#LoveNorthEast

A huge 2016 welcome to #LoveNorthEast. I couldn't be more excited to announce that Sam from North East Family Fun has asked me to co-host #LoveNorthEast. This is very big news for me as I begin to focus part of my blogging week on our fabulous North East as part of my 2016 goals (you can read about them soon). I'm very excited to read all of your wonderful posts.

#LoveNorthEast Twitter Chat
We will be  launching a #LoveNorthEast Twitter Chat which will be on the first Wednesday of every month from 8-9pm. Sam  will host the first chat (so make sure you are following @NEFamilyFun  and @Monkeyfeettweet) on Wednesday 6th January and our topic will be '2016'. we would love lots of local bloggers, businesses and readers to join in so hope to see you there.

#LoveNorthEast Linky Rules

1 - Add our badge (copy and paste the code below into the HTML of your blog post at the bottom. If you are confused - just ask and we'll do our best to help). Alternatively, you can add a text link to this post or to Sam's #LoveNorthEast post at the bottom of you blog post.

2 - Comment on both host posts and a couple more in the linky. It is GOOD to share the love!

3 - You can link up one post every month. Posts must be written by a NE blogger or be based in the NE. Business posts are also welcome and posts can be old or new.

Bloggers that don't play by the rules will have their posts removed. Karen and I put a lot of work into promoting NE bloggers and blogs and it only takes 2 minutes to follow the above steps and keep us happy

In return we will:-

1 - Both comment on every post that takes part.

2 - Share our favourite posts across our own social media (combined 20k+ followers).

3 - Both choose our favourite blog to showcase in next month's post.

Join #LoveNorthEast now

An InLinkz Link-up

<div align="center">
<a href="http://blog.monkey-feet.com" rel="nofollow" title="North East Family Fun"><img src="http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c138/NEfamilyfun/LoveNorthEast%20small_zpsvkjsr9r2.jpg" alt="North East Family Fun" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

#LoveNorthEast will open on 1st of each month for 10 days. Grab our badge and then add your link to the tool below.

Santas Naughty Elf and The Christmas Caper

6 years ago with Peanut aged only 1 and The Golden Child just newly annouced and growing strong, we headed of to see Santa's Naughty Elf at The Customs House. Peanut found it all rather hilarious, bright colours, music, dance and funny faces, what was not to love? The adults in the room were laughing just as hard, although possibly not at the same jokes, as the children, and so another Christmas tradition began. We have seen all of the naughty Elf shows since then and each has been just as much fun as the last, and this year apparently has had record sales so the team are obviously doing something right.

Santa's Naughty Elf and The Christmas caper shows Elfluent (Wayne Miller) being surprisingly well behaved, holding interviews with Elfluena (Sarah Boulter) for a new workshop elf. When Elflirty (Lauren Amour) gets the job, fellow candidate Elfranky (Steve Stobbs) decides to wreak havoc by stealing Santa's order book, magic dust and even kidnapping the man himself! Can Elfluent get Christmas back in time?

Theres lots of audience participation, a chance to learn new songs and dance moves and lots of jokes and funny capers too. Naughty Elf is a perfect show for the smaller members of your family as its fun and only an hour long, But its great for older kids to as the jokes are suitable and its a good laugh for everyone. Wayne Miller, who also directs the show, provides lots of laughs with his jokes and capers and this year displays his great vocal talents alongside the equally lovely sounding Lauren Amour.

Children get to meet Santa and Mrs Claus at the end of the show and say hi to the Elfy ones too. Its a lovely festive treat and great value for money The show runs until 24 December and you need to get in quick to get tickets, book online or call the box office 0191 4541234

Posted with Blogsy by The Monkeyfooted Mummy

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at Northern Stage

You know already that we need little in the way of convincing to attend one of Northern Stage's productions and we are great fans of their Christmas show, last years Get Santa was the first 'big people' (7 and up) show that I had taken Peanut to see and we love love loved it. so when we were invited along to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz we said yes immediately

 

'Join Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion this Christmas for a brand new re-twisted production of the classic children’s story. Expect magic, mayhem and new music in this festive treat for adventurers aged 7+ (and their families)'

 

And so we did indeed join them, this year we were a party of 2 adults a 5 and a 7 year old, I was nervous how The Golden Child at age 5 would find it all but Peanut has talked about this for months so I was sure she would be fine. I'm not a huge Oz fan so have only seen the movie a couple of times and my kids haven't seen it at all (sorry sorry I'm a bad mammy) but I did think this was a very brave choice on Northern Stages part, after all Wizard of Oz has a huge and devoted following of fans, so to create a 're twisted ' version of the story for the stage could have been a big risk.

I'm pleased to say it wasn't! The story doesnt follow the movie exactly but does stay mostly true to the original. There are new twists on old characters and also some new characters too. Tessa Parr plays Dorothy with a quirky edge and not a touch of gingham or 'girly' attire She does however portray kindness courage and encouragement for those in need. We loved Alice Blundell's healthy hippy version of Glinda and even more so her puppetteering of Winkie Slave. Carl Kennedy gave a perfectly humourous and witty Tin Man, I mean Nick Chopper

 

and Micheal Blair drew me in to his love struck Lion character very well indeed. With a very convincing sometimes funny and sometimes scary Wicked Witch, Zoe Lambert had the crowd suitably on edge especially towards the end.

There were points when my Golden Child was afraid, especially at the half tiger half bear creature sent by the Wicked Witch to stop Dorothy and her gang. The kids didn't quite get all the humour (But I don't think they were meant too)but they did laugh and cheer and enjoy the show. The army of mice were favourites with the kids but I have to say the humour of mice pulling mouse poo amunition from their pants was a little lost on me!

My favourite parts of the show were the amazingly clever sets and props, the beautifully designed costumes and the music!

 

Performed by Jeremy Bradfield (who also plays The Wizard) the music is all performed in a tiny cubible on stage and its amazing to watch him create fabulous tunes and sounds with many many instruments! The kids loved Winkie and honestly I think the grown ups all found him (it?) rather endearing too.

 

I could wax lyrial about all the things we loved, like the supporting parts cleverly performed by the ensemble, the funny lovely munchkins, the brilliant Direction from Mark Calvert but I don't want to give too much away. Let me tell you the show is cleverly written, brilliantly designed and performed fantastically. Its entertaining, scary, funny and uplifting all at once. Its great value for money and you should definitely go see it. The show runs until 2nd January 2016 with tickets starting at £14.50 And you can book tickets online or by calling the box office on 0191 2305151

Follow the Monkeyfooted Mummy

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

 

Posted with Blogsy by The Monkeyfooted Mummy

Win a Bratz Snowkissed Doll

 

The #Snowkissed photobooth is coming to IntuMetrocentre!

 

 

Bratz® photobooth is back by popular demand, with an all-new festive theme, and is visiting intu MetroCentre this weekend!

 

When: Saturday 28 November

Where: intu Metrocentre Shopping Centre Gateshead

Cost: Free activity, no booking required

 

Fully stocked with Bratz props including skis, fur hats and festive accessories the booth is sure to get you in the festive spirit. It’s free and you and all of your friends will receive a copy of your picture to take home with you.

 

Head to Facebook.com/BratzUK and tag yourself in your picture for a chance to win great Bratz prizes including a hamper of Snowkissed goodies. The photobooth will travel across the UK visiting intu Metrocentre, Gateshead (Saturday 28 November) and intu Trafford, Manchester (Saturday 5 December).

Why not hang around at the Metroceentre and catch some of their festive (and free) activities like the Metrognome show or visit Santa, and of course you can finish your festive shopping while you are there!

 

For the full Bratz® photobooth tour schedule and more information see

www.facebook.com/BratzUK

Whats more we have secured one of the new Snowkissed dolls as a prize for our lovely readers and its super easy to enter, just follow the instructions on this tweet and if you aren't on twitter you could pop over and like our facebook page and comment on this post, we will draw a winner on 29/11 at 23.59 from all the entries.

The Bratz Snowkissed photobooth is visiting intu Metrocentre this Saturday and to celebrate we are giving away a fab...
Posted by The Parent Page by Monkey-Feet on Tuesday, 24 November 2015

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy by The Monkeyfooted Mummy

Error 404 at Northern Stage

We love a trip to the Theatre I'm sure you have guessed already, so we were happy to have the chance to see two shows this half term, today's offering was  Error 404 at Northern Stage

The show is aimed at ages 8 and up but our party are 5, nearly 6 and nearly 7 and they sat perfectly enthralled through the whole show. Daniel Bye plays the part of a ten year old boy who loses his best pal, filled with sadness and emptiness he comes home from a particularly awful school day to find a package from his mum. Inside is a robot! Could this be his pal? Is it possible?

 

Th show is part scripted and part audience directed so I cant tell you exactly what will happen when you go, but we had some great suggestions from the audience creating some very interesting ideas.

My three guests today said 'we felt sad, happy, and thought it was really good but didn't like the sadness as it made us want to cry'  

I loved watching the show and found myself getting involved in the decisions too! At an hour long its just perfectly timed for anyone over 5 or 6yrs I would say. Its easy to follow is very much like listening to a story as there is only one performer and so is perfect for our little people but very cleverly performed so as not to be boring.

The show will be at Northern Stage on Friday 30th October at 11am and 2pm and is well worth a visit if you can get there, you can book with box office on 0191 2305151,  if not the tour can be seen on Friday 27th November, 10.30am + 1.30pm; Saturday 28th November, 11.30am + 2.30pm, ARC, Stockton. Tickets here

Spineless Exhibition at The Great North Museum

Just recently we attended a preview of the new Spineless exhibition at The Great North Museum. Spineless Explores the awesome world of invertebrates in a fab colourful and immersive family friendly exhibition It is the first major natural history exhibition at the museum since it reopened in 2009.

 

Created by the museum’s own team Spineless showcases specimens from the museum’s extensive natural history collections not currently on display, with live specimens including the world’s heaviest stick insect an largest spider.

 

 

With loans from the Natural History Museum in London including the world’s only venomous crustacean.

The exhibition is set in different themes, underwater first with lots of ocean themed info and the move through to discover on land invertebrates with lots of live creatures and the chance to meet some up close during live animal talks in the exhibition Monday - Friday at:

• 11.30am

• 1pm

• 2.30pm

 

We loved the fishing game where we learned about all the different invertebrate sea creatures that we caught.

 

 

The Golden Child loved meeting cockroaches and stick insects and happily imparted all of his knowledge learned from his bug party!

 

Peanut loved trying on these especially commissioned dress up outfits and I have to say the craftsmanship and quality is amazing. There is lovely wee gift shop a fab baby chill out area fenced off from the threat of big people feet and a slide, climbing frame and trampoline for a bit of energy depletion (you know it's a necessity !)

 

We loved the exhibition and of course it's part of the bigger museum which can easily kill a whole day of wandering, playing, discovering and a must have slice of cake in the cafe! ALL FOR FREE (well except the cafe obviously!)

 

The lovely team at Great North Museum have put together a goodybag containing £25 worth of merchandise for one of my lucky readers. Simply fill out the rafflecopter below and we'll choose a winner from all the correct entries (UK only, no alternative offered, acceptance must be confirmed within 7 days)

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Connect With Great North Museum

Facebook

Twitter

Connect with the Monkeyfooted Mummy

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

If you enjoy our blog, we'd love to be nominated in the North East Blogger Awards, just click on the logo below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy by The Monkeyfooted Mummy

Brewers Fayre Half Term May-hem

Today we went along to Brewers Fayre at Royal Quays to sample their school holiday entertainment. For half term they were running 'May-hem' an activity morning from 9.30-11.30 with a free balloon. See brewers Fayre have figured out that a perfect combo is soft play, arts and crafts, outdoor play and food! they aren't far wrong, I'm a huge fan of outdoor fun but sometimes (especially when you have the company of one of your fabulous mummy friends) its nice to have a chat while the kids play.

 

We were greeted by a friendly chap who opened a tab for our drinks and food (at our request) and pointed us in the direction of the activities. We played a while with the activity sheets and spot the differences provided in the activity area. The activity area was set aside in a corner near the soft play, close to the fenced in out-door play area. From 9.30 until 11.30 a member of staff is on hand to help with colouring, crafting and supervision of the supplies.

When we'd had quite enough of being creative it was time to hit the soft play, now its not huge but there was sufficient enough to keep our tribe (ages 6.5, 5.5, 5 and 1.5yrs) happy and entertained, with tunnels, a slide, puzzle blocks and a couple of climbing levels. Sadly the mummies were getting hungry which we know means that fairly soon the kids would go from play to hunger meltdown in a matter of minutes so we decide to choose our food, the menu has loads of choice and some special offers to so there's something to meet most budgets. The children's menu had a great selection which didn't just consist of beige food with chips thankfully although my children ordered all the stuff we don't normally have at home like burgers hotdogs and doughnuts!

 

There was quite a queue of other parents waiting to order but magically more staff appeared and we got served really quickly. We decided to have a play outside while we waited for our food as there was probably going to be a delay given the number of orders that went in together.

 

The food was just as it should have been, a decent prtion size and whilst it wouldnt win any Gourmet awards it was hot tasty and well presented, on par with a home cooked meal which is no mean feat when you are effectively producing 'fast food' without it actually being Fast Food.

 

We did wait quite a while for desert which had been ordered at the same time we ordered the mains and the kids started to get a bit antsy as they had sat so well for quite some time. But they went down a storm when they did arrive. We order 2 kids Burger and Chips, 1 kids hotdog and chips, 1 Kids bolognese, 3 doughnut deserts, 1 smothered chicken and a chicken tikka balti, with 2 unlimited refill diet cokes, and 4 fruit shoots and the whole lot came to under £40! to feed 6 people and

 

We had plans for the afternoon so had to leave quite quickly but I think, if we had let them, the kids would have stayed and played in the soft play and outdoor play longer.

 

Overall we thought we had a great value morning, to be able to play from 9.30-1130 then eat two courses and a drink and then play some more and come home with a new Beano and a ballon each for an average of £6.31 seems like a great deal to me. It would have been nice to see maybe more space dedicated to the craft area, with some stickers and perhaps pencils rather than crayons for the big kids.

 

Ive been reliably informed that Brewers Fayre will be hosting more holiday activities in the summer holidays so you should definitely go sign up to hear all the latest news from them, you can even register for a loyalty card and get money off your fist meal.

You can connect with Brewers Fayre

Facebook

Twitter

 

Follow the Monkeyfooted Mummy

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

If you are a Blogger based if the North East of England why not ask to join our Facebook network by clicking the image below.

Posted with Blogsy by The Monkeyfooted Mummy

Family Fun at Blue Reef Aquarium

Blue Reef Aquarium is situated a stones throw from gorgeous Tynemouth Beach, within waling distance of some great shops bars and restaurants so it makes for a perfect family day out

 

Admission prices are ..

The aquarium has a cafe and gift shop alongside everything else in the attraction.

Before you go inside it is worth noting that at the entrance you can pick up

• paper and crayons to create 'rubbings' of diffent sea life shapes around the aquarium
• Question Sheets to answer along your journey
• timetable of shows and talks
• A step for teeny tiny's so they can see in the tanks easily

There is lots to see as you go around with Star fish, Stingrays, iguanas, sharks, Frogs, Otters, More species of fish than I can recall , giant eels a whole area for tamarins and then outside you can see the beatiful seals and sea lions

 

We had a great time checking out all the tanks and the kids had lots of questions. There are talks throughout the day about the aquarium and all of its dfferent inhabitants, you can watch the seals being fed and theres also a seal show.

 

Outside are some very friendly chickens, who provided fabulous entertainment for my little Termite I'm not sure the poor chicken was so impressed with her though! Peanut and the Golden Child enjoyed playing in the outdoor park which is suitable for young children.

 

The gift shop is packed to the ceiling with any amount of attractively displayed goodies, from pens and stationary to stuffed toys and games.

 

The Cafe offers a range of hot and cold snack and drinks, icecreams and cakes. Sadly it is priced, like most visitor attractions, somewhat on the higher side for whats on offer but they do make a nice cuppa!

After we had seen all there was to see we took the kids for a stroll along the beach across the road, great for blowing off the cobwebs and allowing the kids a bit of crazy time

This post was written as part of the Millenium Hotels Newcastle Guide and our entrance was paid for

 

Follow the Monkeyfooted Mummy

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted with Blogsy