9 Shows, 18 Days, 26 Venues. The Z-arts Big Imaginations Festival launch was at Just So Festival last weekend and I was lucky enough to be there to watch Joseph Coelho, producer of one of the shows, kick start the launch with readings from a couple of his poems. We'll be reviewing another show, Children Of The Divide, with our 7 and 8 year old boys.

Here is a rundown of what will be on offer over 2 weeks full of the highest quality affordable theatre for children and families. No single venue offers all shows, so check with the festival website to find what's on near you.







The Shows are:

We've worked with STABILO a few times before and today they return with an end-of-Summer giveaway. A firm favourite with most of my family, when we were asked if there was anything in particular we'd like to review and give away, STABILO pointMax Fineliners were top of the list.


STABILO sent us a pack of 12 fineliners and also included one of their new beYou! rollerball pens, and one of my readers can win this handy bundle for themselves.

Last week I was super short of time as I only had a couple of days at home between our holiday and going to the Just So Festival for the weekend, so I didn't have chance to post the #TBCSmiles for August. It also didn't feel quite right and my children needed me, so instead I wrote a shorter post about how we are coping 3 years after losing Elspeth and promised I'd be back with your smiles - so here we are.

Firstly can I thank 2 good friends who posted special #TBCSmiles smileless photos...they are beautiful, truly so serene and peaceful. Thank you.

A gorgeous sunflower with setting sun, poignant for remembering a lovely young lady who is always in our thoughts, especially on this day 💗💗xxx #sunflowers #remembrance #flowers #sunset #nofilterneeded #sunflowerfield #outdoorsandhappy #instalinklove #yellow #TBCSmiles #simslifeblog #simslifenature

A post shared by Sim's Life 🛍 Lifestyle Blog (@simslife1) on Aug 15, 2017 at 5:50am PDT

YUU are a Dragons Den backed company founded in 2010 by two Mums who saw their children carrying heavy backpacks and realised that it wasn't good for their growing spine and that a reported 1/3 of children suffer neck and back pain as a result (see bottom of post for the Science).


The YUUbag has been a huge success and this Summer they have added the YUUschool - a school version of the backpack for children aged around 8-12 (or over 120cm tall). It's ergonomically designed for maximum comfort and support for your child's spine, including tons of deep pockets and compartments to stop bag contents moving about and causing weight to be unevenly distributed around the bag.

Three years where time has flown past so agonisingly slowly and the majority of it has faded completely. That morning three years ago is embedded into my yesterday, it recurs so frequently, yet I can't remember what life was like before it happened. Time is almost non-linear, the past creeps in constantly and not a minute can ever go by when you don't think of what has been lost for now and the future. How would life for the other children be different, the family dynamic altered. Where would you be now? How many courtships, part-time jobs, driving lessons. Borrowed make up, lost shirts and spilt tears. Exam results, friendships, nights out. How many times would you have made us laugh? The 3 years has gone so quickly and yet so slowly and it's been such hard work, although the sludge is reducing and the trudging getting easier, but always never a minute without remembering.

It'll never be easier without Elspeth.


Last year at Blog On Conference I won a holiday from Canvas Holidays and it took us more than ten months of build up, but we finally booked it and did it. We finally felt confident all of our young people were strong enough to leave behind - although they all had the option to come.

Sambro are a very well-known supplier of licensed products, mainly for children. They're responsible for loads of the smaller bits and pieces that fill stockings, as well as larger items featuring favourites from TV and movies. We've been sent some of their new range to review, including Paw Patrol, Miffy, Shimmer & Shine, Despicable Me 3 and Disney Princess.

Obviously we are Nerf addicts here and we accepted the offer from Hasbro to review the new Nerf Modulus with a large amount of pleasure. This is a huge Nerf Dart Blaster which can be adapted in a huge array of ways to make a really personal blaster.


The Modulus is a fully motorised blaster which requires 4 x C batteries - not included. Removal from the packaging is super easy and it's almost entirely recyclable card with a few rubber band ties.

Pudology want to make vegan food that's just as indulgent and delicious as any dairy based pudding. Their dairy and gluten free desserts are now available in Sainsburys and they've sent us a selection to take a look at.


We've been sent the Deeply Decadent Chocolate Pud, Smooth Chocolate Orange Pud and Simply Sumptuous Millionaire's Pud. All are are free from gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts - and suitable for anyone following a vegan, coeliac or kosher diet.

This August Wild Rumpus, the people behind Just So Festival, will be busy at Dunham Massey hall and gardens with a brand new Lost Carnival event. We popped along on Saturday evening to have a preview of what is going to be hidden among the trees for visitors this Summer...


We haven't been to Dunham Massey before, but the gorgeous gardens double up as a deer park, which delighted our children. In fact there was wildlife in evidence everywhere, those woods are alive!

I'm not your average Disney person, but I'm a big fan of Pixar and I love Star Wars. I thoroughly enjoy Disney On Ice and should I ever get married then the dress of my dreams was always Cinderella's....so I gladly accepted the invite to a Disney Quiz Night at the Zombie Shack as a guest of Paladone - the gift people.


If you've never been to Manchester's Zombie Shack (it's up the spiral staircase) then it can be a bit hard to spot. GPS takes you round the corner, but happily I bumped into a couple of other lost North West bloggers and we wandered aimlessly together.


I have no idea why we didn't spot the 20 foot tall Paladone flag at the side of the stairs...you can't say they didn't try.