Joanne the Coach

Review: Pretty bargainous sports shoes

I recently wrote about my gym challenge over here on Spikes & Heels. I've done over 600 gym sessions now and my enthusiasm is still fresh for it. Alas, the same cannot be said for my shoes.

In fact, I've had the same gym shoes for over 10 years now. Since I mainly do BodyPump and BodyCombat, it's all indoors so your shoes don't take the pounding they might if you were running outdoors. Even so, my shoes were fraying at the toes and definitely in need of a refresh.

And then, in an act of serendipity that almost never happens, I got offered a pair of sports shoes to review from the aptly named Sports Shoes dot com.

Now, the first thing you need to know about this Sports Shoes site is that they don't just sell sports shoes. That would be too obvious. You can get the whole kit, from sports bras to shin splint sports supports (try saying that when you're out of puff).

But sports shoes they certainly do have - lots and lots of sports shoes. Too much, almost. I started off in the running department and found there were 229 pairs in my size alone. I found it a bit overwhelming. So I narrowed the search down to Nike (cos that's what my previous sports shoes were, and they turned out pretty well).

From there I applied my usual fashion manifesto: If the White Stripes were to reform and needed me to go on tour with them, what would I wear?

So that led me to these red devils, or to give them their full title, Nike Lady Lunarglide+ 3 Running Shoes. RRP £84.99, currently reduced by 20% to £67.45 (I wasn't paying, but I didn't want to take the piss).

They turned up a couple of days later, and were more pinky red in the flesh than they look in the site photo. The laces and the cushioning at the back of the shoe are virtually luminous pink. What will The White Stripes think? I wondered. When we go on tour, I mean. I guess I'll deal with that when it arises.

They're incredibly lightweight but supportive, and will take the Nike+ sensor for people who like boasting on Facebook about how far they've just run.

 Every time I wear them, I get compliments, from people I have been sharing gym classes with for years who've never actually spoken to me before. Who knew that new sports shoes were as much of a social lubricant as white wine?

And - get this - the first time I wore these shoes to the gym, another fellow gym-goer ACTUALLY PUT HER OWN SHOES IN THE BIN. Really. I am not making that up. These are super-handsome shoes. I like them so much I dyed my legs to match the gym floor.

What I like about SportsShoes.com is that, as well as an enormous choice of products, there're some great technical tips and advice videos to help you choose the right shoes. Plus my inner stingy person likes the fact that there are lots of discounts on big brands (not just the left over stuff that no one wants), and you can pick up some great bargains without having to wait for the sale. Might just get another pair, and not wait 10 years this time.

Review: Start-Rite shoes and online fitting service

When it comes to my most un-favourite parenting tasks, shopping for shoes is down there with combing for nits and wiping snotty noses - just really no fun at all.

Start-Rite Angry Angels Diva shoes

 

So I was really pleased to be asked by Start-Rite to try out their online fitting service. I am a big online shopper but I've never bought children's shoes online before - I always assumed that queueing up in a noisy, too-warm shoe shop was one of the delights of parenthood, like stretchmarks.

But we gave it a go.

The actual measuring part is very easy, you don't even need a tape measure. You print out a sheet from the Start-Rite website, and cut off a marked strip to wrap around each foot to get the width. Your child then stands on the printed out page so you can see the length of their foot. These measurements then get put into the site to generate your child's size, and the system then tells you which shoes are in stock at this size. The site also has a video you can watch with more shoe fitting tips.

 

My daughter's shoes, from the Angry Angels range for older girls, were even easier - just print out the sheet, stand on it and there's your size.

 

So that's the theory, but did it work?

Well, almost. My son's trainers fitted like a dream. There's a good bit of growing room around the toe, but not too much and the shoes stay on well. He is really chuffed to bits with his footballer-style trainers (RRP £34), and I am quite pleased that the antibacterial footbed will stop them getting smelly. The picture here shows them after six weeks of wearing - they're a bit mucky because they've been on a school trip (as indeed has their owner) but they're not at all scuffed and have continued to fit well.

 

Start-Rite Boys Trainers

My daughter's shoes, it has to be said, were on the big side. This is where, if we'd been in a shoe shop we could've tried half a size down or another style. And whilst we could still have exchanged these, it would've meant posting them back and waiting for a replacement - always a danger with online shopping. So we decided to keep them and wait until her feet have grown a little.

The style, which you can see above, is lovely - it's called Diva (RRP £25), and has a satin feel with a cute ribbon bow on top. They're a great compromise for when you need a fairly smart pair of school shoes, but your daughter only cares if they look good.

 

Over all, I would give the online fitting service 8 out of 10. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's a good option if you can't or don't want to go to a shoe shop. I wouldn't do it if I was in a rush, but I feel much more confident that it can work well, especially when you're measuring the width as well as the length of the foot. My son is now unlikely to see the inside of a shoe shop until he can pay for them himself. My daughter, I suspect, will have other ideas.

Thanks to Start-Rite for sending us these shoes to try out the service.

Would you like to try out the online fitting service too? Check back here tomorrow when Start-Rite will be giving away a pair of shoes from their fantastic Angry Angels range.

Review and giveaway: French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon GIVEAWAY CLOSED

  THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED. DON'T LEAVE A COMMENT, IT WON'T BE COUNTED

That is the most offensive book title I have ever seen, said my child when the review copy of French Kids Eat Everything arrived in the post: I mean, it's putting down all kids who aren't French.

Hmm I thought I can see where you're coming from, but then again you do regard pasta with pesto as highly exotic.

Part memoir, part cook book, part nutritional rallying cry French Kids Eat Everything: How our family moved to France, cured picky eating, banned snacking and discovered 10 simple rules for raising happy, healthy eaters by Karen Le Billon is a feast for the mind in many ways.

We're off to this place in France in the summer, and given that neither of my kids are what you might call culinarily adventurous, I was interested to read this book for ideas on what to expect, and pick up some pointers we could apply at home.

French Kids Eat Everything traces Le Billon's family, who moved from Vancouver to spend a year in France and in doing so found their eating habits transformed.

In contrast to Le Billon's children, French children seem to happily tuck into a huge variety of food. The author researches how this comes to be and how she can apply it to her own picky eaters. A big stumbling block seems to be Le Billon herself, who freely admits that she's a reluctant cook with fairly narrow tastes and a hardened attachment to snacking.

I was reminded of the chapter on fussy eating in Toddlers: An Instruction Manual, which says:

"If, deep down, you know that your own approach to food and trying new things is less than positive, then don’t be surprised if your child picks up on this. And if that’s the case, then the place to start making improvements is within your own attitudes rather than your child’s. Be honest – does your child see you eating a varied, balanced diet? Are you up for new food experiences, even if it’s something you don’t expect to like? Does all the family regularly share meals together?"

Le Billon distills what she learns from French ways into 10 rules, though some of this will seem like common sense rather than a uniquely French approach. What makes this book stand out is the way in which it shows Le Billon attempting to apply these rules to her own family, a journey which is often far from plain sailing. She's a mother who has struggled like a lot of us, and is sharing the lessons this has taught her.

Controversially, part of the French way involves the attitude that it's OK for kids to be hungry sometimes, with even little babies left waiting for the next scheduled milk stop. There's absolutely no snacking, no eating on the run or in the car - French parents would be horrified at the way most UK parents carry a snack on every school run.

I liked this book very much and found it to be a fascinating, engaging and thought-provoking read. I don't think it's just one for parents of picky eaters - anyone who has an interest in children's nutrition will find it worth reading. And anyone whose child has erupted in the face of something green on their plate will find this an invaluable source of ideas for a new approach.

 

GIVEAWAY

I'm delighted to be able to share this fascinating book with you. I have one copy of French Kids Eat Everything to give away.

To enter, leave a comment below saying what was your favourite food as a child. Closing date: Midnight on Monday 21st May.

EXTRA ENTRY

Optional extra entry if you like this blog on Facebook - state in your comment if you're claiming an extra entry.

 

I will pick a winner at random after the closing date and post the book to them as soon as possible after that. No regional restrictions, will post the prize anywhere in the world. Though if you're in France you probably don't need it.

 

 

You can find more competitions to enter at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions and Loquax Competitions

Goth Nazi hunters a gogo

Well that was a right old stinker of an Easter Bank Holiday, wasn't it? With my family still drunk on chocolate and whipped into a frenzy by a new series of Horrible Histories, I slunk off to the cinema to see This Must Be The Place.

Whilst I enjoyed it very much, this film does come Marmite flavoured and won't be to everyone's taste. Sean Penn plays Cheyenne, retired goth rock star of Cheyenne and the Fellows (like Siouxsie and the Banshees, geddit?). He's living in Dublin but bored, punctuating his days with handball and trips to the supermarket.

Then Cheyenne's estranged dad dies. This leads to revelations about his dad's lifelong quest to find his Nazi persecutor. The film then turns into a road movie as Penn's character goes on his own Nazi-hunting trip across the USA.

And like any good road movie, he meets a selection of oddballs and has a succession of redemptive experiences. Plus he stops for a little ping pong along the way.

Sean Penn plays the lead role in a seriously weird, whispery babylady voice, now and again breaking out into a tinkly giggle. I don't think I've ever seen Penn play funny before, but there's a comic edge to this performance that he just about gets away with, silly voice and all.

So on paper it all sounds terrible, or amazing depending on your perspective - if you find the idea of Sean Penn dressed as Robert Smith going Nazi hunting across America inherently entertaining, then I think you will like this film. I thought it was great. The only let down is the ending, which I found to be a bit weak - it sort of petered out rather than came to a definite conclusion.

 

And no, the film wasn't named after the Pet Shop Boys' This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave (what idiot named Joanne would think THAT?), but in fact after the superior This Must be The Place by Talking Heads.

 

WH Smith Kobo eReader or Amazon Kindle - which is better?

 

Kobo eReader meets Amazon Kindle

Much as I love my Amazon Kindle, it's not perfect. I'm now on to my third as it's stopped working twice within a year.

So when I was offered a loan of the Kobo eReader to try out, I was intrigued to see how it would measure up. You've probably seen the Kobo on sale in WH Smith - in our local branch, even the staff are wearing Kobo t-shirts, so keen is the store to promote the brand.

What I liked about the Kobo eReader:

• It's very pretty
  As well as the regular black, the Kobo also comes in silver, blue and light purple. The soft rubber outer casing has a nice feel to it, especially with the quilted effect on the back
• It's a touchscreen device
  Sometimes the clicking of the buttons on the side of the Kindle to turn the page can be distracting, so it was nice to turn the Kobo pages with a silent tap of the finger. Don't read when you're eating toast though, it makes the screen too greasy.
• It reads pdf files
  Some libraries will now lend ebooks in pdf format - you would have to convert these if you wanted to read them on a Kindle, whereas with the Kobo you can download and read straight away.
• Reading community included
  The Reading Life function is a giant online bookclub, and seems to work like a combination of Goodreads and Facebook.
• It's very simple to use
  I had to go to the Kobo setup website, download some software, but it was all pretty simple and all done in under 10 minutes. From there, once you start buying books they're downloaded on to the device with seconds. 
• Extra functions
  Tucked away in the menu I found a drawing function where you can draw pictures on the screen with your finger, and a Sudoku puzzle option. Hours of fun, who needs reading?

Apart from that it's all very similar to the Kindle - you can either buy books via your PC or directly from the Kobo when you're out and about via wifi; you can share ebooks with other devices via a dedicated app and it can hold more books than you could ever read in a lifetime. As you can see from the picture above, the screen size is the same for both.

 

What I didn't like:

• Less book choice than for the Kindle
  They didn't have my book on Kobo format - quelle horreur! With over 2 million Kobo titles available, mainstream books are well covered, smaller titles less so. There are a wide range of free and self-published titles (with some of the worst cover designs I've ever seen). If you're the sort of person who can generally find a book you like in a large branch of WH Smith, then you'll be happy with the choice available for the Kobo.
• Home screen advertises books you haven't bought
  Whereas the Kindle only shows the titles in your library, the Kobo shows other featured titles you might enjoy. Some may find these suggestions helpful, I found it irritating.

Colour options for the Kobo

 

 

In conclusion:

The Kobo eReader is a good, though not perfect alternative to the Amazon Kindle. I think it'll be most suited to people who are used to touch screen devices; anyone who reads fairly mainstream books; and teen girls who like the purple and silver styling.

If you're already used to buying your books from Amazon, then the Kobo is of less interest. But for people who are new to ebooks, the WH Smith connection gives the reassurance of a familiar brand. I can see a lot of aunties and in laws getting this as a gift.

The option to share your reads via Facebook may also appeal to younger readers who aren't yet in Amazon's clutches - my 12 year old bookworm daughter was very keen on the Kobo and didn't want to send it back.

The facts
The Kobo eReader ranges in price from £59.99, compared to entry level for the Kindle at £89. It's available online and instore from WH Smith.

Dancing in the sleet: Happy Feet 2 DVD & Blu Ray

It's always a good sign when a sequel hasn't been rushed out - it shows the film makers have taken some time to think about what people liked about the original and which parts of the story are worth continuing and developing into something new.

And so it is with Happy Feet 2, which comes out on Blu Ray and DVD this week. Since the original Happy Feet was released in 2006, musicals have leapt in popularity, so HF2 is packed with song and dance numbers. And seriously cute baby penguins.

Warner Bros sent us the DVD & Blu Ray to review, and it was a great choice because my son LOVES watery wildlife.

Junior verdict (after watching it about 6 times in 2 days): My favourite characters were Bill and Will the Krills.  I like how there are two stories - Bill and Will do their bit and the penguins do their bit too. The Blu Ray makes it look very good and the icebergs and the water look cool. I would like to be a Krill, except not one that gets eaten!

It's a little bit Penguin Glee Club, a little bit iceberg adventure. With all the leaping penguins you can tell that the original film was in 3D. As you might expect, wildlife and particularly water-based stories look amazing on Blu Ray, they really come alive.

The star voices are as plentiful as fish in the sea and include: Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, and Alecia Moore AKA Pink. Keep your ears open for uncredited cameos from Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman as well.

Happy Feet Two was released on Blu Ray and DVD on 26th March, priced starting at £9 which I think is pretty good value considering the number of extras.

Also included in our penguin package from Warner Bros were the original Happy Feet, which you can pick up for a bargainous £4.49, and March of the Penguins, a wildlife classic narrated by Morgan Freeman, now down to a frankly ludicrous £2.99. This is a great one to check out if the Happy Feet films are sparking off an interest in real life aquatic animals. Not many songs in that one though.

 

How to piss off a parent blogger

 

I was chuckling all day today at the tale of the blogger who got sent one shoe out of a pair to review.

So much so that by the end of the day I was wondering if it was some sort of reverse psychology PR stunt to make the shoes seem more interesting and desirable. Why didn't I get one shoe to review? I can hop. I can balance. I can do basic Irish dancing.

PRs, this will not do. What are bloggers supposed to moan about on their secret parent blogger forums if you're making us laugh instead of annoying us? So here is my definitive cut out and keep guide for PRs on how to piss off a parent blogger:

• Start your email Dear Mummy Blogger - parent bloggers LOVE that, particularly if they are men.
• Follow up by getting the name of the blog wrong. Mail merge is your friend here.
• Then say I love your blog, I've just spent all morning reading it followed by a sentence which shows that you have never actually clapped eyes on it in your life.
• Offer products for review which have no discernible relevance to the blogger in question. Quite a rich seam of parent bloggers will go apopleptic if you offer them nappies when their youngest is 24.
• Offer content for their blog including four links to your client's site, and make a big deal about how you're not going to charge them for this service. This saves the blogger from having to write their own posts which they hate doing really.
• Play Blogger Beauty Parade - ask too many bloggers to an event, then ditch the ones you don't want or simply go silent as the grave when they get in touch.
• Alternatively, offer something really cool to do or review, and when it looks like your blogger has got super excited and told their kids about it, just disappear and never mention it again. It's not like they'll bear a grudge or remember your name.
• Send an invitation at 4pm on a Friday for an event at 10am on the Monday. Tell your blogger they can only bring one of their children to your event. It's OK, they've all got a favourite.

Stay lovely!

 

PS Anybody got a single shoe they need reviewing? Will consider one sock or some chocolate covered nuts that you've licked the chocolate off instead. #prrequest

We've all gone Looney Tunes

 

How many 60 year old TV programmes do you reckon your kids would sit through? How many would keep them totally engaged and wanting to watch again?

When Warner Bros sent us a Looney Tunes box set, I was amazed to find out how old these cartoons really are. I mean, they're even older than me and that's pretty ancient. But my 8 year old and his pals have been loving them. Here's their verdict:

I like that they are really old, but new to me because I'm only 8. They're very funny. They seem a tiny bit old fashioned, but not enough to be boring.

• Road Runner - I like him because he's all fast and it's funny when he escapes from the traps
• Wile E Coyote - He always tries to use traps but ends up trapping himself and I like this
• Tom & Jerry - You don't hear them speak and when ever the cat tries to get the mouse, the mouse always finds a clever way of getting away. I like it when they whack each other because you don't really see that nowadays
• Speedy Gonzales - He's all Mexican and I find it cool that he's the fastest mouse in Mexico. He uses a lot of speed. {Please note that we are taking velocity only}
• Porky Pig - He always talks in a strange voice and doesn't always get what he wants.
• Daffy Duck - He always wants to be the winner and needs to have it his own way. He's not a bully, but he does whack people round the head a lot. Hates Bugs Bunny.
• Taz - He's in a different land to the other Looney Tunes. He can chew through anything and is very different to the rest of his family. He gets in trouble for eating the furniture. I like him because he's an individual.
• Tweety Pie - When ever the pussycat tries to get him and he just gets away, he's very casual about it. He's cute and clever.
• Bugs Bunny - I like that he's always chewing a carrot. He's very clever and gets Daffy Duck in a lot of trouble.

This is a great value box set - you get 10 DVDs (one for each character) containing 900 minutes of toon action for around £20. Plus they bash each other over the head with frying pans A LOT, yet somehow manage to be much less violent than the likes of Ben 10 or Power Rangers.

 

Looney Tunes Big Faces Box Set is out now at a bargain £22.49 from Amazon.

 

Dude, where's your tail? Dolphin Tale DVD review

 

Out this week on DVD and Blu Ray, Dolphin Tale is a surprisingly touching and charming film based on the true story of Winter the dolphin who lost his tail and had a new prosthetic tail added instead.

Eleven year old Sawyer is dadless and friendless, when he finds an injured dolphin on the beach and follows it back to Harry Connick Jr's marine hospital.

Morgan Freeman and his bucket full of gravitas also star as the prosthetics specialist who designs a new tail for Winter. So far so cheesy:

 

But as it turns out, Dolphin Tale is light on the fromage factor. This is a sweet story that's not too saccharine. A certificate U, it's suitable for all ages and would go down well as a sleepover movie or half term afternoon family film, without boring the knickers off any adults in the room.

It's surprisingly sad in parts - there's the lonely kid who finds new friends through his relationship with the dolphin, and I was particularly moved by the extra footage showing the real life Winter swimming with fellow amputees. OK, so it may have been dust in my eye, but yes I did shed a real tear. Genuinely heartwarming. I was glued to this film and couldn't turn it off, even though I needed to go and pee, which was not easy given the amount of water onscreen throughout.

We were sent the triple play version for review, so as well as a Blu Ray disc to watch, the DVD and digital download options gave us more options, and came in very handy when we wanted to show it on a laptop at sleepover time. At £14.99 I think the triple play edition is good value.

The childrens' verdict: "This was very emotional! We laughed at Rufus the funny pelican but it was sad to see the dolphin without his tail. The dolphin was super cute and it made us understand about real life amputees. There was a girl with one leg, which broke my heart, but then she saw the dolphin and was happy, it was so sweet."

Dolphin Tale is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and triple play with digital download from 13th February.

I am a rock - Journey 2: The Mysterious Island film review

 

You might have seen TV trailers for Journey 2: The Mysterious Island  which opened this week. It's a sequel to 2008's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, which I didn't see, but by all accounts was a real stinker.

So when the film company sent us tickets to see Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, I must admit that my expectations weren't exactly high. But I like sitting in the dark inhaling popcorn so we gave it a go.

And you know what - it was much better than I expected. Way better, in fact. It's a classic Saturday afternoon slice of the slightly stupid, just what every family film should be.

This journey is to a weird island where animal size is reversed. So you get elephants the size of teddy bears, and bees big enough to ride on. Which Michael Caine gleefully does.

Michael Caine riding a bee - now there's something you don't see every say.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has the sort of plot that's best not examined too closely, as it's pretty preposterous. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson spends much of the film exuding dadly wisdom, solving codes and punching mega lizards. Then he bounces berries off his chest. At one point he sits down and has a little singalong with a ukulele. As you do.

It's a little bit Lost, a little bit Jurassic Park meets Gulliver's Travels, if Gulliver had really over-developed pecs.

Since there are moments of peril, it's a PG but not a terribly scary one. There are lots of animals unexpectedly roaring out of the screen, which my 8 year old found thrilling, but which might be too much for a sensitive six year old. All in all, it's the perfect film for school age children on a half term afternoon, and parents with a high tolerance level for daftness.

 

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is out now in 2D and 3D formats