Colorific Crystal Garden

by Veronica on October 17, 2011

in Toys

We had A LOT of fun with the crystal garden, watching it grow.

Amy asked a little bit about the crystals, but not as much as I’d hoped she would. It was a good lesson in patience for both children though, even if they did wiggle my tripod every time they went to “check” on the garden.

This does require adult help, especially with adding the liquid. It kept Amy entralled for a few hours while it grew however.

Photos were taken as often as I remembered to snap them.

Thank you to Colorific and their PR team for sending us this!

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Colorific Wooden Jewellery Box

by Veronica on October 5, 2011

in Toys

Amy anxiously awaits the postman every morning, hoping that he will bring us something and that something will be for her. Last week she was lucky enough to receive a wooden jewellery box from Colorific in the post, to make and paint.

I figured we had nothing better to do, so sitting in front of the fire, we opened up the box and started working out how to put it together. We being the royal “we” and actually meaning “me”, sorting out pieces of wood and trying to make sure Isaac didn’t scarper off with anything.

Finally, I had sort of worked out what I was doing and we (I) started putting it together. It was a little tricky and we had some moments where everything collapsed back into its separate components, leaving me covered in glue and anguish, but all in all, it was great fun.

It took about an hour to put together, with drying time included.

And then came the painting.

Oh my god, the painting.

Amy is … literal. Very literal and so we had to decorate the jewellery box to look exactly like the one on the box it came in. No deviations, no arguments. It was interesting, to say the least. I did make her spread the glitter glue out however, rather than painting it around the edges. Baby steps.

But we got there in the end and did it. We only covered a small patch of the carpet in paint (totally an improvement) and Isaac didn’t start screaming until the end. That’s all kinds of bonuses right there.

Not a bad effort though!

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Guinness World Records 2012

by Veronica on October 4, 2011

in Books

I haven’t read a copy of the Guinness World Records since I was in school and we would laze around the library on wet lunches, reading out snippets of records and talking. It’s been quite a few years, in fact.

I’m not sure who was more excited by the book, me, Nathan, or Amy. Nathan because he hadn’t looked through a copy for years (’97 is the last one he remembers reading), Amy because it had PICTURES (and books arriving for Mummy in the mail rarely have pictures) or me, because come on, records are cool.

I am such a geek.

Needless to say, the book has gotten a lot of reading time lately, with Amy extra interested in the animals in the book and why they’re there, Isaac with the cars (CARS, OH MUMMY, CARS!) and Nathan with everything.

It’s been interesting to read through the records with the kids and I suspect this will be one of the books we keep returning to, over and over again.

Especially once Amy learns to read.

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CBeebies On The Go App

by Veronica on October 3, 2011

in Sponsored Posts

This post is sponsored by Kidspot.

***

I will admit that while I had heard of CBeebies before, I hadn’t really had much to do with them. We don’t have pay TV and so our TV viewing for the kids is limited to ABC4Kids.

However, when I downloaded the CBeebies On The Go App in the iTunes store, I found that I already knew most of the programs that were showcased throughout the app.

Once I’d downloaded it, I handed my phone over to Amy and suggested that she have a play with it. 2 hours later and she was still laying on the couch, curled up with a blanket and the app. She’s unwell at the moment, which is why she was allowed so much time playing games, but still, two hours of relative silence!

Isaac has had a few turns as well – as much as his sister will allow at least (“But Isaac, it is MY TURN NOW. ARGHHHH!”) and he has had fun scrolling through the video clips and short games.

I haven’t yet had a chance to test the app “on the go” exactly, but honestly, I think it may just be the best thing, next time we’re stuck waiting for doctors, or during the supermarket trips.

The app itself was easy for little fingers to manipulate and organise and I didn’t have to rescue the kids every 2 minutes and “fix” something. Being very kid friendly is being parent friendly also.

All I can say is I would like more little apps like this! And, because I have two children, but only one iPhone, I would love to see the CBeebies app available through the Android market as well please.

CBeebies On The Go App is free! Yay for free kid entertainment!

What apps do your kids love?

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Katherine Howell: Violent Exposure

by Veronica on September 30, 2011

in Books

I’ve said before that the best bit about working alongside Pan Macmillan is that when I’m reviewing books, I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone and reading from genres that normally aren’t my first choice.

This was the case with Violent Exposure from Katherine Howell.

Murder mysteries aren’t usually my thing. Maybe I read too many cliche mysteries when I was first dabbling in the genre, but I will normally bypass them for something with magic, or YA fiction.

That said, I picked up Violent Exposure, read the first chapter and didn’t stop reading. I wanted to know what happened next, as soon as I could, thank you very much. It was really well written, and not predictable.

Fast paced and exciting, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, considering that mysteries haven’t been my thing for a while. If more murder investigation novels were written like this one, I would be a convert.

“A women has been stabbed to death in her home, her husband missing. A tragic case of domestic homicide is the initial theory.

However, as the investigation progresses, things get more complicated and not all of the evidence adds up. Why is there no record of the husband before he met his wife? Why has a teenager who worked for the pair disappeared too?”

Exciting, fast paced and brilliant. I really enjoyed this.

Violent Exposure is due to be published on the 1.10.11.

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