Dorset
The Project Climbing Centre in Poole
I am very proud of our local area and all the facilities it has to offer so when I was approached to review The Project … Read more
A Day out at Stonebarrow Hill and climbing Golden Cap
I posted last week about the Cadbury’s Easter Egg Hunts in conjunction with the National Trust and our plan this weekend was to try to … Read more
Easter Egg Hunting at Kingston Lacy
When the National Trust put on events locally they always go all out and you are guaranteed a day out filled with family fun and their Easter Egg hunts are no exception. The only difficulty we had was deciding on the venue as there are a fair few locally.
With the weather today being a bit and miss today I decided to go to the nearest venue to home, Kingston Lacy. It is a large stately home that is set in stunning grounds of both formal and informal gardens. The Easter Egg Hunt sign up point was just inside the entrance so we paid our £2.50 each for Isaac, Eliza and our friends and her children, got our books and headed off in search of clues.
The booklets we were given contained clues for us to find the eggs as well as a map to follow which was challenging enough to keep the kids interested but not too difficult to follow. Every now and again we came across a pink egg or marker to let us know that we were still on the right path and I we all got to enjoy the many flowers that were already in bloom as we progressed around the trail.
The eggs we had to find were not of the chocolate variety which Eliza was a little perturbed about at first. Thankfully, once we had explained that she got a chocolate egg if she answered all the clues, she was much more eager to find them, although she did get distracted by exploring Rhododendron bushes and jumping in muddy puddles.
All the eggs were made with materials from the gardens which they were positioned in and the kids had to identify what they were made from which helped them learn about the world around them.
The walk must have been almost 2 miles long and with the exception of Sebastian who only managed half way before admitting defeat and falling asleep in the buggy, they all made it without moaning their legs hurt.
It took 2 hours to find all the clues, but we did it and the kids were eager to go and collect their chocolate reward. I had hoped that they would save them for home but it was clear that the walk had made them all hungry so we found a bench and let them tuck in to their prize.
Thank you for all your hard work Kingston Lacy – we had a muddy ball!
Fishy Fun One to One!
After last weeks battle with the dreaded lurgy our household is finally germ free and all back at school, so I decided to head out … Read more
iCOMBAT Bournemouth Review
My boys adored Laser Quest and for a few years they were the birthday party of choice. As they have got older they still enjoyed … Read more
Hotter Loves Mums!!
This week I was invited to a #HotterLovesMums event at our local Hotter store in Bournemouth with my Mum. I have been to a Hotter … Read more
Meeting new Princesses with Dorset Dreamers
Last year we attended a Princess Ball held by a lovely local party company called Dorset Dreamers where Eliza, who was a little overwhelmed, got to meet Cinderella, Rapunzel, Ariel and of course Anna and Elsa.
From that moment Eliza decided that she wanted a Frozen party, so I booked for Anna and Elsa to attend and everyone who came to the party had a brilliant time and said how authentic the Princesses looked.
Last month I saw on facebook that Dorset Dreamers were launching some new characters and were planning another Princess Ball to show off their new Princesses so I booked tickets straight away – it was lucky I did as they sold out within a week! I had to pick a Princess that Eliza would receive a gift from so chose Belle, although it was close call as Eliza also adores Sofia the First.
On the day of the ball Eliza was bouncing off the walls with excitement and decided she would be wearing her Sofia costume. My brother-in-law Mark was booked to DJ so we set off early to give him a chance to set up whilst Eliza got the bouncy castle all to herself before the other guests arrived.
The guests soon started arriving and were greeted at the door by the Fairy Godmother. Once everyone was in and seated there was a quick safety briefing before it was time to begin.
The song “Every girl can be a Princess” came on and the Fairy Godmother began to sing. As she danced around the stage the curtains then started to open and on walked Cinderella, Belle, Sofia and Tiana. As each one came on stage she waved her wand at their dresses which all lit up – it was certainly a crowd-pleasing entrance!
Once the song had finished they headed back behind the curtains, waiting to be introduced individually by the Fairy Godmother. Each Princess came on singing to a song from their film and then came down from the stage to mingle with their adoring fans and present the children with their gifts.
Eliza’s chosen Princess was Belle, so she was presented with an enchanted rose which had a jewel hidden inside and sparkled just like it did on the film. This time there was no hint of shyness from Eliza – she bounded straight up to each princess and was happily chatting away and I was impressed they all stayed out to sit and watch the other Princesses come on stage with the kids.
The Princesses not only looked the part but also took moves from the films so acted and danced like the characters too. The kids were mesmerised and soon got the confidence to dash towards the stage in the hope of meeting them first!
With the first four Princesses introduced it was time for a break where everyone got a snack and the opportunity to dance or play on the Bouncy Castle whilst we waited for the second batch of Princesses to arrive.
Once playtime was over, The Fairy Godmother rounded all the kids up and prepared them for the next Princess arrivals but making them guess who was next with a series of clues.
Like the first half once they had been introduced and presented the children with their presents they mingled with the excited girls as the new Princesses arrived on stage.
Eliza was very excited to see Ariel – last time we saw her she had her fish tail, but this time she had her legs and could dance. Isaac was supposed to be with us but he was poorly so lucky Eliza got two presents as she got to collect his – some magic sea water!
I have to say that the whole day was brilliant from beginning to end and Eliza came away truly believing that anyone can be a Princess!
I have been so impressed with Dorset Dreamers that I have booked them for Isaac’s party next month as they have Batman and Iron Man launching soon.
For more information about packages, offers and giveaways you can like Dorset Dreamers on facebook or follow them on twitter @dorsetdreamers
A very muddy day out in the forest!
Last weekend hubby was working so we decided on a day out a little closer to home. We haven’t been to Moors Valley for some … Read more