Family Camping With Aldi (Review)

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I don't do camping. Just like I don't do the dishes.

Anyone who knows me, knows this.

There needs to be a bed, a toilet, a shower, a mirror, a floor! I like walls, windows, doors, etc. and the thought of camping scares me quite a bit. However, I have a small child and, while he has never mentioned camping, I knew it was only a matter of time before the concept of sleeping in a tent raised its head.

So when Aldi challenged me to try camping and offered to send me some equipment to fulfill this task, I decided to bite the bullet.

Family camping from Aldi [Read more…]

Family Days Out 'Wishlist' – 2014

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Last year we were lucky enough to be given a media pass for the National Trust, in conjunction with my blog promotion for their 50 Things To Do Before You're 11 & ¾ campaign. When it ran out at the end of the year, we rushed to buy our family membership as it provided us with a plethora of opportunities for days out as a family, exploring nature, the nation's history, and having fun in their beautifully landscaped outdoors!

I've been having a look recently for National Trust places within an hour or so of us, and I decided that I'd create a 'wishlist' for the places I'd like us to explore this year, both National Trust, or otherwise. [Read more…]

Family Frolics: Kerry's Legacy

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What would you like to be remembered for?

For me it would be as a devoted mummy, someone who treasured their family and did everything she could for her child; to make them happy and have a lifetime of happy memories.

A bit like this lady really!

Family Frolics A Legacy

I think that there is nothing more fitting for Kerry's last post than to read about her Family Frolics at Peppa Pig World; to see her beaming face, the giggles from the twins, a grin coaxed from BB via a mummy tickle, the fun and laughter that they had as a family. The wonderful memories of that family day out will be something that I'm sure her family hold dear, and I have often looked back on that post during the past year when I have wanted to remember her vibrancy, her love of life and her family.

And so I come to Kerry's legacy, what the 'Family Frolics' linky was all about and what I think she would love to be remembered for; celebrating family life.

Thank you Kerry for reminding me that family time is all that matters.

Family Frolics

—

This post has been written in remembrance of Multiple Mummy who died on 14th December 2012; deeply missed.

The 'Family Frolics' blog-hop below will remain open until Friday 27th December. It would be great if you could join in to show Kerry is not forgotten and that her love of family life had a lasting impact on others.



Days 83-89 of Project 365

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83-89 of 365

30th march 2013

83. Look Mummy! (We left for our Butlin's Ambassadors' holidays a day early to break up the journey, and called into Westonbirt Arboretum on the way – more on that in another post. It's an amazing Forestry Commission site, but dear God it was cold. We braved -3°C to explore the play area and some of the old arboretum, and The Boy really showed his growing ability and confidence at tree climbing!)

84. View (Checking into our hotel room in The Ocean Hotel, we discovered that we had a gorgeous view from the fourth floor over the resort. The Boy has been out on the balcony at any and every opportunity this week to catch a glimpse of his beloved helter-skelter.)

85. Plopping (A day trip to Brighton, which was an opportunity that I couldn't let pass when down this way. I've wanted to visit the West Pier for a long time and I find the condition of it so very sad. How it's been allowed to lapse into such a terrible state of disrepair over the past thirty years, is beyond me. Our seaside heritage is one of the things that makes Britain special, to see such a beautiful example of Victorian architecture destroyed is shocking. The remaining pier was a let-down, and so we spent a good amount of time 'plopping' on the beach, having already enjoyed the wonders of the Royal Pavilion.)

86. Round and round (We had passed a walled park several times this week, peeking over the top was a zip-wire and wooden climbing frame. A quick Google showed it to be Hotham Park, which we visited on Wednesday afternoon. The park was amazing, and for most of the hour or so we were there, we had it to ourselves. I even had a go on the zip-wire myself; a first! The Boy found a very different swing to those we are used to, and really enjoyed spinning around watching the sky swirling.)

87. I Can Cook! (This is one of the shows that we've been looking forward to all week. The Boy is completely captivated by Katy's antics on CBeebies and, even though this show wasn't presented by her, he couldn't wait to see today's show. I had to sit him at the front with all the other children, and then join the adults at the back. That was until I heard a frantic 'mummy!' being screamed from the front when the character 'Naughty Salt' was being chased by 'Lucy' around the audience. The Boy hates naughtiness of any description, and it really upset him. Another frantic 'MUMMY!!!' and I'd managed to scoop up his little sobbing body. Apologies to the three parents whose fingers I stood on en route.)

88. By the seaside (Today's photo had to be one that summed up our Butlins Ambassadors break in Bognor Regis; sunshine, deckchairs, cheerful smiles but biting winds. Hats and gloves, long johns and rosy cheeks were the order of the week, but dear God we had fun!)

89. Which ride first? (I won a competition for us to visit Legoland for the launch of the Lego Hero Factory, Build and Test Area. We've never been there with The Boy before, the only other time was actually ten years ago, well before children were thought of, and we commented on the time that it was a pointless place without them. Today we got to try many of the rides that we'd seen then, and how they had expanded the park. Freezing conditions meant that we lasted from 9.30-4.00 but gave up early to head home after a tiring week. The Boy adored the park and the rides were a good length for him to enjoy them, he loved looking over the park map to see where he'd been or which he was going on.)

—

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky
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Our Christmas, 2012

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This Christmas has been the most magical so far, as The Boy's belief in Father Christmas has grown daily.

Yes I am sure that I should be teaching him about the 'real' meaning of Christmas but for someone who has not been Christened and was not married in a church, does not attend church accept for hatches, matches or dispatches, and as an R.E. major and co-ordinator isn't particularly comfortable tying herself down to one religion, I find it difficult. I've commented a lot lately on social media that I believe the Christmasses of the 21st century are an opportunity for people to believe in the idea of this one unifying event. Much like Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, people in Britain seem to take it as an opportunity to be thankful for what we have, as a time of joy and happiness and peace with mankind, to demonstrate love and acceptance with their families. And for me this tweet from @FayC sums up perfectly why I think it's ok to have my son believing in Father Christmas.

As I said to someone else who stated she (quite rightly as a Christian) didn't want her child believing in the lie of Santa, "The non-Christian would point out that Jesus is just as much a mythical figure as Father Christmas." If he wears sackcloth and ashes, or a big red coat and has a white beard not a brown one, what does it matter if that person symbolises hope, love, forgiveness and kindness?

I've digressed. I know, I'm as surprised as you are.

On Christmas Eve we needed to do a little last-minute panic buying and so set off for Ikea to have lunch and pick up some picture frames for presents. As I drove up to the solid steel barrier indicating it was closed, I willed it to lift just for us. Where else could I get the cheap photoframes from? And The Boy had been promised meatballs! We reconvened in Pizza Hut and came up with a plan of action while Edward the Elf and The Boy enjoyed a last pizza together for this year.

Having finally tracked down the elusive last minute presents we went home for The Boy to have a (late) nap before our traditional viewing of The Polar Express. When he awoke, he discovered Edward had returned to the North Pole to sort out his presents with Father Christmas and had himself left a present of a new set of The Gruffalo pyjamas and a dressing gown. I loved the dressing gown, The Boy not so much; I think he's frightened of it.

We headed downstairs for a picnic tea in front of the television (a very rare treat) and settled down to watch the classic The Polar Express. Last year, The Boy had watched it and enjoyed it for the most part. This year he was enthralled; completely captivated by the whole thing. We stopped it ten minutes before the end for his bath, and he'd been blackmailed persuaded to wear the new pyjamas and dressing gown, we all settled down together to finish watching it. And yes, I cried.

The Boy absolutely adored the film and was truly caught up in the magic of the sitation, so I took advantage of this to introduce 'reindeer food' to him; basically porridge oats mixed with glitter. We stood in the back porch and I explained about the reindeer food. His eager little face took it all in and wide-eyed he reached to open the door, then tottered out onto the back steps in his dressing gown, pyjamas and slippers flinging the feed out into the breeze. Glancing up at the sky, we saw a moving white light & I told him it was Father Christmas' sleigh overhead and that he needed to get into bead quickly. We removed the fireguard so the Big Man didn't get stuck, placed a stool on the grate treasuring the snacks for Santa like it was a pedestal holding it up high. And then The Boy made me go and put some water in a bowl on the back step for the reindeer in case they were thirsty.

I took him upstairs to bed, read 'The Night Before Christmas' and he settled down listening out for reindeer hoofs on the roof.

As I didn't get to bed that night until 3.30am, I was so grateful that he slept in until gone 8 o'clock! We all raced downstairs to open our stockings and The Boy was genuinely content with that being his only presents; he had no idea that there were more in the dining room. His favourite presents were the Chocolate Orange and Funky Straw set from Father Christmas, who also managed to find him the much talked about robot. He also adored his new Playmobil set (a playground) and his Tap-Tap Art set.

Food was a lot more relaxed than it has been in the past; I ditched the idea of a starter, failed to make a Christmas pudding and so we had a Blackforest Trifle two hours after we'd finished our mains.

I made a filo tart with a creamed spinach, leeks, mushrooms and quorn filling for mum and myself, dad and Mr. TBaM had a four bird roast, and The Boy had a sausage. Side dishes were: roast potatoes; mashed potatoes; roasted Brussel sprouts with parmesan and butter; honey-glazed carrots and parsnips, swede and butternut squash mash. I killed the stuffing.

In the evening, I laid out a simple buffet for people to pick at, and after any hunger pangs had been quashed mum and dad went home, The Boy went to bed and we settled down to watch the recorded Christmas television programmes.

An excellent Christmas, thank you 2012!



Words With Friends & CityVille: Virtual Games Become Reality

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One of the most fun features of mobile technology and social media platforms are the games that are available; fun and attractive they frequently allow the players to interact with other players regardless of geographical location. Two of the most playable games of the past year have been Words With Friends (which I rock at by the way) and CityVille.

Now Hasbro is responsible for bringing these two Zynga games to 'life' as board games, albeit in a familiar format to current games available.

WORDS WITH FRIENDS

zynga games

Before I go any further, yes it is like Scrabble.

  • The game includes a full-size board, four curved tile racks, tile bag and 104 tiles. And just like Scrabble, players choose the tiles, arrange them in the tile rack and take it in turns to place tiles onto the game board, building upon opponent’s word creations to score as high as possible. Bonus spaces such as Double Word or Triple Letters give opportunities for higher scores and the player with the highest word score at the end of the game wins. So no difference there then?
  • However, purchase of the Words With Friends game also includes a bundle of digital features to enhance online or mobile play, including Word-O-Meter, The Count and Tile Pile. To access the digital features, players must be 13 years or older and have a valid WWF account on Zynga.com or Facebook.

This is a fun game, and while it works along the same theory as Scrabble, for me that's not a problem. The Words With Friends game is more attractive to younger players and anything that gets children enthusiastic about playing with language and broadening their vocabulary is a good thing in my book.

CITYVILLE Monopoly Game

There are loads of different versions of Monopoly out there (I'm pretty sure Mr. TBaM would point out the collection we have!) and variants of the game involving different methods of payments, or locations. Zynga’s CITYVILLE and Hasbro’s classic Monopoly game have joined forces to become the fast-play way to build your dream city! Which is great because, quite frankly, I have the attention span of a gnat nowadays!

  • Become the first mayor to build four skyscrapers to win. Skyscrapers are built by building layers on properties, topping it off with the grey skycraper piece.
  • Combines classic Monopolygameplay with new, creative ways to build:
    • Buy and build a variety of locations like train stations, the toy shop and the bakery;
    • Use stackable buildings to build houses, community buildings and businesses in the center of the board;
    • Give and receive 'Mystery Gifts' to decorate neighborhoods and increase rent value (I don't completely 'get' this bit!).
  • Each CITYVILLE Monopoly game includes a unique code to redeem 85 'city cash' of in-game currency for use in Zynga's CITYVILLE online game so the building adventures can continue online (this is where the age restriction of 13 comes in: Facebook 'members' should be 13+)

We played this last night with The Boy and while we had to adapt the rules quite a lot (fines with a three year old? No chance!) he absolutely loved the basic premis of buying the property and having the receipt for them.

Monopoly is a great game to play with children anyway (I can't play it by myself with Mr. TBaM due to an unfortunate incident about eight years ago where I took pity on him and then he bankrupted me!) and the concept of buying property which can they be built up high and set upon an attractively designed board is great fun. The properties are relevant for children; ice-cream parlour, toy shop, train stations, etc. and retain the original idea of Monopoly well to sustain adults interest.

It is worth noting that both of these games come with a certain amount of credit which can be used online with a Facebook account, and it clearly states on the front of each box that in order to use this players must be over 13 years old, in line with Facebook rules and legislation. I would urge parents to act responsibly and not purchase it for children under this age, e-safety and Internet awareness is an essential aspect of online activity nowadays and it is parents responsibility to ensure they know what their children are getting up to.

I was sent these products for the purpose of this review, my opinions are honest and unbiased.

Coombe Mill: Family Farm Holidays

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A few weeks ago we did our final bit of taking off for a long weekend, and visited Coombe Mill.

I've followed the Coombe Mill twitter account for about a year and have been enamoured for quite some time at the family-run, family-friendly farm in Cornwall. Fiona's photos each week on her blog are captivating and show children thoroughly enjoying themselves getting back to grass roots and embracing nature.

I dangled the idea at Mr. TBaM a while ago and booked a long weekend, as I had to be back at school on the Wednesday. Coombe Mill have a range of accommodation available in the form of Scandinavian lodges, wooden chalets and stone cottages. We booked the lodge Trebah built in 2010.

Coombe Mill

Trebah is one of four Scandinavian lodges set in a row by one of the playground areas, overlooking the River Camel which flows through the property and separates the guests' properties from the farm animals. My first impression of the lodge was positive when I noticed the fenced in private garden with bolted gates keeping little ones safe from the temptation of the river.

Inside the lodge is a large living area taking up the front half of the floor space. A modern log-burner is an effective focal-point to the living room area, with a flat screen television and freesat box. The other half of the living room contains a kitchen area and dining table for four. It is worth noting at this point that there is a dishwasher as well as a fridge-freezer, a proper one not a fridge with an ice-box. As well as the usual microwave, toaster and kettle gadgets, Fiona has installed a washing machine and separate tumble-dryer which is an absolute God-send after tramping through the mud feeding the animals and splashing through the river.

Coombe Mill

There is a twin bedroom and a family bathroom, as well as a master bedroom with a queen-size bed and en-suite. I will admit to a little squeal when I saw the double-length, walk-in shower. The beds are incredibly comfortable and have thick fluffy duvets and pillows. It was only when I saw that there are three pillows across the width of the master bed that I realised it's a queen-size bed; fantastic!

Probably the best feature of the lodge as far as The Boy was concerned was the upstairs playden, the stairs of which have a gate at the top and bottom. The playden was like a magical world for The Boy with a train set, cars and plenty of other toys, games and puzzles for him to enjoy. This is one of the many child-orientated facilities that Coombe Mill offer, along with a highchair or booster seat, black-out blinds, bed-guard and, if applicable, a cot.

Coombe Mill

Coombe Mill is a ten minute drive from the nearest mini-mart and about twenty-thirty minute drive from the nearest supermarket. As a result, Fiona has a fridge stocking milk, cheese, butter, clotted cream and bread in it, and a freezer with home-cooked main meals and desserts which she has knocked up for those guests who don't fancy cooking.

Did I mention there's free wi-fi?

Along with the four play areas (including a wooden fortress, Little Tykes climbing frame, zip-wire, pirate ship, indoor soft-play barn, car play area and a long side) there is the exciting opportunity every morning to drive the tractor that leads the feed run.

So what makes Coombe Mill different to other family friendly holidays in Cornwall? Why not go to one of the other resorts like we have done before? What makes Coombe Mill special?

This…Every morning (Sunday-Friday) at 9 a.m. there is a tractor-ride to feed Coombe Mill's farm animals which include pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, donkeys, pigs, alpacas, wallabies, goats and deer. The children walk into the animals' enclosures and are able to feed and touch the animals themselves, learning from completely different experiences to their normal lives.

How many other family holidays can boast all that?

(And  that's why we've booked again for next Summer)

Not an advert or a sponsored post. I paid for this holiday myself and I know how much other bloggers are intrigued by the place, so I wanted to share the ins and outs because it's amazing!

Pointless: The Board Game (Review)

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Pointless is the hugely popular BBC show which sees four couples pit themselves against each other to score as low as they possibly can when answering questions. The lowest score wins. The aim is obviously to be as pointless as possible. Think Family Fortunes, but in reverse.

The Pointless board game by University Games mirrors the programme and is for two-four players or teams, ages ten years+. Now people who read my reviews normally know that I look at the age guide and say, "Meh." and ignore it. However, with this game I actually think it's pretty accurate as it requires a fair amount of general knowledge which most children under the age of ten years do not have. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and if your child likes to stay abreast of trivia and the news then they'd probably be able to play this. (I'm specifically thinking of Kate's son from The Five F's.)

Contents:

  • 4 pencils
  • answer sheets pad
  • 338 questions
  • 9 head-head tokens
  • 27 trophy tokens
  • 3 question card holders
  • 1 scoreboard playing board
  • 8 playing pieces (2 each of 4 different colours)
  • rules of play & quick-start instructions

Before playing this, I would recommend finding an episode of the game to watch as it really helps to understand the format. It takes a little working out and I'm a visual learner so needed to see it in action.

As stated the aim of the game is to be as pointless as possible. I'll use the example question that I saw earlier on the television show: "Name a Richard Gere movie." Obvious answers are 'Pretty Woman' and 'An Officer and a Gentleman' but they were quite high scoring answers so the contestants needed to try and come up with the more obscure answers. There are four rounds played throughout: round one, round two, head-to-head and end game. On each round a question is asked from the relevant pile of question cards which also contain all the possible answers and their scores (based on the 100 people surveyed).

I won't go into the ins and outs of each round, but they are cleverly different and challenging each time. A card is chosen from the pile and placed into the relevant special wallet designed to hide the answers. Players write their answers down on the answer sheet, then reveal them as per the instructions. The answers are revealed and scores calculated. The lowest scoring person receives a 'pointless' token. These are important because in the final round the person with the fewest tokens is eliminated. This seems to be irrelevant when only playing with two players.

Mr. TheBoyandMe and I have spent an enjoyable hour playing this, it was challenging and fun. It was also obvious that while it's possible to play it with only two players, it's not quite as much fun as it would be with teams or three or four players. We enjoyed the range of questions (we need to brush up on world geography) and trying to be as devious as possible. We quickly abandoned using the board to chart our scores as it did actually seem pretty pointless itself (pardon the pun) when you're making a note of the scores on your answer sheet.

This is a fun game to be played across generations, I can't wait to take it down to play with my in-laws when we go and see them in September, my mother-in-law will love it. I would back up the age guide on the game, it's a complicated way of playing it and the questions are quite tricky at times.

A thumbs up from this family, a good game for Christmas! However you don't need to bother using the board and this actually makes it a good travel game for holidays.

Pointless is available to buy through Amazon here.

I was sent this game for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

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