Five Gorgeous Unicorn Gifts for under £10

If 2017 could be defined by a mythical creature, it would be the unicorn. This noble beast is so popular this year that I know Father Christmas will be stuffing his stockings with these magical horned horses. Everyone is into unicorns right? Right. So whether you’re buying for a small unicorn loving child, or the unicorn-crazy woman you got in the office Secret Santa, I’ve picked out five gorgeous unicorn gifts for under a tenner. You can’t say fairer than that!

Unicorn Gifts – One

This unicorn badge set (£7.50) contains not one, not two but three stylish unicorn badges. These are made with embroidery thread, stitched in bright colours and come with a gold badge pin. Pin them to your bag, coat or jumper, however you wear them you’ll make a real splash!

Unicorn Gifts – Two

For the girl (or boy) who thinks they have everything, it turns out they don’t. What they really need is a unicorn tape dispenser (£10) which comes complete with a roll of rainbow sticky tape. We’ve reached peak unicorn and I’m happy here.

Unicorn Gifts – Three

If a unicorn tape dispenser isn’t enough (what is wrong with you?), then the matching unicorn rainbow pencil set (£10) must surely hit the spot. Together these make up the unicorn stationery dream team. Don’t they? They must, surely.

Unicorn Gifts – Four

If you’re getting ready for a night out and you’re not wearing unicorn nail varnish (£7) are you even ready? This unicorn nail polish is full of rainbow sparkles confetti and promises give your nails the unicorn magic they need. All nails need unicorn magic don’t they?

Unicorn Gifts – Five

Lastly, if you’re taking notes in a meeting and you need people to respect you for the unicorn lover that you are, then you need this unicorn pencil and topper (£3.95). This cute white unicorn pencil topper complete with golden horn, fluffy pink tail and mane. Using this will ensure your work stands out while you scribble, sketch and scribe.

Please note these unicorn gifts are also suitable for children, but do you really want to share them?

See ELF – The Musical, this Christmas at The Lowry

I know it is still September, but Christmas will be upon us before we know it. Over the weekend my boys took themselves off to Hamleys at the intu Trafford Centre for the press launch of ELF – The Musical. What happened at the event was lovely. My boys came home full to the brim of Christmas spirit and keen as mustard to get tickets for the show!

The press launch was by all accounts really lovely. Benjamin and his Dad watched Ben Forster who plays Elf perform a song from the show. Then they got to meet Ben and Liz McClarnon (who plays Jovie). I think Liz was as charmed by my Benjamin as he was by her.

Preview: ELF - The Musical at The Lowry — Liz McClarnon and Benjamin share a cuddle at the Elf Lowry Musical launch event.

Elf – The Musical is coming to The Lowry, Salford Quays on Friday 24 November 2017 until Sunday 14 January 2018. Elf is my favourite Christmas film and this award winning musical version looks like essential viewing for Elf fans. I cannot wait to go and see it!

Elf – The Musical stars TV and West End star Ben Forster as Buddy, former Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon as Jovie, plus Joe McGann as Walter and Jessica Martin as Emily Hobbs. There are a trio of local boys playing the role of Michael too.

Based on the 2003 hit film starring Will Ferrell; Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Preview: ELF - The Musical at The Lowry

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to see Elf – The Musical at The Lowry! Get your tickets now, it’s bound to be incredibly popular!

Elf: The Musical is on at The Lowry from Friday 24 November 2017 until Sunday 14 January 2018.

Living Arrows: My Smiler of the Week

My son is known for his smile; in particular his huge dimples which if you fell into you may never be seen again. He is a smiler. A smiley boy and I hope the world never sees fit to wipe the beautiful smile off his face.

Last week at school he was awarded “Smiler of the Week”. This is not as you may think an award for just having a lovely smile. It is something you get nominated for if you’ve done something particularly kind or helpful that week.

Back to School with Debenhams School Uniform

We will never know what he did that was kind or helpful. He either can’t remember or if he can he’s not telling. But whatever it was, it was good enough for him to win the award and stand up in front of the school to receive his round of applause.

I really like the fact that his school celebrates kindness and helpfulness. If the world was a kinder, more helpful place wouldn’t it be wonderful?

If I can blow our own trumpet for a paragraph or two; one of the things we have really focused on at home is kindness and consideration. I feel like I’m a kind person with lots of empathy. Whilst that can mean I do sometimes get taken advantage of, it does mean that in many ways my life is richer for the kindness I show and share with others.

I didn’t want to raise a child who would barge through life running roughshod over other people and being unsympathetic to their feelings. People often comment on how kind and helpful he is. I am so pleased that it’s evident to other people too. As some wise owl once said “Manners cost nothing, but get you everything”.

Ordinary Moments: Smiler of the Week

I just want him to be a decent human being. In a world which seems to be increasingly full of tyrants and darkness, a little bit of kindness can go a long way.

Well done Ben. You’ve made me so incredibly proud of you, my Smiler of the Week!

I bite my nails and I’m ok with that

I bite my nails and I know that my nails make my otherwise ok hands look shabby. I don’t want to stop biting my nails. I actually quite like it. Other people seem to have a problem with it though. Should I stop biting my nails just to please other people?

I’ve got this slightly anti-social habit and I have no desire to stop it. Every so often when an occasion looms ahead, like Christmas or a wedding, I paint my nails in advance. This stops me nibbling for a while and my hands look briefly quite tidy and respectable.

I’m off to a blogging conference this weekend and it’s one of those rare occasions I think I might try to spruce myself up for. I’ve painted my nails and to anyone else they probably look terrible. But to me they look ok. I’ve got funny cuticles which need attention and the paint job isn’t great, but they’ll do. Anyone who wants to stare at my nails and judge me on them can judge away.

I bite my nails and I'm ok with that

I’d love to be able to go for a manicure. I’d love to spoil myself with one. I’ve had them in the past and almost without exception they’ve been joyless experiences. The nail technician always comments on my nail biting, the length of the nails, the state of my cuticles and has a resigned “what the hell am I going to do with these” look on their face.

No I don’t want false nails thank you. No I don’t want to grow them either. I hate the feel of having even slightly longer nails that I already have. Feeling the tips as they tap on the keyboard makes me feel sick and they have to come off. They have to be short and after 40 years of biting I’m not going to stop now.

I’d just love a manicure from someone who gets that I just want to make what I’ve got look pretty and tidy. I don’t want to stick false nails on. I don’t want to try nasty flavoured stuff either. My need to bite my nails is such that I will tolerate the terrible taste to get my nail nibbling fix.

My name is Jane and I bite my nails (and always will because I like it).

Review: Meet the new Schleich Marvel Thor Figurine

In my son’s school the boys fall into two tribes, the football tribe and the superhero tribe. My son dips into both of them, but at heart he loves superheroes the best. Father and son are cut from the same cloth and they both just love superheroes (me too, but no one ever asks who my favourite is). Ask my son for his top three and they will always be Spider-man, Hunk and Thor. Who are your favourites?

This week we’ve been playing with the new Marvel Thor Figurine from Schleich. This new figurine looks exactly like the character in the new Thor: Ragnarok film which is in cinemas from 27^th October.

Meet the Thor: Ragnarok Figurine from Schleich Marvel

The figurine is so realistic looking. He’s been hand-painted and the modelling is so detailed, right down to his piercing blue eyes! The detail on him is fantastic which makes him ideal if you’re recreating scenes from the film in the comfort of your own home.

He’s a reasonably tall figure, standing at 18.5 x 14 x 8.5cm, and he’s made from plastic. The Thor figure, like others in the range is priced at around £10 and is suitable for children aged 4+.

Thor Figurine from Schleich Marvel

Other figures in the Schleich Marvel range include –

⊗ Hulk
⊗ Captain America
⊗ Iron Man
⊗ Spider-Man
⊗ Dr Strange
⊗ Venom
⊗ Green Goblin
⊗ Black Goblin
⊗ Black Widow
⊗ Falcon

Thor just seems to be getting more and more popular, especially with the release of the latest Thor film in October. For Marvel fans, big or small this would make a really lovely Christmas present. The Schleich Marvel figures would be really great to collect or just to play with. The detailing is so good though that I can see these being really sought after collectors items in a few years.

The Thor Figurine and the other figures in the range are available from www.schleich-s.co.uk as well as from a range of other retailers including Amazon.

Meet new Thor Figurine from Schleich Marvel

We were sent the Thor Figurine from Schleich Marvel for review purposes. All opinions are our own. This post contains an Amazon affiliate link.

The #BlogOnXmas Jumper Linky – Who am I?

This weekend I’ll be going to the BlogOn Xmas Conference in Manchester. It’s not my first time at the BlogOn rodeo, but I thought I’d formally introduce myself anyway. So who am I?

We’ve all been given 15 questions to answer…

Please share your favourite photo of you.

The BlogOn Xmas Jumper Linky - Who am I?

This is my current favourite. Taken about a week ago when I was getting ready for a night out. I’m actually wearing make up (rare) and I particularly love my son sneaking over my shoulder.

If you could choose a band to play in your garden for your birthday, who would you pick?

Dunno. Which band are the best at cutting the grass and pruning shrubs? I’d probably choose Shed Seven. They’re really great live and a decent bunch of lads.

What do you take with you for long visits to the toilet?

My iPad. I’m usually watching TV or YouTube videos on it. It comes everywhere with me.

What word can’t you spell?

Most of them. My typing is so bad these days, because always becomes becasue. If I was writing it with a pen I’d be ok.

I guess I have to be careful with bolognese and lasagne.

What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had?

I’ve had so many jobs. Rubbish Saturday jobs and stuff when I was a student. My proper jobs when I left uni were all boring desk jobs, shuffling paper, some of which I’m not at liberty to discuss any further. So I’ll leave that there.

Blogging is the most unusual and varied job I’ve ever had. Non-bloggers have no idea what I really do or how hard I work and think I just get free stuff and isn’t it brilliant. No two days are the same, and yet every day I’m sat at my laptop misspelling because and wondering if there’s enough bread in the house to have some toast.

I’ve said yes to some completely bonkers and brilliant experiences I’d otherwise have said no to, most of which have brought huge amounts or joy, silliness and fantastic memories into our lives. Love blogging, it’s weird innit.

Knitting, sewing or crotchet?

Ugh. Despite me doing and trying more crafts these days I cannot knit or crochet. I can sew, a bit. I’m better at cross-stitch. When I gave up smoking in 2004 I took up cross-stitch and spend six months or so lovingly sewing huge pieces which I gave as gifts. I really wish I have the motivation and time to take it up again.

Without looking it up, what is a jerkinhead?

I think it’s a kind of roof. In my head a jerkin is a kind of leather waistcoat but I don’t think it’s that. Or it could be an insult from Elf, you jerkinheaded ninnymuggins. What is it?

If you could have as much of one food as you wanted forever, what would it be?

Summer rolls. They’re the finest food known to humanity and I need them. I need them now.

What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

I don’t know. Take my son into hospital for an operation maybe. Saying goodbye to people I know I’ll never see again.

Life, it’s all scary and full of jeopardy.

If you needed a getaway driver, who would you choose?

My husband. He’s the best driver I know and I reckon with some skidpan experience he’d be perfect for the job.

Would you rather live in Narnia or at Hogwarts?

Hogwarts. Little known fact but I’m actually half-wizard so I really should have been sent there instead of Parrs Wood High School. I guess my owl invitation must have gone missing.

What snack food says ‘Christmas’ to you?

Cheese and biscuits. We always have them in the house, but at Christmas every night the cheese board comes out and we tuck in. I always have nice chutneys and accompaniments at Christmas too.

Is there life on Mars?

Probably. But not as we know it Jim.

Which Christmas movie would you be a character in, and who would play you?

Elf and I’d be Elf. Because Elf is brilliant.

What are you proudest of?

My son. He is the best thing in my world. He makes me proud to be his mum every single day. Word.

Days Out: Visiting Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park

Over the summer we travelled down to North Devon for our two week holiday. We knew that the weather would not be fabulous, so we tried to plan a few wet weather activities. With that in mind we took our Merlin Passes and decided to choose a rainy day and drive over to Weymouth in Dorset to visit the Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park.

What we’d not realised (and a quick visit to their website would have told us this) is that Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park is a largely outdoor attraction and on rainy days you will get very wet.

Days Out: Visiting Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park

It was a 2 hour plus drive from our holiday cottage, but we arrived late morning and promptly got soaked to the skin as we walked to the entrance. The fast track queue which Merlin Annual Passholders use was outside, so by the time we got into the park we were completely sodden.

Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park is separated into several zones. Some of which are indoor, some are outdoor. As you can imagine on a very wet day the indoor zones were particularly crowded.

Days Out: Visiting Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park

The zones were – Harbourside; Nursery; Penguins; New Ideas Zone; Breed Rescue Protect; Ray Lagoon; Rockpool; Turtle Sanctuary; Seals; Rainforest; Shipwreck; Otters and Ocean Tunnel. In addition to these attractions, there is also a Wetlands Conservation Trail, a Splash Zone and Caribbean Cove – an outdoor adventure playground.

We love Sea Life Centres and we’ve seen a lot of the indoor habitats before at other Sea Life Centres. Once we realised there were other exciting attractions we’ve never seen before, despite the heavy rain we made a beeline for them. Ben loved the penguins and the seals. The Turtle Sanctuary was in its own building complete with a huge turtle over the entrance.

Days Out: Visiting Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park

The otters which are Asian Short-Clawed Otters were a big hit. We both really enjoyed watching them run about, diving in and out of their pool and the dashing inside to tumble about in their beds.

We were particularly impressed with the outdoor Rockpool area. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The indoor Rockpool areas at other Sea Life Centres are usually a series of supervised tanks you can put your hands in and touch the creatures. The same is true here, but it’s outside, partially under cover and every so often an artificial tide crashes out and floods the area. There is a warning, so you can step out of the way and not get wet, but it’s a great addition. The Rockpool area is home to creatures native to the UK, including starfish, shore crabs, anemones and sea urchins.

Days Out: Visiting Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park

The outdoor areas were brilliant and a real treat. There was so much to see and do and we learned such a lot. On a dry day I know we would have made so much more of them. It was such a shame it was so wet, but that didn’t seem to bother the penguins, seals and otters quite as much as it did us.

We would absolutely visit the Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park again, just maybe on a dry day.

For more information about Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park, visit their website.

If you’re visiting Weymouth you could also visit the Jurassic Skyline Tower which we reviewed here.

I’m a Merlin Annual Pass Blogger Ambassador. I have been given a Merlin Annual Pass to do this review with my family. I wasn’t paid to write this post.

Toy Review: Brainbox Transport Game

Every weekend we have a family games night. After tea we get a game out, have a laugh and just enjoy being together. On Sunday night after the dishwasher had been stacked, I brought out a new game for us to try – the Brainbox Transport Game. I had a sneaky suspicion that it would hit the spot, and I was right. It was brilliant fun for us all.

Giveaway & Review: Brainbox Transport Game

It’s a quick fire memory game. You take it in turns to pick a card and study it hard for 10 seconds. Roll the dice and answer the corresponding question on the back of the card. If you answer correctly you keep the card, get it wrong and it goes back in the pile. The person with the most cards after 5 or 10 minutes is the winner.

The box contains 55 transport cards, 1 rules card, 1 sand timer and 1 dice. The Brainbox Transport Game is suitable for ages 4+ and costs around £11.99. It’s designed in the UK and made from 70% recycled material.

The Brainbox Transport Game is brilliant if you’ve got a short amount of time for a quick game, or if you want to play round after round after round. All of the cards have different modes of transport on them; bus, plane, bulldozer, gondola, ice cream van etc.

The questions on the back of the cards test your memory of the details on the card. For example – How many people are on the bus? What colour is the car? Are there any clouds in the sky?

Giveaway & Review: Brainbox Transport Game

You can play this game on your own, or with as many people as you want. The youngest player starts, takes a card, memorises the picture for 10 seconds, then passed the card to another player. You the roll a dice to pick the question number and you have to answer the question, for example “Can you see the control tower?” If you’re right you keep the card, if you’re wrong you put it back in the pile and the next player takes their turn. Easy.

We liked a lot of things about this game. Primarily it was a lot of fun and it will be a regular at our family games nights. I liked that it was sneakily working all of our memory muscles (if there’s such a thing, but you know what I mean). I also liked that my son was as keen as mustard to read out the questions on the back of the cards. He’s not a reluctant reader, but it’s always good to see him really wanting to read to us.

The Brainbox Transport Game was a big hit. There are lots of other versions of the game if transport doesn’t float your boat (see what I did there?).

Find out more about the Brainbox range of games on their website.

We were sent the Brainbox Transport Game for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Beech’s Fine Chocolates Luxury Handmade Truffles

I’m a fan of Beech’s Fine Chocolates who are based just up the road from me in Lancashire. Beech’s Fine Chocolates have been making quality, traditional British Chocolates since 1920, including novelties for children, right up to their latest range of luxury handmade truffles.

Their new collection of luxury handmade truffles includes Champagne, Pink Champagne, Prosecco and Sea Salted Caramel flavours. Each box contains 9 truffles and costs £6.99 per beautiful box.

Beech’s Fine Chocolates Luxury Handmade Truffles

The silver embossing on the boxes is especially lovely. Each pastel box is emblazoned with the phrase “All you need is Love & Chocolate”. It’s an eye-catching and appealing box of chocolates which would make a lovely gift for someone special.

I’m someone who gets given a box of Champagne truffles for my birthday and Christmas, so I’ve tried quite a lot of Champagne truffles over the years and these were excellent. Packed full of Champagne flavour, but not so much that it overwhelms the thick chocolate shell.

I had never until now tried a Pink Champagne truffle. These lightly dusted truffles burst with Pink Champagne flavour. They are made with white chocolate and they’re so delicate in every way. They might be my new favourite Champagne truffle.

Beech’s Fine Chocolates Luxury Handmade Truffles

I am pleased to see that Prosecco truffles are part of the new range. I’ve never tried a Prosecco truffle before but I’ve got a feeling these will be popular. The milk chocolate truffles are delicious; slightly more delicate that the Champagne truffles but just as smooth and creamy inside.

Last but my no means least are the Anglesey Sea Salted Caramel truffles. These have been dusted with cocoa and filled with salted caramel. They’re so good. Really luxurious, not too salty and with a nice balance between the chocolate and the caramel. I loved them.

These luxury handmade truffles from Beech’s Fine Chocolates are a real treat. They’re as pretty as a picture, they’re utterly delicious and they’d make really lovely little gifts this Christmas.

Find out more about Beech’s Fine Chocolates Luxury Handmade Truffles on their website.

Note: We were sent these truffles for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

New Healthy Ready Meals from Goodlife Foods

I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 30 years now and I’ve often felt that vegetarians get a poor deal when it comes to ready meals. Visit any supermarket and your choice is lasagne or an insipid curry. I was pleased when I discovered that Goodlife Foods (who make a properly interesting range of veggie foods) have just started selling a small but interesting range of ready meals.

New Healthy Ready Meals from Goodlife Foods

The new range from Goodlife Foods features two well thought out meals. Each containing 3 portions of veg and both look like the healthiest ready meals I’ve ever had in my freezer. Both of the ready meals take 8 minutes to cook from frozen in your microwave, or 35 minutes in the oven. They’re currently available online at Morrisons and Iceland and cost just £2 each. But how do they taste?

The 3 Bean Chilli with Cauliflower Rice is packed full of beans and other vegetables including sweetcorn, tomatoes and peppers. It’s served with cauliflower rice which I thought might be bland, but was a surprising hit with us all. The chilli was spicy without being too much and was well flavoured with heavy hints of smoked paprika.

New Healthy Ready Meals from Goodlife Foods

The 3 Bean Chilli with Cauliflower Rice is low fat, high in protein and full of fibre. It is Vegetarian Society approved and suitable for vegans. This 400g portion contains just 276 calories, which makes it perfect if you’re counting calories.

The second ready meal we tried was the Vegetable Masala with Cauliflower Rice. I was worried this would be yet another disappointing curry, but I was very much mistaken.

The vegetable masala was rich and creamy and tasted far naughtier than it was. The contents of the curry had been well thought out and I was pleased to see a smattering of lentils in the mix as well as chickpeas, red peppers and chucks of roasted sweet potato. It was quite delicious and I was very impressed with the depth of flavour of this meal.

New Healthy Ready Meals from Goodlife Foods

The Vegetable Masala with Cauliflower Rice is a tiny bit naughtier than the chilli butt still manages to only be 294 calories per 400g portion. It’s slightly higher in fat than the chilli, but still contains 3 portions of vegetables and is Vegetarian Society approved (it’s not suitable for vegans though).

Both my husband and myself go through phases of being on the 5:2 diet, so these ready meals are perfect for those fast days. We were both really impressed with these Goodlife ready meals and we’re total converts to cauliflower rice now.

These meals are the kind of thing we can throw in the microwave after a busy day without having to worry about how bad what we’re eating is for us; in fact we can feel quite virtuous after eating these virtually guilt free meals!