Category: Reviews

1. Ebookadabra review

   Posted on 10:01pm Tuesday 21st Mar 2017

   We first heard about the Ebookadabra app after reading a review on the blog from Emmaand3.com and with my youngest daughter in reception (and also always wanting to play on my phone), that this was something that definitely sparked some interest with me.

   Story time has always been bedtime in our house but since the youngest member of the family has gone to school, she is too tired at bedtime to read and would seemingly prefer to watch a YouTube video on the iPad than concentrate on her reading. This doesn't sit well with me, both from a learning perspective and as someone who loves nothing more than a good book. 

   

   Ebookadabra is designed for a new generation, the generation of children who have been born into a technological age where everything is available at the touch or swipe of a screen. Even I have converted to reading books on a tablet as it is so accessible (and I can now read in the dark - who knew!), so having a wide range of books on the Ebookadabra app means that reading becomes more accessible to a technology loving child too. 

   Although Ebookadabra is only just launching, the platform already has a wide variety of features on it such as:

   - The ability for parents to record themselves reading the stories that their children are looking at

   - A safe and secure messaging system that allows a child to talk to their parents about the progress they are making in app.

   - An innovative visual search engine designed for kids that lets the use visual search terms to explore our library of books.

   - The ability to save stories to your in-app library so you can enjoy them on the go. 

   - All of this is available for less than the price of a book a month £2.99 (introductory offer) along with a 30 day free trial.

   The team at Ebookadabra tell us that it is a reading experience aimed at young families with kids aged from three to seven years old. It is a world where kids will discover books for themselves, be rewarded for their reading and be able to share the experience with their family. 

   

   My youngest daughter is five so she is perfectly placed to trial to app and everytime she picks up my phone or the iPad now to play a game, she goes to the Ebookadabra app first to read through a book. She can navigate her way around the app much quicker than I can (which I suppose is the point) and I feel like we have only just seen the tip of the iceberg with what we can do on it. 

   She loves getting a little reward at the end of each book and the game challenges once you had completed every book are a fun way to help with some of her fine motor skills, which can only be beneficial from a learning perspective too.

   We are presently having the books "read to us" but the app has difficulty levels so as each child's educational needs change and their reading improves, the books become more age appropriate. 

   The monthly cost is the same as you would pay for a single paperback book and as more titles are added, or siblings share the app, so it really becomes a very affordable and cost effective way to read new books with your children.

   I am enjoying seeing her reading more avidly and she is enjoying "reading like mommy" on the iPad. I honestly feel like we haven't explored everything that the app can do and am excited to see how it develops but more so how my daughters love of reading develops too!

   Ebookadabra offer a free trial to all new sign ups, so with a mix of good old fashioned story books blended with modern technology, what have you got to lose?

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2. Nailcote Hall : Sunday Lunch Review

   Posted on 4:50pm Sunday 12th Mar 2017

   Sitting down as a family to eat is really important to us and so when Nailcote Hall invited us to choose from their Afternoon Tea or Sunday lunch experience, despite being the self crowned "Queen of Afternoon Tea", I thought it would be a lovely chance for us to all go out for lunch this Sunday afternoon.

   

   Nailcote Hall is a small English stately home, built in 1640 just before the start of the English Civil War. It is situated in Berkswell which is less than 20 miles from the centre of Birmingham but has a lovely rural feel about the locality. I have been to a number of events at the venue before from weddings and tribute nights in the marquee to fashion shows but have never experienced the restaurant for a dining experience, so we were all looking forward to our lunch!

   

   The entrance to the hotel doesn't have a "contemporary feel to it, with rugs over original wooden floors it is more like you are going back in time to a place where time stands still and no one is in a rush and we were encouraged to go through to the bar area and relax, where someone would come and see us. We arrived a little after 1pm but despite being lunchtime it didn't feel hectic, although we did initially have to wait a while for someone to come and see us. We were presented with the Sunday lunch menus whereby we could sit in the comfy chairs to browse through the selections before being taken through to the restaurant. 

     

   The Sunday lunch at Nailcote can be as big or as little as you like, as you can choose from 2,3 or even 4 courses depending on how hungry your stomach is.... or how much the menu tempts you. 2 courses are £24.50, £27.50 for 3 courses, rising to £29.50 for 4 courses. There is a smaller menu choice for the children and this is 3 courses for £15. 

   My eldest daughter and I choose the Fan of Cantaloupe Melon with fresh berries and home churned sorbet, which was a light and refreshing start to our meal (unsurprisingly she was particularly partial to the sorbet)

      

   My husband immediately chose the Duck, Orange & Green Pepper Pate as this is something that we never tend to buy at home, although he swapped the sour dough bread that it came with, for the multitude of warm bread that was served on the table. I am personally not a big fan of pate but he was delighted with his choice and commented on the velvety texture of the pate that had non of the fatty elements that some pate's can have.

   For my main meal, I chose the Roast Leg of Lamb which is a personal favourite but as no one else in our house really likes lamb I never tend to cook it at home, so it was a real treat for me. It was accompanied by roast potatoes and mashed potatoes together with seasonal vegetables which were cooked beautifully. My husband chose the Roast Sirloin of Scottish Beef which came with the largest yorkshire pudding I have ever seen and according to him, the most melt in the mouth beef he has possibly ever tasted. The meat was carved at the table for us and presented with seperate dishes of vegetables that were served to our plates. Had my Dad been with us, he would have commented that the meat was not "piping hot" but it had clearly been left to rest and served how it should be. (It is just worth noting for any one that is like my Dad and insists on burning your tongue on your food).

        

   We chose the Fresh Exotic Fruit Salad and Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee for dessert, which were light enough to find room for after such a hearty meal. The smallest member of the family asked for chocolate ice cream but we were advised that the kitchen were not happy with how the ice cream had been churned, so they would rather not serve it, she was happy to accept strawberry and vanilla as an alternative. We were impressed that so many of the foods on the menu were made and churned in house but equally, we were impressed with the honesty of the hotel that they didn't want to serve an icecream that did not meet their standards ... even if it was for a 5 year old. 

   The restaurant was quiet and relaxed, with ambient music fed into the room. It wasn't too crowded but had a nice feel to the room and we were treated to a 5* experience without being pretentious. 

     

   Throughout our time at Nailcote Hall, the staff were extremely attentive and responsive, and it is always the little touches that make the Nailcote experience more than just a Sunday lunch. From the staff taking our drinks through to the restaurant, providing an extra cushion so that the youngest member of the family could sit at the same height as everyone else, to personal recommendations on the wine and dessert offerings, we really did have a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon. I was surprised to find that 2 hours had gone by and the girls hadn't once asked for any kind of electrical device at the table, as we had just sat, chatted and laughed together, which for me is what a Sunday is all about. 

   The 5 year old delighted in every part of the meal and experience today, from being personally attended to at the table, to pretending to drink wine at the table (it was obviously only water) and she declared that she would like to go to Nailcote Hall every Sunday for lunch. We received the adults meals as part of this review but had we not received any concessions, it would have cost just over £100 for today's lunch which makes it more of a special occasion venue choice than an every day meal location.

   That said, I would have no hesitation in recommending the food and service to any of our friends and it makes a perfect location for Mothers Day or a birthday celebration. We saw that there are lots of events coming up at Nailcote Hall from tribute acts to ladies day at the races, so there is always something going on (that is without the golf course facilities). We will be returning to Nailcote next month for a charity fashion show with Liliann Occasion Wear but I have no doubt that we will be going for Sunday lunch again soon (especially if the 5 year old has anything to do with it).

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3. 5 Reasons Why Education Quizzes are helping parents to learn too : Review

   Posted on 10:37pm Tuesday 21st Feb 2017

   Somehow is it half term again and last year we talked about Education Quizzes and how they can help your children keep their brains active over the holidays but what about us parents too?

   My mum keeps her brain active by doing countless word searches and sudoko puzzles but they are no contest for a child with a Year 7 maths problem. If I were to ask you what is the answer to 3 + 4 x 2 = ? If you do it on a calculator, the answer is 14 which may seem correct but is actually wrong! The correct answer is 11. Why? Because of BODMAS. BODMAS is just one of the things now taught in schools today that as parents, we might not be familiar with. (I wasn't and I got excellent GCSE maths grades too!)

   So as parents we always try and ensure that we are keeping up with our child's educational needs (although please don't ask me about algebra), so this is why Education Quizzes came up with the Parents 999 idea. The title comes from the fact that each article has 999 words and is also meant to be an emergency resource for parents who suddenly find that they have a problem to solve in relation to their school-age children!  

   

   So how does it help?

   1. It is a quick and easy way to brush up on your own educational skills

   2. It has an easy to use menu listing, so you can jump straight to the section you want.

   3. All the quizzes are free to play, so you can go over them as often as you like.

   4. There are a range of subjects to choose from, including cyber safety and bullying which can help parents to deal with new situations

   5. Children generally think they know it all ...... this helps us as parents to stay one step ahead, or at least try!!

    

   We have spent some time on the site and Education Quizzes asked for our honest opinions as to whether it really is a useful resource for parents. All of the statements noted above are true and for me personally the Parent Power sections relating to bullying and online safety were as important as the Subject Knowledge elements. I think it will be good for Education Quizzes to expand on these areas especially as some parents genuinely don't understand all the dangers that come with access to the internet. 

   I like the fact that the articles are no more than 999 words as many parents are short on time but I did find myself reading the article and not always taking the quiz afterwards. There is a "tally" of your score and you can go back and improve it next time. This part didn't really appeal to me but I can see how those of a competitive nature might want to review their own scores.

   At the moment there isn't a massive library of articles / quizzes in this section but Education Quizzes have said that they are adding a new one each week, so there will be regular new content available.

   The Education Quizzes website is a fantastic resource for children and with the parenting section now, it is a great support for parents too. Despite many parenting books claiming otherwise, being a parent doesn't come with a handbook but having free online resources like this one, helps make the educational parenting journey just a little bit easier.

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4. Should you buy an Electric JukeBox : The Honest Review

   Posted on 8:50am Tuesday 14th Feb 2017

   I am not usually known for my music prowess and some of my favourite artists over the years have been somewhat questionable but before Christmas we were sent an Electric Jukebox to review and I thought that it was something that would make me "cool" with the kids. 

   

   So if you are not familiar with the Electric Jukebox, I can tell you that it is Britain's first and only music streaming service and device, backed by Robbie Williams, Alesha Dixon, Stephen Fry and Sheryl Crow (Robbie Williams *may* have been one of those questionable artists I mentioned earlier but every girl loved Robbie didn't she??). The sales spiel tells me that I can turn my TV into the ultimate music machine, it comes with 29 million songs AND takes just 2 minute set-up. So what did I think?

   I have to admit that I struggled with the review, hence the reason why I am posting this in February rather than prior to Christmas, mainly due to the price tag for the Electric Jukebox being £169 upfront, with an annual fee of £52 which seems a lot for something that you can essentially already do through your phone.

   One of the big marketing messages with the Electric Jukebox is that it only takes 2 minutes to set up and surprisingly, it really does only take a couple of minutes. All you need to do is plug in, find the Wi-Fi and you are all ready to go, although I think the power cable could be a bit longer because not everyone has a free socket next to the TV.

   

   It has lots of neat little features like the easy navigation and voice control, although I think the whole thing would be dramatically improved if the voice control doubled up as a kareoke microphone. Because everyone loves kareoke. Don't they?

   I feel like this review has a definite negative tilt so as I am always looking for the positive in everything, I dug deep and found the things that we did like about the Electric Jukebox.

   • Optional explicit lyric filter to protect your children from inappropriate songs
   • In comparison a Spotify or Apple music yearly subscription is £120 a year - Electric Jukebox is less than half this price - £52 per year for unlimited music streaming. That's £1 a week to be able to listen to all the music in the world! That's a good deal, if you compare to the cost of a CD of downloading MP3's.
   • The upfront cost of £169, includes the annual music pass. The remainder of the cost is for the hardware. With Electric Jukebox, you are getting everything you need to play music.
   • You do not get any adverts on Electric Jukebox. For anyone that regularly watches Youtube, you will appreciate that this is a definite plus point. 

   

   Overall, while it is expensive and not too everyones budget, it is a solid product that is simple to use and hopefully in time, with some hardware updates you may get a kareoke version. Although I suspect that my neighbours maybe living in hope that this is not any time soon.

   Disclaimer : It didn't actually make me any "cooler" with my kids either!

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