Anyone who has read "We're going on a bear hunt" will know that finding the "big one" isn't always the best option but when you have a vast selection of bears to choose from, the bear hunt gets a little more exciting.

The Build-a-Bear concept is a very basic one, you don't simply just pick a bear off a shelf and pay for it, you lovingly create it, from choosing the bear, to the stuffing and even giving it a heart (and let's not mention the outfits just yet). The little one had never had the pleasure of "building a bear", so when we were told about the new range, we were excited to be given the opportunity to go and check it out. 

The array of bears to choose from was a little overwhelming for her to start with but she soon overcame this and went for the brightest bear she could find. No amount of persuasion was going to change her mind! (she is a determined one, that little girl).

The new range features, Toothy Shark and Sea Splash Dolphin to Octo-Fun Octopus, the Build-A-Bear Workshop Beach Buddies are the perfect collection to remember the summer with. Despite trying to convince her to have one of the new range, the "Rainbow" bear was still the favourite for our little one. 

The price is really reasonable, considering the whole experience (but you have to remember that this is for the bear only) and then on top, you have all the cute, amusing and frankly adorable additions that have the possibility to increase the cost of your bear.

 We chose a voice that had 6 different sayings ... including "you are my best friend" (see I told you it was adorable)

You get to decide just how cuddly your bear needs to be ..... we chose extra cuddly of course. 

And once our bear had her beating heart and a special wish inside her, she then needed a wash ....... obviously.

 And then came the difficult job of choosing an outfit .....

And shoes ...... so your bear can be the best dressed bear in town!

She wanted a car but we drew the line at that! The bear has only just been born, I am quite sure it is too young for a provisional licence!

And so we create Rainbow bears birth certificate. The keyboard is very child friendly and allows them to get involved (with some parental supervision of course).

And the best part? The final cuddle of course!!

Would I recommend the Build-A-Bear experience? Absolutely! You are not just buying a bear, you are creating an experience, you are building a special friend for your child and a memory they will treasure.

They also do birthday parties at Build-A-Bear, I might look at one for next year ....... that is perfectly acceptable for a 30-somethings birthday party right?

Disclaimer: We were given the opportunity to review the Build-A-Bear experience but all views, opinions and cuddles are our own!

I know it is not technically the end of summer but it is the end of the summer holidays and we wanted to make the very best of the final days before the school term. I had pre-arranged a playdate with one of the little ones friends but looking out of the window in the morning made me inwardly grown as once again it was raining.

Now I am a bit of a fair weather park goer. I am not a massive fan of getting wet but as if by magic, someone somewhere heard my plea and, the rain cleared.

Tamworth Castle grounds were our destination and once again, it is somewhere that is literally on our doorstep, it has an amazing park for the children and it is FREE!

It appeals to my inner castle geek (and we all know I love a castle)

The girls could run around freely (with their little friends) and the park has great facilities from a little coffee shop and toilets (which we signed the petition to keep open).

We played, laughed (and someone showed off her gymnastic abilities)

And we chased a squirrel for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time. I think he was enjoying teasing us as he darted through the trees.

But best of all, we were outside, together, enjoying the final days of no timetable or school bell. And it was free. The best things in life usually are.

This weeks Wot So Funee is being hosted by the lovely Stressy Mummy, you can find the linky here:

This week our little in-house comedian has taken a back seat and the tween has taken centre stage, with a little help from her Great Auntie.

My Auntie Jen is brilliant, she has a great sense of humour and used to spend a lot of time with my eldest daughter when she was little, so I think they have a strong bond remincent of my relationship with her as a child. She was visiting recently and I watched them as they happily played cards together, chuckling and laughing.

Moments later they were talking about going back to school and the tween started telling her about her new Despicable Me lunch bag. Auntie Jen looked and said "Your what?, A Big Bummy lunch bag?"

The tween fell about laughing and it took for me to "translate" what it actually was.

Only moments later I shouted through asking my youngest if she wanted fish for her dinner, Auntie Jen looked up and said "no thanks, I don't eat fish". We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. Auntie Jen looked perplexed, she said "What? I am a vegetarian". 

The tween fell about laughing again and had to explain to her Great Aunt that I was talking to her sister.

Thankfully she laughed too.

She maybe a Great Aunt on lots of levels but maybe her hearing is not so great these days. She really did utter the words "What's so funny?" So she absolutely had to be our Wot So Funee post this week.

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This week we have been ravaged by a sickness bug. 

We went into hibernation for a while. Every single one of us caught it.

I began to feel a little like I had cabin fever.

I wanted to go outside.

The girls wanted to go outside.

We missed my nephews first birthday party, I was gutted. The girls were gutted.

But we didn't want to pass the bug onto anyone that hadn't already had it. So we sat inside and waited for it to pass.

Then today, we braved it outside and went to Nanny & Grandad's house.

A place that is always home.

A place you can go when you are happy, sad, excited, scared ..... or in this case, poorly.

It is also a place that the little one can go outside and feed the fish, when she needs a little fresh air too (with a little help from Grandad).

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