Jumping for joy

There are few activities the kids get to do that make me jealous, but trampolining has always been one of them. Whenever they are invited to a party at a trampoline park I immediately accept the invitation (even if they don't want to !) and if I can I sneak on for a jump or two. 

I've loved trampolining since I was at school which is why it was a surprise that it took me so long to get one for the garden. I always had a concern about the safety of having one at home and also didn't want to ruin the aesthetic of my outdoor space. Once I realised that the garden resembles a playground with it's slide, swing and a den for the boys I decided that a trampoline wasn't going to ruin anything. 

Even when you have one at home it's a treat to go to a place where the whole room is dedicated to jumping. When Jump In asked us to try out their Covid safe trampoline park in Elstree I can honestly say I was beyond excited. 

We booked a one and a half hour session as it's the best value for money and we didn't have to rush. I also booked for myself which was a treat for me as I often end up sitting on the sidelines while the kids enjoy the activity. On this occasion I decided we were going to have a family trampoline trip. 

On arrival we were greeted with very clear signage directing us to use the one way system and there were plenty of hand sanitiser points to use. Jen at the front desk was very helpful and handed us all our jump socks and directed us to where were needed to go. 

We put out belongings in a locker - which are very spacious and located right next to the jump area. That made it much easier to relax and enjoy our visit. We headed straight for the the main area and did some warm up jumps. It's been years since I trampolined properly and I have to be honest it so much fun 

The jump area includes a high drop and a dodgeball / basketball area as well as games that you can play together or on your own. There are slides and an area dedicated for toddlers so they can play safely without older children or adults spoiling their fun. My boys enjoyed the games and raced each other on the slides. It really is easy to lose track of time when you're having this much fun. 

Visitor numbers are limited to allow social distancing and staff are on duty around the jump area to ensure that patrons are keeping safe. This was invaluable when we wanted to ask questions and the staff were very friendly and helpful. Cory administered some first aid while we were there and it was all handled very well and it's reassuring to know that the staff are trained to deal with any issues that might come up. 

Trampolining is hungry work and with a cafe on site we decided to have lunch after our session. The food is ordered using an app and is cooked fresh and brought to the table. We went a bit overboard with our order as we weren't expecting such generous portions of food. The pizza was delicious and my son couldn't finish the enormous hot dog so he had the rest for dinner. 

If you have been wondering how safe it is to take the kids to a trampoline park I can assure you that Jump In have thought it through for you. Our children have been stuck indoors for so long that being able to do something 'normal' and fun for a few hours was just fantastic and I am so glad we were lucky enough to be able to try this out. 

You can book your own jump session here:  https://www.gojumpin.com/locations/trampoline-park-elstree

Disclosure: The lovely folks at Jump In gifted us a voucher for a visit to the Elstree centre in return for an honest review. 

Is this it ?

I think of myself as the hardcore parent in our family. The one who lays down the law, sets boundaries and follows through with consequences. However, this week I've seen this challenged and I feel a bit deflated. Brown Bear has surpassed his usual levels of self-importance and taken to just completely ignoring me. Blue Bear, however, has been with a childminder who told me he is a 'real pleasure to look after.' He has been playing with older children and growing in confidence by the day.   When I got him ready to have a bath last night he told me he could take off his t-shirt by himself and demonstrated very ably. Brown Bear, however, spent more time just doing his own thing and searching for TV programmes I'd asked him not to watch. By the time we all woke up this morning he was overtired and grumpy. As a result I was too.

I don't do well when I'm tired. I shout even more than usual and make ever escalating and insane threats. By the time I dropped him off at half term camp at 9am I had taken away the chance of going to McDonald's ever again, given all of his birthday presents to charity and banned all of his favourite programmes. It wasn't my best day. I came home from dropping both boys off and had something to eat. I felt better. If I'm running on empty I can't do this. It's not rocket science, I know, but sometimes it feels like I just don't know anything. 

Talking to another parent yesterday afternoon after a day spent with 'not my children' doing fun outdoor activities I wondered if my expectations of my children are too much. Maybe it's enough that they are happy, vibrant, funny and independent. It doesn't follow that they will also be good listeners, tidy or able to be together without duffing each other up. I have to get past thinking that everyone is looking at me and thinking, "wow she's so useless, her kids just don't sit still and listen."

Today has been a low point. I've shouted, misdirected my anger and broken down in tears. I've also upped my dosage in order to deal with my own emotional state. It might not help, but it can't make things any worse. I need to have something other than this anger and feeling of uselessness. Being mum is just not enough right now. I'm sorry.  

Halloweek and Halloweden in Cornwall

We've already had one week of half term and spent it in Cornwall. I love taking the children there and we have a few days out that we do every time we go.

The first is Lappa Valley which is the most wonderful day out for a family with train obsessed children. The steam engine takes you from the starting station into the valley itself and we rode on Ellie to get there, passing the boating lake and taking in the scenery as we enjoyed surprisingly good weather for October half term. We've been to Lappa many times before so the boys know pretty much which things they like to do and where to go first. We changed things up a bit this time though with a trip on the diesel engine which runs along a track that goes through forest land with some animal figures hidden in trees and on branches on the route. The day we went the train was held up a few times by 'leaves on the line,' but our driver was very patient and good natured about it and soon got us moving at speed again. Straight afterward we went on the intercity train that does two loops of the park and we spotted a shark in the pond !! Blue Bear did point out to me that I shouldn't be scared as it wasn't real.

As well as the trains there is a massive play area at Lappa Valley with practically a life size pirate ship and the best castle and pipe slide I think I've ever seen. The boys love it there and even on poor weather days they are happy to run around and play on this for ages. It's a great place to run off a lot of excess energy and with a cafe serving cornish cream teas and ice cream you can quite easily let them do their thing while enjoying the break. Well until the inevitable, "Muuuuuum, he pushed me," shatters the momentary peace that is.

For half term Lappa are celebrating Halloweek with spooky trains and plenty of themed events to celebrate Alongside all of the regular great attractions will two Spooks trails, one for Little Monsters (3-5 years) and for Big Beasts (6 years plus), children’s Halloween quiz, spooky colouring and a prize for everyone who comes in fancy dress! All of our activities are very family friendly and suitable for young children.  Best of all, all additional activities are included in the standard ticket price and it's such good value for what is always a great day out for us.

Lappa valley opens at 10am and Halloweek runs until 29th October.

I've been visiting the Eden Project since 2000 when it first opened and love it so much. In the years since my first visit I've seen the site grow and change and now I have children I also enjoy sharing it with them. Last week we booked a rainforest trek and Brown Bear and I walked for 45 minutes with our knowledgable guide Adam. We learned so many interesting facts about the rainforest and Brown Bear was fascinated and asked lots of questions. This is the longest he's spent in the rainforest biome as he's always found it too hot before, but the added interest of learning about the plants and ecosystem kept his mind off the heat.

Every time we go to Eden we have a few traditions. Hubbie goes to the Pukka tea tasting (and often has a pasty too), I get to have a cup of tea and a slab of delicious cake and the boys have delicious Cornish ice cream. One of our favourite things is storytime as the storytellers are amazing and really capture the magic and intensity of the spoken word. That's why I am so excited that Eden are hosting the first ever Halloweden event to celebrate half term. The Roald Dahl themed week of activities includes some of the best loved stories brought vividly to life in this brilliant setting. You can find a giant sleeping in the grounds, learn how to spot a witch and of course there is the Little Monsters Halloweden ball and disco on Saturday 28th October to celebrate the end of half term.

The ice rink is now open for the winter season and we have been a few times. There is an additional charge for ice skating and it's a good idea to pre-book as it can get busy. On the day we went the toddler session was about to begin and it's a non skating session for under 5s to encourage them to play safely on the ice. We asked Blue Bear if he fancied it, but he was adamant he didn't want to go. Maybe next time.

The Eden Project is open from 9.30-6pm and Halloweden is running until 29th October.

Disclosure: The lovely folks at the Eden Project offered us a family ticket to visit. 

This half term is awesome.

This evening as me, the boys and Neo all slumped on the sofa under a big fluffy blanket I looked at the cat sprawled across us all and the boys staring at the TV. It's halfway through half term and we're all tired, well exhausted actually, but also really happy. Blue Bear has been going to a playscheme every day that he loves where he plays sports and today he did streetdance and had fun on the bouncy castle. He's never been a fan of bouncy castles, but this week something has just clicked for him and he's loving it. It's a relief really as it means I can book one for his next birthday knowing he's going to go on it.

Brown Bear has been going to tennis lessons with his friends. He did this last holiday and really had fun so I thought we'd book for him to go again. Today, however, we did something extra special. I contacted the BBC about the listening project a while back.  I suggested a conversation between me and Brown Bear about how his brother came to join our family and how he felt about it all. We've been talking about it for a while and today was the day we went to record it. I wanted to make it a special day just for us so first I surprised him with a visit to the new Lego store in London.

We took the bus from Victoria to Picadilly Circus and walked through Chinatown. I didn't tell him there even was a lego store so it was a complete surprise when we arrived there. Apparently people have queued for hours to get in, but we timed it pretty well and didn't have too long to wait to get in. The numbers are managed quite well so it's not too busy when you go in and there is plenty for the children to play with as well as some stunning lego models to admire too.

There are some iconic London models and Brown Bear tried to make a phone call and to post a letter - I was impressed he even knows what a phonebox is for !

This Pick and Build wall is amazing and while I can't see how you could reach the top storage units it is a great idea. There are some model ideas to get you started and there's also a build your own minifigure bar that was very popular.

There are tables with a lot of lego and some models started already. This Big Ben model caught Brown Bear's eye.

As you queue to get in you see the model of an underground carriage - complete with the queen waving from inside. It was a nice compromise as I had told him we'd be going to the Transport Musuem to put him off what I really wanted to do.

The best part of it was that I told him he could buy a set with his Christmas money and he chose one that he's already built. Hubbie told me that when he was putting Brown Bear to bed tonight he said it had been the best day of his life. Well I'd call that mission accomplished then.

Visit the Rainforest and the Mediterranean in one day at the Eden Project.

One of our favourite places to visit when we stay in Cornwall is the Eden Project. Well I say 'we' when I mean me really. The boys tolerate a is it because I make sure they have plenty to do when we are there. There are proper Cornish pastys for Hubbie, local ice cream for Big Boy and Baby Boy just goes wild for all the dogs that he sees all over Cornwall, but especially at Eden. 

I first visited when the Eden Project opened and it was a much smaller attraction back then. It was mostly a quarry with a car park and the biomes were new and the main reason for visiting. Since then the site has been developed further and you now have plenty to see and do on a day there. We've been 4 times in the last two years and still haven't done everything.

When we visited earlier this week we knew we'd have a large part of the day, but wanted to make the most of our visit. When we arrived we all decided to walk down - you can also take the land train which is great fun and goes every 20 minutes taking around 15 minutes to go from the top to the bottom and vice versa. Me and Big Boy decided to walk down the playful steps which are great fun and a lot faster then at the path that we usually take. 

One of the things that makes repeat visits so much fun is that the activities at the Eden Project are seasonal. When we visited last Christmas we went to see Father Christmas and had an ice skate - more of which later. For half term there are special events for 'Halloweden' including a 'wishcraft' area.

Something else that is lovely to see is the changing colours of the seasons. This is more evident in the Mediterranean biome which has a temperate climate and varying displays. It's also where they stroytime is held and we've taken the boys to see this a few times. They really enjoy the craft activities and stories and singing. You can check the times for these on arrival so you an plan your day in advance. On the day we went there was also a tea tasting of Pukka Teas - they're wonderful and hearing about the origins of the ingredients was really interesting too. 

Inside the Mediterranean biome there is room to roam and my boys like to explore. It's colourful and spacious and you will often see school parties taking part in challenges that encourage them to visit all the different zones. Last time we visited I took Baby Boy to the Rainforest Biome with me, but this time I asked Big Boy if he wanted to come with me. We left Baby Boy with Daddy to listen to stories and went for a wander.

In the past we have had to cut short visits to the Rainforest Biome as it does get very humid and on a hot day this can be very difficult to deal with. When Big Boy was younger he really didn't like it at all. This time we took our time and it wasn't too crowded so we were able to take it at our own pace. I showed Big Boy the waterfall that provides a dramatic centrepiece for the biome and showed him the highest point you can stand to view the whole thing. We've made a deal that when he's older we will climb all the way to the top.

I'm very proud of my boys for taking an interest in something that I love so much. As a reward we had planned something very special for Big Boy to do with me at the end. Because he enjoyed the ice skating so much at Christmas we booked to go again this time. The rink is open now and there are sessions every day with sessions for toddlers, lessons and half price times. We booked a penguin aid for Big Boy to help him skate and he did amazingly well. By the end we were gracefully gliding across the ice - sort of. Baby Boy and Hubbie watched from the side and popped outside for a stroll when they got bored. While we were skating a wheelchair user also joined us on the ice and she was having a whale of a time. It was fantastic to have the room to enjoy the rink on a not so busy day.

We were lucky to be able to visit on a day outside half term and I imagine it will be much busier next week, but even when we've been during the summer months it's always a great day out. We have lovely food, walk lots and spend time together doing fun things.

You can book tickets online for the Eden Project and get a green travel discount if you walk, cycle or take public transport.
You can gift aid a ticket so it's valid for a year and you can visit as many times as you like - it's worth it ! You can also book Ice Skating online.

Disclosure: The lovely folks at the Eden Project gave us complimentary entry and ice skating. 

Travel helpers from Munchkin: Review

Keeping the kids occupied during half term inevitably involves a fair amount of travelling around for us. As we're well versed in long journeys I like to prepare with plenty to keep the boys busy including snacks and games. Big Boy watches movies or plays games on a small handheld console and we have found this seat back organiser is perfect for holding spare games, small toys and even a drink or snack bag. He is old enough now to manage his own entertainment so we let him play with what he chooses and if he wants to take a nap he switches off the games or movie and has a sleep.

Munchkin Backseat and Pushchair Organiser 

Baby Boy enjoys looking out of the window and spotting animals or other exciting scenery. His particular favourite on the drive down to Cornwall is spotting the wind fans that we see dotted around the landscape. I've shown him a hand sign to help identify them without the high pitched squeal of delight that he currently emits which is pretty off-putting when you're driving. The other device that we've found really helpful is this seat back mirror and music player which plays soothing tunes or nursery rhymes. When we're on a long drive he likes to listen to the music and at night time the twinkling lights help settle him down. It's easily attached the the headrest of the seat in front and you have a small remote to control it from the front of the car as well.

Munchkin In-sight Magical Firefly auto mirror 

Most importantly when we're travelling we have to have snacks and drinks to hand for the boys - including Hubbie ! I found that these snack pods were just brilliant to help manage days out on holiday too. I pop small snacks in the blue pot which has an opening that stops everything falling onto the floor and the other side has a cup holder which I put a sippy cup in for Baby Boy and a non spill cup for Big Boy. The adjustable holder can attach to the side of a car seat, but I found it worked really well attached to the inside of the door where they could reach their own drinks and snacks without spillage.

Munchkin deluxe snack pod and drink pod 

I know when I was a kid long journeys there weren't so many gadgets to keep us occupied. We would play games or look for animals out of the windows. I do this with my boys too, but I'm not a luddite. To be honest when it comes to travelling with small children anything that makes the journey easier for all of us is going to appeal. These travel helpers from Munchkin have been great for us and I can see they will get a lot more use during half term too.

Disclosure: We were sent these travel items for an honest review by the lovely people at Munchkin.  

Move aside make way, for a half term Fire Station visit

As you probably know we are big fans of the fire service and I had promised my boys a visit to the fire station during half term. It was all because the lovely guys from our local fire station had been in our street a few months ago and they had said to pop in any time to have a look around.

Is it Big Boy or Darth Vader ?

Big boy was so excited - even more so, because his friend A was coming along again and they are both big fans of fire engines. Baby boy was visiting for the first time and despite his initial reservations he got stuck in and had a drive of the engine too. Big boy wore his Fire Officer outfit to the station - it was so funny seeing him in the kit room surrounded by grown up uniforms wearing his teeny tiny Early Learning Centre version.

It was very rainy on the day we went, but the guys were amazing and let the children open the big doors of the firehouse and play with the hoses outside. I was very glad that big boy was wearing his waterproof outfit I can tell you !

It was this Fire Officer's first day - no joke !

As they drove the engine outside the children sat inside and were very excited to have a ride. At one point we were inside the control room and saw the engine driving off the station forecourt and I joked, "the kids aren't still inside are they ?" Apparently they were and as it disappeared from view I considered escaping for a cup of tea with A's mum and the baby siblings. As it turns out they were just taking the engine round to the back of the station to refill the hoses with water as they'd been so liberal with the target practice earlier.

Just checking out the dials

We were invited back on a sunnier day to have lots more fun with the hoses and I was advised to bring a change of clothes for big boy in case he got carried away.

I can highly recommend a visit to the fire station as the officers are so kind and always really happy to see children and to show them around. It's definitely something we'll be doing again.

This post is being shared as part of the fab #countrykids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill.

  

How to have a happy half-term

You may have noticed I've been a bit quieter than usual on here. If not then why not ? Self-involved much ? Anyway, the combination of working full time and half term have been pretty challenging. Not helped by a last minute cancellation of one of the activities we had been relying on to help us with childcare. So, I've been thinking about how to keep the boy occupied, not least as a warm up for the longer Easter break and then the even longer summer holiday. Family have been amazing and he stayed with my parents and his auntie and uncle for a few days. They kept him very busy and he came home happy and tired, but he also missed us (yay !).

We always love to do things like going to kids club movies, craft activities and even the occasional outdoor trip. However, I also want him to have a proper break from school so some days we just want to hang around at home and do things that are fun, but don't involve travel. 

You will probably already know about Snapfish. They are the company that produce photo gifts, cards, wall art and calendars that when we first had our son we bombarded our family with. That first Christmas each family member got a photo album of photos of our beloved first born and in subsequent years they've had calendars, canvas collages, mugs and even t-shirts with photos on. The print quality is great and they arrive really quickly so I'm a big fan. All our thank you cards were from Snapfish this year with a collage of images of our son and a lovely thank you message in chalkboard style on the back. I also made a lovely valentine's card using images of me and Hubbie from the last ten years and I've designed mother's day cards for both grandmothers containing lovely photos of their favourite (and currently only) grandson and ordered some glossy copies of his school photos for them to keep and treasure too. All of these were delivered to me within a week, but for for an additional charge they will deliver direct to your recipient. 

In case you're not sure what this has to do with half term they also do some great - and completely free - printables online. These include characters and themes (eg. princes and princesses) and even some party kits so you can produce everything from invitations and thank you cards to bunting and personalised items like pirate or princess themed accessories for guests. They also have a range of printable cards so you can make and print at home if you can't wait. 

I'm going to drop some heavy hints that I'd like Hubbie to do some of the Mother's Day activities with our boy. These include origami flowers and a very tempting French country breakfast in bed kit. I think they can multi-task just this once can't they ? 

The other lifesaving half term helper we have discovered has been Amazon Fire TV. We set it up in our bedroom as the reception in there has always been poor so we thought having an online streaming service would be a better option. It's linked to my Amazon account so I can download apps to it online and as we have a Amazon Prime subscription there are lots of shows and movies that we can access for free too. The kit itself is compact and very sleek. I've been having great fun using the voice activated remote to choose programmes. We haven't tried to gaming controller yet, but I suspect that will be on the cards at some point during half term. 

It's proven to be a great decision to use this upstairs and in the morning when we aren't at work or school we can all lie in bed and watch movies or shows together with a better picture quality than we ever had before. The best feature for me is the memory as I rarely watch something in one sitting (I get to see about 5-10 minutes a day which isn't really the best way to watch a movie is it ?) so being able to go back and pick up where I left off is really helpful. At the moment I'm part way through 'The Watch' and my boy is back to back viewing 'Justin and the knights of valour' and they are both saved where we last left off watching. It's great having so many choices to watch and you can save up things to watch later. 

I think we'll be pretty prepared for the Easter break and look forward to even more fun with my boy both in and out of the house. 

Disclosure:
The lovely folks and Snapfish sent us a voucher code to try out their products.
The lovely folks at Amazon Fire TV sent us the kit to try out.
All views are honest and no payment has been received. 

Scooby Dooby Doo it's an Autumn rainbow adventure

So, this has been our first half term holiday. My boy has had two weeks off school so it's been a bit of a mission filling the days. The first week we went to visit grandparents and he stayed over with them. This week he met Scooby Doo, did some Halloween themed crafts and had a spooky face tattoo:

The best thing of all, however, was the visit to our local fire station. My boy is obsessed with fire engines and wants to be a fireman - I may have mentioned this one or twice before. We went with a few of his little friends and as it was such a nice sunny day - in October, I know !! - they let the children have lots of fun learning to use the hose and creating rainbows. Did you know that firemen can make rainbows ? No we didn't either, but they can. The staff at Croydon Fire Station were absolutely amazing and made a real effort for the children.

Training with a real fireman

It's a real rainbow !! 

Making sure the hose is really empty

This has been, by far, the most enjoyable out of everything we've done this holiday. My boy has plenty of special memories to tell his class about on Monday at school.

I'm sharing this post as part of the #countrykids linky with the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill.