Blog - Page 327 of 686 - chelseamamma.co.uk

#Vloject52 2017 – Week Two

January 7, 2017

Hello and welcome to #Vloject52 2017. I love taking videos of the kids and #Vloject52 grew from there. Video is a great way of remembering … Read more

Saturday is Caption Day – 7th January 2017 #satcap

January 7, 2017

Hello and welcome to a new year of Saturday is Caption Day #satcap.

If you have not taken part before please come and join in. Simply find a funny / cheeky / captionable photo and either upload it to your blog or instagram with a sentence or three about it. Then link it up with me below and visit the other people who link up and have a giggle as you come up with some humourous captions!

The linky is open all week and I will like and share my favourite entrants every week over on instagram and my #satcap pinterest board – make sure you use the #satcap hashtag so I can find you.

Over the Christmas break we enjoyed a ride on the big wheel at Bournemouth Pier and there seemed to be a running joke between the boys.

Can you caption this?

[inlinkz_linkup id=689152 mode=1]

Chelseamamma

<div style=”width:100%;text-align:center;”>5px;padding:5px;border-radius: 5px;border:1px solid lightgrey;display:inline-block;”><a rel=”_nofollow” href=”https://chelseamamma.co.uk”> <img style=”border: 1px solid gray;width:200px;height:200px;” src=”https://chelseamamma.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/SatCap-1.png”> Chelseamamma </a>
Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

Unibox – a subscription care package box for university students

February 9, 2022January 5, 2017

I don’t know about you but I love receiving things through the post. Not bills, obviously, but it is always a little bit excited getting … Read more

Milestone Moments

February 9, 2022January 4, 2017

Having a baby opens up a whole world of milestone moments.

I always think that people should be given a pink flashing light to put on top of the car for baby’s first journey home as it is probably the slowest, most careful drive you have ever undertaken………well that and when carrying a delicate birthday / wedding cake in the passenger seat.

Keeping babies and young children safe in the car is essential these days, although as a child of the 70’s, my mum tells me that as a baby, I used to slide around the back seat in a carrycot and when I was older my siblings and I all used to fight over who would sit in the boot.

Car seats have changed alot since even my eldest, Abbey, was a baby. She had an old Britax carrytot carseat which had a rocking base on the bottom which seemed the height of technology at the time.

23 years, 5 more children and dozens of car seats later I can honestly say we have tried out so many different makes models and sizes that I cannot remember them all. What I do remember are the nervy first journey’s home, the shouts of “are we nearly there yet?“, bickering over who sits in the front, middle or back of the car (it seems to be a different favoured position every year and is currently the front seat holding favour at the moment).

There is no doubt that buying car seats is a somewhat confusing and expensive hobby but Graco have thought about this and developed the new Graco All in One car seat.

This is the only car seat you’ll ever need as it grows with your child, from birth to 12 years (0 to 36kg) meaning it will be with your child for all their important moments, providing a comfortable ride and added peace of mind with every journey.

Imagine the journey this car seat will go on. From teeny, tiny baby meeting older siblings for the first time, through those nights where you drive round the block just to get them to go to sleep and on through shopping trips, their first theme park and travels home and away. I find travelling with babies easier as they tend to sleep if they are warm and comfortable.

Suzie Hayman, from Family Lives has some great travelling tips for travelling with older children.

Small children may sleep through long journeys but older ones can make the experience absolute hell. So prepare in advance. Start a countdown days ahead and get them to help plan packing, travel and what you’ll do when you get there. Ask them to think about ways of passing the trip happily – their favourite toys, games, videos, music. Use a mix of digital media and traditional games such as I-spy and 20 Questions. The best way of avoiding ‘are we nearly there yet’ is to keep up a running commentary and once they’re old enough, have them look at the scenery and maps and work it out themselves. And allow plenty of time on your trip for stops so every two hours – 60 to 90 minutes for younger children – you can all stretch your legs.

The last use of a car seat, depending on the height of your child could potentially also be their last day of primary school and it is essential that you are prepared for an unexpected rush of emotion (I have sobbed my way through many a last assembly).

On your way to the final assembly or day of primary school and you’ll realise you’ll never take that particular journey with the same feelings, the anxieties, the jokes or the questions again. It’s an ending for you both. You’ll lose those friendships at the school gates and say goodbye to being the parent of a small child. For your child, it’s a giant step, maybe losing touch with some companions while keeping contact with others they’re rather avoid. And the move to somewhere bigger, more anonymous and with new teachers and pupils, will change those relationships so it won’t be the same.

The last day is the end of an era but it is the chance to look back and celebrate your child’s development – their triumphs and achievements but also the learning that might have come from failing, and getting up to try again.

Why not enter the Milestone Moments competition on the Graco FB page which gives you the opportunity to win a bumper Graco hamper of goodies, which includes the Milestone car seat.

Simply click their facebook page for more news, reviews and giveaways.

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post with Tots100 and Graco. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Keeping Warm and Dry this Winter with Mountain Warehouse and Hotter Shoes

January 4, 2017

The Aurora Womens Down Jacket from Mountain Warehouse is the perfect winter coat as it offers both extreme warmth and protection from the rain.

It is not often you find a warm winter coat that is fully waterproof, but this has coped extremely well with everything the weather has thrown at me so far as it has with taped seams to keep the water out and a feather/down filling for warmth.

The coat has been tested to keep you warm in temperatures as low as -60C, so this jacket is perfect for outdoor lovers like us.

The outer layer is made of 100% nylon with 75% down and 25% feather filling and the jacket fully waterproof, rated at 5000mm, with the IsoDry fabric allowing air to circulate which makes sure you stay dry on the inside and lets moisture out.

The jacket has an inner adjustable cuff with a Velcro strap and an inner ribbed cuff for warmth and comfort but it is the giant hood that has an elastic cord for a better fit and detachable faux fur trim for extra warmth that is my favourite part of the coat – perfect for hiding under when the weather turns.

The jacket also has a down proof lining which prevents the feathers escaping and
multiple pockets including one internal MP3 player/mobile pocket, two large front pockets with poppers which are big enough to store my camera and lens.

Teamed with my Hotter GTX Marlowe Boots, a duo-tone nubuck/suede combination knee-high boot with goretex technology to keep my feet warm and dry, this is the perfect outfit for keeping me warm and dry this winter!

Now we just need some really cold weather or snow as this jacket keeps me so warm I keep having to take it off as the weather has been so mild.

Days Out in Review – July to December 2016

January 2, 2017

We have had so many exciting adventures this year that I have had to split my round-up post into two sections.

You can read about our January to June highlights here and welcome to our adventures from July to December.

July 2016

With Sebby being a little older and at Nursery now, I have managed to attend some blogging events that I have only watched from afar and this year I attended my first ever Christmas in July event with Asda.

It was bizarre seeing Christmas decorations and food in the summer but it did give me some fantastic ideas for Christmas and open my eyes to things I would never have tried otherwise and I got to meet the lovely James Martin.

This year we were Drayton Manor ambassadors and were invited up to see their new High Ropes course – Vertigo. Isaac was off straight away and hared around the course several time whilst I stayed and watched Eliza and Sebby who were on the Junior course.

The thrillseeking didn’t stop there as we were also invited to try out the new Dorset Waterpark which sits in the shadows of Corfe Castle. I don’t think I have ever heard so many squeals and giggles as they raced around the course, leaping into the water and flinging themselves down giant slides.

August 2016

We always look forward to Camp Bestival which has become a bit of a family tradition and this year was no exception. This was the best year yet for us, we stayed with Pitch Village which took the hassle of camping away and took part in activities that we had not tried before, with the Dingly Dell being our favourite haunt. We also enjoyed meeting the Tudors on Tour and crafting at Spinney Hollow.

We stuck to glamping with a visit to Crealy Meadows and stayed in a magnificent Castle tent that was like a real home from home. The facilities were brilliant and the kids had a brilliant time exploring Crealy Adventure Park.

Regular readers of my blog will know that the kids attend regular swimming lessons as I believe it is a vital life skill to have. This year Isaac took part in a Swimsafe lesson in the sea to teach him water safety in open water.

August also saw our second visit of the year to Thorpe Park where we learned to dance with Balance Unity from BGT fame, stayed in the Shark Hotel and had the whole park to ourselves for a couple of hours.

September 2016

Although the kids were back to school, the fun didn’t stop and we enjoyed an amazing #FitToDance session with Disney On Ice and Peter Andre.

We were disappointed to miss the Bournemouth Air Show this year, although we had the most amazing holiday aboard the Carnival Vista instead, however, we got our aeroplane fix at Duxford Air Show instead.

One of our favourite local days out is Moors Valley Country Park and this year the Railway celebrated its 30th birthday and we were invited to celebrate at the 30th Birthday Gala.

October 2016

October saw us heading to London and we enjoyed a City Cruise along the Thames which took us to visit the Tower of London.

We enjoyed a weekend break in Cornwall at the Seaview Holiday Village which allowed us to explore the local area with visits to Looe, Springfields Fun Park, the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and a Naval Harbour cruise of Plymouth Sound.

We stayed at home for half of October half term, however we enjoyed lots of fun days out including a visit to see the Etches Collection in Kimmeridge and then headed down to the beach to find our own fossils.

Weymouth Sea Life Centre has been somewhere we have visited regularly this year thanks to our Merlin Annual passes and over Halloween they had their Spooky Seas exhibit which the kids loved.

We also enjoyed a fabulous day out at Marwell Wildlife where we got to see their new Wild Explorers enclosure.

For the second half of October half term we stayed at Potters Resort in Norfolk which was great fun. Whilst we were there we enjoyed a day out in Great Yarmouth and found our favourite day out of 2016 – BeWILDerwood. I just wish it was closer to home as we would be there every weekend!

November 2016

I have been unsuccessfully dropping hints to Hubby about buying me a helicopter flight over the Jurassic Coast for years, however Red Letter Days came to my rescue and send me up on a fantastic flight over some of my favourite Dorset beaches.

Ever since I organised BlogOn Winchester back in October 2015 I have been promising to take the kids to Winchester Science Centre so when I saw their Horrible Science event was on I just had to take them to visit.

After my Helicopter flight I really wanted to visit some of the beaches that I flew over and a weekend break at Harcombe House in Lyme Regis saw us do just that.

Hubby and I also enjoyed a Segway Tour of Upton Country Park.

November is also the month when Christmas days out start launching and we were invited to two. The first being Drayton Manor where we got to enjoy some magical snowfall and pose in giant Christmas decorations.

Our next visit was to the Winter Wonderland at Paultons Park where we partied with Billy the Elf, Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

December 2016

It was back to Weymouth Sea Life Centre for us to see Santa at their Magic of Christmas event.

The kids have been desperate to visit a Trampoline Park and we finally got round to booking a slot at Activate Trampoline Park locally.

The week before Christmas was busy with a couple of eventful car journey’s. The first to London for Disney On Ice Frozen, where we were challenged with the road closure of the M3 on our way home in torrential rain.

The second was to Birmingham to see Marvel Universe Live, Superheroes Assemble which is perhaps one of the best live action shows we have ever seen with aerial stunts, flying, motorbikes, pyrotechnics and live action.

Our final day out of 2016 on the blog is our visit to the Bournemouth Wheel for a panoramic view over our home town. If you are local, I highly recommend you give it a go, but hurry as it leaves on 7th January.