Clarks 100 things - writing to a penpal

You might have seen my recent post introducing Clarks new initiative '100 things to do before you are 10'. The first 50 things have been launched for summer and the next 50 will follow in the autumn.

We are busy working our way through some of the suggestions and having great fun as we go.

Our latest venture has been to get JJ to write to a pen pal (number 38 on the list), to be honest this is something we said we would start doing a few years back but it seems to have got forgotten. No better time to make it happen than now!

Back in 2005 my husband and I attended Spring Harvest, a big Christian conference held at Butlins each year and this was when we found out about Compassion, a Christian charity that helps people to sponsor individual children abroad. We knew straight away that we wanted to join in and the £21 per month was pocket change to us and could mean such an amazing amount to a child abroad.

At the time our JJ was just two years old and we said that is was really important for him to understand how fortunate he is and to know about the difficulties children in other countries face. I'm very pleased to say that we still sponsor Carl-Henri, the little boy from Haiti that we made a commitment to 8 years ago and we now also sponsor Priya, an Indian girl that we took on a couple of years back after dh returned from a mission trip to the country.

Carl-Henri is now 14 and we have watched him grow up in photos, the pictures he draws for us and the letters we receive. The children are read these letters and know about our sponsored children as there are photos on display in the house but now it is time for them to take their relationships to the next level. Today I sat JJ down and asked him to write to Carl-Henri to tell him what he has been up to and to be sensitive about what he shares, as Carl-Henri will not have access to all the privileges JJ has.

JJ chose to share that we had been on holiday and he had enjoyed playing in the sea and making sandcastles with his Grandad. He then talked about our move to a Christian centre in the countryside and his new love for football, something he shares with Carl-Henri. We then added a photo of JJ and his sisters having fun on the beach.

JJ tells me he enjoyed writing his letter and he is looking forward to receiving a reply back from Carl-Henri and one day he hopes to meet him - how awesome would that be?

Disclosure: I was provided with Clarks vouchers to take part in this initiative. I have not been told what to write and I remain honest.

Review: Teen Beach Movie Soundtrack on CD

I posted late last week about the new Disney made-for-TV movie Teen Beach Movie, which premiered on Friday evening and I have to admit that my 6 year old twin girls and I all loved it. Sadly we did not have any way to record it or I just know we would have been watching the film again and again.

It was just as I expected - full of cheesy tunes and pretty, shiny clean characters. One of the reasons I like Disney so much is that the films and TV programs they run are wholesome and not full of bad attitude and poor language like so many things aimed at kids nowadays.

We were sent the soundtrack to review and we played this all week prior to the movie being aired. The music makes you feel summery, happy and ready to party on the beach. It reminds me of 1950/60's tunes with a modern twist.

There are 12 songs plus 3 bonus tracks on the CD, they are -

1. Oxygen
2. Surf crazy  (Miss E's favourite)
3. Cruisin' for a bruisin' (Miss M's favourite)
4. Falling for Ya
5. Meant to be  (My favourite)
6. Like me
7. Meant to be (Reprise 1)
8. Can't stop singing
9. Meant to be (Reprise 2)
10. Surf's up
11. Coolest Cats in Town
12. Surf Crazy Finale

Bonus tracks:
13. Cruisin' for a bruisin' (Instrumental Version)
14. Falling for Ya (Instrumental Version)
15. Surf's up (Instrumental Version)

I'll tell you what - clear up time got a whole lot easier when we cranked the tunes up loud and we all sang and partied our way through tidy up time. I have heard the songs coming from the girls bedroom on a number of occasions so far and I caught them with hairbrush in hand this morning introducing one another as the new stars of the show! I just love their make believe and this CD is helping with that - perfect!

Have a listen to a couple of tracks yourself and see what you think -



You can purchase the tunes on iTunes or I see the CD is available on Amazon (with a free download too) for just £9.00.

Disclosure: We received this CD free of charge for the purpose of this review.

BBQ Fail #TheCharcoalChallenge

I've got a bit of a secret to let you into.....  I can't BBQ, I am just rubbish at it.  I want to be good and I'd love to have serene evenings spent outside with my husband and the kids chilling as the meat slowly cooks and the beautiful smells waft over towards me.  This just does not happen. I bought a nice red gas BBQ once and we used it twice and that was it - it just seemed too much fuss and cleaning for the food we got.

Then I heard that MoneySupermarket.com where offering bloggers £50 to take part in the #thecharcoalchallenge and I thought perfect, I can try again - surely even I can manage one of those disposable BBQ's and we can have some yummy smoky burgers to enjoy for the girls birthday tea with their grandparents whilst we were on holiday.

Oh dear, how wrong was I?  We got the BBQ lit and that seemed fine, the instructions advised me to wait 20 minutes for the flames to die down and the charcoal to look covered in ash. All looking good 10 minutes in -

But then the smoke started as the wind had got up and the patio area started to look as if we needed a fire engine to come visit. My Dad could take the smoke no longer and we decided to put the BBQ out and stop trying to annoy the neighbours

So it was under the grill that the burgers went, ideals of smoky flavours out the window.  We did enjoy our birthday tea and then everyone loved the meringue, cream and strawberries after and we finished up with a game of monopoly. At least we got something out of the £50 that will last us for some years yet and give us lots of fun!

 Thanks to moneysupermarket.com for helping us have a fun evening as a family.

Will you be watching Teen Beach Movie tomorrow?

My twin girls are big fans of the Disney Channel and we can all regularly be found watching programs like Good Luck Charlie, Jessie and Austin and Ally.  It is because of this that they heard about the new original Disney made-for-TV move Teen Beach Movie and the fact that it stars Ross Lynch (Austin from Austin and Ally) means that my girls have not shut up about it.  Now comes the confession.....  I have watched the trailer a few times and I want to see it too.

It previews tomorrow night on the Disney channel at 6pm and I'll be watching.

Take a peek at the trailer -



I'll let you know what it is like but I fully expect to like it, over the last few months my girls and I have had many a movie night and I seem to be developing a liking for the frothy pre-teen movies!

Great family offers this summer at Cineworld

This summer boasts a great line up of films the whole family can enjoy. To celebrate all the great films out this summer, Cineworld is introducing a whole host of Big Family Offers to make the cinema experience even more exciting, from 20% off family tickets booked through mycineworld to prize draws and lots of other giveaways. 

They are also continuing to run the Movies for Juniors £1 screening offers to ensure that families can afford to watch a movie together. We do these lots and have seen a number of great films, just a few months after they first release. £5 on a Saturday for us all is a screening we can afford.

A nationwide survey of over 21,000 film fans* revealed that Despicable Me 2 is the most hotly anticipated family film of 2013 with 34% saying they’re looking forward to seeing Gru and co back in action this summer. Monsters University claim second place in the poll with 29%. Other films to feature in the top 5 include, Jurassic Park 3D 19%, The Smurfs 2 8% and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Revenge of the Leftovers 7%. We went to the Cinema on Saturday and saw Monsters University (I can happily recommend it and my JJ was super excited to see there is a new Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs film - apparently he is going to save up to take me!

This summer’s must-see family films:

Already released: Despicable Me 2

The follow-up to the 2010 original hit, Despicable Me 2 sees Gru’s yellow, goggle-wearing minions return for more mirth and mayhem.

Already released: Monsters University

Much-loved Monsters, Inc duo Mike and Sulley scare up a fun-packed prequel to the Pixar hit.

July 31^st: The Smurfs 2

The popular little blue funsters take on the nasty Naughties in this fabulous new adventure.

August 7^th: Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters

Percy and friends return for another epic, fantasy adventure as they set off to find the Golden Fleece.

August 16^th: Planes

From the same garage as Cars comes the hilarious, uplifting tale of a plucky crop duster who must find his inner hero.

Big Family Offers:

·         20% off family tickets for summer films when you book online with mycineworld

·         Win the Ultimate Sony gadget pack when you buy a ticket online for The Smurfs 2

·         Book online for Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters and you will be entered in to a draw to win one of five tech goody bags worth £4K each

·         Win a BA family holiday to Florida when you buy a ticket online for Planes

·         Movies For Juniors from £1, our discounted weekly screenings of kids films at Cineworld Cinemas²

·         Special snack deals, including the Family Special for £9.95 and £3.25 munchbox³

·         Book a ticket online for Monsters University and you will be entered into a prize draw to win a Monsters University bedroom makeover

·         For full details of all these offers and more, check http://www.cineworld.co.uk/bigfamilyoffers

About Big Family Offers

All competitions and prize draws run until 6^th September 2013. Terms & Conditions apply.

¹ Cineworld surveyed over 21,000 Cineworld Unlimited card holders

² £1 Movies For Juniors when booked online with mycineworld (£1.50 in cinema). The Movies for Juniors offer runs throughout the year with daily performances during the school holidays

³ The Family Special snack and munchbox deals run throughout the year

Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets for Monsters University for the family and I thought I'd share this information as I know it is useful. I have been a Cineworld customer for some time and often benefit from the £1 Movies for Juniors deal