Our Holiday At TUI Family Life Islantilla

- This is not an AD. We paid for the holiday ourselves.

You may, or may not have noticed that I've been AWOL the past couple of weeks, hence the three Sunday Photo's in a row. The reason for that is that we've been on holiday and just got back this weekend. We spent 11 glorious nights in southern Spain and the weather has totally spoilt us, coming back to the dreary British weather has been torturous! I'm hoping that we get a real summer this year because I'm missing the sun so much already.

We stayed at a four-star hotel in Islantilla called TUI Family Life Islantilla. We paid for it all ourselves, so this isn't an ad by the way. It's a beautiful hotel, situated in a quiet, non-tourist area in Spain. It's so far south that TUI actually fly guests to Portugal/Faro airport rather than Spain/Malaga as it's nearer. It was a 2 and a half hour flight, then a 1-hour transfer to the hotel. All in all, with transfers to and from, and airport time we were traveling for a good 9 hours which is long enough with two little ones.

As mentioned previously the hotel was stunning, full of palm trees, bright flowers, and greenery. The grounds are maintained to a high standard and it really pays off. It has numerous pools, all with a different feel. We found a nice spot near a quieter pool that we favoured and tended to visit every day. Noah and Ava loved dipping into the shallow pool, then cuddling up on the sunbeds together to warm up, usually with an ice cream in hand. Sometimes Nick would take them back to the room for a break from the sun, or to the play park, or games room and I would have some time to myself. It was total bliss to lay beside the pool, with a book and Pina Colada in hand! It made me remember what holidays were like before children.

The hotel is right on the beach too which makes a nice change from being around the pool. The sand contains lots of shells so thankfully I packed suitable footwear so we didn't hurt our feet. The kids liked collecting the shells and making sand castles and I swam in the ocean a couple of times.

The entertainment team, TUI kids club staff, and reps were amazing during our stay and are a credit to the hotel. They were upbeat, friendly, approachable, yet professional. Noah has always suffered from separation anxiety yet he felt comfortable enough with them to attend their Kids Club on a few occasions and even made a friend or two. The hotels Captain T and Bamse mascots were very popular with all the children at the hotel and it was lovely to be able to buy teddies of them to take home with us, real souvenirs to remember the holiday by.

We've only been home for a couple of days and we are already longing for another holiday! I've been thinking of trying to book a last-minute deal during the summer holidays, perhaps find a bargain? Has anyone had any luck doing this before? I'd love to hear about it!

Our Family Trip To Center Parcs

You may, or may not have noticed that I've been a bit quiet on the blog and social media front this week. All for good reason, we've just got back from a midweek break at the Whinfell Forest Center Parcs. This wasn't a blogging opportunity, so I won't be reviewing our stay but I wanted to share some photo's. I actually won our stay on a competition, last year on social media! I know, so lucky!

We were all so excited for our trip, a time to really unwind as a family and enjoy some well deserved down time with one another. It was lovely and so relaxing to be in the heart of Whinfell forest, surrounded by tree's and wildlife. We felt completely at ease, in our happy place. However I can't say we chilled out very much, we packed so much into our week! From walks in the woods, trips to the park, to science and dance lessons, through to swimming, shopping and soft play! We were very lucky with the weather too, we had no rain until the very last day and it wasn't overly cold either. We had such a great time and was sad to head home on Friday morning. Here are some of my favourite photo's from our stay, I'm so glad I took my camera as well as my phone.

Our Plans for 2017

We are coming towards the end of the first month in 2017 and we've already got numerous plans lined up for the year. I like having things to look forward to and plan in advance as it certainly keeps the January blues at bay. I thought that making a note of them all here on the blog would be a great way to visualise everything and will be great to look back at once we've checked each off the list. So here they are, our plans for 2017.

Welcome the new baby. 

The big event of 2017 is coming up for us as we are due baby number two in February! If you follow my blog you will already know this as I often write about my pregnancy journey and I'm constantly talking about her or sharing photo's of my bump. Our daughters arrival is going to totally change our lives and all three of us are so excited and ready to meet her now! Roll on February!

A family holiday abroad.

Call us crazy but we already have a holiday booked for this May. We are off to a family members villa in Marbella and only had to pay for flights and insurance, score! The baby will only be three months at the time so that's a little scary but I'm sure we will be fine. We are also travelling with my partners family so I'm sure we will have lots of help from them. We went abroad to Majorca last year when Noah was only two and a half and he was an absolute dream during our flights and transfers, lets hope the same can be said for next time too. 

Renovate the attic.

I've spoken about this a few times on the blog, about the next phase in our home renovation. This year we plan on building into the attic so that we can have another large bedroom and lots of extra storage. After undergoing a full house renovation two years ago it's a bit daunting starting another project but it needs to be done. We've just started drawing up plans for the room and have been looking into different heating and plumbing services too. The plans are in motion, we just need to arrange a start date now. 

Book a UK break. 

We were lucky to have a couple of holidays and breaks away last year and one of our favourites had to be the trip to Forest Holidays at Sherwood Forest. I think breaks away in the UK are highly underrated and are so much easier for families with young children. We've had such great experiences in the UK lately that I'm already looking to book something for later on in the year. 

What are your plans for 2017?

- This post is a PR collaboration. 

My Top 5 Holiday Photo's

Well we are now officially in autumn! Bye bye summer, it was nice knowing you. You know when you decided to make an appearance those couple of days. Maybe next year you can hang about a little longer? That would be great!

Anyway, less of that. With the colder and darker evenings approaching and after seeing this fantastic blog post I thought I would post a little something to perk me up! Here are my top 5 holiday photo's!

Alcudia beach-

This is my all time favourite holiday photo and possibly one of my favourite photo's in general too. I shot this around 6 years ago now while Nick and I were on a 7 day holiday in Majorca. This is one of the many little piers that go out into the Mediterranean sea. You can always find tourists taking photo's and admiring the views from them and the locals tend to use them to catch fish and sell to local restaurants.

Sailing in the Med-
Another shot from another holiday to Majorca. We were on a boat ride in the Mediterranean sea. It was a scorcher of a day but it was so serene sailing on the crystal clear blue water. You would think this was a photo from the Caribbean if I hadn't told you otherwise!

Benitses Road Tip-
This photo feels like a lifetime ago and was taken roughly 10 years ago now. I went to Corfu and we took a road trip across the island in the blistering heat. We were situated in a small fishing village called Benitses and it was such a quaint little place. Very traditional, peaceful and very rural.

A room with a view-
This is another photo from my trip to Corfu. We had arrived in the night and it had been pitch black. Our hotel was located on a hill and we couldn't really see anything when we got there. When I awoke the next morning I opened the shutters on the balcony to see this view and I remember to this day that I was just speechless. It was one of those moments when a view just takes your breath away.

Arial view of Benitses- 
Wow, right? This photograph looks like it could be a post card. I remember sitting up on those hills after our ride around the island and feeling so humbled looking down at that view.

Looking back at these photo's has me so excited for our holiday next May. It will be the first time we have taken Noah abroad and it's such a huge milestone. Wish us luck!

Booking our first family holiday abroad

On Sunday it's my birthday. I'm going to be 27 years old, only 3 years away from 30. Where have all these years gone? I haven't planned any birthday celebrations as of yet because we like to keep things low key but we will probably go out for a family meal at the Ram where I celebrated my last birthday.  

That being said I am using my birthday as the perfect time and excuse to finally book our first family holiday abroad. We are so excited!

Before we had Noah and before we had a mortgage we made sure we had enough money in our UK bank account each year to be able to afford to book a holiday. Having a holiday to look forward to just makes those working days pass a little easier and it's nice to know you will be off somewhere exotic at some point in the year. 

Although we are both terrified of flying we have never let that stop us from jetting off to another country to enjoy some sea, sand, and sangria and it's been far too long now. 

It's been three years since we were last abroad and I remember on that particular holiday we actually said to one another that the next time we would be on holiday we would have a child. We were both ready at that point to start a family and here we are now!

So the search is on! Where will our first family holiday abroad be?

We have been thinking about going back to Alcudia in Majorca as we do love it there. It's a short flight and the clear sea and soft sands are perfect for toddlers. That being said we are still looking at other destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Tunisia too because we don't want to limit ourselves.


We are so excited to take Noah abroad for the first time. To enjoy a holiday abroad as a family for the first time. It's going to be amazing.

Do you have any destination suggestions?

Packing for our trip to Wales - Nick's essentials

As I have previously mentioned our trip to Wales is just a week away and now is the time to start preparing everything that we need to take along with us. I have my pen and paper ready to start all our lists but I also thought I would also put together a blog post too. 

In my previous two posts which can be seen here and here I wrote about both mine and Noah's essentials for the car journey. I can't really do that with Nick because he is the unfortunate one that has to drive us all the way there! Instead, I will show a couple of his entertainment essentials for once we arrive.

Nick's entertainment essentials-

We are going to be out and about, outdoors for the majority of our holiday but there are going to be times at night, once Noah is in bed where we will seek home comforts such as the iPad, laptop or handheld console. 

1. Once Noah is down for the evening Nick does like to play on his Xbox for a bit of downtime when we are at home. Whilst we are away he is going to take my Nintendo DSi. He probably won't play it but it's better to pack it anyway, just in case.  

2. We've read that you can rent out both bikes and buggies at Bluestone and that is something Nick would like to do. It would be lovely riding through the forest in the middle of Wales as a little family, sounds like bliss. 

Outdoor clothing essentials- 

Nick is very picky when it comes to clothes and would be happy buying the same pair of jeans, tshirt, jacket and shoes over and over again just so then he wouldn't need to change his wardrobe! With the need to buy more outdoor wear for our trip I have put together a few pieces that he has given his seal of approval.

1. Quilted bodywarmer-
We don't know how cold or windy it will be when we arrive in Wales so we need to make sure to pack plenty of layers. This quilted body warmer from Esprit is something I could see Nick wearing and something that would certainly keep him warm too.

2. Cable Knit Sweater-

Under a bodywarmer, you need a nice cosy sweater! There are so many different varieties to choose from over at Mountain Khakis but my favourite has to be this thick knit in khaki. I can imagine Nick getting a lot of wear from it and I may be partial to lounging around the house in it too!

3. Thermal Hat-
Nick is a fan of hats (especially on bad hair days!) so a couple of cosy beanies are going to be making an appearance on our trip. I would love to hide my mane underneath a hat but unfortunately, hat's don't compliment me very much! 

Do you have any suggestions on what else we should be taking with us? Clothes or entertainment-wise? I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Packing for our trip to Wales - Noah's essentials

With our trip to Wales just a week away it's time to start preparing everything that we need to pack. I have my pen and paper ready to start our lists but I thought I would also put together a blog post of just some of the items that I intend on bringing with us.

The drive to Wales is a long one and we estimate it to take us 6 hours to get there. We have never traveled longer than an hour at a time with Noah in the car so it's going to be a struggle! I need to ensure I bring along enough entertainment, snacks and distractions to keep my 16 month old toddler occupied on the way there.  

In car essentials-

1. Disney Junior Get Up and Dance CD. We bought this a while back now because Noah loves Dinsey Jnr. We have found it helps so much to have this playing in the background when we are in the car. He will bop a long to the tracks whilst his Daddy and I embarrassingly sing a long to the words!

2. I think the iPad will be the main item I will rely on while we are on our long journey to Wales. I'm going to purchase a few cartoons and games off iTunes before we go so he has plenty to watch and play. 

3. Noah loves books and Spot the Dog is one of his favourites just like he was when I was a child. The books we bought recently were actually from poundland and are just the right size to fit in his tiny hands. 


Bluestone in Wales is a National Park which of course means it's very outdoor orientated. We need to make sure we pack clothing which is suitable for both rain and shine. Here is one of the outfits that would be perfect for Noah for on our "outdoorsy" holiday. 

Outdoor clothing essentials- 

1. Diesel Waterproof Coat - 
I swear by duffle coats when it's bitter cold out and this number ticks all the right boxes. With it's down and feather inner it's bound to keep your toddler warm whilst the waterproof outer will keep them dry. I love the colour of the coat too, a lovely shade of jade green. 

2. 3 Pommes Fleece Hoodie - 

This light weight hoodie is perfect for underneath a thick coat or over a tee when indoors. I like the style and look and it's something Noah would usually wear and get a lot of wear out of.  

3. Ikks Fleece Lined Trousers -
I don't dress Noah in jeans very often because I find them to be uncomfortable and they aren't very suitable for cloth nappies either (hello compression leaks!) When shopping I usually look for "jean like" trousers as you can still get the look but have the comfort too. You can find all three of these items and lots more over on Melijoe. 

Do you have any tips when it comes to travelling with a toddler? Or have any suggestions on how to keep him occupied on our long journey? 

Top 5 Valentines Destinations

It's fast approaching that time of year when we take a breather and really appreciate our other half. Valentine's day. I know Valentine's Day isn't for everyone and there are some romantic scrooges out there but personally, I love it! It's a nice excuse to dedicate time to your special someone, spoil them rotten, and show them you care. It's also not half bad getting spoilt yourself too!

This year we would like to do something a bit different to celebrate that special day and perhaps go away for a few nights or even a mini-break. I'm always looking at ways to change things up when it comes to our date nights. If you are anything like me and want to add an extra touch of excitement you could always purchase some human pheromones, in spray, moisturiser, or oil form, to set the mood. Add a little extra spice to your long-awaited date!

I have put together a few ideas of what I would like to do. Some may be a bit far-fetched but a girl can dream.

Mini break- 

Alcudia is our home from home and we have been numerous times. As I was pregnant last year we didn't go on holiday and I am really feeling those holiday blues. It would be amazing to go back soon and even more amazing if we were able to go over the Valentine's period! I keep thinking what an amazing place it would be to propose too? Though I think Nick would have to shop for Engagement rings first. 

Weekend away-

What would be nicer than a weekend getaway to a luxury boutique in the Yorkshire countryside? Ox Pasture Hall is not only an ideal location for a Valentine's getaway but perfect for weddings too. 

Stay local-

Hopefully, if the weather picks up in the next few weeks we could take a lovely family walk on Valentine's day. Not only would it be budget-friendly but it would be nice to get some fresh air and take in our beautiful local countryside. 

Go gigging-

Nick and I are both huge music lovers and an ideal destination for us on Valentines would be going to watch one of our favourite bands live. We usually go to Manchester Academy to see a show.

Dine out-

We dined out a lot before the baby is born but haven't had much time to since he arrived. We have saved up a bit of money not going out as much so it would be nice to splurge a little on Valentine's day at a place like Mitton Hall which is local to us. 

Have you any plans for Valentine's day? What is your ideal date?

This is a PR Collaboration. 

My New Years Resolutions

I'm not normally one to actually make New Years Resolutions nevermind stick to them but this year with how much my life has changed recently I wanted to change my ways and create a few New Years Resolutions and stick by as many as I can.

Family time.

Now Nick, Noah and I are a family I want to make sure we spend a lot of quality time together especially now while Noah is young. As he get's a little older and more aware I want to take him to the zoo and the sealife centre. I'm so excited to be able to do things as a proper little family.

Mummy and Daddy time. 

If you are a parent you will know that as soon as your little bundle of joy arrives there is a lot less time spent with your significant other. Although I see Nick every single day sometimes I miss him because we don't have that quality time together anymore as our focus is on our son. At least once a week I want to snuggle up on the sofa and watch a film together and at least once a month I want to have a date night with Nick where we go out and enjoy one another's company.  

Diet - Join Slimming world. 

I was heavier than I would of liked to of been before I was even pregnant so of course going through pregnancy too I have a lot of weight to lose. The last time I was weighed was at my 12 week scan and I didn't even ask what I weighed as I didn't want to frighten myself. We don't actually have any scales in our house but I know I need to bite the bullet and see how much I weigh. I feel like I could lose about 2 stone. So I have a long long way to go. 

I am not the best when it comes to dieting or eating healthy. I did join Weight Watchers a few years back and lost a stone as it was easy to follow but it didn't really work for me in the long run. I have decided to give Slimming World a go as I have heard nothing but positive feedback from the programme. So wish me luck! I am going to need it. 

Excersize - Be more active.

I just want to be more active on a whole. I don't mean go full throttle working out every day cause lets face it I have a baby and don't get much sleep so at the moment that won't be feasible. Perhaps in a few months down the line I may join a gym but at the moment I just want to get out the house and go for long walks with Noah in the pram. This will be more appealing when the weather picks up a bit. 

Holiday - First family holiday.

Nick and I love going abroad and our home away from home is Alcudia in Majorca. We didn't go away in 2013 as I was pregnant. It was the first time in years we didn't go on holiday, we really missed it. This year we want to take Noah on his first holiday, which is so exciting. Probably back to Majorca knowing us! 

Mortgage - Buy our own home.

In 2013 we were accepted for a mortgage but we just need to now decide where we want to live and find the home that is right for us. We are getting there with our deposit but by the end of 2014 I hope we are in our very own home or atleast on our way to that goal. We are currently looking through various estate agents UK to find the perfect family home because now we have a baby it's time to start building a foundation for us as a family. 

Savings - Pennies make pounds.

Nick and I are dreadful when it comes to spending. We waste so much money and really need to learn how to budget better. Our savings would look a lot more attractive right now if we weren't throwing money down the drain left, right and center. We spend way too much money on meals out and takeaways. I aim to put a little bit more money away into our savings each month.  


Wedding - Make plans.

We have been engaged for a few years now and haven't talked in depth about our wedding as of yet. We've always been preoccupied with moving house, new jobs, redundancy, pregnancy and now a baby. This year I want to atleast start discussing our wedding plans and begin saving up. 2015 wedding? Who knows!

Here are my New Years Resolutions for the year. Lets see what I stick to! Here's to 2014!