TopThat Publishing

I love books, let me say that again for effect, I love books.  I adore the smell, feel and joy you get from books and I am hoping to instill that in both the boys.

I am lucky that both the both the boys adore visits to the library and having books read to them, but even better they are both really starting to enjoy the ability to read themselves too.

So when Top That! publishing got in touch asking if the boys would like a couple of books I jumped at the chance.

We received Magnetic Mission to Space (£6.99) and Learn with Neddy Teddy and His Phonic Friends. (£5.39)

The first thing I notices is how wonderful and firm the books feel, which really does make a difference where children are concerned, They are well made and are bright and colourful too.

Magnetic mission to the stars really captivated Maxi, he loved naming the planets (even though the names are not in the book), whilst Mini had loads of fun turning the rocket through the pages. 

This book has been picked up again and again since we received it.  A wonderful boy to received and give.

Neddy Teddy and His Phonic fiends is a great book for any child starting to learn phonetically, but it is a little easy for my boys and didn't hold there attention once they had read it once. But saying that it is a wonderful concept for a book with spiny wheels which reveal words and images which link to the phonic sound and then a poem which uses all those words that the child has revealed.

It supports UK national literacy standards and contains all Reception age high frequency words and also includes year 1 and 2 key words too.

Would we buy from Top That! Publishing? - yes I would, they are lovely books, something to really treasure and enjoy.

Peter Rabbit Organic Juices

The nice people at Peter Rabbit Organics sent us some of their fruit juices for the minimads to try.  Now I don't have the resources to often buy prepackaged drinks, so this was a real treat for the boys and we took them with us when we travelled to Bucklebury for the TRU Toyologist meet up.

The juices come in three flavours Apple & Grape, Apple & Blackcurrant and Pear and are a blend of water and organic fruit juice, with no added sugar or other artificial nasties.  They come in 150ml sized tetra pak cartons with a mini expandable straw.

After giving the boys Peter Rabbit pasta and sauces in the past I held out high hopes for these juices, but I have to say that the boys just didn't like them.

The main complaint was that they were too watered down for them.  I tried them too and found all bar the Apple & Blackcurrant very weak indeed.  The thing is both the boys will drink water with no issue and also drink diluted fruit juice and squash, but they just wouldn't drink the Peter Rabbit Organic Juices.

Maybe they will be better for a younger child who's palate has not yet been exposed to other fruit based drinks.

I actually have 2 Blackcurrant and 1 Apple juice drink left and the first person to comment that they would like it, I will post them out too.

Mungai Mirrors

The boys were lucky enough to previously receive some safety mirrors from Mungai to review and they loved them and still do, so when we were offered some more to review we jumped at the chance.

Children's acrylic safety mirror manufacturers Mungai Mirrors of Durham, uses the latest precision laser technology to create fun and imaginatively shaped acrylic safety mirrors. Our famous Splash Mirror launched us to become world leaders in the design of safety acrylic mirrors in 1999. Acrylic mirrors have the same brilliant, highly reflective surface as glass mirrors but are much lighter, shatterproof, and therefore safer.

I had said that I fancied some letters for the bathroom and we were sent SPLASH and some water drops, in additional to some smaller letters to make up the boys names.

The first thing I noticed when I got the letters (£7.25 each) where just how large they are.  They are over 20cm tall.  They fill the whole wall.  You adhere them to the wall or ceiling with pads that come with the mirrors.

Also as a parent or should that be a responsible parent I wanted to know that the mirrors are safe.   Well acrylic mirrors do not shatter and they are also 10 times stronger than glass.

We also received some smaller letters (£2.95), which are approx 10cm in height for each of the boys, again these adhere with the supplied pads. 

The verdict

Yet again the mirrors are a real success.  We have had so many comments from people who have used the bathroom asking where we got them from.  

They are brilliant for bouncing the light around and adding some interest to the bathroom, plus the fact is they are totally safe and I do not need to worry about them shattering in the bath when the boys are throwing toys around (I would never put a normal mirror above the bath). 

The boys helped put their names on the wall and as long as you make sure that they go in  the right place first time round that is OK.  Once the pads are on the wall they are not easy to get down, which for me with two mischievous boys is a real bonus!

I also have to say that over 8 months later our original mirrors look as good as new, they have not come off the wall or had to be cleaned other than a gentle rub with a soft duster twice.

We love Mungai Mirrors, they really do put the finishing touch to a room and they have so many different selections to chose from, so there is something suitable for every occasion.

Personalised Lunch Boxes from Getting Personal - Review

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We were sent two personalised lunch boxes from Getting Personal to review.  They costs £9.95 each.  Maxi received a rocket-ship one in red and Mini an animal one in Blue.

What we liked:  The lunch boxes are a good size, larger than some on the market and the name is on both sides.  The boys loved the fact that they have their names on and even though neither has packed lunch at school they have both been used a lot over the summer.

Maxi took his on a couple of school trips and the lunch box was large enough to hold a good sized lunch (Maxi eats a lot)!  The name is on both side so you can always see it.

What we didn't like: The personalisation and image is a sticker stuck on the side of the lunch box, so you can only wipe the outside with a damp cloth. In order for them to last a little longer I covered all the stickers with clear sticky backed plastic (yes I had a Blue Peter moment too)!

Overview:  We really like these lunch boxes and will get a lot of use out of them.  We would like personalised water bottles to match please!  Oh  and it would be much better if the personalisation was water resistant.

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Kerwhizz Magazine from CBeebies - Review

Review Post

We were sent 2 copies of the new Kerwhizz Magazine from CBeebies to review.  I have bought the standard Cbeebies Magazine for Maxi in the past, but stopped as he is getting too old for it and Mini has never really been in to magazines, so I had an idea of what format the magazine would be.

The Magazine is monthly and prices £1.99 and comes with  stickers to collect and a free gift in every issue.  I actually think this is pretty reasonable, must better than the cost of a weekly Cbeebies Magazine.

The boys are also avid Kerwhizz watchers (KerwizzKids) on Cbeebies and we actually have 4 episodes on Sky+, as they love the format of the show.

The Magazine has been designed to give kids confidence at school with quizzes and puzzles based on the National Curriculum. 

I have to say that the magazine appealed to both the boys, but it was far too easy for Maxi  (5, but he is a bit of a whizz).  It held his attention for all of 30 minutes and then it was all done and completed too, with every question right!

Mini (4), however, got much more out of it.  I loved the fact that the stickers meant that he didn't have to write (he hates even attempting to at the moment).  We spent a couple of evenings sitting together with the magazine after bath time and really enjoyed the time and the questions.

If you have seen the show then the format will be familiar to you and the magazine has all the same characters in, like King Pong and Cat Cool.  There is a good mixture of questions and activities, including colouring, mazes and a story, which meant that Mini didn't get board.  In fact he has kept coming back to it and reading it on his own.

I will be buying this for Mini again.

There is also a game you can play here, with  10,000 copies and 5 annual subscriptions  of the magazine to win.

To find out more about my disclosure and review policy click here.

Review - 3 Mobile MiFi

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A while back Liz at Violet Posy did a review on Mifi in car wifi from 3 mobile and I commented that we would love to give this a try, so guess what the lovely people at 3 mobile sent one of their MiFi systems for me to review too.

I have to say I didn't know what to expect, as I am not all that techie, but I was super surprised.  The wireless modem is about half the size of a mobile phone and really easy to connect and use.

MadDad has an ipod touch and we had both the laptop and the ipod touch connected to it whilst we were in London.  I also used it on the train to and from London for the John Lewis Christmas event.

But do I need one?  for every day use I would have to say no.  I can not justify the £50 one off cost or the top up fees, as we have wireless broadband at home, but as it looks like another hospital stay in on the horizon for me again I would love one and would use it all the time.  If I had one of these the last time I was in, then I would have been a much happy mummy.  It would have allowed me access to twitter, my blog, but more importantly I could have seen my boys without them having to come in and see me, we could have chatted by Skype and web cam, which would have made everything much less traumatic for both them me.

Chocolate Weetabix - Review

We were sent a pre-release box of new chocolate Weetabix (which will be available in Sainsburys from 12 July) this week.

Now I don't know about your children, but my two are chalk and cheese when it comes to breakfasts (even though they were weaned the same).  Maxi is a porridge every morning without fail chap, but Mini, well he is a whole other story.  He just isn't in to eating first thing in the morning and we often resort to anything to get him to eat, including boiled eggs, pastries and chocolate cereals.

Well I was pleased to find out that Chocolate Weetabix has all the goodness of wholegrain in normal Weetabix, but contains half the sugar of the average chocolate flavoured breakfast cereal (yes I did check all the boxes we have in the cupboard, I have tried all sorts to get Mini to eat on a morning).

So did he eat it?   The answer is yes he did 2 out of 3 mornings, but then that is an achievement for us.  Maxi wasn't keen, he did try it, but couldn't eat it and asked for a bowl of his normal porridge (but he doesn't like standard Weetabix either).

Will I be buying it?  Yes, I will do anything to get Mini to eat breakfast as I know and understand the benefits of a heathly breakfast and this is  a great healthier alternative to other "chocolate" cereals on the market.

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