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Friday 10 June 2016

Win An Air Storm Z-Tek Bow & Air Storm Firetek Rockets™ From ZING®

I have a fabulous giveaway from ZING® which is just right for getting the kids outdoors in the fresh air.

Zing makes high-quality toys for high-action play and their mission is to promote a healthy, active lifestyle by compelling kids to turn off their video games or smartphones, get off the couch, and get up to play!

Their inventors are kids at heart with safety in mind, bringing you fun in a zillion packages: mini-monsters, boomerangs, and big bows! Soaring rockets, dart blasters, and sticky creatures!

So, to the prizes.  First off  I have one Air Storm - Z-Tek Bow to giveaway. 




The next big thing in bow technology, the Z-Tek Bow has a sleek new design and shape plus shorter bungees for faster firing.

The arrow clips right on the bow for quick reloads and a powerful presence for all archery fanatics. Hook in the Zartz™ Arrow or Zonic™ Whistling Arrow, position the shot, and watch it fly through the air for an incredible 100 feet!

Includes a Z-Tek Bow, two Zonic™ Whistling Arrows and one Suction-Cup Zartz™ Arrow.

Please note the Air Storm Z-Tek bow comes in two colours – green and orange but the prize supplied may be either colour.

Price: £19.99rrp Age: 8+ Available: Now

I also have 4 Air Storm Firetek Rockets™ to give away.




The Firetek Rocket is the newest addition to Zing’s Firetek line with lights and sounds, ready for outdoor day or night fun!

Turn the light switch on the rocket to power up the action, Then, attach the Firetek light-up rocket to the launcher, pull the tab, and let it soar into the sky!

Hear the whistle-screaming arrows in action as the rocket flies up to 250 feet high with just a simple flick of the wrist. The Firetek rockets are set to fly to incredible heights with long-lasting performance. Each set comes with two whistle-screaming light-up rockets and one launcher.

Price: £9.99rrp Age: 5+ Available: Now

Entry is via the Rafflecopter widget.  UK entrants only and terms and conditions apply.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Thursday 30th June 2016.

Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Monday 6 June 2016

Win Gorgeous Fair Trade Toys From The Sambhali Trust in Jodhpur, India

If you are looking for an ethically produced, beautifully made soft toy then I have just the thing for you.

Take a look at these gorgeous toys made by the women of  The Sambhali Trust, in Jodhpur, India.


The Sambhali Trust is a non-profit charitable organisation based in Jodhpur, whose focus is the development and empowerment of women and girls in Rajasthan.


The Trust provides underprivileged Rajasthani women and girls with an education in English, Hindi and Maths, as well as training in vocational and social skills, to support them in developing confidence and self-esteem, and help them work towards financial independence.


Since 2007, they have been working with women and children from all communities in Jodhpur and the rural Thar desert area surrounding Setrawa, who experience discrimination on a daily basis because of their low status in class, caste and gender. These women are greatly suppressed due to the patriarchal nature of their society and have little or no access to education. They are denied the right to choose their husband and often face a high level of verbal, physical and sexual abuse within their family circle and community.

The Sambhali Boutique, located in the centre of Jodhpur, provides an outlet for the clothes, accessories and handicraft items produced by the women in our Sambhali Graduates’ Sewing Centre, where rigorous quality control procedures ensure that every item produced in the Sewing Centre is made to the highest standard.

Their merchandise includes a variety of Indian and Western-style garments, silk and cotton camels and elephants, block-printed scarves and curtains, a selection of shoulder bags, and many other items, each one handmade and unique in their own special way. As the Sambhali Trust is a non-profit organisation, so any profit accrued from the sales of items through the Boutique, after paying for raw materials, wages, and shop overheads, go directly back into the organisation supporting its many projects, helping to make the organisation self-sustainable.

Baloo The Bear - £10 each
You can buy these lovely Fairtrade toys from Postcardshome.co.uk, an online business selling quality home decor and gifts inspired by travel. Their team, based in North London, work with designers and illustrators across the world to breathe new life into traditional design aesthetics and methods and they love to promote products which take them back to their favourite places.

Wedding Horses - £15 each
Now to the giveaway.

I have one main prize of one of the Wedding Horses (above) and three runner up prizes of a Baloo The Bear.  Both toys are 30 cm tall so they are sizeable toys.

Entry is via the Rafflecopter in the usual way.  Terms and conditions apply and UK entrants only.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Friday 24th June 2016.

Please note:  Sambhali toys are handmade and do not use any hazardous parts or materials. The dyes used are organic and Global Organic Textile Standard certified.

The Wedding Horse has detailing that is not safe for younger children to play with.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck.
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Monday 22 February 2016

Review: Twice The Fun With The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat


If you are used to holidaying in the UK, you will be familiar with the age-old conundrum of what to do when it's tipping down with rain and you are ensconced in a small space with the potential for a boredom-induced family squabble.

Caitlin and The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
Drawing is Caitlin's favourite thing to do
You will probably also be familiar with the arsenic hours of Sunday afternoon when all homework has been done (finally) and the kids are kicking their heels and getting fractious.

Here's a solution.

It's called The Double Flip Fun Games Mat from what2buy4kids.co.uk and it's a reversible play mat which offers kids a range of activities to choose from.

Ieuan & The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
Ieuan adding spiky hair 
These include:-

Snakes & Ladders
Colour by numbers
Dot to dot
Word searches
Letter writing practice
Noughts and Crosses
Creative drawing
Bee Dice Game
Insect Dice Game

The kit contains the reversible games mat and five dice, six counters and ten washable felt tips so the kids can play with their friends (1-6 players).

The mat is a decent size, measuring 120 x 100cm and there is also a fabric carry bag.

The suggested age range is 3-10 and best of all the mat is washable so it can be used over and over again.  You can wash it at 30 degrees without detergent but don't tumble dry it. You have to make sure that you only use washable felt tips though.

The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat
I duly roped in my two crack testers to see if it would keep them occupied for longer than five minutes.

Caitlin, as expected, went straight for the pens to do some drawing whilst Ieuan went for the dot-to-dots.

I really liked the range of activities, particularly the educational element - practising drawing letters for example.

There are a couple of wordsearches and colour by numbers which are more time consuming activities.

I think though that the wordsearches and dot to dots are probably one time only activities, but the colouring aspect and the games could be repeated endlessly.

Caitlin & Ieuan & The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
Ah- Peace & Quiet!
I'd also put the age range closer to 3-8 - I am not sure the games are sophisticated enough for a 10 year old, or at least likely to keep their attention for too long.

I also think it depends on how many children are playing with the mat.  My two are quite competitive and vie to create the best drawing and you can bet they'll pick the same activity to do which is where having a reversible mat is quite handy.

The Double Flip Fun Games Mat is good for keeping kids occupied rather than being a full-on family activity.  I don't think it would replace, say, a board game.

But if frazzled parents are looking for a half hour's peace to read a book (or lie down in a darkened room with a gin & tonic), then it's ideal.

The Double Flip Fun Games Mat is good value at £23.99 given that it has multiple activities and can be reused.

The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
One side of the mat
It is ideal to sling in your bag to take anywhere you think there might be excessive waiting too - my only comment would be that it does take up some space to lay out.

If you're looking for gifts for kids I think The Double Flip Fun Games Mat would be a welcome present.

The Double Flip Fun & Games Mat - Children's Product Reviews - motherdistracted.co.uk
Darth Maul, apparently.

Further information from www.what2buy4kids.co.uk.

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