Spending Pocket Money The Roosterbank Way

Kizzy has been using Roosterbank for a couple of weeks now.  Not only has she had fun playing the games,  she also has had several pocket money payments paid into her account.  This means that she has enough saved to buy something from her wishlist.

She had 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' picked out as something she wanted to buy (the kids are keen to complete their Disney DVD back catalogue!)   She had it saved in her Saver Basket on her dashboard.  Once she had saved enough virtual cash, she had the option to send her order through to me and her account balance was adjusted to show her spending.  She also received a little message congratulating her on saving up enough money.

Once Kizzy sent her order to me, I received notification in my account in the Parent's Area.  I then had the option to checkout the item. To do this, I was taken to the Amazon secure checkout where I paid for the item which will be delivered to our door free of charge.  Kizzy then receives email notification that her request has been fulfilled!

The process really is easy.  Roosterbank puts the item directly into your shopping basket ready for payment, so you only need to log in and pay.  All purchasing is done directly through Amazon, and up until that point the money in the child's Roosterbank account is virtual.

I am really impressed with this simple but extremely clever idea.  Purchasing through Amazon is secure and the stock levels are high, plus postage is free.  Kizzy has watched her account balance go up and waited until she had enough cash saved to be able to request an item from her wishlist.  This is teaching her about the importance of saving money and has given her real satisfaction.

The communication between Roosterbank and both Kizzy and myself as a parent is very good.  Notification emails are sent when orders are sent through and approved.  It is a really efficient service.

Money doesn't just have to be spent on things bought through the shop.  The child can request money to be withdrawn or paid into a savings account using a similar process.  The beauty of  Roosterbank is that it manages pocket money in a virtual way that is perfect for parents like me who do not deal in cash.  You only need to come up with real money or pay for things by credit card when your child sends you an order, and only when they have enough saved up.

Take a look at www.roosterbank.com ... it's free to join and no actual money exchanges hands until you approve your child's request for a withdrawal or to check out an item.  It's educational, teaches saving and money skills and is a lot of fun!

The Nintendo 3DS...more than just a games console.

The Nintendo 3DS may be a compact device but it offers a huge range of features  to help kids learn and develop their creativity. With its fantastic range of fun educational features, the 3DS has everything you need to encourage kids  to play and interact with the world around them.  This multi-tasking console is home to a host of educational games, and with its built-in camera and free Wi-Fi connection it also allows access to informative and entertaining video content. What’s more, a new larger console has just been launched with a 4.8 inch 3D screen.  The Nintendo 3DS XL  is now available  in the UK  in three great new colours: Blue + Black, Silver + Black and Red + Black.

Check out the exciting educational features of the 3DS below to  get the whole family feeling inspired ...

New Art Academy

Available from: £22.99

Try out new skills and discover hidden talents you didn't know you had inNew Art Academy for Nintendo 3DS! With over 30 brand new lessons to get your creative hands on, this imaginative game will have you painting and drawing your own masterpieces in no time. With lessons catering for all ability levels, plus a Free Paint mode for those who just want to doodle, New Art Academy provides an unlimited blank canvas to play with, as well as a wide range of different materials to try out. Plus, you can share your creations and even give virtual lessons to your friends and family using SpotPass or Nintendo Letter Box.

Playing on the Nintendo 3DS

Kingdom of Plants 3D with David Attenborough

Available to download for free from the Nintendo eShop 

Curious kids will be out exploring the garden in no time when they see this exclusive 3D video clip from ground-breaking Sky series, Kingdom of Plants 3D with David Attenborough. The exclusive one and a half minute clip is an astonishing look at the secret lives of plants filmed at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, revealing a dramatic world otherwise invisible to the human eye. Filmed over the course of a year, it’s a revealing and fascinating new look at plant life through the use of stunning 3D time-lapse filming techniques. Kingdom of Plants 3D with David Attenborough is just one of the many inspiring and entertaining educational 3D video clips available to download for free from the Nintendo eShop for all Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL owners.

Lola’s Alphabet Train

Available to download now for £1.80 on the Nintendo eShop

All aboard the learning train for a fun time! Specifically designed for 3-7 year olds, Lola’s Alphabet Train is a guaranteed way to keep kids coming back for more as they master their reading skills.

The Alphabet Train features five exciting games in one. As your children’s skills improve, the games get more challenging, but still manage to be enjoyable and engaging!  See our review here!

PEGI: 3

The ‘Successfully Learning’ Series

Available to download now for £4.50 on the Nintendo eShop

Little Freddy the vampire makes learning fun as he guides children through a range of exciting exercises and problems, providing helpful tips and motivation along the way. These engaging educational titles are available for English, Maths and German and cover the current curriculum for children in years 2 to 5.

PEGI: 3

XL:

3DS XL screen:

The new Nintendo 3DS XL allows users to enjoy a 90% bigger screen to capture and display their photos in stunning 3D. With its 4.8 inch screen you’ll be able to enjoy Nintendo video content in even greater detail and have an even bigger canvas to experiment on in New Art Academy. The Nintendo 3DS XL has the biggest screen to feature on a Nintendo handheld console to date and with double the current battery life means hours of interrupted entertainment

• 3D memories: With a handy built-in 3D camera and video camera, kids can really unleash their creative side and get snap- happy this summer. Why not challenge them to make a video diary, or hold your own family photography competition?

• Internet connected: Access the internet without high roaming charges or a monthly fee and you needn’t worry about safety with the 3DS’ easy-to-use parental controls, which allow you to control all internet use and interactions. Nintendo has recently launched Nintendo Zone with over 25,000 Wi-Fi Hotspots across Europe where you can access the internet for free through the inbuilt web browser or download content via the eShop.

• Letter Box: This delightful free messaging feature on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL lets users send notes and drawings instantly to friends, wherever they are in the world.
• eShop: There’s a whole range of fun and stimulating games to download on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, offering real value on the move.  Everything from Colours! 3D where you can learn to paint and create an incredible 3D picture to Pullblox a highly addictive block puzzler that really get brains ticking.  In addition, you can take advantage of lots of free content including exciting animation shorts and trailers for the latest films in glorious 3D plus Nintendo TV monthly episodes and demos of the latest games to try-before-you-buy.

Nintendo eShop

Asda Back To School 'Little Designers' Challenge

CHOSEN BY MUMS; TESTED BY KIDS; GUARANTEED BY GEORGE

We are always impressed with George school uniform.  The prices are extremely competitive, the styling is good and the quality is great.  With September fast approaching we have been getting some new back to school essentials for Kizzy and so when we were invited to take part in the Asda 'Little Designer' Challenge we were happy to accept.

Kizzy was supplied with a plain white rucksack and a selection of fabric paints to create her own design.  She also received some items from the George range to model with her finished rucksack!  

Today, Kizzy sat down to get creative and crafty with her rucksack.  She decided on a Jigsaw Puzzle design using the coloured paints and pens to add splashes of colour.  She pencilled on her design first then used the brush with black paint to go over the lines. She finished off by adding colour to some of her jigsaw pieces.  I think she did a great job!

Here is her finished design.

Kizzy's school uniform items that she was sent to try out include a green school cardigan (£4), ruffle front polo shirt (£4) and black bootcut stretch trousers (£7).  I love how grown-up the trousers look and the fit is great for Kizzy who is tall and slim.  The ruffle front shirt is so much more pretty than a plain polo shirt, and Kizzy loves it.  I really like that she looks fashionable and will feel confident, but that her clothes are still practical, easy to wash and good quality.

Bottle Green School Cardigan

Ruffle Front Polo Shirt

Teen Bootcut Stretch Trousers

Kizzy tried on the clothes and everything is a great fit.  She even got quite excited about going back to school, which is a good thing!

The idea of personalising a rucksack or bag for school is a really nice idea.  Having a unique bag amidst a sea of identical One Direction rucksacks will help Kizzy identify her possessions in the cloakroom.  The activity itself was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours and gave Kizzy a project to unleash her creativity on.  Fabric paints and pens are a great way to stamp your individuality onto things, something that is really important to youngsters who are keen to establish their own unique identity!

If you need convincing that the cheap prices of Asda's school uniform do not mean compromising on quality, give this video a watch.

George school uniform is covered by George’s ‘100 day satisfaction guarantee’ allowing parents to return it up to 100 days after purchase if they aren’t completely satisfied.  

Kizzy's design is now entered into the 'Little Designer' competition with all the other blogger's children's personalised rucksack designs.  I look forward to seeing all the other budding designers' creations!

Kizzy's Cup Cakes Hit Asda!

My adorable mini-baker Kizzy has had her Jungle Jumble Cupcakes officially launched in Asda stores.  She is thrilled with the packaging that shows a photo of her on the front and back alongside a host of cute animal characters   It is brilliant seeing her face on a product on the supermarket shelf!

She entered and won the Fabulous Baking Boys Mini Baker competition earlier this year and went on to enjoy a VIP visit to the factory where she oversaw the development of her cakes and enjoyed a tour around the production plant.  She has been kept informed with every stage of the process and now her cakes are on sale at Asda stores.

Last week Kizzy visited our local Asda store as a mini-celebrity!  She was joined by a Tiger and Elephant who were giving out her cakes to the children.  The press were there and Kizzy was photographed with her cakes.  Kizzy received lots of lovely comments from local shoppers and a few friends and family turned up to offer their support too.

I am so proud of my Mini-Baker and we have loads of supplies of Jungle Jumble cupcakes for her to give to her friends.  Keep an eye out in an Asda near you for my little girl's face on the cake box!  Just £1 a box.

Rewind... Back To The 80s

This weekend, Henley-on-Thames played host to the incredible Rewind Festival, a showcase of some of the best acts from the eighties.  We were there as guests of  Ecover who were helping share their Feel Good Summer and adding to the festival fun.

We had VIP tickets enabling us to enter a special area right by the stage where we got to meet the stars. We had a great view of the artists performing onstage and we also had access to seating and shaded areas which were really appreciated by me (I'm not as young as I used to be!)

I took Ella with me.  She may not even have been born in the 80s but her eclectic musical taste extends across the decades so she knew quite a few of the bands that were playing.  Any that she did not know, she was eager to discover so we both were excited about the festival.

The Line-Up

The line-up included some old favourites of mine.  Midge Ure, Marc Almond and Adam Ant were top on my list of acts I wanted to see most of all, being the genre of 80s music I used to love listening to when I was a teenager.

The weather was absolutely glorious, with temperatures approaching 30 degrees.  I was so glad for the undercover seated area that we could escape to with a cold drink.  I am not sure I could have coped with being in the heaving throng of 80s revellers in the main crowd.

There was a lovely atmosphere at the festival, with most of the music fans being in their forties who have followed the bands across the years.  The artists themselves were mostly very humble and appreciative of their continuing fandom, which allows them to get up on stage and perform their iconic hits again and again thanks to the musical revival of the era.

We were so lucky to be able to meet so many of the 80s stars who were all really happy to pose for photos and were very friendly.  Ella got herself photographed with a whole host of the artists...how many do you recognise??

Her famous friends are from top to bottom, left to right:
Heather Small from M-People, Richard Fairbrass from Right Said Fred, Doctor and the Medics, John Parr who sang St.Elmo's Fire, Chesney Hawkes, lead singer of The Christians, singer from The Straits (formerly Dire Straits..now minus Mark Knopfler), Tony Hadley and Midge Ure.

Highlights from the stage were many.  Adam Ant's set was amazing.  He was back to his dressed up best performing Ant Music, Prince Charming, Kings of the Wild Frontier and Goody Two Shoes.  I videoed it for Ian who was a huge Adam Ant fan and still harbours a rather large man-crush on him!!

Midge Ure performing Vienna was stunning.  It gave me goosebumps as the crowd of 20,000 clapped the beat of the intro.  Everyone was silent except for the haunting music and the clapped beat.  Midge sang perfectly and it was an amazing moment.

Tony Hadley performed Gold, the gold medal theme tune of the Olympics.  Everyone joined in, remembering the 29 medals won by Team GB with pride!  He also covered our favourite Sterophonics song Dakota, which was great.  He has such a powerful voice.

The Stage

Marc Almond doing Tainted Love took me back to being fourteen again.  What a blast from the past!  He also did Bedsit Land, Say Hello, Wave Goodbye and Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart.  Just perfect!

I loved Rick Astley's set...what an unexpected pleasure that was!  He is a total professional and was such a warm and friendly guy.  Kool and the Gang put on an incredible show full of Motown-esque pizzazz.  Seeing Ella watch The Straits perform her favourite song Romeo and Juliet was a wonderful moment.  It's a song she has covered a year ago on her Youtube channel and she loves it.


All in all, we had an absolutely brilliant weekend.  Ella was able to add another couple of bands to her list of artists that she wants to investigate further.  We met some lovely people and had a lot of fun...plus we hobnobbed with the stars!  I got to relive my teens and we sang our hearts out to some of the most iconic songs of the 80s in the glorious sunshine.

Thanks so much to Ecover for this incredible opportunity!  Check out www.the-splash.co.uk  for the Ecover online magazine.

Have A Feel Good Summer With Ecover

It was blisteringly hot in Henley this weekend,  as we headed off to the Rewind festival as guests of Ecover.  Throughout the summer, Ecover have been bringing their Feel Good brand of entertainment to festivals across the nation.  We went to take a look at what was going on!

The Feel Good Summer area included a funky tented area where dance workshops were taking place throughout the day.  Teaching moves such as the Moonwalk and the zombie dance from Thriller, festival goers were able to hone their moves ready for the day ahead.  Yoga classes gave revellers the chance to chill out after a night of 80's style partying!

The children were kept entertained by a giant grafitti area where they could colour in the huge letters that spelled out ECOVER!  It was a very popular activity and Ella added her own artwork to it.

Ecover's Feel Good Festival Fun

There were samples of Ecover's washing up liquid for everyone.  Free from nasties and using plant based ingredients, Ecover's products are gentle and effective for perfect Feel Good cleaning.

Throughout the days, the Ecover team were busy photographing people who visited them to put on their Facebook wall.  You can then tag yourself to win prizes!  They had props so you could dress up with a mop and a wig for added fun!  There was also a great prize draw that you could enter.  There are also a lot of prizes up for grabs on their website at The Splash, as well as lots of fun too!

Being Snapped For The Ecover Facebook Page

Check out Ecover on Facebook and see what Feel Good fun they have planned for the rest of the summer.

Ella With One Of The Ecover Team

Feel Good Festival Fun!

#Silent Sunday / #Project 52