Get Yourself an Ice Cream Sandwich in Covent Garden Before the Summer Ends

The text above is nothing to do with Milo and Hector's ice cream - I just thought it would make a good photo :-)

I have lost count of the number of times I have said THAT was my favourite EVER blogging event. Each time I have one, along comes another to surpass it and this time with ICE CREAM, in a superb London location. What gets better?!??!

Along comes an invite to my inbox, inviting me to a Night at the Pictures. I was cheeky enough to ask if I could bring all 6 grandchildren (Aaron included), and the answer was a big yes, so it is a travesty that I have taken this long to write about it, but straight after the event Aaron was very poorly for 6 days, then we had friends over for 4 days and then it was straight into back to school. In fact you may as well say 4th August to 4th September went by me in a blur, as you can probably tell from the amount of blogging I have done, or rather, not done!

We debated all the way there, as to whether it was an indoor or outdoor cinema. I'd Google Mapped AND street viewed the venue and was none the wiser, so we were blown away on arrival. We popped down a little alleyway, and were welcomed with a grotto like Winter Wonderland style of Cinema, which would be perfect for Santa's Elves themselves!

It was really all about the Ice Cream, so let me show you the little CUTE van it is served from:

You get to choose your cookies and your ice cream, even having a different one on top and bottom. I got peanut flavoured ice cream with cookies with sultanas in, which were chewy and divine! It's a big enough portion that I can easily understand it costing 4 pounds in the West End, so think that is reasonable. My nieces and nephew were so cute though, as they kept saying when queuing up "are you sure it's free?"- bless. Apart from this year's Lollibop I don't usually get to take them to blogging events; it's usually me and Aaron.

You'll see Kate, looking pretty in pink, from Wit Wit Woo above if you look closely. 

So in real glass bottles with quaint paper straws, we all had drinks. Milkshakes, traditional lemonade, and White Russians; I stuck with the latter HICCcccc. I needed them after my niece shut her hand in the toilet door; at that point I thought we were going home minus the cartoons and minus the ice cream, but lucky she is made of strong stuff, so made a speedy recovery. The founder of Milo and Hector's Ice Cream was a complete rock in helping look after her, when I kind of panicked. I couldn't understand how it had happened when I'd sent the big ones to mind the little ones, but that's the thing with accidents, they aren't MEANT to happen.

If you would like an ice cream sandwich get yourself to Covent Garden Piazza but be quick as they are stopping at the end of September and will be back next Summer...

It was the perfect night out, and the perfect end to what was a great Summer. We've seen the "cousins" lots this Summer so it was so wonderful to go out on a high. 

They played with those balloons and ate their sweets all the way home. Their energy was bouncing off the walls when we got home and the only thing that grounded them again was a very big nourishing late night dinner from Grandma. Once eaten and in PJs bedtime was easy but very very late, as the event was from 8-10 p.m.

I am so glad I was allowed to bring them all, as it was simply wonderful. I will definitely be visiting Covent Garden again, and will be more than happy to pay 4 Great British Pounds for an Ice Cream Sandwich as they are superb.

It takes too long to edit and include every photo so I have made a slideshow of the best snaps I took for you dear reader. You'll see one or two in there with two boys on "stage" - they are literally Milo and Hector as the founder of the ice cream sandwich named the company after his boys - SO SO cute!

Please look, enjoy, like, subscribe and share:


There's currently a 15% promotion running if you are going to be in Covent Garden soon and fancy participating:

Go forth and enjoy summer whilst it lasts with 15% off @miloandhectors ice cream sandwiches. Snap and share an image of the van to qualify!
— Covent Garden (@CoventGardenLDN) August 27, 2014

Disclosure: I was invited to this event, in order to try the ice cream and share my experience with you. The attention to detail in every respect was awesome!

London Transport Museum - For Baby Boys!

Last Saturday, Aaron and I woke at 10:12 and I went on the computer over breakfast and realised I was meant to be at the British Chiropractic Association event (to give parents top tips on looking after our backs) hosted by Publicasity PR (who are based in Covent Garden). 

I resigned myself to the fact that I'd have to miss it and between 10 and 11 only had breakfast, but did not get ready. Then at 10:46 a.m. I decided to Tweet-Out 

@NewMumOnline Liska

is anyone going to the chiropractic event in covent gdn today?

and discovered that I heart Motherhood (Sharon) was going:

@iheartmuthahood 

@NewMumOnline I'm going! I'm going! Phew someone I know!!

I emailed the PR 

@aaronhuckett

and asked if it was okay to attend only the last hour and got a resounding "yes" so the panic to start getting ready commenced. 

As the hubby was in bed I asked him to get up to look after Aaron and only got expletives because I'd woken him up. 

So I decided I'd get me AND Aaron ready. 

That is no mean feat considering it was 11 and I'd need to be out before 11:50 to have time to top up Oyster AND get the required train. Well we made it..... oh and one thing came to delay us (and test us)- 

Dad had left the buggy in the car, in the garage (!) from the day before and I would need it. So with time and the tick tock of the clock dead against me I had to ask for his car keys and garage keys and get the buggy out. I do not know how I dressed us both, packed Aaron's bag and got out but we made it and boy am I glad that we did, as we had the best day out that we've ever had since he was born. 

We ended up in the LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM and it was the most child friendly place that I have ever taken Aaron and joy oh joy we will get to go again as my £13 entrance fee is valid for a YEAR!

So, first of all, after the British Chiropractic Association event finished, we went to the park with Kate and her wonderful son Skig.  We went to the Drury Lane Gardens park.  At the time, I did not know the name of it and it has just taken me 30 full minutes to find it on t'internet.

Aaron loved it.  He went up the steps by himself and down the slide by himself - I was flabbergasted but he was just so so confident it was unreal. I just stood and kept my arms ready in case something went wrong, without passing my fear onto him.

All 4 of us then walked to Covent Garden where we went our separate ways.

I introduced Aaron to the mime artists and ermmmmm he wasn't impressed:

Take him away Mummy!

I then got very very very hungry and had a bad experience in the 1st restaurant we went into (not at all child friendly) so I decided to go to the London Transport Museum.  I asked security about 100 questions before we queued up (1) do you have a changing room - yes (2) are you child friendly - a humble yes when they should shout it from the rooftops (3) do you have a cafe/restaurant - yes two! and (4) they have a FAB shop.  Also, she gave me leaflets to read whilst in the queue and I was even showing them to others, which really made us know it was worth our while to queue.

Entrance Fee:
When I paid I was so impressed.  £13 for me and Aaron free.  I was asked if I was a UK tax payer as they treat the money as a donation so they apply for gift aid on it.  If you do this, the ticket is valid for a YEAR - I am so pleased by that and will be back! Hopefully the day after tomorrow if things work out!

When you go in, you get the lift to the 3rd floor and then visit each floor in turn, descending.

It was all so beautiful and the visuals were so strong, that Aaron's eyes were forever like saucers.  And he'd been about to nod off when we 1st went in.

We eventually got to the children's play area and he was in 7th heaven. You can see all of the photos here.

At the end of the tour (above the shop) there is a fab cafe.... they have LOTS of high chairs and wonderful staff BUT Aaron threw a fork at a breastfeeding lady when we were in there - yes the shame of it!

Anyway, all of our photos are here:

As you can see the art-work at the Museum is out of this world.

I really really enjoyed myself - as did Aaron.

If you have a child under 6 I would HIGHLY recommend the play area.  Aaron was able to pretend to drive a train, tube, bus and taxi and was in his element.

Liska xx