8/52

Millie: She loves the great outdoors but she likes to turn back and check we are still there
Toby: He's a brave one running up and down the hills he has no fear.
Leon: He's a great explorer and likes to no the reasons for holes in walls :)

Center Parcs and Tots100 February Blogger Challenge

Its half term, I love spending time with the kids during half term and making, playing and just generally having lots of fun. I completely forget about housework and do the bare minimum around the house and try and make the most of the time they have at home.

Tots100 and the Center Parcs blogger challenge has been running a while now and I have often thought about entering but this is the first time! Winning bloggers can win a stay Center parcs so I thought its worth a shot!

This months challenge is to create a home made game. This is right up our street, my children love junk modelling and are always making and gluing things together from recycled boxes etc.This half term we have come up with a marble run.

You need to start by collecting tubes (we used some fabric and wrapping paper rolls), or cardboard boxes and making channels from them, the pieces can be as long or small as you like. We also used bits from a hot wheels track as they are the perfect surface! We stuck ours to the wall because we are decorating so we don't need to worry about the wallpaper but you could use the door.

You need lots of sellotape and patience because the marbles don't always go where you think they will. Its great for a teamwork game working out the best angles and positions of the tubes.

We wanted to makes other obstacles for the marbles so we made this funnel from a used reel of cotton and some cardboard. Since then they have made another from cardboard.

Here's our finished marble run:

I really can't tell you how much entertainment this has provided for a 7,5 and 3 year old. They have played together for hours, changing, timing and racing the marbles down the run. They have worked together to make the run better and cheered each other on as their marble go down.

They have absolutly loved it...

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 February challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Sherwood Forest

7/52

Millie: Trying on her new swimming costume goggles and swimming hat she insisting she needed.
Toby: Sleepy after a busy weekend
Leon: He's growing so quickly, he has such a thirst for knowledge I often wonder what he's dreaming about.

6/52

Leon: He lost his 2 front teeth in the past 2 weeks

Toby: In his favourite Indiana Jones costume

Millie: Trying old clothes on telling me they still fit 

5/52

I've said before I really don't take enough pictures of my children, so I've decided to do something new and post a picture of each one of them every week on my blog.

I'm hoping it will help improve my photography skills too. I don't want many words, it will just be some nice memories for us to look back on :) I'm actually starting on the 5th week of the year hence the title.

Millie: We were playing her favourite cupcake game and I just thought she looked cute in her pigtails

Toby: Eating a omlette before school - his new favourite breakfast!

Leon: Feeding baby goats at the farm this morning

Feeding the ducks and Christmas Fun

I haven't felt particularly Christmassy until I spent the afternoon with my Mum and Millie last week. We went out to feed the ducks at a local lake. We thought they might be hungry and its one of Millie's favourite things to do! They were very, very hungry. As soon as we stepped out of the car they crowded round and some of the naughty swans tired putting their heads in the bread bag! Cheeky!

We had a really nice time its such a lovely place to feed the ducks. There are so many different types of ducks and swans that live there.

This is Millie pretending she isn't posing for the camera. My Mum bought her the hat from Next I can't see it online but they have them in quite a few stores.  She has also had so many comments on her snood which was a steal at £4 from Asda.

The garden centre that we went to is renowned for putting on a good display of Christmas treasures. We go most years and the children have a fab time. It has about 8 rooms of colour themed Christmas goodies, it is crammed full of stuff but somehow never looks too much or cluttered in any way!

 We all had a lovely time and its well and truly put me in the mood for Christmas. Millie was mesmerised by everything, I think she's going to love Christmas this year, she really doesn't seem to be able to remember much from last year and I still don't think she knows whats going to happen on Christmas morning! Its so exciting when you see how excited they are!

Review: Slumberdown quilted mattress protector

My little man is five now and still has problems with bed wetting. He's not an anxious child or one to worry out things in fact he's quite the opposite. I often wonder if this is the problem he's not actually bothered his does wet and can't actually be bothered getting up.

I carry him to the toilet every night and he has a huge long wee even though I make him go before bed. Some times I don't make it up to him time, in fact this very often happens.

As you can imagine we need a good mattress protector for him as  it gets so much use! We have currently been using the Slumberdown kids waterproof quilted mattress protector. We are hugely impressed.

Firstly I was so surprised at how thick it was, which is great because it just makes the bed more cosy. Its a generous size and we don't have to stretch it over the corners. The biggest difference is that it doesn't crackle and squeak during the night when he's turning over. 

Its a perfect fit!

Sure enough the first night it was on he wet the bed. It was so impressed with the protector. There was no puddle of wee lying on his sheet or protector- it had completely soaked it all in. When I took the protector off, the mattress wasn't wet or the slightest bit damp, it was bone dry.

Straight away I bunged it in the washing machine with his sheet, and dried it on the radiator the next day. Its perfect still and back on his bed.

Its really thick!

You can buy these at Tesco for £10.50, and for that you get a comfy, thick, QUIET mattress protector. Its well worth the money. Everyone should have one.

* We received the mattress protector free for the review. All opinions are my own.