Family Weekly Update: 15th - 21st June 2026 | Something Rotten, Shopping & Father's Day
- Jun 22
- 6 min read
Family Weekly Update
This week felt like a bit of a return to normal after spending so much time recently catching up on blog posts, videos and theatre reviews.
Monday was a fairly quiet day at home. I spent most of the day editing the latest weekly vlog and writing up last week's Family Weekly Update. As anyone who follows my blog regularly will know, there always seems to be another video to edit or blog post to write, so it was nice to have a day to catch up on some admin before the rest of the week got busy.
A Shopping Trip Into Manchester
On Tuesday, Lawrence had the day off work, so after dropping the children off at school we decided to get the tram into Manchester for a bit of shopping.
Our first stop was Manchester Arndale. Lawrence wanted to look for some new work shoes in Shoezone, so while he was doing that I headed into The Entertainer for a browse.
I'm glad I did because I managed to find some of the Super Mario Hot Wheels cars that Alice and Leo had been looking for. I picked up Peach, Rosalina and Bowser Jr and was quite pleased with myself.
When I met back up with Lawrence, he decided he wanted to have a look in The Entertainer too, so we ended up going back inside. This turned out to be a good thing because we found even more of the collection and ended up buying Red Yoshi and Baby Mario as well.
They also had Toy Story 5 wrapping paper in stock. Alice has already informed me that she wants a Toy Story 5 themed birthday party in December, so although it might seem a little early, I decided to buy it while I had the chance. Experience has taught me that if I leave these things until closer to the time, they often disappear from the shelves.
While paying, I was also tempted by a special offer on a Lotso plush and managed to add that to my basket as well.
Afterwards we had a quick look around B&M but didn't find anything we wanted before heading over to Primark.
As always, my favourite part of Primark was the Disney section. There was so much new Disney stock in that I ended up filming a Disney Come Shop With Me video for YouTube while I was there.
I was very tempted by a reduced Bambi bag which had been marked down to £6, but unfortunately the strap was a little too short for me so I reluctantly left it behind.
We did manage to find a few bargains for the children though. Leo got a Pokémon sweatshirt along with a Super Mario sweatshirt and jogging bottoms, all reduced to half price.
Lawrence and I also picked up some phone straps ready for our upcoming London trip, and I found a My Chemical Romance t-shirt which I thought would make a nice Father's Day gift for him.
Before heading home, we made one final stop at Krispy Kreme. I had a voucher for 12 doughnuts for £12 and Alice had been asking if we could get some, so it seemed rude not to.
We arrived home just in time to collect the children from school, who were absolutely delighted with both the doughnuts and the new Super Mario cars.
A Solo Theatre Trip To See Something Rotten!
Wednesday morning was spent catching up on some housework before I headed into Manchester in the evening to see Something Rotten! at Manchester Opera House.
If I'm honest, I nearly talked myself out of going.
My anxiety has been quite bad recently and I've found some of my solo theatre trips harder than usual. Normally I'd arrive at the theatre nice and early, but this time I left much later than I usually would because I spent far too long trying to convince myself to leave the house.
In the end, I caught the tram into Manchester and arrived at the theatre just before 7pm.
Ironically, my later arrival turned out to be perfect timing. I still had enough time to take a few photos outside, browse the merchandise stand and find my seat before the performance started.
I bought a programme and a wooden magnet as souvenirs and then settled into my seat in the Circle.
The show itself was absolutely hilarious.
Without turning this into a full review, it was honestly one of the funniest musicals I've seen in years.
More importantly, I was really proud of myself for going.
When anxiety is telling you to stay at home, even something you normally enjoy can feel difficult. By the time I left the theatre at the end of the evening, I was so glad I had pushed myself to go.
Sometimes the things we worry about the most turn out to be the things we enjoy the most.
👉 You can read more about my visit and shorter review HERE
Housework, Blogging & More Theatre
Thursday was another fairly productive day.
I spent some time catching up on housework and started working on a few new blog posts.
That evening, Lawrence went to see Something Rotten! himself and he came home saying how much he had enjoyed it too.
It's always nice when we both end up loving the same show.
Father's Day Shopping
On Friday, Lawrence was off work again, so we headed to some of our local shops to pick up Father's Day cards and presents.
We stopped at Home Bargains where I found some Father's Day cards and chocolates for Lawrence's gift. We also picked up some handheld fans ready for our London trip.
Afterwards we headed to Aldi to do a food shop before returning home.
The rest of the afternoon was spent working on blog posts.
One thing people often don't realise is how long blog writing can take me. I have dyslexia and dyspraxia, which means it takes me longer to process information and organise my thoughts.
When I was at university I received 50% extra time in exams because it simply took me longer to complete written work.
I genuinely love writing and creating content, but it's not unusual for a single blog post to take me most of the day to finish. It's one of the reasons I always appreciate everyone who takes the time to read, comment and support what I create.
Alice's School Fair & An Early Father's Day Meal
Saturday was Alice's school fair.
The children had an absolutely brilliant time and spent most of the morning bouncing between the different inflatables.
There were two traditional bouncy castles along with an obstacle course inflatable that ended with a slide, and I don't think Alice and Leo stopped moving for the entire time we were there.
Of course, no school fair is complete without ice cream.
I chose strawberry sauce on mine, Alice went for chocolate sauce and Leo picked an Oreo ice cream.
Lawrence didn't get one because he already knew what would happen. Sure enough, the children only managed about half of theirs and he ended up finishing the leftovers.
We also treated the children to a cookie each before heading off.
We couldn't stay all afternoon because we had a table booked at Coppice Wood Farm for an early Father's Day meal.
My parents and my brother joined us and we all enjoyed a lovely family lunch together.
The children always enjoy visiting because of the play area and they happily disappeared off to play while the adults chatted.
The food was lovely and it was nice to spend some time together before Father's Day.
A Relaxing Father's Day
Sunday was Father's Day.
The children gave Lawrence his cards and presents in the morning and he was really pleased with everything they had chosen for him.
Because it was such a warm day, we decided to keep things simple and enjoy a relaxing day at home.
We stayed in our pyjamas for most of the day, watched television, played games on the Nintendo Switch and generally enjoyed doing very little.
While everyone else relaxed, I did spend some time editing this week's vlog and working on another blog post, but overall it was a much slower pace than we've had recently.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, this week was a nice mix of family time, theatre trips, blogging and getting organised for the weeks ahead.
I was particularly proud of myself for making it to Something Rotten! despite feeling anxious beforehand, and it was lovely seeing how much fun Alice and Leo had at the school fair.
Sometimes the quieter weeks end up being just as enjoyable as the busy ones.
With London coming up soon and plenty more theatre trips already booked, I don't think things will stay quiet for long though!
🎥 Watch Our Weekly Vlog
From shopping in Manchester to seeing Something Rotten! at Manchester Opera House, Alice's school fair and our Father's Day celebrations, it's been another busy week.
You can watch the full vlog below.
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