LEGO Memories

LEGO has been a part of our family life ever since my son Joe was born in 1988.  No sooner was he born, I started his first Duplo collection.  The collection grew as I added trains, aeroplanes, trucks and farms.  I was always so excited when something new was brought out.

Over the years my collection of children increased alongside the LEGO collection.  As Joe moved on to LEGO Ninjas and castles, his little sisters became custodians of the Duplo collection.  Some girly Duplo was included as houses, mummies and prams and pink bricks joined the toybox.

Season tickets to Legoland Windsor allowed the kids to indulge their LEGO love further as we spent many a day at the park enjoying the rides and the attractions.

After Freddy was born, some 21 years after his eldest brother, the LEGO Duplo collection enjoyed its fifth owner.  As the Disney LEGO Duplo appeared in the shops I excitedly bought the entire Toy Story and Cars ranges.  This year I've got the Planes Duplo for under the Christmas tree! Kizzy is a fan of the LEGO Friends collection which is lovely. LEGO never fails to delight me as I buy it for my children.

The LEGO video games are massive hits in our house and the kids love playing as LEGO superheroes, Harry Potter or Indiana Jones!

This year my grandson Ted will be a year old and ready for his Nana to buy him his first Duplo.  A new generation of the McDonald family will be discovering the delights of the bricks that build adventures, for years and years to come.

Now we have the first LEGO movie coming to the cinema next year...another way to enjoy the famous LEGO brand.  I am excited?  You bet I am!!

           

The Things Kids Do!

Will he be the next Justin Bieber???

This little piggy....

Like Father like son!!!

Helping with the laundry!

Nom Nom

Pants around my neck...it's a good look!

Boxes are fun!

Link up at QWERTY Mum x

The New Graco Fusio

As Graco's new Ambassador, I was sent the brand new Fusio to try.  It's not yet available in the UK (it's available to pre-order for March delivery) so I felt very privileged!

The package arrives.

As my husband was available for pushchair building duties, I gave him the pleasure of putting the Fusio together.  He said:
 "It went together really easily.  The wheels just popped into place.  I was impressed that it could be disassembled if it needed to be."

Ian with his helper Kizzy checking out the instructions!

The Fusio looked great.  It came complete with a newborn liner and apron, a foot muff and a raincover.  So it is a complete package.  The seat unit has a reversible option so it would see you through from birth to the toddler stage, making it an economical option and great value for money.  It supports the idea of sustainable living...as it is a pram and a stroller, it suits baby's needs at all stages...so it's future proof!

Stylish design

I loved the grey and black design which is perfect for either a boy or girl and looks very stylish.  The shopping basket is a really good size, which is useful for shopping.


The real selling point of the Fusio is the fact that although it has a lot of the benefits of a full travel system, it also has the convenience of a stroller.  It folds telescopically, is lightweight and easy to carry, compact and easy to store away in the boot of your car.  This makes it perfect for travelling or for shopping trips.  The Fusio has swivel wheels so you can easily negotiate the aisles of a shop or supermarket.  

Trafford Centre

Comfy to ride, easy to push

We took the Fusio to the Trafford Centre in Manchester.  It took up very little boot space...more room for shopping bags!!  It was easy to put up (after a little practice) and Fred was comfy and secure.  The handles are a good height and the Fusio steered easily around the shopping centre.  There is ample room for bags underneath and we could hang extras on the handles (it didn't tip up!)  Freddy fell asleep and the reclining seat was easily adjusted so he could have a peaceful nap.  The Fusio is much more luxurious and comfortable than other strollers I have used, so you are getting the best of both worlds.

Reclining zzzzz

We included a trip to the Legoland Discovery Centre in our day out.  It was very crowded, but the Fusio negotiated the masses well.  As it is so compact it fitted easily through the attractions of Miniland and through doorways. It folded down and parked up neatly in the buggy park when we went on the rides and into the 4D cinema.  It was certainly beneficial to be using the Fusio in such a limited space.


The Fusio folds down easily (again I had to practice but that is more a reflection on me than it!!)  It can be carried one handedly when folded down, which is a plus when juggling with a toddler and shopping bags.  It also stands up when folded which is also useful when loading everything back into the car.


Overall, we enjoyed the benefits of the Fusio in an environment where its compact size, light weight, manoeuvrability, storage space and comfort for baby were a consideration.  It's perfect for a day out shopping and Freddy was definitely happy, comfortable and secure on our big, busy trip to Manchester!

Watching the world go by.

Stopping for a bite to eat.

End of a busy day.

Legoland and going home!

We used to be Southeners, being born and bred in Berkshire. I was originally from Slough (John Betjeman the poet laureate extolled the virtues of my home town in his poem that began "Come friendly bombs and drop on Slough, It isn't fit for humans now!")  After having my eldest son I moved away from Slough to Hampshire, where we stayed until 1999. We then relocated to the greener pastures of Shropshire (home of Muller Yogurt!) and this was the best decision we ever made, giving the children a standard of living that we simply could not afford where we were! However, whenever we venture down south there is still a sense of going home.  Today was one such day!

The children are always curious to see the places where me and my husband grew up...even though much of what we remembered is now gone.  My childhood home has long since been demolished giving way to modern, soulless flats.  Our school, where we met back in 1981, used to be the tallest building for miles around, but is now dwarfed into insignificance by huge industrial factories and warehouses that have been squeezed into every spot of free space around it.  Places that I remember looking new and shiny are now dirty, dull and degenerated.  Sadly, Legoland Windsor was one such place.  We decided to take the kids to Legoland, a place where we had often taken our older children when we lived close.  We remembered the colourful, vibrant bricks and the awe and wonder that the models evoked in our children.  The reality today was very different.  I know the season is coming to its end, but everything looked so tired.  Grubby, sun bleached lego models held none of the magic they did 10 years ago. Rides with water looked toxic, ridden with algae, green and slimy.  Litter was strewn around.  The Miniland looked overgrown with weeds.  I was just not impressed.  I wanted to whip out a cloth and a tub of Astonish and put a bit of shine back into the place!  The restaurant we went to was crowded with tables and chairs.  Most people eating there were parents like us with a buggy.  We were all trying to negoiate the haphazard furniture and find seats with space for the pushchairs and high chairs we needed.  In the melee we dropped one of our plates of food.  Smashed china and mashed potato was strewn across the floor.  My husband was on his hands and knees trying to clear up the mess.  Not one of the people who worked there offered any help, despite the obvious Health and Safety issues raised by small children, broken crockery and slippy mash!  We were none too impressed.  Having said that though, my 1 year old loved playing with the giant Duplo bricks in the play area and he also loved running up to the jets of erupting water in Duplo Land with his 8 year old sister.  And to see them smiling makes it all worth while! 

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