Back in 2005, I married the man of my dreams and we decided to take a fantastic trip to Australia for our Honeymoon. My husband was keen to break up the journey with a stop off at Singapore. I wasn't that bothered about going and just wanted to get to Sydney so I could cuddle a koala and stroke a wombat. Just for your information, wombats are a bit of a grumpy creature and aren't keen on tourists stroking them. However, as it had been a life long ambition of mine since I had watched "A Country Practice" whilst revising for my GCSE's, I had a quick stroke. As my husband's role in the wedding planning was to book the honeymoon, we stopped off in Singapore en route to Australia.

I don't often say this, but my husband was right. It is the most fabulous place. Westernised and warm, with fantastic food and the cleanist place I have ever been. We were only there for a couple of days but we crammed as much in as we could.

Top of my list was to go to Raffle's for a Singapore Sling. Well when in Singapore....


If I remember correctly, it was on the pricey side, but you got free monkey nuts and seemed to be encouraged to throw the husks on the floor!

We had also heard great things about Singapore Zoo. I am not a zoo person really, but we gave it a go. We used their underground system, which was nothing like London. It was so clean and not that busy. On the train there was a sign that stumped us for a while.


It turns out that the durain is a rather smelly fruit that you must not have on the underground system.

The zoo was nice with a fantastic working elephant show. We also stayed for the night zoo, meaning that we could go round in a train and see the animals in a different light. In hindsight we should have decided to do the day or night part. Not because it wasn't good but because we were jet lagged! The animals may have come alive in the night, but my husband and I found it hard to stay awake.



On our last day we did a tour of Singapore, taking in some of these amazing sights.


So our stopover in Singapore ended up being an amazing surprise. A beautiful place that I hope to revisit one day, as there are still plenty more places there for me to explore.


This article has been written to recognise the author's contribution to travel and tourism by Avis Car Hire on the A-List Awards 2013

Long time readers of my blog will know that when I grew up, Sundays were spent swimming with my Dad. It created fantastic childhood memories and when I had big man, I signed him up for baby swimming classes immediately. The research that Speedo have carried out shows that nearly a quarter of British children feel embarrassed about being unable to swim and 81% of children would like to go more often. Infact their research also found that 36% of kids would prefer to get a new badge at swimming rather than ride a bike without stabilisers (26%)

Last week middle man helped me review Justin's World: Jigsongs and I can confirm that it is still a firm favourite of his. We have also been reviewing the Justin's World Goldilocks app, which is becoming a favourite of mine! Justin talks through the story of Goldilocks as only Justin Fletcher can. He becomes Goldilocks ( middle man has no idea it is Justin) and there are various challenges to complete on the way. For example finding honeypots and cleaning the house. You see in this story Goldilocks is good and can't "bear" mess! (That is one of Justin's puns not mine) It is currently priced at £1.99 and I am pretty sure that this app would put a smile on any little (or big) Justin Fletcher's fan's face.


We were give the app free of charge for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

Spaghetti with the Yetti is a lovely rhyming book written by Adam and Chrlotte Guillain with fantastic illustrations by Lee Wildish. I was pleased when I opened the book and saw that it was not just my boys bedrooms that were such a mess!


The book tells the tale of George who is in search of the Yeti and packs his bag with the essentials of a hat, map and some spaghetti. On his travels he meets a number of monsters all offering their own advice on what the Yeti will eat.


Luckily George finally finds what he is looking for and the spaghetti comes in handy!


Big man really enjoyed the story and even asked for the next of George's adventures, Marshmallows for Martians, which is out in the spring. The book is paperback and has an rrp of 6.99 and is published by Egmont

Do you like the sound of this book? Well I am pleased to say that I have been offered a copy to giveaway to one of my readers. All you need to do is fill in the rafflecopter below. Good Luck! (Please see terms and conditions below. UK entry only. If commenting please make sure your name is there so I can verify enteries)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am currently a finalist in the Avis Travel Awards so if you enjoyed my Suprising Singapore post recently, please you you take a minute to vote for A Strong Coffee on this link (I am fourth from the bottom) Thank You! All votes got into a prize draw to win car hire so you could be a winner too!
Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Middle man was excited to receive the new DC Superfriends magazine to review. Although he doesn't yet know all the characters, he was immediately asking questions about them.

Each issue comes with a free toy and I thought the communicator toy that comes with this issue of the magazine is surprisingly well made. They have cogs that turn and there is a card with two characters on for each phone that can be swopped around. Middle man did manage to break the antennae off of one of them by sitting on it, but this is nothing that a bit of super glue cant fix.

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The magazine contains a range of activities including spot the difference, colouring and a story. I was a little disappointed that were no stickers in this issue as they are always a firm favourite with my boys. However, middle man was very excited to see a Batman mask and I was instructed to make it for him. It turned out he didn't like it over his eyes but was happy wearing over his head.


The magazine is aimed at boys aged 2-5 years and is aimed at stimulating their imagination activities centering around good role models. Some of the activities were a little on the hard side for middle man (aged 3) but his brother who is 5 will be able to do them instead. I am pretty sure that any little batman fans out there will love this magazine. There is some advertising of the latest Superhero toys in the magazine and middle man has decided he would like them for Christmas, so just be warned.

On the basis that the cool communicators are of a reasonable quality, I think that the retail price of £2.99 is fair, and it will certainly fill a few hours on a wet and windy afternoon. The DC Superfriends Magazine went on sale today and offer good discounts to subscribers.

We were given a copy of the magazine for the purpose of the review but the opinions are my own.

I try my best to give my kids a varied balanced diet, but I often purchase the Bassetts Soft and Chewy Vitamins just to give me a bit of reassurance. Big man is well aware that they are not sweets and that he must not feed them to his brothers. He likes to explain to middle man that they aren't sweets (even though they may taste like them) and that it's OK to have one a day as it might stop you getting ill, but too many will make you ill.

As an added bonus, Bassetts promotional packs are currently offering a free soft play session. Their research showed that us Mum's like taking children to soft play centres as it burns off excess energy, is a good form of exercise and is fun! There are around 200 play centres taking part and you can view the ones nearest to you here.

So what are you waiting for? The promotional packs will have a sticker on as in the photo above and are only available while stocks last. Don't forget that food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied diet and healthy lifestyle.


I was sent 2 promotional packs for the purpose of this post.

It was inevitable.

Big man is nearly 6.

We didn't want to lie to him, but we didn't want him to know the truth either. He's not silly but he wants to believe.

At Disneyland it was clear that he was questioning the characters. He never actually asked as such. Just questions like is Stitch alive? "Well you saw him in the parade didn't you, so he wasn't dead a few hours ago?" I said calmly. But I caught him looking at Pluto's tail and I know he was wondering about pulling it off! So for now he is left wondering about Disney and I hope it will be the same about Santa.

Last week however, my husband went and ruined everything. We were discussing the Justin Fletcher app, and he asked big man how old he thought Justin was.

"Ummmmmm 18?"

My husband took offence at this on the basis that big man had recently told a neighbour that his Daddy was 95! Big man then asked his Daddy how old he thought Mr Tumble was.

"Well he's the same age as Justin isn't he? He's the same person!"

Big man was in shock. Confusion swept across his face. "But they look different?"

We felt it was time to tell him the truth. "He has a red nose big man, other than that they look the same...."

I joked with big man that he hadn't worked it out and explained a bit about TV trickery. Then I went the full hog.

"I'm going to tell you something now that may shock you....

.....He's Aunt Polly too!"

So that's it. The magic is fading. Big man knows Justin Fletcher is an actor. To be honest he is quite a clever child and I find it funny it has taken this long! I am now hoping that he will appreciate my honesty over this and therefore believe anything I say about a big jolly man in red. Of course this year we are meeting the real Santa. I totally believe this, therefore I have no issues with telling big man the same. I believe in Santa, do you?

As easy as riding a bike. Where on earth did that phrase come from. Riding a bike is pretty hard. I am still rubbish at turning right, and much happier doing a route where you only turn left! I had started to wonder if big man would ever ride a bike, but I am pleased to say that at the end of the summer holidays he finally managed to go stabilizer free. I was beginning to feel a failure as a mother for him not being able to do it. Trying to help a child ride a bike takes a lot of help, and trying to do this with middle and little man in tow was pretty impossible. Luckily Daddy has been around to help big man at weekends and although a bit more practice on corners is required, he can now say he can ride a bike. Which is great considering we are thinking of getting him a new bigger one for his birthday.

I may have mentioned once or twice that I am a bit of a Justin Fletcher fan. Luckily the boys like him too, so I jumped at the chance of reviewing his new jigsongs app. Middle man absolutely loves it. There are 4 puzzles to chose from (above) and then you get to pick easy, medium or hard. This is just how many puzzles pieces there are. You then put the puzzle pieces in the correct places on the jigsaw picture with some encouragement from Justin. Your prize for completing the puzzle is Justin singing a song. It is a simple app which a child that is a Justin fan or likes completing jigsaws will enjoy. The app costs 69p and can be purchased from itunes by clicking here.



We were given the app for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

Dear big man,

Today I asked you about money and here is what you said:

A house costs £300
A car costs 100p
If you had all the money in the world you would buy a rocket
Daddy earns £6 a day
The richest person you know is David Beckham
Money comes from Great Britain

I think we can safely say that you have a lot to learn about money in the years ahead, but although you don't technically know David Beckham, he is very well off! At the moment you are a bit too young to fully appreciate the value of money so this is for you to read in a few years time.

So where shall I start? Well let's get one thing straight. Money does not grow on trees. Ok, ok big man, my little scientist, the notes are paper so they kind of grow on trees, but it is an expression. You earn money through hard work. When you go out into that big wide world and start earning for yourself you will understand the importance of saving and how money is much harder to come by than you may now think.

If I had to give you one lesson about money it would be to "look after your pennies and the pounds will look after themselves." Your Daddy isn't great at looking after his pennies. He leaves his lose change lying around on the sideboard and I use it for our days out. But that isn't the meaning of the phrase.You need to think about the things that you buy. Do you really need it? Can you afford it? By all means go and get a credit card, but pay it off in full each month. Don't live off credit, it is expensive. If you can't afford to do it then don't. You need to save for things and it makes them more enjoyable when you can do them. Look at what you are spending and where you are wasting money. If you have signed up for a gym, do you actually go? How much food are you throwing away because it has gone out of date? Do you actually watch the 100's of TV channels that you pay out for each month?

Money helps you buy nice things and do nice things. If you look after those pennies you will have pounds to spend. But one last piece of advice. Make sure you spend it! There is no point having lots of money that you don't enjoy. Life is precious and far too short. Memories are more important than a stack of cash in the bank.

You are a sensible young man so I am sure you will be fine. I must now go and see whether Daddy has left any change on the dresser, and maybe we could go to soft play.

Love you always

Mummy


This is my entry to the Think Money competition

When people talk about going to Disneyland, you automatically picture the castle in the magic kindgom. However, I really like Walt Disney Studios, mainly because it is usually quieter and is great for little ones (especially if the weather is not so good.)

All the park guides tell you that Walt Disney studios opens at 10am. However, when we went, although it was advertised for opening then, it actually opened at 9.30. If you want to ride Crushes Coaster, I highly recommend that you get there early as the queue times for this roller coaster are usually at least an hour. The ride is based on Finding Nemo and I really enjoyed the idea of riding the east Australian current. Big man liked that there was a 3D Nemo and Crush.

Walt Disney studios is also the home of the Toy Story Playland. The queues for the green army men parachute drop can get long so again this is best done early. You have to be 81cm to go one this and little man just met the height restrictions and at 21 months absolutely loved it!


Slinky dog is a tame ride, but as it was pretty much walk on when we were there, we did it a number of times as the boys enjoyed it.


Another favourite of the boys was the cars themed ride.


Walt Disney Studios is also great for shows. This time round, Playhouse Disney wasn't showing, but I can highly recommend this puppet show to anyone that loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Animagic features some of the classic Disney tunes and Stitch Live is well worth seeing even if you haven't seen the Lilo and Stitch movie.

On our current visit we watched the Moteur action stunt show. I was slightly disappointed as there was only a video of lightening McQueen (maybe as it was low season) but the show was really good and would certainly be of interest to older children. It really did put my driving skills to shame!


The studio tram tour is good but again is a bit frightening for smaller children.

Rollercoaster wise the Areosmith Rock n roll coaster is lots of fun (black hole type ride) and queue times are less than those for Crushes coaster. The height restrictions mean that it is only suitable for older children as it goes upside down.

When it comes to characters you are likely to come across Woody, Jessie, the Incredibles, Aladdin and Ratatuille, which aren't usually in the main park, except for parades. There is also place by the cars ride where you can queue to see Minnie and Mickey and Buzz Lightyear.


They also have a parade every day. It is shorter than the one in the main park, but it is also quieter and you only need to be there 5 minutes before to get a good spot.


If you are like me, you will also love the studios for all the photo opportunities!


We spent two full days and two half days in Disneyland Paris and split the time equally between the parks. If you have any questions if you are planning a trip, please feel free to ask.

Big man is fast approaching 6 and at the moment receives no pocket money. He has money for his birthdays, but I haven't started giving him a weekly allowance yet. I know I will have to soon, but I am reluctant.

Why?

Because I know what I did with my pocket money.

I don't remember having pocket money at 6, but I remember having it at 11. Milky Ways were 10p. Penny sweets were a penny each. Starburst were called Opal fruits. Snickers were called Marathons. The sun was always shining through my now rose tinted glasses.

I guess that paragraph tells you why I am not keen on giving big man pocket money. He is like me. He loves sweets and he will spend his time pondering whether he should buy some strawberry laces or some lollies with his new found fortune.

There was also one other thing my sister, best friend and I used to waste spend our pocket money on. Pretty much any woman my age who grew up in the UK will know the words:

"Suddenly you're seeing me, just the way I am
Suddenly you're hearing me
So I'm talking just as fast as I can, to you
Suddenly, every part of me
Needs to know every part of you"

I hope you are now transported into a world where Sharlene and Scott are getting married from everyone's favourite Aussie Cul de Sac. Yes, Neighbours had hit the UK and for some unknown reason we needed to collect the entire Neighbours sticker and card collection! The cards at least had a piece of chewing gum in to compensate the fact that we no longer had any money to spend on penny sweets.

The worse thing was I failed. I didn't get them all. I gave in. I couldn't waste my money any more. I never got a full set. As I am writing this I am realising that maybe it was a good thing that I bought these stickers. I am pretty sure that my parents didn't want me going down the newsagents every Sunday buying Neighbours cards and sweets, wasting their hard earned cash. So why did they do it?

So I could learn for myself.

So I must do the same and let big man learn his own lessons. And whilst he is leaning I am sure he wouldn't begrudge his Mummy the odd strawberry lace or two would he?

When I was little, we didn't celebrate Halloween. No one did really. I remember going to my friends one year when I was about 15 and having a cake with green icing and bobbing for apples and being quite shocked that they did anything. However, things change and now Halloween is my favourite time of the year. I say time, as it generally occurs over half term, so we have a week full of themed activities. So I need to get my thinking hat on and arrange some things for us to do. I have had a look online and there as some lovely children's halloween costumes, and I really think big man needs to be something other than a devil. He has been the same one three years in a row!

Sprout is a pencil. But what happens when your pencil is too small, well if it is sprout, you plant him in a pot and hopefully he will become a plant or a herb to be precise. We were sent two Dill pencils to review. I love the idea of Sprout, and thought that big man would be interested in writing with him. I did manage to get big man to do some writing with him and as a full sized pencil he takes a long time to get short enough to plant.

We planted Sprout about a week ago.


The end of the capsule starts dissolving really quickly when put in damp soil. I know this as middle man removed it not long after big man had put it in! I am unsure whether our sprout will grow on the basis that I left the pot too low down and middle man is fascinated by there being a pencil in some soil.


Sprout can be ordered online, however, the postage costs are in my opinion quite large if you are buying a single pencil. I think that Sprout is a fun quirky gift and if the postage costs were reduced would consider buying them as a gift for a keen gardener or cook.



We were given 2 sprout pencils for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.