Posts by jo

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28/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

PNP – Portable North Pole Video Message

Portable North Pole Video messages are back – the chance to get a personalised video from Santa! Well what are you waiting for?

Portable North Pole video messages are brilliant! We’ve been provided with a promo code to try out the premium video as well as receive a personalised phone call from Santa, which isn’t working just yet but should be soon. You can also download the PNP App to view your video, again not yet available, hopefully soon.

H loved her Portable North Pole video – Santa said “hello H!” and her face lit up, we got a sort of gasp and she started to wave – and yet again Santa knew EVERYTHING she’d done and had the photos to prove it.. These of course are the things I’ve set up while she was distracted, watching tv – which were straightforward, quick and editable.

I was quite pleased to see you can edit the options, for example, the four names which are shown on books are in the area where other children have been good. I amended those to her friends names from school rather than Shaun and I and her cousins as it was a better fit on the video.

On completion we got an additional Portable North Pole video which has Santa delivering his presents on Christmas Eve. The video is marked that way in your account but not when you’re viewing it. Fortunately it was vague enough that it just looked like he was checking where we live rather than saying he was on his way – a big parent fail from me there!

Ultimately, it didn’t matter, H found it magical and was delighted Santa knew so much about her and had a little book which told them what she’d done. I’d recommend ordering it in the evening and showing your child the following day. You can add a few photos of key moments from the year, and get photos from your Facebook albums which was handy. I selected five photos in total, two from holidays, one family, one of H and one of a picture she drew which came at no extra cost.

The Portable North Pole video was available immediately and we’ve already watched it a few times. If you want to start that Christmas feeling early, I’d recommend PNP – it’s a big hit in this house! We haven’t ordered the video on DVD, which comes at an additional cost, and are happy to stream it.

We’ll report back once the phone call is available, that should be interesting..
Head on over to PNP – Portable North Pole to order yours!

If you place an order and fancy a 20% discount on any of the digital products in the PNP Store, using the code BLG20BKP will work – it’s valid until the 1st January 2014.

The premium Christmas Video costs £2.99

We were provided with a promo code to try out the Portable North Pole video message service – all opinions are our own.

23/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Portable North Pole – the Santa Sprint App

Portable North Pole is back for 2013 – and this year there’s also an app – Santa Sprint. We were given a code to give it a go.

Santa Sprint is a new game from the people behind Portable North Pole. I think we’re right on the borderline for this game and it’s something H will really enjoy very soon, but she isn’t quite there.

You need to complete each level by collecting all the various objects (and additional extras) then make your way to the stairs to progress to the next. There are several levels you can play, within each group. I’ve been playing in the library so far. This has been simple enough, but of course there are obstacles on the way – and this is where H got upset unfortunately! (she’s quite sensitive)

She was a bit upset about the ‘flame’ type characters which drain your energy levels (the area at the top where there’s a heart), which made her burst into tears! So I’ve taken it over and am finding it fun – and a break from Plants vs Zombies 2.

Santa Sprint is straightforward enough – and once you clear a floor you get a special treat from Santa (we’ve had a story which H enjoyed).

This part left me confused – H is only four, so having a Santa treat at the end isn’t something she’d benefit from if I’m playing the game. Maybe when she’s six or seven? Will she still believe in Santa then? (I hope so!)

At the end of each level, if you have enough coins you can update your clothes, magic, heat, agility and you have an option to buy double points.

You have three options for a Second Chance, and if you want any more then you guessed it – you have to buy them.

I found higher levels there was sometimes a delay in loading, but I put that down to my iPad Mini rather than the game – I have no other devices I can try it on, as it isn’t compatible with our first generation iPad.

Santa Sprint is fun, probably not one for younger kids, and has in-app purchases which I’ve switched off.
You can buy it now at the App Store for £1.99.

We were sent a code to review Santa Sprint, all opinions are our own.

20/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Christmas Gift Ideas – The Because I Like Shopping at Uniqlo Edition

My workmate today realised there’s One Whole Month left before we finish for the year. This is a good thing as our section of the office is F R E E Z I N G. We’re all SO cold. Fortunately Uniqlo have their Heattech range and just to taunt me that little bit more there’s a fabulous Orla Kiely range within that. At a bargain £12.90 for each top I had to buy another today – especially as I’m wearing one every day (I have five now, not the same one every day!!) – I do love shopping at Uniqlo!

My problem with Uniqlo when they do a range with a designer I like is that I end up wanting to buy everything. This Orla Kiely range is no different – although only available in v-neck or polo neck (I usually prefer round neck ones).

They also had some of the last Celia Birtwell range reduced – so I picked up a yellow stripe long sleeved top for £7.90

Those alone, if anyone bought me them for Christmas would make me a very happy lady. They’ve got Fair Isle style knits in store – gloves, hats and scarves, and fleeces of all manner of colours, jackets for this horrid cold weather and really reasonably priced jeans.

I’ve loved Uniqlo for years as I’ve found their clothes to be great quality and my kind of style. I love they’re working with designers and that each range has something most people will like. They’re not too girly and they’re not too plain.

I also love the 10 Gruppen fleece range and sent Shaun out to one of the West End branches to pick me up this fleece, which I’m really pleased with.

I like quirky and interesting, and always end up clashing my patterns, but fortunately work is SO cold that I have my fleece zipped up all day so nobody ever knows… phew!

Uniqlo are even doing underwear these days. I haven’t bought any yet, but they look pretty comfortable so I’m sure it won’t be much longer… as a footnote, we finally got to the Wimbledon store and bought some of the kids range – and we’re really happy with it – and there’s plenty of Heattech choice there too. I love shopping at Uniqlo!

this post contains affiliate links

19/11/201326/03/2018 by jo

Christmas Gift Ideas – You Don’t Need To Spend a Lot

You don’t need to spend a lot of money at Christmas. Every year I fall into the trap and spend far too much – I’m sure we all do. This year I’m attempting to be sensible – starting with setting a strict £30 budget (which I’ve gone over by £5). It’s doable as long as you have some idea of what you’re buying. (H has been asking for a PlayDoh ice cream parlour since her birthday so I kept my eye out for good offers and got it for £15 in the end – it has a RRP of £25)

This year I started picking up bargains I spotted online and in stores – Tiger Stores has loads of traditional games, often wooden ones which appealed – they’ve got a kids toys section on their UK site (it’s not an online store) and most gifts come in at less than £5.

The Entertainer has a store near work, and I’m pleased they have games like Mouse Trap and Operation on offer. Someone in-store told me they were holding stock back as the offer had been so popular so they’d have enough to keep them going until Christmas. I got Operation for £6 which I’m happy with. We had both games when I was young and I know that H will enjoy them too – and I’m looking at games we might not play with immediately but could be ones that stick around for a while. H keeps requesting the Doggie Doo game…. well she is four!

Amazon have had some book deals lately – I’ve picked up some classics for just £1 new which are great stocking fillers. We’ve also had some good local markets near us which have great deals on new books that we’ve stocked up on, so don’t rule out shopping locally!

I’m always on the lookout for good toy deals in shops – we’ve recently had a Kiddicare store open in Croydon which is fantastic, they’ve got a 3 for 2 on ALL toys going on at the moment. They’ve also got free next day delivery on all orders over £29.99 – and considering I have an extra child to buy for this year, this works out a really good deal – I’ve just saved myself £17, and can get delivery to work tomorrow as well. Now THAT is convenient! Oh, and they accept PayPal as payment too – more shops should do this.

I’ve bought a book ‘Homemade‘ as a present which has some brilliant ideas. Essentially, you can make your own everyday items – from baking preserves, home remedies, cleaning solutions, beauty products, confectionery and pet care. I know someone who will enjoy this book a lot… hopefully she won’t be reading this post…

So far, not too much spent anyway… there’ll be more Christmas Gift Ideas tomorrow…

18/11/201323/06/2015 by jo

Christmas Gift Ideas – Dick Bruna’s Christmas Book

Dick Bruna’s Christmas book has been republished as a golden anniversary edition by Simon and Schuster. We received a copy to review and love it – read on for more!

Dick Bruna’s Christmas book was first published in 1963 and is a classic Bruna book – he being the creator of Miffy, having his distinctive style of drawing.

Right now the book is perfect for us – H is learning about the nativity at school, and this book tells the story in an uncomplicated way. As she isn’t reading properly yet I read it to her, and she now understands a little better what it’s all about. They’re doing a school Christmas service soon and she’s quite enjoyed knowing what happened when Jesus was born. I’d say this book is ideal for youngsters in explaining the story and why Christmas exists.

A cute little addition is a bookmark in the shape of an angel – as unlike other Bruna books this is a long one so may need bookmarking. It’s also worth noting, this is the first edition by Simon & Schuster who announced they’d be re-translating the Miffy books for a big relaunch next year – the text in here is the english translation from 1995.

I asked H what she liked the best about the book – she says the best thing was finding out Jesus’ mummy and daddy’s name, aw! For me, we’ve sat and really gone into the story, and I’m still not able to answer her why Jesus was given myrrh! It’s nice to sit and read the story together, we’re not religious and haven’t really done much along these lines, so it’s helping me too.

Dick Bruna’s Christmas book is available now with a rrp of £10. It’s currently £5.75 at Amazon, so worth getting while it’s at that price!

We were sent a copy of the book for review, all opinions are our own. This post contains an affiliate link.

17/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Movie Night – Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map

After a busy weekend we decided to have a movie night on tonight – mainly as we hadn’t had one for a while, and also as we had two films to watch – one of them being the new Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map film.

Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map is the same old Scooby Doo we’ve all grown up with, but as a puppet movie – think along the lines of the Muppets, that kind of puppetry. ‘The Mystery Map’ has the gang eating pizza (Scooby snacks are mentioned) to find the frankly quite terrifying (for a 4 year old) Phantom Parrot who has a map for Pirate Gnarlybeard’s treasure which they try to locate, and where that then leads. The ending is absolutely suitable for a four year old, and helped convince H it wasn’t that scary – it was just the getting to that point which was!

It keeps in spirit with the original Scooby Doo we all know and love, and is good for someone of H’s age as an introduction to the show. Unfortunately H was a little scared by some parts but we made it through – the whole feature is 45 minutes, so not too long. My thinking was that the first time we watched ‘Monsters Inc’ she was scared, but once you know it’s a much easier viewing a second time, so this is something we’ll revisit I’m sure.

Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map has a little break in the middle for a dance which was welcome relief for H, and of course as is the case with all Scooby Doo adventures, they’d have got away with it ‘if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!’

So in summary, it was fun. H liked it (and did laugh at several parts of the feature) – the DVD has a certificate U but does warn of mild threat and scary scenes – so we knew it was there. Fortunately it isn’t the kind of thing nightmares are made of, and for us it was nice to see what looks like a tribute to The Muppets in a Scooby Doo style.

Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map is available now in all good stores and of course Amazon.

Afterwards we had home-made pizza and watched Alice in Wonderland – see, we’ve been reading the Emma Chichester Clark books that Harper-Collins Kids have published, a review of those are to follow very soon…

We were sent The Scooby Doo Adventures – The Mystery Map for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own, post contains an affiliate link.

13/11/201318/01/2015 by jo

Sounds Like Fun – Jolly Phonics with Cartoonito

Sounds Like Fun is a new programme shown daily on Cartoonito. It uses the Jolly Phonics system – which also happens to be the one H is using at school. We’re impressed!

Sounds Like Fun has 42 episodes in total, each based around a phonics sound – as in i, o, ee, ai and so many more. Each programme is just five minutes long, and follows the Jolly Phonics system. The Cartoonitos use a multi-sensory method to communicate each of the 42 letter sounds, teaching children to listen for the sounds in words to quickly improve their reading, writing and spelling.

I’ve watched out for some good phonics programmes, and find this is exactly what H is being taught at school – they don’t do any of the phonics songs but do each sound using the same action (puff out the candle on the pink pig cake – p-p-p vs blow the candle out on the cake) which we’re pleased with.

At the start you’re told the sound for that episode, followed by a short film featuring key words based on that sound. These words are then spelt out and blended at the end. Already H joins in and is quick, and with each programme being so short and there being so many it keeps her attention. That also helps as there isn’t too much repetition – while I’m all for her remembering things, a good variety of episodes means there’s almost always one shown we’ve never seen.

Watching television with your child is unavoidable (I’ve found) – I love that Sounds Like Fun is a programme which complements her learning – and that she enjoys watching. I feel it has been well put together and is something I’d highly recommend if you know your child will be following the Jolly Phonics system at school and is a visual learner.

Sounds Like Fun is on every weekday at 8.45am and 4.45pm, (1.50 and 4.45pm at weekends) and each section features two episodes.

There’s a page with downloads and activities on at the Cartoonito website too! I’ve found that Sounds Like Fun is at the perfect time too – right when I’m cooking tea, so potentially she’s learning while I’m cooking. Result!

12/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Topsy and Tim – The Verdict!

At 5.30 last night (and tonight) someone aged almost four and a quarter told me to “ssssh. I’m watching THIS” and then sat in silence for ten minutes, her face had a smile as what was once just some books became a reality. Topsy and Tim with real people – not a cartoon.

She LOVED it! She giggled at the duvet monsters and looked wide eyed as the story started. It’s a huge hit in this house.

This initial run will be just fifteen episodes long for the first series, and lasting just three weeks. That’s okay though, as it will be back – we already know they’ve filmed quite a few episodes.

As for me, I was impressed. They’re not going to follow the books as such, but they’re staying faithful to them with ordinary everyday events – and it’s a nice touch at the end having a little memory game.

From chatting to other mums it sounds like it was a big hit for our four year olds (and us parents too) – don’t forget to watch it every afternoon at 5.30 on Cbeebies!

12/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Zippers Port Solent – A Review

Zippers Port Solent is a fairly new restaurant just north of Portsmouth. We were invited to try out their menu, and as it happened we were in the area so were more than happy to!

Zippers Port Solent has a lovely clean eating space – tables with plenty of space and views out onto the harbour area. We arrived an hour late due to the big storm the night before, to be greeted by our server Aga who was helpful and recommended dishes to us. Service was quick and food came promptly which is always good. One of the main things I look out for when eating out is how child-friendly the venue is, and crayons and an activity sheet was perfect for H. Even better we could do wordsearches with her which is a new one! I’ve got a Picasa album with more pictures in it.

We ordered starters of some olives and garlic bread – not too much and even H had an olive and enjoyed it (result!). Shaun ordered a diet coke and I ordered a cappuccino after a night of very little sleep thanks to the big storm. The cappuccino was just right, a good flavour and strong. The garlic bread was fresh and soft and had a garlic dip with it.

We ordered from the kids set menu for H, so got her blackcurrant juice, some nachos (very slightly salty), some spaghetti with meatballs (messy but filling), finishing off with a scoop of chocolate ice cream which had a good flavour.

Shaun ordered a steak which came with chips – personally I’d have liked to have seen more vegetables, but if you opt for a side salad instead of chips then you get a few – if you really need chips then they’re available as a side order too. He found the steak was just right.

We ordered an onion loaf with our mains – a load of onion rings fried together. This was out of curiosity mainly, and it tasted good – though Shaun had most of it! It came with a spicy dip as well, which was good – a nice spiciness to it without being too overwhelming.

I ordered a hot vegetable wrap and a side salad – the hot vegetable wrap had mushrooms which I swapped for more pepper. It was warm and served with a generous helping of chips. I was so hungry I scoffed the lot – there is a salad bar with freshly stocked vegetable dishes to help yourself from. The vegetarian options weren’t clearly marked but two staff members helped me out, as well as recommending the cayenne pepper sauce (which was good, not too intense but peppery). I did for the one trip to the salad bar, and couldn’t work out if the sharing rule applied or not (I shared the cucumber with H and some pepper with Shaun) – if you share you’re charged per person.

Dessert was a Banana Split that we shared, and Shaun also ordered a cappuccino. I picked off all the fruit and ate that (as well as ice cream) which was fresh. I wasn’t as keen on the squirty cream – fresh would have been nicer, the ice cream it came with was fine and was enjoyable.

Zippers Port Solent Restaurant is situated within the Port Solent complex, away from the main shops. Park your car in the main car park and head towards the shopping area next to the marina – it’s upstairs there with views of all the boats. The dining area is bright and spacious, and all the staff were helpful and friendly. We had a really filling enjoyable meal which came in at around £65. i saw there were meal deals at lunchtime so there could be savings to be made there. Ultimately we were so full we didn’t have any tea that night – portion sizes are generous and we definitely over ordered on food.

We’d definitely go back!

We were offered complimentary meals for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own.

07/11/201326/01/2014 by jo

Haven Littlesea

We’ve just got back from our third Haven break this year, and this time we opted for the camp at Haven Littlesea near Weymouth. Yep, back to Dorset – after our last trip there was cut short with H’s illness, we felt like we still had a lot to explore around the area, and for me it would be revisiting places I haven’t been for almost three decades.

Haven Littlesea faces onto Chesil Beach, so you have a small patch of water where bathing is prohibited. If you’ve seen Chesil Beach you’ll understand how impressive it is, but views of the sea are not something you’re going to get here! Or at least from our caravan, anyway.

We knew how chilly nights could get after our Devon Cliffs break in May, so when we found an option for a caravan with heating in each room and paid a bit extra for a Prestige Caravan. We weren’t disappointed – it was new, clean although had a horrid stink. We soon worked out it was due to the bin provided – it would appear previous tenants of the space didn’t bother with bin bags, leading to rubbish caked to the bottom of the bin – a quick clean and things were fine.

We had two bedrooms and loads of space – the caravan was heated with double glazing – which looking at the Haven site seems to be something all newer models offer.

The Haven Littlesea site was good – although with this being the final week of the season I felt some of the food we’d had at the Mash and Barrel could have been better – we ate out most nights instead or bought food and cooked it at the caravan.

The FunStars entertainment was fantastic – led by Stuart they were brilliant – H found him hilarious and was happy to sit with the other kids and join in with the games, which meant we could relax and sit away from the stage and enjoy the fact she was happy and not needing us to have fun too! She particularly enjoyed dancing to the Rock N Roll Bingo theme….

Would we go back to Haven Littlesea? Yes. The staff were friendly, the entertainment complex wasn’t far to walk to and there was the obligatory soft play section which H enjoyed. Starbucks was on hand for stronger coffee as well.

Finally, my Haven Essentials list of things you should always take with you when staying there.

Towels – hand, bath, teatowels, paper ones too
Bath mat. You will need one – those bathroom floors are slippy
Cleaning cloths
Washing up liquid
Bin bags (large big black ones)
Soap for washing hands
Toilet rolls

Everything else you can buy from the Spar on-site.

The big question now is will we get to a Haven site next year? Ideally next summer we’ll be heading to Australia to visit the in-laws, but with tickets for the three of us at £3,000 it’s going to be tight!

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Author / jo