January has definitely been a tough month mood-wise, despite starting the new year with lots of motivation the grey days and freezing temperatures soon got to me. Despite a couple of weeks feeling pretty miserable January has actually turned out to be a really nice month. Looking back we’ve had some nice adventures and spent lots of time together as a family. The month has flown by and it’s already time for a monthly round-up.

January Monthly Round-Up

Adventures

Our month started off with a visit to one of our favourite local nature reserves Wigg Island. It’s about a 20-minute drive from our house, it is ideal for the kids to scoot around and has a duck pond. It’s our go-to place when we want to get out for some fresh air. The weather was so mild at the beginning of January that the kids discarded their coats, they loved feeding the ducks and taking their new scooters for a spin.

I also took the kids to the local park before they returned to school after the Christmas break. We chose a really frosty morning so didn’t stay too long, the flask of coffee I took with me certainly helped warm me up while In watched them play.

We took a trip to the Lady Lever Art Gallery to see an exhibition called 50 Years Of Children’s Books with Quentin Blake and John Yeoman. The gallery was fantastic, really family-friendly and it was brilliant being able to see some of Quentin Blake’s illustrations up close. I definitely want us to visit lots more exhibitions as a family this year and perhaps even a show or two as well.

I met up with my lovely friend and fellow blogger Tracey at what’s fast becoming my favourite place to eat out, The Dorado Lounge in Warrington. We ate a delicious brunch and chatted about blogging, life and lots more, we also did a book swap so I’ve got plenty to read for the next few months.

Chris and I had a free trip to the cinema with some tickets I won, we watched Aquaman which although a good film gave me motion sickness. I was lucky enough to have another trip to the cinema in January too, this time with my cousin to see Mary Poppins Returns which we both really enjoyed.

Reading Monthly Round-Up

I felt in a little bit of a reading slump at the start of January, the two books I was reading just weren’t interesting me so I decided to put them to one side and pick up something else. The first book I read was an absolute corker, This is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay had me in stitches laughing. I can’t recommend this book highly enough, it’s a must-read.

The next book I picked up, My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent was a bit heavier and quite brutal in places too. I enjoyed it none the less. I’m currently reading I See You by Clare Mackintosh, this has been on my TBR for a while and it’s proving good so far.

I also took part in a book swap, hosted by Jocelyn over at The Reading Residence. Jocelyn organises several book and stationery swaps throughout the year as well as running the Bring Back Paper group over on Facebook.

The kids have enjoyed a month of Roald Dahl, we have read The Magic Finger, George’s Marvellous Medicine and currently The BFG, which daddy is reading complete with character voices.

A lovely little independent children’s book shop has opened locally this month so we went to visit. Daisy spent her pocket money on a lovely picture book called Would You Rather? by John Burningham and I picked up a few pre-loved books too.

Watching

I’ve watched so many films and TV shows this month it’s unreal, although most of them I do have running in the background while I’m working. It’s going to be easier to just list what I’ve watched with notes by the side about what I thought.

You-Netflix (definitely worth a watch if you love an easy binge with a stalker, killer twist).

Luther Season 5-BBC ( didn’t love this as much as the other seasons).

Christopher Robin (gorgeous family movie for Winnie The Pooh lovers both old and new).

Maniac-Netflix (brilliant, top banana viewing, can’t sum up what it’s about in a sentence).

Manhunt-ITV (If you love true crime then you will like this, Martin Clunes was ace as in it).

Parfum-Netflix (Gritty, grim and very, very odd).

Sex Education-Netflix (Must watch, essential viewing I learned a thing or two).

Silent Witness-BBC (loving the new series but also binge-watching all the past episodes available on iPlayer).

Abducted In Plain Sight-Netflix (deeply disturbing but a must-watch for fans of true crime).

Call The Midwife-BBC (lovely Sunday evening heart-warming viewing, never fails to make me cry).

I also watched lots of movies on Disney Life with the kids, really happy as Moana is now available on there.

Listening

Chris and I are listening to the Martian on audiobook at bedtime. I loved the movie but I am enjoying the audiobook so much more, the narrator is brilliant and really brings the story to life.

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

December At The Websters Monthly Round Up {2018}

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