Comments (5)

By Little Mummy, April 17, 2009 11:56 am

The shock of the trip has settled a little, I can believe it’s happening now. The excitement is still coming in waves, but I’m a worrier so those waves are interspersed with worries, like missing my daughter and husband, I realise this sounds a bit wet but I’ll be away for a week when you include the travelling and I know it’s going to be really HARD. On a less dramatic level there are a number of smaller worries, how much money to take?, what clothes to take, purchasing new clothes, organising childcare or specifically who’ll be dropping who off and when…you know all the little bits. Then there’s the silly worries, my thighs looking big in my cozzy and what if nobody likes me, silly I know, there are seven people going at least one will like me

The plans for the trip have shifted up a gear too, we have an itenerary, which will be followed by a more detailed itenerary shortly (the itenerary looks amazing). The flights are booked and I know that I’m flying to Gatwick a week on Monday, I’ll be catching my zzzz’s at the Gatwick Hilton before flying out to Orlando on Tuesday morning.

With so much going on I figured the best thing to do today was eradicate the smaller worries (no, I haven’t had liposuction on my thighs) I headed for the shops, I’ve managed to get everything I need plus I’ve borrowed some stuff, so I’m more relaxed now. I already have dollars in the house as, by some strange coincidence, we are off on a family holiday to Orlando in June! So my plan is to ‘borrow’ (steal) some of my money for that trip in the hopes of replacing it at a later date.

I’ve begun to prepare Erin for my trip, she’s three and only been away from me for 36 hours before, so it’s a pretty big deal. I’ve basically said that Mickey Mouse has been on the phone and needs to see me before we go on holiday. Mickey needs to find out what things Erin likes and he wants to show me stuff that Erin would like. Oh, and he also has a special gift for Erin that I need to collect

I thought it was pretty ingenious, she nodded and agreed and got excited about the gift but I’m not really sure that it sunk in, I guess the reality won’t kick in until I go. I just keep telling myself that she isn’t going to an orphanage for a week, far from it, she has two days with each of the grannies and three days with Dad, and I know she’ll get spoiled, but she’s still my baby, but at least she’s getting to go in 8 weeks, and it’ll be good for her (to be away from me)….won’t it?

Comments (1)

By Little Mummy, November 29, 2008 6:23 am

I was born, and spent my early childhood in Swansea (South Wales). On a recent visit I visited two places I’ve never been before.

Swansea, Mumbles and the Gower is enjoying huge amounts of regeneration at the moment, the old Morfa Stadiwm (where I use to train) has been replaced by the shiny Liberty Stadium, home to the Ospreys and The Swans. SA1 is a swanky new dockside development akin to our own Leith area in Edinburgh, and the leisure centre which was closed because of asbetos has been replaced by LC2.

The shape and structure of LC2 is much the same as before with, almost complete glass at the pool end displaying the huge flumes and enticing everyone in. Here’s a video of of the building of LC2.

The LC2 has plenty of facilities including an indoor surfing ride, a climbing wall and kids play area. We visited the pool, which was a lot of fun, our favourites were the rubber ring flume and the dark flume which is very slim and pitch black!

Our second never-before-visited-place was the Gower Heritage Centre, it reminded me a lot of East Links which we visited this time last year, and thoroughly enjoyed. Our entrance was free as we went with family who had an annual family pass which was shockingly good value at £25! The centre includes local heritage attractions including a world war exhibit, woolen mill and traditional cider making. There was a picnic area, cafe, toy tractors to play on, an excellent play park, animals (including ducks, rabbits and guinea pigs) as well as a free puppet show. For a small fee there are various craft workshops as well as pottery (which we enjoyed, only £2.50). The heritage centre has a really authentic and friendly feel to it, a real asset to the area. We’ll definitely go back.

Comments (0)

By Little Mummy, November 15, 2008 7:31 am

We’re fortunate to have family that own a caravan near Pitlochry. Tummel Valley is a beautiful place to visit..if you don’t mind rain, it does rain a lot, but the scenery is stunning and more than makes up for the poor weather. So, what is there to do in Pilochry for toddlers?

The Queens View

Stop at The Queen’s View for breathtaking views, homemade cakes and teas and a quaint gift shop in which to spend some pocket money.

Children’s Amusements

The Children’s Amusements are just off the main high street, parking is available close by. There is an outdoor rides based park with the usual merry go rounds. Inside there are some two pence machines and a few old one arm bandits.

The Salmon Ladder

This was a bit under-whelming on the day we visited as we seemed to be out of season. On the right day though this would be a great spectacle for toddlers, the fish (apparently) jump high into the air and during migration around 5000 salmon use the ladder.

Victoria’s

We headed to this place for lunch and found it to be very child friendly. The coronation sandwich was really tasty and the children’s chicken goujons were homemade. Will definitely go back.

The Park

There is a huge park just off the main street which has a children’s play area and a very large football field, great for a kickabout.

Comments (0)

By Little Mummy, October 5, 2008 5:57 am

The title of this post should have read Loudon Castle. Let me start at the beginning…

Once upon a time there was a sunny day, in Scotland this is a rare occurrence. Mummy Bear, Daddy Bear and Baby Bear decided it would be nice to take advantage of the fine weather and jumped in the car and headed for Loudon Castle for a day of fun and frolics. Baby Bear was potty training and it wasn’t long before the call of nature, well, called. It called a lot during the (supposedly) one hour journey, in fact it was nearly into double figures! Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear remained patient and tried to support Baby bear as much as possible, unfortunately the road they were driving on (the A71) was also causing delays. There were a lot of temporary traffic lights, which made Daddy Bear angry. Eventually Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear got wise to the double stopping and combined toilet breaks with temporary traffic lights, much to the amusement of two old ladies at the bus stop. Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear were a little embarassed but decided that all Mummy Bears and Daddy Bears must allow Baby bears to relieve themselves at the side of the road when they are potty training (?).

The journey stretched on for almost two hours, and so did the toilet breaks and temporary traffic lights…

[much later]

Finally Mummy Bear spotted the sign (Daddy bear wears glasses and didn’t see the sign, it’s just as well Mummy bear was there!). Mummy Bear was worried when she read the sign ‘Open Every Weekend in September’, and was on the verge of saying some very naughty words when Daddy Bear pulled up outside the CLOSED gates and began to laugh hysterically, Mummy Bear didn’t think this was very funny at all…

[5 minutes later]

Mummy bear and Daddy bear decided to try and save the day and took a 45 minute detour and headed for Glasgow Science Centre, home of Nina and the Neurons. Mummy bear was happy that the entry fee was less than 16 gold pieces (please don’t turn up with gold pieces, this is for the benefit of the story, the actual price is £7.95 per adult, kids under three are free, thank you)for the whole family. By this time (12.30pm!! we left the house at 10am!!)Mummy bear was very hungry so they all headed for the cafe. Mummy bear, expecting to be ripped off, rummaged around for more gold coins…Daddy bear ordered the lunch. Daddy bear chose baked potato with meatballs, Mummy bear had baked potato and chicken curry, and Baby bear had a packed lunch. Mummy bear was astonished to find that the lunch only cost 11 gold pieces, this made Mummy bear very very happy.

After lunch they all went to explore the Science Centre, Mummy Bear, Daddy Bear and Baby Bear enjoyed the experiments and exhibits and said they would like to return one day, when Baby Bear was a bit older (and not potty training, so that then they might actually spend longer than two and a half minutes away from the toilets).

Mummy Bear and Baby Bear fell asleep in the car on the way home. It had been a very very long day. Daddy Bear took them both home and they all lived happilyish ever after.

The End

Photo by flickr user raymccrae

Comments (2)

By Little Mummy, October 2, 2008 8:53 am

I recently suggested a budget conscious day out in the centre of Edinburgh, today I have another value combo once again right in the centre of Edinburgh (around two minutes walk from the Royal Mile).
The National Museum of Scotland is on Chambers Street, unfortunately we visited with only an hour or so to spare. Even so we visited the bottom floor which houses interactive displays such as a reaction board thingy, em, you know, you hit the buttons as they light up and see how slow/fast your reactions are. Other highlights included a full size F1 car which simulated a race and Dolly the Sheep (stuffed and encased). Other floors travel through time with various Scottish artefacts, we definitely need to make a return visit to explore the rest of the floors.

We found the National Museum child friendly but not particularly pram friendly, leave the pram if possible. There is a cafe and gift shop. Admission to the museum is FREE.

Cross the road and you’ll find Vittoria’s, a smart affordable italian restaurant with a good reputation. The decor was really stylish, airy and child friendly (crayons and paper provided!) we all felt immediately relaxed. The lunch menu offers pasta dishes at £5.50 and other options range from £5-£7. We enjoyed spaghetti carbonara and burger & chips, both very tasty but the highlight was the £2.95 portion of garlic bread, unlike the usual 2/3 piece portion you usually receive we were wide eyed as a basket of what looked like a loaf’s worth arrived, a nice touch which costs the restaurant very little but left us with a generous impression. As an extra special treat we enjoyed some real italian ice-cream and coffee. The green apple sorbet and pistachio ice cream are worth a try, perhaps not together though!

Photo by flickr user hapticflapjack

Comments (1)

By Little Mummy, September 27, 2008 1:11 am

Visiting Edinburgh with a preschooler? The Museum of Childhood is a FREE (please consider making a small donation if possible) attraction on Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile, easy to overlook it’s placed about half way down. Spread over several floors the glass cases house antique toys, teddies and dolls. There are toys that young children will enjoy playing with including a dolls house and homemade fishing game along with several interactive exhibits. There is a small gift shop at the entrance/exit.

Enjoy a couple of hours here before heading to Monster Mash (5 minutes walk) for old-fashioned meals in an authentic setting. Served on your granny’s old dinner plates the speciality is sausages, mash and gravy served in several different flavours. Also on the menu, various pies, fish and haggis. Most main courses come in at under £6.

For a budget conscious day out in the heart of Edinburgh this combo is difficult to beat!

Photo by flickr user notcub

Comments (3)

By Little Mummy, March 30, 2008 10:06 am

We’ve been busy enjoying a nine day break from work. We’ve been out on a few days out, a weekend to a caravan near pitlochry and I’ve had some mixed results on the poker table (more on that later).

Last week we decided to head to the Time Capsule in Coatbridge. I’d been there a few times when I was younger and remembered it being a lot of fun. Erin has only recently begun showing an interest in ’splashies’ aka swimming, so we thought it would be a good idea to go and check it out.

The prices were really reasonable, under £5 for us all to swim (I really mean bob and splash), and an extra £1.80 for soft play. Unfortunately the flumes were closed which was a little disappointing, although Erin proved herself to be a daredevil on the rather large (and steep) children’s slide, or perhaps is was an over protective parents view that the slide was “large” and “steep”.

It was a cheap day out, after stopping for lunch the whole day cost under £20.

Comments (5)

By Little Mummy, December 19, 2007 2:17 pm

On Sunday we had arguably our best day out of 2007. Considering this year we’ve been to Edinburgh Zoo, Centre Parcs, Deep Sea World, Edinburgh’s Winter Wonderland (a close second?), The Botanic Gardens, The Ceramic Centre, Gorgie Farm, The Modern Art and Dean Galleries, not to mention our fair share of soft plays this is high praise indeed.

I loved the rough and readiness, it’s basically a petting farm with attractions such as a small passenger train, karting, playgrounds, soft play etc… It sits at the edge of Dunbar amongst “real” “working” farms which gives it a certain authenticity, as my mother in law pointed out it lacked some basic health and safety(nothing dangerous), however, for me, this only added to its appeal. I’m fed up of the commercialism of some attractions, not mentioning any names….cough…Edinburgh Zoo…cough, what you saw was what you got and that was good clean fun in a beautiful and spacious outdoor setting and value for money. Alex and I paid £7.50 each, Erin was free, which beats both the Zoo and Deep Sea World on price, by 25%. We visited specifically for Santa and the reindeer, Santa was great, welcoming, cheery and generous with both his gifts and time, and the reindeer were great too. We plan to revisit East Links next summer when we know that we’ll easily get a full day’s entertainment, in fact, next time we’ll be utilising their ample picnicking area as the only minus point was the cafe which, although serving nice food was a little on the small side, but then again, I wouldn’t want it any larger because thats when it loses it non-commercial appeal!

Visit East Links you won’t be disappointed

So if East Links was our best day out of 2007, which was our worst? Probably Edinburgh Zoo, click above to read the rather scathing review!!

Entered into Scribbit’s ‘My Favourite Day’ write-away contest.
Photo by flickr user Martin Burns

Comments (11)

By Little Mummy, November 8, 2007 11:48 am

Last christmas we suggested experience vouchers for Erin as a good alternative to toys. We were lucky enough to receive vouchers for a ceramic experience, which was great, and vouchers for Edinburgh Zoo. Erin gets into Edinburgh Zoo for free so we spent the vouchers in the shop, we bought pyjamas, a noah’s ark and animals (which she loves), a book and some sweeties.

Alex and I paid around £10 ($20) each for entry to the zoo. I’m still undecided as to how much I really enjoyed it. Erin was pretty miserable due to teething, so it’s difficult to know how much she enjoyed it.

My first issue was the price, although not extortionate, I felt it was certainly on the expensive side. There were two ticket prices – one which included a ‘donation’ to the zoo and its endeavours and one without. These multiple streams of income appeared around the park, certain areas were sponsored like the lion enclosure which was sponsored by a national newspaper, an education centre that could be privately hired, individual animals sponsored by generous members of the public, not to mention the several gift shops and refreshment areas. Oh…and £2.50 ($5) for parking.

The seemingly constant need to raise funds from here there and everywhere got me to thinking about the business model behind these animal attractions (we were at Deep Sea World where we witnessed some of the same issues). The attraction has to purchase or at least transport the animals to the enclosure, many times from aboad, continually feed and house the animals for the duration of their lives, not to mention medicinal costs too. That’s a lot of food, vet and staff, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whether visitors come or not. Think about it. It’s not surprising that we hear of zoo closures semi-regularly.

The result of these obvious cash restraints is that several areas of the park appeared tired and outdated, in need of upgrading. The animals looked as well looked after as wild animals can, many of which displayed symptoms of their incarceration. Pacing, lack of energy and rocking back and forth made for uncomfortable viewing. I’m pretty indifferent about animals, I don’t exactly love them but I certainly wish them no harm, but for the first time I really questioned whether these ‘attractions’ are really ethical. In today’s society with all the entertainment on offer are these type of attractions really necessary, I witnessed flash photography in a dark house where you could view monkeys sleeping, banging on the glass to a clearly agitated panther and lots of screeching and goading in other areas too. All of this to attract the attention of the animals who quite honestly would probably rather we all p***ed off.

What are your thoughts on modern day animal attractions?