This day I love.......: Manchester

Facebook very kindly reminded me that this time last year we visited Waterside Arts centre in Manchester to watch a production of The Bear by Raymond Briggs. The girls remembered it too, telling me all about the play. I was surprised at how much they remembered. This year we were off to see Father Christmas, adapted from the Raymond Briggs book of the same name and produced by the same company who had done the Bear last year.

Our car journey was less eventful this year, google redirected us around an accident that would have added an extra hour on top of our journey time and we actually made it on time and with over an hour to spare. We even managed to make the photos this year!

The girls were excited for their milk and cookies like last time and we took our seats on the front row. That was a bit nerve racking, but worth it. I was unsure how Little Man would cope as the show is recommended from ages 3 and up, he is 2 and half, but actually he really enjoyed it and joined in quite a bit.

The show was blooming magical [You'll understand if you have read the book]. The girls were captivated from start to finish. Laughing and really taking in the whole show. There was so much attention to detail it was just fantastic and it kept everyone entertained. It was lovely listening to the children in the audience gasp in excitement and surprise at key points in the show. It showed how involved everyone was. I don't want to ruin the surprises of the performance so all I will say is it is magical.

The performance is incredibly clever how it is both carried out and how it has been thought through. I enjoyed the elements which mixed in the puppetry and thought this was really well done. I might have a secret soft spot for the dog, wonder if I can bring him home with me?

Before we knew it it was time to leave. Our milk drunk, cookie eaten and our cheeks hurting from all the smiles and laughing. It had been a wonderful family evening together but now it was time for me to do the long drive home.

Thank you to waterside for inviting us, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Father Christmas is showing up until the 31st December at varies times, see their website for full details.

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April can only be described as the month with the marathons. I started and ended with a marathon and the weeks inbetween were recovery and tapering! My final run before Manchester marathon was the Elvington Flyer. A 10 mile run around a runway.

There can only be so much said about this. The race organisers are fantastic. If there is an opportunity to run one of their races, do it! Homemade cakes, fantastic medals, and great support, I really enjoy the races they organise. However running 3 laps of a runway is very monotonous. I mean really. The first time isn't too bad but the subsequent loops seem to drag. You see every point on the course, at every point on the course so it feels a lot further as you watch the runners at the furthest end of the runway loop back round. Runways are also flat, so if you like flat running then this is one for you, otherwise if you need even a small undulation every now and again this is one to avoid. I got out and did it though and it was a real test of mental strength to complete.

The following week was all about rest ready for Manchester. I had developed a slight niggle in my knees and grew concerned that week over how they would cope. Come race day I was to find out. In preparation I had them taped up, just in case. I was worried when I stood on the start line as to how they would hold up.

By mile 2 I could feel the niggles, the first mile for me is always a settling into it mile so I don't tend to listen to the odd aches but that niggle was persisting. That niggle continued and by mile 8 it was really painful. It felt like someone was snapping the knee cap exactly in half and every step sent a shooting burning pain across the knee cap. It was now decision time. Stop or continue. I chose to continue. Continue as I am, the pace felt easy and I could have continued or slow it down and see if the pain goes away. I decided to slow it down. At mile 10 I had a pain by my left shoulder, which I later learnt was a graze from my bag rubbing, but I pushed through regardless.

Other than the pain in my knees I was comfy. The pace was slower than I wanted as I was trying to reduce the severity of the injury so I could still complete London, but at least I was doing it. Mile 20 came and the pain was intense. I wasn't going to stop now, so decided to walk for a mile or two to try and ease the pain whilst asking other runners for pain medication. I bumped into 'My Bump' and we had a chat about our marathon experiences and how all he wanted was a pizza. We passed a guy with hot dogs, but no pizza.

A random turn around to run backwards for a bit, don't ask it just helps sometimes, and I happen to see my friend Nikki! I was so excited and thankfully she had medicine on her! After taking those I proceeded to run the last 3 miles in absolute agony. That finish line seemed to take forever.

An ice bath, sports massage and cryotherapy treatment all followed that week in an attempt to get me ready for London. I decided to do a spin class to keep my legs moving which certainly helped and a nice steady 10 mile at the Vale Of York which I really enjoyed.

The final week before London was a bit of a blur. No running just rest. I attended the running awards bloggers forum and actually found it really inspirational. First I got to meet Claire from Wild Ginger films, I must have watched her video on training for hills in a flat place 100s of times that it was lovely to meet her in person. I was in awe listening to Ben Smith, he is really inspirational and definately well worth listening to if you ever get the chance. As is the very lovely Helena Hills from truestart coffee. I love people who took an idea and turned it into reality but have stayed true to what they believe. William Pullen was another great speaker who I could understand a lot of what he was saying regarding mental health. Paul Hobrough had me in hysterics and I am wanting to read his book. Alex Cook is just amazing. I wish she was closer to me as I would love to go and see her and work out some of the nutritional issues I have, mainly I eat to much sugar! The final speaker was Dion Leonard and Gobi. What a story. I have a copy of the book which I am hoping to start reading soon. Gobi was so lovely too. The event was sponsored by Altra, and Andy Norman from the company gave us an overview of the Altra shoes. They sound great but I wasn't lucky enough to win a pair.

I left the forum feeling rather positive and motivated to make a change to my running, which is perfect just before the London Marathon. I had a goody bag bursting with products, many I am unable to use though as I have a caffeine allergy, but still feeling happy. I made the train with less than 10 seconds to spare and was now ready for marathon weekend.

I won't dwell too much on the London marathon, you can read my experience here, but what I can say is now the dust has settled I have been able to focus a lot more on the positives. I raised over £2000 for Meningitis Research Foundation, which is simply incredible. I completed the London marathon without the need for any medical assistance and have come away with no injuries. The team of medical staff did such an amazing day that day to assist the increase in numbers who needed help. It might not have been the experience I had dreamt of, but I did it and raised money for a charity which means a lot to me.

Since London I have taken a bit of a step back from training and running. I did a steady 5 mile recovery run on the Wednesday after and had a steady play at Trunce the following Monday. I intend to take May really easy too and have no major plans. I just need a break from the structure before it all begins again for the next marathon!

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The Bricktacular event at LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre sounded like great fun so the girls, Little Man and I headed over the tops to Manchester to take a look. The girls cannot resist cut out photo opportunities at the moment so had to stop and take one in the Lego Friends area,

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre was certainly in the festive spirit. The Lego brick machine was making special edition Christmas bricks, so if you are a Lego fan you will need to visit to make sure you get one of these. We began our journey by finding all the elves hiding in Miniland, they were everywhere and the girls got very excited pointing them out. We even went on a present hunt, trying to spot all the Lego presents hidden around the centre. They were much harder to find and hidden everywhere!

After Dragon Quest, which even Little Man could have a ride on, the girls went to obtain their driving license round a very festive track.

A very kind lady agreed to ride Merlin's chair with my youngest daughter so both girls could ride at the same time. The girls were incredibly happy they could ride at the same time. We missed out on the last master builder by around 10 minutes, we will have to be quicker next time and so instead spent time in the play areas and of course built lots of things out of Lego.

Just outside the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre is a small Christmas market. With some time before our special event we bought German sausages for dinner and drank hot chocolate. The view was quite good too.

Before we knew it it was time to enter SeaLife Manchester. I had not told the girls why we had come or what we had come to see and they walked around engrossed in everything as normal.

That all changed when they went to the big tank where we usually stop to watch the sharks and wait for Ernie. For in this tank were mermaids.

The girls stood and watched in complete awe as the mermaids swam past. They watched them dance, swim and blow kisses. The girls eyes were dancing with excitement, it was amazing to watch but it then got even better as a certain someone swam past the window!

They just could not believe it and became stuck to the spot, eyes watching the waters and with huge smiles on their faces. The mermaids were simply fantastic and ever so captivating.

It was such a magical evening, and whilst we did not get home until after 10pm both girls have been talking about the mermaids non stop. A wonderful day full of special memories!

This day I love the mermaids

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We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we are Sea Life Manchester and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre ambassadors

The girls are now on Easter holidays and we could not think of a better way to start our holidays than with a trip to Sea Life. It would also be the first trip for Baby to Sea Life.

The girls were incredibly excited to be visiting Sea Life again and to be taking baby with us. In the car on the way there they were trying to spot the Sea Life Centre and kept asking to see the Octopus. We wasted no time in collecting our passes and started our journey under the sea.

Baby was mesmerised by the lights and the fish. Watching them all swim past but it soon became too much and a nap was needed to process all the new information.

There was lots for Baby to process, from all the bright colours to the different shapes. The girls took great pride in showing baby around. Grandma had also joined us for the first time to Sea Life Manchester and the girls loved telling her all about the different animals.

The tunnel of clown fish is one of our favourite parts and my youngest decided the best way to see them swim past was to lie down and look up.

Grandma loved watching the turtles and terrapins. One of my favourites, the snake neck turtle, was playing a little shy today.

Whilst the snake neck turtle was playing shy, Hank the Octopus was out to play. The girls were ever so happy to see Hank this time and stood for ages watching him.

We had wanted to visit LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre as well, but we thought last admission was at 5.30pm, we had read the sign wrong and it was 5pm. This meant that we could not enter as it was past 5pm when we left Sea Life.

Luckily for us we now have passes and will be returning in the holidays to LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre. The girls are excited to watch "The LEGO® Movie™ 4D, A New Adventure”, a new 4D attraction, which brings the film to life with wind, water, smoke and special lighting effects. The girls are looking forward to playing with the 1.5 million bricks and of course the rides and exploring the wonders of MINILAND®

Thanks to LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre and SEA LIFE Manchester for providing a year of fun for our family.

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I have attended the Baby show in the past but have never visited the Baby and Toddler show before. With Thing 3 due next year I was keen to attend. Huggies Pull Ups and Huggies wipes were both exhibiting and they invited me along to attend. After an hours drive I arrived on the other side of the Pennines and was keen to get inside and take a look around.

Huggies were right at the front of the exhibition and it was lovely to meet some familiar friendly faces before heading further in. I loved listening to the Huggies team demonstrating the benefits of Huggies pull ups and the enthusiasm on the faces of the parents as they realised that the new learning liner would really help them with potty training their toddlers. The toddlers all seemed to love the Disney characters on the night time pull ups and all were interested in the videos. The stand was constantly busy. I had a great chat with the Huggies potty training expert, Amanda, and we shall be featuring an interview with her shortly. I do not want to say much more on it at the moment, but keep your eyes on the blog.

With the arrival of Thing 3 next year it was great to have a chat with the Huggies wipes team. A lot has changed since the girls were little and it was great to hear how Huggies wipes are made from natural absorbent fibres for healthy skin and are free from parabens, alcohol and phenoxyethanol, and kind to baby's skin. This is perfect for me as another brand of wipes [who will remain unnamed] caused an allergic reaction to my skin and since then I have been very careful over baby wipes. Huggies were demonstrating the different types of wipes in their ranges:

- HUGGIES® Pure Wipes provide gentle cleaning just like cotton wool and water and are perfect even for newborns

- HUGGIES® Natural Care Wipes are made from natural absorbent fibres and Aloe Vera to help prevent the cause of nappy rash

- HUGGIES® Soft Skin Wipes are made from natural absorbent fibres, are delicately fragrances and formulated with Shea Butter and vitamin E

The HUGGIES® Style on the Go Wipes would also be perfect for us when I start running again as I can have them clipped to the pushchair or bag and would be very handy when out and about. I think if I had the girls with me they would have been very interested in the Frozen design wipes.

The exhibition was divided into three main areas. The catering was in the centre forming a square shape. 3 sides of the outer of this square was general nursery stands exhibiting everything you could think of. Stands of all sizes and colours

It was great seeing new inventions and talking to those I have known for some time. The bottom side of the square was full of pushchairs and car seats. This was perhaps the busiest area of the exhibition and there were lots of queues waiting to talk to someone. I did get to have a good chat with Kiddy and I got to see Cosatto Wonder in person. I cannot believe how beautiful the Wonder is in real life.

I did not spend too much time here as it was busy with people wanting to ask questions but I did enjoy walking round the other stands.

The Baby and Toddler show was a great experience and next year I will be taking Thing 3 with me! I cannot wait!

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The girls and I had the privilege of sneak peak look around the New Sea life centre at Manchester. My eldest daughter was ever so excited when I told her in the car that we were off to see the fishes. She had a few requests:

1. She wanted to see a diver [she calls them Fish Man]

2. She wanted to see a Manta Ray

I was a little unsure I could meet her requests but hoped for the best.

We met with a group of around 30 bloggers from the group Blogs up North and eagerly awaited the doors of Sea life Manchester to open.

We were split into 2 groups of 15 and ventured inside. The first area we entered was turtle beach.

We all gathered around to watch the presentation, my eldest daughter did struggle to get to the front to see as there were a lot of people in the room. However what she did see she really enjoyed. It was lovely to hear the passion from the presenter about conservation and protecting the turtles.

After turtle beach we entered a circular room and we were surrounded by a shoal of fish swimming round and round. My eldest needed to be picked up in order to see the fish and my youngest in her pushchair could not see. When I had picked her up she loved watching them.

My eldest loved walking around and looking at the variety of fish. She was too small to see in some of the tanks but big enough to see in others.

As a trained diver I always love to watch these more outside than under the water but am still as fascinated with them, I always have to get a photo

The Sea life centre have tried to make the attraction interactive to children. One of my eldest favourite parts was the mini glass tunnel. She loved that she would walk underneath and look up at the fish.

She also enjoyed the big tunnel watching the sharks and Rays fly over head. I personally was expecting a longer tunnel but my eldest did not mind

My youngest loved watching the turtles swimming and my eldest loved that they kept coming right up to her.

We continued our journey round and went to the large tank to look for the large green sea turtle. He was sleeping on the bottom. My eldest loved watching the sharks swimming round and the Rays.

The soft play area looked fantastic but it was not ready in time for our sneak peak. My eldest really wanted to play and I had to show her all the balls for the ball pit still in the bags, She was disappointed she could not play but understood why.

The Sea trek sea bed walk sounds like an amazing experience as it gives you the chance to walk inside one of the tanks with no diving experience.

Our final tank was one which contained rays and a good selection of fish which kept swimming round and round. As the tank was raised the base of the tank was at eye level with my daughter and she loved watching the rays swimming past her.

The rock pool experience was the final port before our exit, both girls were a little tired by this point and did not want to touch the crabs. Many other children did and all seemed to enjoy themselves.

Sea life Manchester has tried to cater for different ages by having tanks on different levels. There are several points at which children can interact and feel part of the displays. I love that throughout the experience there is a continued theme of Protection. I was expecting the centre to be bigger having visited other Sea life in the past, as we managed to walk round the whole attraction in 40 minutes. At varying times I did feel as if some parts had become very busy and congested. This was only with 15 families and I do wonder what the attraction would be like during school holidays.

The girls and I had a really lovely day at the Sea life Manchester and it was wonderful to have a sneak peak at the attraction before it opens on June 6th.

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