Red Rose Mummy

I've just been reading a hilarious thread on Mumsnet where parents have been sharing their plans for the homes of their children, if and when they ever move out. It really made me laugh and then think about the plans I have for my three. If you read the thread it's quite clear what stage of parenting the posters are at and it made me think about my children.

For Bud:
I'm going to wait until he's sitting down to eat and has picked up his cutlery, and then I'll ask for a drink, some bread, the ketchup or the mayo.

I shall watch my favourite YouTubers and make sure that I tell him every single detail of the video so he feels like he's seen it himself.

I will wait until he's doing something really important and then I'll ask him 'do male and female flamingoes look different from one another?' or 'how heavy is the big bridge we drive over when we go to the Trafford Centre?' I'll ask these questions over and over again until he stops what he's doing and Googles the important answers for me.

When I need him, I'm going to say his name so slowly that it takes about five seconds to get it out. I'll obviously repeat this until he answers me.

If I have something important to tell him, I'm going to make him guess what it is. I'll offer very little context for the subject of the guessing game to make it more fun.

Every time he takes a photo of me I'll make a thumbs up with both hands and a crazy smile.

For LM:
I will remove my shoes in the most obscure place in her house, then shrug my shoulders and deny any knowledge of ever owning shoes when she asks me to find them.

I'm going to change my name to something more suited to that of a rejected My Little Pony and refuse to tell anyone what my new name is. I won't respond in any way unless they happen to guess the random combination of sparkly and glittery words that I've chosen.

Any comment or question that I don't like the answer to will be met with a withering look, and 'you're so silly LM'.

I'll demand that she does my hair in elaborate hairstyles and then cry and wail every time she approaches me with a hairbrush.

Should she serve me a meal, I will roll my eyes and pronounce it 'gwoss', even though I ate it fine last week.

I'll insist on taking my collection of 'girls' everywhere with me and make her carry them for me. As soon as we leave the house I'll completely forget that I've brought my dolls and leave them in the boot of her car for the next two weeks. When the allotted time has elapsed I'll decide that I must have them, right now, probably at bedtime, and attempt to spend the next hour getting their pyjamas on and putting them to bed. I'll go and find her an hour after I've gone to bed and complain that one of the dolls is looking at me funny and make her come and put them in the downstairs toilet so they can't see her while she's asleep.

Every time she takes a photo of me I'll pout and give a peace sign.

For Little E:
Each and every device I can reach the plug for will be unplugged. I'll take anything being charged and hide the charger leads so he'll go to grab his phone ready to take out with him and find it only has 2% battery.

I'll climb on everything and do barrel rolls over the back of the sofa.

If I get a cold I'll run away every time he tells me to wipe my nose and sit somewhere unreachable, sniffing and letting it drip over my top lip.

I'll wait until we're all ready to go out and then take my coat, shoes and socks, and possibly clothes, off and refuse to put them back on again.

Whenever we go somewhere I'm expected to be quiet I'll spend the whole time shouting 'hey' at everyone I know. Bonus points if it's a big echo-y room and I can run around making fun stamping noises too!

Every time he takes a photo of me I'll look anywhere but at the camera and move just as he presses the shutter.

I'm fairly sure that my parents could have made such a list for me and my siblings - our own children are the punishment for our behaviour when we were younger! I'm also sure that the list will change as my three get older (although LM will still be eye rolling - I just didn't expect it to start at five!)

What will you be doing when your children move into their own homes?

I have another fun giveaway for you today. This time I'm offering one of my lucky readers the chance to win two of the fantastic Pass the Pigs range of games. Ian has been playing Pass the Pigs for years and it's a staple in the suitcase whenever we go on holiday. Bud and LM now enjoy playing too and I know they're rather keen on expanding our Pass the Pigs collection this Christmas.

You’ll be snorting with laughter if you play with these piggy games for Christmas. The original party animals, Pass the Pigs, use hilarious pigs for dice. Will you roll a sider or start makin' bacon? Having fun with friends, on the road entertainment, or just chilling out - the game is on for every pig in the parlour!

Fantastic fun for the whole family, Pass the Pigs is so easy to play. Simply throw the 2 piggies up in the air and see how they land. Compare the pigs landing positions with your scorecard and earn points, the first to 100 wins.

Pass the Pigs comes in a handy travel case, pop into your bag and you are ready for a game anytime, so if you are traveling to see family it’s the perfect entertainment on the go. Pass the Pigs Party are ideal for when you want to play with family and friends at Christmas.

Pass the Pigs is a game of skill for 2-6 players, it comes with a handy carry case, 2 pencils, 2 pigs and a pocket-sized score card. It is suitable for ages 3+ and available for £9.99rrp.

Pass the Pigs Party is the version for party animals! Now there are EIGHT pigs in the game to play with. Roll your piggies to try and be first to match the position on your card, get bonus points if you do it on your first go! Be the first to rack up 100 points to win!

Included in the game is four pairs of small plastic piggies, a deck of 30 cards and a carry case RRP £14.99.

To see the full range of Pass the Pigs games visit www.passthepigsofficial.com

I've teamed up with Pass the Pigs to offer one of my readers the chance to win both games. To enter the giveaway please complete the Gleam widget below. Your details will not be stored by Red Rose Mummy or Gleam and will only be used to contact the prize winner. Please read the terms and conditions. UK Only. The giveaway will close at 11:59pm on Thursday 7th December 2017.

Terms & Conditions:
1. The competition is open to all residents of the UK only. Entrants aged under 18 must have permission from a parent or guardian to take part.
2. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is offered.
3. To enter, please use the Gleam widget above, complete any mandatory entries and any optional entries you would like.
4. The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.
5. The winner will be sent Pass the Pigs and Pass the Pigs Party.
6. The closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on 7th December 2017.
7. The winner will be informed by email within 24 hours of the closing date.
8. The winner will be asked to provide a full UK postal address with postcode for delivery purposes.
9. The winners name will be available on request
10. Address details will be passed onto an agency to post the prize out to the winner, and is therefore beyond my control. I cannot be held responsible for prizes being lost in the post although I will endeavour to liaise with the agency.
11. Entry to this giveaway confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
12. Red Rose Mummy's decision is final in all matters relating to this giveaway.

We're huge fans of table top games in our house and we've enjoyed a few from Megableu over recent years so I'm delighted to be able to offer my readers the chance to win two fantastic games from their range.

First up is Tumball. New for 2017. This is a nerve-wracking bead-stacking game. Balance the beads or take a tumble.
With every bead you add, the space between the coloured balls will open…

Push your luck too far or make a false move and… TUMBALL!

Add the fallen beads to your collection. First to get rid of all their beads wins!

Tumball is suitable for 2 to 4 players, aged 5 and over. RRP: £17:99

Next up is another new game for this year. Beat the Flush is the potty bug-flipping game! Race to catch your colour bugs with your wibbly-wobbly magnetic cap!

Catch a bug as quick as you can and flick it into the bowl. But aim straight: the loo’s on the loose, going round and round! Weeee! The winner’s the one who lands the most bugs in the bowl before it flushes! Try not to get sprayed with water.

Beat the Flush is suitable for 2 to 4 players, aged 5 and over. RRP: £24:99

I hope you agree with me that both of these games look like terrific fun and perfect for a family games night! I can imagine these being very popular at family gatherings over the festive period.

To see the full range of Megableu games, and for stockists, please visit www.megableu.com/uk/.

I've teamed up with Megableu to offer one of my readers the chance to win both games. To enter the giveaway please complete the Gleam widget below. Your details will not be stored by Red Rose Mummy or Gleam and will only be used to contact the prize winner. Please read the terms and conditions. UK Only. The giveaway will close at 11:59pm on Thursday 7th December 2017.

Terms & Conditions:
1. The competition is open to all residents of the UK only. Entrants aged under 18 must have permission from a parent or guardian to take part.
2. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is offered.
3. To enter, please use the Gleam widget above, complete any mandatory entries and any optional entries you would like.
4. The winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.
5. The winner will be sent two games from Megableu Games - Beat the Flush and Tumball
6. The closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on 7th December 2017.
7. The winner will be informed by email within 24 hours of the closing date.
8. The winner will be asked to provide a full UK postal address with postcode for delivery purposes.
9. The winners name will be available on request
10. Address details will be passed onto an agency to post the prize out to the winner, and is therefore beyond my control. I cannot be held responsible for prizes being lost in the post although I will endeavour to liaise with the agency.
11. Entry to this giveaway confirms that participants have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
12. Red Rose Mummy's decision is final in all matters relating to this giveaway.

Have you ever considered spending Christmas on holiday? It's something I tend to think about every now and again and I have different ideas that I always find myself dreaming of when the hectic run up to Christmas gets a little bit too much! Whether abroad or at home, there's a range of different options for families with the freedom to travel over the festive season.

The first one I often think about is Lapland. I'm not sure I'd actually enjoy sledging through the snow too much. I really hate being cold so much! It's one of those real bucket list trips though and friends who have visited the big man at 'the North Pole' talk about how much it really made Christmas magical for them and their children.

Photo by Rucksack Magazine on Unsplash

My second option would be somewhere hot! Somewhere like Dubai sounds like a pretty amazing place to visit over the Christmas holidays. Two weeks or so of sunbathing, all you can eat buffets and luxurious hotels where you don't have to lift a finger would be a very relaxing place to spend the festive period. I've been checking out the range of destinations available over on the Destination2 website and they have a long list of tropical Christmas holidays available which have really got me thinking!

Third up is Australia. Ian spent Christmas Down Under when he went travelling there in his early 20s. He often talks to the children about his Christmas on the beach and New Year celebrations in Sydney. We'd love to take the whole family to Australia and Christmas seems like it would be an amazing time to be there.

My fourth choice would be a European city. This isn't really one for over Christmas itself but I'd love to go and visit the Christmas markets in a city like Hamburg or Frankfurt. It would be wonderful to book a long weekend and fly off for a couple of nights (child free of course) to celebrate Christmas in the European markets.

In reality it's unlikely that we will ever spend Christmas away from home. We're part of a very close extended family and I don't think any of us would want to miss out on the opportunity to be with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins on the big day. That brings me to my fifth option and this really is a 'money no object' one. I'd love to rent a big Country House somewhere out in North Yorkshire or Derbyshire and take the whole family off for a magical Christmas together. We'd need somewhere to sleep around 25 people and to hire staff I think so this is really a 'money is no object' option. We can all dream!

Where would you spend your dream Christmas? Is your ideal destination on my list?

Collaborative Post

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure has arrived at Manchester Arena this week and we were lucky enough to be invited along to see the show on Wednesday evening. LM, especially, is a huge Disney fan so was so excited to put on her Belle dress and head down to the Arena.

We were greeted before the show with the chance to meet the stars of Zootropolis, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who are this tour's Fit to Dance stars. The children were so excited to meet two of their recent heroes, and then have the opportunity to have a photo with the main man himself - Mickey Mouse before we took our seats close to the ice.

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review Judy Hopps Nick Wilde Fit to Dance

The Fit to Dance team took to the ice first, getting all the children hopping alongside Nick and Judy and a few of the skaters who were flying crazy helicopter boomerang hybrids around the ice. Make sure you take your seats on time to see these in action.

As usual Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goody are your comperes for the evening and the show proper soon took to the ice with a wonderful introduction from 'It's a Small World'. The skaters' costumes took us on a world tour and there were snippets of traditional music from a range of countries with the skaters in the relevant costumes having their chance to shine.

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review mickey Minnie Donald Daisy Goofy

From there we flew off to Africa and joined The Lion King. This is a real favourite in our house and the children loved seeing Simba and friends performing some of the biggest numbers from the movie. LM is currently dancing to 'I Just Can't Wait to be King' at school so was showing us some of her moves during that number. Bud and LM declared this section to be their favourite part of the show.

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review Lion King Simba Nala Rafiki

Next up we travelled to London and joined Peter Pan. This was a real spectacle with Peter, Tinkerbell and the Darling children flying at some height above the arena and Captain Hook, Smee and the rest of the pirates getting the typical boos from the audience. I think this was my favourite part of the whole evening, having not seen the film for some time it was a lovely reminder of the story and songs.

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review Peter Pan Wendy John Michael Darling Flying

After the interval we headed 'Under the Sea' to meet Ariel, Flounder and Sebastian. The Little Mermaid is a DVD on general rotation in our house so we were all singing along. LM had to hide her face in my shoulder when a certain Sea Witch arrived on the ice. She really doesn't like Ursula!

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review Little Mermaid Ariel Prince Eric

Our next destination was somewhere we've visited on every Disney on Ice show we've seen - Arendelle. There's something about Elsa and Anna which really lends itself to the ice and the spectacle was the best I think we've seen. There was a real snow storm on the ice which made it really atmospheric. Ian and I commented that we really enjoyed the songs now we aren't watching the DVD every day!

Disney on Ice presents Passport to Adventure at Manchester Arena - Review Frozen Elsa

The finale affords the opportunity to see all of the characters on the ice together and is a great chance to applaud the whole cast as the main characters and ensemble appear.

We had a fabulous night at Disney on Ice as always, Little E really enjoyed the experience this time and it's the first show he's stayed awake all the way through. He was especially delighted by Sebastian and Flounder from The Little Mermaid, pointing and saying 'fish' whenever they skated by.

There's a really nice mix of old and new in this show, and an effective blend of movies which will appeal to every Disney fan I think. It is really worth seeing if you can.

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Disney On Ice presents Passport To Adventure runs in Manchester until Sunday 15th October and tickets are still available, with prices starting at around £30 per person.

If you can't see it in Manchester then check out the rest of the tour dates:

Arena Birmingham - 18th -29th October

SSE Arena, Belfast - 3rd - 5th November

Citywest Hotel, Dublin - 10th - 12th November

FlyDSA Arena, Sheffield 15th - 19th November

The O2, London - 20th - 30th December

For more information, and to book tickets visit disneyonice.com.

We were invited to see Disney on Ice Presents Passport to Adventure as guests of the show.

Living in Bolton, it's clear that one of the jewels in the town's year is the annual Food and Drink Festival but we've often managed to miss it. This year I was determined that would be different and, having booked tickets for an event today at Bolton Library, we planned a day at the festival in the calendar a few weeks ago.

The Food and Drink Festival takes over the streets of Bolton completely, with all kinds of street food and artisan food and drink vendors available. We arrived just before lunch and decided to take a pit stop to try out some of the wares on offer. Bud chose a hot dog which he thought was hilarious as the sausage and ketchup were placed in a hollowed out bun and it was presented to him with just the end of the hot dog poking out! A real pig in a blanket. Ian and I shared some Spanish potatoes with chicken and peppers, which were very tasty, while LM and Little E were enthralled by a Tornado Potato. All of these were available within a few metres of each other on Deansgate and Market Street, with a very handy seating area too.

Tornado Potatoes at Bolton Food Festival 2017

From here we headed to Victoria Square and Le Mans Crescent which are the heart of the Festival. Aldi, the main Festival sponsors this year, had a wine pavillion showing many of their award winning bottles and there are two stages featuring live music, with the opportunity to grab a glass of wine or pint of organic cider too.

We had tickets for the Peter Rabbit Experience at Bolton Library so we headed over there next. The library foyer had a smoothie bike available and Bud decided he was going to blend his own smoothie. The staff were lovely, helping him to choose his fruit and explaining that the smoothie needed banana to make it thick. He enjoyed pedalling the bike to make the blender work although neither he nor LM were overly keen on the smoothie result, Bud isn't a fan of banana so I wasn't surprised by this.

Smoothie bike at Bolton Library Food Festival 2017

The Peter Rabbit Experience took place in the lecture hall in the basement of the building and we were treated to the story of Peter Rabbit in Mr McGregor's garden, a singalong and the chance to try some of the fruit and vegetables that he might have found there. Our singing brought about the arrival of a very special visitor and the children were delighted to have the chance to meet up with the bunny himself. This event was the basis for us planning a day at the Festival and we thoroughly enjoyed it. A free event, although pre-booking was required, it was well attended and a great way for children to experience the Peter Rabbit story.

Peter Rabbit Experience Bolton Food Festival 2017

Our next stop was the Octagon Theatre across the road. This is one of my favourite places in Bolton and I'm a regular visitor to watch plays there, although the Food and Drink Festival offers the opportunity to experience the main auditorium and studio theatre in a completely new way.

Octagon Theatre Platform 50 Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2017

The main theatre is The Railway Children themed, with a visit to Platform 50 on offer. Instead of a stage a big wooden train snakes across the floor of the auditorium on a trip to the beach. All of the seats had stripy deckchair covers and there were traditional games like 'pin the tail on the donkey' and Hoopla available. LM was delighted to see glitter tattoos on offer and took the opportunity to have a butterfly on her hand (for an optional donation) and Bud loved the photo booth with actual costumes from the Octagon stores to try on.

Octagon Theatre Platform 50 Photo Booth with Costumes Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2017

Next door, in the Octagon Studio, Little E found his happy place. Bolton Library and Museum Services staged an Egypt themed room which was a huge sand pit and water play channel. Children were invited to make sandcastles, take part in an archaeology dig or just splash in the water. Let's just say that I was very pleased I'd bought Little E a new t-shirt earlier in the day as his was drenched by the time we left. He loved it so much he cried when we had to come away!

Octagon Theatre Studio Egypt Bolton Food and Drink Festival 2017

We had a really excellent day at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival today. It's lovely to see the town centre taken over by something so vibrant and fun. There is so much going on including exhibitions by some of the country's top chefs (we didn't even begin to explore these with three children in tow) and there's definitely something for everyone.

To find out more about the festival visit www.boltonfoodanddrinkfestival.com or check out #BoltonFoodFest on social media.

LM has loved the Lalaloopsy range for some time and now owns a few of the large dolls, however, one of her only issues with these pretty girls is that their hair is plastic. Imagine her delight when she was recently sent out a brand new Storm E Sky doll with real purple hair to play with!

Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky - Review Real hair doll

Storm E Sky is a recent addition to the Lalaloopsy kingdom. She joined last year and loves music and is a real rock chick, this is echoed in her funky purple hair and edgy leather jacket and tutu! LM was also sent some festival essentials to enjoy with her dolly - a beautiful rainbow tutu, some glitter gel, a flower headband and inflatable guitar! She was sewn on July 29th, LM loves knowing when her doll's birthdays are so she can sing to them.

The doll arrives with her own pet cat, ribbon and hairbrush - perfect for little ones to get styling the hair. Storm E Sky's hair arrives in two purple nets which are exactly the same colour as her hair. LM decided to leave these on so she can have matching hair with Storm.

Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky - Review real hair doll sewn on date

Cool Cat is Storm's pet cat and she's a cute little addition to the doll, she's made from purple vinyl and has a yellow lightning bolt tag and a black lightning bolt tail too. The perfect cat for little rock chicks like Storm and LM.

Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky - Review Cool Cat and hairbrush

Both LM and I really lilked Storm E Sky. It's quite refreshing to have a colour scheme which isn't mainly pink, in fact only Storm's pink tutu, tights and boots has this colour. The black, silver and purple add a real coolness and a little something to the Lalaloopsy range which is great to see.

Last week we all went camping with LM's grandparents and cousin and they loved playing with Storm E Sky on our own mini rock festival (even if the tunes were provided by Radio 2 rather a live band), LM already has the tutu which arrived with Storm so she passed this on to her cousin and both girls loved dancing around our camping field!

Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky - Review Festival Music Dancing Tutu

Storm E Sky has been played with everyday since she arrived in our house. She's a lovely addition to LM's Lalaloopsy collection and we think she'd make and Lalaloopsy fan very happy.