Little Man Puts All His Social Skills Training Into Practice When He Meets His Favourite Chelsea Players

I can not begin to put into words what an amazing day, today has been.

If you’ve read my recent posts, you will already know how I won the opportunity to take little man to watch his team ‘Chelsea FC’ training today at Cobham, in preparation for their home game against West Ham this coming Sunday (17th March). What’s more, we are also invited to the match. As winners we have been handed VIP Platinum tickets to the game. This package offers the works, its the ultimate in VIP experience and with tickets costing between £700 – £800 each on the Chelsea official website, we are overwhelmed to have been given this amazing opportunity! One I never could have afforded otherwise.

Well, back to today… We woke up nice and early and set of to Cobham and Stoke with all our fingers crossed that little man would get to meet his football heroes. The PRs who contacted me over my win were made aware of little man’s aspergers Syndrome and they were great on the day. Little man did so well, given he was full of excitement and had very little sleep the previous night, he still managed to deal with it all really well.

Lucky for us it was decided that training would take place inside rather than outside. I say lucky because it was absolutely freezing with high speed winds playing complete havoc with my already wild untamed hair. This also meant we were even closer to the action with the players training just a few feet away from us.

Little man wasn’t at all star struck at this point. While there was some distance between himself and his footy heroes, I think it still felt a little dreamy.

Then it was the moment of truth! No one knew for sure if we would get to meet the players but we were told to bring Chelsea memorabilia for possible signing plus a camera as there may possibly be photo opportunities. You, see it was all a case of maybe and of course such uncertainty for a child on the autism spectrum is torture. We discovered we had won on the Friday and this was his first question. I did just consider saying it wasn’t an option as to lower his heightening suspense but even though it would have been my idea of being kind, he would have been most upset as the surprise may just have been to much. He wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as he should have due to the whole unexpectedness of it… He needs to be prepared for something as big as this, so I decided that if we didn’t get given the opportunity to meet the players then I’d much rather deal with his disappointment then that of his confusion and shock if we did.

Well, the photos say it all! He was a very lucky boy and I’ll never forget the look on his face as he saw Ashley Cole making his way over to say hello! Yes, I’ve honestly never seen such a look on his face… I guess this is what they call star struck! I was so proud of how he held his excitement together as he greeted the players. He was even starting conversations… Rehearsed I think, though brilliant all the same.

Posing with Ashley Cole

Little man with John Terry

Picture with Luiz

Little man made sure he greeted each player and had them all sign his Chelsea football shirt which he was wearing.

I even got a quick snap with the lovely Frank Lampard…

Not my most flattering but how could I not share

It was wonderful seeing my Little Man so happy. He left the training ground on a real high and still can’t stop talking about this day.

Bring on Sundays Match, that’s all I can say!

Thanks so much to the guys at Lucozade and Chelsea FC for making Little man’s day a truly remarkable one! I really don’t think them boys in blue release how much joy they brought to a little guys face who over the years hasn’t found much to smile about.

THANK YOU FROM BOTH OF US.

Holidays, festivals and Aspergers

As some may have noticed, this blogger has been a tad quiet these past few weeks. This I can only put down to the 6 week holidays.

The children have done well at keeping me on my toes since breaking up from school, there’s been all sorts of crazy family ups and downs (luckily nothing to explosive has happened)!

Little man struggles to get the most out of his holidays, what with the lack of a more structured routine, things can often get on top of him. However, this year his doing pretty well and I’m super impressed at how little man is adjusting himself and as a result his enjoying an easier, less stressful school break.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if family life paints the picture that portrays that perfect family the “Walton’s” or even that of the “Little House on the Prairie”. There has been meltdowns, sibling rivalry, tears and of course a little cursing. But thankfully on the whole, it’s been OK and could have easily been worse!

I don’t think I ever imagined that I’d write something like that of the above, especially not during past school holidays which have seen me wondering around in a zombie induced state or that of a women sitting in a corner with her head in her hands, questioning out loud her ability to be a parent! I’ve now come to learn that its a combination of careful planning, self confidence & consistency that makes holidays relatively pleasurable for the whole family (especially for that of the parent and child on the spectrum)!

Little man may scream & curse when I’m requesting a new rule is followed but these rules actually make his holiday and every other day more predicable. He has a clear message surrounding my expectations towards him.

This is the same when applying new activities to a timetable/schedule, as by doing so he is aware of what we’re doing and where we’re doing it. The only problems with this are that of having to reschedule a planed activity or trip, cancellations are by far the worse! Little man like most children diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, doesn’t really grasp the whole unavoidable circumstances explanation and things can therefore become extremely heated and long winded.

This year we haven’t really been on any huge trips and certainly not holidays. Yes, we’ve done some days out to the zoo, park and that of the beach but not as many as I would have liked! Nonetheless, little man seems happy as he engages himself in his special interests or spreading time in the garden where he jumps on the trampoline for hours at a time.

Yet, like his siblings and any other child for that matter, Little man does get bored. Sadly his one true friend who happens to live next door, is off on his holidays where he’ll spend a long sunny 3 weeks in Florida. It’s apparent how much the Little man is missing the friendship and as a result I’m often finding myself having to contend with a snappy, moody 11year year old.

The above has left me needing to think outside the box. There’s been a need to create fun on a budget in-order to keep the little mans mind healthy and stimulated therefore reducing the chances of him getting over absorbed in his interest or annoyed, over stimulated or bored.

Garden sensory play, board games and back yard camping have all played a huge part of our life these last few weeks.

Other then being a parent to three children there has been other things keeping me busy (thankfully I wouldn’t call these chores)! Their are a few new projects I’ve embarked on and some awesome brands I’ve started working with. Actually if I’m honest, I’ve had some lovely surprises since the kids broke up! Discovering I had been chosen to become one of the new Butlins Ambassadors, was one of those surprises, one that caused big cheesy smiles from fellow members of the household.

Becoming a Butlins Ambassador means I can book a holiday with the children between now and next August, and then share my views on the resort by written review and video.

Most importantly, I can report on the little things that matter to those families who have children on the autism spectrum, those with SEN and other types of disability. A holiday camp such as Butlins, runs scheduled activities & events throughout the day which is most appealing to the child who needs structure and routine to feel safe and comfortable.

As well as the review, I’ll be able to share all the need to know Butlins news which includes anything from fantastic competitions to fabulous savings.

If the above wasn’t enough for me to get all excited about, I’ve also met with Acer who invited me to check out their latest Tech releases while celebrating the Olympics 2012 games and its worldwide partnership, by sitting down for a spectacular 3 course lunch at the stunning Spencer House in London (blog post & images coming soon).

Last week was the week I got myself a little ‘Me’ time. I’ve just returned from a the “Wilderness Festival” in Oxfordshire. I spent the entire weekend with a friend discovering what Wilderness had on offer for its second year… and it was bigger and better than its first year ( review coming soon).

So now I’m home and enjoying being mum. Yes, it gets tough sometimes but there is no place I’d rather be.

Britmums Live The Highlights

OK, it’s fair to say that I have banged on about it a fair bit “Britmums Live” and why I was pretty dam excited to be attending.

Enough already I hear you scream.

But it’s done now! I attended and got high on the natural buzz of everything blogging, So… I guess it would be just plain rude of me if I didn’t tell you how it went!

Two entire days of workshops, inspiring talks, healthy debates, mingling, tea and a generous servings of cake (not forgetting the odd glass of wine and an awards party) is a lot to get through! So… As not to overload you, I’ll break this down into more manageable portions as to provide you with the highlights.

So here are my top 20… Enjoy!

Friday…

1) Arriving at 4.30 pm midway through a tea break. A cup of coffee and a slice of moist cake was just what this girl needed after the commute (god I loath the underground, though don’t tell the transport obsessed son I just said that)!

2) My first workshop of the weekend “The bloggers studio: The path to getting published, with bloggers who have done it” Having already started writing a book (see last post) this for me was need to know information. All speakers provided us listeners with some fantastic advice, especially “Emily Carlise” (More than just a mum) which meant that I left smiling.

3) I found that this year there was a much larger network of parent bloggers who’s main focus was on that of SEN, Autism, Aspergers and Disability. This meant that I finally got to meet some of the bloggers behind some of my favourite blogs. Tania from Special Needs Jungle has been a lady I’ve wanted to meet for some time. Finally getting to have a good old chin wag over a couple of glasses of wine was brilliant (Yes, we talked about everything from SEN provision to our boys unique and wonderful little ways).

4) The BIB Awards ceremony, Oh yes, did I forget to mention that an awards bash was merging into the agenda? OK, forget I did not but who can blame me, especially when this very blog was a finalist in the category Inspire! Ok, sadly I didn’t claim the title, but at least I lost out to the lovely talented “Mummy Whisper” Seriously it is impossible to hold any kind of blogger resentment, Lisa is just to bloody nice!

5) The fact that Special Needs Jungle did it for us SEN parents by bagging the Change Award! My fellow SEN blogger, activist, Aspergers Mum and now drinking buddy Tania was a little shocked by winning but still stepped on the stage and shared an important message with the 500+ bloggers, “Please do something to help looked after children in care as many of these children are not lucky to have dedicated parents” Please read and share her latest post.

6) The waiters at the BIBs party… I say no more!

7) The after party drinks with some lovely bloggers.

Saturday…

8) Sarah Brown (wife to ex PM Gordon Brown and founder/president of Piggy Bank Kids) opening key note “Finding your Voice”

9) The Discussions Den, “Blogging for the greater good” A real inspiring discussion hosted by the lovely Kate (Kate on thin ice). Other speakers included Camila Batmanghelidjh (Kids Company) the inspiring Polly Gowers, (Give as you live) Claire from One and one of my favourite bloggers fellow finalist in both the Mads and the BIBs “Kylie Hodges” writer of the blog “Not even a bag of sugar” All gave some fantastic tips and advice on blogging for the greater good. This was by far one of my favourite discussions at Britmums Live.

10) The “Getting the most out of Google +” workshop as this meant that I now understand a little better on how to actually use it.

11) My one 2 one style consultancy with TK Maxx personal stylist “Claire” her suggestions surrounded me with doubt. However she knew her stuff and I left wanting to buy myself some peg trousers.

12) More Cake!

13) How great it was to never find myself stood awkwardly in a corner like a loner! Seriously, there was more than enough lovely bloggers to chat and mingle with.

14) Having a manicure at the Crocs stand! My nails looked lovely (keep an eye out for my lightweight crocs wellie review in August).

15) The display of fireworks right outside my hotel window.

16) The talk by Cherry Healey… What a legend! A brilliant talk on how to combine social media, press and tv to help promote your blog and of course having the time to do so.

17) Acting like a bit of a tit in the Orlando photo booth.

18) Chilling out at the Butlins stand with Laura (Tired mummy of two) it was lovely to catch up.

19) Getting to chat with some lovely bloggers and brands during the breaks including Romanian mum and Mum of three boys.

20) Lastly the amazing bloggers keynote. I cried and laughed out loud. I can’t recommend the following post enough!
Doing it all for Aleyna: Survivor
Down Side up: What to say when a baby is born with Down Syndrome
Dorky Mum: Twitter is like
Ministry of Mum: Seven days of special love

Lastly I would like to thank the people at Orchard Toys for sponsoring my attendance. Of you haven’t checked them out then please do.

Help Susanna Walk Appeal

Some of you may remember the review myself and the children did a while back on the fabulous restaurant ‘Frankie & Bennys’

We loved it, rated it highly and have been back a number of times since.

Then yesterday I received an email about a very special appeal called “Help Susanna Walk” which Frankie and Bennys are supporting.

The appeal really touched my heart and I just had to make my lovely readers aware of it and see if any of you could possibly help this beautiful little girl who wants nothing more than to be able to walk independently.

A waiter who works at the Frankie & Benny’s restaurant in Widnes has a beautiful five-year-old daughter called Susanna who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.

The waiter and his wife are desperately trying to raise money to send Susanna to Missouri in the US for a life changing operation that will enable her to walk unaided. Missouri is the only place she can have surgery urgently – in the UK there is a 2 year waiting list which would mean Susanna would miss her window of opportunity to have it done as she will then be too old to qualify ( I know it sucks).

The operation has a 100% success rate. The family have so far raised £15K but it’s been a struggle and there is a long way to go as they need £60,000 in total.

Frankie & Bennys is determined to raise the money by the end of July 2012 and have promised that this beautiful little girl will walk properly like all of her friends. Frankie & Benny’s is embarking on a nationwide fundraising weekend on Saturday 30th June/Sunday 1st July in every single one of their restaurants where they will donate £3.95 from every child’s meal purchased as well as many other specific fundraising activities for each individual venue.

How you can help

Frankie and Benny’s is a fabulous restaurant and you can feel that you’ve contributed just by enjoying a meal with the children on the specified dates as £3.95 from each of kids meal purchased on this date will go directly to Susanna’s appeal.

If you can’t visit you’re nearest restaurant on either of the two dates and you would like to help Susanna walk then you still can. Just visit the “Help Susanna Walk Just Giving Page” which has been set up as a place people can donate. You can give as much or as little as you can.

What the money raised would do

The money raised will pay for Susanna and her family to travel to and from the States for the operation itself. It will also provide accommodation for the family for a month following Susanna’s operation and further intensive physiotherapy. Money raised will pay for further treatment and aftercare on her return to the UK and hopefully enough will be raise to also provide Susanna with some equipment to aid her speedy recovery.

Susanna only has a short amount of time left whereby she qualifies for this operation, hence the need for immediate action. By raising this money now, Susanna will hopefully have the operation in September and be recovering well by Christmas this year. Just think how amazing it will be for us all to think we have played a part in ensuring it happens.

For more information about Susanna and her family, you can visit the links below:

The Help Susanna Walk Website

The St Helens Star Website

The St Helens Star News Page

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and I haven’t been paid to write this, I have done so to try and help raise awareness for the appeal and to help get little Susanna walking.

Anna Kennedy & Pineapple Performing Arts School Presents… Autism’s Got Talent

Anna Kennedy is an inspirational woman and those who don’t believe me can ask those at the Daily Mail what with her being awarded with the Daily Mail’s most inspirational woman award presented by Samantha Cameron. Anna is the mother of two boys both affected by autism and as well as being the founder of a number of schools, charities and centres for those on the autism spectrum (including the school that my own son attends) she’s also busy working on a number of campaigns, Act Now and the Anti Bullying campaign to name but a few!

So, it’s amazing how this busy mum can possibly fit anything else in!

Well, she has!

On Saturday 12th May at the Mermaid Theatre, London, Anna will be presenting with the help of Pineapple Studios ‘Autism’s Got Talent’.
Anna is bringing together a diverse group of talented people all on the Autistic Spectrum, with the aim of showing the public just how talented they are!
Anna state on her site “All too often many people in society make the mistake of thinking that anyone with a disability is capable of very little……HOLD THE PRESS…….on this evening we will be showing everyone just what all these great people really are capable of and just how good they are at it!”

The night which has been rumoured as a red carpet event, with some well know faces planed to make an appearance , will showcase talent in many forms, ranging from performers with instruments to singers and dancers. Stars will be performing not only as soloists but some will also be coming together to perform in a group (something that many people on the autism spectrum are noted to have difficulty achieving).

Anna has also said that because talent stretches way beyond the field of performance, the night will also celebrate those fantastic people who have done other amazing things, showing great skills in areas such as writing, art and even extreme physical endurance.
Anna hopes it will be a night that will open the eyes of those who previously didn’t realise just what someone on the Autistic Spectrum is capable of.

 On the night of the performance, audience members will be able to to view a number of informative dipslays including some of the art work and creative writing done by some of the guest appearing during the course of the evening.

Doors to the event will be opening at 6pm so it is encouraged that people come along at that time as to take advantage of the displays in plenty of time before the grand performance starts.
Tickets are being sold for the low price of £10 and everyone is welcome.

Note: A theatre/audience situation is not suited to all on the spectrum but this will be a very understanding and Autism Aware Audience so we don’t want anyone to feel that they can’t come or that a parent should automatically think they can’t bring a child with them. It is hoped that this will be an audience that is mixed of those on the spectrum and those that aren’t.
Tickets are available now and can be purchased now by calling 01895 619734 or enquiries to lisa.robins@thevines.org.uk

Related articles

• Special School – Don’t write it off! (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• A talented teenager with Aspergers Syndrome wins art competition (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• Jessica Boling: Program for adults with autism expands (knoxnews.com)
• AAPC Publishing Offers a Guide for Parents with Students on the Autism Spectrum as They Transition to College (prweb.com)
• Not Seeing It From The Outside But In The Inside I’m Autistic (growingupautistic.wordpress.com)

Sainsbury’s Presents Plans for A Massive 2-Day Jubilee Party in London’s Hyde Park

I’ve heard a lot of chatter over the queens diamond Jubilee, through so far its been nothing too exciting!

Well, that was in-till I received a certain email
and now it would seem, that I have finally found something to get excited about at long last!

Check it out, a massive Jubilee party hosted by Sainsbury on…

Saturday 2 June, Sunday 3 June 2012 – Hyde Park London

Sainsbury’s is delighted to announce that the ‘Jubilee Family Festival Presented by Sainsbury’s’, will be hosted by the incomparable Myleene Klass and the UK’s favourite impressionist Jon Culshaw throughout the two-day fun-filled family Jubilee celebration. War Horse, the thrilling and spectacular West End production, has been confirmed to join the festival’s programme. The event will also play host to the very first performance, specially designed for a festival, from BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing presented by BBC Worldwide and hosted by Craig Revel Horwood. Already confirmed to return to this special Strictly Come Dancing dance floor is 2011 finalist Chelsee Healey. The event will take place in Hyde Park, on Saturday 2 June and Sunday 3 June 2012 from 10.30am – 7pm daily, with a capacity for 50,000 ticket holders on each day.

Jon Culshaw said: “I am honoured to be a part of the Jubilee Family Festival and to share the celebratory hosting duties with the stunning Myleene Klass. This unique event has more faces than I do and will be a brilliant way of keeping the family entertained in London for the Jubilee festivities.”

Choreographed especially for The Jubilee Family Festival the event will feature appearances by the puppets and actors from the National Theatre’s award-winning production of War Horse, currently playing at the New London Theatre. This unique and special arrangement will feature Joey and Topthorn, the breath-taking life-sized horse puppets who become the equine heart of the story, alongside the stunning musical arrangements and songs from the critically acclaimed production.

The Festival, with an action-packed and imaginative fun-filled programme, is being hosted by The Royal Parks and organised by world-famous promoter Harvey Goldsmith CBE on behalf of Sainsbury’s.

The finale of each day will be ‘The Magic Of Disney In Concert’ starring Princesses and Pirates, an unforgettable, 70-minute Disney concert produced specially to mark the Jubilee celebrations, featuring beloved Disney songs and characters.

The Jubilee Family Festival will be a once in a lifetime experience for the whole family to enjoy.  Taking place in Hyde Park over two full days, visitors to the festival will be able to view the BBC live feed, on giant screens, of all of the Diamond Jubilee events on 2 June and 3 June, as well as being treated to some of the nation’s best live music and entertainment, including favourite kids television characters, celebrity performers and dancers, equestrian events and death-defying motorcycle displays, Commonwealth-inspired acts from around the globe and, of course, great food and drink from Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s has also teamed up with some of Britain’s best-loved brands who will be an integral part of the family fun and entertainment.

Inspired by the great British tradition of village fetes and street parties, The Festival will be themed around 60 years of great British heritage and will include influences from across the Commonwealth.

NOW TELL ME THIS DOESN’T SOUND GREAT!

I don’t know about you guys but the prospect of getting to dancing with the children to a Disney concert sounds super (though it sounds as if a very large crowd will be attending, so, Little man may rather stay with his dad, we will have to wait and see)!

Here’s a break down of the entertainment zones for this 2 day’s partying in Hyde Park!

Entertainment Zones:

o       Main Stage ‘The Magic Of Disney In Concert’ starring Princesses and Pirates, The BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing hosted by Craig Revel Horwood and starring Chelsea Healey, War Horse plus performances from YouthMusic Voices, Ramin, Laura Wright and much more to be confirmed.
o       The Kids Zone featuring a series of live and interactive stage and shows from some of the UK’s most well-loved children’s characters including Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam, Bob The Builder, Angelina Ballerina and brand new kids favourite Mike the Knight.
o       Disney Zone featuring themed activities, the life-size Lightning McQueen, Mater and Finn McMissile from the Disney/Pixar blockbuster Cars 2, and much more.
o       Parade Ground featuring a variety of British pomp and ceremony including The British Imperial Military Band, The White Helmets Display team (Royal Signals), RAF Police Dog Display team, The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Skill-At-Arms Display Team, The Drum Horse of The Queen’s Royal Hussars and The Black Knights Parachute Display Team Royal Artillery.
o       CommonwealthStage Throughout the weekend the best cultural entertainment from around the Commonwealth will entertain: Jaipur Maharaja Brass band, The Mahotella Queens, London African Gospel Choir, Harambe Female Drummers and New Zealand Maori Kapa Haka Performers.

Roaming the Festival will be English Gentleman on stilts, Singing Tea Ladies, Pearly Kings and Queens, Marching Bands and Face Painters.

Great British food will be plentiful, serving up pies, roasts, pastries, fish and chips, cream teas, jellied eels and the traditional British breakfast.

Over 35 of Britain’s favourite brands will be providing additional fun and entertainment with competitions, games and displays.  Many great British brands will have stalls at the Festival, both selling and exhibiting their products and produce.

More artists and entertainment will be announced in the coming weeks www.sainsburys.co.uk/jubilee

Ticket Information & Availability:

Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster or Seetickets:

 Online: www.ticketmaster.co.uk
From the UK: 0844 847 1661  From outside the UK: +44 161 385 3211
Online: www.seetickets.com
From the UK: 0844 858 6760 From outside the UK: +44 1142 249 784

No booking fee applies.

Ticket Prices:

Tickets: £20
Under16’s: £12.50
Family Ticket (2 Adults and 2 Children): £52
Children under 3: Free

Ticket Ballot:

From 28 March, millions of Sainsbury’s customers will be able to enter a daily ballot for free family tickets.  Customers who spend £60 in store will receive a coupon at the till with a code to enter into the Sainsbury’s website.  Within 24 hours families will be notified if they have won a family ticket.

So, you lovely lot, let me know what you all think! For those with alternative plans, I’d love to know what your up to?

Related articles

• Sainsbury’s sponsors Jubilee Woods Project (greenreview.blogspot.com)
• Sainsbury’s claims it won festive food fight (mirror.co.uk)
• Sainsbury’s stores encourage customers to ‘Take a Step’ for Fairtrade (greenreview.blogspot.com)

Win a family “Big ticket” to the Blackpool Tower attractions worth over £100

Image by llamnudds via Flickr

   

Win a family Big ticket to the Blackpool Tower attractions worth over £100 

 I’ve been asked to host a fabulous competition enabling my readers the chance to get their mitts on a fantastic prize and have some fantastic days out in Blackpool.

 The Blackpool tower hosts an array of fantastic attractions and is now offering families the chance to experience them all (7 in total)! What an awesome prize! 

 The Big Ticket is valid for 1 visit to each attraction within 90 days from purchase

 Here’s a little bit about what Blackpool Tower has to offer.

 Blackpool Tower Eye: Embark on your journey to the top of The Blackpool Tower as you step into the lift. Once you’ve reached your destination, the doors open, and you are met with floor to ceiling, uninterrupted views across Blackpool and beyond. The views are said to be Breathtaking, with a view of the entire coastline, its sure to be a rememberable experience.

The Blackpool Tower Ballroom: Stepping onto The Blackpool Tower Ballroom dance floor is like stepping back in time. From the opulent balconies to the intricately painted ceiling, you’ll fall in love with this special hidden gem. Listen to the organist play the grand Wurlitzer as you enjoy a delicious afternoon tea and watch the world dance by. This is a magical place and would be a truly romantic place to be come Valentine’s Day.

Image via Wikipedia

 (New for 2012 – A series of high class seasonal balls)

Blackpool Tower Circus: Built between the tower’s four legs, is The Blackpool Tower Circus – a unique setting for a unique show. Each season Blackpool’s favourite double act, Mooky the Clown and Mr Booo find new ways to give you a giggle alongside world-class acrobats performing amazing acts. The 2012 season will run from Easter until November.

New for 2012 – The main season will show with an all new cast of supporting performers

 Jungle Jims:  This is the ultimate place for fun, a massive indoor play area come adventure playground, with huge Inca Gods guarding the entrance. Inside, awaiting all your brave explorers, is a fun-tastic range of swinging, sliding and climbing contraptions plus a fabulous interactive quest to find hidden treasure! Jungle Jim’s features huge four lane slides, sports area, ballpits and slides on the lower level offering softer play for little ones. 

New for 2012 – Exclusive hire for birthday parties and children’s events

Madame Tussauds Blackpool: This is one for those  celebrity lovers as this attraction allows its visitors the chance to experience, getting you up close and personal with Britain’s best-loved celebrities (well, their wax works that is)! You can join the cast of your favourite TV shows & soaps, stand beside your favourite pop-star, meet some film stars or mingle with footballers.

 So, who do you want to meet?

New for 2012 – Look out for new celebrity figures as we add to our amazing collection

The Blackpool Tower Dungeons: Delve into Britain’s most horrible history at the Dungeons Blackpool and experience live actors, interactive shows and exciting special effects & thrilling rides. Step back into the darkest of times … are you brave enough to face Britain’s gruesome past?

 SEALIFE BLACKPOOL: Home to one of the largest collections of tropical sharks in Europe, SEA LIFE takes you on a journey from the coastline and sandy shallows to the ocean depths. You can’t miss the mighty ocean tank, teeming with tropical sharks and colourful reef fish, from the amazing underwater tunnel.

 Competition Time

So… How would you like to win a “big ticket” for a family of 4 worth over £100?

 With the Big ticket you and your children would have the chance to discover all the above for yourselves! How useful this would be come half-term and the school summer holidays! You could maybe try and fit all 7 attractions in over the course of a few days if experiencing a short break away, or simply spread them out throughout the year, therefore creating 7 eventful days out, avoiding the set in of boredom during school holidays.

 The ticket will be valid for the remainder of the year, So, there is no worries about your tickets expiring!

 To win this awesome prize you must do the compulsory actions below to validate your entries.

You must also add a contact detail within your comments, either a twitter ID or email address

Compulsory Action: Subscribe to the blog via the RSS feedburner (top right sidebar)

Comment to say you have done the required step and then state within the same comment, why you want to win the prize.

As always we are offering you some extra entries! Be sure to add an additional comment for each action taken 

1 extra entry: Subscribe to my sister blog “Mummy Of Many Talents”

1 extra entry: Subscribe to my Youtube channel, 

1 extra entry: Google + 1 using the button within this post, comment to let me know how to find it 

1 extra entry: Stumble using the button located within this post, comment to let me know how to find it.

1 extra entry: Tweet “I want to win a family big ticket 4 Blackpool tower with @clairelouise82 Adding the URL to this post” 

2 extra entries: Write a review of this blog on the Technorati directory which can be found in the sidebar on the bottom right (little green box above the, nominate a blog post link and L.A.B striped rabbit). 

Competition will close at midnight on the 17th Feb 2012 and drawn soon after!

Good Luck Everyone

T&C

Uk residents only please, winner has just 72 hours to respond by email giving their full postal address, which will then be passed to the PR. The prize is non exchangeable and is valid in-till the 31st December 2012 (some days maybe exempt check tickets or website for details). Each attraction can only be visited the once, though each can be visited on different days. A family ticket is based upon 2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children. 

Get Your Skates On

 Just because my son has Aspergers Syndrome and special educational needs, it doesn’t mean he can’t do all the things your child can do! OK, a handful of those “Things” are that bit more difficult, but he gets there all the same!

 Sometimes, I often find myself saying the above to Little man, a child who has lost confidence, through no fault of his own! This is a child who needs that push, a gentle reminder that everything is worth a try. 

 It’s not just the fact that Little man missed out on many trips and activities while attending mainstream school (though this has had a considerable impact) it’s also little man’s social and physical abilities that also play a part. 

 So, when I won tickets for a family trip to the Stratford City, Westfields outdoor ice rink, I knew Little man would struggle if but a little. 

 The great thing was that I actually bagged two lots of family tickets…well, 3 lots actually, all on different blogs that I read! I was delighted to discover I had won the first lot, then I was informed by yet another blogger, id won her competition too. This set I gave up for another lovely blogger and her family who had also entered, but then to discover from yet another blogger that I won a third time was absolutely great if not a little strange. With this revaluation, I decided to invite the neighbours along too.

 Both my older children, Little man and his sister Alice-Sara, are gone friends with the children next door (in all honesty one of the children is Little man’s one and only true friend) so, I hoped that this would make the whole experience of getting out on the ice, a little less daunting for the Little guy, and it did… eventually!

 Don’t get me wrong, there was no meltdowns, not one in fact (I know… shocking) it was more little man’s OT needs that posed a challenge! My son is what some would describe as a little clumsy, which is basically down to his gross motor skills! Yes, he can ride a bike, amazingly well in fact, but he often has a little trouble with his spatial awareness (knowing where his body is in space) his balance, can sometimes be a little off at times too. This impacted with the crowded ice rink would undoubtably pose a challenge, this I already knew.

 Yet, the fact he had his friends there and the sheer determination within him, saw him past the challenges that presented him, and as a result, I ended up a very proud mummy!

Above: All friends together on the Ice

 The staff at Westfields couldn’t have been more helpful, I didn’t notify them that a child with Special needs would be joining us (a group of 8 consisting of 2 adults and six children) but all the same I felt the staff went out of their way to help. There was one point when the little man started freaking out that his skates were not tight enough (he has this thing where shoes need doing up dead tightly, he states it’s so his feet have control of his shoes and not the other way around) Yes, it’s another OT thing)! The staff on the ice were amazing, rushing out to check he was OK and bending down on all fours to tighten his skates. 

 When we first stepped on to the ice, I noted how my daughter and her friends went whizzing of into the middle of the rink, as grateful as I am to have such a confident young daughter, I did feel some sadness for my Little man as he clung to the edge as if his whole life depended on it. He looked at me with fear in his eyes as he stated he just couldn’t do it! I continuously reassured him and bit by bit he came slowly away from the edge.

My daughter & friend first one of the first on the ice

Hanging on for dear lifeThinking about it!Off he goes

 I found my biggest confidence booster for the little guy was, once the rink filled with more and more people I happily pointed out that he wasn’t the only one clung to the edge of the rink (Seriously, it was mostly the full-grown men, hanging on for dear life). Little man, is like lots of children of his age, where he feel incredibly stupid if he struggles to do something that others are finding a breeze, therefore seeing all those grown ups looking like they were hanging from a cliff, seemed to stop him from giving up and making his way back in to redeem his comfortable trainers. (Yes, he tried suggest it once or twice.)

 We were on the ice around 45 minutes and despite his fear, he made it to the middle of the rink! To watch him skating with his friends and smiling having fun, has been the highlight to my year so far… all ten days of it!

Standing proudly with his friend at the centre of the rink

 So… what about me, did I fall on my arse? Nope! Though I almost did once or twice, I just about managed to stay on my feet. 

 I was convinced the skating finished at 6pm, though I was wrong, the last session actually started at 6 pm, meaning the skating didn’t end till 7 pm. With this I gave in defeat and left the Little man and Alice Sara with their friends and their mother (my lovely neighbour) while I headed off to collect my comfortable flat shoes and off it for a sneaky fag 🙂

 Little man was having a blast and now didn’t want to leave. I decided to sit out and just watch for the last hour (my excuse was that I was now a photographer, or at least trying to be)! Though I really shouldn’t admit this, sitting on the sidelines gave me a good opportunity to view some classic skating fails! Wow… Seriously, though I see a couple of women hit the deck, and of course a good number of children (my own included) I have never seen so many men fall over in one place in my whole entire life.And Oops a daisy

 How can you not laugh, there were some classics. Plenty of men, one or two rather dishy I must add, skating around on their butts rather than their skates! Did I feel guilty for laughing so much that my sides were sores? No… not really, they all seemed to see the funny of things, eventually!

 All in all… we had a brilliant time which was all down to them fabulous blogs that ran the competitions, (thank you Essex mum , Madhouse reviews & Emma and three) as well as those who took care of our needs at the skating rink.Alice & FriendOne of the Little man’s friends from next door

 Essex mummy (one of the bloggers I won tickets from) has asked me if I fancy doing a guest post reviewing our experience, we had such a fabulous time it would be rude to decline (so, do keep an eye out for that). 

 For those interested, the rink is now closed but will return again next year for the festive season. We went on the last day before it packed up for the year and considering I thought that I had Christmas well and truly out my system, the festive christmas tunes and chilly ice made it feel like Christmas Eve again. I think January is a brilliant time to go, and I would highly recommend the Stratford City Westfields Outdoor Ice rink.

 Oh… and Little man? He now wants roller-blades! 

Related articles

• UK Britain’s best outdoor ice rinks (leggotunglei808.wordpress.com)
• Samsung challenges mobile trade to a skate-off (mobile-ent.biz)
• Penguins get to try out London ice rink — cutely (newslite.tv)
• Somerset House Ice Rink (brewstersloft.wordpress.com)
• Sunday Supplement: Christmas Double (normsonline.wordpress.com)

I Judged The Argos Find The Face Competition

As some of you may already know, I was recently asked to join the judging panel for the ‘Find the face of the new Argos kidswear’ competition that was taking place at the ideal home shows christmas spectacular at Earls Court London a few Saturdays ago.

 I had been sent all the images of the chosen 40 finalist (20 girls and 20 boys between the ages of 4-10) in preparation for the big day. I have to admit that the standard of competition was pretty high up there, I was defiantly going to need to meet these Little people in the flesh before coming to any kind of decision, which understandable would prove to be extremely difficult.

The 40 fabulous finalist 

 As mentioned in my last post on the subject, the winners (one boy and one girl) would not only become the face of the new Argos Kidwear range but would also bag themselves a years modelling contract with the fabulous modelling and talent agency ‘Alphabet Kidz’ along with a whole other host of awesome treats. 

 Considering the above, I would think that, “Yes, this would be a big deal for some of these children and their families.” It felt totally weird knowing I was going to play some part in this huge decision that could possibly be a life changing experience for these kids.

 I’ve worked with a number of brands, I’ve attended some great events from festivals with the children to dinners and conferences with other bloggers. I’ve done a number of in-depth product reviews and run some pretty fabulous competitions! However, I’ve never quite done anything on this scale before! This was so totally new to me. Nonetheless, I was overly excited and as always love the challenge of something new.

 I think its great that Argos called in a judge who is completely independent to the company or that of the modelling agency, a judge who would be completely impartial when making a decision. Honestly this decision wasn’t an easy one, it was such a tough job and I  think we all wanted to pick them all (well, I certainly did)!

 I arrived at the Ideal Home Show Christmas Event with my 8 years old daughter Alice-Sara and my good friend Donna around 2.30pm.

 Unfortunately we had got off the tube a stop to early then walked the wrong way, and despite making it within plenty of time, I had endured Alice-Sara’s constant whining and struggled to cope with the horrid pain caused by the monster heels that graced my throbbing feet!

 The front of the exhibition centre had been transformed into something of a winter wonderland! Giant white christmas trees with twinkling lights lit the entrance, Christmas music played, and on entering the exhibition centre I was covered in a layer of glittering white snow (well, not real snow of course but pretty close)! It was all so magical and made it that bit easier to fall into the Christmas way of things. 

My daughter Alice-Sara checking out the Christmas Tree at the Ideal Home Show 

 Inside I was taken aback by the sheer size of the place, despite living in London, I really haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the exhibition centre before. 

 Despite the size of the place, it was extremely busy on our arrival so we quickly headed for the catwalk where the final would play out. Everyone was incredible friendly, Alice Sara loved it, she especially liked her Argos badge that she even took to school on the Monday (god knows what she did with it once she got it there). The badge allowed her to come backstage with mum and say hi to all the lovely finalist. It was here I meet my fellow judges, a buyer from the Argos kids range and 2 representatives from Alphabet Kidz. I was given a press pack and after a few minutes I took my place at the end of the catwalk with my fellow judges.

 Seriously this was one hell of a tough task and I couldn’t do it everyday(hats of to Alphabet kidz)! I can honestly say that all the children were totally and utterly amazing! The children walked the catwalk in pairs before engaging in a short interview with the presenter, who is used to the cameras given she’s one of the presenters from the Argos TV channel, the same channel that the two winners will also get the privilege to feature on once they become the adorable faces of the new Argos kidswear range. 

Me (middle) & my fellow judges. Check out them shoes.

 As mentioned the children came out and did their thing in pairs, First the girls and lastly the boys. They weren’t on stage all that long but it was defiantly long enough to get a taster of their personalities. I was quite surprised as a couple who I had ashamed would be quite confident, were more shy and reserved (shows never judge a book by its cover) nonetheless this was in no means a bad thing, I just think it proves that an image alone can’t always give you the full picture. The decision was a hard one and a couple of the kids gave me a big smile when they reached the end of the catwalk and were stood right before me. Every time it happen I found the decision-making process that bit more overwhelming.

Above some of the awesome finalist take to the catwalk like a duck to water

 Lucky for me, the fellow judges and I were on an even par as we had all chosen at least half of our top 6 girls and top 6 boys to be the same which made whittling it down to the 2 winners a little easier.

What a beautiful photo, how proud must their parents be!

 The remaining ten were then announced as the runners-up, all receiving an awesome goody bag.

Above: Some of the final ten and the Argos TV presenter 

And our winning two? 

 These were…

Girl: Lilly-Rose Aslandogdu

Boy: Ellis Duke Mccullagh

Above Ellis and Lilly-Rose the New faces of the Argos Kids wear range.

There were both fabulous as were all the finalist!

It was such a lovely moment seeing their names announced and there reactions to the news. 

 I had the privilege of giving the children their awards and it must have been the mother in me as I could honestly feel myself welling up! God only knows how their proud parents held it together.

 It was such a touching moments when Ellis was announced as our boy winner, he was totally overjoyed to have won and surprisingly a tad surprised (though I don’t know why as his just lovely).

 I also have to add how much I adore Lilly-Rose’s haircut, what a proper little fashion icon I can see her becoming! She has the hair cut I want and has actually inspired this 29-year-old woman to have the same do. 

Above: Lilly-Rose, the hair cut that inspires me 

Just as we thought it was all over there was another surprise! The lovely team at Argos presented me with the loveliest bunch of beautiful pink flowers that smelt and looked divine. 

Above: My stunning pink flowers presented to me on stage

 Thank you Argos

 I really can’t wait to see little Lilly-Rose and Ellis on our TV screens and modelling for the Argos kidswear. I guess I’ll feel a tad proud knowing I had a part in getting them there!

Oh… For those of you who didn’t know, Emma Burton (former spice girl and presenter of at Heart 106.2 fm) is helping design a new range of the fabulous kidswear at Argos, So… watch this space!

 So… as you can see, I had an excellent day and so did my friend and daughter who came a long for the ride.

 After the show was all wrapped up we checked out the rest of the exhibition that was totally fabulous despite the fact I spent all my weeks pennies! 

 Oh and before I wrap this up, let me tell you! 

 Deciding to wear my gorgeous Dune shoes was possible the worst decision of my life! Yes, I did come armed with a bag of flats but unfortunately left the bag in the car which was back in the station car park five minutes from my home back in South London! Given I had got off the tube a stop too soon, got lost and walked a mile to get to the show, my feet were already paying the price before the Argos catwalk had even began. I had no choice but to walk around the exhibition centre shoeless. My god, did I learn a valuable lesson! Heels were defiantly not to be worn at the Ideal home show.

Check out the awesome kids wear range by Clicking HERE

Recent review of the current kidswear range can be found over on this blog