20% of the adult population are funtionally illiterate; a fifth of all grown-ups are unable to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level.

That is shocking and something that makes me wonder when, where and how literacy went so badly wrong for all these people.

Being able to read is not only a necessary skill for daily life, but the sheer enjoyment that comes from being able to immerse yourself in a good book is something too good to be missing out on.

Harper Collins have been publishing books in one form or another since 1819; they know what they're doing and have a fabulous range of books for children, so when they contacted us and asked if we'd like to review some of their titles, aimed at Key Stage 2 children, we didn't need to think twice.

We sent the books off to PlayPennies mum, Tanya, to read with her daughter.

Animals on the Move

Deborah Chancellor; paperback - £4.95

"This book came in just when my daughter was sent home with instrucitons for us to please read more non ficiton books," Tanya reveals.

Animals on the Move reveals the secrets and reasons behind why animals migrate; anyone reading it will find out about the journeys animals make in water, in the air and on land in this educational book.

I'm a huge fan of non-fiction books, I adore stories but there's something delicious about learning from non-fiction books that almost makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"The layout of the book is lovely and many of the photographs that accompany it are just stunning. I am particularly in love with the bird and elephant ones myself," continues Tanya, "The book encouraged a lot of questioning and chatting and was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours learning more about the world and involving her in the process."

The final verdict on Annimals on the Move is that it's well written and very concise without being patronising.

Gathering in the Days

Gareth Owen; paperback - £5.15

Gathering in the Days is a collection of poems written by Gareth Owen.

If you're not a lover of poetry please don't let you put this off, "I am not a fan of poems, never have been," admits Tanya, "but the descrptions were brilliant and so vivid they even had me laughing and nodding along."

Tanya wasn't alone, her daughter absoutely adored this book and some of the poems, particularly the Itch and the Pudding, had them both properly laughing out loud.

The poems explore both the humorous and more serious elements of childhood and it was a real hit with both Tanya and her daughter.

"I really like this book and my daughter has become very proficient at reading alongside me with these," she tells us, "For some reason they have really captured her attention; this book gets a resounding thumbs up."

Monster in the Mirror.

Jean Ure; paperback - £4.65

Monster in the Mirror was clearly the favourite of all the books from Harper Collins that we sent to Tanya.

"This story is genius; I love it!" enthuses Tanya.

This is a tale about Stretch the cat and Woffles the big woolly dog.  One day their People bring home a new cat, Muffy, who has sharp claws and the quiet life that Woffles has come to enjoy is SHATTERED, so Stretch comes up with a plan to to put a stop to Muffy's naughty games!

"I love the simple alliteration," Tanya says, "the clever use of words, the light story and text. It flows along like a river burbling over stones and my daughter loves it too.

We have this as a staple read for bed time now and it is very likely that it will remain a favourite for some time to come."

Sophie's Rules

Keith West; paperback - £5.30

Tanya wasn't sure about the writing style for Sophie's rules, apparently it's written like a script.

It's not a style I'm familiar with but despite her reservations about the style, Tanya found it didn't detract from the drama of the story, "This book covers the topic of bullying and how to remain true to yourself," Tanya explains.

"In spite of the fact that the script style put me off, I have to admit that when I first opened the book to read to my daughter I got so engrossed that I forgot to read out loud."

I had to laugh because this is something I AM familiar with and the ensuing cries of, "MUM! You've stopped reading!"

Tanya feels that this story is very VERY well told and get across an incredibly important message.

"I think Sophie's rules is sexcellent and would heartily recommend this to anyone who is worried about bullying or who want to help their children be sure of who they are and themselves," Tanya concludes.

And finally...

Tanya and her daughter enjoyed all of the books we sent them from Harper Collins.

Her daughter has increased her reading capacity and they've enjoyed lots of quality time together getting to know new characters and learning new facts.

As far as pricing goes, we think this selection of literary gems are pretty much spot on target when it comes to your reading budget.

www.harpercollins.co.uk

The Brother Max 4-in-1 cup is a weaning cup and you can buy it for £4.31 from Amazon.  I got one recently, so I'll do a mini review here.

You can use the cup in 4 different ways, as the title suggests!! Firstly, you can use it as a full weaning cup with teats and handles, which is the main way I tested it out. I tried it myself of course, I usually test most products before giving them to my baby.

I filled it with some blackcurrant juice and gave the  Brother Max 4-in-1 cup a try. I was surprised when nothing came out on tipping it up, until I realised the you needed to bite then suck on the teat area to make the juice flow. There must be some sort of release valve there, which also stops the cup from leaking when it's thrown about the place (which is always useful).

I gave it to baby in this form, and she wasn't very sure what to make of the cup, whether it was a juice dispensing device, or a toy! To date, she's been using a simple sippy cup, without a valve, so the juice just comes out when it is tipped up. I think the Brother Max cup was a bit confusing because of this, she didn't really realise she needed to bite the teat. I've been leaving the cup lying round while she's playing with her toys, and she's slowly realising how to use it.

The cup is dishwasher friendly which is perfect for me, and it's also microwave friendly. I won't use it in the microwave, but I was reading that it is recommended that you start to give baby their milk in a cup rather than a bottle from age 6 months onwards... I haven't done that though, baby is 11 months now and she's still taking proper bottles.

The handles are a good size and shape for baby's little hands, she can hold on to it really well.

I've used a few Brother Max baby products in the past such as the Brother Max thermometer, combi bibs and the powder dispenser, and I really love them. Every item I've used has been really useful, efficient, and perfect for me... until now. I wasn't as impressed with the weaning cup as I have been with other Brother Max products! I think if it had been the first cup that I ever gave to baby, she'd have gotten used to it, and would be able to use it well.

I got the Tinga Tinga Tales 15cm plush monkey for my little baby daughter.It was the monkey model, which you can see here on Amazon, made by Bandai.

I've seen the cartoon a few times when I was at my sister's house, so I recognised the monkey character from the show.

When I gave the Tinga Tinga Tales toy to baby, she had a little giggle as she seemed to find the Monkey rather amusing. Every time she looked at his face, she laughed. I'll admit it's a pretty cute toy.

And when she got hold of the toy, Monkey went straight to her mouth, of course! She was particularly fond of chewing on his hands and tail.

Baby was also very fascinated by the pattern on the monkey's tail. It's a pattern of embroidered colours, kind of like you see on those famous aboriginal drawings from Australia. That attracted her attention and kept her occupied for quite a while.

When I picked him up again, he was pretty soggy so I just popped him on the radiator to warm up and dry out a bit. I won't pop him in the washing machine though, as he says "surface washable only" on his label. Monkey is suitable from ago zero onwards.

And I will finish up this review with a quick video of when I gave Monkey to my daughter.

I'm trying to think how best to describe Hampton Blue to you...

You know when you come across a little shop which sells things that are a little bit different to all the usual run-of-the-mill things, whether it be clothes, toys, gifts or little trinkets that are just for the sheer hell of it?  Well that, to me at least, is Hampton Blue.

Hampton Blue is a family run business set up by two sisters who were, and I quote, "... inspired to set up our own online boutique offering a treasure trove of desirable accessories and gifts at affordable prices."

The banner headline on their website reads 'Temptation at your fingertips' - it won't take a long browse around to realise that this is very true...you've been warned.

We were sent two toys from Hampton Blue to review - a Pirate Tap A Shape Box (£4.95) and a Lanka Kade Wooden Snail Jigsaw (£5.95) - which we sent off to PlayPennies mum, Laura, to try for us.

Pirate Tap A Shape Box

Laura and her six-year-old son were a little bemused with the Pirate Tap A Shape Box.  Firstly, there's not a box in sight as everything comes packaged in a round metal tin.

Secondly, Laura tells us that name on the tin caused some confusion too, "The name on the tin is Tap A Shape Pirate in a Tin Game. Except, there are no instructions in there for how you are meant to play with this as a game."

She goes on to say, "What you do get are lots of little pieces, beautifully crafted out of wood, that can be moved about to create all sorts of different types of pictures. At six, my son was soon quickly bored with it though, and he didn't really get it either."

Laura explains the age advice on the tin is from aged three years onwards which, whilst she understands due to the small pieces presenting a potential choking hazard, she feels is a bit of a shame as, in her opinion, it's more suited to younger children.

However, all was not lost with the Pirate Tap A Shape Box!

"The tin was a huge hit though, with it's see through lid and cute pirate graphics. I've since noticed that the contents have been emptied and substituted for some of his 'treasures', such as a foreign coin, a plastic spider, and a domino."

It sounds a bit like the well known 'cardboard box' syndrome to me - where the packaging is FAR more fun than its contents.

Lanka Kade Snail Jigsaw

The Lanka Kade Snail jigsaw is described as a educational wooden counting jigsaw in the shape of a snail and Laura loved it.

"This is a delightful toy," she says, "there are five parts to the snail, each numbered. It works as a puzzle, and as a counting toy. It's made of wood, in primary colours. The label on the back says it is hand made in Sri Lanka, and that it is made of rubber wood."

Laura also explained to us that Lanka Kade is an approved Fairtrade supplier and that the Snail jigsaw was suitable for littlies aged 18 months or over, "As I don't have a baby in that age range, I gave it to my best friend's son to play with (he's 20 months) and he loved it too."

Laura said it was fun showing him how it went together along  with helping him 'count' through the pieces, " He played with the body part of the snail as a toy too, and his mother tells me that he takes it about with him when they go out too.  She finds it is a great toy to keep him occupied if they're on the train."

You can't get a much better endorsement than that - a toddler who wants to take a toy with them whenever they go out.

Laura also told us that her friend's son was particularly interested in the individual shapes that make up the snail, "The pieces of the snail aren't just rounded parts of the shell spiral that fit together. The parts of the shell sort of interlock. This keeps the snail together more than it would if it all just sat together, and that's probably the intention."

The unusual interlocking shapes of the pieces proved utterly fascinating in their own right making the Lanka Kade Snail jigsaw a huge hit.

And finally...

If you're looking for original little toys or gifts that won't break the bank then it will be well worth paying a visit to Hampton Blue.

Both Laura and her friend felt that both items were perfectly priced and even though the Pirate Tap A Shape box seemed a bit 'random', the tin is still providing plenty of joy and storage for those special little things.

www.hamptonblue.co.uk

Wipes, I am not entirely sure how I survived without them. I was almost in mourning when my tot grew out of nappies and I no longer had an excuse to buy wipes.

Then I was shown some Elias Superwipes. The name implies that they are for sweaty men in car workshops, rubbing axle grease off their clothing, and it isn’t far wrong. These guys can clean. I have been testing them on pretty much everything.

These are wipes for stains and clothes, not little bums, by the way.

First it was the red wine that had been jostled on the table. It had managed to slide under my favourite tablecloth. I whipped out my Elias Superwipes, followed the instructions, and managed to remove the wine before it left a nasty stain.

Now I thought, perhaps, this was due to speed and efficiency and not necessarily the wipes themselves. So I waited, like a cat, for the next opportunity. Boom, there was the coffee all over the carpet. While these are not actually FOR carpets I didn’t think they would notice and started to wipe. The bulk of the liquid had been soaked up by a cloth and the Elias Superwipes did the rest.

There was a bit of a brownish stain left behind but it was a full cup of coffee on a cream carpet and at least it wasn’t half as bad as it would usually be.

I have managed to use the Elias Superwipes to get rid of cheesecake, coffee, red wine, pasta sauce, and honey stains very effectively. The only problems I have with them are that they are difficult to get out of the packaging. They sell for £2.49 and are very helpful for mums with kids who don’t want their clothes to look like they are owned by mums with kids.

This is a quick Tidy Tray review, it's a sanitary high chair cover. I'd never heard of them before, but I think they're a pretty good idea.

Basically, it's a cover that you can pop over a high chair when you're out and about. If you're worried about cleanliness of high chairs other than your own, it's a nice counter-measure against icky bacteria! The Tidy Tray folds up into itself so you can easily pop it into your handbag or baby bag when you're on the go. The little pouch that you can see with the baby's bottle in it in the picture above is also the place where you can fold up the Tidy Tray.

I tried the Tidy Tray out at my local mothers and toddlers when we were having a snack break for the kids, as I don't have a high chair myself. It fitted easily over the high chair. I didn't use the bottle holder part, as my little one is drinking from a juice cup, and although it did fit in the pouch, it was kind of fiddly. The pouch is definitely more appropriate for a bottle.

I like the idea of the Tidy Tray as you can wash it yourself, and I know that it is clean enough for my little one to eat any food that is on it. I've seen some pretty disgusting high chairs in restaurants, so the Tidy Tray will be going in my baby bag any time I am planning on dining out.

At the minute, Tidy Trays are £14.99 with free postage, directly from their website. The Tidy Tray comes in blue or pink, if you want to be gender conscious when you're buying it.

I have to confess that I have an enormous weak spot for teddy bears. They are so utterly soft and cute and cuddly. My 1st Years have a Mother’s Day bear that can be customised to say that your child loves mummy.

Let me explain. Based on all the rave reviews of My 1st Years I decided to get a Mother’s Day bear for my mother-in-law. I customised the shirt to say “Tabitha loves Grandma” and I can’t wait to give it to her.

The bear is utterly soft and scrummy. Not too firmly stuffed (I hate that) but not floppy and yuk either. He is just right. The print has come out really well, although the Grandma is a bit squished and not perfect.

When you create your Mother’s Day bear you add in the names using their personalisation software. You can adjust the colour of the text, and the font you use. You are, however, limited to only 15 characters per name.

The Heart Mummy bear sells for £25 and comes in a free luxury gift box that is, I have to say, really lovely. This big blue box is reminiscent of American movies where they open big boxes of soft paper to reveal gorgeous frocks. I love it. I wish I didn’t have to give it away.

If you fancy giving a bear to a grandma or mother-in-law you can personalise a bear with just their name for £20, or you can give one to your partner for all her hard work which has a big heart and your names in the middle.

These bears are a little above the cost line, I agree, but they are excellent quality and feel really furry as opposed to plasticky and stiff. A buy that will last for ages and that’s wonderfully sentimental.

Who doesn’t love the Honey Monster, eh? Yeah. And Sugar Puffs are also pretty darn scrummy. Well, they’ve just launched a new flavour – Choco Puffs – and this is utterly divine. I am not a fan of Sugar Puffs if I am honest, but these are too delicious for words.

I find that Sugar Puffs are a bit too sweet and get too soggy too fast. I like my cereals crunchy, so these are not my thing. The Choco Puffs, on the other hand, are crunchy and delicious, and surprisingly not too sweet.

I am the first to admit that I have one heck of a sweet tooth. I could happily die in a bowl of chocolate. So perhaps someone with a very savoury tooth may disagree with what I am about to say. The Choco Puffs leave a faintly bitter taste on the tongue after each mouthful.

Not a nasty bitter taste, not at all. It’s that rich bitterness you get from dark chocolate. Chocolate that hasn’t been overly processed. Choco Puffs have an almost connoisseur type flavour that doesn’t overwhelm with sweetness, but rather leaves a rich and pleasant aftertaste.

Choco Puffs don’t seem to get as soggy as Sugar Puffs either. Now, this could be purely because I ate them so fast that they never stood a chance of getting all that milk into them. Or perhaps they are slightly less absorbent. I honestly couldn’t tell you.

Interestingly, though, my daughter adores Sugar Puffs but really does not like Choco Puffs. She will not touch them. She says that she “doesn’t like them and doesn’t want to have them for breakfast”. She doesn’t eat her cereals with milk so perhaps that’s why.

Result? Adults in my house love Choco Puffs but the kids do not. Weird, but true.

I received a  baby journal from K Two, a little book for recording all the memories for a new baby.

When I opened up the baby journal from K Two, I thought a page had fallen out, but it turned out to be a sample page just to show you how to fill it in. It's not hard to work out yourself though! The one difficulty I have with this type of thing is deciding which person to write in. Do you write to the baby, do you write from the perspective of the baby... ?

The book itself is a lovely colour - the pages are all muted pastels, filled with gorgeous illustrations.

The baby journal has all the standard sections; birth info, slots for photos, family sections, hand prints, special memories. But the bulk of this baby journal differs from another one I was using, in that it is almost like a proper journal. There are lots of pages for "mini milestones" and "my favourites things" which you can fill in with the appropriate date. In this way, you can simply fill it in through time, whenever you've got something interesting to write about.

The sticker sheets at the back of the book are a very nice touch. They contain lots of stickers for various milestones which you can stick on at the appropriate places in the baby journal. For example, there are stickers for 1st tooth, 2nd tooth, 3rd tooth, first word, crawling, standing, climbing, and loads more. You just stick them on where you've written about a corresponding moment.

I've been diligently filling in my baby journal for my first baby, with every momentous moment. I've been told that it won't be the same for the next kiddies... and all the momentous events tend to merge together in your head into one large mass of nappies, teeth and sleeplessness. A lady I know had 4 boys, and she can barely remember the vital statistics for each of them! A baby journal will keep a little log of it for me :) But I will make a point of filling in one of these baby journals for each baby I have (I am planning on a few more), so that I can have a permanent record of each baby's activities.

P.S. We've got a PlayPennies exclusive 10% off with this K-Two discount code.

There's something special about making gifts or cards to give people.

I'm quite arty and have drawn pictures for thank you cards for years but if you're not, you might still be stuck in the pre-school era of sprinkling a bit of glitter onto some card covered in glue.

If you're a crafty wannabe then rescue and salvation can be found with the Serif Craft Artist Platinum software; we sent an edition off to PlayPennies mum Tanya to play with for us.

"This is one hefty house of software!" Tanya tells, "It has taken me about an hour to install everything from the Serif Craft Artist Platinum Edition."

There are four DVDs and one CD plus a patch along with whole host of free digitkits to install and download; Tanya says it's one of the most comprehensive forms of craft software she's ever used.

"The sheer depth of customisation is very impressive," she continues, "I've spent about two hours on this and it is definitely engrossing and I've not scratched the surface. I created a photobook of which there were several templates - alll of them baby related."

Tanya then went to their online site, DaisyTrail.com, where she found lots of free digikits to download http://www.daisytrail.com/free_stuff.html

"This site is impressive with a huge community, it sucked me in for hours!" Tanya confesses.

The Serif Craft Artist Platinum software will let you create pretty much anything you want using their templates, or you can fly solo and just use their software to create something of your own; the only limits are you the ones you impose on yourself, so unleash your inner Picasso and let 'him' run riot!

"I took one of their baby templates and I basically fiddled and played around with the various backgrounds and textures and turned it into a Halloween design; seriously cool," Tanya reveals.

If you find this sort of software  a little bit intimidating in the beginning then don't worry, you get a startup wizard every time you open it (you can turn this off when you don't need it anymore) and Tanya told us that the instruction 'booklet' was around 242 pages long.

"OK! OK! I only made it to about page 20 before I decided to just leap in and start designing, it was too exciting to resist!" Tanya confesses, "I'm busy making a wedding present for a friend and this Craft Artist software is making it a breeze, it's amazing.

I just clicked on Photobook, added the photos with one click and then started adjusting them, changing fonts and colours, and fiddling with sizes."

Mother's Day is rapdily approaching (Sunday 3 April if you were wondering when) so  Serif Craft Artist may well just be your knight in shinging craft software if you want to create something special.

To see what Serif Craft Artist had up it's sleeve for Mother's Day, Tanya went to play around with the digikits.

"There are tons for Mother's Day and you have to register; I hate registering, but I can understand why you need to do it," Tanya admits, "The files are big and unless you have monster amounts of hard drive space you may want to curtail your digikit passions."

If you've ever used Photoshop then the deep, dark world of layers and messing around with the intricacies of things won't be a problem for you, if you're not used to it then get ready to embark on a bit of a learning curve.

Tanya agrees, "This does take some getting used to as you knuckle down into the bowels of the system and start to get fussy and fiddly with your designs.  I also had some issues with installation, the system freezing, refusing to install and it got a bit annoying at times.

Especially when I tried to download the digikits and it told me I needed Scrapbooking and I already had Scrapbooking installed. This is, however, the world of software I suppose."

And finally...

If you are someone who's more of the digital crafting age, rather than getting down and dirty with fabric, scissors, sewing and glue, then this Serif Craft Artist Software is likely to be just your sort of thing.

All of the time, love and effort is still there minus the cost of all the materials and bits and pieces, all you need to pay for is the one-off cost of the software - it's £34.99 in Argos at the moment, or £39.99 if you buy it from Serif directly.

There's also a section entitled Make and Do where they talk you through creating things like gift cards and paper at home along with a dedicated YouTube channel, where you can get all sorts of video tutorials on the software.

Tanya's last word on the Serif Craft Artist Platinum software...

"An excellent buy; just exellent!"

www.serif.com/craftartist/platinum

We've been utterly spoiled for choice with make-up and beauty products here at PlayPennies over the last month, but I certainly haven't heard any of our PlayPennies mums complain!

We received two items from QVC to test and sent them on to Sally, mum of three, to see what she thought.

The first item Sally tried was the Hugs & Kisses eau de parfum (100ml) by ‘Judith Williams’ (£23.95)

“I’m very picky when it comes to perfumes – I don’t things that are too flowery, too fruity, too spicy, too light, too heavy and so on,” Sally told us. “There are also perfumes that can give me a headache too, so I tend to be a little wary and, dare I say it, sceptical when I’m sent perfume to review. Not only that, so much of it comes down to personal taste – one woman’s Vera Wang is another woman’s (Dior) Poison and all that!”

On arrival, the Hugs and Kisses box is delicate and very girly – predominantly white with a very pale pink rose on the front and pretty swirly writing. The bottle itself is clear glass, with clean simple lines, something Sally likes in a perfume bottle. However, Sally felt he cheap gold plastic lid lowered the tone somewhat.

The scent wasn't an immediate win for Sally either. “When I first sprayed it I was NOT impressed. It was sweet and flowery and far too heavy. So much so, in fact, that I flung the windows open to try and air the room and vowed never to spray it anywhere near, or on, myself again.

A week or so later, I went to the QVC website to see what everyone else had to say about it and, on the whole, it gets RAVE reviews, so I went back to Hugs and Kisses and smelled it again.”

In the end Sally isn't sure if she likes it or not - “It’s funny how it smells different now, much less flowery.  So now I’m in a quandary – do I like it or do I not? I actually have no idea anymore.  Was I lead into thinking it was super flowery because of the picture on the box…? Or am I smelling what other people are saying they smell?”

The aroma aside, Sally says that the scent “lasts a reasonable amount of time on the skin and also comes with a very handy 10ml handbag travel size spray too – I think this should be compulsory for every perfume!”

The second item QVC sent to Sally was the Mally Ultimate Performance Lip System - £17.95 and unfortunately, she's definitely not a fan. “This is hideous. I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe it and I don’t feel I can dumb it down.”.

Sally explains: “It comes with a primer/liner and what they call a ‘lacquer’ (that’s what my nan calls hairspray…that should have given me a bit of a clue!)”

So what you do is this – you draw around the outline of your lips with the liner and then colour in the rest of your lips with it. After that you go over your lips with the lacquer.

The liner comes in a thin pen and you twizzle the end to push the liner ‘pencil’ out – so no need for a pencil sharpener. “It’s quite soft, goes on easily and has a matt finish to it”, Sally tells us.

“Next,” she says, “the lacquer. In the instructions it says this:

‘Finally, using the innovative applicator, specifically designed to get as close to the lip line as possible, fill in your gorgeous mouth and watch as your lips are literally transformed into little pillows of perfection. I got your back on this my lovelies, this gorgois colour isn’t budging, so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!’

I kid you not, that’s word for word…my lovelies (groan).”

To say that Sally was less than impressed would be just touching the surface of the matter. To start with, she was unconvinced by the applicator. “Firstly, I fail to see how the applicator is remotely innovative, my mum had lipstick/gloss with a little furry-tipped applicator when I was five years old (some 32 years ago!).”

This might seem like a small detail, and a bit of marketing speak, but the next bit is not good at all. “My lips were NOT transformed into little pillows of perfection – they were transformed into two slimy, greasy slugs on my face! Seriously, the lacquer was gungey and stringy when you pulled the applicator out and it will come off and leave messy trails on anything it comes into contact with; if you kissed someone with this on, they’d never forgive you.”

For all the wrong reasons, it seems.

Interestingly enough, the reviewers on the website gave it five stars each, with one saying that “the liner is soft enough to apply easily but stays put all day & the liquid lipstick/gloss is high shine & long lasting reducing the need for touch ups.”

Sally's final thoughts?

“Well, maybe I'm just a make-up grinch, but make an application mistake with this at your peril and don't go anywhere near anything with your lips that you don't to get covered in lacquer slime!”

You can see a whole list of QVC products on their website, and hopefully you'll agree with their customers more than with Sally!

I was first introduced to Little Tikes long before I ever had my own child, when my god-daughter turned up at a restaurant for breakfast one day, and I have absolutely loved them ever since. I love that the child has freedom to move in this alternative to a pushchair.

But, as ever, it's really the opinions and experience of the PlayPennies panelist mums that counts, and this time Ling has agreed to share her thoughts with us.

Ling was really excited to try the Tikes Mobile as she had been in the market for a push along vehicle that her one-year old would “ find more engaging than being strapped in his pushchair”.

She discussed with friends and tried a few popular types but found that there tended to be problems with steering, which was a big turn-off for her. “This was important for me as I was planning to take said vehicle for walks in parks.”

Upon arrival already, things were looking good for the Tikes Mobile, says Ling. “Even without a steering wheels or normal wheels on, he happily sat in the body of the car.”

“Assembly of the car was straightforward. The instructions were entirely pictorial so once you had worked out what each of the diagrams represented, it was very easy to follow.” Ling told us. “I managed, with some difficulty, to put this together on my own but if you had another person (even a child, who just needs to be able to hold the car level while you attached the wheels to the crossbar/ chassis) the assembly would have been very easy, only requiring a bit of strength to hammer the pegs that hold the wheels in place”

Although the car comes with instructions for attaching the seatbelts and handle-securing belts, Ling's car came with everything already attached.

Ling also gave us great insight into the child's experience of the Tikes Mobile.

“I found the steering wheel a bit low and far for my son to reach although maybe it is because he is a bit short. For the most of it, he was happy to be pushed around and watch the world go by with an unfettered 360⁰ view.”

It might be worth noting, however, that the seat belts are really just fasteners so stop a child from falling out of the vehicle, says Ling. “ Looking at the marketing pictures though, it seems like a bigger/ taller child should be able to fit into this with no problems”

There is no suspension or breaks, so Ling suggests keeping on paths and even surfaces, although the Tikes Mobile does handle slightly bumpy roads rather well. Ling felt that the ride did seem quite comfortable for her son.

“There were a few inclines where we went and I found that it was unnecessary to go downhill backwards although you just have to have a firm hand on the car to make sure it did not roll away” says Ling. And since steering was such an important factor of her, we wondered what she thought of the steering in the Tikes Mobile.

““Steering” is easy in as much as you pretty much lift the front or back end via the parent handle (either by pressing down or lifting, respectively) and then pivot the vehicle. You don’t need too much effort to do it and makes the vehicle more manoeuvrable than you would first think.”

“This car has no steering mechanism apart from the parent pushing it so you don’t wind up fighting against something to move it in a particular direction.”

Ling was also quite impressed with the design and manufacturing of the Tikes Mobile. “With the idea of taking this little car out in mind, they have designed it with hard wearing wheels and a foldable parent handle (to fit into the a car for transport).”

She was a little skeptical at first as to whether it would fit in the boot of her Ford Fiesta, but it went in with room enough for a changing bag and a bit of shopping.

The main downside to the little car it seems, was that the parent-handle, which locks in either 'use' or 'store mode, didn't seem to lock quite as well in 'use' mode. This mode is supposed to prevent the handle from coming down on top of the child while they are in the car, but Ling didn't feel it was as robust as the rest of the vehicle.

AND FINALLY....

Ling's overall impression is “that this car is very sturdy, right down to the wheels.  I wiped ours down after the zoo outing and the wheels are only slightly scratched up.  I imagine this will see us through plenty more outings come the summer.”

The Mobile Push 'n' Ride car comes in , and is made of a high-quality, durable plastic body with a wide seating area and good floor space.

Mobile Tikes are available on the Little Tikes website for around £50.00

The weather everywhere in the world has gone completely mad, I'm sure!

The hideous minus temperatures we had during December, last week being mild enough to feel positively spring like and now back to frost and minus numbers overnight - I tell you, we'll have more snow before the end of February.

Our skin really does take a beating during the winter months with the constant onslaught of huge temperature changes and if you don't take care of it, it can start to look  dull and tired and feel pretty terrible.

We were sent some Fade Out skin care products which promise to make your skin brighter and lighter in just four weeks, along with some Les Fleurs Bach's products.

So we bundled them all up and sent them off to PlayPennies test-mum, Serena.

Fade Out

Fade out skincare products have been around for over 25 years and have just undergone reformulation.

We sent Serena four Fade Out products:

Fade Out - White: Nourishing Night Cream 50ml (£9.18)

Fade Out - White: Original Moisturising Cream 50ml (£7.99)

Fade Out - White: Protecting Day Cream 50ml (£8.99)

Fade Out - White: Anti-Shadow Brightening Eye Cream (£6.50)

"Three shiny white glass jars of face cream and a tube of eye cream, all promising me brighter and lighter skin, were the first things I took out of the big box that arrived on my doorstep," reported Serena.

There is a lot of science behind the Fade Out products but, in essence, the basic principles are this:

Age spots, freckles and uneven skin tone appear over time due to exposure to the sun and melanin production.  The ingredients in the Fade Out products - Niacinamide, along with mulberry and liquorice - prevent melanin from reaching the upper layers of the skin and making it darker (no good if your a suntan fan as it's the melanin production that makes you go brown!).

These ingredients also fade existing skin discolouration, sun spots and freckles and encourages cell renewal so your skin stays light and bright.

"If your face cream has to smell nice then Fade Out might take a bit of getting used to, or it won't be for you at all; it doesn't smell nice.  It doesn't smell bad either, but you won't sniff it and think, "Ooooh! That's lovely!" Serena told us.

Serena told us that all the Fade Out face creams were very thick without being excessively heavy.

"...firm to the touch is the best way I can describe the texture of the creams. They are wonderful to put on your face - you can just feel your skin breathing a huge sigh of relief and saying 'thank you!'"

Serena felt that her skin was indeed brighter after four weeks but couldn't definitively say by how much.

"I was tempted, albeit only very briefly, to test the Fade Out creams on just one side of my face and continue with my normal skin care routine on the other half.

But, what IF the difference was really going to be noticeable?! I'd be walking around with one half of my face light and bright and the other half...not!"

Les Fleurs Bach

Les Fleurs Bach are probably best known for their Flower Remedies and have been around forever, well since the 1920s and 30s anyway.

We sent Serena the following Les Fleurs Bach products:

Anti-stress day cream 60ml (£40)

Presence(s) de Bach Perfumed soap 115g (£9.50)

I've come across Bach's products before, primarily their infamous Rescue Remedy that went through a phase of being popular.

Lots of people swear by it and say it really does help you to deal with very stressful situations - at a 96% brandy with a 40% alcohol volume, I'm not surprised *grin*

"I really wasn't taken with these Les Fleurs Bach's products," confessed Serena. "They are massively over-priced for one thing and secondly, anti-stress cream...really?!"

The official information on the Les Fleurs de Bach Organic Anti-Stress range says,

In a skincare first, the new Les Fleurs de Bach Organic Anti-Stress range contains 13 certified organic, holistic treatments designed to answer everyday skincare needs through simple beauty gestures, whilst providing a feeling of calm and inner peace

"Calm and inner peace from face cream...? What a load of hocus-pocus!" was Serena's less than impressed comment on that statement.

"Putting any cream on your face can leave you feeling calm if that's the state of mind you're already in," continued Serena, "when I was rushing around in the morning with a thousand and one things to organise and kids to herd out of the house by 8am, it certainly didn't make me feel calm or give me inner peace!"

No glowing praise for the anti-stress day cream; what about the perfumed soap?

It's part of the Eau de Parfum No1 range - Presence(s) de Bach: "the perfume that helps you feel in tune with yourself" which is said to...

bring you a feeling of well-being and harmony, thanks to its blend of organic blend of organic Bach Flower essences...the uplifting, fresh and relaxing scent of Presence(s) de Bach promotes feelings of reconciliation and improved communication with those around you

"I've never heard such a load of old rubbish in all my life!" said Serena, "It's SOAP, very expensive soap at that! I don't find the smell uplifting, fresh or relaxing and if I hadn't already used it, it would have been given away by now.

The only nice thing about it is the clean and simple design of the box!"

And finally...

"I enjoyed using the Fade Out products - the thickness of them and how they felt on my skin was more than a worthy trade-off for their lack of 'nice' smell," Serena concluded, she also felt that the price point was pretty spot on.

She was very clearly not impressed with the Fleurs de Bach products, feeling they were over-hyped and grossly over-priced.

Fade Out products are available from independent pharamacies and Boots and the Les Fleurs de Bach Anti-Stress range is available from their wesbite www.lesFleursDeBach.co.uk

We do love soft and cuddly toys here at PlayPennies HQ – for, you know, our kids and all. Really!

We saw the Curious Caterpillar pull-along toy from Little Bird Told Me and just knew that we wanted one of our youngest PlayPennies panellists and her mum to trial it for us.

There were problems at first as the toy was faulty, but Little Bird Told Me's customer service people sorted it out very quickly.

“The original toy that I was sent was faulty and when I contacted Little Bird Told Me to tell them they couldn't have been any more helpful. They arranged for a replacement toy to be sent straight away and it came very quickly,” said Kim. That was great to know, since no matter how great a product is, it's never great dealing with bad customer service!

Once the new toy arrived, Kim was very happy. She loved the fact that it was unisex and thought it would be a great gift for a babyshower – especially one where the sex of the baby was still unknown.

The recommended age on this toy was six months and up, and Kim agreed that it would be about right for that age group, as it was a little 'young' for her 15 month old.

“I think if a child owned this toy from a young age then they would love it and it would soon become a firm favourite. I think they would then continue to play with it for ages.”

The caterpillar's body is made of a variety of different fabrics and he has little cord feet to match his tail. He has an adorable embroidered face and antennae. There is a chime in his body so that when you tip him up it makes a lovely sound. The caterpillar fits inside the velour apple which has removable (via velcro flaps) wooden wheels. There is the embroidered text 'Munch Crunch' on one side and on the top of the apple the leaves are made from crinkly material and there is a crinkly flower with a baby-safe mirror at it's centre.

The Curious Caterpillar has a pull-along cord which has a safety barrel clasp in the middle which allows the length of cord to separate into two short pieces if any pressure is put on it in order to prevent strangulation. Kim does suggest giving the clasps a good test-tug just to make sure they are secure otherwise they could pose a choking hazard.

The pull-along toy comes with detachable wheels so that it can be both a soft cuddly toy and a pull-along toy, but Kim felt it would have been better if the wheels didn't detach as it she keeps having to search the house for them at the end of each day, since her daughter loves playing with the wheels almost more than the toy.

“I know I could just leave the wheels hidden beneath the depths of the sofa cushion but I just feel if I did that then the toy may as well not have the wheels and may as well not be a pull-along. I know that Little Bird Told Me were trying to make it so that the toy could be cuddled better with the wheels detached but I think if they wanted to cuddle the toy then the child could just cuddle the removable caterpillar itself.”

She felt concerned about losing one of the wheels, especially since the toy costs a not insubstantial £18.00 which “ is a bit too much to just let it be ruined”.

On the price and company, Kim said, “I think the price is quite expensive for the toy but I think it is worth paying that little extra as you know that the company are trying very hard to be eco-friendly and make traditional toys that last for years. Little Bird Told Me are a small company who love to make toys that fire a child's imagination. I love that idea!

The company have a great eco-policy in that they always try to use materials that can be easily recycled or are biodegradable. The toy comes in a lovely presentation box which, uses minimal plastic packaging or plastic bags and instead use biodegradable cardboard and tissue paper. I must say that I loved the fact that the toy came in a cardboard box with no horrible plastic wrapping or even fiddly plastic ties..it made such a change! Plus, it looked better!”

And Finally...

“Overall,” says Kim, “I feel this toy is a complete treasure. It should last for many years if looked after well and I'm sure any little child would love it.”

Little Bird Told Me stock a wide range of baby toys, including Activity Playmats , Infant Rocking Animals , Rocking Horses, Infant Toys , Cot Musical Mobiles and Accessories. Have a browse around their website, we're sure you'll find loads you love!

Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme has to be one of my top fragrances for men this year. It’s got a really woody and earthy base note that tantalises the back of your nose, and then it’s followed by these light and almost sweet notes of Jasmine and nutmeg.

I have sprayed this onto my husband, my father and my friend’s husband and found that it does tend to vary with the person, but not as much as with other scents. Instead of mutating completely and becoming another smell entirely, it holds the base note steady but the top notes tend to shift between really sweet or faintly tart.

The bottle is also awesome. It’s this see-through black glass in a solid square design with this hefty pull-ring style top. Actually, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to open it. I felt a bit stupid when I realised you had to pull the ring.

This really would make a fantastic Christmas present for all but the fussiest of men. I wouldn’t recommend buying a male fragrance for a fussy man ever, unless he is with you, that’s too risky. However, for men who are open to new smells, this is a strong contender for male scent of the year.

Where to buy: Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme is on sale at the The Perfume Shop. It's down to £26.55 for a 30ml bottle, £35.55 for a 50ml bottle plus shower gel and after shave balm, and £35.55 for 50ml EDT. That’s a nice price on the 30ml bottle if you don’t want to risk a big 50ml one, although the bundle for £35 is pretty awesome. This is a fantastic scent that will make you want to sniff your man for hours.

Ok, I really don’t like the packaging on Paco Raganne 1 Million. I know it’s supposed to look rich and masculine and like a slab of gold bullion, but on my man’s nightstand it looks a bit like he's trying too hard. It is just that little bit too ostentatious to sit out in the public eye.

That said, however, the scent is rather lovely. It is not a smell for everyone, though. This is spicy, just like the product description says. It has a feeling of high seas and driving winds and a dash of pirate for good measure. Very nice on the right man with the right skin.

When I sprayed this on the men I knew, to see how it changed with different chemical compositions, it really did change quite sharply. On my husband it smelled rather wanton and overpowering but on my friend it smelled luscious.

It is quite amazing how differently we react to different perfumes. The heart notes on 1 Million include rose and musk, with top notes of blood mandarin and peppermint. The most powerful scent is definitely the amber spice that’s incredibly masculine.

If your partner can wear heavy scents with aplomb then this is a great one for him. You really have to be the kind of person who can march that smell into a room. However, in spite of its heavy nose, I adore this smell and have even squirted some on my diary.

Whenever I turn the pages I feel a bit transported to a realm of Indiana Jones and adventure. Yes, I am a bit mad.

Where to buy: You can get this fragrance from The Perfume Shop who sell the 200ml for £53.09, the 50 ml fragrance and shower gel is £33.99 and the 50ml spray for £30.59.

Decorating a baby's room was one of the most amazing parts of pregnancy. It's such an exciting time, and can make you feel close to and prepared for your new arrival. Of course, later on you might have to change the décor to suit a toddler, and as fads change you might find yourself changing room designs time and again.

Apart from the effort, the cost can really add up – so self adhesive borders and art are ideal, which is where the Fablon/Readyoll Build A Border sets come in.

The children's collections offer a wide variety of decorative products; borders, stickers, foam figures, hooks and more. The range of "mix & match" co-ordinating decorative products provides the opportunity to create a fun themed room that children will adore.

We sent two children's sets to PlayPennies mum Kim to try out and feed back to us.

“I absolutely love the self adhesive 'Build A Border' sets that were sent to me to review. I received the 'Butterflies' set and the 'At Sea' set. As I have a daughter I chose to use the Butterfly set myself and I gave the 'At Sea' pack to my mum to give to the school where she works. They are hoping to use it to decorate a room.”

Each pack contains a 5m roll of self adhesive border and 60 self adhesive stickers. The Disney kits retail at the same price but you get over 100 stickers in each pack.

“These sets are such a great idea and the price is so affordable. These would be perfect for children's bedrooms or nurseries. If you are looking for a really quick way to transform a room these are definitely a must-have item. They are so quick and easy to use. I haven't used the wavy edged flowery border that came in my set yet as I want to keep it for when I decorate my daughter's room properly.

I have however used all the butterfly stickers! I went a bit mad with them... I decorated a wall in the nursery, a toy box, wardrobe doors, lamp shade, windows and a mirror. Basically anything I could find that they'd stick to! I had so much fun...I only stopped decorating when I ran out of stickers!”

The removable stickers can be placed on any smooth surface, such as a cupboard door or a painted wall.

“The pack says that the stickers are repositionable during application and removable, which I can vouch for as I have tried and tested it” Kim told us. “I cannot however say whether or not these will be easily removed after a few years though - I'm hoping they will be.”

We hope so too, as that's the idea!

The 'At Sea' pack contains a wave design border and 60 stickers of boats, fish, starfish, crabs, clouds and more. This is a lovely set that would be perfect to create an ocean themed room.

For my daughter's first birthday this year, we emptied the lounge of furniture and put zoo stickers all over the room. They kept falling off the wall though, so I really wish we'd known about these – what a perfectly inexpensive way to give a themed party a real lift!

HA Interiors offer a lovely range of children's décor, including but not limited to Safari, Space, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princesses, Cars, Zoo Time and Teddy Play Time.

As Kim said, “It is nice to see that they do a couple of unisex designs but it is equally lovely to be able to buy really girly or really boyish designs. I can imagine the unisex designs would be good for a nursery when you don't know if you are having a boy or girl or for a bedroom which is shared by brother and sister.”

Final thoughts...

So what are Kim's final thoughts?

“Overall I highly recommend these Build A Border sets and I will definitely buy more of them in the years to come. I think if you are renting the property you live in then these are a godsend. Sometimes when you rent you are not allowed to paint rooms and these stickers mean that you now have the chance to transform a room for your child without the need for paint or wallpaper. When the time comes that you leave the property all you have to do is peel the stickers off. So simple!”

We can't help but agree and I can't wait for Spring so we can decorate my daughter's 'little girl' room.

The Maclaren Grand Tour LX is a very luxurious pushchair. It is suitable from birth with a cosy cot, and can be either forward or parent facing – my favourite feature.

This pushchair comes with plenty of add ons. There's the rain cover and sun shade – nicely hidden in pockets behind the seat, a large basket, a foot muff, and matching nappy bag... all pretty standard. But then there's the remote safety lights, pedometer, temperature gauge and built-in clock. The 'dashboard console' also includes a handy storage space for a mobile phone – although my Blackberry Storm didn't fit.

The pedometer – or strollometer – is useful if you're using the pram for exercise, which is sort of the point of this pushchair. Maclaren and Pushy Mothers have worked out a whole exercise programme to accompany it. Which is also why it comes with a clip on cup holder for your sporty water bottle.

The cot has a storage bag, the wheels have Formula 1- style wheel bags and there is a bag that covers the chair and frame too, although this doesn't seal, which I found unfortunate as it means it can't lock. I had my temperature gauge and clock stolen out of the dashboard during a recent flight, so the ability to lock the bag would have been great, in retrospect.

This is an extremely luxurious buggy. There's nothing that hasn't been thought of. The wheels can be locked or swivel, the headlights are bright, the seat is plush, and can recline for a sleeping toddler, the pedometer works well. It is definitelythe most luxurious pram I've ever used.

But...

It is a massive pushchair. It weighs 17.2kg and is 65cm wide. It folds, but still takes up most of the back seat of a normal car. You can get it up the stairs, but need a tea break after.

If you're after something zippy, this isn't it. If your baby will be spending a lot of time in their buggy, or you're walking a lot (and love your gadgets) this is it.

I have a confession to make. I leash my child. I always said I wouldn't. I said leashes are for dogs. I said my child is not a dog. Then I lost my 8 month old on a pavement at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. My heart stopped, my hair greyed, I saw milk cartons flash before my eyes, and I dug out the restraint I'd disdainfully buried when I received it as a new baby gift.

The LittleLife Toddler Day Pack, which we have, is a little back pack, large enough for a few toys. You could use it for a nappy and some wet wipes, I guess, but we've made it our daughter's bag. It generally holds a wooden musical instrument, a soft toy, a baby picture book and some finger puppets – perfect entertainment for a day out, in the car or on an aeroplane.

The backpack is well made, the butterflies that decorate it have not scratched or peeled off and the little net pocket is – well, decoration. It's not big enough for a bottle or anything other than perhaps a piece of paper with contact details and a few notes, or perhaps a few biscuits.

The straps go over the shoulders and there's a clip in front to secure the bag to the child. There's a strong clip that clips to a metal ring on the bag, which is attached to strap attached to a material padded ring for the parent or guardian to hold on to.  LittleLife have a range of lovely harness bags. There are normal backpacks like this one, then there are animal bags – turtle, cow, butterfly and ladybird.

I don't use it all the time, but when I do, I am happy in the knowledge that my 13-month old can run around, explore and experiment with her world, without my stress levels spiking. Most of all, I love the fact that she doesn't really 'know' that she's being restrained.

Of all the canvas systems I’ve used, Pixum has to be the easiest of the lot. It didn’t overcomplicate things, it took literally a few clicks, and my image was ready to go. I chose a very bright and colourful image to go on the canvas print – it’s the lizard you can see above, here.

I had a budget of £50 which was to cover the canvas print and its postage and packaging. Pixum have quite a few different options available to you, including an awesome new Acrylic Print option where your print is placed behind a thick acrylic glass plate and you get free mounting.

I really liked that idea but £34.49 only got me 8x12” and the next size up, 12x16” was £54.49, out of my budget. It sounds fab but is quite costly. So I chose a 16x24” canvas print for £44.49 which cost £4.99 to ship.

The image itself came out beautifully. It didn’t fall off the edges in annoying ways and hadn’t lost much brightness in the printing. It is slightly darker than I had anticipated, but I know how fiddly colour can be and how my screen can say one thing when the reality is something else entirely.

I also love the size. The other thing I appreciated was the speed of delivery and regular updates. As soon as I’d ordered it, I was told when it was coming and how long it would take. Personally I find this canvas is better than the others I’ve reviewed as the actual material is smoother and less grainy. However, that is very much a personal thing as my husband feels the reverse.

For this price I think it makes a lovely, well thought out present. Take a look at Sarah’s ideas for truly funky canvas prints here. The final product is below, sadly out of focus as my camera is broken, but you get the idea.