My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations – If we could travel anywhere around the world based on the foods we’d love to try we would travel to some pretty amazing places.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

We love a variety of cuisines and thankfully neither of our kids are fussy eaters so we relish trying out new recipes and supermarket finds. So if our bellies were our holiday guide where would we go:

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

1. Egypt

For Falafel of course. I love it. It’s known as the ‘poor mans burger’. It’s made of crushed fava beans, rolled into balls and fried. It’s most commonly served at breakfast to give people energy throughout the day. We would usually have Falafel with hummus or tzatziki (I know that’s Greek), hummus and salad. We’ve also made our own version of Shakshouka which eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

2. Greece

I tried my first Gyros at a fete type event where there was a pop up Greek stand. Traditionally make with marinated pork, beef or chicken but mine had fried halloumi in it (another one of my favourites). Essentially it was fried halloumi with tomato, onion and tzatziki wrapped up in a pitta bread which would usually be considered ‘street food’. Mine also came with chips that were coated in oregano which were also wrapped up in the wrap. Delicious.

3. Jamaica

Jerked Pork and Blackened Fish. Chris would be in food heaven in amongst the food shacks before settling on the beach to chill whilst the kids try the local fruit. I’m sure Chris would also have a taste of Curry Goat but he might be eating that on his own.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

4. France

Have you tried a Galette? When we went to France about five years ago now we stayed in Saint Jean de Monts which was lovely. There was a long strip of restaurants and bars which never seemed to close. There were two particular dishes that seemed to feature in every single restaurant and they were galettes and muscles. I’ve never tried and nor do I intend to try muscles and I really wasn’t keen on trying the galettes either. A galette is a pancake made with buckwheat which is served with either sweet or savoury toppings. Now, I’m totally up for pancakes with fruit, lemon juice and maple syrup, but the thought of savoury toppings didn’t really do it for me. However, when we went out to eat one evening we went to a galette restaurant so I had little choice in the matter. The basic galette topping seemed to be ham and cheese with an egg on top but I figured that if I was going to give them a go then I’d better jump right in and opted for garlic mushrooms in a white wine sauce (think vol-au-vent). I was a total convert and tried the ham, egg and cheese which was a fave of the kids.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

5. New York

I have a hankering for New York. I’ve never actually been to America, but having been a huge fan of friends it’s definitely on my bucket list of places I would like to go. I think Christmas time would be my preference and again it would be the street food vendors that would tempt me first. I’d have to have a try of a chili dog and a proper pretzel. Warm, chewy and covered in salt. Yum.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

6. India

I’d be in big trouble if I didn’t mention India as Chris’ family on his mums side are originally from India. We eat a lot of curries with mild ones for the kids and spicy one’s for us. We love all the side dishes such as Dahl (curried lentils), Chana Masala (curried chickpeas) and Aloo Dum (curried peas and potatoes). Again, we would be in heaven walking through the brightly coloured markets with all the food smells tempting us. I’m not a vegetarian but I do really love curried vegetables and one of my favourites are vegetable samosas which the kids also love as well. Samosas were traditionally cooked around campfires during overnight trade journeys as they were easy to prepare and could be eaten cold en route.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

7. Mexico

Oh I do love Mexican food. Tacos are one of our weekly staples. It’s quick and easy to prepare, plonk it all in the middle of the table and everyone can help themselves which always goes down well with families. The beaches look amazing and I can see the appeal for the most romantic of holidays on our own or an action packed family holiday with paddle boarding and snorkeling.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

8. Spain

Forget all the cured meats, paella, bean stews and prawns fried in garlic and cut to the Churro’s. Whilst in Spain you couldn’t walk ten paces without being drawn to the churro stands. In the evenings when all the bars were open and the restaurants were overflowing with people, we were surrounded by people walking around with cones of churro’s in hand. Essentially these are just like the warm donuts that we get here but in stick version which are covered in sugar and most likely doused in Nutella. I prefer them on their own as they come which I think the sellers found slightly odd but the kids liked to dip them in Nutella.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

9. Argentina

This is definitely a meat eaters paradise. Huge hunks of meat, sausages and ribs cooked over an open fire or barbeque (parrillada) and eaten with a drizzle of olive oil or a favourite of ours, chimichurri which is herbs, olive oil and garlic washed down with a glass or two of Melbec. I’d also love to try the provoleta which is their version of grilled cheese and empanadas which are either sweet or savoury filled parcels.

My Top 10 Family Foodie Destinations

10. Italy

Last but definitely no least. Italy is definitely somewhere I would like to go for a grown-up child-free holiday where we can take in the sights and take in the glam Italian lifestyle. I dream of lazy mornings venturing out for morning coffee and pastries followed by a spot of handbag shopping. Walking around the shops whilst not having to keep a beady eye out for the kids touching anything and everything. We could find out from locals where the best place to eat would be which are generally the less touristy areas so that we could sample some of the traditional foods such as Antipasti, Calzone and Frangipane not forgetting pasta and pizza. With baby number three due any day I don’t see this being any time soon, but a girl can but dream!

Wow that’s quite a list now that I’ve written them down and one that I imagine will only get longer as we discover more cuisines and places.

If your belly were to lead you to another land where would it be? Plan your dream foodie destination with Destination2 Holidays where you will find everything from family holidays, honeymoon destinations, gorgeous beaches and adventure holidays.

Where would you recommend as your Top Family Foodie Destination?

* This post was in collaboration with Destination2 Holidays but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

#whatwedidthisweek 25.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek 25.02.18

Another slow paced week for us this week as Monday I went to work and also had my Glucose Tolerence Test, but my back was giving me quite a few problems. As the day went on it was becoming increasingly painful to sit upright. I was getting a lot of lower back pain as well as some shooting pains up my spine and down my left leg.

#whatwedidthisweek

Back Ache

I really feel like I’m at the end of my pregnancy but I’ve still got 14 weeks to go. I’m shuffling along like an old lady due to my back and getting in and out of chairs is becoming a bit of an effort

I’ve covered all of this stuff in this weeks Pregnancy Diary update if you would like to have a read, but basically I’ve been off work for the remainder of the week so that I could rest.

Tuesday and Wednesday were essentially normal days. Isabelle went to school, Chris and Ryan to work and me at home resting.

We’d read all the supposed warmings of the Beast from the East and rolled our eyes at the potential masses of snow heading our way.

The last time it snowed was when Isabelle was three months old. We remember it so well as the pipes burst in our house and we were left with no hot water or heating. By some miracle an extremely kind plumber agreed to walk to our house to fix it and did. Amazing.

Thursday was due to be World Book Day and Isabelle was really looking forward to it. Wednesday night (at this point we’d had about 16 flakes of snow) we got an email from the school to cancel World Book Day and also to let us know that they would let us know by 7.30am if school was going to be closed.

Pah ha ha we thought. Don’t be so ridiculous we said.

We woke up to the lightest coating of snow. A bit like an accident with a bag of icing sugar might cause.

School will definitely be open. We’d already had the predicted tears and strop about World Book Day being cancelled and we’re awaiting the email.

School was closed. Totally ridiculous considering we were looking out the window at the barely covered floor.

To make up for the disappointment we decided we’d have a tea party lunch. Chris braved the snow sprinkling to go and get some shopping.

And then the snow came……..

Isabelle was so excited as she’s never actually seen snow so this was a real treat for her. We had a sledge in the shed from the last time it snowed so Chris took her to the nearest hill so that she could have some snowy sledging fun.

She was in and out of the garden with her bucket and spade and we watched as they day went on from it being a sprinkling to inches deep. The kids were all out in the street building snowmen and everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

Ryan actually skied down the road that his girlfriend lives on (it’s quite a steep hill).

Our lovely Charlie who is not keen on getting wet was a bit cautious but then went bounding through it. This changed as it got deeper and the poor dog looked so worried as it was touching his bit and was cold and wet. So much so that he was holding in his wee (and pooh) so that he didn’t have to brave the outdoors.

Thursday and Friday having the snow was awesome. Isabelle and Chris spent loads of time together going in and out with the sledge. They even made a snow dragon in our front garden (just to be different).

Facebook became the most annoying and most amazing place ever. There were so many people with 4×4’s driving hospital staff to work, people checking on their elderly neighbours, people offering things that people were running low on such as milk, bread, nappies etc. There were also loads of pleas to ensure that people living on the streets were taken in and given as much provisions and shelter as possible.

The sense of community was amazing and people really were pulling together which is what should happen.

My Dad is currently undergoing chemotherapy for prostate cancer and had stopped eating and drinking. The hospital were worried this would have an affect on his kidneys and wanted him to have blood tests. As it is a fair distance to the doctors surgery we were worried about how we would get him there given his current frail state. After several phone calls, the ward agreed that the tests could wait until Monday but only if we could get him to at least drink. The alternative being that he would need to be admitted. Thankfully this alone scared him into drinking and during the weekend he has increased his intake and now out of bed. It’s times like this that we realise that we as a nation don’t cope that great when snow hits us.

However, there is a flip side to this in that I can’t believe the risk that some people were taking by going out unnecessarily in their cars, and then there were the masses of pleas for shopping. Can people really not last for a few days without bread and milk? Do people really not shop so that they can last for a couple of days without having to go to the shops. Can you really not go for a couple of days without a cup of tea? I’m baffled by this.

Throughout the whole ‘Beast from the East’ episode I haven’t stepped outside at all. I’ve been a good girl and rested my back, not as much with Isabelle being at home.

I think Isabelle has enjoyed having so much Daddy time which she hasn’t had much of recently, and it’s been nice for me being able to slip away and rest when I needed to.

Saturday it rained and the powdery snow had turned to icy slush puppy type snow which wasn’t as much fun. They managed to have a last sledging session as we knew that this was the last day and had to make the most of it.

Sunday I woke up to the sound of rain and a quick look out of the window confirmed that the #snowdays were well and truly over. Everything was wet, slushy and grey. People were coming and going in their cars and normality was starting to set back in.

Panic over folks – There’s milk and bread in the shops! Run, run and fill your boots!

Have a great week.

Lisa x

 

#whatwedidthisweek 19.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek 19.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek – Back to normality. I’m back at work and Isabelle is back at school. I was feeling positive in the morning until I got to work and remembered that all my email folders had been deleted by our IT department. It went from bad to worse as there’s no getting them back. BUT it’s okay because I can create new ones. They just won’t contain any of the work so not that okay really.

I’m really struggling with back ache this week and not being able to walk very far which you can read all about in my Pregnancy Diary Post. This was so apparent when we took the dog out for a walk and our usual twenty minute loop took more than an hour. Thankfully, although it was bitterly cold the sun was out so it wasn’t all too bad.

Isabelle decided to make herself some jazzed up socks that look more like something you would put over a cast, but she was really happy with her creations so who am I to argue.

It was my birthday on Wednesday. I worked and kept it quiet from my colleagues as I don’t feel particularly in the mood for celebrating the fact that I’m getting older and knackered. I did however, come home to a lovely Pina Colada birthday cake made by my Mother-in-law. I was also given lots of lovely presents including some nice relaxing bath things which I’m sure will help with my back ache. I was also given some ‘fat clothes’ aka maternity clothes which I wasn’t so keen on. Why do they have to be so mumsy and stripey!

The Weekend

The weekend’s I’m finding harder than the weekdays as Isabelle really is a super ball of energy. She doesn’t really do sitting and playing so that I can rest. She needs constant entertaining which is exhausting. I’ve managed to get her to watch some you tube videos but only at the same time as she’s doing her gymnastics routines or playing ‘don’t touch the floor’!

Even though she’s seven, she can’t quite understand why I need to sit down or just have a little bit more quiet that normal.

Sunday we went into town to take back some of the ‘fat clothes’. We had a look at the prams in Mothercare where Chris nearly had a heart attack looking at the price tags. There are a few that I really like with the Egg Stroller being at the top of the list and a Silvercross one as well. Isabelle really enjoyed picking out clothes that she would like to buy both for a girl and a boy. We went in Mothercare, Primark Debenhams and H&M and that was as much as my back could manage.

I did, however pick up some new bits and bobs including some comfy PJ’s. Isabelle bought the brightest pink fluffy jumper from H&M which she absolutely loves. She does look rather gorge in it though.

We went out for dinner in the afternoon to the Mill on the Exe but I had to get Chris to drive me so that I didn’t put any more pressure on my back. They do a rather large carvery so I opted for a child’s portion. Good job really so I had some room for the chocolate brownie afterwards.

The rest of Sunday as I knew it would resulted in me sitting on the sofa in a coma like state with the odd trip to the kitchen to take a swig of Gaviscon.

What did you get up to this week?

Lisa x

#whatwedidthisweek 12.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek – 12.02.18

#whatwedidthisweek – I thought I would resurrect this weekly post. I had been thinking about vlogging but I just can’t put myself in front of a camera.

#Whatwedidthisweek

Poorly Girl

So as not to stray from school holiday tradition Isabelle was poorly. I’m trying desperately to dodge her coughs and sneezes but it’s almost a given that I’ll get it since her fave place is clamped to my side.

Before she got really poorly we went to Poundland at the weekend so that she could do a Poundshop Haul video. I’ve yet to edit it but will get it up as soon as I can.

We’ve done a few bits and bobs at home, such as make a cardboard car and a mermaid tail. She wanted to do some cooking but, well the permanent snot slug trailing down her face definitely says otherwise.

Orbies

I ordered some Orbies as Isabelle has watched loads of videos of kids sitting in baths full of them or putting their feet in wellies full of them. They arrived on Wednesday so we popped them in a bowl and waited for them to grow. It didn’t take as long as the instructions said and Isabelle couldn’t resist keep putting her hands in them.

Daddy wasn’t impressed as they kept popping out of the bowl, and these things ping in every direction and are quite tricky to pick. It’s quite therapeutic to put your hands in them, but as to what purpose they serve I have no idea.

The next day I said she could put them in a big bowl and put her feet in them which she really enjoyed. it was really cold and they squished under her feet. Any ideas for what to do with these would be greatly appreciated.

Days at Home

The rest of the week went by in a bit of a haze of playing board games, colouring, endless snacking and watching you tube video’s. Believe me there are only so many videos that you can watch before you start climbing the walls.

Isabelle did get a mystery Valentine’s gift through the post, the person responsible has yet to come forward. It cheered Isabelle up no end though.

Isabelle’s attention span is much the same as a goldfish so we start doing something and then she wants to go and lay on her bed. She’s not really eating very much, more like snacking. The poor dog is looking longingly at us to take him out, but as it’s constantly raining, Isabelle being full of a cold and me walking like an old lady due to back ache the poor thing has no chance.

The days have been long and really boring.

A bit of normal

Thursday we went out to McDonald’s for lunch. Isabelle still has a cold but the thought of going to McDonalds where they are also giving away The Amazing World of Gumball toys (if you haven’t watched it, don’t – it’s rubbish) was enough to get her out of the door. It was heaving and we were lucky to get a table but she enjoyed it enough before her face started to go red and blotchy and we knew it was time to make a move.

The McDonalds we went to is in the middle of a retail park so you can imagine what the car park was like. Not the best time for me to have to jump out of the car at the exit of the car park therefore forming a queue so that I could stamp out the pain going from my back and shooting down through my leg BUT I did it anyway. Flippin cramp and weird shooting pains.

Friday was Isabelle’s first full day of feeling normal (still snotty) so Daddy took her and a friend to ibounce to burn off some of the stored up energy and I got to do some work. I’ve started a course called Finance for Freedom which is really quite interesting. I’m totally British when it comes to talking about money, but it’s amazing how our finances affect our happiness etc so it’s a bit of an eye opener. I’m going to post about this separately as I’m sure you will find it an interesting read.

Saturday I finally went for the haircut that I’ve wanted to have for a couple of week’s. I thought pregnancy was supposed to give you lusciously thick glossy hair but mine has taken on the look of an abandoned birds nest. I’ve had all the dry ends cut off so it’s quite a bit shorter than I wanted but it feels so much nicer. I’m going to give coconut oil overnight conditioning a try to see if this helps to keep it from going so dry.

Today I went to see my dad who is currently undergoing chemotherapy. He’s had three cycles so far and has fared pretty well apart from not being able to sleep very well. He’s just started to lose his hair which given that he’s almost bald I don’t think he minds. His sense of humour took quite a beating but he seems to be getting this back a bit which is nice. He’s originally from Scotland so I thought I would buy him one of those ginger wigs with the tartan hat attached as a joke present.

Back to work tomorrow and due to our pretty miserable week, I’m really looking forward to going back. Not so much the thought of my alarm clock going off at 5.30am.

Have a great week.

Lisa x

#Blogmas – A Trip to the Christmas Lights

#Blogmas Day 8 – A Trip to the Christmas Lights

Yesterday was late night shopping in Exeter and as I’m feeling a little bit less exhausted at the moment we thought we would take the opportunity to take a trip to the Christmas Lights.

I met Chris and Isabelle in town after I finished work in the hope that we could catch the 5pm showing of Spark which are an LED drumming group in Princesshay.

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

We turned up just in time as they had just started. It was heaving so it was quite difficult at first to find a spot where Isabelle might have a chance to be able to see.

We did find the perfect spot where lots of children were and Isabelle had the perfect view until a group of women came and pushed their way through and stood in front of the kids. I was more than a bit annoyed!

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

However, it took a bit of an unexpected turn when the drummers started to march through the crowd and headed off through the shopping centre. Everybody upped and left to follow them.

At first we weren’t going to follow as there were so many people we didn’t think we’d stand a chance of being able to see them. We headed off in the directed of the Charity Christmas trees, which if you know Exeter are in behind the side of Debenhams and go along all the way past Chando’s Deli (yum) where you end up back in the centre of Princesshay.

It just so happens that we ended up in the middle of the Spark drummers. Quite literally as they went past either side of us which was quite a treat. We had a great view and managed to watch the remainder of the show.

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

We finished off our Christmas Lights outing by going for food of Isabelle’s choice, so off we headed to McDonalds to join the longest queue along with half of Exeter’s parents and kid population!

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

This year I think I’m going to try and convince Chris into taking us on a bit of a tour of the streets where there are houses that have decorated the outside of their houses. I thought that we could have some snacks, maybe some chocolates and even a cup of hot chocolate (in a travel mug). I’ve yet to mention this so Sshhhh…….

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

Charity Christmas Trees

A Trip To The Christmas Lights

Happy Days Linky – Loads to look forward to

Happy Days Linky

It’s been a while since I wrote a Happy Days Linky post. Mostly because we’ve been sitting on a secret. A big one!

As announced this week by Isabelle we are looking forward to becoming parents again in June 2018.

Whilst we’re extremely happy with this news, I’ve been feeling really poorly and was slightly worried about announcing to the world as we did have a bit of a scare at about eight weeks.

I am officially 14 weeks today and the exhaustion that I’ve been feeling has eased off enough to feel half-human.

I feel a bit sorry for Isabelle as I’ve not really had the energy to do very much so we’ve watched quite a lot of films snuggled on the sofa where I may have had a sneaky catnap or two.

Advent Calendars – Isabelle has been on countdown for ages to the day she could start opening her calendar. We got her a Smiggle one this year and Nanny got her a My Little Pony Chocolate one. Ryan has two also but he’s far too grown-up to show interest either way. We also got Charlie (the dog) one which is full of gourmet dog treats.

We went to Isabelle’s Christmas Fair at school on Friday where there was a game where you either got a prize or a Brussels sprout. Isabelle asked what she did if she got a sprout to which I told her she had to eat it. She won one prize and one sprout. I burst out laughing when she turned around with her mouth full of chewed-up sprout, crying that she was going to be sick. Of all the times to take any notice of what I say it was then. Bless her.

How was your week?

Lisa x

Our Day at Peppa Pig World

Our day at Peppa Pig World originally posted 26.09.13

I’ve just realised that I was meant to blog about our birthday day at Peppa Pig World.

Our daughter turned three at the beginning of September and we deliberated over whether or not we should have a party or a special day out. We thought we’d give Isabelle the choice knowing full well that she was going to choose Peppa Pig World.

 

peppa pig world

The drive there was plain sailing and only took us a couple of hours from Exeter.

On arrival we were directed to our parking space which is possibly the only thing that I could complain about as they packed all the cars in the carpark like sardines and as usual we managed to park ourselves in between a 4 x 4 and another car parked too close which meant that it was a bit of a squeeze to get in and out of the car.

Having a Toddler and a Teenager

Having a toddler and a teenager can cause a lot of problems, especially on days out which wasn’t a problem as whilst we visited Peppa Pig World, Ryan and his friend went to the normal Poulton’s Park theme park and just met us for lunch.

Isabelle was absolutely amazed by Peppa Pig World and didn’t know which way to look or run first. We had a quick mooch around to decide what we wanted to do, and whilst we made our minds up Isabelle went in the playpark which was Fab. Everything was made to look exactly as it is in the programme with attention to detail every step of the way.

It totally made Isabelle’s day when she spotted the Muddy Puddles Water Play area which is right up her street. Off came the shoes at the speed of light and off she went before we had a chance to head her off. We were going to save this for towards the end of the day but hey ho it was her birthday treat!

peppa pig world

This was loads of fun. I happily sat with the bags etc whilst Daddy went in for a bit of splashing. After much splashing and getting completely soaked it was time to move on to something else.

peppa pig world

Unfortunately the day that we went there were a few showers which were quite heavy but thankfully only lasted a few minutes at a time and a bit of drizzle towards the end of the day. We went on every single ride including Miss Rabbit’s Helicopter which was the one we queued the longest for, the Balloon Ride and Isabelle’s favourite was the Windy Castle Ride.

peppa pig world

We had planned to take a picnic, but in the end we decided to eat there instead. There were quite a few places to choose from dotted around both Peppa Pig World and the remainder of Poulton’s Park. We met up with the boys and sat underneath this huge outdoor roofed picnic area. This was when the first and heaviest shower started and we were grateful for the shelter.

peppa pig world

The Ducks are Real

When we sat down to eat, Isabelle found it really amusing that like the real Peppa Pig the ducks came for a bit of our picnic (or burgers as was the case). The food was standard pricewise and more than acceptable tastewise. I had a spicy beanburger which was very tasty.

Hotfooting it into the shop which we had hoped to save until the end, but the rain started again Isabelle was again amazed at all the things that you could buy. As it was a birthday treat she chose herself a Peppa Pig Nightie, A Snack Box and Peppa Pig’s Teddy and away we went.

Throughout the day Peppa and George make guest appearances. Isabelle wasn’t sure about these so Daddy picked her up so that she could have a closer look. Isabelle seemed to mellow and even reached out to touch Peppa, at which point Peppa whipped her head round and head butted Isabelle in the face.

peppa pig world

There was plenty of photo opportunities in and around the park which looked just like we were onset ourselves. We don’t really have a willing participant with photographs which generally come out looking rather blurred (or maybe I’m just really bad with a camera).

Our Thoughts

It was a great day and the teenager and his friend had a great day in the main part of Poulton’s Park despite the weather. I would definitely recommend it to anybody with a Peppa Mad infant, or just for a great family day out.

Keep up to date with all our Family Day’s Out in the Family Life Section of the blog.

Happy Days Linky – Back to School and off into the world of work

Happy Days Linky – Back to School and off into the World of Work

Happy Days Linky – Social media will be packed full of smiling little faces stood in front of their front doors with their brand spanking new school uniforms, shiny shoes, bags and book bags all eager to start or be back at school.

Monday I was totally the beamingly proud mum sending off my ‘little one’ for his first day at work! Ryan started his first day as an Apprentice Carpenter today. He went off wearing his new work uniform with his high vis vest in his bag, his packed lunch and a smile on his face. Unfortunately he wouldn’t pose for the obligatory standing in front of the front door which is a bit of a shame. Nonetheless, it was a total proud parenting moment.

Routine – Tuesday Isabelle went back to school. She was pleased to go even though she was a little Monkey at bedtime last night and could barely open her eyes.

Birthday Cake Prep – With a full week at work I did something that I’ve never done before. I made the sponges for the cake and put them in the freezer. I knew that it would be stressful getting the cake made so I wanted to be as organised as possible.

Birthday – Friday was Isabelle’s 7th Birthday. The day started at around 6am and was a flurry of presents, pancakes and then a rush to get dressed and out of the door to school and work. The look on Isabelle’s face when she unwrapped her presents was what us mums and dads live for. We’re much more savvy with present buying these days. Quality over quantity. We bought her exactly what she’s been coveting for the last few months. She’s a huge Kids You Tube fan so we managed to get her a giant surprise egg which we filled with ‘blind bags’ such as Shopkins, Num Noms, Trolls and such like. Her face was priceless.

Birthday party – I am pleased to report that the birthday party that we arranged for after school at the local ibounce trampoline park was totally worth it. All the kids that were invited came (yey) and they all had an amazing time. I couldn’t resist a bounce myself and even went off the platform backwards with a little bit of encouragement from the kids! You can see that on my Instagram if you like!

More birthdays – September is the month for birthdays in our family. Clearly the result of all those Christmas party’s. Ha ha!

Sleepover – Isabelle had her first sleepover at our house this weekend. She has slept at her friends once before, and this was our turn. They had dinner then mostly amused themselves with all of Isabelles birthday presents. We watched Strictly which was a bit disappointing as there wasn’t much dancing. They did, however have a bit of a boogie in front of the TV. There was no fuss getting them to bed, and it was quite sweet listening to them whispering and giggling. They didn’t stay up all night as they’d planned and once they were asleep they were gone for the night. The morning saw them trampolining in their pyjamas before resuming trying to cram in a play with EVERYTHING. It’s fair to say that it was a success and I’m just waiting to see how long it is before we get asked again.

Photo’s – Don’t you just love it when the memories come up in your facebook feed? I love it and more so when it involves a birthday and all the pics from previous years come up. This picture is Isabelle’s first birthday when we bought her first trike. Look at that face!

New job – I know I posted about my new job the other week, but this is another new job. I’ve just had the official green light so am pleased to announce that I am the new Local Editor for Mumsnet Exeter. I’m really excited about this.

We’ve had a fab week. I hope you have too!

Birthday Celebration!

Birthday Celebration – Isabelle Turns 2!

Originally posted 09.09.12 before being a stand alone blog but such happy memories not to keep.

It was our daughter’s 2nd birthday yesterday and we had a lovely family Birthday celebration barbeque. We were deliberating over what to get her for a gift as we didn’t want to buy something just for the sake of buying. We took a bit of a risk with it but in the end I won, and got her a gorgeous wooden play house. I could picture her in my mind playing with it even in the cold weather. As long as the weather is dry she can go out with her wellies and coat on and get years of play out of it.

Children's wooden playhouse for the garden
Wooden Playhouse

Her reaction was exactly what I was looking for with squealing and laughter which made my day.

Despite my previous status of hating all things pink, I have been completely swayed with a little help of Isabelle and this was our outfit of choice. I think we may have to add some of these style dresses to the site.

Isabelle in a pink tutu on her second birthday
Pretty in a Pink Tutu

And to top off our lovely day, after much agonising over whether I could pull off the cake. This was what I managed to muster up.

Peppa Pig 2nd Birthday Muddy Puddles Cake
Peppa Pig Muddy Puddles Cake

We were so pleased with how it turned out and Isabelle knew that it was Peppa and George straight away. Phew.

Mummy and Isabelle having a birthday cuddle
Having a Birthday Cuddle

Happy 2nd Birthday my Little Princess

X

Happy Days – A missed week and Pimms

Happy Days Linky  – Celebrating the normal yet small wins in life.

Oops I missed the Happy Days Linky last week, mostly because I spent the most part of last week at home coughing, sniffing and sneezing.

Unfortunately I shared my germs with Isabelle and so she was struck down as well.

Come the weekend we felt a bit more human and headed off to one of the local pubs for some food and Pimms. We sat in the gardens (which are huge) and had a relaxed lunch and a jug of Pimms.

Running – Isabelle made up a game where we took turns in picking a tree in the gardens and she had to run as fast as she could whilst we timed her. A very simple thing but it kept her occupied for ages.

Family BBQ – Bank Holiday Monday was scorching hot so we spent the afternoon in the garden with the paddling pool out, bouncing on the trampoline and cooking and eating yummy food. Actually I should mention that I did absolutely no cooking at all. That was all down to Daddy. My actual contribution was chopping the salad and getting all the plates and cutlery out.

Tuesday – Tuesday marked the official return to work for both of us. Isabelle is back at school next week so I suppose our real return to routine starts next week.

Birthday Preparations – Birthday preparations for next week are steaming on ahead. After lots of thinking we’ve decided on a trampoline park party at the newly opened iBounce.

Birthday shopping – Again all going well. I even managed to find a site that sells the giant surprise eggs that you get surprise bags inside. Isabelle is obsessed with youtube kids so I know she’s going to LOVE this – I might just be a little bit excited about this.

Summer Fair – We spent Saturday at one of our local parks at their annual Summer Fair. We were joined by my mum, niece and nephew. We played drums, hooked ducks, won raffle prizes, ate yummy greek food, had snow cones and finished off with a play in the park.

Today we had our first roast dinner in a long time. As it was pouring down with rain we watched trolls whilst it cooked and then stuffed ourselves silly. Yummy.

Bring on this week when Monday we send Ryan off into the big bad world of adult work and Tuesday Isabelle is officially a year 2 girl.

Have a great week.

Lisa x