Blogtober18 ·
review ·
Smashers ·
Toys and Games ·
Zuru ·
Zuru Smashers Series 2
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Review | Zuru Smashers Series 2
John and I make sure that we spend time together as a couple as often as we can. When you become a parent it's sometimes hard to be anything else except for a Mum or Dad. You have to remember that before baby came along you were you, and if you are in a relationship or you are married you are a couple. Sometimes we lose the chance to be a couple and do couple things but its so important not to. Date nights can be tough but with some planning and a good babysitter they won't be as hard as you think.
I've popped down a few date ideas that John and I have enjoyed so far this year. They are not crazy nights out just simple ideas that will get you out of the house for a few hours away from the kids to enjoy each others company.
Cinema
We love going to see a movie but rather than just going to the local cinema we will head to Odeon and pay for the Gallery experience.
It's not available in all Odeon's but if there is one by you that offers Gallery screening then I would definitely recommend.
The gallery is available for those over the age of 18. There is a separate bar area with comfy seats and unlimited soft drinks, popcorn and nachos for those who purchase a gallery ticket. You then get to watch the movie from a sofa for two.
It makes going to the cinema a bit more exciting and we would definitely recommend it.
Break Out
Last week we visited our local Break Out. You may have heard of something similar basically we were locked in a motel room for one hour and we had to find clues to help us escape.
I wasn't sure what to expect and whether I would actually enjoy it but I did, it was so much fun.
When we arrived at our chosen game we were shown inside the room. There was a TV screen that had a countdown timer on. You get just one hour to escape. It was tough at times and you are literally on your hands and knees searching for clues to help you unlock padlocks, solve clues and eventually escape. We did with just 39 seconds to go.
It was a completely different idea for a usual date night but it was lots of fun and we laughed so much.
Concert/Theatre
John and I like to visit the theatre at least four or five times a year and we are always looking for concerts to attend too.
The theatre is probably my favourite date night and we are lucky to have a few theatres close by. We have watched Ghost, Dirty Dancing, Sister Act, Hairspray to name a few. Then we planned a more exciting date day/date night by visiting Birmingham to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and London to watch Wicked. We just went for the day on the train to help reduce costs and we didn't need the boys to be watched overnight.
Going to a concert together is lots of fun too. Unfortunately for John he has had to watch Steps, 5ive, Spice Girls, the Vengaboys and more cheesy pop which wouldn't be something he chooses to watch but he does it so we can have good night together and we always do.
John's concerts are artists like Coldplay, The Script, Snow Patrol, Jimmy Eat World which aren't as fun for me but I will always go along too.
Everyones idea of a date night will be completely different. For us we are not interested in going out drinking at the weekend till all hours and feeling ill all Sunday. It's just not us. We've done all that when we were younger, nowadays we would much prefer PJ's, Baileys and a Movie.
If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways
Leave us a comment and let us know about your favourite date night.
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Michelle
Blogtober18 ·
Breast Cancer ·
Breast Cancer Awareness Month ·
Check Your Boobs
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About Me | I Found A Lump
Kinetic Sand ·
Kinetic Sand Beach Sand Kingdom ·
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Toys and Games
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Review | Kinetic Sand Beach Sand Kingdom
Summer may be over but we have been trying out Kinetic Beach Sand for the last few weeks and its made us feel like we are back in Cyprus. The Kinetic Sand actually feels like wet beach sand and the set includes a variety of moulds and tools so perfect for making lots of sandcastles.
Blind Bags ·
Mystery Bags ·
Ready 2 Robot ·
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Toys and Games
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Review | Ready 2 Robot
Oonies ·
Oonies Inflator Starter Kit ·
Orbeez ·
Orbeez Wowzer Surprise ·
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Toys and Games
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Review | Oonies Inflator Starter Pack and Orbeez Wowzer Surprise
Development ·
Fussy Eaters ·
Kids ·
Mealtimes ·
Parenting ·
Sensory ·
Toddlers ·
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When your Child Doesn't Want to Eat
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Parenting | When Your Child Doesn't Want To Eat
It's okay to let children eat with their hands
Dino Set With Cave ·
review ·
Schleich ·
Toys and Games
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Review | Schleich Dino Set With Cave
Collaboration ·
Home and Garden ·
Keeping Your Home Safe ·
Top Tips
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Collaboration | How To Keep Your Home Safe
1. Keep All Your Windows And Doors Locked.
So this may seem obvious but I am almost certain that we have all left the house in a rush and maybe not locked the door behind us or we've left a top window open. Any unlocked windows or doors attract burglars and if they can gain easy access then they will take it. If any of your windows are damaged or do not lock properly now is the time to think about getting replacement windows.
2. Keep All Valuables Out Of Sight.
Again obvious but most people will start thinking about Christmas around this time of year, maybe picking up little bits here and there. It's normal to leave shopping bags or boxes on the floor by the door or on the sofa until you've found a place to store them. If these are on show when you are out the house anyone could look through your window and see exactly where you've been shopping.
3. If You Are Unsure About A Knock At The Door, Don't Open It.
Whenever someone is at the door that I am not expecting or don't know, I don't open it. I pop upstairs and open a top window. If they tell me who they are and I'm happy to open the door to them I will. If it's someone I'm unsure about then I speak from the window. Make an excuse, tell them you're putting the baby down to nap or you're in the middle of ironing.
4. Use Timers For Your Lights
As the darker nights creep in, its always obvious in our road who is home and who is not. Even if you only work till 5 or 6pm it's dark then so more than likely if you haven't left a timer on your lights, your home will be in darkness when you return.
5. Avoid Putting Plans On Social Media
This applies all year round, you should never put where you are planning to go or where you are on public social media. You are basically telling anyone who wants to know that your house is empty. Lots of people talk about holidays, days out, concerts etc they are going to online and this is an easy way for an opportunist to know you aren't home.
Do you have any tips on how to keep your home safe?
Michelle
This is a collaboration
So this may seem obvious but I am almost certain that we have all left the house in a rush and maybe not locked the door behind us or we've left a top window open. Any unlocked windows or doors attract burglars and if they can gain easy access then they will take it. If any of your windows are damaged or do not lock properly now is the time to think about getting replacement windows.
2. Keep All Valuables Out Of Sight.
Again obvious but most people will start thinking about Christmas around this time of year, maybe picking up little bits here and there. It's normal to leave shopping bags or boxes on the floor by the door or on the sofa until you've found a place to store them. If these are on show when you are out the house anyone could look through your window and see exactly where you've been shopping.
3. If You Are Unsure About A Knock At The Door, Don't Open It.
Whenever someone is at the door that I am not expecting or don't know, I don't open it. I pop upstairs and open a top window. If they tell me who they are and I'm happy to open the door to them I will. If it's someone I'm unsure about then I speak from the window. Make an excuse, tell them you're putting the baby down to nap or you're in the middle of ironing.
4. Use Timers For Your Lights
As the darker nights creep in, its always obvious in our road who is home and who is not. Even if you only work till 5 or 6pm it's dark then so more than likely if you haven't left a timer on your lights, your home will be in darkness when you return.
5. Avoid Putting Plans On Social Media
This applies all year round, you should never put where you are planning to go or where you are on public social media. You are basically telling anyone who wants to know that your house is empty. Lots of people talk about holidays, days out, concerts etc they are going to online and this is an easy way for an opportunist to know you aren't home.
Do you have any tips on how to keep your home safe?
Michelle
This is a collaboration
We have a fantastic giveaway for you on our blog - we are giving away an Amazon Echo. The Amazon Echo connects to Alexa-a cloud-based voice service-to play music, make calls, set alarms and timers, ask questions, check your calendar, weather, traffic and sports scores, manage to-do and shopping lists, control compatible smart home devices, and more.
5 Tips For Planning A Ski Trip ·
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Skiing ·
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Travel
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Planning A Ski Trip
Eldrador Creatures ·
Lava Golem ·
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Schleich ·
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Review | Schleich Eldrador Creatures, Lava Golem
review ·
Schleich ·
Toys and Games ·
Wild Life 4x4 Vehicle With Winch
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Review | Schleich Wild Life 4x4 Vehicle With Winch
Crate Creatures Surprise Sizzle ·
review ·
Toys and Games
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Review | Crate Creatures Surprise Sizzle
CBBC ·
CBBC Summer Social ·
Cbeebies ·
Croxteth Park ·
Days Out ·
Liverpool ·
Travel
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Days Out | CBBC Summer Social 2018
Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. I usually start preparing for Autumn once the kids go back to school. I love to pack up my Summer wardrobe and swap it for knitted jumpers, leggings and boots. I also like to change the furnishings around the home to match the season and give it a more cosy feel. I'll introduce lots of browns and oranges and choose a candle that smells just like Autumn.
I could honestly think of so many reasons why I love Autumn but I've listed my top five.
1. We have so many traditions that happen in the last few months of the year including our trips to Alton Towers for their Scarefest and Fireworks celebrations. We have been visiting every year for the last 20 so it's something we look forward to all year.
2. Binge watching TV Boxsets. This is mine and John's time to chill in the evenings and catch up on all the TV we missed over the Summer. We don't tend to watch a lot of TV during the warmer months as we are usually out and about or chilling in the garden in the evenings. This year we are looking forward to a new series for us, Manifest. Also we need to finish the Marvel movies then get stuck in to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and then Loki.
3. Cooler nights means we can get out our cosy blankets and put the central heating on. It only ever feels like true Autumn when you can hear the central heating system making its little noises. We also get the candles out to give us a warm effect in the house too.
4. Autumn walks are a must. We would much rather prefer to go for walks this time of year as the colder weather starts to creep in and the leaves begin to fall. Since we joined National Trust we have found so many properties to explore and cannot wait to find more this year.
5. The countdown to Christmas begins. I always feel that once September comes, Christmas is here before you know it. I know some people don't like hearing Christmas songs in the shops especially when it's only September but I love it. I love seeing all the decorations going up and visiting Blackpool for the illuminations is another sign for us that Christmas will soon be here.
Do you love Autumn? What is your favourite thing about the Season?
Michelle
Collaboration ·
Creating A Space Themed Bedroom ·
Home and Garden
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Collaboration | Creating A Space Themed Bedroom
Development ·
Parenting ·
Peppa Pig ·
PeppaPigWIGU ·
review ·
When I Grow Up
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Parenting | When I Grow Up I Want To Be . . .
Little J has now graduated from reception and is ready to move on to year one in September. Time certainly has flown this year and it doesn't feel like a year ago that we were preparing for the start of his school journey. The last term was all about their ambitions and encouraging the children to 'Reach for The Stars'. They were told to never give up on their dreams and that anything is possible if you believe it. It was a lovely way to end the year and in their graduation ceremony we got to see what each child wants to be when they are older.
Collaboration ·
Development ·
gardening ·
Home and Garden ·
outside play ·
Parenting
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How To Educate Your Child Through Gardening?
I wrote a post recently about when we take little J to the swimming pool it is mostly dad's in the water with the kids. Whenever I look around it is mainly women watching from the viewing area, me included. I know how much little J enjoys swimming and going to our local pool so I have promised to make more of an effort and visit the pool with him.
Days Out ·
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Indoor Play Centres ·
Inflata Nation ·
Inflatable theme Park ·
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Manchester ·
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Days Out | Indoor Play Centres In Manchester
Group Accommodation ·
review ·
Simgill Farm Cottages ·
Travel
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Our Stay At Simgill Farm Cottages
We have just returned from a lovely family weekend break to the Lake District. We love visiting the Lakes and have previously stayed in a little Bed and Breakfast, Caravan Park or Hotel. This break was a little different as there were 14 of us in total so we needed to book somewhere big enough for us all. After a lot of searching the internet my brother in law found Simgill Farm. It's described as luxury self catering accommodation with properties that sleep up to 18 people.
We booked Barn Court which is a detached 5 bedroom cottage that can sleep up to 14 people plus room for cots for children under 2. We have never stayed in anything like this before so we weren't sure what to expect however after reading the reviews on TripAdvisor and browsing some photographs we were really looking forward to it.
Check in time is from 3pm however we were stuck in traffic on the journey then popped in to Kendal for some dinner first so we didn't arrive till almost 8pm. We headed to the owners house who greeted us and came across opened the cottage up, and gave us a brief tour.
Downstairs there was a large living area which had three sofas, tv, video and dvd player and lots of cushions and beanbags.
There was a bedroom which had one double bed and two single beds. This bedroom had a small wardrobe and 8 decent sized drawers.
Across the hall from the bedroom was a small bathroom with toilet, sink and shower cubicle.
Just along the hall was the kitchen. It was fully equipped with a huge dining room table. It wasn't big enough for all of us to sit around at the same time due to highchairs however there were extra chairs and breakfast bar stools available.
The kitchen had everything you needed from a self catering cottage. It had a huge double oven, microwave, kettle, toaster and lots of cutlery, glasses, plates etc.
There was also a fridge, dishwasher and washer/dryer.
Outside there was a huge garden area, hammock with stand, BBQ and a hot tub which is available to use at an extra cost. I am sad to say that we didn't use the outside area at all we were too busy exploring the Lakes.
Upstairs there were 4 bedrooms. A Master bedroom with ensuite and a single bed.
Two double rooms and the last bedroom had a double bed and a single bed. There was also a bathroom upstairs too.
Simgill had provided us with two travel cots, two highchairs and stair gates were fitted, so really child friendly and saved some space in the cars travelling up.
Simgill Farm is home to over 100 Alpacas and we were lucky enough to book a time slot to go up to the fields and see them.
This was free of charge and I would definitely recommend it. The owners were very friendly and answered any questions we had about the Alpacas and also gave us buckets of food so we could feed them.
Travelling in a group of 14 including 4 small children I was a bit unsure whether it would be big enough and whether we would all have enough space as I know we were all bringing toys etc but it honestly was. It never felt overcrowded and I know the four of us felt like we had lots of space and could head to our bedroom should we need a quick rest.
Big J shared a room with his cousin even though our room had two single beds so it was just the three of us. The extra bed was used as a place to store things so that did come in handy.
Like I said earlier we have never been to this type of accommodation before so had no idea what to bring so we did pack everything we could think of however there are a few things we didn't need.
Whats Included.
Towels - There were plenty of bath towels and hand towels on each bed.
Toilet Rolls - We only used the downstairs bathroom as our bedroom was downstairs and there were two rolls provided. I did top this up with our own toilet rolls as this bathroom probably got used the most by everyone.
Hand Soap - there was a small bar of soap provided and small toiletries.
Tea/Coffee - Again a small selection of tea/coffee is provided (similar to those found in hotel rooms)
Entertainment - There were a selection of videos and dvds in the living area, playing cards and also some family board games such as scrabble.
Wifi - Free and was very good considering we were in the Lake District
Highchairs/Cots - available on request.
A visit to the Alpacas - Definitely worth a visit. The kids loved it.
What To Bring
Food/Drink - It's self catering so unless you want to eat out then I would recommend bringing some food especially breakfast/snacks. There is a Morrisons and Aldi about a 10/15 minute drive away.
Hairdryer - I brought my own anyway but I didn't spot one in the rooms.
Iron - there was a board however couldn't find an iron.
Kitchen Roll - I was lost without this because I use it for everything.
Kitchen Foil - The trays in the oven where already lined but I brought extra and it was used.
Overall we had a great stay at Simgill Farm, I think we all wished it was for longer. It's a great base for visiting the Lakes. Kendal is about a 20 minute drive away, Bowness/Windermere/Ambleside is about 30/40 minutes and Coniston was approx 1 hour away.
Departure time was 10am so it was nice to get up and enjoy breakfast before we left. When it was time to go the owners popped over to say goodbye and also to start cleaning for the next guests who were arriving that afternoon. It does seem very popular so booking in advance is definitely recommended.
Would we visit again? Definitely if we could get a big group together again. Like I said earlier I wished we had booked for longer as there is so much to see and do in the Lakes, an extra few days would have been great.
If you found this post useful there are a few ways that you could say thanks and support Playdays and Runways.
Have you stayed in a large accommodation venue? Leave us a comment below and let us know about your visit.
Visit our Out and About Section for lots of travel posts or check out Snowdonia View
Share This Post With Friends Who May Also Find It Useful.
Michelle
Hello Canvas ·
Home and Garden ·
Home Makeover ·
Photo Printing ·
review
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The Finishing Touches Thanks To Hello Canvas
Collaboration ·
Dealing with unexpected Expenses ·
Money ·
Money Matters
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Dealing With Unexpected Expenses
Days Out ·
Disney ·
Disney On Ice ·
Disney On Ice Dream Big ·
Experiences ·
Preview
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Disney On Ice - Dream Big Coming To UK This Autumn
When I heard about that Disney On Ice was returning this Autumn with a new show I was eager to see how it could top the show we saw a few years ago. When I saw the announcement that Dream Big will feature Moana, Frozen, Beauty and The Beast, Tangled, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin I was so excited, what a fantastic bunch of characters.
CBBC Summer Social ·
Croxteth Park ·
Days Out ·
event ·
Experiences ·
Festival ·
Liverpool
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CBBC Summer Social Is Coming To Liverpool
We are so excited about CBBC Summer Social coming to Liverpool this year. We have been to something very similar in the South a few years ago and it was amazing. This time it is our hometown and we cannot wait to attend.
#ExploringCheshire ·
Cheshire Oaks ·
Chester Zoo ·
Collaboration ·
Days Out ·
Delamere Forest ·
Laurus Homes ·
The Ice Cream Farm ·
Travel ·
Walton Hall Gardens
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Exploring Cheshire This Summer
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