Making Memories with Burger King SA

Yesterday,my inlaws looked at Squish puzzled when he told them 'we went on a picnic to Burger King'. He wasn't exactly wrong though- this weekend, Burger King SA treated us to a picnic to celebrate the launch of their delicious new King Snack meals. We received a stunning hamper stuffed with everything we need for the perfect picnic- picnic blankets, sunhats, water bottles, frisbees, bats... you name it! (I loved the fun messages printed on the various items). 

Most importantly, we received vouchers to collect the perfect fuss free picnic meals- the new King Snack meals (plus drinks of course). I think picnics are all about family fun and relaxation. Why spend hours slaving away in the kitchen for a picnic when you can just pick up your picnic food on the way? 

Saturday was a perfect sunny day- ideal weather for our #Kingsnackspicnic. We decided to have our picnic at the beautiful Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort, famous for its plants, breathtaking waterfalls and black eagles. While our usual Burger King is the Rosebank one, for the picnic, we stopped at the new Burger King at Clearwater Mall, which happens to just down the road from our chosen picnic destination to pick up our picnic lunch (if you are looking for this particular Burger King, it is in the upstairs section of the food court). 

While we like the Rosebank branch for its location and play area, at this one I was impressed by how friendly and knowledgeable their staff were and by how quickly and efficiently they dealt with a minor glitch with our card. While waiting, I was tantalised by the flashing poster for the King Snack meals we were about to enjoy- each King Snack consists of four chili cheese bites, four King nuggets, four King chicken ribs, two small fries and two barbeque dipping sauces. Everything contained works well as finger food for a picnic and it is perfect for one very hungry individual or two less hungry people. For us, two King Snack meals were just right for two adults and two little ones with tiny tummies.

After a quick drive to our destination, we found the perfect picnic spot under a large tree and we settled down to enjoy our meal- still piping hot in the cooler bag. 

I must say, we really enjoyed the new King Snacks. I think those chili cheese bites are my new favourite snack- they are beyond divine and I am dreaming of them while typing this up! I was very curious as to what chicken ribs were- did I miss that biology lesson? It turns out that they are succulent chicken wings in a spicy rib sauce- quite tasty but with a bit of a bite. Look- they kind of look like ribs!

The nuggets were firm favourites with the kids and the wings were yummy too. I don't need to tell you the fries are good- you already know that I am sure!

While every calorie consumed was well worth it, we decided that after lunch it was time to burn off some of that deliciousness. We played with the bats and balls, which the kids really enjoyed!

Then it was time to play some frisbee. This was fun for a few minutes until Noodle got whacked in the face. 

After the tears settled, we got even more active with a walk to the picturesque waterfall, followed by a hike up the ridge. 

We were quite impressed that Noodle got all the way to the top all on her own. It is quite a steep and tiring climb and hubby A built some muscles carrying Squish all the way to the top. We were all completely out of breath by the top but luckily, I still had some Burger King bottled water stashed in the cooler bag- boy did that go down well!

The long trek was worth it as the view of the West and North of Johannesburg from the top is quite spectacular and you have a good view of the waterfalls below too! 

All in all, we had a super fun day which we will all remember for a long time to come. Thank you to Burger King SA for making it happen!!!

*Sponsored post

Some Crafty Ideas with Bostik

I have a confession to make. I am a stationery junkie. Back in my school days, I would salivate over all those back to school catalogue and owned every sort of pen from the fluorescent gel ones to the metallic ones. My daughter appears to have inherited this trait. So, when this amazing package from Bostik arrived for review (and Noodle was home when I opened it), you can imagine the reaction in our house. I mean... look at it... can you blame us?

As you know, we do a lot of art projects at home. In addition, Noodle starts grade R in January so I am sure all these glue sticks are really going to come in handy!

I have learnt from experience that glue sticks are something where you should not skimp on the ‘budget’ brands and to rather stick to the brands that work-like Bostik!

 

Bostik has been around as long as any of us can remember- more than fifty years in fact. However, they have now gotten a facelift with a sleek new look and a new tagline, “Smart Adhesives” to the one you already know (“don’t just stick it, Bostik it”).

Their new mascot is the adorable Gary the Gecko (you know, because Geckos are so remarkably good at clinging to just about any surface, just like some of the products). I bet you didn’t know that geckos can support their entire body weight on a single toe! 

We have not played with our new toys yet too much, except for the crayons and the glitter glue. I must say I love the design of the retractable wax twister crayons as it is easy for little ones to grip and they do not snap like regular wax crayons. 

The 4-in-one crayons are just so much fun and can be put to an infinite number of uses! We just had to try it out, so Noodle drew a Minion (the obsession has not gone away yet) and even I did a little two minute doodle.

The glitter glue is of great quality and has just the right ratio of glitter to glue (unlike some others that I have used before that hardly have any glitter, or don't stick to the paper properly).

I drew a stick figure princess in pencil and let Noodle practice her tracing skills using the glitter glue.

This week, we plan to do teacher appreciation cards (to go with some store-bought gifts we bought). The plan is to make scratch art cards using the awesome retractable wax crayons.

Here is how:

•  Colour thin stripes of colour onto cardboard or paper so that the entire card is covered in crayon. Use lots of colours- bright colours work best.
• Cover the entire surface with a thick layer of black poster paint until you cannot see the crayon underneath. 
• Allow to dry.
• Scratch away your desired message/ picture with a toothpick or skewer.

Easy! We will of course be wrapping the gifts using the awesome Bostik tape received and then sticking the card on using the Bostik Prestik (which is a staple in our home). Of course, the glitter glue will be used to add some extra sparkle.

We Love Yoghurt- Yummy Nutriday Yoghurt Recipes and More!

In our household, yoghurt is consumed in one way or another most days. Squish has yoghurt with fruit or muesli for breakfast about half the time and the rest of us have it as healthy snacks and I often use it in cooking and sometimes even desserts. 

I am a big fan of the Nutriday one with the strawberry chunks as a snack, but plain yoghurt has all sorts of applications in our house (especially since many Indian dishes are consumed with dhai, a spicy yoghurt side dish made of yoghurt or sour milk- I use yoghurt as it is much creamier).

This weekend, we were surprised by this amazing blog drop from Danone Nutriday- a huge cooler bag filled to the brim with a selection of Nutriday's new range, which has a new improved recipe and an external face lift too!!! 

The range now comes in three new cup sizes. I love the fact that there is now a bigger one to take on the move than the ones that come in the six packs (which are just right for the kids but which I sometimes found myself eating two of- I am not sure if that makes me greedy). When I saw the shape of these new containers, which are made of quite a sturdy plastic, I immediately thought of creative art applications for the containers once their contents have been devoured- I will keep you posted on what I decide to do with the containers.

I discovered some interesting facts about the yoghurt too. Did you know that because of the enzymes contained, most lactose intolerant people can still consume yoghurt? Or that
in addition to calcium and protein, NutriDay yoghurt is a source of Vitamins A, B, D & E- essential nutrients needed by your body every day!

The folks at Danone Nutriday have shared some awesome recipe cards which you can save and print for later use.I haven't tried them all yet but look forward to doing so in the near future. 

DANONE NUTRIDAY RECIPES

Introducing Frank and Miss- Little Threads For Little Ones

This weekend I was fortunate enough to attend the launch party for the exciting new Frank and Miss Clothing range, a beautiful new range of clothing for little people designed to be comfortable and practical, allowing kids to be kids while looking super cute. Most importantly- their pieces are priced very reasonably (bearing in mind that these are bespoke items). Here are some of their beautiful pieces:

Their range is a mix of baby stuff and clothes for older kids, both for every day and for special occasions- practical but different enough for your angels to stand out from the crowd. They also specialise in wedding attire- think pretty flower girl dresses without all the fuss and scratchy taffeta. They do beautiful everyday dresses too- just look at these!

The passion and enthusiasm that Elli and Claire, the two lovely ladies behind this proudly South African collaboration, is apparent. Claire's own beautiful pigeon pair were the perfect models for the range, sporting Frank and Miss couture at the launch party.

What I thought was quite a nice concept is that they also do matching sibling outfits, e.g. a dress for sister with a shirt with a matching bow tie in the same fabric for brothers. Noodle is going through a phase where she likes to match her baby brother (for example I dressed Squish in a nautical navy and white striped top for the party so she rushed to fetch her dress with navy and white stripes). I know the matchy-matchy idea would get her stamp of approval!
 
The party was a child-friendly event, set at the lovely Happily Ever Laughter in Bedfordview. If you are looking for a great child friendly restaurant in the East Rand, this one is sure to be a hit with the little ones- I know Noodle and Squish certainly enjoyed it! I think the live minion at the venue was a highlight for them (although Squish was a bit conflicted- he loves Minions but is a bit wary of characters in suits).

Thank you to Frank and Miss for hosting us!

Noodle and Squish left the party with their very own adorable Frank and Miss t-shirts, which they love.

I am sure you are dying to know where you can get hold of this stunning range for your little ones. You can order your Frank and Miss couture from their website (click on the link to be directed their online store). They deliver across South Africa.

Some More Amazing Kids Books

It is month two of our Kids Book Club subscription period and this month's bag was even better than month one. (If you missed out on our previous post on Kids Book Club, you an check it out here. In short, this is a subscription service where you get a bag full of awesome kids books each month). Here is last month's selection:

 

This time, Noodle was home when the courier came to drop off our package and she was beyond excited when I told her it was a package for her (last month she was at school when it arrived). I think getting a package was almost as exciting for her as the actual contents, as she is used to seeing packages being dropped off for the adults in the house but not especially for her. 

I told Noodle that she could only open the package that evening if she was well behaved all day and she kept her end of the deal. She was thrilled when she opened it and told me these are the best books ever, ever, ever. I even got smothered me with hugs and kisses!

This month, the carry bag has a Halloween theme, which can double up as a trick or treat bag for those who celebrate. 

I love the big hard cover book with the movable clock (especially handy for us as Noodle is currently learning how to tell time). The story goes through the different parts of the school day and shows a clock with the time of day on each page. The book is very interactive with various activities on each page, including number and letter recognition,counting,colours, basic geography and songs to sing. This is Noodle's new favourite book.

The second book is a colourful activity book with a clever shark crayon/ puzzle built into the cover. The activities are age appropriate and Noodle has enjoyed them so far.

As always, there are a couple of magazines included for mom (a month out of date but I am not complaining as I would not have read these otherwise).

 

If you would like to find out more about Kids Book Club, you can go to www.kidsbookclub.co.za and click on the relevant age category.

We love NUK {Product Review}

We have always used NUK products for Noodle and Squish and in my experience their products epitomise quality and great design. Noodle was addicted to her pacifier (the NUK Rose Soother to be precise) as a baby. They were my preferred choice too due to their orthodontic design and the fact that they did not cover Noodle's entire tiny face like some other brands.

You can see below that Squish's NUK bottles and dummy have been well used. He never actually sucked the dummy (he used it as a chew toy/ teether) but loved it nevertheless. 

.

The old tested bottle and soother

We were excited to hear that NUK has expanded their range to not only cater for smaller babies but also active toddlers and pre-schoolers. We recently acquired a set of six BPA free NUK Food Pots, which are the perfect size to store kiddy sized portions of food in the fridge or freezer while taking up very little space (that is when Squish is not using them as toys- he is drawn to their bright colours). The food pots also work very well for making ice lollies (see the recipe for some delicious yoghurt ice lollies here).

NUK Food Pots

I felt like I had won the jackpot when I was sent this delightful hamper of Nuk toddler products to review.

Noodle literally squealed with excitement when she spotted the super cute pink ballerina NUK Sports Cup. The first thing I look for in bottles and sippy cups is that they are BPA free and the second thing I check is that they do not leak when I put them in her school bag. So far this one has passed the test. The Sports Cup is lightweight but big enough to fit lots of liquids (450 ml) to keep thirsty pre-schoolers well hydrated. It also has a clever design that allows it to be washed in the dishwasher without even having to disassemble it.

Squish tested out the NUK Weaning Set, which contains a non-slip divided plate (for fussy toddlers who do not like their spinach touching their carrots), a non-slip bowl and a knife and spoon set. I especially like the cutlery as they are just the right shape and size for tiny fingers to grip but also strong enough so that it does not bend while they are eating like some others that we have. Now if only NUK could invent something to stop toddlers from throwing their food!
 

Top: NUK Weaning Set | Bottom left: Fruit afternoon snack in divider plate | Bottom Right: Squish has fruity oats in NUK bowl

The NUK Training Toothbrush Set contains two massaging brushes with rubber bristles to polish those brand new pearly whites and massage itchy gums. It also comes with a ring which serves as both a stand and a guard to prevent your little ones from sticking the brushes too far. 

NUK Training Toothbrush Set

The NUK Breast Milk Storage Bags are BPA free, very thick and have a double seal, so you can be assured that your precious breast milk will be safe in the freezer. They are pre-sterilised and also have measurements along the side so that you can see how much is being defrosted at any given time.  

NUK Breast Milk Bags

**** Jozi WAHM will be giving away an awesome Nuk prize in the next few days. Keep your eyes peeled for further details.****