Getting messy with Persil

Hi all,

A few weeks back me, midge and modge embarked on a quest of culinary excellence thanks to help launch Persil's Cook With The Kids 2015 campaign, their yearly promotion to get encourage both parents and children to put down the electronic devices and get cooking together, learn independence skills and have great and messy fun, because you can't have fun without making mess!

The event, was hosted at the prestigious Maggie and Rose in Kensington by the Persil team, Prudence Staite to create a food homage in celebration of Alice in Wonderland's 150th anniversary and the lovely Fiona from Toddler Chef, to teach the kids to make some yummy food and inspired to go home, make some creative food and tasty treats no matter the state of the kitchen afterwards.

The children were paired up into two teams ready to do what kids do best - having messy fun! Our little group started with the homage while the younger team learnt how to cook Sweet Potato, Apple & Cinnamon Pancakes and also  Cheese & Salmon Lunch box Scones, with sneaky added greens. 

Armed with breakfast, tea, fruit juice and a room full of happy children we set off paired up ready to do what kids do best, making a mess while having lots of fun, our little group started with the homage, the scene pulled straight from the pages of Alice in Wonderland and created in fruit, veg and chocolate outlines, presented as a blank canvas for the children to create come colourful yet tasty art, full of flavour and tasting was encouraged too!
I know Vee and Lissy were nibbling as was everyone else. I'm not going to complain, fresh fruit and veg are important to a child's development and meant less on the floor too. (OK - who swapped my girls for tidy lumps? - All parents in the universe!!)

Once they'd partially completed the Murial and the other team had made pancakes and scones, the children got to pile together, have lunch with the pancakes and scones, colour in and chat about their experiences I took a look around in wonder at all the amazingly wonderful things on the shelves.
I must say Maggie and Rose, has a beautiful layout and décor that I can only describe as photogenically beautiful and a fantastically family friendly, giving it a homely welcoming feeling backed up by lovely staff and the Persil team.

Once refilled the kids regrouped and our little team took to the kitchen to make scones, pancakes and try come fantastic fruit and veg smoothies. I've never hidden the fact Lissy is fussy when it comes to veg, until this day when she tried some drinks with veg inside them - she loved it and went back for more. A proud moment for any parent of a fussy child (and I'm prouder to report it's kick-started her to try more!)

Fiona and her husband were on such a level with the children the kitchen was awash with mess and smiles, perfect for any growing child, encouraging the older kids to flip pancakes and thanks to Vee I had the chance to flip some too, once I get my camera back I'll upload the videos and photos to Flickr and YouTube from this, but the children loved cooking, making mess and having a huge laugh with lots of other children. 

Persil's Cook With The Kids campaign was created to encourage parents to let children in the kitchen and learn or nurture their independence and culinary skills. And, to help with this they are giving away some awesome rewards with promoted packs, meaning children have the chance to take home chef hats, colourful whisks, silicone cupcake cases as well as vouchers from Haven holidays and a £250 supermarket prize draw to help your children flourish in the kitchen.

We've been in the kitchen ourselves, letting the girls make cupcakes, help with curry and they even want to try bread-making next. On top of this they've began to learn how to respect appliances, and dangerous items like knives and the such. Skills all children need to learn from an early stage to help them flourish later on in life. The team from Persil told me: "We believe that mess equals worry-free fun."
I believe this to be true and mess should be encouraged for both children and adults, after all a mess can be cleaned up but the happy memory of making the mess will live on with you forever. And much, much more fun than staring at a tablet (this coming from a tech parent blogger!!)

For more information and recipes from Persil's Cook With The Kids and to get your hands on some fantastic goodies click here and take part.

Paul!

(Sidenote: Nametags blurred on press photos for privacy) 

Solving the Kid's Disasters: Fixing their Wrongdoings in your Home

Have you ever popped upstairs to do something and come back down to find crayon all over the wall or a toilet roll stuffed down the loo? Every child has done, or will do, something during their infant years and if they don't, you're one of the lucky ones.

The good thing is that most issues can be fixed without much, if any, detriment to your home interior.

A Blocked Toilet

While blockages are a common issue regardless, having children can increase your chances of an overflowing loo. Knowing what to do if you have a blocked toilet can save you a lot of hassle and while calling a plumber or Dyno is sometimes inevitable, most of the time, callout fees can be avoided if you are willing to do it yourself.

Shifting a blockage that your child has caused will probably not require the wonders of bleach, because it's probably not biodegradable. It's more likely to be half a packet of baby wipes or the inside of a toilet roll with the rest of the toilet paper stuffed on top of it. Invest in a plunger for this and some rubber gloves.

Crayon on walls

Your kids may think that their art is nothing short of a masterpiece but all you can think is that your walls are not a canvas. While the easy option would be to paint over it, you may wish to try removing it before reaching for the paintbrush. The humble baby wipe or even a rolled up piece of bread can often help to shift a stubborn crayon or felt tip squiggle.

Nail Varnish on the Carpets

You may be asking yourself how they got it but the simple answer is, they just did. All you have to do is try and get it out of the shag pile which will likely require a lot of nail varnish remover and a great deal of elbow grease.

Sharpie on the Sideboard

We can handle it when it's a felt tip pen that will clean off but when our little cherubs manage to get permanent marker on our antique wooden furniture, it's more of a challenge. Apparently, drawing over the marker with a dry erase marker then wiping off with a paper towel will do the trick.

We all love our kids dearly but we also know they can be real tinkers sometimes. Cover their tracks with these helpful tips. 

Have you got any other tips you would like to share? Tell me in the comments, the best will be added to the post. 

Paul 

Disclosure. This post was produced in association with Dyno.