Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure - Review

Noah is a big Octonauts fan and it’s actually something that took me by surprise because with Isla being the older sister she really does dominate what channels are watched in our house and I thought we’d lost CBeebies forever! But somehow he managed to reclaim the channel and he is now permitted by her ladyship to watch Peter Rabbit and The Octonauts. He loves it, sings the theme tune and has already asked for an Octonauts birthday cake (birthday in 2 months time). When I told him that we were going to see the live show, he was so excited and actually Isla loves the theatre and the fact that it wasn’t one of her choice didn’t matter.

We went to see Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure at the New Wimbledon Theatre, which is fairly close to us, we’ve been there a few times, seeing Dora and Ben and Holly there previously. We took our seats, gave out the obligatory sweets and waited for the show to start and when it did it was clear that Noah was going to love it, having human sized versions of his favourite characters right in front him gave him such a thrill. He knows all the characters which was useful for me because there were some that I hadn’t noticed before in the TV show.

In Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure the entire crew of the Octonauts, led by intrepid explorer Captain Barnacles, Lieutenant Kwazii and Medic Peso, embark on an exciting new underwater quest and visit amazing underwater worlds full of adventure, with surprises around every corner. I won't go into anymore detail as I wouldn't want to spoil it but it has a real sense of drama in line with the age group it caters for.

Things we loved about it were all the audience participation – from being told to help steer the Octopod to being encouraged to call out to Captain Barnacle, it was great and it really helped to make the kids feel that they were part of the whole adventure. There were also some really lovely songs throughout (from BAFTA-award winning composer Mani Svavarsson no less!), songs aren’t usually a feature of the TV show but they were great and catchy too. I personally loved the bit when the stage was blacked out the UV underwater creatures came out – this was also something that happened in Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt and it was really effective in that show too.

All in all it had a good plot and was easy for the kids to follow. Both of them loved it, Noah in particular felt like this was a big treat for him and seemed to believe that these were the real Octonauts. The show is around 90 minutes in length and there is a short interval in the middle, which allows for the inevitable kids need for the toilet!

If you would like to see Octonauts Live, go to and check out www.octonautslive.co.uk  and see if they are near you.

We were given tickets free of charge to see the show. All opinions are our own.

Disney's Big Hero 6 - Review

On Sunday we woke up early (normal) and got ready to leave the house by 9 (not normal on a Sunday!) and made our way to the Odeon Leicester Square for a gala screening of Big Hero 6 in 3D, the latest big release from Disney. I didn't know a whole lot about it but Isla already knew that the main character was called Baymax and both her and Noah were hyped to be going to the cinema. I love going to the Odeon, Leicester Square. The screen is so huge and the sound is brilliant, it's also the type of place where people clap when the film finishes - something that rarely happens these days. 

Prior to the film starting we were treated to some Baymax balloon modelling and face painting which the kids loved and then we took our seats and prepared for 3D fun! As with most Disney films now there was a short film to warm every one up called 'Feast' about a dog, and we all loved it. I won't say anything about the story here, but as I was watching it I felt like it could be a longer film, it was that good....


What's Big Hero 6 about then?

“Big Hero 6” is an action-packed comedy-adventure, about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, an orphan living with his Brother and Aunt. Hiro learns to explore his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. Just as Hiro decides to turn his back on Bot fighting to go to 'Nerd' college and join his brother, a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo. Hiro turns to his closest companion—a robot named Baymax, created by Tadashi —and transforms the group of friends into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. I'm not going to spoil the film for any of you by revealing too much of what happens, you NEED to see it yourself! 

Big Hero 6 has some brilliant laughs for adults and kids alike. The robot Baymax is the source of most of this comedy genius. He was created by Tadeshi to be a robot nurse, to fix all ailments. He makes it his mission to 'fix' Hiro when his heart is broken after the loss of his brother. The way he takes literal meaning from a lot of the things that Hiro says is hilarious and were the bits that had me chuckling. Isla found the lumbering character of the huge vinyl, Michelin man shaped robot the funniest, laughing every time he was involved in some sort of catastrophe. She also loved the scene where Baymax is running out of charge and Hiro struggles to get him home. I loved that although Baymax is a robot, he learns human emotions and fragility and in his own blustering way he mends Hiro and returns him to being the person his brother would be proud of. For a character with hardly any features he is very loveable and we all felt such immediate affection for him. 

I liked the setting for the film, in fictional San Fransokyo, a cross between San Francisco, with all the hills and golden gate bridge and Tokyo with the snow capped mountains and Cherry Blossom. The film also projects the message that science is cool and since seeing the film, I've heard Isla say a number of times "I'm going to be a scientist". I think this can only be a good thing.

We give Big Hero 6 a big thumbs up and I feel sure that it could spurn a sequel, Baymax is such an enchanting creation that it would be a shame to only see him once. 

Check out the trailer here:



For a little bit of extra Big Hero 6 fun, check out these fun activities for kids:

Spot the Difference
Baymax Origami
Hiro and Baymax Balloon Experiment!

Big Hero 6 is on general release in 3D from 30th January. To get all the latest info about Big Hero 6 and other Disney releases: 

"Like" the official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DisneyUK/ 

Subscribe to the YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/WaltDisneyStudiosUK/

Follow on Twitter : https://twitter.com/Disney_UK #BigHero6

Thank you Disney UK for inviting us to the film we had a super time!

Santa Claus and the Magical Christmas Journey - Review

Last Thursday we popped along to the Fairfield Halls in Croydon to see a special little Christmas production they have going on in the run up to the big day. It's called Santa Claus and the Magical Christmas Journey and it's a short, sweet festive show that's brilliant for pre-schooler age and upwards. 

When we arrived we were directed to the little studio theatre where a small stage is set up. It's a great intimate space where the kids can get up close to the action and right from the start the actors did come out into the audience, engaged the kids and encouraged them to call out. Mine love a bit of shouting out and joining in! It's also only 50 minutes long and so restlessness doesn't really happen, making it a pleasurable experience for parents too.

Both my kids were enchanted by the play and really warmed to both of the elves, Charlie & Kara who are a bit naughty! There was also Muffin the bear who Isla loved and felt very sorry for him when he lost his job navigating Santa's sleigh. There was also a familiar voice in the show, Russell Grant! He was the voice of the computer on Santa's sleigh. 

The story goes like this: 

It’s Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is flying high above the clouds delivering presents to all the good boys and girls around the world. Hiding in the back are two naughty elves, Charlie and Kara, who have snuck on board for the ride!

All is well until suddenly, just as Santa Claus flies high above Croydon, the Sat Nav goes haywire and breaks leaving him stranded without his list of postcodes to deliver presents to! With the clock ticking and morning fast approaching it’s down to Charlie, Kara and Muffin the bear to come up with a clever plan to save Christmas!

Our favourite part was when Isla got chosen to go up on the stage to sing Twinkle Twinkle. She was a star! She loved every minute of it and actually may have been slightly put out if she hadn't been picked! And the next best bit in her book was getting to sit in Santa's sleigh and meet the big guy himself and they were both given a colouring book. There was also a lovely moment when snowflakes fell down all around us, Noah loved that bit. 

Check out http://santaclausonstage.com/christmas-journey/tour_dates_info for information and tickets. It runs until Wednesday 24th December. Tickets are priced at £12.50 & £14.50 for adults and £10 & £12.50 for children. Family tickets are £40 & £49. £1.50 booking fee applies. 

This is one Christmas delight you won’t want to miss!

We were given free tickets to see Santa Claus and the Magical Journey. All opinions are my own. 

Camp Bestival - A Family First!

This weekend was a first for us. We went camping as a family. But even better than that we camped as a family at Camp Bestival!! 

I love festivals. I've not been to loads but I have great memories of the few that I have been to. So I felt a bit like I was starting to reclaim back little pieces of me this weekend by going to Camp Bestival. 

We bought our tickets months and months ago and I thought the time would drag in anticipation of the event. I'm not going to pretend it's cheap, because it isn't, however Camp Bestival offer a really nifty payment plan where you can pay a chunk and then pay a small amount weekly. It made the expense feel more palatable and go unnoticed. 

In preparation we got all our camping gear, including a brilliant Outwell tent from eBay - a 6 man beast, which when up made all the difference to our camping experience, so much room and complete with it's own carpet! New sleeping bags, camping chairs, festival bunting made by my sister (v important), glow sticks, kettle and all manner of other camping equipment was acquired. We talked about our camping trip to the kids non stop until the event was suddenly here!

On Thursday we set off from home to East Lulworth in Dorset with much excitement and our car bulging! We purposely bought tickets for early Thursday entry so we had maximum time to set up and get settled. The road was long and everyone was a bit restless by the time we arrived but with the aid of Mr Trolley we got all our stuff from the car to the campsite.

As we were Camp Bestival Newbies we didn't think too carefully about where to camp apart from to pitch within about 5 minutes walk of where we entered the site. This had it's pros and cons. Pros were that we were in a fairly quiet spot, meaning less noise and it wasn't crowded. Cons were that it was a real trek to the festival site, there were no showers in our campsite and toilets weren't plentiful. However I'm not going to complain about this. We didn't suffer for not having a shower (and boy was that shower on my return the best one I'd ever had). The kids loved breaking out of the normal routine and dry hair shampoo isn't bad really.

Once we'd set up (which took hours!), we cooked a nutritious meal (supernoodles), got to know our neighbours and their kids (thanks to them for helping us set up the tent and child minding while we did so!) and then went for a walk to get the festival vibe started. This is where we saw how hilly Camp Bestival is....!

The kids loved sleeping in the tent, they slept well all 3 nights we stayed (should have been 4 but we skipped the last one). Me and the OH on the other hand felt rather worse for wear after a night on the air beds and random car alarms going off, but that wasn't going to spoil our fun. After breakfast off we went for our first day in the festival.

Come back for the next instalment..... :-)

Wow, I've broken my blog silence, Camp Bestival must have ignited more than a passion for festivals. 

We bought our own tickets for Camp Bestival. These posts come from the pure delight that we experienced there and a need for me to get back to documenting our family fun.

How to Make a Quick Model Rocket for Children

One recent Saturday morning we were a bit stumped for things to do as it was peeing down with rain outside, so I noticed we had two juice bottles in our recycling and I thought surely we could make something out of these? We’d been watching an episode of Ben and Holly when they go into space so I thought why not make model rockets from them? It seemed like a fairly easy idea in my head and actually in practice it was too. The kids had a lot of fun helping with this as it really is very simple. So here’s our crafty instructions on how to make a rocket…..


Materials:

1 Bottle – we made a small rocket from a small lunchbox drink bottle Silver Foil 
1 toilet roll 
Black card squares 
Stickers to decorate your rocket 
Bright orange/ yellow/ red tissue paper to make the flames 
Sticky tape 


1 – Take your bottle and cover the entire thing in silver foil – ensure you make a point at the top for a real aerodynamic look

2 – Take your toilet roll and cut in to 3 pieces and also cover them in tin foil

3 – Stick the 3 covered toilet roll pieces to the bottom of your covered bottle using sticky tape– these are your rocket exhausts! 

With the obligatory tongue out....

4 – Stick some black squares on the side of your rocket for windows and then stick lots of shiny stickers all over your rocket to make it look really state of the art

5 – Finally tear some strips of bright orange/ yellow/ red tissue paper and stick to the rocket exhausts for flames - there you have a a really speedy to make rocket!


Making the rockets was a lot of fun and then playing with the rockets after was also a big hit!

PEPPA PIG’S BIG SPLASH LIVE

BRAND NEW & BIGGEST EVER SHOW ON TOUR FROM OCTOBER 2013 

including 

FOURTH WEST END CHRISTMAS SEASON 

www.peppapiglive.com

Fresh from the huge successes of previous tours Peppa Pig’s Party and Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt comes Peppa’s brand new show, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash. Opening at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford on 24 October, this touring production will travel throughout the UK and into Ireland until summer 2014. The tour will also include a fourth consecutive Peppa West End Christmas season (details will be announced in due course) and it will be the biggest ever to date.

The nursery roof is leaking and Peppa and her friends need to fix it quickly. They set up a fete to raise the money for Mr Bull to do the repairs. There’s plenty of fun to be had as Peppa, George, Mummy and Daddy Pig, as well as Danny Dog, Pedro Pony and Suzy Sheep put up bunting, run stalls and organise a great day out. There's also a Champion Puddle Jumping competition judged by Mr Potato where everyone gets wet and Peppa needs to find her Golden Boots. Another all-singing, all-dancing adventure full of songs, games and muddy puddles is guaranteed for all the family.

Peppa Pig returns live on stage with puppets and brilliant sing-a-long songs from BAFTA award-winning composer Mani Svavarsson. Richard Lewis adapts and directs this brand new show, following his previous successes with the first two Peppa Pig stage shows and the the current Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom tour.

Martin Ronan, Executive Producer, said, ‘Fiery Light are delighted to be presenting their third live Peppa show in 2013-2014. Following the huge success of Peppa Pig's Party and Peppa Pig's Treasure Hunt comes the biggest tour yet for Peppa. Touring the UK & Ireland for 47 weeks, Peppa Pig's Big Splash will be a fun-packed experience for all Peppa fans. To date Peppa Live has played to almost 650,000 people and as we approach the 10th anniversary of Peppa being a family favourite, we hope the new show will thrill fans up and down the country’.

Find out about Peppa Pig's Big Splash UK and Ireland Tour at www.peppapiglive.com

Dates close by in Surrey are:

SAT 2 – SUN 3 NOVEMBER FAIRFIELD HALL CONCERT HALL, CROYDON
Sat 2 at 1 & 4 pm www.fairfield.co.uk
Sun 3 at 10 am & 1 pm

TUES 5 – WED 6 NOVEMBER G LIVE, GUILDFORD
Tues 5 at 1 & 4 pm www.glive.co.uk
Wed 6 at 10 am & 1 pm

Sand le Mere - A Family Holliday Village

When I found out that we had been offered a long weekend to Sand Le Mere, a holiday camp on the East Yorkshire coast I was really excited and I have to say that isn't something I thought I would ever find myself saying pre-kids. But now I find myself looking for places to go on holiday that will appeal to Isla as I know if she is having fun then we will all be happy. That's not to say I'm overlooking Noah but he's a bit younger, still a baby really.
The opportunity hit my inbox through the Tots100, and I seized on it as I don't think we'll be holidaying as a family this year other than for this short break. Also holidays aren't massively relaxing with 2 little ones under 3, but Sand Le Mere looks like it will cater to all our needs. It's recently had a a £4 million overhaul, so I'm expecting big things! There is a whole new pool complex, children's soft play, an entertainment block and the area is close to stunning countryside and also sandy beaches! What more could we want?
We'll be staying in a 'comfort' holiday home with 3 bedrooms. I'm hoping that it will be safe for our marauding explorer! It's equipped with all the mod cons that we need and to be honest I'm hoping we'll be spending more time out than in.
Times are a bit tough for families at the moment, but on looking at Sand Le Mere's pricing a holiday doesn't have to break the bank. If you're looking for a break then take a look at
www.sand-le-mere.co.uk and use this offer code EB10 to get 10% off breaks taken between 1st - 9th June, 20th July - 1st September and 26th October - 2nd November.

Looking forward to letting you all know about our holiday!

Frankie & Benny's - Review

Recently we were approached to review Frankie & Benny's - the restaurant chain. I immediately said yes as who's going to say no to a free meal??! We've had our voucher for over 6 week s now and we still hadn't made it there, for all sorts of reasons, me being back at work, illness etc. So finally we thought today is the day, we CANNOT be bothered to cook and tidy up afterwards, lets eat out!

After Isla's ballet lesson we set off to our local Frankie and Benny's in Croydon. I've been there before but not for a very long time as it's situated in an out of town retail park next door to a cinema, making it a great place to eat prior to the flicks or after you've done a bit of shopping. I was kind of looking forward to it and I kind of wasn't. The reason I wasn't is that meals out at the moment can be really hit and miss, Isla messes about a lot during meals, picking and playing around with her food, hardly consuming a morsel and Noah, well he's a baby and he can kick off at the drop of a hat. Both of these things happened but to be honest, I think the fact I wasn't cooking and cleaning up outweighed it.

So what happened?

We were shown to a table in a very calm and quiet restaurant - it was about 4.30pm, so our usual time for a family meal out given that bedtime is usually about 7 for the kids. Our waiter straight away gave the kids their little goodie bag with a coloured pencil and some colouring bits in it. He very quickly asked us for our drinks order and was on the ball about bringing a container with some hot water in it to warm Noah's food.

We looked at the menu and I did feel a bit overwhelmed, there is so much choice and in my honest opinion I don't like this. It makes me feel nervous that the kitchen is too stretched and how can it possibly get all those dishes right. I personally always like a smaller menu. When faced with this kind of menu I go to my default selection - a burger. I chose a Bacon Cheese burger with a side of coleslaw. I was impressed with the children's menu, it had lots of things that Isla would eat (Spag Bol, Fish Fingers) and she went for the Chicken Strip and fries. The OH copied me and had a Bacon Cheese Burger with a side of Spicy Onion Rings.

While we waited for our food Isla did her best to guzzle her apple juice as fast as she could so that she wouldn't have room for her dinner. I fed Noah his dinner and once it was finished he went on to demolish lots of snacks. We also had a great 'fart' moment, where Isla did a special 'parp' and then proceeded to go on to ask "Daddy didn't you get to the toilet in time?" Love her.

The food arrived and all was fine until I realised that I had a crispy bread crumbed chicken under my burger bun. I also saw the teeny tiny pot of Coleslaw on the side and thought, "Really? £2.55?" I let the waiter know that mine was wrong, he was fine about it, he'd misheard me. I got a replacement about 10 minutes later. Sorted. Well apart from the fact that it wasn't until we'd finished that I realised I didn't even get the teeny tiny pot of Coleslaw with my replacement burger. The OH felt that the food wasn't hot enough, I'd agree with this. He also said his Onion Rings, although nice, were just not spicy. Regardless of any of this, we ate it all (well apart from Isla who never eats the whole of anything, unless it's chocolate, ice cream.....).

The OH fancied a dessert and I think Isla thinks that every restaurant meal must be finished off with an Ice cream, so we ordered a Yankee Doodle, which the waiter wisely advised us we could easily all share - it was enormous, vanilla, strawberry and chocolate ice cream with a massive topping of whipped cream! While the OH and Isla made their way through that I had to take Noah for a little walk round the restaurant because he was getting narky. He cheered up on sight of the balloons and the manager gave him one to play with which was great (Isla soon snaffled it though).

The bill came to around £44 (sorry I wasn't on the ball enough to remember it exactly!) and I think I have mixed feelings about whether it was good value. Frankie and Benny's is great for families, there is no question about that and I liked that I didn't feel frowned upon for having noisy kids or kids that felt like having a bit of a lay down half way through dinner. This mistake over my order could have been made anywhere and it was rectified quickly and without drama. I do think our burgers and chips were slightly over-priced for what they are, oh and I'm pretty sure the ketchup in the Heinz bottles wasn't actually Heinz.... The kids menu is fabulous and priced well. All in all if I was to give it a mark out of 10 I'd say a 7, which isn't bad! Thanks Frankie and Benny's for saving me cooking and washing up after another exhausting day as a working mum of 2.

We were given a £50 voucher to spend at Frankie in Benny's in exchange for a totally honest review

This time next week...

This time next week I'll have done a days work after 9 months maternity leave.

This time next week I'll have not spent the entire day with my kids.

This time next week I'll be feeling guilty about going to work the next day and not spending the day with my kids.

This time next week I'll be rushing around getting everything organised for the morning.

This time next week I'll be feeling cream crackered from a regularly night waking baby, an early rising baby, a commute, a days work, another commute, cooking dinner, tidying up, bath time, bed time.

This time next week I'll be looking forward to getting into bed, only to repeat it all again the next day.

I don't need to say anymore about how I feel about this do I?