Peter Pan Panto At The Tyne Theatre Review

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Fly away to Neverland this Christmas with Peter Pan at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle. Staring Tyne Theatre panto favourites Lewis Denny and Charlie Richmond along with Eastenders Matt Lapinsky, X Factors Sam Lavery and CBBC's Cleo Demetirou. Last years villan (Gaston last year) actor Micky Cochrane returns this year as baddie Captain Hook and Phoebe Garr is a cheeky Geordie Tinkerbell. 

From the moment the lights went down we were in for a treat with an opening Greatest Showman song routine. There was so many great pop songs throughout the show that audience members young and old will recognise and the vocals from the panto stars were spot on. 

Cinderella Panto At Whitley Bay Playhouse 2023 Review

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Regular readers will know that we adore the Pantomimes at Whitley Bay Playhouse and have been going to see them every year since 2016! Going to the panto here is like meeting up with old friends and you know you are going to be in for a giggle and leave feeling all festive and happy. We also love the Playhouse venue as it is so comfy and is local to us as we live in North Tyneside. 

Cinderella 

This year's pantomime is Cinderella and is the fastest selling Playhouse Panto with many dates already sold out! That shows just how popular this gem of a show really is. Playhouse legend Steve Walls is back again for his 13th year at Whitley Bay and is playing Buttons - this year. It also sees the return of  Daniel Mawston as Dame Patsy who is joined by Luke Martin as Dame Idena. Father and son double act Simmons and Simmons who stared in last years Aladdin return again as Null and Void, and once again bring plenty of slapstick humour. 

Beauty And The Beast Pantomime At The Tyne Theatre Newcastle Review

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Enchanted Entertainment are back at The Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle with this years panto Beauty and the Beast. Geordie panto favourites Charlie Richmond and Lewis Denny return alongside Union J's, JJ Hamblett and Sugarbabe Amelle Berrabah, to bring you a classic Geordie panto with a French twist this Christmas. 

Set in the village of Chateau Du Toilette you are whisked away on a tale as old as time with plenty of laughs, mishaps and panto silliness along the way. Charlie Richmond plays Daveed Granola and is his usual silly self, getting the audience laughing and on side from the get go. Lewis Denny stars as Dame Brenda Brexit and dazzles in some amazing costumes this year (loved the McDonald's one), the on stage chemistry between Lewis and Charlie is evident to see and it just makes the show so enjoyable as you can tell they are just having fun throughout the show. 

Aladdin Panto At Whitley Bay Playhouse 2022 Review

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It wouldn't be Christmas without a trip to the panto and one we look forward to every year is the one at Whitley Bay Playhouse in North Tyneside. Blue Genie Entertainment always put on such an amazing show and the Playhouse is such a great venue, it really is a show that the whole family will enjoy. We have been visiting this pantomime since 2016 when the children were just two and three years old and they love it just as much now as eight and nine year olds as they did then (so do us grown-ups). 

  

Aladdin 

Chummys Bakery Postal Brownie Delivery Review

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Brownies are a little bit delicious and everyone in our house loves them, so when Chummys Bakery offered to send us a box in the post of course I agreed. Who could say no to a box of brownies? 

We were sent the postal box containing six of the best selling Brownies, flavours are Lotus Biscuit, Nutella, Salted caramel, Triple chocolate, Kinder Bueno and Ferrero Rocher. They also offer different brownie boxes where you can select your own flavours, cookies, blondies and rocky road bakes. 

Hoover H-Free 500 Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Review

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As a family of five with two dogs and a pet cat in the house, I feel like I am forever having to vacuum and sweep the floors and sofas for crumbs, hairs, and astroturf (if you have a child who plays football you will know what I'm talking about). We have a mix of wooden flooring, tiles and carpets in our home, and despite only being two years old our current vacuum cleaner is just not up to the job and I am always left feeling that the floors are never properly clean. 

So when I was offered to review the Hoover H-Free 500 Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner I obviously agreed. Hoover is such a well-known brand that people even use it when referring to other brands of vacuum cleaners, I bet we have all heard people saying "I'm just going to hoover the floors". My dad has a Hoover vacuum that he has had for about 20 years and it is still going strong now, which just proves what good quality products they are.  

Sleeping Beauty Pantomime At The Tyne Theatre Newcastle Review

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Panto is back

Oh yes it is 

As a family we adore going to the pantomime it is a bit of a tradition and is something the whole family enjoys, from us grown-ups, to our teen and younger children. It is good fun and most definitely gets us all in the Christmas spirit. Last year we really missed it and Christmas just wasn't the same without a trip to the panto. So last night we excitedly made our way to the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle to watch this years production of Sleeping Beauty and plenty of laughs were had at this proper Geordie panto. 

Paw Patrol The Movie: Adventure City Calls Video Game Review

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My children adored Paw Patrol when it first came out about 5-6 years ago, we must have watched every episode and we had the toys, went to see it at the cinema and to the live arena show. My children are a bit older now at 6 and 8 but they still have a bit of a soft spot for Paw Patrol, especially now we have two pups of our own. 

I am sure everyone is familiar with Paw Patrol the team of pups who have super powers and who save adventure bay from Mayor Humdinger and his crew of sneaky kittens. The Paw Patrol gang is made up of human Ryder who is in charge of the lockout tower which houses Chase, Marshall, Zoomer, Rocky, Skye and Rubble the super pups and sometimes features their friends Everest the snow pup and Tracker the jungle pup. 

Back To School Ready With Smash Lunch Boxes

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After months at home, children will be returning to school in just a matter of weeks. As a parent I have very mixed feelings about this, my children are so ready to return to the classroom, see their friends and have a bit of normality back in their lives. However, I am a worrier and have been trying my best to think of ways to keep them safe when they return to school. One thing that I have decided to do is to have all three children (one in 6th form, one in key stage 2 and one in key stage 1) on packed lunches. Previously the younger two had school dinners at primary school and the teen would head to the local shops for lunch on her lunch break. So for my teen especially, taken a packed lunch will be a lot 'safer'. 

The kind people at Smash sent all three children lunch boxes and water bottles for the return to school and I have to say I am impressed. We were sent three totally different style and designed lunch boxes and each one is high-quality with Blue iQ lining, which helps protect against harmful bacteria. We all know how grubby kids can get their lunchboxes in, but the lining has a protective barrier which won't allow food to absorb, which prevents bacteria. They are also wipe-clean which reduces smells and stain and they are insulated, helping keep food cooler for longer. 

We were sent a football lunchbox, a mint green one and a blue floral design lunch box. 

Gigantosaurus Nintendo Switch Game Review

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For Christmas, my five-year-old son got a Nintendo Switch and plays on it for an hour most days, especially now that we are home during the pandemic. He currently only has two Mario games for his switch so when we were offered to review the new Gigantosaurus game (which is released next week) I knew he would be happy. Gigantosaurus is based on the Disney jr animated series of the same name, which is super popular with dino mad children. The game is available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC and you can download the game to your device, perfect when we are all at home. 

Snapstar Dolls Review

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My six-year-old daughter adores playing with her dolls, she likes fashion dolls and spends hours changing their clothes, making up imaginative games with them and playing happily on her own or with her friends. Now there is a new fashion doll in town for children to play with called Snapstar dolls, a squad of six 'influencer dolls' with their own app - yep really. 

There are six Snapstar dolls to collect and each doll looks different and likes different things such as music, make-up, travelling, animals, fashion and crafts. The dolls are a similar size to other fashion dolls and they have moveable limbs and look really appealing for children with lovely sparkly eyes and nice outfits. 

Pop Pop Hair Surprise Toy Review

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Like most children, my six-year-old daughter is really into collectable type toys and blind bags (thanks YouTube). Whenever a new collectable comes out she is eager to try them out, well there is a new one around called Pop Pop Hair Surprise but this one is a bit different to other surprise toys on the market, so let me tell you all about them. 

Pop Pop Hair Surprises are rather cute looking hairbrushes - that you can actually use, inside each hairbrush is some hidden surprises. The hairbrush can be opened and inside you will find a fabric wrapped up surprise, you have to spray the fabric surprise with water from the spray bottle provided (it is part of the hairbrush) and the fabric pops off revealing a surprise roller character. Inside the roller character, there will be another surprise - the hair surprise toy pet. 

FlipaZoo World Toy Review

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FlipaZoo Word is a new range of toys from Character Options, they have plush soft toys and some fun playsets available. Each of the toys in the range can be flipped over to reveal another character, making them double the fun for children. We were sent a selection of toys from the range to see what the children thought of them, we were sent a large 16-inch FlipaZoo plush (£16.99), a smaller 8-inch FlipaZoo plush (£9.99) and a FlipaZoo playset (£13). 

Like a lot of young children my two love soft toys, so they were happy to see the plush toys to add to their ever-growing collections. My 6-year-old claimed the larger one which was a chocolate coloured dog on one side and a white cat on the other side, she instantly knew how to flip the dog over to discover the cat on the other side and she thought they were both really soft, cuddly and cute. The large plush comes in different character options, all animal-themed such as cows, elephants and horses. 

Pop Pop Snotz Toy Review

Like most young children my 4 and 6-year-old love tiny collectable surprise type toys and slime - thanks to Youtube! My daughter has so many collectable surprise type toys and her little brother always wants to join in but there are not many available for boys that appeal to him. So when we heard about Pop Pop Snotz I knew these would be something that he would really enjoy as they have sets that will appeal to boys and girls. 

We were sent the green ones which are called Pop Pop Snots and are little balls you pop, kind of like bubble wrap and when you pop them green slime comes out. Some of the Pop Pops have just green slime in them and some of them have a small collectable snotz toy in them. These are probably more appealing to little boys, although my daughter liked them just as much as her brother; they do Pop Pop Pets which are pink and purple too. 

Hape Teepee Review

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My children adore making little dens under the dining room table to play and hide from the grown-ups. In the past, we have bought them play tents but we have always found them to be really flimsy and a bit of a nightmare to put up and pack away again - especially pop-up-ones. So when Hape recently got in touch and asked if we would like to review one of their teepees I knew the children would have lots of fun and really enjoying testing it out. 

I had seen photos of the teepee online and it looked really sturdy and the perfect size for my 4 and 5-year-olds to play in together. When it arrived in a rather small storage bag I initially thought there must be some kind of mistake as it looked a lot smaller then I imagined and I was dreading putting the teepee up as I thought it would be in lots of little pieces. However, I was proved wrong on both counts as it was super quick and easy to set the teepee up and it was a lot bigger then it looked in the bag. 

Spirit Riding Free Toy Collection Review

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My 5-year-old daughter Sophia is horse crazy (just like I used to be), she dreams of owning her own pony someday and loves to play with toy horse and ponies and have riding lessons. So she often watches Spirit Riding Free on Netflix, a TV show about a young girl called Lucky and her horse Spirit. So when I found out that there was a range of Spirit Riding Free toys by Flair I knew these would be a big hit with fans of the show. We were sent some of the toys to review, so read on to see what we thought. 

A Family Meal At Toby Carvery Kenton Review

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I love a good roast dinner and being typically northern we have a Sunday roast every single week as you can't beat fluffy roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and lashings of thick gravy. However sometimes when we are busy we just don't have time to cook a roast so we often find ourselves heading to Toby Carvery as it is somewhere that all five of us enjoy, even our very fussy eater of a five-year-old! Plus we always find it really good value when eating out as a family of five. 

Last Saturday we went shopping at Kingston Park and we decided to head to Toby Carvery whilst we were there. We normally head to the more newer Toby Carvery Shiremoor as this is closer to where we live, however before it opened we were regulars at the Kenton branch as I used to crave them when pregnant with Sophia, so I was keen to see if things were as good as I remember. 

We arrived around 2.30pm on a Saturday afternoon and it was fairly busy, however, we were greeted straight away at the entrance and showing to a table in the dining area. I noticed that the restaurant had a bit of an update since I last visited about five years ago and everything looked more modern yet still welcoming. The dining area and bar area were very clean and there were lots of staff dotted around serving customers, first impressions were good. 

PJ Masks Super Moon Toys & Easy Crafty Background

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My 4 and 5-year-olds are huge fans of Disney Junior and one show they have been watching since it hit the screen is PJ Masks, for the past couple of years they have loved following the adventures of Owlett, Geko and Cat Boy. So when we were sent a box full of the new PJ Masks Super Moon Adventure toys - include baddie Luna girl my children were super excited to start playing and recreating scenes from the show. We were also sent some crafty bits to help create our own Super Moon background so the children could enjoy some Super Moon adventures of their own with the new toys. 

I am not the most crafty of people but my girls adore getting creative, my 5-year-old Sophia is always cutting, colouring and 'doing art' and my teen is busy studying for her GCSE art exams at the moment. So I left creating the Super Moon background up to them and they managed without any adult help. 

Village Hotel Spa Day With Red Letter Days

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This morning I went to The Village Hotel Newcastle (Silverlink) to relax on a Spa day thanks to Red Letter Days who give me a voucher for the occasion. Red Letter Days have a whole host of different vouchers available for different experiences making them the perfect gift idea - they would make a great Mothers Day gift. To redeem the gift experience voucher you simply register your voucher online, you will then be giving a phone number of your chosen venue to ring and book and then you hand the voucher in on the day. It was really straightforward to book and as I had been given  Blissful Spa Day for two voucher there was a number of different spas I could book into all over the country. I decided on The Village Hotel Spa as it was close to where I live and I had never been before.

When I rang to book into the spa day the spa was actually busy so I had to wait a few weeks for an appointment which luckily wasn't a problem for us. Arriving at the Village Hotel for 9am we arrived at reception and were directed to the spa area which is downstairs near the gym. We were showing to the relaxation room which had dimmed lights, comfy chairs and was very peaceful and we were asked to fill in some forms.

Poopsie Sparkly Critters Review

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One of last years must have toys was Poopsie Surprise, a cute unicorn toy that pooped slime. We reviewed Poopsie Surprise last year and my five-year-old still plays with her unicorn Rainbow Brightstar (she is a huge unicorn fan). Well now there is a new Poopsie toy on the block, Poopsie Sparkly Critters and we were kindly sent two to review and see what we thought.

Like the original Poopsie Surprise, the Sparkly Critters have the surprise element of being packaged so that you can not see which character you will get until you open the box. This is something that really appeals to my children as they love any kind of surprise toy. The Sparkly Critters come in really fun looking soda can type packaging, when you pop the can open you will then find blind bags filled with the Sparkly Critter and the accessories you will need to make slime. Each set comes with one Sparkly Critter, a soda can style bottle/syringe to feed the critters, spoon, storage bag which is designed to look like a bag of crisps and glitter to add to the slime.