Haba Ball Track Roll n Roll Review

Haba Ball Track Roll n Roll Review

 

As part of being a Toy Tester for Izziwizzi Kids we were recently sent a Ball Track Roll n Roll to Review from Haba.

 

The Ball Track Roll n Roll is suitable from 1.5years, Jack is currently 14months and has really enjoyed playing with this. The aim of the game is to roll the ball from the top and watch it fall down the track to the bottom. As it passes down the track it passes via some bells and a chatter track. All of which make interesting noises for children to listen to.

 

You can watch a more detailed and in depth review of this game below.

 



Preezo Swadlincote Review

Prezzo Review

 

As I have previously mentioned we are keen lovers of going out for meals so when given the opportunity to visit Prezzo and review their new menu we jumped at the chance. Neither of us had been to a Prezzo restaurant before however we had been looking at going as we do enjoy Italian food. This was to be a whole new experience for us, so when I discovered we had a restaurant within our local area I was keen to try it out. The restaurant in which we attended was at Swadlincote.

Prezzo Swadlincote

 

 

Initially we found it very difficult to find the restaurant, this was through no fault of Prezzos just our Sat Nav's refused to work when nearer the area. I rang up Prezzo as we had gone 10miniutes over our reservation time and the staff who answered the phone was very friendly and said it was ok. This initial phone call experience was fantastic, I was really looking forward to getting there.

When we arrived, it was very clear to see, it had a lovely big sign clear from all around, and the outside was very tidy, it was a very welcoming restaurant. Upon entering the restaurant the inside layout was lovely and the tables were well spaced out so families did not feel they were eating on-top of another family.

 

 

 

Upon sitting down we were kindly asked by the waitress if we required any drinks, and had the menu clearly explained to us alongside the additional menu. We were given a fair and reasonable amount of time to order our meal, from ordering our meals to receiving our starters was a short 9 minutes. This was a very quick service, although it was quick our food was no less cooked than others. The starters were served warm as they were supposed too. We were amazed at the portion size of our starters. Mum and I had a Bruschetta whilst Ashley had a Ciabatta Bread. We thoroughly enjoyed our starter and found it very filling. We found the selection of both red and green tomatoes were great and were kindly complimented with the pesto. 

Bruschetta
 

Ashley's Ciabatta bread was chosen from the Bread & Olives menu which I believe was to compliment viewing the menu. However we found the ciabatta was a perfect size for a starter. The dipping oil which was served alongside was a perfect compliment to the bread.

Ciabatta Bread

After completing our starters and having our table cleared was a further 9 minutes. The waiting times were amazing and hardly anything! Each of us had chosen a different meal, I had chosen the Calabrese which is part of the new Spring Menu currently available within Prezzo. This was a large chicken breast which was chargrilled and served within a lovely sauce, alongside this I had house fries. The fries were also very nice as they had no added salt. Within my first mouthful I found this dish a little spicy, however it later occurred to me I had eaten a chilli. I found this meal very filling and very tasty.

 

Calabrese

My Mum had ordered a Gorgonzola, which again was a chargrilled chicken breast within a gorgonzola and cream sauce. Alongside this my mum had chosen gratinated potatoes. Mum really enjoyed this and said the sauce and mushrooms worked really well together and it was a very tasty meal.

Gorgonzola

Ashley had chosen to have Roasted Duck Leg, again this was from the new Spring menu. This was served on a bed of potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, onion, chilli and tomatoes. The portion size again was large. The arrangement of the meal was well done, and the food worked very well together. The duck was cooked very well as the meat was easy to detach from the bone.

Roasted Duck Leg

We did have Jack with us however I never got round to taking a photograph of his meal. For Jack we ordered a Pizza, when it arrived he had a large Pizza to himself. I found this a really large meal for Jack, and would still consider it a large meal for an older child, however Jack had a good go at finishing it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. What I loved about where we were sitting and the cooking is we were able to see the pizza's being cooked within the open stove.

 

Upon completing our foods we were asked if we would like to look at the desert menu, which we did and the waitress kindly cleared the table. Mum and I decided we would try a pudding as they looked very nice. When we placed our order for the desert the waitress kindly cleaned the table for us. I found this a great touch as I have never experienced this within a restaurant before.

 

From ordering our deserts to them arriving was 4 minutes, again amazing service from the staff! Mum had ordered a Strawberry Eton Mess Cheesecake, this was served on a strawberry sauce alongside a strawberry. The overall taste of the cheesecake was nice and it all complimented each other very well.

Strawberry Eton Mess Cheesecake

I had opted to have a Honeycomb Smash Cheesecake, this was served upon a chocolate sauce and topped with crushed honeycomb pieces. Overall this was a very delicious pudding and I was extremely full after the whole meal.



Honeycomb Smash Cheesecake



The overall experience of Prezzo was amazing, we had excellent service and the meals were definitely great value for money. The presentation and care which had gone into the food really showed upon serving the meals to us. We will definitely be visiting Prezzo again, and will definitely be recommending the restaurant and the chain to others.

 

Please Note. We received a free meal from Prezzo for the purpose of this review, all opinions and wording are my own

What Are Letterpress Invitations?

What are Letterpress invitations?

 

When you are looking for wedding stationary there is a wide choice available within designs. Not only is the choice of designs wide, you then also have a choice of printing. Your wedding invitations are the first glimpse your guests get as to what colours and theme will be at your big day. The printing of the invitations is often overlooked by couples and is just taken for granted. A type of printing which is a lovely vintage feel, but also fits extremely well with modern themes is Letterpress Printing.

 

Letterpress printing began around about 1440 by a German printer by the name of Johannas Gutenberg. He invented a moveable printer which has individual cast, reusable letters which are placed within the bed of the press, inked and then pressed against the paper or card to created the impression which is desired of the customer.

As the letterpress invitations are so precise and most machinery only allows for one colour to be added at a time, choosing invitations with a variety of colours would be difficult. So much care and precision is taken when creating letterpress invitations there is no room for error. For a printer to provide a letterpress invitation to high quality a lot of skill is required of them, this is why occasionally they seem more expensive.

However, in my opinion this reflects in the overall final look of the invitation. The overall look of the wedding invitation to me is very elegant. As the letters are individually pressed onto the card not only is the ink left upon the card but an indentation is also made.

If you are on a tight budget a letterpress invitation may not be of an appeal to you, however if you are looking for elegance it will. Letterpress invitations can give your guests an amazing first impression of what your wedding shall be like. When considering the cost you also need to consider the time and effort that goes into making your wedding stationary.

 

Please Note. This is a commisioned post, all opinions and wording are my own.  

The Plastic Box Shop Review

Plastic Box Shop Review

 

As a keen crafter as well as a parent, I can often have different items lying around, and also not have correct storage for some of my items. Luckily all of Jack's toys are very well organised within a storage system however my crafting items are not. I was recently given the opportunity from Plastic Box Shop to review some of their items. This was an incentive to help me sort my items into a much neater organisation.

 

'With a working knowledge of the industry and a wealth of experience operating within it - coupled with an extensive array of products Plastic Box Shop are able to sell convenient plastic storage solutions through an easy to use website. Their growing client list continues to expand across all areas of the UK and more and more people are finding the right solutions for their home, business or industry due to their amazing efforts.'

 

I was given a choice of items to choose from the website, I found the website very easily laid out and it was simple to find products to suit my need. Some products overlap in ranges but this is as some have so many useful ways. There is a wide range of boxes for home, office or even schools. The ordering process on the website is incredibly simple, and delivery was very quick. Plastic Box Shop aim to dispatch your product the same day as ordering or next and then aim to get it delivered within 1-2 days as they use Next Day Couriers in most situations. You may be thinking well I can just get those boxes elsewhere, however the Plastic Box Shop offers competitive prices and a location to buy all of your box needs within one place. It also offers many other types of boxes which you may not have already considered.  

I chose two products from the Plastic Box Shop website to help me with organising my crafting. I chose the Hobby Craft Bits and Bobs 19 Compartment Organiser and also the 5ltr Plastic Utility Tool Box. Both of these products I have found incredibly useful for the organisation of my crafts.

 

The Bits and Bobs Compartment Organiser I have used for the organisation and storage of both my painting materials and also some of my fabric crafts such as ribbons. The box comes with a large storage area and then a small tray which sits on top; the tray is where the compartments are. This comes with a click lid which closes shut, although they are only small clips they work very well. The only downside I found to this is there is no handle upon the box. However mine will only be used for storing, and I'm sure many users would do.

The 5 ltr Tool box has been used to store in all my crafting utensils; scissors, paintbrushes and pens. This is a small 5 ltr box, with a tray inside which consists of 5 compartments. This box comes with a snap shut lid, which again works really well and also a handle in which you can carry around the box. The box only looks small from the outside however it has such a large holding capacity you are able to store a lot more than you believe.

I have found the overall quality of these boxes, and the service provided by Plastic Box Shop amazing. It is definitely a company I would recommend to others looking for storage systems or just boxes.

Plastic Box Shop can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Please Note. We received these products from Plastic Box Shop for the purpose of this review, all opinions and wording are my own

Auction for Matilda Mae Memorial

Matilda Mae Memorial Auction

If your a regular in the world of blogging, you will know the story behind Matilda Mae and her sad passing earlier this year. The lovely Jennie from Edspire, Matilda's mother, is now raising awareness of SIDS in memory of Matilda Mae.

Starting today they are beginning an auction in Matilda's memory to raise money for The Lullaby Trust. The auction will stay open until May 20th, open one day for each month Matilda Mae was with us.

I am very happy to announce that I have donated a gift towards the auction, and would love if you are able to bid on both my item and the many others pledged. I am very lucky to have my small handmade business slowly growing, as I followed the Matilda Mae story I feel it was only my good dead to donate an item. You can find a full list of contributors on Ghostwritermummy's auction page.

You can find a link to the auction by clicking the image below, this is being run by Tots100.

 

Baby Show at the NEC and Discount Code

This year the baby show is set to return to the NEC Birmingham from 17th to 19th May. The Baby Show - the UK’s biggest and best pregnancy and parenting event

 

'A unique shopping opportunity and a great day out for all the family – it’s the place to browse thousands of products from hundreds of trusted brands and test run all the latest innovations that will make life with a new baby easy and fun. From pushchairs to nursery ideas, maternity fashion to healthcare, experts are on hand to help you make the right choices for you and your growing family. What’s more, they will be joined by some of the UK’s top parenting experts including Professor Robert Winston, Annabel Karmel, Jo Tantum, and Clare Byam-Cook, ready to answer your questions and share their advice.'

 

Last year when Jack was just a few months old, I attended the Baby Show with my friend, and although we had already brought so much for Jack I still managed to find more items. Even if you would like to go for a look around and advice the Baby Show is a great place to go.

 

An exclusive discount is being offered by The Baby Show are offering a fantastic 40% off adult entry tickets (door price £20.00, discounted ticket offer £11.50). To take advantage of this offer, visit www.thebabyshow.co.uk and enter Promo Code LH001.

This year I shall be visiting the Baby Show again and I hope to see you there. I also hope to meet with some lovely brands.
 

Wetherspoons Review

Wetherspoons Review

Please note, throughout my review, pictures are included however these are not as bright as I would have hoped due to the lighting within the restaurant. 

We love going for meals out, there is something satisfying in having someone wait on you. Also not having to do the cooking, or my least favourite the washing up. We often like to try new places as I feel you can get stuck visiting the same place and eating the same foods. We were recently given the opportunity to attend Wetherspoons and try some food from their new menu. I hadn't been to a Wetherspoons since I was at college so I would be going with no pre-judgement. We chose to go to a Wetherspoons none of us had previously been to so the whole experience felt new. Therefore we chose 'The Gatehouse' in Lichfield to try.

My initials thoughts were the outside looked well looked after with a lovely outdoor seating area. When we entered the décor looked nice, tables and all areas were clean. You are able to choose your own table where you would like to sit. There is a wide choice of tables and chairs, all different. Initially I thought this was very mis-matched, but soon discovered it was perfect for the differing social and age groups.

After looking through the menu, we went to the bar area to order our food and drinks. We had a short wait at the bar area as there was only one lady serving. We had no apology for our wait, however we just go on and ordered our food. We waited 16 minutes from ordering until our starter arrived. I felt this was a good amount of time as it allowed time for the starter to be cooked. Also it gave us opportunity to settle back into our seats and have a small chat. For our starter we had a 'Wetherspoon Sharer.' The starter was a great size shared between 3 of us. The only thing we didn't like was the BBQ sauce. I believe it was a Jack Daniels BBQ sauce as it had a little tang, we found this to be quite strong. From finishing out starter to having our table cleaned was 7 minutes. When our table was being cleared we were asked if we were ready for out mains - I thought this was a good question, especially for people who like a break between courses.

Wetherspoon Sharer

From having our table cleared to receiving out meals was a further 12 minutes. We had all ordered different meals; I ordered a Full rack of ribs. This come with a small pot of coleslaw, chips, onion rings and a small pot of BBQ sauce. I found my BBQ sauce was slightly runny, although not as spicy as what we had on our starter. The meat on the ribs was tender and very well cooked; the meat was very easy to get off the bone.

Full Rack of Ribs.

Ashley had chosen a gourmet hot dog; this was served with chips, onion rings and a pot of mustard. The gourmet hot dog consists of a classic pork hot dog, served in a bun with chilli con carne and then topped with grated cheese. Although this is not a combination you would generally place together; it worked really well.

Gourmet Hot Dog

My mum had an Aberdeen Angus rump steak; this was served with chips, peas, grilled tomato and a flat mushroom. We had asked for the steak to be well done, when it come out it seemed a little burnt mum also said it was a little tough. However, she isn't one to complain so she happily ate it. We found it a little strange no onion rings were served with the steak as normally they are served together.

Aberdeen Angus Rump Steak

As we had Jack with us we chose for him to have chicken nuggets, chips and peas. This is something simple he would hopefully not get in a large mess with. We found the children's meals to be quite large for toddlers; maybe being the perfect size for an older child. Maybe a small diners menu could be made, including the same foods on a smaller portion size so not as much is wasted.

Children's Chicken Nuggets Meal

Overall, with out meals we thoroughly enjoyed them and found them a good portion size for the money. I feel all the meals were great value for money, especially Ashley's as it came with a free soft drink. In addition to the soft drink Ashley also had a filter coffee. Wetherspoons have recently started using Lavazza 100% Arabica freshly ground coffee beans. I liked the idea when purchasing a coffee there was a choice of warm or cold milk, both of which you were able to serve to yourself.  

Lavazza Filter Coffee

The only negative point to our experience with Wetherspoons is we didn't find it very family orientated on the evening. A group of young adults say near us who's conversation choice and language was not suitable for children. I feel this could have been improved by having a family seating area for those who choose to sit there. This did not effect out overall visit and experience and I would definitely attend again; however I would choose to go early evening or during the day time.



Please Note. We received vouchers for Wetherspoons for the purpose of this review, all opinions and wording are my own