It’s real folks – an IVF lottery, the world’s first in fact. UK Fertility Charity To Hatch is set to launch a monthly jackpot, the winner of which will receive £25, 000 worth of fertility treatments at one of the country’s top clinics.

If standard IVF fails, the winner will be offered donor eggs, reproductive surgery or even surrogate births. Couples will be offered a tailor-made service.

Ticket prices had been announced at £20 each and as you can imagine, the Baby Lottery has provoked a massive public outcry.

Critics have an ethical problem with reducing human life to a mere game and sensational newspaper headlines have focused on the ‘win a baby scenario’ as opposed to the idea that the prize is treatment, not a baby.

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It’s all good and well raising a generation of techno tots but the little monkeys shorten the life span of all things electronic. With the help of grubby hands and sticky saliva, screens are decimated and buttons obliterated.

My poor mobile looks like a dog’s breakfast… make that a baby’s breakfast.

In a bid to save our cellulars, Fisher-Price has come up with a nifty little gadget that will allow our wee ones to enjoy our phones, without destroying them completely. The new baby iPhone case is a rubberised Laugh & Learn Baby iCan Play Case which lets babies enjoy their very own apps while protecting mum or dad’s iPhone or iTouch!

It’s easy to use; simply place the mobile into the case, twist the lock, and the electronic is protected from baby’s dribble and drool. The durable, rubber case holds the device behind a clear film to protect the screen and the gadget’s easy-grasp handles are sized just right for baby to hold.

The new baby iPhone case is the perfect way to let baby be in control while protecting electronic components, and it also entertains baby even without a device inside, thanks to rattle beads on the handles and a mirror on the back.

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Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. There is a reason that this phrase has become a cliché; it’s totally true.

My little daughter LOVES my jewellery; it’s not all diamonds (sadly) but it’s pretty, shiny and there’s some bling in there as well… a precursor to diamonds in the eyes of a near-two-year-old.

Now, I don’t mind if my sweet one thieves my beads and baubles but I’m not quite sure I’d trust my engagement ring in her greedy little clutches.

I do however like the idea of collecting some nice jewellery for her that’s not all plastic and Perspex, and H.Samuel has a fab range of jewellery for little girls.

Perfect for gifts and keepsakes, the High Street retailer has expanded its children’s silver range with the inclusion of the Little Princess collection by Childhood Memories.

The children’s range also four friendship bracelets, twenty four name necklaces, character beads, letter beads A to Z, number beads 1 to 9 and Peppa Pig charm bracelets and pendants. The Peppa Pig jewellery comes complete with a pink Peppa Pig gift box.

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I have a passion for literature and I get ridiculously excited when I read about enthusiastic projects that share my love for books.

And there is a real goody going on at the moment.

Supported by the actor Joanna Lumley, who has a holiday home nearby, the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust has launched a global appeal for £4m to save the house from ruin and return it and the garden to their original splendour.

The derelict and decaying building and its garden were saved from demolition by a local trust and the aim is to transform the mansion and the accompanying land into a national children’s literature centre.

Alongside the shop and cafe catering for tourists and visitors, the house will operate as an educational and cultural centre for local schools and JM Barrie enthusiasts and scholars.

Moat Brae, a late Georgian villa in the rural town of Dumfries, was the playground for acclaimed novelist JM Barrie.

The sloping, terraced garden that overlooks a gentle river inspired Neverland, the magical kingdom where Peter Pan and Tinkerbell flew into battle against Captain Hook, an adventure that has captured the imaginations of millions of real-life children.

Recapturing the essence of Neverland – its magic and freedom – is a great way to inspire a love for reading in children. Not only that, in rescuing Moat Brae a piece of cultural history is being preserved; and culture is important in the establishment of identity within a social structure.

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Are you excited to pop out a baby girl this year? If so, listen up; the MailOnline reports that the latest estimates reveal that a girl born this year is almost eight times more likely to reach the age of 100 than her grandmother.

What about the lads? While a baby girl has more than a one in three chance of becoming a centenarian, a baby boy has a one in four chance. Still pretty good odds I reckon.

I hit the big three-O next year; a little daunting admittedly! According to experts, I have nothing to worry about; twenty-year-olds are three times more likely to reach 100 than those of their grandparents’ age, and roughly twice as likely to reach 100 than those of their parents’ generation in their fifties.

So I potentially have plenty of years left to fulfill those long-forgotten dreams. Good to know although my twenties have been pretty good years – BRING ON 30!

Now, back to the point: the fact that overall a baby born this year is almost eight times more likely to reach 100 than one born in 1931, emphasises the extreme differences in life expectancy between generations.

Current trends suggest that by 2066 there will be at least half a million people aged 100 or more – and I could be one of those half a million people.  Thinking that far ahead is pretty daunting but the more I think about it, the more I am of the opinion that although old age is not the most pleasant of contemplations, more time with my precious family is a beautiful thought.

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