Bunch O Balloons Party Range - Review

Elliot has recently celebrated his 7th birthday and this year he decided he wanted a party for his friends. I love organising parties but I do have to make sure I'm super organised not to forget any of the smaller details!

We recently got the chance to review a party bundle from Zuru Bunch O Balloons and this was a fantastic help with my party preparation.

Inside the party box we received the following:

• Zuru Bunch O Balloons Self Sealing Party Balloons and pump
• Refill Balloon Pack (blue/yellow/red)
• ROBO Alive Dino
• 12 x Smashers Dino

Bunch O Balloons Self Sealing Party Balloons and Pump

I don't think you can have a children's party without balloons so I was excited to see how I could inflate 40 balloons in 40 seconds. I hate blowing up balloons but I hate tying knots in them even more so the fact the Bunch O Balloons were self sealing was a revelation!

The pump couldn't be more simple to use - there are three different slots and you rotate to top to match the amount of balloons you are inflating. Simply attach the balloons, switch it on and that's it - 40 seconds later you will have perfectly sized balloons on ribbon. The self-sealing part is fantastic and such a time saver! 

The pump can also be used with helium which would be really useful if you wanted floating balloons for a special occasion. The balloons are lovely and bright and a decent size. They also didn't seem to pop as easily as some of the cheaper balloons I've purchased in the past. 

I cannot stress how useful this gadget is for parties! The fact the balloons are inflated, knotted and on ribbon in 40 seconds is just incredible. All the parts are also recyclable which is brilliant.

Bunch O Balloons can be found at Smyths Toys and the starter pack normally retails at £14.99 but is currently on offer at £7.49 which is an absolute steal. The refill packs are on offer at £1.99! 

Smashers Dino 

It can be abit of a hassle sorting out party bags and I have to admit, the last few years I've just given a book and sweets. But my kids love a party bag and these Smashers Dino's would be the perfect thing to pop inside!

The dino egg can be smashed on the ground and inside you will find a dino character. Elliot is a massive fan of collectable toys like these and he was excited to see there were 100 different characters to collect!

The smashed egg can even be rebuilt to smash again so it's a fab little toy to keep the children entertained. I think any child would be happy to receive one of these in a party bag.

ROBO Alive Dino

The Bunch O Balloons party box has even thought about a present for the birthday child and our box contained a ROBO Alive Dino. For a dinosaur obsessed soon to be 7 year old, this was a BIG DEAL!

The dino stomps along like a real T-Rex and even bites! We have a couple of the Robo Alive toys already and they are really popular with Elliot and Erin. The T-Rex is well made and seems durable enough to survive the clutches of an enthusiastic child!

For more info on Bunch O Balloons, check out their website or you can find the BOB party range at your local Smyths toy store.

Thank you Zuru for sending us the party box and helping with our party prep - we genuinely loved the Bunch O Balloons pump and will definitely be resuing it for Erin's birthday party!

*Disclaimer - We were sent this item in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own

Halloween at Mapperton House Dorset

Back in the Summer we visited Mapperton House and it was definitely one of the most picturesque places we have ever been to. I was keen to return later in the year to see the Autumn colours so in the recent half term we made the 1 hour journey over to West Dorset to take part in the Halloween Fun Day. The drive down to Mapperton was really foggy which definitely added to the spooky feel of the day!

We bought along some friends and the children were excited to explore, dressed in their scariest Halloween costumes! We picked up our trail sheets from the shop and we couldn't wait to start. The trail was nice and easy for the children and it was very straightforward for them to follow the arrows.

  The trail led us around the gardens which were decorated fantastically for Halloween. Giant spiders, pumpkin heads, witty gravestones, shrunken turnip heads with teeth, floating skeletons, concluding with a visit to the witches house for a spidery treat.

The only one brave enough to knock on the witches door was surprisingly Erin. We weren't actually expecting the door to open so it made us jump when the door swung open and the witch greeted us!

 Once we had completed the trail we headed back up to the Coach House cafe for some warming hot chocolates and spooky cupcakes. As we were visiting on the Halloween fun day, there was the bonus of free face painting in the cafe. Unfortunately, there was only one face painter so we ended up waiting over 90 minutes until it was our turn which was a bit frustrating.

Erin passed the time by jumping in puddles!

Whilst the addition of a free face painter was good (and she did do a fab job!) the queue just didn't move quick enough unfortunately. Instead it would have been great to see some Halloween themed crafts in the cafe, or even in a marquee like they had set up in the Summer.

Never the less, we had a really fun time at Mapperton and luckily managed to finish the trail before the rain arrived in the afternoon. I loved how the grounds were decorated and the mist really added to the Halloween atmosphere!

Mapperton is now closed for the Winter months but I'd highly recommend a visit in March when they reopen. The gardens are well worth a visit and the hot chocolates in the cafe are some of the nicest I've had!

*Disclaimer - We received a free entry in exchange for an honest review