Ladybird Books

Sometimes I think there should be a 12 step program for people like me who love books and are keen to pass on that love of books to our children.  We have books everywhere round the house, the boys have a bookcase in the conservatory, one each in their rooms and one on the landing too.

So when I was asked to be a Gurgle Girl and offered some lovely  ladybird books, I did a great big jump and said yes please.

Ladybird books have come on a lot since I was younger, but saying that I still love them and do collect the old ones from charity shops when ever I see them and I have some from my childhood too.

Reading Topsy and Tim - A real blast from the past

We were sent a selection of age appropriate self readers and also Topsy and Tim go to school sticker book and Topsy and Tim go green.  Mini adored the Topsy and Tim books, they were a great big hit and I would recommend them to anyone.

In fact we loved all the Ladybird books, I especially liked the Read it Yourself range which has traditional titles like The Gingerbread Man and Jack and the Beanstalk and Maxi read all of them with ease.  Mini loved listening to the story's and also read some of the level 1 book himself, but as they are well know story, he could pick up any of the books and tell us the story from looking at the images.

Ladybird books have moved with the times and have bright and bold illustrations and a great weight to them, but they are traditional enough to really appeal to parents and grandparents buying them and reading them with their children.  

I liked the fact that the Read it yourself books all had a page of questions about the story, so you can tests your child comprehension of the story.

A real great addition to any child bookcase.

Penny and the Pirates

Penny and the Pirates is a book which is is produced by Guernsey Post and tells the story of Penny The Positie and what happens when she comes across a strange old post box.

I have to say that both the boys really enjoyed this, it might not be the best written children's story book, but Maxi enjoyed reading it, although it does have a couple of tricky words in it (island and Fierce), he managed to read it all and loved the treasure map and then was delighted by the Guernsey stamps at the end of the book (which you can use).  I am not sure if there is such a thing as a bad book as long as it encourages children to read and enjoy reading.

 

My boys love anything to do with pirates, maps and stamps at the moment, so this was perfect timing for them.  Mini has recently been to the post office, sorting office and posted a letter home, so was very apt for him too.

There is also some sheets you can download to colour available on the website.

Review from a free sample

Boost Your Wash

Does your washing need a helping hand.  Mine does sometimes, especially with two rambunctious boys who just love to roll around in the mud and play about outside.  Plus Mini is know as "noise with muck on" in family circles.

So when I was offered the chance to review Boost Your Wash I decided I had nothing to lose.

Boost is designed to work in partnership with your washing solution and turn it in to "power cleanser" their words not mine.  Now I use a non-bio ecological product for our clothes and Maxi  and I have pretty sensitive skin, so I have to say I was pretty sceptical.  You use one to two capfuls in addition to your normal detergent and it is priced at £3.99, which makes it around 25p a wash.

I have been using the product for a number of weeks now and have found it to be pretty effective on mini's white school shirts, getting out the tomato stains and general grubbiness that he carries round with him.  It has had no issues moving grass stain from both the boys trousers too.  It had a pretty tough test on Saturday as the boys white football socks were covered in mud, which would usually require a pre-soaking and a scrub, but with Boost they came clean the first time.

But the test is will I buy it again?  I have still got a number of washes left in the bottle I have (16 washes per bottle), so will not need to buy it very often and if it gets the boys clothes clean then I am all for it.

Liz Earle Products

Back when I was a DINKY (Duel Income No Kids Yet) Liz Earle was my beauty brand of choice for a number of reasons.  I hadd very sensitive skin (at least I did have till I was pregnant) and Liz Earle worked really well for me.  I really agreed with their philosophy and also the fact that they do not use parabens and that they use organic whenever possible.

Believe it or not Maxi was first washed in their orange flower botanical body wash.  I still use their Cleanes and Polish every day, although I can not afford much else nowadays and I rely on birthdays and Christmas to keep me in stock.

Liz Earle kindly sent me a set of their Cleanse and Polish, Instant Boost Skin Tonic and a Skin Repair Moisturiser to try.  It has been a revelation to be using the whole system again.  My skin has visibly improved, even MadDad has noticed the difference and it feels smother, more moisturized and an even texture.

Not only has it made a real difference to my skin, but it has also been a great pick me up too.  Liz Earle products smell divine and using them is a real treat and I have got back in to a really good morning and evening routine.

They also sent me some botanical shine shampoo and Botanical shine conditioner for dry hair.  I have been using this for the last three weeks and it is wonderful.  Firstly, the smell is divine, making it a real treat to use.  I have been conditioning my hair and then cupping my hands to breath in the wonderful uplifting scent.

But smell isn't everything and yes I have seen improvements in the condition of my hair too.  It is more manageable and less frizzy.  At £7.50 a tube it is pricey, but it seems to last well, it lathers very well and the shampoo has no SLS in (which is great as Maxi has issues with SLS).

So I have made a decision, I am going to save my money and rescue the number of things I buy, but I am going to be purchasing Liz Earle's cleanse and moisturising products and also the haircare products and keep on enjoying this wonderful routine I have been using.

ZingZillas The Album - A MiniMad Dance along

Right before I start, I just wanted to answer a few questions with regards to review  and blog becoming too commercial, which have been raised amongst a number of the craft blogs at the moment.

Yes I do reviews, especially if they fit in with my blog and my family.  We do not have lots of money at the moment and reviews do make a difference with the household budget.  We get things we wouldn't have normally purchased, but no one can buy my opinion.  I am a tactless honest northern mother, I tell it as I see it and I will always give an honest review.

I actually think that reviews by real people can be invaluable and have become involved in The Great Toy Guide this year and become a Toys R Us Toyolgogist because I actually used The Great Toy Guide to help purchase toys for the boys last Christmas.  It helped me stop making expensive mistakes and please don't think that we keep everything because we certainly do not.  I am keen for the boys not to become spoilt and they know they are review toys and they have them for 2 weeks.

Any way what I am trying to say is that if people think that my blog is too commercial that that is their issue, not mine.  I started this blog as a record of family and my crafting and the boys artwork and it has changed and grown just like my family has.  The small income I have gained has been invaluable in keeping us afloat during hard times.

Anyway on to the main event, which is MiniMad as it should be.  We were given an advance copy of ZingZillas the Album on Monday and this clip is Mini's first time listening to it.

Since then it hasn't been off, in fact it is playing this morning as I type this and will be going in to the car for our Sunday Family trip out.  It is a children's CD which we all like, which is says it all really.

Edited to add - I am now stuck singing ZingZillas songs and the CD is in MadDad's car - I bet he listened to it again this morning!

Quality Time with Mini - Face Painting!

Mini and Maxi usually got to football practice on a Saturday morning, but mini has a bit of a cold after starting school, so we decided that we would spend the morning together and let MadDad and Maxi go off to Saturday Club together, whilst we had some quality time together.

So we got out the face paints we had been given as part of the TRU Toyologist programme and had a morning of painting and fun.

Mini decided that he wanted to try out some different ones for Halloween, so I give you the skeleton and vampire looks.

But before you think I got out of this scot free, just being the painter, then think again.  Mini decided that it was only fair that he have a go at painting mummy..............  So let me present Mrs Mad the wicked witch of the North.

The paints are so easy to use and watch off very easily and I removed Mini's first design with baby wipes.  We had such a fun morning.  Plus we are going to look really good at this years Halloween Party.

Review

We were provided with a set of boys Snazaroo Face Paints from Toys R Us which retail at  £9.99.  They are really easy to use and the accompanying booklet gives you loads of ideas for images which you can copy and step by step instructions.  The only issue is the booklet uses both the girl and boy pains which contain different colours and paints.

The pack comes with both a sponge applicator and also a brush and both are very easy tiouse, as you can see from the photo of me, which Mini did all my himself from the book.

Citroen C3 Picasso 1.6 HDI - Review

We were given the opportunity by Citroen to test drive the C3 Picasso for a week during the Mad awards. We drove the car to Bognor Regis from where we live in North Yorkshire, which is a journey in excess of 340 miles each way!

The Citroen C3 Picasso is substantially smaller than what both MadDad and I drive, but it didn't feel it. The inside feels just like a bug car and the boys car seats fitted very well in the back and they travelled to Bognor in real style with their portable DVD players on the back of our headrests, which plugged directly in to a power socket in the rear leaving the front one free for our Sat Nav or Ipod charger, as the radio had a connector for the MP3 player.

The technical specification is here.

What I thought of the Citroen C3 Picasso

I found driving the C3 a real dream, the only gripes I had was the handbrake seemed really low and it could have done with a sixth gear (but then that is what I am used to). It was great on the motorway as it had cruise control and it was very economical too.  It was nippy round town too and handled the twisty village roads well.  It was great to park, as it was smaller than mine, but the back looked a little like a van!

The boot space was brilliant and we had all our bags in with lots of space to spare and as a passenger the room in the front was brill and there are lots of storage space and cubby holes in the car.  I loved the fact that there was a storage area on the top of the dash board, as the sat nav fitted really well in to the space.

What MadDad thought of the Citroen C3 Picasso

MadDad was pleasantly surprised by the size, the internal space was deceptively large.  He thought the front seats could have been stiffer, as he did feel a kick in the back quite often from behind (Maxi).  Overall the drive was quite responsive, however, he agreed with me that it lacked a sixth gear for the motorway (which is something he always said about his 307 which had the same engine.  

This is car we would consider buying in the future, as it is a good compromise between a full sized MPV and a small runaround.

What the MiniMads thought of the Citroen C3 Picasso

C
hildren really do look at things differently from adults and their opinions on the C3 were that the blacked out windows and built in blinds made watching the DVD player much easier and that they could also see the screens on their leapsters better.

The loved the lights above the trays in the back of the seats in front, however, would have liked holes in the trays to pop their drinks in and the little indentation didn't keep them upright.