My Happy List – Eating and Fishing

My Happy List

Oops I’m not very good at this weekly Happy List round-up. Some weeks are so samey and boring that there really isn’t much to say about it.

However, the past week has had some silver linings so I thought I would share them with you.

Sunday I took Isabelle out to the river and did something that we did all the time as kids. We went fishing with a net and a bucket. Simple as that! The trick to fishing for little stickleback fish is to look for spots of water where the sun is shining in it. Unfortunately, last Sunday was quite overcast so we only managed to find one fish, a couple of little sticks (Isabelle thought they were fish) and a few tiny snails. She was a bit worried that we might catch THE Crocodile but we stayed away from the train bridge where he lives!

Monday

Monday saw the return of my part-time working hours so Monday signified the first child-free day in a long time. I worked on my blog of course after taking Charlie for a lovely walk. It was bliss and much needed.

Tuesday

Was a workday for me. As I’m just about to start a new job it feels odd that things that I’m doing now are my ‘lasts’. I have three days left in my current job. It feels like the end of an era!

Wednesday

Was Isabelle’s last day in year 1. She’s come on leaps and bounds in this last year. Her school report was great and she still has so much enthusiasm for school and learning. Off she went with the obligatory teacher present and a smile on her face.

Thursday

Was a normal day until work was finished and we headed off to Princesshay Shops in Exeter for their Summer Eats event. We were treated to yummy cocktails from Coal (the Raspberry Collins was my fave), watched the chef from Cafe Rouge cook mussels in a state of art kitchen set up from Berloni, and sampled some lovely food from the various restaurants. We tried these really lovely parcels filled with pulled pick which were amazing but I forgot to ask where they were from so I need to investigate that. As part of the event, we were treated to a demonstration by the South West Lindy Hoppers. It was a lot of fun and I would have loved to join in but my little sidekick wasn’t having up for partaking.

Friday

Was a great day in that it was the first day where we got up in no hurry at all. We had scrambled eggs on toast and did everything at a slow pace. This was much needed for both Isabelle and me. We walked the dog and then my mum came over later on.

Saturday

Daddy was home with us and after a leisurely morning, both Isabelle and Daddy took Charlie for a walk so that I could get some work done. Ryan is off on holiday on Wednesday so I’ve been trying to get all of his stuff together.

Sunday

I did the last of the holiday shopping which was a total fist-pump moment. Yey me! I also watched Bad Moms for the first time whilst I did the ironing. I loved it! We also went over to my in-laws’ garden party where we stuffed our faces with cake and drank tea!

What’s on your Happy List?

Like this post, then click here for more Family Life posts.

 

#SchoolHols2017 – Killerton House

Killerton House

I think our favourite National Trust property by far is Killerton House. The grounds are beautiful and you can either take a short walk or a long walk dependent on your stamina or if you have little legs with you.

Killerton House

What is there to do?

The house and grounds are family-friendly with baby changing and feeding facilities. You can take pushchairs into the house, but some of the off-path walks may be a bit tricky.

There is a children’s play area and several interesting things around the grounds to climb on. Don’t forget to check out the Bear House.

It’s a great place to take a picnic but you can of course opt to go to one of their two cafes for refreshments.

You can also take dogs on leads (not in the house).

Take a walk around the house and discover the history and take part in the Builder Mouse Trail which area dotted throughout the building and see what jobs they’re doing.

Try it Tuesdays – Take the kids along and let them take part in a new sport.

  • 1st August – Laser clay shooting and rugby skills.
  • 8th August – Frisbee golf and archery.
  • 15th August – American football and archery.
  • 19th August – Frisbee golf and American football.
  • 22nd August – Tennis and cricket.

Wicked Wednesdays – Themed activities for the kids to take part in. Here are the ones upcoming:

  • 2nd August – We’re going on a Bear Hunt 2 pm – 4 pm.
  • 9th August – Pirates 2pm – 4pm.
  • 16th August – Knights, Dragons, and Damsels 2 pm – 4 pm.
  • 23rd August – Fairies and Elves 2 pm – 4 pm.
  • 30th August – Jungle Explorers 2 pm – 4 pm.

Killerton House

Check out the website for 50 things to do before you’re 11.

They also have a Secret Supper Club which we haven’t experienced ourselves, but it sounds like a really nice thing to do.

Opening Times

10.00am – 5.00pm Every day.

How much does it cost?

Child £5.50
Adult £11.00
Family £27.50

Killerton House

What did we think?

We love Killerton. Thankfully Isabelle likes to walk as long as there are interesting things to look at and do along the way. Killerton has everything you need for the perfect family day out so a big thumbs up from us.

Lisa x

Don’t forget to leave us a comment if you’ve been to Killerton – and if you’re looking for inspiration this school holidays then don’t forget to have a look at our #SchoolHols2017 page where we have lots of days out in the South West listed.

 

Devon Days Out- The Orange Elephant

The Orange Elephant

Yey we’ve ticked another one off the Family Bucket List as we visited The Orange Elephant today.

The kids have both been before but with grandparents so this was a first for both Chris and I and it definitely won’t be the last.

The Orange Elephant

It wasn’t a long journey for us and excitement got the better of Isabelle as the signposts signalled our closeness.

Pulling in there was plenty of parking which is always a bonus.

The view of the entrance and the Meadow was lovely, and then the smell of the pig, cow and sheep pooh took over confirming that we were indeed on a working farm.

 

What is there to do?

Isabelle wasn’t interested in having a look around at all. All she was interested in finding was the ice cream selection, all the while wondering what toppings and sauces they had!

She wasn’t disappointed.

There were loads to choose from including Lemon Pavlova, Muddy Green Wellies (you’ll have to visit to find out what that one is) and Mango just to name a few. There was a choice of cones, toppings, sauces, and an impressive selection of ice cream sundaes.

With all the amazing flavours and the time she took to choose, she chose a plain cone with vanilla ice cream, strawberry sauce and marshmallows.

Admission to The Orange Elephant are extremely reasonable and we decided to get a season pass for £12.00 which admits five people (adults or children). The season ends at the end of September, but I’ve got a feeling that we will be making use of the pass.

After paying we were given our orange stickers and our maze map and off we went to find the Summer Meadow.

The Orange Elephant

We encountered sheep, pigs, chickens, and cows. The sheep weren’t really bothered with us, but the pigs were quite nosy and we got a great snout picture. A calf came to greet us and the chickens were very friendly.

If you look in the chicken pen, you can see that these are special chickens that lay green eggs!!

We went around the Maize Maze with Isabelle’s excellent map reading skills and then headed for a play in the park.

The Orange Elephant

The Orange Elephant

The Orange Elephant

The Orange Elephant

There were plenty of picnic tables and grassy areas to sit for a picnic.

There were plenty of swings and slides to go on, and an assault course which Isabelle really loves to do.

The Orange Elephant

When she’d finished playing we headed back to the cafe as us parents hadn’t had a chance to taste the ice cream!

The Ice Cream

We chose the  (Award-Winning) Lemon Pavlova and the Chocolate Brownie Sundaes which we shared and little cheeky minx managed to wangle another ice cream.

The Orange Elephant

The Orange Elephant

I didn’t take a picture but I loved the signs on the toilet doors – Heifers (ladies) and Bulls (Gents).

After finishing our sundaes (very filling indeed) we had another go in the park to round the trip off.

The Orange Elephant

But not before asking about the possibility of having Isabelle’s birthday party there.

What we thought

So in summary The Orange Elephant is definitely worth a visit. It gets both adult and kid thumbs up, and I would recommend a season pass as it’s somewhere that you can nip to if you have a spare couple of hours to let the kids let off some steam and finish it off with a cheeky ice-cream.

Visit the Orange Elephant Facebook Page to keep up to date with opening times and News.

Lisa x

 

The Bear Trail

The Bear Trail

Have you found the Bear Trail yet? Do you like the outdoors? Do your kids like mud? Do the kids need to burn off some school holiday energy?

If it’s a YES to all of the above then you need to add The Bear Trail to your list of School Holiday activities.

The Bear Trail
One of my FAVE pics!

Things to do!

Get Muddy!
Get Wet!
Have Fun!
Get the Kids Muddy!
Get the Adults Muddy!
Climb!
Roll!
Wallow!

There are loads of climbing apparatus, stepping stones, wobbly bridges, rope bridges, hay bales, tyres to squeeze through, a mountain to climb, and more……

Wear your oldest clothes and trainers and go and have some fun!

Either take a picnic or choose from their menu of panini’s, stonebaked pizzas or selection of cakes and drinks.

There is no age range, the idea being that if you feel able to take part then do it.

There is a smaller area for the littles to play but if they are feeling adventurous they can also take part in all of the equipment.

Once the kids have had enough (you can spend as long as you like) there are shower and changing facilities on-site to get you to a respectable cleanliness before heading off home.

The Bear Trail

How Much Does it Cost?

Under 1 metre £4.50
Over 1 metre £7.50

It’s advisable to pre-book your tickets during the school holidays to guarantee entry.

Opening Times

10.00am – 5.00pm Every day.

Our Thoughts

We loved it! Daddy and Isabelle (6) were straight in whilst I needed a bit of coaxing, but once I got stuck in we were all loving it and got thoroughly muddy. We went on everything and there were no tears just tired happy mud smeared faces by the end of the day! The pizzas are awesome too!

We hope you’re enjoying our #SchoolHols2017 series where we’ve posted some of our fave places to go in the South West. Drop us an email if you can think of any great places that you would recommend.

Lisa x

The Orange Elephant Ice Cream Parlour

The Orange Elephant Ice Cream Parlour

It’s a given that we’ll be heading to the Orange Elephant Ice Cream Parlour this school holidays.

We had Isabelle’s 6th Birthday Party there last September. We took a huge picnic, played and then finished off with some scrummy ice cream with a selection of toppings.

If you haven’t already paid a visit to the Orange Elephant then here are a few bits and bobs.

You must have seen the actual Orange Elephant if you’ve driven towards Torquay or Plymouth before you get to Telegraph Hill (we always look out for it).

The Orange Elephant

Info

Opening Times Every day 10 am – 5 pm until September

Entrance is £2 for adults and £1 for kids. Under 3’s are free.

A family pass is £12.

Baby changing facilities are available.

Summer Meadow and Play area – There are animals to see such as cows, pigs, and sheep as well as the Play area which has lots of wooden play apparatus as well as sandpits and open spaces (perfect for a picnic).

The Maize Maze – Find your way around the Maize Maze which is in the shape of an elephant. Split up into teams and see who finds their way around first.

The Ice Cream – The Ice Cream is amazing. There’s a huge selection. Last year we tried a Lemon Sundae and a Chocolate Brownie Sundae. It was total heaven in a glass. For Isabelle’s birthday, we had a little girl who was dairy-free, but she had a choice of several sorbets which was nice.

The Orange Elephant

Is it worth a visit?

Definitely!

We would recommend getting the annual pass so that you can visit any time that you like. You would only have to visit a couple of times before you would have paid for it. You could meet up with friends and spend the day and take a picnic or you could pop along for a coffee and an ice cream treat.

How to get there

This is part of our #SchoolHols2017 series for things to do and places to go in the South West. We’d love to know of any great places you take your family to. Do drop us an email if you have any gems to share.

Lisa x

The Orange Elephant

#SchoolHols2017 – Summer Eats at Princesshay

Summer Eats at Princesshay

To kick off our #SchoolHols2017 series we thought we’d stay close to home and head for the Summer Eats at Princesshay on Thursday 27th July 2017.

If you haven’t been into Exeter town centre recently then you’re missing out. There are regular events that pop up with the next one focusing on the restaurants and food available within Princesshay.

Princesshay Summer Eats

From 11.00am – 3.00pm there will be samples to try, live cooking demos, music and outdoor games.

Take the kids along, watch a demo or two by local chefs whilst they play games on the turf.

To add to the outdoor Summer theme there will be live music and face painting available. You can of course do a spot of shopping as well.

Pull up a deck chair and get involved.

Our top two places to eat in Princesshay are Carluccio’s and Cafe Rouge and on the odd child-free occasion, I do love a cocktail two at Coal.

Here are some fab Summer Holiday Offers for family’s.

Have fun.

Lisa x

PS – If you know of any great events or places to visit in the South West drop us an email.

PPS – We’re listing loads of great places to visit and things to do which you will find on our #SummerHols2017 page.

Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case – A Review & Competition

Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case

We were really pleased to be asked to review the Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case. We’re going on holiday next month and it will be Isabelle’s first time on a plane. The journey is relatively short as we’re going to Spain, but there will be plenty of opportunity for Isabelle to get bored so we’re going prepared.

What do you do on journeys to keep boredom at bay?

The last time we went away I put together a little bag for her to open once she was in the car which had a kids magazine, some colouring pencils, some snacks and a sticker pack which went down a treat.

We play all the usual games such as eye spy, count the number of (whatever colour) cars.

We also let her take her tablet with some of her favourite apps on.

The other week she had a little lego set in the car which was a disaster as she dropped some of the pieces which nobody could reach as we were driving along. I don’t think we’ll be doing that again.

 

Cue the Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case

Not only does this case look super cute with the star print which comes in a choice of Blue, Pink and Red, it as both a case handle and a detachable longer bag handle. It’s really well made from oilcloth to withstand the heavy handedness and has everything you need to keep a little one busy on a journey.

What’s inside:

  • A Pencil for drawing and writing
  • A Set of 12 colouring pencils
  • A Pencil Sharpener
  • A Gluestick
  • A pair of scissors
  • A ruler
  • An Activity Book

Pipity Kids Activity Case

The activity case has a built in easel with elasticated straps to keep your activity page in place whilst you colour it in.

Each of the activity books are packed full of exciting activities and games. Each page has a perforated edge so that you can easily tear the page out to use.

We love that these aren’t run of the mill activities, but cute puppets and games that you colour then cut out to create something to use.

We were sent the full collection of activity books which will provide many many hours of entertainment for Isabelle. These can be bought separately to top up as and when  you need them.

Also in the Pipity range is the Pipity Portfolio which is an expanding file where all of your kids creations can be kept safely together. These are also available in the matching Pink, Blue and Red Star design. I initially thought that the portfolio was for us parents to keep the creations safe which do tend to rack up, but I was quickly corrected by Isabelle that it was so that she could keep the things that she had made so that she could play with them.

Pipity was founded by Kate who was inspired by her own happy childhood memories of cutting and sticking and creating wanted to give her own three children the same experience. The Pipity has everything to spark the imagination and keep little hands busy.

The Video

Watch our video which shows you what you get in the Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case.

What we thought.

As a mum I think the Pipity is pretty awesome. Isabelle loves all things crafty and I know this kit will keep her happy and busy during any journey. The case has everything you need so no scrabbling around for things or having to add extra bits to my bag. It also gets a huge thumbs up from me personally as Pipity is a Devon based Independent Business which I love to support having been there myself.

Isabelle was so excited when the Pipity came out of the box. Before she even opened it she was doing her catwalk walk as pranced up and down with the case hanging off her shoulder. She’s going to love carrying this herself. She loved all of the activities, with the puppets and dolls being her absolute favourite. I should post the outtakes of the video that we did as she spent way too long messing about with the scissors (why do kids love scissors so much) AND the bendy ruler cracked her up.

This is a total winner for both of us and it will be coming with us to Spain next month!

Fancy Winning your own Pipity?

 

A Rafflecopter giveaway (Now Closed)

We plan to take our Pipity in the car, on the plane and possibly to the odd restaurant to keep Isabelle busy. Keep an eye on the Babynotincluded Instagram feed for updates.

Lisa x

•We were sent a Pipity Activity Case, a Pipity Portfolio and Activity books for the purpose of this review. All opinions and thoughts are our own.

First year of school Over Already

First-year of school over already!

Ooh, I can’t believe that Isabelle has completed her first year of school already!

This was her on her first day with her brand new uniform, shiny shoes, and a huge grin.

She’s come on leaps and bounds in her first year.

A picture of a five year old girl on her first day of school

The school that she goes to are big on sensory play, outdoor play (come rain or shine), and imaginative play. She would come home completely covered in mud, paint, gloop, or just general grubbiness which are always a sign of a good day.

We stopped eating jacket potatoes at home as Isabelle would choose a jacket potato for her lunch every single day with a variation of topping between cheese or tuna and sweetcorn.

Isabelle absolutely adored her teacher who she is going to miss terribly. Miss Dyke has told her that she can still sit with her at lunchtime when they go back. She might regret that come every lunchtime!

Isabelle turned five the week that she started school so she was more than ready for it, and has soaked up every bit of learning from reading, singing, phonics, and writing.

She constantly sings the jingles associated with phonics and is pretty good at spelling simple words on her own.

She enjoys reading the annoyingly repetitive books that they get sent home with and her descriptions of minibeasts is second to none.

We’ve met her new teacher who seems lovely, and she explained how the children are mixed with year 1 and year 2 and then separated into learning levels. She is going up with a group of her best friends so I think she will absolutely fine.

Since starting school Isabelle has started playing teachers where she plays miss Dyke. We got her a whiteboard which she props up, lines all her teddy’s up, put on her high heels, and adjusts her voice into teacher mode. She has a lanyard with a smiley face, sad face, and listening ear which she uses when talking to the children. She takes the register and then does reading and writing with them. The naughty kid of the class (which I won’t name on the off chance that his parents read my blog) gets told off a lot and quite often ends up sitting on the stairs!

I feel quite sad that she’s going up to year 1. The reception and pre-school have their own self-contained outdoor area with bikes, a mud kitchen, a sandpit, giant building bricks, and a veg patch. Going into year 1 will be more classroom-based and they go into the BIG playground with all the older kids.

It seems like such a big step that Isabelle is more than ready for, but maybe I’m not quite ready yet.

The teen has now completed his first year of college, and we have to consider universities for next September with the application process this September which I’m sooooo not ready for. Boohoo!!

I’m not going to dwell on it. I know they both have to grow up.

Here she was yesterday excitedly clutching her teacher present for the ‘bestest teacher in the world’ in Isabelle’s words!

A photo of a five year old girl holding a teacher present on her last day of schoolA photo of a five year old girl holding a teacher present on her last day of school
We chose a lovely necklace made by a jeweller in Somerset with little shells on it, chosen because Isabelle thinks Miss Dyke is as beautiful as a mermaid! (We got this from the lovely Hyde and Seek Shop).

A photo of a silver shell necklace

*Originally posted in July 2016

Mila & Pheebs Kids Activity Box – A review

Mila & Pheebs Kids Activity Box Review – Part 2

We were squealy excited to be sent a further Mila & Pheebs Kids Activity Box through the post. Crafting definitely plays a huge part in our lives. Making something together post-dinner time has become a bit of a regular routine for us which gives us something nice to do after work/school.

MIla & Pheebs Kids Activity Box

I didn’t tell Isabelle that she was getting another box as she drives us totally insane when she knows something is coming through the post. She thinks that it’s going to appear at the door five minutes after it’s been ordered. It was a lovely surprise when it arrived, and I think I was just as excited to know what was inside as Isabelle was.

I did wonder whether this box was going to beat the previous Activity Box that we received, but we weren’t at all disappointed.

What was in the box?

  • Safari Criss Cross
  • Safari Colouring-in sheets
  • Lion Eraser
  • Safari Dotty Art
  • Safari Pencil
  • Safari Memo Pad
  • Safari Wordsearch
  • Safari Greeting Cards
  • Safari Foil Stickers
  • Parrot Collage Kit
  • Safari Scissors

Isabelle’s favourite piece in the box was the scissors. She was so excited to get her own pair of scissors. Doubly so that they had monkeys and bananas on them!

So over to Isabelle who will walk you through what she got in the box.

As you can see, she was thoroughly impressed with all of the things that she got in the box, especially the monkey scissors.

I’ve sneaked the colouring sheets and activity sheets to put away for Isabelle to do on the plane when we go on holiday next month.

There isn’t a single thing in the box that Isabelle wasn’t excited about or looking forward to making.

Value for Money

There are various options for the subscription boxes as well as various payment options. As well as the monthly subscription boxes you can get one-off themed boxes including Birthday, Superhero, Unicorn, and Fun on the Farm just to name a few.

If my convincing isn’t enough, pop over and check out their social media:

Twitter: @MilaandPheebs 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milaandpheebs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milaandpheebs

Hope you like the video.

Lisa & Isabelle x

 

Family Fever

My Happy List – New Job Talk , holidays and sunshine….

My Happy List

My Happy List – last week I didn’t post anything as it really was a week of slog at work and not much else.

However, this week has been a bit less stressful.

Sleep – I’ve slept a lot better than usual this past week which is always something to feel happy about. This was a big deal especially since Chris has an awful cough and he’s been hacking away most of the night.

New working hours – I was a bit worried about changing my hours at work as three days seems like the best work/life balance and my new job is four days a week. However, given that this is going to be a different job completely I’m up for the challenge (and I have been working full-time for the past year). I have also wangled a Friday off which fits in better for childcare.

Holiday Shopping – we’ve done a bit more holiday shopping this week and I’ve actually bought some swimwear that doesn’t make me want to throw-up!

Park Day – we went to my brothers yesterday and took the kids to the park. It was lovely just sitting in the sun whilst the kids played. Now that they’re eight, six, and six you don’t have to chase them around the park and help them on and off stuff. It also meant I could have some baby cuddles from my nephew.  

Dog walking – I love walking Charlie, preferably on my own. I can walk and think, or not. He has no expectations or demands, just walking. I can see my old age in front of me where flashes of 100 stray dogs and no people spring to mind. Haha!

Have a great week.

Lisa x