Back in the olden days, when no-one in our house had exams, and schools were allowed to appreciate the value of time away with your family, I took my older children to festivals each year. My younger boys haven't been quite so lucky, but they're not novices. As well as the music, the performances and the sheer spectacle, it also introduced your children to a wide variety of foods which they may not be so keen or likely to experience at home.


It was at Glastonbury where I discovered that frozen yogurt or ice cream is the best way to get liquid and sugar into a 4 year old who is hot and over tired - plus they'll sleep when their tummy is full of milky goodness (long overdue thank you for that Yeo Valley). It may also have been at Glastonbury I discovered this trick also works someone who is incredibly hung over....


Festival food has changed so much over the past 30 years that it has become unrecognisable from the greasy soggy chips I was eternally grateful for at Glastonbury in the 90's. Vegetarians have choice, and meat-eaters are not left torn between the eternal Hot Dog or Burger? Widespread use of  diesel generators and portable fridges and freezers has turned it around completely. Never again is there any excuse to accept a slightly mouldy sandwich, however many lemonades I drink beforehand...

Beets BLU are well known for their innovative gadgets which make use of Bluetooth connections to connect to your phone or tablet. We've previously reviewed a keyfob which alerts you to where you have left your keys, and we've now been sent their Digital Bathroom Scale with Body Composition to review.


Well packaged and with clear, simple instructions, it really is a complete doddle to set up. The quick-start basically involves downloading the app to your device, putting the batteries (included) into the scale, and stepping on.

Asterix: The Mansions Of The Gods will be coming to a cinema near you in 2D and 3D from 19th August, and we've been lucky enough to have a sneak preview screening. A computer animated adventure movie with a voice cast that includes an amazing array of popular UK comedians from different genres, it promised big things and hasn't disappointed.


My partner and I grew up reading Asterix books, but in recent years they haven't seemed so popular, and my young boys didn't know the stories at all. They do now! The cast really bring all of the characters to life and this is one of the funniest films we've watched this year.

The deadpan Jim Broadbent as Julius Caesar and Greg Davis and The Centurion work really well against Jack Whitehall as Asterix and Nick Frost as Obelix. There is slapstick humour throughout, and this is an innocent movie, no-one dies or suffers horrific injuries, they're more likely to be attacked by a fish for singing too loud.

The Folio Society have been producing gorgeous editions of timeless classic literature for almost 70 years. We were given the opportunity to review, and I chose a relatively modern book which has been read and enjoyed by almost our whole family, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams.


As soon as your book arrives, you know this is something special. The quality is often shown in the detail, and the packaging really delighted me, I love this box!

Drumond Park are releasing some new games this Autumn, and we've been sent an advance copy of one of them, Stoopido, to review. Released on 29th August, Stoopido is a family game for 2-4 players aged 8+, and quite rightly describes itself as 'the game of 1000 silly faces'.


When you open the box you have an entire dressing up box full of mask parts and it does take a little putting together, so allow 10 minutes before you start.

Gobbit is a family card game which takes the mechanism of 'Snap' and moves it on in increasingly complicated steps. Suitable for 2-8 Players aged 6+, it's ridiculously simple and familiar, and quite addictive. Gameplay can be quick and a full game can be over in 15 minutes.


Unusually the packaging really is just that, and when you open the box you first find a Gobbit player certificate and a rubber wristband - you are allowed to challenge anyone wearing a wristband to a game of Gobbit. I'm not sure how often that would happen ordinarily, but there are tournaments being held in stores across the UK which you are allowed to enter...

Water is one of life's essentials, but it's also pretty amazing and has some unique properties. This book might not touch on all of those, but it's a great introduction to something we all take for granted. Suitable for young independent readers, but best for reading together, Water - My First Discoveries by Pierre-Marie Valat is not only full of information, it has a really interesting format...


The My First Discoveries books are a hardback spiral bound series, with around 24 stiff card pages and 6 transparent acetates. Designed for children aged around 4-8, Water is a more intelligent and 'grown up' board book.

We've just reviewed Chrono Bomb, and we love it, so I'm delighted to have a copy to give away to one of my readers. Suitable for children aged around 6+, this is Ninja Spy training in the comfort of your own home...


Set the timer and get to the end of the course and deactivate the bomb before it explodes! You can make the game even more tricky by adding in cards that the players need to collect as they work through the course...

One of the latest games we've been sent to review is very different from anything we've played before. Chrono Bomb is possibly the most active game my children have ever played, requiring you to weave your way through a course of lasers to get to the bomb and defuse it before it explodes. It's pretty brilliant.


My boys love the Ninja Training Camp at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, and now they can play it at home. Chrono Bomb box contains 7 very fancy clips for you to build your course, including the start and end special clips.

Three of the latest releases from Carlton Kids books are additions to the Creativity On The Go series. Three books (Holiday, Horses And Ponies and Art) full of projects and activities, puzzles, stickers and games to keep your child entertained for hours. We've been sent Creativity On The Go: Art by Ruth Thomson to review.


This is a really informative book. My 7 year old is fact mad, but also really enjoys drawing and colouring, so it turns out this is perfect for him and he's spent hours on it.  He's fascinated by the history of art and artists, and we've all learned about Van Gogh, Munch and a raft of other painters from all over the world in different time periods.