The Christmas tradition in our house is definitely breaking out the games. From making a fool of ourselves singing karaoke, dancing like we have no … Read more
It is that time of year when we all live in boots to keep our feet warm and dry.
When you are 5, keeping dry isn’t top of your priority list and leaping in the nearest available puddle is more the order of the day.
Thankfully Startrite know this and have a fabulous range of water-resistant shoes and boots and sent Eliza a pair of the Aqua Butterfly Boots to review.
The boots are beautiful, with a water-resistant, dyed-through leather upper and breathable, waterproof Aqua-rite linings to help keep feet dry, with a stunning embroidered butterfly pattern on the side.
The boots also have a zip fastening for easy foot entry and a lightweight rubber sole for comfort.
Eliza wore these solidly for two days, straight from new on our visits to Drayton Manor and Paultons Park and commented on how comfortable they were. It was very chilly on both days too but her feet stayed warm and dry, despite a valiant attempt to leap in as many puddles as she could find.
The Aqua Butterfly Boots also come in purple and brown and retail at £52.
Now, I am off to look at the Startrite website from some boys waterproof boots as they need some too!!
We have been going to Winter Wonderland at Paultons Park, home of Peppa Pig World, for a few years now and I will admit that last year we found it a little tired and dated – not that the kids cared.
This year we were invited back to see the changes Paultons Park had made after investing more than half a million pounds into its winter wonderland feature and boy, it has made such a difference.
You are given a specified time to arrive at the Grotto and are greeted by some friendly elves before heading inside for a magical adventure.
Uh Oh!! Rudolph has got tangled up in some twinkling Christmas lights and needs help getting back to the North Pole to help Santa deliver his presents.
We crept past some sleeping polar bears, saw some animatronic animals singing and dancing and bravely journeyed over an icy lake – but hurry before it cracks. Rudolf was there to offer encouragement in getting him home.
Finally we made it to the Toy Factory where Rudolph had decorated his stable in the lights he was tangled up in. We then headed inside to see that the workshop had been brought right up to date with large flat screen televisions showing incoming letters, preparing his journey and even footage of Santa himself reading the letters.
We were then ushered into see the big man himself, where he spoke to Isaac, Eliza and Sebastian by name and had a lovely long chat with them about their behaviour this year and what they wanted for Christmas.
Instead of receiving a present handed out from Santa, we were directed outside to a covered area where we could buy our photo and the kids were presented by age related presents directly from the Toy Factory by the elves. As always the presents were well thought out and good quality.
Outside we got to meet Paultons new characters, Billy the mischievous elf, who took the kids little elves the kids were carrying to get up to some mischief with, as well as Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman.
The only area of Paultons Park that was open was the left hand side which contains Critter Creek, a 4D cinema showing the Christmas adventure film, Sleigh Ride, where Blitzen the reindeer and elf Bobo help Santa and save Christmas and of course the ever popular Peppa Pig World and it was all decorated beautifully with twinkling illuminations, seasonal music and a giant Christmas trees.
I love Peppa Pig World at this time of year as it is really quiet and we barely queued for anything all day. In fact we went on most rides at least twice.
We also really enjoyed the new daily Christmas Shows, one where the kids were read Christmas stories and another one with songs and lots of dancing. Us adults also enjoyed a complimentary hot punch and a seasonal mince pie treat.
We were at Paultons Park from 9.30am until gone 5pm and it was a fun-filled day out that we all enjoyed. Our only disappointment was that the Lost Kingdom was closed as Isaac wanted to go and see the dinosaurs.
For opening times and ticket prices, visit Paultonspark.co.uk, but hurry – timeslots are selling fast.
I was such a tomboy as a child and played with cars over dolls most of the time.
I always wanted a Scalextric and when my step-brother got one for Christmas one year I was over the moon as it meant that I got to play too.
Having four boys in the house you would have thought that we would have owned a Scalextric set by now but to my disappointment they were never interested……..until now.
Sebby loves everything to do with cars, well any vehicle to be honest, so when we were invited to review the My First Scalextric set I knew he would love it.
Designed as a perfect introduction to the world of Scalextric, My First Scalextric is a 1:64 scale set which features an easy-to-assemble figure-of-eight track which measures 108cm x 61cm so it doesn’t take up too much room.
The set comes with two rally cars and adjustable power hand-controllers are colour coded in red and yellow to match the chevrons on the circuit.
Micro Scalextric is designed with the youngest racers in mind and is aimed at children age 3 and over. The vehicles are super resistant and are built to withstand the odd tumble and are fitted with extra strong magnets to reduce the odds of them coming off the circuit on corners taken at speed. The track in Micro Scalextric sets is more compact and is easier to connect and disconnect too, making for easier assembly and packing away.
I will admit that if you squeeze the triggers as far as they will go the cars do fly off the track so it does take some skill and teaches Sebby to control the cars. The shouts and giggles as they race makes me smile and he has challenged the whole family to take part, which they gladly do.
Who knew that cars racing around a track in a figure of 8 would be so much fun?
This set is mains operated and is supplied with a UK transformer.
Finding a Christmas day out can be a bit of a minefield, especially when you have a large range of ages to keep happy.
We were invited to Drayton Manor, home of Thomas Land, for a magical Christmas experience and we were not disappointed.
This was our first visit to Drayton Manor at Christmas and they had completely transformed Thomas Land into a winter wonderland, complete with snow on the roofs, christmas decorations and characters wandering around to meet and greet the children.
There was also guaranteed snowfall over the Island of Sodor which the kids were delighted with as we danced along with The Fat Controller and all his Fungineer friends during their show – even Abbey got dragged up to join in.
All the rides in Thomas Land were open and it was so quite we were literally walking onto each one without having to queue which meant the kids never got bored or cold.
Thomas was decorated with fair lights and cute antlers and the train ride was decorated with Christmas scenes as you travelled from Knapford to Farmer McColl’s Farm.
The larger rides for teens are not open, however you can still visit the zoo, ride on Ben 10 Rollercoaster and experience the Polar Express in the 4D cinema.
We were booked in to see Father Christmas at 4pm and were surprised to find no queue at all. We were greeted at the door by a friendly elf who chatted to the children before letting us inside.
You enter a large room with a stack of real toys in front of you with another elf explains that he has been making and are then ushered into a room to meet Father Christmas. Eagle eyed parents will notice there is more than one room but the kids were so transfixed by the toys that they didn’t notice.
I have to say that although the journey to see Father Christmas was a little uninspiring, the visit itself was fantastic. He engaged with the children, took a genuine interest in what they were saying and chatted to them for around 5 minutes.
Santa’s gift to them was a white paper bag which contained a golden ticket to return to Drayton Manor next year, a huge (and I mean HUGE) gold chocolate coin and a cuddly elf which they were instructed to look after and place on the window sill of their bedroom on Christmas Eve so he knew where to deliver their presents.
If you are looking for an experience that lasts the whole day then this is for you. The park closes at 5pm and finishes with a fantastic Christmas parade and show and then fireworks over the lake.
Park entry plus a visit to see Father Christmas costs £12 for age 2-3, £17 for age 4-11 and £22 for age 12+ which is very reasonable considering everything they have on offer – find out more on the website: DraytonManor.co.uk
