February 2021 favourites. Oh, have I got a real eclectic mix for you. They’re all around the same theme – stuff that cheered us up this month! Because life’s hard enough at the moment, am I right? From games to play with the kids, to kitchenware, to what to watch together on tv, here’s 5 things for you and your family to try while we wait for Spring to properly warm us up. Plus 5 things for mum to treat herself, too!
February 2021 Favourites that you’re going to love for your family
1. Video Game – Moving Out
Amazon: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One
Ok, admit it, when you’ve moved house, you must have had the thought (at least once) that it would be so much easier to just toss the boxes out the window? In Moving Out, that dream can become a reality!
Start a new career in Furniture Arrangement and Relocation with a team of equally inept talented trainees. In techy speak, this game a co-op physics game. What this actually means is that you can play it as a team with your friends and family. And you’ll need to work out the right angle to swing the refrigerator out the window and on to the moving van.
This game is fantastic fun and has some great jokes. It’s manic, silly, and challenging without having to be a gaming pro.
Our family of four laughed a lot at this one (Who threw the fridge in the pool? Somebody catch this microwave! Crash! Oops..). We like to pile on the couch on a Friday night to play this with giant bowls of popcorn. Moving Out is easy enough for kids 8+ and I think non-gamer adults will find this fun too.
2. Home – Bubble Waffle maker – Amazon
Last summer, we had a little holiday in a seaside town called Camber Sands. There we found a pop-up stand serving these incredibly moreish creations and fell in love with bubble waffles. They come in all different varieties like ice-cream, fresh strawberries, oreo and peanut butter. We tried them all. (For research purposes, ahem)
Luckily, Father Christmas brought us our own Bubble Waffle maker to make them for ourselves at home. We finally got around to doing it this month, and to my delight, they are easy to make. Whip together the quick recipe and pop a spoonful of batter into the machine. Flip it over. Flip it over again about 90 seconds later. Voila.
We had great fun thinking of new things to top our waffles with. And our 10-year-old has come up with a novel way of eating them: break the waffles up into individual ‘bubbles’ and thread them on to a stick. Because food on a stick always tastes better!
3. Film – Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe – Disney+ (subscription)
Given 100% on rottentomatoes.com, this is a film that pleased both critics and fans alike.
Your favourite tattletale is back. And despite all of Candace’s schemes to bust her brothers, what the show really boils down to is how much she loves them. This film went even further to illustrate that she’s just as brave, funny and resourceful as they are!
Candace Against the Universe is perfect for cheering up a dreary afternoon. The jokes are aplenty, the visuals are bright and bouncy. The drama is more of what you have come to love from Phineas and Ferb. Expect to find Dr Doofenshmirtz up to his old tricks again with a chicken-replacinator and Perry the Platypus being the secret superhero who saves them all.
But what really powers the film to great heights is its songs. Candace’s opener ‘Such a Beautiful Day’ will make you forget about a world in a pandemic and just slip into the nostalgia of Monkees-era wholesomeness. And when things get Candace down (like when she remembers her brothers are obnoxiously ingenious), she breaks into a punky, rocky rant. Which makes you love her even more.
We loved the film enough to watch it twice. Definitely one to watch for a mood lift.
4. Meal Kit – Great Food 2U – Pizza Express
We threw my husband a little lockdown birthday party in February (just the 4 of us, of course). And for dinner, we tried the new meal kits from Great Food 2U. We chose the Pizza Express box, and it really impressed us, so I’m excited to put it on this February 2021 favourites list.
The day before, a courier dropped off a box, handily chilled with eco ice blocks. Inside was dough for 4 pizzas, some flour, mozzarella, spices, and pizza sauce, plus a promotional pizza cutter. You also get a QR code on a recipe card to scan, which links up to a YouTube video on how-to-make the pizzas yourself.
We are no experts at pizza-making, and our pies looked less than round (haha), but honestly, after they were cooked, they looked great and tasted just like the real thing! The boys and I practised tossing our pizza dough in the air, with varying degrees of sucess. Making our pizzas made an otherwise ordinary pizza night something of an event.
This would be a terrific idea for a birthday or for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day too.
5. Books
- Shadow and Bone trilogy
- Get Out of My Life (But First Take Me and Alex into Town)
- 10 Riddles of Eartha Quicksmith
This month, I have been reading two very different books. One is Shadow and Bone. Actually, it’s a trilogy and part of the Grishaverse, which spans off into two duologies and two novellas as well.
YA fantasy is my unashamedly guilty pleasure, and Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha series is one of the best (and one of my top 3 for sure). One thing that makes it special is that it has an old-Russia-style backdrop instead of the usual medieval setting we’re used to finding in the genre.
I love that the author explores the idea of darkness being a place. In the story, ‘The Fold’ is a sand sea, utterly devoid of light and filled with terrifying monsters. The Grisha are gifted with a kind of magic called the small science, which invites suspicion and political controversy from the non-gifted. Both problems come to a head when a refugee demonstrates her unique abilities, which might spell the end of The Fold, or bring the world into war.
Mixed in is a complicated love triangle. At its core: a girl who must come to terms with her growing power, without being consumed by it.
I’ve actually read all of the Grisha books before. But I picked up this trilogy again because it is being made into a new Netflix series later in March. The trailer looks really exciting and I can’t wait for it to come out.
The other book I am reading is Get Out of My Life (But First Take Me and Alex into Town). I can’t claim that I’ve had any really difficult issues bringing up my adolescents (yet), but they are boys, and still only 10 and 14. So I just wanted to peek ahead and see what challenges we might be in for. More and more, I’m noticing our relationships evolving and changing as they’re maturing, and I’m desperately wondering how we can still stay as close as we are now. I don’t think enough people talk about the fact that having your babies grow up is a bit heart-breaking, and we need ways to healthily re-calibrate our systems.
Anyway, all that waffle to prelude what I think about the actual book! I found it fascinating. And, in parts, terribly sad. It is written as a survival guide for parents of volatile and confused teens, who are plunging into the grown-up world of weighty issues: school, relationships, drugs, responsibilities.
The book doesn’t shirk from recounting word-for-word some pretty horrific screaming matches to illustrate the power struggles parents and teens go through. But even so, the author brings it back to a tender understanding of why teens feel the way they do. And why the hard times are, for the most part, only temporary.
It’s a great read if you like parenting books.
And for your kids’ reading pleasure, I have a terrific recommendation as well! My 10-year old Harry Potter fan has thoroughly enjoyed The 10 Riddles of Eartha Quicksmith. It’s perfect if your child is into puzzles, magic and adventure. You could read it as a chapter book to younger children as well.
BONUS: Treat yourself mama: 3 things just for you!
- Elements Bamboo Extendable Bath Rack – Dunelm
- Relux Premium Waterproof Bath Pillow – Amazon
- Kitten Pom-Pom Earrings – Sour Cherry
Because we all need 5 minutes of peace, why not up-level up your comfort experience? I normally prefer a shower to a bath because, frankly, I get a little bored, and I find the back to the tub really cold to lay my head.
Enter the bath rack and pillow combo! This bamboo rack is amazing. It extends so it can fit any tub. And it has more compartments than a diaper bag (well almost!). There’s a handy slot for a wine glass, a stand for your book or iPad, room for a snack, and space for bars of soap or to line up your face mask or just to let your rubber duck hang out.
Couple that with a super spongy bath pillow, and you have a real haven of bliss. I don’t know why I thought this would be naff, but, actually, the bath pillow is so comfortable. Slap that facemask on, take a few sips of wine, turn on that trashy youtube video you wanted to watch for ages, and then lie back on your pillow.
Total relaxation time.
It’s like having a spa at home. Except it is more exclusive (just make sure to lock the bathroom door first!).
One last thing I’ve adored in February – these crazy pom-pom kitten earrings, with little gold hearts on them! One is pink and one is green.
They’re light and comfortable and add fun and whimsy to the boring sweaters I’ve been wrapped up in this month. I love them and definitely recommend them for you if you’re looking for a cheap little treat (£6!) that packs a punch.
And there you have it, 5+1 family favourites for February 2021. What have you been enjoying in your home? Leave me a comment below.
If you liked this, you might also like my January favourites list.
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