books

Book Giveaway: The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep (CLOSED)

- Stacey 44 Comments

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you will know that we have had major problems with Jacob’s bed time routine in the past and though it has improved, we still have a great deal of trouble sometimes and he delays it as much as possible. This is now rubbing off on Noah and I have a feeling we will be going through the exact same ordeal at some point!

They do have a staggered bed time; Noah goes half an hour earlier than Jacob – one of the reasons for this was so that Jacob had some alone time with us, but it is really exhausting as by the time they are both asleep, I’m about ready for bed myself. I often wish I could just wave a wand or press a button and boom, they would be out like a light! I can only wish though, right? Shame.

I have read quite a bit recently about The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep, and quite a few of my friends have used it with their children’s bedtime routine. We are going to be road testing it on the boys soon and as they love a book at bed time, I’m hoping this may have some kind of effect – though I fear I may fall asleep too whilst reading it!

If you are interested in trying out the book on your child then I am able to offer you the chance to win a copy for yourself. All you need to do is enter on the Rafflecopter, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Terms & conditions
Open to UK residents 18 & over.
Entries must be received by 11.59 pm on 14/1/2016.
The winner will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter/random.org when the giveaway has ended.
The winner has 28 days to respond to the email notifying them they have won, or a new winner will be drawn.


There is also a casting call for parents who may like the chance to road test the book and appear in a film; you can find the details below.

Do you have problems with your child sleeping? Ladybird Books are looking for parents who would like to road test their book, ‘The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep’. The book has already had a huge impact for thousands of parents all over the world who find it difficult to get their children to sleep on a night. The book is written by Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, a behavioural scientist with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a teacher of communications at a Swedish university, he uses a unique and distinct language pattern that will help your child relax and fall asleep-at bedtime or naptime.


We’re making a short film following the experiences of parents using ‘The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep’ to help their 4-7 year olds get to sleep and reclaim bedtime!


If you have a child aged 4-7 who finds it difficult to fall asleep at night, would like to give The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep a try and feature in our film, then we’d love to talk with you! Send Ria Holland a quick email at ria.holland@wisebuddah.com, and we’ll be right back in touch. We are particularly looking for families living in the UK who originate from the US.



Giveaway – 1 of 20 Olive it! recipe books (CLOSED)

- Stacey 9 Comments

I haven’t always been a fan of olives. I still can’t eat them on their own, but I don’t mind if they are served with something else. I don’t eat them often either but after being introduced to the Olive It! recipe book then they might be a more regular inclusion in my food choices.

There are some really delicious looking recipes inside that I would have never thought to try before, for example the red-hot tapenade manchego whirls (I was sold on cheese), olive and tuna pate, and olives with mango, melon and pomegranate (yummy). Olives on their own are super healthy but paired with the ingredients in this book they are really super food recipes.

There are not just recipes within this book. It also includes information on the history of olives, olives in the modern day, and nutritional & health information about olives. If you or someone you know is an olive fan then I am pleased to be able to offer you the chance to win 1 of 20 Olive It! recipe books! All you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter below, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Terms & conditions
Open to UK residents 18 & over.
Entries must be received by 11.59 pm on 04/1/2016.
The winners will be drawn randomly via Rafflecopter/random.org when the giveaway has ended.
The winners email addresses will be sent to the PR who will be contacting you and sending out your prize.

Are You a Boy or are You a Girl? | Book review

- Stacey Leave a comment

Many of my friends and most likely some of my readers will know that I completely believe in gender neutrality. That is, I am completely okay with my boys doing things such as wanting to try on my shoes, or play with what are considered girl’s toys. They have a doll they regularly play with and dress up, for example, and I have photos of them wearing my shoes! All it is down to, is imagination. Just because boys do these things, or girls want to do want are considered boy things (like play football) doesn’t mean they will grow up being attracted to the same gender – not that I have a problem with that either! But it seems that is where the problem lies and in a modern society it shouldn’t be so.


I think anything that promotes gender neutrality is a great thing and Are You a Boy or are You a Girl? does just that. Written by Sarah Savage and illustrated by Fox Fisher, it tells a mini story of ‘Tiny’, who we don’t know the gender of. Throughout the book Tiny does activities sterotypical to either gender such as playing football (boys) and dressing up (girls). Tiny gets picked on, but also makes new friends who really don’t care. I like that Tiny’s gender is asked about but never revealed in the book, as it lets the reader decide yourself. Even after reading it multiple times, I am still undecided. J thought Tiny was a boy though, obviously just like him as he does all of these things too and I personally have never taught him any different.

It is a great book for parents & education providers to read with children if they are at a stage of being told by others that they can’t do such a thing, or if they are confused why boys do ‘girl’ things and vice versa. It has great illustrations and isn’t complex to read, prompting discussions between adult & child.

Age – preschool to 7 years

Our rating – 4.5/5

Disclosure
I was sent a copy of this book free of charge to review. All thoughts and opinions are honest & my own.

I like to squeak, how do you speak? | Book review

- Stacey 2 Comments

Both of the boys love noisy books – well they’re noisy themselves so of course they would! – though N doesn’t quite get the concept yet so just presses buttons randomly, whereas J likes to match the noisy buttons with the book now. The newest book we have reviewed though is slightly different, in that it makes a noise by itself when you lift the flap!

I Like To Squeak! How Do You Speak? is the story of a mouse who goes around asking the farm animals how they speak as he thinks it’s strange and that his squeak is the best way to speak. On his travels he comes across a horse, a cow, a pig, and a sheep in all different scenarios.

There is rhyming in the sentences which I always love in a children’s book. I like that it also asks the child questions and J loves doing the noises and actions to all of the animals and will often run around the room while N chuckles his head off at him! There is also the anticipation of the animal noise before lifting the flap.

The only issue I found with this is that it was quite random when it made a noise; it didn’t seem to pick up that the flap had been lifted when the book was laid down, it had to be stood up for it to do so. It is also quite a heavy, thick book but obviously this is needed for the sound mechanism.

This has recently been J’s go-to book for morning, afternoon, and bed time reading, so I think it’s safe to say it has his approval!

RRP: £9.99
Age: 3+ 

Our rating – 4/5

Disclosure
We were sent this product free of charge to review. All thoughts and opinions are honest & our own.


MamaMummyMum

Penwizard personalised Pirate Potty book | Book review

- Stacey 6 Comments
My regular readers will most likely know that J first began potty training over a year ago but he wasn’t really getting anywhere so we just decided to leave it for the time being. A few months ago he started showing an interest again but he was being quite inconsistent and I thought we were going to be back to square one again. Just as we were in the midst of potty training again we received a personalised potty training story book from Penwizard and I think it truly has helped J make great progress.
This boys version of the potty training story is based on a Pirate with the child’s name, and also personalisation to look like them. This is great because it’s more personal to the child for them to identify with the character. The story begins with the beginning of the potty training process when the child decides they want to be more grown up. The book is interactive with the child able to choose a potty from the pictures on the page.

 

It then goes through the whole process including experimenting with it being a hat (!), choosing pants (again interactive), practising with pants, and then finally doing the business on the potty! It also includes pirate potty rules – the process of emptying it and hand washing. It touches upon accidents and how much harder it is to do a poo, until the pirate is finally fully potty trained!

 

I love the whole concept of the book as it really encourages the child and helps them understand the potty training process more than just explaining it to them. The illustrations are great, colourful, characteristic, and situations really true to life!
Not long after the book arrived J not only did business on the potty, but also on the toilet! I think it’s a worthwhile investment if like us you have started potty training but don’t feel like you are getting anywhere, or if you are on the verge of it.
The potty training books from Penwizard retail at £14.99 and there is a choice of pirate, princess, or prince.
Our rating – 4.5/5
 
Disclosure
We were sent this book free of charge to review. All thoughts and opinions are honest & our own.