Bluestone Wales Resort

18/10/201719/12/2023 Lisa

Bluestone Wales Resort

So following on from arrival and first impressions, today is our first full day at Bluestone Wales Resort. The weather today is nothing like yesterday. We have blue skies and the wind has thankfully died down. The wind in Wales even made the news as it was compared to the storms in Ireland which were much worse.

The Park

There is an awesome park at Bluestone with fake grass which is lovely and bouncy underfoot. It feels a bit like being in Teletubby land. All the equipment is made out of sturdy wooden structures with bright colours. There’s something for all ages with big slides, little slides, ride on bouncy bugs, swings and a strange thing that looks like a colander that you sit in and it spins around.

The park is just above the coffee shop which is perfect for us mums and dads that need a bit of extra fuel to keep up with the little ones.

Just off the park there are wooden tree houses which all have games in them such as noughts and crosses, pinball and ball mazes.

We also discovered a giant chair which was left behind by a local welsh giant.

The Lake

After we’d had a mooch around the village we went for a wander around the lake. We bumped into some odd looking locals along the way.

The lake was lovely although there was a distinct eggy smell which I’m guessing is something to do with the sewerage system, but we could only smell it for part of the way round.

We also saw lots of birds, ducks and proper lily pads which Isabelle thought were only made up in films.

Narbeth

We also popped into local Narbeth to have a look around. There we found the most amazing deli which had so many yummy things to choose from.

Isabelle was amazed at the size of the onions and found the biggest jacket potato EVER….

We also found a shop that sells specialist alcohol including every kind of flavoured gin imaginable. Nothing unusual about that you would think, but alongside the alcohol they sell ice creams, gelato and sorbet (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). It seemed like a bit of an odd combination. Isabelle had a vanilla ice cream which the lady claimed to be the BEST vanilla ice cream ever. Isabelle being quite the ice cream connoisseur put the ice cream to the test and confirmed it as being THE BEST IN THE WORLD. It was made locally from local Welsh cows milk. As well as the ice cream, Chris bought two pints of local cider which came in a milk carton. It looked a lot like a cows urine sample and didn’t smell much better either.

The Knights Tafarn

In the evening we ventured out to the knights Tafarn for a drink. There was a lovely atmosphere in the pub, and we’re hoping to go back on Thursday for the pub quiz.

There were also a couple of pumpkin people sat outside which you can see a clip of on our Instagram stories.

Blue Lagoon and Adventure Centre

A good fun swimming pool is a must when booking a family holiday, and a trip there almost daily is a great way to get the kids up and out for the day or something fun to do before getting ready for dinner. The pool was definitely no disappointment with waves, a lazy river and slides to play on. Isabelle and even Ryan had a great time.

Lisa x

*disclaimer – we were given a mid-week stay at Bluestone in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Spark – The Review

18/09/201703/07/2021 Lisa

Spark – The Review

We love to watch all of the latest films with Isabelle. We set up camp on the sofa with pyjamas, blankets and snacks and snuggle down, and this is what we did to watch the new film Spark.

Spark is released on DVD and Blue-Ray on Monday 18th September 2017.

You may guess the voices of some well-known names including:

Patrick Stewart
Jessica Biel
Susan Sarandon
Hilary Swank
Rob deLeeuw
A.C Peterson
Jace Norman

The Film

Spark is about a teenage monkey called Spark whose planet was destroyed by the ruthless Zhong leaving him as an orphan with only Chunk, Vix, and some insects for company.

Zhong took over what remained of planet Bana and enslaving everyone who remained.

Spark along with Chunk, Vix, Nanny the Robot and some insects managed to survive on a shard of the planet which was used as a garbage dump whilst Zhong plotted to destroy the entire universe with the help of a deadly space Kraken.

When Spark reaches thirteen he feels ready to take on Zhong, and unbeknown to Chunk and Vix replies to a secret space mission.

Leaving the shard with only his pet roach for company, Spark sets off on the mission of his life.

Making his way into Zhong’s palace with the help of Chunks gadgetry he meets the Queen who gives him a Kraken finder to hide so that Zhong cannot carry out his deadly plan.

Instead of returning to the garbage shard Spark decides to find the Kraken himself. After finding the Kraken he guides it back towards the garbage shard, but Khong’s men have already destroyed everything that had become home to Spark including Bananny the Robot.

Zhong’s men seize the Kraken and capture Spark and imprison him along with Chunk and Vix.

The Kraken is kept under a torturous force field and the garbage shard is destroyed and Spark, Vix and Chunk are thrown into the black hole created by the Kraken.

They land on a planet where many from the original planet Bana had been hiding out. The Captain of the Royal Guard and some of his men have been living not knowing that planet Bana still exists.

Spark is revealed as the Prince of Bana and discovers that the Queen is actually his mother. Vix and Chunk had been keeping Spark safe from the truth on behalf of the Queen until the time came to take back Bana.

They prepare to take back Planet Bana by using Chunks technical know how with the help of mutated bugs. Unbeknown to Spark, Chunk had saved Bananny and pimped her up.

They create a new Kraken slick and return to battle against Zhong. After a great battle where Zhongs ship is destroyed, a black hole is created and Zhong is punched into it by the Queen.

Peace is resumed as Planet Bana is restored to former glory, and the Queen and Prince Spark are in their rightful place.

What we thought:

This was a refreshing change from our usual princessy themed films that we tend to watch. Isabelle was in a telly-trance for the whole film which means it gets a big juicy thumbs up from us. As a parent some of the kids films can be a bit boring, but this was action packed with lots of humour throughout.

It’s definitely worth a watch.

Lisa x

Pipity Kids Travel Activity Case – A Review & Competition

24/07/201713/11/2023 Lisa 119 Comments

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

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.

Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity Kids Subscription Box

19/03/201731/01/2021 Lisa 2 Comments

Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity Kids Subscription Box

One of the things that Isabelle and I like to do together is arts and crafts. There isn’t a day that goes by without Isabelle drawing a picture, colouring, or making something.

Arts and crafts is our go-to thing to do when we haven’t got anything planned or it’s pouring down with rain.

Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity Kids Box

Isabelle has inherited my love of stationery, and like me loves pens, notebooks, folders, clipboards and little pots of paperclips that we may never use.

When we were asked to review a Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity box we were very excited.

You can subscribe to Mila & Pheebs so that each month your child gets a surprise themed box through the post addressed to themselves with lots of lovely goodies inside. Even better, the box fits through the letterbox so there’s no chance of missing the postie and having to collect it from somewhere.

One of the other things that Isabelle is obsessed with at the moment is kids Youtube videos. She usually watches surprise boxes being opened which are mostly American Girls opening ‘blind bags’ which contain all kinds of Disney Princesses, Shopkins, or other such things.

Recently she’s started to talk in an American accent, and I’ve caught her loads of times pretending to make her own videos so I thought I’d give her a chance to have her 15 minutes of fave and let her introduce what came in the Mila & Pheebs box so over to Belle!

I’m a huge fan of kits like this which can easily be packed away to do on a journey, taken to Grandparent’s house or brought out for rainy days.

Each box is packed full of all you would need to complete the task and has several different things in the box to do.

We got:

A pencil with a donkey rubber topper
A really cute cow rubber which comes apart (including detachable nose)
Colouring-in sheets
A horse hand puppet kit
Animal shaped crayons (Isabelle called these rubbers in the video)
Farm Animal foam stickers
A maze and wordsearch sheet
A piggy notepad with pigs to colour in
Plain cards and envelopes
Sheep decoration kit
A felt chicken paperclip (might have pinched that)
Glittery farm animal stickers

So as you can see, you get a lot for your money.

You can subscribe to the boxes which you will receive each month, and each month has a different theme. You can also unsubscribe at any time for times when you may be away. There is also an option to buy a one off which would make a lovely gift.

We had great fun making the horse which we did on a day after school when the weather was a bit pants and Isabelle fancied something fun to do. I was quite intrigued watching her with her concentration face on, determined to do the sewing part from beginning to end.

The Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity Box gets the thumbs up from us!

Lisa x

*We were sent a Mila & Pheebs Stationery and Activity box free of charge for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are 80% Isabelle’s and 20% mine.