02/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Have yourself a National Trust Christmas!

Christmas is a time for traditions, from those passed down through generations of families, to new discoveries that become part of your festive celebrations – why not have yourself a National Trust Christmas this year – there’s plenty on offer.

For many, a day out at a beautiful National Trust house and garden is already a Christmas ‘must do’. Over the festive season, National Trust places will be decked out with Christmas sparkle, Father Christmas will pay a visit to special grottos and atmospheric estates will be packed full of family traditions, old and new, to bring to life Christmas through the ages.

Here’s a selection of top National Trust Christmas days out for all the family:

Nunnington Hall, North Yorkshire
1920s Christmas experience, 23-24 November, 30 November-1 December, 7-8 and 14-15 December, 11am-4pm
For the second year running, Nunnington Hall will be celebrating Christmas, 1920s style. Join the team for a festive experience to remember as you discover the Hall as you might have found it on Christmas day over 90 years ago. Your visit to will take you on a journey through the different stages of Christmas day in the Fife family household. You can also experience the tastes of a 1920s Christmas in the house, with sherry in the dining room and sugared almonds in the drawing room. Throughout the day, there’ll be hair and make-up demonstrations on how to achieve an iconic 1920s look, perfect for a Christmas party.
Normal admission charges apply,
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01439 748283.

Anglesey Abbey, Gardens and Lode Mill, Cambridgeshire
Winter lights festival, 29 November-1 December, 6-8 and 13-15 December, 5.30pm-7.30pm
Enjoy a night-time family adventure as illuminations transform the gardens at Anglesey Abbey into a light-fantastic wonderland with music, food and entertainment.
Visitors can enjoy a one-mile circular walk through the winter garden and along the riverside path, taking in iconic features such as the mystical, Himalayan silver birch grove. There will also be live music along the route, with entertainers performing dazzling light displays, and opportunities to taste delicious, barbecued local fare, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts.
Adults £10.50, Child £7.50, family ticket £32 (2 adults and up to 3 children).
Booking is essential via the National Trust Box Office on 0844 249 1895.

Osterley Park and House, Middlesex
Deck the halls, 30 November-1 December, 12pm-4pm
Christmas riches to rations, 7-8 and 14-15 December, 12pm-4pm
Take a journey through Osterley’s past this Christmas and see how the celebrations have changed throughout the years, following fashions and fortunes in the decorated house. There will also be lots of fun activities to enjoy on the ground floor and you can also pop to the shop for a unique selection of gifts.
Normal admission charges apply.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 020 8232 5050.

Petworth House & Park, Petworth, West Sussex
A festive feast for the eyes, 30 November- 22 December (Saturday to Wednesday), 10.30am-3.30pm.
Petworth House is hosting a month-long spectacular for a unique Christmas experience. In the historic kitchens, you can journey through a series of darkened rooms, each one hosting an imagined culinary scene, brought to life with dramatic lighting, atmospheric sounds and kitchen characters in extraordinary costumes. In the centre of the hectic kitchen is a show-stopping gingerbread recreation of Petworth House, complete with twinkling lights, and a dusting of snow. In the scullery, an exhausted kitchen maid slumps into a pool of soapy bubbles overflowing from a sink stacked with dirty dishes. Giant fish float in a flooded larder, while in the frosted dining room there are ‘frozen’ floral arrangements and a sparkling, snow-covered floor. Throughout the journey, children can enjoy looking out for scurries of servant mice hiding in pots, pans, nooks and crannies, preparing their own, splendid miniature feast.
Visitors can round off this magical adventure with a delicious fantasy-themed menu in the restaurant with dishes such as green ham and eggs, mock, mock turtle soup and advocaat and cinnamon Jelly. A children’s menu is also available, serving delights including an over-the-top pudding known as ‘chocco bocker glory’.
Adult £6, child £3.
Booking is advised on 0844 249 1895, entry with timed tickets.

Standen, West Sussex
Garden of lights, 30 November – 1 December, 6-8, 13-15 & 20-22 December, 4.30pm – 7pm (last entry 6.30pm)
Explore the gardens at Standen, magically transformed by thousands of lights to the story of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’. Warm up in the Barn cafe with some festive treats and visit the shop to browse for Christmas gifts.
Adult £6, Child £3, Family £15.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01342 323029.

Mottisfont, Hampshire
The Swan Queen’s ball: Christmas at Mottisfont, 1 December– 5 January 2014 (except 24 and 25 December), 11am – 5pm
Come on a magical journey as the Swan Queen prepares for the ball. As the frost glitters and the mist rises from Mottisfont’s river, discover a winter wonderland of beautiful trees, decorated rooms and stunning evening gowns from ‘Talons & Tiaras’.
Children can race around the grounds on a magical quest trail to solve the mystery of the Swan Queen’s secret and gain entry to her palace. There are sparkly dresses and handsome cloaks to try on in the boudoir, and crafty fun making tiaras and crowns. Then it’s time to join the Swan Queen at her ball in a beautiful room filled with sparkling lights and dancing silhouette shadows, and at the centre, an 18th-century style swan feather ball gown.
Special weekend events are also on offer, including dance classes.
Normal admission charges apply.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01794 344020.

Killerton, Devon
A Christmas Carol, 4 December – 5 January (closed 25-26 December & 1 January), 11am – 4pm
Experience the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future and follow the Christmas trails in the house and park. See stunning displays in the house as you follow Scrooge to find the meaning of Christmas. Feel festive with Christmas trees, lights and the magic behind this festive classic.
Normal admission charges apply.
Booking is not required, for more information please contact 01392 881345.
Make a weekend of it: Take your pick from one of five cottages on the estate. There’s Forest Cottage (sleeps 6), Killerton Park Cottage (sleeps 4) Longmeadow (sleeps 4), or one of three adjoining cottages (once a medieval thatched farmhouse) which includes Mattress Cottage (sleeps 5) and Broad Ley Cottage (sleeps 6).

Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Estate, Cheshire
A Victorian Christmas at the mill, 7-8 and 14-15 December, 11am-3pm
Join the festive fun at Quarry Bank Mill with its traditional Christmas weekends. Meet the Victorian characters and find out more about customs from the past. Tell Father Christmas what’s on your Christmas list. Enjoy Christmas carols, stories and finish your day with a warming mince pie.
Normal admission charges apply.
Booking is not required, for more information please contact 01625 527468.

Attingham Park, Shropshire
Lord Berwicks’ Christmas, 7-8 and 14-23 December, 11am-4pm
Step back in time and enjoy festivities from Attingham’s 200-year history with the house decorated for Christmas through the ages. On selected dates, step through the magical door and join Father Christmas and his elves in the mansion.
Normal admission charges apply, ticket charge £6.50 per child’s visit to Father Christmas, including a gift.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01743 708123.

Wallington, Northumberland
Christmas at Wallington, 6-8, 13-15 & 20-22 December, 10.30am–3.30pm
Experience a traditional Christmas at Wallington. Admire the beautiful decorations and enjoy carol singing and seasonal music in the house as you soak up the special Christmas atmosphere. There’s also the chance to try some Christmas crafts, follow the festive trail and hear stories with Mrs Santa.
Normal admission charges apply, plus a small charge for some activities.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01670 773600.

Chirk Castle, Wrexham
Christmas at Chirk Castle, 7-22 December 11am – 4pm
Celebrate the festive season with Chirk Castle. See the beautifully-decorated rooms, meet Father Christmas in his magical grotto and discover where all the toys are made in the elves workshop. There’s also the chance to browse for unusual gifts in the National Trust shop or sample delicious festive fair in the tea-room.
Adult £5.25, Child £2.63, plus £3 to visit Father Christmas.
Booking is not required, for more information please call 01691 777701
Make a weekend of it: Stay bang next door to the castle in Chirk Home Farm Cottage which sleeps four or stay in a 1930s villa at the top of Offa’s Dyke, with views that are second to none (sleeps five).

Springhill, Co. Londonderry
Magical Christmas memories, 7-8 & 14-5 December, 4pm – 8pm
Visit Santa and Twinkle-Boots in the grotto and see the house festively decorated for Christmas. With children’s crafts, mulled wine and mince pies, this will be a magical Christmas you will never forget.
Adult £9, Child £12.
Booking is essential for this event, please call 028 8674 8210.

27/10/201331/03/2018 by jo

Domino’s New Chocolate Twisted Dough Balls

Last weekend we had a chance to try out the new Domino’s Chocolate Twisted Dough Balls – I have to say, I was intrigued.

We’d decided on a movie night, and in most cases we would make pizza, but as a treat we ordered in a Domino’s meal deal – alongside a portion of their new Chocolate Twisted Dough Balls.

Now, to me, dough balls are the kind of thing you get in Pizza Express – round, dough-y and plain. Add chocolate and the fact there’s a twist and I’m thinking of something like a roulade – made from dough.

What we actually received was this :

When you look at the picture on the Domino’s website, my expectations were pretty accurate.

Ours resembled a chocolate chip cookie which was quite greasy. I wasn’t that impressed by it – but had to try it out. In fact, it tasted like a cookie too, I didn’t feel like there was much dough in there – it was almost like a deep fried cookie. Very weird. So I’m putting it down to it being so new that the Sutton branch didn’t know what I’d ordered or had mis-read it? There were definitely no twists involved in there either, as you can see – so it’s not like it could have collapsed in transit.

Ah, that’ll be because we were sent the wrong thing. Cookies.

Anyway, regardless of this, they were edible enough, though a little too greasy for my liking.

I would really quite like to try the Chocolate Twisted Dough Balls sometime – let’s hope my local branch can get it right next time. Sigh!

Otherwise the pizzas we had were fine – tasted good and we had a lovely movie night – watching Tangled in case you wondered which of course we enjoyed.

We were reimbursed for our Domino’s Order, all opinions are my own and honest.

24/10/201326/03/2018 by jo

Project Wild Thing

It’s time to re-wild our kids with more wild time – here’s Project Wild Thing!

Project Wild Thing is a film and part of the UK’s biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play. It is being launched today by the newly formed Wild Network, as it encourages the nation’s parents to swap some of their kids’ screen time for wild time [1].

Swapping thirty minutes of screen time for an extra half an hour of wild time every day would decrease children’s time in front of screens by ten per cent [2]. This could help increase levels of physical activity, alertness and ultimately improve their well-being [3].

This new campaign is being launched on the back of an important and compelling new documentary film, Project Wild Thing, which is being shown at over fifty cinemas across the UK from the 25 October [4].

Three years in the making, Project Wild Thing takes a funny and moving look at one of the most complex issues of the age – the increasingly fragile link between children and nature.

In a bid to get his daughter and son off the sofa and outdoors, filmmaker and father David Bond appoints himself as the Marketing Director for Nature. He wants his brand – nature – to stand out from the crowd of brands competing for their attention.

David works with branding and outdoor experts to develop and launch a campaign to get children outdoors and into nature – the ultimate, free, wonder-product.

Filmmaker and star of Project Wild Thing, David Bond, said: “I wanted to understand why my children’s childhood is so different from mine, whether this matters and if it does, what I can do about it.

“The reasons why kids, whether they live in cities or the countryside, have become disconnected from nature and the outdoors are complex.

“Project Wild Thing isn’t some misty eyed nostalgia for the past; we need to make more space for wildtime in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted.

“It’s all about finding wildness on your doorstep and discovering the sights, sounds and smells of nature, whether in a back garden, local park or green space at the end of the road.

“Spending time outdoors is hugely beneficial to children and young people. Research clearly shows that it improves their health, reduces stress and boosts wellbeing.”

The Wild Network [5], which is made up of more than 370 organisations, large and small, is leading a campaign calling for more wild time for every child, every day. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit.

Andy Simpson, Chair of the Wild Network, said: “The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation.

“Time spent outdoors is down [6], roaming ranges have fallen drastically [7], activity levels are declining [8] and the ability to identify common species has been lost [9].

“New research published last week illustrates the scale of the challenge with only one in five (21 per cent) children aged eight to twelve years old having a connection with nature [10].

“With many more parents becoming concerned about the dominance of screen time in their children’s lives [11], and growing scientific evidence that a decline in active time is bad news for the health and happiness of our children [12], we all need to become Marketing Directors for Nature.

“An extra thirty minutes of wild time every day for all under 12-year olds in the UK would be the equivalent of just three months of their childhood spent outdoors [13].

“We want parents to see what this magical wonder-product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go.”

Suggestions of how to get more wild time playing outdoors in nature include everything from collecting conkers, camping or snail racing to playing leaf snap and counting autumn colour on trees. The new ‘Wild Time’ app [14] is available to show how technology can help give time-pressed families a bucket list of ideas to help get their kids outdoors.

Starting in January 2014 the Wild Network will publish, over the course of the next year, a series of short, focused policy asks to tackle the most serious barriers between children and nature. These will put children, nature and outdoor play firmly on the agenda of the political parties in the run up to the 2015 General Election.

The discussion about swapping screen time for wild time will continue on twitter via the feed @wearewildthing and using the hashtag #wildtime.

PROJECT WILD THING EXTRAS – Fairy Fair from Green Lions on Vimeo.

[1] Wild time is all about playing outdoors and spending time in the natural world. It’s about the time outside of the structured school day – it could be time on the journey to school, after school or at weekends.

[2] Children are on average spending four and a half hours a day surfing the internet or watching TV (Childwise 2013 Monitoring Trends report http://www.childwise.co.uk/childwise-published-research-detail.asp?PUBLISH=53).

[3] Letting children go out to play is one of the best things that parents can do for their children’s health – outdoor play uses more calories than clubs and tuition, (Making children’s lives more active, University College London, 2004); children who said they ‘noticed and enjoyed their surroundings’ most days (i.e. were connected to their local environment) had much higher well-being scores than those who didn’t (The Children’s Society, The Good Childhood Report, 2013); and children that are exposed to nature score higher on concentration and self-discipline; improve their awareness, reasoning and observational skills; do better in reading, writing, maths, science and social studies; are better at working in teams; and show improved behaviour overall, (Sigman, A, ‘Agricultural Literacy: Giving concrete children food for thought’ (2007) http://www.face-online.org.uk/resources/news/Agricultural%20Literacy.pdf).

[4] Project Wild Thing goes on general release in cinemas nationwide from 25 October and is available on Curzon Home Cinema from Sunday 27 October at 7pm (http://www.curzoncinemas.com/film_on_demand/). All proceeds from the release of the film go to the Wild Network. Tickets can be bought via the website at http://www.projectwildthing.com. You can join the conversation about the film on twitter using the hashtag #projectwildthing.

[5] The Wild Network was launched on the 25 September this year. Hundreds of organisations, large and small, and thousands of individuals, have come together to create a movement whose aim is to reconnect kids with nature and outdoor play. Details on how to get involved can be found here –http://projectwildthing.com/thewildnetwork and you can also see a list of organisations involved athttp://projectwildthing.com/organisations. Members include the Woodland Trust, Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, RSPB, Play England, Scouts Association, Swarm and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit.

[6] Time playing outside during the week and at weekends has halved in one generation and children are more inclined to stay indoors and watch television, play computer games and even do their homework, than go outside to play, (JCB Kids Fresh Air Campaign, 2013) and fewer than 1 in 10 children regularly play in wild spaces, versus about half a generation ago, (http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/Childhood%20and%20Nature%20Survey_tcm6-10515.pdf).

[7] Gaster, S. (1991) Urban Children’s Access to Their Neighbourhoods: Changes Over Three Generations, quoted in Louv, R. (2005) Last Child in the Woods, p123; two thirds of parents now believe that their children have less freedom to roam than free-range chickens (ICM poll for Playday, 2010).

[8] Only half of seven year olds are getting the hour of exercise that they need every day according to research by the UCL Institute of Child Health (http://www.bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/8/e002893).

[9] Three times as many children could identify a Dalek as a magpie, “Wildlife alien to indoor children”, National Trust, 2008, (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/what-we-do/news/archive/view-page/item737221/).

[10] Details of the research findings and methodology from the RSPB and the University of Essex research, published in October 2013, can be found here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/connectionmeasure.

[11] Research commissioned by the online retailer Pixmania showed that more than 70 per cent (72%) of parents believe that children are too attached to gadgets (http://www.primarytimes.net/parent_times_news_0121_iPaddy.php).

[12] Reports published over the summer about the impact of an inactive and indoor lifestyle on children: British Heart Foundation and the University of Oxford (http://www.bhf.org.uk/default.aspx?page=16375); and Public Health England (http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/28/children-health-tv-computer-games). The Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation, Simon Gillespie, even called for a return to ‘a traditional outdoors childhood’ to prevent children from being the first generation in history to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.

[13] If every child in the UK under 12 years old spent at least half an hour of wild time every day that would be the equivalent of 4.5 million hours a day or 1.64 billion hours in a year. There are just over 9 million children under the age of 12 in the UK (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference–tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-319259).

[14] Details of how to download the new ‘Wild Time’ app for iPhones and the Android version can be found here: http://projectwildthing.com/wildtime.

24/10/201306/01/2015 by jo

Love Your Gums – Gummy All Your Loving

I signed up for the Oral-B Love Your Gums Challenge at BritMums, and was sent a full size tube of new Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Gum Protection toothpaste to try.

Quite frankly, saying love your gums is something I should do more. My teeth are awful. They’re a mess. The back teeth have had gradually receding gums for as long as I can remember. Every time I’ve been to the dentist they’ve expressed concern but put it down to my age. My gums need some love and attention.

I’m great at getting H to the dentist, lesser so myself.

Every tooth of mine has something that has happened to it. The capped one at the front? Some random man punched me in a nightclub and knocked half of my tooth off. I spent more getting that tooth fixed than I ever got in compensation. The one which I avoid eating with at the back? Part of it fell out when I was pregnant with H, when my teeth were weaker. Throughout my teens and early twenties I would get a mouthful of ulcers and no toothpaste would make them go. I even resorted to salt toothpaste at one point. Horrid.

So Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Gum Protection toothpaste claims to help your gums – hence this being a part of the Love Your Gums campaign. I have nothing to lose except my teeth. Sad but true. Bad gums = losing teeth in a nutshell. It’s pretty simple then, isn’t it?

On my lower left hand back teeth my gums are so sensitive that when I last went to the dentist they couldn’t touch it – they could see the teeth were fine but my gums were receding. I was told to concentrate on the tooth area so I decided to start here. My gums had a kind of hard border along them which I gently brushed using the toothpaste, and I really think that after a month it has made a difference. The lump is less hard, and best of all I’m using this toothpaste direct on the sensitive area with NO PAIN.

I was so impressed with this I headed straight to Superdrug and have stocked up on more tubes of Oral-B Pro-Expert Premium Gum Protection toothpaste as they’re on offer at the moment – if something works then it’s daft not to.

I want to come back to this in a few more months and report back, as I feel like I could make some progress with my mouth. I’m going to go back to the dentist after I’ve used this toothpaste for three months. Do you love your gums? If you’re in a similar position to me I’d really recommend trying this toothpaste out – it’s available in all good stores.

This post is an entry for BritMums’ #ORALBLoveYourGums Challenge sponsored by Oral-B, promoting healthy gums – something especially important for pregnant women. Get tips and advice on www.oralb-loveyourgums.com

I was provided with a tube of the toothpaste, all opinions are my own and honest. (and if you’re quick they may still be on offer at Superdrug too)

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

Lucozade Revive – A Revival Challenge

I was sent seven bottles of Lucozade Revive and given the task of a revival challenge – when I’m flagging during the day, try a bottle and see how it goes. I accepted of course.

Lucozade Revive is available in four flavours, and each bottle is less than 50 calories. There is caffeine in there and it became my substitute for coffee at work. Every morning I drank Lucozade Revive instead.

My honest opinion? I wouldn’t drink it every day; I stopped drinking fizzy drinks a long time ago, though way back before H was ever in existence I’d drink Diet Coke with Lime which this reminded me of. I can’t think why it does, as only the Strawberry flavour has Lime, and I couldn’t taste it.

So, what is there to say about Lucozade Revive? It’s low calorie. That is a bonus, though there are sugars and sweeteners. If you don’t mind that, you won’t mind this drink.

Did it become a good caffeine replacement? Actually, yes. I found I wasn’t snacking as much at work either – and didn’t drink any coffee at all last week (I usually need a minimum of one cup and recently had been having three large mugs of filter coffee).

Lucozade Revive is packed with energy-releasing b-vitamins (B3, B5, B6 & B12), which claim to help you keep going throughout the day. I’d say that did happen – one bottle and I didn’t need anything else.

Would I buy Lucozade Revive again? As a Diet Coke replacement, almost definitely. I don’t drink fizzy or energy drinks very often at all, usually going for a large cappuccino. As a daily drink, probably not. My daily drink is water, and I’m not as good at drinking it as I should be.

Finally, the flavours. Lemongrass with Ginger – this one felt quite lime-tasting. Interesting, though the taste stayed in my mouth for quite some time. Cranberry with Acai – I don’t remember tasting the cranberry element at all, again a bit of an aftertaste. Orange with Acai – this reminded me of Fanta, but subtler – not bad. Strawberry with Lime – a nice taste, subtle again and not too overpowering, though a bit of aftertaste. The Lucozade Revive I tried with an aftertaste was a little bit lime-y.

In summary, I would say if you’re given the option to try Lucozade Revive and like Diet Coke or other fizzy drinks with sweeteners then try it out. Be aware the caffeine content isn’t mentioned anywhere – though I have since been told it’s 10.5mg per 100ml and 40mg per 380ml for the Orange and Acai flavour – according to the Coca Cola caffeine counter a cup of filter coffee would have 140mg of caffeine so that is much lower. A can of Diet Coke is 42mg for a 330ml can.

I was sent seven bottles to try – all opinions are my own and honest.

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!

16/10/201326/03/2018 by jo

Topsy and Tim Are Coming to Cbeebies!

When I was a little girl I was a huge Topsy & Tim fan, massive. I remember my 1970’s books – and I was pretty delighted to find one a few years ago at a car boot sale. Fast forward over thirty years, the books are still in print and now H is also a huge fan, so imagine my surprise when I spotted there has been a tv series made! Topsy and Tim are coming to Cbeebies!

Series 1 of Topsy and Tim will start on Monday 11th November at 5.30pm on CBeebies and is on every weekday afternoon!

~~Right now I can’t find any start dates other than November~~, but right now I know one little girl who will be beyond excited when I tell her what I’ve found out. There is one other thing you need to know – June Whitfield will have a role!! This may make me a little more excited than I should be, but really, June Whitfield! Topsy and Tim are coming to Cbeebies!!

Considering the books were first published in 1959, and the editions I’ve since bought, there hasn’t been a huge amount of updating to the books really – a few bits here and there but nothing too drastic. The books are over fifty years old – and in fact are still going strong. ‘Topsy and Tim Meet Father Christmas’ was published this week and it’s on the list to buy before Christmas.

What more is there to be said about this? We’re beyond excited this is happening, with real people rather than cartoon-y, and hopefully on tv at a good time after school as well! Topsy and Tim have covered so many scenarios that we’ve faced with H they’ve become a good way to help explain things (though as Alex pointed out earlier, there isn’t a book about death).

On the BBC website they say “While the stories of Topsy And Tim are told and shot from the perspective of the five year old characters as they capture everyday childhood experiences. I hope audiences will enjoy and identify with both dramas.” (there’s also a piece on Katie Morag)

So yes, SOON! Did I mention Topsy and Tim are coming to Cbeebies?

BBC Article here

Oh, and don’t get me started on The Clangers too – how excellent is all this?

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.

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