My Epic Adventure

I’ve just discovered the MoneySupermarket competition and thought it would be cool to enter by telling you about my dream grand adventure.

Firstly, it would be a child free adventure, one I’d take with a friend in order to provide myself with some much needed respite.

There are many places on my too go list but I couldn’t presently think of a better place than the Swiss Alps. For my epic adventure, I choose Grindelwald Switzerland, the place of magnificent scenery, famous snow topped mountains, lush pastures and flower filled meadows.

I’m not into Skiing but Grindelwald has so much more to offer from scenic hikes, to husky rides, ice skating to sledding.

Yes, Grindelwald in Switzerland’s Alps offers its visitors both relaxation amongst beautiful surrounding and true epic adventure. Here’s how I’d make this trip the most memorable for the least amount of money.

Getting there…

Visitors can fly to either Geneva or Zurich and then use public transport (railway) to reach Grindelwald.

Getting About…

There is no need for car hire when staying at Grindelwald as the area has fantastic transport links. There is a good running train service, cablecars, chairlifts, gondolas, buses, trams and more with most forms of transport being very reasonably priced. You can even hire yourself an E-Bike for just an hour or a whole day if desired.

Where to stay.

Hotels ain’t cheap in this beautiful part of the Swiss Alps, however Hotels are not your only option. How about staying on a farm? Seriously you can sleep on the hay at a friendly Swiss farm amongst the goats and cattail. However if this isn’t your thing there are a number of really cheap stay hostels with prices from as little £21 pp pn. I discovered a great little hostel for £43 pn that is located right at the bottom of the famous mountain Eiger. Another really cheap way to visit the alps is by camping at one of its camper parks

photo credit

Dinning…

As opting for a self catering holiday normally works out a lot cheaper therefore providing me with more cash For the fun stuff. I could see myself enjoying lunch at one of the villages many cafes. The local shops also sell reasonably priced local produce,such a cheese meats and … Yes, Chocolate. I’d love to spend at least one night camping, toasting marshmallows on an open fire while tucking into some beautiful locally brought bread and cheese.

Photo Credit

Epic things i’d do while Visiting this magical place.

Photo Credit MySwitzerland.com

I would have to have a go at Trotti biking. I’d hike through beautiful scenic vistas and visit the nearby lakes and only once I’d reached 2,000 meters above sea level would I race on my Trotti bike back down the mountain on a 40 minute ride of my life through the stunning Swiss countryside. Trotti bikes are two wheel stand on electric scooters. Trotti biking is excellent fun and won’t break the bank with prices from CHF18-30

If visiting in the summer I’d have to try my hand at a hike. And where better than the Grosse Scheidegg mountain pass connecting Grindelwald and Meiringen. Its very much about the scenery and I have heard that on clear summer days there are spectacular views of Grindelwald, the Eiger and the Kleine Scheidegg. It can amount to 3+ hike but its also cost nothing, its free to take in such beauty .

Ice skating in Grindelwald town centre sounds like fun and doesn’t cost much either. The town also has a busy night life with bars and concerts. Like anywhere some bars are more expensive than others. I’d make it my mission to visit those with the best offers and happiest happy hours.

I’d take an amazing sightseeing trip on the Jungfrau cog railway (Ticket to the top of the world). The 50 minute journey takes you through underground tunnels and through beautiful mountain scenery. It includes a stop at Eigarward in the middle of Eigers North face allowing you to get up close through the observation windows. What’s more the trip takes you to the beautiful ice palace 1,000 square meter igloo surrounded by magnificent ice sculpture.The last stop is yet the best, the Aletsch Glacier (the largest in the Alps) a chance for me to snap some truly breathtaking pics for me to instagram. Ok, its not that cheap with tickets costing between CHF130-160 but with all the money I’ve saved on this holiday it wouldn’t be an issue.

To make this trip extra epic I’d just throw myself from the Glacier Gorge (with a bungee attached of course) plummeting 85m downwards towards the beautiful glacial meltwater river… Can you get more epic than that?

Here’s a video I found of a bungee jump from the Glacier on youtube.

Video credit to ClickClickBoom

Just by being sensible with your money it really can go a long way. Its simply about cutting back in some areas in order to get more benefit from others. Decide whats important to you and then budget efficiently allowing yourself to have an epic adventure while on holiday.

This is my entry into the MoneySupermarket Grand Adventure Bloggers competition.

Although I know its to late to nominate I put forward mumofthreeboys and superlucky

Homemade Vintage Christmas Gifts

Christmas is a really expensive time. There are so many gifts to buy which adds up to a considerable amount of money.

However, Not everything has to cost the earth. We Can actually give really special gifts In a cost-effective way.

It’s all about being creative and using your resources. Plus homemade gifts can be much more special. Its shows that you put thought into your gift and that means more than the price tag.

Here we have a simple upcycle gift that’s perfect for the lady who loves everything vintage and shabby chic.

Vintage inspired Jewellery stand made with vintage Queen Ann Tea set

Tea set brought from Auction as part of a huge box full of china for £3

First choose a selection of vintage style saucers and side plates these must descend in size (around 3 is good) you will also need a tea cup and 2 Miniature Glasses for example… Sherry glasses.

Other items you will need is a glue brush and some good strong Adhesive (I’m using Mosaic adhesive).

Make sure all your saucers, glasses and tea cup are clean. Also be sure to check your chosen china isn’t some vintage Antique find that’s worth a small fortune.

Right now to assemble your jewellery stand.

Step one… Start with the largest of your 3 plates and chose a glass. Stand your glass upside down and glue around the the bottom of your glass. Now carefully place your saucer/plate decorated side down, on top of the base of the glass being sure to place the base in the centre.

Be patient and hold firmly for a few minutes.

Wipe of any excess glue that may have come out from the sides of your glass onto your saucer.

Step two… Once you feel the plate is now strong enough stand up the right way so it looks as though the glass is just stood in the centre of your side plate. Now very carefully glue around the glasses rim and place your second plate that is smaller than your first on top of the glass. This time you are gluing the glass to the centre base of the plate. Again hold firmly and wipe of any excess glue.

Step 3… Once your plate is strong enough take your second glass and add the glue to the rim of the glass. Now place onto the centre of your plate. This can only be stuck to the decorated side of your plate. Hold and wipe of excess glue.

Step 4… Now glue the rim of the same glass and place the base of your smallest saucer on top.

Step 5… Lastly glue the base of your chosen tea cup and place it on top of your plates decorated side.

To finish add a pretty vintage gift tag tired with twine and dangle from the teacups handle.

Finished!

This blog post is an entry into the Tots100/Experience Days Christmas Craft Competition”

DINO – THE MONSTER FIGHTING DINOSUAR

Once upon a time, in a little town in London there lived a little boy called Harley.

Every night when Harley goes to bed he’d be joined by his best friend Dino the friendliest, spottiest Dinosaur in town.

Harley had once told his mummy that he didn’t want to go to bed as he was scared the monsters were coming.

Mummy went up stairs and searched all over his bedroom. She looked under his bed, in his wardrobe and behind the curtains…. But she couldn’t find a single monster anywhere.

Mummy explained to Harley that there was no monsters and told him that if he ever felt scared then he could give Dino a big hug! Dino would always protect him and keep him safe.

Dino is a big part of the family his the toddlers companion and a much loved one too. They play by day and sleep by night in each others loving arms.

Dino isn’t a scary dinosaur, his actually kind and gentle and if you ask nicely Harley may even let you pat him.

He does have sharp teeth but I assure you he does not bite. He eats lollipops and likes to watch peppa pig while wrapped in Harley’s duvet.

Whether its a trip to the park or supermarket Dino always comes too

Dino is so much more than a monster fighting Dinosaur! His a friend, family member and Incredibly soft and cuddly one too.

Thank you Dino for the smile you put on my little boys face… We love you.

This is my entry to the Warren Evens Who fights the Monster under your bed competition.

Our Dream Of A Sensory Room

When I saw the home makeover competition being run by Tots100 & ratedpeople.com I knew I had to enter it!

You see, the prize money of £2,500 to makeover a room in your house would enable us to do things that are currently far beyond our reach. My home is far from perfect, in fact its not in particularly good shape at all. I won’t even show you pictures of our half missing ceiling in the living room (yes its fell down twice almost killing us) and I’m still waiting for the second repair. However its not repairs for my living room that I have on my mind, nor is it the thought of a beautifully decorated home… No no! It’s actually the children’s rooms, especially that of the little mans.

It pains me to show you any pictures of my sons room. It’s horrid and its current state is not helping his sensory needs or that of his sleeping problems. But as I’m seriously struggling to pay for this room to be fixed up (on top of others) I feel I actually cannot afford to miss this opportunity and therefore must. Firstly let me explain some of our issues. We discovered his ceiling was actually made from Polystyrene which is a serious fire hazard so needed ripping down. Of course it was hiding something! His walls are also crumbling and the housing fixed the floor board by covering it up with rubbish hard board which has staples all over it.

Ok… I’m doing it I’m actually uploading the horror for the world to see…

Little man has Aspergers Syndrome with sensory processing difficulties within all areas of his senses. His also a very poor sleeper. For us this would be so much more than a nicely decorated 12 year old boys bedroom! It would be our sons sanctuary, a bedroom come sensory room! This is something that would make a significant difference In his life and that of ours, his family. I honestly believe it would improve his extremely poor sleeping pattern and therefore mend mine a little.

I have so many ideas when it comes to the creation of Little mans sensory room. It would be an environment that provides him with a very laid back, chilled out space. It would be filled with things to help relax him, therefore enhancing his moods, providing sensory stimulation and importantly a great nights sleep. We know sensory rooms are a key part of little mans school routine and we know such a space could change a lot of behaviours and difficulties. I’ve tried my best to make it as inviting as possible but in all honesty at the moment its a poorly used space that as you can see, isn’t fit for use… A few sensory lights are all he currently has to jazz. It up

Below are some of my ideas…

Colour: its very important for us to ensure little mans room is very visually inviting. Bright colours are something that form a big part of this vision.

Foam mats: Little man is really into WWE Wrestling at present and its a very intense (special) interest. This means that he is forever acting out the moves displayed by his favourite wrestler. He currently has no carpet and the noise is unbelievably loud. He throws himself around the room like crazy regardless of the hour (neighbours have actually felt the need to knock at 4 am). The mats would be perfect for his sensory room. He would be safer (less bumps and bruises) and our house may just stop vibrating giving us a pleasant relationship with the neighbours!

Teen style: Its important that regardless of little mans needs and that of his room having a sensory element to it, his room still has that stylish WOW factor about it. He is 12 years old and well on his way to becoming a teenage boy. He wants a room that don’t only provide sensory comfort but looks the part too! This is why I’ve chosen the super cool sliding door wardrobe, he would absolutely love this.

Mood Lighting: A massive part of any sensory room is its lighting.The lighting in the collage background above is LED night lighting which I know he would love. His a big fan of the lava lamp and the one above would fit perfectly. As you can see from both the above image and that of the one below, a variety of mood lighting is the key to the creation of a great sensory room.

Cool down area: With the addition off some cushions, bean bags and a little dim lighting you find you have created the perfect chill out space. What’s great about a sensory room is how you have the one room yet a number of different spaces within it. A sensory room is designed to be calming and inviting. But it can provide a space designed to stimulate the body and mind. The chill-out space in itself would be the ideal place to help little man shake of any stress or simply recover following a meltdown.

Hammock: The hammock would help little man with the difficulties he experiences due to his out of sync vestibular sense. This means that he often experiences poor body awareness (where his body is within space) A great way to describe this feeling would be to imagine what it feels when you go on a fairground ride that throws your body about in all directions, lifting your feet of the ground at speed or dropping you from a great hight. A hammock or swing would actually work as a therapeutic aid as well as a relaxing space.

The sensory curtain in the above picture is fantastic. Little man recently saw one like this at an expedition and instantly took to it! It’s a very tactile curtain and would be an ideal feature for his very own sensory room.

As for the bed, again i’ve taken into account his need for a stylish space as well as a sensory one. This bed is fantastic! It continues on the bight colour theme what with its striking green wood and very modern design. It’s also a great bed in terms of storage (something his room is currently lacking). I’ve also chose the funky tall unit with brightly coloured storage boxes to store all them wrestling figures and truck loads of Lego.

One of my favourite aspects of a sensory room is how tactile they can be. Little man is very tactile defensive and needs a lot of tactile input to help him adapt and improve his tactile sense. Given he loves Lego the idea of a Lego wall is a great one. It’s very tactile and will further enhance his imagination.

I’ve really enjoyed pulling my ideas together for this challenge. I’ve had them floating around in my head for the last few years and although certain elements have slightly changed (like chosen items and colours) the overall desire to create such a wonderful space remains very much the same.

As a self diagnosed pin head, pinterest is yet another place you can find more of my sensory and autism related boards! I’ve also created one especially for this competition. You can find it by clicking Here

So… There you have it… Our current dream of a sensory room and some very shabby existing interior.

Please note: If like myself you are wanting to create a sensory room, I recently discovered a post on a blog called PlayPennies on creating sensory rooms on a budget. Really worth a look.

Disclaimer: This post is my entry into the Tots100 and RatedPeople.com Home Decor Competition.

The Messy Kid Competition

When I saw a host of bloggers were hosting a messy kid competition with Appliances online, I just had to get involved, how could I not with so many pictures of my own “Very Messy Toddler” So without delay I digged out some of my messiest images of my now two-year old “Harley” and here are a few of my best messiest pictures.

Messy, but so cute, you have to agree! 

The follow images make up my entry to the Appliances Online messiest kid competition at Mother’s Always Right.

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