31 March 2018

Review: Almond Valley Heritage Centre

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Last weekend the sun finally came out and it felt nice and warm (for a change) so the family and I headed along to the Almond Valley Heritage Centre in Livingston for a little day out. I’m embarrassed to say I never even knew the heritage centre was there but I’m so thankful that the lovely team from Almond Valley got in touch and invited us along to check it out.


Here’s a little bit of background on the site for those history buffs out there: “The story of Almond Valley begins in the late 1960's with a campaign to save the historic buildings of Livingston Mill from demolition. A volunteer group won the support of the new town development corporation, and over the course of a decade worked to restore the derelict watermill and farm-steading. Members of the local community then established a city farm on the site, and a little later, one of the outbuildings became home for the Livingston Oil Museum.


In 1990 the Almond Valley Heritage Trust was created to take forward these diverse interests. Ever since, we've continually extended the attractions and facilities of the site, explored new activities, and developed new services. As a social enterprise, we've built a sustainable business that involves and serves both our visitors and the wider community. We've ambitious plans for continued progress.”


Our drive from Fife hardly took any time at all and before we knew it we were parked up and ready to explore. Entry to Almond Valley is via the gift shop where you can purchase your tickets from reception. You can visit from 10am to 5pm every day and there’s membership passes available too in case that’s something of interest for your family. If you’re visiting a lot I would recommend it as it’ll save you some pennies.


Upon our arrival the lovely receptionist  handed us a few leaflets and explained the park and what activities were on since it was our first time. We were intrigued to explore the Shale Oil Museum and take part in the Easter activities currently available between 24th March and 16th April. The SpringTime Trail is one of them where you’ve to spot springy plastic ducks around the park. They have a letter attached to them and once you find all 8 you’ve to make a word to receive a prize. There’s also the egg hunt where you’ve to comb the park for hidden egg cards. If you find one you can take it to reception and get a treat. Harlow also very much enjoyed the Easter crafts table and spent quite a bit of time there decorating her paper egg. If you visit between 30th March and 2nd April there’ll be a plastic duck race as well. So lots of things to do.


As well as all the activities that Almond Valley have on throughout the year they also have tons of different play areas for the kids and lots of lovely animals to visit. During Easter you can even have an animal encounter in the Wings and Whiskers shed. Cute chicks and fluffy bunnies here we come. There really is so much to do and see at the park with some of the kids favourites being the nutty bouncer pillow, trampolines, bones and stones tent for digging up remains, morag's soft play, the adventure zone and woodland go-carts. The park is huge so we never managed to do everything in one go sadly but we're hoping to get back soon and take part in the activities we missed such as the zip-wires, trailer and tractor rides and the railway.


The trailer and tractors rides run most weekends and during holiday periods whilst the narrow gauge railway runs on summer weekends. There's an extra charge for these activities but it's only £1 so very reasonable. After a good bit of running around the park we decided to take the kids into morag's soft play as morag's tearoom is joint on and us adults could have a cuppa. The kids got 30 minutes in the soft play for 50p whilst the hubby and I relaxed for a little minute. We came back to morag's tearoom later in the day for a spot of lunch and it was lovely. Plenty of variety to choose from but the good thing about Almond Valley is that you can bring your own food and have a picnic in the picnic barn. I think I'll do that next time for a change.


All in all the kids and us adults had a lovely time exploring the park. With so much to do and see I can't see my two ever getting bored of it especially with so many different play zone. We literally spent almost the whole day here and only left at 4pm as Harlow was getting tired. I'd highly recommend for a great fun family day out.


We were sent tickets to the park in return for an honest review.

29 March 2018

Disney On Ice: Worlds of Enchantment

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Last week the family and I were invited along to another fantastic performance of Disney On Ice. This time the theme was Worlds of Enchantment and as always it didn’t disappoint. The show took place at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow so to make sure we made the Meet & Greet with the characters beforehand we left the house pretty early after the school pick up at 3pm. I’m glad we did as there’s always a little bit of traffic into Glasgow on a week day.


Upon arrival we made it just in time to meet Mickey Mouse all dressed up in his racing gear. This made me think that we’d be seeing an appearance from the Disney Cars cast in the show and sure enough we did. Logan loved posing it up with Mickey however Harlow changed her mind and quickly decided she was terrified. Some kids just aren’t into it but others think it’s great. After a few photos we decided to head to our seats so we were all settled for the show to start. I of course sent the hubby to get some snacks and drinks to keep everyone happy. Normally I buy the kids a flashy light up toy but we brought our own (as we have loads) and decided to get slushies instead. The kids love a slushie and the cups can be reused after you’re finished. They’re actually really nice.


We had amazing seats to view the show which faced directly down the ice. They were high up so we could see everything going on down below. Logan and Harlow were super excited and Harlow was jumping around like a crazy person. Once the show started she settled down a bit but all the kids are singing, jumping around and generally just being kids. No one bothers as everyone’s in the same boat. Thank goodness as Harlow’s a riot! Anyway, the show started out with a Toy Story 3 theme. It was the main story in this show and it was fab to see it played out on the ice as believe it or not I’ve never seen the movie. I’ve promised the kids I’ll definitely get the movie for them to watch.


During the Toy Story 3 performance Barbie and Ken’s scenes were my absolute fav. So funny and brilliant to watch. Logan really liked the toy soldiers and of course the toy pig caught Harlow’s eye of appreciation. It really was very enjoyable. Harlow kept asking when Frozen would be on though as she totally loves it but she had to wait till the end for that delight. Next up was a visit under the sea with Ariel and her fishy friends. It was a brief visit but very colourful with lovely songs to sing along to. Next up was Cars and we were all impressed with how they managed to have actual cars on the ice. Logan was fascinated and said they were like robots. We’ve never seen Cars on the ice before so this was a new performance for the kids to enjoy. Last but not least was Frozen (which Harlow hadn’t waited patiently for) and the whole place erupted with screams from tons of adoring fans. Harlow was beside herself with excitement and threw herself into total Frozen dance mode when the familiar songs started up.


The kids loved this show just as much as the last and we’d definitely go along again. There’s always something different to see as well as the old classics that the kids love. Highly recommend as a great family show for all ages. Oh and definitely let the kids dress up if they want to as almost every child there (and a few adults) come fully dressed as Disney characters. It’s brilliant and so much fun.


The show is currently touring the UK with Worlds of Enchantment tickets still available for most shows. They’re next trip to Scotland will be Aberdeen on 2nd May so if you've got a spare couple of hours then definitely purchase some tickets online and get yourself to Aberdeen for some fun family times.

We were given tickets to the show in return for an honest review.

2 March 2018

Review: Baby & Me Wash Bag from Cuddledry

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As a family we travel a lot which often means packing a lot of stuff for everyone and carting it with us. We do love a good old getaway including staycations here in the UK and of course travelling abroad to sunnier climates. Speaking of which I could really do with some sun at the moment as getting sick of this snow! Anyway with travelling, especially with children, there always seems to be a bulk load of toiletries and essentials you need to take with you. When the family and I travel I normally take a few medical supplies as well such as calpol, plasters and antiseptic cream as you just never know what will happen on your journey.


Now, I have the normal sort of toiletry bags and make up bags for all my stuff but by the time I've included the kids products I can end up with like 3-4 different bags of varying sizes! It's a bit of a pain and I worry I'll end up forgetting or losing something so this is where the Baby & Me from Cuddledry steps in. It's a gorgeous high quality wash bag for parents with babies on the go.

Unlike all other wash bags it has two completely separate sections, one for you and one for your baby, clearly colour coded, with plenty of space in each for all the different toiletries or medicines you need.  Each compartment also features a wet and dry section, and the parent compartment even includes refillable BPA free 100ml bottles – perfect for travel.  No need to pack twice or rummage to find things any longer. And do you want to know what I think? I honestly love it!


The Baby & Me is an excellent size for keeping all your travel bits and bobs in and has two handles on top for easy carrying. The two separate sections means you can keep your products on one side and babies on the other. I love the wet and dry sections too which are separated by a zip to keep wet items away from everything else. I used these parts for things like shampoo, shower gel, perfume, toothpaste etc. Honestly so so handy. The parent side also comes with x2 BPA free re-fillable toiletry bottles which are excellent for plane travel. I have massive bottles of shampoo and conditioner at home but hate using hotel shampoos at times so these are perfect for putting my hair products into.

The wash bag material itself is high quality with easy wipe clean lining and outer. So it doesn't matter if it's bouncing around inside your suitcase or you drop it on the ground the outside is easily wiped cleaned. Same with the lining, no mascara or cream marks here. Quick wipe and all better again. The Baby & Me wash bag retails for £24.99 and comes in one colour. It's a lovely white, grey and very light green/teal. I took this bag on my travels down South to Paultons Park recently and it was ace. I fitted everything in I needed plus all the kids stuff without an issue. On the way back I packed in even more with some hotel toiletries for the kids and it still had plenty of room so I'm super impressed.


Overall a gorgeous wash bag which I'd highly recommend to friends and family. At £24.99 it's a great deal for such a good size and I love that it's the only toiletry bag you'll need to fit all your goodies in for travelling with baby. The quality is lovely and I can see this bag lasting for a long time. It'll certainly be with us on a few travels this year and hopefully in future.

I was sent the Baby & Me wash bag in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

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