Today when I woke up Elspeth was still dead. She has been dead every single day for the last 24 months, 3 weeks and 4 days. But sometimes, just for a moment, I forget.

And then I remember...

And it's not just me. I see it when her Dad, or her brothers and sister forget. And I see it when they realise. I see that flash across their eyes as they remember she died.


Elspeth felt she was alone, weird, different. She felt no-one would miss her, it would make life easier if she went. She thought we'd all just carry on regardless, as if a car backfired outside, or the living room lights simply flickered.

She wasn't alone, she was surrounded by people who cared, but she hid that she needed help, and none of us were able to spot it. We weren't given the opportunity to help.

The Netflix TV show Project MC2  has a great range of accompanying toys designed especially to interest girls who might otherwise not consider Science and other S.T.E.M. subjects to be fun or interesting. This Autumn there are several new sets, and I have one to give away to one of my readers...

The first sets for Christmas 2016 are the Core Dolls - McKeyla, Adrienne, Bryden, Camryn and two new recruits, Devon and Ember (rrp £14.99). Fully articulated and with lifelike features based on the show’s real characters, and dressed to reflect their personality and individual style.

Project MC2 is a Netflix TV Show and a range of toys that are designed especially to interest girls who might otherwise not consider Science to be fun or interesting. This Autumn they've added a bunch of new sets to their range, and we've been sent the biggest of them to review, the Project MC2 Ultimate Lab Kit.


Obviously I'm a bit short on young girls here, so my 6 and 8 year old boys have stepped up to review, and they were instantly very keen to find out exactly what was in the huge bright red/pink case.


The answer is LOADS!! This is a really big kit and it has over 30 pieces - an activity booklet and plenty of equipment to do your experiments including slides, microscope, test tubes and rack, petri dish, flasks, funnel, pipette, jar, pH strips, stickers, safety goggles.

Kidecals labels might initially cost a bit more than writing a name on in pen, but they are washable, waterproof, dishwashable, tumble drier and microwave safe, personalised labels that will stick to clothing, lunchboxes, PE Kits, bags and shoes, and practically anything else you can think of.


So lets test those claims...

This Autumn and Winter Feld Entertainment, Inc. is bringing 'Disney On Ice presents Frozen' to the UK. The Oscar-winning no.1 animated movie of all time will be brought to life on the ice in a brand new production for 2016, and the tour starts on October 13th to 16th at Manchester Arena.


“In our more than 30 years of producing Disney On Ice shows, Feld Entertainment has been waiting for a film like this,” says producer Nicole Feld....and I think she might be right.

We've been playing Skylanders Battlecast for a little while now. We were properly introduced to it when we were invited down to London as guests of Skylanders to preview the new Imaginators console game which will be out on October 26th.

Battlecast is quite different from other Skylanders games in that it is a free app. game, with supporting booster cards, but gameplay is still very familiar to any Skylanders fans.


Skylanders Battlecast sees you controlling an individual or group of Skylanders, and taking on Kaos and his cohort in turn-based battles. You have strength to attack physically, and cards to attack, defend and change gameplay.

I am truly spoilt to be bringing you another book review for The Folio Society, The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Gorgeous keepsake editions of classic books, beautifully bound, with illustration and finishing that is second to none.


The Silmarillion is a book that surprisingly I hadn't read before. J.R.R. Tolkien added to it throughout his writing life, and it tells the tales of what happened before The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit took place, bringing together loose ends and setting the history, myths and legends of Middle Earth.

Last Saturday was Manchester Pride, not something we'd realised when we booked to review Thaikhun Kids Menu in Manchester Spinningfields. The sun was shining on everyone, and it was lovely to catch a bit of the atmosphere before we went to eat, taking one of our teenagers with us too.


You are drawn into the atmosphere immediately, a Tuk-Tuk greeted us before we even went in. Inside the decor is specially chosen to match the Thai Street Food that is being served. It works very well, and in spite of the lack of Thai humidity, and the Pride revellers coming in, I really felt a complete distance from the outside world.

We are really looking forward to the Digital Kids Show on 29th and 30th October at Event City in Manchester. The Trafford Park venue will see a huge array of activities for today's digital children of all ages, including tons of games, coding, tournaments, internet safety information, fairground rides, retro gaming, educational apps and toys and a host of special guest celebrities.

The show will be opened by children's TV favourites Dick And Dom, PacMan himself will be wandering around, and the Gaming And Retro Tech Zone will play host to the cream of the UK's Minecraft YouTube talent, including AmyLee33, LDShadowLady, Ashdubh, Tomohawk, SalemsLady, NettyPlays, SmallishBeans, EthanGamerTV and GeorgeMinecartMayhem. All there to meet, play and answer your Minecraft and YouTube questions. You will also be able to see them over in the Media Zone, where you can look behind the scenes of virtual world celebrity.

As schools everywhere ban chocolate from lunchboxes, you might be wondering what you'll put in your child's lunchbox, and will the kids actually eat it? We've been sent loads of different 'healthier' snacks over the last year or so, here are 15 of those we've tried, and what my 6 and (almost) 8 year old children thought of them...


The nutritional information I give is based on the product websites or packaging and is correct to the best of my knowledge. Some links are to older reviews and information given back then may have changed. Prices given on this page are correct at the time of typing on the product website, major supermarkets or Amazon.