Review of Exercise DVD: Debbie Rush's Bulge Buster Workout

Let me just cut to the chase straight away and say I liked this.  In fact I really liked it and I did not think I would.  I have no idea who Debbie Rush is as I do not watch Corrie but the pictures on the DVD were enough to get me interested.  Fat to fab....  that is always my aim!

I mean look at her now, that is beyond me, but good luck to her!  I had to laugh thought when I saw her starting weight was 10 stone something!  Mine was 17stone something!  If I ever get to 10 stone I will consider myself slim, fab and fit! Maybe she is a real shortie! lol

Let me tell you what I liked about the DVD:

• The instructor is Andy Titterall, Professional Rugby star and personal trainer.  He really does appear to know his stuff and I expect if you like muscly men he is fab eye candy!
• Andy is very motivational, he keeps reminding you about your breathing, posture and tells you that you are doing a great job!
• The music is very addictive, it made me want to work out but luckily as it has no words I could not get sidetracked and sing along.
• Much of the moves are quite repetitive and thus making it good for a big unfit fattie like me. The approach is definitely simple, sports science based training rather than dance your heart out. Whilst I like dance your heart out, this controlled approach is probably actually much better for beating my bingo wings!
• There are 7 different training circuits so you can choose to target different areas on different days and just dip in and out if you are busy and pushed for time.
• The workout selector, you can tailor your workout to suit you by choosing the warm up, up to 5 training programs and the cool down.
• Debbie has a section in the extras where she shows you her progress with the weight loss and training,  She is actually very likable and human, despite looking like a goddess in the end!
• Lastly, just in case you are already one of those fit types - there is an advanced techniques section in the extras.  I have to be honest I did not even look in here, but maybe with time...

The DVD is sold as being suitable for anyone; whatever your fitness level it will suit you and I have to say I think they are right, you could adjust your workout as your fitness level and stamina increased.

Unfortunately YouTube's embed code is not working at the moment, so pop over there and use this link to get a sneaky peek of what Debbie's DVD is all about.

This is a review post, I received the DVD free of charge to review but I actually have to return it, so there is definitely no conflict of interest here.  As per always I remain honest in my writing.

Annabel Karmel Pasta Cookbook Giveaway & Review of Toddler Snacking Range

Some of you will have seen that I went to a special preview of the Disney film Tangled at the weekend.  We had a ball, you can read about it here if you missed it.

Hosting the event was the best selling author Annabel Karmel, this was because she has teamed up with Disney to use their popular Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh characters on the packaging for her new range of toddler snacks.  Because Disney are endorsing these products they are being made to stand up to the stringent nutritional standards set by Disney. I will be completely honest with you here and say I have not investigated this fully, I am quite a trusting kind of girl, that is just me.  I will look at the nutritional composition on the back of a pack and look at the ingredients and if nothing seems out of sorts then I will give the product to my children.  Some parents are different and that is fine, please feel free to investigate.

Basically this range has been devised by Annabel so that small people can still snack during the day but on more healthy or nutritious things than crisps and chocolate. The range is aimed at children of 12 months or more and the appeal is quite wide ranging my 7 year old adored the chewy bars and the 3 year old girls were more taken with the mini biscotti biscuits. Another favourite was the strawberry flavoured raisins. A strange idea as far as I was concerned but Miss E was taken with them, so who am I to argue?

The range also includes fruit crisps and rice and corn snacks but I did not get to try these.  I would say they are packaged in an appealing way, the size is just right for children and they were filling so I will buy these products again.  You can find them stocked in good supermarkets, I noticed Sainsburys had a third off at the moment! A pack of these corn snacks is currently 32p or 49p normal retail price, that is about the same as something like the children's Organix range.

At the event on Sunday we were lucky enough to receive some of these goodies to try and also 2 Annabel Karmel cook books.  One I have kept for myself to use and the I want to share my good fortunate with you, so the other I am giving you the chance to win. It is the to 100 pasta recipes and is full of lots of quick and simple ideas for family meals.

Image Credit

To enter -

• Either follow me by google freinds connect or subscribe to my RSS feed and leave me a comment to say you have done so
• If you want an extra entry tweet the giveaway with @michelletwinmum in the tweet so I know.

Terms and Conditions

• Giveaway ends 12 noon Tuesday 18th January 2011
• Open to all UK and Ireland residents.
• The prize is not transferable or refundable and there is not a cash alternative.
• I will pay the postage cost and send the prize to the lucky winner.
• I will use a random number generator to pick the winner.
• I will contact the winner within 3 days of the giveaway closing.
• Please leave an email or twitter ID so I can contact you if you win.

Good Luck!

This is a review post and as such I received the toddler snacks and cook book free of charge. My review is honest and my own words. No review was expected from me in return for these goods but as our family enjoyed them I am happy to recommend.

Congratulations to @01momonawire . You are the lucky winner.  Please email me or DM me on twitter and let me kow your address and I will post this book out to you.  Cheers, Mich x

Photobox Canvas Print Review

This post originally appeared on my other blog:  Mummy From The Heart... but seeing as Photobox are doing loads of great January Sale deals now I thougth I would post it over here too!

So there is a photo of a photo!  Well actually it is a rather large canvas print now and it is hanging in my dining room at the moment but later today when dh is home to help me with his 'eye' we will be hanging it in the new playroom. A fabulous addition - don't you agree?

When Photobox contacted me to sample one of their products I could not say YES quick enough, I love canvas prints and have always wanted one but could as yet never justify the cost. So the chance to try this out with a hefty discount, well yes please!

I was pleased with my experience of using Photobox. It was very quick and simple to set up an account and then uploading the photo was easy. I could see on the screen how the different photos would look on different size canvases. If you want to edit your photo before sending it for printing Photobox redirect you to picnik and you can make all the amends there. I did find this quite a lengthy process, so seeing as picnik is free I think I would prefer to edit my photos first and then upload the perfect one to Photobox for printing.

The Pros - The actual product is great, it was easy to make, it arrived in good time and was well packed, I made use of an extra £10 online discount and them seem to have specials all the time!

The Cons - I was asked if I wanted the print to wrap around the sides of the canvases and I chose yes and this was stated on my delivery note, however it did not and this spoilt it a little for me. I could have contacted customers and spoken to them as they have a 100% customer satisfaction promise but to be honest I am busy and it is not that important. The print actually looks perfect on the wall.

I would definitely recommend using Photobox for their canvas prints and in fact I am plotting where my next one will go....

This is a review post: I received a £40 discount to make my canvas print. I have reviewed the product and as per always I remain honest.

The Girls Recommend: ELC Styling Head

Hands up, who owned a Girls World when they were little?  I for one did and I adored it.  I was a really girlie girl and I loved to colour her hair and do her make up.  So I was thrilled when Father Christmas bought Miss M this super styling head from the Early Learning Centre for Christmas.

The head retails at £20 and you get a good sized head with very pretty hair, make-up in a CD case, brush, comb and lots of hair accessories.  Here are the girls happily playing together on Boxing Day -

Whilst they have used most of the lip gloss in their 3 or 4 plays since Xmas there is loads of the powder shadow and blusher still and I intend to just get them some cheap gloss from the market to use in the future.

I think this could provide hours of fun and at £20 I was very pleased.  This would make a fab gift for a little lady with a birthday in the coming months.  Keep an eye out for when ELC do those special times when they have 10 or 20% off everything.

This is a recommendation post and as such we have received nothing for free and have not been asked to write this post.  I am just recommending a product to you dear reader that our family give a big thumbs up to!

Orchard Toys Review: Post The Most Family Game

Before Christmas I was lucky enough to win a super game from Orchard Toys, Post The Most.  I am not obliged to review this as it was a prize, but as you know I adore Orchard Toys and it is such a lovely game so it would be a shame not to share with you dear readers.

The game is aimed at children age 5 upwards, they state 5-12 years but my husband and I have played it with JJ a few times and we both enjoyed it too!  As always the actual quality of the game is fantastic, the cardboard is really thick and sturdy and the little stand up buildings are hardy and colourful. I also like the fact that Orchard Toys boxes are just that bit more durable than other game or puzzle boxes.

It did not take us long to get the hang of this game and it took us about 45 minutes in all to play it.  JJ loved posting the little letters in the buildings, whilst dh enjoyed the strategy of deciding which route to take. I just had fun and on our first play I was the winner! yay

The game is fun as you have to deliver letters, special delivery letters and parcels to the different houses around the island and as each different type of delivery has its own set of rules this makes for a fun and interesting game. Just what Orchard Toys do best - education in the guise of fun.

This game costs £15.50 from the Orchard Toys website and I would say it is worth every penny. It is another lovely family game that I know my girls will enjoy too when they are older.