Experiences
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New Thorntons Liverpool One Store Unveiled | AD

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Disclaimer - This is a paid collaboration. We were invited to Thorntons for the purpose of this post and we were gifted with chocolates to take home.

thorntons chocolates
We visit Liverpool One at least once every few weeks and almost every time we go, we will pop in to Thorntons for an ice cream or a chocolate treat. So, when we were invited to the opening of the newly refurbished store at Liverpool One, we were very excited to have a sneak peek before it opened to the public. It was such a lovely experience and definitely felt like a chocolate lovers dream as we had a tour of the new-look store and everything it offers.

thorntons crunchy praline chocolates
small box of thorntons chocolates
As we walked through the doors, we were greeted by a brilliant display of chocolates in the Thorntons Craftery. The Craftery is the perfect place to create your own personalised box of chocolates. You can decide how many chocolates you’d like and select your favourite flavours to have in your own box. The bespoke chocolate boxes come in three sizes and can contain either four, nine or twelve chocolates.  The chocolate maker at the Craftery will help you to select each individual chocolate and place them in a box which is then hand tied with gift ribbon. The larger boxes make the perfect presents and it's so nice to create a box that is personal to you, or to the person you are buying for, with all their favourite chocolates inside. 

Next we arrived at the ice cream counter which has a wide selection of flavours where you can create your own milkshakes or enjoy a hot chocolate to take away. 

Thorntons range
Thorntons range
Thorntons range
Thorntons range
If you are looking to purchase some Christmas treats this year then you will want to check out the Cheeky Elf range. The Cheeky Elf is a cute design which is perfect for not just little ones but all the family. You can now also purchase a personalised Cheeky Elf advent calendar, which is a great way to make the countdown to Christmas truly special!

Thorntons range
New for this year is the Thorntons Chocolate Block Library. You can select up to five of your favourite flavoured bars from a range of 12 flavours, which are then placed in a box and gift wrapped with ribbon. It's such a lovely idea and the presentation in the library style box makes it an ideal gift for your loved ones. 

Everyone has a favourite Thorntons chocolate and mine are the Viennese and Alpini. However, there are times when I like to try different flavours and the Classics range is perfect for these occasions. 

All of the Thorntons Classics flavours are found in this one box and you can choose from a Classic selection, Classic Milk or Classic Dark box, giving you a perfect way to explore the wider range and maybe even discover a new favourite!

Thorntons range
Thorntons range
Thorntons range
Once you have browsed the store and purchased your chocolate treats you can take them to be gift wrapped and this was my favourite part of the Thorntons experience. Watching the staff member wrap our chocolate box with such passion and skill was so inspiring. So much care was put into wrapping up our gifts and they looked beautiful afterwards. I can't wait to pass the love on and gift our box to a friend. 

Thorntons cafe
Thorntons cafe
If browsing the store and you need a break, then you can pop into the Thorntons Café towards the back of the store. Here you can enjoy a hot or cold drink, a choice of sandwiches or a delicious cake.

A new addition to the Thorntons Cafe is the Afternoon Tea for two. You will be served a tiered platter of sandwiches, cakes and of course Thorntons Chocolates with your choice of hot drink. I am sure the Afternoon Tea will be a popular choice at the Thorntons café, there’s no need to book in advance so if you are out in town and get the urge to enjoy an Afternoon Tea you can just pop in store.

Thorntons range
Thorntons range
outside Thorntons
The newly refurbished Thorntons store is bright, inviting and an amazing experience for chocolate lovers. We’ll definitely be returning soon!

Michelle
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Buyagift - The Perfect Present | Review

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Disclosure - We received a Buyagift experience in return for a feature on our blog. The idea for this post was my own as is all thoughts, opinions and photographs. This post contains affiliate links.

A wrapped present
We are those people that when it comes to birthdays or Christmas we never want anything. We really struggle to think of something and in the end we usually ask for a voucher. Over the past few years we have asked experiences vouchers such as Buyagift and for people like us it really is the perfect present. We have selected some of  our favourite experiences that we have enjoyed so far using Buyagift.

Drayton Manor Theme Park


Theme Parks
If you know us then you will know that we are quite the thrill seekers and are usually head to theme park at least once a month. This Summer we headed to Drayton Manor which was perfect for both big and little J.

As there is an 11 year age gap it can be tricky sometimes to find somewhere that is suitable for both their age ranges however Drayton Manor had something for everyone.

Drayton Manor Theme Park
Drayton Manor Theme Park
The park has lots of thrill rides suitable for big J including Shockwave and Maelstrom and little J loved Thomas Land which has lots of rides based around the popular character Thomas The Tank Engine.

The theme park also has a 15 acre zoo which was fun for all of us and a 4D cinema too.

Our voucher included two adults and two children with lunch to Drayton Manor Theme Park


Prezzo Restaurant


Dining Out
On a recent day out to Southport, John and I ended our day with a trip to Prezzo. Using our voucher was easy we just made a reservation online and we were sent a redemption code to hand to the waiter when we had finished.

On arrival we were handed the Buyagift set menu which has so much to choose from. John started with the Garlic Bread with Mozzarella and I had the Tomato Bruschetta.

For our mains we both went for Spaghetti Bolognese. I assumed as this was a Buyagift menu that the portion size may be smaller but it wasn't.

We both saved some room for desserts. I went for Honey Smash Cheesecake whilst John chose his favourite Tiramisu.

The voucher was for a Three Course Meal With Wine For Two at Prezzo


View from the Shard


Days Out
We like to go to London at least once a year to visit the London tourist attractions. One of our favourite attractions is viewing the London Skyline from The Shard.

View from the Shard
Once at the top of The Shard you can get a great view of St Pauls Cathedral, The River Thames, The London Eye and if you look closely you can also spot Wembley too.

There was no need to book beforehand for this experience and the voucher we used was View From the Shard - Two Adults and Two Children

Go Ape
Adventure
I managed to keep my feet firmly on the ground for this experience however I did enjoy watching both John and big J making their way through the trees on Go Ape.

Go Ape is a tree top high ropes adventure that has you climbing across obstacles and rope ladders through the trees.

Go Ape
Once they had finished their course they used a zip wire to fly head back to the ground.

Go Ape
This experience was really fun for them both and we did enjoy watching them as they challenged themselves to reach the end. The experience we used was a Tree Top Adventure at Go Ape



These are just a few of our favourite experiences we have done so far but our list is huge and we still have so many more we want to do. There are so many experiences to choose from with Buyagift and if you are unsure on a what experience to choose you can always buy a Smartbox which gives you 1000's of experiences to choose from. If you don't like your chosen experience Buyagift offers free exchanges and once you pick your new experience you can have your voucher sent direct to your email.

For more experience ideas you can visit Buyagift

Michelle
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Christmas 2018 | The Lanterns at Chester Zoo

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On Sunday we headed over to Chester to experience The Lanterns at Chester Zoo. We have never been before but some of the family went last year and loved it so they booked for us all to go this year. I had no idea what to expect so I was really surprised when we got there to see lots of animals made out of lights.
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Christmas 2018 | Tea With Santa At Dobbies

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On Saturday we headed to Dobbies Garden Centre for our first visit of the year to see Santa. I say our first visit because we have at least another 4 visits planned to various grottos but I can honestly say now I doubt any will compare to the whole Dobbies experience.
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Days Out | Royal De Luxe Giants Come To Liverpool

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Last weekend we were very fortunate to witness the amazing Giants as they visited Liverpool. Royal De Luxe last visited Liverpool in 2014 and I was so amazed back then that when we heard they were bringing their giants back to the streets of Liverpool we just couldn't wait.
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Disney On Ice - Dream Big Coming To UK This Autumn

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When I heard about that Disney On Ice was returning this Autumn with a new show I was eager to see how it could top the show we saw a few years ago. When I saw the announcement that Dream Big will feature Moana, Frozen, Beauty and The Beast, Tangled, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin I was so excited, what a fantastic bunch of characters. 
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CBBC Summer Social Is Coming To Liverpool

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We are so excited about CBBC Summer Social coming to Liverpool this year. We have been to something very similar in the South a few years ago and it was amazing. This time it is our hometown and we cannot wait to attend.
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Cocktail Making Masterclass at Prezzo

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You may have read my post recently about us sampling the new Summer Set Menu at Prezzo. We had lots of delicious food and drinks and while we were there we had the chance to take part in a Cocktail Making Masterclass. John and I have never done anything like this before and as the cocktails were going to have Peroni in John was very excited to make them.
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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.

Steps tour poster
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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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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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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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.

Disney On Ice
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Young Driver Lesson Review

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You may already know that last year big J drove a car for the very first time at the age of 12 years old. I had so many tweets and messages from readers who were so happy that I had posted about big J's Young Driver lesson as they had no idea that it existed. I had seen adverts in the Trafford Centre but I had no idea we had a training site so close to home until he had his first lesson. It's even better now that we have two really close by.

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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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Our Day At Toytopia

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When we were asked to visit Toytopia I knew we would all love it. We love toys and having lots of different brands and toys under one roof is a our idea of heaven. With Christmas just a few months away it was a perfect chance for little J to try out some possible choices for his Christmas list. I have to say we have just got back from a fulfilled day - here is our day at Toytopia.

Entrance to Liverpool Exhibition Centre for Toytopia Event

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