February started off really well, I felt really productive and everyone was in good health. We had our adventures planned out for the month and we were really looking forward to them. Just before the February half-term, Daisy caught chickenpox with Jake following closely behind. Plans had to change but we still managed to squeeze in some fun. Here is our monthly round-up for February.

February Monthly Round-Up

Adventures

We started off February with a visit to a local walled garden that we didn’t realise was so close to home. Much to the kid’s delight, there was some snow left behind from an earlier snowfall. The ponds there were totally frozen over and looked absolutely stunning.

The same weekend we went to the kids’ club at the cinema to watch The Grinch, the tickets are a bargain at just £2.50 per person. We all really enjoyed the film and will be adding it to our Christmas DVD collection this year.

We found another local park that we hadn’t visited before, this one was less than a 10-minute car journey from home. There were three well-equipped play areas, woodlands, wetlands, and a water feature. The kids took their scooters and spent ages whizzing around the paths.

The car park is free and there’s plenty of spots for a picnic. We will definitely be back in the spring for lots more adventures.

I met my friend for a meal and a catch-up on one of the evenings in the half term. We found a nice little pub that serves delicious food nearby and had a good natter. I never remember to take photos when I’m out for a meal, for a blogger I’m awfully self-conscious of taking snaps in public.

This year we have treated ourselves to a National Trust membership, we have so many properties nearby that I want to take the kids to. We started off with a trip to Dunham Massey, it’s somewhere I’ve been going since I was a toddler. We had a really good walk around the grounds, the weather was beautiful and we spotted some of the properties deer’s off in the distance. We had planned to do the house and gardens but had to cut our trip short as Jake was starting to feel unwell.

Although we didn’t go on as many adventures as I had hoped the kids spent lots of time in the garden on their trampoline and scooters.

Reading

I only got through two books this month but they were both really good. The first book I read was a thriller called What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan, it follows the character Rachel Jenner whose son Ben goes missing after running ahead of her on an ordinary Sunday afternoon walk. As days pass without a sign of Ben everyone who knew him is called into question, and the media attention falls on Rachel too. I read this in just a couple of days, it was fast-paced and ticked all the boxes that I look for in a thriller.

The second book I read was The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty, I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not as it’s not the usual type of book I would reach for. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and ended up really enjoying it. The only problem I found was that I kept imagining the characters played by the actors from Little Big Lies, another Liane Moriarty book that was adapted for television. The book starts when Cecelia Fitzpatrick, a successful businesswoman, and pillar of the community accidentally finds a letter written by her husband that’s to be opened in the even of his death. The contents of the letter could not only destroy the life they have built but the lives of others too. I really liked that this book told the stories of several characters with a thread that brought them all together at the end.

The kids have been reading the BFG with their daddy at bedtime, much to their delight he has been reading each character in a different voice. I’m now reading The Twits to them alongside some gorgeous picture books that were sent to us from Hachette Children’s Group as part of The Picture Book Post Club.

Watching

I’ve watched lots of great movies and TV shows this month, Netflix continues to produce fantastic binge-worthy shows. I also treated us to a month’s pass for NOW TV so we could catch up on some movies we’ve been wanting to watch.

Black Panther-Now TV (the best film I’ve seen in a long time, highly recommend).

Ozark-Netflix (the jury is still out on this one, I’m a few episodes in and debating if I should carry on).

Truth Or Dare-Now TV (usual slasher movie, good if you fancy an easy horror film).

Love Simon-Now TV (nice film, I enjoyed it but it’s more for a young adult audience).

Ladybird-Now TV (Gorgeous coming of age film, gave me a good laugh and a few tears).

Russian Doll-Netflix (I’m still trying to figure this one out, worth a watch but beware the tune will get stuck in your head).

Dirty John-Netflix (wow, this is a must for fans of true crime).

Coco-Now TV (stunning animation from Disney, have the tissues handy for the end though).

Listening

I’ve been really into true crime at the moment and am working through the podcast They Walk Among Us. I must admit some of them scare the living daylights out of me but they really do make interesting listening.

Chris and I are still listening to The Martian audiobook at bedtime, of course, I know how the story ends but it doesn’t take away the enjoyment of listening to it.

If you’ve enjoyed this post you might like January Monthly Round-Up 2019.

January Monthly Round-Up {2019}

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