21/10/201331/03/2018 by jo

Hotter Shoes

Hotter Shoes are a new brand to me, so when the opportunity arose to try a pair out, I had a look around the website. Almost every review of them tells of how comfortable they are, so I had to give them a go!

I have back problems, almost every day I’m in pain and while it’s manageable it’s annoying. I need shoes which give me good support. Throughout this year I’ve been wearing running shoes constantly – mainly through being late for the train every morning or getting to Clapham Junction from Wandsworth in eight minutes – so for running I need the support. Outside of that, I need shoes I can walk around in and feel comfortable which is where Hotter Shoes come in.

The Hotter Shoes website has a handy sizing guide which you print out and measure. I did it with help from a workmate – and I seem to be around a size six! I generally buy size 8 shoes, and when I’ve asked in shoe shops have been told “just try what fits” – I haven’t been properly measured in years, so that was a big surprise. In fact, I was so unsure about this lower size I ordered a seven just in case, and opted for the Leanne design. They’re extremely comfortable – and my back feels supported and comfortable which is the most important thing I need.

As I’m constantly running for trains, I should have chosen more appropriate shoes – so I found myself wearing these for daily tasks, like school pickup when I’m not rushing as much. I’ve also worn them when we’ve been out and about outside, and have found them extremely comfortable. The threading areas around the laces are also well stitched; many’s the time I’ve had that part come away, these are nice and strong.

I like that the shoes have removable insoles – did you know that to keep shoes fresh and non-stinky, that if you remove the insoles and let them air, then your smelly shoe problem is unlikely to happen?

The thing I’m the most happy about with Hotter Shoes is knowing I followed the measuring guides and found a pair of shoes which fit me comfortably. I’ve also found a local shoe shop that stocks them and I know I’ll be buying more – and I’ll be investigating the pairs which are better suited to running – for trains, that is – I’m not quite ready for Couch to 5K!

If comfort is your thing, head over to Hotter Shoes – there’s a good choice! Don’t be afraid to order online – using the measuring guide you’ll almost definitely find your shoes fit you so much better than some of your existing ones!

You can follow Hotter Shoes on Facebook and Twitter, keep an eye out for their sale items. You spend a little more but for the comfort it’s worth it. Look out for them in your local shoe shops too!

We were sent a pair of shoes for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own!

20/10/201326/01/2014 by jo

Up and Down the Stage Play – a new Theatre Experience

The Ga Ga Theatre Company are a new company who have adapted one of Oliver Jeffers books into a show for children. Yesterday we headed to Clapham Picturehouse to see Up and Down the Stage Play – and had a lovely time!

‘Up and Down’ is one of H’s favourite books and the sequel to ‘Lost and Found’. It’s fun to read and a fine story about the value of friendship – the penguin wants to fly, finds a way, loses the boy, realises penguins aren’t meant to fly and realises that he’s happiest with the boy anyway.

So how do you make this into a great stage show?

Keep it simple – lots of plain dialogue – “up”, “down” and occasional questions – a parachute over the audience that the adult help move as the boy and the penguin play while staying faithful to the book. Both actors were excellent, great facial expressions and straight away you knew it was the boy and the penguin, I didn’t feel like it took time to get used to it.

There are just the two actors and a simple musical score. Questions such as “Have you seen the penguin?” encourage the children to join in and point or shout which way they saw it go. There’s lots of waving and including the children in the show which had H overcoming any shyness she might have initially had. I liked the attention to detail – things in the book which are seen in passing feature, and of course there’s a game of backgammon in there!

‘Up and Down’ has a really simple set – boxes which have various props or convert into the boy’s plane, and in the background the artwork from the book projected onto the screen.

‘Up and Down’ the stage play lasted about 40 minutes without an interval, and mixing live theatre with projections and original music worked really well. It’s suitable for babies and children up to the age of seven. Under 2’s go free.

‘Up and Down’ is showing right now at the various Picturehouse venues around London until early November. The Ga Ga Theatre Company are planning to do more shows like this, so keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter pages – they have a Pinterest board too which I hope are ideas for future shows!

We were given tickets to review the show, all opinions are our own. Apologies for the quality of the photos, I didn’t want to take many so we could sit back and enjoy it!

18/10/201326/01/2014 by jo

Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever!

It’s back and as big as ever! says the back of Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever – and it’s not wrong.

Imagine your biggest book. Now double it. Double it again. You may now be close in size to Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever. It is HUGE.

We’ve mentioned before about our love of Richard Scarry’s books – memories from my childhood have flooded back on opening them – pictures showing the lives of the creatures who live in Busytown. There are so many activities you can do on each page – spot things, spell things, learn to read some words, play i-spy – the list is endless. We can happily cuddle up and read through several pages of the book while getting some serious learnng in there too. The fonts in the book are good, and the pictures a delight. You can let your imagination do a lot of the work, the scenes from lots of everyday events, from airports to shops, homes, to buildings with everything labelled in that Richard Scarry way.

Oh, and Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever is the biggest book I’ve ever seen. Don’t let me understate this fact. The product dimensions (according to Amazon) are 60 x 39.8 x 1.2 cm

At £24.99 it doesn’t come cheap, but as a classic I’d get it – with Christmas coming it’s the kind of thing I’d think of as a special present – and actually you can get it on Amazon at the moment for £16.49 which I think is a pretty good price. There are only fourteen pages, so if your child is a confident reader they’ll get some use of it, but it may be more suitable for a younger child. Personally I think we’ve so much to get through with H it’s going to last us a long time, and I’m sure I was seven or eight when I stopped looking at my Richard Scarry books as much, so potentially H will be the same.

Anyway, for me, a book I can hide behind and sit with H talking about the contents is a winner.

We were sent a copy of Richard Scarry’s Biggest Word Book Ever! for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own – H brings out the book to show all her friends when they come to play, which I think shows how much she loves it!

11/10/201326/01/2014 by jo

How To Lose A Lemur by Frann Preston-Gannon

How To Lose a Lemur is a new book by Frann Preston-Gannon, published by Pavilion Books. ‘Everyone knows that once a lemur takes a fancy to you there is not much that can be done about it’. So Very True.

How To Lose A Lemur is a fun book – the story of a boy who is followed by lemurs, who desperately tries to escape them; but they’re everywhere. He hides up a tree, disguises himself, rows off in a boat, takes the train, climbs a mountain and takes to the air in a hot air balloon (as well as a few more things), but STILL those pesky lemurs won’t leave him alone. Then he gets lost. Fortunately the lemurs are there who help guide him back home via all the places he’d been to escape them.

We’ve already read the book several times. The language is nice and simple and she’s able to work out words in it; the font is clear too. The illustrations are lovely – a mixture of hand and computer painted artwork. Add to that a story with a message about the value of friendship aimed at 2-5 year olds and really this is the kind of book most children will enjoy.

It’s quirky like an Oliver Jeffers book, with elements of ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ at the end retracing their steps – with a happy positive message at the end.

How to Lose A Lemur is out today, 10th October 2013 and available in all good bookstores (I saw it well stocked in Waterstones earlier today).

We’ll be checking out more of Frann Preston-Gannon’s work now as I feel like these books could be our cup of tea – her previous two books are The Journey Home and Dinosaur Farm. Add to that there’s more Lemur books to come – ‘How To Love Your Lemur’ and ‘When Lemurs Come To Christmas’ – we can’t wait!

We were provided with a copy of the book for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. The link above is an affiliate link.

08/10/201326/01/2014 by jo

Room on the Broom App

Julia Donaldson has written some brilliant books, most of them our favourites. Today saw the release of the Room on the Broom app at the App Store, a fabulous choice of games which bring the characters from the book to life.

The Room on the Broom app keeps the spirit of the book, and with H learning phonics and how to spell at school now, this is a fun way to help expand her learning.

There are a few games on this app though I wish there was an option for the words to be read out – fortunately H worked most of them out anyway, but if she’d had some guidance from the game (yes, I understand I’m the one who is meant to guide her) I think that would be a great addition.

Within each game you can play with the Witch, Cat, Dog, Bird, Frog and Dragon.
Join the stars – A join the dots on a broom, you fly through the air and connect all the sparkly stars then once they’re joined work out which image it looks like.
Find the hat – The Witch has lost her hat! Is it behind the tree? Help Dog find the hat in the very familiar looking woods.

Windy day collecting game – It’s a windy day and Cat needs help collecting a few things – the wind makes it go faster and faster as the game progresses while you collect golden leaves at the same time. Collect a certain amount to increase your overall medal! (this game was great for children who can’t read – a very good visual one)
Find the bow – The Witch has lost her bow! This game is identical to the ‘find the hat’ game – if you liked that you’ll love this!
Find the wand – The Witch has lost her wand! Same as the previous two games, plenty of fun and challenges to find it in less than a certain number.

Drawing with stars – You have a set number of stars in the cauldron to make a picture. Tap the witch when you’re done and she’ll fly your pattern – like your own home-made dot to dot!
Dragon loves chips – The Dragon wants Witch and Chips for tea and you need to help him. Choose the wrong food and he’ll let you know – he’ll have to make do with dragon chips, but that’s okay.
Fly the magnificent broom – You’re on the broom, assembling the letters of the chosen word – direct the broom up or down to get the correct letters and get the empty letter space to touch the letter to add it. Once one word is complete you get to start a new one.

The Room on the Broom app requires iOS6 and upwards.

The game is lots of fun, there’s plenty to do and it’s keeping H’s attention which is key for me – and she’s learning (especially on the last game). The illustrations are true to the book which makes it even better!

The Room on the Broom App is recommended for ages 3-7 and is available now at the App Store.

The official Room on the Broom App page is here

We were provided with a code to review this app, all opinions are our own.

29/09/201326/03/2018 by jo

Educational Books That Are Fun

I’m always on the look out for books which will help H with her reading, educational books that will work with her learning at school. Recently I’ve come across two which I’m sharing with you today.

We were sent a copy of Bud and Roo’s Spectacular Adventures – The Beach by Jessica Valentine and Suzy Jones Biggar. This is a new book about two dogs, Bud and Roo and what they discover. It’s designed as an early reading book, with words that aren’t difficult to work out so you’re building your child’s confidence in reading on their own.

With Bud and Roo’s Spectacular Adventures – The Beach you have a short story with lovely illustrations in simple colours and plenty of things to spot and talk about on each picture. The books are targeted at the 0-5 age range, and I’m hoping fairly soon H may be able to read most of it without too much help.

Bud and Roo’s Spectacular Adventures – The Beach is available now at Amazon (affiliate link) with a rrp of £5.99.

Curious Cat’s Way Out Bunch – Which Endangered Animal Lives in Northern Canada? by Jenny Tulip and Dawn Smith is a new series for us – I discovered these books at the recent Carshalton Environmental Fair and bought a book (and was given this one for free) when we got chatting.

The Curious Cat series are educational, they base the series on animals which are rare, exotic and endangered. The books have facts about the creature’s appearance, habits and environment and it’s left to the child to guess which animal it’s about. H really enjoys identifying the animals, and with her limited reading abilities can work out which is which when faced with a page of them.

Add to that you’ve facts at the end, plus a world map – and with H having dual nationality I need her to understand how big the world is, these books help her learn about other countries and animals. There are no Australian books available yet, but that could happen in the not-too-distant future! The books are self-published at Green Art Creations and I can see a selection of the books are available at Amazon too.

I like that the book is written in rhyme which makes identifying the animal fun, and there’s plenty to talk about on each page.

Right now these educational books are fitting perfectly into H’s learning to read and discovering more about the world. I’d recommend both, as they have to be fun for the parents to read too – and these definitely are!

25/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Daddy Pig’s Puddle Jump – An App Review

Daddy Pig’s Puddle Jump is a new app from P2 games, and the latest in the Peppa Pig series.

Daddy Pig’s Puddle Jump is a little bit different to previous games, and in a good way. There are fifteen levels of play, and it is set out in a similar way to games such as Angry Birds, where there are different levels, and depending on how well you clear each level, you get a number of muddy splats – from 1 to 3.

There is an option to play as a one player or two player game, and you get to choose between Peppa Pig, George Pig or Daddy Pig to play. The aim of the game is to get as muddy as possible by the end – and the best jumps are the ones which clear the obstacles in the way.

The biggest bonuses of the game for us :
-It works well with a first generation iPad (all the P2 games do, to be fair!)
-There are no in-app purchases, so you’re not likely to find your child is buying random extras like some games we’ve tried.
-It’s fun – it’s all about fine motor skills, to control your character you tap them to make them jump, so having good reflexes and knowing when to do it is all good learning for H.
-Each level is a little more difficult than the previous one – but not so they’re impossible. It’s very repetitive, but H likes repetition at the moment so that isn’t a problem with us. Bear this in mind with your child if they aren’t into this.

The downsides?
-I think the repetition could put people off, but as H tends to like that kind of thing it isn’t an issue for us.
-If you choose a different character you still play the same game where you’re up to – it isn’t like other Peppa games which have three different games saved in your name.

Daddy Pig’s Puddle Jump is available now at the App Store for £1.49. It is compatible for iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone.

For more fun Peppa Pig activities visit www.peppapig.com or join the Facebook page for all the latest Peppa Pig news and competitions at www.facebook.com/OfficialPeppaPig.

We were sent a code to try out Daddy Pig’s Puddle Jump, all opinions are our own.

23/09/201326/03/2018 by Karen

Animal Noises/ Animal Opposites by Nicola Killen

Animal Noises and Animal Opposites are delightful ‘lift the flap’ board books by author Nicola Killen. They were released on the 29th August by Egmont.

Animal Noises and Animal Oposites by Nicola Killen

After a shaky start Jacob, now 23 months, is beginning to really enjoy being read to. It wasn’t always easy, only until a couple of months ago he’d throw his soft toys at me whilst I was trying to read to him. But persistence has truly paid off! He now likes a multitude of flap, touch and feel and slightly longer books. In fact, I am always on the lookout for something new!

Animal Noises gives clues to the animal hiding under the flap by giving said animals typical characteristic and noise (‘this wise bird goes TWIT TWOO’). Animal Opposites does exactly what it says on the cover showing big and small, on the ground and in the tree etc. These books are beautifully illustrated with a subtle use of colour.

After a hectic week on my behalf it was actually hubby that got the pleasure of a first read of these books with Jacob. Matt is normally the first to complain if he doesn’t like something, so I was pleasantly surprised that he had nothing but good things to say! On reading the books with Jacob myself I found them to be interactive, encouraging little one to make the noises, Jacob had lots of fun joining in. I also loved that the pictures were clear and simple, helping him to focus on the animal in question.

The other day I left the books downstairs, whilst going to get something, and was thrilled to find Jacob having a good look. He was very entertained with what was going on and enjoyed lifting the flaps.

Animal Noises and Animal Oposites by Nicola Killen

These books are on sale for an RRP on £5.99, which I think is reasonable price. These books are educational, aimed at 2 years plus, and a pleasure to read. To see more books by Nicola Killen, please click here.

23/09/201326/03/2018 by jo

Big Fish Little Fish September Event

The Big Fish Little Fish September event had its official launch in Brixton, at the Effra Social club. We went to a pre-launch in the summer which we enjoyed. Big Fish Little Fish is a new afternoon club for those of us who used to go out; think of it as being like a playgroup which plays music you can dance to as well, with beer!

Big Fish Little Fish September had a theme – a nautical one. That was fairly easy for us, so we got H ready to be a pirate – a stripy t-shirt and leggings plus a neckerchief I quickly made with spare fabric and some wonder web, though we had no hat. Fortunately the craft room was up and running where you could make so many different kinds of things – which included the aforementioned hats – fun!

Actually, most of Saturday was about fun; be it dancing, eating, making, or creating.

H got a free Cheeky Monkey smoothie and some Bear YoYo snacks and got on with the job in hand – there was plenty of craft supplies to choose from too, as well as some nautically themed temporary tattoos. At the licensed bar there were sausage rolls and scotch eggs at a reasonable price, as well as cupcakes from Rosie’s Deli Cafe in the craft area.

What is there to say about the Big Fish Little Fish September event, compared to last time? The volume of the music was lower and one we could talk and dance with – it was perfect – not too loud for kids (or my) ears. The event just had two DJs this time – Strictly Kev aka DJ Food from Ninja Tune and Will Nicol which I felt kept the downstairs area going – I didn’t notice the changeover. H danced to some Future Sound of London, reggae, I tried to get her to dance to 808 State (she refused), and so much more – The Prodigy and SL2 (“mummy’s work put this out” I told her, she wasn’t impressed but still danced). There were glitter bombs, bubbles, a large parachute at the end and one very tired H. She loved her glowstick which is given for free at the door, which she made into a bracelet.

We didn’t get to the chill-out room but did spend a lot of time in the craft area – which was brilliantly organised, with plenty of supplies – there’s plenty of things for kids to do, and if they love dancing the dancefloor is just the right size.

October’s event is on Saturday 19th with a theme of ‘Things that go bump in the night’ – and for us it’s an easy journey, the train from Carshalton to Herne Hill just twenty minutes, and the walk from there no more than ten – and a good route via Brockwell Park, avoiding the main roads too which also has a giant wooden conker near the venue. If you fancy food in the area afterwards we can recommend Olleys – we had a feast and came away with change from £40 too – and it’s very child-friendly.

We really enjoyed the Big Fish Little Fish September event and already a few of my friends are talking about going to the next one, see you there!

Thank you to Natasha for organising free tickets for us, this hasn’t affected our opinion of the event at all!

22/09/201327/01/2014 by jo

Underpants Wonderpants by Peter Bently and Deborah Melmon

Is it an eagle? Is it a plane? No – it’s Underpants Wonderpants to the rescue again!

Underpants Wonderpants is a dog with amazing underpants, who helps people out when they’re in trouble.

We’ve never read the previous book , Underpants Thunderpants so it’s a new one for us – and is quite similar in style to Julia Donaldson’s ‘Superworm’ – a book which H really enjoys.

I asked H what her favourite thing about the book is, and she tells me it’s “when they do the rescues” – she does like to help people out, so it’s good that appeals to her.

I like that it’s an easy read – now she’s at school and we’re learning how to read in reception I know books like this will be fun for her once more words are recognised, plus it’s silly. Silly books are good books and are fun to read.

The text in the book is by Peter Bently (an award winning author who has written over 30 books for children) , with colourful illustrations by Deborah Melmon(who has illustrated many books for kids). It gets a big thumbs-up from us!

Underpants Wonderpants is available now, published by Parragon Books. It’s currently available at Amazon (affiliate link) for £4.44, and has a rrp of £5.99. I think it’d be a good one for Christmas if you’re looking for fun book ideas!

We received this book as we are Parragon Book Buddies – all opinions are our own and honest!

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