I'm back.
Now, you know those adverts on television, where the little family of 4 is running off to the sea, splashing each other, smiling, and the Mum is sat there with a pina colada? Yep, forget it.
That was not the image of our first family holiday let me tell you, it was the total opposite.
We were blessed with the weather, and there was not a cloud in the sky for the 6 days we were there. We were also blessed when both children were angels in the car too and from the holiday. The last thing we needed was two screaming kids in a 45 minute motorway traffic jam. Although (clever Mum alert) I was stacked with sweets (bad Mum alert) in case of this, not for the newborn obviously.
So with Mr Sunshine beaming down on our caravan, our smiles were on and we were geared up to have a stress free, our daughter will try new foods holiday. The 'daughter will eat new foods' went out of the window approximately 1 hour after arriving at the complex.
On the Monday we arrived around 4pm unpacked and went to the complex bar and grill to grab a bite to eat, well... we ate, our daughter sat and screamed the place down because she didn't want the cheese on the pizza, or the tomato puree' or the bread, you get the point. The newborn was crying and it became crystal clear it was time for bed.
All of the days that carried on after that, we were out doing things all day and both 'kids' were chilled and having a good time. In all honesty, it probably wasn't the children that were stressed it was us. Picture this...
We arrive at the most beautiful beach, armed with a tent, a barbeque, food, you name it, and then I add this into the mix 'sand and suncream' - now I am no genius, but why hasn't somebody created a childs sun screen that isn't sticky and doesn't take me until I'm 93 years old to rub in? To a toddler who just wants to run off and throw sand into the air?
We honestly looked like such an organised family, the sort of family that is perfect and has everything under control. That is until the toddler gets sand in her mouth, needs a poo, the newborn needs a bottle, and then Daddy wants Mummy to rub sticky suncream into his back. I say we looked organised, if dragging a pram through scorching sun with a spongebob bag, my boob hanging out and my daughter screaming behind me looked that way then cool.
As the week went on though we did get to grips with exactly what we needed to take and it became easier. Although on the 3rd day, I thought we would be minimalist and take out some items from the bottom of the pram, like the sling for my newborn, so that our older offspring could go into the pram if she got exhausted so, all hail the "make your own sling with a scarf". It was just what I needed in the 27 degree heat, a 14lb lump tied to my chest. Mind you, that sounds appealing compared to lugging about a 2 stone toddler.
We were pretty stressed for the whole duration of being out and about in the sun, worrying if the children were too hot, or the sun was on them too much, thirst, hunger, where and what we were doing for tea. It was weird to have my partner about for such a long period of time to, the extra pair of hands were great, I even got to straighten my hair. I think the holiday has surprised my partner, he can't believe what a moaner our 3 year old is, I think we heard her say "Mummmmmy i'm hot" around a billion times.Half of our time was spent laughing at the things she was moaning about though. Things like "the sand is too dry, its too wet" etc..
If you were expecting me to include tips or some useful information into this blog, then I am sorry to let you down, I have none. I have one piece of advice though - buy a buggy board YOU might need it by the end of the week.
All in all, we did have a lovely time. Sometimes we were just too optimistic about what we were going to achieve on that certain day. Swimming and beach dont go well together, oh and guess what? NEITHER DOES SAND AND SUN CREAM.
X
Now, you know those adverts on television, where the little family of 4 is running off to the sea, splashing each other, smiling, and the Mum is sat there with a pina colada? Yep, forget it.
That was not the image of our first family holiday let me tell you, it was the total opposite.
We were blessed with the weather, and there was not a cloud in the sky for the 6 days we were there. We were also blessed when both children were angels in the car too and from the holiday. The last thing we needed was two screaming kids in a 45 minute motorway traffic jam. Although (clever Mum alert) I was stacked with sweets (bad Mum alert) in case of this, not for the newborn obviously.
So with Mr Sunshine beaming down on our caravan, our smiles were on and we were geared up to have a stress free, our daughter will try new foods holiday. The 'daughter will eat new foods' went out of the window approximately 1 hour after arriving at the complex.
On the Monday we arrived around 4pm unpacked and went to the complex bar and grill to grab a bite to eat, well... we ate, our daughter sat and screamed the place down because she didn't want the cheese on the pizza, or the tomato puree' or the bread, you get the point. The newborn was crying and it became crystal clear it was time for bed.
All of the days that carried on after that, we were out doing things all day and both 'kids' were chilled and having a good time. In all honesty, it probably wasn't the children that were stressed it was us. Picture this...
We arrive at the most beautiful beach, armed with a tent, a barbeque, food, you name it, and then I add this into the mix 'sand and suncream' - now I am no genius, but why hasn't somebody created a childs sun screen that isn't sticky and doesn't take me until I'm 93 years old to rub in? To a toddler who just wants to run off and throw sand into the air?
We honestly looked like such an organised family, the sort of family that is perfect and has everything under control. That is until the toddler gets sand in her mouth, needs a poo, the newborn needs a bottle, and then Daddy wants Mummy to rub sticky suncream into his back. I say we looked organised, if dragging a pram through scorching sun with a spongebob bag, my boob hanging out and my daughter screaming behind me looked that way then cool.
As the week went on though we did get to grips with exactly what we needed to take and it became easier. Although on the 3rd day, I thought we would be minimalist and take out some items from the bottom of the pram, like the sling for my newborn, so that our older offspring could go into the pram if she got exhausted so, all hail the "make your own sling with a scarf". It was just what I needed in the 27 degree heat, a 14lb lump tied to my chest. Mind you, that sounds appealing compared to lugging about a 2 stone toddler.
We were pretty stressed for the whole duration of being out and about in the sun, worrying if the children were too hot, or the sun was on them too much, thirst, hunger, where and what we were doing for tea. It was weird to have my partner about for such a long period of time to, the extra pair of hands were great, I even got to straighten my hair. I think the holiday has surprised my partner, he can't believe what a moaner our 3 year old is, I think we heard her say "Mummmmmy i'm hot" around a billion times.Half of our time was spent laughing at the things she was moaning about though. Things like "the sand is too dry, its too wet" etc..
If you were expecting me to include tips or some useful information into this blog, then I am sorry to let you down, I have none. I have one piece of advice though - buy a buggy board YOU might need it by the end of the week.
All in all, we did have a lovely time. Sometimes we were just too optimistic about what we were going to achieve on that certain day. Swimming and beach dont go well together, oh and guess what? NEITHER DOES SAND AND SUN CREAM.
X
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