It's impossible to have used Social Media in the last 6 months and not have seen something about coconut oil. All over the internet people are praising it for it's health benefits and huge range of uses. I was really intrigued to find out for myself, and a review for Vitacoco Coconut Oil was my perfect opportunity.


I was sent both small and large pots of Coconut Oil, which is hard and white at room temperature, but quickly softens into a clear oil when heated. The large pot I have been using mainly in my kitchen, the small pot in the bathroom.

We recently reviewed two beautiful books from Snowflake Books, and today I'm delighted to be able to offer them as a giveaway prize for one of my readers.

Naughty Monkey and The New Year Beast are from two series of books retelling ancient Chinese tales. They are printed in both English and Simplified Chinese with beautiful illustrations. A great way to learn more about Chinese culture, and perfect for anyone wanting to introduce their child to the Chinese language.


Written by Su Yen Hu and Lihui Wang, the text is perfect for my competent 7 year old to read aloud independently, and my 5 year old understood the stories and took a lot from them, and so did I. They are fabulous legends and traditional tales, and these versions are very well done.

Magic Box Toys, the people who brought you Zomlings, have a new children's collectible available to buy now.  Star Monsters toys have fallen from the sky in triangular shooting stars. When they arrive on Earth they take a form depending on where and how they land, and what they see, so star Monsters can be any shape - chairs, dolphins, wheels, fish, traffic lights...it's really different and makes them pretty special.


Star Monsters are grouped into 4 families (Air, Plant, Earth and Water) and 4 categories because Star Monsters can evolve (Essential, Evolved, Rare and Ultra Rare). There are 72 Series 1 Star Monsters to collect in total. The starter pack (£3) includes a poster which shows the whole collection.

Chinese New Year 2016 fell on February 8th, and Snowflake Books marked the event with a series of children's books retelling amazing Chinese fairy tales and legends, festivals, traditions and wisdoms.


Written by Su Yen Hu and Lihui Wang, the books are in both Simplified Chinese and English with gorgeous illustrations. They are not only a great tool for beginners learning to speak a different language, but a fabulous way for anyone to learn something about Chinese culture, and to see that however far apart in distance and language, the East and West share the same human values.

The way the Chinese characters are clearly shown with the Pinyin* below the English text makes it incredibly easy to see the translation and the use of colour to highlight key words and phrases is brilliant.

Our latest review for Interplay is from their Technokit range. The Powered Hovercraft kit makes a working battery-powered model just under 30cm (1ft) long. It's aimed at children aged 8+, so my 7 year old has the assistance of his big brother for this review...


The kit is housed in a sturdy box, and contains everything you are going to need except a pair of scissors to cut the skirt and foam to length, and a screwdriver to open the battery housing - plus 4 x AAA batteries.

The Little Penguin: Pororo's Racing Adventure is one of the latest children's animated titles from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The star is the little penguin Pororo, who has a dream to be a Super Sled champion, and gets his chance to shine when he participates in the ultimate Super Sled race with his friends.


Pororo accidentally causes an aeroplane to make an emergency landing near his home in Porong Village. The plane is piloted by 2 turtles, Toto and Mango, who are on their way to make a delivery to the Super Sled Championships. Pororo has told everyone he's a Sled-Champion, which isn't strictly true, he's a delivery boy.

Some children's books are a joy, and Secrets Of Winter is one of them. This is a book with a secret, in fact every other page holds a secret, and it's only when you 'shine a light' behind the page that you can find it's hidden treasure...


Written and illustrated by Carron Brown and Georgina Tee, Secrets Of Winter is one of a series of 'Shine-A-Light' books. We were reading at bedtime, so we used a torch to 'see' the pictures as we read.

Last weekend we were treated to an exclusive early morning visit to Sealife at the Trafford Centre in Manchester to have a look at their new visitors, the Octopi! Annoyingly they like to lie in and are more active later in the day, so weren't really in the mood for photos. Sealife are well aware of how temperamental they can be, and the Octopus area is somewhat wittily called Octopus Hideout.


We've been to Sealife several times as we've been Ambassadors for the last year and had an annual pass. It's always really handy to promise the young lads a trip to Sealife 'just after we've done this shopping...' Incentive always helps little legs from getting too tired. It's also calming after a visit to the more hectic LEGOLAND Discovery Centre next door.

And last Friday would have been her 18th birthday.

Milestones are hard because you are reminded so much of the 'should have been'. All the hopes and dreams and the loss of that potential. 18 is such a big birthday and one you imagine for such a long time, it was an event we had discussed and something Elspeth had always yearned to reach.

My partner didn't know I'd make a cake, and he also bought one, so forever more February 12th will be 'double cake day' and we will celebrate Elspeth's birthday in a way she would very much have appreciated. And we will smile.

Hotel Transylvania 2 is out on Digital HD, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray & DVD now. It continues the story of Jonathan and Mavis and their son Dennis, who live in Hotel Transylvania with her father Dracula and a host of other horrific creatures, safe from the more tender human population.