Butlins, the survival guide......

Butlins...what a wonderful and scary place.  If I was to write a guide book on how to cope with a 4 night stay there here is what I would write:

1. Arrive 1-2 hours earlier than your check in time so you can drive around the camp several times to get completely disorientated and when you are finally given your room still have absolutely no idea where you are staying.

2. Find and grab anything that vaguely looks like its a luggage trolley and then use it to push whining whinge hungry kids from the car in to (thank god at least) ground floor apartment, that you have had to park a mile away from as all the car spaces for your apartment have already been nabbed by the occupants of the holiday apartments two blocks away from you.

3.  Read the holiday guide and then throw it in the bin as it contains nothing of any relevance and has just been left in the room to make you feel stupid because none of it makes sense to anyone who hasn't actually visited before.
4. Put the oven on.  This provides a two fold service in the fact it takes around 9 hours to heat up and so it might be ready for use the next evening and it also provides some exciting entertainment for the kids while they watch you squabble with your mother on whether the thing is actually turned on or not.

5. Remember if you want to put the kettle on that you have to unplug the toaster, the microwave and the tv first.

6. If you are not queuing in the pavilion by 4.30pm for that evenings entertainment, then don't even bother trying.  Yes the shows may not really start going until 7.30pm but its like the towel and the sunbed situation around an Ibiza pool, its all about the stamina and determination to get the "best" seat.

7. Try to avoid eating at any cost, while you may think you can save money by going self catering the Spar shop in the pavilion is around 4 times the price of a normal Spar with a loaf of bread topping the list of OMG how much they charging for this?

8.  Remember candy floss sticks to everything including bottoms, pushchairs, hair and other people.

9. Make sure you pack a good strong pair of hiking boots, all your fancy 4 inch heels will be good for is wedging the front door open when you are unloading all the shopping you have had to spend the last hour and half getting from the supermarket out of the complex because your bank balance won't stand another trip to the Spar.

10. And breathe, the kids are having a fabulous time, they will remember this holiday forever and its all working out ok so just enjoy !!!!

The wonder of activity camp !

Sending him to a sports camp for two weeks over the summer has got to have been one of my better parenting moves.  I managed to time it for the time Mooki moo is away in Portugal so I am keeping myself occupied with thoughts of drop off and pick up times. I had the sneaky feeling that if I didn't commit to something I would be spending the whole two weeks of her vacation in my pjs feeling sorry for myself, Anyway.......

Basically the camp is made up of 4-12 year olds who go there on a daily basis to be kept busy with lots of different activities (mainly sporting ones).  When Mooki moo was Ninja's age I also sent her a couple of weeks a year during the summer holidays to the same sort of thing and I am pleased to say this one has been as well organised as the ones we went to down in London.  They are staffed with young adults both boys and girls who seem very keen to get to know who they are looking after and make sure they have a good time. There is lots of variety of sports and they seem to be catering well to age and abilities.  Ninja has discovered he loves dodge ball as he has excellent reaction times therefore making it difficult to get him out.  He is also enjoying hockey, tennis, football arts & crafts and massive games of hide and seek. Even when we had rain a couple of days last week, the camp still managed to keep them busy enough that Ninja was totally pooped when I picked him up.

I think Humf is ok with going to nursery while Ninja is at camp as it fits in pretty well with what would be a normal school day for us.  I am dreading next week when Ninja gets to stay home as trying to persuade Humf that he still has to go to nursery will probably be a nightmare.  On top of this there is the potential I might be starting work as well and that really will ruin all their holidays.

For now though all I have to worry about is which of the kids films we are going to see because there are so many at the cinema that look fab and how am I going to stretch the £200 I have left in my bank account till the end of the month.

http://www.activatesport.co.uk/2011-summer-camps/Wellingborough-School/285/

Plans for 2011......

Recover from Christmas: Not always an easy task and always takes longer than anticipated

Go on a diet: Don't even know why I bothered writing this down, oh yes I do because I am exercising my fingers and surely this burn off some calories (please)

Ignore my birthday: I'm starting to forget which birthday it is coming up which can't be a good sign so its probably best if I just ignore the whole thing.

Read more to the children: Keeping them still and interested long enough for more than just a chapter should be marked as accomplishment if I can actually manage to do it.

Stop worrying: I may as well try and stop breathing.

Learn something: Well actually passing my AAT exams would just be great, I can't quiet believe how much harder this year is as opposed to last year.

Go on holiday: Now this I have to achieve, don't how, what, when or where but I will get on a plane with my family at some point this year. Especially as eldest is going on a school holiday I mean educational trip to the south of France and I am totally jealous.

Catch up with old friends: Again another don't know, how, when or where but I can see a bbq and some cheap booze in the future.

Moisturize: My skin is becoming like parchment, but I seem unable to remember to moisturise it for more than 2 days on the trot. Really how much time does it take to rub your hands together its not like I am apply special effects makeup.

Make more time for me: As above..!!

Get off the antidepressants: That's the biggy....!!

Watch out 2011 I have plans for you.

What would you do??

So 2011 is a massive year for this family and as we are hurtling towards it, I suppose I better get some decisions made and plans actioned. Hubbie turns the big 4.0. in July and in September we celebrate 10 years of marriage, and to be fair it is for better or worse and for richer or poorer. My significant other has been wanting to show me Las Vegas from the moment he got back, just before we got together those many moons ago. So i thought this coming year would be the time to do Vegas and do it in style. I've been imagining wedding vows being renewed with Elvis present, getting to see Celine Dion live and maybe catching the tiger guys. The thing is, what about the kids...? I live and breath my children, I never go out and any event the family does it does it all together. I can't imagine leaving them behind....but then again once in a lifetime holiday just the two of us sounds good too (we never got a honeymoon). I can't book until I decide whether they are coming with us or not and I really can't decide. Hubbie is of the opinion that on our own would be good but doesn't mind the kids coming. It would save loads of money with just the two of us but I know that my missing and worrying about them would ruin my holiday anyway. I am so confused and I can see me not doing anything therefore not having to make the decision. It is a big year but do I really want to celebrate it without the reasons I get up in the morning? Or should I just bite the bullet and let my hair down for a week and enjoy being a consenting adult. What would you do.....???

Totally unprepared for summer

How did that happen, one minute I was buying his first pair of school shoes and panicking that he would never settle in, the next we here and his first year at "Big" school is finished. Have I really been asleep for an entire year. Oh well we're here now so must deal with current situation. AAAhhh, you know when I thought now would be a good time to go back to work because he'd started school. Well that panned out well and we certainly needed the extra money but what am I suppose to do with him now. Nursery stays open so that's fine for little one, but 5 and I'm bored just aint gonna hack 6 weeks cooped up in 240sq feet of office everyday. Sheeet ! When I lived in London and I had this same predicament with my eldest (who will no doubt be entertaining herself over the summer head buried in pc) we had day camps. They do have them up here but they are like a 40 minute journey away which kind of defeats the object a bit and they are bloody expensive. Now you may feel that I should have been alot more organised and sorted this all out sooner, well its not like I didn't know it was coming. I honestly have tried (alittle) but they defiantly seems to be a severe lack on holiday entertainment around here for school children and baring in mind we hold the local primary and middle school in the town and therefore have at least 1000 children attending school here, it seems someone is missing an opportunity. If only I was more enterprising. !!!