Gutterball Royal Quays Review

Ad -  We were invited along to press night. Prices correct December 2019. 

As previous a North Tyneside resident, Star Bowl at Royal Quays used to be a regular haunt of ours. We LOVED it when it first opened but have to say, it did go downhill over the years and right before it closed I am sure they never turned the heating on to save money as it was always freezing and put us off going!

The Best Santa Experiences in North East England

Over the past 13 years, we have visited many, many Santas. In our house, we believe that you only meet the real Father Christmas once and you never know when that will be. All of the others are just helpers.

While I do believe that we shouldn't put too much pressure on ourselves to book the best Santa or feel like we have to, it is still a question that comes up time and time again so I thought I would share my thoughts on who I think is the best.

Christmas & Santa at Cragside Review

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We visited Cragside over my birthday weekend in December and had such a lovely day. Cragside is open daily throughout December and I honestly think a visit is going to be an annual tradition for us now.

It is one of those days out where there is something for everyone and it isn't all just about the kids. There are beautiful decorations to admire, choirs to listen to, roaring fires, beautiful winter walks to enjoy, delicious food, gifts to buy and if you are lucky, a visit to see the main man himself too. 

The Mill House Birtley Menu & Review

Ad - We were invited along to their pre-opening launch 

The Mill House in Birtley has re-opened! Their new owners are the team behind The Woodsman's Arms which features as one of our best Sunday Lunches in the North East so we were very much looking forward to taking a peek inside.

Watch A Christmas Carol in a Castle this Christmas

AD - We have press tickets

A Christmas Carol is perhaps my favourite Christmas tale. It never gets old and over the years we have watched it in various forms from the Muppet version on DVD to a modern interpretation at Northern Stage last year and the new Disney remake in the cinema a few years ago. 

A Viking Christmas Review & Top Tips

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A Viking Christmas is a brand new festive show for Northumberland showing at Queen's Hall Arts, Hexham from 13 December - 28 December 2019. Over 2500 tickets have been sold already and tickets are available from just £10.

Use code ‘NEFF10’ to access £10 tickets to any performance - click here to buy tickets

How to Plan a Slower December

October - December is my busiest work period. It also happens to be the busiest time of year for parents and with three kids, my diary is packed out with events I need to keep track of - No Uniform Days, Movie Nights, Christmas performances, Church services, Christmas Parties, Panto Trips, Christmas Lunches, Shoebox Appeals, Early Finishes, Late Finishes, Book Fairs.......My head is spinning!

Steve works 9am-7pm and as I work from home, I am naturally the default parent too so the meal planning, food shopping, pet care, cleaning, gift planning, budgeting, buying & wrapping tends to lie with me too. It is rather stressful!