• Schleich Croco Jungle Research Station
    parenting - toy review

    Schleich Croco Jungle Research Station

    October 6, 2017 - By 

    The new Schleich Croco jungle research station is the ideal starting point for all Wild Life adventures. This awesome playset includes a big crocodile skull and integrated secret hiding place, the research centre as well as a viewing platform. This is an amazing set with so much play potential. You can probably imagine how excited my children were to see it and build it. This is a huge playset with lots of different parts, perfect for hours of imaginative play. It does require some building but we found the instruction booklet was great. I was able to leave my 7…

  • Kid-friendly lavender wands
    Autumn - crafts

    Kid-friendly lavender wands {A-Z Play at Home}

    October 6, 2017 - By 

    I’m the first to admit I’m not a great gardener but the one thing we do have is a good supply of lavender. It’s one of my favourite plants and makes the garden smell gorgeous. It has a very pretty flower but what do you do with it once it’s flowered and over for the year? We’ve experimented with homemade lavender playdough before but for our weekly A-Z Play at Home blog series I thought we would harvest the flowers and try making lavender wands – a kid-friendly version. It is quite easy to harvest your lavender flowers. Once they have…

  • Simon Optix wearable headset game review
    parenting - toy review

    Simon Optix wearable headset game review

    October 5, 2017 - By 

    I can’t believe we that it’s over a year ago since we reviewed the Simon Air. Every Friday we have a games evening at home and this is a firm family favourite, based on a version of Simon that I remember from my own childhood. We love to try out the latest toys so were excited to try out the new Simon Optix game from Hasbro. The Simon Optix game takes the Simon game to exciting heights. Put on the headset and get ready to watch, remember, repeat! The innovative Simon Optix game is a wearable electronic game of lights and…

  • Autumn leaves sun catchers craft for kids
    Autumn - crafts - Nature crafts

    Autumn leaves sun catchers craft for kids

    October 5, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a while since we made any sun catchers but, along with the conkers my children keep picking up, they’ve brought home a lot of leaves too. We have a very short walk to the school gates but it seems like we walk past a lot of different trees. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about trees and leaves. Autumn leaves sun catchers craft for kids We used: fallen leaves picked up on our way to and from school white card contact paper coloured cellophane sheets scissors First we picked the leaves which were whole and…

  • Num Noms Surprise in a Jar
    parenting - toy review

    Num Noms Surprise in a Jar

    October 4, 2017 - By 

    Have you heard about Num Noms? They are very cute – and collectible!  A cupful of cuteness and a spoonful of surprise make Num Noms! Scented Nums are adorable, squishy characters with tons of personality. Noms are flavoured, glitter lip gloss! Stack the Nums on top of the Noms to make 3,000+ sweet scented combinations. We received one of the new Num Noms Surprise in a Jar! Num Noms Surprise In A Jar are so sweet and huggable that you’ll want to collect them all. We received Sadie Seeds, a very cute little strawberry plush who smells so delicious! There are 10 different…

  • How to make conker caterpillars
    Autumn - crafts

    How to make conker caterpillars

    October 4, 2017 - By 

    Every day we walk past a beautiful horse chestnut tree. Actually we walk past it four times on the way to drop my son off at Junior School then go on to Infant school. We’ve been picking up conkers for about 6 weeks and have a huge collection of all kinds of shapes and sizes. Sadly, the conkers have done nothing to deter the gigantic spiders which keep coming indoors. I’m not sure if that’s a myth or not, but I would gladly keep a few conkers around the house if they kept spiders away. We have so many conkers…

  • Cicciobello Love n Care doll review
    parenting - toy review

    Cicciobello Love n Care doll review

    October 3, 2017 - By 

    My daughter has always loved her dolls. She received one for her first birthday and really enjoys looking after them – they can often be found sitting with us at mealtimes! Cicciobello Love n Care from Flair is perfect for children aged 3 and over. Cicciobello is the life-like doll your kids will love to care for. Just like a real baby, when Cicciobello is upset he cries and his cheeks flush! Children can then use the wide range of accessories including, bottles, dummy, thermometer, and medicine to determine what is making him upset. When he feels better he will…

  • Papercut this book by Boo Paterson
    crafts - Paper craft - Paper cut art

    Papercut this book by Boo Paterson

    October 3, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a while since I reviewed any of my craft books. As you know, I love papercutting and bought myself a copy of Papercut This Book: techniques, templates and paper by Boo Paterson. Papercut this book by Boo Paterson Papercutting artist Boo Paterson shows you step-by-step how to craft your own intricate rainforests, jungles and the critters that live in them in this easy-to-follow, illustrative book. Learn how to cut and bring to life a variety of animals, from tigers to sloths, kangaroos to orangutans. This book includes everything you will need to get started clear instructions, templates for…

  • Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - parenting - toy review

    Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set

    October 2, 2017 - By 

    A few weeks ago I told you about our trip to the Sylvanian Families shop in London. I had a very small wishlist for our visit, I wanted to pick up the new limited edition Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set. As a grown up fan of Sylvanian Families I have to admit that I like the limited edition sets and the Halloween one looked super cute. There’s a limited edition Christmas set to which I really want to get when it’s released in the UK. Sylvanian Families Halloween Baby Trick or Treat Set The Sylvanian Families shop had a…