A Beach Clean with Frugi

I am trying my hardest to teach my children about how to look after their world.  We talk about reusing and recycling and they know about the problems with single use plastics and why we use alternatives when we can.  I think one of the most important things I can do is to give them the knowledge they need to do better and to lead by example.  

We spend a lot of time at the beach, especially in the summer and we are always disgusted at the amount of waste we find left by other people so a beach clean at the end of every trip has become part of our routine. Dylan worries about the turtles confusing plastic bags for jellyfish and Archie gets very cross that people can't put rubbish in the many bins and leave things next to them instead.  Finn and Cora aren't particular vocal about it yet but I always discuss why we are doing what we do and they love taking part.  We use our buckets to collect up little bits of rubbish that we find and empty them into the nearest bin.  

We headed down to the beach over half term with our friend Becky and her two small people and as always, the fun in the sand was followed by a walk around the local area looking for things that shouldn't have been left on the ground.  It wasn't as easy as usual thanks to the crazy fog but we made enough to make a picture with (before it was deposited in the bin) and the boys loved making a plastic crab. 

All six children wore Frugi puddlebusters or coats which as well as being 100% waterproof, are also made of recycled plastic bottles.  I made sure the boys knew this when we first put them on and they were really amazed that the coats were so soft when they were made from plastic!  The coats had handy reflective prints on the front and back which we really noticed in the fog and they kept the little ones protected and dry all day. The wellies are all PVC free and flexible for growing feet. We love how something so bright and practical can be made from waste and Frugi are all about sustainable fashion.  Finn's coat is age 4-5 and would have used roughly 10 plastic bottles to make which would otherwise be clogging up a landfill.  The unisex nature of this design means Dylan's coat will hopefully see us through all 4 children too! (we have some Frugi items that have been worn by three children already!).  

I am hoping that over the summer as the beach gets busier that our actions will inspire others to do the same and of course remind people that their rubbish needs to be taken with them! I won't pretend that we are perfect with our actions but we are constantly trying to do better and I love how involved the children are and how educated they are becoming about environmental issues.

There are so many pictures from our day at the beach that I wanted to share, partly because the kids look amazing in their bright blues and yellows!

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Frugi provided us with the children's outerwear for the beach clean but all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

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What the Kids Wore // Egg by Susan Lazar

Half term has passed by all too quickly but thanks to the beautiful weather, we have had an amazing week.  With picnics in the park, afternoons spent building sandcastles, paddling pools in Grandma's garden and fish and chips on the beach, we have spent nearly all of the week outside, and most of that time with big smiles on our faces.

Sometimes I feel like the odd one out when I say I look forward to having all four of them at home, but I really do.  I can't wait for the school holidays and I hate sending them back to school and preschool after the freedom and slow living life of the holidays.  I am already counting down those seven weeks until we get the summer off and I can't wait.  

In many ways, four isn't much harder than two, as the eldest two entertain each other so well.  They have wanted to spend all week together and I know that they are going to find it the hardest being seperated again tomorrow.  These photos are from yesterday, Saturday when I took them down to the beach whilst the bloke was working.  My mum and dad have a beach hut  and we borrowed it for a few hours, packed up our buckets and spades and camped out on the sand.  The children were each sent an outfit from Egg by Susan Lazar and they made perfect beach attire - light, comfy and tropical.

Cora has gone past the eating sand stage and she is getting better at staying in the shade when I pitch an umbrella or a tent.  She has her Daddy's pale skin and such blonde hair that I feel much happier with her there.  Her little summer romper is just adorable, it is delicate, thin and easy to crawl and climb in. 

Dylan is desperate to get in the sea and this beach is perfect as the tide comes right in.  We all played on the sand until the sea came closer and then they could run in and out as they pleased.  His shorts are so lightweight I know he is going to wear them a lot this summer and his t-shirt is covered in a fantastic palm tree print.

Archie is definitely my beach babe, he loves it here and could easily visit every day without getting bored, just like me.  He is desperate to learn to surf so I picked a surfer top for him with some palm tree shorts. They fit him so well despite his tiny waist.

Finn is a very petite two year old and wears mostly size 18-24 clothing which meant I could get him this adorable romper.  He loves matching Dylan and it is 100% cotton so easy to put on him for days at the beach.  His chubby legs aren't going to fit in it much longer sadly, so he will be wearing it as much as he can for now! 

It won't be long until we have six weeks of freedom, of beach days, of slow mornings and late bedtimes.  It has been such a wonderfully warm half term that it has really given me a taste for what is to come and I am so excited.  Cora is getting steadier on her feet cruising and I think she will start walking over the summer holidays which is going to be so much fun!  For now, her brothers are helping her along.

Tomorrow we are back to school and preschool, back to early morning alarm clocks, toddler groups and routine, but only for seven weeks - I can almost smell the freedom!

(Dylan is wearing age 7, Archie is in age 5, Finn is in 24 months and Cora in 12 months.  I would say the clothes are pretty true to size but if you are in between sizes then maybe size up, especially for chunky legged babies.  You can see the full collection on the Egg Baby website.  Postage is charged at a flat rate so it is worth doing a group order.).

via million eyez

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Me and Mine in May

Another month has passed and it has been a good one, with more sunshine than we were expecting.  Our family photo for April has us all wearing jackets but May's is full of bare legs and shoulders as we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at our favourite beach cafe for my Dad's birthday over the bank holiday weekend. 

The highlight of our month was probably our weekend glamping with Ready Camp where we all got a taste of camping without actually having to pitch a tent and we are definitely planning on going again.  We weren't organised enough to actually get a family photo in the tent this time but maybe next!

So this month,

I have been loving getting away and trying out glamping, welcoming a new tiny nephew into the family, getting all our shorts back out and the huge storm we had overnight recently that I couldn't stop watching.

Ed has been loving the first bbq of the year, the fact that Cora can say jump,  watching Finn dance and getting a new x-box

Dylan has been loving collecting Lego cards from Sainsbury's, his new bedroom,  his first wobbly tooth and his school trip to Tesco

Archie has been loving throwing rocks into the sea,  his new sandals, cheese strings in his lunchbox at pre-school and playing with his cousins at the family picnic.

Finn has been loving playing on the scooter, having Aunty NatNat around more,  joining in with more of his brothers' games and sharing his food with Cora.

Cora has been loving singing 'I had a little turtle', clapping her hands every time we call her a clever girl, walking around holding our hands and waking up for playtime at 1am.

We don't have many plans for June other than a certain little girl celebrating her first birthday! I am happy if the next month goes really slowly!

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The Week in the Middle

Christmas day has come and gone, the new year has yet to begin and we are stuck in a strange place, not quite here or there.  We have no concept of which day of the week it is, mornings and bedtimes are later than usual and biscuits are an acceptable meal.  I love this week, the one with no routine, no schedule or deadlines or school runs, the one where we make our own rules.  We eat when we are hungry which isn't always at the traditional mealtimes and we go out when we get bored indoors.  

The Christmas break is so short, not even two weeks for Dylan and in the midst of the mayhem this week feels unusually calm.  I love waking up in the morning with no real plans for the day, playing it by ear, enjoying lazy mornings in my dressing gown and watching the children play with their new toys, their imaginations taking them to new lands each day.  

The Christmas tree is still up, the sun sets so early, the weather is getting colder and no resolutions have yet been made.  The kitchen side is piled high with goodies and we are drinking more cups of tea than ever with the excuse that we really should get through those biscuits soon.  

Today we have had a lazy morning, a late lunch, a long play and a glow stick disco in the living room with just the twinkly tree lights and our flourescent sticks stopping us bumping in to each other.  The children got to stay up just a little longer and we are eating leftover pizza for dinner.

I took a few photos of the boys at the beach in their new Muddy Puddles coats, they loved the sand all piled up and we were surprised at how busy it was for a December afternoon.  The beach is our go-to place to waste an hour or two and it doesn't matter what season it is, they never get bored of it.

School and Preschool restart on Wednesday so we only have a few days of this limbo left to enjoy.  This week in the middle is definitely one of my favourites.

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