Sandbanks Beach

Today was a rare completely sunny day that even broke into the 70s! So we headed to Sandbanks Beach (where all the rich footballers have mansions). The bus ride on the way there got a little hairy when at one point we were up to 3 strollers and one wheelchair. (It was already hard for me to situate the kids with just 2 strollers when we initially got on the bus. I was grateful when this woman stepped forward after awhile to help watch the kids while I messed with folding and fitting in the packed stroller.) The fact that we were running 10min. late was of serious concern for a few old men who were loudly voicing their grumbles. Oh, shove it. 

Nice beach. Less crowded than Bournemouth Beach and there seemed to be more space. Hailey was totally running, she was so excited:

And then proceeded to swim in the sand, ingest and stick as much sand as she could to the sunscreen all over her body:

Ethan was big on beach-combing and collected quite a few shells:

 

I guess a bottle cap can also be a treasure:

Yah for the beach!

Toy shopping, White Cliffs Play Area and Penny

The other day, the weather was crappy and so I took Hailey to a few toy stores. Just for fun and to see what she gravitated towards. Her birthday is a little over three months away and I got her the little Paddington with wellies on (since this girl loves her wellies and I thought it would be a good memento as well from her time in the UK). I put him in her hood at the store and it was fun to watch her go in circles. I'm easily amused. :)

She seems to gravitate to machinery and things with dogs (there were these things called Pet Patrol which were dogs driving these little machines carrying gadgets that popped out at the push of a button that she really liked). And then she latched on to some fairy book randomly and I quickly paid £1.25 to appease the girl (we were heading the meet Margie for lunch and she was on the verge of breakdown central). 

When I went to pick up Ethan from school, one of his teachers was telling me that it was so cute that there is this little girl (Penny) that Ethan helps open up different containers in her lunch. I asked him if this was the same girl that was bringing him his water so they were helping each other out. (But I think it is actually two different girls). Then that night he was randomly talking about when he gets married how he is going to have a big party with dancing and he was listing off all the people he was going to invite. Hmm, must be on the brain...

We tried this Toad in the Hole (really we all just had fun yelling out "Toad in the Hole!"). Sausages in Yorkshire pudding...it's the kids' dream come true:

Thursday we were graced with sun (it still was only in the upper 60s but whatever, we'll take it) so Hailey and I took a stroll down the Poole pier waterfront path to the White Cliffs Play Area. It really is a cool kids play area-check this out:

Little miss independent was running all over the place like a wild woman and didn't want any help doing anything. Ethan had his "Leavers Prom" (all the kids that are moving on to reception come back for their end of the year luau themed party). Ethan was excited to have everyone back (There are hardly any kids in there now since school ended a few weeks ago and most kids' funding is gone. Ethan started three weeks later so he got three additional weeks.). He was thrilled to see Charlie again but was disappointed that Penny was not there.

Here is Poole Park lake that reminds me of Greenlake:

Haha, green slime and all (which reminded me of Ryan and I's slimey swim in Greenlake years ago that wrecked our swimsuits after they were coated in green slime): 

We picked up a few decorations for daddy's birthday. Look at the lungs on this girl! (Kidding, it just looks like she is blowing it up.)

These rocket balloons are bigger than she is!

Just lounging while eating:

I finally (finally!) was successful in booking childcare for the class/time I wanted (going to try out Insanity class and Legs, Bums, Tums) for next Thurs (I called at 8:55 and the creche opens at 9). Such a goat rope to book the childcare (hopefully it's only this difficult during the school breaks!) and call to book classes. England and their dang reservations for everything!

Ethan has actually been listening much better and following directions at swim class (finally-hallelujah!) the past few weeks. Last week, I was sitting next to the mom of (what used to be) little miss perfect and I couldn't help but smile inside when the teacher was telling the little girl, "Do it like Ethan is doing it." When does that ever happen? A little role-reversal. :) Ha, don't get me wrong, he's not that close to swimming or anything but I'm happy that he is listening and trying and enjoying himself. Hailey on the other hand was flirting with the lifeguard. I kid you not. She was making eyes at him and smiling and looking away playfully. That girl...

We got "Dispicable Me 2" from the library (and ordered the first one from another branch) and watched it. I figured we should see it since this "Minions" movie came out last month and apparently takes place in London and there are minions things everywhere! Such a cute movie!! (We're a little behind.)

Westbourne, New Forest and more

Friday it was POURING rain and we ventured with Margie to Westbourne. We grabbed some things at Badger & Bumble and then headed to Le Petit Prince Patisserie and Bakery for lattes, macaroons, cheese twists and some lemon Provençal bread. They asked if the kids wanted babyccinos. Ethan loves the place now. The French lady came over and was doting over the kids. Margie and I were trying to talk but kept getting interrupted by one or both of the kids and then Hailey was flat out not happy and was making it known. I was afraid this might happen when she woke up earlier than usual at 6:30am this morning.  She promptly passed out in the stroller after we left and we were waiting for the bus. 

Earlier Margie stopped to have a key made and Ethan said he wanted one and the key maker was kind enough to give Ethan a random key. Margie bought him a key chain and we wrote his name on it. He's all excited about "his keys" and curious if they will work in different doors. We got completely drenched in the 15min walk home from the bus and the kids changed into their fleece pjs and I changed into a fleece pullover. A good day to just chill at home with some hot tea.

Tonight Ethan totally surprised/cracked up Chris and I when he was joking at the dinner table and said in an English accent, "Excuse me mummy, could I please have more salad dressing?"

Saturday we drove an hour or so into New Forest (known for wild ponies and forested wilderness with cute little towns). We explored some shops and ate our picnic lunch and then we drove all around through the New Forest and made our way back along the coast. I took some pictures of the wild ponies (the kids and I were impressed but Chris didn't think it was even picture-worthy). New Forest seems like a good place to go for a walk/hike or rent bikes but aside from that was kind of meh. There was one town that had a huge Saturday market that would be worth paying a visit another time (we drove through because Hailey was asleep). Saturday night we celebrated Chris' birthday. I got him a 2day weekend kitesurfing lessons and Ethan wrapped up one of his mini coloring books for him. We had Bennett's fine lemon sponge cake-yum. Ethan also had a card to give him that had a race car on it that he wanted to get at one of the shops in Westbourne on Friday. He drew the Eiffel Tower inside and signed it. 

Sunday Chris did some work training while I cleaned (not exciting but necessary) and took a nap (Hailey keeps getting up at 6:30 and taking just a 45min nap in the car or stroller, we are stuck in a bad pattern. It was a long week-Chris worked really long hours and got home after 8pm every night and so both he and I were worn out.

For over a month now Hailey takes off just her right sock and shoe over and over throughout the day (and/or puts on one wellie). I finally have gotten to the point where I've stopped trying to put it back on and we leave the house with just one shoe on (in the stroller). She wins. Clearly someone else runs the show around here:

She is such a little lover lately though too. I'm not complaining that she is in a mama phase right now.

Here are the kids with their new London themed Hello Kitty coin purses from the Pound Store (Ethan's piggy bank wood house bit it for the last time and was beyond glue repair so I had to get something to keep his coins in (so they weren't strewn all over the kitchen floor). And well, Hailey wanted one too. Here are the kids with them (and H is fishing around in her diaper as well):

Virgin Active Trial Day

First off, E's hives have completely disappeared-he is healed! Hallelujah!

I did a bunch of research this week trying to figure out this whole gym/childcare situation since I no longer have childcare (The Little Creche closed down) for my gym classes. I determined that childcare elsewhere was just too expensive. Babysitters and the two daycares that would allow me to book weekly drop-offs have 3hr/day minimums. And for twice the time, it was three times the price to put Hailey in childcare (over $200/mo. just to go the the gym twice a week!) 

So then I was able to get my money refunded (It was way easier than I thought it would be to get it back, actually. I was prepared for a battle.) for the four months of remaining  membership I had prepaid at my gym, Everyone Active. I love their Zumba and Pilates classes and it was a shame but it was just no longer cost effective, I might as well join a gym that has childcare right there.

But, the closest gym (Fitness First) with childcare is 1.8mi. away. The next closest is Virgin Active, 2.7miles. I went to check out Virgin Active with Hailey on Thurs., just for fun (it's too far to go regularly and kind of spendy). But it was really fun to just check it out for a day and get the grand tour! Fancy schmancy!

This open cafe atmosphere was interesting--it seemed more like a club/cafe than somewhere to workout! They had this padded children's play area so that you could have coffee while your kids played. For slightly older kids, there were touch screen gaming systems and computers to use! Not to mention the nice outdoor pool with chaise lounges (in addition to the indoor pool)!

Check out this state of the art equipment! I had never even seen/heard of these things before today:

Rowing Erg that was developed by an American Olympic Rower that when you pull on the handle, a mini paddle gets pulled through the water tank up front. Apparently it's much closer to the tension/feeling of actually rowing in the water. Cool!

Forget what this thing is called but it was developed to train the astronauts since many experience a loss in muscle density after traveling to space. Some consider it the next big thing but it is supposed to accelerate your workout by sending vibrations and providing a more intense workout. He had me try some stretches on it and yeah, I could feel it working a lot sooner than normal.

Self-propelled treadmill. So innovative!

Apparently elliptical machines are developed for an average height/stride but this machine can move in different directions and styles and is tailored to each individual. You can also run programs that look like you're running around major cities, like San Francisco and see the scenery you would see if you are there (ha, might be a nice distraction instead of planning out what you want to eat while you are working out on it like I usually do):

The childcare had this cool padded maze (like Elevated Sportz and those play places that you pay to go to) and a separate art center for kids 2 and up. I left Hailey there and went to the NOVA class (very similar to my Piyo class back home). It was a great class but I was sore!

Now I'm trying to book childcare to try out Fitness First (which I'm guessing will be the one that I'll join). Apparently you have to book classes for that day on the morning of. And you have to call during childcare hours (9-2 or 9-3 some days to book childcare like a week out). I have tried twice now and neither time happened to be when it was open (or they were fully booked). My goodness, each of these gyms has their challenges. 

Geez, what's a girl gotta do to get in a few workouts and an hour of alone time a  few times a week?

Medical mystery

The aftermath of the beds bugs fiasco:

-Wash all clothes and put through the dryer to kill off any bugs (and ultimately shrink my socks and other things to Hailey size)

-Stick bags and stuffed animals and other things that were brought into the contaminated room and can't be washed in the freezer for a few days.

-Do a s-load of laundry

-Scrub down the kids

-Apply Tiger Balm to practically every square inch of his body

-called hotel to alert them to the bed bug situation

Poor Ethan was miserable and didn't sleep much (which meant I didn't sleep much either since I slept in his bed that night). Can't blame him-look at this!

And it got worse with the hot room.

Monday we headed out to find some potential remedies to ease the pain. I got some sort of calamine related lotion at the drugstore and they directed me to the "Chemist" (pharmacy) a few doors down to get some Benadryl for kids under 6. The pharmacist looked him over and said this was an allergic reaction/rash/hives on top of whatever bites and this antihistamine medication, Piriton, would most likely address it or at least help or clue us in if he was suffering from something else. Hailey was pretty much screaming and Ethan was whining. They told me I should go ahead and give him the dose on the box right then so maybe it could kick in. I didn't read it closely and started giving him 4 out of the 6 mini spoonfuls. Turns out it was ONE spoonful. The clerk alerted me that it was only supposed to be one spoonful and I looked at the box again to see that the 6 spoonfuls was for a period of 24hrs! (I had assumed it was just the other conversion in the grid). I had a look of horror on my face and the pharmacist was super nice and said, "Don't panic, you look panicked. It will be totally fine, he will just be drowsy which he would be anyways." Omigosh, what have I done? Well, it turns out that he was not drowsy at all. Quite the opposite. Of course my kid is one of the few that has doesn't get drowsy from Benadryl! But, after an hour or two, all of the redness and skin irritation was pretty much completely gone-it was amazing!

Only it returned overnight and when the meds wore off. Still a lot better though! And he slept through the night which was good. So we headed to preschool. I was telling one of the teachers about the non-contagious bites and how he was on Benadryl and that he had cream they could help him apply if needed. But they told me that he looked pretty pale and it looked like an allergic reaction and I should take him to the doc straightaway. 

So, I had to find our medical info. sheet. And then call 111 to find the nearest non-emergency general practitioner and let them know the I was not registered with a surgical (something or other). They went through a bazillion questions. Meanwhile Ethan and Hailey are screaming and squealing and running around the mall and sprinkling the sunflower/nut/raisin mix all over every place possible aside from their mouth. Several of the questions were completely irrelevant or I didn't know (I don't know the address of the mall we were standing in, just give me the number of a doc!). So then they transfer me to an EMT and I have to explain the whole thing again. She gives me numbers for two places nearby. First number is no longer in service. Second number puts me through the message w options and then hangs up on me after that while I am holding to make an appt (I tried several times). So I have to call 111 and answer the same bazillion questions AGAIN while my kids are going berserk in the background. (Just give me some more numbers for this zip code!) The lady was super nice though and acknowledged that it was ridiculous that I had to go through all of that again. Got number and went in. Filled in paperwork and had to come back in 45min.

Hailey insisted on pushing the stroller. Look at her on her tiptoes:

So we wait in the waiting room while the kids play with the germ infested wooden beads and wire thing that every doctor waiting room has (some things are the same!). And the doc took one look at him and said it was an allergic reaction (likely to the detergent the hotel used for their sheets) and most likely not bed bugs (gee, glad I went to all those lengths to de-contaminate our belongings). And to give it 3-4more days and give him the Piriton regularly. And that he just looked pale/under eye circles just from lack of sleep. 4 hours of phone calls and waiting for this 5min. visit and a £50 charge that we'll need to send to insurance for reimbursement. It helped to know that it was hives from an allergic reaction to something though and probably not bed bugs. So then we had to get cash out and come back to pay the out of pocket fee. Ethan cracked me up when he said "we're baaaaaaack" to the receptionist. I asked to use the weight, height, BMI, pulse machine and the lady gave me a token for it. Ha, why not?

Next order of business-getting a jump rope for my at home workouts until I can find childcare (I have looked/asked around and nothing yet). Check out this fancy half off boxing jump rope with weighted cushy handles and a leather rope. Step aside Rocky Balboa!

I got another plastic one for Ethan (and in case the weighted one was too much for me) and was teaching him how to jumprope. Definitely a learned skill, I forgot that it is a little challenging when you first learn how to do it. We'll keep practicing. We also drew hopscotch and I was showing him how to play.

Here is H packing up the trike for a roadtrip:

And this is our new favorite wine. We stocked up the other day (12 bottles) when it was half off at Tesco. What? We'll drink it in no time. :)

What a fiasco today. I am glad that he will be okay and all is well. I think I need some of that wine though. :)

Scottish Highlands: Inverness, Applecross and Glencoe

Here we are leaving Edinburg. I wanted to capture how cool it looks with the castle raised up, overlooking the city:

Here we are in Inverness at one of the castles overlooking Loch Ness. Both of the kids were taking a late nap in the car so Chris and I are looking for the Loch Ness Monster by ourselves. 

Truly it is Nessie Land here (I can't believe how many companies reference Nessie in their name or logo and how many little museums and attractions are scattered throughout this area). 

Hailey found Nessie! 

Turns out there are two! 

I recently read an article about how the photo of the "Loch Ness Monster" may have actually been a giant catfish fin:

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/world/loch-ness-monster-catfish-irpt/

Rainbow over Loch Ness (I've never seen sun and rain at the same time and rainbows as much as I have in Scotland):

Another castle in Inverness (there are several locks and a walk you can do crossing over little Victorian bridges to the island):

Eating dinner under the tailgate in the rain (luckily we set up our tents before the rains started):

Chris is proud of his rays of light photo:

Egret and the gorgeous sunset (Chris was kind of like a grumpy old man when everyone was loudly traipsing through our campsite spot to take in the sunset):

A nice relaxing break in the rain:

View of bridge in the other direction of the campsite:

Windy roads heading SW to Applecross (or "Applesauce" as Ethan says):

Cute little Coastal village (with awesome cold smoked salmon-Chris and I had a lot of it over the next few days):

Mmm (one of several packages of the cold smoked salmon that we consumed)... 

One thing that struck me about the highlands was how few people live up there. There seemed to be mostly just tiny little spread out villages for the most part (not really towns even). Chris and I were thinking that they must have to stock the freezer before winter because some of these roads would be impossible in the snow!

Heather everywhere! 

And Heather Honey (and other products): 

Hailey snacking (and as Carrie said: "this kind of looks like an REI ad"):

Ethan lounging (luckily Hailey seems okay with him using her chair as well) while we set up the campsite. We were strategically setting up the campsite in preparation for the big storm (rain and heavy winds) coming through that night.

The coastal views near Applecross were breathtaking:

Chris and Ethan went and played/slid down some sand dunes while Hailey and I had a little nap in the car.

We had dinner (and dessert pictured here) at the Applecross Inn. It was an amazing meal (I had duck and Chris had fish with scallops). The desserts are a Strawberry Eton Mess and a Raspberry Cranachen (I think that was the name... A Scottish Whiskey and Raspberry dessert):

Well, we survived the storm (although parts of the night were sleepless). We started off the morning with a gourmet camping breakfast of eggs with Brie and smoked salmon:

And hit the road to Glencoe. Another breathtaking drive! He we are descending  through this pass on the crazy snaking road:

Pit stop to search for cool rocks at the Isle of Skye "Skye Bridge":

And another stop at the Eileen Dornan castle (with a working Porticullis and it was featured in the Bond film, "The World is Not Enough"). A very cool picturesque castle that is now inhabited by a family.

Doorway featuring the working Porticullis:

Then we made a few pit stops to clean up Ethan's puke (out both ends actually, poor kid) with wet wipes and paper towels. Not sure what caused this-something he ate or milk that had gone bad? We now have puke clothes in a large ziplock bag and our car wreaks of puke every so often (even though we bought and sprayed some deodorizer, it can only do so much). This car seat liner and straps need washed now too. 

Here is Neptune's Ladder (a series of 8 locks) at Fort Williams that Chris and Hailey checked out while Ethan and I relaxed in the car.

We were relieved to have the Hobbit House in Glencoe booked for tonight since we were still in the midst of the monsoon with heavy rains coming down. We lucked out on catching brief dry spells during setup and takedown for camping the past few nights. We saw on the news that one Scottish town had terribly destructive flash floods as a result of all of this rain.

You can tell that this waterfall is pretty active right now due to all of this rain:

We stopped to check out a few galleries. I love how Scottish people say "wee" (as in "little") and "aye" quite often.

We noticed that these cows took over this highway overpass, it was quite comical:

For the last night, we were supposed to camp in the upper lakes district. This particular campsite didn't accept reservations and it was a good thing because we were able to adjust our plans and knock out more of the drive home (the kids fell asleep and seemed pretty content so we might as well take advantage of that and not have to camp in the rain as well). I booked a last minute cheap hotel in this random town, Chorley (a bit south of Manchester). It was kind of a white trashy town with not a whole lot to offer but we just needed a place to crash. The Theatre Guest House had really good ratings (8.5 I think) and reviews but it turned out to be dingey. You know when you walk in and it is a heavy perfume smell (trying to cover up smoking or other smells)? And poor Ethan got bit by bed bugs! So now there is also that to contend with (please please bed bugs, don't follow us home!). Chris was joking, "Chorley bit me and it really hurt!"

Poor kid, it's pretty bad:

I just heard that Beatrix Potter and an English designer (can't remember which one) were in the runnings to appear on the new £20 note.

I also read this article about taking trips (not vacations-careful distinction) with kids along and it cracked me up because I could totally relate:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7789310

I'm sitting in the car now (a few hours drive left, we are in the home stretch!) as Hailey screams her head off. We call it the "storm before the calm" (the calm is when she passes out for her nap). Ha, it has been a great trip but we are now in the "lets just get home" stage. :)