Bringing the holiday home

We are very lucky to be able to get away on holiday several times a year. We've just returned from a week in a self-catering cottage in Wales and we had a lovely time. We did lots of fun things together as a family, and I started thinking about what  things in particular were so good about the holiday, and whether there was anything that we could carry on with now that we're back home.

Obviously there are some things that are exclusive to being on holiday. No going out to work, less housework, extra help with childcare, more meals out and more money spent on day trips and entertainment.

But lots of things are more to do with the change of routine. One thing that I like is that you only have what you need. We took very few toys and clothes, and it was easy to tidy up because everything had a place.

We also spent a lot of time outdoors last week. Obviously this is weather dependent, but unless it is actually raining there shouldn't be any excuse not to get out at least once a day, and even rain can be coped with if you've got the right clothing. We also spent a lot of time at the beach, and being that we live in a seaside town, we really should get to the beach more often.

We had a plan each day for the activities that we wanted to do, and we got on and did them. We also had our meals planned for the week based on a weekly shop.

So I've made a list of things that I hope to do.

• Continue decluttering, and resist the urge to keep buying toys.
• Get outside each day, even if it's only for a walk down the road. Easy to put off when trying to schedule around naps and grumpy toddlers, but it really does benefit everyone.
• Get to the beach more often. To make it easier, I'll put together a bag with the beach toys, changes of clothing etc. that I can just grab and go. I also need to investigate tide times, as the local beach only has sand when the tide is out. 
• Explore the local area - we are quite good at finding free local activities but it's always worth keeping an eye out for what is going on. We're hoping to move house soon, so there will be a whole new local area to explore.
• Plan at least a few indoor activities for each day, even if just something simple like play dough or painting, so I've always got something ready to get on with.

Wish me luck!

Facebook or Twitter?

This is the first time that I've responded to the BritMums Blog Prompt of the week:

Facebook or Twitter? If you could use only ONE to promote your blog, which would you use and why?

This prompt inspired me because I'm new to blogging and even newer to promoting my blog. I also must admit that I'm coming at this from a slightly biased point of view, as I've only ever used Twitter to promote my blog. Although I do use Facebook, I've never even mentioned my blog on there.

The reason is that I use Facebook to keep up with friends and family, and to share news and photos. Most of my friends don't even know that I keep a blog.

On the other hand, on my Twitter account I follow only a handful of friends and family. I have never met the vast majority of the people that I am following, yet I follow people that I have something in common with. I love reading their stories and the interesting links that they share.

I don't promote every post that I write on Twitter, but I feel that I'm sharing my thoughts with people that can relate to them and are interested in them, rather than with people that I happened to share a classroom with some twenty years ago. I'm also a bit uncomfortable with so many people from my 'real' life knowing what I've been up to before I tell them!

So for me it's Twitter all the way!

Croft Farm and Celtic Cottages in Pembrokeshire, Wales

We've just returned from a great family holiday at Croft Farm and Celtic Cottages in Pembrokeshire, Wales. We had such a good time here that I wanted to write a general blog post about all the fun that we've had, in case it might be helpful to anyone else looking for a farm holiday with little ones. We visited for a week in September/October 2011 with a baby (4 months) and a toddler (2 1/2). See my previous blog posts beginning here for more details about the attractions that we visited locally.

The Cottage

We stayed in Talar Aur. It is a lovely cottage, with the unusual feature of having the bedrooms on the ground floor and living areas above. It is beautifully presented and absolutely spotless, with the fully equipped kitchen containing everything that we needed and more. It sleeps six, so we had plenty of space and the little ones could have separate bedrooms. The only additional thing that we would have liked was a hair dryer. We were able to request a travel cot and high chair, and stair gates were available. The cottage has a fully enclosed private garden and first floor balcony with views across to the swimming pool (to check how busy it is) and over the farm.

Most mornings we ordered baked goods from a local baker. If you place your order by 8pm, either by phone or text message, it will be delivered first thing the next morning. We tried many things from the menu and they were all delicious, varying from croissants and cakes to pizza dough.

Outdoor activities on the farm

We made the most use of the outdoor facilities, as we were very lucky with the weather. Every morning we went to feed the animals, and you could return to visit them whenever you wanted. We kept our scraps of food for the pigs, and there was sometimes a bucket of windfall apples to give to them.

There were always plenty of eggs to collect from the chickens which you can take away. The kitchen was well equipped with various cake tins and kitchen scales, so if you are a baker you might like to bring cake making ingredients.

There is a large, fenced trampoline, football pitch and childrens' play area (currently being renovated but still usable). There is lots of open space for running about, and of course lots of animals to see.

Indoor activities on the farm

The playbarn is a fantastic indoor space for people of all ages. It is open all the time, great if you have little ones that like to get up early. One end is fenced off for ride-on cars and trucks. There are three little pretend buildings (a cottage, sweet shop and garage), a slide, large sandpit and chalk board. At the other end of the barn is an air hockey table, football table and table tennis table. To one side are the hutches for the rabbits and guinea pigs, which you can go and visit whenever you like. When we visited, one of the rabbits had just had babies, which were so sweet!

There is also a second small indoor play area adjacent to the swimming pool. This has some soft play style equipment, a pool table and some Lego.

The swimming pool area is spotless and includes a sauna (which costs £1) and spa pool. It has showers but it was warm enough for us to just wrap in towels and walk back to the cottage. Below is the swimming pool viewed from our balcony.

Attractions in the local area that we enjoyed and would recommend

We found plenty to do in the local area. The beaches are fantastic and the scenery is beautiful. As I mentioned though, we were very lucky with the weather, and these are mainly outdoor activities.

Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort
Gwili Steam Railway
Cardigan Island Coastal Park
Cilgerran Castle

Beaches - we visited Poppit Sands, Mwnt and Aberporth - all are within easy driving distance (albeit rather narrow roads) and have plenty of parking (although we did visit out of season). Poppit Sands has a large free car park with easy pushchair access to the beach. Mwnt Beach is accessed via steps down and the car park is owned by the National Trust, so there is a charge for non members.

I've written about the places that we visited in my previous blog posts this week starting here.

We would fully recommend Croft Farm for a family holiday, and would love to return!

Cilgerran Castle

Today we went to Cilgerran Castle which is just down the road.

It didn't take very long to look around, but Harry was fascinated. We climbed up the tower, then when we got down he wanted to go straight back up again.

Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park

Today we went to Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park, near Cardigan. It kept us happily entertained for several hours. First we walked down towards the coast past several fields with different animals in. It was another lovely day, very breezy but not cold. We saw miniature horses, pigs, cows, geese, an emu, donkeys and a llama among other creatures. We were aiming for a view of the seals, but it was a bit rough going with a pushchair and although Harry did very well it was too far for him to walk. So we didn't see any seals but we did get some nice views of the coast.

Back at the top of the hill was a really good outdoor playground which included a large sandpit complete with a multitude of sand toys which Harry loved. Inside there were more indoor toys and puzzles in a large cafe area (we got the feeling that it was geared up for days when the weather is not quite so good). There was a lot to see and we thought it was very good value for money.

Later in the afternoon we returned to Poppit Sands. This time we set up camp next to the rocks, and Ram built a dam so that Harry had a small pool to play in. We went looking in the rock pools and found fish and shrimps, although unfortunately Peppa Pig has built up false expectations of what is commonly to be found in rock pools. Luckily Mia slept in the pushchair long enough for Harry to get himself nice and sandy.

Gwili Steam Railway, Carmarthen

Today we went to the Gwili Steam Railway near Carmarthen.

It was coming to the end of the season so we were a bit limited with dates, and it so happened that today was a special 1940's day. This made the day a bit more interesting, with lots of people dressed up and extra entertainment. Harry eagerly awaited the arrival of the engine.

It had to go around the carriages and then connect from the other end in order to change direction, something which fascinated Harry and we saw him re-enacting with his train set later on.

Luckily it wasn't too busy, and we were able to get a compartment to ourself to avoid other passengers being inconvenienced by a restless baby.

It wasn't a very long journey, although for the price of your ticket you can ride the train all day. We rode up to  Danycoed Halt, where the train stops for the engine to go round to the other end. Then we got out at the halfway stop Llwyfan Cerrig Station where the train stopped for about half an hour. There was a bit of entertainment going on and Ram took Harry to look inside a Royal Mail train carriage. There is also a miniature railway there. Then we returned to the start point Bronwydd Arms Station. 

It was a very pretty journey alongside the River Gwili and we had a really enjoyable time.

Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort and Aberporth Beach

First thing we went out to feed the animals as usual. Harry loves feeding the chickens, he thinks it's hilarious when they flap about.

Then we went to visit Castell Henllys Iron Age Hill Fort. It is a collection of reconstructed Iron Age roundhouses which you can go inside. It was very interesting, although I was surprised to find they have based the houses and interior furnishings on just a circle of holes in the ground. The roundhouses though are built on actual ancient foundations on the site. Harry seemed to enjoy it, Mia was less impressed unfortunately.

Harry was a bit tired so he had an Iron Age nap (for about twenty seconds).

In the afternoon we went to Aberporth Beach. Another beautiful beach and another beautiful day. It was getting late in the afternoon but still really warm. Mia slept in her pushchair and Harry was happily entertained making sandcastles and playing with his truck, perfect.

To celebrate Ram's birthday we had a meal out at Gogerddan just down the road. The food was lovely and it was very toddler friendly, although unfortunately Mia didn't appreciate the significance of the occasion and screamed through most of it, so she spent her evening being walked up and down outside while we ate in shifts.