My Beautiful Fur (Faux) Coat!

What is with all this mild weather?  It’s Christmas this weekend and it looks like there’s no chance of a white one.  When I think back to last year  . . . we were snowed in, it was lovely and cold, and I couldn’t even really enjoy it because I wasn’t even crawling, let alone walking.  How frustrating!

Still, it has been cold this year already, if no snow (Daddy has bought a sledge ready for it, but the furthest I’ve been on it so far is from the display to the till on carpet.  Which was flat.  So not that exhilarating.

Anyway, it’s been cold enough on occasion for a coat, and even though I say so myself, I have the world’s most beautiful winter coat.  It’s a Ladybird coat, from Littlewoods, (from £26.00) and it’s faux fur.  Leopard print.  Does it come more glamourous than that?!  I say there’s no limit on when a girl can become a fashionista!  It goes with so many things, too; I dress it up or down, depending on the occasion.  It’s come with me on a day to day basis, but also a christening recently.

Here I am wearing the coat on my way to nursery recently.

It has a lovely, wide collar (also fur – faux, of course) and a beautiful bow detail on the lapel.  It does up with buttons, and it’s fully lined, so it’s really warm and cosy.  I wear it a lot, so my beautiful coat has been through a lot of every day toddler antics and the associated stickiness.  Mummy says it washes very well, too.  So well in fact that it doesn’t even need the brushing “to restore appearance” that the label suggests.

So, it’s gorgeous, it washes well, it goes with anything and everything, and on top of all of that, the attention I get whenever I go anyway is great for my self-esteem.  No more “cute little man” comments, everyone remarks on the “pretty little girl.”  Great!  Except for the stupid person who suggested I look like Pat Butcher.

Littlewoods has some beautiful children’s clothes, coats included, for boys and girls that you can have a look at here.  And what's more, they'll still deliver for Christmas Eve if you order by 9pm on Friday 23rd - how's that?!

Mummy and I were not paid for this review, but we did get to keep the coat.

CB

A Playhouse To Call My Own

Daddy’s been threatening for a while that if I don’t start “pulling my weight around here,” I’ll have to move out.  He says even Hairy Dog earns his keep by keeping the postman outside.  I didn’t think he actually meant it though, not till at least I leave school and I don’t start for a couple of years yet!

Imagine my horror then when I came home and Daddy took me outside to see a little house built in the garden!  He wasn’t kidding!  Don’t get me wrong, he’s done it really nicely, but I’m too small to move out!  Who will hear my calling for my dummy at night if I’m sleeping in the house in the garden?!

Panic is now over though.  Mummy explained.  It’s a “Christmas present,” and it’s not a proper house, it’s a playhouse, made by Big Game Hunters.

You can have a look at all my house’s specifications here, not to mention all the others. Mine is a Whacky Ranch house, under Funky Playhouses, and boy is it funky! It’s green, with two windows, and it’s exactly how a little child would draw a house.

It retails at £259, and with property prices the way they are, I think it’s a bargain.  An estate agent might describe the interior as “compact and bijou,” but it fits my needs perfectly.

I would say anyone between about 18m – 6 years would get a lot on enjoyment out of this, perhaps even longer.  At the moment, I love the idea of just being inside and closing the door, then looking out of the window to point and laugh at Mummy.  I imagine in later years it’ll be a great little den, somewhere I can take my book to read on my own and get away from the rest of them.

I have two little wooden chairs in there now, courtesy of my grandparents, so I can comfortably entertain a friend, and it being so close to Christmas, of course I have a tree.  That’s 3ft tall, to give you an idea of how big the house is.

Daddy built it on his own, although the instructions advise two people to do it.  It took him an hour and a half against the suggested thirty minutes, but he was on his own and it was dark, so I think that’s probably accurate.  It comes as panels, so it’s easy enough to do.

We thoroughly recommend the Whacky Ranch house from Big Game Hunters, so if you’re still looking for a Christmas present for your little one, or birthday presents next year, I think this is fantastic.  It sits straight on the grass if you want, or you can buy a floor for it to stand on.  I have a floor, so it means I can use it all year round.  The house itself is all treated and guaranteed for ten years.

Mummy says all her dealings with the people at Big Game Hunters were great – they were very helpful and quick to respond. 

Disclosure: Mummy and Daddy were looking for a playhouse for me for Christmas and because I still don’t really ‘get’ Christmas, they didn’t mind giving it to me early.  Neither Mummy nor I received payment for this review although Mummy was given a 40% discount on both the house and the floor. (We bought the tree at the supermarket.)

Melissa & Doug's High Sea Symphony Review

This week, I’ve been testing out a new Melissa and Doug toy and here’s what I thought by way of a review.

I love music. I am a pretty talented musician in my opinion, as I think I’ve mentioned before, and I can thrash out a beat on virtually anything.  Now, some might say it’s a sound only a mother could love, but I figure if I continue to practice every day, I can only improve.  And practice I do.

Imagine my delight then when Mummy said there was a parcel for me at home, and inside were some musical instruments!  For me! That’s my kind of delivery.

The lovely people at The Wooden Toy Shop (http://www.woodentoyshop.co.uk/) had sent me the High Sea Symphony by Melissa & Doug.  Melissa & Doug toys always go down well in our house.  You should see Mummy’s ears prick up at the mere mention of their names!

These instruments are aimed at little people from about 18 months, although in my opinion, babies a lot younger could handle them under supervision.   They’re pretty chunky so easy for small hands to grab hold of, and they’re nice and light.  They’re brightly coloured and each one has a face on it, which my friends and I quite like.  Beware though - we like to throw things at the moment and I think they'd properly hurt if they got you in the face!

I liked that they look a bit different from other musical sets around.  Each instrument is in the shape of an ocean creature, so they stand out from ‘regular’ rattles and tambourines. 

If I had to pick a favourite, it would be tricky but I’d go with the octopus tambourine.  The head of the octopus is just so lovely to hold and shake for my little hands, and it makes the loudest, most satisfying noise.

Mummy loves the oyster castanets because of their cheery faces, the different sounds the two sizes make, and quite frankly, because I’m not very good with them yet.  I haven’t really mastered the co-ordination for those yet, (perhaps that’s another reason the box says “from 18 months”) so they’re also the only instrument I really let Mummy touch.  I gave it a go though!

The crab bell would be second choice for both of us. It’s beautifully painted again, and the bell has a satisfying ring.

The final instrument is a seahorse rattle.  I like this one because it’s one solid, smooth shape, but for me, the sound of the beads inside is just too quiet.  The noise is far too easily over-powered by the octopus and the crab and it does take a lot of effort for me to get a noise I can really hear.  It is a bit frustrating so I thought I'd see how it tasted instead. (Not that good, actually.) Each instrument is built to last though, so I’m sure there will come a time when I want a rhythm that isn’t quite so dominant.  Perhaps an accompaniment to my beautiful singing. 

The bright colours are great for stimulating other senses though, and that adds to my overall enjoyment of the toy. All in all, I’d give them an 8 out of 10. It's on sale at The Wooden Toy Shop for £19.29 but if you'd like to win one, the lovely people at The Wooden Toy Shop have agreed to give a set away to one of my readers.

All you need to do is leave me a comment below with who you'd like to win one for, and follow Wooden Toy Shop on Facebook - you'll know them by the little train picture. Mummy will pick a winner at random when the competition closes at noon next Sunday, 13 November. Good luck!

Leaving the toys aside for a minute, Mummy says that in these days of strong competition in the toy market, and the supermarkets trying to undercut everyone, little guys and big guys alike, customer service must play a big part. We cannot praise The Wooden Toy Shop enough on that score. Every dealing we’ve had with them since the very first contact has been prompt, polite and helpful. Their stock is beautiful and my parcel came very quickly and well-packaged. With Christmas just around the corner, I recommend a look at their website.

Neither Mummy nor I have received payment for this review, although we did get to keep the toys. The views expressed are entirely our own.

CB