I’ve been living in Taunton for nearly six months now (six months!) and although I’ve been pretty good at things like getting all of my post redirected and ensuring Belle goes to school most of the time, there is one thing I have been putting off – finding a new dentist.

Unfortunately this isn’t because I have super strong, brilliantly white teeth that need no care and attention at all – anything but – it’s because a) I am a teeny weeny bit scared of dentists and b) I have no idea how to do it.

Find a dentist

Definitely not me

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Anyone who knows me AT ALL knows that I love a quiz. Seriously. I LOVE a quiz. My whole sense of self-worth comes from doing well in tests.

When Totally Money asked me if I’d like to take part in a financial literacy quiz then I was on it before they even told me there was the chance to win an iPad Air; a place on the leader board was prize enough for me. I know about money right? I have an economics degree for God’s sake, I felt sure I could smash this quiz.

*pumps fist*

Hmm…

Turns out that having studied economics in the previous millennium doesn’t guarantee top marks in a finance quiz. I was a little flustered knowing I was against the clock but still, it was really no excuse for only getting 9 out of 16. I should probably hand all of my credit cards over to a grown-up right now, just in case.

Fortunately you don’t need to score top marks to go into the prize draw, so there is always the thought of that to make me feel better. After you’ve done the quiz just click the ‘Win an iPad Air’ button to enter. It’s with all the sharing buttons near the top and looks like this:

TotallyMoney.com - MoneyMasters.clipular

Take the quiz now by clicking on the image below and let me know how you score! 

I will sit and wait nicely.

All done? How did you do?

In collaboration with Totally Money

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You may remember a little while ago I posed a very important question – should I get my new Servis Hydrodrive washing machine in black or white?

Sensing the urgency of my dilemma, many of you responded and in true ‘I will let the internet tell me what to do at all times’ style, I listened. My black Servis Hydrodrive is now making itself at home and I hope you’ll agree that it looks like it’s settling in nicely. I love the black; I think it adds a nice touch of space age chic to my kitchen.

Servis Hydrodrive washing machine reviewI have to confess that I tend to be the sort of person who looks for the one programme on a washing machine that covers as many bases as possible – ‘mixed load 40 degrees’ normally – and then just keeps the dial permanently pointed at that, so I have been making an effort to get to know my new washing machine a little more intimately. (Not like that.) View Post

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Now it’s December I can officially start talking about Christmas without getting evil looks from all the scrooges out there. Hoorah!

Not that I haven’t been talking about it or thinking about it for weeks if not months already, but now it’s socially acceptable so I don’t just have to do it in my head.

At home things have been festive for a while. Candles have been lit, Baileys has been drunk and robin wrapping paper has been made. (Instructions for this coming soon.)

Robin wrapping paper

If you’re not really a crafty person but love the idea of making your own wrapping paper, you’re going to love wrap.me.

I’m listening. What’s wrap.me? View Post

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Let’s be clear, I’m not talking literal ingredients here. We all know those are butter and sugar and what not. I’m talking about the cakey qualities that set a truly great cake apart from an ordinary cake.

(I like to tackle the serious issues of our time.)

To demonstrate my point I am using a selection of the new cake squares from Kate’s Cakes. Kate’s Cakes are available in Tesco and wholesale, should you have a small business that you are looking to cake right up. As you know I take my work very seriously, so I am going about this properly:

Kate's Cakes

Portability View Post

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We have two Hollies in our lives. People as in, not bushes.

To distinguish them we have different names for them; we call them ‘Normal Holly’ and ‘Crisps Holly’. (Not to their faces, just when we are referring to them in private and their identity could be ambiguous.)

Normal Holly is my cousin and, as the name suggests, is relatively normal.

Crisps Holly is the five year old daughter of my friend Jo and, although also relatively normal, does like crisps. She has had her name for a couple of years now, (the crisps bit of it – she has been called Holly since birth), ever since she once stood in front of Bee, who was eating a packet of crisps, and peered in.

“I really like crisps,” she said, looking pointedly between Bee and the crisps.

“I really, really like crisps,” she said, having clearly not received the response she was expecting i.e. Bee handing over her crisps.

“You really like bread,” said Crisps Holly, breaking off a piece of her sandwich, placing it on Bee’s lap and helping herself to some crisps, “so let’s swap.”

You may wonder where I am going with this. As you will now see, what’s actually happening is that you are very cleverly and subtly being led into hearing me tell you what I think of the new Market Deli range of crisps from Walkers.

*smooth* View Post

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This review is from Bee. Enjoy!

…

I’m sure you all remember my breath-taking review of the Hudl 2 I did recently.

Well as soon as I got it I was hunting around on the web for accessories and a case because I always drop/break/spill something on/loose things basically as soon as I get them.

However the only place I could seem to find any was the official Tesco Hudl accessories page and all of the cases on there were a) not really my style and therefore b) a bit more than I was willing to pay for something I hadn’t really chosen the look of.

Then, as though they had READ MY MIND, GearZap.com asked me if I wanted to review their Hudl 2 wireless Bluetooth tablet keyboard case!

“Yes please!” I said.

This thing is the COOLEST. For starters, it’s a great case made from a posh and important black leathery material which makes me look like I’m doing something businessy on it, e.g. a pie chart. It fits around the Hudl 2 with room to spare so it keeps it safe, even from clumsy fools such as myself.

I’ve never had a case that flips open before because I thought the front part would get in the way all the time but I actually quite like it. You can flip it open dramatically as though you’ve just been sent an important document that you must look over immediately and not at all that you just fancy a go on Kim Kardashian Hollywood. The only thing I wished the case did was automatically lock the Hudl 2 when I close it, like the iPad mini case does. Although I’m pretty sure that’s more to do with the features of the tablet. A girl can dream. View Post

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I know only too well that if I go for even one day without eating that I will fall over, so I got my new boyfriend to test out the Juci Wellbeing detox for me. This is how he got on…

Juci Wellbeing

If Gillian McKeith is to be believed, and you really are what you eat, then I’m in a lot of trouble. Last year, I lost a whopping three stone by doing all the right things – a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and only a moderate intake of alcohol. I felt (and although I say so myself, looked) fantastic. I bought an entire new wardrobe and reveled in the ability to wear slim-fit tops and skinny jeans. I never grew tired of the unadulterated joy I encountered over the next three months at being stopped by everyone I knew so that they could tell me now wonderful I looked. I know that sounds horribly vain, but if you had spent the preceding five years looking like a darts player, you’d understand my situation. My confidence went through the roof, and all was very much right with the world.

Well done me.  View Post

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oversharingI have a tendency to over share.

I mean gosh, I’m sure you haven’t noticed, it’s not like I tell everyone on the internet all of the things.

I worry sometimes though that I do it in relationships and that it might be a bit much. It’s hard though isn’t it? There are so many conflicting messages. On the one hand we are told that the secret to any happy marriage is communication, communication, communication and on the other hand we are meant either to be cool, aloof ice queens, with men falling at our feet because we are so mysterious, or we are supposed to keep any sign of emotion under wraps unless it scare men off into metaphorical caves.

So contradictory is the advice in fact that I tend to just think ‘sod it, I’m going to tell him everything and then if he wants to run away he can do it now before I get too attached.’ It could almost be seen as a test; my new counsellor did say this week that she thought I was self-sabotaging. That’s probably for another post though.

So what happens is that I get full of all of these thoughts and anxieties and they all spin around together for a while. Sometimes I just tell myself to man up and keep them inside, sometimes I write them all down and then delete them, and other times I end up sending a long email or text that begins ‘So, I just wanted to tell you how I feel about…’. Then I send it and all the original fretting gets replaced with a new type.

It’s good to keep things fresh.

I have a few questions then: View Post

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With Belle becoming something of a food critic in recent months – her eagle eyes always on the look out for ‘previous food’ on the cutlery and gum under the table – it seemed only right that I should take her along as my guest to try out the new Byron Burger restaurant in Bristol.

To be honest I am open to any excuse at all to go back to Bristol, even though it does make me a little bit sad to wander around, surrounded by young and interesting looking people, knowing I have to then go home to the barren eggs-florentine-less wasteland of Somerset.*

As soon as we arrived we were made to feel very welcome. Service throughout the meal was excellent and we loved the decor – an industrial vibe with exposed brickwork, white tiles and an open kitchen so you can be sure that no one is sneezing into your malted milkshake. We sat in a booth for the full on diner experience.

Byron burger Bristol

Byron burger Bristol

I went for the special Shady burger and Belle went for the Byron burger with dry cure bacon. You know how Belle feels about bacon. She even took a picture of it. Both were absolutely huge and totally delicious. Neither of us managed to finish them and they’d certainly be enough to satisfy even the manliest of burger appetites.

Byron burger Bristol View Post

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This review is from my very favourite 19 year old daughter Bee.

Hudl 2

I recently received the new Hudl 2 to review.

“What is a Hudl 2?!”, you’re all thinking, “is it something to do with penguins? Or rugby? Big, burly rugby playing penguins?”

The Hudl 2 is actually the brand new tablet bought to you by the makers of my favourite thing, Pink Doughnuts…

Tesco!

I was obviously not that enthusiastic about it when I originally accepted the offer because it isn’t a tablet made by one of those big tablet making companies so I assumed it would be a bit lame. The information said it was £129 and was great for families with kids, so it sounded like the sort of thing that would keep kids entertained and let frazzled mothers do their online grocery shopping with the touch of a button, but that would be about it. View Post

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chicken tikka masala

I love a curry. Poppadoms, naan, that minty dip thing that I never know the name of that you always get in a tiny pot when you order takeaway – I love it all. As it’s National Curry Week then it would be positively remiss of me not to whip up a delicious spicy feast.

Fortunately, I recently discovered The Spice Tailor curry sauces, so rather than having to spend ages grinding things in a mortar and pestle or trekking to a specialist supermarket for spices I can have a chicken tikka masala ready in about 15 minutes – a proper one that doesn’t taste like it’s full of sugar and just came out of a jar. View Post

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