Review: BikyBiky Kids Cycle Harness

We've been pulling our hair out with Ben (7) last Summer.  He decided he was too old for his stabilisers but trying to teach him to ride without was frustrating us as much as him.  We tried everything recommended; holding his shoulders, holding the saddle, holding handlebars ... we bought a balance bar but still we had tears and tantrums every time we let go and he wobbled.

His confidence, it's safe to say, was pretty shattered.  So when we are asked if we wanted to try the BikyBiky Kids Cycle Harness I thought, why not.  Things can only get better.

Our Budget Holiday - Step 2: Planning the journey

Well all our holiday is booked and I must remember to go and pick up the tickets from the train station.  If you missed Step 1 of my #BudgetHoliday series then you can catch up here.

The next step is to plan the train journey, because when you have kids nothing is as simple getting on a train and reading your book until it gets there.  Especially when the journey takes 3 hours (each way) and the kids happen to be 3 and 6.

They do have tablets, portable dvd players and ds's but to be honest I quite enjoy the 'family time', that and you are never guaranteed a seat - let alone one with a plug socket (and these things do seem to eat the battery). 
  On the other hand we are on a train with 2 small boys for a 5 night holiday - there is a limit as to how much we can carry..... I have learnt that lesson!

My aim on journey's is for each boy to have their own rucksack with everything they will need for the journey (including their favourite soft toy, drink and a snack or 2).  This is no easy feet, especially when you think the 3h journey involves 2 or more trains, and but here is my guide as to those little extras that either I have used historically or have spotted online that can make a very long journey fly. 

Camping Adventures ..... 2 kids, 2 adults .... no car - A packing checklist.

Please note this picture is
from a camping trip WITH a car!

Impossible I hear you cry.... and you know what that's pretty much the reaction I always receive when I mention it..... which is why I am even more determined to make it work lol.

I'm not mad or crazy, we're only planning 2 nights not a week but if we can go on a caravan holiday with a weeks worth (plus extras)  of clothes etc for 2 adults and 2 children (right from when they were babies) then I am pretty confident we can do 2 night camping.

We have the tent (bought last year on a really good offer) including airbeds (4) and sleeping bags (4).  over the last year tho the kids have got new sleeping bags (Spiderman!) which are smaller and lighter (bonus).

We made the decision to have a real 'basics' camping experience.  Personally I would have happily taken the tent up a fell (like when I was at uni) but apparently you aren't supposed to do that any more so I looked around for a 'real site'.  As we don't have electric hook up facilities we don't need an electric pitch (please don't die on me phone/ camera) and I wasn't paying for a cable just for phones and cameras, not to mention their weight.

Holiday time .... part 1 ... Sheffeld - Windsor

We really made the most of the last week of our Easter Holidays, even better due to the fact our kids were

off when the southern schools had gone back.

We chose to go to Windsor and make a day (and a half) out of our Merlin Passes at Legoland then onto my mums for a couple of days before she brought us home on Sunday.  Despite living on the high speed rail line to London (2 hours) the connections etc to Legoland make it that little bit too far to do comfortably in a day.... but that's a tale for later in the week.

This holiday was all about budget .... fun and experiences.... but budget and trying not to spend too much on unnecessary items or expenses.