14 things I’m looking forward to about the summer holidays

It’s on! It’s happening! The countdown to the summer holidays has begun!

What am I saying? Belle has been counting down for about the last two months. She has been crossing days off on an actual calendar, like they do in films.

I feel like I’m a bit down on the summer holidays sometimes, so I wanted to write something to show I’m not a complete misery. I did offer you a £50 Tesco voucher don’t forget, to add to the holiday fun times, so it can’t all be bad.

So, here are some things I’m looking forward to this summer holiday:

1. A trip around Ireland in a motorhome. Do you remember last summer, we took that Bailey motorhome around England, ticking off all the counties? Well, Bailey have very kindly offered to lend us a van again, and this time we are venturing into Europe. I’m a little nervous about the driving, but keep remembering what an amazing time we had last year.

2. Listening to audio books as we drive around Ireland. This definitely counts as a separate item, as Belle and I really enjoyed the experience last year of going to the library to choose detective stories for our road trip.

3. Birthdays – Bee and Belle both have their birthdays in the summer holidays, and my fiancé does too, so it’s a veritable birthday fest now. (I normally buy the cakes obvs.)

4. Lie ins. Belle has been known to sleep until midday and although I will need to get up and work at some point, it will be lush to not be woken up at 6.30am by the radio coming on.

5. Standon Calling festival – this is happening over the first weekend in August and I’m really looking forward to it as it’s a festival I’ve never been to before and it’s the first festival we will have been to as a family of four.

6. A night in a water bed – I have this booked for the end of July and am only slightly nervous of the email from the owner of the B&B that says ‘we don’t normally let this room out because of the stains in the jacuzzi.’ Still, it will be one more thing to tick off my 40 things before 40 list.

7. Not having to make packed lunches. OK, so this is a bit of a lie, as my fiancé always gets up and makes them, (isn’t he good?), but I can still appreciate him not having to do it can’t I? And it’s always nice not to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat wondering if there is any bread.

8. Spending the night in the grounds of Warwick Castle. I will be a princess! Themed entertainment, have-a-go archery and breakfast in the banqueting tent – what’s not to love about medieval glamping??

9. Not having to wash school uniform. I can’t tell you how much use I’ve got out of the 12 minute cycle on my new washing machine.

10. Not having to nag about homework – another Sunday evening ritual I can do without.

11. Going to see the Lord Chamberlain’s Men perform Twelfth Night at Fyne Court. Twelfth Night is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays and, weather permitting, this should be a lovely evening; blankets on the grass, mini sausages and egg sandwiches galore. Cheeky glass of prosecco? Don’t mind if I do.

12. A weekend in a caravan at Hillhead. My best bit about this one is that we’re staying in a proper small caravan, the kind a car tows, rather than a huge static caravan that could easily be a small London apartment. I think that will make it much more exciting.

13. Being outside more. I spend way too much time in front of a screen in an office and have been feeling a desperate need lately to shake this off and have a slower pace of life.

14. Spending more time with the people I love. Bleurgh. Did I just make you throw up a bit in your own mouth? Sorry about that.

What are you looking forward to most about the summer holidays?