A Magical Start to Christmas at the Intu Trafford Centre

Today we were invited to the Intu Trafford Centre to watch their Magical Christmas Parade. Arriving before the parade began, we had the chance to meet the stars of the show in a private meet and greet. Freddy loved seeing Peppa Pig, Bing & Flop, Shimmer & Shine, Marshall & Skye, the Minions, PJ Masks and Branch & Poppy. There is something so magical about seeing the children interact with their favourite TV stars in real life! We had a really nice breakfast, juice and coffee supplied by Leon, which was much appreciated after our early start.

We were then lucky enough to be able to watch the parade from the VIP enclosure at the side of the stage in the Orient. There was a procession of the characters alongside dancing princes and princesses, jugglers, drumming soldiers, stilt walkers, ballerinas, dancers, Father Christmas and his elves.

The all singing, all dancing performance ended with a magical blizzard of snowflake confetti, which was really lovely.  We left feeling very festive after our wonderful morning at the intu Trafford Centre.

Afterwards we got to do some Christmas shopping and get some lunch. The Christmas lights made the experience very sparkly and festive.

Check out what is happening at the intu Trafford Centre this Christmas at intu.co.uk/traffordcentre.

A Magical Christmas Parade is coming to Intu Trafford Centre

A Magical Christmas Parade is coming to intu Trafford Centre on November 18th 2017. 

As a family, we really enjoy our annual Christmas shopping trips to intu Trafford Centre. There is always something exciting going on and the decorations really put us in a festive mood. We love the Santa's Grotto in Barton Square, which is always so innovative and exciting! So we are really looking forward to experiencing the new Magical Christmas Parade this year.

This brand new event is bringing the magic of Christmas to families with a parade featuring the stars of Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Shimmer and Shine, Trolls, Bing and the Minions. Little ones will love seeing the stars of TV and the big screen brought to life in a show stopping parade.

Filled with music, dance and festive fun, this captivating Christmas carnival takes place in the Orient with two  parades starting at 11.30am and 2.30pm. The enchanting experience will give families a chance to see their favourite children’s characters alongside a dazzling array of princesses, princes, nutcracker dancers and traditional toy soldiers. Even Father Christmas himself will be taking a break from his festive grotto in Barton Square to appear in the procession and welcome the crowds to the Christmas event.

The full Magical Christmas Parade cast will feature:

Chase, Marshall and Skye from Nickelodeon’s PAW Patrol

DreamWorks Animation Trolls lead characters Princess Poppy and Branch

Bing and Flop from Emmy-award winning CBeebies cartoon Bing

Mini superheroes PJ Masks in their trademark pyjamas

Family-favourite Peppa Pig

Nickelodeon’s twin-sister genies-in-training Shimmer and Shine

Fresh from Despicable Me 3 - the Minions

A cast of magical fairy-tale princes and princesses

Traditional, festive nutcracker dancers and traditional marching toy soldiers

Father Christmas leading the way as the star of the show

Alison Niven, regional centre director at intu Trafford Centre, said: “The Magical Christmas Parade is the perfect festive, family day out – the Orient will come alive with music, dancing and wide-eyed little ones looking out for their favourite stars.... it’s really beginning to feel like the magic of Christmas has started.”

For all the festive, family events at intu Trafford Centre, visit: intu.co.uk/traffordcentre/events.

Grandpa Pig's Holiday Boat - Holiday Fun with Peppa Pig

Peppa Pig is a character who never fails to entertain Freddy.  He loves watching the antics of Peppa. George and the gang on Nick Jr.  So he was delighted to receive a Grandpa Pig's Holiday Boat to review. It's part of the new Peppa Pig Holiday Range.

Grandpa Pig's boat is quite an iconic part of the Peppa Pig TV series.  It makes a few appearances and is instantly recognisable.  The toy itself comes with Grandpa, Peppa and George characters all clad in their best summer holiday wear!  The boat is very well constructed with good attention to detail, featuring a flag, a bell, boat controls and propeller.  The characters stand in indented spaces, making them very secure when onboard.

Best of all, this boat actually floats on water!  This is a great feature that really delighted Freddy, making it suitable as a bath or paddling pool toy.  The construction of the boat means it does not take on water so it floats really well and is easy to dry after playtime.  Freddy tested it in the downstairs bathroom sink and it floated upright, even with the characters onboard.  This adds a huge extra element of fun to this toy. Very impressive!

The Grandpa Pig's Holiday Boat from Character has an RRP of £19.99, which is good value for a toy that can be played with both on dry land and in water!  Plus it comes with the three characters, so can be played with straight from the box for lots of  fun Peppa holiday adventures.

       

Sleep Tight with a GoGlow Night Bright Light

With the nights getting longer and darker, little ones might need a little extra help at bedtime to feel safe and confident about getting to sleep.  A survey of 1000 parents revealed that 67% of under fives named monsters in the darkness as their biggest nighttime fear.  Little imaginations can run wild wondering about what lies lurking in the dark, especially with Halloween coming up.  Many parents admit to having to do a sweep of their child's room to assure their child that it is monster free, and three quarters of children will get out of bed to seek reassurance from mummy and daddy during the night.

A simple and reassuring solution for stopping spooky shadows and banishing scary monsters is a night light.  A comforting glow helps children feel safe and sound and keeps those imaginary monsters at bay.

The Worlds Apart GoGlow 2 in 1 Rechargeable Night Light and Torch is a brilliant idea for empowering children to feel secure in the dark.  It comes in one of two designs featuring kids' TV favourites Peppa Pig or Thomas the Tank Engine. When picked up, it makes a cool easy-grip torch, perfect for night time toilet trips or for a reassuring peek under the bed.  When set down on a surface it becomes a gently glowing nightlight with up to 16 hours glow time once charged.

Freddy received one to try out.  He opted for a Peppa Pig design and was pleased to see both George and Peppa on the night light so it wasn't too 'girlie'.  He loved that he could pick it up when he needed a torch and it was right there by his bedside.  The night light function is nice and soft making his room bathed in its gentle glow.

I love that the night light is rechargeable using a base that plugs into the mains, so there is no need for batteries.  It is a really nice design and the functionality is great.   It is easy to turn on and off by pressing the top of the nightlight, so there are no fiddly switches to contend with.

The torch is nice and chunky, and easy for little hands to grasp.  They simply have to pick it up and it switches from night light to torch light automatically.

It has given Freddy some extra night time confidence and he loves having the night light on while he drops off to sleep. He thinks the torch is a lot of fun and anything that makes him feel safer and more in control in the dark is a hit with me!

You can find the GoGlow Night Bright Light on the Worlds Apart website and can buy it from Argos and Amazon for £19.99.

Milkshake! Stars DVD Review

Freddy loves watching some of his favourite TV shows to relax after a day at school , so the new Milkshake! Stars DVD is perfect for him.  With episodes from favourite shows such as Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly, Thomas and Friends, Tickety Toc, Jelly Jamm and Chloe's Closet, there is 149 minutes of fantastic fun for kids to watch and enjoy. They can dip in and pick favourite episodes to watch or can watch the DVD in its entirety, especially useful on long car journeys or when away on holiday to keep little ones entertained.

The DVD is out on September 8th.

Freddy is a big fan of the show Igam Ogam about a little cavegirl and her adventures.  The episode "I'm Bouncing" sees her on a veggie hopper that won't stop bouncing about.  It really makes Fred giggle!  Other favourites of his from the DVD are the Peppa Pig episode where George loses Mr Dinosaur and "Fun and Games" with Ben and Holly.  Altogether there are 15 full episodes from 15 different Milkshake! shows on the disc.  Freddy discovered some brand new things like Bert and Ernie and Pip Ahoy! as well as enjoying some old favourites.  It's a great value DVD, perfect for keeping little ones entertained.  At the moment you can pre-order it at Amazon for just £7.00.

If your kids are big Milkshake! fans, why not look out for the Milkshake! Live Party Party tour.   The theatre show features a number of the characters that feature on the DVD such as Bananas in Pyjamas, Tickety Toc, Chloe's Closet, Pip Ahoy!, Little Princess, Toby's Travelling Circus and Jelly Jamm.

You can find more information on the tour here.

http://milkshake.channel5.com/pages/milkshake-live

Nickelodeon and Nick Jr available on NOW TV #NickelodeonNOWTV

Nick Jr and Nickelodeon are two of my children's favourite channels.  Home of shows such as Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, Spongebob Squarepants, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, they provide hours of entertainment for little ones. Nick Jr and Nickelodeon are now available to watch at anytime without a contract via the NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass.

To celebrate this they are launching the NOW TV Nickelodeon Swap Shop on Twitter and Facebook. Kids are being asked to draw pictures of their favourite Nick characters and mums and dads can Tweet their artwork with the hashtag #NickelodeonNOWTV.  It's a lovely excuse to get out the crayons and let the kids get creative as they draw one of Nick's colourful characters.

Every submission will receive a digital activity pack and will be entered into a competition to win one of fifty Nickelodeon goodie bags and a NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass.  Winning pictures will be showcased on the NOW TV Facebook page.  The Nickelodeon Swap Shop ends on August 17th.

Freddy has had a go at drawing his favourite characters from Nick Jr, Ben Elf, Princess Holly and Oona and Nonny from the Bubble Guppies.

Ben Elf

Oona and Nonny

Princess Holly

Big sister Ella didn't want to be left out from the fun of drawing Nick Jr characters so she drew Peppa Pig and family!

The NOW TV Entertainment Month Pass already lets customers watch hit shows on 12 of the UK’s best TV channels including Sky 1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts 1, Discovery, MTV, Comedy Central, GOLD, Disney, FOX and now Nickelodeon & Nick Junior. It’s available on the NOW TV Box, PS3™, Roku, LG Smart TV, Xbox®360, Android™, PC and Mac, iPad® and iPhone®. 

For more information on NOW TV visit nowtv.com or follow on Twitter @NOWTV and facebook.com/NOWTV.

Our Peppa Pig Theme Park Party

Yesterday we took part in a Peppa Pig party with UKMums.tv.  We were sent some brilliant Peppa merchandise and some of the latest Peppa's Theme Park toys along with ideas for games and food.  At 3pm the children began to arrive to help 3 year old Freddy test out the new range and have some fun, while I tried to take photos, prepare food and Tweet from the event (multi-tasking at its best.) We had a houseful of young guests eager to play games, do colouring in, eat pizza and cake, watch Peppa Pig on TV and try out the toys.

The kids loved Muddy Puddles Peppa who jumps up and down, counts and speaks phrases.  They copied her actions and giggled as she splashed and sploshed. The Theme Park Toys are based on the Peppa Pig World rides from Paulton's Park.  The Big Wheel, the Balloon Ride and the Train Ride are brightly coloured, plastic toys which have interactive features.  The Big Wheel spins and the seats pivot to keep the characters in their seats.  The Balloon Ride turns around and comes complete with a ticket kiosk and a 'ring the bell' game.  The Train Ride has three cute carriages, a rocket ship, a spinning cupcake and a dinosaur.  It wheels along the ground with the characters onboard.

Each piece comes with a Peppa character wearing a differently patterned dress.  Other characters are available in packs so you can add the likes of Rebecca Rabbit, Danny Dog and George Pig to your collection.  The figures are well detailed with movable limbs and are perfect for little hands.

The rides make a lovely theme park scene for children to play with. I found it a little fiddly to get the characters to sit in the carriages securely.  So my over zealous pre-schooler enjoyed spinning the wheel and balloons fast enough to make the characters fly out of their seats!  The Train Ride was voted the favourite toy by our guests. The carriages could be used on their own or joined together.  The children enjoyed whizzing the carrriages around, racing them against each other with Peppa, Rebecca and Suzie onboard.  The 'ring the bell' fairground game was a big hit.  Pressing the button makes the bell ring.  It's amazing how much little ones enjoy such a simple pleasure!

The Peppa brand has definitely got it right.  The children all love the show, the toys, the books and the other merchandise.  It has got real kid appeal with its simple imagery and the fun animal characters.  We had a great time celebrating the joys of  Peppa Pig and her friends today!

Big Wheel Playset RRP £14.99

Deluxe Balloon Ride Playset RRP £19.99

Theme Park Train RRP £14.99

Peppa and Friends Figures RRP £4.99

Peppa's Theme Park Party

On March 26th, between 3 and 5pm, we are hosting a Peppa Pig party to showcase the new range of Peppa Pig's Theme Park toys.  We received an amazing bundle of goodies this morning in readiness for the party, which will be taking place at the same time as fourteen other parties hosted by UK bloggers across the country.  We will all be live tweeting from the event and everyone is invited to join us on Twitter using the hashtag #peppasthemeparkparty, and in doing so, you may be able to win some great Peppa Pig prizes.

On the day, I will post some photos of the Peppa Pig merchandise and give my opinions on the toys and if anyone wants to ask about them I'll be happy to oblige. My first impression of the range is very positive.  Freddy loves Peppa Pig and the toys lend themselves perfectly to the brand.  I'll be interested to see what the children make of them.

The Nick Jr Card-o-Matic - Free Festive Fun!

Little ones can make their own e-cards for the special people in their lives with the new free Nick Jr Card-o-Matic.  The  wonderfully animated Card-o-Matic machine is so easy to use and features all the Nick Jr favourites including  Ben & Holly, Dora and Peppa.  Kids will love watching as their designed card goes through the virtual online machine before being delivered onto the festive mantelpiece.  From there, they can be emailed or printed out and given in person.

It's as simple as this to make your own personalised e-card with the Nick Jr Card-o-Matic!

1:  Go to www.nickjr.co.uk/create/cardomatic.

2:  Choose between creating your own card, picking a ready made design or a picking colour in card.

3:  Select the character you want in your card.. Peppa Pig, Dora, Ben & Holly, Team Umizoomi or Bubble Guppies.

4:   Enter the 'to' and 'from' details and pick a font and colour scheme.

5:  Upload a photo and pick a frame.

6:  Personalise the card using the character kit.  Choose characters and scenes to personalise the front of your card.

7:  Watch as it wings its way onto the mantlepiece ready to be printed or emailed.

Here is one that Freddy made with me including a photograph on the front cover!

Have some free festive fun with your little ones with the Nick Jr Card-O-Matic....they will love it!

Peppa's My First Laptop

I don't think there are many toddlers out there that aren't fans of Peppa Pig.  The Porcine Prima Donna may have received some negative press attention recently for encouraging bratty behaviour in pre-schoolers, but in our house the antics of Peppa and George are thoroughly enjoyed (and thankfully none of Peppa's 'chocolate cake for breakfast' tantrums are emulated!)

The Peppa Pig merchandise lends itself beautifully to the colours and imagery of the show. The characters are instantly recognisable and appeal to little ones.  We were lucky enough to be sent the Peppa Pig's My First Laptop from Inspiration Works for Freddy to try out.

The laptop toy has a flip up screen which lights up various images that are displayed on it.  There are four built in activities that encourage interactive play.  Little ones can learn colours, numbers, phonics, music and new words.  The laptop 'talks' to the child, giving instructions for each activity.

"It's Peppa Pig!"

As soon as Freddy flipped open the lid and heard the welcome tune he was hooked!  The colours and shapes on the keyboard are intriguing and inviting, encouraging further exploration.  Freddy enjoyed pressing, turning, sliding various keys which made tunes and sound effects, named items, colours and numbers.  The laptop has a lot going on and keeps youngsters engaged.

At two and a half, Freddy is not really old enough to completely interact independently with the Quiz modes where children are challenged to find specific objects by colour, quantity or starting letter.  However his big sister helps him and you can see him learning as he plays.  Having the different modes means this toy grows with your child and will last until school age.

The laptop is sturdy, strong and robust.  The buttons are chunky for little hands.  There is a carry case so little ones can carry their laptop around, perfect for the car, holidays or visits to the grandparents' house!

Perfect for little hands.

Freddy really enjoys his Peppa Pig My First Laptop.  I like the fact that it is a self-contained toy with no little pieces or removable parts (always a plus!)  and it is educational and fun.  Batteries are included so you can play straight away (another big plus!)  For more information, see the details below.

Peppa Pig My First Laptop, RRP £19.99

24months – 5 years

Explore the world of Peppa with the exciting My First Laptop.  Use the 4 game modes to learn colours, numbers, the alphabet and more!  Peppa Pig’s Laptop allows children to learn and play in the most exciting way possible.  Open up the screen to reveal the colourful picture of Peppa Pig with her brother George and press the buttons to play music.  My First Laptop also has a large chunky handle that makes it easy to carry around with you.  Available at Amazon, Mothercare, John Lewis, The Entertainer, Morrisons.

Also available:

Peppa Pig Fun Phonics 2, RRP £19.99

3 years +

Have fun learning with Peppa and friends.   Peppa Pig Fun Phonics has 8 great activities to keep all three year olds entertained!  The great memory games, melodies and colourful illustrations are not only educational but also enormous amounts of fun! Available at Amazon, Tesco, Boots, Smyths, Sainsburys, ELC, Next, Morrisons

*Freddy received the toy laptop to try out, but no other compensation was received*