Having A Spooktacular Time At Chessington World Of Adventures

Chessington World Of Adventures don’t do things by halves and this years Howl ‘O’ Ween celebrations were as fantastic as always when we visited yesterday.

As soon as you hit the entrance the park is festooned with all kinds of pumpkins and skeletons to get you into the spooky mood.

We usually head to Chessington for the fast rides and thrill and spills they have to offer, but this time we decided on a calmer day where we would just go to enjoy the smaller rides, the animals, the shoes and of course everything they had to offer for Halloween.

Trick Or Treat Wood is always a favourite with all the family as it allows for the element of surprise and is jumpy without being too scary.

We weaved our way through the woods where we were confronted with all kinds of creepy, cute and funny creatures that took us on an adventure to make it through the woods and claim our special treat at the end.

From here Izzy braved the Creepy Caves that saw her escorted through a creepy quarantined area which was extra scary as due to nobody knowing the whereabouts of the missing zoo keeper!

More scares were to come with the Curse Of The Tomb where you need to find your way through the scary maze in search of Genghis Khan’s lost tomb.

This one certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted and I got the wits scare out of me by one of the actors simply popping his head out of the caves!

It was an absolutely freezing day and we were very grateful to be able to warm up for a while in the Sealife Centre that the children all love.

We then made our way to some of the smaller rides such as the flying jumbos, the carousel, adventure tree, tiny truckers and of course Hocus Pocus Hall has to be done at this time of year!

We took a little bit of time out to watch the brilliant Room On A Broom story time they brings the much loved book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler to life which the children were captivated by and then loved getting the opportunity to meet the witch herself.

Another place we love to visit is the Dragon’s Placehouse where the boys have a whale of a time jumping through the soft play while I get the chance to have five minutes peace and a cheeky muffin in the cafe next door.

We were a little pushed for time and gutted we didn’t get the chance to see the brand new Haunted Howl ‘O’ Ween show which looked like great fun.

There was also a competition running for the best dressed Halloween adventurer.

All the fun is going on until 4th November so don’t miss out!

‘I am a Chessington Blogger Ambassador, I was given a Chessington Annual Pass to do this review with my family and I was not paid to do this post. If anyone would like to confirm any details in the post, please email press.office@chessington.co.uk’

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory Themed World Book Day With Party Delights UK

World Book Day is one of the favourite days of the school year for my lot…well and for me actually. I love going through all their most loved books and choosing which characters they want to become.

There has been a huge variety of different characters chosen over the years and I have to say some have been easier to create than others. One author that is always top of the list though is Roald Dahl.

He brings back so many found memories of my childhood and I would get completely immersed in his tales, from the shenanigans of the evil Witches to the heart felt adventures of The BFG to the trials and tribulations of the mischievous Twits and the troubled life of darling Matilda.

His thought provoking tales have bought so much enjoyment to myself and my family over the years that it would be rude not to honour his work on such a special day.

On paper as well as on screen Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is alway a hit and the boys were lucky enough to be sent a Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka outfit each from the lovely people at Party Delights UK.

They are certainly the people to go to to get kitted out for World Book Day, and its not only the children they have thought of, there is also a section for the teachers too.

There are way to many costumes to list on here but there are some firm favourites such as Harry Potter, David Walliams, The Gruffalo, Alice In Wonderland and many more.

Frankie was thrilled will his costume that had all the finer details that are often left out such as Willy’s cane, a super cute bow tie and of course the spectacular top hat.

Oscar’s Charlie Bucket outfit came complete with authentic grubby patches and a little attachment inside the jacket to hold the all important golden ticket!

Head over and take a look yourselves at the fantastic range and get your little ones kitted out in style for this very special day.

*We were given these outfits for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinions.

PJ Masks Halloween Party

Could there be a more perfect start to half term then a combination of super heroes and halloween all rolled into one big party.

This is exactly what we were lucky enough to experience when we went along to the Picturehouse Central last week for the PJ Masks halloween party.

Balloons, banners and just about everything you could think of related to PJ Masks filled the room and hoards of excited children dressed as their favourite characters played with the super new PJ Masks products, crafted and danced along to a fantastic session put on by Diddi Dance.

Diddi Dance are in-fact hosting a week long ‘PJ Masks Super Dance Party’ from 30th October-5th November throughout all their branches in aid of the Youth Sports Trust.

As if this wasn’t enough excitement we were then surprised by the arrival of all the ‘real’ PJ Masks’ Oscar was absolutely over the moon!

They then all joined us for for a yummy lunch before we headed off to the screening of the brand new episodes that are set to hit our screens in the spring.

The action packed episodes will still see the same familiar characters with the addition of some new and exciting characters to bring even more fun to the hugely popular shows!

The boys exclaimed the they had had the best day ever and came away with the goody bag of dreams that they are still working their way through now.

PJ Masks really are going from strength to strength and with some great products that have just been launched in time for christmas and some brilliant new episodes coming in the new year their is so much for fans to look forward too.

Getting That Camp Bestival Vibe Started With Big Fish Little Fish Tour

One of the many highlights from our trip to Camp Bestival last year was the Big Fish Little Fish stage. These very clever guys are the makers of the best…if not only family friendly, kids raves I have seen.

We were lucky enough to go to their first event in the Ministry Of Sound which albeit a little surreal was the perfect mix of dress up, dancing and fun and games for children and adults alike.

It would be the perfect taster for a insight into what to expect at Camp Bestival for anyone thinking of going or as a warm up for all the regulars. 

With the Camp Bestival ‘Pop Stars And Rock Stars’ theme this year the tour would be a great chance to get all those outfits ready and give them a run on the dance floor to see if they can take the pace, there will even be an opportunity to have your photo taken in the Camp Bestival photo booth and enter a competition to win one of three family tickets to this years festival.

The tour is starting on the 5th of February and is coming to Farnham, Bristol, Southampton, Balham, Margate, Bath, Bournemouth and Hackney.

We will be going along to Margate and enjoying the rave at Dreamland which if you are a follower of mine you will know this is one of our favourite seaside venues and will be the perfect place to host a Big Fish Little Fish Event.

Take a look here to get your tickets booked and keep an eye out for all the run we are going to have in a few months time!  

Camp Bestival:The Perfect Christmas Present

Our summer holidays got off to the most fantastic start ever this year with a fabulous few days at Camp Bestival.
I never thought staying in the middle of a muddy field under canvas with four little ones would have left us with such wonderful memories and made such an impact on us as a family.

I couldn’t recommend a trip to Camp Bestival enough and with their 10th festival coming up this year I’m sure it will be even bigger and better than ever!


As with every year there is a theme to the weekend and this year it’s time to dig out the leather and get your air guitars at the ready for Pop Stars And Rock Stars.


I’m sure that you are all gearing up to Christmas now and lots of pressies are being bought. 

What better present could you get than one that would create a lifetime of memories for years to come, and this is exactly what you would get from giving the gift of Camp Bestival tickets.

You can expect outstanding music, superb theatrical acts, hilarious comedy, all the fun of the fair with numerous fairground attractions, mouth watering food round every corner, the chance to really get into your natural surrounding with plenty of outdoor activities and so much more!

If you grab the early bird tickets before the 9th December they will come with an exclusive souvenir Camp Bestival Christmas card. These are limited so you will need to get in quick.

Whilst we are on the subject of Christmas there will be the Camp Bestival Advent Calender coming in the next few days where you have the chance to win some great prizes and activity sheets, so something well worth entering.

Lastly if you fancy a little bit of luxury with your stay then Camping Plus, Backstage VIP and Hospitality Camping are all open for booking now and are limited on spaces so don’t miss out if this is for you!

                    

A Superhero Wannabes Dream:Marvel Universe Live

Two superhero clad, hugely hyperactive boys, a ten year old girl with no interest in superheroes and a moody teen with no interest in anything apart from his XBox was quite a combination to take to watch Marvel Universe Live at the O2 the other day.

My youngest two live and breath anything superhero related and have high hopes of becoming ‘the real’ Hulk and Iron Man when they grow up; so I knew the prospect of seeing their favourite characters come to life on stage was going to be the perfect treat for them but I knew the other two were going to be a little harder to please.

We arrived to a sea of mini super Heros eagar for the action to start and when it did it really went with a bang!

From the minute the lights hit the stage huge projections filled the back screens and explosions began to excite the crowd.

One by one the familiar characters of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Capitan America and some not so to me such as Loki and Red Skull took to the stage leaving a packed crowd of tiny faces and some bigger fans in complete awe.


The story of the battle over the cosmic cube which holds super power in the Marvel Universe has been shattered into pieces by the powerful Thor to prevent it from being found and used by any evil villains.

In a bid to gain back the precious pieces the powerful Marvel heroes club together facing a whole host of problems on their way.


It was hard to know where to look at points with perfectly executed fight scenes taking place alongside death defying motorcycle stunts, pyrotechnic displays and superheroes scaling walls and flying through the air there was never a dull moment.


It was action packed from beginning to end and all four of mine sat in silence through the entire show just waiting for the next bit of action.

My youngest two who have horrendously short attention spans didn’t move a muscle, number three said it was the most exciting show she had ever seen and my massively critical teen said it was fabulous and couldn’t believe how real it came across.


Marvel Universe set our imaginations on fire and sparked off that love of superheroes in is all.

*we were invited along to watch this show for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinions.

Ticked Pink Animal Onesie Review

With our minds buzzing about what to wear as a ‘wild’ theme for our impending visit to Elderflower Fields at the end of the month I was really happy to be contacted by Tickled Pink Fancy Dress to try out one of their animal onesies.

I sat with number four and looked through the range and he picked out a super cute looking giraffe.


Placing an order was really easy and the delivery was really speedy.

The packaging was ripped open before I got the chance to take a look and there was a bit of a battle about who was going to try it on first!

I ordered the smaller size which was for ages 3-5 which fits my four year old perfectly and even looked good on my two year old.  The quality is fantastic and the material is soft and comfy which is all children ask for really.


The baggy fit allows plenty of room to allow you to wear other clothes under rest which is perfect for the festival as you never know what the British weather is going to throw at you!

Tickled Pink offers a huge range of costumes from children to adults for almost any occasion and are well worth checking out.


*we were given this onesie for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions 

Sharing The Love On World Book Day

In our house there is always a big dilemma about costume choice in the weeks leading up to World book week.  It’s not unusual for around twenty characters to be considered and rejected before we finally choose.  Thankfully this year I only had one to dress and we finally came up with Wanda ( Where’s Wally’s girlfriend) without to many problems.

This got me thinking about the whole concept of World Book Day and reflecting on a family holiday in The Gambia when I was a child.  I remember being astounded that the children there could not go to school unless they had their own pens and paper.  Being a fairly typical ten year old child who’d moan and groan every morning about getting up for school, I remember being shocked by the Gambian children’s hunger for learning.

The memory of those children inspired me to search for a charity that supplies books to Third World Countries; and my search lead me to the Book Bus.  This fantastic organisation supplies children’s books to countries such as Zambia, India and Malawi.



I’m not sure how much they understood but from now on we will donate to The Book Bus each World Book Day as a reminder of just how privileged we are and that we mustn’t take our access to education and a good book for granted.

If this entry feels a little worthy, check in tomorrow for the antidote – the children and I are off to IKEA, I can feel my stress levels rising already!