Thursday, 27 February 2020

Dressing Children for a Ski Holiday with Reima

We all know children don't like being too cold and so when we prepare for a ski holiday with them, the important thing is making sure they have everything they need to keep them warm and dry.  We have worked with Reima again this year who make clothing suitable for Finnish winters which are pretty snowy and found that the children are always so comfortable and prepared for spending all day in the snow.

The children's skiwear was all supplied by Reima

Dressing a child for a snow holiday starts with a base layer.  Underneath everything you see, they need thermals and Reima sent us a set for each of the small people.  I usually pack 2 or 3 sets of clothes for mine for when they do indoor evening clubs but other than that they live in the thermals for the week.  They wear them all day, and then chill out in them like they might pyjamas when we are in our apartment.  These ones are soft and warm and the children never wanted to take them off.

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

Next up is a midlayer.  I found that my bigger boys were warm enough without one most of the week but the younger two were more keen to wear them.  These are a thin-ish fleece layer that is designed to keep the heat in and the boys all had fleeces whilst Cora had an all in one version.  All in ones are ideal for younger children who are not as active in their ski lessons and she was so warm in it!  The weather can be unpredictable up on a mountain so it is best to come prepared for the coldest weather (especially with children) and enjoy it if you don't need everything. I couldn't find many photos of the midlayers but you can see it on Cora here under her coat.

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

Ski Socks are important to keep little feet warm and again, can usually be worn all week.  We took ours off in the evenings and hung them up to air out.  Nice soft, thick ones are important for children in ski boots and you should always take along the socks you intend to wear skiing when you try on boots to buy or hire.

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

And finally, outerwear.  What I love about ski resorts is that nothing is too bright.  Even adults are dressed in all the colours and it helps a lot when you are trying to spot someone across a sheet of white!  I let my children pick their own outerwear from the Reima website and I love every part of it.

Dylan is 8 years old but tall and he went for an all in one.  These aren't that common in bigger sizes but he is wearing an age 10 and it was fantastic (Reima stock them up to age 14).  It means no snow can get up his back and he can get dressed easily.  It has a pocket in his arm for his lift pass (absolutely necessary in all skiwear) and pockets on his legs for snacks.  He loved it and has declared he will only be choosing all in ones from now onwards!

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

The other three chose bright salopettes which come with removable braces and all have adjustable waists.  They come up nice and high so you never get a chilly tummy! Their coats all had snow skirts, which is the fitted band underneath that stops any snow coming up your coat if you fall, and they all had multiple pockets.  I love the bright colours and designs and how well this range mixes and matches.  Everything was incredibly warm and waterproof!

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

We can't forget the accessories.  For a ski holiday they need good quality hats and gloves.  We always take two pairs of gloves in case one gets soaked through (there is nothing worse than cold hands!) 

Family ski holiday, children's skiwear, Reima skiwear

Preparing for a first ski holiday with children can be daunting but it is one of our favourite family trips and all four children love being out on the mountains.  They never complain of being cold or wet (and they are more than capable of this at home) and I put this down to being prepared with the right gear for them.  You can check out their ski collection which is from baby to 14 years here and I would advise to never size up on the salopettes as we find them generous (you can see Cora's are rolled up in some pictures), and to measure your child's height to find the best fit rather than going on their ages.




As a guide, Dylan (8) is 142cm wearing size 140
Archie (6) is 127cm wearing size 128
Finn (4) is 112cm wearing size 116
Cora (3) is 93cm wearing size 98







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Monday, 24 February 2020

Tomorrow You Are Five

It has been a long week since your brother's birthday, you have checked several times a day how long you have to wait for your birthday but we are on the final countdown now as when you wake up tomorrow morning you will already be 5.  I still remember it so vividly, you were the quickest of my babies to arrive, a whirlwind of a labour and a whirlwind of a child but somehow you seemed such a calm baby in the middle.  

We never dreamed you would be where you are now, you are learning to read and write and practicing this skill all over my walls.  You are in love with letters and have such a desire to learn and you bounce happily into school every morning now.  I wasn't convinced you would settle this easily and you definitely make sure they know you are there, but I can't believe how much you have learned in such a short time.  


You are still full of energy, someday it radiates out of you and you need to be walked regularly.  We are still trying to find the best way to channel it sometimes but we are getting there.  You love water in every sense from swimming, to just playing with it as you wash your hands and the quickest way to get both you and your sister out of trouble is to offer you a bath.

You are still incredibly close and I see how you impact each other. As a nearly 5 year old you have joined in with her love of all things pink, rainbow and unicorn and you can't resist sparkly things either.  You are rough and tumble but you can be so kind and caring when you want to and you alternate between wanting to wrestle with her and wanting to protect her.


At 4 you are loud and proud, you love to dance and make music, you are happy as the centre of attention and you are excited about everything.  You are so grateful when you receive gifts and thankful when you get your way.  You still want to eat chicken nuggets and chips for every meal though, we might be working on that one for a while.

You are wild, overflowing with personality, soft and cuddly.  You are going to change the world, we just don't know how yet and I hope that as a five year old you stay true to yourself, not caring what other people think, living your best life.

Tomorrow I will take a moment to remember how far you have come, how you have beaten the odds, proved everyone wrong and what an amazing little person you have become.  

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be


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Sunday, 23 February 2020

Spring is in the Air // Frugi

Advertorial/ Gifted Clothing
We got soaked by the rain today, totally out the blue but still I see the signs of Spring everywhere.  The sky is turning a brighter shade of blue on those days the clouds part to show it,  the daffodils are blooming in the park, standing bright and tall, letting us know the ground is about to bloom into colour and there have been the odd days over half term when we could play without a coat (still wrapped up in layers of course, just one less).


On one of those days I popped to the park with the little two dressed in some organic clothes that Frugi had sent us from the latest collection. Cora absolutely adores this cardigan and has shown it to everyone since it arrived and her dress is perfect for spinning in.  Finn loves all the rainbow bits and his trousers zip away to become shorts when it gets even warmer - brilliant multipurpose attire for a child who has to wear school uniform now so we need to make sure we get plenty of wear out of his home bits!


Of course Cora brought a baby with her (Azabelle) as well as her 'Mingo' bag, both of which were quickly discarded so she could run around with her brother.  They love the wildness of this nature garden, the long grass, the small pond and all the dog statues that are dotted around.  We caught snatches of afternoon sun which made everything brighter and we had a picnic of biscuits whilst we watched the birds flying over head.

I know how quickly the weather can still change in February.  Every year we seem to get these glimpses of warmer weather before it disappers as quickly as it came, but even if there is another cold spell, the promise of Spring is hanging in the air, and those Daffodils are planted solidly in the ground around us, not afraid of anything,















 Sizing - Cora is a petite 3 years 7 months and wearing 3-4, Finn is an average size and 5 next week wearing 5-6


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Thursday, 20 February 2020

The Ordinary Moments - In The Storm

For two weekends in a row, the country was hit by storms and on the first occasion we welcomed the opportunity to stay in our pyjamas for the day, watching films, eating whatever snacks we could find and hiding in the safety of our house.  By the second weekend though, the outdoors was calling, children were climbing the walls and I knew we needed to get out, even if we didn't go far.

I took the three that wanted to get out to the little local supermarket to buy some popcorn in preparation for an evening in.  We made it there in one piece and they weren't done.  They asked if we could go down to the seafront for a hot chocolate to warm up our chilly hands and with an attitude of 'why not?' I said yes.  The wind was on our side and we made it there in record time.  We settled in an empty table and had our hot chocolates, the kind that comes as a solid square on a wooden spoon that you stir into a cup of hot milk.  

As we prepared to leave, the boys noticed the waves crashing on the sand and it was just too tempting.  We popped their scooters into an area of shade and went down onto the beach.  The sand whipped around our feet in a frenzy, the wind howled in our ears but nothing drowned out the sound of their laughter as they chased the waves and made the most of the deserted seafront.

There is a concrete platform that juts out over the dunes at one point, a small ice cream stall on top which of course was shut but underneath made the perfect shelter from the rain which was starting up.  The children made it into their house as their imaginations ran away with them and then they discovered a hole in the platform that dripped the rainwater down on to the sand.  


 I had to tear them all away when it was time to go home, they were soaked from playing in the water, their cheeks were rosy and their noses red.  It was nothing out of the ordinary for us, going to the beach in the winter but for some reason they played so much better and a dripping drain provided limitless amazement.  These are the ordinary moments that make up a childhood.












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Tuesday, 18 February 2020

5 Things to do with Kids in London Bridge

The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.
I love exploring London with my children and we are always looking for an excuse to visit the big city and discover something new.  We got the train up last weekend for a visit to the Tower of London and decided to spend the afternoon around London Bridge seeing what there was to do.  It was a lovely area and we have a list of things we want to go back and try (time to look up hotels near the shard) but here are five things we enjoyed doing. 

1) Walk down to Tower Bridge 

We crossed over at London Bridge but the children were keen to see Tower Bridge so we walked along one side of the river Thames and then crossed back over on Tower Bridge.  The Tower of London is right here and definitely worth a visit! You can go up inside Tower Bridge and look over on to London Bridge and we found crossing both bridges was an easy walk for the boys (aged 6 and 8).  The eldest has been learning about the River Thames at school and we loved watching the boats underneath us, spotting the static restaurant boats, the little ferries and the cruises.



2) Get Lunch at By Chloe

By this point we were hungry so we found a lovely vegan restaraunt to try out.  By Chloe was bright and inviting and had a delicious menu as well as quite a cake selection.  We really enjoyed eating somewhere new and whilst none of us are vegan, we loved trying the vegan versions of mac and cheese, fish and chips and a tasty guac burger!





3) Admire the Skyline

My six year old has been learning about architecture and interesting buildings and London Bridge is the best place for discovering these. We spent ages discussing the skyline, the curious shapes and building designs and how we would design our own building.  If I had thought in advance, I would have brought paper and pencils with me as the benches were in the perfect spot for getting the kids to stop and sketch it.  The London skyline is always impressive and we all decided we needed to come back and go up inside the Shard!



4) Choose a Pudding at Borough Market

Whilst we were walking around the area, we found Borough Market and were immediately drawn in by the smell of cakes.  We had managed to resist a pudding with lunch but we spent lots of time wandering around the stalls looking at the freshly baked goods, the delicious looking fudge and hand crafted chocolates and finally settling on goat's milk ice cream.  It was bustling and cosy with the lights and right on the water's edge so we could escape with our chosen treats and continue exploring the area.




5) Learn about the History

There is so much to discover around London Bridge that we didn't have time to fit it all in but we would love to go back to find out more about the history of the area.  We found a monument to the Great Fire of London which was next to the old Roman Baths (8 year old is currently learning about the Romans at school so it tied in well!) and the Golden Hinde was right by the Bridge and you could pay to walk on and explore (£15 for a family of four).  We found Clink Prison Museum which I have promised we will go back to visit and the HMS Belfast is currently docked in London Bridge if you want to visit that.  London has such a fascinating history and the children were learning so much as we walked around and talked about what we saw.  


There is so much to do for families in the area and it is definitely somewhere we plan to come back to and explore further! Do you have any suggestions of places to visit in the London Bridge area?
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Sunday, 16 February 2020

Before You Turn Seven

It gets me every year when I check out Timehop and see that on this day I was working my last shift before maternity leave, that seven years ago I was a mother of one.  I had no idea what was in store for me when you arrived the very next day and you still take me by surprise all the time.  As I put you to bed for the last time as a six year old, the excitement for the morning already evident in your face, I can't help but look back on the year that we have had.


Six was the year that you finally got the hang of reading.  I knew it would come but you took your time, having little interest in letters and books, but then it arrived out of the blue, that recognition that you could understand those letters and you started zooming through the book bands at school and getting so much more confident with it every day.  Sometimes I think you would have been so much more suited to the later starting schools in other countries.  

Six was the year you changed your mind and rather than wanting pink, gold and every other colour, you just wanted black.  You have asked me to only buy you black clothes from now on and whilst part of me is a little sad about that, I love that when you make your mind up about these things you are so certain.

Six was the year you grew taller every day, or so it feels, your limbs lengthened and you look so much ganglier than the little children at your school.  You are in your final year now, one of the oldest ones in the school and I can see that.  You lost your first two teeth and your face has already started changing because of it.  

You still sing all the time, mostly George Ezra - Shotgun and you burst into song when I least expect it.  Sometimes it is a normal voice but other times you sing something very normal in a screamy-death-metal kind of voice and it scares me just a little! You are still very into how things feel and you went as far as taking your own pillowcase on holiday in case theirs wasn't soft enough.  You always have blankets attached to you or around you and everything has to feel right before it gets your approval.

I can see how much you have grown up in the last year and you make me proud every day (as well as driving me crazy most of them too!).  You are determined, loyal, loving and wild and so unapologetically yourself.  You still love cuddles and I am dreading the day that stops.  You would live with a gaming controller in your hand at all times if you had your way but once we get you away from a screen you always throw yourself into life fully.

I can't wait to see seven year old Archie in the morning and I am sure it is going to be an exciting year for you as you leave your infant school in the summer and head to a new junior school in September.  

Before you turn seven, as I kiss you for the last time as a six year old, I want you to know how truly loved you are.


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Saturday, 15 February 2020

Our Family Ski Holiday in Puy St Vincent

Going skiing is a really special holiday for us, it always feels like we are going home in a way.  We have visited the same resort for a few years now and we know it well.  The guys in the ski hire shop ask how we have been all year, the ski instructors recognise me and ask about my sister (who worked out there for a few years) and we know exactly where to find our favourite French treats in the little supermarkets.  The journey there feels long (as do most journeys when you have four children under 8) but once we arrive and breathe in the fresh mountain air, we feel at home.

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

It was our sixth year visiting Puy St Vincent with Snowbizz so in many ways I have nothing new left to say but I still feel like I have so much to share.  It was the first year that all four children could ski which made it so much more exciting.  The 'Totons' which is the youngest group start learning at 3 years old and Cora had been desperate to try on a pair of skis like her brothers.  She was the first one to the hire shop to request a pink helmet and her skis were so adorably small, I think possibly the smallest pair in the store.  Every morning we dropped her off at the creche in her thermals with everything she needed and at 10am she walked with the other two children in her group and the nanny that accompanies them on their lesson up to the Toton Garden.  She had so much enthusiasm, she got up with a smile every time she fell and she never gave up.  She asked to go back each day and loved every minute.  

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

The three boys were all in ski school and we got into a habit of dropping Finn off first for some play time and taking the bigger boys out for a pre-lesson ski.  Finn found the two hour lesson was plenty for him and he liked to insist on two snack breaks in it, but the older boys had more stamina and I loved being able to spend time with just them without guilt as their younger siblings were having the best time.  I would take it in turns who I sat with on the lift and I loved that little pocket of time where we could chat together before we climbed off and they skied ahead of me as I tried to keep up.  They loved being out on the mountains, showing us the skills they learned during their lessons and relishing the one on one time with a parent.

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

The afternoons were spent doing all sorts.  Some days one of us would take the bigger boys back out on the slopes as they had endless energy for racing back down them.  Finn, Cora and I loved the pool which you climbed into indoors and then swum into the outside.  The pool was surrounded by snow piling up over 1 metre but the water was a warm 32 degrees and it was glorious to climb out into the cold and jump back in again.  We all went to the sledging fields carrying with us a variety of shapes that we had borrowed from the creche and racing down the hill with huge grins across their faces.  Sledging has to be followed by Chocolat Chaud of course and nothing tastes better than a cup of hot chocolate after a day out in the snow.  The creche is open until 5pm and some days a few of the children chose to go in there to do some arts and crafts which meant all four of them had some one on one time with a parent - something that is such a novelty in a larger family and is so rewarding for all of us.

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

It was the first year we could all sit around the dinner table and discuss our skiing that day and I loved that it bonded us more. The pride the children had in learning a new skill and mastering an existing one was incredible and their faces by 5 o'clock were rosy and warm and full of joy.  It was the first year that all four children could go to some of the evening clubs.  The outdoors ones like treasure hunt and winter olympics were always going to be a bit much for our little three year old but she got stuck in at the disco and won the talent show as well as falling asleep half way through the movie night, snuggled up on her bean bag.  It was the first year we could go out alone and enjoy the hearty French mountain food in the evening, have a Raclette, and know that the children were all entertained in a club for a couple of hours.

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

The children are so comfortable in the small resort, they know where everything is, how to get around and where they need to go.  They walk around as though they are always there, like it is a second home and we are all sad when the alarm goes off so early on Sunday morning and alerts us that it is time to board the coach that is the start of our journey home. There is something special about this place, with the small family feel, the personal service every step of the way, the dedicated and enthusiastic pink ladies that I entrust my children to each morning and those mountain views that take my breath away in every direction.  If you are even a little bit curious about taking a family ski holiday then I can't recommend Snowbizz enough.  Of course there are always more pictures than there are words and I can't choose which ones not to include. . .

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

family ski holiday, snowbizz ski, skiing with kids

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