WEEKLY UPDATE: 26th January – 1st February | Theatre Nights, Creative Makes & An Arctic School Project
- Feb 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 9
Some weeks feel non-stop busy, and others feel calmer and creative — and this one was a really good mix of both. From a rare grown-up theatre date night and lots of behind-the-scenes blog work, to crafty experiments and helping Leo with a school project, this week was full of creative moments and little wins.
Here’s everything we got up to during our week of 26th January – 1st February.
Big Night of Musicals & A Grown-Up Date Night 🎭
On Monday, I spent most of the day at home editing YouTube videos while Lawrence was working an early shift. In the evening, the kids went to their grandparents, which meant Lawrence and I could head into Manchester for a proper night out — something that doesn’t happen very often.
We were lucky enough to attend The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals at the AO Arena, which has become one of our absolute favourite theatre nights of the year. Tickets are released for free each year as a thank you to National Lottery players, with just a small booking fee, and we’ve somehow managed to get tickets every single year since the event began.
This year felt very grown-up — no kids, no school runs, just the two of us. We got the tram into Victoria Station, which is right next to the arena, and despite how busy it was, everything ran really smoothly getting inside.
We were seated in Block 214, Row R, right at the back of the upper tier. We were very high up, but the view was actually much better than expected, and being near the side of the stage meant we could see everything clearly without needing to rely on the screens.
The atmosphere before the show even started was incredible, with music, singalongs and a real buzz around the arena. Once the performances began, it was just non-stop magic. The opening Lion King performance was absolutely breathtaking, with performers and puppets moving through the audience.
Some standout moments for me included Sam Ryder in Jesus Christ Superstar, Ava Brennan in Oliver!, the Annie performance with children from Oldham, and the huge singalong with The Choir of Man. One of my favourite moments of the night was the Disney medley, introduced by Alan Menken and performed by Mae Ann Jorolan, Lucy Jones and Trevor Dion Nicholas, alongside young performers from local training programmes. It was such a special reminder of what this event is really about.
When we got home, Lawrence went straight to bed as he’d been up since 3am, while I stayed up filming my YouTube review — tired but still buzzing from the night.
Reviews, Videos & Shrink Plastic Experiments 🎬
Tuesday was a very productive day. I wrote my reviews of Big Night of Musicals, edited my vlog and review video, and finally tried out printable shrink plastic to make charms of my theatre characters.
There was a lot of trial and error involved — adjusting colour settings so the designs wouldn’t oversaturate when they shrank, and figuring out how to get my Cricut to cut them properly. I didn’t have a deep-point blade at first, so I had to use several repeat cuts, but once it worked, it felt so worth it.
I baked them in my mini oven at 160°C for around 5–10 minutes, flattened them under a heavy book, and was honestly so impressed with how they turned out. Next on the list is finishing them with UV resin so they can become proper pins.
Blog Work, Editing & Craft Deliveries 🖥️📦
Wednesday through to Saturday were mainly spent working on my blog and YouTube content. I redesigned some pages, rewrote older reviews so they work better on the site, and did more video editing.
On Friday, I had a craft delivery arrive from Hobbycraft. I ordered a deep-point blade for my Cricut, replacement fine-point blades, and a new green mat. They had a buy-two-get-one-free offer on Cricut accessories, and I also had a 15% off code, so it felt like a really good deal.
I also picked up some UV resin, a UV light, pin backs, and sublimation pen blanks, which I’m hoping to experiment with using my old air fryer.
An Arctic School Project with Leo ❄️
On Sunday, I helped Leo create an Arctic habitat for school. We used a cardboard cake box, cotton balls and tissue paper for the snow and water, and a printed background. I also cut out Arctic animals on my Cricut, which he then stuck into his scene.
He decided he wanted to add an igloo, so I attempted to make one using plaster cast strips. It didn’t turn out quite as planned — and in hindsight, air-drying or polymer clay would probably have worked better — but the finished scene looked great, and Leo was so proud of it.
Seeing how happy he was with it made all the effort completely worth it.
Final Thoughts 💛
This week felt busy but really fulfilling — a lovely mix of theatre, creativity, behind-the-scenes work and family time.
From a rare grown-up theatre date night and creative experiments, to blog progress and a school project Leo was proud of, it was full of small moments that made it feel really special.
Sometimes it’s not the biggest events, but the little wins that make a week memorable.
Watch Our Weekly Vlog 🎥
If you’d like to see everything we got up to this week in real time, you can watch Weekly Vlog #439 below. It includes our night at Big Night of Musicals, some of my creative projects, and a glimpse of everyday family life.
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