This day I love.......: plans

In an attempt to be organised for next year I am starting to put together our travel plans. These are both wish list and those we already have booked. I find it helps to plan ahead, especially when I am also having to plan around school holidays and my races. Although several of our holiday plans are involved around running too, much I think to the annoyance of my husband. With that in mind here are the plans for next year

Early in the year we are looking to take a short UK break with the whole family. This is to celebrate several family members who all have milestone birthdays. Whilst we don’t have definite plans in place as to where we want to go we are looking at somewhere where we can all easily get to, we live all over the UK so it can be a logistical nightmare, and we are looking for a weekend break and also one which has plenty for the kids to do too! I am sure we can find somewhere and I have been using the website ClickStay to help me find the perfect location and accommodation.

For Easter I am hoping to spend some time with my sister who lives near Brighton. It also happens to be at the same time that Brighton marathon is taking place so it makes perfect sense to me to spend some time with my sister and tick off a marathon that is on my bucket list.

Our travel plans for May have now had to change. We were due to go on a Disney cruise around the Caribbean but after I secured a place running New York marathon in November the cost of two transatlantic flights just were not in our budget. Instead we will combine the cruise with New York and make a multi city vacation out of it. Hotels in New York are already booking up fast with the marathon taking place and so I am looking for a modern apartment in the heart of New York that can accommodate my family instead. In booking an apartment we have a home from home, giving us flexibility whilst we stay in New York. We only plan on a few days in New York following the cruise and as one of the days is the marathon we are simply looking for a good central location to act as a base so we can make the most of our time in the city.

Given our plans for May have now changed I am once again looking at somewhere to go. The girls are expecting a break in May and were really looking forward to the cruise. It might be that we go abroad to somewhere like Spain or Portugal or we might stay closer to home. There is the Edinburgh marathon at the start of the holidays in May so a trip to Scotland could even be considered!

Depending on what we do in May will decide if there is any money left in the budget to go on holiday again during the summer holidays. We might visit my sister once again or even take a couple of weekend breaks. I usually leave the summer holidays to the last minute to see if I can grab any bargains!

Wherever we end up travelling to I can see us having lots of adventures and it is safe to say that 2019 is shaping up to be pretty exciting already!

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March started as February left off, snow. Then more snow. Just for good measure more snow. Races were cancelled and it was simply cold. The thought of long runs made even less appealing but training continued. A 21.5 miles run on ice and snow, took longer than expected but was lots of fun too.

The majority of races in March were cancelled. One of the few that did go ahead was Retford Half. It was freezing cold, then at random points on course boiling hot. It made for difficult running. A rather undulating route, is perhaps the most polite way to put it, I wasn't a fan. I am not sure I was geared up to enjoy the race before it started and perhaps this contributed to the fact I didn't enjoy it. Who knows, either way I won't be entering again. On the positive side I did meet a rather lovely lady and we spent our last few miles together.

Training also meant I had to some times fit a run into an already busy day. Often this meant taking Little Man out in his pushchair. Incredibly hard work as he wants to stop to look at everything, but at the end of the day it is better than nothing.

I have also been trying to do more cross training in March. Spin classes and swimming. I really enjoy the spin class at my local gym, but it is often booked up so I haven't been as much as I wanted to.

You may also notice on the bike an orange bottle. March was an amazing month for me in that I became an ambassador for Active Root. The orange bottle is an active root bottle. I have been using active root on all my long distance training and will be also using on my marathon. You can read more in my review here

As March continued training got harder. Having to reshuffle days around snow days. Re organising cancelled races, and trying whenever and wherever possible to fit runs in. I struggled with my long runs and began to doubt the marathon.

My eldest daughter decided she wanted to start running adult parkrun again. She is such a strong girl and also very determined. Her running is fantastic, and when she wants to sprint I cannot keep up with her. It provides great speed training for me when she does. She has run 2 parkruns this month and on both has got herself a PB. I could not be more proud of her.

I also became an ambassador for Just Strong Clothing. I love the ethos of Just Strong clothing, as they want to empower women from all walks of life to be strong. I aim to do this for my daughters, to motivate them to be strong and so I am really pleased to be an ambassador for Just Strong Clothing. You can use my code LEYLABRO10 for a discount on any orders placed on their store.

March drew to an end with good social training runs with great friends and of course Easter. It also brings with it the realisation that in April I run two marathons. Nerves are now starting to kick in. Training has not gone according to plan that is for sure. Let's just hope I have done enough.

March Training Videos

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Next week sees the last half term holiday before the kids break up for Summer. It will be the last school holiday before my youngest daughter starts school full time in September. She is really looking forward to school starting and I think is already on countdown to the holiday to be over and school to start.

We usually go on holiday over this May Half term, but with the arrival of Little man are currently saving up for a holiday next year instead. We are however planning on taking a short break in the UK and are really looking forward to it. It will be our first time away as a family of 5, and an exciting adventure for Little man.

If you are planning a holiday in the UK, you might wish to draw some inspiration from two amazing projects I have been delighted to be a part of. The first is from Parkdean and is 101 little things. The 101 little things draws ideas of things to do with children across the UK. It is a fantastic list and full of inspiration. The second is a project from Hatchbag and is Best of British: 101 Ideas for Having Fun with the Kids. This is another fantastic collaboration which is sure to give you plenty of inspiration of keeping the children entertained during the holidays.

We do have quite a lot of activities planned next week, and all the girls after school clubs are still running even though it is half term. We are therefore going to be very busy and having a lot of fun. I want to practise our den building skills too, in preparation for #denday which returns this year on the 17th and 18th of June.

Last year the girls took part in den day for Save the children at school and their imaginations created some fantastic dens. We were on holiday and built our den in the garden of the villa. It was a lot of fun to do and really used our imagination to build one not at home. Whilst the event is a little later than last year, we are still planning on having a practise next week. Any excuse to build a den!

Do you have any plans for half term?

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As 2015 draws to a close I am reflecting on the interior design projects that have been completed, those that are still to be done this year and those that will be completed in the future. The arrival of Thing 3 in the early part of 2016 has of course altered the course of our interior design projects and plans but nevertheless we have still accomplished a fair bit.

My main aim this year was to design a luxurious feeling bedroom on a budget. I originally planned the room with walk in wardrobes but after several design consultations this had to be changed. It was decided that this would simply make the master bedroom too small, and now as I reflect on this decision I can honestly say it was the correct one to make.

Our master bedroom has been completed transformed and you can read about the transformation here. One of the biggest transformations in the room is the wardrobes, which I still look at and admire. Every time I walk in the bedroom I feel proud that it is my room. From the gorgeous super king size bed to the beautiful blind. I love every part of it, and cannot wait for the paint to arrive so I can finally complete the room.

The only part of the room I did not change was the lights. Whilst I put new bedside lights the main feature light stayed the same. It is part of the plan in 2016 to change the light to a new one and we are currently drawn to the Artemide collection. For now though the light will remain as is.

As Thing 3 will be making their appearance in the New Year one of the rooms originally not due for a transformation now needs to be converted to a nursery. The main aspect of the room to be changed is the flooring. Currently there is a very dark carpet in there which to be blunt is horrible. I really want to put some laminate down as it is much easier to keep clean with a baby. The paint has been chosen and all the furniture is ready to go in. All that is missing is soft furnishings and blinds. There is not enough wall space for curtains so it has to be a blind.

On the list for this year, although it may now be pushed into next, was to refresh my eldest daughters bedroom. Her room was one of the first to be decorated. The furniture is fine but the walls really need a new coat of paint. Her eczema is also triggered by dust and so one of the biggest changes I want to make in this room is the flooring. Again taking out the carpet and replacing with laminate which I hope will improve her skin. The final change in her room is the light. She still has the same lamp shade she had from a baby and she could really do with something more modern. I am currently looking through the collection on Lampcommerce to find one for her.

Next week sees perhaps one of the final interior design projects of 2015. The front room is finally going to be decorated after living here for three years. The paint and wallpaper have arrived and this weekend the plasterers are coming to fix the damaged ceiling. I am really looking forward to this transformation and finally making the front room ours. The long term plan here is to add a log burner. The previous occupier had one in but replaced it with an electric one to sell the house. The log burner is on the top of my wish list at the moment but it will probably 2017 before we save up for one.

The girls are very lucky that they have a playroom. When Thing 3 arrives I can see us spending a lot more time in here and I would like to brighten the walls up with some new paint and a feature wall. This is another plan for early 2016.

Before finding out we were expecting Thing 3 we had planned to do our en suite and main bathroom in 2016/2017. However we have had to put this plan on hold. This hasn't stopped me planning, designing and day dreaming about a new bathroom. I have many boards on Pinterest full of ideas and inspirations for a new bathroom and en suite, although many of them are secret at the minute.

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