Master of none. That pretty much sums me up! Well to be precise I am a Master in Philosophy, but that is only because I gave up on my PhD, so that kind of proves my point really. When it comes to blog awards I hate the whole "vote for me!" part. I am terribly English and can barely blow a trumpet if I tried and I don't own one. But the thing is, you have to be in it to win it, so this is me asking you, my lovely readers (Oliver I am talking to you!) to vote for me in the MAD blog awards.

As my blog is a mish mash of everything we do as a family, I would really like some votes in the Family Fun category. However, some lovely people have also voted for me in Most Entertaining and School Days, so if you think your vote is better placed there then that is fine, it's really nice that you have voted for me. It really does mean a lot that you have taken the time (but I would like to stress that it can be done really quickly!) Why do I want your votes? Well for a start it would make me believe that more people than my husband read my blog and it would also mean I get to have a night out if I made it to the finals. Nights out are few and far between and a night in London with some amazing bloggers would be fantastic.

All you have to do is go to the MAD blog awards nomination page and put in your email address. If you don't read any other blogs then you can put https://astrongcoffee.co.uk in the blog of the year bit (I will never win  that!) and then again in the family fun part or any other category you think that my blog fits in. If you read lots of blogs then you will know exactly what to do and don't even need to have read this post - sorry!
Anyway, the competition is HUGE so please give us a vote if you like us - I need as much help as I can get.



Thanks!

You can read about our views on staying in the Butlin's Gold apartments in Skegness, but I felt that the entertainment on offer needed a post of its own. It was one of the biggest shocks of the holiday. My brother in law joked as to whether we had been to a knobbly knees contest. This view of Butlin's is one that I am sure many people still hold and couldn't be more out dated. The shows that we saw were fantastic. On our first day we watched Thomas and Friends. Big man openly admitted that he is too big for watching Thomas the Tank Engine on the TV but that the show was really good. He was also keen to have his picture with Thomas when the show finished.

Thomas and Friends

Mike the Knight and Fireman Sam all captured the boys attention. It was busy and the boys sat at the front whilst my husband and I stood at the side as the seating was all taken most days. Strangely our Fireman Sam toys have been pulled out of the cupboards since we have returned! Here is a little peek of the show.


Even better than the daytime shows were the evening ones. I had not appreciated how popular these would be. I was keen for big man to see Dick v Dom as I was sure he would find them funny. The show started at 7.30 with doors opening at 6.45. My husband thought I was mad when I said we should get there for 6.45. Thankfully he went along with me as we only just got in! It was in Reds which is a nightclub venue and we ended up sitting on the dance floor. It was well worth it though and a highlight of the holiday.

Dick v Dom at Reds

The next night was Scooby Doo. I foolishly thought that this would have less appeal to people. As we walked to dinner I stopped to ask a Redcoat whether it would be busy. He smiled and pointed at the queue coming out of the Skyline Pavillion and said that some people had been queing since 4. The show started at 7.30. We managed to squeeze in but it was packed and we had to sit on the floor and couldn't see well. At the interval some people behind us were leaving as their children were tired. Unfortunately so were our younger two. My husband stayed with big man and they both enjoyed the show. There are a limited number of B line passes which you can purchase so that you can get into the shows early to secure a table. For a family this adds up and you still need to get there early. Unless Butlins put on extra shows, the only advice I can give is that you get there reasonably early in a hope to get a table as this will make the evening much more enjoyable.

Splash Waterworld

When it comes to water parks I am quite picky. We are lucky have one a few minutes drive from our house so I use this as a comparison. Splash Waterworld didn't disappoint. There were a number of pools, rapids
and a variety of waterslides. We went at the end of the day so it wasn't too busy, although when everyone tried leaving at once there was a wait for changing rooms.

One of the best things about Butlins is that most of the things you do are included in the price of your break. Inside the Skyline Pavillion there are a couple of small fairground rides. Big man wasn't going to miss out on these and insisted on joining his younger brothers!



Outside is a bigger fairground. The only problem we had here was juggling the three children as it was often a 1:1 adult child ratio. Big man enjoyed some of the bigger rides just as much as Daddy!

Daddy excited at the fairground

There are two arcades in butlins and one holds a soft play area. The boys enjoyed an hour running around in here one afternoon when it was a bit chilly.

Arcade and soft play

You can't visit Butlins without going to the beach, even in Februaury. On the entrance to the beach was some Giant sized models. The boys enjoyed playing hide and seek in the "Giants Playground."

Say "Butlin's!"

Once on the beach, big man was happy with a stick to entertain him!


One of the hardest things about going to Butlin's is accepting that you can't do everything on offer. This is what we chose to do, considering the ages of our children, but there is so much more. Tribute bands, wrestling, Water wars for teenagers, use of the spa, the list goes on. Most of the activities are included but there are some with extra charges if you wish. Yesterday I found out that middle man was disappointed that we didn't make it to the Bob the Builder show. Today when the advert appeared on the TV, little man's face lit up and he said Butlin's. The boys are already asking to go back and I am already looking at day visits! So, if like me and a lot of my friends, you thought Butlin's was just cheesy shows and not much fun, maybe you should think again. In my opinion it is fantastic family fun.

As part of our role as Butlins Ambassadors 2013-2014, we spent February Half Term at Butlin's Skegness staying in a 3 bedroomed Gold Apartment. As any family of 5 or more will know, there is a reduced choice of options for larger families to stay together in one apartment so we were really pleased that this was not an issue at Butlin's.

Gold apartments at Skegness benefit from an early check in from midday with you being able to get into your apartment from three o'clock. On arrival at resort you are greeted and shown where to drive through for your check in. Gold apartments are situated at the far end of the resort and the apartments are built in a New England Style. On entering the apartment we were happy to see that they were comfortable and clean. We were left some welcome snacks and beverages as well as a small amount of cleaning products and a small toiletry bag. The boys were immediately happy with a large cupboard to hide in. This was particularly helpful for storing suitcases.


Things we liked about our apartment:
Flat screen TV's in the lounge and main bedroom with free view.
A dishwasher to save time washing up.
House keeping included. This was fantastic as it meant towels were changed and beds were made properly. Even better was that they emptied our dishwasher and put the plates and cups back were they were stored.
I really liked that the pictures in each room were pictures of the resort and Skegness beach. I am a sucker for personal touches like this.

Other things to consider:
The Gold apartments are a good 10 minute walk from the centre of the resort. This isn't really a problem, but with our little ones short legs the walk ended up being nearly double this.
The bed wasn't the best I have slept in, but it wasn't the worst either.
You only get 15 minutes free wifi a day, and if you are on Vodafone the 3G signal is patchy at best. O2 was fine though.

The Yacht Club Restaurant, Skegness.

Although our apartment was self catering, we opted to have the premium dining plan. This meant that we could eat in either The Yacht Club or The Deck restaurants situated in the Skyline Pavilion. You are given dining cards on check in and these are punched at breakfast and dinner. Staying in half term, I expected the restaurants to be busy. They were. but not overly busy and you were seated within a couple of minutes. The Deck is a much larger restaurant and serves a larger variety of food, so we generally ate there. There was lots of choice with many dishes being freshly cooked for you. At breakfast there was a pancake and omelette station. Whilst there were may healthy options to chose from (fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals) I love a cooked breakfast. These weren't full of grease and the fried egg was still runny. There was also a selection of pastries and croissants. Drinks included tea and coffee as well as juices. For dinner there were many choices including a carvery, curry or Chinese, pasta and grill. The cakes for dessert were delicious and my husband was very impressed with the cheese.



What we liked about the premium dining:
I didn't have to cook! That is always good.
There was always something that the boy's would eat.
On arrival at dinner there were often characters there to greet you such as Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder.
There was lots of fresh fruit. Middle man made sure he had a green apple every breakfast and dinner and was very pleased when he saw there was water melon.
It saves you money compared with eating out in different restaurants every night.

Other things to consider:
By having the premium dining plan, it means that you don't really get to experience the other restaurants on site.
If you want to see the early evening shows you need to have eaten by 6.30 at the latest so it can all seem a bit of a rush.
Drinks that are included are fruit juices and tea and coffee. If you want alcoholic or fizzy drinks you will need to pay for these at the bar.
I wasn't a fan of the tea and coffee from the machine. The hot chocolate was good though.
The Pasta station is a lovely idea with your meal being cooked while you wait, but in busy times it is really slow.
If you are like me and have no will power you will over eat a lot.


Staying in a gold apartment and having a premium dining plan is the most expensive option for staying in Butlin's, however, there are other apartment options available and a standard eating plan meaning you can eat in The Coast restaurant. If you choose to self cater then there is a Spar supermarket located in the Skyline Pavilion.

So our accommodation was nice and there was a good range of food to eat using the premium dining plan. However, we spent very little time in our apartment due to the entertainment on offer. I feel I can only do this justice if it has a separate post, so click here to read about it.




We were guests of Butlin's for this 4 night break as part of the ambassador programme.

Now that big man is at school and middle man at preschool, time together as a family is precious. It is even better when Daddy is around too. This week we have had the most fantastic half term. We have spent quality time together as a family having fun. The boys have got to see both sets of Grandparents which is always a treat. To top it off we had our Butlins Ambassador break in Skegness. Butlins totally exceeded my expectations (reviews to follow) and we had a fantastic time. We went swimming loads and watched lots of shows. We introduced the boys to the delights of Dick and Dom. Big man is now desperate to watch them on the TV. I am hoping this is a good thing but I may change my mind when they start shouting bogeys or start using pretend swear words. Tomorrow we are ending the break with a trip to the movies to see the Lego Movie. So, next weeks word could well me Awesome.





If you enjoy reading my blog I would be so thankful if you took the time to vote for me in the MAD blog awards. I would love some votes in the family fun category - just click the pic below. Thanks!

Now this is a short survey worth completing! Holiday Extras would like your views on short breaks. By completing their 10-question survey you'll be entered into a prize draw to win your choice of a £100 gift voucher from Show & Stay which can be redeemed against a London theatre break or a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children for any UK theme park provided by Play and Stay. The prize will be given to one lucky entrant from this site and will be contacted at the beginning of March. Full terms and conditions are available below. The T&Cs are at the bottom of the survey. Readers of my blog will know that we are big fans of Legoland, which is one of the choices you could have if you won. If theme parks aren't your thing then I am sure a London theatre break could be.Which would you choose? What is your favourite theme park or show? Good Luck! Sponsored Post Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

I think it is fair to say that we have all experienced a broken heart at some point in our lives. Benenden Health have put together this infographic to show the effects it can have from gaining weight to checking your ex's social media sites.


Where do broken hearts go Infographic by benenden health

When my husband works away, I often feel bad as I make all three children have their bedtime story together. However, a survey by Aquafresh Kids, which asked over 1000 Netmums about their bedtime routine has revealed that modern day parents are reading more frequently to their little ones than when they were kids themselves. Almost three quarters of parents (70%) telling bedtime stories to their children more than five nights per week and half (50%) reading every single night.
 
In comparison, only a third (37%) of today’s parents were read to at least five nights per week as a child and almost a third (29%) admit they were never read a bedtime story at all. 
 
In a world of texts and tweets, where speed is key, over one in ten (11%) parents admit to abbreviating popular tales to make them shorter and snappier. 8% claim to cut out unnecessary details in order to finish the story quicker. I must admit that on occassions I have been guilty of this if the book is on the long side. Usually though the boys point out that I have missed a bit!

Whilst mums tend to be the head storyteller in the family, for 26% it’s actually dad who is their child’s favourite bedtime story reader and for 5% it is grandma or grandpa. As Dad is out at work all day in our house, if he is home, he tries to make the story his time and get some time with our boys.

 Despite bedtime stories becoming shorter and snappier, the art of storytelling is still as popular as ever and, as well as telling tales before bed, nine out of ten (90%) UK parents are using stories to distract their little ones during other activities:

-      8% read their little ones tales whilst they’re in the bath

-      3% tell them tales over breakfast

-      2% recite stories when brushing their child’s hair

-      1% tell their children stories during toothbrushing.

Dentist Tina Tanna explains: “Getting your little ones to brush their teeth for the required two minutes, can be a stressful for both of you, so it’s important to make it as fun and engaging as possible. The Aquafresh Kids Little Teeth toothbrushes are designed using fun animal characters to appeal to little ones and using a brushtime story, two minutes in length and fun and snappy in tone, is another great place to start.” This is not something I have thought of doing before, but I think it is a great idea.

Aquafresh Kids kindly sent us some samples of their kids range. I had no idea that they did mouthwash for ages 6+ and big man is very happy with this. Middle man was over the moon with his crocodile toothbrush, especially as I told him it would be great to take on our trip to Butlins due to the crocodile head protective cover.

I must admit I have hated the weather so far this year. Far too cold and wet for my liking. I haven't taken the boys outside as much as I would like, but as the Sun was shining on Sunday we headed to the park for a winter adventure. Little man knew exactly what he wanted to do. He headed straight over to the grassy edge and rolled his football up and down again and again.



Then he went to join his brother's at a game of "What's the time Mr Wolf?" And I was allowed to join in as Mummy Wolf too. It was cold, it was muddy but it was worth it to see their smiling faces.





This post is an entry for BritMums ‘Winter Little Adventures Challenge’ sponsored by Barny, individually wrapped bear-shaped sponges with a hidden filling. Find out more about Barny here. 

I am often impressed with big man's scientific knowledge, but sometimes he gets a little confused. This week in the car he was talking about planets with middle man. Middle man had just said that Pluto was a planet.

"No, Pluto is not a planet, it is a dwarf planet...."

I turned to my husband and gave an impressed look.

"That mean's it has a lot of small people on it."

I turned to my husband and chuckled.

It seems like ages ago that I was jumping up and down in the garden as I had been picked as a Butlins Ambassador. Now our stay is imminent I am getting excited all over again. To be totally honest, Butlins would not have been a place I would have considered holidaying in before I started blogging. My opinions were (I hope) outdated and I just saw it as a Hi De Hi holiday camp. Having read reviews from other ambassadors, I was pretty sure it was something our family would enjoy.

People who know me will know that I love a bargain. Most of my weekly shop is made up of half price and BOGOF offers. When my husband proposed to me many years ago, money saving was the last thing on my mind. For some reason I was more concerned if he had asked my Father for my hand in marriage. He had and I said "Of course!" However, it appears that a romantic proposal such as this can also be the route to a bargain. The infographic below shows some of the savings that can be made when you are a couple.


 
Be smart with your energy choices: switch now and get a cheap electricity deal! Of course in my case we went on to have three energetic bundles of joy who help us to use our money in other ways. How have you found that you have saved money as a couple?

Little man loves Peppa Pig so when Penwizard asked if I would like to review a personalised book from their range I knew I would go for a Peppa one. Alongside normal personalised strory books they also have the well know charachters Roary the racing car, Ben and Holly, Noddy and Fifi and the Flowertots.

I chose Peppa and Jacob go swimming. Not only are the stories personalised with the name, but you can change the cartoon character person on the front to represent your child (or the one you are giving the book to.) You are able to adapt the skin, hair and eye colour.

Little man was excited to have a Peppa Pig book, let alone for him to be in it too! He has really enjoyed me reading it to him and pointing to himself saying "Me. Boy!" The story is basic, but I remember bits of it from a swimming episode of Peppa Pig on the TV.


I think this is such a lovely gift, especially for a christening or first birthday present. You can see the range here. This book was a soft cover which retails at £14.99 plus £2.50 postage and packing.



We were given the book for the purpose of this review but the opinions contained here are my own.

I can safely say that the boys have enjoyed the Tracker Bars that we have been sent to review. So much so it ended in me saying that they weren't allowed anymore as they came out holding another bar and smiling sweetly at me. We were sent the roasted nut, white chocolate and chocolate chip. All really tasty. They weren't too big and ranged from 125-127 calories per bar (all nutritional value can be viewed on their website.) The only problem with them is that due to them containing peanuts, they are not something I would be able to put in lunchboxes. They would however, be a good treat to take on a picnic.

I have been offered a months* supply of tracker bars to give awat to one of my readers. Just fill in the rafflecopter below. UK entrants only. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Fancy winning a £100 Show and Stay voucher or a Stay and Play break at a theme park? Just click here to answer a quick survey and your chance to win.


Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

We were given some samples for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

If you like our blog and love entering our giveaways, please vote for us in the Family Fun category of the  MAD Blog Awards.  Thanks!

I have always thought I was quite frugal with money. It turns out I spend more than I think. As you may remember I have decided to take part in the Great British Budget. Set to a budget and stick to it for February.

It turns out that this is easier said than done.

I am a special offer queen. But sometimes special offers just make you spend more money. This week is middle man's birthday, so for his party I went to ASDA to but him a helium balloon. Guess what they were 3 for 2. Did I want or need 3 balloons? No. But did I want to get 3 balloons because they were on offer? Yes! Luckily middle man helped me out here as he only wanted one. This saved us £2.60. I also showed great restraint by not buying any octonauts toys. Little man LOVES his octonaut toys. Does he NEED the on the go pods? Not really. So I moved along the aisle quickly even if they were half price.

As for days out with the boys, I have been trying not to spend too much there too. A trip to the local soft play centre sets us back a whopping £14.35 before I have even had a coffee there. Instead, I can take both of the boys and myself swimming for the bargain price of £3.75 (for all of us!) on a fantastic pre school deal that the local fun pool offers. We have been making the most of this and going there once a week and the boys love it.

We are having a home cooked Valentines meal tonight to save some more pennies. So how are you doing at budgeting for February?

A couple of weeks ago we recieved January's Degustabox.  If you haven't heard of them before, they are a monthly subscription box containing food and drink. For £12.99 a month including delivery you will recieve a box containing 10-15 suprises.

Here is what was in our box:



Go! Kombucha China White Tea. As I recieved my box on Chinese New Year, I felt I would give this a go. Whilst I would imagine it is not eveyone's cup of tea (excuse the pun) I enjoyed it. Not enough to buy it again, but it was pleasent and I enjoyed giving it a go.

Dorset Cereals Berry Granola. In the marketing material I was given this was described as a heavenly mix of traditionally bajed oats, zingy blackberries and raspberries. I think this is a pretty good description. I loved it and would certainly but this in the future.

Goody Good Stuff: These are children's sweets suitable for vegetarian, Halal and Kosher diets. The children enjoyed them and I would keep them in mind if I needed to buy sweets for such diets in the future.

Maggi's So Juicy and So Tender range: These have been great to prepare easy and tasty meals after school. The children particularly enjoyed the BBQ chicken.

Jules Destrooper Butter Crisp biscuits: Tasty!

Zico Chocolate Coconut water: Not something I would ever have thought of trying myself, but apparently it is an excellent low calorie option with great hydrating qualities. One taste of it took me back to my university days and I can highly recommend a glass full of this with a shot of Baileys in.



Quinola Mothergrain Express: This can be eaten cold in salads or heated in the microcwave for a couple of minutes. My husband turned his nose up at this but when I partnered it up with Thai Green Chicken Curry (recipe below) he was more than happy to eat it!

I was also lucky enough to receive a "suprise" item. This was a limited item sent out to customer that completed one of their surveys. The surprise was some Garofalo spaghetti.



1 Packet of Quinola Mothergrain Express
2 small chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 packet of mangetot
1 carrot cut into strips
1 pak choi
2 tablespoons of thai green curry paste
1 tin of coconut milk

Stir fry the chicken until brown on the outside.
Add the thai green curry paste, coconut milk and carrot. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the mangetout and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Finally add the pak choi and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve with Quinola Mothergrain Express (just heat in the microwave for 2 minutes)



All in all I enjoyed the contents of my Degustabox. Some of the products I would purchase again, others I wouldn't. However, it was nice to try some new products. If you would like to try a Degustabox for yourself they have provided my readers with a discount code: GU0VL meaning you will be a £3 saving off of your first box. That means you will get a surprise box delivered for just £9.99

Name and Species
Quincy the Fraidy FuzzyFace

Personality: Anxious, jumpy, callow.

Mini Bio
Fraidy FuzzyFaces are always being frazzled by lightning, squished by falling pianos and attacked by swarms of sillipedes. Or so they say! It’s hard to be sure because these jittery Moshlings rarely leave the house. And when they do they insist on wearing protective gloves, rubber boots and hardhats. Look out, danger ahead!
Habitat: Fraidy FuzzyFaces live on Eek Street but you might see a few dashing along Ooh La Lane with their hands on their heads.

Likes: Staying in and reading The Daily Fail.

Dislikes: Going out and toffee apples.

Rank: 152
Rarity: Rare