Travelling is something we love and we are lucky to be privileged enough to be able to indulge in it on a regular basis. However this summer we are grounded. Obviously not in the misbehaving teenager way! This summer we’re actually unable to travel. This is because our two little girls who we are in the process of adopting don’t have passports. We knew this was the case from the outset. Therefore, it gave us some time to get our heads around not being able to travel for at least 9-12 months. However, now that it’s our reality, we’ll admit, it is tough. Especially when we see our friends, family and everyone we follow on social media heading off on amazing adventures. Therefore our plans for the summer are very different this year.
We, of course, would not change anything for the world. So instead of jumping on a plane this summer, we intend on making the most of being together. Coupled with lots of local travel and attractions thrown in too. Living in England we are very lucky to have lots of amazing and family-friendly places on our doorstep. This is essential for us now. Therefore we’ve made a list of all the things we have planned already and all the things we would like to do by the end of summer.
Be A Family
The first and most important thing when it comes to our plans for the summer is to be a family. Even though we feel like the girls have been here forever and we’ve gone through so much together already, we often have to remind ourselves that they’ve only actually been with us four weeks. Six if you count the introductions too. Therefore, in reality, we’re all still getting to know each other fully. So spending as much time together is a must.
Fortunately, Vicky is not back at work until next June, Mr ESLT works a shift pattern of 10 days on 8 days off, Junior ESLT will not be starting school until September and Mini ESLT is too young to be anywhere than with us. So, we have plenty of time to hang out. Even if it’s just at home planning games, singing songs or splashing around in the paddling pool. Obviously, we don’t want cabin fever to set in. However, for us, we feel that intense time together is vital. It is and will continue to be difficult on occasions as ‘jobs’ (general adulting) still needs to be done. Even when playing with toys and colouring in is undoubtedly more fun.
Enjoy The Weather (Fingers Crossed)
The weather in England can be very hit and miss, even (usually especially) during summer. Therefore, we plan to take advantage of every second of good weather. Every morning Junior ESLT stares up at the skypod in our kitchen to check for raindrops before excitedly announcing ‘it’s not raining’ and jumping for joy. Fingers crossed, there will be a lot of those announcements this summer. Mr ESLT and I have always missed the heatwaves in England because we’ve been travelling/on holiday. Therefore when we were able to take full advantage of the one we had a couple of weekends ago we were over the moon. Especially Mr ESLT who is an avid sun-worshipper.
Back in the day before kids, you probably would’ve found us in a beer garden enjoying a cold one (or ten). However now as mentioned before, life revolves around the kids being happy and mealtimes. So plenty of trips to the park, local adventure playgrounds and picnics have been and will continue to be our staple pastimes and part of our plans for the summer. If the weather plays ball of course. We are definitely keeping our fingers crossed.
BBQ
When we were gifted a BBQ set from Bar-Be-Quick* and tableware from Home Bargains*, fun and food came together seamlessly. The disposable BBQ which are available at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons was perfect, especially as neither of us has the patience when it comes to ‘real’ BBQs. Also, our kids go from 0-100 on the hangry scale in a heartbeat. Therefore the sooner we can feed them when the warning signs start to show the better in order to avoid a full meltdown. Also, sausages are Junior ESLT’s favourite food in the world so watching them sizzle away filled her with joy.
Everyone also enjoyed the big fat burgers we cooked to perfection (even if we do say so ourselves). Together with the homemade kebabs, Vicky made using chicken marinated in Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Marinade (a 50p off coupon can be found in the BBQ). Also, the plastic tableware is great too. Especially as Mini ESLT has a habit of flinging her plate on the floor when she’s had enough of what’s on it. Needless to say, it reminded us that we should always have a disposable BBQ (or two) stored in the garage for those sunny nights when only a quick and easy, yet yummy al fresco tea will do.
Spend Time With Family and Friends
Now that the girls have a positive and strong attachment with both of us, we’re able to introduce them to our family and friends. They’ve already met a lot of our immediate family (barring Mr ESLT’s mum and stepdad, who they’ll meet next week). They are forming great friendships and bonds with them too. They have also met our closest friends too. Therefore part of our plans for the summer is to spend more time with them doing fun things.
This will also give the children the opportunity to play with our friend’s children too. A lot of whom are roughly the same age. It will also give us the opportunity to see our friends in a social setting, which we’ll be honest, we have missed over the past six weeks. We were worried about how they would cope with ‘strangers’ in social situations. However they seem to be absolutely fine, the odd moment of hiding behind legs, but on the whole, they are confident and friendly little girls and we are glad we are giving them the chance to show that side of them. In fact, Junior ESLT makes friends everywhere she goes because of her bubbly and chatty nature.
Enjoy Our Local Area
We’re lucky to live in such a beautiful (and saught after according to The Times) place. We live in a thriving market town with everything we need on our doorstep. There are a (crazy) number of coffee shops which is great for Junior ESLT and Mr ESLT as they love nothing more than a chinwag over a drink (non-caffeine based for Junior ESLT of course). Together with a few parks where the kids run around and spend hours laughing and having fun. Ah, the simple pleasures in life and an easy thing to add to our plans for the summer, eh?
We also live 7 miles from the city of Hull which is brimming with attractions and stuff to do with kids. This includes a number of museums, which of course living in England, are free together with one of the UK’s most spectacular aquariums – The Deep. We also have the rich Yorkshire countryside less than 20 minutes away, which means lots of picnics, walking and skipping and running for Junior and Mini ESLT (we’ve got to tire them somehow). Even though we’ve both lived in this area all our lives there are places we’ve never actually visited. Therefore we’re going to take the opportunity to delve deeper into what’s in the local area.
Go To The Beach
© Andrew Dunn, http://www.andrewdunnphoto.com/ [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Not only do we have the countryside close by we also live near a number of east coast seaside resorts which are perfect for sunny summer days. We have ventured out a couple of times already armed with our buckets and spades, beach towels and of course a change of clothes. Having never really holidayed in England, we didn’t realise how much fun can be had in the penny arcades, building sandcastles and walking along the promenade.
But the best thing about the seaside – the food of course. No trip to the seaside is complete without proper fish and chips served in paper with lashings of vinegar. Then there’s the ice cream, sticks of rock, candyfloss and donuts too. Basically, all the good stuff that of course should be eaten in moderation but taste so yummy. And the best thing about the seaside? The sea air of course! After a day of running around and breathing it in, our kids sleep like logs. Don’t get me wrong, our children are great sleepers but after a day at the beach, they do like a sleep-in the morning after.
Have A Day at CBeebies Land
Credit: Harry Burrows – Flickr
We love theme parks. In fact, a trip to Alton Towers was one of our first ‘dates’ way back in the day. We have since visited a number all over the world. As our children are quite nervous about everything because of their past and of course they are small, an adrenaline fulled visit to one of the big theme parks is not possible – yet. Therefore, our search for a small child-friendly theme park led us to CBeebies Land, which is actually part of Alton Towers.
We converted our Tesco Clubcard vouchers, so the tickets have cost us under £30 for four of us – bargain. As we booked the tickets before the girls came to live with us, we did not know how they would cope with a night in a hotel too. It turns out they would be absolutely fine but having checked availability, the CBeebies Land Hotel is now fully booked the evening before our tickets are booked for – typical. Therefore, it’s going to be a long day but hopefully, a fun-filled one which will leave them with happy memories.
Go On ‘Holiday’
Of course we cannot hop on a plane together and spend a week or two abroad, however, that’s not to say we can’t have a holiday. In fact, we are having two. First up, we will be visiting nana and grandad (Mr ESLT’s mum and stepdad) in Cardiff, Wales. We have of course visited on a number of occasions but obviously never with kids in tow before. Therefore, we are excited to find out what the Welsh capital and surrounding area has to offer for little ones barring ice creams on Barry Island beach.
Our second one will be with our best friends and there two children. We’ll be heading to a seaside resort not too far from home for the weekend. We’ve hired a beautiful beach house and hope to have a great time on the beach and at the local attractions. We’re hoping all the kids get on well and it is the first of many trips together. Plus, we are certainly looking forward to some good food, food wine and good company once the kids are asleep. We’re just keeping our fingers crossed for nice weather.
Please let us know your plans whether they be at home or abroad (we need to live vicariously through you this year). Here’s to a great summer!
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