Kids Against Maturity Game Review

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Disclosure - We bought the below product for the purpose of this post. We were paid for our time. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

We love playing games here and as there is an eleven year age gap between the two boys it's sometimes hard to find games they both can play and they will both enjoy. Kids Against Maturity ticks all boxes for us. Not only is it age appropriate for both boys, it's simple to understand, easy to play and is based around toilet type humour which the boys love. 

Kids Against Maturity is so simple to play. Each player gets 10 white cards. White cards have possible answers on them. Blue cards have a partial sentence on them. When a blue card is flipped over each player has to choose a possible answer card from one of their ten white cards that they think would get the most laughs. 

As an example - The blue card shows "The _____________ is always greener on the other side." You then need to decide which card to place down which you think is the funniest answer but also what you think others will find funny. Would you choose Poop Emoji, Ding Dong or Diaper Hat

Now as I said before this game has lots of toilet humour so as long as you are ready for talk of farts, poops and butts then you are good to play. 

Once all the white cards have been placed down on that turn the winner is determined by the amount of laughs given for each white card. 

You should always have ten white cards in your hand so you need to pick up white cards after each turn.

There is no set time limit for the game so you can play for as long or as little as you want. It's estimated that five turns will take 45 minutes. 

The game is recommended for players aged 10+ and for 4 or more players however we have played with 2,3 and 4 players and found it funny each time. 

The box does come with a warning saying there are a lot of poopy jokes in the blue box. Simply remove any cards which you would deem offensive. 

We have haven't found any offensive yet and we all found this hilarious and it definitely made us all laugh out loud. 

Michelle

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Dino Kingdom, Manchester Review

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

Dino Kingdom is an epic prehistoric exploration from the creators of the award-winning Lightopia Festival. Dino Kingdom lands in Manchester this Summer until the 15th August. It will then head to Nottinghamshire from 15th– 31st October.

What To Expect At Dino Kingdom, Manchester M23 1DW

Dino Kingdom is located at Wythenshawe Park, Altrincham. Until the 15th of August you can pre book 3 hour slots for what is to be Manchester's biggest outdoor Summer adventure. 

Step back in time and explore roaring and moving Dinosaurs and state-of-the-art 3D and AR technology. Immerse yourself in unforgettable interactive activities and enjoy a range of thrilling fairground rides, delicious food and drink and much more.

Dino Kingdom is dinosaurs like you’ve never seen them before…

On arrival you are guided to a separate car park for Dino Kingdom guests. Car parking costs just £3 and allows you to park for 3 hours. Once parked you follow the signposts to the Dino Kingdom entrance. It's quite a walk from the car park to main entrance and the ground is mainly gritty however there was an alternative route for those in wheelchairs. 

Once our tickets had been scanned we were shown inside and greeted by a huge T-Rex. Lots of people queued for their first photo with the dinosaur. There was no queuing system although everyone took turns and didn't hang around too long so the next person could get their photo.

After the initial T-Rex at the entrance the dinosaurs were dotted around the enclosed part of the park and getting up close wasn't a problem as they were huge. 

The dinosaurs each had their own rope around their space and it's encouraged that you don't touch the dinosaurs however the little ones visiting did find it hard to resist. 

Each dinosaur moves and has sound and comes with its own facts board. The boards confirm the dinosaurs name, where they lived and how long ago. It was really interesting finding out some of the names and I hadn't realised there were so many different types of dinosaur.

There were interactive features along the way including a personal favourite of ours. We were given a colouring in sheet of a dinosaur and we used the provided highlighters and pens to colour him in. We gave our dinosaur a name and wrote it in black pen on his legs as instructed. We then went in to a tent were the lady scanned our dinosaur and within seconds he was brought to life and projected on to a big screen, walking around. 

There was another tent that projected 'what was inside a dinosaur' onto a huge dinosaur figure. The short video only last 3 minutes however some of the younger audience got bored as there was no sound and it was very hot inside the tent. 

There are lots of food options around the park including a smoke house serving burger and chips, a german kiosk serving sausages and other options such as  Chinese noodles and greek wraps. You can also purchase waffles, cakes, sweets and other treats within the funfair area. There are a few picnic tables in the main food area however there are not enough for everyone to take a seat but you should be able to find space on the grass. 

There are toilets located at the car park before you head in to Dino Kingdom. There are portable cubicles and on the day we visited only 1 out of 6 was in working order. There are also toilets with in the Dino Kingdom enclosure. I saw two lots, one near the food area and some located in the funfair area.

There are a small selection of rides at Dino Kingdom however these are not included in your entry ticket. The rides on average cost £3 per person. You pay at the individual rides, there is no need for tokens or tickets. 

As mentioned earlier the car park ticket is valid for 3 hours. We needed more than this. The walk to and from the actual Dino Kingdom enclosure took us a while as the boys ran off to explore in the woods and play areas. Also if you want to make sure you see all the dinosaurs, join in with the activities, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the rides 3 hours just wasn't enough. We did over run so I'm not quite sure how strict the 3 hour time limit is. 

There are a range of ticket options available. 

Adult Tickets (aged 16-65) £15.00

Child Ticket (aged 3-15) £13.00

Child Ticket (0-2) FREE

Family Ticket £54.00

Concession £14.00

Fee and tax will be added on to the total. 

Opening is daily between 10am-7pm with last entry at 5pm

We really enjoyed our day at Dino Kingdom. The weather was sunny and dry so not sure how I would have felt if it had been raining and the ground was soft and muddy. There is plenty to do and as I said 3 hours didn't feel like enough time. It is a must for dino fans as the dinosaurs themselves were huge and felt so real. 

To pre book your tickets or find out more visit Dino Kingdom

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Michelle

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Beauty Sleep By Kathryn Evans Book Review

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This post contains affiliate links.

Laura can't remember who she is. But the rest of the world knows. Because Laura is famous - a dying girl who was frozen until she could be cured. A real-life Sleeping Beauty. But what happens when you wake up one day and the world has moved on forty years? Could you build a new life - while solving the mystery of what happened to the old one?

A darkly twisted thriller plunging a pre-tech girl into a futuristic world. Beauty Sleep by Kathryn Evans

My Book Review

This is the second book I have read since joining my monthly book club in May. Beauty Sleep got the majority of votes including my vote as it appealed to me with the Sleeping Beauty reference. Whilst I can understand the reference the book wasn't what I imagined but I throughly enjoyed it all the same.

The book is split in to chapters and each chapter is headed with a name Laura or Shem. Each of these characters get their own chapters which tells the story from their own perspective. They are both on the same timeline and the characters intertwine at several points across the book. 

With regards to the characters, I found them very realistic however for me Shem and the relationship with his dog was so endearing. I don't own a pet myself but I know how attached you can become to a pet. Shem was besotted with his companion, they were best friends. 

The way Laura adapted to being woken up 40 years in the future was amazing. There were key moments in the story that I thought were written brilliantly. I felt like I was there, experiencing the emotions the characters were feeling at the time, especially Laura. Although she had no choice to adapt to her new life, the sense of loss Laura felt at points through the book were so real. It was lovely to reminisce with her through her memories of growing up in the 80's. Loving Duran Duran, reading Smash Hits magazines and covering her room walls full of posters of boybands. Laura had been torn away from all this as had her family, her friends, her home and her school. 

There is an uneasy feel throughout the book when you know something isn't quite right but you are not sure what. There were several times throughout the book when I thought I had an idea of what was going to happen and the outcome. Although I was very close there were a few twists that kept me still guessing right up until the last pages.  

Beauty Sleep had me intrigued from the first few pages and some of our other book club members read it over a weekend. They couldn't put it down. I was expecting a fairy tale type story but it wasn't. It's dark and mysterious and I would definitely recommend it especially if you enjoy thriller and suspense type books. 

The story ends well without the need for another second book although even at the end I still wanted to keep reading so would love to read other books by the author, Kathryn Evans. 

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

Comments - I love reading your opinions and thoughts - Have you read any of Kathryn Evans books? Which ones?

Growing my social media is something I work hard on. If you would like to follow us - Like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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Michelle

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Black Widow Movie Review And Where It Fits In The Marvel Timeline

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Disclosure - We already have a Disney+ account through a previous collaboration. Our account has since been upgraded to include Premier Access to watch Black Widow. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Wednesday 7th July saw the release of the new Marvel movie Black Widow. It was then available to watch on Disney+ via Premier Access from the 9th July 2021. Usually we would head to the cinema with a bucket full of popcorn to watch new releases however since all the recent restrictions we would much rather create a cinema movie night at home. 

We have been waiting for Black Widow to be released for a long time now as we are huge Marvel fans and Black Widow is such an interesting character, we couldn't wait to learn more about where she came from and how she actually became an Avenger.

I don't really like writing movie reviews as I would hate to spoil it for someone who hasn't watched the movie yet however there are a few things I wanted to share so thought I would write them for the Marvel fans out there. 

Firstly the movie wasn't what I expected. For some reason I thought this movie was set in Natasha's past and we would be able to see her growing up and learn how and why she is who she is. The movie does touch on this and we do learn about her past however the whole movie is set right after Captain America - Civil War finishes. If you do like to watch the Marvel movies in chronological order then you would fit Black Widow in-between Civil War and Doctor Strange.

So whilst we did find out more about Natasha's past and some of her upbringing it is actually set when she is already an Avenger and on the run. 

As a stand alone movie I really enjoyed it. It was action packed and everything you would expect from a Marvel Movie. 

There are no guest appearances from any of the Avengers or other Marvel Characters. There are references to Captain America and Clint Barton however no cameos unfortunately. 

The storyline ends where Black Widow heads off to try and rebuild the relationships that are broken after Civil War. The movies finishes with a cliff-hanger that makes us assume that it will continue to play out in the new upcoming Marvel mini series Hawkeye. 

If you are a Marvel fan you won't be disappointed. If you do want to watch in the comfort of your own home then you can watch through Disney+ Premier Access which costs £19.99 on top of your monthly subscription. The movie is then yours to watch over and over. 

Michelle

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60 Seconds Workout With Legmaster Total Body

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Disclosure - This is a collaborative post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are ours unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Recently I have started to look at my overall fitness after spending lots of time at home over the past twelve months. I've not been as active as I usually would be and I really want to spend the rest of this year getting my health and fitness back on track. With juggling work, looking after the kids and being a football Mum, I don't always have a lot of time to work out but I knew I needed to start pencilling in some 'me' time to concentrate on my goals for the rest of this year. 

As well as eating more healthily, drinking water and heading out for walks as much as I can, I have also been using the Leg Master Total Body. I have been using it for a few weeks now and I am impressed with how easy it is to plan it in to my day. Amonax home weights can also be a great choice for home fitness. Where legmaster focuses mainly on the lower body, Amonax's best home weights have a focus on the upper body. 

The Leg Master Total Body promises a full body workout in 60 seconds and is simple to set up and use. The Leg Master has two places for each foot and once your feet are in position you are ready to start. 

All your body weight is now on the two platforms for your feet. You have to manoeuvre your body to glide both your feet in to the middle. As you glide your feet in and out you are actually using over 200 muscles. 

Although it sounds simple I didn't find it easy at first. I struggled to move both legs at the same time in to the middle. I found my right was stronger than my left but I continued to use the Leg Master and now I can glide my feet simultaneously in and out using the flexible handle bar for that added support and balance. 

As well as providing a full body workout the Leg Master does have lots of other health benefits and for me improving my pelvic floor muscle. It’s common for women to experience incontinence and pelvic floor problems after childbirth, but I recently read that new research has found that older women who sit for too long are also at risk. The study, which looked at a group of 495 over-60s, found that those with bladder problems were seated up to 19 per cent longer than others. They are now urging women to sit less and follow simple techniques to fix bladder problems rather than reaching for incontinence pads first. 

I know a lot more people are working from home at the moment, and although I'm not in that age bracket it definitely gave me a reminder to move more and the Leg Master has definitely helped. 

Michelle

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Changing Our Colour Scheme To Match The Seasons

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Last October we decided that we would start to change our colour scheme in our living room to match the seasons. We bought lots of oranges and browns for Autumn, red was the perfect colour for Christmas and for Spring we chose yellow. Supermarkets and other shops that have a homeware department are the perfect place to look and you can usually buy most of the items in one place. When it came to Summer I wasn't too sure what colour to choose but we went for pink and grey. 

There are two main focus points in our living room, the fireplace and the walls. We have a rug in front of the fireplace so that sets the tone for the room. Our walls are quite big so we need large pictures or art to fill the spaces so they don't look bare. We found some lovely prints online at Desenio that not only matched our new Summer colour scheme but are personal to us too. 

Desenio was founded in 2010 and has grown over the years to now have an online presence in 33 countries. The idea behind the brand is to offer stylish wall art at affordable prices. 

As well as wall art you can also add Desenio frames, hangars, picture ledges and clips to suit your needs.

Whilst browsing Desenio I looked through the maps and cities section. There are a few places that are special to us and I was hoping that I could find a print of New York and Paris. New York is where we got married and Paris is one of our favourite cities as it's home to Disneyland Paris the most magical place on Earth. 

When I found the New York in Bloom picture it was just a perfect fit. It has a lovely Summer feel, it's pink and it's New York. I then found Blooming Paris which is a similar colour scheme with the Eiffel Tower in the background. 

These were perfect and I knew they would go together well and match our colour scheme. If I was unsure I could use the Gallery Walls tool. This is perfect for those who don't have an eye for what things may look like. You start the by choosing a background. Our pictures are going above the sofa so I chose the sofa background. You can then choose how many pictures you wish to hang in the space and the sizes. I could then added my chosen prints and the tool showed me how it would look. You then have the choice to add frames to your order giving you a choice of colours. You can select the different colour frames to see which suits your print better. Once you are ready you can add to cart ready for you to purchase. 

The Desenio prints arrived swiftly and match the colour scheme perfectly. We have ordered some different prints too so we can swap after a few months but for now I love seeing our two favourite cities in bloom in our living room. 

There are lots of simple ways to improve your homes interior. Do you change your colour scheme to match the seasons?

Michelle

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Xplora XGO2 Smartwatch Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the product below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

The Xplora XGO2 is designed to be your childs first Smartwatch.  The XGO2 focusses on safety for your child and control for you.  The watch itself is availble in four colours with Black, Blue, Green and Pink available to choose from.  The XGO 2 has a premium feel to it, and although a little chunky has been designed for small hands to be able to use with ease. 

The user interface is pretty straightforward, with button presses, screen taps and swipes enabling you to navigate the menus within the basic setup.  The XGO2 is able to make calls and send messages using a SIM, and the watch will then have its own phone number that can be used.  Most sellers ship the XGO2 SIM free so you can choose your network and pricing structure.  With a built in microphone and speaker both making and receiving calls is pretty straightforward. 

With a focus on safety the XGO2 makes use of GPS, Wifi and GSM triangulation to provide a reasonably accurate idea of where your child is.  Using the parental app, you can track your child's movements to be sure where they are, and you can also set up 'Geofences' or 'safe areas' where your child can move within.  If they move out of these preset areas you will be notified straight away. 

The watch can also be set to 'school mode' which limits the user to watch display only for the during of the school mode time.  Using the parental app you can still track your childs movements and Geofencing will still be active.  There is also an 'SOS' mode which can be used in the event of emergency to contact you. This will remain active even in school mode

For the children the watch can be used as a step counter which has proved popular here, and these steps can then be converted to Xplora coins which can be used to play games on the Xplora website.  Sometimes there are also competitions for highest scores on games to be able to win prizes.  The current prize is based around Fast and Furious and Tom and Jerry with prizes available for steps and gameplay scores. 

There is a small front facing camera for taking selfies, which can be saved and viewed, however the watch has no internet browser or social media apps, which could be positive or negative depending on your point of view.  The camera is sufficient for children to take a quick picture but at only 0.3 Megapixel, you are limited on quality. There is a flashlight built in which can be accessed from the user interface quickly and easily. 

Finally, the included charging cable is magnetic, which makes it easy to attach and disconnect, however the battery life on the watch means you will need to charge at the end of every day in order to be sure there is sufficient charge to last the next day in full.  

Its important to remember that the focus for this watch is on safety and peace of mind for parents and carers and this watch does deliver in that regard. Whilst there is no internet of built in games the watch doesn't try to hide that fact and looks instead to reward your child for moving around. If this is something you are looking for then the XGO2 is a great choice. 

John

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The Ice Cream Farm, Tattenhall Cheshire

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The Ice Cream Farm is a family friendly attraction that offers a children's play area, lots of pay as you play attractions and over 50 flavours of ice cream to choose from.

What To Expect At The Ice Cream Farm, Tattenhall, Cheshire CH3 9NE

The Ice Cream Farm is located in Tattenhall in Cheshire. Like most days out and activities you now have to book in advance online. You can choose a 1, 2 or 3 hour pass. The passes cost just £1 or 90p if you are a VIP pass holder. You can choose a time slot that suits you. We went at 2pm and stayed in the farm until 5pm.

The attractions inside are pay as you play however we chose to buy a play pass online before we arrived. This cost us £15 per pass and allowed us to access the attractions inside at a discounted rate. Our play pass had 5 credits on so instead of paying £4.50 on the day per attraction it had only cost us £3.

Once inside you have access to Daisy's Garden which is included in your entrance fee of £1. This is a lovely play area with lots of different play equipment for the children. 

There is a large treehouse with rope ladders and slide. A selection of in the ground trampolines. Balance beams and tunnels. Rope swings and lots more. 

In-between attractions it was a great place to let the kids play in whilst we waited for the next. 

Strawberry Falls golf was a lot of fun and is probably the main attraction at the farm. There were 12 mini golf type holes on the course.

We had to book this attraction using the virtual queuing system. It was quick and easy to book your time slot and meant we didn't have to queue. 

Each player pays £4.50 or uses a credit from their play pass. You are given a scorecard, golf club and ball. Make your way around the course weaving in an out of lots of decorative yummy treats.

Gemstone Cove was lots of fun. You are given a small sieve and a mesh bag and then you are ready to go and find some gems. 

All you need to do is dig in the sand and water and then sieve it out and see what you've found. 

We found lots of stones of all different colours. 

Again this costs £4.50 per person or 1 credit from a play pass. We were asked to keep to a time limit of 20 minutes. 

SilverCone costs just £1 and you do need a £1 coin to put in the slot of the quad. You can then drive your quad around the track and straight to the finish line

Unfortunately we couldn't play on the marshmallow mound as little J has broken his finger so he just watched as his cousins had a turn. It's a huge inflatable bouncy pillow and they have a smaller one for little ones too.

The marshmallow mound costs £4.50 or 1 credit from a play pass. You are given a timed slot to return to the marshmallow mound and the children have a limited time bouncing.

There were a few attractions we didn't do including Rocky Road. This is another self drive attraction. The inside play attractions where closed due to restrictions and we also didn't see the farm this time. 

There is a lovely picnic area too which we will remember for next time. 

We finished the day with Ice Cream. There are over 50 flavours to choose from. 

The ice cream parlour usually has an indoor seating area however due to restrictions it was closed. There are places to sit around the play area though if you wanted to sit whilst eating.

We had a lovely day at the farm and would definitely recommend it. Pre booking tickets online meant it wasn't too busy and it felt safe. The virtual queuing system also meant less waiting times at the attractions too. 

We can't wait to go again. 

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

Comments - I love reading your opinions and thoughts - Have you visited the Ice Cream Farm? Leave us a comment below and let us know what you thought.

Growing my social media is something I work hard on. If you would like to follow us - Like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

If you have found this post or our blog useful you can say thanks by - Buying Us A Virtual Coffee

If you think a friend of family member would like this post - Tap the share button below.

Michelle

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