In our house, witching hour goes something like this: I get the ingredients out to start cooking tea. Frog wants milk. I get her milk, to keep her out of the way while I cook tea. I chop up a carrot. Frog wants chocolate. I say no. Frog has a tantrum. I attempt to finish up chopping said carrot while heating oil in the pan. My phone rings. I need to send an urgent work email. Frog is still having a tantrum. The carrot is still waiting to be chopped.

By 5.30pm, when we finally sit down to eat a hastily assembled tea, my three year old is over-tired and not interested in what’s on the plate in front of her. She refuses to eat, causing another tantrum.

Finally it’s bathtime and – pretty much every single weeknight evening – I wonder if I couldn’t do the whole witching hour period a bit differently to make it less stressful.

Enter the Crock-Pot.

Now I’ll be honest. I’ve been hankering after a slow cooker for a long time now. I’ve read recipes over at Plus 2 Point 4 and dribbled a bit. I’ve been at friends’ houses when they’re about to do the school run and, because of their slow cooker, the kids’ tea is miraculously ready to be eaten before they’re even home from school.

So when I was offered the chance to review a Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker I was probably already a tad predisposed to like it.

But oh, it hasn’t disappointed. Not one bit.

On Tuesday night I put Frog to bed, did a couple of hours’ work and then chopped up some veg. It took me ten minutes to brown some stewing steak and chuck it in the Crock-Pot along with the chopped veg. I added some water, balsamic vinegar, stock cubes and turned it onto a low heat, setting the timer for twelve hours. When I woke up the next morning the house was full of cosy cooking smells. And I felt instantly calmer, knowing that I wouldn’t have to do battle between 4pm and 5.30pm.

Later that day we went to the park. I didn’t rush back to make tea, because it was already made. We had no “I NOT LEAVE THE PARK YET MUMMY!” because Frog felt she’d had long enough to play. We got home, I served up tea at 5pm and we sat down to eat a meal that had taken me literally ten minutes to prepare, and was far healthier than something I’d nuked in the microwave.

I haven’t tried other slow cookers, so I have nothing to compare the Crock-Pot against. But in the three days that I’ve had it, I have been suitably impressed.

It’s got a big heavy inner pan that is easy to take out and wash. It couldn’t be easier to set up – simply attach the lead to the back of the Crock-Pot and plug it in. Once you’re ready to go, just select your heat (either “high” or “low”) and set the timer – it goes up in 30 minute increments. When the time is up the Crock-Pot automatically goes to the “warm” setting, although you shouldn’t keep it on this for more than four hours.

The food we’ve had so far (a stew and a curry) has been delicious and easy to make. All it requires is ten minutes before I go to bed to throw the ingredients in the pan and, hey presto, food for the following day is sorted.

That tricky period between 4.30pm and 5pm is no longer a thing to dread. I’m free to play with Frog, cuddle her or read a story. If I need to deal with some work then I can do it without trying to chop a carrot and deal with a grumpy child at the same time.

My verdict? The Crock-Pot Countdown Slow Cooker is the witching hour’s biggest enemy, which means it’s an instant hit in our house.

Go and buy one. Seriously.

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When it comes to baking with my toddler, I should probably step up.

This time last year, when I was still a work at home mum, I managed to get at least one baking session in every couple of weeks. Now, we’re lucky if we have one baking session every couple of months.

It’s a shame really, because Frog LOVES it.

She enjoys the feeling of the icky flour and dough between her fingers, she loves to stir and pour in water and see the mixture come together. She loves to spoon the runny consistency into pots, or roll it out into a flat shape she can beat with her rolling pin. Basically, she loves to bake.

One of the things that has put me off is time. As a busy working mum, juggling working from an office with working from home, time is something we don’t always have much of. Another obstacle to the baking saga is space. Or rather – the right space.

Frog likes to be beside me when we’re baking. That means her little toddler table doesn’t cut it. And seeing as she’s only about 2ft tall, she can’t quite reach the kitchen countertops yet. Often, a baking session will end in tears of frustration, when I can’t be beside my two year old at every stage of the process, or if I refuse to let her sit unaided on the counter to watch the bits she’s not capable of doing.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to try out the Funpod from Kiddicare. The enclosed structure keeps wobbly legs secure in a raised space, so toddlers can get involved in the cooking without the chance of falling off a counter or toppling from some kitchen steps.

It’s gone down rather well. Guess I better get the flour and eggs out now then.

It’s not all mess though.

We also chose to try out this retro beauty – the Tomy Megasketcher Colour Doodle from Kiddicare. Drawing without bits of crayon all over the carpet or paint up the walls?

Yes please.

***

The Funpod costs £79.99 and is available at Kiddicare. The Tomy Megasketcher Colour Doodle costs £16.99 and is also available to buy at Kiddicare.

Disclosure: We were sent both products featured in this post for the purpose of review.

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