"I think it is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed."

I love to see great companies coming together and collaborating on something fun, especially when it is a company That Spurs on many of our outdoor adventures, joining forces with another that makes prepping for these adventures a little more productive. We'd already joined these two on many occasions so it was exciting to receive a scoot into summer package and begin our Bear Snacks  / Micro Scooters scavenger hunt.

We definitely don't need an excuse to get out on the scooters. In fact, some weeks I feel like I've been on wheels more than my feet. Getting out and taking in our surroundings is something we spend a lot of time doing, so having a nature hunt to do along the way was a lot of fun for Opeie. We tried to spread our scavenger hunt over quite a few outings and each scooting adventure was complemented with fruity Bear snacks along the way.

The weather has been amazing over the last few weeks and we've really been making the most of it with the Micro Scooters. sometimes I still can't believe the impact the scooters have had on us as a family and it's this time of year where the scooters get our undivided attention.

The boys were disappointed when we had found everything on the list so we added a few in ourselves and went on another hunt before starting some nature-themed craft. With so much greenery all around us, I feel blessed to have started this family life in Shropshire. It is the perfect place to bring up two adventurous boys and with great companies like this entertaining us along the way, there is no end to the fun that we can have together.

A is for Adventure. F is for Family.

Christmas this year was AMAZING! We got to spend a huge amount of time with Mrs M which made our festive celebrations. To add to the excitement Mrs M had set up one of her treasure hunts around the house, with a very exciting booty to be found. More from that later in the year though, exciting times!!!

"When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle..."

After finishing Fantastic Mr Fox with Opeie a few nights back I figured that it was about time for the Gifts from the Pirates fox hunt update. The family game is still going strong and is now in its third year. It seems that everywhere we look still those sly yet adorable animals are staring right back at us. Here are the ones we have spotted recently...

"Treasure your relationships, not your possessions."

There has been an envelope sitting on our tall boy at home amongst the tin robots since last Thursday, addressed to me and the boys with the strict instructions not to open until 4pm today. As you can imagine me and the boys were very eager for that time to arrive as we had no ideas about the contents of said envelope. Mrs M had left us this as she is working away and we've all been missing her very much.

Excitement was in the air when Seth finished school today and we raced back to see what Mrs M had planned for us. Inside, a clue and the start of what turned out to be a very exciting treasure hunt. I loved how personal the treasure hunt was, some of the the clues were things that only we would know and were aimed at us individually. Considering Mrs M is always so busy with work I don't know how she found the time to organise it.

Not only were we running about the house searching for well hidden items, we also had to take our hunt online and get clues from Mrs M's Twitter page. As excited as the boys were getting, I was starting to get a bit of a headache by this point as because the excitement was too much. I loved the effort that had gone in knowing that she would be away for a few days and it really meant a lot to us that she had gone all out with this surprise hunt.

With clues zipped inside sofa cushions, within the pages of books, inside pen lids and hidden in the barbecue in the garden it was just what the boys needed to perk them up because of mommy working away. I was getting so much out of the smiles on the boys faces, it was lovely to watch. there was one point where there was a clue in a box of Amsterdam shortbread and Seth thought that was the end but the search continued.

The final clue was a memory stick with instructions to play a video and when the boys saw Mrs M wearing a pirate hat and explaining where the surprise was  they were on the edge of their seats. She told the boys that even though she had told them where the surprise was they had to watch the video till the end. She told Seth not to run off and that she knew he was giggling (which he was, he thought that was amazing).

As the video ended they both darted for our bedroom to the lever arch folder in the bookcase that was hiding their surprise. Mrs M notched up some serious super mom points today, not for the surprise itself although we've all been so excited about getting this game and it really will keep us entertained while she is away but for the effort and love that went into organising this without us knowing, so that she can continue to put smiles on our faces even though shes not with us.

I feel so lucky to have Mrs M as a best friend and i know the boys feel exactly the same way. Now to go and play LEGO haha.

Thanks Mrs M there really is no one quite like you x