Marvel Universe Live

This week saw the opening of the Marvel Universe Live here in Nottingham, we were invited along to see what was sure to be a spectacular event, including some of my children's favourite super heroes and super villains.

We were first invited to meet a few of the stars in the VIP lounge, they taught the children a few moves and chatted to them about the show. The children also got to have a go at lifting Thor's hammer, it turns out it's not so heavy after all, with my 5 and 8 year old managing it no problem.

When it was time to go and take our seats we headed through the throng of parents and their super hero children, so many Iron Mans, Thors and Spidermen in one room.

The show itself started with a bang and was pretty much like that from start to finish, with plenty of pyrotechnics, fireworks and lots of lights, lasers and smoke. For my son it was a little too loud and he spent most of it with his hands over his ears, he's never been a fan of loud noises though and to be honest it made me jump.

With lots of stunt bikes, cars, flying and fighting it was hard to know where to look and there was action in every direction.

The story is based on the battle over the Cosmic Cube, shattered into many pieces by Thor and scattered across the world, the super heroes task is to recover the pieces before they fall into the wrong hands.

With some of our favourite super heroes including Iron Man, Spiderman, Wolverine, Captain America and Black Widow we were certain that good would conquer evil. However, with some devilishly bad villains it was a close call, with the likes of Green Goblin, Loki, Dr Octopus and Red Skull, the pieces of the Cosmic Cube were dangerously close to being used for evil.

My daughter loved that there were plenty of female super heroes for her to watch, including Storm, Captain Marvel, and Black Widow as well as Cat Woman representing the villains. Although to be quite honest she was desperate to get her hand on her own hammer.

The Marvel Universe Live show is currently touring the UK and then onto the rest of Europe, so if you have some super hero fans then this is definitely a must see.

NB: We were given free tickets to see the show however were not obligated to write about it. It was a great show and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. All words and opinions are my own.

A Barbie Christmas Wish List

We have been lucky enough to review some wonderful Barbies this year, from a mermaid to a superhero and a rockstar to a ballerina, there have been many to keep us occupied, and so that you can see them all in one place, here is our Christmas Barbie wish list.

We loved dressing up as superheros earlier this year, we had a party to celebrate the release of this wonderful and thought inspiring doll. My daughter has loved dressing up and believing in herself since the day we had our party, dressing up as superhero Barbie for Children in Need, it has inspired her to believe she can be anything and it proves that just because she loves pink doesn't mean she can't be super.

For the mermaid in you, why not chose the Bubble-tastic Mermaid Barbie, this doll is great for in the bath or outside in summer. Whichever you choose, you can be sure of some bubble fun, She does come out when play with the other barbies so she isn't just a one trick pony.

For those that love to sing and be a rock star then how about the Rock n Royal selection, this superstar Barbie is great for those who love to rock out, whether to be a princess or a rockstar this doll has it all, with a super spinning dress and catchy song we've had hours of fun with this one, especially my daughter dancing and twirling to the tune.

And finally, we've had the pleasure of getting to know Ballerina Barbie and Saddle N Ride Barbie, two wonderful dolls that are great for anyone who loves ballet or horse riding.  With these you can imitate your favourite hobby and enjoy it with the doll that has been so loved for decades.

There is a doll for every occasion with Barbie and whilst not everyone agrees with the level of pink that Barbie comes with, it really is just another colour. This is about playing at being something and everything whilst you are young.

My daughter aspires to be a doctor when she is older but she loves pink and princesses and right now thats ok, there is only a short window of time where you can be literally anything you want. I spent many nights wanting to wake up to find princess dresses in my wardrobe, heck if that happened now I'd be a happy bunny. But I have gone on to work in male dominated IT environments and it hasn't stopped me from owning a business and being a strong woman.

Win a Barbie Princess Power Doll

A few months back we were sent the fabulous Barbie Princess Power Doll to have a play with, we had a party to celebrate the release of the doll and DVD and it was great to see my daughter become a little superhero.

Well, I have one Princess Power Barbie doll for one of my readers to win, all you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter form below, great for any little superhero and dare I say great to put away for a certain C word thats happening in a few months time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Celebrating National Superhero Day with Barbie

Today is National Superhero Day and to celebrate this, we held our very own superhero party with a different star at the centre of it.

Barbie in Princess Power is the latest addition to the Barbie collection and one that we couldn't get enough of.

In a world that is dominated by male superheroes, Mattel decided that it was time for a female one. With many children aspiring to be a superhero why not create one who can be strong and powerful whilst wearing something sparkly?

We were sent some of the new toys to test out during our own Barbie Princess Power party where we got to know the new toys and talked about 'what makes you super?'

We set our table, donned superhero capes and masks and set out trying to be superheroes in our own special ways.

Once our guests arrived we ate some party food for lunch, then decorated some cakes with sprinkles and superhero stars!

We then watched the Barbie in Princess Power DVD, a great addition to the range which tells the story of Kara, a modern day princess who gets kissed by a magical butterfly and soon discovers her amazing superpowers. But when her jealous cousin catches the magical butterfly and transforms into Dark Sparkle, her nemesis, their rivalry takes to the skies. But when they meet their true enemy, can they work as a team to save the kingdom?

Superpowers don't have to be about fighting or who is the strongest, we talked about how superhero's can be anything from a firefighter to policeman or lifeguard. My daughter is the kindest person I know, and my son has the ability to amaze me with his generosity, pretty super if you ask me.

The dolls themselves are fantastic, the way that Barbie's dress pops out to make the cape is genius, she is sturdy and has stood the test of time with a three year old and four year old playing with her. Along with Corinne (aka Dark Sparkle) and Chelsea my daughter has enjoyed playing her own version of a superhero tea party with them.

So what's your super power?

NB: We were sent a selection of dolls and goodies to host our party, all words and opinions are my own.