First Act Discovery Ukulele - Review and GIveaway

When I was younger my musical talents didn't manage to stretch further than twinkle twinkle little star on the keyboard and an ok version of three blind mice on the recorder. It's not that I don't like music, I love listening to other people play their instruments, I just wasn't blessed with the musical genes. My little brother on the other hand is actually quite good, he plays the bass guitar in his own band and is quite the dab hand with his ukulele. 

Now my kids all adore their uncle and all look up to him in a their own way and when I was asked if I'd like to review the First Act Discovery Ukulele, it was my eight year old who jumped for joy and proclaimed that her Uncle Alec could teach her how to play. And if that wasn't enough, it turns out that her teacher is also a really talented ukulele player and she recently bought in her instrument to school to demonstrate just how fun it is to make songs with.

The First Act Ukulele isn't a 'toy' instrument, it is the real thing. It comes complete with:

Magic Belles Magic Music Review

I am a huge fan of the Magic Belles. I have had the pleasure of working with them on a baking project in the past and my girls are members of their Flutterby club, so when I was asked to review their new CD, Magic Music, how could I refuse.

This lovely CD consists of 7 songs :

1. Magic Symphony

2. Dreams Come True

3. The Rainbow Song

4. Bake It, Shake It

5. The Pom-Pom Dance

6. How Does Your Garden Grow?

7. Twinkle Twinkle

Doc McStuffin and Sofia the First CDs Review

My girls are huge fans of the channel Disney Junior on the TV and they are even bigger fans of the newest programmes to be broadcast on the channel, Doc McStuffin and Sofia the First.

I was asked to review the soundtrack CDs that accompany these TV programmes and there was no way the girls were going to let me turn down this opportunity.

So let me tell you a little bit about the programmes, just incase you haven't had the chance to watch them yet, yes I watch them too!! :)

Doc Mcstuffin follows a 6 year old girl named Dottie McStuffin, she wants to become a doctor like her mum, so pretends to fix up dolls, toys etc. When she puts on her stethoscope all the toys magically come alive and she is able to communicate with them. She has her trusty stuffed animal friends, lambie, stuffie, hallie and chilly. Each episode gives advice to your children about staying healthy, helped along with catchy songs.

Sofia the First follows Sofia, who after her mum marries the king, is whisked off to the castle where she learns to be a real princess.

Classic princesses such as Cinderella make appearances to give words of wisdom as Sofia learns lessons about kindness, forgiveness, generosity and self respect.

And of course some beautifully worded songs help relay these messages.

These CDs are a great edition to any little girls CD collection.

There are 26 songs on the Doc McStuffin CD. All the songs are quite short which makes for easy listening and you will recognise them all from the TV series, especially the well known time for your check up

All very upbeat and catchy, you can't help but know the words and sing along.

I asked the girls their favourite songs on the Doc Mcstuffin soundtrack :

Elise said : a lambie like you

Freya said : everyone gets hurt sometimes

Gracie : be good to your tummy

The songs help relay messages of being healthy and looking after yourself and others but in a way that is fun to children.

There are 13 songs on the Sofia the FIrst CD, this includes 2 bonus tracks. Starting with the theme tune, you are immediately made to get up and dance. The girls loved singing along to their favourite songs and it made them remember watching certain episodes of the programme. The series itself is aimed at 2-7 year olds and I would say the CD is aimed at the same age range. I wouldn't say it is just for girls because my almost 2 year old nephew loves to watch Princess Sofia.

When asked for their favourite songs on the Sofia the First soundtrack :

Elise said : true sisters

Freya said : princess things

Gracie said : Sofia the First theme tune

The CDs themselves were even made to look good, bright purple for Sofia and the Doc McStuffin one was designed with plasters all over it.

The booklets inside that tell you about each song have beautiful pictures of the characters from the television programmes,

I would recommend these CDs to anyone, even if you haven't watched the programmes before.

The songs managed to keep my children entertained for hours and they were all singing along to them together, they actually managed a couple of hours without arguing with each other!!

Disney have yet again produced enjoyable CDs that are fun for anyone who listens to them.

I will admit that even I know a few of the songs and yes I do sing along to them.

You can't tell me you haven't found yourself singing along to your childrens TV programmes/CDs before??

xxxx

Disclaimer : These CDs were sent to me free of charge for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ultimate Summer Driving List

I've been tagged by the one that is Distressed Housewife to join in a musical meme of the Ultimate Summer Driving List. Not the easiest of tasks because I feel there are so many great tracks that I could add to this list but then you would be reading this post forever.

My music taste is very mixed, I like everything from pop, to rock, from dance to indie. Over the years my favourite artists have changed, just like the posters on my bedroom walls.

Everyone else seems to be sticking with 12 songs, I've decided to go with a mix of old and new, so without further ado, turn up the volume and enjoy!!

1) Paramore - Misery Business
I am a huge fan of paramore and this single is what made me love them in the first place.

2) Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Can't hold us
This song has been a big favourite for many people this year, it can't fail at getting you up and dancing in my opinion.

3) Foo Fighters - Everlong
This is my all time favourite band and with so many songs it was hard picking just one. I have to admit I prefer the accoustic version.

4) McFly - Star girl
Now for any of my readers that listened to Chris Moyles on Radio 1 you will know why I heart this song. Every friday on the Chris Moyles show it was McFly day and this song had me dancing around like a loon every week.

5) Chase & Status - Lost and not found
I was truly gutted to miss seeing them in Ibiza this year, tune!!!!!

6) Oasis - Some might say
Now what's a tracklist without a bit of Oasis. Actually the song that I love the most of theirs is the masterplan but I thought it was a bit down beat so this was my second choice.

7) Eminem - The real slim shady

Yes I was one those people that was extremely obssessed with this man, I had his pictures all over my wall and I knew all of the lyrics :)

8) Rudimental - Not giving in

This track is on my running playlist, always manages to keep me going.

9) House of pain - Jump around

This song I would count as a classic, it does indeed make you get up and jump around!!

10) Kasabian - Underdog

Now I am picking this track for Daddy Hazelden as obviously he would be in the car with me. We have been to see this band twice and even the kids love this song.

11) Tinie Tempah - Passout
Not really sure why I picked this but when scrolling through my iTunes, it just seemed to call to me.

12) Maroon 5 - Moves like jagger

There was a time when this song seemed to be played on repeat but it just never gets old.

So there we have it, a little view into what my music collection is like, I think I may go and put this play list onto a CD now!!

I am now going to tag @OutnumberedMum, @loopyrach, @FamilyFever, @SThurley49, @SuperBusyMum and @chanson2010 to create their own Ultimate Summer Driving List.

xxxx

Teen Beach Movie Soundtrack Review

I think sometimes a film can really be recognised when it has a great soundtrack to accompany it. 

Disney premiered it's latest film, Teen Beach Movie, last Friday, the 19th of July on the Disney channel and I was lucky enough to be sent a digital copy of the soundtrack to listen to and review.

The newest film to come from Disney is described as a contemporary surf-rock musical. With main characters Mckenzie (Maia Mitchell and Brady (Ross Lynch), it depicts how 1960's sensibilities motivate a modern girl to affirm her capabilities, strengths and goals. 

The soundtrack consists of 12 tracks as well as 3 bonus instrumental tracks, it is a good mix of rock and pop. 

1. Oxgen - Maia Mitchell

2. Surf Crazy - Spencer Lee, Keely Hawkes and cast

3. Cruisin for a Bruisin - Ross Lynch, Grace Phipps and Jason Evigan

4. Fallin for ya - Grace Phipps

5. Meant to be - Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, Grace Phipps, Spencer lee, Garrett Clayton

6. Like me - Maia Mitchell, Ross Lynch, Grace Phipps, Spencer Lee and cast

7. Meant to be (reprise 1) - Spencer Lee and Grace Phipps

8. Can't stop singing - Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell

9. Meant to be (reprise 2) - Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell

10. Surf's up - Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell and cast

11. Coolest cat's in town - Grace Phipps, Spencer Lee and Jason Evigan

12. Surf crazy finale - Teen beach movie cast

13. Cruisin for a bruisin (instrumental)

14. Fallin for ya (instrumental)

15. Surf's up (instrumental)

My girls loved listening to this. They were able to dance around the room and my eldest after having it on repeat has started to learn the words and sing along to it as well, very catchy tunes in my opinion.

The music I would describe as quite "retro" which works well with the theme of the film and it most certainly kept my daughter's entertained. 

The film itself is aimed more at children between the ages on 6 and and 14 years old but the soundtrack can be enjoyed by people of all ages. My 3 year old Gracie was having a whale of a time jumping around to the different songs. And anyone that knows me will tell you that I love a good beat, so yes I was jumping around like a loon to the music too!!

When I asked my kids what their favourite song off the album was, I was surprised that for once they all picked something different instead of the same song :

Gracie said - "my favourite was Surf's up because it is fun to dance to"

Freya said -  "my favourite was Oxygen because the girl has a lovely voice"

Elise said - "my favourite was Meant To Be, I love the girl and boy singing together"

With a mix of fast and slow paced songs, there is definitely something for everyone on this soundtrack, it compliments the film well, another quality product from Disney.

This soundtrack is now available to purchase from the shops, online or download it from iTunes right now, great Summer CD!!!

Disclaimer : I was sent a digital copy of this soundtrack free of charge for reviewing purposes however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monsters University Soundtrack Review

Now if you didn't know it by now, we are huge Disney fans in the Hazelden household, well if you don't count Daddy Hazelden that is!! So when I was offered the chance to review the Monsters University Soundtrack I said a big fat YES.

Monsters University is the newest film from Disney-Pixar, coming to a cinema near you this Summer. The director, Dan Scanlon, said that he really wanted to capture the "college feel" in Monsters University and of the course the music was a really big part of that. To convey a fun, freewheeling college atmosphere, Scanlon included musicians Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso (of swedish house mafia) on the soundtrack.

I love this CD, all the music is composed and conducted by the wonderful Randy Newman. The music really is his typical style which I think a lot of us have come to love from films like the original Monster Inc and Toy Story. It really brings the various scenes of the film to life without actually having to watch it. 

Now this isn't your typical "soundtrack" in my opinion, it is more of a "score" because there is actually only one song on the album with lyrics and that is the final song on the CD, this however doesn't take away from the brilliance of the music. I think because there different tempo songs that portray different emotions, it really keeps you interested. 

Here is the track listing :

1. Randy Newman - Main Title

 2. Randy Newman - Young Michael

 3. Randy Newman - First Day at MU

 4. Randy Newman - Dean Hardscrabble

 5. Randy Newman - Sulley

 6. Randy Newman - Scare Pig

 7. Randy Newman - Wasted Potential

 8. Randy Newman - Oozma Kappa

 9. Randy Newman - Stinging Glow Urchin

 10. Randy Newman - Field Trip

 11. Randy Newman - Rise and Shine

 12. Randy Newman - The Library

 13. Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso - Roar

 14. Randy Newman - The Scare Games

 15. Randy Newman - Did You Do This?

 16. Randy Newman - Human World

 17. Randy Newman - The Big Scare

 18. Randy Newman - Goodbyes

 19. Randy Newman - Mike and Sulley

 20. Randy Newman - Monsters University

It is funny actually, the kids and I all had the same favourite song, Scare Pig, I think maybe because it was a bit more rocky with a faster pace?? 

I think Newman made the music really stand out by adding in the drums and the wonderful composer also said that he incorporated concert band music to really exemplify the feeling of being in school and I have to say I really do think he achieved this!!

Available now, in digital release only, this soundtrack is a great way to introduce classical sounds to your children, keeping it fun and entertaining, it is one for all of the family to listen to, it is just under an hour long, definitely worth the money you pay.

Disclaimer : I was sent a a copy of this soundtrack to download free of charge to review however all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disney Shake It Up CD Review

I was lucky enough to receive the new CD from Disney to review. Well I say me, my daughters were the ones doing the reviewing really.

Everything Disney is a big hit in the Hazelden household and this CD definitely impressed us. My 2 eldest children are big fans of the Disney hit show Shake It Up so they were very excited when I showed them what had arrived in the post.

With 11 main tracks and another 6 bonus tracks, this CD will keep your kids dancing for hours. There are mixture of fast and slow songs and as you can see from the video below, the "tunes" as my kids said, were a big hit. With a mix of pop and dance, my daughters aged from 3 years old to 7 years old all found their own ways to move around to the music.

When I asked them what their favourite song on the CD was, they all agreed on "Beat Of My Drum" by Zendaya. 

I have to admit, I even found myself dancing too, although my children weren't as impressed with my dance moves as I was with theirs!! Embarassing mum springs to mind. 

I would recommend this CD to other parents buying for their children, keeps the kids happy and it gets them up and moving, meaning they are exercising without evening knowing it, a great bonus in my eyes!!! I think it would also be good to use at children's parties too. I'm hoping to sneak it into the car when Daddy Hazelden isn't looking :)

xxxx

Disclaimer : This CD was sent to me for free for reviewing purposes all views and opinions are my own

Hands up who has bought Hands Up???

Next week sees the release of Justin Fletchers debut album Hands Up. I was lucky enough to of been given a copy early to have a listen to, well I say me but as soon as it came through the post the kids took it away from me!!!

You probably all know Justin from the television in programmes such as something special, gigglebiz and his new programme Justin's House but he has decided to ventured into the world of music and let me tell you I'm glad he did.

The album has 20 different tracks ranging from classic children's songs to some brand new funky songs :

1. Hands Up

2. The Hokey Cokey

3. Music Man

4. The Sun Has Got His Hat On

5. The Grand Old Duke Of York

6. The Teddy Bear's Picnic

7. Heads Shoulders Knees And Toes

8. Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf

9. The Laughing Policeman

10. Old MacDonald

11. Nellie The Elephant

12. Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

13. Incy Wincy Spider

14. The Wheels On The Bus

15. If You're Happy And You Know It

16. Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush

17. Ten In A Bed

18. Frère Jacques

19. The Sailor's Lament

20. Justin's Lullaby

I have to say this has been on repeat since it came into the house, all of my kids have loved dancing to it and they range from ages 6 down to 2 so it definitely appeals to everyone. My eldest daughter has started singing along to the songs and even making up dance routines to teach to her sisters.

My personal favourie is the signature tune Hands Up and a lot more adults have come to love this album as they have started exercising to it.

One lovely man Steven has even vlogged along with his 3 year old daughter to show you how they have benefited from it and here are some guidelines that he has written to help you with it :

Having danced to the album with my 3-year-old daughter I would say that participating in the full album is theequivalent of 40 minutes of low-impact aerobic exercise.

This would be similar to going for a brisk walk, or dancing! Based on a 200lb adult, this sort of exercise generally burns around 350 calories per 40 minutes.

This is the equivalent of

40g of kettle chips (Any flavour) and

175ml glass of white or red wine.

However, I've come up with ways to make the Hands Up Album a more HIGH-impact aerobic activity, by incorporating lunges, squats and jumps for the adults (see below) in order to make the songs more cardio vascular. This sort of exercise works the large muscle groups in the legs i.e. the glutes, quads, hamstrings and calf’s and some of the movements would help to work on the core too. This would take the calorie burn for a 200lb person up to around 420 calories.

420 calories is the equivalent to

Pain au chocolate and a Skinny Latte from Starbucks

Calories burned during exercise depends on your weight and, more specifically, your BMI (Body Mass Index) so while it would be correct to say that you can burn up to

420 calories doing the Hands Up Album, this figure is based on a person of 200lbs (14 stone). If we're appealing to mums, the average woman weighs around 11 stone so the calorie burn would becloser to 283 calories. Which would be the equivalent of

A Mini Milk Chocolate Bar

And a large Cappuccino with skimmed milk!

From the M&S cafe

  

“As a “stay at home” parent myself Ithink it would be great for health conscious mums (and dads) to know that while they’re singing along and dancing with their children in doors, they’re “earning” calorie treats to have later. If they spend 40 minutes participating in the CD in the more high impact ways I’ve suggested, they can enjoy a “guilt-free” treat later!”

How to make the Album more high impact:

Here are a few examples.

"Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush"

The key to making this song more high impact aerobically is for adults to keep fit together and "jump" around the Mulberry bush to the beat of the music, rather than just "walking around". This would make the motion during the song, similar to skipping, which if carried out for 3 minutes (the duration of the song), is a GREAT cardio work out.

"The Hokey Cokey"

I suggest holding light weights while doing the actions to give the arms a work out (you can use wrist weights orthere are objects all around the house you can use as weights) while making a punching action for the left and right arm "in/out" sequence.

Also, when you do the Hokey Cokey, you should be jumping, legs together, into the middle, rather that just walkingforwards and backwards.

The "knees bend, arms stretch, rah rah rah" part can incorporate a squat.

For the part where you put your left leg in and take your left leg out, adults could perform a lunge, which works the Glutes.

"The Laughing Policeman"

Marching on the spot during the verses with high knees is an excellent cardio work out, but the key to this song is holding a plank position for the duration of the policeman's laugh. Four 15second bursts of laughter, which is a great core, work out and the kids will love seeing you trying not to laugh.

"Heads Shoulders Knees And Toes"

A classic song for bending, stretching and touching your toes but we could make it a bit harder by doing dynamic squats.

Finally, the title song “Hands Up” is such a good dance tune that you can do all kinds of high impact dance moveswith jumps etc that will really get the heart and lungs working!

The CD can provide a fun “home work-out” for parents. Because most of these songs have a fast beat and high tempo rhythm, they lend themselves brilliantly to a work-out for adults and a fun time for kids, which is healthy to everyone.

If you can cut out 500 Calories from your daily intake then you will lose 1lb per week which is a really healthy weight loss and because it’s done gradually it’s more likely that you will keep the weight off, so by doing this album with your kids daily you are more likely to hit this target.

Why not give it a go and let us know if you enjoy it to, you have to admit it looks like fun and it is a great way to interact with your child at the same time as losing weight. I will be giving it a go come the Summer once I have given birth.

The album is available to buy on the 5th of March but you can pre order it now from Amazon, HMV or Sainsburys. 

Once you have bought the album feel free to let Justin know what you think of it either on his facebook page or on his twitter page and don't forget to use the hash tag #handsupjustin

xxx

Who loves Justin Fletcher ..... Put your Hands Up

Well lovely blog readers I just thought I would let you know that I have been one of a lucky few chosen to receive a  copy of Justin Fletchers new album before it is officially released.

Hands Up the single will be out on the 14th of November and Hands up the Album will be out on the 21st November but it is available to pre order here : https://bitly.com/sQpZ46

You can now find Justin on twitter @_JustinFletcher 

and his Facebook page is   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-Fletcher/170941312992806 where there is already a sneak preview of his new video!!!!!

This is already a big hit with my three girls, I know this one is going to be played on repeat. 

xxxx