Pillow Pets

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We were recently sent one of the new cuddly toy cushions that every self-reacting child is after; a Pillow Pet!

toy cushion

Pillow Pets are a new cuddly toy that doubles as a pillow or cushion, perfect as a comforter and extra pillow during those first sleepovers. They're also great for travel, making car seats a lot more comfortable and give that extra little touch of home wherever your little one is. They have a velcro strap halfway down one side which makes them stay in place when folded, and tucks away when flat. The best bit is that they are machine washable!

The Boy was sent a 'comfy panda' Pillow Pet' which has a soft and furry back, smooth face and measures 18 inches when unfolded. He was very impressed with it and it now lies on his bed ready to give extra soft snuggles when needed.

Pillow Pets are available directly from the website and retail for £14.99.

Competition: Win A Flexibath & Toys

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Last year I reviewed the fabulous and still indespensible Flexibath and toys from Whitestep. We didn't only use it as a travel bath but also in the house as The Boy's main bath and managed to save ourselves a whopping 630 litres every month! Although he's a bit bigger now, we still use the bath every other bathtime, it's ideal in this hot weather when he just needs a splash about in the evening to cool down.

travel bath

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Poppin' Hoppies (Review)

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Poppin' Hoppies is a new game for all the family from University Games. Utilising the age old fun spring-loaded children's toy that you press down and wait squealing with glee when it pops up unexpectedly, it involves catching them to earn parts to build your Hoppie character.

University Games

The game consists of a game board, seven coloured Poppin' Hoppies (two pink, two green, two blue and one yellow), and four sets of body parts (pink, green, yellow, blue).

Game play is very simple, which is just as well because we don't do complicated in this house; it ends up in heated debates and temper tantrums. And that's just me!

  • Set up the board with the seven Poppin' Hoppies on the corresponding coloured circles. The yellow one is a special one and he is called P. Henry Hoppie.
  • Decide upon a Hoppie outline that will be yours to construct.
  • Everyone presses down the Poppin' Hoppies until they are suctioned down, keeping them pressed down until they are all engaged. Remove hands.
  • The aim is to try and catch the Poppin' Hoppies as they gradually, and unexpectedly, pop up. They may pop up at the same time, some may take a bit longer. When you catch one, put it by your side and continue to try and catch the others. It doesn't matter which colour you go for.
  • If one is missed, reset it and place it back into it's circle to be caught again.
  • At the end of every round, each player takes a matching oloured body part for every Poppin' Hoppie they've caught. So if you've got one pink, two blue and one green Poppin' Hoppies then take one pink, two blue and one green body part.
  • However matcing coloured pieces cannot touch! For example, a pink head cannot go with a pink body, a green arm can't be used with a green body, a blue leg can't be used with a blue body. You can have a pink head and a pink arm though because they aren't corresponding pieces.
  • The Hoppies must contain all four colours and you can't have more than two pieces of one colour in a man, so if you catch yellow for the third time you can't have another yellow piece. You can however swap with another player if they are happy to do so.
  • The winner is the first player to complete their man!

Poppin' Hoppies is aimed at children aged 5 years and over but we play it with The Boy with absolutely no problem, we have adapated it slightly: hands on knees and we don't restrict the colours when making the person up.

This is a really fun game which resulted in many squeals of delight from all three of us. It's quite retro in it's simplicity, design and gameplay which I love. Having won Best New Toy at this year's Toy Fair, I think it's going to be a really popular game which will allow for many hours of fun, without complicated play and the need for batteries. Although it's aimed at 5+, I think it's suitable from 3 upwards and I can see it causing much fun for years to come!

Poppin' Hoppies is made by University Games and is available to buy from Argos.

We were sent this game for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Cutey: Shamballa Bracelets (Giveaway)

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I used to wear jewellery all the time before I had The Boy; my bracelet watch, bracelets, necklaces and my engagement ring would be a regular occurence. When he was a baby, I stopped wearing everything bar my wedding ring because we all know the gunk that ends up in engagement rings and are too often garroted by babies grabbing that shiny thing around our neck.

Recently, I've rediscovered my love of the shiny and glittery things locked away in my jewellery box and they are starting to sneak back on a bit more. When I was asked if I'd like to review a shamballa bracelet by cutey I was more than happy to accept; anything to bring a little colour and sparkle into these grey Winter Summer days.

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Little Charley Bear on Safari DVD (Review)

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We've reviewed a couple ofLittle Charley Bear DVDs in the past and have always really enjoyed them. We both love the imaginative play element, the visual element is excellent with plain backgrounds that draw the viewer's atention to the main focus of Charley, and James Corden as the narrator is genius.

Which is why I was more than happy to review the new DVD: Charley on Safari.

Included in this DVD where Charley and friends set off on a voyage of discovery through a series of magical jungle adventures, is a small Little Charley Bear figurine.

Featuring 56 minutes of Charley fun in the following episodes:

  • Charley on safari
  • The Charleysaurus
  • Monkeying with Midge
  • Charley Snaps
  • Castaway Charley
  • Sandcastle for Caramel
  • Bear at sea
  • Underwater explorer Charley

This is another winner with the added bonus of the figure which now goes everywhere with us!

‘Charley on Safari’ on sale at the RRP of £12.99.

I was sent this DVD for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Little Dish Meals (Review)

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I have spoken before about how important it was to me when weaning The Boy to ensure that he had the best quality food, home-made as much as possible. When I returned to work after my year's maternity leave, I still cooked in bulk for him but I soon discovered the wonders of Little Dish meals and was happy to supplement his diet with them.

Why do I like Little Dish?

  • 100% natural ingredients
  • no added salt or sugar
  • no additives or preservatives
  • taste tested by a panel of real-life little people who are selected to approve new recipes
  • suitable for home freezing
  • damned tasty!

Little Dish has sent a few meals for The Boy to test, and me their cookbook with over sixty recipes in it.

Chicken Risotto

This tasty meal contains bite size British chicken breast, tomatoes, butternut squash, sweet potato and cheddar cheese. Risotto is one of his favaourite meals, and this particular dish went down a treat. Like many infants, he doesn't like the texture of proper meat and finds it difficult to chew. The chicken in this meal is tenderly cooked and small enough that he manages it with no problem.

With the sun shining, he wolfed it down enjoying the balmy weather on the patio! It's a large portion and he ate three-quarters, which bearing in mind his main meal is at lunchtime, was a lot. He sat there, looking around the garden, took a big mouthful, smiled and declared (after he'd swallowed), "It's lovely, mummy!"

Beef Lasagne

Beef. He's not a fan of it and I can't cook a single thing with it that he will eat, and I didn't hold up much hope for the beef lasagne that I placed in front of him with extra cheese on top (because that always works).

He absolutely wolfed it down! The bechamel sauce was thick and creamy, the tomato ragu wasn't strong and complimented the beef well (or so my non-vegetarian husband informs me!). The above portion is half of what's in the packet so you can see that there's a fair amount.

Chicken and Butternut Squash Pie

The Chicken and Butternut Squash pie is one of The Boy's favourite Little Dish meals as it is an incredibly tasty meal. The chicken has been diced into small chunks and is easily chewed, the butternut squash is a sweet addition and the mashed potato topping is creamy and smooth. I served it with wedges and peas, knowing that he was going to be getting several of his five-a-day in the meal.

Little Dish meals are great quality and are always guaranteed to go down well with The Boy. It is reassuring to know that the ingredients are quality and natural, and the price is very reasonable especially if you split them and serve them with vegetables as we do.

I was sent three Little Dish meals for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Sand Art Party (Review)

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A few months ago we had the chance to try out the home Sand Art packs from Kids Bee Happy. They were a great success and we had great fun doing such a different crafty activity. When The Boy's birthday was approaching, I contacted Kids Bee Happy about the possibility of reviewing their parties, and we arranged a discounted rate with the franchise owner in Cardiff.

For those who are now wondering what Sand Art is, it's a very clever craft activity involving a self-adhesive card covered in a picture split into sections. One at a time, you peel off each section to reveal that stick section and pour coloured sand on to 'colour' that section in. You build up the picture, section at a time until you end up with a fantastic picture like this:

home craft

Like many children's party entertainers, Kids Bee Happy come to your party, you don't have to go to them. Originally we were going to have the party in the garden, but as it was a monsoon in the week before the party, I hired a church hall. The coloured sand is kept in bowls in specially created tables which measures about 2mx1m. The children move around the two tables as they choose their colours for their picture. There is space on the table for them to peel off the paper sections, and then they hold the pictures over the bowl while they pour the sand on. This means that there is minimal mess, and bearing in mind The Boy's party consisted of eight children aged two-four years, a six year old, a nine year old and a ten year old, there really was barely any mess on the floor.

Sandhya, the owner of the Cardiff Kids Bee Happy franchise, arrived before the party started and ten minutes later was ready to start with the children. It was no surprise to see that within a second of starting to explain to the children, she had them eating out of the palm of her hand; she is a teacher and used to engaging children.

SandArt

The best bit about the Sand Art parties is that the children can take a break from the activity and come back to it later after a run around, or after eating food. All the children, and parents were focused and captivated for at least half an hour, before bouncing off their energy on the bouncy castle and then eating party food. During that time, Sandhya was able to laminate the pictures that had been completed and prepare for the next onslaught round.

Sand Art is a really easy option for a party which provides children with a different activity to one they may normally come across at friend's celebrations. Prices start from £99 for ten children each making two pictures. And of course the price of the party can be offset against party bags: you don't need them because the pictures are their party gift.

There were a mix of personality types at The Boy's party (quiet and boisterous), yet every child was engaged and enjoying the activity and loved taking home pictures that they had made and were ready to hang on the wall. Their parents were in awe of the concept and commented how much they'd enjoyed themselves as well.

So, would I have this party again and would I pay full price next time? Yes! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to order some more home packs to do with The Boy over the Summer.

I received a discount on the price of a party in exchange for this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Good Natured Salad (Review)

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Just the sheer name conjures up nice food doesn't it? Food that behaves itself and doesn't cause issues?

Well it does for me, and when I was sent a voucher to buy some recently, I was more than happy to try them out as I'd already tried the Winter root vegetables previously.

This weather is perfect for salad, strawberries and cream, and Pimm's, which is why I selected the above salad vegetables and fruit. The tomatoes and cucumber are also a perfect accompaniment when diced and mixed with cubed feta cheese.

The best thing about Good Natured is that they use only natural predators to control pests and diseases, which means that the range has been grown completely pesticide residue free. The salad range included Tantalising Tomatoes, Cool Cucumbers, Perfect Peppers and Awesome Aubergines and are available in selected Asda stores nationwide.

I was sent a voucher to purchase these items. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

A Fruity Sports Day Celebration (Competition)

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I've resisted getting excited about the Olympics, but I can't prevent it anymore. Quite frankly it's pretty big damn deal that Britain is hosting them and I really regret not trying to get any tickets for the football matches in Cardiff.

Over the next few weeks I will be doing some sporty activities with The Boy and trying to rope in a few of his friends too, maybe we'll try out the Lemon and Spoon race again?

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Mexican Discovery Fajita Kits (Review)

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We like fajitas in this house. They're easy to cook, provide several of the five a day, relatively healthy and taste incredibly naughty! In these 'Summer' months, they're a light and fun meal befitting the balmy evenings, and we tend to have them once a week or so at the moment.

I was sent one of the new packs from Discovery (original flavour) to help us create the perfect fajitas and while I first thought, "How much can you put into a kit without providing the filling ingredients?" I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the contents. Inside you get a packet of eight really soft and thick flour tortillas, a sachet of salsa and a packet of seasoning mix.

fajitas

This is where I realised I'd been doing it wrong for all this time, I don't tend to use any seasoning on the soya chunks that I put in and as a result the fajitas don't taste very authentically Mexican. However, I did this time, and while it was a tad spicy, it was very tasty and incredibly more-ish. Which is why I forgot to take a photo of the finished product!

The Discovery Perfect Fajita Kit is available from most supermarkets priced at £3.19. I actually think that's a very reasonable price as I would normally pay £1.50 for wraps which taste nowhere near as nice and fall apart the moment the end is folded. When the pack also includes seasoning and salsa which makes it good value. Would I buy it? Yes!

More information on Discovery is available at www.discoveryfoods.co.uk where there's a good selection of recipe inspirations too.

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

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