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.

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Disney On Ice - Worlds Of Enchantment Review

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It's not every Saturday you are whisked away on a magical journey to Sunnyside Day Care, Under The Sea, Radiator Springs and Arendelle. If you hadn't already guessed it we went to see Disney on Ice - Worlds Of Enchantment in Manchester.

From the moment the lights went down and Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy took to the stage we where all mesmerised. 

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Young Driver Lesson Giveaway

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The first thing I wanted to do as soon as I was old enough was learn how to drive. I loved the idea of being a driver with the independence to go anywhere, whenever I wanted. It took me a few times to pass my test but at the age of 18 I had my own car and loved it. Nowadays you can enjoy driving lessons from the age of 11 which is amazing. Last year big J had a Young Driver lesson and he loved it. If you have a teen that would love to get behind the wheel I am giving my readers the chance to win a Young Driver lesson giveaway.

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Family Snow Park Pass to Chill Factoré Giveaway

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Big J and I were so jealous when Daddy and little J got the chance to visit the new Mini Moose Adventure Playground recently at Chill Factoré. It looked so much fun and I know little J had a great time. We have been looking at all going together soon and I was checking out the website when I came across the Snow Park Pass.

The Snow Park Pass allows you to visit the Snow Park and experience a range of snow activities. They all look very exciting plus this Summer they have introduced a new Snow Luge.  The Snow Luge is built entirely from real snow and you can take on the twists and turns as you race to the bottom.  

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Win A Family Ticket to Toytopia

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I am so excited to announce that I am an Official Mummy Blogger for Toytopia. It's obvious from our blog that we love toys here so it will be so much fun to visit a Toy Exhibition. I have never attended anything like this before so I have no idea what to expect but it sounds good. Daddy and big J went to a game event last year which is very similar and they still talk about that now.

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Dylan's Reptile Time

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I was so lucky this week to be able to see little J take part in a special nursery activity when Dylan's Reptile Time came to visit. It's so nice that little J goes to the nursery that I work in, every day is like 'bring a child to work day' I love watching him play and chat to the other children and seeing him take part in this activity made me smile. Over the years we have had similar visits to the nursery but Dylan's Reptile time is by far my favourite. We placed all the chairs into a semi circle, the children all washed their hands and then they sat down ready to see all the reptiles. Dylan introduced himself and then showed the children the plastic boxes behind him. Each box had a creature inside. I was actually looking forward to this even though I am not the biggest fan of things that crawl.

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Father's Day Gift Ideas

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Father's Day will soon be here and if I am honest I haven't got a clue what we are buying Daddy yet. I usually sway to something related to technology because that is what Daddy loves. I know he would love an Apple iWatch but he might have to ask Father Christmas for that. I do love buying little 'Daddy' gifts too such as teddies and mugs but we have so many and like I said recently about buying anniversary gifts there must come a point where you have to stop.  Here are just a few choices that I may consider for Daddy.

Personalised Square Cufflinks 

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In The Night Garden Party At Alton Towers

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A few weeks ago little J got his first ever birthday party invite. It was so exciting as it was to celebrate the first anniversary of the In The Night Garden Boat Ride in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers.

Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and Little J blowing kisses

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McBusted's Most Excellent Adventure Tour Ever

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On a scale from 1-10 for how excited I was when McBusted announced they were touring again, I was an 11. I honestly thought it was a one off tour last year and didn't think for one minute that not only would they tour again but they would make an album together. It made my year when I heard the news and I was even more excited when I received tickets for their Most Excellent Adventure Tour for christmas. They arrived in Liverpool on 31st March and couldn't wait. I love all their songs and I was ready to sing and dance my socks off. ( I didn't have socks on but you know what I mean!)  I love it that we have the Echo Arena in Liverpool because it saves the journey into Manchester which we did for many years. Its not as big as the Manchester Arena, definitely not as high but it does attract the big names.  Our tickets were for the lower tier next to the stage, Row A. We were on Tom's side. If you have been a Mcfly/McBusted concert before you will know Tom, Danny, Dougie have always sang/played on the same side for each tour and its never changed. 

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Chocolate Making Masterclass

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I am definitely a chocolate lover and if you were to put a bag a crisps or a chocolate bar in front of me I would always choose the chocolate. When I was younger I loved Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I remember watching the movie an thinking "I would love to visit there."  When I was invited to attend a Chocolate Making Masterclass at Millennium Hotels -The Copthorne Hotel in Manchester I obviously said yes please, who wouldn't? I have never attended a masterclass before so I had no idea what to expect other than the fact we were going to make chocolate. 

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Time Tower At Warwick Castle

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On Saturday we were invited down to Warwick Castle to a sneak preview of the exciting new attraction Time Tower. We love Warwick Castle but to get to see a new attraction before anyone else was an exciting bonus. From the Northwest it is a two hour drive so we decided to do the drive and stay over the night before in a hotel close to Warwick. You can read about our stay here - Holiday Inn Leamington Spa. When we woke it didn't look the nicest of days. It was quite cloudy and when I opened the window it felt chilly but the day actually turned out to be lovely. Really sunny and although there was a slight chill in the air it was a lovely spring day and there was no rain which was perfect as most of the activities are outside.  Every time we have been to the Castle we have parked in the Stables Car park. It is just a minutes walk (probably less) to the entrance. Its a premium car park and costs £10. Its perfect if you want to nip back to the car. Once we parked, we headed to the Stables Courtyard. This is where your day begins. You purchase your tickets here and it also has toilet facilities and The Coach House. Great place to grab a cup of coffee or a snack before you start.

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Project 365 Days 61-67

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Its been a lovely dry week this week so plenty of chances to head out in the garden for some fresh air.  

61/365 - My week got off to a very good start when I lost albs. I started slimming world the week before and I am really enjoying it. I don't actually feel like I am on a diet and I am amazed with my weight loss. I know when you start dieting you always lose more in the first week but its really motivated me to do good.

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I Need To M.E.A.T and Greet McBusted

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I haven't blogged about my love for Mcbusted for a few weeks so I suppose now is a good time to give them a mention. Last week I was browsing through my emails when I came across one from the McBusted boys, well it was just a mail shot but it was very exciting.

*photo copyrighted to McBusted*

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Big J Trys An Experience Prize Thanks To Weetabix

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Weetabix and Red Nose Day have teamed up to offer 9 amazing experience prizes in their pick a nose competition. Big J is lucky to be trialling one of the prizes that is on offer.

Big J was chosen to trial the Karate Konk training experience. The prize is 3 months Karate lessons plus a full years karate membership.

Once we had found a karate club that was close to home we were ready to join. The classes run for 1 hour and there are different sessions depending on ability. Big J is a beginner as he has never done Karate before.

 

We arrived as requested 20-30 minutes before the session started. Big J filled out his registration forms. He was shown the time table of different classes available. There was karate, kung fu and kickboxing. Big J chose kickboxing.

There was a shop on site for selling everything you might need. There was so much choice.

Once we had signed up we were shown around and big J starts next week. he is really looking forward to it. He has never shown an interest in anything like this before but after having a look round he is really keen and excited.

There are so many amazing experiences to be won on the Pick Your Nose competition, this is just one of them.

You could also win a trip to a Planetarium, The Zoo or The Aquarium plus more and there is also a mystery prize.

All you need to do to enter is buy a special pack of Weetabix and enter the unique code here for your chance to win. Also Weetabix will donate 5p from every pack to Comic Relief, helping people across the UK and Africa. 

Make sure you keep an eye out for more posts about big J's karate experience.

*we were asked to trial the above prize in return for a blog post. All thoughts and any opinions are our own*

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A Day Out In York

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We've had a few hospital appointments over the last few weeks which can be stressful and worrying so it was nice to relax at the a few weekends ago and enjoy a day out in York. We have been to York before little J was born and it was a lovely place so I was excited to get back there and enjoy the sights.

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#Win Tickets To See Ben and Holly Live

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Now that little J is older I am really looking forward to the new things we can do together. As you may already know I love going to see a show or a movie and i'm hoping as little J gets older he will too. For me there is nothing better than seeing a show live on stage. 

I remember taking big J to see so many shows when he was little, Disney Live, The Wiggles, Thomas the Tank, Bob the Builder, The Tweenies and so many more. He loved going the theatre and would be glued to his seat for the duration. 

I am hoping that some of my readers share in my enthusiasm of taking the children to the theatre. Its such a wonderful experience and I am really excited to be able to offer my readers the chance to win a family ticket to see Ben and Holly live.

Two lucky winners will a family ticket each to a date and venue of your choice.

The hugely popular Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom theatre production takes to the road again for a second UK & Ireland tour this year.  A BAFTA award-winning TV animation, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom comes from the makers of Peppa Pig and was produced for the stage by top children’s theatre producers Fiery Light Productions whose growing stable of work - which includes the stage adaptions of Peppa Pig and Octonauts - has now been seen by millions of children across the UK over recent years.  This stage version toured 2012 - 2013 and now returns for a 45-theatre engagement, opening at  The Orchard Theatre, Dartford on 26 March. 

Currently a top favourite show for pre-schoolers, this charmingly magical animation airs on Nick Jr and on 5’s Milkshake. Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is co-owned by animation studio Astley Baker Davies (creators of Peppa Pig) and has been a hit with audiences and critics alike. The series won a BAFTA award for Best Pre-School Animation in 2009 and a British Animation Award for Best Pre-School Series in 2012.

The Little Kingdom – where everyone is very, very small – is home to Princess Holly and her best friend Ben Elf. Holly is a young fairy princess who is still learning how to do magic properly and sometimes her spells don’t work out quite right. Ben is an Elf. Elves don’t do magic but they are very good at making things. Ben doesn’t have wings like Holly but he flies on the back of Gaston the Ladybird.

In this exciting new musical adventure, Ben and Holly have fun and games helping Gaston clean up his messy cave; they go on a trip to The Big World with tooth-fairy Nanny Plum; and still have time to plan a surprise for King Elf’s birthday party, complete with an unplanned jelly flood.

Packed full of games, songs and laughter, this is an enchanting and magical visit to the Little Kingdom, live on stage for the very first time. This beautiful story of elves, princesses and childhood innocence will delight all the family.

Richard Lewis, who has adapted the TV animation for the stage and also directs, said, “We knew from the early screenings of Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom that the TV animation was destined to become a children’s classic and would translate well to the stage. The magical world of the Little Kingdom is a safe place for young children to learn about family values, respect, loyalty and most importantly how to have fun.

We’re delighted that following the very successful first tour of the stage show we can respond to demand and bring it back to UK and Ireland audiences for a second time. We hope that once again it will be a magical experience for all Ben & Holly fans, both young and old”.

Director and adaptor Richard Lewis also adapted and directed the three highly popular Peppa Pig theatre tours (Peppa Pig’s Party 2009 – 2011;  Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt 2011 – 2012; and Peppa Pig’s Big Splash 2013 - 2105) and the current tour of Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure 2014 - 2015.

Original music is by Mani Svavarsson, original lyrics by Matt Lewis, set design is by Simon Scullion, lighting design is by Matt Haskins and sound design by Ian Horrocks-Taylor.

The actors will wear masks in this production, created by Russell Dean,  Artistic Director of Strangeface Theatre Company. Russell worked for a number of years with the award-winning Trestle Theatre Company as their designer and mask-maker.

To enter my competition all you need to do is answer the following question and make sure you visit www.benandhollylive.com to check out the dates and venues.

What is the name of the tooth fairy in Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom?

Leave your answers as a blog comment. Only entrants who leave the correct answer will be entered into the draw.

Ben and Holly Live

Competition closes on Monday 2nd March 11:59PM Entrants must have a valid UK address Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified All entrants and entries are checked and verified. All entrants must follow the mandatory step and answer the question as a blog comment. 2 lucky winners will be chosen at random by the Gleam application. Mummy2Monkeys will contact the lucky winners within 1 day of the competition closing The winner must respond within 7 days. If no response a new winner will be chosen. The prize is A family ticket for four people, minimum one adult.  The tickets are non-transferable.  Accommodation or travel are not included in this prize. There is no cash alternative. It will be the responsibility of the representative of the named company above to issue the prize. The winner must consent to their name and details being passed on to the representative so their prize can be distributed.

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What To Buy For Our 15th Valentines Day Together?

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This Valentines Day will be my 15th with Daddy, oh how times flies. I think because we have been together so long it gets harder and harder to come up with a present for one another. We have done all the heart shaped cookies, red roses and Me to You bears so this year we are looking at something else to give each other, something a little different. We have been browsing Buyagift together and have come up with a few possible choices.

Double Supercar Driving Blast with Passenger Ride So if I was going to choose a gift for Daddy I would definitely look in the Driving experiences, he has done one before and loved it. This caught my eye, its on offer at the moment too. You get the chance to drive two of the supercars for a full six miles. Now when it says passenger ride too, I thought it meant I could go in there too. There would be no way you would get me sitting in one of those cars as I don't like fast cars but it means a passenger ride with an expert. 

When Daddy did his driving experience a few years ago big J and I watched and it was actually a lot of fun even for the spectators. We made a day of it and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to live life in the fast lane.

Cream Tea and Steam Experience at Ravenglass

I am a little harder to buy for, I don't really want or need anything most of the time so Daddy finds it almost impossible. I am not a lover of material things unless its Disney related..haha, I do however love spending time with Daddy and my family.  Daddy came up with the idea for Afternoon Tea. I do love afternoon tea and have been a few times and its just so relaxing, chilled and a very British thing to do.  We browsed the selection of Afternoon tea experiences and we both agreed I would love the experience in the Lake District. 

I love the lake district, it was the first holiday we took together as a family almost 13 years ago and we have been many times since. Its not far from were we live and is easy to do in a day without the need to stay over. 

Three Course Meal with a Glass of Wine For Two at Prezzo

As a couple we love to spend time at the cinema, the theatre or going for a nice meal. Sometimes its nice just to step out of the 'Mummy and Daddy' shoes for a night, even if its just a couple of hours. Its nice to go for a meal without leaving the restaurant with stains on your clothes after you have tried to feed a toddler.

When we looked at the meal experiences we both decided on Prezzo. Its a restaurant we haven't visited before and there is a new one just opened close to us. A three course meal and a glass of wine sounds like the perfect way for us to enjoy some 'couple' time. 

So we are all booked in and really looking forward to it. Keep an eye out for my review later this week.

What are you buying for your loved one this Valentines Day?

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Fun On The Ice

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I mentioned recently that whilst we were in Disneyland Paris the ice rink was not open which was very disappointing for both Daddy and big J. They love ice skating and were keen to have a go whilst we were there. They were both pleased though when I told them that there was an ice skating rink at Selfridges, intu Trafford Centre and we had been invited to pop along for a family skate. We booked in the same day we were going to see Father Christmas at The Snowman and The Snowdog grotto so it was a nice christmas family day out.

The ice rink is situated in Selfridges Car Park. We arrived before our allocated time so we could get booked in and Daddy and big J could put on their ice skates. I stayed and watched from the side because I had to look after little J plus I haven't been ice skating before. It looks so scary.

Their was a member of staff brushing all the ice from the rink towards the sides and everyone had to wait until he had finished. 

Daddy and big J put on their boots and were ready to go.

 Big J fell a few times but he kept on going and towards the end he was a lot better than at the beginning.

There were skate aids which were available for those that wanted them. They were a seal design and you could either push them or sit on them and get someone to push you.

I was going to get one for big J just so he could get his balance and used to the ice but they had all gone so I would advise getting there early to ensure you get one, if needed.

There is plenty of room for spectators and there is a also a place to grab a coffee to keep warm.

Although it was quite busy the rink was big enough for everyone to have lots of space to skate round. Big J really enjoyed it and I would definitely return next year.

*we were invited to the selfridges ice rink in return for a honest review, all thoughts above are our own*

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