Looking Forward to our Eurocamp Holiday at Club Farret Camping, Vias, Languedoc

All the family are on countdown, there is just 15 days until we fly over to the South of France for our stay at Club Farret Campsite with Eurocamp. I'm really pleased to have chosen this 5 star parc for our next Eurocamp holiday. Brilliantly it is just 10 minutes from Beziers airport and we were able to pick up good value flights with Ryanair from Stansted and and a really competitive in-resort transfer with Sun Transfers.

I can honestly say that every one of us is excited and each of us for our own reasons. Let me share with you what we are looking forward to -

Enjoying the Swimming Pools
We are lucky enough to have two great pools at this campsite. There is Tao Beach with a swimming area for both adults and kids (which is heated in the low season), as well as a counter-current river and bubble massage seats. There's also the Pirates Bay Pool area where there is fun by the bucketful with slides, diving board and loads of water games. My girls will also be thrilled to find there is a swim up bar. I do hope they serve mocktails as that will make one of Miss M's dreams come true!

I also see an exciting new aquadome pool with a retractable roof is being built right now. Sadly I think we'll be a little early for it as I believe it opens in Summer 2018. I'll give you an update once we are back.

8 Top Ideas for Sensational Summer Holidays Activities

Thanks to my husband for this fab photo

{This is a collaborative post}

The summer holidays are fabulous but they can also be a little challenging when thinking about how to entertain the kids for six (or more) long weeks.

It is great to go on holiday and have some days out but realistically you don't want to be spending tons of money every day, so some thrifty ways to enjoy time at home or locally are important.

1.  Go open air swimming -
We are super lucky to have a lake where we live but even in our old house there was a great stream where everyone met in the Summer months and as a kid I swam in the local Ford. If you google your local area you are bound to come up with some great places to go swimming or paddling with the kids but remember to play it safe.

2.  Cook with the Kids -
Are there any children that don't like to get messy in the kitchen and of course, they all love to taste their bakes afterwards? We love to use up overripe bananas by cooking Banana muffins or bread but sometimes it is just too hot and you need cooling down and this BFG-inspired Snoozecumber ice cream would hit the mark. My girls are pestering me to make these ice-cream cone cupcakes for their next birthday and I have to say they look amazing.

3.  Take a day out to a National Trust Property -
There are some great deals to be had on National Trust family membership and I'd seriously say don't knock it until you have tried it. My three kids are all of the hyper sorts and they adore running around the grounds and exploring the great play areas. Sites we have particularly loved have been Chartwell, Kent, Attingham Park, Shropshire and Dunster Castle, Somerset.

4.  Get Crafting -
Myself and the kids do enjoy crafting but we are not the image-perfect kind of crafters you see on Pinterest. We often love to just empty out the bag of recycling and do some junk modelling or sit with a floor full of papercrafts and make some greeting cards, It doesn't have to be complex to engage the kids. If you are one of those more crafty types then why not try out making a mosaic tray, I think this one is just stunning.

5.  Camp in your Back Garden -
I think all kids love camping outside, or at least the idea of it, so pitch your tent in the back garden and grab a good book and some snacks and have an outdoor sleepover. If your child can't face the great outdoors then have an indoor camp. My girls adore taking over the lounge and making it into a huge camp that I let them sleep the night in. For a different camping adventure, send them to a summer track and field camp. These camps offer structured programs where children can learn and develop skills in various track and field events, such as running, jumping, and throwing. It's a fantastic way for kids to stay active, make new friends, and build confidence in a supportive environment. Plus, the excitement of participating in track and field activities can be a refreshing change from more traditional summer pastimes.

6.  Travel further afield for a couple of days -
There have been some summers when we haven't been able to take a long family holiday for one reason or another but we have had many great 2 or 3-day breaks away. To help make these super affordable we normally book a long time in advance and go for one of the budget hotels like Premier Inn or Travelodge. We used to live in Herts and often go back up there to visit friends and family and it is great to re-visit our favourite days out like Willows Activity Farm or the Harry Potter Studios Tour. Somewhere that we never did visit when we were local as Hitchin Lavender, but I see so many people sharing photos from there that it is on my hit list for the next time we visit.

7.  Get their Imaginations Going in the Garden -
Your garden really can be a playground for your children. As long as you don't mind some clutter and a bit of a muddy mess then the kids will have a ball I assure you. At age 9 my girls still love to make mud pies with their little neighbours and I delight in watching them all run around together. Rope, old tyres, pallets, buckets and spades and plain old mud make for super fun times.

8.  Go out for a Photo Walk -
This is one of my girl's favourite things to do. Miss E opted for a good camera for her birthday but Miss M is happy with my old point-and-click. I adore watching them find all the little things in nature that make my heart sing. You don't need to live in the beautiful countryside like I do, town walks and even industrial walks can be fun if you set some challenges about what photos to capture.

Of course, the queen of fabulous ideas which won't break the bank is Cass at Diary of a Frugal Family and here she shares 100 fun and frugal ideas, go take a peek.

I bet you are feeling a bit more confident now and ready to tackle the rest of the summer, enjoy!

Easy Summer Days #R2BC

Happy Thursday, I hope you are well and enjoying the summer weeks. I'm so glad the kids have broken up from school and we have enjoyed a fairly low key week so far. It all ramps up from the weekend so this time of relaxation is very necessary.

At the weekend we took a couple of visits to Battle Abbey as it is only a short drive from our home and now we have English Heritage membership, there is no cost to us. The weather was so nice and it was bliss to lay on the grass chatting to my hubby whilst the kids went off and played together. There was even a wedding in the grounds on Sunday and this meant we could enjoy the live music.

Monday I let the little ladies have a good shop. It was their birthday last weekend and they received money from a number of people so they loved finding themselves a bargain at Claire's, New Look, H&M and BHS. I even sat on the bench outside two shops and let them go in and do their shopping alone (as long as they stayed together).

Dear So and So - A Relaxing Summer

Mich,

Do you know what summer is for? It is for enjoying, for making the most of. For spending time with those you love, for making memories.

Let me give you a few ideas of things you can get up to whilst you are breaking the norms this summer -

• sit on the bench outside your door on an evening and enjoy a cool glass of rose
• wiggle your toes in the sand when you visit the beach
• read a book in the park whilst the kids all play
• enjoy three flavours of ice cream in one cone (that's right, push the boat out - all three together!)
• enjoy a moonlit stroll with dh on the seafront
• play tennis (badly) at the park with the kids
• make some cards so you have a stock for future birthdays
• make progress with your tapestry
• bake with the kids
• spend time with friends and make an effort to be sociable!

My Crazy Kids - Schools Out for Summer.....

One of my jobs this summer is to sort out all my photos and get them catalogued away. Today I made a start on this and came across some photos I took of the kids in their school uniform having fun last November. I've used the odd one on the blog but as a set I found them really quite funny and very telling of my children's personalities.

As JJ has now left primary and won't be wearing this uniform anymore, I thought I would put them on here so I can enjoy them in the future.

I asked them to model their school uniform as their actual school photos had been awful and this was the first shot they gave me! Bottoms up.....