"We're walking in the air, we're walking in the moonlit sky"
If you're a thirty-something like me than that will be the voice of the angelic Aled Jones before he really went off the rails and became the presenter of Songs of Praise. (Ironically Aled Jones is actually a Satanist but has been typecast now as a goody two shoes god botherer.)
Anyway the follow up to the slightly wistfully melancholic The Snowman airs at the preposterously late time of 8pm on Christmas Eve, when most of it's target audience will be tucked up in bed. The Snowman and the Snowdog will be watched by the aforementioned thirty-somethings, and Aled Jones with a big bucket of coke and some hookers wondering where it all went so wrong for his much dreamed of rock career. But thank heavens for Sky+ where you can be nostalgically reminded for the next 365 days of your childhood Christmas, and that year you didn't get the Girls World/Evil Knievil / Speak & Spell / Spirograph.
Anyway because the little darlings will miss it seeing it at the first airing Channel 4 have brought out a wonderful little app for Android, iPhone and Ipad for you to experience flying over London with a snowman first hand, which is normally only done with the again aforementioned bucket of coke.
Anyway far too many edgy jokes for a parenting blog.
The game is lovely, catch the snowflakes to extend time, let the snowdog show you different routes from Hastings upto London then on to the North Pole. Gain bonuses by following the prompts on screen to find 10 angels, snowmen on the street or other such festive findings. The music is terrific wonderful as befitting such an icon of so many peoples childhood. It really is a wonderful little game, which will be loved by the kids and get the parents welling up with memories of Christmases past.
The best bit is this is totally free. Experience it yourself... it's better than that stupid Evil Knievil toy ever was.
"I've got a coconut in my pocket" She had a conker
"Hopefully a bad man won't kill Father Christmas and ruin it"
i assume she;d picked up on the news of the US shootings, after explaining that killing was very bad and death was very sad she replied...
"Except for greatnan she was very old and just wanted to go..."
...she's far too smart for her own good sometimes.
Wonderbook
Book of Spells, Sony’s latest family offering for their PS3 console gives
budding Harry’s, Ron’s and Hermione’s a chance to experience visiting Hogwarts without
the need to be locked in the cupboard under the stairs. Social services breathe
a sigh of relief, and I get to regurgitate the same joke I've made in a
previous post…
The
set-up is very simple. PlayStation Eye Camera
that plugs straight into PS3’s USB port on the front of the machine, a ‘Move’
controller that a cross between an Lightsabre and an expensive Myla toy, and a
book that looks like a series of big QR codes. Put the disc in and away you go. Simple.
What
comes out is simply magical, the Camera reads the series of images on the book
and the Ps3 creates an image on your TV of a virtual world where the book transforms
into a magical artifact while the move Move controller is your wand. Of course this would be nothing if you didn't also see yourself on screen, you are very much the lead role in this Harry
Potter film.
In front of your eyes and around your living room Dragons swoop, bubbles appear on your
head to help you breathe under water, while the lore of the Harry Potter
universe is explained in a series of short stories where Children can choose
which missing word to insert. You’re encouraged to learn spells and cast them
with a swish of the wrist or a more complex wave of your wand. In a nutshell it’s lovely lovely idea, both encouraging
children to play but also learn and read without even realising they are. While it won’t ever replace books and will
never be a bedtime story it is a nice fun way for kids to have fun than the
more passive and less social TV watching
Number
1 is only four and while she knows of Harry Potter she’s not really aware of
the wider universe, but she had great fun squirting virtual water over Daddy in
a spell. Although her hands were a
little small to handle the controller she’s of the age, where she can get the
hang of it and gets frustrated when she can’t do it, so frustrations were
solely with herself rather than the Wonderbook itself. Number 2 was equally
entranced although it involved hitting the TV to interact as most things do
when you’re not yet two. The game itself
is much more suitable for slightly older Children aged 7-12, although Adults
will find it equally as enchanting to play along on Christmas day.
The
only real downside we could find is that your living room needs to be lit with
a wattage akin to Wembley stadiums floodlights for best performance. Although
it worked perfectly well in our more mood lit lounge, the cheap camera seems to
not quite display at it’s best level.
The starter pack is £50 and contains everything you need to get
started - Camera, Move Controller, WonderBook & Game
All in all it gets a big recommend from us.
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo is an amazing woman, one of the youngest Fortune 500 CEO's and a trailblazer for women in the male dominated technology sector. She is the kind of person i hope both my daughters aspire to be like rather than the vapid reality TV celebrity, which seems to be the vogue among many nowadays. She recently commented in an interview (http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/28/yahoo-mayer-talks/?section=magazines_fortunet) that having a baby was easier than expected, which is great. I'm delighted for her, (I find it bloody tough) especially as she was able to return to work less than two weeks after giving birth. She's a lucky woman that her circumstances allow her enough support to be able to juggle the work and childcare balance than many strive and fail to hit. We all dream of not worrying about going to work on 2 hours sleep, having to get the kid and herself dressed and out the house to be on time for work, to have to deal with household jobs, shopping, supplying prizes for the school Christmas fayre, dropping off at ballet and picking up from the childminder, or the accompanying guilt that comes with all this. We shouldn't castigate Marissa for her finding things easy, she has after all worked bloody hard to get where she has, but as Dad's maybe we should perhaps stop and have a think about the incredible working mums that work just as hard as Marissa and but don't find it an 'easy' balance to both bring in money to the household while being a full time mummy.
Given what I do for a living one of the most asked questions
of me is what games console should I buy my child for Christmas? My answer is
always it depends… you wouldn't buy a sports car if you and your family lived
down a country lane would you? And you wouldn't buy a 4x4 if you lived in the city… oh, perhaps scrub that last bit.
To the uninitiated it might seem like an odd thing to say,
but pick the games console might suits you and your child’s needs. They’re not all the same; some are much more suitable
to different ages and types of entertainment.
If you don’t want to spend £300 for a very expensive box under the TV
that isn't touched, or on a console that is deemed ‘babyish’ in less than a year’s
time, read on.
Best Games Console For Child Under 5
If your child is under 5 my suggestion is don’t bother,
they’re far too young to really get the moneys worth out of a games console. Instead have a look at the Mobi-Go range
which offers a more educational learning spin and offers both a touch screen and
a Qwerty keyboard for learning the alphabet, spelling and numeracy.
I was extremely sceptical of thinking that the apps on
mobile phones or tablets are just as useful, until we purchased a mobi-go one
for Number 1 last Christmas. It costs
around £50 and new games are £10-£15. While it does chew through batteries it’s
simple to use, is of a solid build, chunky and portable it’s great for the kids
to use on their own without worrying they’re going to scratch or damage it like
you would with your tablet or smart phone (There is also no chance of having
them in app purchase £500 of smurfberrys either)
Best for Long Journeys
For your younger ones look no further than the 3DS for a
portable games console, it comes in a range of colours and has a large range of
games. It’s worth noting that Nintendo
themselves recommend that the 3D option isn't used by Children under the age of
7 (a simple slider bar means you can switch it off easily) it’s priced around
£130 and the games aren't cheap when you’re used to App store prices, at around
£30.
Sony’s PlayStation Vita is a lovely bit of technology
straddling the line of tablet and games console with multiple touch screens, internet
access and a massive range of music and films that can be downloaded (although
the PSN store is not a patch on ITunes) it’s perfectly suited to older children
& teenagers. However it’s range of
games are very expensive and quite limited, and while more are on their way,
there might not be a huge amount of games for the future. For those already owning a PlayStation 3 the
Vita offers even more, offering cross play and inter connectivity between the
two, really bringing value to the vita.
You can get some excellent deals pre-Christmas with the handheld and
games bundle for less than £200
Best For Families
The Wii was a staple in houses up and down the country a few
years ago, now seemingly consigned to the gathering dust in a cupboard it still
has a huge catalogue of games at very low prices and can be enjoyed by the
whole family offering that old fashioned board game fun on Christmas day.
However once the games are finished there is very little else to recommend
about the now rather dated Wii.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 are two of the
big boys in the market and offer the widest breadth and range of games
available everything from dancing & karaoke games to realistic military
shooting games. However connect them to
the internet and they come into their own as a central part of the living room,
both offer streaming of BBC’s Iplayer and equivalent Channel 4 and ITV
versions. If you have Lovefilm and Netflix accounts you can access them through
the consoles. Both consoles offer direct
purchase of Games and films (films can also be rented) as well as demo and
video downloads from their own stores. Both
consoles also have parental setting so you can control what your little monsters
can view & play.
As far as that family ‘board game’ at Christmas feel, Microsoft
has the Kinect an expensive, if somewhat flawed, camera that sits on your TV but
allows for some lovely group family experiences around the likes of Ubisoft's Disney Just Dance game & Kinectimals,
Sony’s offers the JK Rowling Wonderbook: Book of Spells, perfect for budding Harry Potters who will see
their book come to life on screen and cast spells with their wands on screen.
So which one to Pick?
Tough. Both have their merits and
there is very little to choose between them both. Find out what your circle of friends own so
older Children can play online with people they know. Failing that just go for the best deal and there are some excellent ones out there.
Prices for the
consoles begin at £130 and increase in price based upon the size of the HDD games retail for £15 - £50
Best for Dad Pretending he’s Buying it for the Kids
That’ll be the Wii U, Nintendo’s new hope, the console launches today stock is
limited and will be till after Christmas.
While Nintendo will be hoping that the console replicates the success of
the Wii some commentators are more sceptical.
The console comes with a tablet style controller that allows dad the kids to play while someone else is watching the TV and makes for some interesting game ideas, where the touch screen can be used.
Its expected that both Sony & Micorosft will launch their new consoles next year so you might want to hold off for a little while before taking the plunge
This isn't about the amazing Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name, nor is it that time post 7pm when the kids are asleep in bed and the silence is only broken by the glug glug glugging of wine being poured into the glass... no the sound of the silence is as dark and terrifying as the lyrics of the song.
You're having a nice conversation with your other half, maybe on the phone to an old friend or caught up with some household chores. Your partner turns and stares open eyed like the moment in a horror film where the killer ghost reveals it's self.
The conversation then goes something like this
"What???"
"LISTEN"
"......."
"Oh *£!&"
At that point the penny drops, your angelic little girls are silent, there is not a noise to be heard. Your feet start moving like roadrunners, moving but getting no traction, the world slows as you take the corner from the kitchen as your socked feet slide like they're on ice, you fly round the into the room the silence has enveloped like a fog and and you find a scene like this...
Well in my case it Number 2 was the wannabe Banksy / displaying her creative side with the crayons... we are now decorating the lounge a little earlier than expected.
With apologies to Simon and Garfunkel
Hello
reader, my new friend
I've come to post a blog again
Because a princess softly creeping
Drew on walls while I was sleeping
And the vision that was painted on the wall
Still remains
I should have noticed the sound of silence
In restless nights I worked alone
Scrubbing walls like cobblestones
'Neath the halo of a habitat lamp
I scrubbed with sugar soap and damp
When my eyes were drawn by the flash of neon pen
behind the sofa
And i cursed the sound of silence
And in the Ikea light I saw
Ten thousand crayons, on the floor
Paint was everywhere and leaking
The glue on the floor was glistening
People who experience writing on the walls never shared
And i forgot to
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fool!", said I, "You will never learn
They'll work together to take a turn
Always hide the craft when you're at home
Please read my words that I might teach you
Take my twitter so I might reach you"
But my words, like marker pen on walls will be ignored
And etched
In the wells of silence
And as I went to B&Q
This story i'm telling you
the till flashed out its warning
Blimey the cost of paint is soaring
And the lesson learnt in all this, "The words of
the princess are written on the living room walls
but they're no Banksy's"
And are scribbled in the sound of silence
One of the things never mentioned in any of the parent manuals is
what the bloody hell to do when the weather is not great, you’re stuck at home
and there is rugby on the TV…
Now i’ve tried to watch the Rugby the at the same time as entertaining
the girls, it doesn't work, as Number 2 either stands at the TV shouting ‘Peppa’
or Number 1 wants some musical from the 1940’s or a Disney Film (thank god for
the excellent LoveFilm streaming service on the PlayStation 3).
I've tried playing with the girls while keeping an eye on my Sky
Go on the phone. But to no avail. As soon as my back is turned I recognise the ‘silence’
which means Number 2 is most definitely upto no good. Either climbed on the table, playing with the washing machine or digging in the cat food again.
Certain indoor games do work for a short while, you can buy 10
minutes at a time with Number 1 with hide and seek, sitting there counting
loudly to twenty then watching TV for 10minutes before an irate 4 year old susses
that’s she’s been played and then insists you hide as punishment. Even hide and seek leaves you with Number 2 who for that 10 minutes will get hold of the
remote, press buttons on it that will render your TV useless as a large “you
have no new messages” sign pings up slap bang across the middle of the screen leaving
you no idea how to get rid of it.
I've even tried deflecting the attention onto the cat trying to
make her the centre of attention, But NO she gets a blanket and a cuddle.
Even when Number 1 was going through a short lived Harry Potter
spell, where role play meant I could lock her in the cupboard under the stairs for
an entire afternoon, didn't last long after the wife pointed out that social services might not like it as much as Number 1 did.
Now that might make me sound like a bad parent, I love my
daughters dearly. So on Saturday at 2.35pm just as England kicked off against Fiji, i admitted defeat, pressed Rec on the Sky box and went
for a walk in the countryside. I loved it more than the girls did… but thank god
for 3G reception
