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Books, Home, Lifestyle

‘Kevin’ by Rob Biddulph – A Review

August 26, 2017

‘Kevin’ by Rob Biddulph

We were thrilled to receive a copy of ‘Kevin’ the newest book from the bestselling, award-winning author of Blown Away and GRRRRR! ‘Kevin’ by Rob Biddulph published on 10th August 2017 is a story about a boy, his imaginary friend and a beautiful friendship.

The Story

Eden immediately liked the front cover. She was drawn to Kevin’s big friendly face staring back at her, she couldn’t wait to see more. In the story we are introduced to Sid, a cheeky and sometimes naughty character. He get’s in to trouble with his mum and thinking fast blames it on his imaginary friend Kevin. Much to Sid’s surprise he discovers that Kevin isn’t as imaginary as first thought. In fact he is quite real and Sid is transported into Kevin’s bright and colourful land. During Sid’s time with his imaginary friend he discovers that Kevin’s feelings are very real and being honest and truthful is very important. Sid realises his faults, learns how to take responsibility and to make amends.

‘Suddenly Sidney did not feel so clever. He actually felt like the least best-friend ever. He went up the stairs full of sorrow and guilt. To where he found Kevin tucked under his quilt’

‘Kevin’ by Rob Biddulph is an enchanting storybook. Every parents dream, the rhyming tale is a pleasure to read and the pages are filled with beautiful illustrations. Starting in a dull grey world you are transported into Kevin’s bright and colourful world where Sid learns a valuable lesson.

Eden’s Imaginary Friend

Eden really enjoyed the story. Although only 5 she understood the story was about Friendship. Eden loved the characters in the book and really liked the bright and busy pages. I asked Eden if she had an imaginary friend and what they might be like. You can see her response and her thoughts on ‘Kevin’ in our short video here:

‘Kevin’ By Rob Biddulph is out now and hard back copies are £12.99.

Thank you for reading ‘Kevin’ by Rob Biddulph – A Children’s Book Review.

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Indoor Play, Lifestyle, Toys

Eden’s Good Report Treat – Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van

July 12, 2017

Eden’s First School Report

Well Eden has almost completed her first year at school. The Reception Year has absolutely flown by! I can’t quite believe she will be going up to Year 1 in September. Coming to the end of the school year meant Eden had her first school report. Both her dad and I were so pleased with how well she has got on this year. We are both super proud of her and decided to reward her for such a good school report with a Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van!

As a child I can remember wanting Sylvanian Families, they have certainly stood the test of time. Unfortunately I didn’t have them myself as a child but I can remember visiting friends and playing with their Sylvanian Families collection. I’m sure I must of pestered my mum non stop for my own! Meany Mum, ha ha!

As soon as Eden was old enough I couldn’t wait to start building her very own Sylvanian Families collection. First off we bought her the cosy starter home and have added extra Families and sets along the way. The great thing about it is the huge range available. It’s easy to ask family members to add to the collection for birthdays and Christmas to build the collection. It’s a toy that last for years and Eden really enjoys with all the ‘tiny’ pieces that comes in them. We store all the little bits in plastic boxes so not to lose any.

The surprise

Eden had no idea what her treat would be for her good school report. It’s safe to see she was blown away when she saw the Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van. Eden especially likes play sets that contain food so this set was perfect for her.

The Set up

It was super easy to set up (unlike some toys we’ve opened recently), the van comes ready assembled with just the sign to add on the top. There were a few stickers to stick on and some paper napkins and boxes to make up but nothing too taxing. Eden was playing with it in just a few minutes.

The set includes a retro style hot dog van, an outfit for a Sylvanian character (it doesn’t include the character) , several hotdogs and food items, tongs, menu, drinks and condiments. The set is really well made and the hot dog van is nice and sturdy. There is so much attention to detail that makes this set so sweet. Some of the hot dogs even come out of their buns!

Hours of fun

Eden has not stopped playing with this set since she received it, it’s official she ‘loves it’. Every day after school she has got it all out with her other Sylvanian Families collection and played happily. Eden particularly likes the tiny mini hotdog so she can make her own up, pretending to add her own ketchup and mustard. She really enjoys serving all her Sylvanian customers. This is a really lovely set and I can really recommend it.

Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van

You can see Eden’s reaction to her new toy in our short video we made of her opening it. I’d love to know what you think, please leave us a comment below.

Thank you for reading ‘Eden’s Good Report Treat – Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van Review’.

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This post was in collaboration with Sylvanian Families, all views are my own.

Days Out, Home, Unusual

Is Comic Con for kids? A review.

May 31, 2017

So is Comic Con for kids?

I never would have thought Comic Con was for kids before actually attending one myself. The idea of ushering my child around in huge crowds in London actually made me shudder. I never would have thought it was a particularly child-friendly place but in reality…. it absolutely is and I’ll tell you why!

We attended the London MCM Comic Con at the Excel London on Sunday 28th May. We were part of the 131000 strong crowd that attended over the space of 3 days. For those of you who don’t know, it is the ‘biggest and best celebration of modern pop culture’, covering film, sci-fi, gaming, anime, manga, online video, comic books and cosplay.

The event normally runs Friday to Sunday. During the weekend they have special guests attending for meet and greets and various shows and competitions running. To be honest we rarely go for either of those but purely for the great buzz of Comic Con.

I have to admit both myself and my husband are a bit geeky. We love browsing the many stalls for cool merchandise and seeing everyone dressed up in costume. Eden thinks it’s like Disneyland, she gets to walk around, have pictures and chat to all her favourite characters! Don’t get me wrong, some costumes are a little more ‘crafted’ than others but people put so much effort in, it adds to the charm. Some costumes are so lifelike, they are incredible! It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing your favourite Batman Tee or a full blown costume, everyone is welcome. It is such a relaxed environment, everyone there for a shared interest and to have a good time.

Getting there

If you drive you can park there in the car parks below the centre! Super easy! If going by Train then go to Prince Regent or Custom House station on the DLR line.

Even though there are thousands attending, it is really well organised and appears to be improving and evolving each year. You can pre order your tickets online. The queuing system to collect your wristbands and go through security was very quick considering the number of people there. We were moving the whole time, there was no standing still for ages with a fidgety child, so that was good. The staff were all clearly labelled and helpful.

Food

This year there were more food options. The usual venue eateries in the centre of the Excel can get quite busy but they also had brought in more food stalls inside the actual comic convention and they had a large catering area with chairs and tables. They had a few food options from noodle bars, deli sandwiches, coffee shop with salads and sandwiches, to ice cream vans and my particular favourite, a stall with chocolate fountains!!! Milk or white chocolate!!! One happy mummy right there and Eden!!! I don’t know how she managed to avoid her dress, I was quite impressed… it was everywhere else though!

Child friendly

This year there was also a very nice addition of a child friendly area, making sure Comic Con is for kids. They added a chill out spot with bean bags, books and toys. This was a really nice clean area and it was really calm surprisingly. A nice little spot to rest those tired legs. They were also offering kids tattoos and face painting for a small fee.

Facilities

There were plenty of toilet stops available and we didn’t need to queue. We walked straight in, I did also see signs for baby changing too, however I had no need to use these.

The Costumes

Eden loved spotting all the characters we knew and she wasn’t shy about asking for her photo with them. It was so lovely seeing her excitement getting to meet them all. Both myself and hubby were quite excited about meeting some of our own heroes! Such Geeks! Some of Eden’s favourite characters she met were Smurfette, Snow White, Wonder Woman and Groot, plus we met lots more.

Shopping

Eden enjoyed walking about and looking at the various stalls, there were plenty of Funko Pop vinyl figures there and lots of cute things for her to look at. She did beg me for a giant hamster rucksack the whole way round, the thing was bigger than her and would have needed an extension to live in our house! I managed to distract her with a little pack of sweets! Sometimes it’s the lesser of the two evils! Giant £20 hamster that will take up 1/5th of my house or a little pack of sweets?!! We went with the sweets!

Doug was super happy with his ‘Keyblade’ purchase, a piece of memorabilia from one of our favourite PlayStation games Kingdom hearts. Eden was equally happy with her Nightmare before Christmas and Harry Potter figures!

My 16 year old nephew came along with us too, he had a great time, even met one of his YouTube heroes Tonska and got his horse mask signed. One very happy boy!

We all had such a great time, we walked 6 miles and my legs were killing me after but definitely worth it and we will be going to the next one! Now I just need to get Eden’s outfit sorted!