Thursday 17 November 2016

Disney On Ice presents Frozen - A Preview

As a child I used to love putting on my favourite Disney videos and singing along to all the fantastic songs as loud as I could. My friends would come round and we would dress up as our favourite characters and make up our own dance routines to the songs.

As I have grown older my love for Disney has never disappeared, and now that I am a mum, I have the added bonus of being able to enjoy all things Disney along with my children, and having just as much fun now as I did when I was young.

It was at the beginning of 2012 that I first became aware of the Disney on Ice productions, and knew that this was something we would have to attend as a family. It sounded amazing and I couldn't wait to see the concept, the story, the performers, the show, the music, just absolutely everything, and experience the Disney magic!

On March 23rd 2012 we attended our very first Disney on Ice show at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, and it was safe to say that we were definitely not disappointed. There was something for everyone, and the show featured all of the popular Disney characters and songs, as well as exceptional performances by some very talented ice skaters. Since our first visit to the show, we have gone on to enjoy several other Disney on Ice shows, all of which tell a different story and never seem too similar to the previous ones.

We were therefore extremely excited to learn about the new production "Disney On Ice presents Frozen", which is heading to the Echo Arena from the 30th November to the 4th December for 10 magical and mesmerizing shows.


Disney's Frozen was a huge hit in our household when it was released back in December 2013, and the soundtrack has also been played many a time both at home and in the car. Like many others, we literally could not get enough of singing the musical masterpieces "Let it Go" and "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" on a daily basis. It is therefore literally quite perfect for us, that Feld Entertainment, Inc. have decided to bring, the number one animated film of all time, to life on the ice.


The production will tell the story and capture the dynamic of the two Royal sisters, Anna and Elsa. It will follow Anna's epic journey to find her sister, whilst featuring loveable snowman Olaf, rugged mountain man Kristoff with his loyal reindeer Sven, and the mystical trolls who will all help Anna on her quest. It is a beautiful representation of how love can conquer fear and audiences will be able to sing along with all the musical masterpieces whilst following the story, which is sure to keep audiences both young and old captivated from beginning to end.

"In our more than 30 years of producing Disney on Ice shows, Feld Entertainment has been waiting for a film like this," says producer Nicole Feld. "While it might seem obvious that Frozen is well suited for the ice, this Disney On Ice production will touch audiences emotionally through innovative show elements and world-class skating."


One thing that I really love about this upcoming production is that not only are they presenting the story of Disney's Frozen on the ice, but they are also featuring special appearances by beloved Disney princesses and favourite characters from Disney Pixar's Toy Story and Finding Nemo, as well as Disney's The Lion King.

In addition to all of these, the production will of course also feature the wonderful Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, who will be taking the audience through the magical story based in Arendelle.


The production will bring together an immersive experience for the audience, with state of the art special effects, powerful skating and an impressive set design that will encompass the space from the ice surface up through the air, which to me sounds absolutely fantastic.

To celebrate this wonderful upcoming production, please be sure to visit the blog tomorrow where we will be launching a fantastic competition to win a wonderful Disney on Ice presents Frozen goody bag, packed full of wonderful toys and treats, as well as providing you with some really fun and interesting facts about the show!

As a family, we are really excited about Disney on Ice presents Frozen, and if like us, you would love to watch the show, then tickets are on sale now from:

www.disneyonice.com or www.echoarena.com

Alternatively you can contact the Echo Arena box office on 0844 8000 400

A full list of tour dates can also be found on the Disney on Ice website here: Disney on Ice

About the venue: The Echo Arena, is one of my favourite entertainment venues, as it offers fantastic road and rail links from where we are in North Wales, as well as neighbouring counties such as Cheshire, Manchester and Lancashire. There is plenty of parking available on the Liverpool Waterfront Multi Storey car park, which costs £7 to attend events at the arena.

We usually opt to travel by train though and make a day of it, with our return train ticket from North Wales to Liverpool costing us just under £18 with a family and friends railcard. There are ample attractions, restaurants, and activities along the waterfront too which makes for a great day out, tied in with a show at the arena in the afternoon or evening.

If you would like any further information on the production or venue, then please check out the links above.

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Friday 11 November 2016

Our Review of toucanBox!

Whilst browsing my O2 priority rewards, I saw an offer on for a free Halloween toucanBox, and so because there was no obligation to continue the subscription after receiving the first box, and the fact that I was keen to find out more, I decided to take them up on their offer.


The free box which I claimed was for a petite size, which includes all the materials needed for one activity, it also has the added bonus that it will fit through your letterbox, so no worrying that you might miss the parcel. They do however, offer a range of different sizes, each with varying costs which are as follows:

Petite - £3.95 + 98p postage (fortnightly) - This includes materials for one activity.
Grande - £9.95 + £2.95 postage - This includes 2 exciting activities, a book to share together & parent card which provides more ideas and information.
Super - £16.95 + £2,95 postage - This includes a book to share together and a parent card just like the Grande box, however this size box features 4 activities. That's certainly something to keep children busy.

The boxes arrive addressed to your child, and my son was so happy to receive his own post! The boxes have your childs name printed on both the outside and inside of the box which helps to make it feel really personal. We cleared some space on the floor, and my daughter helped her brother to unpack the box and lay everything out. She told me that they needed scissors which was the only thing that you had to provide yourself, so I went and got these for them, whilst she began to read the instructions.

It was really lovely watching the two of them work together. My daughter loves art and craft, and so it was the ideal activity for them to enjoy together and have some fun. The instruction manual also doubles up as an activity booklet with some fun puzzles to complete after you have built your craft item. The design of the booklet is very eye catching, with good graphics and easy to read text. There are also snippets of information for parents in the booklet which inform you what the activity is focusing on. For this activity the focus was maths, and helping your child to understand how you can take a flat piece of paper and create a 3D object. The front page gives you some basic but important information and tells you using a 5 point scale whether the activity requires grown up assistance, the level of messiness and whether there is any drying time required.

The first inner page then provides you with a full list of everything you need. This is great as it allows you to make sure that you have everything in the box before you begin. My daughter laid out their materials in the same order they were displayed in the image, so that she could cross them off and make sure they had it all to hand. There is then the 'Also Grab' section which informs you of any additional items you may require that are not included, which on this occasion was scissors.


The front page then opens out into a double page spread, and this particular activity featured six step by step instructions which were a combination of images and written information. It wasn't over complicated and I thought it was just the right amount of information for a young child to grasp and understand. I also felt that the images were a great help as it also gives children a visual idea of what their item should be looking like throughout the process. This helps to reassure them that they are doing it correctly.

The activity took them both around 30 minutes which was the right amount of time to keep my sons attention, and the end result was fantastic. Together they had made a Jack-O-Lantern which looked fab.

After they had finished the Jack-O-Lantern, they worked through the activity booklet together which featured lots of fun games and facts including creating a funky outfit for Frankenstein, drawing a funny face for a pumpkin and some spooky puzzles to name a few.

Overall my children really enjoyed their first toucanBox, so much so that I will be upgrading our subscription to the monthly Grande box as I think that the book you receive with this option would also be great to have a nice little read after the craft. It would most certainly also help to pass the time if your activity requires any drying time, as you could have a nice read of the book together whilst you wait.


If you would like to find out more, then please visit the site here toucanBox or click on the banner below & enter code AWXMAS1116 to claim a free box (new subscribers only):



I have deliberately waited a couple of weeks since receiving the item to post this review, so as not to spoil it for anyone who subscribes and hasn't opened it yet.

*Disclaimer - The link to toucanBox is an affiliate link which means that I will earn a small commission for each referral that results in a purchase or the claim of a free box.

Saturday 5 November 2016

The "Weeping Window" Poppies at Caernarfon Castle

As Remembrance Day draws closer, I felt it was important for my children to understand why we do commemorate this event, and just exactly what the poppy represents and stands for.  Every year in school my children always purchase and wear a poppy, and they have also taken part in the local remembrance parades, but I was unsure as to whether they actually understood what the significance of the poppy was, and the history behind it.


To help them gain a better understanding, my husband and I decided to take them to visit the wonderful 'Weeping Window' poppy display which has been installed at Caernarfon Castle for a 6 week period. I thought that by visiting such an outstanding art installation, it would provide the perfect opportunity to talk about the history, as well as remember the fallen, and write a remembrance message for members of our own family.



Remembrance Sunday always falls on the second Sunday in November, which this year is the 13th November 2016.  It is a day where we remember those who have suffered or died in war, and is to honour their memory and appreciate the sacrifice they made in order to protect our freedom. It is not only to commemorate veterans from the first and second world war, but also wars and conflicts from more recent times.


During the First World War (1914-1918) the beautiful countryside that was fought over, turned to mud where little or nothing could grow. However, despite this, the resilient poppies flourished in their thousands and inspired the poem 'In Flander's Fields' written by Lt. Col John McRae. This poem became the inspiration to make and sell red silk poppies, and when they were brought over to England, the Royal British Legion which was formed in 1921 ordered 9 million of them to sell. The sale of the poppies raised £106,000 which of course was a very substantial amount of money for this time. This money was then used to help WW1 veterans.

There can at times, be some misunderstanding as to what the wearing of a poppy means, with some people believing that there is some kind of political reasoning behind it. This is incorrect, as the poppy stands for a symbol of remembrance and hope, it is not a reflection of politics or religion, nor is it a sign of support for war.  Millions of people every year choose to wear or not wear a poppy through personal choice and the purchase or wearing of a poppy is never forced upon people, but is simply an individuals preference to do so, often to reflect personal memories and to also help raise funds for veterans in need of support. 

Two minutes of silence is also observed on Remembrance Sunday, as well as on Armistice Day itself on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month.

The Weeping Window display is by artist Paul Cummins, and designer Tom Piper, and is a beautiful cascade of several thousand handmade ceramic poppies. They start from one of the high windows of the castle and flow down to the ground below.  The tickets are free of charge and due to the popularity of the display, it is recommended that you book in advance. We visited today (Saturday 5th November) and despite it being very cold, with intermittent hail storms, it was still very busy. 


There are also a couple of remembrance areas, the first being where you can write a card and pin it to an indoor display, and the other and most striking area, is towards the opposite end of the castle where you can purchase a poppy cross and place this in the ground.


The Weeping Window art installation will be at Caernarfon Castle until the 20th November, so if you would like to visit, please visit the site here to arrange your tickets. Tickets 

Additionally, if you would like to make a donation to the Poppy Appeal, or learn more about it, then please visit their site here: Donate


Friday 4 November 2016

Our Review of the Digital Kids Show

My daughter absolutely loves YouTube, and most nights she will tune in to her favourite you-tubers and catch up on their latest videos. Therefore, when I spotted an online advertisement for the Digital Kids Show that also happened to coincide with her birthday weekend, I knew that we would have to visit, and make sure that she would have a day to remember.

The show itself was being held at Event City in Manchester which is located adjacent to the Trafford Centre. As we live in North Wales, we had to do a bit of planning to get there as my husband and son needed the car on the same day and so our journey ended up involving two trains and a bus, and took nearly 3 hours in total to get there, but I made sure that I had all the timings written down and so despite being a bit nervous about catching the wrong train, it all turned out to be relatively easy and we got there and back without any issues.

Before I go any further however, I just wanted to provide you with my daughters own short review of the show. The Digital Kids Show was designed for kids, and so I think it is important to remember that and view her opinion before mine, so here we go:



In terms of my own opinion, I paid £21.59 each for tickets including booking fee. I was happy with this price, as I feel it is the average price for a day out per person. The price paid included all attractions, and shows inside the event and so it was nice to know that there would be no extra charges whilst attending. The only extra thing I would have liked to have seen in regards to the tickets, would have been a family ticket option, but I believe from speaking to staff at the event that this is something that they will be looking to do in the future.

The event was due to start at 10am, however we did not arrive until just after 10:30am which meant that we missed the queue to get in, and simply walked straight in on arrival. Brochures were available to purchase at a cost of £2 per person. I did hear a few people grumble about having to pay extra for this, but this is standard practice at most events, and I was more than happy to pay the additional £2 given that at some events we have had to spend an extra £10 on brochures alone only to find them just full of advertising, therefore I felt that £2 was very reasonable and it certainly wasn't forced on you to purchase this. Maps were also provided free of charge, so if anything the brochure was simply a nice memento of the day with some fun facts about all the you-tubers inside and it wasn't something that you HAD to purchase. Unfortunately this was the only actual "Digital Kids Show" merchandise available for sale, and I would have liked the opportunity to have purchased tshirts/hats/keyrings etc as my daughter often likes to buy memories of our day out. However, there was some individual youtubers merchandise available such as EthanGamerTV tshirts and hoodies, Ashdubh tops, and Amy Lee books and all of these were very reasonably priced. I was very impressed with the Amy Lee book which at only £5 for a large hardback book, had plenty inside to keep my daughter interested and was of a really good quality.

Once we were inside and brochure purchased, we checked out the plan for the day, and worked out all our timings so we knew where we had to be and when. The first show was due to start at 11am, and so we headed straight over to the seating area to get good seats. Boogie Storm were the opening act, and despite there being a few issues with the sound system they put on a great show to start the event. Following this was the YouTube Q&A session, though my daughter only opted to watch part of this, as she cleverly realised that whilst everyone else was watching the show, it meant that she could try out the other attractions without much of a wait.


We headed over to the total wipeout zone, where she had great fun playing on "The Sweeper" she went on this a couple of times, waiting no longer than 5 minutes for each go, and then she spotted a VR headset stand a short distance away and so she went on this and played minecraft for about ten minutes.




This then took us to just before noon, and the meet and greet was due to start at 12:45 so we headed straight over to the queue for AshDubh, Tomohawk and Inthelittlewood. In doing this, it meant that we would only have a 45 minute wait and we were only 3rd in the queue, so my daughter was more than excited about being so close to meeting Ashdubh (There were other queues available for the other YouTube stars). I had expected to queue, so the queuing really wasn't an issue for us, and I've always found when attending events like this, that queuing is just part and parcel of it. Also if you make the effort to talk to the people around you then this can make the time go so much quicker. It was lovely getting to know some of the others in the queue and finding out where they had travelled from. I thought we had done a bit of a trek from Wales, but the lady next to me had driven all the way from Essex and was just as excited about meeting Ashdubh as her son! Brilliant!

When the moment came to meet the YouTubers, AshDubh actually came over slightly earlier and walked the line. He couldn't have been any nicer and took the time to speak to everyone, pose for photos and much to my daughters delight he even wished her a Happy Birthday and wrote it on the back cover of her brochure. She was absolutely over the moon with this, and said that she thought she was going to faint. My daughters dream birthday present was to meet AshDubh, and being able to witness the happiness on her face when not only did she meet him, but he also made the effort to chat with her and wish her a happy birthday, absolutely made her day and mine. This was really the only thing that she had 100% wanted to do at the show and so the rest was just a bonus.


We then continued to queue to meet Tomohawk and InTheLittlewood who came and sat down about 10 minutes later, and they were just as nice. Once our meet and greet had taken place we decided to have a good look around with the intention of heading back to join the queue for the Amy Lee book signing towards the end.



We checked out all the trade stands, visited the Alopecia and Dog's Trust Stands and then had a look around some of the game stands such as Scalextric and Beasts of Balance. My daughter enjoyed visiting the PopJam stand and designed a phone case. She loves art and so it was nice to also have a few art & craft stalls. We were starting to get hungry by this point, so decided to tuck into some sausage rolls & drinks we had bought from Greggs earlier. Unfortunately the shows caterers had been changed at the last minute by the venue and so the organisers had put out a message on Facebook and via email the night before stating that you could bring your own food. Our lunch cost £5.60 and we sat on one of the hay bales around the craft area to eat our food. There were plenty of bins dotted around so we didn't need to worry about disposing of our packaging.




After lunch my daughter continued to visit the various other stands around the venue. We may have just been lucky with timing but for most areas the queues moved fast and we rarely waited longer than 10 minutes. Excluded from this was the Young Driver Experience which seemed to have a lengthy queue the whole time we were there, but I can understand why this was so popular. I spoke to a couple of people in the queue and the average wait time for this seemed to be 45 minutes to an hour. Still far less than you would queue at other attractions in the UK though and worth it for a unique experience of driving at a young age. As we wanted to head back to the book signing, we decided not to join the queue, but this was my daughters decision and she was still more than happy with everything that she had tried so far.

Once we had reached the queue for the book signing again, it was much larger that when we had left. We were due to leave at 2:45pm which at this point gave us just over an hour so we joined the queue, again happy to wait as the meet and greets had always been the main draw of the attraction for my daughter. As we were queuing a lady came over and explained that she was really sorry but they were going to have to cut the queue off as they had not yet even had a break, my daughter said that she understood and although it was shame as she had wanted her book signed for her birthday she didn't want them to go without a break. The lady suggested that we went and enjoyed the rest of the attractions and to pop over again just as we were leaving to see if there was any chance of being an add on just before we left. We took her advice, and headed off to the CBBC area where my daughter enjoyed a CBBC presenting experience with Hacker. She absolutely loved this, and had previously took part in a presenting workshop in London with Ben Shires and Katy last year prior to the Children's Bafta Awards, and so to have the chance to stand in a replica of the CBBC studio in front of the camera was fantastic, and definitely an added bonus that she hadn't been expecting.



Following this, she made some speakers for her phone in the Blue Peter zone and was given some cards of the presenters. This was almost the end of our experience at the Digital Kids Show, so we made sure we had all our things and made our way towards the exit. The meet and greet area was by the exit, and so we found the lady we had spoken to previously and tried our luck to see if we could quickly get our book signed before we left. Despite having being signing for nearly 4 hours at this point, Amy Lee was more than happy to oblige and due to being sat with NettyPlays and SalemsLady they also all signed her book and wished her a Happy Birthday too. I then left as an extremely happy parent of one very happy daughter whose birthday day out had been everything she had hoped it would be.


Overall we had a fantastic day out, it was exactly how I had expected it to be, and I believe that the event offered great value for money. Being the very first day of the event, which is also in its first year, there were of course some minor teething problems, but the promoters know this, they know what worked and what didn't and I am sure that next year it will be back even bigger and better.

If I was to offer any constructive feedback at all it would be the following:

1) Make the most of the space: Whilst there was plenty to see and do, there was also still plenty of space that could have been filled with even more which would have helped to have reduce the queues in other areas. More tech/gaming stalls for example Playstation, Nintendo, Drones etc.

2) Free Wifi: This is probably more to do with the venue than the promoters, but it was frustrating to not be able to share pictures, videos, check in etc until after we had left due to there being no wifi available and limited signal indoors.

3) Charging points: There were so many photo opportunities that this quickly killed my battery and my phone was flat by lunchtime. It would have been great to have just been able to charge my phone for 20 minutes whilst my daughter enjoyed one of the attractions.

For a first time event I think that it was great and the positives of the event far outweighed any of the negatives. Yes there are some small improvements to be made if this is to be held again in future years, but the main draw of the show was the ability to meet and greet your favourite youtubers, and this is exactly what they delivered. Both my daughter and I would definitely return.

*Disclaimer - I purchased tickets to this event and chose to write this review of my own accord.