Win a Family Ticket to Midnight’s Pumpkin at BAC

This looks like a great night out for all the family.  Renowned Theatre Makers, Kneehigh, are bringing Cinderella to the Grand Hall at Battersea Arts Centre this Christmas from 8th December – 13th January 2013.

The usual cast of characters will be there; the Step-mother, two ugly sisters and of course Prince Charming but the big difference to this well known Fairytale, is the audience gets to attend the ball, learn the dance and join in the story.

We’re going in December and I’m sure Madame will be dressing up in one of her many Princess outfits.  Photos to follow.  :-)

Fancy winning a family ticket? Simply enter by using the Rafflecopter form below.  Please note:

Tickets must be redeemed between the 12th and 15th of December 2012

The family ticket is for 6 people, two of which must be children (Value £100)

Full Terms and Conditions can be seen at the bottom of the form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  Our tickets to see the show are complimentary

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

My Friday Five: Local Parks (Herts)

With Half-Term looming, remind me to get loads of wine in, I thought I’d share some of our favourite parks to visit.  For the most part they’re free; however there is a chance you’ll be fleeced when you get there.

The weather isn’t looking promising so you’ll need to wrap up!

As the Comedian, Billy Connolly once said

There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing, so get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little’.

In no particular order here are 5 of our favourite Local Parks:

Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton, technically it’s not a park but it’s free to go in there is an amazing outdoor play area, grab a latte in the cafe and watch your kids play, the children’s menu is reasonable and they have seasonal exhibits, currently they have DinoMites, which my daughter really enjoyed but it costs extra.

Cassiobury Park in Watford, parking is a nightmare but they have a fantastic play area, something St Albans should aspire to, there is a Mini Steam Train, hot dog stand and make sure you make the effort to wander down to the canal and see the Locks.

Aldenham County ParkAldenham County Park – one of our all time favourites, it’s free to go in but you have to pay to get out of the car park, if I remember correctly it’s about a fiver and take change.  However, there is a great adventure playground, Winnie the Pooh’s 100 Akre Wood and a few Nature Walks.  Back in the day it was all free but sadly they’ve gone a bit commercial and now you can pay for the Rare Breeds Animal Farm, Pony Rides and Tree Climbing.

Ashridge Estate – Fancy getting the kids outside to blow off some steam?  Then this is for you.  We love it.  There is a cafe where you can get lunch, loads of trees to climb, kick a ball around the foot of the monument or they have organised activities during half-term (Halloween Madness and Skeleton and Skulls).

Knebworth Gardens and Dinsosaur Trail – sadly their Pumpkin Trail is sold out, but it’s a great day out, the Dinosaur Trail, with 72 life sized Dinosaurs, will keep them busy for hours and then you can drive around to the Fort and Playground, we love the slide that goes through the middle of the hill Note:  This one is not free!

As I’ve done most of these, I will be at a loose end myself, so all suggestions (cheap) welcome!

 

 

Things to do in London with Kids: Science Museum Live

I want my daughter to want to learn.  I want her to be a curious soul like me.  If I don’t know the answer to something I love Googling to find the answer.  Kids nowadays don’t appreciate education and take it for granted and don’t seem bothered to make the effort.  Some kids in Africa walk miles to be educated in makeshift classrooms, but they can see the link between education and the opportunities that it can offer.

We don’t pressure her but try and make learning fun and expose her to wide variety of activities.  On the weekend we went to the Science Museum Live.  It’s billed for kids aged 7-11 and quite a bit went over her head as she is only 5 and to be honest, I got a bit lost with Potential Kinetic Energy myself.  But she did get a lot out of it and the explosions made her jump out of her seat, spilling popcorn everywhere.

If you’re at a loose end this weekend, I’d recommend it and if you quote “blog1” (or enter into the booking system) you can get 25% off full price adult and kids tickets. The offer is only valid from 22nd October – 28th October.

If you do go we’d love to hear what you thought?

Disclosure:  Our tickets were complimentary

 

 

Child Friendly Hotel in London

This is what I posted on my personal Facebook page before heading into London earlier in the week.

What little did I know?

We arrived a bit early at the Park Plaza Hotel (County Hall) for check in.  We were warmly greeted and informed that they had a lovely room for us.  I knew that already as I’d checked out the Junior Suite online; a separate room with big comfy bed for us, plasma TV, separate living space with a double sofa bed for Madame, kitchenette, bath and a walk in shower and of course Free WIFI. Rooms start from £99 a night.

As we were early, the helpful lady at the front desk had to ring up housekeeping to see if the room was ready.  I overheard her say ‘is room 1405 ready’.  I’ve stayed in enough hotels to know that room 845 would be on the 8th floor, room 310 would be on the 3rd floor and 401 would be on the 4th and so on.  I had a quick glance over my right shoulder at the sign by the lift and it said that the 14th floor was the Penthouse Suites!!!!

I did my best to stay composed, but on the inside I was squealing with delight.  No, this couldn’t be true and there must be a mistake, but yes, in fact it was true.  We’d been upgraded to a Penthouse Suite.  I’ve stayed in 5 star hotels before for work but could never afford such a treat as a family.

For someone with a fear of heights, the trip up to the top floor was a bit unnerving in the glass walled elevator which our daughter renamed the ‘Wonkavator’.

The room itself was absolutely amazing, it had everything that the Junior Suite had but a bigger bedroom with a King sized bed, a larger living space with a dining table and the most amazing private balcony with views of the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Jubilee Bridge and of course the Thames.

 

The Tower of London

There are loads of attractions within a 2 or 3 minute walk of the Hotel; The London Aquarium, The London Eye, and The National Theatre.  Our daughter could have spent the rest of the day in the hotel room but we dragged her out as we’d planned on visiting the Tower of London, which is only a 20 minute bus ride, just grab the RV1 bus from Chicheley Street heading to Tower Hill.

 

Both my husband and I hadn’t been to the Tower of London, neither of us had ever been with a child, which was built by William the Conqueror after his successful invasion in 1066. Since then it:

  • was a Royal Residence for 500 years
  • was a prison for those waiting to be marched up to Tower Hill to be beheaded
  • a place for private executions, including Anne of Boleyn (who is buried on the site)
  • contained the Royal Mint and the Royal Zoo
  • now is home to the Crown Jewels if you like a bit of bling!

To get the most out of our visit we decided to join one of the Beefeater Tours which lasted about an hour with the perfect amount of History, gore and humour to keep all of us interested.  We all thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Adult tickets start at £18 and children under 5 go free.  However, do have a look online as I’ve seen loads of 2 for 1 offers to many London Attractions.

Stress free dining with kids!

We then returned to the hotel for a lovely dinner in the Spectrum Restaurant, even though it’s rather fancy, as you can see by the pictures, we felt perfectly at ease dining with our 4 year old.  The waiting staff including, Mirko the lovely maître d‘ went out of his way, including giving our daughter a stuffed animal, to make her feel welcome and at no point did I panic about her disrupting other guests.

They have an extensive children’s menu, a three course meal costs £11 and for central London we thought this was great value.  Our daughter opted for Tomato Soup, which apparently she ‘loved more than Mummy and Daddy’, Fishcakes and a Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream.

My husband and I opted for Rib Eye Steaks (£22), one of our favourites and shared a lovely bottle of wine (£20), again I think for London these prices are very reasonable.

The rest of the evening was spent sitting on the deck, with ‘another’ bottle of red wine soaking in the London Skyline by night.

I can see why the hotel was voted best family friendly hotel in London by HRS.  As parents we often feel that we have to give up quality when we have children, so it was a really nice change to be able to enjoy a short break that resembled what we would have done pre-kids.

Disclosure:  The room (£540) and meal were compliments of Park Plaza Hotel and our Entry Tickets to the Tower of London were compliments of Super Break

 

 

 

 

My First Sleeping Beauty

I don’t think my daughter realises how lucky she is. She’s only 4.5 and she’s already been to her first ballet. I’m 40 and it was my first ballet!

We went to see ‘My First Sleeping Beauty’ which was put on by the English National Ballet at the Peacock Theatre in London. It was specifically designed for children to foster a love of ballet from an early age.  It was short and sweet with two 40 minute halves with an interval in the middle. They also incorporated narration, which probably helped the little ones follow it. Plus, it being a favourite fairytale they already knew the story.

The theatre was a sea of pink; little girls in their favourite princess attire. We managed to get by the merchandise fairly unscathed, I was only fleeced £3 for a hideous pink, fluffy, flashing wand.

My First Ballet

My daughter and her pal were absolutely mesmerized. I’ve never seen them sit so still and so well behaved for so long. When it was time for the interval, my daughter refused to leave the theatre as she didn’t want it to end. However, with a bit of persuasion I manage to get to the bar for a glass of red!

During the second half, towards the end, they got up went down to the stage and joined in with their own style of ballet.  It was absolutely precious.

Disclosure: Our family ticket was courtesy of the English National Ballet.