It seems like it's weeks until Blog On - that's because it is! However the linky is live already so that the attendees who choose to can get to know each other a bit beforehand. When you get to the conference, especially if you arrive solo, finding that person you chatted to online once about your cat's testicles really can break the ice.

Share a recent picture of you (if you are an anonymous blog, a drawing is fine). A recent picture which is a drawing. This is exactly what I look like, but with more wrinkles and flowery Docs - you can spot me by those.


Describe yourself in three words. Just. Keep. Swimming.

I think everyone has found this last month a bit grim and pretty hard work, but over the last couple of days up here in Manchester the sunshine has lifted us all. Hopefully the arrival of Spring and warmth outside will make it all a bit less grey, whatever colour your sky.


The flowers begin to bloom, trees regain their green and birds chatter. Our outside world is waking up and reminding us that the world did keep turning. Time is both a gift and a thief. It moves memories further away, blurring those I don't like to remember, but stealing those I wish to keep.

Booms, Bangs and Fizzes is one of the new science sets by John Adams and promises "science that's a real blast". It sounds just the thing for my 7 and 8 year old boys, and indeed they were very excited when they saw it... and who wouldn't be?


Especially suitable for children aged 8+ (although they should always remain under adult supervision), we let our 7 year old join in only as long as I was right with him. Inside the box is an array of chemicals, equipment, paper and card and the very clear illustrated instructions, as well as essential (and comfortable) safety goggles.

Scholastic release a new Book Club catalogue every 2 or 3 months, and my 7 and 8 year old boys were given their choice to review from the latest edition for World Book Day. They chose Dog Man Unleashed, Batman's Guide To Being Cool and Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond.

Lush hand make some of the most amazing cosmetics around, universally popular and a true indulgence. Lush products are hand made using fresh ingredients which are cruelty free, vegetarian, ethically sourced and GMO free. They are also really genuinely lush!


The Lush ranges include everything for personal care that you could possibly need, from shampoo and shaving, skin care and tooth polish to hair colour, perfume and cosmetics. A chance to check out their new releases for this Spring and Easter couldn't be missed, so I headed down to their Bury branch last night.

LEGO Batman is the star of the show at the moment and couldn't be more popular in our house. All-round good guy and action hero who mainly wears black, he's cooler than cool. Character World have just launched a whole host of LEGO Batman Movie goodies and have sent my boys some for their bedroom...


We've been sent The LEGO Batman Movie Towelling Poncho, Fleece Blanket and Single Duvet Set.

Tinyme are an Australian based company making incredibly beautiful and practical personalised products for children aged mainly around 3-10. My children are sadly getting towards the top of the Tinyme age bracket, and it is a loss. Their newest release is a personalised book with a free app - The Amazing Alphabet.


My delivery was within a week despite having to be personally printed, I was incredibly impressed. Minimally but safely packed in a cardboard envelope and double sealed plastic, it survived Hurricane Doris unscathed.

Hold the front page. Cluedo Junior does not feature a murder! This simplified, updated version of Cluedo has been designed especially for younger players aged 5+, and your aim is to discover which of the innocent-looking guests stole the cake!


Inside the box is everything you need to play: Plastic character tokens (including the new character Dr Orchid), the game board, press-out furniture tokens, special dice, stands and clue ticksheets. The character tokens are excellent little 3D models, which really bring their personalities to life.

When I visited Waterside Arts Centre in Sale, Manchester before Christmas, we were lucky enough to catch the Puppet Masters Return with Aardman Studios exhibit. The even better news is that it's there until 1st April 2017, and it's FREE.


Part of the Manchester Animation Festival, Puppet Masters Return with Aardman Studios lets members of the public get up close and personal with the characters from some of those well-known family favourites including Wallace and Gromit, Timmy Time and The Pirates, An Adventure With Scientists!

The Geronimo Festival will take place at Arley Hall in Northwich, Cheshire from 27-29 May this year. The children's festival is designed especially for families with children aged under 13, and promises to have far more than you can pack into a day for everyone...


This year for the first time, camping is available, and the event runs for 3 days over the entire 3 day Bank Holiday weekend. We'll be at Geronimo as ambassadors - and hopefully we'll get the boys on the zipline this year - glad it's not this weekend, Hurricane Doris would have put paid to that!

I told you about some of the 130 activities on offer in my previous introductory post, but it gets even better for those of you who are fans of children's TV especially. New announcements include children's telly celebs and You Tube stars, including some real crowd pleasers.