Tag Archives: presents

LeapPad Ultra – a compromise on screen time?

06 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Kids toys

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LeapPad Ultra review

I’m going to start this post with a huge admission: I’ve never been a fan of tablets for kids. Go ahead and call me a judgemental so-and-so all you like, but I’ve always thought they were a bit of a cop out. Parents looking for an easy way to distract their kids, without having to actually play with them. Mums and dads using a tablet so they don’t have to go outside in the mud and get dirty running down hills. They’re not educational, are they? They’re just turning our kids into mindless zombies….

Yeah, I was wrong.

I am happily holding my hands up right now and admitting that, after trying out the LeapPad Ultra, I am the first to say that, actually, there IS a place for a child’s tablet in our home.

We were recently sent a LeapPad Ultra to review. Here’s a video of it in action…. Continue reading »

Upcycled dolls’ house: the reveal

18 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in Play, Seasonal

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I hope she likes it. I really, really hope she likes it.

Never have I been so excited to give something to my daughter. Her main present this year is a second hand dolls’ house. We knew we wanted to get her one this year but didn’t want to spend a fortune as she has some other presents too and didn’t want the day to become a gluttony of stuff, stuff and more stuff – most of which she’ll cast to one side.

So we searched high and low for a special, yet inexpensive, wooden dolls’ house. And we couldn’t find one ANYWHERE.

A few weeks ago I put out a desperate plea on the noticeboards of the Netmums nearly new section. Within 48 hours, a retired childminder who lived just down the road had emailed me. She offered me an old wooden dolls’ house, with furniture for £10.

I was dubious but the gleaming price of a tenner was too much to resist. We collected it and I knew it would be just right.

Here’s the transformation: Continue reading »

Retro Space Invaders – a gift for my geeky husband

09 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Relationships

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My husband wears his geekery like a badge of pride. He is of the generation that can just about remember Space Invaders when it was first around as a computer game and makes no secret of the fact these types of games were a staple of his childhood.

He loves computer games and is excited by all things gadget related. An IT teacher, web designer and creative when it comes to everything tech, he is King Geek in our house.

It comes in handy for me, as I have a personal web designer and blog fixer, but it also means presents can get pricey. He always lusts after the latest in geekdom and – much to my annoyance – is often bored of it within a month of getting his hands on it. What can I say? He is a fickle geek. Continue reading »

In search of Christmas

15 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 22 Comments

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Frog, getting into the festive spirit this time last year

I’ve searched high and low. In cupboards and under sofas, at the end of the garden and inside countless photo albums. But I still can’t find it. Christmas is keeping a very low profile.

It’s not that I haven’t entered into the festive spirit. I’ve been belting out Christmas tunes with the best of them. I’ve hung mistletoe and put up a tree and even spent two hours one evening sticking cloves into oranges.

But still, Christmas is nowhere to be seen. Continue reading »