Saturday 31 August 2013

Superhero Car Seat - Every Childs Dream!

IS IT A MYSTIQUE SEAT ?


IS IT A WOLVERINE SEAT ?


IS IT AN INCREDIBLE'S SEAT ?


IS IT A CATWOMAN SEAT ?


IS IT A HULK SEAT ?



I'M GUESSING THAT'S A NO THEN!

THE ULTIMATE IN SUPERHERO SEAT IS.......

A BATMAN CAR SEAT, WITH CAPE.

Many children simply don’t like car seats, they don’t like to be strapped in, often struggle to free themselves once the frazzled parents has managed to fit them in securely and there is also the concern of distractions that the child could make leading to the parent having an increased risk of an accident. Kids Embrace have come up with a fantastic solution a car seat with all the necessary safety features and character designs that children will love.
They launch in the UK in May with their most popular and in demand Batman Car Seat. Batman is a super hero icon and mini caped crusaders will no doubt be the first in the car for their heroic adventure. The Batman seat even comes with a removable cape – essential for little superheroes on longer journeys!
The Kids Embrace Batman car seat is a fun, stylish and safe, stage 1-2-3, high-back booster seat. It has an integral 5 point harness to ensure children from approximately 9 months – 12 years are safely secured on any journey.

The single hand adjustable harness features a quick release buckle and has chest and buckle pads for extra comfort.

Once your child reaches approximately 4 years old, the harness can be removed and your child can sit safely in the seat using the car's seat belt.
This high-back booster car seat has side impact protection to keep your child safe in the event of a side on collision. The headrest is height adjustable so you can ensure they are always sitting comfortably whatever their age.
The seat is strong yet lightweight which makes it easy and convenient to transfer between cars.
The Batman car seat will be available in Halfords and Toys R us from May 2013. The range also includes Dora The Explorer and SpongeBob Square Pants.

Features
·         For use with a 3 point adult seat belt
·         ECE R44.04 approved for Group 1-2-3 (9-36kg)
·         Forward facing use only
·         Integral 5-point harness system with single hand adjustment and quick release buckle
·         Height adjustable headrest
·         The backrest can easily be removed and the base used as a booster seat
·         Made of high energy absorbing materials
·         Clear belt routine indicators for easy installation in the car
·         Extra baby insert padding for use with smaller babies
·         Soft and breathable, washable seat covers
·         2 practical cup holders


As you can see, Mystique and Wolverine want the seat for themselves, who will be victorious, find out in the next episode


Monday 26 August 2013

Tickets To Wicked THE WINNER IS .....

The winner of the tickets to Wicked is

Emma Syder

Please send me your contact details to 

mandijmorrison@aol.com

Congratulations xxx

Sunday 25 August 2013

The White Cliffs Of Disney!!



WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL DISNEY PARADE COMES TO THE UK FEATURING THE CAST OF DISNEY INFINITY -

London, UK (22nd August, 2013) - Buzz Lightyear, Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible joined an all-star cast of Disney characters to take part in the world’s first Digital Disney Parade in the UK last night.

Seven of Disney’s most iconic characters were projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover to mark the arrival of Disney Infinity, an all-new gaming universe where players can create their own adventures with characters from across Disney like never before.

The illumination stood 80 metres high and 500 metres wide – the biggest in the UK – and signaled the start of the first Digital Disney Parade, which saw the digitally projected characters turn London into a city-sized playground as they ran across the capital. 

The parade’s full line up included Buzz Lightyear and Jessie (Toy Story), Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean), Mr. & Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles), Mike Wazowski and Sulley (Monsters University) and The Lone Ranger and Tonto (The Lone Ranger), all appearing together here for the first time.

The Digital Disney Parade can be viewed here below



Joss Hastings from Disney UK comments: “Disney Infinity creates a virtual toy box where fans can play with all their favourite characters together and design their own adventures. What better way to celebrate the launch of the game in the UK than with the first Digital Disney Parade, showing the characters making their own fun in London.”


Disney Infinity is released on Friday, 23rd August and is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.  Unique play experiences are available for Wii and 3DS systems, and on mobile devices. 

The boys are so excited about this game, and I definitely think this will be featured on every child (possibly adult's) Christmas list for 2013, in one way or another.

Friday 23 August 2013

#CBias Back To School Shop

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Our two eldest children will begin back at high school on 3rd September, our other school age children will return to their primary school on 4th September, including Eowyn starting her very first term in reception class.

We decided to get our new school from Asda this time for all five children. Xene and Lochlan both required the next size up in shirts and trousers.

Neva, Kaide and Eowyn all required white polo shirts, both girls chose frilly ones. All three of the primary school children required new trousers and Eowyn chose a few skirts.

Whilst doing the shop Eowyn, Kaide and Lochlan all saw hats in the sale basket. Lochlan chose a sun hat and both Eowyn and Kaide chose winter hats, ready for the cold weather.


Lochlan in his new funky hat



Eowyn and Kaide in their new winter hats


Xene pushing Tyrus near the teenage school uniform.


The three youngest in their school uniform


Eowyn in her school uniform


Kaide in his new uniform


Neva in her new frilly polo shirt.


We managed to get their entire school uniform from the Asda shop, apart from their shoes which we will leave until the last minute, just in case anyone's feet decide to have a growth spurt before they start back at school.

You can view the whole shopping experience in the google + album here

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Glitzi Globe Review




 The cutest, collectable DIY glittery snow globes around! Create adorable globes to pop, swap,share and wear! Girls can create and decorate their own mini snow globes that can become jewellery or pen toppers with a magical twist. These cute and quirky charms encouragecollectability. Simply make it, fill it and shake it! Along with the mini domes this kit comes with 1 mega dome that includes 3 Carousel Horses.Suitable for ages 4 and above.





All of the children really enjoyed making the Snow Globes, although Eowyn aged nearly five did need help from big brother Lochlan to put them together.


This is one of the first projects that I really did just leave them to do themselves, they chose which characters went in which Globe and who went in the big one.




The children even took the photos as they were going along.

Their verdict :

Eowyn (age 4) They were fun to make, my favourite is the little mouse in the bath, he is sooo cute

Neva (age 10) My favourite part was watching my two year old brother shake them once I had made them and not have a clue what they were! My favourite was the little purple bunny.

The only adult help that is required is when you have to put the water and glitter into the large dome and then attached the rubber seal and bottom, this took a few attempts to get it right and ensure no leakages!!

This kept most of the children entertained for an entire afternoon, and has kept the two year old transfixed for days, whenever he sees it he is mesmerised.


Linked by Judy Serrano


Linked
By:: Judy Serrano

Product details

  • Paperback: 264 pages
  • Publisher: Black Rose Writing (18 July 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1612962173
  • ISBN-13: 978-1612962177
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm
About the Book::

Daphne Foster is a substitute teacher stuck in an English class, waiting for that dreaded parent-teacher conference. With much preparation and anxiety, she encounters the unforgettable Charlie Cross. His charm and good looks, win her over but rumors of his involvement with organized crime make his continued disappearances disturbing.
In walks Heathcliff Vanderpool, creating a love triangle of unusual sorts. Unknown to Daphne, Heathcliff and Charlie are old friends: Older than she could have imagined. With Charlie away on business, Daphne and Heathcliff discover a passion between them lying beneath the surface. As their souls link, pulling away from Charlie becomes next to impossible. Will his involvement in organized crime consume them both before she’s able to get free? When you become “linked,” the choice may not be your own.


What Did I Think Of The Book

As a sometimes vampire fan, I was not too sure when I began reading Linked, the heroine didn't really start off as a strong character, which is what you expect her to be when you combine vampires and The Mob, but she does grow on you, the concept of the book is slightly different to the usual vampy story, so I would say it is a definite read for any vampire fan.
Author web links:
This post was written for CM Booktours, who provided the complimentary product in exchange for my honest review.

Thursday 15 August 2013

Two tickets to see Wicked!


The wonderful people at Seatwave offered me two theatre tickets to go and see Wicked! at The Apollo Victoria Theatre, London on Saturday 31st August at 7.30pm, but due to the fact that it will be 5 days before my due date, I have decided to let two of you go instead, don't think the theatre would like a birth during the performance!!

Since debuting in the UK in 2006, Wicked has taken London’s West End scene by storm. The production was an instant hit with both fans and critics, making Wicked one of the most popular London shows in recent memory. Wicked is adapted from the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It follows the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, seeing everything unfold from her perspective prior to, during and after the events of the iconic 1939 film The Wizard Of Oz. The West End production of Wicked has been so well received that it has earned a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. 

So, to win these tickets it is very simple.

Firstly, make sure you are available to go on Saturday 31st August at 7.30pm.
Then leave me a comment below telling me who you will be taking with you if you win and why....

You can gain extra entries by

~ Liking Hex Mum on facebook
~ Following @Hex_Mum on twitter
~ Following Seatwave on Twitter

Just leave me a separate comment for each telling me you have done them

Closing Date : 23rd August 2013

Good Luck xxx





Exciting New Ventures and Wiggly Update

As you may remember I was very keen to have a homebirth in a Birthing Pool for our latest baby, nicknamed Wiggly.
I was very fortunate that a lovely company called Birth Pools Online had agreed to let me have one of their heated pools for the birth, which I was extremely excited about. A few weeks ago I received a very apologetic email from the company to say that they were no longer able to supply me with a pool as a family situation had meant that they would no longer be running the business, cue mad panic and "Oh No, I won't get a Waterbirth after all"

It's funny how things turn out, a couple of days later I had correspondence with the company and had the fantastic opportunity to actually buy the business, my husband and I sat down and discussed it all, and came to the conclusion that we both believed in the product and thought there was a need for the business to continue, so on Tuesday evening, I became the very proud owner of Birth Pools Online, so if any of you pregnant ladies out there are thinking of having a homebirth and would like a wonderful heated birthing pool for a five week hire, give me a shout!


Wiggly Update.

With all the hustle and bustle of school holidays and new businesses, the weeks are flying by, i had my 36 week check last week and everything is going great, he is now 3/5 engaged and boy can I feel it!!
Today I have hit my target day, I am 37 weeks, which means I can now have him at home without anyone saying "You have to come into hospital" My medication is on standby for bleeding (just a precaution and the only way they would agree to a homebirth)

Last night I went to bed at midnight but really couldn't sleep, Wiggly was trying to impersonate the scene from Alien, I did at one point think he was going break his way out via my very tight belly!!

I found myself laying in a rather full,  hot bubbly bath at 1am waiting for the pains to subside, which of course they did, which is a good thing as all I kept thinking was "I haven't got to try out the birthpool yet, they are all being delivered tomorrow!!"

I also had a courier at the door yesterday delivering a parcel, who asked how long I had left and if I knew what I was having, to which he then retold the story of how his wife got told she was having a boy a few months back, at the same hospital and scan, to find out that she actually delivered a little girl, so I guess we will have to wait and see!

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Morrisons Nutmeg Range Reviewed by The Morrisons


We thought it was only fair to tell you all about the range of school clothing at Morrisons - as it's such a great name!! Only kidding, it's not just about the name, we were very fortunate to be chosen as one of ten bloggers to review their Nutmeg School Uniform range, which I have to say didn't disappoint!

Here is what they have to say about Nutmeg

We think what makes Nutmeg a bit different is the thoughtful details. Knowing there's nothing worse than a tickly label, all the clothes (school and non-school) are free from rough, itchy or tickly labels. And all jackets, tops and t-shirts are made from super soft fabrics for all day comfort. DIY is a big theme in the collection – where there's a zip, they're big and chunky so kids can do them up themselves and trousers have adjustable waistbands, designed to be easily pulled up and perfect for growth spurts.

This sentence I can totally agree with Neva is THE most fussy girl about itchiness, she only has a few tops that she will actually wear because they are comfortable. Eowyn is at the independent stage, just about to start Big School and needs to do everything herself, so big and chunky is a dream come true. Kaide, although the eldest in his class, he is the smallest, so adjustable waist stops him from having the 'boxers on display teen look' permanently.

We were asked to choose an entire school outfit for Eowyn and Neva, including Polo Shirt, Skirt or Trousers, cardigan or Jumper, socks, and plimsolls.
They also have a fabulous range of stationery items, so we could choose some of these to review too.

Neva has always been a trouser girl, but Eowyn decided on a skirt, i dread to think how many scraped knees she will come home with, but we shall see!







 I was really impressed with the price tags, especially as I have five school uniforms to purchase this year, and I have to say the quality of the clothing is really good, with no itchy labels and easy to adjust waistbands, its definitely worth considering for your school uniform choices.
The choice of stationery items is also very impressive, so for those we asked the older children who are experts at school requirements and we chose a Project Book, lever Arch File and Zebra grip pens. Neva is a leftie and has real trouble finding pens that are suitable for her, i am pleased to announce that these ones are "just great, and easy to write with!"

And here are my two daughters modelling their latest school uniform....




























Their verdict:
This uniform is really cool and it doesn't have itchy bits (neva aged 10)
I want to wear these socks and black shoes ALL day (Eowyn aged 4 discovering plimsolls!!)

As a mum of six, nearly seven children I think this uniform is good value for money and both girls seem equally impressed which is quite an achievement as they both have fussy tastes, I would give it a big thumbs up!


Tuesday 13 August 2013

BRITAX LAUNCHES BLISS CHARITY DRIVE ON ROYAL BABY-SAFE SEAT

This week, leading child safety brand, BRITAX is proud to launch a Royal themed fundraising drive for the special care baby charity, Bliss. They are offering parents and parents-to-be the chance to own a car seat fit for a King!
A very limited number of the BABY-SAFE plus SHR II car seats have been created in the exact same limited edition fabric design that HRH Prince George was seen in leaving the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital.  150 units of these seats will go on sale for £129.99 to the public with all proceeds being donated to the charity.

Bliss is the UK charity working to provide the best possible care and support for all premature and sick babies and their families. One in every 9 babies is born premature or sick - that is around 80,000 babies every year who need specialist hospital care.


Bengi Bingol Yalcin, UK Marketing Manager at BRITAX remarks, 'Everyone here at BRITAX was delighted to see that the Duke and Duchess had selected a BRITAX seat to carry the future King home – and we’ve certainly seen an increase in demand for the BABY-SAFE range ever since. Of course, our ongoing support of the Bliss charity is hugely important to us and so, we have re-released the very same fabric design cover on Prince George’s seat to help raise money for the charity. This cover is no longer available to purchase from retailers, so we’re offering parents a unique opportunity to buy one whilst also supporting a fantastic cause.”


The limited edition BABY-SAFE plus SHR II car seat in the Felix fabric will be available for purchase for £129.99 via our website.

Thursday 8 August 2013

A Stroke ? I'm Only 37 !

Last weekend I had a pretty harrowing time, Friday evening Asa and I went to a Quiz night at his rugby club, it was to raise money for Charity and I  thought that I had a reasonable general knowledge base.
I was part of the Hashtag WAGS team and we were feeling quite confident, until we took a look at the page to record your answers...It was a SPORTS quiz!!!
In all fairness we didn't do too badly we were not last nor second from last but we did come third from last!!
My brainbox of a husband's team won, obviously, next time we shall challenge them to celebrity and fashion quiz!!
When the quiz finished we stayed for a while, chatting and catching up with people we don't get to see very often.
About 11pm I was sat talking with one of the girls when I felt quite strange, the only way I can describe it was feeling completely spaced out, as if I wasn't really in the room, very bizarre and we left shortly afterwards, as Asa had been drinking I drove us home, however I would be lying if I said I could remember the journey, in fact it is a complete blur, I even took a wrong turning at the roundabout, on a trip i do almost daily.
We got home and I spent a short time talking with our lovely babysitter, whilst we were chatting my left arm and all down the left side of my face went completely numb, I was drinking a bottle of water and I could feel it trickling out of my mouth, I literally had no feeling, this went on for at least half an hour!
I went up to bed and tried to sleep it off, the numbness went and was replaced by a thundering headache and flashing lights, I began to panic, I had these kind of feelings when I was pregnant with Xene, which turned into pre-eclampsia and an early than expected delivery. I telephoned the Central Delivery Suite and described my symptoms, the midwife told me to take a paracetamol and go back to bed, if it had not improved in an hour to call back. An hour later I could barely move my head it hurt that much, I called back and they told me to come in, which is when the fun bit started, I had to wake Asa up, by now the time was 4am and also get someone to come and take care of the six children, good old dad picked up the phone straight away and said he was on his way!
I then thought about Xene's arrival, when I went to hospital I never returned until after I had her, so I began routing through the cupboards for newborn baby clothes (just in case!)
On arrival at the hospital I had every test going, bloods, urine, baby checks. All concluded that baby was absolutely fine and the problem was me!!!
I was referrred to a medical doctor, although they kept me on the obstetrics ward due to the fact I was 34 weeks pregnant.
Asa went home about 8am, after they had informed him I would be staying in for the weekend whilst they worked out what was wrong with me...
Their main concern was that I had suffered a mini stroke, as I still had very limited feeling on my left side, various tasks involving closing eyes and drawing circles mid air resulted in the diagnosis that I had probably got a complex migraine, though why at the age of 37 I should suddenly get one, when I have never had one before was puzzling them, so I was transferred to the Postnatal ward in a sideroom to continue being observed.
The other concern was maybe a blood clot, so I was given some rather sexy TEDs Stockings to wear!! Bet you thought they were always white....


I was dosed up every couple of hours with painkillers and the headache gradually subsided, which was good news because it meant I didn't have to go through the embarrassment of a brain scan to be told there is nothing left after so many babies!!!

I was eventually allowed home on Sunday afternoon on the condition that I rested, thankfully my lovely husband and children have been taking great care of me ever since and Wiggly has been able to stay put until he is properly cooked!!

So that was the start to the Morrison Summer Holidays!! What next....

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Go Ape This Summer

My children love the outdoors and they are always looking for ways to test and push themselves, they love nothing more than climbing trees and can often be found doing impressions of Robin Hood or Tarzan, I also have to add that their dad is usually the first one up there, and he is definitely responsible for teaching all of them to climb trees!
One of their favourite trips out is to the local woods, where they have specific trees they have to climb before we come home.
Not too far from us is Thetford Forest where they have a Go Ape  centre and the children have mentioned on more than one occasion that they would like to pay it a visit. They offer a range of outdoor activities that you can choose from, including a Treetop Adventure which will have you zip wiring through the forest or for a different experience the Forest Segway, that allows you to balance your way through the forests and take in beautiful scenery.
 I must admit a Tree Top Adventure does look like an extremely fun way to spend a few hours, they even have a Tree Top Junior experience, so the younger ones can have a go, I think that would probably be my limit, as I am not so confident with heights!!
To see what its all about, why not click on the video and take a closer look, it will all become clear.
And if that's not enough, why not head over to their facebook page watch a video of Monkey See Monkey Do and answer a simple question, then you could be jetting off to America and experiencing the journey of a life time! Prize includes flights, accommodation and Go Ape entry for four people.

Sponsored Post

Sports Day and Fun Night!

As treasurer of my younger children's PTA I get a little bit anxious towards the end of the year, we have paid out for quite a few things and the bank balance is looking a little sparse, towards the end of the summer term we have their annual sports day and our School Fun Night.

This year we decided that as we had a captive audience with all of the parents attending for either morning or afternoon Sports events (or some like me that had children in both!) we would try something new and provide refreshments for the parents at lunchtime break, it was the first time we had done it, and we managed to raise £18 which doesn't sound a huge amount but it did pay for nearly all of the children's ice lollies that they are given at the end of the day.

Our school runs team events for the younger children in the morning, then the afternoon has the same ones, but with the bigger children, then their team scores are added together to get the winning team. After these races we have a few more traditional races such as 100m, 200m, 400m, relay and egg and spoon.

When Xene and Lochlan were at the school they felt like Sports Day was a chore, neither were very competitive and it was just a thing that had to be done!

Neva and Kaide are the complete opposite, they love sports day and get very competitive, this year they were in the Jaguars team.






At the end of the Team Games, whilst all of the children had an ice lolly they added up the scores....
Jaguars came in at a very respectable second place, which they were both very happy with.

Next was the older children's races, Neva lined up for her girls 100m Sprint and came second, last year she had been third, so i think she is aiming for Gold in her final year of Primary!!

Eowyn and Tyrus had a lovely time too, it was a little hot for me!



The Sports Day ran slightly over time, so Xene was able to join us for the last part, as she was currently on work experience, just down the road!!




The following week was our biggest money raiser of the year, the Family Fun Night. This year was made slightly more stressful because our chairperson's daughter had just had her tonsils removed two days before, meaning that I was left to sort out lots of the arrangements!!
It didn't help that we woke up to find Asa's Tyre had a puncture and we all had to be in different places at different times, but we got it sorted eventually!
I went to school after lunch and organised everyone, (didn't really have a choice as no-one would let me pick up anything, even a bottle of wine! Think they were worried about Health and Safety of a pregnant governor...)
The only problem that we had encountered was a lack of barbecue, the one we had used previously was no longer available, so I spent an afternoon browsing through the Argos Catalogue which had plenty of barbecue choices so that was not a problem.



Getting ready for the hungry customers

Didn't know little people could eat so much!




























In the evening it was extremely busy, we had lots of different stalls and it was lovely to see so many children and their families turn out to support our local school, another highlight was the return of two teachers that had left the school to take up teaching posts nearer to their homes, they were both treated like celebrities and it really was heartwarming.
We finished shortly after 9pm and after totaling up all of the money we had made a staggering £1500 which will keep the PTA running for a little bit longer, next stop Christmas Bazaar!!!