Things We're Loving - Kids' Edition

Another month has passed us by and I am looking at the things that I have loved from the last few weeks.  This month I am concentrating on the best kids' stuff, sharing my picks of the clothes, books, films, music and games that I think are worthy of a mention!

First up, if you haven't seen it yet, take the kids to see Wreck It Ralph.  It is one of my favourite Disney offerings for years.  The story of video game characters living and working together in the arcade is absolute genius.  The message of acceptance and being the best that you can be, whoever you are, is heartwarming.  Freddy aged 3 loved it and continues to quote from the film, re-enacting his favourite scenes!  10 year old Kizzy and 16 year old Ella were equally enthralled by the story of Ralph as he tries to become more than just the bad guy.

My girls love to read and enjoy discovering books to escape into.  My two eldest girls were fans of Jacqueline Wilson, so it was inevitable that Kizzy would follow suit.  She is currently reading The Dustbin Baby which is the story of 14 year old April who was abandoned in a bin by her mother following her birth. It is a powerful and emotional story which engages readers as they follow April's quest to discover the mysteries of her past. I love how Jacqueline Wilson portrays her feisty  female characters, as being strong enough to survive against a backdrop of sadness. Empowering stuff.  This book makes excellent reading for ages 9+.

With Comic Relief coming up, we have visited Sainsbury's to stock up on our Di-NOSE-Saurs and also to buy the new One Direction single One Way Or Another.  It was just £1.99 and proceeds go to Comic Relief.  I love the video which they filmed themselves, donating the money they saved to the charity.  What lovely lads! (Especially that cute little Harry Styles!!)

After Kizzy visited the fashion cupboard at Girl Talk magazine's offices in London she has been exercising her mini-fashionista muscles to come up with trendy ensembles.  One of her favourite items at the moment is the 2 in 1 Shirt Jumper from New Look's 915 range which is £14.99.  With its attached collar it looks fashionably smart and perfect for the Spring season.  Kizzy assures me that collars are 'in' at the moment but the real beauty of this top is you don't have to iron a whole denim shirt!

When it comes to boys clothing, graphic T-shirts never go out of fashion and I love these two from Lands’ End.  I love the glow in the dark angler fish tee (as does my little Octonaut fan) and the simple 'Hey' design which really stands out in its simplicity. They are £9.95 each which is a good price for a quality t-shirt that will withstand the testing of an active boy like my son. Freddy has a big collection of t-shirts with slogans on.  They are just so easy and practical to wear with jeans and a zip-up hoodie or a jumper.

Land's End have gifted me with a voucher to try out these T-Shirts.

Our latest favourite game is the horrifically addictive Candy Crush Saga which I have on my phone.  You have to link up rows of three or more of the same sweet to remove them from the grid in an attempt to remove all the jelly or to release ingredients.  It's an old formula, but because it is all about sweeties, it seems so much more exciting!  I am not very good at it, but I am a trier, albeit a trier with no strategy, no vision and no foresight.  When I get through a level I'm pretty certain it's more luck than judgment, but the feeling of achievement is not diminished. As always, the kids are better than me!  They instinctively see the patterns and use strategies to clear the sweets. Kids and technology just work so well together. Candy Crush Saga is free on Android, iOS and Facebook.  So at least I'm not wasting cash on my new addiction.

Freddy has been playing Reading Eggs which I think is a brilliant program for introducing little ones to early reading skills.  I am so impressed with how well he can progress independently through the levels and how his letter and sound recognition is improving.  I'm hoping that through playing on the games he will soon be on the way to being a confident reader. Especially as Infant School beckons.

So that's the things we have enjoyed over the past few weeks here Inside the Wendy House.  I look forward to seeing what things we will be discovering next month!

February In Pictures

My Girl Talk Cover Girl

Kizzy recently won a competition in Girl Talk magazine, the prize being to join the team and try her hand at being a journalist on her favourite magazine.  We went down to their offices in Hammersmith on Monday for Kizzy to live out her dream job for one wonderful, action packed day.

With a tight schedule of exciting opportunities to work through, Kizzy embraced the role and got stuck in to the challenges.  The first job was to go to Disney's HQ and interview the Disney Channel's "Get the Look" presenter Electra Formosa.

Kizzy and Electra

She was a really lovely, engaging girl who was generous with her answers to Kizzy's interview questions.  She offered some great advice to Kizzy about style, fashion and how to get celebrity looks.  I was proud of Kizzy who was very good at asking the questions that she had written herself and rehearsed beforehand!

Going into the fashion cupboard  at Girl Talk was a dream come true for my mini-fashionista.  She poured over racks of clothing and through drawers of accessories.  She was challenged to style herself as a Girl Talk cover girl and was very true to her own style when she picked out the outfit that she wanted, which included a gorgeous Boden jumper with a pearl-edged collared blouse underneath.

She looked beautiful and confident as she took part in a photoshoot.

The photos were then used on a mock up front cover which Kizzy helped to design.  She chose what was going on the front alongside her photo which included her favorite Disney and Nickelodeon characters, her top fashion picks, the headlines and of course Harry Styles saying "I heart Kezia!"  She had so much fun doing this and loved seeing the finished result take shape.

On the way home after her day at Girl Talk, Kizzy was buzzing with ideas to further her interest in fashion, make-up and styling.  She has ideas about working harder on her blog and building a body of work that might help her get to her dream job one day.  It is lovely hearing her so enthusiastic about something.  I love that although she is an academic child who does well in school, that she isn't afraid to think about pursuing a path in a subject that she loves.  I am proud that she is a free-thinking individual who knows her own mind.  She talked at length to the editor of Girl Talk about what she wanted from her magazine reading and gave ideas that would empower young women rather than pigeon hole or stereotype them into traditional roles.  She really has a strong personality that I am sure will hold her in good stead!  She isn't afraid of being herself, even when that means going against the norm.

This wonderful prize that Kizzy won has been so much more than just a day out.  She has been inspired and excited about the fashion and media industry, what it means to be a girl in the 21st century and about her own future.  I am so proud of my daughter!

What February May Bring

Hello February!  Who can believe that we are now in the second month of 2013!?  Certainly not me.  It seems like yesterday that I packed the Christmas baubles back into their plastic box, and I'm still finding the odd rogue pine needle hiding itself against the skirting boards. But here we are.  One twelfth of 2013 is now behind us.

This month is going to be a strange one for us.  Ian's operation is fast approaching.  There is just a bit of organisation left to do, negotiations between the surgeon, hospital and private health insurance to make sure that all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted.  Ian has been put under the care of a surgeon who is the UK's top specialist in his field.  In fact he has been on Embarrassing Bodies being filmed doing operations, so I'm guessing Ian will be in extremely good hands. Hopefully this time we will get a cure rather than just a 12 month hiatus which his last operation gave him. Ian's symptoms are getting worse and we do live in fear of his kidneys suffering some damage.  Everytime he gets a twinge in his back he starts worrying.  So I hope the red tape gets waded through quickly and Ian can go under the knife that is held in the capable hands of the TV doc!

Of course, following his operation I will have to look after Ian.  I am not the most sympathetic nurse in the world when it comes to caring for my poorly husband.  But he assures me that it is my tough love that gets him back on his feet.  The post-surgery fortnight sounds quite grim and will involve me having to get hands on with some procedures.  I will have to harness my inner Florence Nightingale and rise to the challenge.  Although I am tough, I do it with all the love in my heart and Ian knows that.  It's only because I want him better and can't bear to see my man suffer.

Before the op, we are taking a trip to London as Kizzy has won a competition with Girl Talk magazine to spend a day in the offices.  The competition was to write a topical gossip story in 50 words and she amazed me by writing a really punchy, snappy piece about One Direction.  She really wanted to win but I told her as I always do, not to get her hopes up as hundreds of people enter and the judges have an idea what they are looking for and if you don't fit their criteria you won't win however good your entry was.  I told her that the enjoyment of writing the piece is reward enough and anything else is a bonus.  She was happy with that and pretty much forgot about it until the phone call telling her she had won!!  She can't wait to play at being a magazine editor for a day.  She loves her girlie mags, make-up, fashion and celebrities, so she will be in her element.

Kizzy At Work

We will be hosting a Tree Fu Tom party in half term along with other bloggers across the country.  We'll be inviting round some little people to try out the latest Tree Fu Tom toys and enjoying some themed party games and food.    Freddy loves the CBeebies' show starring Tom, the young boy who does his magical Tree-Fu moves to save the day.  So he will love this!

You can join us between 4 and 6 pm live on Twitter where there will be some great prizes to be won.  Just look out for the #treefutomtoys hashtag and join in the fun!!

Tomorrow I'm off to see my grandson Ted!  Last night we spent half an hour on Facetime with Joe, Jade and Ted (after Joe read my post).  At times like this I LOVE technology even more than usual.  I got to see my chubby, chinned little grandson cooing and gurgling and giving little smiles as his mum and dad played with him.  It was wonderful!!  I can't wait to give him a cuddle for real tomorrow.  It will be my first visit of 2013 as this is our first free weekend,  and I am going to savour every second with my son and his family. (Just wish that Megan could be there too...nothing beats having all my kids together!)

So February here we come.  I hope it brings all good things for you too!