Monday 29 July 2013

Quack Quack!!

I had been collecting the tokens from the Sun newspaper to claim my £9.50 holiday, although it cost much more than that, especailly as I then moved the week we were going due to cancellations and other stuff at school that the boys still wanted to do.  Anyway, Monday morning of Week 1 saw us all packed up and on our way up to Havens "Wild Duck" holiday park in Belton, near Gt Yarmouth.
Our caravan wasn't quite ready for us, so what with it being a gorgeous day, we killed the time by playing in the outdoor pool!


We had caravan number 22 in Swan Court which was very centrally located.  
After tea we headed over to the venue to find out what was going on...
 Alex still isn't above joining in with the fun - which I'm pleased about!
 
 Mum had spent the week prior pouring over the weather forecasts for each day, and Tuesday was supposed to be the best day, so we all went off to Gorleston beach - it was just lovely...
Albeit the sea was a tad cold for Nannie!
 Whilst the kids played, Mum and I got stuck into a good book!
Wednesday we had rain in the morning, but we had come prepared and a morning of craft ensued..

It brightend up in the afternoon and so we ventured off for a round of crazy golf!
The evening saw us back over at the venue and in the arcades, trying to win "tickets" to exchange for some crappy gift!

Thursday saw us over at Pettits Animal Park - which was a great little park that had everything the kids enjoyed!
 Cassandra LOVES flying pink elephants...
Nannie's fav was the little train..
 
 Nicholas loved the construction area with diggers, sand and tunnels
Alex enjoyed feeding the goats and sheep and chickens the most...
And I was so, so brave and actually held a bearded dragon - Alex captured the moment perfectly! 
 Our final night was spent watching the "talents" of those other guests in the venue!

I really enjoyed our time at Wild Duck and am even considering buying a caravan there!!!

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Back to basics - not!

Lee has cancelled training for 5 weeks over the hols and thus, two of those weeks, I've booked for us to go camping - got to get some use of the HUGE tent we bought!  So, the Friday the kids broke up we all packed up and headed off to Waldegraves, West Mersea.

 A good team effort in putting up the tent, saw us all unpacked in record time!

The next morning, Alex was keep to help "cook" and make tea using our little camping stove, and his efforts may have been more successful than mine when it came to the toast!

Lee enjoyed his sausage sandwich though!

 Saturday saw us venture down to the beach, and whilst too cold and stoney, Lee did manage to get this "artsy fartsy" shot of me stepping on Nicholas!!!
 
 That afternoon saw the kids in the pool - far too cold for me!
 
and a few games of swing ball ensured my right arm hurt afterwards!
Saturday night we ventured down to the marina to see the boats and after a farily good night's kip we came home on Sunday.  Just enough time to wash and re-pack as I was taking the kids and my Mum off up to Gt Yarnmouth for the week!

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Wednesday 17 July 2013

The Hubby won!!!

Well, last night I did the dutiful wifey thing and went along to a .... (hold it.......) football presentation!!!

Lee was honoured with winning the FA Community Coach of the Year Award and we went along to Chelmsford FC for a lovely buffet and presentation of awards.

So so proud of the hubster!

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Saturday 13 July 2013

Y4 Swim gala

Very proud of Alexander who took part in his school swim gala yesterday too. (next year I'll have 3 to watch)!!

Most of my friends know that Alexander (and Nicholas) have a competitive nature (wont say who they get that from) and my eldest really doesn't like swim gala as unfortunately as he can swim quite well - many years of swim school lessons, he gets frustrated when he is put into a team of 4, the other 3 children not being able to swim as well as he can, so the team doesn't do very well.

 However, after a little encouragement, he got in and gave it his all...
Whilst Alex did brilliantly and got through to the boys final, another child swam into him during the race and they both stopped and Alex came 4th in the end :(  He was most upset, but after a cuddle with me, in a good sportsmanlike way he went and congratulated his good friend Calum who won (Calum swims like a fish and has won every year for the last 3 years)!!!

Alexander and Nicholas are now both members of RADS (Rayleigh District Swimming Society) and their swimming skills and stamina will improve 10 fold over the next year so who knows what will happen at the next gala?!!!

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Wednesday 10 July 2013

Y2 Swim Gala

I'm so so proud of Nicholas - he had his school swim gala on Tuesday and my boy won!!!!!  Not only was he part of the winning "blue" team, but he won the overall boys Y2 swim and then.....

he won the "Champion of Champions" race too - with his good friend Niamh Harkes coming in a very closed 2nd.
A very very proud Mummy moment!!!

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Monday 8 July 2013

A Beaver Scouts play

'cos I have sooooo much time on my hands (not), I recently became a Beaver Scouts Assistant Leader for 3rd Prittlewell Colony.

To achieve one of their badges - Imagination (and go towards creative badge) the kids came up with a list of "characters" they thought should be in a story and Gail, one of our other leaders, wrote a play around them!



We had a Goblin, a princess (always a princess in the story), a crocodile, a pig (don't ask) and numerous other animals and after just two weeks of rehearsing for not even an hour each time, the Beavers all put the play on tonight for their parents and friends.  Even the Cubs came in to watch and everyone enjoyed their efforts, including their rendition of "Gangham Style"!!!!

Nicholas took the part of the owl and his bud Sam the part of the Kestral.

It was a hard work directing them all, but I'm so proud of the group!

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Friday 5 July 2013

KS1 Borough Sports

Nicholas had the honour of being chosen to represent the lower school this year at Borough Sports, held over at Garons in Southend...although "sports" is not quite what I'd call it!

There's me expecting, relay races, long jump etc, but no, Nicholas was part of the "space hopper race team", (luckily not the egg and spoon race, that was left to some of the other boys)!
They did however actually do a relay race - with all 10 of the girls and all 10 of the boys - the kids had to run 100m each relay...
The school team tried hard, but didn't manage to come away with a trophy this time around.  Maybe next year :)

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Thursday 4 July 2013

60th Celebrations

Blenheim Primary School has been around for some 60 odd years this year, and despite a postponement from a couple of weeks ago when Ofsted arrived, the celebrations went on yesterday with the weather holding for everyone!  A picnic on the field was scheduled first and then the "official celebrations began, Nannie of course was there too to cheer on her grandsons..
Each year group had picked a theme from the 1950's - Nicholas' Y2 classes focusing on James Bond and they were all spies... 

Alex in Y4 had chosen a Disney theme, his Kangaroo's class picking Mary Poppins, the girls being Mary Poppins herself and the boys being chimney sweeps.
Alex looked AWESOME in his outfit (def. the best dressed)!
Nicholas therefore did a dance the actual James Bond 007 theme and Alex did Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Where we were sitting was actually right in front of Alex's class, so I got a couple of excellent pics of him and his little sister 
and one of him and a couple of his class mates - Jasmine, Toby and Ollie
 The best pic of the day had to be this snap of Alex and his lovely "girlfriend" Rebecca George :)

An excellent day was had by all :)

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