My video diary - Episode 3

Our 'Diary of a Netmum' series continues with this visit to the dentist.

Looks all cute and serene doesn't it?



Well that was before the middle one started pressing buttons on the 'gargle and spit sink' (yes that is actually the scientific term for it). Before we knew it there was water overflowing onto the floor and the off button wasn't working...

As the water (and panic) started rising I stopped filming - otherwise my growls and threats to the owner of the wandering fingers could have been shared...

Christine (the dentist) had to cut off the water at the mains and swiftly showed us the door - mortifying.

Lucky she's my sister-in-law though so can't get rid of us that easily :)

You hear that Chris?

Kate and Co. on film - Diary of a Netmum

I'm famous!

Well not quite. Unless 152 views counts as fame these days. Which I'm guessing it doesn't. But that's where you guys come in of course.

Over the next couple of months I'm going to be sharing my diary of family life in the Kate Takes 5 household with these nifty little Netmums videos. As you can see the cartoon version of me is uncannily similar to the real thing (though I would never wear those shoes) - I'm just disappointed Jesus didn't get a version of himself done, because sadly he's dead now.

No not that Jesus - this Jesus:



The first episode is now up on Netmums Youtube Channel where you can see the boys enjoying a bit of body painting. It was all good fun until the Goddamn dog picked up the paint tray and Baxter stood in the paint.....but we won't mention that hey.




So don't forget to pop over to You Tube and subscribe to Netmums Channel so I can turn one of these kids into the next Honey Boo Boo and retire to the sun sometime soon.

Leapfrog Leapster GS Explorer - A Review.

First things first - I must admit to being a Leapfrog virgin. Many of their offerings have passed us by up until now, so when I was offered the chance to review one of their new Leapster GS products I thought it would be rude not to take part.

The older two children have a Nintendo DS so I thought the Leapster would be perfect for the 4 year old. It's recommended for 4 - 9 year olds but from first impressions I thought it would definitely be the lower end of the age range that would be most taken with it.

But I'm an adult. What would I know?

The minute the 8 year old spotted it she was in raptures. So instead of my obviously clueless opinion I'll hand you over to her. This is what she has to say about it...



Features:
The Leapster GS Explorer comes with:

-  2GB of memory, a camera and inbuilt video capabilities
- Motion-based play (as seen above with Splurgle)
- In-built microphone
- Stylus is attached to system (meaning no lost pens)
- Three extra apps from the online library of 300 is also included. (Apps range from approx. £4 - £25).

Other features:
- A large range of cartridge games are also available although we haven't had the chance to test any of those yet.

 - There is also a strong focus on learning and education and parents can keep track of their budding genius' progress by connecting to the Leapfrog Learning Path to see where they are doing well and where they need more support.

- There are plenty of fun yet educational apps to choose from and there is also the ability to adjust the difficulty rating so that just as they think they have nailed everything there is to know about the flags and customs of Europe you can crank up the level and have them crying into their petit dejeuner. (Cue evil laughter).

We've only just started exploring all the capabilities of our Leapster GS but I am sure there is enough stuff to keep all three of them engaged for some time to come. Worth the price tag in my opinion.

Disclosure: LeapFrog sent me the Leapster GS for the purposes of this review. The console normally retails at £64.99 but is available from Amazon now at £49.97.

Maxi Micro Scooters - A Review and short video

As you may know already we are big Micro Scooter fans in this house. The 3 year old has been zipping about on his Mini Micro since the start of the Summer, ignoring the death stares of his brother and sister with impressive indifference.

In fact this Summer has been a huge turning point for family life in general. The children have finally found friends of their own age in the estate and can't wait to get out the front door every morning to go and play. It's not unusual to open my bleary eyes at 7am to see the 5 year old standing in front of me fully dressed with his helmet on asking if he can go biking with Tom now.

The only flurry of rain on this parade is the fact that despite the 8 year old's best endeavors, and the fact that her little brothers can get from driveway to end of road in 0.6 seconds on theirs bikes, she still hasn't mastered the art of cycling.

So lucky for us Micro Scooters came to the rescue once again...





Micro Scooters - What's the big deal?

Micro Scooters have become such a massive hit around the world that it is hard not to spot them as you go about your daily business. But at over £90 (€120) they don't come cheap. So are they worth it? Well, in my humble opinion they really are. We had many years of cheap scooters that lay unused after the first week of ownership due to the noise, the falls, and the general hard work of the ride.

Micro Scooters are the Rolls Royce of scooters. Gliding perfectly and zig zagging around obstacles like a skateboard does. It takes seconds for the kids to master it. They are robust, fun and very ascetically pleasing. And did I mention their range of colours and accessories?

Although you wouldn't be buying one in every colour they do make perfect special birthday or Christmas presents.

If you're still trying to justify the cost then how about this - all the parts are replaceable so when your eldest daughter grows out of her purple one you can simply buy the separate parts in blue for her little brother - and voila - a brand new scooter is born.

Micro Scooters - Coming soon:
Micro Scooters have two new products launching in the next few weeks and I've been allowed to give you all a sneak preview.
First up is the Maxi Backpack which hooks on to the Maxi Scooter, RRP is £29.99 and comes with the detachable lunchbox as seen here. Perfect for back to school!

Secondly there are 'Zooters' which Micro Scooters explains - 'turns a scooter into a contemporary take on a hobby-horse. Not only will the range make identifying your scooter easier, it also allows kids to express their individuality. With prices starting at £10, the new range of accessories are great party gifts.'

For more scooter related info check out my other posts:

Stunt and folding scooters - a guide for confused parents
Micro Sprite review - a 2 wheeled scooter for a 7 year old boy
Mini Micro review - a 3 wheeled scooter for a 3 year old boy
Create your own Micro Scooter

Disclosure: The Maxi Micro Scooter was provided to me for the purposes of the review. Words, video and opinions are my own.   

A Sponsored Video - with Domestos & Unicef. (But it's a beauty!)

This is a sponsored post\video however the video clip and message behind it are well worth a look so please don't let that put you off! 

The other week I got sent this beautiful little video and really wanted to share it with you.

It's produced by Domestos as part of their partnership with UNICEF who are currently running a programme called CATS (Community Approach to Total Sanitation), which basically promotes good hygiene practices and raises awareness of sanitation issues.



Unbelievably an estimated 37% of the global population do not have access to improved sanitation. That's two-fifths of the entire population.

This video is part of the Domestos\UNICEF campaign that hopes not only to raise awareness of the issues surrounding improved sanitation, but also to make money for improving access to basic sanitation for hundreds of thousands of people in the developing world.

The real beauty of this promotion is that Domestos is contributing 5% of its average proceeds received from the sale of specially marked bottles of Domestos in select countries (including UK and Ireland)  to UNICEF’s CATS programmes in South Sudan and Vietnam where it is urgently needed. 


How can you help?


Well of course you can buy one of the specially marked bottles of Domestos, but you can also help simply by spreading the word. Here's how:


- adding a badge to your Twitter or Facebook. You can find the badges here.

- showing your support on Twibbon.

- tweeting with this hash tag: #domestos4unicef

- download the colouring book

 Pretty easy huh?

So whilst I wouldn't normally be one to promote household cleaning in any form (just ask my long suffering husband), I think I can make an exception this time :)

This is a sponsored post however all words and opinions are my own and I truly believe that big brands working with charity partners has a significant impact on really helping the people who need it most. 

Pushy Mum

So what do you do when you can't think of anything to write?

Post another video of your poptastic 3 year old singing (with a little help from his brother and mother) an unnamed chart topping song.

So roll up everybody and 'Name that Tune':

The Best PR Delivery in the World Ever.

Last week we had a delivery.

I knew it was coming, It just didn't believe it until I saw it.

You see Warner Brothers have asked me to review some 3D movies, which I couldn't do because you need to have a 3D television, and a 3D player, and 3D glasses....

...which I didn't have.

But guess what?

I do now!!

So to show my appreciation I thought I'd make a little movie about how far TV has come since I was a child.

Hope you like it!


Over the next couple of weeks I'll be sharing what I've learned about 3D Home Entertainment and reviewing some fabulous Warner Brothers 3D Movies.

So stay tuned y'all!