Aardman presents Learning Time with Timmy

MY daughter is going through a major slime phase at the moment, so when we were invited to the Poopsie Slime Surprise VIP event, she could hardly contain her excitement!

Arriving at the brightly decorated London venue, she made a beeline for the slime-making table and proceeded to lose herself in the different varieties of slime being created. Meanwhile, I occupied myself by taking a picture on a giant toilet, lol.                                             

The day was was a chance for fans to try out new additions to the range including Cutie Tooties Surprise and Sparkly Critters – which rather pleasantly spit or ‘poop’ slime.

The mix of toilet humour with sparkles is a winning combination for the brand – my daughter’s favourite is the Cutie Tooties Surprise which is a giant glittery poo complete with different types of slime, for example, water, crunchy, bouncy, marshmallow….! In addition, you also get a mini collectable character inside.

Meanwhile, my toddler is yet to show any interest in the wonderful world of slime and instead spent the day captivated by the balloons!

How long before he joins the tribe of kids fascinated by unboxing toys? The countdown begins….

She may be a gold medal winning Olympic athlete, but when it comes to parenting Jessica Ennis-Hill is just like any other mum.

Joined by her mother Alison Powell and presenter Gabby Logan to launch P&G’s #ThankYouMum at London’s Savoy hotel, Jessica revealed her one-year-old son Reggie keeps her going.

She said: “Reggie was my motivation at Beijing and he will definitely be again this year.”

Speaking as the 100 day countdown to Rio 2016 began, the sporting superstar hosted an afternoon tea event to mark the role her own mother has played in her success.

“It’s not until you become a mum that you kind of really understand everything… until you experience it first hand. You want to do everthing you possibly can to make sure your children get the best out of life. Reggie is just my 100 per cent number one focus.”

Jessica, 30, added: “I really don’t believe I would have been able to achieve any of my World, Olympic or European medals without the support and strength of my mum throughout my life.”

As part of the campaign P&G created a video titled ‘Strong’ (which you can watch here: www.supersavvyme.co.uk/tag/rio-2016-olympic-games) and have published ‘The Mum Report’ which details what it’s like to be a modern day mother.

And a massive ‘good luck’ to Jessica as she prepares for Rio. The yummy mummy is still deciding whether she’ll be bringing Reggie along for the ride but if he does sit this one out there’ll be lots of face-timing and photos promises grandma Alison!

HAVE you ever tried to talk to your children about the dangers of oversharing online?

Well, Vodafone UK and Andersen Press have joined forces to publish a lively retelling of the classic story of Goldilocks, this time giving it the title #Goldilocks A Hashtag Cautionary Tale.

And they haven’t cut any corners, getting among the best in the business to write and illustrate the tale – children’s author Jeanne Willis and celebrated illustrator Tony Willis (Gangsta Granny, Horrid Henry).

The book makes it soo much easier to explain the downfalls of sharing too much on social media and in a totally light-hearted manner.

We were treated to a reading of the story by Jeanne herself at the launch in London at Foyles bookstore. Plus, the children had a chance to take part in a drawing masterclass by Tony which my daughter loved.

My kids are still young and are nowhere close to having their own social media accounts but my eight year old daughter is very aware of things like Facebook and Instagram so it doesn’t hurt to educate her on the dangers.

Research shows nearly half (48%) of children are aware of social media by age seven, according to their parents. Plus a third (33%) say they have used or looked at social media by this age.

Best of all the book is available to download FOR FREE at  www.vodafone.co.uk/digitalparenting. The book also marks the launch of Vodafone’s new Digital Parenting website, which is simply billed as a go-to-guide for parents on the latest digital safety and wellbeing issues – something useful to have close to hand in this day and age.

One of the nicest ladies in showbiz, it’s always a pleasure to catch up with singer, Britain’s Got Talent judge – and most importantly, fellow working mum Alesha Dixon.

Bumping into her at the Little Black Dress cocktail party, in the glamorous surroundings of Piccadilly’s Hotel Café Royal, she broke the news that she’s joined the online retailer and fashion brand’s board of directors.

Fresh from releasing her latest album Do It For Love, Dixon spoke of her desire to see Little Black Dress develop into ‘more of a lifestyle brand’, for the company to forge links with charities such as domestic abuse charity Refuge and plans to create her own collection early next year. And so, yet another string to add to her bow.

Dixon, who’s mum to daughter Azura Sienna (who recently turned two), was all smiles as we discussed our little ones, using the words ‘it’s great, isn’t it?’ to describe parenthood.  Well, I couldn’t have said it better myself! Juggling motherhood and the world of work is never an easy one, but it always helps to do it with a smile!

www.aleshadixon.com     www.littleblackdress.co.uk