Second Time Mummy

Showing posts with label Ben 10. Show all posts

Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Ben 10 and Hello Kitty

This year we decided to buy 2 large pumpkins for ther Halloween festivities. I was all set to make them as scary and ghoulish as possible until the children got involved. They decided they wanted their own special pumpkins based on their favourite things... Hello Kitty for Little E and Ben 10 for Mister A.

Great... there goes my relaxing evening... so last night I carefully carved (as requested) 2 of the greatest pumpkins that I possibly could....

I am so so proud of them! They were easier than they look too. I did use some print off's to help me. I popped the paper up against the pumpkin and used a knife to score where I needed to cut...

And after a couple of hours the pumpkins were ready to light...

The children love them too! Mucho brownie points for me!

Friday, 8 April 2011

Review: Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Volume 1

When I got an email asking if we would like to review the latest Ben 10 DVD I could hardly say no, could I? You already know how much of a fan Mister A is - you remember the time he refused to call me Mummy referring to me as Ben 24/7 even when he woke in the night?! Hmmm well the Ben 10 that caused all that is back on the scene.

Now I know what you're all thinking... the Omnitrix was destroyed in the last series when Ben 10 saved the universe (that was what you were thinking... right?) Well have no fear, there's a fabulous new hip space alien creator now - THE ULTIMATRIX!!!

So.. what does this mean for you?

Well, if you buy the DVD it means you gain instant appreciation from your children and you get 5 episodes worth of peace and quiet.

Pitfalls

Well, along with the new series there are new 'ultimate aliens' to be purchased and when your child stares up at you in the toy shop begging for the Ultimate Spider Monkey toy, you are going to struggle to say no. My suggestion would be - buy the DVD instead of an Easter egg then get the relies (that's relatives to you non-common folk) to buy a Ben 10 gift in place of the chocolate eggs that will drive your kids crazy with sugar.

The Verdict

Mister A loves it - we watch it pretty much every day - including Mothers Day (twice). He loves it so we have to give a big thumbs up.

The science bit...

Featuring 10 action packed episodes, the series is the third incarnation of the Cartoon Network franchise and follows 16-year-old Ben as he learns how to master the secrets of the mysterious new Ultimatrix, after his precious Omnitrix was destroyed last series.

This brand new device not only allows him access to all of his previous aliens and powers, but also gives him the ability to evolve into super-strength versions of his alien entities - however, when things go ultimate, it is clear, so do the problems!

The series kicks off with Ben’s identity being revealed to the world making him an overnight superstar. Distrusted by adults but hailed as a hero by kids, Ben 10 is forced to juggle his new found fame with battling alien threats to the galaxy. It’s a tough job, as he fights old enemies who want to track him down and threaten his family, while at the same time trying to save five fugitives from Aggregor’s power. The question is, does being older make Ben any wiser?

Catch up with all of the Ben 10 action when BEN 10: ULTIMATE ALIEN, VOLUME 1; ESCAPE FROM AGGREGOR is released on DVD on 18th April 2011.

Saturday, 19 March 2011

Mister A Is His Own Imaginary Friend!

A couple of weeks ago Mister A asked me if I would play a game of Ben 10 with him. I like to join in with his imaginative games and soon we were both playing the role of Ben 10, fighting aliens and sporting Omnitrix. It wasn't long before Little E started to cry out for attention and so I suggested that we pause the game. "It's ok," Mister A said "Gwen will be fine." Gwen?! Yes it seems, Little E had been cast in the game. too A couple of minutes later Daddy came in. "Mister A, tell Daddy what we're playing."

"That's not Daddy, it's Kevin!" The game continued and we all joined in. It was good fun and we all played along in the magical world of make-believe.

Chris and I thought the whole role play game was hilarious and when it was time to go to bed we naturally assumed the game was over. Later that night though, after Mister A had been asleep for a couple of hours I heard something. When I went to listen at the bottom of the stairs I couldn't hear his usual cries of "Mummy" instead a voice was crying out for Ben! The little monkey was still playing through the night time hours- even though he'd been asleep!!

After avoiding the game for a while, today we are back in the land of Ben 10. Only this time there are 2 Gwen's (me and Little E) and Daddy had resumed his role as Kevin. It would all be fine but for the fact that Mister A will now not respond to his own name.

Earlier on I asked him "Who has left these toys out?" he replied with "It was Mister A, he's so naughty sometimes." I tried to contain my giggles but when I heard him telling 'Mister A' off in the hallway and sending him to the naughty step I couldn't contain it!

Rather than having an imaginary friend - Mister A has made himself the imaginary friend and he is now Ben! Wish me luck - it's going to be a LONG weekend!

Thursday, 7 October 2010

Kids Character Fashion with Tesco WIN £30 TO SPEND ON TESCO FASHION

As a new mummy of two, I know what it's like trying to dress your children on a budget. You want your kids to have great quality clothing but at an affordable price.

At the moment Mister A is all about character fashion - whether it be Toy Story 3, Thomas the Tank Engine or the likes - if it hasn't got the latest character on it then he won't wear it.

That's why, when Tesco offered me £30 to 'kit out the kids', I knew exactly what I was looking for - I just wasn't sure I could do it with only 30 quid!

I decided to have a look at the site and just select what I thought was nice without worrying about the price - I didn't want to just select items because they were cheap - that would defeat the object.

For Mr A I knew that anything Ben 10 would go down a storm! So when I showed him this long sleeved top he got really excited.

Ben 10 Printed Top £6.00

Then I had to choose some pants. I decided to go for jeans because I find they last longer when Mister A is playing outside at the park or at nursery. I didn't go for the cheapest pair (Tescos have jeans available from £4.00), instead I went for these Cherokee Belted Jeans and Mister A loves them because they're just like Daddies.

Cherokee Belted Jeans £8.00

When it came to Little E there was plenty to choose from - after all she wont refuse to put something on because its got the wrong character on it...yet!

As soon as I saw this cute Minnie Mouse hooded jacket it went straight in to the basket...

Disney Hooded Top £6.00

and I teamed it with this gorgeous Piglet 2 piece Pinafore Set...

Disney 2 Piece Pinafore Set £10.00

Little E looks so cute in her outfit and Mister A is happy because he approves of all Disney characters!

So that all comes to £30 but as I actually ordered during the sale I managed to grab a couple of things at slightly reduced prices which left me with enough to buy these cute little tights.

Cherokee Tights £4.00

Very impressed! The quality was better than expected and they have washed well too. There's a sale on at the minute aswell so make sure you go and check that out - I love a good bargain!

For your chance to win £30 to spend on Tesco Fashion just comment below and tell me what you'd buy if you won. Alternatively you can email your answer to secondtimemum@live.co.uk.

Good luck!

Competition closes 21st October 2010. The winner will be randomly selected.

Find more prizes at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions.

Thursday, 30 September 2010

Advertising and our Children

As you've probably noticed over the past few weeks, there are lots of toy adverts finding there way on to our TV screens. We are now well in to what is known by the advertising peeps as 'the golden quarter.' Obviously it's the busiest time of year for retailers, and as we start to approach Christmas there's Ben 10, Thomas the Tank Engine, Baby Annabel - all sorts of delightful goodies to entice our little ones.

Imagine my surprise then, when mister A just came running in and said "Mummy, mummy, we've got Ariel haven't we. I've just seen it on the TV - it's Ariel Actilift."

What the hell is going on? Why is my son more interested in what we are using to wash our clothes with than what he wants for Christmas!?

It's not the first time this has happened either. Last week he stunned me when that Actimel laughing baby ad came on - "Mummy", he said "Healthy babies are happy babies." I looked to the TV and one minute later that was the strap line being delivered by the narrator. I just looked at him.

Now I can assure you, Mister A does not spend hours perched in front of the TV. It seems though that the little time he is watching, he is completely absorbed by the ads aimed at the parents rather than those toy ads that we all hate at this time of year!

So what's going on? Should I see this as a good thing - my son clearly has some kind of photographic memory or is this just a sign of the times? Like many other 3 and a half year olds, he knows all the major brand logos by sight, Tesco's, McDonalds, Lego and obviously now Ariel(?!) but he is really clever with everthing else too. He can count higher than 50 and he knows the alphabet - so is this just another form of learning? What do you think?

I shouldn't really complain, after all the sooner he learns to wash his own clothes, the better!

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Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Halloween Pumpkin Carving: Ben 10 and Hello Kitty