Thorpe Park Anyone ?

I have to admit that I am a tiny bit excited! I have not visited Thorpe Park since I was a teenager and I am sure that it has grown beyond all belief. The children all ADORE theme parks, so this will certainly be an enjoyable family day out.
If you are looking for a fab day out during Half Term then Thorpe Park looks like a great place to visit.
We shall be going along for a visit during the Summer Holidays, and I really cannot wait. (look out for the review in August!)
The older children if left, would spend the entire day on Roller Coasters and Water rides...

If you are thinking of a visit during Half term, there are a number of offers to make your trip slightly cheaper.
If you pick up a bottle of Frijj you can take advantage of a 2 for 1 coupon when booking tickets. Check out their facebook page for more information  https://www.facebook.com/frijj

If you book tickets 7 days or more in advance you can save 30% - adults from £30.24, children from £23.52 (under 12)

Head to the http://bit.ly/17J8sYd to get 2-for-1 tickets courtesy of Coke

If travelling by train, head to South West Trains to get online discounts on entry: http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/thorpe-park-summer.aspx

Some of these really are great offers and can save you a substantial amount of money, which is an added bonus.

Rollercoasters are a rite of passage for children. Whether yours are yet to experience their first ride or have a taste for adrenaline and are looking for something exciting this summer, Thorpe Park has the thrills to cater for them.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about the theme park now acknowledged as the nation’s Thrill Capital:

• There are plenty of rides that all the family can enjoy, such as Zodiac and manic carpet ride Quantum as well as the Flying Fish
• If your kids are after something a little edgier, and if they’re 1m or taller, they can experience the thrill of the newly refurbished X, an illuminated ride through dynamic coloured lighting
• For extreme thrills, older children over 1.4m can now brave it backwards on the Swarm!
• Feel like one day isn’t enough? We now offer over-night stays at the park in our newly opened ‘Crash Pad’ accommodation from £64 per person which includes 2 days at the park and breakfast

 If you do decide to visit, why not pop back over and let us know what you thought and which is your favourite ride.

For more information visit thorpepark.com. 

We have been given tickets to Thorpe Park, in exchange for this post.

Trying to be eco friendly.

Having such a large family, I have been met with some negative comments about over populating the planet, which is very frustrating and annoying.
We do not go on long haul flights and faraway holiday destinations, most of our trips are in the UK and we certainly try not to destroy the planet!

The children have had many lessons at school about environmentally friendly living, and they discuss issues at great length in their eco clubs.

It is a worrying issue and I do encourage them to do their part in being green.

When Tyrus was little I made the decision to change to cloth nappies and wipes, I purchase food locally and only in season.

The Ethical Superstore has some excellent products that can help us all to become slightly more environmentally friendly. One dilemna I always have is when we are on holiday, having eight of us to pack for you can imagine takes a lot of skill and patience, not to mentions LOTS of suitcases/holdalls, so cloth nappies are one item that I always panic about, especially storing them and the amount of room they take up, the easiest option is to take disposables, but I am concerned about the chemicals and time it takes for them to decompose, however eco nappies provide an alternative

Renowned for their environmental benefits and their skin friendly composition eco nappies are the increasingly popular choice of disposable nappy for busy parents seeking an alternative to conventional disposables.
Much better for the environment than conventional disposables and kinder to babies' skin, they are free from chlorine, latex, perfumes or lotions and are therefore perfect for baby’s sensitive skin. Recommended for babies with eczema and other skin problems.

Made with up to 50% renewable raw materials, FSC certified cellulose derived from wood and 100% biodegradable inner fluff and backsheet film, ensuring that your little one won’t be starting life with a heavy carbon footprint.

Not only do they have eco friendly products to be used by mum, they also have some amazing toys for the children too, my favourites are

 The Horse Crocket set looks great fun, very vibrant and perfect for the summer holidays to keep the children amused.

The Recycled Pizza Parlour, the boys would adore this to play with, although I think Tyrus may actually try and eat it!!

Pregnancy Diary Week 22

This week we had our 22 week check with the midwife. My doctor's surgery appontments are only on Friday mornings, which would mean I would have to take two litle ones with me, which would be chaos, as it turns out this Friday I had all six at home ill, so that would have been a nightmare.
On Friday afternoons I give support at the Local Breastfeeding Baby Cafe, and at the same time they have a drop in antenatal clinic, it is run by the local community midwives, so it is nice to meet the entire team, each visit, hopefully one of them will be on duty when it is time for the birth.
Our 22 week check was pretty uneventful, my blood pressure was still low, hence the feeling slightly out of it on numerous occasions, but I am quite used to this as it has happened with each pregnancy.
I heard wiggly's heartbeat, which was lovely to hear, although he kept jumping around so the midwife did  have to keep following him all over my tummy!
According to the books, wiggly is now 27cm long, he is certainly an active baby and I can feel him moving all the time, every time I pick up one of the other children he protests with a sharp kick!
My maternity jeans are getting a little snug, it may be time to move up a size and a few people have said "you can't have long left!" err only another 18 weeks!!
I guess the more you have, the bigger you become...

Pregnancy and Bump Watch Week Two

Hello and welcome to week two of the Pregnancy and BumpWatch linky.

This week we had our 22 week check.

Please link up below, so that we can all read about each others journey into parenthood for the first, second, or even seventh time!!

If you could share a comment or two on others peoples posts that would be lovely xxx

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.hexmumblog.co.uk" title="Pregnancy and Bump Watch"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6EQbT6aeIERpahk25KbEfP4q-MGhFVUYMVX2buPrx7VySCYXr_pt62Co0arpCBa2poxjHi9ePTeN4eYT_LdaRz7e0k0__SfrPKhUW0eZWALmp7t83roNAZIQCSnJhv8wDQiYH3c3s5l8/s1600/pregnancy+and+bump+watch.jpg" alt="Pregnancy and Bump Watch" style="border:none;">

Family Bank Holiday Offers

As you know we love going out as a family and it's always nice to look for some good deals to save money, so here are just a few around the country to save some pennies. There is also an interesting chart at the bottom on family habits, we were involved in answering these questions, I wonder if your family are the same as us!

Image source: MoneySupermarket Travel Insurance