Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park; Official Merchandise Review and Family Ticket Giveaway

***This giveaway is now closed***

The winner is...

Louise Fairweather

CONGRATULATIONS!

I was reliably informed - by a 4 year old - that this is not Peppa Pig. It is, in fact, Peppa's friend, Suzy Sheep. Suitable chastised, I shuffled over to have my photograph taken with her (as you do).

My family and I were invited to Paulton's Park, the home of Peppa Pig World, to review the latest official Peppa Pig merchandise. Several other bloggers were also there. Our children tore through the toys, gifts and clothes like a tornado. Pieces of jigsaw puzzle were scattered around the room. The children looked like they were competing to see who could carry the most soft toys. After our rigorous testing, we spent the rest of the day at Paulton's Park.


My Top Tips for visiting Peppa Pig World and Paulton's Park

• Get there early, the park opens at 10am. Be parked and at the gate by 10. 
• Go to Peppa Pig World first as the queues will quickly build up throughout the day
• There are loads of rides suitable for younger children in the rest of Paulton's Park. These rides have tiny queues. There are also animals and play areas, including a splash park.  
• Leave before the park closes. You do not want to get caught in a traffic jam just trying to get out of the car park.

Peppa Pig Official Merchandise

If you are looking for exclusive official Peppa Pig merchandise, that is not available anywhere else, you can either visit the store at Peppa Pig World, Paulton's Park, or visit the Peppa Pig Shop online.

You get free delivery on all orders over £25, delivery to any UK address and free returns.

Here is a selection of our favourite items from the current range:


Granny Pig Loves Baking Apron (£14.99)

How fantastic is this apron? My mother-in-law is definitely getting this for Christmas.


Grandpa Pig's Polo T-Shirt (£18.99)

This polo t-shirt is excellent quality. It would make the perfect gift for a doting grandad. We loved the nautical stripes.

George Green Cap (£5.99)

We were pleasantly surprised by the range of boys' clothing. This cap is super.


George's Mr Dinosaur Dressing Gown (£14.99)

We adored this dinosaur dressing gown. My 4 year old son put it on and didn't want to take it off.


Peppa's World of Playsets (currently in the sale for £19.99)

Both my boys (aged 5 and 4) enjoyed playing with this playset. The set only comes with one Peppa figure, but other figures are available. There is plenty of scope for imaginative play with this toy.

There are also soft toys galore. You can get Peppa, George, Peppa's Teddy Bear and George's Dinosaur in all sizes (to suit all pockets). There is also stationery, bedroom accessories, books and pictures.

You can even get George Pig Beanie Ballz for balancing on your head (£6.99, husband not included)

The Giveaway

Have you ever fancied a day out at Peppa Pig World? Paulton's Park are offering one lucky Baby Baby reader a one day family ticket for two adults and two children under twelve.

To enter all you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter form below.

Good luck!


Terms and Conditions:
The prize consists of a one day family ticket for two adults and two children under 12 years old. Tickets are valid until Monday 4 November, 2013 and are non-extendable. They are not valid for Santa’s Christmas Wonderland. Travel expenses are NOT included in the prize, the winner will have to make their own travel arrangements. The prize will be sent out by the promotor, Paulton's Park, Ower, Romsey,The New Forest, Hampshire SO51 6AL. There is no cash alternative.
This giveaway is open to UK residents, aged 12 and over, who correctly complete the Rafflecopter form.
This giveaway starts 12.00am 22 August 2013 and closes 12.00 29 August 2013. The winner will be picked at random from all correct entries within three days of the end of the giveaway, using Rafflecopter. If the winner does not respond within 7 days of being notified by the promotor, the prize will be re-drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure
My family and I were given free entry to Paulton's Park

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How's the weight loss going, Sandy?

Very well, thank you for asking.

That there is a Slimming World 4 stone award. I'm a whopping 4 stone lighter than I was last year.

My 5 year old son weighs slightly less than that and I can't carry him very far at all, but I used to carry that weight around all the time. No wonder stairs were a struggle. Not any more. I have spent the summer holidays this year chasing the boys around farms, zoos and theme parks.

As well as going to Slimming World I am also having Weight Loss Coaching with Dawn Walton. I'm 10 weeks into the 12 week programme and it's not an understatement to say that working with Dawn has changed my life.

This is my post from the start of the Weight Loss Coaching.
This is my post from 6 weeks into the Weight Loss Coaching.

I will update you in full at the end of the 12 weeks as I have so much to tell you.


Disclosure: Dawn is providing me with her Weight Loss Coaching services free of charge, in exchange for my honest feedback via Baby Baby.



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Pampers unveils their giant Baby Blanket – knitted with the nation’s good wishes for the new Royal Baby!

This is a sponsored post.

As mentioned recently on Baby Baby, to celebrate the birth of the new royal baby, Pampers has knitted a giant baby blanket made from the good wishes of love and support from the UK public, in aid of family support charity Home-Start UK. I hope you got involved too?

The campaign has received overwhelming support from all over the world – including Canada, China and Australia - with thousands of parents sharing their wishes of love and support for the royal couple. And for every message received, Pampers has donated a nappy to family support charity Home-Start UK with a final donation of 100,000 nappies being made.

On Thursday, Pampers invited mums and babies to see the unveiling of this giant blanket and continue the nation’s celebration of the new arrival!

Now that the blanket has been unveiled, Pampers will be donating framed sections of the blanket to neonatal units and children’s hospitals across the UK to display on their walls.

Every little baby is a prince or princess to their mum and dad, and Pampers wishes them nothing but love, sleep and play. To find out further information visit www.pampers.co.uk.



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The Summer Holiday Survival Guide to... The Supermarket

AKA The one where I go all Supernanny on you.

I was looking forward to the Summer Holidays. My children had completed their first full year at school. The sun was shining. I'd made a few plans, bought a few new garden toys. We were set.

Then school ended.

I don't know if it's tiredness from a long final term at school, or the heat, but my two little angels have lost their halos. They seem incapable of playing together, or with me, without fighting. They don't want to do anything. It takes us forever to leave the house, they drag their heels, won't keep their socks on and don't see why they should try to do a wee before we go out.

I usually do my food shopping online, but - desperately needing a diversion - I decided to take the children to Sainsbury's.

This is when I had a brainwave. I'd watched enough episodes of Supernanny (before I had children) to know that children like to be engaged in an activity. So I stuck their toy trolleys in the car and got them to write lists.

They both wrote six things on their lists and took a pencil to cross out each item as they put it in their trolley.

We floated around the supermarket in a cloud of our own wondrousness. Wondrousness? That must be a real word because it describes us in the biscuit aisle in Sainsbugs. Other Mothers looked on in awe. Small children turned green before our very eyes. Old ladies smiled approvingly.

The boys put their goods on the conveyor belt, then packed it in their bags for life.

I had won at shopping.

Cue the sound of a needle being dragged from a record.

Of course this only worked the first time I tried it.

We went back to Sainsbury's this week and my little darlings didn't want to write their lists, they wanted ALL the crisps and they fought over a four-pack of garlic. A dozen old dears patted my arm sympathetically and said, 'You're brave.'.

It's back to online shopping for us.



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Saving Money on Energy Bills as a Family

British Gas paid me for publishing this post, but who doesn't want a few easy tips on how to save money?


Most families are in need of saving a few bob and if you work together in a quest to becoming a little more frugal, you’d be amazed at how much you can save in a relatively small time frame. It’s all well and good, planning to cut back on things or save on electricity but if your family don’t follow suit, you’re fighting a losing battle. Get them to jump on board in your new, savvy venture and you could all see impressive savings. After all, it’s much better to spend your hard earned cash on days out and treats that in it wasting it on things unnecessarily, right?

In every home, there are plenty of ways in which to save money on your energy bills and by adopting these practices, you will see savings in your utilities almost immediately. While you could save money with British Gas Green Deal, there are other ways in which you could save money (and positively affect your energy usage) without having to jump straight onto the home improvement bandwagon although, with the help of the British Gas and government initiative, this is increasingly easier to do. Summer is a perfect time to start with the lighter nights and warmer days. Take a look at some of these top tips to see what you can incorporate into everyday life.

• Turn lights off after use – it’s so easy for a child (or grownup!) to leave the bathroom light on after nipping to the loo but every time this happens, energy and money are being wasted. Switch lights off when you don’t need them. 
• Replace standard light bulbs with energy saving ones. 
• Don’t leave the water running when you’re brushing your teeth – it’s incredible how much of this valuable resource is wasted, especially when you’ve got kids! 
• Turn the washing machine down to 30 (or less!). The cycle is only marginally less than 40 and cleans your clothes just as well. Plus, you save energy and cash. 
• Turn down the thermostat by 1 degree, which should be easily done during the summer months. You could always reach for a snuggly blanket if you do get a little chilly. 
• Avoid using electric heaters – they cost a fortune! 

Simple ways in which you could save money in your home, which you’ll see in your next energy bills. Encourage your kids to do their bit too and you won’t feel like you’re the only one doing the work.