Review: Pete’s Dragon

THIS week me and the boy have been testing out the Aveeno Baby Dermexa range, in particular the Good Night Emollient Balm and the Daily Emollient Cream.

And I’m not going to lie, the good night balm has been an absolute lifesaver for my little boy as the cold winter nights start to creep in, causing his skin to get drier than usual.

I’ve found the slightly thicker night balm perfect for helping to ease his itchy skin as he sleeps.

I’ve always been a fan of Aveeno for my little one’s skin, and talking to lots of other parents they too are full of praise for the brand – I mean it’s just one less thing to worry about right?

Parenting is hard enough, so it’s something to tick off the list and, the good news is there’s 1/3 off at Boots until November 6. #winning

I guess as a mother I should find it easy to judge if my daughter is enjoying a film or not, but during the screening of Sammy’s Great Escape, she certainly had me guessing…

She alternated between loudly naming all the creatures she could see; to jumping out of her skin once or twice; pointing at the screen to say ‘I don’t like it, I want to go home’ and at any pause in dialogue or musical interlude shouting ‘yeah! It’s finished now – can we go home?’

So on this basis, I’ll have to give the film, a sequel to A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures, a mixed review. This time around we follow two turtles who end up stuck in a giant aquarium in Dubai and their young grandchildren who are faced with the task of setting them free.

The bright colours made the movie very appealing, but for my daughter’s age group (she’s just about to turn 3!) I thought at times it was a little too intense with its loud noises and things going wrong, which was made clear by the atmospheric music, so a child of any age would know something scary was about to happen.

I’m glad we stayed to see the film through – as that night I had to contend with her quoting from the film, repeating the words of a crazy fish stuck in an aquarium, ‘They’re all looking at me! I can see them all looking at me!’ (Let’s just ignore the fact that my little one found some sort of affinity with the film’s crazy character…) – but to be honest, if we’d been in a local cinema and not just trekked into Leicester Square, we’d probably have left about 20 minutes in.

So, overall verdict? Sammy’s Great Escape is probably better suited to slightly older kids – maybe 4 upwards – but that’s obviously for individual parents to judge.

Celebrities have long been singing the praises of Spanx, not just for the way it sucks in our lumps and bumps in all the right places, but because the right pair can also give you the perfect hour-glass figure which is becoming increasingly popular amongst both stylists and fashionistas.
Just in from the Spanx press day, which I decided to go to at the last minute to see what was on offer, as I was having what could only be described as a ‘fat day, week, month…’ (you get the picture!), I was impressed by the extent of the range available. Admittedly I never had any interest in owning a pair of Spanx before having my daughter, but now I can definitely see the benefits!

From the hardcore bodyshapers to the Haute Contour range featuring delicate lacy bodysuits offering lighter support and retailing at around £200, to the Active wear for the gym (yep, ladies, you can even exercise safe in the knowledge that no-one is judging your pot belly) and the Mama Spanx range for pregnant women looking for extra support for their bumps (apparently the singer Adele is currently using them during her pregnancy).

Spanx have definitely researched their market and seem to offer something for everyone – even the boys are not left out, with t-shirts and boxer shorts which come complete with a ‘3D pouch’…

www.spanx.co.uk

IT seems us girls have never had it so good as Disney’s latest offering portrays yet another feisty ‘princess’ showing us just how she handles things.

Don’t get me wrong, Moana is also great viewing for the boys but as a mum to an easily influenced little girl, this trend is certainly something that has my backing.

Without giving too much away, the animation sees a young Hawaiian girl embark on an adventure to find a demigod and save her people from a curse.

With music, great one liners and tears (mine!), my daughter absolutely loved it. And so it seems Disney may have yet another hit on their hands.

X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger voices Moana’s mother, but the real stars of the film are Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as demigod Maui, whose interaction had the audience in stitches.

Check out the clip below for a little taster – you’re welcome..!