A family visit to Cineworld Eastbourne

I’ve always felt there is something magical about watching a film at the cinema, I can escape the real world and head off into my own little bubble and become absorbed. I’ve been going to the cinema for as long as I can remember, I believe my first film was Bambi, a real classic.

My husband is also a fan and before we had children we went to the cinema once or twice a week, every week and both of us are quite happy to go alone too. It feels so decadent to sit in a dimly lit cinema on an afternoon on your own enjoying some popcorn and a diet coke. This was a favourite activity of mine when I was on maternity leave and close to having JJ. How I would love to have owned an Unlimited card and had cinema on tap back in those days.

Things do change as children come along though. Dh and I still make a date to go to the cinema but nowadays it is probably every other month rather than every other day. I’ll be honest with you cinema trips when you have a family can be a bit on the expensive side and spending in excess of £30 for the five of us to see a film which lasts just 90 minutes is not something we can do every week. Our girls have not got to the age where they can sit still and really appreciate a good film yet, so often we wait to see the latest blockbusters when they get shown again as Movies for Juniors.

Our local Cineworld in Eastbourne is a fabulous cinema, there is always a good variety of films to see and Cineword are conscious to try and help families find an affordable solution. If you want to see the latest release then they have family tickets which offer 4 people a discount when they book to see the film together (this must be at least 1 adult, 2 children and then 1 other adult or child). There are also Movies for Juniors on Saturday and Sunday mornings and each ticket is just £1.50 if booked on the day or £1.35 if you book via mycineworld online. I make sure I book all my films beforehand now as that 10% discount soon adds ups and makes a real difference.

If you do book a family ticket you are also entitled to a great deal on your snacks to enjoy with the film, just look -

When we went to see Rio 2 recently the kids each had a munchbox and they absolutely loved them. In the past I've always been that stingy mummy who did not buy snacks in the cinema as I could not bear to part with the money but actually the munchbox is good value at £2.00 for a capri sun, packet of popcorn and packet of Milky Way stars.  JJ particularly commented about how epic it was!

I'll tell you what else is epic, is the fabulous Take 2 promotion and dh and I hoping to take full advantage of this on Thursday. This week we can see Liam Neeson in Non-Stop for just £10 for the two of us and that super price also includes a regular popcorn and 2 smell drinks. You really can't say no to that, can you?

So come on tell me? How do you feel about the cinema? Is it a treat to be relished or a big flop in your books?

Disclosure: I was sent tickets to take the kids to see Rio 2 and try out our local Cineworld Eastbourne, we were very happy with our experience and would recommend it as a cinema venue. I've not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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JJ's Reasons to be Cheerful (week 44, year 3)

Early each week I start to think about what might be the basis of my #R2BC post for that Thursday. Whilst lots of lovely things have been happening, nothing sprung straight to mind this week, so I asked my 10 year old JJ what was making him cheerful right now.

*  Instant answer 'doh Mum, it's half term'.  Oh yes of course, great reason to be cheerful, no getting up at 7am to stress before heading off to school at 8.20am. Some lazy days, visiting Nanny & Granddad, Daddy off later in the week, a trip to London for a Guinness World Records event - yep a good week ahead.

*  'What else?' I say. His second instant answer made me smile a lot too. 'The internet, I love it that I can play Minecraft again'. Yes I can agree on this one too, we had our own internet set up last Wednesday and what a blessing to again be able to watch something on iPlayer, It is still slow and it cuts out occasionally but it is a massive improvement on what we did have.

*  'Go on, keep going' I urge him and that is it, he is off on a roll and starts to throw reasons at me. We are visiting Nanny and that means I get to walk Archie, yesterday we had a great meal with some friends from Daddy's work, we are going to see Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 at the weekend, we live in a great place now, I got a trick hand buzzer today and that is so cool etc etc

It seems that my 10 year old is a pretty cheery chap and he can manage to find 101 reasons to be cheerful. How wonderful, just what I want to hear.

So now you know what is making JJ cheerful this week, go on and share what has cheered you up. Are you feeling particularly grateful?

It could be something massive or it might just be the everyday simple things that happen. If you are new to Reasons to be Cheerful then take a look at the background to this linky and my rational for starting it 3 years ago.

Write a post and link it up, no rules, just as long as you have written about something which is adding a smile to your face or rocking your world then I’m happy. Then link up the post, add in the blog hop code to your post if you fancy and then people can go from post to post nice and easily. Don't forget that linkys only work if you go and visit some other bloggers who have linked up, even if you only comment on 1 or 2 it makes a difference. Tweet with #R2BC and I'll give you an RT too.

Wishing you a fabulous week ahead, Mich x

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10 Top Tips for Taking Pre-schoolers to the Cinema (Twin Pre-schoolers!)

So, we went to the cinema yesterday morning because for once in our lives dh was off on a Saturday and we all got up in time! Upon arriving JJ announced that he wanted to see the Sorcerers Apprentice and the girls wanted to see Tinkerbell, which is what we went there with the aim to see.  Being the kind of loving mum I am I suggested to dh that he take JJ in to see his film and I would take the girls in to see Tinkerbell.  It was only after buying the tickets that I wondered what on earth I had let myself in for.  Two 3 year old lively kids on my own in a quiet cinema?  Am I bonkers? well yes - so go for it I thought.

Our first cinema experience with the girls was last July when they were just 3 years. We went to see Toy Story 3 and paid near on £50 for the privilege of listening to the girls both chatter loudly, try to escape from their seats and generally be pests. I blogged about the disaster it was here!  Dh left the film with both girls about half way through.

Then a couple of weeks ago we ventured into a cinema again, half a year after the last time.  This time the film was free and I was also pretty certain it should engage the girls and keep them occupied.  Thankfully Disney's Tangled did the job and the girls adored it and behaved much better.  Thus why I was willing to give the 2:1 ratio a go on this Saturday morning.

So Saturday was a success, so much so that I thought I would share my top 10 tips for taking pre-schoolers/ toddlers to the cinema with you, even twins where the ratio is 2:1!

1. Do some training with the kids before hand. I have never been one to sit and watch TV with the kids but for the last couple of months once a week I get the kids in their PJs really early and we sit down and snuggle and watch TV. They have to talk in whispers and are not allowed to get down to play.
2. Check out the Saturday/ Sunday morning kids screenings at your local cinemas.  5 of us went on Saturday for £5.00, now that is value! and you then do not mind if you do have to leave early!
3. Arrive at the cinema in good time, so that you can get the tickets you want and good seats.  Nothing worse than disappointed youngsters in a film they were not expecting to see.
4. In the same vein, take your seat early and then the kids have plenty of time to ask any question they fancy before the film starts. Let them help you choose the seat and feel important.
5. Talk the kids through what will happen, ie: everyone will sit down, lights will dim, there will be adverts, then the film will start and we all have to talk in whispers etc.  It was amazing how much this helped this time.
6. Limit the amount of fluid they drink before and during the showing.  We did 2 toilet runs in a very short film, I think it was the fun factor!
7. Take snacks with you. If you want to buy popcorn at the cinema go ahead but I begrudge paying more on the popcorn that the ticket price! So I pop a bag at home and take it in the kids bag, I also take little bowls which fit into the drinks holders. My girls love to munch popcorn and this keeps them quiet for a few moments. I also took them a Chuppa Chups lolly each (I am sure some of you ace parents do not give your kids these, but mine occasionally do have them - you must have noticed it is honest parenting here at MFTH...).
8. Do remember the wipes though if you give a sticky lolly!  and tissues as well, snotty noses wiped on your neighbours sleeves is a recipe for disaster!
9. Once the movie finishes wait in your seats will others filter out the cinema.  Surely you are not in a rush?  Better to leave towards the end of the crowd and know exactly where your children are.
10. Lastly and most importantly think positive.  This will be OK.  If you have taken them to a weekend morning kids showing then other people expect some noise and if they don't - really they should!  If Mummy stays stress free it will really help the kids to do the same. Don't jump on their every movement or noise made, choose your battles.  ON Saturday both girls stood at one point and watched bits of the film and they both sat on my lap at differing points and they swapped chairs too but that made it all exciting for them and totally manageable for me as I just stayed unfazed. At their height is does not matter if they stand in a tiered seating area, so why would I worry about it?

So there you have it.  My tips for taking your little kids to the cinema.  Have fun and let me know how you get on.  Mich x

This is another entry for the Multiples Mayhem Carnival being held over at Two become Four on Monday 7th February 2011. If you would like to join in and tell a story about your multiples please get in touch with the host of this carnival - the lovely Rebecca.

WYOO 3D Cinema? & Disney Tangled Review

You see that Villain on the right?  That's my JJ!

Any idea what WYOO means? I am not sure if it is a widely used acronym or if it just came from a Parenting forum that I used to frequent!

Anyway, WYOO stands for What's your opinion on.... and in this case I am asking about 3D cinema. I have to say that for me until last Sunday I was thinking that 3D cinema was over hyped and a bit of a let down. I kept waiting for those pop out of your screen kind of scenes - you know the sort that you get at the Imax. Then this Sunday I got to see a special preview of Disney's 50th animated Film, Tangled and boy did my opinion on 3D change. Instead of being full of gimmicks I came to realise that the 3D experience with most films just adds that extra special bit of magic. I'll be interested to hear what you think though..... leave me a comment.

So Disney Tangled, what can I tell you? I loved it, my dh loved it, JJ loved it and the twins loved it too. So that is all five of us ranging from 3 years to 37 years loving this film. It really has something for everyone in it. Disney have taken the classic tale of Rapunzel and turned it on it's head, creating something that is really unique and inspiring too. It is a beautiful tale of how two totally different young people from diverse backgrounds and experiences can meet by chance and go on a life changing adventure together and of course being Disney, they fall in love and the ending is happy - just how it should be.

I expected to go and see a classic Disney Princess tale and it is anything but. This film can be described as a comedy that will have you doing belly laughs - well it did me anyway! It is also a musical and there were some particularly good songs in it, such as Mother Knows Best.

My personal favourite character was Maximus the Captain of the Guards Horse. How they managed to make an animated horse so realistic and hilarious is beyond me, but it is done just perfectly.

Dh loved the simplicity of the tale and he found Flynn Rider a very authentic and appealing hero. While of course the girls just loved Rapunzel and her beautiful 70 foot magical golden hair (Just like mine, commented Miss M, well it would have been if she had not of cut it herself just before Christmas!).  Many a game of Rapunzel throw down your hair has been played in our house in the last couple of days.

My JJ thought that Pascal the mini chameleon lizard and Rapunzel's personal friend was a great character and he has since found out you can get Pascal toys so I know what he is now saving for.

I won't spoil the story for you and reveal too much but I can say that watching the trailer for this film you only get a glimpse of all the great stuff contained in the film.  You will not be disappointed, I assure you.

Our family will be giving this film a excellent 5/5 rating and we will definitely be buying it when it is released on DVD.

Tangled is out in the UK at cinemas from 28 January 2011.  Take a look at the trailer...



This is a review post.  I was invited to London to the Disney Office to watch the Tangled with my family.  We were also lucky enough to meet Mickey Mouse, have a nice lunch and receive some goody bags on leaving.  As per always I remain honest in my write up.  Thank you Disney for your super hospitality.

Toy Story 3: Fantasy & Reality Can be Quite Different!

So yesterday, day 3 of our holiday we decided to take the kids to the cinema and see Toy Story 3. This is the first time the girls will have gone to the cinema and I had a lovely vision in my head of how the day would pan out. Guess what? Fantasy and Reality hardly merged!

The Fantasy
• Arrive at the cinema all awake and refreshed after a fun day
• Find a local cineworld which took my Tesco vouchers so we could have a cheap day
• Buy some popcorn to share out amongst the kids for them to enjoy
• All sit in our comfy chairs and stay there
• Watch a great Disney Pixar Film
• Quietly chat about some of the scenes explaining things to my 3 year old twins
• Have a snuggle with one or all of my kids as we watch the movie
• All five of us leave the cinema having had a fab time
• Go for a pizza afterwards for our tea

The Reality!• Arrive at the cinema with Miss M having fallen asleep. Did she want to be woken up? NO
• No cineworld locally, so pay full price for all 5 tickets
• Bought the popcorn shared it out and promptly t started to fall to the floor and be squabbled over. I had even bought three small dishes to refill –s o why this did not work who knows!
• Yes the chairs were really comfy and they had booster seats for the kids but did they want to stay in their chairs – NO. Swapped chairs and laps lots of times within the first hour.
• Yes watched a good movie, well I did. Dh got fed up with Miss E chatting so much (are the doors locked Mummy? Why it so dark Mummy? Why no talking? You cross Mummy? Etc etc) in a very loud voice, she seems to have no idea about soft talking or whispering yet, although her twin has got the concept. So he took Miss E out and Miss M decided she wanted to go too. JJ and I sat and snuggled and enjoyed the last hour in peace.
• 2 of us left the cinema having had a good time and 3 were very fraught by the time we found them afterwards – whoops!
• Went home and gave the kids tea - too tired and worn out to eat out. I ended up with frosties, milk and crumpets for my dinner – how nutritious! Lol

Will we be off the cinema again with our 3 year old twins? Not likely. We will wait a while and then go to one of those Saturday morning £1 showings when we try again.