mum's thoughts, Tips and Tricks, travel

Cruises, the Ideal Holiday for your Family

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mum's thoughts, tips + tricks, travel, spending quality time with your children

Ten years ago it was an unusual sight to see a family on board a cruise liner. Back then cruising holidays were reserved for the older generations and those who had money to spare. The same cannot be said today, though, because the introduction of children’s activities by many of the major cruise liners has opened this particular holiday option up to families everywhere.

So, why is cruising the ideal holiday option for your family?

Children’s entertainment

Cruise liners today offer plenty of children’s entertainment. Your children can swim, surf, ice skate, watch films in the cinema, attend craft sessions, play ball games, play in the kid’s casino, play video games and join in numerous other activities while on board. You can choose to go with them or let them do their own thing, safe in the knowledge that they are being looked after by fully-trained staff.

Kids’ clubs

Most cruise liners now run clubs throughout the year to cater for children of all ages. These professionally run clubs offer the ideal opportunity for your children to make friends and for you to get a few hours’ peace and quiet on the sun deck. The club reps organise a range of activities each day that are fun to take part in and fun to hear about when your children return.

The best of both worlds

The beauty of a family cruise is that you get to spend time as a family unit whilst also securing some time to yourself when your children are off taking part in organised entertainment. Most liners have babysitters available for evenings if you have young children, or if your children are a bit older, you can take them with you to enjoy the singers, cabaret acts and other entertainments. Cruise liners today are like floating cities, so there is always something to do with or without your children.

The day trips

Being out at sea is a lovely experience, but it is only half the experience of a cruise. You also get to enjoy plenty of day trips when you dock in the various ports on the scheduled route. Most days you and your family will awaken in a different port so you get the adventure of exploring your holiday destination time and time again. The fact that you are continually on the move dispels boredom as well, because there is always something else to look forward to on the cruise.

Value for money

A two-week family cruise can cost less than a two-week holiday to a single destination (Florida, for example). Plus, if you choose an all-inclusive package you won’t need anything but spending money from the minute you leave to the minute you return. All entertainment, day trips, meals and gratuities are included in the price, leaving you with nothing to worry about in terms of additional cost. A lot of liners now also offer family accommodation that saves money on multiple cabins and family-orientated menus with eat-when-you-want options. If you’re looking to keep the cost of your family holiday down, look for last minute cruise offers here: https://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-holidays/last-minute-cruises/

Understandably, more and more cruise liners are beginning to cater for the family aspect and this can only be good for you and anyone else considering embarking on such an adventure with the family.

image is from www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Parenting 101, Tips and Tricks

Practical Ways to Help Your Kids Learn More about Nature

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children learning, spending quality time with your children, parenting 101, tips + tricks

One of the best things you can do for your child during their formative years is to get them out into the great outdoors. Often it’s hard enough to pry them from their games consoles, let alone convince them to run around outside, but with these practical approaches, you can get your kids closer to nature:

Go Hiking

Even from a young age, you can take your child out for small hikes or walks in the forest. Maintain this as an unshaking tradition, even when they grow up and start calling your treks “boring.” When you can’t motivate them to put on their walking boots, create incentives such as a nice lunch out or a small ice cream.

Get Enthusiastic About Nature

If you’re enthusiastic about nature, it’ll rub off on your kids. Don’t lecture them on wildlife or the outdoors, but share your wonder at the world. A great way to do this at home is to cultivate a garden. By growing your own vegetables and flowers, your child will learn about the importance of plants. They’ll also get excited when they grow their very fist pumpkin or bean.

Create your own compost pile and emphasise the importance of taking care of the environment. Encourage your kids to muck in where possible and give them their own patch to look after. Create soups and stews from vegetables your kids grow for a delicious reward!

If you’re not green-fingered already, it’s a great time to learn, and gardening can provide exceptional exercise. Tuck a small person’s gardening set into your child’s stocking this Christmas and start making your back yard wildlife friendly. By planting flowers, you’ll be supporting the dwindling bee population and setting up a bird feeder will encourage feathered friends to appear in your garden.

Encourage Animal Care

Your child will start to show a liking for certain animals, so encourage this with cuddly toys. Buy them books to read about their favourite creature and organise trips to see them in their natural habitat; whether that’s through holidays abroad, zoos, or aquariums. These educational tripscan really get your children interacting with animals; especially if there is a petting area.

You can even “adopt” a wild animal, establishing a personal connection between your child and their favourite creature. You’ll also be supporting conservation through zoos like Knowsley, which are working to make sure some beautiful species are still around for your grandchildren to enjoy.

Get your children a pet to look after. Not only will this promote a love of animals, but it will get the kids outside when the pet needs a walk. Dogs are ideal for outdoor activity, as they need lots of exercise.

Camp Out

Your back garden is a free campsite. When the days are warm, encourage your children to spend a few nights in a tent in the garden. Make this more special by setting up a small campfire or barbeque in the evening and toast some marshmallows. For a real camping experience, forgo the kitchen and cook breakfast on a small stove.

This guest post has been written and contributed by Zoe, a travel blogger from the UK. She is currently writing on behalf of https://www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk.

image is from www.freedigitalphotos.net

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Jared, simple pleasures

movie date tuesday: wreck-it ralph

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Jared, simple pleasures, movies, movie date, spending quality time with your children
The little one has been excited to see the film Wreck-it Ralph since he saw the trailer on the telly + I told him that we shall be watching it in the cinema real soon. We were supposed to watch it last Saturday after our visit to my parents’ graves, but unfortunately the 6 o’clock screening that was originally posted on the cinema’s online site was deleted when we got to SM Baliuag. So our movie date was moved to Tuesday the following week, instead. Since people are no longer on holidays, it was only the two of us who trooped to the mall to see Wreck-it Ralph. We queued for the 6.45PM screening + made a quick bite first + run a few errands before going to the cinema.
There were only too few people watching at the time, maybe because it is a weekday or maybe because other people are opting for the James Bond film, SkyFall. Oh well, watching a movie with only several people in the theater felt like having the entire cinema all to ourselves + I just love it! The little man was on the edge of his seat as the excitement builds up + he cannot help but blurt out a rather loud “Wreck-it Ralph!” the first time the character appears on the big screen. Before the film started, we were also treated to a very touching + heart-warming shortfilm, Paperman. I simply love the story + the clean animation.
Jared was glued to the screen with a big smile on his face, especially in the race part {you know how much my little one loves cars!} + I say if only for that, the trouble of commuting several towns to reach SM Baliuag is all worth it! I did enjoy watching the film, too. It is colorful+ fun + it is one film, I bet the entire family will love. I would definitely love to see it again! 😉
I am just delighted that I have a movie buff little child, I know have a readily-available movie date anytime I’d like to watch a movie!

Wreck-it Ralph in a nutshell

Jared, simple pleasures, movies, movie date, spending quality time with your children
Ralph is a villain from a popular arcade game, Fix It Felix Jr. He was tired of being a villain for 30 years now + wanted to do something good. He set out to earn a hero’s medal + this is where the adventure begins. His quest to search for the elusive medal brings him to cross-over to other games in the arcade, including Hero’s Duty + the kingdom-made-of-candies, Sugar Rush, where he’d meet the diminutive yet determined glitch, Vanellope von Schweetz. The two of them became friends + worked together to create a race car {you make your own cars in Sugar Rush, much like making your own candies or cakes!} for Vanellope + trained so that she can win the race.
Ralph’s aspirations to become good put the entire arcade in jeopardy, but it was a good thing that he was also there, along with his friends, Felix + Jane {the feisty main character from Hero’s Duty}, to save Vanellope, Sugar Rash + the rest of the arcade. In the end, he made peace with being a villain + gain the love + support of the other characters in his game.

Mum’s two-cents

Save for some fight + shooting scenes {it’s a movie about arcade games, after all, what do you expect?} I would really recommend it for the little ones + the entire family. It is a good way to teach small children about good manners + friendship, too. Plus, am sure your little tykes will enjoy all the action + the color, not to mention the lovely songs, too! We stayed to finish up until the credits traversed as the little one enjoyed the songs much! 😉
second image is from Wikipedia
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