Tempers, Tantrums and Tears

Three weeks into the school holidays and I've started to question my own sanity, method and morals. Squiggle has turned into a nightmare child, he wakes up bright and breezy and all cute and loving but then as the day goes on he turns into a bad tempered, angry, rude stroppy little stress head, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

I appreciate that no child likes shopping, but when the child asks to go to a store to buy a toy and then kicks off in the store saying they don't like shopping, what are you supposed to do?
Today Squiggle wanted to go and spend a voucher in Toys R Us, so I took him ( along with backup - my mum and grandma, it was a family day out ). Of course he wanted to buy everything he saw, and couldn't make his mind up between Pokemon, Turtles, Star Wars, Lego, Hot Wheels, Hexbugs, everything he looked at came with the usual cry of "I WANT IT, I WANT IT!".  We managed to narrow the choices down to one or two that were within his budget and explained that the dearer ones would need to come from Father Christmas which Squiggle seemed to understand, but then all of a sudden he snapped, and started throwing himself on the floor and crying that he hated shopping and that we were all mean by taking him to the toy shop.
This continued as we headed to the car and came home..

Another day he had an outburst in another shop and was consequently frog marched from the store screaming and crying, whilst everyone looked on at us.
Now I must stress that I don't really care what strangers think of me when Squiggle is having an outburst, but it really bothers me when he does in front of people we know. He once had a major meltdown after school and laid himself on the pavement so that parents had to step over him to get home.
I've been told that it is my fault for being too soft on him in his earlier years ( he's only 6 btw ) and that I've let him get away with things for too long, it's true, I admit I've done that in the past, but when you're in constant agony and pain, sometimes it is easier to say yes just to keep the peace, but now I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. He gets sent to bed when naughty, has his toys confiscated and is grounded from playing out, but yet he never seems to learn. The only thing I haven't done is smack him, should I be considering doing this?
I don't know how strict his dad is when he goes to visit and do notice a difference when he comes back ( this is when he's at his worse ).
I guess I just want someone to either tell me it's all ok and this is a normal phase that he is going through or advise me on what to do.
Is there anyone out there that can help me?

Laser Quest Preston

Last night Squiggle, myself and a friend were invited to the press launch night at Laser Quest Preston.

The PR Bit!
It has now been open since the end of January and is marketing itself as the ultimate sci-fi action adventure for all ages.

Whether you are 6 or 66 the venue offers an adrenaline pumping experience as you chase your opponents around the Laser Quest labyrinth which is filled with smoke, lights and great music.

Each player is kitted out with a futuristic body pack and a laser gun. You score points for hitting your target but lose points if anyone hits you.

The games can played as a team game or solo with every man, woman and child fending for themselves.

Games last 20 minutes and every player receives a scorecard at the end with details of where they scored and lost points.

Childrens parties can be booked for kids aged over 6, each party includes 2 action packed games of Laser Quest, food, party bags, unlimited squash, use of the partyzone. and free gifts for the birthday boy/girl.


Our Opinion
We were taken into a side room and shown a short video about how the laser packs worked and the rules of play and then led into another room where we put on our body packs. The teams were split into 2, the red team and the blue team, we were told to go into the area smoke poured in, disco lights were flashing, the music was cranked up and then the game began. Squiggle was apprehensive at first and stuck close to me, but soon got the hang of the game and was quickly off on his own shooting at anything that moved. There were lots of good hiding places and advantage points to shoot and score points from. The Call of Duty girl inside me came out a little bit and I think given the chance I would have been rolling on the floor and leaping over walls, but that wasn't allowed!
As soon as it was over Squiggle wanted to go again - he loved it. He wasn't on his own, I loved it, and my friend loved it. After a short break for refreshments we went in again, and Squiggle was off like a pro!

For more details visit www.laserquestpreston.co.uk

or visit them at

Unit 1B, Aqueduct Mill, Aqueduct Street, Preston, PR7JN

Disclaimer: We were invited to Laser Quest Preston and took part in 2 games in exchange for this review.

A Day Out - Liverpool Pirate Festival 2015

Last weekend I ventured to Liverpool with my mum and Squiggle, dressed as pirates, with hats and swords in tow, for the annual Pirate Festival.
Based at The Albert Dock, the weekend was full of pirates, cannons, music and stories.

Visitors are encouraged to go along in fancy dress and well ...... we couldn't resist.

My mum is a dab hand at sewing, so she made a cute little skeleton pirate themed costume for Squiggle.

Mum and me put together our own ensemble, but after looking at some of the costumes the actors and other visitors wore, we are going full on pirate next year. Watch this space.

The line up of entertainment was slightly different on both days, we visited on Saturday so were lucky enough to see Swashbuckle's Cook and Line do a show. They read/acted out a story to the youngsters which was full of noise and water pistols. It was good to see the adults joining in too with a few shouts of argh argh and aye aye Captain! They really entertained the crowd and got us in the mood for a day of pirate antics!

In the afternoon we took part in the pirate parade, which went around The Albert Dock and incorporated a story of the Pirates vs The Kings Navy. Trying to explain to Squiggle why The Kings Navy was after us got confusing especially as I'm trying to teach him right from wrong. Of course pirates are baddies, but we were dressed as pirates and therefore on this occasion we were the "goodies" or were we just good as being bad??? confused? - I was!

Anyway, we followed the pirate marching band and had the first encounter with The Kings Navy, gunpowder, cannons and smoke filled the air as they "attacked" us.

We continued into the court yard and was met by another crew of pirates and The Kings Navy, a sword fight followed, a pretty maid was kidnapped and a full on war declared.

The battle took place a short while later as the pirate ship The Schooner Vilma took on The Kings Navy, cannons and guns were fired from each of the vessels, land cannons were fired. The noise and atmosphere was amazing. Visitors were on the side of the dock cheering and booing as the boats went past and jumping out of their skin everytime a cannon went off.

I won't spoil it by telling you the end but the good guys won, or should that be the bad guys?*

* See what I meant about it being confusing! 

Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival

Yesterday was the annual day trip out to see the Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival. We've been going nearly every year since 2009 to see what wacky and wonderful creations the good people of Kettlewell have created.

The festival started back in 1994 as a fund raising event for the school and was so successful it has continued every year, being held for about 9 days in August and attracting thousands of visitors from all over.

The walk round Kettlewell usually only lasts about an hour or two depending on pace, pub stops, ice cream stops and tea break and my family likes to partake in all of these! It's a gentle wander around a small village and is quite suitable for push chair users.

There is a trail sheet available for adults (£1) or children (50p) and the idea is to follow the clues and look out for the letters which at the end will spell out a word relating to the trail sheet which this year was musicals and Roald Dahl stories. There is a daily prize for the winners of the adults and children's which is drawn at random.

Alongside the themed scarecrows are also a whole host of other scarecrows which are tucked away in hidden corners or made into giant landscaped scenes for all to see.

Here are a selection of my favourite photos from the day.

The Magic Roundabout

Let's go fly a kite

Please can I have my ball back?

Gru and The Minions

The old woman who lived in a shoe

Oh Dave!

Our trip to Cadbury World ( part 2 )

Following on from part one.......

We joined the queue and handed over our admission tickets, in return we were given 2 bars of chocolate each, a Wispa and a Caramel.

Then we were transported to the Aztec Jungle and discovered the origin of the cocoa bean, and learnt how the cocoa bean was brought to Europe.

Next we entered a scene from Victorian England of Bull Street, Birmingham, where John Cadbury first set up his shop selling cocoa and drinking chocolate.

And then we went to a small theatre and watched a short film about how the Cadbury's brand was created and how the family experimented with different processes and finally developed the infamous Dairy Milk bar.

Next was a fun film to show how the cocoa beans are processed and turned into liquid chocolate which is the base for all the Cadbury's chocolate bars. There was a particularly funny moment in the film where the beans are shaken to remove the shells, at the same time the seats in the theatre shake so everybody now knows what it's like to be a cocoa bean!

Afterwards we learnt how the various chocolate bars were made before being given a Dairy Milk and viewing the packaging zone. At the time of our visit they were packaging large Fruit and Nut Bars, it all happens so quickly, the chocolate comes in on one conveyor belt and in the blink of an eye it's wrapped and sent along another conveyor belt to another part of the factory.

Jelly babies & popping candy

After the packaging zone came the more fun part of the tour.

First there was Cadabra, a cute ride through chocolate land among all the Cadbury characters. ( It's a little bit like It's a Small World ), then there is my favourite part, the chocolate making area. Here we were all given a small pot of melted chocolate and given the options to add an extra treat to create our own chocolate. Squiggle went with white chocolate buttons, marshmallows and jelly babies, I had popping candy and jelly babies and Mr H had marshmallows and jelly babies.
There was also a viewing area where I was able to watch 2 chocolatiers putting the finishing touches on a hand decorated chocolate teapot.

Freddo & Caramel Bunny

Before the end of the tour there was a trip down memory lane where we could watch various TV adverts from across the years, who could forget the Caramel Bunny and her 'take it easy' catchphrase,  Thank Crunchie it's Friday or Cadbury Roses - Thankyou very much you're one in a million. And the more recent ( although it's now 7 years old ) Gorilla advert drumming along to Phil Collins.

Finally we exited into the biggest Cadbury shop in the world to buy a couple more bars of chocolate. The shop sells everything and more, plus a few special items that cannot be bought anywhere else.

It was a fun day out for all the family.

* We visited Cadbury World and paid for our own tickets. I have not received anything ( yet** ) in return for writing this post. I just wanted to share our day out with you all

** If by any chance Cadbury's read and like my post and wish to send me a box of afore mentioned Wispas as a thankyou then I will gladly devour them! 

Our trip to Cadbury World ( part 1 )

On Sunday we finally had our a family outing to Cadbury World

My other half is a Brummie and we do go to Birmingham quite regularly to see family but it's usually only for the day, the last time we went we promised Squiggle that we would take him to the chocolate factory, and during this visit we kept our word.

The admissions procedure has changed since the last time I went ( some 12 years ago ). Cadbury World is very busy and booking is not only advisable I would say it is necessary, especially if visiting in the afternoon. We arrived at 11 am and the next available tour was at 3.20 pm. When we went for dinner at 12.30pm the attraction was fully booked up. Tickets can be booked in advance on their website.

So we bought our tickets and then decided what to do for the next 4 hours. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough to keep us entertained but I'm glad to say I was wrong. 

Outside of the factory are 2 children's playgrounds with a refreshment stall, the new 4D Chocolate Adventure and also The Bournville Experience. The Sooty Show was also there as extra entertainment, for a short Summer stint ( I believe it's The Rainbow Show for the next couple of weekends ) and shows were being held every hour on the hour.

First we let Squiggle loose on the African adventure playground whilst we planned what to do. He loved it, climbing up and down the nets and across the rope bridges then going down the slides. There are 2 playgrounds to cater for all ages of children.

Next we went into the 4D Chocolate Adventure. We entered the special lift and met Mr Cadbury's Parrot who caused a bit of mischief - Squiggle thought this was funny. The lift doors then opened and we saw that we had arrived at the cinema, we took our 3D glasses and found a seat. I'm not going to spoil it for people by telling you anything more than can be found on the Cadbury World website, but it's a 4D cinema experience ( which means 3D visual with motion seats ) which lets you meet a whole host of Cadbury characters including the Caramel Bunny, Freddo Frog, Mr Cadbury's Parrot and ride on the Crunchie Rollercoaster.For the full experience I would recommend sitting near the middle.

Squiggle thought it was brilliant, I thought it was brilliant and Mr H. thought it was brilliant - so a big thumbs up from us.

Then we decided to check out The Bournville Experience. It gives the history of the family, factory and surrounding area. I found it interesting to learn how the Bournville village was built for the factory workers and how the Cadbury family influenced their Quaker ethics onto the workers. Did you know that Quaker's don't drink alcohol and even nowadays there isn't a single pub in the whole of Bournville!

There is also a sneaky peak into the packaging area, where all the boxes of chocolates are loaded up on the pallets. We watched boxes and boxes of Wispas being loaded up onto pallets before being picked up and taken away  for delivery. 

Finally we joined the queue for the Sooty Show. This was taking place in a marquee outside The Bournville Experience, we took our seats and the children sat on the floor before being delighted by the antics of Sooty, Sweep and Soo, who showcased some of Sooty's latest inventions. I'm not sure who loved it more, the children or the adults, everybody joined in ( grown men were singing and waving their arms ! ) and it brought back much loved childhood memories, although I'm not sure Sooty and Sweep were ever that naughty when I was a child!

After a spot of dinner in the restaurant we joined the queue and were ready to enter Cadbury World. 

Click here for part 2.

* We visited Cadbury World and paid for our own tickets. I have not received anything ( yet** ) in return for writing this post. I just wanted to share our day out with you all

** If by any chance Cadbury's read and like my post and wish to send me a box of afore mentioned Wispas as a thankyou then I will gladly devour them! 

Haworth 1940's weekend

Nestled in the heart of Bronte Country in West Yorkshire is a small village named Haworth. It is known the world over for it's connection to The Bronte Sisters, and its railway has been used as a backdrop to many programmes and films, most notably The Railway Children.


Once a year it hosts a special 1940's weekend. Locals and visitors all dress up in 1940's clothes and enjoy a wide range of nostalgic events. This year was the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and people didn't fail to make an impression.

The streets were full of army cadets, home guards, RAF pilots and bombers, along with land girls and pin up girls with curls and furs. There were evacuees and spivs along with pinstripe suited gangsters.

The streets were alive with parades and music, the shops and bars came alive with everybody complementing each other and stopping to pose for photographs for the tourists and visitors.

There was plenty to see and do from browsing the pop up stalls selling memorabilia, to taking afternoon tea and maybe having a jig at one of the tea dances. There were various displays and parades throughout the weekend.

Although I was there, I wasn't fully able to enjoy the whole experience because I was there for a joint hen and stag party with the sole aim of getting everybody very tipsy, however a friend was able to take some lovely photographs and I have his permission to share them with you on my blog.

*Photographs courtesy of Shaun White

Ingleton Waterfalls Trail - A Day Out

Yesterday we had a family outing to visit the
Ingleton Waterfalls Trail.

We packed a picnic, bundled into the car and set off. Ingleton is situated just off the A65, half way between Settle and Kendal is easily accessible from the M6.

When we arrived there was already quite a queue of cars waiting to get in, there was a delay at the entrance because you need to pay upon arrival before you park,  note - they only took cash - no card payments.
Prices this year ( 2014 ) are:

• Family Ticket    £14.00    For 2 adults and up to 3 children
• Adult ticket       £12.00   Aged 16 and over
• Child Ticket      £3.00     Under 16 years

and include free parking. Dogs are allowed too if they are kept on a lease.

The trail starts at the end of the car park and is approximately 4 1/2 miles long, so depending on quickly you walk, it can take anywhere between 2 and 5 hours to complete it.
The trail runs alongside the river, but it isn't suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs or people unsteady on their feet due to the rocks, steep steps and tree roots!
We went in just our normal trainers and boots, but I think I would invest in a decent pair of walking boots next time I go. There were some wet patches on the path which were a bit slippery in places.

steep steps and rocky footpaths

We decided to take our picnic with us but did struggle a bit with having to carry a heavy bag and a tired Squiddle towards the end of the trail, but there are plenty of places to stop and have a picnic, however I would recommend packing light. There are refreshment stops along the route by way of a kiosk, ice cream van, farmhouse and outdoor tea room. There are toilets but these are only at the beginning/end and half way round.

There are so many different things to look at and get involved in. There is a brass rubbing contest which runs along the path, children were running with sheets looking for the matching posts to get their pictures. There are numerous viewing and information places to stop at, and learn about the waterfalls. But my favourite was finding the money tree.

The idea is to take an old coin, and hammer it into the tree whilst making a wish.

Squiddle and myself had no problems hammering our coins in, but Mr H's just wouldn't stay still, it kept jumping out, so unfortunately it doesn't look like his wish will come true!

There are a number of trees that have had coins added to them - see if you can spot them whilst walking round.

There is also a small cluster of mushrooms too!

Money mushrooms!

It took us about 4 and a half hours to walk round and that's with a 4 year old, 2 fit and 2 unfit adults incorporating 3 picnic stops, a stop at the money tree, and time to stop and look at the waterfalls and take pictures.

I am looking forward to going again when Squiddle is a bit older and can get round all by his self.

I'll leave you with some pictures of the waterfall, as nice as they are, there's no substituting the real thing.

Has anybody else been?, what did you think? - feel free to leave a comment.

Thanks for reading.