Half Term Happiness

As I child I longed, willed and waited for the school holidays to come round. Now as an adult I still do……until they roll around. Then about 2 days in I long, will and wait for the school to fling open its doors again. Just kidding (kind of!!) but whether you are working or not the school holidays throw up all kinds of logistical (and financial) hurdles for us all to negotiate.

So the great debate begins……what’ll we do today? And I run through my much used list of weekend events and activities and usually exhaust them all by 4pm on day 3. There are only so many scooter/bike rides followed by hot choc’ that we can take in a week!

So what to do? I asked some of my friends for their favourite activities for smallies and decided to compile them here in the hope of inspiring others and maybe you can inspire me too!

(Armed with smile & full reward chart)

1. Bus Ride

This may not sound hugely exciting but believe me if you are 6 or under this is akin to us as mothers being led into a superstore full to the brim of shoes & handbags & being told to run riot.

(Even waiting at the bus stop was a treat!)

We filled our reward chart last weekend and once complete we normally have an “adventure” (term used very loosely!!!!) and so this one was the aforementioned bus ride on a double-decker. Cue: hysterical screaming every time we saw one in the fortnight it took to fill the chart.

It’s not expensive, weather doesn’t matter and the bus has WIFI! Everyone wins – especially if there is a hot choc’ stop at the end of it. Simple.

(Serious trainer addiction…as you probably know by now. Jeans – Zara, Jacket – Topshop, Bag – See by Chloe, Jumper – Zara, Belt – Penney’s/Primark)

2.  Treasure hunt

I got this idea from a friend of mine. Bring your crew to the woods/beach/back garden….anywhere! And wile away and hour or 2 looking for previously hidden Halloween treats along the way. For an older gang you could also draw a little map orienteering style. That’s bound to start an argument so I highly recommend it!! Try not to lose anyone either.

3. Carve a Pumpkin

This sounds completely OBVIOUS but when I thought about it I realised that I have never actually done this! And so the gauntlet has been thrown down!
I will do this in a few days and hopefully post it for you to see. But to get the most bang for your buck with the pumpkin why not try the following too?

• Save the seeds and grow your own pumpkin next year – apparently its fairly easy to get 2 or 3 from your crop of seeds with very little work;
• Make soup from your scooped out pumpkin meat;
• Roast and eat the seeds  – make it a tradition. The seeds are concentrated sources of many vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, as well as an important essential amino-acids (I snuck in a healthy bit here!!!!!!);

4. Train to Fota or Zoo.

Fota Wildlife Resort in Cork is a big hit in our house – especially as we are lucky enough to hold a membership card so it takes the pain out of going there financially speaking. It didn’t help that on the first 5 or 6 visits 1st born was just too impressed with the CROWS to even see the bison (or Gruffalo as 2nd born steadfastly refers to them as to this day) – money well spent there, eh? But for us, going here is the ONLY place where we can get the girls to walk for an hour solid without whinging…….so long as there is a playground/hot choc’/ice cream stop along the way. And as we bring our  own picnic – as do our friends – it really doesn’t have to be an expensive day out.

(TK Maxx had a sale on ski suits when I was in……as you can see!)

And the cherry on top is jumping on the Cobh train one way to Fota at Kent (Cork) station with lucky Dad while I drive to Fota with the jeep dragging along the road loaded with buggies, ham sandwiches, nappies, table-cloth (seriously – the only downside to free roaming animals is the free roaming animal poo and prints on the tables!!) spare clothes and flasks of all sorts.

Sometimes as adults we forget that the simplest of things are what young children find  most exciting and memorable – and generally speaking there is no need to spend lots of money-making these memories. Keep it simple & you’ll be surprised.

 

Click here for some excellent suggestions about things to do with slightly older kids over Halloween this year. I love that they include activities from all over the country.

Right I am back to work soon so I need to do some serious shoe shopping…….much as I adore heels on a night out it’s time to get some smart flats (trainers not included!). I may need help!!

All suggestions welcome – I’ll post my progress in the next few days.

What are your Half Term plans? I’d love to know. Maybe I can steal them!

Cli xx