Mission Fat Hearts: The Movie

A little kindness goes a long way right? I strongly believe that this is true, and as a parent, it's something I've always tried to teach my children. That's why I'm backing this fantastic campaign for Mission Fat Hearts: The Movie. Not only is it helping teach kindness, but it's doing it in a really fun way which will appeal to most children - who doesn't love a good mission!!

The story behind the idea....

    The original creator of Mission Fat Hearts, Mandy Rohr, explains:

  

"My biggest inspiration to do Mission Fat Hearts with my kids was seeing how much the world needs kindness now more than ever. Being a teacher, I see how we as adults are the key to how kids learn important values and traits such as empathy, kindness, manners, and ultimately how to treat each other. They literally follow and repeat our every move. They are the key to our future and have the power to change the world, but we need to give them the tools to do so. So, they are what inspired me…they’re little blank canvases that in the end, only want to love and love more and have so much potential to do just that, if taught that doing it matters!" 

  A few words from author Rebecca Yee-Peters on Why Mission Fat Hearts

Growing up, I was taught that being kind to others was the most important trait I could possess. Still today,  I wholeheartedly agree. Working with an elementary school teacher, we created Mission Fat Hearts to teach the next generation how they can become an army of change in this world with kindness. 

Mission Fat Hearts started as a children's book. Our goal with the children's book was to spark a curiosity into random acts of kindness. Teaching kids that small acts of kindness can make someone's day. The book has a short story, followed by their "top secret missions" from Santa. The "top secret missions"  being easy random acts of kindness the kids can do by themselves, or with a parent.  The book quickly became popular with parents wanting to teach their kids the importance of kindness. I have 11 nieces and nephews and want them to not only succeed in life, but thrive by being honorable and kind people. I created The Adventures of Pookie children's book series to teach them life lessons, and now I want to create the Mission Fat Hearts  movie to continue to inspire and motivate them and other kids all over the world. 

Kids imitate what they see on TV. The  Mission Fat Hearts movie  will show kids that being kind can change the world. The movie will show kids how they can perform small acts of kindness, as well as show them the effect it can have on someone’s life.  

We all want what's best for our kids, and teaching them the importance of kindness to others is a very valuable lesson in life, and a start to making the world a better place to live! Currently, this is only available in book format, however there is, as the title of this post suggests, an upcoming animated movie - YAY! So, if your kids are more motivated by animations than books, then this is definitely something you need to check out.

If you want to get involved and find out more about the upcoming movie, simply click HERE.

The Adventures of Pookie: Mission Fat Hearts is available on Amazon.co.uk and costs £3.42 for the paperback, or you can read it free with KindleUnlimited.

Also available in paperback on Amazon.com for $14.99.

Slumberdown Kids Quilted Waterproof Mattress Protector

My newest review for Slumberdown is this fabulous Kids Quilted Waterproof Mattress Protector which I received free of charge in return for an honest review.

Getting young children out of nappies can be one of the most challenging tasks faced by parents, and bed wetting can often be a problem too. Slumberdown pride themselves on trying to help make things easier for parents with young children, and with the introduction of this fabulous quilted waterproof mattress protector, they've doing just that. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some miracle product which will stop your child from bed wetting, but it does help protect the mattress from any little accidents.

The fabric is made from 65% polyester and 36% cotton, the filling is made from 100% polyester and the backing is 100% polyethylene. It is also machine washable at 40°.

As you can see, the mattress protector is stitched together to guarantee it will last and as it's quilted, your child will certainly be in for a comfortable nights sleep.

I have tested to see if this really is waterproof and can find no problems at all. My niece managed to have a great nights sleep, and although she did have a small accident, it didn't really disturb her and more importantly, the mattress wasn't in need of any attention as the protector did its job! My sister purchased another topper for when this one's in the wash and she now recommends this very one to other parents.
It fits well onto a standard single bed and although it does have a slight 'crinkle' noise to it when new, that soon disappears once it's been washed a few times. The noise wasn't enough to keep my niece awake however it may be a slight problem if your child is a light sleeper. If that's the case, i'd strongly recommend washing a couple of times before use.

Overall I was really impressed with both the fit of the protector and the effectiveness of it so would certainly recommend it myself.

You can purchase this for the very reasonable price from £10.50 from Tesco and even earn yourself 10 clubcard points!!

How to Catch a Star Review & Giveaway!

I was very lucky to receive Oliver Jeffers' anniversary edition of How to Catch a Star in return for an honest review.

The publication of How to Catch a Star in 2004 heralded the arrival of a captivating new talent on the picture book scene. The book has since achieved both critical and commercial success and is enjoyed by children all over the world. Oliver Jeffers has continued to be successful and has won various accolades such as the New York Times Best Illustrated Books Award, Nestle Smarties Book Prize, Irish Book of the Year and The Blue Peter Book of the Year.
Ten years on, and How to Catch a Star is being celebrated by Oliver and HarperCollins with a special 10th Anniversary edition.

Front cover

Back cover

Here is a letter from Oliver Jeffers explaining where the story for this book began .....

This is an absolutely delightful tale of a young boy who loves stars so much, he wants to catch one of his very own. We follow him as he tries to attempt the impossible .....with quite a surprising result!

This book not only tells a fantastic story, but it is also beautifully illustrated and sure to captivate the imagination of any child.

Beautiful illustrations

I absolutely adored this book, despite it being advertised as suitable for children aged 2-7yrs and me being a 30 something year old housewife! My 5 year old niece was fixated by the story and really enjoyed sitting looking through the fabulous pictures .....it's the longest i've known her sit still!!
You can buy this special anniversary edition from Amazon.co.uk and it's currently on offer for only £10.27 (price correct at time of post)
Overall I would certainly recommend this book and because of that, I have a copy to give to one of my lucky readers along with a How to Catch a Star poster.


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Proud as Owt!

Just a quick blog update here.....mainly because I can't help myself and just wanna shout from the rooftops lol
My oldest daughter was made a school prefect when she returned after the summer holidays and I was extremely proud of her....as i'm sure any parent would be! She has been on the school council since she started back in year 7 and has steadily progressed, despite the taunts from other kids!
Last night, she came home from school and declared that she was applying to be on the Gateshead Parliamentary Youth Council which holds quite a bit of responsibility as there are several meetings each month she will need to attend. I asked her if this is what she really wanted as it would eat into her free time and she seems more than happy to go ahead.......I have no idea where she gets her drive from!
I have watched her develop from a young, shy, timid child, into a fine young lady who is headstrong and confident. The other kids call her a swat etc which i've always told her to ignore...she takes these comments as compliments now which I love!!
This morning, she was asked to attend a local meeting with other school prefects and the chance to meet the Mayor and Mayoress of Gateshead. I had to drop her off then collect her again later.
An hour later, I saw her walking towards me and noticed a badge on her school jumper - it wasn't there when she left. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read it, it said "Head Girl". 
I have to say that this is one of the proudest moments of my life, even though she sees it as no big deal, I for one am over the moon!
I know this post won't interest many, but it's quite a big thing for me and I really wanted to share it.

Parenting Worries

I am a born worrier and look at the down side of everything which is why i feel my kids lose out alot! I watch the news and hear of kids being abducted or beaten up by other kids and it chills me to the core making me want to wrap mine up in cotton wool - of course, this is neither practical or fair. My eldest, as you probalbly already know, is almost 15 now, yet rarely ventures out with her mates - and this is down to me! We have a very open, honest relationship, and she tells me the things her mates are getting up to like drinking, having sex, cutting themselves - i don't want my girl going down the same road, so i tend to say "no" to going out in the evenings with them. I do, however, allow her to travel to the metrocentre with them on a weekend. I am now beginning to feel like a "bad parent" for trying to protect her as the only way we learn is through our own mistakes! Don't get me wrong, it never causes arguments when i say "no" as i have explained how i feel and how much i love both my kids, but it doesn't make me feel any better.
I just wandered if anyone else experienced the same kind of feelings and if not, how do you get passed them??