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!

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

Conker Pets - An Autumn Craft Activity

The Mini Mes have been gathering conkers every day on the way home from school. They generally get plonked in the front garden in the flower pots (or hidden in money boxes in their bedrooms like treasure until they turn green) but I started to wonder what else could be done with them. There is of course the traditional method of roasting them, threading a shoelace through the centre and smashing them in a game but I decided to opt for something a little more cute for some imaginative play....

Silent Sunday

Outdoor Family Fun

With the weather being so beautiful over the past few days, we have enjoyed lots of time outdoors in the sunshine. Not only only is spending time outside in the fresh air beneficial in terms of your health and fitness but it's a great way to reduce stress... which some of us parents may be suffering from now the summer holidays have arrived!

We have taught the Mini Mes how to play rugby properly with an official HSBC Lions ball...

We had a BBQ at my mums (which also involved assembling the BBQ and cooking everything for her) and drank lemonade from wine glasses. Because we can...

We walked the dog a lot further through woodland and fields...

and Minxy sat in a cardboard box, strapped to a skateboard and rolled down the garden while dressed as Iron Man...

As you do!

What outdoor fun have you had as a family this week?

Saturday Caption

After a bit of an owl themed week, this picture of the Mr seemed to fit in well...

Have you got a caption for it!?
I would love to hear it!
 

Have a great weekend

 

 

Silent Sunday

Snowy Walks

Since getting Spartan just over a year ago I've spent so much time outdoors, regardless of the weather, walking. The poochie needs exercise and someone has to be responsible for taking him, which I'll admit is usually the Mr, but I do often go along too.

 

Wrapping up warm ready for a walk

 

 

The snow came down heavy again this week, you wouldn't really think it was March would you?! We wrapped up warm in wellies, coats, scarves, gloves and hats before getting the sledges to enjoy* a rather cold walk around the park. The Mini Mes had the luxury of sliding along while seated for most of it but the Mr and I pulled them around through the thick snow, ran around with the dog and pushed the children down the hill (trying to avoid the lamp post!)

 

 

Have you had some outdoor fun in the snow?

 

*Read barely tolerate

 

 

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The theme this week is Walks

Silent Sunday

Saturday Caption

It looks as though Minxy is a little too keen to get home for dinner!

 

 

Do you have a funny or witty comment for this picture?

I'd love to hear it!

You can link up your own picture or view more over with the Mammasaurus

Have a great weekend.

Country Kids

One benefit of playing outside while it's cold or wet is that you often have the entire place to yourself and that was just the case yesterday.

After school we visited the Country Park and had an hour playing on the exercise equipment, climbing frames and chasing each other around before dinner, me being the troll or Gruffalo as usual! It was rather chilly but as we wrapped up well it and it wasn't long until we all felt warm anyway.

Calorie count

Climbing

Have you had some outdoor family fun this week?

 

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The theme this week is the letter C
(Country Park, cold, chasing, climbing, cardio, calorie count)

Family Fun - Sledging and puddle play

Like every break from school and work, half term seems to have flown by! We have had a lovely week though and made the most of the snow and rain with plenty of outdoor fun.

After creating some Chinese themed crafts to celebrate the New Year we popped on our wellies and headed to the park on Sunday. We walked 2.5 miles around the reservoir and woods, fed the ducks and played at the park - even though it was pouring down! We were completely drenched but it was nice to have a warm shower, put on our pj's and enjoy a hot chocolate before dinner when we returned home.

Monday after a trip to the cinema and lunch out, we cancelled our plans for the afternoon to make the most of the snow while it was here. Luckily we have a lot of fields nearby so we didn't need to travel far for a huge open space for sledging. I dragged the Mini Mes around on the sledges for a while until I was exhausted, before they decided to brave the sloped paths themselves.

We headed out again to the park later on in the week and out one evening sledging too. 

The daffodils in my garden have started to appear along with the sunshine so I'm hoping Spring is on the way!

Have you had fun outdoors this week?

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Ice fun and safety

Although it's a while since the snow melted, the ice hung about for quite a few days afterwards with a good few inches of it remaining on top of the big puddles nearby.

The Mini Mes had fun climbing on top of the ice and balancing with our support.
It was a great opportunity to discuss the importance of staying away from ice on top of deeper water too!
Fun and safety combined.

• We spoke about sledging in locations you know so that you don't end up in deep water in error as sometimes ice covered water can be covered in snow too.
• We spoke about never going to help anyone in water or ice, even pets, as it could endanger them and to seek help instead.
• We talked about the importance of keeping away from the edges of rivers and lakes just incase the ice nearby was slippy or thin resulting in them sliding in.

We then went jumping in the smaller, slushy puddles for some more fun!

We created some bird feeders this week using the same recipe we used last year, as we were inspired after seeing posts by Fiona and Cerys. These are great for animals at this time of year when food may be scarce. You can find out how to make them here:

http://www.theminimesandme.com/2012/05/fatballs-make-your-own-bird-feeder.html



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Silent Sunday

Woodland walk

Everdon Stubbs is somewhere I remember visiting as a child; getting stuck in the mud, riding my bike and building dens, so it was nice to take the Mini Mes there recently for the first time. I had totally forgotten it existed until I looked for new places to walk Spartan!

We had a lovely time exploring the woods, getting muddy in huge puddles, looking out for wildlife and spending time outdoors as a family. 

There is no fee for parking so it was all free too!

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Saturday Caption

Hmm so what is this white fluffy stuff Spartan wonders, it doesn't look like grass....

 Do you have a funny or witty comment for this picture?

I'd love to hear it!

You can link up your own picture or view more over with the beautiful Mammasaurus.

Have a great weekend.

Outdoor Family Fun - Win a Sat Nav

Although it may not currently feel like Spring is just around the corner, it won't be long until the daffodils are popping up, the sun is making the odd appearance and we are all heading outside on day trips with the family. One of my resolutions is to spend more time outside, come rain or shine, to explore, have fun and get fit for 2013 - and what better way to get from A to B than with a brand new Sat Nav!

The Tom Tom XL v4 Sat Nav features: 

FREE Deluxe Carry case

4.3 ins LCD touchscreen

Pre-installed maps of UK and ROI

Pre-loaded safety camera data

IQ routes and advanced lane guidance

Spoken Street names

Integrated mounting with flip screen

We have 1 to give away from the RAC to help get you and your family enjoying the great outdoors!

*** WIN ***

For your chance to win you can enter via the Rafflecopter entry form below before 26th January 2013.

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If it won't be long until you are spending more time visiting zoos, farms and theme parks too, don't forget the RAC who provide breakdown cover in the UK. You don't want to be left stranded on a motorway with upset kids in the back seats ruining your plans so make sure you are covered!

The RAC can cover you or your vehicle from as little as £29.99 so it's worth taking a peek: http://www.rac.co.uk/breakdown-cover/uk-breakdown/

They also have a great online shop which has a variety of products including winter safety kits to help you and your family travel safely.

2013 - promises to myself

Each December I think of resolutions, improvements for myself as a person, as a partner and as a parent to try to achieve an even better year than the one previous. At times they can be difficult to stick with for one reason or another, afterall chocolate can be a little too tempting at times can't it and time isn't always on our side, but this year I'm hoping I can reach my goals and by writing them down I think it will keep me motivated.

Have more fun outdoors
I love the sunshine so popping on flip flops and going for a stroll in the summer is never an issue but when it's cold, windy or wet I'm not usually as keen. However, after a few recent trips out in the rain I've realised it is actually really fun to puddle jump and to get stuck in mud so I'm planning on spending a lot more time in the great outdoors as a family regardless of the weather.

31st December 2012 - Ending the year as we mean to go

Spend more quality time with the Mr

We get weekends together and every evening and although it's nice to watch a movie together and have a glass of wine I would really like to try to make that time more special. I want to play more games, have a giggle, get out together more frequently for date nights, paintballing etc as a couple. Just enjoy eachothers company a little more without technology getting in the way.

Lose weight

This one tends to pop up most years! In order to lose weight I'm on a mission to reduce sweets and chocolate, eat healthier and exercise more. I'm aiming to work out 3 times a week for 45 minutes either Zumba, a DVD or popping on the cross trainer but keeping active links in well with my other resolution to get outdoors more too which should help!

For January I am also raising funds for Cancer Research by not drinking alcohol. All sponsorship is greatly appreciated for this worthy cause so if you can help out, then please do!

What are your resolutions this year? 

How do you plan to stick to them?

This is my entry for the ‘Get Fit Feel Epic’ competition hosted by Kate on Thin Ice

Family Fun - Warwick Castle

Exploring, learning and having fun as a family is something we love to do, come rain or shine, so when we saw an opportunity to review Britain's Best Days Out with MoneySupermarket.com we were keen to pack a picnic and head off on an adventure.

Warwick Castle is located in Warwickshire and is easy to reach by road or rail with several car parks to choose from. We arrived at opening, 10am, and I was more than pleased that there were no queues so we managed to get through the turnstiles straight away! 

There is plenty to see and do to spend an entire day at the castle and it's somewhere that is educational, interactive and fun for all of the family. After watching a demonstration on archery, visiting the Birds of Prey Mews and seeing the Sword in the Stone we decided to head inside for a journey back in time and to view some of the beautiful interiors.

First constructed in the 14th Century the Great Hall is the first room we visited and is the largest of them all. It contains a selection of weapons, armour (which includes equestrian) and a cauldron named Guy's Porridge Pot'. The castle has had millions of pounds invested into its restoration over the past decade and it appears in tip top condition with stunning decor and surroundings to view. We also looked at several drawing rooms, the state dining room, chapel and the Queen Anne bedroom which are wonderfully presented with life-like statues and informative description boards - perfect for photo opportunities.

Next we decided to climb the Mound which built in 1068 was used as the Norman defence system for the castle. There are quite a few steps up to the top but there is a hand rail to assist and the walk is definitely worth it for the views of both the castle and across Warwick. When we reached the top it was time for the Mighty Trebuchet demonstration, the largest working siege machine in the world, to take place so we joined in with the count down to see the giant catapult in action. The Mini Mes loved this being fans of Angry Birds!

We visited the beautiful gardens, Mill and Engine House and Pageant Playground next. The Mill and Engine House allowed the Mini Mes to get involved with some science experiments making bangers while the playground set as a mini-fortress has a variety of slides, climbing frames and equipment to play on.

With a Castle Tower where you can enjoy fairy tales and the chance to kiss a frog and a Dragon Tower where you can view the fire and smoke breathing beast, your little prince and princess will be thoroughly entertained. For those over 10 years of age there is the Castle Dungeon which features actors and special effects to bring the 18th Century justice system to life. 

To access some areas and activities there are additional charges so I'd advise taking some cash to enjoy the attraction fully and to prevent your little ones missing out on painting shields and having a go with a bow and arrow themselves.

There are different ticket prices available to suit your budget and requirements though which is a great idea!

MoneySupermarket.com offers days out vouchers  for fun family days out  - Be sure to check them out before your visit as it may save you some ££!

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*We received a family pass to Warwick Castle for the purpose of this review. The opinions given are honest and our own*