Glamping at Warwick Castle

While investigating a Summer discount for castle tickets, I accidentally came across a new venture at Warwick Castle.
Glamping.
It didn't take long for me to get a bit excited.
Camping but posher. That's for me!
(We have a long and rather damp history with summer camping holidays in Cornwall & Wales).
Within a few days we'd booked all four of us & my sister's little family into one bell tent.
By the time I called, the day we booked was the only weekday still available.
It was £200 per night for a week night or £250 for a weekend, so we needed a weekday. For us, it was easier to use up 2 days holiday than find another £50.
Yay!
We were so excited.
I made all three little boys little tunics. I tried to make helmets too, but it didn't work out and at the time I was inundated with superhero cape orders so it wasn't top of my priority list.

Leaving at 7am, nope, 8am, in a rather full car.

So off we went. Nice and early so we could make the most of our two full days at the castle....but of course we were running an hour late.
With us driving down and my sister driving up with a baby, we didn't get into the castle until 12 ish. Never mind.

Ready to storm the castle.

One of many peacocks.

Cute baby ducks

Ed & Bean

Rowing a viking long boat.

Ed playing in the courtyard.

Watching the Warwick Warriors.

I'm the king! No! I'm the king!

Of course we had a lovely day. Warwick castle has a lot to offer, but mostly the boys (aged 5, 4 and 1) all enjoyed simply running free in the sunshine.

After watching the 'Sword in the stone' story, Bean shoved his wooden sword in the stone. Him, Ed and some random little boys had a whale of a time with it.

The Warwick Warriors were doing the same show (with all the same jokes) that they were doing last year, but the whole castle had been overrun with five different Horrible History's areas which were lots of fun.
And of course the trebuchet is just awesome. 
Every single time.

Watching the trebuchet from the top of the hill.

Ed trying on 
Norman armour.

Ed & Bean fighting with Auntie H.

The Glampsite was amazing.
It was just a small patch of woodland filled with little rows of bell tents. There was only about 35, so it felt really intimate and cosy. Each little area was adorned with it's own flag, presumably to help small people find their way to their tent. We had to go through what the number 30 (our tent number) looks like a few times before Ed & Bean stopped going into other people's tents.

The glampsite.

In the play area of the glampsite.

Our 'village' flag.

We had booked us all into the BBQ dinner, so after we'd stuffed ourselves silly, we headed out to the entertainment area. There were some giant games to play with as well as Jester school, Knight school and Archery. 

Archery practice.

We queued for a while for the archery because we all wanted to have a go, then Ed & Bean queued for Knight school. They thought it was amazing, but my husband & I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the knights, who had obviously worked all day in the castle, only to have their working hours extended to 8:30pm. They were clearly shattered.

Knight school

I don't envy anyone who has to be nice to a child while he beats you with a sword all bloody day (yes, I speak of my own...at the
beginning of his turn in Knight school, Bean picked up two swords and ran at the poor guy. Thankfully, he has obviously dealt with this often enough, and corrected my little monster accordingly).

Dusk in the glampsite.

The tents and the whole camp were strewn with lights, so when darkness fell, the camp lit up.
It was beautiful.

The Glampsite really was fantastic, but, review wise, here's a few of my humble opinions;
-The staff are brilliant.
-Some of the toilet trailers ran out of water in their taps by the time we came to brush our teeth.
-There were just 3 showers because there was 3 trailers, each with one door (which didn't lock!), 2 showers inside, a bench & lots of space to dress. A 'family' shower room is a lovely idea, except if the other parent is with the kids in the tent. Then you're just one parent using a whole trailer to yourself with no lock on the door, just hoping no-one wanders in. Though I must say, I never queued - I got up at 7am and ran for my life.
-Some lovely child-friendly touches to the whole 'look' of the place. The flags, the sheepskin rugs, the hay bales, it all added to the feel of it. we even had a faux quiver of arrows in our tent but i snuck them into the chest before the boys noticed it (they break almost everything they touch).
-All those gorgeous fairy lights, in and out of the tents.
-Tea and coffee on tap 24/7! Yay!

Cue our second day in the castle.

Obligatory Warwick castle stocks photo.

Emptying the sluice 
bucket in the Tudor area.

Same child, photoshop'ed.

Choosing their ideal armour.

The trebuchet.

It doesn't seem to matter how many times I watch them, I love the trebuchet and the knights!

Jousting knights.

Knights in battle.

Since the boys both behaved impeccably on the second day (no sulking or wandering off), they both earned themselves a shield. (I had investigated how much a wooden shield would cost on eBay and was shocked to find it would be at least £10 for a plain one & I knew it was £8 at Warwick Castle to paint your own). While they were watching the Warwick Warriors (again), I snuck off and got the shields backgrounds pre-painted for them so they would be dry when they came to paint them later on. They were so pleased! Unbelievably, Ed seemed to know exactly what he was going to do, having spoken about it the day before. I offered to help  but he immediately declined and got on with painting his 'x's. Genius! Bean needed a bit more help. He chose his stencil and helped me dab the paint. They're really fantastic and a great reminder of our awesome time at the castle.

My own little knight, Bean.

I've heard the info request list for next year's glamping is already humongous so I don't think it will be the same experience if they chose to expand it, though a few more showers may not go amiss.

Back home with their hand painted shields.

The Importance of Me Time

Well, it was bound to happen at some time.

When it came to writing this, I had no idea which blog to put it in.

Such is life.

I've gone for this one because though it is a 'how I survive being a home school mum', it doesn't have that much to do with our learning adventure, it just keeps us on it.

It's more a 'how I survive being me' post.

So here it is;

My gym membership makes me a better mummy.

Fact.

Last night, while I was frazzled over a sudden influx of commission orders, the opportunity cropped up to join an old friend at the gym, rather than go a few hours later after putting the kids to bed. I grabbed it, knowing that if there was one thing my fried mind needed, it was a blast at the gym while catching up with a friend.

I came home a few hours later revived and ready to cook Daddy & I a very late dinner while he put the boys to bed.

It meant that at 10pm, when Ed crept downstairs while we were watching TV, having still not gone to sleep, rather than yell at him I simply asked what was stressing him out. He calmly explained that the clock was ticking too loudly.

How relieved was I that I'd asked! It was so simple and so easy to solve.

Yesterday, I started redecorating the bathroom, which means that the contents of the bathroom is in the hall, including a very noisy clock.

The boy was right. That'd keep me awake too.

I think he was also a tad stressed about another mummy fail. I'd forgotten to buy more pull ups, so he was trying to go to sleep, despite the 'will I wee when I'm asleep?' fear. We heard him get up again about 10:30pm to visit the bathroom and in the morning he was dry - yay!! Oddly, I tried to praise him and he told me I was being stupid, so I stopped. Whatever. It's only him that gives him a hard time about this, not me. 

This morning, for some random reason I woke up at 6:30am, and grabbed the opportunity to get some work done while the boys were asleep. I managed to cut out, sew together & post everything I needed to. Then I took the boys out to town and to the library, as promised. Go me!

So I could've stayed in last night, got more and more stressed about my commissions, in between trying to get two boys in bed and cooking dinner, and ended up staying up late slaving away at the sewing machine. 

But instead I went out, got all those lovely natural exercise related chemicals surging through my body, had a good sleep and approached my work with a clean head.

My overpriced gym membership gives me 3 evenings a week to myself, where I get some exercise done, maybe a nice swim, a jaunt in a steam room, a relax in the jacuzzi and an hour long shower (anyone who has kids knows how complicated a shower can be). 

Priceless, almost.

As a work from home, homeschooling mummy, me time is more than important. 

It's essential to our survival as a family.

I hope none of you lovely ladies out there ever feel bad for taking a moment for yourself.

You earned it xxx

What kind of things do you use as an escape from the daily grind of motherhood? How do you relax?

My Husband Suffers from ARF (Asshole Resting Face)

I quite recently came across this;
If you think a woman looks sad or angry they may just be suffering from ‘bitchy resting face’, a disorder ‘that affects millions of women every day’ making them look bitchy when they’re really not. Turns out men also have a similar problem.
and I found it hilarious, until I realised....this is me.
And worse, much worse, it definitely describes my husband.

how can you be grumpy while having a snuggle with Gandalf?

It'll be our 6th wedding anniversary in a few weeks, and over this time, I've realised how badly he comes across to people, especially people who don't know him well. When we go to parties, he tends to sit in a corner with the kids and mope. Well, it looks like moping/sulking/general moodiness to other people, until you speak to him and realise he's having a lovely time playing with our boys.

how can you be moody while holding your first born?

It's a real issue because people judge him, and really if you catch him in the right moment, he's a super fun, giggling, playful guy, admittedly he does have a terrible sense of humour.

And of course he can be really grumpy, but generally he's not, he just hasn't put any ought into letting his emotions show on his face.

There was one delightful day when my sister & her family had been staying at ours. As they were leaving, while everyone was saying goodbye, he sat at the dining table, looking lost in his own grumpiness. When they had left I had a huge go at him for being so rude & not saying goodbye to everyone. He replied saying he hadn't even realised they'd left, he was just thinking about his sheds (he does have a lot of sheds). He was gutted he hadn't got to say goodbye, despite being convinced that my sister hates him, he actually really likes her and her fiance (who is impossible to dislike). Silly man. His sheds of all things.

we're on holiday! seriously?!

But then I'm the same. My mind is usually full of my next project, to do lists & what the kids need next. I don't usually notice the world around me, let alone smile at it.

oh look! actually, he's really handsome and friendly looking!

For an end note, I'd like to include a link to this fabulous blog post by a chick about her bitch face, simply because she makes some great points;
Yup, I don't smile all the time. 
Yup, that's OK, there will be a smile on my face when it's deserved. 
And this is the case with Justin. He smiles only when it is necessary, though in my personal opinion, he could do it a little often, because he is sooooo much prettier when he does! Finding these photos has actually reminded me how handsome my husband is, what a lucky girl I am.

Phonics Sound Machine

Inspired by Pinterest (again) I made this yesterday. 

Very simply, it's a cardboard box rescued from the recycling, covered in tin foil, with a lid (also covered in foil) glued on the top. To make the button big and red and exciting I covered it in red glitter.

Then I printed off all 54 sounds from the alphabet & cut them out.

The idea is that they grab a card from inside, pop it on the box then when they hit the button they say the sound. My five year old made it a competition by keeping the cards he got right, which is nice but slightly unfair on his baby brother haha. 

It's been a big hit & I like that it all goes inside the box. 

phonics sound chart

Jolly Phonics Booklet

My boys love little things for their little hands, so I just made a little booklet for my 4 year old to help him learn his phase 1 phonics (don't panic, I'm not pushing a four year old to learn how to read and write, I'm just gently encouraging and providing the means for when he's ready to learn).

He loves it, though he still doesn't want to write the letters. For the moment we're happy to sing the songs and do the cute actions.

I got the idea of how to make a booklet using an A4 peice of paper from Pinterest.
Oh how I love Pinterest.


Feel free to make your own x

To Home School or to Not Home School

I’m not fed up of school.

I love school.

I am excited by all that learning. I love learning, even now. Most days I get up & start planning what I can squeeze in. I am literally desperate to learn most things; playing the ukulele, speaking Spanish, drawing, I’d love to learn to paint or sail a boat...oh my goodness I could go on & on & on.

We finally received a letter this morning telling us they’ve offered him a place in a school in exactly the opposite direction from Ed’s, so that’s helped me make up my mind about what to do with him next year.

We only started thinking about this because Bean didn’t get the school place we’d applied for at Ed’s school. The thought of stretching ourselves between two schools made me think it would be easier, and far more fun to home school him for his reception year until a place could be found for him at Ed’s school. But the more I research home education, the more interesting it is. And it’s something we spoke about before we had children, having both had rubbish experiences at school ourselves.

I constantly find myself looking around Ed’s classroom, checking out their latest projects & feeling massively inspired & slightly jealous. As I look around I always think to myself; I want to make my home like that, I want to put that on the wall, I want to spend time with my kids doing that project. They must have so much fun in there.

Am I just a massive nerd?

I'm so jealous that the teachers get to do all these awesome things with my kids and when I try on a weekend, they seem all ‘schooled out’.

When we were planning our children I never envisaged someone else teaching them this cool stuff, I thought I’d have at least a part time role in it, but at the moment there’s nothing left for me to do aside from feed them, wash them, clothe them & put them to bed. All massively important jobs obviously! But I want to do fun stuff with them too. I want to teach them how to swim, how to ride a bike, speak another language, how to sew, I want to read with them all the time & I can’t wait to introduce them to my favourite novels!

Am I just being über selfish?

Is it selfish to want to spend time with your kids?

I’m tired of getting the dregs of Ed’s childhood. By the time he’s done at school he’s so shattered and even on Saturdays all he wants to do is chill out. Understandably.

Everyone who knows us well, knows I’ve always had problems with Ed’s behaviour. He’s stubborn &  feisty, like things his own way, but is very thorough in everything he does, sponges up information and keeps it in his little noggin. Home schooling him would either kill us or cure us. I would love our relationship to feel less negative. At the moment 90% of our life is me trying to keep him clean dressed and fed, I’d love more positive moments

I’d love to have more time with them. I’d love to have the pleasure of teaching them. I’d love them to have more time just being children, and all the running, hopping & yelling that involves.

Yes, it would be hard work, and yes, sometimes we’d have baaaaad days. But I trust myself that in the long run I would never fail my kids. I’d never let them be ‘behind’ or social misfits. I will always fight for what I think they need. I will always to my best.

I’m not sure how Ed feels about school. He’s happy when we get there; happy to see his friends & have a good run around in the playground but when the bell goes he often turns a bit sulky.

At home, Ed tells me it’s too noisy, that the teacher doesn’t notice him. I know it’s because he’s so well behaved there & all I can tell him is that she’d sure as hell notice if he was naughty. I tell him I’m sure she’s noticed that she’s not telling him off all the time, but it doesn’t seem to help.

From his accounts, he seems to spend a lot of time waiting his turn – a valuable lesson but surely not one he has to learn for half the day, every day.

Of course he tells me good things too, occasionally I get passionate accounts of what they’re working on & the games they’ve played that day. Once he flew the whole class to Spain and back!

I asked him what his favourite bit about school was & he replied;

“After lunch we play in the playground”.

That seems an awful shame, especially since he’s still on the EYFS curriculum, which from what I understand is mostly play. How will he react to KS1?

Anyone who’s ever met Ed knows he’s a very physical boy, who communicates with his whole body, so I would presume he learns best using his whole body. The role-play activities at school are definitely the ones that hit home the closest. I don’t get much out of him when it comes to what he’s been doing all day, but they’re the ones I hear about. If that’s how he learns best, what is sitting at a desk going to do to him?

And Bean, an entirely different boy, learns in an entirely different way. Bean is a flitter. As his mum I can tell you he will never cope with sitting and learning for a length of time. If he goes to school, I predict in a few years he will be prescribed ADHD drugs, when all he needs is a different method of learning. I can get him to concentrate, but it has to be done in really short intervals. As he gets older, I’m sure those intervals will get longer, but he needs the speed that a 45 minute lesson will never provide.

No-one could say they needed the same kind of learning system. If I could provide them both with their own programme of learning, as it were, they could learn at their own pace & in their own way, without having to tick anyone’s boxes (except mine). And I’ll keep them up to date with the national curriculum so that if they ever chose to go back to school, or if it just wasn’t working out, they can. They’re both very confident & outgoing, so I’m sure they would cope.

I’ve searched online for support groups, found a few families in our town who home educate & found learning resources. There are even museum days for HE groups where they can see those awesome chemistry experiments I was worried about them missing out on.

And since no-one wants to be with their Mum day in day out, so I’ve made provisions for them to have time at a regular sports/social club so they can socialise & have someone else be in charge.

I know its crazy idealistic, and I’m often far too romantic in the way I view my life but I figure, as with most things in my life, the old adage (old as in, 80’s pop) applies;

‘If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?’

And my dream is to have kids who are happy, eager to learn and well behaved.

We haven’t fully decided our plan of action, we’ll use these two weeks off school to experiment with school work & make a decision as to the if’s and when’s.

But what if it turns out to be the best decision we ever made?

What if they love wearing red shoes every day?

What if they learn loads & have a great time doing so?

What if it makes them happy, well-adjusted young gentlemen?