She's Like The Wind

Sorry for the earworm, but some thing have to be shared.  If you're not humming the Patrick Swayze song now, you should be ashamed of yourself.  And if you don't know what I'm talking about 1) you're too young to be on the internet, and 2) watch this video. Then go outside and play.

 
 

I'm sitting in Dizzy Kidz soft play in Tredegar, writing this post Old Skool, with a pen and a piece of paper (and again, if you don't know what that means, GO OUTSIDE!)  That's the kind of girl I am.  That and the fact that I hate the Blogger interface on my phone & make so many typos you'll think I've been hacked by a badly trained chimp.  But yeah, sitting in soft play with a mug of coffee, marvelling at Squeaky haring around like a lunatic, climbing, sliding, bouncing and chasing around with a bunch of children she's never met before, and probably never will again.

This is a new soft play place to us. I found a Groupon for it a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not one to turn down a bargain, especially the sort that means I can sit down while Squeaky burns off some excess energy & thinks I'm Mum Of The Year.  I'm actually quite taken with this place, as far as soft play goes.  I mean, yeah, it's a unit on an industrial estate, like most, but it's less of a grubby aircraft hangar.  It's clean, seems very well maintained, and not too screamy.  We've been here almost an hour and I haven't had to reach for the paracetamol yet.

Trampolines are not great for photography. But they are fun!

Yesterday, we were at a different soft play place, on another industrial estate, meeting up with some friends for a long overdue gossip & cwtch of a new baby.  Despite the fact that Squeaky's been there plenty of times before, we were sat on the most visible table in the place, and she's been here with these friends before, she spent the whole visit alternating between clinging to my leg like a limpet and whinging that she'd got "no-one to play with" (errr, except your friends, silly girl)  Grrrr.  What's the change in 24 hours?  Not being able to play in somewhere you know, with people you know, to being able to race around & play with complete strangers?  I don't understand this child at all.

I swear, she changes her mind, and her preferences, like the weather - hence the title of this post.  Seemingly the only constants in our lives at the moment are Disney Junior and pepperoni pizza, and even I can't survive on those indefinitely!

It's frustrating. I want to start saving, and shopping, for Christmas (There! I said it!) but I know that whatever she's in raptures over today will be completely forgotten about by next week when a new advert crops up to stretch my patience and bank balance to breaking point.  This is the first year we're really experiencing the pester power effect of advertising to children. It's only August but the contenders for this year's big Christmas toy are already filling the screens, and as we seem to be a Disney Junior & Nick Jr household, there's no escape.  I'm wondering about the Star Trek model partwork advert that's cropped up this week though - either they've finally realised that geeks have children too, or Disney Junior was on a package deal with the Sci-Fi channel, but at least it's a reprieve from Pig Goes Pop & Cillit Bang.

I'm sort of jealous of Squeaky, to be honest.  Jealous that the world is still so exciting and new; that passions and obsessions come & go with the turning of the hour.  My wishlist has stayed the same forever, and no-one buys me the new car, winning lottery ticket, diamond earrings or private jet that I so crave, whereas someone will almost certainly buy Squeaky whichever lump of plastic takes her fancy.  In fact, no-one even buys me the new pillows that my back would so love.  *sigh*, such is the life of a blogger.

I purchased an entry ticket to the soft play centre via Groupon. I have not been asked to write this post, or mention the centre, I have chosen to do so as it is a venue we have enjoyed.  I ahve not received payment or compensation for this post. I have not provided a referral link to Groupon as this would compromise my status relating to affiliate links.

HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof - Review

HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof. Phew. That's a mouthful & a half for poor little non-German-speaking me.  And that's the name of the latest product we've received as part of our HABA Mums Club membership to review.  Take a deep breath & say it slowly with me. HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof.

The HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof, as the name suggests, even to a non-German-speaker like yours truly, is an advent calendar.  I figured out the "pony" bit with not too much difficulty (the pictures helped), but I had to resort to begging twitter to help me with the "hof" part.  Roughly in English, it means Pony Yard Advent Calendar.  And as you can see, the calendar shows a festive stable scene.  The cover, shown, slips off from a lidded box.  Parents need to get into the calendar before the morning of the first to take the lid off the box so that their little ones can get the full fun of opening the advent calendar windows to find the treat inside.  I love the fact there is a proper box & lid, because it means that the pieces can be put away safely at the end of advent, and reused as a whole toy in the future, rather than becoming 24 small pieces of clutter to find underfoot at 2 in the morning.

Also underneath the slip-cover is a booklet.  HABA's instructions usually come in an array of European languages, but this is the first time I've encountered the booklet only in German.  I slightly feel like we're missing out a bit here, as each day has a little story, rhyme or game to play, relating to that day's toy.  Toy? Oh yes.  You can forget chocolate, the HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof has toys inside!  There's 12 wooden pieces, all up to HABA's usual high standards of production & fabulous colours, and 12 cards.  These come together to make up the pony yard, and can be used for all sorts of imaginative play and role-play.

From what I can gather, Ratz Fatz is the name of a whole collection of puzzle games from HABA, all featuring stories, rhymes & riddles, designed to develop language skills & understanding.  As we don't speak German, we may be skipping that part, but we can still have a whole lot of fun with our pony friends, inventing our own stories about them & their adventures.

Nails: Jessica - Black Ice

I know it's not December for another couple of hours (I'm writing this at 9.30 on the 30th), but in the interests of reviewing, I had a sneaky peak behind door number 1, and found this little gentleman waiting to find a new friend.  He's the first piece in our collection.  Squeaky's already seen the box, and knows there's something very exciting inside, she keeps asking for her "horsey calendar", so I know this is going to be a huge hit, and I'm looking forward to the stories she comes up with.

The HABA Ratz Fatz Adventskalender Ponyhof is recommended for children aged 3 and above, due to small parts.  Squeaky is 3 in January, but having checked the contents, I am happy for her to play with the advent calendar supervised by an adult.

For more HABA reviews, why not pop over to the HABA Mums Club?

Disclosure: I was provided with the advent calendar free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.  A version of this post will also appear on the HABA Mums Club site.

Master Moves Mickey Mouse Review

Squeaky is nearly 3.  There's something about children of that age, they develop overnight all-consuming obsessions, and they're a marketing officer's dream.  Squeaky's latest obsession is Mickey Mouse.  There's a very old cuddly Mickey in our house, that someone brought me back from Disney World long before Disneyland Paris opened, when I was just a small person myself.  He's been well looked after over the years, and Squeaky loves him dearly, but you can see he's vintage.  It actually surprised me looking at Disney toys today, how much the design changes over the years.

The very kind people at K and Co sent Squeaky a much more up-to-date Mickey.  The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Master Moves Mickey to be precise.  Or "that breakdancing Mickey on the adverts" as Daddy put it.  The postman crept up on me first thing in the morning while I was putting toast out for the birds, and handed me this MASSIVE box.  Foolishly, I opened it in front of Squeaky, just before we had to leave the house for nursery/work.  We were late.  He has a couple of "Try me" moves & sayings he can manage even when he's fixed in the box, and she figured this out in seconds.  Eventually, after much persuasion, we put him on the table and went out.

When we got home that evening, well, love is the only appropriate word for it.  I freed him from his cardboard prison (actually quite easily, the fixings are all twisted card, so totally recyclable), and set him free on the floor.  I thought the advert was putting it on a bit, but no, he actually dances, moves around, breakdances, it's really quite impressive.  If he gets stuck (which does happen sometimes), he even asks for help, and thanks you when you set him upright again.

I was pleased to find he came with batteries included.  Batteries slip into some kind of Bermuda Triangle in our house, and I can picture the scene if we had needed to find the 6 (yes, six!) batteries Mickey needed before we could play with him.  They're still going strong after a weekend of constant singing & dancing, so you can be sure that they will last through Christmas Day before you have to raid the remotes!

Despite the cuddliness of this photo, Mickey's body is quite hard, and he's not all that cwtchy.  I guess this is because he's got a lot of moving parts in that tummy, and it would be kind of difficult to pad him out.  It would have been nice though.  The upside to this is that he is absolutely, definitely, not a cuddly to take to bed.  Which in turn means we don't get woken up at 3 am by him wanting us all to practise our Mouska-moves. (Not Moussaka Moves, they're different!)

At £70.00, Mickey is not a cheap present, but if you have a Disney-obsessive in your house, like I do in mine, he's well worth it.  In the words of Pat & Mick "[He] hasn't stopped dancing yet!"  (Apologies to anyone who really didn't need reminding why it's a good thing the 1980's ended)

K and Co have a great range of toys, gifts and clothes for the whole family, with free delivery and returns, there's no need to sharpen your elbows for the battle on the high street.  And with the option of interest free credit, you can spread the cost of Christmas too.  Please use credit carefully.

Disclosure: I was provided with Master Moves Mickey free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Who Fights The Monsters Under The Bed?

L-R: Mickey, Big Peppa, Baby, George, Daisy 1, Peppa,
 Daisy 2, Daddy Soup-Dragon, Mummy Soup-Dragon, Nessie

Monsters!  A serious consideration in every home.  Not just Freezer Gremlins (they're the ones who eat the last bit of ice-cream & put the empty tub back in the freezer), or Sock Elves, but UnderBed Monsters.  A plague for right-minded families the world over!

Since we moved house, and Squeaky moved into her Big Girl Bed, we seem to be monster free.  At least this far.  We have had "people" under the bed, who turned out to be Mickey Mouse & one of the Upsy Daisy twins, and apparently Daddy was under there the other day (he wasn't, he was at work), but thus far our new house seems to be Monster Free.

The Soup-Dragon family portrait

Hooray!  But before we get too excited about that, lets consider why.  In our old, creaky house, Squeaky's bedtime companions consisted of Big Bunny, Little Bunny, an Upsy Daisy or three, and occasional visits from Peppa Pig.  Bunnies, Daisies, and Peppa aren't really known for their monster fighting abilities, and as a result, Squeaky's sleep was often disturbed by the monsters moving around beneath her.

In her new, Big Girl Bed, there's a lot more space for company.  Big Bunny & Little Bunny have moved out of the bed to a new home guarding her clothes and books, and in their place we have...
At least one Upsy Daisy (sometimes up to 3)
Mickey Mouse
Baby
Peppa Pig
Georgie Pig
Big Peppa Pig

Nessie Soup-Dragon & family.

Soup-Dragon family on patrol

The latter are the best at monster fighting.  Who better to defend your sleep from underbed monsters than the legendary Loch Ness Monster, Nessie, and her Mummy & Daddy?  Mummy and Daddy are in fact a pair of Soup Dragons, of Clangers fame, but according to Squeaky they are Nessie's Mummy & Daddy.  And who am I to argue?

As far as our bedroom goes, I'm waiting to find out.  There was no space for monsters under the bed in our old house, as the space under the bed was filled with suitcases, shoes, and discarded books.  Now there's a great big empty space.  Actually though, that might be better.  If there's nothing under there, there's nowhere for a monster to hide.  Is there?? Help?  What was that noise?

This post is my entry to the Warren Evans Who Fights The Monsters blog competition.

Memories...

I've been sorting through some old "stuff" this afternoon, all those things that you can't bear to part with, shove in a bag or the back of a drawer, and then find many many years later & wonder "why on EARTH did I keep this?"

Well, amongst the things I found were a pair of Coca-Cola "spinners".  Trick yo-yos, to you & me.  Apparently it was something to do with copyright on the word yoyo.

I remember collecting coke ring pulls for what felt like forever to get my red spinner, and the coke promotions team coming to our school.  If you could do a certain number of tricks, you could win a silver, or even a gold spinner.  Somehow I won the gold one.  I don't know how, I can remember being pretty bad, even then.  I could do "Round the World", which was just whizzing it round in a big circle at the end of the string. Now, it's about all I can do to get it to come back up!

Did you have one?  Can you remember how to jailbreak a "normal" yoyo & turn it into a trick one?  And could you ever actually do any of the tricks?

Magpie Monday - When I Grow Up

I'm running low on intelligent content this week, my brain is kind of sleepy.  I know there's a whole mess of bargains I've picked up recently that I haven't blogged about yet, most of which I haven't even taken photos of (but when you've seen 1 pair of women's jeans, you've seen them all), but here's a special little something I had to share.

 We were in Wrexham a couple of weeks ago, and I insisted on our usual "tour of every charity shop in town", because, well, you never know.  Daddy had vanished to find the gents, while Squeaky & I were nosing around Age UK.  I'd just spotted an identical Deputy Daisy that I figured might come in handy for emergencies, and was trying to pay & hide her in my bag without being noticed, when Squeaky happened across this. -------->

I tried to get her to leave it.  Even without batteries in, she was singing away (the first pic was taken minutes after purchase, while we were topping up our caffeine levels, when we still didn't know if it would work at all.)  But Daddy's a soft touch, and so he gave in & bought it.  And then he found batteries when we got home, and got it working.  Yes, she is being a rockstar along to Bruce Springsteen. No, I don't know why.  (Actually, I've just noticed it's Rod Stewart. Don't judge me!)

The microphone isn't all that good, to tell the truth, you have to have it RIGHT up to your mouth for it to amplify & it distorts badly.  But she loves it.  Loves loves LOVES it.  It's fairly quiet, so I don't feel too badly for our neighbour when she starts on another 18 choruses of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

I honestly think this is in number 1 favourite toy spot at the moment, edging out all sorts of full priced shinies.  How do they know though? How did she immediately know it was a microphone & stand, and that what you do is take it off the stand and sing into it? It's not like we're the Jacksons or something.  I blame Upsy Daisy's megaphone - Postman Pat doesn't sing.

See what other bargains people have snapped up at 

Silent Sunday 22/1/12

Magpie Monday - NCT Round Two

Part two of my Magpie finds from last week's NCT sale insanity.  My bruises have just about healed, I almost considered a second run at the Albany Road charity shops over the weekend (common sense & bank balance won out in the end) and I can now get my head around the all-important question "errr, what the heck did I buy then?"

First out of the starting stalls today, a pair of grey Next skinny jeans.  I'm a sucker for skinnies, and La Squeak is all length and no width, so they look better on her than chunky trousers.  There's a bit of a grass stain on the left knee, it's faded now after a wash with the Vanish, but hey, even if it hadn't, for £1 I'm not about to argue. There'll be grass stains on both knees by the time Squeaky's finished wearing them.  (I left the price stickers on the first couple I took photos of, then decided it was too much work to take sellers' names off & just took the whole tag off the others, in case you were wondering)

Nothing special these, I broke one of my golden rules - check the labels. They're only Tescos, but again they were only £1.  It's so much easier for nursery and when Daddy's on Squeaky Wrangling Duty to dress her in trousers, they're more practical than skirts & tights (much to my dismay), and these are in good nick, a sensible colour to hide the dirt, and have lots of pockets.  Squeaky has just developed an obsession with pockets.  She doesn't tend to put anything in them, but she likes to have them, and look inside them a lot.  Maybe I should hide small but interesting things inside them to surprise her?  Raisins, perhaps?

And while I'm breaking my golden rule of label-checking, I spotted these in the boys section while I was in the queue to pay, and to quote Little Bo Peep on Show Me Show Me "Oh My Woolly Word, I just gotta have it!"  We had a pair of khaki cropped trousers last summer, which turned out to be a wardrobe staple for ages, and these are just FABulous.  I have absolutely zero qualms about dressing Squeaky in boys' clothes, if they fit & look cute, I don't care.

Then I grabbed this very festive stripy t-shirt. The photo doesn't do it justice, there's a sparkly gold thread in amongst the stripes there.  I'm looking forward to dressing her up over Christmas in this, it's so soft & cosy, and it'll hide cranberry sauce stains nicely.  That's right, I have a child that refuses to eat dinner, but will eat yorkshire puddings, gravy and cranberry sauce. Hmmmmmm...

I foolishly ventured upstairs to the toy section.  I was actually very good, they also have bedding & things upstairs & I resisted the temptation to grab an In The Night Garden sleeping bag, partly because it was £8, which was WAY over my budget, and mostly because the last 2nd hand one I bought cost me 50p and I'm spoiled now.  I did grab this noisy shape-matching game though.  The puzzle is a bit (OK, lot) simple for Squeaky, but the noises are very entertaining & she's enjoying learning what the animals are, and copying the noises.  I'll probably get sick of this very soon & donate it somewhere, but right now it's doing OK.  (I also bought a Waybuloo Fuzzy Felt set, but that's upstairs in my wardrobe hiding out with the Christmas presents, so no photos for you just yet.)

And a last minute, bonus entry to today's bargain bonanza!  We went to the carvery for Sunday lunch, and when I took Squeaky for a change, through the connecting doors into the Travelodge next door, I spotted a table of books, on sale raising money for Cancer Research.  Well, internet, you know me by now, I'm not one to turn down a book.  There were 3 or 4 Enid Blyton books there, all short stories, and in varying conditions.  Squeaky actually chose this one, and I asked her if she wanted any of the others as well (I was feeling generous), but no, she only wanted the Watering Can book.  The stories include such gems as "The hole in the mackintosh", "Mr Binkle's Boots", and the intriguing sounding "Mr Pink-Whistle and Santa Claus". I'm not sure I want to find out how Mr Pink-Whistle got his name.

Well, if you've got your breath back, that's all from me for today. See what everyone else has been finding, over at Missie Lizzie's place. 

Giddy Up!

Hello, my adoring public

I said, way way back in the mists of time (earlier this year), that I was revelling in the fact that Squeaky loved the kind of sit-on rides you find outside the supermarket, but that she hadn't figured out they do things when you put money in them.  Sad to say, that's no longer true.  Squeaky Daddy is a soft-touch, and when she spotted the carousel horses (it was TEENY, only 3 horses and no up & down), out came his cash, and away she went.  Again.  And again, and again.  It's the start of something expensive, isn't it?  I can tell.

I Am A Cider Drinker

This was the last of our 5 (yes, FIVE) £9.50 holidays this year, and to be honest, it was probably the biggest let down.  We got a call a fortnight before, asking us if we could swap dates or locations, because they had a jive weekend on, and were over-booked.  Yet when we got there, there were plenty of empty chalets, so I'm not sure what was going on there.  We'd made arrangements anyway, so we weren't swapping.  And by arrangements, I mean tickets to see The Wurzels and babysitting by Grandma & Grandpa.  I'm not going to apologise, I spent my formative drinking years in Somerset, The Wurzels are an important part of my heritage & I can sing Combine Harvester with the best of them.

Serious business, this beach lark

Anyhoo.  The site, this time was like stepping into the set of Hi-De-Hi, and our chalet would have been classed as "basic" if it were 1981, never mind 2011.  Still, we did what we do best, and had fun.  The weather was remarkably mild for November, so we played on the beach, used our Groupon to visit the Seaquarium (well worth the Groupon price, not so sure about paying full price), ate ourselves silly at the carvery down the road, and generally had the Squeaky version of a very good time.

Mmmmmmmmm

Please understand at this point, that the Squeaky version of a Very Good Time involves carrying around a small brown mouse bought from Ikea the other week, and trying to share your dinner with it.  Much to the consternation of fellow dinners.  No Little Brown Mice were harmed in the making of this blog, though one did get slightly sticky whiskers.

So that's been our weekend.  Horsies, little brown mousies, and a trip in a time machine back to the mid 1960's.  Next weekend... the NCT Sale hits Cardiff, so it's a girlie shopping extravaganza!

HABA Toys Splish Splash Fishing Set

We were delighted to be sent the HABA Splish Splash Fishing Set to review recently, as part of our ambassador relationship with HABA

The Splish Splash fishing set is a lovely introduction to magnets, with a fishing line with magnetic “hook”, and five beautifully coloured fabric creatures to catch, picking them up with the magnets hidden inside them. Squeaky loved the bright colours straight away, and quickly got to grips with catching the fish, crab, jellyfish, starfish and turtle, and then taking them back off the hook.

The creatures are as colourful and well made as I've come to expect from HABA toys – the fabric is well stitched, and the animals are brightly coloured with attractive designs on the fabric and happy smiling faces. As well as catching the creatures, we've spent many (many, many) moments identifying the creatures in response to Squeaky's “Whassat?” questioning. To me, that shows a good degree of thought has gone into the game, providing an educational aspect, as well as the entertainment. There's also opportunity for education for older children, learning about magnets, polarity and magnetism, without the messy iron filings that I remember from my own childhood.

The Splish Splash fishing set is a fantastic take-along toy, the whole set fits into a pocket or bag, and as the creatures are magnetic, it's easy to keep everything together. The creatures are water-friendly, and the game can be played as a water fun game in the bath, in a paddling pool (if only the weather was better), or on dry land. I found the creatures dried quickly and well, and if you're like me, you can use the magnets to stick them onto the radiator to dry even quicker!

Squeaky hasn't bored of the Splish Splash fishing set at all, and it seems to have quickly become a favourite, and she returns to it on a regular basis, and is now discovering that magnets stick to other things too! I've found  the starfish in a few unexpected places!

The HABA Splish Splash Fishing Set is suitable from 2 years.

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA Splish Splash Fishing set free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

HABA Small Sounds Workshop Review

As HABA ambassadors, Squeaky & I get exciting parcels to play with, to share our thoughts with you lovely readers.  Recently, we received the HABA Small Sounds Workshop to try out & review.

The Small Sounds Workshop consists of a drum, xylophone (with beater for either), and a “magic sound flute”, better known to those of us of a certain age as a Swanee Whistle. All the instruments are made of beech wood, and are smooth, safe and light enough for small hands to easily play.

Squeaky immediately took to the xylophone and drum. We'd visited a local hands-on science museum about a week before the toys arrived, and she'd been fascinated by a drum machine and a much larger scale xylophone, so these couldn't have been better timed, her eyes absolutely lit up. The swanee whistle's ball handle makes an excellent second beater, and Squeaky quickly mastered drumming & playing the xylophone with both hands. I think we may have a future Patrick Moore on our hands! The xylophone's three chimes are different colours, adding a good educational aspect, as we can encourage her to hit a certain colour to play simple tunes.

She did struggle with the swanee whistle a little, while she enjoyed the sound, she struggles to blow it successfully herself, as she tends to block the opening, but I've no doubt in time she will master this as well, and I'll find myself accompanied by sound effects wherever I go.

I was a little concerned that Squeaky would be a bit young for the Small Sounds Workshop, as it says ages 2 up, but she's 21 months, and I've had no cause for concern, the parts are all firmly fixed and she's loving her introduction to the world of music. As long as HABA don't start making full sized drum kits and violins, we're safe!

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA Small Sounds Workshop free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Magpie Monday - Is There Anybody There?

Sorry. It's Hallowe'en, I couldn't resist a spooky title.  I haven't really been buying ouija boards from the charity shops.

Instead, do you remember a couple of weeks ago, I was bemoaning the fact that a mid-week visit to the in-laws meant I'd miss the car boot sales, but at least I'd still be able to get roe & chips?  Well, I was wrong.  Not only did I completely fail in my quest for battered cod eggs, but as we came off the M6, we spotted those familiar red signs.  But instead of saying "Sunday Morning Boot Sale", or even "Sunday Afternoon Boot Sale" (Sunday afternoon starts at 10 a.m. for no good reason), they said "Thursday Boot Sale".  Be still my beating heart!

Who am I to refuse?  Off into the muddy field we go, to find much the same as the weekend boot sale, including the impassable mud pit and incompetent car drivers.  Had a bit of a wander, and then Squeaky spotted this.  And when I say spotted, I mean something more akin to "gave a death stare & yelled MINE".  The somewhere-Eastern-European guy selling it could barely control his smile.  They were pretty near to packing up, and I think he was glad not to have to take it home.

I've been tempted to the Toy Story phones for a while now, though torn over whether a toy phone will distract Squeaky from trying to play with the house phone, or just encourage her more.  So when she/I found this one for £1, my decision was made.  She chatters away on it, and even seems to get the hang of the dial (and when was the last time you saw a phone with a rotary dial?), but it's not made much difference either way to her obsession with our real phone.  Ah well, you can't win 'em all.

Magpie Monday - A Penny Saved...

Well, after an extended break, thanks to life, work, and a whole host of technology-related tragedies, we're back on the Magpie Monday wagon this week.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that one of Squeaky's favourite hobbies is robbing my handbag.  She particularly enjoys finding my beat-up silver purse, opening it, and tipping the contents all over the floor.  As a result, the coin part had sort of stopped staying closed properly, so I was losing all my cash into the bottom of my handbag - also known as a black hole.  New purse, therefore, was order of the day.

I'd decided, following our recent trip to Newquay (not enough charity shops open, booo), that what I wanted was a surfer-style velcro rip wallet, because it might present a slightly tougher challenge.  What I could find in the High Street, was either too big, too small or too expensive.  And the day I'd decided enough was enough, the market was closed, so I couldn't find one in there either.

Instead, I popped into whichever charity shop it is in Swansea that bothers to open on a Sunday morning (only one, but it was far busier than I'd expected), and sitting on the shelf above the shoes, I found it!  The perfect Quiksilver wallet, for the princely sum of £2.50, rather than the £12 or so the surf shop round the corner wanted for it.

So I get a lovely new purse, and better yet, Squeaky gets my old purse to put her plastic coins and other treasures in.  Two for the price of one!  Can't beat that, can we?

See who else has been bargain shopping this week at Magpie Monday. 

Magpie Monday - All Quiet

I'm shattered.  It's been a long week.  My car has been back to the garage for the third time in as many weeks for something that may or may not actually be fixed yet.  This has really had a knock on impact on my bargain hunting.  It's taken me to Brecon every week, which should be a good source of bargains, because Brecon's all posh, like.  But out of the 3 or 4 charity shops I can find, most are rubbish, and the only one with real bargains is a complete jumble sale, and if I've got Squeaky with me, I really haven't got the patience to deal with it.  And I've spent a sodding fortune on car repairs (and expensive coffees to pass the time) which has eaten up my shopping budget.

My friend got married on Saturday, so I had to wrangle Squeaky into a party dress and deal with an over-excited, over-tired toddler who'd already spent a few hours at SqueakyGran's house being fed Too Much Cake.  Can you guess what happened to the pretty party dress?  Put it this way, I was very glad that I'd kept a couple of changes of clothes in the back of the car, for Squeaky at least. I just smelled less of J-Lo Glow and more of Toddler Throw for the rest of the evening.

No actual new finds this week, but Squeaky's party dress was one that featured way,way back in an early Magpie Monday post, so I thought I'd share how it looks now she's grown into it.  See also her favourite toy, a no-longer-working mobile phone - another piece of Magpie-ing I guess, finding a new life for something that would otherwise have been chucked out.  (and please note tidy hair, in pigtails. Don't ask how, it was a miracle)

A couple of new charity shops have sprung up in town, though they hadn't opened when I was shopping last Thursday, so I'll be making a tour later in the week, see if there's anything good.  And I finally located one I'd been looking for for AGES today, though I was working at the time & couldn't really stop & go shopping.

The magpies have migrated for a week or so. Pop over & visit.

Utter Confusion

I've been pondering for a while how to wrestle Upsy Daisy from Squeaky's grasp for long enough to give her a good wash and get her dry without Squeaky noticing she's missing.  Unfortunately it's the wrong time of year to be able to stick her on a hot radiator to dry, and my tumble dryer doesn't work very well.

So the best idea I've had so far, or so I thought, was "Why not get a spare?"  Then I could swap Real Daisy for Deputy Daisy, and get the real one washed & replaced while the deputy was standing in.

No.  I already know that different sized Daisies are Not Daisy.  There's a larger one at my parents' house, and while it's daisy, it's not Daisy, and just won't do.  But I thought that maybe an identical one would work.  Yesterday we were in the supermarket, Squeaky firmly clutching on to Daisy, when I spotted a box of small ITNG plushes, including a Daisy.  Squeaky loves cuddling all the toys in the shop, so we'd already said hello to a Makka Pakka, a Timmy (from Timmy Time), and a couple of ZingZillas, before I handed her the Daisy.

She beamed at her straight away.  Then looked at her other hand, and saw Real Daisy.  Threw the Deputy Daisy on the floor and howled!  Oh dear.  That's not going to work, is it?  Deputy Daisy just wasn't grubby enough, and let's face it, she wasn't Daisy.  Oh well, back to the drawing board.

There's only one Upsy Daisy!

(Oh, and there's no Magpie Monday post this week due to the attack of Lurgy we had last week, no time for shopping)

HABA Zoolino Fabric Building Blocks Review

The Zoolino fabric blocks are like the little sister of the wooden Zoolino blocks.  They’re bigger blocks, 6 in the pack, which Velcro together to make a giraffe, hippo & elephant, or a girappo, hiphant, and eleffe!  The heads and bodies come apart, allowing children to mix & match and create their own creatures.  The bodies all have sounds, a crinkle, a rattle & a squeak, great for little hands learning to control their environment.

Squeaky loves the blocks, right from the moment they came out of the box.  The shapes are big, but not too big for her little hands, and she loved the friendly faces.  I love the colours of the animals, and the patterned fabric, bright and attractive, but not excessively so.  Squeaky’s very, very favourite thing is Velcro, she learned to open & stick it very early on, and she loves toys with Velcro, so these animals are a massive hit.  She really enjoys sticking the creatures together & taking them apart again, and I’m happy that she’s playing with Velcro that doesn’t involve clothes.  The Velcro pads are quite small, which is a good thing, it means the animals are less likely to get stuck to something they shouldn’t, and Squeaky can take them apart quite easily.  It’s also encouraging her to pay attention to what she’s doing, as she has to put the head in the right place to make it stick.

The Zoolino fabric blocks are a lovely toy for children aged 9months up.  Squeaky’s 18 months now, and she gets plenty of entertainment out of them, so they are a toy with a long-lasting appeal.  At £29.99 rrp, they aren’t cheap but the price reflects the quality & durability.  I’ve seen them get more than the odd chew, but there’s no sign of any damage to the stitching, and the ears & tails are firmly anchored, so I’m not concerned at all that she will be at risk of swallowing them, destructive as she can be.  And as a cheeky side-note, they look great around the tv.  We're trying to sell our house at the moment, and the toys need to be tidy a lot of the time, but the Zoolino creatures have pride of place on the tv stand when they're not being played with!

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA Zoolino fabric blocks free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

HABA My First Games Review

My First Games – Touch & Feel

Touch & Feel is a first game, as children are learning to follow instructions & introduces games with “rules”.  The game consists of 12 brightly coloured wooden food shapes (2 types of bread, sausage, cheese, chocolate & beans, two of each shape) a fabric bag, a woolly sheep, and shamrock tokens.  The game gives a couple of variations, depending on the age & understanding of your child.

As Squeaky is still a bit young for complex instructions, we went for the simple version, generally just exploring the shapes, talking about them, and putting them in & out of the bag and the sheep’s tummy.  Older children can play “What did the sheep eat?” guessing by touch which shape is inside the sheep’s Velcro-opening tummy, and receive a shamrock token for a correct guess.  Squeaky enjoyed putting the shapes in & out of the bag & the box, and soon began to understand me asking her to find a particular shape, or to put a shape into the bag.  The game is great for developing understanding of in, on & under, as well as shape matching.  It’s a brilliant educational tool, as well as being fun & engaging, and encourages families to play together.  Squeaky is right at the start of playing with the game, as she gets older and her understanding increases, I think we’ll be able to get a lot more fun out of it.

The game is beautifully made & packaged, and has the same high quality I’ve come to expect from HABA toys.  Something I noticed while reading through the instructions really struck me as what stands out for me about HABA toys.  If you lose a piece, which is inevitable in our house, you can send HABA a description of the missing piece, which game it came from, and €2, and they will send you a replacement part.   Toys aren’t cheap any more, but this stands out to me as exceptional customer service, and ensures that you can go on enjoying your game even if you mislay a piece.  At £18.99, I think My First Game is great value, as it will go on being a favourite for a long time to come.  And just in case you're wondering - HABA are a German company, hence the German writing on the box, but the instructions are in English, as well as German & a whole host of other languages.

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA My First Games Touch & Feel toy free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

John Crane High Tea Shape Matching Review

I was really excited when John Crane Ltd sent me their High Tea Shape Matching game for review, it arrived just after our weekend away, and was a lovely welcome home treat for Squeaky.

I had a feeling she might be a little young for it, as you'll see it says 3yrs+ on the box.  As she was supervised throughout, I didn't find it to be a problem, and she happily engaged with the game.  I wouldn't leave her to play with it unsupervised though, as there are smaller pieces and they could be a problem for younger children.

Anyways, I opened the box to find the game beautifully packed, each cake had its own separate compartment, which means they are less likely to get damaged, and you can easily see that all the pieces are there.  One thing I would say though is that the plates to build the stand are packed underneath the cakes, meaning you have to remove all the cakes from their compartments to get the plates out & make the stand.  We've put ours away now with the cakes on the bottom and the plates on top, which should make unpacking again that much easier.  I know it looks nicer with the cakes on top, but it seems more practical to me not to have to remove them all before you can put everything together.

Putting the stand together was a piece of cake (a ha ha ha! I'm so funny).  The round topped dowel (at the bottom of the above photo) screws through the small plate, into the plain dowel (at the top of the photo), and a single screw - with allen key provided - screws through the bottom of the large plate into the other end of the dowel.  5 minutes tops, and that included getting into the little plastic bag the screw was in.  Then all the cakes fit into their own spaces on the cake stand.

The cakes are beautiful.  All brightly painted, with different patterns & fruits on them.  They're numbered underneath, corresponding with numbers on the stand.  A few of the cakes have uniquely shaped bases, and will only fit in their own space, others are part of a pair or more with the same shaped base, so depending on the age of your child there's variations to play, matching shapes, or number recognition.  Obviously Squeaky's nowhere near recognising numbers yet, but that didn't stop her spending a happy hour or two picking up and examining the various cakes, and replacing them into their spaces on the stand.  We talked about the colours, patterns, shapes and fruits on the different cakes, so even for younger children, there is plenty of opportunity for interaction with the game and learning opportunities.  

Look Mummy, cake!

There's really a long lifespan for this game.  As I said, Squeaky's a while below the recommended age, but she's very interested in it, and I can see it being a game we come back to time & again, with more to add to it, and get out of it, as she gets older and her understanding develops.  At £23.95, the pence-per-play (you know, like price per wear to justify that must-have pair of shoes) is down in the pennies, considering the length of time it'll last.

You can keep up with John Crane on their website: www.john-crane.co.uk, blog: www.thejohncraneblog.co.uk twitter: @johncraneblog and facebook: www.facebook.com/johncranetoys

High Tea Shape Matching Set is available from all good toy stores including Dillon’s ToyBox with an RRP of £23.95.

Disclosure: I was provided with the High Tea Shape Matching set free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

HABA Toys Review

Squeaky & I were recently chosen to be members of the HABA Mums Club.  The Club members have been chosen to be ambassadors for the brand, and get the chance to review a selection of HABA toys.  The Mums Club is here, and you can read reviews from my fellow ambassadors, as well as sneak a peak at some of the toys.  There's a competition there too at the moment to win a Charlotte doll, so pop on over and give it a try.

We were really excited to be chosen.  As you'll have seen from this week's Magpie Monday post, I found a HABA game earlier in the year, and I was struck by the quality and design. The company are environmentally and socially responsible, ensuring they generate employment & income in the town in Germany where they started out.

Our first collection of toys as HABA ambassadors arrived just in time before we jetted off on holidays, but it did mean that we couldn’t really play until we got home.  We received Pure Nature Bea, Diego Dragon and a set of Zoolino blocks.

We took Bea on holiday with us, as I wanted to take new, light, toys to ensure there would be enough novelty to keep 16 month old Squeaky entertained both in transit and when we arrived, but I also wanted to have at least one comforter toy with us.  Bea met both those needs beautifully.  Suitable from 6 months, Bea is an organic cotton doll with no worrying buttons, and perfect for both cuddling and squashing into Mummy’s handbag.  The stitching is strong throughout, even on the hair (which is also cotton, no wool to fray), and very importantly, she’s machine washable.  I’ve yet to try this, but as she met with a chocolate biscuit earlier today, I think she’s going to be in the next load! Squeaky took to her straight away, giving her lots of daytime cuddles, and she made a welcome night-time companion, just look at the picture!

Diego is a fierce dragon.  It took moments for Squeaky to discover the noises he makes as he rattles along the floor behind her, and making a noise is her very favourite thing!  The colours are really bright and eye catching, and the pull-cord is firmly anchored and finished with a ferrule (or a flugelbinder, if you’re old like me & still remember that bit from Cocktails) to avoid fraying.  I was really impressed by the sturdiness of the construction, I’m confident Diego will take all the pulling, swinging & dropping that Squeaky can put him through, though I’m keeping his cord away from the vacuum cleaner (we’ve made that mistake before in our house).  Diego is great for encouraging her to explore, and become more stable on her feet, as she wants to pull him along and make as much noise as she can.  Me?  Well, he’s also great for encouraging her to come to me when it’s time for a nappy change, because she loves to chase him almost as much as she loves to pull him along.

The Zoolino blocks offer endless combination of animal shapes, some familiar, and some less so.  The mix of colours, both bright and neutral is pleasing on the eye, and the patterns provide lots of interest for little hands.  Squeaky’s favourite games with the blocks so far are “Bashing them together” and “Knocking down anything Mummy builds”.  She’s a destructive little mite.  Really, she’s only just starting to grasp the building side of playing with blocks, but she loves knocking them down, and passing them around. She’s mastered stacking a couple now, so it won’t be long before she’s building her own long-necked, three legged bunny-bear! The mix of shapes encourages learning about balance and hand-eye co-ordination, as well as colour & shape recognition.  The blocks are a wonderful way to play as a family, because we can all get involved in building, finding, and knocking down our creations.  Squeaky will get more & more out of the Zoolino blocks as she gets older, I’m sure.

 Diego likes to investigate the blocks too.  He's an inquisitive dragon.

Disclosure: I was provided with 3 HABA toys free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.