Family Fun with Funko! (Ad - Review)

Disclosure: We were sent the items mentioned in exchange for this post - This post contains affiliate links

Funko are known for being the brand that covers all of your fandom needs and with licenced pop culture products from almost every fictional world you can think of of, including Batman, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, DC Comics and Hello Kitty to name just a few, they have helped to keep the MyMummysPennies household entertained during lockdown!

The lovely folks from Funko sent us a box full of fun for the whole family to enjoy at home. I've been a fan of Funko! Pops for a number of years but have always seen them as more of a grown up collectable than toys to play with. I have certainly changed my mind after receiving this box of Funko fun suitable for the whole family to enjoy. 




The arrival of our box of Funko goodies couldn't have been timed better, being stuck at home and looking for things to entertain us. We were sent a selection of products including the Pop! Vinyls, Mystery Minis, SuperCute Plushies, FunkoVerse game and more! Read on to find out about each of the products we received.

Funko Pop! Classic and Pop! Heroes

If you've heard of Funko they you will have heard of Funko Pop! Vinyl figures, I think pretty much everyone I know has a few of these on a shelf at home representing a movie series or character they love.  As Funko themselves say, 'Everyone is a fan of something', and displaying these distinctive  'chibi' style collectables are the perfect way to take home a little version of something you love! While some of the rarer Comic Con exclusive and limited edition Pop! Vinyls may be safer kept in their boxes, the smooth, robust vinyl and bright, detailed decoration of these funky figures mean that they can be played with safely and are ideal for imaginative play for older children and tweens!



This Hello Kitty Pop! (Classic) takes me back to when I was the same age as my daughter in the nineties and this little Japanese cartoon kitten with the big red bow was all the craze with my friends, still popular now with all ages, this one has been sitting on my daughter's desk supervising her stationery and her school work since she arrived!





Fans of DC Comics will of course recognise Harley Quinn. This is a character more for the grown ups but oozing with bad girl vibes, and more recently in the Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous emancipation of one Harley Quinn,  a strong dose of feminism she is certainly iconic and this Black Mask Club fugure forms part of the Heroes collection released to go alongside the aforementioned movie, also offering characters  such as Black Canary and Huntress as well as other versions of Quinn.

Batman. We can't really talk about iconic pop culture without mentioning the caped crusader now can we? My other half is a huge fan of the Dark Knight, especially the cheesier early incarnations. In fact, one of our last days out earlier in the year was to a race track day where he got to drive the original Batmobile! This 1989 version of Batman takes him back to his eighties childhood and was a welcomed father's day gift. This Pop! Heroes  was released to celebrate Batman turning 80  and comes complete with a batarang!

Funko Vinyl SODA!

A new and limited edition to the Funko family for 2020, only 10,000 pieces of this figure was released. Presented in a plastic soda can with a pop off lid this figure is very different to the Pop! style Funko figures but is still distinctive and collectable especially dressed in the retro blue and grey outfit. As an extra treat inside the soda can there is a round POG shaped collectable token too!

Funko and Harry Potter

If I had to name one fictional universe that is loved above all others by members of our household it would definitely have to be the The World of Harry Potter. The nine year old is a fully fledged Gryffindor and loves the original trio of Harry, Hermione and Ron while still enjoying the early books in the series, the almost teen sees himself as a Hufflepuff through and through and is a huge fan of Newt Scamander and the Fantastic Beasts movies series, and both the adults in the house are Potterheads too. We all thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida last year and are hoping that our planned trip to Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London goes ahead later this year! So as you can imagine when we found some Harry Potter licenced goodies in our box of Funko fun they were very popular.

The nine year old is all about the blind bags and the mystery box toys so naturally she claimed the Harry Potter Mystery Mini and even decided to do a YouTube unboxing video for it! 

The Mystery Minis have an RRP of £5.99 and come with one of 14 exciting Harry Potter themed characters. Which one will you find?!

Despite being full of sweetness and light, she does have a soft spot for a stylish bad girl with attitude so was very pleased to find a mini vinyl figure of Bellatrix Lestrange inside! As with all the Funko figures Bellatrix is well made and the attention to detail on her outfit is exquisite. She is a smaller figure than the usual pop range at just under 4 inches tall but still stands sturdy on her feet so would be perfect for displaying in a collection or also ideal for imaginative play as Elizabeth chose to do.

This Harry Potter SuperCute Plushies soft toy with glasses and Sorting Hat was a lovey surprise as I had no idea that Funko sold a range of soft toys to complement their other licenced products! This pint sized wizard in training is just adorable! He is just under 11 inches tall and super soft and cuddly but also has a flat base so can be displayed in pride of place alongside your other Potter collectables after you've finished playing with him. Again no detail has been missed as he is wearing very smart silky robes with hood, and even a tie with the Hogwarts emblem displayed on it. (Note he's not in house colours yet as he's still being sorted!) Harry is wearing his distinctive glasses which are made from moulded plastic to give a fantastic 3D effect and his head is topped with the famous Sorting Hat which you can lift up the brim of to see his lightening shaped scar embroidered on his forehead. The Harry Potter SuperCute Plushies are available in a range of your favourite Harry Potter characters. I managed to nab this one myself and have already added some of his pals to my wishlist!

Pop! FunkoVerse Strategy game - Jurassic Park

If your family is anything like ours, then you will have become quite familiar with a fair few boardgames during the last few months of lockdown. Playing a boardgame is an ideal activity to get the family engaged in something together and away from screens, not to mention the fact that many of them have an educational aspect as well as being fun!

We were thrilled to find the Jurassic Park expandalone edition of the Funkoverse Strategy game in our box of Fun(ko). I'd heard of this strategy game that is available in a number of different editions, but had never played it before. We've recently re-watched the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies so this was the perfect edition for us to play! The playing pieces are mini POP! Vinyl figures of Dr Malcolm and the T-Rex - they even have base plates to stop them falling over!

Perfect for those of us who like to be a bit more hands on with our fandom collectables, there are a number of different editions of this tabletop strategy game available depending on which movie series you are into and one of the best things about it is that you can build up your collection and mix and match your characters! Each game can be played on it's own though so you can still get started with just one edition.  The full base games come with four characters but we were sent the Jurassic Park expandalone edition which can be played on its own or used to expand the main game pack.

The Jurassic Park expandalone Funkoverse game is suitable for 2 players (or teams) and comes with two game boards or maps and two Pop! Vinyl figures as well as other counters and accessories. It's advised for ages 10+ which I'd say is about right due to the strategic thinking required, we played in teams so my 9 year old had some help from a grown up. If you're not used to strategy games it does take some practise but there are some great tips and instructions on gameplay as well as a video on the Funkoverse website which are great to get you started.

Thanks so much to Funko for sharing their goodies with us and introducing our family to a different and much more interactive side of the Funko product range that I was previously unaware of. Here's to lots more Funko family fun in the future!

Our Favourite Family Christmas Movies (AD - GIFTED)

The lead up to the festive period can get rather manic for our family, the children both have extra activities with school and clubs, (our 9-year-old was in FOUR different shows this year!), my husband and I are really busy in work getting ready to take some time off and then of course there is the shopping and prep to do! I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

This means that when we get to Christmas eve we love nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa together with a box of chocolates and a good old Christmas movie. However, we can't always agree which is the best one so sometimes we have to watch a few! The lovely folks at Fox have sent us a selection of festive movies to get us in the festive spirit and you could win a bundle too in a super simple twitter giveaway - read to the end to find out more...

Home Alone - Family Fun Edition

Home Alone is a 1980 classic family Christmas movie that I remember watching throughout my childhood. Full of belly laughs and hold your breath moments, both my children love watching Kevin Macallister as he is left home alone and has to defend his house from a pair of bumbling thieves at Christmas! Their favourite scene is when one of the dastardly would be burglars climbs through the window and steps onto the baubles Kevin has laid out! Ouch!

Deck The Halls

Another comedy classic, this one is my husband and son's favourite, they love the hilarious rivalry between Steve and his new neighbour Buddy, especially in the ice-skating race but their favourite scene is when the rogue firework goes down Steve's chimney and destroys the tree!

Miracle on 34th Street

Now we're on to my favourite, I have fond memories of going to the cinema to watch this back in 1994, and I had my very own 'I believe' badge. This is the first Christmas movie I watched with my children and it gives me tingles inside every time I see it. Richard Attenborough embodies the spirit of Father Christmas and watching him use sign language to talk to that little girl brings a tear to my eye without fail. Six-year-old Susan Walker walking through the courtroom and melting the Judge's heart with the Christmas card and the one-dollar note just makes Christmas for me. It's all about believing in the magic!

A Christmas Carol

There are so many adaptations of this classic Charles Dickens tale, but whichever one you choose it is must-watch Christmas viewing and enough to convert anyone feeling a little Scrooge-like to a festive feeling. We don't want to be haunted by the ghosts of Christmas, do we?

Jingle All The Way

This nineties Christmas offering starring Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't everyone's cup of tea but we've all had that dreaded feeling that the one toy our child wants will sell out and here's what could happen when you go to every length possible to get it! The children always laugh their hearts out at the parade scene but there's plenty of giggles to be had throughout.

What's your favourite festive film? If I've missed it out please do share in the comments.

Now pop over to Twitter - Follow and RT the below tweet for your chance to win all of these DVDs!

(AD) Christmas Movie #Giveaway! What's your family's favourite festive movie to watch at this time of year? We've been watching ours this week https://t.co/l8ZvmOCFYx Flw & #RT to #win the bundle of the DVDs pictured! https://t.co/vbFjhxgzW3 #FoxChristmas Ends 23:59 26/12 UK only pic.twitter.com/EQFOqkeC2q

— Jen Dixon (@Mymummyspennies) December 24, 2019

Throwback to the Nineties with The Spice Girls #AD

Disclaimer: I have been compensated for this post.



If I had to choose a decade that defined my formative years it would without a doubt be the Nineties. Platform shoes, 'Rachel from friends' hair, boob tubes with combat pants and of course Girl Power!

This decade spanned my childhood from ages six to sixteen and shaped me in to the person that I am in so many ways.

Of course you can't really talk about nineties nostalgia without mentioning The Spice Girls, they were the iconic band of the decade. Their album, Spice, was the first CD I bought when I got my very own boombox for my tenth birthday, I went to see Spice World at our local cinema for a friends birthday and I cherished my platform shoes that I hobbled around in!

For a young girl like me, the characters the girls 'played' gave me something to connect with, something I'd never really had with pop stars in the past. For me, Mel C's Sporty Spice showed me a celebrity with an accent just like mine from my home town and I really related to that, it gave me confidence at an important time in my childhood.

The concept of Girl Power was also something that I connected with, I had a hard time as a child in many ways, I was bullied at school, I was the only child of a single parent and I felt very lonely at times. This 'Girl Power' that The Spice Girls shouted and sang about was something I aspired to. It gave me confidence and in many ways and believing in this helped to turn me from the shy and timid child I was, in to a more confident and outgoing teen. Girl Power Indeed!

I was definitely a big fan and in many ways still am, but am I their biggest fan? Probably not...

Are you?

The Spice Girls and Walkers Crisps have reunited 22 years after they first worked together to find the girls' best ever fan!  Watch the hilarious new ad in the video below and join in with the discussion online using  #MustBeWalkers

Whoever is actually crowned Spice Girls best ever fan will be incredibly lucky with the first prize being VIP tickets to watch them live including a meet and greet  with the ladies as well as 5* accommodation and travel! Wow!

Would you share your Walkers crisps with the girls? I certainly would!

Planning our first trip to Walt Disney World, Florida

Planning a holiday is always exciting, but when it's a holiday of a lifetime it can be pretty overwhelming as well. This summer, we will be taking our children on their very first trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. Long term readers of this site will know that we are a family of huge Disney fans, so this really is the ultimate dream for us all. My husband has been three times before as a child but for myself and our two children, it will be not only our first visit to Disney World but also our first time in the United States!

We did take the children to Disneyland in Paris a few years ago and although they had a fabulous time and made some cherished memories, I found it a very stressful trip. Therefore I want to do as much forward planning as possible this time, to make sure I share the magic with them!

We have already booked our advanced dining reservations for the meals we will be having on site, booked our eight year old a princess makeover slot at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Magic Kingdom and of course linked up our tickets in the My Disney Experience App.

Top Tips for your first Disney World Trip from UK Family Travel Bloggers

Having just passed our double digit day I feel like I can really get into geeky planning mode now, we've started to buy bits and pieces ready to pack and we have our 30 day Fastpass+ day marked on the calendar! To help me get prepared I thought I would pick the brains of some fellow bloggers and WDW fans. I've pulled together some of the top tips that they have shared with me below:

Angela who writes a fabulous family travel blog filled with Disney themed content - Life of Spicers - says we should enjoy everything that you are doing and don't worry about what you're not doing, as it's impossible to do everything!

Amy from Livvy Bird Adventures advises her top tip is to get everyone in the travel party to choose one MUST for each park. Then treat everything else as extra. Whether you go for one or three weeks you still won’t get everything done. Do check out her Instagram for lots of Disney memories!

Karen from That Lancashire Lass took her family to WDW in 2017 and she tells me that fast passes are brilliant for minimising queuing time when you have young children.

Louise from A Strong Coffee to Go suggests that if you don’t get a fast pass for one of the really popular rides such as Flight of Passage, either go for rope drop on a day without early magic hours or get in the queue just before closing. Once the fast passes have stopped going in, the queue will go down much faster than the time that was shown. Thanks Louise, I shall remember that one!

Emma Read has written a great post sharing what she learnt from being first timers at Disney World, it's full of great advice and I would recommend popping over and reading it, but one tip I will definitely be taking on board is to take our own food and drinks into the park. As a vegetarian I am expecting that the choice will be limited and I know that eating on park will be expensive too. We have a couple of character meals booked but other than that we fully intend to take packed lunches and water bottles to refill with the free iced water available!

Steph from Steph's Two Girls wrote a great tongue in cheek post sharing her Top Ten Tips for a Florida Disney Holiday following her last visit in 2015. In this she says, 'Stress over planning your days out meticulously if you want to, but be prepared to scrap all those plans and go with the flow every day as soon as your first FastPass+ ride breaks down.'

I think that is the perfect piece of advice to leave this on, we really can plan everything down to the last detail but sometimes things don't go to as we expect, rides may break down, storms may happen or little ones may just get too tired. If you do plan, you also have to allow for things to change and be prepared to just go with the flow!

I'd love to hear your top tips!

Have you been on a holiday to Disney World in Florida? Do you have any tips to share with us as first timers? If so please do leave me a comment as I would love to read them!

Monster Jam UK Arena Tour - Review

Disclosure: We were invited to attend Monster Jam as guests this weekend in exchange for a review of the event. This post also contains affiliate links.

Yesterday, we spent a fun filled family day out at Manchester Arena attending Monster Jam, the must see live motorsport event tour that's perfect for families!

What happens at a Monster Jam Arena Tour?

I have to be honest here and admit that I didn't really know what to expect prior to the show, I was aware of Monster Trucks and I'd vaguely heard of Monster Jam but that was all, when I mentioned the show to my husband and children, they were all really keen on attending so I thought why not give it a go?

We had tickets to the pit party first, which was great fun and I would really recommend (read more below) and then we headed to the arena to find our seats as soon as the doors opened. I would advocate doing this as although it was an hour before the show started there was still things going on to entertain! The presenters were wandering around the seating areas, talking to families on the big screen and were also interviewing the drivers who were walking around the seating area too! The lovely Brianna Mahon, driver of Wonder Woman and the only female driver in the event, recognised my daughter from the pit party earlier and took her up to stand with her for her interview! As you can imagine this made my eight year old's day!

Once the event itself was ready to start, the presenters explained the format and told the audience how we had a part to play in the show too! After each contest (other than the first tournament which was scored on timings) we had 20 seconds to go to www.judgeszone.com enter the code displayed on the big screen and give a score to the truck that had just competed! My children loved this part and of course gave 10's to their favourites. So remember to bring along a fully charged smartphone to the show as you won't just be taking pictures with it!

There were six Monster Trucks competing in this Chicago Style Racing event: Wonder Woman, Grave Digger, Max D, El Toro Loco, Monster Energy and Earth Shaker (although sadly this truck suffered some mechanical damage early on so wasn't able to continue to compete).

The event lasted around two hours and started with the timed tournament, of which Todd Leduc driving Monster Energy took the podium, then a two wheel challenge that we got to vote for our favourites! Max - D was victorious in this one!

There was then an interval to get food and drinks before we returned to some supercross bikes who performed some awesome tricks that left us all open mouthed! My 11 year old especially enjoyed this segment.

Back to the Monster Trucks and the donut challenge came next, some of the trucks seemed to struggle with this in the confined space and the obstacles in the way but this was made up for by spectacular spinning performances by Max D and El Toro Loco!

The final contest of fuel injected fun was the freestyle where each athlete had 60 seconds to use all of the obstacles to showcase to us what their truck could do! This was my favourite event as each of the drivers had now had the chance to perform in the arena and seemed to have got the hang of the different lay out and how the ground differed to their usual tracks. We were treated to some fabulous displays but ultimately Max D was again named the winner and took the title of the event!

What is a Monster Jam Pit Party?

A pit party is quite an American concept and I wasn't aware of it previously but we decided to check it out and arrived just as the doors opened at 10.30. For this part of the event we were down on the arena floor and each of the drivers were with their trucks waiting to greet fans, chat to them, sign autographs and of course pose for pictures!

This was a fantastic opportunity to get up close to the colossal trucks, check out the awesome paintjobs and designs, take pictures and of course ask the drivers questions.

My daughter immediately fell in love with the Wonder Woman truck, posed for endless photos and loved meeting the driver Brianna. 

The pit party requires an additional ticket and does have a small extra charge but if you or your kids have an interest in Monster Truck racing then I would highly recommend it, do go early on though as it started off really quiet but the queues did build up towards the end.

We’re having lots of fun getting close to the trucks and meeting the drivers at #monsterjam at @ManchesterArena @MonsterJam #monstertrucks #familyfun (We’re here to review the show) pic.twitter.com/6v4NZMtLvW

— Jen Dixon (@Mymummyspennies) May 4, 2019

What Souvenirs can you buy at the Monster Jam Arena Tour?

As with any arena tour there is an abundance of merchandise available to purchase as a memento of your day, Flags representing your favourite truck competing were a popular choice and ideal for waving during the races or getting signed by the driver at the pit party! Other items available included t-shirts, baseball caps, popcorn, soft toys and novelty cups containing syrup flavoured ice drinks! The prices started at £10 and increased quite rapidly as I've come to expect from shows like this.

My top tip would be to order some Monster Jam (affiliate link) toys online at around half the price they are on sale there for, to give to your child at or following the show, they'll be just as happy and you will have saved yourself some pennies! 

At Manchester Arena you are unable to take any food or drink into the arena with you, I am not aware if this is the case at all of the other UK arenas, but if it is then be aware that you may have to budget for purchasing snacks and drinks while you're there (which at arena prices  aren't cheap) as the event lasts quite a while if you arrive for the start of the pit party!

Would we recommend the Monster Jam Arena Tour?

The answer to this is a resounding, yes! We would wholeheartedly recommend the Monster Jam arena tour to any families with children or (or grown ups!) who have any interest in Monster Trucks.

I would also recommend paying the extra fee (I believe it was around £12 for the Manchester dates) to get tickets for the pit party as this was a great part of the experience for us.

One thing to bear in mind is that this is two hours of trucks and bikes driving around in a relatively confined space so it is LOUD! If your children are small or have sensory issues I'd suggest bringing ear defenders to make the experience more enjoyable for them. They were on sale outside of the arena but again you will pay a premium for buying these at the event.

As well as noise, another thing to consider is the fumes from the vehicles, the arena was well ventilated but towards the end of the show these where quite noticeable even up in the seating areas.

We had a fantastic day overall, and the event completely blew my expectations out of the water. It was chilled out, family friendly and pleasingly interactive!

Yes, there were a few mechanical issues with some of the trucks but these were managed well and we still felt very entertained! It did seem that some of the trucks weren't used to the concrete floors and would have been more at home on a dirt track in an outdoor arena, but they were still amazing to see.

My eight year old daughter now has a new hero in the form of Brianna Mahon, driver of Wonder Woman and my eleven year old son has been unusually vocal and and hasn't stopped talking about the show since!

Although the final show in Manchester is today, the tour continues around the UK, visiting the Principality Stadium, Cardiff on the 18^th May 2019 and then Coventry Ricoh Arena on the 8^th June 2019 and tickets can be purchased from www.monsterjam.co.uk.

Don't forget to visit Facebook.com/MJOnline and follow @MonsterJam to keep up to date with all the Monster Jam news! 

On Your Marks... Monster Jam Returns to Manchester

Disclosure: we have been invited to attend Monster Jam as guests this weekend and will be sharing our review after the event.

On your marks, get set, go… 

The thrilling experience that is Monster Jam^®, returns to Manchester Arena this weekend for the first time in nine years to deliver an unexpected, unscripted and unforgettable Monster Truck show that is sure to entertain kids (and big kids) of all ages!

The world-famous colourful trucks that stand 12ft tall and 10ft wide, will deliver entertainment that promises to keep audiences on the edge of their seats and filled with adrenaline charged excitement throughout as they watch these 2000 horsepower vehicles perform!

It's not just driving a car! The Monster Jam drivers are world-class athletes who have mastered not just the physical strength and mental stamina required to compete but also the crucial dexterity to navigate these 12,000-pound machines to amaze audiences with wheelies, donuts, cross ups and head to head racing. 

My 11 year old is super excited for event on Saturday and can't wait to meet his favourite drivers, get up close to the Monster Jam trucks!

Monster Jam is at the Manchester Arena on 4th and 5th of May 2019 before moving on to the Principality Stadium, Cardiff on the 18^th May 2019 and then Coventry Ricoh Arena on the 8^th June 2019 and tickets can be purchased from www.monsterjam.co.uk.

Don't forget to visit Facebook.com/MJOnline and follow @MonsterJam to keep up to date with all the Monster Jam news! We'll be sharing our review of the show next week too so keep an eye out! Read it here: Monster Jam UK arena tour review.

When is the right time for your child's first mobile phone? #AD

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Carphone Warehouse and Nokia. All opinions are my own.

Choosing the right mobile phone is a big decision for anyone, this is a device that you will most likely use every day and you may be reliant on it for communication, for accessing news and for keeping up to date with your diary and activities, you may even pay for your shopping using it, or take advantage of electronic transport passes on your commute. Choosing the first mobile phone for your child is an even bigger commitment. When you hand your child a smartphone, you are providing them with the possibility of unlimited access to the Internet, and while this can be a great educational tool, it's also giving them a responsibility much beyond their years. You are trusting them to be sensible and set their own limits, yet how do you know if they are ready for such power?

When is the right age to have a first mobile phone?

Before you even start to consider which handset or tariff to opt for, you need to decide when the right age is for your child to have their first mobile phone. This is a question that doesn't have a 'one size fits all' answer. It will be different for every child and will depend on their own maturity level and circumstances. Can they exercise restraint? Can they be trusted not to use the phone during class or when they should be in bed? Do they have enough judgement to know what photographs are appropriate to post online? Do they 'need' a way to get in touch with you for emergencies?

We made the decision that our son would be given his first mobile phone for his eleventh birthday. This tied in well with him starting secondary school a week later as he would getting public transport independently for the first time and he would be able to utilise a smartphone to access apps and educational websites to help with his homework.

What should you consider when buying your child's first mobile phone?

One of the first things that I considered when we were browsing for Ben's first mobile phone was cost. I wanted to find a balance between a phone that had enough 'street-cred' to be 'acceptable' to a pre-teen and his friends, but also wasn't too high value and wouldn't, therefore, make him a target for theft. It also had to look good as my son can be rather fussy about what he wears and what he carries around with him would be no exception. Sturdiness was another huge factor, I have to admit that Ben takes after my side of the family when it comes to clumsiness and 'butterfingers' is a pretty apt nickname for us both! We certainly didn't want him to end up with a cracked screen after just a few days so we were in the market for a phone that would be fairly robust.

When it comes to the capabilities of the phone itself we were looking for an operating system that would last the test of time and features that would grow with Ben, we also wanted him to have a camera that he could have some fun with on our travels, taking pictures and videos to capture memories of all our family adventures.

Once we knew what we were looking for and had agreed on a budget, we took Ben to our local Carphone Warehouse to have a look at what they had on offer, Ben was immediately drawn to the Android One  range from Nokia and they really did seem like the perfect phone, a no-nonsense version of Android that has all the essentials in a sleek, easy to use handset a million miles away from the Nokia 8210 I had as a teen (Although I did love the polyphonic ringtones!)

How do you protect your child when they have their first mobile phone?

Just like any parents, once we had made the decision to purchase our child's first mobile phone, we wanted reassurance that he would be safe online and that we can keep in touch at any time.  We wanted to give our 11-year-old freedom and independence but equally be able to protect him from inappropriate content.

Thanks to Carphone Warehouse and Nokia, I was introduced to the Family Link app from Google. An app that offers that much needed reassurance to parents but also allows children to have the freedom to explore the capabilities of their technology within protected boundaries.

App Authorisation

For children who are excited about having the independence of their first smartphone, the first thing they want to do is download ALL of the apps they've ever heard their friends mention or seen advertised on TV or even the bus stop! Once we had the Family Link app set up, Ben was free to access Google Play Store and select apps to download, but each time he chose an app he had to request permission from me to continue, he could do this by either sending the request through to the parental app on my phone where I could either approve or decline or if I was in the room with him, he could hand me his phone to log in with my credentials and approve it instantly. There is the facility to vary the amount of control, so if I wanted I could change it so that he only needed my permission for paid apps or those with in-app purchases.

Screen Time Limits

One of my big worries was the amount of screen time Ben would have when he had his own device, he had always wanted five more minutes on the PlayStation or one more episode of whatever he was watching on TV and I was concerned about how we would be able to limit this with his phone. Family Link accounts for this and allows you to set up daily limits for screen time as well as set a bedtime period between which times the phone cannot be accessed. It also has a parental override so even if daily limits haven't been reached but you know that history homework is still sat on the desk waiting to be done, you can manually lock the phone so that your child is unable to unlock or use the phone, other than to make preset 'emergency' phone calls.

As well as limits, the app allows you to view reports of your child's activity on the device with a breakdown of the apps he has been using so you know if he really was researching for his science homework or just chatting to his friends online.

Location Monitoring

Another useful feature of the app is the ability to see where your child is located. When this feature is enabled, you can check at a glance if he is at that friend's house or almost home from school. It's also handy if the phone is left somewhere or even lost in the house.

Can you allow your child independence on the Internet?

The Family Link app took around 15 minutes to fully set up on my phone using my existing Google Account, including setting up a Google Account for Ben. 

For me, this app lets me set digital ground rules and gives me peace of mind that I can allow my pre-teen more independence to explore the online world without worrying that he is going to put himself at risk, run up credit card bills or even sit up all night watching Rollercoaster POV videos. He knows that he has a set time limit for screen time and he has to take responsibility for how he uses it.

Right now I still feel that he is too young for social media accounts, but many of his friends already have them, so if we do decide to relax this in the future I know that the Family Link app will allow me the confidence that I will be able to monitor his screen time.

With the help of the Family Link app I feel reassured that we made the right choice in the timing of our son's first mobile phone. He has the security of a way of contacting us if needed, the independence to explore and learn using technology and the approval of his peers and at the same time, I have the peace of mind that he is using technology in a responsible way.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - Plush Toys #SentforReview

To celebrate the release of the third movie in the How to Train Your Dragon series, we have been sent a selection of the new plush toys available from Posh Paws to review. This post also contains affiliate links.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World sees the return of our favourite dragons and dragon riders and introduces a few new ones too including my daughter's new favourite, the Light Fury! Posh Paws have brought out a range of super cute toys to accompany the release of the Dreamworks movie at the beginning of this month and we were excited to see some of them up close.

The new range includes Bag Clips, Night Lights, Medium plush toys and Large plush toys with prices starting at just £5.99.

Both my children have been fans of the franchise based on the How to Train Your Dragon Books by Cressida Cowell for a number of years now and own all the books as well as a number of toys and novelties that they have collected over that time. They eagerly awaited the release of The Hidden World and we all went to see it on opening weekend, they both gave it rave reviews! Although my eldest is now probably at the upper end of the age range now, he has certainly passed his affection for it on to his younger sister who was thrilled to receive these Posh Paws goodies to play with!

Toothless Bag Clip

The bag clips are available in a variety of dragons including Toothless, Light Fury, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, Stormfly and Meatlug. They are approximately 10cms in height, are suitable for ages 3 years + and are available at an RRP of just £5.99 from your Clintons and Hamleys stores.

These adorable mini soft toys may be small but they are full of detail! The soft black 'fur' is textured to give the effect of scales, the tail features Toothless' unique red tail fin as made by hiccup and the face includes his distinctive green eyes in high quality embroidery. The large plastic clip is ideal to clip on to school bags or luggage so your child can take their new friend with them to school or along on their travels and the price is great pocket money value.

HookFang Medium Plush Toy

As any How to Train Your Dragon fan will know, Hookfang is the Monstrous Nightmare dragon ridden by Snotlout. Both warriors at heart, they are a fearsome duo but Hookfang has been known to ignite first and think second, not always doing what Snotlout asks! This plush version won't be breathing fire but does come with rather funky glow in the dark wings which makes him an ideal bedtime companion. Great quality and attention to detail, this medium plush also features embroidered facial features, with 3D eyes and a cheeky toothy smile.

Toothless Medium Plush Toy

Toothless is the last known specimen of the Night Fury Species, once thought of as the unholy offsping of lightening and death itself, but now proven to be a playful, inquisitive and intelligent, loyal dragon and of course Hiccup's best friend.  He is the Alpha, the king of the dragons and plays a significant role in The Hidden World movie (but we won't spoil that for you if you have yet to see it!)

The Toothless plush from Posh Paws is slightly larger that Hookfang but shares the high quality and attention to detail, as well as a soft but sturdy cuddly body. Just like the smaller bag clip, Toothless bears the distinctive red tail fin crafted by Hiccup and soft textured scale like fur. When the light go out he has an extra surprise in store, as well as glow in the dark wings and badge, his beautiful big green eyes glow also!

These 32cm medium plush toys are also available in Light Fury, Barf and Belch, Stormfly and Meatlug, each feature the glow in the dark wings and bear a shiney glow in the dark badge. They have an RRP of £16.99 and can be purchased at Amazon, Zoom, Harrods, Hamleys and Clintons.

Dragon night lights are also in the range at just £8.99 RRP and large 61cm Plush Dragons are available for £29.99 RRP.

What we thought of the new HTTYD range from Posh Paws

Elizabeth adores her new Posh Paws friends, the mini Toothless is attached to her favourite backpack ready to join us on our next adventure and the medium Toothless and Hookfag have joined her Hiccup and Astrid soft toys on her bed, she loves how their wings and badges glow once the lights go off! They all get a big thumbs up from us and would make perfect gifts for any HTTYD fan.

If you have a How to Train your Dragon fan, you won't want to miss our review of the latest Spinmaster toys released with the How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World movie (Including fire breathing dragons!)...  COMING SOON.