Half Term Fun and Memorable Moments #GetPopped

What a great half-term week we have had. I wasn't sure whether to book a holiday but the kids all asked to stay home and just have some days out so that is what we did and it fitted in really well as just before half-term Popchips (the popped potato snack) challenged me to have six days of enjoyable experiences and to take a packet of Popchips with me for each.

They set the challenge to celebrate the launch of their new 6 pack multipacks, which are available in Sea Salt and BBQ flavours. I can genuinely tell you that I am so glad they set me this challenge as I'd not tried Popchips before and I really like them. As someone who needs to be cutting down on calories they are my new best friend at around 70 calories for a packet.

Popchips believe that every day should be filled with joyful and light-hearted moments and I set about capturing those. Not just the moments that you know are pretty special but also the ones that are easily missed and must not be taken for granted. I wrote recently about how important it is to choose joy and to make sure you live in the moment and delight in the small stuff.
Let me share with you some of the things we got up to during our 6 day challenge.

The week started on Sunday, when I was not feeling that great (chronic cough and cold) but we still managed to have fun at church and I was on the tech desk in the kids N:Gage group. The morning turned out to be a really joyous one as we learnt one child had decided to make a commitment and accept Jesus into their life that week and another had a vision of Sunday morning being filled with great joy.  There is nothing as special as a child being confident in their faith.

Sunday night was time to pack for going away the next day. The kids were off to my parents and this makes them super happy as they love to spend time with their grandparents. My husband and I were then off to London to send some alone time and see U2 in concert as guests of ONE.

I even managed to sneak some Popchips into The O2 to enjoy whilst I waited for Bono and U2 to come on stage. It really was the most amazing concert, such a spectacular stage show and also a special section devoted to challenging people to think more about the greater good and how their actions can impact others. I've written about the concert and the desire to speak out because of it over here. 

After an enjoyable night in a hotel my husband and I were refreshed and ready to collect the kids for another fun day in London. On the way up to London the kids all snacked on their Popchips and then JJ went on to secure himself an official Guinness world record and he was over the moon. We have the certificate now in our hall and it's serving as a daily reminder to the kids that if you work hard, practise and stay determined who will achieve your dreams. JJ has been attempting Guinness world records for about 4 years now. You can read the full post about our day out with GWR over here. 

After the business of Monday and Tuesday we were keen to relax on Wednesday and had a low key day at home. The kids all played outside on their scooters and bikes, we baked some flapjack and I managed to get a whole load ticked off my to-do list.  This is just the most satisfying feeling ever! Thursday was just a day of appointments and jobs in our local town and due to the rain it is hard to report anything particularly inspiring, except more things crossed off my to-do list.

Friday saw a couple of blogger friends and their kids come over to visit us at home and due to the magnificent surroundings we live in, we got out for a walk and collected some chestnuts ready to roast and enjoy with the X-Factor on Saturday night. It's one of those simple delights again - Miss E and I love to snuggle up on a Saturday evening with a treat and some good TV. I've written a post all about our chestnut collecting over here.

The picture at the top of this post is Miss E up a tree as we walked out with our friends. We are so blessed to be able to live where we do and we all enjoyed using the Orangery tea room in the late afternoon to have a cream tea together, all eleven of us. In fact the kids were having so much fun that Monika and her kids didn't end up leaving until nine o'clock at night and that was only with promises that our girls could have a sleepover some time soon. Making new friends and meeting up with old ones is the best feeling - thank you Anya and Monika for a lovely day. (Thanks Anya for the photo)

After such an enjoyable time outside on Friday we were keen to join some of our Church friends who were coming over to Ashburnham for a walk on Saturday. As I waited for everyone to arrive Miss E caught me snacking on my Popchips and we then headed off for a good couple of hour walk. Beautiful sunshine, crystal clear skies, fresh air, amazing autumnal colours and some very excited kids made for a lot of happiness and fun.

This is just one of the many gorgeous vistas that we got to enjoy on our walk. The kids played 40:40 home, they jumped in puddles, got stuck in mud, joined a fisherman for 20 minutes trying their hand at fishing and we all walked up and stood under the mighty cross. It was a great time with friends. 

With a couple of days of not sharing my Popchips moments, it had come to Sunday again and I had to take Miss E to a school friends Laserquest party. I had wondered if Miss M might be jealous that she was not invited but instantly she shouted 'Yay, I get time by myself with Mummy', so hearing her excitement I made sure we could enjoy this time and booked a game of bowling for us. One-on-one time with each of my kids is so important to me and they all benefit and our relationship deepens and grows. I loved that couple of hours with my little blondie.

So there you have it, six days of fun and light-hearted moments, all enjoyed with a packet of Popchips from my multipack of 6. A few of us have been sharing our moments these last couple of weeks and you can check out our photos on Instagram and Twitter by searching the #GetPopped hashtag. You can also buy the new multipacks at your local supermarket, the RRP is £1.99 but I see Tesco have them on special at £1.50 at the moment so I'll be looking to stock up, especially on the Sea Salt flavour which is scrummy.

Thanks so much Popchips for reminding me again to live in the moment and to enjoy the everyday with my family and friends.

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