Garden Girl, always a bit more cautious, took a small bite and decided this was not for her. ‘Yuck’ was her initial report. She went on to pull the spaghetti lump apart and play with the strings. She made snails and faces and fancy patterns. Until Garden Boy crept up behind her and stole it. Her packet was then quickly devoured by Garden Boy.

The next time I offered the packs to try Garden Girl managed to eat it all but said it didn’t taste of much and she would rather play with it, which she did with a lot of smiles and laughter. Garden Boy spurred on by his sister decided to make spiders, worms and snakes with his cheese this time, taking huge delight in eating spiders legs. So despite the fact that in our house we think they should make a stronger flavoured version we can’t really argue with food that creates so much fun and laughter.

Vic and TB, over at Glowstars also tried out the Cheesestrings spaghetti and clearly had as much fun as we did. And what did they think of the taste? Well, Cheesy, I think! But take a look at this clip at YouTube just incase I got that wrong!

This is a fun, healthy snack which I think is great for days out, picnics and lunch boxes and have just hit the supermarket shelves at an RRP of £2.29 for a pack of 6 21g bags.

The Tea party on Monday was to celebrate the Shoebox Living installation which will be displayed in <a href=”http://www.whiteleys.com/” target=”_blank”>Whiteleys Shopping Centre</a> from 1st – 4th September 2010. 125 children aged between the ages of 8 and 10 were given a shoe box in which to create their own bedroom. The accompanying catalogue includes descriptions of the rooms by the children themselves, and from looking through this catalogue it is evident that the installation will be both moving and thought provoking and well worth a visit. To accompany the installation there will be a series of art, craft and cookery workshops which will include pencil case decorating, gingerbread decorating and plate designing. The perfect excuse to go along to Whiteleys Shopping Centre and indulge in some shopping while keeping your children entertained!

Whiteleys was the very first shopping centre in London and although it is small it has a nice collection of shops and a friendly atmosphere and is a lovely place to visit regardless,  so why not head over there at the beginning of September and join in the fun while supporting a fabulous charity.

Kidsco will also be selling their<a href=”http://www.kidsco.org.uk/shop” target=”_blank”> own range of products </a>including the Barethreads Clothing Brand and the lovely Nina Campbell for Kids Company Kitchen Wear which would make excellent gifts. There will also be the opportunity to preview and preorder the Van Den Berg jewellery for Kids Company collection. So put the dates in your diary and I might see you there!

Garden Girl is a true believer in fairies and as such she easily identified with the character Lizzy in the new film, whose own belief in fairies leads her to capture and ultimately befriend Tinkerbell. Unaware that Tinkerbell is in safe hands with Lizzy, Tinks friends set out in stormy weather to rescue her, facing danger on their way. There were points in the film that Garden Girl, age 3 (almost 4) found quite scary. She clutched my hand and halfway through the film, when it looked like Vidia might not escape being crushed under a car wheel, Garden Girl moved to my knee for extra security. The whole film contains more peril than the previous two put together but the storyline for me was also much better and I loved it all; as did Garden Girl, despite the edge of seat fear. Knowing that it all turns out all right in the end, she is eager to watch it all over again when the DVD comes out and we will be first in the queue to buy it when it does.

The opening sequence is particularly lovely with all Tink’s friends flying across the screen in the beautiful summer skies and, along with the tea party at the end, was Garden Girl’s favourite bit. This is a must see movie for all true fairy believers, old and young and just like Garden Girl I am itching to see it again.

There are lots of features, including four times digital zoom, SD Card slot, 256MB internal memory, video editing, games and animations. It takes photos as well so you are getting two for one with this and makes it better value for money than the photo cameras. The only criticism is that the resolution is low, however I think ease of use and durability is far more important for a toddler camera. Garden Girl will be able to learn with this camera without having to rely on me to work it for her and when she is a bit older and becomes more proficient with it she will be able to make the transition to an adult version with confidence. I think its a brilliant first video camera and Garden Girl loves it too.

Check out Garden Girl’s Documentary about our garden here.

Garden Girl gets it to repeat back ‘You’re a lovely girl’ and ‘I love you’ while Garden Boy just giggles at it over and over again and it giggles back. Its hilarious. I, meanwhile, have been getting it to repeat instructions for our Little Garden Helpers when I need them to do something for me. They pay more attention to the hamster than they do to me!

I have to admit that had I come across this in a shop I would never have thought to buy it, but we have had so many giggles with it that I can’t help but recommend it. It is a little bundle of cuddly fun and I am also really impressed with the quality of the toy.

Chatimals are available to buy at a RRP of £20 in Red5 gadget stores or online at www.red5.co.uk.