Writing this particular review took me on a trip down memory lane. Woolworths was always the first store we headed to at Halloween when my step children were younger. We'd pick up cobweb spray (for my step son's costume) and accessories like pitchforks and witch's hats. And bags of sweets to hand out.

That particular shop, at the top of our road, is now gone. Of course. My youngest son called it the 'present shop', and although I'd have thought he was too young to remember Woolworths, he still mourns its passing.

But the retail chain lives on, in cyberspace at least. And it is still selling all that stuff that you really need. Here we received a number of items with a Halloween theme from Woolworths, and I gave them to mum of one, Tracy, to test for us. Here's what she thought.

The Hornby Toy Story 3 train set usually costs around £80 so this half price deal at Woolworths is really rather good. Most of the price is probably Disney’s cut but the set seems pretty good actually, especially with the Hornby name attached.

• Click here to train on over to Woolworths

The Toy Story 3 train set has Woody and Buzz riding to the rescue in an adventure filled scenario. The set comes with a Western style locomotive, three carriages, and a desert scene track mat that measures about 1575x1143mm.

The entire set includes one passenger car, one caboose, one box car, one Buzz figure, one Woody figure, one train controller, one track straight, one track double straight, eight track double curve, one power track and one transformer.

There doesn’t appear to be any other figures – like the Evil Doctor Porkchop – and the set is ideal for kids over the age of five. Seems pretty cool but you aren’t get a lot for your money I don’t think…

Thanks to sarah2004 at HUKD!

I recently got a mini word album by More Than Words from Woolworths to review and had no cooking clue on what to do with it. What I received was apackage with plastic words in it. Boy was I confused. And let me tell you, I am so in love with these now that I am not entirely sure how I survived without them!

Essentially you take your templates – and these come in a variety of flavours from Love to Wedding to Daddy – and place them onto your base material. You can use heavy weight card stock or chipboard or tissue paper – the choice is entirely yours. Then you draw around each one using a pencil and then cut them out using whatever suitable equipment is required.

This was a bit fiddly and I was a little bit crap at this bit as the plastic is quite slippery. I wouldn’t necessarily mark this is a negative point though. Then you can paint it, cover it in paper, stick on flowers, add patterned paper and even use your fledgling decoupage skills to pretty it up.

This is where it gets to be all about creativity and fun. My daughter and I made one for her room that she designed herself. I helped her with the tracing and the cutting but she used her own creativity to paint and create the set. Now she has this adorable block of numbers on her door that look absolutely her.

You can use this to make a photo album, to make simple letters on the door or anything else that takes your fancy. I found the price point of £8 to be quite high for this, though. I know it has a lot of clever thought gone into it but it strikes me as a tad costly. The results are worth it though…And the fact that the packaging has been designed to be reused and to store the letters safely. Bonus.

In case you don't have a small child, there's a new Cars movie out. Disney Pixar Cars 2 sees Lightening MacQueen in the World Grand Prix and Mater mixed up in a spy ring.

Woolworths sent us a few Cars 2 toys to review. I was pretty keen to see what the new stuff for the next movie was like. Seeing as to how I (and many, many other parents) will be paying for it.

I am an expert on Cars. I know all the names of all the cars, and can pretty much recite the dialogue of the first Cars movie. My son is six, which as most parents know, means I've had four years now worth of repeated watching of Cars.

We also have a large amount of the merchandise. Much of which is pretty flimsy, and not easy to use. Some of it doesn't actually work as it should. In fact I cringe every time my son puts it on his birthday/Christmas list. Yet despite the disappointments they remain his most treasured toys.

You may think it is a tad odd for me to be reviewing the Rubiks Cube but I swear it is absolutely essential. This device, a huge hit in the 80s, has kind of carried on lurking on the edges ever since. While it hasn’t managed to grasp the fame and fortune it had in its early years, the cube has undergone some adjustments and changes.

To start with the Rubiks Cube is now a bit smaller than it used to be and is much easier for little hands to use. When I got one of these sent to me as a present for my Hubz on Father’s Day I was positive it would be a dud present. I mean, it’s just a child’s toy, right?

Wrong. I handed him the cube on Father’s Day and then pootled around sorting out his coffee and breakfast in bed. Dad and daughter had been giggling and squealing and talking up until the moment the cube was handed across. As I was cooking I noticed something odd. Silence.

I peeked around the corner. Both of them were sitting and playing with the Rubiks Cube. They were utterly absorbed in it. She was pointing out where he was going wrong and he was ignoring her and doing his own thing. Now she is only four so when she sighed, took the cube from his hands, and proceeded to fix and finish it for him, there was a stunned silence.

I looked at my husband. He looked at me. We stared at her in amazement. This was definitely an excellent toy. It is superb for helping kids develop problem solving, mathematical development and thinking in three dimensions.

Needless to say, our daughter’s Rubiks Cube genius pushed my husband’s competitive buttons and that toy is in constant demand. Best money spent ever and only £13 at Woolworths.

If you're wonder whether a changing table is something you need or not, then this might be the perfect solution. Woolworths has reduced the Ladybird Sorrento Changer from £122 to £31. That's a saving of £91. If you're interested I wouldn't hang about. I don't expect this bargain will last past today!

• Click here for the Ladybird Sorrento Changer at Woolworths

I love the look of this changing table. It looks stylish in a traditional kind of manner, and the deep hardwood colour is gorgeous. What I'd do, once it wasn't needed as a change table anymore, is buy some wicker storage baskets and use it for toys or other items.

That said, we bought a changing table. I got one that was also a chest of drawers, and the baby change part converted into a shelving unit when you didn't need it for changing anymore. It is a lovely piece of furniture and has proved hugely useful over the last six years - as a set of drawers! I think I used it as a changing table about twice. The rest of the time I just put the baby mat on the sofa and changed my son there. It was simply easier.

Thanks to cliff1978 at HUKD!

Woolworths has a sale on their kids clothing and footwear with discounts up to 75% off their usual retail price. AND if you go online and shop now, you can take another 20% off that sale price (oh yes, you get this on sale items!) using the code below.

• Click here to get some clothes from Woolworths

The extra 20% off clearance discount code is XV773 which will be taken off all your items, whether they are sale items or not. The offer ends on 03 July and can be only used once so choose wisely and shop well.

There are around 199 products included in the sale ranging from shorts and slippers to shirts and football kits. There are cute little girl’s jog pants, adorable Little Miss slippers, Ben 10 trekkers and even hair accessories on sale.

There is a lot to choose from and many of these are so cheap that slapping on that extra 20% discount almost feels like a crime. I’ve already nabbed some stuff for my little girl’s birthday and sorted out some shortages in the t-shirt department.  

A little birdie sent me an email today that was filled with lots of lovely deals in the Woolworths summer sale. Many of these items are truly cute and down to ridiculously low prices. Colour me impressed!

• Click here to get some bargains at Woolworths

The first item that caught my eye was the too cute for school Ladybird Pique dress set that usually sells for £8 but is now down to £3. The Ladybird boys swim trunks (two pack) is down to £6.20, and an adorable spotty dress set is down from £12 to £9.60.

You will also find bodysuits, t-shirts, maxi dresses for girls and shoes in the sale.

The sale doesn’t only have clothes for kids, it also has toys for adults. Fun outdoor things like barbeques that have had their prices slashed, and outdoor dining sets. And my personal favourites, four-position outdoor pool chairs in a variety of colours.

The sale is pretty comprehensive actually, you can even find indoor entertainment like HD TVs and Wii’s on sale – perfect for the ghastly summer weather we are having right now. And if you’re in the mood for a new stove, the Hotpoint is down from £449 to £335 – a pretty hefty saving right there!

Here we have a very nice scooter which is smothered in Iron Man 2 images and styling, and that costs a measly £6. It usually costs around £25 so you are saving a whopping £19 off the usual price. This is a stunning bargain for an ace scooter.

• Click here to zoom on over to Woolworths

The Iron Man 2 scooter folds up neatly for storage which is especially useful for those of you who don’t have a ton of space in their home. I know we don’t! The handlebars can be adjusted to three different height settings to suit your child too. Awesome.

The scooter boasts stylin’ Iron Man 2 graphics and is built from light-weight aluminium. I rather like the Iron Man branding as it gives the scooter a very rusty gold look, a nice change from pink or purple or blue, don’t you think?

It has PU wheels, ABEC bearings, secured steering, child friendly hand grips and a rear brake. For only £6 this is a steal.

Thanks to DM24 at HUKD!

The last couple of days around here hasn't exactly screamed summer. Rain, and cold rain at that. However, it seems to be back to normal today, with the sun peeping out from the behind the clouds and a general mugginess.

Just in time really as we start running some summer reviews. Really we thought that it was going to be a true outdoors summer this year, to make up for last year's soggy one. And it still might be. Always worth stocking up on some items too to make use of the fine weather when it does appear.

In the past I've always gone to Woolworths first, at the start of the summer. This year was no different, other than it is all online now. We got a poncho, a kit for creating your very own sports day, and a splash water slide. And gave them all to PlayPennies mum of one Theresa to test them out.

Sports Day Set

Now I was particularly interested in this one, the Sports Day Set (£15). There's such an age difference between my son and his siblings that he's effectively an only child. He's a sociable wee chap so we do a lot of playdates, and sometimes kids just need something a bit structured.

The games you get in this set seem perfect for either outdoors in the garden or at the park. The set includes four each of sacks, spoons and plastic eggs, and bean bags, and also comes with a starters flag. It is recommended for age 4 years and upwards.

It would seem that it makes a great indoors toy too. "The sports set is fab.  We had an egg and spoon race in the lounge. It was a short race but fun." says Theresa.

She goes on to give it a thumbs up overall. "I heartily recommend this as it includes all the little things that you need to create your very own sports day. There are enough items for four kids (or adults) to play around with and I have actually set this up to be used at my daughter's birthday party. It is that good."

Theresa also thinks that it is ideal for the kids to play with during the summer holidays especially as she find's she's often at a loss for activities to keep them entertained.

"The set is ideal for kids to play with during the summer holidays and is good valuie for money. You can egg and spoon, you can sack race, you can three legged race, you can play bean bag agility and then you can invent games to play with the various ingredients."

Splash Water Slide

Theresa doesn't have a garden, although she is right on the beach at the seaside so I don't feel too sorry for her. She does keep outdoor toys at her parent's house though, as they spend a lot of time there particularly in the summer.

The Splash Water Slide is on sale at Woolworths at the moment, marked down from £20 to £10.

Her first impressions where good. "The splash water slide is ace. Very easy to set up and very easy to plonk down anywhere in the garden." This was very important as her parent's needed to do the assembling, and it would be put in the garden shed when the grandchildren weren't there.

Theresa liked that the build of the slide appeared to be very sturdy. "The plastic appears to be strong and durable and very solid and could handle a pretty bumpy garden (although perhaps the kids bottoms won't) and it looks great."

She felt that you needed to take into account not only the size of the slide but also room for the children to run up to the slide before jumping on. Overall, the kids had a great time and the run off kept the garden watered.

Her final verdict? "I wouldn't pay the full £20 but it is on sale at Woolies for only £10 at the moment making this a whopping great bargain."

Towelling Poncho

Woolworths have a number of towelling ponchos, some of which are on sale. The usual RRP for them is £12, but this WWE Superstars Poncho for example is reduced to £10.

Theresa is a fan of these inventions, and so am I. You just slip the child into one out of the bath, or pool, or sea. They are warm, and can dry, at the same time.

However, the robe that Theresa is currently using is the Morrck Splasha, for which she paid £15. "My daughter has one for swimming, that is made from very thick towelling and has buttons downt he front so you can seal it up tightly." She was not such a great fan of the ponchos, as you throw them over the child's head. "Now the buttons may sound random but they are very helpful for putting on over a wet body."

Nor was she impressed with the quality of the towelling, which she found very thin. Overall, she thought you were paying for the privilage of having characters on the ponchos rather than the quality of the towels.

"You can just pay that much for a thick and fluffy bath towel that does a better job. When kids are finished swimming (or bathing) a thick towel is what you need to dry them off or they get cold and these just don't hold the water effectively. My daughter got out of the pool and into Peppa pig and the pnocho was soaked by the time we had walked out of the shower area to the changing are. With our other bathrobe we can leave her in it until we get home! That is what I prefer."

She gives it good marks for character designs and ease of use but bad marks for quality of fabric.

And finally ...

Woolworths do a great range of outdoor toys. I like the sports set and think I may invest in one myself. I know you can make all these things yourself but I'm rubbish at that!

Woolworths is holding a secret sale where you can save up to half price PLUS get an extra 10% off in boys, girls and bedding. It obviously isn’t a very secret sale, though. I mean, you know about it now. How awkward for us all. Shall we pretend we didn’t know when we show up?

• Click here to get shopping with Woolworths

The Woolworths Secret Sale offers you up to 50% off selected items plus you can nab an extra 10% off when you check out. Enter the code XV741 when you hit the checkout to claim your extra 10% discount. I am not sure if that will work with all items, or just those included in the Secret Sale.

The Woolworths Secret Sale will expire on 07 June 2011 and you do have to achieve a minimum order value of £50.

There are plenty of items to nab in the sale such as boys clothing that includes jumpers, jackets, coats, trousers and shoes. In the girls sale you’ll find pretty much the same thing but with a few skirts, stockings and dresses thrown in for good measure.

Take a peek at the secret sale on at Woolworths right now and see if you can save money on your wardrobe shopping this year.

Woolworths is having a rather tasty sale weekend for the bank holiday and among their many deals is a 20% sale off all their toys. If the toy sale doesn’t call to your inner shopper, then how about 60% off homewares, furniture and electrical? Or up to half price off kids clothes? Take your pic and get shopping at Woolworths.

• Click here to get discounted at Woolworths

Some of the ace deals included in the 20% off toy sale are the Smoby My House that is down from £199.00 to £159.00 – a saving of £39.80 – or the Mamas & Papas Fun on the Farm playmat and gym down to £28 from £35, and the Little Tike 2-in-1 garden cart down from £40 to £32.

Other deals include sports bottles down to £3, play centres down to £150, trampolines from £20 and plenty more. This is a pretty cool toy sale with loads of lovely outdoor toys to choose from.

In the Kids Clothing sale you get up to 50% off and there are some really lovely little outfits in there, really lovely. You can nab accessories from £2, coats from £18, dresses from £6 and loads more.

This week's review is one for the girls. Which is lovely for me, as I hardly ever get to look at girl's toys.

Not that I'm big on the whole gender divide thing. I think that for the most part, especially when they're younger, there's not a lot of difference between boys and girls in what they want to play with. Play kitchens and diggers seem to be just as much fun for both. And before they get taught that it's wrong, both boys and girls show a preference for pink.

However, there's still a slight difference and why not. Men and women aren't exactly the same either! So is it worth getting a girly toy for a little girl? We got a couple of toys for the girls from Woolworths to review, along with the VTech My Laptop, and gave them to the daughters of our PlayPennies parents. This is how they got on.

VTech My Laptop

The VTech My Laptop Pink (£20) actually comes in two colours. Pink (and it is very pink) or yellow with orange trim. It comes with 30 educational activities that, according to the website, teach early computer techniques and age appropriate skills, including phonics, letters and maths. Activities include Forest Phonics, Number Order, Puzzle Pieces and Musical Fun.

PlayPennies mum Annette was excited to get the VTech My Laptop to test. "This is an excellent educational toy from Vtech and it took me completely by surprise." She had bought one of the older versions of  the Vtech laptop for her daughter and had a less than brilliant experience. "It had a miniscule screen that you could barely see unless you angled it exactly to certain lights, and it broke within a week of my daughter using it. In short, it was rubbish."

She didn't hold out much hope for this particular version. "However, I was immediately struck by how light and portable it was as well as the clever mouse design."

The mouse clips into the base of the laptop quickly and easily, without a protuberance, for easy travel and storage. Annette found the laptop very light and small. "It can travel really well if you need something to entertain the kids while travelling on holiday."

It wasn't all good though. "The screen is still pitifully small which is a downside in my view."

She did think that the screen was good quality however, and that it copes well in low light. Also, that the laptop is very easy for kids to use and play with.

"I handed it over to my four year old and soon she was whizzing along without needing any help from me at all. She loves this toy and happily plays it for ages while I get essentials done. There are tons of educational activities on there and I heartily approve of that as they match her Reception year syllabus nicely and offer her lots of extra practise on subjects she may find tricky."

Disney Princess Cinderella Doll

It isn't pink. That was a bit of a surprise for me. I guess I was expecting something that looked more like a Barbie doll. But to me the Disney Princess Cinderella Doll (£25) looks like a proper, age-appropriate, little girls doll. I found that quite refreshing.

The Woolworths website describes this toy as a 34cm fully bendable doll with a typical Disney Princess look and outfit with high quality nylon hair. It is recommended for ages 3 years and up.

It was a big hit with the daughter of our reviewer Amanda. "This doll has not left my child's side since it arrived. Cinders has gone everywhere with us and is a massive hit."

The head is made from solid plastic while the rest of her is soft, a combination Amanda found a little odd. She was less than impressed as a parent that the shoes kept fall off.  "If you've ever spent 30 mins on your knees at Sainsburys, looking under the stalls for a thin silk shoe, then you know what I mean."

Luckily for Amanda, Cinders is one robust toy. "It has been kicked, sat on, dropped, travelled with, and anything else you can imagine and she is effortless to clean."

Her clothes come off so you can give everything a good polish, and little ones enjoy dressing her. "Actually, this is the first time my child hasn't instantly removed all the clothes from a toy and then left it to hang about naked."

Amanda was taken aback by the price though. "She isn't very big and for £25 I think you're paying for the Disney brand name here. But she will last for ages."

Hello Kitty Skateboard

The Hello Kitty Skateboard (£15) is a full size skateboard measuring 31 x 8ins. It is made of chinese maplewood with  PVC injected wheels and 608oz bearings. It is decorated in a Hello Kitty polka dot design and is recommended for ages from 5 years.

Our young p8 year old tester thought it looked pretty good. Abby comments that this "skate board looks really cool and jazzy, the colours are great because they are not too girly!"

She thought the board was quite big, about the same size as an adult's board, but this means "its great to sit on with friends".

However, as the board is quite big, it is also quite heavy. Abby thought the wheels were quite poor quality "as they are plastic. My dad says the trucks could be a little more sturdy."

Overall, she thought it was a great toy. "All my friends loved it, but I wouldn't go to the skate park on it, not built for ramps!"

And Finally ...

It is nice to know that you can get toys that are girly but not forcing too much of a gender stereotype. It is a fine line and Woolworths seems to have managed quite well.

Woolworths are holding a half price sale on kids clothing and footwear at the moment and there are some awesome outfits and essentials to be had. Sure, some of them are from the winter range but what better time to stock up for next year than in a half price sale?

• Click here to get discounts at Woolworths

The Woolworths half price kids sale includes several different types of clothing across boys and girls, as well as a nice little range of shoes. You will also find some great discounts in their Mother and Baby Event, as well as in furniture and entertainment. In fact, Woolworths seem to be on sale across the entire online store!

Some of the items I am particularly impressed with include padded coats down to £10, pull-on pants from £8, and their 25% off schoolwear sale. This is a good time to sort out whatever they need for next term and next year I think!

So, take a look around and save lots of lovely money by buying all of your essentials at a discount.

The Woolworths Mother and Baby event starts on the 28th of March and runs until the 12th of April. The online store is offering 30% off selected items in its Mother and Baby range. In addition, the site is running a sale on children's clothing, with 20% off.

• Click HERE for the Woolworths Mother And Baby Event

The store has its new spring lines out in the shop (or should I say website?) now. It sells pretty much all the stuff you might remember seeing in its stores, when the chain still existed on the high street. Plus a lot more. In some ways it reminds me more now of a Mothercare combined with a BHS. But cheaper. Although, I have to say, not as inexpensive as I remember prices being instore.

Maybe it is because standard delivery is £3.95. I do like the quality of the Ladybird ranges though, and when I've got a fairly big order to put in the £3.95 won't seem so expensive!

One item I am particularly hunting for at the moment is a dinosaur costume, specified by my son for his 6th birthday. He really likes the one on the Woolworths site, the Dinosaur Child Costume priced at £11.99. That's £15.94 including delivery. The same costume is available at Play.com for £12.98 including delivery. The 20% discount would take it down to £9.59, making it £13.54 delivered. Which is still more expensive. So, the moral of the story is, a discount is great if it is on an item you can't get cheaper elsewhere, or if you're going to buy other items anyway, so spreading the cost of delivery.

I was a little late to the Ben 10 party it has to be said. I kept seeing Ben 10 stuff EVERYWHERE - Ben 10 clothes, Ben 10 figures, Ben 10 bubble bath, Ben 10 towels, Ben 10 bikes and Ben 10 scooters.

At the time, my youngest was still into Thomas and Bob the Builder so I didn't pay a great deal of attention to whatever, or whoever, this Ben 10 was; then I found a deal for something Ben 10 and figured I should find out what I was going to be talking about.

My youngest caught Ben 10 fever shortly after that, and that's really the only way to describe the hoo-hah surrounding the boy (now teenage) alien hunter, and my life and bank balance haven't been the same since.

Woolworths very kindly sent us a Ben 10 Inline Scooter and Lodestar action figure to review.

My youngest already has both of these things, Tamsin's daughter couldn't care less about Ben 10, Lynley's son is also Ben 10'd up to the rafters and Luschka and Emma both have girls under one, so we shipped the scooter and Lodestar off to PlayPennies mum, Louise.

"My eight-year0ld daughter, Ellie, was SO excited when the Ben 10 inline scooter arrived," Louise told us, clearly Ben 10 isn't just for boys!

"Playing with it last Saturday made her a very happy little girl indeed," Louise continued, "It had been wet and windy all week and we were waiting for a sunny weekend."

We thoroughly admired Louise's family's optimism about the weather, especially as February can be a bit tricksy with warm days one minute and snow-filled ones the next, but they were duly rewarded and Saturday morning dawned bright.

"I really wanted Ellie to try out the scooter so with the sun shining, and my husband in the shower, I seized the day and opened the box," Louise reported, "I removed all the packaging and hoped to have the Ben 10 inline scooter assembled by the time he was out, so he could take the girls to the park."

Louise was surprised, and rather thrilled, that it only took her a few minutes to put the Ben 10 inline scooter together and be able to call Ellie over to have a go on it.

"My daughter was delighted to see it assembled so quickly and I was SO pleased because I was expecting it to take much longer than a few minutes, it really couldn't have been easier."

Louise's last experience in assembling Ellie's first scooter was somewhat different by all accounts, so Louise was very pleased to not to have gone through that drama again. considering the last experience with Ellie’s first scooter.

So what was it like to scoot on? A scooter's no fun if it doesnt' scoot very well, even if it is a Ben 10 one!

"When my husband and two daughters came back from the park, I asked Ellie what the Ben 10 inline scooter was like.  She gave me a thumbs-up and said, "It was much easier to balance on this one than my old one, mummy!""

Well that's excellent news for Ben 10 fans who might have been sitting on the fence wondering whether or not to buy one of these Ben 10 inline scooters - it has a printed footboard and the handle has a quick-fold mechanism, making it easy to fold up and put in the boot of the car if you want to scoot around somewhere a little further away from home.

We also sent Louise a Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Lodestar action figure.

Lodestar is a Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, he's a Biosovortian and has quite a few special abilities! He has magnetic powers, super strength, can generate shields and levitate; not bad, I could do with having some special powers!

His hands and feet are like crab claws and he has a floating metal head that hovers between his big, very pointy shoulders.

"There isn't really much I can say about Lodestar," Louise confessed, "what's to tell? He's black and yellow, and his arms and legs are poseable as he has joints at his shoulders, elbows, hips and knees."

Lodestar and the other Ben 10 Ultimate Alien action figures retail for £6.00 each.

"Ellie enjoyed playing with him and he got to have a few rides on the scooter too.  According to Ellie, Lodestar thinks the scooter is brilliant."

And finally...

The Ben 10 inline scooter retails for £25, although Woolies are currently selling them for £23.

Louise felt both the scooter and Lodestar Ultimate Alien action figure were definitely good value for money and she'd particularly recommend the scooter to anyone who was thinking about getting one.

Woolworths have marked down this Ben 10 electric car from £149.99 to only £60. That’s a massive saving of over £80 and a rather fantabulous Christmas present for a little Ben 10 fan. It’s so good that I want it, although not entirely sure where I would put it...

• Click here to get Ben 10 at Woolworths

The Ben 10 car is a 6-volt beauty with a foot accelerator, automatic brake and forward and reverse gears. This is the kind of toy that kids dream of. Heck, I wish these had existed when I was kid, especially at a price like this.

The car has the Ben 10 themed bodywork and trimmings and looks rather snazzy actually. The battery is rechargeable and the charger is included in the kit and the car can reach speeds of about 3-4 km/ph.

It is ideal for kids aged two and up and is great for helping them to develop motor skills and coordination skills.

Thanks to lyd123 at HUKD!

The Zhu Zhu Pets or Go Go Hamsters were the hugest thing ever last Christmas and I wanted one. This year I got my wish! A gorgeous yellow little Zhu Zhu Hamster dude called Nugget.  I’ll admit to finding all the warnings about “keep away from hair” a little alarming.

He (or she) runs on two AA batteries and retails for £9 or £10 on Woolworths.co.uk.  Actually, while I was on there I also uncovered a Zhu Zhu ballroom, castle and carriage. Oh my.

I think the thing that got me was the fact that the pets come with a built-in code that allows the pet to react to different locations you’ve bought. So they can react to the carriage or the Fun House, or any of the other locations you fancy buying, in a way that suits the environment specifically. That’s pretty impressive stuff.

The Zhu Zhu Hamster we got made THE cutest little noises when you pressed his nose. My daughter had to wrestle him away from me because I was having so much fun. Then she discovered the zoom mode (as I so eloquently call it) where he races about the house in a totally random fashion.

Actually, the one big plus in their favour is that they reverse. It means less time spent trying to pull them out from under the sofa. They do, however, suck up carpet hair at a rapid rate so you need to clean the wheels quite often.

I honestly can’t give a very impartial review here. Nugget is still on the same batteries after a week of constant use, he isn’t broken in spite of being dropped on the road, he’s cute, he’s soft, and he entertains us. For £9 I am sold.

P.S. I want a ninja hamster.

Woolies is back! Well, sort of. They're back on ten high streets this Christmas, but rather than selling, they're giving away, and which high streets they'll be spreading their cheer on is apparently entirely up to us.

Woolworths.co.uk are attempting to set the Guinness World Record for the largest ever game of pass the parcel. Their mascots, snowmen Stan and Ollie, will be touring the UK with their parcel - a Ford Ka sized mountain of wrapping paper and toys.

Stan and Ollie will visit ten towns or cities as nominated by the public, and the writers of the winning nomination letters will be invited along to tear one giant layer off the parcel and take away the uncovered toys to the value of £500. Additional gifts will also be given to the first 100 people in each town to greet the snowmen as they pass through their town. The town that peels of the last layer will have all of this, along with a special celebrity surprise.

The Woolies' snowmen, who are also planning on making a surprise visit to deliver toys to a children's ward at each town they visit said, “We want everyone to know that Woolworths.co.uk is the home of family fun, bursting with toys and surprises for Christmas. We’re bringing thousands of pounds worth of toys to UK towns so we can break a world record as well as spread some festive cheer.”

So if you want to be one of the 100 people to receive free gifts, or even better, the one who gets to unwrap £500 worth of toys, you will need to get nominating. You can do this by going to the Woolworths Pass the Parcel website between now and 15 November and telling the snowmen in 100 words or less why they should come to your town.

“The kinds of letters we’d love to get would give a good reason why the writer’s town deserves to get a visit... Perhaps one family would just really enjoy rallying their town to break a Guinness World Record!”

Whether this is a fantastic idea or the worlds best marketing gimmick, I have yet to decide, but for the towns nominated, it's sure to be a bit of fun that could at worst save a few parents a few pennies, and at best do wonders for community spirit around Christmas time.

When is the right time to go shopping for their school uniform? Right now! Stores generally have their uniform sales in the middle of summer. By the end of August, only stock remnants will be left, shoved to the back of the store to make way for all the winter and Christmas party clothes. So it is time to start planning, and go shopping. In short, it's time to go Back to School!

Clothes with logos 

Some schools insist on certain items having a school logo. This is a bit controversial as it means you're often tied to buying these from just one shop, instead of being able to look around for cheaper options. This was the experience of PlayPennies mum Sabrina. "I've got twin boys, starting in Year 1 in September. The school uniform has a blazer with a school logo. These cost £36 each, which means for me spending £72 just for one item of uniform!" 

Boys, and indeed girls, can be messy at this age. So just in case, Sabrina wanted a spare too. "Our PTA runs the second hand uniform shop. They had a stall at the summer fair, and I got two second hand blazers. To be honest, they are obviously worn but no stains or holes. And it means that I've got a spare for each boy. I certainly couldn't afford to spend £144 just on blazers." 

Second-hand doesn't work with everything though. Mum of two, Joanna, was given a number of boys trousers from another mum with an older child. "They were in good condition but each barely lasted a month before they had ripped at the knee. Boys at primary school age  just wear them out too quickly!" 

Supermarkets 

At the lower end of the market are the ranges of Back to School clothing sold by supermarkets. How happy you might be with buying from these stores varies from parent to parent. Some mums find the material in polo shirts too thin to withstand the 80 or so washes a shirt might receive. On the other hand, other mums find that regardless of the quality, their child will have dirtied the shirt beyond the repair of stain removers and whiteners well before it gets to the 80th wash! 

Dad of three Gavin tends to buy trousers from Sainsburys "I used to work for a tailor, and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the seam work or the material used by our school wear shop." 

Here's a round up of what the top four supermarkets are offering at the moment. Before you go shopping it is worth checking here on PlayPennies or on HUKD for any voucher or promotional codes that might get you an additional discount.  

Tesco 

Tesco has a Back to School Bundle offer on at the moment. With this you get a school coat, three pack of shirts and either trousers, skirt or pinafore for £12.  

Sainsburys 

You'll need to go to one of the bigger stores to get the best range of Sainsburys schoolwear. At the time of writing this, there weren't any special offers on. Prices start from £2 however. A two pack of woven teflon coated trousers for 3 to 5 years costs £4. A two pack of white embroidered girls shirts for 3 to 5 year olds costs £5. 

ASDA 

Boy's trousers and girl's skirts start from £3 in the George range at ASDA. The store is offering free delivery on all orders over £10 if you enter the code 'School2' at checkout. 

Woolworths 

Woolies might be gone from the high street but the store has not been forgotten online. Their value Back to School uniform range starts at £3 for a pair of trousers for a five year old, and £3 for a girl's skirt for a five year old. Delivery is £3.95 for next day, or £4.95 to specificy a day/time/not during school run. Returns are collected free from your home - make sure they're unused, and tags are still intact. 

Department Stores 

Marks and Spencer  is a favourite of PlayPennies mum, Lynley, "I always bought M&S trousers for my step son, as they were the only ones to keep the knees for any length of time!" The store has free delivery on school clothes, if you use the code School10 at checkout. Their 3 for 2 offer has just ended, but keep an eye out. Last year the store ran the promotion again before school started. Boys flat fronted trousers with adjustable waist cost £3.50 for a five year old. Girls pleated skirt with adjustable waist is £3.50 for a five year old. 

BHS and Debenhams are admittedly often pricey. But I've always found the quality to be good, and worth keeping an eye out for their sales. 

And Finally 

Look for Back to School bargains online! Amazon are always worth checking out, and not just for school uniforms but for all school supplies. One mum recommended eBay, which frankly I'd not thought of for school uniforms before, but she'd got a great deal on a number of really good quality of girl's skirts and pinafores that hadn't been worn or only been worn once by a particularly fast growing lass!