The Final TRU Review

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At the start of the Toys R Us Toyology 2011 programme, I said that I wanted to donate some of the toys we were given to review and I have done this as and where possible with appropriate toys; to playgroups, to friends, etc.

At the end of the programme, The Boy and Me (ha, see what I did) have been given the chance to donate an entire box of toys to a cause that we feel would benefit from it, and is close to our heart. The very generous companies who are involved in the Toyology programme have put together this fantastic box of toys for the children who benefit from Tŷ Hafan Hospice's respite care for children suffering from life-limiting and terminal illnesses.

 

The box includes:

 The 400+ families whose children that benefit from the care of the staff at Tŷ Hafan since 1999, live with the dreadful reality that their children with life-limiting conditions may not reach the age of 19. These precious children suffer from various conditions, such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis and Celebral Palsy. Tŷ Hafan is not part of the health service and therefore any donations, monetary or other items, are always helpful to make the children's lives better. One of the facilities that Tŷ Hafan offers is play therapy sessions and it is to one of these that we are taking the above box of toys on Saturday morning.

If you would like to donate to Tŷ Hafan, then please click this link.

The Gallery: A Story of Siblings

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"You know those quirky little stories you pass on from generation to generation? Every picture tells a little story, but some tell a really special one. I want to see THAT photo.

So this week's theme is: A Family Story.

I think the hardest part here is going to be how to narrow it down to just one photo!"

For me, the hardest part is not narrowing it down to one photo, because I'm not going to. For me, the hardest part is knowing what to write. I've spoken before of my grandparents and my parents and my present and future family. So what is left to write is about my generation; my siblings.

I'm the youngest of four children; two boys and two girls in that order. There is a gap of twelve years between my eldest brother and me, but that never made any difference. Growing up, I always had companions, friends and protectors. I was happy and loved, and loved in return. There came a tricky time when we reached adulthood, but this is not the place to discuss this. And so with that, I'm going to gloss over the stress and the arguments, the exhiled years and the fallen tears. I'm going to show you three photos which are incredibly special to me:

1977

1983

2007

—

I'm going to get rollocked by at least one of them for putting the last photo up!

Gosh: Click 'n' Conceal (Review & Competition)

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I often look at my mum's face and wonder how as the age of 68 she has minimal wrinkles? But then I realise that the cursed combination skin (and tendency to be on the overweight side) that we share means that we don't tend to not wrinkle or sag. However, since going back to work after The Boy I have developed shadows. Deep and dark, purple shadows. And no amount of foundation can help me; I'm not sure anything ever will!

That was until about a month ago when I discovered that on Buyapowa they had a deal on Touche Éclat which saw me buying a tube of it for £13! I'm not sure that I'll find another deal like that in the future before I run out, and so I've been using is sparingly. However my shadows are beginning to creep through the wonder-cover-up and so I need to find an alternative.

[Read more…]

Fireman Sam (A Review)

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I'm often on the lookout for new apps for The Boy to play, an app that is centred around a CBeebies character, or other well-known character, is always a success. I've discovered though that you need to be more direct with the iTunes search though, a broad search term either brings back a plethora of hits or nothing.

We were recently given the opportunity to review the Fireman Sam: Junior Cadet app which is designed for iPad and iPhones, which of course means it works on an iPod Touch (our chosen Apple device). Released in mid-December 2011 by P2 games, this is the first official Fireman Sam app and features a good selection of games with a special bonus virtual sticker album once they're completed.

  • HOSE PRACTICE – Learn how to use the hose with Elvis by filling buckets with water.  This activity can also be played against the clock, which provides an extra challenge! And you can accidentally soak Elvis, which is quite amusing.
  • HIDE ‘N’ SEEK – Norman is up to his old tricks and has hidden lots of objects around the fire station.  Help Fireman Sam to find them. Watch out for Norman, bonus points available for catching him.
  • LOAD JUPITER – Fireman Sam needs your help to load Jupiter.  Find the correct items by matching the shadows.  This activity can also be played as a memory game, which provides a challenge for older players.
  • SKY HIGH RESCUE – The cats have escaped and Fireman Sam needs some help catching them.  A great chance to practice rescuing skills!
  • FIRE FIGHTER – Finally: a call out to the first fire!  Use hose targeting skills to put out all the fires!  Good luck!

The Fireman Sam app on the AppStore is a really nice little find with plenty of different activities to suit children of different ages and abilities. The Boy particularly likes the Hose Practise and Hide 'n' seek activities. At £1.99, this is a good app and I'd recommend you download it for fun and logical development.

I was given a code to download this for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.