Sponsored Post: Walkers Mighty Lights

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to be selected to try out some Walkers Mighty Lights crisps.  I've always enjoyed Walkers over other brands of crisps and these are no different.  With 30% less fat than a standard packet of crisps and only 114 calories in each bag, these are great for someone on a diet as well.

When the package arrived with our crisps, I was pleased to see that we were sent a multipack each of all three flavours, Cheese & Onion, Lightly Salted and Roast Chicken.  I'm not a huge fan of meaty flavoured crisps, so I stuck with the other two flavours.  I was lucky to get a look in though, as hubby was off work with the kids, they decided to dive in before I’d even got home from work!

Whilst the boys did enjoy these, I probably wouldn't put these in the little ones lunchboxes.  They are still very much into the more ‘kiddie’ crisps such as Quavers or Wotsits.  These would be perfect for my teenager or even my lunch though.  The packaging is ideal for any age group, so wouldn't look out of place in any lunchbox. 

I found the crisps tasted good.  The Lightly Salted was just that and was not too salty like you can sometimes find with some brands.  The Cheese and Onion were not too strong and didn’t leave a bad aftertaste.  They had a nice crunch to them and I think that is partly to do with the fact that they are crinkle cut crisps.  I don’t know what it is about crinkle cut, but they always seem to taste better than normal crisps and always have a better crunch!  As an on/off dieter, these are perfect to keep in my drawer at work for when I get peckish, without the guilt of all the calories.

In asking hubby what his opinion was on the crisps, he said that they were noticeably less greasy than a standard bag of crisps, but he didn't feel that the fact that they were low fat compromised the taste at all.

I also asked my eldest what he thought and he said that in his opinion, the Lightly Salted tasted a bit like Salt & Vinegar; however, I think that could be more to do with the fact that he’s not that keen on salted flavoured crisps!  When asked if he would be happy to take these as part of his lunch, his answer was a definite yes.

So, I guess the biggest question would be… would I recommend them to other people?  Well, in short yes.  They are perfect for all the family, including the fusspots, they taste good, they are lower in fat than a standard bag of crisps and they aren't too greasy.  Having checked the supermarkets, they are also a decent price as well.

Jackie. x

Discloser: This is a sponsored post and we were sent this product to try for free.  This doesn't affect our opinion and all comments are our own.

I'm still here!!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged! 3 months!!  I wish I could say loads of things have been happening in my life since then, but sadly it's been mainly work!  We have had time for some fun though.  

Back in June, PJ was selected to represent the school district for the county trials in triple jump.  He did really well and came in 3rd place overall.  Although he didn't get a place in the county team, I am so proud of him for getting that far.  At sports day last month he also went on to win 2 silver & 2 gold medals in different athletics events. :-)

Last month hubby and I took a whole weekend off from being mum and dad and went down to Wales for a friends wedding without the kids!  I don't know if I was more worried or excited about the prospect of leaving the boys at home with my sister for a whole weekend, but when it came to it, we all had a great time.  

The wedding was beautiful and it gave me and hubs a great opportunity to really spend some time together while the boys had a blast at Chessington with my sisters.  On the Sunday, me and hubby took a stroll down the Mumbles and had some fun in the arcade at the pier.  We also stopped off for an infamous Verdi ice cream as well.

The week after the wedding was my sister's baby shower.  It was organised by our friend Sarah, who did a great job of it all.  As well as a fab cake and decorations, she had us sniffing nappies to guess the smell (luckily all chocolatey products, but we weren't too sure at first!!), using our taste buds to try and guess the baby pudding and also our artistic skills on designing a bib for the baby.  I think my sister had a great day and we are all now waiting (im)patiently for the little one to arrive!

Other than the fun and games we have been having, we have also had some appointments through for Aled.  We finally have an appointment for an ADOS test for next week with Aled.  Hopefully we will finally get the diagnosis that we need for him.  His behaviour both at home and at school has taken a turn for the worse and the tantrums and stubbornness is becoming very challenging for all involved.

Noah is set to celebrate his 4th birthday at the end of the month, so I am busy planning his Spiderman party.  He also starts full time school in September, which is something that I am both happy and sad at.  It is exciting that he is going to school full time, but at the same time, I feel sad that my baby is growing up so fast!

Well, I'm sure I have bored you enough now.  I will do my best not to leave it three months until my next update!

Jackie. x

Review: Walkers Hoops & Crosses

Last week we came back from our weekend away to find a red card from the postman informing us they have tried to deliver a parcel.  When I got the chance to get down the sorting office, I was very excited to find a very interesting looking package.  I couldn't wait to open it up and was surprised to find this cheeky little monkey looking after a packet of Walkers Hoops and Crosses. 

Each bag of Hoops and Crosses only has 85 calories, making them good for those watching their weight and if your worried about feeding your child crisps, you can be assured that they are made from wholegrains and don't contain any artificial colours or preservatives.

I had planned on sharing the packet of crisps around the family, but Noah claimed them as his own as soon as he saw them!  Luckily, I did manage to steal a couple from him so that I could have a taste as well!  I'm not normally a fan of Roast Beef flavoured crisps, but the flavouring of these were not too strong, so I quite enjoyed them.  If I had them in a different flavour I'm sure I would love them even more.

Hoops & Crosses currently come in three flavours, Roast Beef, Prawn Cocktail and Salt & Vinegar.  All of the flavours are suitable for vegetarians.  I'm a fan of Salt & Vinegar and Prawn Cocktail crisps, but Aled is more of a Cheese/Cheese & Onion boy. 

I thought that the packaging is probably aimed more towards kids, but it's not so babyish that it would stop me from having them in my own lunch box, although at the age of 14, I think PJ would prefer more 'grown up' crisps in his.  Noah would have no fuss with these for his lunch or as a snack, but I do think the flavour options would put Aled off at the moment.  I may have to purchase a bag of the other flavours to see what his opinion of them would be.

All in all, I was pretty happy with these crisps and I would buy them again, although I would like to see more of a variety of flavours available.

Jackie. x

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but the views and opinions are my own.

Party Time!!

On Friday we celebrated my middle son's 5th birthday.  It's mad to think that it's been 5 whole years since he barged his way into the world 5 days before my planned c/section date!  Creating drama from the start with a prolapsed cord and being rushed into theatre for an emergency c/section, sometimes it feels like I haven't stopped with him.  Still, I wouldn't have him any other way!

On Friday my mum and sisters came round and we had a bit of a family tea party.  We bought Aled some games to go with the second hand Nintendo DS that my mother gave him.  We thought it would be funny to give him the games before the DS.  Along with the DS, my mum also gave Aled a little case to keep his games in and an embroidered t-shirt.  My sister Susan gave him a t-shirt she brought back from South Africa and my sister Helen gave him a Lego Darth Vader torch.

After some snacks, we brought out the cake.  Aled is really into the Lego Batman game at the moment, so I baked a rectangular and a round cake and hubby shaped and decorated it to look like the character Harley Quinn from the game.  Judging from Aled's face, I think hubby did a good job!!

Yesterday we had a birthday party with some of Aled's friends.  As the boys are huge fans of Lego and of Legoland, we decided to hold the party at the Legoland Hotel.  On booking, I checked what was included in the price and although at first glance, it appears quite pricey, I was surprised at just how much you get for your money.  We got 2 hours in the hotel restaurant, table decorations, a buffet for the children, party bags and the cake!  When you think about adding that all up for a standard party in a hall, you would be looking at roughly the same cost, so I thought this was fantastic value.

Having already been pleased with my choice of booking the party here, I didn't expect to be completely bowled over with what we received!!  We got up to the restaurant and was shown to our own cornered off section of the restaurant.  One of the most child friendly things that the restaurant has (other than the play area in the middle of it) is the tablecloths.  They are like a giant colouring in sheet and with crayons on the table, the kids got stuck in! 

We then let the kids head off into the play area.  They all had a great time running around and with Xbox's set up with Lego games, the boys were in their element!  Our host was always around making sure that we were happy with everything and even offered teas and coffees for the adults.  So often at children's parties the parents are forgotten, so this was a really nice touch. 

When I gave the nod, the food was brought out.  I have been to parties at soft play centres before and have never been that impressed with the spread, but this one was fantastic.  There was plenty there to eat for not just the kids, but also for the adults as well.  I had booked for 12 children but only 9 turned up, but even with 9 kids and 6 adults there was still loads left over!

After the kids had finished, we let them go back to play.  Hubby took some of them to the outside play area and they had a great time running around out there.  Before we knew it, it was time for the cake.  Our host came out with about 5 other members of staff and we all sung happy birthday to Aled.  The cake not only looked fantastic, but I can confirm that it also tasted wonderful as well!

The cake was then taken off to be cut up for the party bags, which were also provided as part of the package.  Inside the party bags, we had a Lego mini-figure and Legoland pencil, notebook and rubber.  We did add to it a little by putting in a bag of Haribo and box of raisins. 

I would like to say a huge thank you to Legoland for making my son's party such a fantastic one!  I would recommend them completely to anyone considering where to have a birthday party in the local area.  

Jackie. x

30 years ago..... #SpecialK30 Linky Challenge

Last week I was sent a box of Special K to try out the new recipe.

After 30 years Kelloggs have changed the recipe to the ever popular Special K.  In using the wholegrain and adding an extra grain to the mix, Special K tastes even better than before.  

I'm always sceptical when I see brands release a 'better than ever' version of a product and tend to think 'yeah right', but this time I have to agree.  The new taste Special K does have a nicer taste to it and even better, it doesn't go soggy as quickly as the old recipe.  I would have liked to of tasted more the of the box I was sent, however it got hijacked by my 3 year old who wanted 'mummy's breakfast' every morning!  I'm guessing that gives it a toddlers stamp of approval as well!

In celebrating the new recipe, bloggers up and down the country have been asked how they have changed over the last 30 years as part of Britmums #SpecialK30 How You’ve Changed Linky.

Back in the 80's

Well, thirty years ago I was a toddler, just like my youngest now.  A sweet innocent 3 year old girl (yeah right!).  We had moved to the UK a year before from South Africa and was living in a small town called Carmarthen in Wales.  I'm going to be honest, I don't really remember much about being a 3 year old! 

My memories of the 80's are Kylie & Jason and Bros!  The first ever album I owned was a cassette of Kyle and I Should Be So Lucky was a favourite track.  I remember being with my friends in the playground re-enacting the songs of Grease and Dirty Dancing, all of us wanting to be Sandy or Baby. (nobody puts Baby in the corner!)

As a teenager in the nineties I loved Britpop and boy bands.  I went through various different fashion styles, sometimes all at once!  I loved watching Byker Grove, Saved by the Bell, Clarrisa Knows it All and Sister Sister.

2013 with my boys

These days it's more about Nick Jr rather than Nickelodeon with my boys.  Luckily my favourite boy band from the 90's are back...Take That and I have been able to relive my youth a few times by going to their concerts over the last few years!  

Nowadays though, I am a mum to 3 boisterous boys and life is all about computer games and Lego at the moment!  Instead of the big rollercoasters of Alton Towers or Thorpe Park, I get my thrills from the kiddie rides at Legoland!

Jackie. x

This post is an entry for the BritMums/Special K “How I’ve changed Linky challenge"