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We were gifted with a complimentary family ticket to Mead Open Farm so that we could take part in the Easter activities.

Back in October, we visited Mead Open Farm for their Halloween events and we were very excited to be offered the chance to check out the Easter events they were holding this April between the 8th and the 22nd. Based in Billington near Leighton Buzzard, Mead Open Farm is known as the family farm and always has plenty to see and do. But we were there to check out the new Wizard of Oz Easter event and see some of the cute baby animals that you come to expect at this time of year.

Visiting The Animals

Both the kids absolutely love animals, especially baby animals, so it is little wonder our first stop was to check out all the animals that had recently been born. We also bought some animal feed as we entered the farm which the kids had lots of fun feeding to the animals – Olivia chuckles away when she is feeding them!

It was so amazing to see the newborn lambs and piglets. We actually arrived in the barn just after a lamb had been born and the mother was still expelling all the blood and everything from themselves. Not exactly the most pleasant sight to see, I’ll admit, but seeing a lamb in its first few minutes was pretty incredible! We also watched in awe as the little piglets played together – who knew they could run so fast? They were all playing together and burying themselves with each other in the hay.

Checking Out The New Wizard Oz Easter Event

The new Easter event is based around the Wizard of Oz. You do the walkthrough with a selection of other families and interact with recognisable characters such as Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Lion and even the Wizard of Oz himself!

The walkthrough proved very popular with the group we were with. The children were so excitable and really loved interacting with all of the characters. Olivia especially loved waving and even high fiving some of them – although she was confused by there being a face in a tree! The members of staff all did their job well and managed to keep a straight face despite the children’s jokes and chat.

The Other Easter Activities

There were a number of other activities being held throughout the day for the Easter timetable. As well as the walkthrough, there’s a fab show called The Blizzard of Oz, times on the Sky Trail, Rock Wall, Bunny Hop and Go-Karts. There was a fantastic tractor ride and even the chance to bottle feed older lambs.

There was also a lambing update, pony grooming and a Chicken Chat which we managed to attend. Steve proved to be a bit of a know it all when they asked roughly how many eggs a year a chicken will lay! He actually knew the answer – do you know the answer? The kids loved seeing the rooster and chicken, stroking them and feeding them! I loved interactive activities such as this, getting to know animals a little bit more.

Our Final Thoughts

We had a fantastic day exploring Mead Open Farm and checking out the Easter activities, seeing the beautiful animals. We always love our days out at Mead Open Farm and can’t wait to go again soon. We made sure to get some photos of Olivia with the Easter Bunny and also got a picture of the kids with the ‘I Had A Pigtacular Time At Mead Open Farm’ sign.

We finished off our day with ten minutes in the playground. The playgrounds are extensive with plenty of things for kids of all ages – Jack had fun in the bigger playground whilst Olivia had some fun in the smaller playground. It was a lovely end to our day at the farm.

Have you been doing any Easter activities over the Easter holidays?

In Reviews

Little Tikes My First Slide | Review

Rebecca Smith7 Comments

This product was sent for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Did you know that Little Tikes recently celebrated their 50th birthday? To me, the brand is the epitome of childhood. I remember Jack spending many a day in the garden in his Cozy Coupe when he was younger – a Cozy Coupe that Olivia now enjoys – and I also remember scooting around my grandparents garden myself in mine, many moons ago. Jack also has the Big Car Carrier which he’s had since he was about one and still plays with – as does Olivia – and they also have the Little Tikes BBQ which we received in compensation for the publication of a previous post. It is fair to say we are big fans of Little Tikes products.

I was recently asked if we’d like to review a product from their range and let me tell you, it took a while to decide. There are just so many interesting products to choose from. I was tempted by the fairy Cozy Coupe but eventually opted for the My First Slide.

Suitable from the age of 18 months to 6 years, it is the epitome of their ‘Big Play’ ethos. I was pleasantly surprised at just how easy it was to put together. It comes in the box in four pieces with the instruction booklet – the slide, the steps and the two separate handles. It took a few tries to slot the steps into the correct place on the slide but once they were in, we were good to go.

The house we live in has quite a tiny garden (although the slide fits well and they’ve been having fun in our own garden) but we are lucky to have a wide open grassy space outside our back gate which has proved great for the kids if they want more space to play. The slide is pink and purple in colour which are Olivia’s two favourite colours so she was very excited and couldn’t wait to get on it for the first time – even trying to climb the steps before we were ready for her to do so!

The slide is very well made, very durable and holds weight well. Despite the age limit, Jack insisted on having a go – he’s 7 – and it held his weight and did not over balance. I would not advise children over the age of 6 use it though – there is an age limit for a reason plus he is also just a little too big for it!

Retailing at £34.99, this slide is a great first slide for toddlers. It is durable, low enough in height for them to climb up themselves and it also helps to promote your little ones fitness, balance and coordination. As you can see, Olivia adores her slide and she will be having lots of fun over the summer playing on the slide in the garden.

What Little Tikes items are your favourites? Can you believe they are 50 years old?

In Reviews

Enjoying Spring With Pink Clove

Rebecca Smith7 Comments

I was sent this dress for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spring is definitely in full swing. Although we have had a few April showers, we’ve had some lovely days too. I was recently approached to review an item from Pink Clove and I just had to opt for an old favourite – a dress.Their range of plus size dresses are simply amazing and it did take me a while to choose a dress, finally opting for the Plus Dita Wrap Front Maxi Dress in Paisley Print. This dress usually retails at £24 but is currently on sale for just £12 on the site – a fantastic price.

I very much lack self confidence so find it hard to take pictures of myself or let other people take pictures of me – a far cry from when I was a teen – but I do find that I always feel comfortable in a maxi dress when out and about.

I will admit that I haven’t always been comfortable with my size – I put on weight quite quickly with Olivia and have struggled to shift it and haven’t always been able to find things that fit me that I also like the design of. I’ve always found that maxi dresses suit any size and this dress is something I feel super comfortable in.

I don’t know about you but I like to wear as little layers as possible when it comes to spring and summer. I live in leggings the rest of the year but during the warmer months, I love a long flowy maxi dress – just one layer and light and airy enough to ensure you don’t overheat like other clothing.

I adore the fact that the straps are substantial. Some maxi dresses have the tiniest little straps which do nothing for the look of the dress. These straps are wide and perfect and move into the wrap front of the dress well. I love wrap fronts on dresses or shirts – they cover a multitude of sins and look good and make sure you don’t accidentally expose more than you mean to.

I also really love the pattern – the paisley print is gorgeous and I love the mix of green, white and orange colours on the blue background leading into the black wrap front at the top. The colours all work together and make for a really pretty pattern.

The dress is the perfect length for my body too – stopping just before my ankle. I’ve had many problems with maxi dresses in the past where they’ve been too long and I tripped quite a few times. The length on this dress is perfect for me.

I really love this dress from Pink Clove – I’ve already had comments about how lovely it is from my mother in law who also loves maxi dresses and a few others have said how much they like it too. I feel really comfortable in it, especially in the warmer weather we have been having.

What is your favourite type of dress to wear?

In What I've Won

Recent Competition Wins

Rebecca Smith5 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Now if you’ve been a reader for a while, you will have realised that I love entering competitions. I’ve really got back into it recently so I thought I’d share my recent wins with you.

My most recent win was a copy of Living With Allergies by fellow blogger Emma Amoscato – read her blog here. I won this from the Mumsnet Influencers newsletter and am waiting for it to arrive. You can buy your own copy below: {affiliate link}

I was also very lucky to win a Mother’s Day giveaway with Hobbs – I won a £500 Hobbs giftcard and a 2 night stay in a Bespoke hotel. This is the best win I’ve had in a while and it made my day to receive the email. I’ve already received the gift card and am waiting for Bespoke Hotels to get in contact so I can book my stay.

I also won a copy of North Sea Rising by R.M Cartmel on Twitter with Crime Scene Books. I’m yet to receive this but it sounds like a great read. I seemed to have been going through a bookish time of winning as I also won a bundle of books from Happiful magazine on Twitter too. You’d think that would be the end of my bookish wins but I also won a fab kid’s book bundle for Jack from Laura aka 272BookFaith on Twitter as well!

Jack was lucky enough to win a book from Toppsta – a Science book which he has been really enjoying so far.

Finally, I also won an Apramo Flippa from Baby Magazine which is a baby seat with tray – like a mini highchair if you will. Olivia loves it and use it multiple times everyday. A great win for sure.

Do you enter competitions? Admittedly I’ve not been entering as many as usual. If you do, what has been your best win?

In Books, Giveaways

Blog Tour & Giveaway | The Spitfire Girl In The Skies by Fenellla J Miller

Rebecca Smith12 Comments

This post contains affiliate links.

Released on the 2nd of April 2019, The Spitfire Girl In The Skies by Fenella J Miller is a fantastic tale of an incredible girl going above and beyond during World War II. This is the second Spitfire Girl novel from bestselling author Fenella J Miller.

Today I’m giving away an eBook each to three winners and telling you more about the book as it is my stop on the blog tour. So let’s find out a little more about the book.

About The Book

The ATA training base, Hampshire, 1940

Ellie Simpson is attached to an Air Transport Auxiliary base in Hampshire. Life as an ATA pilot is tough, but despite the long hours and danger, Ellie can think of nowhere she’d rather be.

Not only does she love flying, but doing important war work, alongside new-found friends, provides a welcome distraction from worrying about loved ones fighting on the front line.

Being an ATA girl is definitely exciting, but as Ellie soon finds out wearing the distinctive blue uniform also means putting her life on the line every time she takes to the skies. It will take friendship and a strength she didn’t know she possessed to help her county – and those she loves – to survive.

About The Author

Fenella J Miller was born in the Isle of Man. Her father was a Yorkshire man and her mother the daughter of a Rajah. She has worked as a nanny, cleaner, field worker, hotelier, chef, secondary and primary teacher and is now a full time writer. She has over thirty eight Regency romantic adventures published plus four Jane Austen variations, three Victorian sagas and seven WW2 family sagas. She lives in a pretty, riverside village in Essex with her husband and British Shorthair cat. She has two adult children and three grandchildren.

Giveaway

If you can’t wait to see if you win a copy of the eBook, then you can buy the book here {affiliate link}. Otherwise, just fill in the Gleam widget below. This is a UK only giveaway and ends at 23.59pm on 26th of April 2019.