Pay Day Bargains!

Woo!! its Payday again!! the best thing about going to work is the actual getting paid part!! and of course sometimes the people you work with too.

So this pay day i have bought things ready for our stay-cation at Butlins Minehead, super excited as we have never been down that way before that and its time away with my beautiful family. Butlins is the place to be with little kids too, everything they could possibly want or need is on site their breakfast and dinner is included all i have to do is chaperone *thumbs up emoji*

Back to my payday bargains.

We have been here and there really we don't always go to the same shops i know some people stick to the same shops all the time, me i just tend to go to where ever is cheap or has a sale on!! who doesn't love a good bargain tho am i right?!

So we went to pep & co in Corby (that is our nearest store) we ended up here as i had seen a few bits in one of my favorite mum vlog videos on www.brummymummyof2.co.uk (love her!) so we don't always travel just to go to these places but it was a nice drive and nice to be some where different. we found this shop very cheap and the clothes are gorgeous i think we will be going back at some point as its too good not to. So from here we got quite a bit for my bigger girl most if not all in the sale too (winner!) Everything in here was very bright and colourful we loved it as especially with this summer rain it was so nice to see bright colours.

Ellie got some MORE flip flops at £1 a pretty ditsy floral top in 3-4 years £4 this wasn't in the sale but was still a bargain price and so stinking cute! 

Mummy got a watermelon t-shirt £3 and some filp flops too these were £1 also.

Alexa got: a pair of hareem trousers with a funky print on these were £6 down to £4 i got these in 7-8 years they look a bit long but i thought it would be good as they are elasticated bottoms and a loose fit, A blue an white dress which should have been £8 down to £5.50 again in 7-8 years i always get dresses bigger as they will look ok weather its a bit long or a bit short, A denim Dress should have been £6 down to £4 this could be worn during the day or evening she could pair it with leggings or just wear it on its own so i really liked this (and daddy picked it!) The we found this pretty floaty flower skirt which should have been £5 down to £3.50 this was her pick and i had to agree as it's very pretty and she loves a floaty skirt oh and she also got a pair of flip flops £1


All in we spent £27 which for what we got was a real bargain i love this store and we will be back. Thank you Pep&Co and also Emma at www.brummymummyof2.co.uk for the heads up.




We have been collecting little bits and bobs to go in a bag for each of them for their holiday we plan on giving them to the girls when we leave so first thing in the morning. The bags are from home bargains (again in Corby) they were £3.29 for Ellie's its slightly smaller and £4.99 for Alexa's which is huge! so at the moment we have lots of little bits and pieces that i am hoping will keep them entertained for a little while at least, (that or they will just argue over who's is who's even tho they have exactly the same) They have pencils 75p from asda, colouring books £1.75 from asda, a beach ball £1 poundland, some water bomb/ball things £1 poundland, a little build your plane these were 2 for £1 in poundland, disney lego mini figures these are £2.50 in asda and some other bits and pieces. any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated as these two fight like cat and dog and it's a good 3 hour car journey!!
* i would take a photo but i cant with the girls around as they are a surprise *



So in Corby there is a Argos clearance warehouse. It is like a treasure trove you can go in there one day and find some really good deals and then other days you can go in there with something in mind and come out with nothing. But today was one of those good days!! This mumma has made a dent on christmas!! yes i said that C word (no not the naughty one!) So today i got 2 Disney princess make up bags one for each of the girls these were £3.99 each, i got Ellie a sofia the first mermaid play set for £7.99 and Alexa a Lite brix set for £7.19 (this one was prices up wrong but they still honored it) All of these should have been alot more but they also had an extra 20% so i am overly pleased with these bargains we also picked up a few other bits but i can't post them as they are for family and they may read this and that will spoil the suprise so i can tell you that in here we spent £35.13 in total all but one thing to put away for the big man in red. Ohh also for Christmas i got the girls some new tsum tsum bowls and plates from asda at £1 each they love tsum tsums and a snack pot each for £1 from asda too (they may get these sooner i'm not sure yet)

So these are my pay day bargains i got a few other bits and pieces for my self from Asda as the girls already have full suit cases just of their clothes so i decided enough was enough for them i guess i might need some thing to wear. I won't bore you with posting about the bits for me as that's boring and well i cannot be bothered to go and find them!*face palm*

We also visited our new B&M store but the staff were extremely rude and quite frankly they are selling the same tat that most stores sell for a similar price too. The staff didn't even greet you when you went in or when you were at the till the lady at the till didn't even look up at us, there was one guy on the shop floor actually swore in front of us!! I would not recommend any one step foot in here until they train their staff how to give good customer service. 

We also have a new Smyths toy store opening but that opens today so i plan on visiting this soon and i will let you know how we found this store.

So that's it for payday (well a few days) we didn't go mad as we are saving and we also have a holiday coming up too.

Have you found any bargains this pay day?! show me what you found. 

I do love a good bargain!

Lauren x

Weekend Off!

Wahoo a weekend off is the most amazing thing ever as it never happens in my job.

So this weekend has been jam packed full of lovely stuff.

•  An evening out with our lovely harmony majorettes at activity world and having a really late night  but enjoyed every second with them all.
• Saturday the girls went out with one of their sets of grandparents ( i say one as they have LOADS) they went shopping and to the seaside and then had a sleepover 
• Saturday evening we went out for a grown ups dinner at a beautiful Indian (grown ups!!) the loveliest indian we have ever had. highly recommend it if you live in Peterborough or near by.
• Sunday Today we have been at Grandma Creeks house celebrating a special (won't say which one in case she doesn't appreciate it) the rain stayed away so we were in the garden most of the afternoon just chilling and enjoying each others company which is awesome.
  

The lovely family i will one day be apart of. (married into)

and then tomorrow evening it is the Harmony majorettes presentation evening. now last year i won a trophy i won't bore you and go into it too much but it made me cry like a baby so i'm hoping i don't do that again this year! so i will probably upload some more photos of that tomorrow. (not going to lie excited about not having to cook tea tomorrow either!)

Ohh and also Happy fathers day to all the dads, grandads and of course mummys who do it all too.

Also if you have any fathers day photos please upload them into the comments if possible so i can
have nose and so we can all awe over fathers day awesomeness.

This is the only photo i have of my dad and i and even then i stole it from his facebook.

And of course my better half who my girls call daddy and look up to in every way the man of my dreams watching him love them both only makes me love him more. ( bleugh i know sorry)















Much love to all hope you have all had a fabby weekend too!

Harmony Majorettes

 
So these are my other loves Harmony Majorettes i talk about them A LOT and i would say i'm sorry but really i'm not as i am so so proud of them all!! i made them this little video from their parade on Saturday it was so very hot on Saturday here and they all did so incredibly well considering!! please take a look and show my girlies that people are very impressed by their talent :) * thumbs up *

Wicksteed At War

So today we went to Wicksteed park where this weekend they had a incredible war thing on they had all sorts going on, tanks, reenactments, demonstrations, walk through camps and of course the park was open as usual. Wicksteed park is in Kettering Northamptonshire. You can also camp here too!

So we didn't go yesterday as the girls had a parade to do it was sweltering yesterday and the girls marched and performed the whole way for a good 40 mins. so so proud of them they looked amazing they did amazing they are amazing i will do another post raving about them again i'm sure as i cannot get enough of them all. You guys will probably be sick of me talking about them.

So back to today the weather was miserable it just kept on raining but it was a light rain to start with so we had a good walk around had nosey watched some tanks and army vehicles drive around. I did the real British mum thing and took a good ole picnic, just sandwiches crisps and a chocolate bar (ok so he made the sandwiches ) which was eaten as we arrived i might add. There is ample parking here and you do have to pay for it but it is done at the end of your day you get a ticket on your way in and you pay on the way out at one of the machines ( like a shopping centre basically ).

 She got to go in a tank with a man in uniform (no not the one in the photo i am aware hes a dummy) is it wrong to want to go in with your child so you can see the man in uniform too?

    

 You could also pay to have you photo taken next to this war plane dressed up as an old RAF pilot. this was £3 which wasn't too pricey in thought. (again is it frowned upon for mummy to have a go)

 We loved walking around all the camps and seeing what life would have been like for them. at one point there was a loud explosion ( probably just acting obviously ) it scared the hell out of Alexa and she was terrified for the whole way around then literally wouldn't let us leave her side. There was on tent done up like a hospital on the battle field it had body parts in dishes out side ( alexa freaked again and held my hand very tight ) in side it had two patients (dummies) all injured and then all the equipment that they had back then was all laid out so you could see. Alexa's quote "it's very dark and i think it's much better now though mummy" also on our way in after spotting the body parts " they aren't real are they?" nervously asking bless her.

 They got to hold a REAL (disarmed i may add) grenade! so cool Ellie just thought it was a toy i think :S scared! where as Alexa was a lot more interested i think she secretly want a go at a gun instead though.

 The park its self is so lovely and its such a shame it was raining. there are loads of rides here that are great fun but not in the rain as much plus we were really only going today for the war bit.

In the park there are loads of rides for all ages to go on there is also a big new animal walk bit they looked like they were still doing work on it today though. There was a big tree top walk that looked really cool but in the rain with a grumpy toddler in tow we didn't even bother. All the rides you need either tickets or wrist bands for. Single tickets were £.125 or you could get a sheet of 20 for £20. The wristbands were adults £15 childs £18. It has a lot to see have a good wander around and then decide which rides you want or can do and then decide which will be best for you tickets or wrist bands as so rides need a different amount of tickets. Personally if your child is like my oldest and wants to go on everything and can go on everything a wristband is the way forward. There is a huge play park that is awesome this is suitable for all ages and is FREE! lovely word that. I would like to add that even if you have tickets and wristbands things like Rush ( a really big zip wire thing that looks totally wicked! ) and the indoor play area are not included so you do have to pay for these.  If you go onto the wicksteed website there is a map of the park its self and at the bottom it has a list of everything to do and also tells you how many tickets each one is too which is brill and makes life simple for you. There is this an adorable little train (ideal for the whole family) that goes all the way around the bottom end of the park (also cute photo op too). There are rides that you can get wet on so bare this in mind.

The food now when ever we have been we have taken a picnic and then bought a portion of chips to share near the end as a treat, these are OK but they are just that they weren't too expensive but the drinks were so take drinks if you can. (this is great if you still have a child small enough for a pushchair load it up and off you go!) The park also has a BBQ area too so if you wanted take a little BBQ. 

I have to say im a geek for this but i am super stocked at the fact that you could always see a bin! I hate hate hate when you go somewhere and there's rubbish all over the place and you cannot see a bin in sight. The park was immaculate no rubbish or over flowing bins in sight massive thumbs up for me!!   

 So if your near by and its a lovely day take a trip over check out this beautiful park you wont be disappointed. 

Thanks for reading!  

Going Green

So i have always wanted to grow fruit and veg and rely on the land for means of food as that's what people have always done to survive, I also think we should teach our children how to grown things and where the food on their plates comes from. Now in the past we have grown some pretty impressive pumpkins so when we moved into our new house and the garden is so much bigger than our old one i have dedicated a spot in the corner to grow veg my own little patch of heaven.

So we planted seeds a few months back and knowing be hold they have taken and are growing extremely well! We planted potatoes, carrots, pumpkins and strawberries. Although Ellie over watered our strawberries but its ok though as there is now a slug living in that pot.

I got a lot of ideas and help from my bestie Pinterest!! but mostly a newbie at this.

so this is our potatoes now just so guys can see how far we are coming along i'm hoping to keep you updated but not every week as i know that's not very exciting as you can't see much happening.

 

Also if you have any gardening hints or tips please leave me a comment so i can read them as a newbie at this i'd love any secrets you may know. 

Pontins UKFM 2016

So April 15th we set off for our first UKFM nationals at Pontins Camber sands. First impressions were good considering it was pouring it down and had been for the whole 3 hour road trip down there but apart from that it didn't look bad at all.

It was bright and colourful the guys on the gate were friendly, polite and helpful. they had obviously been out there a while though as they were drenched. We found it hard to park as a troupe it was just a free for all but again once we were parked that was us done for the weekend.

The chalets now before going we had read some reviews online for this particular Pontins resort and to be honest they were pretty bad so I was expecting the worst I took anti bac wipes and hand gel plenty of loo roll (always have one on me for comps) I was well prepared for the worst but I was pleasantly surprised the chalets them selves were lovely they weren't perfect but for what we needed them and for pontins I feel they were good. they were clean they were spacious and there were no noticeable health and safety risks. The chalets accommodated up to 7 but there was only four of us in our chalet. There was plenty of bedding that was clean most chalets had what looked to be brand new bedding as it was in packaging. It had a little kitchen that was useable and a bathroom which again was clean and usable. We did however notice there was a list of things that pontins provide in the chalet and there was quite a bit missing, however it didn't bother us as we were prepared and had made sure we had everything. The only thing I could fault was the curtains were very dated and none of them matched at all and the ovens needed a deep deep clean as every time you opened one it set the fire alarms off. As to which was hilarious to the little girls as everyone on pizza night was setting them off. But the fire alarms did work and that's the main thing!

The main halls, arcade and restaurant were ok they were not anything spectacular or anything but they served their purpose they were big and mostly clean. I feel that they didn't seem to have any staff what so ever at one point the bins in the main hall were over flowing and there was rubbish all over the floor I think a few of us parents had bin bags with us so we took it upon our selves to tidy up as the girls didn't want to be wading though rubbish to get in and out of the hall. The toilets in there were erm well I think I have seen cleaner petrol station toilets again no body seemed to be monitoring them and there was never any toilet roll in the (pet hate its ok as had some in my bag). The arcade was a very good size and was always busy we personally didn't go in there but walked though it. There was a few machines in the back that were obviously out of order or broken but were just left. In the arcade was a small little shop which is handy but very expensive so avoid it if you can. The restaurant however it wasn't very big but the staff were polite, friendly and helpful it was clean and ample room to sit although it did seem a little dark in there. The food it self was good and very well priced not like everything else on campus which seemed overly priced. There was also a pizza take away and a fish and chip shop but we didn't see these open. Oh and a pub the queen Victoria.

Security was something I was impressed with really considering how many of us there was with the UKFM. There was some one at the bottom of the stairs at all times checking that everyone had UKFM wrist bands. (all comps were upstairs you had to be with the UKFM and have a wristband to get up there). There was a couple of lost children and personal belongings but all were found safe and returned which to me made me feel very safe.

Over all I found that pontins wasn't actually that bad to be fair. Whilst we were there competing there was people there actually on holiday I believe it is through the £9.50 holidays. The campus also isn't far from the beach either. So if you were doing the £9.50 holidays and this place popped up it really isn't that bad (especially for £9.50).
I hope that this doesn't put people off and that my honest open opinion helped!!

Oh and the troupe came home with 35 awards!! Two of these were very big ones we got one colour guard and miss deputy UKFM they also got 1st in their outdoor group which is amazing as every girl competed together for this one. The whole weekend was amazing it was a real emotional rollercoaster the UKFM suffered a huge loss in a very special lady which affected everyone. The whole UKFM came together and supported each other when her troupe performed the whole room stood still and when they won awards at the end the room lifted to their feet and just applauded them it was so lovely to see so many people pull together and show their love and support for one another you really wouldn't find that any where else.

This weekend showed me as a parent that I made the right decision to send A to majorettes because she has so much confidence and she works so hard to go out there and do her best. Watching her perform is just amazing she practiced long and hard for this and you could really tell. Although she didn't come home with a trophy of her own she didn't mind at all she didn't cry or whinge or complain (I noticed some of the girls where hysterical because they didn't win) A was just happy to be there and loved the atmosphere and being with everyone she made a friend in one of the other troupes too. Seeing her so happy for everyone else and not crying because she didn't win made me so proud as it means I have done a good job as a parent sometimes you don't always get that feeling or you don't always see that your doing a good job. Parent wins are the best ones!

 

Mum of HY20 x

supermarket etiquette.

So working in a supermarket both myself and RC have experienced all sorts like you wouldn't believe! I do honestly think that there should be a list of rules for supermarket shopping e.g you must wear clothes and shoes this means clothes that cover you and that are appropriate people shop with children funnily enough they have to eat too.

It amazes me that people do go out with out shoes on this is something incredible how did you not realise you have no shoes on?!

add ons. In some shops not necessarily supermarkets the cashier has to offer you add ons to your purchase they are not offering you a pen so you can sign your life away or offering you chocolate because they think your a chocoholic so will fall for it they are doing it because they have targets to meet as that is their job and in order to keep their job they have to do this. don't sign or make a awful comment "do I look like I need more chocolate then" or "I don't need it" politely reply with "no thank you"

feedback. now this is my favourite as this is your honest opinion of you experience in the store your in so this tells them how they are doing and for someone who is asking for that feedback that 5 mins it takes to answer the online questions is not a lot to ask for really. (you are probably on your phone just continually scolling for no reason in the evening any way) use this time to answer these simple questions for that person that served you today as they are probably waiting to hear they did good or someone recognised they were trying. plus some times you also get rewarded for doing this as some companies give you money off or vouchers.

manners. this is a big thing that people teach children and its probably one of the first things your child learns because your constantly saying "say please" "say thank you" but when it comes to adults we seems to think that we don't have to use our manners. no you are an adult there is probably a child either in the queue behind you or that can hear you if they see or hear you speaking to someone horribly they will copy. Also the person serving you is trying really hard not to use a curse word on you while you huff and puff at them or tell them you don't want that in that bag but in one you haven't even got out yet or be careful that's breakable. They are adults too they also know what they are doing and have probably been there since 5am so their patience is probably on the verge so don't push them too far.

Although the amount of times I have wanted to stand up on the counter or till and just rant back. Now that would be a good video to watch. 

Bags. now we all know that you have to pay for bags in all big supermarkets now and in most other stores. The person serving you does not control this do not then start ranting and raving about how it is robbing you just for a bag or how they cant do it as it is advertising. if you don't agree or simply don't want to pay 5p for a bag don't bring your own and stop complaining.

Queues.
please
wait
here.
we all hate queues and waiting but guess what its something we all have to do and deal with it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing. queues are everywhere, on the phone, in the shops, in the doctors and even on the roads. You cannot control this it is like the weather it is out of everyone's  control. shouting or swearing or throwing you arms around because you have had to wait is not going to get you through that queue any quicker. If anything people will take one look at you and think what a moron and usually go slower. So yes quques are a big problem but again just grit your teeth, breathe and count to ten by the time you have done this you will probably be next or being served. it is also not the cashiers fault if you have come in for one thing because YOU forgot and now YOU are running late because you have been queuing in traffic for ages.

This is also a good time to take a look around notice things. how tidy is the store? are the staff friendly to every customer? is it a dark and dingy store or is it bright and airy? all things that may come up on the surveys you are given at the end.

Children. We were all children once. Yes they scream. Yes they run. Yes they can also be cute and lovely but 9/10 in a shop that they don't want to be in they are not. Having two of children my self I know that shopping with them is like climbing Everest it is that much of a task. they have probably been playing or something before hand and now they have been dragged shopping which lets be honest no body likes shopping really. This is really boring for them they aren't allowed to touch anything they certainly cant pick stuff off the shelves and just eat it either. They cant climb this big stand that's staring right in front of them. They cant take the most amazing toy with flashy lights and loud annoying sounds because its not theirs. so please if you see a child in a store that's kicking off and having a melt down or is crying because it wants to pull everything off of a shelf don't stop and stare at the parents or huff and puff or whilst your walking away make a rude comment about how they need to be disciplined or "I blame the parents" Those parents can see and hear you. This will hurt and upset them. That is their child having a moment and you have just made them feel very little when there is no need.

so next time you are in a store think about the people that work there. They are there because it is a job and they actually want to work. They work very hard to make sure that the customer (yes that's you) is satisfied. Smile at them say hello answer them when they speak to you. Ask them how they are how their day is. Do not start having a go at them or moaning at them. Look at them smile and say "its busy but your doing well" give them feedback as you never know it might make someone's day to know that somebody actually realised they were there and recognised that they were doing a good job.

Thank you.