Why I am a perfect parent (and how you can be too!)

Put simply anyone can be a perfect parent and here's how. I am a perfect parent because I know that my children are NOT perfect! We as a family have good days and not so good days . We have more good days and have learned how to turn each day into a good day, well at least part of it!

Rule one

Listen

Rule two

Don't make promises that you can't keep.

Rule three

We don't keep secrets but you can keep surprises.

Rule four

Eat as a family around the dining table as often as possible.

Rule five

Ban electronics for a set time each day - talk!

And that's it!

Bendi-gedig - THE place to visit in Barmouth!

Barmouth is a lovely place both to live and visit BUT when the sun decides to hide away and the rain comes out to play, there's not much to do with the little ones in your life. I love a coffee and a cake but know only too well that children get bored pretty quickly in a café and there's nothing relaxing about shushing your child every 5 minutes, conscious of what everyone else is thinking of your parenting skills!

So, after a long-ish wait and a great build up, Barmouth finally has a super new attraction - Bendi-gedig! Here's our views, both from a child's eyes and mine!

We spent just over 2 hours playing here - there's two main areas; a toddler section for the under 4's and then the larger play equipment for the over 4's. There's also a games area with a basketball hoop which seemed popular when we were there.

My children enjoyed all of the equipment, especially the slides! My son liked the fact that some of the crawling tubes are clear so that he could see me from *nearly* all of the area... I think he thought I was going to sneak off!

There were quite a lot of children playing but with plenty of space available, there wasn't TOO many children and they all were able to play safely. The pram and wheelchair access was good, with plenty of seating available with tables for the essential coffee and cake for the parents!

The food here was reasonably priced - we didn't eat a meal, just a drink and a snack but I did like the idea of how the children's menu works. Instead of the usual sausage &chips, chicken nuggets & chips or fish fingers & chips, the children can have a smaller portion of nearly anything off the normal menu for a smaller price! This is great for our family as my youngest doesn't like chips! The menu also uses lots of local produce, so that's an extra tick in the box from me!

With the nearest play centre like this about a 90 minute drive away, I'm sure Bendi-gedig will become the leading centre for indoor play on the Cambrian Coast! Entry prices are reasonable.. they could have charged a lot more being quite an exclusive attraction, but with offers such as a family discount card and a loyalty card, these ease the burden on your purse a little making Bendi-gedig somewhere that we will visit often throughout the year.

So, yes we'd recommend this as a great family-friendly attraction in Barmouth and we will be visiting again! My youngest is already planning his party here for his next birthday...

You can check out the Bendi-gedig website here and also why not pop over to their Facebook page and say 'hello'!

*I'll be updating this blog post with photos soon; the ones I have taken have other people's children in them so I can't publish them online! Once I have suitable photos... I'll show you and then you can see how great it is for yourself!

Our visit to the National Trust Property Tyntesfield, Bristol

To start our half term fun, we took a trip down to Bristol to stay with my family for a couple of nights. After a long drive we finally arrived ready to have some fun!

We took the opportunity to visit Tyntesfield, the National Trust property near Bristol. Tyntesfield is a spectacular Victorian gothic revival house with large gardens and parkland. There's plenty of room to explore outdoors; we especially liked the kitchen gardens where we could show the children the veg plots and herb gardens which are still in use today.

During the school holidays, they have activities on for the children - we took part in the Fab Feb Finding Challenge which was simple enough to complete but not too easy that it was boring!

Whilst at Tyntesfield, you can also explore the house and chapel. Although there are plenty of things to look at but not touch(!), there are children's boxes strategically placed around the house. Children are openly invited to explore these activity boxes - some contain dressing up costumes, games and traditional Victorian toys amongst other exciting child-friendly things! This kept our children occupied for the most part... although my youngest (6yo) did exclaim rather loudly, "Does this house EVER end?!?!"

The volunteer staff were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, even talking to the children as well as the adults in our group which gave them smiles all round! They were ready to answer any questions - silly or not!

My favourite part of the house was the kitchen (of course!). It's still used today in mostly an original state, with the addition of a new electric cooker and dishwasher!

Here are some photos from our day:

One point just be to aware of, the house wasn't fully open when we went and so didn't get to see as much as we could have done. The reason was that it was early in the year and everything would be fully open from Easter time. My only gripe was that this isn't noted anywhere until you have already paid (full price) and have made your way down to the house. With the children, just the downstairs of the house was probably enough, but I still would have liked to have seen the upstairs!

We have fondly renamed Tyntesfield as 'Tinsle-field' as my children much preferred this name! We have planned to return at Christmas time, just to check out the presence of tinsel!

Have a look at the webpage here to check out the prices and events throughout the year. It's well worth a visit but just make a quick phone call first to make sure everything's open!

Advent Post #11: An afternoon with Santa!

Living in a little corner of Wales is great, but when your family seems scattered around the UK (and further afield!) it's hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time! So, each December after a few weeks logistically planning a weekend in Manchester, we all *try* and meet up and have a festive weekend together as on the 'real' Christmas Day, it's impossible for us all to be together due to work and extended family commitments!

 

So....  here are some snaps of our first Christmas of the year!

 

We were even lucky enough to take a ride in Santa's horse and carriage - definitely a first for us! The elves were raising money for the Manchester Children's Hospital; a very deserving good cause!

 

Santa gave my children some homework to do for next time he sees them (ad they happily accepted it!) We had to learn the names of all of his reindeer! We managed a few whilst still in the grotto but had to think long and hard in the car later on - but we managed it (without the use of Mr. Google!).

 

So here we have them! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolph!

 

My daughter has them written down now so that she can send the list off to Santa - along with some homework of his own! Learn the song 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' in Welsh! :) Good luck with that one Santa!

 

Have you celebrated an early 'Christmas' yet this year?!

Katie's Advent Calendar!

Throughout December, I'll have a different, daily festive craft activity, gift idea, recipe or something else that has caught my eye to share with you! Some simple and kid-friendly and some a bit more complicated but perfect for entertaining your families over the Christmas period.

Don't forget to follow or subscribe to receive the updates straight to your inbox - share with your friends too, so everyone gets a taste of Christmas, 'Katie-style'! Thanks for keeping up with my news and recipes! Hope you all have a busy but manageable December!

Tots 100 Family Photograph Competition

Tots 100 is a mecca of information for bloggers and competitions. At the moment, they are running a competition to win a fantastic Panasonic bridge camera from PrinterPix. 

If you are a blogger member of Tots 100 and would like to enter the competition, you can find full details here.  Here is my entry for the Children Aged 5+ category.

I love this photo as my daughter often shys away from the camera but on this occasion, she was captured with her natural smile.  Through all the tantrums and stamping feet, I always think back to this photo whilst counting to 10!

Living by the sea we don't often get snow that actually sticks!  We have been "snowed in" before but in a different way than normal.  We can move around our small town quite easily but as a "one road in, one road out" town, when the snow is bad, nobody can get into the town and nobody can get out!

So this level of snow was quite unusual and definitely put a smile on my daughter's face!

This post is Katie's entry into the Printerpix Photo competition.

"Deadly 60 Tracker" Board Game Review from Imagination

"Deadly 60"... the popular BBC children's TV show which draws the parents in too!  Wildlife presenter, Steve Backshall tracks down 60 of the world's deadliest animals and shows you what they are capable of!  The Deadly 60 Tracker board game from Imagination Games enables you, the player, to track down the animals yourself completing challenges by the roll of a die and collecting essential items for the adventure.

It's a creepy, crawly and crazy game where each player is given a ‘deadly animal’ to track down, and you must race around the board to track the animal down. With plenty of danger lurking, you have to take risks to beat off your opponents. The first player to successfully track down three Deadly 60 animals wins the game!  This really is a fun family game to play, great for the festive season or anytime throughout the year!

We've played the game a few times and it was a hit with my daughter and her friends at a sleepover last weekend.

Try to land on the blue squares to receive essential items or take a risk with the red squares... complete the challenges to be awarded item cards but fail the challenge and lose items that are necessary for your adventure!  The choice is yours, play it safe and steadily build up to your target or take a chance but beware!!!

In the game pack, there's a handy leaflet with fantastic "deadly" facts about 30 of the world's deadliest animals... a great start point for further research for inquisitive minds - on the CBBC website there are bags of information and online games that expand on the Deadly 60 games.  Have a look and you never know, one day you could be on safari with your child tracking the animals down for real!

The game is aged at 8 years old and above - this is set appropriately as my daughter was able to play this with her friends without an adult "interfering"!  Up to 6 players can take part so ideal for larger families or when you have vistors over the holiday period!

The only difficulty we had was finding the green die on the board when it decided to camoflauge itself... all part of the fun though!

There are three Deadly 60 games in the series from Imagination Games...

Deadly 60 Board Game (RRP £14.99)

Deadly 60 Ruckus Card Game  (RRP £4.99)

Deadly 60 Trivia Box (RRP £7.99) 

All available from Amazon, WH Smiths, Tesco and other good retailers- watch out for them this Christmas!

Win a short break for 2 adults and 2 children!!!

As promised, to mark the 1st of August (still summer, somewhere!) we have a great new competition!  You could win a short break (2 nights - mid week or weekend) for 2 adults and 2 children at Crystal House Hotel in Barmouth, North Wales!  Total prize value of upto £168!

Crystal House Hotel is a family run bed and breakfast is situated a stones throw from Barmouth's award winning beaches and the hotel enjoys the fantastic scenery which Cardigan Bay, Barmouth and the Snowdonian Mountains have to offer.

For those who have never experienced the pleasure of a holiday in Barmouth, and frequent visitors there is something for everyone. The clean and safe sandy beaches are never overcrowded even in the peak of summer; there is enough room for everyone.  If your family enjoy crabbing then pick yourself up a line and bait from the harbour and join the young and young at heart on the harbours edge catching and comparing their crustaceans.

For the more energetic, Barmouth is full of opportunities for activity holidays. There are an abundance of walks in and around the town. Walk through the Old Town climbing to the top of Dinas Olau for spectacular views of Cardigan Bay Barmouth and the Mawddach Estuary. Alternatively walk across Barmouth Bridge to Morfa Mawddach Station and follow the former railway track along the river bank to Penmaenpool. Above all else, Barmouth has a unique charm and this little fishing village turned seaside resort has really stood the test of time.

Today, thanks to the dedication of locals and visitors alike the town thrives as it has since it rose to popularity in the early 1900's. An extensive annual calender of events and festivals means that often there is always something new to see and do in this beautiful coastal resort.

Barmouth also has a market every Thursday & Sunday (Sunday only between April & September). Barmouth enjoys a remarkably mild climate which makes it a ideal location for out of season visits at any time of the year. Crystal House is ideally situated to explore the wonderful coastline of Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula.

For a scenic day out the coastal train line is perfect for groups of adults and families alike. Barmouth train station, only 100 metres from Crystal House has a regular service both north, towards the beautiful Llyn Peninsula or south over Barmouth Bridge towards the unspoilt seaside village of Aberdovey; an area full of character. Steam railway enthusiasts are particularly well catered for in this area. There are approximately 13 steam railway sites within an hours drive from Crystal House - all a great day out for adults and children.

An easy competition to enter for all - complete the Rafflecopter entry below and good luck!

The winner will be responsible for their own travel arrangements and spending money.  See Rafflecopter for full T&C's.

This competition has been listed on ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions and Loquax.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Preview Review of Nestle Chocolately Cheerios

I was lucky enough to receive a box of the Nestle Chocolately Cheerios before they hit the supermarket shelves next month... my children were delighted at the thought of being important enough to be able to try a new breakfast cereal before anyone else in the world (or so they thought!).

They spotted the box after school one day but I managed to hold them off until the morning when we could all sit together and eat breakfast as a family.  They were well-liked by both of my children and also got the thumbs-up from the parents, i.e. me & hubby!  My daughter quoted, "super magic awesome" with my son having 2 bowls!

 

 

The new cereals have been taked about and promoted on the Cheerios UK Facebook page and some people were saying, "not another chocolate-based cereal!" and seemed of the opinion that their children would be forced to live on chocolate cereals!  But, as parents, we can all make the choice when purchasing cereals for our families. 

In my household, we do buy chocolate cereals for our children but they also enjoy porridge, Weetabix and bran flakes/cornflakes... all without adding sugar!  As part of a healthy diet and lifestyle chocolate cereals are OK in my opinion; Chocolately Cheerios are a source of calcium and have the Wholegrain Guarantee carried by Nestle cereals.  They are also lower in calories and higher in fibre than another "chocolate hoop" cereal... not naming names, but you can guess the brand I mean! 

The Chocolatey Cheerios are slightly smaller than the "other" ones - more "Cheerio-shaped and sized" and also they keep their "crunch" - one of my pet hates is soggy cereal (I actually shouted at a midwife when I was in labour as she was trying to make me eat crisped rice cereal that had had milk put on it for about an hour... not nice!).

Overall, I think these cereals will be a hit with families and will be appearing on breakfast tables all over the country really soon.  As an ex-uni student, I can also see them as a store cupboard essential for those times in need of a (healthy!) energy boost!

Pop over to the Cheerios UK Facebook page and say, "hello" - watch out for their next giveaway of new and/or existing products :)

"Cool 2 Cook" Recipe Book

Everyone loves a freebie, especially something that you can use time and time again.  I picked up a free recipe book at a community event last year and have used it ever since!

"Cool 2 Cook" is a great child-friendly recipe book with healthy and nutritious meals which are easy to get the children involved in the preparation and cooking.  We have made each recipe numerous times - my personal favourite is the Welsh Lamb Tikka Wraps - the Fun Mini Pizzas are a firm favourite with my children!

The recipes provide plenty of opportunities to get the extra vegetables and fruits inside your children's tummies - I only know too well this can be difficult to achieve at times!  It is also bi-lingual Welsh/English, so as a Welsh-learner it gives me the opportunity to expand my vocabulary - I'm not quite ready to follow a complete recipe in Welsh; missing a vital ingredient would probably be the most likely outcome in that instance(!) but every little helps!

Another great point to make about the book is that the pages are wipe-clean... no matter how much of a tidy person you are, cooking with children always results in a splash or spillage or two!  For me, I always say that so long as you start off clean and tidy and clean up afterwards, the inbetween "messes" are all part of the fun!


You can download or request by email the recipe book here - it is produced and promoted by HCC Meat Promotion Wales promoting the use of Welsh Beef and Lamb.

I think this book will become a cookbook that is passed down and used for years to come.  I have some of my Mum's cookbooks that she doesn't use anymore - some more well read and well used than others but the best are the ones containing the quick and easy family recipes that I remember from growing up!

What about you, do have an old family recipe that you still use?  Don't worry - I won't be asking for the secret ingredients!