My list could be extensive right now. It'd be all too easy to include the fact that Meningitis AND a broken leg are a bit too much for one family in such a short space of time, and that I broke my leg on the way home from the only 4 days away that we managed this whole Summer, but they're 'here and now' complaints which won't seem so bad this time next year.

1. People who park at the entrance to a school.
You selfish people. I've had babies, I know it's a pain to carry them any distance, but I did it. I've got a broken leg, but I still wouldn't think it was appropriate to pull up opposite the entrance and just abandon my car so that 8, 9 and 10 year olds can't see to cross safely, and I sure as heck wouldn't park all over the pavement so that people coming out of school have no choice but to battle along the road instead of the pavement. Whatever happened to walking? Why not walk the last 1/4 mile at least? Park up safely, you don't need to be able to fall out of your door and straight into the school you imbeciles. One day it'll be your child walking alone, and you'll want to know they aren't going to be mown down by someone who simply has to be at home by 3.35pm or else presumably they turn into a pumpkin.


2.Andrew Wakefield.
I have more to say about this than works for a meme, so I've created a post especially - Andrew Wakefield and the MMR. I hate to give him more pagetime, but to me at least this man deserves Room 101 and as he's discredited the world over and can't work in half of the1st world countries, I think he's probably there... 


3. Melted Cheese. I can't stand it. I'll try really hard, but I can rarely eat anything hot with more than a hint of cheese. As a vegetarian this can make eating at friends' houses a little tricky....

This morning in the school playground I was part of a discussion about whether someone should give her child the MMR jab. She specifically mentioned Autism. Really? After all of this time?

Andrew Wakefield was a Doctor who invested in several companies, including a company which made single vaccines for Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
He took a group of 12 Autistic children and subjected them to a series of tests, including invasive tests such as Lumbar punctures and Colonoscopy, and in 1998 published a paper stating that possibly the MMR was the trigger of Autism in 8 of the children (and Mumps was responsible in one other). He then went to a Press Conference and stated it was definitely true and the MMR should be withdrawn. He suggested the best way to get around this was?....You guessed it...give single vaccines.

Some of the children recruited for the testing were only there because their parents had already decided the MMR was responsible and were filing Lawsuits. Other children were recruited via anti-MMR campaigns. Andrew Wakefield was paid at least £435,600 by the Lawyers involved who wanted to prove the MMR was responsible for Autism. His paid job was to try and find a link.

5 of the children had recorded developmental delay dating back to before they had the MMR jab.
3 of the 12 children didn't even have a diagnosis of Autism.
His findings have never in any way been backed up by any other research before or afterwards.
Some of the findings reported to The Lancet were different to the original tables of data held by the Royal Free Hospital.
One of the children involved in the initial research developed life-threatening complications as a direct result of 'testing' and received a hefty out-of-court settlement.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella can all have serious side effects, including encephalitis, with Rubella most dangerous for adults. All can cause damage to an unborn baby including deformity, deafness, miscarriage and stillbirth. Mumps famously can damage a male's fertility, although this is incredibly rare.
Approximately 1/3 of children who catch Measles will develop complications including Pneumonia and Ear Infections.  For every 1000 children who get Measles 1-2 will die and 1 will develop Encephalitis which may leave them deaf, blind or mentally damaged.

In 2003 the uptake figures for MMR were as low as 70% in parts of the UK, and in the Welsh Measles epidemic of late 2012- early 2013 1455 people developed Measles. Around 180 of these were babies and toddlers too young to be given the MMR, who should have been protected by the fact that everyone else had it. 1 child died.

In 2010 Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of Serious Professional Misconduct by the the General Medical Council and struck off. His greed is directly responsible for the death and permanent injury of many children.

And anyway, what's so horrific about Autism?




Sources -
The Centre for Disease Control And Prevention (The CDC)
The NHS
The Guardian
The British Medical Journal

Pom Bears asked Bloggers to review a Pom-Bear Halloween Edition in Pickled Onion flavour. We like Pickled Onion, and we definitely like Pom Bears, so naturally we volunteered.






The Pickled Onion flavour is really very mild, yet still tasty, so they'll still suit younger children and toddlers. They don't have an unpleasant aftertaste, and they only have 96 calories a packet. They're gluten free, vegetarian and don't have added colours or preservatives. I like them, all 7 of my children like them, my partner likes them. You can't really do better than that.

Follow Pom Bears on Facebook to hear all the latest news. The Special Edition Halloween Pom Bears will be available from Supermarkets for a limited time ready for  Halloween and they make an excellent, and more tooth-friendly, alternative to giving sweets to Trick Or Treaters. They have an RRP of £1.59 per multipack of 6 bags, and are currently available for £1.39 from Ocado.

Pom Bears, with a little bit of horror....

Hobbycraft are a company we've all heard of, but did you know they stock an amazing range of craft sets and items for children of all ages? They sell everything from Lego and Fancy Dress through to Baking and Horrible Science sets, plus all of the craft and activity sets for which they're most widely known.


We were asked to choose something to review from the Hobbycraft range and we chose the Mister Maker Alien Puppet Show. We're fans of Mister Maker here, especially now that we've met him in person! My boys are also very keen on aliens, so this is perfect.

The box is really nicely presented, everything is safe inside and all that you need to make the Alien Puppet Theatre is included in the kit, with the exception of scissors. 



I was delighted that 2 very good glue sticks were included, but we were disappointed that most of our felt tips didn't work, fortunately, like most households, we had plenty of pens the boys can borrow.

The boys are not usually very keen on crafts, but they sat for hours making this theatre and they did their best the entire time. Boy no.3 is colour-blind, which possibly explains why some of the colouring wasn't to everyone's taste, but it really doesn't matter. Although Mister Maker gives ideas for decorating your aliens and backdrops, there are extra bits included, and lots of scope for personalisation and creativity. I like that a lot.







The box that everything comes in is your theatre once decorated, and serves as storage once you have completed your kit. This is brilliant. It keeps the theatre and the puppets together and relatively safe from harm.


The instructions are really nicely laid out, very easy to follow and the language is simple, so an older child could easily complete this as a solo project. The only bit that could be frustrating is attaching the curtain, and we found holding it with a couple of clothes pegs while the glue dried was helpful.


We think this set is excellent. It retails at £12 and is suitable for children aged 3+. The age range is right, it's a great craft set that makes a useful toy and we've definitely had more than £12 of fun from it already. I'd definitely recommend this and buy it as a gift. To buy it youself visit Hobbycraft online.

My oldest child moved out today, and I'm a lot more upset about it than I thought I would be.

He was a pain in the neck. He worked in clubs so was always getting home ridiculously late, then 'chilling' and hungry before he slept, and if he was working consecutive days saw no reason to be awake at all during the entire day.

He rarely ever did any housework, even when he wasn't at College or at work and whenever he put washing in he'd fill every bit of the drawer with soap. He'd leave his razor on the edge of the bathroom sink where little hands could get it and he showered for far too long. He never switched off his bedroom lights and his room was horrific - when he last worked away at a festival for a few days, I went in and took out 3 carrier bags of rubbish and more mugs and cups than were left in the cupboards.

But he's my first born. For nearly 4 years he was my only one. Now my baby is my 3 year old who has just started Nursery, and it reminds me so much of when my eldest started, because he looks at me with exactly the same 'ready to cry but being brave' eyes and my heart melts.

Just as I can see the 19 year old in the 3 year old, I can look at my 3 year old and wonder what he'll be like at 19. I wonder how much of his big brother he'll take with him forever.

I thought I'd just be relieved and glad he's moved on, because he really was more than ready, but I miss him already.


PS. He does have more stuff than that, the van was fully loaded and ready, he just wanted to go on ahead - honest. He's only moving a tram ride away, he'll probably be back within the week to visit - probably at dinner time. And he'll probably nick some loo rolls.

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Our latest DVD review from Abbey Home Media is Horrid Henry Volume 22: Rocking The World.
I know that sometimes, especially for people with younger children, opinion is divided about Horrid Henry, but I don't find him particularly horrid at all. All of my children are very capable of being far more horrid without any prompting. Henry is really rather more of a leader, the brains behind the pack, and every tale has a subtle (or not so subtle) message.

Henry has to deal with that most awful of things - his family - including the detestable Perfect Peter, his brother. It's tricky having a brother like that, it's a lot to be compared to and the pressure is hard on Henry. I'm sure a lot of young people can identify very much with that situation - even if it is exaggerated for comic effect. I personally identify with his long-suffering parents. I think I probably have the same exasperated expression most of the time!

Henry has a long list of things he doesn't like beyond his relatives - including homework, fresh air, boring holidays and bedtime, and most of his class. Most of Henry's enemies are in his school class, and a lot of the story episodes revolve around their interaction.

Horrid Henry Volume 22: Rocking The World contains 6 new adventures from series 3, as previously seen on CITV. Each episode is around 11 minutes long and the DVD has a total running time of approximately 66 minutes. It includes -

• Horrid Henry Rocking the World
• Moody Margaret, Superstar
• Horrid Henry goes to the Theatre
• Horrid Henry, Money Talks
• Horrid Henry’s Unhappy Day
• Horrid Henry and the Special Spa Day

My 3 and 5 year old boys like Horrid Henry, and they were glued to the screen watching this. It also proved  popular with my older children, especially our 15 year old girl, who loves Horrid Henry and was delighted that we all sat down and watched it while we ate a takeaway.


I find the voices a bit grating, possibly because they remind me of our lot when they're at their worst, but it's still entertaining for adults and has some very funny moments. It's ideal for children and young people of any age, and has a Universal rating. Released on September 23rd 2013, Horrid Henry: Rocking The World will have an RRP of only £7 and is available at all good stockists.

The Two Stubborn Pirates is written by Oakley Graham and illustrated by Kimberley Scott. It is published by Top That Publishing Limited and has 32 pages. It tells the story of a pirate feud that goes too far - between the pirates Redbeard and Bluebeard. As they're pirates it'll be of no surprise that of course they are fighting over a treasure map!

This is a great book for any child who is interested in pirates. It's a great book for a child who isn't interested in pirates. My boys love it, especially the 5 year old. It was our bedtime story tonight, and then my 5 year old chose it as his book to 'read to myself' before lights out - that rarely happens. My 15 year old son sat and listened while I read too - and even he laughed and chuckled.

The illustrations are modern and amusing and full of interest. The 'choir' on each double page are especially funny, and something my boys looked forward to seeing each time I turn over a page. My 3 year old saw for himself that the red and blue themes were carried on through the ships, and so he pointed this out very proudly too.


The Two Stubborn Pirates is written in gently loose rhyme and has a lovely flow. Each double page has 2 or 4 lines of rhyme and then the shanty which runs right through the book
I made up a tune and sang the shanty and I could hear my boys singing it as they went to sleep. Personally I think that even a very young child will enjoy the shanty and the rhythm and the illustrations, and children from 2 1/2+ will appreciate the story too, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's a toddler book - a 7 year old could enjoy it just as much. A really nice book that definitely appeals to a wide audience. 5/5


The Two Stubborn Pirates is published in paperback by Top That Publishing and has an RRP of £5.99 (although it is currently available for £5.39).

I'm not really enjoying my broken leg.

I wasn't enjoying it before when they told me it was a sprain and keep it moving, but it was kind of improving I felt. I think now maybe I was just getting used to the pain.

They decided my leg was broken on Friday and on Monday they put me in a Cricket Pad Splint to immobilise my knee and hope it heals. I've gone from being in pain and gritting my teeth and getting on with it, to being incapable of getting on with anything and lugging around a brace from my ankle to my thigh. It's weird for me to not be in control and on top of things, I'm not used to it. I do want my knee to heal (pretty please), so I'm prepared to wear this thing for as long as it takes, but it's really hard work on many levels.


Today I had Physiotherapy - well, I didn't because there's nothing you can do when the diagnosis and treatment change and your patient is immobilised. The Physiotherapist was lovely and unhurried and I didn't wait 3 hours beyond my appointment time, and so she was actually keen to explain to me what's going on.

I have an Avulsion Fracture of my Tibia - look away now if you're squeamish. When I landed my knee bent the way it isn't meant to and instead of snapping or tearing a ligament, the ligament stayed intact and plucked off a chunk of bone (oh joy). The good news is that it's really common and usually heals perfectly well mainly by itself, even in an old lady like me, so in less than a few weeks I should be all better (actual joy).

For my sister, who I know reads this and has seen the above photo before -  I'm not entirely deformed, I see now totally why you thought my kneecap was on the side, but it's an optical illusion because my skirt is over part of my leg.. See....


There is one great thing about this splint though..... I don't wake up every half hour in pain or with a numb and freezing cold lower leg.....I can actually sleep (more actual joy).

This week sees the launch of a brand new magazine aimed at pre-school children aged 2-5 'DC Super Friends', and we've been sent a copy to review.


The magazine retails at only £2.99, which is a good price for a magazine of this type and every issue will have a free gift. Issue 1 comes with a pair of 'cool communicators' with a two-sided 'screen' so that 2 different heroes can call you, and 2 spinning cogs and a press-in button representing the dials and buttons you get on a 2-way radio.



DC Super Heroes merchandising is usually aimed at older children, so DC Super Friends is different in my opinion because it's specifically aimed so young. The characters have a more cartoony feel as opposed to the graphic novel originals, and the magazine content supports early years development.

This magazine is clearly intended to be read together, and the instructions are more for adult readers, but the challenges, activities and language suit young children well. I think the age range is absolutely spot on.


My 2 youngest are well aware of DC Comics characters and as soon as they saw this magazine they thought it was excellent. My 3 year old went straight for the free gift and my older son, who is 5 next week, started to look through the stories and magazine content. They were both clearly impressed, and without any help could work out what was necessary with a lot of the more familiar puzzles and complete them independently. I'm also under a promise that after tea I'll help make a Batmobile....


I have absolutely no doubt that we'll definitely be buying this again. My children know if they're very good or in some way achieve something special then they can ask for a magazine as a reward, and go and browse the paper shop.This would probably be top choice whenever it's available.

Each issue costs £2.99, or you can subscribe by direct debit saving 20% on every 3 issues at £7.80, or have an annual subscription of 13 issues for £33 saving 15% (I know which I'd choose). Issue 1 goes on sale on 19th September in supermarkets and newsagents.