Mister Maker Live Show - Just For Tots Butlins, Minehead

You might have guessed it from reading previous posts on here but Elliot is a bit CBeebies mad.  When he was a baby he just used to enjoy looking at all the bright colours but now he's a self assured  little toddler he's got his favourite presenters, his favourite songs and he knows exactly what he wants to watch! When we realised that our Butlins Just For Tots break co-incided with a live Mister Maker show, we were very happy! Elliot always joins in with the shape dancing and he always shouts "Frame it!!" when he's watching Mister Maker :)

Mister Maker was performing two shows at Minehead Butlins and having seen the size of the queue for the early show I knew it was going to be a popular one! We were lucky enough to meet Mister Maker in between his two shows and Elliot couldn't believe his eyes when he clapped eyes on him. Normally Elliot is very chatty and you can't shut him up but I think he got a bit star struck, it was a bit like the time we met Andy Day and he went mute! Mister Maker was absolutely lovely and really friendly to Elliot, he even gave him a signed colouring book - what a lucky little boy. (And top marks to MM for checking this blog to get the correct spelling of Elliot!!). Elliot managed to ask him a question about his favourite thing to make (you can find out what it was here) and my husband even did his interpretation of the shape dance for Mister Maker! After a few photos it was time for us to take our seats for the show...

The show kicked off with some footage of Mister Maker on his worldwide travels (he's a busy man!) to the sounds of Pompeii by Bastille - one of my favourite songs so we were off to a great start :) We then met the Redcoats and presenter Jenny who launched into an extremely catchy song which I've not been able to get out of my head since last week - one final countdown and Mister Maker and his Marvelous Maker Case were live on stage!

I wasn't sure what to expect from a Mister Maker live show but it was lots of fun, and perfect for the Just for Tots age group. There was lots of singing and dancing with lots of encouragement for the crowd to get up and dance and Elliot loved jumping up and down to Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes! There was lots of audience participation with a little girl and her Dad going up to assist with a minute make which involved making MM's face with items including flip flops and Mister Maker's spotty pants! In another section, some mums and dads were bought on stage to help make some animal makes - this bit was actually very funny and good on the parents being such good sports!

Mister Maker promised some very special guests...well, 4 very special guests...can you guess who they were?! I AM A SHAPE...I AM A SHAPE! Elliot loved this bit, and so did all the other kids from the looks of things. We got to hear a brand new Shapes song and again everyone was encouraged to get up for a dance!

The show was 45 minutes long and it went so fast, it was lots of fun for the children and Mister Maker really interacts with the audience.

Sadly this was Mister Maker's last show at Butlins but he will be touring the UK later on this year and into 2016. You can find out more here . We will definitely be keeping an eye out for local tour dates!

**Big thank you to Mister Maker and stage manager Dean for being so helpful backstage!**

10 Things I Love About Orlando, Florida

We first visited Orlando on our honeymoon in 2002 and loved every minute of our stay. We've been twice since but had to put a stop to the long distance holidays when my husband and I quit our jobs and started our own business. Fast forward to now and our business is in it's 6th year, we're just about to open our 3rd computer/retail shop and things are going great!

Since having Elliot I always knew we'd return to Orlando - there is just so much to do for children and I couldn't wait to go to Walt Disney World again. We are booked up to go later on in the year and I really can't wait - Elliot is very excited about the prospect of seeing his favourite Disney characters in the flesh and he also exploded with excitement when I told him we'd see Minions at Universal Studios! A lot has changed at the parks since our last visit and for me personally, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal is what I'm looking forward to most. It looks pretty amazing!

 With an abundance of things to see and do, here is my top 10 of things I love about Orlando (in no particular order). (I'm not being paid to write this by the way, just inspired by my forthcoming holiday!)

1. Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure

This year will be our 4th visit to US and IoA and I can't wait! I love the retro rides in Universal Studios such as the ET Adventure and Jaws, although sadly Jaws is no longer there and has been removed to make way for newer rides. As mentioned before, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter looks AMAZING and I'm so excited about having a butterbeer and having a wander through Diagon Alley. Elliot might be a bit young for the Harry Potter side of things but there are so many things he'll love. Like most young boys he is obsessed with dinosaurs so I can't wait to take him to the Jurassic Park area in Islands of Adventure! 

2. Eating Out

We've always found there's a real variety of places to eat in Orlando and have never been stuck for anywhere to go. There's something for every budget and the portions, like most foody places in the US, are huge! 

3. International Drive

We've stayed on I-Drive several times and there's loads to do including Wet & Wild Waterpark, cinemas, bars, restaurants, crazy golf, an indoor skydiving tunnel, go kart tracks, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Seaworld and The Orlando Eye. There's also Wonderworks which is an upside house! It features over 100 interactive exhibits and from previous experience, it's a good place to go when it rains! 

4. Shopping

You'll be spoilt for choice with the shopping! There's the upmarket Mall at Millenia which is home to shops such as Tiffany & Co and Versace. More my scene is the Premium Outlets, I love a good bargain! 

5. Walt Disney World

WDW is what most tourists come to Orlando for and I couldn't not include it in my top 10. We first visited Walt Disney World on our honeymoon and I was just blown away by how much thought and effort Disney put into everything. I love the parades and seeing all the characters - I know Elliot is going to love this part too! 

6. The weather

Well it's not called The Sunshine State for nothing! Love the sunshine but I also love the warm balmy evenings. And I even love the storms - we saw some amazing lightning on our last trip. What I don't love however is the humidity and how it makes my hair go frizzy! 

7. The cheesy dinner shows....

Not everyone's cup of tea but I love a bit of cheese now and again, and some of the dinner shows are up there with the cheesiest! My favourite has to be Medieval Knights in Kissimmee. A 4 course meal, unlimited soft drinks and an impressive jousting tournament! 

8. Citywalk

Citywalk is actually part of Universal Studios but I felt it deserved a mention on it's own. Whenever we go to Orlando, we always have a couple of nights out at Citywalk. There's great bars and restaurants and it's brilliant for people watching! We love going to the Hard Rock Cafe (could spend ages looking at all the memorabilia) but another favourite place is Pat O'Brien's, home of the dueling pianos. Elliot's a bit young for bars (!) but we'll definitely be stopping by for a bite to eat and hopefully we can catch some songs on the dueling pianos before bedtime! 

9. Close proximity to the coast

Cocoa Beach is less than an hours drive from Orlando and is one of Florida's top 10 beaches. Just down the road is Kennedy Space Centre, my husband's favourite place to visit! I've been twice and it's not really for me but no doubt we'll end up there again this year, if only so my husband can buy Elliot a space suit. (yes really!)

10. Always something to do!

Orlando is a destination where you'll never ever be at a loss for something to do. As well as WDW and Universal Studios, there is Legoland, Seaworld, Discovery Cove, Gatorland and an abundance of waterparks. You will need another holiday to recover! 

Cool T-shirts for Toddler Boys

I think I have a problem! I just can't stop buying t-shirts for Elliot, he has so many and probably enough to keep him going for at least a year ;) I always think I should size up too so many of his t-shirts from last Summer still fit, but then he's got all the new ones I've bought for this summer to wear too! I think jeans and a cool t-shirt looks great on little boys and I picked out a few of my current faves to show you...

1. White Brave & Reckless £8 - River Island

2. Skull & Crossbones £17-£19 - Boden

3. Mr Happy £9-£10 - M & S

4. Animal Mugshots £9.50 - Pumpkin Patch

5. Deep Sea Explorer £5.99 - H&M

6. Converse £7.99 - TK Maxx

7. Dino print £5-£6 - Next

8. Fruit Print Polo £8 - BHS

I wasn't aware of Pumpkin Patch previously but a friend recommended them to me. They have so many nice things on their website and the prices are really reasonable so I will definitely be popping back for a browse! River Island is another place that I never think to look in, I always forget they do boys clothes but they have some really cool items. 

It was actually a bit dangerous doing this post because now I want to go shopping and buy more t-shirts!!! But a little boy can never have enough right ;)

My Travel Bucket List - Transun Competition

Transun are running a competition at the moment for bloggers to talk about their travel bucket list and the winner gets a trip to see the Northern Lights - how amazing is that! There's something quite magical about the Northern Lights and I've always really wanted to witness it. This was a competition that I couldn't not enter :)

So here are my top 3:

1) Pacific Northwest Roadtrip

Our roadtrip would begin in Vancouver, somewhere I have always wanted to visit. We would spend a few days exploring before setting off over the border in the direction of Seattle. We would stop en route at Port Angeles for a whale watching excursion before heading on to Forks, home of Twilight!! I may be in my 30's but I got a bit obsessed with that book so if we were in the area it would rude not to stop at Forks for dinner and a few photos! And if we spotted a sparkly vampire on the way then that would be a bonus ;)
On from Forks we would drive down the coast to another location connected to one of my favourite films - Astoria, Oregon. Also know as where the Goonies was filmed! Every year on June 7th Astoria recognises and celebrates Goonies Day so of course we have to time our roadtrip to coincide with this!
From Astoria we would head back inland towards Portland before starting the 900 mile drive to Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. From here we would be heading for our final destination - Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Ever since I saw the famous carved faces in Superman II it has been on my list of places to visit!

2) Spotting the 'Big 5' on Safari, Tanzania

This is one for Elliot really although it is definitely something I would like to do before I die! We've visited safari parks in the UK (Longleat is our fave) but there's nothing like seeing an animal in it's natural environment. Whilst on safari we could spot the big 5 - lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard. But also a whole host of other animals that Elliot has only seen in books before. I would like Elliot to experience different cultures so a visit to a local village would be a must. And it would be great to show him Mount Kilimanjaro and tell him that once upon a time, Daddy climbed right to the top!

3) Japan

My sister was lucky enough to visit Japan a few year ago and I'll admit, I was a bit envious! Everything just looks a world away from life in the UK - the ancient history, the Geishas, the temples, the food, the cutting edge technology, the karaoke bars (!!), the fashion of the Harajuku girls, the bullet train, the people.  It would be a fantastic opportunity to learn more about a different culture. I would also love to see the snow monkeys in the hot springs!

So there we have my top 3 travel destination - I didn't realise how difficult it would be trying to narrow my choices down. And I kept getting distracted by amazing photos online!

If you'd like more information on the competition, please visit the Transun website but be quick because it closes on the 30th April!

 

Getting our kicks on Route 66

Following on from my last post about our RV Roadtrip, I wanted to blog about our Route 66 roadtrip in 2009. Can't believe it was 6 years ago, one of the best experiences ever!

After our RV roadtrip we really had the travelling bug and decided to plan our next trip. Before we knew it, we'd booked our flights and were planning a 3 week holiday driving from Chicago to Los Angeles taking in 7 states! We had a lot of ground to cover so a lot of planning went into this holiday. I love the planning bit, it's almost as fun as the holiday! We decided to pre-book around a third of our accommodation and this gave us an idea of where we needed to be each night.

Our trip began in Chicago and we spent 2 nights squeezing as much sight seeing in as possible - what a great city! We admired the views from the John Hancock building (spectacular), visited the zoo (free!), ate the famous deep dish pizzas (yummy), saw the Millenium Park bean (shiny) and even rode Segways (cold!). The Segway tour was brilliant fun and a chance to see Chicago from a different perspective - we were the only ones on it too so it was like having our own personal tour guide!

Route 66 begins in Chicago so we picked up our hire car and off we went, with our trusty sat nav all programmed and ready to take us across America. We found some really good resources before we went which enabled us to programme our whole journey although we also had books and maps incase something went wrong which as you know can happen if you're relying on sat navs!

For those that don't know, Route 66 or the Mother Road as it's sometimes referred to was one of the original highways within the US Highway System. Starting in Chicago, Illinois it winds right across the US going through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and finally ending up in Santa Monica, California. It is 2448 miles long! Unfortunately, since the introductions of the interstates lots of towns along Route 66 have been completely bypassed and have struggled to survive. Which is a real shame because there's so many weird and wacky things to see along the way!

Lots of the museums and attractions along the route rely heavily on tourism and we found everybody to be so friendly, they were really interested in where we were from and what made us drive Route 66. One stop we made was at an old fashioned gas station in Missouri. We were taking some photos and the owner came out to talk to us - what was meant to be a 10 minute stop turned into a 2 hour chat! He was so knowledgeable about Route 66 and gave us so much information, as well as posing for pics! I've since learnt that he passed away this year so I'm glad we got to meet him and will always remember his little part of Route 66.

Some of the odder sights on Route 66 included a few giants along the way, a giant rocking chair, a derelict blue whale water slide, a bottle garden, cars buried in the ground, a shop that sold 100s of different fizzy drinks or 'pops'', barbed wire museums (yes really!!), wigwams, petrified forests and much much more. (We did actually visit the barbed wire museum to use their loos but who knew there were so many varieties?! )

We stopped off at some great cities on our route including St Louis, MO. You've probably seen it's iconic archway on TV before - I had but until I visited, I had no idea that tourists could actually go up in it! Not good if you're claustrophobic but great views at the top! We even got to watch a baseball game whilst we were there - didn't really have a clue what was going on but the atmosphere was great! We had a quick stopover in Amarillo and ate some amazing steak...and tried to get that bloody Amarillo song out of our heads! We even got to revisit some locations from our last roadtrip - being so close to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, it would have been silly not to stop again. The Grand Canyon was just as amazing as I remembered - and it was better weather the 2nd time around so the colours looked a lot brighter and clearer. Las Vegas was as tacky as we remembered but it was a fun couple of days rest and nice not to have to drive anywhere!

Albuquerque was another favourite City - we sampled some amazing New Mexican food here off the beaten track. (Thank you Trip Advisor!). We even got to visit the world famous balloon fiesta - never in my life have I ever seen so many hot air balloons in one place! We went to the evening parade and all the balloons were lit up and tethered, such an amazing sight in the darkness. We then went back the following morning at the crack of dawn and watched all the balloons take off - standing in a freezing cold field was definitely worth it! And having a green chilli burrito for breakfast was definitely a first.

The food played a big part in our trip - some of our foody highlights included frozen custard (like a really thick milkshake only better), quality burgers in some the best diners we've ever been in, amazing steaks, homemade cherry pie, hotdogs at the baseball game, the best buffet in the world at the Bellagio Las Vegas and some pretty spectacular breakfasts. Oh, and the carrot cake in Seligman that was big enough to feed an entire army - BEST CARROT CAKE EVER!! Lets just say it wasn't a good time to be on a diet ;)

Our Route 66 roadtrip ended up in Santa Monica, California and it felt like such an achievement seeing the final sign on the pier! It was such a great trip but we could have done with an extra few weeks to experience everything Route 66 had to offer. We would love to do it again in a few years but drive the other way round, so LA to Chicago.

The only negative of our entire trip was that we made a massive cock up and ended up leaving our laptop in Barstow, California!!! We checked in at our hotel in Santa Monica and panicked a bit when we couldn't find the laptop - I blamed my husband, he blamed me - there were a few cross words! Fortunately the hotel maid in Barstow had found our laptop in the room and they were so so helpful getting it back to us. We didn't have enough time to drive back but we eventually ended up paying for it to be shipped home. That bit cost more than the laptop itself but the photos of our holiday were just too precious to lose! So there's a lesson, always check your room before checking out ;)

RV Roadtrippin' USA

Whilst reading one of my favourite blogs, Life With Baby Kicks, I saw that Laura had written about her travel bucket list. It got me thinking! Before Elliot and before owning our own business, my husband and I were fortunate to have some pretty amazing holidays. We aren't really beach people and we generally like to explore, sample local dishes, do a bit of everything! We love a good roadtrip and two of my favourite ever holidays were driving holidays in the USA. I'll do a separate blog post with my bucket list but I thought I'd tell you all about our USA holidays.

In 2008 we hired a motorhome (or RV as the Americans call them!) and drove from LA taking in sights such as the Joshua Tree National Park, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Death Valley, Yosemite, Zion and Bryce National Parks, Vegas, San Francisco and the amazing Big Sur in California. We were on the road for 3 weeks and we had done some serious planning with our itinerary so we knew how much we had to drive each day and where we needed to camp each night. The was fine for most of the holiday but we did have a bit of an issue near Death Valley. The route we were meant to be taking included a road which was no way suitable for an RV - so we had to take a 7 hour detour!! That day consisted of mainly driving....we were fueled by beef jerky (hubby) and cheetos (me) and it was a bit relief to finally reach our camp site!

Seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time was just amazing, can't put into words how beautiful it is! Of course I'd seen it in pictures and on TV but it's so much more impressive in the flesh!

Monument Valley was another location that took my breath away. It's so familiar but so so awe inspiring and I could have sat there all day just taking the view in. We would have loved to have driven round the famous stacks but it just wasn't doable with an RV....next time!

One thing we weren't prepared for was the weather. We went in May and stupidly thought the climate would be warmish, similar to here. But no, some of the national parks were so cold that we had to buy extra hoodies to keep us warm!! And so much for worrying about getting too hot in the RV, we used the heater more. And let me tell you, walking from the shower block in shorts and flip flops back to the RV when there is snow on the ground was pretty chilly! Of course once we got to the coast it started to warm up although going over the Golden Gate bridge on an open top bus was one of the coldest moments of my life!

Of course we couldn't drive through Nevada and not visit Las Vegas so we planned a two night stopover. What can I say about Vegas...it's loud, it's in your face, it's brash - it's exhausting! The hotels are massive and there's so much to see....and it's great for people watching! Whilst in Vegas we got tickets for the Penn and Teller show - my husband loves magic and their show was brilliant. And I got pulled up on stage to be part of a pretty impressive trick involving my glasses and a sledgehammer!

We really enjoyed visiting the National Parks on our trip - everyone is different and the scenery just takes your breath away. Yosemite was our favourite - although we stayed for two nights, we only got to see a very small bit of it and would love to return one day. We even saw a baby bear! We won't be staying at the same campsite though - I felt like I was in a horror film and the showers had to be seen to be believed!! (It's making my shudder just thinking about it again!)

San Francisco was a brilliant place to visit and probably one of my favourite citys in the world. Unfortunately we didn't get to visit Alcatraz as we hadn't prebooked and the tours were full but this is definitely on our list for next time! We had lots of yummy food in SF including the best clam chowder ever and an amazing chinese buffet in Chinatown. We were sad to leave!

Driving down the Pacific Coastline from San Francisco to LA is one of the most scenic roadtips you can do and it certainly didn't disappoint. We spotted a couple of elephant seals on the beach whilst driving so pulled over to have a look....and then realised that the beach was absolutely full of them! It was the most amazing sight and one of the highlights of the trip.

Another highlight was seeing David Beckham! He was playing for LA Galaxy at the time so we managed to get some tickets for the match on our last day of the holiday. I'm not really into football but it was a totally different experience seeing it over there - the stadium was massive, the fans were really friendly and they even sung the Star Spangled Banner! We had amazing seats right near the pitch too and it was very surreal being that close to Beckham!

It was such an amazing holiday and I would totally recommend it. There is just so much to see in the USA and there are different landscapes around every corner! Travelling by RV was really fun and it was definitely an experience living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks!

Hope you've enjoyed reading about our roadtrip - I will do another blog post of our Route 66 Roadtrip soon :)

Monkeying Around at Monkey World, Dorset

Today we braved the changeable weather and visited Monkey World which is a 30 minute drive from where we live in Dorset.

Monkey World is a rescue and rehabilitation centre set in 65 acres of land and is home to over 250 primates, rescued from around the world.  It was originally set up in 1987 to provide a permanent, stable home for abused, Spanish beach chimps but nowadays visitors can see more than 20 different species. Monkey World even features in it's own tv show!

The last time I visited Monkey World was probably in the 90s so I was looking forward to coming back and seeing how the park had grown over the years. Elliot recently visited with my husband on a rare boys day out so he was itching to get back and show me his favourite monkeys!

We arrived at the park just after 10am when it opened and it was fairly quiet considering it was a weekend. Whilst we waiting for our friends to arrive we got a quick drink in the cafe and Elliot was overjoyed to see a little play area featuring lots of big soft play items. One of the monkey enclosures was located right next door so the kids could watch the monkeys swinging around whilst having a play. When Elliot was stood looking in the glass, one of the monkeys came leaping over and decided to do a wee against the glass - Elliot thought this was hilarious!! I'm sure it'll be one of the highlights he remembers from our day...like the time he saw a porcupine having a poo at Longleat! What is with little boys and bodily functions ;)

Once our friends arrived we set off in search of some more monkeys. Every enclosure is sign posted and you are given a map at the entrance so it's very easy to navigate. Even easier when you have a husband who's been before! And it's very buggy friendly with lots of paths and ramps.

One thing I noticed was that all the enclosures are very clean, the monkeys have lots of space to roam around and lots of things to climb/swing on. You can tell all the primates are well cared for and it's a world away from their previous lives.

Most of the enclosures have glass viewing panels so you can get some great views of the primates. The gibbons were especially fun, getting right up close to the glass and having a good look at us!

The park has several play areas dotted around the park including a large 'Great Ape' play area. Close by is a big picnic area which would have been lovely on a nice sunny day...unfortunately it started to rain when we got to this point so we didn't loiter!

Little legs were getting tired and hungry by around 1pm so we decided to head back to the restaurant for lunch. The boys had a kids meal consisting of fish fingers, chips and beans and us adults had jacket potatoes. Everything on the menu was great value and the portions generous!

Our final stop for the day was the gift shop and it was a monkey lovers paradise! My husband is a bit of a sucker for gift shops when Elliot is around and I knew we wouldn't be leaving empty handed but Elliot chose a packet of plastic lemurs to go with his other animals at home! Could have been worse, he could have set his heart on the giant stuffed monkeys ;)

We had a lovely time at Monkey World and will definitely be back soon. It's a great place to visit with children and we could have easily spent more time walking round if Elliot hadn't have needed food and a sleep!

For more information on the amazing work Monkey World do, please click here