Family film time

This past week Bug has been off school for his February half term holidays. A mixture of bad weather (thanks for that storm Doris) and illness running rife throughout the household has meant we have not had too many outings or adventures during the week and have been housebound for the majority of it.

Whilst sheltering from the bad weather and attempting to fight off bugs that have seen the kids weak with illness we have played board games, baked cupcakes and yummy edible treats, and let our creative juices flow with paintings and crafting fun.

Step into the world of short films with discover.film.

One of the interests that Lee and I have shared from when we first met was a love of films. Since the early days when our relationship was budding our kindred love of films and an enjoyment of all genres was an interest that we could share and enjoy together. As we dated and our relationship blossomed we enjoyed many dates to the cinemas or movie nights in watching films together.

Fast forward a little over 6 years and we both still enjoy watching films of all genres however now that we have 2 children together which keep us very busy and tired our movie date nights are sadly not as frequent as they once were.

As we love watching films together so much but rarely have the time or energy to stay awake to watch a feature length film we have recently turned our attention to short films.

Stunts and stars - World's Most Dangerous Stunts Performed by Stars.

Lee and I share a love for the movies. We are big film buffs, enjoying a variety of genres and appreciating the work of a number of stars.

As we both love watching films it is inevitable that films commonly feature during our date nights – even though date nights are now a rare occurrence.

Whilst we both love a variety of film genres including suspense, comedy and drama, Lee does not like to be overloaded with romantic ‘chick flick’ films and I rarely opt for horror films as my first choice – even though horror films do give me a good excuse to snuggle close to my man. One film genre that appeals to us both and most commonly features in our movie date nights is action.

Big boy trip to the cinema.

This weekend at the grand old age of 4 Bug had his first trip to the cinema to watch a film.

We have been thinking for a while now of taking Bug to the cinema as his love of films has come alive having previously never had the patience to sit still long enough to enjoy a film from start to finish. As we have had so much going on of late we had not managed a trip to the cinema until this weekend.

So as not to put it off much longer or be at greater risk of going into labour mid film, this past weekend we popped to our local Vue cinema to watch the Minions.

Ideas for family days to make this Father's Day special.

This Father’s Day why not give your dad the gift of your time and a special day together?

Father’s Day can be the ideal excuse to spend time with your dad, enjoying some quality time as a family.

There are many different ways you can create a special day with your dad this Father’s Day, with ideas for all ages and budgets.

Our top ideas for special family days together to make Father’s Day special are –

Go-karting

Perfect for dads and their inner child, a go-karting day out is a fun experience that is sure to thrill.

Sure to be a fun filled family day out that your dad will love, a go-karting day out is a faced paced experience that will make Father’s Day an unforgettable day……especially if you let your dad win a few races!

It is worth bearing in mind though that there are age restrictions for children with go-karting so this fun day out may not be suitable until your child is old enough.

Win Alpha and Omega 3 The Great Wolf Games on DVD.

Lionsgate UK releases Alpha and Omega 3 The Great Wolf Games on DVD on 14th April 2014.

To celebrate the release of Alpha and Omega 3 The Great Wolf Games on DVD Lionsgate UK have kindly offered my readers the chance to win a copy of the DVD.

Treat your pack of wolves to a howl load of fun this Easter with

ALPHA AND OMEGA 3 THE GREAT WOLF GAMES

on DVD!

Win Jack the Giant Slayer on Blu-ray.

Warner Bros. is proud to announce the arrival of Jack the Giant Slayer on DVD & Blu-ray!

To celebrate the release of Jack the Giant Slayer on DVD and Blu-ray Warner Bros are giving my readers the chance to win a copy of Jack the Giant Slayer on Blu-ray.

Big Night In - Moneysupermarket challenge.

Many moons ago I used to love a big night out, partying and drinking the night away.  After a number of years of hard partying I hung up my party shoes.  Even though I put my wild partying ways behind me and gave up drinking alcohol, becoming a teetotaller, I still loved a night out.  Instead of hitting the pubs and clubs for a night out I loved going to restaurants for lovely meals with friends and family, going to the cinema and going to a comedy show or watching a gig. 

When I met Lee we shared a love of going to the cinema, comedy shows and music performances and we enjoyed many a big night out together.  When I was 9 months pregnant we had an amazing time watching Jimmy Carr’s Laughter Therapy show at the Swansea Grand Theatre.

Then our love bug was born and along with him came sleepless nights and our big nights out disappeared.  

Chocolates and cuddles.....perfect family night in with #cbias

With lee busy working long hours and late nights lately we have all been missing quality time as a family.  With a rare whole day off for Lee on the horizon for yesterday I wanted to make the most of the day.  I was excited at the prospect of Lee having a whole day off as it meant that Bug and I would have the car to go off on a little adventure for the whole day and not have to rush home for Lee to have the car to go to work, leaving Lee have a lie-in after a very late shift the night before and then be able to spend the whole evening and night with Lee instead of being stuck home alone when he is at work.

As Lee has been working so much overtime lately he is shattered so rather than drag him out for a family day outing Bug and I left him at home so he could have a lie-in and some peaceful, relaxation time whilst Bug and I went to have a little adventure and then do some shopping for some new bits and bobs for Bug. 

On our way to the shops we stopped off at a country estate and landscape park for a stroll in the sun and for some lovely outdoor adventures together.  Bug had lots of fun running around the gardens and gorgeous grounds but my wild little boy soon wore me out with his hyperactive, nonstop antics…..thankfully I kept reminding myself of our family night in that night and the prospect of cuddles and chocolate kept me going!

Family night in.

With Lee busy working lots of late nights and overtime lately Bug has been missing his daddy a lot.  Bug has not been very happy about seeing so little of his daddy.  As Bug is dearly missing his daddy when Lee is not working we are making most of the little amount of free time we have together.  Even though it is hard with Lee working so much lately, especially with Bug missing him so much and Bug and I being stuck at home as we only have 1 car and live miles away from public transport, when Lee is home we are now getting quality time together, making the most of what little time off he has.

A few days ago Lee had a little time off so we jumped at the chance of spending some much needed time together.  As Lee is shattered from working so hard we decided to have a lazy few hours together at home and enjoy a family night in and watch a film together.

I let Bug chose what film he wanted us to watch as a family.  After looking at a number of the choices I offered him he ended up picking a DVD that his Aunty Boo recently gave him, Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Cupid Dog DVD review.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching it was the perfect time to be sent a romantic film to watch.  We were sent Cupid Dog, which is a newly released romantic comedy from Lionsgate.  Normally I would watch a romantic film with Lee to spark a romantic mood and get into the spirit of this time of year; unfortunately he is away visiting his family due to personal matters.  As Lee is unavailable for romantic snuggle time watching a film together I decided to snuggle up with little man instead and watch it together.  As little man has been poorly he was more than happy to snuggle with mummy and relax for a while.

Gummy Bear 'The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa' DVD review.

We were recently sent a Christmas themed DVD from Lionsgate to review. Starring for the first time in a film Internet hit sensation Gummy Bear, who rose to fame with his pop-tastic, smash-hit song “I am a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear song)” features in the family festive DVD “The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa”.

Daddy I'm A Zombie! DVD Review

As it is a spooky time of year with Halloween tomorrow I enjoy watching scary and spooky films.  As well as enjoying classic Halloween and scary films for adults I do have a soft spot for films that combine the magic of animation with a hint of spookiness.  During this spooky time of year I think it is nice to spend time as a family watching a family friendly film with an eerie edge to get in the mood for Halloween.

With perfect timing for Halloween, this week we were sent a DVD of a new family friendly film that claims to be perfect for Halloween.  The DVD, “Daddy I’m A Zombie” is a feature length film of a mysterious adventure through a magical and spooky world with Zombies, Witches, Pirates and Mummies.