Crafty Kids Puppet Kit Review and Competition

We took this set away with us on holiday, but as we had so much to do it ended up coming home again, much to the boys disappointment, as they wanted a dinosaur puppet friend to play with as soon as possible!  Now we have settled back into a more manageable routine we enjoyed making him yesterday.

With an RRP of £14.95 it seems incredibly good value, as you do not need anything else to complete your puppet project (everything is included, the glue, paint and paintbrush on top of the pieces needed to make the puppet).  

It is recommended for children 6+ and I think that is more to do with the complexity of the project rather than obvious safety concerns.  Both boys (aged 4 and 5) enjoyed the painting part and trying to help me with the glue (my table looks quite pretty now anyway!).

It is nice to make something together they can keep afterwards, am sure their new dinosaur friend will have some adventures of his own now.  Using the strings you can make it walk around, chomp on some leaves and help him explore his surroundings; it’s quite a flexible puppet so great for imaginative play.  He has had a few kisses and cuddles from youngest already, the strings do bring it to life!

I found the strings a little tricky to attach, I was not quite sure which went where, even though the instructions are quite clear, I seem to get mind block if I think something is technical and phase out!  But we got there in the end, when I concentrated.

These sets would make lovely birthday presents, as they have lots of choice to pick from.  My two are dinosaur mad so naturally they wanted to make a dinosaur but I am sure their nieces would like to get their hands on a ballerina or fairy.  

I like how they are educational, developing their creative and artistic expression.  The kit is also something enjoyable to encourage them to get them away from a screen and spend quality time with you or if its raining and your at a complete loss what to do with them for entertainment (half term is looming after all!).

Available to buy from Amazon but fortunately I do have one Puppet Kit to giveaway here (the winner can pick one from the six available options, a fairy, a ballerina, a Knight, a horse, a giraffe or a dinosaur).  The competition will close on the 7^th of June, just complete the rafflecopter to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Craving Sleep

I love sleep, but to ensure a good night of it I need many things, complete darkness, complacent children and a comfy bed!  I used to be able to sleep pretty much anywhere back in the “teenage years”, but I have realised my body is not as young as it used to be and it now craves comfort at the end of a long day!  I slept on a blow up bed during the weekend whilst staying at my sister in laws and every time hubbie moved I nearly sprang out of bed…

Buying a decent mattress can be an expensive business though, so I sorely wish I had shopped around rather than buy one from the same place we bought our new Ottoman bed.  A memory foam mattress from Zleeps would have saved me a small fortune and left more money to top up my holiday fund (I am a little addicted to holidays!). 

If you want to feel even more indulgent you could team it up with a mattress topper from the Zleeps site too, I think then a good nights sleep would be pretty much guaranteed!  I do like going that extra mile to get some sleep, for winter I like to wear my cashmere bed socks.  So I think I am missing a trick not owning a mattress topper in the Missing Sleep residence.

Now I just need to work on the complacent children…  What with calls of “I’m scared”, requests for a drink or to use the toilet!  I think I am a long way off getting there, but least the comfortable bed and the complete darkness I have mastered!  We are also making some progress with the boys, they do not get up quite as early as they used to thanks to our trusty groclock.

And if hubbie dares start snoring, my technique is to gently nudge him awake, feign complete ignorance then let myself go straight back to sleep!!!  After all I need to be alert to cope with the stresses and strains of another days parenting, there is only so much caffeine you can have in a day to get by on!

The DUPLO® VALLEY Splash and Play Opening Weekend

We have just come back from the most amazing day out at the new DUPLO® VALLEY Splash and Play.  I even braved donning my swimming costume to get splashing with my boys, how could I possibly miss out on all the fun!  

We were lucky the weather was on our side and we had a pleasant hour seeing the new area.  We were in very good company; a few celebrities were dotted around – Natasha Hamilton got a proper soaking in the Drench Towers!

The facilities are good, with a section to get changed and toilets (an improvement from trying to hide your children's dignity by juggling a towel whilst they get dressed!).  We came last year so can see the investment made into the area, its been completely revamped!  I thought it was quite good before, but now I think it is sensational. 

The wet play area is broken down into two sections the Splash Safari and Drench Towers (for the older children and adults!).  My boys liked seeing the chunky DUPLO animals and colourful bricks they love so much from their own sets at home.

It was very interactive, lots of wheels to turn to activate the water and buttons to press.  It appealed to their mischievous nature to give other children a sneaky soaking!  I myself got caught out a few times, but next time we visit I will watch from the sidelines as the Splash Safari seems a very safe water attraction and I would be more than happy to let them play there and enjoy a little freedom, whilst I watch the merriment (and stay dry!).  

Their was a helpful lifeguard on hand too, who pointed out where to activate different parts and kept an eye on the children, which was very reassuring.

Big smiley faces

Their nieces who are 7 and 9 adored the Drench Towers section; you do get very wet there!  So it’s quite a thrilling part of the resort!  1,200 litres of water get tipped from a giant DUPLO brick bucket atop a 10metre tower- so it will prove a refreshing way to cool off when it really heats up this summer… and there are plenty of water slides to enjoy too!

The new park (BRICKVILLE) is great, with ample space for lots of children to climb, crawl and explore.  Perfect for imaginative play as everything from a police station to a very pink princess castle to come up with stories.

LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort is such a fabulous place for children of all ages; they just seem instinctively to know how to develop the park to make it even more impressive and entertaining than before.  We are seasoned theme park visitors, but LEGOLAND® has that extra something, which really does make it stand out!  Plus the staff are so friendly, my boys were getting high fives all over the place…

I am sure we will be back again soon (and not just to get more cookies!).  Thank you for inviting us to a truly magical day!