Category Archives: Reviews

Mar25

Jam Factory – Revamp

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Jam Factory – Revamp

The Jam Factory over on Melbourne’s Chapel Street has been there oh…ummm..no idea since when but I do know that it was there when I first came to Melbourne in 1996. I remember going there to catch a movie with my then boyfriend,  now my husband Mr. C. We would stroll along Chapel Street and look through the shops whose windows had been gorgeously dressed but know that we probably couldn’t afford most of what’s there. Being uni students, you tend to spend your money on movies, food and drinks. TGI Friday’s was sort of THE “special treat” place for both Mr. C and I when we were still students. Usually, it’s fast food.

We stopped going there once we had kids, really, we didn’t see the need to as most of the stuff there to us were really targeted at the younger demographic. But, The Jam Factory has been undergoing some refurbishment. The $16M redevelopment is now home to Target Urban, TopShop, Nandos, Groove Train and the usual TGI Friday’s and Boost. To keep us entertained, there’s  Village Cinemas, which are just up some escalators, stairs or lift really.

Last weekend, we had the privilege of attending the advance screening of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. There were quite a few activities to keep the kids entertained before the movie. Face painting, colouring in competition, a balloon shaper guy and even “Lorax” himself made an appearance.

Miss 8 & Master 6 earnestly colouring in the page

Miss 8 & Master 6 earnestly colouring in the page

The girls with the face painting and Miss 8 with her balloon rabbit

The girls with the face painting and Miss 8 with her balloon rabbit

The "balloon man"

The "balloon man"

The kids with The Lorax

The kids with The Lorax

Despite a few glitches towards the start of the presentation, we did manage to finally watch the much awaited The Lorax. The kids loved the 3D style movie, and yes, it was ingrained into them that the earth is a special place so please take care of it. I won’t go into great detail as to what the movie is actually about. Basically it’s the story of how a man – the Once-ler – caused the demise of a gorgeous forest filled with beautiful fluffy trees into an empty desolate land. The movie had a pretty impressive cast with Danny De Vito as the voice of The Lorax, Zac Efron as Ted the boy who is about to change Thneedville, Taylor Swift as the girl he’s having a crush over and even Betty White as Ted’s grandmother.

For an adult, I thought it could have skipped a few things to make it shorter, but that’s just it, if they were left out, the movie would have been way too short. It did seem a little bit draggy with all the singing at certain parts when all I wanted was to know what happened to cause Thneedville to end up the way it did. Nevertheless, the kids didn’t complain nor did they seem bored, so I guess that compensated for the dragginess of the film. I was actually hoping it would be the same calibre as “Despicable Me” seeing that they were from the same creators, but Dr. Seuss is a rather tricky book to adapt in a story sense and not a rhyming type of movie.

Thanks to Village Cinemas I’ve got a double pass to give away. Not just to watch The Lorax, but why wouldn’t you?! Maybe take this opportunity to see it for yourself and decide if it could have been done differently. To win this double pass, simply leave a comment stating which Dr. Seuss movie you’ve seen and LOVED. This competition closes on the 8th April 2012 and will be announced on this page and contacted via email.

Terms & Conditions:

  • Open to Australian Residents only
  • Those NOT answering the question will be deemed invalid
  • If the winner does not respond with their contact details within a week of contact, we will pick a new winner.
  • Once the prize has been sent out, it will be beyond our jurisdiction and so no replacements will be sent out to damaged, faulty or those that are lost in the mail.

*I was given complimentary tickets to the advanced screening to The Lorax in accordance with the site’s Disclosure Policy. 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER IS…CHECK THIS POST! :)  

Mar23

Travel Buddies – Games That Don’t Need Batteries!

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Travel Buddies – Games That Don’t Need Batteries!

It’s about a week until the next term break…at least for those in Victoria and I’m sure there are some who would be going away somewhere. So I thought I’d give you a few suggestions on what type of games that our E-Shop has, which would make great travel buddies. Not only are they educational, fun, but also…wait for this….there’s no need for batteries! Even if you’re not, these would be perfect for all those cold, wet and blustery days.

So here are some great ideas:

Magic Forest Magnetic Puzzler rrp$20.00

Magic Forest Magnetic Puzzler rrp$20.00

I featured this in my puzzle pack giveaway and I still am harping on about it because, it’s one of my kids’ favourites. I mean really, why sell something my kids won’t like right?! They are after all my “testers”. The Magic Forest is great for travelling because it’s magnetic, so won’t fall off the board. An all-in-one game with all the challenges included inside this “booklet” and all the puzzle pieces too. Great for kids aged 5 and even up to adults. Yes, there are some pretty awesome challenges for us too! Besides solving the puzzle, why not create a story afterwards with each challenge. That’s for when say, you’re at a stop to have lunch or even when you’re at your holiday destination while you’re in the room.

9 piece Magnetic Puzzle rrp$30.00

9 piece Magnetic Puzzle rrp$30.00

Another favourite of my kids is this Wooden 9 Piece Magnetic Colour Puzzle. It’s basically about putting the magnetic pieces together. Some pieces might repel, so you never know which combination might work. It can end up with hours of intriguing fun!

 

Wooden Tic Tac Toe - Spaceship

Wooden Tic Tac Toe - Spaceship rrp$15.00

The Wooden Tic Tac Toe might not be one for when you’re in the car. Or maybe it could be if your kids have got something solid like a book underneath the mat. But, it is great for when you’re passing time, waiting for food to arrive or even when you’re lounging around at your holiday home. It comes with a small pouch to store all the bits and bobs!.

 

Chicken Shuffle

Chicken Shuffle rrp$25

This Chicken Shuffle game by Smart Games is making a come-back on this blog because well, it’s a fab game! It’s not just shuffling the pieces to create an image. It’s more than that. Try and shuffle the pieces so that each chicken sits on an egg or change the challenge to a more difficult one and try to shuffle so that the chicken isn’t sitting on any of the other animals! Gah! Not easy I tell you! But again…hours of fun, because that’s what you want when you’re travelling, something to keep them occupied. Again, like all the Smart Games puzzles, it’s all stored in the one box! Great for kids from ages 6 and all the way to adults.

 

IQ Puzzler by Smart Games rrp$18.00

IQ Puzzler by Smart Games rrp$18.00

Finally the game that can not only challenge them (and you) in 2D but also 3D – the IQ Puzzler. Again, all in one – with the beaded puzzle and challenge book in a box. Try to complete the challenges by placing the correct pieces in the right order. Looks easy? Think again!

Those are just a handful of awesome games from our E-Shop, check-out what I can’t include because…well…there’s just too many!

Mar6

Dressing Up in Licensed Clothing

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Dressing Up in Licensed Clothing

With kids growing up too fast now, it’s sometimes nice to be able to have some semblance of “kidness” in clothes with the Disney collection. While they are still in keeping with the cute licensed images of the various Disney characters, there are pieces in their range that cater to the tweens and if you dare, adults and teens alike!

I know I was a huge fan of the Disney teen trend, when I was about 16. Suddenly having Mickey Mouse on a hoodie didn’t seem so childish but in fact cool and trendy. Yeah, who would’ve thought right? So I was still stoked when I found out that they still do design for kids older than 5 in mind with their varied range of designs.

Thumper is screen-printed in charcoal onto a simple cream tee, and Bambi looks cute but chic on a grey lightweight jumper. While the sizing might be for adults, my girls Miss 8 and Miss 10 can still look the part simply by wearing them with a t-shirt underneath. Master 6, who is a fan of Cars, is super thrilled with the Lightning McQueen hoodie, which would look great for Autumn/Winter.

Kids In Disney range

With the Disney range widely available at many stores around Australia, it’s safe to say that wearing licensed clothing doesn’t necessarily make you look corny, it can be cute, and in this case, appropriate for tweens and teens.
Thanks to the people at Disney I’ve got a prize pack with a generous amount of goodies for you worth over $100 to win!

The pack includes:
• Toy Story Rolling Luggage pack ($50)
• Toy Story Digital Watch ($15)
• Princess Backpack ($15)
• Princess Beanie & Glove Set ($20)
• Fairies Bracelet ($10)

To enter, simply tell us in 25 words or less, what you look for when you purchase clothes for your kids. Entries close on the 19th March 2012.
Terms & Conditions:
• Open to Australian residents only
• ONE entry per person, per household
• For extra entries, feel free to “like” our page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
• Entries that DO NOT answer the question will be deemed invalid
• Judge’s (ME) decision is final
• If the winner does not respond within one week, a new winner will be picked
• While we take utmost care when shipping the prize, once the prizes have been sent out, it will be beyond our jurisdiction and no replacements will be made to items lost or damaged in transit.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Feb28

What Determines A Healthy Lifestyle?

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What Determines A Healthy Lifestyle?

With so many experts in the health area telling us what we should and shouldn’t do, or what we should and shouldn’t eat, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with all the information out there. Much like raising our children the “right” way. To co-sleep or not co-sleep, to breastfeed or not, when do you wean, what do you feed them and what’s good or so called, bad for them. For me, while I do take what these “experts” say into account, normally go by basic common sense when it comes to feeding my kids and ensuring they have a healthy lifestyle.

In our home, there is no such thing as good or bad food. Instead, there’s just food that we have all the time and food that we occasionally have and in moderation. My main concern, for my kids really is not necessarily if the food will make them obese or not, more to curb what they eat so that it won’t cause complications like diabetes, high cholesterol levels and more importantly for my kdis – tooth decay.

This is when foods like lollies, chips and biscuits are limited but not completely disregarded. Including fruits, and vegetables with yummy dips when serving after school snacks is a good way to encourage common sense, healthy eating. Dairy is also another good thing to include, foods like cheese cubes or dairy snacks like the recent one my kids and I tried from That! Dairy Snack. A great substitute to yoghurt, if your child, like Miss 8, isn’t a huge fan of that. It has as much calcium as half a glass of milk, and tastes light and creamy! It’s pity that it’s only available through the school canteen at certain schools. This would also make a good, quick snack for those rushing to their after school activities.

That! Dairy Snack

That! Dairy Snack

Besides knowing which foods to serve more frequently than others, it’s also important to incorporate some activities to keep them moving instead of being stagnant all the time. Luckily for me I don’t need to push my kids much, they normally can’t sit still for long. But, here are some tips to get your child moving, thanks to the people at That! Dairy Snack:

1. Set an example – Start with yourself. Keep your stagnant activities to a minimum when you’re around the children. For instance have a “no electronics” time and make it a family time instead.

2. Family activity – Choose an active family activity that you can all do together. Simple things like going for a walk after dinner, especially with the good weather (ok, so not in Melbourne these past two days). Or a swim at the local pool during the weekends. Playing backyard cricket or any games for that matter.

3. Compromise – With electronics fast ruling the roost nowadays, maybe set a time where we turn everything off and instead of playing on the computer or video games for long periods, have a break. Get them to go outdoors for a play.

4. Be social – Try getting the kids involved in some extra curricular activities. Things like martial arts, dancing, gymnastics or even a simple park play with friends will encourage them to move around more.

5. Involve children in your exercise routine – Including your kids when you go for your walks is another great way to encourage exercise. Having them tag along on their bikes or scooters, or like Miss 8 who tagged along for my morning run one day…although I actually had to walk more than run that day.

These are just a handful of ways to encourage a healthy lifestyle. For me, being healthy equates to eating sensibly, and incorporating a balance of exercise and fun. How do you determine a healthy lifestyle?


*I was given some That! Dairy Snack for consideration in accordance to with the site’s Disclosure Policy.