One of the biggest changes you face as a parent is the loss of sleep, and as a parent of children aged from 5 to 22 I've had a lot of broken nights, and I still can't claim to have ever found the secret of a great night's sleep.

Bed Guru are trying to find the best sleep tips for parents in their #Bedtimeguru campaign and have asked me to share my best tips. These are what worked for me...

I'm not a person who can leave a baby to cry, I'd rather cart them around with me and plot them on the floor or wherever nearby to whatever I'm attempting to do, with the end result that my children would sleep anywhere. This is a really handy thing.

The latest Littlest Pet Shop release from Hasbro on March 7th this year is Sweetest Pets, featuring over 2 hours of episodes from the universally suitable children's TV show. Available on DVD and Digital Download.

We've watched a lot of Littlest Pet Shop over the past couple of years, and it's still one of the more gentle animated children's TV shows that my boys enjoy. Featuring Blythe Baxter, a young lady who lives with her Dad above the Littlest Pet Shop, and spends most of the time she isn't at school or sleeping playing and having adventures with the animals.

This Spring Egmont have released a series of new Star Wars books for children. We really enjoyed the Early Readers they sent us to review last year - but these are even better. We have 3 story books for competent young readers, a colouring book, and our favourite - 'Where's Wookiee?'!


Star Wars has long been a favourite here, it really is a timeless classic that spans generations. It is one of the rare films you can put on and everyone will watch together. We all got into the spirit and with light sabres from wrapping paper tubes and gaffer(duct) tape, in a flash (and a dressing gown or two) Jedi and Empire were battling in my hallway!

Kaya Jewellery sell 'Meaningful Jewellery For Baby, Child And Mum'. A company founded by Dutch Mum Tanja, Kaya specialises in personalised jewellery gifts, including gifts for mothers and daughters, and everything is handmade in the UK.  I really couldn't have said no when they asked me if I wanted to choose something from their website to review for Mother's Day.


The website is incredibly easy to navigate, products are split into really useful, clear categories, and often the same items appear on several pages, which better is much than having to search for something you spotted a while ago and can't find again.

We're long time fans of Interplay crafts, science and nature kits, and one of our favourite ranges is Rivetz. Models made from thick glossy paper fastened together using plastic rivets. They're a bit trickier than your regular papercraft kit, so are mainly suitable for children aged around 8+.
You may have previously spotted our Rivetz Hornet - which lived on our wall for a few months last year and appeared in the background for many of my photos. It's a definite talking point, and a really impressive model.

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.