*This post contains gifted samples, affiliate links are marked with a *
Here we are at the end of another month. April zoomed by! The Easter holidays flew by and here we are at the first bank holiday weekend in May! The weather has been cold and dry this month. I’ve had to water the strawberry plants we’ve planted – then I had to replant a few as the chickens got into the strawberry bed! Fingers crossed it will start warming up so we can spend more time in the garden – apparently April has been the coldest April in years! Also with the lockdown restrictions easing, we finally were allowed to go and see mum and my brother in their garden! As usual, I will be sharing things we’ve tried this month and rounding up the books I’ve read.
April saw Little Dottie turn 3 years old! It’s now crazy to think the baby and toddler years are behind us. Now they are getting older I’m finding time for myself more. It’s great!
In April we went for our first visit this year to Heligan Gardens. We have local passes (the first one for L now she’s 5!) which last the year for only one paid entry fee. They are such good value and we have renewed ours for a few years now. Plus it’s a stunning place to visit! We are always finding new trails to explore.
Things we’ve tried this month
We have been very lucky with the fabulous items we’ve been sent to try, read and taste this month!
Funny Bums, Freaky Beaks: and Other Incredible Creature Features
This children’s book is brilliant! Written by unique author combo Sean Taylor and Alex Morss exploring adaptation and diversity through the extraordinary features of over 100 animals! It features puzzling toes, and weird ears as well as funny bums and freaky beaks! All kids will love this fun fact-filled book to amuse and give you a giggle! It gives us the message that everything is beautiful and unique in its own special way. A perfect gift for children.
Available to buy from *Amazon and other good book stockists.
Tru Earth Eco Strips Laundry Detergent
I really enjoyed trying these Tru Earth Laundry Detergent Eco-Strips on our washing. I’m always actively looking for Eco-swaps for us and these Eco-Strips are fantastic.
Tru Earth’s mission is to eliminate plastic laundry jugs from landfills and oceans. So your Tru Earth laundry detergent is delivered to your door in a zero-waste compostable cardboard sleeve that is no bigger than an A5 letter, and each strip completely dissolves in the wash meaning less waste and thankfully more cupboard space!
We received the fragrance-free and fresh linen 32 load packs to try. If you have a top loader washing machine you can pop in the drum with the clothes (mainly US and Canada machines). I use my strips in the drawer. I found it better to tear the strip into four before popping it in the drawer so it dissolves quickly. The smell of the fresh linen is very bright and fresh and made the washing smell amazing! I must say I’m a total fan of these Eco-Strips – what a brilliant invention!
Tru Earth Laundry Detergent strips are available to buy in various pack sizes at www.truearth.uk
Oppo Brother’s Ice cream
With the gorgeous weather we’ve had lately, it’s been perfect for an ice cream treat! Luckily we received a fabulous ice cream delivery from the Oppo Brothers to eat in the garden. If you haven’t heard of them, Oppo is renowned for its silky smooth ice cream, which has up to 60% less sugar and calories than usual ice cream! They use natural ingredients combined to create the ultimate frozen treat. It’s delicious and you don’t feel guilty for eating it afterward! Win-Win!! A special mention for the brand new Double Chocolate Brownie flavour now out it’s yummy!
Have you tried any flavours of the Oppo Brother’s ice cream?
Available to buy from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, M&S, Booths, and Ocado, as well as being available online for delivery at www.oppobrothers.com
Kids Stuff Crazy Purple Foaming Soap
As you know we are huge fans of Kids Stuff Crazy products. One of our favourites is the Purple Foaming Soap! It’s great for bathtime fun and it smells amazing with the scent of Grape! The girls cannot get enough of it! It’s great for making unicorn horns!
I must add that one tin lasts ages. As well as using it in the bath, it’s great for outside messy playtime and perfect for cleaning hands. The formula is mild and gentle with pH balanced and paraben free. Making it suitable to cleanse and moisturise delicate skin.
Available to buy at Tescos, Superdrug and The Range for £1.99
FireDragon firelighters
We’ve all been there trying to light a BBQ. Well, this weekend while the weather was still pleasant we got the BBQ out and invited a couple of friends over (who we haven’t seen for 12 months!). It was a fantastic catch up with great BBQ food! We got some FireDragon firelighters to try out along with a gel firelighter. It made life so much easier to get the BBQ going. And the best thing is they are Eco-Friendly!
The firelighters are slick moulded modern soap style cubes. What might surprise you is they are made from rotten vegetable matter (UK sourced ethanol) rather than wood from trees like other firelighters! There is no smell, no messy residue and they light in your BBQ instantly in all weathers – tested by the military for performance!
FireDragon solid firelighters and gel fuel can be found in all B&Q stores ), Go Outdoors, and in all quality garden centres.
It’s been a great month where we feel as if life is starting to get back to some kind of normal. Mr B is fully vaccinated due to his job. And hopefully, within the next month, I will get my call up. Mum has her second vaccine this week and my sister in Canada has just had her first.
I hope you had a lovely April, and don’t forget to come back next month for May’s roundup!
Amazing month your home looks beautiful