The RAD Color Run

A while ago my son started doing junior park run and I offered (foolishly) to run a 5k with him.

We rather liked the sound of the RAD color run held at Harewood House, so I duly signed up on the website and entered us both into the race.

What was I thinking? I am not built for running - unless it is to the bar or I'm getting chased in a zombie apocalypse. In which case I'm heading straight for Daryl from The Walking Dead, he's still alive after 5 seasons so he knows what he is doing.

I had in in my head that I was going to train and not show myself up too badly... I got distracted... That wine was just too damn good, so race day found me ill prepared for a 5k race with a speedy 8 year old in tow.

Start of the race before we got bombed by paint

We waited for the paint to fly and the gun to fire as we lined up for the first wave of runners.

Waiting patiently

and we are off

Personally i was fine for the first few hundred metres while Mr young stuff (Jake) bounced around all excited and tried to spur me to go even faster.

Personally I just wanted to be left to walk after the first 1km and even resorted to offering the walkie talkie over so he could meet his dad at the finish line while I ambled around/semi jogged occasionally, so that I didn't feel I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.

Jake was having none of it and insisted on dragging my butt around the course as fast as I could go (this still involved a lot of walking on my part.

Blasting around the course

Not quite as pristine now

 

















As we headed towards the finish line it was a downhill gradient and I managed a respectable jog for the last 1/2km. It was nice Jake had waited for me and we crossed the finish line together and we had actually had a great time. So much so we have signed up for another one in aid of the local hospice in September. I best get training properly this time.

The Finish Line - we did it!

The joy of walking boots and what is on your doorstep?

Keeping your little ones entertained is hard work.

If mine could, they would spend hours playing minecraft, watching videos of minecraft on youtube or watching Phineas & Ferb on TV. As the worst mum in the universe - a title I have earned because I limit the usage and access to electronic devices. I have to find other ways to keep my little darlings busy, that doesn't involve the house resembling a war zone or bomb site. See examples below.

The books didn't want to be on the shelf

Apparently the Dinosaurs had an adventure

So off we go for another outdoor adventure. The weather wasn't fabulous so we stayed close to home, but it gets us out of the house and doing something a little more physical. This is where planning also comes in. I've found through experience that when walking with kids its worth the money to invest in a pair of walking boots for them.

When its muddy or wet you can guarantee their feet are going to get wet if they are wearing shoes or trainers. Puddles in case you didn't know, have a magnetic attraction for little feet and wellies while fine for splashing around in puddles and mud, I have found that they aren't very comfortable for little feet when walking over any distance they tend to slop on the feet and rub leading to very unhappy kids. (I learnt this the hard way with my eldest) As soon as i invested in a pair of walking boots the level of moan dropped considerably and  he could walk a lot further than I expected.

Walking boots for kids don't have to be expensive. Lets be honest you don't want to be paying a fortune for a pair of boots that won't fit them for long. I've also found that you can get away with up to a size bigger with a decent pair of thick socks. Mountain Warehouse do a great range for small feet with the added bonus that for really small feet they fasten with velcro so you don't have to worry about constantly unfastened boot laces. The youngest's boots cost me £14.99 and the eldest's were £19.99  for this pair if memory serves.

See? Another reason why our geocaching name is Muddy Monsters.

So what did we get up to to get the boots muddy? We didn't have to go far. We jumped into the car (now also muddy) and  headed into the nearby town of Guiseley. We hunted for clues in and around the town centre and came across an area we didn't even know was here, Guiseley Wells. Apparently the spring is the reason people settles in the area and it is mentioned as being a settlement area since Saxon times and is mentioned in the Doomsday book.

Typically of the 100's of pictures I got not one
has both boys with eyes open. 

We then headed out into the countryside to find tranquil fields right on our doorstep. A deserted pond and friendly muggle horses which followed us across the field. On this occasion it didn't result in the youngest having a melt down. He was clearly in a better frame of mind today. There are tons of footpaths right on our doorstep, which provide endless opportunities for fun with the kids. Many of the urban ones run near train lines (safely fenced off) and what young kid doesn't like to see a train race past? as well as seeing wildlife and finding treasure. We enjoyed our day our treasure hunting despite the lack of sunshine but in the words of my wise friend "There is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing"

The walking boots were purchased by myself and I have received no incentive for my comment's or review of them.

Till next time x

Ooooohhhhh Dinosaurs! (Dinosaur Zoo)

I've been a bit slack and neglected the blog recently as life got a bit away from me and I've been busy, busy, busy! So its time to catch up.

During the February 1/2 term - seems like a lifetime ago right? We were invited by friends to attend the theatre to see Dinosaur Zoo at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. This sounded like great fun to entertain the kids and get them out of the house but I did wonder about how my youngest would cope having to sit in a packed theatre without causing havoc for an hour or so.

I wasn't feeling confident after a trip to the cinema the month before turned into a game of musical chairs and constant demand for more snacks, more drink and trips to the toilet. I can only thank my lucky stars that the cinema only had 2 other people in who sat so far away from us that I hope the ants in his pants and constant question asking went unnoticed.

I'm glad I said yes - after arming my pockets with enough sugary treats guaranteed to quieten the loudest of tantrums. The kids (young and old) had a wonderful time. The show was long enough to hold the childrens attention and short enough that they didn't start getting ants in their pants.

Interactive Dinosaur Puppets!

The puppets clearly seemed very realistic to the children - as seen when one was called onto stage and when asked if he'd like to be fed to the dinosaur promptly exploded into tears - I know I'm a bad mum for finding this a teeny bit amusing but no children were actually harmed during the entire show (honest). 

It gave just the right amount of information on the dinosaurs to keep kids interested but not overload them with info and there was enough audience participation to keep us all engaged.

 Best of all we got to meet the dinosaurs at the end. A big thank you to my friend for arranging the visit (you know who you are). 

  I would definitely recommend the show for kids who love dinosaurs and will also no longer be afraid of theatre trips with the boys.