Family Fun at West Lodge Farm Park (WIN Tickets)

Like many families we've been counting down the days to not only pubs and restaurants reopening (hello beer gardens) but farms and zoos too. We are big fans of animals and with it being spring we've been excited to see, pet and feed all of the newborn lambs, kids and calves, so I decided to book tickets to West Lodge Farm Park which is situated in Desborough, Northamptonshire. 

This is quite a small attraction in comparison to many but the price reflects this with tickets costing just £7.50pp for a weekend booking (peak time) and just £2 for toddlers at the moment. It's definitely good value for a nice morning or afternoon out. There is a large adventure playground and barrel rides for little ones but with my teens in tow we were particularly keen to visit the paddocks, signed walks and nature trails on this occasion. 

Upon entry (there are currently staggered entry times currently to minimise social contact) you can purchase animal feed for 50p a bag before walking through a large gift shop and the new delicatessen which is full of different toys, meats and eggs to purchase - the perfect place to pick up a little souvenir from your trip. 

Finding Dory at Sea Life Birmingham

Apart from the odd trip to the NEC or Cadbury World, I've never really spent any time in Birmingham so it made a nice change to have a day there as the summer holiday came to an end. 

We had been invited along to Sea Life for the official Finding Dory event as part of our visit and as we have enjoyed time at other centres, including turtle feeding in Great Yarmouth, the adventure park at Weymouth and the one inside Alton Towers, we were eager to be involved and celebrate the latest Disney Pixar release. We're also very fond of fish in general, having a 240l aquarium of our own at home, so after parking and walking for just a few minutes along the river to collect our tickets we were soon exploring the different zones.

Angry Birds at Thorpe Park

If you have an Angry Birds fan in the family it's likely you've already been to the see the movie now but why not pop along to Thorpe Park this summer and experience a land dedicated to those furious feathered friends!

King Pig's Wild Hog Dodgems

Take the driver's seat and ride this classic which sees Red battle against the Bad Piggies

Detonator: Bombs Away

This 100ft tower of terror lifts you high into the sky for a bird's eye view over the park before plunging back down to the ground at around 50mph!

Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park, Rock Pooling and Ice Creams

When we travel we always try to fit in as much as we can to make the most of our family breaks, and we like to pick attractions that will keep us busy for several hours at a time. As Minxy is more than a little obsessed with animals and wants to be a vet one day, and Jamster loves everything prehistoric, we thought there was no better place to visit while in Devon than the Dinosaur and Wildlife Park at Combe Martin with rock pooling to follow.

The dinosaurs are set within a beautiful botanical garden with natural waterfalls and streams for a truly tranquil experience. They are often lurking between tropical trees and bushes but as they are seriously huge in size, possibly even to scale, they are certainly easy to spot! 

Silent Sunday

Siblings at sunset 💕 #devon #familyfun #skyporn #kids #family #daysout #holiday #travel #pbloggers #sunset #beach #developinglife

A photo posted by Emma (@theminimesandme) 

A Family Weekend Away at Alton Towers

The Mr and I have been to Alton Towers a number of times over the years as we are a pair of thrill seekers and love the adrenalin rush from the large roller coasters there. We were really excited however to be invited for a weekend break, along with the Mini Mes, to check out the Enchanted Village Woodland Lodges and Splash Landings Water Park along with the family friendly rides the Staffordshire theme park has to offer.

Upon checking in at the reception we received all of our VIP passes for the duration of our stay and we were able to view the menus electronically for the various restaurants and make our meal reservations there and then. This enabled us to drop off our bags and explore immediately without worrying about our dinner and breakfast bookings later on - such a great idea as not a second of our escape was wasted.

Magical Moments with Popchips

I do love a challenge, especially when lots of family fun is involved, so teaming up with Popchips was the ideal way to enjoy a delicious, and low calorie snack, while on the go. We had a fantastic week of mini adventures with the new BBQ and Sea Salt multi-packs of six to provide us with fuel for all of our activities.

Saturday

The weather was a little miserable but a bit of rain has never stopped play for us! We went to Tenpin Northampton for a few hours where the Mr and I teamed up with the Mini Mes for a several games of pool, we slipped into some funky red and white shoes for some competitive glow bowling, we enjoyed racing in the arcades and we used all of our coppers on the slot machines. When we clambered back into the car it was nice to have something tasty to nibble on while we traveled home.

Favourite Outdoor Spaces #ParkMoments

I live in quite a small rural town with plenty of outdoor space to enjoy, and in particular we love a trip to Daventry Country Park - there is so much to see and do all in one place for free!

It's just around the corner from our home and it is most definitely one of our favourite places to spend time locally having fun, regardless of the season. It was therefore my first thought when nominating a location for the Fields in Trust awards.

I've made many memories at this specific park during my own childhood but it's a pleasure to take the Mini Mes regularly now to stroll, play and explore too. The beautiful golden colours of autumn, giant puddles and mud are certainly an attraction for the Mini Mes at the moment!

The beautiful reservoir is a nice distance for a dog walk (just over 2 miles) although over the years I've pushed the children in prams, assisted them on scooters or climbing trees and taught them to ride their bikes around it. We've had some real adventures there and we've also tried geocaching  more recently which is quickly becoming a hobby of ours. 

It's really nice to see the surroundings change and watch my family grow at the same time. 

Family Fun at Hatton Adventure World - npower 2 for 1 Days Out

We have been to Hatton Adventure Farm a few times over the years, not only because it's great value and local but due to the fact it's a really fun filled family day out. There is plenty to see and do with both indoor and outdoor activities available and it keeps both the young and young at heart entertained. Each time we return there seems to have been improvements made and we recently had the opportunity to visit again thanks to npower.

 

 

 

 

During the summer holiday npower are offering 2 for 1 tickets to over 900 attractions across the UK. It's a great way to reward their customers and to save parents money at what can be a stressful and expensive time of year! You just need to have a look on their website and enter your account number before taking a peek at which places appeal most to you and arranging your visit.
We settled on our favourite farm and set off in the car, although we were quite tempted by the motorcycle museum too due to the Mr's obsession with bikes too.

My Sunday Photo

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Three Fantastic Activities For Animal-Loving Kids

Whilst young children naturally have widely differing interests depending upon their individual tastes, a love for all things animal-related is usually one uniting factor. It is a love that many never lose, with even myself still going slightly crazy over new-born kittens and big lumbering dogs!

A healthy love and interest in animals can lead to many things and here are three fantastic activities for animal-loving kids:

Cheltenham Festival, Gloucestershire

 by Carine06

Family Fun at Hatton Adventure Farm (and your chance to WIN)

With it starting to get a little chilly and snow covering many towns at the moment, we decided to head to Hatton Adventure World on Sunday knowing that they have great entertainment whatever the weather. 

We aren't particularly bothered by the cold, it's nothing wrapping up warm can't solve, but many will prefer to stay indoors at home much to our advantage; it was lovely and quiet but we were able to enjoy all of the usual falconry displays, rides and animals.

The schedule showed that the Scales and Tails event was running when we arrived (it's on every weekend during January) so we headed to the exotic animal area to get hands on with lizards, snakes and spiders! 

I must admit I'm quite fearful of small creatures and creepy crawlies but on this occasion I felt rather brave and I happily held a cockroach. I wanted to persuade the Mini Mes to have a go too and sometimes you just have to lead by example which resulted in them plucking up the courage to hold some critters of their own. 

Our Family Adventure with Eurocamp: Part 1

I'd heard many good things about Eurocamp with several friends returning year after year, so I was very excited to be invited to stay at a site of our choice to end the summer off nicely. I'd usually opt for a hot beach resort in a tropical location (to work on my tan and lounge by the pool of course) but I instead took this opportunity to explore Europe and to try somewhere a little different to the norm. After looking on the website at the 160 sites it was Birkelt, Larochette that really appealed to me. It's the only Eurocamp site available in Luxembourg and I was immediately drawn to it because it looked reasonably small and peaceful from the descriptions (426 pitches), yet it had enough entertainment and nearby attractions to keep us occupied for the Sunday-Friday break. 

I wanted to be able to relax and have beautiful surroundings without the risk of being bored. 

This was just perfect for us.

Disney On Ice Returns With The Magical Ice Festival

Disney on Ice is returning next year for another incredible tour and not only will there be the much loved characters from The Little Mermaid, Tangled and Beauty and The Beast but Frozen will be there too! All of the little (and big) Elsa, Anna and Olaf  fans will love this magical family show which is visiting Aberdeen, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham and Leeds from March 2015.

Mickey and Minnie mouse will be in an arena near you where they shall introduce you to Sebastian

Caption THIS #4

We all manage to capture a few odd expressions, funny faces or mishaps on camera so why not share them so we can all have a giggle? That's what I will be doing each Saturday and for those that join in by commenting there will be a chance to win some treats each week!

Caption THIS #3

We all manage to capture a few odd expressions, funny faces or mishaps on camera so why not share them so we can all have a giggle? That's what I will be doing each Saturday and for those that join in by commenting there will be a chance to win some treats each week!

What's On for Kids in Manchester

Whether it's making the most of the last few days of the summer holidays, planning for an action packed half term, or squeezing as much fun into a weekend away as you possibly can, Manchester is a great place to visit with the kids. Take a look at a few upcoming child friendly events:

Saturday Playhouse

Head to The Lowry with the kids between 11am and 12.30pm on Saturdays until the end of August and they'll be able to enjoy a morning of arts and crafts. Typical themes include making horse puppets from War Horse, making a carousel with characters, making Cbeebies inspired masks and much more. 

Traditional Family Fun

Join in the fun and games at The Imperial War Museum this summer and you'll be able to enjoy activities that children were enjoying a hundred years ago. You can play hopscotch on a war time street, make scrap books and peg dolls, play with spinning tops and even make your own cardboard theatre. 

Dads Go FREE This Sunday And Your Chance To WIN

If you love outdoor play, family fun and being active BeWILDerwood is the place for you! With treetop treehouses, rope bridges and zip wires galore it certainly is an energetic day out.

BeWILDerwood love dads and to celebrate Father's Day they are letting them in for FREE this Sunday 15th June. Just pop along for a day of adventure where you can race on the Slippery Slops, get lost in the Muddle Maze and enjoy story telling time. If you go along dressed like a bumble bee in

The Lollibop Line Up - Plus Your Chance To WIN Tickets

LolliBop, the UK’s biggest kids festival, has announced it’s most exciting line-up to date with CBeebies Superstar Justin Fletcher headlining on Saturday and Sunday and Mister Maker taking over the main stage on Friday.

The event, which this year takes place at Hatfield House, August 15-17, also welcomes stars of CBBC’s Big Friday Wind Up Sam & Mark to LolliBop for the first time.

Other LolliBop ‘newbies’ include Thomas & Friends with a bespoke interactive play experience created especially for LolliBop, Chris & Pui with their Mini Roadshow, Scooby-Doo! The Mystery of the Pyramid, Cook and Line from Swashbuckle (Fri & Sat only) and Michaela

Can You Caption This?

I've had a bit of a rummage through my photo archives and I discovered this picture of Jamster at Legoland, the same time last year.

Have you got a caption for this king of the sea?

I'd love to hear it!

Have a great weekend.