Monday 30 July 2012

Newquay

This is my favourite place in the world...


It is Crantock beach, near Newquay in Cornwall. 


It is my favourite place for a number of reasons. One being the wonderful memories it provokes in my mind of fun filled family holidays when I was a child. 
There is no better way to clear your head of negative thoughts than going somewhere filled with precious happy memories. 








Another reason is its obvious beauty. The beach has so much character. From beautiful soft white sand where the sea never touches down to the soggy puddles and pools left behind when the tide is out. 


The estuary that runs the length of the beach makes it an ideal place to take children. The sea can be very rough and it is a long walk even when the tide is in. When the boys are older then it will be ideal for their first attempts at body boarding but for now the estuary provides a safe bit of the sea for them to play in.


Newquay is a great UK family holiday destination.
We stayed in a caravan at Travella campsite which was even more beautiful than I remembered from my childhood.
The caravan felt like brand new, was very spacious and had a veranda. 
We didn't just go to the beach, we visited Newquay zoo which our toddler loved. We spent quite a lot of time in Newquay town (some lovely shops if you get the chance), we played numerous games of crazy and then even crazier golf and had fun at Hollywell Bay.








I know it can be a risk with the weather having your summer holiday in the UK but I have to say I don't think it gets much better than this. 


Holidays with small children are never going to be relaxing. They are about making the most of the time when your kids actually want to spend their holidays with you!  














At the end of each day myself and the hubby were absolutely shattered but we still managed to sneak a few cheeky drinks in here and there and the peacefulness of the campsite was a blessing. 


























I would definitely recommend Newquay for anyone looking for a fun filled family holiday .













Normality returns....

Far too much time has passed since I last posted on my blog.


To follow on from my last post, I got the job that the 'jobin' was for! I am very excited about doing something new and interesting and meeting new people. It is looking like I will start in September.


Due to holidays and a post-holiday persistent bugger of a virus, I have had neither the time or energy to do anything other than the absolute necessities! 


However, I can steadily feel energy reserves returning to something like normality (zero by the end of the day instead of in the minus figures) and instead of instantly collapsing into a heap to watch Dexter or just go to bed I have the urge to blog again!


It was very recently my 28th birthday. It was a weekday so the other half was at work but I had a lovely day with the kids. 
When I was genuinely thrilled by the fact that at nine am on my birthday the baby had gone down for his morning nap very easily and myself and the other boy were still in our pj's watching Wall-E, I reflected on how different birthdays are now I am a mummy!


Who cares about fancy presents.....I was wishing for a non-teething day, a few moments peace scattered here and there and a few cuddles with my favourite little people in the world. 
My wishes came true. 


Only a mother could enjoy a birthday that starts with a pre-six am wake up call, a very smelly present left in a certain baby's nappy and Captain Barnacles and the rest of the Octonauts acting far to loud and enthusiastic.







Friday 6 July 2012

'Jobin'

Today, for a couple of hours my mind was taken off all things toddler and baby, all things houseworky and all things mumsy.
I had my first job interview for a number of years but for what actually feels like an eternity! 


I enjoy being a stay at home Mum most of the time. My purse however does not have the same affection towards the situation. 
I applied for a job that will not be regular hours and mostly weekend work but it is doing something that I think I would really enjoy and a bit of extra cash would be useful. 
However, once I had sent off the application form I didn't really expect to hear anything back so when I got invited for an interview I had very mixed emotions!


My first thoughts revolved around the excitement of having to dress smartly rather than wearing whatever comfy garments I can lay my hands on. 
Then came the nerves at the thought of having to answer questions from professional people that I did not know when I haven't been in any sort of business/working environment for eighteen months. 
Next arrived the worry/guilt over having to think about leaving the littlest little one. However, this was coupled with the knowledge that this person would most likely be a grandparent and that a small amount of separation would probably do us both good. 


Overall I was quite excited about the whole thing. The prospect of a few hours to myself, after the interview maybe I would take advantage and visit a few shops and go for a coffee... who knows!


Then it rained.
Then it continued to rain.
Then it rained some more.


The fairly relaxed preparation for, journey too, and time to myself after the interview turned into a chaotic, soaking mad dash to simply arrive in one piece! 


The state of the roads and the continuation of the rain meant the original plans for who was on babysitting duty were scuppered. 
New plans were made fairly last minute and as I was scrambling the kids into the car my toddler decided to inform me that...  "you are going to be late for your 'jobin' Mummy! Knowing he meant job interview I thanked him for reminding me of this and we set off!


Anyway despite this, the silly amount of water on the roads, the frantic rate of my not so useful window wipers and  it looking like I was driving into the abyss the sky was that dark and scary, I arrived two minutes before the interview time! 


The interview seemed to go OK, I wont find out until next week if I got the job or not but even if not I have to say despite the madness I really enjoyed myself!


It was great having a bit of time away from the day to day routine and giving the brain a bit of a much needed work out. 
The interview was great experience and has made me see that although it is my favourite job in the world, I am more than just a Mummy!


xx





Sunday 1 July 2012

Did you know?

Mummy....did you know that thunder and lightening is made when you shoot those things out of the shooty thing into the sky and they make a loud noise and things?


Nobody told me that once a child turns four they becoming an expert in all things.


My son with the extensive knowledge and wisdom that he has obtained in his four years on this planet now unquestionably knows more about everything than I do. 


I love the concentration on his face when he genuinely thinks he is telling me something very complicated and clever that I know nothing about. 


As much as I am anxious about him starting school in September because he's a sensitive little man the thirst for knowledge is so evident in him that I know he needs the school environment. 


These are the questions I get asked frequently during the day:


Mummy....what day is it?
Mummy....what date is it?
Mummy....what are we doing today?
Mummy....what are we doing in the morning?
Mummy.....why (regarding most things)?




He's a bright little chap and I am making the most of enjoying him thinking he knows more than me because I am quite sure that after a few years at school he probably will do.


He is a complete expert when it comes to his baby brother. I think because the three of us spend lots of time together when ever anyone else is in the mix (even Daddy) the toddler is quick to correct you. This could be regarding what his baby brothers favourite toys are, his favourite food, whether he is tired or not or even whether the baby has done a poo or if he has just done "some smelly trumps." 


The other night the hubby and I went out for a curry whilst the boys enjoyed the excitement of Mamma and Grandpops babysitting. I suggested the toddler watch his new film 'Monster In Paris' with Mamma and Grandpops before bed because they had never seen it. His face absolutely lit up at the thought of him being able to show his Grandpops something that he didn't know anything about! My Dad was in stitches telling us how the toddler had sat explaining every element of the film to him and flushing up because he was taking it all so seriously. 


I love watching his little face when he is explaining something to me. My favourite thing is when he frowns, mid sentence like he is lost in thought and then because he has forgotten what he wanted to say he says something completely random! Hilarious. 


He is growing up far too fast!