"But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold."

When Paper Mario was released on the N64 it somehow completely slipped my attention and Ive never had the chance to play it since. When Paper Mario on the Wii was release though I was completely hooked. The story was completely different to any other Mario game I had previously played and there was a new villain to try and defeat. Playing as my favourite mustachioed plumber with the added bonus of flipping from 2d to 3d was AMAZING and I became a hermet for a couple of days while I completed it. It did take me a while to work out one part from what I could remember because there was a glitch, but it was worth every minute spent playing.

When Paper Mario: Sticker star was released on the 3ds we rushed out to get a copy because I had told the boys how much I had enjoyed playing the previous game. The boys were not disappointed and they still love playing the game now. So when we were doing our usual mooching around on the Nintendo website and spotted the upcoming game Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Bros we couldn't wait to give the next installment a try. Nintendo do such a good job of dragging you in to the games and most of the Nintendo fans I know have been following many of the characters since early on.

Unlike any of the other Paper Mario titles, Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Bros includes both Paper Mario and his more lumpy counterpart when two alternate universes collide and they need to join forces to help each other out. One of the things that I loved from the very start of the game is that you are controlling both Mario and Luigi on the same screen using one button to make Mario jump and another to make Luigi do the same. When Paper Mario then gets thrown in to the equation too you can perform trio moves to get past obstacles and progress through the game. You can use the trio to add power in to your attacks, totem like The legends of Zelda Tri Force heroes and send the slender brother through tight squeezes With puzzles to complete and Pokemon style battles to take part in along the way the game has something for everyone. 

With two princess' to rescue and two Bowser's to defeat, Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Bros is shaping up to be a fantastic game and I am looking forward to getting stuck in over the festive season. Now I've got to try and get the boys off of the game for a bit of Paper Jam craft, I've made my Goomba!

Happy gaming.

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."

Being a stay at home dad there always seems to be so much to do in the house on a daily basis and as I like to prioritise our play time over everything else there just doesn't seem to be enough time to take care of it all. That probably sounds like I'm complaining a little but I wouldn't have it any other way, playtime is the most important part of our day. It's nice though when the children get a little older and they can help out with daily tasks and I can make it into a game, 'first one to tidy up the toys doesn't smell like the back of the bin van!'.

Mornings are always the most stressful especially getting Seth ready for school and making sure that Mrs M has everything she needs for work and were out the door on time. Thanks to our house becoming a sort of co-op of businesses, the opening of 'Opeie's Diner' has really taken the load off in regards to the making of breakfast. 

The Le Toy Van Toaster Set has been a life saver, fueling up the troops before departure and our happy little entrepreneur diner owner is more than happy buttering round after round of tasty play toast. The toaster has been used daily since the diner opened and I can see why, the vintage design is so cute and the spring action that pops your toast up when done is fantastic for children's role play. 

Opeie loves chopping and cutting when we're playing with the play food so being able to slice the butter with the knife and plate that comes with the set went down well and he loves serving our toast with plenty of butter and jam on. The chunky wooden design is great for younger role playing enthusiasts as its very robust and there's no fear of small parts coming off, which is great for us busy parents that need to pop out of their sight briefly at times.

I can see that the Toaster will continue to be one of Opeie's favourite role playing toys and its got me looking at the Other great items from the Le Toy Van Range. As Opeie changes his menu he'll need the appliances to keep up. I'm thinking that play baking will be next on our agenda. In the meantime Opeie can keep the buttery breakfast coming our way.

 

The Le Toy Van Toaster Set can be found at Biggamehunters.co.uk along with a great selection of Le Toy Van products that compliment the set beautifully.

"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is."

Over the past few weeks we have become a family of scrumpers, foraging for food wherever we can find it. It all started when Mrs M took us to an apple tree not far from where she used to live, turns out though that there are literally apple trees everywhere, I've just never paid much attention until now.

So armed with our supermarket hessian bags or apple sacks as they have now become we have been Investigating all over and have been lucky enough to have picked around 10 large bags of various kinds of the juicy treat (three of those this morning).

The boys have really been getting involved and our foraging exploits have been teaching them a valuable lesson in sustainability. It's also great for teaching them to respect the food that they eat (plus it always tastes that little bit better when you know you have picked it yourself).

It's not just apples that have been getting all our attention though. We've found plums and pears in a derelict monastery orchard which was a great find, elderberries, hazelnuts and buckets of blackberries (which you can find everywhere this time of year). We've definitely taken full advantage of our surrounding area and had lots of fun in the process. If people could see Mrs M riding around on my shoulders, us giggling like teenagers while she reaches for apples they would think we were hilarious.

Recently Mrs M has gone into her usual preparation for hibernation mode, which she does every year for winter, so our new found love of foraging means that there are plenty of pies in the freezer ready for thoring out, bags of peeled and cored apples for winter cooking, not to mention a lovely selection of chutneys and jams. Mrs M's squirrel like tendencies are adorable and she really looks after me and the boys, we will always be eternally greatful for what she does for us. We're a great team and doing everything as a family is so important, it keeps us close. We will continue to forage while the fruit is available and will definitely be more prepared for next years harvest.