Family Fun at Greenwood Forest Park

Named the best family attraction in North Wales for the past 4 years, GreenWood Forest Park caught our eye while travelling around Snowdonia during April. Entry for the four of us would have been just under £40 so for a day of entertainment that's really good value. The setting is very natural and relaxing and dogs are welcome on site too which is certainly a bonus when on holiday with pets.

Aimed more so at younger children, the attraction has a combination of indoor and outdoor play areas plus some furry and feathered friends to see too. It really is a place of adventure, fun and confidence building with the challenges to get involved with. We began our day by going on the Green Dragon Coaster which is a people powered ride, the only world's only, where you can email the snap shot to yourself to print at home for just £1.50 at the end. I thought this was such a great idea!

Equestrian Fun with Star Stable (PLUS Your Chance To Win)

Star Stable is a 3D virtual game which combines both equestrian role play and fantasy fun that the children (or kids at heart) can enjoy. It's ideal for those that love horses or animals in general and being a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) they can chat safely online with friends to build their social skills without even leaving the house.

Apart from many educational benefits which include teaching your children about caring for animals, they can select and name horses for their personal stable before training them, competing in races and solving mysteries along the way. There really is so much to do and Minxy in particular has really liked this game so far. It's also far cheaper than riding lessons or purchasing her a new pet which many mums and dads will appreciate!

Ladybird Egg Box Bugs

With Spring upon us, I've been thinking about clearing out some of the clutter and it has enabled us to be quite creative in the process. All of the packing from various things can easily be transformed into something fun for the Mini Mes and these Ladybirds are an example of that!

They are rather cute and so simple to make all while using up old egg boxes from the recycling tubs. Your little ones could make an entire family too just like we did.

You will need

Fun Science: How to Make a Dough Volcano

Jamster had a natural disaster school project to complete over the half term break and after the initial tuts and sighs about homework in the holiday he was very keen to get stuck in. He actually enjoyed it far more than he expected and I know he felt proud once it was complete knowing that he had put time and effort in to create it himself.

I thought I'd share the details on how it was made so you can give it a go at home too! I feel by using dough instead of card or paper mache it looks quite textured and therefore more realistic.

What you will need

Silent Sunday

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There's No Such Thing As A Gruffalo...

As many children returned to school on Monday but the Mini Mes had a teacher training day, we decided to make the most of the beautiful empty woodland and check out the Gruffalo Trail.

Salcey is our most local forest and it's a lovely one too with a cafe, play area and a treetop walk to enjoy. With our discovery pass providing free car parking we like to call by as often as possible for some outdoor family fun. So, we popped the poochie in the car, as dogs are more than welcome, and we set off with our wellies to see what characters we could spot from the well loved story.

'A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood...'

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 30 (FINAL)

My #ChristmasGiftGiveaway is back - 30 days 30+ prizes!
A BIG thank you to my followers for their support this year.

WIN a Torq Chaotic Scooter from Ozbozz Toys

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 26

WIN a GoldieBlox Play Set

Children's toys are regularly split both in store and online into pink and blue for the different sexes, but GoldieBlox tries to eliminate this gender separation and introduces girls to engineering concepts through play.

The CEO Debbie Sterling, a 32 year old engineer herself, spotted the gender discrepancy while studying at university and created the toy range to help tackle the gender gap in technology, science, maths etc. Minxy already enjoys these subjects thankfully and she was very pleased to be sent a kit to try out herself - she likes design and creativity too which the set covers well.

Christmas Gift Giveaway - Day 21

My Christmas Gift Giveaway is back! 30 days, 30+ fantastic prizes.

A big thank you to my followers this year.

WIN 1 of 2 Boingy Cushions

Spooktacular Bath Time Fun

If the kids need encouragement to have a bath, which can be quite common, the best way to get them into the tub is by making cleaning fun. Shaped or character sponges, plenty of bubbles and toys can really help but I've recently discovered that the products from Mini-U help too; to the extent that I now struggle to get the kids back out as they enjoy them so much!

Eyeball Cake Pops

31st October is all about the treats and these cake pops will certainly hit the spot. With a soft sponge centre combined with delicious frosting and a white chocolate coating they are frightfully delightful. 

We were sent some of the ingredients and a recipe from Rangemaster for National Chocolate Week but as they arrived a little later we transformed a standard cake pop into something suitable for the next big event on our calendar; Halloween!

The Koala Brothers Turn 10!

If you don't already know, ‘The Koala Brothers’ is an animation series for pre-schoolers which is broadcast by CBeebies within the UK. Your little ones can follow the adventures of Frank and Buster, two cute and friendly koalas living in the Australian outback, whose mission in life is to help others. From their isolated homestead, they fly out on daily patrol in their yellow aeroplane, looking for anyone in need of help. The series shows the true value of friendship and caring for others and has sold to 150 territories worldwide, been translated into 31 languages and it has even been nominated for four children’s BAFTA awards.

My Sunday Photo

WIN a Playskool Heroes Set

This amazing Spider-Man playset (RRP £24.99) comes with a special edition Spider-Man figure and his speedy racer vehicle for web slingin’ fun.

Kids can save the day as Spidey races down the ramp and leaps from his bike onto the swing bar of the crane to capture the villain Electro.

Silent Sunday

    

A Fabulous Father

You don't really need a day dedicated to your dad to show them just how much they mean to you, but Father's Day is the perfect opportunity to really show your appreciation if everyday life usually prevents you from doing so.
Whether you wish to shower him with gifts and gadgets, provide breakfast in bed, enjoy a family day out or do something a little different, 15th June is your chance to make him feel special!

I have two amazing father figures in my life; my dad and the Mr.

My dad has always been there for me and he is now also a wonderful pap to the Mini Mes too.

Remote Control Racing Fun

Jamster loves vehicle toys, be it bikes, tractors or trucks, so the Street Troopers Project 66 Gold really made his eyes light up when it arrived in the post from Hawkin's Bazaar. Not only is it a great remote control car but it has a unique feature that many other toys lack; it fires 5 darts from a hidden cannon! 

It certainly keeps Minxy and Spartan (or anyone else in it's path) on their toes when the big red

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.

Family Funny - The Silly Selfie

We all know that searching for our symptoms on Google is never a good idea but after flying home from an amazing week in Kefalonia I knew that the pain and swelling in my legs could be a sign of DVT so I decided to visit my GP. Just to be on the safe side.

The only appointment available was 3.35pm so after a very quick dash to get the Mini Mes home from school we all headed to the doctor's surgery. The nurse was running on time, possibly for the first time ever, so the kids and I got called in almost straight away upon checking in. 

While the nurse checked my blood pressure, prodded my ankles and measured my calves I handed

Our Week That Was - Project 365