Wish I Was There Photo Competition #AFWishIWasThere

The January weather is wet and miserable.  The sky is grey and the rain is unrelenting.  Not a great way to start the new year.  As I sit and look out of my window at another dull day, my mind is wandering back to last summer.  The unexpectedly gorgeous weather was the perfect setting for spending many a glorious day basking in the sunshine.  In August we took the family to Disneyland Paris.  The weather was positively tropical with the temperature creeping over 30 degrees, which was a huge bonus.  My kids adore Disney so spending five days onsite with a premium dining plan was the perfect vacation.  The Disney magic was sprinkled over our holiday in abundance as we watched parades, enjoyed rides, met characters and spent quality time together as a family.  For us, this is the perfect ingredients for the ideal holiday. The smiles on the children's faces were simply priceless and the laughter, fun and memories we shared will last a lifetime.  I wish I was back there now!

If you have a photo of your summer holidays that makes you wish you were there, Al Fresco Holidays would love you to share them.  You could win £300 holiday vouchers or a Nikon Camera! Ten runners up will win a printed copy of their photo.

Find out more at http://blog.alfresco-holidays.com/2014/01/15/wish-i-was-there-photo-competition/

Our Disney Holiday Photo Album

We have just come back from 5 amazing days at Disneyland Paris...we enjoyed glorious weather (30 degrees plus), fantastic food (thanks to our free and very generous half board dining plan), great accommodation in our cabin in the Davy Crockett Ranch (with quality air con), some really cool rides (Tower of Terror is my personal favourite) plus plentiful amounts of incredible Disney magic!!  Here is a selection of the 1000+ photographs we took featuring my very own Disney Kids: Megan, Ella, Kizzy and Freddy enjoying being together, having fun and making magic moments at Disneyland Paris :)

Magic Moments at Disneyland

In a few weeks we are off to Disneyland Paris for a 5 day break.  I love that place!  It is just so magical for everyone.  Whatever your age or however cynical life has made you, your first glimpse of the pink castle takes your breath away and you feel like all your troubles are disappearing.  Seeing the children's faces as they get to meet their favourite Disney characters is simply wonderful.  Much loved films are brought to life as you wander around taking in the sights and sounds of Disney and Pixar.

My daughter Ella is 17 and is a huge Disney fan.  She's got her own Disney blog on Tumblr, a bedroom filled with Disney dolls and more Disney T-shirts than she could ever need!  She truly is a Disney Princess in her own right.  Beautiful, brave, kind and sassy.  Her name is even an abbreviation of Cinderella!  How much more 'Disney' can you get?

I wonder if her love of Disney started when we took her to Disneyland when she was just about two years old.  She shared a beautiful moment with one of Cinderella's mice who sat on the floor and cuddled my little girl in her arms.  They hugged and gently swayed together, as Ella looked up and tenderly touched the mouse's face.  Their moment only ended when the mouse was ushered off by the security team, or I think she would have stayed there all day.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Ella was so serene and full of love for that giant mouse!  Whoever was inside, certainly took a shine to my Ella.  It was the sweetest thing ever.

Ella in 1998 with Cinderella's Mouse

I'm looking forward to making lots of new magic moments with my children this year.  We may never again replicate any moments quite as magical as the one with Ella and the mouse,  but we'll enjoy every second as we cherish some quality time together and immerse ourselves into the wonderful world of Disney!

Ella in 2012 with Freddy and Kizzy
and Mickey Mouse!

Albelli For Father's Day Gifts

Photo Books...Perfect Presents For Father's Day

This June 17th it is Father's Day.  For the well organised among you, this may mean that you are thinking of what to buy your dad to mark this special day.  One idea for a really thoughtful present that will bring a lifetime of joy is a photo book.  Filled with favourite, family photos, a photobook really is the perfect keepsake that any dad will be thrilled to receive.

Albelli was voted no.1 by the gadget show (sure to impress any geeky dads out there!) and promises 100% satisfaction.  Moments captured on camera can be used to make a beautiful, bespoke photo book.  Don't keep those digital snaps stored on a computer...they deserve to be turned into something special!

There are many different sizes and formats to pick from with prices starting at just £6.95.  The designs and layouts can be personalised according to the style you want.  Covers can be personalised using a photo, or you can choose a coloured linen cover, or a luxurious leather finish.  Pages can be upgraded to a high gloss finish and extra pages can be added to include all those extra prints.   Each photo book really is as unique as you make it!  There is an auto-fill option if you want to make a photo book really quickly online.  You simply select your chosen photos and the book is created for you.  Alternatively you can create your own using the downloadable tools, giving total control over the design.

The website includes some inspirational ideas to get your creative juices flowing.  Ideas such as a Year Book, or a Family Tree or a 'This Is Your Life' style book can be created for your dad.  You could even photograph children's artwork and include drawings, which will preserve favourite portraits forever!

I was offered the chance to make a photo book for Father's Day and decided to make a book dedicated to our  recent holiday in Disneyland Paris featuring Ian on the cover!  I made a folder of photos I wanted to use then  used the downloadable tools to edit, organise and arrange my photos exactly how I wanted them using a plain white background.  I opted for a photo on the front cover which is an optional extra.  It is a lovely way to personalise the book with a photograph of dad!!

There are loads of masks, frames and backgrounds available to really add impact to your end result, but I went for a simple theme, using the maximum number of photos.  It is up to you how you want to present your pictures.  Text can be added to tell the story and share thoughts and memories.

Another optional extra is to get the pages upgraded to thick, glossy photo quality paper.  It really makes the finished product look like something special.

The finished book arrives well packaged.  The customer service is excellent and the turnaround is prompt.  Emails keep you informed of your book's progress.

As ever I am really impressed by the quality of the Albelli Photo Book that I created.  I'm sure that Ian will love seeing all our holiday snaps brought together in a gorgeous, glossy, quality photo book with his photo on the front cover!

Take a look at albelli.co.uk and discover their range of photographic products and be inspired to make your dad a beautiful and thoughtful gift this Father's Day.

My Dancing Toddler

Disneyland Paris Inspires Some Groovy Moves from Freddy

Whilst queuing up for the Character Tea Party in the Cowboy Cookout Restaurant, Freddy just couldn't help himself.  The music just overcame him and he broke out into a fabulous dance routine.  Ian caught part of his routine on film.

So...is he the new Ashley Banjo?  Or maybe Louie Spence?  I love his moves...he makes me smile with his enthusiasm for dancing.  I wish I could be as free and uninhibited in public!  

Our Family Holiday to Tancrou and Disneyland Paris

We have just enjoyed a wonderful week long stay in a small village called Tancrou near Paris. I won the Travelizer blogger competition earlier in the year which  funded our stay. We stayed in a gite which is part of a working goats' cheese farm, which was so quintessentially French with its spiral stone staircase, exposed beams and open fireplace.  The grounds were beautiful with grassed areas enclosed by old stone walls.  Lizards scurried across the rocks.  It was idyllic and a place where Freddy could play to his heart's content.

The weather was as gorgeous as our accommodation with glorious sunshine that warmed the air into the evening.  It couldn't have been better.  We felt very blessed.

Every morning we visited the goats from the farm who were full of character and eager for attention.  The kids loved them and named a few of them!  We sampled the cheese made on site and it was delicious.

We enjoyed days of peace and tranquillity at the gite.  This was exactly what we all needed, recharging our batteries for the next part of our holiday.  

In the middle of our relaxing time we spent two much longed for fun-filled days at Disneyland Paris.  It was just a half an hour's drive from our gite.  As we approached we caught site of the Disney balloon that floats high above the Lake.  We stayed at the Sequoia Hotel which was fabulous and just a short walk from the gates to the Disney magic!

Freddy discovered the joy of Disney and loved the rides.  He kept saying "I'm so excited!" and grinning broadly!  His favourite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride where he got to 'shoot aliens with space power!'  We went on it several times!  

We spent the second day at Walt Disney Studios.  The new Tower of Terror ride was absolutely brilliant and something for us grown-ups to enjoy.  We were immersed into the world of The Twilight Zone being transported to the heady heights of the tower overlooking the parks with an awesome view,  before plummeting down weightlessly.

The parades were full of the joys of Disney.  Amazing floats, colourful characters, dancing, music and razzmatazz!  The Stars in Cars parade included characters onboard lovely old vehicles.  It was glorious!

  The  20th Birthday Spectacular finale was out of this world.  The castle was transformed into scenes from Disney films using a combination of lasers, projections, pyrotechnics, water fountains and fireworks. The kids were wide eyed with wonder.  It was completely amazing what they did...and I was literally in tears by the end because it was so beautiful!

The Disney experience was not perfect.  Almost all the restaurants were shut meaning that everyone who wanted to buy lunch ended up trying to buy it at the same time and the same place.  We literally queued for an hour and a half in a roasting hot and crowded place to buy some pizza, fries and drinks which cost over 50 Euros!  Outrageous!  Also the toilets struggled to cope with the capacity of people in the park and they ended up overflowing and having half hour queues...tricky when you have a toddler!  But somehow the magic of Disney overshadowed any negatives.

Overall, the Disney experience was magical.  The rides, meeting the characters, going to a Character Tea Party and watching the parades was amazing.  After two days we were utterly exhausted and glad to return to our tranquil gite to recover for a few days before the long journey home!

Thanks to Travelizer for this wonderful prize.

The Quinny Yezz at Disneyland

The Quinny Yezz was the perfect stroller for Disneyland Paris with a toddler...compact for packing in the car, lightweight for carrying up and down stairs, manoeuvrable in crowds, easy to carry with the shoulder strap  when not in use and freestanding when folded for leaving in Buggy Parks.  The handy pocket is really spacious for snacks, drinks and waterproofs, and the seat is comfy enough for a nap when the magic of Disney gets too much!!

Ready For Disney

By Cinderella's Castle...snoozing!

Enjoying a Disney Lolly!

Even King Louie wanted the Yezz!!

Snoozing!!

Meeting Mickey Mouse #Project 52

When the Kids Met Mickey!

Pre-Holiday Tension!

It seems that I've finally caught up with all my outstanding blog posts and am now free to prepare for my holiday to France.  We have a gite for a week which is part of a Goat's Cheese farm 30 miles from Paris.  We're also tagging on 2 days at Disneyland Paris which will be Freddy's first time meeting his favourite Disney characters in real life!!   I'm sure it will be an amazing holiday, made better by the fact that it has been paid for by my prize money that I won in the Travelizer Holiday Blogging Competition earlier this year!  Why then do I feel so bloody stressed?!

I have always struggled a bit with the concept of holidays.  I think it goes back to the stressful family holidays we went on when I was a child.  My mum is the first to admit that she is a holiday-phobe!  She doesn't enjoy travelling, foreign food, sleeping in someone else's bed, using someone else's toilet or being away from home.  Frankly, it rubbed off!  I'm a bit of a travel-phobe and get very worked up about the whole concept of holidays.

My current dilemmas are multitudinous:

• It has been so glorious that I feel I should be packing for sunny, warm weather.  However, knowing my luck this taste of summertime will retreat to be replaced a cold, wet front.  (I am the only person to have been to Tenerife in July and have it rain everyday, and also when I was in LA it was the coldest and wettest it had  been for over 30 years!) So I'm not sure if I should be packing sun block and shorts or raincoats and wellies.  Consequently I'll take twice as much as I need for each and every one of us.  That is a mountain of clothing, accessories and sundries.  Add to that the pushchair, travel cot, potty, Ella's guitar, food, laptop (in case there is wi-fi), cameras etc. etc. there will be no room for me in the car!
• Then there is the worry about the security of the house.  
• The hamster. 
• Whether I've got enough Diesel to get to Ashford given that the crazy panic buyers have sucked the pumps dry.  
• Food...being vegetarian in France equates to pizza, cheese, bread and pasta. I can't even take advantage of the wine because I'm tee-total! 
• I worry about the travelling.  I get sick!  
• Terrorism.  
• I worry that I've forgotten my rudimentary O'level French and won't be able to ask where the nearest toilet is when Fred needs to go!  
• I worry that Fred's shaky sleep routine will be disrupted and he'll be up until 3am.  
• I hope the accommodation will be nice.  
• I hope the kids will have a nice time.  

I know that once I am there I'll be fine.  But before then I just need to pack for five, clean and tidy the house, do a load of washing, make dinner, organise passports and travel documents and sort out things to keep my toddler amused.  I've procrastinated long enough.  I'd better get cracking or we will be in panic stations by tomorrow morning!

So wish me a Bon Voyage and if I get a Wi-Fi connection I might be blogging on location!

Dreaming of Disneyland

I am so sick of the constant succumbing to germs that keeps occurring in our household.  One or the other of us is sniffing, sneezing or feeling generally lethargic and not quite right.  The weather can't make up its mind.  A fine morning gets our hopes up as we leave the house coatless and hopeful.  This optimism is soon quashed by a deluge of hail...it's just not right :(

My diet is just not happening.  Today for lunch I had syrup sponge and custard, followed by an individual lemon cheesecake.  It didn't make me feel good...I think I might slip into a diabetic coma if I continue this self-abuse.  But my "not quite right" body is screaming for the instant gratification of sugary goodies, before crashing again as the hit wears off.

I'm sure we are meant to hibernate.  I envy those creatures that stuff their faces with seasonal treats before snuggling up cosy and warm to avoid the wintry months in a peaceful, oblivious slumber.  They can wake up into the welcoming arms of spring....after having lost half their body weight, what a way to diet!!  Sign me up.

So to cheer myself up I'm thinking about holidays.  I even went as far as picking up some brochures.  As I've mentioned before, I'm a rubbish traveller, both physically and psychologically.  I get so stressed about everything from terrorism to missing left phalanges and then I throw up.  Not a great combo, so self-drive to France is about as exotic as my plans go!

Having a toddler who still shows no signs of weaning himself off of the Attachment Parenting lark of boobs and bed-sharing, it is quite tricky being away from home.  Sometimes if we stay in hotels we pack a sleeping bag, because 9 out of 10 times poor old Ian ends up sleeping on the floor, pushed out by the flailing limbs of an over excited little boy in unfamiliar surroundings.

Although I dream of Florida sunshine and the lure of their city sized theme parks, I think we are heading towards the Disneyland Paris route.  Freddy adores Toy Story and I'm sure he'll just about do his nut if faced with a full sized walking talking Woody or Buzz.  He spots Toy Story merchandising from 20 paces in supermarkets...he has a radar for it.  I just hope he's not too young to appreciate this potentially big adventure.  Yesterday in Build A Bear Workshop, Freddy spotted a Buzz Lightyear teddy on the top shelf.  He nearly jumped out of his buggy such was his excitement.  We bought him the Buzz outfit for his teddy and Freddy adores it.  So, to let him run free in the Toy Story Playland will be worth every penny I think!  I don't think the girls will complain about the prospect of 3 nights at the Davy Crockett Ranch...they love the Disney machine just as much as I do.

Last time we went to Disneyland Paris was July 2005, probably time to re-visit methinks.  Even though it means living on Pizza Quatre Fromages for a whole week....it's not the best place for vegetarians, which does upset the digestive system somewhat.  Our French isn't good enough to negotiate any other menu options...I can just about ask for a Glace au Chocolat or un cafe, in my best Franglais.  Anything more sophisticated and I'm in trouble!  I'll pour over the brochure and make some notes and probably talk myself out of it like I always do, when my phobias and misgivings start to outweigh the promise of Disney Magic.  But then I'll look back at these memories and a booking might just take place!