by iamcrabstix | Dec 4, 2016 | Reviews, rlt, Travel
We chose Kielder as the destination for a winter break and the first holiday for RLT at aged five and a half months. Kielder Waterside is a development within Kielder Water and Forest and within the Leaplish Forest Park, which is also where the Winter Wonderland is based.
We opted to go for 4 nights Monday – Friday as my OH is starting a new job on 5th December, so he wanted some downtime before he started. We couldn’t quite fathom out formula, nappies and baggage allowances to travel abroad with a baby, so when my friend Nikki, mentioned that she was looking for a winter break in the UK and we should come along, we jumped at the chance.
We opted for the Otterstone Superior lodge which was lovely and incredibly homely. The added touch of the Christmas tree added to the atmosphere. The lodge was very well equipt and the bed, furniture and fixtures were all extremely high quality, we were extremely impressed.
RLT chilling by the Christmas tree in living area
The swimming pool was small but ample for our requirements, the changing rooms seemed to be brand new. The coffee shop and bar restaurant were all decorated to an extremely high standard too. The food was also very good and I didn’t feel over priced for the quality considering they had a captive audience. The draft ale was Wylam too, which is a very well respected brewery in the North East – little touches like that go a long way.
Kitchen of Otterstone Superior Lodge
The lodge had a hot tub, I’d never been in one! A man came every day to check the levels etc, it was extremely well maintained. He advised it had been drained and fresh water added for our visit – as you never know who and what has gone on in those things! I went in once for around 20 minutes, the lodges are pretty close together so if you’re thinking of a break with friends for hot tub parties, I don’t think this is the place for you. It’s more for families to enjoy, in my opinion.
The bath was also a jacuzzi one, basically, everything to do with water was an optimum experience, which is no surprise given that the lodges are owned and operated by Northumbrian Water, who own Kielder Reservoir. EVEN THE TAP WATER TASTED AMAZING.
We didn’t set out to do anything but go on a few walks and relax, so when we saw the Winter Wonderland stuff, we felt obligated to participate for the two-year-old that was with us, thankfully it was only a weekend thing so the park was pretty empty. Things seemed to close on 30th November, half way through our stay such as Kielder Castle etc, but we still managed to do the Stickman Trail and we were fairly laid back about what to see and do anyway, so we didn’t mind.
Winter Wonderland was closed but you could still access the lakeside way for walks, which was ideal with a baby.
Even out of season, this place is pretty great. We picked a good place to go on our first holiday with our baby. The lodge was like a home away from home. They even provided a high chair (which was brand new with the tags on) and a travel cot. We got it for a rate cheaper than advertised on the website due to the time of year, but at full cost and compared to what you’d pay at Centre Parcs, I’d 100% recommend this place for families to consider. We had a lovely time.
Things to look out for…. Northumbrian Water seem to use Hoseasons for their bookings… We were looking for a Hoseasons logo on site, so thought we’d taken a wrong turn. So if you see signs for Leaplish, just keep driving!
by iamcrabstix | Nov 26, 2016 | rlt
I started to think that if RLT looked through images of his childhood, that there would be very few of us together. Therefore, I have had to request that my OH capture some moments when we’re together.
Looking after a baby on your own for most of the day means that you get a phone gallery full of selfies with the baby or pictures of other people and the baby!
As you can see, our selfie attempts certainly are interesting, but I want the lovely candid shots capturing the moments I want to remember, not the moments where once again poor babs has me sticking a phone in his face!
I mentioned this to my other half as I was getting pictures printed through Boots Photo Service (thanks to their fab discount vouchers through the Boots Parenting Club and did not have one of me and RLT but thousands of him with everyone else!
My other half has an eye for composition, he is a brilliant photographer thanks to his training as a film-maker, but these skills sadly are under-utilised. He always tells me that it is important to capture the light in the subjects’ eyes, which apparently is something I constantly fail to do!
Family selfie attempt – oh dear. More work needed there!
Finally, on week 22 of RLT being in the world, my request for a pic to be taken of me and babs was met with a positive response and being the great photographer my other half is, got something that I was extremely happy with. I hope it is the first of many moments captured of me and my little man. OK, my roots are terrible… so it has been changed to black and white! But looking back now RLT will know I was there when he was a baby, rather than looking at these pics of him with everyone else and thinking he was raised by a tribe!
RLT and me!
by iamcrabstix | Nov 18, 2016 | rlt
Illness has struck this week, but hasn’t stopped the little man’s personality coming in to it’s own. He loves to laugh <3
RLT is really starting to show his little personality and what he likes and doesn’t like; it is a really exciting stage. Seeing his face when his dad walks into a room is absolutely magical for me, his whole face lights up and only this morning he started to gesture very excitedly with his arms and smile when he realised his dad was in the house; up until now something he had reserved for the cat!
This weekend has provided a great bonding time for the boys, walks, lego exhibition, no need to be anywhere such as Waterbabies and first outing in his Ergobaby original baby carrier.
Just casually sitting with mummy having bantz.
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Living the rock n roll lifestyle as we do and hitting up Sainsburys in our new Ergobaby carrier
by iamcrabstix | Nov 2, 2016 | general parenting, rlt
Four month sleep regression has hit us! After sleeping through 7.30-2am only waking for dummy to be put back in before going off again at 5.30am from around 10 weeks, we seem to have reverted back to needing 1 or 2 night feeds again.
He has a quiet sleep zone, a bedtime routine yet he no longer sleeps through
I’ve read so much on the subject, so understand that how he sleeps is changing but my concern is the sleep association that he has with feeding and when the time comes how to stop this association (i feel he’s too small at the moment).
I have seen a lot of advice to let babies cry and they will soon stop waking up – very sorry to anyone that has done this but I am just not prepared to try this.
At the moment I am going to feed him on demand during the night in the hope that his is something he grows out of. The clocks going back won’t have helped either!
Does anyone have any advice on what they did to crack the four month sleep regression?
by iamcrabstix | Nov 2, 2016 | general parenting, rlt
RLT’s first Halloween saw his cousins come round to trick or treat.
Tried to dress him up as Pubert Addams but he was a wriggly little worm – I saw another mum had done this more successfully than I, and she used hair chalk – will try again next year when he is a little less newborn and I am feeling a bit more confident about applying things to his skin/hair. He still managed to make it into The Hartlepool Mail’s Halloween readers roundup – which was great for the cat as it meant that she didn’t have to get dressed up this year – when your dad is the head of digital for a few daily newspapers, dressing up to lead campaigns is something you get used to!
I took a polaroid of RLT, M & T together to put in his memory box for his first halloween. By the time his cousins visited, he was dressed in his second outfit of the day – as little Frankenstein, a gift from my mum, which she picked up at the local Tesco.
by iamcrabstix | Oct 31, 2016 | general parenting, rlt
Rolling! So at day 135 on this earth, RLT decided it was time to roll over. Fortunately, I managed to capture the first time on video!
Quite a nice end to his daddy’s week at home. I was very pleased he did it while his dad was at home, the less moments we miss due to working life, the better (I’m dreading getting the call from my mum when he walks and I’m at work, as I go back when he is eight and a half months old! But at least he’ll be with mum and his cousin Ted who will praise him).
He rolled a few times late afternoon, but soon tired himself out. I didn’t expect him to be rolling so soon, the information I’ve seen said it can happen as early as 4 months, but I always thought boys were a little late to the party on most developmental milestones. But nope 4 and a half months and here he is rolling around on the rug!
This morning (the day after he first did it) he has been unstoppable! It is like something just clicked. Absolute madness to think 24 hours ago he couldn’t do it!
