Review: Pillow Pals are a Big Hit at our House

You'll know that I have 2 little twin girls and also my older son.  What perhaps you do not know is that I have 3 kids who are crazy about their cuddly toys. JJ goes to bed each night with about 20 stuffed toys down the side of his bed, he spends a good few minutes organising them before he sleeps. Miss E will not even consider bed without her beloved and battered Alfie and Miss M has a real penchant for dog toys - spaniels, pink poodles, golden labs and many, many more.

Miss E and Miss M are going to be very happy little ladies in a few weeks, because they will be receiving these Pillow Pets -

A dog for Miss M and a pretty Unicorn for my girlie girl Miss E

I have been sent two Pillow Pets for my girls and I want to give them as an early Easter gift when we go away at the beginning of April, so at the moment they have no idea about their existence but they have seen adverts for Pillow Pets and have asked me if they can have one each for their birthday.  Ohh yes young ladies, I think we can do better than that! lol

As the girls are totally unaware at the moment I got JJ to help me out with this review and that has created one small problem.....  he wants his own Pillow Pet too! Yes, apparently 8 is not at all too old for a gorgeous, soft and cuddly pillow - the dog one please Mum! Ohh OK babe, seeing as you can get a beautiful Pillow Pet for anywhere upwards of about £6.00 on Amazon at the moment I think I can stretch to that.

Tall JJ showing off just what a good size the pillow pets are

...and a generous sized pillow when laid flat too! Perfect for a quick snooze!

In case you have not clicked yet, a Pillow Pet is a dual purpose toy. When closed it is a classic cuddly toy for your child to play with and love and open the velcro tab on the tummy and it lays out flat to be a beautiful large pillow. Made from super-soft chenille it feels absolutely gorgeous.  Any adult would be happy to snuggle up with it too I am sure. There are lots of different animal designs to choose from, my favourite is the yellow bumble bee.  There are also some special Easter toys being released soon - bunnies and a duck.

I am happy to recommend Pillow Pets as a premium product that will not disappoint. It is machine washable which is superb as of course it will get grubby when cuddled by a child all the time. The RRP is £19.99 and even at that price I believe it represents great value and will be something that will be enjoyed for years rather than just weeks or months. Do not be fooled by the inferior imitations that are out there.  Pillow Pets have been around since 2003 and are the original, we are now just lucky enough that Mookie Toys will be distributing them here in the UK as of this month.

Recommended for age 3 years and upwards.

Disclaimer:  We received 2 pillow pets free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest. Many thanks to Mookie Toys.

Review & Giveaway: Swingball All Surface

Congratulations to Dolly Daydreamer (@d_daydreams) you are the lucky winner.  Please DM or email me your name and address details.  Many thanks, Mich x

So what do you think when I say Swingball to
you?  Personally it took me right back to being in my back garden in the early 80's when I was about 10 years old.  It was definitely something that was part of my upbringing, banging that ball round as fast as I could to see if I could bash my little brother with it! I now see that was probably not the idea of it though...

A couple of years back JJ was given a Junior Swingball (the same but smaller) and I admit that I thought it was a rubbish present, it stayed in the garden and when my Mum got a dog he took a liking to it and bit the ball up so it never really got used properly but what I know now was that we did not give it a chance, I made a judgement call before we even gave it a fair shot.

So a few months ago when I was helping at our Church's youth group and they got out a full size Swingball, it was really interesting to watch all these 12 - 16 year olds playing with such zeal, they had so much fun and then I had a game too and I had fun and you know what it was so energetic.  Exercise in the form of fun - perfect!  So when I got an email asking if I would like to review a full size Swingball set I jumped at the chance and I was right to do so, the kids all loved it.

As my kids are still fairly young I constructed the swingball minus one of the lengths so it is a short version, I love the fact that it is versatile to be able to do this. It meant that both my 4 year olds could
play and even though the bats were big for them they were able to hold them and gently bash the ball around.

JJ and I played a more ferocious game and really had some fun.  Next time we meet friends for a picnic day at the park I will definitely take this along so we can all have some fun together, you could even have tournaments like you might in snooker.  The winner stays on and plays the next person....  well until they are too tired!  JJ was in his element batting a ball at high speed towards his Mum!

Take a look at the all surface swingball we were sent HERE, you can watch a video to see how it works in practice if you are not sure.  The Swingball game is produced by Mookie Toys, who are a classic brand with a heritage stretching back more than 30 years and Swingball is officially one of the top ten best-selling toys of the last 10 years.  What they say about Swingball: The fully portable game is perfect for outdoor events, holiday fun and picnics. With its unique lid and base construction, all the game components can be stored inside and the integral handle makes it easy to pick up and play... anywhere!  It’s fun, interactive and great for all age-groups and genders.

It is true, it really is very portable, setting the swingball up was easy and quick and I was able to pack it all away again too, something that companies often boast about but is practically impossible to do. Not so with Swingball the promises they make seem honest.  We used some old rubble to fill our base to make it sturdy but they advocate water or sand. It just shows that all sorts work.

If you are interested to buy a Swingball for your family they are available from all good toy retailers or you can purchase from Amazon for the great price of £22.99 currently.  The RRP is £29.99 which I think is good value for a game that will last years.  However if you don't have any spare pennies at the moment you can enter my giveaway to win an All Surface Swingball just like the one we have.

How to Enter

• Mandatory:  Follow my review blog by any means that suits you - Google friends connect, subscribe to my RSS feed or subscribe by email. All the gadgets are in the right side-bar. Leave me a comment to say you have done so and a way of contacting you if you are the lucky winner.
• Extra entry - Tweet 'I am in to #win a Swingball set from @MookieToys in @MichelleTwinMum's #giveaway http://bit.ly/qgr4uW'

Terms and Conditions

• The winner will be chosen at random
• Open to UK residents only
• Giveaway closes at 12 noon on Friday 9th September 2011
• The winner will be contacted within 3 working days of the competition closing
• The winner needs to contact me within a week of my announcing the winner or I will draw again
• The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative
• The Swingball set will be sent direct from Mookie Toys

Good Luck!


This is a review and giveaway post, I was provided with a Swingball set to review.  I was not instructed what to write, my opinions are my own and I remain honest.