What activities are fun to do with kids outdoors
What activities are fun to do with kids outdoors
What activities are fun to do with kids outdoors
why it's still unusual for women to write and read horror
I do love reading the Fandom Friday posts over at the Female Geek Bloggers network; this week the theme is Fictional Vehicles I'd Love to Travel In :-) Oh, I can think of 3 straight off the bat, then I thought about it some more and added another couple of cars, a train and a pumpkin.... and as always it then takes me half a dozen rewrites to whittle it down to my top 5! As a petrolhead, it's going to come as no surprise that all but 1 of these vehicles are cars! In at number 5 was a close call between Herbie, K.I.T.T and Bumblebee and all because I like the idea that they drive themselves and whilst I do love Herbie to bits and KITT is sensible - it's got to be the protector Bumblebee. The next car conundrum was of the flying kind! Do I go with my childhood favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - I soo wanted that car! Or do I go with an enchanted Anglia... Well seeing as we used to own one.....be nice to travel in an enchanted one too. A couple of time machines coming up and seeing as it's 30 years old this year - how about letting this baby hit 88mph and seeing where we end up - I think I'd go back and see my grandparents get married. Now being a total Whovian you'd think the TARDIS would be my number 1 but there is another that must take that spot so my beautiful blue Time and Relative Dimensions In Space Police Phone Box comes in at number 2. My number 1 vehicle is not fictional as such but the program is and that's how I'm getting away with this, and whilst I'm at it not only do I want to travel in this vehicle - I need a couple of hunters to keep me company and safe and share a beer with ..... Do you have a favourite fictional vehicle?
What is a good present for Mother's Day
I find myself rather lost for words and astounded at the news that Japan will be recommencing with the killing of whales this year! Photo by Abigail Lynn on Unsplash A country who have not been whaling for more than 30 years! A country where a whole generation, the next generation would not have been exposed to whaling and therefore the demand for whale meat. How has a country, a Prime Minister, been allowed to decide this? How is it acceptable to take another living creature that has as much right as we do to live, to the brink of extinction? I am shocked that a country believes that mammals living and breeding in the oceans that surround our lands are ours to kill. The oceans do not belong to us, and whilst one could argue that we have fisherman off the English coast catching salmon, it is monitored. If our levels were too low a process would be put in place to protect the species, can we say the same for the whales? What is an ‘acceptable’ number of kills before we decide enough is enough and would Japan even listen? I am reminded of a quote from the film The Matrix when Mr Smith is explaining the human race to Neo: “Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet”. A whale will have one baby every one – six YEARS! This is not a creature put on this earth to feed the Japanese community!
What good escape games are there
Many moons ago when I was young and single, I went on holiday with one of my girl friends to Tenerife. Fortunately, the disastrous first day didn't carry on through the whole holiday and was just a 24-hour blip. Thank God! What has been seen can not be unseen On arriving at our hotel room, we opened all the patio doors to try and get a little breeze into the stiflingly hot room. As I was opening the doors, Celia knocked over a glass and it smashed onto the tiled floor (and this was before we'd had a drink!). Now, for reasons unbeknown to me, we both stepped out front to see if the cleaning lady, who we'd seen on our way in, had a dustpan and brush that we could borrow. But as we stepped out (barefoot) the door slammed shut behind us! Not wanting to look like we were a couple of bumbling idiots unable to stay in an apartment by ourselves for longer than 30 minutes before a mishap..... we decided to save face and just climb back on to our balcony. After all, we were round the back and on top of a row of shops. All we had to do was just run along the roof of the shops and hop back into our balcony. Well, that was the plan..... We roughly knew, no, we thought we knew EXACTLY which balcony was ours so we hopped over the wall and ran along the roof of the shops. We jumped back over the wall of the balcony to our apartment only to find we had misjudged the rooms by one. Standing on our neighbour's baloney looking horrified, and starring back at us just as mortified were our shocked, elderly neighbours - stark naked!! I may never get that image out of my head. Moral of the story: Never worry about saving face! Nothing is worse than staring at your neighbour's wrinkly private bits. Happy Holidays everyone
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what wildlife do you see on the school run
Over the years we have visited some great places to see Santa, from events local to us to Paulton's Park and my favourite to date Drusillas Winter Wonderland. This year, we bought Merlin Passes so took the opportunity to see Santa at his Gruffalo themed Winter's Tail at Chessington for £10. Big hit with my boy! We got the early (10.30am) tickets to see Santa. My boy is an early bird and gets up before the sun, so 10.30 was a good time for him. Having looked at what was on display for the day, with only a select few rides open I'd also bought tickets to feed the giraffes in the afternoon, which spread the day out nicely. First Stop, Santa I'm not going to lie, I was extremely disappointed with this. When Santa is younger than you are, something's gone wrong! The presents weren't wrapped and considering we queued 30 minutes past our allotted time, we were in and out within minutes..... but....... my son loved seeing Santa, loved that the elf took us to Santa's hut (even though she made us practically run!) and was not phased in the slightest that he got to choose his present which was not wrapped. So from a 6-year-old's point of view - it was a success. There are various events going on throughout the park, with the theme being Gruffalo there was a hunt for each of the animals within the Gruffalo story and a quiz to see what they all wanted for Christmas. The Gruffalo ride was open, and surprising not busy, and the story of the Gruffalo's child was read out in the storytime area, complete with snow. The Zoo and Sealife centre were open and also the Pizza Pasta restaurant, which my son loves as he feels all grown up going up to get his pizza and salad all by himself. There is an option for the children to decorate cookies, but the queue to get into the Gruffalo's kitchen was way too long for us, at least an hour's wait! No way was my son going to be able to hold it together that long in a queue. So we gave that a miss and headed over the giant snow-globe. Such fun. Slightly DIY in that once you enter the snow-globe you have to make sure all the polystyrene is shovelled over to the right where the vacuum is, that and the 'official' photographer takes a few photos for £5. Ours were unclear due to the photos being taken when the snow was falling at its thickest and even the girls at the kiosk had trouble recognising my two in the globe! But the boys had fun and I managed to get some photos myself, so all was not lost. We finished our day off with a trip to the Giraffe house where we fed these little beauts, before heading off home with a very happy little boy, all excited and ready for Christmas.
Is there a social networking site for crafters
What Christmas crafts to make with the kids
Where to buy a good TRex Mask
Over the years we have visited some great places to see Santa, from events local to us to Paulton's Park and my favourite to date Drusillas Winter Wonderland. This year, we bought Merlin Passes so took the opportunity to see Santa at his Gruffalo themed Winter's Tail at Chessington for £10. Big hit with my boy! We got the early (10.30am) tickets to see Santa. My boy is an early bird and gets up before the sun, so 10.30 was a good time for him. Having looked at what was on display for the day, with only a select few rides open I'd also bought tickets to feed the giraffes in the afternoon, which spread the day out nicely. First Stop, Santa I'm not going to lie, I was extremely disappointed with this. When Santa is younger than you are, something's gone wrong! The presents weren't wrapped and considering we queued 30 minutes past our allotted time, we were in and out within minutes..... but....... my son loved seeing Santa, loved that the elf took us to Santa's hut (even though she made us practically run!) and was not phased in the slightest that he got to choose his present which was not wrapped. So from a 6-year-old's point of view - it was a success. There are various events going on throughout the park, with the theme being Gruffalo there was a hunt for each of the animals within the Gruffalo story and a quiz to see what they all wanted for Christmas. The Gruffalo ride was open, and surprising not busy, and the story of the Gruffalo's child was read out in the storytime area, complete with snow. The Zoo and Sealife centre were open and also the Pizza Pasta restaurant, which my son loves as he feels all grown up going up to get his pizza and salad all by himself. There is an option for the children to decorate cookies, but the queue to get into the Gruffalo's kitchen was way too long for us, at least an hour's wait! No way was my son going to be able to hold it together that long in a queue. So we gave that a miss and headed over the giant snow-globe. Such fun. Slightly DIY in that once you enter the snow-globe you have to make sure all the polystyrene is shovelled over to the right where the vacuum is, that and the 'official' photographer takes a few photos for £5. Ours were unclear due to the photos being taken when the snow was falling at its thickest and even the girls at the kiosk had trouble recognising my two in the globe! But the boys had fun and I managed to get some photos myself, so all was not lost. We finished our day off with a trip to the Giraffe house where we fed these little beauts, before heading off home with a very happy little boy, all excited and ready for Christmas.
TABi - Like a search engine for paper I am very excited to be showing you guys the new notepads from TABi! I, like many, love stationery but this organiser pad blows all other notepads out the water! These pads are designed to help you find your notes whenever you need them without flicking back through pages or even worst going through the wrong notepad! Designed with over 50 tabs all along the edges of the pad in different size sheets this pad is ideal for short quick notes, with the tabs found around the top, to more detailed lengthy notes with tabs along the bottom complete with extra pages. TABi Features Due to the unique patented design of TABi notebooks… every page has its own index tab for a clue about what’s on it every tab is visible from the first page every tab is supported by pages beneath for ease of writing TABi notebooks contain a similar number of pages found in most ordinary notebooks: A4 – 162 high-quality white 100 gsm pages in total A5 – 144 high-quality white 100 gsm pages in total My thoughts? I love these pads! I love how the covers feel so smooth and soft. I like how stylish these notepads are and come across so elegant. I've also included a video below to show these marvellous pads and how easy it is to flick to each of the tabs and the sizes of each page. For anyone who loves stationery, these are for you! You can purchase both A4 and A5 size pads on TABi website for £23.88 & £19.90 respectively, and for what you receive, I do believe these are a good price and will be purchasing more as presents. I received the TABi notepads for review. The above wording is all my own and not influenced by products received.
Its the small things
I wrote about my fabulous January finds, and one of which was a set of picture frames from my local charity shop warehouse for £1. I took one of these picture frames and covered it with Blue Duck Tape. I then took out the middle and sprayed it with my ever faithful chalkboard paint. Once this was complete I felt the board looked a little bare and remembered that the little Toy Story book we bought from the charity shop was starting to fall apart so I cut out a couple of images and pasted them on the cover. The remaining images from the book are now in my decoupage drawer. Waste not, want not! When all was done I left this on Max's toy box for him : I'm guessing he liked it as whilst I was out (and maybe will a little help from daddy) I received this message.
#GIFTED 12 weeks ago I was given the opportunity to try out Innovo - a non-invasive way to restore your pelvic floor, and this product has improved my confidence, my wellbeing and my interaction with my son! I can not recommend it enough!! Before I tried the Innovo, I went to the doctors to discuss my stress incontinence. This is not something I wanted to do, or felt comfortable talking about especially as it was a doctor I've never met before and the first thing he did was tell me off for not completing my pelvic floor exercises!! His advice for dealing with stress incontinence was to start the pelvic floor exercises immediately. To have an examination now and then again in 2 months to see if there was any improvement with my pelvic wall. After 2 months I would then be put on a course of drugs to help with the strengthening of the wall along with the exercises and finally, there would be surgery to help toughen the wall. But, even after all of the above - there is no guarantee it would strengthen my pelvic wall. Needless to say, I came away from that appointment rather scared, deflated and demoralised. Before I started with Innovo: My son has a trampoline, I went to the bathroom before going on there with him, bounced twice with him then had to leave due to stress incontinence. That's heartbreaking, my son doesn't know or understand why I can't go on there with him. He just looks sad then asks for daddy. I can't sneeze without wetting myself! Coughing can be touch and go! Laughing I have no hope with, I'm going to wet myself. Running and exercise also brings on incontinence. It really makes me quite miserable and self-loathing and disappointed in myself for not doing my pelvic floor exercises. I can only now tell you all this because that was 12 weeks ago, the above was before I started using Innovo and before I found my confidence again. About Innovo - Restoring the Floor I strongly suggest watching the video on Innovo's website to see how to put the pads on the first time. Not because it's complicated but sometimes a video works better than written instructions. Allow yourself extra time the first time to get used to everything. Once the pads are in place, you just rest for 30 minutes 5 times a week, yep, you get to rest! The recommended pulse rate is 70 - 75 but not straight away, I didn't get to that figure until week 4. I started at 33 intensity and slowly increased this over the 4 weeks. My results using Innovo to treat stress Incontinence * In week 2 I sneezed and did not leak! * I also went out on a girls night out, but alas, alcohol and too many giggles were no matches for the Innovo. * In week 3 I went on the trampoline for 15 minutes before I needed to leave! * I ran up the stairs without even thinking about it! * Stress incontinence is no longer at the forefront of my mind. * By week 4 I've started my new diet * I ran with my son! * In week 5 I blew up a balloon with no leakage! * I ran with Max * I've started to take pride in myself again Fast forward 12 weeks and I'm a completely different person! I feel so much better, I have pride in myself again, I've lost 18lb, I go out on the trampoline with my son almost every day to have fun with him and to exercise. I run with him, I play with him and our days out are not such a pressure on me finding the toilets. This product, whilst not cheap, works! It will strengthen your pelvic floor, it will put stress incontinence to the back of your mind, and it will give you back your self-confidence. As I said at the start, I can't recommend this product enough. That's me, on one of many occasions that I know spend with my son on the trampoline. It doesn't get much better than this!
Here are some of the popular easter eggs found in movies
As I've mentioned in my previous posts, we had a roarsome dinosaur themed weekend recently. We started looking for Fossils at Beachy Head on Saturday then a Dinosaur Safari on Sunday morning and ended with watching Dinosaurs roam the O2 arena on Sunday, in the spectacular Dinosaur Live Show - Walking with Dinosaurs. The show had Michaela Strachan, who I've loved since the really wild show, AND by the way, looks as amazing as ever! Taking us through the age of the dinosaur in this truly magnificent live show. We were taken through the ages of the dinosaur eras, how the continents split and moved to take us from Triassic to Jurassic, and the change in dinosaurs along the way. We witnessed fights for dominance, fights for survival and stand offs between various dinosaurs, leaving us in awe and wonder at the power and strength of these creatures. As we finish with the Cretacious period, we watch as a very audacious baby T-Rex feels he can take on both an Anlyosaurs and a Torosaurus. But we all know, where there is a baby, the mummy is never too far behind... I've added a video below as the words above don't really capture just how amazing this show was. It's a mash-up of various stages throughout the dinosaur era to give you an idea of how spectacular the event was. The show is currently touring but will be gone for good soon. If you get the opportunity to visit Walking with Dinosaurs, the arena spectacular, I highly recommend it.
#Gifted Cap'N Rex & His Clever Crew by Henry L Herz - ISBN 978145920885 We were sent this brilliant new book to read, which as you can tell from the title is a story of pirate dinosaurs! Oh yes, that ticks some very big boxes in our house Dinosaurs and Pirates!. It's a great story of how Captain Rex and his dinosaur pirates overcome obstacles on the Seven Seas such as shark damage to the boat, fog and a volcano in the quest for finding treasure. There is also the underlying message not to doubt yourself and the Captain gives encouragement to his crew when they say they can't-do something to help them realise that actually, they can! My son is in Year 1 and he read most of the words himself and loved the pirate vocabulary listing at the back of the book. He asked that I read it a second time with him, and I think this was so he could listen to the story and remark on each of the gorgeous illustrated pages. Currently priced at £12.99 - Publication September 2017 from Sterling Publisher It's a lovely short story that is long enough to help with Max's reading skills before he gets tired or loses concentration and one that will be read again and again over the coming months... in a pirate accent! We have the hardback version of this book, it's a large size book where little heads can get lost in the imagination and illustrations of the life on the seven seas, a real must for any dinosaur and/or pirate fan. Available from The GMC Distribution from September 2017
What is a good present for Mother's Day
#Gift With his parents as petrol heads is it any wonder that Max has just received his First Scalextrix Set? His first experience with Scalextric was last year at Kidtropolis, and for his age and the setup he was using he did really well, so I was really pleased to review his own, age-appropriate set. My First Scalextric Set Up The set up is very straightforward, and that's what you want! In fact, I managed to set this up in the 10 minutes he was out the house. The track, whilst it comes with instructions is rather easy to set up, admittedly I looked for numbers on the back ( as with his train set) but then realised the track is coloured, the track is a figure eight and if you follow the colours it can only go one way. Whilst the power cable is a good length the two controller leads are not so long, so you need to sit near to the track and each other, something my son took a while to appreciate as he kept trying to wander off with his controller in his hand, and therefore the track followed. About My First Scalextric A great introduction to the world of Scalextric racing for kids 3+, featuring an easy to assemble figure of eight track. The rally cars and adjustable power hand-controllers are colour coded in red and yellow to match chevrons on the circuit. Scalextric Magnatraction technology helps to keep the cars on the track, and variable hand-controllers allow the speed of racing to be adjusted depending on skill levels. Best of all, the set is fully compatible with the Micro Scalextric range of sets and cars, allow you to extend your track and add new cars - the possibilities are endless. Our thoughts on My First Scalextric I mentioned above that the hand controllers are variable to allow for the speed of the racers. I am rubbish! My son took around 5-7 minutes to get the cars to go round the tracking without coming off on the bend. His father cracked it straight away, me, I'm still sending that yellow car into the bookcase! As I appear to send the cars flying I soon lost interest in racing and the boys took over. This is not specific to this track, I can't keep the cars on any Scalextric track - in fact thinking about it, Thomas sometimes has a wobble on the train tracks too.... It was great to watch the boys playing, it would appear that my son is rather competitive and really enjoyed the racing. Due to the size of the track and the ease of putting it together as well as away, this is a track that will come out often, and can even stay out without taking up too much space. My First Scalextric Benefits As well as being a great bit of racing fun, this Scalextric set boasts of hand/eye coordination, manual dexterity, risk-reward thinking, face to face interaction, 3 dimensional and motor skill development. A lot of plus points for the young racer in your family.
I'm was very pleased to be part of Tots100 and Bostik's monthly blogger craft challenge for 2018, and for Valentines, boy did we have fun! Handmade Valentine Blocks made with my boy I thought I'd incorporate a bit of recycling with this project, and found some odd batten pieces in the shed that would make perfect little Valentine home decor blocks. I'm sure we are not alone in having random pieces of wood in the shed, garden or even loft. Use spare pieces of a batten to create Valentine blocks I cut the pieces up and gave them a quick lick of primer so there was a nice base for us to work with, and my son was very excited about decorating these! I wonder if it's because it's a different material to work with? He is partial to painting a cardboard box. Preparing small blocks to decorate We received and found lots of lovely hearts, red gems, ribbons, washi tape and lettering from both Bostik and our crafting stash Getting the room ready for a day of kids craft Armed with all our lovely stickers, papers, glues and dots we set about decorating our blocks. There are no rules, we just picked out what we liked and glued them, which is always the best way to craft. Using Valentine accessories to decorate the blocks Using Glu dots to add flowers and hearts to blocks I managed to get a lot of blocks out of one batten, so we now have lots of sets dotted around the front room all ready for Valentine's Day. Armed with these blocks and my newly created cones filled with chocolates, I'm rather loving our home decor. Love spelt Valentine blocks Adding papers and gems to blocks for Valentine Decor Blocks decorated for Valentines I received a craft bundle from Tots100 and Bostik as part of the Bostik Blogger group
what do I need to take on the school run with me
Thanks to office supplier Viking Direct, we teamed up with fellow fabulous bloggers to have a wonderful Zoom morning with a selection of Viking goodies and Jane's know-how. Jane, from Tea and Crafting, spent the morning in our homes via Zoom showing us crafters how to make Chocolate Bubble Wrap, Fire Breathing Dragons and Parcel Tape Feet. The best bit about these sorts of crafts is you have the items in your home, and if you don't have the exact items required you'll be sure to have a good substitute. Below I've listed how to make a Fire Breathing Dragon. If you'd like to learn how to make Parcel Tape Feet (my favourite) or Bubble Wrap Chocolate (my son's favourite), then head on over to Viking's blog page for detailed instructions on both. How to Make Fire Breathing Dragons Materials Needed: * A4 coloured paper * Toilet rolls * Glue * Sharpie * Tissue Paper Clean your working area and wash your hands or use some hand sanitiser before starting. Take a sheet of A4 paper. Measure how high your toilet roll tube is and then cut a strip of paper along the long side of the A4 using that measurement. Spread glue over your toilet roll holder and then glue your paper to the toilet roll tube and cut where the paper overlaps. Trim off any edges that overlap the opening if needed. Add eyes and a nose to your dragon's body, do this by using a Sharpie to draw the eyes and then draw a little square under your eye. This square will fold back and be glued down so that the dragon eyes stay upright. Do the same for the nose and glue the eyes and nose down. Cut tissue paper into strips no longer than about 10cm in length and about a finger’s width. Glue the strips to the top (this would be where the dragon eyes and nose are placed) and bottom of the inside of the toilet roll tube. There’s no need to add tissue paper to the sides of the toilet roll, at this point, it's fine if the tissue paper overlaps. Hold your dragon at an angle in front of you and breathe into the toilet roll tube - you'll see its tissue paper fire breath come to life! I don't have a photo of the bubble wrap chocolate I'm afraid, my son ate it the minute it came out of the fridge! Highly recommend that craft. About Viking Direct Viking Direct is an office supplier that also sells stationery and craft supplies as well as cleaning and bathroom products such as toilet rolls and all-important hand sanitizers and soaps. About Tea & Crafting. Jane is passionate about crafting and set up Tea & Crafting in 2009 as she wanted to share all things crafty and show people that a lot of these crafts are easier to learn than you think, without the need to commit to a six-week course that can be difficult to fit into a busy lifestyle. * Video feature Jane from Tea and Crafting
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I'm a firm believer in writing down your affirmations every day, to write down what you are grateful for, but there is so much more to writing than just affirmations. I have journals all over the house, I may have a stationery problem. I do love a notebook! But is my love for notebooks because I just love the feel of a crisp new book and the newness of a right-hand side of a page? Or do I love a journal because it's where I braindump? I've often written down what is bothering or concerning me before I go to bed, usually big issues, anxiety or meeting up with people I don't know. It somehow makes me feel that little bit better getting it out of my head, maybe just so I can read it back and analyze it better? But sometimes, I like to just write it out in poem form. I've done this as a child and one of my poem books has stood the test of time and living quite happily tucked away in the loft. It's not something I do to share or want praise for, it's just that sometimes, it just has to be written this way. But most importantly, my lovely readers, write it down! Give it a go if you've never tried it you may surprise yourself. It's like having a little clear out in your mind, maybe to make room for more chaos and mayhem and misunderstandings and sadness, or maybe, to let in some light. We all could do with a little bit more light in our lives. Take care.
I have a wonderful hairdresser who I've missed terribly during these lockdown periods, with Lockdown 3 being the worst! After being in lockdown for 4 months, and my hair living in that 'Lockdown Bun' I was almost excited to see my hairdresser in April. I say almost because I had not faired well in LD3, I'd gone very inside myself and really not venturing out the house at all, so the thought of leaving to travel, in my car no less, to another town was rather daunting! I've known my hairdresser for well over 13 years and I see her now more as a friend than someone who cuts my hair. We've been through 3 pregnancies together, marriage breakups, relationship problems and maturing into mums! We chat about everything and anything, from our feelings to what to watch on TV, to how our 9-year-olds are coping with life. So when I went to see my wonderful hairdresser, I obviously took her flowers to apologise in advance for the Lockdown Bun that I took with me, and it was like I'd never been away. We chatted as she worked miracles on my hair and left me feeling like I could take on the world, and you know what, that's what I needed! I needed that little pick me up, to say "It's OK, Rach, you can face the world again" It's amazing the effect a great haircut and therapy with your hairdresser can do for you, and if you've got a good hairdresser, you hold on to them. They truly are worth their weight in gold.
I have marvelled at all the dragon eggs I've seen over on Pinterest for ages, and every now and then I think "I must give these a go" Finally I did. The materials needed to make dragon eggs are very simple. * Polystyrene eggs. I picked some up at The Range * Drawing Pins. Hobbycraft sells them by the box load. * Nail varnish for added effect. You can purchase 300 drawing pins from Hobbycraft for £1.10 which is cheaper than 400 from Amazon. So do shop around first before attempting this craft. The idea is to slightly overlap the pins on the egg to give the appearance of dragon scales. One of our large-sized eggs used up all 300 drawing pins - you have been warned. I think the finished effect is rather stunning and we have our eggs in colourful nests under our ornamental tree. To add a little extra magic to the eggs you could paint them metallic. I used nail varnish to cover the pins but this too is quite time consuming so younger children may get bored. I plan to put these eggs out in the garden for an Easter Egg Hunt rather than putting the chocolate eggs out. As each egg is collected this can then be swapped for a chocolate one. I'm really looking forward to this year's hunt. Have you tried this craft?
Worthing Theatres whisks audiences away to the ball with Cinderella: The Pantomime Worthing Theatres and Paul Holman Associates have announced their fantastic annual family Pantomime Cinderella. Playing at the Pavilion Theatre, Worthing from Friday 29th November 2019 to Sunday 5th January 2020. Following the incredible success of last year’s Pantomime, Aladdin, which was nominated for Pantomime of the Year at the prestigious Great British Pantomime Awards this year’s offering promises to be more spectacular than ever before! With an all-star cast, laugh-out-loud comedy capers and all the well-loved traditions of pantomime Cinderella promises to be Worthing’s most spectacular Christmas pantomime yet! Find out if the glass slipper fits and if Cinderella can find her happy ever after with the handsome Prince Charming in this classic tale filled with lots of laughter and plenty of traditional pantomime audience participation combined with stunning special effects, sparkling costumes and scenery and a sensational star cast. This year’s incredible all-star cast features Strictly Come Dancing’s Ian Waite, making his pantomime debut, as Dandini, the Prince’s cheeky but charming aide-de-campe. Ian will star alongside children’s TV presenter and CBBC favourite Naomi Wilkinson, in the title role as Cinderella, with Boyband A1’s Mark Read returning to Worthing, this time, as Prince Charming. Nicole Faraday, best known for her iconic portrayal as the glamorous murderess Snowball Merriman in ITV’s smash-hit series Bad Girls, stars as the Wicked Stepmother. While comedian Mark Jones returns by popular demand to play Buttons after his scene-stealing spot as Wishee Washee in last year’s Aladdin. Big Glass Shoes to Fill We absolutely loved the pantomime Aladin last year, so Cinderella had big shoes to fill. Mark Jones as Buttons really gets the crowd involved and laughing, with some very on point political jokes that flew way over the children's heads. It feels like home when Mark comes on stage. For me, Ian Waite was amazing, especially as this was his pantomime debut. He took to it like a dancer to a ballroom. With great moves and bouncing off Price Charming perfectly, this was a well-cast duo. With all the glitter and glamour that Cinderella brings, the dancers of the show were truly magnificent this year. Their grace and professionalism really stood out and added extra shine to the show. Our two 8-year-olds were booing at "Just Pat", shouting with Buttons and clapping along to everything they could. Although a late show for them, they stuck it out to the end and were singing and dancing all the way home, complete with their own white mice. "My favourite part of the show was the 12 days of Christmas, so funny" Max, aged 8. For those who love Panto, will love Worthing's Cinderella. It's really becoming the place to go at Christmas, and I love being a part of this community. I can't wait to see how they pull off Beauty and the Beast for 2020. Cinderella Pantomime Times Cinderella: The Pantomime runs at the Pavilion Theatre, Worthing from Friday 29th November 2019 to Sunday 5th January 2020. Tickets for this family favourite pantomime are on sale now via www.worthingtheatres.co.uk or at the Box Office on 01903 206 206. Golden Week runs from Saturday 30th November to Friday 6th December with all tickets priced between £12 to £18. All evening performances during Golden Week will be followed by a cast meet and greet with photo opportunities plus a free programme for all ticket holders. **Ian Waite will not be performing on Saturday 14th December (2pm & 6.30pm) and Tuesday 17th December (10.15am). **Mark Read will not be performing on Friday 29th November (7pm), Saturday 30th November (2pm & 6.30pm) and Friday 13th December (10.15am & 6.30pm).
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Are supermarkets just ON TREND or genuinely care about the environment and the community? Marks and Spencer has announced it will be cutting plastic waste to zero by 2025, even though they have just introduced Peeled Garlic Cloves from China, which requires throwaway packaging in Belgium on its travels to the UK. Whilst M&S may look to be doing their part for the environment with regard to aiming to reduce plastic, are they helping the communities too or just jumping on the plastic bandwagon? A recent post by well-known local photographer, Eddie Mitchell posted a photo of loaves of bread being thrown out by Worthing-based M&S. Oh Dear M & S @marksandspencer shame on you @Worthing_Herald just give it away rather than throw it away :-( pic.twitter.com/uuJ8vpYe2q — eddie mitchell (@brightonsnapper) May 14, 2019 There was a common theme within the comments on this post, many voicing their disappointment in M&S. Other supermarkets in Worthing donate to a local charity in East Worthing, The Community House, who then forward this food on to those who need food banks, for the soup kitchen who feed the homeless, and anyone who needs food. Karl Middleton, from Waitrose and Partners, explained: “We currently donate surplus food to many different charities and social enterprises around the UK and are always looking to establish new relationships with local charities to ensure that as much surplus food as possible can go to good use”. Morrisons operates an unsold food programme, this is where Morrisons donate edible unsold food to local charities every day throughout the year. The Community House is a lifeline for many families. A lottery-funded project in the heart of East Worthing where people can drop in and take part in activities, get help and advice when needed and most importantly supply food for those in need within the community. “We collect from a variety of local stores including Sainsbury's, Co-Op, Tesco Express, Morrisons & Waitrose”. A spokesperson for The Community House said. “We do not collect from M&S, but I know they do give near date food to the Empty Plate Café”. So whilst Marks and Spencer may not give out food that has expired that day or walk 100 yards outside their door to give to the homeless on the street, it would seem, they do help within the community.
During the summer Hillarys hosted a lovely crafting day for bloggers over in Brighton. An event I was very much looking forward to attending especially as it was on over the weekend, unfortunately, due to other commitments I had to decline a lovely afternoon out with fellow crafty bloggers and Hillarys Crafternoon - The Jewel. But all was not lost as I was sent the materials and instructions needed to make my very own jewellery box. There were some beautiful fabrics on offer to make this jewellery box, as I have experienced before with my Safi Turquoise CALM letters so this time I thought I'd rummage around in my own drawers...... and see what I had to make a slightly geeky jewellery box. Materials used for my geeky jewellery box Materials Used: Cardboard Box Fabric Glue gun / double-sided tape Ribbon & Buttons Wadding Step 1 - Cover your box with your chosen material, cutting the edges out to leave 4 straight sides which will be folded over and either glued down or taped with double sided tape. Preparing to cover the lid of the jewellery box Step 2 Fold the cardboard insert to create a divider and then repeat the above step for glueing/sticking down the fabric onto the cardboard. Making the divider Step 3 - Slightly tricky. Cut the fabrics you wish to use for the ring section the same size as the box. Then cut the wadding to the same size as the fabric. Roll up the fabric around the wadding and place it inside the jewellery box. I ended up with 4 sections due to having my divider more in the middle than one side! Adding ring section to Jewellery Box Step 4 - Add a few decorations on the front of the box and you're ready to fill with geeky love. Filling with geeky goodies Jewellery Box thanks to Hillarys with a hint of geek There are a lot of Marvel and Comic book images on my box, so fit in our household quite nicely, but with a couple of cheap fat quarts any theme would make a beautiful box, don't you think?
The award-winning children's suitcase - Trunki, have turned the design colours over to the children, and what a great idea to show their individuality. I have followed the progress of Trunki ever since the concept of this suitcase appeared on Dragon's Den and having all five dragons tell Rob Law, the inventory, they were out! I remember being shocked at the time, thinking that this little suitcase was an amazing invention, and I'm not alone obviously, as 13 years on the Trunki is going from strength to strength in winning awards, being a popular favourite for children and parents, and even coming out with themed suitcases such as the Gruffalo (one of my favourites). Trunki is a team of big kids dedicated to Imagineering cool stuff to make family travel fun and pain-free! So when asked if my little one would like to design his own Trunki, I knew at once this would shout out to his creative side. What a brilliant idea! The website's customiser is very easy to use, and my seven year old navigated the paint pallet perfectly. The best bit is if your child is unsure what the Hub Caps are when they get to step seven, all they need to do is select the wording and the Hub Caps will highlight on the Trunki picture. Also, as you change the colour the screen changes with you so you know exactly what your Trunki looks like. There are over 1 billion possible combinations, and whilst this is great and some will use lots of combinations, I bet there are also little ones out there like mine, who wanted a completely Orange Trunki. The customiser can be found on the Trunki website, and once completed the final design will cost £44.99, and the joy and journies the Trunki will bring, is worth its money in my opinion.
They say it's the thought that counts when giving someone a present. Not a truer word has been spoken, especially when making one of the following gifts for your loved ones this Valentine's Day with a little help from the children. I've listed my top Seven Valentine crafts that can easily be done with the children, and let's face it, children do love to express their feelings through art. 1. Decorating wooden blocks. I thought I'd incorporate a bit of recycling with this project, and found some odd batten pieces in the shed that would make perfect little Valentine home decor blocks. ......read more. 2. Superhero Heart Mobiles When the comic book has come to the end of its useful life for your child, you can always create a heart mobile .... read more 3. Heart-Shaped Bird Feeders I thought it would be nice to make heart-shaped feeders to complement Valentine's day. .... read more 4. Valentine Crafts with Jam Jars There are lots of options with Jam Jars, so much so, I've written 5 of them here. 5. Adding a little colour to wooden decor pieces My local B&Q has some great wicker hearts for £1 .....read more 6. Making Lego Heart shapes How to make a Lego Heart shape .....read more 7. Sweetie Cones This one is probably for the adults or children who like to use a sewing machine but would need supervision. ..... read more Enjoy sharing the love everyone.
