Brand new from MGA Entertainments comes the Crate Creatures. There are 4 new “beast” friends to collect. Each one stands at 7″ tall and comes with 45+ unique creature sounds and with its favourite food.

I thought this would be a great toy for Moose to try and since the Crate Creatures are for aged 4+ and he just had his 4th birthday we agreed to see what they were all about. To say he was excited to get his hands on one was a bit of an understatement.

The first thing we noticed was that on the box it warns you “DO NOT PULL TONGUE”. Of course, as soon as I said this Moose did exactly that and was met with some pretty disgusting noises.

4 to collect

There are 4 Crate Creature Surprise “beast friends” to collect. All with their own origin story and if nothing else, you’ve got to love an origin story!

Each creature arrives in their own crate. This doubles as both packaging and an integral part of the way your child plays with the toy. I love this idea. The crate has a padlock and chain and on the side of the crate is a crowbar. This is how your child will open their padlock and the crate itself.

Snort Hog

This bog warthog hails from the muddy jungles of Tuskk. Unlock him from his crate to discover the slimy snot that squirts out of his nose, knock him over for his snotty growls and record your own message to hear him grizzle back. Listen to him crunch on his corn dog with over 45 unique sounds of appreciation for his favourite food.  Take it away before he’s had his fill though and watch his four furry arms flap up in horror. Get him back in his box, and lock him up before he gets too mad!

When the Crate Creature arrives it will be in demo mode. To access all of your new toys functions you will need to open the velcro on its back and switch it to on. It has a loud and quiet volume setting too. A shiny star to the person who included this feature.

This toy does come with 3x AAA batteries but how long they last will depend on how much they were pawed at while still in the shop. 

What did we think?

I did wonder whether Crate Creatures Surprise would be worth it’s £39.99 RRP. That seemed quite expensive at first but I was surprised by how good the build quality of the crate and the creature was (it’s fur is super soft) and by how many features it has such as being able to record your own voice.

It feels like it would last a long time and Moose has played with Snorthog daily since he arrived. I would say that this toy would be perfect for boys or girls aged 4-10.

Moose loved that Snorthog made farting, burping and grunting noises and that bogies can be made to come from Snorthogs nose. Bogies, apparently, are hilarious.

Crate Creatures retail at around £39.99 and are available from Smyths Toys

I am a big fan of the microwave

. Working from home and organising a family means that time is valuable. I try to feed my lot a pretty varied diet but some days I simply don’t have the time to prepare a meal (or 3) from scratch as well as getting everything else done. On days like those, the microwave comes into it’s own.

When I was asked by www.ao.com to try out the KOR6M5R microwave I was really happy. Their timing was impeccable as ours had died not a week earlier!

Space saver

As you can see from the photo above, we did not have space for a large model. Luckily this Daewoo model fits into the available space beautifully. The KOR6M5R is a 20 litre capacity which might seem small compared to other microwaves but it’s absolutely fine for us and we are a family of 5.

The Daewoo KOR6M5R is touch control and has an auto cook function with 5 programmes tailored to cooking certain foods at the push of a button.It has a simple to use display and I found the defrost function very handy when I forgot to get food out of the freezer for dinner this week!

Eco Friendly

I really like that this is a zero stand-by appliance. This means that after 2 minutes of the microwave not being used, it reduces the stand-by power consumption to nothing. When you are ready to use the microwave again, you simply open the door. Great for those of us who don’t like to have a house full of appliances on stand-by adding to our bills and to the planets energy consumption.

What I really like about using a microwave though is that on those hot summer days when you really don’t want to add to the temperature of the house by having the oven on, you don’t have to!

What do you like to cook in your microwave? I love this cookie dough mug cake recipe by Running With Spoons

We were sent this product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I was a child (not that long ago to be honest), friendship bracelets were incredibly popular. Of course, as with all generations we assumed that this was an idea that we as a collective had come up with.

Apparently not

Friendship bracelets originated in Central America a long time ago. I like the thought of tween girls in somewhen B.C swapping their knotted bracelets and maybe drawing a selfie on their walls for posterity.

Anyway

We were offered the chance to try out the Cool Maker Kumi Kreator last week and it’s basically Bess’ new favourite thing.

Kumi (for anyone who is wondering) is short for Kumihimo which is a Japanese form of braid-making. Cords and ribbons are made by interlacing strands. Kumihimo is Japanese for “gathered threads”. You’re welcome!

What’s in the box

• 1 Cool Maker KumiKreator
• 88 Spools
• 10 Clasps
• 20 End Caps
• 26 Clasp Stickers
• 1 Design Booklet
• 1 Measuring Guide
• 1 Storage Case
• 1 Playbook

How do you play?

The first thing you MUST do is to watch the instruction video. Honestly, I am a big fan of winging this stuff but for this toy you are going to want clear instruction and this link is the clearest. Go to www.coolmaker.com

What did we think?

The KumiKreator takes a little while to set up and just a minute to create a bracelet. Bess (12) did 99% of this herself. She found it interesting to use, she really likes seeing how things are made so to have the mechanics of the toy on display was something she was pleased about.

Bess found the spools tricky to put onto the Kumikreator and we can see why this toy is for 8+ although Moose absolutely loved watching Bess create her Kumi bracelets.

Choose to create 8 or 12-strand bracelets from the design booklet for different bracelet looks. Bess of course decided that she didn’t need the design booklet after her first couple of goes and created her own unique bracelets. I like that this toy allows children to use their imagination in this way.

Where can I get one?

Cool maker Kumikreator is available from all good toy shops and is priced at £29.99. Considering that you can make up to 10 bracelets and the refill packs (also 10 bracelets each) are £9.99 I think it’s pretty good value!

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post. We received this toy in exchange for our honest opinion.

As Father’s day (and the realisation that we are already nearly in June – how did that happen?!) approaches take a look at some of the fabulous gift ideas currently available on and off the high street.

Let’s do this! (even if he ALWAYS slacks off on Mother’s day)

Cards before presents and with the fabulous range from Hallmark you really cannot go wrong!

Hallmark have a range of small plush collectible toys called Itty Bittys and we all love them here – Moose chose superhero characters for his Dad. What will you choose?

Elizabeth Shaw do biscuits! Not only do they do them, they smash it! We tried the raisin and hazelnut ones and if the Father in your life likes a brew then these would make for a great accompaniment.

Oral-B GENIUS 9000 toothbrush in black seems to me to be a bit like a sports car for your mouth. Over 80% of people leave plaque behind because they miss a whole zone of their mouth when they brush. That can lead to cavities and gum disease in the future.

 Oral-B’s most premium brush ever, it features a new handle design, longer battery life, an LED SmartRing customisable in 12 colours, and a Travel Case that not just charges your toothbrush, but also your smartphone.

Hotel Chocolat Dipping Adventure. Look at it. I mean really, it sells itself. Snack heaven and yours for less than £30.

Willow & Stone

This is the perfect wine to take you from spring to summer and beyond. Best served chilled, over ice, with soda water or as part of a summery cocktail, it’s a great accompaniment to barbeques, outside occasions or bank holiday celebrations.

What’s more, the fizz varieties come with a re-sealable ‘zork’ meaning the fizz will stay fresher and fizzier for longer.Currently stocked in Co-Op and B&M, the Willow & Stone  range is excellent value with the white and rosé priced at £3.99 and the rosé and white fizz priced at £4.99.

RAF 100: The Official Story celebrates and commemorates the 100-year anniversary of the Royal Air Force. Officially endorsed by the RAF, and with unique access to their historic archives, the world-renowned broadcaster James Holland uses photographs and documents to tell the story of the people, planes and missions as never before.

The Everlast notebook provides a classic pen and paper experience, yet is built for the digital age. Although it feels like a traditional notebook, the Everlast is endlessly reusable and connected to all of your favorite cloud services.

When you write using any pen from the Pilot Frixion line, your writing sticks to Everlast pages like regular paper. But add a drop of water… and the notebook erases like magic.

The YubiKey combines hardware-based authentication and public key cryptography to eliminate account takeovers. Simply tap the YubiKey NEO to your NFC enabled device or insert into a USB-A slot and authenticate with a touch.  YubiKey authentication is four times faster than typing a One Time Passcode and does not require a battery nor network connectivity so it is always on and accessible.

Retro Sweets for the win!

This delightful hamper available to personalise from Giftpup may be small in measurements but it is bursting at the seams with all of your favourite classic and retro sweets.

What is more personal than learning about your ancestry? With a gift from Living DNA, your dad can learn all about his ancestry and explore her personal DNA results.

The Nextbase 312w dash cam is a great gift for the motoring Father. Not only can they lower the cost of insurance premiums, they provide peace of mind with studies showing that motorists feel safer – and drive more safely – when they own a dash cam.

Socks are always a popular choice for men. Why not treat his feet this Fathers day to a gift set of Ralph Lauren socks from Mainline Menswear  If your Father is into gardening then the Von Haus 1600w lawnmower would make a great gift. It makes short work of lawn work and you can get yours from Domu

The Ruck backpack from Speck is great for organising the man in your life. Not only does it have 9 pockets, it is really comfortable to wear and large enough to hold a laptop too

Who doesn’t love a man in a suit? Dobell have a massive range of stylish and affordable menswear this Fathers day

This Varta torch is crazy bright.

Seriously. It is brilliant for power failures, camping and sending your Dad up into the loft first to check for spiders and/or monsters. You can get one here The Epsom XP900 printer is stylish, not too large and prints up to A3 making it the perfect choice for Fathers day for printing all of those memories you have made together. 

The popular Intimately Beckham eau de toilette spray for men opens with notes of bergamot, grapefruit zest and cardamom, with a heart of violet, nutmeg and star anise, rounded off with a base of sandalwood, patchouli and amber. With a deep, woody aroma, it’s a fragrance that’s sure to turn heads.

Gillette Fusion5 ProGlide Chrome Edition razor features 5 anti-friction blades for a shave you barely feel, and a chrome effect handle that lets you shave in style. With FlexBall technology, ProGlide responds to contours and gets virtually every hair. The Precision Trimmer on the back is great for hard-to-reach areas such as under the nose and sideburns. One men’s razor blade refill equals up to one month of shaves.

What better way to start the day than with this Batman egg cup and toast cutter from Find Me A Gift. No matter how old the Dad in your life is, he will love this quirky gift

When you open this card you will find a selection of 12 miniature chocolate bars. Your Dad taught you that sharing is important and of course he leads by example. So with this gift from Thortful, everyone wins!

Returning to a restaurant at which you have previously had a wonderful meal is sometimes a dicey prospect. The stakes (I so wanted to type steaks to be punny but I wouldn’t subject you to that) are already so high that any mistake will be highlighted and memories of amazing meals past easily forgotten.

So it was with a little trepidation that I accepted an invitation to return to Middletons on Bridge Street, Peterborough to sample their new Spring 2018 menu.

I knew there was only 1 real choice of companion for this endeavour, my brother Steve (aka Steak King). His love of meat is the stuff of local legend.

The New Spring 2018 Menu

Looking at the menu it wasn’t instantly clear which were the new additions. Help was on hand in the form of our enigmatic waiter, Mark. After a short tour of the new menu we learned that as well as a few new meal choices on the main menu such as the spicy chicken wings, a big focus had been put on introducing some fabulous vegetarian options such as the Goats Cheese and Veg Tart which looks very tempting. There is also a vegan option which is the Pesto Gnocchi. I cannot emphasise enough how much I enjoy Gnocchi so this was great news for me. 

Another new feature at Middletons is that hey have now introduced a Gin Bar to the drinks menu.  It features 10 carefully selected gins, ranging from well-known brands to more up-and-coming flavoured varieties. Steak and Gin, does it get any better than that?

What we ate

Something I like about Middletons is that they do like to keep you hydrated. A bottle of complimentary water is usually with you soon after being seated and they are very good at replenishing it without being asked. 

For starters I chose the Chicken Liver Paté. I really love paté but it isn’t something I would think of putting together at home so when I see it on the menu I am always keen to order it. It was a really generous portion which arrived with plenty of warm sourdough and butter. 

Steve had the Mussels which were as he put it “spot on” and which arrived with a good supply of sourdough and freshening wipes. 

For my main course I opted for the Seafood Mixed Grill which consisted of Sea Bass fillet, salmon fillet, chilli prawns, calamari and lemon all served alongside my choice of side which on this occasion was new potatoes (I was at least trying to be vaguely healthy). It was all really lovely and just the right portion size. I especially enjoyed the chilli prawns and the sea bass – extra points on the crunchy sea bass skin. It was a tasty alternative to steak.

Steve ordered the steak (of course) and after next to no deliberation decided on chips to go with it. His steak came with a field mushroom and tomato and was beautifully cooked – I don’t believe I have ever been disappointed with my Middletons steak, it’s what they do best. 

We both really enjoyed our meals. I must admit that thanks to Middletons set menu I have returned more times than I can count. With masses of choice and 3 courses for £9.99 (even on a Saturday!). As well as the option to not only book your table online but pre-order your food too. Well, you can’t really argue with that. 

Our meal was paid for in exchange for an honest review.