Review | Slurpees Snot Suckers

Review | Slurpees Snot Suckers

13 December 2018

1 comment

What is it about Slime that makes kids just love it? Is it the fact that it's gooey, slimy, gross or all three? Little J absolutely loves slime and has various pots of it dotted around the house in a variety of colours and textures. I'm not a fan of it myself but I have to say when we received some Slurpees Snot Suckers I did find playing with it quite enjoyable as did little J.

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Collaboration | The Perfect Mums Night In

Collaboration | The Perfect Mums Night In

9 comments

Christmas can be a stressful time for everyone but I personally find it so tiring. I don't know whether it's a Mum thing but I like to take charge and make sure everything is perfect for the big day. If like me you need to have a relaxing evening before the festivities begin then check out my recommendations for the perfect Mums night in.

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Review | Silk Filled Pillows

Review | Silk Filled Pillows

10 December 2018

23 comments

This weekend we will be putting our Christmas tree and decorations up and I can't wait. I have started to add a few Christmas themed bits around the house already including my festive place mats and Christmas bedding. We were recently sent some Silk Filled Pillows which we have added to our 'Walking In A Winter Wonderland' bedding and our bed has never been cosier.

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Christmas 2018 | The Lanterns at Chester Zoo

Christmas 2018 | The Lanterns at Chester Zoo

6 December 2018

11 comments

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 | A Letter To Santa

Christmas 2018 | A Letter To Santa

5 December 2018

13 comments

3 months ago little J looked through every age of the Smyths toys catalogue and circled everything he wanted for Christmas. He was so excited but we told him it was too early to write his letter to Santa but this weekend he finally got the chance to write his letter and send it to the North Pole.

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Christmas 2018 | Tea With Santa At Dobbies

Christmas 2018 | Tea With Santa At Dobbies

3 December 2018

11 comments

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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Christmas 2018 | Our Sunday Photo - Meeting Santa

Christmas 2018 | Our Sunday Photo - Meeting Santa

2 December 2018

No comments

 Yesterday we had our first Santa visit of the year. We visited him at Dobbies Garden Centre and it was one of the most magical experiences we have ever done. Little J absolutely loved it and it has definitely put us in the Christmas mood. What a great way to start the month!

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Christmas 2018 | Our Advent Calendars

Christmas 2018 | Our Advent Calendars

1 December 2018

No comments

It's the 1st of December which means I am now allowed to be excited for Christmas. We have so much planned for December so it's nice to start off the month with our official countdown to Christmas, our Advent Calendars.

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Review | What's That Smell?

Review | What's That Smell?

29 November 2018

1 comment

We recently received a game to review called What's That Smell? We have never played anything quite like this game before. Basically it's a scratch and sniff game but honestly some of the smells are so disgusting it will make your eyes water.

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Collaboration | What We Will Be Watching This December

Collaboration | What We Will Be Watching This December

No comments

There is nothing better than curling up on the sofa on a cold Winter's evening catching up with your favourite TV programmes. I want to have everything sorted for Christmas soon so that we can just sit back and relax in December. I have a few Christmas movies on my watch list but I also want to start a new series too.

At the moment we have so many series on the go that have either finished for this year so we have to wait till next year or we are waiting for the current series to finish so we can binge watch.

We are looking forward to watching West World Season 2 although I think we may have to have a quick watch of season 1 again because I've forgot what happened at the end.

We never did watch the last season of Once Upon A Time so that is something we could consider.

We will have to wait till 2019 to see the final season of Game of Thrones but that will definitely be worth the wait.

At the moment we are waiting for the current season of This is us to finish so we can watch that. It's probably one of my favourite programmes ever, I love it.

We haven't started a new series for ages so we've been looking at the possible choices. I quite fancy The Walking Dead as I know it's up to season 9 so we can binge watch it over the Christmas period.

There have been so many brilliant reviews of the show that I think it would definitely be worth a watch. There are so many TV apps nowadays that you can have access to all the episodes of your favourites shows just waiting for you when you're ready to watch.

We recently came across TVPlayer and for a limited time only, customers will be able to get a year’s subscription to TVPlayer from as little as £41.90 saving nearly £42. Buying just one TV DVD boxset would be more than a full years subscription, I love a bargain!

Catching up on the latest shows on MTV to Keeping Up with the Kardashians on E! – subscribers can stream 19 channels not available on Freeview, plus 61 other channels, through Fire TV.  I think our Christmas TV is sorted.

Michelle

This is a collaborative post. 

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Review | Slime and Gelli Baff and SnoBall Play

Review | Slime and Gelli Baff and SnoBall Play

28 November 2018

10 comments

Although little J seemed quite excited by the idea of having a bath full of slime, I wasn't sure what he would make of it. We have seen Gelli Baff in the stores and on TV but I've never thought of buying it for little J. His older brother didn't like anything like this when he was younger so I just thought little J would be the same, I was wrong. 

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Review | Paw Patrol On a Roll Xbox One Game

Review | Paw Patrol On a Roll Xbox One Game

27 November 2018

9 comments

Little J has watched Paw Patrol for a few years now, and the release of a Paw Patrol On A Roll video game for the major consoles isn't a surprise given how its popularity has increased in recent times. It's an interesting release as it surprises me that there are enough children old enough to play console games, but still young enough to enjoy Paw Patrol, to warrant a major game release. Having said that Little J loves his Xbox time, so maybe gaming is more popular with small children than I would have thought.

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Review | Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab

Review | Beaker Creatures Liquid Reactor Super Lab

26 November 2018

5 comments

For the past few months little J has absolutely loved creating potions in the shower and bath. He mixes all the shower gels, bath bombs and bubble baths in to old shampoo containers. It's made bath time fun again for him since he outgrew his old bath toys. He loves watching the colours of the different gels mix together, different textures and watching the bath bombs fizz. I actually said to John that we should look into getting him a little science set because he finds it fascinating. I recently was introduced to a new range of toys that would be perfect, Beaker Creatures from Learning Resources.

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Review | Carpet Cleaning From Fantastic Services

Review | Carpet Cleaning From Fantastic Services

19 November 2018

11 comments

It has been almost a year since we had our new carpets put in, and I thought it would be a good idea to get them cleaned to keep them looking fresh and new just before Christmas. You may have read recently that Fantastic Services cleaned our oven and they did a 'fantastic' job so I was confident the carpet clean would be great too.

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Closed Giveaway | The Littlest Reindeer DVD

Closed Giveaway | The Littlest Reindeer DVD

18 November 2018

4 comments

Over the next week or so I will start making my Christmas movies watch list. I do it every year and the list is filled with everything I want to watch between now and the big day. This year I will have a new entry to the list The Littlest Reindeer.

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Review | InfaCare Bath Time Products

Review | InfaCare Bath Time Products

1 comment

When we had a bathroom makeover I thought little J would prefer the new walk in shower instead of the bath. He loves showers when we stay in hotels or after going the pool but I was wrong. He still loves his bath and it's a big part of his bedtime routine. We have been using Infacare Bath Products now for well over a year and little J loves them.

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Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - Fortnite Fans

Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - Fortnite Fans

17 November 2018

No comments

Fortnite has been the gaming sensation of the year.  Playable on most devices, even your phone, it has captured the hearts and minds of most children and a good many adults too. If you have an Xbox or Playstation at home then I would be surprised if your children's Christmas lists don't have something Fortnite related on them! So here's some ideas that we think will make your Fortnite fan happy on Christmas morning.

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Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - For The Kids

Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - For The Kids

15 November 2018

No comments

 If you are looking for gift ideas for the kids this Christmas check out what we recommend. We have tried and tested all these products over the past year and they would make a perfect gift choice for the kids.

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Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - The Foodies

Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - The Foodies

14 November 2018

12 comments

 At Christmas we have to buy for all different types of people. This Christmas gift guide is one for the foodies. We have included gifts for all tastes including Spice Pioneer, Mad Millie and Eat 17.

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Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - The Book Lovers

Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - The Book Lovers

13 November 2018

8 comments

As a family we love books. Whether it's a bedtime story for little J, A rom com for me or a game guide for John we love reading. Here's a few of our favourites this November.

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Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - Gamers

Christmas 2018 | Gift Guide - Gamers

12 November 2018

12 comments

I'm sure every family has a gamer to buy for, we have three here. These are our top picks for Christmas gift ideas for the gamers including Fortnite, Roblox and the very popular FIFA.

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Collaboration | Steps to Make a Bed Look Plush and Beautiful Like a Dream Bedroom

Collaboration | Steps to Make a Bed Look Plush and Beautiful Like a Dream Bedroom

10 November 2018

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Chic sheets, plump pillows and sumptuous luxury throws are all crucial elements of a perfectly plush bedroom. But simply putting all these components together will not automatically create a ‘beautiful dream bedroom’. You will need to follow a few certain style steps to achieve a luxurious and exquisite bedtime resting place. Have a look at our steps below

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Dining Out | The Ring O Bells, Warrington

Dining Out | The Ring O Bells, Warrington

9 November 2018

17 comments

Have you ever walked in somewhere and got a good feeling about it straight away? I have a few times and one of those times was recently when we went for a pub lunch at Ring O Bells in Warrington. We were invited along to sample the menu and take a look at the pub which is soon to celebrate it's 1 year anniversary under new ownership. 

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Dining Out | Kids Menu at Turtle Bay

Dining Out | Kids Menu at Turtle Bay

8 November 2018

1 comment

Last week we headed in to town to for lunch at Turtle Bay. This was our first ever visit to Turtle Bay so we were not sure what to expect. Little J is quite a fussy eater but as they had just updated their kids menu we were keen to give it a try.

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Review | Pull My Finger

Review | Pull My Finger

7 November 2018

No comments

To a five year old there's probably nothing funnier than toilet humour. Being the only girl in a house with 3 boys I have heard all the poo and fart jokes and whilst I may find them funny, they find them hilarious. When we were sent Pull My Finger game to review I knew instantly little J would love it. 

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Collaboration | Tattoos Are Not For Life Anymore

Collaboration | Tattoos Are Not For Life Anymore

6 November 2018

No comments

John has been talking for some time now about getting a tattoo. He only wants a subtle one on his lower arm near his wrist. He wants the black flag logo from the game Assassins Creed. He has asked my opinion and I have been very honest in saying that tattoos are not for me but it's his body and if he wants one then he should go ahead and get one. Times have moved on with regards to tattoos and they are not for life anymore. If you change your mind you can have laser tattoo removal done. I think knowing that this is available is making a tattoo more appealing to John right now.

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Review | Tesco Photo Canvas Print

Review | Tesco Photo Canvas Print

5 November 2018

No comments

Since I became a Mum I am obsessed with taking photos of the boys. I always have my camera or phone to hand to capture memories. I'm lucky that they like having their photo taken although sometimes little J will pull funny faces or stick his tongue out but thats okay, because that's just the way he is. When Tesco Photo asked us if we would like to review their services I instantly thought 'A new canvas for the wall'. I love my canvases and have lots that we rotate through the year keeping the walls fresh every few months.

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Review | Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Myth

Review | Oregon Scientific Smart Globe Myth

2 November 2018

No comments

Just over a year ago we reviewed the Oregon Scientific Adventure Smart Globe. Little J absolutely loves the globe and over the past year has learnt so much about different countries and his knowledge of capitals is amazing. Over the past few weeks we have been trying out Smart Globe Myth and we are really impressed.

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Pumpkin Picking at Kenyon Hall Farm 2018

Pumpkin Picking at Kenyon Hall Farm 2018

31 October 2018

38 comments

We did our first ever Pumpkin pick last year and at first we had no idea which pumpkin patch to choose as there are quite a few local to us, however we heard lots of good recommendations for Kenyon Hall Farm so we chose to visit there. We loved it and chose to go again this year too.

There was definitely not as many pumpkins as there was last year as we had left it a bit late but we managed to find a few that were still intact.

We decided this year that we would have a pumpkin carving contest between us all so we had to make sure we all picked a good one. Little J changed his mind so many times.

If you don't manage to find a pumpkin in the patch you can head indoors where you will find lots of pumpkins to choose from which have already been picked and put on display.

Big J carved this pumpkin and I am so proud. If you are a Harry Potter fan you may know what it is but if you're not then you'll never know!!

Michelle

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Review | Oven Cleaning With Fantastic Services

Review | Oven Cleaning With Fantastic Services

30 October 2018

50 comments

 I know we all like to do a spot of Spring cleaning but I also like to do a big clear out and clean in Autumn, getting ready for Christmas. I think the Summer months are so busy for us that we tend to be on the lazy side when it comes to cleaning so I really feel it this time of year. I have been browsing Fantastic Services looking to see what they could help me with and I found a job that I knew would be perfect for us.

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Disney On Ice, Dream Big

Disney On Ice, Dream Big

29 October 2018

4 comments

Disclosure - We were gifted Disney on Ice tickets for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Last week we headed to Manchester to the Manchester Arena to see Disney On Ice Dream Big. We have seen Disney On Ice many times over the years but each show is completely different and we couldn't wait to see what magic was in store for us this time.

When we first arranged the tickets I wasn't sure whether little J would want to see this show or not. I have seen many trailers and adverts and it is all about the princesses but we decided to book him a ticket too and I am so glad we did. He was mesmerised from start to finish.

Our seats were rink side so we were so close to the characters and you could feel the cold breeze from the ice as they whizzed past. I would definitely recommend rink side as it made our whole experience so much more magical.

Mickey and Minnie introduced the show and continued to pop out after every segment to introduce the next princess.

Aladdin opened the show as he weaved in and out of the market stands on the ice stealing bread to eat for him and Abu only to be caught. Luckily Princess Jasmine was close by and saved Aladdin from a gloomy fate.

Watching Aladdin and Jasmine dance around the ice to A Whole New World was beautiful and was one of my personal highlights of the show.

Next up was the tale of Beauty and the Beast. Little J likes the songs from the film and I caught him a few times singing along.

Belle danced around the ice with Lumiere but unfortunately there was no sign of the Beast or Gaston.

My favourite moment was watching Rapunzel dance with Flynn to 'I See The Light'. Tangled is my favourite Disney movie ever and Rapunzel is my favourite princess so this was a special moment for me.

Moana caused a buzz in the air as most of the little ones got all excited as she skated on to the ice. Moana was probably the strongest skater we had seen so far as we watched her dance around to 'How  Far I'll Go'

It was nice to see demigod Maui make an appearance too.

We had seen The Little Mermaid on ice before but it's so colourful and the songs are great that it felt like the first time we had seen it. 

There was a 20 minute interval and the seating areas where soon flooded with staff selling popcorn, ice creams and candy floss. An actual merchandise stand was quickly erected just behind us for people to grab any souvenirs.

The one thing that I feel lets Disney On Ice down is the costs of the snacks and the merchandise. We have bought stuff in the past but now I just refuse. £22 for a spinning wand or £30 for a princess teddy. It's so costly especially when you are buying for 2 or 3 children.

We actually took our own light up toy that we bought in Florida last year and little J was just as happy waving that in the air. We did let him choose a snack in the interval. He wanted an ice cream which was £3 and John chose popcorn which was very over priced at £8.

The second half saw a very brief visit from Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and then it was on to Frozen.

We have seen the Frozen part of the show a few times now and I guess because its so popular they want to include it in every new production. I love this part of the show it lasts about 20/25 minutes and it will have you singing along guaranteed.

Anna and Elsa do more skating than all of the other Princesses and Characters and they really do put on a performance and it's the perfect ending to a wonderful show.

I would highly recommend Disney On Ice to any fans of Disney as the whole production is so magical and children and adults of all ages will enjoy it. For me personally this was the best Disney On Ice. We definitely got to see more characters than we have before.

There are usually a few opportunities to see a Disney on Ice show throughout the year as it tours arenas up and down the country. Keep checking Disney on Ice for up to date information.

If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.

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Michelle

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Review | Autumn Wardrobe with Fashion World

Review | Autumn Wardrobe with Fashion World

28 October 2018

No comments

Autumn is here and I have been removing all my Summer clothes from my wardrobe and replacing them with lots of Autumn / Winter clothes. I have a few new additions thanks to Fashion World.

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Parenting | Preparing For Year One

Parenting | Preparing For Year One

27 October 2018

3 comments

It only seems like yesterday that little J was starting Reception but fast forward a year and we are almost at the beginning of his second half term of year one. For me this is when school really starts. I think it's been a big shock for him as in Reception it is mostly learning through play, however his classroom is very different now. There are almost no toys but lots of desks. He still seems so young and although he has lots of energy he does get tired quite easily as I've mentioned before. He's usually in bed before 7pm and needs his 12/13 hours sleep. John and I have discussed whether he may need to take a multivitamin as he is quite fussy when it comes to eating foods that are good for him. We were delighted when Bassetts vitamins sent over their Omega-3 + Multivitamins Orange Pastilles. They were just what we needed.

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Review | Cozmo by Anki

Review | Cozmo by Anki

26 October 2018

4 comments

Meet Cozmo.  Cozmo is the cutest little robot that we have ever seen.  Anki offered us the chance to review Cozmo, meaning we could get to know him and he could get to know us.

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Closed Giveaway | Dessineo Learn To Paint Bundle

Closed Giveaway | Dessineo Learn To Paint Bundle

25 October 2018

36 comments

We have teamed up with Jumbo Games to offer one lucky Playdays and Runways reader the chance to win a Dessineo Bundle worth £100. Dessineo Learn to Paint and Draw range is perfect for any budding artist.

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Review | Drumond Park Foxy Pants

Review | Drumond Park Foxy Pants

26 comments

Autumn in our house means board game season. We love playing games all year round but just play more when the darker nights creep in. Little J is at the age now were he loves playing games and a few weeks ago we were sent a new addition to our collection, Foxy Pants by Drumond Park. You will be able to tell from our blog that we love Drumond Park games as they never disappoint.

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Collaboration | How To Create A Warm And Cosy Home This Winter

Collaboration | How To Create A Warm And Cosy Home This Winter

17 October 2018

12 comments

This year will be our first winter since our whole house had a makeover. Everywhere feels so fresh and new but it just needs some finishing touches to help create a nice warm and cosy feeling for the winter. We have already started buying a few little bits and pieces and Christmas decorations too. There is nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa while the weather is cold outside. We have created some tips for you all on how to create a warm and cosy home this winter.

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