Tag: family

First birthday girl

A Whole Year with my Little Adventurer

18 Comments

People will tell you how quickly time flies when you have children but I didn’t quite believe it. And then along came Evie and in the blink of an eye an entire year has come around and I now have a one year old. How on earth did that happen?!

A few days ago my baby girl turned one and even though I don’t want to get all soppy and emotional on here, I still wanted to share her birthday celebrations (of which we’ve had many) with you and to keep a permanent reminder for myself of how amazing the last year has been with her in my life.

Continue reading →

A Blissful Baby Friendly Holiday with Tots To Travel

6 Comments

Going away with a baby was always going to be more stressful and manic than when it was just the two of us and even though we’d already taken Evie to Paris when she was just nine weeks old, our trip to Mallorca would be her first flight, her first beach holiday and her first taste of the summer sun.

I’m not usually much of a worrier but it can be a bit daunting when you have to remember to pack different factor sun creams for all three of you, swimwear for every occasion (one to keep baby warm, another to keep baby protected from the sun and one to keep any leaks out), plus a pram, travel cot, car seat and the kitchen sink.

Enter Tots to Travel who seriously made our trip so much smoother and stress free, not only by sending us to a brilliant baby friendly destination (although it was still hard to pick where because they have so many dreamy ones to choose from) but also by providing anything we could possibly have needed when going away with a little one.

Continue reading →

Paris with a baby

Adventures in Paris With a Baby: Evie’s First Trip

9 Comments

Having had some serious travel withdrawals due to not being away since September, I was desperate for a break as soon as our little adventurer arrived. Plus I think it was well deserved after, ya know, pushing a tiny human out!

For our very first trip with our little adventurer we wanted somewhere that wasn’t too far away which was easy to get to, and so Paris seemed like the perfect choice. Despite it being so close to London we hadn’t been in 12 years and it’s somewhere I had been wanting to return to for such a long time. The bonus of taking the Eurostar over flying sealed the deal, so we took the plunge and booked our first trip for when Evie was just 9 weeks old.

So many people had told us this is the easiest time to travel with a baby, when they’re tiny and can’t walk around yet and don’t do much apart from eat and sleep, and they were totally right. But a lot of people had also said that Paris is not a good place to go with a baby and hopefully this post will prove that I don’t agree with these people at all! Paris is a great idea with a baby!

Continue reading →

Pregnancy announcement photo

Our Biggest Adventure Yet

33 Comments

You may have noticed that I’ve been a little quiet on the blog and social media front lately which is very unlike me. Usually, as soon as I wake up in the morning I’m thinking about what dreamy photo I can share on Instagram or where my next blog post will take my readers to. I’m constantly editing photos, replying to comments, reading other blogs and getting plenty of inspiration from other people’s travels. But lately there has been something else that has been keeping me occupied which is the reason for my quietness and lack of sharing.

Constant tiredness, nausea, backache, searching through hundreds of different types of cots and prams, and simply planning for the future now seem to take up my every waking second. Yep, that’s right, we’ve got a little mini adventurer on the way who will be joining us in March 2017!

Continue reading →

Family christmas

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

31 Comments

I’m sure it was only a few months ago that the last festive season was here, but it’s come around again, and it’s safe to say that I’m just a little bit excited!  Twinkly lights are lining the streets, Christmas songs are being played everywhere, it’s already taking an unreasonable amount of time to find a car parking space within a mile of any shop, and X Factor is almost over, which definitely means that Christmas is on its way.

We’ve got our thick snowflake covered winter duvet keeping us warm every night and the cheesy but totally cool Christmas jumpers, socks and underwear have made their way back into our daily wardrobes.  I may not have bought a single present yet (unless you count picking out gifts for Mr Ayla to give me) but to me it already feels like Christmas.

If you’re not feeling quite so festive yet then hopefully my 5 favourite things about this wonderful season will have you feeling all twinkly and Christmassy too!  And I’ve made them all into Christmas song lyrics just to be extra festive!

Continue reading →

Holiday in Gibraltar

Reminiscing in Gibraltar

24 Comments

Five years had gone by since we last visited Gibraltar, somewhere extremely close to my whole family’s heart, and on our relaxing trip back last month, we realised how much it has changed in that time.  Modern complexes, plush hotels and fancy restaurants have been built up, turning what was once a quiet and unheard of place into a tourist haven. But despite the changes, as soon as we stepped off the plane I felt like I had come home.

After asking the friendly airport security for a stamp in our passports (because passport stamps are extremely important to us travellers!), we walked across the airport runway – one of the only runways in the world that cars and pedestrians can cross.  We made our way to our hotel knowing exactly which direction to take like we’d never even left. I recognised the flats where our family used to live, Casemates Square where we went for drinks at night, and the restaurants we used to eat at on the marina.

As we walked along the water towards our hotel, I remembered wandering along here 8 years ago, hand in hand with my new husband.

Continue reading →

Catalan Bay Gibraltar

Can Travel Bloggers Have “Normal” Holidays?

33 Comments

Before I even started writing a travel blog, I always loved trips that involved jam-packed itineraries, fascinating tours and delicious foodie finds. I thrive on exploring new places, learning about different cultures and seeing new things, and writing this blog has only made me even more consumed when it comes to planning trips. But our recent break to Gibraltar included none of this. This was the first time I was going away with family since I started blogging, but this trip wasn’t going to be a blogging one; it was to celebrate my mum’s birthday and to unwind in a place that is close to all our hearts.

But, unable to shake my typical blogger ways, the obsessive trip planner in me started to panic a few days before we left. We had absolutely nothing planned and I really do mean nothing. I hadn’t organised a single tour because we’d pretty much seen all of Gibraltar already and I hadn’t even scouted out any new restaurants to try. What on earth were we going to do for 4 whole days?!

Continue reading →

The Book of Everyone

The Book of Everyone

8 Comments

While I wouldn’t call myself spoilt, I do like being treated to a gift or two.  Something as simple as a little box of chocolates or something more extravagant (hint hint) will always make my day. Everyone loves receiving gifts; even those people who say they don’t want anything for their birthday, we all know you’re lying and would be secretly devastated if you ended up with no presents.

I also love giving gifts – not the standard body wash or socks present – that’s not my kind of style. I tend to go on the hunt for something more quirky and individual which I know the person I’m buying for will love. Watching them tear open the shiny wrapping paper, eagerly looking inside, and the look of glee (I hope!) on their face as they find out what they’ve got.

Continue reading →

African Pygmy Hedgehog

Happy National Hedgehog Day!

25 Comments

As it’s National Hedgehog Day today, I thought I would share some pictures of my own little hedgehog because, to put it simply, African Pygmy Hedgehogs are just too cute for words.

I’m usually greeted with a look of bafflement when I tell someone we’ve got a pet hedgehog.  I’ll admit that they’re not a typical animal to have as a pet but they do make a great little addition to the family and she suits us perfectly.  As soon as anyone sees her they immediately want one of their own!

Continue reading →