26 things to do in the Peak district. Summer 2020 we have decided to stay in the UK. One of the locations we have chosen for a week away is the beautiful Peak District. I think the Peak District is sometimes forgotten when it comes to getaways with kids. There are quite a lot of things to do in and around the Peak District, making it a pretty fun place to be, when we go on holiday we like to plan in advance otherwise we just end up driving around for hours, get sick of being in the car and head back to where we are staying. The best way to avoid that is pre planning, lo ..read more

National Trust Cadbury Easter Egg Hunts in the North East 2020 Now, I know Easter is a fair way away yet, but I thought I would share some info on the upcoming Easter Egg Hunts for this year with The National Trust. Although two of my boys are probably too old to enjoy a good hunt, Elliot still has a year or so left (He’s quite a young 8 year old) so I am going to milk it as long as I can (He’s my youngest baby, no growing up allowed!) Plus I am pretty sure Adam & Toby won’t say no to free chocolate. Growing up, I never really went to events like this be ..read more

7 Benefits of walking 10k + steps a day – This year I have really been getting into a more healthy approach. For the last few years at least, I couldn’t do much due to ligament damage in my knee which caused lots of pain if I was walking for hours on end. Which meant I gained weight, and for someone with Body Dysmorphia that’s not a good place to be in .. So for 2020 one of my goals is to get fitter. I decided to walk my way to fitness for 2020. Seems so simple and I hear people saying you can’t get fit just walking. But actually you really can get fit “Just” from walking ..read more

The Ultimate Chocolate cupcake recipe. – Baking is something we do quite a lot together in this house, i’m not sure if it’s because our creations are delicious or because the boys eat everything, so we have to make more for others to enjoy! I have tried various cupcake recipes in the past and they never quite worked for me until I came across a recipe and I just knew that recipe was in for the long haul. I have tweaked the recipe a little to suit me, but I hand on heart declare this to be the best chocolate cupcake recipe in the universe, and Elliot says so too. Ingredients ..read more

February – What’s on for Half Term – It is almost Half term already! I think this year is flying by already. We are not 100% sure which events to visit this year but there sure is quite a few. We have decided to stay in the North East this half term due to illness, mainly tonsillitis. So we will be taking full advantage of what our fabulous region has to offer. Events 15th Feb Festival of 50s at Beamish museum. Beamish are celebrating their 50th birthday throughout Half term so this will be a fantastic day out. Make time for art at Sunderland Museum & Winter ga ..read more

Preston Tower sits in Northumberland and is maybe a little forgotten, but it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. The Tower was built in 1392, it’s owners include Sir Guiscard Harbottle who die in the battle of Flodden 1513, which then led to Mary Queen Of Scots to the throne. We love having a wander here it is so peaceful and the boys can burn some energy. Half of the tower was pulled down and what is left today is what remains of the original structure, there is a model on the table as you enter showing what the tower originally looked like. Preston Towe ..read more

Yesterday we made use of our annual passes and paid a visit to Howick Hall & Gardens for the annual Snowdrop Festival. We like to visit for each season because there’s so much to see and you get some great photo opportunities. February sees the hall and gardens reopen for the new year ahead starting with the Snowdrop festival, which is on throughout february. The snowdrops were planted by Lady Grey herself and they truly are spectacular, the snowdrops are like a blanket of snow from a distance. If you are travelling by car you can park in the car park and then you n ..read more

Free attractions in the North East – Who doesn’t like a free day out? February half term is lurking closer and closer and we love to combine a few free days into our school holidays because let’s face it, three kids and 2 adults it can get expensive if you are going to paid attractions every day. I have put together a list of what I think are fabulous family days out for free across the North East. Save those pounds for the extra special days out. In our experience the free days always end up being the most memorable. Free days out in the North East Sunderland Museum ..read more

What’s on North East – Today marks the start of a brand new year! I feel like 2019 went by pretty quickly. Now I know most people will still be in the Christmas state and will probably not want to venture out too far just yet, however one of our resolutions is to get out more. As we now live back in Sunny Sunderland I will be doing a monthly what’s on guide to the North East with family friendly events being the main focus. The North East is playing host to some fantastic family events in 2020. It is the perfect chance to get out and get involved with these fab events ..read more

Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup – Once Christmas lunch was out of the way I was left with quite a lot of veg sitting in the fridge. Which I got this from Asda who were kindly throwing it into people’s trolleys for free as they left the shop on Christmas eve. Of course I didn’t want to waste it so I thought it was just another excuse to break out the crock pot and make some soup and what a recipe! And it is healthy! Honestly it was the nicest soup I have ever had, and all three boys had seconds so it was most definitely a hit! We had it for lunch with dumplings and the ..read more