Thomas Cook airlines

So we have just returned from a week in Alcudia, Majorca flying with Thomas Cook airlines from Newcastle to Palma.

The flight over was brilliant. At 0525 our boarding gate was announced and it was straight down and onto the plane. We did have to sit for about twenty minutes due to some air traffic control restrictions, but once we were pushed back that was it straight to runway and off.

The landing in Palma was very smooth and no sooner had we started the decent than we were on the ground.

The food was pretty good although Freddie did knock my cup of tea all over my trousers and the lovely lady sat next to me. He did mess around with his tray table quite a lot so I did have to use his magazines to distract him 

On landing though Freddie was a bit of a nightmare and he kept trying to climb out of his seatbelt to look out the window!

On the way back Freddie sat in his seat while the other passengers got on but I did have to distract him with snacks to stop him messing around with the tray table. Once we were in the air though I managed to distract him with Hey Duggee and In the night garden on his tablet along with the very hungry caterpillar game he has!

He wasn't that interested in his meal probably due to all the bear yoyo's and oat bars he had eaten before take off!!

However Freddie did actually fall asleep on this flight! Although it was literally twenty minutes before we landed!

Would we fly with Thomas Cook Airlines again? Yes I think we would!

Our plane back on the ground at Newcastle!

What I'm Packing For Freddie

So in a few weeks time we are off on our first family holiday and I am so excited! I have been buying and putting things away for this trip for months and its finally time to pack the case for the boys! 

The best way I find when packing for any trip for the boys is using Ziploc bags and putting stuff together ie day time outfit including a pull up and socks in one bag and same for evening in a separate bag. I find doing this it takes up less room in the case. I am also then going to put the boys stuff into separate packing cubes to keep their things separate. 

So for Freddie I am packing eight day time t shirts - we are away for 7 nights but will arrive at the resort around midday on the Monday and leave mid-morning the following Monday so I will be changing Freddie out of his traveling clothes once we have arrived at the hotel!

Then we have two pairs of swim shorts and his swim jacket. We have six pairs of shorts for wearing during the day and four pairs of shorts for evening. We then have seven smarter tops for wearing on an evening. 

We also have his Paw Patrol poncho and a big beach towel packed for Freddie as well!.

Shoe wise freddie will be traveling in his primark trainers, but we will also pack his sandals and also his doodles.

For his nappies we have 21 nappies that he wears over night, Two packets of swim nappies and 10 pairs of pull ups. We have ordered the rest of his pull ups and extra swim nappies from Boots and will collect them once we are air side at Newcastle airport! 

His changing bag will also be fully stocked and packed into the boys case. The bag that goes under the pushchair which contains our SnoozeShade, some carrier bags and our first aid kit will also be in here.

What am I Packing for James!

So we are finally off on our first long awaited family holiday very soon and I am so excited! I have been buying and putting things away for this trip since we booked it in November last year and its finally time to pack the case for the boys! 

The best way I find when packing any time the boys go anywhere is to use ziploc bags. This means putting stuff together ie day time outfit including pants and socks in one bag and same for evening in a separate bag. I find doing this it takes up less room in the case. I am then going to put the boys stuff into separate packing cubes to keep their things separate.

I am packing eight day time t shirts, even though we are away for seven nights we will arrive at the resort around midday on the Monday and leave early the following Monday morning so I will be getting James to change out of his traveling clothes once we arrive at the hotel, especially as he will have been in these clothes from around 2am!

James has two pairs of swim shorts and his swim jacket. We have two pairs of shorts for wearing during the day and four pairs of shorts for evening. We then have seven smarter tops for wearing on an evening for when we go for dinner and probably a walk around the resort. We will probably try to watch the hotel entertainment on a night as well especially as there is a mini disco every night! I'm hoping this will tire the boys out so they will sleep!

Shoe wise James has his leather trainers which he will be traveling in, a pair of cheaper trainers for wearing during the day and also a pair of sandals for around the pool. 

James also has his Spiderman poncho and a big beach towel packed. There will also be an extra set of inhalers in his case. 

I think that is everything we need for James! If we do need anything else then there are shops in Majorca!

What is in my Plane Bag!

Welcome back to my series of posts on our plane bags for our up coming holiday! You can read about Freddie's bag here and James bag here!

So first off I am taking my Babymule backpack as my hand luggage as it has three compartments, which means I can separate the changing kit from my own stuff. I will also have my handbag with me which will have my wallet, phone, power bank and USB cable plus all our travel documents. 

So in the very back big pocket of the bag I will have a spare top for me just in case of any accidents, all the changing kit for Freddie will be in the essentials pouch. In here I will have two pull ups and two nappies, a packet of travel baby wipes, some nappy bags, some nappy cream and antibacterial hand cleanser. I will also have a zip lock bag with some extra pull ups and another two nappies along with some spare nappy bags in case I need something to put clothes in. 

In the middle pocket I will have my headphones and iPad, not that I am expecting to be able to use my iPad but I will have some books on the Kindle app and probably download some films on Netflix and BBC iplayer. I will also have some extra snacks for Freddie in here. As Freddie is dairy and soya intolerant I will make sure I have plenty of little bits in here that he can eat if he can't have his children's meal that we have ordered. We have changed mummy's meal to vegan as they do not actually do a vegan children's meal so hopefully Freddie will be able to eat something between his own meal and my meal! I will also have my hat in this pocket, But my sunglasses clip on's will be in my handbag. 

The veryfront pocket will have a spare travel packet of baby wipes and some antibacterial wipes for wiping down surfaces such as the plane arm rests and tray. Freddie hasn't had a reaction by touch, so this will just be a precaution as you can never be too sure. We will also have some antihistamine just in case as well! I tend to carry a first aid kit with paracetamol, ibuprofen, a blue inhaler plus spacer and antihistamine under the pushchair but this will be in our suitcase to get out once we arrive in the resort. 

In the small pocket where the messenger bag strap is I will have a headphone splitter just in case I need to watch something on the iPad with Freddie. 

The most important thing in the front pocket will be a spacer and an inhaler for Freddie. He doesn't normally need it as much as James does, but since he has been diagnosed as dairy and soya intolerant, one of his reaction symptoms is wheezing.  We are sat separate and across the aisle from each other, so it makes sense for me to have one in my bag

What snacks are we taking abroad

Packing for a holiday with two children under six one who is asthmatic and one who is intolerant to dairy and soya means its tricky!

Freddie first started having issues with dairy when he was six months old, but it took till he was two for us to finally be referred to hospital to seeing dietitians

Our holiday is all inclusive so we get all our food and drinks included, but we will be taking a selection of Freddie's favorite dairy free snacks in both our case and hand luggage.

On our flights we have changed mummy's meals to vegan just to make sure there is something Freddie can eat, as they do not do vegan children's meals. 

The first thing we will be taking is two cartons of almond milk. This is what Freddie drinks first thing in the morning and also at bed time. We normally add a little bit of water to it as well. These will be packed inside our Duc cool bag in one of our cases. We will also take a carton in our hand luggage along with a letter from GP to say he is dairy and soya intolerant and we need to take it through security.

Both boys love crackers so we will take a big packet of them in both our case and hand luggage. These will be ideal for putting into a sandwich bag and into our cool bag for when we are around the pool or out and about in the resort.

Freddie absolutely loves these dairy free flapjacks from Tesco. These come in packs of 5 so we will have one in hand luggage and at least two in our case. These are individually wrapped as well which is brilliant.

Another thing Freddie loves are these raspberry oat bars from Kiddylicious. These are from the baby and toddler aisle in supermarkets and are fantastic for him. Again these are individually wrapped so are the ideal snack for both boys.

So these are the snacks we will be taking away with us. If anyone can suggest anything else that is dairy free please let us know in the comments below!

What is in James Plane Bag

As you already know we are going on holiday in a months time and this mummy is getting organised as to what the boys are taking in their hand luggage. 

I've already posted about what is in Freddie's plane bag which you can find here, now it's James turn!

For James we are taking his Avengers backpack that he got for his birthday from mummy's aunt and uncle. In the bottom of this bag I have put a carrier bag containing a pair of tracksuit trousers, a t-shirt, long sleeved top, pants and socks. There is also a unopened packet of travel size baby wipes just in case as Andy and James are across the aisle from mummy and Freddie so it makes sense to have a packet of wipes with them. There will also be a water bottle which will be filled up once we are through security.  We also have his sun hat and his sunglasses in here for when we get off the plane. The most important thing in James bag though will be his asthma inhalers and his spacer. I will have extra in our checked luggage but he will have his in his bag for the flight just in case he needs it!

Now for activities! First off there is the Paw Patrol sticker book like Freddie has. Again this was bought in the Aldi Special Buys back in March for £1.99. We then have a Room on the broom activity book and a Gruffalo colouring book. These came from Aldi in the August baby event special buys priced at £1.79 each.

Then there is a couple of Paw Patrol blind bags in the small front pocket, These were £1 at Poundland. James absolutely loves blind bags and I can see these keeping him amused for a while on the flight!

Then we have a colouring book, which was £1 at Tesco and a pencil case containing some colouring pencils. There is also a pencil sharpener with a lid and some normal writing pencils in here too as James has brought some work from school with him to do while we are away.

We also have a Gruffalo colouring book and a Room on the Broom activity book that we picked up in the last Aldi Baby and Toddler event. Then there is his Usborn Dino book he got from his aunt and uncle for his birthday 

Then we have his tablet and headphones. We bought this last Christmas for James as his old one was starting to come to the end of its use. His headphones are JVC and we bought these when he was about three and they still have a lot of life in them! We will buy him a couple of magazines at Tesco before we go as well so they will be in here too!

As for snacks we have two lollies one for take off and one for landing to help with popping ears. There are also a couple of Bear Yoyo's, some Bear Paws, 2 of the dairy free flapjacks and 2 of the Kiddylicious Oaty Bars.

The final thing that will be in James plane bag will be CB! This Bear has gone everywhere with James since he was about 18 months old, so going on holiday and not taking CB was out of the question,.

What is in Freddie's Plane Bag

Now we don't actually fly for another four weeks or so but this mummy is getting organised!

When we went away to visit the in laws earlier in the year I had packed little bits for the train and to keep them amused while at their grandparents house. These were just cheap little cars for both boys to play with and some blind bags for James.But these kept both boys amused for the five days we were visiting their grandparents and the two long train trips! 

So I decided as we we are going on our first flight to write a post about what is in each boys plane bag separate starting with Freddie!

So for his hand luggage we are taking his mini Mr Tumble wheeled case with his Mr Tumble backpack inside. In the bottom of the wheeled case I have an unopened packet of travel size baby wipes, 2 pull ups 2 nappies and some nappy bags in a zip lock bag. There is also another zip lock bag containing a short sleeved vest, socks, trousers and a long sleeved top. We will also have his hat and sunglasses in the wheeled bag for when we get off the plane in Palma. There is also an empty water bottle that we will fill up for him once we are through security and that will then go into the seat pocket in front of him for the flight! This bag will stay in the overhead locker the majority of the flight while his little backpack will be at his feet.

As it is an early morning flight Freddie will want to have some milk. As Freddie is dairy and soya intolerant he drinks almond milk. We will have a carton of this and a letter from our GP to bring it though security unopened so we can fill his beaker up once we are in the departure lounge.

So what is in Freddie's little bag? For his snacks in his bag he will have a couple of Bear Yoyo's and some Bear Paws. A couple of his flapjacks and a couple of his oat bars. The rest of his snacks will be in my bag. Im hoping since we changed my meal to vegan there will be something Freddie can eat from either his or my meal.

This first thing in the bag is a Paw Patrol sticker book. I actually bought this back in March in the Aldi special buys for £1.99 This is a bit big for Freddie's backpack so it will just slide into the wheeled case then go into the seat pocket for take off and landing!

The next thing is a small colouring book from Tesco that cost £1, there is also a couple of blind bags. Now that Freddie is nearly three he has started to take an interest in James blind bags, so to save arguments we bought him some of his own!

Then we have a Tangle toy! James fell in love with these months ago when he saw them advertised on television, so when I saw them on sale in our local Primark for £3 I grabbed a couple. James has been obsessed with his, but we saved Freddie's for his plane bag as he didn't really understand it when we first got them!

We will also have our family Kindle Fire 7, we bought the official Amazon bumper case for the Kindle Fire 7 as it gives the screen extra protection in case it it gets dropped,  and also his JVC headphones. We bought his headphones last year when we went to Alton Towers so he could watch things on my iPad and also listen to Cbeebies stories! On here we will download some of his favorite shows from Cbeebies and Netflix. Hopefully Blaze and the Monster Machines, Peppa Pig and In The Night Garden will keep him amused on the flight if everything else fails!

We also have a funny faces sticker book that mummy bought on Amazon. I am hoping all this will work as it is a flight of 2 hours 50 minutes plus of course the two hours or so in the airport before we fly! And for us this will be between 3 am and 5 am! We will also have Moo - his cuddly cow that is from Doc McStuffins that he won on a hook a duck at the local fair and he has really become attached to it! Moo goes everywhere with him and goes to bed every night tucked under his arm.

Wish us luck I think we are going to need it!!

Holiday Countdown

We are really looking forward to our first family holiday in October, as yet James has no idea that we are going and I am starting to plan how we are going to tell him about going!

If we told him now that we were going then he would ask everyday if it was time to go and he would literally drive us crazy! I came up with telling him on his birthday which is six weeks and one day before we go!

One of the things I am going to give him for his birthday is a countdown chart! I have made a little calendar from his birthday for him to cross the days off. I thought doing this would help him grasp that we were going but not at that very moment!

Another way is buying him a small suitcase and putting some bits inside it that he will need on holiday like armbands and goggles for swimming etc

We have chosen to go with the countdown chart and have also wrapped up some things like a pool ring and some goggles for him as part of his birthday presents!

I am so excited for James birthday to tell him we are going to be going on holiday!

How to make a holiday with kids easier! Part Two

Welcome to part two of how to make a holiday with kids easier! You can read part one here! So here are the rest of the tips I gathered from my fellow bloggers!

Beth from https://twinderelmo.co.uk/ says A snoozeshade is a god send if you’ve got a little one in a pram/pushchair to protect them from the sun and helps them sleep when on the go.
A travel blackout blind is also really helpful as hotels rarely have good curtains to block out the light at nap times. – Now we have actually been using a Snoozeshade since Freddie was a few months old and we have just started using the Plus Deluxe version so this will definetly be packed into our changing bag for our holiday! Freddie doesn’t always nap but I have a feeling with the heat he might need a cat nap!

Jennifer from https://www.mymummyspennies.com/ says Our kindles were perfect for entertaining the children on the plane on our recent holiday to Croatia.  – I will be packing James Lenovo tablet in his hand luggage and I will be also packing our kindle fire into Freddie’s hand luggage. Both tablets take micro SD cards so we will be putting plenty of Cbeebies onto them for the boys to watch!

Hayley from http://www.missmanypennies.com  A couple of small games/packs of cards to keep them entertained in those boring waiting around times – I am looking to get a couple of small travel games to put into either James bag or into Andy’s bag to help entertain James with him being that little bit older than Freddie.

Adrienne from http://workingmumcambridge.com  I find its all in the planning! Lots of snacks and lots of party bag gifts – Lots of snacks will be packed! Especially as Freddie is dairy free. I will have to make sure we have plenty of stuff he can eat just in case he cannot eat his in flight meal.

Luschka from https://diaryofafirstchild.com/ says A good tip for travelling abroad with kids is to have a folder for all your travel documents and tickets and passports. Standing at immigration rummaging through suitcases looking for a letter of permission from the children's dad is really stressful! Have everything in one place and keep it there! – This is actually something we have already done! I have bought a document wallet for travelling! This already has our passports and our European health cards in!

Emma from http://readyfreddiego.com/ says If you have a child with allergies, Allergy UK does a card that is available in 27 languages stating what the allergy is and it’s severity – this is something we will probably have to get as Freddie is about to undergo testing for dairy and soya issues.

Beth from http://www.life-as-mum.co.uk/ says Easier said than done but TRY not to stress too much. Just take the day/night as it comes. The more you stress out it will feel more stress than it actually is. – I am an absolute stress head when it comes to trips away with the boys! I have already arranged for the boys to go and stay with Nana and Gaga the weekend before we go away so mummy and daddy can sort out the packing without little hands!

Nita from http://mummywishes.com/ says Fly legsup! Was the perfect companion on long haul flights so that my little one can snooze like he was in first class! – this is something i will have to look into as we are hoping the boys will sleep as it is a 6am flight!

Chantele from http://twoheartsoneroof.com/ says Ear defenders if your flying with a very little one. It was Elian's first flight at 9 months old and we flew to California. The ear defenders meant the roar during take off didn't scare him. – James will be 6 when we fly and Freddie will be almost 3, but I still might take the ear defenders we have for Freddie just in case.

How to make a holiday with kids easier! Part One

As you know we are going on our first family holiday abroad later this year and we are now under twenty weeks from our first flight with two children! I have been searching the internet to look for products that might make our trip a little easier and I turned to my fellow bloggers to get some tips! In fact I got so many tips I have having to split this post into two parts!

Victoria from https://www.lyliarose.com/ says: On our last trip abroad we got both kids a set of JVC Tiny Headphones and they were brilliant! They were able to listen to music, play games and read on their iPads without distracting each other or other passengers. They're in fun kids colours and come with stickers to personalise too so they loved making them their own – We actually bought James a set of these a few years ago and then got Freddie a set last year when we went to Alton Towers and we love them! These are already in the boxes for packing into the boys hand luggage!

Jemma from http://havekidswilltraveluk.com/ Hands down our baby carriers have been our best investments. They enable us to ditch the Pram which saves weight and explore tons of places that we wouldn’t have been able to take the Pram. We’ve loved the Tula range – We currently have a We Made Me Pao Papoose but Freddie is starting to outgrow it so sadly I don’t think a carrier will be packed this holiday.

Emma from https://meandbmaketea.com/ says Calpol in sachets - perfect for a sick child at the airport! – Sadly for us this is not an option as Freddie is allergic to the colouring in Calpol and they only make the sachets with the coloured one. We will however use one of our doddle bags with colour free paracetamol in just in case of illness during travel.

Pete from https://www.householdmoneysaving.com/ says High concentration squash from either Robinsons or Oasis. They come in tiny bottles and you just need to add a few drops to water. It means that we don't have to make up loads of drink before we travel – These are brilliant! We used them when went to Alton Towers on the coach and also when we took the boys to London on the coach. These will definitely be packed into our cases and also into hand luggage!

Polly from https://www.ourseasidebaby.com/ says Trunkis! Although it takes a bit of effort to pull a Trunki along with my son on it, he does love his Tiger Trunki suitcase. The packing, pulling his Trunki along and then sitting on it while someone pulls him along makes any trip more exciting – Now this is something I have actually been looking into for our trip. At the moment we are going to be using a Mr Tumble mini case for Freddie and we are looking into a small case on wheels for James, But I keep wondering if a Trunki would be better for them both.

Ruth from https://www.craftwithcartwright.co.uk/ Some good activity books with stickers. Get them away from screens and doing something creative. Great for hanging around airports – This is something we have already bought! The boys have a Paw Patrol sticker book each for the flight. Plus I have a couple more on my Amazon wish list!

Samantha from https://www.northeastfamilyfun.co.uk/ says We load a portable hard drive up with their favourite movies and take it with us along with a USB cable. This is SO useful when you need some downtime or in the mornings/evenings if you need to keep the kids entertained while you're getting ready. Especially in places where there isn't any free WiFi or it doesn't have very good signal and tablets don't work as well. – Now I’m actually thinking about taking my portable hard drive and downloading some stuff onto it for the boys and buying an adapter to attach it to my iPad!

Stay tuned for Part Two of these useful hints!

Top Five things to do in Alcudia

So we are off to Alcudia in October and I have already started to do my research into things we can do with the kids! The last time I went to Majorca I was 19, so a lot of places have changed since I was last there! 

I asked some of my fellow bloggers and also friends who I know have visited the area for some suggestions of things we can do!

Hidropark

For us this has to be number one on our list as it is actually right next door to our hotel so we get free entrance! As we are all inclusive at the hotel we apparently get a 20% discount on food and drink in the park! This will be a brilliant day out for the boys; Freddie especially will adore it as he loves playing with water! I can easily see us spending a few hours here, especially as it is right next door to our hotel complex so we won't have too far to go if the boys get tired. 

A day trip to Palma

Palma is the capital of Majorca so I don’t think any trip to the island would be complete without spending a day in Palma. Palma has some beautiful architecture and of course some brilliant shopping! I definitely want to go to the marina and see the boats! I know both of the boys would love to see the boats! This was also suggested by Catherine from Here Come The Hoopers, who has a brilliant post about Palma

Credit: North East Family Fun

The Old Town Market

Samantha from North East Family Fun suggests visiting the Market in the old town as its perfect for kids to spend their holiday money and pick up traditional souvenirs! 

I think this will be a perfect place to visit as I love visiting markets when abroad. I can vaguely remember visiting markets when I went to Majorca back when I was 19.






The Pirates Show! Laura from Mum on a Mission says even though it is in Magaluf, The show would blow our minds! She used to be a holiday rep in Majorca so saw the show every week and loved it! This is something I have heard a lot about from friends but we never actually got to see it when I last went! This is something I think James would adore as he is pirate daft thanks to Swashbuckle and he is always pretending to walk the plank off our sofa!

Puerto de Alcudia 
Amy from All About a Mummy suggested going down to the port for local seafood and other cuisines. I think this would be lovely to do one evening maybe after dinner at the hotel. Both my boys love boats and I think the marina would be the idea place to get some lovely photographs of the boys and of course hopefully some lovely family photographs! 

These are just a few of the suggestions I got given! I will be sure to make a list before we go as we are only there a week so have to plan our time!

Holiday Shopping Online!

This year is our first family holiday, even though we are not away till October we are doing the bulk of our shopping now! And having a two year old and a five year old means the majority of my shopping is done online! 

My go to shop for toiletries, especially when I know I am going to be traveling, has to be Boots especially as they have great offers! I'm already looking online and writing lists of what we will need. They are very reasonably priced with some items being available for under £2!

What I didn't realise was all the fantastic deals for Boots you could get on Groupon! I'm definitely going to be using Groupon to do our holiday shopping as I absolutely hate going into the shops especially if I have the boys with me! 

I don't know if its just my boys but they are both an absolute nightmare when we go shopping! They whinge and whine the whole time and normally we end up going home without buying anything that we actually need to get! It's got to the stage now where I plan to do any shopping trips when they are in school and playgroup!

It's not just toiletries I will be going to Boots for for our holiday. I will be buying swim nappies, suntan lotion, plus all our first aid kit necessities! Then you have the Mini Club clothing! I will definitely be wanting to pick up some bits for the two boys such as swim jackets and swim hats! Both my boys have very blonde hair so I will be wanting to keep their heads covered at all times especially when they are in the pool!

So Boots has definitely got my vote for holiday shopping online! Anything that keeps me happy and helps me to avoid taking my two monkeys out is definitely a winner!

**This is a sponsored post with Groupon**

Holiday Shopping

This year is going to be our first family holiday abroad! As we are not going away till October but all the summer clothes will not be in the shops any more so I am starting now to get bits for the boys to wear!

Our first bits have come from Pep & Co and Tesco. 

From Pep & Co James got a vest top and a t-shirt and Freddie got two t-shirts. I chose to get James clothes in a size 6-7 and Freddie's 3-4. James will be six by then and Freddie almost three, but he is well into 2-3 tops now and has been for a good few months, so by getting age 3-4 I am guaranteed they will fit him and he will get get a lot of wear out of them!

                 

 

I love that Pep & Co have gone into our local Poundland shop, The only downside is they do not normally have much in stock so when I was in trying to get clothes for the boys I did struggle to find what I was looking for.

At Tesco we got the boys some shorts. I chose to get them both the same colours of light and dark grey as I thought most colours would go with them.

We do have quite a lot of shorts in the boys wardrobes from the last couple of years in size 2-3 as James is quite skinny and last summer still fit into age 2-3, so I will be trying them all on to him over the next few months so I can decide which still fit him and which ones can be packed for Freddie!

Stay tuned for more holiday clothing posts and other holiday bits in the next few months!

Spring Term First Half Term Over!

How fast is this term going!! It only feels like five minutes since we went back after Christmas and now James is on holiday again!

He went back on 8th January so this half term has literally only been five weeks long and he's already had two school trips! 

The first trip was on the second day back after the Christmas holidays and they went to Thornley Woods! James couldn't stop talking about all the carvings on the trees!

The second trip was to Washington Wetlands Centre and again he had a brilliant time!! James thrives on being outdoors! We sent James into school with his school trousers and socks and shoes in a bag but they didn't actually get back to school till just after three o'clock ready for us parents to collect them at quarter past three! He never stopped talking about the trip the whole way home and for the rest of the night!!

Each class does an online blog and James loves sitting down with mummy and looking at all the photographs of the things he has done with his friends!

We are still doing his school reading every night after school and we have only missed a couple of nights when James has been totally exhausted!! Now that Freddie has stopped having a nap, he is in bed much earlier which means mummy gets some quality time with James to do his reading!

His school gives each year group an essential question at the start of term that they have to answer in their project outcome at the end of term! This term the question that Year One has is "What Makes The Earth Special". Last term it was "Fire: Friend or Foe".

When he got his first homework after the Christmas holidays it was a piece of writing and he was struggling quite a bit to start with, but once we put a pencil grip onto his pencil he seemed to do a little bit better. 

This last week of half term has been quite a hard one for James as mummy and daddy have been away for a few days for the funeral of the boys great nanny who we lost at Christmas. So Nana and Gaga have been on school duty with James.


James really seems to have come on in leaps and bounds since he went into year one! Roll on the next half term to see how he goes and of course the outcome of "What Makes The Earth Special"

My Perfect Holiday #MarkWarnerMums

For me going on holiday is not just about spending time with your family and friends, it's about exploring new surroundings and photography. They say a photograph tells a thousand words. And these photographs definitely tell more than a thousand words. When I look at them, hundreds of thousands of memories come back to me about the wonderful time we had

Photography has been a massive part of my life from the age of sixteen, so whenever I go away with family or friends my camera was always the first thing packed. When I first developed my interest in photography it was long before digital cameras & smart phones were invented, so I was one of those geeks who took many rolls of film away with me.

This photography holds so many happy memories for me. It was when Cinderella's castle first came into view from the monorail at Magic Kingdom. This was no ordinary holiday though, this was our honeymoon. We had saved long and hard to be able to afford our dream holiday for our honeymoon. It most definitely was our dream holiday as I came home with 1400 photographs from ten days! 

Walking up Main Street and seeing the castle at the top is one of the sights I will never forget. It's something I had always dreamed of seeing and to be there with my husband was just so special.

Disney has a reputation for its spectacular fireworks displays and they really do not disappoint! This was taken after the electrical parade where all the floats are lit up! The images projected onto the castle were amazing and this was just a snap that came out so well. I really want to get this print on canvas for our wall.

I have always been a lover of animals so to have the chance to visit Sea World & Animal Kingdom was just a dream come true. Spending time at the dolphin pool at Sea World was just amazing. The Dolphins would swim right up to the wall and you were encouraged to stroke them. There was also a viewing area to see them swimming under water. 

The most magical day of our ten day stay in Orlando was 13th September -my husband Andy turned 29 that day and we had chosen to spend it at Discovery Cove swimming with the Dolphins!  

The park takes all your photographs during the Dolphin encounter which are available to purchase is different photo packages, including the copyright to the photographs so you can print out as many copies as you like when you get home.

Andy and Yoshi

Me and Yoshi. This was a dream come true for me as I have always wanted to kiss a dolphin.

Andy swimming with Dexter 

Me swimming with Dexter.

I really hope that one day, in the future we will be able to take our boys to visit Disney World and of course Discovery Cove to swim with the Dolphins. You have to be six to swim with the dolphins, so it's going to be at least six years before we attempt to visit again as Freddie is not even a year old yet.

James is now three and still has not been abroad yet. Orlando was actually the last holiday that Andy and myself actually went on as James arrived the following year. We have still not had a family holiday even before Freddie arrived due to buying our first family home together. Hopefully 2016 will be our year!

**This is our entry for the 2016 Mark Warner Family Ambassadors Programme**

Nursery - First half term over!

So it's half term holidays! James has finished his first few weeks at nursery. Ok the schools here didn't go back till 7th September, so James didn't get his home visit till 14th September, then his induction morning was on 16th September. He then didn't have his first two hour session till the following Thursday.

How has he done? Well after a very shaky start of him being very upset at drop off and not doing too well on his first couple of days at three hours. This last week he has done his full 15 hours and he has absolutely loved it! 

We are still having trouble with him not using the toilet at school, but other than that he has really settled down and has started making some friends. He loves doing painting and drawing, he also loves the sandpit! For a child who hated sand this time last year it's amazing how much he loves the sandpit.

CB bear is still going in with him, but hopefully we will be leaving CB at home soon to look after mummy! 

He gets very grumpy on a weekend when he is not in nursery, so I'm really hoping we don't have too many problems this week with there being no nursery!

Once he goes back after half term there is only three weeks till baby brother is due to arrive!

My Holiday Memories

Post in collaboration with @covered_mag

#MyHolidayMemories 

The best holiday I have ever been on, has to have been my honeymoon to Orlando, in Florida. 

We got married in March 2011 but due to the job my husband Andy was doing at the time we decided to wait and take our honeymoon in the September, so we would also be away for Andy's birthday.

We had planned many trips and days out before we went as we were only going to be there for ten days so we knew we had to make the most of the time we had. We decided to buy all our disney parks and universal studios tickets once we were out in the USA. The only things that were pre booked were Sea World and our big day out for Andy's birthday - Discovery Cove.

I had seen Discovery Cove on an American reality programme the year before, so when we decided to go to Orlando for our honeymoon, we knew it would probably be a once in a life time experience to spend the day at the all inclusive park and swim with the Dolphins!

I have to admit yes it was an expensive trip at over four hundred dollars, but as I have said Discovery Cove is an all inclusive park meaning for the price you pay, you get all drinks and snacks plus your breakfast and lunch at the park. It also included a fourteen day unlimited access to Sea World as part of the price.

On the day of our trip we arrived at the park for about eight am. We checked in and got our id passes which told us what time and where to go for our dolphin swim. Also included on the day was your locker, towels, mask and snorkel and either wetsuit or vest. We both opted for the best. You also got suntan lotion which was safe for the Dolphins.

Our swim was definitely the most amazing experience of my life and I'm sure it was Andy's too. For me being able to kiss a dolphin, feed it fish and then swim with it was just out of this world. 

Once we had done our swim we chose to spend the rest of the day relaxing on their man made beaches and swimming in the beautiful water. 

If I could go back and do this all over again I would do it tomorrow. This is definitely my best holiday memory ever.