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Raisie Bay

days out

A Day on the Farm

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On Tuesday we were lucky enough to visit a lovely farm in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicester. It’s not that far away, about 50 minutes down the M42, but it seemed like a world away. Such a peaceful environment and the kids really enjoyed it.

The farm was really relaxed and the kids encouraged to just get stuck in. They went straight to the geese who came out of their pen to play with us.

The Little man went in the pen to see the hens, they were all very friendly. The Geese came out and Star got to hold one while it snuggled under her arm and allowed her to stroke him. Another came up to me and starting honking at me as if in conversation. They were so friendly and the kids loved being around them. We went up to the fence and one of the horses came straight over to greet us.

The geese came along to say hi too. All the animals were so friendly. We got to see some Alpaca and two pigs, Peppa and Gertrude. We also met Kuddles the Shetland pony.

Chester, the Border Collie, was forever around and always up for a snuggle, and so were the cats, one of whom just came up and sat on my lap without invitation. She was soon off when she realised I wasn’t going to feed her though.

The Little Man got to snuggle up with a guinea pig before getting to hold on to Baboushka the rabbit. I think this was his best time, he didn’t want to let him go they really bonded. I’m thinking of getting a rabbit as a pet next Spring.

Look at how happy he is.

The weather wasn’t brilliant but the rain was just an occasional shower. We didn’t need coats although the girls were complaining of being cold after a couple of hours outside. I think making it that long was an achievement.

The Little Man went for a walk with a lady at the farm and the took some moss to feed the reindeer, then took them down to the river so they could drink. He had the best time, if only we lived nearer, I think he’d be on the farm every day.

The Farm is owned by the Phoenix Children’s Foundation and you can find out all about the work they do helping children and their families. A visit to the farm has to be arranged, and they have added Animal Assisted Activities to their support. You can support the Phoenix Children’s foundation through Easy Fundraising. I’m currently helping another cause but when they reach their total I will swap over, it’s such and easy way to give a little to charity when you shop online and it doesn’t cost you anything.

It was such a lovely way to end our Summer school holiday of 2021 and now I’m sad it’s over.

Summer Days Out with the Little Man

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When we were on holiday a couple of weeks ago it became apparent that the girls were now too old to want to be seen out with their parents, yes, even on holiday. This meant that the Little Man was often feeling left out. After arriving home we decided to spend a couple of Summer days out with our Little Man to show that it can still be fun with just the three of us. Or even just me and him!

The girls won’t be missing out as they have some fun stuff planned too.

First of all we took the Little Man to the Wildlife Conservation Centre. This is close to our home and somewhere I have been visiting for many, many years. I can even remember going as a child, although it’s changed a lot since then. I took my older children there too, often before or after a trip to Cannon Hill Park.

The Little Man was excited to see the animals but he was most looking forward to seeing the snakes and lizards. The Komodo Dragon is quite spectacular, it certainly makes you grateful that he’s behind a cage or screen. I’ve decided to share my photos of him for this weeks Sunday Snapshot.

Other Animals.

Here are some of the other animals we saw on the day.

The Patagonian Mara

Such a strange creature, kind of like a rabbit a dear and a wallaby all rolled into one. Very cute though.

The red pandas are very cute, you almost wish you could give them a big hug.

There are lots of different monkeys at the Centre and they are all entertaining. Whether they are climbing, rummaging around for bugs or just showing off. We could watch them for ages.

Finally, my favourite animal, my Little Man learning about Conservation.

We had a lovely day. It rained a couple of times but there were places to shelter. We also spent some time in the cafe and had hot dogs and chips for lunch.

The Picnic

On Thursday we were invited to a picnic with Birmingham SEND Socials. The area was enclosed and safe and included a big grassy area and lots of activity areas. There was also an indoor play area and a shed full of toys. When we arrived the rain came down and we sheltered outside. The rain passed soon and the children began to play. The Little Man had some fun with some Orbeez and talked to a couple of other children.

He enjoyed his picnic which he ate on a bench outside with me.

We had a lovely afternoon and I’m sorry now that I hadn’t put our name down for more activities. The Little Man needs to be around children even if he doesn’t interact like he used to. And a big thank you to the sun for making an appearance 🙂

We have more activities to look forward to before the return to school. We are determined to fit in as much as possible this year.

Have you enjoyed some Summer Days out this year?

Half Term Fun Making Memories.

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Sometimes it just takes over me. An urge to do things, get out there, make some memories. I get scared that it might be my last chance to have some fun with the kids. They are growing so quickly and I’m not getting any younger myself. This half term was time for making memories.

It was half term and I made a plan of all the things I wanted to do. Was it too ambitious? Maybe, especially as we had to go out three days in a week, normally I have to rest after a day out. But, there was a birthday in there and you can’t postpone a birthday. The celebrations maybe, but not the buying of gifts and cards.

So, Monday was buying day. The card shop is practically next door to the toy shop, which would have been great had the birthday boy been under 40! But, no point in wasting a trip to the toy shop with the kids in tow, it was definitely time to spend that pocket money that was building up. Thankfully, the gifts had already been bought, but Graham still treated himself to a new game for his PS4 (yes, I did say he was over 40!) And Boo bought him a new DAD mug. He needs a coffee mug twice as big as the regular mugs to help him stay awake to play his PS4 all night.

Tuesday was Graham’s birthday and we went out for lunch. We could have gone out for dinner and included the whole family, but we’d only done that a couple of weeks ago for No1 Son. So, lunch it was at the local Brewer’s Fayre. The girls discovered that they were too big now to play in the play area so The little Man went off on his own. I wasn’t worried about him, he’s not shy and makes friends so easily, he talks to everyone. Plus we had a screen we could watch from the table. Boo, however, worried incessantly, ‘what if he gets hurt?’ ‘What if he goes somewhere else and we don’t see him?’ ‘What if someone bullies him?’ She’s just like a mini mum. I think I was probably like that when I was younger, but you kind of become more relaxed when you’ve had five children.

Thursday we had decided to go out. ‘Let’s go to the Think Tank’ I said. We haven’t been there for years and it was somewhere I wanted to go. The kids agreed but were not too excited. Had I worn them out already, surely they didn’t prefer to be stuck indoors?

The morning started as usual, breakfast then laptops. But, not without protest, I’d managed to persuade them to get dressed too. I got ready for our day out but no-one seemed really keen. Boo complained that she’d been to the Think Tank with her school just last year. Star complained that she didn’t want to go to the Think Tank but wouldn’t offer a reason. The Little Man just wanted to play Roblox, he didn’t even want to put his socks on.

Then Star said she didn’t want to go out unless we went to Mc Donalds first. I knew what would happen, it’s happened many a time before. We’d go to Mc Donald’s and then she’d insist we came home again. Eventually, she agreed to go to the Sea Life Centre instead of the Think Tank. Arrrgh! At least it was getting out, although I didn’t want to go to the Sea Life Centre, it’s way too familiar. Why was it so difficult, I just wanted to make some fun memories for my kids? Health wise I am probably better off staying home and doing nothing at all, but I don’t want my kids to have that as their childhood memory.

Anyway, cut a long story short, we went to Mc Donalds, then to the Sea Life Centre which was fully booked and we couldn’t go in. So, guess where we ended up? Yes, The Think Tank! On arrival at the Think Tank, Star brightened up as she recognised the place. Then we realised that we hadn’t actually explained anything to her about it and she’d become anxious because she didn’t know where she was going. That’s the problem when you have an autistic child, sometimes it’s easy to forget ‘the rules’ to forget how her mind works. Even though we know she’s autistic we still get it wrong and think she’s just being awkward. The tears and tantrums and effort just to get out of the house could possibly have been avoided had we just spent five minutes explaining that we’d been to the Think Tank before and tried to remind her of what it was like. Or maybe not, you never can tell.

So, fun was had (eventually) and memories made and hopefully, somewhere in the back of their minds they will retain only good thoughts and images of our ‘fun’ packed half term.

The Mum Conundrum

InflataNation – Birmingham

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We were really excited to receive an invitation to visit InflataNation inflatable theme park. My Children have always loved bouncy castles and InflataNation is the perfect place for children of all ages to bounce and play.

We visited the Birmingham InflataNation but you can also find parks in Manchester, Cheshire and Beverley. 

What is InflataNation?

InflataNation is a theme park full of inflatables. Exactly what you would imagine it to be. There are inflatable slides and bouncing areas along with ball pits and activity zones. The park is open to all ages and abilities, so yes, the adults can bounce along with the kids. There is also an area especially for the under fours so that they don’t miss out on the fun.

If you don’t want to bounce, or can’t like me, then there is a fabulous cafe area where they sell food, snacks and drinks.

The Theme Park

From the moment you enter you are floating on inflatables. But there is so much more to do than bounce. The slides are great fun for all and you get a choice of height just in case you are not brave enough for the bigger slides. We liked how you could slide down together in two aisles, it’s a race to the bottom. 

My kid’s loved the wrecking ball area where you each stand on an inflated pillar while swinging the wrecking ball at each other. The last man standing is the winner.

There is also a gladiator style duel where you hit each other off the podium with inflatable batons. And an inflatable assault course which two people can race to complete.

Or if you just want to bounce or play in ball pits you can do that too.

You get an hour in the park to enjoy all the activities and there is so much to do the time just flies by.

The Cafe

The cafe area was clean and spacious and in the perfect place to watch all the action. 

We decided to have lunch there and were happy with the food served. Two of my children had meals from the kid’s menu, Star and her Dad had pizza and I had a panini. The kids had slushies with their meals while me and their Dad had some nice coffee.

I thought the prices were reasonable, we spent £36 for five of us, but we could have saved money by not choosing the more expensive drinks. Also available were family servings, so you could have pizza or hot dogs for the whole family at a cheaper price than buying individual meals.

The food was served within 15 minutes which was good and it was brought to our table.

Part of the menu, there were also kid’s meals and snacks available

Safety

You are advised to wear long sleeves and long trousers in the theme park because it is possible to rub your skin after excessive play. It is well ventilated to keep you cool, but it’s  constant physical work while in there and you are bound to get a bit hot. I’d suggest covering up in something light. You will need to wear socks.

Before you go in you can read the safety rules which are shown on a big poster on the wall in the cafe. There is also a short safety video to watch and you are guided to view this five minutes before your session starts.

Other Features

There is a viewing area which looks out over the park and you can watch your children play. There are also extra tables and chairs up there to take your food and drinks. This area was accessible by stairs only so I didn’t get to see. Graham took some photos for me.

There is also a kid’s party venue, a special place set aside for the party goers before they go into the park to bounce.

The theme park also offers several classes including fitness classes, inflata tots and disability friendly sessions. The disability sessions are for those on the autistic spectrum where a calm environment is created and parents or carers can enter for free.

The Cost

The general cost is £9.95 per person for one hour play for over 4s. £5.95 for under 4s. However, there are many offers available such as family passes for two adults and two children for £32.50. You can also pay for extra time, £7 for over 4s and £4 for under 4s. There are also passports for those that wish to attend regularly and different prices. 

Parties vary depending on what package you want but the cheapest price is £12.50 per child.

You can also book adult only parties if you don’t want the kids getting in the way!

Our Verdict

The kids gave the park a big thumbs up and would love to go again sometime. They had tons of fun and it totally wore them out. Graham had fun too, but I think maybe he should have been a bit easier on himself.

I thought the place was clean and spacious. The cafe area was a really lovely place to sit and watch while waiting. Access was easy for my wheelchair and there was a disabled toilet.

The food was nice and the portions a good size.  There was a nice variety of fast food to enjoy and service was good. The coffee was especially nice.

I think the cost was reasonable, especially if you take advantage of the special offers. It makes for a great family outing.

Please visit https://www.inflatanation.com/ 
for more information. It is recommended that you book your session before arriving.

Disclosure: we were given free entrance to InflataNation for the purpose of this review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kids Pass, The Family Savings Card

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Kids pass have a fabulous offer right now where you can enjoy a whole year of savings for only £34.99. Click the banner above if you would like to know more.

What is Kids Pass?

Kids Pass is a family savings card giving you savings on a whole range of things from food to funfairs. You can search locally for offers or download the app. and search while out or on holiday. There are so many savings to be made.

We used our card when we were on holiday to visit The World of Country Life. We had a fabulous day out and it was great knowing that we’d saved £22.40 on our entry fee.

Cinema Tickets

If you like to going to the cinema you can save up to 40% off your tickets. This includes Odeon, Cineworld, Empire, Vue and other cinemas. Just check which is nearest to you and print off your offer. Or even easier, take your phone along with you with the app. installed and your ticket is available at all times. 

Restaurants and Take Outs

Don’t want to cook, or away from home? Then you can save money on restaurants and take outs. Offers include 20% off meals at Sizzling Pubs, BOGOF at Papa Johns and Pizza Hut, Kids eat for a £1 at Prezzo, 25% of Frankie and Bennys and Bella Italia and so many more. You may even find offers at your local curry house, or chip shop. And if you are on the road, there is 20% off at Road Chef.

If you get into the habit of checking your app. before buying any food out then you will be sure to save loads.

Holidays and Days Out

Kids Pass can save you loads on holidays and days out. You can claim cash off your Butlins, Haven, Parkdean or Away Resorts or Forest Holidays booking. Or if you wish to stay at Alton Towers, Legoland, Chessington or Thorpe Park too. There are also savings at EnergyKids and Clubzone.

The Days Out section is huge and includes all sorts of Adventure Parks, Farms, zoos, aquariums, Go Ape, Bowling, ice skating, swimming, soft play, you name it, you’ll probably find it on Kids Pass.

How Does it Work?

For your fee you can search the site for hundreds of savings. The site is easy to navigate with everything neatly divided into categories. You can choose to look at offer that are near your location, or search for offers on a map. It also keeps a record of all your savings so you know just how much you’ve saved. When you’ve found your offer you can just read the terms and conditions and print off your tickets.

The app. is much easier as you can use it on the go, and there is no need for printing your ticket as you can use your phone to display the relevant details to claim your discount.

To get good value out of your Kids Pass, you do need to check it regularly. That’s why it’s best to get the app. on your phone. Then every time you have a day out or want to order a meal. Obviously, the more you use it the more you will save.

If you are not ready for a full years membership then you can try Kids Pass for 30 days for only £1

Be warned, these offers will be ending soon though! 

I am an ambassador for Kids Pass so anyone joining through my links will earn me a commission. I have, however, brought you a honest description of the program and I have not been paid to write this post.

Halloween Days out coming soon!