What to look for when buying a new washing machine

At the weekend my washing machine packed up. The drum just stopped going around. Water fill and empty was fine. Just no movement. I took the back off to check it wasn't something simple like the drive belt (did you know a washing machine drum has a drive belt? It's like the one in the vacuum cleaner so I had high hopes of donning a morphsuit and fixing it, but sadly the drive belt was fine). I fear the motor had finally died. It is not really surprising, we use the machine (an Indesit) a lot and have had it for 15 years. It was a replacement for a Hotpoint one that caught fire one Christmas morning...but that's another story...

Anyway, the broken machine led to me looking at new ones. I assumed they would have changed a bit in 15 years so I decided to take a good look at the information available. It made sense to look online as I'm not fit enough to get a washing machine home myself so it would have to be delivered anyway, and online you can usually find more information, often even read the full manual.

Things that were important to us as a family, were

• Size. The washing machine needed to fit to gap in our breakfast bar. I would love a laundry room, but sadly (Americans should look away now lest they are filled with disgust) we have the washing machine in the kitchen. 
• Economy, I wanted an energy efficient machine that used the least water to get a clean wash. 
• Price, we had a budget of £300. Ideally I'd like to get the old machine taken away and a new machine delivered and plumbed in for that budget. As Mr TM is in his 70s and I have some disability issues neither of us is really up for manhandling a washing machine into place or scrabbling about to get all the pipes sorted.

I hadn't reckoned with all the modern stuff that I didn't need! I quickly realised I did not need a wifi enabled machine or one that could be controlled via a smartphone. Since the fire incident we don't leave the washing machine on when we are out, so remote controlled seemed pointless. All machines seemed to also have a delay timer, but as even starting it while we all sleep fills Mr TM with foreboding we didn't really need this option either. One thing we did use a lot on our old machine was the quick wash though. A 15 minute freshen up wash, so that went onto the list.

I looked on a few websites, Curry's, AO and Argos. And started narrowing down my choice. I wasn't especially fussed about brand. Our current drum size is 6kg so while bigger would be nice, that is fine for us.
Most sites let you filter and sort by a few options, so I checked boxes for quick wash and price and top efficiency.
AO were very helpful on social media and suggested a machine that looked really nice, large drum size and a good choice or programs. Sadly it turned out to be too large for our gap, but I thought I'd take a look at the same model with a smaller drum size (and thus a smaller depth) , I had a look at the manual online, which turned out to be a really good idea. Washing machine manufacturers give you information on cycle lengths for a basic 60 degree wash so you can compare. This machine had a basic wash time at 60 degrees of 270 minutes...I paused, and looked again...how long?! 270 minutes (for those without a calculator or maths brain is 4 and a half hours) there was an option to make the wash shorter, reducing it to 267 minutes. Crikey. Basic washing cycle length hadn't been in my essentials list but suddenly it was! (by the way if you don't care about washing cycle length and have space then the Haier range looks absolutely excellent!)

I asked on social media to see if I was odd, did anyone else look at cycle length? was this long time normal? did anyone care?

Me too! I bought a Zanussi in a sale. Regular 30 degree wash is nearly 3 hours, ‘quick’ wash is an hour. That’s as fast as it gets. The supposed eco friendly wash takes approx 4 hours! Damn thing. I’ll check in future!

— AJ (@eden2636) 24 June 2018

I didn’t look when I bought my last one but will definitely look next time because it takes far too long. 2 hours on a full and 1 hour on a “fast”. So frustrating. All stuff you just don’t think about. I’ll also be buying one with an extra spin mode so stuff comes out less wet.

— You can call me Al. Call me Al. (@UnicornNebula) 24 June 2018

I don’t check but so wish I had! My shortest wash is an hour and and half 😬. Only had the machine a couple of years and im thinking of changing it.

— Joanne Powell (@Joanne_Powell) 24 June 2018

Various answers came back about economy but on the whole people were shocked! Several said they would always now look in future.

I wish I bloody had checked. Our new machine takes about 4 days to finish a cycle.

— Dr Emma Beckett (@Dr_EmmaB) 24 June 2018

I noticed that few websites mentioned specific cycle lengths except the quick washes, which varied from 30 to 15 minutes depending on machine.  As we don't leave the house with the machine on, 4 and half hours would be a real tie, and imagine trying to get a couple of washes done on a good drying day (we don't have a tumble drier) !

So the search continued until I finally found the (almost) perfect machine...another Indesit! Pretty much the identical one to the one we have now, except with an LED countdown display and a delay timer. The washing cycle for a full load at 60 degrees is 200 minutes, still a long time but the manual says most wash cycles are 45 minutes. (note the full wash at 60 is a standard hot wash for comparison and may not be the actual time a wash takes, but it does give an idea, and as I said, it's good for comparing like with like)

The washing machine is being delivered on Wednesday and being installed by AO. I'll let you know how it goes. And what a basic wash time turns out to be in reality! The total cost of washing machine, delivery, installation and removal of the old one? £264

Do please comment with what you find useful to check when buying a new washing machine! If they all last as well as mine has then it's not something we do often and it's a good idea to refresh yourself on what to look for before you buy!

Not a sponsored post - just a chatty one about washing machines.

Teen gift idea and Printed Sweatshirt Review

Finding something for a teen for Christmas is always tough. Partly as we live in an age of having much more than we need, and partly as teens have money to get what they want when they want it, and so many things that were 'saved for christmas' or your birthday when I was a kid are now just seen as essentials and bought during the year.

Unless you are the sort of parent that buys £600 phones as gifts (I'm not) you'll probably be looking at Christmas albums (interesting aside, vinyls are now outselling downloads, so maybe getting a retro record player should be on your list!), maybe books by their favourite reality stars (DD was thrilled to receive a signed copy of Hannah Hart's book for her birthday this year) or clothes.

I've heard some people say that clothes aren't a real gift. And I sort of see where they are coming from with that, obviously getting a new school skirt or some plain grey socks might not cut it, but clothes that you wouldn't normally buy yourself might be just the thing, especially if they can be personalised.

Don't worry I'm not suggesting you get your teen a T shirt with their name on like you did when they were 4,  but there are things that only you know about your teen that can make a T shirt or sweat shirt into a rather fun gift. Teens like slogan tops (so I have been told by my own teen who recently pinched my 'Nothing But Tea' T shirt, a slogan that amuses her as she's teetotal) and so why not have one specially printed?

I've always thought T-shirt printing places (the online kind, not the seaside 'I'm with Stupid' kind) were for promotional brand stuff or for teams, maybe if a group of you are going to run a marathon, or hang out as a hen group in the town, but they can be used to print individual stuff too, and they are not as pricey as you'd think.

Garment Printing make printed T shirts and sweatshirt and other things too, and the prices are around £24 for a single printed T shirt  inc. delivery and all set up and design help. (of course if you ARE running a marathon as a team then it gets cheaper per item if you order more). Standard delivery is 7-10 days but they provide an express service, and can print and deliver next day if you've left it late.

You can choose your base colour and then decide if you want a picture, logo or other design and if there is any text you fancy.

"Yes mum I cleaned my room!"

"I'll be back whenever"

"My parents made me wear this, to keep my kidneys warm" ~~ seriously considering this for the future!

"Can you lend me £10"

or one of many other well known teen and family phrases.

Garment printers have a team of designers who will make a mock up of the design and send you an image to approve. When they made the one they sent me for review I let them pick the font though I supplied the image, and it works really well, DD loves it, but you can do the design however you want. Once the design is approved, the garment is made and delivered.

DD Can't even think straight

DD and I are really pleased with the quality too. The sweatshirt is nice thick material, it feels llike a quality product. It wears well and has washed well too. The print doesn't fade or peel. I'm really happy with it.

So for a fun teen gift (or for anyone really) why not consider unleashing your sarcastic wit on an unsuspecting T shirt or sweatshirt. Garment printers have a best price promise and will confirm your quote in 5 minutes. (and with a 20% discount for charities - if you are planning doing any fund raising in 2017 as a new years resolution, they'd be a great company to work with)

Best advert for this company I think is DD who has barely taken the sweat shirt off since it arrived! (so it has been washed several times!)

School Uniforms - Love them or hate them?

You must have been living in a dream if you have failed to notice that a) it's the start of a new school year and b) school uniforms (and the inability of parents to stick to it) have been in the news.

DD is now 16 and has left school. After years too numerous to count in which she just got up, put on school uniform and went to school, she is starting college. No uniform, and as far as we are aware not even a dress code! I blogged earlier in the year about how we went out to buy some clothes. And it may surprise you to know (or it may not) that I spent as much on 'some new clothes for college' as I ever did on school uniform at the start of term, in fact due to the uniform remaining the same, I was only ever replacing worn out or outgrown clothes, not 'this old thing that is no longer fashionable and any way I've worn it loads and everyone has seen it and I'm bored of it' so I suspect I'll be spending more from now on (actually not as DD is taking responsibility for her finances from now - but that's another post!)

So here is my list of reasons why I love school uniform. 

And before we meander down the 'but freedom of expression!' 'Personality!' 'Individuality!' my daughter is only at school (now college)  7 hours a day, and all the rest of the day, and at weekends, she can wear what she likes, be as individual as she likes, have a unique personality...

So I love school uniform because:

• It's easy. You know what to buy. They know what to wear. No arguments. It just is.
• Cost. You have to buy something, I've found uniform no more expensive than 'normal' clothes, and while you still need 'weekend clothes', you don't need as much as you do when you are wearing 'weekend clothes' all week!
• Speed of getting ready. Maybe it's a girl thing (!) but as DD got older, what to wear became a huge deal, for school it's nice to have no debate, no "I've worn this already" or "oh Jane hates me in that" or " but I said I'd wear the blue! Everyone is wearing blue today!" (see also Mean Girls, on Wednesday we wear pink)
• Differentiation of work and play. Some people may argue that school shouldn't feel like work but the reality is that it is and it does. Personally I don't mind that - I work and I'd rather not, it's life. It's nice to feel like you've left work behind and it's your time when you get home and take off a uniform.
• Durability - school uniform is practical, it's rarely built for trendy fashion, it's tough, hard wearing and stain resistant. Minimal ironing (I say minimal - I mean 'no') easy wash, quick dry.
• Every one looks the same. Rich or poor you are there in the same kit. Yes I know there is shabby uniform and posher branded blouses but on the whole you all look the same as everyone else. No bullying based on clothing (obviously there is bullying based on something else, but fashion isn't in the list)
• Responsibility - It's never too young to learn some responsibility to yourself. Knowing where your uniform is, looking after it, making sure to get it washed and ready for Monday. No 'oh I'll just wear this then' , you need to be responsible.
• Learning to obey rules - now I know loads of people will rail against this but the world doesn't work without rules. Where to drive, tax to pay, bin days, recycling, plenty of jobs have a dress code, or even a uniform, health workers must dress a certain way and be clean, police dress to be identified, as do other civil servants etc. Some rules are worth following and if you feel your school uniform is really terrible, form a pupil group at school and try and change it! 
• Identification. Uniform can be a simple way to see who is a child at your school. As a teacher supervising a day out uniform can be a simple way to keep an eye on everyone (I used to love the Brownie uniform on days out when I was a helper there for this reason) in a sea of T shirts and jeans, (and other school uniforms form other schools) your school uniform can identify you.

And no, school uniform doesn't help you learn better, but it doesn't stop you learning either, and denim shorts don't help you learn better either.

Feel free to disagree (or agree!) with me on Twitter or Facebook

For the record, DD liked wearing her school uniform. (Look at that lovely hat!!)

Your school uniform opinion #poll

— Tattooed Mummy (@tattooed_mummy) September 7, 2016

A Fashion Haul (not really just some clothes I bought for DD)

In the Easter holidays we popped over to Brighton supposedly to buy a few things for DD for when she starts college in the autumn. Because of course she has nothing to wear. And all the other girls will have all the things (eye roll)

We went to a lot of shops but spent most of our my hard earned cash in Primark and H&M. I love Primark some days and hate it on others. It's a bit of a jumble sale and horrendously busy with little room to move, and there are queues to try things on and then more queues to pay, but the prices make it worth the wait.

Being old no longer a teen, I was swayed by DD's choices and we purchased several outfits, with things she can mix and match with stuff she already owns.

Joggers (£9.99 H&M) with casual top (£5.00 Primark)

Loose knit jumper (£14.99 H&M) Boyfriend Rip Jeans (£29.99 H&M)

Tight Black Jeans (£12.00 Primark) Grey T shirt (£2.80 Primark) Fitted Cotton striped Jacket (£20.00 Primark)

Black Shorts (£10.00 Primark) and Vest Top (£4.00 )

Extra tight! Blue Jeans (£12.00 Primark) with Vest Top as before

What's that DD? A kiss? Thank you!

Model wears size 6

We also bought an extra pair of cheap black jeans to rip up at home - a DIY ripped jeans blog post will no doubt follow! I did manage to buy myself a new dress in Primark (£8) and several tops for work. The primark long sleeve tops are cheap but last really well and good on their own or under things, they are my must have staple for the wardrobe and they come in lots of colours.

Do stripes make me look fat? (don't answer) (Primark 4.00)

Cheerleading

My daughter is a cheerleader. She has been for several years now. When you think of cheerleaders I expect you think of short skirts and pompoms and to be fair there are pompoms and short skirts some of the time. But the reason DD likes doing cheer is that it's acrobatic, dangerous, exhausting, difficult and fun!

American style cheer has been growing in popularity over here and it is more about pyramids and throwing people into the air than pompoms most of the time. A proper sport has grown from what started as a few skimpily glad young women on a touchline supporting a team, cheering them on to win.

In the US Cheer leading is one of the most dangerous sports with huge numbers of injuries (I'm not sure that's anything to be proud of!) mostly as the girls are keen to be held or thrown higher and higher, and with the introduction of boys into the team the girls are often tossed higher than ever!

If you don't know what I mean, check out this amazing Cheer leading competition video.

One of the problems with being a cheerleader in the UK (apart from everyone assuming you just shake pompoms all day) is buying decent cheer kit. Dance and running gear is not what you need for cheer leading. Having decent cheer trainers (white, with support but flexibility, and light weight) is important, and it's nice for a team that plans to compete or do any displays to have a decent matching uniform. And while you can wear leggings or shorts and a T shirt for practice, it's nice to have dedicated 'cheer' items. Cool down kit is also popular with the girls in my daughter's team, comfy trousers and warm sweatshirts.

Cheer Cool down pants

So I was delighted to find that we can order Cheer kit online from a UK based supplier. Living Cheer are based in Telford (home of several cheer competitions) They have a great range from trainers to T-shirts, even bags and cute bows and badges. We were sent some trousers and shorts for DD to try out and she loves them, fashionable and comfy, she has taken to wearing them around the house as well as to practice each week, proud to show off her sport. Living Cheer even have uniforms, so if you are thinking of starting a team (and why not!) you can get everyone into a matching kit. At the moment they don't seem to have a range of boy's uniforms, which is a shame as there are more and more co-ed teams (many boys have realised the benefit to hanging out with fit young women in short skirts, or revel in the sparkle and glamour themselves) but hopefully Living Cheer will start to stock boys kit in the future.

If you want to know more about cheer in your area try contacting local leisure centres or the BCA (British Cheer leading Association)  or UKCA (UK Cheer leading Association) or Future Cheer.

School Uniform Rules

As usual when a new academic year starts the news picks up on the children that have been sent home due to school uniform infringement.

For my American (and other foreign land) readers, it should be noted that almost all British schools whether government run or private (and we call some of these private schools ‘public schools’ because they are not government run, but run by the public see here for more info) have uniforms. School uniforms in Britain range from the simple “grey skirt or trousers, white blouse, grey jumper or cardigan” type uniform, to the extremely strict style where each item is described in detail, styles of skirt and trouser are defined, jumpers or blazers may need embroidering with the school logo, blouses may even have sleeve length and collar types regulated, this strict type of school will probably also demand a certain colour and type of shoe (most schools state no trainers) and will have rules on other aspects of appearance such as makeup, jewellery and hairstyle.

when DD was smaller, at middle school

Parents seem to fall into several camps, the “they are the rules, lets either change them if we dislike them or stick to them” type (that’s me) , the “children should be allowed self expression, uniform is ok but hair and piercings are their own business” type, the “if I can afford it fine, if not you’ll just have to lump it, it’s mostly uniform and that’s fine by me” type, and the “you’re lucky I get them to school frankly, so shut up about looks and just teach” type.

DDs school is especially strict, even to the shop it has to be bought in (fairly sure that’s actually illegal but they ensure that the description of the uniform is so tight it can’t be bought elsewhere). The uniform however is really nice. The girls all seem to like it and I’ve not seem many infringements over the years, just the occasional rebellious wearing of the incorrect colour socks!

When I read some comments online about the news stories, and even personal stories, of children sent home, excluded from lessons or sent to detention for wearing incorrect uniform or flouting a hair colour rule I was not going to bother to get involved, after all it happens every year and every year it sorts itself by mid term. Then I read a piece by Quirky Kook about skirt length and commented, and realised I did need to shoot my mouth off blog about uniforms ..

As I have a teen I was mostly interested in that age group, after all, before then, you are very reliant on what your parents buy and choose, as you get older you tend to be able to take more responsibility for your own looks. Today I discussed it with DD. Surprisingly (or maybe not, she is a mini me) despite being a teen she likes the uniform and the rules. She has little patience with rule breakers. (they apparently once had a girl that had to wear a brunette wig to school to cover her blue and green hair; an interesting compromise) and DD likes the fact that at her school the rules relax as you get older, the upper years are allowed makeup and nail varnish. When I asked what she thought about kids being sent home she agreed it was silly but thinks it’s better if done now, early in the term, to make the point. But she also told me that at her school the office has pre-loved (haha) school uniforms, washed and repaired by the PTA, ready and waiting for girls that claim “I don’t have the right jumper/blouse/skirt” etc – they have new pairs of cheap correctly coloured socks too! What an eminently sensible idea, not least because for the average rebel the thought of wearing second hand kit is worse than conforming to begin with! As far as DD is concerned there is plenty of time out of school to wear her new “School Sucks” logo T shirt!

DD models her school uniform...yes they have a hat

I think if you are going to send your child to a school with a uniform policy (and no law says you must send your child to school of course) then you should be prepared to follow the rules (or maybe join the PTA or governors and try to change them if you really hate them). To me uniforms help to create cohesion in the school, can prevent some forms of bullying, make it simpler each morning for parents to get children ready, look smart and prepare children for a world that (whether you like it or not) has rules that need to be followed, including many jobs where a dress code is enforced.

How do you feel about school uniform rules? If you don’t like them have you tried to change them? Do you stick to the rules or does your child bend them?

The one where DD loses her coat and I stamp! but not my feet!

So, before we had the exciting holiday in California (you didn't think I was going to stop talking about it yet did you?) I had the fun parenting moment of


"Mum, where's my coat?"


Of course like a million mothers before me I replied "where ever you left it!"


But alas like a million children she had no clue where that was. We searched the house, we tidied her room (steady on! she's a teen this was a whole blog post on its own!) But no coat was found. We searched bags, cars, car boots (trunks for the American readers) and still nothing.


"Could it be at school?" I enquired?


So next day she promised to look but came home ominously coat-less. "No luck then?" I asked. "Did you check lost property?" and here she looked straight at me and said

"Well there was a coat like mine hung in the classroom, it was the same size as mine, it was on my peg, it had sweets in the pocket like mine, I just wasn't sure it was mine"

So after I banged my head against the wall for a while I politely suggested maybe it was hers! But it wasn't labelled, so she didn't want to take it in case it was someone elses! "Take it!" I yelled, "If it's still there tomorrow, take it!"

Of course it was her coat and as amazing serendipitous luck would have it that VERY DAY I was asked to review Stamptastic, a naming system involving no writing, no sewing, no ironing! How fortuitous.

The premise is pretty simple, Stamptastic create a personalised stamp on a rather nice transparent acrylic block, and send that along with special indelible ink on a pad and you stamp the name into the clothes!

I gave it a go, it's quick, clear, easy and actually pretty fun! Pretty soon I was stamping all her stuff, shoes, pants (you never know - she is a teen!) shirts, the lot. I nearly had to give up with her school jumper as it's navy and the only white space to stamp was the tiny label but I even managed to squeeze it onto that.

That's the only downside (and it's not really a big one) that you need a white (or pale) space to stamp. But it's so quick and such fun I imagine that you'll find yourself squabbling over who does it, I bet your kids would want a go!

Because it's not only good for clothes, you can stamp pens, pencils, rulers, pencil cases, lunch boxes...well even your child I guess! It's .. well it's Stamptastic!

 Photo credits - Stamptastic

Stamptastic sent me a stamp and ink set for the purpose of this review but the post is all my own!

Where do you buy clothes?

I'm a frugal woman. (like the Peter Sellers' wife in the Pink Panther! though without the mink coat - a ref for film buffs there)

I shop in charity shops, on ebay, where ever I think I can get a  bargain really. And unless you are rolling in money you probably do too. I sometimes pop into M&S or Next but not often, Primark is more my style.

One of my loves is the website EVERYTHING FIVE POUNDS and the clue is in the name there! They do charge postage so it's not strictly £5, and unless you buy a few items that does bump up the cost but they have some great stuff. Just this last week I bought 3 new tunic tops to wear with leggings (for work) and they are the same as a top I previously bought in Top Shop for £19.99 and one I bought at Glastonbury (name drop) for £20. They arrived quickly and are great.