Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre Presents - The Three Little Pigs

Freddy's latest Play Patrol Mission from Bigjigs was to put the fun of the Magnetic Theatre to the test, helped by his big sister Kizzy.  So it was time for them to raise the curtains and let the drama begin!

The Magnetic Theatre comes complete with a theatre, decorations, 15 figures and 2 magnetic sticks.  The theatre is constructed by slotting the thick cardboard curtains and scenery into slots on a wooden base.  The scenery and decorations are interchangeable, giving the backdrop for four exciting fairy stories.  

The assembly of the theatre was very straightforward and Freddy was able to build it himself.  The 15 figures provide all the characters needed to put on plays of Pinocchio, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.  There is a story sheet included so children can remind themselves of the stories.

The hand painted wooden figures each have a magnetic base, which allows them to be controlled using the magnetic sticks from underneath the stage. 

The characters were quite easy to control once Freddy got used to how to use the sticks without knocking down the whole theatre.  (It took a little while but he got there!) He really enjoyed the fact he could make the little figures move around the stage using the power of magnetism!  Magnets always fascinate Freddy and it was good to see him understand how the movement of the figures was controlled from underneath the base of the stage with the force going through the cardboard. He had some fun experimenting with the movement both on and off the stage.

Using the magnetic sticks and moving the characters around the stage helps develop a child's dexterity as it requires quite a deft touch.  Constructing the stage and matching up the backdrops with the stage decorations is also something that children could do independently.

The figures and the stage scenery help unleash a child's imagination and they will soon be immersed in a world of storytelling, as they act out their own plays.  They can stick to the traditional tales or make up their own exciting tales featuring princesses, wolves, piggies, old grannies and handsome princes!  The stage direction is in their hands!

Freddy and Ella decided to keep it traditional for their big performance as they acted out the tale of the Three Little Pigs.  Piggies 1, 2 and 3 are really cute with their snouts and beady eyes.  Mr.Wolf has a long snout and pointy ears, perfect for starring roles in both the Three Little Pigs and Red riding Hood!

Here is a 30 second theatre performance demonstrating the fun of putting on a play with your big sister!

I love that the Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre is a prop to imaginative storytelling and role play.  Both help a child's communication skills and boost their confidence.  Putting on a show is always fun to do and having the figures from four different stories adds to the variety of plays that a child can perform.  There are no scripts, so little ones can act out plays from memory or just invent their own tales.  

Freddy absolutely loved putting on a show!  He particularly enjoyed the fact that I filmed it and he can watch his performance as the rather terrifying big, bad wolf whenever he likes.

The Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre is suitable for ages 3 and up and retails for £16.99, which is great value.

It all packs back into the slimline box once showtime is over, making it easy to store away.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Z-Line Water Tower Washout Playset Review

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were one of my eldest son Joe's favourite characters.  He loved watching the animated cartoon, he had all the action figures and he could quote all their catchphrases.  The pizza loving, sewer dwelling, evil fighting, heroes in a half shell captured the imagination of a whole generation of kids.  And now they are back!

The return of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen, has seen the launch of a whole range of new and exciting TMNT toys.  Freddy received the Z-Line Water Tower Washout Playset to try out and was excited to let them wage their wild assault across his bedroom and enjoy the same toys as his big brother did 20 years ago!

The box contains: 1 Water Tower Play set, 4 Command Strips from 3M, 4 wall clips, 1 gargoyle launcher, 1 C-Clamp, 2 tension cylinders, 2 Z-line pulleys, 1 two-hand handle, 1 one hand handle, 2 48" Zip-line, 1 72" Zip Line, 1 Angle Gauge

Action figures are available to purchase separately. 

The playset takes a bit of construction and needs a good amount of space to set up successfully.  It is a bit complicated and I had to get Ian to help me assemble it and attach the pieces to the wall, door and to a chair in Freddy's room, to make the Z-Line function.

Once assembled, it took Ian a bit of time to get it working properly.  The angles need to be right and the wire need to have the right amount of tension in them for it to all work.  If the zip wire coming out of the water tower is too high it catches on the door as it opens, and the zip wires sometimes ping off of the mechanism.  We had some teething troubles, but once we had it sorted we invited Freddy to come and play.

He absolutely adored it!  If set up correctly, the first turtle is launched from the gargoyle launcher by pulling a release string (it is quite tough to pull).  It then whizzes down the zip wire crashing into the pipe on the water tower that triggers the trap door and swings open the doors allowing a second turtle to be launched down the second line.

When it worked well it was very impressive, but there were a fair few crash landings, stuck pulleys and flying turtle moments.  But these added to Freddy's enjoyment as he played with the set.

To reset the playset is a bit fiddly, but Freddy was happy just popping the pulleys on the line and letting the turtles whizz around.  He also enjoyed using the playset as a prop for some imaginative playtime using his other TMNT figures.

The toys are stuck to the wall using 3M Command Strips, which are removable.  The optimum positioning is within a corner of a room, but we ended up having to use a door and a wall, but it worked OK. The clamps attach to furniture (we had to put a chair in his room to get the angle right because none of his furniture was in the right place!)  

Although I saw it as a bit fussy and fiddly, Freddy disregarded all the negatives and just immersed himself in the joys of an imaginative game of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  He loved it and he enjoyed making the zip lining turtles whizz along the wires and hideout in the water tower.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Z-Line Water Tower Washout costs £29.99 from good toy retailers.

Here is Freddy demonstrating how the toy works.

                            

Eat Well with Olives Et Al

I was sent a selection of products from Olives Et Al, which is a Dorset based company specialising in award winning olives, nuts, dressings, marinades, sauces and oils.  With authentic global flavours, this lovingly handcrafted gourmet range gives us the opportunity to enjoy some fantastic fayre in the comfort of our own home.

I received some Red Chilli Harissa Sauce, Pink Grapefruit Marinade, Chipotle Chilli Olives and Chilli Billy Jelly Relish to try out.  They are all suitable for vegans, vegetarians and are gluten free and will enhance meals with their intense natural flavours.  They are additive free and made using the finest ingredients.

Ian is a huge fan of olives and was delighted to sample the Smoky Chipotle Chilli Olives.  The whole green olives are marinated in chipotle chilli infused extra virgin olive oil to give a lovely smoky warmth.  Once the olives are eaten, the oil can be used to add a spicy, smoky depth to dishes.

The intense, fiery, aromatic flavour of the North African style Red Chilli Harissa Sauce gives a flavousome hit of heat to dishes.  I made Harissa Houmous, combining chick peas, oil, lemon juice, nut butter, smoky paprika and a spoonful of Harissa.  It gave the houmous a lovely kick of flavour, enhancing its taste.

Serving the Harrissa flavoured houmous and the Chipotle Olives alongside a plate of warmed, sliced wholemeal pitta bread made a wonderful supper for my family.  Delicious and so simple.

The Chilli Billy Jelly is a chilli and ginger relish, which is perfect with cheese or can be added to soups and stews.  For me, it will be served as the condiment on a Halloumi and Portabello Mushroom Burger. The relish has a powerful kick of heat with the warmth of ginger, which will work perfectly with the salty cheese.  It will be a great relish for the festive season with all its cheeseboards! 

The Mojo Pink Grapefruit Marinade and Dressing is inspired by a recipe from the Cayman Isles in the Caribbean. For a tasty vegetarian accompaniment, it can be served with rice or salads, adding a fruity Caribbean twist to mealtimes.

I love the all natural products, made from real, fresh ingredients.  It is great to find such quality, authentic, flavoursome products that are suitable for vegetarians and vegans alike. They are versatile and can add a flavoursome punch to an array of dishes. 

I'm planning on adding Harissa to mayonnaise to serve with veggie burgers and and the Chilli Billy Jelly will be great in Chinese dishes such as marinated Tofu stir fry. 

They are available online at Olives Et Al and from other stockists (detailed online).  The products I have tried all retail at £4 each, which is a great price for such quality.

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Playset Review

 Freddy is a big Nick Jr fan and Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom is a real favourite of his.  So when he was sent the Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Playset by Character, he was very excited to re-enact some of his favourite scenes from the show.

Thistle Castle is a magical toy with lots of hidden secrets that little ones will enjoy exploring. The playset comes complete with a Holly character, so children can play straight away.  It also comes with a bed and a treasure chest for added play value.

The playset can be attached to other playsets to build a bigger, more elaborate toy, but works well as a stand alone item.  The open plan design features Holly's bedroom and part of the kitchen downstairs.

The Holly figure comes complete with her crown, wings and magic wand. Holly's feet can be attached to a base so she can be free-standing.

Holly has a bed for her sleep in.  It isn't a fixed feature so it can be moved around.  There is a Holly shaped cut out in the mattress so she lies in the bed securely!

The toybox in Holly's room has a secret slide hidden beneath the lid.  Little hands can drop her through the hole.

The slide whizzes Holly down so she appears behind the door in the kitchen.  Perfect for a midnight snack!  There is a magical floating throne on the wall behind the door for more magical fun.

A secret door in the floor hides Nanny Plum's Book of Spell, perfect for when you need to turn somebody into a frog.  The treasure chest has disappearing treasure inside.

The cauldron has a spoon in it which can be stirred to mix the potion.

The spoon magically opens the store cupboard to show the food inside, and King Thistle's portrait disappears.

The attention to detail, such as the pictures on the walls and the magical features make this an exciting playset for little Ben and Holly fans.  Freddy wished it had come with his favourite character Ben Elf, but was happy enough making Holly the lead character in his imaginative games.

                        

You can add extra playsets and buy additional characters from the range, which are all scaled to be compatible.  They are suitable for children aged three and up.

The Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Thistle Castle Deluxe Playset is available for £24.99 from Character Online and from other toy retailers.

http://www.character-online.com/products/Ben-and-Holly/Thistle-Castle-Playset/

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.

Parenting Teens - Saying Good-Bye

When it comes to my older children's friends, I have always adopted an open door policy in my home. Friends are more than welcome to come over anytime and I love knowing that my children can enjoy their friendships in the safety and comfort of their own home. Here they can enjoy being fed and watered and make use of the technology and entertainment available. Ian and I are very easygoing parents, and believe in giving teenagers the trust and respect they deserve. We don't see the need for setting rules like some parents do.  I remember one of Megan's boyfriend's mums telling me that I had to enforce an 'open bedroom door' and 'one-foot-on-the-floor-at-all-times' policy when they were together. At first I thought she was joking, but sadly she was deadly serious.  I had to agree to disagree with her thought process.  Treating young adults in a way that says 'you are not trusted' and 'I disapprove of what you do' is counterproductive in my eyes. I prefer to equip them with the tools to make good decisions, give them the confidence to do what is right for them and keep the channels of communication open. Stifling freedom and projecting a lack of trust only leads to deceit, secrets and resentment. I want open, loving, mutually respectful relationships with my kids, and so far my parenting techniques have proven pretty successful!

Over the years I have got to know lots of lovely young adults who have enjoyed the McDonald house hospitality and it's been a real honour to be a part of their lives.  Being older teenagers, I don't feel responsible for them in the way I am with younger children.  It is quite liberating to get to know them as people in the own rights, rather than being just your child's friend.  I have found this element of parenting really rewarding over the years, allowing me to better understand and relate to my own kids' lives in a very natural and empathetic way.

Ella's current best friend, on-off boyfriend and regular house guest from across the years is Jake.  At 18 years old, he is the most polite, friendly, helpful, charming, well mannered lad I have ever encountered.  He is absolutely brilliant with Freddy, who calls him his best friend.  He is great company and a pleasure to have around.  Ella and Jake's friendship hasn't always been plain sailing, but they have worked hard to sort out problems they encountered and are now the cutest twosome ever.

On Monday, Jake is embarking on a much coveted placement through the Year in Industry scheme.  He is an electronics and technology whizz.  The kind of guy who can make his own apps, design robots and invent his own electronic devices.  He has won awards and his skills have proven very marketable.  I have him earmarked as the next Steve Jobs.  While I am absolutely delighted for him to have this opportunity, I admit to having a little pang of sadness knowing that he is leaving to start a new life for himself away from our hometown.  We are going to miss him dreadfully!

Jake's big adventure will take him off into the big wide world as he moves to a new city and learns to live independently as a grown-up!  Last night we had a dinner party to say good-bye.  I made him a Star Wars Millenium Falcon cake, which we brought out to the Star Wars theme tune.  It was a fun evening, but good-byes are always hard.  However happy you are for someone when they get the opportunity to better themselves and do something exciting, you can't help but think about what you will be missing.  And we will be missing him a lot.

In a few weeks time it will be Ella's turn to step out into the big wide world as she embarks on her own adventure.  She'll be off to university to study a subject that she is passionate about. My beautiful little Ella will be taking a huge leap into her future.  I'm so excited for her, but our home will be so much emptier without her in it.  She is a shining light in my life, and I know she will shine brighter still as she enters the next phase of her life.  She has so much to give and is a beautiful person inside and out.

Thankfully we have the internet and all its ways of staying in touch through social media and Skype, and we fully intend to be regular visitors to see Ella at university and enjoy days out together.  (Plus the invitation for days out is extended to Jake who will only be a half hour away from Ella.)

As for Jake, it's farewell and good luck for now.  He knows he is always welcome here in his home from home and I can always knock up a Millennium Falcon cake anytime!  As for Ella, I intend to make the most of these last few weeks before she spreads her wings and flies into adulthood! I'm not going to dwell on her leaving yet, there is still too much Ella time to be cherished!

I am so proud of them both. In a society that throws scorn on teenagers, this pair are a shining example of just how amazing young people can be. I love them to bits.

It is an honour to see young people grow up and become the adults they are destined to be. I am so happy for them to be embarking on their new adventures, but saying good-bye is such a hard part of parenting teens.

Disney On Ice Celebrates 100 Years of Magic

Imagine 65 of your favourite Disney characters from 18 beloved stories coming to life as Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!  Families will be captivated as Mickey and Minnie take the audience on a magical adventure with characters from shows such as The Lion King, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Toy Story.  With a fantastic soundtrack filled with classic Disney tunes accompanying stunning on-ice choreography, this show promises to be a theatrical treat for all Disney fans, young and old. Kicking off in Glasgow on September 26th, the show will tour the country before its grand finale at London's O2 over the Christmas and New Year period.

Highlights of the show will  include a sequence featuring 'It's A Small World' as sparkling floats turn into a radiant light parade. During the Mulan sequence an avalanche falls and a blanket of snow descends as Mulan gets ready to defeat the Huns. A giant present is unwrapped to reveal Buzz Lightyear, as he is first introduced to Woody during the Toy Story segment.  The stars of Finding Nemo mimic the natural movement of being in water as they 'swim' around the ice.

The 160 costumes used on the show are all dazzling and designed to be magical, memorable and eye catching - but Minnie's red sequinned ballgown steals the show!  Some 1,300 yards of fabric have been used to make the costumes and 102 different colours of paint decorate the props!

23 male and 24 female skaters from ten different countries make up the talented cast who will be bringing to life the Disney characters in the breathtaking skating numbers.  It promises to be a magical spectacle.

Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic will be appearing at The NIA, Birmingham – 22nd October – 2nd November 2014.  I can not wait to review the show with Freddy, who is going to love it!

Other Dates include:

Braehead Arena, Glasgow – 26th September – 5th October 2014

Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle – 7th – 12th October 2014

Phones 4u Arena, Manchester – 15th – 19th October 2014

Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield – 5th – 9th November 2014

The O2, London – 24th December 2014, 26th – 29th December 2014 and 3rd & 4th January

2015

Tickets are available now and are selling fast!

To discover more about Disney On Ice, log on to www.disneyonice.co.uk, or visit Facebook.