Our Month - July

I feel quite sad this July is over already. It went a bit too quick, but we have had some lovely memories. We went away for a small break to Haven to celebrate Freddie's first birthday and still to this day I can't quite believe that he's one year old, already. Time has just flown by, and it just feels like yesterday that I gave birth to him. For a while, we had planned to go away for Freddie's birthday, and we were lucky that we got the date we wanted because it was the last available date in the summer holidays. I feel like it's going to be a yearly thing for us to visit Haven. The girls have loved going there the past two times, and I can just see Freddie loving it just as much when he's a little older and understands more.

More Than Just Parents - Date Night

Last year in June, I remember feeling super excited for our little getaway from the girls, before Freddie was born. We had our induction date, and so we knew when he was to arrive, little did we know he decided to make his own appearance two days earlier. I had booked to go to Liverpool for the night as I knew that we wouldn't be able to have just 'us' time for a good while after I gave birth to Freddie. Mainly because I already felt attached and I was breastfeeding - which was a whole new experience for me as I had bottle fed my two girls. Months went by, and I felt really attached to Freddie. I didn't want to leave him, I even struggled to stay at home without him while my partner took him out for a little walk.

As more months went by, I started to feel a bit better about him leaving me. I was getting more comfortable with my partner taking him out, but it took me even longer if other people took him out. I started to get a love and hate thoughts about breastfeeding (that I will talk about again, soon). Things were getting harder at home. My partner and I just weren't getting 'our time.' In fact, the only time we had time to ourselves was in the evenings, and most of the time I was up feeding and trying to settle Freddie. Time went on and around 10 months on I decided to introduce formula as his feed each evening. We have slowly got our evenings back, but it's still a hit and miss. Even in the evenings, it felt like we weren't getting 'our time' because either we were both absolutely shattered, I was working, or my partner was working late. So it never felt like we were relaxing and getting that little break every parent deserves now and then.

Yesterday, Freddie went to stay over in his Nain's house for the first time, ever. He has never slept over in anyone's house before and has never spent a night away from me before either. I would be lying if I wasn't overthinking things and even had thoughts about cancelling the whole plan. I'm glad I let it happen, though as it means my partner and I was able to get that time together, child-free. I wasn't too worried about him settling to bed but the night calls were my biggest worries. I was worried he wasn't able to settle back to sleep or if he would be up every hour or two hours through the night. There was no need to worry as he slept from 9pm until 2am, slept then until 5.45am and slept again until 7.15pm, which is brilliant for him. I feel much ease to be able to do it again, whenever that will be.

Elliw was staying at her Nain's with Freddie, while Mia was at her Dad's. That means we had neither child with us, which felt so strange but nice at the same time. Although we were both so nervous about Freddie staying overnight without us, for the first time, we still enjoyed ourselves. It was a much needed break for us. A break where we remembered that we were a lot more than just parents. Remembering why we decided to start a life together and the decision to make a family. Remembering that we can still have good time just the two of us.

After dropping the kids off, we just went in the car and ventured out to Penmon in Anglesey. It was an unplanned journey, but we really enjoyed ourselves. The scenery was just amazing, and it was a place I hadn't visited since I was a child. A lot of my childhood memories came running back. The evening was full of chats and laughter. It was a bit chilly, but such a lovely evening. After spending an hour or so at Penmon, we decided to head off out for food. We ended up at a Thai Restaurant, and it was delicious, as always. It felt strange going out for a meal without having to order extras for the kids, having to tell the kids off to behave while waiting for food and so on. It was just nice being able to talk with no interruptions and worries of one of the kids throwing a tantrum.

Afterwards, we went to see my Dad as my partner wanted to borrow a DVD from him. We stayed there a for a bit before heading out to Tesco (how cool are we?) for pudding and a couple of pieces. We went home, left the pudding because we were both so full and absolutely shattered. We just went straight to bed to sleep. I think that was the main thing we were both looking for too - was sleep. I'd be lying if I had the most comfortable and nicest sleep in over a year - it was actually really uncomfortable. I was aching, everywhere and I woke up at the times I'm normally up with Freddie at 2am and 5am. But, I did sleep in until 9am which was nice. It was lovely not being dragged out of bed and just taking my time. Having a hot shower in peace and being able to have a hot panad with my breakfast without it getting cold.

It was such a lovely evening, night and morning. I am really looking forward to doing it again since I feel more comfortable with leaving Freddie overnight now. It felt like our very first date, all over again which was lovely. It definitely brought back some memories of the early days. It was an evening we both needed to relax and just be 'us.' But something I would never change is our little family. Parenting is stressful and hard at times but so rewarding at the same time. I was really excited having all three back at home, where they all belong.

Linking up with: The Ordinary Moments, Happy Days, That Friday Linky

Yazoo No Added Sugar - Perfect Snacks

When I pick the girls up from school at 3pm, the first thing they ask me when we arrive home is if they can have something to eat. I always struggle to think of something light for them to have as a snack so they won't be too full before their tea that they'll have around 5-5.30pm. When we were sent some of the new No Added Sugar Yazoo Milkshakes, I thought they would be perfect to give the girls as a small snack before tea. These are a brand new edition to the YAZOO range. Yazoo promise that there is absolutely no added sugar in their new range and one 200ml bottle has the same amount of sugar as a glass of semi skimmed milk.

The girls love milkshakes and so they were super excited when I had some different flavours for them. I put them in the fridge first to chill before drinking. The flavours available are Strawberry, Toffee, and Banana. The girls and I really enjoyed them, and although I did find a slight taste difference to the original ones, they still taste delicious. I will be buying more of these as they are perfect for a tasty drink to fill their tummies until tea time.

We were also given some delicious popcorn which I felt guilt-free eating as they were under 130 calories - which is perfect. They were super tasty too. We had a little film night but it's always hard to have a film night with both girls as Elliw seems to find it difficult to sit still through a film. In the end, it ended up just my partner and I watch the film, and the girls ended up playing cafe. We were also given a voucher to visit the cinema. As our closest ODEON cinema is in Liverpool, we have planned to take the girls away one night in September or October to watch a film of their choice. We're super excited, and I will be sharing our weekend on the blog and social media.

YAZOO No Added Sugar are in stores now!

* We were given a Fun Family Pack in return for an honest review post. All words, opinions, and images are my own.

My Sunday Photo - Date Night

- Penmon, Anglesey 

#QwerkityGifts For Kids

Both girls are growing up so quickly. Everything about them has changed this past year especially. Their face, facial expressions, voice, and interests. When I look at Mia, I see a mini-me. She has so much of the same interests as what I did when I was a little girl, and it's lovely to see. Elliw has grown up all of a sudden since starting full-time school. She's grown out of superheroes and cars. She had a huge interest in what some would call, 'boys toys.' Now, I think she is copying Mia and looking up to her, a lot. She is into her sparkly things, pinks and all sorts. She's also taken up the interest of colouring, drawing, and writing - which I love as those were my interests when I was a little girl too.

Christmas will soon be here and I already have a good idea on what I want to get the girls. I'm going more for educational colouring and writing books as they both seem to love doing that kind of stuff. I'm also going to be looking for unusual things. When Qwerkity Gifts got in contact to see if I'd be interested in taking part of their campaign I was really interested. I had a look at their Gifts for kids section and instantly found a few items that I knew the girls would love.

Firstly, I chose the Giant Map Book. Mia has been learning about countires and the world at school recently and she's had a huge interest. She has a small book upstairs about the World but I thought a big book, which she could colour too, would be something she would love. When she saw the book she got super excited and couldn't wait to colour in. She showed me a few places that she knew and I also showed her where Thailand was, as we went there on holiday a few years back.

To go with the map, I also received the Magic-Multi Colouring pencils pack. The girls were amazed by these that they changed colour as you colour in something. They're great quality which is something I look for when buying pencils and colouring pencils. The last thing we received was a giant adult colouring book. Mia has been helping me colour this and although we haven't finished a page yet, as it is huge, we do spend time together every now and then to just colour in.

* We were gifted these items in return for an honest review. All words, opinions and images are entierly my own. 

Meal Ideas For Toddlers with Vital Baby

We were sent the Vital Baby Steam Blend to review a while back. We have been using it to blend Freddie's favourite puddings, strawberries and banana as well as using it to steam cook his finger foods such as his favourite vegetables. I find it really handy that you are able to leave it unattended and let it finish cooking without the worry of overcooking as it automatically switches off when it's finished cooking. Vital Baby also have a great range of other accessories if you are looking to batch cook, which is perfect for saving money. Here are a few meal ideas for your toddlers:

Martina The Turtle Review

Martina The Turtle is the shy pet out of the popular Club Petz. My girls absolutely love the Club Petz range and so when they received Martina they were both super excited to see what she could do. Mia, my eldest, is the one who has a huge interest in interactive toys and so she was the one who took the most interest in her. Although, they've both had so much laughter with Martina, by calling her name and watching her move. Freddie absolutely loves it when she moves, he always has a giggle and crawls with her.

Our Summer Bucket List

It's officially the summer holidays for us, and I must admit I am quite nervous about the thought of having to keep all three kids entertained for the next six weeks. Especially now that my partner will be working some weekends too, on top of working from Monday until Friday all day. However, I have got a few things planned that I would love to do and do plan on doing with the kids. Here is our summer bucket list and hopefully by the end of August, I can show you all everything that we achieved.

+ Have a picnic in the back garden
+ BBQ in the garden
+ Go for a walk down the cycle track and go to the cafe for an ice cream
+ Go out for a walk at least four times a week
+ Visit town for the day
+ Go Swimming
+ Spend a day at the beach
+ Visit family
+ Visit a friend
+ Go to Liverpool for my birthday
+ Take the kids to the zoo

+ Have one kid-free day out
+ Have a picnic on the beach
+ Family weekend away
+ Visit South Wales
+ Take a long road trip somewhere
+ Do our own photoshoot
+ Pick our own strawberries, again
+ Go to the cinema
+ Visit 2 National Trust Parks
+ Spend a day at a Theme Park
+ Go for a long walk somewhere beautiful
+ Find a food festival to visit
+ Go to a castle
+ Do a weekly Day in the life vlog for our channel
+ Go on a bike ride

What have you got planned this summer?

First Steps and Taking a Break

It's been a whole week since Freddie turned the big 1 and since we had our little holiday in Haven. I still can't believe he has turned 12 months old already. He's changed a lot - again, in the past few recent weeks and achieved a new milestone. He's been standing up on his own with no support for a few weeks now, but only up until the past few days he has been doing one or two steps. Today, one whole week after his first birthday he did around 3 steps on his own but only very small ones going towards the sofa to hold on quickly. Mia started walking 2 weeks after her first birthday, so it looks like we may have another Mia on our hands. Elliw didn't start walking until she was around 15 months but wouldn't walk outdoors until she was 18 months.

It still feels strange to this day that we are going through the whole baby and toddler stage all over again. It's so adorable and exciting watching him stand unsupported and making those little steps. He looks so proud of himself. Everything he does at the moment and the way he looks just seems so much older. The little baby stage is definitely fading out and so are his baby looks.

It's now officially the school summer holidays for the girls, and I'm dreading it a little. I'm sure I'm not the only parent who's dreading these six week holidays either. One way I'm glad I don't have to do the school run each morning, but on the other hand, I'm nervous about how I'm going to cope with all three at home together, every single day. I'm preparing myself for a lot of bad days, but I'm also preparing myself on how to cope with the bad days too. I've not been 100% myself for quite a while now. I've been finding motherhood quite hard most days. I have been getting stressed out too easily and just not myself. It's probably not such a brilliant idea that I have started a whole new business on top of everything else that is happening, but I am not going to stop. However, I am going to be taking a few breaks during these holidays and have promised myself to take at least one full week off sometime during the holidays.

I've made a list on what I would like to do with the kids during the holidays, and I really hope we can achieve it all by the beginning of September before they go back to school. Last year's holidays weren't that fun for the girls. I had not long given birth to Freddie, in fact, he was born the day after the broke up from school. I still feel guilty not doing much with them and did promise them that I'd make it up to them this summer. Now that Freddie is older too, he can join us in all the fun.

All three are growing up too fast in their ways. Mia is going up to Year 3 in September and Elliw will be moving to Year 1. The school years are flying by. By the time I know it, Freddie will be starting Cylch/Nursery. The years are flying by, and I want to do as much as I can with all the kids before it's too late. I wish we had a pause button in life sometimes.

What are you up to this summer?

How I Doubled My Pageviews Overnight

A couple of months ago I doubted myself with blogging. Although I'm not obsessed with the numbers, I do admit that I am happier with my blog when the figures get higher. However, I've been stuck on the same amount of views for a long time now. I was getting a little fed up and not so much confidence in my blog and seeing the numbers either go down or stay the same, I was getting a little upset. But one day I knew I had to change something. I sat down one day when Freddie was napping and tried to think what I can improve? What needs changing or updating? How can I attract more traffic and possibly new readers?

This when I thought of social media. I do like social media, but when it comes to my blog, I think Facebook is the best for me. I am not too bad on Instagram, but I need to work myself better on that. Twitter, on the other hand, was dead for me. I deleted the app on my phone a long time ago, mainly because I had no space left and I just never used it. Now, it's changed a little. I get most of my traffic from Twitter, and that's all thanks to Socialoomph. For about a year or so I've always used Buffer. I found it easier but as time has gone by, I found it a pain for scheduling tweets in advance. I wasn't able to retweet the same tweet. That's when I decided to look around for other websites that let you schedule tweets, and I came across Socialoomph.

How has Socialoomph helped double my traffic overnight?
Firstly, I chose a few of my most popular posts such as 50 Things to do in North Wales, 16 and pregnant, 100 Blog Post Ideas and 100 Summer activities. I scheduled them all to be tweeted at different times and once every 2, 3 or 4 hours. I added some other posts in between such as my most recent posts. I also add a relevant hashtag to each tweet. For example, for the North Wales post, I added #Wales and #NorthWales. That post has done fantastically well, and I get a lot of engagement with it. It's set on for unlimited, and so it will keep tweeting out. The following day when I set all this up, my pageviews doubled.

Previously, my pageviews were around 350-500 each day. Now they are anything between 1000 - 2000 per day, and it's not been any less than a thousand since I started scheduling my tweets with Socialoomph. The great thing with Socialoomph is you can schedule the same tweet more than once, it can be posted unlimited times. Most of mine are scheduled to be posted between 25-50 times.

How do I know how often I should share the same tweet?
You don't want to over do it. Make sure you have a good variety of posts and not constantly the same one. As said above, I mostly share my posts every 2-4 hours. I find it also depends on what hashtags you use. If you use a popular hashtag, it is important to post it at least every 2-3 hours. This is so your post can be seen. If the hashtag is not so popular, you don't want to start annoying people, which will probably end up in people unfollowing you. Instead, post is 2-3 times a day.

Which posts are best to post?
Any! It's your account and your blog. You post what you want. You will start to recognise which posts help your traffic more and once you start seeing that you may start writing other similar posts to help your traffic even more. For me, honest posts and posts about visiting North Wales and doing activities with the kids have helped me.

Are there any other social media platforms that can help my page views?
Yes, of course. There's plenty, such as Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and probably a few others. Facebook for me is where I share my most recent posts and update people with our life. So like another little blog but on Social media. I have found that sharing meme's and parenting related videos have helped my engagement too. There are other ways to improve your engagement on Facebook, which you can read about here.

Instagram is the next social media I am going to be working on. I find people like to play the silly game of following and un-follow. I only unfollow people if I either have no interest in their feed, they haven't posted for a while or if I just can't relate to them, and I am sure they are the same reasons (or similar) that some other people unfollow too. However, I find that I hover between the same numbers all the time and it does annoy me. So, this is why I am going to up my game with Instagram next. Hopefully, I can start it properly in the next few weeks.

Will I lose followers and will it annoy people?
Yes and no. We can't please everyone. I personally think, after blogging for over 4 years, you have to do what you want to do. Some don't care that you post every 20 minutes and others do. I won't stop because some people don't like it, as it really helps increase my traffic every single day. I have also gained followers since doing this, and so I'm extra happy about that too.

If you are worried that it will annoy others, you could try and engage more with others by joining in with Twitter chats and retweeting other tweets. This means that it's not just your blog posts that you are sharing.

Personally, do what you want to do.

How often should I make sure my Twitter is updated?
I try and make sure  I have a post going out every 10 minutes, or less. There are thousands and thousands of tweets each day. You want your post to be recognised. Don't post the same one every 10 minutes, give it a mix.

How do I sign up and set up Socialoomph for Twitter?
I use Socialoomph for Twitter only. I don't schedule my Instagram posts, and I like to use Facebook itself to schedule posts on there. I've had a few people ask me if I pay for using Socialoomph, and yes I do. You can have the free account, but it's limited. I upgraded my account to SocialOomph Twitter Unlimited. I pay $6.97 every two weeks and what I was really happy with was there are no long-term contracts, and I am able to cancel anytime if I wish.

Have you ever tried SocialOomph?

Linking up with: That Friday Linky, Brilliant blog Posts

TheGlassesShop Sunglasses Review

When I was in Primary School, I had to wear glasses all day because I'm long-sighted. When I went to the opticians for a check-up, I received new glasses, but the lens was too strong for me and was giving me headaches, since then I haven't worn glasses, but I know I need some. My eyes have never been all that great, and I should get myself down to the opticians to get my eyes tested as soon as. Glassesshop.com have a great range of prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses, and they're all modern with different styles to suit each individual.

Weight Loss Journey - The Start

For years I have been on and off with Slimming World. In fact, I had lost just over 3 and a half stone by sticking to plan. That is the main reason why I kept going back, even during my third pregnancy. I have never been happy with my weight - ever. But when I think back to how I looked and felt when I lost that 3 and a half stone, I was getting happier in myself and life was better. I could do more things such as running up the stairs with out getting out of breath, sitting on my legs without them hurting, no pains on my knees, legs or feet and not suffering so much from the hot weather. The little things you don't even think about.

Since having Freddie, life hasn't been easy. I am not saying this for any sympathy because that's not what I want. I want to write this as I want to be able to read it back in a few weeks, months or years time to remind myself why I don't want to be this weight that I currently am. I hate it. I hate looking at myself in the mirror, I hate feeling uncomfortable in everything that I wear, I hate being the size that I am now and the list could go on. I've struggled, a lot since giving birth to Freddie. The shock of having a baby after a 4 year gap was pretty difficult to cope with. Also breastfeeding him was a struggle, but I don't regret it one bit.

This past year has been hard. I've been trying my best to cope and be the best Mam I can be to my kids while trying to make myself feel and look better. Being awfully sleep deprived and trying to keep my relationship on the go, which can be difficult at times when we don't get much time to ourselves. Lots of other things have been happening too and sticking to weigh in at my local Slimming World group each week just kept getting harder as it came by. When I first joined, I did well. I lost every single week and lost more than half a stone in the first month. I was thrilled and was enjoying it. That's when things started going down hill, family related. I'm kicking myself for lacking and not being strong enough just to carry on but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

Since things went down hill and being terribly sleep deprived, I've been pretty rubbish at Slimming World. I lost the 9lbs, gained it then lost it again. I have lost love for going to group each week. I felt as though it was 'chore' to do each Wednesday evening. I hate waiting all day to be weighed. There was a morning class on a Friday, but I'd have to take a bus into town, which would be mean I'd have to spend even more money. Near £10 per week just to weigh and I wouldn't be able to stay as I'd have Freddie with me and it was around his morning nap time. Sometimes, you just can't commit yourself to things when you have kids.

However, I spent the weekend at Haven for Freddie's birthday, and I ate anything and everything I wanted. I didn't go over board though so I am pleased with myself for that. However, I felt worse in myself. It was the feeling I was waiting for. I wanted that urge to start from scratch again, but I'm still not in love with the thought of starting group again which is why I've decided to try from home. I am going to weight every Friday morning at 7-8am. I feel the time and day suits me better and I'm really looking forward to it! I am hoping to stick to update on my blog each week, and possibly do a vlog weight loss update each month too.

I can do this!

Lottie Dolls Review + Giveaway

Having two girls, I am determined to help feel confident in themselves. I want them to feel happy in their bodies. There are many things out there these days that can make children feel down about the way they look. I personally think no child should wear make up or short shorts or any crop tops. They should feel happy in their skin, not cover themselves up with foundation, mascara and the rest. We are the parents, we are the ones who need to reassure them to be confident in themselves.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Barbie dolls, and there never was a real-life looking doll around. Over the years body image has become a huge thing to most women and men too, which is a shame as no one should be ashamed of their body. But when you see celebs bodies being overly photoshopped and such, it's quite hard not to feel just a tad upset. However, the last thing I want my girls to do is to compare themselves to others. I want them to feel happy in themselves. 

This is where we can say good-bye to the Barbies and hello to the Lottie Dolls. Lottie Dolls are dolls that have been inspired by kids. Each doll is made to look like an average 9-year-old child. No make up, no heels, no fancy dresses. They wear comfortable, colourful clothing. We had the great chance to review a doll and an accessory. There are 5 dolls available, including a boy doll called Finn. From Robot girl to Muddy Puddle Lottie. We chose the Muddy Puddles Lottie Doll, and the girls absolutely love her. They loved her bright yellow jacket and wellington boots the most. 

We also chose Sirius the Welsh Mountain Pony. Mia absolutely adores horses and ponies, she was super excited when she saw it. She couldn't wait to open it and play. I thought it was lovely that it was a Welsh pony, perfect for us as we are Welsh. The girls have had hours of fun with their new toys. I can most definitely see the difference in the Lottie Dolls and a Barbie doll. I'd much prefer to spend my money on a Lottie Doll instead of a Barbie doll. 

Have you got a Lottie Doll?

If you are interested in a chance to win your very own Muddly Puddles Lottie Doll, all you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below. Remember to read the Terms and Conditions first before entering.

The prize is one (1) Muddly Puddles Lottie Doll (as shown above in this review)
Prize can not be exchanged for money
Prize will be sent by the brand to the winner
Winner will be contacted by me via e-mail within 3 working days of giveaway ending
Winner must reply within 4 weeks. If there is no reply, another winner will be chosen.
By entering this giveaway you are happy for me to pass your e-mail address to the brand (Your e-mail address will NOT be shared with ANY third party!)
Start: 21st of July 2017
Ends: 12th of August 12AM UK Time 2017

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* We were sent these items free of charge in return for an honest review. As always, all words, opinions and images are our own.

Siblings in July

I've been feeling mixed emotions heading towards this month, July. I just can't believe how quickly the year has gone by. I do believe that each day goes quicker the more kids you have. Having a third baby was a plan for the future but not when it actually happened. However, saying that, I do believe that Freddie came at the right time for us and I couldn't imagine life without three kids now. It's been hard but it's also been absolutely amazing. More about that near the end of the month.

The girls have such a strong and special bond with Freddie and he absolutely adores them. Once he started to notice their voice and faces he would be full of smiles when he either saw them or heard them talking or singing. It makes me so happy and proud that they all get along so well together. I remember the day when I told them that they were going to be big sisters. It was a couple of hours after my first pregnancy scan at 10 weeks. Mia was not happy, at all but Elliw was so excited - although she had no clue what was happening. They both drew some photos of me with a 'big belly' which was super cute and I'm so glad I got a photo of them. Something that will be treasured.

As the months went by, Mia was starting to get used to the idea of becoming a big sister again. I would catch her just staring at my bump every so often and near the end of my pregnancy, they both started asking me "how long until the baby is here?". 9 months is a long time for them to wait. It was hard being pregnant and looking after two older kids, especially that there isn't one day where they won't argue - girls!

The second Freddie was born he fitted into our family perfectly. Elliw was over the moon when she first met him. Mia was a bit nervous and again, took her a good few weeks to get used to him. She wouldn't hold him but would look at him. I could tell she wanted to hold him but she was really nervous. After a few weeks she held him for the first time and that's when their special bond grew stronger and stronger. She's like his second Mam. It's so amazing how much she helps. She's helped changing his clothes, nappy, help me bath him and everything else. Even feeding him his pudding. She's amazing. I can see her being very protective over him.

Elliw was so excited to be a big sister. It was such a huge step for her as she was always treated as our little baby. She was and still is our baby girl of the house. I still see her very immature in her certain ways but fulltime school has most defintely changed her in some ways too. I can remember Mia being a lot more grown up at around 5. I think it's one of the reasons I still molly-coddle Elliw. She's still my littlest girl. She can help alot with Freddie too. She is a fierce little girl, though. She can be too much in his face at times and heavy handed which annoys him - a lot! But, he absolutely loves her dancing around and being silly. Exactly the same as Mia, their bond is strong and so special.

This past year has been amazing. Having three kids is super hard but watching them grow each day and watching their bond grow stronger each day, makes it all worth it.

Siblings in July 2016

Siblings in August

Siblings in September

Siblings in October

Siblings in November

Siblings in December

Siblings in February

Siblings in March

Siblings in April/May

Siblings in June

Celebrating Freddie's First Birthday in Haven, Hafan Y Mor

We stayed over in Haven for a long weekend last year, and we all really enjoyed it. It was Freddie's first little holiday, and although it's only around 20 minutes away from us, it was a nice change and didn't feel too close to home. Through our last stay, we decided to book the same caravan again, as my partner knows the owners through his work and we thought it would be a great idea to stay over Freddie's first birthday. I think it was the best decision we made. It turned out absolutely perfect.

We stayed on a Friday until Monday. The girls went to school as normal on a Friday, and we arrived at Haven around 5pm. Our friends had booked a long weekend there too, the same dates as us. The girls were so excited to see their friend (their eldest daughter) as they all go to the same school. It was nice spending the evenings with them as well as my partner and the kids. Friday evening we went to the club to watch the family entertainments. We ended up in arcades as the girls just kept on asking to go there. Freddie finally went to sleep around 8pm but woke up just as we started to head off back to the caravan, around 10pm. He eventually went back to sleep roughly an hour later.

It was raining on and off all day through Saturday, but it didn't stop us enjoying ourselves. I had a lazy morning with Freddie, and the girls had gone swimming with my partner. I decided to stay in the caravan so Freddie could have his regular nap. He only slept just over an hour, so not his usual morning nap. But I managed to do some cleaning (how fun on holiday!) and tidying, as well as having chill time to myself for a bit. When the girls and my partner arrived back, we headed off out to the park and went back to the caravan for some lunch, then went back out again. My uncle and cousin came over for the day, and so we went out with them. It was really lovely. The girls absolutely love spending time with them both. They all went on the pedal boats, except my uncle, Freddie and myself. Then they went back to the park for a bit before heading over to the other side near the entertainment area, and the girls happily played at the part where water springs up from the floor. They had so much fun.

Afterward, we all went back to the caravan for some food, before heading back to the club for the family entertainment. A couple of hours later my uncle and cousin left to go home. Yet again, I ended up in the arcades before we headed back to the caravan for the night. It was quite a stressful evening. Mia was demanding money, constantly. It was hectic and boiling. Also, Freddie wasn't settling at all and didn't go to sleep until about 11pm. He then woke up at 12.30am and on and off throughout the night.

I woke up in zombie mode on Sunday. Which I was gutted about because it was Freddie's birthday. I put a smile on my face, and we all went to the living area to help him open his presents. He had no clue to what was going on. We had invited family over for the day and luckily got passes for the day for everyone. It was something I had planned for a while, and I was so excited for it. However, nothing was going to plan - at all. Freddie had about a 45 minute nap which isn't his usual nap time, and other things were going on which ended up me breaking down and having to take a moment to cool down. Not something I wanted for the morning of my baby boy's first birthday. However, it all turned our brilliantly once I had finished preparing all the food and when people started coming over.

It turned out to be a beautiful day. The weather was stunning and really warm. We all went for a walk after a few hours, had a drink, and it was just the perfect way to spend Freddie's birthday. The good afternoon most definitely made up for the bad morning. After everyone had gone, we met our friends and ordered a pizza before heading back to see the family entertainment again. Although we did the same thing each night, the entertainment was different each night, and we all had a good laugh and a good time (with a few hiccups of course).

I was quite upset that we had to come back early on Monday as the weather was beautiful and it would have been nice to spend the day there before coming back home to reality. My partner had work, and so we had to come back home before 12pm. I did manage to do two loads of washing, so I guess that's something.

Although having a holiday with three kids, is exhausting, it was a lovely change and celebrating Freddie's birthday was fantastic. I am still in denial that I have a 1 year old. We can't wait to go back again later in the year.

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