A family day out at Beamish

If you are a regular reader, you will know that before Christmas James and Mummy were lucky enough to do an overnight sleepover with our Beaver Colony at Beamish The Living Museum Of The North. We came back full of stories about what we had done and saying we wanted to take Daddy and Freddie next time!

So fast forward to January and Beamish had a competition on Instagram to win a family unlimited year long pass and well mummy only went and won it!!

For us to get to Beamish we had to catch the 28 or the 28A bus from Eldon Square bus station. The buses run every half hour at quarter past and quarter to the hour Monday to Saturday and every hour on a Sunday. Click here for the Go North East timetable.

So Saturday started early with mummy putting our pack lunches together, a lot had been pre made in the days before and frozen so all we had to do was put them in the cool bag. We decided to take our lunch with us as it would be safer for Freddie with his food allergies. 

We then got the bus from our terminal into Newcastle city centre and then we walked across from Haymarket to Eldon Square to catch the bus down to Beamish. A family explorer bus ticket which we could use on both Stagecoach and Go North East cost us £20.60, as it was cheaper than buying separate tickets on each operator. 

The bus ride down was about 45 minutes and it was a long hard trip as we had decided to let Freddie ride out of his stroller!! He literally would not sit still!

We had got the 0845 bus from Eldon Square bus station. In reality we could have got the 0915 bus and still been at Beamish for opening. 

With it being January a few bits were closed like the steam train, Pockerley waggonway and also the chip shop. The boys were gutted the steam train was not running. 

The first thing we did was get the tram from the main entrance down to the pit village! This wasn't too bad till we came to get off and Freddie threw a massive strop! He wanted to stay on the tram! We stopped to see the pit poneys and the goats. We then had a look in the school and the church. The boys then went and had a look in the houses with daddy. 

We then went and looked in the engine sheds which both the boys were loving! Then we went to do the mine. I was a little concerned about taking Freddie in but he did wear his hat. We started off down the mine and got to the first little section and this is where Freddie decided he didn't like it and wanted to take the hard hat off so mummy took him back out while daddy and James continued on!

After we finished in the pit village we decided to walk down to the town. We walked via the disabled access to the station where we found the train was not running which really upset the boys. Once we walked into the town we decided to go and have an early lunch in the park, before we went to the sweet shop and then wandered round the bank and the masonic hall before going back to see how the sweets are made!

James loved being back in the masonic hall as he was able to show daddy the exact spot where he slept when we did the sleepover back. We then took the built in lift upstairs in the masonic hall to show James and daddy where mummy slept on the sleepover!

Once we had finished watching the sweets being made and having a sample of the ones we had watched being made. We got the tram back to the main entrance

and after a quick visit to the gift shop we made it to the bus stop in time for the 1315 bus back to Newcastle. This time we left Freddie in his stroller and he had a nice sleep on his way back to town.

Since we now have an unlimited annual pass to Beamish we are already planning on our next visit hopefully in the Half Term holiday!

Living Arrows 2020 Week 3/52

Welcome to Living Arrows 2020! This is the third year I have taken part in this linky and I love taking part each week! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" 

Each week I share one photograph of James and one of Freddie and share what they have been up to during the previous week!

This week has been a busy one! James started the week with a school trip to Sunderland Winter Gardens, which he had a fantastic time and now wants to go again in the school holidays as a family!

Freddie also had a school trip this week to Newcastle Castle Keep!

The Siblings Project 2020 - January

Welcome to The Siblings Project for 2020!

This will be the third year I have taken part in this and I really enjoy it as it is a fantastic way for looking back at how much the boys have grown up over the course of the year!

This month the photograph was taken before school one morning. The boys were being very cute together. Freddie also had his first school trip this day! 

Living Arrows 2020 Week 2/52

Welcome to Living Arrows 2020! This is the third year I have taken part in this linky and I love taking part each week! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" 

Each week I share one photograph of James and one of Freddie and share what they have been up to during the previous week!

The boys have been back at school and nursery now for a week and they are both thrilled to be reunited with their friends! Freddie especially on the first day back woke up and got very excited as he knew he was going to be seeing all his little friends again! Freddie also had his project launch so he had to go in dressed up smart!!

James also went back to Beavers this week and he was thrilled to see all his friends and also to meet all the new Beavers that have joined our colony this term! 

It's Time to Plan Your Summer Vacation!

Image Credit: Pexels CC0 Licence 

The new year has begun and brought lots of new opportunities with it. But,

unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the weather will be improving any time soon. Perhaps

this is why January is such a popular time for booking holidays! With the rain still pouring

and the wind biting, what better time is there to plan a warm trip for the summer?

So, what do you need to think about to make your summer holiday something to really

look forward to?

Budget

Managing family money can be challenging but, when you know what your priorities are

and you have a fixed budget, it gets a lot easier. Remember that while holidays are all about fun, getting the most for your money is still important. This might mean compromising on some things to get more elsewhere. It might mean expanding your horizons to consider completely different holiday ideas.

Some companies like StudyLink Tours are great for groups of students planning a trip because they make the most of group bookings and create custom holidays. You can take a leaf out of their book by looking at the best way to organize. You might find that booking activities and tours in advance could be a lot cheaper.

Even if you don’t have the money to go on holiday right now, starting to save up is a

really good idea. Think about where you want to go and work backwards from

your planned holiday dates so you know how much you need to save each month

to achieve your dream holiday. 

Dream Big

At this point in the year, you still have plenty of time so dream big. What do you really want

to experience this year? For some families, sun, sea and sand are essential; for others,

a city break with plenty of activities and tours would be ideal. Understanding what you

want first will help you narrow down your destinations.

Now you have a better idea of what you are looking for, it’s a good idea to keep your search

nice and broad. Have a look at holiday destinations that are off the beaten track and

don’t lock yourself into a standard package deal too early on. Unusual family holidays

are the ones that stay with you over the years so don’t assume that you have to do

the same as everyone else!  

Looking at travel costs can often impact your choices. You might find that a destination

you hadn't thought of before is a lot cheaper to get to than your usual haunts. Equally,

you might consider different modes of transport. Taking trains is becoming increasingly

popular and also offers an opportunity to stay in other destinations along the way.

Interrailing is often considered a student holiday but families can get just as

much out of the experience!

With so many options for travel, there’s no need to let the weather get you down.

Start planning your summer holiday now and make sure you have something

fun to look forward to.

**Collaborative Post**

Living Arrows 2020 Week 1/52

Welcome to the first Living Arrows post of 2020! 

If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" 

Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week!

So this week has been the last week of the school holidays! We had a pretty quiet week as Freddie started the week ill and then daddy sprained his ankle. Daddy was then back to work on 2nd January so we had a chilled out day at home, then went to tesco on Friday morning!

Living Arrows 2019 52/52

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! 

If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" 

Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week!

I cannot believe this is the last post of the 2019 Living Arrows! This year has gone so fast! I love looking back at the posts and seeing what the boys have been up too!!

The Elves have left!

And so Christmas 2019 is over and our visiting Elves have trotted back off to the north pole!! Here is the last few days that they were here causing mischief!

20th December

21st December

22nd December

23rd December

24th  December

Living Arrows 2019 49/52

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week!

This week started pretty quiet as daddy was back to work after being on holiday for a week. Then it went crazy as when we got home from picking up James, poor Freddie was sick all over our door mat so it was two days off school for him! He was perfectly fine after he was sick so we think it might have been allergy related rather than sickness bug as if he is sick from his allergies he normally is fine within five minutes!

James had a smart scoot at school on the Tuesday so he had to take his scooter and helmet in with him! He then decided he wanted to scoot to school the next day as well! James also went carol singing at our local Asda with with our Beaver colony! He had such a good time! I cannot believe he has been at the Beavers for one year and one term almost! He has definitely gained a lot of confidence since he started! And come September he will be in Cubs as he will be eight!!

Freddie finally went back into nursery on Thursday, just in time for the school fair on the Friday afternoon! Mummy had to rearrange most of her week due to Freddie being off nursery for two days! Not a lot got done work wise!

Living Arrows 2019 44/52

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week!

This week the boys are back to school after lovely half term visiting Nana and Gaga. We all had dentist appointments on the Monday and then on the Tuesday mummy and the boys went to a local big Asda while nana and gaga did some messages. 

On Tuesday afternoon we took the boys across to Amble to go for a walk around the harbour and into the braid and the marina. Freddie managed to find some huge puddles, so much so that all the splashing actually filled his wellies with muddy water! Both boys were stripped out of their trousers and boots once we got back to the car!

Now we are on the count down to Freddie's fourth birthday which is in Three weeks eek!

Blogtober Day Eighteen

Today I am going to tell you all about my favourite apps on my phone!

So as I mentioned in a previous post. I have an android phone, which is a Sony Xperia L3.

The apps I tend to use the most are: Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Kindle, Spotify and Uber Social.

My favourite app definitely has to be the Amazon Kindle app. I have a subscription to Amazon Unlimited so I can read as many books as I would like each month. I think reading when I go to bed definitely helps me to sleep better and my brain is much calmer than when I would be messing around on social media before going to bed.

I have found that I sleep longer if I have been reading than I do if I have been on social media. Having the Kindle App means I will actually sit down and read. I found if I had to actually pick up a book I wouldn't read it as I would be too scared that the kids would get a hold of it and wreck it!

So over all my favourite app is 100% the Amazon Kindle App!

Siblings July

Welcome to the July Edition of The Siblings Project!

We are now into the seventh month of 2019! 

James is now days away from finishing Year Two! And Freddie is days away from finishing playgroup before he transfers into the nursery at James Primary School in September!

James has been loving

*Beavers

* His tablet

* His Scooter

Freddie has been loving

* Playgroup
* His Moo
* His scooter

This months photographs were taken before we had a family day out the other weekend! Both boys decided to have their hats on backwards and demanded photos to be taken! 

Review of Milkshake Live

As a parent, kids TV shows, especially in the mornings are a life saver! My two boys love Milkshake on Channel 5 in the mornings before they go to school and playgroup!

The team behind Milkshake, over the last few years, have started to put on live theatre shows using some of the characters from the programmes they show. We first saw one of the live productions when James was two and he's now almost 7!

The latest offering is Milkshake Monkey's Musical, based around the channel's mascot - Milkshake Monkey! 

When we saw the show was coming to Sage at Gateshead we knew we would have to take the boys! We missed the last theatre show they did as we were away when they were here, so we knew we had to take them to this one!

So mummy booked the tickets to take the boys to see the show!

We booked to see the 11am show on 30th June as we knew seeing the earlier show would allow us more time afterwards for getting back home!

This tour they have two different types of ticket, the standard ticket and the VIP ticket which allows you to meet some of the characters from the show! We decided to get the VIP tickets this time, so after the show we got to meet Milkshake Monkey and Shimmer and Shine which both the boys loved!

The show features characters from shows that are on Milkshake including Digby Dragon, Fireman Sam, Nella the princess knight, Shimmer and Shine, Whisper, Noddy and the Floogals! There are also two of the Milkshake presenters. The show we were at had Derek and Olivia. 

In the show Milkshake Monkey wants to put on his very own musical and so the show is based around him getting everything ready for the show, even though he has a bout of stage fright! I won't go into too much detail about the show as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it! But what I will say is it was fantastic!

The show had a prompt start and including the interval it ran for just over an hour and a half which I think was a perfect length for small children. Even thought Freddie had his own seat, he actually chose to sit on my knee so he could see even more! He only started to get ants in his pants right at the very end!

The tour runs till the start of Novermber 2019, when it breaks for panto season, so check out https://www.milkshake.tv/milkshakelive for dates!

**We were not asked to write this review and we paid for our own tickets! We just wanted to tell everyone what a great family show it is!**

**Images are courtesy of Mark Thompson Productions on Instagram**

Living Arrows 2019 26/52

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week! 

This week has seen the return of the sunshine! We started the week with daddy having two days off work, so he was able to do some of the school drop offs and pick ups for James which James was thrilled about! James as normal had Beavers which mummy was a parent helper this week!

Freddie has had a lovely week at playgroup and we even managed to finally get him to let Gaga cut his hair! He looks so much more grown up with short hair! Mummy kept saying when it was long he looked like a member of a 90s boyband!!

The best part of the weekend was on Sunday mummy and the boys went to see Milkshake live with Derek and Olivia at Sage in Gateshead! The boys had a wonderful time and mummy was glad to see Derek after a few years! Derek used to be in a band that mummy loved when she was growing up and she still listens to them now!

Living Arrows 2019 18/52

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week.

It was the first full week of term and both boys went bouncing into school and playgroup, excited to see all their friends!

James came home from school on the Monday with the Star of the Week sticker on his jumper. He was so thrilled to be awarded it and told me he got it for being brave on his school trip around the bee's as he is terrified of them.  He also had a trip with Beavers this week to a local Temple as part of the Faith badge they are doing this term. 

Freddie had a great week at playgroup! He is literally running in now and not looking back to see where mummy is! He has come on so much since he started there when he was two! I think he will really miss the place when he moves across into the school nursery in September. We also finally got Freddie's appointment through for the allergy clinic!