So last year we booked a holiday for November so that we would have something to look forward to if our transfer failed. As it happened, it did fail. However, we went back into lockdown and didn't manage to make it on holiday. We moved it to February this year but once again were in lockdown so we moved it to this November and this week we finally made it to our destination.
We booked a lodge at Clumber Park which was again not too far away but this time we had a hot tub. Obviously, being pregnant, I couldn't actually use the hot tub but that didn't bother me too much and honestly I don't think we would pay extra for one again as it didn't really get used much. The site was literally just lodges and a little shop/cafe - unfortunately it didn't even have walking routes, or even parking. Our lodge was the furthest away from the car park so we did a lot of trekking back and forth but it wasn't a major issue. It is a shame, however, that the site we ended up on last time had a gym, pool, soft play and all sorts that was closed due to COVID and this time things would have been open but the site didn't really have anything. All in all though it really didn't matter.
Our plan was to send Oscar to nursery on Monday so that we could get ourselves sorted, pack and tidy the house as check-in wasn't until 16:00. However, with me being at home and him having a cold he was quite unsettled so we ended up keeping him at home which made it almost impossible to do anything. How we managed to get everything done and get to the site by just after 16:00 I will never know! We were a little apprehensive as Oscar's sleep had been awful and he had been having multiple meltdowns a day but we needn't have worried - it was wonderful.
On the Monday evening we ordered Chinese (I haven't had crispy duck or egg fried rice in SO long and it was brilliant). The kids didn't go to sleep until around 9 PM so we just nattered for a little bit and then headed off to bed ourselves. Due to the set-up, Sam and Amy had the double room with Ezra in the travel cot, Oscar and I shared a twin room (but pushed the beds together) and Ant had the other twin room to himself. Unfortunately Oscar had developed quite the cough, although only at night-time, so he regularly woke up coughing but he did sleep until 6 AM which was lovely. We did realise that we had no mobile signal and no WiFi so we were a little panicked that we would have two small children in a lodge for four days with no Netflix but we managed just fine and it was lovely to disconnect from social media etc.
On the Tuesday morning I nipped home to grab some essentials that we hadn't thought of - namely some DVDs, a hair dryer, washing up liquid etc that we anticipated having in the lodge but ended up without. When I got back we went for breakfast in the cafe and used their WiFi to download a few bits on our phones for the kids to watch when we needed them sitting still. In the afternoon we headed to Clumber Park for a walk. It was quite chilly and windy and Oscar had a great time to start with but then did get a bit upset and whingy, wanting to go home. He found a gall from an oak tree which he's not parted with since and we've learnt lots about wasps! We had lasagna with garlic bread for dinner and both kids were asleep by 8 PM thanks to a busy days and no naps for either of them. We spend our evening playing Cat (a version of Pictionary with cats) and then Exploding Kittens.
On Wednesday it was a bit miserable so we decided to head to a soft play in the morning. Ant and I took Oscar to ASDA first to choose a reward for getting stickers on his chart (using the toilet/washing his hands and staying in bed until morning). He chose a HUGE cuddly cat which he then decided he didn't want after we had paid for it... it was a whole kerfuffle! Once we were all back and ready we went to soft play and had a solid two hours with the kids chasing around and having fun. Oscar was a bit apprehensive about the slides but he did enjoy the ball pit and climbing around. He mostly enjoyed the ice cream and his new squishy unicorn which he got from a £1 toy machine as his eventual reward for his chart. It has ended up being quite a useful sensory tool and he even recognised himself that it helps him to calm down. In the afternoon the Dixons went in the hot tub and Oscar sat on the side dangling his legs in then we all got ready for a walk. Oscar nodded off in the car so ended up being really upset when we got there and we made the decision to just go back to the lodge however he had such a meltdown because he wanted everyone to go back with us that it took us a good half hour or more to get him home. Once we got back he played really nicely for a while and I think he enjoyed having some space to play without Ezra around. We had cottage pie in the evening and then watched Bear (absolutely terrible, do not recommend). Again, the kids were in bed by about 8 so we had a decent chunk of time to work with. I did make sure I was in bed by 10 every night though as I knew there was a chance of Oscar being up early and also, being pregnant, I'm generally just pretty tired.
Thursday was definitely the best day! We went to the Tropical Butterfly House in Sheffield which was a mini zoo but also had the most beautiful tropical butterfly house, as the name suggests. The kids had a whale of a time exploring and we managed a good three hours or so there before Oscar started to struggle. Once back at the lodge everyone went in the hot tub (except me) although Oscar wasn't keen so we just wandered around outside chatting to the others. In the evening we fetched takeaways - I got Burger King for Ant, McDonald's for Oscar and KFC for myself whilst the Dixons had Taco Bell. Again, the kids were in bed at a reasonable time so we spent our last evening playing Unstable Unicorns. Unfortunately, however, Oscar ended up coughing so much that he was sick at about 9:30 PM so I just ended up staying in bed with him after that. Fortunately he had quite a settled night in the end though and we managed to just use the bedding from the spare bed in Ant's room.
On Friday we had to check out by 9 AM so we basically just spent the morning packing and tidying up and then headed home. Oscar didn't really eat much other than biscuits the whole time but in the week prior he hadn't even really eaten those so it was an improvement and by Wednesday he had really perked up from his cold and his energy levels had improved from the better sleep and decent amounts of food. Obviously it was a totally different ball game as Oscar is now older and doesn't nap, Ezra has just dropped his nap and is now almost 2 instead of a 7 month old who could barely crawl last time. We definitely all needed eyes in the back of our heads at all times but it was so much fun. All in all it was such a successful holiday and I'll add some of my highlights below:
- Oscar and Ezra's relationship
The kids have never really acknowledged each other much before or played together but they were so cute together this week. Oscar would ask Ezra for a cuddle, Ezra would oblige then Oscar would fall over to make him laugh. Oscar immediately ran over if Ezra was crying to see if he was okay and it was just generally nice to see them interact. Obviously Oscar found it hard sharing with Ezra, especially as he really loved Oscar's trike and scooter but generally he managed quite well although I think he did have quite a high level of anxiety whenever Ezra was around.
- Extra pairs of hands
Although we didn't get Sam and Amy to look after Oscar as such, they became great bargaining tools when we were trying to get anywhere or do anything. Oscar is never keen to get into the car but we made it a race to see who could get strapped in first and he enjoyed it after that... essentially everything became a race but they played along and it made our lives so much easier. It also helped that he would decide he didn't want to go to bed but then as soon as they took Ezra to bed he accepted it was bedtime.
- No WiFi
When I realised we had no WiFi I panicked as I also had no mobile signal. Don't get me wrong, it was an absolute pain when we were trying to organise anything/arrange to go anywhere although fortunately Sam had some signal so we got by. However, it was so lovely to put my phone down and just spend time with Oscar, I'm sure that had an effect on his behaviour too. I definitely feel like it's something I want to continue and in the two days since we have been home I've absolutely spent less time on my phone than I normally would. It also meant Oscar had less screen time as he didn't just have immediate access to whatever he wanted on the TV. The kids still watched a bit of CBeebies and a couple of DVDs (Frozen, Mr Tumble and Paw Patrol) but generally they didn't spend much time in front of the TV at all.
- Tropical Butterfly House
We've never had the opportunity to take Oscar to the zoo before and he absolutely loved it. He's really in his element learning new things and he absolutely adored the porcupines! He loved looking at all the signs, asking what they said and what all the animals ate etc and it was just a joy to watch him suck up all the information like a sponge. He keeps reminding me of random facts now we are home and it's wonderful.
- Recycling
I'm sure not many people would suggest that recycling was a highlight of their holiday but, just like last time, Oscar LOVED taking all the rubbish and recycling to the bins. He did at least a couple of trips a day with either me or Ant and his face lit up whenever anyone emptied a plastic bottle or something that he knew would need to go to the recycling bins.
There were a couple of challenging moments and I was definitely glad to be in my own bed last night (well, Oscar's) but it was by and large one of the best weeks of my life and definitely the highlight of this year. We couldn't wish for better friends to go with and I certainly couldn't have enjoyed it much more, even the weather stayed pretty nice!
