The vast majority are back to work this week whereas other people are still in thw festive mood until Monday morning. I am not going to lie, it was hard to get back yesterday. And it was even harder to get out of bed. I might have slept in a little but thankfully there was no traffic.
We had a lovely break and the kids really enjoyed their time off and all the presents they got off Santa. It was actually a quite relaxing break and not having to think about going back to work in between the bank holidays. I started my Christmas holidays on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve morning we started off with some festive looking pancakes. I found this idea on a blogger’s Instagram account. They turned out quite okay.
Over the Christmas period, I set a goal to go for at least one family walk a day. You can easily get carried away, particularly over Christmas and spend quite a good bit indoors. Plus the kids get cabin fever at some point. We did well I have to say. The weather was holding up nicely, too. Chloe is getting a little bit better on the walking front. Her little legs get tired very easily. Then again, she could be just pure lazy, too. (haha)
After a lovely winter walk on Christmas Eve, the kids watched a movie with daddy while I prepared the dinner. The kids received a present from relations I have in Germany which they were allowed to open that evening. Matthew was delighted as he got a voucher for his Switch as well as new Pokemon cards. Chloe loved her jumper and had to try it on straight away. Both had a shower that evening so they were squeaky clean for the morning to see what Santa had brought.
Christmas Day morning, Matthew was up at 7am but we made a deal that he could watch the iPad before we all head down together. Chloe loves sleeping in and so we all went down at 8.30pm to see if the big man has been. They were absolutely delighted with each and every present they got. Chloe was so happy to finally have more Play-Doh and she was very pleased that Santa made her wish come true and got her the Paw Patrol Air Patroller. She hasn’t put it down since. He also brought a few accessories for her baby.
Another popular gift, which after a while we realised was quite annoying, was the baby shark fishing game. It’s literally a game that involves grabbing the fish and whoever gets the most wins. There is more to it though… it plays Baby Shark over and over again. At least she’s happy. She made the cousins as well as her grandparents play with it.
We decided to buy Matthew an extra present that just came from us parents rather than from Santa. It was a Nintendo Switch Lite. We do have the Nintendo Switch, however it is quite heavy at times. The lite is perfect for his hands and just so much easier to handle. It also means I have the Switch to myself now and I can play against him in certain games. Everyone wins. He was smiling across both ears when he realised what he got.
After our breakfast the kids sat down for a movie with some chocolate. That’s what Christmas is all about it, isn’t it? In the meantime I cooked Christmas Dinner in the kitchen. I decided on the traditional turkey. This year I added the ham to it as well. I have to say it turned out quite nicely and I would definitely make it again next year.
Once we were all stuffed, we went outside for our daily walk. This time Chloe brought her baby out in her pram with baby in her new clothes she got off Santa.
The evening we chilled out with some snacks such as cheese on crackers. I don’t know about you but different types of crackers and different types of cheese at Christmas I always look forward to the most.
St Stephen’s Day we took it easy and spent most of the day indoors playing with the new toys. We started off with a big fry for breakfast. I then sneaked off to the shopping centre to see if I can get any good deals in the sales. Chloe needed some new shoes. I managed to grab a pair of Skechers with flashing lights. She was absolutely delighted.
On Friday we met up with the cousins to go to a Panto in the evening. The kids couldn’t wait because it meant they could stay up late. This was the first Panto we have ever been to. It was Snow White. The kids were mesmerized and loved every minute of it. We will be definitely back next year.
On Sunday we drove up to Sligo to see the kids grandparents for a few days. Hubby’s brother was also over from Germany. We always get plenty of fresh air when we are up there. This time we didn’t manage to do our forest walk though but instead we visited the beach and plenty of playgrounds. Mammy even managed to go out for a festive drink with hubby’s sister who was also down from Dublin.
One if the days we all went out for lunch together in the Yeats Tavern which was lovely. Chloe demanded to sit between her grandfather and grandmother. It’s so nice to see how much of a bond the kids have with their grandparents. I find this very important because I was very close to my grandparents.
New Year’s Eve we headed back home and hubby’s brother, who was over from Germany with one of his sons, stayed with us for two nights. The kids had a lovely few days playing together.
I am at the point now, like everyone else I am sure, where I am browsing all possible websites to book the next family holiday. It’s the best medicine so we all have something else to look forward to.
