The Christmas Holidays-A Round-Up

Wow, are the Christmas holidays over already?!

What a break!

Where to begin with what we got up to?!
Firstly, RELAXATION was the name of the day, every single day, amigos.

I needed to rest and recharge my ‘batts’ and that’s exactly what I did.

No blogging, work, shoots or paid social media- and although I missed this special place that’s mine right here, a digital detox bar the odd snap on some of my handles, meant truly switching off.

…I did share my pre-Christmas blow dry on insta naturally, though! Hello Hollywood waves.

…And I couldn’t resist some pics over the Christmas period.

Christmas day was a loveable affair with lots of kisses under the mistletoe!

The cutest thing, I didn’t even ask for Xander for a kiss in this, my sweet 3 year old just dived in when Peter was snapping away.

Taken on my phone, this is my favourite photo of the season and might just make next year’s Christmas card!

And look at my little pose below-I literally have NO idea who he gets it from 😉

Thanks for all the ‘thread-love’ on insta too. Here I am in a vintage Jaegar dress picked up in Oxfam years ago and Xander wears a stripy Ted Baker kids shirt and cords c/o Mamas & Papas.

Could this boy be any cuter?! #Biasedmama

The holidays were all about quality time with the whole family with days in scoffing and days out burning off the cals racked up scoffing, with brisk walks, park time and some cultural fun too (hello Rainbow Factory‘s production of ‘The Shoemaker’s Christmas Wish’)- all in all, it was just what the doctor (or you know, my Mum) ordered.

R&R.

Here is more of our Christmas in pictures-

Park life

Piggy back rides from Papou are just the BEST! And the sweetest thing? I remember him doing this for my brother and I!

Giddy-up! (sp?)!

Aw, my baby nephew is EVERYTHING! I asked Peter if I could have one and he told me to try Amazon. Very funny!

Below is my Number 1 girl. Thank you Celuu for gifting my Mum so many gorge dresses. Such a treat!

Loving my gorgeous earrings too my folks got me from New York too. These gorgeous gold numbers were picked up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stunning.

Oh hey there hot Mama!

Quick outfit change (why have one dress on right-it is Christmas after all)!

Beautiful!

Now back to Christmas morning and present time-a LOUD, joyous (and rather messy affair) although the wrapping paper was removed as was most of the toys these lucky boys received by the time we got round to snapping.

Taking pics (for a change) wasn’t a priority when it came to unwrapping, and lovely it was too!

…Thanks to Tennis Tots too, whom we are working with in the New Year-the boys will be learning to play tennis with them and simply cannot wait to get on the court!

They loved their Christmas packages left by tennis-loving Elves on Christmas Eve in time for the big day!

Rackets, balls and even tennis kit was included.

Perfect for air guitar too! The boy’s got skillz!

 

Thanks too to Hotel Chocolat for spoiling us with many a chocolate treat under the tree too! Yum!

Anfd the wonderful Kerry of brilliant blog, Oh So Amelia was my Secret Santa giver this year (thanks to Beth from Life As Mum for arranging a bloggers version this year).

The boys gobbled up the Chocolate santas Kerry also kindly sent us before I had time to take the photo-but look how gorgeous the gloves, lip crayon and treats are Kerry sent for us all. Thanks lovely lady!

After a morning of chocolate for breakfast (and some smoked salmon and cream cheese blinis with caviar) for erm, balance, it was time for Christmas lunch!

I had lovingly made mushroom soup first thing in the morning while the kids slept and Mum basically did the rest (Peter and I offered to help cook but she wanted to be Head Chef). Papa G was running one of the restaurants so left after presents were opened and returned for horsey duty in the evening. Fear not we did Christmas dinner twice, the following day too so he didn’t miss out too much!

…Oliver and I set the table for dinner and traditionally, it’s all about the antique gold china for the big day, that comes out but once a year.

And crackers, I think between us we got through two big boxes of the stuff. I actually pulled a muscle pulling crackers.

 

Chief taster approved my mushroom soup and ate it all up. Result!

Mum’s magnificent turkey!

Sumptuous, delicious food and the best company a girl could ask for.

Here are some more of the moments snapped which meant the most to me over the season (although we didn’t take that many photos as we were busy just ‘being’ and laughing-mostly at Papa G whom I made some culinary videos with too over the break,  I can’t wait to share with you!

You will also be able to see him, and me, along with the rest of the family on Ch 4 in February but more of that to come another time! No doubt, it’s going to be an entertaining show!

Our complete highlight of Christmas was hanging out with my beautiful baby nephew Zachary. I am so broody it hurts!

He’s just too gorgeous!

Oh and thanks to Cosatto for the beautiful car seat.

Look at those cheeks!

Even his ‘cry face’ is adorable!

Aw! Babies make life so much better.

And get ready for quite possibly the cutest picture ever!

Oliver adores being a big cousin to Zachary!

…I must add, it wasn’t all fun and games over Christmas as we were very nearly flooded on Boxing Day evening- and my heart goes out to all those not as lucky as we were all over the UK.

Over at my parents, 20 minutes away from our house, we did lose power for several hours so it was dinner by candlelight that night…

And here we are, the calm after the storm, the day after a night of very little sleep for me as I spent the night worrying we might have been flooded.

It was a very narrow escape.

We were so very lucky.

Talking of luck, after the rollercoaster that was Christmas, we were kindly invited to see in the new year over at the stunning Raithwaite Estate, one of this family’s favourite places in Yorkshire.

With beautiful birds of prey in the grounds for guests to marvel at on New Year’s Day, thanks to Whitby Falconers, it was an utterly magical break from start to finish!

Hello!

Hi there!

Alexander kept asking ‘Why is the owl cross with me’? which made me burst out laughing (sorry Xand)- I did explain it was his eyebrow game and nothing personal!

…Raithwaite Estate is set in 100 acres so we enjoyed some refreshing walks while we were there by the waterfalls and lake on site. Let me tell you, it might have been cold, but it was FRESH and certainly blew the cobwebs away!

Brotherly love.

Spot the blogger? The only one looking at the camera!

Back inside, it was time to get warm and head for a dip in the pool!

Or if you’re 5 and 3, louging around might be more your thing!

Right boys?! These were heated loungers and Oliver was pretending he was sunbathing in Jamaica!

After a lush night’s sleep that involved 2 kids climbing out of their beds and getting into ours. What’s new, and thank goodness for King size beds, it was ‘epic breakfast’ time (think Dad might have had just the 4 courses)- before a movie in the room, back to the pool and then a drive off into the Yorkshire countryside.

We popped into the Postgate Inn for a hearty lunch (and they even rustled me up a tasty vegan dish of veg wellington as I’m taking part in #veganuary and then it was time to hit the road home.

Not before cuddles with Peanut the dog of course.

Aw, another cute pic!

What a wonderful, restorative time was had by all.

Now, I’m back home, holidays over, head down but more content, clear about my goals and aspirations for the year ahead, more mindful (thanks to veganuary and rediscovering yoga), more rested and most importantly, more focused on what I want to be doing work-wise and for my little family this coming year.

A whole lot of Christmas fun has created a great deal of clarity for this mama.

Thanks to my family for making the season so very special, the super chaps at Raithwaite Estate for turning our frowns upside down after the worry of potential flooding, and of course, a huge thank you to you guys, my loyal and supportive readers-much love to you all, keep rockin’ and Happy New Year my friends!