Going on a Bear Hunt Party

Last week we had the privilege of being part of a Twitter party celebrating the launch of were going on a Bear Hunt DVD. If you want to see what went down on twitter check out #BearHunt on twitter.

As you can see we were sent plenty of goodies to keep the little ones entertained and perfect as it was half term.

The party started and everyone was excited our first task was to watch the DVD. They all sat down on the mat to watch the film. In the pack we received it contained popcorn and some cute little paper bags to put the popcorn in. Us adults got a few moments of peace as all the children were engrossed in the DVD. After the film we had a quiz where we were surprised how much the children had taken in.



Our next task was to decorate some biscuits an make them look like bears. Son Son ate his decorations straight away where as the others spent time making there bear faces.

Our next Challenge was to pin the tail on the Bear. Asti was the winner in the game there was plenty of tears from the little ones as they wanted to win the prize.  

My friend Na provided us with a bear themed picnic and we discussed some of the film. Seb said he was very happy because the Bear went through the mud. Where Ami said that she was sad because the Bear didn't get a friend. I actually had tears in my eyes when that happened to.

We also went on a treasure hunt. Before the Bear Hunt I hid a few toys around the room and some other items they included a DVD, a book and a fluffy bear. We played the hot cold game till they all found a prize.

Our last activity was making some ears. Little did I know till the twitter party that you are supposed to go over the ears.

The Twitter party was finally over and all the children left with a Goody bag. Each bag contained a Bear, some sweets,  colouring and some crayons. All in all was a fantastic party with all children excited to go on there own bear adventures with there new bears.

Happy 4 Years of Blogging

SO I only just realised the other day that it has come up to my 4 years of blogging mark. How did that happen. I started this little blog when my Ami was only 6 months old as more of a hobby to keep my mind going whilst on Maternity leave at university. Little did I know that I would find that I love writing so much and really get into it. Sadly the last year I haven't put too much effort into my blog. I have been working more nights and I find that they leave me drained and with few evening in its hard to fit the time in. I have found I have missed typing away at a computer, It was only when I was writing some reflections for work I was thinking what ever happened to my blog.

A lot has changed in that four years were have added Son Son to the family which has been a crazy ride as you can see if you read through some of my older posts. I also started work as a nurse and finally finished university. Ami recently started school and we have been blessed with holidays and lots of fun things. My eldest son is now 10 which doesn't seem right! All in all we have been very fortunate in the last few years.

Asto - He is 10 now cray cray (we still can't get him to have a haircut) 

I love reading my old posts it makes me realise when I started how bad my sentences where and how did I ever get through uni like it. Being dyslexic starting a blog was one of the most beneficial things I could have done to improve the way I see words and the formation of sentences. Its sad really but although sometimes I haven't proof read my own work (mainly because I can't see my own errors) but with reading of others I can see where I have gone wrong. I use capitals and not ever sentence ends with an exclamation mark!

Ami - She is 4 and very bossy and defo in charge of the two boys. She is such a powerhouse and extremely independent. 

That bit was ever so boring I am sorry about that! Like seriously who cares about dyslexia.. one thing I have loved is sharing our photos with you all. Its a ongoing learning opportunity for me overtime I pick the camera up I feel I am getting that little bit better. I love taking photos and am forever pushing myself to try something different. We are blessed to have a good camera and I should use it more.

Son Son - is now 3 how mad is that. He is equal measures of cheeky and cute. He is also very funny but he tells us of for laughing al the time. 

I will blog more from now on, maybe on my nights I should write a post instead of watching trash (usually tattoo fixers) on my breaks. I have missed writing up our adventures and have been using Instagram as a micro blog but thats not really the same is it.

SO here I come to the end of my long rambling random post. I bet if you were a regular reader you have missed it right. The way my mind jumps when typing must make my posts a interesting read its most probs the reason why I never became a massive mega  blogger.. Thank you for being part of the journey. Thanks for reading this far. To those who have stuck by me and been part of the online community I thank you for your patience and friendship.

Were Going on a Bear Hunt Twitter Party

I don't know if you caught Were going to catch a bear Hunt on the Tv over Christmas or that you have loved the book but tomorrow (February the 16th), UK mums TV are hosting a twitter party to celebrate the launch of the new DVD. We watched the short film and it was ever so beautiful I even had a tear in my eye at the end. I was surprised how much the children were already familiar with the book. 

We also received a box full of lots of goodies and games which are to be enjoyed during the twitter party full of games and activities that will keep the little ones amused. The full box see below contained:

• Invites for the party
• Biscuit decorating activiy
• Were going on a bear hunt DVD's and popcorn for the film
• Cute cuddly teddy Bears believe me my Ami won't want to give them up!
• Goody Bags and colouring 
• Equipment to make a mask
• Pin the tail on the bear game 

We have invited some of Ami and Son Sons friends and we are all set! I am actually well excited we love doing twitter parties they are alwayssuch good fun. You can join in too by using the #BearHunt to find out more and even have the chance to win some prizes by joining in competitions. 

 SO make sure you check out twitter between 4pm and 6pm for more fun join us and @ukmumtv with the #BearHunt. 

DVD Review

We watched the DVD before the party because I wanted to get the children ready for the party. I can't explain how beautiful it is I am always a lover of animation. My little Ami and Son Son were gripped by the story. We have the book and have read it so they were joining in with the famous phrase "Were going on a Bear hunt, Were going catch a big one...". It was a beautiful watch and even though (spoiler alert) it was a little bit sad in the end we all loved it. It was short enough to keep the children entertained. After watching it all I wanted to do is cuddle the bear he was rather cute I might sneak one of the little bears from the box and keep it! Find out more in our next blog post about the party on the blog to find out more about the DVD. 

Lion Guard - Hyena Hideout play Set Review

My children have become big fans of the Lion Guard. They love to watch it on the television and you can only imagine there excitement when I told them they were getting to play with the Hyena Hideout play set. If you haven't heard of the lion guard its currently on Disney Junior and is based on the adventures Kion one of Simbas from the Lion Kings sons (yeah have we got that old that Simba is now a Dad).

We were sent the Hyena play set and even though they are seen to be the bag guys in the show both Ami and Son Son loved it. The packaging is bright and engaging very much like the TV show. Its based in a place called the outlands where all the dangerous animals live. The play set looks realistic and a tad scary. It comes with a scary trap and collapsible floor that drops into a Lava river. The set contains lots to do for imaginative minds. The set also encompasses a volcano that launches a bolder. The set has two parts which can be put together to make a larger play set. It worked well with my two as they could play with one part each and saved a bit of fighting over who's playing with it. They did actually play nicely with it and having the two parts they were more inclinded to play and work together.

The set comes with Janja the Hyena from the Lion guard. There is a massive range of Lion Guard toys and further more you can add to the collection too. My two have already asked to go to the toy shop to have a look for more toys. It actually made me rather proud to se the little two plating with the toys as a child I had a few Lion king toys and I loved them so much. Son Sons favourite part was the boulder that flew down the volcano where Ami loved the Trap.

You can purchase the Hyena's Hide Out play set for £24.99 and is available from Amazon and other good toy shops. The toy is aimed at children aged 3-4 and I couldn't praise it more.

Baby Born Sunny and Baby Review

My Daughter absolutly loves anything to do with babies at the moment. She has also picked out baby names for future children too (Mrs Goody and Max in case you were interested). SO I just knew she would love the Sunny and baby horses from Baby born. You may like us have a little girl or boy who has last minute decided what they want for christmas this is defiantly a perfect choice. 

Sadly the doll that is include in some photos is not included but the Mummy and Baby are part of the set. I used Ami's original Baby born to aid play. The set comes with an interactive hose (mum Sunny)  who when you press the ears dependant of which one either Moves or calls for her baby. Ami was so overjoyed when she sat her baby on the horse to her it was the best thing ever. 

My favuoute part which I can not believe I just found out is that if you put the two horses together they kiss. Its too cute and I just called my husband away from his work to have a look (he didn't share the same enthusiasm). The baby has a magnet on the side which means it can walk along side its mum. 

Ami was pleased that the horse can walk, ITs not the fastest of walks but its still moves. Ami had great fun playing stables and creating lots of little games. The horse seat is perfect for Baby born dolls and the baby wasn't wobbly in it which I feared it might. 

All in All we were pleased with Sunny and her baby. The retail price is around £50 which is in keeping with most branded baby toys. It makes a change to the usual baby toy such as a pram and other items and gets little ones use imagation a little bit more. Both my little girl who is 4 and my little boy who is 3 loved playing with them, Find out more on the baby born website here.

Cadson - Hetty Cleaning Trolley Review

My little girl Ami follows me around all the time when she is home from school. She wants to be involved in everything I am doing from cooking to cleaning. Thankfully we were sent the Hetty cleaning trolly and she has been in her element. She was over joyed that she could copy mummy and help tidying up. She is a very special 4 year old she likes her room to be tidy and clean and will always tidy up after her. If you saw her bedroom compared to her brothers its like a different house. 

The Trolley has been made so it looks true to life and Ami felt like she was part of the cleaning crew. I need one to be honest that I can stick all my bits in. We received the package wrapped in christmas paper and the kids were overjoyed. I was told to open it right away and put it together. Thankfully even under the pressure of 2 small children it was easy to put together. There is no need for batteries and charging it was straight away played with. To be honest its a relief sometimes screens are often played with too much it does not bring as much joy as a toy you can use your imagination with. 

Ami already has a Henry hoover so it fitted in well with the collection, Ami was pleased pink although so was son son who plays with it when Ami is at school, The trolley is aimed at children aged 2-6 which I thought was good as my two are in that bracket and they both loved it. I also found that the mop that you can add a floor wipe and ami had great time cleaning the kitchen floor. Well one part only she said they rest looked ok and it actually worked i was impressed. 

The Hetty Cleaning trolley retails at £14.99 and is available at most toy retailers including Toys R Us. Check out the Cadson website for more information check out the website here. Defiantly a toy for christmas for any child. The cool thing is it does not require any batteries and gets the kids playing. 

P.S: The Hetty Cleaning trolley comes with stickers but the little ones were in such a hurry to play I didn't put them on. 

Shimmer and Shine Pony Tail & Wish Come True Gift Set Review

I dont know if your child is like mine and absolutely loves Shimmer and Shine. My little Girl Ami loves it actually me and my husband too were always singing the catchy songs to be honest. So I can tell you she was so thrilled to review some of the new Shimmer and Shine toys. 

I dont know if you have seen shimmer and shine but it is based on two twins Shimer and lShine and there friend Leah. They are Genies in training and they often make some mistakes or as they call them Booms. The program does show children its ok to make mistakes and trying your hardest the next time.

Wish Come True Gift Set 

The wish come true set is the perfect item to any Genie in training. It comes with lots of little accessories that make role play more imaginative. We were a tad disapointed with the wish bottle that is supplied as the chain wouldn't fit together so we had to tie it at the back to make it stay. The little monkey purse opens up and you can fit the accessories in. Ami liked the wristbands like Shimmer and Shine in the show. Although I do wonder if they would fit an older girl as they were tight on Ami and she is 4.

The Shimmer Pony Tail

I think for Ami this was the most exciting part putting on the wig. We tried a few times and finnaly got it to stay on ( We do need more practice). The Shimmer wig attaches to a bun and is quite heavy but come with a grip inside. Ami was pleased to have pink straight hair and to look like shimmer too. Ami loves to dress up so this was most defiantly up her street.

All in all Ami was thrilled with her new toys and whats better they don't break the bank the pony tail retails at £9.99 and the wish come true set at £14.99. A perfect gift for any shimmer and shine fan. The only down side was Son Son wanted to try the wig but with short hair it wasn't a option thankfully he was just as pleased to play with the purse as Ami was.