Miss E jumps for joy with her new Mountain Warehouse winter coat

So here we are in August and whilst the weather has definitely cooled in the last couple of weeks I'm still hoping for some sunshine and the chance to wear short-sleeves next week whilst we are on holiday. My little 7 year old Miss E is seeking something quite different though!

In my quest to get ready for going back to school and preparing for the cooler months I was given the opportunity by Mountain Warehouse to let Miss E choose a coat for herself, well as soon as I showed her the girls coats web page she knew exactly what she wanted. "Ohh mummy, I love it. Look at the hood, it is so cosy, I'll be just like Elsa" (that's a reference to the film Frozen in case you are unaware).

So when the package arrived she pulled it open and rushed to put her coat on. I told her I needed to get some pictures and at first she started to pull cute faces and snuggle into her beautiful fur trimmed hood. Here is her best cheesy grin -

Then when I told her we needed to head outside to get some better shots she got up on the bench and started to jump for joy! I think these above photos pretty much sum up how she feels about her new coat, it is a definite hit.

The Victoria kids quilted jacket normally retails for £69.99 but I see there is a special 50% off everything this weekend on the Mountain Warehouse website (how fabulous is that?) and delivery is free for purchases over £50.

The coat is available for ages 5 through to 13 and it feels true to size, as Miss received a 7-8 year size and it is just right for her, with a bit of room for growth. They grey outer fabric feels soft like felt (but much more sturdy of course) but it is actually 89% polyester, 10% viscose and 1% elastine and it is 100% polyester lined and padded. I was really pleased to see that the coat can be machine washed and then drip dried.

The lining inside is a beautiful fuchsia pink and it feels really thick and will keep Miss E warm I have no doubt. I had worried it would just be a toggle button front fastening but there is actually a full zip and bottom popper to keep it done up. There are two front slant pockets which are deep enough for Miss E to get her hands in. One thing I would like to have seen is ribbed cuffs inside the sleeves to ensure no cold air gets up there in the winter but as they are with gloves I am sure they would be fine.

The coat is a good length and covers Miss E's bottom and has a back pleat to allow for good room for movement.

As the coat has been folded in transit it was quite creased when it arrived but after being hung for a few days it has dropped out nicely and now looks pristine, ready for Miss E to wear it once the appropriate weather arrives.

We think this is a lovely coat and would be happy to recommend it and Mountain Warehouse. As I stated in my other recent review we have been customers for a whilst and are completely happy with their products and service. I recently had to return a coat for Jacob and it was very easy to use the returns label to send via the post office. There is also the option to take it in store or to use Collect +. So shopping online with Mountain Warehouse really should not create any fuss at all.

Disclosure: We received this coat free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Review - Temple Run (Run for your life) Multiple-ending books

JJ is a mega book worm, he adores reading and this is brilliant as otherwise he would want to sit at his screen all day. When I heard that Egmont were publishing some Temple Run multiple-ending fiction books I hoped he might like these and agreed for him to review them.

We received the first book in the series, which is available as of today, 7th August 2014. Temple Run - Run for your life - Jungle Trek is a 152 page paperback, which retails for £5.99 but I have seen it available on Amazon for £3.55, which is a super bargain. You can see it is aimed at a child by the large spaced writing.

Based on the very popular computer game, this book places you on a plane with Guy Dangerous and Scarlett Fox when it crashes. You need to make choices as you move through the book to determine how you will survive. The choices you make change the story and this means a different story every time. Your decisions will effect the outcome and if the story goes badly - which it often will - you can just start all over again.

JJ did like reading this and I have seen him pick it up a number of times but he said he preferred a classic book where there is just one ending as he wants to get into the plot. It seems like this book might be good to encourage kids who are not big readers to read a bit more as it is quite light and you can read through it fairly quickly.

JJ is nearly 11 years old but is a bit of a softie at times and he felt he could not read this book at bedtime as some of the plot lines like brain eating monkeys and snake pits worried him a bit, because of this I would not let his younger sisters read it. From the parts I've looked at though I think this book would be enjoyed by an older girl as much as a boy, particularly if they like adventure.

As well as this multi-ending book another has also been published today called Doom Lagoon and there will be another two to follow in November 2014.

We were also sent a couple of activity books, which are the shape and size of an iPad. These are approximately 50 pages of puzzles, quizzes, word searches, doodling, stickers, challenges and other word games. Retailing at £6.99 each I think they are good value for money and would make a fabulous gift for a youngster who is off to travel for a long journey and needs something fun to entertain them. The pages are a good thick quality paper and there is excellent variety in the books.

Disclosure: We were sent these books free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Back to School with Nutmeg at Morrisons (Review)

I'm always keen to get sorted for the back to school time as soon as the summer holidays start, I know some people think that is a bit sad but for me it just means I can then enjoy the six weeks off with the kids and really have some fun.

This year Morrisons have helped me with my getting organised mission and sent me some uniform for my girls to review. To be honest, until they contacted me I had no idea that Morrisons sold school uniform but then I suppose I've never really been to one of their big stores. Before we moved last year my closest supermarket was a Morrisons but it never had uniform, I'm now keen to travel to a big store and see the full Nutmeg range and what it has on offer.

The first thing I'd say about the Nutmeg range is that it appears to be really good prices. The 2 packs of polo shirts (sold in white, blue or red) start from just £2 per pack or £3 if you need the larger sizes like my girls and they are really soft.  Not as thick as some we have had previously but then at that price I don't really expect anymore. The good thing is that at £1.00 or £1.50 per top if the girls totally trash it then I'm not too worried. Have you ever tried to get that black dry wipe marker from a white polo shirt?  It's not easy, I'll tell you.

I thought the plimsolls were great value at £2.50 per pair and they have a good firm velcro fastening to keep them on little feet. The rubber round the edges seemed good too and I think they would last although Miss E felt they were a bit boyish for her but I'll soon sort that with some fabric paint!

Miss M liked the charcoal woven trousers and she especially like the fact that they had pockets and a bow detail on each pocket. These trousers for girls are £3 or £4 each depending on size and again that is a good price. They are quite a thick and rigid material rather than being a lighter flowing one, so I think they would wear well and the knees should not get worn through too easily.

We were sent the woven skirt, which again is a good price at either £3 or £4 each and it comes in either charcoal or black colours. Again it was a good thick material that is Teflon coated but I have to be honest and say I would not buy it as the pleats did not stay in. The items were sent to me via post so they were quite creased but even with ironing the pleats did not stay in nicely and this is one of my musts for a school skirt, I'd rather pay more for stay-pleats. On the plus size both the skirt and trousers had adjustable waists so you can make sure they are a good fit.

Finally the girls received a cardigan each and these are 100% cotton and feel super nice to the touch. The cardigans are available in cobalt blue, navy and red and retail for £3 or £4 (can you see a theme?).  They ironed well and looked really nice on but I did notice how easily they creased and this means by the end of the day the girls might look a mess after sitting on them or stuffing them in their bags. One of the really good things was that the cute little heart shaped buttons are really easy to do up and the girls commented on how cool these were.

In conclusion Nutmeg appear to have a good range of school uniform for both boys and girls, it does not appear to be available online and only up to about an age 13 years. They are not the best quality uniform out there, seams might not be perfectly matched and it is not the highest quality fabrics but in general they look like they will wear well and are very good value for money.

Disclosure: We received the school uniform free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Review: Childs Farm Hair Products for Kids

My girls do give their hair a good beating!

My girls have very long hair and this means I have to take care of it well otherwise it ends up a big tangled mess. I’m not quite sure why little girl hair gets so matted and messy when mine doesn’t but it seems to be the way, so I’ll just have to deal with it. I suppose it could be the toothpaste, syrup or bits of sweets I sometimes find in their hair!

With it being the summer and us living by a lake that the girls like to swim in daily we are washing their hair a lot at the moment and this means we need a shampoo which is kind to their beautiful soft hair but also effective at removing the pond smell!

We have been trailing out some Childs Farm products over the last week. I’d not heard of Childs Farm before they approached me but they are an award-winning British brand (always nice to buy something made here) which creates clinically tested natural toiletries for young and sensitive skin. Here is what we thought of those we tried out –

3 in 1 Swim

• This shampoo, conditioner and body wash in one smells of strawberry and organic mint. Miss M described it as smelling like Haribo and she is right it is a bit sickly sweet, the girls do both seem to like it though.
• It is 98% made from natural ingredients and does not contain any parabens, SLS’s, mineral oils or artificial colours.
• I love the container that it comes in, it is a no-gimmick bottle shape with a big strong lid that has a wide pop-up top. Previously we have had issues with swim shampoos that their little lids break when dropped in the pool shower and then they are not portable anymore, this bottle looks as if it will not give us any issues.
• The product is slightly thinner than I might have imagined and it is an opaque white colour, you don’t need that much to get a decent lather on your body or hair and it is not too bubbly to cause problems for little eyes.
• The product is dermatologically tested and approved and thus advertised as being suitable for those with eczema prone skin and it certainly did not seem to have any drying effect on my Miss E who is our ones prone to dry skin.
• It is also paediatrician approached and suitable for use on newborn babies.
• A 250ml bottle retails for £3.99 and is available from selected Boots, Waitrose and Ocado.

Hair detangler

• I’m always keen to try a new detangling product as there are not many I’ve found that make light work of my girls ratty hair.
• This one smells of grapefruit and tea tree oil and I think the grapefruit does a good job of masking the tea tree smell which my girls do not like but I for one love the fact it is a natural head lice repellent. Anything we can do to keep those nasty things away is a godsend.
• The liquid is a good consistency and white in colour, it is not sticky on the skin which is a plus point. When I have used it on the girls it does help and means that brushing out their tangles hurts them a lot less. It did not get rid of them totally though, there was still some work to be done.
• The bottle is attractive to look at and will definitely appeal to children and I found the pump action top to work well.
• Like the 3 in 1 product this is 98% made from natural ingredients and does not contain any parabens, SLS’s, mineral oils or artificial colours which is good for my peace of mind.
• The product is dermatologically tested and approved and thus advertised as being suitable for those with eczema prone skin.
• It is also paediatrician approached and suitable for use on newborn babies.
• A 150ml bottle retails for £3.99 and is available from selected Boots, Waitrose and Ocado.

Overall we have liked our Childs Farm products and we will continue to use them, thanks very much.

Exciting new TV program for pre-schoolers

Today Childs Farm launch of a brand new animation series for pre-schoolers. The cartoon brings to life the familiar animals found on the Childs Farm product labels and sees them carry out their everyday antics on the idyllic farm, located in the beautiful British countryside. The debut episode ‘Pigs can Fly’ was aired today, Monday 28th July 2014 on Cartoonito (SKY 619 and Virgin Media 706) at 12:30pm.

Childs Farm centres around Radar the dog and his dynamic bunch of farmyard animal friends: Truffles; the ever-hungry pig, Bella; the dancing goat, Buster; the rather unusual pony, Peggy; the sporty duck, Mimi; the motherly mouse and Old Red the tractor. Whether on the beach competing to collect the prettiest seashell or being taught to dance at the farm, the gang learns that anyone can do anything if you give it a go, and have a little faith in yourself!

Disclosure: I was sent these hair products free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Review - Aqua Beads Jewel Starter Kit

Aquabeads have been a firm favourite for some time now, much like the more established Hama beads in that you can make little designs, keyrings, photo frames, 3D boxes etc but the massive plus point with Aquabeads is that they just need a spray of water and about an hour to fix solid and thus the children can do it themselves.  No more having to get the ironing board out and buying expensive backing paper to iron the beads and make their designs.

When we first got Aquabeads a couple of years back I did wonder if the designs might fall apart after a while but actually as long as you spray them and allow them to dry and then spray the other side they last an age. We still have some that have been hanging around way in excess of a year now.

The set we were sent to review is the new Aquabeads jewel starter set and this means the beads are not round and opaque they are jewel shaped and translucent and sparkly.  My twins really loved them and it is a nice twist on something which is popular with them already.

You make the designs in the same way as always. Open up your 800 beads (sounds a lot but actually they will be gone in a flash) and put them in the little plastic dish that you get to keep the colours separate. This has a very flimsy plastic lid for storing your beads but I would recommend getting a better storage box if you intend to build on your collection or use these a lot.

You then place a template sheet between the base tray and the layout tray and start to use the bead pen to delicately place your bead over the relevant space to start making the pattern shown in the template.  Of course you can also free style if you like to but my girls tend to like to follow the pattern.  Miss E actually finds it easier to use her fingers than the bead pen as she has a steady hand and lots of patience but Miss M uses the bead pen as she tends to knock all the other beads she has already placed otherwise!

The Aquabeads jewel starter set is recommended for age 4 years and upwards and I think it is worth every penny of its £10.99 price tag as it provides a lot of fun and some nice creative items at the end to keep. Miss E is currently making a rainbow with one bead missing at the top so she can thread a silver chain through it and wear it as a necklace.

For more inspiration you can follow Aquabeads on Facebook , Instagram and Pinterest and brilliantly you can also download new templates so your children can make even more designs.

Disclosure:  We were provided with this set free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.