When I was offered a box of bake your own cookies from Greens to make with Kieran, I jumped at the chance! We love cooking & baking together and this kit is just so easy that nothing can go wrong.
Or so I thought!
Take one Cookies With Love kit - RRP £1.69 and available in Asda & Co-opAdd one mischievous four year old Let said 4yr old open the kit which contains cookie mix, icing mix, blackcurrant decorating gel & a heart shaped cutter which you can of course keep and reuse!Ask 4yr old to CAREFULLY tip the contents of the cookie mix packet into a bowl, NOT all over the side!Add softened butter and mix, then add 2.5 teaspoons (yes teaspoons, not cupfuls) & mix to form a dough.Roll the dough out on a floured surface until approx 5mm thickUse the included heart cutter to make 6 biscuitsPlace on a baking trayBake for 7-8min at 190degress / Gas mark 5
THEN it all goes a bit wrong!
See the mischief? We got the giggles!
You are supposed to edge the cooled biscuits with the blackcurrant gel, then carefully drizzle the icing into the outline, cool then decorate with more of the blackcurrant in the pen.
Nope…
WE JUST GOT SILLY!!
We made a right mess, icing everywhere (including my hair!). But you know what… it was the most fun we’ve had in AGES!
Fortunately someone less easily led than me made a proper job….
On the upside:
They taste just fine!
A kit like this would make a fantastic addition to any Mum’s spoiling on Mother’s Day but would be just as great for birthdays, special events or just for everyday fun! We didn’t produce bakery grade biscuit, our decoration was um less than professional but we had a great time and that’s the best Mother’s Day gift I can think of… mischief, fun and then BISCUITS!
To find out more about Greens, their products and to join the Greens club & keep informed of offers and more, visit their website.
*We received a Greens “Cookies With Love” kit to test and review, but my recommendation of this product is based on my personal experience of it. Also, Greens cannot in any way be held responsible for any mess you and your child may make whilst making these cookies.
With Kieran I didn’t get the whole babywearing thing. We had a carrier from a top brand which was all plastic bits and adjustable straps and quite frankly a faff! Slings and whatnot seemed a bit hippy-ish so I veered away and can’t say I felt like I missed out.
The Aphrodite Deluxe Baby Sling £65.99, comes complete with a tote bag for storage & full instructions.
Perhaps because I am older and Taylor is my second child, I wanted to try again. When Claire from Snugbaby offered to send me a baby sling I thought “Why not” and before I knew it, it was here. Now what? I have this beautiful plastic-less sling and a baby. Simple one would think but I just couldn’t get going with it. It was the weather you see, Taylor was so young he needed to be wrapped up and encased in his pram, then it was his snowsuit – it made the sling hard to put on because he was too bulky. All excuses. It was more about confidence or my lack of confidence. I decided to stop piddling about and give it a go. With the sling came a wealth of information on safe use and how to use the sling and a handy video shows you step by step how to tie it.
I gave it a tentative go… I liked it! And more to the point, so did Taylor! Outside, no raincover, close to me but still able to see around. I got to the end of my drive, past the end of the street and home. It just didn’t feel “right”. Back inside I took some pictures and emailed Claire with them and my worries. Very quickly I received an indepth reply, with handy hints for making sure baby was secure, that I was comfy etc and following these tips, and with a few practices in front of a mirror I was ready.
First trip was the mile long walk to Roy’s walk on the first lovely spring day we had to “pick him up”, Kieran and I strolled hand in hand, talking about his day at school and what he’d done whilst Taylor, wide eyed, coo’ed and smiled. It was fantastic – a mile there and a mile back and because of the way the sling supports Taylor and me, I didn’t feel like I’d been carrying any weight if that makes sense? Two mile endurance trip – easy!
The second real test was the scariest – the school run! Anyone who has ever done a school run knows how self-conscience you can feel! So going with Taylor in a sling (I haven’t ever seen anyone carrying on the school run before) was pretty scary but I enjoyed it so much on our walk out that I decided to stop being a wimp, Taylor snuggled and my head high off I went. I got a lot of attention, but not the kind I was half expected. No “You’ve tied that wrong” or “That doesn’t look right” but “That is gorgeous! Where did you get it?”, “How lovely to see Taylor up and awake, he is usually asleep in his pram!” and “That looks so much nicer than the X branded one I got which was all plastic connectors and what not – is it comfy?”. So many questions and positive remarks. I found myself, in the school yard, yammering away about the benefits of babywearing, how to use the sling and how much we both enjoy it. Victory!!!
Now I realise I’ve wasted precious babywearing time, but no more! When the weather permits we will be out and about, Taylor upright and soaking in all the sights and I can’t wait for the summer when we start walking again, up in the North Yorkshire Moors, having picnics and adventuring – because with the sling, I am free to go where I like.
Babywearing comes easy to some, it didn’t me, but seeing the fantastic pictures on snugbaby.co.uk and having the support of Claire to work through my niggles has been great and Taylor & I can enjoy our closeness, alongside the convenience that BW brings.
Thank you Claire and Snugbaby! You’ll all no doubt be hearing more about my BW adventures, so keep tuned, but in the meantime please check out the Snugbaby site for easy to understand info on the benefits of babywearing, slings and more.
You can catch up with Snugbaby on Twitter and can join the Facebook page to be kept up to date with news and offers.
**Please note, I was sent a sling to try and keep, and review if I wanted to, if I decided not to I was given instructions for how to donate the sling to a baby charity. This is my honest and open representation of my experiences of Snugbaby & babywearing.
