The festive period is always a bit special in the Dove household as POD’s birthday is on Christmas Day. With her sixth birthday fast approaching, it’s more important than ever to keep the Father Christmas magic alive. She’s still very much a believer and the Portable North Pole is a superb way to ensure that remains the case. What could be better than a message from the big man himself?
There’s much to see in Surrey and we’re truly spoilt especially at this time of the year. Somewhere I have to visit in autumn is Winkworth Arboretum. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a picturesque sight throughout the seasons but when those red, orange and yellow hues arrive – it’s quite spectacular. And the clever planting of their maples, oaks and rowans ensures the views are impressive and last for weeks. The arboretum has been looked after by the National Trust for some 60 years now.
The chocolatiers at Hotel Chocolat have been busy crafting the most decadent selection for the festive season. There are a whole host of new recipes to try along with those old favourites we love already. Here’s a little taste of what you can expect from the new collection and do enter our Hotel Chocolat competition too. You could win yourself a Classic Christmas Sleekster and a box of Toasty Toddies (worth over £30).
POD has long been a fan of Ribena although it’s not often we’ll have it in the car or when we’re out and about. Until now that is. Ribena has come up with an ingenious solution for kids on the go with their new Ribena Minis. And they’re quite brilliant.
If you’ve visited our travel blog recently, you may have read about the Kakslauttanen resort in Finland. Their Christmas offering provides children with the opportunity to visit Santa’s home and the impressive Celebration House – said to be the largest log building in the country. The resort looks spectacular, I imagine myself there on a regular basis and five year old POD would undoubtedly be off the scale with excitement. But a weekend in a Kela-glass igloo would set us back around £1,000 and that’s without flights. Nearby Lapland could be a more cost effective alternative but not by much. While Finland remains firmly on the bucket list, POD is growing up way to fast. Don’t get me wrong she’s a huge believer and embraces all things magical but she turns six on Christmas Day. Yes I know we’re not sure how that happened either!
As parents we always want the best for our children and that includes what they put in their tummies. We’ve been fortunate in that five year old POD is willing to give the majority of foods a try. These days it’s all about encouraging her to make good choices and while she does have treats, they’re usually reward or occasion based.
Sitting at the cinema a while back we saw a trailer for the DreamWorks animation the Trolls. What made it particularly poignant were the words “right outside my door lurks a nightmare. Named Poppy”. It made us all fall about laughing to discover POD shared her name with the leader of the trolls. We’ve watched the Trolls trailer many times since and we’re always singing the “Can’t stop the feeling” title track.
We reviewed the Horse Club Riding Centre from Schleich in the summer. Not only was it really easy to put together, it was superb quality too. The designers had even thought about maximising imaginative play too as features included a fully removable roof that doubled up as an exercise area. Schleich has launched a dinosaur collection so we hoped to see a similar level of innovation with the Giant Volcano which comes with its own dinosaurs.
As fans of the great outdoors, we love nothing more than escaping to blow away a few cobwebs. There are a wide variety of places to choose from in Surrey and the surrounding area with one of the favourites the beautiful Alice Holt forest.
POD always enjoys toys that allow her imagination to run away with her. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Pet Parade Play Garden from Flair, we expected much of the same with their Family Scooter Playset. She’s been asking for a dog a lot recently so the Cavalier King Charles and its puppy, while nowhere near the same, are a great compromise!
