Guide to a successful British Food Festival Family day out...

1) Arrive early so that you have time to check out all of the food trucks before the crowds arrive. Play 'I've seen this truck at Trinity' game. Feel disappointed there are not more (or any) samples.

 

2) Find the kiddy friendly area and marvel at all the cute attention to detail. Baby clocks the crafty table and tries to eat some beads. Distract him with a round of mini golf and he tries to eat the burger and chips.  Drag him kicking and screaming away from the kiddy area.

 

 

3) Take it in turns to watch the Baby whilst you go and purchase your chosen dish. Bring back to the table and hope that you can eat it before The Baby kicks off.

 

4) All try a little bit of each others so that you try a dish from each continent.

 

5) Let the Baby run loose and then try to get him to sit on a bench to watch some of the entertainment. Instead he stands on the bench and then falls off. Have an awful moment when he is screaming his head off and everyone is staring at you like your the worst parent ever. Ahhh! Find First Aid tent. Your sister decides to take a photograph to capture the moment and gets told off by the First Aider and told to delete the photo. Ooops! Then have to fill out ten forms as they issued us with an ice-pack.

 

6) Watch the entertainment and encourage The Baby to clap. He is over his bump already. 

 

 

7) Force The Belgian to join in with the break dancing. I LOVE these photos. He actually did quite well and may well have a future in hip hop. He was just hoping for free noodles and instead, of course, the little boy and girl he was up against won. Roar with laughter as The Baby heads onto the break dancing mat and throws some shapes.

8) Relax at home and vow never to eat anything ever again. Ever. 

(Please excuse the sideways photos - I know there is a way to amend this but I am feeling lazy!)

Me on a Monday (*ahem*) on a Thursday...

It's been an auntie visiting from London, farmers market in the sunshine, Yummy Yank baked goods scoffing, sour dough bread perusing, street food festival attending, street food treats deliberating, neglectful head banging, ice-pack avoiding, new suit for daddy purchasing, very poorly mummy, box set watching, daddy slaving over a roast dinner, mummy eating plain toast instead, run around at a forest park, red faced due to neglectful bruise kind of a weekend! 

How was yours? Probably a distant memory by now. 

So The Baby has just smeared my lip balm all over his face, my bag and the floor best dash...

Currently//September Style

Feeling// Glad we finally have a new car that doesn't cut out or buck when in low gears, or permanently have the ominous engine light on. But also frustrated that we had to spend all of our Saturday (five hours at least) in a used car show room going through the motions. Super excited to have a card and not a key - welcome to the modern world. Also like the cherry red colour - a departure from our usual preference of turquoise. Slightly anxious about taking it out on finance as I have always preferred paying for things up front.

Watching// It was the Belgian's turn (actually it always seems to be the Belgian's turn) to choose a new series on Netflix and so we opted for Walking Dead as we'd heard good things. Despite the fact it is based on a comic book (not my thing) and about zombies (also not my thing) and very, very gory (defo not my thing) I am actually enjoying it and now waiting for the new series to come out.

Reading// All the standard English-teacher-in-September books like Importance of Being Earnest and Woman in White. Reading for pleasure is over till next summer.

Loving// Days off with my little man. Hanging out in the park, or retail parks or having an adventure walk or lunch in Leeds. It makes working worth it when I know I have two special days at the end of the week for just the two of us. Also currently loving his nap time - does this make me a bad mother? Haha!

Planning// My September back-to-school resolution was to be more organised and so I have a school planner and a personal planner. For the last few weeks I have been meal planning on a budget and using online shopping to cut down on spending my days off food shopping and also cut down on spending as I get tempted in shops! Would meal planning and especially using the slow cooker to meal plan be blog post worthy?

Photographing// Nothing. Wah! Wah! My phone fell in the bath whilst doing bath time and has not quite recovered and my SLR is pretty much dead. So its gonna be a lean few weeks for my Project Life. I have been hi-jacking the Belgian's instagram - that makes me an addict right?!

Creating// Lots of cute Project Life spreads of our Belgian trip using the Heidi Swapp Dreamy PL kit. Loving the little stamper with many different designs and using some new sized page protectors.

Pinning// Autumn sensory ideas to do with the baby, the chipolte and sausage lasagna looks yummy and this gorgeous Project Life layout using black and white photographs and lots of bright pops of colour.

Writing// Thank-you letters for the Baby's first birthday where he was spoilt with lots of lovely presents. He was one in July. Better late than never - they say! 

What are you loving lately?

One Photo Twenty Words & Wicked Wednesdays unite

 What lunch? 

That one * points down *

Tastes better off the floor

So the dog says.

________________________________________

Linking up with the lovely Abi over at Creating Paper Dreams and Brummy Mummy for Wicked Wednesday linky

Me on a Monday

So over here its been at back-to-schooling, park going. slide diving, nature walking, canal tow pathing, cafe frequenting, 30th birthday party attending, lesson planning, chore hating (see previous post), project lifing, dad diying, online grocery shopping, meal planning (get me) and slow cookering kinda weekend.

___________________________________________________________

Jumping on Sian's bandwagon over here

Family Day out in Yorkshire: Meanwood Urban Valley Farm

Do you have go to places for great days out in your local area? 

Just before the summer I found this gem - Meanwood Valley Urban Farm and have been a handful of times this summer. Its great for a family day out or play date with another mummy.

Reasons why it is fun?

1) There is a slide. Slides are always fun for a little one.

2) There are real live animals for him to pet and feed (although on our most recent visit you couldn't feed them as they said they are getting too fat!) 

3) Lots of open spaces for the littles to run about in

4) Lots of fun and colourful toys like this rocking horse

5) A bit fat and furry rabbit running loose for the littles to stroke. Can you believe how brave The Baby is? Unlike The Belgian (see photo below) who was too scared to let the goats or sheep eat from his hand!

6) Also there is a cafe serving light lunches and ice-creams etc so depending on the time of day you go there is a always a quick pit stop. The one day the sun was shining and so we sat on the picnic benches outside, but another time it was overcast and so we sat inside and had a hot chocolate. 

What is your go to day out?

Lately...

Another action packed week - although tinged with sadness as its the last week of the holidays.
We've had a fab time all together and we'll miss Ellis and our family days out now.
I am feeling anxious as he wasn't very happy at his second settling in session at the new childminder and am hoping he will adjust quickly. She is a stranger and I am sure he was a bit grizzly at his settling in sessions with his old childminder too
We went for a walk on Otley Chevin and I was amazed that the Baby walked most of the way on his own. He was charming all the ladies we passed and admiring the dogs too - he just doesn't like it when the dogs bark! We were faffing about trying to set the phone up for a family selfie, when a passing dog walker offered to do the honours. I am quite impressed with her skills...

Next day not so fun at the Baby had to get his jabs. There were three of them in his poor little thigh! He was very brave and only cried a bit and so we got him a slinky as a treat. Best 25p I ever spent!

Then we headed into Leeds for a family day out. They are doing a free beach in Millenium Square for the summer and so he enjoyed pottering round there and I couldn't resist this photo op.

He loved watching all of the rides and I am looking forward to him being older so I can take him on them as the Belgian is a bit of a wimp when it comes to rides. We also stopped in to the Leeds museum as they have an amazing section for under 5s which simulates Leeds and there are houses, costumes to try on and tunnels to crawl through. It is even better than soft play and we had it all to ourselves - no nasty big kids beating him up in the ball pool.
Mummy and daddy had a treat by trying the new burger bar to open in Leeds - Almost Famous. I will review it on here soon.

Friday we went to the Yorkshire Dales ice-cream farm. It is the best place to go with kids as it has a really fun outdoor and indoor play area. The outdoor play equipment is all made from wood and imported from America. The Baby loved the little train and steering the wheel. I had a delicious hot dog with all the trimmings, a snickers milkshakes and we shared a huge portion of skin on fries. Seriously tasty American food.

The Baby has been obsessed with putting underwear on his head and in this picture I dub him Captain Underpants!

His new favourite thing to do is to clap and I have a proud mumma moment when I sing the first line of "If you're happy and you know it" and he automatically claps his hands.

Yesterday we went on a picnic to Ilkley river and the boys all got carried away and decided to go for a swim in the icy lake. The Baby followed suit and just went straight in in his clothes and guess who had to wade in and fetch him? Yes, mothers have all the fun!

Back to school on Tuesday and so we have one more day of fun in the sun! 

What have you been up to this week?