#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.



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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The New Kids Menu at Bella Italia

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Bella Italia was one of the first restaurants Daddy and I went to as a couple almost 15 years ago and although we have been a few times over the years we haven't been together as a family. Bella Italia have just launched a new kids menu and we were lucky to be invited to try it out on a visit to York.
We pre booked a table for 3pm which was a little early for Dinner but we hadn't had any lunch so little J was feeling very peckish by now. He had only had a snack followed by a snooze so I knew his little stomach would be rumbling. 
When we arrived we were seated quickly and was offered a highchair for little J. We were sat right by the kitchen so could see the food being prepared as we waited for the waitress to take our drinks order.
The kids menu was split into two. A menu for little ones and a larger portion menu for up to 11 year olds. Each menu included a starter, main, desert and refillable drink. There is plenty of choice available. If the kids want pizza they can choose a flavour off the main menu and it just comes in a smaller portion.

Daddy and I both got diet coca cola, Big J and little J were eating off the kids menu so they got a refillable drink each. Big J ordered diet coca cola and we order fruit squash for little J. When the kids drinks arrived they were in glass bottle with a plastic straw. They were great and very retro.
We ordered a sharing garlic mozzarella bread to start while the boys each got a garlic bread started included on the kids menu. 
Little J was really hungry at this point and I was a little disappointed that our wait for just the starters was almost 45 minutes. They arrived at the table at 3:45pm even though we had been sat since 3pm. This was a long time for a 1 year old to sit still and it was hard for us to try and keep him entertained as he was very hungry. He played on his tablet for a while.
Daddy and big J also played on their phones while we waited.
I had noticed earlier that our garlic bread sitting under the hot lamps for almost 10 minutes but there was no kids garlic breads there. One of the waitresses mentioned to the chef who swiftly moved the garlic bread and looked like he threw it in the bin.
Minutes later we were told our starters were on the way. 

The sharing garlic bread was cut into 8 slices and was very filling. Big J and little J's garlic bread was cut into strips and they both seemed to enjoy it. 
Once we had finished little J was very restless. He just didn't want to sit in the highchair any longer. Our mains still took another 10 - 15 minutes after we had finished. So before we had even got onto our main course we had been seated for almost 1hr20.


Daddy and I ordered lasagne which came in an oven dish and was very hot but very tasty. Big J's pizza was almost adult size even though it was from the kids menu. Little J's margarita pizza was a good size too and perfect for him to nibble on. He did eat some of it stood up on the seat watching the other guests.

It was clear he wasn't going to eat it all so after we had finished I asked the waitress could we take it home and she took it away and brought it back in a brown takeaway box which was perfect as he ate some more on the way home. 


Big J enjoyed his pizza and had room left to visit the Gelato cart for a scoop of bubblegum ice-cream. Little J also got one too, just vanilla. 
Overall our experience was okay. The restaurant itself was clean and the waitress was very friendly. It was just the waiting time which let it down. I don't mind waiting for food but 45 minutes for some garlic bread is crazy.
Have you tried the new Bella Italia Kids Menu yet?


*I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Network Research Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have no paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity*

www.mumsnet.com/bloggers-network
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Project 365 Days 33-39

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Hi all. Another week and another seven photographs capturing what we have been up to this week.

The sun has been shining this week but it is very very cold. It was -1 during the week on the way to school.

33/365 - Little J spent the morning in nursery today and was so tired he fell asleep for almost 4 hours. 

34/365 - The Meat and Greet details were available online for the forthcoming McBusted Tour. Too expensive for me. Gutted.

35/365 - It was nice to have some time with Big J tonight and we played some board games. We received Disney Hedbanz for christmas and its so much fun. Its very similar to Guess Who but with disney characters.

36/365 - Daddy had a little go on a tombola in Tesco today for charity and won two little prizes. Well done Daddy.

37/365 - Enjoying a pre valentines meal at Prezzo. Keep an eye out for our review this week.

38/365 - In the early hours of Friday Morning Daddy and I became an aunty and uncle for the first time. Big J has a new cousin, baby A. He is absolutely adorable and we couldn't wait for cuddles.

39/365 - Big J and little J rolling down the hill at Clifford Tower, York. We had a lovely day taking in the sights in York.

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky




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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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I'm A Geronimo Official Blogger Ambassador

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Last year when I was given the chance to be a Lollipop blogger we were so excited. We had never been to a festival as a family before, we didn't know what to expect but it was amazing. This year there is a new festival coming up North called Geronimo and I am so pleased to announce that I will be an official Blogger Ambassador. 
I can't wait to keep you up to date with the line up as they get released but for now, you can have a little read about whats confirmed so far.
Brand new to the festival scene for 2015 comes Geronimolong weekend of organised mayhem at one of England’s premier visitor attractions, Tatton Park in Cheshire.
Geronimo will make itdebut over the May Bank Holiday weekend (Sat 23 – Mon 25 May) and is set to deliver an exciting programme of acts, amazing experiences and wonderful adventures, resulting in a fantastic family day out.
Festival Director Simon Goldman said: “As a father of seven, I know how hard it is to find quality days out that cater for the whole family.  With Geronimo, we’ve created festival that’s going to keep the kids entertained all daylong, and create memories that will last a lot longer.
Making the most of the beautiful woodlands at TattonPark, the Adrenaline Zone will challenge even the bravest adventurers with a high ropes course, tree climbing, den making and a thrilling zip line that will reach speeds of up to 60KPH!
For those who like things a little less fast paced there’s also plenty of storytelling and the chance to picnic with characters from Alice in Wonderland
Geronimites are also invited to join a host of big names on the Geronostage. Already signed up to appear are Cbeebies favourite Mr. Bloom, who will be performing live twice a day. 

 CBeebies ‘I Can Cook’ presenter, Katy Ashworthwill also be making three live stage appearances daily, along with daily meet and greets. More live acts to be announced soon.

Creative kids can join in the many craft workshops in the Funky Junk Zone.  From cookie decorating to buggymakeovers, festival-goers are also invited to take part in Geronimo’s live art project throughout the weekend. Be prepared for a glitter overload! 
Gasp in awe at the breathtaking aerial trapeze artists or laugh out loud at the clowns in the Circus Zone with regular shows taking place throughout the day. Fancy learning a skill or two? Head to the circus skills workshop and learn the tricks of the trade or catch the family classic Punch & Judy shows that will be taking place daily - That’s the way to do it! And keep your eyes peeled, you might spot a mini circus act roaming throughout the festival!

Other activity confirmed includes a pop-up petting farm, giant sandpits, camel ridesmarvelous bubble shows and asuper bouncy inflatable village in the 3ft & Under Zone.
For kids who love a dance the Groovy Zone offers great activities including zumba workshops, dressing up areas, dance classes with Baby Ballet and even Geronimo’s own disco – playing all the favourite party tunes!
Tatton Park is famous for its beautiful gardens and attractions, including the beautiful deer parkmagical woodlands and a working farmWith good motorways links, extensive on site parking and just a half-mile walkfrom Knutsford railway station, Geronimo 2015 isaccessible for all.
Geronimo is aimed at families with children aged between 2 and 12 years old.  Geronimo Early Bird tickets go on sale on February 2 priced £16pp, with family passes starting from £75. To purchase tickets and for more information visit Geromino 
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Peppa Pig Holiday Time Grandpa Pig's Boat

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We recently saw an advert for the new Peppa Pig Holiday Time range from Character. Little J got all excited, mainly because he loves Peppa Pig at the moment. He now goes right up to the TV and points and claps. I love the fact that he recognises characters now and looks really happy when he sees his favourites. 
He got a very special treat this week from the new range of Peppa Toys, Grandpa Pig's Boat. He has started to enjoy playing with figures and playsets so I knew this would go down well. The boat comes with three figures, Peppa, her brother George and Grandpa Pig. 
Each of the figures fit perfectly in little J's hand. The body of the figures are nice and chunky but the arms are slightly smaller and they move back and forth. The legs are on a moulded base so they sit perfectly in the holes on the boat.
The boat itself is again quite chunky. It's all one piece which I love because I don't really like little bits that can be removed as I always find they get lost amongst other toys.
Little J was playing with the boat on the rug and easily learnt which figures go where on the boat. Grandpa pig is the captain of the boat and he has a larger base so there is only one place he can stand, by the steering wheel of the boat. Peppa and George stand at the back of the boat.
He happily played putting the figures in and out of the boat and pushing it along the floor. As I went to put the packaging in the bin I noticed that the boat floats on water too. Instant thought - perfect bath toy. 
Little J loves the bath and he does have a nice selection of toys but he hasn't got a boat, well not until now. So at bathtime we popped it in the bath and it floated around. Little J played with it similar to what he did on the rug, popping the figures in and out and pushing it along the water. He seemed to really enjoy playing. 
I love watching little J playing with toys like this, he's using his imagination playing with the figures and I can't wait for him to start talking to add his own little dialogue too.
What We Liked.

Two in one toy. Great for the floor and bath too.
The boat is nice and chunky.
Colourful and lots of detail.
One piece so no worries that small pieces will get lost.
Includes 3 figures.
What Could Improve.

The figure's arms are really thin and look like they could easily snap off.
If water gets in the holes in the boat it will tip up, little J did however find that very funny.
**************
Currently priced at £19.99 which I think is really reasonable for a Character branded toy. Like I said earlier I love that the boat can be used on the floor for daytime play and in the water too.
You can find out more about the Peppa Pig Holiday Range by visiting Character Toys Here




*we received a Peppa Pig Holiday Time - Grandpa Pigs Boat for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photos above are our own*
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Steam Cleaning with Karcher

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I have to be honest now and say that I don't do any of the hoovering or mopping here its all done by Daddy. Its always been done by Daddy and if I do whizz the hoover round it normally gets done again as I'm not very good at it. I miss out parts of the floor when I do mop so its just best leaving it to Daddy. I think he actually enjoys doing this part of the housework and when I told him we were receiving a lovely new Kärcher SC2.500C Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner With Continuous Steam Function, he seemed very happy. 

We already use a steam mop for our wooden floors downstairs so Daddy is used to cleaning using steam but he still read the manual first to make sure he knew everything there was to know about our new cleaner.

The Karcher was pretty much ready to use when he took it out the box. He just attached the wheels and adjusted the connections. It was really easy.

The water tank is shown above. Its really simple to unclip and fill. There is a maximum line so you don't overfill.

The hand tools were easy to slot together and shortly after opening he was ready to go.

Before you start I must stress that you have to hoover. This is a steam cleaner and does not vacuum so if you do not hoover you will find clumps of wet dust all over your floor. 

The Karcher comes with Terry cloths. These are attached to the end of the cleaner by using the clip fasteners. I have since washed these after use and they washed fine. I haven't yet looked if you can buy these separately but I am sure they will and even if they don't you could purchase something very similar - making sure its the right size. 

The Karcher needs to reach a certain heat before it begins to steam. There is a light that flashes to tell you that it has reached the correct temperature. This wasn't a problem when Daddy was steaming the floors as it heated quite quickly .

There is an adjustable steam control which can be used depending on the surface you are wanting to steam.


Daddy made his way through our living room and kitchen using the Karcher and he noticed straight away how powerful it was compared to our regular steam mop. If you haven't used a steam mop or cleaner before its important to remember that you clean from front to back not back to front like you would with a hoover. The main reasons for doing it this way is a) stopping you from standing in the wet and b) if it does pick up clumps of wet dust it is easier to wipe away.

Another point to remember is this is a steam cleaner so it will make things wet. If you are using this on tiles, mirrors or glass you will need to wipe them dry.

Last week Daddy decided to clean the oven which was a job long overdue. He got out the Karcher to see if it the steam would help make the job a little easier. He used a different tool that then did for the floor. This was more of a hand held tool so was easier to use on the oven. 

He fitted the cloth around and begin to steam to hopefully loosen the grease.

He still had to use a normal oven cleaner and give it a good scrub but the steam definitely helped as the grease (yuk) was just melting away from the oven.

After he finished cleaning the inside he decided to take off the cloth and steam the glass on the oven door. I am actually ashamed at just how dirty it looks in this photo. I honestly thought there would be no chance of removing this.

 After a couple of minutes Daddy shouted me over to have a look. I didn't want to because I knew that if the grime hadn't of come off I would have had to buy an new oven as I wouldn't cook in that. I honestly was shocked at just how clean it looked. He had purposely done half so I could see the difference. It only took him minutes because the steam was just eating through the grease and Daddy just had to wipe clean.

So glad at just how clean this looks. 

What We Liked.

The power of the steam cleaner. We noticed a massive difference to our regular steam mop. 

Our floor seemed to look cleaner for longer.

Easy to set up.

Easy to use. 

The variety of tools for different surfaces. 

Multi Purpose.

Compact.

What Could Improve 

More supply of cloths included.

The length of the cable from plug to cleaner. We had to change plug holes to clean our living room and kitchen.

Daddy is really looking forward to steam cleaning our bathroom over the next few weeks and I cannot wait to share our results. 

To find out more about The Karcher Steam Cleaner 2.500c you can visit the website HERE




*we were sent the Karcher Steam Cleaner 2.500c for review. All thoughts, opinions and photos above are our own*
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