Triple Jackpot!

OH MY GOD! You won't believe what I have been up to with my support worker yesterday, and it was as much of a hoot as the stories in my currently-finished book, Horrid Henry's Food Fight. Let me share them all with you. You'll thank me later once you realise this is an advert for T T Retro...

Okay, so, first I went to Boots and I wanted to get one of those limited edition Dove x Bridgerton body washes. But Sundae called out to me most, and since it was my birthday this week, I got birthday cake. Speaking of which, when I went with my other, slightly confused support worker a few days ago, I got not one but three things - Boots' own moisturising cream, Nala's Baby Body Lotion and My Little Coco Pillow Mist.

Now listen here, you lot - if you're absolutely tired of the Johnson's Bedtime Routine, try this for size:

1.First, use Nala's Body Lotion on your arms.

2.Brush your teeth,

3.Wash your face,

4.Apply My Little Coco pillow mist...

5.And finally, read from one of your books or comics.

Sounds good? Five steps are better than three, and as a wise man with a jingle bell hat always says:

"It's always better to have too much than too little."

And now for the moment you've been waiting for, all your live long days.

Actually, it's two, so don't get 'two' excited.

Geddit? Ha!

First off, I went to T T Retro and got a completely different purchase - three, to be exact. It started off quite innocently enough, with the purchase of a lovely comic about forgotten Marvel character Howard The Duck, with small adverts for trinkets and toys the size of your thumbnail on some pages, but then, the biggest surprise came when the kindly owner presented...

TWO ANNUALS! But they weren't any ordinary annuals. They didn't use live actors. They didn't use CGI either. What did they use?

ALAN/BRAINS/TIN TIN/KIPPER/BRUM: Puppets!

Of course, the annuals were named Thunderbirds/Captain Scarlet and Lady Penelope. The biggest surprise waited for me when I got home, but in case of spoilers, I'll save it 'til the end.

Next on the menu was a tour around the charity shop - there were so many forgotten treasures for sale, everything was white and green like a tennis court had been there before! I went to the children's section, and at first I wanted to buy a Harry & The Dinosaurs book, but realising I had a sharp eye for book texture, I bought Ripley's Believe Or Not instead - a much better and interesting purchase since Mum had read Harry to me multiple times as a little girl.

And since McGinty's was closed, where did we go? To the food truck, and I was being a bit cheeky with the purchases, because I ordered a cheeseburger and a Diet Coke can. While eating my 100% delicious cheeseburger, I found that reading Howard The Duck and doing a Donald Duck voice for him can get a bit tiring.

And...I crashed out.

But it's okay if I didn't give away the surprise, because the best surprises wait in reviews of books on GoodReads. Go check them out if you can!

Horrid Henry's Food Art

Hip Horrid, HOORAY!

I have finally completed Horrid Henry's Food Fight, and guess what? It was a real hoot! But it wasn't just Mum that was being mean and horrid to Henry, Peter and Dad were major examples of the same way, until they reached the Virtuous Veggie.

So, Horrid Henry has found this page so his younger brother Peter can tell him how to make his greens into art! You can even make disgusting veggies into shapes of Henry, Peter, Ralph, Graham and other characters from Henry's world.

https://theconfidenteater.com/blog/picky-eating-support/food-art-for-fussy-eaters/

Peppa's First 1000 Words: A Review

Peppa Pig 1000 First Words Sticker Book by Neville Astley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

That Peppa Pig First 1000 Words sticker book is absolutely great fun to do, especially if you're absolutely too tired to even read longer, difficult and even the shortest stories.

Parents, if your kids have been overstimulating by the fast paced nature of Peppa's adventures and the noisy voice acting, then this is the right choice for you.

CREATIVE TIP:
Every time you place a sticker into the correct place, name out the character and then recite a small rhyme about it.

A perfect rainy day or boredom buster solution.

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Horrid Henry's Party Pandemonium: A Horrid Review

Horrid Henry: Party Pandemonium: 6 Stories plus bonus fun activities! by Francesca Simon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I hate to say this, but just like with Horrid Henry's Christmas Cracker, Horrid Henry's Party Pandemonium has become a birthday tradition for me.

The only flaws with this include Mum being the aggressively horrid one towards Henry in the cartoon adaptation of the wedding story and Henry and Peter having the characteristics of Caillou and Rosie when they're fighting.

However, the Mother's Day story is a real hoot, and has inspired me to make some cards of my own.

A definite birthday tradition of a read.

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Pikachu's Review

Pokemon Where’s Pikachu? A search & find book by Pokémon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Pokemon book is totally amazing. It's very simple, great fun, and absolutely addictive - there's loads of Pokemon to look for in each of the pages, especially with the Pokemon you're tasked with helping Pikachu find as well as the fruit and Pokeballs.

Creative TIp:
With every Pokemon you find, call out their names depending on how well you know them, and then give them names, i.e. I named the Charmeleon on the first page 'Sour' and made him a big brother to Ash's Charmander.

Highly recommend for when the kids are bored!

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Horrid Henry's Horrid Review: A Yucky Year

Horrid Henry: A Yucky Year: 12 Stories by Francesca Simon
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This compilation of hand-picked Horrid Henry stories is really difficult to read through. If you're reading it knowing the stories are featured in previously new Horrid Henry story collections, then you'd put the book down after just a few pages.

Stupendously boring, not reading it.

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Gruesome Grown Ups: A Horrid Review

 

Grizzly Tales: Gruesome Grown-ups: Cautionary Tales for Lovers of Squeam! by Jamie Rix
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I believe that Grizzly Tales: Gruesome Grown Ups is not a good read, because despite the stories teaching sinister lessons about voice control, balanced meals and vanity, I have started to believe it may cause kids to insult their parents and do nasty things to them.

So, I believe this book is crossed off my list entirely. It's a no read. Right off.

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Happiness Tip #8: Learning With Pi - I Mean, Er, Kipper

Kipper is a teacher and wise mutt of a lot of things that may not be important in other HIT Entertainment shows right now. In Angelina Ballerina for example, Angelina almost always has to do things almost immediately so it's perfect. But from Kipper's perspective, it's completely okay not to. The true balance is in the special connection between either friends, or parents and children.

Meet Sour - One Hot Headed Charmeleon!

This furious-looking Charmeleon is named Sour. He is Charmander's older brother. He may be soft towards his little brother, but on the other hand he is angry and furious, especially towards kids' TV fully embracing the algorithm.

Unexpected, horrid twists and turns involving the Pokemon franchise are enough to send him blowing his nobbly top. The most recent incident happened to involve the one channel we all hate to love:

CBBC.

How, exactly? Well, when CBBC struck a deal with Nintendo to use Pokemon for their side of the algorithm, Sour was so furious he attacked CBBC with threats and emails to take Pokemon off the air once every month, in fear it might infringe copyright with the makers of Mario and Link.

Charmander always tells his hotheaded older brother than kind, gentle persuasion is the key, but he just ignores it entirely. He believes CBBC is cheating and betraying its viewers by neglecting storytelling and just focusing on algorithm. Computers are the true enemy, not Team Rocket, and they along with Ash and Pikachu have been kidnapped and used as torture machines multiple times by the horrible horrendous terrible tremendous British kids' channel.

And you know what? Sour's multiple protest-related actions have a good point. He is known by PACT and Ofcom to charge through the doors of the BBC TV Centre and fight off every single star, presenter and cartoon character, often with an army/mob of Digimon in tow, with Charmander following close behind.

He believes Pokemon should have a place on CITV, Cartoon Network and Sky One rather than something as horrendous and loud as CBBC. And guess what?

I think he's right about that!

Sour's Profile Of Favourite Things:

• Age: 15
• Favourite colours: Red and orange
• Favourite song: 'Fight For Your Right (To Party)' and 'Sabotage' by Beastie Boys
• Favourite TV show: Dragon Ball Z
• Favourite film: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (oh dear, dare I say it now...)
• Favourite food: Spicy chicken wings
• Favourite game: Playing at being a dragon with Charmander
• Common flaw: Lashing out in public
• Main occupation: Protester/activist
• Favourite toy: Panic Pete
• Favourite book: Grumpy Monkey

When You Use Nala's Baby Body Lotion

Happiness Tip #8: There's One In All Of Us...And That's Fab-A-Rooney!

There's a Tweenie inside each and every one of us. You'll realise you're Bella if you like to boss people around and want to be queen someday, you're Fizz if you're creative and love to make a sanctuary for you and your favourite things, you're Milo if you're full of energy and a love of exciting adventures, and you'll know you're Jake if you are shy, timid and a bit of an introvert. As for the ones being Doodles, Max and Judy...who knows what you might find from them inside your peers.

Happiness Tip #7: Presents Are Rewards

Hauls are more than just the result of binge buying for the spoilt, yet gifted only child. With every single item you buy with your birthday money, you are realising that happiness doesn't just come with the punishment of overspending, it comes with something much greater: the rewards you get when you've worked through the many trials of life.

Happiness Tip #6: Be More '80s Dangerous

Embrace the weird, Danger Mouse style. The '15 series takes out all the weirdness that made the classic series so enjoyable for fans old and young, but the classic version's Daliesque tone, blend of slow and fast pacing and stream of conciousness slapstick comedy feel is a representation of how we view the extraordinary colour in the everyday dullness.