Win! Christmas Spectacular 2015 at the Regent in Christchurch

 

This year the Glad Rag Production Company will be entertaining everyone when their magical Christmas treat opens on stage at the Regent on Saturday 19 December 2.30pm and 7.30pm.  Bookings are already under way for this seasonal favourite but there are plenty of shows to choose from with a run that includes further 7.30pm shows from Sunday 20 – Thursday 24 December and more Matinees at 2.30pm on Sunday 20, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December.  So, if you want to join Benji and Bruce, those fun-loving polar bears, for another show stopping, all singing and all dancing adventure with Santa, Rudolph and Mrs Claus, then early booking for this Christmas Cracker of a family show is essential!

Book here

 

We have 2 tickets to giveaway for Tuesday 22nd December 7.30pm, just send us an email stating why you would like to win. dorset@mumsnetlocal.com

We would also love it if you would visit our Facebook page!


 Open to UK residents over 18's only.   Competition closes 15th December. Winner will be picked at random and notified by email within 72 hours, we reserve the right to choose another winner if we receive no response.

Review - Nutty Putty

 

Crafty kids and creative grown-ups will love the new Nutty Putty for Christmas. Made from silicone, it’s a new modelling putty that you can mould into any shape you can imagine and then bake it in the oven for 10 minutes to create glossy, rubbery models that you can play with.

Nutty Putty is also fantastic to create your own Christmas decorations. It comes in bright inviting colours and your decorations will last for years to come.

Nutty Putty can be played with for hours. Non-drying, hypoallergenic and antibacterial the putty is soft and pliable for little hands to mould and it creates wonderful, brightly coloured models that kids can keep or squash down for more creativity. Kids favourite creations can be baked in the oven for 10 minutes, creating fun, rubbery models (similar in texture to silicone utensils) that can be played with, bounced, used as key rings, jewellery and much more.

Nutty Putty Sets:
Nutty Putty is an award winning- new play putty and is available for prices to suit any pockets. The range comes with a selection of vibrant coloured Nutty Putty, tools, play mat with instructions and a baking sheet.

• The eight colour set - £18 - 8 colours (inc. glow-in-the-dark), 2 tools, 6 shape cutters, 1 roller, 1 baking sheet, 1 play mat
• The six colour starter set - £15 - 6 colours, 3 shape cutters, 2 shaping tools, 1 baking sheet, 1 play mat
• The jewellery accessory set - £10 - 4 colours, 2 tools, 2 glow in the dark bracelets, 1 pair of earrings, 1 hair clip, 1 ring, 1 baking sheet, 1 play mat
• The cake deco set - £10 4 colours, 2 tools, 1 silicone cake mould, 1 baking sheet, 1 play mat
• The zipper packs - £1.90 - 1 colour Nutty Putty packs with baking sheet

We tried out Nutty Putty on a wet weekend and our young testers decided to make their own Club Penguin models completely on their own. We used a 6 colour set.

 

The girls were quite keen to get started and as there were two of them we decided to use the glass chopping boards from the kitchen to work on, but the set does include a playmat for this purpose.

 

The Nutty Putty is easy to work with and a lot less messy and crumbly than the homemade dough we usually play with.

 

 

There are some tools with the set but we also used some of our own tools so both girls could make their own models.

 

The girls were keen to follow the simple instruction sheet and did so without any adult help. They started off with a butterfly each and then spotted the penguin, this gave them the Club Penguin idea and they went on to make some puffles too!

 

We were surprised that we had no mess to clear away at all, this would encourage me to use the product again, sometimes the thought of the mess puts us off getting out this sort of activity so this is a big bonus!

 

One of the finished penguins! The girls went on to make more models, we did use up all of the Nutty Putty in one afternoon but they had lots of fun making the models. It was a no mess easy activity and one we would do again but we would give them a set each so they didn't have to share the colours and instructions.

 

We decided to bake the models following the instructions for 10 minutes and once cool they went on to play a game for the rest of the day with them. The Nutty Putty becomes rubbery when baked and the models held together despite being thrown around and played with.

 

We would recommend the Nutty Putty as a lovely gift idea this Christmas. Here are some of the baked models.

 

 

Win - A Family Ticket to Peter Pan at Lighthouse, Poole

Fly away to Neverland this Christmas with our magical Peter Pan competition!

Starring Christopher Ellison (The Bill, Celebrity Big Brother 2015) as Captain Hook and Jamie Quinn (Bluestone 42) as Peter Pan, J M Barrie’s enchanting story is brought to life by Lighthouse, Poole in an original version of the timeless classic from Friday 4 December – Sunday 3 January.

Travel to a place where no one ever grows up as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell whisk Wendy and her brothers off to Neverland - a fantastical world of cutlass -waving pirates, mermaids and tick-tocking crocodiles - where they must help The Lost Boys battle the villainous Captain Hook.

With live music, pirates, a baddy to boo at, and a hero who can fly, Peter Pan is a real treat for all the family. Lighthouse is teaming up with Mumsnet to offer the chance to win a family ticket (valid for four people, minimum one child) for the 7pm performance of Peter Pan on Tuesday 8 December

http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/peter-pan

To enter please email dorset@mumsnetlocal.com stating why you would like to win.
We would also love it if you would visit our Facebook page!


 Open to UK residents over 18's only.   Competition closes 30th November. Winner will be picked at random and notified by email within 72 hours, we reserve the right to choose another winner if we receive no response.

Review - Moochies Phone for Kids and Win!

We are testing out the new Moochies phone for kids. The phone uses a pay-a-you-go sim card and is worn just like a watch and allows parents to keep track of their children using the Moochies app.

Many parents dread when their child asks if they can walk to school or the park on their own for the first time or that moment in a busy theme park when you lose site of your child. Although we will always worry about the obvious risks we have come across a new product which is extremely useful in lots of these situations. You can contact your child wherever they are and they can also contact you.

Moochies are simple for a child to use, the two buttons on the side of the phone are pre-set with phone numbers set by the parent or guardian using the Moochies app. To phone the parent the child just holds down one of the buttons on the phone.  There is also a SOS button at the front of the watch which the child can press if they are in trouble. This sends a 15 second recording of noises straight to the parents phone.
The Moochies app is free to download for iOS and Android

 



Using the app the parent can set up safe zones for example visiting a friend's house, and they will be notified if the child strays from this area. Parents can also add the numbers of other contacts who are able to call the phone, these are the only numbers able to call avoiding unwanted calls from strangers.

 

 

We are really impressed with the phone, it's easy for a child to use and because it looks and works as a watch the children are happy to wear it. As well as the designs above there are two new designs in both black and blue which an older child could easily wear. It gives great peace of mind watching the profile of your child moving around the area which has been pre-set as 'safe zone' and at the same time the child feels at ease knowing they can call if they are worried.

What we really liked about this product is how easy to is for the child to use and that it comes without the added risks that a mobile phone comes with. We think it really stands out as a must have phone for children in their 'tween' years. For 9-12 yr olds starting to ask for a bit more independence, going for their first sleepover to taking public transport to secondary school this phone could be very reassuring to all parties.

Moochies for Kids £79.99

 www.moochiesforkids.com

We have one Moochies to giveaway!

To enter please email dorset@mumsnetlocal.com stating why you would like to win.
We would also love it if you would visit our Facebook page!


 Open to UK residents over 18's only.   Competition closes 14th December. Winner will be picked at random and notified by email within 72 hours, we reserve the right to choose another winner if we receive no response.

Charity Christmas Cards

 

Seven Springs Studios in Dorchester are opening their doors for a charity photoshoot day to raise money for Children In Need.

 

Would you like the chance to have some lovely Christmas photos taken and to give out Christmas cards with a personal touch?

 

The studio will photograph whoever or whatever you would like to be on your Christmas card this year. The studio take relaxed photos of you, your family and even your pet and they can print the cards for you. They are asking for a donation to Children In Need so please join the event and give generously to a great cause.

 

The shoot is on 22nd November from 10-6 in Dorchester.

 

Join the event here 

Review - Trolley Bags

The new carrier bag charge is now in place so we were keen to try out the new Trolley Bags from http://www.trolleybags.com/

Trolley Bags are a set of four bags which fit into any sized supermarket trolley for the easiest and most organised packing at the supermarket. The system rolls up into a neat Velcro-fastened package that can be hooked on the back of the trolley whilst you shop. Once at the till and all your shopping is on the conveyor, Trolley Bags spread out in one simple action, with the ‘arms’ resting on the trolley sides, giving you a series of open and upright bags to fill, leaving both hands free for packing and sorting. For customers who ‘Scan as you shop,’ the bags can be racked open into the trolley when you enter the store, allowing you to pack, sort and organise your shopping exactly how you like it as your make your way around the aisles.
Now available in new colours and two sizes, Trolley Bags are the reusable bag system that every shopper needs. Trolley Bags Original for standard deeper trolleys and Trolley Bags Express for shallower trolleys, they are perfect for anyone.

On reading the instructions we noted that heavier items should be placed in the smaller bags so lifting the bags out of the trolley would be easier to handle. Off we went with the bags and a shopping list..

 

The bags all fit together snugly and are easy to pop in the back of the car and onto the back of the trolley. We are testing the deeper bags which are ideal for a big family shop and for using the deeper trolley.

 

We did our shop as usual and placed our items on the conveyer belt. When it was our turn to pack we placed the bags onto the trolley, they rested on the sides of the trolley perfectly and spread across to the end leaving us with four opened bags.

 

 

 

 Having the bags open and ready to place items in is a big difference from using the normal reusable supermarket bags that collapse in the trolley and made packing the bags much faster.

 

We packed the heavier items in the yellow and blue bags at the end of the trolley and used the larger bags for bulkier lighter items like bread and toilet rolls.

 

 

 

We had a lot of admiring comments from the checkout operator and several other shoppers who were impressed at how quickly the bags opened and stayed in place. We left the shop and headed to the car for what we considered to be the ultimate test. Would we be able to lift the deep bags out of the trolley and into the boot of the car without hurting our backs? The bags have a netting at the bottom of them so we also questioned if they would be able to hold the weight of the heavier items.

 

 

 

As you can see, the bags fitted into the car boot well and the netting was strong enough to hold the heavy milk bottles and tins. They were manageable to lift although I wouldn't feel comfortable over packing the bags they are able to hold a weekly shop for a family of 6.

 

We were so impressed that these stay in the car boot now so we have them with us for future shops !

 

Would you like to win a set of TrolleyBags?

 

We have a set to giveaway Enter Here and Here for a second entry

 

 



 

 

Greenwood Grange

 

Welcome to Greenwood Grange, an idyllic setting of seventeen holiday cottages. With fantastic onsite facilities such as our Double tennis courts, indoor heated pool, sauna and games room there is plenty to do for the whole family.

We are fortunate enough to have picked up a few awards for our eco friendly properties sustaining the original features and charm. We have also won a Gold Award in the Dorset Tourism Awards 2014 which we are very proud of and work hard to keep our award winning standards.

Located on the outskirts of Dorchester beside Thomas Hardy’s cottage, we provide relaxing getaways for the whole family. Our cottages range for families from two to twelve, which each cottage beautifully decorated with vintage country features. You don’t have to worry about packing everything and the kitchen sink as they all equipped ready and waiting for you. Our prices include all bills and uses of our facilities (small fee for the sauna) making it a hassle free break.

We know that packing for the whole family can be a stressful and time consuming aspect so we have taken care of for you. For young children we can provide bed guards, high chairs, cots and toys all you have to do is ask and we can provide.

Due to our location we have great walks right on our doorstep and pubs for that special evening out in close distance too.

We are very much pet friendly and have dedicated cottages for them too, as well as the dog exercise area. Our grounds are extensive and are contained so you don’t have to worry about your little one taking a wander as we are a fully secure site. Baby and pet sitters are also available should you want a night off for yourselves.

Our outdoor play area can provide hours of endless fun neighbouring our creative yurt with a fully stocked soft play area. Should you wish, we can arrange tennis and swimming lessons as well as caterers so you don’t have to worry about cooking!

The indoor swimming pool is an all year round attraction, with the bonus of large roman steps perfect for little ones getting to grips the water.  The games room is very well equipped with a pool table, billiards, table tennis, table football and a Nintendo Wii.

Our ethos is great holidays for the whole family, should you have a request we will do our very best to accommodate where possible ensuring the Greenwood Experience provides life long memories.

 

To call and speak to a holiday advisor please call: 01305 268874 or e-mail us: info@greenwoodgrange.co.uk –

 

We have an exclusive offer for you! Check it out here