My First With Petits Filous || My First Camping Trip

“This post is an entry for BritMums #PetitsFilousFirsts Linky Challenge,

sponsored by Petits Filous

www.petitsfilous.co.uk."

Ru bear went on his first ever camping trip!! 

We took along a pack of delicious 'My First Petits Filous' as we knew if he didn't eat the food we cooked he would happily eat his fromage frais.

Ru is a very picky eater and only really likes a small range of foods, fromage frais being one of them!

Ru loved being out in the woods for the whole weekend, he was so active we thought it would trigger him to eat more, but nope he stuck to his two favourite things.

Pasta and plenty of Petits Filous, we took 12 pots with us and he'd gobbled them all up by the time we left on the Sunday.

He went to forest school on the Saturday and went on plenty of nature walks through the woodlands. His new favourite makaton sign is now 'trees'.

He keeps using the sign now we're back at home. He would obviously much rather be back exploring the forest than being stuck indoors.

My first Petits Filous are vanilla in flavour, which is great if you have a fussy bum like Ru. They won't over power little taste buds.

The big hit for me is that the main ingredient is milk and all ingredients are 100% naturally sourced, so I  can rest assured there are no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or added preservatives.

Having a child who barely eats, when he does eat I don't want to be pumping his body full of all the wrong things.

It's nice to know he's enjoying something that is good for him rather than full to the brim of hidden sugars!

"My First Petits Filous is a low sugar, vanilla-flavour weaning fromage frais, designed to introduce children to fromage frais from 6 months.

The main ingredient is milk and all ingredients are 100% naturally sourced, so parents can rest assured there are no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or added preservatives.

Not only is My First Petits Filous delicious, it has calcium and protein to help children develop strong bones from an early age and the low sugar content reassures parents that their child will maintain a balanced diet during weaning."

#Feastinthewoods || Wild Camping

Over the bank holiday weekend we went along to do some wild camping with Feast In The Woods.

The feast was held in a secret location somewhere in Kent.

For a first camping trip with 4 boys it may have seemed a little crazy to go somewhere, where there

was no running water and no electricity but there's no adventure in playing it too safe.

Plus the whole idea was to get away from all our gadgets and gizmos and just enjoy time as a family.

Not being able to wash wasn't an issue, the boys were quite happy in their own smells.

We arrived just after 4 on the Friday evening.

We got first pick of the bell tents and decided to head for the one at the back in the corner, just incase the boys decided to do some midnight crying, we'd be out the way and wouldn't disturb people.

Also having the beds on the floor looked more than ideal, no child could possibly fall off one of those in the middle of the night!

The boys were all excited about being in the woods and were desperate to go and explored.

So once the van was unloaded we put on our wellies and went off for a mini adventure.

Along the way we lost Noah to a group of boys his age and pretty much that was the last we saw of him.

Other than when he returned to eat and sleep.

The twins used to be our wild boys and would love nothing more than running into the woods and exploring and not worrying about one of us being by their side.

 It really surprised me when they didn't really run and play.

They said it was too scary and that they wanted either me or Jon with them.

I think they would have quite happily just spent the weekend playing by the tent.

Noah was the one I was more worried about, as usually he finds something to moan about in everything we do.

Specially being away from his beloved PS4.

Once he'd bonded with the other boys he was the happiest I've seen him in a long time.

He returned each night around half ten when it got dark with brand new scratches and scrapes to show off that he'd got whilst making dens and playing chase in the woods.

He'd crash out and wake the next day eager to run off and find his friend Blue.

Ru-bear by name, bear by nature!!

Ru was in his element in the woods, he was so content walking in the woods looking at the trees and plants and hunting for bugs.

Every time we were back at the tent he would sign "trees" and we would have to go for another walk.

He probably walk over 5 miles a day.

Not once did he head bang or hit out at someone.

He was calm and a joy to be around.

On Saturday I signed up all the littles for forest school but the twins were too tired and wanted to stay back at the tent and nap.

So I took Ru along hoping he'd behave and not have a melt down. As he doesn't always do well  being in a group environment.

There was no need to worry, he was amazing!

He listened well and did what all the others were doing and I could really see he was enjoying himself.

We went on a bug hunt, did some bush craft, bark rubbing and best of all....we made FIRE!

It was a great experience and I'm so gutted the twins and Noah didn't want to go along and give it a go.

Everyone we met and spoke to were really lovely.

There was plenty to do and not once did the boys ever say they were bored.

I spent half of Saturday afternoon painting kids faces, I took the boys to get theirs done and as soon as they were done I had a line of children asking if they could have something done.

Now my face painting skills are a little rough around the edges but I had no complaints and all the kids were pretty impressed with what I did and I had no angry parents coming up to me asking me what I had done to their little angels faces.

I also learnt how to weave a bracelet using a plastic fork. Something ill be doing again at home.

On Saturday evening the Feast was served and everyone flocked in to fill their plates up.

We decided to wait a second and then head over, which was a bit silly as we were left with the scraps. Even though we didn't get a lot, we managed to get most things and everything that we had tasted delicious.

We left on Sunday rather than staying till Monday, as the wooden pallets we were sleeping on were doing nothing for Jons back and he was in a lot of pain.

So we missed out on some activities and the communal BBQ.

We all loved it so much that once we were home we actually wanted to be back in the bell tent.

The twins woke up on Monday morning and the first thing they asked Jon was 'When are we going camping again?!?'

It's made us realise we would quite happily buy our own tent and more camping supplies and spend most weekends camping.

Places To Visit In Kent || Leeds Castle

If you're looking for places to visit this half term I highly recommend Leeds Castle!

Last weekend we decided to have a day trip to Leeds Castle, Noah has been before on a school trip but for the rest if us it was a brand new experience.

It only took us 20 minutes to get there, which shocked Jon as he thought he'd be driving for ages.

We were greeted by this beautiful peacock, who was more than happy to pose for a photo and shake his tail feathers at me. 

We decided to walk to the castle rather than take the "train" we thought that would come in handy when the kids were all tired out and their legs no longer work.

The gardens were absolutely beautiful, all the boys walked nicely along and stopped every so often to take it all in.

It was so peaceful, you could really spend the whole day just taking in the beauty.

The gardens were full ducks, geese, swans. All very friendly - all wanting food we didn't have.

Noah made friends with some ducks and I got extremely broody over all the baby goslings I kept seeing waddling around.

I went a bit too snap happy everytime I saw a new family waddling along.

We jumped aboard the Black Swan Ferry to get across the lake and head to the Squires' Courtyard to let the boys have a run around and let off some steam before we took them into the Castle.

The playground was ace, the boys loved it. The child friendly zip wire was a massive hit, for both the boys and Jon and I.

We each claimed a twin and had a twin race to see whose twin would zip along the wire the fastest.

Me and Alex won a few goes, but Jon had the advantage of having the lighter twin and the bigger muscles.

Ru loved running along and finding all the slides to go down.

They made a couple of friend and it was lovely to see them all having such great fun.

 After we managed to pry them away for the park we headed for the maze, Noah promised us he knew the way and it was really really simple....... 45 minutes later we still had no idea what way we were going.

Eventually Jon got help and him, the twins and Noah found the middle, leaving me and Ru behind. It wasn't long until we got their all by ourselves. Which must mean we are the true winners as we didn't get any help!

It was great fun, and none of the boys moaned they were bored or their legs hurt.

On the way out of the maze you go through the Grotto... "complete with macabre forms and mythical beasts created from shells, minerals and wood."

The boys were a little unsure and were all happy to get out into the sunlight. I thought it was wonderful.

After we got out of the maze and the grotto, we decided to re fuel and have some lunch before heading off to look round the castle.

Even though it was a little windy, it was nice to be sat out side taking in the beautiful views and breathing in the fresh air.

My camera and phone both decided to run out of battery as we reached the castle, so I didn't managed to get any snaps of inside or by the castle.

Jon had a little battery life left ....luckily as he managed to get a shot of these beautiful babies who had just hatched!!

The boys were very well behaved walking around the castle and took everything in. Pointing to different paintings and different weapons that were displayed on the walls.

Even Ru seemed to be enjoying it.

Once outside the castle we decided it was time to head home, we could sense the beasties were at their limit of behaving so we jumped aboard Elsie the Castle Trains and headed back to the car park.

We had a fabulous day and cant wait to go back again.

Over the bank holiday they have a Grand Medieval Joust -

Programme of Events
Main Arena
12pm Mounted Skill at Arms
3pm The Joust

Knights Encampment
2pm Arming the Knight

Combat Arena
11am Routing the Royal Forces (combat display)
1pm Firepower!
2pm Arms and Armour
4pm The Capture of Jack Cade (combat display)
4.30pm Archery Tournament

Trebuchet Display
11.30am, 2.30pm & 3.45pm

Children's Drill
11am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1pm, 2.30pm & 4pm

Medieval Music and Dance
10.30am, 1.30pm, 3.45pm & 4.30pm

If we weren't off camping this weekend, we would be going along to this as I know the boys would just love it.

Elsie the Castle Train is 50p per person

The Black Ferry Swan is £1 each way - under 4's are free

Ticket prices -

Adult £24.50

Child (4 -15yrs) £16.50

Under 4's go free

For more information on ticket prices Click Here

**I was gifted the tickets in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own**

D

#FeastInTheWoods

On Friday me the gang and the dog will be off to a secret location somewhere in Kent to go Wild Camping.

For a first ever camping trip for the boys this may be a little extreme, but hey where's the adventure in playing it safe!?!?

We've rented a bell tent, which is meant to sleep 4 but we'll squeeze in.

The twins like to share, I'll co-sleep with Ru and Jon and Noah can have their own beds. 

Seeing as we've never been camping as a family before we've had to buy some camping supplies;

Sleeping bags,

Camping chairs,

Foldable water containers,

Camping cutlery & plates etc

Torches,

A cool bag.

Things we still need to get are an endless supply of food - the boys are always hungry. I'm planning to take some individual formula milk bottles (the toddler stuff) for Ru as I'm not sure how nice proper milk will stay.

He has a bottle before bed every night, so just in case he wants that comfort I want to be able to give it to him. 

I am hoping he'll runs himself wild and just collapses at the end of the day and won't even want the milk.

But its always better to be safe that sorry! 

Onesies for the boys to wear in the evening to keep warm,

Games to keep them entertained if nothing else is going on.

Though I'm sure they'll all be too busy playing in mud and making new friends.

I'm currently searching the web for camping with kids must haves, so if you know of anything that is a must have, please comment below.

So what is #FeastInTheWoods ....

A family friendly off-grid camping weekend nestled within a secret woodland, to celebrate all things tasty and the great outdoors.

* Communal Feast * Bushcraft *Forest School * Archery * Wild Swimming * Nature Walks * Food Demonstrations and Talks * Tree Climbing * And more

The communal feast is cooked up by Forage & Fire.

The menu for Saturday looks amazing!! 

Up until I saw the menu I wasn't sure if I'd like anything, but it all sounds right up my street - 

Mojo Angus skirt, wild salsa

Charred butternut, St Georges, truffle

Fire baked beets, pickled walnuts, mallow flowers

Smoked heritage carrots, roast radish, wild garlic pesto

Wild mixed leaf salad, pickled hogweed dressing

Fired sourdough flatbreads

Forage and Fire are Alex Bluett and Kieran Jefferson.

Having sharpened their knives on the thriving Bristol and South West food scene, they decided to venture out into the wild in search of unique venues, ingredients, and experiences to share. With a dedication to simple, delicious food, unusual and unsung ingredients, and a passion for sustainable ways of working, they are now stretching their culinary wings into a forest or a pub or a restaurant near you.

Find them on twitter @forageandfire and facebook https://facebook.com/forageandfire

On the Sunday there will also be a communal BBQ where we can all share the food we've brought along with us.

I'm pretty excited about the forest school - the boys and myself will all love that.

I'm also up for a bit of wild swimming, it is meant to be raining the whole weekend but i won't let that put me off. 

Nature walks are one of our favourite things to do, so I'm sure we'll be doing plenty of them.

Most of all turning my phone off and not worrying about it for a couple of days!!! 

Photos taken from HoneyWoods Website.

www.honeywoodscamping.co.uk

A Mini Lush Haul

Lush is one of my favourite shops.

It has been a love that has been pasted down to me. My mum would always go into the Covent Garden shop when I was little. I loved how small and pokey it was but there was just so much to look at.

Being treated to my very own bath bomb was always exciting.

Now its become a bit of an obsession. I can't walk past a Lush store without going in, or if I know there's a store around ill make sure I sniff it out.

Here is what was inside the bag;

A firm favourite of the boys Ickle Baby Bot.

If they see a Lush bag sitting on the kitchen table they always ask, "If the blue robot" is inside.

Damaged - Hot Oil Treatment. In the hope it will do something to my poor abused hair.

Something new - Lava Lamp.

I used this last night and oh its amazing. The smell was lovely and fresh.

Something for Father's Day - SuperDad Bath Bomb.

Jon always moans I never buy him anything from Lush, so I am trying my hardest to make sure I treat him to Lush loveliness every time I visit.

Another one for Jon - Sugar Scrub Body Scrub.

See I do spoil him.

One I've been promising to buy Noah for a while;

The Experimenter,

Noah watched the video I took of the last time and was really impressed with how cool it was and said he really wanted to have it for himself.

So there you go, its not a massive haul, but there's enough to keep us going until the next time I pop into town.

What's your favourite Lush Product??

Alex and Oscar's Birthday Wish List

The wildlings are turning 4!!!!

How my tiny babies are now just around the corner from starting school and being "big boys" makes me a little sad!! 

The boys are superhero crazy and whenever possible they will be inside one of their dressing up costumes.

They regularly go off to nursery dressed up in superhero costumes.

So as you'll see this wish list is very much superhero based.

The twins will be happy with whatever they get, they're pretty easy to please.
One of the main things they keep asking for is a talking Batman mask, which my mum happily decided that's what she'd get them.

Jon and I are going to get them a little tablet each, as we only have one iPad and the arguments it causes is just ridiculous.
They did have leap-Pads but they aren't as easy to watch as a tablet.

Imaginext DC Super Friends Batman Batcave

Mr Potato Head Marvel Mixable Mashup Super Hero Collector Pack

Flying Heroes - Batman

Fisher-Price Imaginext Batman Heroes Figure Pack

10" Marvel Plush Soft Toy

Hulk Smash Soft Toy Hands

Amazon Kindle Fire Kids

Ravensburger Spideman puzzle box

LEGO Juniors - Spiderman Spider-Car Pursuit

The Avengers Age Of Ultron back pack

Marvel Pyjamas

Ben10 Omnitrix

Superhero costumes.

This list could also be used as a gift guide, specially if you have any little men's birthdays coming up, as most boys are superhero crazy.

**All pictures have been taken from Amazon**