Schleich Wild Life Starter Set Review

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You may remember that last year we reviewed the Schleich Farm and how much we loved it. We still do and out of all of little J's toys this really has been played with the most and it is still in perfect condition. Quality is everything when it comes to toys, obviously you want them to be enjoyable but they also need to be durable. Last week we received a Schleich Wild Life Starter set which includes 4 animals. Little J is really enjoying playing with his animals at the moment and it wasn't long before they were introduced to his lion playset.

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Tech Tuesday - Nintendo Switch : Do We Need Another Console?

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The Nintendo Switch is being released on 3rd March in the UK.  With a price tag of £279.99 for the basic package it will be interesting to see how this fares with gamers. I remember buying the original Wii console not long after release.  It was expensive at the time, I can’t remember how expensive, but expensive enough for us not to have bought at initial release.  Honestly, with Wii for us did bring us years of enjoyment, mostly on Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, but also with Wii party, played almost exclusively at Christmas - but so much fun.  Wii Fit was also a firm favourite - even it was just to tell me I have put another pound on.

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La La Land Review - City of Stars, Are You Shining Just For Me?

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La La Land was a film that I had wanted to see for a few months after seeing trailers online, reading about it on Social Media and although I had an idea of what it was about nothing could have prepared me for just how fantastic this movie is. Most of my childhood saw me acting out the dance scene from West Side Story in my front living room or singing Grease songs in front of the bathroom mirror. La La Land took me back to those memories and how good musicals were and how sad it is that they just don't make movies like that anymore, until now. 

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Tech Tuesday - 4K Definition The Future Of Streaming

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You may have recently read my review of the Xbox One S in which I talk about the difference I have seen with 4K and HDR definitions.  One of the features is the ability to stream HDR and 4K definition through the Xbox One S with 4K compatible providers like Netflix. As part of the StreamTeam, I have written recently about Stranger Things - the superb TV series with a retro feel to it. We watched that in 1080p through Netflix and the quality was brilliant. If I had waited a few months until we got the new 4K TV then we could have watched it in 4K definition on Netflix. 

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The Lion Guard Hyena Hideout Playset Review

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Little J was so excited to receive the Lion Guard Hyena Hideout Playset to review. As you probably already know we are huge Disney fans and we love watching The Lion Guard Series, which is a spin off from the movies The Lion King. We already own a Lion Guard Defend The Pride Lands Playset so little J is happy to have a 'bad guys' playset too. 

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Tech Tuesday - August Bluetooth Wireless Headphones Review

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We already own a number of August products, most recently we reviewed Augusts WS300 and WS150 Multiroom Wireless Airplay speakers.  We use these a lot throughout the home as they are portable and easy to use.  When I was asked to try a set of wireless headphones I was happy to give them a try. We were sent a pair of EP636R wireless stereo headphones

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Tech Tuesday - Xbox One S Review

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I am a Xbox owner after converting from the PS2 to the original Xbox a long time ago.  I still have PS consoles, but the Xbox has been my favourite for some time. I bought the Xbox One on initial release date in 2013 - the Day One edition. I have had no problems with it at all, other than running out of storage space. Luckily the Xbox allows external hard drives to be connected in a plug and play style to improve the capacity overall. 

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Review - Droidbox PlayOn

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I recently bought the Droidbox PlayOn handheld console.  For years I have looked for and bought a number of units with the intention of being able to play emulated games from computers and consoles long gone, in a simple format with easy to use controls. 

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Chad Valley Airport Playset Review

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Just before Christmas we got a special delivery from Chad Valley. As we are part of the Chad Valley Play Panel, little J was sent the Chad Valley Airport Playset to try out. It was perfect timing as little J was getting fed up waiting for Santa to bring him new toys. Little J absolutely loves everything that involves cars, planes or trains so the Chad Valley Airport Playset was the perfect choice. 

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Ravensburger Stick Man and The Gruffalo Puzzles Review

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This week we had an early Christmas treat when Stickman and The Gruffalo jigsaw puzzles arrived. We love The Gruffalo and Stickman so we were thrilled. The two jigsaw puzzles are by Ravensburger and are based on the popular books written by Julia Donaldson.

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Festive Menu at Beefeater

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A few weeks ago we were treated to a delicious meal from the new Festive Menu at Beefeater. We have never dined at a Beefeater restaurant before so we were all excited. When it comes to eating out we do usually like to try different places but the Beefeater has never popped up and I'm not sure why as we have many close by.

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Hollands Micro 2 Go Pastie Slice Review

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When I was younger Hollands was the only brand of pie I knew. It was the brand my Nana and Grandad bought, My Mum and Dad and whenever you had a pie from the chippy it would always be a Hollands. Growing up I was never a lover of meat based pies but I loved Cheese and Onion. A cheese and onion pie with lots of tomato sauce, yummy.

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Go Ahead Snacks Review #SnackSmart

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We love reviewing new products as it gives us the chance to try out new stuff we may have missed in the shops. However when we were asked to review some Go Ahead goodies it reminded me of a brand I used to love but just forgot about somehow. We used to eat Go Ahead bars a few years ago but stopped and I'm not sure why as they are so tasty and low in kcals.

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Annabel Karmel Frozen Meals Review

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When it comes to mealtimes I have mentioned before that I do like to cook from scratch but realistically there are days when this does not happen. Being a parent it's busy, busy, busy and there are days when I just have to throw something together quickly if we are running late and I haven't had time to prepare something. Having said that I still make sure what we eat isn't junk and that it is something that is nutritious and healthy. When we were asked to try out Annabel Karmel Frozen Meals I took a look at the website and the products and I was impressed. Annabel Karmel has turned her best-loved children’s recipes into nutritionally balanced freezer fillers for parents like me that have days when we are just too busy to cook.

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TechSavvyDad Tuesday - S+ by ResMed Review

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Sleep. Does anyone ever get enough these days? I know that being a dad to two boys, one a toddler and one a teen, there is a huge differential in the times that they sleep. Little J is often asleep by 6pm and up again ready for the next day at 5am whereas Big J will be in bed by 10pm on a school night and much later at weekends. I get to sleep in-between these times but generally I have some ‘Dad’ time that means actually I think I average around 6 hours each night. I know that's not enough, but how can we monitor and improve our sleep? I have tried a few apps from the google play store over the years, with mixed results. I have never stuck to one app to try to improve my sleep as I haven’t yet been convinced that any of them actually work. I have been trying the S+ by ResMed to try and improve my sleep.

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The Lion Guard Defend The Pride Lands Play Set Review

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Being huge Disney fans we are quite shocked that we haven't sat down yet and watched The Lion Guard TV series which is based on The Lion King movies. We've heard of it and it has been on our 'to watch' list for a while. When we were asked to review The Lion Guard - Defend The Pride Lands Play Set it gave us the excuse to sit down and watch an episode before it arrived. Little J loved it as did I. It's a lovely series following Kion, Simba's youngest cub.

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Chad Valley Wooden Fire and Police Station Review

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You may have seen our very exciting post recently about Playdays and Runways being chosen to be part of the Chad Valley Play Panel. We are so excited to be involved with a brand that means so much to us. Chad Valley was a huge part of I and Daddy's childhood and I have fond memories of toys I used to play with. I really must dig out some photographs of me as a child on christmas morning opening lots of Chad Valley toys.

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Disney Princess Colours of the Sea Ariel Toddler Doll Review

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Both little J and I were excited when Colours of the Sea Ariel from JAKKS Pacific arrived this week. I knew she was on her way but I didn't tell little J so when he opened the box his little face lit up. He loves Disney and Disney Princesses and is always trying to play with my collector Disney dolls so at first he wasn't sure whether he could touch her or not. When I told him Ariel was for him and she could go in the bath he instantly pulled her out of the cardboard box and wanted me to open her.

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Schleich Large Farm, Animals and Accessories Review

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Recently when we were shopping in Hamley's we noticed the Schleich range of figures and play sets. I spent a couple of minutes looking at the animals especially the horses and I was so impressed with the quality of them. Little J was actually looking for a dinosaur so we decided to buy him a Schleich one. It's really lovely and the detail is amazing. Shortly after we actually received the Large Schleich Farm to review and I was so excited. I knew instantly that it would be a hit with the whole family.

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Teletubbies Magazine Review

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When big J was growing up Teletubbies dominated our TV and also big J's toy box. He absolutely loved Teletubbies and had lots of Teletubbies toys including talking ones, a phone, books, even a Noo Noo that moved along the floor. Teletubbies were so popular, they were everywhere and you just had to love them. When the Teletubbies made a comeback I was so excited because little J is the perfect age and I knew he would love Teletubbies just like his big brother did. I wasn't wrong. Our house has been filled with various Teletubbies toys over the past 9 months and now little J has just received the Teletubbies magazine.

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