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….

So why have I suddenly changed my mind about kids and tablets?

Well the LeapPad Ultra is packed full of educational games. If my child is going to sit in front of a screen (which she is at some point in the day, whatever my protestations) then at least she’s DOING and LEARNING something.

Come 4pm and all my 3 year old wants to do is lounge on her beanbag and either scroll through my (snitched) phone or watch TV. She is lethargic, tired after a busy day being active. And I’m busy making tea and getting clean PJs for bedtime. The LeapPad Ultra has full parental controls, so I know I can let her have a play, learning something at the same time.

There are gazillions of educational games on the LeapPad Ultra, along with a camera (Frog’s latest obsession) and video recorder. So, as a mum who is intensely aware of the need to limit screen time, I have no qualms about letting her play with the LeapPad Ultra for a limited amount of time.

The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine is an IT teacher with a healthy obsession in tech and gadgets. On these things, I bow down to his greater wisdom. He tells me he was impressed with the graphics, hi-res screen and endless options of activities. In fact, he admitted to being a little jealous.

As a screen-phobic parent I’m surprised to find myself readily recommending the LeapPad Ultra, even for a child as young as 3 and a half. I suppose, as with anything, it all comes down to moderation. Every afternoon running around fields getting muddy or going on the swings at the park simply complements half an hour on the tablet, learning about the alphabet, colours and letters.

My verdict? The LeapPad Ultra is worth every penny.

***

The LeapPad Ultra is available from a range of retailers from around £100. We were sent this product for the purpose of this review. All views remain my own. 

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Dad, if you’re reading this please look away now.

I mean it.

Your surprise will be ruined if you carry on reading.

Stop! Go and do your crossword or something.

Right, has he gone now?

Then I shall begin. I’ve written about my dad here before, so I won’t tell you about him all over again. Suffice to say my heart has ached for him this month, as he said goodbye to someone he loves, forever. Even though he’s my dad, I’ve wanted to give him a big hug and take away all the crappy feelings of hurt and grief. But, clearly, I can’t do that.

What I can do, though, is make sure he has something to open this Christmas that will make him smile.

This is a photograph taken of Frog in my parents’ Devon garden earlier this year, right after they gave her a present for her second birthday. The beloved tractor…

And this is the beautiful print I’m giving my father for Christmas: This is a Monoprint by the talented Natasha Gomperts. Natasha is an artist specialising in family illustration and portraits. The way she has taken this photograph and turned it into a stunning, fun and completely unique monoprint has left me beaming.

I’d never have considered commissioning a personalised monoprint as a gift before, it’s just not something that would have crossed my mind. I don’t know why, because it’s such a brilliantly personal present, perfect for someone who has pretty much everything they need already. It certainly beats socks or yet another pack of cotton hankies.

Being the brother of an artist and the son of an artist, my dad is no stranger to beautiful creations. But I think he’ll love this quirky print and the way it brings another dimension to the photograph.

I hope it will remind him of a sunny afternoon filled with laughter and bossy shouts from his grandchild as she barked orders at him, telling him where to take her on the tractor.

I hope it makes him smile.

***

You can find out more about Natasha Gomperts work on her website and Facebook page. The print featured in this post was provided for the purpose of this review.

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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:

I managed to get some sample bits of wallpaper from B&Q and used them to paper the upstairs and downstairs to add some colour to the walls.

Then I coated with primer.

The whole thing was finished off with a coat of white satin wood paint in cotton white, left over from a recent furniture project.

Tadaa!

With a little bit of furniture, I think it looks quite cute.

I’ve bought a brand new wooden doll family to go in the house (which actually cost more than the house itself) and I’m going to put them in my toddler’s stocking. My own mum and dad used to tease us with our main present by putting hints in our stocking. I still remember the excitement on Christmas Day as I’d open something and think, “Oooooh, I wonder….”.

I hope she likes it.

I really, really hope she likes it.

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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.

For once, then, he’s actually interested in something I’ve been offered for review on my blog. The Retro Space Invaders set of products are right up his street.

He now has a mug that lights up with Space Invaders characters (if this is what the squiggly things are called?!) when it gets hot. Apparently, this will come in handy in the staff room at school.

He also has a new Space Invaders wallet, keyring (which keeps him amused when his phone games don’t) and an ice cube tray which makes Space Invaders shaped ice to jazz up his Friday night glass of vintage cider. He also has a Space Invaders stress reliever for when reports season hits.

Fun, geeky, retro, quirky and affordable – finally something he likes that I wholeheartedly approve of.

He’s kitted out. No need to buy him a Christmas present then, surely?

***

All products were provided for the purpose of this review. You can buy them over at 50Fifty Gifts - where you can find all your retro gifting needs in time for Christmas.

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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.

I’m in search of a particular Christmas, you see. One that hasn’t really lived before. One that is at once both new and old, traditional and unique. I’m in search of our Christmas. Our family Christmas.

Last year was the first year we spent Christmas as a family. With a new addition, not yet six months old, we decided to make it our own and postpone family trips with previous traditions. We had big plans. Turkeys, smoked salmon, stockings in bed, a Christmas film or two and much excitement.

But then our car broke down. And our oven blew up. And the washing machine packed in. And the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine was struck down with a particularly bad case of Man Flu.

So the Christmas I’d known since birth stepped in to play and we spent the big day with my parents at their home in Bristol. My sister also came along. It was lovely, with food galore and many many presents.

But it wasn’t what we’d had planned.

So this year, we’ve decided to start from scratch and attempt the Christmas that wasn’t to be last year. This year we will make our own Christmas.

We’re at Year Zero in the Christmas stakes, and so far all the NLM has brought to the table is an undying need for a can of Foster’s on Christmas Day, coupled with a packet of salt and vinegar Pringles. It doesn’t really go with the Kirstie Allsopp affair I had in mind.

So I’ve ordered the turkey (from one of those posh butchers, with a pretend vintage bike propped up outside and many signs stating the happiness of their birds before they eventually end up on the chopping board). I’ve bought the presents, wrapped the presents and hidden the presents.

But that’s as far as I’ve got. So it’s here that I need your inspiration.

What are your Christmas Day traditions? How do you make the day as special (and stress free) as possible?

Answers on a postcard. Or, you know, you could always leave a comment….

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But I’m going to do it anyway. I’m giving my daughter a pet for Christmas.

Not just any pet, you understand. My child deserves the best of the best. She’s getting a giraffe. And not just any giraffe either – a pink and white striped one.

At the moment, he lives under our Christmas tree, hiding in wait for Frog on the morning of the 25th December…

But in the evenings, once Frog is safely tucked away in bed, he occasionally comes out of his hiding plac and entertains us with a dance or two….

Our giraffe hails from the land of Jelly Kitten, and spent his formative years learning his dancing trade at Hello Baby.

He is soft, with beautiful bangles on his feet, perfect for accompanying percussion as he dances (or is waved about by an excited Christmas Day toddler). He is incredibly flexible too, which is handy really because it means he can bust out some of those trickier moves. And he has a wonderful accessory sewn into his neck, which allows parents to fasten him to the side of cots as he dances their baby to sleep.

We love him. And so will Frog.

***

This is a review post. You can buy the Jelly Kitten Giraffe from Hello Baby for £10.99

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2. She likes to wear sunglasses…

3. She likes to hide from the paparazzi…

4. Her favourite word is “Me”.

5. She likes to wear ridiculous accessories…

6. She likes presents – lots of them…

7. She remains sickeningly beautiful, even in the midst of an enormous temper tantrum.

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