Whit week half term holiday is somewhat unreliable, so here is a list of special events and activities running over the week for families in the North West. As usual I've kept it to events and activities that don't cost any more than £12 each

Don't forget your local museum and library, they nearly always offer holiday activities and clubs for a small charge, and entry is usually free - here is a great post by Jollies And Jaunts with 10 quirky items you can find in Manchester Musems..

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, Trafford Centre has a second new 4D movie arriving - LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS! The LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS have to defeat the evil Jestro, the Book of Monsters and all their Lava Monsters - think wind, water and smoke - bringing the battle to life all around the cinema. Visitors can also see The LEGO Movie 4D A New Adventure. Both movies will be on rotation with two to three showings every hour.
There is also the new play area, City Builder, where visitors can create cities and buildings in the most unique city that can be imagined, including everything from huge skyscrapers to cosy family houses, all from LEGO. From £9.95 per person booked in advance.

CAPTURE THE FLAG is a brand new animated movie release from Universal Pictures. Available from Tomorrow 23rd May on Digital Download, and from 30th May on DVD and Blu-ray, it is an all-action thriller of a movie. It tells the story of a boy, his father and his grandfather, and how they ended up protecting the legacy of the original moon landing.


At the beginning of the movie our young hero isn't a future Astronaut, he's a kite-surfer, and his surfer mates help him when they discover a wealthy and egocentric billionaire has decided to wipe away any signs of the original moon landing, discrediting the astronauts and everyone else involved.

We've had the most awesome day today reviewing a special event at The Blackpool Tower, so I am anxious to spread the word because it would be a shame if they didn't sell out! Only for the next 3 Saturday mornings can you experience Tall Tales at The Blackpool Tower - and what you get is exactly the same as what we experienced...and it's a fantastic morning out...


For Tall Tales you have to arrive at 9am, an hour before The Blackpool Tower opens to the general public. This in itself is really special. Being inside when this amazing old building is virtually empty is something else...my youngest certainly felt it.

It's been a while since we reviewed for Orchard Toys, but their recycled card, UK made games and puzzles are still firm favourites in our house. Recently they have released a series of mini games, ideal for taking away with you on holiday. We've been sent Jungle Snakes And Ladders to review.


Everyone has played Snakes And Ladders, it's suitable from age 4+ and has been around since the 2nd century BC. A game of pure chance, so anyone has an equal opportunity to win.

We're long-standing fans of Transformers, and their latest release on Monday 23rd May is the next in the Robots In Disguise series. Rumble In The Jungle contains 6 new episodes from series 1 with a total runtime of just over 2 hours.


We've been sent a copy to review, and the characters and background storyline are obviously familiar, as this is a continuation of the series, the second after Transformers Robots In Disguise: A New Mission which we reviewed earlier. The 6 episodes in Rumble In The Jungle are:

True Colours
Rumble In The Jungle
Can You Dig It?
Advntures in Bumblebee-Sitting
Hunting Season
Out Of Focus

I have a huge freezer because I'm well aware of the #PowerOfFrozen. I've been asked by Iceland to take another look at their range and see if I can come up with an interesting meal for my family which demonstrates some of the benefits of using frozen food - quality and choice, value for money and convenience.


Freezing preserves vitamins and allows us to eat foods out of season, and it allows me to buy more cheaply for my large family. Among my shopping was this great 30 piece Barbeque Pack for only £5 - not only perfect for barbeques, also ideal for my little boys who often are the only ones eating meat at teatime in our house...

If you haven't yet visited LEGOLAND Discovery Centre at The Trafford Centre, Manchester then you may wonder what it's all about and how all that gubbins fits inside the building. Last time we visited we were allowed early access before the general public arrived, so I took advantage of the lack of crowds to take some photos and I can show you the inside of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre....


You start your visit by going up in a lift. Once upstairs there is a waiting area with screens before you are allowed in to the LEGO Factory Tour in limited numbers to prevent crowding. Here you find out how LEGO is made in a very simplistic and child-friendly way

Sometimes I'm not asked to write on my own blog, I am asked on behalf of someone else, and last Sunday we were asked by The Printworks in Manchester if our 2 boys would give their opinions about how family friendly it is at The Printworks. I had such a nice, relaxed time that I'd love to make it a regular thing...


The boys were excited as soon as they stepped under the archway and saw all of the lit up frontages. It was actually much quieter than I expected for lunchtime, and even inside the cinema with it's huge foyer, there was a nice chilled, smily Sunday feel. We  had no problem taking some photos with the film character displays.

Grief is an unwelcome journey. The treadmill starts immediately the moment you know. It slides into place and it gets you through those first days, doing all of the essential things while running. No time or chance to look to either side or get off, you can only run ahead. Everything gets caught in the treadmill, dragged along and it gets heavier and heavier. You can't escape, you have to run or no-one will eat, or have clean clothes, no bills will be paid. From one essential to the next, no time happens, no pause for breath, just running.

The treadmill slows with the weight of all it drags along, but you have to keep going. Behind you everything is trampled and crushed, destroyed. Lives, friendships, work, sleep, memories. Sometimes you can spot things and grab hold of them, but sometimes you can only watch as they are dragged under and fall behind you into the distance. You want to remember to go back for it, you know you intend to, when you can. Everything left behind is too much though, you can't remember it all. You hope it remembers you.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half Shell Heroes: Blast To The Past is a brand new DVD release from Universal Pictures and Nickleodeon. Available from Monday 16th May, it's a bit different from some of the other Turtles DVD's we've reviewed because Half-Shell Heroes aims to capture the interest and imagination of the younger members of your family. Less dark and more about the fun side of crime-fighting and sewer-living pizza-eating.


In Half-Shell Heroes: Blast To The Past, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles accidentally time travel back to the Jurassic Era. During their stay they encounter several friendly dinosaurs, but also rather bizarrely some dangerous aliens from the future. Using their ninja skills the Turtles have to find a way to save the day and possibly just as importantly get back home.