Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

Slap Ninja!

We were sent this game in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are our own

Moose is heavily into all things ninja at the moment. He was therefore overjoyed to arrive home from school to find a brand new ninja focused game ready and waiting for him! 

What’s in the box?

Well, not a lot to be honest. There is no box. Just minimal cardboard packaging – which was great from a parental point of view. 

The Slap Ninja controller is modelled after a karate bench. On top there are 3 led lights at either end. One of the “bench legs” is plain, the other has a small button on it and a trigger. Above this “bench leg” is a red coin and a giant ninja hand. The Slap Ninja game is aimed at children aged 4 and up. I think that this is pretty accurate. Not least because the trigger to control the giant hand takes some effort to squeeze. 

How to play

This part is simple. The packaging of Slap Ninja boasts that this game will take seconds to learn. They aren’t kidding! We have all played the game in the school playground where you each put your hands out in front of you while your opponent tries to slap you – this is effectively that game. Ninja style! Check out the ad to see for yourself. 

The Aim of the game is for the student to hit the coin button without receiving a slap from the master! Do this 3 times and you win – and the master must feel the buzz of shame (don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt at all. Unlike the ache from your dented ego when a small child beats you at Slap Ninja…) 

A second to learn and a lifetime to master.

What did we think?

I really liked the lack of useless packaging around Slap Ninja as well as the game arriving with the batteries already installed. It meant that the fun could begin straight away – excellent for Mums like me who despite knowing better, often runs out. 

Moose adored playing this game. It takes no set up, it’s small enough to take in the car and there are no small parts to lose. He has challenged every member of the household and has so far held his position as ninja master. 

Slap Ninja is by Jakks Pacific and is available from all good toy shops!

Sort It Out review and giveaway

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

We recently had our first glamping experience and by happy fortune we were also sent the Sort It Out game to review. It seems to me that camping/glamping/holidays-with-a-distinct-lack-of-electricity and board games are natural bedfellows so the game was brought along to help us enjoy/survive evening family time.

We were lucky enough to be given a copy of Sort it Out to use in a giveaway too. Stay to the end of the post for your chance to WIN!

Sort it out

sort it out game

What’s in the box?

Inside the Sort It Out box you will find

  • 1 Game Board
  • 4 Moving Pieces
  • 4 Playing Boards
  • 20 Coloured Pegs
  • 250 Topic Cards
  • Instructions

How is it played?

It’s all rather colourful and play is suggested to suit anyone aged 12+.

The first massive difference to most other board games is that everyone plays all at the same time when each card is drawn. The card has a question on it. Players then need to sort the answers into what they believe to be the correct order on their playing boards using the corresponding coloured pegs.

This could mean that you get to show off your in depth knowledge of the periodic table or perhaps the monarchy… or it could mean that despite never having watched an episode in your life, you correctly answer the age order of the Kardashians. Either way, it’s a win. For every coloured peg placed in the correct position on your playing board you are able to move forward 1 space on the game board. Easy peasy.

What did we think?

Well, Sort It Out certainly provided a distraction during the evenings of our glamping trip. We had a lot of fun playing the game with 13 year old Bess. She did struggle with a couple of cards but then, so did I! A great thing about this game is that I found that I picked up facts I hadn’t previously known along the way.

I quite liked that the gameplay wasn’t massively long and found it easy to set up and learn the rules. We will definitely be playing Sort It Out again and I think that it could be even more fun if it is played in teams! You can find SORT IT OUT at Argos

Win

For your chance to win your very own copy of Sort It Out, enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions
  • This giveaway is open to all UK residents only, and you must be over 18 years of age to enter.
  • ONE winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter and announced on this page.
  • The winner will be contacted by e-mail within 7 days of competition ends. If they do not respond within 28 days another winner may be chosen.
  • Your details will be passed to Paul Lamond Games, but will not be passed onto any third parties by Mummy and Moose.
  • The prize will be sent directly to the winner from Paul Lamond Games.
  • Any damage to the prize is not Mummy and Moose’s responsibility.
  • The company reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of a similar type/value if the prize above is not available.
  • Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will be disqualified.

 

 

 

 

Avenue Q at The New Theatre Peterborough – View from my seat

I was gifted tickets in exchange for my honest review.

All opinions remain my own (with slight influence from the bad idea bears)

Avenue Q is not like your average musical

When I was invited to the recently rebranded and refurbished New Theatre, Peterborough to watch Avenue Q this week, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew there would be puppets. I knew there would be songs. It was made pretty clear that it would be rude. That was the extent of my knowledge about the show.

What’s The Story?

The show centres around the residents of Avenue Q.

There is Princeton, a bright-eyed graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account.

Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his closet gay Republican roommate Rod.

An Internet ‘sexpert’ called Trekkie Monster, Lucy the Slut (yes, really!) and a very cute kindergarten teacher named Kate Monster.

Avenue Q first opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 2003, before transferring to Broadway later that year where it won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2006 it transferred to the West End where it ran for five years before touring the UK. It has appeared in more than ten countries all over the world. This show is really popular and with good reason!

Family night out?

Although it all looks like an episode of Sesame Street, do not be fooled. It is definitely not for kids. I would say 14 and up would be absolutely fine if they aren’t particularly sensitive.  I was going to bring 13 year old Bess along but I have to be honest and say I was glad I decided to wait and take her next year. One particular scene was about as graphic as a scene with puppets could possibly be – and utterly hilarious. That said, I would have no qualms about listening to the soundtrack with her.

After years of watching shows like The Furchester Hotel and imagining the characters dropping the F word (Oh come on, as if you haven’t imagined Flop finally snapping at Bing!?) I feel like this show is aimed directly at me and people like me.

I went to see the show with my Mum and we both found it to be laugh out loud funny. The 2 and a half hour runtime (with 15min interval) absolutely flew by. I loved the characters and the way that the whole thing played out. Despite some of the gags and songs being very close to the knuckle, Avenue Q has a real feel good quality about it.

I have been humming “Everyone’s a little bit racist” for near on 24 hours now. The underlying message of the show is that life is short and that everything,even Boris Johnson, as the cast sang (to applause) is only for now and if you can fit the word Schadenfreude into a musical number, you definitely should.

Avenue Q is playing at The New Theatre, Peterborough until Saturday 28 September.

New Theatre

I decided to attend my first show at New Theatre with my Mum who happens to have arthritis and a blue badge. My first memories of being here were of seeing Peter Pan in this building at what was then the Odeon at Christmastime when I was very young (probably with my Dad, while Mum ran round the shops I imagine)

Sometimes Mums limited mobility can pose a bit of a problem but New Theatre appear to have it covered! We were able to park very close to the theatre and there was an accessible entrance with a lift to avoid the steps at the front of the building. There was a disabled seating area on the upper level and disabled toilet. We hadn’t been assigned seats there but it’s useful to know for the future. New Theatre, Peterborough also offers complimentary tickets to essential carers for disabled visitors

Our seats

I was a bit worried when I saw that our seats were to the side. In some theatres your view can be somewhat restricted – sometimes by a huge amount.

For this performance we had been assigned seats P8 and P9 which come under the slightly less expensive price bracket. I would definitely choose these seats again.

View from seat P8 New Theatre Peterborough

View from seat P8 New Theatre Peterborough

 

They were roomy enough for my size 22 bottom and had loads of legroom. Mum was pleased that her seat on the aisle was angled in such a way that she felt well supported and could stretch out if need be. Our view of the stage was great with no restriction really at all.

At one point I did go to seat P1 to see what a seat with a restricted view would be like. I took a photo of the stage from P1 and as you can see, the restriction is really minimal.

I am really excited to see what’s next for  New Theatre, Peterborough. It’s such an iconic building in our city and I cannot wait to make new memories here with my family.

View from seat P1 New Theatre Peterborough

View from seat P1 New Theatre Peterborough

 

Getting prepared for Back To School with Ace | gifted

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last month or two, you must have seen the latest cleaning craze which has hit social media. The likes of Mrs Hinch and (my personal preference) The Queen of Clean have been everywhere and so, the Zoflora has been out out for many a Mum and Dad.

The thing is though

I am not a naturally organised person. Cleaning is not how I express myself or what I consider to be any kind of fun. With that in mind I wasn’t feeling too enamoured when I was sent some Ace cleaning products recently – I mean, sure, I was happy to try them out of course. If anyone could pose a challenge it would be my adventurous 4 year old, Moose!

But me and cleaning? it was all a bit, meh! I have 3 children so stains are not a stranger in our home but I have always been a bit disbelieving of the claims of some of these cleaning products – mainly due to experience.

The day after our products arrived, my 4 year old son arrived home after school and it was like the planets had aligned. He got changed into his play clothes and when he handed me his polo shirt I had to laugh, I have no idea what he did at school that day but it was MESSY! It just so happened that I had been sent Perfect timing.

Exhibit A

The first thing I did was to soak the shirt in a mix of COLD water and Ace for whites. It has to be cold water because hot water decomposes the active ingredient of bleach in the product and renders it ineffective. I didn’t know that either until pretty recently and I am 36 and have kept 3 other humans alive, so don’t feel bad if you didn’t know either.

After a while of soaking (it was going to be about half an hour but I was distracted and ended up coming back to it about 2 hours later – oops) most of the stains were gone. I then just popped the shirt into the washing machine and let it do it’s magic along with a little capful of the ACE for whites to give it a bit of help.

This was the result. Before and after – just for you!

So the shirt is again like new. I know this won’t last, there will be more stains and plenty of them. All marking out how Moose has played that day. Now that I know I have a cleaning product which works, that seems a more pleasant prospect than it had previously.

To help with your stains at home, head to ACE clean UK to find out more.  ACE can also be found in Tesco, Sainsbury’s Morrisons and Waitrose

Long live stains and creativity and pushing the boundaries – and thank goodness for ACE!

We received some Ace products in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are honest and our own.

 

Hills Science Plan Pet Food Review | Ad

We received a bag of Hill’s Science Plan and payment in return for writing this post. All opinions are our own. 

Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken is a complete dried dog food especially designed for older dogs. When we were offered some for Fudge to try though, well, I wasn’t sure she would be interested. 

Beagles are supposed to almost completely led by their stomach. That is to say that it would be foolish to trust even a well trained Beagle alone in a room with any kind of food. Then there is Fudge. 

Fudge is our 13 year old Beagle.

She enjoys bullying hedgehogs, chewing socks and leaving dog hair all over the house. She is also surprisingly picky when it comes to her grub. Fudge will not, for example, entertain any kind of dog treat. She loves a little cheese or cooked meat as a snack. Any kind of dog chew or treat though? Forget it! 

Fudge is equally as fussy when it comes to her meals. As a rule she likes to eat twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. Now that she is a bit older she prefers not to eat her morning meal all in one go. Choosing instead to graze on it throughout the early part of the day. 

This is all well and good for her but over the summer it becomes problematic for us. Fudge prefers wet food but flies are attracted to it if it is in her bowl for very long. Not great on those long hot days in August. Not to mention the smell. Oh dear lord, the smell! 

I have tried her with dry food in the past. Mostly she eyes it with suspicion and then ignores it until I throw it out and give her a tin of chunks in gravy (she isn’t even massively keen on the stuff in jelly to be honest). 

The day Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken arrived

It was promising then that on the day our Hills dog food arrived she showed a fair amount of interest before I had even opened the bag. 

I really like the packaging of the Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken we were sent. The bag can be opened by hand and has a velcro reseal which keeps the biscuits inside nice and fresh for longer. 

The biscuits appeared to be larger than other dry dog foods I had seen and I did wonder whether Fudge;s poor old teeth could manage them. She managed absolutely fine!

She tried a couple of biscuits at first and over the course of about a week we introduced the Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken into her daily diet, mixing it in with her regular brand. 

Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken is formulated to sustain mobility and healthy vital organs. With clinically proven antioxidants, and glucosamine and chondroitin from natural sources.

Key Benefits

  • Joint and mobility support with glucosamine and chondroitin from natural sources.
  • Sustains healthy vital organs with balanced sodium and phosphorus levels.
  • Highly digestible ingredients for optimal nutrient absorption.
  • Made with high quality ingredients for great taste. 100% guaranteed.

2 weeks in and she is having a big bowl of Hill’s™ Science Plan™ Canine Mature Adult 7+ Active Longevity™ Medium with Chicken in the morning and then a tin of chunks in gravy mixed with a few more biscuits in the evening. This has been great for us because it means that I don’t need to worry about those pesky flies anymore or have to live with the dog food pong on hot days! 

Fudge is loving her new meal plan too.

She is full of energy and looking really healthy and most importantly she seems to like the biscuits! Plus, between you and me. Her breath (and her wind) is SO much better having some dry food incorporated into her diet. We will definitely be continuing to use Hill’s Science Plan. You can purchase Hill’s Science Plan here or you can find it at all good Pet shops.