Win 1 of 3 Harry Potter xBox 360 Kinect games

Greetings all,

The Harry Potter for xBox 360 Kinect game combines all the things my children enjoy about modern day childhood - Harry Potter, live action, sibling play & computer games.  I love a healthy outdoors lifestyle for my children, however, there are days when a good quality computer game is fantastic fun too . . . something age appropriate, interactive with great graphics.  Who can deny a child leaping around the lounge room living out a Harry Potter experience from the books they so dearly love??   

The official word: 

Based on all eight Harry Potter films, Harry Potter for Kinect allows players to join Harry, Ron and Hermione  as they embark on an unforgettable journey through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and beyond.  
Giveaway prizes provided by One Green Bean.  

 My 8 year old son has been test driving this new Harry Potter game, exclusive to xBox 360 Kinect for you . . . here's a little interview with him.  I've NEVER played a computer game since Atari with my brothers in the 80s, not even a mobile phone game!!  Best leave it to the experts, who know how to turn these computer consoles on . . .  

Tell me about this new game!!  "Mum, it's like you ARE the game, because you're in control & one of the Harry Potter characters."   

Who is your favourite character??  "I made my own clone, he mimics my movements."

 "It's really fun.  You get to control what the character or clone does.  They are invisible so you can see what they are seeing."

What is your favourite part of this game??  "The duelling or the qudditch.  There are lots of different elements involved, different spells & activities.  There are bonus games too."

Was it high energy??  "Sort of.  I was sort of puffed out by the end of the game."

Would you recommend this to your friends??  "Yes.  Because it's fun & they can make their own clones too.  I like the multi player.  I played that with my sisters."

Would you like to win 1 of 3 of the new released Harry Potter for Kinect games??  Suitable for an xBox 360 Kinect, value $69.95 each.  
Just follow this blog ('join this site' on the right of this blog please, i can't tell if you follow via RSS) & 
leave a comment at this post, winners will be randomly drawn after midnight Sunday 18th November.  An extra entry per mention on your social media (Blog, Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram etc.)  Good luck, thanks One Green Bean & Warner Brothers, love Posie

PS only one week until the Mem Fox autographed book giveaway is drawn, value $19.95.

Ready Set Grover Wii game G I V E A W A Y & Lego PR

Greetings all,
Welcome to the Ready Set Grover Wii Game GIVEAWAY with a furry Grover control cover, yay!! 

 As you know, i'm all about health & fitness for my children, keeping them active & energised, not 'plugged in' to gadgets.  The one electronic gaming console we do have in our household is a Wii (Ok, it came free with our lounge television) but it's always fun & keeps them jumping about, or at the very least, waving their arms.  You should see my 4 play tennis doubles!! 

 My son was sent Ready Set Grover to test drive, it's aimed at preschoolers to promote healthy habits like nutrition, hygiene, rest & relaxation - still valid for 7 year olds!!  He waved his Wii control magic from the lounge after a particularly exhausting weekend.  The game makes you do exercise & it tells you all about healthy choices, with a handy little booklet too.  It even includes Toothbrush Time, hello!!

 Want to win 1 of 3 Wii Ready Set Grover games with the furry Grover control cover?? 
Follow this blog & leave a comment!!  Simple.  Extra entries if you spread the word.

 While i have your attention . . . we've been collecting the Ninjago Lego. Lego + Ninjas = awesome in my children's world!!  I picked some up at the local toy shop's 30% off sale.  Look at their faces, we have the complete set now (there are many more scary figurines).

 Better yet, One Green Bean sent me an advanced copy of the Ninjago Masters of Spinjitzu DVD last month, it's a spin off from the Lego, brilliant!!  Lego + Ninja + Animation = totally awesome.

The official word: "Universal Pictures release LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu . . . follows the story of four apprentices who must master the art of Spinjitzu: an ancient and powerful martial art where a ninja moves so fast his actions turn into a tornado.  The young apprentices must also master the elemental powers of Lightening, Earth, Ice and Fire in order to defeat the evil Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army . . . Now Gamadon's brother, the heroic Sensei Wu, must gather four young men and train them in the ways of the ancient art of Spinjitzu . . . stand against the dark power of Garmadon and his evil skeleton army/  if they fail, the four weapons will be list and Ninjago doomed forever."

Available in stores now for under $20 for the most fun 45 minutes of entertainment!!

Thanks everyone, good luck with the Wii Ready Set Grover giveaway, closes midnight Sunday 6th November & 3 randomly chosen winners will be announced.  Love Posie



Thanks Lego, One Green Bean & Sesame Street!!

a Lego Hero Factory G I V E A W A Y for brave little Lego fans

Greetings all,

Lego Hero Factory is not for the faint hearted, it's down right monster scary.  But isn't that what children love - transformerish Lego creations which twist & morph into the most frightening & ominous creature they can imagine??  My 4 sweet angelic children love a bit of evil Voldermort kind of horror.

My 7 year old did ask for some assistance in the construction of our complimentary new friend Raw Jaw, the revolutionary ball & socket joints are a bit tough to click in place for little fingers.  We'll be adding to the collection with his heroes Storma, Nex, Bulk & Rocka (they even have back stories on their strengths & abilities!!)  It's really suitable for ages 7-16 or fathers, i know they LOVE their Lego too!!

 The Hero Factory is set in the jungle, they're on a mission to restore peace in Quatros, by defeating the sinister, spell casting Evil Witch Doctor.  New age Lego = a unique code to unlock exclusive content at www.HeroFactory.LEGO.com + a movie on Nickelodeon, of course!!  Go old school & let your children undertake their own imaginery missions, or they can listen to Hero Factory FM for the latest Hero Challenges.  If your child is heavily into computers, there is Hero Recon to customise their own Hero at www.herorecon.lego.com. 

Raw Jaw is nice & solid, bits have not been falling off him & he's been in a few battles this weekend, yes, including smurfs (i have my original ones from the 1980's, mum saved them for me with my childhood Lego). 

Ok, so he is MUCH loved & has had a few kisses.

Just a little shout out that Lego Creator released Lighthouse Island, Hillside House & Cool Cruiser last month, along with The Hidden Forest, The Knight Bus & Howarts to the Harry Potter range.  For the Star Wars freaks, you can add a bunch of new Lego to your collection with very scary names like Sith Nightspeeder & Ewok Attack - i thought Ewoks were cute, squeaky & cuddly??  Must be wrong.      

Have you noticed this on my side bar "it's always Lego time at our house" keep scrolling.  I queued up almost 2 hours in Canberra Winter to see creations like this cuckoo clock at the Lego Brick Expo - which was so good i spread it over 2 posts here & here.  We are nothing if not devoted to Lego.

Alrighty, the friendly folk at One Green Bean & Lego are offering . . .
3 boxes of Hero Factory to giveaway, value $19.99 each. 
Just follow this blog & leave a comment here, da dah, you're in.  The 3 lucky winners will be drawn randomly, at 9p.m. on Sunday 11th September 2011, good luck!!

Before you go, some feel good Lego facts . . . the Lego Group is still a private family company in Denmark, devoted to children's creative & imagination abilities, available in 130 countries.  Lego was founded in 1932 (the year my daddy was born & the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened) - a very good year indeed.  Love Posie

PS Massive thanks to all the interesting feedback & comments on yesterday's post!!  I'm responding to everyone with an email contact, such a wonderful, hearty opinions from all sides.  You're the best!!

launch your children into outer space with this MEGA LEGO G I V E A W A Y

Greetings all,

Oh yes, it's MEGA Lego G I V E A W A Y time.  Launch your children into outer space with $500+ worth of Lego!!  There are 2 complete Lego CIty NASA Space sets to giveaway. 

Are you ready for the count down??

 Control centre ready for launch sequence.

 Have we packed space food sticks??

 Look at all the complicated Lego computer screens.

 BLAST OFF!!

 The gorgeous folks at One Green Bean & Lego sent my 4 lucky children the complete range of the latest Lego City NASA Space to test drive . . . 4 boxes of rockets, launch pads, trucks, moon buggies & astronauts.  Oh boy have they been having fun, playing together, helping each other build & set up all sorts of space launches, landings on the moon, excellent.  The boy even follows the instructions - yes, I am even creating a future man who actually reads instructions, my gift to the world!!   

 My mother used to find me asleep in a pool of Lego on my bed - our boy sleeps with Lego too.  He has ALL my childhood Lego which my parents so lovingly kept, waiting for the day i had children (which was the 2 big years between me leaving home to get married & having our first child in my early 20s).  They still have my Uni text books, ha!!  The children love all the Lego they inherited, from my brothers' 1960s truck pieces to my 1980s Fabuland Lego animals. 

 This full set is fantastic, with so many parts to play in the space missions.  Your children will be launched into outer space & beyond (if they're into black holes, time warps & all that geeky space galaxy stuff).

 It's a WHOLE lot of Lego to win . . .

 boxes & boxes . . .

 & hours of fun with your imagination.

Want to win one of two sets, valued at $279.96 each??  Just follow this blog & tell me what Lego means to you, who will be the playing with this amazing prize??  Extra entries per Blog/ Twitter/ FB mention of this giveaway too.
Good luck everyone, winners drawn Sunday 29th May at 9p.m.  Love Posie

snuggle down with this IKEA G I V E A W A Y

Greetings all,

It's IKEA G I V E A W A Y time again!!  Yahoo.  As Australia starts to get chilly in Autumn, it's snuggle time.  What better way to embrace the looming Winter months than with some pretty new bedlinen??

 Remember that really fun IKEA sleepover i was lucky enough to attend a few weeks back, sleeping over night in the bedding department at the Sydney IKEA store . . . well i can assure you the bedlinen is beautiful, comfortable & well priced too.

 The good PR people at One Green Bean & IKEA would love to offer 3 sets of ALVINE KVIST percale bedlinen sets to my followers.  Each set includes a queen 200x200cm Quilt Cover & 4 Pillow Slips, valued at $89.  Yes 3 to GIVEAWAY.

Make sure you're a follower of this blog & leave a comment at this post, simple!! 
Extra entries if you advertise this giveaway on your Blog, FB or Twitter too. 
Lucky winners - all 3 of you - to be drawn 9p.m. on Sunday 8th May (Mother's Day) - a nice back up gift just in case you don't fair well in the Mother's Day gift stakes!! 

I'd love to know which room in your home this beautiful bedlinen will liven up & who will be snuggling down under it.  How do you stay cosy in Winter - under a doona, next to a roasting fire, hot chocolates . . . I can assure you, i miss my husband more than ever in our brrrr Canberra Winter, he's my giant hot water bottle & chief hot chocolate brewer.  Good luck, love Posie

the FIRST IKEA Sydney sleepover

Greetings all,
Well what can i say, this was SO MUCH FUN!!  Thank you One Green Bean for inviting me & IKEA for the awesome hospitality at the sleepover last night in Sydney.  10000 ladies across Australia entered & 25 lucky girls were chosen to attend the party with their best friend, for the ultimate sleepover party in everybody's favourite furniture department store. 

 After changing into pyjamas & gowns, we were invited into Smalland where we got to play up like our children in the ball pit, see saws & just go nuts, it was a blast.

 I might mention now we had male models to wait on us all night & play with us too!!

 The night was filled with television cameras & interviews, IKEA will be making a movie & the Today Show will televise it on Sunday morning (channel 9) - their sweet reporter was very brave in the ball pit in that dress!! 

 Then we went on a treasure hunt to find the bedding we'd be sleeping in (& get to keep in an Oprah style "you get a doona" kind of fashion) so a haul of sheets, quilt cover set + doona of our choice (warm for Canberra) & pillow to suit how you sleep (i'm a side/ belly sleeper - i slept like a baby with my new pillow).

 While my bedding was being delivered to bed number 11 . . . we dined at pretty tables with flowers & heard from the volunteer manager of Bear Cottage (the hospice for terminally ill children which IKEA Family supports - they donated $5000 to them on the night, $100 for every lady at the sleepover).

 I was behind a queue of hungry meat ball lovers, but i went for salmon & vegetables, oh & a muffin & a chocolate mousse & a bread roll & a slice of cake & an organic juice - no, i didn't eat it all at once!!

 After dinner we were escourted to the bedding department which was about to be transformed into a massive sleepover party by making up all the beds!!

 Check it out, Johnsons&Johnsons bags filled with incredible products . . . i'm sharing my bounty with my daughters (my son has already taken the toothbrush) & my darling Shop Handmade girls!!  Thank you J&J - loving it all.

 Now where are these guys when i'm making up all the beds at my home??  They seriously took love & care with my hospital corners (they found out my husband was military & knew i'd have standards) & even turned down my bed like seasoned housekeepers at the Intercontinental.

 Oh yes, really, sleeping in the bedding department!!

 It was very well organised, we felt very welcome, thanks ladies!!

 I was bam smack in the middle of all the beds, so guess where the cameraman on the ladder was . . . RIGHT above me, taking all the shots of us ALL in bed at the same time.  I was thinking about the most flattering chin angle i could pose while fake sleeping!!

 Complimentary slippers, check.

 There were activities all night . . . this fortune teller was hilarious.

 Oh heavenly, massages for everyone.

 Manicures were very popular late into the night.

 There were best friends having a great girlie catch up.  Lots of pyjama chat too - i went into Peter Alexander in Chatswood at lunchtime to pick out a new set of jammies & a robe, only to find another lucky IKEA sleepover lady doing the same thing - what are the chances??  So we made sure we chose different sets & caught up at the event - turns out, she teaches as my old school!!

  Girls giving midnight DIY a go, as you do!!

 These lucky ladies had a full room set up as their bedroom for the night, ah serenity (these mummies have 9 children between, a tranquil night off indeed).

 We were all settling in & making new friends, talking late into the night.

 The male models brought around chilled bottles of water & sparkling apple cidar. 

 Mmmm midnight snacks.

 It's not a girlie sleepover without chick flicks - first up "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" & "Valentine's Day" which amazingly are girlie movies i was happy to watch.

 This chill out zone was popular, what better way to spend a Friday night, flopped out with girlfriends in front of big screens - i had a neat view of both from my bed!!  Look at this lovely lady in her pretty night gown, she was gorgeous, truly a night for girls of all ages.

 Oh, more food . . . a full breakfast & no, couldn't finish all this either!!

 Oh yes, we all ROLLED out of IKEA in the morning, so well looked after, filled bellies, whole new range of bedlinen & every possible toiletry a girl could ever want for + new friends. 

 This was how i left my hire car at sunset on Friday night, told you i hired the smallest car possible!!

So there you have it, the first ever sleepover at IKEA in Australia, a huge night of fun & freebies . . . rumour has it Melbourne is next??!!  Stay tuned, love Posie
EDIT: yes, i did get some sleep, about 2-6a.m. - i can't watch Valentine's Day with the soldier reunion part without crying my eyes out so i went to sleep early & . . . yes, i was on my own, i was the only solo girl there, my gal pal Abi couldn't come at the last minute (some excuse about not leaving an 8y.o. home alone, her husband was working, & responsible parenting, whatever) but there will be a GIVEAWAY of lots of IKEA goodies!!