My husband and I have been making an effort to spend more time together, to keep the love alive and all that. We have three children so the closest we get to being alone is when the boys are at school and we only have our daughter. One of the main interests we share is our passion for food and as we were both chefs prior to having our children we know what we like and we know the effort that goes into good food. We love sharing a moment over great coffee but thought we would expand our dining experiences and see what some of the local restaurants and cafes have to offer.

Our first stop was Cupz N’ Crepes in Morpeth, NSW. We walked up and down the street filled with dining options and decided on what looked like your standard little cafe. We only chose to dine their because they had a sign out the front saying cake and coffee, scones and crepes. There was something we all liked.

We took a seat out the front so we had room for the pram and was greeted with table service! It is not often you see that around these parts so Cupz N’ Crepes were already exceeding our expectations. We were handed menus and given time to peruse our options. We decided on something completely different than what we intended on and ordered the Eggs Benedict (Mr C) and the Canadian Stack (Me). Iced coffee with cream to drink.

As our meals were put down in front of us, we were far from disappointed! There was flavour in every bite and each component was cooked to perfection. We could not fault the food. It was reasonably prices with the average meal costing $15. The iced coffees we ordered were what we felt a tad expensive at $6 a pop but oh my goodness they were good!

If you are looking for somewhere to eat with great food and a relaxing environment in the Hunter Valley than Cupz N’ Crepes is definitely worth trying.

Have you been? What did you think? 

Where do you recommend we try next?

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Mega Bugs have invaded the Hunter Valley Gardens! You may have seen last week that we visited the Hunter Valley Gardens to view the Christmas Lights Spectacular and as usual we were not disappointed. If not you can read about it here. It hadn’t occurred to me until yesterday that we have never actually been there during the day to admire the wonderful gardens themselves. They are incredible. The reason we returned on Friday was to experience the Mega Bugs and as per usual the kids loved it!

The beauty of the Mega Bugs is that you can enjoy the elegance and hard work of the amazing gardens, features and fresh air while the kids look in awe and interact with the animatronic Mega Bugs located throughout the gardens. When visiting the Christmas lights you don’t realise how much beauty you are missing out on; this is of course replaced by incredible displays of lights though.

Throughout the gardens you will find a wide range of Mega Bugs that move and replicate their real life movements and sounds. Included are:

Ladybug – The ladybugs wings move up and down.

Spider – This Mega Spider has adopted the name Spider-saurus because it is so huge!

Blue Poison Arrow Frog – Just between you and me, I am petrified of frogs.

Praying mantis – This is absolutely huge! So large in fact it was difficult getting it all in the picture.

Wasp – I cannot explain how much detail is involved in this Mega Bug. Absolutely amazing!

Snail – This was one of my favourites!

Cricket – I got B1 & B2 to stand next to the cricket so everyone could see how big these bugs are. The cricket was one of the smallest there.

Bee on Flower – This bee buzzes about its business on a flower.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get photos of them all but there are heaps more to see. Including: Cicada on tree, Scorpion (this shoots water out of its stinger), Bee, Blue Winged Butterfly, Red Winged, Caterpillar, Dragon Fly Male, Dragon Fly Female, Bean Worm, Green Frog, Centipede, Ant Family, Spider.

The gardens and Mega Bugs were definitely worth seeing! It was such a fun day for the whole family and one the kids will remember for a long time to come.

If this is of interest to you and your family, you can purchase tickets on the Hunter Valley Gardens website OR WIN yourself 1 of 2 family passes over by clicking over here and entering the giveaway. You can experience both the Christmas Lights and Mega Bugs at once!! These family friendly events close on the 26th January.

Is there a bug lover in your house?

Disclosure: I received a family pass to the Mega Bugs for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. 

The post Hunter Valley Gardens Mega Bugs appeared first on All Mum Said.

In our family there are a few traditions that we never miss. Since moving from central Queensland to the Hunter Valley just shy of 5 years ago, we have without fail been to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular every year. We look forward to seeing how they have expanded and increased their displays and every Christmas we are far from disappointed.

This year was the best yet, besides the fact it started pouring rain while we were halfway through. A little rain wasn’t going to stop us enjoying the night though. If you haven’t been before you need to add it to your To-Do list or try and win yourself a family pass below.

There was really something for everyone this year at the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular. The fairytale section showcasing the castle, princess and noble steed was one of my absolute favourites. It was magical and simply stunning.

I love Ferris wheels and had it not been pouring rain I would have taken my kids on it to get an aerial view of the gardens. They were so excited when they saw it as they have never been on one before. Can only imagine how beautiful it would look from that high up.

My sister and brother-in-law  also joined us this year to view the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular and their favourite part was the 12 days of Christmas segment. It is fun, colourful and everything merry.

We enjoyed some quality family time and of course some hot sugary churros (like we do every year) and as usual we were not disappointed. They were so delicious!

There was beauty to be found in every corner of the gardens. Everywhere you looked there was something else that you had to see. From the Storybook Garden to Candyland and everything in between you will be delighted and amazed.

Seeing the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular is a wonderful tradition that can be continued regardless how big or small your family is. You can go alone or with a friend. Just make sure you see them at least once.

Tickets can be purchased and more information can be found on the Hunter Valley Gardens website.

We have also experienced the Mega Bugs which are also on show right now and these family passes can be used to enjoy both of these amazing events at once!! Read more about our Mega Bugs experience.

2 PRIZES UP FOR GRABS!

Each prize contains: 1x Family Pass (2 Adults & 2 Children) to the Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular/Mega Bugs. Valid until 26 Jan 2015.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!! Winners are: Kara N & Angela F.

 **As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to enter more giveaways click over here.

Disclosure: I received 1x family pass for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

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