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.

It comes as no surprise now if you see someone stop suddenly in the street and start swiping their phone screen before giving a little fist pump and carrying on. Clearly they're playing Pokemon Go!, and had spotted Charizard waving at them.


Animated Pocket Monsters aren't the usual thing to see when going about your everyday life, and these encounters can lead to some pretty amazing and amusing images. NCC Home Learning have a Pokemon Go! photography competition running until 30th September 2016 for you to share your Pokemon Go! photos.

Yesterday, in the unnatural Manchester heat, my two young boys took me out for lunch to Vapiano Italian Restaurant in the Corn Exchange. They were invited to review the kids menu and see how Vapiano measure up to the discerning palate of children, and as we were there we could also enter the #VapKids video competition...


I've been to Vapiano before as a guest when Manchester Mummy reviewed, so I knew what to expect - in fact some of my photos are from that day, so that I wasn't distracted from my children too much this time.

Anki OVERDRIVE is slot car racing without any of the hassle. Robotic supercars on a track that takes 5 minutes to set up or change, with up to 3 of your mates. And if your mates aren't available, you can just race against the computer...


I first saw the Anki DRIVE a couple of years ago, and was besotted at the time. Anki OVERDRIVE is the upgrade - better, faster, stronger, so I was truly delighted when Anki gave us the chance to review their Family Bundle pack. In the pack are the Starter Kit, Speed Kit, Collision Kit and Corner Kit, as well as two extra cars.

We made it! Yeeay! It was impossible for us to overnight at the Just So Festival this year, but we were lucky enough to be invited along as day visitors. I'm pleased to report it made an absolutely excellent day out, in fact we didn't leave the site until almost 10pm! The only downside was that we would have stayed all weekend if we could...


The Just So Festival is a children's festival held annually at Rode Hall in Cheshire.  It is a festival for families with children of all ages, but especially up to around 11, and this year we took our 6 and almost 8 year olds with us..

Letts have a huge range of learning books for children and young people throughout school and college, from the earliest letter and number skills for age 3, right up to A level revision. With the 'Back To School' panic now underway Letts are offering all of my readers a 30% discount on their entire range of books, and one of my readers can win a huge £50 bundle of books suited to their child.


After the Summer break we're all busy preparing uniforms, shoes and PE kits, but getting children back into a learning frame of mind is really important. There are lots of great books to choose from and Letts has some really engaging and motivating learning books.


For younger children Letts have ranges such as 'Monster Practice' and the new 'Wild About...', and we reviewed some of the Wild About books this June...You can find our full review of Letts Wild About Workbooks here...

One of the most popular items we've ever been sent to review arrived a fortnight ago. The Nerf N-Strike Elite Hyperfire Blaster from Hasbro takes dart firing to a whole new level with a 25 dart cartridge and staggering 4 x D cell battery level of power.


Baby and infant toys are great, but as your children get older they move on, and if they're anything like my boys then it won't be long before they are drooling at the big kid toys. Nerf are definitely a big kid toy, and with our oldest being 22, they're a long-time firm favourite in our house.


Your blaster arrives in a box which is large enough for storage afterwards, there's a pull out drawer and it takes very little time to remove.  Set up is quick - insert the 4 x D cell batteries, load the cartridge, insert the cartridge, shoot.