"Christmas... is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart."

I feel like it's been months since I last wrote on here. So much has been going on that it just made sense to go quiet for a while until things were a little more calm. Christmas can be a stressful time of year for a lot of families but for us this year it wasn't the festive preparations and gift buying that was piling the pressure on but the fact that not only was Mrs M starting her new job, we also moved Gifts from the Pirates HQ two weeks ago. (If you can avoid it, moving house this close to Christmas is a crazy idea).

That being said though, we are now in and slowly getting settled. There are boxes in every spot that isn't used regularly and trying to find specific things amongst items still packed has been quite testing. Despite this and the fact we are living without Internet at the moment (it's like being back in the 80s), it's great to be in our new home, which so far has been quiet and very relaxing.

We didn't get to put our Christmas tree up till the 16th of December which was a little grim, being the big Christmas fans that we are, but being able to find a new space for the decorations and even have the extra space for a second tree (thank you Gary and Ruth) was awesome. We filled the house with festive cheer which put a smile on everyone's face and took our minds off the piles of boxes scattered around each room.

As expected it was made quite clear early on that the styling and design of the boys room was going to be my remit. But that's where my creative flair ended and the remainder of the house belonged to Mrs M. Suits me fine though as most of my time in the house is spent playing with the boys in their room. Their room was the first to be organised the weekend we moved in (sorting a place for the LEGO was most important). It was great to unbox all of their books too as they took up a lot of boxes. I'm loving the library/LEGO area they've got now and I'm looking forward to getting some photos and art work up over the next few weeks.

We still don't have internet and probably wont have for a couple of weeks but having my trusty phone means that i can get back in to the swing of writing and play catch up over the next few days. 

I hope you all had a great Christmas and new year.

"If we took a holiday. Took some time to celebrate. Just one day out of life. It would be, it would be so nice".

 It seems that summer is now a thing of the past and we are back to having our family days out ruined by the grotty weather. Last weeks pumpkin and conker hunt ended in an inevitable down pour and Mrs M has complained many times in the last week or so that she has soggy feet. Carrying Opeie about on my shoulders has now turned into me trying to avoid muddy foot marks down my coat. We need a holiday! it's been 18 months since our last proper holiday. This thought was only made more clear today when we opened the boot to get an umbrella and saw our Visit Orlando umbrella staring back at us. 

Even Seth has been desperately looking through his books for pictures of bright skies and sunshine to try and cheer himself up. I thought id write a post about booking a holiday to try and take my mind off the rain thrashing it down outside. Plus Seth has been desperate to make some airport related lego pieces.

Booking a holiday can be quite a stressful time (for Mrs M that is). She is quite the negotiator when it comes to planning that perfect family time away, so I leave her to her own devices. I may make many sarcastic comments about her habits but Mrs M's obsession with making lists has never steered us wrong yet (it's a habit that Seth seems to have taken up too, list after list after list). Once the booking is out of the way, transport sorted, insurance, money, cases, those special locks you need for those cases, transfers, car seats, travel adapters and airport parking It's time for Mrs M's pack the car with cases for a test run activity (yes she's very organised).

And then it's time for my least favourite part of the holiday, hanging around the airport waiting to depart. I never like this part and always feel a little anxious but I guess a lot of people feel the same. Sending your cases off through that black hole with plastic tassels wondering if its going to be there waiting at the other end

Having to send your hand luggage through the x-ray machine can be a little daunting too especially with all the limitations of what you can and can't take through.

 There's something about having to walk through the metal detectors that makes you feel a bit like a criminal, I'm always expecting them to go off and that sinking feeling in my stomach only goes when I've stepped through beep free. Maybe that's just me though, I get like it coming out of shops sometimes too.

Once that's out the way though there's the sitting in a waiting area for x amount of time twiddling our thumbs. We took full advantage of virgins V room last year which was great and made our waiting around that little bit more bearable.

(Mrs M has taken to living in her new Pj's while at home so it's only right that her minifigure does too)

Although the airport arrival time can be daunting its usually over within three hours and then you're on your way to your holiday destination, it's a shame that's not now for us as the rain beats off our Lounge window and I'm having to sit here wearing a jumper... And socks!!

I cant wait to get out of this country for a bit at some point this weather always puts me in this gloomy mood.