Say Hello to Cozmo! #AnkiCozmo

This week we have been trying out Cozmo from Anki. Cozmo is a super smart little guy with lots of attitude. He is incredibly playful and mischievous. From the moment he came out of his box, he has fascinated all three Mini Reviewers with his charming facial expressions and robot chatter. He has also been a hit with the adults of the family!

Dear first-time mum (me)... #VicksBabyRub

When I discovered I was pregnant for the first time I was working full-time as a lawyer and I loved my job. Most of my good friends were childless and, in all honesty, I had no real understanding of what parenthood would bring and how life was about to change. 

Seven years on and I am now a full-time mum of three and my priorities in life have completely shifted. So when BritMums asked parents to take part in the #VicksBabyRub Challenge sponsored by Vicks BabyRub to give advice to their younger first-time-parent self, I thought it would be a great opportunity to reflect upon what I have learned from my own parenting journey so far.

Celebrating Snow Days #OreoCookieQuest

It’s snowing… again! But we really don’t mind, in fact we have been enjoying our snow days here. Over the past few weeks Mini Reviewer, Izzie (6) has found herself at home for a few extra days as her school closed due to the bad weather and although initially she was not impressed (she loves school!), she soon realised that it was the perfect opportunity to have some fun together! I also enjoyed the break from the dreaded school run and unsurprisingly completely embraced a slower pace of life for a few days.

Babies, Books and Buggies! Our Trip to The Baby Room at Smyths #thebabyroom

We were recently invited to visit The Baby Room at Smyths in Leeds. Until receiving our invite we had no idea that Smyths had a dedicated baby department selling everything from bath toys and bouncy chairs to larger items such as car seats and travel systems.

Language Learning Part 4: Learning with Lingotot

Welcome back to our Language Learning Series. This week we were delighted to be able to try out a Lingotot language class in York. I have been looking into language classes for a while as I think they are a great way to boost enthusiasm for language learning with little ones plus, of course, you get to meet new people.

Christmas Gifts for Little Bookworms

It's that time of year again and every child is starting to prepare a very special list but with three children all of a similar age, our house already seems overloaded with toys and that is before Santa has made his deliveries! So with that in mind, we thought we would share a few ideas that may inspire others to "think outside the (toy) box" this Christmas. Here are our top Christmas gifts for little bookworms...

Getting Crafty with Goodnight Spaceman #WorldSpaceWeek

To celebrate World Space Week (4th - 10th October) we have been getting crafty with Goodnight Spaceman thanks to Puffin Books and Ora. We made a fabulous space scene following this very easy tutorial on Puffin's website, which takes advantage of Ora's uniquely shaped round kitchen towels (although any paper towel could be used). This little project is suitable for the whole family, even Mini Reviewer, Poppy (1), got stuck in! Just take a peek at how we got on.

Language Learning Part 3: Flashcard Fun with Lil'ollo

Welcome to the third part of our Language Learning series: Flashcard fun with Lil'ollo, if you are joining us for the first time "Hello" or rather "Hallo"! We have previously looked at introducing languages through song and stories with an emphasis on learning German. However, the resources and products we have shared are available in many other languages too, so you may wish to take a look at our earlier posts: Language Learning Part 1: Singing with Lingotastic and Language Learning Part 2: STORIES.

wash, wear, repeat... #EcoverLaundry

Looking back to my childhood, I recall that the washing machine was constantly on the go and there were always clothes drying on the line outside. Fast forward 30ish years and not much has changed. As a busy Mum of three, it seems like the laundry basket is never empty and so continues the inevitable cycle of wash, wear, repeat... 

I spend a lot of money on washing detergent every month and, due to the eczema issues in our family, I am very particular about the products we use. I usually choose a non-bio formula manufactured by a leading brand and avoid fabric softener. I need a detergent that is tough enough to deal with all the weird and wonderful stains and smells that come with parenthood yet is gentle on sensitive skin.

Everything Unicorn

It's official, we have got unicorn fever in this house but there's no need to panic, this is not some sort of tropical disease, no, this is the unicorn craze that seems to have been sweeping the nation for some time now. So this week we are embracing everything sparkly, cute, shiny and even gooey that this magical, horned creature has to offer!

Something Sparkly...

Add some sparkle to storytime with these two fabulous unicorn-themed books. Sugarlump and the Unicorn is written by one of our favourite authors, Julia Donaldson. The cute and whimsical illustrations are the work of the extremely talented, Lydia Monks. Together Julia and Lydia have created several other brilliant children's books together, including The Singing Mermaid; The Princess and The Wizard; and the What The Ladybird Heard trilogy.

Bath Time Adventures with Cocobubble - Review & Giveaway

Cocobubble is a family business based in South Wales that is reinventing bath time with a range of child friendly bath bombs, soap paints and mini character soaps. Cocobubble also sell innovative activity bundles, eco friendly toys and, yep you guessed it, a bath time book! 

The Magical Wood is described as a bath time adventure book. It is made using a flexible, waterproof material so it can get splashed or even be fully immersed in the tub. Cocobubble also sell The Magical Wood bath bundle, which can be used along with the book to promote imaginative play and storytelling. We thought this sounded such an amazing way to brighten up any bath time.

As the Mini Reviewers have mild eczema, we have to be quite careful what products we use on their skin. We were pleased to find out that Cocobubble products are not only made in the UK, they are 100% vegan and gentle on skin. They are made from many natural ingredients and are free from parabens, mineral oils, SLS, SLES and phlalates. So of course we were happy to try out some of their bath time range.*

Read with Lottie - Review & Giveaway

Lottie Dolls have been on our radar for a while now. We first came across Fossil Hunter Lottie in the shop at The Natural History Museum in London and loved the concept of dolls that are fun yet educational. Then we discovered that Puffin had released a series of books featuring Lottie, Finn and some of their friends. So, when we were asked to review Lottie Dolls, we happily agreed because we just couldn't wait to read with Lottie!

If you take a look at the full Lottie Doll collection you will see that there are boy and girl dolls, as well as dolls with different hair and eye colours and skin tones. There is also a whole range of different accessories, so your doll could be anything from a ballerina to a fossil hunter. He or she could go fishing, ride a scooter or even gaze at the stars. The vision behind the dolls is that childhood should be an inclusive place and Lottie Dolls are designed to empower children to be themselves. The tagline Be bold, be brave, be you! is therefore very fitting.

KINFO App Review

KINFO is a new FREE app available on the App Store in iOS (an Android version is in development). The app has been designed by Isabelle, a mum of three, to help other parents find great activities for their own children. There is no sponsored content, all the recommendations have been added by parents. On KINFO you will find fantastic ideas for days out, holidays, recipes, games and crafts. As well as reviews of brilliant films, toys and of course, BOOKS!

Language Learning Part 1: Singing with Lingotastic

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a little about our language learning adventures and reviewing some of our favourite language resources with giveaways too! Learning languages at a young age can apparently boost brain power and increase memory but the main reason I decided to introduce languages to the Mini Reviewers was to promote a deeper understanding and awareness of different countries and cultures, which in today's diverse society seems increasingly important.

Sadly I am not a gifted linguist or an expert in language learning. However what I lack in skills, I make up for in sheer enthusiasm and I thought that by sharing our language learning journey from the start, it may encourage others to have a try. So what are you waiting for? Pick a language and here we go...

Bamboozled by PHONICS? Read with Phonics App - Review

Until Mini Reviewer, Izzie, started school in September, I am a little embarrassed to admit that I was bamboozled by these "PHONICS" everyone was talking about. When I learned to read we used sight words - basically repeating the same word over and over again until we could remember it! Of course, I knew what the letter sounds were and had taught these to Izzie but that was pretty much the extent of my phonics knowledge! I now know that learning to read using phonics (sounds) is a much simpler method than using sight words as there are only 44 sounds to learn. Once these sounds are understood then most of the English language can be decoded so it gets children reading more quickly. Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Books to Beat the Bedtime Blues #BathBookBed

Sleep deprivation has to be one of the hardest things to deal with as a parent and, with three children of my own, it is safe to say I have endured plenty of sleepless nights over the past 5 years. When we have had a bad night, parenting the next day seems so much harder. In fact everything seems so much harder! My patience levels hit rock bottom and I end up on autopilot fuelled by tea and biscuits.

In my sleep deprived state I have been known to drive to the wrong place, to find my car keys and phone in the fridge and I have even discovered (half way through the day) that my clothes are on back to front AND inside out! A sleepless night also means grumpy, tantrum prone children and the morning school run becomes a battle of wills. So a good night's sleep not only benefits the whole family but also anyone else that is unfortunate enough to encounter us the next day!

Storytelling Fun - Five Ideas To Bring Books to Life

What's better than reading a story? Well how about playing with one? Sharing stories in a variety of creative and imaginative ways can really help children with their early literacy skills and speech development. Here are just a few of our favourite ideas for storytelling fun.

Screen Time Success - KidloLand Review and Giveaway

Screen time for preschoolers always seems to be a bit of a taboo subject. One of those topics that you dread to raise on any parenting forum for fear of the backlash! Now before I had the Mini Reviewers I was totally against screen time for little ones. Then I had my second child and I quickly realised that the tablet was going to be essential if I ever wanted to get anything done!

I confess that I usually resort to YouTube when I need 5 minutes to load the washing machine, put the shopping away or jump in the shower! So when we were approached by KidloLand to review their app I thought it was a great opportunity to try something different.

Photo Credit: KidloLand

Party Planning Tips with Qualatex

November was an extremely exciting and birthday filled month for us. While everyone else seemed to be busy Christmas shopping, or discussing Christmas shopping, I was still chaotically hunting for birthday presents and haphazardly party planning. Fortunately everything came together and we celebrated Izzie turning five and Poppy's first birthday with a fantastic joint princess party.

Poppy gets Healthy with Heavenly - Review and Giveaway! #healthywithheavenly

As I am always on the look out for new healthy options for the Mini Reviewers, I was delighted to be asked by Heavenly Tasty Organics if we would like to try their range of organic and low sugar snacks for children.

We were already familiar with the Heavenly brand, Poppy is particularly partial to the Yummy Wafer Wisps, so we were very excited to get the opportunity to sample their full range. The foods are 100% natural and organic and packed with superfoods such as kale, spinach, coconut and pumpkin. The question is, do they taste good too?