Fun On The Farm...Days Out For Free!

Fordhall Farm featured in my Reasons to be Cheerful post last week, but I thought it was deserving of a whole post of its own.  On Tuesday I went to the farm again with Freddy for the Saplings and Seedlings Toddler Group.  It was such a lovely day that we walked around the farm itself, lingering in the picnic area before returning to the tea rooms for a delicious lunch.  It is a lovely way to spend a few hours and Freddy loves the freedom of wandering around and looking at the animals.  Megan was home from university so she came with us, adding to our fun and laughter!

Where's the piggy??

The spottiest one was Fred's favourite!

Balancing Act

Running Free

Tyres Can be Fun!!

Taking a rest...farms are fun!!!

I think that Fordhall Farm is a fabulous place to visit.  It is so nice to find somewhere to go for a few hours with Freddy that costs nothing.  The baby animals are simply adorable and Freddy really loves them (except for the chickens which unnerve him!)  If you are ever in the Shropshire area you should take a visit.  The tea rooms are wonderful, the farm walks are lovely with three different trails to follow and there is also a picnic area and a shop selling fresh produce.

Find out more at www.fordhallfarm.com

A Beautiful Family Day

Yesterday we went to visit my eldest son Joe in Northampton.  I haven't seen much of my son this year as we've not had any matching free weekends.  It is one of the unavoidable side effects of your babies growing up. On one hand, I feel massively proud of Joe for making a life for himself with a good job, a nice home and a lovely girlfriend.  But on the other hand, I miss my little boy!

It was a particularly lovely day because my eldest daughter Megan came home for the weekend from university and was able to join us in visiting her big brother.  Having all five of my children together again, is one of the things guaranteed to make me happy and guaranteed to mean fun.  Add blues skies and sunshine to the equation and I had the recipe for a perfect day.

The McDonald Kids

One of the things I love about where Joe lives is Salcey Forest, which is an area of woodland with a treetop walk.  Last time we visited, Freddy was still in his buggy, so visiting with a proper walking, running, jumping and climbing toddler was a completely different experience.  There was so much for him to explore and discover in nature's playground.  The children all joined together and there was great examples of family teamwork as they built dens, climbed trees and jumped over ditches.

Woodland hideaways

Working Together

Riding on Daddy's Shoulders

My Boys

My Big Kids and Jade

We spent a wonderful afternoon walking through the woods and having some great family fun.  I have really missed doing this!  It was exactly what I needed to put a spring back in my step.  I love how we can enjoy wonderful days together as a family.  Whether we are doing something major or just enjoying the simple things in life, we inject love, fun and laughter into the proceedings.

Today I really do feel blessed.  I have a family that fills me with huge amounts of joy.   The sun shone down on our wonderful day together...and Freddy wore his glasses all day long!!  Things are definitely looking up :)

#Project 366 becomes #Project 52!!

Reflecting on my own participation in Project 366, I decided that a daily photo post on my blog was just too self-indulgent.  Hell, I was boring myself!  However, I love the idea of capturing photos of my family and our life everyday so I'll be doing a project 52!  One photo post a week of what we've got up to, to sum up our week!

Ella and Freddy have a new game, where she picks him up and puts him in the linen basket!

Freddy in a Basket

Peepo

We're Going Potty!!! #Project 366 Day 20

After Freddy decided that it was time to potty train, he has been doing a brilliant job.  We've even ventured out in the car and stayed dry!  I am loving the teeny tiny pants that he is now wearing.  It is beyond cute and is giving me plenty of reasons to smile!  Well done Fred :)

We love the Pourty, which has become our potty of choice!

Pourty and Pants!

Terrible Twos and Travelling with Toddlers

Freddy is now 26 months old.  The easy going baby boy now sometimes morphs into a temper throwing toddler over the simplest thing...I opened his banana wrong, I didn't let him butter his own toast, he doesn't want to take off his pyjama top or he wants to wear his sister's dress that she has on...all these have evoked tantrums!  Over the years I have learned that staying calm and finding humour in the situation is more valuable than gaining an upperhand with a two year old whose emotions have simply got out of control.  I don't make battles out of situations and try to find a suitable compromise that makes everyone happy.  This approach is saving me from getting any extra grey hairs and is maintaining my sanity, so it works for me.

A Trampoline Related Tantrum!

However I am always happy to read advice and so when Need-2-Know Publishing offered to send me some titles from their range of parenting self-help guides I chose ones relevant to Fred's stage of life.

Need-2-Know is an independent publisher with books covering many topics on the subject of Health, Lifestyle, Emotional Issues and Parenting.  They are available as both paperbacks and e-books.  The range is really comprehensive which impressed me a lot.

I opted for the Terrible Twos book.  It covers a host of areas with the following chapter headings.

• Understanding the Terrible Twos
• Your Child's Emotions, Behaviour and Needs
• Freedom From Limits
• Play Time
• Sleep
• Meal Times
• Toliet Training Without Tears
• Childcare and Early Education
• Siblings
• Seeking Help

Written by a parent and early years' practitioner, the book shows us that this stage of our children's lives is completely normal and empowers parents to enjoy their toddlers.  It is not written as a definitive guide, instead it explores options, gives suggestions and is sympathetic to differing parenting techniques.  I found this approach really modern and refreshing...I hate preachy childcare practioners, especially as my parenting style is sometimes quite unorthodox with my co-sleeping!  

This book is very sensitive to the child's needs and the balance between allowing the child freedom to develop and setting limits is explained well.  There are lots of  case studies and tips from other parents which gives the book a personal touch alongside its professional expertise.  It is easy to read, well laid out and good to dip into for information.

I also reviewed the Travelling With Children guide.  I am quite terrified of travelling but really want to be able to enjoy more family holidays so this seemed like a good choice for me .  It has the following chapters:

• The Right Holiday
• Plane, Train or Automobile?
• Babies and Toddlers
• Package Beach Holidays and Theme Parks
• Camping and Caravanning
• City Breaks
• Off the Beaten Track
• Skiing
• Luxury, Cruises and Spas
• Holidays on a Budget
• When Things Go Wrong

There are some inspirational ideas alongside some very practical advice so it ticks all the boxes.    

The book aims to guide parents through the process of choosing a suitable family holiday and making the most of it from start to finish.  Although it applies to holidaying with all ages of children, their is  a whole section dedicated to babies and toddlers.  With tips on transport, packing, avoiding common pitfalls and what to do when things go wrong, it offers a wealth of information and advice.  The money saving ideas are very interesting and the case studies are really helpful showing how other people have managed to go on holiday and have lived to tell the tale!!  There is a list of child-friendly holiday ideas and useful contacts at the back of the book which has given me some food for thought.  I predict more holidaying for my family in 2012!

This book is perfect for nervous first time parents but also great for people like me who want to dip in for advice and ideas to make holidaying as stress-free as possible. In includes inspirational ideas alongside practical advice.

The 'When Things Go Wrong' section is very informative and I think I'll be popping my copy of this book in my suitcase when I next travel, just in case!

Take a look at Need 2 Know books to see their extensive range of titles.  Priced at £8.99-12.99 for a paperback copy and £3.99 for an e-book they are well priced and they cover a vast number of topics.  Whatever self-help guide you are looking for, Need-2-Know would be a good place to look first!

  

Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park Review

I've heard so much about the latest developments to Paulton's Park with this season's opening of  Peppa Pig World.  I thought it was time I checked it out for myself and so we incorporated a day trip to Paulton's Park in our long weekend away 'down south'!

We didn't have the best journey down as Freddy objected fiercely to the idea of going straight from waking up in the morning to being put straight in a car seat.  He is a boy who has a lot of energy to expend so we had to let him run some of it off before leaving, delaying my 'crack of dawn' travel plans!  Not yet old enough to understand the lure of going to see Peppa Pig, he was still unimpressed but after we sang through our entire repertoire of  kids' TV theme songs, he finally fell asleep for the last part of our 200 mile journey.

We arrived at lunch time and although the place was really busy, the car park was just a short walk to the main entrance.  Freddy instantly woke up, forgot all his woes and was raring to go!  We collected our tickets and began our adventure.

We headed straight for Peppa Pig World to let Freddy run off all that steam that he had built up in the long 3 hours preceding our arrival.  As we approached, the colourful and iconic images were met with huge excitement as Freddy shouted "Piggy" and made oinking noises!

The attention to detail that has gone into the design of Peppa Pig World is not dissimilar to that of the separate areas of Disneyland. The buildings, the sounds, the rides and the characters beautifully bring to life the world of Peppa Pig, allowing children to immerse themselves into their favourite TV show.  And were the kids loving it!  It was so busy!  Hundreds of pre-schoolers were having the best time going on rides, meeting the characters and playing around the buildings.  The queues were quite long for little ones who were chomping on the bit to get on Daddy's Car, Grandpa's Train, the Windy Castle Ride, Peppa's Balloon Ride, George's Dragon Ride, Grandpa's Boat or Miss Rabbit's Helicopter.  Consequently Freddy only got to ride the Boat and the Train due to him getting fed up whilst queuing and trying to climb over the fences...but the rides he did go on, he totally loved!

Choo-Choo Train

Grandpa's Boat

In addition to the seven rides there is an indoor play area "George's Spaceship Playzone", the wet and wonderful "Muddy Puddles" water experience and "Mr Potato's Playground".  Again, the detail was just perfect.  Freddy spent an age in the playground.  The rainbow coloured floor was great for running around.

There were so many activities for little ones in the playground, Freddy was spoilt for choice.  It was by far the best toddler playground I had ever visited.  He was in his element so we weren't at all worried about only doing two of the seven rides.  Other theme parks could take a few lessons from Paulton's Park.  The amount of play areas and attractions suitable for toddlers was amazing.

The shop sold more Peppa Pig merchandise than I had ever seen in one place before.  From clothing to toys to jewellery there was so much on offer.

Peppa tees!

There was not one bit of Peppa Pig Land that hadn't been carefully designed to pay homage to Peppa and her pals.  I adored the fountain, the murals and the displays of Peppa Pig related items around the area.

Freddy says hello to George.

Daddy Pig's Car Ride's Garage Display

Fill em up!

You're never too old!

Peppa and George Fountain

Freddy absolutely adored Peppa Pig World.  Until going, he wasn't really a big fan of the show but he can now name most of the characters and shouts "Piggy" whenever he spots Peppa.  Ella and Kizzy enjoyed looking after their little brother and got swept along with the Peppa mania having a great time!!

Because the girls were so good allowing Freddy to play to his heart's content, we let them have the last two hours to do what they wanted.  Thankfully because everyone seems to be focused on Peppa Pig, the big rides did not have huge queues.  They were able to go on everything they wanted to including the Cobra Rolllercoaster, the Log Flume and the spinning Edge ride,which finished the day wonderfully leaving everyone happy!

I would highly recommend Paulton's Park and Peppa Pig World.  There is so much for little ones to do.  We only covered a fraction of the attractions and the zoo animals and immaculate gardens went unexplored.  But we were all completely happy with our day.  

You can book your tickets or Peppa Pig World breaks online and give the kids a real treat!

*We were given tickets for the purpose of this review but my opinions are unbiased.  I genuinely loved it!!*