General life Archives - Mami To Five

Choosing Christmas gifts for men from Uncommon goods

November 2, 2017

Everyone loves a bit of shopping. I actually hate physically going to the shops but I can quite happily window shop on the internet for hours at a time, especially when I am looking to buy gifts for family and friends. One of the wonderful things about the internet is that you are now able to easily see what is available to buy, all across the globe. In theory this is fantastic, but quite often you are faced with a ‘we only ship to the continental united states’ Or ‘international shipping not available at this time’ which means you either a)need to find a similar product available in the UK, or b) need to know someone who lives in that country to borrow their address. But then you are effectively paying double the shipping costs and also putting someone else out.

I am always quite excited when I find a website that are happy to deliver goods to the UK so imagine how pleased I was when I was approached by the website Uncommon Goods to take a look at their website and not only was international shipping available but they also had the option to view prices in your own currency. So much easier than trying to figure out exchange rates!

I’m not sure if it’s just me but I usually find it particularly difficult choosing gifts for the men in my life. However whilst I was browsing I kept coming across things I thought Lee, or my dad, would love. In fact the entire selection of men’s gifts was quite broad and I expect you’d easily find something for even the fussiest of men.

Here’s a small selection of items I thought Lee would love this Christmas. He usually ends up with smellies, funny socks and a new video game or gadget. These things are all just a little bit different from the usual run of the mill gifts and vary in price from under £10 for the mug to £136 for the handmade, driftwood pen.

Having read into Uncommon Goods a little bit more I was quite impressed by the way they run their business. Not only do they strive to offer unique gifts for men, women and children (let’s just say they certainly live up to their name!) They also seem very ethically minded on the whole, with about one third of their products incorporating recycled or upcycled products. They also seem to appreciate the environment. They endeavour to supply products that are created in harmony with the envirnment without harming people, plants or animals, which in the plastic, throwaway age that we are currently in, is quite hard to come by.

I loved the fact that the artists of the handmade items have their photo right there next to the items they make, you can read a bit about them and the other items they make. This makes everything so much more personal for me and makes me feel that UncommonGoods actually care about their creators and employees. They don’t just mass import cheap products from China just so they can sell them for huge profit!

If you are looking for something that’s just a little bit different this Christmas I really do recommend you give Uncommon Goods a browse. You might just be pleasantly surprised!

This post was made in collaboration with Uncommon Goods, however all thoughts about the website and the products are honest and purely my own.

Beating the January Blues

January 17, 2016

I’ve heard people talk about the January blues before but I’ve never had it myself. That is until this year. Personally I don’t do New Years Resolutions but I do see a new year as a fresh start. Wiping the slate clean so to speak. But this year I just feel deflated.

I had an extended break over Christmas as Lee was off work, the kids were home and I just needed a rest after the hectic excitement of the run up to Christmas. It was so lovely to spend time with everyone home all together, but to be honest I think that break, alongside the horrendous weather and seemingly endless darkness is what broke me!

For over two weeks, I barely switched on my phone or opened a web browser other than to dive headlong into the vacuum that is facebook or to watch some TV shows. I knew the latter was a really bad idea as soon as I had watched the entire first season of Medium in just a couple of days.

The only TV we can watch here is through the internet. I rarely watch television shows apart from some on BBC iplayer like QI or Doctor Who. But I know too well that starting to watch something, especially when there are eight complete seasons right there in front of me, is going to suck the life, and my brain power, right out of me, I’m like an addict. And yet I still started!

Once everyone went back to school and work I tried to get back into my normal routines but I have been in a complete funk. I’ve had no desire to do anything other than watch TV in my spare time, all my creativity seems to have dried up and I’m filled with this overwhelming feeling of being unfulfilled, like I am in limbo while the world is rushing past at break neck speed.

Now I just feel blue.

The recent change in the weather has been nice, we have had some positively lovely days, which has really helped. I’m much happier to wrap up against the biting cold than I am to getting windswept and soaking wet every time I step out the door. We have also had snow forecast over the next few days. We all love geting out and playing on sledges, building snowmen and going for walks. I’m really hoping this is what I need to help blow away the cobwebs and finally get my braincells kick started again. If not I’m going to have to give myself a swift kick up the backside.

And I promise not to start any new TV series’ once I’ve finished the ones I watching!

Photo Credit: Gemma Price

How has your January been so far? I hope you haven’t had the January blues too!

Carrier Bag Charges. Advice from a Veteran

October 5, 2015

Today, England’s shopper will say goodbye to free carrier bags and will now have to fork out 5p for every new single use carrier bag they use when they do their shop. There has been uproar up and down the country with people complaining about the cost, about the fact that they use their bags for other things, such as bin bags, picking up dogs mess and a variety of other uses. About the fact they can’t hoard carriers in every drawer or cupboard.

But the reality?

As always it’s the negative voices that usually shout loudest and of course, the majority of people know that this is the right thing to do, the way forward. If your not convinced or are unsure about the carrier bag levy, here are some facts and advice from me to you.

England is last of the home nations to bring in the 5p charge. Here in Wales, we have had the levy in place since 2011, Northern Ireland since 2013 and Scotland since last year. We have all managed to survive shopping with the charge in place, we have also gotten quite good at balancing things on top of each other after picking up more items than we were expecting!

Also England, I’d just like to point out that you will be having it easier than the rest of us. Your 5p charge will only apply to plastic bags whereas Wales and Scotland’s applies to all ‘single use’ carrier bags, including paper. Northern Ireland has it even stricter having to pay, a minimum of, 5p for bags made from plastic, paper, plant-based materials and even natural starch!

I have also found out this morning that England’s 5p charge will only affect large stores, like supermarkets, chain stores and those that have over 250 employees. In Scotland Northern Ireland and Wales ALL retailers, even your tiny local chippy or corner shop, have to charge.

Choosing the Right Bedroom Flooring

September 21, 2015

If you have popped by my little blog before you will probably know that we have been on a mission to do our house up for a long time now. It has been well over a year and things are moving along slowly but surely.

The boys are now happily settled into their room. There are a few bits or furniture we still need to get, but nothing that can’t wait for now, and the girls are still up in the attic but can’t wait to be sleeping on real beds in their own room soon, instead of air beds!

We had planned to put the girls in the back bedroom, which was originally theirs as babies, then ours, then theirs again, but after some issues with ceiling heights (don’t ask!) we are going to have to go back in there. Trying to figure out what needs to be done in what order to keep everything moving along smoothly is turning out to be a bit of logistical nightmare to say the least!

We were quite lucky that the back room managed to survive unscathed when our roof leaked last winter unlike the rest of the rooms upstairs so there’s no damp. So apart from a lick of paint, the only major thing that needs doing is the floor. It currently has a horrid, pale beech, glue together laminate flooring that we put down about 15 years ago. It was the cheapest one available at the time and it was quite obvious why after just a few short months. So you can imagine how bad it is after 15 years. Personally I can’t wait to see the back of it!

Lee and I have been chatting for a while now weighing up what type of bedroom flooring we would like to have in our room over what type of flooring would be most practical with 5 kids. So it was quite a coincidence when Carpetright asked me to discuss this very subject with you! So we had a nosey around the website and was surprised at how reasonable some of the prices are.

We would both love a nice soft carpet, it’s been a long time since we’ve woken up and put our feet down onto a warm snuggly surface. Of course with Lee being a mechanic and our lot traipsing around it would have to be a dark carpet. Something along these lines.READ MORE »

Do You Google? I Do!

August 4, 2015

I absolutely love languages. I actually speak two fluently. What I’m most fascinated with is how languages develop over time. English especially, is made up of words borrowed from many various languages and this is how many languages have developed over time.READ MORE »

33 things to achieve at 33

July 1, 2015

Today is my birthday.

I am 33.

I’ve had prezzies, cards and cake. The kids have been very sweet and seem not to have argued with me quite as much as usual!

Yes, that is one massive Jammie Dodger cake!

Microwave recipe: Vanilla Mug Cake

April 29, 2015

A microwave oven is one of those kitchen appliances that I don’t seem to use that often, apart from warming milk each day, yet I know that I could never be without! I would love to save myself all that precious surface space in my kitchen, but there’s one little problem. They are just so darn handy!

I know I should probably be telling you my favourite thing to cook in a microwave is something healthy, like jacket potatoes, or frozen peas. But I have to be honest and admit that it is this beauty:

Okay so it might not look like much but these mug cakes are totally delicious and at the same time are so simple to make! Here’s the recipe for you:

Vanilla Mug Cake

In a large mug stir together (with a fork)

5 tablespoons of self raising flour
2 tablespoons of sugar (or less to taste)
2 tablespoons of milk (we use dairy free)
1.5 tablespoons of oil (sunflower/vegetable)
splash of vanilla extract

We usually add chocolate chips, but feel free to throw in whatever else takes you fancy (FYI stirring in marshmallow fluff is REALLY yummy!) and then bung it in the microwave for about 1 – 2 minutes.

Et voilà cake!!!

They are extremely moist (if you don’t overcook them) halfway between a cake and a brownie and just perfect if you need a little something sweet. What is also great is that there is no egg and you can also use dairy free milk so very low on the allergen factor this one!

I ~~often~~ occasionally make these as a lunchtime treat for O and myself. There’s something quite satisfying about snuggling on the sofa together before his nap digging into one of these with a fork each. They are also extremely easy for bigger kids to make themselves, so handy for teens when there are no treats in the house!

We are currently on the look out for a new microwave as our turntable stopped turning properly a while ago, it is also taking longer and longer to heat things. Panasonic is one brand that keeps catches my eye in my searches. There are even Panasonic microwave ovens without a turntable so I won’t have to worry about that breaking again. After all how will I tuck into my favourite microwave treat without microwave?

What do you mostly use your microwave for?

This post was written in collaboration with Panasonic however all words and thoughts (and the recipe!) are my own.

Jord wood watch ~ Review

April 15, 2015

If you read my Ultimate Mothers Day gift guide you may recall that I mentioned the stunning Jord wood watch. I was really lucky to be contacted by Jord all the way from St Louis in the US and was asked to review one of their selection.

There are many different options, from big masculine varieties, to small daintier ones, which is what I went for. There are men’s and women’s selections, however, I would actually say that apart from one or two, they are all pretty unisex. So you could have your pick really, depending on your preferred style.

I was quite impatient to get my watch but luckily for me, the delivery time is only a couple of weeks from placing the order. When my wood watch finally arrived safe and sound I was amazed by this beauty nestled in it’s box.

There are a few colourways to choose from dark woods right down to the palest Maple, but I chose this lovely red Cherry as I’m quite pale and I thought it would suit my skin tone better.

The watch itself is a little chunkier than I am used to personally but it is also extremely light so isn’t at all cumbersome even on my small wrists. I’m really not sure why but I had envisioned it to be quite heavy so this was a relief to me!

The one thing to keep in mind is that the watches come with a standard size strap. So if you have small wrists, like I do, you may need to get it made smaller. The website’s FAQ section says you should be able to remove links with a pin but you may feel more comfortable taking it to a jewelers so you know it’s being done right. You also have the option of purchasing extra links if you have bigger wrists which I think is brilliant!

Looking at the watch itself you can see that it truly is a watch made from wood (yeah, I know, it’s right there in the name!), from the face, to the rear panel, to each individual link. I find it amazing that you can make such a delicate thing out of wood! Obviously there are metal parts but even these are of high quality and the little touches, like the tiny J on the crown (did you know that’s what that turny thing on the side of a watch is called? No? Neither did I!). I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the hands glow in the dark which is a nice touch.

Of course watches like these aren’t going to be ten a penny. This Ely model is the cheapest wood watch at $129 (plus $20 shipping) which, when you convert it is approximately £100 (including postage costs) which, okay, isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination. But when you think about it, is probably cheaper than many designer watches that you can buy nowadays. The one thing I like though is that your not going to bump into many other people wearing one of these lovely watches in the local village shop!

You can see all of the Jord Wood Watches here, which one is your favourite?

***Disclaimer: I was sent the Jord wood watch to review for the purposes of this post, but all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own***

Vanilla Mug Cake

Sunday Stars Linky

Sunday Stars Linky