Looking Back at 2015

I know this is a cliche but I cannot believe we are now in 2016!! The second half of the year absolutely flew by as we had so much on and Christmas arrived way too fast leaving me a bit unprepared.

It has been a challenging year with lots of highs and a few lows but here's some memorable points!

Pre-School

Elliot started pre-school in September and he is absolutely loving it! I knew he wouldn't have any issues and he proved me right, he runs on in so excited and I love the big cuddle and smile I get when he runs out at home time!

First day at pre-school!

Family Hols

We were very fortunate to become a Bluestone Blogger at the beginning of 2015 and we were able to try out one of their lovely lodges at the Bluestone National Park Resort in West Wales. We had a really fun short break and just looking at the photos is making me want to return!

Bluestone National Park Resort

Our next short break was in May and we went to Butlins in Minehead.  It was our second 'Just for Tots' break and we had a great time, so great in fact that we didn't even end up leaving the resort all week which is quite unusual for us. The highlight of the week was meeting Mister Maker who was performing there - what a nice man!

Just For Tots, Butlins Minehead

Our big family holiday was a two week break to Florida in September and something we'd been looking forward to all year. We stayed in a lovely villa in Kissimmee and had the best time visiting all the theme parks. My highlight was Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party -  Elliot loves spooky things and we had a great time seeing everyone dressed up and trick or treating!

Potty Training

After lots of failed attempts and wondering if Elliot would still be in nappies at 15, I stopped getting so stressed about potty training! He refused to sit on the toilet or potty and would get really upset if we tried to make him. In December I had decided to wait until the New Year to try again, think he just wasn't ready.

But one rainy day when we were home, I decided to have another go....and he only went and cracked it! That first day was rather stressful with a lot of tears (him and me) but by the end of the day he was actually weeing on the toilet - woohooo! We were even brave enough to go out to soft play without a nappy and all was fine. Within a few days, he was completely dry in the day and since then he has been dry at night too.

My only issue is poo :( He thinks its too scary to poo on the toilet so he'll only do it in a pull up! Will be tackling this so any tips welcome ;)

Blogging

My blog had it's 1 year anniversary/birthday in July and it's mad to think I've been blogging for well over a year now. Blogging for me is a hobby but I would like to take it up a notch.

I feel inspired when I see the great things fellow bloggers such as Sabrina at The Mummy Stylist and Laura at Life With Baby Kicks are achieving and it is giving me a kick up the bum to blog more!

Moving House

This has been the biggest challenge of the year because we had to move twice in 3 months which was just bloody hard work and the biggest stress we've ever had to endure!

After writing a list of things I'd learnt from moving, little did I know we'd be on the move again just a couple of months later. Unbeknown to us, our new landlord had accumulated quite a big arrears on his mortgage and the courts had issued the house to be repossessed! We really didn't expect to be receiving eviction notices hand delivered by the baliff and to say it was a stressful time is an understatement. We managed to extend the repossession by a few weeks but as the eviction date got closer and closer we had no choice but to accept the fact we were going to have to move house again....absolutely rubbish. Luckily we managed to get our deposit back and also luckily, we found another lovely house just a few minutes walk from Elliot's pre-school.

Our second move wasn't quite as stressful because we did it over the course of a week and had no-one waiting to move in on the same day! But I got a bit sick of packing and unpacking and even now, after we've been in our new house for 2 months, I've still got one room to unpack. Fingers crossed we'll be here for some time, I don't think I can look at another cardboard box for a while!

Although it was a stressful time in our lives and a really crappy situation, things have actually turned out for the better now. I love our new house and it feels so much more homely, we are back within walking distance of our friends and most importantly, Costa is just round the corner ;-)

Birthdays and Growing Up

Elliot turned 3 this year which I'm still trying to get my head around. We celebrated by throwing a spooky themed birthday party for his friends and Elliot dressed up as a zombie mummy...as you do! It was great fun - we had a bouncy castle, spooky music, enough food to feed the whole of Dorset and lots of noisy children in fancy dress!

I'm really enjoying Elliot being this age - I love our conversations and he's so bright, he asks so many questions and doesn't ever forget a dinosaur fact! At the moment he's into jokes so we bought him a joke book for Christmas. But actually he likes to make them up - they don't make any sense but he thinks he's funny!!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and here's to a great 2016!

Ten Things We Are Looking Forward To in 2015

I can't believe we are now in April, this year is whizzing on by! We've got the boring cold months out of the way and now I'm looking ahead to the Spring and Summer - my favourite times of the year. My diary seems to be filling up fast and we have lots of exciting things to look forward to!

Justin & Friends - Mr Tumble's Circus

I blogged about this last week here and we are very excited about this show! Elliot is a big fan of Justin and Mr Tumble and I know he is going to have the best time. The most exciting thing though is the fact Andy Day will be there too - we love Andy!

Dinosaur Zoo

I don't really know too much about this but the Dinosaur Zoo is appearing at our local theatre and we have tickets for next week. It features lifelike puppets which you can get up close and personal too. Elliot is dinosaur mad so no doubt he'll love it!

Just for Tots - Butlins

We did this midweek break last year too and it was so much fun for Elliot. All the activities and shows are geared up for under 5's which is perfect for us. Elliot will be 2.5years old when we go so I think he'll enjoy it even more this time round, especially the character meet and greets. He was a bit shy last year when faced with Mike the Knight and Bob the Builder! Mister Maker will also be appearing there so being big CBeebies fans, we can't wait!

Peppa Pig World

We live within an hours drive of Peppa Pig World so another visit here is a definite for 2015. There's so much to see and do and the gift shop is amazing! The only downside is the crowds - we visited in the Summer Hols last year and it was SO busy, we queued for over an hour for some of the Peppa rides which with a toddler is not fun. We'll definitely be visiting in term time to beat the crowds :)

The Gruffalo Live

If you're a regular reader you'll know about our love of the Gruffalo which started when Elliot was a tiny baby. I'd been waiting for news of this live show for a little while so when tickets went on sale I booked straight away. Excitingly, the show is being performed in the West End so it'll be Elliot's first time in London. No doubt we'll do a bit of the touristy thing while we're there! Which leads on to...

Natural History Museum

This is definitely on our agenda when we visit London, purely to see the dinosaurs! Elliot might be a bit disappointed when he realises Andy isn't there though ;)

Just Sing Choir Live Performances

This ones just for me but singing with my local choir is so much fun and I can't wait for our first live performance this year! I love spending time with Elliot but it's nice to get out on a Wednesday evening and not be "mummy"! 

One Day Like This - from our charity Christmas Concert 2014

Chris & Pui Roadshow

This is another show we saw last year but it was so much fun, as soon as I saw Chris and Pui were visiting Bournemouth again I just had to book tickets. Hopefully we will get to meet Chris and Pui again, they were so friendly and lovely to Elliot! 

Blog On Win - Blogging Conference

I've not really attended many blogging events yet (still class myself as a bit of a newbie!) so I'm very excited to be attending this in October. Hoping to meet lots of lovely bloggers and hopefully learn some useful tips! 

Orlando Holiday

We are taking Elliot to see the sights and sounds of Orlando this year - I am SOOOOOOOOO excited!!! We first went to Orlando on our honeymoon back in 2002 and have visited several times since but this will be Elliot's first time...and longest time on a plane eek. We are going for two weeks but I'm sure we'll run out of time to do everything we want. Top of my agenda is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios but I also can't wait to take Elliot to Disney World - he get excited about going to Longleat so Disney is going to blow his mind! 

Looking at this list just makes me so excited for the coming months - and it will give me lots of fun things to blog about! 

What's the most exciting thing you have planned so far?

First Snow Day!

We live on the South Coast and we don't get snow very often. When we do get snow, its usually no more than a few centimetres and gone as soon as the sun comes out! The last time it snowed Elliot was only a few weeks old so we didn't go outside, I remember spending the day in my pyjamas drinking hot chocolate ;)

I might have been tempting fate but I recently purchased a snowsuit for Elliot and a sledge, just in case! Well, how excited were we to wake up to the garden covered in snow - yesssss, the snowsuit would get at least one wear this year!!! Elliot couldn't believe his eyes and kept asking if we could build a snowman, and he also said he saw a polar bear in the garden......um ok!
After a quick breakfast we wrapped up warm and went outside to have a play - it was pretty chilly! We built the worlds smallest snowman and threw a few snowballs, and Elliot had a bounce on the snow filled trampoline which he thought was fun. And then we went to Costa for a well earned hot chocolate :)

That's enough snow for me, roll on Summer!

Braving the cold at The New Forest Wildlife Park

Despite the chilly weather conditions we decided to venture out of Dorset and visit The New Forest Wildlife Park which is located as the name suggests in the beautiful surroundings of the New Forest.

We paid £10.50 per adult and Elliot was free as he is under 3. This is really good value when you compare to other wildlife parks in the area. There was plenty of parking when we arrived and the Woodland Restaurant looked very inviting as we approached the entrance! More on that later...

Our first animal encounter was in the shape of an otter and it was fun to watch him jumping in and out of the water. Elliot loved it because the otter kept coming right up close to the glass so he got a great view of him! The park has several different types of otter, many of which are rescue otters.

The park is wheelchair and buggy friendly but we did have to jump over a few big muddy puddles yesterday so wellies are definitely a good idea! (That Peppa Pig has a lot to answer for!!)

The park has different keeper talks throughout the day and we were in time to catch the giant otters being fed. The park was really quiet so we were able to chat to the keeper and he was very informative, telling us about how fussy one of the otters is. Apparently he's a real fan of trout and will turn his nose up at other fish that is offered to him! We also met two smaller otters who just couldn't wait for their dinner, one was trying to bury under his enclosure to get to the fish and the other was climbing the fence and making a really loud squeaky noise, you could almost hear him saying "I'm hungry!! Feed me now!"

The wildlife park has two types of deer and we met a couple of the Fallow Deer who were roaming around in the deer encounter area. Elliot automatically said they were bambi's! We also saw lots of different varieties of owl, including my favourite the Barn Owl.

Next up was a creature that I definitely didn't expect to see in the New Forest - bison! One of them was stood right next to the fence scratching his head on a tree and it was pretty amazing to see him up close. Elliot however was not a fan! He refused to go near it and just hid behind my back!!

If adventure playgrounds are your thing then you will have loads of fun swinging and climbing in the "Go Wild" play area. Elliot was a little young for this section (aimed at kids 6+) but we did have a laugh watching Daddy on the zip wire...and then falling off the zip wire haha! Fortunately for Elliot there was a mini Go Wild playarea for little 'uns which had plenty of things to keep him busy - he loved playing in the sandpit with the buckets and spades!

We were lucky enough to catch the Lynx keeper talk and it was interesting to hear that a reintroduction to the UK is being considered. I've never seen one up close before and their ears are amazing!

We also saw some "big black pigs" (wild boars!) and Elliot really liked watching these, especially the one who had an itchy back and kept rubbing it on a tree!

Sadly we didn't spot any wolves in the Wolf enclosure (or werewolves as Elliot calls them) but we did see lots of other creatures including wallaby, ram, polecat, badgers and a fox!

On our way to the toddler playground we spotted 'Bug -ingham Palace' , a bug hotel which kids can help build. Elliot loved picking up sticks and finding holes to poke them into. Dread to think what was lurking inside!

Our day ended with lunch in the Woodland restuarant where the boys tucked into jacket spuds and a yummy panini for me. Everything was reasonably priced and freshly made. Managed to resist the cream teas!

A quick stop in the gift shop for a rubber rat (Elliot had the pick of the animals and he wanted a rat?!) and we were on our way to Dorset.

We really enjoyed visiting the park and will definitely return in the warmer weather when the Butterfly House is open. We liked the fact it wasn't busy and there was lots of space for an excited toddler to run about! Perhaps next time my husband won't be so quick to go on the zip wire though ;)

Days Out and Fun Things for 2015!

January might be the gloomiest month of the year but I'm already making plans for some exciting days out - ones that don't rely on good weather obviously! It got me thinking about where else I'd like to visit - wonder how many of these we can tick off our list before 2016!

The Natural History Museum
The most obvious choice for a dinosaur geek like Elliot! He's a massive fan of Andy's Dinosaur Adventures on CBeebies and I keep saying we'll take him there one day. The only problem is, I think he might expect to see Andy racing down the hallway! I know the museum gets very very packed so this is definitely one we'll be doing on a week day.

Drayton Manor - Thomas Land
A few friends have visited here and said how good it was so I definitely want to try and visit. Elliot loves trains so I know this will go down very well with him!! It's a 3 hour drive from where we live so we'd probably make a long weekend out of it - any excuse!

Alton Towers - CBeebies Land
Another theme park but how much fun does CBeebies Land sound for a toddler?! Featuring rides and attractions based around some of the characters including a Something Special Sensory Garden, an In the Night Garden magical boat ride and a Tree Fu Tom Training Camp. I'm not sure who would be more excited, me or Elliot!!

Just For Tots @ Butlins
Last year we enjoyed a little holiday at Butlins Minehead on one of their Just for Tots short breaks. Everything is geared up for under 5's including early starts, repeated shows, early discos and "celebrity" appearances from the likes of Mike the Knight and Bob the Builder and his gang. We LOVED it!! Elliot had so much fun and we can't wait to go again. (We've already booked for May so watch out for a blog post soon after!)

The Cinema!
We were quite excited to hear that Peppa Pig has a brand new episode (The Golden Boots) which is being shown in cinemas along with some other favourite episodes. This will be Elliot's first trip to the cinema and I can't wait!! He goes into a bit of a trance when he watches Peppa so I hope this means he will sit still for the whole hour ;)

Wimborne Minister's Model Town
This might sound like a bit of an odd choice but imagine being 2 years old and running through a little town like you're a giant!! I've also just spotted on their website that they also have a model railway - another plus point for a train mad toddler!

These are just a few things on our to do list but I also hope we get to have lots more fun in and around our local area. We have so much on our doorstep like some amazing beaches and so will definitely making the most of these!

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

Happy New Year to you all! 2014 has been a fantastic one for us and I wanted to do a round up of highlights, but I stumbled across The New Year Tag and thought this would do the job nicely :)

What was your highlight of 2014?

Looking back through my facebook timeline for last year, I have so many highlights but my favourite was probably Elliot's 2nd birthday party. It was so much fun, I blogged about it here. And even the Gruffalo came along! Everything went to plan, all the kids were well behaved, everyone had a great time and it was just a brilliant success. Unfortunately I have set the bar high for birthday parties now and I have to think of something even cooler for next year!! (hubby wants a space themed party....really?!!)

What are you excited for in 2015?

• I'm really hoping we get to move in 2015 - we have a lovely little flat at the moment but we have definitely outgrown it. The bigger Elliot gets, the bigger his toys seem to get!
• Attending more blogging events and helping my blog grow. I have loved writing over the past 5 months and I would like to try and post lots more this year!
• Singing more! Last January I joined my local choir, Just Sing and it was really was one of the best things I have ever done. I really look forward to Wednesday night rehearsals and we have such a laugh whilst learning some of my favourite songs. Hopefully we will have lots more live performances to look forward to! 

Any New Years Resolutions?

I never see any point in making resolutions because I never stick at them but as always I intend to get healthier! I'll be rejoining my local slimming club soon we'll see how that pans out! 

Blogging High?

It's a bit silly but I did feel really chuffed when Andy Day from CBeebies retweeted my blog tweet about the day we met him! (See here) He might not have even read the blog but who cares, he retweeted it ;) 

Picture of the Year?

It's a recent one, taken just after Christmas whilst out on a winter walk. Elliot looks so so gorgeous and I love his cheeky smile! 

So there's my little round up of 2014 - looking back, it seems to have gone by in a flash. It makes me sad that Elliot will be off to pre-school in September but I know I'm so lucky to be able to spend all this time with him now. Lots more fun things planned for this year! 

Please feel free to take part in the New Year Tag :)