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IT may seem that normal life has been put on hold at the moment.

But when you’re a mum, you still have kids who want to go out to experience new things and explore.

After six months behind closed doors, options may seem limited, but it’s always good to have a look at things which take you outdoors while allowing you and the little ones to stay safe.

We recently enjoyed a trip to Vauxhall City Farm and I was impressed by the measures being taken to ensure social distancing and general post lockdown safety.

The space is small but perfectly formed and the kids absolutely loved the chance to feed the animals. I thought we would be in and out in ten minutes, but I simply could not drag both my three and ten-year-old away.

Entry to the site is free with a voluntary donation and food for the animals is just £1 a bag.

The kids also loved the chance to walk around the farm’s community garden following our own recent endeavours into growing fruit and veg at home.

Staff are constantly communicating to ensure there are only a certain number of visitors inside the farm at any one time, which means that entry numbers are limited and queues can form when busy.

There are also lots of handwashing stations and a one-way system in place to help with social distancing.

www.vauxhallcityfarm.org

Don’t worry, I’m not about to launch into a rant about the effect pregnancy has on your figure or discuss ‘birthing hips’! Instead this week I had the great opportunity to catch new Cuban dance production Ballet Revolución.

When an invitation dropped into my mailbox, it didn’t take long for me to decide my response – hot, bare-chested dancers flexing their toned limbs to the sounds of Ricky Martin and Shakira? – count me in!

The Sadler’s Wells production running at London’s Peacock Theatre is fairly far removed from any typical night at the ballet, but not completely, as these dancers clearly have the skills to compete with any top ballet company. And instead of pirouettes, tutus and scrapped back buns, it was more a case of pirouettes, hip thrusts, hotpants and dreadlocks to a soundtrack of Ricky Martin’s She Bangs and Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie, not to mention some more recent hits such as Chris Brown’s Yeah 3x and Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy, performed by a talented live band.

The tempo of the production continued to pick up pace throughout the performance brilliantly showcasing the mix of ballet, contemporary and hip hop. By the end of the night, it was hard not to want to join in and shake a hip or two.

At the Peacock Theatre, London until May 19 – definitely worth booking a ticket!

Missed having Shaun the Sheep in your life?

Well, fear not, the lovable woolly character is back with a new friend this October.

Returning to the big screen, this time around havoc is caused when a mystery visitor from another galaxy crash lands near Mossy Bottom Farm. And it’s left to Shaun and his pals to ensure the fun-loving alien Lu-La makes it back home.

Obviously their quest is not without mishaps along the way, especially with an overly keen Men In Black style agent hot on their heels.

It’s actually amazing how much fun you can have watching a feature length film with no actual proper words but I guess that’s part of its appeal to all the family.

We were lucky enough to be treated to a preview screening and my biggest fear was that my two-year-old toddler would not want to stay sitting in one place for the duration of the film.

But in the end – after a slightly rocky start when he got a tad anxious about the rather ominous music in the first five minutes – I was only forced to step out once to go and buy some popcorn!

To round up, I think when it comes to productions by Aardman Animations we as viewers expect a certain quality and type of humour – thankfully their latest offering does not disappoint.

Farmageddon hits cinemas October 18. Watch the trailer here.

HANDS up who usually gives up the battle when it comes to brushing their little one’s teeth?

I mean, who would have thought it could be so difficult when this human being you created is less than half the size of you….

Therefore when I got an invitation to an event which sounded like it could make brushing your teeth – gasp – fun, I couldn’t resist.

So on Thursday we wore white coats and played at being dentists at the Foreo Mikro Dentist event in Central London.

Obviously there was a ball pit involved, but I also received tips from Harley Street Dentist Dr Mark Hughes on oral hygiene for both my kids – even for my one year old, who I learnt can also use their specially designed sonic electric toothbrushes.

The silicone toothbrush head is soft enough for his gums AND can also help with the dreaded itchy gums caused by teething – the Mikro brush has two settings, brush and massage mode.

He’s 18 months and it seems like the majority of his teeth have decided to come at the same time, so anything that soothes the pain is a God send.

Other pluses include a looong battery life, as well as a happy or sad face to encourage little ones to brush for the recommended two minutes.

We’ll see how it goes, but so far, so good. I mean, at least he’s not running away every time I bring out the toothbrush now… In fact it’s the opposite – he’s now dashing off whenever I try to take it off him!

Find out more at www.foreo.com/issa-mikro