The weekend after next I will be attending BlogOn Conference in Manchester and I have to say I'm not particularly nervous - but knowing a lot of people, helping get the goodie bags packed and this being my 4th (?) BlogOn all helps! Zoe over at MamaGeek will be delivering a session, and she has also very kindly offered to host a 'get to know you' linky. So this is me:

1. Share a recent photo of you (or a doodle!)
Here's one my 8 year old took at Specsavers last week. A rare shot of me with my eyes open!


2. Describe yourself in five words or less
Smiley, friendly, perfectionist, tragic backstory. 

The PLAY Expo is Europe's biggest gaming exhibition, and returns to the North of England on October 8th and 9th at Event City in Trafford Park.  This is their 5th year and we'll be there to review for the first time. We've always been busy and missed it before but, after reports from friends who went in 2015, it's been in the diary for months.


It's no secret that our whole family are gamers. Our children have all grown up watching just as much LEGO Star Wars and Tomb Raider as they have TV, and PLAY Expo is a great opportunity for us to show our 6 and 8 year old boys the kind of computer games we used to play - even though they're generally not very impressed with the graphics!


There will be absolutely masses to see and do, including:

I was always a fan of Scooby Doo, so it's nice that my children have all enjoyed the TV show and movies too. The latest DVD release is a bit of a collaboration, and features some of the most colourful characters from the world of WWE, as well as some particularly monstrous Monster Trucks.


In typical Scooby Doo fashion, a trip to an off-road racing competition is made all the more exciting by the fact Scooby Doo and Shaggy have parked at the side of the track, which had my children laughing right from the start of the movie.

Googly Eyes from University Games is a board game that challenges you to draw picture clues for your team-mates within a set period of time, whilst wearing one of the 3 crazy pairs of glasses that are included. Great fun and definitely one that suits multi-generational play, our 7 year old is every bit as good at this as any of us!

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.