Sonic Blasting Iron Man 3 - Review

So, when we received this addition to our family I had hoped it would make a poorly Squeaks feel better.

Unfortunately too poorly to appreciate it, we instead found two little Iron Man 3 fans!

Iron Man 3 is part of the Marvel's range of super heroes. As a massive X-Men fan I'm kinda of keen to get Squeaks and the boys appreciating this part of their imagination.

The Sonic Blasting Iron Man 3 is a 15" figure, with a light up detail, sound effect and a missile-blasting arm (which can be positioned to guarantee safety!). 

Iron Man is fantastic, for the boys to have a play (at 2 years) we just took the missiles away. They still loved it. With arms and legs which can be positioned, and the sound and light effects it is enough to keep the boys entertained.

To see what a 4-year old made of it, we waited till Squeaks was better, and we've had so much fun.

She loves him, so much so, she may have 'glammed' him up with a heart sticker and a necklace.

If it's getting her introduced to Marvel, I'm not complaining!

Sonic Blasting Iron Man 3 retails at £29.99, which makes him comparable with other similar Disney products.

Given the popularity of Super Hero birthday parties I would think this would make a great gift for a lot of little people (although make sure you invest in 3 AA batteries as well!).

Disclosure: We were sent a Sonic Blasting Iron Man 3 for the purposes of this review. All content and  opinions detailed are our own.

Be a part of the JoJo Maman BeBe Community

Don't you just love a new community site which really seems to understand children?
JoJo Maman Bebe has launched a new online community full of fantastic things for you and your little ones.

I love the printable downloads which will certainly keep our little people entertained.
And I can't wait to upload our more entertaining photos of their antics to the 'Little Stars' section.

(And I couldn't resist the chance to check out the Competitions and Offers section!)
(And maybe just maybe I happened to click the link to the shop to get some more ideas for the children's christening!).

Well, it's a new one on my favourites bar... will it make it's way to yours?!

Our Wedding- Hardcastle Crags

Today is our 3rd Wedding Anniversary.
As I reminisce through wedding photos I can't help but miss the place where we married.
The walk which we looked forward to each Sunday afternoon

One of the most difficult things for us to decide was where to get married.
If we had our way we would have just gone somewhere, with our parents and Squeaks.
Travelling wasn't going to be an option.
So we looked closer to home.

I had decided on Haworth.
Everything nearer to home seemed so 'done'.
And so one afternoon we set off to have a look at some potential venues.
And we both entirely disliked them.

As we drove home Mr J suggested taking some time out at Hardcastle Crags.
To get some air and options.
And as we walked I remembered that Gibson Mill held a license for weddings.

And so we took a look around.
And loved it.

We weren't able to have our reception at the Mill and so another search began.
Between hotels and restaurants we couldn't find anything.
And then we thought of the Fielden Centre.
The perfect space we were looking for.

And, as most couples would go on to say.
We had the most perfect day.

One of the 'downsides' of Gibson Mill was that people had to walk the mile or so to get there.
Fortunately the weather leading up to the day and the day itself was perfect.
And with lots of fizz to meet people on arrival at the Mill we got away with it.

The good weather meant everyone could spend the reception outside overlooking Centre Vale Park.
We had Chinese Lanterns, and I daresay a good many wishes were granted that night.

Little did we know that two little boys had already made there way into our lives.
A fortnight later we returned from honeymoon to a positive pregnancy test.

Monday's Multiple Mum- 3 Kids and a Gluestick #MMM

I'm so excited, today's Multiple Mum is one of the mums I watched from a far (do I sound like proper stalker material?).

Jo is a mum of 5 year old twins, and as a mum of newborns on the TAMBA forums, Jo was one of the pro's- the parents who asked questions about parenting that made you confident that you would get through the early days as there were other challenges on the horizon.

Jo blows things out of the water a little bit more by being a homeschooler. With a fantastic blog- 3kidsandagluestick - does anything sum up parenting better!

So, without further ado, here's Monday's Mum:

I am Jo, married to Gordon. We live in Surrey and have 3 kids; 5.5 year old g/b twins, Jasmine and Thomas, and our youngest Ben who was 3 in February.
We home educate and I blog about our days of messy play, craft and learning at 3kidsandagluestick.wordpress.com

What was your reaction to finding you were going to be a mum of multiples?
It is a long time ago now so I can’t really remember! But I do remember I’d been having these weird thoughts as I got closer and closer to my 12 week scan about going back into work and announcing we were having twins, so I don’t think I was too surprised to be honest. As the pregnancy progressed I became more and more aware of what it meant.. 2 babies.. wow!

What did you want to know?
From the moment I found out I was pregnant I really wanted a home birth so I wanted to know if this would still be possible (no was the answer I was given even at that early stage)

I also wanted to know (I’d even go so far as to say needed to know!) the sex of the babies so I could plan!

Other than that it was just practical stuff that I guess any first time parent wants to know; what pram/pushchair should we get, what car seat etc.

What was the best piece of advice you received when you were pregnant?
Sleep when the babies sleep!

What support networks do you use?
I am very lucky to have an amazing mum and Mother-in-Law who came and stayed with me when Gordon was at work for the first 5 months after having the twins. My mum covered weekends and Gordon’s mum came in the week (Gordon works shifts) Their help was invaluable.

I also joined TAMBA and used the message boards a lot, especially as Jasmine and Thomas became toddlers.

These days I use Facebook. I have a lot of multiple mummy friends online that I have known for years now and whenever I need help, advice or just a chat someone will be around to listen, help out and understand.

I also have a couple of good multiple mummy friends locally and we try and meet up as often as possible to have a coffee and chat. Having twins is such a unique experience it really is true that there are some things only another multiple mummy will understand!

How was your pregnancy?
I am not one of these people who “blooms” in pregnancy unfortunately. I was tired and uncomfortable most of the time. I had gestational diabetes so had to watch what I ate. I was glad when it was over!

How did labour go?
I had a planned C-section at 38 weeks because T1 was breech and T2 transverse.

How did your other half cope?
He was in shock when we first found out it was twins. He was in shock when they arrived. I think he may finally be coming round now! But he is a brilliant dad!

What are your three best investments for multiples?
As babies: Nipper 360 Double Pushchair
As Toddlers: Tommiguard Twin Reins
Now: Bunk beds!

What have you done as a mum of multiples which you never thought you’d do?
There are a lot of things I have done since having kids that I never thought I’d do but I don’t know if any of them are specifically because of the twins.
I blog, but that is about our home education journey.
I have a weird and wonderful collection of bug “pets”, but that is because Jasmine is bug mad and insists of keeping woodlice, ants and other creepy-crawlies in assorted jars around the house!
I have put trifle ingredients in a Tuff Spot and let the kids play with it, and stayed up until midnight colouring rice for the kids to play with the next day, but that is having 3 young kids not just multiples.

What’s your best piece of advice for the early days?
Sleep when the babies sleep!
Also, take lots of photos.

How has your life changed, now you are a mum of multiples?
Pre kids I worked 9am to 5pm in an office. I drove an Alfa Romeo. I had no idea who Ben & Holly or Justin Fletcher were.

Now I am a full time mummy. I drive a bus (well a Citroen C8) and I have favourite episodes of several kids TV programmes!

Being a mum of boy/girl twins also means I can answer the question “are they identical?” with a straight face these days ;-)

At this age, what are the best things about your multiples?
They are pretty self-sufficient now! I can ask them to do something (get dressed, put shoes on etc) and usually by the 10th time of asking, a count of 3, a 5 minute timer and the threat of a toy being taken away that will do what I have asked! Sometimes they even do it without any of that!
But the point is, when they want to, they CAN do stuff by themselves. And that is a huge thing when you are used to having to do everything x2.

Another great thing about this age is LEGO! LEGO will keep most 5 year olds occupied for a very long time. Sometimes I even get to sit down with a cup of coffee that is still hot, by myself, for more than 5 minutes!

They are also excellent at keeping their younger brother occupied.. this also helps me enjoy my coffee in peace!

What have your multiples done which have made you laugh most?
Oh plenty! As toddlers they were a comedy double act!
I love overhearing their conversations when they think I am not listening, especially the ones that end “quick, mummy’s coming”!!!

What’s your best distraction for avoiding tantrums, arguments and/ or confrontation?
As much as possible I try and let them sort out any arguments between themselves now.
If I do have to intervene and they won’t come to a compromise, if they are squabbling over a toy I set a timer and they take turns of 5 minutes each or I take the toy away from them.

When they were smaller I did buy 2 of the most popular toys!

How has having multiples changed your life for the better?
If I can cope with 2 year old twins and a new baby I can cope with anything, surely?! Except spiders. I will never be able to cope with spiders!

Like last week's mum of multiples I love that Jo had multiples and a singleton (honestly I'm not using this feature to convince Mr J!). I'm so glad someone else loves the Out 'n' About as much as us, and I'm going to look forward to reading Jo's Little Builder link ups!

#SilentSunday

Project #365 - Week #20

What a week! It's been a mix of everything.
We've had great weather. We've had rain.
We've had fun indoors and fun outdoors.
I had meetings cancelled and only one day in London.
Squeaks finally gave in to Chickenpox and whereas the boys just seemed to take it as another challenge, Squeaks has really struggled with some painful spots. Only to be overheard in her room this morning showing off all her spots to the boys!

As always the little people have amazed me with their love, happiness, and good nature.
Squeaks use of the word "actually" never fails to raise a smile, and hearing "Well, mummy I need to tell you I'm very cross, and I may be a little bit angry with you" has reminded me I may need a new approach.
That alongside the fact Tiny seems to like going to the naughty step for a bit of time out.

The boys have made us laugh so much. We have now concluded that s's are a difficult sound, so whilst Cheeky calls Tiny by name, Tiny has named Cheeky 'Brother' if asked to say his name.

So, here are some of our moments:

Sunday: The outfit of choice for going scootering.
Monday: Enjoying a spin.
Tuesday: Watering the dog.
Wednesday: Playing with a cardboard box.
Thursday: The arrival of Spring.
Friday: Playtime with Grampy.
Saturday: Exploring the newly painted playhouse.

#QuinnyCasters - Task 3... Failed!

So, task 3 was meant to be about the amazing places your little ones fall asleep.
We could only fail at this given that we were eager to get the boys in a strict routine from birth.
They have rarely fallen asleep anywhere other than their cots/ beds or car seats.
And since they moved to beds, afternoon naps are as guaranteed as flipping a coin.

Sleep wasn't happening for us this week.
Naps went out the window at the dawn of toddler beds.
So I tried a fresh approach, the bumpy road, which always worked when mine were babies.
It wasn't to be the way.
But here's a bit about our fantastic outing in the Quinny Moodd.

One of the best things about Wales is its 870 mile coastal path.
The path provides a continuous walking route around the whole of Wales, from Chester in the North to Chepstow in the South.
And this week celebrates the first anniversary of it being possible to complete the walk and we are fortunate to have the path on our doorstep.
The South Wales Coastal Path takes in the cities of Newport and Cardiff.

So as a QuinnyCaster showcasing the best bits of Cardiff the question of course is...

... how would the Quinny Moodd handle the terrain?

Of course it was fantastic.

We took in the Southerly most point of mainland Wales, and of course every minute was loved, there wasn't a point we couldn't reach and throughout we had giggles and excitement- these are places toddlers don't have the energy to get to- but the Quinny Moodd made it an enjoyable experience for everyone.

So maybe next week we'll try Sugar Loaf mountain...

Disclaimer: As a result of our successful application we won a Quinny Moodd which will be used going forward to participate in more activities. All views and opinions contained are our own.