Liv was very lucky recently to be sent a lovely pink boom box  to review from Asda.

Surprisingly (or not!) she is a huge Frozen fan so we decided to get her the Frozen CD to use with her new CD player, and we have all been singing it since.

To say she was excited the first time we used it would be a huge understatement! She didn't even know what it was when I took it out of the box but she immediately started to squeal and jump up and down excitedly just at the sight of it.

It honestly couldn't have been easier to set up. I simply took the boom box and power cable out of the box, slotted the power cable into the back, plugged it in switched it on and we were away to go!

The unit has a digital screen to show the track number, a play/pause button, a skip back and skip forward button as well as a stop and power off/on button.

Other than that all there is is a AM/FM switch, radio tuner and volume control and the CD is entered/removed by simply pressing the open button, lovely and simple for little ones to learn to use.

Of course being a boom box it comes with a handle and the option of battery use for travelling - requires 6 C batteries.

The sound quality is very good to my untrained ear, Liv adores the colour, it is nice and compact and an excellent price - just £20! - so we are pleased all round.

There is also the option to use headphones which I'm sure will come in handy as she gets older. 

If this isn't to your taste Asda do a selection of other CD players too.

Thanks Asda!

Disclaimer - I was sent the item for the purpose of the review, however all opinion is my own.

Cirque Du Hilarious review

Liv and I have had a lovely fun packed week last week, starting with a trip to Blackpool to watch the Father and Son duo - Danny Adams and Cliff Webb - better known as the very funny Cirque Du Hilarious.

If, like me, you have never heard of them before, here is a paragraph from their website describing them:

"Circus Hilarious are award-winning father and son duo Clive Webb and Danny Adams. For over fifteen years, CIRCUS HILARIOUS has been bringing the magic of circus and mirth of comedy to audiences across the UK"

When we arrived at the Central Pier Showbar we were handed our tickets and advised to collapse the pushchairs as there were quite a few stairs to climb, although I'm sure there must be a lift in the building as I spotted some wheelchair seating available to the left of the stage.

There was plenty of seating avaible throughout the good sized room - which was air conditioned - an absolute blessing! Also in the room was a bar selling alcohol, soft drinks and crisps.

We got some drinks from the bar and sat down at the back on some raised seating so the toddlers could see, it was then I began to wonder how successfull these Guys would be at making our group ranging from 2 - 65, laugh out loud. The answer is - VERY!

The show is a hilarious mix of slapstick, magic acts, music, dancing, audience participation and pure and simple stupidity. My six year old Nephew in particular did not stop laughing through the whole act, and has been repeating Danny's catchphrases ever since.

Liv was a little upset at a few of the very loud bangs and didn't really link the giant fake robots head falling off but otherwise she laughed and danced along happily. While some of it was a little cringey to Adults the kids loved it and although it isn't really my kind of humour I found myself giggling along and really laughed at a few parts. It's absolutely impossible not to with the very talented and cheeky Danny pulling faces, using funny voices and generally throwing himself around the stage. The one or two mishaps were made to seem like very funny parts of the act like when Danny fell off the stage dressed as a Wolf, the way he dealt with it was more hilarious than the fall!

All of the performers (including another two of Clive's sons - Mick Potts and Jonny Marx) work really well together, with the very lovely dancing Ladies brought out to distract you from the prop change. I honestly don't know how they all managed to perform so well in last weeks heat, it must have been absolutely gruelling for them but of course as professional performers they didn't let it show.

Hints and tips:

1) Just incase Grandma or Boys of a certain age are going with you - there are Ladies dancing in burlesque outfits and in the show in their underwear (fleetingly). Nothing to worry about but I thought I would mention it as my Nana would have been horrified (my Mother in law was not!) 

2) I would advise you to try to keep phones etc in a safe place as there are occasions when water is squirted into the audience - VERY funny!

3) Try to get there early to ensure a central seat so you don't miss any of the action.

It was without a doubt a very funny show, all of our group genuinely enjoyed the show and would happily pay to see it again.

If you find yourself in Blackpool before the 31st of August I would definitely reccomend watching the show, alternatively you can catch Danny and Clive in their annual sell out panto in Newcastle or possibly during their Butlins tours. You can also keep up with the latest news on their Facebook page or on Twitter.

Disclaimer: we were provided with free entry to the show to enable us to review, however all opinion is my own. 

Our first trip to the Royal Welsh Show.

Last week we decided to head out to the Royal Welsh show for the first time. I have to say I wasn't that convinced when my Sister in Law first mentioned it but it turns out I should listen to her more often as we had a great time!

The sun was shining down on us as we spent the day browsing stalls, watched the sheepdog trials, some amazing horse parades, the very talented Equus & Falco and The Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team – The White Helmets.

It also became apparent that Liv is no longer intimidated by animals, she stroked some sheep, donkeys, cows and enormous pigs. She also hugged a goat, milked a pretend cow and made a candle from bees wax - great fun!

About the Royal Welsh Show:

"The role of the modern Royal Welsh Show is a rounded one. As well as its principal function of showcasing the cream of Welsh livestock and the high quality food and drink produced in Wales, it encompasses the wider spectrum of farming and rural life and successfully bridges the gap between town and country.

It provides something to interest everyone through its kaleidoscopic range of activities including forestry, horticulture, crafts, countryside sports, Sports Village and a 12 hour programme of exciting entertainment that continues throughout each of the four days of the event."

We also did a bit of shopping, with so many lovely stalls it would have been rude not too! 

I was particularly proud of my purchases in the Joules sale. I managed to get Liv a Girls Chambry spot shirt  for £12.95, a pair of Girls Chambry spot jeans for £11.95, a creme Broderie dress for £14.95 and some lovely yellow denim shorts for £9.95.

All for just under £50 - major bargain!

I would definitely attend the show again - wearing more comfortable footwear next time!

There is so much we just didn't have time to see, I think to see it all you would need to be there for at least two days. A lot of people seemed to be staying at nearby caravan parks so that's something to bear in mind for next year.

Disclaimer - I was provided with free entry and a Joules voucher in exchange for an honest review, all opinion is my own.

Cirque Du Hilarious family entry giveaway.

We are very lucky to be off on a family day out to Blackpool later this month to watch the Superstars of slapstick - Cirque Du Hilarious. 

We have heard such great reviews from people who have seen them at holiday camps that I am really excited!

A snapshot from the show.

Learn more about "The funniest show in town" at www.cirqueduhilarious.co.uk

To be in with a chance of winning entry for a Family of four, fill in the Rafflecopter form below - good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Last minute Fathers Day gifts.

Don't forget it's Fathers Day tomorrow guys! Haven't bought your gifts yet?

Don't worry, head on down to your local Asda for plenty of choice.

We have been sent these Wahl hair graders, Mr Strong key ring and a bound hip flask with "Worlds best Dad" on the front. These will go down a treat with Daddy and Grandad too.

They have a huge range of items available, from onsies to Whiskey and every key ring/tshirt in between, with something to suit every budget, you can't go wrong!

We are off to our local Asda this afternoon to pick up some steak and veggies to make Daddy's favourite dinner tomorrow 

Disclaimer: we were sent the above items for Father's Day, however all opinion is my own.

Sharing the Stokke Tripp Trapp® love.

Regular readers or followers of my Facebook page will be familiar with photographs of Liv in her Stokke Xplory.

I rave about it at any given opportunity and drive my Family and Friends mad with talk of Winter/Summer kits and sheepskin liners. Little Miss adores it too, who wouldn't though? I would love to be pushed around in such style!

What I haven't mentioned yet is that we also have another Stokke product, a truly amazing chair called a Tripp Trapp®. The same one that The Daily Mail revealed Prince George has been using during the recent Royal trip.

We came across this chair after Liv spent months pushing her feet up into the table or the underneath of her highchair tray. I realised she was trying to rest her feet on something, so I started to research chairs with footrests. That is when I came across the Tripp Trapp®. The seat and foot plates are fully adjustable, meaning it is easy to be at the perfect height for your table and also for Children to have their feet on a solid surface. This is a very big plus for me, at two and a half, Livs choices would be an adult sized dining chair of a booster seat, neither of which would have her at the correct height for the table, but most importantly with nowhere to rest her feet. Imagine having to sit throughout a whole meal with your legs dangling uncomfortably in mid air, unable to shift your weight or position because your feet aren't touching a firm surface, not a nice thought

What is even more brilliant about this particular chair is that it is suitable from Newborn (with an additional attachment) right through to Adulthood. It's also pretty much identical to its original 1972 design. 

Copyright Stokke-permission granted to use this image.

A quote from the Designer - Peter Opsvik.

“In 1972 the only sitting devices for children from the age of two onwards were special, low chairs, or ordinary chairs designed and intended for grown-ups. My objective was that one chair should seat persons of all sizes in a natural way at the same table. My hope was that this would make sitting at the table more enjoyable and make activities easier to perform there.”

We bought ours second hand around a year ago now, it is a bit battered and bruised but is still completely solid and has plenty of life left in it. After being pushed down the list numerous times, the time has finally come to fix it up. I am all prepared with sandpaper, primer, paint and varnish and I am genuinely excited to get started! We can't wait to see the finished piece.

Here is our Tripp Trapp® as it looks now. 

Watch this space for the finished chair and how we did it.

Clarks Spring/Summer 2014 review.

We have been very lucky to review a few Clarks ranges now, Livs first shoes were from Clarks (although not for review) My other posts can be found here and here.

The staff at Clarks have always been amazingly helpful and this visit was no exception.

After a quick chat with a lovely young Lady named Olivia, she asked if Liv would like to have her feet measured on the iPad now she is over a size 7. Of course Liv loved this idea and chose the little Boy character on the screen to measure them for her.

Her feet measured as a size 8 and G/H width, however she quite often she ends up with half a size bigger to get the best fit width wise. I explained all of this to Olivia and she was very accommodating in bringing the more narrow shoes out in both size 8 and 8.5 without me having to ask her.

She patiently spent around 35 minutes with us, fetching, fitting and returning an endless number of shoes until we found the perfect ones. She was very polite throughout and we did not feel rushed, even though it was a busy Saturday afternoon.

Here are the lovely selection we chose.

Mosey game light up trainers 

These are Livs first real pair of trainers and she loved them. These are the only ones she wanted in the shop and it is no surprise why. These trainers are not only lovely pastel colours, have a fairy and are glittery, they also light up. What more could a little Girl want! They support her feet well, they are fully adjustable with two velcro straps. Liv is also positive they make her run faster, bonus!

Star games sandals

Liv also had a pair of these in pink last year. I have to say they were brilliant, she wore them all summer in sand, water and mud. They were thrown in the washer a few times and each time they came out looking like new. They were especially good in Florida for three weeks as they kept her feet nice and cool without compromising on comfort and support.

Orra Noon leather sandals

These leather sandals have a lovely soft feel to them and just a touch of sparkle. We decided on these as they were the best fit by far, even thought they are only available in an "F" width fitting they fitted perfectly in half a size up. If you have a difficult little one for shoes too, I would recommend you try these as the buckle means a secure fit while the front strap is Velcro, so fully adjustable to make the shoe a perfect fit for each foot. Also available in white.

Disclaimer: I was sent a voucher to cover some of the cost of the shoes, however all opinion is my own.

Making tulle pom-poms.

I have seen a few pictures lately of lovely big tulle Pom-poms hanging from bedroom ceilings so Liv and I had a quick go at making one of our own last week.

What I used:

A roll of £3 tulle 

Some ribbon

A book (or cardboard) to wrap the tulle around

Scissors

What we did:

Liv helped wrapped the tulle around the book 15 times, then we tied the tulle on one side of the book with some ribbon leaving enough loose to allow us to take the tulle off the book and tie it all around the middle using the ribbon already attached.

Next I tied another piece of ribbon around the centre to use as a handle or for hanging. Then I cut both ends of the tulle before we fluffed out the Pom-Pom, the more you fluff, the better it looks!

Liv has had great fun dancing around with this one and the tulle has frayed quite a lot on the edges and moved giving it an uneven look but the bigger ones we make will be hung up so that shouldn't be an issue.

Cheap, easy and fun, why don't you give it a go too?

Easter crafting with Hobbycraft

Following the release of the below infographic, Liv was lucky to be sent a create-a-bear stuff and stitch bunny kit from Hobbeycraft to review this Easter.

TV OFF, CRAFTING KITS IN

PARENTS DITCH THE GAMES CONSOLES IN FAVOUR OF ‘MAKING’

With the Government* having recently outlined the top skills that all children should have when they start school, it’s revealed by Hobbycraft that getting ‘making’ is the latest must-do activity for pre-school children, as 67 per cent of parents would like to do more creative activities with their children, and lure them away from the game consoles, computers and mobile technology.

Over 37 percent wish they could turn the TV off more, with 35 per cent saying they’d like to see less time spent on the computer to help develop and stimulate their child.

Getting crafty is an important activity to help children express themselves. Sensory stimulation from art materials improves a child’s five senses as well as teaching the meaning of sharing and social interaction with others.

Motor skills are developed when ‘making’ with hand-eye coordination preparing children for real life tasks at school and home.

Katherine Paterson, Marketing Director of Hobbycraft says, “There’s no doubt that a child who has the opportunity to ‘make’ and be creative is ready for the challenges of school. ‘Making’ is the perfect activity for pre-school children to take part in to help develop their motor skills.

We’re calling for all parents of pre-school children to get ‘making’ and we’re here to help. We’ve got plenty going on in our stores over the Easter holidays; from free project sheets, How To leaflets, and demonstrations on our Making Tables – where whatever you make you get to take home - to our store colleagues, all passionate makers themselves, who are always available to help guide, advise and inspire you, whatever your age or level of ability.”

The survey also revealed that three out of ten parents admit to cutting back on expensive days out for kids in favour of at home making activities.

Nearly half of respondents stated that they find making things really rewarding, whether it’s a birthday card for grandma or a gift for teacher.  And 35 per cent stated that their sense of pride, and their children’s sense of achievement when they have made something, is priceless."

Here is the bear we were sent.

What's in the box?

An unstuffed rabbit,

Stuffing,

A padded fabric heart,

Fabric pen,

ID card.

It was really easy to make, you simply loosen the stitching in the back, pop in the stuffing making sure you fill the arms and legs too, personalise your fabric heart with the pen provided then place inside. All that is left to do is tighten the thread by pulling the the end, tie a knot in the end and finally cut the excess thread off.

We had great fun making Livs Easter bunny and she genuinely loves it. She has been named Hoppy and measuring 38 cm x 21 cm x 13 cm is the perfect size for cuddles and has even been taken to bed, a great honour indeed! 

There is also a panda or cream teddy bear available for £12 and four outfits to choose from at £9 each.

Disclaimer - I was sent the create-a-bear kit for the purpose of the review, however all opinion is my own.

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