This second half of the summer holidays seems to be speeding up the closer we get to going back to school. The days are slow but the weeks are beginning to race by. This week there has been baking and biking and blackberry picking and board games, plus our ‘big day out’ for the summer.
It’s become a tradition that we choose somewhere to go each year that we wouldn’t normally be able to afford, and we save up for it as a family treat for us all. I think it’s an important lesson for the girls so they don’t expect to do big day trips all the time – it teaches them the value of money, the importance of saving up for special things and hopefully helps them enjoy the day even more. In previous years we’ve been to Legoland Windsor and Chester Zoo and thoroughly enjoyed them both. This year the girls chose the Warner Bros Studio Tour (‘Harry Potter World’ to the girls) and we had all been looking forward to it for months. It absolutely lived up to expectations and we had a fantastic time, making memories that will last for years.
Day 161: Making Rocky Road. Ella is getting quite into baking now and it’s becoming a really lovely way for us to spend time together.
Day 162: This boy brings me joy on a daily basis. He’s so cute when he’s sleeping!
Day 163: Blackberry picking with the girls
Day 164: A quick bike ride to our local park plus a spur-of-the-moment drop-in visit from friends we haven’t seen for years. It was lovely to spend a couple of hours catching up on each other’s news.
Day 165: Baking blackberry and apply crumble with our blackberry haul from the other day. Autumn is coming.
Day 166: This one went to a unicorn themed birthday party today which is pretty much her idea of heaven – eye glitter, flower crowns and unicorn tattoos!
Day 167: A thoroughly enjoyable (and competitive!) family game of Harry Potter Scrabble on a rainy afternoon.
Day 168: A family trip to the cinema to see Incredibles 2.
Day 169: Our ‘big day out’ to Harry Potter World – it was ACE! 🙂 I love this photo, taken right at the end of the day. Look how happy they are!
Day 170: Strawberry picking. We are going to be eating strawberries for weeks (and I don’t even like them!)
Linda wilce
looks like you had a fab day chloe…..
i went to HP World last year with 2 of my big girls lol we loved it too…..i read your post last week about Mimis struggles & how it effects the family with sadness & yes as an outsider you have the perfect family & you do!! its your family!!!! all perfect in their own way…….i didnt comment before as unsure how to respond but ive been thinking about you all week……take care enjoy the rest of the hols & see you back at yoga xx
Chloe Ridgway
Thanks for such a lovely message Linda. Harry Potter World was ace – it’s our second visit and we loved it even more this time around as they’ve added so many extra things to the exhibits. We are perfectly imperfect for sure and I’m learning to embrace the chaos as much as I can. Thank you for your thoughts and I’m looking forward to seeing you at yoga too – I’ve really missed going for the last two months!