tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82031009821233905082024-02-20T09:06:13.936+00:00sinead lathamMe,the kid (and the other half) crashing through parenting in Brum and BeyondAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-10678343603113063872019-02-20T22:18:00.001+00:002019-02-20T23:28:03.337+00:00Parenting Life // The problem with going 'solo'Whatever your parenting dynamic is; there is no arguing that it’s a tough game. We live in a different world these days and that traditional nuclear family is no longer the norm.<br />
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Recently I’ve found myself feeling uneasy when people say that are ‘solo’ parenting.<br />
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Usually, this phrase is mentioned when a partner is away for a period of time (be it a day, week, month), we highlight how hard it is going to be as we parent alone.<br /><br />ALONE.<br /><br />And that’s the word that strikes me. <br /></div>
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Those of us with a significant other are never truly doing this alone (of course there are exceptions to every rule, but for today let's stick with the majority).<br />
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Searching through the internet I come across a handful of opinion pieces where the term ‘solo’ is associated with being a single parent. Collins dictionary (yes, i’m going there!) also defines it as the ‘usual term for a single parent’.</div>
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Putting myself front and centre our family dynamic is similar to that of others. I work early shifts whilst my partner works a late shift. This allows us to drop off and pick up without the need for childcare costs (after the first 2 years of nursery we were financially screwed). We are only together as a unit of 3 once a week. There are absolutely times when I feel like i am doing this alone. Those days where the KID.WON'T.STOP. When bedtime can't come soon enough and I have no fight left in me.</div>
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But (and here’s the but) someone will come through those doors so I can vent, occasionally cry and more often than not, run out so I can go and have a coffee on my own. </div>
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We appear to live in a world where we feel the need to declare that we have a harder time than someone else. Why can’t we just crack on with doing our best and supporting others when they may need a leg up.</div>
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Chatting about this over on my Instagram the other day led to some great, healthy and educational conversations. No judging. Just sharing of opinions. Here are some of the comments below to add more to this than just my own thoughts. </div>
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‘.....but co-parenting is different from solo parenting. Mum was widowed when I was 5 and when my sister divorced she fundamentally single parented, but acknowledged that every other weekend she had her own time as the boys stayed with their father.’</div>
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‘Your not solo parenting because you do bedtime with your kids for 3 nights. I remember running out of loo roll and kitchen roll when I was first a single parent.....no money to buy anything, no one around and I felt ashamed...it’s a world away from getting the bed to yourself for a few days. </div>
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‘I think people don’t mean to make light of the situation, Also people don’t mean to offend.... I think that it is mainly used for ease.’</div>
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‘All families are unique and really don’t need labels’</div>
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And that’s it really isn’t it. It’s easy to say you are flying solo. I guarantee no one ever means to offend, so perhaps next time just phrase it a little better. Or better still we just stop using phrases (wouldn't that be a radical idea?).</div>
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I’ll finish as I started. Everyone’s dynamic is different, it’s a tough game. One thing I’m certain of is that my tough days will never compare to those truly who truly do this alone.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com20Birmingham, UK52.486242999999988 -1.890400999999997152.176760999999985 -2.535847999999997 52.79572499999999 -1.2449539999999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-29251054586442575342019-02-20T22:03:00.000+00:002019-02-21T11:51:13.387+00:00AndSoWeWent // Birmingham Adventures<div class="MsoNormal">
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We all know that the fair city (My fair city) of Birmingham has more canals than Venice, over 8000 acres of green and open space and most importantly we are the home of Heavy Metal. </div>
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So now you have succesfully searched (and booked) for <a href="https://uk.hotels.com/de1634057/hotels-near-birmingham-new-street-station-birmingham-united-kingdom/" target="_blank">Hotels in Birmingham</a> (based purely on those 3 facts), here are some places that you should most definitely go and explore. I Recently spent the day as a tourist in my own city to see what I had been missing out on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We started the day in the city centre and headed to <a href="https://www.waylandsyard.com/birmingham">Wayland’s Yard</a> for some most excellent breakfast choices of Pancetta hash cakes and poached egg perfection while we decided a plan of action.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Decision made we jumped on the tram (right outside) and headed to the Jewellery Quarter just a few stops away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We spent some time walking around St. Pauls square and then headed up to the <span style="background: white; color: #4d4c4c;"><a href="http://www.rbsa.org.uk/">Royal Birmingham Society of Artists</a>. The space is run by artists for artists and there is always something there to catch your eye,.We saw the Photogenic Prize Exhibition 2019 showcasing established and upcoming photographers from the Midlands and further afield. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4d4c4c;">If you feel more like taking in some culture then head to <a href="https://www.ikon-gallery.org/">IKON</a> in Brindley place or <a href="http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag">BMAG</a> in Chamberlin Square (just look for the Floozie and you know you’re in the right spot). But for today we decided to talk a walk down the canals, into Digbeth the beating heart (and one of my favourite parts) of the city. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4c4c;">Of course, we headed to the famous </span><a href="http://digbethdiningclub.com/">Digbeth Dining Club</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4c4c;">; home to some of the finest vendors of eats in the UK we were spoilt for choice as we refuelled for the final leg of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #4d4c4c;">With our bellies full we headed to the last stop on today's tour. We rang the bell at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/1881bhx/?hl=en">18/81</a>. Hidden somewhere on Thorpe Street, this is one of my favourite places to hang out. If you want amazing cocktails, in a relaxed and welcoming place then you need to have these guys on the list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4c4c;">I am biased, but our city is filled with wonderful things to explore and see. With an ever-growing number of Independents, come and check out something different. I promise you won’t be disappointed.</span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <i>spending money for our adventure was gifted by </i></span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://hotels.com/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc;">Hotels.com</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">, but all views and opinions as always are my own.</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #4d4c4c;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0Birmingham, UK52.486242999999988 -1.890400999999997152.176760999999985 -2.535847999999997 52.79572499999999 -1.2449539999999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-73712123220279906472019-01-03T11:00:00.000+00:002019-02-06T20:46:52.043+00:00AndSoWeSaw // The Tiger Who Came to Tea<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a way to round out the festive season. Heading to the <a href="https://www.thsh.co.uk/event/the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-live" target="_blank">Town Hall</a> to spend some time with friends and watch The Tiger Who Came to Tea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember the tale from when I was wee, but I didn’t realise that it is in its 50<sup>th</sup> year of publication (also as a side note Judith Kerr is also responsible for a favourite of mine; Mog). Just a few days before the show I was listening to Judith talk on the radio about her love for the tale and how it grew from a bedtime tale into one of the worlds most beloved bedtime story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, with a spring in my step, the boy and I met up with our friends and settled into our seats. For the next 40 minutes, we were all drawn into the tale and were encouraged to sing along and get involved as a cheeky Tiger helps themselves to a snack or 3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story is, of course, familiar, with catchy tunes and plenty of giggles along the way. It was a wonderful, fun production with a few touches of magic along the way (I still haven’t figured out how a few of the tricks happened)! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time and time again I am filled with joy when children are asked to participate in shows; get up on their feet, sing their hearts out and shout at the stage. This show encouraged all of this and more with a very active exercise routine and a clock that needed Ticks and Tocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mum, Dad and Sophie are a joy to watch and as for the Tiger? clearly the start of the show. I won’t say much more as even though the story is familiar, there are still surprises in store. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The show is on at the Town Hall until January 13<sup>th</sup>, so grab yourself some tickets <a href="https://www.thsh.co.uk/event/the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-live" target="_blank">HERE</a> and get lost in some fun <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THSH<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> kindly invited us along to watch the show in exchange for our review. As ever opinions our ours (and we both loved it if you hadn’t guessed!)</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-9568999279773501402018-12-22T21:38:00.000+00:002019-02-06T21:44:28.160+00:00AndSoWeSaw // Elf: A Christmas Spectacular <br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Never before have I headed to <a href="https://www.resortsworldarena.co.uk/whats-on/elf-a-christmas-spectacular/" target="_blank">Resorts World</a> to kick off our Christmas holidays. But on Friday the boy and I went running out the school gates and straight onto the train to go and see our favourite festive film live on stage. Bring on Elf! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whether you love the film or not, there is no denying it is all about the Christmas feels and it was translated onto the big stage with the biggest tinsel money can buy (quite literally).</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Buddy (played by Tam Ryan) is, of course, the star of the show and we all fall in love with the silliness of it all as he goes on his journey to find his family. With the addition of some great show tunes (my personal favourite was Nobody Cares About Santa), it was a show for all the family to enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jovie was played by Martine <span style="background: white; color: black;">McCutcheon and David Essex in the role of Walter Hobbs my boys most favourite person to see was Jennie Dale (aka Captain Captain from Cbeebies Swashbuckle), with the ensemble rounded out with local theatre students from the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (which reminded me of a youth spent as a panto babe back in the 80s!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the first time I’ve seen a stage show on such an epic scale and no matter what way you looked there was something to see including a tightrope walker and some wonderful aerial acrobatics with Santa’s sleigh being the star of the show in terms of bringing a touch of magic to the arena. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With an overall running time of 2 ½ hours (including interval) the show was a little too long for my boy (he was over tired and over stimulated by the time the final song was sung), and so whilst it was a great festive adventure for the grown-ups, I would recommend you leave the little little ones at home for this one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.resortsworldarena.co.uk/whats-on/elf-a-christmas-spectacular/" target="_blank">Elf: A Christmas Spectacular</a> is on until December 24<sup>th</sup> and so plenty of time to get into the festive spirit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;">Resorts World Arena</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 107%;"> kindly invited us along to watch the show in exchange for our review. As ever opinions our ours </span></span><span style="background: white; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-25238906767867515282018-12-20T22:28:00.000+00:002019-01-03T21:39:03.192+00:00AndSoWeWent // Budapest: The Short Version<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Young boy holding the Budapest travel card " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" style="display: none;" title="Budapest Card" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here is a super quick guide of places to explore when in Budapest. For the longer version click <a href="https://www.sineadlatham.com/2018/12/andsowewent-budapest.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Eat:</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-Ctuy0PmRJhrQ6WFhTwefNuBLtHjn-MFg2V-YGA69orf3SR-SJrNNTSepWWLjWsjna2kpxSqO6tHzDkZLlHSnpr0Aw5NrVb1m_QTxEJddTgo6kLG-QxH3x0EwOpOghkpB-l5qKi0p7Qt/s1600/Untitled+design+%25287%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hot chocolate from New York cafe, Langos from a street vendor and Risotto from Budapest Makery" border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-Ctuy0PmRJhrQ6WFhTwefNuBLtHjn-MFg2V-YGA69orf3SR-SJrNNTSepWWLjWsjna2kpxSqO6tHzDkZLlHSnpr0Aw5NrVb1m_QTxEJddTgo6kLG-QxH3x0EwOpOghkpB-l5qKi0p7Qt/s1600/Untitled+design+%25287%2529.png" title="Budapest Food" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is no shortage of good eats across the city and for all budgets</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://marketbdpst.hu/hu/fooldal-hu/">Market BDPST</a> – burgers, tacos, beer. Affordable and fresh fast food<br /><br />Lángos - a deep-fried dough with sour cream and cheese: totally delicious, rather plentiful and a bargain of €5<br /><br /><a href="http://www.budapestmakery.hu/">Budapest Makery</a>* – Think of Hello Fresh Live and you’ve got yourself a couple of hours of fun and fab food! <br /><br /><a href="https://www.instagram.com/suwu_budapest/?hl=en">SuWu coffee</a> – Speciality coffees and a great selection of cakes and treats (also open late as an added bonus)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.cirkuszbp.hu/">Cirkusz</a> – If you love a good brunch and coffee spot this is the place. The price point is spot on </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://hummusbar.hu/">Hummus Bar</a> – exactly what it says on the tin. Budget friendly, fresh and plentiful </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our accommodation in central Budapest</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/hu/budapest-holidays-harmony.en-gb.html">Budapest Holidays Harmony Apartments </a>are slap bang in the centre of the city, we had a 3 person apartment (1 double bed, a double sofa bed bathroom and small kitchen) for 3 nights and cost £150<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">See:</span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0beMW5Di1zXczvCnbjmYtStzd1QiVJwoMt5CbwJdL7qpKCgYacv6Ny3np6uW9tEvtj8inkpFSdnMYEbvrRqhVdIJWMZBZLSWpCvtyMahfdIbwtzWUK7_zkLSfjd2BQpvyaKrZj9Lyz_/s1600/Untitled+design+%25288%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp0beMW5Di1zXczvCnbjmYtStzd1QiVJwoMt5CbwJdL7qpKCgYacv6Ny3np6uW9tEvtj8inkpFSdnMYEbvrRqhVdIJWMZBZLSWpCvtyMahfdIbwtzWUK7_zkLSfjd2BQpvyaKrZj9Lyz_/s1600/Untitled+design+%25288%2529.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b><a href="http://budacastlebudapest.com/">Buda Castle</a>, the Fisherman’s Bastion and the stunning church of St. Matthias<br /><br /><a href="https://budapestflow.com/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-jewish-district-of-budapest/">Jewish Quarter</a> – bars, food, street art galore.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.triptobudapest.hu/">Walking Tours</a> – Free and different routes around the city every day of the week</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bathsbudapest.com/">Thermal Baths</a> – Pack your costume and head to one of the many baths in the city. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><a href="https://www.budapestinfo.hu/">Budapest Info</a>** – Travel cards available for 24,48,72 hours and let you use all public transport (with the exception of the airport shuttle). Also gains you access to a large number of attractions including the thermal baths.<br /><br />Fisherman’s Bastion and the <a href="http://budacastlebudapest.com/matthias-church/">church of St. Matthias</a> - Go back in the evening for a completely different experience (a lot quieter and the views are just stunning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Young boy holding the Budapest travel card " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" title="Budapest Card" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /> <br /><br />Budapest is a fabulous and vibrant city to explore as a family (or leave the kids at home and check out all the Ruin Bars!)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*We were gifted our meal at Budapest Makery with no requisite for a review. <br /><br />**Budapest Info gifted us 72hours travel in the city in exchange for our honest review. Your Budapest card not only gets you travel but entrance into the thermal baths and many museums around the city and we wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one on our return visit.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-47109472386665359162018-12-11T20:46:00.000+00:002018-12-11T20:50:01.573+00:00AndSoWeSaw // Rudolph at MAC<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dashing from a Softplay birthday party on a Saturday evening the boy does a Speedy costume change into his PJs and we crash into <a href="https://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/rudolf" target="_blank">MAC</a> with minutes to spare before Rudolph begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Walking into a Theatre filled with children (and adults) in their PJs makes it feel quite magical, and with our complimentary red noses we were seated and waiting for the show to begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjsOsMnq-O2Rt_Mp0j4VQZnpylKQ14z8F0hqUO2vmWlVlRR6xGtAazHs7pE-DgP-xTvb2h8c-bihnxTYrEgwjHhpDtNderZITFtaMs6SiALXOhj88Q-pAXBHMAr4q0TbBtjiPT52dWRf0/s1600/IMG_20181208_191418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mom and Son with red noses ready to watch Rudolph " border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjsOsMnq-O2Rt_Mp0j4VQZnpylKQ14z8F0hqUO2vmWlVlRR6xGtAazHs7pE-DgP-xTvb2h8c-bihnxTYrEgwjHhpDtNderZITFtaMs6SiALXOhj88Q-pAXBHMAr4q0TbBtjiPT52dWRf0/s640/IMG_20181208_191418.jpg" title="" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We join the story in the Starry Safari Park where an alien lands with a bump in the night. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This isn’t your usual Xmas affair.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Although we quickly realise that this isn’t an alien. It is a rather lost Rudolph. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A rather lost Rudolph who doesn’t know who she is. Yes. SHE; we all know that it’s the females that lead the sleigh (the poor males lose their antlers in the winter!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Through the guidance of Baggy (Snowy Owl and narrator of sorts), Rudolph explores the safari park trying to fit in with the other animals and finding it hard when they say she is different to them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_0iOMszn1nUQxgDOMyFqBcQ_SV5bCQTFjE0Ruitq3Z_BYD5yV56nvRaBAL6C2sxUUQWRVQK2j5ojPvdhT4Cf81tJVOYXGB4csIrdDgRx8n8h3u5-RIE7yohNKy7aT2i0US5s9QkeXp8a/s1600/%2528L-R+Tea+Poldervaart%252C+Hannah+Bristow%252C+Lakesha+Cammock%2529+Credit+Robert+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rudolph is sitting with Baggy as she realises she has made it home to the North Pole" border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG_0iOMszn1nUQxgDOMyFqBcQ_SV5bCQTFjE0Ruitq3Z_BYD5yV56nvRaBAL6C2sxUUQWRVQK2j5ojPvdhT4Cf81tJVOYXGB4csIrdDgRx8n8h3u5-RIE7yohNKy7aT2i0US5s9QkeXp8a/s1600/%2528L-R+Tea+Poldervaart%252C+Hannah+Bristow%252C+Lakesha+Cammock%2529+Credit+Robert+Day.jpg" title="" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">(L-R Tea Poldervaart, Hannah Bristow, Lakesha Cammock) Credit Robert Day</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are funny and tender moments throughout and everyone was drawn into the tale. And here is where I leave it, as I don’t want to spoil the ending.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pins and Needles have bought us another Christmas show to remember and to feel all the festive joy, you’ve got until December 31st (Click <a href="https://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/rudolf" target="_blank">HERE </a>to grab your tickets)</span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: x-small;">MAC kindly invited us along to watch the show in exchange for our review. As ever opinions our ours (and we both loved it!)</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-54316012314533865002018-11-27T22:50:00.000+00:002018-11-27T22:50:20.464+00:00AndSoWeSaw// Sleepyhead at MAC<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday mornings were made for hanging out at <a href="https://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/little-angel-theatre-sleepyhead" target="_blank">MAC</a> and seeing what babies get up to when it’s bedtime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is no secret that I adore Little Angel Theatre Company (they made me cry with last years production <a href="http://www.sineadlatham.com/2017/11/andsowesaw-me.html" target="_blank">'Me'</a>) and so I was expecting great things. As ever, I was not disappointed (and neither was they boy)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suitable for ages 2-5 (and not forgetting the grownups too) we settled down to watch Dad and Baby as they get ready for bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As us grownups know, it is not often that bedtime is smooth sailing and the next 40 minutes we see Baby have the most wonderful time causing mischief and having all the fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a studio full of kids are belly laughing away at the silliness of Baby and a Rabbit with a suspicious French accent, you know everyone has been brought into the magic of the moment. I won’t tell you too much more as I want you to experience the delightful silliness for yourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sleepyhead runs until Sunday 2<sup>nd</sup> December so grab your tickets quickly <a href="https://macbirmingham.co.uk/event/little-angel-theatre-sleepyhead" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">MAC kindly invited us along to watch the show in exchange for our review. As ever opinions our ours (and we loved it!)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-65510581351566851962018-11-27T21:45:00.001+00:002018-11-27T21:45:59.884+00:00AndSoWeSaw// Pinocchio <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What better way to kick off the festive season than heading to <a href="https://www.oldreptheatre.co.uk/calendar/?calid=2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,1,12&pid=3&viewid=1&event=86" target="_blank">The Old Rep</a> on a Saturday afternoon to watch this year’s seasonal offering of Pinocchio.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZsrjZTe6ivjd_50dpETVLqi87vZXps4zIYCv_1RO77l1kktTnpO3DvZbRqRdtV3nU6s1s5pKxjwpctqrGXptz7YN7ySLGgQKud130tub-c_8WH_7z0IS8sFjt6u2iMGIr7BHoI-3BjKN/s1600/Pinocchio+at+The+Old+Rep.+Photo+by+Anda+Latsa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZsrjZTe6ivjd_50dpETVLqi87vZXps4zIYCv_1RO77l1kktTnpO3DvZbRqRdtV3nU6s1s5pKxjwpctqrGXptz7YN7ySLGgQKud130tub-c_8WH_7z0IS8sFjt6u2iMGIr7BHoI-3BjKN/s1600/Pinocchio+at+The+Old+Rep.+Photo+by+Anda+Latsa.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My date for the afternoon (the kid) and I took our seats and from the second the house lights dimmed and the stage lit up, my son was whisked away on a journey of the little boy who just wanted to be good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My memory of this particular tale is based around the Disney classic; the story of the Toy Maker who desperately wanted a son, and so created a puppet that came to life. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along Pinnochio's journey, familiar faces appeared alongside the Blue Fairy (in place of a cricket) offered up plenty of moral guidance and entertainment along the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story is filled with musical numbers and light-hearted moments with both the young and older laughing away. If you want to watch something a little different from the usual panto affair, this show gets a Two Thumbs Up from the 4-year-old! And as an additional FYI (and possible spoiler alert) the kids favourite part was... <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'When the puppet got their skin' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A familiar tale with a musical spin on it’s telling, Pinnochio is a great way to get into the season of Good Will. Along with a fab production and leading roles the supporting cast is made up with local students from Birmingham Ormiston Academy having their opportunity to tread the boards in their own fair city.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.oldreptheatre.co.uk/calendar/?calid=2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,1,12&pid=3&viewid=1&event=86" target="_blank">Pinocchio</a> is on at The Old Rep until December 30th (with a relaxed performance on December 15th)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We were invited along to the press launch in exchange for our honest review. As ever our opinions (mine and the 4-year-olds) are our own.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-33297808321007813932018-11-18T22:19:00.000+00:002019-01-03T21:58:34.449+00:00AndSoWeWent // Budapest: The Long Version<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjANZJph0PNxE4oCsBrfd2gddgXZ8EzxbPrf35gWlKnbSiO6JA4q4jCLgVeavBW8eYyU5Z8HnU7MWBO_7Q8-05Z_56XiSBD0idnH0nBRZ6m2VknFIRxCs8uYG4vMqAZ56t7x33JnY0Sp6/s640/IMG_0971.jpg" style="display: none;" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We finally did it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After having a small person in our lives for 4 years, it was about time we went on our first overseas trip. We settled on Budapest as it was affordable and we are not really beach people!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before we even hit the skies we made sure we had the tech to take with us. Going abroad I was worried about rinsing my data allowance for all the 'Gram, but we didn't need to worry as <a href="http://www.three.co.uk/" target="_blank">Three mobile</a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*</span> set us up with All you Can Eat data and a very wonderful iPhone X to take on our adventures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With a flight time of just over 2 hours away via Ryanair (after an hours delay on the tarmac!) we arrived in Budapest and ready for some family adventures! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So much happened on our trip that I want to split our review into 2. This is the long version! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b>Day 1</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A well-deserved beer at BDST Market - Shot on iPhone X</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our boy exploring the Pop-Up park in central Budapest - Shot on iPhone X</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Arriving into Budapest late in the afternoon we jump into our pre-booked airport transfer (€25) and head straight into the centre of the city. We booked a studio Apartment with <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/hu/budapest-holidays-harmony.en-gb.html">Budapest Holidays Harmony Apartments</a> and after a swift check-in and tour of our accommodation, we headed out to find food.<br /><br />We quickly discovered that the city is easy to navigate and we settled on eating at <a href="http://marketbdpst.hu/hu/fooldal-hu/">Market BDPST</a>; the boys wanted burgers (and I wanted a beer!). It was a great little spot to grab some food (burgers or Tacos are on the menu here) and for 3 burgers, fries and drinks we spent €17. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Once our bellies were satisfied and the sun was setting we continued with our walk around and came across a pop-up park, which the boy took great pleasure in exploring and climbing.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The end of our first few hours were upon us and so we began to head back. We grabbed some coffees and babycinos and popped into the Aldi next to our Apartment. I fell a little bit in love with Aldi. It is like they had a continental love child with Lidl and merged everything you love about each into one store!<br /><br />Back at the apartment we logged into the free wifi and watched Netflix while the kid passed out after a very long days travel.<br /><br /><b>Day 2</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEExirudlYmtCOci05y_e_4CL0w9hL5c1-k_19gl6QGHOvlSa_W9uKpO6Y3zSmZm_zBO5eAxo7yUl4SgG1VA7paE5QJnoD7IVtm46AECd1jKbK-DLVbHeUUXbR3xrW_mEfjkqRt1VimHJi/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEExirudlYmtCOci05y_e_4CL0w9hL5c1-k_19gl6QGHOvlSa_W9uKpO6Y3zSmZm_zBO5eAxo7yUl4SgG1VA7paE5QJnoD7IVtm46AECd1jKbK-DLVbHeUUXbR3xrW_mEfjkqRt1VimHJi/s1600/IMG_0971.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Budapest Card is the key to the city - Shot on iPhone X</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Breakfast was Aldi’s finest cereals and juice in order to save a few pennies. Once we were fed and clothed our first port of call was to head to <a href="https://www.budapestinfo.hu/">Budapest Info</a> to collect out Budapest Card<span style="font-size: xx-small;">**</span>. <br /><br />These cards get you travel across the city and entrance into a large number of attractions (including the thermal baths). You can purchase them for a number of days and we were very fortunate to be gifted 72 hours of travel.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Armed with our lovely travel passes we jumped onto the tram and headed down to the Danube. A walk across the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and into the Buda side of the city today was about exploring Castles and Churches. To reach them at top of a rather large hill (or mini mountain) you have a few options</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpBifIDDAjckfU_BxaRBeWLa2Utl2CwC7uUWPbnnp37zUbJiof7a38HdtIaoeIcN3ivo7HH5yv1B-i7jffOX66z9ogtqVaE5dmV_UasJ4Enx-Rf4MSOxicyc2TAaXkm4R5gQhyphenhyphendmlj56x/s1600/IMG_0551.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpBifIDDAjckfU_BxaRBeWLa2Utl2CwC7uUWPbnnp37zUbJiof7a38HdtIaoeIcN3ivo7HH5yv1B-i7jffOX66z9ogtqVaE5dmV_UasJ4Enx-Rf4MSOxicyc2TAaXkm4R5gQhyphenhyphendmlj56x/s1600/IMG_0551.HEIC" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boy surviving on giant cheesy wotsits - Shot in iPhone X</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Walk (free – but a lot of steps!)<br /><br />Funicular, Bus or Oversized golf buggy (chargeable)<br /><br />Our Budapest Card gave us the option of either the bus or golf buggy and 3 guesses which mode of transport the 4-year-old chose (what we didn’t realise was that the golf buggy went on the main roads)! Once we had reached the top, we spent the day just walking around exploring Buda Castle, the Fisherman’s Bastion and the stunning church of St. Matthias. <br /><br />There was also a Frida Khalo exhibition on, but alas the child had zero interest in joining a rather long queue. Although we did witness the Horse Guard walking the grounds and also the Changing of the Guard which was quite different to our own. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />As the sun was setting you see how beautiful the Pest side of the city is and we planned to return the following day in the evening.<br /><br />We jumped on the bus back down to the bottom of Buda and walked down to the Liberty Bridge. As we were walking across, we noticed a large gathering of people who were all holding torches. We decided to hang around for a bit and see what was happening. The following day was a national holiday which marked the Hungarian Revolution and so there was a parade through the city. There was music, torches and a real sense of celebration and remembrance, and it was a wonderful thing to have witnessed. <br /><br />Food for the day consisted of a lunchtime snack of Lángos which is a deep-fried dough with sour cream and cheese: totally delicious, rather plentiful and a bargain of €5 along with the worlds largest bag of Hungarian Wotsits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For our evening meal, we stumbled across a lovely restaurant run by a group of friends (and we didn’t note the name and it doesn’t exist on Google!). We dined on Goulash, Paprika Chicken with butter noodles and Strudel for the princely sum of €10 each. Proper home-made comfort food and just want was needed after a day of walking and exploring.<br /><br /><b>DAY 3:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>A slow start and after breakfast, we fell into the SuWu coffee. The one thing we hadn’t yet found was a decent coffee shop and this was a winner for us. With a V60, hot chocolates and babychinos all round we were fuelled to continue our exploring. We headed down to the Jewish Quarter to roam the streets some more. What we didn’t expect to stumble upon was a beautiful city park where the kids could roam free and even the dogs had their own park.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The kid ran free for nearly an hour and then it was time to head to <a href="http://www.budapestmakery.hu/">Budapest Makery</a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">***</span> for a lunchtime experience. Budapest Makery is a restaurant like no other. In fact; I’d call it an experience rather than a restaurant. <br /><br />As you enter the space you notice all the tables are set up like mini kitchens. You take your seat, given a tablet and then you scroll through the menu. Think of Hello Fresh: Live and that’s essentially what we had. It was so much fun (although don’t ask my fella to confirm this as he is still traumatised by all the cooking!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You select your meal and then they bring out a tray with your ingredients chopped and ready to cook (some raw some par-cooked to save time) then you fire up the tablet and follow each step to cook your meal.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mvLwmf2EaUvga5nqBeil-w4DW7-yas0z5zHqt3bPTDn6UVUGlyIsQ1kalyDUKNKUEOqG2qP0bJA2lgxL0BGIxbna3pi84RtMdbGQJhGPsKSNbokBppgnQTOdDyhk6KrgaysfjyF2OD_K/s1600/Untitled+design+%25284%2529.png"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mvLwmf2EaUvga5nqBeil-w4DW7-yas0z5zHqt3bPTDn6UVUGlyIsQ1kalyDUKNKUEOqG2qP0bJA2lgxL0BGIxbna3pi84RtMdbGQJhGPsKSNbokBppgnQTOdDyhk6KrgaysfjyF2OD_K/s1600/Untitled+design+%25284%2529.png" /></a><br />Every table was full and the vibe as fantastic, everyone enjoying the hilarity of people not following instructions and helping each other out along the way.<br /><br />Our bellies full we headed over to the <a href="https://www.dahotels.com/new-york-palace-budapest/restaurants-dining-budapest/new-york-cafe">New York Palace</a> for a sweet treat as a reward for our cooking. This is listed as a Must See when in the city so I assumed we would be wowed. Everyone I spoke to had raved about the cakes and hot chocolates. They were ok. At €8 a drink and €12 for a slice of cake we decided to have a drink only and seek pudding later on. <br /><br />There is no mistaking the beauty of the hotel, but it felt like we were just on a conveyor belt of tourists and the price did not reflect the experience or service. Personal advice: pop your head in to see the architecture and then go and grab a cake down in the Jewish quarter. <br /><br />Back to the apartment for an afternoon nap, because on our last night we wanted to go back up to the Castle to experience it by night.<br /><br />It was the highlight of our trip. Head back up after about 7pm and you get to experience the beauty of Budapest by night. It felt like it was just us up there (and after about 9pm it really only the hardcore Instagrammers up there!) <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkFHoJmD6CBI4KHNue0Hu0mXhJ8G16zpqhXZQCW4MiiSFNFyT8KCeznnIrQXUNjGOM83bpyP5ZPGABaHjpsduWCBrXmu0LNMgOGSYY1O5VAYHFKlpP1rrMbl8y5WfB1lZXEJjGcwO0BfB/s1600/Untitled+design+%25285%2529.png"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkFHoJmD6CBI4KHNue0Hu0mXhJ8G16zpqhXZQCW4MiiSFNFyT8KCeznnIrQXUNjGOM83bpyP5ZPGABaHjpsduWCBrXmu0LNMgOGSYY1O5VAYHFKlpP1rrMbl8y5WfB1lZXEJjGcwO0BfB/s1600/Untitled+design+%25285%2529.png" /></a><br />We decided we were all hungry again (and cold!) and as we walked further away from the main strip we found a little hotel that was still serving food (late night dining is widely available on the Pest side of the city, but a little harder to find up in the castle hills). <a href="https://baltazarbudapest.com/">The Balthazar Boutique Hotel</a> was a great little find, a family run boutique hotel with a simple menu that met all of our needs. This was our most expensive meal of the trip (coming in at £70), but still not unreasonable for the food we ate and the service we received.<br /><br />Full again and ready to head back we walked down the steps of the Fishermans Bastion. There was a solo violinist playing and we were the only ones around to listen to him. Right there and then a memory was made and our evening ended on a perfect note (no pun intended!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A 15-minute bus ride and back to the apartment and straight into bed for a well-deserved night’s sleep.<br /><br /><b>Day 4</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b>Hometime<br /><br />We didn’t need to head to the airport until 6pm and so we had a final few hours to roam.<br /><br />After dropping our luggage off at the main office, we headed off for breakfast. We had been recommended to visit <a href="https://www.cirkuszbp.hu/">Cirkusz</a> and this time the recommendation paid off. Great coffee, great breakfast options and excellent value for money (no pictures, we were too busy eating!).<br /><br />At the boy's request, we jumped onto the tram and off to another tourist hotspot the Great Market Hall. More beautiful architecture, but just too busy to enjoy the stalls and surroundings. <br /><br />Another tram ride and back over to Buda this time to walk around the lower half and in a search for coffee we found the most delightful children's bookshop called <a href="https://www.pagony.hu/uzleteink">Pagony</a> . We spent an hour and a half in here! A café with coffee and cakes to keep us happy and a shop where the boy could explore and us not worry about anything being broken! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ILYVZ1HIsyD0iNpTF6OgvYj7TtbO4Cmp0-7DaLV8Q2GsPjcsrrd8XTJnF6Ozpjt3DB-reVNLDZV8QKdlCKFYHOdUevtj1Kl0gWjKYVf6a-RGEs3BiXoYppVZzMKqbTLkOcTCBkq278o/s1600/IMG_0932.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3ILYVZ1HIsyD0iNpTF6OgvYj7TtbO4Cmp0-7DaLV8Q2GsPjcsrrd8XTJnF6Ozpjt3DB-reVNLDZV8QKdlCKFYHOdUevtj1Kl0gWjKYVf6a-RGEs3BiXoYppVZzMKqbTLkOcTCBkq278o/s1600/IMG_0932.jpg" /></a><br />I am forever grateful that we don’t speak Hungarian as I would have spent all of our money in here. We did grab a couple of card games and also some notebooks for the boy, because you always need stationary in your life. <br /><br />And that was pretty much our time done. Instead of paying €25 for an airport transfer we decided to jump on the bus. This is not included in the Budapest Card, but it cost us €7 for the three of us and took 45 mins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />A word to the wise. Budapest departures lounge is grim for food choices. I would recommend you take snacks and purchase your water from Duty Free (€1) rather than the kiosks (€3!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We didn’t really plan out our adventure so we have so much more to explore when we return next. Which we certainly will.<br /><br /><b>Concerned about data usage?</b> During our 4 days, I used 3GB of data. This included using maps to navigate the city, updating IG throughout the day, alongside the usual email and other Social checking. Budapest falls into the All You Can Eat data zone with Three and so there were no additional charges for using our phone overseas. I'd recommend grabbing a SIM if your network doesn't cover you abroad.<br /><br />For our 4 days in the city, we spent £300 for food, drink and a little bit of shopping for 2 adults and 1 child. Our flights and apartment cost £345 which I thought was a steal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Three mobile loaned us an iPhone X for our trip which included 10GB of All You Can Eat data.</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Budapest Info gifted us 72hours travel in the city in exchange for our honest review. Your Budapest card not only gets you travel, but entrance into the thermal baths and many museums around the city and we wouldn’t hesitate to purchase one on our return visit.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">***We were gifted our meal at Budapest Makery with</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> no </span>requisite<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> for a review.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-84310822479239903242018-10-04T22:32:00.000+01:002018-11-12T12:39:32.801+00:00Family Photos // Tesco Photo Review<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love photos.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love going into peoples homes and seeing walls of pictures. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You get to see the past and present and all those adventures people have been on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So when <a href="https://www.tescophoto.com/" target="_blank">Tesco Photo</a> offered the chance to have a canvas printed I jumped at the opportunity (and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">if you haven’t guessed already they have kindly gifted us a canvas print in exchange for this review) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The irony is at the moment we have no photos on the walls; or shelves for that matter. We are about to begin a massive renovation which has been ten years in the waiting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 years ago my partner captured one of my favourites images. Our boy stood on his Grumpa’s paddleboard in Devon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this image is one of my favourite memories. A very last minute and late night trip to the beach. My dad had one home after a full day out and said the surf was perfect and so the FunBus (my dads VW Caravelle) was packed up with haste and to Westward Ho! we went.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of our son stood on his Grumpa's Paddleboard at Westward Ho! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the 2 years since we just never got round to printing it, that picture has been living in my mind and my phone ever since it was taken. it’s always just seemed like a lot of bother (and we are always the eternal procrastinators!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So back to Tesco Photo. They offer a next day Collect in Store service for no additional charge (which is always a bonus in my eyes). You head to the website and select your product; choosing from picture books, canvas' or even a cushion cover. Then you upload your image and check that everything looks good before you head to pay. As with other photo printing companies, it’s easy to navigate and you have plenty of opportunity to make sure you are happy with your final version before you confirm and pay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12 hours later and I received the text to say our canvas was ready to collect….we dashed over (because we are too impatient) and collect our print. The quality of the finish is great (even down to the folding of the canvas at the back) and the boy is over the moon he has a giant picture of him at the beach. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For now, the canvas remains under bubble wrap (once we snapped this quick picture of course) as we demolish the house, but I can assure you it will be the first picture we hang once all the chaos is over. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-24533109014362119832018-08-15T11:34:00.000+01:002018-10-03T10:39:05.482+01:00AndSoWeSaw// Mischief And Mystery In Moomin Valley<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love the Moomins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The kid loves the Moomins<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So last Saturday we headed to <a href="https://macbirmingham.co.uk/">MAC</a> to watch Mischief and Mystery in Moomin Valley (produced by <a href="https://www.getlostandfound.com/moomins">Get Lost & Found</a>)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Getting Lost in Moomin Valley</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">We headed upstairs to one of the performance spaces and whilst we were waiting the boy spotted Snufkin hiding behind some cases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘Why is he hiding?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘I think he’s waiting for all of us to go in a sit down’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we went into the room we were greeted by Stuff & Nonsense; our storytellers for the performance. The children were encouraged to sit on the floor so they could get closer to the magic. I too had to sit on the floor as the boy decided that he wanted some company (I was so happy to get the old pins and needles in my toes for the next 40 minutes or perhaps not!)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The show started without anyone even realising. The children were asked if they had bought their imaginations as it was very important, which led into a very important discussion around what ‘magic’ sounded like. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stuff & Nonsense helped to tell the tale of the changing of the seasons and how Moomintroll feels when his best friend Snufkin goes away for the winter.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With appearances from Little My (ever the pessimist) and Thingummy and Bob causing mischief along the way the story is told through a mix of 2d and 3d puppetry along with the children using their imaginations as each season changed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thing that I love about children’s performances is the interaction of them. Instead of being told to sit and be quiet, they are encouraged to get involved and share their ideas. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mischief and Mystery in Moomin Valley continues to tour until the end of the year, so do check it out if they come your way.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With Moomins returning to our screens next year I cannot wait to sit and watch it as a family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">MAC kindly offered us tickets to the performance to review the show. As ever our views are entirely our own. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-27726687945502156752018-08-05T22:55:00.002+01:002018-08-05T22:55:55.968+01:00AndSoWe // Summer Holiday Week 2 Round Up<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hello week 2 and another mixed bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With no plans of time away I sent a desperate email to HR to ask how much annual leave I had remaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success! 5 hidden days I had somehow forgotten about. So whilst we survive the next 3 weeks, I am hopeful the last week before school will be one to remember.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anyway, let’s look at the success rates of week 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Monday</b>: Same as last week (and the same as next!) Boy gets to spend some quality time with his dad as it’s a set day off from work. This week they watched films and ate all the spaghetti hoops! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rate: 8/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Tuesday</b><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">: I had an all staff meeting at work, with no set time for it to finish. Frantic checking of phones and crossed fingers. Hoping that I could dash back home so the fella wouldn’t be late for work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Made it with 2 mins to spare! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As it was payday the boy and I decided to head out for tea and we dined on delicious pasta and the garlic bread of dreams! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rating: 8/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wednesday</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: Stuck on the M6. Late for child handover. Not bad for the first time in 10 days (I had assumed this would have already happened at least twice by now!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The afternoon was a trip to one of our local libraries to get involved in <a href="https://www.heathlandfestival.com/" target="_blank">Heathlands Festival</a>. 3 of the neighbouring libraries have come together to put on 4 weeks of free activities for all ages. It was such a lovely afternoon getting messy and seeking out new books<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Boy made a Gargoyle (called Clocky) and got to create a story. Clocky can stop time. He stops the hands moving as he does not like the ticking sound (a little bit dark for me, I do love his imagination though)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rate: 7/10 (would have been higher if I wasn’t late!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Thursday</b>: Handover a success and the boy and I stayed at home watching Inside Out (again) and was also introduced to The Nightmare Before Christmas (yes he’s 4 and yes he loved it!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rate: 8/10</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Friday</b>: With the ability to complete my admin tasks during any time slot (all hail #flexappeal), I got up super early to get them done so I could spend more of the day with the boy. We headed into town for a long overdue trip on the tram. We had our first visit to Saints Kitchen where he ate a slice of toast and jam that was bigger than his head (and I had a delicious coffee!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A flying visit to see Dippy (4<sup>th</sup> time now), and time spent in the children’s activity room where he quickly made friends with another boy (Johan you were an absolute delight and a gent) and they happily played together for 20mins while me (and Johan’s grandma) got to sit and chill<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Burgers for tea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cake before home<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rate: 10/10<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Saturday</b>: Swimming lessons completed, we all headed into town for some birthday shopping for the sister in law. Successful shopping was celebrated with coffee and brunch at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/waylandsyard/">Waylands Yard</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Took the boy down to Eastside to play in the water fountains where he was living his best life until he wanted to join in with some older kids playing football. It was his first ever experience of being told ‘no’ by other kids and it absolutely broke his heart (head <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BmEUTGPhyJ9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">here</a> to read more about it)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sucess rate: 4/10 (we were doing so well until the park)</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: Family admin day. Oven cleaning trips to the tip and sweaty naps in the car. All rounded off with Beauty and the Beast and leftover Chilli.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success rate: 7/10 (no kid cares about cleaning the oven)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The start of week 3 sees the boy heading off to WaterWorld, so the rest of the week will just be downhill from Tuesday, so I’d just expect updates about the kid moaning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Good Luck for week 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May the odds be forever in your favour! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-47592394730756422972018-08-05T21:12:00.000+01:002018-10-03T11:25:56.784+01:00Instagram // When Influencers fall short<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rf7KI3MjNAX9K8oDdRRqAfJah9ouOFyDdlzKKbOz_tYGT_ARJFmWCjot8XIHq9ZDCrrISImDDHl6_90uj8G95wUw9_Kxu3HxxndbiwZPbtZaInOo9m_UKlOeUHtvV7uLIEx1yAlb2P2O/s1600/P1060510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rf7KI3MjNAX9K8oDdRRqAfJah9ouOFyDdlzKKbOz_tYGT_ARJFmWCjot8XIHq9ZDCrrISImDDHl6_90uj8G95wUw9_Kxu3HxxndbiwZPbtZaInOo9m_UKlOeUHtvV7uLIEx1yAlb2P2O/s1600/P1060510.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Influencers Fall Short - Head in the Basket</span></td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1404741070"></span><span id="goog_1404741071"></span><br /></div>
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I joined Instagram because I wanted somewhere to document our chaos.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Really quickly I found myself in an echo chamber. Following squares, because they were ‘famous’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was bored<o:p></o:p></div>
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Same old photos<o:p></o:p></div>
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Different names<o:p></o:p></div>
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And everyone had the same bloody rug<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Oh what a lovely bandwagon<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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In real life I had started to widen my circle, learning more about my city and stepping outside of my comfortable bubble.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Changing up my squares to reflect my life, following people who speak to me, who are passionate for change (across the board)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t shout about it on my Instagram, because quite frankly it doesn’t mean anything.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I see the changes in my real life<o:p></o:p></div>
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However, more recently there seems to be a growing trend for people to declare:<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘I’m inclusive’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘I’ve struggled’<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘I’m just like you’<o:p></o:p></div>
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Everyone has their story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some stories are hard to read.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some perspectives are hard to understand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And some completely miss the mark.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Numerous people have posted numerous things declaring all of the above and rather than being drowned in a sea of admiration they have managed to alienate their followers with a single hashtag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What is even more frustrating and disheartening to see is that when people are challenged on their perspective, rather than open up the forum to debate, discuss and learn they go into shut down mode.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ignore<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Block</b></div>
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<b>Delete<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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If you hit delete then it never happened. You haven’t offended people and you can just carry on as before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Occasionally you may see a fleeting story with a half-baked apology, but mostly it just disappears into the Instagram trenches. <o:p></o:p></div>
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What baffles me, as much as the original post, is that grown ass (mostly) women are behaving in a manner that is incomprehensible in the comments section.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Judgey, one might say.<o:p></o:p><br />
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We talk about the sisterhood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How It takes a village.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But.<o:p></o:p></div>
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People can be pretty damn nasty at times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And if your opinion doesn’t fit?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ignore<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Block<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Delete<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There is absolutely a space to discuss and learn, but when someone types hurtful comments <o:p></o:p></div>
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Well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It hurts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If your child wrote something hurtful, what would you say?<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcLJ84zeiKtR-J28nCWPkrGzzstCXvC8i5ABtlO3RuoYxZqyBIc9FLdF8ylDV9erjcp5Kz7Xa9TZj-NQLK8Ge9AYVzgU0Ai84nE0t7viQTjS2zauINC3IOdWklaPOCWI3YSTLqF0xYX7q/s1600/P1060383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcLJ84zeiKtR-J28nCWPkrGzzstCXvC8i5ABtlO3RuoYxZqyBIc9FLdF8ylDV9erjcp5Kz7Xa9TZj-NQLK8Ge9AYVzgU0Ai84nE0t7viQTjS2zauINC3IOdWklaPOCWI3YSTLqF0xYX7q/s1600/P1060383.JPG" /></a></div>
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Jeez, you don’t even need to be a parent to know being cruel is not ok.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Talk, listen, be educated. Have open and frank conversations<o:p></o:p></div>
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Challenge an opinion, but be respectful<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are living in one very messy and confused society right now and we could all do with opening our eyes and ears a little wider.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-50378405018321287992018-08-03T19:13:00.000+01:002018-10-03T10:39:53.803+01:00AndSoWeWatch // Top 5 Netflix Faves<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh Netflix I love you so<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am most excellent at binge watching so I thought I’d share some of my latest views in case you are ever stuck and need to waste away your evenings and weekends. I’m going to stick with 5 for now, otherwise, I may just end up listing the whole catalogue (such is my binge habit!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLNZC0bSfRJdeC-UvCzxVn_AOUasWd0Pz3xfpHW70ziHc0XAOUWjd9_NVpGHNhIgqMX4CrjyZcQBHfORFD8ERBBr32JNJ5Jkqsc0zXEm7YSNxr7rs355wcRU221HJwUpZtsKbja9O-cZQ/s1600/meaka+bill+payer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLNZC0bSfRJdeC-UvCzxVn_AOUasWd0Pz3xfpHW70ziHc0XAOUWjd9_NVpGHNhIgqMX4CrjyZcQBHfORFD8ERBBr32JNJ5Jkqsc0zXEm7YSNxr7rs355wcRU221HJwUpZtsKbja9O-cZQ/s1600/meaka+bill+payer.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh Look It's my Netflix Log In Screen! </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3566726/?ref_=nv_sr_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jane the Virgin</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started watching this after I had finished consuming ALL OF THE GILMORE GIRLS and was feeling a little lost. This is an over the top telenovela about Jane, her family and how they cope with some very far-fetched plot lines. This show pokes fun at itself and you can’t help but fall in love with <span style="background: #FBFBFB;">Rogelio De La Vega</span> who is everything you want in a character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7320300/?ref_=nv_sr_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Letdown</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My latest consumed product and should be mandatory viewing for any parent. You will identify with at least one character and may also feel a little empathy for your ever-suffering partner. An Australian show following the stresses of parenthood and how a bunch of strangers are thrown together at a new mums group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4786824/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Crown</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Period pieces are not my bag. However, this is sublime. I have learnt more about the British monarchy watching this show than I ever did at school. And Matt Smith is perfection as Prince Philip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4955642/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Good Place</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where do we really go when we die?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ted Danson, is everything you would ever want from a character. No other reason needed. I refuse to give anything away about this show, you just need to watch it<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2372162/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Orange is the New Black</a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have just finished season 6 and as ever am left wanting more. Following the inmates of Litchfield Penitentiary, we get to see the ever shifting dynamics as the characters navigate life on the inside. Each character is rich in story and a personal favourite of mine is Lori Petty's role as Lolly (you only have to wait until the end of season 2 for her to appear).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What are your favourites? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think I may have to put together a top 5 part 2! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-35460318320936275752018-08-02T22:23:00.000+01:002018-08-02T22:23:02.030+01:00AndSoWeWore// Fashion Round Up <div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">This year has seen me finally get into my groove when it comes to feeling comfortable in my choice of clothes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I have worn:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Paperbag trousers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">And heaven forbid…..leggings!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">If you know me in real life, I have a problem with wearing leggings as an actual clothing item for the bottom half. Even more so if your top does not cover your bottom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I digress<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">As someone who is classed as plus sized, I have finally discovered (mostly through the joys of Instagram) that I can wear whatever makes me happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">So with that in mind, I thought I’d share some of my finds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Fast Fashion is easy to get sucked into and so I am making far more considered purchases these days. Striving to buy smarter and my wardrobe is a mixture of budget and investment pieces and all are only purchased when older clothes have been passed on to a new owner. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK4GWxyx6SebjSL2sc6ZUfoj4eatTVh_-sCe5alhkbc5RO1fthioLCiNLox1rCcd8PnH6wb1_NBNcVN5kJh4SGcMuXTe7_Vhmxd6u3UBqzgOm8UmwzK8citinsLzGofjJtOXdPJZPdFNt/s1600/pink.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="575" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkK4GWxyx6SebjSL2sc6ZUfoj4eatTVh_-sCe5alhkbc5RO1fthioLCiNLox1rCcd8PnH6wb1_NBNcVN5kJh4SGcMuXTe7_Vhmxd6u3UBqzgOm8UmwzK8citinsLzGofjJtOXdPJZPdFNt/s320/pink.JPG" width="192" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pink Clove</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3GDciUsS8sZqL_Fxv1yM1NJV8s-qpg3KzD9qB06fAtCw3WBSlCnY60qVk4ply2-20bt3mXpQo8xrhyphenhyphenKFebG1fgvyLt5SdvsO7-5gZXrcbZsZON4QmE0AP8j_EhCzD8K5OMGVWSBllLFI/s320/monki.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="211" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monki</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.monki.com/en_gbp/index.html" target="_blank">Monki</a> – The cut of dreams along with fabulous sales to boot. This brand has helped me embrace my love of colour again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://pinkclove.co.uk/" target="_blank">PinkClove</a> – A brand new to me*; budget-friendly and</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> focusing in plus size clothing, I had high expectations on the cuts and was not disappointed. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> For the first time in a long </span>time<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> I have been able to wear a wrap dress that covers my top half with no need for extra safety pins or vest tops to save some modesty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.asos.com/" target="_blank">Asos</a> – With their Klarna payment options I have been able to pick some items that I wouldn’t have tried in the past which led me back to the joys of wide legged trousers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.thepeopleshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">People</a> – To be able to know the people behind the business that make your clothes is epic. Christian makes clothes that fit and flatter for every shape and size. And Allison is a tour de force in all things Style (the capital S is deliberate). Even better, 99% of all the designs come with those all-important pockets! Their pieces are investments and are staples in my wardrobe <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Never a fashion blogger I shall be, but I am always happy to share new finds and things that make me happy in my skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">What are your go-to brands?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Any independents I need to check out?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*PinkClove were very generous and gifted me the featured pieces in exchange for an honest review. If I didn't like them, I would have sent them back! </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-21830171196061561372018-07-29T21:42:00.000+01:002018-07-29T21:42:05.599+01:00AndSoWe// How to Survive the Summer Holidays <div class="MsoNormal">
There are so many posts around how to plan for the summer, I thought I’d try and put together a weekly update of how we are surviving. Like many families the summer holidays are tough. We don’t have family close by, and it has taken us 12 months to get out of the pit of Nursey Debt and so we are trying our best to wing it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are only able to do this with the most understanding of employers and a 4.5year old who goes with the flow (most days)<o:p></o:p></div>
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So here we go. </div>
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<b>Week 1…</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Monday</b>: Easy win: spent the day in the car driving back from Devon<o:p></o:p></div>
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Success rate 10/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Tuesday</b>: I leave at the arse crack of dawn to get in a days work so I I can tap in at 1pm when the fella has to go to work I can take over childcare duties. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Handover a success, kid requests a trip to town so we dine on 99p baguettes and cash in the coffee loyalty cards. Minor meltdown on where to grab babychinos, but all forgiven after spending an hour in TK Maxx looking at ALL the Tupperware<o:p></o:p></div>
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Success rate 9/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZVfbZ383K58GXzTDtV3G94fvDJCYty2AQmDUgMCJ77V847AzlAFd6EcPir8kibCvzV1CabGyPz9gI4Uz_PfgM5-7zRs8wFT1ANrNCk6qsC38BdfptcWHjN7v4WTSb6B3RfxzvmJNnUf_/s1600/P1060516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZVfbZ383K58GXzTDtV3G94fvDJCYty2AQmDUgMCJ77V847AzlAFd6EcPir8kibCvzV1CabGyPz9gI4Uz_PfgM5-7zRs8wFT1ANrNCk6qsC38BdfptcWHjN7v4WTSb6B3RfxzvmJNnUf_/s320/P1060516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Wednesday</b>: Arse crack of dawn again, handover success, afternoon at home doing fun-filled life admin things<o:p></o:p></div>
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Success rate 8/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fun rate 2/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Thursday</b>: See Tues/ Weds handover. An afternoon spent seeing school friend and fixing the world while kids pick blackberries in the garden<o:p></o:p></div>
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Success rate 9/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Friday</b>: Another successful handover. Afternoon at home painting and just shooting the breeze. Then early evening we headed to our favourite establishment for food galore in the shape of Bretzels, Bratwurst and <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Spaetzle</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Success rate 10/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS4eVng6kwerAn5JZ-b9rsHQAZW9oavd4Gd34dEaonTmmmcPYslwaPAF-hW1SsX6N8kD0Oc_-YJBrqKVEf2oL_LE8V8XAmmHD0kR4mFReMAVquA8TMjvq2zLVkdgIXMXcCqpSb1qVSMrW/s1600/P1060539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1202" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS4eVng6kwerAn5JZ-b9rsHQAZW9oavd4Gd34dEaonTmmmcPYslwaPAF-hW1SsX6N8kD0Oc_-YJBrqKVEf2oL_LE8V8XAmmHD0kR4mFReMAVquA8TMjvq2zLVkdgIXMXcCqpSb1qVSMrW/s320/P1060539.jpg" width="240" /></a><b></b></div>
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<b>Saturday</b>: NOPE. The first day as a full family unit since Monday and we all got on each other's nerves. I shouted. I went for a 2-hour nap and then I went out for a coffee whilst they watched Star Wars<br />
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Success rate 3/10<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Sunday</b>: Coffees, shopping and birthday parties galore. The boy even gave away his balloon to another kid when their balloon went pop</div>
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Heart Melted</div>
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Success rate 10/10</div>
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We crash into week 2 with no solid plans for the week so wish us luck!</div>
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How do you surviving?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Any advice/ tips will be greatly received!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-63919622642334074382018-06-13T08:00:00.000+01:002018-06-13T10:56:18.146+01:00Bargain Hunters// Latest Deals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboHjdG_3KysZMpHdEW9N11Tiid9hY7sqDGutGchwHipEWRDX73bMIbQWWQf1G5yRqA8mkkDFsSk0QwKp9mp9Jvw7vrr3UMjHotXWcbn2nC95p2H07rI-vx2QCjmoEZlE4_JLtO5WCjZoB/s1600/LatestDeals-HQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1600" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboHjdG_3KysZMpHdEW9N11Tiid9hY7sqDGutGchwHipEWRDX73bMIbQWWQf1G5yRqA8mkkDFsSk0QwKp9mp9Jvw7vrr3UMjHotXWcbn2nC95p2H07rI-vx2QCjmoEZlE4_JLtO5WCjZoB/s640/LatestDeals-HQ.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Way back when, when CheekiMummy was alive and kicking I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Tom from Latest Deals just as it was launching to the Great British Public (head </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LatestDealsHQ/videos/1987367328156329/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> for a cheesy flashback of our Facebook Live).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward 2 years and Latest Deals is the go-to website for absolute bargains across the internet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From mega price glitches to secret codes, <a href="https://www.latestdeals.co.uk/tags/beauty">Latest Deals</a> is the place to head to if you love a bargain (I know I certainly do)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 2 biggest deals I managed to snap up were super price glitches. The first one was a mega Burt's Bees bargain; I spent the grand total of £5 to receive over £55 of Burt’s Bees products along with an Amazon beauty box filled with samples of top named products. Now never the beauty blogger I will be, but you can’t turn your nose up at a deal like that. Plus, there were so many products not only was I able to treat myself, I was able to gift out the rest to friends and family (hooray for bonus birthday presents!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My 2<sup>nd</sup> win was pretty impressive: an Oculus VR headset. Retailing at £100 and we got our hands on one for free. And all thanks for having the notifications turned on for Facebook. If we had been just 5 minutes later the glitch would have been repaired and we would have missed out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The key to snapping up the deals is to follow the Facebook page. Mega glitches go quickly so you have to be on the ball, and it saves you trawling the web to find your own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tom and the team pride themselves that all the deals are found by people that use the site. There are no tie-ins to big brands, just the best deals out there so that we can save ourselves as much time and money as possible. Users of the site are actively encouraged to get involved and share their finds amongst the community. What is even better is that you are rewarded via their points system (points are earnt as people click through and purchase any offer that you post). And what do points make?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amazon Vouchers! <span style="font-size: x-small;">To go and spend on even more deals<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From VR headsets to <a href="https://www.latestdeals.co.uk/tags/beauty">Beauty Subscription Boxes</a>, Latest Deals is a personal favourite to mooch around and find some absolute steals.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What has been your best online find?</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1160403237"></span><span id="goog_1160403238"></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and if anyone has a mega price glitch for a new vacuum then send it my way. I’ve got Amazon vouchers waiting to be spent! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-9786523764294383242018-06-04T10:26:00.000+01:002018-10-03T10:37:45.932+01:00AndSoWeWent// GERONIMOFEST 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I first told the other half that we were going to spend a weekend at a children’s festival I thought he might leave us!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEqW0RDWMIE4ArQRdPvqo3OPbecRHEOUQ30TaqhB37LfHWA0R3pxD_vz-aMX-UmdxoLtJC71KeWbYTQHyfD_qjKD0WUJGK8HckGkcVxwJ4LWVPcnsR3zOSjUMVghIVu30Ei8BF-SQBfcr/s1600/IMG_9680+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEqW0RDWMIE4ArQRdPvqo3OPbecRHEOUQ30TaqhB37LfHWA0R3pxD_vz-aMX-UmdxoLtJC71KeWbYTQHyfD_qjKD0WUJGK8HckGkcVxwJ4LWVPcnsR3zOSjUMVghIVu30Ei8BF-SQBfcr/s1600/IMG_9680+%25281%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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Who on earth would want to do such a thing? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Anyway he had a few months to come around to the idea and before you knew it, we were in the car and heading off to <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.geronimofest.com/">GeronimoFest</a></span> set within the glorious Arley Hall in Cheshire<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the years I have been to many a festival and was prepared for a 3-mile walk to the campsite from the car, muddy fields, terrible toilets and a diet of soggy chips for the next 3 days<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong if I tried.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the 3 days, we did so much so I’m going to split things down to make it all a little more digestible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Camping<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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An executive decision was made early on that we were going to splash out for the Glamping. After looking at the number of options on offer we went with <a href="https://www.thecanvasco.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Canvas Co</a>*. Not only were we able to arrive and find our Bell Tent pitched; we had inflatable beds, clean sheets and as a bonus offer for booking with them we received 2 free passes to Bathing Under The Sky (more on that later).<o:p></o:p></div>
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After spending too many years in tents that were too small, we had plenty of space in the tent and also we were able to sneak in a phone charge or 2, so we could carry on taking all the pictures. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With a designated BBQ area, hot showers and the cleanest portaloos I ever have seen; the whole campsite had such a chilled vibe and seeing children of all ages running around and enjoying the space it really was a sight to see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was the option of paying to charge your phones if needed, a mini supermarket for those forgotten items (loo roll and biscuits!) along with the most lovely people from The Farmers Wife serving all the food you could need from breakfast till supper time: all locally sourced produce along with a kids menu so you weren’t wasting money on larger portions of food that wouldn’t be eaten. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The biggest unexpected bonus of camping was the face that Dorset Cereals had set up a breakfast tent. And so for the 3 mornings, we were all treated to #BreakfastOnTheSlow with all the cereal, yoghurt, preserves and juice you would ever need. Along with Yoga for the kids and grown-ups, live acoustic sessions and the daily papers. It really was a most wonderful way to start off the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Food<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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After being spoilt with options in the camping fields, it was refreshing to see a number of food options available in the main areas. Long gone are the terrible grey burgers and here to stay are freshly cooked pizzas, fresh fruit smoothies, gin cocktails and vegan nacho bowls.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whilst there was enough to choose from, it would have been nice to see some children’s portions on offer in the main event space. I appreciate vendors have to make money, but perhaps parents would be more inclined to purchase food that wouldn’t be wasted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also think some serious money could have been made would perhaps have been a speciality coffee kiosk. At other events, I have seen the guy with the proper coffee machine have a far bigger queue than the beer tent, and as everyone knows I am always in need an of decent, well made fancy coffee. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Moving on…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Entertainment<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Included in the price of camping for 3 days, all campers were given unlimited access to the fun fair. And on Friday night the main festival site was open to just those few of us that had dared the earlier rain to set up for the next 2 days of mayhem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For 2 hours we just wandered around, got our bearings and went on as many rides as possible. This was the first time the boy has really been to the fun fair and it was quickly apparent he is a bit of a thrill seeker, with the Big Wheel, Bumpy Cars (he has renamed them!) and the Helta Skelter a firm favourite. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday and Sunday bring the main acts with Cook and Line, Justin Fletcher, Mr Bloom and Andy and the Odd Socks being the main draws over the weekend, with Ben Cajee as the compare for Saturday and Alex Winters on the Sunday. An absolute personal highlight was being called out by Ben when he was on stage for managing to tweet him when the field had very little 4G signal! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our family favourite was Cook and Line……they had all the audience engaged, were genuinely funny and looked like they were having fun too. The biggest crowd (of course) was for Justin, but unlucky for us, there was a bit of aggravation between some of the grownups which dulled the mood a little for some; everyone is asked to sit down so that all the children can see no matter where you are, and some people took umbrage that their darlings were not deemed to be more important as every other child there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Personally, not a fan of Justin, and after about 10 minutes, the kid decided he wasn’t interested either and so we headed off to find other things to try out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of our memory making moments for us was watching the live music around 8pm on Saturday evening and the boy just got lost in the sounds. He found his groove and was dancing and jiving and running around along with a few other kids who were all partying way past any usual bedtime routine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Along with the funfair, camping and the artists were an array of activities for a wide range of ages. Including:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Archery<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rock Climbing <o:p></o:p></div>
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Military Assault Course<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tumble Tots<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pauline Quirk Stage Academy <o:p></o:p></div>
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Animal shows<o:p></o:p></div>
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Big Fish Little Fish Family Rave<o:p></o:p></div>
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Circus performances (there were 2 Big Tops to choose from)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Woodland Tribe (where children were actively encouraged to pick up a saw and hammer and help to build a variety of things in the forest)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Storytelling sessions<o:p></o:p></div>
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Medieval games<o:p></o:p></div>
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And so so much more<o:p></o:p><br />
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We were there for 3 days and still didn’t do everything there was on offer but the highlight for us as grown-ups was <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://www.bathingunderthesky.com/">Bathing Under The Sky</a></span></div>
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Never did I think in the middle of a festival that myself and the other half would have the chance to drop the kid off at the children’s Creche tent and head off for 2 hours of bliss <o:p></o:p></div>
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Side note; the kid still hasn’t forgiven us for leaving him even though he had fun and made a friend!.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So off we went and sat in traditional wood-burning saunas at a toasty 36 degrees (I had a constant battle with the hosts to not make any hotter!), chatted with other parents about the joys of rabid children and kids clubs (there were 6 to a tub, and we all had one common ground of conversation), got to jump/ wince into the ‘cool’ pool, melt even more in the sauna and all topped off with a refreshing cold shower.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was perfection<o:p></o:p></div>
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We deliberately booked our slot for Sunday evening, knowing that we would probably all need a break (the child included) and it was the perfect way to start winding down. <o:p></o:p><br />
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This post is already long enough and I think you get the idea that we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. We were beyond lucky with the weather (we were on thunder watch for 24 hours, but it never arrived) and the fella even said he’d consider doing it again. So for me, that counts as a success.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The question now is, where to next?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The Canvas Co kindly offered us a 20% discount on our Bell Tent in exchange for an honest review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Our weekend passes to GeronimoFest were gifted to us in exchange for a donation to their chosen charity which is Marie Curie; a charity close to our hearts as they looked after my mother when she was in Palliative Care </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-59916689505587664772018-05-29T23:56:00.001+01:002018-06-04T10:32:50.639+01:00AndSoWeSaw: The Owl and the PussyCat<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing I never expected to happen when I became a parent was that as a family we would find a love for performance arts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With Half Term in full swing again, we headed off to the wonderful <a href="http://www.oldreptheatre.co.uk/">Old Rep Theatre</a> to catch <a href="http://fullhouse.org.uk/">Full House</a> and their interpretation of the Children’s Classic, The Owl and the PussyCat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we headed into our seats we were met with Owly-Cat having a wander around the theatre and settling into her basket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the show began<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the first 5 minutes watching <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Jumblie and Quangle Wangle Quee</span> packing their suitcase with not a word spoken (a personal highlight of the show, I just love being drawn into the sounds and actions) it is apparent that this is not the Owl and the Pussycat you remember as a child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are taken along as they journey to the land where the bong trees grow as Owly-Cat learns her family history, and her friends worry if their family of Three will remain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With music and antics, the show moves swiftly, and whilst a different take on the classic, you totally follow the story as you remember the words of Edward Lear, and the message around family stands front and centre throughout. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, I asked the kid what his favourite part was:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘The Pea Green Boat Mummy. They looked so happy’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The show continues to tour until late June so head over to their <a href="http://fullhouse.org.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> and see if they are hitting your local theatre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*The Old Rep invited us along to see the show, and as with everything we put out here, our views are entirely our own.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-70739370384469738682018-05-02T11:31:00.000+01:002018-05-10T19:28:56.965+01:00Maternal Mental Health <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week is all about Maternal Mental Health with people sharing their stories and places of support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My story as a new mum is my own, and I thought I would share how I supported my mental health over the past few years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We never planned on having children, and when I found out I was pregnant (and then got over the shock of this discovery;) I was very pragmatic in my approach to the impending arrival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was going to take 6 months off, the other half would take the last 3 months and baby would just fit into our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Oh how wrong could I be)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never nested (my best friend did that for me!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once our boy finally arrived (on valentines no less) I fundamentally changed as a human being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first few weeks were a blur and if I had my time again, I would say ‘no’ a lot more often.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I felt like I had to please everyone around me when I just wanted to sit on the sofa and have another cuddle (and biscuit).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had never been in hospital as a patient: ended up with an emergency C-section.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During my labour, I lost myself. I didn’t question what was going on and I trusted every person around me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was treated with respect the entire time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because I was so consumed by what was happening I never spoke up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never got to see my boy as a freshly arrived wrinkly naked baby<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I never had skin to skin <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It remains one of my biggest regrets<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then we took him home<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had never changed a nappy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I didn’t even have bottles in the house (the midwife went ape at me upon that discovery at our first home visit!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was completely and utterly consumed by motherhood for all 10 months of my maternity leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yup, I took 10 months<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I went back to work I took on a new managerial role thinking I was ready for a change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Small went into full-time nursery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We were stuck in a hard place between not eligible for any government support and not earning enough to cover all our costs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We just kept going<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10 months into being back at work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I quit<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A toxic combination of not having the scope to perform my role along with the crushing realisation of missing my child’s formative years was too much for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I struck lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My employer offered me a part-time role, where I was only responsible for myself <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And from there everything fell into place for our family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once I dropped to part-time, I suddenly noticed that I hadn’t stopped and taken anytime for myself for nearly 2 years! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Through meeting some wonderful humans at a networking event, I was encouraged to jot down my thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And from this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found time to be me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I found a community of loveliness both online and in real life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not all are parents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact. Most are not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Doesn’t matter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being a new mum in the digital world is a whole new experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just being a good human in a digital world can be tough some days<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been fortunate enough to not suffer from PND or any other mental health diagnoses, but I did stop looking after (and acknowledging) my own sense of self.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We cannot solely function for others. It is not good for our physical or mental wellbeing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, blogging (albeit infrequently) has given me something which is all mine. It got me out of the family bubble and made me realise how important it is to be ‘me’ again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am back to dressing like it’s 1999 (and I have no shame in being a 38 year old in dungarees)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both myself and the other half make time to do things for ourselves (and occasionally spend time together!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And as we hit the 4-year mark of parenthood, I have realised how important it is to take a moment and acknowledge those times where it all feels like I’m getting lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">If you ever need to seek advice please do contact <a href="https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/resources/mums-and-families/" target="_blank">Maternal Health Awareness Alliance</a> where you can find information on groups within your area. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-48465754978852002802018-04-01T22:11:00.000+01:002018-05-10T19:29:13.082+01:00AndSoWeSaw// Paulos Circus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWHYMeeJeAEZoSz60fFqBnJbPKx57ZR05JTNeF9qrl01bknXlatvHJaixELJB2oNevfoBGbyy7Uy7P_Zn796veFEDY6ZVrkIPo-1maNUrhBHd48QEPa5k42hb5QaOXMqazTQVlpPJ24M7/s1600/IMG_6659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWHYMeeJeAEZoSz60fFqBnJbPKx57ZR05JTNeF9qrl01bknXlatvHJaixELJB2oNevfoBGbyy7Uy7P_Zn796veFEDY6ZVrkIPo-1maNUrhBHd48QEPa5k42hb5QaOXMqazTQVlpPJ24M7/s1600/IMG_6659.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What do you do after you have all consumed your body weight in Easter chocolate?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, you get out of the house for a couple of hours and head to the circus. Paulos Circus has been in Coleshill for a couple of weeks and we grabbed one of their last shows before they move up to York.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We headed over to Melbicks (which lucky for us was a mere 10mins away) and upon arrival couldn't help but spot the Big Top; from that second the Small kept asking us when the show would be starting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once we had collected our tickets, found some seats and settled in we were ready for the off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And what a way to start the show with the Wheel of Death! I don't think anyone blinked for the entire act in case we missed something. Whilst the Small was already wanting to jump on in and have a go, I must admit it made me feel a bit wobbly! Also extra bonus points from me for their </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Día de Muertos Makeup along with the flannel shirts and ripped jeans (for I will always be a grunge girl!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In between each act, we had Mr.N to entertain us, and with some traditional comedy and a little audience participation, it kept everyone engaged for the duration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From knife throwing, laser wizardry and a stunning ariel performance; the show runs for 1 hour and 10mins and it flew by, with the finale having everyone gripped to the edge of their seats (literally in some cases!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really enjoyed the intimate size of the Big Top, it created a fab atmosphere as every seat was full of ages young and old. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paulos is only in our nect of the woods until tomorrow (April 2nd) and then they move onwards to York (check their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ThePaulosCircus/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> for all the dates). With all tickets £7, it is most certainly value for money all around. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We were super lucky to have been invited along by Paulos Circus to check out the show in exchange for this review. Which is, as always. entirely our own opinions (and the Small's who now wants to be a TightRope walker!) </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HgYabg92iu7jvookj1AMyenKEstXke-33H5dN0p-RREXYqevoPus52WxUcPP6OyrDJVv_p90daovh_F2CBgbUlJQInMTpOpuLQoIZpvfsz1iiy2GngN4c_bVTocSdxa9zCNglZZGo677/s1600/28337203_1300136020087922_6862926647893592720_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HgYabg92iu7jvookj1AMyenKEstXke-33H5dN0p-RREXYqevoPus52WxUcPP6OyrDJVv_p90daovh_F2CBgbUlJQInMTpOpuLQoIZpvfsz1iiy2GngN4c_bVTocSdxa9zCNglZZGo677/s320/28337203_1300136020087922_6862926647893592720_o.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-20957651071363317652018-03-28T20:19:00.000+01:002018-05-10T19:29:32.497+01:00AndSoWeWent// Independent Birmingham Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPDijWG2r0KhoD0DeQlD33Wb6_XU79Tf0VSYEmXbecMrzfIXXiZdiO_7K6rgq2in7LIdh4fPMD47jtma5yn_yX0t25lDqmtm-nacVYpJxu480vR9ClDbd_UiLNGJ9XAEJzmixlZdtjvGr/s1600/PARISIAN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="945" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPDijWG2r0KhoD0DeQlD33Wb6_XU79Tf0VSYEmXbecMrzfIXXiZdiO_7K6rgq2in7LIdh4fPMD47jtma5yn_yX0t25lDqmtm-nacVYpJxu480vR9ClDbd_UiLNGJ9XAEJzmixlZdtjvGr/s1600/PARISIAN.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What do you do on the first warm day of the year?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">You head down to my favourite part of the city, to eat and drink yourself silly with the city's finest independent business and then finish off the day buying lovely new shiny things for yourself.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This is the 3rd Independent Birmingham Festival, and for this one, we are back at The Bond in the heart of Digbeth.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We made a decision to arrive fairly early, as we are experts at eating, and also know that you run the risk of having to queue if you arrive any later than an hour after doors open. Queuing is fine at the best of times, but today we had Small with us, and no one wants a Hangry 4 year old on their hands.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>First up Food and Drink:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Low n Slow</i> was first up with the Belly Pork, bone marrow potatoes and lemon slaw. Thinking the Small wouldn't be interested in this, both me and the BestieFerLyfe lost half of our meat! The rub was delicious, the potatoes soft and the slaw the perfect crunch.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Bake</i>: It is no secret I have a love of all things cake, and Bake is my happy place! These purchases were for later in the evening. This time around I opted for the Raspberry Layer cake and a Creme Egg Brownie (for the fella). If you take anything from this blog post, it is that you have to try something from these guys at least once in your life! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Jam Vs. Custard:</i> doughnuts had to be purchased to appease the Small and fill the gap between savoury dishes. I went for the maple glazed ring doughnut, with a sneaky Custard filled for my partner in crime. As ever a good set of winners, with an oat sourdough being purchased for super sarnies at home.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Peel & Stone</i>: As we edged later into the afternoon, it was time for Small to make his choice. Being 4 years old he zoned in on pizza goodness. Not only did he get to pick his toppings, he also got his first taste of work experience when he hopped over to see the pizza oven and give a helping hand turning the pizzas! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>ABOVE Presents: </i>Knowing who is involved with Above Presents (both Smultronstalle and Tilt), we were excited to grab a couple of their fine beverages. Both were most excellent. One being the Rhubarb Season and the second contained Gooseberry (and I cannot remember the name: never a food blogger I shall be!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Moving on...Shopping:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Inside the Market Hall was a feast of some of the city's finest sellers. I was excited to chat to the guys behind <a href="https://miniminikids.co.uk/" target="_blank">MiniMini</a> for our love of all things childrenswear and boys in leggings, and Small was very excited to see Windy and Wild as she made the tiniest most delicate origami birds and boats (we still have his bird and he is still obsessed!)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">When you buy from a market like this you get to chat to the people behind the product and that is one of the reasons I fell in love with my new purse. Deborette Clarke of <a href="https://b18leather.co.uk/" target="_blank">b18 leather</a> not only makes the most lovely leather items but runs workshops for us non-crafty humans too. After having the same purse for nearly 12 years, I finally invested in a beautiful soft leather pouch. Family and friends can expect lots of gifts from B18 over the coming year! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The guys at Spectacle Emporium had some of the finest frames I have seen in a long time, and if anyone wants to splash out on a gift for me, this is the place to go.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">My personal highlight of the day. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.gorillabot.co.uk/" target="_blank">GorillaBots. </a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Never did I think when we headed over to the Hare and Hounds stage to find somewhere to scoff out pizza would we be exported into the magical crazy world of Intergalactic Robots.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">With cardboard heads, party popper mishaps and flying balls we didn't stop giggling for 20mins. Whilst I'm pretty sure my 4-year-old isn't their demographic, he hasn't stopped going on about it since and if you ever want some fun with your funk, then these are the guys for you.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We could have easily eaten, drunk and purchased so much more, and I reckon with the next event at Aston Hall we will make a day of it and leave the cars at home.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This day is everything I love about my city.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally; don't forget to grab the latest <a href="http://www.independent-birmingham.co.uk/" target="_blank">Independent Birmingham</a> card for 100's of discounts from our cities finest. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Support Local. It does good things for your soul.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*Every penny spent at this event was my own (and the BestieFerLyfe!)</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-11300678179466412222018-03-14T08:30:00.000+00:002018-10-03T10:33:47.088+01:00Parenting Life// Today I Didn’t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a parent, there are lots of things I don't get to do anymore. Some of those things are fun and others are just daily tasks that (let's be honest) I just don't want to do. I mean, who really wants to clean the loo! </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupjR9mouKlLg1QP9HCySHU-TR-FXDNVgdcnRHiv9iRBD1LCfAfqxM1wC4Di554oIlqidkspB9jA5GZb9WWHpRne2ncXtNOBwH2LFytn3IZq76zwJGmEWi6sxGEmJ3hscceovUcrgLB6GL/s1600/giphy+%25282%2529.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupjR9mouKlLg1QP9HCySHU-TR-FXDNVgdcnRHiv9iRBD1LCfAfqxM1wC4Di554oIlqidkspB9jA5GZb9WWHpRne2ncXtNOBwH2LFytn3IZq76zwJGmEWi6sxGEmJ3hscceovUcrgLB6GL/s200/giphy+%25282%2529.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Never Ending Joy of Boys</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I put a call out to some fellow parents (who happen to blog too) to see what else other people 'Don't do in a day'</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me hand over to my fellow bloggers</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>'Today I didn't...'</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'Vacuum the house because I'm tired and I need some me time. I'll do it tomorrow' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://kiddoadventures.com/">Kiddoadventures</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'Get a wee in peace'. </span></span><br />
<a class="" dir="ltr" href="https://www.mumsymidwife.com/" rel=" noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Mumsymidwife</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'Wash my hair and I don’t even care' </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a class="" dir="ltr" href="http://www.thesmallestofthings.com/" rel=" noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Thesmallestofthings</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'Get to sleep past 6 because of the kids. Grrrr!' </span></span><br />
<a class="" dir="ltr" href="https://www.householdmoneysaving.com/" rel=" noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Householdmoneysaving</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="background-color: white;">'</span>Do anything but sleep as my newborn likes to party at night' </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><a class="" dir="ltr" href="https://myfamilyofroses.co.uk/" rel=" noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Myfamilyofroses</a><span class="whitespace"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>And then we have some wins! </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'</span><span style="color: #1d2129;">Burn the dinner' <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px;">🙌🏻</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;"><span class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px;">' </span></span><a class="" dir="ltr" href="https://twinderelmo.co.uk/" rel=" noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Twinderelmo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'Today I did what I wanted to do when the kids were in nursery which was nothing!' </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a class="" dir="ltr" href="http://anklebitersadventures.co.uk/" rel=" noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">Anklebitersadventures</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A double win for both <a class="" dir="ltr" href="https://schoolrunshop.com/" rel=" noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank">SchoolRunShop</a><span style="color: #1d2129;"> and </span><span style="color: #1d2129;"><a href="http://readaraptor.co.uk/hatchling/" target="_blank">ReadaraptorHatchling</a> who didn't ...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">'H</span><span style="color: #1d2129;">ave to shout at the kids' <a class="_58cn" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/winning?hc_location=ufi" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #90949c; font-family: inherit;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">winning</span></a><span class="whitespace"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I guess we win some and we lose some. As the Small is now 4, I am hoping the day I get to pee alone arrives soon! </span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-10945397841932085012018-03-11T07:56:00.000+00:002018-05-10T19:29:59.886+01:00Mothers Day: Dealing with lossHere we are people.<br />
The day of the mum<br />
Mothering Sunday<br />
<br />
This is my 4th as a mum and my 9th without a mum<br />
It’s still all a bit weird<br />
<br />
Recently we were talking to Small about family and he popped up and said ‘your my mummy, but you don’t have one do you, because she died’<br />
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Small wanted to know why he didn’t have a second nanny. We’ve spoken to Small many times about death as I think it’s important for him to understand life isn’t all roses; and as a family who has zero interest in religion we wanted to be the people that spoke to him, so he didn’t start questioning what is heaven and everything that comes with that conversation.<br />
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<b>BE HONEST:</b><br />
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The thing that never ceases to amaze me with kids is their ability to listen and digest information that we see as a topic usually reserved for grown ups. He listened and asked questions and we told him information that was appropriate for him to understand. When we asked if he had any other questions he just wanted to know if it was time for a biscuit.<br />
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When you use phrases like ‘we lost grandma’ or ‘they fell asleep’ it gives young children the impression they are coming back. Kids are so literal in their thinking, and the last thing anyone wants to do is confuse them or even worse, make them worried about sleeping.<br />
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Of course, if you follow a path of religion, then you would naturally tell them the next steps around death (be it heaven, reincarnation or anything else in between).<br />
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Kids are not afraid of words. Dying and Death are only scary if you don’t know what they mean.<br />
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My mum passed away when I was in my late 20’s and I am forever grateful that she got to see us grow up.<br />
I am forever resentful that she never got to meet Small or my partner.<br />
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Death is cruel and no amount of talking will stop the pain, tears and greaving. But, to have those conversations instills an understanding in children, so they know that whatever happens in life, they are always loved by those around them.<br />
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If you ever want some guidance around talking to young children about this then please head to <a href="https://www.barnardos.org.uk/child_bereavement_booklet_explaining_death.pdf">Banardos </a>or alternately you can call them on 028 9064 5899<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15498717778506022558noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203100982123390508.post-46606426212775941492018-03-08T08:30:00.000+00:002018-05-10T19:30:23.136+01:00Am I A Feminist?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As today is International Women’s Day and with the theme of <a href="https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme">#PressForProgress</a>, I thought it was time I put my thoughts on a digital page.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have spent a few days looking through hashtags, getting lost in the World Wide Interwebs and have been inspired by so many captions and posts, whilst also being equally horrified at some of the comments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We all know that the internet has created a breed of people who think it is entirely acceptable to say terrible, horrible and hurtful things to people; and all this does is show us how much more work there still is to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of what my privilege has given me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the past months and some InstaStorms I am even more so aware. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moreso aware of the vast under-representation of all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But do I consider myself a feminist?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actually, I don't know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, it is about my moral compass</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Do I believe we should all be given the same opportunity?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HELL YES</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This can be for any area of life you so wish. If someone has a passion/ talent/ experience for something; then let them have a go. Believe it or not, we have equality laws in the UK to protect us, but time and time again we see/ hear stories of people being denied opportunities based on their gender (and of course there are many other reasons people can be discriminated against, but for today let’s just focus on womanhood)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Do I feel that all women are represented when we talk about inequality/ representation and diversity?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NO</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Something that I have become increasingly aware of is that whilst we continue to stand tall and fight for our (and our children's) futures, not every woman is represented. I’ve spoken about my feelings on this before and I am striving to ensure that when we talk about progressing and moving forward, this includes ALL women (not just the perfect faces we see on the TV and the beautiful Instagram Feeds)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Am I active in changing opinions?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">NOT ENOUGH</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It all starts at home right? When my son was still at nursery I already saw the preconceptions slipping in. ‘that’s for girls’ the Small would say, ‘but I’m a boy’. It is so hard when you see people who hold influence with your children not being so active in helping them to understand why we shouldn’t say such things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We talk about how anyone can do whatever they like. I am trying my best to talk about ‘they’ rather than ‘he’ or ‘she’. It’s tough, but every day he understands a little more. And every day the language that I use is getting better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I speak up more now. As recently as last weekend I was taking part in a scavenger hunt; when I was reading the map a teammate came over and said ‘let me take that off you’ when I asked them why he said (i kid you not) ‘well, I can read it better’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘i’m sorry are my boobs getting in the way of the directions?’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now before you jump to conclusions and say maybe I was overreacting, this was the 4th time in an hour he had made a comment about the women of the group. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Interestingly enough when I was chatting with someone about the comments later in the day their response was ‘well it’s just the way that men behave isn’t it?’</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_265322361"></span><span id="goog_265322362"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32ML7kicQU2nC8TJIlMCbNZSGNaEWxzSILNbJa6DLWA6bgAXVw1SoC8hFYIt64Wdqi4aM_uE2WjV3pTSJRC68O2e4RZAcXvHMwSFQN6aGWlAyGBUcJTYgSP7K9qSoURe_0YNd_llSHFT/s1600/giphy+%25281%2529.gif"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW32ML7kicQU2nC8TJIlMCbNZSGNaEWxzSILNbJa6DLWA6bgAXVw1SoC8hFYIt64Wdqi4aM_uE2WjV3pTSJRC68O2e4RZAcXvHMwSFQN6aGWlAyGBUcJTYgSP7K9qSoURe_0YNd_llSHFT/s400/giphy+%25281%2529.gif" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Arrghhhhhhhhhhh</b> (was my internal response!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am a woman, mother, daughter, sister and all round good human and I guess if I want to see change then yes. Yes, I am a feminist.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And no. That doesn’t mean that all men are terrible humans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It truly feels like a tide is turning as people are standing up and saying <a href="http://www.sineadlatham.com/2018/01/times-up.html">Enough</a>. Let’s hope this change continues and we will begin to see the effect this has on our children.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to live in a kinder and fairer world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you?</span><br />
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