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.

Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy - New Release!

Last month Isla and I were lucky enough to be guests at Disney HQ in London to see a pre-screening of Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy. It was to be a secret for a while as the film wasn't 100% complete, but not in any way that we could possibly tell, and it meant that we were the first in the UK to see it. What a treat!

We went along with one of my friends and her little girl, another Tinker Bell fan, and they had fun in the foyer before we went in the special cinema. There was a pirate balloon modeller making all manor of pirate and fairy themed balloons. Naturally Isla chose something else, a dog! The girls also had their photo taken in front a green screen and then came away with a great photo of themselves with Zarina, the main character in this new film. 

This new film centres around Zarina, a dust-keeper fairy, who after her frustration at not being allowed to experiment with pixie dust, steals Pixie Hollow's all-important Blue Pixie Dust, and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock. Of course Tinker Bell and her fairy friends decide to pursue Zarina and the pirates to try and get the pixie dust back. Along the way there are twists and turns. Zarina uses the pixie dust to change all the fairies respective talents, something they have to get used to quickly or their mission will fail. They also have to use their magic to get around the dastardly pirates! 

What did we think of the film?


We all loved it, mums included. It's a real action packed adventure. The inclusion of pirates in this one really gave a feel for Tinker Bell's roots in Peter Pan. The usual themes of friendship and loyalty feature as they do in all the Tinker Bell series so far, which I love, as it gives a bit of moral fibre. There are some great funny moments as well, Rosetta being the fairy that makes Isla and I laugh the most with her preciousness over the way she looks and her reaction to when her talent is switched and she becomes an animal fairy. In Zarina, we loved seeing a fairy who had a bit of a wild side for a change and seeing how the fairies band together to overcome adversity reminded me a lot of The Secret of the Wings. 

The film is released this coming Friday, and we think this is a must see for all Tinker Bell and fairy fans. Here's a taster:

For more Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy information check out the Official Website

or follow Disney on Twitter: @Disney_UK

We were invited to this screening free of charge.

Trying out the Britax KidFix XP SICT Car Seat - Review

Ever since we reviewed the Britax B-Agile 3 I've been thoroughly impressed with Britax. I feel like they are at the forefront of innovation and safety when it comes to travel products for children. Not only are their products safety conscious they are also design conscious. I didn't think twice about accepting the Britax Kidfix XP SICT Car Seat and as Noah was getting too big for his car seat the timing was good. Now I know that you'll all think hold on a minute, Noah is only 2 years old and typically this seat is for 4 - 12 year olds/ children who weigh 15 - 36kg but he is the size, and weight at 19kg of a lot of 4 year olds! Big boy I know! So he fits perfectly in this seat and it isn't any the less safe for him being younger, it is the child's weight that you should consider most when changing up to new Group 2/3 car seats.

It's a forward facing seat and comes in black fabric and has washable covers - which is a good thing when your kids like to snack on longer journeys! But far more important than what it looks like is how it performs and this is where I was really impressed. 

It has advanced side impact cushion technology (SICT) which helps to protect children in the event of a side on collision. On each side of the seat there are two round white disks that you can unscrew. You unscrew the disk closest to the window in order to give more side impact protection. Then the other nifty thing is the XP chest pad that diverts 30% more crash energy away from the child's chest compared to a normal seatbelt. 

The seat uses our car's ISOFIX connections so it means that the seat is fixed firmly in place and doesn't slip about (unlike Isla's seat that we really need to replace!). The seat uses the existing back seat belt in the car, so no more 5 point harness for Noah (see my point about that below). Everything is geared towards total safety and touch wood we never have a serious accident but if we do I know this seat will keep Noah the safest possible.

One thing I will mention, just for the purposes of people who have rather large 2 year olds like I do - mentally they don't quite understand the need to not 'pop' the seat belt, which they are able to do when they use the back seat belts that come with the car. This happened on a couple of occasions. For us this actually happened when Noah was having a tantrum and this was always before we'd started the journey. My way to deal with it was simply to let him finish the tantrum (imagine a bucking bronco in the back of the car), calm down (him and me) and then belt up and get on the way. Thankfully tantrums are few and far between now and he understands the need to be belted up - "I won't undo my seatbelt Mummy" said on many occasions when getting in the car! 

You can find more information on the product here: http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/car-seats/kidfix-xp-sict

We were sent this car seat for purposes of review. All opinons are my own.

Skinted Vs Minted - Aldi Girls Fashion Shoes - Review

This year I got badgered by Isla for a pair of Lelli Kelly Shoes. I only gave in when I was able to get them in the sale for £32, which felt okay considering they usually retailed at £44! She loved those shoes as they had sparkle and she wore them to death until they were worn through. 

I do believe that Lelli Kelly's are overpriced and so when Aldi offered to send me a pair of their version of the most popular fashion shoe I was intrigued. We received them and I could tell the difference. They are clunkier, not quite as finely made, but the important test wasn't what I would think of them, it was what Isla made of them. And the verdict was a thumbs up! She loves the gems and beads they are decorated with. They are slightly too big for her, so they haven't had a wear yet but she is chomping at the bit to strut her stuff in them. We were sent the black version, which if she'd been give the choice I know she would have plumped for the pink - her favourite colour. For my part I actually like the fact they are black because they won't show all the dirt in the way her white Lelli Kelly's did! 

The shoes come in store on the 19th December, and are part of the Aldi Specialbuys range. So when they're gone, they're gone people! I fully intend to go to our local Aldi and try and get the pink pair too because when they only retail at £8.99 per pair you can afford to buy two pairs.

We were sent a pair of shoes in exchange for this review. All opinions are honest and our own.

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland at The Polka Theatre - Review

Last weekend I took Isla, my best friend Soula and her son Samuel along to the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon to check out their new production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Soula is a busy mum like me but when I asked her if she'd write the review of the show, she obliged,as in another life she would have loved to write and with the little spare time she does have she wrote this wonderful piece for I Heart Motherhood! Over to you my lovely.

Having a best friend who runs a successful blog does have its occasional perks; so when she invited my son and I to go and see Alice in Wonderland with her at the Polka Theatre I thought I’d be a mad hatter to turn her down! 

I wasn’t even aware of the Polka Theatre (although later discussions revealed that I had indeed been there with my father as a child many years ago). The theatre is solely aimed at producing and presenting Children’s theatre and to my surprise has been there since 1979 (probably why I can’t remember going as a child)!   Samuel and Isla were born 3 months apart and the two of them are good friends, and their excitement as we walked to the theatre was palpable.  As we entered we gathered in the main foyer where the kids could play with the various toys scattered around, whilst we purchased some snacks for the performance  - from a reasonably priced bar which even served a decent cappuccino!  As we made our way to the main theatre we passed a lovely area filled to the brim with teddy bears, which the children can play with, and enjoyed the nostalgia generated by seeing the more collectible bears displayed in beautifully presented glass cabinets;  remember Super-Ted and Fozzie Bear from the Muppets anyone? Well this is where they are enjoying their retirement!

On to the show… Now I have to hold my hand up here and admit that I have never actually read the original book of Alice in Wonderland and have only seen the rose tinted Disney version – and even that was many years ago.  This meant that as the show began, I was trying to remember what I could about the Disney adaptation – and it ended up being quite different to what was actually portrayed!  The show opens with Alice and her sister stuck indoors on a cold snowy day. Alice is energetic, inquisitive and a total contrast to her older more restrained sister. They bicker and at this point I wasn’t really sure what happened as Alice calls her sister a ‘Pig’ and then suddenly she is falling into Wonderland.  If there was a reference to the rabbit hole I must have blinked and missed it because I remain still unsure of how she actually entered Wonderland!   

Alice’s indecision about whether she should drink the potion labelled ‘drink me’ had the audience laughing, and the way she moved her body to represent shrinking and growing, was clever enough that my 4 year old understood what was being portrayed.   The show goes on to accurately portray the chapters in the book (something I have learnt now having investigated the original story)  and Alice progresses through her journey in Wonderland meeting varied and interesting characters along the way.   The scene that introduces the duchess, her cook and the Cheshire cat is noisy and bewildering, with lots of shrieking and sneezing, and banging, amidst a smoky haze – and quite frankly is completely bizarre to those unfamiliar with the book.  

The fearsome Queen of hearts was played brilliantly and her frequent cries of ‘off with their head’ kept the audience amused before we observed the most entertaining game of croquet I’ve ever seen! As Alice’s journey through Wonderland comes to an end, and she herself almost becomes a victim of the queen’s ruthless rein, we breathe a sigh of relief when she is transported safely back to her home, just as she had left it – with head firmly attached to her body!

I thought the small team involved in the production do an amazing job – not only portraying all the main characters between them, but also managing all of the props and stage rotations.  The entire cast is played out by just 6 people, with some playing up to 5 characters each!  The costume changes were so quick it was hard to believe the same person had just been playing something else.  They were all great but of course I think it’s the Queen who steals the show.

Samuel enjoyed it although I think a lot of it went over his head (to be fair he is only 4 and the production is aimed at children aged 6 and over so he was probably a bit too young really).  That said, he and Isla were completely gripped throughout and both had a thoroughly good time. 

All in all I thought it was a clever production and well worth seeing. The Polka theatre in itself is a lovely venue and worth a visit even if you are not taking in a show – they even do children’s tea parties there which I imagine are a nice way to celebrate a birthday if you live in the local area. Thanks to Sharon for inviting Samuel & I to Alice in Wonderland and for introducing me to the Polka Theatre – I will be returning… and to make up for my ignorance I promise to also read the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland  by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (more commonly known as Lewis Carroll)!

Thanks Soula for writing a brilliant review! All I have to add is that I thoroughly enjoyed it too and the only thing that Isla was aggrieved about was that Alice retained her head! When her head was on the block she groaned audibly, to which I asked her what was wrong and she sighed and said she thought she would see her head come off….not sure what to make of that, she's not usually such a lover of gore… 

Alice in Wonderland is on at The Polka Theatre until 15th February 2014 and tickets are available here and by calling the theatre on 020 8543 4888. If you're looking for any other shows the kids will love then you should also check out our review of another Polka Theatre show Gorilla.

Thanks to the Polka theatre for inviting us to see Alice in Wonderland. We received 4 tickets in exchange for this review. All opinions and views are our own.

The Snow Gorilla this Christmas at The Rose Theatre - Review

On Monday night I popped along to Kingston to see a fantastic family circus themed show at The Rose Theatre. I can safely say that The Snow Gorilla will wow the kids this Christmas! I wasn't sure what to expect before we went along, I purposely hadn't looked into the show too closely as I didn't want to have any expectations. Any expectations that I did have were exceeded though as the show just kept giving. 

The Snow Gorilla is set in a travelling circus, Circus Marigny where the Ring Mistress, Fanny Marigny is struggling to keep the circus going due to dwindling funds and a thief in their midst. Along comes Sunny, a runaway looking for adventure and that's definitely what he gets, along with a romantic dalliance with the ring mistresses daughter Chloe. He discovers The Mighty Gor hidden in a cage in the circus and strikes up a beautiful friendship with him. Sunny unwittingly becomes the suspected thief within the circus, but between him and Gor they trap the real criminal and restore happiness to all. 

What is brilliant about this show is throughout the story the audience gets to see all the circus acts as they practise for their performance, so we were treated to African acrobats, Flamenco dancers, a contortionist, a juggler and an aerial act. My favourite were the African acrobats, they had such energy, the musicians that played along to their act really got the audience into it. They were massively entertaining, showing skill and humour every time they appeared. I also thought the aerial act was amazing, but just a word of warning if you're in the stalls downstairs at the back you may struggle to see them as they are high up. I craned my neck to make sure I saw all of their daring act. 

Now I have to mention how brilliant the Gorilla is! He is voiced by Brian Blessed who is someone I absolutely love. I couldn't imagine anyone else voicing him now to be honest. Then the look of Gor is amazing. You can't appreciate how clever the costume is until you read about how the costume was made for the man inside to wear it and how he has to use buttons and levers within the suit in order to animate Gor's face and make movements. The way he moved around the stage was so real to a Gorilla, he shuffled around on his knuckles, he rose up in anger and his face had such expression.

The entire cast are fantastic and you can tell that they have a great chemistry. The singing is good, I particularly liked Chloe and was lucky enough to get a snap of her before the show when the cast were circulating amongst the crowd in the foyer. There is a baddie in the show and he got great pantomime treatment from the audience with lots of booing and hissing when he appeared. 

This show has everything for everyone, great songs, spectacular performances from circus acts, to a show stopping singing Gorilla, a pantomime feel to it and an engaging story. We didn't take the children as it was an evening performance but I wouldn't hesitate to go back with them as I know they would love it. 

The Snow Gorilla runs until the 5th January 2014 and tickets are on sale now. For more information about the show visit www.rosetheatrekingston.org or call the Box office on 0844 4482 1556.

We were given 2 tickets to see The Snow Gorilla in exchange for this review. Thanks for inviting us! 

Disney New Release - Frozen

Rating: PG  UK Release Date: December 6,  2013

Last weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to the Odeon Leicester Square for a multi media screening of Frozen, the newest Disney film about to hit our screens in time for Christmas. I always find it so exciting going to see a film before it's full release and the kids were thrilled too. On arrival there were reindeer outside, lots of Christmas trees and fake snow, it made us all feel excited to watch Frozen. Isla loved the reindeer, we didn't get much time with them, so I've made a promise to go find some somewhere before Christmas for her to see. 

We took to our seats, the kids had a good rummage through their goody bags, seeking out the chocolate first with the skill of a police sniffer dog! And then we were treated to a live performance of one of the beautiful songs from the film, 'Let it Go' sung by Willemijn Verkaik, who is currently starring in the show Wicked. It was really fantastic, such an emotional song.

Prior to Frozen there was a short film called 'Get a Horse'. It was a mixture of old school Mickey Mouse animation and amazing 3D animation. The kids loved it and so did me and the OH. This was his and Noah's first 3D film experience and he was so good at keeping the glasses on! I always look forward to the film shorts that Disney do before their films and this was a classic.

And now to Frozen. A stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. 

The film is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale The Snow Queen. And when you research back into Disney's connection with The Snow Queen you find out that making a film about this story has been something they've wanted to do since the 1940's. The look of the film is exactly like 'Tangled' (another film we LOVE!) as it is all computer animation. You get a real connection with the characters, and understanding of the torment that both sisters feel at not being close to each other due to Elsa's powers. There is some light comedy in there in the form of Olaf the snowman, he's goofy and cute and provides some good one liners. Anna is also pretty feisty and funny too even in the face of adversity. The story is all about the female characters though, so I'd imagine it's not going to appeal massively to the boys, although at 2 years old Noah seemed to enjoy it! 

I would only give one small warning, at times it can be quite a dark film, and I mean this in terms of the storyline and also the actual animation itself, there are lots of scenes in darkness and this combined with 3D and Elsa's Icy powers can make it slightly overwhelming to young ones. There were moments when Isla was slightly scared, but we reassured her that it would all come good in the end. When you ask her now whether she liked the film she says yes, but I was slightly worried at one point when she seemed a bit anxious - and this is a child who has watched many many films. It's a bit like Brave in that respect, she found the scenes with bears scary in that. Don't let this point detract from my view that it is a great film.

Check out the trailer here:

All in all as a family I would say we thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm sure it's going to be a massive hit! Thanks so much for the invite Disney! 

For more information about 'Frozen'

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We were sent free tickets to the film 'Frozen' in order to write this review. All views expressed are our own.