I was recently asked to review a pair of childrens headphones.
I can put my hand on my heart and tell you that despite being asked asked to do this, my review (or the kids review) is entirely unbiased.
Luckily however, we were really pleased with this product.
The headphones arrived, beautifully packaged in a smart box which looked great. I opted for the blue and yellow pair (given libby is more likely to wear blue and yellow as the boys are to wear pink!)
The colour and design is great, ideal for a young children but also trendy looking enough for the twins (10) to use/wear.
According to Charlie, my eight year old, the headphones are very comfortable and the sound is great.
This point was proven when I called him five times from next to him and he blissfully ignored me, happily watching Toy Story on my laptop.
Libby (6) was next to give them a go, once she put them on no one else got a look in!
This is when I realised they really are worth the money. You see, Libby is addicted to Youtube videos, the ones where adults are dressed up as mermaids or princesses and badly act through scenes from their kitchen table (they really are as annoying as they sound).
The point is, Mike and I spend 90% of our time telling her to turn it down or off as it is like listening to fingernails being scratched down a chalk board.
I have tried different headphones but she never keeps them on, complaining the are uncomfortable or she cant hear propertly.
I havent heard that annoying youtube drivvle since she put EasySMX headphones on.
At a cost of £21.99, I would recommend them, however, at the moment they are being sold on Amazon for £11.99 which is incredibly good value. For a family as large as ours, means I can justify buyng a pair for each of the kids.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/EasySMX-Comfortable-Friendly-Protecting-Headphones/dp/B01KLXSNPE/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484227162&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=kids+easy+smx+headphones
I am putting an order in for another four pairs!
We are hoping to book a couple of holidays this year and i think they will be perfect aeroplane headphones. Now the twins (10) have Iphones and Libby and Charlie have tablets, they will also be great for car trips and holidays.
Jet Lag
And so it has arrived…. Jet lag day! George has been sleeping on and off all day and this evening I’ve started to check for the 666. It’s like my front door is the gates to Hell.
Libby has been asleep all day and just woken up (11.25pm) and she is now in the most aggravating mood. So far I have been followed around the house half crying, half winging, nagging at me about the most ridiculous things ‘ I’m not sleeping on my own! ‘ (feet stamping) ‘ where is my candy floss?! ‘
‘ I’ll get my TV and put it in your room ‘
‘ you didn’t even get all my friends at school a present from America’
‘I hate America’
‘ where is my candy floss!? ‘
‘ Why did we have to come home!? ‘
‘I love my house’
‘I hate my house ‘
‘ Where is my candy floss?’
‘Im not sleeping, ever! ‘
‘I want your phone ‘
‘I want dad’s phone ‘
‘I don’t know know where to sleep,my room is scary ‘
‘ when am I having a sleepover with my friends?’
‘ you promised me we could make fairy cakes’ (I didn’t)
‘I’m so starving, do you even care!? ‘ then continues to say no to everything I offer her…..
YOUR NOT HAVING THE FU@KING CANDYFLOSS
I’ve just agreed to something either genius or seriously bloody stupid. Seeings as my two youngest are driving me mad, ive let Libby sleep with George so they can keep eachother amused and aggravate eachother.
Meanwhile, the the older boys have been asleep since 3pm this afternoon. Will they sleep through? our can I expect them awake in a couple of hours????
It’s not all bad, I get to look forward to the school run in the morning 😣
A weekend in Liverpool
Another one of my best friends turned 40 this week and we celebrated by whisking her away on a suprise weekend to Liverpool. Rosie is from Ireland, and when her lovely sister (who still lives over there) contacted me about doing something special I couldn’t have been more up for it. I cant take any of the credit for this weekend. I was pregnant while it was being organised and while my intention was to take on the organisation with Jennifer, I let the side down. Luckily, Jenny did an amazing job, dispite my total lack of cobtribution!
I told Rosie that I was taking her away for a couple of nights, just me and her. I picked her up in an Uber (my first Uber experience, and it was amazing). The cab dropped us to East Croydon where we jumped on the train to London Euston via Victoria.
I loved every minute of that train journey. Watching her face, totally clueless and out of control. Rosie is the ‘ mum’ of our group, always looking after us and making sure we are OK. It was really strange seeing her reaction, having to rely completly on me (I’m not sure she enjoyed that part of the weekend! 😂) At every stop I would grab my bag and tell her ‘this is it ‘, I would watch her get up, get to the door and then tell her I was joking! She wasn’t impressed but I found it hilarious! Once we were at Euston I suggested we grab some breakie at All Bar One…little did she know…. Rosie was greeted by three more of our girlfriends, sitting there, ready with coffees and cocktails… shouting suprise!!!
Rosie was in tears, totally overwhelmed, but it was amazing seeing her register just how much she is loved by us all. FYI All Bar One do some seriously yummy breakfasts!
Over breakfast we gave her some clues to guess where we were taking her:
The biggest boy band ever were from there…… She had no idea
There are lots of Irish people there…. Nope
It had an ‘e’ in it… Huh?
Brookside was based there…. LIVERPOOL!!

We jumped on the train, opened a bottle of prosecco and had one of the best girls chats I’ve ever had.
During that two hours we talked about everything from relationships, bladder control, sex and laughed from start to finish.
The poor fella sitting next to us was pre warned when he sat down that he was in for a special journey and if he embarrases easily he should probably think twice about sitting there. I did offer him a drink to calm his nerves! When we got to Liverpool we headed straight to the hotel.
#squadgoals
The Shankley Hotel was a great base for a girls weekend. It is right in the middle of town. A 5 minutes walk to the station and even less to the shops, restaurants and bars. The hotel is lovely, decor is fabulous with glamour being at its heart and the rooms are great. The main room had six double beds in it and a kitchen area. I’m even thinking about going back with the kids as there are not many hotel rooms that can comfortably fit all of us in. When we entered the room it was beautifully decorated (by the Irish girls who were hiding in the toilet). They had left out champagne, chocolates and strawberries. When Rosie walked into the room two of her sisters and her best friend from Ireland ran out of the bathroom! This triggered another flow of tears and a few ‘c u next Tuesdays’ muttered at us.
She was blown away, she hasn’t made it home to see her family this year and I know she was missing them terribly. For them to fly over and organise this weekend was a perfect present. The package we booked worked out at £230 each for eight of us (that includes splitting Rosies costs between us). That included the hotel, a cocktail making class, dinner on the Saturday night, a choice of either make up or hair to be done and Afternoon Tea. The train from Euston to Liverpool Line Street was £85 return.
On the Friday, after we had finished the introductions (this was the first time in 20 years that rosies London friends meet her Irish girls) we headed off for out cocktail making classat The Art House. It was like going back to Playa de las Americas when I was 17, downing dirty ouzo shots! It was a real giggle though and the girl that took the class was lovely. Also, nothing breaks the ice like slut dropping and making cocktails. From there we headed to Concert Square and enjoyed a few more drinks and Shisha. The next morning the sun was at full force and with the temperature soaring we were determined to enjoy brunch and an espresso martini by the water. We took a cab (£2.30!) to Albert Dock and had some coffee and cocktails at Panam. We discovered during the weekend that Londons shopping experience had serious competition. Liverpool has all the shops you could possibly wish for, all within an easy walk between eachother. I would love to go back again just for a shopping weekend!
While in John Lewis Katie had a Charlotte Tilbury make over which resulted in some yummy purchases. We headed back to the hotel for about 5 to have our hair and make up done, ready for the night ahead. I opted to have my hair done. I love doing my own make up and am very particular about how I have it. Also, I am low maintainence with my hair so if someone else can glam it up then it is a no brainer! Given the scorching weather we headed up to have a drink on the roof top bar before dinner (all at The Shankley Hotel). Watching the half cut girls dancing in the sun kicked the night off perfectly!
Our first night was fun but fairly quiet given we were all mums, and away from the kids for the weekend. It was also quite ‘studenty’ at concert square. I’m not knocking that but we like a bit of sophistication in our older age (early night anyway) so we really wanted to find the area you could go to and have a cocktail made with proper spirits and not sugar and tequila! 😂
I asked around during the day and it turned out our hotel was on the road where all the best bars are! After our dinner at the hotel we headed to The Alchemist Cocktail Bar on Brunswick Street. The cocktails were out of this world and the atmosphere was great but it was a bit of an arse-ache waiting around at the bar to order our next round. That could be out fault for sinking each cocktail so quickly. We had cocktails there that bubbled, steamed and even ones that come with syringes of shots!
If you like Cocktails I would definatly recommend this bar. The night carried on in a bar down the road where we partied till the early hours. The difference with partying in your 30’s is rather than passing out in bed with a full face of make up and glass of wine next to your bed, we got back, made a coffee, took our make up off, and at 3am we were putting Philip Kingsley hair masks on! We kicked our last day off with a perfect post party breakfast at Barley and Beans. I don’t know if it’s because we were so hungry but it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had! I went for their granola bowl and bacon and eggs. The other girls had full English and eggs beniddict. As you can see from the picture, we had an amazing pile of Nutella pancakes for dessert 🍰
After a some more shopping we went back to the hotel for Afternoon Tea and a de briefing of the weekend before we said our goodbyes and headed to the station for our train back home. I had a great weekend! After having Arthur I really needed a bit of child free time to myself. I’m home, refreshed and ready to tackle (literally) the kids. I met lovely new friends, caught up with old friends, partied, relaxed, shopped and laughed. I laughed so much and realised how lucky I am to have such wonderful girlfriends who I love with all my heart 😘

My Mumcation
‘Psychologists have suggested that mothers should take holidays with friends, not family – and this includes leaving the children behind.
Experts are urging tired mothers to go on “mum-cations”, holidays without their offspring, to take a proper break.‘
With this in mind, me and three of my closest girlfriends booked a ‘mumcation’ to Vilamoura for a few days in October.
A few people asked me if the weather was going to be any good in Portugal that time if year, as if we were crazy not to follow the blazing sun.
These people had totally missed the point of a mumcation.
Of corse good weather would be preferable, but honestly, if i could go to the toilet on my own, sleep without someones foot digging in my boobs and sit down by a pool without worrying who is going to drown/get abducted or piss off fellow vacationers, I would be a happy girl.
This weekend was more than a girls weekend, It was therapy and It gave me a chance to really relax and unwind.
When you become a mum your life revolves around these little people (rightly so), but we all need to keep our individual identity and take time out for ourselves, it is a huge factor to how I cope as a mum.
Whether it is a night out with Mike, drinks with the girls or a shopping trip entirely on my own, it is my time out.
It is my chance to clear my head of football training, horse riding, boxing, school pick up, kids parties, laundry, dinner etc and focus on me.
The morning we left I felt a complete mixture of emotions. I have been away on my own before, but not abroad since our two youngest have been born.
Let me picture the morning I left for Portugal for you…..
‘George, Arthur, come here, give me a kiss, I am going to miss you so much’
*GEORGE EMPTIES BUCKET OF LEGO ON MY BEDROOM CARPET*
‘FFS George!!! This is why i need a break’
‘George I am sorry, come here and give me a kiss’
*ARTHUR POURS THE CONTENTS OF MY COLD COFFEE OVER MY BED*
……..’Rosie, how long are you going to be? I know the flight is in 8 hours but we dont want to risk missing it’
From the moment Rosie picked me up to when she dropped me back to my door four days later, I did not stop laughing!
We talked about everything, nothing was off the table.
We talked about our kids, our partners and our friends, we discussed designer vaginas, sex and how to make a Wood pigeon call with your tounge.
We did eachothers make up and hair and shared eachothers clothes.
We people watched and ate great food (without a high chair or childrens menu in sight!)
We shared secrets and drank, we drank lots!
We danced every night until the early hours and the one day the weather was bit ‘meh’ we found a great shopping mall and we shopped. I picked up a couple of treats for the kids snd a little something for me…. (do you like my new boots?)
I managed to read a whole book! From start to finish, in one weekend. If you don’t have kids, this may seem ridiculous, if you do you kids, well, you know.
Guess what else I did? And I haven’t done this since I was about 21….. I had an afternoon nap! A siesta if you will.
Not because I had just given birth or because I dozed off breast feeding a baby, but because I consciously chose to!
Another thing. I have never enjoyed a hangover so much.
Knowing you can eat, drink and sleep your way through it without having to make food for little ones, read stories and change nappies makes a hangover so much easier to bear.
I can only describe the weekend as Bad Moms meets The Hangover with a drizzle of bridesmaids.
It was bliss…utter bliss and I owe my girls so much for being the perfect friends.
Their laid back natures ment there were no tantrums, no arguments and by the time we were due to come home I felt so ready to see Mike and the kids and be ‘mum’ again.
I urge you to try it! Book something up! It doesnt have to expensive, it doesnt have to be abroad.
A weekend in Portugal cost us £250 each (plus spending money). Easyjet flights were £150 return from Gatwick to Faro and our apartment at The Dom Pedro Portobelo was right on the marina where all the bars and restaurants are.
It comfortably accomodated the four of us and cost £100 each for the four nights.
I asked some fellow mum blogger what their opinionon ‘Mumcations’ is, here is what they had to say:
Rebecca at www.beccablogsitout.com
I haven’t had one and I’m.not sure I could. I’d love to, in theory. I could definitely use a break. But I think I’d feel too guilty if I went away for more than a day without the twins. I think I’d miss them.
Jenna at www.thentherewerethree.uk
‘I’ve had some! I met an amazing bunch of ladies on a birth group on Facebook and we arrange a couple of weekend breaks a year. We’ve booked a farmhouse in north wales, various city stays and are going to see the Spice Girls next year. I definitely think they’re needed.’
Francessca at https://frompenniestopounds.com
‘I’ve been on hen do’s and also my honeymoon without my daughter. With the honeymoon we went to Mexico which you can’t just pop over for, but I said I would not go for longer than 10 days.
I missed her but she had a great time with her grandparents. I was never close to my grandparents so I’m happy for her to spend time with them.
I think it’s healthy for both you and the kids.
I always take my daughter away every year now though since splitting up with my ex-husband.’
Gail at www.yammymommy.co.uk
‘Still can’t do more than a night away from my 4 year old. I think we would both struggle after 24 hours!’
Victoria at www.travelvixta.com
‘I haven’t yet, but I think in a couple of years once my youngest is at school then I’d love to go on a yoga retreat by myself! They look like bliss and even now with a 6 year old and 3 year old I feel like I could really do with some time to myself and a break for a few days to a retreat!’
Maybelline Nail Varnish
I have been on the search for a metallic rose gold nailvarnish. (This is the colour i was after) Im not sure i have found exactly what i was looking for, but it comes very close. MAYBELLINE SUPER STAY 7 DAYS, GEL NAIL COLOUR, METALLIC SILKS in Rose Veil £4.50 I love the brush and the texture of the varnish. It leaves a lovely finish and is easy to put on neatly. It dried within five minutes and looks great! It is a lovely rose gold colour and looks fun aswell as classy. Can anyone recommend any other nail varnishes for the summer? Kate x
Tanorganic Self Tan
I have tried so many different tanning products but I think I’ve hit the jackpot! After a three week holiday in Florida I came back hardly any darker than when I left. Being a natural redhead I have fair skin and although I do eventual get a little colour it takes ages. Since my mum had a melanoma removed a few years ago I am super paranoid about slapping on sun cream. Also, my tutor at beauty college drilled into us how much damage the sun can do to your skin and how quickly it ages you. For these reasons, even when I am in the sun I wear a higher factor. The problem is, like everyone, I feel so much better when I have a bit of colour. I do love a spray tan but I prefer home products so that I can keep my tan looking consistent. The only problem is home tans can be really difficult to apply without looking awful. I trained with Fake Bake for my spray tanning and so far their products have been my favourite, but this beats them hands down. On the plane on the way back from Florida I saw a product advertised in The Duty Free mag. I asked the stewardess about it and she said she uses it and swears by it so I thought I’d take a punt. Tanorganic Self Tan oil It is a dry oil so it massages straight into your skin and doesnt leave your skin feeling greasy or sticky. It’s completly organic made with some of my favourite oils such as Annatto, Argan, Beetroot extract, chamomile, coconut and Aloe Vera aswell s many more. http://www.tanorganic.com/uk/ingredients/ It also contains no parabens and is great for your skin. I applied it two days ago and I am so pleased with the results. It is easy to rub in and It leaves a beautiful, natural looking tan. Everyone that I have seen has assumed it is my holiday tan (secrets of of the bag now 😛) It has left my skin feeling great and it doesn’t have that fake tan smell. It is sold on Amazon or in Holland and Barrett and costs £24.99. Although, if you are jetting abroad keep an eye out at Duty Free as I paid £20. To read more about Tanorganic click the link below www.tanorganic.com Being a fairly new Blogger and really excited about my new product I didn’t think to take a before picture before I slapped it on. I am going to do a review on a few different tans over the next couple weeks and will include before and after pictures in that, including Tanorganic.
Quick Breakie Salad
Time : under 10 minutes 3 slices of smoked bacon 3 eggs I red chilli (optional) Cherry tomatoes Spring onion 1) Remove all the fat from the bacon and grill it. 2) Scramble the eggs (no milk or butter) I find making it in the microwave the easiest. 3) Cut the chilli, cherry tomatoes and spring onion. 4) Cut the cooked bacon into slices and mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper 0 syns on Slimming World When I make this breakfast I have to make double because the kids absolutly love it! If you give this a go, let me know what you think. Sharing is caring….we all need a bit of inspiration when it comes to quick meals so please share on your social media Love K Xxx https://modernmumdotnet.wpcomstaging.com/2016/04/24/fighting-the-mummy-lbs/
Modern Mum
The Alternative Christmas Dinner
Every year I say I will buy a few Turkeys to rear on the farm for Christmas dinner and every October I realise I have left it too late!
So then, every October /November I spend loads of time researching the best place to buy one. Marks and Spencers? Sainsburys? The local butcher or farm shop? Then I spend my monthly mortgage payment on a premium, amazing bird to feed my fifteen guests.
Now, here is the crazy bit….every year we all have the same conversation just after Christmas… ‘I am not a lover of Turkey’ ‘It is a very dry meat’ ‘It’s tradition though..’ ‘I prefer chicken all day long’
In fact, the only thing that Turkey offers our house at Christmas, which we can not sacrifice is Turkey sandwiches in the evening (which a medium crown will suffice). I have made an executive decision and will NOT be cooking a turkey for our Christmas dinner.
We have taken a few animals to slaughter over the last few weeks so we have a freezer full of beef, lamb and pork. The cuts of meat we have would be worth a fortune if we had to buy them at a butchers. So this year I am going to cook a Beef Wellington and a leg of lamb for our lunch.
This got me thinking about alternative Christmas Dinners and what other things families serve up for their grub.
I asked a few fellow bloggers and it seems quite a few people are not too fussed on our traditional Turkey. Here are some suggestions for something different.
Sophie:
‘We go for Ham. There is no waste and we actually enjoy it. Noone in our family really likes turkey so always a bit of a waste!’
Ayse:
‘We don’t eat meat so last year I made salmon. I wasn’t too fussed about it and this year we’re just having everything but the meat!’
Kelly:
‘We are having the Lamb stack from Lidl, as none of us are too fond of Turkey. I will be making stuffed butternut squash for the vegetarian quest and getting a small Turkey crown for my Grandparents, as that would be dangerous grounds if I didn’t !’
Louise:
‘We’re vegetarian and my Mum has always made a mushroom strudel and we’ve carried on the tradition! With all the usual trimmings of course.’
Victoria:
‘I find turkey quite bland so we usually have lamb or salmon.’
Emma:
‘A lovely plump goose and all that tasty skin 😍😍 ‘
Jessica:
‘We are eating out at a restaurant this year so my parents have chosen to have a Chateaubriand. As they said by the time Christmas comes your normally board of turkey ! ‘
Lauren:
‘We are vegetarian so we normally have a mushroom wellington or nut roast 😊’
Elizabeth:
‘My partner doesn’t enjoy Turkey so always has a lamb shank for his Christmas dinner. ‘
www.whererootsandwingsentwine.com
Eva:
‘Nut roast – as I’m vegetarian Husband isn’t but it became now our family tradition at Christmas.’
Stevie:
‘My stepdad is Indian, one year we had a curry!’
Georgina:
‘Quorn family roast and spinach and feta tart is what my family had growing up! ‘
Victoria:
‘Hubby and kids will have chicken breasts (hubby’s choice), but I’m veggie so I’ll just have extra stuffing or a nut roast. We never cook a turkey here! ‘
Sarah:
‘If we was in charge of Christmas dinner I imagine I would cook chicken, I can’t stand turkey but everyone seems to enjoy a nice roast chicken! ‘
Siobhan:
‘A lot of our family don’t like traditional roasts, so our tradition is to have a big Irish cooked breakfast on Xmas morning, then party food and snacky bits during the day as everyone pops in and out, then in the evening, a couple of different joints of meat in warm rolls – yum!’ www.passthewineplease.blog
Samantha:
‘We’re not really into turkey so we always have our fave roast dinner meat – a chicken! We also get a big ham or beef joint too. 😊’
Cat:
‘We do normally have turkey but on a couple of occasions we have gone for a rib of beef instead. One of our guests this year hates turkey so I think I will cook a rib of beef again.’
Kimberly:
‘We have a ham every year as hardly any of us like turkey. This year there are lots of us so there will be a goose too ‘
Wendy:
‘One year I did – IKEA meatballs, sticky chipolatas, fries, loganberry jam, sautéed red cabbage and Daim bar cake – all from the IKEA food shop for less than £20 – it was everyones favourite Christmas! 🙂 ‘
Kati:
‘If I make a Christmas dinner it has to be apple-stuffed duck roast! I find turkey too bland and lean and if I’m going to go all-out, I might as well make it a cardiac arrest on a plate’
www.howtorockatparenting.wordpress.com
Clare:
‘My husband hates turkey he thinks it’s too bland so we compromise with a 3 bird roast normally. We had goose one year and it was so fatty and a pain in the bum to cook we just stick to a 3 bird. I’m not telling him your having beef Wellington though that would be his preference!!’
www.freddiesmummyuk.wordpress.com
Michelle:
‘For a few years, we did a Mexican Xmas Day. Sombreros, Mexican decorations, games and Mexican food/Drink obv. Easier to get food from the supermarket in the rush and loads of fun! ‘
Helen:
‘We have had steak, chips & peppercorn sauce for the past 5 years and love it! So chilled out and no peeling veg! ‘
Jo:
‘I’m a vegetarian, so we don’t have turkey 😉 I make a savoury crumble instead, with loads of veg and cheesy crumble topping, and serve it with roast potatoes. Even my meat eating husband enjoys it!’
Liberty:
‘We always do something different. We are half south African and it sounds crazy but last year was brilliant, the lads went out to do the meat – a side of beef stuffed and rolled in foil on the fire (BBQ or braai as we’d call it) in the middle of a UK winter. They loved it and the kids too especially afterwards when we turned it in to bonfire. We added roasted vegetables and potatoes dauphinois to the meal which we’d done in the oven. All in all very little fuss and plenty of fun. ‘
www.libertyonthelighterside.com
Lynette:
‘We will be having chicken or lamb. I haven’t had a turkey Christmas dinner for about 20 years. I don’t really like turkey and I definitely don’t trust myself to cook it well. I know it would end up like the one in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’
Charlotte:
‘One year we decided to have Christmas dinner out and I had roast pigeon! It was actually amazing and a welcomed change!’
Kelly:
‘We often have beef and I have a friend who lets everyone choose and so the kids pick fish fingers!’
Victoria:
‘We have a buffet with lots of elements from Spanish cuisine to reflect the Other Half’s heritage. ‘
Sally:
‘Goose, pheasant, duck we’ve had them all as my family have never been huge turkey fans’
Natalie:
‘My cousin does turkey pasta because none of her family like a turkey roast. Sounds grim but she roasts the turkey, takes the meat off & turns it into a delicious pasta bake!’
Sarah:
‘We’re doing a joint of beef this year.i will miss the turkey sandwiches though!’😂
Christy:
‘This year we are having a three bird game roast – partridge, pheasant and pigeon! You may think eating pigeon is a bit weird but it’s actually a really delicate meat with a lot of flavour.’
Helen:
‘We tend to alternate, one year might be a rib of beef and a ham, other it will be a turkey. I’m not a huge fan of turkey so it’s a nice change for me. Important as I tend to be the cook!’
www.welshmumwriting.com
Recipe for perfect kids
I totally won my kids over today! Today I have been honoured with ‘ the best mum in the world ‘ and ‘absolutly amazing ‘ They have hung all their clean washing up and put it away for me, Cleaned their rooms and fed George. They had a shower without asking them, and now as i type this we are cuddling on the sofa. The secret? Well it was so simple I can’t believe it is taken me so long…… OREO COOKIE MILKSHAKE 2 x packs of oreos Half a tub of vanilla ice cream Milk added depending on how thick you like it. (just half that If you don’t have a mini tribe like me!) All wacked in the blender (sorry I didn’t get a chance to take a photo before my angels inhaled two glasses each!) Anyway….. Viola! Happy kids!!! YOUR WELCOME (she takes a bow)
Tulley Farm – Pumpkin and Spookfest
If you live in the South East and have not heard of Tulleys Farm and their Shocktoberfest you must be living under a rock. I last went three years ago and have heard through the grapevine it has only got better.
I could not wait to take the kids this half term.
As usual, nothing in our house goes to plan and after getting the household ready, I ran into a small problem on departure….a flat tyre.
But, living on a farm has its perks and we usually have a back up vehicle of some description.
On this occasion it was our trusty Landrover Defender that came to our rescue. So, an hour later than planned, we were on our way. Tulleys Farm is a seasonal family event venue in Sussex, between London and Brighton, close to Crawley and East Grinstead. So much is put into each event that it never fails to excite throughout each season. Drawing inspiration from the huge halloween industry in America, the Pick Your Own Farm began developing Tulleys Halloween events in around 2002. It has since grown from visitors of 3,500 to the mega 60,000 it is welcoming now, over the Halloween period .
As a result of its phenomenal success, they have attracted some of the best Scare Experts in the business.
By day they run a fantastic family spooky experience and by night it becomes a terrifying fright fest that, quite franky, my bladder can no longer handle!
Last time I visited at night I spent most of the evening with my face burried in Mikes back!
For a fiesty lad #georgethemenace (my two year old) is scared of everything… Spiders, clowns, masks, people dressed up and anything small that moves.
As much as I enjoy the cuddles his terror brings, I knew this year it was best to leave him behind.
Also, as much as Tulleys has catered well for buggies, as us parents know, mud and prams make hard work.
Luckily my mum and dad were around and agreed to watch the two smaller boys for me.
Tulleys Farm is made up of a few different rides/experiences.
My kids favourite everytime we visit is the Horrid Hayride.
This is a tractor ride through a creepy woods where the aim of the game is to make the kids scream (and laugh).
I’m going to be careful not to give to much away because the element of suprise and unknown is half the fun.
I will say, unlike the evening experience, the actors are much tamer during the day so that it doesnt traumatise the children……too much 😜
During the day we visited all the main attractions.
We visitied Dirty Gerty and The Witches in The Woods.
We tried to find all the ghosts in the Cornmaze. Which, FYI, is a perfect opportunity to loose the kids for half an hour.
The Twisted Fun House, which even tripped me out slightly when I realised six little faces were relying on me to escape.
The more I tried to find the exit, the more we were faced with psychedelic clowns!
The Creepy Cottage was the ride that my older children found the scariest. Negotiating your way around a derelict cottage scattered with terrifying props
Inbetween all the rides are food stalls serving donuts, jacket potatoes, burgers, chicken, hogroasts and coffee….plenty of coffee everywhere!
The Pumkin Patch is really something to behold and you can buy them aswell as other great Halloween merchandise at the Farm Store.
As you walk around Tulleys there is plenty more entertainment scattered around. Spooky theatre, street theatre, puppet shows and a pertrifying play area, there is so much to do we nearly ran out of time! There really is nothing like this around. It is such a brilliant concept and the planning that goes into it and the volume of visitors speaks for itself.
There are a few days left…….take a visit. Tulleys Farm is a seasonal attraction and I am definatly visiting at Christmas.
Tulleys Farm have also introduced an attraction called Escape Rooms. I’ve been checking it out online and it seems a team of you are locked in a room and the only way to escape is by solving a series of puzzles. I can’t wait to give that a go
I would love to hear your opinions if you have visited.
For more information on prices and opening times, take a look at
Tulleys Farm gave me entrance tickets in return for this review. However, all my opinions are entirely honest and without influence.
