26/11/201226/03/2018 by jo

We Love Books – When I Dream Of Christmas

When I Dream Of Christmas

We were sent ‘When I Dream Of Christmas’ a while back, though have only recently started to read it nightly – it’s a perfect book for bedtime, short and silly funny facts about Christmas which make H laugh. Her favourite at the moment is the stockings page – things like smelly socks seem to be extremely funny for a three-year old!

I really like the illustrations – there’s lots going on in every picture, as well as extra bits to count if you fancy staying on a page a bit longer (how many snowflakes? Count the baubles? How many trees? And so on) – and silly facts “Mistletoe is best avoided if your grandad likes eating onions and has a tickly moustache” (which I changed to daddy, so H nearly fell off her chair laughing).

Do you have an iPod, iPad or iPhone? You can currently get the eBook of ‘When I Dream of Christmas’ for free (check before you click in case it is charged again and my link is out of date) at the App Store, so you can even try before you buy!

When I Dream of Christmas is written by Oakley Graham and illustrated by Patricia Yuste. The book costs £5.99 and is available from Amazon or Top That Publishing, plus all good book stores.

I can see this being a book we’ll read every Christmas for a good few years – and H loves announcing each page as we get there. She also loves the cover as “it’s all sparkly!” – a winner in our house!

We were sent this book to review, all opinions are our own.

21/11/201224/06/2018 by jo

App Time – Hollywood Photobooth

I was approached and asked if I’d like to review the Hollywood Photobooth app, and after reading the press release I absolutely had to – as it looks like a lot of fun (H wanted to join in too). Several costumes from various Hollywood films, and you can photograph yourself ‘wearing’ them? I’m sold!

My only photo taking gadget is my iPod – what can I say? To choose an outfit, then turn the camera and point it at me, or to point it at someone else is pretty good fun. Also, you get some fun facts about each costume. One niggle, if you scroll too quickly through each costume on my iPod, I found it would often crash the app – so I found loading it then waiting for half a minute seemed to help. My iPod was bought in April so still fairly new – be aware of this.

The press release mentioned Dorothy’s blue gingham dress from The Wizard of Oz, and I was sold – I’m a sucker for that film (see also: The Sound Of Music). Alas, you don’t get that costume to stick your head on, but hopefully soon… I did see Mamma Mia for the first time recently… and I reckon this could be good fun at parties…

The V&A will bring the glamour of the Hollywood Costume exhibition to app users this autumn with Hollywood Photobooth, a new camera overlay app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Hollywood Photobooth will allow anyone to instantly ‘wear’ the costumes as immortalised by some of the most iconic film characters from a century of Hollywood filmmaking.

a spot of Charlie Chaplin followed by Meryl Streep in Out Of Africa…

This light-hearted and playful app features 16 specially photographed costumes ranging from Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp suit, to Viola de Lesseps stunning dress, headdress and jewellery in Shakespeare in Love worn by Gywneth Paltrow. Users can also adorn their costume with essential accessories: from the Blues Brothers’ cool ensemble with the all-important sunglasses and hat to the combat armour of Gladiator’s Maximus worn by Russell Crowe. Right up-to-the-minute, the app also includes costumes from the latest movie releases such as the dress worn by Keira Knightley in Anna Karenina.

Photos taken by Hollywood Photobooth can be shared via email, Facebook and Twitter.

Hollywood Photobooth has been created in partnership with Ribui, a leading digital publisher specialising in the creation of augmented reality and 3D apps and interactive books for smartphones and tablets.

EDITED TO ADD – the latest update is now compatible for iPad 1 – you can use photos in your library – so everyone can play!

Hollywood Photobooth is available at the App Store now – for only 69p!

We received a code to review the app, all opinions are ours and honest.

20/11/2012 by jo

App Time – Mog the Forgetful Cat

Mog the Forgetful Cat is a wondeful Judith Kerr book – and one I’m sure most people are familiar with. Back in the summer I decided to buy this app, as while it’s nice we read to H, she is left on her own from time to time (like when I’m cooking), and it’s nice for her to be able to read books rather than just play games. This app is fabulous – as you can record your own voice to the Mog book, so essentially you are reading to your child and of course there’s Judith Kerr’s illustrations.

Each page is interactive, and as well as being read by you (or Geraldine McEwan if you’d prefer), there’s some fun extras too. There’s a game – although that’s suited to a child that can read (or learning to) as it doesn’t speak the words (which would be handy!) – you have to match Mog’s expression (sad, happy, surprised, cheeky, sleepy) and if your device supports it, you can take photos or add one from your library.

We don’t own the first Mog book (shame on us!), although do have several Judith Kerr books – so know that H enjoys reading them. She has been known to sit and read the book several times on this app!

The app is available for £2.49 from the App Store from Harper Collins Publishers Ltd.

14/11/2012 by admin

We Love Books – Justin’s Annual 2013

It is probably no great surprise that our three-year old is a big fan of Justin Fletcher (MBE) given that I have yet to come across an under 5 who isn’t. Given that, the arrival of the annual was met with some (read much) joy in our house.

It’s a good annual as well. Combining decent stories (for younger children) with activities that can be both with parents and without and the ubiquitous stickers that seem to be the gold standard of any pre-schooler these days, the annual has been in play for a few weeks and is far from exhausted as yet. That, to me, tells you all you need to know about the content and quality.

If your children are fans of any of Justin’s many guises they will find something familiar in here. More than that they will find dot to dots that encourage counting and number recognition, tableau for stickers that encourage spatial awareness and compositional skills and a host of colouring in options.

Justin’s Annual 2013 is available now from Amazon and all good booksellers!

12/11/201208/10/2019 by jo

We Love Books – Froobles First Words and Fuzzy Christmas

Hey, is that the first mention of the dreaded C-word on here? It’s that time of year again, and if you’ve a child around H’s age (3) then these books may be ideal!

H and Froobles First Words Froobles First Words is a nice simple book – and included are a set of magnetic letters – and a little sentence about each Frooble. Now, I’ve heard of the name Froobles though haven’t come across them yet properly – so this is a fun place to start. At the top of each page is a magnetic strip along with the letters greyed out – so if, like H, your little one is starting to learn to read, write and spell, this book is a really good starting point. It’s kept simple, half of the work is done for you, but H still finds it a challenge and enjoys it which to me is a good thing.

H and Froobles First Words She was also quite proud when she’d put together each word – nothing was too difficult and it was perfectly suited for her age and abilities.

Definitely worth looking into – RRP £5.99, ISBN 978-1-84956-695-7

H and Froobles First Words H and Fuzzy Christmas Fuzzy Christmas is similar to the previous book, though think more along the lines of Fuzzy Felt – you’ve a Christmas story book and a little story about each page – all you have to do is find the matching felt pieces for each page and stick them on – and like Fuzzy Felt it stays.

H and Fuzzy Christmas H enjoys being creative, and this was right up her street. In fact, if she’d had her own way every felt piece would have been on the first picture – but as it was we went through it carefully and added to each scene. Again, she was quite proud of herself for getting it right and putting things in the right place – it’s a good book for the imagination, and really nice graphics too! RRP £7.99, ISBN 976-1-84956-963-7

Both books are published by TopThat! Publishing – and can be bought direct (Froobles First Words & Fuzzy Christmas)or via Amazon,

We were sent the books for review, all opinions are our own

11/11/201226/03/2018 by jo

Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt at the Criterion Theatre

We saw Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt back in April when it got to Croydon at Fairfield Halls on the UK tour – and it was a hugely enjoyable afternoon (complete with several merch stands so it was unavoidable – not too pricey though thank goodness!) – a really nice simple plot with plenty of songs and fun. Actually, I didn’t realise just how much the songs had stayed in my head until we saw Ben & Holly Live recently and I recognised them being played beforehand…

Well after a long tour of the country, Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt is heading to the West End for its third West End Christmas Season to the Criterion Theatre from the 6th December 2012 until 6th January 2013.

Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt live Peppa Pig’s second live stage production proved to be a huge success on its travels the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland in 2011 – 2012, with sell-out performances wherever it went.

The Peppa Pig stage-show has a very successful track record at the Criterion Theatre, where for the past two Christmas seasons Peppa Pig has played to packed houses (2010 and 2011), breaking all the theatre’s previous advance box office records. Her first stage tour, Peppa Pig’s Party, was also one of the top-selling children’s theatre shows in 2010 and 2011.

Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt live In Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt, Peppa Pig and her friends set off on a new adventure, a treasure hunt. Peppa, her brother George and friend Danny Dog get up to fun and games on a day out on Granddad Dog’s boat. There are clues aplenty as Pedro Pony, Polly Parrot and Zoe Zebra help them find their treasure as they all enjoy a day of adventure. Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt features true-to-life puppets, sing-along songs and a story that will charm and delight all her fans.

The cast is Nick Errington, Kerry Gooderson, Chris Hughes, Charlotte King, Kimberley Penna, David Sandham and Charlotte Sullivan. The composer is Mani Svavarsson, the designer is Simon Scullion, lighting is by Matt Haskins and sound by Ian Horrocks Taylor.

PEPPA PIG’S TREASURE HUNT – CRITERION THEATRE LISTINGS
THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 – SUNDAY 6 JANUARY 2013

Criterion Theatre, 218 – 223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, LONDON SW1
Box Office: 0844 847 1778

Thurs 6 – Sun 9 December
Thurs 6 & Fri 7 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
Sat 8 at 11 am
Sun 9 at 12 noon & 3 pm

Mon 10 – Sun 16 December
No performances on Monday 10 & Wed 12
Tues 11, Thurs 13 & Fri 14 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
Sat 15 at 11 am
Sun 16 at 12 noon & 3 pm continued/
Mon 17 – Sun 23 December
No performances on Mon 17 & Wed 19
Tues 18, Thurs 20 & Fri 21 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
Sat 22 at 11 am
Sun 23 at 12 noon & 3 pm

Mon 24 – Sun 30 December
Mon 24 at 11 am
No performances on Tues 25 & Wed 26
Thurs 27 & Fri 28 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
Sat 29 at 11 am
Sun 30 at 12 noon & 3 pm

Mon 31 December – Sun 6 January
Mon 31 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
Tues 1, Thurs 3 & Fri 4 at 11 am & 2.30 pm
No performance on Wed 2
Sat 5 at 11 am
Sun 6 at 12 noon & 3 pm

10/11/2012 by jo

Review – Popchips

If you read things on here regularly, you may have spotted I’m doing WeightWatchers. This has meant a whole lifestyle re-evaluation, cutting out things I don’t need and substituting them with things that are as good – my three biggest weaknesses being pizza, chips and crisps. I’m still working on the pizza as nobody seems to stock the vegetarian WeightWatchers ones, I’ve spotted some WW oven chips I’ve not yet got around to buying, and crisps-wise I’ve been looking at what’s out there that’s a low amount of points. More often than not I’m relying on WeightWatchers own brands, but I’m looking for more low-calorie tasty foods – and along came Popchips.

Currently you can only buy them in Waitrose, WH Smiths and a few other stores (but only Waitrose supermarket-wise), and the good news is that each pack comes in at a very nice and low 3 points – the salt & pepper one comes in at 2! So if you’re looking for snacks and weren’t sure what to make of what’s out there, try Popchips!

There’s six flavours in total – Original, Barbecue, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt & Pepper and Sea Salt and Vinegar – plus there’s a brand new flavour we’ve not tried yet, Thai Sweet Chili (and I see America has some Sweet Potato ones). Oh, and they’re yummy too. Very yummy. Very very yummy. So much so I may be more than a little bit addicted.

So, what’s to know about them? They’re not fried, and they’re not baked – they start with the finest ingredients, add a little heat and pressure until they pop – and there you are – a popchip. After that the natural seasoning is added which makes the yummy flavours listed above.

Each pack has approximately 18 chips, and each pack is less than 100 calories. They’re less than half the fat of fried potato chips, there’s no cholesterol (which is something I need to be keeping care of), and there’s 0 grams trans fat.

What else? There’s no fake colours, no fake flavours, no preservatives and most importantly of all, no wiping greasy hands on your jeans (which I’m not so big on these days, though H is).

Popchips are good – check them out!

We were supplied a box of Popchips for the purpose of review – all opinions are our own!

08/11/201226/03/2018 by jo

Giveaway – DC Super Friends: Haunted Heroes

We reviewed the excellent ‘Trick Or Treat – Halloween Peekaboo‘ from Night and Day Studios just a week ago, and now we’ve a super quick giveaway – it’s for an app – DC Super Friends : Haunted Heroes – which we’ve not tried as it’s probably just a bit too old for H (it’s suitable for 4+), though it follows plenty of familiar themes – jigsaws, colouring and sticker activities – and it’s iPad only. Now I know Halloween was last week, but this looks pretty cool – look – Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and more! Proper retro DC Superheroes too, I have to add.

DC Super Friends: Haunted Heroes

The local Halloween festival is underway but the children think the haunted house is full of real ghosts! It’s up to the Super Friends to investigate, but are these heroes haunted by something more sinister? This is a Halloween themed story with child-friendly versions of some of DC’s superheroes!

Experience the adventure in this DC Super Friends Reader App!
► Word highlighting for younger readers.
► Read along with professional narration.
► Record your voice reading the story, or have your child record theirs.
► Customize your experience: Text display, audio, and autoplay mode can be turned on and off.
► Easily jump to your favorite page or activity with the visual index.

FEATURES:
► Personalize Your App! Use the camera to take a photo with the DC Super Friends. iPad 1 users can import a picture from Photos.
► Collect DC Super Friends Points! Throughout the story, look for opportunities to earn DC Super Friends Points. Collect them all and receive an in-app reward!
► Interactive Pages: Watch animations unfold and tap mysterious hot spots for surprises.
► Stickers and Sounds: Choose an animated background and use digital DC Super Friends stickers to create your own scene with fun audio to match. Use multitouch to spin, shrink, and grow the characters! Share by email or save to Photos.
► Puzzles: Tap the puzzle icons and turn pages into jigsaws to solve.
► Coloring: Get creative with the DC Super Friends palette. Share by email or save to Photos.

From ScrollMotion in partnership with Night & Day Studios.

I have one code for this, which runs out on the 17th November – if for any reason the code doesn’t work, Night & Day will honour the winner – so not long to try win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

08/11/201226/03/2018 by jo

Review and Giveaway – Prima Princessa presents The Nutcracker

We were sent a DVD of ‘The Nutcracker’ aimed at bringing ballet to young girls (and boys) and to help them try it out themselves at home.

Now, we’ve never had ballet lessons with H – I was a failed ballerina (I got as far as almost being on stage when I was nine) though I don’t remember any of the specifics.

The DVD breaks each section of the story up into four or five parts – and after each section you work with the Prima Princessa Ballerinas to learn the key moves – nothing too taxing and perfect for your little one to want to join in. Given H is quite shy and waits a few times to try things, it was her usual reaction – she wanted to watch the DVD and the children dancing, but not join in. I was hit with a genius idea of finding an old swirly lolly and telling her she could be the sugar plum fairy, which did the trick, and we’ve since found her practicing all the moves from the DVD on her own in the room!

One thing I would say, while it’s very girly based, boys do feature – though it is very much targeted towards girls – so if you have a boy who enjoys ballet it may be a bit girly. But the contents themselves are ones you can learn with (I know the difference between a saute and a glisse now)

The DVD has extras too which we’ve not had time to watch properly (she’s too obsessed with the sugar plum fairy right now), but I’d say if you wanted to gently bring ballet into your little one’s life, this is a great place to start. We’ll never make our local classes due to having other commitments, so it’s nice for her to try this out and an even bigger bonus she likes it too!

AND! We have a copy to give away! This is limited to entrants from the UK only please, and is your chance to win one copy of Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker on DVD.

Buy from Amazon
Prima Princessa’s Tutu Zone
Prima Princessa
Prima Princessa on Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

01/11/201222/10/2014 by jo

Ben and Holly Live – a Review

Okay, I should clarify firstly we paid for tickets. I have no reason to state this, other than my review is a confused one – but it’s my thoughts, and when it comes to the age group targeted, H loved it – and it’s the first time I’ve really seen her join in with a stage show – as she’s usually more reserved. H and her friend J were both upset when it finished, which has a lot more ground than my opinion! We’re big Ben & Holly fans in our house too (in case you hadn’t guessed).

So, I’m confused. It was only on the day of the performance I realised that the Ben & Holly cast would in fact be grown adults dressed as Ben and Holly & co (which did work for ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’) – so wasn’t sure what to think, but went into it with as open a mind as possible. Bearing in mind Peppa Pig worked perfectly for us (and that’s with puppets), yet with B&H you’ve magic which isn’t as easy to create with humans, I wondered why they’d decided to do it this way.

Ben & Holly Live – photo taken from Official Ben & Holly page

One MAJOR complaint – I had a tickly cough – nothing too bad but tickly. Every time there was any magic you’d get smoke into the audience and it set off my cough every time – so be aware of that – it was quite intense! We were quite near the front – about five rows – so take a good hanky to cover your nose and mouth if you’re planning on sitting close to the stage.

The story was excerpts of episodes you’ve probably seen, put together well with some songs to help the story along, plenty of interactivity too. Ben & Holly has never been about the songs though, which made it feel a bit odd (unlike, say, Peppa Pig or Dora the Explorer) – though there were plenty of chances to sing, especially in the second half – I had the ‘Happy Song’ stuck in my head for a good hour or so afterwards (which is a sign of a good song in my book) – and H was pleased she got to sing Happy Birthday to King Thistle.

I wish there’d been more of the Wise Old Elf and Nanny Plum together – I like how they interact on the show, it amuses me. Also, while the actress who played Nanny Plum was good, she just didn’t have that fabulously mildly sarcastic tone that Sarah Ann Kennedy does – but H didn’t notice or care.

The merch stand wasn’t too expensive – there are lots of goodies and a light up windmill like at Peppa Pig live – we bought a Gaston toy which came in at £11 which was pricey, but H loves it. There were t-shirts for £12 and they take cards if you spend over £10. Programmes were £5. At the end they had the helium balloons like at Peppa Pig, although there was less of a reason to get them (as at least with Peppa the balloons were the treasure) – so we skipped on those – though if they’re as good a quality as the Peppa ones, they’ll last for several weeks after the show.

So, the plot. You have a few of the episodes combined into one story – I kind of wish one story could have been expanded on rather than three, plus the addition of Lucy (from Tooth Fairy) seemed to have minimal purpose. BUT! H liked her being there.

I think what they’ve done is interesting – and if a new story is done next year we’ll be there again – and I’m trying so hard not to be picky as I did enjoy it, there were just things I spotted that I wish could be fixed.

Really, what I hope next year is they take the Peppa format and do actors in black on stage with puppets. I think then it’d be practically perfect. In H’s eyes it was pretty fabulous anyway.

Ben & Holly Live
Ben & Holly Live feature with dates

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