Having always had sensitive skin, I’ve learnt the key to keeping flare ups at bay is to moisturise as it’s the dryness that causes the itch. I suffered with awful eczema as a child but thankfully the days of coal tar baths, emollient and steroid cream are a distant memory.
Much has changed since then too and while POD is prone to eczema, for the most part we’re able to manage it. Summer is the worst time for her with sun creams, chlorine and sweat adding to the irritation. With thinning of the skin and tissue a side effect of long term steroid use, we try to avoid topical corticosteroid creams although that’s not always possible.
You’d think a CD with a collection of 13 lullabies and songs would just be for babies and children. But the recent Slumberland release is just as enjoyable for mums and dads too. Songs like Edelweiss, Moon River and Dream A Little Dream especially conjure up fabulous memories from my childhood. Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel), an old Billy Joel classic, is another favourite.
If ever there was a time to make an effort, it’s at Christmas. Dressing up on the 25th December is just as much a part of the festivities as giving presents to loved ones, feasting on delectable food and loafing on the sofa. Seeing POD’s face when she discovers Father Christmas has been is magic. But I’m not sure it’s as exciting as sharing her birthday with baby Jesus!
POD was born at 10:46am on Christmas Day 2010. The past couple of years she’s has an ‘un-birthday’ party in the Summer, so she has a full day devoted to her, although we make sure she has a great birthday too. This means leaving a room free of Christmas decorations, separating her (birthday/Christmas) presents and having a cake. As any little girl would on her birthday, she always has to have a great dress too.
The weeks seem to fly by at this time of year. It’s always busy and that’s before we’ve got ourselves organised for the festive period and POD’s Christmas Day birthday. Thankfully help is at hand from DreamToys, as they’ve teamed up with a panel of leading toy retailers, to pull together a list of the top toys for children this Christmas. With a Meccano robot, sing-along Care Bear, interactive Tracy Island from Thunderbirds and a 3D art studio in the mix, the Dream Dozen features an array of toys that will keep children immersed and entertained.
We’ve had such a great time reviewing Megableu Games recently. First up was Creepy Hand which is based on the truth or dare concept. It’s designed for children aged 7+ and 2 or more players although there are plenty of questions suitable for younger children too. There was plenty to keep POD occupied and we discovered if she got to change her name, she’d definitely be called Bernard! Ghost HuntEvolution involves shooting ghosts and bats in a dark room with help from Billy Bones. It’s suitable for aged 5+ and 1 or more players.
Last month we reviewed two excellent games from Megableu – Creepy Hand which is based on truth or dare and Ghost Hunt Evolution which involves shooting ghosts and bats in a darkened room. Both are really great fun with the highlights (while playing Creepy Hand) definitely the POD Father’s cow impression, POD pretending to be a gorilla and their arm wrestle! You can see our review of Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt Evolution here.
It’s always a pleasure to preview the coming season and Clarks SS16 collection was no exception. Including an array of styles for women, men and children, here’s a sneaky peek at what you can expect to see in store from January onwards.
The First Shoes Collection features a vibrant mix of super bright shades and vintage influences. From baby shoes, booties and pram shoes for 0-9 months, this range is soft and supple. From size 2 upwards we really are spoilt for choice with Little Jam, a Mary-Jane style pre-walker, in navy patent embellished with flower detailing on the toe.
Saturday was a busy day what with gymnastics and a family swim all before lunchtime. POD had asked to go swimming for days and although it wasn’t overly successful initially, she had a ball in the end. Following a spot of sofa hugging, where she barely moved she was so tired, the POD Father brought out a pizza making kit.
We recently received a couple of awesome games from Megableu. Creepy Hand, which is based on the truth or dare concept, and Ghost Hunt Evolution which is one for when it’s dark! Here’s a bit about the games followed by a rather entertaining video showing how we got on!
Creepy Hand
The Creepy Hand truth or dare game is designed for 2 or more players aged 7+. POD will be 5 on Christmas Day but she loved playing this. The cards vary in level of difficulty so it was great to be able to pick out the ones that were suitable for her. Who knew the POD Father could do the most hilarious cow impression. Or that POD would like her name to be Bernard if she had to change it!
With the Creepy Hand suitable for such a wide age group, there’s plenty to keep older children and adults entertained too. Truths include what’s your best claim to fame, have you ever done something wrong and have you ever broken wind in an embarrassing situation. Whereas a dare might be to eat a full slice of bread within a minute, pretend to be a performing seal or take off a players sock with your teeth!
The game comes with a mechanical hand (you’ll need 3 AA batteries), a pack of 94 truth or dare cards and 6 joker cards. It’s really easy to play. The mechanical hand walks round the table in a circle raising its finger at a player when it stops. That player is then asked if they’d like a truth or dare.
If they’re successful and their answer is good enough, they get to keep their card. If not, they need to complete a forfeit. We didn’t get any forfeits but they’re just as good as the truths and dares. From spelling backwards to removing a piece of clothing to touching your toes without bending your knees! I can see this being one of those games you get out at a dinner party as well as being great for families! The winner of the game is the first person to collect 6 cards.
Ghost Hunt Evolution
Ghost Hunt Evolution is for 1 or more players aged 5+. The pack includes Billy Bones (the electronic protector), an electric gun and a pair of multi-vision glasses. You’ll need 4 AA batteries for Billy Bones and 3 AAA batteries for the gun. All you need to do then set-up wise is attach Billy Bones’ feet to his body.
The object of the game is to shoot any ghosts and bats that appear in your darkened room. They’re about the size of an adult hand and can pop up anywhere including on your own body! The gun has 10 shots and a digital reader to show how many ghosts and bats you’ve shot. You get 1 point for ghosts and 3 points for bats.
There are 3 difficulty levels (easy, average and difficult) and for each game you need to sync the gun with Billy by pressing the level you require and pointing the fire trigger at Billy. If you wear the glasses the number of ghouls you see is multiplied – 9 instead of 1. We discovered POD is very good at this game scoring 10 in the last round compared to the POD Father’s 8 and my 5!
You’ll see from the video below we had far too much fun with these games, they’re brilliant!
Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt Evolution are available from Argos, Smyths, Firebox, Toys R Us, Toymaster, Amazon, Debenhams and Tobar.
We received Creepy Hand and Ghost Hunt Evolution from Megableu Games for the purpose of this review. Opinions are as always our own.
POD has watched My Little Pony for a while now so she’s a huge fan of Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle and the gang. She was beside herself with excitement when I mentioned we’d been invited to the Rainbow Dash Style & Groom launch party by My Little Pony. She went on to tell me about all the characters in great detail, adding that Rainbow Dash is her absolute favourite. There was also a quite lengthy discussion about cutie marks although I’ve seen a fair amount of Friendship is Magic now so I’m pretty up to speed with what’s what!
The launch party took place at Happy Faces in Clapham which is a leading luxury children’s hair salon and party zone. They’d done an amazing job transforming the salon into a My Little Pony pamper wonderland with complimentary styling, manicures and treats on offer. POD chose to have her hair plaited first so she could create her first Rainbow Dash Style and Groom using jewellery, stickers and gems.
With her hair styled, POD headed downstairs to finish her Rainbow Dash creation while watching an episode of My Little Pony and eating tasty treats. There was even pretend champagne! It was a fabulous set up with separate rooms for styling, creativity and pampering.
There were Rainbow Dash Style & Groom toys everywhere which as you can imagine pleased POD immensely. After POD’s feast she wanted to have her nails painted and look through her My Little Pony sticker book. For someone who continually fidgets, she remained remarkably still throughout and even selected a glittery star tattoo for her hand!
POD received her very own Rainbow Dash Style & Groom after the launch party as well as a giant My Little Pony balloon which she adores almost as much. It was a brilliant event and POD had such a good time she’s already asked (several times) if she can go to another My Little Pony party!
The day after the event we set to work on Rainbow Dash. There were lots of hairstyles to choose from at the My Little Pony event but we went with a simple plait so POD could get started on the styling. She took it very seriously and decorated Rainbow Dash beautifully.
The Rainbow Dash Style & Groom (RRP £24.99) toy is available from Amazon, Argos, Asda, Toys R Us, The Entertainer, Hamleys, Harrods, John Lewis, Very, Littlewoods, Tesco Direct, Smyths and Boots. The pack comes with a pink mane brush and hair clips plus stickers, gems and jewellery and the all important cutie mark charm so there are lots of options to choose from. It’s perfect for little fashionistas who want to get creative!
There are 3 difficulty levels (easy, average and difficult) and for each game you need to sync the gun with Billy by pressing the level you require and pointing the fire trigger at Billy. If you wear the glasses the number of ghouls you see is multiplied – 9 instead of 1. We discovered POD is very good at this game scoring 10 in the last round compared to the POD Father’s 8 and my 5!
With her hair styled, POD headed downstairs to finish her Rainbow Dash creation while watching an episode of My Little Pony and eating tasty treats. There was even pretend champagne! It was a fabulous set up with separate rooms for styling, creativity and pampering.
