From the moment you walk into Atlantis, you get the feeling that you have entered one of the massive themed hotels of Vegas. You walk past a variety of high End shops to the entrance of Aquaadventure. We had pre purchased tickets (as it is cheaper than buying on the day) but so had a lot of other guests and queued for a good half an hour to forty five minutes to get in. So make sure you get there early - they open at 10am. You can hire towels, lockers, cameras and even pre pay for meals. If you go for the family sized locker, be aware that there aren't family changing rooms - this caused quite a bit of confusion when we got our clothes mixed up in the bags!  It is worth noting that at 1.2 m you have to purchase an adult ticket as this is the height you need to be to ride the bigger waterflumes.

I have to say it was really confusing entering the park. You are expected to know how it all works and we hadn't got a clue. We weren't given a map and I believe that you can only get one at reception. There is a large child's water park similar to drench towers at Legoland. We headed here first. There were no free sunbeds so we stood at the side and watched the children.

Big man and his Dad went and rode one of the larger flumes and we finally worked out that we could take the younger children on the numerous Rapids rides if we each got a double dingy with a child seat. This was easier said than done! Unfortunately people grab hold of them like sunbeds and keep them for themselves. We finally managed to find 2 so could enjoy the rides. The Rapids went on for a good hour but there were numerous places you could stop in between, if you wanted to get out/needed to.

There was also a shorter wave pool that we enjoyed.

I rode the shark attack with big man which is a flume in the dark that then takes you slowly through a pool of Sharks and rays. I have to admit to being really frightened as I was worried he had got us on the wrong ride, which is a shear drop into the tanks. I should have trusted him more!

Big man went with Daddy to ride some other flumes whilst I relaxed on the beach with the younger two. We had a nice view of Burj Al Arab and due to its location on the Palm the sea was calm with no waves due to the location. It is a lovely place to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of the waterpark.

At around 5 we got changed and headed to the lost chambers before leaving at around 6. Here we found out the main problem with visiting Aquaadventure. There were no taxis and a HUGE queue. Talking to people it was about a 2 1/2hr wait. We chose to ride the monorail back to the Gateway in a hope of getting a taxi there. Whilst there were fewer people there were still no taxis. If we went again and the children were older, I would recommend staying later in Atlantis and eating there. Finally we did get a taxi but the traffic was mayhem accounting for the no taxi situation.

We had a lovely time in the park even with the niggles I had. Hopefully if you have read this and go you will be more clued up and find it easier. When it is warm there is nothing better than splashing around in the water or laying in the shade of a palm tree. There are many other things you can do there such as swim with dolphins, feed rays and use high wires all at an extra cost. We had a great day and I would recommend it to anyone with children over the age of 3 who are confident in the water.

T-Rex Terror is the new addition to the Parragon Dino Supersaurus range. Big man enjoyed the activity books in the range but I was unsure if he would like this comic strip style book as he is used to books with more text. Of course, I was wrong and he did enjoy it. The illustrations really bring the book to life. It tells the tale of how 4 dinosaurs become superheroes in order to keep their city safe.



Personally I prefer the activity books in the range, but if you have a fan then I am sure they would like this addition to the collection.

The rrp of the book is £5.99 and it can be purchased from Amazon. Parragon have kindly offered me a copy to give away to one of my readers. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

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Daily life is hectic and holidays are so important to take time to relax and enjoy being a family.

We have spent half term sharing new experiences together.

We have been to the highest heights.

Had fun at in the sun.

We met a grumpy camel for a ride. I can't blame him for being grumpy with all that getting up and down in the heat.

Little man was adored by everyone he met. He drew hearts in the sand as "I love you a big bit Mummy." Unfortunately his love is not never ending as "I love Daddy a little bit!"

We were impressed by the towel art. Little man took the rose and gave it to me "I got this for you Mummy" I can't help but think that in years to come he will be taking roses out of my vase to give to a girl!

Middle Man kept talking about his role as a shepherd when he saw the Arabs headwear.

Daddy got to enjoy not one, or two but three Birthday cakes! (Middle Man couldn't help but tell everyone it was his Daddy's Birthday.)

I stayed off social media most of the time which was pretty good. I need to do this more often.

Big man enjoyed the water park.

We had fun in the sun and enjoyed being together.

When middle man decided on a TMNT cake for his Birthday, I quickly Googled foe some simple ideas. This is what I settled on and am quite pleased with the result. The good thing about making icing figures is that you can make them in advance. I started by making 4 green balls and then rolled them into a point. A sausage of colour made the turtles and then I just added eyes.

I iced the cake in blue and added the turtles.

I then cut out a skyline in black icing.

I don't have a bead maker so I rolled little balls to cover the edges of the cake.


Middle man was very happy with it and little man is requesting one for his Birthday now!

Big man loves science and has a space themed room. When I was offered to review their glow in the dark stars, I was pretty sure they would be a hit. He already has their planets hanging from his ceiling and I thought he would like to add some constellations up their. He had other ideas and wanted to add them to his wall.

The planets and stars pack come with cardboard planets and 30 stars. Pluto is included if you wish to add it.



We arranged the planets and then added the stars as the Plough and Orion. When the lights are out they produce a small glow and look really good on big man's bedroom wall.


University games have kindly offered one of my readers a chance to win a set of glow in the dark stars themselves. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

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Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/glow-dark-star-selection#sthash.ANWHvGTW.dpuf

I have been a working parent and a stay at home Mum. When I was at work, I constantly felt guilty about leaving a crying big man at Nursery, not being able to attend Nursery events and general guilt about missing out.

I thought that being a stay at home Mum would solve the guilt.

It doesn't.

It is just different guilt instead. Guilt that the house is untidy whilst I am at home all the time. Guilt that I don't play with the children enough. Guilt that I must be a rubbish Mother because I find it hard. I have written before about how it can be lonely at home and that Facebook can be a SAHM's enemy.

Infact it was Facebook that prompted me to write this post. Friends commented on my calmness of being a mum of 3. Yes these clearly are not mums from the school run. I wish I was calm, but looking after my 3 little men is anything but. So here's a peak into my not so calm and not so perfect life.

Little man comes into my room at 7ish in tears as Daddy has left for work without giving him any Calpol. About half an hour later I find middle man running around the house naked looking for Daddy unaware that he has left. I get up and get showered and go downstairs for breakfast.

8.15: Panic! I have no idea what has happened but no one is dressed and we need to leave for school in 15 minutes. Big man doesn't see the severity of the situation and wants a second breakfast.

8.21: I have somehow got all children dressed and sit down to have a sip of my coffee. Little man bounds at me for a cuddle and spills it everywhere.

8.31: The kids still don't have their shoes or coats on despite my many pleas. Middle man is pretending to be a unicorn and big man is a ninja. Little man pops his head around the door saying "Middle man pulled off my trousers" and waves a pair of trousers at me. (Not the ones I had put him in 10 minutes ago.)

8.35: Despite 2 bowls of crunchy nut cornflakes, big man is whining that he is still hungry. He gets an orange to eat in the car and his brothers follow suit.

8.40: We have left the house to go to school. Middle man is in an old pair of school shoes as his have disappeared. He predicts that a ghost may have eaten them.

8.46: Children dropped off at school.

9.01: Return to the car to see that middle man has peeled his orange and thrown the peel on the floor.

9.10: Return home and have to convince little man that although Daddy's car is on the drive he is at work. Yes Daddy is a boy and yes he has a willy.

This is where my day gets slightly quieter. I write an e mail response to the pre school before tidying the carnage from breakfast.We have a wasted and long journey to town which only results in me swearing at bad drivers and getting annoyed that there are roadworks every way I turn. We get home to do some baking and then watch some Cbeebies. I am clearly paying too much attention to it as I am getting annoyed that they have stuck a jacket potato in a plant pot.

3.00: The madness starts again. Little man does not see the need to pick up his brothers from pre school. Like clockwork he decides that he needs to use his potty. Cue hurry up comments from me as we are going to be late.

3.15 The boys finish school. Big man always forgets something, so has to go in to retrieve his water bottle this time. Middle man bounds out like a puppy exclaiming he has homework (he doesn't he just sets himself some each week) and once again has an I ate all my dinner sticker. He has had one of these pretty much every day since he has started school yet the novelty has still not warn off.

We return home to have an early dinner as big man has football. The mere mention of football sends middle man over the edge. "I quitted football I tell ya!" He did indeed quit so we had to change big man's class. All I needed to do was drop big man off as my friend was bringing him back. She has kindly offered to do this as little man is too much of a distraction to her daughter who is meant to be doing homework whilst her brother is at the class. Middle man is distraught that he has to leave the house and suggests that he will look after the house whilst I take big man. As tempting as it is, I instead agree that he doesn't need to wear shoes and wrestle him into the car.

5.10: We return home for little man to strip off and sit naked by the fire. I tell him to put some clothes on. He put his pants on his head and grins. I find him a few minutes later with his pants on but with stones from the fireplace stuffed down them. His claims are that he is worried middle man will eat them. This isn't an unfounded worry as on New Years Day Middle Man swallowed a glass bead from his treasure chest. Cue lots of interest in middle man's bowels.

6.00: big man is back wanting to eat me out of house and home. His dinner before football was merely a snack.

7.30 I have finally got all 3 children in bed and hope that they don't wake when my husband walks through the door.

So there you go, a peak into my not so perfect life. I may need a strong coffee to get me through the day, but some nights all I want is a large glass of red.

Are you calm and relaxed? Does it get better as they get older? Please say yes. So there we are I think we can safely say that I am more of a Desperate Housewife than a Stepford one.

I don't remember life without middle man. It may have only been 5 short years he has been with us but he has certainly made his mark. He is the most amazing person. He bounds out of school happy to see me with his "I ate all my dinner" sticker pretty much every day. He is trying so hard at school. He is even setting himself homework.

He loves Moshi Monsters and Superheros and now he loves his new room makeover. He has the most annoying Blu blu dolphin who he looks after and tells me off for being too noisy as he is trying to sleep!

As I drop him at school each morning he takes his water bottle and bookbag and then announces "there's just one more thing Mummy" as he puckers up for a kiss.

He loves to dance and I love the way he kicks his leg out and goes round in circles.

He introduces himself to everyone he meets along with the rest of his family. It certainly makes paying for shopping take a little bit longer but his charm brings a smile to everyone's face.

His last day of being 4 went really well with him getting in the golden book at school for good phonics work. He was more excited about telling me that he had eaten all his lunch.

He is the apple of my eye, but I would rather he put his apple cores in the bin. Middle man I love you to the moon and back and more.

Happy 5th Birthday my gorgeous gorgeous "nosey" boy xxxxx

Shrove Tuesday falls on 17th February this year and Abra-Ca-Debora have sent us some goodies to try. Whilst I love making my own pancake mixture there is something to be said about buying pre made ones. I was amazed at how good they tasted and it was fantastic not having to clean up much mess.

I have to say the Banoffee Pancakes I made were fantastic. All you need is:

A packet of 6 sweet Abra-ca-debora pancakes
50g butter
50g of soft brown sugar
200g of condensed milk
Squirty cream
Chocolate buttons
Sliced banana (I used 1/2 a banana per person)

Start my making your banoffee sauce. Place the butter, sugar and condensed milk into a saucepan and heat. It will start to get thicker and darker in colour.

Heat an Abra-ca-debora pancake.


Top with cream, sliced banana, chocolate buttons and banoffee sauce.

Abra-ca-debora also have a diddy range of pancakes out. These are fantastic for dipping and there are lots of other recipe ideas on their website including cake pops and trifles. The only problem with these is that they are really moreish!



Abra-ca-debora have offered one of my readers the chance to win a hamper of products from their range. It includes:

3 Abra-ca-Debora products- sweet and original Diddy pancakes
1 Cornishware mug
1 Green and Blacks chocolate selection
2 Miniture Nutella portions
1 icing sugar shaker
1 Bonne Maman honey
2 Bonne Maman strawberry conserve
2 Tubes of mini eggs
1 minature bottle of procecco
2 Miniature golden syrup portions


Just complete the rafflecopter below for your chance to win. Good Luck!

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- See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/abra-ca-debora-hamper#sthash.wGOnx2sS.dpuf

We are big fan's of Jordans and love it on a crumble, so I was really pleased to hear that they have now introduced a lighter range. This is 30% less fat than other granola's and comes in two flavours: Raspberry and Apple and Strawberry and Blueberry.

How have they reduced the fat? The clever people at Jordan's worked out that the fat can be reduced by replacing some of the oats with barley. I can verify that it still tastes really good!

It is great for breakfast with some yoghurt and I also had a go at making some granola bars with it too. Maybe not quite as healthy but very tasty!


150g of butter
3 tablespoons of golden syrup
100g fine demerara sugar
250g of Jordan's Lighter Raspberry and Apple Granola

Melt the butter and golden syrup in a pan.


Mix the melted mixture with the granola and sugar.

Place in a greased tin and bake at 150C for around 30 minutes.

Break into pieces when cool.


Jordan's have kindly offered 3 of my readers a chance to win a set of the new Lighter granola's to try. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I like cooking with my boys. I tend to stick to easy things like cupcakes, biscuits and pizzas. I was therefore intrigued by Noodle Kids promising 50 fun, healthy, creative recipes the whole family can cook together.

The recipes do indeed look delicious. But also complicated. I'm not sure how well I would do at making some of them by myself let along with 3 little pairs of hands getting in the way.

I decided that we would have a go at the macaroni cheese as 1. It looked like the easiest recipe and 2. I understood the ingredients. The book is written for an American audience which is fine, but they either have a wider range of ingredients or call them different things. Some of the recipes left me Googling ingredients and I was still none the wiser as to what I should put into my online basket.

Big man was very excited to be making macaroni cheese. I was interested to find out that I should be cooking my pasta in salt water. Big man enjoyed being involved in the cooking.

I have to say that the recipe was fantastic and big man exclaimed that it was "the best ever macaroni cheese" he had ever tasted. I will be trying the ravioli next and hopefully with some more practice the recipes will become less daunting.

The book retails at £14.99 and can be purchased from amazon. I also have the chance to giveaway a copy of the book to one of my readers. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

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- See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/noodle-kids-book#sthash.ZafuuV12.dpuf

My name is Louise and I am a control freak. I am aware of this, know that it isn't the best quality to have, and try my best not to be. I am also a Mother. In my book, being a Mother is a special thing. Your job as such is to help your child(ren) learn how to be good human beings and look after themselves. This is where I get worried. More and more, I am seeing parents controlling the lives of their children rather than teaching them to be independent. I think that it is a fine line between wanting the best for your children and controlling them.

School seems to bring out the competitive and controlling behaviour of parents. Talking about a homework project over the holidays there were jokes about being able to tell which projects had been completed by the children and which by the parents. There are always pushy parents at clubs, probably living out their own dreams of things they wished for when they were younger.

I'm sure you have all seen the response from Mylene Klass about the request from parents to club together a tenner each so Birthday children can have "studious gifts" for their birthday. This upset me for a couple of reasons. Firstly it suggests that whatever you choose to get the children isn't good enough and secondly it is a form of control over what the birthday child is getting. If people ask me what my children would like to get them for their birthday I will give them ideas but I would never dictate to party guests what they should bring. Infact I would love to say "just bring yourself as your presence means more than any present and while we are there, don't expect a party bag because I hate wasting money on the rubbish that goes in them."

The e mail Mylene Klass received came as no shock to me. My sister had it years ago dropping off a friends child to a party. We ourselves have had an invite with an Amazon gift list attached for ideas. This is fine if you want ideas but can be interpreted as controlling. I will hold my hands up, I have been a control freak in the past. I still am a bit with my sister (our house would be filled with giant soft toys from ground to roof if she was left to her own devices.) But, I try not to be. I like gifts from other people as they are usually things I wouldn't buy myself or have not even heard of. 

My biggest worry, however, is where does this control end? I am forever seeing on facebook groups, discussions about what age children should be allowed to walk to school or go into town by themselves. Usually accompanied by some rather damning opinions. Rarely is there consideration into the child's maturity. Then I read an interesting post on micro chipping children.

What is the world coming too?

I grew up in an age where there were no mobile phones. I would finish school and turn up for dinner. My Mum had no idea where I was. I am sure she worried, but she also knew I was sensible. We had trust. What worries me more than anything about this Big Brother, controlling parent situation that seems to be growing, is that trust isn't there. If we as parents are controlling as much of our children's lives as we can, how are we allowing them to grow up? How are we as parents doing our job?

My boys have always enjoyed Tree Fu Tom and will be excited to learn that Tom and his friends are going on tour this year. It is Tree Fu Tom's first ever nationwide "live" tour with dates ranging from April to November.

The show is aimed at children aged 4-8 and is set in an enchanted world where movement creates magic,


Follow Tom, Twigs and friends on an action packed adventure through the magical world of Treetopolis! After finding a dusty old treasure map, Tom decides to follow it and see where it leads - but it’s not an easy route! Tom and his friends must travel through wild weather and stop the mischievous Mushas who are making trouble. Will Tom save the day? Will he find the treasure? What will the treasure be? Come along and find out!

Tree Fu Tom Live is full of fun, music and laughter and Tom will certainly need your help to do the Tree Fu moves that could help save the day.

Be part of the Magic!

I am taking middle and little man to review the show in June so we will be able to update you on the show then.I am intrigued as to how they will transform the cartoon into a live show. In the meantime, if you have a Tree Fu Tom fan, take a look at the tour dates here and hopefully there will be a show near you soon.



Do you have a Tree Fu Tom fan that would like this?

Since getting my rather fantastic blender last year, I am making lots more smoothies and shakes. When I saw the Koko dairy free alternative to milk in this months Degustabox, I knew exactly what I was going to make.

To make two glasses you will need:

2 chopped up bananas (mine were frozen but fresh is fine too.)
300ml of Koko
A handful of pecan nuts
A table spoon of honey

Simply add the above ingredients into a blender and blitz it.

Believe me you wouldn't know it is dairy free and it tastes fantastic!

So what else did I get in this months Degustabox?


Alfra One Rice Oil: According to the information sheet in the Degustabox, this oil has been shown to reduce cholestrol absorption.

Koko Dairy Free original: As well as the recipe above I used this on cereal and in my tea and actually really enjoyed it. It also has less calories than skimmed milk.

Kabuto Noodles: I had this one lunch. It was nice enough and quick to make.

Sukrin Bread Mix: At £5 this is an expensive product as the bread it makes is tiny. It tasted OK and would be of interest to those with free from diets. Not something I would purchase.

Finn Crisp: I am not a great fan of sourdough crispbreads.

Simplee Aloe: This tasted nice but I couldn't really get my head round that I was drinking Aloe Vera.

Little Miracles: These have been a previous Degustabox. They are lovely and refreshing and something I would purchase in a cafe.

Mornflake: I liked these individual pots with nutella and golden syrup.

Haywards Piccalilli: My husband was very excited about this in the box. I'm not a big fan but now I know he is I will buy it in the future.

Clipper Green Tea: Again green tea isn't really my thing.

So a bit of a mixed box but on the whole I liked it and enjoyed trying some new products. If you would like to try Degustabox for yourself then just enter the discount code ENX66 which will give you a £3 discount on the February box when you register.




We were given the Degustabox for the purpose of the review but the opinions shared are my own.

The snow has been a long time coming in Wokingham. Middle man ran to the window on Christmas Day looking for the snow. So when I woke up yesterday morning I was excited. Yes it was only a small scattering but to kids that doesn't matter.

We got ready to walk to school in our layers of clothes. We looked at the footprints of people and animals. We talked about the crunching sound. Middle man announced that he was getting the hang of ice skating as he slid over the icy road with me trying to keep him upright. We were out for a good 5 minutes until middle man had decided that he had now had enough of the snow as it was cold!

I, however, was pleased that we had some snow as I could finally get the sledge I bought over a year ago. Luckily I had little man at home with me, so I had an excuse to hit the slopes of the local park.


It was even more fun when I joined in as my weight made the sledge spin!


My gorgeous little man even offered to pull me home, but it seemed I was a bit too heavy...


So he relaxed as we went back home in the warm for some hot chocolate and marshmallows.


I would like a little bit more snow, just so the older two can have some fun in the snow. Maybe build a snowman. As long as it doesn't look like Olaf as we wouldn't want to get sued by Disney. But then I'm done, It's cold and I need some sun. I definitely don't want lots of snow incase I am forced to make an igloo again. That is a dream that I feel no need to repeat.

Have you had fun in the snow or would you rather curl up in the warm?