The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator Review

Ever since I discovered John Crane toys last year, I have been in awe of all of their wooden wonders.

When I paid a recent visit to the John Crane head office I was the biggest child in the toy shop, I started eyeing up everything from Wooden castles to Fire Stations. I was making a mental note of all the toys I knew that Leo would love as he got older, and I would love for that matter!

So when I was asked whether Leo would like to try out the Tidlo Pull Along Alligator, I jumped at the chance as I knew Leo would be over the moon.

And by Leo… I do of course mean myself!

The Pull Along Alligator is a fabulous bright Green, with different equally as bright shades making up the rest of the Alligators wooden frame. This feisty little gator has a bumpy back and tail in order to promote sensory awareness.

What is really lovely is that this little Gator has his own personality going on, his beady eyes giving him a very mischievous look which is only emphasised as soon as you start pulling the string to make your gator move along!

As the little Green gator gets pulled along, this is where the magic happens. He wiggles, shakes and if you pull him fast enough, his mouth even chatters! As soon as Leo saw this pull along come to life, he was there in a flash and taking the pull string out of my hands so that he could have a go.

Pulling the Tidlo Alligator along demonstrates cause and effect to toddlers. If they perform a certain action they are rewarded with the movement of the toy, and this was obviously very pleasing to my little man.

With Leo and his gator now formally introduced the playing commenced straight away. It is not hard to work out why this toy is such a hit, it is very visually appealing and Leo has already welcomed his new addition into his blooming toy collection.

The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator is recommended from 18 months old but is the perfect addition to any little one’s toy box, I can see it aiding early toddling skills as it one of those toys that gives you the ‘get up and go’.

This little gator is a beautiful, traditional toy and one that I consider timeless.

Toddlers and children alike absolutely love to pull things around with them while they run about. Leo doesn’t care if it is a vase he takes for a spin or a photo frame, as he has done on a many occasions… However the Tidlo Pull Along Alligator allows him to run about with a toy designed specifically for his requirements, and it is clear to me that he relishes being followed by this little gator.

Leo especially loves the Alligators eyes and frequently pokes them (As he does mine) and he finds it very entertaining when I pretend that the naughty little gator has taken a bite of my finger! This usually follows by Leo sticking his finger in the gators mouth and quickly retrieving it before the gator makes a second bite!

The Tidlo Pull Along Alligator retails at around £16.00, and you can purchase your own little gator from Amazon.

For further John Crane news you can follow the John Crane Blog or even keep up to date on Twitter. They are a really friendly bunch and will be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have.

How To Make a Mud Pie

Who does not remember making a mud pie back in the day?

I for one used to spend much of my time cooking up the biggest, muddiest mud pies; granted I also used to spend quite a lot of time trying to dig a hole in the back garden that would go right through the earth’s crust and reach Australia, after my Dad told me it was possible…Anyway, that is another story!

I would take mixing spoons from the kitchen and use them to stir together my latest creations. There is nothing quite as satisfying as stirring squelchy mud with your Mother’s baking spoon I can tell you!

*Disclaimer – I am not telling you to take your Mother’s baking spoon for mud pie baking!*

I am not talking about a luxurious Chocolate pudding with the added mud euphuism, nope. I am talking about mud. Real mud, the kind you take from the garden. Thick sludgy mud. Just any kind of mud I could get my hands on.

Everything I could possibly imagine went into these one of a kind pies and not the kind of things that you would really want to eat! Grass, leaves, twigs, stones, gravel, flowers, weeds, sometimes I would even decorate it with a live slug or snail! (No slugs or snails were hurt in the making of this mud pie!)

You can experiment with different types of mud, clay like mud always leaves you with a very impressive mud pie, and you can mix in colourful flowers to add dashes of colour to your otherwise monotone masterpiece.

By now you probably want to cook up a mud pie storm?

Remember though…

you must not eat your mud pie. It is purely for show purposes!

The Mud Pie Recipe

Ingredients

1 Cup of Sand or Gravel

2 Cups of Mud

1 ½ Cups of Water

What you will need

Responsible adult

Baking Spoon

Mixing Bowl

Baking Pan or similar

Flowers or other decorative materials

Method

Note: If you are going down the sand based mud pie route, I would recommend sand pitt sand if you have some lying around. If not you can always use gravel which will add a different texture to your pie, but that is what it is all about! Getting your little ones to explore different textures.

You will need 2 cups of mud freshly scooped from the garden, the more twigs and stones the better!

Mix 1 cup of sand and 1 cup of mud into your mixing bowl and stir them together. Once all of the mud clumps are gone you should be left with a thick mixture, enhanced by your twigs and stones.

Stir gently while adding in your 1 ½ cups of water. How much water you actually need will vary on what type of mud pie you are cooking up, and depends on whether you used sand or gravel for the basis of your pie.

Now you are ready to add your final cup of squidgy mud. Continue to stir your mixture all together until it is all clump free, now if you are wanting to add some colour to your mud pie, you can add the flowers or whatever else you were hoping to throw in for good measure. Once you have the desired look, pour your finished mixture into your baking pan.

Now add on any decoration that you want on your mud pie.

Depending on the season you may wish to add conkers or pine combs to your pie. If you want to get really creative you could crush up some egg shells and add in food colouring to give you some very bright colours, before sprinkling them on top.

With the final decorations in place, set your mud pie in direct sunlight to bake until it’s dry.

When it comes to mud pies you really can dream up anything you want and make it a reality. They are a fantastic way to entertain the kid’s and get them outside playing with what nature intended them too.

They will love getting their hands dirty and squidging their fingers in the squelchy mud. They will get filthy but they will love the experience, and you will too.

Mud pies are completely fat free and will be remembered for a life time.

The PacaPod Almora Bag Review

PacaPod was created by Jacqueline Waggett, a clothing designer and mum of two girls. Jacqueline was disappointed by the range of changing bags on the market and soon got fed up of losing everything that she needed in the pitt of her bag. Jacqueline put her design skills into practice to create PacaPod.  

PacaPod is now a highly successful brand and is used by celebrities such as Jason Manford and Jo Whiley. PacaPod is sold nationwide in Mothercare, John Lewis and Amazon.

What does Jacqueline have to say?

'As a mum when I need something I want to reach it quickly, easily and with a degree of confidence. That may sound pretty obvious but how many times have you rooted around a bag looking for the elusive wipes or a poo bag only to be confronted with a half eaten sandwich, small Ted and handful of raisins? Life’s busy enough with the kids and when everything’s in place it means that we as a family are free to go and do the things we want. It can be something as simple as a trip to the park, playground or more adventurous travels to far-flung places but knowing that I’m organised is one less thing to worry about.'

I have been sent the rather lovely PacaPod Almora in the new Gunmetal shade, to aid my at times hectic lifestyle. I sometimes don't know whether I am coming or going, did I pack that snack or did I forget it? I can't see it...but that doesn't mean it is not in the changing bag... somewhere!?

I am sure we have all had these moments, the biggest culprit for me is the baby wipes. They are always, always hiding from me. So there has to be an easier way...

The Almora PacaPod comes in Five different designs:

- Gunmetal

-  Black

- Midnight

- Sand

- Highland

The PacPod Almora is a treasure trove of compartments, every mother's dream. It boasts 3 outer pockets one of which even has a key fob on elastic so you will always know where your keys are (another little item that ALWAYS disappears when you really need them). There is a smaller pocket on the back of the bag with a magnetic shutter. This makes it so easy to access as and when you need. The perfect pocket to keep your phone or a babies dummy.

There is a compartment for all your bit's and pieces such as your purse and hairbrush, whatever you would usually take along with you in your handbag that is completely seperate from everything baby. It is your compartment to do as you please.

So where does all the babies bit's and pieces go? 

Well that is the magic behind PacaPod. If you unzip the front of the bag you will find two pods. One pod is for all your babies feeding needs and the other is for changing purposes. Both the pods are the same size and very spacious. 

The Changer Pod

The Changer Pod is Grey and boasts it's own pockets and elastic straps to store nappies and wipes. You can put everything you would need for changing your little one's nappy in there such as creams and even a change of clothes. There is even a little pull tie wet bag should you need it, and let's face it with a little one it is bound to get lots of use!

On the outside of the changer pod is a separate compartment for dirty nappies, I thought this was fab as I have often been caught with Leo's nappies after we cannot find a suitable bin to dispose of them in. Having a designated area away from everything else is just what we needed.

In my changer pod I have managed to store four nappies, a  pack of wipes, an everyday pot of nappy cream, nappy bags and a change of clothes for Leo. 

The Feeder Pod

The Feeder Pod is Black, insulated and will hold up to a maximum of Four bottles, which is ideal if you are in the early days with a newborn. The Feeder Pod will keep the milk warm for up to 3 hours, and there is even a insulated bottle cover. We are at the point now where we take out cold cow's milk for Leo and we need it to stay cool for as long as possible, so the feeder pod is the perfect place for them. 

With Leo now being 15 months old, we are getting past the stage of needing milk during the day, but I tend to take one if we are going out for the day, just in case. Our Feeder Pod usually consists of snacks for Leo, lunch if he requires it and a drink. We have had no problem fitting everything in, even on the days where I do take out a bottle of milk.

The Two Pods attach inside the bag via velcro straps and sit securely together until you need them. If you didn't need to take out the entire bag, you can just take the pods and attach them to the buggy handle by looping the velcro around the bar.

In the same compartment as the Pods you will find a compartment directly in front. In this compartment is a padded changing mat. The mat is generously sized and is so easy to whip out when you need it, along with the Changing Pod of course.

I have been really impressed with the pods and I have found it  a very effective way to get everything you need around with you, and let's face it there is so much extra baggage when you have a little one in tow, so you do need somewhere to organise everything. 

I have managed to fit absolutely everything for a full day out in my PacaPod, you could even compare it to Mary Poppins magical bag. What I really love about the PacaPod is ultimately that everything has it's place, and you know exactly where to locate your packed lunch to Leo's nappy's. 

The pods eliminate clutter in the bag and do a great job of keeping everything as you packed it, and when you are out and about, in a rush to find your keys or the baby wipes for a toddler emergency...You know exactly where to find them.

There is an extensive PacaPod collection that you can view over at the official PacaPod website but if you have set your sights on the beautiful Almora, you can pick one up from PacaPod for £75.00 and even benefit from free delivery if you are within the United Kingdom.

Disclaimer: I was sent the PacaPod Almora Changing bag for the purpose of this review. However all views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

Silent Sunday

How To Carve a Pumpkin

Last Halloween Leo was just a tiny dot compared to the monster he is establishing himself as this year. This year he is going to know that something very unusual is going on, something spooky and I am sure that he is going to want to take part.

Leo will be donning a little Halloween costume all of his own, and completing pumpkin carving (hollowing at least), I can just see the mess he is going to make with all of the pumpkin seeds in my minds eye right now, but I can see the fun that he is going to have too!

I always loved Halloween as a child, I loved the thought that anything spooktacular could happen on this one night of the year. I want to make sure Leo finds the magic in Halloween, and enjoys all of the fun that comes with it. I don’t think I will ever outgrow the buzz that comes with Halloween and I must confess, I love to dress up and display a few tricks, I have even discovered that I can carve a mean looking pumpkin.

For Leo’s very first Halloween I bought 4 juicy pumpkins from a local farmer and attempted to carve a ménage of pumpkins to display on the front porch. After hollowing out the first one I was shocked at how much effort went into just one pumpkin, and instantly regretted buying four! I stuck at it though, and eventually had four pumpkins, hollowed out and ready to be carved. I had to work quickly having Leo as a small baby, with time ticking by quickly Leo would soon be wanting his next feed!

My finished pumpkin’s for 2011 consisted of a witch riding on her broomstick, one very spooky looking ghost, a crescent moon and of course you’re traditional Jacko Lantern.

There are so many other designs that you could attempt, I chose the above designs as I am no artist and after discovering just how time consuming carving a pumpkin can be….. I decided to take the easy road!

How to carve your own pumpkin

What you will need to carve your spooky pumpkin?

- A pumpkin (obviously!)

- A small sharp knife

- A marker pen

- A pair of hands (preferably your own)

- A tea light candle

To start the carving process you are going to need a small sharp knife. With the knife you will need to carve around the top of the pumpkin to take the top off. When cutting around the top (later known as the lid), try and cut it so it stays as one piece. You will need this at a later point when putting the finishing touches to your spooktacular pumpkin.

Once you have the lid off you will see just how much guts and seeds are inside. All of this…Well it needs to come out! I found the most effective way to get everything out was to scoop it up with my hands.

With your hollowed out pumpkin ready to go, you can either draw your design on or print a template to draw around on the pumpkin flesh. This is where your marker pen comes into play!

With your design now prominently on the pumpkin you are ready to get carving. Take your knife again and begin to go around the edges of your template. I found that by applying pressure to the area that I was working on made it easier to loosen up the pumpkin flesh, and eventually enabled me to push out the desired section.

With your template now replaced by the desired holes in the pumpkin flesh, the time has come to insert your tea light candle, light it, place the lid back on top and put it out on the front porch for all of your trick or treaters to marvel at!

Happy pumpkin carving everyone and happy Halloween!

Autumn Adventures

The leaves are starting to change their colour from luscious Green to a golden haze; some are now relinquishing their hold on the tree and floating down to the ground. A sure sign that the seasons are changing and autumn is officially here.

I was driving home from work the other day and there were children playing with conkers and I was reminded of all those autumn adventures from my childhood.

I have always been lucky and lived in areas full of space to run around. Our house currently backs on to a nature reserve full of wildlife and trees to climb. In my younger days I used to spend every waking hour down there kitted out in pretty dresses I swore blind I would keep clean and wellington boots, much to my Mother’s dismay…

I really was a sight for sore eyes.

I loved the great outdoors and I made it my personal mission to collect as many conkers as possible. My brother and I gathered them by the bucket load, not for any particular reason other than just because we could.

There were times I think my Mum wondered if I would ever outgrow my tomboyish ways, especially when I came home one day completely covered in mud. It was just after she had put me in a dress and specifically told me ‘do not get dirty’. I guess I may have taken that as a guideline as to how dirty I could really get, and when I got stuck in the biggest, stickiest mud I could find, lost my wellington boot and was given a little push by the local joker, I went head over heels.

Walking home with my feet squelching in my socks, I knew I was in big trouble. It was November and it was not the warmest day around in the area of Yorkshire we were then living. I was not expecting my Mum to deny my entry into the house though, but that is what happened. She grabbed the hose pipe and began to wash away the sticky mud.

I was filthy and she was not inviting all of that mud inside!

When we first moved into the house we now occupy, our next door neighbours actually thought they had a family of gypsies moving in next door, and they meant us. This was all thanks to my brother and me, running about on the mud where the lawn was yet to be laid, completely filthy despite our parent’s greatest efforts.

It really was a losing battle for them. We were absolutely determined to just get as filthy as humanly possible.

Luckily… Somewhere along the path of growing up I did outgrow my tomboyish ways, and I even bought an alternative pair of shoes to the wellies I used to wear day in, day out. Now though, I know it won’t be long before I am trying to keep up with Leo and his autumn adventures. Trying to keep his clothes as mud free as possible and letting him know of the situations that may come around. There will be many occasions where he will get his feet stuck in a big puddle of mud, and if he pulls too hard then he may just loose a boot!

This again is life experience talking…

I cannot wait to collect some conkers with Leo and show him the joy of making a great old pile of them, of course now I am the responsible adult, I will have to make sure we get rid of them before they begin to decompose…

I have to admit that I am very excited at the prospect of pulling the wellington boots out of retirement and taking Leo on an autumn walk. I am excited to show him all of the things I used to get up to as a child, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Granny will be telling Leo and I ‘not to get dirty’ and the hose pipe experience form my past may just become Leo’s future…

Wait until I show Leo the marvellous way to make mud pies!

Recipe to follow…

The Panasonic EW-DS11 - Vibrating Toothbrush Review

I recently visited the Panasonic head office as an Intelligent Living Mum.

This means that over the next 12 months I will be taking part in interactive work shops hosted by Panasonic themselves, and also putting their products through there paces in a series of product reviews.

At the end of our first session we were presented with a bowl, this bowl was a lucky dip in order to determine which product we would each be taking home to test on this occasion. In the bowl were pieces of paper with our fate documented on the front There were bread machines, men’s shavers, women’s epilators and vibrating toothbrushes all to be picked in this prize draw, you could see the horror in the eyes of the ladies who had just pulled out the epilator for review purposes!

I outstretched my hand into the bowl and pulled out my fate.

I was to take home a shiny Red Panasonic EW-DS11 vibrating toothbrush.

We had already been shown the toothbrush in a demonstration a little earlier, and I had been impressed by the nifty little toothbrush’s capability.

The Panasonic EW-DS11 is a compact electronic toothbrush that runs on battery power (1 x AAA - batteries not included). The toothbrush makes the perfect travelling companion with it’s matching lid that keeps the brush it’s self clean and hygienic, ready for the next use. When you see the toothbrush in it’s casing you probably wouldn’t guess that it is actually a toothbrush hiding away in there.

The casing is entirely plastic and comes in a variety of colourings.

- Red

- Black

- Pink

I have a fantastic Red one that just looks great. It is something that you could keep in your bag and no one would actually recognise it as a tooth brush. It could easily pass as an item of makeup that would not look out of place, and because of it’s size it is so easy to transport around with you.

The batteries will last for approximately 90 days based on a consistent usage of around 2 minutes per day, but then if you take into consideration morning and night time brushing then this will most likely be less than the forecast 90 days. I know that I spend longer than this brushing my teeth so I will be popping batteries on a more regular basis. Although I have been using this toothbrush for over a week now and so far the battery is holding up nicely. It is still nifty and I haven’t noticed any change in the operating speed, so I will keep note of how long it lasts before a replacement is required.

I do really like the fact that it runs on batteries as when you are going abroad the last thing you want to do is cart the charging base to your electronic toothbrush with you. And if you were worried that the battery for the toothbrush may run flat while you are away all you need to do is have 1 AAA battery at hand. This is something you could easily take along with you with no added hassle or inconvenience.

The toothbrush boasts 16,000 sonic-vibration brush strokes per minute which helps you work toward cleaner teeth and fresher breath. When I was first introduced to this brush last week, it was on and you could not hear a thing. It was silent all except for a tiny whisper. When it was eventually passed to me, it was only then apparent to me how powerful this little toothbrush was. Many electric toothbrushes that I have used in the past are pretty loud, and in comparison the Panasonic EW-DS11 is nothing at just 37 dBa.

Upon getting home I instantly put my old toothbrush in the bin and switched over to using my new Panasonic brush. Prior to my Panasonic EW-DS11 I was using a simple disposable toothbrush. The first thing I noticed about the Panasonic was that the brush was substantially smaller than on my disposable brush, and the first few uses did feel a little strange due to this.  After a few days of using the Panasonic I soon adapted to the smaller brush and I now feel extremely confident with what the brush can do. In fact because the brush is smaller it can reach to the very back of my mouth and to all the hard to reach tooth surfaces. You do still have to brush effectively or you may miss areas but over all I am very pleased with the range of this tooth brush.

I feel more confident that I am getting a more thorough brushing with the Panasonic. After I have brushed my teeth they do feel fresh and clean, but I have been spending longer brushing my teeth just to make sure I don’t miss an area.

What I really love about this toothbrush is just how stylish it is and that un-like other electronic toothbrushes I have tried at other points the head does not suddenly fall off during mid brushing. Some people may prefer this toothbrush if it featured a rechargeable battery, but for me I was very pleased with the battery and this would not put me off purchasing.

You can purchase your own Panasonic EW-DS11 vibrating toothbrush directly from Panasonic for £40.99.

Disclaimer: I was provided with the Panasonic EW-DS11 for the purpose of this review, however all views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.