Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Christmas Gift Ideas: Twirlywoos Big Red Boat & Peekaboo Iggle Piggle Character Toys

My kids are really big on TV which is always something pregnant me swore would never happen! They don't watch it all day but they do have a select few shows which they love. CBeebies is one of the channels we watch a lot with Twirlywoos and In The Night Garden being the ultimate favourites. We were sent two character toys from the show to try out.



Firstly, the Twirlywoos Big Red Boat! I'd seen this around whilst Christmas shopping for the kids and if I'm completely honest, the £49.99 price tag put me off especially as I didn't know whether the kids would like it or if it did a lot. Before I get into the ins and outs of the toy, it is definitely worth the price tag! So if, like me, you were put off - don't be!

The boat itself is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. It comes with figures of Great BigHoo and Peekaboo and it's packed full of activities to encourage developmental learning and imaginative play. The side of the boat opens to reveal a pop up table and little tube. When you press the button on the "floor" beside it, it glugs as though it's filling up and you'll hear a voice say "full" and "empty" after it releases. There is also a smaller hatch on the side which is great for hiding Peekaboo in.



On the top of the boat, you'll see three birds. There is a spinner behind it so you can make them spin around and chirp but they can also be removed to play with separately too. The horn on the front can be pushed down to say phrases and play songs as well as flash the blue lights on the front. The spinner has images of the Twirlywoos characters and it tells you their name when you land on them.



Finally, the lifebuoy on the side can be pulled down to play four different songs, one of these being the Twirlywoos theme song. This is by far C and E's favourite part of the boat. Every time it plays they have a little boogie!



The Big Red Boat has been constantly played with and both children love it. E was in total awe when she saw it and I swear, if she had a thought bubble it would read "this boat is on TV and now it's in our house!" She was so star-struck! 


The boat is suitable for ages 18 months +, it retails at £49.99 and you can find it at all good retailers.

We also received Peekaboo Iggle Piggle. Both children are very familiar with this show and the characters as it's one that they usually watch before bedtime so they were very excited by this.

Peekaboo Iggle Piggle is a really cute little soft toy and it even comes with the little red blanket attached. You just need to squeeze his belly and he'll put his hands over his eyes and bring them back out when you release it. Whilst doing this he also says fun little phrases.


It is recommended for ages 10 months + and E at 15 months can't quite work out how to squeeze his belly but when I do it for her she covers her own eyes to play peekaboo with him - it's so cute! She does love a cuddle with him too.



Peekaboo Iggle Piggle retails at £19.99 and it's available from all good retailers.

(Disclaimer: We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)


Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Christmas Gift Ideas: Moochies Phone Watch

C is only little so doesn't play out on the street yet, but when he does I know I'll be absolutely terrified as I can't see him every second of every day. I have maybe 2 year before this starts and at 5 he will, in my opinion, definitely be too young to carry a mobile phone around with him so this is where Moochies comes in.


The Moochies phone watch is amazing! We received a watch for C and a phone which had the app pre-downloaded (Chris searched and it is easy enough to find on Android too). The phone watch takes a micro SIM card which can be on any network provided it gets 2G coverage. We have a pre-paid one that came with the watch and you can purchase these alongside your watch.

The phone watch has voice calling, parent set contact numbers, an SOS button (which when pressed sends an alert to the parents phone), GPS tracking, safe zones and also a watch function.

With the labelling to show which button does what. This can be removed.

The parent can set up two numbers that the child can call by simply pressing a button but have 20 numbers that can call the phone which makes it great for grandparents and other relatives. The voice calling is so clear and C thought it was great fun being able to talk to mummy through his watch.


The GPS has been wonderful for me when we take C to our local park. In the past I'd keep him either on his reins or by my side when all he really wants to do is run around. The watch has given me peace of mind that if he does go a little too far for a second, I'll know straight away where he is.

The Moochies watch is, in my eyes, an amazing concept. I've suffered from anxiety since C's birth and I honestly think this will be a huge help now and also as C (and E!) gets older. 

The watch retails at £79.99 and you can purchase it from the Moochies website. You can also keep up to date on Facebook.

(Disclaimer: We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)



Monday, 14 December 2015

Specsavers Minions Range

We (and by 'we' I mean C) were recently invited along to Specsavers to take a peek at their new Minions range. When the email first landed in my inbox, I honestly thought it couldn't be more perfect for C. I wear glasses and he is absolutely obsessed with them. He has lots of toy glasses which he loves wearing himself or making his toys wear. Minions is another one of his loves - like most children! He also hadn't had an eye test in quite a while.

I booked C in for his appointment at the Ann Street branch in Belfast and as we had never been to Specsavers, they had some initial tests to do. I imagined that this would be easy enough, and it probably is, but C decided that he did not want to co-operate at all. He kept saying, "bye bye" and "I don't like it!" In the end we decided just to let the optometrist know that he wasn't comfortable with it.

When we went upstairs to the optometrists room, we attempted some more tests. He was absolutely fine when it came to telling us what the symbols were but trying to cover one eye while checking the other or getting him to wear the frames to test lenses was terrible! So much so that what happened next is probably the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. C pointed at the optometrist, pointed at the door and told her, "Get out!" I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. I couldn't apologise enough but I have to commend the optometrist on how professional she was. She laughed it off and said that they have plenty of young children in who are uncooperative and I had nothing to worry about.

Due to C's tantrums, she couldn't give me a proper result of his test. The only thing that she could tell me sure was that he didn't have a squint. Obviously, we didn't get to try a pair of Minions glasses but I was able to sneak a peek at the range whilst I was in store.




The Minions range have glasses for both girls and boy in a variety of shapes and colours - I especially loved the little pink ones! The arms all have little images of our favourite characters on and I think that if C did need glasses, the fact that they have Minions on them would make him very excited to wear them.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that our eye test goes a bit more smoothly next time!

You can check out the Minion range at your local Specsavers now.


Christmas Gift Ideas: Stocking Fillers from Peanuts, Jelly Belly and Lotil

I always struggle when it comes to filling stockings and I'm sure I'm not alone! I really dislike buying cheap tat just for the stocking, especially when it probably won't be looked at after Christmas Day! I've put together a little stocking filler gift guide for teenagers/older people in the hope that it may give you all some ideas!

Peanuts
With the new Snoopy movie being the talk of the Internet right now, there are some lovely Peanuts lip balms and nail sets that you can get your hands on without breaking the bank. These are available to buy from Primark.

Lotil
Lotil is a cream to treat skin conditions such as eczema so if you know someone who is struggling, why not get them something useful that you know will help? The 50ml tube retails at only £3.59 at Boots and you can pick up the lip balm at Chemist Direct for £1.09.

Jelly Belly
I love love love Jelly Belly jelly beans so the fact that these lip balms exist is amazing! They're perfect for anyone who enjoys the flavours of Jelly Belly beans. As well as tasting great, they soothe and soften your lips as well as being lightly coloured. You can pick these up from ASOS.

(Disclaimer: We received some samples for the purpose of this post.)




Saturday, 12 December 2015

Look in my Letterbox #36

This week was pretty good week for me with some fab things arriving in the post. I've won quite a few competitions this week too so I'm hoping next week will be good too if they are posted promptly! 


Wins:
Books
I won these from Harper360 on Twitter in one of their advent competitions. They are a little old for my kids at the moment so I'll keep them for them.

Make up
I won this on Twitter too and I was so chuffed as I'm doing a make up hamper for my sister for Christmas so I'm pleased I can add these in.

Lovehoney prize
I won a prize in lovehoney's advent. I don't want to say what it is in case Chris reads - it's going in with his Christmas bits, ha!

Book
This was another Twitter win and it's one I'm delighted with! At the beginning of the month, I decided that I wanted to read Christmas books with the kids at bedtime and realised I only have 5 so it's made a lovely addition.

Necklace
This was an advent win on Twitter with Funky Laser. I love it so much and it is huge!

Toby's Travelling Circus goodies
I won these with Tiny Pop on Facebook and I couldn't believe my luck. It's C's favourite show on Tiny Pop so he'll love the masks and activities plus the DVD has 52 ten minute episodes on!

Christmas Pudding biscuits
I won these from Angelic Gluten Free on Twitter. One of my friends is coeliac so I always enter GF comps for her!

Reviews:
Cheese Posties
Yes, cheese toasties in the post! Probably one of my favourite reviews ever. Keep an eye out!

Peekaboo Iggle Piggle and Twirlywoos Big Red Boat
This is part of my Christmas gift guide and it will be up this week.

Bob The Builder magazine
We are so excited to have a wee read!

Purchases:
Game of Thrones book
Chris is obsessed with the show and he's asked for the first book as part of his Christmas present.

Christmas colouring books
I got these on Amazon for the kids Christmas Eve boxes and realised I forgot crayons - duh!

Others:
Klout perk
I was super lucky to receive this amazing Klout perk from Boots. It smells divine!

SoPost nappies
Eek! We won't to buy any for a while!

Did you receive anything nice this week?