Getting Away from it All | Hotel Escape

Oh Hi,

'A mini break means true love' - Bridget Jones. 

(All photos taken from My Instagram - @LouisePentland)

This weekend Liam and I threw our essentials in a bag, jumped in the mini and headed to a country spa hotel for twenty four hours of peace. It. Was. Glorious. 

We arrived at about 3pm Saturday and were back on the motorway by 1pm the next day but honestly, those few hours felt so long and I felt so refreshed. 

Darcy was on a Daddy Weekend, Liam had no work and I felt like I could take mine with me (yes, I work on 'holidays' but only because I love what I do and it's a form of pleasure for me) so we decided to book a night at The Grove. I've stayed there a few times before for work events but never just for fun and since I like things that are familiar, this seemed like a good fit. 

(I loved the luxury feel to the rooms, particularly all the soft lighting, so perfect for unwinding.)

We booked one of the mansion rooms (they have those, which are a little more pricey but more unique and special, OR you can stay in the Wing rooms which are also nice but don't have that boutique feel to them) and decided to just do all the things we love, with no agenda or expectations. How perfect. 

(Dinner -almost- in bed with a movie. Also, the best onion rings I've had in a while)

I had a bath in the giant tub with the most gorgeous complimentary toiletries (I think we actually took a couple home and I'm never that person), we ordered such delicious room service food (try the Raspberrettos!), watched a film (I never sit through a whole film because life gets in the way but I was so relaxed from my bath, I did), lounged about reading our books, talked til the small hours and fully, fully relaxed. 

(Fun fact - This was the second bath I had on Saturday, I also had one at home before we left. I'm obsessed with good baths. I might give up everything and travel the world in search of the most beautiful tubs I can find.)

At home, even when Darcy's in bed and the day is done, I never completely set everything down and unwind, but here, maybe because none of my lifey distractions were around, I did. I don't think I realised how much I needed to do that until I did. 

The next morning we stuffed ourselves with maybe the best breakfast ever and then went back up to the room to lay on the bed and carry on reading our books- we're so old before our time haha!

(There's something special about just being surrounded by perfect interiors are lovely little touches like fluffy folded flannels and a gently lit mirror.)

After checkout we'd planned to have a walk round the grounds or perhaps stay for afternoon tea but rain was pouring and we felt happy we'd enjoyed enough so decided to head home so I could crack on with my #RobinWilde writing deadlines. I'm quite glad that we only touched the surface of things to offer (there's a spa, multiple restaurants, outdoor pool, beach and beautiful grounds etc) because it means we'll have to go back soon!

I realise a hotel like this is quite a luxury and not doable for everyone but if you do have the chance, treat yourself. Even if this venue isn't for you, take a night out to step away from the world, close all the doors and r e l a x, I promise you, it's worth it. 

Please feel free to recommend any nice places in the UK that you think I'd like, I plan to make a regular thing of zipping off for a night. #SelfLove and all that!

Toodlepip!

xx

You Got This! | Motivational Monday | 2017 #2

Oh Hai,

Merry Monday to you! The third week of January is often a sticky one for me, one where I give up my resolutions, ditch the healthy eating, slack on my schedule and succumb to the gloomy weather. With that in mind, I thought we'd take today's Motivational Monday opportunity to gee ourselves up and  k e e p  g o i n g. 

(Sourced from Pinterest and traced to HERE)

January is rough and long and a lot of us are feeling the pinch with December's payday seeming a long old time a go but you've got this! You can totally get through it and push into February still on track with all your goals and resolutions. 

Save this blog post on your phone or laptop and every time you feel a bit bleaugh, read this - 

KEEP GOING. YOU ARE SO MUCH STRONGER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE. DIG DEEP. THINK HOW AMAZING YOU'LL FEEL IN FEBRUARY, KNOWING YOU DID IT FOR ALL OF JANUARY. 

Pass this on to anyone you know that is trying. That lady in the office, your friend at college, your Mummy friend who's had a lot of sleepless night. Remind them that like you, they can handle it! 

How have you been getting on with last week's homework of waking up a little bit earlier? I did it about 3 days of the week and really felt great for it!

Let me know how you're getting on in the comments below OR leave a positive comment for someone else who has reached out. Let's keep the comments section a really supportive space for those who need it. 

Good luck! Keep Going! Love you!

Toodlepip!

xx

Mummy Dates Project 2017 | Rugby!

Oh Hai,

Thank you so much to everyone who read the start up post to this project and decided to join in! Don't forget, you can join in at any time and all the details are in that linked blog post. If you're new, my Mummy Dates Project is a way to encourage us all to spend more quality, present time with our littles, doing something fun. 

(Everything snapped on my phone. Didn't want to take my big camera, just wanted to be in the moment)

This weekend my friend Clare (who's Husband, Mark, was once my Fusband- remember him?) offered Darcy and I great tickets to go and watch the rugby. With Mark coaching there, she goes regularly but I'd never taken Darcy so decided it might be a fun afternoon for us to go out as a duo. We do so many playdates or trips with Liam that I want to ensure I continue to protect our Mummy/Darcy time in 2017. 

I've never been big into sports but Liam's enthusiasm for the rugby (he used to play and now lurves to watch), I've sort of been sucked in and to my surprise, really enjoy it! Honestly, I never ever thought I'd say that.

We hopped in a cab on Saturday afternoon (parking there is hard work) and picked up our tickets from a really friendly lady on the front desk. What I will say about the Northampton Saints ground is just how friendly all the staff were, really great service at every opportunity. 

As ever, I bumped into my Dad and Tina. You'd be amazed how many times I bump into my Dad (once I bumped into him in an American airport when we were both on separate business trips, once I realised I was behind his car on the M1) and he kindly took our Mummy Date snap for us. 

For the game we sat in one of the boxes which was perfect for Darcy. A lot of the players families use these as a little hub to socialise, they have food & drinks facilities and toys for children etc so Darcy really enjoyed getting stuck into those.

The game was exciting. Darcy didn't fully grasp the rules but cheered for her team and enjoyed the atmosphere. I loved that Clare was there with her little girl too so it was like a double Mummy Daughter Date. 

On the way home (thanks Dad for the lift a million miles across town!!) Darcy looked through the programme and chattered about the experience. 

It was so nice just to get out and do something a bit different for the sole purpose of just enjoying it. The only downside was how envious Liam was of us doing his favourite thing without him haha! Sadly, he had to work, we weren't just meanies leaving him out!

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I would love to hear about what Mummy Dates you've been getting up to. Lucky for us, some people have already gotten involved in the project and posted their adventures too. I'll link them below for you to go and enjoy. 

Hayley Sarah - "ARTIST, AUTHOR AND MUMMY RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AND BLOGGING ABOUT MY JOURNEY THROUGH MY MASTECTOMY, CHEMOTHERAPY, WIGS AND CHANGING MY LIFE."

Ashely Jay - "Here you will find I cover a variety of topics from day to day life to beauty and fashion. So grab a cuppa, get ready to read and feel free to leave a comment."

If you would like to share your Mummy Dates, please do. Simply head to the original blog post, read the 'rule's (lol, v flexible) and leave your link below on that blog post (not this one). Next time I have a Mummy Date I'll share your post and a little bit about you (most likely taken from your bio or you can write something in the comment you leave me) and we can have a bit of community love and support going on. 

Please do head over and give the very gorgeous Hayley some TLC- it looks like she had a great day after a pretty rough year. Big loves. 

Toodlepip!

xx