The Nutcracker - Ballet comes to Newcastle

I have never seen a ballet, a proper ballet performed on stage.  My daughter has been taking ballet lessons since she was about 3 and I did myself for a few years when I was a youngster.  Never to any sort of level but I really enjoyed it and so does Eva.

We have read the story of The Nutcracker but didn't really know much about it apart from it was set at Christmas time and was about a young girls adventures.  I saw that it was coming to the Theatre Royal in half term so decided to make a booking.  I gathered together some like minded friends and we booked up.

We went for the Friday evening performance and I started to look for somewhere, for a pre-show drink, that was happy to accept children in the surrounding area.  Eventually we went for Las Iguanas on Grey Street.  I have heard nothing but good about this place but never actually been.  I have to admit that their 2-4-1 cocktail happy hour had a little to do with my decision.

We got the metro into town, I am ashamed to say that until that night, I had not realised that you get free metro travel into Newcastle City Centre with your theatre ticket.  It is valid for 2 hours before and after the show and is a brilliant deal.

The cocktails were a great hit, well with the adults anyway, the food looked delicious, my friend ordered the loaded nachos and they were scrumptious.  The staff were brilliant with the kids, even giving them balloons and festival masks for them to colour in.  We were made to feel welcome and not a hindrance for having 3 young children with us.  We have made a plan to go back one night (without kids) and sample a few more of those cocktails, and the food of course!

So onto showtime.  We had quite good seats, the front row of the Upper Circle, this meant the kids could stand up if they like and weren't obstructing the view of the people behind.  I have recently booked many tickets for Theatre Royal through their groups department and the help I have received has been outstanding, particularly Robert and Amy.  They have great patience with my endless questions and queries!

The ballet was performed by The Scottish Ballet and it was simply beautiful.  The victorian front room all set up for Christmas was stunning with its feature Christmas tree and the scenes in The Land of Sweets were breathtaking.  Eva loved watching the wonderful dancing and the sparkling and colourful costumes made it perfect viewing for a transfixed little girl.  It was also just the right length for a 6 year old, approximately 2 hours including the interval.

We had a beautiful evening and I can safely say that our very first ballet was a big hit!

A Day at the National Railway Museum York

The last time I visited the The National Railway Museum I was probably about Eva's age so I don't remember that much about it.  Our friends visited last year with their kids and told us it was a great day out so when I spotted that a hero of mine, Paddington Bear was going to be there, we made a date for half term.

We had left it too late to get bargain train tickets so decided just to drive.  It is approximately 80 miles to York from our house and it took roughly an hour and a half with traffic. Having been to York many, many times over the years, I know it is an absolute nightmare to drive in and also to park.  You can park at the museum, it costs £9 per day but we decided against this with it being half term and also the special events that they had on, I had a feeling it would be chocka block!  Instead we opted for the brilliant Park and Ride scheme.  We found this by accident 2 years ago and it is really good.  There are six car parks to choose from, we chose the Rawcliffe Bar car park as this bus dropped us literally outside the museum.  It was a bargain also as and adult return ticket is £2.80 and that includes 2 children under 16.  Much cheaper and less stressful than trying to find a space in the centre.  The bus takes approximately 10 - 15 minutes to get into York and we found on arrival we made the right choice as the car park was indeed full.

The first thing that amazed us is that this wonderful museum is completely free to enter.  Upon arrival they do ask for donations but of course you are not obligated to do this.  We bought a couple of guide books for the children and were given a museum trail to do free of charge.  Armed with our map we set off to explore.

The first hall you come to is the Great Hall and it is just that! Full of the most amazing trains including a replica of our very own George Stephenson's Rocket.

The children had great fun running around and exploring all of the engines.  The whole place is very child friendly, although a lot of the older trains you are not allowed to touch, there are plenty that you can climb aboard, including a Japanese Bullet train and also a few engines to check out.

An added bonus on until May is Churchill's Final Journey a wonderful exhibition showcasing the train that took Sir Winston Churchill on his last journey from London to Handborough where he was buried with his mother and father.  The train is spectacular and there is a display and also video footage of the sad event.

Foodwise, there are a few places to eat but I found it to be a little bit pricey, £5.95 for a sandwich. Drinks prices were absolutely fine and the children's menu at the Dining Car in the Station Hall was good value also, we ended up just getting jumbo hot dogs and wedges from that! They were yummy too.  Food is good quality and to be honest we didn't mind paying a little more as the entrance was free. 

The Station Hall was where all the Paddington themed activities were.  There was a luggage label themed Paddington trail to do which was £1 per child.  This was a big hit, our kids love finding things.  They also coloured in a Paddington postcard and added it to a huge map of the world and dressed up in Paddington fancy dress, including wellington boots.

It was now time to meet the main man.  He had been appearing at various intervals throughout the day and was proving to be very popular! The queue was huge but it was extremely well managed, there were two members of staff keeping the queue moving and and it went down very quickly.  I have to admit to being completely in love with Paddington, I have loved him since I was little and he was just as beautiful in real life as I expected him to be.  Eva and Luca enjoyed cuddles and high fives before posing for the obligatory photograph.

After Paddington, we went outside to the South Yard and we had a ride aboard a real-life miniature steam train, all the way from Wales, courtesy of the Ffestiniog Railway.  The driver even allowed the children into the cab so they could see how the train worked.

The Station Hall is where all the Royal trains are housed, there are some beauties, including trains used by the Queen Mother and Queen Victoria.  There is also a train station set up from times gone by.  I loved it in here.

I will end this blog here as I could go on and on filling you up with facts! But why not experience it for yourselves?  We were here all day and still did not manage to see everything.  We found all the staff to be charming and helpful and had a lovely time.  An absolutely fantastic day out.

The Journey and Arrival, DLP Pt Deux

The time was drawing ever nearer and as we had booked the first Air France flight in the morning, 6.20am, my thoughts turned to getting to the airport.  I had been advised by the travel agent to check in 2 hours before as mornings are apparently extremely busy, it turned out not to be the case in our experience but it is up to each of you to decide what is best for you, don't want to get in trouble with anyone! With that in mind, I looked at airport hotels.  Quite a few of the hotels, with parking, are still quite away from the airport which would either mean driving and parking at the airport or getting a bus transfer.  There seemed little point to this, living fairly near to the airport, I had wanted somewhere from where we could just walk to the terminal from the hotel, especially at 4.00am. Bingo, I remembered our trusty friend, Premier Inn has a hotel right at the airport.  If you book enough in advance you can get the rooms for £29 which is a complete bargain and far cheaper than even parking at the airport.  Sorted.  Lift arranged with my mam and we were good to go. 

I was so pleased we did this, mind I did set about 15 alarms on mine and hubby's phone, along with the TV alarm in the room, I still did not get much sleep, I was terrified we would sleep in and miss the flight.  We didn't we woke up at 3.15 yippee! washed, dressed up and out by 4.15am.  There is about a 6 minute walk, if that to the terminal, it is actually closer than the long term car park.  If you need it though, there is a little minibus that will take you into the terminal but it is far quicker and easier to make the short walk. 

I had checked in online the day before, with Air France it is 36 hours before your flight and I had chosen our seats with a window seat for each child to keep them happy.   It doesn't save you any time as you still have to check in your bags but it means you can pick where you want to sit.  I am happy to report that flying with AF means none of this ridiculous paying extra for baggage, paying extra to put it in the hold etc, thankfully.  Each passenger gets 23kg baggage allowance to check into the hold, we had 3 cases and it didnt come anywhere near the weight allocation.  The kids had little suitcases that they carried on to the plane full of essentials such as Spiderman and Barnaby Bear.

The airport was quiet as a dormouse, there was a couple of places open, namely Boots and Duty Free, most places stayed shut till around 5.30.

Boarding and departure was absolutely fine, no problems there and the kids were just so excited to be getting on a plane for the very first time.  I have to say at this point that the customer service on the return flight at CDG was far superior, seeing we had children, the staff put us through priority check in and security.  They also allowed us to board the plane before the other passengers, this was all without being asked, they volunteered this information and it was gladly received, a lot more than can be said for the staff at Newcastle, however that wasn't a problem, it was just much better at CDG.

Then we were off! For most of the flight it was pitch black but we did see the most beautiful sunrise and the children managed a catnap.

Charles de Gaulle airport is absolutely huge and extremely busy.  Just be aware of this, it is easy to navigate however and as most people are all going the same way, just go with the flow! Not many toilets I noticed so try not to have 2 children desperate for a wee upon landing if you can help it!  It was a mammoth walk and tram ride to get to the arrivals lounge and there we found our delightful driver waiting for us with our name up in lights (well on a board anyway).  Up until now I had been questioning my decision to spend all that money on a private transfer, the instant I saw him all that doubt disappeared, especially when I saw the queue for the Disney Parc Hopper.  The car was brand new, spotlessly clean and parked right outside the terminal.  The pre-booked child seats were waiting for us also, perfect.

Next stop Disneyland Paris Hotel Cheyenne Yee haa!

Disneyland Paris - The place of dreams (part one) - The decision making

For a couple of years now, we have talked about taking our children to Disneyland Paris.  I gave up work when Luca was born so money is tight but it was a place we knew we wanted the kids to visit whilst it still was magical.  So in January of this year we finally booked up!  I was so excited, I have been to DLP twice before, but as an adult and obviously without my children, was so looking forward to seeing it through their eyes.

We booked the early morning flight out of Newcastle direct to Charles de Gaulle with Air France, I did it as part of a package booked through Thomas Cook as I wanted the safety of a package holiday incase of flight delays etc.  After much too-ing and fro-ing, we decided on the Hotel Cheyenne, a hotel styled in the form of a wild west town.  It is only a 2 star but I read extensive reviews and asked many people's opinion, originally I had wanted to go for Hotel New York but on this occasion we decided to save a few more pounds and book the cheaper accommodation.

I bought the kids a countdown plaque off Designs by Nikki so they could start counting down the days.  I did delay giving them this until August otherwise we would have driven ourselves mad!

So it was booked, we were booked to leave on 1st December for 4 nights and spend Eva's birthday in Disneyland Paris, perfect.  We also got quite a good deal by going out of season, we got 2 nights free and the kids under 7 were free.  That is my first tip, if at all possible, avoid school holidays and also avoid weekends if you can.  Saturdays in particular are crazy as a lot of local people have annual passes and use them at the weekend.

I agonised over the meal plan situation.  Everyone I know that has been has commented on the price of the food there, it is expensive to eat out in Disneyland Paris and they offer a variety of meal plan options.  We eventually decided to get the Standard Premium Half Board because we could use that in Cafe Mickey which is a character dining restaurant.  In hindsight, I should not have bothered getting the plan as to be quite honest, with our kids it was a bit of a waste of money as they eat like birds and would have been happy eating in the McDonalds in the Disney Village everyday!  If you enjoy eating out and your kids are good eaters, then I would say the plans are a good buy, you have a wide choice of restaurants in both parks to choose from as well as the various Disney hotels.  There are options to suit everyone, it really is a case of personal taste.  You are looking at an average of about 12 euros for an adult meal consisting of cheeseburger, fries, drink and an ice-cream, if you go for that type of food.  An all-you-can-eat buffet is approximately 25 euros per adult, that is a rough guide for you.

Finally, airport transfers, you can book the VEA Disney airport shuttle bus, at todays price it is 20 euros per adult and 16 euros per child (aged 3 - 11) per trip and roughly takes around an hour or so to get round all the hotel drop offs.  I read on tripadvisor about a company called Ezy Shuttle who provide private taxi transfers and there was only brilliant reviews about them.  I enquired and the price was 70 euros for a direct pick up from the arrival hall in CDG and to take us straight to our hotel, a complete no brainer, quick email to John who owns the company and we were booked.  He asked if we need car seats and advised we just pay the driver on the day.  Our driver would be waiting for us in arrivals and that he was.  An absolutely exceptional service both ways and I would  not hesistate to wholeheartedly recommend Ezy Shuttle.

Stay tuned for the next instalment ......

Not So Spooky Halloween Ball with Emma Enchanted

Our 3rd! yes 3rd! Halloween party this year was courtesy of the wonderful Emma Enchanted.  This was the Not So Spooky Halloween Ball and this year we were accompanied by our friends Charlotte and Rebecca.

Eva decided that as it was a Halloween party, she would wear her spooky dress again and witches headband and she looks adorable in it although she wants to be a scary vampire!

Upon arrival at the venue, it was magically decorated, complete with spooky spiders webs and low lighting, it looked amazing.  Emma and Amanda always set a wonderful scene and its lovely walking in to see what they have in store for us this time.

At this party were The Mermaid Princess, The Snow Queen, The Arabian Princess and The Flower Princess.  Eva's favourite on this occasion was The Arabian Princess.  Each child always receives a lovely warm and friendly greeting with every princess making sure they talk to every child and share hugs and giggles, it really settles Eva's nerves as she is quite shy really.

We started off with a game where the children were divided up into teams, Eva and Charlotte were with The Mermaid Princess and  Rebecca, The Snow Queen.  They had to design a scary monster/witch/something spooky anyway and they took the task very seriously and had great fun.  Next was pass the skull! Pass the parcel but with a difference, you passed the scary skull round the circle very quickly, whoever it landed on when the music stopped was out and had to go and dance with the princesses, a great punishment in my opinion.  This is one game that Eva takes incredibly seriously and she got to the final, once again. Her competitive streak is hilarious and this was a fun game.

She won a gorgeous snowflake bracelet and was very pleased with herself.  Throughout the games, the mini princesses went to the back to have glitter tattoo's applied, Eva chose a purple glitter cat.

The games were really fun and the children took part with a lot of enthusiasm.  Eva particularly enjoyed the one which involved me being wrapped up in toilet paper as a mummy! Her giggles were wonderful and the kids in my team were brilliant.  We also won, which is an added bonus.  They also did a great game where there was yucky things in witches hats and they had to feel them and guess what they were.  The face says it all...

 

It was then time for a yummy snack, drink and a story.  The children all sat entranced at The Arabian Princess told the story of Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent with lots of enthusiastic audience participation.

Now for the part I love the best, the songs, I cannot help but get very emotional when I watch Eva listening to the singing, she knows pretty much all the songs off by heart and she sings along with such feeling  and adoration I just love it.  I often have a little tear.  We had beautiful songs by the Arabian Princess and The Snow Queen.  All too soon it was time to go.  The princesses handed out beautiful certificates and photographs and posed for lots and lots and LOTS! of photographs.

As usual, we had an absolutely magical time at the Not So Spooky Ball, it never disappoints and Eva always comes away a little bit more in love with the princesses.  We sometimes worry that she might get 'princessed' out, but to be honest, there are no signs of that happening and whilst they continue to enchant and bring her (and me) so much happiness we will continue! 

Thanks Emma, Amanda and your fabulous team once again for delighting my little girl and her friends, one thing she does keep asking however is, 'Where is Tiana?' haha! :0) xx

Pirate Pumpkins Dastardly Deed

Another day, another party! Today was a pirate adventure with Hopscotch Entertainment which was set in Wallsend Memorial Hall.  We have previously been to an outstanding Superhero party here earlier in the summer, also by Hopscotch (read our blog here A Super Adventure).

Upon entering, our names were ticked off the list by the lovely Stephen and we went into join our friends and to complete our first task, making a pirate hat.  There was lots of stickers for the children to use and I think you will agree, Luca made a particularly fine effort.  

The setting is fantastic and as the room is so huge there is lots of room for the children to run about to waste some energy before the fun begins and they had fun playing hide and seek for a while until it was time for the adventure to start.

This caper was all about the naughty Pirate Pumpkin and his sidekick Bones, who hatched a devious plan to steal the Tinker Fairy's wand.  The children had to help to get it back by completing a series of tasks set by the pirates.  Of course, Tink needed some help in bringing the bad guys to justice and that help arrived in the shape of The Snow Queen.  She enthralled the children by singing a little song, you may well have heard of, the young audience certainly did and joined in wholeheartedly, a fabulous sight!

All the characters were fabulous, they really got all the children excited and involved.  The tasks were great fun, first of all was a spooky obstacle course, then we had to throw spooky beanbags into pumpkins and finally wrap up two unsuspecting 'mummies' in toilet roll! Throughout all the tasks, the characters and other members of staff were on hand to help the children and show them what to do,  

Included in the ticket price was a picnic lunch and also there was unlimited juice available throughout the party.  Our children ate their picnic on the floor next to Tink and Elsa and they both fully interacted with all the kids throughout, as did Pirate Pumpkin and Bones, with all four posing for photographs when asked.  So friendly and enthusiastic, they were really good with the little ones.

After lunch it was time for some party games, everyone played pass the parcel and a game where they all had to be various animals. That was great and one of our kids, Matilda, won a prize and was selected by Elsa, she was extremely happy about that!

All the parents joined in for one massive hokey cokey at the end of the party and then it was time for photographs and party bags.

It was some of my friends first time at a Hopscotch event and they, along with us, were more than impressed, at all aspects of the event from the organisation, to the characters and all the effort that goes into making it one big success. Eva and Luca's favourite was Bones and they were pleased that the naughty pirates had to say sorry and turn into goodies.

We have booked for the Once Upon a Christmas event also and are very much looking forward to what the team have in store for us.  Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and we will see you all again very soon!

A Magical Happening

Yesterday saw the first of our many Halloween celebrations.  Each year I organise a Halloween party for my children and their friends.  I adore Halloween, it is so much fun and this is one holiday that the children will definitely never grow out of!

One of the best parts of halloween is the dressing up, my kids love dressing up and getting into the spirit of things.  The shops are absolutely crammed full of Halloween merchandise, sweeties and costumes so we had great fun choosing.  Eva this year is a Gothic vampire and I adore her costume, it is just amazing.  Luca is the most handsome Vampire, he chose himself this year, the previous years have had him as a crazy spider amongst others! 

Halloween through the years

Eva's 1st Halloween, 2009

Luca's 1st Halloween 2011

Eva and her best friend Lily, Halloween 2011

Mean n moody, Halloween 2012

Frankie Baby! Halloween 2012

I like to do something a bit different for my parties and so the theme this year was magic.  We have seen the wonderful Captain Raggy Beard on many occasions now and last year we saw him at Kirkley Hall as Raggy Potter, a mystical wizard.  Eva loves him in either form and I am always impressed at how he engages with the children and gets them involved and intrigued with his storytelling and games.  

 Raggy Potter and the lovely Mrs Potter arrived to set up and brought with them all manner of props and spells, as well as Halloween decorations, face painting and tattoos.  I arranged a sweet buffet table for the children's trick or treat bags.

When the guests started to arrive, I was amazed, the children all looked magnificent and had made such a huge effort (and some of the mammies and one brave daddy)

Erin, Sophie and Lila-Rose

Lila-Rose and her mammy Gemma

                             

Happiness! Rebecca and her big sister Charlotte

Wanna play with this scary dolly?

What followed was a fun, filled magical two hours.  We had spooky stories, mystical games, dancing, magic spells, everlasting bubbles, piñata bashing and even a balloon release which we sent up into the sky for some lucky person to find and hopefully return to Raggy Potter. The furthest a balloon has travelled so far is 8 miles so we are hoping to beat that record.  Raggy Potter gave each child a lucky penny which they had to put in their shoe for good luck and he gave them a few spells to try out to bring happy days for them.  Each child also got a mystical witch's tear to keep, I won't reveal any secrets but my two have carried theirs with them ever since the party!

The children had a ball and I think, apart from the odd sugar overdose, they all went home shattered with lots of goodies to enjoy.

Thank you Raggy Potter for a marvellous party, we hope to see you again soon.

Captain Raggy's Beards website