Our second classic London tourist experience was a trip to the Tower of London, and what a beautiful, fun day it was! The kids, esp Syd, were thrilled to visit a real-life castle and were genuinely interested in the historical displays in each of the towers. We saw the Crown Jewels, the ravens on the railing, a re-enactment of the class struggle for power, and took a photo w/a royal guard to boot. Syd asked the guard for the photo opp herself!
Today was our second full day in London and our first really eventful one. First up was the Changing of the Guard…or so we thought! En route, we happened across the start of the ModBall Rally, which was basically a parade of very sporty, very loud-revving cars. I’ve since looked it up and learned that the cars (drivers?) travel to multiple European countries, driving during the day and partying at night. Intrigued…Nolie sure was! He loved watching the cars like Lightning McQueen in real life. We even saw Batman driving one!
What an unexpected and exciting contrast to the historical pomp and circumstance we were headed to! Eventually, after walking the length of the line of rally cars, we made it to watch one company of guards start their march up the Mall towards the palace.
Syd even made her way up to the gates, amidst the legs of other viewers, in a very Madeline in London sort of way! Nolie joined her after folks started clearing out, and they both enjoyed clear views of the palace and guards. Syd wanted to see some dancing (the band played a selection of Michael Jackson songs!), but alas, had to settle for slow walking.
Next up, a trip to the Science Museum! We explored patterns, saw Tim Peake’s spacecraft from 2016, marveled at cars stacked up to the ceiling, and were fascinated by a temporary exhibit on robots. Our favorite was Pepper, a talkative and friendly female robot who shared with us the secret of the UK. You’ll have to find her to find out what it is!
The kids, and Nolie especially, loved the red double-decker buses and the tube. After such a full day, it was no wonder that our trip back home was dotted with naps. ☺️
Tonight, we pulled off a parenting genius! I am so excited because all four of us genuinely had a good and relaxing time, which I feel is harder to come by than one would think. Soooo, ready to hear what it was? Drumroll, please…we went to a bouncy house place!
I know, I know, this is totally boring, old news that any self-respecting parent of a child older than a toddler knows. But get this – we paired it with dinner (because this place allows outside food), which actually made the entire experience relaxing. The kids got their bounce on for an hour while one of us kept half and eye on them, we ate take-out dinner (which was Chinese tonight but will probably be pizza next time), the kids played a bit more, and then we were on our merry way home! Tired and happy kids + relaxed parents who caught up on some reading + no mess to clean up at home = ahhhh… (happy sigh).
Gotta give credit where credit is due: I picked up this tip from a couple of more seasoned moms I saw at the bouncy house last time. While I was trying to figure out how to extricate our kids from all the fun so we could go to dinner, I saw these two moms with their Costco pizza and was blown away by their genius. After complimenting them on it, I vowed to copy that shit, and I am so glad I did because it is a game changer! Now, a trip to the bouncy house place is a win-win for our family.
All that said, a nap date doesn’t sound too shabby either. 😉
Sometimes it really is the little things in life that make me feel the greatest amount of happy. These are my top three right now.
Iridescent purple eyeshadow. One of my besties gifted me some beautiful Shu Uemura eye shadows and I’ve been using the two-tone purple combo nonstop. It’s fun to apply (now that I’ve figured out what eyeshadow base is!), and adds a fun wash of color while still being subtle enough that I don’t look like I’m trying to recreate the 80s. It’s been an easy little antidote to the neverending grey we’ve been experiencing in these parts lately.
Speaking of the 80s, I’m totally grooving to this nostalgia-laden song right now. Love it’s laid-back, easy danciness (yep, I just made that a word). And the straight up Star Trek/80s look of the video suits the song perfectly.
Just browsed through the newest catalogs for Cuyana and Amour Vert, two sustainable fashion companies I highly admire. Pretty pictures in tangible format often work for me as a tiny break from an otherwise hectic day.
Is there anything, little or not, giving you the happies these days? I’d love to hear about them!
The other day, one of my best friends sent me a string of texts that made me smile, both inside and out. How do you smile on the inside, you ask? Well, it was the same warm, contented feeling I experience when I get a really sincere hug from someone I like. Her writing was genuine, supportive, entertaining, and it felt just like a virtual hug! Which was exactly what I needed after yet another week of gloomy drizzle and minimal adult interaction. Plus, it’s nice to be able to re-read texts and experience the same feeling they imparted the first time, something not easily done in spoken language.
Do you ever have the same reaction to texts? Or maybe you abhor them? Either way, text me and let me know! 😉