BOOK A STUNNING ADVENTURE THIS SUMMER

Finally, spring is here! This marks the countdown towards the long-awaited summer holiday season and I, for one, cannot wait to book my next adventure! I’ve been on the hunt for somewhere adventurous, picturesque and most importantly, family-friendly.

If, like me, you haven’t yet decided on this year’s holiday destination, I’ll share with you three of the places that are topping my travel bucket list for this summer:

WILDERNESS FESTIVAL WITH KIDS

You might have guessed that we're HUGE festival fans and every year we try to attend at least two with our boy in tow, in the hopes to create hazy summer magical memories that last a lifetime. A few weeks back we had the pleasure of attending Wilderness Festival as guests of Mamas & Papas as part of their #Shareoursummer campaign. We normally attend End of the Road and Just So Festival, so I was excited to see what Wilderness had in store for us.

We pitched up in the family camping area located away from standard camping, allowing us to be in a total kid friendly zone while still being very close to the main festival area and have easy access to our car – which is soooo handy when travelling with kids as you can leave spares of stuff in the boot rather than all in your tent. At night the campsite was quiet, perfect for little ones sleeping, and it was amazing to see how many families were there with tiny babies or young children running around making friends. Although no matter where we pitch I always seemed to loose our tent *note to self invest in a bell tent! The weather was so warm the whole weekend meaning I could wear my new gorgeous Esme Denim dress c/o Joules Clothing.

As with all festivals one of my favourite pastimes is the food and there was no shortage here! I've never seen such a variety in one place, from F's favourite Mac 'n' Cheese – let's take a minute to acknowledge his cuteness in the below pic –  to gluten free specialists, burritos, Bhangra vegan American school bus cafes, fresh lobster street food, multi-coloured candyfloss carts, grilled and smoked meats, breakfast clubs, organic ice lollies and that's just the food stalls. If you fancy something a little more upmarket you can book a meal at one of the many banqueting tents, where fine dining and candlelit suppers are available. The Laurent-Perrier Champagne bar was certainly a big hit with me and I would loved to have tried an evening enjoying food prepared by one of the many award winning chefs but with a wriggly four year old we stuck to lounging on hay bales to enjoy our bites.  

Situated on a larger site than we're normally used to it still felt quite small and not too busy and it was quite easy to navigate once you'd got your bearings. You can buy a guide when you arrive, which I would say is an absolute must as there is soooooo much to see and do and you can find all the timings and listing for everything over the weekend such as: music and live performances,  theatre, talks and debates, workshops, shops, bars, cinema, disco tents, the hilarious sports area and the best commentator in town, well being fields and holistic tents, food stalls and restaurants and so much more. 

We spent a lot of our time during the day at Family Fun area. A whole section dedicated to making your child giggle in delight, with mini big tops, cafe and kids pack lunch boxes, face painting, crafting, movement workshops, pirate shows and a whole load of bubbles. Each minute of the day is packed with fun activities to get involved with and my favourite evening was spent settling down with F to watch Labyrinth at the open air cinema with a bubble disco afterwards... apparently the goblin king is not so scary after all.

I loved all the market stalls and bizarre shops and oh my the GLITTER! What better way to hide those tired eyes and dark circles than glitter concealer, maybe this is the way forward. We also enjoyed lounging in the Canopy & Stars story tent where we filled bottles with dreams and lay on beds while stories unfolded around us in a theatrical performance.

 
 How cute does F look in his cosy limited edition knitted cardigan c/o Mamas & Papas

Apart from seeing Bjork headline, which was quite frankly brilliant, my other highlight of the festival was taking F wild swimming in the lake, last year that I wouldn't have dreamt of swimming amongst reeds, but as I push myself to be brave and try new things I found the experience completely thrilling and even though it was a little cold it was such an amazing memory.

We had such a fab time and it's such a great family friendly festival that I'm know we'll be back again next year with friends. I mean it's not often you get to see a giant performing puppet with an opera singer attached at a spectacular nght light show is it? This is where magical memories are made! 

Do you attend any festivals? I'd love to hear your favourite kid friendly weekend away.

SUMMER STYLE AND JORD WATCHES // MAMA STYLE

So you've survived week one of the summer holidays? Yes? High fives all round. Not that the summer break is something to be feared, but as a mama who works from home I am constantly torn between meeting deadlines and showering my baby -fast growing soon to start school- boy in attention, cuddles, kisses... and  yes this may sound a little dramatic, but you didn't see the crazy lady who started bawling her eyes out at the final pick up of pre-school....oh you did?...erm yes that was me. Thankfully I have the perfect summer style and a new timepiece c/o Jord Watches to get me through the next six weeks.  

Nothing marks the passing of time quicker than having a child, all those important milestones fly by and then suddenly you find yourself in the throws of summer, their first day of school fast approaching and you wonder where all that time went. Even thinking about it makes me well up a little, big school you say? I remember the first few minutes of bringing him home in his car seat, placing him in the middle of the lounge floor and wondering what the hell I was supposed to do next.  So not only have I successfully managed to keep my child alive – because believe me as a new mama that is pretty much what you're focused on – but through all the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds I have somehow managed to raise a beautiful, thoughtful, kind, funny, brilliant and clever little person who will soon be leaving my side and running off into the playground, where to quote Will Smith, he'll spend most of his days.  

So this summer I want to fill all that time with beautiful memories and magic and mostly love. I want him to feel so loved that his little spirit bursts with joy and that way he'll go off to school happy and I'll have filled the memory banks for all those tiny seconds of the day where I suddenly get a pang for my messy haired bundle, his grubby little hands and infectious laugh.

I have decided to go slow, to not worry so much and keep it simple. Simple food, simple clothes, simple fun. I'm practically living in this patterned kimono/cardigan at the moment - you can find one similar here – as it's super soft and easy to throw on, plus makes a great impromptu picnic blanket. But my favourite new summer accessory has to be this beautiful Cora Series Jord Watch, completely crafted out of maple wood this automatic timepiece is so stylish and simple, with a splash of colour punctuated with Swakovski crystals. I love the whole range and the variety of styles, all delivered in a lovely wood crafted presentation box. Oh and did I mention how cool this book is?

Oh and look who couldn't resist being in on the action. The cutest little photobomber!

Wooden Watches by JORD

FLIRTY SUMMER SKIRT WISH LIST // MAMA STYLE

Now that my legs have seen the sun and I'm no longer sporting my bottle white pins I've been getting rather excited about skirts, not that you can't embrace the natural winter leg look of course, I just don't manage to pull it off somehow. So yes, long ones, short ones, and all those in between, I'm embracing your blue denims, flirty pastels and perfect patterns and making space for you in my wardrobe. So when I saw that Boden had a sale on I couldn't help but pull together this flirty summer skirt wish list.

1. For those who know me this pattern was designed for me! I've totally fallen for this Emilie Pencil Skirt.
2. I like this cute full and fun multi-stripe skirt.
3. I'm loving the Harlequin playful pattern on this pencil skirt, perfect teamed with pumps.
4. Oh my! This scallop-esque patterned fun skirt remind me of summer as a teen.
5. Pretty much a wardrobe staple, a denim midi teamed with a white vest top for the perfect summer vibe.
6. This pretty Broderie skirt would go perfectly with my simple leather strap sandals that I took to France and may have just fallen into my *ahem* shopping basket.

Do you have a favourite summer outfit?

CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY

Even though we are in the midst of a balmy summer with nothing but alfresco lunches and soaking up the sun in mind, it seems that someone in our household is making a mental note of the holiday season to come. F has realised the association of toys and Christmas, and he's getting in his orders thick and fast, so when I received an invite to attend the Argos Christmas Party and take a peek at all the wonderful things wrapped under the tree how could I refuse. This post is a bit pic heavy so click to read more

JUST SO FESTIVAL 2014

With hints of spring and the promise of warmer days, I find my thoughts are turning more and more to summer fun. I've always proclaimed that autumn is by far my favourite season, but it seems as this boy grows I crave each change before it arrives; the golden leaves of autumn, the cold crisp winter underfoot, the fresh light that spring brings and the hint of those slow lazy summer days.

With summer brings the excitement of festivals, something that we have ritually attended for the last six years or so, and when F turned two we decided to introduce him to the festival circuit, hoping that our loves of music, eclectic food and the general good vibes of outdoor living would rub off.

This year we are excited to try Just So Festival, alongside our usual line up. A festival designed for children and families, Just So aims to provide a magical experience where art, music and literature are embedded and entwined into beautiful and wondrous landscape. Sounds good ay?

Image source Just So Festival

After having a look at their programme for 2014 I couldn't be more excited for F, especially with the likes of  Shadow play: Walk the Plank, a kinetic, interactive sculpture which projects silhouetted characters on their journey to a medieval town. As well as Pirate Training Camp, Something to Hold: Pif Paf, Mr Wilson's Second Liners and a visit to the Sherlock Deduction Workshop for me. August roll on up, we're ready for some fun.

Just So Festival takes place on the 15/16/17 August, so go grab yourself a ticket now.

BANK HOLIDAY CAKE & CANDLES

In more recent years bank holidays haven't really meant much to me, in fact I wouldn't be aware of them if it wasn't for the rejoice of a long weekend appearing on my facebook timeline or twitter feed. Since I've been at home with F full time, most days tend to merge together into a swirling blur of toddler, and as Paul tends to work every bank holiday it's never the extended family time that everyone else enjoys. 

Where possible we try and fill these days with adventure, stepping away from the daily routine. This bank holiday we had the delights of a joint third birthday party to attend; balloons, cake, bouncy castle, tipi's, jelly, friends, laughter and sun. The weather held out as did the three year olds – and after three hours on a bouncy castle and a whole lot of cake, F managed the most magnificent meltdown before falling asleep in my arms. 

Thanks to Sebastian for letting me use some of his lovely images from the day. 

WEEKEND DAY TRIPPIN'

After a fun-filled saturday with friends at Bristol Zoo's open-air film night and some well deserved mama time checking out Something Else with the lovely Oyster & Pearl and Little Green Shed, we decided to end the weekend on a high note with a bit of day trippin'.

Ever since our dear friends have mentioned their adventures in Woolacombe, I've been eager to discover it for myself. Only two hours down the motorway this beach promises stretches of white sands, cute colourful beach huts and hearty fish 'n' chips – how could I resist – we bundled in the car and headed south. 

As we negotiated our way through the bikini clad masses we found a small space at the bottom of a sand bank, in the hopes we might find shelter from the blazing sun. F was delighted and I felt myself unwind in the sea air. We spent the whole day digging holes, fetching sea water, jumping waves, spotting jellyfish, eating ice creams, squashing sand castles, catching up with a friend and watching the older kids body board.

We set off late back to Bristol, with an exhausted boy snoring from the back seat covered in a mixture of suntan lotion and sand. I lifted him out of the car and he wrapped his small arms around my neck and I nuzzled his salty hair, glad to have given him this day.