LolliBop 2012

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We were lucky enough to be invited to LolliBop 2012 at Regent's Park, London last weekend and happily went along on Saturday, the second day of the weekend long event. It was a beautifully hot and sunny day, perfect for lots of little ones to enjoy all the fun and games that had been created for them.

LolliBop 2012

The festival was held in a corner of the very large Regent's Park and was perfectly cordoned off keeping the children safe and secure. There were a huge range of activities for the children for all different ages (listed here) and there was definitely something for everyone from the under four year olds section through to the Halfords' race course (which got booked up well in advance!).

For such a large section of park, there was unfortunately not much natural shade, however the organisers had done an excellent job of creating several areas to provide an escape from the blistering heat; in the picture above you can see the coloured banners which were one of the areas. I'm grateful that they had also created a bloggers' lounge which was under the shade of some trees giving us an opportunity to cool off. (I later discovered that there was another section of the park which had a few trees and provided a relaxing area, but it wasn't obvious on the map or when walking around).

The refreshments were very good and it was nice to see a good range of family foods and drinks from Pizza Express, pie stalls, burgers and milkshake stands. The Oreo cookie milkshake was to die for! Unfortunately while the queues for these weren't long in length, they were in time, so next time I'll be taking a picnic. The toilets were portaloos and the least said about them the better. I'd envisaged the portacabin style facilities which I've seen at other children's events, where a sink with running water and soap are available.

These were some of our highlights of the day:

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  • Top left: Alex and Katy from CBeebies perform the I Can Cook song
  • Top right: watching Mister Maker in the LolliPalladium tent
  • Bottom right: being a shopkeeper in John Lewis Lane
  • Bottom right: creating a sandart picture with ScratchPatch

It's only when I look at the official higlights of the weekend that I realise how much else we missed, despite being there for most of the day. I can't wait to go again next year, when I definitely will not be wearing black!

We were provided with free tickets for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Country Kids: Adventure Parks

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This week we've had two days out in this glorious sunshine. The first was yesterday when we met up with Jenny from Mummy Mishaps and her two little chaps at Puxton's Park just off junction 21 of the M5. Having been damp for so long, everyone in the area had decided to congregate there to enjoy the sunny weather, including us!

It was beautifully sunny, but with little breeze or shade, it was hard work keeping the little ones cool and calm. The boys absolutely loved playing with each other though, even if they did get too exuberant at one point meaning that The Boy and Burton fell over while hugging and banged their heads!

Today was my birthday and so we headed over to Cattle Country, just off junction 14 of the M5: northbound this time!

We'd packed a thorough picnic and The Boy's bathers and had a really good afternoon there; playing in the wooden fort, splashing in the paddling pool, going on the tiny steam train, exploring the willow maze, bouncing on the jumping pillow, testing an assault course and driving a mini tractor!

Hopefully, the weekend will be just as sunny and filled with more fun and games!

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Friday 10th August 2012 – 'The Boy, The Conquerer' (223/366)

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When we went to Puxton's Park with the Mummy Mishaps lot yesterday, there was a jumping pillow that The Boy was desperate to go on. He tried running up the sides of it but it had a steep incline and the big children bouncing around at the top meant that the sides kept billowing out as he was trying to run up. He kept going again and again, but each time he came tumbling down the sides, bouncing onto the sand and sobbing in frustration. It was all I could do not to run up there with him, instead I washed his sandy feet and kissed his tears away.

Today, we went to Cattle Country in Gloucestershire and they had a jumping pillow for under four year olds. This time, the incline was less, with no big children. He spent a very happy fifteen minutes jumping around and laughing as he landed on the sand. I'm glad he persevered.

TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky

How To Enjoy Summer On a Frugal Budget (Guest-Post)

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In this guest-post there are a number of ideas for keeping both parents and children happy over the Summer, using a small budget.

Cheap and cheerful Summer activities

This post gives a couple of suggestions for great garden based things to do this summer. The first is tailored around the kids, and the second around the parents! The ‘outdoors’ section of the Original Factory Shop’s website has all the items mentioned here for great prices.

Kids garden party

Kids love nothing more than a water fight in the summer, and a paddling pool makes a great base for such festivities. Such pools are cheaper than ever to pick up, and they can be deflated and stored through the autumn winter making them a good investment for future summers.

Sourced from The Original Factory Shop’s website

For the best water fights, follow these tips:

  • ensure the kids are in clothes that you don’t mind getting wet!
  • have water bombs available as well as water pistols (variety is the spice of life!)
  • station a parent on the sidelines with a hose pipe so they can even up the odds if necessary

Cocktail night

This one’s better for the adults, but the cocktails mentioned below are alcohol free, so the kids may enjoy it too! Having a few friends over for conversation and cocktails around a fire is a great way to spend an evening, and with long-lasting fire pits available for £25, it’s not too expensive to get set up.

As the cocktails are alcohol free, you can perhaps ask guests for a small contribution to the fire pit, coals, and firelighters instead of the usual B.Y.O.B. expenditure. This reduces the cost of the evening to just a few pounds each!

Here are a couple of good virgin cocktail recipes:

  • Daiquiri (ingredients per drink):
    • 2 tsp. lime juice
    • 30g frozen strawberries
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • Blend
  • Pina Colada (ingredients per drink):
    • 1 cup coconut cream
    • 1 cup ice
    • 2 tsp. sugar
    • Blend

Of course you can liven up the virgin daiquiris and pina coladas with some white rum if you prefer!

Country Kids: Fun In The Sun

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With the cobalt blue sky and the sun shining so beautifully all week, getting out and about has been an absolute must for us. It coincided brilliantly with the start of the holidays, and has ensured that we haven't wasted our time together!

Sunday – Gruffalo Hunting

On the way back from Silverstone on Sunday, we stopped off at an RSPB nature walk to stretch our legs. While we were hunting for The Gruffalo and calling out to mouse to see if he knew where he was, we came across a cave and The Boy just had to explore it to see if anyone was inside!

Pebble Plopping

After Mr. TBaM got home from work on Monday, we nipped down to our local beach to partake in some pebble plopping. Mr. TBaM was determined he'd be able to skim stones, whereas The Boy just wanted to make the biggest single plop possible.

Sandplay

We met up with our toddler group down at Barry Island beach and managed to avoid high tide, but only just. Then, because we hadn't played with enough sand, we came home and built some more sandcastles.

Clifftop Picnic

On a Friday morning The Boy goes to nursery. While he's there he has lunch, but because he has so much to say for himself, he never eats well and quite often doesn't like what they give him anyway (spinach and potato pie for example). I'm not bothered because the socialisation is more important for him, but when I pick him up we always have to have a second lunch to make sure he's had enough to eat. I decided to take him to the clifftop park for he could burn off some more energy and eat a picnic lunch.

Pirates at Barry Island

The sun today heralded more outdoor play so we headed for the beach again. We originally went further down the coastline to Southerndown beach, but the problem is that when high tide is approaching there it covers all the sand and only leaves a swathe of rocks. Cue an about turn and off to the old faithful of Barry Island! More sandcastles, more buried The Boy, and finishing up with a round of pirate mini-golf!

Hope next week is just as activity filled!

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