Mellow Mummy : Taking life as it comes...

Sunday, 2 October 2016

#Win - Win a family ticket to see Tall Stories' The Gruffalo Live!

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood...



Join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep, dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Searching for hazelnuts, Mouse meets the cunning Fox, the eccentric old Owl and the party mad Snake. Will the story of the terrifying Gruffalo save Mouse from ending up as dinner for these hungry woodland creatures? After all, there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo – is there?



Songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up and their grown-ups, in the much-loved show that’s toured Britain and the world!

The Gruffalo is playing at the Lyric Theatre until 8 January 2017.  For more information and to book your tickets (from £14.50) call 0330 333 4812 or visit gruffalolive.com.  Running time 55 minutes (no interval).

To be in with e chance of winning a family ticket (four tickets with a maximum of two adults) to see the Gruffalo that the Lyric Theatre, all you have to do is to leave me a comment below by the 17th October and let me know which your favourite Julia Donaldson character is. The tickets are valid for Saturday performances at 10am up until the 30 November.




TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. The promoter is: Mellow Mummy
2. Entry is via a blog comment and a valid email address must be supplied when logging into the commenting mechanism. Entries with only facebook or twitter account details will not be deemed valid.
3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
4. Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via www.mellowmummy.co.uk
5. Closing date for entry is 17th October 2016. After this date the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
6. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
7. The rules of the competition and the prize for each winner are as follows: One winner will receive a family ticket (four tickets, maximum two adults) to see The Gruffalo at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London. Valid for Saturday performances at 10am until 30 November, subject to availability. No cash alternative available. Travel and Accommodation not included.
8. The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
9. The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
10. No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
11. Winners will be drawn at random by Mellow Mummy.
12. The winner will be notified by email within 2 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 2 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner as the tickets are time sensitive.
13. The winner will be asked by the promoter to provide their name, postal address and mobile contact number which will be passed on to the prize supplier.
14. The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
15. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
16. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
17. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.

My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Castle Review

When we review toys on Mellow Mummy, I always like to leave it a few weeks after a toy has arrived to see if the toy still holds appeal after the initial excitement - The My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Castle has been played with EVERY SINGLE day over the past few weeks - its fair to say it has withstood the "lastability test".  Holly absolutely loves it. She loves showing it to others but mostly she loves to disappear into her own little world of imaginary play with her ponies - something I've never seen her big sister do. If you've ever met Holly and know her normal attention span, you'll know that anything she is happy to play with for more than 20 seconds at once is a big hit in our household.



The My Little Pony Crystal Empire Castle playset includes the castle, Princess Cadence and her baby Flurry Heart. It also includes a number of accessories such as a throne (and baby throne), a swing, a mirror and plenty of jewels to decorate your princess pony.

I found the playset really easy to remove from its box and assemble - Holly didn't have to wait long in order to start playing. When I discovered that the castle required batteries, I panicked a bit because I didn't really want another noisy toy but to my relief, we discovered that there is no noise - just a sparkly crystal pattern which spins under the castle to create a special place where Holly invites all of her My Little Pony friends to come for a ball! There are flashing, spinning coloured lights, perfect for a pony dance floor and this seems to be one of the main themes of imaginative play when Holly is playing with her castle.



Princess Cadence comes with a sparkly coat that matches the castle and which fits neatly over her wings. Holly find it quite hard to put this on her, so it tends to become my job. Holly (and her big sister) enjoy letting baby Flurry Heart play on her swing and Holly also enjoys placing all of her My Little Pony figures at different places around the castle.  I'm really pleased how the arrival of the playset has breathed new life into the girls' collection of My Little Pony characters.


The My Little Pony Explore Equestria Crystal Empire Castle Playset costs around £41.99 and is suitable for ages 3 upwards. It would make a stunning centre piece in a playroom and has really lit up Holly's evenings.  Find it at Smyths, Argos and Amazon.


Saturday, 1 October 2016

Childrens Reading Book Review :: Little Legends

Lara first discovered the Little Legends books earlier this year - the series by Tom Percival is a set of fairy-tale inspired reading books for early readers and Lara absolutely loved the first two in the series - The Spell Thief and The Great Troll Rescue.  This autumn, the next two episodes from the Little Legends book series are now available; The Genies Curse and The Magic Looking Glass.

Little Legends books by Tom Percival


The Little Legends books are what Lara calls "chapter books" - longer reading books for confident early readers.  They are very easy reads for Lara now but I'd recommend them from about age 6 to 10, depending on reading ability. The stories have universal appeal because they are based on the real-life adventures of fairytale characters that we already know and love - Repaunzel, Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (as in beanstalk).  The books are adventure books where a group of characters have a quest they need to achieve such as lifting a magical curse or recapturing some stolen magic. It is just the sort of thing that whisks Lara off into her imagination.

Reading Little Legends books by Tom Percival


The Magic Looking Glass by Tom Percival tells the tale of twins, Hansel and Gretel who make an unlikely friend - a wolf! Together they discover an enchanted magical mirror in the woods which is the gateway to some pretty unpleasant magic that threatens them all. The story is so fast paced that Lara literally did not put the book down until she had read it from cover to cover and she finished with an enormous smile on her face.

The Genies curse features load of characters who have appeared throughout the Little Legends series but the primary characters are Rapunzel (who seems a little out of her depth), a green monkey (?) and a genie in a magic lamp. There are references to lots of different magical fairy stories throughout the book but it's not that which Lara enjoys most; its the drama and urgency of each story that draws her in.

Content of Little Legends books by Tom Percival


We are really hoping that there are more Little Legends books in the pipeline because they are really enjoyable reads.


Also look out for the Little Legends Race Day, a free app for Little Legends fans.
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