The latest luminarium, called Katena, developed by the talented Nottingham based Architects of Air is currently showing at the Wheee! festival at Nottingham University’s Lakeside Arts Centre until Sunday 5 June.
If you haven’t paid a visit to it yet I urge you to get yourself down there (it is very easy to get to with a tram stop just outside).
I described the luminarium to the boys as like the inside of a bouncy castle as they were really small last time we visited one and couldn’t remember.
They absolute loved it, whatever, and were both soothed and invigorated by the colours and shapes. It was almost tardis like how big it feels inside as it doesn’t look so vacuous from the outside.
It costs just £4 each for entrance – tickets need to be purchased from the Lakeside box office before queuing. You leave your shoes in the cupboard provided before leaving the wild behind! Once in you can relax and take in the calm and soothing atmosphere or explore and enjoy the ambience.
If you aren’t close by to Nottingham, Katena and other luminariums are touring the world – you can check out where they are here.
Have you visited a luminarium before? What did you think?
Last night we learnt how to #wrap burritos @barburritouk #nottingham #healthy #takeaway #fresh
Burritos remind me of the nicest kind of festival food – they are the perfect antidote to greasy burgers; filling, nutritious and delicious.
King Street in Nottingham City Centre is home to Bar Burrito, the brainchild of Morgan and Paul, is a healthy alternative to fast food offering a delicious range of snacks and meal offerings. We were invited along to try their range and learn how to make our own burritos!
First into the burrito, once it has been lightly toasted on the pan, is rice! There is a choice of white rice enhanced with coriander and lime or brown rice (with a secret blend of herbs and spices). Next up you have the choice of two types of beans depending upon how spicy you like your food. Although I usually like quite spicy things, I preferred the milder beans as they were definitely the tastiest. You can then load your burrito with onions and peppers, a choice of salsa (from the mild ‘Pico de Gallo’ to the eye-watering ‘Mule Driver’ ), meat – either shredded beef, steak, chargrilled chicken or slow cooked pork (all of which were divine!), cheese and sour cream. Depending on the filling you choose a burrito costs around £6.00 so a very reasonable price for such a quality meal.
Here is our how to wrap a burrito video…
If you prefer to skip the wrap there are also burrito bowls including everything but! You can also purchase delicious tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole (which is freshly made every day and tastes amazing!). There is also a selection of Mexican beers on offer and soft drinks.
The boys are big burrito fans and I can’t wait to visit Bar Burrito with them in the summer holidays. They will love trying all the delicious flavours and I don’t have to worry about filling their little bodies full of rubbish as it is all fresh and good for them.
Bar Burrito originated in Manchester but there are many restaurants opening across the UK including Leeds, Liverpool and of course London. We would definitely recommend Bar Burrito if you are fans of this type of cuisine!
Disclosure: we were invited along to Masterclass with no obligation to write this post.
The next half term is on the horizon even though it doesn’t feel that long since the kids went back to school after Easter – hurrah!
I love the school holidays especially now I am doing teacher training and actually appreciating the break even more. It is so lovely to spend time with my own children and enjoy them. There is nothing like appreciating your own children when you spend most of the day with other peoples’ (lovely as they are!).
If you are in the Nottingham area over half term week, you lucky people have a brilliant opportunity for family fun on the doorstep with the Wheee! Family Festival at Lakeside, including the free family weekend.
The week long event hosts the world premier of Architects of Air‘s Arboria. Their amazing creations are great fun for all ages and something different from the usual!
There are also some great productions on for children and their families, showing at Lakeside Arts, including;
Catapluf’s Musical Journey providing musical fun for children aged 5-7 (preceeding this is a musical workshop)
HOP dance show about the bond between and father and son (tickets for this include a dance workshop)
STATik, a comedy mime show fun of chaos and craziness for children aged 5+.
Little Angel Theatre free exhibition showing handmade puppets and props (and you can make your own finger puppets).
I am actually really excited to hear that there is something happening quite close to us at Papplewick Pumping Station bringing to life Victorian Nottinghamshire in a fun and educational theatrical performance A Crack in Time.
On Saturday we took Noah and three friends to the cinema. It should have been four friends but one couldn’t make it and then his brother was ill so we were a few less than expected.
We took them to Cineworld at the Cornerhouse in Nottingham to see Big Hero 6 in 3D which was on the Movies for Juniors weekend special. I think they had all seen the film but not in 3D!
Before leaving the house we made up our own pick and mix from a selection of packet sweets I had bought at the supermarket. This is a great money saving tip and the kids loved it. There are also loads of sweets left over for us next time we go to the cinema or have a movie night at home!
I prebooked the tickets online but didn’t really need to as the cinema wasn’t busy. They cost around £20 for all of us. Anyway the kids were mesmerised for the whole of the film and so were the adults! I have never seen Big Hero 6 all the way through as although we received it as a Bafta films before Christmas I have only seen small chunks of it myself! So it was a brilliant excuse to enjoy the film without any interruptions! We parked in Trinity Square carpark where, if you make sure your ticket is put in the special machine at the cinema, you can get 4 hours parking for just £3 saving £3.50!
Noah’s favourite treat at the moment is McDonalds which I know isn’t the best but as a one off treat is pretty fab! So we drove to one near our house to continue the celebrations! For less that £20 we all ate and the kids happily chatted about the film and their food and whatever was going through their minds at that moment!
I always think birthday cake is a bit of a waste for kid’s parties as it usually ends up trodden into the back of the car in preference of the other party bag treats (or maybe that is just us!). So in the spirit of lazy parenting I preordered over the phone a giant cookie from Millie’s for £14.99 which was ready for 10 am. That went down very well!
I have been really busy with the teaching course and couldnt face a big party this year (and Noah wasn’t fussed about one either), so this option worked well and I can honestly say it is the least stress free birthday celebration we have had!
The fun contined back at our house and when the parents came to collect their little ones it was a pleasure to say they had all been complete stars!
Do you have any tips to share for a great birthday celebration!?
Julia Donaldson books are a huge part of the boys’ life as they are for many children. They are a fantastic introduction to books and reading for children – engaging stories, clever rhyming and I love the positive messages in the subtext.
The Snail and the Whale is secretly my favourite JD book, and it is currently on the stage produced by Tall Stories.
Suitable for children aged 4-9 years, and their families, we went to see it at Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham.
Lakeside Arts Centre, situated within the main Nottingham University campus is a great day out for all the family. As well as the theatre, and the top quality programme it offers, is an art gallery, cafe and stacks of outdoor space including a boating lake and playground. We are really excited about their Art Investigator packs, designed for 7-12 year olds which are free to borrow and give children the opportunity to access the exhibits on display and support independent learning. They are also available for school groups. Also available are Lakeside Outdoor Investigators which sound just up our street now the warmer weather is on its way.
Before the show we joined “The Best of Julia” workshop which gave children the opportunity to be the star in their favorite Julia Donaldson book. Here is Noah as the frog in Room on the Broom.
Now, back to the show! The story is about a snail (with an itchy foot) that hitches a ride around the world on the tail of a humpbacked whale. On stage you see a naval father and his adventurous daughter tell the tale through their eyes.
With the use of imaginative stage props, the performance of the three actors on stage is energetic and captivating. The music accompaniment, by live electric violin, creates a haunting atmosphere at times but this is balanced with light hearted warmth, audience interaction and humour.
Check out this clip taken from the show’s website..
Here are the dates for their upcoming shows in April 2005:
7-8 The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon 9-10 The Gatehouse, Stafford 11-12 The Octagon, Yeovil 14-15 The Berry Theatre, Hedge End 18-19 The Arnhem Gallery, Croydon 20-21 The Courtyard Theatre, Hereford 23-24 The Corn Exchange, Kings Lynn 25-26 Jacksons Lane, London
They are also at Jacksons Lane, London from Saturday 5th December 2015 to Sunday 3rd January 2016. Tickets are selling very fast so don’t miss out!
Disclosure: we received a complimentary family ticket in return for writing this post but it is all our own unbiased views.
What better way to spend a Saturday morning than catching up with friends whilst the kids are entertained by Dennis and Gnasher!? Especially if it involves meeting said heroes and having faces painted as Joker from Batman and a pirate!
The new play area at the Brewers Fayre at Castlewood just off the M1 at junction 28 has just reopened with a Beano theme and looks amazing.
This is no ordinary Brewers Fayre, and it is no ordinary play centre either! Designed for children under 10 years of age the quality equipment has all the similarities of the usual soft play centre. There is also a table football for older children and huge red and black beanbags for kids to chill out on. The centre also holds different themed craft mornings for preschoolers making it a fab place to meet up with friends.
As well as the play equipment are 24 seats for dining meaning that families and friends can order food, drinks and snacks from the regular Brewers Fayre menu and be able to eat and enjoy your food whilst the kids play. I remember very well when eating out with very young children that they are prone to wander about between courses which they can do freely here without you worrying they are annoying others or might get lost. The food menu also gives the average soft play barn a run for its money for value, choice and quality.
The kids enjoyed Spagetti Beano-ease, The Menace burger and Cod Bites and the adults tucked into delicious Fish and Chips with garden peas, Smothered Chicken, Quiche and jacket potato and Chicken Tikka Masala.
There are plans afoot to update around 40 Brewers Fayre pubs across the country which I think is a fab idea.
It does cost £3 for each walking child to enter the play area (they receive a wrist band to identify themselves) which is great value for a play centre but to have the quality and choice of Brewers Fayre food and drinks at your disposal makes this a worthwhile price to pay.
Castlewood also has an outdoor play area which will be great in the Summer. We will definitely be back again!
In the interests of wearing the children out we have been having lots of outdoor fun!
This includes the Skytrail at Holme Pierrepont Country Park, which was great fun. We had a fabulous time at Go Ape and though this is slightly different it is still fabulous and you get a similar adrenalin rush when you are back on terra firma!
Now Noah has just started riding his bike without stabilisers so he was keen to go on a bike ride so we took the boy’s bikes to our favourite forest, Sherwood Pines, They coerced me into hiring a bike and we decided to do the “Family Trail” (specificed as Easy). We have done this before when they were younger and in a buggy which my bike pulled. This was however the first time for them and definitely the longest bike ride either had ever done. Noah did amazingly well. His little bike doesn’t have gears so the hills were a struggle but he had a brilliant time. I even managed to get a few snaps of them enjoying themselves.
Watching a Christmas film is almost guaranteed to get you in the festive mood so when we were invited along to watch Nativity 3: Dude where’s my donkey? at Cineworld in Nottingham, we were very excited.
Nottingham’s Cineworld is housed in the Cornerhouse, the entertainment mecca of the city with restaurants, bars, comedy club and adventure golf as well as the 14 screen cinema. The seats are comfortable and spacious and the staff are really friendly and helpful making the whole experience relaxed and enjoyable.
Now Christmas films can be pretty naff and if I am honest I went with pretty low expectations to see this film. We haven’t seen Nativity 1 and 2 so didn’t know what to expect and you can be completely forgiven for thinking that by the time it had got to number 3 the idea would have been a bit overdiluted. In the opening scenes, however, we were all giggling and although reality had to be suspended throughout we had a really lovely time getting carried away with the magic and fun.
The story takes place at St Bernadette’s where an Ofsted inspector is due, Archie the donkey is creating havoc and Mr Poppy is choreographing a flash mob. Starring Martin Clunes as Mr Shepherd who, due to an unfortunate accident with said donkey, suffers amnesia rending him unable to remember who he is, who is daughter is or that he promised her that would marry his fiance, played by Catherine Tate in New York. Along with the silliness, singing, crazy dancing and really quite far fetched pure bonkerness (made up word but applies to this film) are some great shots of London and particularly New York (and lots of my favourite building The Chrysler!).
We would definitely recommend Nativity 3 as a great family film for fun quality family time and lots and lots of laughing!
Children’s tickets start from £5.90 (or £1.50 for weekend Movies for Juniors) and go up to £9.50 for an adult peak time film. There are plenty of refrehments on offer to purchase and of course lots of restaurants to choose from to make the occasion even more special.
Thank you so much to Sara and all the brilliant time at Cineworld Nottingham for a lovely afternoon!
Disclaimer: we received complimentary tickets to the viewing but our views are completely unbiased and our own.
Last week we were in Nottingham after a morning at the university’s Summer Scientist thingy that we have been going to for the last three years. I was feeling brave so suggested going to the art gallery (Nottingham Contemporary) for a look around. This was met with frowns of “booorinng” and “do we have to…” but I was resolute and stuck to my guns. I so am going to have cultured children!
Anyway we got there and all good I mouthed “family bit” to the lady on the front desk and was directed to a large room in the basement, conveniently situated next to the loos and cafe.
On the stairs we passed a child carrying a lifesize paper cut out of herself. Wow the boys wavering interest was now piqued. This did look fun!
We were met by the lovely staff who explained the activity was to cut out a shape of yourself on the rolls of paper then decorate it in the style of the Italian artist, Carol Rama whose work was exhibiting upstairs. There were photocopied and stickers of eyes, eyelashes, nails, newspaper cutouts and crayons available to make a collage or drawing on your “shape”.
Noah chose a pose of him outstretched on the paper and got on with decorating this in his usual no nonsense manner. He finished his quite quickly and had a fabulous time trying in different hats and wigs on a nearby stand.
Ethan took a lot longer cutting out pictures, drawing and sticking onto his curled up shape that he wanted to produce.
We also had to write a “big question” onto our creation. One of those questions that there may not be an answer for or just something wE have wondered for a while and not found the answer”
As we have about 1001 “big questions” asked every day (usually when I’m trying to navigate myself through somewhere following sat nav on a crazy journey) this wasn’t a problem!
Noah wanted to know “what happens if soneone is standing there when the sun sets?” – love this one he thinks they would be set on fire.
Ethan’s was ” which is the biggest police station in the world?” As he is still police, emergency, fire etc obsessed.
It was a lovely, fun, relaxed session and great to see the kids getting creative. It is brilliant that there are lots of great family friendly activities such as this on for children to embrace.
What do you think? Are art galleries a place fir children?
As a Center Parcs family blogger we were invited to try a weekend at one of their parks. We have been to Sherwood Forest a couple of times before (if only for the divine Aqua Sana!) and knew without doubt this was the one we wanted to revisit. It is only around 30 minutes from us but feels like a million miles away.
We love an inset (or insect as our 5yo calls them) day and having two together with a weekend sandwiched in the middle, in glorious June was a treat too good to miss. Isn’t it great when the stars collide like this and things just fall into place!?
Forests are a magical place and there is certainly something in the air at Sherwood Forest that just makes you feel so relaxed you can literally hear your muscles breathe a sigh of relief and your cares and stresses float away. I just love it!
Our accommodation was in a three bedroomed Woodland Lodge situated on the edge of the park. Previously when we have visited we have been closer to the water and had incredibly tame ducks and geese visiting us so it was a lovely change to have more of a woodland position with squirrel and rabbit visitors! One friendly squirrel even took a little visit into our open patio doors. I hasten to add this was when the kids were out (it kept a safe distance until things were a little quieter without them!).
The lodge itself was stylish, comfortable and practical. We had one double and two twin bedrooms with wardrobe storage space and very comfortable beds. There was one bathroom with shower and a fully equipped kitchen including dishwasher and microwave. We particularly loved the huge chalk board in the living area and the relaxing corner sofa in the lounge area.
Obviously a holiday at Center Parcs isn’t just about chilling out in the lodge. There are stacks of activities to try and places to explore. It is the perfect place to try out something you have never done before and have some fun as a family away from the day to day distractions.
Outside of the changeover days (Friday and Monday) cars must be parked in the main car park and are permitted from driving around the park making it a safe place to ride bikes and walk around without the noise and rush of every day life. This has to be one of my favourite things about Center Parcs!
We don’t often go on family bike rides so our Center Parcs break provided the perfect opportunity to try out this “first”. I have to say it was brilliant and we loved zipping about on the bikes. The boys were very security conscious and loved locking up their “wheels”.
You can see from our video at the top of this blog post we had a brilliant time trying out some of the activities! There are so many to choose from and when the boys are a bit older we will have even more choice!
Junior Quad Bikes – this is for 6-11 year olds and offers a fully supervised opportunity to fulfil any dreams of riding a real quad bike. Perfect for an adventure loving child!
Segways – these are suitable for 12+ and great fun. It is surprisingly easy to get the hang of the technique and a lovely way to explore the park.
Aqua jet skis – these took place in a separate pool away from the main Swimming Paradise and are aimed at 3-7 year olds. Great fun and thoroughly recommended for any water baby!
Climbing Wall – this 20ft indoor wall was located in the sports hall. I can’t help singing “Spiderman, Spiderman does whatever a spider can..” when I watch it.
As well as the activities that are available Center Parcs have some brilliant adventure parks for children of all ages. They are largely made from natural materials and so fit in with the ambience and are a great place to hang out.
Yet another highlight of our holiday was a family meal (along with my sister and niece!) to Rajinda Pradesh, the delicious Indian Restaurant in the village.
The boys do enjoy Indian food that I cook but it is clearly not in the same league as that from a restaurant. Rajinda Pradesh offer a kids banquet consisting of starter of onion bahji or chicken tikka, a main of korma or tikka massala with rice and naan bread and dessert. It was the perfect introduction to restaurant food for little ones. They loved it!
The adults too had a delicious meal (with cocktails!) and it was a brilliant way to unwind and have family fun without the washing up afterwards! I particuarly enjoyed my deconstructed lemon meringue pie. Yummy!
To top off an amazing family weekend Noah won a sweetie hamper from the Treats shops for a colouring competition – well done Noah!
Thank you so much to Lizzie at Center Parcs, all the Shiny Red Team and Tots 100 for giving us this awesome opportunity to have a fabulous weekend.
Disclosure: We were chosen as Center Parcs Family Bloggers. If you would like to join the team, click here for more details of the monthly challenges.
The next half term is on the horizon even though it doesn’t feel that long since the kids went back to school after Easter – hurrah!
There are plans afoot to update around 40 Brewers Fayre pubs across the country which I think is a fab idea.
mygorgeousboys 