Tag: family time

Children, Families, Family Life, Kid Bloggers, London, Memories, Presents, Toys

Ain’t No Party Like A Num Noms Party

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Ain’t No Party Like A Num Noms Party

Last Sunday we were up bright and early to catch the train into Shoreditch to celebrate the launch of Num Noms Series 4 at All Stars Lanes in Brick Lane.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Num Noms, they are basically a collection of super cool collectables that come in the shape of scented characters, lip glosses, nail varnishes and light up characters that can be stacked, raced and traded to your hearts content.

After trying out a collection of Series 3 Num Noms my guys were super excited to see what the new collection would have to offer!

We walked into the most spectacular party where there were literally Num Noms galore, from a whole play area dedicated to them, images of them all over the big screens and a creative area where the boys loved trying out the new nail polish maker.

This fab new toy allows you to make your own individual nail polish with scents such as strawberry and banana with a sprinkling of glitter if you fancy.

Im sure this is going to be on the top of many Christmas lists this year!

The fun didn’t stop there and we had after a game of bowling that was made pretty competitive by Izzy they tried their hand at icing some Num Nom inspired biscuits with the lovely people from Biscuitiers.

I was more than impressed with the level of concentration that was kept by my extremely active children and the results were pretty tasty too.

They then all headed off to get their faces painted while I got treated to a much needed manicure at the nail bar.

Suitabaly worn to from all the fun it was time for some lunch and a chat about what they had thought of the day.

They were on an absolute high from such a fantastic afternoon…probably a little to do with the pic’n’mix and yummy milkshakes too.

What I really love about Num Noms is the fact that even though they are branded more towards girls, my boys absolutely love playing with them alongside their sister who even after hitting high school this year is still very much a fan and has loved building her collection at home.

Do you have any Num Noms fans at home?

Children, East Sussex, Families, Family Life, Festivals

Last Chance To Grab Elderflower Fields Tickets

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Last Chance To Grab Elderflower Fields Tickets

This year will be the third year that we have visited the fantastic Elderflower Fields festival in the heart of Pippingford Park, Sussex.

The first year we went along for the day and fell in love with it so much that we couldn’t wait to book ready for the following year where we wanted to imerse ourselves in the whole experience by camping for the whole weekend.

For me this is the perfect starter festival as its on a slightly smaller scale than most which allows you to really kick back, relax and enjoy everything it has to offer.

Your weekend can be as chilled or as full as you want to make it and with all activities included in the ticket price the children won’t be bored for a minute.

The tickets are selling out fast for this years event and you only have until the 7th May to purchase yours.

If you fancy dipping your toe into the family festival scene and coming along as a day guest or if you want to try out the whole experience under canvas I can whole heartily recommend you start here!

Click on the ‘link’ to find out a little more and get your hands on the last remaining tickets!

Children, Dinosaurs, Education, Families, Family Life, Gardens, History, Imagination Play, Kids Days Out, Learning, London, National Trust, Outdoor Play, Reviews, Stately Homes, Uncategorized

Dinosaurs Invade London At Jurassic Kingdom

by thejoyoffive14 Comments on Dinosaurs Invade London At Jurassic Kingdom

Who would have thought that tucked away in a suburban part of town there would be grand Georgian house with stunning grounds homing a whole host of dinosaurs!

Last week we went on the hunt for them and wasn’t disappointed.

After a more than a little fraught journey to from South London we made it to Osterley House in Isleworth, which a a stunning National Trust property with acres of beautiful land that is just perfect for hosting Jurassic Kingdom which is there from now until the 17th April.

It is accessible by public transport but a long walk from the train station for little legs or a short bus journey but the buses are only scheduled every 20 mins which was a long wait for my impatient children.

The car park however is huge and free to National Trust members of £7 all day.

Time slots are available to book easily on line for the event and I would suggest you allow yourself plenty of time as there is lots to see and do.

The Jurassic Park style entrance paved its way into the attraction itself which has you following a path through the grounds spotting dinosaurs as you go.


Some are static but the majority have moving limbs and sound effects which the children loved.

It is a far more interactive experience than I had imagined and there are dinosaurs that you can climb onto, a sand pit that lets the little ones try their hand at becoming an arciologist and digging out bones and an education tent where you can sit and watch a short show that explains a little more about dinosaurs.

As far as eating goes the places is perfect for picnicking as there are so many great places to pitch up. There is also a small selection of fast food stands where Izzy count resist the churros!

The children also has a great time making us of the National trust facilities which are always a winner by tree climbing, den building and swinging on the rope swings.

All in all it is the perfect day out for dino fans and even those that aren’t so keen could easy make us and enjoy everything else Jurrasic Kingdom has to offer.

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

Country Kids

Children, Families, Family Life, Reviews, Reviews, Uncategorized

Sunday Night Games With Yeti In My Spaghetti 

by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Sunday Night Games With Yeti In My Spaghetti 

Every year it gets to Christmas, all the board games come out, we have a fantastic time playing with them together as a family and they are then packed away again not to be seen for another year.

This year however I made a pact with myself that we would dedicate one night a week to all get together as a family and take a few hours to connect through the fun of board games.

We are so preoccupied with ourselves all week and get lost to the world of social media most evenings that I felt it really important to have some screen free time and just concentrate on each other.

Sadly I think the days of relaxing Sunday afternoons filled with roast dinners and quality family time are dwindling due to the fast pace of today’s world and it is something I would like to try to keep hold of in our family.

The only problem we have is our family spans such a large age group that it can be tricky to find something that everyone has fun playing and is going to keep everyone engaged.

University Games kindly sent us a game called Yeti In My Spaghetti that seemed a perfect way to kick off our games evening.


This game is aimed at over 4’s and is for two or more players. We had over eight of us all ready to get involved.

The game is set up really quickly by laying the strands of spaghetti over the top of the bowl and then balancing the yeti on top.

We then took it in turns to try and remove the stands of spaghetti one at a time without letting the yeti fall into the bowl.


It was such a simple game but kept the whole family entertained, even down to number five who has only just turned three.

The only issue we had was the youngest two got a little excited when the yeti fell and decided that that the person to make it fall the quickest was a much better way to play!

This was a real all rounder that would be great to play as a family or so easy to follow that it could be set up and played by the little ones on their own.

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

Carboot, Children, Families, Family Life

My Sunday Photo:Lazy Sunday

by thejoyoffive10 Comments on My Sunday Photo:Lazy Sunday

I’ve been trying really hard since the summer holidays have finished to make sure we have one day at the weekend where we don’t do very much at all.

I’m inclined to try and fill our weekends up with mad rushing around and trying to cram every minute with activities. What I really need to do is sit back and allow us all some much needed downtime.

Today we had a bad start with a trip to a less than impressive car boot sale, but then spent the rest of the day eating delicious cakes, having water fights in this glorious autumn sunshine and filling ourselves to the brim with a tasty roast dinner.

Today was good and I’m looking forward to many more lazy days just like this!

Photalife
Families, Family Life

Are you Holiday Ready?

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Are you Holiday Ready?

For the majority of people the phrase “are you holiday ready?”means only one thing.  That worry of of how you are going to look when you hit the beach!

 Europa Pharmacy have gatheredsome  staggering statistics that show only 31% of women get excited when they are packing for their holiday and 1 in 3 worry about their bodies everyday they are away.

I for one am one of these statistics and have spent years crash dieting, crying over how I look in bikinis and miss out on  quality family time when I’m away  because I’m to busy stressing about my body image for the entire holiday.

This year I am going to turn things around and focus on all the the wonderful things you have to look forward to when you planning a trip away.

  • A New Wardrobe Who doesn’t love going out and shopping for some beautiful new items to stash away in your case ready for your trip.  I’m going to chose pieces that are bright, flattering and the kind of thing you only get the chance to wear while your abroad due to the lack of good weather you get in the UK.  Plus those all important beauty essentials to get you ready before you go and to emphasise that brilliant tan while your away! 
  • Planning Places To Explore There is nothing more exciting than going to a country that you’ve never been to before and exploring all the exciting new places there are to investigate.  Why waste time fretting in front of the mirror about how you are looking when you can discover new places you may never have the opportunity to see again.
  • Quality Family Time with the hustle and bustle of life at home with work and school, quality time is something that often gets pushed asside.  A holiday is the most perfect time to push all the worries of everyday life to one side and just enjoy each other’s company.

I urge you all this year to banish those negative body images and instead concentrate on all the things they are really important when you go away.

Make the run up to it exciting and hopeful for the fun time you have to come rather than wasting all that energy on focussing on all the things you don’t like about your body. 

Let’s face it do you come back from a week away remembing what all those strangers looked liked on the beach? I’m sure the answer to this is no and nobody else will be worrying about your wobbly bits either!

Enjoy yourself, enjoy your family and create all those every lasting memories to think back to fondly for years to come.

*Collaberated post 

Blogging, Children, Families, Family Life

Capturing Moments Or Being Part Of Them

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Capturing Moments Or Being Part Of Them

Your child’s first steps, singing happy birthday as your special person blows out the candles on their birthday cake, waving them off on their first day of school.

All of these things are such big milestones in your child’s lives and ones that we want to hold onto for a life time, but sometimes maybe we need to sit back and think, is getting that perfect photo the most important thing or is being there in that moment more what we should be savouring?

I’m never without my phone in my hand much to the annoyance of my husband!  And it was this photo he took of me the other day that has got me thinking.

  
We were having a lovely day in town and I came back with some wonderful photos but did I really need half of them?  Not really. 

Take this moment for instance.  We were sitting outside a coffee shop waiting for my husband by a magnificent ship on the Southbank in on of the most beautiful cities in the world. I should have spent the time chatting with my children about everything that was going on around them, let them talk about their day and what they would like to do for the rest of the weekend instead of trying to get yet another selfie!

I worry that although I’m capturing these moments to keep for a lifetime am I limiting the brains wonderful ability to recall moments in my mind?  Am I making myself the secondary memory and not fully feeding my own mind? 

I’m certainly not going to stop taking pictures.  Since I started blogging photography has become a real passion for me and has in many ways opened my eyes to my surroundings a lot more.  It gets me to look at lighting, finding good backdrops for my photos and I definitely have a new found love for architecture and how I can photograph it.  But from now on when it comes to time as a family I’m going to spend more time with them enjoying thoses special moments rather than worrying as much about the way I’m  going to capture it.

Box Hill, Children, Families, Family Life, My Captured Moment, Outdoor Play, Parents, Photography, Sons, Surrey

My Captured Moment:Autumn Begins

by thejoyoffive4 Comments on My Captured Moment:Autumn Begins

  

My ‘Captured Moment’ for Running In Lavender this week is taken from one of my favorite vantage points in Surrey – Box Hill.

I love everything about Autumn, the chance to cosy up with a big hot chocolate, the preparation for Halloween and bonfire night and the crisp leisurely walks you can enjoy with your loved ones.

Box Hill has the most incredible views of Surrey, although I do completly freak out that the children are going to lose their footing and stumble all the way down the hill!! 
  

Allergy Free, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Food, Holidays, Large Families, Memories, Outdoor Play, Parents, Parks, Photography

Center Parcs:The Perfect Family Holiday

by thejoyoffive15 Comments on Center Parcs:The Perfect Family Holiday

I first visited Center Parcs twenty one years ago when Longleat was opened and have been there nearly every year since.

It is the kind of place you simply can’t tire of and had something to offer if you are 1 or 101!!

If you were to ask any of my children what their favourite hoilday is they will always pick Center Parcs as the top of their list, well baring Disney (sorry)!

Over the years we had had trips where we have taken part in lots of activities and others where we have relaxed more and made use of exploring the wonderful surroundings Longleat is set in.

  
We always hire bikes when we go as it is the easiest way to travel from place to place, and much more fun than walking.  It’s a great place to practice your cycling as the roads are car free once everyone has checked in and there is not the worry that you would get riding a bike at home.  If cycling is not your your thing then there is a land train that you can hop onboard.

We always get a trailer for the youngest ones which doubles up perfectly as a shopping cart!

 
  
We usually grab our bikes and head off to our favourite resturant, The Pancake House.  This year was made extra special by an allergy free pancake being put on the menu so number four was not left out.

   

  

  

  

Tummies now full we made our way to our lodge to get settled in.  This year we were greeted with the usual open plan, cosy lodge nestled in the woodland with all the things you need from any self catering accommodation.  To our delight our lodge was set right onto a beautiful large pond which was perfect for on tap duck feeding.

   
     

     

The children were now champing at the bit to get to the pool which is a favourite for everyone.  They have a well set out area for babies and toddlers, a large pool area that has a wave machine on the hour that leads into a great lazy river, several water slides, jacuzzis to relax in; but our firm favourite is the Rapids.  It is an outdoor slide adventure that I love more than the children!

  
This year the children picked one activity each and we filled the rest of our time with bike riding, swimming, playing on the beach and making use of all the playgrounds on offer.

   
  

         

Number four had his first outdoor activity this year which was the Mini Trek.  He had a fantastic time and thought he was on ‘Ninja Warrior’.

   
    

 

‘Super Grandad’, hubby, number two and number three all took part in the High Ropes Challange.  This was a two hour activity and they loved every minute of it.

   
       

Last of the activities was the Arieal Adventure. This has changed slightly this year but was still the firm favourite.

   
       

As far as eating goes at Center Parcs we have always found the restaurants really good value for money and there is plenty of choice.

   

We usually eat in a lot as it is easier with a large family with young children and ours love to make use of the barbecue area at the lodge.  There is a supermarket on site with mini trollies which are always a highlight.  The supermarket has everything you could want but is very pricy so I would suggest bringing your own good if you were trying to save money by making use of the self catering.

   
 

   
 

We always have tears when we have to end of trip and I can hand on heart say that Center Parcs can’t be faulted.  It is the perfect family holiday and the fact we have visisted for over twenty years should just show you what a truly fabulous place it is. 

           
  

  

  

Allergy Free, Birthdays, Blogging, Cafes, Cakes, Children, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Families, Family Life, Food, Kid Bloggers, Kids Days Out, Nut Free, Parents, Photography, Reviews, Wheat Free

Our Very First Blogging Event

by thejoyoffive23 Comments on Our Very First Blogging Event

Since starting blogging just over six months ago I have been completely taken in by everything the blogging world has to offer.  I love meeting new people through social media, getting inspiration from other people’s great blogs and trying out new things that I can then review and pass on mine and the children’s thoughts to others.

As silly as I probably seem I was thrilled to receive an email the other day inviting us to a blogging event at Centrale Croydon.

On reading the email it sounded like a real fun packed day that the kids would love and I would love writing about.  Then the fear set in!  What would I wear? Would the children behave? Does this now make me a ‘real’ blogger? 

My fears we quashed as soon as I made my way to the Build A Bear Workshop where our day was starting.  I was greeted by some other lovely bloggers and their great children and just knew from then on I was going to love the day.

   
 

An exited group of children made their way inside the brightly coloured shop and were met by the super friendly, bubbly staff.  Name labels were given out and they were then sent off to pick their very own bear from a huge range that would cover any child’s taste.

  
We settled for a minion, fluffy bunny and a rainbow coloured teddy.  The children were then allowed to go up one at a time to help stuff their bears whilst taking part in lots of fun games to keep them amused.

   
       

Number three and four had a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anybody.  Number five on the other hand decided to fulfill my fear of badly behaved children and cried and moaned through the whole experience!  The staff were not fazed in the slightest and tried their best to involve him in the fun.

   
 

From here they had all worked up a good appetite so we made our way round the corner to an ice cream parlour called Gelatos.  

Again we were greeted with a smile and seated in the funky purple booths, where we chose our lunch from a vast selection of hot and cold food, hot and cold drinks and lots of supper scrummy waffles, sundaes and milkshakes.

   
     

Normally places like this are off limits to us due to number fours allergies; here they were not a problem and they catered for everything.  They managed to find a suitable lunch for him that was then finished off with a yummy sorbet.  Number two and five had a delicious panini, a big scoop of icecream and a georgous Oreo milkshake.

  

  

  

Our last port of call was to go and take a look around the beauty and photography studio Hello Georgous.  Number three who is a complete diva was thrilled with everything she saw and was looking on in awe of the girls there having their nails done and waiting for their special photo shoots.

We have been booked in for a mother and daughter manicure and can’t wait to let you all know how our day goes.

All in all apart from the tantruming toddler we all had a fantastic day and loved every minute of our experience. Any element of the day would have made a brilliant birthday party or special treat for your little ones.  The teddies have already been on a trip away with us and we will be booking in our girly day very soon, which I’m sure we will finish off with another trip to have a sneaky ice cream!