Disney Pixar Cars 3 Movie Review

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Last weekend we headed to our local Odeon to watch Cars 3. It's been 11 years since the first movie was released and in the 11 years since, we have been massive fans of Lightning McQueen. Big J's first cinema visit was when he was just 4 years old and we watched Cars so its odd that Little J's first ever cinema visit is when he is also 4 but he's watching Cars 3.

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The Gruffalo and Organix Giveaway

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You may have read my earlier post about us being a Merlin Annual Pass holder, which means we get to visit attractions across the UK throughout the year. One for our Summer Bucket List this year is to visit Chessington World Of Adventures for two reasons. Firstly we have never been and secondly because little J absolutely loves the Gruffalo and Chessington World of Adventures now have a new Gruffalo River Ride. Celebrating its partnership with the new Gruffalo River Ride Adventure at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Organix are giving one lucky Playdays and Runways winner the chance to win a Gruffalo DVD and a £10 bundle of its top selling Goodies healthy snacks. 

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Sea Stars At Sea Life, Blackpool

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Having a Merlin pass is probably one of the best purchases we make each year. Being a Merlin pass holder entitles us to free entry to 32 attractions across the UK after paying a one off fee at the beginning of your membership. Over the past few weeks we have visited Alton Towers, Legoland Discovery Centre and last weekend we Sea Life in Blackpool to check out Sea Stars which is new for 2017.

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How Natural Playgrounds Help Children’s Development

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Both boys have visited our local parks and playgrounds since they were very young. They both really enjoy being outdoors and whilst I wasn't one for swings or slides when I was younger I wanted to make sure the boys were comfortable using outdoor equipment from a early age. Playgrounds aren’t just about entertainment – they’re a key part of a child’s development. From confronting danger with climbing structures to social skills garnered by interaction in a play environment, playing outside helps children grow. I think the 'confronting danger' part for me was why I didn't like playgrounds as I never felt confident. Fortunately both boys love climbing and it's nice to see them taking risks because it is all part of development. 

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Capital FM Summertime Ball 2016

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This post has been sitting in my drafts since the Summer and I'm not sure why I didn't publish it. As time went on I didn't feel the time was right to post about something we did months ago. As the tickets for this years Summertime Ball will be going on sale shortly I thought it would be perfect to share on day now for those who are thinking of attending this year.

 Now that big J is growing up buying for his birthday isn't as easy as it was. We asked him what he would like and even he couldn't think of anything. After listening to the radio one morning he heard about the Capital FM Summertime Ball so he asked us for tickets for his birthday.

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Steps Are Back - #20YearsOfSteps

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Well today when I got home and started to browse through Facebook I did not expect to see this news trending - STEPS ARE BACK. Woohoo I am so excited. I have been a very loyal fan for 20 years so I am delighted that not only are they back with a new album but a tour too. I have seen Steps live many times and obviously their music is poptastic but they were born to perform on stage, their live shows are amazing. #20YearsOfSteps here we come.

So over the years I have continued to listen to Steps, watch various programmes featuring individual members of the band and also their reunion a few years back. There have been rumours since late last year that they would reform but sometimes those type of rumours fizzle out so I didn't want to get my hopes up. 

I quickly popped over to the Steps Official page and there was the news that their album Tears On The Dancefloor will be arriving on April 21st and the tour will commence in November 2017. Tickets go on sale March 10th and I've popped a list of dates below.

Mon Nov 13 - Dublin 3Arena

Tue Nov 14 - Belfast SSE Arena

Thu Nov 16 - Glasgow SSE Hydro

Fri Nov 17 - Aberdeen AECC

Sat Nov 18 - Liverpool Echo Arena

Mon Nov 20 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Tue Nov 21 - Leeds First Direct Arena

Thu Nov 23 - Brighton Centre

Fri Nov 24 - London The O2

Sat Nov 25 - London The SSE Arena, Wembley

Mon Nov 27 - Bournemouth BIC

Tue Nov 28 - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena

Wed Nov 29 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

Fri Dec 1 - Birmingham Barclaycard Arena

Sat Dec 2 - Manchester Arena

So the big question is are you excited that #20YearsOfSteps are back and if so are you going to buy the album or tickets to the tour. I'm guessing it's obvious that I will be doing both. Can't wait - roll on April and November.

Michelle

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Jamie Raven Live 2017

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On Tuesday Daddy and I headed to Southport to see Jamie Raven. For those that don't know who he is, Jamie came runner up in the 2015 Britain's Got Talent final. He narrowly lost out to Jules and Matisse by just 2 per cent of the vote. We remembered his performances and loved watching him so we were quite excited to see his live show. We have been to a few magic and illusion shows and whilst they have been okay we have always left the theatre feeling quite underwhelmed. Hopefully Jamie would amaze us and we would be heading home with confused looks on our faces and wondering "How on earth did he do that?'

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La La Land Review - City of Stars, Are You Shining Just For Me?

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La La Land was a film that I had wanted to see for a few months after seeing trailers online, reading about it on Social Media and although I had an idea of what it was about nothing could have prepared me for just how fantastic this movie is. Most of my childhood saw me acting out the dance scene from West Side Story in my front living room or singing Grease songs in front of the bathroom mirror. La La Land took me back to those memories and how good musicals were and how sad it is that they just don't make movies like that anymore, until now. 

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Our New Years Eve

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This is a little late, but better late than never I suppose. We ended 2016 with a visit to the Liverpool Ice Festival. It's something we did a few years ago and we thought it would be nice to do it again. Both Daddy and I aren't keen on New Years Eve so a nice day out was perfect.

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Festive Menu at Beefeater

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A few weeks ago we were treated to a delicious meal from the new Festive Menu at Beefeater. We have never dined at a Beefeater restaurant before so we were all excited. When it comes to eating out we do usually like to try different places but the Beefeater has never popped up and I'm not sure why as we have many close by.

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Num Noms at Bella Italia

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I have mentioned Num Noms before on my blog but if you haven't heard of them Nums are adorable, scented, squishy characters with tons of personality. Noms are motorized mischievous characters that move around, they're scented too. Stack the Nums on top of the Noms to make over 1,000 sweet scented combinations. We were recently invited to an event at our local Bella Italia to celebrate the launch of series 2 of Num Noms.

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Nickelodeon Slimefest 2016 - Blackpool

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On a wet and windy Saturday we headed up the M6 to Blackpool for the 1st ever Uk Slimefest. I had googled Slimefest and it looked so much fun so I knew both big and little J would love it. The event was part of the Blackpool Illuminations Switch On.

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Beat Bugs Netflix Event

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When we were asked to be a member of the Netflix Stream Team we were all so excited. We had heard of Netflix before but had never tried it, now it's used every day. We all have our different profiles set up which suggests programmes and films based on what we like. As it is the Summer holidays most of the day we are on little J's profile watching Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and Beat Bugs. As a member of the Stream Team we were invited to a Netflix event in London and it was amazing.

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Nickelodeon Slimefest 2016 Comes To Blackpool

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Nickelodeon supremoes Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely will take to the stage to host the UK’s first SLIMEFEST. Tickets are now on sale for the live shows which will include a spectacular performance from Britain’s Got Talent-winning dance troupe Diversity, created exclusively for SLIMEFEST by Ashley Banjo. Launched in Australia in 2012, Nickelodeon’s SLIMEFEST is a family music festival made especially for kids, featuring headline talent, DJs and a showground festival. The UK edition of SLIMEFEST will be an immersive music and entertainment festival focusing on kids aged four to 15. Featuring costume character appearances, hands-on activities, games and music, SLIMEFEST will run across 3rd and 4th September in Blackpool.

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The View From The Shard

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A few months ago we received a Buyagift Smartbox. If you have heard of Buyagift you will know that they offer 100's of experiences throughout the UK. The Smartbox which is perfect for couples had over 500 experiences to choose from but after a lot of thought we decided to use our voucher on our recent visit to London.

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Our Morning At Mattel Play Liverpool

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A few weeks ago we popped along to Mattel Play Liverpool for the first time. I'm not sure who was more excited about visiting, Little J or Me. I had read lots about the new interactive play centre and it was all positive. I was a little unsure about visiting at the weekend as I was worried it would be overcrowded so we headed down to the Albert Dock quite early on a Saturday morning.

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Disney On Ice Silver Anniversary Celebration Review

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We were really excited about seeing Disney On Ice Silver Silver Anniversary especially after watching the Worlds Of Enchantment show in Manchester last year. This time it was in the Liverpool Echo Arena so a lot closer to home but we had tickets to an evening show so I wasn't sure little J would stay awake.

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Christmas At Liverpool ONE

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We are so lucky to have Liverpool ONE so close to where we live. For years we had to venture further afield for shopping trips and meals out. Since Liverpool ONE arrived we have everything we could ask for. Now you can drop the kids off at school and you can get everything you need and more before you have to pick them up again. Here's how we recently went Christmas Shopping at Liverpool ONE. 

Liverpool ONE Christmas Tree 2015

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Toby Carvery - Waterside Review

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The highlight of my week so far has to be our visit to the Toby Carvery - Waterside. It was a very cold, wet and blustery Monday evening and I really didn't want to head home after the school pick up to cook our dinner. I needed a day off from cooking and a nice Toby Carvery was just what I needed to warm me up.

We have quite a few Toby Carvery restaurants close by although we do tend to drive a little further to the Waterside. Daddy and I used to go for meals there before it was a Toby and it's always been a nice restaurant, even better now.

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Disney On Ice Silver Anniversary Celebration

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A few months ago we were lucky enough to see Disney On Ice. As soon as the show started we were all mesmerised and I knew then that we would have to see another show soon. I am so excited to reveal that Disney On Ice Silver Anniversary is touring next year and its making a stop in Liverpool.

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