Olympics & Paralympics 2012

There is always so much hype surrounding the Olympic Games, so I thought I'd introduce you all to someone very important for the Paralympic Games... say "Hello" to Mandeville - the mascot for the Paralympic Games 2012.  He's a cute and cuddly figure who represents the ethos of the Paralympic Games.

Each Paralympic and Olympic Games has a mascot, everyone knows that, right?  But I was amazed to find out that the mascot is usually an animal native to the area or a human figure representing the cultural heritage of the host country.  I must say that I haven't seen many of these characters wandering around the UK recently!  But, there are important symbols coming through the mascot.  The head shape represents the 3 colours of the Paralympic Games symbol, the taxi light on it's forehead represents the London Black Taxis and the wristband on the right wrist is a personal best timer to help keep track of performance.

Paralympic Symbol

Whilst typing this tonight, I'm watching the fantastic opening ceremony of the Olympics and Paralympics and I must say that I'm proud to support Team GB... we saw the Olympic flame pass through a local town back in May which feels ages ago and tonight's ceremony concludes the journey of the flame and it is a great celebration of everything British.

No doubt I'll be writing again about the Olympics and Paralympics over the next few weeks - I'm not extremely "sporty" but enjoy watching the heats and finals with my children - it shows them how hard work and determination can pay off.  The variety of events and ages of competitors makes it interesting too.  This year, we are going to find all of the countries (if we can!) on our world map as they achieve their medals - quick geography lesson and fun at the same time!

Naked Wines Competition - Value £60!!

As the weather has brightened up and everyone's smiling again, here's another reason to smile.  Up for grabs we have a £60 voucher to be used at Naked Wines.

Naked Wines, you might ask... well, Naked Wines is an online wine retailer that invests in independant winemakers, to get delicious wines at preferential prices.

With the winning voucher, for example, you can get this Summer Sizzlers Mixed Case of wine for just £42.38 - that's 12 bottles of wine great for summer entertaining for just over £3.50 a bottle!

Just enter the Rafflecopter competition below... and good luck!

The terms and conditions set by Naked Wines are detailed below:

• Voucher must be claimed before 30/09/2012.
•  For UK residents aged 18 or over.
• Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
• Your voucher is valid against your first order of £99.99 or more.
• Delivery (Next Day only £4.99 as standard) and any additional spend on wine, will be charged to your credit or debit card.
• Full terms and conditions are available on our website at www.nakedwines.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Silent Sunday 22nd July 2012

School Sport's Day Take 3 and 8th Birthday Fun!

Well, after a very wet "Summer" term at school, we finally admitted defeat and held the event yesterday in a local sport's hall!  The morning was still a great success and all of the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The obstacle race is always a hit along with the nursery class' pram race!  The older children really enjoy the competitiveness but sometimes, I'm sure the little ones are confused as to why everyone has come to watch them do PE!

The cake and coffee stall went down a treat, as always raising much needed funds for the school events throughout the year.  After all, who can resist a lovely coffee and cake with the added bonus of helping the children in the process!

Then today, we have the excitement of my daughter's 8th birthday!  An early morning wake-up call of an excited newly-8 years old sister was too much for my son... "leave me alone, I'm tired!" were his first words to her this morning... but was equally excited when he realised it was the last day of school and it's time for the "big" holidays!

As a treat for my daughter's class we've done a little tea party for the class to celebrate her birthday and the last day of term... not just cake this time - we do encourage a balanced diet, not just cake!

 We're off to the Legoland Discovery Centre tomorrow so watch this space for the photo's of a Lego tour of Great Britain!  But first, birthday meal out for Charlotte tonight... her choice, Chinese mmmmm :)

Organix Mighty Meals & Snacks Review

We were sent a bumper box of Organix goodies - my children were excited to see what they had been sent to review and felt very important to be part of the process!

We passed the Tasty Beef Stew and Dumplings to a "toddler-neighbour" who I'm sure will update us in the next couple of days... but my children were thrilled to share and try the other goodies!

Jack's favourite was the Raisins & Chopped Apricots fruit bag - he loves anything fruity and these are ideal for packed lunches or the morning fruit snack at school.  The addition of apricots rather than just raisins and/or sultanas makes a nice change and adds different flavours to our children's diets.

Charlotte was torn betweeen 2 as her favourite... the Mini Cheese Crackers and the Mini Gingerbread Men.  Again, both great for packed lunches and picnics on days out (eaten in the car with the weather we're having at the moment!).

They also liked the Cheese & Herb Puffs but weren't so keen on the Veg & Oat Bar nor the Raspberry & Apple Fruit Bar.  They both said they didn't like the "feel of it" - for younger children, I think the texture would be just right but my youngest is 5 and has a wide ranging diet of basically everything and he just wasn't keen!

Organix products are all organically produced and come with the Organix No Junk Promise... their products contain no hidden nasties; just simple ingredients full of goodness.  More and more so recently, there is increasing hype about organic foods... is it better for you, your children, the planet, the future???  Deep down, we all want to do what's best for our children and their future so with great tasting snacks like these, you can be rest assured that you are doing your best and your children can still enjoy snacks they love to share!

Have a look at the Organix website here - you can also visit their Facebook page here.

These are all readily available in supermarkets - look out for them on the shelves.  With wishful thinking, I'm stocking up for those summer day trips we have planned... Plan B is to have lots of Living Room picnics!!!

Silent Sunday 15th July 2012

Pre-School Toys Bundle Giveaway!

Following the Christmas In July event that I attended last week, I have a bundle of pre-school toys for one of you lucky guys to win!

Courtesey of vTech Baby, Tolo Toys, Halilit and Play To Z I have a selection of toys great for keeping your little one occupied whilst the weather is less than great!

We have up for grabs a fantastic vTech Toot-Toot Drivers cement mixer truck, with sounds and lights, a cute little squeaky penguin from Tolo Toys, a Handy Bells percussion instrument from Halilit and a Treasure Trove Stone Hoop from Play To Z. 

The vTech Toot-Toot Drivers range is a great range of toys for both boys and girls - it is suitable for ages 12+ months.  The developmental benefits include motor skills development, sensory development and creates imaginative play.  Even though my youngest is now 5 years old, he would still love playing with this!

The lovely little penguin from Tolo Toys is a cute character which again promotes imaginative play and is designed with safety and durability in mind.  There are no painted surfaces on the penguin, so the quality standard will remain high thoughout it's play time life!  Tolo Toys also help to promote the idea of cause and effect with sounds (squeak-squeak, click-click!) being produced as a result of the actions and movements the child makes.  It is suitable for ages 1-5 years old.

The Handy Bells are a child-friendly percussion instrument which will introduce your child to the joy of music making.  It will foster creativity, is a means for self-expression and develop imagination.  The Handy Bells are suitable for age 24+ months.

Last but by no means least, the Treasure Trove Stone Hoop from Play To Z is a simple but fantastic additional to your toy box.  It can be used alone or part of your Treasure Basket playtimes, encouraging creativity and supports children's play in a multitude of ways.

These all make great stocking fillers for your little ones - thinking ahead to Christmas 2012 now!


Watch out for more Christmas toy's reviews over the next few weeks as I compile my Christmas 2012 wish list.

Complete the Rafflecopter entry below for your chance to win... Good Luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway