Hot Wheels Wall Tracks

 I would like to send your son some cars to play with.

Oh alright then, if you insist!

When we met up with the lovely Lexy from MammyWoo, The Boy discovered the wonders of die-cast cars. Addison didn't particularly want to share them with him, but how many toddlers do? Ever since then, The Boy has been very fond of the two Hot Wheels cars that I picked up for him in the supermarket.

Today I staggered home from a stressful day in work to find a large box labelled 'toys' waiting for us. Inside was this:

Wall Tracks Drift Rally Spinout Track Set and the Track Starter Set

Hot Wheels Wall Tracks are one of the new big toys for young lads (and daddies). The track is used vertically by attaching it to a wall.

Daftly, I opened up Drift Rally set before he went up for his nap. Daftly because he then sobbed his heart out when I had to take him up, he was perfectly happy sat pushing the car around on the unassembled bits of track. We had to take the car to bed to pacify him!

So while the little chap slept, I assembled the Drift Rally set. It needs to be put up on a wall that isn't covered in wallpaper and says it doesn't stick well to vinyl, so I opted for a 3ft wide section of kitchen wall. There is a really comprehensive set of instructions which are on an actual template that gets stuck to the wall. You then line up the four brackets against the template and adhere them to the wall with sticky pads. They are designed to be removed, indeed there are spare adhesive tabs. The pieces of the track then slot into holes in the brackets and rest there securely. The instructions recommend that you leave about half an hour or more to allow the pad to be securely attached.

When The Boy woke up, he couldn't wait to have a play.

We then spent an hour and a half in the kitchen playing with it!

I love this because it is flawless, not once did the car get stuck and not race down the track properly. On this track, there is a levered section which drops down before the car races along a bumpy section, before speeding around the corner and off into thin air.

I have often heard of toys that provide hours of fun; this one actually does!

There are a few things that I've learnt which might help:

  1. When it says 3 foot clearance, it means it. We positioned it next to a door which we then couldn't open!
  2. It comes with one car which works brilliantly. We have a few other Hot Wheels cars, one of which doesn't work as it is a) not heavy enough to trigger the level, and b) has a ridge on the bottom which catches.
  3. Don't put it near a large heavy item which you can't move to retrieve the car which has just rolled underneath!

The Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Drift Rally Spinout set retails for £29.97 (RRP) and I think it is worth every penny. It's incredibly clever in its engineering, and because it is a wall-mounted toy it saves space. The whole thing can be removed, leaving just the four mounting plates. They can be pulled off with no problem by pulling down on the adhesive tabs (although I did manage to remove a small chuck of plaster by pulling up not down: follow the instructions!).

If you are looking for a racing track for your little ones, this is a must. It's aimed at 4yrs+ but The Boy is 2 and you can see he was capable of using it.

We were sent this set for the purpose of review. The fact that we love it is entirely honest, as is this review.

With Grace and Beauty…

A few months ago I was lucky enough to discover the wonderous world of MiaTui Bags. Not a change-bag, not a hand-bag, not a beach-bag, not an overnight-bag, but in fact all of these things and so, so much more. The charming Charlotte who is the mastermind behind the company sent me an Amelie to review and I was smitten. Nothing else has adorned my shoulder (aside from clothes, clearly) for the past few months. If you want to know why, have a read of this review.

Therefore, when she whispered to me that she was designing two more bags to extend the range, I whispered back to her that I wanted to see a sneaky photo. I clearly didn't whisper loudly enough because she quite rightly ignored me until they were ready to be launched. That day has descended upon us and I am excited. When I heard mention on twitter the other day that it was coming, I whipped over to the MiaTui site and ooh-ed and aah-ed over the beauty that is Ava and the gorgeousness that is Grace. Declaring to Charlotte that I needed a Grace in my life and that I couldn't wait for D-Day, she asked which was my favourite colour.

The next day, I had a surprise delivery. It genuinely was a surprise (I know people say that all the time but this was! She already had my address from before); I wasn't expecting her to have sent me one at all.

Isn't it gorgeous? Now this has rapidly become my favourite 'me' bag. The bag that I don't need to take oodles out for. The one that won't need to contain a change of clothes, 4 nappies, 2 SIGG bottles, a jigsaw set, a bag of snacks, a first aid kit, suncream, my purse, the iPod, the FlipCam, a digital camera, my section with ladies doo-dahs in it, keys, a colouring pad, crayons, cutlery set, socks, wipes, bibs, a cardigan (for him not me) and a waterproof coat. Yes that's right. That's what I have in my Amelie bag.

This one has so much less in it. While I still keep wipes and pants (and one pull-up) in it, I won't need everything else if it is just a 'pop-to-the-shop' jaunt. Better still, because there is a zip-up clutch bag in the Grace, I can put the pants and wipes in there and remove them when The Boy is not around!

I like several things about the Grace (well I like everything, but several things make it stand out):

  • the fact that the tan colourway is canvas (as is the red)
  • the adjustable length strap, not just which hole the buckle goes through, but that it actually can be an across the body messenger-bag or an under-arm handbag

I am seriously in love with my Grace bag: the colour of the canvas is very me, with a vibrant splash of my favourite colour blue inside; the different pockets; it sits beautifully underneath my fat arms; it's washable; and it's just beautiful!

The tan canvas bag is available for a really reasonable price of £34.99, whilst the red canvas bag is £29.99 (shhh, don't tell hubby but I'm thinking of investing in one!). There are also black, purple and brown leather-effect bags at £39.99.

However, I have got a 10% discount code so you can save yourself a fair amount on these bags. Enough for a Caramel Coffee Frappucino (as The Boy would say!)


Tension-Breaker

I've just completely lost it with Mr. TheBoyandMe over something ridiculously small, but of course vitally important. Unfortunately I did it in front of The Boy which, having grown up with arguments galore, I have always tried not to do.

We were sat down at the dinner table eating whilst this tirade was happening, and as much as I tried to remain calm, I was finding it difficult. In the end I thought I'll belt up now because my point is not being understood and I'm just repeating myself.

A silence descended over the table while I stabbed at my carrots, broken by The Boy's babble of "Daddy, you naughty. Mummy, you cross. Mummy, you not cross. Daddy, you not naughty. Mummy, you happy?" and I started to feel bloody awful about myself for putting him through that.

He then pulled his t-shirt up (while he was sat in his highchair) and started fiddling with his buckle. I repeatedly asked him what he was doing but he was so busy concentrating that he didn't listen properly. I turned his head slightly and said, "Look at mummy. What are you doing?"

He looked me fully in the face with his eyes wide and said "I'm itching my willy, Mummy"

Competition: Win Maclaren Beginnings Toiletries

I think it's really important to use mild toiletries to not affect my skin's natural balance, and this is never more important than when selecting products to use with The Boy. Therefore when the lovely Chloe from Baby Things 4 U asked me if I'd like to try a few items from the Maclaren Beginnings range, I jumped for joy!

I'd seen the range advertised on other people's blogs and knew it was good quality toiletries, I just didn't know how yummy smelling they would be as well. We were sent the Maclaren Beginning Purifying Bath and Shower Elixir for mums and the Maclaren Beginning Soothing and Delicate soap for babies.

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Competition: Baby Björn Cup

Baby Björn. They do those really brilliant baby sling-things don't they? I know nothing about baby-slings, but I do know that Baby Björn make good ones.

Did you know they also make trainer cups? We were recently asked if we'd like to try their baby's first trainer cup, and I was very keen to as The Boy is still using tippy cups and has difficulty with open cups.

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