Flying Like FlitterMouse by Jan Fearnley

The yellow teashop belonged to Etsuko hamster. She was full of kindness and made everyone welcome. Every day, Boz the Boatbuilder popped in for a pot of raspberry tea and a chat. They were best friends. One day, a mysterious stranger flew in to town. His name was Flittermouse. When Flittermouse swoops into Bottlenose Bay, he changes everybody's lives for good ...

When I first glanced through this book I thought it looked quite a long story, especially for Eliza 2.  It is certainly too difficult for Isaac to read at the moment, however, the story is lovely and kept them captivated from beginning to end.

Etsuko the Hamster longs to fly like Flittermouse and the story tells of how she tries, and fails, but eventually manages to fly by using a lot of determination and a little help from her friends.

Isaac adores the fold out map at the beginning of the book and loves identifying all the landmarks and even making up stories about each one.

The illustrations are colourful and appealing and really help tell the story of how Etsuko manages to fly.  The story is full of meaning and will help teach children not to give up and the value of friendship.

If you are looking for a book for the children to start reading themselves, then I would aim this at around age 6 - Year 1 and above

Language of today

If you have teens or Tweens you may have noticed that their language is getting more and more bizarre by the day - so much so I am starting to get confused!

In many ways I suppose that teenagers have always had their own language - normally a grunt and a mutter under their breath, but now I really struggle to understand their conversations.

Just how can something good be re-named as "Sic"? Sick in my eyes will always be something entirely unpleasant!

And why on earth do they physically say "Loll" or "L.O.L" when something is funny - what's wrong with actually laughing?

And as for text messages from the teens - can I decipher the blasted things?  

NO!!!!

"OK" has now become "k" or "kk", the favourite and much used phrase of the month appears to be "YOLO" (You Only Live Once) and the emoticons get more and more bizarre by the day!!

It isn't just text messages though - my friend who teaches at college says that most teenagers write their essays in that form and have to be handed them back to be re-written in English!

Is there anything that your tween or teen says to you that just makes you wonder what on earth they are on about?

A Royal FairyTale - Kate & William

I have to admit I was a little shocked when the book "A Royal Fairytale - Kate & William" dropped through my door, with a cartoon pic on the front of Kate, William and a swaddled baby.  The poor couple haven't even met their baby yet!!

Once Upon a Time in the United Kingdom, a handsome Prince named William fell in love with a beautiful girl called Kate.  They had the most amazing wedding and travelled to many faraway lands but this was nothing compared to their next adventure - the birth of a beautiful bouncing baby.

This is their magical story..........

The book is a twist on a classic fairytale, bringing the simple facts of William and Kate's courtship to life for very young readers, with colourful and eye catching illustrations (although I don't remember seeing any sheep at their wedding).

Little girls who dream of meeting their very own own Prince and becoming a Princess will love this story, although I did find it a little twee in places and didn't like Kate being described as "terribly pretty".

All in all this book is quite sweet, but I have to admit I wouldn't buy it!

Debenhams Flowers

I like nothing more than to receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  It really cheers the house up too, so when Debenhams Baby Gifts & Flowers asked if I would like to review one of their gifts I really could not turn it down!

They arrived in a huge box when hubby was in Las Vegas so perfect timing to cheer me up!

I couldn't wait to see what was inside and I wasn't disappointed.........

Pure white roses alongside rustic blue thistles - perfect for a gift for a new mum and baby boy.  Also in the package was the cutest Rufus Rabbit Romper organic cotton romper and hat set - I cannot wait to use this!

I have had the flowers for 10 days now and they are just starting to wilt, so have lasted well.

Their new mum and baby gift range is gorgeous and perfect if you can't decide what gift to get.  You can choose from pamper sets to clothing and even cute Rufus Rabbit comforters, all with a beautiful bouquet of flowers too and with guaranteed next day delivery if you order by 4pm, you can't go wrong!

Moshi Monsters Beads & Melt and Mould

Moshi Monsters - love them or hate them there just seems to be no escaping them these days!

I was quietly gloating that Isaac has seemed to miss them completely and was quite happy with his Skylanders or Batman and nothing else........but that has all changed.  His love of Skylanders and Batman has not diminished, but instead he now has TMNT and Moshi Monsters to add to his most wanted toy list, thanks to school.

I know that kids do chop and change their minds, often favouring one toy over all others for quite sometime until something else captures their eye, so here we are with Moshi Monsters well and truly added to the list.

I can see the appeal of MoshiMonsters online, although at this stage Isaac prefers the imagery and toys, so when we were offered some Moshi Monster goodies to review I accepted.

First up is Moshi Monsters Kitchen Melt and Mould where you can make amazing Moshling creations with your favourite Moshi characters. Have fun in the kitchen melting and moulding tasty treats for you and your friends. 

You can use the mould tray to make Ice Cubes, Jellies or even little Moshling chocolates and Isaac's is desperate to use the Ice lolly moulds to create our very own Moshling lollies. I haven't done this with him yet as we have to finish the lollies in the freezer first (I know, cruel mummy).

Even more exciting is the Moshi Beads - think Hama Beads in your favourite Monster characters!  Place the Moshi beads on the pegboard to create your Moshi Monsters character and ask Mum or Dad to iron to finish. You can make Luvli, Oddie, Scamp and Jeepers. Includes 1400 beads, peg board and design guide. 

The boys decided to make Oddie - apparently Isaac needed help, so Kian had to join in, although it was quite fiddly.  It certainly kept them quiet for at least half an hour, before I was summoned to iron it and set the beads.

It did take longer than I thought it would to set the beads and once it had cooled we did struggle to get it off the peg board.  We ended up using a butter knife to gently prise it off in the end, but as you can see, Isaac is very proud of his Oddie and it has been to bed with him every night and is still in one piece!

Both items are suitable for ages 5 Years +, but the younger age range will need assistance.

Zoe & Beans - How Many Pets? and Look at Me!

Zoe and Beans by Chloe Inkpen and Mick Inkpen.

The start of a brilliant new series of board books featuring the adorable Zoe and Beans and all of their friends.  

These books feature gentle rhyming text alongside irresistible illustrations which are perfect foe sharing with young children.

How Many Pets?

Join Zoe and Beans and their friends Oscar as they count the animals from one to ten.  There is a hungry rabbit, a kitten, a duck, a puppy and even a cow, but will their be enough room for them all?

It is a delightful book and perfect for introducing young children to numbers and counting as well as having lots of fun with animal noises!

Look at Me!

Zoe and Beans and their new best friend Oscar have found a dressing up box, but what will they be today?  Robots, Doctors, Bumble Bees and even Pirates!

Another delightful short story which fires children's imaginations and gets them dressing up, but beware - you will get requests for several outfit changes after reading it!

I love both these board books as Eliza is happy to take them off and look at them by herself and I am safe in the knowledge that they cannot get ripped.

Sprogs Inc - Super Awesome Stuff for Kids

Sprogs Inc was born in January 2013 from the desire to source unique, high quality children's apparel to suit every budget.  They supply clothes, shoes, gifts and accessories for children from newborn to 8 years.

I was sent the Sprogs Inc Capsule Mix and Match Set to review, which features a Poodle Playsuit, Reversible skirt, Lilac Trousers and a Lilac Long sleeved t-shirt.

I was immediately struck by the good quality of the garments and Eliza went straight for the Poodle playsuit.  I went for age 2 and she has room to grow so I am happy that the set will last.  In fact the waist on the skirt and trousers is a little big at the moment, but she is small for her age.

The set is very versatile and perfect for our Great British Summer where we don't know what the weather will be like from one day to the next!  Why not check out their blog too and see where the inspiration for their poodle print clothes came from!

The model wasn't playing ball today!

I dare you to look through their website and not fall in love with at least one item - I am gradually building a wishlist but the Periwinkle Poncho is right at the top of mine along with a few funky items for Isaac including the Blue Star Reversible Hoody and they have 10% - 20% off everything in their opening promotion!

To celebrate the launch of Sprogs Inc, They are giving away 20 sets of our Sprogs Inc girl's clothes sets worth £39 each! 

All you have to do to enter is Click this link and sign up to their VIP newsletter. Include the birthdate and gender of your child to get special email offers in time for their birthdays!

The draw closes at mid-night on Friday the 18th of July and Sprogs Inc will be contacting the lucky winners very shortly afterwards.

The mix and match play set includes: 

• A reversible skirt 
• A long sleeved tee-shirt 
• A poodle print shorts playsuit 
• Matching trousers

These are all made in 100% soft cotton and are for girls aged 12 months to 6 years.

You can find Sprogs Inc on twitter as @sprogsInc for more information and special offers!

Good Luck!!