This is a roundup post of some things that my troops and I have reviewed recently…. Back at the start of the Summer, I got a pair of Carly shoes to review from Hotter. Now all I knew of Hotter up to that point, was that I’d seen some shoes, in our garden centre locally – I kid you not. And talked to my mum, saying I’d thought they were pretty cool !! But was I old enough to buy shoes from a garden centre?? Then the review opportunity came up and I was in like a shot for these Carly’s. Because they reminded me of some I had in black, when I first graduated from Uni. I’m a sausage for shoes, but always struggle because I only want ones that are uber comfy and don’t like to wear them in. So I’ll be honest and say that in my wimpy feet, that never wear heels, my feet did a whole day of walking around London before I got a blister on both my feet, at the back. This is nothing to the shoes, it’s me. My feet a wimpy. It’s not put off wearing them though, and I’m back in them for short walking, to be able to build up to wearing them for a whole day again. And now, they’ve opened a shop in Cambridge, so I’m even more pleased, because I’m going to buy a pair myself, as I like the styling and they are really well made.

PS. The Carly’s are currently on sale for 39.99 so if you want a pair, click the link in the image!

Next on my review list to share is a place for everything. Which is basically my personal nirvana – a whole site about storage and kit for the home, you and your family. I got offered a Lego lunch box and a Lego drinking bottle. I replied and begged for two – can you imagine my trying to divide them up amongst the boys? I hate to think of what it would be like. Anyway, the boxes arrived, along with the drink bottles. Our 6 year old can just about get the lid off the lunchbox, but our 5 year old can’t, so we’re not using them for lunchboxes per se. They are instead being used for snack and treats for after school activities, where we are with them. And they are brilliant for that. We get sandwiches in, crisps, raisins, fruit and half a chopped up apple. I have to have a lot of different things in there, so they can eat whatever they fancy after school. I’m not sure if they go in the dishwasher. I’ve hand washed so far – need to check on that. In this picture, that I got from A place for everything, there’s some really small boxes to put raisins and other things in. I think I’d get them as stocking fillers. I like the idea of them….

And finally, another one that was for the benefit of our boys – but I think that my mum had a pretty good time trying them out with them! Sharpie has a couple of different ranges that we tried out – Sharpie Stained are permanent markers for drawing and writing on clothing and fabric. We used a couple of old white tshirts. The boys and Grandma had a lovely afternoon doing it together. They are now on my list to buy them, along with a tshirt as birthday presents. I hate buying things that are gender biased, not least because I like to have a stash of stuff in the cupboard ready to go, so these pens will be perfect for that! The tshirts are currently in the washine machine, so I can’t put them on here – but they’ve washed really well. And haven’t stained other clothes. Which is good ;)

Please note that the image below is from Sharpie. I would never colour so neatly!

So that’s me. I’ve received these products, but no direct payment to write about them. I’ve written about these products with a totally honest opinion, and have not taken editorial input from the brands. I think you can tell that though, given the standard of the writing! It’s late, I’m tired and I’ve been writing for other people all day! What reviews have you done recently that you’ve really liked?

Swimming, yes, it’s another blog post about swimming. I love it. In fact, I’m prioritising it as being a lucky star at the moment – ploughing the lengths of the pool that’s just over the field from our house, at the princely sum of £2.30 a session, I’ve had some great thoughts – one of which has gotten national coverage for a client with an ease that is unimaginable in PR terms!

Anyway, I digress. On the work front, I’ve had a fair few challenges over the last couple of weeks – so challenging that even the thought of chips and gravy didn’t make them better. When something is that challenging, there’s only one thing to do – abandon it and hit the pool. I’m only swimming for 20 minutes, but I’m having a really good go. I’m getting up at the crack of dawn to do it, and I’m pooped for it, but it gives me that space that I need to clear my head.

And it’s swimming that got our boys and Lovely Bloke through the summer holiday – they did swimming classes, one to one classes and big bear even managed to dive off 5 metre boards in his diving classes! And was very proud of himself for it. And even better, it was swimming that had our big bear jumping off what looked to be a very big cliff but was actually around 3 metres in height – with me and Lovely Bloke following after him, in a gorge in France!

So here’s to swimming – for keeping us healthy ish, strong, wearing us out by the end of the day and for providing us with something that we can all do together come rain or shine.

A friend sent me a link to a couple of new games that have popped up on CBeebies last week and I have to say, I really like one of them! Not just because it’s about food. Ahem. But also because it’s giving me the chance to talk with the boys about what cool stuff we could put in our sandwiches and make together. I know that sounds a bit random. But one of our troops only has plain bread, no butter, and ham. The other one only has bread, butter and cheese. We can’t grate the cheese. We have to slice it up for him. So I quite like the idea of us considering the possibilities of something that might broaden our horizons.

The boys of course, like the game because there’s a liquid squirty thing that they can put on the sandwich and it goes everywhere. They think that’s great. Anyway, here’s a picture of one of my creations :)

And there’s also another one, which is digging holes and planting. Anyone who reads my blog regularly will know that gardening isn’t my thing. But it’s ok. It’s just not quite as applicable to our family as the one with a great big tower of a sandwich!!!

Anyway, now I feel like a model mother for being involved with my boys over the holidays, I’m off to see what we’ve got that I can have as a sandwich for my lunch! I don’t think there’s going to be a slice on pineapple in it though…..

Firstly, should it be a who or whom? You’re a clever bird so you’ll know the answer to that one…. But that’s not why I’m sad you are moving quite literally to the other side of the world. And nor is it because you’re also moving with your husband who I used to have a monumental crush on despite meeting him just twice more than 10 years ago.

No. It’s neither of these things. It’s because I think you are rather cool and that although you present yourself as being brainy and clever I think actually you’re just as nuts as I am, in lots of ways. I actually have form you know, for attracting incredibly bright women as friends, who I look brainier with by association….

Maybe I’m not that daft after all? ;)

Anyway, I wish there were more hours in the day. I wish you weren’t rushing to see all the people you know we’ll before you move and pack up your life into a shipping container. I wish I’d made more effort before you said you were even thinking of moving. Maybe we could do long distance, using Skype and have a random friendship that way? What do you think?