Holiday Anxieties

Holiday Anxieties

The anxiety is beginning to set in.
I have never felt like I need a holiday as badly as I do now and feel blessed we have an amazing trip coming up.
However,  before I can slip into my bikini, order a daiquiri and lay down by the pool, I have the slightly massive hurdle of getting there!!
Two and a half weeks of beautiful Florida Sunshine….. Which means two and a half weeks worth of clothes for seven people to pack !
This year the Trunkies have been shelved.  Last time Mike had to drag four trunkies through Miami Airport it nearly ended in divorce.
Obviously it was my fault (even though I asked his opinion,  he did not want to offer any input into packing and our luggage arrangements).
This year I have strategically bought the four older children backpacks which they have already been instructed will stay with THEM the whole trip.
The suitcases is where the real anxiety begins.
We have an allowance of one stored case each.  That’s seven cases! We won’t be able to manover seven cases.
That is logistically impossible!
So,  one for me, one for Mike and two for all the kids?  three for all the kids?  That’s five suitcases!! JESUS!
Then there is the flight.
The four older children travel really well.  Give them a movie or some music and a book and they will be fine on the eight hour flight.
George, my seven month old however is a different story.   He is at that age now where he doesn’t want to be held and  he fights sleep. Any tips on how to keep your head when on a eight hour flights with a baby!?
Once we arrive we have a four hour drive to our final destination…. Key West.

As long as we make it there without losing any kids and without the help of Vallium we will have a great holiday.
In the meantime, wish me luck!!!!!

Packing and Travelling with a large family

Packing and Travelling with a large family

I have made packing for a large family an art form.
Organising five children and a husband can be daunting especially for a big holiday.
I find I get most anxious the first couple of hours of the trip,  checking in and getting through security with everyone.
I have learned over the years how to keep this as easy and hassle free as possible.

Packing
The kids will spend 70% of their time on holiday in their swimming costumes.
Packing loads of clothes for them is totally pointless.
For the boys I keep it to 3 smart shorts each for the evenings and a couple of shirts, 5 or 6 t shirts and I get them to travel in a tracksuit so that they have a hoodie or light jacket over there.  I also pack three shorts that can be worn out during the day that double up as swimming shorts.
Microfiber towels are super absorbant but weigh hardly anything and pack into the size of a small sock.  They take no space or weight up and they work better than normal towels.
One pair of flip flips and one pair of trainers or loafers and that’s the boys done!
For Libby, I packed 4 or 5 swimming cosies,  4 or five summer dresses, a couple of shorts and a couple of little t shirts.
Again,  she has one pair of flip flops and a pair of evening sandals.
We usually stay self catering so I can always wash clothes as and when they need it.
All suncreams, shampoos I buy when I’m away.
I packed George mainly vests.  I did pack a couple of cute shirts and shorts for the evenings.
I take one box of baby formula and bag of nappies in my check in luggage.  Anything else I buy when I’m away.

Travelling with a baby
George is eight months and he is still on formula milk.
I took 3 empty, clean bottles with me to the airport, one bottle with milk in it and one ready mix bottle for the journey to the airport.
The aim is to have no Liquids at all when u go through security.
If I do have any creams, gels etc for the baby I keep them in a clear bag in my handbag so it’s easy to get to when I need it.
https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview
Once I’m getting ready to go through security I empty whatever is left in the bottle of milk.

First stop once I’m through to airside is Boots or a chemist to buy all my babymilk and food depending on how long the flight is going to be.
When we boarded the plane,  because we have George and a buggy we are clssed a needing special assistance so we were first to board…… Love these perks.

I tried to hold off George sleeping the few hours before the flight.
This worked out just as I planned, during take off I gave him his bottle.   With the sound of the aeroplane taking off and the rumble of the engine he was asleep before we got to 3000ft and slept the first two hours of the flight! Happy Days!
FYI we made it!  9.5 hour flight, no more grey hairs and no divorce papers in sight.

Jet Lag

Jet Lag

And so it has arrived…. Jet lag day! George has been sleeping on and off all day and this evening I’ve started to check for the 666. It’s like my front door is the gates to Hell.

Libby has been asleep all day and just woken up (11.25pm) and she is now in the most aggravating mood. So far I have been followed around the house half crying,  half winging, nagging at me about the most ridiculous things ‘ I’m not sleeping on my own! ‘ (feet stamping) ‘ where is my candy floss?! ‘
‘ I’ll get my TV and put it in your room ‘

‘ you didn’t even get all my friends at school a present from America’

‘I hate America’

‘ where is my candy floss!? ‘

‘ Why did we have to come home!? ‘

‘I love my house’

‘I hate my house ‘

‘ Where is my candy floss?’

‘Im not sleeping,  ever! ‘

‘I want your phone ‘

‘I want dad’s phone ‘

‘I don’t know know where to sleep,my room is scary ‘

‘ when am I having a sleepover with my friends?’

‘ you promised me we could make fairy cakes’ (I didn’t)

‘I’m so starving, do you even care!? ‘ then continues to say no to everything I offer her…..
YOUR NOT HAVING THE FU@KING CANDYFLOSS
I’ve just agreed to something either genius or seriously bloody stupid. Seeings as my two youngest are driving me mad,  ive let Libby sleep with George so they can keep eachother amused and aggravate eachother.

Meanwhile, the the older boys have been asleep since 3pm this afternoon.   Will they sleep through? our can I expect them awake in a couple of hours????
It’s not all bad,  I get to look forward to the school run in the morning 😣

Travel hack – Flying to Florida

Travel hack - Flying to Florida

As seasoned travellers to Florida I like to think i am experienced at organising a great holiday there.

Given that i am usually booking for eight or more people i am particularly good at making sure we stick to a reasonable budget.

I have just booked our flights to Florida 2018 and I’ve got to share this little gem with you.

Usually, if you fly from the South East of England to Florida you would either fly from Gatwick or Heathrow to Orlando, or Heathrow to Miami.

Unless you have air miles or you are booking a package holiday, flights are really expensive. 

Especially, lf like us you have to work around school holidays, even worse when you are paying for eight people!

So, here is my secret…….Norwegian Airlines!

They now fly direct from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale airport is about 30 minutes north of Miami and about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Orlando.

Fort Lauderdale itself is our favourite holiday destination.
The beaches are stunning, restaurants are amazing and there is always loads going on.

If however, you are heading to Orlando, the price of flights will make the drive worth while.

So….

Drum roll please…….

Return flights for the Easter holiday 2018 £450 per adult and £350 per child.
This is for the Economy Lowfare plus ticket which includes In flight meals, 20kg check in baggage allowance and seat reservation.

Gatwick is so much more convenient than Heathrow for those of us that are South of London.

Now let’s talk about the airline.

Norwegian is classed as a ‘budget’ airline, But there really isn’t anything budget about them.

We travelled to Florida with them last year for my sister in laws wedding in Key West.

The check in service was excellent (but when flying with five children you tend to get treated like VIP….mainly to move you on as quickly as possible).

The Dreamliner plane is a new aircraft. It offers good legroom (lowfare plus) and hi-tech facilities.

The touch screen media kit means you can order and pay for your duty free, food and drink using your tv and the cabin crew bring it straight to you.

The kids and I were fascinated by the ‘magic’ windows that are made of smart glass and tint at the touch of a button!

The service on board was great and the cabin crew were very attentive and patient with the kids.  As all of us parents know, that can make a big difference to a nine hour flight.

If you are considering a holiday to Florida, check them out.  I’ll be sharing more posts on holidays in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami soon.

www.norwegian.com/uk/

Let me know if you have any travel hacks when holidaying in Florida.

Love

Kate

 

Happy but tired mum 😴

Happy But Tired Mum

After two weeks my body clock still hasn’t adjusted to the time difference between London and Florida. I wake up at 3am every morning (8am london time) and just lay wide eyed. It hasn’t helped that George has been teething aswell.  Just as I manage to drift of he usually stirs, then by the time I get him back to sleep its too late for me! Don’t get me wrong,  it hasn’t been all that hard work,  I’ve had no school runs to be up for and the sun makes it easier. I am anxious about next week though. Getting the kids back into the routine of school. Plus, it’s the way home the jet lag really kicks in. I can’t wait for them all to be climbing the walls at 2am because they can’t sleep. I will be buying plenty of Bacardi at Duty free on the way home…. Don’t judge me, it’s for me, not the kids. They prefer vodka anyway 😝

dsc_5153

Travel hack – Flying to Florida

Travel hack - Flying to Florida

As seasoned travellers to Florida I like to think i am experienced at organising a great holiday there.

Given that i am usually booking for eight or more people i am particularly good at making sure we stick to a reasonable budget.

I have just booked our flights to Florida 2018 and I’ve got to share this little gem with you.

Usually, if you fly from the South East of England to Florida you would either fly from Gatwick or Heathrow to Orlando, or Heathrow to Miami.

Unless you have air miles or you are booking a package holiday, flights are really expensive. 

Especially, lf like us you have to work around school holidays, even worse when you are paying for eight people!

So, here is my secret…….Norwegian Airlines!

They now fly direct from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale. Fort Lauderdale airport is about 30 minutes north of Miami and about a 2 1/2 hour drive to Orlando.

Fort Lauderdale itself is our favourite holiday destination. The beaches are stunning, restaurants are amazing and there is always loads going on.

If however, you are heading to Orlando, the price of flights will make the drive worth while.

So….

Drum roll please…….

Return flights for the Easter holiday 2018 £450 per adult and £350 per child. This is for the Economy Lowfare plus ticket which includes In flight meals, 20kg check in baggage allowance and seat reservation.

Gatwick is so much more convenient than Heathrow for those of us that are South of London.

Now let’s talk about the airline.

Norwegian is classed as a ‘budget’ airline, But there really isn’t anything budget about them.

We travelled to Florida with them last year for my sister in laws wedding in Key West.

The check in service was excellent (but when flying with five children you tend to get treated like VIP….mainly to move you on as quickly as possible).

The Dreamliner plane is a new aircraft. It offers good legroom (lowfare plus) and hi-tech facilities.

The touch screen media kit means you can order and pay for your duty free, food and drink using your tv and the cabin crew bring it straight to you.

The kids and I were fascinated by the ‘magic’ windows that are made of smart glass and tint at the touch of a button!

The service on board was great and the cabin crew were very attentive and patient with the kids.  As all of us parents know, that can make a big difference to a nine hour flight.

If you are considering a holiday to Florida, check them out.  I’ll be sharing more posts on holidays in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami soon.

www.norwegian.com/uk/

Let me know if you have any travel hacks when holidaying in Florida.

Love

Kate

Jet Lag

Jet Lag

And so it has arrived…. Jet lag day! George has been sleeping on and off all day and this evening I’ve started to check for the 666. It’s like my front door is the gates to Hell. image Libby has been asleep all day and just woken up (11.25pm) and she is now in the most aggravating mood. So far I have been followed around the house half crying,  half winging, nagging at me about the most ridiculous things ‘ I’m not sleeping on my own! ‘ (feet stamping) ‘ where is my candy floss?! ‘ ‘ I’ll get my TV and put it in your room ‘ ‘ you didn’t even get all my friends at school a present from America’ ‘I hate America’ ‘ where is my candy floss!? ‘ ‘ Why did we have to come home!? ‘ ‘I love my house’ ‘I hate my house ‘ ‘ Where is my candy floss?’ ‘Im not sleeping,  ever! ‘ ‘I want your phone ‘ ‘I want dad’s phone ‘ ‘I don’t know know where to sleep,my room is scary ‘ ‘ when am I having a sleepover with my friends?’ ‘ you promised me we could make fairy cakes’ (I didn’t) image ‘I’m so starving, do you even care!? ‘ then continues to say no to everything I offer her….. YOUR NOT HAVING THE FU@KING CANDYFLOSS I’ve just agreed to something either genius or seriously bloody stupid. Seeings as my two youngest are driving me mad,  ive let Libby sleep with George so they can keep eachother amused and aggravate eachother. image Meanwhile, the the older boys have been asleep since 3pm this afternoon.   Will they sleep through? our can I expect them awake in a couple of hours???? It’s not all bad,  I get to look forward to the school run in the morning 😣

Happy but tired mum 😴

Happy But Tired Mum

After two weeks my body clock still hasn’t adjusted to the time difference between London and Florida. I wake up at 3am every morning (8am london time) and just lay wide eyed. It hasn’t helped that George has been teething aswell. image Just as I manage to drift of he usually stirs, then by the time I get him back to sleep its too late for me! Don’t get me wrong,  it hasn’t been all that hard work,  I’ve had no school runs to be up for and the sun makes it easier. I am anxious about next week though. Getting the kids back into the routine of school. Plus, it’s the way home the jet lag really kicks in. I can’t wait for them all to be climbing the walls at 2am because they can’t sleep. image I will be buying plenty of Bacardi at Duty free on the way home…. Don’t judge me, it’s for me, not the kids. They prefer vodka anyway 😝

Packing and Travelling with a large family

Packing and Travelling with a large family

I have made packing for a large family an art form. Organising five children and a husband can be daunting especially for a big holiday. I find I get most anxious the first couple of hours of the trip,  checking in and getting through security with everyone. I have learned over the years how to keep this as easy and hassle free as possible. Packing The kids will spend 70% of their time on holiday in their swimming costumes. Packing loads of clothes for them is totally pointless. For the boys I keep it to 3 smart shorts each for the evenings and a couple of shirts, 5 or 6 t shirts and I get them to travel in a tracksuit so that they have a hoodie or light jacket over there.  I also pack three shorts that can be worn out during the day that double up as swimming shorts. Microfiber towels are super absorbant but weigh hardly anything and pack into the size of a small sock.  They take no space or weight up and they work better than normal towels. One pair of flip flips and one pair of trainers or loafers and that’s the boys done! For Libby, I packed 4 or 5 swimming cosies,  4 or five summer dresses, a couple of shorts and a couple of little t shirts. Again,  she has one pair of flip flops and a pair of evening sandals. We usually stay self catering so I can always wash clothes as and when they need it. All suncreams, shampoos I buy when I’m away. image I packed George mainly vests.  I did pack a couple of cute shirts and shorts for the evenings. I take one box of baby formula and bag of nappies in my check in luggage.  Anything else I buy when I’m away. Travelling with a baby George is eight months and he is still on formula milk. I took 3 empty, clean bottles with me to the airport, one bottle with milk in it and one ready mix bottle for the journey to the airport. The aim is to have no Liquids at all when u go through security. If I do have any creams, gels etc for the baby I keep them in a clear bag in my handbag so it’s easy to get to when I need it. https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/overview Once I’m getting ready to go through security I empty whatever is left in the bottle of milk. image First stop once I’m through to airside is Boots or a chemist to buy all my babymilk and food depending on how long the flight is going to be. When we boarded the plane,  because we have George and a buggy we are clssed a needing special assistance so we were first to board…… Love these perks. image I tried to hold off George sleeping the few hours before the flight. This worked out just as I planned, during take off I gave him his bottle.   With the sound of the aeroplane taking off and the rumble of the engine he was asleep before we got to 3000ft and slept the first two hours of the flight! Happy Days! FYI we made it!  9.5 hour flight, no more grey hairs and no divorce papers in sight.

Holiday Anxieties

Holiday Anxieties

The anxiety is beginning to set in. I have never felt like I need a holiday as badly as I do now and feel blessed we have an amazing trip coming up. However,  before I can slip into my bikini, order a daiquiri and lay down by the pool, I have the slightly massive hurdle of getting there!! Two and a half weeks of beautiful Florida Sunshine….. Which means two and a half weeks worth of clothes for seven people to pack ! This year the Trunkies have been shelved.  Last time Mike had to drag four trunkies through Miami Airport it nearly ended in divorce. Obviously it was my fault (even though I asked his opinion,  he did not want to offer any input into packing and our luggage arrangements). This year I have strategically bought the four older children backpacks which they have already been instructed will stay with THEM the whole trip. The suitcases is where the real anxiety begins. We have an allowance of one stored case each.  That’s seven cases! We won’t be able to manover seven cases. That is logistically impossible! So,  one for me, one for Mike and two for all the kids?  three for all the kids?  That’s five suitcases!! JESUS! Then there is the flight. The four older children travel really well.  Give them a movie or some music and a book and they will be fine on the eight hour flight. George, my seven month old however is a different story.   He is at that age now where he doesn’t want to be held and  he fights sleep. Any tips on how to keep your head when on a eight hour flights with a baby!? Once we arrive we have a four hour drive to our final destination…. Key West. download As long as we make it there without losing any kids and without the help of Vallium we will have a great holiday. In the meantime, wish me luck!!!!!