Pregnancy is a time of profound transformation, where every decision a mother makes has the potential to shape her child’s future. Expectant mothers often focus on proper nutrition and prenatal care, meticulously planning for their baby's arrival. However, the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are frequently overlooked, clouded by misinformation and stigma.

I have agreed to host the following guest article as I have previously worked with teenagers and young adults left forever with the effects of alcohol in pregnancy, including Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. The article is written by a US author and contains US spellings. It delves into the complexities of maternal alcohol use, shedding light on the far-reaching consequences that extend beyond birth. 

In all the time I've collected the #tbcsmiles I haven't missed a month until last month. I have already apologised, and I really was very much grieving my Mum, and dealing with her funeral and all of the other things that need to be sorted when someone dies. My head was far too full, I didn't want to have to turn on my laptop and I just wanted to be left in peace. I guess it happens to all of us at times, and I'm glad I was able to tell myself to stop, and rest. 

I've spent a lot of time sitting in the garden staring at insects, and it's allowed me to think, and wonder, and remember a time when all of those around me now weren't there, and a cheekily-grinning and innocent little girl was.

For anyone who didn't know why I collect my smiles, it is because they are incredibly precious, but so often we let them slip by unnoticed, or forgotten. It's easy to count how many times you cried last month, but how many times did you laugh? We need to remember these times equally. They remind us we can be a success, we can make people's day a bit brighter, we can make other people laugh too. They are the reason we are here. When you strip everything back, all any of us ever really want is to be happy. Start counting the happy times, and revel in your own success with an extra grin. 

It's Summer! Well, it feels like it just now anyway, and the UK is promised a heatwave this weekend, which has given everyone something to talk about, even if some of us aren't as excited as others (I'm not built for hot weather!). It'll also mean lots of playing outdoors, getting together with friends and relatives, and hopefully a lot of smiles.

We've had a few bonfires, a trip to the cinema and a birthday, but mostly spent the last month continuing to sort and pack, take stuff to the tip and send it away with other people who want it or can use it. We never seem to get anywhere close to actually finishing! I guess a surprise move after 15 years and 7 kids really does mean you have no choice but to go through all of that stuff you have been putting off for far too long. 

For us it's meant the rediscovery of tons of treasure, and a million memories. Going through all of the kid's old toys takes you back in a way photographs never can. It doesn't give you a snapshot, it releases all of the stories and the moments. The times things went wrong, or right, the conversations and debates, birthdays and holidays. The daft things they said, pet names and misheard sentences. The precious reminders that make something costing pennies into something so valuable that you can never imagine letting it go.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 12th, 13th and 14th January 2022

UK Daily Statistics:
Cases: 15,066,395 (+99,652 - which is well down on last week's 178,250. Hurrah!)
In Hospital Yesterday Thursday 13th January: 19,539 (up from 18,454 a week earlier - so although it's still rising, it's definitely slowing).
Using A Ventilator Yesterday: 777
Losses of Life: 151,612 (+270)
Tests: 1,413,468
Vaccinations 1st Dose: 52,051,876 (90.5% of UK aged 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd Dose: 47,836,785 (83.2%)
Boosted: 36,191,724 (62.9%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,061,116 cases and 6,035 losses of life.

World: 321,737,292 reported cases and 5,542,202 losses of life.

"It’s deeply regrettable that this took place at a time of national mourning and number 10 has apologised to the palace.”
Prime Minister's spokesperson.
(Bit late that love, and sadly lacking...)

Boris Johnson has admitted to (and apologised for) going to the first revealed Downing Street party at his house, which he presumably had a hand in authorising, and possibly organising.
He says he had no idea it was a party. 40-50 people turning up at the same time and carrying alcohol just didn't give it away. What, were you expecting cards and presents? Pin the tail on the donkey? Pass the parcel?
A hard zero for observation and extrapolation there Boris... and only a 3 for lying (like a 7 year old).
Boris claims the oops-was-that-a-party was arranged to thank staff for their hard work  - which just indicates the sad state of employment in the UK, as they had to bring their own booze to their own thank you party. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 13th August 2021

The UK added 32,700 cases today and now has reported a total of 6,211,868 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 813,378 tests yesterday.

The counter says 47,215,352 people (89.3% of UK adults) had been given at least one dose of a vaccine in the UK by midnight last night. 40,206,029 (76%) people had received 2 doses.

5,875 people were in hospital on Thursday 12th August, with 882 people using a ventilator.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 100 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days, making a total of 130,801 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 320,915 (+1,978) cases and 5,059 losses of life.

There have now been a total of 206,613,680 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 4,353,844. Already 185,388,795 people have been reported to have had COVID and recovered.

"The first doses of COVID19 vaccines donated to COVAX by the UK are set to land in Zambia and the DRC today! 3 million AstraZeneca doses will be delivered to 11 African countries in the coming days; the first of 80 million pledged to COVAX in total."
GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance
The UK have pledged 80 million doses by the end of June 2022. The countries due to receive vaccines this week are: Zambia - 119,200
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - 51,840
Malawi - 119,040
Senegal - 140,160
Egypt - 299,680
Uganda - 299,520
And in the next few days/weeks Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria will finalise arrangements for deliveries.

The UK Government have today sent an Emergency Medical Team to Tunisia to help tackle their Covid-19 crisis. Cases have surged there over July, and although it has eased over the past week or so, hospitals are full.
"The team includes nine doctors, nurses and logistics experts, from the UK, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Italy. The medical experts specialise in emergency medicine and infection, prevention and control, as well as humanitarian healthcare. They will provide clinical supervision and support to Tunisian healthcare services and are expected to deploy for up to twelve weeks."
Tunisia's population is under 12 million people, and they are reporting around 3,000 cases a day at the moment. 

Good as his word, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid did ask the Competitions & Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate the price and quality of private COVID tests.
"There are 3 areas that the CMA is currently exploring:
- Whether individual PCR providers may be breaching their obligations under consumer law and should be subject to enforcement action.
- Whether there are structural problems in the market for PCR tests, affecting price or reliability.
- Whether there are any immediate actions that the Government could take in the meantime."

Up until July 30th the USA has recorded a total of 4,404 cases of Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in children who have COVID.
60% of cases were in boys, and 37 of the children have died.

This weekend the UK has the Edinburgh Fringe, cricket at Lords, and the return of football league matches. People will start travelling and gathering, and as a result it's inevitable we'll see more cases.
We are all a bit more relaxed. We're all mixing more. We're all quite rightly enjoying the Summer. But it will have a cost. What that cost will be is really anyone's guess.
At the moment we are far, far below the highest modelling scenarios. We are well below the mid-range modelling scenarios. It IS going really well, and a lot of people around the world are acting in response and removing restrictions on their vaccinated populations.
But it still has a vague hint of something not being quite right, and very few people are entirely confident that we won't see a marked increase once schools go back and that Summer sunshine disappears behind a cloud. Fingers, as ever, crossed. 

In the USA we are seeing a potential disaster emerge. Atlanta, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and even New York are struggling to curb cases.  Hospitals are really feeling the pressure, with many full, and temporary tents outside at least two hospitals in Texas.
The UK NHS started out with far less beds, but managed to stretch to accommodate tens of thousands of COVID patients. America's health system simply isn't so integrated. I honestly don't know how well their bed capacity can be adapted, how easily they can transfer patients, and how that works in a private healthcare system. I would hate to think anyone could end up dying for lack of a bed, because someone else paid for a private room, but realistically it must be happening. 

Why is the USA falling over because of Delta, but the UK doesn't seem to be? A few of you have asked. It really is likely to be a combination of things, and it's impossible to say which is having the biggest effect.
- Prior infection. Millions of people in both countries have already had COVID, and potentially at least 20%ish each, but it's impossible to have any exact figure. It could easily be around 30% or more in the UK, and that could make a big difference.
- Hospital 'surge' capacity may be smaller in the USA, or barely exist - see above. When your hospital is full, it's full.
- Vaccination rates in the USA are currently a little lower than they are in the UK.
Age 18+
USA = 1 dose 71.5% / 2 doses 61.3%
UK = 1 dose 89.3%/ 2 doses 75.7%
The USA vaccinate people aged 12+ though, so as a proportion of the entire population:
USA = 1 dose 59.2% /2 doses 50.4%
UK = 1 dose 70.4% / 2 doses 59.8%
- Some studies do suggest being fully vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine offers better protection against Delta Variant than the posh, expensive mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna). Often when given a choice, people take the expensive option, assuming it'll be better. The more traditional vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Janssen have received some bad press in the USA, so take up has been very, very low, whereas in the UK,  around half the vaccinated people have had AstraZeneca - including most of our workers, the people out there day after day mixing.
- The USA is really diverse. Their averages vary massively from state to state, whether it be cases, losses of life, vaccinations, population density, use of restrictions to curb cases etc. For example, Mississippi has administered just 76,000 doses per 100,000 people, compared to Vermont's 137,000 per 100,000. Some states had ditched restrictions months ago, some still have them. It will make a big difference. The whole UK on the other hand was in restrictions, or only just slowly relaxing restrictions, when Delta emerged.
- Political pressure. One main party is refusing to see COVID as a threat, the other is refusing not to. It just doesn't work like that. COVID honestly doesn't have political affiliation. If you have lots of cases and full hospitals, smiling and saying "vaccines will save us" isn't what a Governor should be doing. Likewise if you don't have many cases, restrictions are unpopular at best. 

Today's indieSAGE offered some hope to Northern Ireland, which is seeing a real rise in cases at the moment. Their positivity rate is going down, meaning they are catching more of the hidden cases that are there anyway, and the increase isn't actually so stark - and hopefully it's getting under some control.
The ONS Infection Survey results (where they randomly test thousands of people to see if they test positive) show that bouncing up and down that we've seen in case numbers, but overall on August 7th each UK nation was showing a true small decline in case numbers.
Sadly that has bounced a bit in the last week, and in England we can see cases rising - most markedly in people aged 20-59. The people who are out there mixing.
The volume of UK case numbers is having an effect, even though the vast majority of people are protected from serious illness by vaccination. Each day we are admitting around 200 more people aged 65 or older to hospital than we were this time last Summer. That's a little ominous, not as good a place to head into Autumn from.
indieSAGE continue to be concerned about the number of children who might potentially end up with Long COVID. They discussed the varying advice on school reopening this Autumn:
European CDC - be careful.
US CDC - Wear masks, be careful.
UK - it's okay, kids don't really catch COVID, and they probably don't really pass it on either, and they almost definitely won't die. It'll be fiiiiiiiine.
indieSAGE aren't entirely confident it's going to be easy sailing from here in:
"We are approaching autumn with cases 25x higher and hospitalisations 10x higher than last year and an NHS that is severely under strain. We are only one doubling away from July peak – not much room to manoeuvre."
There's our warning. 

India was absolutely ravaged by Delta Variant, and despite their relatively young population, they lost far more people than we'll probably ever know. Their '4th National Sero-Survey' last month found that 67.6% of the total population, and 62% of unvaccinated people, have developed antibodies against COVID.
The price of protection via disease is incredibly high. A report last month estimated that the true loss of life in India was around 10 times that which has been officially reported, somewhere between 3.4m and 4.7m people.

Iran looks bad. Their case rate is rising incredibly fast, despite so many prior infections. They cannot afford to lock down again, and are now reporting 40,000 cases a day - a number which is likely to be a massive under-estimate. 

Chile has started offering Booster Vaccinations to their older citizens, and they are using a different vaccination to the first 2 shots, in hopes it will give better protection against Delta Variant.
They intend to fully vaccinate 80% of their population - with the idea it will bring herd immunity. Everyone aged 14 or over has now been invited to be vaccinated (I believe that's still true!).
Currently they've vaccinated over 80% of people aged 14+, which means 67.44% of their whole population is fully vaccinated, and another 7% need their 2nd dose. Not bad at all! They just another 6% to get to their goal...

Some countries relax border entry rules for people who have natural immunity - England does NOT.
We are also strict about "fully vaccinated" meaning 2 doses of the same vaccine. There's quite a lot of evidence to suggest mix-and-match vaccines may give better protection across a range of variants, and some countries either by design, or lack of other options, offered citizens different vaccines for their 2 doses. Some combinations work better than others, and I think that's why England has decided on refusing as a blanket measure.
Under these rules, Angela Merkel, ex German Chancellor and professional scientist, wouldn't be counted as fully vaccinated. Germany gave people the option, and she chose AstraZeneca first, Moderna second. I personally think it was a wise choice facing Delta Variant.
It may become a bit of an issue in future,  and I can foresee the single dose Johnson&Johnson / Janssen vaccine suddenly becoming a very popular "booster", because 1 dose of that IS fully vaccinated. 

Turkey is still ablaze, as are parts of Italy, Greece, the Ukraine and a whole swathe of Southern Europe. My thoughts with everyone affected out there, and please let it end soon. 

It's Friday 13th!! *Insert scary ghost whooooohooo sound effect*. Thankfully we protected ourselves from bad luck today by taking it all yesterday (discovered a rat in the kitchen / the toilet leaks / my partner trod in poo). I hope your day has been a good one, and that you all have an excellent weekend. Do NOT forget your treat - for YOU. The situation in the UK may not be as bad as it has been, but you know you have still earnt it.

On Sunday it will be 7 years since we lost one of our teenage children, so I won't do a COVID report, my day will be better spent with my family. I shall be back on Tuesday (or Monday if Boris does a press conference, or earlier if anything incredible happens).

Do Something That Makes You Smile. Then Pass It On To Someone Else. And Save The NHS....

Some numbers. All of them were once just a thought, and a smile:

Countries / Cases / Losses of life (since midnight GMT. In larger countries some states /provinces have yet to report today):

USA 37,215,814 (+12,165) 636,369 (+71)

India 32,149,514 (+32,462) 430,631 (+346)

Brazil 20,285,067 not yet reported today 566,988

Russia 6,557,068 (+22,277) 168,864 (+815)

France 6,398,983 not yet reported today 112,487

UK 6,211,868 (+32,700) 130,801 (+100)

Turkey 6,039,857 (+21,372) 52,860 (+157)

Argentina 5,066,253 not yet reported today 108,569

Colombia 4,856,595 not yet reported today 123,097

Spain 4,693,540 (+15,657) 82,470 (+63)

Italy 4,427,827 (+7,409) 128,379 (+45)

Iran 4,359,385 (+39,119) 96,742 (+527)

Germany 3,817,059 (+2,743) 92,355 (+7)

Indonesia 3,804,943 (+30,788) 115,096 (+1,432)

Mexico 3,045,571 (+24,975) 246,811 (+608) 

.

.

Sources:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Daily hospital admissions 

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations_vacc-total-admin-rate-total

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#mis-national-surveillance

https://twitter.com/gavi/status/1426121730242842635?s=19

https://www.gavi.org/news/media-room/uk-donated-covid-19-vaccine-doses-reach-african-countries

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consensus-statements-on-covid-19

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/40-cr-indians-don-t-have-covid-anti-bodies-vulnerable-reveals-4th-serosurvey-101626779228818.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/coronavirus-how-india-is-doing-now-after-delta-variant-spread.html

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210208/New-machine-learning-algorithm-estimates-number-of-COVID-19-cases-in-the-US.aspx

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#mis-national-surveillance

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-emergency-medical-team-deployed-to-help-tunisia-tackle-covid-19-crisis

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-concerns-about-price-reliability-and-quality-of-pcr-testing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-57888460

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/07/20/1018438334/indias-pandemic-death-toll-estimated-at-about-4-million-10-times-the-official-co

https://twitter.com/i/events/1425889513449140236

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229444.shtml

https://www.thestatesman.com/world/chile-immunises-80-of-target-population-against-covid-1502988625.html

https://twitter.com/i/events/1425889513449140236

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-state-is-frightened-by-what-is-coming-next-with-the-covid-surge/ar-AANhjt3?ocid=msedgntp

https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/WeeklySlides_13August2021.pdf

https://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/effis_current_situation/

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Weekend Update 20th December 2020.

The UK added 35,928 cases today and now has reported a total of 2,040,147 positive cases of COVID-19. 

18,771 people were in hospital on Thursday 17th, up from 16,531 a week earlier. We had 1,364 people using a ventilator on Friday 18th, up from 1,275 a week earlier. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 326 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have an official total of 67,401 losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 79,542 (+766) cases and 2,158 (+4) losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 76,914,030 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,696,536. Already 53,948,365 people have recovered.

The new COVID variant which has caused such a nightmare in England has also been spotted in South Africa, and in older samples from Australia and Denmark. We know Australia locked down thousands of people last week over 17 standard cases, so we can see how they managed to stop it dead. Denmark so far have found only 1 case of the new strain, at the beginning of December. 

The Netherlands were the first country to impose restrictions on arrivals from the UK. Air passengers are barred until January 1st at the earliest.

It's all very different, but that doesn't mean we can't still make it fun! When we look back, we won't really remember 2 weeks of self-isolating that turned into nothing, or all the hours we were trying to work while the kids asked endless questions. The things we'll remember the most will be the times we laughed at technology fails, the zoom calls with Grandma, the fact we sent parcels and letters. The precious hours getting to really know our family, the NHS, the rainbows, Marcus Rashford, and most of all, the way we still made it work.  

Here are lots of people who are still making it work in order to entertain us, and maybe teach us a few things along the way... Throughout the post are some printables that you can click on, save and print off on A4 paper... 

To book onto sessions you need to join the Bright Sparks, which is free to families on low incomes, and during the Coronavirus pandemic the £15 membership is also being waived, so that everyone can benefit. The sessions are FREE. Toddler sessions run on Tuesdays, family sessions on Saturdays. Sessions are open to all, and have to be booked via the Z-Arts website up until midnight the night before (you only need to book one ticket per family).

Toddler Sessions - Tuesdays, 10.00 - 10.30am
1st December, led by Gill - Kitchen Disco – let’s get fruity! Join Gill in a playful bendy yoga session themed on the fantastic story 'Kitchen Disco'.
8th December, led by Natasha - Hibernating - with The Very Hungry Caterpillar as inspiration.
15th December, led by Tom - Sticks and Stones workshop - create some winter characters that may be hidden outside. 

Family Sessions - Saturday 11.30am - 12.30pm
21st November, led by Gill - Find joy in the everyday - a mindful nature treasure hunt and then join Gill in creating a superb stick crown and some fantastical sculptures.
28th November, led by Yemi - Make & believe heritage in your home! You will uncover, search and explore items that represent your family’s culture.
5th December, led by Natasha - Christmas creations – reuse, recycle and repurpose.
12th December, led by Janine - Create your own Dreamcatchers - collect items on a winter's walk and join Janine to teach you the magic of  creating your very own Dreamcatcher.
19th December, led by Tom - Storyteller Tom shares his tips and tricks for creating new settings where your stories can be set.  Walk around your neighbourhood and put the things you see into your stories. 

Waterside are working with renowned family theatre company Wrongsemble to deliver an alternative online Festive Christmas show – HUMBUG – to homes and schools throughout the country.
All ages can enjoy seven filmed episodes of this exciting story throughout December, accompanied by an interactive HUMBUG ‘Fact File’ filled with 13 artefacts sent directly to your home.
HUMBUG takes place deep beneath the city, where a secret world full of wonder awaits; a place where wizards bake endless gingerbread, goblins bottle festive cheer, and there’s a whole department devoted to detangling fairy-lights! This is the Ministry of Make Believe.... Recently strange things have been happening at the Ministry. From nose-less snowmen, to exploding baubles, and a forest of bald Christmas trees – things are not quite right… It’s almost like someone (or something) is trying to sabotage Christmas! Together with Secret Agent Dash, audiences will help to solve the mystery and save the day!

1 - 31 December 2020, 7 short films - A £10 family ticket gives access to all 7 episodes of this online digital adventure throughout December, and is accompanied by an interactive HUMBUG Fact File filled with 13 artefacts sent directly to you.

Find out more and book online at Diverghub - online platform for Waterside arts & theatre

Everyone who would usually keep you busy out of the house will need to hold on to some of their plans for a while until it's safe for everyone, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do. A lot of folk are still determined to entertain you and they have temporarily moved online, so here are some of the sights you can still see....virtually...

DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio’s co-production Abominable is an action-packed heartwarming adventure for the whole family, with a really impressive 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Released in time for the half term on Digital 3rd February and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 10th February from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.


Abominable is brought to us by the team who created How To Train Your Dragon, and has a great voice cast, including Chloe Benne, Sarah Paulson, Eddie Izzard, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Tsai Chin and Joe Izzo as Everest.


Disgruntled teenager Yi is struggling with life a little after losing her Father. She lives with her Mother and Grandmother, and takes on lots of different odd-jobs to save up to try and take a trip that her Dad had planned to take with her. One day while hiding in her den on the roof, she discovers a Yeti, who has escaped from a science lab.

The Yeti is friendly and cute, and just wants to go home. He's also a bit magic and has some tricks up his sleeve involving plants. Along with her friends Jin and Peng, Yi embarks on an epic journey to return her Yeti, Everest, to his mountain home and his family - with the scientists and money men in hot pursuit...

We thought it was bad the year the oven broke on Christmas Eve, but then the universe said "Hold my pint" and we had Christmas 2018.

Last year was our best Christmas yet since losing Elspeth. We were doing Christmas. We'd decided to do an 'Advent' with the LEGO and built an amazing LEGO Christmas Village sprawling across 3 tables. It was ready for 1st December and it even had lights. It looked great unveiling a little more each day on Instagram.


We had an awesome real tree and for the first time in years we had put up a second tree by the window. With the 1970's ultra-flammable decorations on the ceiling and bookcases covered in tinsel it was epic. My partner even had 3 extra days off before the kids broke up from school, so we had tons of time for preparations for the big day.

We had bought or collected loads of stockingfillers, but only a couple of main presents. This will be important later. It would all be wrapped at our leisure, with Christmas tunes on the TV and warm mince pies.

I really like the ethos of Ellie Dix and The Dark Imp, so when she asked if I wanted to take a look at her brand new Buzzlebox, I was more than happy. This is a beautiful box of brand new games and puzzles designed to be played together, whatever your ability or age (from around 8+).


Ellie is a keen promoter of maintaining good healthy relationships with your kids through play. As your offspring get older, it's easy to drift apart until you realise you barely spend any time together when you aren't already busy. Games create relaxed environments for chat and laughter.


The Buzzlebox is gorgeous. It felt like a treat opening it, and then I saw what was inside. This is almost entirely plastic free, and the only plastic included is reusable. The first Buzzlebox has a Gardens and Poultry theme. (Box 2 will be Doughnuts and Cake!)

On Saturday evening we were guests of Chill Factorᵉ indoor ski slope just off the M60 by the intu Trafford Centre to review their Snowboarding Taster Sessions. This is a 50 minute session which is ideal for anyone aged 8+ who hasn't been on a snowboard before (children under 10 need a responsible adult with them).


We really love visiting Chill Factorᵉ and have worked with them many times now. Although we have tried most of their activities before, Snowboarding is completely new to all of us. I'm still not able to go on the snow after my operation, but my partner and our 9 and 11 year old boys were really excited about learning something new - especially when it's as cool as Snowboarding!


We arrived in good time. There is always plenty of free parking, but it's always wise to leave a good half hour to collect tickets, get kitted out and changed. There are ticket collection machines for those who have pre-booked, then over to collect clothing.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and Digital Download from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. They've sent us a copy to review and I have a Blu-ray to give away to one of my readers too!

What are your pets doing when you aren't at home?


This heartwarming animated sequel from Illumination, the studio that brought us Despicable Me, Minions and Sing, is also led by a star-studded comedic cast. All of our favorite Pets and their growing families are back in a new chapter which really examines the deep bonds between them and their humans.

The voice cast includes Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio), Kevin Hart (Ride Along Series), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), Jenny Slate (Despicable Me 3), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Lake Bell (Children’s Hospital), Nick Kroll (Sing), Dana Carvey (Wayne’s World), Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Hannibal Buress (Neighbors) and Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live).

Excitingly for me, Harrison Ford takes his first ever role in an animated film as new addition Rooster, the very mature farm dog who they meet later on in the movie.

As usual there is loads to do in Manchester and the North West this Autumn - here are just a few events and activities which are suitable for families with children of all ages, possibly even when they're taller than you and have a full beard...


I will add to this post as more comes in. If you have anything you'd like me to add, please email it to me, with a photo! Please don't send me anything which isn't in the North West UK...


Sunday 13 October - an accessible day of interactivity, including dance, music, and arts activities. This day is designed especially for families where one or more members may have additional accessibility requirements.




A World Inside A Book: Gruffalos, Dragons and Other Creatures
Until December 2019
Immersive Julia Donaldson and Axel Sheffler inspired world to explore. 0-8 years old and their families : £6 - £7

We were invited along to be among the first people to try out the food at Carpocci's. This unique pop-up restaurant opened it's doors to Media City customers in Manchester on Wednesday and will be here until September 22nd, before it moves off around the country.


I wasn't really sure exactly how a pop up restaurant might work in September in Manchester, but I knew we all like Italian food, and Capocci's promised traditional Italian food full of flavour and a warm family dining experience.


My first fear was quashed, Capocci's was very easy to find, right next to the Media City Metrolink. Seating is outdoor, but I my second fear was also quashed - there is a roof and you are actually snugly tucked in, so you really aren't sat in the wind and weather.

Wonder Park is a sweet feel-good family movie which has a couple of slightly more serious moments. Paramount Home Media Distribution sent us a copy to review, as well as some Wonder Park goodies, and we all really enjoyed it! Out today on Download & Keep, and on Blu-ray and DVD from 19th August, it's a great film to fill a rainy Summer afternoon.

Wonder Park has a great cast including Jennifer Garner, Mila Kunis and Ken Jeong, and centres on a young girl named June, who has created an amazing amusement park with her mother. They imagine and draw all of the rides and attractions, fill the park with animal characters who have fun all day, and it's a very happy place to be.

When June's Mum becomes ill, June loses her happiness, and she turns her back on the Wonder Park. Unknown to her, it can't function without her and it quickly falls into disrepair, and is overtaken by Chimpanzombies. When she returns she finds it broken and the characters desperately unhappy. June feels the weight of responsibility and realises it's up to her to cheer the whole park up in time to save it, and in the process, she also finds her own joy...

Last week Yard And Coop invited us over to review and as we all had a few days off, it was perfect timing. Specialists in chicken, but with a menu that looked equally interesting to me as a vegetarian, we were really looking forward to it and I'm pleased to say we absolutely were not disappointed.


The visit got off to a great start before we even got inside, because the artist Qubek / Mural Life was busy painting their outside wall. He's responsible for some awesome images around Manchester, including two of the most poignant and well-remembered after the Arena bomb. It was amazing timing that wasn't lost on my 9 year old.



Inside the Yard And Coop is huge and spaciously laid out with a range of different seating and tables to suit anyone, or any number. You could have an intimate 2 person meal here or an office party with 35 people and it would be perfect. We were offered a corner booth with a big sofa and loads of windows and gladly accepted.

It barely seems like moments since the Christmas round up, but February half term will be here before you know it, so here is my Spring round up for families of all ages in the North West UK. It's theatre heavy mainly because it's not the weather for spending hours outdoors at the moment!