I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Family, Favourite Posts · August 13, 2015

Reflecting on A-Levels Results Day

It’s that time of year. That time when young adults all over the country are preparing to get their A Level results. They have their future ahead of them planned with universities chosen, provisional places given and hope, dreams and ambitions that they are longing to fulfill.

So much rides on that piece of paper. That paper they have waited months to see and the paper that has given them sleepless nights for so long. How have they done? What will happen if they don’t get those grades they need? What will their parents say?

I started college back in 2001, studying four A-levels – sociology, psychology, english and law. I had dreams of being a lawyer, a criminal psychologist or maybe even a teacher. I wanted to be the first in my family to go to university but not just go to university but to do really well and to make friends through my further education that would last a lifetime.

In the end, three short months into my college courses and just a couple of weeks before Christmas I got kicked out of home. My parents had split up six months before and my home life went in a direction I never expected. I spent the next six weeks or so juggling college with my part time job whilst sleeping on friends’ sofas and trying to find somewhere to live. It was a really tough time and through it all I just wanted my family back together.

Reflecting on A-Levels Results Day

In the end, in January, aged 17, something had to give and that was college. The council wouldn’t help me with accommodation as I wasn’t a child but wasn’t yet an adult – a very grey area at the time. I also worked 2 hours more per week than I was allowed to for housing benefit and even promising to cut my hours in future didn’t help – I needed to work less for three months before the council would help me. So the choice was made for me. I had to work full time and I had to leave college.

I cried when I told the lecturers. I thought I had thrown my life away. That I was destined to be renting a room in a house and working in a shop for the rest of my life. I was 17 and thought I had given up every dream I had ever had.

The following year I went back to do evening A-levels. By that point I had got a better job but working full time and then doing two nights a week at college and trying to study the rest of the time was exhausting. Three months in I dropped out – again. I just couldn’t do it. The same thing happened the following year and I decided then that I wasn’t going to ever get my A-levels.

At that point, aged 19, I had a boyfriend of just a few months. I was still renting a room in the same house and really nothing much had changed. I felt like a failure. I felt my life was over and I felt like there was nothing much in my future to look forward to.

It may sound dramatic but inside the mind of a teenager emotions are strong, they’re real and they are very much valid. To this day my Mum swears I threw away my education and that is how I felt back then too. I felt like I’d thrown away everything I had ever wanted in life. It was a devastating couple of years and I really didn’t know where life would take me after that.

But now, zoom forward 12 years and I hardly remember that time. It seems like a distant memory and it seems almost like it happened to someone else. I have achieved so much in those years. I worked up the ranks at work, slowly but surely, and have now worked for the same company for that whole 12 years. I have done a lot of job roles, had a lot of responsibility and even became a manager for a few years, choosing to take a step back after having children.

I have holidayed in four of the continents in the world and seen some amazing things. I got my first mortgage when I was 22, got married when I was 24 and had two children by the time I was 30. I am now in my forever home with a beautiful family and juggling work with this blog and our family life. It’s a life that I never imagined possible and although marriage and kids were somewhere in my dreams the work aspect wasn’t something I had ever expected but it has definitely worked out for the best.

I’m not writing this to blow my own trumpet. I am writing this to say that no matter what A-level results you get today don’t think that your life is over. Don’t think that your dreams aren’t achievable and don’t think that you have thrown away any hopes and ambitions that you have.

As you get older your dreams may change or they may get slightly harder to reach but they are still very much there and you are still able to achieve anything you want in your life. Life really has only just begun and you have the world at your feet.

Whatever your results today – good luck with the next chapter in your life. These will be some of the toughest but most rewarding years of your life – go out and grab them with both hands.

Reflecting on A-Levels Results Day

In: Family, Favourite Posts

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Comments

  1. Colette B says

    August 19, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    It’s mad isn’t it, at the time those A Level results are all consuming but they’re just a stepping stone to the next thing. I didn’t get into university first time round – my predicted grades were shocking. I did better in my exams than we though I would (though still not great) and applied again the following year with some powerful and relevant experience under my belt. I got an unconditional offer for the course I wanted – interestingly I later found out I had considerably lower grades than my peers on that course. The work experience I had sought out for myself in the mean time nailed it. Yes the grades are important but now, almost half my life later – who cares what A Levels I took?

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