JUSTIN GOES FOR GOLD AT OLYMPIC PARK

As an official LolliBop family, this year myself and the kids just can’t wait to this years event! with such a great line up its one not to be missed.

LolliBop, the UK’s biggest day out for kids, has announced CBeebies Superstar Justin Fletcher will be performing at this year’s event.

Taking place in its brand new home, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the BAFTA –award winning star of CBeebies will be performing live for LolliBoppers on Saturday August 17 and Sunday August 18.

Justin Live! promises an all singing, all dancing extravaganza guaranteed to bring the house down.

LolliBop’s event manager, Jenny Kane said: “Justin Fletcher is top of the charts when it comes to kids entertainment and our new venue deserves to host the number one superstar of CBeebies. We’re delighted Justin is able to be a part of LolliBop 2013.”

The all-mouse reggae band, Rastamouse and Da Easy Crew, are also confirmed for Friday August 16, as part of a busy summer touring the nation. Last seen at LolliBop 2011, the cool, mystery-solving mouse will be back on stage performing his latest hits for fans throughout the day.

Another new addition to the LolliBop 2013 line up is everyone’s favourite postman, Postman Pat and of course, Britain’s most famous black and white cat, Jess! They will be at the festival over the three days meeting pint sized festival goers.

LolliBop promises all the fun of a festival without the hassle of camping. With an incredible line up, all aimed at children under the age of 10, LolliBop combines the hottest names in kids entertainment, as well of hundreds of activities, workshops and interactive areas.

The 2013 programme also includes Dick and Dom, Skylanders, Science Museum Live, Cloudbabies, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Peppa Pig, Poppy Cat, the Wot Wots, Transformers, The Go! Go! Go! Show, the Mr Men and Little Miss Village Green Event and Shaun the Sheep’s Championsheeps. LolliBop’s live theatre tent – The Lollipalladiam – showcases performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. There is also a brand new Discovery Zone, Meadows area, Enchanted Woods, Lolli Promenade and much more.

Tickets are on sale now, from £20pp.

www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

Wear It For Autism: Nominations Now Open

Has your life been affected by autism or do you know someone whose has? Do you know someone who is always putting others before themselves and deserves an extra-special treat? Nominate them now and they could be part of Wear It For Autism.

Wear It For Autism is looking for mums, dads, children and carers – who either have autism themselves or care for those living with the condition – to have a full makeover and take centre-stage in a stylish fashion event at London’s Vinyl Factory on Tuesday 10 September.

Nominations are open now until Sunday 23 June 2013. Celebrity judges, including Gail Porter and Adele Silva, alongside Maggie Paterson, Principal of Pineapple Performing Arts Covent Garden, will select winners from across five categories – mums, dads, young carers, children with autism, and adults with austim. All the winners will be treated to a top-to-toe makeover by styling experts and take part in the Wear It for Autism catwalk show.

Anna Kennedy said: “The idea behind Wear It For Autism was to spoil those who usually never get a chance to treat – or even think of – themselves. Living with autism can be challenging and extremely demanding, so we wanted to create a special event that will be fun for all involved, as well as raise vital funds to campaign for the rights of those with this disability.”

If you know a parent, carer or child affected by autism, or if you want to take part in Wear It For Autism, nominate now at www.annakennedyonline.com

Tickets for the show are available now, priced £25 each. All profits go to the registered charity Anna Kennedy Online, which supports UK families affected by autism, including providing small grants for educational and domestic resources

Sponsor’s for the event are, Littlewood’s,Toni & Guy, Pineapple Arts, London Beauty Queen and Mahogony

Get Fathers Day Wrapped Up In An Instant

Father’s Day is drawing closer so I thought I’d share some fun and funky treats that I think are awesome gift ideas for Fathers Day.

Here’s my top 5 contenders… I’m counting down here with number 1 being my top pick.

At number 5… A 12 Week Beer Subscription For Dad from BeerBods

Price – £36 (12 Week Subscription)

Product – BeerBods offer more than just a case of beers to your door but instead an online resource (plus a case of 12 beers delivered at your door). The idea is for BeerBods to deliver dad 12 bottles of bear then for dad to drink and share (just one bear a week) with the online BeerBods community. Each week BeerBods tell dad what beer to drink and the story behind it as he drinks it. Dad then shares his thoughts with the BeerBods community!

A great gift for beer loving dads who are quite opinionated when it comes to a pint.

4) Personalised Silver Hand Stamped Word Ring From – Boutique To You

Price – £45

Product Info – Personalised Silver Hand-Stamped Word Ring that comes beautifully gift boxed. The personalised silver word ring is made to order and you can choose whatever word you wish to be stamped on it. How about the name if his child? I thought it would be a great gift for Father’s Day if dad has more than one child. If each child buys dad a ring then these would equal a great stacking set!

3) Personalised Tax Disc Cufflinks From – Firebox

Price £29.99

Product Info – What a fun and funky gift idea for any dad. Following in the great personalised apparel tradition of monogrammed hankies, and your Mum writing your name on the tag of your jumper, Firebox bring you these Personalised Tax Disc Cuff Links. I think they are Awesome.

2) Why My Daddy Is Brilliant (Personalised Book) From ‘Not On The High Street‘

Price – £15.95

Product Info – More than a card, this beautifully illustrated twelve-page book is a wonderful way for children to show their love for daddy. From favourite hobbies to why they make them smile, the book has been especially written for children to say why they love the ‘superhero’ in their life. It even features blank frames for them to draw their own illustrations in or stick their favourite photographs in! Whether it’s as a family memento or a bedtime read, this book will forever be a reminder of a child’s love for their own ‘superhero’.

How can any daddy be anything other than chuffed with a gift like that.

In the number one spot it’s the gift I’ve chosen for that of my own father…

… 1) Dinner at one of three Marco Pierre White’s London restaurants (tasty 3 course meal for two and a cocktail too) Brought to us by ‘Buy A Gift‘

Price – £50

Product Info – The personalised gift website lets you purchase an experience voucher, activate it and then from their you simply book your reservation with one of the three restaurants on offer, My choice being that of London’s Kings Road Marco Pierre white restaurant. Whats more this fantastic 4 star rated deal is currently on special offer, allowing costumers to purchase this yummy fathers day treat at just £50 instead of £101 making it just under half price for three courses of fantastic fine food.

Here’s whats included for that very special price…. The Kings Road Steakhouse & Grill is a traditional steakhouse in the heart of Chelsea, serving a mouth-watering range of classic steak cuts, as well as a wide variety of timeless English dishes – making it the perfect place to enjoy an indulgent meal for two! You’ll be treated to three courses from a menu including the finest quality steaks, roast meats and fish mainboards in the area, as well as a refreshing Champagne cocktail each

This is the perfect gift idea for the hard to buy for dad who has everything, or one who just appreciates a nice bit of steak (as I know mine does).

Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this by any of the above brands. I just wanted to share some great potential gift ideas with you all.

Lollibop 2013 – Set To Be Better Than Ever

LOLLIBOP SET TO ROCK QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK THIS SUMMER

Today I’m here share mine and children’s excitement in becoming an official lollibop family and give you a little taster on what Lollibop has in store this year.

LolliBop, The Big Bash for Little People, is returning for 2013 to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, with an incredible line-up designed to delight mini festivalgoers.

Joining some of the hottest names in kids’ entertainment, as well as hundreds of activities, workshops and interactive demos, are the Mr. Men and Little Miss Village Green Event and Shaun the Sheep’s Championsheeps LIVE!

The ever-popular Mr. Men will be hosting a fun maypole activity area and favourite characters, such as Mr. Bump, Mr. Tickle and Little Miss Sunshine, will be meeting and greeting fans at the Mr. Men and Little Miss reading hubs.

Shaun the Sheep will be personally on hand at the Championsheeps with sheepy shenanigans, including Shirley’s Pie-athalon, the Naughty Pig’s Sack Race and Get Fit with the Flock. Kids and parents are ‘wool-come’ to get involved!

Other big names confirmed so far, include:

– LolliBop favourites Dick and Dom return with their special mix of madcap games, songs, jokes and a foam pie or two…

– Peppa Pig will be at the festival all weekend, meeting and greeting all her little fans

– Sid Sloane and Andy Day will be hosting their very own Big Birthday Bash and everyone is invited! Expect lots of energetic songs and silliness and plenty of audience participation

– Watch and learn how to ‘Copy Poppy’ with Poppy Cat on the Lolli Live stage

– Straight from Nickelodeon to the Lolli Live Stage, The Go! Go! Go! Show are bringing brand new pop songs, catchy, easy-to-learn dance moves and loads of laughs

– Sing and dance along with the adorable Cloudbabies mini show

– Older LolliBoppers will love The Diary of a Wimpy Kid activity, which include exclusive clips of the author Jeff Kinney talking about the books and a master class showing how he draws the characters. There’s also a Wimp Wars quiz

– Experience the life-size Transformer Optimus Prime Truck, along with the Transformers Station; showcasing the new Beast Hunters toys, viewings of the cartoon series Transformers Prime and free green screen pictures

– Witness the amazing wildlife showcase with National Geographic Kids Animal Man

– Laugh along with hilarious antics from the amazing 8ft Titan the Robot

Returning LolliBoppers will also see old favourites mixed with new attractions for 2013, including:

LolliBop Live – Popular CBeebies presenter Alex Winters is comparing the live stage which plays host to some of the biggest names in kids entertainment, with live music and performances from stars of stage and screen.

Lollipalladiam – is a live theatre tent showcasing performances from pioneering and internationally renowned companies and artists. This year it features Spooked, the critically acclaimed Broken Rose Performing Arts first show for children – a hilarious and spectacular blend of dance, theatre and spoken word featuring skeletons Molly, Jinny and Charlie.

Science Zone – Make a rocket, hold a dry ice cube, or get messy with gooey slime in the LolliBop lab – brimming with exploding experiments for pint sized guests to try! London’s Science Museum will also be attending with live demonstrations and interactive activities.

Run wild and have fun in the LolliSports area. With activities including retro favourites like swingball, hula-hoop and frisbee to football tournaments and sports day style races.

3ft and under is also making a comeback but this time is it within the brand new Itsy Bitsy Zone. Activities for babies and toddlers will include soft play, baby massage, storytelling, mini discos and much more

The Lolli Promenade – Situated on the River Lea! We’re very lucky to have a real river running through our new home, so why not relax and enjoy an ice lolly at the Lolli Promenade which also features beach hut crafts and bandstands.

Discovery Zone – will host a number of educational, interactive and hands on activities where kids can learn a new skill like beatboxing in one of the many workshops.

Lolli Stops – Enjoy crafts from puppet making, and customised fashion workshops, to balloon modelling, and graffiti painting, there is a something to make and do around every corner.

The Meadows – A perfect spot to chill out, enjoy your lunch and watch our special street performers.

There is also a wide selection of food and drink stalls at LolliBop. Extensive covered buggy parks, baby changing and breast-feeding areas are also available.

For more tickets and more information: http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

#Silent Sunday (Me & My Little Man)

Today’s #silentsunday

Review – Chiquito Restaurant (New Menu)

I was recently sent a voucher to give the new menu at Chiquito a try.

The thing was I had to agree to take another adult with me. What you mean not the kids? Well… Bring it on baby.

I needed a child free night and this would be my perfect excuse for an escape plan.

So me and my little sister hit the Chiquito located at the O2 London. I’d never been to this Mexican Grill before but being a lover of Mexican food I was looking forward to it.

We both found the restaurant lovely. Its located just outside the O2 and can be found with ease.

Inside we discovered there was both an upstairs and downstairs eating area with a big bar serving up the yummiest cocktails. We chose to sit downstairs as it was late so rather quite. I love how you can see the chiefs cooking up a feast in the kitchen, and our order didn’t take long at all.

I ordered a Sizzler the Mexican Chicken Skewer (succulent chicken breast grilled on a skewer with mixed peppers and served over sizzling fajita vegetables). The meal comes on a hot plate so its actually still cooking as it arrives. I opted to replace my chips or wedges with a salad (dieting) and found my order to be extremely enjoyable.

My sister was a tad more adventures than normal (yes she seems to always order a burger) this time she went with
‘The Border’ (strips of crispy southern fried chicken, lettuce, ranch dressing and smoky BBQ sauce wrapped and baked in a flour tortilla). She didn’t leave nothing but a couple of chips that come as a side so my guess is she liked it!

I had a feeling the mains were going to be generous in size and not wanting to spoil my main we both decided to skip the starters. We were right to as following the huge main course we couldn’t even fit in the pudding. We did however grab a slice of strawberry cheese cake that my sister took back for mum. Lets just say she didn’t share it!

One thing we did purchase additional to the main meal was that of a pitcher (Yes… Pitcher) of Sex on the Beach. For £17 you get 6 glasses of cocktail in the one pitcher so its fantastic value as most cocktails are priced at over £7 each.

We really enjoyed our meal at Chiquito we also really loved the decor we were dinning in! Seriously check out the fabulous upcycled beer bottle light shade.

They even had this fab table leg shabby chic mirror in the ladies… Awesome don’t you think!

Other delicious dishes on the new menu that may tempt you are the Goats’ Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Salad, Blackened Salmon and Jambalaya or one of the Chiquito sharing platters.

The new menu is ideal to enjoy for a date night or just a good night out with friends, as even parents need nights off once in a while!

#silentsunday

#silentsunday

What A Bummer!

Just a quick one…. I have a terrible tooth and earache and need to neck some Solpadelne before resting my head on my pillow… That is once my children stop terrorising me with their moaning and constant arguing. There is simply nothing worse than children’s menace like behaviour when your ill or in pain.

Well, I thought I should pop on to inform my readers that despite being lucky enough to make it to the final 10 in the “Smartest Shopper Competition” which involved having an interview with the lovely judges in London last Saturday, I sadly, didn’t go on to win.

It was a long week waiting to discover which one of us 10 finalist would be crowned the smartest shopper winning the opportunity to write a new money saving blog and 10K in prize money. I was finally put out my misery on friday some six days later. I don’t know who won. I do know a few other finalist who didn’t win but like everyone else I’m still waiting to hear who did bag this wonderful prize. I’ve heard that its being announced on Tuesday (why Tuesday and not Money I’m unsure). I just had to write this as over the weekend I’ve had some lovely messages wishing me good luck and felt I should just let my readers know.

Am I disappointed? God, of course I am… Savoo don’t know what they are missing… 😉

I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t a bit gutted. The blog would have been a great new project for me and the fact I would have had the support of Savoo behind me would have been excellent. Then there is the money! I won’t pretend like its nothing… Because it is! I’m not well off at all and how often do You get that close to owning £10,000 in these tough economic times… Well, for me… Not often at all!

Throughout the competition I never said what I’d do with that money if I won and surprising no one asked… Not even the judges during the interview which i surprised me as I kind of expected them to, what with the competitions focus on money. I didn’t want to write about it in case I jinxed myself… Super superstitious is me!

I know it really doesn’t matter now, but I’m just going to be a tad sad and tell you anyway.

So, what would I have done with £10,000 then? Well, I knew exactly what I would have done with it.

Booked a family holiday to Disney and Universal studios, Florida. All my kids would love to holiday here but its something little man has been requesting for ages since hearing all about our neighbours adventures last summer. Despite this, he remains anxious about flying and has requested we only fly with virgin, as its owned by Richard Brandson, his idol. So I’ll continue to save for the families dream holiday.

Secondly, I would have upgraded my Mac Air as this one is playing up (though I think its only the battery which apple need to replace)!

Number 3 I’d done the rest of my Christmas shopping removing that pending stress.

Lastly and most importantly, I’d invested the rest in a new business. One I’d love to make happen in the very near future. It may now take a little longer then I wanted but I will still make it happen. How do I know? Well, simply because I’m passionate about it and believe in myself.

I don’t want to say to much, after all my ideas are not yet protected. What I will say its a fabulous idea… if I do say so myself.

Its always hard when you get so very close to something you want then it doesn’t happen. But experiences are important and like they say… everything happens for a reason!

I’m sure Savoo have found themselves a fantastic winner to work with… So very well done, whoever you are?

So… What about writing more about saving money! Well, my very clever little man who helps me save money in the supermarkets with his mental math skills and great ability to work out the best deal on the spot… has been suggesting a few new ideas and different angles (I think he thinks his my agent sometimes)! Nonetheless his suggested some good ideas backed up with some valid points and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I think I may just take the 12 year olds advice.

He thinks that I should still write a money saving and maybe one day create a new platform to share it!

You see… Its not all meltdowns and school exclusion. My little man is an extremely intelligent boy who would one day make the perfect business man.

So… There you have it. Here’s hoping that as one door closes another will open.

Thanks for reading & have a brilliant week.