40 Days of Summer Part 1

Today is the first day of the summer holidays for us. It's amazing how quickly the time goes. It doesn't seem five minutes ago my son had his nose pressed up against the window, praying for snow, yet now, here we are, waving another school year goodbye. He is eight now and today we were talking about making the summer holidays count. Even he is beginning to notice how quickly they fly by! So, we came up with a plan. 40 Days of Summer. The idea is to make a point of doing something fun every day of the holidays. As he is getting older, I am aware that it won't be long before he is off doing his own thing and won't be so interested in the little activities together as a family. I thought this would be a great way to make some memories and share some great summer adventures!



Day 1: Make a Rocket Cake!

Luke has a bit of a cold and it was insanely hot today, so we stayed in for some of the day and made a rocket cake. It was a variation of our trusty Pizza Cake recipe, because I found this brilliant new cake tin in Sainsburys in the sale for just over £5! It's great for the money, sturdy and the cake comes straight out of the tin every time.

The beauty of it is, it's really fun to decorate and very appealing, especially for boys who need dragging away from the iPad or Playstation! I recommend Cadbury's Giant Chocolate Buttons for the port holes and we used orange Midget Gems for the fiery tail!



#40DaysofSummer What will you do today? 



Day 2: Swim, obviously, it's 28C!!

Today we literally could not move, because we are British. Little heatwave results in large puddle of family members melted on the floor. So, there was only one place to go... Here!! >>>  
I bought this 8ft Bestway pool in a post-summer sale for about £10 or £15. This is the first year we've really used it, but it's been so worthwhile this summer already. Once it's filled, you can get a little Chlorine Dispenser that keeps it clean, so it's relatively economical on water, as you only fill it once, and the inflatable top keeps the water in, so you don't get an empty pool surrounded by lush grass, after a couple of uses! Luke's swimming has really improved, as he feels more confident snorkelling in circles around the pool! There are lots of games we play to increase water confidence too, like throwing in a coin for him to find. He doesn't know he's learning to swim underwater, he just enjoys finding the coin! You can make water toys out of pretty much anything, kitchen utensils (tea strainer, jug, funnel) or water bottles with sports caps for squirting! You can fit a fully-grown human in these pools too. It's so peaceful, just floating about in the sunshine on a hot day! If you can see the appeal of some relaxing floating, I have found the same pool in the Argos sale for half price at £19.99. Considering how much summer is left, I think that is a great price.



#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?


Day 3: Table Tennis Championships!!

Today was another swimming day, but when it got too hot, we retreated indoors, in the interests of sun safety, mainly. So, what to do? Luke was full of his usual beans, so I thought something relatively physical was in order. Out came the table tennis set and we all took it in turns to be spectacularly useless at it! There are no Forrest Gumps in this family, it would seem. Although, in fairness, our dining table is considerably smaller than I realised! It's great fun, though, and is entirely possible to play on a small table, it just takes some getting used to! If you are playing with small children, the bounce, hit method works well. Bounce the ball first, then hit it and allow it to bounce before returning it. This lessens the chance of stray balls and unexpectedly fast ones, so injuries are less likely. The set we have came from Sports Direct and is currently less than half price in their sale for £6! I was surprised how much energy table tennis requires and would definitely recommend it for using up excess energy on a rainy day, or if it's too hot to be outside! 


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today? 


Day 4: Picnic in the park!

Four days in and our first picnic of the holidays! We love picnics. Luke is quite a fussy eater, so it's a good opportunity for him to be involved in the planning and choose what he wants to eat. He always eats really well on picnics and I think it's because he has that element of control over what he gets! He is 'between bikes' at the moment. That is, he is still quite stumpy-legged, but not stumpy enough for his old bike. He isn't confident on the new one yet, as there seems to be quite a significant difference between the sizes, but he was happy enough on his scooter! I actually prefer scooters sometimes, as there's less to carry home in the event of an accident or other child-related drama. As well as the essential hurtling about, we also made 'shadow selfies'. Luke has been learning about light and shadow at school, so it was even educational! If you are of the stumpy legged variety, you can stand on a bench for the full effect!

#40DaysofSummer What will you do today? 

Day 5: £1 Rollerblading!

This is a bit of a cheat, really, because I popped out this morning to our local Waste Management site and happened to find a pair of rollerblades in the right size for £1! Our local council (like most, I guess) are very keen on recycling and recently set up a little shop where you can buy used goods that are still fit for purpose. The prices are very reasonable and it's a real Aladdin's cave. You can find anything from skis, to sun roofs, to soft toys. It's a great place for students, too, as there are all sorts of furniture items to choose from. If your local Council doesn't have a Reuse shop, it would be well worth finding out if there are any plans to start one. They are great for the environment too! Anyway, today's picture is a tentative shuffle across a carpark. I'm told rollerblading is harder than it looks, but for £1 it won't be the end of the world if he doesn't take to it. He's a long way off championship speed skating, but, hey, at least he's outside and I'm sure he'll get faster eventually! 


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 6: Play Park and Muffins!

This should have been posted yesterday, but I
found bananas reduced to 1p a bunch in Tesco, so I had to divert my attention to making mountains of banana-based cakes! Yes, it was another day at the park. This was a swing park, though, so there was less hurtling and more trying to swing higher than
Dad. The great thing about #40DaysofSummer is that the emphasis is on spending time together, not on what you actually do. Children have a fairly low attention span, so twenty minutes seems like a really long time. This is great news if you work and find your time really stretched. I think the term 'quality time' is overused and has lost its meaning, but giving a child your full attention, and throwing yourself into something they enjoy, for even just a little while, is so worthwhile. So don't be put off making memories because you're short of time, or money, just get out there and do something silly! You will put a smile on both your faces!

#40DaysofSummer What will you do today? 

Day 7: Inventing!

A big black cloud descended over my little house today. Then it went away. Then it came back. So, it turned into one of those days where going out was just too risky, as we are primarily bus travellers, which is fun, until everyone gets wet. Especially if it happens on the way to your intended destination! It never did rain, but we still have a sky full of menacing clouds, even now. Which is
typical, but I can't spend the whole of day 7's post moaning about the weather, can I? I thought it was about time to excercise my son's brain, so I set him a little challenge. Could he invent something, with a specific purpose and then build it, demonstrating what it does. Out came the Lego...
When he eventually finished (see blueprint, right!), he had created a working contraption. for picking up dropped toys when he is strapped in the car! In the interests of adaptibility, he also found it was very handy if a bad smell should impinge his nostrils. I think a visit to Dragon's Den may be looming, I can really see that one coming in handy! 
#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 8: Water, Water Everywhere!

We ventured further afield today as the temperature had dropped a little. Bus travel is so exciting when you are small. I remember it well, nose pressed against the window, a world of possibilities over the horizon! Bus-face is one of my favourite things about day trips. I love the build up of excitement as we get further and further away from home. Today, we were only going to The Waterfront, about 10 miles away, but it honestly could have been the moon, for the anticipation it
created. We got to our destination at around 11am and it was brill. Firstly, we spent two hours watching sport on a Big Screen while Luke frolicked in the various water features, then we had a spot of lunch on The Waterfront, over looking the boats. This was followed by a fabulous 45 min cruise of the Floating Harbour. It was such an enjoyable day. The thing we love most about Bristol is the atmosphere, it's so laidback and serene. All the children played so happily together and there was not a tantrum to be had anywhere!



#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 9: Let's Go Fly a Kite!

I know kites are normally an Autumn pastime, but today was a windy day. Living in a hilly area it is pretty much law to own at least one kite, as there is usually a bit of wind somewhere. The great thing about kites is that they don't have to be expensive. I know you can buy uber-technical trick-kites that will do somersaults, pirouettes, and possibly make you a cup of tea, but for little ones, the cheaper the better. This rather lovely example came from Poundland. It is very light, so it flies easily and can be controlled by little hands and is dead easy to put together. As proven by me. If I can do it, it must be idiot proof! Flying kites isn't nearly as difficult as some people think. If you have a small, light one, like this, you can just find yourself a good size hill, throw it, and use the string to pull it into the wind until it starts to fly. Then, unravel the string, by flicking the handle side to side and you're away! There is a real sense of achievement when someone really small makes their kite soar 'miles' into the sky! For an even cheaper version, and more amusement, you can make your own here.


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 10: Sand Castles and Seascapes!

We are already a quarter of the way through the holidays! This is unbelievable to me and reinforces how important it is to make every day count, before everyone goes back to school and thoughts turn to more wintry pursuits like moaning about the cold and *shudder* Christmas! But not today. Today
was a day at the seaside. Weston-super-Mare to be exact. Not famous for its rolling waves, we were very pleased to find the tide was in when we arrived at 9am. This was so unexpected, we were totally unprepared. Not one to be put off, Luke pretty much dived in anyway! He didn't mean to, he's just one of those children who is either wet or grubby most of the time. After a long and enthusiastic spell in the waves, 'trying not to get wet', we made sandcastles whilst attempting to dry off. This didn't work, so we trooped off to the shopping centre, in search of dry clothes. After a quick rummage in Peacocks, a less soggy Luke was once again ready for action, so we headed for one of the arcades near the seafront with a selection of Penny Falls machines. I am sure these are more popular since Tipping Point arrived on our screens, but we've always found these great fun. The machines take two pence pieces, which I save up in a money box between visits. The fun part is that, as well as winning more two pences, if you manage to tip some over the edge, you can also win small figurines and keyrings. We got quite a haul for the princely sum of £6 between four of us and over an hour's entertainment!


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 11: Building a Den!

We had planned an exploring expedition today, but it's been raining on and off all day. In the end, we went for den building instead. We've been doing a bit of decorating lately, so all the dust sheets made a brilliant canopy for our dining table and chairs. We used the chairs to create an entrance, with our
big crafting board for the 'porch' roof. I don't know why children are so fascinated with hidey-holes, but I do know he will happily sit in there all day, with his torch and a pile of sausage rolls! This is also a great way to play board games. We attempted the card game Monopoly Deal. It may just be me, but it seemed very complicated! I don't think either of us worked out how he won!


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 12: Making Biscuits!
This evening we made biscuits. I developed the recipe because I don't get on well with gluten. Nothing specific, it just makes me feel not-so-great. I recently discovered Spelt flour, which contains a different type of gluten. I find this much easier to digest. So, these biscuits can be made with wholemeal flour or, if you have a more delicate constitution, you can use Spelt flour instead. I am a massive fan of baking with children. I love recipes like this one, where you have to get your hands inhere if you'd like to have a try. I used writing icing, which you can buy from supermarkets and comes in a tube, a bit like toothpaste, for ease of use. Any sweets will do for decorating. If you are baking with young children, I don't recommend using the silver balls, as they are very hard and not ideal for new teeth!
the mix and get really involved in the whole process. It's just brilliant fun and teaches children not to be afraid of food or trying new things in general. The recipe can be found


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 13: It's Movie Night!

Well, movie day, really. We made too much popcorn again, but no one seemed to mind. Popcorn is actually pretty healthy, especially if you make your own. We've had our popcorn maker forever and use it all the time. It's basically a capsule containing what is essentially a very small hairdryer. It heats up the kernels until they pop, then they push their way out of the funnel at the front. You can
buy one for around £15. Amazon have a few to choose from at the moment and they are an investment as the kernels cost around £1 for a 500g bag, which will last ages. You only need about 50g for a generous bowlful! It's also quite fun to make, watching a few tiny kernels turn into lots of fluffy popcorn. The film we watched was Phineas and Ferb the movie, but, if that's not your thing, remember; it's not about what you watch, but who you watch it with!


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 14: Thing that go Squelch in the Rain!

Last night I hung out two loads of washing. It snaked in lines across the garden, taunting the sky. So it rained. All night and most of today. It was nice not to have to water the garden, but having stayed in most of yesterday, Luke really needed to go out today. Boys are just not designed to be indoors! As soon as the rain stopped Luke and his sister went off for an explore with a camera, to see what minibeasts the rain would bring out. The world always looks more interesting through a lens. It really helps to focus on small details and children see things in a totally different way. It soon became clear that snails were the order of the day, with a few slugs (naked snails?!) thrown in. Luke has a Vivitar Vivicam 5119, which currently retails at around £20. It's a really good camera for children, because it is light and easy to use. I love that it has a screen, as this is really helpful for children to see what they have taken and improve their shots. It also has a video function, but we've not really used that yet. Here are some of our best examples of snails. I hope you're not squeamish! 


 #40DaysofSummer What will you do today?



Day 15: Shooting Hoops!

We really don't go here often enough. It's about a mile from our house and has the most fabulous views across the countryside. I have tried to take a picture of the view but I can't really do it justice! Anyway, it's staggering how much fun you can have with a basketball. I was mainly enjoying the views and trying to take some good action shots, but it was really fun watching Luke get so involved in scoring baskets. I don't think it hurts to get children interested in sports. It's also really nice for
Luke, because this is something he's pretty good at and, more importantly, he is better than his older sister, which is always a bonus. There were no costs involved in this outing, we just took some cold drinks along, as it was a very hot day. It's lovely to have the space to run around, the garden has shrunk so much since the paddling pool went up and boys, especially, do seem to benefit from letting off steam. There are football goals there too, so that's something to try next time! 




#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 16: Castle Toilet Park! 

It was off into Bristol today for our weekly bus jolly, this time a little detour through Castle Park. I am going to have to do a full-size post on this lovely little gem, as it is such a fabulous place. I
am always in awe of the fantastic history hiding around every
corner of our wonderful city. The unique aspect of Castle Park is that the history it contains is part of it's charm, but it doesn't define it. People go to Castle Park to soak up the sun and the atmosphere, maybe have an ice cream, meet friends, but snuggled amongst the grassy mounds and cheery ice cream vans are some beautiful pockets of history. I am weirdly fascinated by what I am convinced is the fanciest toilet in our fair lands, so we entered through the Castle Park Toilet entrance. There is a stunning little tree lined walkway with fruit sculptures that makes a beautiful backdrop for a photo. We had a really enjoyable walk, examining some of the historical monuments, that include the ruined tower of St Mary-le-Port Church and parts of the south wall of Bristol Castle. You can literally feel the past oozing from the dusty bricks and tiny windows. The atmosphere is incredible. It's really one of those rare and valuable places where children can cheerfully absorb so much information and wonder, without ever even realising they're learning!



#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?


Day 17: Brean Sands!

When most people think of the Somerset coastline, it's usually Weston-super-Mare that springs to mind. There are however, several smaller, lesser known resorts that offer different types of seaside experience. Brean has a Leisure Park with rides and entertainment, ample parking and a large
covered arcade. What I like best about it, is Brean doesn't have a
pier. The beach is just a good, old-fashioned stretch of sand and sea, perfect for an uninterrupted spell of sunbathing or paddling, without the lure of the (let's face it, fairly expensive!) pier attractions. I don't want to sound like a total misery, but sometimes I just want to sit on the sand with the children and do normal beach stuff, that's why I love Brean. There is so much space. There were a lot of people around, but it didn't feel at all crowded. I have to say a special mention to the ice cream lady, who drove over to where we were sitting, so my daughter wouldn't have to carry all the ice creams and was very reasonably priced, especially compared to some we've encountered recently! The only downsides of Brean were the vast amount of litter and dogs permitted on the beach. This wasn't a problem, as they were well controlled, but could have been if the owners were less considerate. It's a little bit trickier to drive to, compared to Weston, but definitely worth the effort.


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 18: Games Night!

The weather was horrid today, and we were worn out after two days of galavanting around, so we decided to have a day in. We really enjoy playing games as a family, but recently we have become a bit bored with the same games. I remembered when Jade was small, she really enjoyed card games like Old Maid and Donkey, so I had a look on Amazon and found some for just over £1. I have a lot
of small toys and gifts that I buy in the sales for party bags and stocking fillers, so we made a little prize tub, to make things more interesting. Luke got really involved in the games and was really concentrating and trying to win. I think it has done wonders for his sportsmanship, though, as he has stopped reacting badly to losing! The prize tub could contain sweets or chocolates, if you don't have a strange shopping habit for trinkets like me!


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 19: Why Walk, When you can Roll?!

We are building up to a weekend away, travelling from Bristol to London by bus, so things are getting busy here, in preparation. We did, however, manage a bit of a stroll, just in our local area, between persistent showers! This weather is making it really hard to get out and about. I should probably toughen up and go anyway, and I do in the autumn, but I keep thinking it will pass and we will get our lovely summer back! Anyway, amongst other interesting activities, such as hide and seek and racing round the tree, we found a big hill for rolling down. This amused me greatly, as I used to love doing this until I was old enough to know better! Here is a picture of me rolling down a hill on a school trip in the early 90's, next to Luke rolling down the hill outside our front door! 



The grass was greener when I was young!  


#40DaysofSummer What will you do today?

Day 20: Make a Silly Cake!

I love Play-doh, I really do. But, the time comes to us all when the children outgrow it and you can't really justify buying it anymore, even though everyone knows you were probably buying it for yourself. Mainly because it smells so great. There is good news, however, as there is an alternative that is nearly as good. It is mouldable like Play-doh and may not smell the same, but certainly tastes better! I'm talking about fondant icing! Hours of fun can be had, moulding shapes and characters, which you can use to decorate cakes, or just eat, but not too many, or the tooth fairy would be very busy indeed! We made this really silly rabbit cake, that went a bit wrong. Well, it actually went very wrong, as it was originally a mole. Anyway, it might be a bit wonky and a little bit odd, but we made it and it was fun. And delicious. I saw a competition that was closing that day, so we entered with hopeful (delusioned) hearts! We don't stand a chance, but we enjoyed the dream, and the cake. Ooh, by the way, the 'grass' is dessicated coconut, dyed green. It works for lots of different cakes, where you need to add texture. 




 #40DaysofSummer What will you do today?




11 comments

  1. looks like a really fun way to kick off the summer holidays! Plus I love that cake tin... How fab!!
    Love Lucinda xx
    http://thefashionfictionary.com

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  2. I would love to make a rocket cake but our oven broke yesterday and we can't replace it just yet :(

    Louise x

    Confessions of a Secret Shopper

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  3. We're not really having summer holidays as my mum is paying for my son to carry on at nursery for four weeks extra and then it's the week after my wedding so he's going on holiday with Grandma and Grandad and then I get one last, whole week, with him before he starts school.

    Lots of countdowns this summer.

    I think it'll be as many nice things as possible over the next few weeks but a lot of that depends on his behaviour and, at the moment, his behaviour is 'I'm 4, I'm going to school soon so I can do whatever I want!!!'

    Baking, the park, lots of playing... those seem like a good start... If he can be nice enough to deserve nice things that is ;)

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  4. It's such a nice idea to try do something fun each day & even better that you're planning to document it so you have it to look back on in years to come :) The rocket cake you baked looks awesome & very yummy! I'd love to get a fun shaped cake tin, I did actually buy a Hello Kitty one a few years ago but when it arrived it was damaged :( this post has helped me to remember to hunt down a new one now!

    L x

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  5. I agree with loulabeth it is a great way of capturing summer and doing something nice daily I might just do the say. Love the cake

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  6. I think I would be spectacularly useless to (but in a very fun way) with table tennis. Love you ideas.

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  7. Great post!
    - Keyta @ www.TheWayfarer.co

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  8. Looks like you have had an amazing 7 days already. Loving that rocket cake :)

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  9. fab post, lots of ideas. I am loving that cake action, can I come and live at yours please. Looks like you are having a fab time. This weather is sure helping.

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  10. James Lockwood2 May 2015 at 19:28

    What a fun, inventive post!

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  11. What a fabulous read sounds like you have had lots of fun love the cake tin and great find to find the roller skates our council doesn't do this

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