My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish - A Guest Post Review

My eldest is a avid reader and, like me, will literally read anything. When she was asked to review the big summer reads by Macmillan Children's Books she was so excited so couldn't wait to get started.
The first book that caught her eye was My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara and heres what she had to say about it...

Age Group: I would say 8-12, I'm 9 and i loved it!
Characters: There were pretty good but there is quite a few so at times it was a bit confusing.
Why I liked it: It was really funny and I laughed a lot!
If there is a sequel i would read it, I would also try the other authors books as they might be funny too.
What I didn't like: Just to many characters for me, sorry.
Illustrations: They where really good so I would of liked to have seen more.
It was stuffed full of comedy, it even has a funny like flip cartoon on all the pages, so it makes me laugh even when I'm not reading it.

I would recommend this to my friends and anyone else that likes to read, it took me less than a day as it really caught my imagination as it was really funny. If I was stuck for something else to read I would read it again.
Thank you for reading

Elissa

If, like me, you have never heard of it here's a little about it to wet your appetite,

SYNOPSIS

Finding Nemo meets Shaun of the Dead - two laugh-out-loud stories about an evil big brother, a best friend to the rescue and one big fat zombie goldfish! ‘Sami was still holding the goldfish. “Swishy little fishy,” she whispered, over and over. Frankie stared at her with his big, bulging, glowing eyes. Suddenly a little light bulb went on . . . Frankie was a Big Fat Zombie Goldfish and somehow he’d hypnotized my best friend’s sister!’ Tom’s big brother is an Evil Scientist who wants to experiment on Tom's new goldfish, Frankie. Can Tom save his fish from being dunked in radioactive gunge? Er, no. In an act of desperation Tom zaps Frankie with a battery, bringing him back to life! But there’s something weird about the new Frankie – he’s now a zombie goldfish with hypnotic powers, and he wants revenge . . . Tom has a difficult choice to make - save his evil brother, or save his fishy friend?

Squirrel and Tiffin craft events 2013

We attended a Squirrel and Tiffin silk screen printing tea party last month and me and the girls had a whale of a time! It was fun and very hands on, there was cake which is always a winner and we met some very lovely people. Linzi is extraordinarily like able and really welcoming to people of all ages, she was great with the kids and it was long enough for them not to get bored, they had ideas on having more than one go! So if you love a project or just want to meet other like minded folk then drop her a call and book onto one of these amazing events shes running. We already have are spots and are particularly looking forward to the Halloween tote bag one!!!

Hope to see some of you there!

Liz xx

Parents and Pocket Money - Are we cutting back?

PARENTS’ POCKETS GETTING TIGHTER

Quarterly Pocket Money Index highlights decreases in pocket money

The results of the latest quarterly Pocket Money Index (PMI) have indicated that pocket money has decreased for children aged 3 to 13. 

The PMI, which reveals the habits of families across the UK, has identified that average pocket money now stands at £3.74 per week, compared to £3.81 last quarter.

The Index data is compiled by pocket money website, Roosterbank.com, from a sample of 1000 members during Q2 (1 April – 1 July 2013).

6 – 9 year olds have lost the most, with average pocket money for this age group down from £3.48 to £3.15.

The data shows that even the Tooth Fairy has tightened her pockets - the amount given per tooth has decreased by 14.7% (from £1.70 per tooth to £1.45).

Day to day jobs have also seen reduced pay, with hoovering dropping 20% to an average £1.08 each time and gardening down 8% (£3.23 to £2.96).

It also appears mum and dad have strayed away from stashing cash down the sofa. The average amount found around the house has shrunk by 69% to just £0.82 (from £2.67).

Roosterbank suggests the decrease in pocket money could be attributed to the uncertainty in fuel prices and the arrival of winter fuel bills from the cold winter period.

Financial pressures of upcoming summer holidays may also mean less disposable income for parents.

Whilst rewards for individual jobs have decreased, parents are getting cannier, choosing instead to pay out for chores lumped together. Kids putting their hand to general household cleaning are getting rewarded with an average pay out of £2.42 each time.

The sunshine has meant mum and dad are also more keen on a clean car – raising pay from £1.17 to a giant £4.25 on average (up 263%). 

But the Easter and half term periods took their toll on parents’ pockets. Lucky older brothers and sisters received an average of £9.10 per time for looking after younger siblings - the best paying pocket money job according to the PMI. 

Despite receiving reduced pocket money, children are still spending:

• Apps have overtaken books as the most popular product to buy with pocket money, with Minecraft in at number one
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the most popular book bought with pocket money
• The most popular DVD bought with pocket money is Rise of the Guardians
• The average spend on a mobile top-up has dropped by 39% (to £4) while kids are spending an average of 50% more on magazines
• Skylanders Giants is the most popular video game purchase – it clearly has staying power remaining at the top of the list for 6 months running

Ben Edwards, CEO of Roosterbank comments, “The latest Pocket Money Index shows that whilst parents’ pockets are being squeezed, rewarding children is still important to them. Children are also doing their bit in the household to help mum and dad while earning some extra pennies, either via day to day activities like cleaning, or simply by looking after younger siblings during the holiday periods”.

“Pocket money doesn’t need to be expensive. Small amounts given regularly and managed in a fun, easy way will make a difference to every child’s attitude to money. Structured pocket money routines, linked to tasks and goals, will result in children having a better appreciation of the value of money and saving.”

The Roosterbank Pocket Money Index (PMI) is a snapshot of how families manage pocket money and is distributed on a quarterly basis. The PMI measures pocket money averages, spending and saving habits and age and gender breakdowns.

Out to Lunch - Update

As you know, we are fighting for restaurants and pubs across the UK to start offering 5 simple things, to ensure they start giving our children an acceptable level of service.

To help fight for these things we are asking parents like you to leave behind a review slip on the table after your meal on the way out – and to take a picture of your meal and share it on the Organix Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/Organixfood.

You can find the review slip in our Campaign Family Pack (which you can download here:http://www.facebook.com/organixfood/app_520471391351376). We need 500 downloads by the end of the summer and every review helps!

So get reviewing guys to make our family restaurants even better!

L xx

Paper Doll World Record Attempt in support of Save the Children

This summer, to celebrate the launch of THE PAPER DOLLS by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb, we are attempting to break the world record for the world’s LONGEST EVER chain of paper dolls! We are going to donate 10p for every doll submitted to support Save the Children’s ‘Enough Food for Everyone IF . . . ‘ campaign, which highlights a global literacy crisis caused by poor nutrition. Julia is acting as an ambassador for this campaign.

I’d love for you to get involved, it doesn’t matter how young or old, we need all the help we can get… Our chain of dolls needs to be a whopping 3kms long – this is 60 lengths of an Olympic size swimming pool, 270 London buses and 11,500 A4 sheets of dolls!

If you’re interested in getting involved and becoming a WORLD RECORD BREAKER (either by getting your child’s school involved in the last few days of term, or simply by colouring in some dolls with your children as a summer holiday activity), then please do let me know. We have templates that we can send to you (both simple colouring-in and draw-your-own) and I can also send these electronically for you to share with anyone else you think may be interested (I’m talking partners, children, friends, people in the street – we need as many people colouring in as possible!)

The dolls don’t have to be back with us until the 28^th of August so there is plenty of opportunity to create your own displays with the dolls – why not see how long you can make your chain of dolls? Don’t forget to send us photos or to tweet any pictures using #paperdolls! We’re asking each child to write their name and school on the back of their dolls for a chance to be entered in to a draw to win a piece of Rebecca Cobb original artwork and a chance for their family to come to the record attempt event!

There is just one piece of small print to remember when attaching the paper dolls together – the dolls must be connected by both hands and feet for the world record attempt to stand.

Visit www.paperdollsworldrecord.com for more information, videos, to view our progress on the doll-o-meter, and to see a gallery of some of the dolls we’ve already been sent!

Are our children getting a raw deal when we eat out?

As a family of five we used to eat out at least once a week as a way of spending time together as a family as we rarely eat together at home with my husband working different shifts daily but over the last 6 months we have eaten out less and less due to the soaring costs and really poor food, once at a Bella Italia my eldest found cardboard in her fish finger, no not on it but actually INSIDE IT! From then on I've always read the children's menu carefully before choosing to eat out yet its always fallen short and the Organix and the Soil Association reviews of children's menus across the country have only added to my woes when it comes to eating out.

RAW DEAL FOR CHILDREN IN UK RESTAURANTS

Out to Lunch league table exposes the truth about 21 chain restaurants and pubs children’s menus

• Post horsegate, only one chain could reliably tell parents where their meat comes from
• Almost half of restaurants do not offer vegetables or salad with a majority of their children’s main meals
• Only 1 restaurant offers children’s cutlery as standard
• Jamie’s Italian, Wagamama and Wetherspoon’s ranked highest
• Burger King, KFC and Prezzo have scored the least points on a league table

Britain’s leading restaurants and pubs are giving children across the UK a raw deal with children’s menus dominated by the usual suspects, like nuggets, burgers and sausages, few fruit or vegetables, and not even the provision of children’s cutlery, it has been revealed today following new research from the Out to Lunch campaign from the Soil Association and Organix.

Out to Lunch is calling for the restaurant industry to improve standards and make changes to their children’s menus. The investigation shows 66% of parents think the food provision for children in restaurants is not good enough. 21 popular high street restaurants and pubs were surveyed looking at what’s on the menu for children over a three month period, revealing that:

• 12 out of the 21 restaurants and pubs have children’s menus dominated by nuggets, burgers and sausages
• Eight out of 21 chains don’t include vegetables or salad in the majority of their children’s main meals
• 10 don’t include a portion of fruit in any of their children’s puddings
• Only 11 out of 21 chains were willing to tell us if their food was freshly cooked and where it comes from. Of the 11, only 4 were making and cooking the majority of their children’s food in the kitchen: Jamie’s Italian, Wagamama, Carluccios and Café Rouge
• Only one chain (Jamie’s Italian) could reliably tell parents where its meat came from
• Only 1 offers children’s cutlery as standard
• No restaurants have signage welcoming breastfeeding on their premises
• Only 2chains offer a children’s drinks menu free from added sugar and sweeteners

In line with the research, Out to Lunch has today issued a league table ranking the 21 restaurants and pubs to show the industry and consumers what chains are offering children.

Jamie’s Italian, Wagamama and Wetherspoons have come out on top of the league table, while Burger King, KFC and Prezzo scored the least points.  Although average meal price varied from restaurant to restaurant, this did not determine where chains came in the rankings.

Joanna Lewis, Head of Policy at the Soil Association comments: “Our investigation reveals that most high street restaurants are not even meeting the most basic standards families should expect when they eat out. Most are still churning out children’s menus dominated by the usual suspects – burgers, nuggets and pizzas –turning the table into a battlefield for any parents wanting their child to eat well. With 1 in 3 children now overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, it’s time for these popular chains to use their influence in a positive way.

“Restaurants need to raise the bar and listen to parents who are saying they want fresh food not ready meals for their children, and the same kind of variety you’d expect as an adult. In the wake of horsegate, it also rings alarm bells that only one restaurant knows where its meat comes from.”

The Out to Lunch campaign is calling on all high street restaurants and pubs to:

1.       Offer all young diners the choice of a children’s portion of adult meals

2.        Serve freshly prepared food, not ready meals

3.        Offer free water to families on arrival

4.        Offer children’s cutlery as standard

5.       Make breastfeeding mums feel welcome

Anna Rosier, Managing Director at Organix says: “Four out of 10 parents (40%) told us they eat out once a fortnight or more with their families. If restaurants and pubs want to ensure business stays strong and see customers return, they need to start improving what they’re serving to children.

“We want families – parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles – to help get behind our campaign to see change. Restaurants will only start improving if we start being more vocal about what we’re seeing and vote with our feet.”

Out to Lunch is asking families to carry out four simple steps to back the campaign:

1. To tell restaurants what they think. The Out to Lunch downloadable Campaign Pack includes a review slip to make is easy for families to leave it behind on the table.
2. To be vocal and share feedback with family and friends.
3. To vote with their feet. If a restaurant is not up to scratch, don’t go back.
4. To support by wearing the ‘I support Out to Lunch’ badge on their Facebook and Twitter profiles.

“With the summer holidays upon us, families will be enjoying eating out more often and we want to see thousands of reviews being left behind this summer, not only in chain restaurants, but independents too. If we create enough noise, together we can help make change happen,” continues Anna.

Jamie Oliver, founder of Jamie’s Italian which came first in the league table said; “Since the first Jamie’s Italian opened we’ve always kept things kid-friendly with our funky viewfinder menus and super-tasty food, so to come top of the table is a fantastic achievement, and more importantly, confirmation that we're doing things right. We believe that the quality of the kids’ food should to be right up there on the same level as the main menu, and I truly believe that we have a brilliant offering that both kids love and parents can trust.  

“Over the years, I’ve learnt that if you give kids a bit of ownership over their food, they’ll really embrace it, so that's exactly what we’ve done with our “shake me” salads. Every dish on the kid's menu comes with one and it counts as one of a child’s five a day. I’ve seen parents completely amazed that their kids are eating salad, and that's down to the fact that they’ve been involved and had fun putting it together.”

For a more detailed insight into the Out to Lunch league table visit www.soilassociation.org/outtolunch.

Restaurants can find out how they size up, and get support and advice on the small steps, and bigger steps, they need to make by downloading the Out to Lunch toolkit.

League Table:

A truly shocking discovery on all fronts, with your help to spread the word hopefully something will be finally done to change these statistics!

L x

Swishing with a Difference - Swap in the City

SWAP IN THE CITY UK – Swishing with a Difference!   SWAP IN THE CITY UK (SITCUK) organises  classy, stylish and chic swishing events, in the most luxurious locations in the heart of the city of London and will be relaunching the brand with the Summer Swish taking place on the 25th Aug at the spectacular One Whitehall Place, SW1 London.  The fabulous location is indicative of the quality of the event that the guests can expect. What makes the SITCUK Swish different? The SITCUK guests will enjoy an afternoon of fun and relaxation that fuses the partaking of indulgent beauty treatments with the opportunity to swap quality clothing and meet like-minded women.  It is a boon for the time strapped, busy woman who still wants to do good and look her best and not compromise on having a wonderful experience.   In fact the SITCUK philosophy goes that step further enabling her  to: DO Good - by recycling garments and accessories, preventing items from going to landfill unnecessarily… Look Good – by ensuring that the items available at the Swish are of the highest quality… Feel Good – by providing a range of beauty, lifestyle and well-being treatments and services for the guests to sample from the best beauty and lifestyle brands... Be Good – by encouraging the guests to support the SITCUK charity partners. We are proud to announce that our charity partner for the Summer Swish event is Handbags for Hospices! We will be partnering with Handbags for Hospices to run a charity celebrity handbag auction on the afternoon of the event with all of the proceeds going to local London hospices.     Handbag for Hospices is a national charity and holds events all over the country and the SITCUK Summer Swish  will be one of the flagship events of the year!   Swishing has never been so sumptuous! Swap in the City UK (SITCUK) is the brainchild of beauty entrepreneur Nicole Pinkney.   A lover of fashion herself Nicole found that the desire to look good and feel good was always of  paramount importance  - but like many women juggling  a career, motherhood and life it often meant that that dress purchased for that ‘special occasion’ never got the chance to be worn again or finding the time to  return those shoes that were slightly too tight was impossible, thus she set up her first swishing event in 2011 which was a resounding success. “Doing good and giving back is too often dissociated from ‘feeling good and being pampered” states Nicole , “but I believe that  it does not have to be an ‘either/ or’ decision – many women desire to do their best by the environment and in society, but lack the time to make this a reality.  The SITCUK events allow women to have a positive impact on others – be it in the donation of quality items to the swap or a donation to our charity partners  - whilst  being  pampered and treated like a queen”. The SITCUK Summer Swish takes place on August 25th from 1pm – 5pm. Tickets start from £10  and can be booked via the SITCUK website www.swapinthecityuk.co.uk