A couple of weeks ago we were sent the LEGO Avengers Quinjet City Chase set 76032 to review. My little boys love the LEGO Avengers, and so this was a very popular delivery! Recommended for age 8-14, the set has 722 pieces and is a slightly more difficult build, with a complex Quinjet that is pretty darn awesome...

Kids Cook French, or 'Les Enfants Cuisinent A La Francaise', is the latest release we've been sent from Quarry Books. Written by Claudine Pepin and illustrated by her father Jacques Pepin (himself a TV personality and world-famous chef), this 96 page book contains 30 French inspired recipes which you can cook together with your children.


Although this book was originally released in the US, unlike some others we've reviewed, the recipes don't contain a list of unusual ingredients, and it is very UK friendly. Measurements are mainly in both metric and imperial units. Each page is repeated in both English and French, making this an excellent tool for learning without even realising....

SpruKits model kits are pretty awesome, we love them, and I think you can tell from the reviews just how much they've taken over our house this last week or so. Poseable Figural Model kits which need no tools, no cutting, no glue or paint, and give fabulous results that look great and are brilliant to play around with.

Ozeri make gorgeous homewares that are also functional, and the WeightMaster II 200 kg Digital Bathroom Scale with BMI and Weight Change Detection is a perfect example. A gorgeous item to look at, which is compact, light and fits nicely into a corner of any room, it is also so much more than your standard bathroom scale.


Packaged well, and in a box which has all the information you need to get started, the scales also arrive with a large instruction pamphlet - this makes them seem very complicated, but actually it was straightforward and almost instant to set them up.

Yesterday I covered most of the fantastic selection of Sprukits Bandai have sent us to review, but I felt the Level 3 Halo Master Chief model deserved a post to itself, because the design and ingenuity of the figure is outstanding. The model is fun to build, beautiful to look at, excellently balanced and weighted and the articulation is amazing.

SpruKits from Bandai are brand new to the UK. Poseable figural model kits featuring characters from DC Comics, Pokemon, LBX and Halo, SpruKits are available in 3 sizes with 3 levels of difficulty - enough to keep anyone from age 8 to adult entertained. And they really have, I'm smitten.

It's Summer! Get your bikini out!! Well, okay, it's blowing a gale and raining and less than 10 degrees in the sun. The UK is a bit hit and miss regarding the weather, but we still get a few days sunshine, and late Spring is the time we start to think about the Summer holidays and pull out the swimsuits, and then realise it's not the 80's any more, or worse - discover those 20lbs you lost/gained since last Autumn mean your old suit isn't quite as flattering as it used to be...

Two years ago when I went to Blog On I was an absolute state. My partner was at home in early recovery from Meningitis. He still couldn't regulate his own temperature, he was in agony, on many different tablets and slept for about 21 hours a day. I left him and my small boys at home under the care of our 5 teenagers and panicked all day. Last year I got to relax and enjoy the event. This year it was my first big blogging event since Elspeth died, the first time I'd see lots of people who I count as friends, and I have a hernia that makes it look like I'm smuggling a saucepan. It's fair to say I was a bit scared. I nearly survived the whole day, very nearly.

Laura (TiredMummyOfTwo) had very kindly offered me use of a quiet room if I needed a break, Sim (Simslife) had got a last minute ticket, and we were picking up Jen (MyMummy'sPennies) en route. My hernia operation had just been cancelled, so I had that to fret about instead thankfully - as well as the fact that my partner was at home not only with our 2 little ones, but also with Sim's daughter. 

It's less than 3 weeks until the Geronimo Children's Festival at Tatton Park in Cheshire, and tickets are still on sale for the 3 different days - Saturday May 23, Sunday May 24 and Monday May 25. At only £75 for a family ticket admitting 4 people, it's a great price for a full day's entertainment.


Geronimo is especially for children up to 12, and since my last update when I announced we were going to be ambassadors, lots of new announcements have been made.

It's now May, and for us in the UK the end of April annoyingly doesn't signify the end of the rainy season, raincoats are an all-year-round essential. Trespass are one of the better known brands in the UK, we've bought from them before, and even have a Trespass child's raincoat that has been handed down and worn by 3 of our children in turn.

Trespass offered me a product for review, and as my old raincoat was 10 years old I think it's my turn, so I chose the Kangchen - Ladies Trestex Jacket in Signal Red.