Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes and it can also be maddening!!  However one of my Apps shows me photographs from different years which is great as it shows you ones that you might have forgotten!!  Anyway yesterday it showed me some pictures of when we went to Orlando in 2008, which I cannot believe is eleven years ago now!!!  Eldest was twelve and Youngest was eight and we have the most fantastic holiday and The Boys still talk about it now.

All Three are car nuts, still are!!!!!

Epcot at USA World.

My Boys and I outside Cinderella’s Castle.  I had my arms around both of them but Eldest was proving that he was taller than me by standing up really tall!!!  It wasn’t much longer before they were both taller than I!!!!

We had dinner with the Characters and Pluto was a hit with us all!!!!

Main Street as it started to get dark and the lights came on.

One of my most favourite pictures of them with Baloo and King Louie. In fact “The Jungle Book” Disney film I went to see at the cinema with three friends for my Birthday in 1971.

We spent the day at Discovery Cove and although it is in the middle of the city you would not know, a little bit of paradise.  The Boys loved the sand and the swimming of course.

We went to NASA and had lunch with a real Astronaut.

We did all of the Disney World parks several times but The Boys always loved the cars!  DH has this picture on his dresser.

I have all the 2008 and 2010 pictures of our trips to Orlando in several places; printed, backed up on my computer, DH’s computer, my iPod and off site too.  I am also going to print them all out and put them in an album each like we used to do before digital!!!!

Been working this morning and now I am going to get on with our house jobs.  Treacle is busy helping by sleeping in her basket, very tidy!!!!  DH checked behind the Boys’ Den last night and it appears she has not been digging but we are not too sure what she has been doing up there.  DH had put a rather large stone to stop her which she had managed to move!!!!!  Anyway she wasn’t in trouble fortunately!!!!!!

It is also Voting day today here in the UK for our local Councils including the Village Parish Council, so DH and I will be going later on this evening when he gets back from work.

Whatever you are up to today I hope you have a Thrilling Thursday.

Hugs, Susie xx

As you know our Children start their summer holidays a little later over here and today is their last day of school.  Obviously Eldest and Youngest have now left their school days behind but it still reminds me how much I loved having the Boys at home for the six week holiday.  A lot of my friends would moan about having their children at home for so long but I always thought of it as a joy.  I was very lucky that I work from home so was able to look after the Boys and still work, but I did modify how I worked when they were off, so I could spend the day with them.

I always tried to arrange things to do, not every day of course, but activities that we could do which did not cost a lot or anything at all.

Here is one way of choosing what to do on holiday.  Get some lolly sticks and write down an activity on one end and on the other put a “D” for a dry day or “W” for a wet day.  Put the sticks with the activity inside a jar filled with rice for no peeking and then the Boys would in turn get to choose a stick, depending upon the weather and off we would go or get on with the activity at home.  They loved it, especially the surprise of what we would be doing that day. 

The sorts of activities I would have down would be baking for the day, walking Treacle at Chatsworth House, Visiting a Museum which they had not been to before (they are all free to enter in this country), Visiting the National Forest, this one particular year they picked out the material for their quilts, playing Badminton or Tennis. going swimming for the fun of it instead of training (!), going to the Library where they took part in the reading scheme for the summer, visiting our relatives, Going on a picnic, paining pottery, the list really is endless. 

This was Summer 2002 with Kelly and they had been out in the garden all day and as you can see making mud pies!!!!  Eldest is six and Youngest two

By doing the sticks it gave them the choice of what to do rather than me just saying we would be doing this and that which they loved, especially as they got older.  The first day of the holiday we always had a “Pajama Day” when they could get up when they wanted and have whatever they wanted to eat and basically do nothing structured for the whole day.  It was also a good day for me to decompress after the frantic last few weeks of term.

They loved baking and they both got their Scout Badges for cooking.

We always had to visit any steam train festivals!  Also on holiday in Scotland.

The only thing they hated doing, which I insisted on doing as soon as they had broken up for the summer, was to go shopping for their new uniforms for September!!! They hated it but I hate crowds more, so always took them on the first week of the holiday.  By doing this I was able to get all their names sewn into their new uniforms and knew that everything was ready for the first day back.  It also meant I was able to get all the sizes as the shops do start to sell out.  The only thing we did do the week before they went back to school was get their new shoes/plimsolls/rugby boots etc.

Ready for the New School Year!

Now they are both working!!! But it still feels like the first day of the holidays to me!!!

Saying that it is house jobs day today and grocery shopping and a huge basket of ironing!!!  The Boys might have been on holiday but Moms always have house jobs to do!!!!

I hope you lovely lot have a wonderful Summer Weekend.

Hugs, Susie xx