"I swing between procrastination and being really thorough so either way things aren't getting done quickly."

It is the end of the first week of the school summer holiday and I can't believe how many times I've heard parents complaining about the up coming six weeks. In one case a woman at the school last week looked distraught at the concept of having her children at home, it's crazy!

Myself and Mrs M love the holidays, I can't see why anyone would feel differently about spending quality time with the people they brought in to the world.

We had a great first day and really made the most of the start of the holiday and the lush weather. Seth was desperate to put one of his plans into action but first we needed to assess an area before executing his idea. A little bit of investigative adventure was definitely on the cards to kick off our summer of fun so we packed bags full of necessary gear and headed out for a ramble through the forest.

We spent a good hour or so stomping through the woods, climbing hills and chatting about all the things we were going to do over the summer before sitting down for snacks. Seth asked me to set them a challenge so I sent the boys off looking for ten different kinds of leaves. Then we did a little woodland craft, the boys built a miniature cave for bugs and then we all set about building a big tree using sticks, rocks and moss.

After thorough investigation it was time to put Seth's plan into action, we needed some rope. We acquired the rope in no time at all and headed back to the forest to look for a tree to attach it too. When I was little I loved a good rope swing but in all those years, discovering these swings while out with my friends I never actually put one up myself and that is what Seth was desperate to do.

Good old Google helped me out with the best knot to use (I'd be lost without it) and then it was time to find an adequate tree to swing on. The boys loved watching me climb up into the tree's and as with all the little things I do with the boys I felt like I was reliving my youth a little. I made sure that I picked trees I could get up and down easily so that we could take the swing back down again and move our swing around the forest trying new trees.

Seth made it quite clear that although he was having a great time he wanted a little more than the 'Opeie suitable' swings I was putting up. Right next to where we parked there was a swing put up that Seth was desperate to have a go of but he didn't feel safe holding on (and I wouldn't have let him anyway). I didn't want him to miss out though so we found a thick branch, strong enough to take his weight and I tied our rope to it making him a seat. I honestly thought he would chicken out but I've definitely brought up a prop little adventurer.

What an awesome start to the summer holidays. This time of year is the best and I can't wait for many more adventures over these very special weeks, woohoo!!

Spins a web any size, loves the swings and the slides, watch out, herecomes the Spider-man

I love it on days when we leave the house and Opeie decides he wants to take a specific toy with him, the kind of day where that toy goes everywhere with us. It was Spider-Man's turn to be on buddy duty which I love because the red and blue poser is very photogenic plus he was always one of my favourite characters growing up (and still is). After dropping Mrs M and Seth off at their destinations we headed off to the park, it was a warm and bright morning with a slight breeze (just the way I like it), plus we didn't want to head straight home as there was housework to be done, booooo....

Spider-man was in full spirits and joined in with all of the activities, He joined Opeie on the swings...

 He had no choice but to tackle the slide when Opeie launched him down from the top...

He then got a little bit cocky on the rope climbing frame, come on Spider-man nobody likes a show off!!

 He even took part in a spot of hide and seek but lets be honest that costume is hardly the peak of camoflage attire.

Opeie was most excited that we found a giant spiders web for him to take a rest on after his hectic morning playing, The wall crawler looked quite at home.

It was a great way to fill a couple of hours and Spider-man even came with us book hunting after the park, I'm thinking we should have done the park after though as the boys found a lovely story time chair in the park. Its lovely watching Opeie treat his toys like their his best friends, he's such a caring and thoughtful little boy, it reminds me of how i used to be with my toys.

A few hours with mini friends.

Fun in the park with Seth, William and Matthew..... I don't think i need to say much more!!

"round and round the garden, like a teddy bear, one step, two step, tickle you under there"

I had a lovely day planned for me and Opeie but it didn't work out the way i expected. The inevitable falling asleep in the car kicked off proceedings (Opeie not me, that would have been a different post all together). Then silly me not having ANY change for the car park (because despite running about packing a suitcase sized bag with everything Opeie needs i ALWAYS manage to forget something) which ended in us going home. Opeie slept for 2 hours which isn't like him at all, he was obviously shattered and hes not been feeling great this week with his poor teeth.

I made him a nice lunch and then we headed to the park. Opeie loves going on the swings. When your older you tend to forget how exciting going to the park was. My dad used to take us pretty much every sunday which was always nice. My favourite part was playing frisbee with him though, which i look forward to doing with Opeie.

The most appealing thing about the park (apart from the big smile on my sons face) is the fact that there is no need to spend any money. Lets face it the summer holidays can end up getting quite pricey. Its nice to be able to break up all the activities that cost with good old park time.

Remember the time when a stick or even a rock could bring you none stop enjoyment? how i miss those days. Opeie spent quite sometime investigating this piece of bark, I'm not sure why that piece stood out from the rest and he didn't let me in on his findings.

This is a bit of a lazy post i know but i had the camera with me so i thought i would snap away. We had planned to go and see Mrs M's folks before going to get her from work so we were just killing time. Opeie did the usual and started trying to steal my accessories so i just left him to it today (thankfully he didnt break my glasses).

 I guess he just wants to be like his dad, hopefully he will manage to keep hold of his hair for a bit longer than me though. We left the park and Opeie was shattered, after an hour and a half at the inlaws he had had enough and dropped off in the car (again) on the way to pick up Mrs M. So not quite the day we had planned but we got to spend it together. First thing tomorrow i will be filling the car with car park change.