"Pink it's like red but not quite And I think everything is going to be all right"

Its always been important to us as a family to make sure that colours are not viewed as gender specific. The ridiculous comments i have heard from other parents in the past regarding what their children wear still shock me to this day. We had an issue with Seth making 'Pink' related comments until he started school but after the first month he was can to his open minded self telling us that the colour snobs at school were 'silly'. We are firm believers in giving Opeie the overall decision to things that we buy when we are out shopping as we did with Seth.

When you have boys there seems to be some serious stigma around including 'Pink' into their daily life, which is exactly how we make sure it viewed like any other colour. Being a creative and quite artist family we don't want colours avoided just because they are not deemed as macho. Its a bit of a long introduction i know but when i was asks by Oxotot to review some more of their products and was asked if i wanted then in green like our previous products i chose Raspberry instead. 

Since the moment we used an Oxotot product during Opeie's dining we've not really used anything else since. We've not needed to! The products are so versatile that they tend to go everywhere with us. The product design is simple yet inventive and the fact that they are BPA, phthalate and PVC free means that as worrying parents we can relax a little.

First up the Oxotot Snack Disk:

This product has been perfect for taking food with us when we are venturing out. We usually use it for fresh fruit, strawberries, cherries and grapes etc. The size of the container is perfect for Opeie's little hands  and the curve shape is great for minimizing any spillages. One of the things i love about this product is that although it is white there has been no staining from having dark red fruits in. We've also used it for pasta in a tomato sauce on many occasions and still no staining. The lid on the Snack Disk clicks in solidly and there is no chance of unwanted mess while transporting it about.

Oxotot Divided Plate:

A while back we reviewed the Oxotot Training Plate which is another fantastic product and this item aside from being bigger is pretty similar. The divided plate as stated in the name is divided in to perfect sized portions sections and has been great for seperating Opeie's wet from dry foods. The detachable curved ring is a genius addition to this product and is perfect for keeping in any mess (or limiting it at least). The center section for dipping sauces has been great for adding humous in to Opeie's meals.

The Flippy Snack Cup:

One of the newer products from the Oxotot range. We had a similar product a while back when Opeie was first attempting finger foods but as his little hands grew it became increasingly more difficult to get at the snacks inside. The Flippy Snack Cup is great for dry snacks at home and on the go. Because Opeie doesn't eat meat, dairy or Soya these things are replaced by a variety of nuts and seed to get protein, good fats and  amino acids into his diet. This product has been great for making sure these don't go all over the places during snack time. As with all of the Oxotot products the softer rubber base is none slip and a perfect deterrent from plates and bowls flying across tables.

Here he is donning one of the pink tops he chose himself!

The great design and simple yet well thought out colour scheme is what originally drew me in to the Oxotot range. Its a finer and more classy way of children's dining.

Gifts from the Pirates in Orlando - Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament

Seth is really in to knights and castles, if he has a sword, a shield and someone to battle he's a very happy boy, because of this a meal out at 'medieval times dinner & tournament' was one of the things Seth was looking forward to most. Seth is very much like Mrs M, he wanted to fully research every place we were going so has spent the last few months watching videos on YouTube and looking at pictures. The videos can't really prepare you for the awesomeness that is medieval times. Thanks to Visit Orlando we were there as press. We were booked in for the 18:00 show and we realised at the condo at 17:00 that they advise you are there an hour before the show, oops! We rushed out and after the 45mins drive to get there from where we are staying we realised it wasn't a neccessaty, 15 mins before was fine. (Just want to point out that 45 mins drive does sound like a like a long time but driving in Orlando is so much nicer than driving in the UK and you don't really notice the distance)

On arrival we were handed crowns and got to have our picture taken with the king and queen before being shown to our seats. The dining arena was fantastic and Seth was clearly impressed, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing your children with huge smiles on their faces and full of excitement.

 As with pretty much everywhere in Orlando the staff are amazingly friendly and can't do enough for you and our medieval waiter was no exception, Nicholas was a great chap and very friendly. What stuck out for me was that medieval times had been the only restaurant we had been to that had been able to accommodate both Mrs M's and Opeie's dietary issues without offering just a salad, I was really impressed and it was obviously no big ask from them either, it's a shame more restaurants aren't like this.

One of the things I loved most about the experience was that everything was very authentic, the knights looked like knights, the king looked like someone you would expect to be ruled by and the food was very in keeping with what you would expect from dining during that era, big pieces of meat (to eat with your hands), rustic bread, soup and potatoes, lush!

The show was like nothing I've ever seen before. Six brave knights ready to do battle and a bad guy that caused the lights to drop and smoke to appear every time he entered the arena. Being able to sit and watch while pulling half a chicken apart with my hands and eating made it a real experience (sorry Mrs M and other vegans out there).

I won't give to much away about the show in case you are reading this before you go (although the show is changed every so often) but there was jousting, sword fighting and medieval games. The arena is sectioned into colours and you each get assigned a knight to cheer on during games and battle and obviously you get to boo the other knights which was great as you really feel like part of the show. Ours was the red knight a valiant warrior who when he wasn't battling for the kings acceptance was flirting with the ladies in the audience. Mrs M was to busy yapping to a staff member when she was hit in the side if the head from a flying rose, courtesy of the red knight, very romantic.

The experience from start to finish was around 2 hours and if you can go I can't recommend it enough. Seth informed us that it was his favourite part of the holiday so far and hearing Opeie shout 'come in you can do it' at the knights was great to watch. The whole experience was made even more enjoyable by our host Nicholas who was so helpful throughout and was more than happy to stop and chat to us after the show despite the fact we were keeping him from his work. A great knight was had by all (hahaha).

On the way out Seth purchased the red knights sword and shield from the armoury so that the medieval fun could continue back at the condo (even if he did fall straight to sleep in the car).

Thanks Medieval times dinner and tournament and thanks Nicholas it truly was a memorable evening and something we as a family can look back on and smile, a Knight to remember (I'll stop now). Good Knight. (Hehe)

"Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others."

Sometimes i don't think that Mrs M realises just how lucky she is. Not only does she get to rub shoulders with myself and the boys but yesterday she got to have a sit down meal with three comic heroes. I thought she would be so overwhelmed that she would have written this post herself!? Tut Tut Mrs M!!