Review: The Morphy Richards Multi Floors Steam Mop

As part of my role as a Morphy Richards Houseproud Ambassador I was asked to review their Multi Floors Steam Mop.

By coincidence, I had been thinking about buying a steam mop since moving to our new house as it has mostly hard floors (wooden, laminate and tiles) and after trying out different methods of keeping them clean, and asking other people for recommendations,  I thought a steam mop might be the answer.

So, nice timing Morphy Richards!

When it arrived I was surprised at how small and lightweight it was. It has a small water tank which takes just 270ml of water (no detergents required, so it's environmentally friendly) and I did wonder if it would be any good.

It couldn't have been easier to set up. Just pour the water into the tank, press the on button and wait about 45 seconds for it to start producing the steam and away you go. The handle is adjustable and the floor cloths are held in place by velcro fastenings. I'm glad it was that easy because someone lost the instruction leaflet *cough* As it turned out, even this idiot could figure out how to use it.

The steam mop tackled the wooden, tiled and laminate floors without a problem, gliding easily and because the steam mop is so light (2.1kg) it's very easy to manoeuvre around the floor.

The floor cloths can be changed from a hard floor cloth to a carpet cloth with a detachable 'glider' which keeps the cloth in place and helps the mop to move smoothly across the carpet.  I wanted to try it out on the dining room rug which gets a lot of traffic and is close to the dog's bowls, so it gets quite grubby.

 

I refilled the water tank - it steams for about 15 minutes on one tank of water - and tacked the rug. I steamed one side of the rug to see if I could notice a difference after steaming.  I took a photo after steaming the right hand side of the rug.

I'm not sure if the photo does it justice, but after 10 minutes of using the steam mop there was quite a difference - some of the stains had been lifted, the pile looked better and it looked cleaner. 

My only quibble is that the lead could have been a bit longer, in order to move around the floors I had to plug it into an extension lead.

I don't think the Multi Floors Mop can replace a more robust carpet cleaner but for a weekly freshening up of rugs and carpets it's pretty good, and easier to get out of the cupboard and get steaming than a more complicated carpet cleaner (which I also have and hardly ever use). Where I think it scores more highly is on the hard floor steaming, it worked very well and all three different flooring surfaces and left the floors clean and dry.


The Multi Floors Steam Mop retails at £49.99.


Disclosure: I was sent the steam mop for review purposes, but the words and opinion are my own.

Review: The Yale Keyless Digital Lock

When I was asked if I'd like to review this lock I wasn't particularly enthusiastic to be honest. I mean, it's a lock isn't it? Not exactly my cup of tea. But I didn't reckon on my brother looking over my shoulder and asking what the picture was of. "It's the Yale keyless digital lock" I said.  Needless to say, those words were music to his nerdy ears and soon the lock was on its way to us.

As I say, I wasn't that keen but when it actually arrived it looked much sleeker than I had imagined. Quite high-tech to be honest. Not at all like those keypad locks you see on offices and banks, no this one is quite stylish plus the keypad only lights up when you touch it, so for most of the time the numbers are not visible. It's recommended for use with timber doors, and is insurance approved.

Yet despite my initial lack of enthusiasm I can see plenty of advantages with this lock.  Imagine coming home laden down with shopping bags, or with the kids hanging off your arms and the dog tangling itself around your legs, and then having to fumble around in your handbag for the key. It's always difficult to find the key in those situations but with this keyless lock you just punch in your number and you're in.

Or what if you're a runner and like to run without bulky keys jangling in your pocket? This would be perfect. And visitors they could have their own temporary number code which could be deleted after they leave.

But for us, the biggest advantage would be that my two teenagers would no longer be able lock themselves out because they've forgotten their keys (and this seems to happen A LOT!). And even if they forgot the number code I could text it to them in seconds. Problem sorted.

Now we're just waiting for my brother to install it. At the moment it's on display on his desk...not quite what I thought he had in mind when he said he'd like to review it.

Of course, there's also an option to have it professionally installed if you don't have a nerdy brother.


Disclosure: we were sent the lock for review purposes, but the words and opinions are my own. 

What every child should have in their bedroom

Between sleeping and playing (and possibly being punished) your child is going to spend a lot of time in their room. Because of this, it is essential that your little one’s room is nicely decked out. With some fantastic nursery furniture available, there are plenty of options available for you to create a terrific room. Here are a few suggestions to get you on your way:

A toy chest

Children have a habit of accumulating a lot of toys as they grow up, so somewhere to store them all is a pretty good idea. A toy chest is also a great way to teach your child responsibility from an early age. By having to tidy their toys away at the end of every day, children learn to follow rules and keep things tidy. It also makes life for mummy easier, as there won’t be any loose toys spread around the floor waiting to be trodden on.

Somewhere to sleep

Depending on the age of your little one, you are definitely going to want to get a cot or a bed. A child gets very attached to their bed, so you should get one that is going to safely support them. You could also get some themed bed sheets. A good choice is to go with your child’s favourite cartoon or animal. If your little one has a favourite sports team they are sure to love some bed sheets that represent who they support.

A clock

One of life’s biggest frustrations has to be wanting to know the time but not having any way to do so. You can prevent this problem for your child by getting a clock to go in their bedroom. You could either get something to match the design and colour scheme of the room, or you could get something that showcases your child’s interests.

A night-light

Little children are often scared of the dark, and leaving a lamp or the main light on can be a costly solution. Instead, why not buy a night-light? They don’t use up as much electricity as a regular light, and they emit enough light to keep your child happy, and not so much that it’ll disturb their sleep.

Chest of drawers

Because of how small children’s clothes are, you likely won’t get the full benefit out of a wardrobe – not until they are a little older anyway. A chest of drawers is the perfect place to neatly fold away most clothes. By separating different types of clothes into different drawers, your child can also learn basic organisational skills.

A bookshelf

From picture books teaching the ABCs to full-blown teen epics, reading plays an important part in every child’s life growing up. Store all your little one’s favourite books in one place with a handy bookshelf. The earlier your child gets into reading the better, so a bookshelf really is a must.

A desk

A small desk in the corner of the room will make a perfect place for a child to play creatively. It is a great opportunity for them to express their creativity with drawings, or read one of their books. When your little one starts going to school, the desk will be the perfect place for them to get on with any homework they’re set.


This guest post is in association with Argos

Guest post: Christmas card activity guide

As Christmas is swiftly approaching what better time to do some fun arts and craft activities with your little ones.  Christmas card creation is one of the most popular craft actives for children as they love creating for friends and family. Creating your very own Christmas cards couldn’t be easier. This guide contains a simple set of instructions as well as printouts to make your Christmas card making fun and easy.

Section 1: What you will need
• A4 Card or thick paper
• Scissors
• Glue preferably a glue stick
• A computer attached to a printer
• Something to colour in with: pencils, pens, paints, crayons etc.

Section 2: Folding the card
Take your A4 piece of card and fold it in half down the middle. This can be done in two ways as shown below to give you ether a landscape or a portrait type card. It is probably a good idea to fold your card first before starting to decorate it as you can easily write on the wrong side.

Now you should have a card roughly greetings card shape.

 
Section 3: Background
Now it’s time to have some fun, the first thing you need to do is decide if you’re having a background. You can ether print out the background attached or find something else that you can cut out the make a great background. Wrapping paper and Christmas themed magazine cuttings can make a wonderful looking background when creating your Custom Christmas card.
Ones you find the perfect background cut it down to size so it’s fills most of the front of the card and then glue the card before sticking the background onto it.

The sample background in this image will work best with a landscape style card.


Section 4: Decorations
Now you have a great background it’s time to make the cards look great with some decoration. The cut outs in this guide come ether already colour or with the option for your kids to colour them in themselves.  Pint out and then cut out each one individually. There is a cutting guide around the images which can be used if it’s your children are doing it and they aren’t the most careful of hands. To get a closer fit you can cut them just outside of the image lines.
Printing out the black and white ones can be great if your kids love colouring. Not only dose this keep them busy for longer but it lets them put their own creative spin on things. There’s nothing to say you couldn’t have a purple reindeer. Once they’re printed and coloured all you need to do is glue them on.

Section 5: Write the card
Ones your kids have had lots of fun creating a wonderful picture with the various print outs and stuck them down your nearly done. All that’s left is to write on the inside and then hand them out. As a great learning tool for children consider doing a thin pencil line of the words and getting them to trace over the top.

Section 6: Extra Ideas
• Get your little ones to dip their hand in paint and then leave a hand print instead of signing the card.
• Cut out some faces from family photos and stick them over the printouts outs Santa, Mrs Clause and an elf to make a really fun family picture on the front of the card.
• Print out some of the print outs more than once if you wanting for example a penguin themed card.

This was a guest post by Sam Fisher on behalf of a custom gift company that supply many great items including Personalised Christmas cards

To download images, click on image and print as a pdf.

Recipes to put hairs on your chest

This is a sponsored post, but don't let that put you off:  I've written it myself and it contains some great recipes!

Now that the weather has turned colder and autumn is upon us this is when my thoughts turn to making soup. I love soup, and homemade soup is much better - and cheaper - than buying it.

The soup I make most frequently in the colder months is vegetable mulligatawny, which is a slightly spicy soup and because it has rice added it has a nice texture.

Leek, potato and bacon soup

My favourite is leek and potato soup but for a bit of a twist on that recipe I've also make leek, potato and bacon soup which is tasty and warming.

This winter I'm planning to make some new soup recipes: spiced butternut squash; barley and vegetable , and carrot and celery and I really like the sound of this very simple Potato Soup.

Of course one of the best things about homemade soup, if you have children, is that it's a great way of getting the little ones to eat vegetables. Just don't tell them what the ingredients are!

Winter is also the perfect time to get the slow cooker out. Is there anything better than putting a pile of ingredients in the cooker and coming home at the end of the day to a house filled with the aroma of your dinner, all ready and waiting for you?

I was given one last year and I've already earmarked some recipes by fellow bloggers to try:

• Hertfordshire Mummy has a really simple recipe for Beef Goulash - sounds great;
• I like Chili con Carne and I've never tried making it in a slow cooker, but I'll be trying out this recipe from Nickie at Typecast;
• and if you're looking for a pudding that'll stick to your ribs, how about a bit of Spotted Dick from Aly at Plus 2.4 (stop sniggering!)  That with custard....yum!

I'd love to hear your winter recipes. What are your sure-fire ways to put hairs on your chest during the colder months?

Pocket money for kids ~ what to consider

Pocket money. Always a tricky thing to negotiate with the young ones. When they reach an age when they want to be purchasing certain items and also need to be pulling their weight around the home, there comes a time to consider the issue of pocket money.

[photo by ThreelByBike]

You may start giving pocket money as a matter of course, or the issue may be sprung on you by enterprising offspring. Either way, there are a number of aspects to consider in this business transaction, and here are a few of them:

First of all, you have to negotiate terms:

·      Are chores involved?

·      Which chores?

·      How often do they need to be completed and to what standard?

Then, there’s the earnings:

·      How much do the kids earn?

·      Is pocket money set according to age?

·      Is there a value attached to each chore? If so, are weekly earnings capped?

Plus, the parental policy on spending:

·      Can pocket money be spent on things otherwise regulated or off-limits, like sweets or certain video games?

·      Should a stipulated proportion of earnings be saved?

·      Can the kids take out loans?

And after that you have to contend with peer pressure:

“Sophie gets £10 a week and she doesn’t have to do any chores.”

“Marcus gets £2 for every chore he does!”

But you will have to remind your child that what happens in Sophie’s and Marcus’ houses is different to what happens at your house, and everyone has different rules to abide by.

Bringing pocket money into the equation of family life is a good way of teaching kids valuable lessons about working for a living, earning, saving up and the satisfaction of buying something with cash you’ve earned yourself.

A recent survey taken by MyFamilyClub, a money-saving website, suggested that 75% of children surveyed had their own bank account with 81% having deposited money into it in the last year.  Eight in 10 children earn their pocket money with chores, and nationally the average allowance is £4.65 a week.

What is the policy on pocket money and chores in your household? What’s the best way to manage allowances?

Vivienne Egan is a writer for kids craft suppliers Baker Ross who have a great range of pocket money toys for kids.

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Five unique subjects you can study from home

For what can be a very wide range of reasons and due to many different sets of circumstances, many people find that it is the best option for them to further their studies and gain qualifications by using home based learning programmes. The idea of achieving academic qualifications up to university level, without physically attending a university or college campus, has been around for years but has grown in popularity of late.

All the advantages brought about by modern information technology and the ease of access which the Internet has provided to anybody with a computer means that today the process of 'distance learning' is appealing to people in constantly increasing numbers.

Alongside the benefits of increased flexibility and future progression, distance learning is also popular for its diversity. With a vast selection of courses available, deciding what to study may be more difficult than you imagined and here are five unique subjects which you may not have even realised were available on home learning courses:

Property development

Property development is something that many TV show series have told us is a sure-fire way to make money in recent years and even in these times of contracting markets and economic slowdowns this still remains the case. Yet it also means that the potential pitfalls can be larger. So it may come as a surprise to learn that there are study courses which can teach you a basic grounding in all the areas you need to know about in order to embark on successful property projects.

Floristry

Floristry courses prove a hit with those looking to make a career out of something they already enjoy but they are equally as popular with people who simply want to learn more about the craft. These courses can equip you with more of the skills needed to make the very best of your efforts and creations.

Complementary medicine

Complementary medicine is something that is growing in popularity immensely and 'Juice Therapy' is one of the more esoteric and interesting avenues which many are beginning to explore. You can gain diplomas accredited by the Complementary Medical Association and discover how this unique discipline applies to the realms of biology, anatomy and physiology.

Dog grooming

Dog grooming courses are very popular with professionals and amateur pet lovers alike. Learning about the history of the relationship with man's best friend and how to keep your canine companion looking their very best is an enjoyable journey and the courses provide all the knowledge you need to set up and run your own successful dog grooming business.

Rocket science

Some things are often described as being easy by saying that they are "not rocket science" and now The Space Center in Houston USA offers distance learning in this very subject! There are interactive module options at different grade levels which look in detail at the space missions of the past and the background technology and science behind one of mankind’s greatest endeavours.


*This is a sponsored post*