A Pizza Party At The Astley Arms

Recently my little boy turned four and as part of his birthday celebrations, we headed to our local Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery pub The Astley Arms, in Seaton Sluice. Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery have recently launched Pizza Parties which are the perfect way to celebrate a child's birthday as it is something a bit different and lots of fun and we were asked if we like to go along and try them out - perfect timing.

As a family, we often visit The Astley Arms for a carvery and my brother visits often for buffet breakfasts, it is a lovely pub opposite Seaton Sluice beach and play park. 

Disney On Ice presents Dream Big

Like a lot of families, Disney On Ice is something we look forward to each year. Every year the show tours UK arenas and it is once again heading to Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena this October. I have been taking my children to see Disney On Ice for over ten years now, I used to take my eldest when she was small and now I take my younger children who love it just as much as their big sister did. Each year the show is different and this year it sounds like it is going to be extra special as Disney On Ice presents Dream Big.

This year Moana takes to the ice for her European debut and we are super excited, my children (like so many we know) are huge Moana fans. Taking to the ice alongside demigod Maui I am sure she will have the audience captivated and we can't wait to see how she manages to swap the ocean for the ice rink. It sounds like it will be spectacular and not only will the show be featuring Moana but it will also feature eight tales of courage and heart, including Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Tangled. 

Things I Loved August 2018

September is a month of big change in our household as my youngest will be starting school, for the first time all three children will be in full-time school. I have mixed emotions about this as Jacob has only just turned four so will be one of the youngest in his year group, however, I think he is ready for full-time school and that he will hopefully enjoy it. He is doing two weeks of half days to settle in and get used to his new teachers and classroom and then he will start full-time. My eldest has also started year 11, her final year in school and her GCSE year so she also has a big year ahead of her and Sophia has gone into year 1. Hopefully, I will have more time to blog and keep the house tidy now the children will all be in school. 

Anyway, let's have a look at some of the things that I have loved from the month gone by.

Sorting Out Our Finances To Save For More Holidays

Recently we suffered an unexpected bereavement in my family and it has made me realise just how precious and short life can be. It has made me want to grab life with both hands, follow my dreams and stop waiting for the right time to do things, as that time may never come. As a family our dream is to travel, myself and my partner always said once the children were a little bit older and of school age, we would travel more as a family, we want to show our children the world. Now that our youngest has turned four and will be off to school in a matter of days we have realised now is the perfect time to start following our dreams. 

We took the children on their first holiday abroad back in May, only to Majorca to see how they would cope with a change of routine and with flying. They both loved it and adapted well and this only ignited our desire to travel more. Like a lot of families, money holds us back when it comes to travelling.

Teen Talk With Gabby Logan

 My eldest turns 16 in just a few short weeks, she is entering her final year at school and will be sitting her GCSEs in the summer. Parenting a teen over the last few years has been a lot different from parenting a younger child, it is something that I am still learning about as we are constantly faced with new challenges. The latest challenge is to get her to spend some time at home (she is always out) and concentrate on her school work ready for her exams in the summer. Parenting a teen, like any kind of parenting has its good and bad days, luckily mostly good in our house.

I may not mention my teenager much on my blog, mainly because she is older and is always out with her friends so rarely comes on days out with us. However last year you may remember I wrote about Teen Talk with Gabby Logan, well Teen Talk is back again this year with #TheTeenTalk Guide. This includes tips and advice to help parents and children feel confident as they journey through puberty. The guide is free to download from the Boots website and is sponsored by well know P&G brands such as Gillette, Aussie, always, Tampax, head & shoulders and Oral B.

Gabby Logan is taking part in this campaign once again as she is Mum to teenage twins, Lois and Reuben. I was asked if I would like to interview Gabby as part of the campaign and here is what she had to say.

Kynren - An Epic Tale Of England Review

On Saturday night we were kindly invited along to Kynren - an epic tale of England, a live-action outdoor show performed here in the North East in Bishop Auckland, Durham. The show tells the story of England, spanning over 2,000 years of history, myth and legend, mostly based here in the North East. With a cast and crew of over 1,000 it really is a truly amazing show that is not like anything I have ever seen before.

Before seeing the show I had seen lots of advertising for Kynren and I had read a few blog posts and heard people recommend it, but I still did not really know what to expect. Seeing it for myself I was blown away, it is easy to see why it has so many 5* Tripadvisor reviews and is currently ranked among the top five must-see performances here in the UK. It exceeded my expectations and was so well organised. 

Back To School With Jake Shoes

This year all three of my children will be in full-time school, my eldest will be in year 11, my 5-year-old will be in year one and my youngest will starting reception; as he has just turned four. All of the school uniforms have been bought and all we had left to buy were shoes. Like a lot of parents, I always put off buying school shoes until near the end of the school holidays as my children always seem to have growth spirts during the summer. However, I was not looking forward to heading into Newcastle city centre with three children to queue for hours to buy school shoes. 

So when Jake Shoes got in touch and asked if I would like to review some back-to-school shoes from their online shop I thought this would save us a lot of hassle. Jake Shoes are an independent shoe store based in Stockport & Manchester, as well as the physical stores they also have an online store that stocks shoes for men, women and children with a good selection of back-to-school shoes.