29 May 2019

Superhero Takeover at Blair Drummond Safari Park

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If you're like me and always looking for new and exciting things to entertain the kids then Blair Drummond Safari Park really is the place to be. We were invited along at the weekend to experience their fabulous Superhero Takeover event and it didn't disappoint. All of the extra activities that the safari park put on are totally FREE! As if there's not enough for the kids to do (and adults) they get more to experience just for turning up. Superhero laser tag, parkour, avenger trail plus games and activities were all included in the normal entry price. It's brilliant and all the lovely events that Blair Drummond put on mean there's always something different to do time and time again.



So what did we get up to on our visit? Well first up was the Superhero laser tag! Logan heard this being mentioned so we had to investigate first. The lovely company, Wee Heroes, provided an amazing laser tag experience for the kids and us big kids too. You get suited up in a special vest and handset that you hold and strap snugly to your hand then you're ready to go. You can choose which superhero you'd like to be which Logan loved. He was given Wolverine before he even had the chance to pick but loved it as that's who he's named after. It was perfect. I was Wonder Woman, the husband was Batman and I honestly can't remember who Harlow was! We got split into teams (red team and blue team) and had a safety briefing before the game started. The hand held laser machines work really well and are very accurate so Logan was loving it. There was also different skills you could choose and forms of attack so as you can imagine Logan had about 5 or 6 shots of laser tag and kept wanting to go back for more. When us adults were puffed out he just went in with other kids so was quite happy.


Running around the park where performers from Access Parkour who were dressed up as Spiderman, Deadpool etc. They were funny to watch, jumping, running and climbing around the safari park and being amazing with the kids. They also had parkour workshops taking place at the Superhero HQ (next to the laser tag) so that was fun for the kids to take part in. Speaking of the Superhero HQ, this was full of different games and activities for the kids to get involved with. There were superheroes running around, photo opportunities, laser string maze, endangered animal stand with lots of info and Thor's hammer where you could test your strength and see if you were worthy.


Blair Drummond Safari Park also had the Avenger trail and a leaflet to go with it. Follow the clues on the leaflet to find the superhero letters around the park and unscramble the password. You then handed your completed leaflet to a member of staff at Superhero HQ for a small prize. It's a fun activity and a great way to help the kids explore the park. And as well as all of this you've got the actual safari to drive round. Graeme the rhino was very entertaining, running around at some speed! I got a bit scared, ha ha.


For the first time ever we watched the birds of prey display and it was amazing! I'm actually sad it's taken us so long to see it. The birds were brilliant and so good at showing off their skills. Harlow loved it and was laughing with pure joy, we'll definitely have to go back and see it again. We visited the restaurant for lunch too and had some tasty dishes. It was macaroni cheese for the kids, a chicken burger for me and a huge cheese burger for the husband. We polished it off as it tasted so good.


It really was a fun family day out and even though it rained it didn't stop us having fun. We'll hopefully be back again soon as I'm sure there's still more to see and discover. Keep checking the Blair Drummond Safari Park website and social media pages for details and more information on upcoming events. I think their next one is World Oceans Weekend from 8th June which sounds really interesting.


We received free entry to the park in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

16 May 2019

Review: Nine 2 Nothing Card Game

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The family and I love a good card game and with travelling quite a lot we like to take them with us to keep occupied on our journeys or when the kids get a bit bored. The brilliant new Nine 2 Nothing Card Game is right up our street. Invented by Summer, a 7 year old girl, whilst bored on a family holiday it had an immediate effect and everyone by the pool started playing it! Its gripping, simple to learn and fun to play. We took it on our recent holiday with us and even when the kids were away at the clubs us adults had fun with a game or two.

So how do you play the game? Well the clue is in the name. Each card is numbered from a 9 to a 0 and the first player to get rid of their cards wins. It’s simple but oh so hard to do and keeps you on the edge of your seat. You basically shuffle the deck, deal each player 9 cards face down, place the rest of the cards in a draw pile face down and turn over the top card and place it next to the pile so it starts you off.


Play starts with the player to the right of the dealer and you’ve got to work your way down from 9 to 0. So, if the first card is a 7 then the next player must lay down a 6, they can put down as many or few 6’s as they have in their hand. If they don’t have a 6 then they pick up from the middle. Unless they have a wild card which they can use in place of the 6 – they must use this to replace it with! If they pick up a 6 from the draw pile, it can’t be placed down until their next turn. Then once a 6 has been placed, it’s the next persons go to lay down a 5. This continues until you get to 0, then you start back at 9 again.

If the draw pile runs out of cards – you flip them over (without shuffling) and carry on the game. There are 2 wild cards that can be used as any number. If you can go, i.e have the next Number or a wild card, then you must go. The winner is the first person to lay down all their cards. It really is a fun game and you can see the pace picking up with anticipation as the game continues. It’s great and so easy for the kids and us adults to enjoy without faffing on instructions or tricky rules.


Summer is also very kind and always thinking of others and from the moment her dad said “we should make this game to sell”, Summer decided she wanted to give back, so for every pack bought they will donate another one to a charity or school giving more opportunities for children and families to sit down and enjoy some quality time together playing a fun family game. I think that’s such a lovely kind thing to do for others and Summer definitely has a good head on her. Well done Summer.

The Nine 2 Nothing Card Game is designed for ages 5+ years and for 2+ players. It retails at £8.99 and since it’s a pack of cards it’s very handy for taking on your travels. We’ve had it whilst glamping or on our recent flight and it’s perfect to pass the time and interact with the kids whilst having fun. It’ll definitely be a staple in our travel bags for future trips. I'd highly recommend as we loved it.


I was gifted this game in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

14 May 2019

5 Star Luxury at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tenerife

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At the start of this year I made a conscious effort to try and book in as many holidays as possible for myself and the family. We love travelling and a bit of adventure so getting away from the front door is a must if we can. Whilst browsing the Jet 2 holidays website I came across the lovely Hard Rock Hotel, and after much reading and researching decided to book as it looked ace. And I'm honestly so glad I did.


The Hard Rock in Tenerife is a massive 5 star luxury hotel with lots to offer. They have an amazing kids club which is open 9am to 9pm. Four different pools (kids pool, normal pool, adults only and beach club), a teen room full of Xboxes/ Playstations/ VR etc and a lovely play park right outside the kids club complete with sand pit and accessories. They even have floats for the pools which the hotel provide, think giant unicorns and flamingos!! It really is brilliant.


The Beach Club pool was one of our favourites. It was heated for starters, had an artificial beach with giant pillows to relax on, DJ booth with fab music being played and some aqua aerobics to keep you fit. We spent a lot of time here as a family enjoying ourselves. It's such a chilled hotel as well, nothing is too much trouble for the staff and they were all great with the kids.


I booked us in for Half Board and it was worth it to be honest. Plenty of choice for breakfast although the restaurant was always a bit mental past 9am. Breakfast was until 11am so you had plenty of time in the mornings. The dinner buffet was lovely as well, especially great for meat eaters and seafood lovers. The husband would eat all the meat and I would eat all the seafood. Happy as Larry. They had a little buffet for the kids too so they were quite happy.


Outside of the hotel there are a few shops and restaurants so plenty of places to get food if you choose only bed and breakfast. I did half board as it just makes life easier with kids sometimes. There are also a few other a la carte restaurants onsite at the Hard Rock and if you're half board they give you a supplement of 30 euro off per adult and 15 euro off per child so plenty of options.


We loved our stay that much we hardly ventured far from the hotel. However Siam Park is 20 minutes down the road in a taxi and we visited the Jungle Park zoo which was only 25 minutes in a taxi and cost around 20 euros so it was fine. The kids had a great time and everyone really enjoyed themselves.


If you have any questions on our stay at the Hard Rock Hotel do feel free to message me as happy to answer them as best I can.


13 May 2019

Treat Your Dad on Father's Day with Moonpig

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Father's Day in the UK this year is on Sunday 16th June, so not that far away really. To help you get your thinking caps on and get some ideas formulated for your old man, I've put together a little gift guide from the lovely moonpig website. I spent last Saturday celebrating Father's Day with them and got to take my Dad along for the fun. It was an ace day and we made some fab personalised cards which I'd highly recommend.

Anyway, have a read on below to see some of my top moonpig Father's Day picks which will be sure to put a smile on your Dad's face next month.

























Personalised Cards
Let's start with a lovely personalised card. I don't mind normal shop bought cards but there's something so lovely about a personalised one. It feels like you've put more effort into it and taken the time to tell your dad how you really feel. There's even cards on moonpig from the dog! How brilliant is that.

Little Tipple
My Dad likes a little dram now and again so this personalised whisky is perfect for him. It's a blended whisky and you can personalise the label with your chosen name and message. I think it's a great gift to give and hopefully it'll last a wee while.

Cheese Please
I do love a good cheese hamper and so does my Dad. This one from moonpig looks delicious and a perfect set for all the cheese lovers out there. Included in this set is; Founders Stone Merlot 187ml, Ploughmans Chutney 125g, Scarlett & Mustard Red Onion Marmalade 125g and Miller's Elements Earth 100g.

Balloon Treat
Nothing says thank you more than when it's written on a balloon. Moonpig have a handful of balloons for amazing Dads and I think it's a great way to show your appreciation. My Dad would love it.

Smelling Fresh
My Dad travels a lot with his work so this nice wash bag and accessories would be perfect for him to take on his travels. Included in this set is: 1x Body Wash 75ml, 1x Face Wash 75ml, 1x Aftershave Balm 75ml, 1x Moisturiser 75ml and 1 x cotton black face cloth.

This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.


2 May 2019

Monkeying Around with Go Ape

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The other half and I had a child free day to ourselves last weekend so we popped along to Go Ape for a bit of fun in the tree tops. We headed up to Aberfoyle near Stirling which is Scotland’s first Tree Top Challenge. This high ropes course is situated in the stunning scenery of Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. I’ve been to Go Ape a few times before, one was team building with work, but that was years ago. It was nice to go back and try it out again and see if I could take the leap of faith, like Tarzan, into the giant net!


Go Ape in Aberfoyle is definitely a zip wire lovers paradise. It is one of the best high rope courses in Scotland (not forgetting the other Scottish courses near Aberdeen and Edinburgh!) and is home to two of the longest zips in the UK. You'll fly the distance of around four football pitches (over 400 metres!) at heights of up to 46 metres above the ground. It really is something you have to experience first hand. I know swinging from the trees might not be everyone’s ideal child free activity but it was actually so much fun. I always think it’s a great bonding experience as you have a good laugh and a good chat as you’re working your way through the different challenges as they present themselves.


There are a few restrictions you’ll need to take note of before you book yourself in though. You must be a minimum age of 10, over 1.4 metres in height (4ft 7”) and weigh no more than 20.5 stone. Children aged 10-15 years must be supervised by an adult 18+ years. Children of 16 and 17 are allowed to supervise themselves. If you are taking kids between 10-15 years it’s one adult to two children in this age bracket. All of these details are on the website for you to look over which is very handy.


As well as the lovely zip wires there is of course the aerial obstacles and crossings through the trees. You can pick which routes you wish to tackle with handy difficulty ratings on each one which are easy to identify. We tried to go for the most difficult routes to challenge ourselves but it was good to know that if we got tired there were easier routes too. We loved jumping into the big net near the end of the course. A lot of people avoided this though because it does feel like you're falling. As long as you've done everything from the safety briefing you'll be totally fine. It was a strange but lovely feeling when you get over the fear!


Do be prepared for Go Ape before you turn up on the day by wearing sensible footwear which is sturdy and suitable for outdoors. I wore trainers which was fine as it was dry. If it was a bit rainy I would have been better with walking type shoes. Also wear sensible clothes and ones you don’t mind getting dirty. When you land from a few of the zip wires you will fall into the wood bark and you will get dirty. If you have long hair tie it back and it’s probably a good idea to wear gloves as your hands can get a wee bit sore grabbing at all the ropes.


The hubby and I really did have lots of fun though. It was brilliant laughing at each other as we tried to cross the different obstacles ha ha. It’s £33 for an adult and £25 for a child however if you book far enough in advanced there’s always a wee discount or two online for you to take advantage of. Well worth a look anyway. It was a really good fun day out and my muscles were aching afterwards. The course can take between 2-3 hours but take your time and move at your own pace going round. It’s nice to stop and take it all in sometimes.

I was gifted this experience in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

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