My half term diary!

October Half term 2019

… because it’s been a busy but fun one!

#stillgotloadsofchorestodo

#whocareswehadfun


Saturday


Me & my mum went out for afternoon tea to start off the half term! We both work in schools so we thought it would be a nice treat at the beginning of the holidays.

We went to a little cafe along the waterfront, in our hometown and it was lovely.

The interior of the cafe was really cool and quirky and the view (with sunshine!!) was amazing.

There were three tiers to the afternoon tea. On the bottom tier were finger sandwiches: Smoked salmon & cream cheese, Ham & mustard, Cheese & red onion chutney and cucumber.

The second tier was cakes, we had a piece of Victoria sponge to share, a piece of coffe cake to share syns a lemon curd that each.

The final, top tier was the fruit scones with clotted cream and jam.

You also got a pot of tea or coffee to accompany your food.


Sunday


I spent Sunday relaxing at a local day spa with my friend.

It was a great way to wind down after a busy first half term.

Relaxing in the jacuzzi, sizzling in the sauna & having a spot of lunch too.

We both decided to treat ourselves to a treatment on this occasion. I went for a back, neck and shoulder massage (Which was amazing) & my friend went for a facial.

A perfect Sunday πŸ§–πŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸ’§


Monday


Before heading to work in the afternoon I caught up with my friend Livy and her little bundle of joy (SO CUTE!!) Finley.

We met at a local cafe, that I love! & is just around the corner, for what is possibly one of my favourite meals, Brunch!

So good!

But not as good as the catch up and Finley cuddles/giggles ❀


Wednesday


Another day, another brunch!

& this time with my lovely work friends from school.

It can be really tricky organising getting us altogether so it was lovely to be able to finally coordinate our calendars during a school holiday! We see each other every day but it’s good to just be able to chat properly.

Brunch is one of my favourite meals! Breakfast food is the best food for sure.


Thursday


On thursday evening I had both of my nephews and my niece over for a sleepover! (Call me crazy, but it was really fun)

I’ve never had them all at once seeing as they are 5, 3 & 2 but it was triple the fun.

We did lots of fun colouring together as I bought them a little colouring pad and pencil set each for the occasion.

We had tomato and cheesey pasta followed by a bit of Peppa Pig and a story.

And to make things even better they all went straight off to sleep 😴


Friday


On Friday morning I took the boys to the cinema before they headed home.

It was Casey’s pick this time and we watched Shaun the Sheep Farmaggedon.

With lots of snacks of course!

In the afternoon I headed to the station as me and my Auntie had a weekend in London planned together and I was meeting her on the train.

Once we had got to the hotel we headed out for a spot of dinner at a local Bella Italia. It was delicious!

We both had Calamari to start followed by a ‘Create your own’ pizza for me and creamy pasta for my Auntie.

I’ve never known a chain Italian restaurant to have a create your own option so this was great. I went for mozzerella, garlic mushrooms & salami.

Once we had eaten we headed back to the hotel to change then made our way to the theatre.

The show was amazing and such a cool and modern way to tell history.

If you dont know, Six is a musical concert telling the story of Henty the 8ths Six wives. They perform songs as if they are in a girl band and each take it in turns to tell their story.

The songs were really good and the singing was incredible.


Saturday


We started off the day as any day that proceeds a night stay away should… with an unlimited breakfast buffet, YES.

After that we packed up our things and headed to our first stop of the day, our London Bus tour.

I know that its so touristy but I’ve always wanted to do one so that’s something to tick off the bucket list.

We really enjoyed seeing all the different London sights.

We were definatly ready for some lunch, after our two hour trip, so we headed to a nearby restaurant/bakery for what turned out to be an incredibly delicious meal.

This avocado on toast was to die for and the chocolate bomb cake that I had afterwards was pure indulgence!

All that was left to do after this was make our way back to Covent Garden and grab our bags.

We stopped off for a cheeky soft drink at the hotel before making our way to London Liverpool street, homeward bound.

It was such a fun weekend 😁

I had a great time xx


Sunday


Today was the last day of half term 😭

But, it still counts so we made the most of it by spending the day together, having fun!

We started off by gaming, ‘caus we’re cool 😏

& we took sed gaming to that lovely local cafe I mentioned in Mondays entry, (because as I said, its awesome)

So we spent the late morning/early afternoon playing in there and having some yummy lunch together.

The perfect end to half term with my favourite πŸ’—

How was your half term??

🍁


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

I did a half marathon πŸ˜³πŸ…

Well, once upon a time I never thought I’d say….

I’ve done a half marathon πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ


For the last two years I have watched this half marathon, in my hometown. We’ve stood at the sidelines and cheered everyone on.

Just as a bit of background, I’ve always done some running (mainly sprints and the odd 400m & 800m) in primary/high school, then I didn’t do it for a few years before I joined Harriers and then my current running club Jaffa.

I’ve always enjoyed running but definatly the shorter distances!

Watching all those people running around my hometown, with a great crowd atmosphere, and having just signed up to Jaffa running club, persuaded me, my husband, my twin sister & her husband to sign up for the 2019 Great East Run πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

The Great East Run

β€’Location: Ipswich

β€’Distance: 13.1 miles

β€’Date: 22nd Sept ’19

β€’Finish time: 2.35.51

It was SO tough, even tougher than I could have ever imagined.

And I had alot going against me with my recent eye op disrupting my training, a lower back issue, as well as a sinus infection/cough.

Even with those issues I know that I gave it all I had, I couldn’t have pushed my body any more than I did and I madeit over that finish line with a time that I’m really happy with.

At times I thought that I was going to cry, that I was going to stop, that the finish line would never appear.

Boy am I glad I kept going.


The water stops & towns folk handing out sweets and supporting really helped.

& the fam came out to watch us too.



It was a great experience, running with my sister & brother in law, putting that medal round my neck, becoming a half marathon finisher.

πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈπŸ…πŸ₯΅πŸ…πŸƒπŸΌβ€β™€οΈ

&

Btw, if you’ve ever wondered what a Half Marathon feels like this is pretty accurate…

Well done to all the 2019 finishers πŸ™ŒπŸ»

We smashed it πŸ’ͺπŸ»πŸ‘ŠπŸ»


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

You started school today πŸŽ

5 years ago I was working in my first ever reception class, eagerly awaiting your arrival, proud as punch when you finally arrived and I knew from then onwards that my life was going to be brighter, more fun and full of even more love.

Now you are ready to start your own reception journey and Im just as proud today, if not more, of the little boy you’ve become! Go show them what you’re made of Noahy, be the superstar that you are. Auntie Ro Ro cant wait to hear all about it XXXX

First day at School, Tuesday 3rd September 2019

πŸ’™

Holiblog:Disneyland Paris🌟 The Parks πŸŽ πŸŽ’🎑

This second edition of holiblog is all things Disney parks.

There are two parks at Disneyland Paris, accessed via Disney village.

Disney village is so magical in itself, with it’s fun and tasty treats and happy Disney tunes on loop. It is lined with Disney shops and lots of cool eateries too.

It even has a cinema.


The two parks are Disneyland & Disney Studios.

Disneyland is akin to Magic Kingdom in Florida, it houses Main Street USA and the Disney castle, although this Disney castle is Auroras, in stead of Cinderellas. I actually love this, it’s so cool that they are different ones.

Disney Studios is much like Hollywood Studios in Florida. It has all the Studio style buildings and American streets.


🌟 Disneyland 🏰


This park is the bigger of the two and is home to classic rides such as The Pirates of the Carribean, Phantom Manor, Thunder Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain, The Carousel and much more!

The Disney illuminations take place at the Disneyland park. The lights show, fireworks ans music were amazing.


🌟 Disney Studios 🎬


Disney Studios is home to classic rides such as Rocking Rollercoaster Ft Aerosmith, Tower of terror and Toy Story land. Toy Story land was awesome and had some cool and different rides to the one in Florida.

We met loads of Characters here that we needed to tick off our list, the rest of the crew, Donald Duck & Pluto.

I also got to meet Goofy again 😁 My fave!


& just look at that Disney Castle!! 🏰πŸ₯Ώ

So pretty πŸ’– So magical 🌟


It really is one of the most magical places on earth!

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Holiblog:Disneyland Paris🌟 Newport Bay Club Hotel βš“


βš“ Newport Bay Club Hotel βš“


This hotel is hands down one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in.

The theme of this one was an American Yacht club, absolute nautical perfection.

We were all so glad we chose this one as part of our holiday package deal.

It was so Disney as well which was just epic. It just had that magical Disney, themed to perfection vibe going on

& if you’ve been to Disney you will totally get what I mean, and if you havnt then go, right now because then you’ll understand the magical awesomeness that is Disneyland & Disney parks.

You have to experience to understand just how magical it is.

Let’s take a look!

Our room was a family room so we all shared.

My absolute favourite part was the bed head boards!!! Look at those Mickey ears SO DISNEY.

It was a good size for us all and I really liked the little get ready area before the bathroom, this was really handy with 6 of us.

We had a lake view room and what a view it was.

As well as all this there were two breakfast rooms to choose from, Cape Cod & The Yacht Club.

The hotel also boasts a gym, bars, it’s own gift shop and an indoor and outdoor pool.

These were great.


The surrounding area


The area surrounding the hotel was so beautiful too.

Most of the Disney hotels are around this main lake and it is a lovely view, as I mentioned.

The hot air balloon was really cool and the view from up there was amazing.

You pass through Disney Village to get to the parks and this was also really cool.

Again, themed to perfection and buzzing with activity.

The Mickey Cafe for Meet & Greets. Loads of Disney gift shops, food stalls, restaurants and even a cinema.

(Which we were tempted by before we remembered it would all be in French 🀣)


Having been to Disney World & stayed off site and going to Disneyland Paris & staying in a Disney hotel I would 100% recommend staying in a Disney hotel.

It’s an amazing experience and it adds to the holiday in so many ways.

They are brilliant, the facilities are incredible and the perks are great too.

Extra magic hours was one of my favourite perks πŸ‘ŒπŸ»πŸŒŸ

These mean you get into the parks early and miss queues for some rides that are always rammed.

The Disney meal plans are awesome too, so many resturants to choose from (varying depending on the plan you choose)

& most if not all were buffets (including the hotel brekky) so amazing value for money.

It really enhances the whole Disney experience.


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

My May half term diary β˜€οΈ

I love doing a diary for each school holiday, it’s a great way of remembering what Ive got up to, a 21st century diary πŸ‘πŸ»

Friday 24th May 2019

Me & Tim got some good use out of our Unlimited Cinema cards tonight by watching two films!

We watched ‘Detective Pikachu’ followed by ‘Rocketman’.

Both were really good. We had already seen Detective Pikachu and we just wanted to see it again, great for any Pokemon fans ✌🏻

Rocketman was also really good but not my fave of the recent biopic films.


Saturday 25th May 2019

Today I met up with my friend and her boys at the park. I took Noah & Casey with my to play with her boys.

They loved the bus ride.

We had a great time at the park, enjoying the sunshine and playing with all of the boys πŸ’™

Me & Tim took the boys to see ‘Secret Life of Pets 2’. This was Casey’s pick as he loves cats 🐈 & he really enjoyed himself.

In the eve, once I’d dropped the boys off, me and my friends met up again and had a Chinese together at a local buffet restaurant. So good.

& a great opportunity for a catch up!


Sunday 26th May 2019

A busy weekend rounded off with a family day trip to Cambridge for some retail therapy.

Me & Tim drove down with my twin sister Sarah, Noah & Casey, whilst my older sister Charlotte drive down with her husband & Evie.

It was a lovely day and we enjoyed shopping (First stop, Primark of course!) Followed by some yummy lunch from our favourite Italian which we introduced to everyone, Aromi πŸ‘ŒπŸ» Their veggie pesto lasagne is the one.

The kids loved the play area too.


Monday 27th May 2019

Cult Cafe for Tea, Cake & Games.

This has become our bank holiday Monday tradition and it’s great.

We usually chill on the bank holiday ans as the weekend was busy this is what we did. In the afternoon we decided to get out for a bit, Cabin fever was setting in!

This was really lovely β™‘


Wednesday 29th May 2019

Today, with work, we visited a local farm.

It was a lovely day, really chilled It was fun being outside and visiting a farm I hadn’t been to before either.


Friday 31st May 2019

Today we met my friends little boy, Finley β™‘

We hadn’t met him before and it was lovely to have cuddles he is adorable.

& it was a great excuse to get the girls together and have a bit of tea & cake.

Our friend was home for the weekend too which was great timing.

We went to my other friends in the evening for dinner which was great too.


Sunday 2nd June 2019

To round off the half term we decided to again take advantage of the lovely warm weather by taking a trip to Felixstowe.

‘Oh, I do like to he beside the seaside… πŸ–’

We enjoyed a lovely meal of fish & chips, Mr Whippy & doughnuts on the beach. We had a lovely stroll along the prom before heading into the pier for some amusements. The perfect afternoon.

I even had a little paddle πŸŒŠβ˜€οΈ The weather was great.


I hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your half term!


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Easter hols diary: Week Two


🐣 Week Two 🐣


Saturday 13th April

Football

Unfortunately it wasn’t the best outcome as my team got relegated after this match! So, its League one for us next season. I still enjoyed watching the football non the less. COYB!


Sunday 14th April

Kaitlyn’s 4th Birthday party

My friends little girl turned 4 so we had some fun at soft play & cake of course!


Wednesday 17th April

Breakfast with friends

Today I met my twin sister, nephews & our friends Livy, Demi & CC for breakfast at our local Harvester! (Because let’s be honest, breakfast food is the best food!!)

It was lovely to catch up, especially as one of my friends is very close to her due date so it was lovely to see her before she becomes very busy!!


Thursday 18th April

Evie-Mae’s first sleepover at Auntie Ro Ro’s & Uncle TT’s

It was lots of fun having Evie to sleepover!


Friday 19th April

Good Friday

In the morning, once Evie was up, baths had been done & breakfast had been served, we went for a play and a lovely walk to the park.

It was beautiful weather & Evie loved the play area. We then sat down for a refreshing drink & snack at the park cafe before mummy & Daddy collected her 😊

In the evening we went out for a family meal to celebrate my brother in laws 30th Birthday.


Saturday 20th April

Our first BBQ of the year!

On Saturday the beautiful sunshine continued and it was glorious!

We had our first BBQ of the year, at my father in laws.


Sunday 21st April

Easter Sunday

I love Easter Sunday (& not just because of the vast quantity of chocolate that is consumed) but because it’s just a lovely day and as a family we always get together.

For as long as I can remember we have gathered on Eastet Sunday for a Chinese (delish!) My Nana started this tradition and I’m determined it continues (& again, not just because of the delicious Chinese food consumed haha) but because I like traditions and there is something really lovely about keeping them alive.

In the morning I did some Easter baking with the boys and I took another trip, to another local park, with the boys for a play in the sunshine. This was lovely before our Chinese.

We also enjoyed our Easter eggs and swapped treats with each other.

The boys and Evie were really pleased with their Easter buckets.


Monday 22nd April

Easter Monday

This was one of my favourite days of the bank holiday. Tim took me to his work (which I hadn’t seen before) & showed me a lovely walk that him and his colleagues often do at lunch times.

We walked some of the way, stopped for a yummy lunch, at Suffolk Food Hall, in the sunshine and then walked the rest of the loop back to the start.

It was a beautifully sunny day and I really enjoyed myself, the walk was stunning

&

it was a lovely way to spend some time together β™‘


& that’s a wrap! A brilliant Easter holiday full of fun, sorting out, Spring cleaning & relaxing… perfect.


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Our Easter bakes πŸ«

Here are the results of our Easter baking…

‘No bake’ Easter slices

Rice crispie cakes

Check out the full blog post here & my Easter activities too –> here.

🐣🐣 I hope you are enjoying your Easter Sunday funday! & this beautiful sunshine in the UK β˜€οΈβ˜€οΈ

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

🐣Easter Activities for kids!

Hi guys!

This blog post is just a few simple ideas for you to keep the kiddies entertained over the Easter weekend.

Even if you don’t celebrate Easter in the traditional sense (I don’t either!) It is still lovely to make the most of a long weekend and some family time.

But, of course with kiddies it can be hard to keep them entertained and if you are having people over for the Easter weekend or Easter Sunday then you may need to get them out from under your feet whilst the prep takes place!

Well fear not, because I have some ideas for you that will keep them busy and are lots of fun!


Let’s take a look!


1. A Easter Egg Hunt


Cadburys & Nestle both have Easter egg hunt packs out atm as well as places such as Aldi & Lidl. They come with lots of eggs (depending on the size of the hunt you want and some prizes for the end.

You can also get Easter egg Hunt packs that have clues and signs included in them which is great if you have older children, to add a bit of challenge to your hunt.

I’ve seen these in Asda and discount stores such as B&M.


2. Easter arts & crafts


These monthly children’s magazines are great for a bit of easy art and craft and they come bursting with resources!

They are a bit pricey but, trust me they last! I bought this one for my nephews and we made two things each and there is loads left!! So one issue goes a long way and they are really easy, fun & varied.

You could also look online (Pinterest!!) for come easy craft ideas that use your recycling.

Kids love a bit of junk modelling.


3. Easter baking


Kids (& adults) love getting involved in a bit of baking, especially when it involves a tasty treat at the end!!

Check out some recipes here .

These are all really child friendly, quick, easy and the recipes use alot of the same ingredients! So easy on the purse too.


4. A Easter film


Why not create your own ‘cinema’ for a rainy day activity?!?

Pop on an Easter Film, grab some comfies, a blanket and of course some Easter choc snacks or any bakes you have created, and just enjoy a nice, chilled film together. Netflix or Easter specials of their favourite shows are great for this.

During the school holidays local cinemas such as Cineworld usually put on more ‘Movies for juniors’ showings which are a MUCH cheaper way of taking the kids to the cinema, so look out for those too πŸ˜€


5. A Nature walk/visiting the farm


A walk is a great way to enjoy and talk about the Spring and all the beautiful flowers and changes taking place.

Plus, on a nice day (let’s keep our fingers crossed for some) a bit of fresh air and a run around is great for the kiddies.

Visitng a farm is also great at this time of year as there are lots of baby animals to see and learn about too! Great experiences.


🌷 I hope this helps & have fun whatever you do 🐰

Happy Easter!


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

DIY Easter baskets for kids πŸ£πŸ«

Last year, as my nephews were a bit older, I decided to make them Easter baskets as a little treat, for Easter Sunday.

This year my niece is a bit older too and will be able to appreciate one as well as the boys, so I have decided to do them again.


I’ve been to a few different shops in order to get the little bits and bob’s for the baskets. I’ll list everything that I bought & the prices (if I can remember haha)

I like to make them personal to each child and get a mixture of chocolate and crafty/fun bits to make them more exciting and fun!

You will see from the pictures that I have popped some ‘non Easter’ food items into my nieces basket. She isn’t a massive chocolate fan (I don’t get it either!!) So I have got her a selection pack of some of her favourite oaty Goodies Bars.

This is a great way to make a basket for a much younger child, especially under 2’s who probably won’t have/need loads of chocolate.


Buckets, Asda Β£1.50

Luckily for me there were three different colours!

The top two baskets are for my nephews who are aged (almost) 3 & 4.

The bottom basket is for my niece who is (almost) 2.

Cadbury Boxless eggs (with buttons inside)

Plain Cadbury boxless egg, Tesco Β£1

Cadbury Disney egg heads, Tesco Β£1

Chick marshmallows, Asda large pack Β£3

They also did white bunny marshmallows too, for the same price.

Milk chocolate bunnies, Tesco 2 for Β£1.50

Milk chocolate lollies, Tesco 2 for Β£1.50

Chick gingerbread kits, Tesco from Β£1

I also picked up these little gingerbread chick kits.

If you had a bigger basket, hamper or if you just want another little activity to do with the kids then these are really fun and super easy to do. You get some tubes of icing and little packs of hundreds and thousands to decorate your chicks, in the pack and I can guarantee the kids will love them.

The non chocolate/edible items.

Easter activity books, Tesco Β£1

These have got stickers, colouring & arts and crafts activities inside them so they are great for adding a bit of Easter craft fun to the weekend and will certainly keep them occupied.

Large Easter bubble wands, Tesco Β£1 (or Β£1.50, I cant quite remember!)

Easter T-Shirt, Tesco F&F Β£6

They had a great selection of Easter themed clothing bits in Tesco, for both boys & girls and they were very cute!

Again, this is a great option for a younger child who may not be able to enjoy the arts & craft bits of the other baskets.


Some other shops that do great Easter bits include:

β€’B & M

β€’Poundland

β€’TK Maxx

β€’ Other major supermarkets such as Aldi.

It’s so easy to create these super cute little Easter baskets, full of treats, without spending a fortune! & they are a fun way to create a Easter gift for the kids.


Let me know if you have a go and what bargains you managed to find!


Happy Easter 🐣

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚