life, teenage reviews

Our Perfect night in

Our Purrrrfect night in!

Ali writes:
Well, what could be more perfect than an autumn night in with your favourite cat and teenager right?

As these teenage boys get older, they want to spend more time apart from me – hanging out with their friends, or playing computer games and chatting online with mates. Having a kitten changes all of that – (as you will have read in other posts this year!) Kipper the cat has been such a blessing and has really brought the family together.

Once you’ve settled on the sofa on a Saturday night in to watch Strictly or the X-Factor (or both) Kipper the cat will find his way onto a warm lap and curl up and pin you down for hours!

I’ll admit, I’m pretty sure it’s cupboard love, as he’s always a bit more loving at breakfast and supper time if Whiskas cat casseroles are on the menu, but needless to say – it’s got both RB and myself back into cosying up on the sofa together to read a book of an evening – with a mug of tea and a play ‘Russian Roulette’ with a box of chocolates, (to explain, you take it in turns to eat a chocolate from the box without looking at the little diagram, which is really fun, as long as you don’t accidentally get the Turkish Delight).

We generally have refreshments on hand for Kipper too – whilst we are supping our tea, we always have a bowl of water in the sitting room for him, as well as fairly close to his food bowl in the kitchen – we read somewhere that they like to have fresh water available in more than one location – frankly, for us, it’s simply a ploy to get him to hang out with us some more, ultimately, he’s turning into a bit of a teenager…

This post is in conjunction with WHISKAS® but all thoughts are my own

#DateNightWithMyCat

crafts, create, key stage 3

My Dream Pet

My Dream Pet by Ronnie age 13

I have always wanted a dream pet which was created by my own imagination. This is why I jumped at the chance to have my own dream pet made into a real plushie.

My dream pet would always have to be some sort of a colour changing reptile or a chameleon. I have always loved chameleons because of their ability to change colour to suit their surroundings or environment which they are in.

It would sleep and live somewhere warm and comfortable because I would think that if I designed an animal, it would like to be in comfort wherever it can.

My dream pet would eat foods which are high in protein and carbs as it would be roaming free for most of its life and would need the energy to keep it healthy.

The creature would be intelligent enough to understand basic tasks and to know right from wrong to a certain extent, however, this animal is not a human so it cannot communicate with speech.

The dream pet would not need to have a collar or a lead to take on walks because the creature would be capable of finding its way back wherever it is. It would not need to be taken on walks either as it takes itself around without help from its owner (me).

Of course there is no need to get a pet anymore as we are currently happy with our young cat kipper.

You may well know that Mum finally caved in and we got a cat earlier this year who she’s sensibly covered with Pet Insurance from Petplan, but we do still like the idea of an exotic pet too. Maybe a stick insect or a lizard? Anyway delighted we had a go at drawing our dream pet, and Mum had them made into soft toys and awwww we love them!

This post has been possible thanks to Petplan, but all thoughts are my own.

Follow my mum @incredibusy over on twitter, insta, pinterest and facebook too….x

charity

Stress, success and sleep

Ali writes: Having kids, as you know, messes with your sleep patterns – from newborn and no (night time) sleep, to toddlers trying to get into your bed at three in the morning – through to fretting about teenagers who stay awake longer than you do! Adult Life is a lot more stressy than advertised right??

And even Kipper the new kitten, acquired after research into how de-stressing a pet can be* for teenagers and perimenopausal mamas, drives us mad by jumping on our heads when he thinks it’s time for breakfast at five AM!!

As a freelancer, I find it really hard to ‘switch off’ and de-stress, my mind struggles to relax and unwind – I’m constantly ‘on call’ from clients, and all of the connections and social media app messages that seem to bombard me daily (and nightly!).

And as a family, we’ve been a bit lapse about allowing electronics into the bedroom – we had a rule that no mobile phones could be taken to bed, and had to be left on the sitting room mantelpiece – and that worked so well, what went wrong??!

So we are starting afresh, no more ‘reading a book on my phone’, no more ‘just checking Instagram messages’ – no more ‘oh I need my mobile phone for the alarm in the morning’ – we are making some changes!

So now, come bed time, we leave our phones downstairs, we’ve reinstated the old clock radio alarms in all of the bedrooms, we’ve banished the kitten to his own bed, on the landing in his home-made cat house (more on that here!)

And so to SLEEP…..

Sleep allows your mind to unwind and de-stress. This allows your mental and emotional well-being to be restored. Sleep helps your brain to recover and revive itself, helping it to make sense of the day, storing your memories and creating new ideas. Sleep gives you energy and boosts your immune system, helping your body recover from illnesses. While you sleep your body builds and repairs itself by making new tissue.

So plump up those pillows, grab a book (and your reading glasses – my eyes always need a bit of help at night!) and settle down into a comfy mattress for a good read at bedtime.

Aromatherapy oils can really help too, I recently put a call out on my Instagram stories asking for natural remedy advice for better sleep and was recommended these calming, relaxing aromas of essential oils: Try Lavender, Vanilla, or Jasmine. Essential oils can promote relaxation – perfect to help switch off at the end of a busy day.

As well as the calming scents of essential oils, a relaxing bedtime routine can also help you drift off. A warm shower or bath is a soothing way to unwind and as mentioned, swapping electronic devices for a good book can help your mind to switch off – and take note – try a bit of ‘facial pampering’ – thanks to suggestions from my Instagram followers (I know, it’s become my ‘go-to’ for advice!!) I’ve been using a night oil too – apparently skin repairs faster at night with the increased production of two key hormones: HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and Melatonin.

Massage a night oil into the face before bed to allow the ingredients to penetrate overnight, so that you can wake up with a glowing complexion and a jolly demeanor.

And a warm herbal tea can help too – make it a Fairtrade chamomile tea for ethical bonus points – and try jotting down a “to do” list for the next day which can organise your thoughts and clear your mind of any distractions.

And maybe some gentle relaxation exercises, such as light pilates or yoga stretches, which help to relax the muscles. Don’t exercise vigorously, as it will have the opposite effect!

Mental health awareness week highlights the importance of improving the quality of your sleep for your over all mental well-being during stressful times.

Stress is common and, like mental health, it need to be addressed and understood to ensure well-being isn’t compromised. We cannot eliminate stress completely as it is a natural driver in our body which people thrive on and use to push themselves in life but we can learn to cope with it and make it work for us. So let me know what you do to relax and get to sleep at night…

This post is in conjunction with Tempur but all thoughts are my own.
TEMPUR® are supporting the Mental Health Foundation as their chosen charity for 2018.

The Mental Health Foundation have pioneered new ways of looking at mental health and improving the lives of people experiencing mental illness for more than 60 years.

TEMPUR® will be donating £10 for every mattress sold through the TEMPUR® UK website, or through a TEMPUR owned store (brand or outlet) throughout May 2018.

Tempur have worked alongside the Mental Health Foundation to produce a sleep guide, giving tips on sleep and how to get a good night’s sleep. These will be available in Tempur stores and on the Tempur website.
Tempur have a range of additional marketing activity to support this initiative which include: New TV asset, branding within the stores and fundraising for MHF by having their ribbons in Tempur stores – customers will be able to purchase a ribbon for a £2 donation

Read more top tips on sleep on the NHS website

Read more about MIND and Mental Health Awareness Week

*Read more about how pets have been found to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies, leading to a calmer approach to life and thus positively impacting our blood pressure. Simply stroking a pet can have health benefits.

baking, cooking, crafts, create, key stage 2, kids, travel

Fforest gather – a new kind of family holiday

Family time together just so special as our boys get older – they are more independent and dare I say a little ‘feral’ this year? We’ve had the best of times and made new friends, made memories, and given us something to look forward to next summer too – why? what? how? you ask? Well, a week at Fforest gather, that’s what!

Over to Spike age 15:

If you’ve not heard about Fforest gather – you’re clearly not following @incredibusy on the instagram – or @coldatnight, which you should remedy forthwith – follow us here and here… It’s through instagram that Mum, and it transpires on chatting to fellow campers at Fforest gather, many others, have ‘met’ Sian and fallen in love with what she and husband James have been doing in Cardigan, Wales for the last couple of years…

A small intimate ‘festival’, not really a festival, but that explains the basis of the event – week long holiday with accommodation (optional, you can also bring your own tent/camper van) and daily workshops you won’t want to miss… a new kind of holiday in fact! Two family friendly weeks of adventures in nature, music, culture, creativity and simple pleasures.

We stayed in one of the ‘group tents‘ – our family in one end, in two bedrooms, and our friends and their three small children in the facing ‘tent’. We brought our own sleeping bags and pillows, and the shared bathrooms a short walk away were positive luxury compared to some campsites we’ve stayed in! The group tents have a communal cooking, and eating area in the centre – and an amazing view across the fields. However, after trying the first catered meal in the canteen, we decided that we’d ditch the camp cooking, and eat with the majority of the other campers – the breakfast and evening meals were just amazing – and the dining area was super conducive to socialising too.

The beauty of the Fforest gather is that the workshops, talks, walks, performances and activities are all included in the ticket price. Two sessions a day, one at a very civilised 10am, and the afternoon sessions start at 2pm – Between our two families, we tried Screenprinting, Nature illustration; natural dyeing, canoeing, Tamsin with her pencil and puppet making, Bees make honey with the honey farm, making bacon, smoking fish, making cheese, cooking with fire; axe & knife craft; yoga and wellness; drumming; beer cocktail classes; bird illustrations, silver ring making; forest school sessions; den building; tree climbing; wild swimming and learnt about foraging with Jade and coppicing with Bruce – woah, all in one week?!

We have some wonderful photos to share from our week at #Fforestgather – we went on a wonderful walk through neighbouring #Coppicewood – led by Bruce, who introduced us to the ways of the woods – and #charcoal making! The Coppicewood College promotes, supports #sustainable woodland management and runs courses using traditional methods and tools. Covering all aspects of coppice practice, hedgelaying and coppice craft in their own woodland in #Cilgerran, #Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Coppicewood College provides training in woodland based traditional rural skills and related crafts.

A photo posted by Ali Clifford (@incredibusy) on Aug 30, 2016 at 11:04am PDT

The evenings were equally entertaining, with, Music from Eyre Llew, and DJs and chatting, and Fforest Island discs, and beer drinking at the adorable little ‘Bwthyn pub‘. Candle lit, and roaring fire – this little pub is located at the heart of the Fforest camp.

A brief selection of our favourite workshops:
Natural dyeing with Hazel Stark – Indigo Shibori (a Japanese pattern technique) – we were so blessed with the weather, so a day spent outside in the Fforest vegetable gardens, patiently folding, pegging and dipping our canvas tote bags was well spent.

Bird drawing with Matt Sewell, such a delight; as was the glasses onto inanimate objects with Finn Thomson making faces and giving objects sight – such a fun workshop! Seeing objects – using wire, paper, glue, and a LOT of imagination, in the project barn.

Screenprinting was a really big hit with Lex from Feather studios and her patient partner @morganhenryjames.

Some more fabulous T shirts hot off the screen printing press. The room was quiet with concentration cutting out the stencils. #fforestgather #screenprint #creativitymatters #imaginationatwork #stayplaydream #fforest

A photo posted by Gather 2017 (@fforestgather) on Aug 30, 2016 at 6:22am PDT

Cheese making was a revelation (and made for the best photos! #instagramthat) Curds and whey with cheese chief Max – who it transpires, can also tell a tale, and sing a song….

Beer was high on the agenda for the grown-ups, with Evil Gordon doing a turn talking beer cocktails, Beerbods, and sourdough bread making in the wood fired oven.

And then there was foraging! @wildpickings 🍃🌿 Jade took us on a walk; foraging for edible hedgerow wonders – we’ve learnt such a LOT this week 🍃🌿

Oh and Sam! The Newquay Honey Farm Man – brilliant and enchanted!

Seriously, this is an event/holiday/week long party I would recommend – such a lovely way to spend time with your family.
We went with good friends, and came away with even more…

beer-cocktails-backstage-fforest-gather — The Farmhouse

bandcamp-beer-fforest-gather — Music from Eyre Llew

beer-cocktails-fforest-gather — Beer cocktails in the Farmhouse

coppice-college-sign-fforest-gather — Coppice College

coppice-college-tols-fforest-gather — In the tool shed

walk into Cardigan to visit the PizziTipi

Time to plan for 2018… 23 JULY – 5 AUGUST 2018 www.fforestgather.co.uk
A new kind of holiday.
Two family friendly weeks of adventures in nature, music, culture, creativity, making, growing & simple pleasures.
500 acres of bliss. Only 300 tickets available each week.
Week 1 – Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th of july
Week 2 – Monday 30th july – Sunday 5th of august

TO FIND OUR MORE ABOUT FFOREST CLICK HERE

Ali also writes over on incredibusy.com and funcraftskids.com and aGreenerLifeforus.com

kids, teenage reviews

Baabuk Slippers as soft and gentle as our new kitten

Ronnie writes:

Mum asked me if I would write a blog post about slippers – and as a 13yo there I thought that there is really not much I can tell you about my family’s LOVE of Baabuk slippers made from New Zealand boiled wool, so I thought I’d write about my new kitten as well, as he’s as soft and gentle as these slippers!

First though, this is what I know about Baabuk – each pair of their GUS slippers features the all-natural benefits of wool, it’s temperature regulating, so these slippers will keep feet not too-hot now it’s heading towards warmer weather and not too-cold as it was when we got them (and the kitten) in January. Oh, and wool is also moisture-wicking and odour-fighting, (handy for my stink bob brother) thanks to its inherent antimicrobial nature, so you can wear them without socks, and wool is water repellent, too, which is also handy.

The wool comes from sheep in New Zealand. Their wool then travels to Nepal to be boiled and felted into a single piece which becomes the woolly upper for Baakbuk slippers.

Apparently, the clog-bootie design is inspired by 16th century Russia’s Valenki boots, and is finished off with a natural rubber sole that gives a little extra grip.

Since our kitten (and our slippers) arrived three months ago – I love love love being at home, coming in from school, popping on my slippers, and hanging out with the kitten – it’s really LOVELY!

I thought I would write a blog post about how it feels to have a kitten in the house – and some top tips for making a new kitten feel welcome and loved.

So we did a lot of research before we got a kitten and there is some REALLY useful information on the BlueCross website and the RSPCA too if you are thinking of rehousing a cat.

Bringing the kitten home

We selected one room for the cat to live in from day one – this was my brother’s bedroom, as it’s the biggest – so we bought a natural scratching pole and made sure that the kitten’s food bowl, water bowl and cat litter tray were placed apart in the room (cats don’t like these things all close together).

Cats prefer a saucer or a plate to a bowl and we bought some eco cat litter – which works really well, and biodegrades rather than adding to landfill.

So each day after we got him, we opened up the space a little bit more for Kipper to explore, he played and slept in my brother’s room, and then on day two we opened up the landing for him, and day three my bedroom and so on until he then had the run of the house. This made him feel secure and familiar with one room – and he’s been happy pottering around the house ever since. We have moved the food bowl to the kitchen, and the cat litter tray is now tucked away in the hallway downstairs – he also has a water saucer in the sitting room as well as the kitchen – which he likes!

If you look closely at Kipper the kitten’s little feet, it looks as if he’s wearing slippers too! So he doesn’t feel too left out… (seriously, every family needs a pair of Baabuk slippers).

Finding a good Vet

Ask your local friends for Vet advice, we have found a lovely local vet, through a neighbour with a really happy cat, and picked up a second-hand wicker pet basket from Ebay (Mum tries to cut down on the amount of plastic in the house, and we always try to buy second hand too for things like this).

Today Kipper is at the Vet, having a chip, and being neutered – eughh… poor kitty! We are looking forward to welcoming him home and giving him lots of love.

These are all of our slippers, you will LOVE them, loads of colours (and styles) – if you’d like to know more about where to find them, click here

A post shared by Ali Clifford {Incredibusy™} (@incredibusy) on Mar 29, 2018 at 12:43pm PDT

A post shared by Ali Clifford {Incredibusy™} (@incredibusy) on Apr 11, 2018 at 12:25pm PDT

A post shared by So Good In Every Way #sgiew (@sogoodineveryway) on Apr 18, 2018 at 10:55pm PDT

Uncategorized

Summer Fashion with SimplyBe

Planning your summer styling

Vi writes:

“I’m not sure about you, but I am well and truly in holiday planning mode! Our summer holiday is the highlight of my year. I only need to feel some sand between my toes to have had a great holiday!
With the days getting longer and evenings lighter, I can almost feel summer on the way! Like many people, I like to have a wardrobe update for summer, and when SimplyBe.co.uk got in touch I couldn’t resist starting my holiday shopping!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simply Be (@simplybeuk) on Mar 17, 2019 at 2:30am PDT

Choosing your holiday fashion.

Family holidays can be chaos, so I like practical yet fashionable clothes to wear. I always pack a couple of summer dresses, as they can be thrown over a bikini, or teamed with a pair of heels! And travelling in the UK – I always pack a lightweight cardigan or jumper too…
One dress can be worn multiple ways, and it saves on all important luggage space!

What to wear while you travel?

Whether you’re travelling by plane or car, comfort and style are essential! I like to keep my style simple, so I usually opt for linen trousers or my favourite jeans combined with a vest top and a jumper. I love this brightly coloured jumper, it is really flattering to wear and the colours are so summery!

Bit too warm for jumpers? Opt for a tunic instead, ultimate comfort with your leggings and perfect to sling over your swimsuit poolside! I love the detail on this one from Joe Browns;

Summer Dresses

I always pack dresses as they are so versatile, just add accessories and one dress can have
multiple wears! If you’re on a budget when buying, opt for one classic style and a then a fun style too.

I chose this beach dress as it is lightweight – perfect to stash in your hand luggage in case of lost luggage. It also means it can be hand-washed easily – important if you have small children armed with ice creams while you’re away! (It machine washes nicely too!)

The palm print is fabulous, last year palm prints seemed to be really fashionable, and I have a feeling it’s a trend which will continue for this summer too! It’s an easy to wear dress which is really flattering!

A linen dress when I go on holiday is essential, it’s my go to for city visits. Linen keeps me cool, but smart too. Add espadrilles or your favourite sneakers for the perfect sightseeing outfit!

This dress is a linen mix which makes it less likely to crease, when you come to pack it roll rather than fold it to keep the creases out! This is a great value dress at £22, and as a classic style it can be dressed up or down as you need.

This article was written in collaboration with SimplyBe, Vita was gifted a selection of garments to review.

kids, teenage reviews

The Penny Board 27″ skateboard vs the 22″ board

Spike age 15:

As the weather is getting warmer, we are all coming out of hibernation and looking forward to spending more time outdoors – on my Christmas list this year, a Penny Board 27″.

I loved how it was packaged, (and will be using the big box to keep some treasures in!)

Ronnie age 13: I have had the smaller penny board for a couple of years, which I bought with my own money, and I love it – it’s still works really well, and I enjoy taking it out on our street after school.

Having tried a friend’s longer Penny Board, I found that the larger of the boards was easier to navigate around corners and I really think the big one is a lot better, because I would definitely recommend getting the larger board as you get taller (My brother agrees and he’s 15 and 175cm, and I’m 162cm)

As I skate on the road (which is a quiet London backstreet) you don’t feel the bumps as much as you would on a normal skateboard – and I would definitely say that it’s worth saving up to buy the REAL Penny Board, rather than cheaper copies as the quality is absolutely excellent, the wheel mechanism smoother and just looks so cool!

Spike age 15: We also found that the bigger size cruises easier and turning is smoother. The 27″ board is a bit longer and wider than the smaller 22″ size, offering a bit more surface area under your feet, and hey my feet are getting bigger every week now!

The Design on the board

The Gunmetal Red Metallic Fade 27″ is the perfect board if you want to shine with a little more stability. the Metallic Fade is a unique look you can’t find anywhere else in the cheaper market. It is made with the same high quality formula Penny is known for, with a distinctive faded finish.

Perfect for riders of any skill level, the Penny Board itself is quite flexible so that balance is easier and the colours are really great, I like that and the bearings inside the wheels are very smooth so that you can travel for quite a time without having to boost yourself again!

Thanks to the @incredibusy for help with the photos, and Po-Zu for the RESISTANCE sneakers – and if you’d like to see more cool shots, check out their instagram feed. #PennyAdventures

kids, life

Five things you could do with 5 minutes peace

What we wouldn’t give for FIVE minutes peace and quiet!

We KNOW that the Holiday period is meant to be about being sociable, and playing with all of the new toys and gadgets – we KNOW that, yet, wouldn’t it be just delicious to sneak off and find five minutes peace and quiet to yourselves?

Our friends at Mahabis asked KidsChaos to share what we would do with those FIVE minutes, so we put our feet up and had a ponder…

Five things you could do with #5minutespeace and #thegiftofdowntime

1) Write a to-do list… even though that sounds like WORK, it will actually make you feel less anxious about things you may have forgotten about – jotting down your top priorities for the week ahead.

2) De-clutter your kitchen junk drawer (in fact, that could go for your handbag, your sock drawer and your magazine rack as options too!) Set an egg timer… and stop when it pings 5mins… (it’s actually very therapeutic!)

3) Give a friend a quick call on the telephone, just five minutes to ‘check in’ with someone who might like to hear your voice, rather than read your text!

4) Have a read of a chapter of Michael Townsend Williams’ book Do Breathe: Calm your mind. Find focus. Get stuff done.
“we breathe better, we think better, feel better and do better. Finding stillness inside, we create success outside.” Or take five mins to download his app here BreatheSync.

5) Put the kettle on, make a cuppa, and put your feet up!

It’s really amazing what can you do in five minutes hey?! It will honestly make you feel more productive and that you are on top of things, taking five minutes out to reflect.

Mahabis have published their very first Christmas advert, about finding 5 minutes peace this Christmas. This time of year can be so hectic, and we realise how rare it can be that you have time to put your feet up. Needless to say, spending five peaceful minutes away from noise will energise you, to be able to concentrate on the demands of family life (like making pancakes together, or being thrashed at the latest Christmas game)…

our very first christmas advert // ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ sometimes we all need 5 minutes peace. here at mahabis, we hope to make those minutes extra special. this christmas, give the gift of downtime. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #5minutespeace #thegiftofdowntime #mahabis

A post shared by mahabis (@mahabis) on Dec 7, 2017 at 10:35am PST

A post shared by mahabis (@mahabis) on Jun 17, 2017 at 4:44am PDT

This post has been written in conjunction with Mahabis.

kids, travel

Futuroscope review

Summer family fun, and Futuroscope review

We’ve had a fab time this summer, with trips up to Lancashire, Swansea, and Hastings – and two weeks camping in France – at the end of our camping trip, we spent some time at a couple of theme parks, and I’ll let 11yo take over the story from here. This is his review in his own words:

Futuroscope review – age 11

This summer, after leaving the campsite at Dune du Pyla in Southern France, which we had stayed at for two weeks, my brother and I and family stopped off at an F1 Hotel near Poitiers, and slept there for the night to break up the journey back home.

As we woke up, my Mum and Dad declared that we were going for a surprise visit somewhere.

And so we set off, in our car, my brother and I stared out of the window hoping for signs of where we were going.
Not too long after, we spotted a big crystal shard building sticking out of the ground, in the distance.

We then started noticing signs marked Futuroscope, and there was then a turning on the motorway with a big sign directing us down a slip road, the sign was also marked ‘Futuroscope’!

As we pulled into the car park we started asking our Dad about Futuroscope and he explained that it is an amazing theme park which we have been driving passed every year and this year we were lucky enough to get free entry as my Mum writes a blog.

My first thoughts about Futuroscope was the fantastic large buildings: a city of cylinders, the great shard building, and we couldn’t wait to check out the rides.

As we walked through the theme park, I kept my eye out for rides and when I couldn’t see any I asked Dad and he said that the rides were all inside rides, so the first ride we went on was in the Shard building, which was a 4D movie with moving seats, wind, and on a moving conveyor belt so that it felt as if you were inside the screen – Rayman Rabbids Time Travel.

It explained all of the odd things about history and how they had been caused by the Rabbids. I really enjoyed this ride, as it was my first indoor theme park ride experience.

Our second ride experience was a driving experience. Were it seem like you were in a formula one car racing through the sharp cornered streets of a French city and nearly running people over. They made this experience work by using: moving seats, air fans and water jets; which sprayed at us.

Our next ride experience was my favourite because the staff strapped you into the hand of a robotic arm and asked you what level you wanted 1, 2 or 3. I chose number 3 and the arm span into action. Twisting and spinning, tipping upside down, all in the time of the beat. (there was music playing.)

The ride was called Dances with Robots. . . I’ve only included my very favourite rides as I would be here all day otherwise!

Ali: I would like to add a thanks to Futuroscope for their Premium passes – I can highly recommend, saves so much queuing time! The PREMIUM Pass gives:

• One-off priority access for 1 person to 5 attractions: “The Time Machine”, “Virus Attack”, “Dynamic Vienne”, “Dances with Robots” and “Arthur, the 4D Adventure” – we went on them ALL (although, the Virus Attack made me feel VERY ill!)

Follow Ali on twitter as @incredibusymum and twitter.com/MoreKidsChaos for more posts like this one… Erm, and funnily enough on Google+, Facebook and Pinterest! Pop over to say hello x Like it? Pin it! and come say hello at instagram.com/incredibusy too x

Ali also writes over on AGreenerLifeforus.com

kids

ANKI overdrive review

Anki OverDrive Review – by SPIKE, age 14

As a kid myself (Ali @incredibusy writes) my dear Dad – a Formula One fan, took us to car tracks to watch the racing, bought us toy cars (he had two daughters – and gender seriously was not an issue!) and a Scaletrix track which we played with to its death. The big ice cream tub at Granny’s full of toy cars has be played with by my boys and their cousins, so the tradition and delight in all things motor sports has continued.

We recently acquired an Anki Overdrive track and a couple of cars, and I’ll have to say that I LOVE it (see my Instagram stories – much to the amusement of my followers) – – however, I’m handing over to my 14yo to tell you more:

Spike age 14:

We’ve had train tracks, and car tracks before – and loved them, so I’m here to tell you that the Anki overdrive is a fun and immersive game for all the family. There are many engaging modes to play, both by yourself and with others. its quick and easy to set up and you can begin racing within minutes.

We easily downloaded the app onto both Mum’s iPhone and my Samsung Galaxy android. It’s really intuitive and simple to use…

The starter kit comes with enough tracks to build up to eight different courses to keep the game fresh and exciting. There are also two ‘lifters ‘ that raise the tracks and create even more customization options.

As well as this, the starter kit contains two supercars: ‘ground shock’ and ‘skull’ , my personal favourite supercar is ‘ground shock’ as the glossy blue colour looks really cool.

The app interface is easy to understand and the graphics are amazing. There are many different races you can partake in such as ‘battles’, ‘battle races’ and ‘king of the hill’. There is also a solo challenging campaign mode were players can rack up wins and earn ‘money’ to spend on cool gadgets and weapons in the store.

The weapons are epic, varying from charge beams, to chain guns and psychokinetic rays. There are also boosts like healing boosts and revolver damage boosts.

The multiplayer mode is heaps of fun; me and my brother spend most of our time on Anki overdrive ‘battle racing’ shooting, boosting and swerving around corners. definitely our favorite mode!

The track is easy to dismantle and pack away when you have finished play too (Mum told me to write that bit) – overall we absolutely love it!

Find out more here: www.anki.com

Additional Photos: Ali Clifford, incredibusy.com