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This day I love.......

Last Wednesday we awoke to a snow day. School was cancelled and I had three children at home to entertain, something I had not planned for. I am slowly introducing the concept of potty training to Little Man and a snow day could not have come at a worse time. I put potty training on hold for the day and when Grandad made a surprise visit we went out to play in the snow.


We got the sledges out and made the most of a quite street. Something we have never managed to do before due to cars speeding up our street and the extra space plus the fact we lived on a hill made for some great fun. J wanted to get in on the action, he loves snow. He still cannot figure out where the snowball goes when you throw it and spends ages digging in the snow looking for it.


Once we had lost feeling in our fingers and toes we came inside to warm up. Little Mans birthday was on the Friday and the girls wanted to bake him a cake, or find an excuse to eat icing.


The girls, baked and decorated their cake for their brother. A true master piece of sugar and featuring every colour known to man. Still they were proud of their creation and I am pretty sure Little Man was just happy he could eat it.

That evening we got all cosy and decided to play a board game. The girls wanted to play Enchanted Forest. Enchanted Forest is a board game aimed at ages 4+, and tests a persons memory skills.


The girls began to move their pieces around the board according to the dice. Their aim to see what each tree was hiding. 


Underneath each tree, there are 13, is a picture from a fairy tale. The aim of the game is to find the tree which matches that of the card in the castle. It is then a race to the castle to uncover the tree and show to all the other players.


There was lots of sneaky tree peaking. My eldest worked out if she went to the castle we assumed she knew where the matching tree was and kept tricking us. My youngest kept the picture on the tree a secret and would use her whole body to shield us as she took a look. There was then a race to the castle as soon as one of the girls found the right treasure under the tree.

Once you have identified the right tree you turn the card over and the hunt begins again, unless of course you can remember which tree holds this treasure. 

The Enchanted Forest game continued into the evening. Snow was falling again outside and we had a feeling a second snow day would be on the cards. 

Enchanted Forest was sent to us for review, all words are my own opinion 
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Last weekend was simply amazing!  

Every Saturday starts with a parkrun for me, unless it is race day and this Saturday was no different.  The girls wanted to join me in my duties as tail runner and so they came along with me.  We were greeted with gorgeous blue skies at Nostell Priory and headed for our pre race briefing.  


I love running Nostell parkrun and volunteering there.  The views as you run around or walk around are just fantastic, especially with the sun shining.


My youngest really was not feeling the run, but my eldest kept zooming ahead.  There was only one way to reward all their hard work, an ice cream!


The girls went to see Grandma and I had a nice steady run to meet some friends to run with Emily and her #PeoplePowerRun challenge.  It was such a lovely afternoon run with some great company.


Sunday was race day and I awoke with aching legs, not the best start to a race.  The last time I completed Leeds 10K was in 2015 and the morning of the race I had discovered I was pregnant with Little Man.  I was excited and nervous to be doing the course again.

Leeds 10K is a fast course, mainly flat except from a lovely hill at 9km.  The roads are closed and really well marshalled and supported.  It is an out and back route starting in the city centre and running along Kirkstall road before heading back into the Headrow.

It was an incredibly hot run and I was grateful for the water stations at 4k, 7k and 8k.  The water spray and sponges also went down a treat.  I once again ran at a comfortable pace, not wanting to pass out, and my plan was to keep the 60 minute pacer behind me.  Just past the 6km mark you turn around to head back into the city and it was here I noticed the gap between me and the 60 minute pacer.  I kept up the same pace and at 8km took the first glance at my watch, 44minutes.  I worked out I could do this so began to push.  

Whilst I couldn't quite manage a sprint finish I did work really hard in the final 1km and came away with my first ever sub 1 hour 10km.  A new PB of 55.57 and one which nearly a week later I am in shock over!


With a free medal engraving on offer I had to get my medal engraved before a celebratory drink!


I love the runners high it is such an immense feeling and becomes very addictive.  I could not sit still so took the girls, Little Man and J for a walk into the woods.  I had Little Man on my back so we could explore and J ran with the girls.  I loved watching them play and use their imagination.  Exactly what childhood should be about.


It was such an incredible weekend and one which is going to take some beating.  I even managed to have 3 children asleep at a reasonable time!

This day I love a weekend of running and fun

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I recently found out about a free event in Manchester which encouraged kids to get muddy, messy and explore the outdoors.  The event sounded fantastic and so we ordered tickets.  We arrived in Manchester, after an hours drive, and whilst the event was there, there was no direction, no instructions and we had no idea what we were supposed to be doing.  Instead we made our own fun.


We explored the woods, built dens and even went on a nature hunt.  We made letters from twigs and even wrote our name in the mud.  We also tried some of the activities from this handbook I found on Haven Holidays. 


 We were all very disappointed about the event, but we made the most of our time outdoors.  It wasn't the afternoon we had planned, and to be honest we could have done the same closer to home, but we had a great time together and the girls love spending time with Grandma.


This day I love a Walk in the woods
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A true design and engineering passion is evident with the Kiddimoto U-zoom.  The way the whole scooter functions has been designed with both parents and children in mind.  For the little ones the cleverly designed steer function, means the Kiddimoto U-zoom is very responsive to movement.


The wheels are a good size, allowing them to cope with any terrain thrown at them.  They are also easy to clean if covered in mud.  The wheels on the U-Zoom are extra special as they contain LED lights which flash the faster the wheels turn.  

For adults the U-Zoom folds and fits neatly under most pushchairs.  The handle bar is height adjustable, meaning the U-zoom grows with your child and should last for longer.


The Kiddimoto U-zoom currently has three patterns available.  Each with the same features including a foot board with a good grip to catch any slipping feet.


The handle bars are soft and chunky enough for even the smallest fingers to get a good grip.


Both girls enjoy the Kiddimoto U-Zoom.  I fold the U-Zoom and carry it under the pram to pick my youngest up from school who then rides it home.  She will then ride it to school later to give to her sister to ride home again.  We love that it is portable enough to be transported this way, and that both girls are able to use the U-Zoom.




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I am really missing playing outside with the girls.  As much as I would love to, I know at the minute that it would be the wrong thing to do and quite probably extend my physio and recovery beyond the current predicted time.  With the weather nice, the girls decided to play in the back garden.

It was lovely listening to their story unfold and their imaginations take off as they went on a hunt for the spotty monster. 


J meanwhile was trying to stay out of the action and simply wanted to chase his ball around the garden.


The girls played out different characters


They added in new twists and turns in their story as they hunted for the spotty monster


Searching high and low to find her


They continued to play their game as the sunset and evening set in.  Even when the outdoor lights came on they were still content and happy playing in the garden.  

I so wish I could have joined in the game with them, not long now.

This day I love playing into the night
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When I was younger I spent many holidays in my Granddads caravan.  I loved it and always had a great time.  I wanted to give the experience to my girls' to see what they would make of it and so we went to Sand Le Mere on the East Yorkshire Coast.  The drive was just over an hour so it wasn't too far away to go and we know the area well.

Our first impression of Sand Le Mere was that it looked very modern and clean.  The site features swimming pool, outdoor play area, indoor soft play, a Coffee Republic, bar/restaurant and shop.  


After checking in we headed over to our caravan, this was a short drive/walk away from the main complex.  The site comprises of  lodges, static caravans and camping pitches.  We were staying in a static caravan and were very pleasantly surprised by the size.  We had plenty of space and everything was clean, we even had an en suite in the master room.  The girls loved their twin beds and the fact they could sleep together in their own room.


We spent the rest of the day in the caravan, unpacking and getting familiar with the onsite facilities, even having our dinner in the bar.  

The next day [Saturday] it was raining, heavy.  


We decided that as we were on the coast we would get in the car and see if the weather was any better further along the coast.  Just over an hours drive north up the coast we arrived at bright blue skies and sunshine and at one of my favourite places, Scarborough.  Scarborough was where my Granddads caravan was located and so I have some wonderful memories there.  It was so lovely to not only have the caravan holiday but also the same experiences I had had on my holiday all those years ago.


The girls loved Scarborough, we rode the train at Peasholm park station and took it to visit the Sealife centre.  We rode back on the train and visited Peasholm park.  It was wonderful showing the girls where I had spent my holidays and watching them take everything in.  Of course you cannot go to Scarborough without visiting the beach


The girls were tired out after their day at Scarborough and so we spent Sunday on site.  The first point of call for us on Sunday was the swimming pool.  It was still raining so we needed something indoors to do.  The pool is closed between 1 and 2 for lunch, so although I could not take pictures whilst it was open I could get some photos after, thanks to the viewing area in Coffee Republic.


The boiler had broken whilst we were there meaning the pool was a little cold, I have heard its now fixed, so the girls could only stay in for 20 minutes as they began to get cold.  They loved the slide in the toddler pool and my youngest loved the fountains.  The pool was clean and there are family changing cubicles which are enormous so we could all get ready together in plenty of space.

After swimming my husband needed to warm up with a coffee in Coffee Republic,


I however took the girls to the indoor soft play, which had a spiral slide in the middle.  The girls did not need much persuading to get in and play.


My eldest is a little dare devil and she loved the perspex platform at the top of the soft play.  This looked all the way down and she kept jumping on it and lying on it.  The girls had lots of fun exploring before it was time for lunch.  I was a little surprised that Coffee Republic didn't have sandwiches or toasties for sale as I wanted to give the girls their lunch but never mind they did have great cake.

The sun decided to make an appearance in the afternoon so we headed over to the outdoor play area, it was quiet I think because of all the rain.  The girls loved it and had so much fun.


It wasn't long before the rain came out again so we headed back to the caravan and spent the rest of the day playing games.

We had a wonderful weekend holiday at Sand Le Mere and it was so great that I got to share a caravan holiday experience with my girls.  The girls absolutely loved it and have asked to go again!

We were provided a free stay at Sand Le Mere, all words and opinions are my own. 


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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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