Well if January was the longest month on record then February is definitely the shortest. I mean did I just blink and miss it or have I got the date wrong??
We were certainly able to fit a lot in, so it must have happened. Disney Haul
With the countdown on, I began to get items for the children’s Disneyland reveal bags. Thank god for Primark! I have been able to kit the girls out with some lovely clothes and plenty of goodies to keep them occupied for 12 hours on a coach. But the boy is proving a little trickier. At 11 he is a bit beyond Disney sticker books and Mickey Mouse t-shirts if you can even find them that is!
Help??? He has a pair of Mouse ears and a Disney journal so far. Any ideas would be greatly received.
I do wish that all those lovely clothes for children came in adult sizes though. I feel like I am being punished for growing up!
Valentine’s day
I wasn’t sure if we were celebrating this year, so I bought a slightly novelty based gift and a card and held back on them. When I was presented with a box of chocolates, I made a quick dash to put Rob’s together. Grateful that I’d thought to buy something!
Happy with the thought of a meal deal for 2 and a bottle of wine in the fridge, I went off to work. But when my colleague came in to the office with a huge box containing a dozen red roses, I was pretty sure there was a mistake!
Never before has anyone sent me flowers, the boy did good. It really lifted my spirits and we had a wonderful evening together (Highly recommend by-passing tesco’s Valentines meal deal and opting for their normal £10 meal deal that was hidden away!)
New Hair!
I can’t be alone here. Going to the hairdressers is such a rare occurrence, that it is a really big deal!
I went and bought myself a fancy coffee, took a book and I was ready for a full on ‘do-over’. I do forget though that sitting in front a mirror for 3 hours while making small talk is actually really not a pleasant way to spend a Saturday morning. Especially when you reduce the hairdresser to tears… Long story (And I was not being some evil customer btw), but I was slightly worried that she might not come back and I’d leave the hairdressers worse than I came in!
’.
But much to my delight, they’d done a fabulous job, and even 2 weeks later I am loving my ‘new hair
Portugal
I cannot tell you how excited I was to be packed and ready to go off on our first foreign holiday together. With Dad and F in tow.
With hope of some sunshine and lots of family time ahead of us, the countdown was finally over.
And although we landed to rain which continued well in to our first full day, the holiday was all we’d wanted and more. And the sun made a welcome and warm appearance.
Spending time with Family becomes more and more important to me, and if the sun is shining that is even better.
Picnic’s on the beach, swimming in an outdoor pool, crazy golf in short sleeves, good food, and great wine and even better company.
It was a full on few days but it could not have been more perfect. I have come back full of smiles, happy memories and a sense of wellbeing that has been missing for some time.
What an amazing place to stay! if you’re looking for somewhere to stay not too far from Faro, this is worth checking out here Casa Andorinha
Unfortunately for my bank balance, I have also come down with a serious case of Wanderlust and I am in desperate need to get away again.
Home Time
We felt ready to come home and combat some work on the house. If we weren’t exhausted before we certainly were after that. Rob worked so hard, and I take my role as project manager very seriously! It was so lovely to have time off together and feel like we accomplished something.
To celebrate our achievements, it only felt right to get dolled up and head in to Coventry to sample some of the finest cocktails on offer.
Now if you like a cocktail and ever find yourself in Coventry you’d be spoilt for choice! But I would highly recommend trying The Botanist, for the experience as well as the vast array of cocktails.
It felt like a million miles from Coventry and in fact we could have been on holiday still.
Party
Now January is a busy birthday month and February doesn’t like to feel left out, so why not stick two birthdays a week apart?? This time its the girls, and at the risk of sounding like a mentalist, I could think of nothing worse than filling my house full of people and making endless cups of tea and coffee and supplying cake to the masses.
(I Love my friends and family but it is a little overwhelming!)
So a church hall was the best solution, and what an amazing afternoon we had. The children were fed endless amount of cake, painted each others faces (and arms and hands and anywhere they could reach really!) and played games.
One game I highly recommend is the chocolate bar game. The basic idea is a bar of chocolate in its wrapper and then wrapped in paper. Everyone sits in a circle and rolls a dice. The first to roll a 6 has to then put a hat, scarf and gloves on and use a knife and fork to try and open the chocolate. The circle continue to roll the dice and every time someone rolls a 6 its time to swap over. Its frantic and frustrating but they all held it together and loved it.
I had the best day, and just to prove it here is a rare picture of me with the children.
The secret Buddy Soon enough it was back to work. But I was pleasantly surprised when a letter arrived for me. It was a lovely card thanking me and telling me to keep being amazing.
This is all thanks to my secret buddy. This is something that has been introduced at work, we are each paired up with someone and our mission is to do nice things for our buddy. This idea is right up my street. And it really perked up my first day back in work.
So thank you to whoever my buddy is, it is much appreciated.
I also enjoyed leaving my buddy a little surprise. Although sneaking it to a place they will find it caused much stress, I resembled some kind of smuggler. I think it is safe to say I’m not very good at it but I didn’t get caught so maybe I am better than I thought. I’ll be a pro by the end of the year! The great electronics ban As I am sure you’re all aware, the use of the internet and young children has been all over the news and social media this week. F is a huge lover of all things electronic much to my disliking!
I decided to try to limit his usage and encourage him to do things with me…. Much to his disliking *sigh*
I managed 2 nights before the much anticipated SEASON 8 RELEASE!!! (I think I am supposed to care!)
We cooked together one night, F made a sausage casserole for him and Rob and it was a hit, He loved being in charge of it all.
The next night I embarked on some serious child labour, We cleared what felt like 10 tonnes of rubble from the garden. He was ace and just got stuck in and did more than I’d asked him to.
And what really made it special is when putting him to bed, he thanked me for an awesome night.
Maybe if we can do 2 electronic free nights a week, we’d both find a balance.that works. The Weather I think a little nod to the crazy, nonseasonal weather is a must. If you think this time last year, we were being hit by the ‘Beast from the East’ and this week we’ve seen 20 degrees in some parts. I cant help but be a little concerned about what we have done to the world, but I’ll be honest and say some sun and a good dose of vitamin D is so good for the soul. And just like that we are done for another Month, I wonder what delights March has in store?
Amazing how quickly February went. Not much happened in February for me to be honest, it was a quiet month. March is looking to be much better! Jennyhttp://www.jennyinneverland.com
Loving the Disney haul, and all the photos too. I loved Portugal and it rained for me too first day
Amazing how quickly February went. Not much happened in February for me to be honest, it was a quiet month. March is looking to be much better! Jennyhttp://www.jennyinneverland.com
I am so grateful that we have family there, I hope to be back again very soon x
Yes March brings a bit of spring hope with it, although it is looking like a fairly quiet one so far for us x
Sounds like a fab month for you! It really did go by so fast for me too x