Review - 3 Mobile MiFi

Review Post

A while back Liz at Violet Posy did a review on Mifi in car wifi from 3 mobile and I commented that we would love to give this a try, so guess what the lovely people at 3 mobile sent one of their MiFi systems for me to review too.

I have to say I didn't know what to expect, as I am not all that techie, but I was super surprised.  The wireless modem is about half the size of a mobile phone and really easy to connect and use.

MadDad has an ipod touch and we had both the laptop and the ipod touch connected to it whilst we were in London.  I also used it on the train to and from London for the John Lewis Christmas event.

But do I need one?  for every day use I would have to say no.  I can not justify the £50 one off cost or the top up fees, as we have wireless broadband at home, but as it looks like another hospital stay in on the horizon for me again I would love one and would use it all the time.  If I had one of these the last time I was in, then I would have been a much happy mummy.  It would have allowed me access to twitter, my blog, but more importantly I could have seen my boys without them having to come in and see me, we could have chatted by Skype and web cam, which would have made everything much less traumatic for both them me.

Sunderland International Airshow 2010

What a weekend, what a fantastic time we have all had.  This was my first experience of the Sunderland International Airshow and I can safely say we will be there next year.  

We went on Saturday with mum and found a great spot on the promenade grass for us all to sit.  We packed a picnic and flasks and drinks and had a super afternoon watching all the planes.  

Mum took the boys to the beach and they made a volcano and sandcastles and I went down to join them before the tide came in.

Sunderland Airshow i Europe's largest free airshow and all you pay for is parking at the park and ride. Sunderland is such a great place as there are plenty of places to sit and watch and you get great views of the planes pretty much where ever you may be.  The programme only cost £3.00 and you really do need one to find out what is on when and it also tells you all about the aircraft and pilots.

The boys loved it, so much so that the boys begged to go back again on the Sunday.  So we packed up a picnic again and set off.  The weather was colder and more overcast, so I was glad that I packed a blanket for us all to cuddles under.  I also took some colouring for the boys for in between the planes.

The highlights of the weekend for us all were the Hawker Hunter, who was called Miss Demeanour on Saturday, she had such a cool paint job and the boys loved her.  MadDad really loved the Typhoon, which Mini also declared the best as it was the loudest!

On Sunday Team Breitling were something else, we were in awe of the lady wingwalkers and the Red Arrows put on a fantastic 20 minute display to end the show.  They were out of this world and spectacular just doesn't cover it.

The only down side was getting out of the car park and home on Sunday evening.  It took 2 hours to goo 100 yards and by this time the boys were very tetchy and tired.  We didn't get home till 8.30 and then it was straight to bed for them.

Top tips for next year:

• Arrive early to go round the aircraft on the cliff and look round the stalls.
• Take a beach tent to pitch on the grass area in case of rain.
• Get lost children wrist bands for the boys and agree a meeting area if lost.
• Take buckets, spades, swimwear and towels for the boys.
• Take an extra flask.
• Take colouring etc for the boys.
• Take a good picnic.
• Leave 15 mins before the end, so you can get out of the car park!

The Gallery - Nature or Nuture

What can I say, well today I took the boys to the local woodland centre, where the plan was to collect shells and small stones on the beach to make jam jar lanterns.

We actually spent far to long on the beech to get them made so will have to do them tomorrow at home, but boys being boys they didn't want shells on their jam jars, oh no they wanted dead crabs....

So as much as I nurture their artistic and creative sides, sometimes the force of nature is just to great!

A few of my recent makes

A gorgeous table setting mat for children which is washable and backed with towelling, also available in blue - £8.00 plus postage 

A selection of girls back to school hair slides and bobbles.  Can be customised, just ask.  Prices from £2.75 to £4.50

A variety of hair grips and clips, made with stunning buttons.  Prices range from £1.50 to £2.75

I have committed (or should that be need committed) to holding a stall on Sunday at the Gala at my SIL and Brothers Social Club - hmm, must get busy making, which wont be easy with the boys at home too!

Legoland July 2010 - Top Tips

A couple of weeks back we took the boys on what appears to be an annual trip to legoland, so here are my top tips:

• Use Tesco vouchers to pay for your entrance tickets, or keep an eye out on the two for one deals.
• Pack hats and sun screen!
• Arrive early, the park opens at 10am, but the shop and entrance open earlier, avoid the queue and turn up early.
• Pick up a lost parent sticker at the guest services area.
• Start a back of the park and work forward, this way you will get on more rides.
• Take a picnic - the food in the park is overpriced and not very nice at all.  We ordered pizza, garlic bread and chips and it was tasteless cardboard and the boys didn't eat it.
• Take swimwear and a towel.  The splash area in Duplo world is great for little ones.  We went at about 3pm for an hour and it was fab, I even managed to drink a cup of tea!
• The Clutch Powers 4D show is a must see, we all loved it.  We went at lunch time when the sun was at it its hottest (join the queue early to get good seats)
• The boys laughed and laughed at the pirate show, a great time and place to eat your picnic!
• The boys are too small for a lot of the bigger rides, which seemed to have the large queues, when they get bigger I may consider the qbot.  Take treats for the queues as it does get a little boring for children waiting.
• We did the water rides just before going to the water area at Duplo World, giving the boys clothes time to dry out whilst they enjoyed the water.
• Remember to get a parking ticket on your way out - yes you now pay £1 for parking.
• Leave 15 mins before the park closes, or you will get stuck in the traffic leaving the park.

Maxi's Foundation Stage Graduation

Thursday was Maxi's last day at school in Reception before he goes up to year one in September.

This year has been a amazing one for my little man, one that I hope will give him a great foundation to all the years of learning he has to come.  The biggest part of this year has been his wonderful teacher Mrs Sayer and her two wonderful teaching assistants (Mrs Holmes and Mrs Jackson)

Mrs Sayer has a wonderful way with the children and they all adore her, she brings learning to life through play and is the perfect Reception teacher (which is why I was overjoyed to find out Mini is in her class next year).  Not once has she pushed Maxi too hard, she has a great grasp of his abilities and keeps him challenged.

Anyway Wednesday night was his graduation and he had a great time and didn't want the party to end.

 Maxi running to us with his Math certificate

All the children got a certificate and a book and then Maxi got a certificate for being the best Mathematician.  We were very proud indeed.

 

Dancing the night away

Kerwhizz Magazine from CBeebies - Review

Review Post

We were sent 2 copies of the new Kerwhizz Magazine from CBeebies to review.  I have bought the standard Cbeebies Magazine for Maxi in the past, but stopped as he is getting too old for it and Mini has never really been in to magazines, so I had an idea of what format the magazine would be.

The Magazine is monthly and prices £1.99 and comes with  stickers to collect and a free gift in every issue.  I actually think this is pretty reasonable, must better than the cost of a weekly Cbeebies Magazine.

The boys are also avid Kerwhizz watchers (KerwizzKids) on Cbeebies and we actually have 4 episodes on Sky+, as they love the format of the show.

The Magazine has been designed to give kids confidence at school with quizzes and puzzles based on the National Curriculum. 

I have to say that the magazine appealed to both the boys, but it was far too easy for Maxi  (5, but he is a bit of a whizz).  It held his attention for all of 30 minutes and then it was all done and completed too, with every question right!

Mini (4), however, got much more out of it.  I loved the fact that the stickers meant that he didn't have to write (he hates even attempting to at the moment).  We spent a couple of evenings sitting together with the magazine after bath time and really enjoyed the time and the questions.

If you have seen the show then the format will be familiar to you and the magazine has all the same characters in, like King Pong and Cat Cool.  There is a good mixture of questions and activities, including colouring, mazes and a story, which meant that Mini didn't get board.  In fact he has kept coming back to it and reading it on his own.

I will be buying this for Mini again.

There is also a game you can play here, with  10,000 copies and 5 annual subscriptions  of the magazine to win.

To find out more about my disclosure and review policy click here.