Reviews

Shrek the Musical: best pantomime ever!

Me and the Bug have been begging to see Shrek the Musical ever since it was first advertised. The prices of West End Theatre tickets being what they are, M&D restrict us to one show per year, and I had asked this year for Matilda (which, OMG, you have to go and see). So we thought Shrek was firmly off the menu, until we were asked to go and review it! Based on the story of Shrek, but with plenty of small detours by way of a good song or a child actor, the show is full of glitter, fun …

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Wot so Funee? Top Christmas present for big kids (and Dads)

STOP!! If your name is Actually Daddy, stop reading this post right now. I said stop………… Do not. Scroll down. Any further. Unless you want to ruin your Christmas surprise. It is lovely. It’s a lovely selection of pants, to be honest, and the Christmas jumper is to die for, but really, you wouldn’t want to spoil the paper-ripping  effect, now would you? Has he gone…? Right, let’s get on with this. Because I have a cracking Christmas present for Daddy this year. He is going to love it. Is it just my Dad, or is it Dads everywhere that …

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The new NatWest Pig

Do you remember the NatWest Pig? Slightly scary creatures, these money boxes were designed in the 1980’s to encourage kids (by means of intimidation, I imagine) to save their pocket money and put it in the bank. They died out in 1988 (presumably as a result of being hacked to pieces by hallucinatory toddlers in the middle of the night), but have remained something of a collector’s item ever since. If you are made of steely enough stuff, you can buy a set on eBay for around £50. The great news is that the NatWest Pig is making a comeback, …

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I am available for movie offers…

So I got my first film part recently; I auditioned, said my lines, got the call-back, and rehearsed with my props prior to filming. I spent time in make-up, and got into costume. I did a “hero shot” with full-on wind machine, I kept my cool when the animals didn’t do as they were told, and handled the fluff-up with aplomb. I even improvised. Hey, it’s a start… * Disclosure: this is not a sponsored post. I was invited to review the Barbie Puppy Playpark and I gracefully accepted – one can always manage to accomodate an extra Barbie gadget …

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How girl’s dresses change over the years…

  When I was a toddler, I think I was quite cute. Always chuckling, tiny bunches sprouting off the top of my head, chubby thighs, and as cheeky as they come. Of course, I was a typical toddler, always getting messy, falling down, or  waving around a spoon of something orange until it landed on Mummy, or me. And then there was snot, and other bodily fluids. Ahem… So I needed practical clothes, comfy, easy to move around in, and capable of withstanding a bit of wear and tear at the playgroup, or of handling the hot wash required to …

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What child marriage really means, and how you can help

My Auntie J lost her sons recently. I don’t mean lost as in she misplaced them – that would have been simply careless, they are in their 20’s after all. But they left home, you see, went off to start their independent lives. Incidentally, I’m kind of hoping that means they might get married, because I’ve never been a bridesmaid… But anyway, I digress. Auntie J has always been a carer: a great mum to her boys, our favourite relative to visit, and a nurse. When she became an ’empty-nester’ she had a hankering to do something different with her …

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Can you really do a posh London restaurant with children?

Guest post from Mummy… Remember the Oxo Tower? The Palais du Jardin? The Ivy? Oh, erm, no – I never did manage to get a reservation there, unless you count the one for dinner on a Monday in 7 months time, at 3.47pm, table back by 4.30 please… Anyway, those were the days, weren’t they? The days before the kids had us eschewing the fine dining in London that we were used to. Yes, those days, the ones which relied on a dual income, plenty of free time, and table manners! Going out for a meal is now more likely to …

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Why we’re definitely booking another Siblu holiday

We came home just as the weather turned bad again! Our ridiculous timing took us out of the country just as the sunshine arrived for its week long holiday in the UK. That in itself would be sufficient to see M&D booking another Siblu holiday, but that isn’t the driving factor. Is it the splash park my brother and I spent long hours in, only being dragged away when our teeth were chattering with cold, and then only for as long as it took to eat yet another French ice-cream? The gorgeous beaches, wide enough to find our own space – no …

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GG interviews author Safia Guerras about her first book: Lou Lou

Well, a film reviewer, and now a journalist. What wonderful opportunities I get to have a go at new things, just by dint of Mummy having a blog! Does it matter that I rarely win anything significant for my efforts? Not a jot! I get to do stuff that most children would give up their Haribo for, in a safe environment, with Mummy’s support and help. So, I may not be Odeon’s official junior film reviewer. So what? I had great fun giving it a go and playing with video editing! And today, I may not be launching a career …

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Help with reading from the Ministry of Letters

Do you have children who are soon to start school? Are you keen to get them acquainted with letters, ready for the big scary world of phonics and literacy lessons in school? Well don’t be. We have talked long and hard on Actually Mummy about how children learn to read, and there are lots of things you can do to help. But it will come, when your child is ready to read. In the meantime, if you are still keen to press on, you might like to try the Ministry of Letters – Operation Alphabet. Now the Bug is full-throttle …

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Disney Nature African Cats film review

The lovely Disney, the creators of all my favourite Princesses, the fulfiller of my dreams as  I screamed Cinderelly’s name at Disneyland Paris, has made a nature documentary. African Cats: you know, stunning animals that you get to know and love, who then rip out your heart as they disembowel a weaker prey, or fall victim to their own predators? We were invited to the premiere of African Cats last week, and I’ll be honest: the prospect of seeing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was more of a draw than the film itself; I was a little worried about …

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Extreme Ironing – Blog it for Babies with Save the Children

Well, Blog it for Babies reached St Albans yesterday (more on that later, in a much saner and more newsworthy post). The day was a huge success, but before I tell you about it, here is how Annie from Mammasaurus spent the evening, extreme ironing Dadda Cool’s shirts for charity! By the way Grandma, knowing your opinion of Mammasaurus, you might want to skip this video and read the more ‘normal’ post later on.

Toddler Book Review: Personalised Books!

This is not strictly a #funee post, but it is the first proper written piece of work the Bug has produced. We have read and reviewed several books on Actually Mummy in recent weeks, but this is our first toddler book review. The Bug was given a personalised book and he was so excited that he wanted to write his own review! You can see that he got fed up after a while (either that much is obvious or you’re thinking that he’s a very quick learner!) but for a first effort I’m pretty proud. See what you make of …

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Children’s book review: Gorgeous George and the Giant Geriatric Generator

By Stuart Reid. Illustrated by Calvin Innes. Gorgeous George and the Giant Geriatric Generator is the debut children’s book by Stuart Reid, a Scottish author who knows about the kind of humour children like. Whilst Mummy turned up her nose at the poo incident I describe below, I have to confess that it was my favourite section of the book! George witnesses some sinister goings on out of his bedroom window, and so begins a mystery that he must solve; false teeth and soggy teabags lead him on a mission to discover why his village is so miserable! Review: Gorgeous …

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Ralph is not a Spy: a book review

By Corinne V. Davies. Illustrated by El Ashfield. I was recently given a book to review. Ralph is not a Spy is one of a series of books about a rather nerdy schoolboy, who hadn’t yet figured out where he fits in life. He is not a spy; neither is he a Superhero or a Vampire, apparently, but I have yet to read about those particular adventures. He does play chess rather well though, and his opponent is set to kidnap him and steal his secrets. It transpires that Ralph may well be a spy, unbeknownst to even himself… What …

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Cakes for book-lovers

Alien's love underpants cake

Have you ever heard of an Edible Book Festival? No, neither had we, but when Zoe, at Playing by the book announced she was hosting one on her blog, we headed straight over. Up for grabs was an original drawing by Emma Chichester Clark, of Blue Kangaroo fame, and all we had to do was make an edible representation of a favourite book. Well, we didn’t have to be asked twice, and immediately set about baking a cake representation of the Sword in the Stone, having recently enjoyed King Arthur and the Mighty Contest from the Crazy Camelot series by …

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Yummy Dough

Father Christmas never fails to bring something to displease Mummy. Last year it was Whoopee Cushions and Noisy Putty. This year, with the aid of Tired Mummy of Two‘s Christmas list, he brought Yummy Dough. Mummy muttered a square-word and hid it behind the craft (read Yellow Moon) box. Requests to use it were countered with the observation that we still had lots of Christmas chocolate to get through before baking activity could resume. We finally wore her down this week, and the innocuous-looking powder was duly mixed with water to create biscuit dough of such primary colours that just …

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