London Zoo

We love visiting London Zoo as there are so many of our favourite animals to see, but trips take a lot of planning! We used the new Journl app to make our day out even easier (and to keep a track of spending!). We timed our visit inside a weekend in the big city which meant we didn't have long journeys either side, and the boys had an amazing day out.

Journl is an online personal organiser, and now an iphone app too.  The website gives you the chance to organise your whole life from to do lists, to budget planning to their handy calender and the iphone app gives you all this on the go.  My favourite aspect of the app was that it helped me keep track of how much I was spending - something that easily gets out of hand! The notes section meant I could pop down handy blog ideas whenever they came into my head too - here is to hoping I actually get a bit more organised now!

 We got up close with butterflies, watched the giraffes having their midday meal and saw penguins diving for fish. I came prepared with my big camera, and realised pretty soon that I had forgotten my memory card! Luckily after a couple of hours I found a stall that sold them (near the entrance if there is anyone else as silly as me!), so I have a mixture of phone and camera photos from our day.

Our day was even better as we got to spend it with my little sister, Aunty NatNat.  The boys love seeing her, and as she doesn't live near us, it is a special treat, which they made the most of - Archie wanted to hold her hand most of the day.

The penguins were definitely a favourite with us all, and the boys jumped back every time they swam close to the glass. There are so many spots to watch from, that we spent quite a bit of time exploring. 

Dylan chose the birds as our last animal of the day, and as we approached the parrots, they started squaking very loudly - Cue Archie putting his finger to his lips and telling them to Shhh! 

A visit to the zoo isn't complete (in the boys' mind)  without a trip to the park, and they loved running off the last of their energy

Literally, the last of it.

The Journl app helped us make the most of the day.  I made a list of things to pack which I could tick off (note to self, put memory card on there as well as camera next time), we could add files like the tube map and I could keep track of our budget too.  It was great for busy families and planning a trip, as leaving the house with toddlers can be challenging in itself!

Disclaimer: My day out was paid for in exchange for my honest opinion on this app,

 but all thoughts, opinions and photos are completely my own.