The latest family movie from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is Fishtales. Released on Monday 11th July on Digital Download and from Monday 18th July on DVD. Main characters Ollie, Cleo and Puffer are animated against a backdrop of real underwater footage, and it's actually a lot better than that makes it sound. Think David Attenborough meets Bedknobs And Broomsticks and you get the idea.


When their best friend Ollie the octopus is chased by sharks, Cleo the angler fish and Puffer the pufferfish enlist the help of the fun-loving, worldly manta ray, Crash. Crash and Cleo especially know a lot about the undersea world, and explain everything they see as they go a journey of discovery and wonder exploring coral reefs, the open ocean and freshwater lakes in order to find their lost friend. The group encounter and learn about many fascinating creatures including jellyfish, moray eels and sea turtles.

Rory's Story Cubes are a genius invention that helps expand a child's vocabulary, imagination and understanding of the world through storytelling. Nine small plastic cubes with a different picture prompt on each side, giving you a million possible combinations and infinite adventures. We've been sent the brand new Batman edition cubes to play with.


My boys haven't seen Rory's Story Cubes before, but they both adore stories and storytelling, so I knew they'd be a hit. They are both also very keen on Batman - double hit. Suitable especially for age 6+, inside the box we have the 9 story cubes, rules of play and a carrying case.

A little while ago we reviewed the new vegetarian range from Heck, and as they're so well-known for their flavoursome meaty sausages and we have 3 meat-eaters here, it would have been remiss not to take a look at those too.



Heck Zesty Chicken Chipolata Sausages (10 sausages/340g for £3).

There's no better time spent at home with our teenagers than a family games night, and Cash 'n Guns from Ludovic Maublanc makes it a games night where you point rubber guns at each other and try to steal as much as possible from the other players. It's great...




Each player takes on the role of a gangster, and the scene which unfolds is what happens next after a huge heist. The loot needs to be divided up, but everybody wants it, and everyone is carrying a gun!

Oxo have recently added more products to their Good Grips Kitchenware range, including some great Squeeze And Pour Measuring Cups. They have sent me a selection to review, and it seemed a great excuse for a cake. My youngest wanted to help, so I let him take over...


The first item we used is the 2.8l Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (£13). Lightweight, yet a good size with a really impressive rubber base, it holds position really well while you are whisking and stirring. A lovely shaped bowl and your mix comes out easily

When you go away on holiday there are always certain home comforts that you do miss, however much fun you are having. A survey by the bedding company Silentnight found that 'Family' didn't come top, instead 6 out of 10 of the British public miss their own bed more.


The survey, carried out by One Poll, asked what made a dream holiday for UK consumers. Peace and home comforts are top of the list, with 52% of British holidaymakers wanting rest and relaxation above everything else. I know when I go away, it's far easier to come home shattered than rested. You need a week off work to get over it.

Liquiproof is a protector and waterproofer for fabrics that is inert and harmless. Odour-free with zero toxicity, it carries no allergic warnings and is the world's only permanent, invisible, water-based, eco-friendly, non-flammable and 100% breathable spray suitable for footwear.

The proofing will not only waterproof and oil-proof your fabrics, it'll also help prevent anything staining them - it should wipe straight off. Liquiproof secured funding from Touker Suleyman on Dragon's Den, and it's pretty easy to see why.


Liquiproof Protector for Fabric, Suede, Nubuck and Sheepskin claims to provide a truly waterproof finish to pretty much any fabric, (except leather, which has it's own product - Liquiproof Leather Protector) without affecting flexibility.

Just imagine waterproofing the bottom of the legs on your jeans, protecting the front of your favourite white t-shirt from dinner spillage stains, or having the only waterproof comfy snuggly blanket at the festival.

The popular interiors blogger Zoe Brewer has joined forces with Dr. Beckmann to bring you a 2 minute masterclass in removing carpet stains. Keeping all of your carpets clean and smell-free can be a real challenge, especially if (like me) you have pets around the house, but Dr. Beckmann’s Carpet Stain Remover is the perfect solution.

Dr. Beckmann’s Carpet Stain Remover has an rrp. of only £3.59, and for two years in a row has been awarded two of Which? Magazine’s coveted awards - ‘Best Buy’ and ‘Best Value’.

Yesterday we had an awesome day out at the Bricktastic LEGO show at Manchester Central. 5 of us went - I took my partner and 3 of our boys aged 6, 7 and 18. I can honestly say we all had an excellent time, we spent over 4 hours in the show, and could easily have stayed longer.


I make no apologies, this post is photo heavy, you don't need me to say much, the pictures speak mainly for themselves. Click on any photo to enlarge. Sorry I didn't catch all of the builder's names at the time - and that I couldn't include the other 50 or so photo's that made it past the first cut!

We went straight on over to the back wall, where we were greeted by aliens, and the robot turtles of Peter Reid, and space...

There's nothing better in Summer than eating outdoors. Sadly living in Manchester the rain does it's very best to prevent us, but we waited for a drizzle break amid the downpours, and managed a barbeque the other evening - on our back porch. Well, we'd promised the kids...


Paladone distribute all kinds of quirky and fun gadgets, gifts and household products, and they have sent us their 12inch Grill Sergeant Portable Barbeque to review. I thought he'd just have a fancy paintjob, but it turns out he's a well-designed barbeque that works really effectively.


Your Grill Sergeant arrives in a box and you have to assemble it yourself. You only need a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, and about 10 minutes. 25 minutes if you have a 6 year old assistant.