DisneyLife Review

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This month we have been trying out a new subscription box called DisneyLife. I first noticed it just before Christmas when it popped up in our local Disney Store. As it was Christmas and a little manic I didn't stop to look what it was. If you haven't heard of DisneyLife let me tell you a little bit about it first.

DisneyLife Review
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When A Celebrity Retweets Your Tweet

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It's only recently I have started to use Twitter properly and it's by far my favourite of all the social media channels. I love how fast it is and that you get an actual reply from people when you tweet them. It's a quick way to get in touch with a friend, speak to a company or even tweet a celebrity. Am I the only one who gets excited when a celebrity retweets your tweet?

twitter tweet
I don't really tweet celebrities mainly because I don't have anything to say to them, but on the odd occasion I have tweeted a few. If I was going a concert to see a band or solo artist I will send a tweet or if I have seen a tweet from them I have replied.

I have however tweeted a few members from McBusted and also Giovanna Fletcher and I am so happy when they retweet. Is that sad? I just think its nice to know that amongst the thousands (maybe more) tweets they receive each minute/hour/day they have chose one of mine to retweet. I have had a reply once from Tom Fletcher and that made my day.

A few months ago I tagged Ruth Langsford in a tweet because I had blogged about her campaign to keep pets healthy this summer and she retweeted instantly which got me thinking. Do you think the celebrities actually read the tweets or just hit the retweet button to keep us happy? I am hoping they do read as I like to think they are interested in what people have to say. I know they must get so many but it is nice if they reply or retweet to a select few.

twitter tweet

In the Summer I got a lovely retweet and reply off the lovely Duncan James too.

Have you ever tweeted a celebrity? Did they reply or retweet?

Michelle


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Teletubbies Toys Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

You may have read last week that a very special and exciting box turned up. Inside was a selection of the new Teletubbies toys range and we were chosen to try them out. Teletubbies was such a big part of big J life when he was growing up and I am so pleased they are back now that little J is a toddler. When it came to opening the box we were so excited to find out what was inside. Little J was jumping around when he saw all the coloured tissue paper inside the box, it was like Christmas.

teletubbies toys

Inside the beautiful and very colourful tissue paper were 6 Teletubbies toys for little J. He was so pleased when he saw Po, she is his favourite. 

Teletubbies Tickle And Giggle Po
Tickle and Giggle Po is very cute and likes to be tickled. She is made from supersoft plush and when you tickle her tummy she will giggle and say "eh-oh" "Big Hugs" "Po" "Again Again"

Little J loves interactive toys and really enjoys tickling her tummy. Little J also enjoys pushing her around in the pram too.

teletubbies soft toys
Teletubbies Supersoft Plush
Dipsy and Laa Laa are supersoft plushes. They are a perfect size for little J to hold and cuddle. He likes to take them to bed and they are perfect for snuggles.

teletubbies soft toys

teletubbies soft toys

teletubbies soft toys
Dipsy and Laa Laa are regulars at our carpet picnics and we play a game were they can only eat pretend food that matches their colours. Dipsy enjoys green pears and Laa Laa likes yellow lemons.

Teletubbies Talking Po Soft Toy
This is probably little J's favourite toy out of the plushes. Talking Po is again made of a supersoft plush. 

Press her tummy and she will say a variety of phrases including

"Po"
"Eh Oh"
"Again, Again"
"Big Hugs"
"Hooray, Hooray, Hooray"
"ooh," followed by a giggle 
"Very Happy"

Tubby Phone
A cute phone with just 4 coloured buttons representing each of the Teletubbies. Press the colour of your choice and the Teletubbie will come on the mirrored screen. Press it once and a voice will say "Hello (name of teletubbie chosen)" press again and the voice will say "Hello Teletubbies" press a third time and it will say "Tubby Phone Party" and play a song. Unfortunately all four buttons do and say exactly the same.

Little J seems to like chatting away to the Teletubbies.

Tinky Winky Figure

teletubbies soft toys
We haven't found a home for our Tinky Winky figure just yet as we are hoping little J will be a good boy over the next few months and maybe he will get the Teletubbies Superdome for his birthday and also some more figures. 

I have popped down the RRP of the toys above for you but the full range will be available to see over at Character Toys

Tickle and Giggle Po - RRP £19.99
Talking Po - RRP £9.99
Supersoft Plush - RRP £6.99
Tubby Phone - RRP £9.99
Figure - £3.99

As you can see little J was thrilled with all his new Teletubbies toys and I know our collection will grow over the next few months. I am going to dig out all of big J's old Teletubbies toys as we had the dome, a Noo Noo and all the talking Teletubbies too. Little J will love them. 

Michelle


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Little J Loses His Favourite Bing Bunny

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Went we went to Cyprus last Summer little J took a handful of toys. His Winnie the Pooh taggy which he has had since he was born, some cars, his doctors kit and his Bing Bunny. Now if you read my blog you will know that Bing Bunny hadn't been with us very long but he instantly became a favourite and became little J's bedtime buddy along with taggy. When little J was helping to pack his suitcase both Bing and taggy were the first things in the Trunki.

boy asleep in his pram
It's hard when you go away because I instantly think 'what if we lose one of his toys?' he would be devastated. Well it happened to us in Cyprus and it was awful. On the Tuesday before we came home little J had been for his lunch and he would always take taggy and Bing. He knew after lunch he would fall asleep so he had to have his two pals with him. On the walk from the restaurant to the pool area he dozed off holding them both and on the way he must have dropped Bing. 

bing bunny
We noticed as we parked up the pram and he was only holding taggy. Being the caring older brother big J dashed out and retraced our steps to find Bing. He was gone. In the brief moments someone must have picked him up. Daddy went to reception and lost and found but no-one had handed him in. We checked every day for the remainder of our holiday but he had been taken.

Little J was so upset when he realised Bing was missing. We felt so sorry for him, it was awful. The first few nights were the hardest he kept shouting 'Bing' in the night. It's was so sad. We actually told little J that Bing was really hot in Cyprus so he had flew home and would be waiting for us when we got back.

When we got home a new Bing was waiting for us. Grandad had picked a new Bing up for us and even though it was past 5am in the morning after a long day and night little J was so excited to see him.

I'm really not sure what happened to Bing but I was shocked that no-one handed him in. If we found anything that didn't belong to us, we wouldn't even think of keeping something that wasn't ours. With it being a teddy you would think that the person would know it belonged to a child. Even if a child picked it up surely the parents would make sure they reported it to lost and found.

Has your little one ever lost their favourite toy? What did you do?

Michelle
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Teletubbies Toy Delivery

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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. When I heard that Teletubbies were making a comeback I was so excited because little J is just at the age now were he enjoys watching a little TV and I know he will love Teletubbies just like his big brother did. On Christmas Eve we received a huge white box, it was our Teletubbies toy delivery.

Teletubbies New Toy Range
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Star Wars - The Force Awakens Film Review

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Before I start I do want to say that I am not a huge Star Wars fan. I like Star Wars mainly because John and big J like Star Wars. I play with lightsabers mainly because big J and little J like playing with lightsabers and I don't think I have watched the original trilogy all the way through. I was excited to see the new movie mainly because John and big J were excited to see the movie. However after watching the movie on opening day I do feel the need to write my opinion on probably one of the most anticipated and talked about movie of the year, Star Wars The Force Awakens.

Star Wars - The Force Awakes
I watched the second trilogy first, episodes I, II and III and then I have watched bits of the episodes IV, V and VI over the years. I know the story from playing Star Wars Lego on the xbox with John and big J. I liked the first three episodes and obviously they were more up to date than the original trilogy. Special effects were spot on and Darth Maul was such a great baddie.

In case you are peeking at this with one eye closed scanning for spoilers, there won't be any. I know Star Wars fans who haven't seen the movie yet won't want to know about any secrets, twists and turns so I will just stick to the main points.

When the film started there was a real genuine excited atmosphere in the cinema. As the music started and the yellow scrolling text appeared on the screen telling us about the what has happened I did join in with the excitement. The main storyline was Luke Skywalker is missing. General Leia (No longer known as Princess) is searching for him. A new baddie, Kylo Ren was in charge of the First Order and also searching for Luke - the last remaining Jedi.

Throughout the film as new and old characters were introduced I totally believed each and everyone. The actors and actresses chosen for the parts, for me were spot on. I am a big fan of Girls starring Adam Driver and I wasn't sure how he would be as Kylo Ren but wow I was sold. He looked and played the part brilliantly. At first I thought his character had a Darth Maul feel about him and that maybe he would only be in it for a short time but he was on screen throughout with some really impressive scenes. You see and feel the anger inside him within the first 5 minutes so I knew it was going to be good. Also you see Kylo Ren without his helmet on to which really worked.

Star Wars - The Force Awakes

Finn and Rey reminded me of a young Luke/Han and Leia. Both really great and really stepped up to the mark. Not much was given away about Rey and her past so I am hoping we will find out more about her in future movies. All we know so far that she believes her family will return to her home planet Jakku. She has been alone there for many years, since she was young girl and is surviving by being a scavenger. Finn was brought up as a Stormtrooper but decided to rebel after his first mission. He escaped and found Rey.

BB-8 is the cutest little droid I ever did see. He is adorable and just like R2-D2 can only talk in beeps and other noises. Luckily Rey can understand him perfectly. BB-8 holds the key to Luke's whereabouts in the form of a map that both the resistance and the First Order are eager to get.

When Han and Chewie appeared on the screen I guess for fans it was just like old times. I really like Harrison Ford and considering his age he did pretty well in not looking like an old has been. In fact he had a big part in this movie and with his still dashing good looks and sarcasm he was still the Han Solo the audience loved.

For me Leia was unrecognisable. I know Carrie has aged but she looked so different. There was still chemistry between her and Han and I was a little gutted they didn't make it as a couple over the years.

So without giving to much away Star Wars The Force Awakens was definitely worth the wait. The action scenes were strong, special effects were as expected for 2015 but it still did have an original trilogy vibe. In fact it was more like the original movies than the later. I am sure spoilers will hit the internet soon if not already but I do think sometimes its best to wait and see. I know I am usually the one googling for sneak peeks but with this I didn't and I'm glad. I think even non Star Wars fans will enjoy this movie, I know I did.

Michelle


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Santa Special at Llangollen Railway

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Christmas is a very special time for us and we have many traditions that we do each year. As a family we like to visit Disneyland Paris and Santa's Sleepover at Alton Towers. My Mum and Dad enjoy taking the boys to the grotto and then on to a pantomime in the evening. My in-laws go on the Santa Special - Llangollen Railway. It's so nice that we each do something with the boys that makes Christmas that little bit more special. All these traditions have been every year for at least 11 years. This year we decided to go on the Santa Special too and I'm so glad we did.

Llangollen Railway Sign
It took about 1hr 15 minutes to arrive at Llangollen from Liverpool and when we arrived there were plenty of car parks to choose from. We parked about a 5 minute walk from the railway and it only cost £1 which was great.

We had something to drink at a local cafe/ restaurant before the train although there was plenty of choice in the station itself. There was a small cafe and also sandwiches to buy on the platform.


boy on a train
Our train left the station at approx 1:35pm. The carriages had christmas decorations hanging from the windows and felt nice and christmassy on board. We hadn't been before so had no idea what to expect. There were 12 of us in total spread out on 3 tables in the same carriage. 

Once we were seated and the train was on it's way to the station at Carrog we were given a paper bag each. Now I say we, what I actually mean was everyone except me. They had run out so unfortunately at this point I had nothing. In the bags there was a chocolate lollipop for the kids and a carton of juice. The adults had a mince pie and a small 50ml of Baileys. The booking did say mulled wine but that was not offered.

Santa walking through the train carriage
Very soon an elf appeared in the carriage and got us all to sing a Christmas song as we did Father Christmas made his way to see us. 

I was so impressed that he stopped to talk to all the children and gave each and everyone a gift. 

When we arrived at Carrog, Father Christmas hopped off the train and on to his sleigh. We queued to get a photo with him.

There is a little gift shop and a chance to grab a hot cuppa and a snack if you wish before its back on the train to Llangollen.

When we got back on the train Father Christmas made another appearance. He sat next to little J and chatted about Christmas. This really does make the train so special because the children get to see Father Christmas at least three times.

Llangollen

Llangollen Railway
Both John and I really enjoyed the Santa Train and obviously so did the boys. It was nice to experience a tradition that big J had enjoyed for so long. 


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Michelle


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Thomas & Friends Personalised Christmas Book Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the product below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. 

I have mentioned before that I love personalised gift. I always find that personalisation adds 'that little bit more' to a gift idea. When I was younger I had a Snow White book and I was in it. My name, date of birth, friends etc had all been added to create a story. I loved that book so much and I still have it somewhere. When we were offered the chance to review a Thomas & Friends personalised book from Egmont I knew straight away that little J would love it. He loves books and starring in one makes it so much more fun.

Thomas the tank engine book


Ordering was simple. We chose the book we wanted and added little J's name. We could also add a friend so decided to add big J. There is also an option to customise the character. We could change the hair, skin and eye colour to match little J. Finally you can change the colour of the coat. We chose blue.

Thomas the tank engine book

Although little J looks at books throughout the day at home and nursery, books are usually for bedtime. This book is a perfect bedtime story. It's just the right length to be enjoyed before little J starts losing interest. Usually once we have finished our bedtime story he will usually choose a book to look at before falling asleep. The illustrations in the book are bold, colourful and interesting so lovely to look at too.

Personalised books are always great fun and I find the child is always more engaged when they are the centre of the story. We will definitely be adding to our personalised book collection from Egmont very soon. I love the birthday book too.

If you would like to order the Thomas and Friends Christmas title use discount code pblogger20 for a 20% discount.

Michelle

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Pampers Want To Help Make Life #BetterForBaby

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Today, our friends at Pampers released a short film which showcases just how babies bring out the best in us all, highlighting that there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to make life #BetterForBaby - if you haven’t seen it, you can watch it here 


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Christmas At Liverpool ONE

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We are so lucky to have Liverpool ONE so close to where we live. For years we had to venture further afield for shopping trips and meals out. Since Liverpool ONE arrived we have everything we could ask for. Now you can drop the kids off at school and you can get everything you need and more before you have to pick them up again. Here's how we recently went Christmas Shopping at Liverpool ONE. 

Liverpool ONE Christmas Tree 2015
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5 Gift Ideas For All Food Lovers

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One of the best ideas when looking for inspiration for picking gifts is the recipients hobbies. Today I am going to take some time and share five great gift ideas for those people who love cooking, baking and food in general. As Christmas is the time to show that you love someone, this list of five gift ideas is a great place to start the joys of gift shopping.
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