san diego perfect family holiday

San Diego – a perfect family holiday destination

by with No Comment TravelUncategorized

When you have young children it can be hard to know the best place to go for a great holiday together.

There are so many options available, from a staycation in the UK to a long haul flight to experience a new culture together.

If you fancy heading somewhere a bit further from home, then San Diego is a great option for a family holiday.  Whether you decide to stay in a hotel or choose from the amazing range of vacation rentals in San Diego, there is so much to see and do in this vibrant city.

Here are some of the reasons to add San Diego to your list of perfect family holiday locations.San Diego - a perfect family holiday destination

The beaches

San Diego is in Southern California, on the Pacific coast and is home to miles of stunning coastline and beaches perfect for visiting with children.

There’s moonlight state beach in north San Diego which has all the amenities a family could want, from toilets and showers to places to buy and rent any beach equipment you might need.

If your family fancy giving boogie boarding or surfing a try then mission beach is worth a visit, and after you’ve worn yourselves out in the waves you can head over to Belmont Park where you can ride the rollercoaster and refuel with a classic hotdog.  And if you get a second wind you can grab some roller skates and skate along the boardwalk.

For a slightly different beach experience you can head to La Jolla shores, where you can spot seals and sea lions.  At the north end of La Jolla shores is La Jolla cove where you can explore rock pools and have a go at snorkelling with snorkels hired from the shop right on the cove.

Whichever beach you end up choosing, a day spent with the sand and the waves is the perfect way to enjoy the California sunshine!

san diego beach holiday
The attractions

Keeping your children entertained is really easy in San Diego, thanks to the variety of attractions in the city.

The first place I would visit with my children would be San Diego zoo.

There is such a variety of animals to see there, it really looks amazing.  And on the off chance that your children get bored after seeing the elephants, leopards, snakes, monkeys, penguins and polar bears, there are 4 play areas for them to run wild in too.

 

Next on my list of places to visit would be SeaWorld San Diego.

There are dolphins, whales, otters, penguins, sea lions and seals to meet and have fun watching.  And for the thrill seekers there are 15 different rides around the park to add to the fun.  There really does seem to be something for the whole family at SeaWorld and I think you could easily spend a whole day there exploring and saying hello to all the amazing sea creatures!

 

To balance out the excitement of SeaWorld and the zoo there’s a whole range of museums around San Diego that you can visit when you want to slow the pace down a bit.

For creative types there’s the San Diego museum of art, with over 18,000 works of art on display, and there’s the museum of photographic arts too, with thousands of photographs in their permanent collection.

If museums are more your thing, then you’ll find you’re spoilt for choice in San Diego.  From the San Diego natural history museum and the museum of man to the air and space museum and Fleet science center, whatever you and your family are interested in there’s bound to be a few places to visit and learn something new.
san diego skyline

The nightlife

Just because you have your children on holiday with you doesn’t mean you can’t have fun after the sun goes down.

If you’ve spent the day at the beach, instead of heading back when it starts to get dark you can carry on the fun by getting a fire going in one of the fire pits on the beach and gathering round to have a go at making s’mores with the children.

For a real all-american experience, hop in the car and go to a drive-in movie at either the Santee drive-in or the South Bay drive in.  You can take your own snacks along with you, or buy something from the concession stand when you get there.

For a completely free option, you can head outside and make the most of any clear nights with a spot of star-gazing.  If you happen to be in San Diego on the first Wednesday of the month, then head to Balboa park where the San Diego Astronomy Association sets up telescopes for the public to use for free stargazing.  Even better, each telescope is manned by an expert who can teach you about the constellations as you gaze at them.

Hopefully after all that you and your children will be ready for a good night’s sleep!

 

From the gorgeous beaches and the amazing attractions, to the cultural destinations and family-friendly nightlife, there really is so much to see and do in San Diego, for the whole family.

As long as you’re prepared for the long flight from the UK (flights are normally around 11 and a half hours from London), then San Diego really might be the perfect family holiday destination.

Just make sure you stay long enough to fit it all in, and squeeze in some time to just relax and enjoy the sunshine too!

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post.

cote d'azur view

If I won the lottery

by with No Comment PersonalUncategorized

After watching Frozen again recently, Nerys has been asking if we can live in a castle, when we move from the house we live in at the moment.

Not wanting to completely dash her hopes, I’ve been saying that we’ll have to see, maybe we could live in a castle one day.

The thing is though, even if we won millions on the lottery or on lottoland, I don’t think I would want to live in a huge house, let alone a castle!  I mean, I would like a bigger house with more space for all of us, but I really don’t think I would want to live somewhere overly big.

It has got me thinking though, what would I want to do if we ever won the lottery?

If I won the lottery...

We would buy a house.  With enough space for all of us.  I would love the children to have a playroom, for Steve to have a den of sorts and I would love a home office and, as sad as this sounds, I would really love a utility room!

After that we would put money aside for the children for the future.  And we would make sure our family were sorted.

With the more practical things taken care of, then I would have a bit of fun.

I would take all my family away to the South of France for a holiday, to reminisce about all the summers we spent there growing up.

We would treat the children to a holiday to Disney.

I would treat myself to a top of the range camera and some amazing lenses.  Then I would take them somewhere to track down the northern lights.

Thinking about it, I would spend more of the money on doing things than having things.  We don’t really need that much ‘stuff’, but there are so many fun, amazing things we could go and do and experience together if money wasn’t an issue.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Disclaimer: this post is written in collaboration with Lottoland.

living arrows

Living Arrows 2018 – 3/52

by with 4 Comments PersonalPhotographyUncategorized

Almost exactly a year ago I took some photos of Nerys, sitting on our bed one evening, having her hair dried after a bath.

I actually used those photos for my Living Arrows post for the third week of 2017, and here’s one of my favourites from the set.

 

I’m sharing that photo because, by complete coincidence, this week’s living arrows photos are almost identical!

We didn’t get out for our usual jaunt to the park or the beach this weekend, and so I didn’t have my normal chance to get a photo of the children.  On Sunday night though, Nerys was once again sat on our bed, having her hair dried after a bath and it just seemed like the perfect photo opportunity.

living arrows

What you can’t really tell from these photos is that she was singing at the top of her lungs the whole time Steve was drying her hair.

I believe it was mostly ‘let it go’ from Frozen that she was belting out, but there might have been a bit of the Moana soundtrack mixed in there with it.  She does love to sing this one.  At her Christmas concert you could really pick her voice out when they were singing, which just really made me smile.

I do hope she’s still singing away and happily letting her daddy dry her hair this time next year.  If I remember I’ll try and take some more photos then!

 

Living Arrows
Siblings project january 2018

The siblings project – January 2018

by with 2 Comments PersonalPhotographyUncategorized

Last year I was determined to commit to a few photography projects that were all based around capturing our family.

I was really quite proud when I made it to the end of the year with all three projects, and I was so thrilled with the collection of photos that we now have as a result.  So I’m committing to doing it all over again this year.

Along with the Living Arrows project I’ll be taking a family photo every month for the Me and Mine project, and a photo of the children together each month for the Siblings Project.

I have to say, I think we’re off to a good start with the Siblings Project this year, with this set of photos taken on a recent trip to Victoria park!

We’ve noticed recently that Nerys is getting very close to catching Rhys up, height-wise, which you can really see in these photos actually.

Considering there is just over three years between them, there really is very little height difference.  We think she will overtake him before too long, as she’s like her dad and will most likely always be tall.

Rhys on the other hand is more like my brother we think.  He was big as a baby but is almost on the short side now when you look at him alongside his classmates.  I think though he will have a big growth spurt when he’s a teenager.  I am pretty certain he’ll end up being around six foot.

Who knows though, that’s part of the fun of being a parent isn’t it? 

The not knowing, the waiting to find out who your children are and which road they’ll take.

Rhys and Nerys both like to talk about what they’ll be when they grow up, and who they’ll marry and I love hearing their ideas and wondering what the future actually holds for them.  Nerys at the moment wants to be a teacher and a mummy, and thinks she might marry her friend Ella.  Rhys, thanks to his time spent on Minecraft, wants to be an architect and a builder, but he’s not sure who he’s going to marry yet.

I keep having to reassure him that he’s only six so it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know who he’ll marry yet!

Does anyone else’s child talk a lot about who they’ll marry when they get older?

At least both of mine seem ok now with the fact that they can’t marry me or their daddy, because that one upset them for a little while!

 

The Siblings Project - Dear Beautiful
food indulgence art form

Turn food indulgence into an art

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Ah, indulging… who doesn’t love to let go once in a while and ignore the rules? Indulging, more often than not though, has a terrible rep, especially because it leads to some pretty dramatic results. Chances are if you over-indulged in tasty treats over Christmas you’re starting to regret it a little bit now.

You might be finding that your clothes are a bit tighter, or that your skin is looking a bit sad as a result of eating too many greasy and over-processed foods.  You might even find that you’re feeling a bit guilty about over-indulging.

The thing is, indulging in all the festive chocolates and cheese and creamy puddings makes us feel pretty good at the time.  It feels like we’re treating ourselves.  It’s only later that we think about it and start to wonder if it was really the best thing for us.  There is a better way though, we can still treat ourselves by changing our idea of indulgence into something a bit more sophisticated and elegant.

 

Turn food indulgence into an art

Indulging in quality food

For a start, the first thing you need to accept is that indulging in yummy and tasty food doesn’t just mean buying the cheapest bag of crisps from the shop and emptying it in record time. It’s about making yourself a gift, or quality and taste. If you’ve been craving cheese for ages, order yourself some proper organic cheese and prepare for a cheese degustation. Add quality crackers, sweet white grapes and a lovely glass of sweet wine. You need to think of food indulgence as a luxury, taking time to enjoy the presentation, the atmosphere and the attention in every detail. It’s not just a pack of sweet or sugary snacks. It’s a thoughtful meal.

 

Binge watching with healthy snacks

Most people are likely to overeat when they watch TV, as they stop paying attention to what’s on the plate. Consequently, if you’re planning a binge-watching weekend, you’ll need more than just choosing your favourite shows on Netflix. You’ll need to plan your snacks to avoid the trap of the high-calorie bag of toffee popcorn.  If you’re a crisps lover, try salted zucchini slices, which have only 40 calories per handful and a lot of nutritional value. Want something sweet? Try dipping fresh fruit in a peanut butter sauce.

 

Eating out, yes, but with style

Finally, if you don’t fancy cooking tonight, forget about your favourite takeaway. Instead, book a table at a local restaurant you haven’t tried yet. Is there a new Argentinian chef in town? Or a little Italian restaurant in the centre? Try it! Put your best clothes on and do your hair: You’ll feel like treating yourself to luxury if you dress up. The rule is simple: If you can’t be bothered dress up to go out, you have to stay at home and cook. Gradually, this will create a new relationship to food indulgence. It’s not a habit; it’s a luxury. Besides you can train your taste buds to new flavours!

 

Transforming food indulgence from gluttony to sophisticated elegance is a long process. But your body will thank you for it! And you’ll be able to indulge healthily and yummily from time to time, so it’s a win-win!

 

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post

dream winter hideaway

My dream winter hideaway

by with No Comment PersonalTravelUncategorized

In yesterday’s Living Arrows post I mentioned that I’m still a bit reluctant to emerge from my cosy festive bubble.

It’s been so lovely over the last two weeks to spend time curled up on the sofa with a pile of warm blankets and a mug of hot coffee, watching Moana on repeat with the children.

With the weather being as cold as it is at the moment I’m finding myself daydreaming a bit about escaping off on a winter getaway, but not on a sunshine break.  I imagine fully embracing the season in a dream winter hideaway.

My dream winter hideaway

I’m really intrigued by the idea of going and staying in a traditional yurt in Mongolia, or an igloo in Greenland.  But, honestly, I’m not sure I’m really that adventurous when it comes to it.

So my dream winter hideaway would probably be a cosy chalet in the Swiss mountains.

There is something so appealing about the idea of a gorgeous wooden chalet, up in the mountains, surrounded by snow.

I would have thick, soft rugs in every room and big cosy armchairs and sofas covered in all sorts of blankets and throws in the living room.  Perfect for curling up with a hot drink and watching a film or reading a good book.

dream winter hideaway warm drink

I’d be drinking plenty of hot chocolate and coffee, most likely with a good splosh of Merlyn in there for good measure.

As for food, it would be comfort all the way.

Big plates of cottage pie or pasta bake.  Fresh bread with lots of butter, alongside steaming bowls of homemade soup.

dream winter hideaway soup

And chocolatey goodies like brownies and cake.

Perfect.

To really create the perfect cosy atmosphere I would keep the main lights turned off and have table lamps and candles dotted around instead.  And of course there would be a roaring fire in the living room to curl up next to.

In the bedroom I would have a huge super-king bed, so that all four of us could snuggle up together in the mornings without feeling squished.

The sheets would be made from beautifully soft cotton, like these from Julian Charles, and the duvet would be big enough to share without any middle of the night games of tug of war.

And of course there would be even more blankets and throws piled on top of the bed, for extra warmth in the night.

I would make sure there were plenty of big, soft towels and dressing gowns to wrap up in after having a soak in the bath.  A bath which would be much longer and deeper than normal, so even my 6’4″ husband could enjoy it!

I’m not sure I would ever want to leave this little winter hideaway that I’ve dreamt up, in my mind it just seems so perfect and cosy!

Where would your dream winter hideaway be? 

If you’re stuck for inspiration then take a look at this winter e-book from Julian Charles, there are some gorgeous locations and really unique buildings that will have you reaching for your passport and hoping for snow!

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.

 

living arrows

Living Arrows 2018 – 2/52

by with 16 Comments PersonalUncategorized

Is anyone else feeling slightly out of step with the way time is passing at the moment?

The children are back at school today after a lovely 2 week break, that feels like much longer than 2 weeks.  In a surreal way though, not in a dragging kind of way.

The last week of term, and the children’s Christmas concerts and everything feel like they were months ago, not just a couple of weeks ago.

And now we’re already at week two of Living Arrows for 2018!

We made the most of the dry weather on Sunday and wrapped up warm for our standard walk on the beach and play at Victoria Park.

living arrows

It was so cold on the beach, but the children still happily played for quite a while.

They were burying treasure for each other and then drawing trails in the sand leading to it so that they could go and hunt for it.  They don’t always play so nicely together, but when they do it is just amazing to stand back and watch.

We all really love our little routine trips to the beach, and I especially love the opportunities it gives me to take photos of my family!

And now we’re back trying to settle into the old school day routine.

I have a feeling it’ll take a bit of getting used to for all of us.  We’ve all really loved the slower pace of the Christmas holidays, where we’ve not had to rush around in the mornings to get out the front door.

We only took our Christmas decorations down on Saturday so I feel a bit like I’m still yet to emerge fully into the new year.

Normally I’m itching to get the tree down and life back to normal by new year’s eve, but something was different this time.  Maybe it was the fact that we had a real Christmas tree for the first time, so it felt like more of a big deal to take it down!

I’ve really enjoyed it though, this cosy little Christmas bubble, and I’m not in a big rush to completely burst it.  I’m writing this while burning the last of my gingerbread scented candles.  And I’ve been working my way through the bottle of pumpkin spice baileys in the fridge over the last few evenings.

Normally I would pack these kind of things away and save them for the next year, but this time I feel like just enjoying them as much as I can.

I think that might be a bit of a theme for the next year.  To just enjoy things as much as I can.  To stop worrying so much.  To not rush on to the next thing, but to slow down and appreciate how much there is to enjoy about the moment we’re in.

I got a bit lost I think last year, I let my anxiety creep in a bit too much, but I’m starting to find my way again now.

There really is so much joy to be found in this life, so much to be thankful for, it really is pretty glorious when you slow down and appreciate it.

Living Arrows