A wonderful birthday weekend with Trentham Gardens, Oruna Cuisine and Alton Towers

I think this year has been my best birthday ever!

It started on the Friday, with Ian taking the day off to be with me while the kids were at school. We headed off to Trentham Gardens where we started the morning with a Frankie and Benny's vegetarian breakfast before going into the gardens for a walk. The sun was shining and we enjoyed a gorgeous walk around the lake. It was beautiful. We spent time looking at the amazing wooden sculptures and watching the birds on the lake.

On Friday evening, Megan and Ella along with Ella's boyfriend Frank arrived to spend the weekend with us. We ordered a huge Indian meal from my favourite local Indian restaurant Oruna. I love Oruna, the food is excellent and there are lots of veggie options to choose from...Sag Paneer, Tarka Dahl, Mushroom Bhaji, Chana Dahl and Mushroom Biryani being my favourites. The staff are so lovely and even sent me a card and a bottle of wine to help me celebrate the occasion. Oruna is such an integral part of our little market town, and so involved in the community. So it's perfectly fitting to have Oruna cater my birthday dinner!

The meal was superb and the birthday cake that followed was lovely. I even had candles to blow out while everything sang "Happy Birthday to You".

The next morning we headed off to Alton Towers for mine and Ella's joint birthday weekend. The weather, although forecast to be grim was actually glorious. We booked into the Alton Towers Hotel in two adjoining Moon Landing themed rooms. The rooms are so cool with incredibly detailed decor that made you feel like you are in a Jules Verne novel! Each room also had its own giant teddy bear in it and an XBox games console. The attention to detail is fantastic and makes a stay so much fun.

With our Merlin Annual Passes we had free reign of the park for two days.  The older kids went off to do all the big rides like Thirteen, Nemesis, Air and The Smiler, while Ian and I took Freddy into CBeebies Land. I love what they have done in this corner of the park, elevating Alton Towers to a theme park that pre-schoolers will love just as much as the thrill seeking teenagers. It really is a place for all the family to enjoy. 

Freddy spent ages in the Tree Fu Tom play area tackling climbing walls, cargo nets, the zip wire and the spider rope frame. He unleashed his inner ninja jumping, rolling and overcoming obstacles. Nina's Lab was also a big hit for my science loving schoolboy and he explored all the hands on exhibits. Charlie and Lola's house was another great place to explore, bringing the illustrations of Lauren Child to life in an imaginative and interactive way. With the Driving School, Froghopper, Big Wobble soft play and Carousel rides too, Freddy had a full and exciting day.

Day two was even sunnier! The older kids hit the park to take advantage of the early ride time, following a fantastic buffet breakfast at the hotel.  They took the woodland walk into the theme park.

Meanwhile Ian, Freddy and I went to the Splash Landings Water Park. With the beautiful blue skies and sunshine, going into the outside pool was just too tempting and we had a lovely time relaxing in the warm water whilst feeling the sun on our faces. It felt like being abroad and on holiday.

After a couple of hours of playing in the water park, clambering up cargo nets while jets of water squirted at us and getting soaked by the giant, tipping bucket of water, we were ready to hit the park again. We met up with the older kids and after lunch went on a couple of rides together. Nemesis Sub Terra is my favourite, an immersive, psychological horror ride with a thrilling drop. It's fab!  We also all went on the River Rapids, which is a fast, furious, fun and very wet ride. Thank goodness for the sunny weather, which soon dried us all off!  Freddy finished the day with a ride on the new Octonauts rollercoaster and he loved it. We left the park exhausted but thoroughly happy.

Unfortunately, my girls and Frank had to return to Manchester on the Sunday evening, bringing us all back to reality, but we had an absolutely fantastic time together. I just adore being with my family. It's the most precious thing in the world to me and I am grateful everyday that I have these amazing people in my life.

So far, 46 is turning out to be a pretty good age.

Win 4 x Day Passes to Legoland Discovery Centre

We recently spent a fabulous day out at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester, as guests of Merlin Annual Pass.

Merlin Annual Pass holders get 12 months unlimited access to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre - just one of the 31 magical attractions around the UK that pass holders can visit. There is a January Sale taking place right now where you can buy a Merlin Annual Pass for as little as £99!  Find out more here.

To celebrate the Merlin Annual Pass January Sale, I have 4 x day passes to Legoland Discovery Centre to give away.

For your chance to win, simply find my competition Tweet on Twitter.  (Link here.)  Follow me @wendymcd83 and @MerlinapUK and Retweet.  Winner will be picked at random on 16/1/2015.  Good luck!

Visiting Legoland Discovery Centre with a Merlin Annual Pass

We are big fans of the Merlin Annual Pass, which lets you get into thirty one fantastic UK attractions for 12 whole months. It's brilliant when you have a family that enjoys days out and exciting adventures together, allowing you to visit places such as Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Chessington, Dungeons, Legoland, Madame Tussauds, Blackpool Tower and SeaLife Centres all for one price.   If you order a Merlin Annual Pass in their January Sale, prices start at just £99 per person (for a standard pass for a family of 3, 4 or 5). It's the cheapest price they will be all year, making it a great time to buy.

We were invited to review one of the Merlin attractions that you can visit using a Merlin Annual Pass and we chose to go to Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester.

Legoland Discovery Centre is a great indoor attraction located in Barton Square at the intu Trafford Centre, right next to the SeaLife Centre (another great Merlin attraction).  Its location makes it the perfect place for MAP holders to pop in for a quick play when out shopping in Manchester.

We arrived just after the centre opened and were greeted at the door and shown through to the desk. You can buy fabulous activity packs filled with puzzles and LEGO facts that can be worn around the neck using a lanyard for just £3, so we treated Freddy to one.  You can collect stamps throughout the attraction, which is something Freddy enjoyed doing and ensures you get to see everything.  Going early meant we didn't have to do much queuing or waiting for rides or shows, so it was a really good time for a visit.

Before entering the main part of the LDC, you go through the fun factory tour guided by Professor Brick who gets the kids involved with working the machines to produce their very own souvenir LEGO bricks that they get to keep.  Freddy loves audience participation and is always first up to join in, so he was very happy to help Professor Brick make the pretend machines work by turning, jumping and shouting at the equipment!

There are three rides at the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Kingdom Quest Laser Ride lets you climb aboard a chariot in order to save the princess by shooting the trolls and skeletons with laser guns.  There is also the Forest Pursuit ride where kids can become rookie cops and chase the bad guys around a LEGO City landscape.  Merlin's Apprentice is a pedal operated flying ride which takes riders into the air helping Merlin to conjure his magic.  Freddy went on all three of the rides and loved them all.  They are aimed at younger children, but grown-ups get to enjoy the fun on the Kingdom Quest and on Merlin's Apprentice!

Miniland brings to life the sights of Manchester and surrounding areas such as the Lake District, Birmingham, Blackpool and Alton Towers, in miniature built using LEGO bricks.  With the models going through a cycle of time, you can see Miniland by night and day.  When everything is all lit up it looks really effective.  The detail of the models is wonderful and there are so many things to spot. We loved the model of Alton Towers with the fully working Oblivion ride.  It made us look forward to visiting Alton Towers again when it reopens in March (using our Merlin Annual Passes!)

Miniature versions of the Man Utd and Man City stadiums and Aintree Race Course let little hands get interactive with the models as they try to score a winning goal or come first in a horse race.

There is a 100 seat LEGO Studio 4D cinema at LDC showing The Legends of Chima.  The fabulous 3D film and special effects, such as wind and bubbles, made a really entertaining show featuring the animals of Chima as they embarked on an exciting adventure.  Freddy was chuckling throughout, especially when the skunk let off his stinky smell, emitting a green cloud of gas!

Throughout the day, there are workshops for budding model builders to try their hand at making a model, assisted by a member of staff.  Each child is given a bag of bits and given step by step guidance to create a model.

Freddy made a really cute gingerbread house, complete with a candy cane and a marshmallow tree. He was very proud of himself and really enjoyed the workshop. He got lots of types about LEGO construction and I was really impressed with how well he followed the instructions to create his lovely little model.

Freddy and Ian both really loved the LEGO Racers where you can build a vehicle and test drive it on the various tracks.  They raced against other kids' and timed their cars as they whizzed down the slopes.

Other attractions include the huge, multi-levelled soft play area, LEGO Construction.  It gives parents a chance to sit down on the sofas and relax with a cup of coffee from the cafe whilst the kids let off some steam.  Big boxes of LEGO allow children to immerse themselves in bricks and get creative building anything they want to.  We all enjoyed making our own creations from the multi-coloured bricks.

The LEGO Friends area lets kids enter Olivia's House where everything is pink and somewhat girlie. With flower shaped tables where you can play with pastel coloured bricks, a full size LEGO kitchen and a pretty funky karaoke machine to sing favourite songs, it's a cool place to hang out.  Perfect for children who like things a little more feminine. Freddy was happy to get up on stage to sing a rendition on Incy Wincy Spider, even though he wasn't that keen on the pinkness of the area! However, I think it is good to appeal to all tastes and think that the LEGO Friends range offers something a bit different to children who prefer flowers and butterflies to racing cars and construction.

The DUPLO area is perfect for toddlers and includes a set of giant bricks for them to build with.  All ages are catered for so well and anyone who is a fan of LEGO will have a great time!

There is also a Star Wars Miniland Model Display featuring scenes from Episode III Attack of the Clones, with some interactive bits with buttons to press and some spectacular creations to view.  A NinjaGo Laser Training Camp lets kids practice their Ninja skills by making their way through a series of laser beams, trying to not set off the alarm.  Crawling, jumping and stepping over the red beams of light proved a lot of fun for my little Ninja!

There are lots of full size models around the centre including a cool F1 racing car, Harry Potter and Buzz Lightyear.  It is amazing what can be built out of LEGO!!

The LEGO shop is a fabulous store filled with all things LEGO, from clothing to accessories to full building sets.  The children each made their own LEGO mini figure using the mix and match body parts and accessories, which they really enjoyed doing.  At 2 for £4 it's not too expensive either. Merlin Annual Pass holders get 20% off purchases, making it another great reason to have one!

We had a really lovely time at the Legoland Discovery Centre.  We spent approximately two and a half hours there and did everything we wanted to.  The centre has good facilities including a family restroom, baby changing, pushchair park and cafe, plus there is a lift between floors.  It is open from 10am - 7pm daily and prices start from just £9.95 (for online booking) with under 2's free.  Merlin Annual Pass holders can enjoy unlimited access all year round!

Find out more by visiting the website:  Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester 

You can find out more about a Merlin Annual Pass, which gives you access to a year of family fun and awesome days out by visiting:   www.merlinannualpass.co.uk. I love the freedom it gives us a family to enjoy unlimited days out without worrying about the cost.

The MERLIN ANNUAL PASS January SALE is now on, so be sure to grab a Merlin Annual Pass at the YEAR’S LOWEST PRICES – from just £99*.

To buy your Merlin Annual Pass click here.

*The Merlin Annual Pass is just £99 per person when you buy a family set of four passes.

Fun days out for the whole family

With the school holidays almost upon us, thoughts are turning to ways of keeping the kids entertained during the summer months. From organised activities to adventures and outings, whatever your budget, make the most of your time together with fun-filled family days out.  

Here's some suggestions for things to do with the family.

Get out and about in the great outdoors

In glorious weather, what better way to spend the day than enjoying a sunny day at the seaside? While teenagers lounge on their towels reading the latest John Green book, curious toddlers can get creative with sandcastles. You are never to old to paddle in the sea, jumping over the waves and feeling the sand beneath your feet. Enjoy some candy floss, a cone of chips or an ice cream on the promenade and relive those sunny days from your own childhood holidays.

You could check out nearby nature trails, beauty spots or picturesque parks. You could enjoy a relaxing day with kite flying and a family picnic or get more energetic with a cycle ride followed by a play in an adventure playground. Kids love feeding the ducks, climbing trees, building dens or searching for mini-beasts.  If you are on a budget, days out in the great outdoors can be practically cost free yet so much fun. Fresh air and exercise is great for tiring out the little ones!

Discover cultural delights on your doorstep

When the British weather is at its best, the UK offers a wealth of outdoor entertainment. From heritage events at historical hotspots to treetop adventures to festivals, you can enjoy family fun in the sun. If the weather fails to deliver you can still have fun by heading off to enjoy an indoor activity. From museums with interactive activities to stately homes and spectacular castles, children of all ages can explore the culture and history of the UK while avoiding the rain!

Great value days out

Look for discounts and promotions that can allow you and the family to visit places for less – there are plenty of these advertised over the summer months.  Don't forget to check the offers available from Tesco Clubcard for some bargain days.

Investing in annual membership for certain attractions or organisations can be a great investment if you intend to visit numerous locations throughout the year. Merlin Entertainments – who own Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland and Alton Towers as well as Warwick Castle, the Dungeons and the SeaLife Centres – offer great value season passes giving you year round entry to all their attractions plus discounts on food, gifts and hotel stays. 

You can also get membership for places like the National Trust to enjoy access to over 500 special places of interest such as historic houses, castles, forests, woodland, beaches and nature reserves. You get to experience history firsthand, which children love!

Enjoy high octane entertainment

For thrill seeking families, there is an abundance of family fun venues across the length and breadth of the country for big days out.  From theme parks to safari parks and zoos, there is so much choice. We recently visited Chester Zoo and can highly recommend it as a great family day out for animal enthusiasts.

Alton Towers remains our favourite theme park. Older children can enjoy the excitement of the rollercoasters and the big rides, while little ones play in the new CBeebies Land with mum or dad!  There are also acres of beautiful gardens to explore if you want a quiet moment away from the crowds.  The SeaLife Centre and the Ice Age 4D cinema are all-weather attractions you can visit while you are there too. The all day dining plan is a great value idea allowing families to eat and drink all day for one inclusive price.  It's a great treat for a special occasion.

Film lovers can head to the Leavesden film studios and enjoy the magic of the epic story of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter, which has become the most successful film series of all time and the Harry Potter tour takes you behind the scenes to discover its secrets.

From the Great Hall to the shop front of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, this unique walking tour takes in the remarkable sets that helped to recreate the magic on the silver screen. The extraordinary animatronics, special effects and power of the green screen uncover how some of the most spectacular scenes evolved. Visitors can also view an amazing, hand-crafted replica of Hogwarts Castle, alongside many models, renowned artefacts and much-loved characters and creatures. Families who are potty about Potter will love this magical, fun-filled family day out. It's on our list of places to go this summer!

Whatever you choose to do this summer, I hope you have a fantastic time making lots of special memories with the family.

Fun In The Sun at Alton Towers

Today we had a wonderful day at Alton Towers.  I had used a year's worth of accumulated Tesco Clubcard Points to exchange for six Merlin Annual Passes that will give us access to all the Merlin attractions for 12 months.  It also gave each of us a drinks capsule that comes with unlimited refills. So we were all set to kick off our year of fun with a day out in the sun!

It was blissfully hot meaning we could go on the water rides without worrying about getting wet.  Always a bonus!  I did get my Fitflops a bit soggy which is a hideous experience.  Slipping around inside wet shoes, garroting my big toe with the leather thong is grim whatever the weather!

Although there were lots of people in the park, the queues were not too bad meaning that we all got to go on the rides we wanted to.  Freddy enjoyed the kiddies' rides which we literally walked straight onto.  The girls went off to have their first experience of The Smiler, which had a 90 minute queue time.  (It had been 3 hours earlier on in the day...in 30 degree temperatures!!) They said it was well worth the wait!

Alton Towers is my favourite theme park because it is just such a lovely place.  The big old stately home, the beautiful gardens, the open green spaces and the magnificent lake complete with a mini menagerie of feathered friends are all an attraction in their own right.  Add to that some world class roller coasters and some fun rides for little ones and you've got a place that it perfect for a family day out.

I was very pleased that Alton Towers have now got their own burger restaurant in the park, and it has a pretty decent bean burger on the menu.  As a season ticket holder we got 20% of the price making a burger, fries and 16 oz drink meal deal just £4.80.  Not bad at all for some convenient fast food on site.  Plus it was efficient and friendly too.

Ian, Freddy and I went to the Sea Life Centre and enjoyed watching the multi-coloured fish swimming around in their tanks.  Freddy loved finding out the names of the fish.  He loved the Soldier Fish, the Lion Fish and the Puffer Fish!

We all met Sid from Ice Age for a photo op!  We also saw the Ice Age 4D film, which was actually a bit scary for Freddy and very loud.  He spent the entire time sat on my lap with his ears covered!

Freddy loved the Dung Heap playground and enjoyed climbing on the rope climbing frame. 

Now we have our annual passes we fully intend on making the most out of our weekends and school holidays by visiting as many of the attractions as we can.  I love the excellent value that the Merlin Annual Pass represents, especially when bought with Tesco Clubcard Vouchers.  Just £52 buys the pass and unlimited drinks for a year.  I won't have to think about the cost of days out or the added expense of buying drinks for a while!

Feeling Philosophical At Alton Towers...Don't Look Down!

Life is a Roller Coaster...Enjoy The Ride!

Yesterday we went to Alton Towers as part of our 15th wedding anniversary celebrations. With our shiny new Merlin Annual Passes bought using Tesco Clubcard Tokens, we were ready to start our 12 months of theme park fun!  Kizzy has had a growth spurt and is now big enough to be let loose on the big rides and took to the idea with sheer enthusiasm.  Air and Oblivion were her favourites and seeing my baby girl laughing, screaming and loving every moment of the thrill of roller coasters was a joy to behold!  She really grasps opportunities full on and is so confident and independent.  A total thrill seeker and a lover of life!

Ian, Kizzy and Ella on Oblivion (first three seats on the front left)

As well as enjoying witnessing this rite of passage of my youngest daughter it also made me feel all philosophical about my life.

Sometimes life feels a bit like being on a roller coaster.  Sometimes I'm soaring the heady heights of  my existence, relishing my family life and my marriage.  Then other times I'm threatened with plummeting head long into an abyss due to some thing that I have no control over.

Don't Look Down

Recent events have caused me to feel like I may be slipping over that metaphorical edge.  My husband has become yet another victim of the economic recession and was made redundant just over a month ago following a cost cutting decimation of the company that he works for.  For a moment I felt a sense of panic and of absolute injustice.  But then I put it into perspective.  I asked myself what was important and what I could live without.  The answer was just so simple.  As long as we can afford to keep the roof over our heads, pay the bills and put food in our bellies then we are fine.  We have each other and we have wonderful kids who have never been demanding of material things.  It is a cliche but you truly can't buy love, health or happiness.  If we are happy and healthy, then anything else is just a bonus and not a necessity.  

At the moment there are currently a few things in the pipeline as far as Ian's job is concerned with the possibility of internal transfers and things actually look a lot more positive now than they did a month ago.  He is still on notice, but just knowing that we could weather even the worse case scenario makes me realise what really matters to us.  We've had so much support from so many people who care about us, it really has made me take stock of the things that make a positive impact on my life.  It is the friendships, my close family, my husband and my children that truly matter.  No amount of money could buy me a happier marriage or more amazing kids...and redundancy doesn't change either.  Just appreciating this has been a weight of my shoulders!

I think that when something happens that could have a negative impact on your life and you stare it in the face and don't allow it to beat you, you come away feeling so empowered.

I am definitely starting to view life in a different way and am taking a leaf out of Kizzy's book.  Her joie de vivre, courage and  enthusiasm for challenges are such a positive influence on me!  I have finally embraced optimism and my half full glass will soon be positively brimming over!

So if my life is a roller coaster, I'm holding on tight and loving every minute of this amazing ride with my loved ones by my side!

Spend Vouchers, Get Rewards!

I have been a huge fan of  Tesco for many years, in particular their fantastic reward card and Clubcard Deals.  I not only regularly shop at Tesco, I also have a Tesco Credit Card and get my gas and electricity through E.ON (both earning me extra points) which means that my Clubcard points mount up very quickly.  Once you've collected 150 points, they will be converted into a voucher worth £1.50 which will be sent with your Clubcard statement.  These vouchers can be spent instore or online against your purchases or they can be redeemed against a huge array of Clubcard Rewards. Did you know that Clubcard vouchers are worth up to four times their value when exchanged for rewards meaning you can treat yourself and your family to extras such as days out and meals out...without it costing you a penny!

I love nothing more than going out and about with the children, but as a mum with five children, things like days out can prove incredibly expensive.  So every year I redeem my Clubcard points to get Merlin Annual Passes for the family.   This allows us all to visit Alton Towers, Legoland, Warwick Castle, Sea Life Centres, Chessington, Thorpe Park, Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussaud's and the London Eye as often as we like for a whole year!  It only costs £46.50 in Clubcard vouchers which is amazing value.  We get a full twelve months of theme parks and much more, which I would never be able to afford otherwise.  We've spent some lovely days enjoying all the attractions without having to worry about the cost!

Tesco Clubcard Vouchers can also be exchanged for rewards tokens to use at major restaurant chains such as Pizza Express, Bella Italia or Prezzo.  £10 in Clubard Vouchers can be redeemed for £40 in rewards tokens to feed the family at your restaurant of choice.  They can be used in full or part payment against your bill, so you can enjoy a slap up meal without eating up your cash. Or how about a cinema trip to Cineworld?  Just £4 in Clubcard Vouchers for an adult and £2.50 for a child's ticket means that watching the latest blockbuster movie does not end up costing a fortune.  

I really love the fact that I earn Clubcard points every time I shop which I can collect and then use to treat the family.  Other rewards include magazine subscriptions, spa vouchers, holidays, flights plus much, much more.  To start earning points with Tesco Clubcard you just need to go in store and complete a form or register online.  Visit Tesco Clubcard website for details on ways to collect points and also how to spend them.  Start collecting them now and soon you can be enjoying one of the great rewards on offer!  What will you spend yours on??







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