The Gallery - Play

So the theme for this week is "PLAY".. Something me and Aalliyah seemed to have done all summer holiday so far! With a recent trip to Gulliver's you can imagine the abundance of photos I know I have of Aalliyah playing, running, jumping, skipping and hand standing over EVERYTHING! But there is one particular photo which I just had to share.

This is Aalliyah and her friend Caoimhe enjoying some play time in the ball pit. What amazes me about these two is that even though there is a 9 year age gap they always play so beautifully together. I try for ages to get Caoimhe to smile, Aalliyah comes along and Caoimhe is instantly in fits of giggles. These two young ladies also share their birthday and I always call them birth date buddies. I think this is why they have such a beautiful bond :)

Head over to Sticky Fingers to view the rest of the Gallery entries for this week,

Gulliver's Land Milton Keynes - Review

Gulliver's Land (In my opinion) is by far one of the top theme parks in the UK for children. I have been to many different parks and as good as they all are, the majority of them are much more suited to the thrill seeking older children and adults. They may have the odd couple of rides dotted around which are aimed more at the mini people but it's so frustrating to pay out on high ticket prices and not really have the younger ones benefiting from the day at all.That's what makes Gulliver's such a fantastic place for the young (and young at heart) plus they have fantastic ticket prices when compared some other parks.

The park is packed full of great rides and attractions which are designed to suit children aged 2 - 13 years old. There are soft play areas for the younger ones and even an indoor play area for the under 5's.

...And for the slightly more adventurous children that like a bit of a thrill there are many good rides such as The Pirate Ship, The Python (roller coaster) and The Log Flume.

We packed our own cool bag full of scrummy picnic foods which we ate at one of the many picnic tablets dotted around the park, which nearly all had parasols too which was great at it was a super sunny day. If you fancy eating a hot meal in the park, it offers a great variety of food choices, serving up great hot meals everyday in the food court. The Log Flume and The Python both have a photo booth which means you can get a framed snapshot or keyring to remember your special day. There is also a lovely little gift shop located near the entrance of the park with lots of great gifts and toys at very reasonable prices. Aalliyah came out with a carrier bag full and spent no more than £10!

We had an amazing day at Gulliver's Land and I would recommend it 100%. I cannot wait to go back and visit again soon. They have great events on Halloween and Christmas which sound amazing too :)

Fancy visiting yourself? Book Online now!

Silent Sunday

Blackpool Bound..

As much as I would love to be going on a "proper" holiday in the summer holidays (and by proper I mean abroad and for at least a week) sadly its just not going to happen yet. Among other things money just isn't flowing too much right now. So while most of the summer holidays is going to be filled with swimming, cinema, picnics and country parks, I did want to have at least a night away somewhere just me and Aalliyah.

I decided on Blackpool as I havent been for years and Aalliyah has never been and with so many local attractions making Blackpool a very appealing choice we are all booked up for a 2 night break. We are really looking forward to all that Blackpool has to offer. Can you believe that Aalliyah is 10 years old and this will be the first time we have actually been to a beach together?? MADNESS!!

We will be visiting the Pleasure Beach and the Blackpool Tower and then the rest of the time I'm sure will be spent relaxing in the sunshine watching the waves. Being a MASSIVE Spongebob fan Aalliyah is super excited to visit Nickelodeon Land and we are both pretty nervous about going to visit the tower with its remarkable glass floor.

We are setting off on the 22nd of August and already counting down the sleeps...

Are you planning a trip to Blackpool? How about winning a ticket for 2 people for the Blackpool Tower!!

Valid until December so plenty of time to use it.

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Alton Towers

OK, So almost all of us have been here some time in our lives. We went a few years back, but before then I hadn't been since I was 16! Yes I know.. Far too many years to mention ;-) Although I am not a massive thrill seeker, I do enjoy Alton Towers. There is something for everyone, and If the thought of loop the loop and race car speeds scare you, then you can always enjoy the tea-cups. Aalliyah is not a fan of "scary" rides and at the time of going was only 6 years old, so her choice of rides were limited to the younger section of the park, which in comparison to other parks aimed at younger children was not very good. Luckily for me, I also had my mum, niece and nephew along for the day, so mum was on hand to enjoy the "calmer" rides with Aalliyah, while "Auntie" enjoyed some thrill rides with the kids. (Who turned out to be more fearless than me). If you are a fan of the "fear" then there is no question you will enjoy Alton Towers. You have the popular main thrill rides such as The Oblivion, Rita, Nemesis, Ripsaw and Air amongst many others. For younger fun you have a smaller selection including The twirling toadstool swings (which even scare me senseless lol) , The Frog Hopper and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - The ride. There are plenty of places to eat around the park, but as you can imagine the prices are quite steep. All in all it is a good day out for the family, maybe a bit wasted on the younger ones :-)

If you fancy some thrill seeking, click the link below to be taken to the official Alton Towers booking page.

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