Big Hero 6 Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Tsum Tsum Tag

May 12, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

1.How many Tsum Tsum’s have you got?

Lots, far too many to be honest! I think close to 200 though.

2. What was your first?

Our first official Tsum Tsum was bought in Florida. I’m pretty sure it was the Cinderella collection, though we bought so many during the holiday, that I can’t be sure (there were some Toy Story ones from Disney Store and a few from Target). However unofficially I bought Anna and Elsa from Ebay, not realising they were “fan made”, even before we went to Florida.

3. Do you have a full set?

Yes, lots actually. If I like a set, I tend to buy them all as it’s hard not to. However in some cases I will just grab the main characters.

4. What is your favourite set?

When it’s released, Beauty and the Beast will be I’m sure. However in the meantime it’s probably The Little Mermaid or Tangled sets.

5. Who is your most wanted Tsum Tsum?

Belle from BatB when it’s released, but otherwise Hiro and Honey Lemon as we missed them very early on and need them to collect our BH6 collection.

6. What set do you want them to make?

I think Sleeping Beauty would be pretty great, just to get the Fairies and of course Maleficent. Or maybe a Tinker Bell collection that featured her fairy friends. To be honest, once the Beauty and the Beast collection is released, I’ll be happy. (After thought – Hercules!!! I would love that)

7. Do you collect just Disney or do you collect the Star Wars and Marvel ones?

I’m not at all interested in the Star Wars ones and neither are the kids. However I did pick up a few for Chris. He has Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Darth Maul and a Storm Trooper. He also has Venom from the Marvel ones. We do have several of the Marvel ones, especially the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, but not all.

8. Do you have any ones from Clintons/Target/Other non Disney Store shops?

I prefer to get them from the Disney Store but our nearest one is over an hour away and postage online can be frustrating. We live 2 minutes away from a Clintons though so often we do grab them there, especially if we missed them at the Disney Store.

9. Do you dislike any Tsum Tsums?

I wouldn’t say I dislike any but I’m less fussed about several. I haven’t got any of the Jungle Book ones, I barely picked up any Nightmare Before Christmas ones and since I haven’t seen Zootropolis yet, I haven’t bought any of those yet either.

10. Who do you think they should have release with previous sets?

Not that I can think of! Thought honestly a part of me wishes there were 101 different dalmatians released. I might actually have been tempted to get them all (even though I definitely can’t afford that!) I do think it’s a shame we don’t always get the whole sets in the UK (King of Hearts from Alice being an example) and also the variants like Halloween versions or whatever else.

MCM Birmingham – What we wore

November 27, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Last week myself, Lily and Amy all attended MCM Birmingham Comic Con. It was something we decided fairly last minute and as such we decided to wear “put together” costumes instead of handmade ones. I’d previously posted about putting together a cosplay costume, where I’d showed you how I intended to make a Gogo Tomago outfit out of clothes bought from the high street. It was this that decided us on Gogo and Honey Lemon from Big Hero 6 and since I sell a Baymax dress at Closet Geek, Lily wore this to go with us.

Though I definitely didn’t feel as happy dressing up in store bought clothes as I do when I make it myself, it was still a lot of fun to do. Amy and I both wore wigs and while they weren’t as nice as some of the wigs we’ve previously worn, they did the job. Majority of both mine and Amy’s costumes were bought on Ebay, though we both did make alterations. While I don’t know how much hers cost to put together, the total cost of mine was around £40, plus the wig.

jacket – £10 (eBay, second-hand)
t-shirt – £4 (Peacocks)
shorts – £4 (Sports Direct)
2x leggings – £3 each (eBay, new)
trainers – £8 (Shoe Zone)
wig, gloves and sweatband not pictured

I have to admit I did feel a little fat in it and I didn’t really think of Gogo being sporty until I was actually wearing the outfit. I was pleased at how easily it came together but sadly I don’t think I’ll wear it again.

Luckily I was pleased with the selfie instead!

Lily on the other hand looked cute as a button! (excuse my washing in the background!).

Easy (Disney) Cosplay Tips

October 16, 2015 by Bel 1 Comment

So as you know, I love to make costumes and I love to cosplay. I’ve been to a few conventions now – LFCC last year, London MCM in May of this year, SFCC in August and a small Lincoln one in September, two of which I cosplayed for. However not everyone has the ability to sew (or the money to buy handmade) so I decided to share some tips about costumes you can threw together easily, using clothes readily available in stores and online.

For MCM Comic Con, I was originally choosing to go as Go Go Tomago. If you haven’t seen Disney’s Big Hero 6 then you’ll have no idea who that is – and if you haven’t seen it, then you should! Go Go is an awesome female character and her “everyday” look is really easy to replicate.

The costume is basically made up from a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, black (and purple) leggings, black shorts and black trainers. Depending on how exact you’re wanting to be with your costume, sourcing the exact items might prove tricky. However if you’re happy to improvise, you should get most things fairly easily.

I started with the leather jacket. Of course I wasn’t going to get actual leather, as that would be expensive. I headed off to Ebay to find something cheap and secondhand. The important thing to note about Go Go’s jacket was it’s style – the way it zips up, neckline etc.

Pokerun_Womens_Marylin_Leather_Jacket_zoom

Can you spot the difference between the two?

After the jacket, the rest should come fairly easy. A simple white t-shirt, relatively non nondescript. Black leggings, with purple poking through rips – either a double layer of leggings, black over purple with tears cut in the black – or black leggings with rips, patched up underneath with purple material. Black fingerless gloves. Black trainers. Black shorts. Depending on how close you’re wanting to match, I’m sure you can find black trainers with a splash of purple and black shorts with a splash of red. Failing that you could always add your own – paint for the trainers and ribbon for the shorts.

Last but not least, this leaves the hair. Of course if you’re radical you could cut and dye your own (I actually tricked all my facebook friends into thinking I’d done that) or you can buy a wig.

So long as you plan fairly far in advance (allowing time for shipping from China) you should be able to pick up a relatively cheap cosplay wig. Mine was around £10 mark and took about 3 weeks to arrive. There are some great bargains out there, for all things cosplay, the more time you allow and the further it can travel from!

Thursday is Tag Day – Disney

April 2, 2015 by Bel 2 Comments

I found this tag while searching the internet and saved it for this period of time while I’m away. Right now I’m on my flight to Florida and I seriously can’t wait. We will arrive late tonight and while tomorrow is going to be a fairly quiet day, I’m so excited to throw myself into the holiday. Just my blog posts this month, majority of my holiday will be Disney themed and as such the first tag I wanted to share with you is also Disney themed. I haven’t specifically tagged anyone to take part but if you’d like to do it, then please do!

1. A scene in in any Disney movie you wish you could experience.

There are so many beautiful scenes in Disney movies, that it makes it hard to decide. Flying on a magic carpet with Jasmine and Aladdin, the amazing Ballroom in Beauty and the Beast, listening to “kiss the girl” in a boat with Prince Eric and Ariel etc. etc. However if I had to pick just one place to experience, it would most definitely be the lantern scene in Tangled, with Flynn and Rapunzel. The actual scene itself is so beautifully drawn and I would imagine that moment would be pure romance. That would just be such a magical moment to be a part of.

2. An unforgettable experience moment you’ve had at the Parks.

I’ve only ever been to Disneyland Paris, prior to this current trip to Florida. The first time was very rushed, trying to cram both parks into one day, after a 6 hour drive to get there and with a 6 hour drive to get back. The second was February 2013 and while we definitely had more time, it was still only three days. However at this present time, my most unforgettable moment was definitely the girls meeting Snow White. It was a picture perfect moment and one that will stay in my heart forever.

3. What non-Disney song(s) reminds you or brings back memories of Disney and/or the Parks?

This is sort of a cheat answer, because the song is from The Nightmare Before Christmas which when originally released, was under the Touchstone Pictures studio. It has since been reissued by Walt Disney Pictures though. The song “This is Halloween” will forever remind me of Disneyland Paris, because of the parade we saw the first time we visited (it was October). Whenever I hear the song, I automatically connect with the parade. It was awesome.

4. When was the first time you went to a Disney Park?

October 2009 was my first time. We were actually staying in the Dordogne on holiday and randomly we just decided to drive 6 hours to get to Disneyland Paris. The girls were both really young and when we visited again in 2013, Megan barely remembered it at all and Lily really didn’t. Now they are a bit older I’m hoping they’ll remember Florida better.

5. If you could choose any of the characters to be your best friend, who would you choose?

Since we only get a quick snap of what the princesses are like, in their hour and a half movie, its hard to really say which ones you’d get along with and which would make good friends. However I’d quite like to hang out with Belle, Rapunzel and Ariel – see which one I’d like the most. Probably it would be Belle, but who knows?

6. Who are your favourite Disney princesses?

Belle is by far my favourite princess and always has been. Partly its because she has dark hair, but she also seems one of the most level headed and easy to identify with. That said I have also liked Ariel for almost as long and Rapunzel ever since Tangled was released. Though she isn’t a princess, Megara definitely has to get a mention as she’s a totally awesome female lead character.

7. Name a scene/moment in a Disney movie that never fails to make you cry.

Just recently, while doing our Disney Countdown, I’ve re-watched a lot of Disney movies. While doing so, I’ve actually been surprised by some of the moments that made me cry, even though I might have seen them hundreds of times. There are three that I can really think of -the first being when it seems like the Beast is dying and Belle tells him she loves him. This always touches my heart. The second is in Tangled, when it seems that Flynn is dead and Rapunzel weaps for him. As with Beauty and the Beast, even though I know they’re not dead, it still brings me to tears. Finally, and the moment I’m picking, has got to be Monsters Inc. When Sully has to say goodbye to Boo, its completely heartbreaking. I always cry. Not only that but when Mike gives Sully the broken door at the end, only short of the missing piece that Sully has, I can’t help but burst into tears all over again.

8. What is the first Disney movie you remember seeing?

I don’t know if it was actually the first one I saw, but my first memory of seeing one, was Oliver and Company at the cinema. Having watched the movie since, I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. However at the time I know I really did like it. Funny how things change when you get older.

9. What is your favourite Disney movie?

Like with my princesses, the same applies with my movies. Beauty and the Beast always sits in my mind at the top, but its definitely joint favourite along with The Little Mermaid and Hercules. Most recently I’ve added Tangled, Wreck It Ralph and Big Hero 6 to the mix though. It’s hard to pick just one!

10. Share a video or image that shows your love of Disney.

As I mentioned on Number 2 my most magical moment was when the girls met Snow White. This was my favourite picture from the whole trip and I will treasure it always.

Week 12 – Monday Round-up

March 23, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

This week I have managed to make notes in a draft post so writing this round-up doesn’t seem half as daunting! Yay me! So… Monday Chris was at work early and the girls went to school. I spent majority of my day on the computer, catching up with blogging and getting ready for my scheduled posts during my April holiday. The girls didn’t have any Singing Stars this week but instead we had the dentist. I picked them up from school and we headed there, via my mum’s to brush our teeth. When we got to the Dentists it was straight in and out pretty much and so I called Chris to see if he wanted to meet for Burger King and then have a lift home. On the way to pick him up I got a flat tyre and with no wheel wrench and no jack I was pretty screwed. I called my insurance/breakdown recovery, only to find out I didn’t have any so by the time Chris got to me, I sent him to find a wheel wrench and jack to get us sorted. Eventually we managed to get the flat tyre off and the spare on, so headed to Burger King and grabbed some food before heading home. Chris and I spent the evening watching TV, while I blogged and then we also watched The Walking Dead.

On Tuesday morning I was tasked with returning the jack we had borrowed (we bought the wheel wrench) and so I dropped off the kids and then took the jack back. I headed to Tanvic to get my tyres sorted and while they were being done I headed into town. Whilst in Primark, the Be Our Guest breakfast reservations became available and so Amy and I had a few moments of madness while we tried to organise that. The tyre place rang to say that they didn’t actually have my tyre in stock but could order it and I could go back the next day. Unfortunately my car was already booked in the garage for the next day so instead I said I’d take it back Thursday. I headed home for a while and chilled while watching TV and getting some more blogging done. I was feeling a bit blah and so when Chris arrived home he ordered us pizza and chips and we vegged out while waiting for the girls to get home. They arrived back around 7pm and Lily went straight to bed, while Megan was still up when Jon and my brother Chris arrived. However Megs went to bed fairly soon and we all sat down at the dining table to play board games – this was Chris’ birthday party. The first game we played was called “Cash ‘n’ Guns and it was fantastic. Really simple and easy to play, fairly quick for each round and hilariously funny. We ended up playing it three times and genuinely I loved it.

After Cash n Guns, we played a Walking Dead board game that Chris got last year for his birthday and we never got around to playing. Sadly it was pretty crap and so I don’t imagine we’ll be playing that again! Such a shame too as the simpler (and cheaper) Walking Dead card game that he also got last year was actually pretty good. The boys finished off with a few rounds of Inn Fighting, a dice and card game that didn’t really interest me. I moved through to the lounge and waited for everyone to leave, heading to bed when they did.

On Wednesday I dropped the girls off at school and then took my car to the garage, where mum picked me up. We headed back to her house for the day and watched Divergent, since she’s just recently read the book series. Mum went out over lunch so I wrote some blog posts and got myself some food. Megan ended up coming home with mum from school as she was feeling unwell. At the end of school time, mum gave me a lift down to get my car and then she collected Lily from school and took her home. I went to school myself but it was Parent’s Evening so I hung around and waited for my appointment. Both girls are doing really well which I was incredibly pleased to hear and this was by far Lily’s best parent’s evening to date as well. I drove back to mum’s to pick up the girls and then we headed back home and the girls went to bed. I made myself some dinner and watched TV, while I waited for Chris to come home from work. Afterwards he was home we watched some Kitchen Nightmares before heading to bed.

Some of Lily’s class work that I took a picture of at Parent’s Evening

On Thursday I headed out to take the girls to school but met my mum midway who actually took Megan off me and took her to Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar. Megan was participating in a Maths competition that morning and my mum had volunteered to provide lifts. After dropping Lily off at school it was back to Tanvic to get my tyres done but this time instead of heading into town I just sat and waited. My tyres were done by about 10am and so I headed to Tesco and got some shopping done before heading home. The majority of the day was spent tidying the house and then afterwards I went to get the girls from school. Megan had done really well in the Maths competition and her team had come first, beating all the other schools that had taken part! I was so incredibly proud of her. When we got back we had three Disney tasks to fit in – one from the day before (dress up Disney), one from that day (make or draw Disney) and one from the previous week (watch The Lion King). It was sort of hectic but we got dinner and then managed to fit it all in. I even made Chris a Cornflake Tart (his request, instead of a birthday cake). Once Lily was in bed, Megan and I wrapped Chris’ presents, as well as two for my nephews as it was their birthday party at the weekend. Megan then headed to bed and I worked some more on my blog. When Chris got home he had some of his cornflake tart and we both had a glass of wine. We headed to bed around 11pm as we were both too tired to stick it out till midnight.

When we woke up on Friday morning, it was of course Chris’ birthday. The girls came into our room and we opened presents and cards in bed. After that we all had to get ready as usual as the girls still had school and we were even going that morning too. Megan was in Shine Assembly and she got a certificate for her work. She was also in Assembly for the Maths competition the day before, where they all got certificates for coming first. As assembly ended the Eclipse was happening and so Year 5 and 6 were going into the Playground to watch it. Mum asked if we could stay and watch from there and so we did.

After leaving school we headed to the garage as there had been a car there on Wednesday that might have been suitable for Chris. However it was sold already so that was that! Chris and I headed into town and got McDonalds breakfast for his birthday treat. He then went to work for 11am and I headed into town. I really only went to Primark as the time before I’d ended up dumping all my stuff without paying for it (don’t ask!). I bought a few things for holiday and then headed back to my car. I went home for a few hours and then turned out again to get the girls. When we got back from school they had dinner and we watched The Incredibles. After that they went to bed and I blogged while waiting for Chris to come home. When he was back he had more cornflake tart and this time I made him some custard to go with it! We headed to bed around 11pm as I was feeling pretty tired.

On Saturday Chris let me have a bit of a lie-in and so when I got up it was nearly 10am. His dad called around for a while and so to let them talk, the girls and I started to properly pack their suitcases and check off their lists. After Chris’ dad was gone we all headed downstairs and then girls help me set the table and cook brunch (though more like lunch) for us all. I’d originally promised Chris a fried breakfast for his birthday but because we’d gone to Assembly it hadn’t been possible and this was to make up for it. After food we were all stuffed and it was hard to find the energy to do anything. However I worked on some sewing projects, cutting out pieces and doing as much as I could with the fabric I had. The Disney task was to cook Disney food and so we put Baymax faces on marshmallows and toasted them. It was simple but fun and nice to do something a little different for a change. In the early evening we all settled down to watch Cars and we ordered takeaway (another treat for Chris’ birthday). Once it was finished and the girls were in bed, Chris and I took turns to have a bath and then I worked on Lily’s latest dress bodice until we headed to bed.

Sunday came and went far too fast! Lily woke us early and Chris was in a fairly foul temper all day. I tried to ride it out but for the most part I just kept the girls out of his way so as not to annoy him more! At 10am I popped out to Boyes as I needed some material and when I got back I worked on my sewing. At 11.30am we headed out to Scunthorpe and to my brother’s house, as it was his twin boys birthday party and we were invited. After arriving at around 12.15pm, we stayed for a couple of hours and left at around 2.30pm. It was a lovely time and it was so nice to see my nephews after quite some time. When we got home, I went back to my sewing projects. The girls ended up sitting with me and making dolls clothes which was harder than they expected but very cute. We spent hours in the dining room, eventually making dinner and all sitting in there to eat it as well. Afterwards Lily went to bed and I started working on some blog stuff for Twice the Mum – sorting out some books and movies for our From Page to Screen feature. Once that was done I made a start on some actually sewing on my sewing machine but it didn’t feel like I got much done before eventually heading to bed!

It’s been a funny sort of a week, that’s felt incredibly busy. I can’t wait till the girls have finished this one last week of school so I can just concentrate on getting ready for Florida!

Disney Countdown – Days 16 to 10

March 23, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Monday (16) – March 16th – Read Disney
Tuesday (15) – March 17th – Play a Disney game
Wednesday (14) – March 18th – Dress up Disney
Thursday (13) – March 19th – Make or Draw Disney
Friday (12) – March 20th – Watch The Incredibles
Saturday (11) – March 21st – Make Disney food
Sunday (10) – March 22nd – Watch a random Disney movie – Cars

This week has been a busy one but we’re almost there now! This is days 16 down to 10 – yes 10! On Monday we had to Read Disney which was a nice calm start to the week. We read another couple of chapters from the Nevergirls book and we’re over half way now. On Tuesday it was play a Disney game and luckily we all play Tsum Tsum most days as it was a “daddy day” meaning the kids weren’t back till late. Wednesday it was Parent’s Evening and the girls’ went to mum’s while I went to see their teachers. This meant it was late when we got back and they didn’t actually dress up till Thursday to do Wednesday’s task. Also on Thursday we had to Make or Draw Disney and so the girls worked on their Tinkerbell fashion books. Still on Thursday, we also caught up with The Lion King from last week (finally) – Thursday was a very busy day! On Friday we came home from school and watched The Incredibles. Saturday was make Disney food and as we were looking for something easy we made Baymax faces on Marshmallows and toasted them. We also watched Cars in the afternoon as we knew we wouldn’t get time on Sunday – and that was Sunday’s task, watch a random movie.

Only 10 more days and 10 more tasks till we go on holiday. This week is the last week of school for the kids and their dad is having them over the weekend. Hopefully we keep on track and get all our tasks done, before we jet off to Florida, a week on Thursday.

Week 8 – Monday Round-up

February 23, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

Once again I haven’t managed to keep on top of my week, so I’m writing this all from memory after the whole week has passed. It’s been a really busy week and I honestly can’t believe how tired I’ve felt every day, but its been a lovely week, full of surprises and unexpected plans!

Monday began with a lie-in, because both the girls had stayed at their dad’s the night before. Chris was working at 12.30pm though so it did mean we had to get up eventually. While Chris spent the first part of the morning on his computer, I spent mine watching TV. Chris then came down and joined me, while getting himself ready for work. A parcel arrived in the post and it was a HUGE Hot Topic order that I had placed at Christmas and sent to my friend who lives in the USA. She had finally got around to mailing it to me and I was so excited to get it opened. However Chris was just leaving for work and I was running a bath so I only looked at it briefly before saying goodbye to Chris and then going for my bath. I had my new Unicorn Horn in the bath, a little late for Valentine’s Day but good nonetheless. Afterwards I went to get dressed and ended up trying on all of my Hot Topic dresses!

Without really meaning to, I ended up texting Amy for the majority of my morning and into the afternoon. We discussed her birthday, Florida, Hot Topic and even all my new dresses. I even ended up sending her pics of me wearing each dress! Eventually I went downstairs again and Nat arrived to spend the afternoon with me. We didn’t really do much but we sat and drank tea, chatting and catching up, planning what we might do to earn us some money! It was actually pretty late on by the time Nat left, I would guess around 7.30-8pm and so I fixed myself some dinner and settled down for the evening. Next I knew I was making plans with Amy for her to come and visit the very next day! Chris arrived home eventually and we sat down to watch the next episode of The Walking Dead. It was almost as dull as the week before, though the last five minutes was marginally more interesting. We headed to bed as we had lots to fit in the next day and already I was realising it would be a busy week!

Tuesday we got up around 9am, still no kids to wake us! We got ready and dressed, heading out to the Plumb Centre in order to get a part for mum’s sink. We then headed over to mum’s house and fitted the pipe for her. It didn’t go 100% to plan but we got there in the end. Not long after we finished, mum turned up with the kids. She’d picked them up from their dad’s and taken them to see some mutual friends that morning, but I was collecting them from her and then going to pick up Amy and Olivia from the station. We headed straight off to get Amy and arrived a little early so had to wait. However at around 12.30pm they arrived and we all set off back to Gainsborough. When we got back, we headed to Tesco as we needed a few essentials, along with some food for dinner and also ingredients for pancakes (Tuesday was Pancake Day!). Finally we got back home, unpacked and relaxed for a while but then I remembered I needed to go into town and everyone bar Chris decided to come too. After going to the Post Office, we went to buy Tsum Tsum’s for Amy and Liv, but Lily ended up getting some too. We then also went for a wander around Gainsborough before eventually heading back again. I cooked Lasagne for dinner which we all ate and then after Liv was in bed I made pancakes for everyone. I was so stuffed and well over my calorie allowance for the day!

Lily went to bed too and Chris was upstairs on his computer with his friend Jon. Amy and I sat chatting for the evening, eventually sending Megan to bed around 10pm. I don’t honestly remember what we chatted about but I know it mostly revolved around Florida. Either way the evening went fast and it was gone midnight before we were heading to bed. On Wednesday we all got up and Chris was getting ready to go to work, while we were planning the first of Lily’s birthday celebrations. Unfortunately her best friend is away over her birthday (a week each side), as is my mum, so we’re really limited by what we can do and what she’ll enjoy. Instead of having a party without her friend, we decided to have a day out in half term with Ciara, then a meal out just me, Megan and Lily on her birthday, then a small party/murder mystery a week after that. Ultimately she’ll be celebrating over a period of about a month but I’m sure she won’t mind! Anyway, we booked Orange Wednesday tickets for 6 of us, meaning we only paid for 3 and then tried to book ASK for lunch but unfortunately it wasn’t open before the time we needed to leave the house. We headed off out around 11.30am and went to pick Ciara up from her house in Saxilby. We then went into Lincoln and parked the car, heading to ASK for lunch. Unfortunately they claimed to have no room for us (depsite being half empty) so we headed off to Prezzo instead. I was a little upset by this as I’d converted all my Tesco vouchers into ASK vouchers, in order to save myself money and instead had to pay out full price in Prezzo and have ASK vouchers I couldn’t use. Luckily though I found a 25% off code for Prezzo on my phone and the three younger girls all ate off a kids menu that only cost £3.50 anyway.

Though it felt a bit rushed, we headed out of Prezzo and over to the Odeon. We were in plenty of time for the movie though and all settled down to watch the trailers. All of us loved the movie as we were seeing Big Hero 6 again, though it was the first time for Lily’s friend Ciara. By the time the movie ended, it was almost 4pm. We headed out to the car and then drove Ciara home. After dropping her off we were all so exhausted that we barely spoke on the way home and Liv even fell asleep. When we got back to the house the girls had to fit in their Disney task – which was dress up Disney. Amy didn’t think that Olivia had the energy to participate but as soon as my girls were dressed as princesses, she wanted to join in too. After that it was a case of basic but fast dinner for the kids, so Liv could get to bed, shortly followed by Lily and then Megan too. Amy and I spent a large part of the evening on phones/computers, barely talking as we were both tired. Eventually Chris came home from work and joined us so we put on some TV, just to chill out. First we watched Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, then came Beauty & the Geek and finally we watched a ridiculous program called Virgin Coaches. It was 1am by the time we all headed to bed which was ridiculous considering how tired we had all been!

On Thursday we really did an awful lot of nothing. Amy was heading home that day but not until 4pm. However this sort of made it feel like we couldn’t do anything for the day so instead just lounged around. I don’t think any of us really minded as we were all still tired though. After lunch Megan started to get a headache and so she headed upstairs for a lie down. Eventually Amy had to leave and so Lily and I went with them to the station. There was nowhere to park at the station though and we very almost missed the train for them! Once they were safely aboard, Lily and I went to Tesco again. We bought a few bits we needed but also some things for Megan with the hope she would feel better soon. In the evening we caught up on Hunchback of Notre Dame and then the girls went to bed. I spent the evening catching up on my blog and trying to fight off tiredness that eventually led to an early night!

Friday we were all going to Meadowhall however Chris had woken in the night with a terrible sore throat and had ended up downstairs for the majority of the night. Though it woke and disturbed me at the time, it actually lead to me sleeping a little longer in the morning so I woke feeling very refreshed. At 9am I made sure the girls were up and ready, dressed and had breakfast. Mum arrived for us at 10am and all four of us set off, along with mum and my sister Pippa. We arrived at Meadowhall around 11am and agreed to go our separate ways and meet for lunch at 12.30pm. The girls, Chris and I headed for Next as both the girls had vouchers to spend and then we went next door to Primark for the bulk of their shopping. At Christmas I had bought the girls a lot of new dresses and am also making them some Disney themed ones too. As such we were only looking for cardigans, shoes, sunglasses and sunhats. Even still it took the whole hour and a half, meaning we had to rush to meet mum and Pippa for lunch. When we found them, they were ordering jacket potatoes so we found a table and then Chris and I went to get our lunch. Me, Chris and Lily all had Pizza Hut Express, while Megan had McDonalds. After lunch we nipped the shopping to the car and then went back to where we left off. We made our way all around the top level of Meadowhall, before then tackling the bottom level. Mum text to say she was done and waiting in the car but not to rush. In the end we were about another hour after that. When we got back to the car, mum drove us home and when we got there we were all exhausted again. However we needed to have dinner and watch a Disney movie so while we sat and did that, I sorted out all the clothes we’d bought.

While the girls just had a microwave pizza (Lily) and toast (Megan), Chris ordered chinese takeaway for us. I had a little but I was stuffed really fast so I left the rest for him. While we had been out that day, I’d had a parcel arrive and be left in the back garden. Turned out it was a mannequin that I’d ordered so Chris very kindly put her together for me and while I was so tempted to get using her, I was exhausted. Instead Chris went on his computer and I sorted out the clothes and suitcases with the kids. After they were in bed I went for a nice relaxing bath and then laid on the bed for a while, playing on my phone. Eventually I came downstairs and watched some TV, Chris coming downstairs to join me. We didn’t stay up late though as he hadn’t slept well the night before and he had work the next day.

Chris woke at 6am and sneaked out fairly quietly to head off to work. I managed to get straight back to sleep and it was about 8.30am before I woke again but I managed to doze until about 9.30am. Eventually I got up and got the girls ready. Mum was calling for us at 11.30am and we were all going out for lunch to celebrate my sister’s birthday. The morning flew by and I didn’t even have chance to get a cup of tea. In the end I grabbed a can of diet pepsi as we left the house and then mum drove us all to Scunthorpe to meet with my brother and his girlfriend. We then headed out to a pub in pretty much the middle of nowhere, where we almost enjoyed a lunch together. Afterwards my brother and his girlfriend headed off and mum had to take Pippa home. Obviously we went with her as she’d picked us up but afterwards she drove us into Gainsborough so I could pop to the Post Office and go and collect Chris’ contact lenses from the Opticians. We then came back to the house and mum came in for a cup of tea and a chat. She ended up staying way longer than she intended to and Chris was arriving back from work just as she was leaving. Once mum was gone and Chris was back, it was time for the girls to have dinner and Chris was going to make himself some food. I had a bit of a headache so between Chris and Megan, they made me a cup of tea and organised both girls’ dinner. Chris then sat down with his food and we spent some of the evening together, before I headed upstairs to put Lily to bed. Once she was in bed, Chris went for a bath so Megan got her homework done and I sat on my computer. Once Chris was out of the bath it was pretty much time for Megan to go to bed and so she did and then Chris and I watched TV together. I was too tired again to do anything constructive so I ended up turning off my computer and just watching TV snuggled up with Chris. In the end we headed to bed though as we were both exhausted.

Finally it was around to Sunday and none of us had to be up but it was also the last day of half term so I wanted to make the most of my time with the girls. Chris spent majority of the day upstairs on his computer but I spent the day making sure Megan had got various homework (and blog posts) done and Lily helped me tidy and sort out clothes. We had lunch and watched Monsters Inc as it was our Disney task of the day and by the time we were finished it was late in the afternoon. The girls went for a bath and then had dinner, before sorting out their room, their clothes for school and eventually getting them to bed. Chris and I spent the evening watching TV before eventually heading to bed.

It’s been a good week and I’m actually sad that half term is over. However there’s definitely something to be said about the routine of a school week and time flying by. There is now just over 5 weeks till we go to Florida and I can’t believe how fast its all going. I have so much to do still but at the same time I can’t wait!

8/52

February 22, 2015 by Bel Leave a Comment

This is a picture I shared on Instagram this week, from when we went to Meadowhall on Friday. Outside Yo Sushi was this big Baymax which the girls had their picture taken with. This was great as we’d been to see Big Hero 6 for the second time on Wednesday and the big inflatable Baymax from the cinema had been gone. We were sad as we’d wanted a picture taking with him and this was perfect because it meant we could.

Movie Review: Big Hero 6

January 13, 2015 by Bel 3 Comments

In the space of one week, I was lucky enough to see two of the latest Disney movies, released at the cinema. On Sunday 4th January, we booked a special preview showing of “Big Hero 6” – we even saw it in 3D. Then, exactly as week later, we booked to see “Into the Woods” on Sunday 11th January. I want to share some of my thoughts on the movies, but I always find that hard without adding spoilers. As such, they definitely won’t be full reviews (there will be NO spoilers) and really just my opinion on both movies. Today I’m focusing on Big Hero 6.

Big Hero 6

I don’t really know what I thought this movie would be about – just that it was Disney and that makes it a “must-see”. This time last year it was all about Frozen and look how that took off. As such, it was important to get in there and see Big Hero 6. Released already in the US, but not in the UK till 30th January, like I mentioned we managed to get booked in on a one day preview event. The only time that suited us was a 3D showing, though generally I’m not a big fan of seeing most movies in 3D.

The opening of the story, is quite a sad one as it is. Orphaned Hiro and his brother Tadashi, live with their Aunt after the death of their parents. Hiro is super smart but a bit of a bum – luckily he has his brother looking out for him. Past this point, I won’t spoil anything for you so I can’t even give you a rough jist of what happens. Let’s just say if you found the heartbreak of Anna and Elsa losing their parents or Ellie dying in UP… well prepare yourselves. Hiro makes friends with a robot called Baymax and basically that is the bulk of the story (again, without spoiling anything for you). Hiro also gets a whole bunch of new friends, in the form of his brother’s college mates.

This movie is fantastic. If you haven’t read too much about it, you’ll be in for a great surprise. The story line twists and turns, though some people might suggest its a bit predictable. To be honest that didn’t lessen its awesomeness though, I like a little cliché. Big Hero 6 is, in my mind, similar to Wreck It Ralph. A unisex movie, possibly aimed more at boys, but equally awesome for girls. What I definitely didn’t expect, was that it’s actually also a Superhero movie.

Yep, a superhero movie! And a really good one at that. Even better – just like Stan Lee makes a cameo in all Marvel movies (also owned by Disney) – he also makes an appearance in Big Hero 6. Look out for a portrait on the wall and you might just spot him.

Both my girls (almost 7 and 10) loved the movie and so did Chris and myself. I might actually be tempted to go see it again when its out after 30th, though I’ll admit I did cry at parts so maybe I’ll wait for it on DVD. Finally, one word of advice – definitely wait till after the credits. As with most Marvel movies – and some Disney movies these days – there are extra bits at the end. Big Hero 6 is definitely worth sitting and waiting for – even if everyone else in the cinema deserts you! Big Hero 6 is a fantastic family movie that I think everyone will enjoy – though perhaps only on a basic level for the younger ones. While I’m sure it will be a huge hit, I still don’t think it will be taking off like Frozen did though!

Week 1 – Monday Round-up

January 5, 2015 by Bel 2 Comments

I wasn’t sure if my Monday Round-up post was something I wanted to continue into the New Year, as I know its probably of no interest to anyone but me. However my blogging originally started as somewhat of a diary and even if only for me, I want to keep a decent record of everything I’ve been up to. I’m late making this post (as it’s actually Tuesday) but I’m going to cheat and backdate it to yesterday. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with my Monday Round-up posts in the future, although I have to admit that several were posted late last year!

Monday was still December (gosh that feels like a long time ago!) and it was also the last day Namu was here. We didn’t do much in the morning (the girls played on Disney Infinity), but by lunchtime we were heading off to Lincoln, in order for her to catch her train. Tragedy struck however as we got stuck in traffic, only minutes away from the station. There was nothing we could do and in the end, we missed her train by about 3 minutes! Speaking the people customer services desk, there was no chance of using her ticket on a later train and instead the only option was to pay another £45. Obviously Namu didn’t want to do this and although I felt partially responsible (since I was driving and we were late), I didn’t want to pay it either. In the end, we decided she should risk it. When she’d traveled up from London the week before, she’d been able to catch an earlier train, so we figured perhaps it would work the other day. Not to mention, her American stuck in the UK routine often seems to benefit! Luckily it all worked out and she text me to say that neither train had been a problem. I was very relieved! The girls and I had been to Burger King and grabbed some food as it was 2pm and we hadn’t had lunch. Afterwards we headed home and chilled out. We ended up watching Kung Fu Panda while waiting for Chris to get home. Honestly its so long away now, that I don’t really remember what I did in the evening – but it probably involved chilling out, catching up on all things online and maybe some TV watching too!

The next day was Tuesday and we had nothing planned at all. Chris was at work but the girls and I just hung around the house, doing our own thing. Again, I don’t really remember what we did (sadly) but the girls dressed up as that was their Disney task for the day and I’m pretty sure we tidied and sorted out the house. The only other noteable thing about Tuesday, was that it was a good post day. I got a Disney Traditions ornament I had ordered just after Christmas and also a necklace that I had bought for Amy. Again, with it being so long since, I don’t remember much more about the day! That said, I know we started to plough through Season 2 of Arrow, desperately trying to catch up.

Wednesday was New Year’s Eve and for the majority of it, Chris was at work. The girls and I went into town briefly, I had a few things I needed and also a parcel to collect. Megan also needed to buy a birthday present for her best friend, so we got that sorted too. I spent most of the afternoon, uploading pictures and sorting out my hard drive – exciting stuff! When Chris came home from work, we popped open a bottle of Prosecco and toasted in the New Year early (since we wouldn’t want to be doing that at midnight). I did however agree to wake the girls just before midnight, so we could all see in the New Year together. Chris and I spent the evening watching Arrow and eating chinese takeaway, right up until waking the girls at 11.40pm. At that point we all snuggled up on the sofa together and watched the countdown and fireworks at midnight.

Ten past midnight and we all headed to bed. Chris was knackered and the girls had barely even woken up, so it worked out well that we all just wanted to go to sleep. In the morning I was up before everyone else. We had nothing much planned for the day again and so I hung out with the kids, bumming around till lunchtime. During the morning though we all made a list a New Year Resolutions. It was really just a silly thing that the girls and I were going to do but we got Chris involved too and we all wrote out a sheet of A4. In the end we debated either putting them up on the wall all year, to try and get as many done as possible, or placing them in an envelope. By majority vote, they all went in an envelope and we’ll be opening them on New Year’s Eve 2015, to see how we all did.

At midday we packed a bag for the girls as they were going to their dad’s. We had lunch and then put on a movie – or rather I put on a movie and both girls ended up getting sucked into it. At 2pm their dad came for them and once they were gone I finished off the movie and then went for a bath. I decided to get some more of “Allegiant” read and so even after my bath, I lay on the bed and read quite a lot of my book. While I was reading, Chris took a bath and then afterwards we watched more Arrow.

Thursday Chris was back at work and the girls didn’t need picking up until 2pm from their dad’s. As such I had a very relaxed morning before heading off to my mum’s for just after lunch. Stopping for a cup of tea and a chat, I then left to pick up the girls. We headed back via Lincoln and went to Toys R Us, only to not find what we were after. We ended up at Asda Living, where the girls got 2 new Disney Infinity characters and then we headed home. After getting some dinner, the girls and I spent some time sorting out their room. Lily has so many cuddly toys that we had to clear the whole of their drawer unit, just to make sure she didn’t sleep with them all in her bed.

At bedtime we finished off “In a Blink”, the first book in the series of Never Girls. Once the girls were in bed, I spent the evening trying to get some work done on dresses and my sewing stuff. I started by tidying out all my sewing box and then went on to google for some ideas of clothes I might make.

Saturday came around and another day of good old nothing. However we needed to make Disney themed food as our Disney task for the day and so we had waffles for breakfast/lunch. The girls dressed up (a catch up task from the day before) and I let them watch the end of the movie they’d missed a few days before. We then made Fajitas for dinner and settled down to watch Avengers as a family evening together. Afterwards I worked on some jewellery ideas, ready to get listed on my Etsy as soon as I have time!

Finally it was Sunday and while we had nothing planned for the morning, it seemed to go by so fast. Megan had been invited to a friend’s house for the day (as a surprise treat) and was going to see Big Hero 6. I had also booked for me, Chris and Lily to go see Big Hero 6 at the same time. We dropped Megan at her friends at 1pm and then headed to my mum’s for coffee and to kill some time. At 3pm we headed into Lincoln, parked the car and headed to the cinema. We saw Megan in the foyer but tried not to interrupt her fun too much – even though she was full of how she’d traveled in a limo. We got popcorn and headed to our seats, watching Big Hero 6 in 3D – something we wouldn’t usually chose to do.

We loved the movie and I’ll definitely be writing my review of it, as soon as I get time! Afterwards we headed back to my mum’s briefly, before then heading to pick Megan up from her friend’s house (we let her travel back in the limo). On the way home, we all decided we were hungry. Chris bought us all fish and chips but we headed home to actually eat it. Once the girls were in bed, Chris went on his computer and I spent the evening on mine – getting ready for the big blog switch over! And here I am, all moved to WordPress.

I’m hoping life will normalise a little this week and that I’ll find it easier to keep track of. Keep your fingers crossed for me!