5 Things - Why I Love Holidays!

This week I had to base my 5 Things on holidays!
We are going away tomorrow and the pre-holiday stress has begun so what better way to calm down than to remember why I love going away!

1 - Quality family time! On holidays we really do make the most of being away from the daily grind of work for hubby, house work for me and just enjoy spending time together as a family.

2 - Visiting new places and enjoying favourite days out. We have been to Northumberland a few times and were there at the Easter. It is a place that we love and always find lots to do.

3 - Eating out! Yes, even I get a break! We don't eat out every day but I do enjoy it when we do.

4 - Letting the children experience the out doors. The twins have their first pair of wellies so they will be able to explore the world around them a bit more.

5 - A bit more me and hubby time! Normally, at home, when the kids are in bed we are busying about cleaning the kitchen, doing the packed lunches before sitting down for a bit before bed. On holiday it is more relaxed and it is lovely to have a bit more time together.

Here are my 5 Things for the week. Hopefully I will still get the chance to blog while I am away!

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Twins Discover Soft Play

Yesterday's toddler group ended up in a trip to a local soft play area!

I have never taken the twins anywhere like that before mainly because they still don't seem big enough. But I need to realise that they are not babies anymore. So when we were asked if we would like to go I thought "Yeah, we'll give it a go!"

We had lunch then got ready to go.

Yes, I was nervous about how the twins would react, would the just cry at everyone or would they just go and play? At one point these worries would have stopped me going, but as my confidence and the twins have grown I knew that we would be ok!

When we got there the twins had a couple of minutes in the pushchair so that they could get used to their surroundings and then they were off!!!

They started off cautiously but in no time they were getting more daring.

Before I knew it they were climbing up the slopes onto the next, higher level. The three of us climbed up went along a walk way, past the funny mirrors, around a ball that was bigger than them and then down the slide! We went through tunnels and played with games on the walls. They were having the time of their lives! They found some big soft building block and loved stacking them up and counting, then knocking them over. We had so much fun.

The one thing that I enjoyed more than anything was giving the twins my undivided attention to playtime!

At home there are always distractions, there are jobs to be done, the phone might ring, emails come through and the television being on.

Having that time has made me realise that we really do need to do it more and I cannot wait!

Family Friday

Today did not go as planned but has still been a good, quality, family day.
We went over to see my nanna and grandad. Unfortunately it was not a good morning for my grandad so lunch was called off. However we did spend a lovely couple of hours with them. I love seeing their faces when they are with the children. You can see in their eyes how much they mean to them and how much having that time with them means.
After our visit we went to collect my new glasses, which I love! When I first put them on it was like putting on a pair of beer goggles! The floor moved as I looked up and down much I felt quite dizzy. After wearing them for a couple of hours the difference in my vision is evident. How did I cope not wearing glasses? I think that I just go t used to my level of vision and got used to seeing things as I was. It is only when you see things better you realise how bad it was.
We took the children for their first walk around a shop. We had never taken them out without the pushchair, but today we were feeling brave. We took them for a walk around Toys R Us. They went mad when they saw the toys! Everything that had Minnie Mouse on Isabella immediately went to and the same for Taylor with Thomas the Tank.
All we heard from Isabella was
"Minnie, Minnie"
"Peppa, Peppa" (Peppa Pig)
"Yo, Ho, Ho" (Jake & the Neverland Pirates)
"Stuffin, Stuffin" (Doc McStuffins)
She did not know where to go to first.
Whereas Taylor knew exactly what he wanted to see. Thomas the Tank and he told us
"Choo, Choo"
In fact he did not want to leave. When hubby told him we were going he plonked his bum on the floor in protest and wouldn't walk. He was with Thomas toys galore!
We had a great day, spending time together as a family, enjoying being the five of us together.
Once the children were in bed it was time for date night. Movie, snacks and a bottle of wine.
What a perfect end to a quality family day.

The Weekend Arrives Early

The weekend has arrived early in our house!
Hubby has got a couple of days off so we have got an extra long weekend together. We have got a busy couple of days coming up.
Today we are mixing a couple if jobs in with a family day.
We are going to be spending quite a bit if the day with my nanna and grandad. I am keeping up with the promise I made to myself when we found out about my grandads cancer. I am really enjoying seeing them both more and I can tell the children are too. Grandad has got another appointment next week so it'll be good to see him before we know any more. Its going to be a relaxing day too. They are taking us all out for a late lunch so I won't need to cook later so that means no clearing up! Then me and hubby can start our weekly date night early!
Thankfully today my new glasses arrive which I am looking forward to. It was only after it was pointed out how bad my eye sight is that I've noticed. So clear vision here we come and hopefully the headaches will go too.
The day has started well, thanks to hubby getting up with the twins and letting me have a lie in. I've got a feeling today is going to be a good day!

Ha Ha Rain!! You Can't Stop Us!!

We woke up this morning to rain. It was not just a bit of rain, it was chucking it down.
This week hubby is not at work until Thursday so we have been looking forward to spending some quality time together.
Today we had planned a picnic and a walk around the local house and gardens. But looking at the weather this morning we very much doubted that we would be going anywhere!
However, after we had our carpet picnic, as opposed to our planned outdoor picnic in the sun, the rain eased and eventually stopped. We saw our opportunity and made a dash to the car and went out.
We went to the house and gardens as we had planned. We have got so many happy memories from the house. I have been taking Joseph there since he was toddling about. I have many pictures and videos of him having fun and I look forward to having more as he grows and of the twins as they become more aware of the natural world around them. I too have many happy childhood memories of being taken through the gardens by my nanna and grandad.
I love walking through the wooded area, smelling the fresh earthly smells and listening to the wind rustling through the trees. We enjoyed a peaceful walk through the gardens and woods. We strolled within the walled gardens stealing ideas and inspiration for our garden and took the children through a bamboo tunnel.
I thrive on moments like todays outing, being with hubby and giving our undivided attention to our family.
After we had explored the gardens we let the children explore the play ground.
Joseph climbed, zoomed down slides, swung like he was trying to reach the clouds and spun like a spinning top on the roundabout. No piece of apparatus was untouched my Joseph!
The twins, on the other hand, we're thrilled to just be on the swings. With every push they squealed "weee, weee" with excitement.
The rain had dampened our hopes of a day out when we woke up but it did not stop us getting out and having a fantastic afternoon together.

Week 1 Done & Getting Easier............. I think!

Well we have done just over one week of the summer holidays and I am still smiling and have still got all of my hair!
After hearing "mum I'm bored" on the first day, I thought "oh no, this is going to be a long 6 weeks!". However much to my astonishment, it has got better. Whether I'll be saying this in a few weeks time is another matter.
I have found that the more I involve Joseph in my day to day jobs and keep him up to date with what we are going to do, the better he has been.
Each morning he has helped me go down the garden to tend to the chickens and to check our vegetables. He has thoroughly enjoyed helping me to harvest any vegetables that are ready and is starting to gain a real interest in what goes on and is asking plenty of questions. Yesterday we even had an impromptu water fight. Ok, maybe water fight is not the best way to describe it, I had the hose and chased Joseph around the garden spraying him. He was giggling so much, the more he giggled the more I chased him and the wetter he got. Having that bit of quality time makes all the difference.
Another thing that he has been asking to do is baking. Joseph does love to bake buns, like his mum, but it's also another opportunity to have that bit of time together. So while tea was cooking we got baking. I made a basic sponge batter, with the help of Joseph's weighing skills, and gave him half in a bowl and let him go crazy with his buns. I told him that he could mix in whatever he wanted as they were his buns. I played it safe with banana and oat muffins, whereas Joseph added rainbow drops, chocolate chips and banana! Quite a mixture, but he enjoyed it, and that's what it was all about out.
Today I had half an hour's quality time with all 3 children, which believe me does not happen very often at all. I had Taylor sat between my legs, relaxing with his cars. Isabella was trotting around playing with whatever took her fancy and kept coming over to jibber jabbering to me. Joseph was laid on the settee behind me playing with my hair and chilling. It was such a relaxing, tranquil half an hour, and one that I know I will treasure.
After the children had charged their batteries it was back to the normal manic house that we know and love.
Dinner was late but hey time like I've had this afternoon with the children is more than worth all the rushing about after.