12/04/201301/01/2019 by jo

We Love Books – Especially Clever Ones…

We were really lucky to be chosen as one of two parent bloggers (check Sarah’s review over here) to review a new kind of book coming from the very lovely people at Autumn Publishing.

A Clever Book has been described as a 3D manipulative story adventure, and the first of its kind.

With my child-of-the-eighties head on, it reminds me a lot of some of the offshoot Rubik’s puzzles that came after the cube – there was one really great one, a pyramid which would kind of fold in on itself, and you could keep repeating the same fold, and eventually after a few turns you’d be back at the start. Back then I could spend hours just twisting it around and I really enjoyed it. Bring it forward to now, and what you have is a house shaped puzzle-book which does exactly as the Rubik’s puzzle – you fold each section and keep doing it, until eventually you’re back at the start.

BUT! There’s more to it than that.

Each section of the house features a Hello Kitty character and a simple piece of text about what they’re doing. Right now this is perfect for H – she’s three and a half and starting to identify some words and be able to work them out (as well as developing a Hello Kitty obsession). We’re still reading to her but I know once school starts in September that it will change and she’ll be much more proficient – and this kind of book is ideal – simple text but plenty going on. The puzzle element really appeals to me, and didn’t take H too long to work out – see this video, taken when the book first arrived. (bear in mind, our video isn’t the most engaging, but is a look into the first time a child sees the book, so will give you an idea!)

All Clever Books are published with the educational tagline ‘Clever Play, Simple Learning’ – and I can’t think of a more apt description. It’s targeted at children aged 3-6 years and as well as the Hello Kitty book, there’s a Fisher-Price title. They have a RRP of £4.99 and are published by Autumn Books and are available from July 2013. Highly recommended!

Check out Autumn Books on Facebook and Twitter and see their fabulous range of books!

11/04/201306/01/2015 by jo

Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer Live! Goes on Tour in the UK

Late last summer we went to the West End production of Nickelodeon’s Dora The Explorer Live! in the Search for the City of Lost Toys – and it was wondeful. A fabulous interactive show and of all the shows we saw I enjoyed this one the most as I didn’t expect it to be quite so good (don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed everything we saw last year, this one was due to the amount of interaction with the audience which of course if you’re familiar with the show is no surprise really).

They’re out on tour NOW! For a full list of touring venues, please go to nickjr.co.uk/doralive

Dora the Explorer fans will delight in this two act, song and dance spectacular that invites them to think, sing and play along. Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer LIVE! is designed to teach kids to explore, communicate, overcome obstacles, solve puzzles and discover a diverse and exciting world…all while having a lot of fun!

In Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer LIVE! Search for the City of Lost Toys, Dora has lost her teddy bear Osito, and the search is on to retrieve him.

With the help of the audience, Map, Backpack, Boots, Diego and their courageous friends, Dora uses her map-reading, counting, musical and language skills to successfully pass through the number pyramid and the mixed-up jungle to reach the City of Lost Toys. But watch out – you never know what that sneaky fox Swiper might be up to along the way!

One of Nick Jr’s most beloved shows, Dora the Explorer airs every day at 8:30am 11am and 4.30pm, with brand new episodes in March and June 2013. The series sees Dora partake in adventures in her imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests. Dora explores her world just as children do every day, and the show is designed to actively engage its audience using a variety of learning techniques. Award-winning Dora the Explorer currently reaches more pre-schoolers than any other show on television (12.4 million).

LISTINGS

Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer LIVE! Search for the City of Lost Toys
UK Tour

Dates: 28 March – 19 August 2013
Performances: Performance times vary at each venue. For full information please go to the website listed below.

Ticket prices:

Explorer Seats:
Get closer to the action with Explorer seats.
Subject to availability book early to avoid disappointment.
Adult: £18
Child: £16

General Seats:
Adult: £16
Child: £14

N.B There may be some local variations on price, please ask at time of booking.

Groups/Schools/Nursery Prices for groups of 10+
£12 per ticket, with the 10th free*
*Excludes Explorer Seats

Family Rates (four tickets with at least one adult)
Explorer Family: £65
Family: £55

Meet Dora!
Buy in advance from the Box Office, or on the day and meet Dora after the show!
Children: £10
Adults go free!
Please note there is limited availability so book early.

Website: nickjr.co.uk/doralive

11/04/201301/02/2014 by jo

Polesden Lacey Gold Room Chandelier Cleaning

If you’re planning on visiting Polesden Lacey, the National Trust property and gardens in Surrey next week then you’re in for a treat – the house team are going to be cleaning the Gold Room chandelier. It dates back to around 1860 and is highly decorative, made of around 4,000 pieces of cut glass, and adding to the wow factor of the room!

The cleaning of the main chandelier and matching wall sconces will happen mainly in the mornings from Monday 15th to Friday 19th April, where staff will be happy to answer questions about their work.

For more information about Polesden including opening times and upcoming events please call 01372 452048 or see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polesdenlacey

10/04/201302/07/2015 by jo

Dear H&M

I love you. You make really nice clothes for my little girl – and that’s what she is, a little girl. Please don’t think you exclusively have my love, but this week you do.

While I’ll still wince inside as I see your stores with their blues and greens and browns to one side, and sparkles, princesses, pink and sequins to the other, the other day I was happy to see a section which appeals to both genders (even if it was tucked over in the boys section a teeny bit more).

Since we received your last catalogue H has had her eye on a Brazil football shirt. What I love the most about that page in the catalogue is there are boys and girls wearing the shirts – it isn’t exclusively male (as of course football isn’t).

H has been having football lessons for the last year – initially she was the only girl in her group but this last term she’s been with three others – and I think it’s great. Somehow in the last few weeks she’s telling me which toys are girls or boys ones, and is starting to notice it a lot more. It makes me sad, I’m not into labelling things by gender.

Seeing something which is inclusive for all makes me happy inside. Even my team (Tottenham) did the weirdest thing, making ‘Never Red’ shirts in pink – for girls. When I got my first Spurs shirt it was blue and white with just the badge on it, as I’m sure many other females did.

So thank you H&M for not dumbing down or pink-ing up the football shirts, and just making them the same for everyone. It makes me very happy. That and it being £5.99 which is a brilliant price!

luv

09/04/201308/10/2019 by jo

Lulu Guinness at Uniqlo

Uniqlo launched their second Lulu Guinness UT collection yesterday – so today I headed to my local Wandsworth store to see what was on offer. If you like Lulu Guinness’s designs (I am in love with the umbrella on her homepage) or indeed a sucker for spots and stripes (I’m in), then you’ll probably love what’s on offer.

What I like the most about Uniqlo’s various UT ranges is being able to pick up a top which is affordable and still looks good – so I was able to get a spotty t-shirt with sort of fold over cap sleeves (I thought very eighties) for just £12.90.

I’m not a fan of t-shirts with collars, but I have to admit I was close to buying one of the ones in-store – but having thought a bit more about it, there’s only a small number of t-shirts available, so I’m holding on in the hope that maybe there’ll be a second range within this lot announced soon!

This post contains an affiliate link, but all clothes are bought from my own hard-earned cash.

08/04/201302/02/2014 by jo

A Trip to London Zoo

We’ve never been to London Zoo – I’m not sure why, as we’ve lived here for ages so as luck would have it, we were offered a chance to go with Superbreak – and I’m glad we did!

It’s expensive – but there’s a LOT to do there. If you can get to London Zoo (in Regent’s Park) and Whipsnade Zoo (near Luton) more than a couple of times a year then it may be worth taking out membership – which you can do against the price of your ticket for that day. Also, if you’re planning to go then I’ve some advice – go before your child turns 3! That way your child gets in free (rather than paying £17).

When we got there (around lunchtime) the queues were long – fortunately our ticket was pre-booked which meant we could get them converted into tickets for the day super-fast – jumping the queues and getting straight in there (seriously, we’d have been waiting over 30 minutes to get in otherwise and a hungry three year old is a force not to be fought with). Be prepared to spend lots of money once you’re in there – the gift shops are reasonably priced, though I found food expensive. We got seats in the Pavilion Cafe quickly which was good as we arrived at lunchtime – it’s a temporary cafe while a newer one is built, and serves okay-ish coffee (we found the ones near the Aquarium much better) and food.

Also, make sure you plan where you want to go – we did lots of extra walking as we hadn’t planned our route. This wasn’t the end of the world, we just found ourselves walking around the same areas to see things we’d missed.

The most important thing was how tired H would get – we did a lot of walking and she did spend some time on Shaun’s shoulders, but she did a lot. There were plenty of play areas, though easily her favourite bit were the tunnels near the meerkats – we couldn’t get her to come out (there’s three entrances with a dome in the middle so you’re covered in the middle of the meerkat enclosure), as well as areas to sit down and take a break.

London Zoo is a very buggy-friendly place to go – just be prepared to do a lot of walking. The animals are great – penguins, tigers, lions, gorillas, monkeys you can walk right by (they bite though, so don’t get too close), zebras, giraffes, the aquarium, an outback with some emu’s and wallabies and so much more. The easy thing to do is show a few photos – we found nemo (and dory, and marlin) and H spotted many animals she wouldn’t have had a chance to see anywhere else near us (and amazed us with her knowledge!). We’ve since been told the elephants were moved to Whipsnade – fair enough as we’re not sure where they’d have lived!

There were a few rides, though paying up to an additional £2.50 felt a bit steep had we paid for our entry tickets. It would have been nice if things like this were included in the overall price.

The last zoo we went to was the one in Perth, Western Australia when H was fifteen months so she doesn’t remember a thing. I’m glad we’ve had a chance to do this again when she’ll have better memories. Thank you Superbreak!

We received free tickets for our trip. All opinions are our own and honest.

04/04/201327/05/2018 by jo

We Love Books – How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm

‘How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm’ by Mei-Ling Hopgood is a really interesting book. It reads a bit like a textbook, almost – and is quite the eye opener.

In essence, the book covers various cultures and countries and what is perceived as ‘normal’ when bringing up their children. I’m guilty as charged of judging other mums decisions as they’re different to mine and something I wouldn’t necessarily agree with – and this book has made me think a bit. Well, more than a bit.

Actually, there are some really good bits in there which I’m already implementing – trying not to tell H she’s a ‘clever girl’ too often and more a ‘well done’ type of praise, and if she gets frustrated trying to work something out and asks for her, getting her to try one more time and then I’ll help, and already I’m finding she does more for herself. I know I like to think of H as quite an independent child but actually I do help her out with things when I should take a step back.

The great thing about this book is how non-judgemental it is – the author has the way she’s brought up her children – they seem very well-travelled too! There’s also a section on academia and how some countries put education over having fun – as in, find a balance – do fun things with your child to spend time with them rather than more education related activities. I’ve probably put it badly, but I get what she’s saying.

The book starts with them in Buenos Aires where nobody bats an eyelid to see a child out until the early hours, and how accommodating the country is towards babies – and towards the end brings up the case of the Danish actress who left her child outside a restaurant while she dined (which is usual there, I remember vaguely a news article about it) and how people watching were disgusted – this book just brings up many examples of bringing your child up, but from the perspective of someone saying “this is how it’s done here” or “this is what they do” – it’s quite refreshing to read.

I’ve always been a stickler for routine and maybe I need to be a little bit more relaxed about it, and let it sort itself out – especially with a holiday on the horizon too. If H falls asleep at the early evening entertainment, it doesn’t matter (whereas before it might have, and I’d panic).

There are sections on how the French deal with eating, how Kenyans live without pushchairs, how the Chinese potty train early, how Tibetans cherish pregnancy and so much more. I really enjoyed the book, and am glad I had the opportunity to read it – I’d recommend it if you’re interested in seeing how others bring up their children and quite fancy trying out some of the ideas.

I received the book free of charge from PanMacmillan who were offering free copies with Mum Panel. All opinions are my own.

03/04/201302/02/2014 by jo

App Time – Peppa Pig’s Holiday

Peppa Pig has a new game out, based on a few episodes from the latest series – this time she’s on holiday. H is still very Peppa obsessed, and I can’t see an end to it soon. This game follows a similar pattern to previous ones, so anyone familiar will know the kind of thing.

You play games and earn stickers to place on a page within the app. Simple enough – and this time the food creation part is to make a pizza which we all had fun with – you’ve the additional skill of chopping the vegetables for toppings, and the pizza to serve.

H has been getting a bit frustrated with it though – but I think that’s a really good thing, and I’ll explain why. These games have an element of your child having to pay attention – the ‘At The Airport’ section has several bags which pass through the X-Ray machine, and you have to match the right item to each bag – but the item disappears. I like this as I’ve felt like while we’ll play the games they can be repetitive (H doesn’t mind), so having to listen, remember AND get it right appeals to me in a big way. The first part of the game has you placing the bags on the conveyor belt – and you’ll get various commands – “five bags”, “all the green bags”, “three yellow bags” and so on, with the second being the part where you identify the correct items.

In ‘Going to the Beach’ Peppa and George are getting ready for the beach, and need help picking their swimming costumes and beach toys as well as applying the sun cream!

In ‘Ice Cream’ they help Auntie Goat make ice cream – it’s similar to the last ice cream game on the previous app – you create one and pass it on to whoever is next in line.

‘Swimming Race’ is based around the pool at the villa, and can be played with up to four players (or just one) – similar to some of the ones on Sports Day, quick and fun especially if your child is the competitive kind (mine is… sigh).

‘Sky High Song’ is the ‘Big Balloon’ song which features in the holiday episodes – just the video. It’s short but for the Peppa fan that will be possibly all they could ever want.

‘Postcard Sticker Book’ is the section for the stickers – collect them throughout the game and arrange on some postcards – and you’re able to make the stickers bigger or smaller which will help with the pincer grasp if help is needed. That and you can put a gigantic Daddy Pig in the swimming pool too which always amuses H.

The game is out now and released by P2 Games – and already is at the top of the charts. Having a Peppa fan in the house, she enjoyed the game a lot. I feel like there’s a lot of repetition in this game from previous ones – although the ‘At The Airport’ section more than makes up for it – I want my girl to concentrate and remember things, and for this alone I’d recommend this app.

Buy Peppa Pig Holiday by P2 Games here
P2 Games

We were given a code to review this app, all opinions are mine. H loves it. This review also contains an affiliate code.

03/04/201302/02/2014 by jo

Losing a Tooth When You’re Three and a Half

H is three and a half, and generally she has really good teeth. However, one day a year or more ago I noticed one of her front teeth was a little darker than the rest – it wasn’t obvious, it was one of those things you notice way before everyone else and they all think you’re going mad (a bit like when I spotted her squint). In December last year when she got chicken pox a mysterious spot appeared on her gum.

Now this bit may be me being overdramatic, but it’s where I feel like a rubbish parent. I work four days a week and only realised the spot hadn’t cleared fairly recently. A bit of a google and we had an answer (of sorts) – that it could be an abscess, which made me feel rotten – how could I not have noticed? There’s nothing quite like parental guilt. Fortunately H has been in no pain at all, but regardless, I got an appointment at the dentist yesterday, where he confirmed it wasn’t an abscess but was something bothering the nerve. The discoloured tooth is also wobbly – not horribly so, but things aren’t right (and could get worse).

H is now being referred to our local hospital to an Orthodontic Nurse who will try to save the tooth, or worst case, extract it. We’ll find out when in the next month or so – and it’ll be a day in hospital as she’s so young and she’ll be knocked out with gas for them to do it.

At some point in the past she’s bumped that area, and has nerve damage. I’d mentioned it to her dentist in the past and we were keeping an eye on it… but missed this.

Right now we have no answers, but in the next month or two we will, all being well. If you’re in a similar position, this is what H’s mouth currently looks like:

Right now I’m looking for as many books as possible about losing teeth – we’ve got ‘Topsy & Tim go to the Dentist’, and Peppa Pig’s ‘Tooth Fairy’ book, if you’re reading this and have any recommendations please let me know!

02/04/201302/02/2014 by jo

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Trail at Polesden Lacey

We’re barely past Easter and already the excellent Polesden Lacey have another trail for kids, running through the holidays.

Almost 3,500 kids went to Polesden to take part in the Cadbury’s Easter Egg Trail (wow.. just think of all those eggs!), and to enjoy all the other activities on offer. The fun keeps on coming with the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party trail running from 10am until 3.30pm daily until Sunday 14th April.

For only £1 (plus grounds admission), you can help the Mad Hatter find his cakes and party hats, enjoy your own special tea party and of course win a prize.