It’s currently a bit doom and gloom so I wanted to remember some of the best bits of 2020. Given the situation with lockdowns and so forth we still have managed to have some fun and adventures. It hasn’t been all bad, the boys even seemed to enjoy the first lockdown. Although I think the novelty has worn a bit thin now. However, this is a post full of positivity so let’s get cracking. So, I can remind them of how awesome 2020 was by writing about our favourite moments of 2020.

January

My eldest was fortunate his school skiing trip to Andorra went ahead in January. He had such an incredible time, he was very confident on the slopes and enjoyed his taste of independence! Even though I missed him, it was great to give him the opportunity to travel.

February

I guess we were even luckier as our main family holiday wasn’t impacted. We managed to go to Florida in February just before all this craziness started. Our holiday went ahead as normal, we didn’t even really see anyone wearing masks. We went on a Wild Florida airboat, eat lots of tasty food at the Seven Seas Food Festival and fed kangaroos at Busch Gardens. Such lovely memories to hang on to that kept us going for quite a while.

March

I tried to get a few more giveaways up on my blog and we seemed busy reviewing. Even with paid work thin on the ground at least it was some content to feature. We had board games, a digital photo frame, Posterlounge prints and Ape Snacks which the boys enjoyed!

April

We all had a painting session, one of my neighbours kindly offered supplies and socially distanced tips for everyone! It was very much appreciated. I have said it before and will say it again, my neighbours really are awesome! We also made up an after-lockdown jar, it helped the boys to think about what they would like to do when lockdown was over! So, in August we made visiting the grandparents our top priority.

May

We made a lava lamp, hosted a beetle run and enjoyed afternoon tea spaced out in my parents’ garden. I really liked the coffee art my youngest did.

We also bought our giant trampoline which took forever to built but has been a nice asset to have in our garden. It certainly keeps them amused, even if it’s more WWE Smackdown than nice trampolining!!!

June

This month we had a thing for collecting sea glass. It really is quite beautiful (check out my feature picture). We also had so many walks, we literally walked everywhere locally to pass the time! My eldest also became a teenager in lockdown. Luckily, we planned a night campout with s’mores and sparklers. So, it was still very memorable and special for him even if he couldn’t see his friends.

July

This month we managed crazy golf and bilberry picking. We also had a meal out which was such a bargain absolutely loads included too! I so could eat that all over again.

Craft wise my youngest made a dreamcatcher.

We had a few scientific experiments too, which you might want to check out in the same post. We made a bouncy egg and plastic from milk. By the end of lockdown, I felt we were all fully fledged scientists with all the experiments the primary school had us doing! Another you can try is secret messages with a lemon.

Probably the best part of July was meeting up with Sim’s Life on her trip to Wales. Her daughter and my boys got on so well. It was nice finally catching up in real life after so many calls and messages. Sim really helped me get through lockdown!

August

Earlier in the month we went to Greenwood Forest Park and Pottery Painting.

It was such a nice activity for the boys, and we were lucky it was just before masks were introduced in Wales so we could craft away without having to wear one. The tables were distanced out and capacity reduced so it felt safe anyway.

This month we managed to finally catch up with family. It was lovely for the boys to see their grandparents, aunty, great aunty, and cousins. We went fishing, geocaching, bowling and had visits to a wildlife park, Southsea and Fort Nelson. I felt like we had to fit as much as possible into the holiday to make up for the months previously when we didn’t really go anywhere or do much.

I went outside of my comfort zone and got involved in the Moonpig online party. To be honest I really enjoyed it, especially the cocktail making so I am glad I pushed myself to try something new. The cocktails were delicious, and I have made them many more times since.

September

We were involved in an Instagram campaign with Buyagift called Grandparents Grand Outings and it was so nice to treat my parents to afternoon tea with the boys. It really gave them a real boost, they haven’t ventured far from home in such a long time. It was just the tonic they needed.

My eldest was so pleased he finally got to use his Christmas present of riding four supercars. We were a little concerned as the company had changed name during lockdown but fortunately the voucher was still valid, and we had no issues! What an experience for him.

October

This month I was grateful for our walks to see the painted stones. I think we would have been lost without seeing all the fab creations a group of parents kindly make to raise spirits. The pine cone fairy was so imaginative!

I also managed to squeeze in more waffles before the waffle shop closed. I can never get enough of them! It’s quite fortunate my eldest received a waffle maker at Christmas, he can hopefully keep me supplied in them when I go back to enjoying tasty treats!

My afternoon tea treats from Piglet’s Pantry went down a storm! I was glad I could swap my Buyagift voucher for an experience I could do from the safety of home. The firebreak didn’t impact that!

November

A time before lockdown when I caught up with a friend for breakfast and meeting up with another friend for lunch. I really do miss seeing friends but its nice we did catch up when we could. Just hoping for more of that in 2021. I think lockdown has made us more appreciative of when we do get a bit of freedom. My youngest also went metal detecting and we had a delicious family meal out in a pub.

December

The highlight of this month was having an extra bathroom in the house! Less arguments over how long someone is in the bathroom is making life easier in this latest lockdown. Without travel you may have noticed we have refocused our energy (and money) into the house and its nice to seeing it transformed! Other highlights were my boys winning a baking competition at school. My youngest also made a tasty Nutella Christmas tree, which was devoured very quickly I can tell you!

Other crafty makes for the month were Nordic Gnomes. They turned out great. I am fortunate my mum loves crafting and always has some craft ideas up her sleeve and heaps of supplies.