The Cotswolds/Warwick Castle

On Sunday we travelled up to the Cotswolds, visiting Cirencester and Bourton on the Water. We went to Cirencester first and were a bit disappointed when it started raining as soon as we arrived! We sheltered in a coffee shop (dogs seem to be allowed in every shop/pub/cafe in Cirencester, which I love). We then looked around the church in the town centre (a woman gave Chloe a picture of one of the carvings to find) and then had a picnic lunch in a park behind the church; it had stopped raining at this point but we did get a little soggy! Thankfully it was sunny(ish) for the rest of the day.

We enjoyed looking around Cirencester's little boutique shops. We loved a dining room table and chairs which had been painted in different shades of chalk paint but it's not quite the right time to buy them yet. We also bought the girls sticker books which would come in useful later. I have taken school trips to the museum in Cirencester before and since we had more time to kill, we took a trip there. I thought it would be beyond Chloe but she was really interested and kept asking me questions about the Romans. I was pretty chuffed to share my interest with her. 

Our next destination was Bourton on the Water which had been recommended to us by my mum and dad. It's a really scenic Cotswold village with the traditional yellow stone buildings and a wide but shallow stream running through the centre. It is so popular because the stream is perfect for paddling in and has little bridges straddling it. Fronting the stream are some gorgeous cafes and restaurants. I would really recommend a visit. We paddled and wandered through, had ice creams and finally went for dinner at a restaurant called The Croft. 

We spent the night at a hotel in Warwick and then today we have visited Warwick Castle, which is now owned by the Merlin theme park group. Part of me hates the commercialisation and money-grabbing side of this (a hefty entrance fee plus loads of extras to pay for like parking & other attractions) but I have to admit that they have done a great job of bringing the castle to life. There was so much to do and we spent a good 8 hours there. The highlights were the Princess Tower, a trebuchet demonstration and the Time Tower which told you the history of the castle in really inventive ways. Chloe was pretending to gallop around on her horse and Livia was surprisingly interested too! 

We are currently doing the typical parents-in-a-hotel-room thing where we lie as still as possible and hope the girls go off to sleep. They are very excited by their day but also completely exhausted so I'm hopeful for a good night!

Time together

This week is half term. It was the nicest feeling finishing work on Friday and driving to pick Chloe up from school, knowing that we were all going to be together for a week. J has taken holiday too, so I'm super excited about quality family time. 

This time last year we went on our holiday to France - I can't really believe it's been a whole year! I documented the trip with blog posts and I'm keen to do the same this week. After being a bit quiet on here recently, I'm missing keeping a record of family life so it will be nice to get back into it. We aren't going abroad this time but have a couple of days away in the Cotswolds and then visiting family and friends in the Midlands. 

It's currently 6am in the morning; neither of the girls are awake and I went to bed at gone midnight last night after watching Eurovision with a friend, so I really should be asleep. But I'm too excited to get packing and start our day. Hooray for holidays!

Girly girls

I have been wondering recently about Chloe and her growing love for all things 'girly' (as she says!). As soon as she gets home from school, she rushes upstairs and changes into a dress (it has to be a twirly dress!). She then goes into my room and rummages under my bed to find a pair of heels. She will sometimes ask for the tiara I wore as a bridesmaid and then totter round, pretending to be a princess.

Some of Chloe's friends are allowed to use make-up at home. I think it's mostly only a bit of lipgloss and some of them have make-up for dance shows. But it still makes me uneasy. Chloe went to a friend's party and came home with a bit of make-up on - mostly glitter and a bit of lipgloss. I said to her that for a party I didn't mind too much but we believe she's too little to use make-up at home. It does worry me that she already feels the need to (in her words) 'make myself look pretty'.

Do I need to be worried? I'm sure little girls have been dressing up in their mummy's shoes and dresses for decades. And Chloe sees me putting on make-up, so why shouldn't she be curious about it? But I desperately don't want her to grow up to quickly. I already feel a little sad thinking about her 3 year old self who wanted a monster party and would choose to dress up as a knight instead of a princess. I want to foster all sides of her personality and not lose her to the pink, glittery world of 'being girly'.

Childhood friends

Sometimes I find myself envying Chloe's little childhood friendships. I love the way little girls can know each other for a matter of minutes (like at the park) and already be running around together and enjoying each other's company so much.

Chloe has made a friend at swimming lessons. She only sees her for half an hour every week but they link arms in the pool, hold hands, jump up and down together, whisper in each other's ear. It's always funny to watch from the viewing gallery! Although sometimes I wish she'd focus a bit more on the swimming!

Sometimes it would be nice if adult friendships were like this. If we could accept each other so quickly and enjoy just being together. It would be refreshing not to have so much formality when we first meet someone. I love the enthusiasm Chloe has for her friends and the excitement of sharing things with them (I'm thinking particularly about the discovery of a snail in the playground yesterday and all these little faces crowding around her to look). I miss these intense little friendships.

Quietness

Hello! I know I haven't posted in a while. I just wanted to let you (anyone who may care!) know that I haven't given up on the blog, just having a few hectic weeks. I don't want to post if I don't have anything to say so the blog will have to wait until I'm feeling more inspired :)