You just know a children's book has got it right when you ask Little Miss C what she thought of it (the morning after she read it as a bedtime story for the first time with Daddy) and she instantly says: It's really, really pretty mummy and I love it! I'm completely in love with Lucy Ladybird too. The art work is simply gorgeous. Cute, colourful and full of little things for children to look for. There's also a magical huge fold out for the last page of the book and Little Miss C was so excited when she found this for the first time. In terms of the story... Lucy is a ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Indoor Gardening
Yes, I know it's Thursday, but sometimes you just have one of those weeks. Better late than never and all that... So let's talk about Indoor Gardening. Doesn't the title alone just age this book? Does anyone even talk about indoor gardening any more? I see plenty of references in modern day to houseplants and possibly herbs in the kitchen, but not much more than that. Indoor Gardening appeared as part of Ladybird series 633 which was entitled Early Learning, but actually featured a number of crafts and hobbies. As a series it's one I'd really like to find more of, ... read more
What sort of parent are you?
I'm not sure I know the anwser to this question at all. In life parents seem to come in all different shapes and sizes. There are the people who read all the books as soon as they get the little + symbol on the pregnancy test and always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else in terms of knowing what development steps come next and what the latest thinking is on how to take care of every challenging behaviour that your child presents you with. At the other end of the spectrum are the people who don't read a single book but just know what to do, and their children appear to be ... read more
Featured Post: Reviewing the household finances
There's not a day goes by at the moment without a story somewhere in the media about the current economic situation and its impact on families across the country. The recent benefits changes have highlighted this once again. All of us are feeling the pinch right now and one of the first tips when you're looking to save money is to check all your monthly expenditure to see where you can save money. It's common practice to consider changing your utility suppliers to save money but I'm not sure quite as many consider whether or not to switch bank accounts to a better ... read more
Review and Competition – Red Ted Art: The Book
I know I'm not the only person who let out a small squeal of delight when I heard that there was going to be a book version of Red Ted Art. Maggy Woodley's popular children's craft blog, Red Ted Art, has won awards and for many parents it is the first place they go when they are looking for craft projects to do with their children. Maggy's projects have also appeared elsewhere, both online and in print, and for her readers it seemed natural that the next step would be a book and finally the waiting is over. The subtitle of Red Ted Art the book is Cute and Easy Crafts for ... read more
Princess Evie’s Ponies: Confetti the Magic Wedding Pony
Simon and Schuster have sent me several Princess Evie books to review in the past and I have to admit that as I've not really liked the look of them much before (too much pink for my liking) I've not sat down and read them properly with Little Miss C and not reviewed them on here. This week Confetti the Magic Wedding Pony arrived and Little Miss C pounced on it as soon as she saw it. It seems she's got a bit of a pony obsession that I hadn't even realised - sorry! In each of the books (eight in total now) Princess Evie goes off on an adventure with one of her magical ... read more
Ping and Pong Are Best Friends (mostly) – Tim Hopgood
Who can resist a couple of penguins called Ping and Pong? Not me that's for sure! Basically, Ping and Pong are friends, best friends, but whenever Ping tries his hand at something he finds that Pong can already do it, but a million times better. Haven't we all had a friend like that? The question though is whether or not it is worth losing friends over. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I have to say that it's wonderful to see a children's book addressing both the good and bad things about friendships as it's something that is so important to children. Little Miss ... read more
Review: Plenty Super Strong
I have to admit that when I received an email asking me to review Plenty Super Strong my first thought was "what on earth is there to say about kitchen roll?" But this particular PR had written a lovely personalised email so I took the time to read it again properly and agreed to go ahead. I sent over my postal address and didn't think much more of it. When a delivery man knocked on the door a couple of days later and handed over a large heavy parcel I was a bit puzzled. When I unwrapped it and found all this I was both delighted (after all there were Yorkshire tea bags AND ... read more
Go wild with Next at London Zoo
I've got a confession to make. One which might affect Little Miss C's political aspirations unless I declare it now. About a year ago she tried to shoplift a pair of shoes from our local branch of Next. There we were looking for a new pair of pumps for summer when I suddenly realised that she was no longer at my side. I had that panicky feeling in the pit of my stomach as I abandoned my quest for pumps and instead started shouting her name and running around the shop like a mad woman. As I happened upon the area full of seats for people to try on shoes I found a very ... read more
Little Miss C standing for election?
Local Council elections take place on Thursday 2 May this year and not only have party political leaflets been dropping through my door, but the local branch of the Lib Dems have also been rather busy on local streets getting residents to put up signs encouraging others to vote for their local candidate. I'm not sure if it's because the other parties haven't made an effort yet, or if everyone round here is planning to vote Lib Dem, but at present they're the only ones I've seen and with the orange colout they do seem to stand out well, especially on a slightly dreary day ... read more