Newcastle Film and Comic Con....

On Saturday we traveled to Newcastle to the Metro Radio Arena for Newcastle Film and Comic Con....

The Film & Comic Con run by a company called Showmasters is a chance for fans of Sci-fi, fantasy films, TV shows and games to mingle, meet their heroes, pay for autographs and browse around an array of stalls selling anything from autographed photos to Highlander-style weapons....

Wow, wow, wow! We had an amazing day.....Even queuing up to get in there was people dressed up in fantastic costumes who were quite happy to pose for photos.....We didn't have to queue for long to get in....Five minutes at the most which I was really surprised about...

It was heaving and so crowded when we got in there just after 11am....A lesson learned for next time we go....There is no need to be there when it opens!!

There were hundreds of stands selling comics, autographs, posters, jewellery, cups, costumes, t-shirts......There was everything you could think of from films, TV & games such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Frozen, The Walking Dead, Minions, Minecraft, World of Warcraft, The WWE, Lord of the rings, Breaking Bad, Marvel and even Disney....

Becky and Ellie of course started with the "Can I have's " but we said we will look around first.....I'm glad we did as we saw the Minecraft swords on the first aisle for £20 then later on we saw them for £15....

My words of the day was....Oh my god and that's so cool! lol There were things there I didn't even know existed....I could have easily spent hundreds of pounds.....I think Stu could have spent thousands....lol

Every one selling on the stalls was lovely they were chatty towards the kids and answered any questions we had apart from one woman.....Grr! She was selling jewellery and lots of trinkets....We were having a good look and she had the cheek to say "can you move along, other people want to see" We were only stood there for at the most two minutes.... Other people could see her goods....I thought she was very rude.... I was shocked and just moved along....I should of said something witty back to her....Someone came behind me a few minutes later and said "don't take it personally she said it to me too"....I would love to know how many sales she lost saying that to people....I was actually going to buy a Frozen necklace for £5 from her....Her loss! 

We saw Kit from Knight Rider, Iron Man & Thor, Assassiny people and Stu's day was made having a photo with Darth Vader and a Storm Troopers....I came face to face with a Terminator as I turned a corner and nearly turned and ran....A 6ft guy dressed up as one is rather scary....There were even kids dressed up....So adorable!

 I managed to upset Ellie....She was messing about with a necklace with a ring on it....The one from Lord of the rings....I said quick put it down or the Hobbits will come for you....Her face was a picture and she was looking around for some Hobbits....We saw a group of them about 10 minutes later....She was worried....So wrong to laugh but her face....lol

We didn't end up going to any of the talks.....We just never found the time.....I don't feel like we missed out....There was enough to see without listening to a star talk....hehehe

 I have never wanted to buy swords or knives in my whole life until Saturday....There were replica weapons from the likes of The Walking Dead, Kill Bill, Game of Thrones and the famous sword from Highlander....They were so interesting to see....I felt so sorry for this poor young man....I watched him pay £120 for a copy of Michonne's sword from The Walking Dead....We got a bit further round and saw the exact same one for £60....

The girls got swords from Minecraft.....They have been warned not to hit each other with them as they are quite strong and not soft foam like we thought they were....lol

I bough The WWE's Undertaker Funko thingy....It took me at least 10 minutes to decide between him, Daryl and Rick off The Walking Dead....I think this may be the beginning of me collecting them....

Stu bought dolls....lol Assassin's Creed one's.....They were a bargain...Priced at £24.99 but he got them for £15....He's planning to keep them in it's packaging. Ellie just can't understand it....Things like that are bought to be played with....

A family ticket for this event cost £20 and it was well worth it....We will be going back next year....I think I might start saving for it now....lol We had an amazing day....A great start to the Easter holidays...

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday

Last weeks meal plan went great....We didn't end up going to TGI Fridays on Saturday....We opted for a Domino's instead....Yum!

I didn't get any shopping delivered on Saturday with being out for the day so this week we're going to try and save a bit of money by just eating what we already have in....I'm going to try and only buy milk and bread until we get the shopping delivered on Saturday....

This week on the meal plan we have:

Monday - Leftover sausage casserole....I made double yesterday!....

Tuesday - Vegetable Quarter Pounders and rice....

Wednesday - Scampi & Chips....

Thursday - Pies & peas....

Friday - Fish finger sandwiches....

Saturday - Burgers in buns....

Sunday - Roast chicken, mash and veg!

As always I've joined in with the wonderful Mrs M's #mealplanningmonday linky....

May the Force be with you! #mysundayphoto

I couldn't choose just one photo this week after being to Newcastle Film and Comic Con yesterday....I could have quite easily posted a hundred photos but I narrowed it down to two....My fellas day was made with this photo...

Project 365 - Week 13

Today is officially the first day of our Easter holidays.....We have lots planned which I am so excited about but first a photo for every day this last week....

80/365. 21st March 2015

The bruise in Becky's chin really started to come out....It's just about gone now :)

81/365. 22nd March 2015

A lazy Sunday.....

 82/365. 23rd March 2015

You can wash Mega Bloks in the washing machine.....lol A fantastic idea from my fella....They have now gone to their new home....It was sad to see them go....I've had Mega Bloks in my life for the last 10 years at least...

83/365. 24th March 2015

 Oh what a beautiful morning....

84/365. 25th March 2015

Ellie got her report from school....The main theme was that she is doing well but needs to remain focused and concentrate more....She tries her hardest when she pays attention but she is a day dreamer which gets easily distracted.... 

85/365. 26th March 2015

I love Ellie's hair when it has been in a plait....

 

86/365. 27th March 2015

Ellie had her face painted at the school's Easter Fair....Such a pretty butterfly....

Mr Tumble is coming to town!!

I first became aware of Justin Fletcher when when Becky was tiny about 10 years ago. Back in the day when he used to present Tikkabilla.....Ellie came along and she became a fan too....She loves Mr Tumble.....There is something about him isn't there?!....

Anyway next month Justin is bringing his fun‑filled show Justin & Friends: Mr Tumble’s Circus to an arena near you!! 

Justin & Friends: Mr Tumble’s Circus will bring you all the thrills and excitement of the big top in a spectacular arena show.....There will be singing, dancing and fun filled surprises for all the family.....

Joining Justin for this new show will be the fantastic Mr Tumble along with many more characters from the CBeebies programmes Gigglebiz and Something Special. I personally can't wait to see Robert The Robot and Andy Day the CBeebies presenter....

The tour starts in Cardiff on the 1st of April and visits Wembley, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and ends on 14th of April in Manchester....

We will be traveling to Newcastle to see the show and I can't wait....I don't know who's more excited. Me or the kids....hehehe

You can find more information about the show and ticket prices via the CBeebies Live! website....

In exchange for writing this post we were supplied with tickets to the Newcastle show....

Planning.....

This week my Word of the Week is....

 We have had quite a busy week....Decorating Easter eggs....Becky has a business week at school where she was off timetable for 2 days and mixed with the Year 8 & 9's....She also went to another school disco where she had lots of fun...

Before the holidays officially start I have the Easter fair at the school to help with....The joys of being on the PTA....It has taken a lot of planning but it seems like it's going to go well...I was amazed at the amount of things people donated for the tombola and the raffles....Lots of money will be raised I hope!!

Becky has a little homework project to do over the holidays....She has to read a book....Any book as long as it's over 100 pages. Write a review of each chapter, make a poster advertising it and a few other things....Ellie is trying to convince her to write about Charlotte's Web which she has been reading at school....lol but Becky wanted to do a Harry Potter book but then realised how much work would be involved....I think if she doesn't hurry up and decide on a book I will choose for her....hehehe

Tomorrow we are off to Newcastle Film and Comic Con which we are all so excited about....There's stars from TV, Film and Comics....Lots of geeky Sci-Fi stuff and I know I'm going to take hundreds of photos! I'm determined to get one or two of Kit the car off Knight Rider and the DeLorean off Back to the future....I will be sneaking off to hear a couple of Wrestlers do a talk and I think Stu will be wanting to see the Game of Thrones talk....Eek! So excited!! I have been planning everything....The time we'll leave, what bus we'll get, where' we'll eat....Everything! So there will no doubt be some irate tweets from me on Saturday when something doesn't go to plan....lol

I have planned a few days out with the kids during the holidays....I'm hoping for some nice weather but have some things planned to do in the house too in case it isn't too good.....Stu is off work next week so it should be fun....I know the kids will enjoy having him home everyday.

My Easter Egg Picks....

We've been eating Easter eggs for a few weeks now....lol I think chocolate always tastes better in egg form doesn't it....Everywhere I look lately I have been seeing Easter Eggs...

Milk Chocolate Rattle Easter Eggs - £8.95 - Chococo

Woodland friends Ollie the owl - £5.00 - Waitrose

Easter Milk Chocolate Collection - £18.75 - Green and Black's

ChokaBlok Banoffee Bonanza Giant Easter Egg - £5.00 - Tesco

James Chocolates Large Pig Easter Egg - £15.00 - John Lewis

Lindor Shell Egg - £10.99 - Lindt

You Crack Me Up Extra Thick Easter Egg - £27.00 - Hotel Chocolat

Milk Chocolate Butterfly Easter Egg - £4.00 - Thorntons

Pot Noodle Milk Chocolate Egg & Mug - £5.00 - Asda

Large Chocolate Easter Egg Decorating Kit - £19.90 - Not on The High Street

Pink Champagne truffles Easter egg - £16.95 - Chocolate Trading Company

Papier-Mâché Egg with Milk Chocolate Eggs - £4.95 - Betty's

Do you buy Easter Eggs?

Heels 4 Hearts!!

Every year more than 30,000 people in UK have an out of hospital cardiac arrest. 80% of the time happening in people’s homes....

When the heart stops beating, the chances of survival are greatly reduced with every minute that passes. However, effective and immediate CPR can help double the chance of survival in some cases.

In the UK less than 1 in 10 people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest however in Norway, where CPR is taught in secondary schools, the survival figure is as high as 1 in 4. 

Good Morning Britain launched Heels 4 Hearts a campaign to help give every secondary school pupil in the UK the opportunity to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). 

They are appealing to the public to donate unwanted and wearable shoes to British Heart Foundation shops this week which will then go towards funding CPR training kits in secondary schools and sixth form colleges across the UK.

People can donate shoes, they can be any colour and any size (they don’t have to be heels, they can be male shoes, female shoes, children’s shoes or even sports shoes from the 23rd to 28th March to one of over 700 British Heart foundation shops across the UK....

For every pair of shoes collected during this week £6.40 will be donated towards CPR kits for secondary schools and sixth form colleges....

More than 50 stars have already pledged their support and donated to the campaign including Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Tom Jones, Dame Kelly Holmes, and Arsenal's Jack Wilshire. Some of those shoes come with their own special stories. Alison Steadman has donated the cowboy boots she wore for the Islands in the stream barn dance scene in Gavin and Stacey.

They can be found on the British Heart Foundation part of eBay.... 

How we clean Mega Bloks....

Mega Bloks are awkward things to clean....We have been putting off cleaning them for ages but Ellie has sadly grown out of them and Stu my fella has offered them to our friend for her little boy.....Ellie is more into Lego now so was fine about it....Phew!

Stu came up with a great idea on how to clean them......I admit I didn't think it was a great idea at the time....I even tweeted about it....

 I was worried....More for how the washer would take it than the Mega Bloks....

He decided to wrap them in a duvet cover to protect them and the washer a little and add a bit of washing up liquid and put them on a cold wash....It was a loud 20 minutes....

It's probably not advised or recommended to wash them like this but it actually worked, no damage was done to the washing machine or the blocks and it was hassle free.....Well apart from when we had to take them out the washer and some were still full of water....

We gave them a shake and rushed outside with them and hung the duvet cover on the washing line with the blocks still inside....It was a lovely sunny afternoon and they dried in no time....

So now we have 2 squeaky clean bags of Mega Bloks ready to go to their new home....

Blue (Da Ba Dee)....lol #wickedwednesdays

This appeared on my Timehop earlier on in the week....This is what happens when I made the mistake of thinking she was still asleep and I tried to have a lie in....I think it's make up but knowing her it could have been pen....I can't remember....lol

Trespass Wonder Girls Waterproof Jacket - Review!

At the end of August we bought Ellie a new coat for the start of the new school year and since then she has grown so much that the coat is starting to get a bit snug on her.....When I was given the chance to review a Wonder Girls Waterproof Jacket from Trespass I was rather pleased and so was Ellie....

Photo Source

 We're used to rubbish weather up here in Northumberland....So a good coat is a must. It has to be waterproof, have a hood and be comfortable....This coat ticked all of those boxes and more. With it being a sorbet/pink colour that was just a bonus....

When I opened the packaging and got the coat out I could tell it was a fantastic quality coat....The outer material is waterproof and according to the website waterproof to 3000mm!! The inside is very soft with a fleece lining and features coldheat technology which traps and stores body heat throughout the day.....

The hood is detachable. It has press studs and is easy to attach and detach and also has a fleece lining.....When the hood is up there is velcro to attach it to the collar which is a fantastic feature....With Ellie's other coats the hoods always seem to blow down in the wind. This won't be happening now.

I ordered the coat in a size 9 to 10. Ellie is in a size 8 to 9 at the moment but I like to buy clothes to grow into.....It is a little long in the arms but that isn't a problem at all because the elasticated cuffs help it to fit.

Ellie has worn this jacket to school and everyone seems very impressed with it.....She is especially. It keeps her warm especially on a morning when we are walking to school. We have yet to try it out in the rain. Stupid weather. Why does it never rain when you want it to but going by the look and feel of the jacket I can't see us having any problems at all.

The Wonder Girls Waterproof Jacket costs £31.99 reduced from £49.99 which I think is a fantastic price. It is great quality and I can see it still being in fantastic condition well after Ellie has grown out of it.

We were sent the Trespass Wonder Girls Waterproof Jacket free of charge to try....This is my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
 

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday

Last weeks meal plan was a huge success! Everything was eaten at least by the kids....My fella and I really fancied another Domino's so on Friday night we stuffed ourselves with Pizza while the kids had the Tuna Pasta Bake...They choose that over pizza....hehehe

I did the weekly shop on Friday and the meal planning at the same time while it was a glorious sunshiny day....I am hoping this week has some nice weather too as everything I planned has more of a summery feel to it....

This week on the meal plan we have:

Monday - Chicken salad....

Tuesday - Easy Fried Rice....

Wednesday - Quiche and salad....

Thursday - Meatball goulash....

Friday - Fish and chips....

Saturday - We're out for the day so will probably have something while we're out. I'm quite fancying TGI Fridays....

Sunday - Sausage casserole and mash!

As always I've joined in with the wonderful Mrs M's #mealplanningmonday linky....

Silent Sunday...

Project 365 - Week 12

Week 12 already! Eek! This year is going to quickly.....This last week whizzed over but I managed to take plenty of photos!

73/365. 14th March 2015

My Saturday night treats...

74/365. 15th March 2015

A lovely note from Ellie on Mothers Day...

75/365. 16th March 2015

Becky had her cookery lesson at school.....Apple cake this time....It was very tasty indeed.

76/365. 17th March 2015

Some fantastic goodies I won from the lovely Natalie who blogs at JBIL....The manicure & pedicure set is fantastic and my fella has been using the face brush....lol 

77/365. 18th March 2015

Becky & her sore chin.....She tripped on the way home from school....She's fine now but has a massive bruise...

78/365. 19th March 2015

Ellie modelling her new coat that we were sent to review...

 

79/365. 20th March 2015

My effort at capturing the eclipse....There was a bit too much cloud to see much...

A quick week....

My Word of the Week this week is.... 

This week seems to have gone so quickly.....I haven't been overly busy it just seems to have happened so fast....It's all been a bit of a blur....We haven't done much but have been keeping ourselves busy.....

The weekend happened far too quickily.....On Saturday we treated ourselves to a Domino's which was very quick in arriving and we quickly ate it....Probably they best Pizza I have ever eaten.....I am quite tempted to order another for tomorrow night....Easter eggs were bought and quickly eaten and Sunday was a blink and you missed it type day!....I had a lovely Mothers day. I had some lovely cards and presents and was spoilt rotten.....

On Tuesday we got around to trying out the Kano kit.....Wow! I am very impressed....Ellie quickly made it and then Becky took over and quickly got the hang of using it.....

On Wednesday Becky came in from school crying....Closely followed by a strange woman....She had tripped over the curb at the top of our street and cut her chin.....A lovely lady had went to her aid, checked she was ok, gave her some tissue and made sure she got home OK....It was so kind of her and said she wanted to make herself known in case I was worried about a stranger giving my girl a tissue and helping her up.....It's terrible the world we live in now that someone does a good deed but has to explain their selves just in case....

She was fine after a few cuddles and it was just a bad graze....She even managed a smile....I wrote her a note to excuse her from dancing yesterday because her leg was sore too....Bless her but she'll live...hehehe

It made me feel so bad that I wasn't there for Becky when she fell but I have to let her grow up and find her own way in the world which is so hard....She is growing up so quickly....

This whole year is going so quickly.....One more week at school then it is the Easter holidays which we have a lot of plans for.....I have a feeling next week won't go as quickly though....I have a feeling it will drag as next weekend we are going to Newcastle's Film & Comic Con....I am so excited!!

Kano - We're up and running - Review!!

Last week I introduced Kano....Our kit arrived on Friday and we were going to give it a try over the weekend but time just ran away with us so after school this week we got it out, put it together and learned some of the basics!

"A computer and coding kit for all ages, all over the world. Simple as Lego, powered by Pi. Make games, learn code, create the future"

The Kano kit comes with everything you need to build a fully functioning PC....A compact computer board called Raspberry Pi, a wireless keyboard with trackpad, speaker, HDMI and USB cables, USB Wi-Fi dongle, a memory card, power plug, clear case, plus stencils and stickers.

Ellie decided she would be putting the computer together.....I was a bit dubious whether she would manage it or not....She read the instruction book herself and was telling me how to do it....The instructions are in a story form, with plenty of pictures and was perfect for her to understand and fun to read....

Everything slotted together easily....There was no need for screws.....Ellie is 7 years old and had no problems....The only bit I helped with was putting the speaker wire into the pins on the board....It was a little fiddly for her to do....I was quite amazed it was so easy! In fact I have had a harder job putting some Lego sets together in the past.....

We didn't need any additional help to get Kano up and running but if you do their website has answers for just about every problem you could encounter!

It only took us about 10 minutes to put together and then came the moment of truth....Powering it up! As you can see it worked....We saw saw lines of code appear on the TV followed by "Hello! I'm KANO. Thanks for bringing me to life. What should I call you?" We felt a great sense of accomplishment....

 This is where Becky stepped in....She loves computers more than she loves me, I'm sure....lol When Kano started up it went through a few loading screens which were very amusing and talked you through setting up the the Kano. There was some fun touches....Are you a Boy, Girl or Wizard? That amused me....There was of course some updates to do which you come to expect these days.....

If I wasn't reviewing this product I could have quite happily left Becky to use it herself.....When starting it gives you a quick walk through the basics and it all looks bright, colourful and perfect for little people.....

There are a few games apps on the Kano desktop  Snake, Pong, and Minecraft....They are there to give you an introduction to the basics....Becky being a the huge Minecraft fan she is was keen to get onto that part of Kano....Within minutes she was writing codes and very impressed with herself....

During the setup you can make an online account where you are able to share your creations and see how many tasks you have completed and lines of codes you have written...It also means I can keep an eye on what the girls are doing when they are using the Kano....

We have only explored such a small part of what the Kano has to offer and I will be back to report on what we have been doing in a couple of weeks....

The Kano is a great introduction to computing and I think I will probably learn a lot from it....Becky has learned things already in the short time she has used it....This is such a great product and I know it is going to get a lot of use....

Kano kits cost £119.99 (including Free shipping) which might seem a lot but I think it is worth it for the use and amusement you can get from it. It is educational and fun and the possibilities with it are endless....

We were sent a Kano Kit free of charge to try....This is our honest review.....All thoughts and opinions are of course our own...