A Few Days Away // Centre Parcs Holland

Centre Parcs Holland, De Huttenheugte, Travel with four children

We knew that we wanted to go away over Easter, but we hadn't got much further than that when it came to actual plans.  I wasn't sure whether we should stay in the UK or go abroad, and we have to think about what sort of holidays are practical with four aged five and under.  In the end we booked a few nights away at a Centre Parcs site in Holland and two days after booking, we were in the car on the way there.

We got the ferry from Dover to Calais in the afternoon and then drove up to De Huttenheugte Centre Parcs in the Netherlands.  I hadn't really done much research and we haven't visited a UK Centre Parcs but I was confident we would have fun regardless.  It worked out really cheap even with the added travelling costs and it meant taking the children somewhere new.  

The parc is set around a huge lake and our cottage backed out onto the lake which was just beautiful.  We hadn't really considered the fact that the term dates in Germany and Holland are different to ours but it worked out well as the parc was really quiet and nothing got too crowded.  

There was so much to do for small children and we spent our days feeding the ducks, playing in the parks, visiting the animals in the small petting area and enjoying the amazing pools.  I have never been anywhere with pools quite like it.  Inside a giant dome is a selection of swimming areas including two kids play areas, a wave pool, a deeper diving pool and restaraunts, sun beds, a sauna and more.  We don't get to go swimming often with the children as with four so young there are often restrictions, but they were really relaxed and with the kids pools we didn't have to worry about baby seats so much.  There were plenty of float jackets in each area for the children to wear and we took our own seat for Cora.  I loved watching their confidence grow in the water and it was definitely a highlight of our holiday.

The restaraunts were set inside another dome which had a river flowing through it with turtles and giant fish as well as trees with parrots and a walkway up high looking down on it all.  There was such a wonderful atmosphere and so much for the kids to explore that it was never hard keeping them entertained whilst we waited for food or drinks.  

There was an action centre with a brilliant indoor mini golf, bowling and arcade games as well as a playroom where certain kids clubs were hosted.  We decided not to put the children into any of them in the end as we wanted to enjoy the time all together but I think they would have loved the 'I want to be a firefighter' or 'I want to be a chef' sessions.

On the Sunday the temperatures suddenly soared into the twenties and we hired a 'family bike' for a couple of hours to cycle around the lake.  This seemed like a brilliant idea for all of two minutes before we realised that 6 people plus a giant bike is pretty heavy and only two of us could actually reach the pedals.  The boys loved being driven round though and it was such a beautiful day that we took a little picnic along with us.  There were so many different bikes and carts available to hire.

Right next to the site is an amusement park called Plopsa.  We bought passes for it and had a lovely day there.  There were indoor and outdoor rides, shows and playgrounds as well as eating areas.  The boys loved the rollercoaster, the huge indoor slides and the climbing mountain outside (which Finn scaled in a rather monkey like fashion).  There was a huge outdoor driving area for kids and they spent ages driving around, stopping at every red light, going the 'wrong' way round every roundabout and playing at being firemen and policemen.  There was so much for all three boys to do and Ed and I had a lot of fun on the climbing mountain too (although neither of us actually made it up to the slide)

Our cottage was perfect for us with three bedrooms, a living and dining area, both with six chairs and an outdoor area with a table and chairs.  The cottage was clean and well equipped although we only really used it for sleeping in. 

We had such a lovely time exploring somewhere new, listening to the different languages (we only heard one other English person - they were mostly Dutch and German) and admiring the beauty of the forest and lake.  It is definitely somewhere we would visit again and I think we will try a different European Centre Parcs too after having such a great experience. 

As I am sure you can imagine, I took a few too many photos, so here are some of my favourites.

 We had such an amazing break, the children were so happy playing that they had a proper screen detox (which was very much needed) and we have so many wonderful memories to look back on.

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What Cora Wore // Question Everything

In between the clouds and April showers there are glimpses of summer and I just can't wait.  Six weeks off of school, long days at the beach, plenty of ice cream and all my washing drying line dryed.  I am quite used to dressing boys for the warm weather, but dressing a little girl for summer is new and exciting.  I am slowly putting together a summer wardrobe for Cora and I just adore this pretty dress set from Question Everything.

I am planning on getting her a mixture of practical playsuits and pretty dresses as I think it will be around this summer that she starts walking.  I am hopeful that we get lots of nice weather so this lovely light dress will be perfect and I love the little matching pants too.  

Until the weather warms up properly we have been teaming it with white tights and a little cardigan.  I love how easily dresses adapt for different seasons and I know we will get a lot of wear out of this dress! Question Everything do beautiful dresses and lovely playsuits for little boys and girls.  

Question Everything believe in making clothes well and ethically and each dress is made by a family run business in Manila (where Angie the founder grew up) and hand smocked by ladies of the Batangas village community.  A percentage of their profits goes to Childhope Asia

The dresses are quite true to size, Cora is a petite 9 month old wearing 9-12 months here and it has plenty of growing space.  The buttons up the back make it easy to take on and off and it looks so lovely in real life.  I think this is a lovely addition to her summer wardrobe -now we just need the sunshine to come back!

Thank you to QE for sending us this beautiful dress.

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Easter Egg Hunting with Cadbury

The two week school holiday can feel rather long especially when the sun seems to have disappeared again.  My children have been buzzing with the excitement of Easter, talk of the magical bunny and what he may bring and asking to do activities, games and crafts in the lead up.  I love bringing the seasons to life for them, but sometimes I need a little help with ideas.

Cadbury have come up with some great Easter activities to try over this long weekend and we couldn’t wait to do our own Easter egg hunt.  We only have a tiny little garden and it has been sorely neglected over the winter, but whilst we were away last week my parents kindly came over and cleared it for us, so this was the perfect place to hold our hunt.  Admittedly all the weeds would have given us some much better hiding places, but this way they could run around afterwards (and create their very own car wash for the garden toys).

255,000 Cadbury eggs are made at the Bournville factory ever day (that is 177 a minute if you were wondering) and I am sure you can guess the best seller? It is of course the creme egg, which happens to be my favourite so those are what I chose to hide for them (with some bonus Cadbury caramel eggs too)

There are some other great activities on the Cadbury site including making pompom bunnies which I know is exactly what Dylan has been hoping to try and the activity sheets will keep them all entertained in the mornings when Mummy and Daddy haven’t quite had enough caffeine to function properly.

According to Cadbury's research, the top activities over Easter are eating Easter chocolate, seeing friends and family, giving Easter chocolate, going on an easter egg hunt and baking. 

Easter egg hunting is most definitely the boys' favourite activity though, they love the excitement, the race (everything is a race when you have two brothers and a sister) and of course the delicious Cadbury goodies at the end!

If you want to join in with the Cadbury’s Great British Egg Hunt then head over to their website to find a downloadable pack! There are over 300 hunts going on at National Trust sites in the lead up to Easter too, you can find more information on the Cadbury website

 This post is in collaboration with Cadbury

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What Cora Wore // aden + anais

Oh sleep, how I miss it.  For some reason my youngest two seem to have been wonderful sleepers as little babies and then backtracked at around 4 months and decided that it isn't  for them anymore.  Finn slept through the night for a whole month around 4 months old lulling me into a false sense of security, because he then decided to wake up at least once a night until he turned two.  

Cora only slept through once, but she was doing a solid 8 hour stretch most nights from about 10 weeks and I couldn't believe my luck.  By the time she turned 4 months things had changed though and she was awake pretty much every hour.  At 9 months she still feeds quite often at night and I have come to accept that I was just really lucky with the big two.

Somehow naps have never been a battle though, especially if we are in the house.  Cora still wants to be fed to sleep, but so long as she can sleep on my bed, she has two good naps a day.  When we are out and about she is less convinced about sleeping but she will eventually go off in the sling or buggy.

Aden + anais sent us one of their muslin sleepsuits and I love how soft and snuggly it is.  We have lots of their muslins and swaddles as I think the quality is fantastic and the sleepsuit is just as lovely. Cora has been wearing it for bedtimes and for lazy days around the house and I love how it instantly makes her look littler again.

 I am staying positive that she will eventually sleep better and enjoying the extra cuddles whilst she doesn't (especially when she is wearing such a soft sleepsuit!).  Caffeine and under eye concealer are my new best friends!

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Dear Zoo Trail at London Zoo

On Saturday we were invited to the launch of the new Dear Zoo trail at London Zoo.  To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the childhood classic book by Rod Campbell, ZSL and Macmillan books have created a trail around the zoo where children can collect stamps for all the classic Dear Zoo characters.  

Dear Zoo was one of the first books we bought when Dylan was little and I think we all know all the words now.  I took Archie and Cora with me for our trip to the zoo as Dylan and Finn were both ill and we loved following the trail and finding the stamps for the animals that were too fierce, too jumpy and too grumpy to become pets.

We were really excited to meet Rod Campbell and listen to him read Dear Zoo to the children.  We loved the special birthday cakes and Cora got to wear her Dear Zoo dress (M&S did a lovely range last year).  

The elephants are currently at ZSL Whipsnade rather than ZSL London so our card came pre stamped with the 'too big' box, but the rest of the stations were located by their animal and the children could do the stamps themselves.  The Dear Zoo theme extends around the park and the restaraunts sell themed kids meals as well as having decorations baring the famous giraffe.  It made our visit to the zoo even more special and Archie was so proud to complete his card.  

As well as enjoying the trail, we loved the new Land of the Lion area which transported us into the heart of India with a colourful hands-on exhibit surrounding the mighty (and far too fierce) animals. Archie and his friend T loved playing in the vehicles, trying to pedal the bikes and exploring the different areas. 

The zoo is brilliantly designed to keep children occupied and we could break up discovering animals with areas like Land of the Lion to discover, parks to play in and plenty of space to run around. 

The Dear Zoo trail is on from April 1st to April 17th at ZSL London and is included free with your ticket price.  We had the most wonderful (and exhausting) day.

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