France Holiday, part one - Travelling

So my last post said that I wouldn't be posting much because we were going on holiday to France. I decided just before we left that I would try and blog throughout the holiday, as it may be fun to share how we coped with our first holiday as a family of four and also as a memory for us :)

To give you an idea of what we are up to, we decided to go on a Eurocamp holiday. If you're not familiar with this company or holidays like it, you book into a tent or mobile home on a campsite which usually has great facilities (pools, kids' clubs, wash blocks, washer-dryers, shop, restaurant etc). You also have proper beds, a fridge, electrics, a hob and all kitchen utensils. It's a nice way to do a family holiday on a budget but not quite as basic as 'proper camping'. 

We decided we wanted to go to the south of France, mainly because it's an area we haven't been to as a couple and we were wanting to maximise the chances of some sun. So we decided on a campsite in Argeles near the border with Spain, with an overnight stop near Dijon. A lot of driving when you have a three year old and a one year old in the car!

So far we are on our second day of travelling after our overnight stop. The campsite we stopped at was lovely; set in the grounds of a traditional chateau with a lake and lots of trees all around. It was not at all crowded and mostly peaceful (until the birds/animals around the lake all started waking up after it got dark!). We went for a quick swim in the indoor pool when we got there, as a reward for the children surviving the journey so far. A funny story was when Chloe got to the pool, she was so excited she ran straight up to the gate at the entrance, not realising that there was a foot wash by the entrance. Her trainers are now very soggy!

For the journey, we made good use of a portable DVD player, colouring pencils, snacks and library books to get us there! The girls both enjoyed the ferry journey - a little too much perhaps! They were both super excited (over-tired!) after the 5am start.

We are now heading down to Argeles and Livia is not too pleased to be in the car again. I think a two day journey is pushing it a bit but i'm hoping they will both decide to get some sleep soon! 

I will update you on how the holiday has continued when I can :)

Excitement (stress?!)

I'm sorry I've been a bit quiet recently. We are preparing to go on holiday to the south of France on Thursday. We are all getting very excited - lots of jumping up and down (and that's just J!). However to get to the holiday bit, we have to go through the endless lists/packing bags/emergency shopping trips bit. I feel very much like a headless chicken.

We're getting there. Some bags are ready to go, some are half ready and then there are those annoying things which can only be packed last minute. This is very unhelpful considering I'm working tomorrow and Wednesday and we leave at 5.30am on Thursday. Eek!

I will probably not post again until after the holiday because I don't want to pay for data whilst we're out there and we want a family holiday away from mobile devices! I hope you're all having a good start to the week and I look forward to sharing all about our first holiday as a family of four :)

Sleep

Thank you Father that you are the God who created rest. I thank you for sleep and that feeling of shutting off and letting go. Thank you Lord that for the next 6-8 hours I can lie back and let my body relax and recharge. I love that feeling of sinking into bed and snuggling into the duvet. Thank you that you understand that need and you invite me to 'lie down in green pastures'. I trust you with all my worries and cares. I know that you will be faithful in helping me with all of them and I don't need to think about them now. All I need to do is sleep. Amen.

Acts of kindness

I love it when people surprise you with kindness. Even the smallest gesture can make you feel so happy and special. I love the thought that someone has gone out of their way to care for me in some way. I always think with these things that they mean a lot more to recipient than it costs the giver. It also challenges me to make more of an effort to bless other people, which is always needed.

This evening a couple from our church, who we haven't known very long, babysat for us so we could have a date night. They initiated it, coming up to us at the end of a service a few weeks ago and saying they wanted to do this for us. It felt so nice to not have to ask someone and have a guilt-free evening out. We visited a pub which is walking distance from our new house. A happy start to the weekend.

Thank you Lord for our wonderful church family. Thank you for using a generous couple to show love to us this evening in such a practical way. Help us to make time and have the energy to bless other people. 

Toddling

In the last few weeks Livia has gone from being a bit tentative about taking steps unaided to full blown walking, or even running! She is really enjoying her new-found freedom and that she can join in more with everyone else. 

In general, Livia is changing very quickly. She is no longer a baby really and, where I used to feel sad about this day coming, now I'm really enjoying getting to know her better. 

As she grows the differences between Livia and Chloe are becoming more obvious. Livia is very affectionate and a big cuddler. She does love exploring but is not immediately confident to explore by herself. Chloe has been attending some ballet tasters and for the 40 min sessions, Livia has been content to sit on my lap the whole time just watching. Chloe would never have done this! It is lovely, although the downside is that some afternoons when she is tired, Livia will want to be held and not put down, which makes getting things done very hard!

 A funny thing that Livia is loving at the moment is going a bit mad in the bath. She will shout and splash and crawl about and jump up (encouraged by her sister of course!). She also has developed a liking for throwing herself backwards in the bath and going underwater. It is funny, as she's giggling the whole time, but also scary as she can't get back up by herself! It means the person bathing the girls spends most of their time keeping her upright.

I'm sure I'll have many more stories of her escapades soon!

Cooking dinner with children around!

This is a more practical post from me. Recently I have been finding the end of the day reeeeally stressful. The children are tired and getting hungry, I've been on my feet most of the day, my patience is wearing a little thin and the girls are more easily irritated with each other. We have been trying to get Livia to drop her afternoon bottle in time for a holiday we have planned in May but she is very reluctant! It means she is extra sensitive and can have complete meltdowns (I usually give in!). And then we come to cooking a dinner from scratch. This requires detaching myself from the children and getting them to occupy themselves!! 

Here are a few tips for coping with cooking dinner with little ones around. Is love to hear your ideas too if you'd like to post below...

1) Start a new activity off for them. I will choose an activity for Chloe where I know she will be engaged for a good amount of time but where she doesn't need too much help or supervision. This will usually be cutting and sticking craft, drawing or play dough. She will come in and show me what she's made and I can set her another task: 'that's a great dog, can you make a puppy to go with it?' You get the idea.

Below this post is a photo of this tactic in action. I made a den and Chloe had to put things inside it (including Livia!).

2) An excess of toys and mess! My top tip for one year olds is to get lots of toys out which they haven't played with yet today. We have a big basket of odds and ends which rarely all get played with. I will drag this into the kitchen with me (because Livia insists on being in with me) and she will happily empty the whole box and spend ages examining forgotten toys. I don't worry about mess at all when I'm cooking. Priorities! 

3) Get them to help. If it's an older child who is seeking attention then you can get them to help you cook. Give them jobs like crumbling stock cubes or stirring. Obviously you have to watch them closely with the hob but I've not had any accidents so it can be done.

4) Baby bouncers. If you have a baby up to the age of one (or whatever the weight limit is) then a baby door bouncer can be really useful when you're cooking. Unfortunately I can't use this with Livia anymore but it was so helpful when she was smaller. It meant she was entertained but also immobilised! I had her in the doorway to the kitchen so she could watch me. A baby walker could also work in the same way.

5) TV time. It is maybe a bit deceptive of me to put this one last, as this is usually my first port of call. Cooking time is usually TV time for the children. I am quite strict about when the TV is allowed on but this is definitely a key time when it is on. The children are tired and need to wind down and you need to get on with providing food for them. Give yourself a break and use the TV! Of course sometimes they decide they'd rather cling round your legs and this is when I'd use the other options.

I hope these are useful. Most of them are quite obvious but it's sometimes good to have them all collated in a 'toolbox' ready for when you are feeling stressed. Happy cooking!

Sister closeness

My girls are so close at the moment; I find it so heart-warming to see them together. I so hope that this closeness grows with them. I didn't have a sister growing up and had such a romantic view of what it must be like. Sharing clothes, going on day trips together, telling secrets. I'm under no allusions that their relationship will always be plain-sailing but I believe I can pray and dedicate it to God. I was chatting to a friend about this the other day and we were wondering how you foster this closeness as parents. We concluded that it is very hard to pinpoint exactly how this is done. So trusting God suits me!

An example of their current closeness is that every night Chloe gets out of her bed and carries her bedding over to Livia's cot. She lies down next to Livia's head and goes to sleep on the floor! We put her back in bed when we go to sleep but the fact that she wants to be near her sister is so lovely. 

Dear Lord, please let my girls' love for each other grow stronger over the years. Please keep resentment and rivalry far from this house. Help us as parents to encourage love and forgiveness for each other in whatever ways we can. Amen.