Bic make a huge range of stationery products for kids and it goes far beyond the fabulous felt tipped pen sets and the all-time classic 4-colour pen. The quality is excellent, they're reliable and every Bic product is designed to last for longest possible use.


This Summer Bic have a competition with Mumsnet for any budding artists aged 5-11 to email in a photo of their best drawing for a chance to win £50 of Bic Goodies AND have their artwork displayed on a local billboard! There's also a bonus prize of £300 Tesco vouchers. Entries HAVE TO BE IN BY 6th August - so get your skates on! More information is on the Mumsnet website.




Bic Kids Colour And Erase Pens (Pack of 12, prices vary, around £2). 10 colourful felt tipped pens and 2 eraser pens. My boys think it's magic...

Get A Grip is the 'no-thumbs challenge' game from Hasbro. Recommended for 2 of more players aged around 8+, this is a fairly active family game in which players wear special gloves and then face their opponents in a head-to-head battle - without using thumbs.


Inside the box you have:
4 no-thumb bands (100% polyester, machine washable)
2 jars of sculpting clay
2 drawing pads
60 challenge cards
Instructions

Flip Out Blackburn opens to the public TODAY! We were among the lucky people to get a preview visit yesterday evening. We spent a good 2 hours there, plus around 20 minutes for the safety briefing and to get sorted beforehand - you have special Flip Out socks...

The Worry Wizard is a concept created by Counsellor and Psychotherapist Amy Smythe. Worry Wizard products aim to help children and young people to develop tools to deal with worries before they become something more serious and affect day-to-day wellbeing.


Jack And The Worry Wizard is designed especially for young people of all ages and is far more than 'a book'. This is access to support from a genuine counsellor and the book is really a launching point which you and your child build on. I read it together with my 7 1/2 and almost 9 year old boys.


Our situation is very different to most people's. My young boys have added worries that a lot of children fortunately don't have. They have lost their sister and their day-to-day is not what we ever anticipated. They live in a house where unfortunately mental health concerns have been fairly normal now for 3 years.

Lucky Gecko make discovery subscription boxes for children aged around 9-12. At this age children are more mature and need something a bit different as well as with a challenge. Let's face it, it can be difficult to occupy them without them returning to their screens.


I love this box. Lucky Gecko is the most expensive subscription box we've reviewed, but that's because it's got the most in. This is a week's entertainment and your child will learn loads, while really enjoying themselves and making something they can be proud of.


There are 3 Lucky Gecko discovery boxes to choose from - Wisdom, Imagination and Curiosity - each of which supports what your child is learning in the classroom, in a way which is more accessible and fun! My almost 9 year old chose Imagination.

Family London is a new release from Frances Lincoln. Written by Jimi Famurewa, with photographs by Camille Mack, it is a compilation of 100 fun places to visit in London with children. There are ideas for any age from tots to teens - perfect for a family like mine...


I admit I expected it to be bigger, but actually this is perfect. Family London is ideal for taking with you and fits in your hand or a large pocket. The days out are split into 7 sections, with maps at the end.

Character have brought back one of the best-known toy characters from my youth - Stretch Armstrong - and he's not alone. Not only do we have Stretch Armstrong, Fetch Armstrong and Octopus, but also arch-enemy and all-round bad guy Vac Man.


Vac Man's box is a bit battered and I think you'll find that's a common theme because he's really heavy! Because of the nature of Vac Man it is a bit like carrying a box part full of sand - it caught me out and I nearly dropped it. He's 14" (35cm) tall and a big guy.

Over the past few days suicide has barely been out of the headlines. Chester Bennington has been discussed a lot in our house and always with the same end to the conversation. Suicide isn't harmless, it has a massive, rippling negative effect, and anyone who treats it with purely sympathy is sweeping a lot under the carpet.

There's been a real backlash condemning Brian Welch for his outburst against his friend, and I don't agree with it at all. I think he's allowed to call his friend a coward. He will think that. He'll also spend time thinking his friend was selfish, nasty, foolish, wasteful, hurtful. When you end your own life, the people left behind will without a shadow of a doubt spend time thinking that all the pain they are feeling, and the hurt and sadness that they and your loved ones, your friends and everyone else is going through, is due to you.

As those who are left try to make sense of the shock, as they scramble to rearrange what is left of their life into some sort of workable order, and struggle to see why they are bothering, they will find it almost impossible not to think of the person who died as a coward.

Blaming the person who died isn't an option because we know full well it's not their fault. As Brian Welch found out, you'll be pilloried for suggesting it. Everyone will wave their fists and say that 'you don't understand'. You do. You know that actually the person who died was the one unable to understand. Right there and at that second, they forgot why they shouldn't. They couldn't see the right path ahead and you weren't there to save them. So you can't blame them, you have to try to lay blame somewhere else. Probably at least partly with yourself.

My boys don't play with dolls any more sadly, generally they prefer more wheeled or construction toys - cars and LEGO. I am however still a big fan of Lottie Dolls - dolls that look like children, with the healthy body shape of your average 9 year old.


There are loads of different dolls and doll sets, as well as outfits and accessories. Because Lottie Dolls are like 9 year old children, they do things that 9 year old children like doing. A couple of years ago we reviewed a boy doll from the range, Finn the Kite-Flyer and the 'Gone Fishing' accessory pack.

Summer is nearly here! Yeeeay! Here are loads of events and activities to keep the family amused rain or shine over the Summer holidays in Manchester Central, Wider Manchester, Liverpool or the North West UK. I try to collect as many cheaper ideas as possible, never overlook your local library and museum as they often have special events and a lot of them are free!

Manchester Central

THE LOWRY