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There’s a pheasant in my garden, I think I’ll call him Phil. He really is a friendly chap and I quite often find him on my front doorstep!
Tomato, Artichoke Hearts and Butterbean Pasta Soup – A Slow Cooker Recipe
It’s been a while since I’ve added any new veggie recipes to the blog, but I’ve been experimenting with my new slow cooker over the last couple of months and thought I’d share with you a delicious recipe that I’ve adapted from one I originally found in Slow Cooking for Vegetarians
Ingredients:
A little olive oil (for frying the onion and garlic)
1 onion (white)
2 cloves garlic
2 tins chopped tomatos
1 tin butterbeans
1 tin/jar of artichoke hearts
900ml of vegetable stock – I use 6 veggie oxo cubes in 900ml of water as I like it very strong
2 tspn dried Thyme
3-4 handfuls of pasta (I like to use mini pasta bows)
How to cook:
1. Chop the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes in olive oil until they are just softened but not browned
Fry onion and garlic until just softened and not brown
2. Add in the stock, tomatos, drained butterbeans, drained artichoke hearts, thyme and season with some black pepper
3. Bring just to boil and then transfer to slow cooker and cook on low for around 5-6 hours
Pop in slow cooker and then relax for 5-6 hours!
4. Half an hour before serving, chuck in the pasta, stir and bump up to high setting
And that’s it! Serve in bowls with fresh, warm bread and butter! Sprinkle a little grated cheese on top to garnish if you like! Zara and Oscar love it!
Organic Baby Wipes and Biodegradable Nappies from Baby Patisserie Review
In our household we get through an extremely large volume of nappies and baby wipes each week, with two children still in nappies. When Baby Patisserie contacted me to ask if I’d like to review some bio-degradable nappies and some organic baby wipes, I of course said yes. I admit I’ve tried reusable nappies before and we didn’t really get on with them but I’ve still got a large guilt complex for the amount of waste we are contributing to landfill and with most disposable nappies taking centuries to dispose it’s a terrifying thought.
Baby Patisserie sell Beaming Baby nappies which are biodegradable and disposable with the majority of the nappy degrading in just 4 years, compared to the 400 years of other leading brands. Beaming Baby nappies mean that your baby and their skin is exposed to less chemicals every day and the nappies last up to 12 hours. Since the baby nappies contain less chemicals than ordinary nappies when wet they do not emit the nasty chemical smell that you may have experienced from other brands.
We were given a couple of size 5 nappies to test on Oscar and Zara (they are both currently in the same size nappy). My first impressions of the nappy were that it seemed a bit bulkier and papery than the Pampers that we usually use. Once we put the nappy on, it fit great and both babies were happy in them, they didn’t seem as bulky once they were being worn. As for performance, well it’s hard to give you a complete opinion of them as we’ve only used 2 and only during the day so I didn’t get chance to put them to the test overnight. I can say that I didn’t notice any difference in performance to Pampers. Both Zara and Oscar had dry skin once the nappies were taken off (an issue I had with reusables was that their skin felt damp all the time) and the nappy did just what it was supposed to do.
The Beaming Baby nappies sell for £8.49 for a pack of 34 on the Baby Patisserie website which is more than you’d pay for Pampers, in comparison a pack of 27 Baby Dry nappies in the same size is £6.49 at Tesco. That works out at 25p per nappy for the biodegradable ones and 24p per nappy for Pampers so actually it’s not that much more really and 1p more a nappy to reduce your landfill guilt? Sounds good to me. If like me, you are considering ways to make a difference, then it’s worth giving these nappies a try and seeing how you get on 
We were also given a pack of Beaming Baby Organic Baby Wipes to try out.
Beaming Baby wipes contains over 95% organic ingredients and are certified by the Organic Food Federation. The highest quality ingredients mean that these best selling organic baby wipes are incredibly soft and gentle on baby’s skin. Each pack contains over 90mls of Organic Aloe Vera (30 times more than any other wipe!), which heals, moisturises and nourishes sensitive skin. Beaming Baby organic wipes are free from: Chlorine, alcohol, paraben preservatives, sodium laureth sulphate and they won the Mother & Baby Bronze Award – Best Skincare Product for 2009 & 2008.
Now I have to admit that I found these wipes a little on the expensive side, selling for £2.99 for a pack of 72 on Baby Patisserie but as far as baby wipes go, they felt soft and the kids didn’t mind me scrubbing away at their faces with them after dinner. I do like the idea of using organic baby wipes but I have my reservations about the cost seeing as we get through wipes by the truckload in this household. I tend to normally use tesco fragrance free baby wipes and because neither of my children have had problems with using them, I’m not sure I’d switch.
Win Kaspersky One, Internet Protection worth £79.99
There’s no doubt about it, the Internet is taking over the world, which means it’s getting harder to protect yourself and your family online. With this in mind, Kaspersky are offering one of my lovely readers the chance to win a copy Kaspersky ONE, worth £79.99, ahead of Safer Internet Day on February 7th.
Kaspersky ONE Universal Security is the easy, one-license solution to protect your PCs, Macs, smartphones and Android tablets. Based on award-winning Kaspersky Lab technologies, Kaspersky ONE delivers real-time protection against dangerous Internet threats with security optimised for each device. So no matter which devices you use to bank, shop, surf, or chat online, you know you’re always safe.
For more information on how to stay safe online, check out these top tips from Kaspersky Lab’s senior security researcher, David Emm
1. Got protection? This may seem obvious, but security software is the new“black”. It helps you stay fully protected against malware, spyware, hackers and identity theft. And don’t forget to perform regular updates and scans.
2. Password strength matters. Use secure passwords – a different one for each Internet service. Set passwords to include 8-14 upper & lower case characters and numbers. Don’t use any words that are in the dictionary—they’re too easy for hackers to guess.
3. Protect your family. You stop your children from talking to strangers on the street– you should do so online too. Be aware of the potential dangers of the net from online bullying to paedophiles. Take parental control over the sites you don’t what your children to look at by using the parental control feature in your online security product – it’s an easy way to avoid disaster.
4. Click with care. If you’re checking your email or talking over instant messenger, make it a practice to avoid clicking on links in messages from people you don’t know. These links could lead you to a malicious website and result in malware installing on your computer.
5. Practise safe online shopping. When you’re going to buy those new killer shoes or the latest toy for your tyke, make sure you purchase from a reputable online retailer. You always look for a URL that starts with “https” and has the lock symbol when entering your credit card details or other personal information.
6. Socialise safely. By now, we’ve all had a bad link or two sent to us over our favourite social network. Utilise your social network’s security settings to their optimum level. Do you really need to display every detail about your life? And perhaps more importantly – do your children?
7. Keep your privates, private. A good rule of thumb: Don’t post anything online that you wouldn’t want to see on the front page of your local newspaper! This includes your personal phone number, email address and street address, your holiday plans– and maybe also your bikini-clad, beach holiday pics.
8. Stomp out spam. Most Internet Service Providers & security software programs have anti-spam technologies. The spam blocker will help prevent fraudulent emails from showing up in your Inbox tempting you with fake lottery wins or promising certain body-part enlargements.
9. Be careful how you surf. Open wireless networks are called ‘open’ for a reason: anyone can connect, including hackers. If you do have to use one, use a password manager to store passwords and enter them for you automatically. This will prevent data being captured by cybercriminals using a keylogger. And only enter personal information on secure sites –look for the “https”
10. Handle personal information with care. Beware of online sites that ask you to enter too much personal data. Read the small print – they may be selling on your personal details to third parties resulting in even more email spam and cold calls.
About Kaspersky ONE:
Kaspersky ONE Universal Security is the easy, one-license solution to protect your PCs, Macs, smartphones and Android tablets. Based on award-winning Kaspersky Lab technologies, Kaspersky ONE delivers real-time protection against dangerous Internet threats with security optimized for each device. So no matter which devices you use to bank, shop, surf, or chat online, you know you’re always safe
So if you’d like to win Kaspersky One, here’s how to enter -
You can do all of the actions below or just 1 of them but please make sure you leave a separate comment for each action you take or your entries will not be valid & please make sure you leave a way of contacting you either email or twitter, Thank you x
* Leave me a comment telling me you’d like to be entered
* Like Me on Facebook http://facebook.com/kneesupmotherbrown (there is a link on the right sidebar!)
* Follow me on twitter @dawnie_brown
* Tweet the following “I’d like to win Kaspersky One with @dawnie_brown in this FAB giveaway at http://wp.me/pWTCL-WD “
Good luck! UK entries only please. The winner will be drawn by random.org on Tuesday February 7th at 8pm x
Dressing Up Fun
This post is a entry in Mummy Loves Tutus and Superheros competition which she is running with Appliances Online Washing Machines
I’ve been trying to find my favourite photo of Zara and Oscar dressing up, we have photos of Spider costumes, Owl and Pussycat costumes but the one photo that I absolutely love (and was used for our family Christmas Card this year) is this one….my little snowman and elf
Graco Nautilus Car Seat Review
As you may know, we’ve been looking for a Group 1+ car seat for Oscar for a while now as he was fast becoming too small for his infant car seat. With thanks to my lovely sister over at Mummy Loves who is a Graco Ambassador, I received a Graco Nautilus car seat to review. The Nautilus is great as it is Group 1, 2 and 3 (9-36kgs) – so this is the only car seat that we will ever need for him now!
Graco Nautilus – The Details
Safety
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Side impact protection
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5 point harness
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Lock-off mechanism
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Group 1 Stage: 9 to 18 kilos with in-built harness and harness protect
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Group 2, 3 Stage: 15 to 36 kilos – please remove harness and use with a seat belt
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Direct-access recline handle
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Intuitive belt routing
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One-hand adjustable head support
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Height adjustment (grows with child)
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Machine washable cover- Integrated cup holder
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Storage compartments
My first impressions on receiving the Nautilus was that it looked lovely and spacious and extremely sturdy looking.
Oscar's first time in the Nautilus
Oscar certainly seemed very happy in his new seat though he was a little perplexed with suddenly being able to see forwards.
When it came to fastening the car seat into the car (we use it in a Kia Sorento) I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to install. With all the media going on about how so many car seats aren’t correctly fitted, it is nice to find a car seat which really is easy to fit and doesn’t move an inch when I test it.
I also like the fact that it has a drinks holder and a couple of handy storage compartments in the arm rests. Now Oscar is a little young for having drinks in the car yet but I know from experience with Zara how annoying it is trying to pass drinks back to a toddler and trying to reach for dropped cups.
Oscar in his big boy seat
I have to admit I’ve not quite figured out the recline feature yet as it doesn’t recline quite as much as I like but at least it has one, the seat we have for Zara doesn’t have a recline and I always feel sorry for her when she falls asleep bolt upright. Oscar at least has a little recline to make his snoozing easier.
The Graco Naultius can be bought from various places, the cheapest I’ve found this morning was on Amazon for around £125 here >> Graco Nautilus Group 1/2/3 Car Seat
which although it seems expensive at first, considering it will be the only car seat I need from now on, it’s not a bad investment.
The Graco Nautilus also comes with a FREE childrens play centre 
– as you can see from the following photos, the box provided hours of entertainment for both Zara and Oscar lol
So Oscar gets a car seat and I get a new den - great!
Plenty of room for me and all my toys in here!
What Happens If I Don’t Buy Car Insurance?
Car insurance costs are peaking at a time when wages are feeling the squeeze of austerity. However, that’s no excuse for cutting corners. If you get caught driving an uninsured vehicle or are involved in an accident and your insurance is not up to date, the consequences will be severe.
Annual premiums in the third quarter of 2011 hit an average of £921. When you consider that the price will be much higher for younger drivers, car insurance can be prohibitively expensive for some.
Counting the cost
Although the thought of driving without adequate insurance cover is unthinkable for most motorists, the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) report that it deals with around 30,000 claims each year from people involved in accidents with uninsured and hit and run drivers.
The Bureau estimates that at any time around 4% of cars on our roads are uninsured, costing honest drivers a total of around £500 million a year – that’s an extra £30 on the price of every law abiding motorist’s premium.
But a much heavier price of this criminal activity is the 160 deaths and 23,000 injuries on our roads each year caused by uninsured and untraced drivers.
Crack down
Since the police were given new powers in 2006, they have managed to drive down the number of uninsured motorists by some 13%. The chances of being caught driving without insurance have risen significantly because the police now have access to the national Motor Insurance Database, which is maintained by the MIB.
Armed with information from the database, the police will seize an uninsured vehicle and put six points on the driver’s licence. The fine for having an uninsured vehicle on the road is £200 and the fee for towing it away is £150. The vehicle won’t be released until the owner can provide proof that it is insured. There is a further £20 payable each day for storage and failure to pay up will result in the car being crushed – a fate which has befallen some 160,000 vehicles since the scheme was introduced six years ago.
Should an uninsured driver be involved in an accident, the penalties can be very much higher.
So if you are looking for ways to economise, not paying your car insurance is not an option – you will be committing a criminal offence, and could end up far worse off.
*This post is a guest post by Sainsburys Finance
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Ahh, it’s not very often I get half an hour to put my feet up and watch something on TV so for now I’m making the most of it
Win a £50 Experience Days Voucher
Sometimes it’s nice to have a treat and the lovely people from Experience Days have offered a £50 voucher to one of my lucky readers.
Maybe you fancy a Fashion Makeover and Photoshoot, a 4×4 Driving Experience or a Helicopter Buzz Flight. There is loads to choose from to suit pretty much everyone so why not enter and see what your £50 voucher could buy you
How to Enter -
You can do all of the actions below or just 1 of them but please make sure you leave a separate comment for each action you take or your entries will not be valid & please make sure you leave a way of contacting you either email or twitter, Thank you x
* Leave me a comment telling me what you’d spend your voucher on
* Like Me on Facebook http://facebook.com/kneesupmotherbrown (there is a link on the right sidebar!)
* Follow me on twitter @dawnie_brown
* Tweet the following “I’d like to win a £50 Experience Days Voucher with @dawnie_brown in this FAB giveaway at http://wp.me/pWTCL-Vj “
Good luck! UK entries only please. The winner will be drawn by random.org on Sunday February 5th at 8pm x
