Summer Fun - Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Summer holidays undoubtedly mean long, fun-packed days out with my family, making the maximum out of the "no school, no work" joy of them.

And last weekend was no exception.

It was my nephew's ninth birthday on Saturday, and he decided that he wanted to go to Blackpool for the day with as many of his cousins as he could muster together.

Fantastic choice

He decided that our only destination for the day was to be... 

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Now I haven't been to Blackpool for a whole lot of years myself and I know that my eight year old has certainly never been inside of the Pleasure Beach before - not ever.

And boy was he excited about his first time there.

We just about managed to arrive at the gates without him totally combusting from sheer giddy energy, and found ourselves approaching the gates in record fast speed.

There was just no stopping him

By a stroke of miraculous luck, I was given - yes given - four wrist bands by the fantastic Pleasure Beach people - *excited squeal* - which were labelled as VIP bands no less.

They certainly helped to start our day off amazingly that's for sure because by having them, it meant that we were led straight past the hundreds of queuing people, right up to the ticket desk only to then be ushered directly to the main entrance.

No queue required

! Happy Days !

We did encounter a filthy look (or ten) thrown in our direction at this point, but my-oh-my, it was so worth it just to avoid that long wait.

And if you ever want to see two kiddies strut around feeling very important with themselves - give them an official VIP status.

The boys l-o-v-e-d showing there's off all day long.

The Blackpool weather was amazing for us and we hurried straight over to Nickelodeon Land for a few ease-us-in-gently kiddie type rides.

This is not to say that the adults didn't enjoy them too  - the small (ish) roller-coaster in this area - Nickelodeon Streak - still managed to have me all apprehensively worried whilst we waited to go on.

I'm such a wimp

But it was brilliant, and I survived it, and even wanted to go on it again.

But - as you may have already guessed - my love for the huge thrill rides is no more.

Years ago I tackled The Big One and would have jumped on everything - with a little persuasion - but nope, not these days.

My eight year old totally took over from me though - the kid was just fearless and went on absolutely everything, including:

~ Avalanche

~ Steeple Chase

~ Valhalla

~ even The Big One

(much to my horror/terror/upset!)

Such a daredevil isn't he.

It was soon lunchtime (yep - all of this happened before lunch!) and we grabbed a table and enjoyed a quick rest whilst ordering hotdogs and some donuts from one of the conviniently placed food stands dotted all around the park.

We were quickly on our way again though, only this time the kiddies enjoyed a few of the more age appropriate rides on offer, such as:

~ The Carosel

~ Wallace and Gromit's Thrill-O-Matic

~ Alice In Wonderland 

...because some of the "bigger kids" wanted to dive onto the more heart-pounding-loose-your-stomach kind of rides, like:

~ Infusion

~ Revolution (erm - how high...!?!!)

Then, after an amazingly fun and exhausting nine hours of rides, thrills, laughs and screams we, very tiredly, crawled back into the car and began our journey home.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach certainly made a lasting impact on my little man anyway - the first thing he said then next day was -

"Wow - I can't believe I went on The Big One!"

- accompanied with a huge, beaming grin and excited chatter, which lasted for hours...and hours...and hours...

Pleasure Beach - Thank You - I'm sure we'll be seeing you again - very soon

*tickets very kindly gifted to us. Thoughts, photos and experiences are all true and are all my own

Back To The Healthiness...

I have to say, I really do love the six weeks holidays...well five and a half in my case this year...because not only does it mean time off of work (and who doesn't love that!) but I also have the opportunity to get out there are do some fantastic things with my son.

Enjoy some fantastic quality time together.

And I love it.

Whether it's a day at the seaside, a trip to the cinema or even just a scooter-ride around the corner to the local park, it's great to just have the time to be able to do things together.

Don't get me wrong, it does get a tad expensive though, so we often take a picnic with us, to not only cut costs a little, but to also make sure there are enough of the things we like on hand.

In my case, this means that I have lots of the "right" foods with me to try to ease the temptation the yummy things on a cafe menu may present to me.

And I really need to avoid doing this because, yep, I did it - I totally bit the bullet last night and went back to my slimming group to get weighed.

And oh boy has the weight started to creep back on.

So that's it now - healthy snacks a go.

And my first port of call in the healthy snack department is always the fruit bowl - I mean it doesn't get much healthier than fruit now does it.

My bag is always guaranteed to have at least one piece of the stuff hidden inside of it, especially when I'm in "the zone".

It also makes a great lunch, all chopped up into a fruit salad and dusted with a little sweetener for when I fancy something a little lighter - and particular when the sun is beating down.

Very refreshing.

It is even better when topped with a Quark and sweetener mixture for a healthy fruit and "cream" dessert.

(this is one of my favourites)

Low calorie jelly also works for me as a great "I need sweet things and I need them now" alternative at times too.

Oh, and another thing I have discovered that I love, especially on my Weetabix in a morning is almond milk - unsweetened of course - it adds a slight nuttiness to the cereal which just stops it being so boring.

Even though I do still drink cows milk (skimmed of course!) and have no problem with diary myself, the non-dairy almond alternative is great for people who do...and it is really low in calories.

Perfect

On the particular healthy eating plan that I follow at the moment, I don't really have a need to eat copias amounts of protein - I have done in the past, but not at the moment.

However this doesn't mean that protein isn't used in my house - because it is - a lot.

The Hubby is also "back on it" with the healthiness and his training has kicked up a notch again, which naturally means his protein intake has increased as a result and he's now constantly searching out the newest and best products he can use to help him train better but I suppose it keeps him busy and out from under my feet.

So this morning...and most mornings actually - oh, and some post-training evenings too...my house can often be found to smell of yummy pancakes, slowly cooking away.

It is torture.

But the pancakes in question aren't any old, run-of-the-mill kind of a pancake - oh no - they are a really protein packed kind of a pancake which The Hubby just loves.

And although I don't really eat them myself, I am still very appreciative at just how yum they are...

And how very tempting they can be too...

Ingredients

~ Half a Cup of unsweetened almond milk

~ 1 scoop protein powder (a chocolate or strawberry one go down well in this house)

~ Half of a small banana

~ 3/4 tbsp cinnamon (if desired)

~ Two egg whites

~ Fry Light Cooking Spray (so the pancakes don't stick to the pan!)

Directions:

~ Put the banana into a dish and mash

~ Whisk the egg whites 

~ Add the cinnamon, banana and protein powder to the eggs and mix together

~ Slowly stir in the almond milk - the full amount may not be needed

~ Cook as you would a "normal" pancakes - in a pan on medium heat

~ They only take about five minutes until ready

~Top with anything - banana, strawberry and a sprinkling of sweetener work well in my house

(plus they are healthy too!)

And that's it - easy, healthy and really filling.

Makes me wish I was off pumping the iron at the gym regularly now too...

*sponsored post - however, all thoughts, situations, photographs and cookery skills are ALL my own

Barbie Pink Talons Straight From Korea

You may have seen that I bought my very first Korean beauty products a little while ago.

I know a lot of other lovely bloggers who have invested in tonnes of the fancy Korean stuff - mentioning no names at all here - but my teeny, cheap collection has began with just a few - four to be exact - very cute and lovely packaged nail polishes from L.vida.

I've introduced you to the purple one (see here) in a little bit of detail before, so now it's time for me to use, and show off of course, the amazingly bright and amazingly girlie pink bottle

So here we are, introducing...

~ Barbie Pink ~

How fab of a name is that!

If I'm honest, I think it was that - the name - that totally drew me in and forced me to buy this bottle in the end.

I spent enough time umm'ing and arrr'ing as to whether I really needed another pink nail polish...which actually, I didn't at all...

But then reason set in and made me realise that I don't actually own a pink which is as bright as this one - so naturally this solved my problem in an instant...

* clicks "add to basket" *

What?

I really didn't have one like this...!

And it is such a lovely, lovely colour - very typically "Barbie Pink".

It applied to my nails easily too - evenly with no mess at all, and it was a really nice consistency - not too thick or too watery.

What did surprise me a little bit - in a good way - was the speed that it dried in - this pleased me no end because I really hate having to wait around for polish to dry.

You can guarantee that I will always end up knocking it or smudging it if I have to wait around too long which totally ruins a lovely set of nails.

Annoying

After two coats of polish, with a little "drying break" in between, I was left with these mega bright, vibrant talons.

I love them.

Really shiny and girly - just fab.

I think I may even be ready to branch out and start to invest in even more Korean loveliness now that I'm so happy with the nail stuff.

Eeek

Someone come and hide my bank card - quickly...Please & Thanks...

"Tonight Matthew, I'm Going To Be...Queen Guinevere..."

I know a few of my blogging lovelies have been waiting for this post for quite a while now.

 Well ladies, here it is...

! The Queen Guinevere Post !

Now I've always loved a good excuse for a bit of a fancy dress day, not that I've really had all that many really, but, despite always moaning and groaning at having to think up a costume and then actually find a half decent one - one that other guests won't already have - I do actually really love a good fancy dress party.

So when Jokers' Masquerade (see here) asked if I wanted to give one of their costumes a try...well...why on earth not!?

I mean, so what if I don't have a fancy dress party coming up anytime soon, and so what if I don't really need a costume at the moment - at least now if a party invite does happen to unexpectedly land at my door in the near future I'll already be fully ready and fully prepared.

And failing that - well - there is always Halloween coming up.

I can always be "that" Mum for the evening...the really embarrassing Mum who accompanies her son whilst he goes trick-or-treating...

Only this year I could double the blow by insisting on going all dressed up in my new frock, trailing him around looking like Guinevere.

It's really not cruel at all...

...it's not...

...well, maybe is is a little bit...

But anyway, as I said, fancy dress parties are no strange thing to me at all.

In recent years I've rolled up to parties dressed as...

...a Moulin Rouge Lady

...a Vampire (yep I did recycle the Moulin costume for this one)

...and She-Ra

I'm sure there have been others along the way too, but these are the only ones I found picture evidence for.

(Thankfully!!)

But now, with this new, very well packaged costume in my possession...

...I can be transformed into -

QUEEN GUINEVERE

And don't I look proud about it too.

I have to say, I actually really did love putting this costume on and having a bit of a shimmy around the house...and the garden wearing it.

Who cares what the neighbours think anyway eh.

The costume is made from a swishy kind of velvety-velour, light green material which has a white netting for the arms and then a softer feel net, in a golden colour, for the waist sash - which is all ready and pre-tied
(thank goodness).

There is also a detachable golden cape which attaches to the dress just near the shoulders with little bits of velcro.

Even The Husband commented on how good quality it was, and if he noticed then it must have looked good.

The finishing touches were the little gem broaches and the crown (all plastic) which just finished the regal, medieval Queen look off perfectly.

* s i g h *

I really did love wearing this - a whole lot more than I should be admitting to really.

This was a size LARGE which was a 10-12 and it fit me slightly loosely - so I'm assuming the sizing is fairly generous - but it was just my kind of a fit - I really hate feeling all restricted and uncomfortably tight in anything, let alone in a fancy dress costume.

I wore it with bare feet too...as I pranced and danced about...the skirt was perhaps a little long, but again, this suited me just fine.

I thought the trailing-around-on-the-floor effect just added to the overall Princessy-ness of the costume.

And I really did feel like a proper Princess...errr...Queen...wearing it.

Awww - fancy dress party? Anyone...?

*costume sent for me to enjoy for free. All words and pictures are my own

#cosmeticsfairychallenge

I'm sure I'm not the only person out there who can't seem to say no to a bargain.

I love a really good deal and like to think I'm getting my money's worth for the things that I'm buying.

I was contacted by the lovely people at Cosmetics Fairy - such a fab name don't ya think - (find them here) and was challenged by them to buy as much as I could from their site with as close to a £10 limit as I could.

Now even bargain-hunter-me knows that you are usually hard pushed to buy a whole lot of things - especially lippies and face stuff - for only a tenner.

But I was certainly up for the challenge.

Slightly more eager than I should admit really, I logged onto the website and fell a little bit in love with what I was seeing if I'm honest.

There were brands galore, and all on offer at a fraction of their usual retail price - happy days!

I'm thinking the packaging of the products may be from older stock ranges though - but I mean really, who's bothered about that?

Especially if you can add a Bourjois lipstick to your shopping bag for just 80p...I actually love the packaging of this lipstick too - it has a teeny little circular mirror on the bottom of it - which is verrrryyy useful.

So, after my little shopping frenzy, this is what I had delivered to my door - in really fast time too.

So much stuff.

We have numerous Bourjois bits (my fav and first port of call) including a cute eyeshadow-mirror-brush compact, a lipstick in "Brun élégant", a fab bright red "sweet kiss" lipstick and a no-chip dark grey nail polish.

There were a few Constance Carroll powder compacts thrown in as well - I was amazed at the size of the natural glow powder - it's bloomin' huge - and just 99p.

I also picked up a mini palette of really bright eyeshadows to try out and a lovely emerald green Maybelline one

Oh and three - yes three pinky/purple lip glosses - a Sally Hansen one, a L'oréal one and one from Maybelline

~ W o w ~

Didn't I do well

The total of this little lot came to an amazing £11.20 - which is just unbelievable.

I know my order was slightly over the £10 budget given, but because Cosmetics Fairy offer free UK p&p (they do ship worldwide too) on all orders over £10 then I'd still qualify for this too.

Which is brilliant - I hate feeling all elated at making a huge saving on something only to then have to add a big whack of the saving back on just to cover delivery.

Urgh

It's so off putting.

But there's no worries about that over here - free delivery suits me just fine.

So it would seem that it has been proven by Cosmetics Fairy that you really can get a lot of "stuff" for your cash...

...including five branded lip products...

Oh this does make me smile

*items sent for free to use and review - thoughts and photos - all my own

Lee Stafford Hair Saviours

! Y A Y !

It's the first day of the summer holidays for me and the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I am sat in the garden topping up my (non-existent) tan.

~ B e a u t i f u l ~

However, what wasn't so beautiful was the fact that my oh-so-loving Hubby woke me up far too early on his way out to work this morning, rifling through all of my hair products until he found what he was after - something I thought I had hidden quite well from him too may I add - and then proceeded to spray it very lavishly, and quite loudly all over his mop of hair.

P F F f f f f t t

Now don't get me wrong - I'll gladly share my things - I'm not a total meanie - but both of the boys in my house have fairly long, quite wild hair and have now both decided that they absolutely love the smell of, and love the way that certain new products of mine hold their hair in place...therefore my love for them isn't getting a look in.

And the products that have us all fighting are these fab Lee Stafford hair sprays that I so happily found in my goody bag from the Blog Yorkshire meet I recently attended (here).

Both products are infused with Argan Oil all the way from Morocco and they have a really lovely, totally un-product like scent.

They're great, and very kindly, my boys have left the can of Anti-Frizz Serum Spray alone really.

I'm obviously allowed to use this one all on my own (Thanks boys!), which is just as well really because I absolutely love it.

The scent is great, and actually quite Moroccan (if that can be a scent) and it sprays on in a lovely fine mist but the effect it has on my hair is just fantastic.

I went to a party last weekend and fully straightened my almost-waist-length for the first time in ages.

(I'm getting really lazy and tend to just leave it naturally wavy more these days.)

I was a little worried about the humidity on the night though because my hair tends to just grow the hotter a room is, and it will expand outwards and upwards until it resembles cotton wool.

How beautiful.

!!!

But I shouldn't have worried at all.

All night - and even the day after through comments on photographs that were taken - my hair received so many compliments due to how shiny and healthy-looking it was.

I was amazed and certainly owe that all to this little red can of fabulousness.

Thank you Lee Stafford - I will be keeping this all for my very own.

The product I am seemingly having to share though, however reluctantly, is this can of Flexible Hold Hairspray.

Again, this applies in a really pleasant "Moroccan" smelling, very fine mist yet it holds fantastically, with no stickiness or yackiness at all.

I found that on my hair, probably because I only used a small amount, the hold was very natural and it didn't affect my hair's usual movement or feel in any way...which I was very pleased about.

On my son's hair however, the hold was a lot firmer - still natural with no stiffness - but noticeably firmer - maybe because I used quite a lot more on him than I did my own hair.

I never really used product on his hair before, but he has reached an age now (stop growing up so quickly!!) where he wants to have a hair style that fits in with all of his friends - gone is his long, curly "Harry One D" style hair do (sob!) - he now wants a shorter style - with a "quiff".

And a very specific kind of a quiff too, one which has to be hair sprayed and gelled just to make sure it stays put all day.

He really does hate the smell of hairspray usually too, which makes styling his hair a bit of a chore.

I think he has adopted this Lee Stafford one for himself because of this - it holds his hair in place just how he likes it and it smells really nice and very un-hairspray like too.

Fab.

The hairspray has an eight year old fan.

The Hubby, as explained from this mornings episode, lathers the stuff on and just loves the fact that it keeps his long, usually unruly hair in one place all day.

He is also a fan of the fact that it has helped to stop his natural curls "fluffing up" during the day - which I informed him was to do with the Argan Oil within it.

~ Cue blank stare and an "eh" from Hubby at this point... ~

Anyway, whether they understand the formula and the magic behind the products or not, it seems I now have new competition over getting my hands on things in my home.

I really can't see these lasting all too long at all, so no doubt there will be some Lee Stafford purchases being made in the not too distant future.

Sorry again Mr Bank Balance...