by jo

Big Fish Little Fish Events – 2-4 Hour Party People

Big Fish Little Fish Events are a new monthly Sunday afternoon event in Brixton.

If you know your ‘Voodoo Ray’ from your Voodoo Queens then this may be for you – Big Fish Little Fish Events.

The tagline ‘2-4 hour party people’ made me chuckle – if you remember 1990 (or indeed if you don’t remember 1990 but have children now) then this will be your cup of tea.

Big Fish Little Fish EventsWe attended a special launch event to get a taster of what’s to come. Big Fish Little Fish is held at the Effra Social in Brixton and has a bbq and ice cream stall at the front with a cash bar and cakes from Rosie’s Deli Cafe in the main dance area – plus there’s healthy snacks for kids. H got a glowstick bracelet which she’s become surgically attached to (quite literally).

I spotted a buggy and scooter storage area too which is safe and covered.

Our first impressions – it was quite loud – we couldn’t really chat to each other much and H has never been a fan of loud places, but after a little nudge she was off, this may have something to do with me appealing to her competitive nature (‘I bet you can’t dance as well as me’).

Big Fish Little Fish’s DJ’s didn’t play at club-level volume though it was high – with my tinnitus ears it felt sensitive – but if you’re used to higher volume music you’ll be fine – just bear it in mind if your child is like H.

Mid-way through the event we had a cockney knees-up from Nanna of Underbling and Vow, before we were straight back into dancing – from ‘Hey Ya’ by Outkast to some Chic to some ‘Hanging on a String’ by Loose Ends (where I had a weird urge to dance on one leg – did they do that?) – so it’s not strictly rave but it has a good beat. H was in her element and loved dancing to these.

We sat outside towards the end and sampled the ice cream from Crystal Creams – the perfect weather and we were hot and needed to cool down.

Outside families discussed the festivals they were going to this year – albeit with their kids. It’s an afternoon social designed for us former festival goers who miss our old music while keeping it child-friendly. There were balloons all over the venue which H enjoyed.

We missed the very end, and reading Twitter it sounds like ‘The Sun Rising’ was the final Big Fish Little Fish song, sigh. I love that song too…

Big Fish Little Fish events will run monthly from September 21st from 2-4.30pm each event with a fancy dress theme. Tickets are a very reasonable price too – check the site for more info. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

We were given free entry to the launch event, all opinions are our own!

by jo

Higgidy Quiche – A Follow-Up Post

We promised a follow-up post when we managed to locate the new Higgidy limited edition quiche.

Higgidy have a new limited edition quiche – Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar in stores now. Today was a hot day, the kind of day you don’t want to bother doing the cooking so we headed to the large Sainsburys in Croydon and found it there as well as a good selection of the other Higgidy pies and quiches in their range.

eating outdoors

I knew H might not be keen on the Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar as she really doesn’t like onion so I also picked up a Higgidy Spinach, Feta and Toasted Pine Nut Pie.

And as predicted she wasn’t keen but ate the pie without any bother. It’s definitely the onion, which I didn’t think was that strong (but it could also be a texture thing).

Higgidy Tea

I really like the Spinach, Feta and Toasted Pine Nut pie as we’ve had it before. The Balsamic Onion and Mature Cheddar quiche was yummy and went well with our salad (spinach and watercress with balsamic vinegar and olive oil).

The large quiche is a limited edition but is still available in-store. I had a bit of trouble finding it but found the large branches of Sainsburys stock it – so bear that in mind if you’re looking for that one specifically.

Higgidy Quiche
Higgidy are running another competition – you can win some goodies from them (as long as you’re a new parent or a parent-to-be), all you have to do is pop your details on this page – the competition is open for one week after the royal baby arrives, so given today is (allegedly) the due day, you don’t have too long to try! Good luck!

We were sent vouchers to try the Higgidy pies and quiches, all opinions are our own.

by jo

Monsters University Soundtrack

Out now is the Monsters University soundtrack – here’s our review.

The Monsters University Soundtrack  is out now. We saw the film a couple of weeks ago, and loved it. I reviewed it for the very lovely Sharon over at I Heart Motherhood where we had a fabulous time.

Monsters University soundtrack

So, the soundtrack – think of it as more of a score than a soundtrack. While certain things didn’t bring back memories, one of the key bits of the film, the disco in the frat party, stood out and the music from Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia is definitely our highlight of the songs here. It also has H jump up and dance every time (while pulling her best monster face).

The score is composed by Randy Newman and doesn’t disappoint, as ever. The last song is the only one with any vocals, everything else is instrumental – and Newman added a unique flair to his score, calling on renowned international drum corps The Blue Devils to contribute a definitively collegiate sound. The composer also used elements of concert band music to create the feeling of being in school. In fact, said Newman, “There’s a little bit of Brahms’ ‘Academic Festival Overture’ when Mike is riding the pig. I like to think Brahms would be extremely flattered by his inclusion in the score.”

Not all songs featured in the movie are on the soundtrack. Mastodon’s song ‘Island’ is one which jumps out, though you can buy it separately rather than as part of the soundtrack anyway. If you enjoyed Monsters University, then you’ll probably enjoy the Monsters University Soundtrack.

Check out the trailer which features a lot of the Swedish House Mafia song!

The Monsters University Soundtrack is available now as a download

We were sent a digital copy of the album for review. Please note the download link is an affiliate link.

by jo

Jump Up and Join In With Carrie and David Grant

Jump Up and Join In With Carrie and David Grant is a new series of books and an app – read on to find out more.

Jump Up and Join In with Carrie and David Grant are a series of books created to encourage children to learn various aspects of music – rhythm, quiet, loud and much more. – H and I were invited to Egmont’s offices to preview an app based on the first book ‘Lion’s Speedy Sauce’.

Jump Up and Join In

We received a copy of ‘Elephant’s Birthday Bells’ in our goody bag, a book we’re already familiar with – all the stories are based around music and rhythm with a CD at the back (so you can play and read along) as well as a song. We’ll follow this up with a review of the first two books but this event was to launch an accompanying app for the first book, ‘Jump Up and Join In – Lion’s Speedy Sauce’.

We got to meet Carrie and David – and they’re both really lovely (and yes, I didn’t mention David’s eighties pop career in Linx, I was very well-behaved) and I had a quick chat with Carrie about music.

Jump Up and Join In with Carrie and David Grant

What appeals to me about the Jump Up and Join In books and the app are how you can come at the book from various angles – children all learn differently and there’s many entry levels into the books – be it listening to the CD’s or looking at pictures or playing the app to name three, and Carrie and David recognise this, having experienced different kinds of learning with their children. We’ve missed Carrie and David’s Pop Shop due to H’s age, but I like what they’re doing. Shows like Zingzillas came after them – and we spoke of an appreciation of Yo Gabba Gabba and shows which come at music differently.

It doesn’t have to be high energy nursery rhymes all the time (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but y’know).

Jump Up and Join In - H at Egmont Books

For me, the proof this is our kind of thing came with H singing the ‘Ella Elephant’ song a day after we listened to the Jump Up and Join In CD for the first time – so I’m looking forward to updates on the app to include the other books.

Next week we’ll follow this up with a review of the app, but on first glance I’m impressed. H liked having the story read to her, though wasn’t as keen to have her picture taken (I have no idea why she was shy!) – you can add yourself as a character to dance with Carrie and David. The activities involved playing the bongos to a rhythm, and happily David told us that you can’t get it wrong, even the worst score would get a bronze star so your child doesn’t feel like they’ve failed.

Jump Up and Join In - Carrie and David

We’ll also be reviewing the book we received – and as David said, when children are learning and having fun they’ll learn so much more. I agree, and have sung scales with H for the first time ever – but more on that very soon. Right now I’d recommend you keep an eye out for the app which is released on Monday and is currently Apple only, though there was talk of more versions being available possibly.

Thank you to Egmont for the invite, and thank you to Carrie and David for being there to explain it all – you’ve gained two big fans here! 

by jo

Panasonic WiFi Camcorders

Panasonic WiFi Camcorders look pretty amazing – they have WiFi capability – it connects to your home WiFi connection. Lordy. You realise what this means? I’m still getting my head around it – a camera which is like your iPad but has proper hi-definition good quality. I’m impressed – we do a lot of Skype chats with family in York and Australia – it’s the best way to keep in touch – and more often than not our camera gives poor results.

You can even add emails to alert family members when the broadcast is starting. This appeals a lot – the amount of times we have to make quick calls around the world to make sure everyone is online and ready.. I think a Panasonic WiFi Camcorder may be on our Christmas list for this year!

I received compensation for putting this video on Mum Friendly

by jo

Bandino Cup Bands

We have had a chance to review Bandino Cup Bands, and I think they’re brilliant – read on to find out why.

Bandino Cup Bands are an excellent idea – they’re personalised bands which fit most brands of cups that your child is likely to use. Each band has the name you require stamped into it – so it can’t be rubbed out or picked off, and is in a nice clear font. We got a blue one with H’s name on – ideal as we’ve been told we have to provide a cup when she starts school in September. If it’s anything like nursery, several children will have the same cup, and they’ll often get mixed up – with Bandino cup bands this isn’t going to happen.

Bandino cup bands

So far the only cup which it doesn’t fit on is her H&M Smurfette one – but that’s only because it’s narrow. We’ve tried it on all her other cups and it fits perfectly, stays on, doesn’t slip and her name is really clearly identifiable. She likes it too as it’s blue – her favourite colour.

When we first reviewed these Bandino bands, I didn’t know what to expect. Since then we’ve bought more, as they’re handy for lost cups (H has lost several, which we’ve found thanks to the bands), holiday club cups, and just having spares. We have only lost one cup which was never returned to us since using these.

I put the Bandino Cup Bands in the dishwasher to see how it fared, and it came out perfect – they’re also microwave safe. They also comply with the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC, are BPA free, and free from Cadmium and Phthalates.

Bandino Cup Bands

(H’s name has been blanked out on the above picture)

One thing Bandino point out is how it can alert others to allergies – as you can have anything stamped onto the band – what a brilliant idea!

A pack of three Bandino Cup bands comes in at £8.95 which isn’t expensive – and the available colours are red, pink and blue. I know this is something that will get a lot of use once H starts school, and I suspect we’ll have a few other parents asking us where we got them from…

Bandino Cup Bands can be bought online here they’re on Facebook here, Twitter here and Pinterest here. The business was started by two mums who know what a pain it is – and I think it’s brilliant!

We were sent one band for the purpose of review – all opinions are our own.

by jo

A Starting School Holiday Break

We’ve booked another Haven holiday…

Last night I booked a holiday for us and our friends – another Haven holiday. After lots of shopping around it came in at our budget – around £350 for the six of us for a Friday to Monday stay right before the girls start school. (well not right before, a week or so maybe)

We know Haven – we’ve been to Devon Cliffs twice, and last year also went to Hafan-y-Mor in August too. This time we’re booked into Seaview in Dorset – and already I can see we’re close to Corfe Castle (which I’ve always fancied visiting), and I’d love to get a trip to Mottisfont too where there’s a Winnie the Pooh exhibition.

Pecorama view

So knowing what we have on-site for entertainment, can anyone recommend anything nearby that we should know about? Lyme Regis is just up the road (Alice’s Bear Shop!) and we went to Pecorama last year – so somewhere which is new would be great.

Help please!

by jo

We Love Books – Goodnight Little One by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Little OneWe’ve reviewed a Margaret Wise Brown book (‘Runaway Bunny’) a while back which H loves, so having the opportunity to review this book was one I jumped at.

‘Goodnight Little One’ was published for the first time by Parragon in 2012 and is a lovely calm book, perfect for night time reading. Lots of simple lovely rhymes with each animal in the story, the last line of each verse ‘little (animal) close your eyes’ until you get to the little child at the end.

It has a lovely slow pace to it and is already one of H’s new favourite books. If you’re looking for a beautifully illustrated  book which will appeal to 3-6 year olds, then this is one to consider.

We Love Books at Mum Friendly

We received a copy of this book as part of the Parragon Book Buddy blogger book review club that has recently been launched. All opinions are our own and honest.

by jo

We Love Books – Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs by Giles Paley-Phillips

Things You Never Knew About Dinosaurs

H is entering a fabulously non-girly phase in her life, with a love of monsters and dinosaurs, so this book is perfect for us right now.

It’s funny, it has silly rhymes and makes us all laugh – ‘Did you know that dinosaurs, are still around today? They didn’t die off long ago, they never went away’ then goes into everything that dinosaurs actually do these days.

The illustrations are fun and there’s a lot to talk about on each picture. Did you know dinosaurs like to rollerskate, doing the Highland fling, starring in movies, and sailing the seven seas?

It’s a fun book, and one that has been receiving a nightly read since BritMums – it is released properly in the UK in August 2013, so keep an eye out on Parragon Books!

We Love Books at Mum Friendly

We received a copy of this book as part of the Parragon Book Buddy blogger book review club that has recently been launched. All opinions are our own and honest.