Summer Hols - Butlins

As the Summer holidays were looming, thoughts of how I was going to amuse the little man filled my head! 6 weeks off work and school felt amazing!! But what were we going to do??
After a stressy final week at work, a messy break up and a lively 6 year old on my hands - I knew Id need to get away!!

As a single parent, I was worried about what I could manage on my own.
I trawled the internet looking for ideas, day trips here, overnight stays there.. I didnt think I'd be able to afford anymore than that. But then I checked the Butlins website on a whim..

3 nights. Half board. Silver room. 2 people. For the Skegness resort..   £159.  BARGAIN!!
I got a free child place and a massive internet discount. I booked and paid for it there and then and told Bradley the good news. He was really excited and it made the final week of school/work go by much quicker knowing we had something to look forward to the following week.

National Express run coaches direct to the Butlins resort which proved a lot cheaper than trains. I was pretty chuffed, for approx £200 Id managed to book 4 days away at a fun-packed seaside resort, complete with food and travel. Result!

They sent an informative little booklet a few days before we left, telling us all we needed to know, things to expect and including all the FAQs.

After a comfortable journey, we arrived at Butlins on the Friday at about midday, left our luggage in the left-luggage room and went to explore.. Bradley was in his element, playing football with newly made friends in the Skyline while I had a drink and a sit down, looking around all the shops spending Mums well-earned money.. and trying out all the rides at the funfair.

Bob The Builder's yard

There is so much on resort to do for free..
The swimming pool - Splash Waterworld is fantastic, spacious, clean and with plenty to attract young and old. Bradley loved the Master Blaster ride and splashing around in the childrens area.
There are always sporting activities going on, we had to visit the football pitch every day for Bradley to 'practise his skills' :)

The funfair is great, lots of fun rides for all ages. It also includes a few things available at an extra charge.. inflatables, bungee trampolines, go karts etc.
The indoor play area is great to allow the kids to explore and climb while you have a quick rest!

Bungee Trampoline

We checked in at 4pm, which was quick and easy and the staff were all so friendly and helpful. The room was clean and perfect for the 2 of us, and was nicely set between the adventure park and the football pitch, much to Bradley's delight! ;)

Superslam Wrestling

Over the 3 days we never stopped, there was so much to do! There were characters walking around the resort, entertainment always available and the food in the dining court was great, even for the fussiest 6 year old!! :) Evening entertainment was brilliant, we often visited the Skyline to see the entertainment aimed at young children before going to Reds to be entertained by the Redcoats. Bradley quickly made friends and was up throwing shapes on the dance floor to the party dances :)

Titan the Robot

The resort was very busy, as expected for the first week of the Summer Holidays. Finding a table on the night Stacey Soloman and Twist & Pulse were in was a task and a half! Id never seen the place so packed!

All in all, our break was perfect and Id recommend it 10 times over for families with children!
My advice - keep checking the website for those late deals! And take lots of spending money!! :)
Neither of us wanted to go home, I was so tempted to nip into the Holiday Booking Shop on site and see if we could stay a few more days :)

On the 4th and final day, my partner came over and we spent the day at nearby Skegness. The weather was fantastic so we relaxed on the beach and had fun at the fair, before coming home.. sunkissed and happy :)

I'm already looking out for those next great deals on the Butlins website. :)

Lianne.. X

My Race For Life

Well, today I ran / power walked [lol] the 5k Race For Life for Cancer Research at Western Park, Leicester. And I feel really proud and really fab! :)

I promised you pictures so here goes..

All dressed up and ready to go :)

Me & my friend Donna arrived at Western Park at about 1.30pm, the park was a sea of pink, everyone looked fantastic! :) There were over 1300 people there, and that was just the PM race. There was an earlier race also, and a 10k race yesterday.

The weather was gorgeous! The sun was shining and it was really hot. Leicester Sound were playing in the background and everyone sat around in the sun, it was a really nice atmosphere.

Reading everyones messages on their backs saying who they were racing for was really inspiring. Made us feel really proud of what we were doing.

To get the crowd warmed up, the Nivea Male Cheerleaders came on stage and cheesed it up by teaching us a dance routine to SClub7's Dont Stop Moving. :)

This was followed by a warm up dance routine by a local dance instructor, which was loads of fun and we were all definately warmed up ready to begin the race!!

We thought we'd be brave and headed for the 'Running' flag rather than the 'Walking' and they counted us down to start..

We ran and power walked alternately around the course, which we completed in 44 minutes. It was such a great feeling!

Check out the medal! :) Excuse the red face!

Although I havent totalled up completely as I still have sponsors coming in, I raised approx £100 and feel really proud to have been a part of the event for such an amazing cause!

We will definately be taking part again next year and aim to beat our time!! :)

There is still time to make a small donation if you would like to. Visit my fundrasing page at www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lianne1984

If you are due to take part in a Race For Life event near you, feel free to comment with your fundraising links!

Lianne XX