The Charcoal Challenge- Sunday Fun!

Last Sunday we had such glorious weather that it would've been totally unacceptable not to have been completely British and throw a BBQ in the back garden. We loaded up the boot of my Sister-in-Laws car, strapped the children in and headed to the cousins for a few hours. Thanks to Money supermarket, I was given £50 to come up with a budget BBQ suitable for us all. Here's how we all got on:

I made use of several supermarkets locally; Iceland, Aldi and Tesco. Between the 3 stores I bought all I needed fruit and vegetable wise (apart from my strawberries, grapes and a few other items which came from my green grocer for £3) I also got all the ingredients to whip up a yummy broccoli and tomato quiche, as well as buying the more 'junky' items from my list such as crisps, dips and of course I needed the required meat. 

The Food

I spent £9 in Aldi and £12 in Iceland. It was important to me to have lots of fruit on such a hot, lovely day and the children really went for it. I found the marshmallows in a bargain bin at my local candy store. They were 50p each so a £3 total. 

I purchased my meat from Iceland but not too much as there was a steady supply already in our freezers (If you want to save money, always look at what you can create from your fridge, freezers and cupboards already) I had some salmon already bought from last weeks food shop so took one out of the packaging. I'm the only one who doesn't eat meat but didn't want to miss out on the BBQ experience! I also had a vegetable selection which I mixed together and cooked in foil. I bought a mini disposable BBQ for £1 so I didn't have to share the meat one!  

Drinks from Aldi for 78p went down nicely, especially being cooled in a bucket of ice. I made mini windmills for decoration, what do you think? My sister-in-law took it upon herself to buy some lemons and raspberries and made some delicious pink lemonade. I really recommend having some of this instead of spending money on alcohol which isn't nearly as refreshing!

As you can imagine we had some very full tummies. The spread was very generous and I really think (no wait, I know I got loads for my budget) With the main part of the BBQ done and everyone left to talk, laugh and graze the rest of the spread, we sought out some other BBQ activities.

Face painting!

Ice cream making!

Dairy ice cream at £1.60 (I thought Neapolitan would be a nice change, although normally I would buy value vanilla) Dairy free ice cream £2, cones and chocolate swirls £2. These were extras because I had some left over pennies!

After food, face painting, lots of chatting and laughing, there really was only one thing left to do to finish off this fantastic day:

Water Fight!!

And when it's all said and done, it's time to tidy up. Thanks Little T, what a star! Both babies were very tired after a long, hot day so cuddled up together to watch a bit of Paddington on the iPad. 

We all had such a wonderful time and I think it would be fair to say the BBQ was a completel success! 

CupcakeMumma

x

The Math!

Decorations: £12.00 (forks, cups, kebab sticks, decorative pots, plastic coloured bowls,baby jars,napkins and straws)

Corner shop: £1 (mini disposable BBQ)

Aldi: £9

Iceland: £12

Tesco:£5.60

Candy Store: £3.00 (marshmallows)

Green Grocer: £3.00

Total: 45.60

This is our entry for the Charcoal Challenge with Money Supermarket. We received £50 from Money Supermarket to enter the competition which we used to buy the products listed above. We will also be entered into a prize draw to receive £250 to host the ultimate BBQ!!

Newquay Aquarium: Our Best Day Out

On Saturday we visited Newquay Aquarium as part of MoneySupermarkets Family Days Out and we had SUCH a great time!

The Blue Reef aquarium is really easy to find as its just opposite the beach (which is the most beautiful view to me) and stands out with all it's colourful, welcoming flags at its entrance.

We handed over our tickets and entered the Aquarium with 2 very excited little toddlers! As its Midges birthday next week we thought this would be a lovely pre treat for her and actually for Little Man who is 2 in February. We were really lucky because just as we arrived, there was a talk being given to some younger children about crabs and lobsters. We were lucky enough to see the crab up close and personal and we even touched the lobster (very soft, it fidgets a lot when touched but actually I found him very cute and have vowed to never eat one!)

It was amazing to see this creature up close. The guide answered any questions we had and was brilliant with my two little ones, encouraging Midge to feel the lobster and teaching her briefly about the large pincers this mighty crab carries around with him!

We travelled around the lower part of the aquarium constantly stopping to admire the beautiful array of fish. The aquarium has recently introduced a new underwater feature called 'Weird and Wonderful.' Let me tell you, these creatures were definitely weird!

The children really were captivated by all the fish, sting rays, sharks and even the crocodiles...Check this guy out!

The tour guide came around and informed us there would be a turtle feeding shortly which we were excited about. This actually impressed me because so many times I go to attractions and miss out on the really special treats so I was grateful he came and told us as about it.

The turtle feeding didnt disappoint. The children loved sitting by the rails where you could see right into the biggest tank there which holds all the Sting Rays, Sharks, a wide variety of beautiful (and funny looking) fish as well as the huge but wonderful turtle!

The guide gave us a 20 minute speech about the turtle (he was rescued after being hit by a boat and is also completely blind) then he spoke in a child friendly way about how to help the turtles, the environment and other sealife by picking up rubbish on the beach, walking to school and he spoke about what you should do should you find a turtle who looks injured or lost. I thought it was fantastic how he addressed the children and made it fun!

There really is so much to see at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. It's a small aquarium compared to others, but we easily went around twice to get a good look at all the amazing creatures. My personal favourite were the Big Bellied Seahorses (pictured above).

All the staff were friendly and there were many learning points like the ones below where you could learn facts about the sealife at this centre.

Finally, we finished our trip by visiting the gift shop! Such a large selection to choose from for Midge! I left with my postcards and the children had a teddy each. The aquarium has a really reasonably priced cafe which, like the rest of the establishment, is completely child (buggy!) friendly. Bonus!

We all had an amazing day out, on a budget too (be sure to check the booking online options which are always cheaper!) and learnt so much. We can't wait to visit again in the summer!

CupcakeMumma

*I was sent one, free ticket by MoneySupermarket*