A Day out at St James Dover

Advertorial

We no longer have a baby in the house and whilst I am a little sad about that at times, I love that we can do so much more with our weekends now.  Finding things that we can do as a family are getting easier and we headed to St James at Dover this weekend for a fun family day.

The retail park is just minutes from the ferry port and we loved looking at the boats as we drove in.  We have travelled out of Dover several times as it is so close for us and the kids remember the ferry trips well! Nando's is always a family favourite and it was the obvious choice for lunch.  The kids love their kids meal and getting to make their own custom lunches and I love that they do a great selection of veggie meals considering its selling point is chicken!

We need colouring and a few little games that I carry in my bag, but we can take all four children out for lunch now and it is an enjoyable experience. We always opt for places with quick cooking times or salad bars to try and minimise the waiting time for the children and Nando's is always speedy!

Next door to Nando's is the Cineworld cinema and we all wanted to see the new remake of Dumbo which had just been released.  It was our first time attempting the cinema with all four and Cora definitely needed two parents to keep her entertained (as well as multiple toilet trips) but she made it through the film and all four boys sat beautifully with their popcorn.  I love visiting the cinema and it is really exciting that we can now attempt it as a family rather than having to split up and just take two.

We had a lovely day at St James in Dover and will definitely be back, especially now we have seen how close it is to both the ferry port and Dover Castle which we have English Heritage passes for! Have you visited yet?

The film was great, the cinema was comfy and the toilets (which we visited many times) were very clean.  It was so handy having everything in the same location and there was a little space outside the cinema and restaraunt where the children could run around in the middle.  Opposite were a few shops like Next and M&S Foodhall and it was hard keeping away from Next when the sale was going on!

It was lovely to have a family day out that we all enjoyed from 2 years to 35 years and I can't wait to do more things as a family (especially now I know the new Aladdin film is out in May!)

Read more ⇨

Our Christmas

There are people with their Pinterest perfect Christmasses - all colour schemes, co-ordinated place settings and beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree.  And then there is me, writing this sat next to a Christmas tree covered in a mismatch of baubles and after Finn has pulled the beads off for the hundreth time they have literally been thrown back at the tree.  The presents were in all sorts of paper, using up what we had last year (and the year before) and all four children had their own paper so that I didn't have to write labels for each gift.

Our Christmas is beautiful though, the excited faces, the wonder in their eyes, the beauty of generosity, the love of family and friends and the table stacked full of delicious food.  No matter how much or little is under our tree, my children have all they could ever need - Love, support, strength, people who love them, food, drink and a home.  They aren't yet at the age where the value of gifts matter, a colouring book can be as great as electrical toy, chocolate coins are the ultimate stocking filler and their wish list is short.  

Every year we spend Christmas morning at home, enjoying time as our little(ish) family of six, we open gifts, we eat breakfast, we pack our favourite toys and we head over to my Mum and Dad's for the day.  They cook lunch and dinner and we stay the night.  We put the boys down in the evening and stay up late playing cards and eating cheese boards.  On Boxing Day we see the Bloke's family for more food, family, gifts and fun and then we usually head back to my parent's house for a quiet evening together.  Family is the focus of our Christmas and we are lucky to have two great ones.

One of the best presents is that my Mum and Dad take the children in the morning when they wake and let us have a leisurely lie in - these things are worth more than money can buy!

This year was magical, it was Cora's first Christmas and she got her first tastes of food.  In typical baby style she was more interested in the wrapping paper than what was in it.  Finn got to have his first go at opening presents and he wasn't content to stick to only his own.  Archie was more aware of everything that was going on and insists that his best bit of Christmas is 'everything', and Dylan totally gets it all, he loved everything he recieved, he was excited and thankful.

I didn't take many photos this year, I was too busy enjoying the moments, but these are the ones I did take, little moments from our Christmas.

Dylan's favourite gift this year

Fourth baby life

We Facetimed my sister who is in France

 
I am sad it is all over and we have so many new toys to find homes for.  We also have a kitchen side stacked full of tins of posh biscuits though, so it isn't all bad!

Read more ⇨

The Start of School Holidays

This time last year I was planning how we would spend the final summer of freedom.  My biggest boy had finished preschool and I knew it was the final six weeks before the start of something new and huge.  The year has flown by and my baby has finished his first year of school.  Reception is done and when he returns to school in six weeks time it will be as a year one student - no longer new but a proper school boy.  

He has grown and thrived at his school and I am so happy that we ended up with such a wonderful one.  He has been so busy and tired that we were all desperate for summer to arrive and so far it has been a fantastic one.  Dylan broke up on Wednesday and ever since the sun has shone and we have been outdoors enjoying it.

The first day was spent in my parents' garden, naked boys running in and out of the paddling pool, picnic lunch outside and a day that reminded me of being their age and playing with my brother and sister.  

Friday we headed to the beach, threw shells into the sea, built sandcastles and stayed out late because we could.  We ate ice creams, kicked a ball around and stopped for burgers and chips on the way home.

Today we went to the local woods to celebrate a friend's birthday.  We had a picnic and then explored, the babies in slings and the boys on foot.  They painted their faces with charred wood for some strange reason and they picked up every log to look at the wildlife underneath.  They snapped twigs to see how strong they were and searched for the perfect sticks.  They came home with mud under their fingernails and dirt on their knees and the bath has never been more needed.

We are only three days in to this six weeks of freedom and it feels perfect to be spending every day outdoors enjoying the weather.  The perfect antidote to a year in a classroom, a perfect way to enjoy all four of these beautiful children we created.

Read more ⇨

Our Easter Weekend

With everything that has been going on, I completely forgot that Easter was coming, so when the long weekend crept up on us I was pretty happy.  Having the bloke at home for 4 days, seeing family and the best excuse I can think of to eat too much chocolate and not feel guilty.

On Friday, I was treated to a much needed lie in, although it feels more like a series of long naps as I still have to feed little Finn every two or three hours.  Friday afternoon the bloke went out, and I managed my first solo bedtime with all three quite successfully.  Mastering something new with all three always makes me feel good, so it was a pretty great start to the weekend. 

Read more ⇨

A Mini Adventure

It is a well known fact that I don't get to do nearly enough puddle splashing on my birthday.  That is one of the biggest problems with August birthdays it seems, my wellies are usually left dry in the cupboard whilst my sandals enjoy pride of place on my feet.  This year we managed to change that, and I believe I am due warm and sunny birthdays for the next few years.

We live quite close to Dover, and when I had an email through earlier in the year telling me about discounted ferry sailings, I thought I would book a day, with the idea that if it was bad weather we just wouldn't go.  They were offering sailings for £1 return, and as infants don't becoming paying children until they turn 4, it meant £2 return for the whole family for a day trip!  We already have our passports and I booked the bank holiday Monday, forgetting about it soon afterwards.

As it happened, we decided not to be put off by a little bit of rain (OK, a lot of it), and just go prepared, so with our wellies and rain coats, we travelled down to Dover for a mini adventure.  

It was the boys' first time on a boat and they loved it.  From exploring the various restaurants, cafes and the (minuscule) play area to standing outside and watching the waves, they were curious and excited and I think even if we had stayed on the ferry and sailed straight home, they would have had a good day out.

Read more ⇨

The May Bank Holiday

After such a late Easter, the May bank holiday seemed to come around all of a sudden, but I was definitely not complaining.  Bank holiday weekends are all about family for us and we got to spend time with both sides this weekend as well as enjoying time as our little family of four..

Read more ⇨

Making the most of it

 Since my return to work in January, our family time has been cut in half.  I only do ten hours per week in my current role, but most of that falls on a Saturday, and with the bloke being at work Monday to Friday, it gives us only one day all together.

Read more ⇨

Staying In

I am really good at getting out and about with the boys, and despite not having a car, I am not afraid to take them anywhere.  Everyday we are at the park, the beach, a baby group, the shops or out on a play date.  I want them to grow up having a natural childhood and we spend as much time as we can outdoors whatever the weather.  After a busy week followed by an even busier weekend though, I decided it was about time we had a day IN.

It is not often that we slow down the pace, forget about routine for a little while and just go with the flow but that is what we needed to do for a little while.  No structure, just a calmness that our days often lack.

It reminded me quite how much I love playing. Sitting on the floor doing Duplo with Dylan, singing silly songs to Archie and crawling round the house being the tickle monster.  Little things that put a big smile on my childrens faces also put a big smile on mine.  No distractions, travelling or friends, just our family of four all together.

It was a beautifully hot day and we set out blankets and the paddling pool in our little garden.  We got out Dylan's teepee, his mini motorbike and a football. We didn't bother getting dressed all day and we didn't care.  We had a BBQ outside followed by frozen frubes as ice lollies and chocolate & marshmallow stuffed bananas slowly melted on the coals.

We spent the day just being us, just being together and I remembered how much I love their company; my three boys.  My boys love their busy social life, seeing new things and exploring their world, but they also love spending quality time with our undivided attention.  They love playing with their toys, helping cook dinner and just being a family together.

Rather than vowing to do more, my new resolution is to have more days in, days where we just enjoy each other with no distractions.

Read more ⇨

Folk Week Fun

This past week, a local town have been hosting their annual 'Folk Week'.  The bloke and I got together during Folk Week and are both huge fans, as we have always taken the week off of work to enjoy it fully.  Bands play, stall holders sell their wares, Morris dancers line the seafront and there is a general atmosphere of summer, relaxation and good company.

We spend time with friends in beer gardens, getting up to dance with the boys when the folk bands play.  We pop down to the beach and enjoy building sandcastles and paddling in the sea.  We wander along taking in the magicians, jugglers, dancers and buskers and we most certainly indulge in some 'folk week fudge'.

We watch the parades, point out the hobby horses and feed our pennies to Clarence the dragon.  We took Dylan's little bike and zoomed around the quiet roads, strengthening the little dude's legs after his break.

Once the little ones are safely tucked up in bed, we take it in turn to enjoy an evening out on the busy seafront, sitting outside with cider in plastic cups and catching up with friends old and new.  Some nights we kept the boys out later, an evening picnic on the beach or in the park followed by live music at the bandstand until we are all ready to retire to our beds.

Dylan learn to walk again, and more importantly, learnt to dance again, loving the kids club put on every morning and the stick banging music.  We spent every day out, as a family enjoying each others company and meeting up with friends.  

Folk Week is our favourite week of the year, the atmosphere, the location, the familiarity, the smells, the sounds and of course the delicious fudge.

Read more ⇨

Picnic Time

We may be cooped up in the hospital for the summer, but that isn't stopping us enjoying a good old-fashioned picnic.  The beautiful weather this weekend coupled with a suffocatingly hot ward meant we were over the moon when the nurses agreed to let us take the little man into the hospital garden (albeit with bed attached to him).

We skipped the blankets and bundled on the little man's bed instead with our bread rolls, scotch eggs, cocktail sausages and the picnic staple - strawberries.  

We enjoyed the fresh air and Dylan's cousins made the most of all the toys that the children's ward have on offer.  My little superstar did not even moan when he saw the motorbikes, wendy houses and trampoline, instead finding a police helicopter and an ambulance that he could play with on the bed.  Archie loved the activity centres and the freedom as he is now rolling around all over the place

The fresh air certainly worked it's magic and bed time was much simpler and faster than usual, with the littles settling early enough for me to enjoy the garden again with my laptop and some choccy treats.

We may be missing most of the summer, so we are really making the most of every bit that we get!

Read more ⇨