Well, that’s Week One of the six week break done and dusted already. It’s felt quite laid back as we’ve had lots of downtime at home in between the bursts of busy-ness and activity, and, even though I normally find it tough staying in, it’s actually been really lovely (if you choose to ignore the bickering anyway!). Den-building, Lego, movies, baking, colouring and reading have been favourites for the girls, and whilst I probably haven’t been as present as I could (should?) have been with them all of the time, I have made a point of putting down my phone, shutting the lid of the laptop and saying “yes” if they’ve specifically asked me to join in with playing with them – they all light up inside when they get quality time with us so it’s something I want and need to do more of for sure.
We’ve ticked three things off our Summer Holiday Bucket List too – swimming, a visit to Trentham Gardens and fruit picking (blog posts to follow for the latter two), and they’ve all been lots of fun. This feels like what summer holidays are supposed to be like – making memories, spending time together, following family traditions that we’ve created and exploring new places. I’m already looking forward to what the next couple of weeks bring 🙂
Here are my moment of happiness from the last ten days…
Day 141: Swimming! (Photo from my phone)
Day 142: Daddy treated the girls to these (fake) leather jackets. Their big sister has one (as do I) and when we spotted them we couldn’t resist. How ace do they look?! They chose their own poses by the way… 🙂
Day 143: A super-exciting day all round – the girls’ first ever trip to London AND Ella got to meet Jacqueline Wilson as part of a press event we attended for The Foundling Museum. It was a challenging day for many reasons, but it was totally worth every minute for the joy on her face.
Day 144: Back down to London again today – for work rather than play this time. Up before the sunrise but the early start is worth it when the sky puts on a show like this
Day 145: These two were super-cuddly and loving with each other all day today
Day 146: Mimi requested that we do painting today, and so that’s exactly what we did 🙂
Day 147: An afternoon in the sunshine at Trentham Gardens. Ice cream, beautiful flowers and lots of laughter meant that this has been my favourite day so far.
Day 148: Fruit-picking at one of our favourite places: Canalside Farm in Great Haywood
Day 149: Today, Ella tried pesto pasta. She can be incredibly phobic about trying new foods (think hysterical sobs on the floor at the mere suggestion) so this was a HUGE thing for her. There was literally only about a quarter of a teaspoon of pesto in this spaghetti but she really liked it and I am grateful that I have a new meal to add to the repertoire.
Day 150: Mimi was at a friend’s house for most of the afternoon so Ella and Lola played with Lego for hours, building shops and houses and ambulances and fire engines together. It still amazes me how different the dynamic is when there are two rather than three, and it doesn’t seem to matter which one is missing!
