We were asked to do a Scruff-a-luvs Blossom Bunny reveal which Isabelle jumped at the chance of since surprise toys are totally ‘her thing’.
What is a Scruff-a-luv?
The limited edition Blossom Bunnies come into your life as a sorry looking matted ball of fur. Give them a wash to reveal their true cuteness and then dry them and brush them to transform them into the cute FFF (Furry Friend Forever).
The Scruff-a-luv Blossom Bunnies are limited edition. Which one will you get? Lemon Drizzle or Peppermint (each sold separately).
Each Scruff-a-luv comes with their own brush and accessory as well as your adoption certificate. Only by saving a Scruff-a-luv will you find out. In return they will be your FFF (Furry Friend Forever).
Scruff-a-luvs retail at £19.99 and are suitable from age 3.
The Reveal!
Watch our reveal video and see how Isabelle transforms the bunny from Scruffy to Adorable.
Our thoughts
Isabelle really enjoyed the whole unboxing and was really pleased that she got Peppermint. She would like a pet of her own and a rabbit would be her first choice.
She enjoyed the whole process of washing her, drying and then brushing her to look like the cute bunny that she now is.
It was a lovely thing to do together, and the amount of time it took to dry was the only thing that I could fault. It took a long time to dry with a hairdryer.
These would make a fab alternative to chocolate Easter present and a fun thing to do on a rainy day.
Do you have a Scruff-a-luv? Which one do you have?
Lollipets Interactive Pets Review – Have you seen the latest interactive pets from Spinmaster. With 20 characters to collect including mice, elephants and rabbits.
Isabelle was asked to review a selection of the Lollipets which she was very excited about. We received:
Hazel the dog from Cake Pop Coast, Smushy the Mouse from Marshmallow Meadows and Echo the Elephant from Cake Pop Coast.
The single packs retail at £7.99 and the double packs at £14.99 which I thought was a reasonable price.
What are Lollipets?
Lollipets are the latest collectible interactive toys from Spinmaster. Each pet comes with its own lollipop which is used to control the pet:
Holding the lollipop in front of the pet will make them chase it.
Hover the lollipop above the pet to see them hop.
Chase them with the lollipop from behind.
Make them dodge the lollipop by holding it to their side.
They also interact with other pets by giving them a kiss.
You can switch the pets on and off by a switch underneath, and they can be paired to their lollipop which sticks magnetically when you put them away.
The pets are small enough that you can take them with you to keep the kids entertained.
Our Thoughts
Isabelle loves the Lollipets and was very pleased in particular to receive the elephant which she’d hoped to get.
Freddie took a keen interest in these and now that he’s crawling there’s no stopping him from chasing them.
Isabelle played with these a lot over the half-term and when her friend came to stay they each chose one to look after. They now live in her princess castle when she’s not playing with them.
From a parents point of view I thought these were a great toy and something you could stash away in the birthday box for upcoming birthday parties. They’re reasonable priced as well.
What collectibles are your kids covering at the moment?
Lisa
*we were sent a selection of Lollipets for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Off the Hook Dolls Review – when we were asked to review a selection of Off the Hook Dolls by Spinmaster, Isabelle screamed with delight. She’d seen them advertised on TV and had already made us aware that she would like some of these for her birthday ( September) and Christmas!
Off the Hook Dolls are interchangeable dolls that you can take apart to create your own stylish looks just by pulling them apart and clicking into place, including the hair.
The individual Off the Hook doll sets (RRP £7.99) come with a doll and two surprise blind bag style packages which can include fun accessories such as hats, sunglasses, shoes and bags.
We were sent the Off the Hook Style Studio (RRP £19.99) which comes with a doll, six outfit options and six accessories, four of which come as a surprise ‘blind bag’ style.
This gives you the option to mix and match over 100 combinations. The Style Studio wardrobe has hanging space for both tops and bottoms as well as spaces to places shoes and accessories.
There are six Off The Hook girls to collect – Jenni, Vivian, Alexis, Naia, Mila and Brooklyn.
There’s also a checklist so that you can keep track of all the outfits and accessories that you have.
Isabelle has had a lot of fun creating lots of different style combinations. Of course all of the dolls have been given American accents. She’s really into making fake You Tube videos and these are the perfect toy for this.
Our Thoughts
From my point if view as a mum I can’t fault this collection. They’re affordable, have lots of appeal for my daughters age range of eight and are affordable to buy for your own children or to give as gifts.
Of course my opinion means nothing unless its followed by a big thumbs up from Isabelle which the Off the Hook Dolls whole heartedly get! She loved setting up the wardrobe, the dolls and all the accessories. They’re also small enough that she took her entire collection to Nanny and Papa’s to play with when we went for dinner, and her friends have also taken a keen interest. The blind bags that came with the sets with additional accessories were the icing on the cake for Isabelle who is obsessed with surprise gifts.
*We were sent a selection of Off the Hook dolls for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Lilith Loves Henry Teether Review – Having Freddie we knew that we would have the inevitable trials and tribulations that come with teething. All babies react differently to teething pain, and of course they develop and cut their teeth at very different rates.
Ryan dealt with teething quite well and I was surprised when he got his first tooth through at four months old. He would go off his food, get a temperature and would be a bit unsettled and grumpy.
Isabelle teethed for a long time before she cut a tooth and it was a tough time for all of us as it disrupted her sleep, made her quite poorly and she cried a LOT but once they started coming through they came through quite quickly.
Freddie is a bit of a mix up of both. He gets a temperature and has a couple of off days and is unsettled at night, and then out another one pops.
Teething is something that you have to prepare for and give your baby the opportunity to soothe their gums as much as possible. I’ve written about ways to help with teething previously which you can read here, but essentially you need to be armed with some or all of the following:
Teething Gels/ Powders – These are a great quick way to help sooth gums. Freddie prefers the powders which I will give him before bed and when he wakes up during the night. I also keep some of the sachets in my changing bag, but just watch out if you’re giving them when you’re outside as we had an incident where the powder blew into Freddies face!
Amber Teething Necklaces – Although I’m not onto my third baby, I still haven’t used an Amber Teething Necklace or anklet but a lot of parents swear by these.
Teething Rings and Toys – By the bucket load. A lot of new baby toys have teething parts to them which is great for your baby to have constant access to them to chew and suck. We were recently chosen to be Brand Ambassadors for the Lilith Loves Henry range which is pretty awesome. The range includes teething toys, teething necklaces, dummy clips, jewellery and amber teething jewellery. The whole range is not only very stylish but each piece has lots of nobbles and textures to ease teething pain.
We were sent a bear teething ring which is the perfect size for little hands and is a combination of silicone and wood. We take this one everywhere with us in the changing bag so that Freddie has access to it whenever he needs it.
Dummies – Whilst none of my children have had a dummy, there’s no denying that for some babies a dummy can be a good source of comfort when they most need it.
Teething Biscuits – We’ve given these a try again and Freddie seems to quite like them. We use Bickiepegs but I have also seen recipes on Pinterest to make your own.
Food – Freddie always goes off food for a couple of days when he has a tooth coming through apart from cold cucumber and carrots straight from the fridge. He loves cucumber anyway, but it’s the only thing that he will take when the tooth is just under the gum.
Frozen Food – If your baby is off there food, you could try them with a frozen yoghurt or a breast milk lolly. I’ve also made these Blueberry Yoghurt Bites (halved blueberries) which are a treat for them.
Teething Jewellery – This is Jewellery that you wear which your baby can play with during breastfeeding and chew on to help with teething pain. These are generally made with silicone or wooden beads and are quite attractive to babies like usual jewellery is.
Our thoughts
We were also given a Lilith Loves Henry Teething Necklace which Freddie really likes. He loves to chew on it which can be helpful when I need him to sit still for a few moments on my lap, but he also likes to twiddle the beads whilst he’s feeding. He has tried to feed and stuff the necklace in his mouth which doesn’t really work.
I love the Grey Bear Teether that we have. It’s a lovely size and I’m all about grey at the moment so it was a good choice for us. The teether goes everywhere with us in the changing bag and is the go to teether when Freddies a bit grumpy or just needs something to hold.
The necklace which I tend to wear daily gives him constant access to a teether and the bonus of the necklace is that there’s no chance of him being able to throw this on the floor which is a fun game that he likes to play now. I would definitely recommend the Lilith Loves Henry range as a lovely new baby present, they’re all so gorgeous.
If you have any more teething tips leave me a comment below AND if you like the look of our Lilith Loves Henry Teether or Necklace then you can pop over and buy one for your own baby which are very affordable and so appealing to babies.
Lisa x
*As part of our Brand Ambassador role we have received a teether and a teething necklace in exchange for our review and online promotion.
Guinness World Record Challenge Game Review – Hands up if you have a Guinness World Record book. The book full of weird and wonderful facts. Many of them unbelievable or a bit cringy like the longest ever finger nails.
We used to buy Ryan the Guinness World Records book every Christmas and he would sit reading out all the strangest facts that he could find.
Guinness World Records Challenges Game
We played this with Isabelle who is really looking forward to playing again on Christmas Day with her big brother who will be with us. Any chance to make him do silly things.
Isabelle’s first challenge was to stack as many coins on her bent elbow as possible. I thought that she wouldn’t be able to do this but she was surprisingly good and managed to stack five before they fell off.
We all had a go at the back to front hand clap challenge which was a lot of fun.
This game puts players knowledge about Guinness World Records to the test and challenges opponents to demonstrate some nifty record- breaking skills using everyday household items!
Included in the game are the board, 20 challenge cards (10 best time and 10 timed challenges), 150 Guinness World Record cards with 600 questions including some amazing records, a score pad, counters, dice and a ping pong ball. The aim of the game is to collect three challenge cards to be crowned the winner.
Its amazing just reading the world records alone and here are a few that caught Isabelle’s eye:
Most Modelling Balloon Sculptures Made In One Hour – John Cassidy (USA) made 747 balloon shapes in just one hour at Buck County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA on 14 November 2007.
Most M&M’s Eaten in One Minute Blindfolded using Chopsticks – On 8 December 2011, Ashrita Furman (USA) at 20 M&M’s in 60 seconds while blindfolded in New York, USA.
Largest Pizza Commercially Available – The Giant Sicilian has on sale at Big Mama’s and Papa’s Pizzeria in Los Angeles, California, USA since 2010. It measures 1.87m (20ft 36in).
Our thoughts
I thought this was a really fun family game. It was a chance for everybody to get a bit silly and the challenges were things that Isabelle could get involved with as well. This gets a huge thumbs up from us and we would recommend it for the top choice for playing over Christmas. It would also be a lot of fun to get a group of friends round to play when the kids are in bed. We can’t wait to see Ryan try and put as many socks on as he can whilst standing on one foot!
The game is available to buy at online and at most toy retailers for £24.99
*We were sent a copy of the Guinness World Record Challenges Game for the purpose of this review. All opinions and thoughts are our own.
Beaker Creatures Review + Competition – Isabelle loves a kit of any kind, but one that has surprise toys inside is even better. When we were asked to give Beaker Creatures a go she was very excited.
Beaker Creatures is a kids science kit with the end result revealing collectible alien creatures.
The kit comes with:
Two Beaker Creature Reactor Pods
Two Classification Cards
Two double-sided Mini-posters featuring amazing science facts and fun images
Two Hydroplungers
Two Beakers
Liquid Reactor Super Lab base
A set of tongs and a stir rod
Experiment Guide featuring step-by-step instructions for five experiments
Full-size poster for display
Setting up
Setting up the set was really simple. Everything just clicks into place so we were good to go in a few minutes.
There were two reactor pods in the set and Isabelle was really excited to see which creatures she would find.
We had to fill the plungers with water, and as per the guide we decided to use coloured water to make it a bit more interesting.
We chose blue water to go with the red pod and yellow water to go with the green pod. I had to help Isabelle fill up the plungers with water but everything else she was able to do herself.
She placed the first reactor pod into the beaker and plunged the water which started to fizz. It was very exciting and once the fizzing stopped she used the tongs to fish out the little creature.
The whole process was very exciting and she was really pleased with her alien creatures.
once the fizzing has subsided we were able to reveal our creatures. She got an Astrolyte called Blerk and a Minisaur called Hornfello.
Our thoughts
Isabelle loved this kit and has asked for some more reactor pods so that she can do it again. From a parents perspective I was really pleased with it since it was really easy to put together and the instructions were very clear and easy to follow. We did it on a tray but there was very little mess and the set can also be used to perform other experiments such as making alien slime so will be used time and again. I would definitely recommend this set as it was a lot of fun and we’ll use it time and again.
The Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab retails at £25.00 from Learning Resources website and the extra pods are £4.00 each.
Win a Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab – Just fill in the Rafflecopter Form below
Christmas Gift Buying with Wicked Uncle is so simple. Once on the site it’s really easy to navigate since you can pop in the age of the child that you’re buying for, and it shows everything within that age category. This is great if you’re buying for an age range and you’re not sure what the kids are playing with at that age.
There is loads to choose from including games, stocking fillers, keepsake gifts and a great range of toys.
I went on site to find a gift for both Isabelle and Freddie and these are my top five for both.
Rotating Music Box – £16.95 – I’ve not seen anything like this before, but Freddie loves things that makes noises and this would be great for him to roll after.
Pound and Tap Bench with Xylophone – £29.95 – This is labelled as being suitable from 12 months but since Freddie isn’t left to play on his own I think this is something he would love.
Don’t Say it – Fast word game – £14.95 – This would be great to challenge Isabelle with. She loves the yes and no game and we have endless staring competitions. I’m sure I’d be able to beat her at this though!
You can also have your gifts gift wrapped for £3.50 for the first gift and then £1.75 for any additional gifts which I thought was reasonable and gives you less things to do.
There is also a birthday reminder service which is quite handy for remembering nieces, nephews and children on friends.
Wicked Uncle’s last date for Christmas delivery is Friday 21st December for Standard Delivery and Saturday 22nd December for Express Delivery (when ordered before 4pm).
We were given a £40 voucher to spend on site which I did on my phone. The whole process from navigating to payment was extremely simple. The only thing I found time consuming was trying to decide what to buy!
*we were sent a £40 voucher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Let Santa know where you sleep with a Hey Santa Door Hanger
Let Santa know where you sleep with a Hey Santa Door Hanger – When Ryan was around the age of five or six he was fixated with robbers coming into our house so we had to make sure that there was nobody in his bedroom, under the bed or in the wardrobe before he was happy enough to go to bed. Christmas that same year he was really worried that he didn’t want Santa to go into his bedroom.
We told him that Santa would know this and leave his stocking outside of his bedroom door for him which relieved his anxiety and made it much easier than trying to get his stocking at the end of his bed where it had been left previously. So it’s become our tradition that the stockings are left outside the children’s bedrooms hanging on the door handle, and we’ll carry this on with both Isabelle and Freddie.
So how does Santa know which bedroom each child sleeps in?
Well he is amazingly magic, but as a helping hand we’ve got these amazing Hey Santa Door Hanger plaques which we will leave on each of the children’s doors so that he knows exactly where to leave each stocking without mixing them up.
As Ryan is no longer a child he doesn’t get a stocking for Santa, but we’ll be hanging them out for both Isabelle and Freddie.
The plaques are from Hey Santa and can be personalised with your child’s name in either English or Welsh. Hey Santa is run by a brother and sister team who take pride in making your unique personalised door plaque.
Each plaque is made to order with your children’s name so make sure that you check that the spelling is correct and also allow a few days for delivery. Each plaque is £7.95 with FREE postage & packing within the UK.
What we think
I thought the quality of the plaque was really good and there was a good choice of colours to choose from. Isabelle loves her’s, especially since she has moved into a different bedroom and was worried that he might not know. These would make a great gift for children who will be able to use them year after year.
*We were sent a door plaque for both Isabelle and Freddie for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.
Herodrive Collection Review – It’s been a while since the house has been filled with traditionally ‘boys toys’ since the last eight years have been dominated by every shade of pink and frills!
Freddie is just coming up to six months old and like his big brother loves a ‘car-car’. Ryan was obsessed with anything with wheels on it and would lie down next to the car to watch it’s wheels go round.
Freddie has started to love our plat sessions which I do with him a couple of times a day so I was really excited to introduce him to the Herodrive Collection.
The Hero drive Batman racer is the ultimate Batman vehicle for little hands since it’s nice and chunky. It has lights, and engine sound and music. Push the windshield forward and the wings pop out. Pushing the logo on the hood for unique Batman sounds, and push it again and the Bat Mobile races into action. This is a battery operated car and better still it comes with batteries which eases the stress as parents since little ones are eager to start playing.
Our thoughts
I love all of the Herodrive range and the Batman Racer has been Freddie’s favourite. It’s really chunky and durable making it perfect for toddlers who can be a little bit clumsy. There are no fiddly bits that can snap off which is always good. I really liked the easy way of getting out of the packaging with little key type things that you release which means no scissors or unscrewing. As I already said, each of the cars come with the batteries already installed, but you do have to switch it from demo mode for the full effect. Freddie was totally amused by the Bat Mobile and the dog was quite bemused with all the lights and sounds. The Bar Mobile is supposed to move when you press the button twice but unfortunately this feature doesn’t seem to work on ours. Nevertheless we thought this was a great toy.
Herodrive Signal Squad Car £12.99
With Hero drive signal squad, you can Patrol Metropolis like Superman! Press the Superman logo to send the Superman Super Signal and protect the city. The possibilities are endless when you can be faster than a speeding bullet. Collect them all!
Our Thoughts
This Superman car was possibly the one that appealed to us as Mum and Dad the most with it’s Superman light signal. It’s pretty cool and Freddie was quite captivated by the light which we shone on the walls, floor and on his feet. This car was smaller than the bat mobile so Freddie could hold this one slightly better, and really didn’t want to when it was time to pack away.
Herodrive Mash Machines £7.99
These are smaller than the Bat Mobile but are still chunky enough for little hands and are resilient to bashes and bumps. The Herodrive Mash Machines are mash-ups of your favourite DC super friends with rescue and urban vehicles. Each vehicle comes with flashing lights and character sounds. Push the symbol on the front grill to start the action.
This range is nice and chunky, great for little hands and is suitable from 3 months onwards available from Amazon, Hamleys and ASDA will be sticking from February.
*We were sent the Herodrive Collection for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.
Playfoam Pals Review – It seems that the most popular toys at the moment are ‘surprise toys’ and the unknown of which character you’ll receive inside your box, bag or other equally fun thing to unwrap. Isabelle spends a lot of time watching unboxing videos on You Tube and gets just excited as the person filming to find out what the gift inside is. When the Foam Pals arrived they were a total surprise for Isabelle who not only didn’t know they were coming but also hadn’t heard of these before.
Playfoam Pals come in a box with two foam filled domes, each with their own little animal inside. There are 12 animals to collect including rare gold animals if you’re lucky! You also get a little check list which you can tick off as and when you get the different animals. You can mix and match the heads and body parts of the animals to create funny combinations of animals.
The Playfoam is made from non-toxic formula and can be moulded and re-moulded into little beds for the animals and can be played with time and again.
Our Thoughts
Isabelle is always up for a surprise toy any day of the week, so she was very excited when these arrived. We were sent two packs so she had four animals to unbox.
We had two green Playfoams and two pink Playfoams. The foam is really lightweight and sticky (in a nice way). It feels like lots of polystyrene balls all stuck together and is surprisingly nice to mould before rolling into a ball and starting all over again. The animals were in the middle of the Playfoam and this is what we got:
Two Speedy the Sloth Gold Limited Edition, Chilly the Penguin and Stretch the Giraffe. Isabelle was quite taken aback that she got two gold animals. What are the chances of that!
I thought these were really good especially considering the price and the Playfoam is a nice change from Isabelle’s usual slime. These would make an excellent stocking filler or extra small gift at Christmas.
Each two pack set retails at £6.00 and can be bought here.
*We were sent two packs of Playfoam Pals for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
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