ToyJeanius: DJeco Piratrix Treasure Hunt

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The Boy has recently started to show an interest in pirates. I'll admit to having withheld the swashbuckling realm from him before as I'm trying to keep him steered away from the 'treasure' chests of violence and theft for as long as is feasible. However, I fear that ship is sailing and so were dipping our toes in the waters to find out about pirate ships and treasure maps. Definitely no swords involved!

A while ago I was sent a fantastic pirate game by DJeco that is based around the world of treasure maps. The Piratrix Treasure Hunt is a simple retro style game aimed at 2-8 children aged 4+ but The Boy had no problem with it. The pack says that the game can take 15 minutes but that can be altered depending upon the complexity of play.

The idea of the game is to hide all 24 laminated images of treasure, chests and keys around the house. The first player to find one of each is the winner. The best part about this set is that because they are printed plastic, they are suitable for use outdoors in the garden or on the beach.

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I taped some string onto some of the pieces so that I could hang them rather than keeping them all flat, it makes it easier for younger children to find them. Older children could create a treasure map to find the pieces, but that's a tricky concept for younger children as they can't relate the symbols to real life objects. I hid the pieces in (fairly obvious) places in the garden, and it took us a little over seven minutes for all three of us to each find a key, a chest and a treasure. Again, it could be adapted for older childrenthat you have to find them in a specific order; chest, then key to open it, and then the treasure.

Djeco Piratrix

Aside from being fun, it's a good game to help develop logical thinking, problem solving (especially if used alongside a map) and develop visual awareness. This is such an easy game that it would be ideal  for a pirate birthday party, especially as there are eight of each playing piece.

The DJeco Piratrix Treasure Hunt is available from ToyJeanius for £4.95, which is an excellent price for a durable, quick, portable and fun game.

Readers of TheBoyandMe can get 10% off by using 'TheBoyandMe' at checkout (available on anything ordered from the site!)

I was sent this product for the purpose of this review, my opinion is honest and unbiased.

Country Kids: Adventure Parks

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This week we've had two days out in this glorious sunshine. The first was yesterday when we met up with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and her two little chaps at Puxton's Park just off junction 21 of the M5. Having been damp for so long, everyone in the area had decided to congregate there to enjoy the sunny weather, including us!

It was beautifully sunny, but with little breeze or shade, it was hard work keeping the little ones cool and calm. The boys absolutely loved playing with each other though, even if they did get too exuberant at one point meaning that The Boy and Burton fell over while hugging and banged their heads!

Today was my birthday and so we headed over to Cattle Country, just off junction 14 of the M5: northbound this time!

We'd packed a thorough picnic and The Boy's bathers and had a really good afternoon there; playing in the wooden fort, splashing in the paddling pool, going on the tiny steam train, exploring the willow maze, bouncing on the jumping pillow, testing an assault course and driving a mini tractor!

Hopefully, the weekend will be just as sunny and filled with more fun and games!

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Friday 10th August 2012 – 'The Boy, The Conquerer' (223/366)

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When we went to Puxton's Park with the Mummy Mishaps lot yesterday, there was a jumping pillow that The Boy was desperate to go on. He tried running up the sides of it but it had a steep incline and the big children bouncing around at the top meant that the sides kept billowing out as he was trying to run up. He kept going again and again, but each time he came tumbling down the sides, bouncing onto the sand and sobbing in frustration. It was all I could do not to run up there with him, instead I washed his sandy feet and kissed his tears away.

Today, we went to Cattle Country in Gloucestershire and they had a jumping pillow for under four year olds. This time, the incline was less, with no big children. He spent a very happy fifteen minutes jumping around and laughing as he landed on the sand. I'm glad he persevered.

TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky

(Guest-Post) Five Reasons To Get Life Insurance For Your Family

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When we bought our first house we realised how important it was to take our the appropriate insurances. We were incredibly cautious and went, potentially, over the top. However, I'm glad that we did because now we have The Boy we haven't had to adjust any of our policies. In this guest-post, the various insurances that are important for families.

It's no great secret. We all know, no one likes to talk about life insurance. Most people don't even like to think about life insurance. It brings up thoughts of all the bad things that could happen, and really, no one likes to dwell on those.

However, while we may not like to talk about it, life insurance does offer protection. And once you have a family to consider, you will know all about the importance of protecting those around you. Responsibility has a whole new meaning once you have a family of your own, and unfortunately, taking responsibility means planning for the bad things that could happen.

If you are still undecided on the issue of life insurance, here a few things for you to think about.

  • Income Protection

Life insurance is not just one standard product. There are actually many different types of insurance that are placed within the life insurance category (click here for more information). One of those types is income protection insurance. Income protection insurance is designed to offer you financial assistance should you be unable to work due to illness or injury.

Offering monthly payments up to 75% of your income, this insurance can help with bills, the mortgage, car payments, school fees or whatever else comes up. You can decide how much you want the payments to be, how soon after illness or injury you want them to start, and how long you want them to carry on for. Bear in mind that payments that start sooner, and last longer will usually result in higher premiums.

  • Accident or Injury Protection

Accidental injury protection is a type of life insurance that is designed to offer a lump sum payout should you be involved in an accident. You can usually decide on the level of cover you need, and you'll usually find that more serious accidents result in higher payouts.

The payouts can come in handy if the accident means you cannot work for a while, or if you need to pay for specialist care or treatment. It can also help if you need to make modifications to your house or car because of the accident.

  • Adjusting Slowly

When you think about your family having to cope without you, you can't just think of the emotional side, you also need to think of the financial aspect as well. Whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home mum, the work you do every day is valuable to your family.

Life insurance offers a lump sum payout should you become terminally ill or die. Again, you can choose the level of cover you need. It can help to cover any debts that you have accumulated, such as a mortgage, personal loans, car loans, student loans, credit cards or anything that your family may struggle to pay if you were not here. Taking the financial weight from your family, can help them adjust without have to worry about money.

  • Cover Funeral Expenses

It's unfortunate but true, funerals are expensive. It is also true that most funerals are not expected. This means family and friends often have to find large sums of money at short notice – on top of the emotional burden they are already facing. Getting funeral insurance can help to ease the financial stress of a funeral, by offering a quick lump sum payout to help take care of funeral costs.

  • Insurance for your Child

While you may not have considered getting life insurance for your children, there are many insurers that offer this service. Some insurers offer a free child cover rider (or add-on feature), which offers cover for your children as part of your own life insurance policy.

This can offer financial assistance if something were to happen to your child. It can help to cover loss of income, funeral expenses, and everyday living costs at a time when the last thing you want to think about is money.

Toffee Apple Tart

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When Mummy Mishaps announced that last month's theme on I Love Cake was toffee or caramel, I had a couple of ideas for my cake but the little minx got in there first! And then yet again, I missed the deadline! However, I thought I'd blog this regardless. I remembered her rather scummy toffee apple cupcakes that she'd made a few months previously and adapted the recipe to make a kind of Bakewell Tart.

Ingredients:

  • Condensed milk toffee (you'll need 100g of brown sugar, 100g of butter and a tin of condensed milk)
  • one cooking apple

Shortcrust pastry:

  • 125g/4oz plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 55g/2oz butter, cubed
  • 30-45ml/2-3 tbsp cold water
  • 2oz ground almonds
  • 1oz caster sugar

Frangipane filling:

  • 125g butter
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 125g ground almonds
  • 1tbsp plain flour

bakewell tart

  1. The first stage is to make some toffee. Put the brown sugar and butter into a saucepan and melt. Add the tin of condensed milk and stir while it thickens for 20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly while making everything else.
  2. Make the shortcrust pastry in the traditional way. I added ground almonds and some caster sugar to in order to sweeten it. Put a layer of baking beans over the base and cook for 10 minutes at 180°C.
  3. While this is blind-baking in the oven, poach the cooking apples in 1 tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of sugar for ten minutes until softened, then drain.
  4. Cream the sugar and butter for the frangipane mix, add the eggs, sift in the flour and ground almonds. Mix thoroughly.
  5. Put a spoonful of frangipane mix in the base of each tart case, then layer apples on top. Put a dollop of toffee on top of the apples and then another dollop of frangipane over the top again.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C until a skewer/knife comes out clean.
  7. Serve warm with ice-cream or clotted cream.

This is 'The Day That'…

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… my dad held my son for the first time.

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Do you have a special day? One that you want to remember with a unique, personalised gift? Enter my 'The Day That…' competition to win a £250 'The Day That…' framed print and you could do just that. More details here.

  • Chose your favourite picture of your own special day;
  • Post it on your blog. You can write about it too, but how much you write is up to you – there may be a story behind the photo that you want to share, or it may be that the photo says it all;
  • Somewhere in the post add the following statement (including the link):
  • Add your post to the competition linky below before 15th August 2012 at 9pm.

A panel of judges will carefully go through every link, looking for a picture that they think best captures the essence of your special day – a picture really does paint a thousand words after all. They don’t have to be technically perfect; we’re looking for emotion and inspiration.

Oh and could you please link this post in somewhere too? Just so other people know where to come to enter!

And that’s it. Pretty straightforward isn’t it? Create your The Day That… blog post and add it to the linky now for your chance to win.