A busy weekend featuring a Newcastle bar crawl, meeting Mister Maker & Parlour Tricks

Phew! What a weekend. Just when I think our weekends can't get any busier....they do. Steve broke up from work for 2 weeks on Friday night and his time off started in style!

Saturday morning | Family chill out time

Weekends for us are always busy, busy, busy and I actually block out 'chill time' in our diaries so we don't all become too burnt out.The kids love this time where they can spend the morning in their PJs and play on their computers without me dragging them out on some adventure and Steve and I really love just chilling out at home watching Saturday kitchen and drinking coffee. Saturday mornings like this are my favourite kind of Saturdays and we actually have another one in our diary next week before the madness of the summer holidays. I can't wait.

Saturday afternoon | Drinks in Newcastle

It's Steve's birthday next week and Steve's mam kindly offered to have the kids for us on Saturday afternoon and overnight. We decided to make the most of our child-free time and head into Newcastle for the afternoon. We really enjoyed ourselves. You can watch what we got up to (and how many drinks we consumed) in this video below. I am really trying to work on my editing at the moment so I hope you like it:

We started with food and drinks in Colonel Porter's Emporium which is a new bar on the Quayside. It's pretty big inside and whilst most people were sitting in the bar area we opted for a couple of comfortable armchairs in the bar's lounge where they offer table service. I ordered the Black Forest cocktail (which was pretty strong) and Steve went with a recommended real ale. We shared an anti-pasti board which was packed with meats and served with our own baked Camembert with Newcastle brown ale bread. Delish! We were really impressed with this bar which also has it's own secret area and we'll be back with the kids for Sunday lunch soon I think. We were also served a complimentary dish of goat's cheese popcorn with our drinks which was a nice little treat.

We didn't have loads of money to spend so searched for a few deals around town on a Saturday. There are some pretty good bargains to be had during the day including 2 cocktails for £7 at The Glasshouse, BOGOF cocktails at Las Iguanas, £7.50 pitchers of Sangria at Tapas Revolution (including complimentary bar tapas) and BOGOF cocktails at Turtle Bay. Las Iguanas on Grey Street is the perfect spot for people watching if you can grab a table outside. We saw all sorts and were definitely kept entertained by passers by.

Saturday evening | Great Northern Soul Food at Boiler Shop

I used to love visiting the Bolier Shop Steamer and it's a real miss! So when we discovered that the Great Northern Soul Food event was happening on the night we had sitters, we snapped up tickets and arranged to meet up with a couple of our friends. Tickets were £8 pp in advance or £10 on the door. I have to say I loved the refurb and there were loads more tables available which made us easy to sit down and catch up with each other. There was a fab DJ and live band playing inside where a fair few people were having a bit of a boogie to everything from the Jackson 5 to James Brown.  We opted to sit outside and chat instead. There were various food stalls on offer ranging from the Grind to Longhorns and we all agreed that it was a little on the pricier side. For example, the Longhorns BBQ Brisket Sandwich is £5.50 to eat inside the Longhorns restaurant in Newcastle City Centre where as they were selling it for £6 at the event. Drinks were £4 for a bottle of sol or £5.30 for a pint. We didn't really mind paying a premium as you are paying for the ambience but it's worth keeping in mind if you're thinking of heading to any future events. We had a really good night and ended up at Billy Bootleggers (which was heaving) and then The Alchemist for a night cap before catching the last bus home.

Sunday afternoon | Evan's Bistro & meeting Mister Maker

We were very surprised to wake up with zero hangover on Sunday and I spent the morning editing this video and catching up on my favourite blogs before collecting the kids from grannies and heading over to Evan's Bistro in Whitley Bay for Sunday lunch. My mam had been on holiday for 2 weeks and we all met for an epic catch up (she recommends Benalmadena by the way). I can't get enough of the Cumberland sausage they serve here - it's their butchers' secret recipe! It was just what I needed after a night on the town. It was a lovely way to spend a few hours as the kids played nicely (for once) with the board games in the kids snug and us grown-ups could have a proper chat and catch up.

Heidi and I were invited along to watch Mister Maker and the Shapes Live at Whitley Bay Playhouse (press tickets). I am always completely honest in my reviews and will say that the prospect of spending 2 hours in the company of a theatre full of excited children and a CBeebies star isn't exactly how I wanted to spend a Sunday afternoon after a Saturday night out in town. The things we do for our kids eh! Well actually, I was pleasantly surprised and the show was really entertaining. We were all up dancing with the shapes, Heidi smiled the whole way through and it was generally just lots of fun and not at all mundane as I had suspected. It's fair to say that all of the kids in the audience had the best time and I'm sure they were inspired to create a special make of their own at home. We were lucky enough to meet Mister Maker after the show and I have to say he is so canny! He really made an effort to chat with us and Heidi and her new BFF Sophia were chuffed to bits to receive a signed Mister Maker magazine. If you get the chance to catch a Mister Maker show or simply fancy downloading one of his free craft tutorials, visit the Mister Maker website here.

Sunday evening | Morgan & West Parlour Tricks at Tyne Theatre & Opera House

We decided to let the kids stay up late on Sunday night as we'd been invited along to Morgan & West Parlour Tricks at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House (press tickets). I love the grandeur of the Tyne Theatre and always feel like a night out here offers a real sense of occasion. Morgan & West are not only super talented but also very entertaining and the show was perfectly pitched to an audience of grown ups and families with older children. We were wowed by their ability to read minds, laughed as audience members forgot which card they'd selected for a trick and were amazed at the duo's quick changing tricks. H, H and J thoroughly enjoyed the show and giggled and gasped the whole way through. As did Steve and I for that matter. It really was the perfect way to end our busy weekend together. The Tyne Theatre & Opera House host a range of family shows throughout the year and I would highly recommend booking ahead for Smile for a night variety show on 1 October which involves panto favourites Danny Adams and Clive Webb alongside North East escapologist Chris Cross, Britain's Got Talent Mimic Men, Alfie Joey and more. Tickets are just £30 per family of 4 and available here.

I honestly feel like I need a week to recover but there's no rest for the wicked! I'll be up early on Monday preparing for my blogging talk at the Q Festival on the Quayside just outside the Baltic on Monday evening. There are still tickets available here if you fancy it.

Let me know what you got up to at the weekend and if you have any exciting plans for next weekend.