A while ago we were introduced to a brand new series of dinosaur books "What's So Special About...Dinosaurs?" written by Nicky Dee. The books are advised by the award-winning Palaeontologist Dean R Lomax and present interesting dinosaur facts in a really visual way. We've been sent two of their latest releases - What's So Special about Megalosaurus? and What's So Special About Diplodocus? for review.


What's So Special About Megalosaurus? is a great introduction to one of the largest middle Jurrassic period dinosaurs. The first dinosaur to be named, he was initially discovered right here in the UK, in Oxfordshire.


All of the dinosaur images are really detailed and bright, real 3D models are made to create a big double page image in the centre of each book. Throughout the dinosaur pictures stand out incredibly well against the muted backgrounds and text. It brings the dinosaurs to life, and gives them personality.

I love Wagamama's and so do my children, and I've always appreciated the range of vegetarian options they serve. I was invited to have a taste of the new Autumn menu, and with advice from our waitress chose three of the new vegetarian courses to try...


We were first! So we got to choose where to sit, and I love the balcony area in the Manchester Trafford Centre restaurant. You can actually watch the chefs preparing your food for you...

The AirHogs Switchblade is very different to most of the remote control vehicles we've had here in the past. An indoor ground and air race helicopter, it's incredibly small for starters, a mere 16cm x 11cm without the spoilers and weighing under 30grams. It doesn't half have a lot of power though.


Inside the box you have the vehicle and the controller - it takes 2 minutes to open and packaging is really minimal. Perfect for Christmas morning...don't forget the batteries though - the controller takes 4 x AA batteries.

Excuse the colour differences between photos - natural light and household bulbs really affect the red that my camera captures...

For years I've used Patak's sauces as a cheaty and totally reliable method of making curries whenever I'm short on time. They have now released their own range of complete frozen curry meals, and we were sent a sample to try...


We made a night of it, and had a bit of a Halloween party, inviting along Sim and Liv from Simslife Blog, as well as a couple of our young people's friends who were hanging around the place looking hungry.


It'll come as no surprise to the parents among us, but the Chicken Korma and Chicken Tikka Masala were the definite favourites among the children. Plenty of flavour, and not too spicy. The Korma isn't overpowered by the coconut either, it has a nice full taste and smell - according to the meat-eaters.

We've been sent the Meccano 25 4X4 Off-Road Truck to review. Recommended for age 9+, we've all had a look and a play with this set, and although my 8 year old started the build, it was mainly put together (with relish) by his very much grown up Dad.


Meccano 25 Maker System sets are definitely not starter sets. Recommended fior age 9+, they are really best for children who have some experience of building models (such as Meccano) using tools, and can use their learned skills as well as their brains to put the models together.


Inside the box we have all 443 metal and plastic pieces, and rubber tyres. There's actually quite a lot of plastic involved, but it's not a bad thing as it's really strong and allows for some shaping and fine cog work that would be very expensive to reproduce in metal, and would raise the cost of the set quite considerably.

Released earlier this week by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, just in time for Halloween, is the monster-filled movie for children of school age, Howard Lovecraft And The Frozen Kingdom. Based on the 2009 graphic novel of the same name, and inspired by the writing of the American author H. P. Lovecraft, this is a teeny bit creepy and there is a maybe a little peril...


The movie has a great voice cast including Ron Perlman and Christopher Plummer, and Doug Bradley - who the adults watching may recognise as the far more grown up Pinhead from Hellraiser!

In the story Howard visits his sick father in hospital, and his Dad tells Howard to destroy a book that "I should never have written". When he gets home Howard finds the book, and can't help but read, accidentally opening a portal to another world, the Frozen Kingdom. There are all kinds of mysterious creatures there, including a creature who looks like a cross between a bat and an octopus - Spot.

A Halloween party at the beginning of October might seem a bit strange, but heck it was fun! We were given a budget by Poundworld to buy all the necessary equipment and some food and drink to keep our guests happy....well, happy in a Halloween way....


The fun started way before the party - which child wouldn't want to be able to choose a whole £30 worth of goodies from the Halloween aisle in Poundworld! You simply can't carry it all!


The boys had a brilliant time choosing, and we could really go a bit wild. Best half hour I've spent in ages. Holographic glasses were first in the basket, followed by a rubber hand...naturally...

It's often the case in stores that they only have a good supply of school uniform during the big Summer school holidays. The problem with this is that children don't stop growing after August, and they fall over and tear their trouser legs or draw all over themselves with whiteboard marker all year round.


School uniform from Tu Clothing at Sainsburys is available all year round, and if they don't have your size or colour in stock at your local store, or your kids don't fancy going on an exhilarating school shopping trip, you can order whatever you want online.


We've been sent a few items to try. My children's uniform is a pretty straighforward white polo shirt and black trousers, and we've also been sent some plain white t-shirts for P.E.

Released this week is the Pirate Ship Sticker Book. Written by Jim Pipe and Claire Sipi, and illustrated by Maria Taylor, it has all you could ever need to know about pirate life in the 18th century, with added stickers!


Recommended for children aged around 6+, the 48 page paperback book takes you on a trip aboard The Scurvy Dog with Captain Skull and his pirate crew. Your child can read all about what life was like for those on the ship, above and below decks. No gruesome detail is spared, and there are stickers to use to complete the images.

Our latest review and giveaway is for one of our favourite games companies, Drumond Park. Their brand new game Crazy Claw is definitely one of the most active games you'll play. Suitable for 2-4 players aged 5+, this type of frantic game with great props is exactly what will delight most children.


Inside the box is everything you will need, including the actual Crazy Claw 'arcade machine' set up, 12 balls with press-out cardboard prizes and a fantastic grabber, plus instructions.