The First Half of our Summer

I was worried about the first half of the summer.  The second half is full of plans and I know we will be busy (hopefully) having fun, but when the boys broke up from school in July the first three weeks were looking bare in the planner and I worried that I should have organised a bit more.  Halfway through now I am wondering whether what we should have scheduled in was more downtime.  We have had plenty of days out, lots of late nights at the beach, playdates with friends and camping adventures in the garden.  We have done so much close to home in the first three weeks that I think all six of us are pretty tired!

It is so easy to fill these six weeks in some ways and the warm weather makes it much cheaper than the other holidays with days at the beach and the park, picnics and playdates but I need to remember sometimes that you don't have to do much to have a great time.  Some of our favourite memories so far are from the times we were doing nothing.  Reading books together in bed, snuggling on the sofa watching a film and having bbqs in the back garden.  Our evenings at the beach when we venture down after dinner as it starts getting cooler will always be one of my favourite things.  Letting the last of the days energy out, jumping in the waves and making the most of the empty sand.  

Watching you all growing together, becoming closer but at the same time squabbling more than ever is a privilege. I see your relationships changing as you get used to each other full time again and I know that it is the downtime that does it, not the busy days out.  The next three weeks are full of adventures and I am so excited for them all, but I wanted to share a few photos from the last three weeks.  These aren't days I have blogged about, they are just little snapshots of our days that I don't want to forget.  My crazy tribe of children just being. 

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What the Kids Wore - Goretex Shoes

Our Summer Bucket List was long and I never imagined we would get so far through it.  There are still so many things I want to do before they go back to school and some that I doubt we will be able to fit in, but we have had so many adventures that I will be sending them back to school and nursery content with the amazing summer we shared.

One of the things I was really keen to try with the boys was fruit picking.  I have never taken them, which doesn't make much sense considering how much they adore fruit of every kind.  We packed a picnic and plenty of water last week and met a group of friends to spend the morning at a PYO farm.  We happened to choose a ridiculously hot day which meant it was actually pretty quiet and we had the strawberry fields to ourselves.

We collected a few plums, apples and redcurrants but really it was all about the strawberries.  I don't know whether more were consumed there or brought home, but we got home to discover that Archie had tried every single strawberry in his punnet to check it was juicy first.

The boys were recently sent some Goretex trainers and they were ideal on this hot day as they are so breathable.  The fact they are waterproof meant we were prepared for all weather and they kept the boys feet protected when they found hay bales and wooden crates to climb on and over after our picnic.  

We are loving our free range summer, the exploring, discovering nature, running and climbing, playing with friends, staying up late and getting dirty.  The boys are having so many adventures and their shoes are keeping up with them well!  Cora spent the morning cuddled up in the sling which made both of us rather warm and rather glad to find a bit of shade to cool down in for a picnic lunch.

We had such a wonderful time fruit picking that I am hoping we can make it back there before the end of the season to fill up the fruit bowl again.  We are definitely going to be picking our own pumpkins and I am sure their Goretex shoes will be needed to keep them dry by then!

What else have you got planned for the final days of summer?

Disclosure: We are Goretex Ambassadors this year so we have been asked to share our big day adventures.  

All words and pictures are my own.

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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.

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An August Bank Holiday

The August bank holiday is always one of my favourites.  It always falls around the time of my birthday and seems to be the perfect time to say goodbye to the summer, even if we are hoping for a few more weeks of sunshine.  We managed two days out of three where the temperature was above 20 degrees and we didn't need raincoats and welly boots so I think we did well!

There always seems to be lots going on locally over the weekend, and we chose a small fun fair right down by the beach on Saturday.  It was perfect for little ones like mine as they could go on almost everything and I think the teacups were definitely the favourite.

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Barcelona with a Toddler

We have recently returned from a lovely family holiday to Spain with our toddler son and Barcelona was an amazing place to visit with a small child.  We are already missing the warmth as we snuggle under blankets back home! 

We had a fantastic time although I was initially worried about taking a 14 month old who has just learnt to walk on holiday.  Luckily it all went rather smoothly and we managed to keep him awake for long enough that he slept through most of both plane journeys - result!  We found that Barcelona was the perfect choice for a holiday with a toddler as the country is very family friendly and Dylan absolutely adored all the attention.

We stayed in an apartment a few stops away from the main attractions so as to have a bit of a quiet place to wind down in the evenings.  It did mean having to get the Metro complete with baby and buggy, but luckily it was much easier than using the London Underground with a child.  Most of the stations had clearly marked lifts that meant getting around was easy.  There were a few that didn't and luckily we had bought our lightest stroller (Cosatto Super-Lite) as the bloke ended up carrying both buggy and baby up and down the stairs in an effort to be chivalric and not make me do any lifting whilst pregnant. ( I think he secretly enjoyed the exercise as there were usually offers to help.)

On the tube Dylan never had to sit in silence.  Everyone wanted to wave and blow kisses with him and they all marvelled over his chubby cheeks and blonde hair.  Even the most unlikely candidates were cooing over him and he never tired of this, playing up to it all every time!  I found that without fail I was offered a seat on every train so I think my bump must really be protruding now!

Out and about we found that every restaurant had a high chair and although none did children's menus, it is not really necessary with tapas and Dylan loved each and every thing we gave him to try!  Some places were amazing with him and bought over colouring, bubbles, toy cars and took him for walks around the place too which made eating out very easy!

Attraction wise we did things for each of us.  There was plenty of time for shopping and looking at the architecture but we also visited the aquarium and the gorgeous Park Guell where we let Dylan explore and his fascination with going up and down the steps began!  

After a lovely day in the gardens and parks of Montjuic we saw the amazing light, music and sound show at the magic fountain as the sun set and although the little dude was getting tired he loved to watch it.  It was a complete highlight for me as it was in a beautiful place at the end of a long day walking and exploring and it made for some beautiful photos!

Having an apartment was the best choice we could have made as when we got back of an evening, Dylan went straight to bed and we could have a lovely sofa and kitchen space to wind down ourselves and make snacks.  He loved being able to walk around and explore and luckily there were no proper accidents considering it had a very hard floor and he had been walking all of a week unaided before we got there! 

The three of us had a fantastic holiday made easier by the fact that Barcelona is a great place to take a toddler, and his naturally flirty personality was very welcome! We enjoyed our last week away as a family of 3 and are already pining for the sun!

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Aromatherapy Play Dough - Guest Post

Today we have a guest post with a brilliant idea for a money saving activity.  We all spend so much on toys and games for children when there are so many things we can make to encourage their imagination and creativity.

Hi everyone, it is Jen from The Mad House, A Thrifty Mum and Frugal and Fun 

Home Made Aromatherapy Play Dough 

Ingredients 

1 and half cups (1 cup is 250ml) of salt 

3 cups of warm water 

3 cups of plain flour 

3 tablespoons of oil 

6 teaspoons of cream of tartar 

Food colouring 

Essential oils 

Method 

1. add the salt and water to a large pan and heat until the salt to melt has melted 
2. add the flour, oil and cream of tartar and heat over a medium heat, stirring continuously until it starts to pull away from the sides (you need to be quite vigorous) 
3. Tip out the dough and need for about 2 minutes 
4. Split the dough in to smaller amounts and add food colouring and essential oil 
   
   

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