a forest with a torch and a roll of Charmin. 
So Andy brought me a caravan :) I love my caravan so much that its clean and tidy (now if you can see my house you wouldn't expect my caravan to be tidy!).  

Anyway... so where is this going? or am I just prattling on about nothing?
Well LIV have brought out the "Its My Nature - Maple Lodge" which is slightly different from your normal play doll house.  For a start there is no pool, or wardrobe, or shoes, or real flushing toilet! this is because Maple Lodge is all about camping and living with nature.

The lodge folds out to create a good sized play house, but folds away to be able to store it easily.  This is a breath of fresh air (see what I did there? nature/fresh air!) for in our house as we had years of tripping over play doll chairs, beds, castles! and other HUGE equipment ... this one just folds away.

So what do you get with the Maple Lodge? There are 25+ accessories included in the set:
1 Sleeping Bag, 1 Hammock with stand. 1 Campfire that really lights up (how cool is that!), 2 Skewers, 2 Pots, 1 Pot rack with 2 hooks, 2 Plates, 7 Silverware, 1 Bowl, 2 Mugs, 1 Coffee pot, 2 Tree stump chairs, 1 Table, 1 Camera, 1 Muffin tin, 1 Milk/Egg carton, 2 Magazines, 1 Game board, 2 Placemats, 2 Hands of cards.

Now this is what confuses me ...... there are 2 placemats, 2 plates etc... but only 1 bowl! What if both dolls want cereal for breakfast?  Then you have things like 2 tree stump chairs (very authentic) but only 1 sleeping bag!! Do they have to play a board game or poker with the cards to work out who gets the sleeping bag? Does one doll get cold and hungry?  Then there is a muffin tray ... that'll be for whacking bears over the head with I suppose :)  My favourite accessory is the magazines ... well you need to wipe your dolls bum on something don't you ... did you see loo roll on the accessory list?

The lodge contains a fridge, cooker and cupboard, great for storing all the little bits and pieces that come with it :)

I do actually love this Maple Lodge, its really sweet.  Also goes really well with Nutmeg the Horse which I have also reviewed.

Available from Spinmaster in all good toyshops.
RRP £24.99