Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – World Atlas
I’ve been on the hunt for AGES for a really good Atlas to engross the children. And here it is. Barefoot Books have really got something special with this one – every page is beautiful, and interesting, and totally absorbing. Enough facts, broken up with enough pictures – the 4yr old enjoys this as much as the 10yr old does. And that’s no mean feat. The history of map-making was absorbed minutely by the 8yr...
Bestest Christmas Gift Ideas – Maileg Mice TWINS!
Round these parts, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without a new Mouse in a Matchbox. Only this year, there’ll be TWO. Because this little pair has landed. And aren’t they just the loveliest? I know they’re not cheap – but they are sturdy little things, and if your child loves them, they will ALWAYS love them. Pink sometimes has them in bed with her, sometimes they sleep in their boxes on their shelf,...
Cars 2. We like it. Sort of.
It’s a tricky one this. On the front of it, we sat down with the children (4, 8, 10, and 12), and they all loved it. They did. But me? Not so much. Everything that I loved about the original was gone. The first one worked due to it’s slow, easy, deep-down innate gentle GOODNESS. The sequel – which sidelines Lightning McQueen in favour of Mater – is a Spy movie. Inevitably this leads the plot down the action...
The British Military Tournament. Oh, what a night…
Last week we were offered seats for the Military tournament at Earls Court. Some of you may remember it as the Royal tournament – an annual TV staple of a winter evening, watching the bands and the PT formations and the excitement of the Gun Run? I’d never been, but the husband went as a child, and told me to snap fast at the tickets… and so we found ourselves with four excited children heading into London on Friday...
Kodak EasyShare – what a great little camera!
We needed a camera for the 8yr old. Something robust and sturdy, easy to use, not terribly expensive, and nothing too big or heavy for small hands. So when Kodak suggested he might like to try the Easyshare out, we snapped their hand off (snapped? Geddit? Oh, I make me smile sometimes…) This was, it turned out, a perfect choice! We didn’t really look at the whole sharing options for him (being 8, he’s not big on...
Bestest Christmas Gift Guide – a great smartphone for luddites (and teens), theVodafone 858 Smart. *sigh*
The biggest boy of mine – 12 now – has been *yearning* for an iPhone since he started High School. *YEARNS* for one, he does. Dream on, kiddo. But Christmas approaches, and his list looks something like this: iPhone iPhone iPhone iPhone iPod iPhone I sensed that something must be done. Which is where those nice people at Vodafone stepped in, and sent him one of these babies to try out (not to keep, mind. they’re not...