Category: Vintage

Alice In Wonderland, Children, Children's Books, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Kids Days Out, Large Families, Memories, Outdoor Play, Parents, Reviews, Vintage, winter

Alice In Wonderland At Hever Castle

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Alice In Wonderland At Hever Castle

[PRESS EVENT] If I was ever asked to depict a traditional Christmas then Hever Castle would be it for me. We have just had our fourth Christmas visit and it is still as spellbinding and breathtaking as our first trip.

Fairy lights covering the pathways, lights illuminating the vast lake and snow dipped trees tucked away made for an amazing start to our visit.

Already full of the spirit of Christmas we headed towards the castle where we got to sip hot chocolates and mulled wine, feast on mince pies and cookies whilst taking in the splendour of the beautifully decorated rooms.

Warm and toasty we headed back out into the grounds and had some fun on the carousel and the magic hall of mirrors. The children and adults alike where all smiles throughout.

Next up we headed to see the main man himself. We were a little early so the friendly elves set the boys down to writing their wish lists to Father Christmas that they could then seal and place in the letter box which was a lovely touch.

Before we knew it we were being guided through the snowy paths by more friendly elves who chatted about all the things they had been up to before passing us over to Father Christmas who was nestled away in his cute wooden cabin.

He chatted away to the children for some time and was extremely warm and welcoming. After a little pep talk on being good…which was most welcome they all received a lovely gift and we headed out to finish the evening with the Alice In Wonderland trail.

This is always one of my favourite parts of the evening and this year was one of my favourite themes. The actors were as elaborate and engaging as ever and the decorations were a wonder to see, although Oscar found a few a little spooky this year.

The beauty of Hever’s Christmas attraction is that tickets are not needed to be booked in advance for everything so there is the opportunity to enjoy this right up until Christmas Eve.

Blogging, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Gym, Large Families, Memories, Parents, School, Siblings, Vintage, Weddings, World Book Day

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eleven

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eleven

This weeks ‘Celebrating The small Things’ has been a seen us doing a lot of catch up with the things that got cancelled and postponed due to the horrible snow. Did the bad weather mess up any of your plans?

World Book Day – World book Day came a lot later than expected this year due to it being way to icy for the little ones to get into school in their flimsy outfits.
Frankie was super excited to get all kitted out as Willy Wonka and got completely immersed into the character; it was a different situation with Oscar though who flat out refused to join in.
He has gone from being a little boy who lived in fancy dress and couldn’t even take a trip to the shop without some form of dress up to not wanting anything to do with it at all!
I was still desperate for him to join in through the worry that he would fill singled out, but he waltzed into nursery without a care in the world it was in fact him who was the odd one out and I have to admire him for that.

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Weight Loss Goals Being Achieved – I am a few months into my membership at David Lloyd Health Clubs now and I have really been keeping the benefits in so many ways, with the biggest of those being my weight loss.
For those of you that regularly read my blog you will know that my weight gain over the past few years has been a real problem for me and something I have been really struggling with.
Since joining David Lloyd at the beginning of the year I have seen a real change to my body shape and in turn a boost to my self confidence which I hoping will allow my to be a little braver in front of the camera soon!

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping – My lovely little sister is getting married this year and the bridesmaids dress have been a bit of a problem to say the least! None of us have been able to find anything we had all liked until the other day when we had a trip to Dig For Victory and found a whole shop of adorable dresses that can be made to measure and to your exact requirements.
In a few weeks time we will be getting measured up and ready for them and I literally cant wait.

Children, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Gardens, Kids Days Out, Memories, Outdoor Play, Photography, Stately Homes, Vintage

A Truly Traditional Christmas At Hever Castle

by thejoyoffive7 Comments on A Truly Traditional Christmas At Hever Castle

Hever Castle is a pretty spectacular place to visit at any time of year; from its stunning gardens to the grand castle itself it really is an immensely beautiful place.

This said we have never visited at Christmas and it was something I had heard such good things about that I couldn’t wait to explore what they had to offer this weekend.

We arrived to a tree lined walkway covered with sparkling lights and from this moment the Christmassy feeling kicked in and we were all super excited to get inside.

We headed straight to the castle where the centre courtyard held a crib that the children gazed at whist getting the most wonderful surprise of falling snow from the air.

The castle itself held countless trees that were all adored beautifully with a magnificent surprise of a whole grand hall lined with delicate white trees that were simply amazing.

From here the children climbed aboard the carousel, tried their hand at the coconut shy and spent a good while at the hook-a-duck stall that had some pretty impressive prizes.

Next stop was the Husky Hideout that Izzy had been itching to get to all day. It was so lovey that the children had a chance to get up so close to so many of the beautiful dogs who’s owners were all on hand to answer any…well lots of questions from my lot.

We then couldn’t walk past the cafe without popping in for a bite to eat. As usual I found it impossible to pass on a mince pie and when they come in the form of a tienesse swirl that makes them even more tempting.

I washed this down with a creamy gingerbread latte while the children sampled some very cute Christmas pudding shaped cookies.

A quick stop at the toilets gave us the unexpected surprise of snow covered trees that surround the small area by the gift shop. It was a wonderful surprise and really felt like a little winter wonderland.

We still had the Twelve Days Of Christmas trial to complete and this really exceeded my expectations.

The trail wound round the gardens and had pitstops at each of the sections from the familiar Christmas carol. It was decorated beautifully and a certain points you were greeted with riddles and activities to complete that the children revealed in.

This is also home to Santa’s Grotto that we didn’t visit this year but I must say looked amazing!

Our last port of call was the craft workshop where the children set to creating their very own christmas angel from all sorts of bits and pieces. There was sparkle and shine everywhere so Izzy was in her element.

I really could have spent the entire day here just taking in everything they had to offer. From surprise flurries of snow to the excitement of the fairground rides there was something for everyone to enjoy and we thoroughly did.

It was the epitome of a traditional christmas for me and a day that will have us coming back agin next year for sure.

*we were given tickets to this event for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinions.

Boating Lake, Cafes, Crystal Palace, Dinosaurs, Kids Days Out, London, Parks, Shopping, Vintage

Window Shopping and Dinosaur Hunting in Crystal Palace

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Window Shopping and Dinosaur Hunting in Crystal Palace

For me a trip to Crystal Palace has only ever entailed a trip to the park, but over the past few years as I’ve driven down the high street I have slowly seen some more interesting shops and eateries popping up.

With my sister after some different household goodies for her new home we decided to give the town centre a visit today and were pleasantly suprised.

There were some fantastic independent coffee shops and resturants, a few good clothes shops and ample home ware shops offering something a little different to the norm.  I would recommend a look around Crystal Palace if you are looking for some one off pieces or a good restoration project to sink your teeth into.

          

Once the little ones had, had enough of the shops we headed to the park.  I have a real love for this park for many reasons.  It is steeped in history and I love climbing the steps, with the children of what would have been the magnificent Crystal Palace.

  

From there we made our way across the vast parkland and down into the ornate gardens of the ‘Victorian theme park’ that homes the magnificent dinosaur sculptures.  We never tire of walking around, clambering on the rocks and feeding the ducks whist looking at the fantasic dinosaurs; although number four was disappointed with their lack movement today!

          

During the summer months the boating lake is open and you can hire a pedalo or rowing boat which is alway a great addition to our trip.

After our dinosaur hunt we made our way to the farm to meet the animals. It  is only  small but there is always a chance to meet one of the animals up close, and the volunteers there are always on hand to answer any questions.  There is no charge to enter but a donation is asked for.

  

A short walk from the farm leads you to the dinosaur themed playground where the little ones burnt off some energy in the sandpit, slide and swings.

  

Our final port of call was the maze.  For some reason this has always eluded us in the past and we wished it had today!  Due to our lack of direction it was a very anxious and muddy twenty minutes.

This park has good public transport links and is directly next to the train station.  There is a free car park that is located by the ruins of the old palace.  As it is such a vast area a buggy will be needed for tired little legs.

Come rain of shine this is a beautiful piece of history that is defiantly worth a visit, especially for dinosaur lovers.