Learning made fun

Choi Time Tea - Review

I WAS delighted to be chosen by Choi Tea to receive free samples of some of their teas in return for posting a review on my blog. Ever since I stumbled across premium loose herbal teas in Selfridges I've been hooked and regular herbal teabags are a thing of the past in my house.

Choi tea sent me 2 giant flowering tea bulbs and 2 types of flower buds to try.

The care and attention that has gone into making each of these giant flowering tea bulbs is evident, and watching them unfurl and release their flavour and aroma's really is a feast for all the senses. As well as being wonderful to watch they apparently have health benefits too. It is claimed they aid digestion, strengthen the immune system, reduce the signs of aging, lower cholesterol and brighten the skin.

What's In A Name - The Musical Minis Top 10

OLIVER and Olivia were the most popular baby names across England and Wales in 2010 according to results from the Office of National Statistics, published last week. This led to a weekend of fun at Musical Minis as we decided to research the most popular girls and boys names for children at our classes.

The Musical Minis list includes our members over the last 21 years. We realise that over the 21 years some names have become both more, whilst others less, popular. In time we will look at our 2010 list of names, then at the end of this year our 2011 names, but for the time being it's a general list across all our past and present members. We haven't included children who attend our Children's Centre or nursery classes.

The top 5 names overall in order of popularity are Thomas, James, Emily, Oliver and Jack. We noticed that boys names appear more popular as girls names can be spelt in many more ways so even though the name sounds the same its count is split - e.g. Amy, Aimee, Amee, Amie. If we had grouped these variations of Amy it would be in the top 10 but we have kept the spellings separate so it's not.

Top 10 Boys Names:-
1. Thomas
2. James
3. Oliver
4. Jack
5. William
6. Harry
7. Daniel
8. Joshua
9. Joseph
=10. George
=10. Samuel

Top 10 Girls Names:-
1. Emily
2. Sophie
3. Charlotte
4. Lucy
5. Olivia
6. Hannah
7. Jessica
8. Grace
9. Emma
10. Katie

An interesting fact was that a sixth of the names on our list were unique - that is only one Musical Minis child was called it. If you're after an unusual / unique/ individual name just let us know and we can supply a selection.

If you would like to know how popular your child's name is on our list we can let you know that too.

From the popular names to the unusual names, from Aadam to Zosia (our A -Z), there is a name to fit every child. As parents we choose names that we like and hope our children will too - if not they can always ask to be called something else!

Some beautiful images from a Musical Minis mum!

WOW, we'd like to say a big thank you to Nikki Rutley who captured some gorgeous images at Musical Minis and displayed them on her blog.

They are from a few months ago now, but they still look great. Modest Nikki points out that they aren't up to what she calls her "usual standards" but are snapshots. As you can see from her main photography website, Nikki is a hugely talented photographer.

And, in her post about Musical Minis, Nikki, of Spalding, adds:

 
Whilst the faces change as members come and go, one thing remains the same, it is always the best hour of Noah's week! He loves it! And so do I - It's nice to get out of the house, doing something different, and catching up with the other mums and dads who are always really friendly.

Each week we sing different songs and have activities such as musical statues with balls (Noah can barely contain his excitement when he spots the bin liner full of balls! He spends all his time trying to get Janie's attention to get her to release them!) In the middle of the session all of the instruments come out and they are free to bang away on drums, play on xylophones, shake bells etc.

It didn't matter when I first started going that Noah was too young to actually play the instruments or sing the songs, he still loved all the colours and noise and attention, and was taking it all in. Now on a Thursday morning he might be sitting in his beloved little tikes car that I usually have to literally prize him out of, but I only have to say the words "Shall we go to Musical Minis?" and he's straight out to the front door like a lightening bolt!

I honestly can't recommend this class enough. Children of all ages can benefit, there is plenty to learn and heaps of fun to be had.

So what are you waiting for? Find your local class with the link below and go along - you'll see that I'm right!

Thanks Nikki, it's lovely to see such praise!

 

Storm in a Tea Cup - Review

Ever since a visit to Champneys at Tring many years ago, in the days when free herbal teas were on offer there throughout the day, I've been a herbal tea drinker. I'm not a great drinker and find it easier to drink herbal teas than water. I do like the odd few cups of tea and coffee but don't like having an excess of caffeine, especially at night.

I was delighted to be selected by Storm Tea to review their herbal range and jumped at the chance. Whenever, I'm at friends and asked what flavour herbal tea I want I'm never bothered as although they all smell different and are various colours they really are quite tasteless! Storm tea was different. I was sent a box of 15 Organic Lemongrass and vanilla tea, which retails for £3.99.

Musical Minis backs Have a Lovely Time

At Musical Minis, our emphasis is on fun.

That's why we're delighted to now be supporting the family travel and activities website, Have a Lovely Time.

This popular resource, written by parents for parents, is set to be relaunched in June and will be branded with some Musical Minis images and information.

We're looking forward to this partnership, which will also see the Have a Lovely Time team publish regular news from Musical Minis.

Shloer Summer Fruit Punch

AS SHLOER is a favourite of mine I was pleased when I was asked to review their latest flavour, Summer Fruit Punch.

This limited edition flavour was described as light and fruity, perfectly refreshing on a sunny day. I was sent a bottle so I could conjure up the typical tastes of summer: mint leaves, slices of orange and cucumber and fresh juicy strawberries, all served in a jug over ice.

Shloer uses only the best ingredients to create a delicious non-alcoholic sparkling juice drink. All varieties make a tasty grape-based alternative to alcohol, suitable for all the family. Shloer contains no preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners or flavourings and is available from all major supermarkets.

Shloer Summer Fruit Punch tasted like a non-alcoholic Pimms. I could taste the cucumber and mint. The drink was refreshing and I can see it being a hit with people who don't want to drink alcohol e.g. pregnant Mums or children, especially during one of the many Spring bank holidays, a barbeque or at a wedding. Personally, I would rather go for an alcoholic Pimms but it does make a great alternative.

If you need inspiration with recipes, then check out The Shloer Sunday Cook Book, App. The App has been designed so fans can upload their recipes, then each month fans vote for a winning recipe, and the winner will receive a half day cooking course. You can also win a prize for voting.

Shloer is available in White Grape, Red Grape, Rose, Apple & White Grape, White Grape, Raspberry & Cranberry, White Grape & Elderflower and new Summer Fruit Punch- RRP £2.29

Children's Books for Tough Times

I WAS wary when I was asked to review a new independent guide recommending story books which can help children to cope with difficult feelings or situations, such as bereavement, bullying or family break-up.

After taking my degree at Warwick University, where I focused on child psychology, I worked on the cardiac unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital as a play specialist. This was in the mid 1980's and was the time when heart transplants on children was just taking off. I had first hand experience in handling difficult feelings with the children on the ward, their parents and their siblings - unfortunately, we did have to deal with bereavement too. Many of the books and guides I've come across I really don't rate, especially concerning bereavement. However, this guide produced by Partnership for Children, a children’s charity, I do feel is good. In fact it uses some of my favourite books I used with the children in Great Ormond Street Hospital all those years ago.

The guide entitled Good Books for Tough Times, has been sent to 23,000 primary schools and more than 3,500 libraries, and has been made available free of charge online for parents.

An Evening With Cadburys

LAST Thursday night I was really excited to be invited to 'an evening with Cadburys' for bloggers.

The evening was to launch Race Season, which is all about finding the fastest people in Britain, people who are unbelievably fast at everyday tasks. It is part of the Spots v Stripes campaign, which is a two year long project that's been put together to support the Cadbury 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sponsorship. Cadburys are the official treat providers at the Olympic Games.

I took Emily, my 17 year old daughter, along as my guest. Emily is always up for an evening of fun especially when chocolate is involved! Over welcome drinks and canapes we had to decide whether to be a Spot or a Stripe - we both chose to be Spots. It was great to meet other bloggers some of whom I had already connected with on Twitter or read their blogs but had never met in person.

Shloer Cocktail - Review

AS a follow up to my last Shloer review I have been asked to review and make a Shloer cocktail that can be drunk to have a non alcoholic Sparkling Valentine’s Day.

If you want to enjoy a bottle of bubbly this Valentine’s Day Shloer is a non-alcoholic sparkling drink to enjoy with both the one you love and your children.

I was sent 2 bottles of Shloer - a White Grape and Elderflower and a Red Grape bottle - in order to make the cocktail. The cocktail I made was called It's Your Shhhparkle.The ingredients for 1 drink are:-

100ml Shloer White Grape & Elderflower
25ml Shloer Red Grape
10ml lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup 

Mix the ingredients into a glass and garnish with a lemon slice and red and white grapes. 

The cocktail was easy and fun to make and tasted really good - a sparkling refreshing drink with a sweet and sour kick. I particularly liked the colour - a warm pink.

Lotus Tissues With Olbas

RECENTLY I was sent a box of Lotus tissues with Olbas to review. I know tissues are something which all Mums quickly learn not to leave the house without.

These are portrayed as a new brand of family tissues which combine the luxurious softness of Lotus tissues with the breathe-easy family favourite Olbas. They are embedded with oil capsules, that when crushed release natural soothing vapours.

Lotus Olbas Facial Tissues are implanted using ground-breaking crush technology. The mixture of natural vapours including menthol, eucalyptus, juniper berries and cajuput are only released when the tissue is crushed.

The arrival of the box of tissues was very timely as my daughter developed a cold the next day! The tissues are soft but you sometimes forget to crush them to release the vapours.