Posts tagged Christmas gifts
Win A Pillow Pet from Mookie Toys
6 months ago
Last year I reviewed a Pillow Pet for Mookie Toys and we loved it, we now have two and MasterB and MissB play with them all the time. They really are fabulously soft and fluffy and would make a great stocking filler for Christmas 
Pillow Pets are the new original cuddly toys made of soft chenille but with a clever twist. When the hidden strap is released underneath, the character transforms into a soft pillow, making the Pillow Pet a perfect travelling companion and all round snuggly friend. The range includes; a Monkey, Penguin, Panda, Puppy, Unicorn, Pig, Ladybug, Bee, Shark, Lamb, Cow, Dinosaur, Pink Ladybug and Butterfly! For football fans, Pillow Pets have launched limited edition Premier League mascots Chirpy Cockerel (Tottenham), Gunnersaurus Rex (Arsenal) and Stamford the Lion (Chelsea). And just in time for Winter Pillow Pets has launched ultra-soft blankets and hats to the range.
It’s a pet that is not just for Christmas! RRP from £14.99 and available from www.pillowpets.co.uk
Mookie Toys have kindly offered my readers the chance to win a Pillow Pet of your choice from the Originals Collections. All you need to do is complete the rafflecopter form below, there is one mandatory entry and the others are entirely optional. The competition closes on 7th December. Good luck x
Hotel Chocolat Christmas Stocking Review
6 months ago
A rather lovely parcel arrived on my doorstep this week from Hotel Chocolat Any parcel from them is always guaranteed to bring a smile to my face and this one was no exception Inside my package was one of their Christmas Stockings.
“Hang up our beautifully decorated stocking and it will surely catch Santa’s eye, so he’s bound to fill it with lots of Christmas goodies for years to come! This year we’ve filled it for him with gorgeous little chocolate gifts to discover.”
Hidden inside the beautiful stocking (which by the way will come in very handy for reusing in years to come) are:
100g Cool Penguin Slab – “an escapade of milk chocolate with a caramel penguin and crispy white snowballs”
80g Milk Chocolate Drops – “easy melt baby buttons of gorgeous chocolate. Creamy and mellow with a real chocolate taste.”
8 Solid Milk Chocolate Tiddly Reindeers – “Mellow milk chocolate, perfectly sized for little appetites or as an after dinner treat”
35g Reindeer Lick – “Solid milk chocolate reindeer shaped lolly”
Now, I have had many Hotel Chocolat products over the years and I can safely say they have never disappointed me! There is something about their chocolate which is so rich and moreish! The only trouble nowadays is that I have to share it with the toddlers but luckily they were happy with a handful of milk chocolate drops and a tiddly reindeer each which left the rest for me Well OK I have put the reindeer lolly to one side so that I can put it in MissB’s stocking on Christmas Day as it’s nice to save something 
PS. You’ll have to excuse me using Hotel Chocolat’s photos in this post but no matter how hard I try I just can’t take a decent photograph of chocolate with my camera and the items really do look exactly like the images above
The Christmas Stocking sells for £24 either on the Hotel Chocolat Website or instore. Now this isn’t the cheapest Christmas gift BUT it does have a very luxurious feel to it and at the end of the day you pay for the quality, it looks fabulous and it tastes divine. If I was being picky I’d maybe have liked to see a bit more chocolate inside the stocking, but that could just be me being greedy (or the fact I had to share the contents). It’s definitely a gift for somebody special in your life who deserves an indulgent treat If this is a bit beyond your budget then definitely head over and check out their other Christmas Gifts as there is a special treat to suit every budget and it really is a gift that any chocolate lover would love to find under the tree on Christmas Morning
Win 2 x £50 vouchers for BigGreenSmile.Com
6 months ago
I have another fantastic competition for you today from the lovely people at BigGreenSmile.Com
I recently reviewed a Faith in Nature gift set from BigGreenSmile.Com which was lovely, they sell some fabulous products and have a huge range of vegan and veggie friendly products for my fellow animal lovers They sell natural beauty products, organic baby products and natural cleaning products. What I love about them is that they include detailed information about each product, what it contains and where it comes from so you can make an informed decision about the products you are buying and be reassured that they are good for you and the planet
I could seriously spend all day browsing their store, they have so much to choose from. You can get a large range of Dr Hauschka Products and Eco Friendly Nappies, of course there is also a huge range of giftsets available. From my previous experience with BigGreenSmile.Com, I can only say how fast they were to react to my feedback and comments which I found to be an excellent representation of the company and I would most certainly shop with them again.
The extremely lovely people from BigGreenSmile.Com have offered two of my readers a £50 voucher to spend at their online store. Now, I think this is an AMAZING prize and definitely one worth entering All you need to do is complete the rafflecopter form below, there is one mandatory entry and the others are all entirely optional. The competition is open until 30th November 2012 so you’ll have time to spend your prize before Christmas So what are you waiting for….
WOW Toys – Whiz-Around Amy and Ernie The Fire Engine Review
6 months ago
We love WOW Toys in this household, last year we reviewed Casey the Campervan which is still a firm favourite with MissB and MasterB. I loved it so much, I’ve since bought them for friends children as presents! This year we’ve been sent Whiz-Around Amy and Ernie the Fire Engine to review which has made MissB and MasterB very happy!
MissB automatically claimed Whiz-Around Amy as hers, now I admit I’m not one for buying gender sterotype toys and I’d have been quite happy for either child to play with Amy. I actually tend to buy non-pink prodcuts whenever I can but MissB loved it so who am I to fight a losing battle
I think one of the things MissB loves about Amy is all the little pieces, she is very much into role play at the moment (she is almost 3) and so loves putting all the different characters in the motorbike and sidecar and driving them around. The great thing is that all the other WOW toys characters fit into it too and so she has a little family of people to play with now. According to MissB, the fireman much prefers driving the motorbike when he isn’t at work in Ernie the Fire Engine
Contents:
Motorbike and sidecar called Amy
4 removable figures: a kitten in a basket called Tilly, Ted the Teddy bear, Annabelle the girl and a bouquet of flowers
I love that WOW toys appeal to children over a wide age range, last year we had Casey the Campervan to review and it has been played with constantly since then, both by MissB and her little brother MasterB (20 months old now). The toys are designed to be appealing and they certainly are. MasterB loves the friction motion and the sounds they make as he pushes them around the floor, mummy particular likes that there are NO BATTERIES required!!
From 1½ years – Sensory stimulation and motor skill development
From 2 years – Discovery & learning
From 2½ years – Social interaction
From 3 years – Role-play & exploration
MasterB has been playing with Ernie the Fire Engine mostly, quite possibly because MissB already claimed Whiz Around Amy. He loves the ladder than turns around and he is obsessed with driving it around the floor shouting nee nah nee nah at the top of this voice
1x Friction-powered fire truck called Ernie
1x Fire-fighter figure called Jack and 1x Safety barrier
We now have three WOW toys and they are currently top of the toy box! Both children love playing with them and even better, they will sit and play happily TOGETHER with them which is always lovely to see. As a parent, I love how bright and colourful they are and how well made WOW toys are. Trust me, if a toy is destructible, my two will find a way to destroy it and seeing as neither child has managed to destroy Casey the Campervan after a years use, I’d say Whiz-Around Amy and Ernie the Fire Engine are in safe hands
You can buy WOW toys in various stores or online. You can check here for a full list of their stockists, I have included links to them on Amazon below Seriously at around £9 for Amy and £12.50 for Ernie, they are a fantastic price and will definitely make great christmas presents for your toddlers this year!
Wow Toys – Casey The Camper Van
1 year ago
Some product reviews are so easy to write and this is one of them. When Wow Toys sent us a toy for MissB to review we were ever so excited when Casey Camper Van turned up in the post! As soon as I saw what was in the box I just knew that MissB was going to love it and it didn’t prove me wrong!
Casey is a fab friction controlled camper van so it doesn’t need batteries, which is always a HUGE plus point in this household. But the fun doesn’t stop at just pushing Casey around, once you open up Casey there is living accomodation inside the campervan and the roof pulls down to reveal a garden with a hop skotch. Casey comes with a boy and a girl figure (renamed by MissB as MasterB and MissB), a picnic table, a dog and a dog basket. There are also a couple of luggage parcels which fit into the shape indentations on the roof. MissB has spent hours playing with Casey already, she loves putting the different figures to bed or in the driving seat, or sitting them down for a picnic.
If I was being picky, the only small problem we have with Casey is that MissB finds it a bit difficult to open the roof out by herself and gets frustrated with it occasionally. She has only been using it 2 days though so I’m sure she will master it. Apart from this it has been love at first sight here. When she gets up in the morning, Casey is the first toy she goes to and if MissB had her way Casey would be going in the bath with her and into bed at night :rolleyes:
When reviewing items, we like to guess the price if we aren’t already aware of it. This way we can work out whether we think it is valued at around the right price. Both my husband and I thought £20 would be a reasonable price and we were spot on. We found it on Amazon here for £19.95
We in the Brown household think Casey would make a fantabulous gift for any toddler 18+ months for Christmas. It’s fun, provides hours of entertainment and best of all it doesn’t need batteries so you won’t be desperately looking for any on Christmas Day
Contents:
1x Motorised camper van called Casey
1x Boy and girl figure called Pete and Lilly
1x Dog animal figure called Sammy
1x Dog basket and dog bowl
1x Picnic table
2x Luggage items
The Whirlee – A fab lightweight ride on from Mookie Toys
1 year ago
In our house, our kitchen is a bit like a race track. We love ride ons (or rather MissB does) and so when Mookie Toys asked us to review their new Whirlee ride on we were more than happy to let MissB test it out.
The Whirlee is a fab little 4 wheeled ride on which weighs only 865g. In fact I initially felt sorry for our postman when I saw him carrying the box up our drive but when I braced myself to take it off him, I was surprised as it felt like I had been sent an empty box!
As the Whirlee is so lightweight it would be ideal for popping in the car for trips to the park or holidays and if as let’s face it we mums usually do, you end up carrying it home it won’t damage your back
One slight disadvantage we noticed with it being so light is that MissB can lift it very easily as we found when we turned around to find it on the kitchen table with MissB trying to climb up there as well. Now obviously not all toddlers are as kamikaze as MissB and as with all toys they should be used with supervision and MissB has been told that the Whirlee is for floor use only
Another fun feature is the 360 degree caster wheels allowing kids to speedily spin and whirl across the floor. MissB found this great as it allows her to chase our cats just that little bit faster. I swear when she grows up she will master handbrake turns very quickly
As well as riding the Whirlee, which MissB loves doing (once she figured out that the handle goes at the front) she has also discovered it is apparently fun to push it around the kitchen at top speed. Heaven help us when MasterB is also mobile enough to use it, I can just image the crazy times they are both going to have with it.
The Whirlee comes in red or blue and retails for approximately £19.99 making it an affordable and impressive gift for any pre-schooler. It is suitable for ages 1+ so it won’t be long til MasterB can use it to! You can buy it at various retailers including amazon, mothercare and early learning centre. It’s only £16.99 on Amazon so I’d personally get it there
The iHelicopter – a remote controlled helicopter from your iphone!
1 year ago
In our house we love our gadgets, my husband and I seem to permanently have our Iphones within reach and even MissB has figured out how to unlock them and open apps. You can imagine just how excited we were when Paramount Zone contacted us to ask if we’d like to review their brand new iHelicopter!
The iHelicopter is simple to use: just download the free App from the iTunes App Store or Android Market, plug in the IR transmitter (included) and away you go! The helicopter can be controlled up/down, left/right, forward/back and is easy to use, thanks to the in-built Gyro. The App itself will be frequently updated with new features, meaning users get the ‘new product’ feeling again and again without any additional expenditure – for example, budding pilots will soon be able to enjoy the Flight Recording mode, which allows them to record a flight so that the helicopter can perform the same moves again at the press of a button. The iHelicopter is compatible with iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and supported Android phones including: HTC – Desire S, HTC – Desire HD, HTC – Incredible S, Samsung – 9100, Samsung – i9000, Moto – MB525, LG – P350, HTC – Wild Fire, HTC – Wild Fire S, HTC – Hero, HTC – Sensation.
The iHelicopter can be bought exclusively from ParamountZone.com and until 30th October 2011 it will be available at the introductory price of £29.99 including free delivery, after this date the price will rise to £34.99 which is still pretty good value considering the RRP is £69.99!
So what did we think of the iHelicopter? Well at first when I opened the box, I admit I was rather worried as it does seem to look quite a flimsy piece of equipment, which is never a good idea for something that is going to be flying around and potentially crashing. The iHelicopter does come with a spare set of propellors just in case though. We also decided that flying pieces of metal and toddlers don’t mix so we’ve waited until both the children were in nursery before testing it out (just to be on the safe side )
I have to admit when we first tried the iHelicopter it scared the life out of me and we crashed it a few times whilst trying to get to grips with it, luckily it didn’t seem to suffer from having a few emergency landings! I’d recommend trying it somewhere there is plenty of room though and somewhere you’re not likely to break anything! My husband has decided it’s brilliant and he loves it so I guess that means it’s a thumbs up from us There are no batteries in the helicopter, it is charged through a usb cable and we find the charge lasts for about 20-30 minutes flying time. I’ve done a video below of our (or rather my husbands) second attempt at flying the iHelicopter so you can get an idea of what it’s like
YouTube
Crayola – Colour Mix-a-Roo Game
1 year ago
We’ve been sent a great game to review from University Games, it’s Crayola Colour Mix-A-Roo and I think it’s fab!
Colour Mix-A-Roo is a game for ages 4+ so it’s a little old for MissB really but I’ve been having a good play around with it and I’m impressed – it’s very clever and I’m a little baffled by how it works so if I am then any child will be too
The game is aimed at pre-schoolers teaching them about mixing primary, secondary and tinted colours – without any mess! Players turn over cards to find out which secondary or tinted colour they need to create. They then dial the correct combination of primary colours into the cleverly constructed Colour Mix-a-Roo wheel and open the revealer door to see what colour they have created. The player with the most matches wins the game. It really is a nicely simple game to play and the colour mixing wheel is great though I’m a little baffled by how it works exactly. You dial the colours you’d like to mix and then resulting colour is revealed behind the little door! I also like the fact that the cards are thick card ones and so unlikely to be bent, ripped or destroyed by pre-school excitement
This really is a fun little game which will keep children entertained for hours (hopefully) and I can’t wait until MissB is a little older so we can all play it together
I’m sure you can buy Crayola Colour Mix-a-Roo in most toy shops or you can get it online at Amazon for £9.99 Crayola Colour Mix-a-roo Game
Playplax and Competition
1 year ago
PlayPlax, the award-winning, great British toy is back – just in time for Christmas 2011!
I feel like I’ve been transported back in time as I’ve been sent some PlayPlax to review
This Christmas, forget games that involve hours in front of TV or computer screen or pressing electronic buttons – it’s time to get creative instead. Playplax, the iconic British game that ensures children use their own creativity and imagination is back. Designed and manufactured in England as it always was, Portobello Games has resurrected the 1960s iconic children’s toy PlayPlax, priced at £15.99 for a box.
PlayPlax is a box of 48 vibrantly coloured squares that interlock with each other, allowing children to create all manner of objects from planes to castles, towers and ships. It can be played either by yourself or with friends. No batteries, no manual, no electronic beeps or peeps.
Now MissB is a little young to really understand the wonder of PlayPlax yet, it is for aged 3+ but it hasn’t stopped me and Daddy spending hours playing with it and re-living our childhoods I’d forgotten just how much fun you can have with a little bit of imagination and some coloured plastic tiles. We used to have this at playschool when I was a toddler myself so it has really brought the memories flooding back
Why buy PlayPlax?
Research on child development and creativity has found that the best toys for children are “open-ended toys” rather than those that dictate how they are played with. These foster children’s imagination and have the potential to be different every time a child plays with them, requiring more thinking and creativity on the part of your children and allowing them to direct the play themselves.
Where to Buy?
PlayPlax is priced £15.99. It is suitable for boys and girls aged three upwards (and design-mad adults too) and is available from Amazon, independent toy shops or direct from www.portobellogames.co.uk.
Go on re-live your childhood and get some PlayPlax
The lovely people at PlayPlax have kindly offered a box as a competition prize to one of you lovely readers
How to Enter -
You can do all of the actions below or just 1 of them but please make sure you leave a separate comment for each action you take or your entries will not be valid & please make sure you leave a way of contacting you either email or twitter, Thank you x
* Leave a comment telling me you’d like to be entered
* Subscribe to my blog by email/RSS feed
* Like Me on Facebook http://facebook.com/kneesupmotherbrown (there is a link on the right sidebar!)
* Follow me on twitter @dawnie_brown
* Tweet the following “I’d like to win a set of PlayPlax from @dawnie_brown in this FAB giveaway at http://wp.me/pWTCL-KM ”
Good luck! UK entries only please. The winner will be drawn by random.org on Wednesday 9th November 2011 at 8pm x
Bespoke Foods – Delicious Festive Treats
1 year ago
It’s no secret I have a major sweet tooth, so when Bespoke Foods contacted me to ask if I’d like to review some of their festive products for the Christmas Gift Guide, well you can guess what my answer was
We’ve been sent one of their new Gingerbread House Kits and a Gingerbread Man along with a game of Chocolate Twister.
“The new Gingerbread House Kit and Gingerbread Man are the ultimate in edible DIY. Perfect for keeping the children entertained – simply set them to create their own fairytale winter wonderland following the easy step-by-step picture instructions. You’ll have trouble keeping hands off this delicious festive treat; rich, chewy, sweet and spicy, the gingery aroma of this authentically German gingerbread really is Christmas in a box.”
I’m going to make the Gingerbread Man with MissB this weekend although I have a suspicion that most of the icing and the sweets won’t actually make it onto the gingerbread man The Gingerbread House, well I’m going to make that myself as I quite like the idea of making something beautiful and christmassy
If I can turn this kit into something that looks like this, then I will be very impressed with myself
I think these kits are a great gift idea, especially if like me that you are a little bit too busy for baking the gingerbread part yourself but still like the idea of decorating and making the house
As for Chocolate Twister? Well what more can you want than the classic game of twister but with a chocolate twist? Perfection!
Calling all chocoholics, enjoy a classic game with a tasty twist. For family fun that will tie even the most flexible up in knots, Twister’s Chocolate Edition adds a sweeter dimension to Christmas. Perfect for parties of all ages, the rules are easy – pick your move, twist and win chocolate!
With the festive season fast approaching, Bespoke Foods’ traditional gifts are the perfect stocking fillers to add a creative twist to your Christmas shopping list. These gourmet games are a treat for all those with a sweet tooth and will make your family’s Christmas time all that more special.
Chocolate Twister (RRP from £10.00), Gingerbread House Kit (RRP from £12.50) and Gingerbread Man (RRP from £6) are available to purchase from a range of department and independent stores.
Erin
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becky
Just have a brand new slow cooker so I will be checking out Chrissies new blog !
2 weeks ago
Sonia
Thanks for including me sis... Just FYI Cath is now at www.wishfulwonderings.co.uk xxx
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