So here we are 2 days in to the Autumn Term, school routine is back and Summer (although not officially over until the 22nd September) has certainly crept away with the holidays ending and the colder weather hitting us straight away!

We had a wonderful summer. It went way too fast yet felt like it dragged at times, we filled our days with adventures and memories made both at home and out with friends and family, too many tantrums of course but we’ve made it to the end exhausted but happy (and a little stressed with all the mess and huge to do list).

At the start of the summer I wrote a bucket list of all the things we ‘could’ do over the holiday. I told myself I wouldn’t beat myself up about what I did or didn’t do but it was great having a tick list, something to go to on those days with no plans. So here’s a little update on what we did get through……….

1. Park so many different ones with different friends and always an adventure

1. Picnic nothing better than sitting down on a blanket and the kids devouring food after all the activity
2. Swimming
3. Cinema
4. Paddling pool so badly wanted more of this but the weather only really showed up on a Few days at the start of the holidays and again over the bank holiday weekend.
5. Blow Bubbles always keeps them entertained for a bit while spilling half the mixture
6. Ice creams and ice lollies galore it wouldn’t be summer without this
7. Film at home with popcorn this year Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Returns
8. Library reading challenge completed! Anybody else’s child take out over 10 books each time ?
9. Bake cookies/cakes we baked banana & chocolate chip cake that was devoured so quickly
10. Go to the Beach it may not have been the actual beach but the kids loved playing in the sand at the local shopping centre manmade beach
11. Go to the Farm
12. Have a Water fight oh yes!!! Constantly throwing water at each other in the garden
13. Crafts paints, play doh and junk modelling were firm favourites
14. Magazines wordsearches,
15. Stickers
16. Build a den we put up a windbreaker tent and the kids took books, colouring, snacks
17. Science experiments
18. BBQs not as many as we would have liked but we certainly enjoyed a few
19. Teach LB to ride his bike
20. Kitchen discos LB keeps asking me to add different songs to his own personalised Spotify playlist
21. PJ day oh yes these are crucial for everyone after some busy exhausting days
22. Go to the Museum
23. Treasure Hunt/Nature Trail we did a few National Trust and local trails
24. Explore a new place we went to Burnham Beeches and Black Park for the first time
25. Sleepover (anybody?!) yes Thank You Nanny
26. Climb a tree this was an almost every day occurrence
27. Yoga the kids love Cosmic Kids Yoga and I love to follow some of my friend Celest Pereira’s You Tube videos
28. National Trust Hughenden Manor and Cliveden
29. Visit Grandparents we have had days out or the boys have from each of their sets of grandparent and visits to/from their great grandparents too. Very grateful.
30. Scrapbook we are a little behind but this is an activity me and LB have enjoyed doing together and hopefully one we can keep up over the years to look back at memories
31. Take photos oh yes a camera roll full
32. Feed the ducks
33. Board games this is one of LBs favourite things to do so not something we get away without doing for long
34. Tie dye shirts
35. Make a sandcastle we tried but the sand wasn’t wet enough
36. Go to the Zoo/Safari Park
37. Help cook dinner
38. Explore the woods one of our favourite things to do
39. Paint Rocks
40. Laugh lots and I hope the kids remember that bit