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Feeling Refresh'd with Robinsons 26 Jun 2017 11:33 AM (7 years ago)

Last week was a proper scorcher but I'm not going to complain - I love summer. I love lazy evenings in the garden, I love eating family meals outside and I love being able to enjoy a nice drink with my girls.

My Little Pony Bedding from Character World 25 Jun 2017 5:35 AM (7 years ago)

There was one morning this week when I went into the girls room and it was a total and utter tip - clothes everywhere, hairbands, books, single pieces of jigsaws, empty water bottles and a pile of discarded sheets from the hot weather. So this morning I asked the girls to tidy up and gave them an incentive - a brand new set of bedding from Character World featuring their favourite My Little Pony Characters; Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Pinky Pie.

Character World make full bedroom textile sets for children in a range of favourite character themes including My Little Pony, Marvel, Care Bears, Lego, Minecraft, Trolls, Shopkins and many more. At present, if you buy a set of Character World Kids Bedding from Tesco you could be in with a chance to win a 4 star all-inclusive holiday to Majorca with Ice Lolly holidays. The competition closes on the 31st July.

Lara and Holly's bedroom looks fab now. Both bunks are fitted out with a My Little Pony duvet cover and pillowcase. Each girl has a My Little Pony cushion as well so that they can snuggle up when they are reading or watching TV; on one side is the face of Rainbow Dash and the other, Twilight Sparkle. To complete the set, Lara and Holly each have a fleece blanket which they've chosen to settle under in preference to a duvet in this hot weather as it is lighter and easier to shake off.

While the My Little Pony duvet cover is largely pink, the big bold bright colours of the ponies fit in well with our Rainbow-themed bedroom (Rainbow dash has always been popular in our house) and we love the big chunky colours on the cushions as they make a big statement.

Lara and Holly have already found a few good uses for their blankets - to cover over their unsightly pile of clothes, cover over their shoes, to protect their bedding from cat hair and to roll up and support their head when they're reading. I think Holly also plans to use her blanket for a teddy bear's picnic later today.

You can find curtains, cushions, beanbags and bedding in the Character World range online - look out for them in Tesco and Argos. My girls are super-happy with their new My Little Pony bedding and I bet they ask for these covers to be put back on again straight away after every time we wash them.

Disclosure: Character World sent the girls a duvet cover and cushion each in return for sharing news of the competition. All thoughts expressed in this post are our own.

101 Brilliant Things For Kids To Do With Science 16 Jun 2017 7:00 AM (7 years ago)

Dawn Isaac's 101 Brilliant Things for Kids to Do With Science is the follow up to her fab book 101 Things for Kids to Do Outside.  And Brilliant science is always a hit with Lara and Holly, we we jumped at the chance to review Dawn's latest book.

Scholastic's Lollies Awards - Voting Now Open 6 Jun 2017 11:25 AM (7 years ago)

Bedtime. The girls are supposed to settle. And yet, I'm reading them a poem about Zombies eating brains. And they're crying with laughter.

And then, the one word poem. About poo.  Lara nearly wet herself with laughter.

Aren't children weird?

I've been reading the girls poem's from Joshua Seigal's poetry book, I Don't Like Poetry. It's a wonderful poetry book that has been shortlisted for the Scholastic Lollies awards in the category for laugh-out-loud books for 9-13 year olds.

Michael Rosen and a panel of expert judges have put together a shortlist for the Lollies.  The Lollies are awarded in three categories: Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book, Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 6-8s and Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13s. The shortlisted books in each category are as follows:

Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book
Oi Dog by Kes Gray and Jim Field (Hodder Children’s Books)
Eat Your People by Lou Kuenzler and David Wojtowycz (Orchard Books)
Prince of Pants by Alan Macdonald and Sarah McIntyre (Scholastic)
Danny McGee Drinks the Sea by Andy Stanton and Neal Layton (Hodder Children’s Books)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 6-8 year olds
Thimble Monkey Superstar by Jon Blake and Martin Chatterton (Firefly Press)
Hamish and the Neverpeople by Danny Wallace and Jamie Littler (Simon and Schuster)
Eddy Stone and the Epic Holiday Mash-Up by Simon Cherry (Usborne)
Future Ratboy and the Invasion of the Nom Noms by Jim Smith (Egmont)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book for 9-13 year olds.
I Don't Like Poetry by Joshua Seigal (Bloomsbury)
The Best Medicine by Christine Hamil (Little Island Books)
My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord by David Solomons and Laura Ellen Anderson (Nosy Crow)
AniMalcolm by David Baddiel and Jim Field (Harper Collins)

The winning book in each Lollies category will be decided solely by children’s votes, with schools and parents encouraged to help kids get involved and vote via the Lollies website, www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies, or via the Scholastic channel on the PopJam app.

Lara and I have been reading I Don't Like Poetry - it's blimming awesome. There is something very magical about reading a good poem and I'm so glad Lara feels the same way too. When Lara first heard the poem that shares its title with the book (I Don't Like Poetry), a big grin came across her face as she realised that the poem uses all of the poetry mechanics it complains about such as similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia. Lara has enjoyed this book so much that she took it to school to show her friends. There are lots of laughs but also some more serious poems on topics that older children know and understand - really strong, powerful poems. Some rhyme, some haiku, some very deep creative writing and we all loved it. I Don't Like Poetry definitely gets our vote in the Lollies.

Paint Sticks Review - Mess Free Painting 28 May 2017 11:27 AM (7 years ago)

Children's Book Review :: The Impressionists 25 May 2017 8:28 AM (7 years ago)

Lara is nearly 8. Just like me, she is a natural academic and yet her favourite subjects at school are all creative - Lara loves art and recently she has been learning about different artistic styles. Boolino sent her a copy of The Impressionists, a hardback spiral bound book that is part of the My First Discoveries range by Moonlight Publishing.

The pages of the book are board but this little guide to impressionism cleverly uses transparent pages and cut-out pages to help highlight specific parts of some of the paintings. The last few pages of the book include images of some classic paintings from Monet, Pissarro, Seurat, Cezanne, Van Gogh and more.

There isn't a lot of content in The Impressionists and I can't see either girl going back to it as reference, even if they are working on a school project, but I am pleased that it gave them some insight into some of the worlds most famous artists and perhaps a spark of artistic inspiration.

The Elephant of Frimley 22 May 2017 12:48 AM (7 years ago)

Today marks the start of a blog tour by a very special elephant - The Elephant of Frimley.

New Kids Menu at Giggling Squid - Thai Tapas 13 May 2017 7:39 AM (7 years ago)

Beauty and the Beast Belle dolls review 7 May 2017 6:45 AM (7 years ago)

Holly is totally enchanted by Disney princesses at present. She spends a lot of time in imaginary play upstairs in our playroom re-enacting scenes from movies. These two Belle dolls by Hasbro inspired by the new Disney Beauty and the Beast movie have been a total hit and they allow her to play two different roles in her make-believe world - that of Belle the villager and Belle the princess.

The Beauty and the Beast Village Dress Belle is dressed in a traditional blue checked and silk-style dress to match Belle as she leads her life in the village before she meets the Beast. She has a simple hairstyle that Holly likes to try and keep tidy and she comes with a pair of brown boots. I have caught Holly singing while playing, just like daydreamer Belle!

Enchanting Ball Gown Belle is dressed in her finest golden dress and is ready to be swept off her feet. She comes with a tiara, a golden necklace and a pair of golden slippers fit for a princess. This dolls arms and elbows move so that you can pose her into dance positions.  Holly likes to play with both dolls at once and swaps their shoes and dresses over until her heart's content!

I think Enchanting Ball Gown Belle looks very grown up and her simple face features remind me of the live action movie much more than a cartoon style doll would. Somehow the dolls give off a mature feeling which means that Holly's games don't seem quite so childish. Belle's hair, of course, has not stayed anywhere near as neat as it was when the doll first arrived, and I've had to pick that necklace up off the floor at least a million times in the last month!

Village Dress Belle costs around £17.99 at Argos and Enchanting Ball Gown Belle costs around £38.99. The difference in process is mainly due to the magical-looking dress but I guess also to do with the arms and movement. Holly definitely plays with this doll more than any other in her collection.  Both Belle dolls are inspired by the live action version of Beauty and the Beast.

Children's Activity Book :: Doodle Dogs by Tim Hopgood 4 May 2017 11:20 AM (7 years ago)

I don't think of Lara as particularly creative - like me, her artistic and creative side is very much driven by mimicking others, rather than developing her own innovative style; that's why she doesn't normally get along with drawing and doodling books normally because she likes to have instructions to follow and designs to copy!  Doodle Dogs has been a big hit with her because it encourages creativity... but within boundaries and with instructions. Perfect for helping Lara to explore her creative side on her own terms.

Doodle Dogs by Tim Hopgood is an activity book with a doggy theme; on the pages you'll find drawing, colouring and doodling activity prompts which introduce you to different artists and their styles. There's a page in the style of Matisse, Jackson Pollock and even Kandinsky!

Each page has a different activity which can take from seconds to hours to complete. Some simply require a pen or a pencil, others probably need a bit more colour, though Lara hasn't yet lifted out her paint set and tends to stick to pencils and crayons. The book is broadly themed around dogs preparing for a dog show and at the end of the book you get to award a prize for the dog you like the look of most.

I think this activity book is a great introduction to different styles of art - Lara doesn't even realise that she's learning about such significant art movements as pop art and modernism, she just knows that each page is different. I think Lara has most enjoyed the pages where she gets to follow patterns - maybe there's a little bit of Escher in her?

 

Lara has really enjoyed responding to many of the prompts in the Doodle Dogs book. You can find Doodle Dogs for around £8.99. I'd recommend it for children from about 6 -10.

Holly is FIVE 1 May 2017 3:41 AM (8 years ago)

Holly is five today.

Early Readers and Spring Fun with Pat-A-Cake 23 Apr 2017 7:37 AM (8 years ago)

As with reading, there are several other life skills that you needn't be afraid to introduce your baby to from a very young age and build into your daily routine.  This spring my girls couldn't wait to get out into the garden with us to start planting fruit and vegetables - watching a seed grow into a plant is a great way of getting little people involved in gardening and it's a fun family activity in the spring sunshine.

 

Mystery Buns - Easter Hot Cross Buns from NOW TV #TotCrossBuns 11 Apr 2017 6:00 AM (8 years ago)

• The Hot X Bun inspired by the Powerpuff Girls
Iced pink cinnamon buns topped with marshmallows, popping candy and strawberry laces for a cross
• Bun-der the Sea inspired by Spongebob Squarepants
Pineapple and blueberry buns topped with starfish
• Ninja Buns inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Savoury, pizza-like buns with pepperoni, cheese and tomato

Pirate Pete and his Smelly Feet - Childrens Book Review 10 Apr 2017 4:24 AM (8 years ago)

Holly loves rhyming stories at present - I think all her foundation work with phonics really helps her to recognise the art of rhyming words. Pirate Pete and his smelly feet is a fun and fast-paced rhyming picture book about a gang of pirates who've had enough of one of their shipmate's odorous feet and Holly thinks it is great fun.

Ravensburger My First Pet XXL 200 Piece Jigsaw Review 6 Apr 2017 11:34 AM (8 years ago)

Lara and Holly tend to do a lot of jigsaws or play a lot of board games after school these days but I had been starting to feel that they are both out-growing our collection of jigsaw puzzles; thankfully, Ravensburger have reminded me that jigsaws don't just have to be for tiny people to learn problem-solving skills, but are also a great source of fun challenge for older children and this 200 piece My First Pet jigsaw has really got Lara back into puzzles.

#TescoEaster - Egg hunts, Easter crafts and a hamper of special Easter treats 3 Apr 2017 6:58 AM (8 years ago)

This weekend Lara and Holly invited a friend around to take part in an Easter egg hunt to celebrate the start of the Easter holidays. Tesco sent us everything we needed to host our own egg hunt from Easter signs to a bumper pack of chocolate eggs, from fluffy chicks to a set of treasure hunt clue cards - I had everything I needed to create a team-building trek around our house and garden in search of eggs, rabbits and chicks.

Tesco is holding FREE Easter egg hunts on Saturday 8th April and Sunday 9th April in stores up and down the country; there are lots of Easter prizes to be won. To find out which store near you is participating, take a look at their Events Page.

Alongside our Easter hunt we've been preparing lots of half-term activities on an Easter theme so that the girls can get into the mood. Inside our Tesco Easter hamper we had lots of Easter craft activities from their Go Create range including Easter cards, Rabbit masks, stickers, pom poms, pipe cleaners, markers and lots of spring animal characters perfect for creating your own Easter bonnet.

We're preparing for a nice family weekend for Easter with lots of treats but also a traditional lamb roast and, if the weather is kind to us, a barbecue. The girls' favourite treat from the Tesco range was a simple gingerbread decorating kit where you get to decorate your own gingerbread Easter egg cookie with icing and spinkles. Mr. B. and I were more taken with the traditional Italian Easter cake which tested extra special with a bottle of Italian Prosecco - what better way to start the Easter holidays?

If you're looking for Easter inspiration for holiday activities, or Easter food and drink, take a look at the Easter events going on in your local Tesco.

Disclosure: we were sent a hamper of Easter treats to create our Easter egg hunt and help us prepare a big Easter feast.

Chill Factor Pull Pops Review 26 Mar 2017 8:11 AM (8 years ago)

Today has been a gloriously sunny day and as soon as the sun appears, Holly pesters me for her paddling pool, and an ice-pop.  Thankfully this time I was ready with some of her very own homemade popsicles that she put into the freezer a couple of weekends ago.  Holly has been making her own ice pops using the Chill Factor Pull Pops kit from Character.

Inside the Chill Factor Pull Pops gift set you'll find two pull pops for you to create frozen popsicles using fruit juice, yoghurt or even fresh fruit. The kit also contains a little bowl for holding sprinkles or hundreds and thousands that you can dip your ice lollies into as well as a bottle to hold your favourite ice cream sauce.

In theory, making your own pull pop is easy - you use the handle to pull up your favourite juice or yoghurt into the pull-pop; twist the handle off and then place in the freezer to harden.

However, we soon found out that this was easier said than done. Holly and Lara both lacked the strength needed to pull the liquid up into the tubes so I had to help them. I'm not sure if there is a knack to this but I just can't seem to get them to form a good seal so I end up sucking in 50% air and 50% liquid. For this reason, we reverted to filling the tubes up using a spoon... not as much fun, definitely more messy but in the end it had the same result.

After you've filled the tubes, you have to twist off the handle before it goes into the freezer. We found this to result in the seal breaking again and we did end up with pink juice all over everywhere. Lesson learned.

Anyway, now we've found our knack, the pull pops are very popular because Holly can choose whatever flavour she wants. Her favourite to date is this one which looks alarming but is harmless... it is a strawberry yoghurt ice popsicle dipped in chocolate sprinkles and covered in strawberry sauce.

Holly sill finds it very hard to even push the melting popsicle out of the tube as she eats. Moments after these photos were taken, the entire frozen yoghurt catapulted out of the tube and landing on the living room floor.

Despite the struggles, I think the Chill Factor pull pops will become very popular over the summer and we are likely to have to keep creating more to put in the freezer.

The Chill Factor Pull Pops Gift set costs £9.99 but you can also buy the individual pull pops for less than £5.  Find them at www.character-online.com.

Babe The Sheep-Pig Live on Stage - A review 19 Mar 2017 8:52 AM (8 years ago)

This weekend we took the girls to the theatre in Newbury to see a brilliant stage show of Babe, The Sheep-Pig.

Babe, The Sheep Pig is a live stage retelling of the famous Dick King-Smith story of The Sheep Pig and we added it to a wonderful restaurant lunch to turn it into a perfect family day out.  The show was perfectly pitched for families - not so arty as to confuse the children, but definitely not dumbed-down for kids. From the lighting to the costumes, from the singing to the puppetry, this theatrical retelling of the Sheep Pig was everything you'd expect from a stage show and would make a perfect introduction to the theatre for children.

Babe, The Sheep-Pig is a story about a little pig who gets taken in by a farmer and his sheep-dog. The maternal sheep-dog Fly looks after Babe and helps pass on some of the skills it takes to become a prize-winning sheep-dog. But Babe soon learns that he has one more skill he can bring - politeness - and this means he cstands a chance of being a prize-winning sheep-pig.

Lara and Holly both spent the entire show wrapped up in its magic. They giggled at the silly sheep (whose costumes were perfect); they oohed and aaahed at the terrifying wolf; they joined in with the chants to help Babe be his best and they cheered when Babe found glory.  Both Lara and Holly did find the end of the first act a little disturbing; there is strobe lighting, a very dark part-human / part-puppet representation of a wolf, a death scene and a threat with a gun. Surprisingly, most of the children in the theatre coped pretty well with this scene and it definitely got people talking and thinking before the interval.

We enjoyed all the costume changes, dances and musical numbers and we felt that the puppets fitted into the show seamlessly.

To see where Babe, The Sheep-Pig will be performing, visit www.BabeThePigLive.com. There are venues all over the UK from now until mid-September so there are lots of chances to see the show.

Cluedo Junior Review 18 Mar 2017 11:17 AM (8 years ago)

These days, Lara and Holly play a lot of board games after school. Now that Holly is able to understand the rules of a game such as Cluedo (and to some extent, follow them!), the girls can have a lot of fun together playing quiet games after school, or to play as a family with us at the weekends. Cluedo junior is a perfect family board game which we can play as pairs with the girls, or as individuals for a slightly more competitive edge!

We've been playing Cluedo Junior, the case of the missing cake; your challenge is to find out who took the last piece of cake, when they ate it, and what drink they had with it. It's very similar to the traditional grown-up game of Cluedo but with a little bit more guidance and structure (and not a murder in sight!). Inside the box you'll find everything you need for a traditional whodunnit challenge - a set of characters to move around the board and a pad of papers which allow you to tick off the rooms, drinks and times as you move around the board.  Throw the die to move around the board, trying to remember which rooms and pieces of furniture you've already checked.  The girls LOVE the challenge of trying to determine the result by powers of deduction.

 

The girls have played Junior Cluedo several times recently so it definitely has the return-factor for playing again. There are six different characters to play as - some you may recognise (such as miss Scarlet) and others who are new (such as Dr. Orchid the biologist).  It took Lara and Holly a little while to remember the rules about which spaces on the board meant you could check for clues under which things - furniture, or people. Lara has now totally grasped the concept and is very competitive about trying to be the first to guess who ate the last slice of cake!  I think the cake theme is particularly important for Lara who is, herself, a bit of a cake fiend.

Children's Book Review :: The Bee 28 Feb 2017 6:13 AM (8 years ago)

TomTom Touch Fitness Tracker Review 26 Feb 2017 5:30 AM (8 years ago)

Looking forwards to Trolls on DVD today 13 Feb 2017 2:00 AM (8 years ago)

Glimmies collectibles - a review 4 Feb 2017 11:07 AM (8 years ago)

Glimmies are a set of cute little star fairies who Lara and Holly have been delighted to welcome into our house; they are magical woodland fairies who light up at night to look after the woodland creatures, and my two girls!

Each Glimmie fairy is about 6cm tall; quite a lot taller than many of Lara's collectibles and so these really feel more like play set characters than simple ornaments. The really really magical thing that sets Glimmies apart from other collectibles is that they light up like little fireflies when the lights go out (this helps them to keep watch over the animals at night!). Both Lara and Holly are mesmerised by this magical transformation.

If the girls are passing by their room I've seem them cup their Glimmies in their hands just to see the little sparkle of light. You can even place them in a pocket to shut out their light and watch them glow.

I can't see Lara and Holly actively playing imaginary games with their Glimmies but I can see them wanting to extend their collection - I think the brightly coloured characters would look quite fun lined up across a shelf or window ledge - and at £3.99 for a single pack I think they are within pocket-money budget.

Celebrating 9 years of Brush Baby 22 Jan 2017 9:44 AM (8 years ago)

It is about 5 years since Lara and Holly first started using Brush Baby products; their innovative chewable toothbrush for babies and toddlers was Holly's first ever introduction to a toothbrush. This year Brush Baby are celebrating their 9th birthday and they invited us to take a look back on our Brush Baby years.

Brush Baby early years toothcare is a journey designed to help your little ones practice good dental care from the day their teeth start to form. Soft dental wipes for sensitive gums were the start of Holly's journey, quickly followed by the chewable toothbrush. At the time we were having big problems trying to get Lara to clean her teeth and I'm convinced that introducing a toothbrush from such a young age with Holly helped to create a routine - we've never had the same sort of resistance from Holly.

As my girls have grown up they've learned good tooth-brushing habits. Holly still needs help to brush her teeth and we'll continue to help her with co-ordination when brushing for another few years to make sure she learns to look after her teeth as best she can; brushing twice a day with a gentle children's toothbrush. These days Brush Baby have a wide range of tooth brushes for the early years including a sonic toothbrush to different age ranges which really makes toothrushing time fun.

The KidzSonic Electric Toothbrush is available for children aged 3-6 and 6+. It is a battery-operated electric toothbrush with a small head designed for brushing and flossing in between small teeth. Apart from the bright colours, the thing which really engages both Lara and Holly is the timer - a disco-timer! To encourage your child to brush for the full 2 minutes the toothbrush lights up your face with bright disco colours while you brush. They LOVE this and the usually-impatient Holly has taken to brushing for much longer since starting to use the KidzSonic brush.

Our dentist recommends that children under 7 continue to use a traditional manual brush regularly, even if they are also using an electric toothbrush because she feels that it is important to learn the co-ordination skills and practice needed to get your teeth clean. We're using the Brush Baby floss brush for Holly; it has both short bristles for teeth surfaces and long bristles to get between the teeth at this age when children can't yet floss themselves. Combined with the brush-baby toothpaste, Holly seems very happy at toothbrushing time these days so I'm confident that both my girls are now building good dental habits that should set them off well for life.

Thank you Brush Baby - and happy birthday!

Clearing up the Christmas Chaos with Vax 8 Jan 2017 11:20 AM (8 years ago)

So that's it. Christmas is over. The decorations have come down and now the house is feeling a bit bare. Although it seems a bit of a shame that all the Christmassy-ness has gone, I do quite like the feeling of being able to reclaim my home and I always find the new year to be a great opportunity for a bit of a clear-out and clear-up. This year Vax have set me up with one of their Cordless SlimVac which has been a bit of a godsend while we were taking down the Christmas Decorations.

Trying to clear a house of baubles, tinsel and Christmas Tree pine needles while there are two over-excited children whizzing around the place is no mean feat. You need a tool that can be quickly lifted out, whizzed around the living room to pick up all the needles and tinsel remnants and then very quickly put away again. Enter the Vax Cordless Slimline Vacuum which doesn't even need to be plugged in. Point it at the needles, pull the trigger and hey presto, the room is back to looking like a living room again!

Clearing up after the pine needles

It isn't the most powerful vacuum I've ever owned but these days I don't need to be able to hoover up finger-food debris or vast quantities of cat hair; I just need to keep on top of things. One of the niftiest things I liked about this hand-held cordless vacuum was that while I could use it with the long nozzle to pick the Christmas tree needles from the floor but I also got Mr. B. to remove the long nozzle and just use the hand-held vacuum with a different nozzle to furtle in behind the table where the Christmas tree had been without having to faff about with moving furniture. Long or short, its your choice.

Its also your choice whether you use it on hard surfaces or soft - a switchable brush head helps here. Swirly brush thing, or no swirly brush thing, it's your choice. Because this Vax is cordless, its so lightweight and easy to use that I could even ask Lara to use it without fear of her getting tangled up in it, or having to worry about plug sockets. The charge on the battery lasts about 20 minutes which for me is more than enough vacuuming for one sitting!

We managed to remove the tree, clear up the debris and set the living room back to rights in record time leaving us lots of time to play family games together over the weekend.  Hurrah. And we've managed to find a home for the new Vax in the cupboard inside our utility room (this isn't a photo of our utility room, it's a Vax library picture) - it is incredibly compact and comes with a wall mount should you want to use it.

Image credit : Vax