Plans for summer and picnics at the park

Whilst Ethan is still two years away from school age, I'm still thinking of how to make this summer special seeing as the holidays are upon us.

Ethan knows more, can do more and can express more every day and I want to enjoy as many experiences, both current favourites and new ones too. I also only have one more week left until I start full time hours as opposed to four days a week, so every moment has to count.

Something about summer just makes you want to get out there and take it all in. Sitting still isn't allowed, particularly when kids are involved, unless you have a cool paddling pool set up and a chair nearby to recline in.

I'm always looking for new places to visit and fun days out. Come rain or shine, we do our best as a family to enjoy different activities together and summer just seems to make this more possible.

So, what does our summer have in store?

Well, we don't have any big plans as such. We'll be visiting my parents soon in Hampshire for some belated birthday fun, we may be having some visitors come and stay in the form of Ethan's godparents and there's a few parks we haven't been to in our local area so hopefully we can tick a few of these off our list too.

We're very lucky to have several great parks near us, all within a 15 minute drive time, and we're close to one of Birmingham's canals too so there's always somewhere we can go to get some fresh air.

It's really worth having a look online to find out what's near to you and keep your eyes peeled when you're out and about, as there can be some hidden gems and we quite often don't realise what's on our own doorstep.

Plus, it's free!

Going outdoors means one thing to me - picnics!

I love picnics! It's National Picnic Month at the moment and you can read about my suggestions for the perfect picnic here, but essentially you just need a blanket, somewhere nice to go and a selection of nice nibbles for you and your little ones.

When we're out and about, having a carton of juice (or two) to hand is really convenient and a nice treat every now and then too (the Jucee juice drinks are no added sugar and very low in sugar overall the Jucee pure juice cartons are higher but count as one of their five-a-day).

If the weather isn't that kind, why not have a picnic indoors instead?

Break with routine and set up a blanket on the floor in your lounge, use disposable plates and enjoy a feast of sandwiches, nibbles such as crisps, vegetable sticks and a fresh fruit salad (with a chocolatey or biscuity treat too if your little ones have been good) and some fresh juice.

Being at home means you can also have something simple but filling, like beans or spaghetti on toast (classic!) and I try to keep a good stock of cans and tins so I can make something fast. Having all that fun with my family means I don't want to spend long in the kitchen and it's helpful having a good store cupboard to fall back on.

One of my top organisational tips is to meal plan by first checking your cupboards before hitting the shops and keeping a good stock of basics.

Less messing, more fun!

Whatever we get up this summer, I'll be sure to share our acitivites and memories on here and I'm also determind to update my Project Life scrapbook too.

I absolutely love it, being a stationery fiend and a fan of prints and design and I want to be sure to note down all the things we do and changes we see in Ethan over the weeks ahead in a hard copy we can flick through together. I love this blog but sometimes you just want to hold something 'real', don't you?

I'd love to hear your plans for the summer and suggestions for keeping the kids entertained, enjoying time as a family and even planning the perfect picnic.

* Princes sent us a summer hamper but this post and my love of picnics are all genuine, promise!