Chuggington Wooden Over & Under Starter Set (A TRU Review)

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Recently The Boy has become obsessed with train sets. He knows all the characters in Thomas the Tank Engine, has a vast selection of wooden train track and makes me set them out in a variety of different styles. He honestly makes me. Ok, you've forced it out of me, I enjoy seeing if I can get as many different combinations down as possible. He stands there looking at me bemused.

However, when we opened our last box from Toys R Us to discover that there was a Chuggington train set inside, I'm not sure who was more excited! He adores Wilson and Koko, and Chuggington is his 'poison' of choice at the moment, watching it religiously every morning. I was ecstatic because there was a funky tunnel and hill set included in the 22-piece set.

The set is designed to be put together in a figure of eight-ish layout with a bridge section which also creates a tunnel for the track to go back through. The bridge is actually a clocktower and the top of this can be taken off and placed elsewhere to become another tunnel (this is best because it falls off anyway). Each of the wooden track pieces is made of good quality wood, finished well with no rough edges and are also embossed with joins and bolts to make them look more authentic. A rarity with these sets, but in the Chuggington set even the straight pieces have the grooves for the trains to travel along. The clocktower is made of tough plastic and is good quality. Sensibly the piece of track that uses this bridge is glued firmly into position.

In the set comes two carriages (Wilson and Koko) and Vee, the tannoy system. While Vee is cute, it really is just for decoration and doesn't have a function. Wilson and Koko are very good quality carriages and of a standard size: a bit longer than a crayon. They also have their names printed on the bottom of their quality wooden carriage, the finish is excellent.

This is a brilliant set, but I have one issue with it: the carriages fall off the track when they come down the bridge.

Trust me, we did extensive scientific research into this:

Our conclusion was that based on the size and weight of the carriages they're too big and top-heavy to stay on the track to be able to go around the curve on the suggested layout. In addition the angle of the incline is steeper than in the standard Brio set which means that the carriages are travelling slightly faster. It's a minor thing, but this basic flaw in the engineering has really irritated me. For the price, it should be perfect.

This is a good starter set which is made of high quality materials with an excellent finish. The carriages are chunky and robust, the track pieces realistic. The fact that it is branded with Chuggington has inflated the price to £39.99 and in all honesty I'm not sure I'd pay that much.

Chuggington Wooden Over and Under Starter Set is available for £39.99 from Toys R Us.

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We received this set for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Choo-Choo: A Train Set Review

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A few months ago I contemplated getting The Boy started on a wooden train set. When I was a nursery nurse working with the two-three year olds, I used to love setting up elaborate layouts for them before they came in every morning, even if the little blighters did destroy it within five minutes. I mentioned to Tracey from London Toy Co. that I was wondering if this was the next step forward for The Boy with his toys, and out of the blue she very kindly sent me this:

Which I think you'll agree was rather kind of her, and The Boy was chuffed as well!

The large wooden railway set has 100 pieces in its sturdy carry-case. I can hear some of you squealing; I'm not sure if it's delight or dread at the amount. But for us, that's 100 pieces of fun and imagination. Not all of the pieces are train track, there are a lot of other items to make a 'town' like: a bus, trees, church, people, cars, train, houses etc. The attention to detail in the variety of accessories really allows for the imagination to develop: The Boy was 'brumming' the cars under the bridge and around the houses within minutes. He also built a little house up and then parked one of the cute cars outside.

The track pieces are obviously designed to fit with other compatible sets, which is incredibly useful. All of the pieces included in the box make the cover illustration and I created it within a few minutes. He loves having a bridge to drive the trains over and cars under.

This is a brilliant starter set with such a wide variety of pieces included that it is hard to fault it; it's such good value for money. However I would like to point out one or two tips for ease of use:

  • in the left picture above you can see that the bridge piece rests on two supports, however it can easily slide off the supports demolishing the bridge. We've fixed this by gluing the bridge unit to the supports.
  • the tracks have a variety of junction pieces in them (which is really hard to come across and ever so useful) but most of the normal track pieces are curved. There are only a handful of straight pieces which makes it difficult to come up with another layout.

Combine this starter set with a few more straight pieces and it is perfect for keeping pre-schoolers entertained for hours on end! We love the inclusion of the road vehicles and buildings.

The Large Wooden Railway Set is available from London Toy Co. for £54.99

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

Competition: FAB Ultra Repair Lip Therapy

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Every morning when I get up and get ready for the day, there are two things that always go into my pocket; my phone and my lipsalve. I can't get through the day without moisturising my lips every hour or so, I hate the feeling of dehyrated chapped lips, and of course they are ever so attractive to look at!

I was recently sent a lipsalve with a difference from one of my favourite FABulous companies: First Aid Beauty. The Ultra Repair Lip Therapy is amazing and has left my lips feeling soft, supple and rehydrated. It's allergy-tested and fragrance free, making it perfect for sensitive skin.

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TRU Review: Elefun Poppin' Park

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When we opened up the box this month and I saw this toy aimed at tiddlers from 9 months old, I spent a while trying to think of any babies that we knew who would like it. I failed because, just like The Boy, they've grown up and are now all two years plus. In the end, I decided to get it out of the box and let him try it out.

This is where the first negative of this toy comes into effect. But let me reassure you, there are only two; one is over the minute you get it out the box, the other isn't that big an issue.

Getting the Elefun Poppin' Park out of the box is easier said than done. I wouldn't normally comment on something so mundane, but I think you need to know this or you are going to lose valuable time on Christmas (or a birthday) morning, getting irritated and having a baby who will quite possibly cry with desperation to play with it. There is a ridiculous amount of ties and sellotape holding the Elefun into the even more ridiculous amount of carboard. It took a full fifteen minutes to just get it out of the box. Then there was the small amount of assembly; click the steps on the base on (easy enough) and push the ears into place. Ha! Both Mr. TheBoyandMe and I struggled with this, but eventually (just before I was going to throw it out of the window in exasperation) it decided to relent and allow us.

And so to the toy. It's simple enough, but very effective. There are five plastic balls which you put into the Elefun's solid ear. Once you press the red button on his 'hand' (paw, hoof?) and the air flow starts, they get sucked up into his head and shoot out of his trunk.

Once the balls come out of the trunk there are a couple of different options of where they go based on the direction that the trunk is pointing in; they can either shoot out randomly into the room which would be good for encouraging crawling babies to get moving, or down through the ear with a hole in it to the pouch in the Elefun's tummy, or into the other ear and back up through the trunk creating a continuous loop.

In watching the video, hopefully you'll see my only other negative with this toy: the noise. If you've followed my reviews, you'll know that I've got a low noise-threshold (how, with my son, I'll never know!) and therefore something like this is a little irritating. It sounds like a hairdryer on constantly, and almost drowns out the music which is played. However, after a while you learn to live with it.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this toy, because The Boy adores it and is still playing with it on a daily basis months later. I think it appeals to different ages and abilities on many levels: sitting-up babies, crawlers, cruisers and toddlers. Oh and five year old boy-cousin quite likes it too!

A winner, and at £24.99 I think the Elefun Poppin' Park is a well priced toy to provide hours of fun for babies for quite a long time!

For more reviews, visit the Toys R Us Toybox application on Facebook by pressing below

We were provided with this item for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest, and unbiased.

Competition: Pink Lining Rucksack

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As The Boy is now toilet trained, I've carefully put away my mahoosive changing bag and brought out something that I haven't used in two years; a handbag! Not needing to carry around oodles of spare nappies, or bibs, or bodies, etc. has seriously reduced the size and amount of things I do need to have with me. And now that The Boy is more independent, when we do go out, he can and likes to carry his own bag with a few toys in it to play with.

Luckily we were recently sent a gorgeous rucksack from Pink Lining to review. Pink Lining are probably better known for their absolutely gorgeous selection of change-bags; trendy and stylish, cute but modern. However, they also have a selection of children's bags and it is one of these that we were sent.

Isn't it cute? The main fabric of the bag is called 'red busses' and is really self-explanatory as it's covered in a red bus print. It also appears to be waxed or finished with a waterproof coating, which is great as wet books are a bit rubbish for drawing in. On the front is a really adorable denim pocket with a dinosaur and the word 'Grrr!' embroidered on it. At £15, this is a really good quality, long-lasting rucksack for your little ones. The straps are thick so as not to cut in, and adjustable so that they don't slip off little shoulders.

Competition:

In order to be in with a chance of winning a rucksack for your little one, you will need to do the following:

I want to win a Pink Lining rucksack with @TheBoyandMe https://www.theboyandme.co.uk/?p=6323

Please leave one comment only below to tell me that you've done all three.

Please tweet the specific message mentioned, using the retweet button at the top of the post is not a valid entry!

T&C

Competition closes on Tuesday 6th December 2011 at 8pm. I will pick one winner and notify them that evening. I will need a response by Thursday 8th December 2011 at 8pm to pass onto the PR who will despatch the prize, a prompt reply is necessary in order to ensure delivery in time for Christmas. UK entrants only.

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

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to MummyMummyMum who was chosen by random.org as the winner.

Get Busy With The Fizzy!

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When I was a nipper, some of my friends had a trendy gadget which I hankered after. It worked like magic, almost Biblical in its ability to transform water into, well ok not wine but, orangeade, cherryade and cola! I was desperate for one, but it was never going to happen: we didn't have fizzy drinks in our house, let alone the money to buy something to make them.

Fast forward twenty years and I was a home-owner with a monthly wage of my own. We bought a fizzy drink maker and our soda-stream was an adored item for quite a few years. That is until we moved back to south Wales and it got broken in the move. Fast forward another seven years and I have one in my possession again, and this time no-one is touching my precious SodaStream!

We've found the SodaStream to be incredibly useful, not only did it help create some marvellous mocktails for Hallowe'en, but it is also incredibly economic. Using tap water, plus a capful of syrup to make a bottle of cola (to accompany my Tia Maria) or some lemonade for mum is cheaper, quicker and convenient. We often open a shop-bought bottle, only for it to go flat halfway through before it's finished. £1.50 wasted.

Then of course, there's the environmental impact. Reusable bottle which is fairly long-lasting? Gas cannister which gets sent back and is refilled? Ecologically sensible choice.

We were also sent a range of flavours, which was interesting because the range of flavours are no longer contained to the sugary syrups any more. There are a whole load of SodaStream flavours which are free from artifical flavours, colours and sweeteners: Mango & Apple, Kiwi & Pear and Passion & Mango and Cranberry & Raspberry. Scrummy!

One of the changes from the my previous SodaStream is the addition of the display. The SodaStream Fizz which we were sent has a digital display for an accurate and timely amount of bubbles, which enables you to have the strength of fizz that you want. The Fizz Chip will also display the amount of CO2 remaining in your cylinder.

SodaStream has never been so attractive, easy to use and damn cool!

I was sent a SodaStream Fizz and a range of flavours for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Review: Digital Scales Measuring Jug

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I've been doing a fair amount of cooking with The Boy over the past few months, and my trusty digital scales have never failed me. My measuring jug on the other hand is a joke because all the markings have rubbed off it. I have a metal one, but it only has millilitres marked in 100s and pints on it, so for more precise measurements or fluid ounces it's a pain!

Killing two birds with one attractive and trendy green stone is this Digital Scales Measuring Jug by Maxim.

On one side of the jug is a scale in cups, the other side has millilitres and fluid ounces. However, in addition to this, the base has a digital scale built into it which can measure in grams and ounces.

But here's the nifty bit, you can select your ingredient from one of five presets to calculate its weight or volume. For example, the scale on the side in millilitres shows markers in 50ml. However if you needed 320ml of water you could be left guessing. By using this scale, if you press the button to get to the water marker it can measure it accurately. Likewise for milk and oil (based on their differing densitities: oil = 0.9kg/l, milk = 1.03kg/l, water = 1kg/l). It can also calculate the weight of flour and sugar using the same technique but showing the weight (in either grams or ounces) not the volume.

Another great thing about this is that the 'tare' setting (reset) button can be used with additional ingredients. Weighing out your mixed dry ingredients can be super-easy: measure the flour, press the reset button and measure the sugar, press reset and measure the spices, etc.

I used this earlier with The Boy when making our Gruffalo cookies and it was incredibly easy. I will confess to double-checking the first two ingredients' measuements against my normal scales and they showed exactly the same reading.

This digital measuring jug is going to make life a lot easier over Christmas!

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

Review: Photobox

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A few years ago I did something for the first time.

I used online photo printing services rather than using our printer. I registered on three or four different sites and used their free prints. It was actually quite useful because it was a good way to compare the quality of the prints. My favourite was Photobox and that has been my photo printing service of choice ever since.

Therefore when they offered me the chance to review one of their diaries I was more than happy to accept and try it out. I've had a small spiral bound diary before which was incredibly useful, but this time I was trying out their large photo diary with the premium black leather-style cover.

So, here's the product description: the large diary is 5x7inches and based on a week-week layout with a photo on each spread. The week-week layout has a line per 'waking' hour to allow for appointments, etc. Each page is good quality, printed on 140gsm premium paper. There is a year planner for that year and the forthcoming year, and seven blank pages for notes at the back.

It has everything that I need in it for school: space to write deadlines, hard-wearing, durable, adaptable and plenty of space for frantic scribblings when I suddenly realise that something applies to me (this often happens). And the best bit? That every time I despair of a class of children who just won't listen, or another impossible task lumped on me, I can look at my son and my husband, and smile knowing that there is something more to the drudgery.

The standard large diary is £14.99, spiral bound with an elasticated fastener, and a hard, matt, plastic cover front and wipe back. The premium, leather-style cover, which has a magnetic catch, has a pen loop and spaces for cards and additional loose papers.

One of the things that I love about Photobox is its simple uploading procedure, and the design process that is easy and straight-forward. The checkout is simple and without the need for a ridiculous amount of steps in order to pay; they accept the main credit cards and paypal.

This is a perfect gift for those that need their lives organised for them and can't be without their schedules. Photobox gets the thumbs up from me!

I was given a voucher code in order to purchase this diary. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Review: Mrs Tinks

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I like to ensure that all three of us eat home-made foods where and when possible. However, the curse of the working mum (albeit part-time) means that I don't tend to have the energy on a Wednesday or Thursday to prepare a meal from scratch. As Wednesday is a later than normal night, Mr. TheBoyandMe is in charge of dinner. Bless him, this can only comprise of getting a pre-made food out of the freezer and heating it; his favourite at the moment is quiche and chips for us. Therefore I need to make sure that there is a supply of nutritious, near-enough home-made meals for The Boy.

A lovely lady by the name of 'Mrs. Tinks' contacted me and asked if I'd like to try her meals. Ok, she asked if The Boy would, but I agreed on his behalf. A few days later, we took delivery of these:

There are four meals in the range:

  • Salmon & Cod Fish Pie: Luckily Mrs Tinks sent us two of these, because he adores fish, and this meal was no exception. The potato is light and fluffy, the fish is soft and tender, and there's added carrot! Bonus!
  • Chicken Curry: I've not ever shied away from giving The Boy spicy food, I used to mix a little curry powder into his cauliflower cheese on stage two weaning. Therefore I wasn't worried about giving him this. Combined with the sweetness of butternut squash, the mildness of coconut milk and the perfect mix of fresh ginger and additional spices, it's a mild and scrummy curry that he really enjoyed. Gluten Free.
  • Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagne: I'm not ashamed that I pinched the other half of this one, I'm vegetarian and wanted to taste one of the meals! He was a little outraged that I was helping myself to his food, but it was so scrummy that he soon forgot about it. Layers of sweet butternut squash and steamed spinach, combined with the delicious cheese sauce made this one a definite winner, with both of us! Vegetarian.
  • Beef Lasagne: The Boy hates beef, yet I am desperate for him to eat it to ensure he's getting red meat in his diet. I normally have to smother it with either a tomato-based sauce or a cheese-sauce. This was the only beef meal that he has eaten willingly and with complete and utter enjoyment, that I have given to him as was. He wolfed it down and I can understand why; as a vegetarian it goes against the grain to say this, but it smelt divine. Plus there's added carrot.

The meals are available in both child sized portions, and (with the exception of the chicken curry) available in family-sized portions for 4-5 people. What I would say is that the children's meals are a really good size. I split each meal in half because The Boy wouldn't get through a whole one and I didn't want to waste it.

More information can be found on the Mrs. Tinks range here and on Facebook.

I was sent samples of the meals for the purpose of the review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

The Tent of Imagination

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When I was a tiddler I used to love making dens, and I was incredibly lucky because our house and bedrooms were big enough that my mum would keep them up for a day or so. I even used to make dens with the sheets on the whirly-gig washing line! Ever since I've had The Boy I have been looking forward to making dens for him, but he didn't particularly appreciate them at five weeks old for some strange reason. I've tried various times since, but not in the last few months.

Therefore when a 'ready-made' den arrived for him, I was hoping that he'd love it as much as I already did!

I didn't need to worry! He knew instantly that it was a tent, and loved the fact that it was a wigwam.

Standing at just over 6 feet tall and with a base diameter of approximately 4 feet, the wigwam is a good sized tent to have in the corner of your dining room during these cold months. If The Boy had a bigger bedroom, it would be up there for him as a hiding place, I can see it making a great reading corner in the future.

There are six wooden poles (each is in two parts and joins in the middle with a plastic tube to strengthen them) which slide through elastic loops along each join in the wigwam with a deep pocket for them to slot into at the base. They then protrude through the hole at the top of the thick canvas and are joined together with an incredibly clever, but slightly tricky, lacing and beading technique, ensuring the correct shape for the wigwam.

The canvas is simply stunning. A really thick, good quality canvas with bright colours which aren't brash, and the simplistic animal designs are spot on for little ones. It's bright and attractive and, when the Spring has returned, will look beautiful in the garden! I'm quite impressed with the 'doors' on this, the design has been adapted so that it now uses three Velcro patches to hold them closed, as opposed to the original fabric ties (something which would have been too difficult for pre-schoolers).

The Boy adores his wigwam and has taken his cushion, cuddly toys and a few books in there to get some peace and quiet. It is most definitely his domain, although he lets Mr. TheBoyandMe or me come in sometimes.

I loved wendy houses as a child and I'd thoroughly recommend a wigwam for your pre-schoolers, it's great fun for development of the imagination!

Big Game Hunters have a variety of wigwams available, the one we were sent retails for £49.99, which is the cheapest price that I've seen it available.

I was provided with this wigwam for the purpose of this review. Our opinions are honest and unbiased.

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