Friday 17 March 2017

Fun way of learning to read with Readwithfonics.com

"Readwithfonics.com- is the ultimate learn to read website that makes learning to read fun and easy! Created by teacher Sophie Cooper.

We teach all the phonics sounds in a fun and interactive way through a series of 7 or 8 games that get progressively harder each time.

Our app is split up into four worlds for children to explore, water world, forest world, lava land and jelly city. Our main character, Albee the alien, is always there in the game, supporting children every step of the way, celebrating each correct answer and encouraging them further.
                                     
As you may have guessed we strongly believe in positive scoring. Traditionally a student are measured out of 100%, and therefore always shown how far off the perfect score they were. We call this negative scoring. At Read with Fonics, every student starts at 0, and gains points for each correct answer, success leads to more success and as the points add up, students improve their level.

For every sound that is learnt another sound gets unlocked, encouraging children to keep going. By having their own account and score, children are able to learn at their own pace and in their own time, depending on their level and ability".

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Battle with the weight: update 10

It seems like it was ages ago since my last weight update, I just didn't feel right, felt down most of the time but the only thing that kept me going was my exercise routine and treadmill. 
In fact when I was running on my treadmill whilst listening to music made me feel slightly happy and complete, this is where I have tried to release all my negative thoughts and stress, that's what I needed at that time. 

Even being very upset and not myself didn't mean that I would start binge eating again, I wanted to come out better from my rough patch, I wanted to carry on doing what makes me feel good and proud of myself. It seems very weird how you can turn stress into a positive thing, but I did it!

I'm still eating clean, introducing more veg into my diet and cutting out bread, pasta, cous cous, sweets, fizzy drink and processed meats. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself or my body form things, eating healthier only helps me to achieve my goals and oh boy I want to be stronger and fitter!

Few weeks ago I came across one of the training programms by following which you are meant to lose weight and to gain lean muscle. I don't normally invest into something I'm not sure of but seeing before and after pictures make me wonder what if it's me, believe it or not- I have never seen my body without fat!! 
So I have bought Phase 1 and have started following exercise routine with some alterations i.e. cutting on rest days and adding running on a treadmill when I can. I can see results on the mirror, I can see my weight going down slowly but it's hard to say what pushes this diet or exercising, I assume a combination of both.

Today I am not really happy about my results, it feels like I constantly have a battle with myself, one minute I like what I see, but because I am much thinner in my head than in real life it feels much harder to accept that real results are very slow. Whilst exercising I decided "to admire" my body one more time as I stripped to bra and leggings and was shocked how much sagginess my tummy has, this is something I didn't expect to see and it made me think that I need to push myself even harder. But saying and doing are 2 different things, all I can do is try! 

Monday 13 March 2017

Chipex touch up kit for cars and screenwash review and giveaway

Recently my husband discovered some small scuffs/scratches to his car and was pondering what repair options were available.

Chipex offered a repair system  (£29.95) and I jumped at the chance to test it out (especially as my husband and I are dubious about repair paints/products).


"Chipex® was launched in 2009 so as to provide a fast, very effective and safe solution for the home user to repair paint damage to vehicles to a high standard, without the time and expense of going to a body shop".

The set is excellently presented in a tube with all the bits needed to complete a 'touch up' on any bumps and scuffs on your vehicle.

                     
So what is inside: well you get everything from gloves and sponges to paint and polish (obviously!).
                    
To begin with you need to clean the area and use the blending solution or white spitir with a cleaning cloth, to prepare the area for painting and to wipe away any previous paintwork.
                          
                          
You then carefully paint the scuff/scratch using the special paintbrush (several provided). Chipex provide you with the correct paint colour (small pot but sufficient) which you can simply order on the website bu typing your car registration number.

Once the paint has dried (varies depending on how much paint is used), you then use the blending solution once more and this prepares the area for a final polish and cleans any excess paint.

                            
The polish solution is in a slightly larger pot which needs to be used with microfibre cloth (provided), which is used to merge the polish in with the scuff/scratch.
                   
As there are quite a few scuffs/scratches I did paint and polish numerous areas around the car, some areas ended up looking better than others. But all in all much better than they were prior to using Chipex. To conclude, Chipex go above and beyond with the accessories they provide and ensure all elements are thought of.

Chipex instructions ensure a smooth transition between each step, and if followed correctly leave you with a nicely painted/repaired area (which used to be a scratch/scuff!).

So if your thinking about what to do with a scratch/scuff on your car, think Chipex!

As a part of this feature post I have also received Chipex Aquaphobic screenwash (£13.95).
                                    
As you may be aware, Chipex are more renowned for the chip repair system, but the screenwash they offer is as good as the repair system.
                  
Here are some facts: 


  • The screenwash can act as an anti-freeze up to -2 degrees freezing point 
  • It comes in a 1L bottle 
  • Can be used for up to 7 refills (with a mixture of water) 
  • Improves rain vision & repels rain from the screen 
  • Streak free cleaning
Now I can tell you for a fact that my husband and I hate going out to the car on freezing cold morning to de-ice. Also our windscreen does get rather dirty from driving behind other vehicles (lorries), so the fact that Chipex provide a rain/water repellent screenwash is an excellent plus!

Put it this way any solution or screenwash that can help with our car is more than welcome in our household!

We did add the solution directly into the screenwash compartment, due to the fact that water had already been poured into our car, so the screenwash was poured in to mix with the water (already present).

However, if your screenwash reservoir is empty then you simply clean your windscreen (prepping) and then add 1/4 (250ml) for a 5ltr reservoir. Future use/top up of the screenwash can then be limited to 125ml each time, which allows for up to approx 7 refills.

An must have in your car for our wonderful British weather (especially in the winter)! 


If this sounds like something you would like to try for your car I have an exciting giveaway for one of the Chipex touch up kits, just enter via Gleam form below:


Win a Chipex Bundle UK #58

Disclaimer: I was sent the item mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.