Half Term Fun and Memorable Moments #GetPopped

What a great half-term week we have had. I wasn't sure whether to book a holiday but the kids all asked to stay home and just have some days out so that is what we did and it fitted in really well as just before half-term Popchips (the popped potato snack) challenged me to have six days of enjoyable experiences and to take a packet of Popchips with me for each.

They set the challenge to celebrate the launch of their new 6 pack multipacks, which are available in Sea Salt and BBQ flavours. I can genuinely tell you that I am so glad they set me this challenge as I'd not tried Popchips before and I really like them. As someone who needs to be cutting down on calories they are my new best friend at around 70 calories for a packet.

Popchips believe that every day should be filled with joyful and light-hearted moments and I set about capturing those. Not just the moments that you know are pretty special but also the ones that are easily missed and must not be taken for granted. I wrote recently about how important it is to choose joy and to make sure you live in the moment and delight in the small stuff.

The Happiest Boy Alive - JJ is now Officially Amazing! #GWRLive! #GWR2016

Is that title enough to give it away?  Can you guess what my little man did last week?

He only went and bagged himself an official Guinness World Record (GWR), not everyone can do that, me included! Over the last four years our family has been lucky enough to attend four GWR events and both JJ and I have missed out on records by just one or two, thus our determination to get one for the family was pretty strong. So when we headed up to the GWR office last Tuesday I commented on Twitter that we were 'limbered up and ready to break some records'.  Little did I know it would turn out to be true!

Guinness World Records Books 2016 - Great Christmas Presents

I mentioned before that all my kids love the Guinness World Records book and there does not seem to be any sign of them growing out of it. JJ is now 12 and the girls 8 and it is as popular as ever.

When the 255 page book arrived at my house a couple of weeks ago there was a scrum to see who would read it first. JJ being the biggest won and it remained in his bedroom for over a week. Each time I popped my head in his room he was buried in the book and told us the girls could not have it yet as he was busy reading and he was no-where near finished. This week I got a bit firm with him and now the girls have it back in their grips. This means the next few weeks of school car journeys will be full of chatter with all the kids I drop off discussing this years records and interesting facts.

Our favourite book - Officially amazing

For the last three years we have been very lucky to attend great events with Guinness World Records (GWR). All my family have attempted to break world records and sadly as yet, we have not been successful. We have had great fun trying though, JJ was so close to attaining the most hats on your head in one minute record and I almost got the most socks paired & rolled in one minute and most party poppers popped in 30 seconds. Next time I vow I will do it and will go home with one of the coveted world record framed certificates.

The fact that we have not managed to bag a world record has not diluted the kids thirst for all things GWR though, not at all. Last year they each had a copy of the Guinness World Records book and I can’t believe how much they were looked at. I did wonder at first if three books might be overkill but it has proved perfect as one or two are kept in the car and others float from room to room in our house. I shouldn’t be surprised if the kids could now tell you some of the facts in that book off by heart.

They haven’t been selfish though, oh no. The books have been shared with their three mates that we take to school each day and the six of them chat about the woman who had eight babies, the tallest elevator in the world or which country has the most mobile phones per 1000 people (UAE if case you were wondering with 1709 per 1000 people). They have also been into school and other kids been allowed to read them and used as fun props in lessons.

This year is the 60^th anniversary of Guinness World Records and that is quite some time for it to have been running. I remember it right back to 40 odd years ago as a child when it was presented on TV by Roy Castle and I can still sing you the tune and hear him playing his trumpet. It’s a shame there is not a Records Breakers prime time show anymore as I think we miss good old fashioned variety show fun entertainment nowadays. Of course the kids can still watch a similar program with Officially Amazing being aired on CBBC.

Last year when we was at the GWR blogger event they used us as a focus group to talk about the book and get the kids input and feedback on what they liked about the book and perhaps what could be changed or updated. There were some interesting conversations but in truth I didn’t think much about it at the time, it was only when the 2015 GWR book arrived on my doorstep last week that I recalled the group and felt a little proud that we had helped to choose that cover and had an input to how it might look this year. That sure does make this year’s book feel even more special.

JJ was gutted that we won’t get to make the blogger event this year as we are away in Jersey at the same time. Hopefully we will get an invite to the next event and JJ can console himself by reading he book.

So what is the book like this year?

To put it simply - it's great. Full of all the fun facts and great pictures that the children enjoy but fresh and with lots of new content. It is amazing really how they manage to keep such a big book interesting year on year. It is 255 pages of non-stop entertainment and there is a bonus chapter available as an e-book, which will take you on a behind the scenes tour of GWR. As always it has a strong hardbacked cover so it remains nice and the pages are thick and glossy.

As with the last two years the augmented reality feature is here again. You can download the app for free (on apple and Android) and then parts of the book come alive. It really is very simple and very effective, what a great way to engage the kids. They have the tech they love but it is still book based and educational. The sort of experiences you can have are measuring yourself against the worlds tallest man, explore the planets of the solar system and witness the worlds most venomous spider leap from the page (ekk!).

Here is JJ with Craig Glenday the GWR Editor last year looking at the augmented reality app.

The Guinness World Record 2015 book has an RRP of £20 but I see it is currently £9.00 on Amazon and I've seen it for £10 in some shops, it really is a snip at those kind of prices and for sure I'll be buying copies if JJ needs any birthday gifts for his mates in the coming months.

If you have youngsters who are interested in world records then they must check out the new kids GWR website, as it has all the information they love presented in a way that appeals to them.

Yet again GWR have done good and the book is a big hit in our house. It is juts a shame we only have on copy this year as there have been arguments so far and JJ is now asking me for the gamers edition.

Disclosure: We was sent the book free of charge for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Guinness World Records Book 2014 - Review & Giveaway

Big congratulations to Taylor Jones and Kate Jordan, you are the lucky winners. I have emailed you.  Please send me your addresses so that GWR can send the book direct to you. Many thanks, Mich x

You might have seen that a couple of weeks ago my family visited the head office of Guinness World Records in London. We had a fabulous day and one of the highlights was that the kids were each sent home with a new copy of the Guinness World Records 2014 book (GWR). I'll be honest, I did not think that my 6 year old twin girls would be that interested in the book and I thought I'd be able to syphon them off into the future gifts box!  How wrong was I? Apparently this book rocks for girls and boys alike and at age 6 with limited reading skills it is still fantastic fun.

So now I have three little GWR fans in our house and it makes me smile to walk into their rooms before bed and find each one of them reading the book and admiring all the big glossy photos. I think the GWR 2014 book is a really super gift for a child, not only are you providing them with entertainment but it is also educational and at school they encourage children to read all kinds of books not just straightforward fiction ones.

There is so much in this book, both fabulous quality and interesting photos and facts to blow your mind. There are some really bizarre snippets a whole ton of cuteness. Miss M was thrilled to see her favourite band ONE Direction in there and has been asking me ever since, if she can do twitter with them!

The books pages are all thick and glossy and it has a hard cover so it will last. JJ's book from 2013 was so well read and it still looks like brand new, so they stand the test of time. The book has an RRP of £20.00 but you can easily buy it in major supermarkets and book shops for £10.00 and I see it is £8.00 on Amazon.

When we were at head office Craig Glenday, the editor of the GWR book showed us the augmented reality app that you can download for free onto your ios or android product. It is super, I think it really adds to the reading experience, rather than detracting from it. Children can engage even more with the book by seeing life-size how tall the shortest lady is or charming a snake out of its basket, or maybe they want to climb Mount Everest and see what the view would look like. It can be a bit tricky at first to make sure you keep the book in the screenshot from your phone or tablet but with practise even my 6 year old's could do it.

I'll happily be buying copies of the GRW 2014 to give to my nephews as Christmas presents. It is a super book for kids and to be truthful, adults too if they like facts and figures.

I have 2 copies of the Guinness World Records 2014 book available for giveaway, would you like to win one?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Record breaking party popping!

Last week, in half term all the family headed up to London to join Guinness World Records at their office for their #GWRdayout for bloggers. We have been to a couple of events before with them and had a great time and thus the kids were very excited.

JJ has attempted some world records before and sadly not managed to achieve one yet but he did get very close with balancing the most hats on his head last June. I feel really confident that within the next couple of years he will have one of the coveted Guinness World Records certificate and be a verified record holder. For now he is making do with a face paint tattoo.

There were three records that we could attempt last week and JJ took on them all. The most sticky notes on your body in 30 seconds, the most lemons caught whilst wearing a blindfold and the most party poppers popped in 30 seconds. You can see he had good fun -

...and here is dh attempting to catch the lemons blindfolded whilst JJ throws them to him -

For Miss E she was not so much interested in attempting the records as she was looking after the animals in the petting zoo. We were lucky to be able to meet lots of cute (and not so cute!) creatures because Guinness World Records have a free to download ebook called Awesome animals.

Miss M, I rarely saw during the day as she made herself very comfortable in the Guinness World Records office and befriended a few of the staff, specifically Marco Frigatti and his dog Nero. With a broken arm the records were beyond her, which was a shame as she wanted to get involved but she tells me she still had an amazing day.

In the true spirit of it, I also tried out the record attempts and I can honestly say I have not laughed so much in ages as my husband chucked lemons at me whilst I was blindfolded. We managed to catch 2 of them, which was not so bad! I seriously attempted the sticky notes and party poppers task. The record for the sticky notes is 32 on yourself in 30 seconds and I managed 26, dh got 27, so respectable efforts but the party poppers was where I excelled. The record is 36 popped in 30 seconds and I did 33 on my first effort but sadly only 28 on my properly adjudicated attempt. If only I had time to practise more, I know I could beat that one! lol

We had a great day out with Guinness World Records and I want to say a big thanks from our family. The kids are loving their 2014 books and I'll get a review up in a week or so when we have had a chance to really devour them.

These are the kind of great days you want to remember forever, so I'm linking up for the first time with Jaime at Olivers Madhouse

Oh so close and yet so far - my Guinness World record attempt!

Friday could have become the proudest day of my life, I could have seen my name in print and received a coveted Guinness World record certificate for becoming a record breaker.

• The official adjudicator was there
• I was there
• A big basket of socks was there
• In my head I kept hearing Roy Castle singing 'dedication is what you need, if you wanna be a record breaker!  whoo'
• But did Roy help me, did I manage to match and roll 20 pairs of socks in 1 minute?
• Was I quick enough???  No sadly not, must practise more Mich!

The current record is 19 and my top score was 17. I think with some practise I could break this record.  I did 2 practise runs, I got 16 on the first, 17 on the second and 17 on the official attempt but I got phased and my hands failed me!

Image Credit  I' have not got a picture of me doing it but here is my pretty little Miss E!

We had a fabulous time trying to break some world records and that for me was what it was about. One of the other Mummy bloggers there told me it was serious business and they really wanted a record, I have to be honest, this did not really bring out my competitive streak!  However saying that, I am proud to say I did the best at this task on the day, the other Mummy bloggers obviously are not as anal about their laundry as I am!  Not a fact I am sure I want to boast about?

We did have a record breaker among us though, Liz at Violet Posy had bought her secret weapon along and her husband took the record for stacking 21 cups in a particular formation, I can't recall the exact time, but it was about 16 seconds.

I am pleased to report that JJ told me what a great day he had. He attempted the record for domino stacking, currently held by the lovely Kate at 'WitWitWoo' and there was no tears this time.  He was proud of himself and had fun. Yay the boy is growing up!

The girls just had fabulous fun watching everyone, eating, getting their faces painted, wearing balloons and generally being little misses! Here is Miss M with her beautiful face painted as a tiger and he spectacular balloon backpack.

Image Credit

After our record attempts and some fun with face paints and balloons we went to see the Augmented reality exhibit that was at the Westfield Centre in Stratford and boy was it excellent.  It looked like a dinosaur, shark and the worlds heaviest twins were right there by my children, such good fun and you do not have to travel anywhere to see this kind of stuff.  Just buy yourself the Guinness World Records book (which I have seen on special offer in loads of places just recently) and download the free app.

JJ has already reviewed the Guinness World Records 2013 book, follow the link to read more.

Thank you to the Guinness World records team, you really are an awesome bunch of people. We all had a fabulous time.


Disclosure:  We were guests at Giraffe restaurant at the invitation of Guinness World Records, we received a gift each for attending.  I have not been asked to blog about this nor instructed what to write.  We just had a lovely time and I want to share.

JJ's Record Breaking Heartache!

Last Thursday the kids and myself enjoyed a day at Whipsnade Zoo courtesy of Thomson Family Resorts and Guinness World Records. We were introduced to their new partnership and it seems like a super and really novel idea.  Basically, when you travel with Thomson to one of their 18 family resorts you can attempt to break a world record.  Yes a proper world record and you might even make it into the annual year book and you will of course gain yourself an official and coveted certificate.  Now if you are old like me you will have fond memories of Roy Castle presenting record breakers on the TV.

During the day time on your holiday you can take part in the heats and those with the best times/ scores will then be able to make official world record attempt in the evening in front of a cheering crowd. Maybe you could be the new champion who can put the most underpants on in one minute!

On our day at the zoo there were a few different records we could attempt.  Not just the kids but adults too.  The Mummy Whispers hubbie was a dab hand at lilo stacking and Claire from the Veggie Experience even managed to set a new world record and gained herself a certificate.

From the start my JJ took a liking to the 'how many hats can you put on your head in one minute' record.  He spent quite some time practising before lunch and really got into it; bossing people around, timing them and advising them of the rules.  The current record was 27 hats balanced on a head for 5 seconds once the one minute was up and in the practise time JJ got up to 24 hats, so he was feeling really excited and confident.  I'll let you watch how he got on....



If I'm honest he went home a little gutted but his friendly ways and confidence paid off for him because he will soon receive a special preview copy of the 2013 Guinness World Records book and that has made him smile a lot.  Now if only I could get him to buddy up with the people at Thomson's, we would make really excellent reviewers for a trip abroad! I have spent far too much time this evening  could set us up with.  If I just had a spare £2000 the 5 of us could jet off somewhere hot in August, but instead we'll be heading to Dorset!  My last holiday abroad feels like a super long time ago in 2004.

I think the highlight of the day for Miss M was meeting Thomson the dog, she took a real shine to him.  The girls are still at that lovely age when they do not question if the characters are real or not.

And my laid back one, Miss E she just watched all the others join in and was a happy little lady.  So easy to please, you have to love her.

Disclaimer:  Thomson treated us to a day at the zoo with a lovely lunch and some fun toys for the kids.  I have not been instructed to write a post but thought I would share with you. Thanks to Thomson and Guiness World Records for the invite.