When he was 18 months old my eldest child choked on a piece of orange. It took a couple of minutes to realise he really was choking, a minute to explain myself to the 999 operator on the phone and 3 more minutes for the Paramedic to get to my house. Thankfully it only took 4 minutes to stop him choking, so he was breathing again when the hero burst in through the door.

They were the longest 4 minutes of my life and 20 years later I remember each second.


I didn't panic. I knew what I should be doing, I had done a Paediatric First Aid Course run my my local St. John Ambulance. It gave me the confidence to know I was right and to carry on. I recognised the danger signs immediately, and when my son went completely quiet I knew it really was time to act fast.

This October sees the UK launch by Hallmark of Itty Bitty's. I'm not usually a soft toy lover, but I'll make an exception for these because frankly they're ace. Little plush comic book, TV and movie stars with beans in their base so that they stand up without help. Retailing at £6 each, they'll be an incredibly popular stocking-filler this Christmas...

If you have an artist in your house like we do, then you may have considered a light table before, but until we received the Transotype LED A4 Dimmable Drawing Light Table for review I actually had no idea how much fun they can be without lifting a pencil.

Rattle Me Bones is one of this Summer's new Drumond Park games, and it's quickly become a favourite in our house - particularly with the younger 2 boys. It has a nostalgic feel and is nicely made with a pirate treasure theme - who wouldn't love trying to steal an old pirate's treasure!


The game is suitable for 2-4 players aged 5 and up, and the rules are simple. Spin the spinner to see which colour treasure you are allowed to attempt to steal.

Yesterday was #forcefriday and we were sent a mystery package from LEGO. Much to the delight ofmy 6 year old it contained 2 of the brand new Star Wars buildable figures sets to have a play with - 75112 General Grievous and 75111 Darth Vader.


General Grievous has 186 pieces and is recommended for age 9+. It's a tricky build. Much harder than the Darth Vader buildable figure, and my 7 year old couldn't quite do this one on his own.

Today is the infamous #forcefriday and we were given the opportunity to take part by LEGO, who have sent us 2 of the brand new Star Wars buildable figures sets to have a play with - 75112 General Grievous and 75111 Darth Vader.

 

Darth Vader has 160 pieces and is recommended for age 9+. Inside the box are the instruction leaflet, 3 bags of bricks and a fabric cloak.

We are lucky in that we have a big garden. Most of the wildlife are very welcome - we have a hedgehog and an owl (who poos consistantly over my van wherever I park it), we've lots of birds and butterflies and occasionally we have a squirrel or two. Unfortunately we also have a huge amount of slugs.

I love growing edible plants and I think it teaches valuable lessons to children. Growing your own food teaches about the life cycle, and the amount of effort required to make food. It encourages your children to try new tastes, and have pride in their own achievements.

With only potatoes and onions surviving outside, plus wild berries and herbs, we are bored of disappointment and do the most we can to help our plants survive, including starting them off inside and growing them inside on a windowsill.

Smart Eggs are a great new puzzle which is as beautiful to look at as it is to attempt. Each egg is designed very differently and offers a unique 3D labyrinth puzzle experience. The much larger 2-layer Smart Eggs are considerably more challenging than the single layer, but all are a tactile puzzle that fidgets and whittlers will adore.


We recently reviewed the single-layer Smart Eggs and now we've been sent a 2-layer Smart Egg to try. There really is a world of difference between them, and the (recommended age 10+) 2-layer puzzles make the single layer eggs look like a training model.

That first day at school. I've been there a good few times now, and you would think it would all be old hat. After 17 years of taking my little one to school that first day in September, you'd think I'd be able to saunter in there and casually drop off my child with a flippant wave and a quick 'hiya' to the teacher.


Errrrrr.....no. Actually I'm way too soft for that. Nope, I'll be the one who won't look you in the eye and is desperately hopeful no-one tries to sympathise with me. I'll be the who sheds a little tear on the way home (I've always managed to hold it in until they're in the door at least) and frankly I won't even be able to adequately explain why.

Vamousse are relatively new to the UK market, launching last Summer 2014. They aren't only about treating headlice once you have an infestation, they're also trying to prevent your child having to suffer in the first place.


I know a thing or two about head lice. I've previously written a very comprehensive post which pretty much covers everything you need to know about headlice, including photos and a video showing a headlouse walking. Raising 7 children has made me somewhat of an unreluctant expert,and I'm always more than happy to try any new product as long as it doesn't contain chemicals we know to be harmful to humans.