Blogoversary winners...

Winners were chosen at random using random.org and they are as follows;

Top That! competition winner is @Scampbeast

Love Righteous salad dressings winner is @MrsWebster147

Alex and Alexa Wizard of Oz book winner is @RobynLClarke

and finally

Usborne winner is @Daisyangel1

Winners: Please DM your address to me so that the prizes can be mailed to you.

Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to everyone that donated prizes to my blogoversary competitions:

Red Rose Chain

John Banks Honda/Cheekyboomag

Alex and Alexa

Usborne

Top That!

Love Righteous

Silent Sunday

Take a look at the other Silent Sunday entries at Mocha Beanie Mummy's blog

Summer holidays..love 'em or hate 'em?

I love the summer holidays, despite my moaning about the children's behaviour and moods on Thursday, and I wanted to know if there were any Mums that felt the summer holidays were a struggle for one reason or another. Here's one view


Claire (@redvixen100) is a Suffolk Mum of two children and her partner also has two children

It is not that I don't like the summer holidays or spending time with the children, it is the pressure of keeping them entertained for so long without going bankrupt or insane!

Many play centres are over crowded in the school holidays & are expensive. Even so, you can only spend a few hours there at a time. I have a partner who also has two children. We do a lot together, but we don't yet live together. Technically I am a single mum. We are saving to buy a house together next year so a blow out summer is out of the question. Our activities must be cheap. What would help is some decent weather. Children love being outside, but hey we live in England!

Something we have done this week is 'almost camping!' We put the tent up in the back garden, have had some meals in it & slept in it! It wasn't the best nights sleep I have ever had but the children found it very exciting & it cost nothing. I got the tent for £3 from Asda some years ago!

Tomorrow  I am having a play afternoon at my house. Hopefully the weather will be dry & the children can be outside or in the tent. We have plenty of ball games, ride on toys, a swing & slide. I may arrange a treasure hunt too.

Next week we are off to The Regal in Stowmarket. You can buy a pass that lasts 6 months for a small amount that gives you 2 for 1 on tickets plus sweets & drinks deals. You only need to go 4 times to get your money back.

I hope to make use of our local library who is running a reading challenge for children. They basically have to read 6 books in the holidays to gain a certificate & medal.

At Pikes Meadow & Chilton Fields the council are running Play Rangers on Tuesdays. They are free sessions where you just turn up & play! They have different activities like volley ball, football, tennis etc to try out.

Some churches are running holiday clubs where you leave the children & they have bible stories, games, crafts & refreshments all for free.

There is quite a lot out there to keep everyone happy if you look. I am determined to have a good, stress free & cheap summer with the special little people in my life!

Claire  


I would love to hear your views of the 6 week holiday.

Days 3 & 4...

After the first two days of the holidays I gave the children strict instructions that we were not going to have an accidents, pond dunking, bruises, bumps or falls from now on.


Day 3 was going to be a busy day in town so I didn't envisage too many problems. No water and nothing too obvious to trip over. Piece of cake!


We went into All Fired Up so the children could each paint something for my Mum's birthday. Middle has been in 3 times now and loves it. It was Girl's first time and she really enjoyed it and took a little more time and effort over her piece. We never know what to buy for my Mum so getting the children to paint something for her was perfect. She'll love them!


After that we headed into the town centre to do a bit of shopping but Middle decided to throw a paddy instead. We had time out and were thankfully distracted by the sounds of be-dom (the fab percussion group from Portugal) playing outside the town hall. The children really enjoyed it and I wish we had time to watch be-dom play at Dance East. It was quite funny seeing most of the crowd bopping away with the rhythms.

Middle was still in a grump so we grabbed an early lunch and sat beside my favourite sculpture in Ipswich (Tam) and waited for Daddy to join us for lunch.


After lunch we went to Ipswich Museum for our Jungle Safari activity. For £1.50 per child they had a great craft session making either binoculars, a camera, hat or safari scrapbook followed by 'going on safari' around the museum. A couple of my netmums were there and all the children enjoyed it. Us Mums too! 


We wandered over to Christchurch Park for an ice-cream, 10 minutes on the play area and then it was time for Daddy to pick us up.


Middle & Daddy dropped me, Girl and Tidgy off at home and went to watch Motocross while Girl and I had a girly night with make up, chocolate and Gnomeo & Juliet. It was lovely but a late night meaning the children were incredibly grumpy and ill-behaved all day today.


Tidgy had his first ever haircut this morning and it didn't go well. He didn't nap on the walk up to the hairdressers so he was tired before we got there. He then spent the next 20 minutes thrashing about on my lap. Amanda did a brilliant job though and was very patient. I'm not used to the children wriggling when having a haircut as Middle and Girl have always sat really still.


After lunch my Homestart volunteer Pauline turned up and I had completely forgotten she was coming!! I would say that it's possible that it's a sign I don't need her but after all the arguing, fighting and tantrums today (and that was just me!) she is very much needed. We took the children to the park for a while in the hope they'd burn off some energy and calm down but it didn't work.


Once Pauline had gone home I decided to get the craft stuff out and we got busy until Daddy came home from work.


The children had an early night tonight in the hope that a good night's sleep will make them feel happier. Tomorrow is a long day as we're having a Netmums meet in the park with pony rides, play and a picnic. I so hope that having lots of other children to play with will keep them occupied. Clearly I'm not enough!


On top of all that I've been in a lot of pain today because of my hip dysplasia and knee problems. It's getting worse and walking is agony a lot of the time. My limp is now more pronounced than ever and lots of people are commenting on it. It's time to get back to the doctor's although I can't see what he'll do as my consultant has said nothing can be done yet. The earliest I can have a hip replacement will be at 45. Having to walk everywhere doesn't help in the long run. It may keep me active but it's so painful.
 Until then I just have to keep muddling on.

Review: Shapes Sticker Activity Book

We were sent Shapes by Top That! to review as part of their army of Yummy Mummy reviewers. The children are always excited to have books and this one is no exception.  Sticker & activity books are always a winner with my children as they love filling in pages with stickers. 

Shapes is a colourfully illustrated and educational activity book with over 100 stickers that are re-useable. Handy for my picky son who likes to have stickers on just so! Each sticker related to a certain page in the book and is clearly marked.

The parcels at Shape World Post Office have been mixed up and need sorting and delivering to various characters. On each page there is text to read with your child and then you can discuss the questions with them before they look for the matching stickers and attempt the activities. There is also a section where your child has to make various pictures with the shaped stickers and throughout your child will be able to practise their writing.

This book is aimed at children aged 3+ and is suitable for boys and girls. Middle is 4 years old and still struggling with names of shapes so this has helped him and encouraged him to learn in a fun way.

Shapes is available on the Top That! website for £4.49

Day 2

After yesterday's events I was expecting a much more relaxing day. 


We had a nice easy start to the day as we didn't need to be out early. It was lovely letting the children play while I pottered around getting a few jobs done.


We headed up to the village green for a picnic and for the children to run around and play football before we went to Middle Pyjama Drama session at the local hall. 


It started raining just as we sat down to eat but thankfully it wasn't heavy and didn't last long so we just sheltered under a tree. After lunch I played with the children and we were mucking about hiding behind the trees. I went chasing after Middle when Girl fell over. I turned to laugh at her and promptly fell flat on my face as I tripped on the tree root! 


I was shaking with laughter as I felt like such an idiot and hoped that no-one had seen me. Girl thought I was crying and then we just sat there giggling. It was so comical but it hurts like hell!! I'd only just recovered after hurting my leg last week so I'm back to square one.


As I was packing up the picnic stuff Middle screamed out "there's lots of blood Mum!!" He'd caught his knee on his bike and it was pouring with blood. 


That little crisis over and we finally got to Pyjama Drama in one piece and had a fabulous session. Girl was allowed to join in and it was a really energetic class. They loved it and Middle was in his element. It's so lovely seeing his confidence gain with each session. He still ran away from the boy he had a run in with a couple of weeks ago but I'm sure he'll soon come round.


After that we headed home and had a meeting with Jo from the local Children's Centre. Throughout the hour she was here she was constantly complimenting me on how polite, pleasant and engaging the children were. I swelled with pride.


A great ending to another eventful day.


Tomorrow is another busy day and I'm just hoping that nothing else goes wrong and no-one gets hurt! 

Onwards and upwards...

We had a wonderful start to the summer holidays with a great weekend out. 


On Saturday we went to Newmarket Races and although it was chilly we had a lot of fun, but not a lot of winning! 


Sunday was spent at a children's festival at Snape Maltings called Magical Marshes. For the bargain price of £1 each there were various crafts & activities to take part in and watch. Girl had a fab time joining in with one of the Dance East demonstrations. We spent a busy 5 hours there but didn't get chance to do everything.  We popped to Aldeburgh for chips & ice-cream and came home exhausted but happy.


Today was the official start of the summer holiday and it didn't go so well. Middle woke up in a foul mood and nothing was right for him. He argued over everything and was adamant we were not going to do what we had planned. I was determined that he wasn't going to beat me and was relieved when I finally got him out of the door to get the bus to Woodbridge.


Our plan was to meet Linda from Suffolk Days website to discuss a feature, then spend some time at the boating lake, have lunch and then finish off at the park. It didn't quite go to plan....


Our meeting went smoothly and Middle wanted to go to the boating lake so we all walked over from The Tea Hut. All was going well until I heard shouting and looked over to Girl to see Middle climbing out of the boating lake absolutely soaked. He'd fallen in head first and the poor boy was so shocked. Me too! I didn't see what happened but it's quite a high wall so he must have leaned over with his feet off the ground and lost balance.


All I had was a picnic rug to wrap around him to try to warm him so we cut short our day and walked into town to buy him some dry clothes and get him home on the bus. It's another one of those days where I wished I could drive and we'd could have gone straight home.


We got home, ate lunch and spent the afternoon snuggled up on the sofa watching Harry Potter.


Oh well, let's hope that tomorrow is a better day!!

Silent Sunday

Take a look at the other Silent Sunday entries at Mocha Beanie Mummy's blog

What? Why? How?

Seen in a hotel bathroom this week:

Take a look at the bottom left corner. Yes, it is what you think it is. Disgusting!


I'm stunned as to why a hotel would suffer this so often that they'd feel the need to put this notice up!!

School's out for summer!

That cry must have been heard countrywide today. Some shouting it for joy, others dreading the next 6 weeks!


I'm the former. I love the summer holidays. When Girl first started school I dreaded having to occupy 2 children 24/7 for 6 weeks but now I look forward to the children being at home.


With three children life is really hectic at times and it seems like I have very little quality time with all 3 so the summer holidays are perfect.


We are starting to fill the diary up with lots of plans, mostly meeting up with school pals and holding Netmums meetups. We have an extra week to fill this year as we're not going away but I'm determined that there'll be no cries of 'We're bored Mum'.


Our first week off is chock-a-block already. Starting as we mean to go on! It's mostly appointments and meetings as I wanted to get them out of the way so we can all spend some time together. In between meetings and appointments I'm hoping the children will be able to get out in the garden and run off some energy. We also have a craft activity to do that we've had planned for weeks and the children are really keen to get that done.


On Monday I get to meet Linda from Suffolk Days to discuss an article she wants me to write for her website. It's all very exciting. First, having an article published in CheekyBoo! magazine and now Suffolk Days. All this from someone who thinks she can't write. 


On Thursday Tidgy is having his first haircut. I hope he sits as still as his brother and sister have always done. Something tells me he'll be too nosey though!


On Friday we're heading to Christchurch Park in Ipswich for pony rides, picnic & play with some of my Netmums group. Newton Hall Equitation Centre run pony rides on 3 dates in the summer holidays and the children love it. For £3 they get a short pony ride and a certificate. 


Are you looking forward to the summer holiday or are you dreading every waking minute?!!

Winners, losers and sour grapes?

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Today was Girl's Sport's Day. She was worried about taking part as she felt she wasn't fast enough but I went through the whole 'It's the taking part that counts' chat and told her that she would do her best and we would be proud of her. 

Being KS1 it's not that competitive, although you still get some parents that treat it like the Olympics! Last year one Mum was ridiculing her daughter for not performing well. She looked as though she was having fun taking part but I felt so sorry for her with her Mum constantly goading her for making mistakes.

Girl fared really well and has noticeably improved since last year's event. She was over the moon to come third in the final race of the morning with her year group girls.

It's her third Sport's Day at the school and the set-up has always been the same. The 3 year groups are split into teams of about 7 or 8 children and they all take part in 6 activities and are scored accordingly. They are then split up into year groups for the main races. At the end of the activities scores are totted up and the highest scoring boy and girl from each year are awarded medals. 

This seems fair to me and I haven't encountered any problems...until today. One Mum was fuming that her son was left in tears because he didn't win a medal. He's 7 years old, it's been this way for the 3 Sport's Days that they've taken part in yet she was shouting about how unfair it is and that she'll be removing him from school next year should the awards continue as they are.

I was stunned. I would have expected a child of 7 to have accepted this graciously, especially as it's not a first, and I certainly wouldn't have expected his mother to be up in arms about it and threatening to remove him from future Sport's Days.

What happened to it being for fun? Life can be unfair but children have to learn at some point that you don't always get something for nothing. 

Next year the children will be taking part in the KS2 Sport's Day which is fiercely competitive by all accounts. I can't wait! I'll be shouting on the sidelines, encouraging Girl to do her best and consoling her should she lose but I will still be proud of her.

What is the procedure at your child's Sports Day? Do you think everyone should be awarded something?

On a separate note, I asked the Headteacher to hold a race for the preschoolers and my son won :)

Review: Explore, Dream, Discover... from Top That

Even though a holiday can be really hectic you can sometimes still hear the cries of 'We're bored!, espeically while travelling' but Explore, Dream, Discover... will take away from all that. It can be used before, during and after a trip away.


It's filled with masses of games, ideas, information, activities, quotes and educational notes.

There's enough in the book to involve everyone and children could make use of this regardless of whether you're on a day trip, foreign holiday or 'staycation'. It's suitable for age 7+ but our 4 year old joined in where he could.


Two years ago we made a scrapbook of tickets and postcards collected from our summer holiday trips out and although it was full of mementoes it wasn't really brought to life but every page in Explore, Dream, Discover...gets your child thinking about their surroundings and different cultures and using their creativity. This would make a wonderful keepsake and it's beautifully presented. I like the addition of the storage pocket so that tickets (or anything else that you like) can be added. 


Explore, Dream, Discover... is available from Top That! Publishing


*We were sent this book to review because we are part of the Top That! Publishing army of 'Yummy Mummy' reviewers. All views expressed are our own. All images are from the Top That! website

Review: Flipper Toothbrush Holder

Storing your toothbrush in the same holder as others can potentially cause bacteria to spread from one to another possibly causing infections. If you have a toilet in your bathroom, droplets of contaminated water can become airborne when you flush your toilet if you don't put the lid down and land on your toothbrush. These are 2 very good reasons for wanting to store your toothbrush somewhere more hygenic. 

The Flipper is perfect for this.  There are Wild Family designs for children and the elegant Ozy for adults.


We were sent the Hippo to try out. It's really simple and fun to use. The Flipper sticks to a smooth clean surface with suction cups, ideal for bathroom tiles.

Once stuck on you simply open the body using your finger then push your toothbrush head into the Flipper body. It will automatically shut, holding the toothbrush head in place.

To get your toothbrush hold the handle and pull it out. The Flipper will open easily.


The cute design has encouraged my children to brush their teeth (what child doesn't need encouragement?) as they can't wait to get to their Flipper in the morning.


Take a look at the My Flipper website to see all of the great designs.


*I was not paid for this review. We were sent a Flipper to try out and all views expressed are my own

Silent Sunday

Take a look at the other Silent Sunday entries at Mocha Beanie Mummy's blog

Don't talk to me, read my status updates instead

In the last week I have found out about two significant pieces of family news. One joyful, one devastating.


The way I found out about the news? In person? Phone call? Text? Email? Letter? None of the above. I found out via facebook.


The joyful news was announced on a relatives facebook page. I'm not that close to them but my sister is yet neither of us knew anything about it until I happened to see a status update. They have our numbers and used to be in regular contact with my sister. She's quite upset that they didn't find 5 minutes to call her and tell her the news.


The other news we found out via chat on facebook. Not quite so impersonal but my husband had only just spoken to a member of his family in person and nothing was mentioned, but it's life-changing news.


Is this the way forward? No conversations or announcements made directly any more. It disappoints me that communication seems unimportant unless it's online.


Have you ever found out something important on social networking when you should have been told in person?


Would you announce something meaningful to your facebook 'friends' before family and close friends had been told?

Review: Rockford's Rock Opera

Rockford's Rock Opera is a 3 disc Adventure In Sound with an ecological message. It's primarily aimed at 6-12 year olds but our 4 year old also loved listening to it and so did we.


It's created by the award-winning Matthew & Elaine Sweetapple and brilliantly written by Steve Punt (from The Now Show, Punt & Dennis, Mary Whitehouse experience and more)

Rockford's Rock Opera is the story of Moog, a boy from Battersea, and his dog Rockford. Rockford ends up travelling to the Island of Infinity by mistake and Moog follows. The Island is the home of the last of every extinct species. The animals on Infinity have a secret for the rest of the world but only Moog & Rockford can deliver the message. What follows is a psychedelic adventure and a race against time to return to Battersea and deliver the message to the world.

We went away on holiday and had it on in the car throughout our various journeys during the week. We really liked the music and it was fantastically composed and very polished considering it was made in an attic! Even  hubby was tapping his hands on the steering wheel to some of the tracks! I still have ‘Lost on Infinity’ going round in my head. They were all tunes we’d be happy to listen to on a stand-alone cd without the story.

The story was thought-provoking and well written. Although it has a very serious message to get across it was played out in a fun way, keeping the children interested. My 7 year old daughter has been asking questions about extinction and she was also discussing what she’d learnt about deforestation at school, linking concerns about the environment and the state of our world. We’ve been able to extend the discussion thanks to the info in booklet 3.

The illustrations were attractive to the children and they regularly fought over the cases. I liked the inclusion of the lyrics in each booklet. As a family we love singing and it’s handy to know that we’re singing the right words.

I personally loved Steve Punt’s involvement with this as I’m a huge Punt & Dennis fan and kept expecting Hugh Dennis to pop up as his Milky Milky character!!

The videos on the Collector's Edition were a great touch and the children loved having a ‘bonus’ on the cds. Having it animated helped bring to life what they’d been hearing about.

Our only issue with this cd was the volume settings. Playing it in the car meant we needed it quite loud for the narration and vocals, particularly Ick (such a cute character!) and then when the music came on it was too loud so I was constantly altering the volume controls. Other than that there were no other issues or problems.


This can be downloaded as a podcast via Rockford's website or you can buy the cd. It's also available for ipod/itouch/iphone and an android app is coming soon. There is lots more to read on the website.


Rockford and friends support the following charities; Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Buglife, Missing People and World Wildlife Fund.

Alex & Alexa Wizard Of Oz Blogoversary Giveaway

The Wizard of Oz was my favourite film as a child and continues to be a favourite. It brings back memories of sitting at my Great-Grandparent's house on Boxing Day afternoon watching it on their small portable tv. Girl and Middle have recently watched it and almost love it as much as I do so when we were asked if we'd like to choose a book from alexandalexa.com we jumped at the chance of having The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. 

This is so much more than a story book. It's a glorious pop up book to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original publication and I can think of no better way to celebrate.


It's a shorter version of the original book by L.Frank Baum but it takes nothing away from the story we all know and love. The artwork is out of this world with foil adding to the visual splendour. It's truly magical. It brings the tale of Dorothy, the lion, the tin man and the scarecrow to life in such an enchanting way.

My favourite page is that of the Emerald City, particularly looking through the Emerald City Eyeglasses. 
This is a book that will be a favourite with young and old and will entertain generations of children. Children will delight in turning the text pages to find hidden pop up illustrations.


To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, courtesy of alexandalexa.com do the following

• Leave a comment below telling me your favourite childhood film (include your twitter name or email address so I can contact you should you win)
• Follow me on twitter @Him_Me_Three

For up to two extra entries you can do the following

• Follow this blog with GFC (one entry) 
• Tweet "I want to win The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz with @Him_Me_Three www.himmethree.blogspot.com" (one entry)

Leave a comment stating which you've done so that I can count your entries.


UK entries only
Winner will be chosen at random on 30th July and announced on twitter and on this blog

John Banks Valet Blogoversary Giveaway

For those in Suffolk, John Banks Honda & @CheekyBooMag have generously donated a Gold Valet Service in celebration of my blogoversary.

The valet is valid for any make of car and will include:

Complete exterior hot pressure wash . All bodywork buffed, waxed and polished.

Wheels and tyres cleaned and sheened . Windows cleaned and polished inside and out

Interior power vacuumed . Upholstery shampooed . Dashboard, vinyls and plastics shined

Valid until 31^st December 2011

John Banks Honda, Felixstowe Road, Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0DE

To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is tweet "I'd love to have my car cleaned by John Banks Honda in Ipswich thanks to @Him_Me_Three www.himmethree.blogspot.com" and leave a comment below with your twitter name once you've tweeted.

You must be able to get your vehicle to John Banks in Ipswich. 

Valet has to be booked in advance

Voucher expires 31 December 2011

Winner will be picked at random on 23rd July and announced on this blog and on twitter

Top That! Blogoversary Giveaway

We were recently given the opportunity of reviewing When I Dream Of ABC for Top That! Publishing and we fell in love with it and Top That! have generously donated a copy for my blogoversary giveaways.

Here is our review of the gorgeously illustrated When I Dream Of ABC

When I Dream Of ABC is a beautiful book and a different type of ABC from the standard A is for Apple, B is for Ball etc It's wonderfully written and illustrated by Mr Henry Fisher and is set in a magical world of dreams. The illustration pages are so fabulous that I think they would look great framed and put upon children's bedroom walls. Sadly my photos just don't do them any justice.



It has great educational value for both of my children. Middle B is beginning to learn his alphabet and this helps him to practise, particularly as it is so interesting. Girl B was pleasantly surprised to see fun text with each letter as she was expecting it to be quite boring for her age. She was able to read the text out to us confidently. They loved the pictures and were unable to choose one favourite when asked as they loved them all so much.

When I Dream Of ABC has recently been shortlisted as a finalist for The People's Book Prize. You can find out more about it from here

To be in with a chance of winning When I Dream Of ABC do the following and leave a comment, with your twitter name or email, to validate your entry 

• Follow @Him_Me_Three and @TopThatPub on twitter
• Tweet "I've entered one of @Him_Me_Three's blogoversary giveaways http://himmethree.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-blogoversary-to-me.html"

For one extra entry you follow this blog with GFC (Make sure you leave a comment to let me know you've done this)


UK entries only
Winner will be chosen at random on 30th July and announced on this blog and on twitter

Prize will be mailed direct from Top That!

Take a look at the other blogoversary giveaways and try your luck!

Love Righteous Blogoversary Giveaway

The lovely Gem from @LoveRighteous has very kindly donated a set of her salad dressings as a prize to giveaway in celebration of my two years of blogging.

I'm not a huge salad-lover but these dressing add flavour to what could otherwise be a dull plate of food for a fussy eater like myself! It's great that 2 of the 3 are gluten-free as well as 100% natural, especially as we've recently experienced the need for gluten-free food with our son.

'2010 Great Taste Award winner. Our dressings are 100% natural & bursting with flavour. Find out more on www.LoveRighteous.com'


To be in with a chance of winning this tasty set of dressings

•  follow me  and Gem on twitter @Him_Me_Three and @LoveRighteous
• Tweet the following "I would love to win @LoveRighteous salad dressings on @Him_Me_Three's blog http://himmethree.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-blogoversary-to-me.html"

For one extra entry follow this blog with GFC
Leave a comment below to confirm what you have done.


UK entries only
Winner will be chosen at random on 30th July and announced on twitter and on this blog
Prize will be mailed direct from Love Righteous


Take a look at the other Blogoversary posts and have a go at entering those!

Usborne Blogoversary Giveaway

As you will see from my Happy Blogoversary To Me post it's a time of celebration on Him, Me & Three.


Usborne have very kindly donated a wonderful selection of their children's books for you to win.


The books you can win are;

Touchy-feely Farmyard Tales

Animal hide-and-seek

• Play hide and seek with the flaps
• Contains simple counting opportunities
• Lots of textures to touch and feel

Where are Poppy, Sam, Curly and Woolly hiding? Young children will enjoy finding out in this new and delightful book, which introduces children to the popular characters of Apple Tree Farm. With interesting textures to feel and exciting flaps to look behind, this book offers simple counting opportunities as well as a game of hide-and-seek to entertain babies and young children.

Find the duck

• A classic Usborne series much loved by children who never tire of looking for the duck hiding on each page.
• Children will love to find the duck in every picture and then look for the other objects shown hidden throughout the story.
• Illustrated with gentle humour by Stephen Cartwright

The old steam train / Market day

• Two delightful Farmyard Tales stories in a single book. Read the first story, flip the book over and read the second story on the reverse.
• Specially written with the help of a reading expert to ensure young children succeed in their first efforts at reading.
• Illustrated by Stephen Cartwright, there's a little yellow duck to find on every page!

Farmyard Tales activity books

Things to make and do

• Farmyard Tales fans can join their favourite characters Poppy and Sam in this fun-filled activity book to make lots of farm-inspired things for all year round.
• Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions help young children create projects from dangly scarecrows to paper kites.
• Two pages of stickers add extra fun.

We love Usborne books and they've been a favourite of ours for years. We have great fun looking for the Usborne duck in the Farmyard Tales books.

You can find a huge selection of Farmyard Tales on the Usborne website and also 'like' Little Yellow Duck on facebook

To be in with a chance of winning this set do the following

• Follow @Him_Me_Three and @Find_The_Duck on twitter
• Leave a comment below saying that you've followed us, leaving your twitter name.

For one extra entry you can follow this blog with Google Friend Connect. Make sure you let me know if you've followed. 

UK entries only

Winner will be chosen at random on 30th July and announced on the blog and on twitter

Prize will be mailed from Usborne

Good luck!


Take a look at the other Blogoversary Giveaway posts and try your luck at those!