Ten things I would like to do during the Summer Holidays!

Ten Things I Would Like to do During the Summer Holidays!

Well it's been ages since I have written anything- Sam was poorly at the beginning of the holidays with Scarlet Fever and my Mum didn't have much chance to help me type anything up and then we have been making up for missed time by being very busy since then!

So somehow we are now half way through the holidays and it is going fast. At the beginning I wrote myself a list of things I would like to do over the Summer but instead of just posting that like I was going to I can now see how I am doing with working through the list.

1) Have some lie-ins. My parents say we all need some rest over the Summer and are trying to get us to sleep in until at least 7:30. I find this really hard as I am always wide awake by 6:45am but have been trying and was even still asleep at nearly 8am the other day... we will probably all let Mum and Dad sleep in but not until the day we are going back to school! -so kind of on this one!

2) Play a new board game- we play lots of games at home but I was wanting to find something new to play. We haven't managed this at home but Lottie and I went to our friend's house the other day when Mum was at work and we played a game called Tsuro there which is a strategy game- I really liked this and would like to play it with my Dad. I can tick this off my list!

3) Play with LEGO- I have done this every single day so far so I can definitely check this on my list!

4) Build a den- we have made some epic dens so far this holiday- the Gigi Bloks have been awesome for this and we have also made a pretty impressive one in the garden using a clothes horse, some chairs, a football goal and a load of blankets. Checking this one off too!

5) Go to the beach- we haven't done this yet. I hope we can manage this when we are on holiday though

6) Have a water fight- we have had the water pistols out but not had a full on water fight yet... I am working on my Mum to invite lots of people around the day before we go back to school for one- wish me luck!

7) Help with some DIY- I asked my Dad if he would let me help with some jobs and he let me have a go at building some new units we had got, it was much easier than I expected and I managed to build all four by myself. I was very pleased with them and we now have all our arts and craft things set out separately.

8) Do the library reading challenge. I am working on this- I have read 8 books so far and we are going to the library later so I hope I will get some more stamps today.

9) Try a new sport- we were lucky enough to go to Sportfest again this year (that's a whole other post though!) and tried several new sports- I especially liked Rugby.

10) Learn a new skill- I hadn't decided what I wanted this to be when I added it to my list but I think I can check it off because I did a first aid course and have learnt the recovery position and different bandages as well as some other things- I would like to do another longer course now.

I think I am doing quite well at the things on my list- I hope we will get the other things done, especially the water fight!

What are you or your children hoping to do over the Summer?

Countdown to Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder

Countdown to Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder!

In just 7 days I will be going to bed early to get ready for a very exciting day out but before that I am getting in training! Next weekend grown ups across the Midlands will be taking part in the Tough Mudder Mud Run and at the same time kids get to take part in the Ultimate Obstacle Adventure- the Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder. The one mile course has 10 obstacles and I can't wait!

The Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder Course at Henley April 2016

Being an 8 year old boy I don't mind getting mucky but I think the Mini Mudder will take that to a whole new level! The obstacles look awesome but I am a bit nervous to see how difficult they are. The course is designed for children age 7 to 12 who are at least 3 ft 5 tall so I don't think it will be too easy and it looks like we will need to work as a team to get round but it will be fun to meet some other people and see if we can manage the challenge.

I am going to be part of the Adventure Squad and the people at Fruit Shoot have sent me a great goody bag to get ready for the event- I have cones, beanbags and markers so am going to have lots of fun creating challenges in the garden this weekend to get in practice and I dragged my Dad out for a run round the nearby lakes this evening - it was very cold and blowy but not really muddy enough!

I can't wait until next weekend!!

The Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder is taking place at several locations from now until September and you can find out more here

There are some amazing photographs from the Henley event the other week and I will be back to share my own pictures after next week- Mum isn't looking forward to the washing though! 

Wish me luck!

A Great Day Out for LEGO Fans!

Brick 2015 A Great Day Out for LEGO Fans 

This weekend I was lucky enough to travel to The NEC in Birmingham for Brick 2015. I was expecting a lot of LEGO but I can't believe just how many bricks there were!

They are also holding a Brick Show at the ExCel Centre in London on 11th - 13th December so if you think this might be for you read on to find out what we got up to at this weekend's show.

When we arrived at the NEC we headed straight for the exhibition and got going with exploring all the activities. There were some amazing displays and models- we all had different favourites but there was a huge Titanic and a Colosseum that were both really awesome that we all loved and there were models of characters like Hagrid, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and R2D2 which I really wish I was able to build.

         

We joined in with making a huge mosaic- everyone had a base plate and a tiny section of a large picture to create which was then put together to form the whole thing. 

We made our house out of LEGO which was then added to a huge map of the UK and placed where we asked for it to go. As Lottie had made our house I made a floating building and asked the man to put it in the sea!

There was a chance to make racing cars and test them and race them on the ramps, which was good fun and we also attempted another Guinness World Record challenge- there were several different building challenges to complete.

We got to try the LEGO Dimensions computer game which is really really awesome and I would love to get at some point and the Avengers one which is coming out next year which was good too - although Lottie was cross that she couldn't make Captain America fly (he doesn't fly but she wouldn't believe me!)

Along with all the activities and all the amazing displays there were huge pits of LEGO each in a different colour which you could either sit in or grab a handful of bricks from and just build- it was fantastic- like a ball pool for big kids and grown ups! I think it would be my dream come true to have my very own LEGO pit, although Mum says we'd definitely need a bigger house then!

After that there was plenty of chance to add to our own LEGO collections with a huge Toys R Us selling just LEGO- there was so much to choose from! 

There were plenty of other sellers to buy from but I have picked out my favourite three stalls for you to keep an eye out for at the ExCel Show:

FAB-BRICKS.COM - we didn't get to see them at the show as they closed the queue off an hour before the end of the show so they could get everyone finished and we didn't arrive at their stand until then but they make personalised mini figures- you choose the hair, head, body, and legs and then they will engrave it for you. It looked amazing and both Lottie and I really wish we'd got them done so I would definitely recommend visiting them early on in your day.

Base Ace- 3D play platforms - My Mum had seen these online before we went and we were really excited to see what they were like- they are a brilliant idea and really good quality. The man showed us how you can have them upside down or add extension packs and lights and basically use them to come help play with your LEGO in any way you like. Lottie loved the treehouse type set but I really liked the one that reminded me if a rocket but I think you could use them all in so many different ways- I would love to create a fort or a space ship.

Mechabrick- the people there were really friendly and have created a game that has a large board and robots, weapons and people that move around but basically you use your existing LEGO and create models from you imagination which the robots then move round and blow up. It is also compatible with your base boards so the game can become as large as you like. It looks like a great way to enjoy LEGO with your friends and see where the game takes you. 

As you can see I now have a whole load of new ideas of what I would like to start saving up for!  

I would really recommend Brick 2015 as a great day out for any LEGO fan- there are plenty of chances to shop but there are also loads of chances to just play and enjoy LEGO alongside loads of other people who also love it.

Tickets for the show at the ExCel Centre can be ordered from here

A Note from Mum....

We had a great day out as the whole family- we all like LEGO (well except baby Sam who would just eat it but he was happy to sit in his pushchair and watch the world go by!) I felt there was plenty to do for children of Luke and Lottie's age groups and we easily filled the whole day and I also saw plenty of people with much older children who still seemed to be enjoying themselves- if anything I would have said we could have gone for longer as we didn't spend very long playing in the big LEGO pits or looking at some of the models. 

I have seen some people saying the tickets are pricey- they are right- it isn't a cheap day out. However, it is comparable with other Exhibitions we have been to and if your child enjoys LEGO then they will definitely get enough out of it to make it worthwhile. Our friends also went and they thoroughly enjoyed the day and again their son would have been happy to stay all night! It should also be a consideration that parking is £12- however this is the standard rate at the NEC for any show I have ever been to there and would be expected anywhere. The products being sold start from £1.50 upwards so you don't need to have a huge budget for treats to still enjoy the day but with Christmas fast approaching the December show will be a brilliant chance to get stocked up for it. 

We were lucky enough to be given tickets to the Brick 2015 Show and would like to take this opportunity to thank Poppyseed Media for their generosity. However all thoughts and opinions within this post are our own.

Country Life

6 things I love about living in the country

We live in a tiny village in the middle of the countryside and I go to school in a slightly bigger village ten minutes up the road. Our village has no shop and nothing much to do and we sometimes wish we didn't have to use the car every time we want to do something but there are lots of other things I love about living here. Mum says this will change as I get older so we thought it would nice to be able to look back and see that there were great things about being here at the age of 7!

- Nature

I know you can find nature everywhere but it really is right on our doorstep- we were closing the curtains the other night and saw a little deer nibbling at the neighbours plants, it was such a lovely, surprising sight we couldn't bring ourselves to shoo it away from the plants. We also get lots of birds of prey around- especially this time of year when they are plowing the fields. We have a little robin who visits every year and we have two hedgehogs that come into our garden- they make loads of noise!

- Machinery

At this time of year we get to see loads of really unusual farm vehicles along with the normal tractors (even if we sometimes get stuck behind them) and it it is really interesting to see them at work.

- Harvest

We aren't very good at growing things (expect rhubarb which takes over our garden) but have lots of friends and family who are- we have been given pears by my friend, apples from our neighbour and my Granny and then have been blackberry picking too so we have been baking lots of delicious cakes and crumbles- yummmm!

- Clear Skies

We get a great view here of the sky at night and in the middle of the night the other week when I woke up I got a great view of the Super Moon. I really like getting my telescope out and having a good look and have been able to see the moon really closely and spot some of the planets. Lottie has decided she would like to ask for a telescope for herself for Christmas but wants it to be pink!!

- Fields

I love getting my walking boots on and dragging Dad out for a long walk through the woods and across the fields- we collect leaves, sticks and have lots of fun running through the fields and jumping in the puddles.

- Snow

It is awesome when we get snow here, it takes forever to melt as not many cars use the road so when the snow turns to ice it lasts for ages and because it is quite quiet we have lots of fun sledging before getting started on the snowmen and snow angels! Oh and it's not too awful when we get snowed in and can't get to school for a day!

As you can imagine I am hoping for snow this year, we haven't really had a lot since Lottie was a baby so she has never really had the chance to play in it properly and I can't wait!

What's the best thing about where you live?

The Final Countdown

     

The Final Countdown

I can't believe the school holidays are nearly over. When we broke up from school seven weeks seemed like ages but by this time next week I will have finished my first day in Year 3 and Lottie will be getting ready to start school. 

Despite having no car for the first two weeks of the holidays, after breaking down on the way to Oxford, the time has gone really quickly. On the very first day we decorated some boxes, one for at home and one for out and about, and all put ideas inside them of things to do so if we dared to announce we were bored we could pull something out to get on with (my Mum insists on telling us that her Mum always said 'Only boring people get bored- so Lottie has taken to announcing 'I'm boring!') and yet despite having loads of ideas we have hardly pulled any out to use, except baking and a cinema afternoon, as we have managed to fill the time with lots of other activities as well as just enjoying being at home with our toys and friends. 

We won tickets to SportFest (AMAZING- and well worth a post to itself!) spent two weeks in France, saw plenty of friends- although there is still a few more we would really like to catch up with, did lots of arts and crafts, visited the local museum, saw some theatre at the local park, celebrated Lottie's birthday, entered a few competitions, read lots of books- completing the library reading challenge, watched a couple of films, spent lots of time outside and are now getting excited for Lottie's party which is coming up next week. 

I have a feeling this last week will fly past- sadly we are now doing the final preparations for returning to school, I have got new school shoes and Lottie has her very first pair, we have got all her school uniform and I have been putting off trying mine back on which I now have to do first thing tomorrow as Mum thinks I have grown again! We have a friend coming to play tomorrow and it's off to the dentist-yuk. 

On Wednesday Lottie's friend is coming to play and his Mum will be helping ours to get ready for the big Frozen disco party- there are lots of books to wrap and sweets to put in bags as Mum doesn't like party bag toys so each child is getting a book, piece of cake and some sweets but she always forgets how long it takes to wrap 30+ books! We also have to set up pass the parcel, draw an Olaf to 'pin the nose' on and Lottie and I want to make some snowflake decorations so I think we will be fairly busy with this.That just leaves a couple more days before it all starts again. 

I will be sad to be back at school and having to rush out the door in the morning. Mum will start rushing around and we won't get to stay up as late at night and see as much of Dad, there will be homework to do, school reading every night and I will have to start music practice again properly but I am still looking forward to going back to school. I want to see my friends and start back at football. I am also starting playing table tennis at school this year and am finally going to be starting hockey outside of school, which I can't wait for. I am looking forward to my little sister starting school too, although she is only just 4 and is a bit scared.

We will have to make sure we really enjoy this last week... it's not long until half term is it?!


                                        

Rainy Day Play

Rainy Day Play

So we have already had the first week of the holidays and for the most part it has whizzed past, we have been to the library and signed up to the reading challenge (and lugged home huge quantities of books) been to the museum  where had had lunch with the best ice-cream ever and met up with my friend to watch some open air theatre in the park and have a play in the play area so I definitely haven't been bored so far.

Today though has been pouring with rain and as baby brother is quite ill with a bad cold and conjunctivitis we haven't left the house all day. It hasn't been too bad as it has given us a chance to play with our toys a lot more than we normally do. Lottie has had her old Happyland out and we have both played with the LEGO, our new Magformers set (more about that soon!) built a Micro Chargers track and made a really cool Hexbug run. We have also been teaching Lottie to sew and have done some drawing. Mum has said we can make a den in a bit but for now it is a case of keeping things a little quieter as Sam is trying to sleep but keeps coughing and waking himself up.

Sometimes it's really nice to have a day where we don't go out at all and just enjoy being at home but in the Summer holidays we normally like to try and get outside a lot. Hopefully we won't have too much more rain and if we do, once Sam is better, we can all put on waterproofs and wellies and go out and splash around but just in case we would love to know what other people like to do on a cold and wet day if they have lots of time to fill? Any ideas that Lottie and I can do on our own or that Mum can help us with one handed whilst looking after Sam would be great?!

Building a hexbug run 

Experimenting with Magformers