• Family Life - toy review

    Mine It! review

    A while ago my children spotted Mine It! in a magazine and really wanted to try it for themselves. The idea is that you can  mine for real Diamond and Gold in a block. Mine It! is a reveal and discover play pattern and each Diamond or Gold block has a precious stone inside. We were sent one Diamond and one Gold block to review. Each box contains everything you need: Chisel, Hammer and Magnifying Glass, to chip away and find the surprise. The children decided to open theirs after school today. There are 12 Gold blocks and 12 Diamond blocks,…

  • Family Life - toy review

    Disney’s Vampirina {toy review}

    My 6 year old has completely fallen under the spell of Vampirina, the hot new Disney Junior TV show which celebrates friendship and difference – with a spooktacular twist! The show is based on the Vampirina Ballerina series of books written by Anne Marie Pace and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Vampirina follows the story of Vampirina “Vee” Hauntley who becomes the new kid on the block after she and her family move from Transylvania to Pennsylvania to open a local bed and breakfast called the Scare B&B for visiting ghouls and goblins. Now there’s a cool new toy range to accompany the show from Flair, featuring dolls, accessories and playsets…

  • Family Life - toy review

    Schleich new Wildlife animals {review}

    Over half term my children have been discovering all of their toys which has been really lovely to see. After school clubs and activities mean they don’t get to play nearly as much as they would like to! Today was a Schleich day and they set up some of their favourite sites all over the living room. Learning about animals opens up a fascinating world for pre-school children and with Schleich’s vast collection of farm and wild life animals. This kind of toy is perfect as little ones can learn as they play. I love the fact that each Schleich…

  • Family Life - toy review

    Celebrating Galentine’s Day with L.O.L Surprise! Confetti Pop!

    Do you celebrate Galentine’s’ Day or Valentine’s’ Day? This year I introduced my daughter to the idea of Galentine’s’ Day with a very special parcel of L.O.L Surprise goodies! Celebrate Valentine’s with L.O.L Surprise! Little Sis adores her L.O.L Surprise collection. To celebrate Galentine’s’ Day she received a bundle of goodies and the same to give her BFF. Take a look at our unboxing video to see what she was sent:  She was so lucky to receive an exclusive L.O.L Surprise card to write her own message in, as well as one of the brand new L.O.L Surprise! Confetti Dolls and a L.O.L…

  • Family Life - Hasbro Toy Tribe - toy review

    Nerf N-Strike Elite SurgeFire blaster from Hasbro review

    My son absolutely loves his Nerf blasters. He has quite a few now and I think they’re a really fun toy. Of course we gave it a lot of thought about whether Nerf was appropriate for our children. I’m pleased to say it’s one of their favourite toy brands. Nerf N-Strike Elite SurgeFire blaster from Hasbro We have a few other Nerf blasters and my children really enjoy blasting each other (and me) with the foam bullets. The Nerf N-Strike Elite SurgeFire blaster is the latest in the range and my son was delighted to try it out. Slam the competition…

  • Family Life - Friends of Sylvanian Families - toy review

    Sylvanian Families Town range launches in the UK in 2018

    I love the start of a New Year. After a lovely Christmas and New Year I’m excited about what will happen in 2018. One thing I’ve been looking forward to is the launch of the Sylvanian Families Town range, launching in the UK in 2018. If you’re a fan of Sylvanian Families then you’ve probably heard about the Sylvanian Families Town range. Yep, the Sylvanians are coming to the big city! Expect there to be shops, hotels, houses and trams! I follow a few Japanese sites which had the Sylvanian Families Town range in April last year. I’ve seen quite a few sets…

  • Family Life - Hasbro Toy Tribe - toy review

    Star Wars toys for fans of The Last Jedi

    It can’t have escaped your notice that the latest Star Wars film was released earlier this month. On 14th December Star Wars: The Last Jedi finally came to our screens and the whole family went to watch – in our favourite Star Wars clothes – on the 16th. As well as the new film, we were also looking forward to seeing which toys would be brought out to tie in with The Last Jedi. As huge Star Wars fans we were excited to be offered a bundle of Star Wars toys from Hasbro to celebrate the new film, and from…

  • Family Life - STEM activity - toy review

    Haynes Build Your Own Internal Combustion Engine Kit

    With my children now finished school for the holidays I have been planning how to keep them busy. They are so excited about Christmas Day so we’ve planned a few trips to the park, crafts and bakes to keep them busy. Today we had fun building the Haynes Internal Combustion Engine kit. Haynes Publishing is the home of car, motorcycle, scooter and ATV manuals, as well as a range of other specialist topics in print and digital formats. They also have the rather fabulous International Motor Museum which we visited this summer. Haynes Build Your Own Internal Combustion Engine We recently…

  • Family Life - toy review

    Challenging childhood milestones with Baby Annabell

    We were recently sent a Baby Annabell Learns to Walk doll to review at home. This is a lovely 3 in 1 doll and with very realistic movements. You can place her on her tummy for tummy time and watch her crawl, she can be sat up and then take her first steps! My daughter has always loved playing with her dolls. The Baby Annabell range focuses on all the caring and nurturing aspects of being a mummy or daddy making it ideal for introducing little ones to the idea of a younger sibling coming along. Playing with dolls is also…