This day I love.......: leeds

We have had an inset day today and I thought it would be nice to make the most of our school having a holiday whilst many other children were still in school. Given the proximity to Christmas I looked for something free or inexpensive to do with the children and also I wanted something festive too. Not an easy task to find especially with the differing age ranges of my children, but I stumbled across the Leeds City museum and it appeared I had found a match.

Initially we were going to travel to Leeds via train but due to me losing my camera and spending ages looking through the house to no avail we missed the train and I had to drive instead. I was dreading the drive with the Christmas traffic but actually it was really easy and we didn’t actually encounter any traffic. Parking was easy too, but very expensive. It cost me £12.80 to park for 4 hours. I would have loved to have stayed longer but the cost was just too much.

After a short walk from the car park we arrived at the museum. The grand entrance looking over Millennium square and the Christmas markets it made us feel very festive indeed. Once inside we were greeted and given a clue sheet to hunt for Jack Frost. He had been up to no good in the museum.

We started on the ground floor, as we had stopped for something to eat in the cafe first, and began looking for Jack hidden in the animals. The girls asked lots of questions as to if they were real animals and why they were here. Little Man ran around pointing out the things he could see and interacting with all the hands on activities. He found Jack and pointed to him for our first clue. The hunt was on.

As we wandered around the museum Jack had been up to mischief and it was up to us to help. He had broken a pot which we fixed and knocked over a temple which Little Man took great pleasure rebuilding. Our clues took us all over the museum. We tried on wigs, dressed up and even solved puzzles. There was so much for all of them to see and to do. My eldest at 9 and Little Man at 3 were equally entertained, all of them finding their own way to explore the museum and interact with the exhibits.

Our Jack Frost hunt lead us to discover a very Christmas word and this gave us a very special treat from the gift shop. Upon leaving the museum we were faced with Leeds Christmas market and it would have been rude not to have a walk around. Little Man spotted donuts and after purchasing a variety we ate them walking back to the car.

Leeds City museum had something for all of my children and given it was free to enter and walk around was a great way to spend a day and keep out of the cold! There are lots of free activities happening all year round that I am sure we will be back again to visit soon.

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We were provided with tickets to watch Disney on Ice but have not been asked to write a post or received any other compensation. I simply wanted to remember our evening and have decided to write this post myself.

A few weeks ago we made the short journey to Leeds to watch Disney on Ice at the First Direct Arena. I hand't realised at the time of booking the tickets that my eldest daughter was on residential with school, so not wanting the ticket to go to waste my youngest daughter brought a friend with her. Both girls were really excited and more so when they learnt they would get to meet Mickey and Minnie mouse. The surprise would soon continue, and something I had no idea about.

We collected our tickets and were seated on row A seat 1, I suddenly wished I had dressed up a bit and sorted my hair. I also wished I had my proper camera, but had to make do with 30% battery on my phone. The girls were so close to the ice they could touch it and then the big surprise came. Would they like to go on the ice and ride in the cart? I think their excitement went sky high at this point and they could not wait!

Little Man is still in the potty training phase I like to call toilet inspector. I therefore missed most of the beginning of the performance as I was up constantly taking him to the toilet. Although I knew he didn't need to go I still have to take him. He managed to calm down and settled in to watch the show, we were so close to the performers!

The big moment came and the girls were whisked away with Aladdin. Grinning from ear to ear as they had fun on the ice. They are so incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to do that and they both haven't stopped talking about it.

The rest of the show seemed to fly by. There were so many different characters to see, a real medley to showcase the wonderful world of Disney.

It was a truly amazing evening that created wonderful memories and for that we are incredibly grateful for the tickets we received to watch the show and for giving the girls the opportunity to be on the ice.

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We received complimentary passes to both Lotherton Hall and Thwaite Watermill, words are my own opinion

How have the February half term holidays been and gone aleady?

My children's sports clubs did not stop during half term so we spent our days juggling those whilst making the most of our time together. Having one of their sporting activities close to the cinema meant it would be rude not to go during half term and with the girls really wanting to see the LEGO movie that is exactly what we did.

Little Man impressed me [kind of] whilst we were there, as he asked to go for a wee. It also meant he kept asking every 20 seconds to go for a wee so I actually didn't get to see much of the film but what I did see I enjoyed. I can confirm that the toilets are there given we seemed to see more of them than the film itself!

My eldest daughter swam 800m, I played naughty Mummy and told her she had only done 8 [she had really done 16] so she swam more knowing she needed 16 lengths for her 400m badge. It meant she did 800m. I knew she could do it and wanted her to see that she was capable of it. I am incredibly proud of her. She even managed her swimming lessons again later that evening but was then very tired. As a treat we had a hot chocolate and a round of adventure golf.

Lotherton Hall is somewhere we have only ever visited at Christmas so we decided to head over for their Love birds themed sessions. We were very kindly gifted tickets to visit and it was really different visiting outside of Christmas and in daylight for a change. We had never seen the playgrounds that are there before and the girls spent hours playing in them. There is so much open space for kids to run around in and play and it was such a lovely day. We even took a picnic and had it in the winter sun!

Lotherton is also home to a great variety of birds. We never knew these were even here! Flamingos , parrots, peacocks and penguins to name a few. We watched the penguins at feeding time, and giggled as they swam past the windows. The girls even got to make bird feeders to take home with them. It was a beautiful day spent in the sunshine.

I still had to work during half term so had a few photo shoots booked in. The girls and Little Man were really good and even helped with a few of them. Training is tricky during half term but I did what I could, often leaving very early in the morning or going out once the kids were in bed.

We visited Thwaite Water Mills in Leeds for the first time too. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to stroll down the canal. The girls asked lots of questions about the canal boats and were surprised to find people lived on them! The mill has working wheels too, which were a little noisy for Little Man, I found them fascinating to look at. My youngest daughter was also really taken with them and loved learning how to make Putty!

On Thursdays Thwaite Water mills also has science sessions so the girls got to make and paint their very own fossils. They really enjoyed doing this and have taken them to school for show and tell. Thwaite is also dog friendly so it meant J could come along, which is also a welcome change for us. It was a really peaceful place to be and we loved exploring. We shall certainly be back to visit again.

I think it is safe to say we had a very fun and very busy half term, I cannot wait for the Easter holidays now

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October half term seemed to fly past in the blink of an eye. I think our school was a lot later than most. We luckily had both Halloween and an inset day to cover bonfire night so we made the most of spooky happenings!

I still had to work so it was a case of juggling both work and fun with the kids but we seemed to manage. First to get us in the Halloween mood was a spooky party. I was there working, taking photos of people in my spooky Halloween booth, the kids however had an amazing time playing party games and joining in with all the craft activities. The best way to combine work and fun for the kids too!

Trying to make the most of the weather, so after a morning of work in the studio we all ventured outside for a walk and a picnic. My children love a picnic, even in the cold, so it was a treat for them. I cannot say that Little Man was too impressed about having his photos taken though!

The girls wanted to carve pumpkins in preparation for Halloween. I was a bit unsure how I could supervise 3 children carving pumpkins and so opted to pay for tickets at the local garden centre. It was worth it as I had help to carve 3 pumpkins and I didn't have to worry about any of the mess.

It might have taken an hour but it really made the girls day. They had so much fun carving pumpkins and after Little Man had finished his two year old paddy under the table he had fun also.

I wanted to try a few different experiences this half term and also try to make the most of different events happening near us. My youngest daughter has been learning about the Victorians at school and I thought a visit to Abbey House Museum in Leeds would be perfect. I had been sent tickets for us to visit but we spent money in the gift shop and in the cafe too.

Having never been before I wasn't sure what to expect but was simply taken back by the attention to detail. We entered the museum into a Victorian street. It was here we began our hunt for cats in hats! A treasure hunt if you like.

Downstairs is the Victorian streets and upstairs is more of a museum with interactive elements and lots to look at. In fact I found it really interesting. We stumbled upon spooky science, now this appealed to all three of my children. Little Man could play with water and the gel beads.

The girls meanwhile carried out several spooky experiments! They didn't want to leave and did some of them twice!

We decided to head back downstairs to explore some more, and see if we could find more cats. It was so fascinating wandering through the Victorian streets and looking at all the artefacts, we even stumbled across some Halloween crafts and ended up staying there until closing time.

I can imagine that Abbey House is equally as beautiful at Christmas and might have to take the kids there to see a Victorian Christmas.

It was Halloween and time for some spooky fun. Staying away from the traditional trick or treat and this time trying something new. Temple Newsam was to be our location in the evening for a spooky spectacular. I was unsure what to expect having only ever visited in the daylight before, but the event sounded good so after grabbing something to eat in the cafe we made our way over to the spooky farmyard.

The girls were each given a quality street when we entered and we then made our way around the farm yard in the dark. Werewolves were running loose, a graveyard was in the corner and the tractor looked rather frightening.

Whilst many of the animals were asleep there were a few awake for us to look at. Instead of animals though there were many other spooky happenings on the farm. A zombie house to trick or treat and a clairvoyance in her spooky house. I was rather impressed to the attention to detail. A good fright it certainly was.

After walking round the farm it was time to enter the haunted house. All the lights were out and we had to follow the candles on the floor. A soft orange glow illuminated the path ahead. As we walked through the rooms in the house you became aware of figures standing in corners. Dressed in black with white faces, it was rather frightening. Little Man had no clue what was going on but the girls were scared.

We left to be given a small toy, a yoyo and a stamp for the girls, and that was the end of our evening experience. The girls were terrified and wanted to come home and slightly disappointed by the lack of treats, so to make up I bought them some sweets from the gift shop on the way out.

A very unsettled night followed as both girls had bad dreams but we were up out again the next morning to visit the Industrial museum in Leeds.

Another chance for my youngest daughter to learn about the Victorians. This time she took on the role of a doctor as we made our way round the industrial mill diagnosing the rather sick co workers.

Leeds Industrial museum also had a slightly different Halloween event and it was here that the girls learnt all about the origins of Halloween. An event run by Pagan circle the girls got to ask lots of questions about witches and Halloween. It was really interesting. They learnt about the healing properties of certain herbs and got to make their very own bath bombs.

We had spent all day learning about Pagans, Halloween and making our own bathbombs and wands. It was therefore time for a treat and time for dinner and that could only mean one thing, Five Guys!

Our half term was flying by and after work on the Friday the girls and I headed into Leeds for a very special visit. We had been invited to visit the opening of Frugi pop up store in Leeds. The colours and patterns were so bright and vivid and so much more impressive in real life. The girls wanted to bring the store home!

We had received a rather special delivery over half term too, a box of American Candy from Taffy mail. Taffy mail is a monthly subscription box that delivers American candy direct to your door. The girls couldn't wait to try them all, and have made a video which is coming live soon on YouTube. Make sure you subscribe to see what the girls think of American Candy. I on the other hand rather like candy corn and need to find some more! It certainly was a real treat to try all this different candy, there was just so much a huge box worth!

The weekend weather was looking good and so we decided to make the most of it, and our final few days before school started again, outdoors exploring. Little Man is at that funny age where he refused to go in the pushchair but he gets tired quick and wants picking up, except he really doesn't want to be picked up and instead just wants to be independent. I have however found a solution to this and that's the Step2 neighbourhood wagon.

You may have seen on my instagram stories as I built the wagon with Little Man climbing on my back and sitting in the wagon. It took around 10 minutes to do. The handle is actually meant to go the other way so that it can fold underneath for storage, but I actually find it more comfortable this way round.

The Neighbourhood wagon went everywhere with us this half term and without it I probably could not have managed. Little Man loves it. He doesn't see it as a pushchair and calls it his car. He climbs in himself and has even had his lunch whilst sitting in it!

He has two cup holder spaces, which he makes full use of and a space which I think is meant for juice cartons but he likes to put his tablet in it! The bottom of the wagon has two small holes in so that when he decided to pour water in to the wagon it came straight out again, this also makes it easier to wash as you can give it a good hose down.

I find the wagon is easier to pull rather than push as I feel I have more control over the direction. Either way though it is surprisingly light weight and easy to manoeuvre.

His sister are not allowed to touch the handle of the wagon, he instead likes to pull the wagon with them sat in it. Which is rather funny watching him move his sisters around, that is until he gets distracted by a rock or a plane!

The Step2 neighbourhood wagon has been so helpful. Not just with transporting children and keeping Little Man safe but also with moving things. I was able to use it to transport the kit for parkrun recently and it made things so much easier. I honestly don't know how I would have managed this half term without it.

Final night was bonfire night. With Little Man falling asleep early and my youngest daughter not feeling well it was a chance for me to spend some one on one time with my eldest.

We headed to a local bonfire. It had a few fairground rides and live music and it was a great evening except no one knew when the fireworks would be starting. After discovering we had over an hour to go, despite arriving over an hour ago, we wondered if we should just head home. We tried warming ourselves by the fire and passing the time by walking around but nothing seemed to work. My eldest was now cold and fed up and we still had 30 minutes

After what felt like forever the fireworks started. My daughter and I stood and watched the fireworks together. We watched for five minutes or so and then she asked to start walking home. We took the long way home together so she could continue to watch them as we walked. Whilst it might have been cold and we got a bit fed up waiting, I loved spending time with her one to one. It's not often that happens and it was just lovely to be able to.

Our half term holiday was over, but we had fitted so much in. The only thing the girls wanted to do and didn't was go to the cinema so I am hoping to do that one weekend with them soon.

Tickets to Leeds Industrial museum, Abbey house and temple newsam were sent to ours in exchange for a post. The Step2 wagon and candy box were also gifted to us. All words are my own opinion.

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Endure 24 is advertised as the Glastonbury for runners. A weekend of running with a festival vibe, it sounded a lot of fun and what's more I could take the kids. I was running in a team of 8, including me, which later turned out to be a team of 7. Over the course of a 24hour period we would each tackle the 5 mile route around Bramham Park in Leeds and see how many laps we could complete in total.

The race starts at lunch time on Saturday and finished lunch time on Sunday. During this time runners can undertake as many laps as they wish. Runners enter as either solo, pairs or teams. Pairs and teams can only have one member out on course at any moment in time, although no one has to be out on the course. The route is all trail but given the heat and dry weather road shoes worked well, and the water station at half way was certainly needed.

The camp site opened on the Friday and so after school I took the girls and Little Man to Endure. Whilst we own a nice 6 man tent I had opted to pay for a ZooBells pre pitched tent. I was on my own with three children and just didn't want the stress of pitching a tent and watching them. I was so glad I did. Our tent was amazing. Comfy beds to sleep on and lots of room to run around. No stress or hassles everything was taken care of.

It was worth the extra money and Little Man decided to have a rest before we went to explore the rest of the site.

We had arrived in time for the kids race. My eldest took it seriously and ran off at speed, my youngest stayed with me for the first 5 minutes before deciding to catch her sister and Little Man decided that he wanted to investigate every single rock on the path on the way round. We got round eventually, but it was hard work and I was very thankful for our comfy beds!

The hot summers day meant a bright evening and so we played around our tent before climbing into our beds around 9.30. I had decided to pack as light as possible. Taking food and snacks, but knowing we could buy pizza for dinner on the Saturday. I packed minimal camping gear too. Knowing there was the possibility of one or more child needing the toilet in the night I had taken with us our Varta outdoor sports comfort lantern. It is light weight enough for the girls to carry, with the carry handle making it easy to hold but also given it has a hook it meant I could hang it in the tent. One of the reasons I chose this lantern over others was I knew it would last over 130hrs, so if one of my kids left it on all weekend we would still be ok, and also it is water resistant, shock proof and attracts less insects than a traditional torch/lantern.

The only electronics I had taken was my phone, which I did need to charge during the weekend. I took with me a Varta Slim Power bank, which is a similar size to my phone. I had charged the power bank up before we left and had the cable in the car should I have needed to give it a quick charge whilst there but I need no have worried. The power bank charged my phone on a fast charge and had enough power to last me all weekend too. Given how light weight it is I now carry the power bank on my long runs in case I need to charge up my phone too.

We awoke the next morning to another glorious day, we had all slept well but had been surprised at how cold it dropped over night. The girls and Little Man were excited as Grandma was coming to stay with us after lunch. First though I was up first for my team and a single lap of the course.

The first lap was good. I ran with two of my friends and it was a good way to assess the course. It was busy and crowded as you would expect for the first people out, but it gave me an idea what to expect. I completed my lap and returned to play with Little Man and the girls. We bought an ice cream from the van on site and played near the tent to wait for Grandma.

We had brought bubbles to play with, which they loved chasing and it was also great walking round and trying to find people we knew. There wasn't really much else on for the kids, which did disappoint me a little. It was rather lucky the weather was nice so we could just spend the time outdoors, cheering on other runners and generally exploring.

As the day continued you began to hear runners planning laps with teams, adjusting strategies and making plans for the night. I had a double lap to do just before putting the kids to bed and then another double in the early hours of the morning. I wish I had taken my phone with me for the early hours but had opted to leave on charge in the tent. My first of the double was freezing cold and I ran with my hoody on. It was pitch black and I used my head torch. I run with an LED Lenser NEO 10R torch as I can wear it as either a head torch or chest torch. I could see all the lights of the other runners over in the distance and set against the dark and misty background it was just beautiful.

The mist continued through the woods. The majority of the solo runners were now walking and I would chat with them on my way round. Full admiration of what they were undertaking. The course was much quieter at this time of night and it felt a lot different to running in the day. My head torch highlighting where I needed to put my feet to avoid tripping over the roots and rocks. Other runners using the beam from my head torch because theirs had run out of battery. One lady runner was having her own private disco as her head torch would work intermittently and for varying amounts of times.

It was really peaceful, if not a little cold.

I completed the first of the double and set off around the course again, this time the sun was starting to make an appearance and the pitch black was replaced by a golden haze. Slowly getting brighter, the colours appearing over the fields were stunning. I longed again for my camera. I wanted to stay on and run a third lap. I think I had been given the best time slots, first running in pitch dark and mist to slowly watching the sunrise, it was amazing. I handed over to my team mate and went back to bed, getting ready for my final lap at 10.30ish.

The next part of the morning is some what a blur, quite literally. As I climbed back into my bed, which Little Man was also sharing with me he turned over and poked his fingers in my eye. In doing so his rather sharp nails tore my lens. I was in agony.

My eye would not open. It filled with tears and every time I tried to open it I was struck with a sharp pain. I tried my best to get the kids ready and myself ready but knew I needed medical help so I went to the first aid tent. They couldn't do anything for me. I couldn't see. People looked like vampires from twilight, all shiny. Nothing was sharp and I couldn't focus. Determined not to let my team down I ran my last lap blind. Listening to the sounds of people footsteps around me and trying to remember the course from the early hours of the morning.

I finished with enough time that if I had been able to see I would have done another lap, but the pain in my eye was too much and I stopped at 6 laps, 30 miles. Luckily because we had a pre booked tent we didn't have to take a tent down and just had to put our bags in the car. First aid agreed to wash my eye in case of any grit from the run and I made my way to hospital with my Mum.

Not the ending I had hoped for for Endure 24, 6 laps and an injury! It took just over a week for my sight to return to normal and a month later I am just about able to work on the computer without too much pain. Despite the bad ending Endure 24 was a lot of fun, so much so I am already booked for next year. This time as a pair! Cannot wait to tackle the challenge again! In fact I enjoyed the 24 hour challenge so much I have looked into other 24 hour races and even Revolve24, a 24-hour cycling endurance challenge hosted on the UK’s favourite motor circuit Brands Hatch, if it had been on another date I would have signed up! Let me know if you know of any other 24 hour challenges!

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