#GIFTED
Oh, we have a winner!! |
| The dinosaur that pooped series |
T11/30/2014 10:00:00 am
I remember The Owl and the Pussy-cat from my own childhood and loved it. I remember reading this book night after night with such affection. I loved it so much and read it so often I could recite the story from memory! In fact, I remember ending up singing it, and found I still do!! So when I received The Owl and the Pussy-cat and The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat books to review, I was thrilled. I was also a bit ashamed that I didn't know these two wonderful characters had gone on further adventures!
We have been reading both books at bedtime and granted not every night but on the nights my boy wants to read them, these books always bring on discussions and chats. The illustrations are fantastic, the pictures tell the story as well as the wording itself. Each page contains enough wording to hold his attention and like I mentioned discussion. We are still at the stage of talking about the pictures and what has just be read rather than reading the whole story itself.
With the further adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat, I did have some reservations to start with. Would it be any good? Would it be written in the same quirky way as the first? Yes. It is well written and picks up where the first book finishes perfectly. I loved the story, Max liked the story but I don't know if it will become one of his favourites but he is quite fascinated with the fact the characters are animals.
For anyone who loves The Owl and the Pussy-cat then the further adventures are definitely worth a read and a chance to fall in love with these to beautiful characters all over again. The books retail at £7.69 and £5.99 on Amazon and I'm sure these will become classics in our home once more.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat Adventures
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| The Owl and the Pussy-cat adventures |
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| The Owl and the Pussy-cat |
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| The Further Adventures of The Owl and the Pussy-cat |
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| Choosing his books for the night |
For anyone who loves The Owl and the Pussy-cat then the further adventures are definitely worth a read and a chance to fall in love with these to beautiful characters all over again. The books retail at £7.69 and £5.99 on Amazon and I'm sure these will become classics in our home once more.
T11/28/2014 09:00:00 pm
This month in my quest to find my perfect geek box subscription I received The Geek Box. Now, before I go into the contents of this box, I must say I wasn't that impressed with the communication with this box. The Facebook page doesn't appear to engage with fans as much as other boxes I've received, the build-up to when the box was being sent out was very minimal but you do get a notification from My Geek Box to say when the boxes have been packed, and one from Royal Mail to say when it's coming, other than that, no real excitement from the company in my opinion.
So, what's in the box? (I honestly can not say that without hearing Brad Pitt in my head and doing a very lame impression)!
Well from the banner, I think it's pretty obvious that the theme was Best of British, and I will post the contents in order of my preference of show rather than my preference of gift.
Before we get into the shows, we have a monthly My Geek Box Magazine, which mainly had a review on a game.
The British Sci-Fi comic 2000 AD - never read it, never got into but still, I'm sure I can find a use for this.
Next up were some shot glasses with a Thunderbirds theme, rather random! I did catch the odd episode of F.A.B. and always loved it when you saw a real hand grabbing something out the cupboard - classic. I've taken a picture of the back, as it gives a better image than the front.
3 items down, 4 to go...
Next up is an item related to a comic that I did read - all the time! Beano Weirdos.
Maybe due to the fact my mother used to make me watch Sherlock ALL the time, is possibly why I now don't watch it at all! Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Sherlock - I just seriously think I've had my whole life's quota! Saying that, the street sign - MAJOR COOL!!
Now, the only reason why the T-shirt is not at number 1 is that after about season 6 I started to lose interest in the program - but I still to this day love watching the early episodes of Red Dwarf.
So there we have it, my 7 items in My Geek Box. What do you think? I must say I'm not that keen on this box, it didn't give me the excitement that the Infinity Crate did and so in order of preference with regard to my geeky subscription boxes I would say :
Number 1 - Infinity Crate £16.99
Number 2 - Nerd Block approx £21
Number 3 - My Geek Box £14.99
I'm not going to dismiss My Geek Box after 1 order, I'm going to give it one more go before cancelling my subscription and moving on, so the order may change again next month!
From my original post here, you can see I have so so many yet to try and will be cancelling My Geek Box after Christmas now and maybe going with another UK based box: Qwerki Box
My Geek Box - November Review
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| My Geek Box |
So, what's in the box? (I honestly can not say that without hearing Brad Pitt in my head and doing a very lame impression)!
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| My Geek Box November Theme |
Before we get into the shows, we have a monthly My Geek Box Magazine, which mainly had a review on a game.
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| My Geek Box Magazine |
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| My Geek Box Goodies - 2000 AD |
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| My Geek Box Thunderbirds Shot Glasses |
Next up is an item related to a comic that I did read - all the time! Beano Weirdos.
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| My Geek Box Weirdos |
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| My Geek Box - Baker Street Sign |
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| My Geek Box - Red Dwarf Starbug T-Shirt |
In at number 1, gets it's own Instagram video shot as I love him so much!! Of course, it's Dr Who!!
So there we have it, my 7 items in My Geek Box. What do you think? I must say I'm not that keen on this box, it didn't give me the excitement that the Infinity Crate did and so in order of preference with regard to my geeky subscription boxes I would say :
Number 1 - Infinity Crate £16.99
Number 2 - Nerd Block approx £21
Number 3 - My Geek Box £14.99
I'm not going to dismiss My Geek Box after 1 order, I'm going to give it one more go before cancelling my subscription and moving on, so the order may change again next month!
From my original post here, you can see I have so so many yet to try and will be cancelling My Geek Box after Christmas now and maybe going with another UK based box: Qwerki Box
T11/26/2014 10:00:00 am
What makes a 3 year old happy?
Dear son,
Last week at nursery you were asked to draw what you were thankful for, what makes you happy. Now your classmates drew pictures such as their pets, the outdoors, family and toys. Your friend Emi is obviously a very happy girl as she listed off lots and lots of things... including chewing gum.
So, what makes you happy?
Love you little man
Love
Mummy
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Last week at nursery you were asked to draw what you were thankful for, what makes you happy. Now your classmates drew pictures such as their pets, the outdoors, family and toys. Your friend Emi is obviously a very happy girl as she listed off lots and lots of things... including chewing gum.
So, what makes you happy?
Ryley of course - your best friend and I think that's a rather good likeness.
Love you little man
Love
Mummy
xxxxxxxxxxxx
T11/24/2014 03:00:00 pm
Recently we were fortunate enough to try OXO Tots Big Kid range and these products I feel, are perfect for when you're on the go and for that reason fit in well with our lifestyle.
As you may have picked up from previous posts, we try and make the most of our weekends due to being working parents and this will always involve being out at some point in the day and the OXO Tots Big Kid range helps with this perfectly.
Because we are not always sure where we will end up or how long we will be out for, we always take a drink out with us and found the Twist Top Water bottle to be so much more than just another drinking bottle. It has a twist cap which is designed to keep the straw clean when not in use and to prevent spills - ideal for when we are in the car, which is often when my son will ask for a drink.
It has a large loop that little hands can hold and carry themselves and the whole top comes off for easy cleaning, but my favourite bit is it also has measurements down the side so you don't have to guess how much of the 300ml bottle you are filling up.
This bottle retails at £8 on the OXO website and also has bragging rights - it has won 'Best Drinking Cup or Travel Bottle' by LPB and to be honest, I can see why. It was a hit in house/car, it holds a substantial amount of water/liquid for journeys and has minimal spill factor, which is basically everything we look for when buying bottles.
Whilst I was extremely impressed with the water bottle, my boy loved the snack cup! Probably for 2 reasons, it's the perfect size for his little hands and he can get the lid open and shut with no help, even though it is a snap-shut lid!
The cup volume is greater then it looks. It is 150ml in size and covered with a non-slip grip slightly indented which makes it easy to hold. The whole lid opens up which made it easy for Max to get his hand in and polish off the grapes I'd put in there for him.
The Flip-Top snack cup is only £5.11 and I feel this is a good price to pay mainly for peace of mind that you can give your child their snack cup and know they can open it themselves, get their fingers in comfortable to get the snack out and snap the lid shut themselves, minimising spillage and mess. Not sure whether it's because the cup is green or because grapes were the first snack I put in this pot but Max now asks for his 'grape cup' when we are out, regardless of what stack is in it.
Due to it's compact size I'll be looking at getting a second cup as these are perfect for on the go snacks, and given that both these products have gone down so well in our household I'm rather pleased to see OXO Tot Big Kids have such a vast range of products for us to add to our collection.
OXO Tot Range for kids on the go
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| OXO Tots Big Kid Range |
As you may have picked up from previous posts, we try and make the most of our weekends due to being working parents and this will always involve being out at some point in the day and the OXO Tots Big Kid range helps with this perfectly.
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| OXO Tots Twist Top Water Bottle |
It has a large loop that little hands can hold and carry themselves and the whole top comes off for easy cleaning, but my favourite bit is it also has measurements down the side so you don't have to guess how much of the 300ml bottle you are filling up.
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| One of 2 measurements on the OXO Tot Twist Top Water Bottle |
Whilst I was extremely impressed with the water bottle, my boy loved the snack cup! Probably for 2 reasons, it's the perfect size for his little hands and he can get the lid open and shut with no help, even though it is a snap-shut lid!
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| OXO Tot Flip-Top Snack Cup |
The Flip-Top snack cup is only £5.11 and I feel this is a good price to pay mainly for peace of mind that you can give your child their snack cup and know they can open it themselves, get their fingers in comfortable to get the snack out and snap the lid shut themselves, minimising spillage and mess. Not sure whether it's because the cup is green or because grapes were the first snack I put in this pot but Max now asks for his 'grape cup' when we are out, regardless of what stack is in it.
Due to it's compact size I'll be looking at getting a second cup as these are perfect for on the go snacks, and given that both these products have gone down so well in our household I'm rather pleased to see OXO Tot Big Kids have such a vast range of products for us to add to our collection.
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| OXO Tot Flip-Top Snack Cup |
Disclaimer: I received these products from OXO to review.
The above wording is all my own and not influenced by products received.
T11/22/2014 09:00:00 pm
Back in the summer whilst we were mooching around the car boot sale I came across this little stool that I was really uncertain of buying. It was being sold for £2 so I bought it as a learner project more than anything.
The edging was coming off and the cushion of the seat was all lumping and dusty so I put it away in the shed until the right piece of material came along.... and about 4 months later it did.
I have all sorts of odd coloured spray paints in the shed thanks to my unexpected bargain find at B&Q one day and decided to use the lovely blue to re-cover my stool. Taking my time with the paint it covered it nicely, I was rather amused at myself for cover the seat so carefully - as this was going to come off!
Once the legs were dry I tackled the seat. This was new territory for me as I'm used to taking the seat off, staple the material however I like and place back on the seat, but with this stool, there is no hiding the material!! So I removed the old tatty edging and placed new cushion filling on the seat from cushions I'd bought at the same car boot for 50p!
I cut the cushion material open and tacked it around the seat to keep the cushion filling in place, and to act as a second cover the stool. I then got my fantastic starwars piece and went round and stapled (of course a staple gun would be used at some point....) to the edge of the seat, making sure not to go further than the edge of the seat. I totally winged the edging by gathering and scrunching it up to finish the covering. I'm not entirely happy with the finish at all and feel the corners have a bit too much scrunch.
I chose a nice dark blue ribbon to cover the edging with and with my glue gun run the ribbon round, but I also found that this didn't sit smoothly either! Maybe because I tried to glue the ribbon all the way around instead of just tightly on the corners? Who knows.
Like I said at the start, for me this was a learner piece and although I'm not happy with the finish, I don't think it turned out too bad and I'm sure I can find a loving home for this little stool.
I don't think I'll class this as a success story and maybe think twice about a £2 stool in future... but then again....
My Thrifty StarWars Seat
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| One of my mad moments ... 'Oh, I can upcycle that'..... |
The edging was coming off and the cushion of the seat was all lumping and dusty so I put it away in the shed until the right piece of material came along.... and about 4 months later it did.
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| One of many bargains buys from B&Q |
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| Patience is the key to a nice covering |
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| No idea why I'm protecting the seat cover! |
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| My 50p cushions |
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| Cushions now cut up and used as padding |
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| Cover completed, now for edging |
Like I said at the start, for me this was a learner piece and although I'm not happy with the finish, I don't think it turned out too bad and I'm sure I can find a loving home for this little stool.
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| Updating my car boot find |
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| Currently living in the dining room! |
T11/19/2014 10:00:00 am
I was recently given the opportunity by Wall Create to review one of their canvas prints, so who are Wall Create you ask? Well, they are a company who have been printing on canvas since 2001 and are regarded as one of the most popular canvas printing companies in the UK, so boasting these facts you would expect a good quality canvas right? Of course, you would, and I can say I'm very pleased with my print.
I chose a photo from our recent visit to Chessington. I love this picture and I'm not entirely sure why, I guess it just oozes happiness, love and making magical memories for me.
My canvas is 40cm x 30cm with a 2cm frame that will cost you £18.97 and provided you give a good quality image in the first place (as I'm always saying, don't use a Facebook album image) then you will get a good quality image back.
The website I found to be rather cluttered and a bit of scrolling is needed to find the 'Upload File' button, but once you've selected your image the screen becomes a lot cleaner and the steps to follow are extremely easy.
The canvas comes very well wrapped and with hooks provided so you can get your print up the same day.
Disclaimer:
Wall Create Canvas Review
I was recently given the opportunity by Wall Create to review one of their canvas prints, so who are Wall Create you ask? Well, they are a company who have been printing on canvas since 2001 and are regarded as one of the most popular canvas printing companies in the UK, so boasting these facts you would expect a good quality canvas right? Of course, you would, and I can say I'm very pleased with my print.
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| Wall Create Canvas |
My canvas is 40cm x 30cm with a 2cm frame that will cost you £18.97 and provided you give a good quality image in the first place (as I'm always saying, don't use a Facebook album image) then you will get a good quality image back.
The website I found to be rather cluttered and a bit of scrolling is needed to find the 'Upload File' button, but once you've selected your image the screen becomes a lot cleaner and the steps to follow are extremely easy.
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| Customising Screen from Wall Create |
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| Well wrapped print |
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| Wall Create Hooks Provided |
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| Loving my new wall |
I received a canvas print from Wall Create to review.
The above wording is my own and not influence over the product received.
T11/15/2014 08:00:00 pm
When Spray Painting goes wrong there's always #Marvel Wallpaper
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| Wallpaper covered Marvel Stool...... for when the painting goes wrong! |
T11/14/2014 10:00:00 am
Whilst reading through some blogs today I came across a post by The Princess and The Pickle who has created some outdoor activity sheets for families exploring the New Forest. It then dawned on me that I've never been to the New Forest! For somewhere that is only in the next county to me, and only an hour and a half drive away I find that quite amazing.
But then, thinking about it, I have found the hidden treasures in our own county are usually the least likely places to visit. When we think of having a breakaway we tend to make it quite a journal and miles from home, why is that? My own county has some wonderful places to visit.
The quaint town of Arundel has the most fantastic resorted castle, wetlands where you can feed the birds, a Museum and a Cathedral, it has Goodwood and Fontwell close by to visit, and yet it is not a place I'd think to stay.
Bognor is the hometown of the infamous Butlins, and again a place that I haven't stayed at - day visit, yes, but we've not stayed for the weekend - is it because it's only a 30-minute drive away? Probably.
So, I've decided to check out local cheap hotels near to the New Forest with a view to visiting in the spring, maybe even for Easter. From those I've spoken to about this, I'm told that not only is it great seeing the ponies but the atmosphere and scenery is captivating and I'm really rather excited to be sharing my first visit with my boy's first visit too.
Do you have little local gems that you have yet to visit?
UK Getaways
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But then, thinking about it, I have found the hidden treasures in our own county are usually the least likely places to visit. When we think of having a breakaway we tend to make it quite a journal and miles from home, why is that? My own county has some wonderful places to visit.
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| Arundel Wetlands Centre |
Bognor is the hometown of the infamous Butlins, and again a place that I haven't stayed at - day visit, yes, but we've not stayed for the weekend - is it because it's only a 30-minute drive away? Probably.
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| The iconic over-sized deck chairs at Butlins |
Do you have little local gems that you have yet to visit?
T11/12/2014 09:00:00 pm
I've never been to the Winter Film and Comic Con at Earl's Court before and even though 2 of the main characters from The Outsiders were going to be there, I figured we'd left it a bit too late to get tickets
The Outsiders!
That film is the first film that made me cry! That film is up there in my top 5 movies - The top 3 actually. That film I love!
I may have been a bit.... pfft a lot excited when my partner said we could still get tickets on the door and we should go! Eek!! He is so fantastic! We left quite late in the morning, gave our boy a chance to have a sleep on the way up and packed lots of snacks and food for the day in case he got hungry (minimising the off chance of a toddler tantrum).
So we went and within 10 minutes of being there, I had a chat with Ponyboy and Johnny and got both their autographs!!! I may have felt like a starstruck teenager! In fact, I know I did! haha.
Day made!
After some lunch, we took the time to look around! I found the winter event MUCH quieter than the summer event (which obviously this year was extra busy due to the legendary Stan Lee's appearance). We managed to have a good look around all the stalls and get some pictures with various cosplay fans. I wanted to buy Capital America's shield - every girl should have a shield! Unfortunately, the ones on the show were much higher priced than the summer ones I'd seen so we settled for....... Thor's hammer..... like you do!
It was a lovely chilled out, relaxing time and I think of all the cosplay, scenes and drawings on display the strangest thing I saw was Mickey Mouse giving Alien a kiss and cuddle - I think I'm slightly scared from that image.
I also have found out that this event will be the last (for now anyway) held at Earls Court. Next year London Film and Comic Con will be held at the Olympia - so the end of an era.
Winter London Film and Comic Con #LFCCW
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| Winter London Film and Comic Con |
That film is the first film that made me cry! That film is up there in my top 5 movies - The top 3 actually. That film I love!
I may have been a bit.... pfft a lot excited when my partner said we could still get tickets on the door and we should go! Eek!! He is so fantastic! We left quite late in the morning, gave our boy a chance to have a sleep on the way up and packed lots of snacks and food for the day in case he got hungry (minimising the off chance of a toddler tantrum).
So we went and within 10 minutes of being there, I had a chat with Ponyboy and Johnny and got both their autographs!!! I may have felt like a starstruck teenager! In fact, I know I did! haha.
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| C Thomas Howell aka Ponyboy |
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| Ralph Macchio aka Johnny |
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| How amazing is this!!! |
After some lunch, we took the time to look around! I found the winter event MUCH quieter than the summer event (which obviously this year was extra busy due to the legendary Stan Lee's appearance). We managed to have a good look around all the stalls and get some pictures with various cosplay fans. I wanted to buy Capital America's shield - every girl should have a shield! Unfortunately, the ones on the show were much higher priced than the summer ones I'd seen so we settled for....... Thor's hammer..... like you do!
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| He'll keep calling me, he'll keep calling me until I come over |
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| Chewy scares the crap out of me - this is as close as I get! |
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| Where's the goat? |
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| Power Rangers at ComiCon |
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| No ComiCon is complete without Stormtroopers |
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| Every necessary accessory - Thor's Hammer |
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| Well, that's not a sight you see every day..... |