• reading the Christmas catalogue
    Christmas - parenting

    He’s making a list and checking it twice

    October 1, 2017 - By 

    In this digital age I’m glad that paper catalogues still exist. Catalogues were a huge part of my childhood. There was always a pile of them at home and there seemed to be one for everything, from the Avon lady to the Clean-eze man, to clothes company’s and toy shops. Thankfully toy catalogues are still around because they give my children hours of enjoyment! Now I don’t think you can say that a toy catalogue is particularly educational but when I asked my children for the top 5 things they love from the new Smyths Toys catalogue, they sat down…

  • ScentCo Scented Stationery review
    parenting

    ScentCo Scented Stationery review

    October 1, 2017 - By 

    It’s not four weeks since the children went back to school and those weeks have flown by. They have embraced their new schools and routines, although I have to say they are very tired come the end of the week! This weekend we had to go out and buy new school shoes for my daughter as she just wasn’t managing the fake laces on her school shoes. The teacher basically told me she had to have shoes she could manage as they couldn’t spend all their time doing her shoe laces up. This year my son is responsible for his…

  • STACCUPS game review
    parenting - toy review

    Staccups game review

    September 28, 2017 - By 

    Did you know my 7 year old was cup stacking champion three years running at school? He has a really knack for it, and even did it at Sports Day last year! So when I heard about a new game called Staccups, I knew he would love it. Prepare to take competitiveness up a level with the ultimate fast action party game, Staccups! Challenge your hand-eye coordination in a frantic race against your opponent to stack all of your cups as quickly as you possibly can. One moments’ hesitation and it could be all over! Each of the brightly coloured…

  • A trip to the Sylvanian Families shop London
    days out - Friends of Sylvanian Families - Local Review - London - parenting

    A trip to the Sylvanian Families shop London

    September 28, 2017 - By 

    I’ve been promising the children a trip to the Sylvanian Families shop in London for quite a long time. They both love Sylvanian Families and had been saving up their pocket money in preparation for our visit. The Sylvanian Families shop is on Mountgrove Road in London. This is within easy walking distance from Arsenal Underground Station or Finsbury Park Station. We drove and were able to park opposite the shop. The Sylvanian Families shop opened in 1993. The Sylvanian Families shop offers the widest range of Sylvanian Families in Europe with over 400 items in stock. They have over 50 different families, including the…

  • Starting the day the right way with Ready Brek
    parenting

    Starting the day the right way with Ready Brek

    September 27, 2017 - By 

    I started giving my daughter Ready Brek when she was about 6 months old. It was one of the first tastes she ever experienced and she still has it for breakfast now she’s nearly 6! Sometimes she dabbles with other cereals with eye-catching packaging, but she always goes back to her old favourite. Ready Brek is a breakfast must-have in many households, and everybody has their favourite type – original, chocolate, honey or seriously oatey. Ready Brek is a great way to start the day in a healthy way and provides a nutritional morning meal for the whole family.  It’s…

  • Scleich Large Skull Trap With Velociraptor
    parenting - toy review

    Schleich Large Skull Trap With Velociraptor

    September 27, 2017 - By 

    New to the Schleich Dinosaurs collection is the terrifying Large Skull Trap playset which promises endless pre-historic adventure for young ones! Schleich Large Skull Trap With Velociraptor My daughter is dinosaur mad and I knew she would love to add this set to her dinosaur collection. The jaw-dropping playset has a giant fossil-like design with the hollow cavity of the skull making the perfect play location. Take a look at our unboxing video to find out more about the playset. Also included is the exciting Velociraptor figure which features moveable arms and jaw, which means kids can start playing right…

  • A healthy packed lunch for school with GoGo squeeZ
    parenting - school

    A healthy packed lunch for school with GoGo squeeZ

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    With my son starting a new school and going into Year 3 I’ve been tasked with providing a healthy packed lunch for him very day. Free school meals were an amazing bonus and I was sad when he was no longer eligible to receive them. He asked to try packed lunches, partly I think he was fed up of queuing for lunch, so I’ve been trying to make healthy packed lunches for him. As well as a packed lunch my son is able to take a healthy snack for break time. I’m fortunate that he enjoys fruit and enjoys a…

  • competition - parenting - STEM activity

    Calling all aspiring inventors! {Young Imagineers competition}

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    Today I wanted to tell you about a new STEM competition, Young Imagineers, which has just been launched by the Science Museum and Statoil, the Norwegian energy company. Aimed at encouraging children’s involvement in the STEM subjects, the Young Imagineers competition asks children, aged 7-14, “What invention would you create to make tomorrow’s world a better place?” Entry is easy. All children need to do to enter is fill in a form on the competition website:  https://youngimagineers.statoil.com/, including a sketch and a short 100 word summary of their idea. The competition is open until 6 October 2017. Statoil has brought…

  • Star Wars Forces of Destiny toys {Endor Adventure}
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - parenting

    Star Wars Forces of Destiny toys {Endor Adventure}

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    The 7 year old, and his father, are huge Star Wars fans. Recently my son has been watching the Star Wars Forces of Destiny on YouTube so was delighted to be sent one of the new Star Wars Forces of Destiny toys from Hasbro. Star Wars Forces of Destiny is an animated micro-series celebrating some of Star Wars‘ most beloved and inspirational characters. The series of animated shorts can be watched on Disney YouTube, exploring all-new adventures of fan-favourites. The Star Wars Forces of Destiny toys, includes new adventure figures – a mix of traditional dolls and action figures. The toys are 11-inch inches high, have rooted hair, two…