Review: Sprayza Studio

The latest episode in the Toyologist series!

Do you ever have one of those moments when you think "Why didn't I think of that?" Well, I had one of those moments whilst we were playing with this. When I first saw it, I just thought it would make a mess but gave into pester power last Sunday afternoon to allow the children to play with it, and realised how wrong I was. Mind you, I still used the messy mat to cover the kitchen table.

The set is unbelievably simple. The "airbrush" is actually a small plastic tube. You attach one of the felt pens to the end so that the tip sits across the bottom opening of the tube and you blow through the tube to airbrush. I was dubious that this would work at first. You also get various cardboard stencils and some paper. The stencils need pressing out on first use but were easy to do although a bit fiddly for little hands. If you're that way inclined, you could create your own, but I'm not.

Once you're ready to go, you point the tube at the stencil and paper, blow and hey presto! It works. It took a little while for the children to work out the right amount of puff to do it well and I did have to help a bit. They blew a bit hard sometimes, leading to a few splodges and you do need to take regular breaks from blowing but they loved it. So did I!

It took about 5-10 minutes to make a picture and that was with a lot of colour changes! That's perfect for Monkey and Missy Woo - what I found was they would draw with the pens on the design whilst the other was using the airbrush. We played for about an hour with it and they have asked to play with it again. For its price (£9.99),  I'd say it's good entertainment value for that price and I'd definitely recommend it for children of a similar age (5 and 4) or older.

Have a look at our slideshow below to see pictures of some of our creations and the children creating them.



(I was provided with this toy to review and have received no other compensation. The opinions stated here are my own, and have not been influenced by the aforementioned compensation.)

So, I went to an interview....

I had an interview the other day for a part-time job. I was adamant I wanted something not too taxing, that allowed me to be there for the children at the right times. The job, on paper, seemed perfect - 15 hours a week, 10 mins away in the middle of town, stable(ish) employers, the works.

The interview went OK. The typing test they gave me was horrible - I can type 50-55 wpm but not apparently when I'm not allowed to correct any mistakes at all. I left in two minds, certain that I would not get the job, that they would find someone suited better to the requirements of the role as set out by them.

The night before, I had suddenly been overcome by a complete crisis of confidence. And yet, I knew I could do the job well without trying too hard. I told Twitter about it and got lots of fantastic positive feedback and kind wishes from my followers - for which, by the way, a huge thank you; sharing the love is one of the things I absolutely adore about Twitter.

By the time I came out of that interview though, I knew what it had all been about. It wasn't nerves at all; it was dread. For as much as I fool myself that I want a not too taxing job, I know I would be bored. I am going to need something else. The job was not for me. When they rang this morning, I actually had a moment of panic that they were going to offer me the job. I have never been so relieved to hear the words "I'm sorry but on this occasion, you have been unsuccessful." I think that says it all.

So, what now? I wish I knew. I've applied for three more jobs, but they are similar roles to this one. I am not really sure what options are available to me. I could aim to go back into IT but it seems to be spectacularly unfriendly if you have a family. It was a struggle to go part-time in my previous role, and it seems that part-time roles in IT are almost non-existent unless you are already working for someone, which I'm not.

I'm qualified to teach adults but teaching hours are in very short supply. I'm also qualified in life and performance coaching but I don't really know where to start with that. And doesn't everybody groan these days if you say you're a life coach, although maybe if you're the sort that will only say super-positive things and annoy the heck out of people living in the real world.

And of course, I love doing this. Writing, messing around and doing stuff on my blog. And Twitter. I could turn it into something, but I am painfully aware that there is a lot of competition out there with far, far more experience and talent than I have.

It's all a balancing act.

I think I'm stuck. I do some casual self-employed work from home already but it really doesn't pay that well, certainly not enough to pay the bills. I know I need to find something that I enjoy and am passionate about, but it's balancing off with something that is achievable in terms of my experience and strengths, as well as being flexible enough to work around the children. My husband working shifts means I need to be around for school runs and I don't want to put them in childcare outside school.

I'd love to know what you think. Do you work flexibly? If so, what do you do and how did that come about? What wisdom can you share with me about finding something that's child-friendly AND rewarding/interesting? Or should I just stick to doing something soul-destroying but stable and perhaps work on something else in the meantime? All comments welcome.

Free park-ing

As a family with not a particularly large income, activities that keep the children occupied that don't cost a lot are quite important if we're to keep our heads above water. Things that are free are even better. Most of the time, Monkey and Missy Woo are happy to go and play out with the children that live on our road - which thankfully doesn't have a lot of traffic - to ride on bikes, or just play cricket or football. There aren't many girls of Missy Woo's age living on the road, so she does tend to get bored quite easily and ends up coming in, just as I think I've won myself a bit of peace. Gah.

There is a tiny park on the estate but they are not allowed to go there unless they are with an adult. They know how far they can wander from home and they are pretty good at sticking to it. Mind you, I thought I'd lost Monkey one day during the summer holidays when he was out on his bike one minute and not there the next. I found him at the house across the road, after a bit of frantic searching, watching a DVD with his friend.

If we need a proper park, a big favourite with the children - and me - is Withy Grove Park in Bamber Bridge. The playground there was regenerated only a few years ago and it's fantastic. It has equipment for all ages of children from babies upwards and there's a mini skate park for the teenagers. Missy Woo likes the non-scary things - some little rockers in the shape of marine creatures, and playing with lots of sand. Monkey is more of a daredevil - 'twas ever thus - and tries to go on the zip line that is designed for bigger boys. He does climb up to the top of the big corkscrew slide, disappear into the silver tubing and reappear, laughing, at the bottom a few seconds later.

The park is next to the leisure centre where the children go to swimming lessons so we often turn up there early for a quick runabout to let off steam before going inside, although getting them out can be like herding cats. The only downside is the cafe there only opens at weekends but the ice cream van visits regularly instead. Oh, and the M6 runs down one side of the outer edge of the park so it can be loud.

Another big favourite with the children is pizza. They could happily eat that, or pasta, every day of their lives. Over the summer, Pizza Hut had a kids eat free deal over the summer, for children under 12, but this has now been extended until 9th January 2011. For every adult main course or adult lunchtime buffet purchased, an accompanying child can choose from either a FREE 2 course kids meal (includes a drink) or a FREE kids lunchtime buffet (includes pizza, pasta and salad).

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The Gallery - Food

I was really pleased when I saw that the prompt for this week was Food for the Gallery. After all, it's one of the five Fs after which I named this blog.

But when it came down to choosing a picture, I struggled. Most of the food photography (and I use that term very loosely) that I have done in the past few months has been when I've been making something that I have decided to blog. So they're already here. There aren't too many that involve pictures of the children as food.

But then, I remembered that I have a few pix on my phone on food that I haven't blogged about. This is the one I picked out this week.

This is Lemon Lapiz Pudding. I got the recipe from Paula at Battling On, which you can find here. It was Paula's entry for the English Mum July bake off. I thought it looked lovely when I first saw her post and mentally filed it as something to make soon.

I came to make it earlier this month when we were invited to a house party to celebrate the 30th birthday of one of Monkey and Missy Woo's cousins. I offered to make a pudding for the party as I hate going empty handed and after chatting to Paula, chose to make this. It's three meringue circles - which you could buy for a really quick pudding - layered with a lemon filling made from lemon juice, cream and condensed milk. I made the meringues one evening and the filling the next, putting it together and refrigerating it the night before the party. It needs to be made in advance so is great for a party, and it's even freezable apparently.

The pudding went down a storm at the party. The meringue is crisp on the outside, with a softer middle. The filling was like a lemon curd, but a lot quicker to make as it doesn't need the half an hour or more stirring over a double boiler! It was divine - like lemon meringue pie without the soggy pastry base. People kept telling me how clever I was but it really wasn't difficult to make. The cracks just added to the overall visual effect. It transports well, which surprised me as it had to drive all the way to Blackpool and I was worried it would shatter into a thousand pieces, but it survived the trip there. It didn't survive the trip home though - I left a small slice at the party when we left!

(This is my entry to Week 29 of the Gallery at Sticky Fingers - go take a look at some of the other entries; I think I can guarantee this week that they will make you hungry!)

Fancy some top Totti? Get laminating!

* I am getting lots of hits on this post for obvious reasons after the sad death of Gary Speed. I wrote this post in September 2010 and although I considered removing it temporarily, I've decided to leave it standing. I was a huge fan of Gary and I was utterly gutted to hear the news of his death. The tributes I have heard since convince me that he was a really lovely man and want this post to stand as a tribute to him, even if it was tongue in cheek. Rest in peace, Gary. You will be missed*


After I wrote my sad post yesterday, I remembered that I've already been tagged by Nickie at Typecast in a post entitled Shwing! (in a feminine way) based on the famous people that you would *cough* do it *cough* with, given the chance - partly based on the "Laminated List" plot from Friends. This was started a while back by Karen from If I Could Escape and I think she tagged everyone in general, but to my shame, I never did that either. *slaps own wrists* Better make up for lost time then and present my selection for your amusement and delectation then.

My selection are based on a theme of 3Fs today - football, food and films. Some of them will be no surprise to those who know me, but I can guarantee there will be at least one that you have never heard of! Enjoy the insight into my (slightly warped) mind.

Santi Solari

Gary Speed

David Ginola

Francesco Totti

Matt Tebbutt

Curtis Stone

John Cusack

David Morrissey

I believe it is customary for me to tag people at this point but I think several variations of this theme have been going the rounds for a while. So, I'm going to be naughty and leave it open to you. I'll add anyone that wants to be tagged, or you can blog it, link back and place a link in the comments.

Now, if it's alright with you, I must go. Is it me or is it a bit warm in here?

Parky

I was reading a blog post over the weekend, by Lisa at Mrs LJ Hall who was mulling over who would be her fantasy husband(s). It has given me the perfect opportunity to tell you about one of mine.

If you'd asked me in the late 90s, I would have said Gary Parkinson, without a doubt. Most of you are sitting looking blankly at the screen, saying "Wha'?" so I feel it my duty to include a picture of him, although it's not great. Gary - known as Parky, obviously - was a right back, who joined Preston from Burnley in 1997. The picture here shows him playing for Middlesbrough, much earlier in his career.

Now, I don't normally go lusting after footballers. As a fan, I am not the sort that goes to football to watch men's buttocks; I am genuinely interested in the football. But I became a big fan of Parky after a chance meeting one day in August 1998. It was Bank Holiday weekend and PNE were playing at Lincoln City. I drove up to Lincoln alone but was meeting a friend who was coming from Liverpool to see the match. I drove out to the point-to-point on the edge of the city to park there to meet my friend as they were going to be driving past so was a convenient place to stop.

When I pulled into the car park, I noticed the team coach. It was empty, apart from the driver. Being a) curious nosey and b) having time to kill, I wandered over, spoke to the driver and asked him if he'd already dropped the team off. He shook his head, pointed to a path and said, "They've gone for a walk." I walked around the corner, and sure enough, there was the whole squad and entourage wandering around. Gary was the first person I bumped into and he stopped to talk to me, for I was wearing both a PNE shirt and an utterly amazed look on my face. We chatted for a couple of minutes and he explained that the boss - David Moyes at the time - liked them to stretch their legs after a long journey before they got to the ground. He was quietly spoken and charming, with lovely twinkly eyes. After this brief chat, he apologised and said they had to leave. Stupidly, I never asked for any autographs but I got a few hellos as they traipsed back onto the bus and left. I'm not sure my friend totally believed me when they turned up about ten minutes later!

After that encounter, Parky became my fantasy husband. I think I met him again, briefly, at a Player of the Year awards ceremony a couple of years later and he was as charming as before. Unfortunately, about six months after I met him, he damaged his cruciate and was out for a year and never really featured regularly for Preston after that so I didn't often get my fix of my favourite player. He left PNE for Blackpool in 2001, normally a move that would generate a lot of bad feeling, but no-one could really begrudge him moving on at the age of 33. He helped them win promotion that season and then retired from playing a couple of years later. He got himself a job back at Blackpool as head of youth after qualifying as a coach.

This story does not have a happy ending. Earlier this month, I was utterly gutted to hear the news that Gary had suffered a massive stroke and was critically ill in hospital. Although he has improved, there are now fears that he is suffering from locked-in syndrome, whereby he is unable to move, speak or swallow but is aware of what is going on around them. It is early days in his rehabilitation but if confirmed, the prognosis is not good as most sufferers die within the first four months. A few manage to overcome it with specialist care; I'm hoping, praying even, that he's one of them. He's only 42 after all. My heart totally goes out to his wife Deborah and their three children as I can only imagine what they are going through right now. And as for Parky, I've tried to imagine what it might be like right now; to be aware of everything around you, and yet not be able to respond, to express emotions, to talk to loved ones or even to move. Boy, is it scary and frustrating - and yet, I can shake myself out of it a few seconds later, move, type, talk and generally express myself. To be like that 24x7 - well, the thought makes me shudder.

I'm hoping in the months to come that there will be some fundraising to help either him or stroke-related causes. Thus far, I haven't found anything on the Blackpool FC website (and yes, I did check it; I am not proud). A donation to The Stroke Association, a charity that supports research into prevention and treatment of strokes as well as providing information, advice and support to stroke victims, may well be in order. If any event is set up in Parky's name, I will be supporting it wholeheartedly and I'll tell you about it here. If anyone knows of any event set up in his name, please let me know because I would love to be involved.

In the meantime, I prefer to remember Parky as the player and the lovely, genuine man that he was. That doesn't mean I am not hoping for the miracle recovery he deserves because I am crossing everything that it happens. But he will remain my fantasy husband. Get well soon, Parky. You are in my thoughts.

Reviews: A Toyology compilation of living creatures

I've got a few more toys to review for you today. As you might have seen, we are Toys R Us Toyologists and are currently on our second parcel of toys to review. However, due to Monkey and Missy Woo being away on holiday then back at school, we're a bit behind on some of the things from the first parcel so I thought I'd combine a few into one post as they are all quite short reviews.

The first is Bobbin' Bumblebee (£8.99). This is a game where Robin the Bumblebee flies around in a circle; the players have honeycomb discs which they protect by flipping a paddle to knock the approaching bee away to stop him taking the discs. Monkey and Missy Woo quite enjoyed this game but it lasts only a minute or two. Although they enjoyed it, it didn't really hold their attention and they soon moved onto something else. I think it would be better for toddlers/preschoolers - as they are more likely to be happy to keep setting up the same game again and again, rather than my two, who are past that stage now. The game is listed as suitable from 3 years and it would be perfect for that age. It's quite easy to put together, but it can come apart easily too. 

The next is Moon Dough Playful Puppies Set (£7.99). If ever there was a toy that divided a household, this was it. As soon as the children saw it, they got very excited. Monkey knew it was like playdough but never dried out, Missy Woo wanted to make puppies, which you do by pressing the dough into the top of a kennel mould maker and turning the handle, with the puppies falling out of the bottom. Bones and food can be made by pressing the dough into separate small moulds. That's the theory anyway. The dough is very light compared to playdough. We found you really needed to work it hard to make it pliable enough for fitting correctly into moulds, and you needed to start moulding it straight away or you'd need to work it again. It is also really crumbly, and made a huge mess everywhere. We all found it hard to fill the moulds properly so that you got the nice pretty figures you see on the box. Overall, the children loved it, but as a mother, I didn't. I expect some mess from craft activities but this was too messy. I would be far happier if it was reformulated to be less crumbly and messy, whilst keeping its lightness and bright colours.

Finally, we have the Ocean in My Pocket Coral Reef Playset (£19.99) and accompanying Newborns pack (£3.99). Missy Woo's eyes lit up as soon as she saw this and she wasn't disappointed once we had finally wrestled it out of the multiple wires holding it in the packaging (a pet hate of mine!). The Playset is a play park for a mummy whale and her three babies that are included in the set. There is a slide, a swing, a merry-go-round and a swing for them all to play on. It's great for imaginary play and Missy Woo was fascinated with it, taking it off to the playroom to sit down and put everything through its paces. When I asked her, she seemed to enjoy the swing for some obscure reason but she got a lot of pleasure out of it all and was totally absorbed. In short, she loved it and I think it was worth the money for that alone. 

The Newborns pack contained three tiny figures - in this case, a baby seal, a jellyfish, and an oyster. And they really are tiny - I can hold all 3 of them in my fist! I think parents would feel better about the price if the figures were slightly bigger and they came in less packaging. Missy did like them but only because she could use them to play with them alongside the playset and she is not yet inclined to carry them in her pocket as intended. The baby seal is a favourite, but there's not a lot you can do with a jellyfish and an oyster. I would buy these for a child that already had the playset, because they would provide further options for playing with it. 

(I was provided with the above toys to review and have received no other compensation. The opinions stated here are my own, and have not been influenced by the aforementioned compensation.)