Flair - Single Parent Pessimist

Toy Review: Half-Shell Heroes Mutant Loader Vehicle

Claire — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:43:00 +0000

At the moment whenever the TV is on whilst my son's awake, he wants the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on. I don't mind, because I watched the original series during my childhood and love how they haven't changed it in so many ways.

The Half-Shell Heroes are toys suited to younger children, and we tested one of the new toys from their range this week.

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Birthday Gift Ideas for My Son

Claire — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 09:29:00 +0000

My son's birthday is fast approaching so I've started to hunt for presents. As he's getting older it's getting harder because he's a lot more fussy!

These are the things I've found so far, which may well help you if you're stuck for some gift ideas:

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My #LionGuardToys Party…The Aftermath!

Claire — Sat, 09 Jul 2016 14:02:00 +0000

As you’re aware this week I’ve been busy preparing for the #LionGuardToys Twitter party so I thought I’d show you how it went. The party celebrated the launch of the brand new Lion Guard toy collection from Flair which is based on the popular Disney Junior TV show. The kids had a great time and so did I. We played lots of games and ate cake, so who wouldn’t have enjoyed that?! Once the kids arrived I showed them some of the great prizes on offer which includes Lion Guard magazines, Lion Guard Defend the Pride Lands Playset and Lion Guard figures. It’s safe to say they were very excited at the thought of winning these prizes, and I was nervous about ensuring they all got equal chances to take home a prize. Pin the Tail on Kion the Lion Game This was the first game we played and it’s basically pin the tail on the donkey but on Kion the lion instead. I donned Lion ears for this game as you can see so I could demonstrate the game to them in true embarrassing mum style. I love this game as it’s all down to chance rather than skill and they all found it funny seeing the tail being pinned on random parts of the lion’s body. Find Kion’s Friends Maze Activity Next up was a maze activity. This consisted of the kids trying to link up Kion and his friends using pencils on a paper maze. This took a lot of concentration and skill for the kids and they seemed so proud of themselves each time they managed to trail their way to another friend. I followed this activity by a cake break which always goes down a treat! Name the Animal Game After a quick energy break we got back to more games and this time it was about naming the animals we would show them using picture cards. Whoever guessed quickly won the image and the one with the most pictures at the end won the animal playset. This game is great for encouraging quick thinking, but not so good when you are competitive! I was impressed with all of the different types of animals that Chunk knew though and we have kept the cards to make an animal collage. Free Play To calm the excited kiddies down I suggested a bit of free play. We used this time to read the Lion Guard magazine and do some of the colouring activities inside it. This gave me a chance to sort out the goodie bags for the end of the party. Whilst they were relaxing I got to find out what they liked about the party, and the pin the tail on Kion game seemed to be their favourite. Goodie Bags I then gave them all some goodie bags which contained Lion Guard figures, posters, colouring activities, pencils and of course some sweets. They seemed to have a great time and it’s safe to say they got a great night’s sleep that evening! We were sent Lion Guard toys and activities to test for the purpose of this review. All opinions are honest and my own. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook

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I’m Hosting the #LionGuardToys Twitter Party!

Claire — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 06:30:00 +0000

To celebrate the launch of the brand new Lion Guard toy collection from Flair, I’m hosting a Twitter party where you can win some great prizes! On 6th July 2016 from 1-3pm the online party will run on Twitter under the hashtag #LionGuardToys and you’re all invited to join me. Here’s Your Invite! Disney’s The Lion Guard is a popular TV show following on from the famous film The Lion King. The series focuses on Kion, the son of Simba and Nala, and it follows him as he tries to assemble a team of animals to protect the Pride lands. Flair have created a brilliant selection of toys for ages 3+ based on the series and I’ve got to have a sneak preview whilst preparing the party! I’ve put Lion Guard Mini Figure Packs in the party bags so the kids each get a Lion Guard character to take home. It’s a surprise each time as they are not character labelled and there is an ultra rare figure in some of them. The Party Bags Have Been Prepped! There are some great prizes for some of the party games I’ve got planned, which include the Lion Guard Defend The Pride Lands Playset for the winner of pin the tail on the lion. This playset has eight special features including a Kion action figure, collapsing rock ledge, bone trap, boulder launcher, whoosing waterfall, motorised vine lift and a hidden passage. Just Some of the Goodies I’m Giving Away at the Party! For the maze game where the kids will have to find each of Kion’s friends there will be a Lion Guard Figure with Accessory. These figures and accessories enable kids to create play scenes and can combine with other figures if you collect the set. For the final game, which involves guessing the animal names, there will be a Lion Guard Collectible Figure Set for the winner. In between these games there will of course be cake, sweets and other goodies because a party is not a party without these essentials! There will also be some time to read the Lion Guard magazine and complete some of the games inside this edition. The Lion Guard Magazine I’m quite excited about this party so I hope you will join me. If you can’t make it don’t worry I will let you know how it goes on here! I was sent some products to test and use for the purpose of this Twitter party. All opinions are honest and my own. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook

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Toy Review: Plasticine Softeez Range

Claire — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 10:39:00 +0000

Chunk is quite into his crafts at the moment and whilst the weather is still quite rubbish on some days (today’s rain is a prime example!) I have been entertaining him through things like play dough, paints and plasticine. He was lucky enough this week to get the chance to test out some of the new Plasticine range from Flair Plc including the Softeez Tub of Fun and the Under the Sea Playbox. Plasticine Fun! The Tub of Fun came with 5 sticks of Plasticine and two shape cutters in a handy little carry tub. The playbox included 12 different coloured Plasticines, sea-themed cutters and an under water themed play mat. The Plasticine never dries out unlike some of the play doughs we have wasted money on that have lasted only a few days. This means I don’t get the nasty surprise of opening the tub and finding it crumbled to bits after promising Chunk an afternoon of fake ‘cake making’. Chunk loved the playbox as spent hours making fish, sea snakes and octopus for the play mat. It was so cute watching him make up little Octonaut-style stories up with the models he made and I also attempted to make a boat and fisherman to add to his story. Under the Sea Playbox The small carry tub is brilliant for taking out when I need to occupy him during boring things such as my health appointments or if we are travelling long distance, and it doesn’t stick to the car seats or carpets like other products do so much less work for me! To find out more about the new range Plasticine can be found on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook

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Toy Review: Thomas & Friends Tic Tac Toe & Dominoes

Claire — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 16:47:00 +0000

Chunk has been a very lucky boy this week with some early birthday presents from his friends and now these two lovely toys have arrived for him to review! Flair have brought out a new range of Thomas and Friends games and Chunk was chosen to test Thomas and Friends Wooden Tic Tac Toe Game and Thomas and their Wooden Dominoes Track Puzzle. Thomas and Friends Dominoes and Tic Tac Toe Tic Tac Toe (or naughts and crosses as I like to call it) is a wooden game with colourful, large and easy to pick up pieces which is great for a three year old. The aim of the game is to be the first to connect three train cars or engines diagonally, horizontally or vertically. After a few games Chunk finally understood what he had to do, which was mainly due to the helpful train-shaped pieces. It helps to develop image recognition and hand-eye coordination so I definitely recommend it for toddlers! Dominoes was Chunk’s favourite, possibly because we already play an animal version of it. This set of dominoes has a second game that can be played, so as well as trying to match your dominoes and be the first to get rid of your pieces, you can also turn the 32 dominoes over and build a train track for Thomas and Percy to ride on. This is another great way for young children to recognise picture patterns and shapes, and basic pairing skills. I have always been a fan of wooden toys because they tend to last a lot longer than plastic ones, and that’s essential when you have very active, boisterous toddler boys! Now that Chunk is about to turn 3 this week, he is starting to enjoy sitting down and playing board games with me and it’s a great way to encourage him to chill out before bedtime. We were provided with these games to test for the purpose of this review. No payment was received and all opinions are honest and my own. Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook.

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Toy Review: Tom & Jerry Tricky Trap House

Claire — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 10:25:00 +0000

Chunk loved finding all the different traps inside the house Chunk managed to get his hands on another toy to review this week, the lucky boy! This time it was the Tom & Jerry Tricky Trap House from Flair which is aimed at children from aged 3+. It’s a pretty cool toy house full of little mechanical traps that Chunk and I found quite amusing, with our favourites being the falling light shade and the trap door in the shower! There are fake floors, a falling piano, burst-through walls and even a little rocket that Jerry can fly away in which Chunk also likes hiding other small toys inside. I like that it shuts away into a compact, lightweight house so doesn’t take up too much room, and it can entertain him for ages as he likes to look for each different trap. The only downside is some of the bits are a bit flimsy, so for a heavy-handed child like Chunk a couple of things have snapped, or keep needing to be put back on, such as the piano legs so be mindful of this. Other than this, I think it’s quite a fun toy, and would definitely be a hit for any Tom & Jerry cartoon fans! The Tom & Jerry Tricky Trap House was provided for the purpose of this review. No payment was received. All opinions are honest and my own. Follow me on Twitter, Pinterest or Facebook

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