11-20 March is British Science Week and I took very little persuasion to join in with my 2 youngest children. I love watching children learn and explore their world, and simple science experiments at home are a brilliant way to have some real fun with your children.


We were given the opportunity to test another of the great Project MC2 dolls. We have previously reviewed the McKeyla doll with her Lava Lamp experiment, and now we've been sent the Adrienne Attoms doll with Volcano Experiment - one of my all-time favourite kitchen science experiments.

Everything you need is included except items you can find around the home - in this case a plate, vinegar, baking soda (baking powder), red food colouring and 2 drops of washing up liquid.

Geronimo is back! And this year it’s going to be bigger and better. Seeing a return to Tatton Park in 2016 from May 29th – 30th and a new venue at Harewood House from May 1st – 2nd, expect a line-up jam packed with some of the biggest names in children’s entertainment, including TV favourites Justin Fletcher*, Mr Bloom, Andy Day, Alex Winters and Cook & Line from Swashbuckle.

This Easter there's a brand way to entertain your children for almost 3 hours thanks to the latest Equestria Girls release from Hasbro. A double movie box set, it features both Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games in one money saving bundle and will be available to buy from Monday 21st March.
We've previously reviewed both movies, and my young boys enjoyed them. Equestria Girls is a little more 'grown up' than My Little Pony, with slightly more intricate storylines to interest children of school age.

I am delighted to announce that this year we really should be going to the Geronimo Festival as Festival Ambassadors! Yeeay! Set at 2 locations in the North of the country - Tatton Park in Cheshire (May 29/30) and Harewood House near Leeds (May 1/2), Geronimo is a no-camping day festival designed especially for children aged from 2-12. We will be bringing you all of the action from the Harewood House festival.

It's 19 months since we lost Elspeth, and this month we've had loads of smiles. We've been out and about and been pretty busy, and we've taken 3 vanloads of rubbish to the tip. I think that is enough proof in itself that we are getting somewhere, a normality is returning. We're doing regular stuff like regular people.

This month also saw my partner and I finish counselling, which is a pretty scary step, but one we all felt we were ready for. We're stronger now, we have learnt it's okay to be truly honest with each other, take time for our own mental health, and that time spent just 'being' is as important as time spent being busy.

When we lost Elspeth and everyone said "life will never be the same", I thought I understood. I didn't. My old life, all of our old lives, stopped right there. The way you think changes, they way you feel about other people changes. The importance you place on every item in your life is restructured, and what you say and do changes. Everything is different. Grief is far more about acceptance and adjustment than you can ever appreciate before you live with it. Losing someone to suicide is far more about constantly managing your feelings of guilt and impotence than you can ever appreciate.

It takes a lot of time to cover everything in your head until you feel you have reached your conclusions, your closure. You will never achieve any win, only a stalemate, when every possible move is played out.

I thought it was about time to remind you that I'm a NOW TV blogger, and have a look at what sort of things you could be watching with NOW TV. There are no contracts, subscriptions or minimum memberships, for Entertainment or Movie channels you pay for 1 month at a time, whenever you actually want it. Sports fans can pay for a month, a week, or even a single day.
 


NOW TV is really easy to use, and navigating around the site is intuitive enough that an absolute novice (or a 5 year old) can find what they're after.


Spring may be coming, but so is Winter over at NOW TV. Game Of Thrones season 6 starts on 25th April and so now is the time (for anyone who wants to join in) to watch all 5 previous seasons on Box Set. Included in your Entertainment Pass for £6.99 per month.

Last weekend we were treated to early morning access to the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester for the launch of The LEGO Movie 4D: A New Adventure. The film is an exclusive 12 minute movie which can only be seen on screens in official LEGOLAND attractions.


It's been a heck of a while since we went to a preview of a new 4D LEGO short film, in fact it was March 2013 to see the LEGO Chima 4D Movie. We loved The LEGO Movie, so we were looking forward to seeing Emmet and Wyldstyle again! I hadn't realised just how much until went inside and they were there - apparently it made my partner's day...

Star Wars Armada is a 2-player tabletop miniatures game. Using dice, cards and beautifully designed miniature models you take charge of your own fleet and attempt to destroy the opposition. Each different craft has it's own fire power, range and manoeuvrability, which can also be affected by random events, obstacles and the other player's craft.


This is a much more grown up type of game than we usually review, and unlike my usual game reviews, I won't be explaining gameplay in any detail. The rule manual is 18 pages, with an additional booklet to refer to during play. I simply can't explain in one blog post, but hopefully you'll get the gist.


As daunting as the rule booklet may at first appear, gameplay is actually pretty intuitive, and the main reason for the large rule book is because it's tricky to explain in shorter form, and there can't be room for misinterpretation. The more you play, the more the moves are familiar and second-nature, and you in turn become able to focus on strategy.

March 25th sees the UK release of the brand new animated Disney movie Zootropolis (also called Zootopia in some countries). From the people behind Frozen and Big Hero 6, Zootropolis has been a massive hit with the critics and is set to be huge!

Zootropolis is set in a land where animated animals reign. One of the main characters is a rabbit named Judy, who also happens to be a Police Officer...


Tomy have a great range of toys to accompany Zootropolis, including Judy's Carrot Recorder and Badge, Judy's Deluxe Police Vehicle and a very cuddly Officer Judy Hopps. They've sent us a set to review, and we have another set to give away to one of my readers...

We’ve teamed up TOMY toys to offer 1 lucky child the chance to win a Zootropolis toy bundle, designed to let kids recreate specific scenes and events from the film, truly bringing it to life.