Late last year we were extremely lucky to be asked to travel to Blackpool to review The Cliffs Hotel - part of the Choice group of Hotels, we considered the options (for around 5 seconds), then very excitedly said YES PLEASE!

We headed off to The Cliffs Hotel (part of Choice Hotels group) at the end of October for a 2 night stay. Little did we know the weather had another idea and it would end up being a very windy 3 night stay!

Our first obstacle came with us non drivers trying to find the hotel on foot from Blackpool North train station (we don't do well with directions!) It seemed to take forever, carrying a suitcase, bags and dealing with a 3 year old while walking in some seriously strong wind and rain wasn't fun! If only we knew we could have just hopped onto a tram and arrived -quite literally- directly on the doorstep!

Once we managed to get to the hotel, we found it was really lovely. The reception area was very inviting and comfortable. We checked in and were directed up to our room, our first impression was that the staff couldn't have been any more helpful and everything was clean and tidy.

Due to the horrendous weather, the Hotel very generously allowed us to stay an extra night, however the room we were staying had been specifically requested and booked by Guests so we happily moved to another room. Our bags were even moved for us while we were down at breakfast! Both rooms we stayed in were lovely and clean, we even had to pull one of the beds out after Liv dropped a toy and there was nothing underneath and it had clearly just been hoovered.

Our first room:

Double bed, single bed, en-suite bathroom including bath, tea & coffee making station, small TV, hairdryer & fan

Our second room:
Complete with double bed, single bed, en-suite bathroom with shower, seating area, sea view, large TV, tea & coffee making station, hairdryer & fan.

They were both well stocked with towels, soaps, shower gel plus tea, coffee and milk.

The only small issue we had was with the room we stayed in on the third night, as it was situated right at the top of the stairs we could hear people talking and laughing when they were coming up to bed late at night - luckily Liv was completely shattered from a busy day so it didn't disturb her!

The pool/gym/changing rooms were all clean and very well maintained. There was nothing in need of repair or shabby looking.

Due to our extra nights stay, we had to dash off for the 8am train on the third morning. I spoke with reception about singing out early and they kindly offered us a continental breakfast which was served by the night porters. They truly couldn't have been more helpful and provided us with toast, cereal and warm drinks before signing us out. 

When we arrived at the dining hall on our first evening, we were met at the door by a lovely Gentleman that showed us to our allotted table (you have the same table for the duration of your stay) he explained how we could help ourselves to the appetizers at the hot and cold buffet, then a waiter/waitress would take our drinks order and our mains order. We didn't have any issues at all with the food and any requests we made were adhered to with no issues.

The food was utterly delicious. The buffet starter area had a wide variety of options including fresh soups, salads, pasta, spring rolls, cold meats, ribs and a lot more. It was kept well stocked and very clean.

I'm a firm believer that the first taste of a meal is taken with your eyes, so it was lovely to be presented with fabulous looking dishes and they tasted fantastic too.

After we had polished off our meal - with optional extra vegetables - we could head over to the desert buffet and choose from a range of hot desserts, cakes, fruits or even the ice cream station (Livs favorite!)

At breakfast, there  were several cereals and milk available, while that buffets were stocked with sausage, fried egg, bacon, beans, hash browns and fried bread. There was also a juice station with choices of orange, apple or grapefruit juice which we were able to help ourselves too. A waiter was with us within moments to ask for our tea/coffee order and if we required toast, kippers or boiled eggs.

Our first full day was planned out full of activities which all had to be shelved due to the weather. Within 5 minutes of leaving the hotel we knew we shouldn't have! The winds from the hurricane were literally blowing people off their feet, the waves were crashing up over the sea front and we were constantly bring blasted with sand which really stung! Several times I was very thankful we had brought Livs stroller, she was happily tucked in behind the rain cover laughing hysterically as Daddy and I both hung on to the pushchair for dear life! 

As soon as we could we headed straight back to the warm hotel and did some exploring there instead! We found stairs a small games room downstairs with - among others - a teddy machine, slots, dance mat, driving games and perfectly sized air hockey table for Liv (Daddy lost by the way)

Just off this room was a "Teenage zone" where the young ones weren't allowed. This had the feel of a youth club with large leather sofas and games consoles.

It was a shame that the soft play area wasn't open for Liv to play in but it was out of season so completely understandable.

We decided to play some games then head over to the pool for a nice swim and a quick turn in the hot tub - bliss! There was also a small gym and sauna alongside the pool and a lovely leisure bar/eating area for those not wanting to take a dip.

After drying off we popped down to the lunch area complete with coffee bar and licensed bar. Lunch meals were two for £10, they were lovely and huge too!

In the evenings after a lovely dinner, we made our to the main hall where we took part in the Bingo and enjoyed the Cabaret acts who were brilliant both evenings.

It's fair to say we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to stay at the Cliffs again.

Disclaimer - our stay at the hotel was free of charge, however all opinion and images are our own.

Livs new dress from House of Fraser - review.

We were recently very lucky to be asked to choose something for Liv to review from the House of Fraser website. 

After narrowing our huge list down, we finally decided upon this beautiful navy Yumi Girls spot and embroidery dress priced at £36. This dress is also available in coral.

The dress is honestly absolutely lovely. The first thing I noticed when it arrived was the quality feel of the dress and that all the stitching was perfect. The dress is made from 100% cotton which gives it a lovely soft and fluid feeling.

Liv couldn't wait to try it on and promptly started twirling around declaring that she looked just like a Princess ready for a ball!

 

The beautiful embroidery and scallop detailing around the hem really gives it a luxurious look, the thin white belt Liv is wearing also comes with it finishing it off beautifully.

There is a lovely lining with a lace hem so if the top layer rises there is the look of a petticoat underneath.

The zip sits very flush under the left arm. It doesn't stick out at all meaning there is no chaffing or rubbing on her little arm whilst she is wearing it.

The only tiny down side to the dress is that it is hand wash only, it really wouldn't take much to rinse and dry though with it being 100% cotton.

You can check out the full range from Yumi at House of Fraser.

Disclaimer - we were sent the dress for the purpose of the review, however all opinion and images are our own.

Win a £50 Toxicfox voucher for Mothers Day.

With Mothers Day fast approaching (Sunday the 15th of March) I'm sure you have started to look for guft ideas - especially if your Mums are as difficult to buy for as mine is!

Well how would you like to win £50 to spend on the Mother’s Day collection at www.toxicfox.co.uk?! Of course you would!

How to enter:

Firstly pop over to Toxic Fox and browse the Mothers Day collection. Once you have found your favourite gift you are ready to enter.

Beneath your favourite item are social media icons allowing you to Tweet, Share, G+ Pi  or use the hashtag #toxicfox to enter.

There are four chances to win, one winner each on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and Pinterest.

Start date -  18th February 2015.

End date - 1st March 2015.

Winners will be announced on the 3rd of March.

Please read full terms and conditions.

Fancy a peek at our December Degustabox?

Decembers goodies!

Just before Christmas we received a very welcome early gift - another fabulous Degustabox!

For those of you that don't know, Degustabox are a company that provide you with a box full of products that are new to the market. For £12.99 a month you will receive a box with 9 - 14 surprise food/drink items. I have found them to be an excellent way to shake up what I cook, trying out new recipes has been fun and getting try new items at a lower price than the Supermarket charge is a brilliant incentive!

So, here is what we received last month.

Gloworm premium mixer.

We received four of these mini cans of mixers in flavours:

Rasberry & Orris (perfect for Vodka)

Cucumber & Apple (perfect for Gin)

Pear, spice &lime (perfect for Rum)

Ginger & Lemongrass (perfect for Bourbon)

We tried all of these drinks with and without alcohol and they were all lovely. Very refreshing and they would make a lovely change if you just feel like a soft drink. 

They all mixed well with the spirit that was recommended although we didn't have bourbon, brandy was a perfect substitute.

Priced at £1.50 a can it would work out quite pricey to drink a lot but definitely worth it for a lovely treat.

Frylight infuse - Chilli.

Being a Slimming World fan, I am well acquainted with Fry Light, however I hadn't come across the infuse range (garlic is also available). For you those of you not so familiar, Fry Light is a very low fat cooking spray that you use in place of oil.

I love the idea of the infuse range as it completely dispense with the fiddly and dangerous job of chopping chillies. 

I have used it once so far for making some quick spicy croutons to go with my homemade parsnip and apple soup - they were delicious and went down a storm with my Husband and 3 year old Liv.

I intend to use this spray next time we have a stir fry as I think the chilli would be fantastic on chicken.

I will definitely be making sure I have one of these in stock and will be buying the garlic one too. I think this is very reasonably priced at £2 per bottle.

Kent's Kitchen meal kit.

These little spice pots are very clever. in each of the three pots there are all the seasoning and oil you need to make your dish, you just add the meat/fish etc and follow the simple steps.

We received the Jalfrezi in our previous Degustabox and thoroughly enjoyed it. This time we were sent the Brazilian fish stew meal kit which we have not used as yet. I will update when we do have it but I'm sure it is just as lovely.

Priced at £2.50 I have bought a couple of these meal kits to keep in the cupboard as they are so handy to give you inspiration and also can be cooked in 20 minutes once you add your ingredients.

Eisberg alcohol free wine.

I was actually surprised with this as it tastes very much like wine! I would have enjoyed a glass or two of this when I was pregnant instead of Orange juice!

I was a little sneaky with mine and had a couple of glasses on New Years Eve to prevent a hangover without seeming unsociable - no one even noticed!

If you have any alcohol free Friends or Family coming around, I would definitely recommend buying a bottle as a thoughtful treat, it only has a third of the calories of normal wine so dieters will thank you too.

Priced at £3.49 they are available in Chardonnay, Rose, Cabernet Sauvignon and Reisling.

Pukka Herbs clean green tea.

This is my favorite treat from the December box. I am not usually a hot drink person but the green tea, lemon and dandelion root together make for such a lovely clean, refreshing drink I haven't been able to help myself and have finished the whole box!

Priced at £2.39 for 20 tea bags (roughly just 12p per cup!) I will definitely be buying more of these and trying some more of the extensive range.

The Chia Co - oats + chia.

This product was completely new to me. Inside the packet is wholegrain oats and chia*, blended with the finest quality fruits and coconut oil. This allows you to just add water - not dairy - for a lovely creamy texture.

*Chia seed offer the highest combined plant source of omega-3, fibre and protein. They are also packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Priced at £1.70 a sachet it could run expensive to eat every day bit I'm sure it would be invaluable for people with dairy allergies.

Bonne Maman coarse orange marmalade.

Firstly how beautiful does this jar of coarse marmalade look? Sadly none of us in our household are a fan, while I was tempted just to pop it on a shelf for display purposes, my Parents are lovers so we handed it over to them. They assured us that it was delicious zingy and had the thickest orange peels they had ever seen in a marmalade - a hit!

Priced at 2.30.

Popchips.

These are the first things Liv wanted to try. Popchips are never fried or baked, they are simply popped with heat and pressure resulting in a lovely crunchy crisp! We received the barbecue flavour and they went down a storm. Very crunchy, with a slight spice = they didn't last long.

23g of Popchips (approximately 18) contains 96 calories, 3.2g Fat, 0.4g saturates, 0.46g salt and 202g sugars.

Priced at £1.79 for an 85g bag, we will definitely be buying these again. We have a duty to try the other flavours, right?!

Bahlsen biscuits.

Liv was equally as excited when I pulled out not one but two boxes of chocolate biscuits!

The biscuits were very lovely without being too sweet. THey consist of a butter biscuit topped with lovely chocolate, one packet als had a lovely gooey caramel inside.

Liv enjoyed dunking these in Daddies cup of tea - they don't disitergrate easily which is a big bonus with a 3 year old!

Priced at £1.79 per packet they are very reasonably priced and I will pick her up another box when we see them.

You can find out more about Degustabox or contact them on Facebook, Twitter or their website.

Still shopping? Take a peek at my gift guide for the whole Family

I have been very lucky to have been sent some wonderful items on the run up to Christmas. I will tell you a little about them and let you decide who they would be suitable for!

Jam plus wireless speaker: £39.99

The first thing I noticed about this was the packaging - how different? It is a toughened plastic jar with a metal screw on lid, perfect for storing the speaker when its not in use.

The sound on this speaker on its own is fantastic but there is also the option to buy two and use the switch underneath to make one left and the other right for a surround sound affect.

It is incredibly easy to use and set up - simply power speaker up, go into the Bluetooth section of your device, once your Bluetooth is enabled it will begin searching and within a few seconds you will see "Jam Plus" appear, simply select this option and you are connected! select a song on your device and away you go.

The other great thing is that it is rechargeable so you wont be spending an arm and leg on batteries. It comes complete with a short USB cable for charging and will provide you up to 4 hours of wireless play.

We really love this speaker and think it would be perfect for Teenagers and Adults alike, I am forever using it and being asked by Liv to turn it down!

I would definitely recommend this as a gift and may have purchased one myself :)

Available in pink/black (looks more dark grey)

Elle Macpherson compact LED beauty mirror: £9.50

This mirror is simply amazing. It looks fantastic with is pearly casing and Elles branding, then once opened there are not one, but two mirrors inside. The bottom mirror is illuminated and the top mirror is 2 x magnified.

I have found this has replaced my usual larger make up mirror as it is really precise, especially when applying things like eyeliner. The LED lights make it perfect for use in dimly lit areas too.

Elle herself explains "I'm constantly on the go so I always carry a compact mirror in my handbag as it's really handy for doing those little touch ups! The best thing about it is the LEDs which light up the mirror so you can see much more clearly -perfect for both day and night."

I would recommend this for pretty much any Female! I can't imagine being without it now and it is only £9.50!

Jam Rewind retro speaker:

This speaker is honestly amazing. It is a little bigger than my IPhone 5C and works solely through Bluetooth up to 10 metres so 100% portable. If you are a little dubious about sound quality like I was - don't be. The 4 speaker sound it produces is absolutely fantastic!

This has been thought out really well with the "cassette" case turning into a carry case or stand for your phone.

The controls buttons on this speaker are a lot bigger than the Jam plus speaker so ideal for someone who would struggle looking for smaller buttons.

It really couldn't be easier to use - power on, go in to Bluetooth in your device where it will search for the speaker for a few seconds then connect, the speaker will announce "CONNECTED" Then simply go into your music and choose a song.

Easily recharged with the small USB cable provided, once fully charged, the battery will last up to 8 hours.

I have gifted this to my Dad to use in his workshop at work as his Ipod has broken, he can use this with his phone instead. 

Speakerphone means you can easily move from music to calls

Priced at £49.99

Jam transit wireless stereo headphones: £59.99

These Bluetooth headphones are completely wireless (up to 10 metres) They are fully adjustable so will fit an older Child to Adult. They come with a built in microphone to enable you to switch between music and calls seamlessly. 

NO batteries required! Simply charge with the USB cable provided and the battery will last up to 11 hours! 

You don't even have to have your device to hand to control song selection, volume etc as there are volume, skip back/forward and play/pause controls on the outside of the right earpiece.

Available in black, white or red.

Rokit gel nailpolish professional kit:

I'm going to start this with a confession. I am a nail biter. Always have been. I regularly try to stop but never seem to manage it for long. I have currently been abstaining for a couple of months and while the nails on my left hand are coming along nicely, my right hand just keeps breaking, its so disheartening.

I am hoping this professional kit will be the answer to all of my problems. using this kit was the first time I have ever painted my nails *shame face* There has simply never been any point!

What's in the box:

• LED curing lamp,
• Nail file/buffer,
• Lint free pads,
• Cuticle stick
• Rokit ready solution
• Rokit remove solution
• 1 step gel polish in Shock Pink

This gel polish however has helped to protect my flimsy nails from breaking while I try desperately to grow them, it has also helped because it stops me actually biting them, as soon as I absent mindedly go to do it I remember or feel the polish and stop.

Even for a complete amateur like me this kit was easy and produced fabulous results.

Top left - Postbox red. Top right - Shock Pink
Bottom Left - Purple Couture. Bottom Right - Bordeaux Red

Following the simple instructions I wiped my nails over with the Rokit Ready solution and lint free wipes  (provided). Next I used the nail file/buffer and cuticle stick to shape my nails and tidy up my cuticles.

Then came the painting! Following the instructions again I carefully applied one thin layer of polish and popped my hand into the LED curing lamp, pressed the button and stayed in place until the 32 LED lights switched off. 

Then I applied another thin layer and popped it back in the LED lamp to cure. My nails looked seriously amazing for the second time in my life (I had acrylics applied for my wedding day)  I remember it taking absolutely forever and smelling so bad, it was worth it though because they did look lovely. I couldn't believe I had achieved the same affect without using a base coat, primer or top coat, sitting at my dining table at home in about 45 minutes!

I wore the Bordeaux Red for 10 days without any dulling, chipping or peeling despite washing up numerous times and decorating, I'm convinced it would have easily lasted 14 days. I was very impressed and will definitely be investing in some of the other colours for when all of my nails are lovely, long and strong.

To remove, simply soak your nails in the removal fluid for around 5 minutes. During this time most of the polish should have peeled off. Any remaining polish can be removed with the cuticle stick.

This kit is currently on sale for £70.00 at Debenhams (RRP £100) If you are in two minds, pop over and read the reviews its not just me that loves this kit.

Disclaimer - I was sent these items for the purpose of the review, however all wording and images are my own.

Christmas 2014 with Poundland.

So last week I was challenged by Poundland to spend £30 in store. Challenge? Really? Easy peasy!

Here is what we bought:

Yep, all of that totalled just £30! Here is more detail about what we bought.

Decoration:

I liked the look of this Merry Christmas hanging glittery garland because our baubles are teal to match our living room and hot pink because Olivia loves pink.

This matches the colour scheme well and hung over a canvas on the wall and I must say it looks lovely.

We also bought this paper chain kit. It has 30 red strips, 30 blue strips, 30 cream strips and 30 green strips pre cut all ready for you to transform into lovely paper chains. I cut some little pieces of tape up and showed Liv what to do, she absolutely loved it and is showing everyone her decorations she made.

Here she is in action.

I was looking for something different for a table centre piece when I came across this plastic cocktail bowl. I found a silver tinsel wreath for it to stand in and picked up a silver wired ribbon to tie around the bowl.

Then I added some punch to the bowl, a ladle for serving and some festive wine glasses - it looked lovely and went down a storm at the weekend.

Cupboard essentials.

It was very hard to choose just a few Christmas treats form the huge section our Pondland had in store. We eventually decided on a bag of BBQ Nobbys nuts, orange and mint Matchmakers, mint poppets and a chocolate orange (so Liv doesn't steal all of Daddys)

We also picked up some Cadburys Hot chocolate (should be £1.99 as you can see on the tub) and small marshmallows for our traditional Christmas Eve drink.

I also picked up this Postbox bottle gift box, it is a lovely design and will come in handy as I hate wrapping bottles.

I also chose a Large gift bag for carrying gfts around on Christmas Day - last year our bag broke on the way out of the door and we ended up carrying a black bin liner around - festive! Liv chose a "Santa please stop here" sign and a roll of Princess paper - essential when you have a 3 year old Daughter.

Homemade Christmas gifts:

We followed an idea on Poundlands YouTube channel to make some gifts from a box of mini candy canes and some cake pop sticks.

Here's how we turned these into lovely Christmas lollies:

•  Pop the candy canes onto some grease proof paper in the shape of hearts.

• Melt some chocolate (we used a leftover white chocolate Easter egg) Spoon the chocolate into the hearts

• Using the end of a cake pop stick, I swirled the chocolate to level it out, then placed the stick in place.

• Lastly we decorated with some Christmas sprinkles we had in the cupboard and popped in the fridge so the chocolate could set.

They look lovely and were so easy to do.

Stocking filllers:

Olivia has a Frozen (clear) lip balm, Penguin shaped chocolates, a chocolate Smarties penguin and a Hello Kitty bag containing a necklace, ring and hair bobble.

 Daddy always has a Chocolate Orange as a stocking gift - it is tradition! This year I have also added these super clever smart phone compatible gloves. I have seen these elsewhere at a lot more than £1. He is a Salesman so is outside in all weather and uses his phones calculator through the day, of course this means taking his gloves off which leaves his hands freezing. These gloves have some magic in the forefinger and thumbs which allows you to use your smartphone or tablet while still wearing them! 

Charlie the Dog has aChristmas stocking too (bought from Poundland 5 years ago!) This year he will be receiving some Miss fit chews, 2 candy cane treats, a squeaky Christmas pudding and Christmas tree toys and a Jumbone - happy Charlie!

Livs Grandad has a very sweet tooth so alongside his real gifts, I always get him a couple of sweet treat. Liv will no doubt try to help him polish them off. This year he will be getting some Walnut Whips and a box of Maltesers.

We had great fun taking part in this challenge and will be visiting many more time before Christmas as the value is always so fantastic.

Why not check out Poundlands other great ideas? You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Disclaimer - we were provided with £30 vouchers to but products however all images and opinion are our own.