Happy Days Linky – First Day Nerves & Sharknado

Happy Days Linky

Happy Days Linky – I’ve done it! My first day in my new job is done and dusted. I found it quite unnerving going from knowing my stuff to being the new girl not knowing who to pay the tea fund money to. It went fine. I was useless but it was fine!

Sharknado 5 – One of my guilty pleasures is cheesy films featuring monster sharks, huge crocs, or such likes. Tonight is the premiere of Sharknado 5 so what better way to finish off my first day in the new job. If you haven’t watched them then you have to. My favourite film of all time has to be Lake Placid. Don’t judge me!

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The funny things that Isabelle says – At six years old she comes out with some crackers in total innocence that have me snickering and face away laughing. On our dog walk, Charlie seems to like peeing in the river but he always cocks his leg towards long grass along the edges. Isabelle says “I think he does that because he likes the grass tickling his willy” whilst she eye-rolls and sighs ‘boys’!

Holiday – We can finally say that we’re going on holiday ‘this week’. There are clothes all over the house in bags and ready but not quite packed for the final pack on Friday morning.

We made it to Spain. The flight was absolutely fine. I set off the beeper so had to go in the machine and then be frisked. Here’s to a week off.

See you then.

Lisa x

 

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Happy Days – chippy chips and Rain

Happy Days Linky

Happy Days – Monday started off with a grey sad-looking sky so I suggested a trip to the museum or the library. Isabelle fancied the museum with a Trip to the park on the way. We got ready in such a leisurely manner that it was almost lunchtime before we left the house. I was going to make a little picnic but there’s a great chip shop near the park so I thought we would be naughty and get some chips and eat them in the park. This part went so well. We got the chips and found a picnic table at the park. Isabelle ran off to the play equipment whilst I went to the bin where I was mugged by a seagull who was determined to get the chip wrappers. The seagull won!

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We had a play on the equipment for less than 10 minutes before the heavens opened and it poured down with rain. Parents and kids all ran off in different directions looking for shelter. We started off under the slide but big blobs of water started to drop through the gaps so we had to run to a big tree to camp under until it stopped. Isabelle thought it was hilarious! When it finally got to drizzling we decided to make a dash to the museum – which of course doesn’t open on a Monday. We ended up at home wet but happy!

Tuesday was a workday for me and Isabelle was at Nanny and Papas. I did the final bag check for Ryan. It’s the last time I’m going to see him before he sets off on a plane to Spain tomorrow. I’m going to miss him but on the plus side, there will be snacks in the cupboard for the rest of us!

Thursday I was a bag of nerves as it was my last day in my current job. I’m going to miss my job! I’m going to miss my colleagues and I’m going to miss my desk. They made my last day lovely and I walked out with a smile on my face.

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Friday Isabelle and I spent the day together. We took Charlie out for a walk and played games. It was my leaving do in the evening so I ate, drank and laughed the night away.

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Saturday Isabelle went to the cinema kids club to watch Sing and later on we went to a reptile birthday party where we met all kinds of animals including a baby skunk, a tenrec and a tagu. The tagu was enormous but it was so so beautiful. We even touched a snake!

Hope you have a great week.

Lisa x

The #HappyDaysLinky is hosted by  @WhatKatysaidUK and @QFSheSaid. 

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My Happy List – Eating and Fishing

My Happy List

Oops I’m not very good at this weekly Happy List round-up. Some weeks are so samey and boring that there really isn’t much to say about it.

However, the past week has had some silver linings so I thought I would share them with you.

Sunday I took Isabelle out to the river and did something that we did all the time as kids. We went fishing with a net and a bucket. Simple as that! The trick to fishing for little stickleback fish is to look for spots of water where the sun is shining in it. Unfortunately, last Sunday was quite overcast so we only managed to find one fish, a couple of little sticks (Isabelle thought they were fish) and a few tiny snails. She was a bit worried that we might catch THE Crocodile but we stayed away from the train bridge where he lives!

Monday

Monday saw the return of my part-time working hours so Monday signified the first child-free day in a long time. I worked on my blog of course after taking Charlie for a lovely walk. It was bliss and much needed.

Tuesday

Was a workday for me. As I’m just about to start a new job it feels odd that things that I’m doing now are my ‘lasts’. I have three days left in my current job. It feels like the end of an era!

Wednesday

Was Isabelle’s last day in year 1. She’s come on leaps and bounds in this last year. Her school report was great and she still has so much enthusiasm for school and learning. Off she went with the obligatory teacher present and a smile on her face.

Thursday

Was a normal day until work was finished and we headed off to Princesshay Shops in Exeter for their Summer Eats event. We were treated to yummy cocktails from Coal (the Raspberry Collins was my fave), watched the chef from Cafe Rouge cook mussels in a state of art kitchen set up from Berloni, and sampled some lovely food from the various restaurants. We tried these really lovely parcels filled with pulled pick which were amazing but I forgot to ask where they were from so I need to investigate that. As part of the event, we were treated to a demonstration by the South West Lindy Hoppers. It was a lot of fun and I would have loved to join in but my little sidekick wasn’t having up for partaking.

Friday

Was a great day in that it was the first day where we got up in no hurry at all. We had scrambled eggs on toast and did everything at a slow pace. This was much needed for both Isabelle and me. We walked the dog and then my mum came over later on.

Saturday

Daddy was home with us and after a leisurely morning, both Isabelle and Daddy took Charlie for a walk so that I could get some work done. Ryan is off on holiday on Wednesday so I’ve been trying to get all of his stuff together.

Sunday

I did the last of the holiday shopping which was a total fist-pump moment. Yey me! I also watched Bad Moms for the first time whilst I did the ironing. I loved it! We also went over to my in-laws’ garden party where we stuffed our faces with cake and drank tea!

What’s on your Happy List?

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First year of school Over Already

First-year of school over already!

Ooh, I can’t believe that Isabelle has completed her first year of school already!

This was her on her first day with her brand new uniform, shiny shoes, and a huge grin.

She’s come on leaps and bounds in her first year.

A picture of a five year old girl on her first day of school

The school that she goes to are big on sensory play, outdoor play (come rain or shine), and imaginative play. She would come home completely covered in mud, paint, gloop, or just general grubbiness which are always a sign of a good day.

We stopped eating jacket potatoes at home as Isabelle would choose a jacket potato for her lunch every single day with a variation of topping between cheese or tuna and sweetcorn.

Isabelle absolutely adored her teacher who she is going to miss terribly. Miss Dyke has told her that she can still sit with her at lunchtime when they go back. She might regret that come every lunchtime!

Isabelle turned five the week that she started school so she was more than ready for it, and has soaked up every bit of learning from reading, singing, phonics, and writing.

She constantly sings the jingles associated with phonics and is pretty good at spelling simple words on her own.

She enjoys reading the annoyingly repetitive books that they get sent home with and her descriptions of minibeasts is second to none.

We’ve met her new teacher who seems lovely, and she explained how the children are mixed with year 1 and year 2 and then separated into learning levels. She is going up with a group of her best friends so I think she will absolutely fine.

Since starting school Isabelle has started playing teachers where she plays miss Dyke. We got her a whiteboard which she props up, lines all her teddy’s up, put on her high heels, and adjusts her voice into teacher mode. She has a lanyard with a smiley face, sad face, and listening ear which she uses when talking to the children. She takes the register and then does reading and writing with them. The naughty kid of the class (which I won’t name on the off chance that his parents read my blog) gets told off a lot and quite often ends up sitting on the stairs!

I feel quite sad that she’s going up to year 1. The reception and pre-school have their own self-contained outdoor area with bikes, a mud kitchen, a sandpit, giant building bricks, and a veg patch. Going into year 1 will be more classroom-based and they go into the BIG playground with all the older kids.

It seems like such a big step that Isabelle is more than ready for, but maybe I’m not quite ready yet.

The teen has now completed his first year of college, and we have to consider universities for next September with the application process this September which I’m sooooo not ready for. Boohoo!!

I’m not going to dwell on it. I know they both have to grow up.

Here she was yesterday excitedly clutching her teacher present for the ‘bestest teacher in the world’ in Isabelle’s words!

A photo of a five year old girl holding a teacher present on her last day of schoolA photo of a five year old girl holding a teacher present on her last day of school
We chose a lovely necklace made by a jeweller in Somerset with little shells on it, chosen because Isabelle thinks Miss Dyke is as beautiful as a mermaid! (We got this from the lovely Hyde and Seek Shop).

A photo of a silver shell necklace

*Originally posted in July 2016

My Happy List – New Job Talk , holidays and sunshine….

My Happy List

My Happy List – last week I didn’t post anything as it really was a week of slog at work and not much else.

However, this week has been a bit less stressful.

Sleep – I’ve slept a lot better than usual this past week which is always something to feel happy about. This was a big deal especially since Chris has an awful cough and he’s been hacking away most of the night.

New working hours – I was a bit worried about changing my hours at work as three days seems like the best work/life balance and my new job is four days a week. However, given that this is going to be a different job completely I’m up for the challenge (and I have been working full-time for the past year). I have also wangled a Friday off which fits in better for childcare.

Holiday Shopping – we’ve done a bit more holiday shopping this week and I’ve actually bought some swimwear that doesn’t make me want to throw-up!

Park Day – we went to my brothers yesterday and took the kids to the park. It was lovely just sitting in the sun whilst the kids played. Now that they’re eight, six, and six you don’t have to chase them around the park and help them on and off stuff. It also meant I could have some baby cuddles from my nephew.  

Dog walking – I love walking Charlie, preferably on my own. I can walk and think, or not. He has no expectations or demands, just walking. I can see my old age in front of me where flashes of 100 stray dogs and no people spring to mind. Haha!

Have a great week.

Lisa x

Happy Days – A New Beach and a night out

Happy Days Linky

Happy Days Link – This week has been pretty much a working kind of week with not so much in terms of having fun. However, we have managed to sneak in a couple of bits during the week.

Subscription Box – Isabelle received a Mila & Pheebs Kids Activity Subscription box. These boxes are amazing so we spent a bit of time doing an unboxing video which I will share with you once I’ve done all the prettying up. Isabelle loves YouTube kids so she’s loving doing the little videos, but we have to try and tone down her Americanised barbie voice that she keeps putting on.

Dog Walking – With the lighter evenings it’s been much easier to get in an after-dinner/before bed dog walks with Charlie. I’ve had to do a bit of bribing with Isabelle, but once she is out she really enjoys it especially if she takes her scooter.

New job – With all the excitement of getting a new job, this week has been a bit of a comedown as since being offered the job I’ve heard nothing more. Every time I think about it my stomach does a little flip of excitement……

Holiday – 5 weeks and 6 days to go…..

Sleep – I’ve slept slightly better this week since the stress of last week with my interview prep. In the last week I’ve probably on average only woken about twice a night which is good for me, and I’ve managed to drop back off straight away. I need to do a bit of research on insomnia as it’s become my norm for over a year now. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Blogger Night Out

Blogger Night Out at Revolution Torquay– I met with some fellow bloggers in Revolution, Torquay for some scrummy cocktails and yummy food. The cocktail menu was awesome. It’s great getting together for a natter about all things bloggy, as I’m sure for most of us our regular non-blogger friends have no idea what I’m talking about. I had a burger with cheesy wotsits (actual wotsit crisps) in it which was very nice.

An image of a Burger and Chips

A new beach – We thought we’d try a new beach this weekend so today we went to Anstey’s Cove in Torquay. It’s not a sandy beach it’s pebbly but it was a total treasure. We had Charlie with us so we had a bit of a paddle, but next time I’d love to take out a Kayak and go and explore the other coves which you can only access by swimming, sailing, or climbing over the rocks to get to. We’re really looking forward to going back.

A photograph of Anstey's Cove in Torquay showing the edge of a cliff and some boats on the sea
That’s it from me this week. Having said that I would still consider it to have been a good week.

Lisa x

If you like these types of posts, then have a look at our Family Life tab at the top of the page where you can find out what we’ve been up to.

 

What Katy Said

Paulos Circus – Darts Farm

Paulos Circus heads to Darts Farm

There’s something a bit special about going to the circus. Is it the Big Top, the Clowns, all the sparkly costumes or maybe the oodles of sweets and candyfloss that kids are given a free pass to stuff their faces with.

It was exciting to be invited along to watch the show. The last time I took Isabelle to the circus we were chased across a field by a horse and turned up wet and bedraggled only for Isabelle to sleep through the entire show. She was under two at the time so all is forgiven.

We spotted the Big Top and the excitement began. We went in through the Big Top which was quite dark with disco lights all around and loaded up with popcorn, drinks and candyfloss. There was no formal seating plan so you could choose where to sit yourself. We were lucky to get seats at the front in the middle so Isabelle didn’t need to sit on either of our laps which was nice.

Paulos Circus

The Show

The show which was an hour and ten minutes long was action-packed throughout with acrobatics using swings and ribbons to twirl and whirl through the sky, Mr. N the funny Clown, plate spinning, trampolining, and other shenanigans.

Mr. N the clown was so funny. Mr. N did lots of really silly stuff which the crowd, us included thought was really funny. He popped out between each act and had all the kids and adults enthralled in his funny antics.

Paulos Circus

When it was time to pick a helper from the audience he picked  – ME – to hold a balloon above my head whilst he had a balloon arrow. Using the balloon bow he shot an invisible arrow that popped the balloon.

Later on in the show he picked on us again – Chris this time, was chosen to catch popcorn in his mouth which he missed. Mr N gave him another chance and when he went to throw the popcorn he threw the whole bucket over him.

We watched ariel acrobatics which was pretty amazing and similar on a swing.

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At the beginning of the show, there was an act where a man and a woman took it in turns to go inside material tubes and each time they came out they were wearing different clothes. Isabelle’s face was complete and utter astonishment. She thinks that it would be cool for us to get some of the material tubes so it’s quicker to get changed.

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The grand finale was called the Ring of Death which was an enormous wheel with two circles which two acrobats climbed inside and outside whilst it was spinning. I think I gasped the first time it whooshed round as I was sat completely in line for first squashing as it was so close. There were lots of open mouthes as it went around at speed with the two of them going around and around.

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Our thoughts

The time went really quick and everyone joined in clapping along and laughing. Isabelle loved all of the sparkly costumes that the ladies wore and her face said it all really. Isabelle left with a sticky smile and another memory stored away of a fun family day.

Visiting the Circus

Paulos Circus will be at Darts Farm in Topsham until Sunday 9th July when they will be moving on to Newquay.

Tickets are only £7.00 per person but if you have a look around there are lots of £2.00 off vouchers. This can be applied to all tickets purchased. For more details on where the Circus is visiting next pop over to the website www.pauloscircus.co.uk.

If you do get the chance to go we would definitely recommend it.

Lisa x

*we were gifted tickets to the show but all opinions are our own.

#whatwedidthisweek 01.05.17

#whatwedidthisweek 01.05.17

#whatwedidthisweek – Bank Holiday Monday and we should have been out and about making the most of our day off, but after the birthday celebrations it feels like a chore to even smile. We’re all exhausted. Isabelle has opted to watch some things on her kindle laying on her bed and Chris and I are mooching around the house not doing a lot – except for washing!

The laundry volcano is spewing socks and pants like you wouldn’t believe. So much so that the lid won’t even fit on!

Back to work and school as per on Tuesday.

On Wednesday evening we went to meet a couple who may have Charlie when we go away. This time we didn’t go into their house but took the two dogs out for a walk on neutral ground. The lady had a fifteen-year-old poodle, and both dogs seemed happy in each other’s company.

I’m glad that she was able to see Charlie as he ‘really is. He’s a lovable cheeky chappy who loves playing with other dogs and loves people. She saw him as we see him and hopefully, as I really liked her they will be happy to look after him. He will go for a sleepover with them in June so fingers crossed.

I don’t think I had this much trouble finding the perfect nursery for Ryan when he was little!

Thursday Isabelle’s school was used as a polling station so we called upon Nanny P to have Isabelle for the day.

With Both of us working so much we’re finding it a bit of a struggle to muster up the energy to do much at the weekends, but on Saturday we took Charlie out for a walk and sat and made daisy chains. Isabelle is 42  daisies tall and played hoopla which was spoilt by Charlie and one of his mates as they kept pinching the hoops.

#whatwedidthisweek

Roller Disco Baby!

We then did something new to Isabelle. We went to a Roller Disco. I haven’t skated since I was about twelve but it is like riding a bike. The fearlessness of youth has definitely left me and I was terrified that a small person was going to skate out in front of me and I would take them out spectacularly. I was so pleased that I stayed on my feet the whole time.

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Isabelle was a bit terrified at first and did a fab impression of a baby giraffe.

She practiced on the carpet which was a bit easier than in the sports hall. The session ended with sweets to take away the pain of a sore bottom.

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Baby Giraffe impression!

Collectibles

Sunday was a trip into town to get some bits and bobs, look at suitcases for our holibobs, and pick up the longed-for Hatchimals Colleggtibles.

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That’s another thing to add to the ever-growing collectible things. Isabelle is currently collecting the Lego Mini-figure cards from Sainsbury’s, Shopkins have been on the scene for a while, Beauty and the Beast Stickers, Beanie Babies, and now these Colleggtibles.

What did you do this weekend?

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#whatwedidthisweek 17.04.17

#whatwedidthisweek 17.04.17

#whatwedidthisweek – Yey Bank Holiday Monday means that it is officially still part of the weekend. We haven’t really gone very far this weekend, as we’ve been busy working so are knackered and we’re also preparing for Ryan’s 18th Birthday on the 29th of April which I can’t possibly talk about on the remote off chance that Ryan might read it. We decided to pop down to the Quay for a nice walk with the dog and Isabelle on her scooter. As usual, we tried to coax Charlie into the water, but this Labradoodle unusual for his breed does not like water! We ended the afternoon with a bit of lunch at Bar Venezia. The pizza was so scrummy!

You can’t possibly go to the quay without getting an ice cream. Clearly, Isabelle has Daddy wrapped around her finger when she came back to the table with this whopper of icecream!

#whatwedidthisweek
Back to work, school, and college on Tuesday for all of us. What a shocker when the alarm went off at 05.35. That’s Tuesday and Wednesday whizzing by in a work/school/college blur.

Look Good Feel Better

Thursday was another long day at work, but I had the Debenhams Look Good Feel Better event to go to. When we arrived we had a little mooch around with Isabelle heading straight for the lovely brownies and other mini desserts on offer. I had a sneaky glass of prosecco which felt a bit odd standing in the middle of the make-up counter. My favourite counter is Estee Lauder so I bagged myself a few freebies including their lovely primer which I’m using at the moment.

After speaking to Jennie from the Charity I was really intrigued by what they do for women who have had or are undergoing cancer treatment. So much so that I thought I would write a separate post about it. Another highlight of going was meeting Hayley from Sparkles and Stretchmarks. I’m so in awe of her blog and blogging achievements so it was awesome to meet her.

#whatwedidthisweek

Friday was a normal working day again but an early finish for me which was much needed. Don’t you think it’s odd that a four-day week can feel much longer than the usual five-day week.

Saturday (big sigh of relief) we slowly started the day with a boiled egg brekkie and staying in our pyjamas for a bit. We had arranged to meet the ‘dog-lady’ today who will hopefully look after Charlie when we go away in August. I felt quite nervous and really hoped that I liked her as she would potentially be looking after our precious boy. Chris laughs at me, but I feel quite (a lot) nervous about handing over Charlie whilst we go away.

I know that I’ve had two kids and have used childcare (that was an ordeal to start with) but with children you can at least reassure them that you’re coming back. A dog won’t understand that and might think that you’re never coming back. You may laugh (the dogless amongst us) but it’s really important to me that whilst we’re away he gets love, comfort and strokes from someone in our absence. Thankfully she was lovely with an amazing garden which Charlie christened! Our holiday isn’t until August but he’s going for a sleepover to see how Charlie gets on with her own dog, Betsy. Ha ha, this will feature next week!

Sunday we had another lazy start to the day with a scrambled egg brekkie followed by a dog walk and a bit of bike riding practice. Now that Isabelle has mastered her bike we’re thinking that she needs a slightly bigger and lighter bike. Why do kids bikes weigh a ton!

#whatwedidthisweek – What did you get up to this week?

Lisa x

Devon Days Out – Fingle Bridge

Devon Days Out – Fingle Bridge, Dartmoor.

We went to Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor.

Since getting the dog a couple of years ago we love finding new places to walk him and thankfully Isabelle loves a good walk as long as we have the following:

Drinks
Snacks
Mud/Sand
Water

A view of Fingle Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon with the river flowing beneath

One of our fellow dog walkers recommended Fingle Bridge as a place to go with the dog and the littles. Lots of opportunities to paddle in the water, lots of mud to splash and splodge in, and being woodland lots of stones, twigs, acorns, and other things to fill our pockets with.

We started off at the bridge noting the HUGE pub with its lovely setting and garden.

What to do!

The route that we took was not the easiest of walks with lots of tricky areas, huge muddy patches (thankfully we all managed to keep our shoes on our feet) and narrow rickety steps to contend with.

This was great for Isabelle who at five is slightly more fearless than we’d like her to be.

Charlie (our dog) was amazingly well behaved and loved to explore his new surroundings. We kept our beady eyes out for families with food as unfortunately at only two he’s still a total scavenger and will gatecrash, steal and run!

Strangely there were canvasses dotted around the place which kind of looked a bit odd, but Isabelle quite liked looking out for them.

The walk took us a good couple of hours with a picnic stop along the way.

Isabelle found a walking stick along the way which she held onto until we found a waterfall so she sent it on its way out to sea and wonders what country it will end up in.

It was a lovely day and we ended it by visiting the pub at the start (Fingle Bridge Inn).  We may even have to go back for the Duck Race which takes place in April/May of each year.

fingle bridge

Leave a comment to let me know your favourite place to visit in Devon.

Lisa x