Family day out

Yesterday we went for our first family day out since Eve was born. We wanted to give Charlie a final summer day out before the weather turns colder and we were lucky, it started off misty but became sunny with blue skies when we reached the seaside.

We went to Hastings and Eve was so good (sleeping, feeding, no crying!) that on the way home we stopped off at Bodiam castle which Charlie really enjoyed.

Apart from meals, petrol and parking our day out was free! We played Crazy Pirate golf at Hastings with the 3 tickets we won the last time we visited and used our National Trust passes for Bodiam.

Bodiam had special events on, we listened to a talk about armoury and Charlie got to try on a 13th century style iron helmet.

Eve behaved beautifully, I fed her in the car a couple of times (front seat is much comfier than a bench for feeding) and she seemed to enjoy being on the beach in the carrier.

Days Out - Kew Gardens

For Mum and Dad's Christmas present this year we gave them each a day out for 2014. In May we joined up Dad's day out with Charlie's birthday and had a lovely day on The Watercress Line and at the start of June we went to Kew Garden's for Mum's. My brother, his wife and baby I came too.

Kew Gardens in Surrey was a perfect day out for an energetic 4 year old. There was so much space to run around in and so many things to explore. The tree-top walkway was a big hit, lots of steps to climb and then a wibbly wobbly walkway which blew in the breeze - T was not a fan! C also loved a little tunnel near the walkway which was filled with mechanical insect artwork.

There were peacocks throughout the garden and we were lucky to see one displaying it's plumage. Charlie and Grandad snuck around to get a better look!

Baby I is now 8 months old and full of smiles. C was entranced by her and kept on going to say hello or stroking her face or giving a hug.

Toddler days out - Emmetts Garden

 Day out number two with our National Trust membership and a toddler.

 

The sun came out today so we packed a picnic and looked for a NT place within easy driving distance of South London. As we're mid potty training we didn't want a stately home so somewhere with lots of outside space sounded perfect, we decided on Emmetts Garden in Kent. This is the Edwardian garden of a stately home, but only the garden part is open to the public. Perfect.

 

There was so much to explore so we'll go back again another time, but we did a quick loop of the first garden and then made our way to the picnic field where we sat up camp. The National Trust run this place with family fun in mind. There was a little log cabin filled with outdoor lawn games (bowls, cricket etc) and as I sat down with Charlie (whilst Daddy went back to the car for the picnic) a kind member of staff brought me over two deckchairs. The boy loved the deckchairs, he hopped in and out of them and I was relegated to the picnic blanket as we ate our lunch.

 

We took the slingshute and the boys had fun throwing it up up into the air and running to catch the parachute and Charlie was a potty training genius. He sat on the travel potty in the toilet stall with me and again by the car, proving that we can take him out for a day without any embarrassing accidents. We ate cheese and ham sandwiches, teddy bear crispies, strawberries and raspberries and homemade gingerbread. And I took LOADS of photos, making the most of the blue sky and two happy boys.





 

 

Easter weekend 2013 part 1

Having planned to have a quiet weekend at home this year, we've actually been really busy. Here's some of what we've been up to.

Charlie's nursery closed for a half day teacher training on Thursday, so C and I went for a long walk in the park, made a big swirly train track and did some sink play. On Saturday we swapped eggs with Nana and Grandad, saw T's brother and had lunch at Byrons.

On Saturday we went with C's friend little T to do an Easter Egg Hunt at The Horniman Museum. The boys had to find yellow flags which they loved doing. They'd spot one and run off to see what baby animal picture was underneath. Each flag had a letter, once you'd got all the letters and unscrambled the anagram you could hand your sheet in to claim a crème egg. We also saw some bunnies and sheep and went down to the aquarium to see the fish.

Today (Easter Sunday) we decided to go for a family trip to Ightham Mote, a National Trust house 40 mins drive away in Kent. It was really cold, so walking around the stately home kept us warm and C was really well behaved. He then had a run in the gardens and loved the waterfall which he described as 'massive'.

Castles with 18 month olds

Yesterday we met up with our friends and their daughter little D. Little D is two months younger then Charlie, she's not yet walking but is very good at understanding and talking. We haven't seen them for ages as they moved to the country when little D was a few months old, so we planned a meet-up somewhere halfway between our homes and hit on Hever Castle.

We'd been to Hever once before but hadn't been inside, it has beautiful grounds and I remember T and I spent a lot of the time posing for photos by the topiary and looking at the lake.

This time, with a baby not yet walking and getting over a chest infection (Little D not C-bear) we definitely wanted to go inside. So that began our flash with-kids tour of the castle. It's Anne Boleyn's childhood home, but that's about all I still know about it. The babes were actually pretty good, but long gone are the days of spending time, reading the plaques under each exhibit and taking our time. We visited each room, briefly, Little D was whiny, C just wanted to run around. A lot of time was spent carrying C and then, when we were in a particularly empty room, letting him walk with his reins. He found it hard to understand the concept of not going under the red cord barriers, and was fascinated by the suits of armour.

We had more fun outside by the lake, C loved looking at the ducks (wanted to join them) and running around with Daddy. Little D had a crawl around and sat on a chair. Both kids liked our visit to the cafe which involved chocolate cake for all.

We'd also gone to a beautiful country pub for lunch beforehand. It was perfect, roaring fires, plenty of space, two highchairs and the food was good too.

It was a good day and lovely to spend it with another family who understood the ups and downs of having a small child.

This little guy put me in a Christmassy mood!

P.S. on the drive home Charlie was sick, very very sick. We stopped the car, wiped him down, wiped the seat down, changed his outfit, put him back in a sticky, wet seat and snuggled him up with a blanket. 10 mins down the road, he did it again. If you're a Mum you'll know there is nothing worse then being trapped in a car with a sicky child, just wanting to get home. We thought it was the chocolate cake, but after we'd got home, bath, stories, boy in bed, washing machine on, drier on, he was sick again. He managed to stay fast asleep so I cuddled him in our bed whilst Daddy bear changed the sheets and I managed put him back into bed again without him waking up. He had a temperature this morning, but has not been sick again.

P.P.S If you're a Mum you'll know there is no worse chore then cleaning sick from a car seat - how many crevices are in these things? It took me a good 45 minutes to properly clean all the straps and it still smells like sick and Milton spray.

Weekend in Kent

It was my birthday this weekend so the three of us went to stay in Canterbury. Tom and I met at UKC 12 years ago. Here's some of the things we did:

- Took C-bear to UKC, we saw our old college (Eliot) and walked around campus.
- Went for a late afternoon walk in Whitstable, C fell asleep in the buggy and T and I watched the sunset over the harbour and ate fresh hot doughnuts.
- Took C back to Whitstable in the morning and played on the pebbly beach with the bucket and spade.
- Went to Howletts zoo, C miaowed at the tigers and loved watching the gorillas.

We also bought our wedding rings in a little independent jewellers. We got my engagement ring two years ago in York, so I'm happy our wedding rings have come from Canterbury. I love that they come from the place T & I met and that just helps make them extra special.

It was the first time we've taken the boy with us to stay in a hotel, things weren't perfect but he was pretty good. We only had the one room, so put him down in his cot and hid round the corner (!), there were some tears, but only for 5 mins then he slept through. It did mean I had to get up at 6.15am on my birthday, but I suppose that happens with having kids.

Battersea Park Children's Zoo

Last weekend we took the boy to Battersea Park Children's Zoo. I hadn't been there for about 5 years and it was better then  remembered. Before the boy was born we used to live in Battersea and I really missed it when we first moved, going back was bittersweet, it still feels like home, I lived there for seven years, but also we've moved on so much and our current home has so many lovely memories of Charlie growing up in it.

The one definite change was the price, it used to be around £4, so I was a little taken aback at paying £8.50 per adult. C was free but will be £6.50 once he's over 2!

We had lots of fun looking at the animals, it's basically like London zoo but without the big beasts. So we saw tons of monkeys, meerkats, otters (soo cute) and exotic birds and also farm animals - goats, donkeys, pigs etc.

And the one major change since I was last there was the children's play area. It was Amazing, the best I've seen in London because there were so many parts to it. Lots of swings, slides, climbing frames, a whole fire engine (!) and a v. cute caterpillar tunnel that C loved. There was also a fantastic sand pit play area (we accidentally went there first and there were tears when we tried to move on).

And T took this film of the otters - so cute, when he stands up he's looking at the meerkats nextdoor!

So would I go back, yes definitely before C is two. If I still lived in the area I would buy a year pass and we'd go every week.

Seaside holiday

We got back from Charlie's second ever holiday on Friday. We spent a week next to the sea in Selsey, West Sussex. Charlie was happy to spend every day with Mama and Daddy, Nana and Grandad and Uncle Andy, Aunty Em and 4 month old cousin Max.

C is at an age where he just learns sooo much every day. On holiday he learnt to say:

Shark

Night Night

No more

Max

Juice

Drink

Toot Toot

Rah (lion says)

And probably loads more I can't remember! He can also follow simple instructions, pointing to his mouth, ears, nose and toes and going to fetch things 'Where's your ball/cat/book etc'.

We spent every morning and evening on the beach.

We also visited Arundel Castle, the Spinnaker Tower, Blue Reef Aquarium and Hayling Island.

It was so nice just to have a whole week of real family time. We crammed loads in and the week just went way too quickly. Already we're planning where to go next year, but I'm pretty sure it will be another Staycation, I love the English seaside and as Charlie isn't old enough to appreciate a holiday abroad just yet, we're happy with our local attractions.

Seaside!

We're on holiday.

For a week by the sea.

Time with my boys all day every day.

That is all.

PS - I can't stop smiling :)

Peekaboo in Wiltshire

We went to see Granny and Grandad in Wiltshire this weekend (nominally to look at a wedding venue - a whole other story) but C-bear had a wonderful time playing in the garden. We live in a London flat 5 mins from Crystal Palace Park, we have a communal garden too, but by the time you've locked the flat up, you might as well go to the park. We spend a lot of our time in the park, but times like this weekend remind me how simple it would be to have a private garden for Charlie to toddle around.

Hastings

We had a family day trip to Hastings on Saturday. The weather was gorgeous (blue skies and sunshine) and we fancied a trip to the seaside. The beach at Hastings is pebbly which Charlie loved. He kept on putting pebbles into his mouth and spitting them out again. He loved slipping down the pebbly slope on his tummy and Tom and I took it in turns to take him down to the edge of the sea. His new shoes really came into there own as he was able to walk tons. We had fish and chips for lunch and parked in a really scary multi storey car park. Plus Charlie has just started offering things to us, he picked up a pebble and gave it to me on the beach. I've kept it because it's the first thing he's ever given me - sentimental huh!

Eating pebbles - salty

Pile of grey pebbles and big boy sports cap bottle

Scarecrows 2011

Here's the photos I promised for this year's village Scarecrow festival. The theme was adverts, there were 51 scarecrows and these were my favourites! I just loved the Citreon car transformer.

Our Sunday

Charlie and I went to the farm and the play park. We hung out in the sandpit, went on the swings and hugged the big blue dinosaur. Back at home Charlie played with his new aquadoodle and had a fun time with Daddy.

May Bank Holiday Weekend

We spent the extra long BHW visiting my parents in Wiltshire. Every year the village a couple of miles from there's has a Scarecrow Festival. It's lots of fun and more to come in a later post when I've got the photos from Tom's phone.

The weather was glorious, Charlie spent a lot of time in the garden with the new toys Granny and Grandad had found for him - a toddle truck and a mega block cart. We also saw my school friend's 4-month old baby girl, Freya, for the first time and Uncle Simon and Auntie Nicki joined in with the fun.

It was a lovely weekend, C-bear was very much the centre of attention and it was amazing how spending time in a different environment can help his development. With Granny and Grandad's help he can now use a shape sorter (put the circle in on his own and the rest with help), almost run whilst pushing the toddle truck up and down the garden and is grasping the concept of 'open' and 'shut'.

Baby's first holiday

We've just returned from Charlie's first holiday; it was a great success, our little lad loved it. My partner's parents rented a cottage on the Dorset/Devon border and we had a week of Charlie getting lots of Daddy and Grandparents time. It also meant I could finally finish my book!