When pregnant with Little Miss C Mothercare was my first port of call to look at baby things. I'm guessing the simple reason why was because I remember going there with my mum as a small child to buy things either for myself or for my younger sister. Nowadays there are also other stores selling things for babies and toddlers, and supermarkets also have a wide range for this market, but Mothercare is still there and they're making some changes to their stores to make sure that they meet the needs of modern parents and their offspring. I was delighted to be invited along to see the new-style ... read more
Featured Post: Sorting out the household finances
I'm not sure what's prompted it, but my twitter stream has recently been full of people asking for advice on how to sort out their household finances. People looking for tips on how to reduce their car insurance, contents insurance and utility bills and also how to keep track of what they're actually spending each month. I can't pretend to be a complete expert here, but several years of balancing our household books (and a previous paid job running project budgets) means that I have picked up some ways of doing things that others seem to find useful so I'm happy to share ... read more
Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat – Sue Hendra
Only in a children's book would a discarded ice cream cone become a magic hat, but that's exactly what happens in Keith the Cat with the Magic Hat. Only, as us adult have all probably worked out, wearing an ice cream cone on your head doesn't actually give you magical powers at all. There are other forces at play here and that's exactly what the delightful illustrations show you. Little Miss C is always thrilled to point out the army of ants that are carrying away the chocolate flake, rather than it moving by magic as the cats in the story think it does. I really like this extra level of ... read more
The Yoga Ogre – Peter Bentley & Simon Rickerty
I always find it funny how at just two years of age Little Miss C very much knows her own mind about things. When I first flicked through the review copy of The Yoga Ogre that I was sent I wasn't too sure about it at all and wasn't convinced that it would appeal to LMC. How wrong I was! We'd picked up the parcel containing it from the sorting office and for the car journey home she was engrossed in it (and the second book in the parcel) and was shouting out all the things that she was spotting in the pictures. Now she regularly asks for it as one of her bedtime books. The story is ... read more
Hand in Hand: Crafting with Kids – Jenny Doh
Some days things just work out right. Little Miss C goes down for her nap without any problems and just as you're about to sit down with your feet up and a cuppa the postman appears with some perfectly timed reading material. That's exactly what happened when my review copy of Hand in Hand arrived. I'd been eying this up on amazon for a while and it was already on my wish list, so being asked to review it was an added bonus. As soon as I opened the book I just knew I was going to love it. The simple reason being that the first section is written by Amanda Blake Soule whose SouleMama blog ... read more
Featured Post: Best British Summer Toys for 2012
Today, a featured guest post from Karl at MoneySupermarket.com Some of my favourite childhood memories are of being with my family in the garden at one of our first family homes – playing in my paddling pool or with my enormous Tonka truck, my dad sitting under the parasol reading the paper with my mum carrying out trays of ice cold drinks, sandwiches and ice lollies. Despite the UK’s distinct lack of sunshine, the summer months are a great opportunity to create such wonderful memories. So as we’re stoking up the barbeque in Summer 2012 what’s keeping our children occupied, and more ... read more
Pintoy Table Top Magnetic Easel and Chalk Board
I'm pretty sure I can't be the only mum who has lists of things that they would buy their children if they had the money and space to do so. Beautiful children's toys, especially wooden ones, that you see in magazine pictures and on other people's Pinterest Boards. Our budget doesn't stretch to all the things I'd like to buy Little Miss C though so I keep a keen eye on the companies that I like on social media so that I can try to take advantage of special offers and competitions where possible. I've made some great savings by doing this and I'm delighted that all my competition entering has ... read more
Mega Bloks Play N Go Table
Ever since she first discovered Mega Bloks (or "towers" as she likes to call them) Little Miss C has been a great fan. The nice chunky shape and light weight means that they're incredibly easy for little hands to push together and they also stay together amazingly well no matter how high a tower you try to build. I was therefore delighted when we were asked to review the Mega Bloks 3-in-1 Play n Go Table mainly as I saw it as a way of trying to get LMC to concentrate all her building in one place rather than scattering it all across the living room floor! The table has ... read more
Down on the (Lego Duplo) Farm
Just a quick heads up about a little guest review I have over on Being a Mummy of the My Furst Lego Duplo Farm Set. ... read more
Mini Micro 3in1 Scooter
If you live anywhere where there are a large number of children you can't help but notice the little scooters that all of them whizz around the park and pavements on. When Little Miss C and I visited our local primary school recently I was amused to see that the bike park had more scooters than bikes in it! LMC has been starting with scooter envy recently which increased when she was given a quick go on a friend's scooter whilst on a trip to feed the ducks in the park. With a second birthday approaching it seemed an obvious gift idea and everyone I spoke to instantly said that we ... read more