Posts by jo

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18/05/201426/03/2018 by jo

Big Fish Little Fish – Camp Bestival Travelling Circus Tour

Big Fish Little Fish and Camp Bestival had their Travelling Circus event last weekend in Balham – and we went along to join in the fun!

Big Fish Little Fish events are ones we’re familiar with, and Camp Bestival is a festival which looks perfect for all of us. With a flyer like this, you know you’re in for a fun afternoon.

Big Fish Little Fish are in Balham these days, in a much larger venue, The Bedford. On entry you get a glowstick if you’re a young person which kept H happy!

Captain Cookie’s Craft Area is much bigger, with long tables and what felt like endless craft supplies, as well as a colouring in mural. With the theme being a circus one, everyone got to make hats with plenty of pom pom’s, stickers and hats to decorate. To the side were plenty of Happy Monkey smoothies and Bear YoYo snacks, all for free for children. There were free tattoos (temporary of course) nearby as well.

The space was shared with a small bar, snacks (£3 Hot Dogs) as well as a Dressing Up area courtesy of Badaboom, which included a photobooth (we didn’t get a chance to try as it was popular!). Adjacent to that room is the toddlers and baby rooms – loads of space and a bit quieter for younger children.

After crafting her hat, H was ready to dance. We all made our way downstairs, a circular dancefloor with a small stage greeted us, with pretty high barriers around the upstairs edge – safe enough for H to stand up and watch without (me) feeling scared. When downstairs there was plenty of space for dancing – although if you’re like H you’ll probably want to stand on the stage and do your thing.

Music ranged from Basement Jaxx to older music we all clubbed to back when we were younger – to the Prodigy, and so much more, all at child-friendly sound levels.

At intervals the glitter cannon was let off (we were upstairs for one which H enjoyed, though was desperate to get downstairs to, to pick up the glitter), closely followed by a bubble machine!

The best thing I found about the venue was having plenty of space to sit down – something which was occasionally a problem in Brixton – so we could sit back and watch everything, or head downstairs and join in.

Bar prices were reasonable, and snacks were priced fairly.

Big Fish Little Fish have t-shirts for sale as well, at £10 which is a good price.

We really enjoyed the Korg Workshop – we were booked in for 4.10pm so right at the end of the day (just as the parachute dancing had started downstairs), so H and her friend M got to try out some Korg Monotron’s and a Kaossilator 2 which were a LOT of fun!

Big Fish Little Fish we know and love going to, Camp Bestival is a new world for us. I was a Reading Festival kind of girl back in my younger days, before festivals became some kind of weird fashion statement and less about the music. I can see us going to Camp Bestival next year as this year’s lineup is perfect for H – a good mixture of everything (especially now she knows people perform music on stage and it’s normal, y’know…) – also, if you head to Big Fish Little Fish today in Hackney you can buy Camp Bestival tickets without booking fees.

Big Fish Little Fish and Camp Bestival’s Travelling Circus visit Hackney this afternoon (Sunday 18th May) – tickets are still available and you’re set for a fun afternoon! Camp Bestival’s Travelling Circus are attending a few events around the country like this – check out their listings page for more information.

We received guestlist places for Big Fish Little Fish, this hasn’t changed our opinion of the event which remains honest, as ever.

16/05/2014 by jo

Eurovision and Music in General

Last weekend H watched her first ever Eurovision. We allowed her to stay up a bit later than usual – much like I did back when I was her age.

When it started, when the first performers arrived on stage, H greeted the occasion with an amazed “wowwww!!” – she had never seen anything like it. People performing songs on stage, taking their turns from various countries who were eligible to compete.

“Are these people really singing?” she asked, as I confirmed this and felt sad inside. See, H is growing up in the world of the music video. Of YouTube or whichever visual streaming place you choose. A place where live performances are rare, and pre-recorded ones are normal.

When I grew up it was the opposite. There’s one reason why she’s never experienced this – because we don’t have Top of the Pops any more. Sad but true.

We would watch Top of the Pops every week when I was young, I’d be loving the Bay City Rollers, and indeed after my first Eurovision a bit of ABBA too. This was an exciting fast-moving world, bands playing live and performing on television.

Heck, I hate to say it as I don’t tend to like most of the bands, but these days programmes like Later With Jools Holland are where I get that fix. Not so for H.

It’s sad isn’t it? For just one night a year she can watch twenty six people perfoming live on stage to get that buzz back again. Performances, silly things, anything. The kind of thing which was normal when I was young. Sure, there’s Christmas Top of the Pops, but that isn’t the same – if you don’t have that connection with the songs on a weekly basis (and we don’t – we currently don’t have a radio other than the one that wakes me up in the morning) then it means very little.

But then this is the digital age, this is where you find it yourself. This is where the older kids, older siblings play it as they’ve found it and the younger kids or younger siblings pass it on to their friends. A different kind of word of mouth.

When I was at school in the eighties I wrote the Top 40 down pretty much every week, stopping around 1987. We’d sit huddled around a radio scribbling down the countdown (and that took some work) then look forward to Top of the Pops later in the week. These days the Top 40 is on the BBC website, you can click on a link and you’re taken to the music. You don’t have to sit through the rubbish (yet sitting through the rubbish helped me appreciate the good stuff) and there are occasional gems.

We recorded the second half of Eurovision and H watched it the following day. The only song she’s remembered a fair chunk of? Our British entry – Molly’s ‘Children of the Universe’. For its poor final score, the fact a four year old can remember it says to me it wasn’t a bad song. I got the Common Linnets (Netherlands) in the work sweepstake, and most of the Top 100 is peppered with Eurovision songs – with this one being the highest. H recognises what she hears, knows where she knows them from.

For all the ridicule Eurovision might get, this is our kids of today’s Top of the Pops. It’s just a pity it’s only once a year!

08/05/2014 by jo

Little Miss Hug

Little Miss Hug is the latest book in the popular series of books from Roger Hargreaves and launches today, May 8th 2014!

Little Miss Hug is the 35th book in the Little Miss series, coming from the Hargreaves family. Adam Hargreaves continues to keep the series going, and this is the latest addition. I grew up with the Mr Men books, and I love that H enjoys reading them too.

The story is a nice simple one. Little Miss Hug likes giving perfect hugs out to her friends. No hug is too difficult, especially when you’ve a wide variety of friends – she can hug them all. One friend isn’t the easiest person to hug, however, so you’re left to read how Little Miss Hug tackles it… I won’t spoil it!

It’s a pleasant story with a nice message. For H as a competent reader it’s perfect for her reading skills – she read the book without any struggles, and there are no tricky words.

Adam Hargreaves said: “I grew up with the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters and I love creating new characters that children will love and identify with, just like I did when I was a boy.”

He continues: “I really enjoyed creating Little Miss Hug; she brings an important and fun character trait with her to the family of Mr Men and Little Miss and I think she’s going to fit right in.”

For the first time ever, to coincide with the launch of a Mr. Men and Little Miss character, an AR app for Little Miss Hug will be available for free download from Android and IOS from the 8^th May. The app will interact with both the Little Miss Hug book cover, as well as pages in the Mr Men and Little Miss magazine. It will see Little Miss Hug brought to life in 3D form and the app will also allow users to take pictures of themselves hugging Little Miss Hug. The app will also feature a fun video story and interactive game.

The book is available now from Egmont Books, and costs just £2.99.

We were sent a copy of the book for the purpose of review, all opinins are our own. The link is an affiliate one.

07/05/2014 by jo

DC Super Friends Books

We were sent four of the new DC Super Friends books from Random House for H to try. There are several titles that have been published at the end of March, from some First Reader titles to some great Activity Books targeted at 5-8 year olds. Read on to find out what we thought!

DC Super Friends need no introduction – the title first came about thanks to the tv series which featured the characters from DC Comics – Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman Spiderman and Aquaman. Wonder Woman does seem to have been written out of the DC Super Friends history, unfortunately, but the others remain.

We’ve been working on expression a lot with H’s reading as she’s progressing well in reception. Generally she can tackle tricky words and work them out, but still reads with one tone. To help her along I’ve been looking for books which have a bit more of a POW! going on where she’ll learn to recognise how to read it differently. These books are ideal!

We were sent Hero Havoc, where Bizarro just wants to be like Superman, but doesn’t quite get it right. He just wants to be a hero too, and doing it the opposite way to Superman does seem to create havoc. Really, it’s all about finding a superhero task for Bizarro which suits him – and as a parent I was glad to see a happy ending.

The other book was Crime Wave where Black Manta steals the worlds biggest pearl, so Batman, Superman and Aquaman all try to get it back while avoiding the Black Manta’s giant octopus. Both books have short sentences and are ideal for children who want to read a story independently. There are great illustrations and plenty to talk about (and read) on each page.

The other two books we’ve received are a fantastic Wipe-Clean Activity Book which has been used the most – H’s superhero name (which you fill in at the start) is Super Robin, and I love the pen can be stored safely and has a little rubber on the lid to remove the pen marks from the page. She has really enjoyed doing the activities, and there’s a good variety of puzzles. The type of things covered are writing, counting, drawing, spot the difference, mazes, colouring – all simple stuff but the kind of thing she enjoys doing.

Finally, The Super Friends Sticker Book has over 50 Super Hero stickers and loads more activities within, from decorating to completing puzzles. Given H loves stickers, this is right up her street.

In summary, I think these books are great. I do feel sad at the lack of female superheroes, mainly as I grew up with them in the seventies and eighties – these days most superheroes seem to be male (but that’s my issue rather than H’s), but I found all these books to be suitable for H and her age and reading ability.

The DC Super Friends books are available now, published by Bantam Books, part of Random House Children’s Books.

We were sent the books for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. Book pictures link to Affiliate links.

04/05/201404/05/2014 by jo

A Big Morrisons Shop

In the last few months a new store has opened near us on Fiveways Corner, Croydon; Morrisons. They’re a store I’m familiar with being northern, “More reason to shop at Morrisons” being the song which immediately comes to mind. They’ve never really existed down south until fairly recently, but now they do. They’ve also cut loads of their prices to make a shop more affordable for families with healthy basics. We were sent £80 in vouchers to try it out!

Morrisons at Fiveways Corner is huge! We decided to go on a Saturday morning – and I have to say, going to the supermarket is not something I do very often. I generally order my food online via Ocado, and have my weekly shop delivered – a lot of this is due to working five days a week so I don’t want to spend my time in the supermarket. Ocado recently went into partnership with Morrisons, and while they’re not yet offering online delivery in our area, it should happen soon.

I wrote a list – mainly so I wasn’t led astray by food, as that tends to happen every time I enter a supermarket. It can be so distracting sometimes! That and I wasn’t sure exactly what Morrisons had in-store and whether I could get it.

As we entered the store we arrived in Market Street – and wow! My favourite supermarkets are ones where the food is fresh, well stocked, well replenished and kept fresh (by misting) – like what I’ve seen in Australia where you want to try everything on offer as it looks so good. Market Street reminded me so much of this, and we easily spent the most time here. H chose a yellow courgette and a purple pepper to try – and I was impressed with a wide selection of fruit or veg being 69p or three for £1.50 – without skimping on quality. Comparing that to my weekly shop, I’d say it’s a better price. You need to look out for the yellow markers in-store, which clearly mark the permanent price reductions – or just check the price cuts here.

The aisles were spaced out well with plenty of room to see what was on offer – there was an entire banana row! We liked the fresh herb section, and had mint and basil on our list, though there was no basil out. I could have asked a member of staff but chose to go for the planted herbs instead.

There were recipe cards around the Market Street for various things (including cheese straws with cranberry) which we’re going to try – I do like these kind of things as if they’re easy enough I’ll give them a try.

Shaun and H chose some meat – and we’re planning a barbecue this weekend so chose accordingly – some chicken drumsticks and a rump steak on offer at half price (I wouldn’t know where to start having been vegetarian for over 30 years but there were plenty of staff who would have been able to help me).

We wanted a pizza night on Saturday night, and H was able to create her own – with a multibuy deal on offer. It was so much quicker than making it ourselves plus she loved choosing her own toppings – meaty ones of course; “you can have some of mine mummy” she told me, until I reminded her I don’t eat meat.

When we got to the wine section we were on the hunt for Western Australian wine which proved difficult to find – though the other regions are well covered. This is a common problem in British supermarkets, so not unique to Morrisons! We settled on a couple of bottles, one red and one white which were reasonably priced at £4.99 each and were good quality. I would have preferred the wine to have been broken into countries as they were all mixed up, but ultimately we found something we liked anyway.

The frozen aisle had a good selection – especially in the vegetarian part. We don’t buy a lot of frozen food apart from Quorn products, and Morrisons had a fine selection.

After that it was general groceries – and see if what we wanted had multibuys available. We followed the list faithfully and ended up with a few items we couldn’t locate. A pleasant surprise was having bags of compost at the checkouts – which was on the list! (wish we’d done the deal though as Shaun had to buy more today)

There was a good selection of clothes for all ages, and toys – we were able to get two tubs of Playdoh for 99p each (as H seems to love leaving the lid off hers… sigh!). The clothes area had a handy size chart – when you’re tall like H, a lot of brands have clothes which come up way too short, and remembering how tall she is as well as everything else is another thing my memory refuses to retain, so this was really helpful.

So… how much did our massive Morrisons shop come to?

This much!

Which is one of the reasons I don’t go to supermarkets too often – I spend more than I intend to! Having said that, we got things we need, and we’d have bought wine from a different store so it was a similar amount to what we’d spend on our weekly shop (as I don’t buy meat – that’s up to Shaun as I won’t cook it and we’re not going to be buying compost any more).

My overall opinion of Morrisons? I would shop there again. One thing I forgot to add to my list (and look for) was Seabrook Crisps. I can only hope as a Leeds-based company they have an entire aisle of them! For me, spending over an hour of my family time at the supermarket is something I probably wouldn’t do very often, however, once Ocado/Morrisons online shopping becomes available in our area I would definitely consider changing – the cost is lower than what we currently pay at Ocado.

We were really happy with the food we bought and have had some tasty meals this weekend.

We were sent £80 in Morrisons vouchers to do a weekend shop. We certainly did just that, and all opinions are my own and honest. Thank you Morrisons and Britmums for the vouchers!

28/04/201426/03/2018 by jo

My Local Drugstore – A Family-Friendly Giveaway

Warm weather may well be here, but I like to be well stocked with my vitamins, spring colds seem to love visiting me! Our next giveaway is with My Local Drugstore, an online store started by professionals who have been in the healthcare industry for over 30 years.

My Local Drugstore source all your regular vitamins and healthcare products and offer free shipping with a £30 order – as well as sourcing the best price possible.

Today we’re able to offer a fantastic giveaway with My Local Drugstore – a family supply of Centrum Vitamins – one pack per family member. The two types on offer are Centrum Kids Chewables and Centrum Advance, both of which we’ve been trying out. H loves the kids one and was the one reminding us every morning when they needed taking. Shaun has taken the adult ones and has definitely felt a difference too… I feel an order coming on!

Centrum Kids Chewables

Running around, getting up to mischief, learning new skills or just growing; kids bones and brains never rest! Centrum Kids Chewables has been developed with a unique combination of balanced nutrients to give them the nutritional support they need to stay healthy.

Why Choose Centrum Kids Chewables?

Contains 16 key nutrients, including Vitamin D, important for the normal growth and development of your children’s bones.
Supports energy release, cognitive development and the bone health of children aged 4 to 10
The world’s no.1 multivitamin
Backed by 30 years of nutritional expertise and proven science

Centrum Advance

A busy social life, work or family commitments don’t always make it easy to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Centrum Advance Multivitamin is designed to help you fulfil your nutritional needs and support your everyday health and wellbeing.

Why Choose Centrum Advance?

Complete multivitamin: Centrum Advance contains 25 key nutrients including all 13 essential vitamins.
Supports energy release, immunity and contributes to healthy skin & metabolism
The world’s no.1 multivitamin
Backed by 30 years of nutritional expertise and proven science

The giveaway starts now and runs until the 6th May 2014. The Rafflecopter widget will select a random entry. If you do the mandatory entries, you’ll find a special one-off Mum Friendly code offering free delivery with My Local Drugstore too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

24/04/201402/07/2015 by jo

A Whole Lotta Soreen Going On

We are a house of Soreen lovers. The cupboard is never without a loaf and it has become the staple (alongside fruit) of snacks for the short gap after school and heading out to football classes or swimming lessons; one of those snacks that keep you feeling full and also has a medium GI.

Soreen isn’t a new brand of course – I was eating them when I was a little girl. Malt loaf, buttered and eaten just like that as a snack probably before I went swimming or had my ballet lessons. Soreen is in fact over 75 years old – so chances are maybe your parents ate it too.

These days there’s a much bigger variety of Soreen snacks on offer – and we were sent a selection. The Lunchbox Loaves are ideal for packed lunches – while H has school dinners at school, at Holiday Club she’ll often take a packed lunch, so we always make sure she has some Soreen in there. We went to Legoland Windsor on Good Friday, stocking up with the same loaves as they’re just the right size – for parents and kids. There are also Kids Go Free vouchers on several varieties if you were planning a trip – there was even a stand with free samples on our way out!

The Cinnamon and Raisin fruit loaf is my favourite – I’m a sucker for cinnamon, and within our box of goodies is a recipe for a Summer Pudding which of course we will be trying soon….

The Soreen Toastie Loaf is pretty much as described – a loaf, pre-sliced and ‘perfect for toasting’ – I can vouch for this. For me, the chopping of Soreen is something I have problems with – same as bread really, I can never quite get it straight. Having it sliced for me, therefore, is a good thing.

I love the Snack Malt Loaf too – two buttered slices of Soreen packaged in a foil fresh packet, perfect for eating on the go – ours will keep fresh until late May which gives a month of freshness in there, possibly more.

But I’m saving the very best one till last – Soreen Chocolate is back! “A chocolatey malt loaf with indulgent chocolate chips” – now I may say I’m chocolate-d out at the moment, but this is lovely – a subtle chocolate to the malt loaf and packaged up with a Mega Offer of being only £1 at the moment, so keep an eye out. I swear, every time I touch the package I get a chocolate aroma all around me – it’s divine. Oh, and squidgy of course, as all Soreen products are!

We’ll try some of the recipes and report back – H doesn’t know where to start!

Soreen’s official website is here and you can follow on Facebook and Twitter too

We were sent a selection of Soreen products to try – all opinions are our own

16/04/2014 by jo

A Waitrose Easter Tea Party

It’s nearly Easter, and where better to stock up on essentials than the Waitrose Easter selection in stores now? We were sent a voucher to try some out, and invite friends over for a tea party, which happened yesterday.

The Waitrose Easter selection is available now and covers many different things. While I do love my chocolate, there are also other things on offer – with not having the time to do craft at the moment, ready-made Happy Easter bunting was one of the first things I spotted. Also, Easter Crackers? Brilliant! That went down well with H and her friends J and M who all had a couple of goes each.

In addition to this, Waitrose have an Easter Egg hunt kit – different coloured eggs with pop-out signs. Shaun didn’t have enough time through the day to do maps, but had enough time to hide some eggs out in the yard for the kids to find – which kept them occupied for a while, especially as they had to eat them afterwards, and quick before they melted!

Heston ALWAYS has something interesting in the Waitrose Easter range, and this year was no different – Acacia Honey and Ginger Hot Cross buns, a really generous size and delicious toasted or plain – I may have had more than one… yum!

We also bought a selection of regular Waitrose Hot Cross Buns which we’re saving for the weekend for when my sister comes to stay.

There was a good cupcake choice too, so we chose a selection, as well as a variety of Cadbury’s ones – all beautifully arranged on our cupcake stand for the kids to get their hands on!

The most delicious one for me was the Simnel Cake – we chose a small one from the deli counter which tasted mighty fine, not too heavy or sugary, with the marzipan just right. I had no idea the eleven balls on top are meant to represent the twelve apostles minus Judas, and if you didn’t either you do now! It made a nice centre of the table.

I would have loved to have baked some of these, but time wasn’t on our side. With so little holiday this year and working through the Easter holidays we had to rely on shop-bought options, but with ones as delicious as these and with the options on offer I think we’ve done well!

To keep the kids occupied I bought an Easter mask making kit – had I realised three of the masks are quite girly I might have held back, but us mums had fun putting them together!

Finally, as a going-home treat H and her friends were all given a Waitrose Easter lolly, and a Lindt Chocolate Carrot – which were devoured before they left the house!

Still to eat we have a fabulous Easter Egg from Waitrose, a chocolate and lemon variety which looks fabulous and is £7.00. We skipped on the Heston one (though were tempted, there’s still time) and tried to be sensible (currently reduced to £15!). The words Waitrose Easter and Sensible are difficult though!

If you have time there are some great Easter recipes over here and if you’re looking for activities to do with kids (including some recipes), then try heading over here!

We were sent a voucher to buy the Waitrose food, and loved every minute! Everything is available in-store, prices are current ones and can be subject to change.

15/04/201426/03/2018 by jo

Can You Pledge One Hour?

A typical working week in this house involves me leaving around 7.20 and Shaun arriving home around 6.40. This isn’t a unique situation we’re in, and is the norm for most people living in London. Add your commute of up to an hour each way and being at work eats into your day. Andy Stephenson from Weekend Box commissioned a survey recently, and based on the results created Pledge One Hour.

Pledge One Hour works on the idea that you make sure for one hour a day you spend some quality family time together – and with that is a website with suggestions for activities you can do together.

This all came about as after a survey by Fly Research asked 1,100 parents how much time they spent with their children.

* 40% of parents get less than 1 hour per day of quality time with their children

* 83% want to spend more time with their children and 95% felt that doing activities together made them feel closer as a family.

* 73% cited not having easy access to activities and resources as the biggest barrier to spending more time with their children.

Which is where Pledge One Hour comes in. We’ve reviewed Weekend Box earlier this year and found them great fun. Using everyday objects it did a lot of the thinking for us, and everything is still being played with now. We’re also working through the 50 Things National Trust activity suggestions when we can, so imagine something that covers both?

There are three sections on the website – Explore the Great Outdoors, Indoor Arts & Crafts and Child-Friendly Recipes. They’re all based around things which you should already have – be it sitting outside listening to birds, baking some Popcorn Cupcakes (oh yes!) or just making a miniature kite from an old plastic bag (a Weekend Box activity we’re still getting a lot of play from!) – there’s a lot of choice and it doesn’t cost a lot of money to do it.

As Andy says, “I don’t want to live in a world where parents and children face greater detachment due to the pressures of daily life, where children are left to entertain themselves with solitary screen time or mindless toys that fall short of adding any sensory value to their development. We can’t change the world overnight, but lots of little steps will help to break down those barriers.”

David Bond, Film-maker of Project Wild Thing said: “Our kids are spending almost a third of their waking hours staring at screens and the evidence is clear that this has a serious impact on their health and wellbeing.”

So can you do it? Can you Pledge One Hour? Come and join in – use the hashtag #pledgeonehour and share what you’re doing – with this beautiful weather right now it’s the perfect time to get outdoors and do something fun!

13/04/201426/03/2018 by jo

Quick Update

Welcome to the sickly household. Shaun had it first and it slowed everything down, and now I’ve got it so have had most of this weekend in bed.

I have a gazillion things to write about, and so many things coming up. Oh, and two giveaways with some fabulous prizes which are massively delayed thanks to the illness.

H hasn’t had it yet, so who can say what will happen next?

I might even have time to have a rant about shinpads in there too… Easter is coming next weekend too, so don’t forget about the always-excellent National Trust ones in conjunction with Cadburys – we’ve been to the ones at Claremont Landscape Gardens and Polesden Lacey and both have been brilliant. We might keep it local this year and head to Morden Hall Park – head over to here for more information and to find your nearest one.

This week we’re going to have an Easter tea party with some friends popping over to try the latest Easter range from Waitrose – can’t wait for that one! We’re doing the shopping tomorrow night.

Our stereo has been filling the room with the sounds of the Magic Belles this last week too – yep, there’s an album on the way! We’ll tell you more about it really soon – and also I’ve been tricking H with some Tiny Me wall stickers I got in a Facebook deal. I’ve been putting random stars on her bedroom wall and convincing her that Star Belle from the Magic Belles had paid her a visit. Of course, I forgot for a few nights, and H now informs me she’d told Star Belle to go away as she wanted some of the others to come and visit… that’ll teach me!!

So yes, a few things planned, plus a big trip to somewhere we’ve always fancied this Friday – lots more to follow once we’re all feeling normal again!

Thanks for reading, and back soon!

Mum Friendly

the things we do, the things we like

Author / jo