Center Parcs' May Blogger Challenge - Getting Snappy Happy Outdoors!

Center Parcs has teamed up with Tots 100 to challenge Bloggers to be 'snappy happy' in the Great Outdoors this month. We've had to leave it to the last minute to join in this one, as we've been rather busy this month (you can read about that in my last post here).

So you can imagine my delight at having to drag encourage the girls outside on a day which looked like we could have a free outdoors bath every 10 minutes. How I wish I'd tried this earlier in the month when it has been summer-like in this county! To be totally honest, we have one girls who loves being outdoors as much as possible (as long as it's not raining) and one who would quite happily be a couch potato homebird for ever, so we just tend to run with whatever we think of if we can on the spur of the moment.

We had a few tips on the Center Parcs Blog from photographer Rich Heath, and the one which inspired us was 'Take some springtime selfies of you and your family enjoying yourselves on a walk in your local park'

We're really lucky to live right by a very well maintained park/green area, and I've been taking the girls out there for walks ever since they were born. Of course it was much easier when they were in their prams and couldn't answer back... but still, we persevere every once in a while when we can distract them from Minecraft... 

Today was a perfect day (ahem). Well we did manage to take lots of photos, and have lots of fun, before the heavens opened and they ran for home. On the way out to the park, Tamsin took her version of 'nature' photos - a big tree and a daisy. Sasha stopped to pick a couple of daisies en-route, and asked if they re-plant themselves if you pull the petals off and throw into the air. Any ideas on that anyone?!

 

We visited the maze first; a fantastic place for toddlers, planted with lots of small bushes so nobody can get too lost in there. Sasha has always loved it - as long as we enter behind her and go the exact way she tells us to. Today she split her imaginary ponies (My Little Pony, new obsession!) up into two teams and they were neck and neck all the way to the finish. I took this rather spooky photo in the maze which is still freaking me out a little - can you see why?!

Meanwhile Tamsin was playing with one of her new birthday presents and after a selfie with her favourite mummy, she challenged daddy to a duel. Nobody won, as her pellet jumped out backwards inexplicably. We spent half the time outdoors searching for those pellets - my top tip is get the brightly coloured ones! The girls also posed happily (ahem) for a siblings shot - I was lucky I didn't get 'it'... another note for mummy's diary: never leave Sasha alone with a gun.

One of Sasha's favourite things is her kite - and there was just enough wind for her to make it work pretty well today (summer is starting soon, honest!). She zoomed around everywhere and I never can resist taking lots of photos of her having 'such fun'.

As the big drops started falling, we stopped for a 'hoodie selfie' and then Tamsin posed in the lovely Boules area - no time for playing there today though sadly. That's another of Sasha's favourite areas - she turns into Makka Pakka with the stones and can get 'lost' making piles for hours!

I stayed behind briefly to catch some shots in the glorious rose garden - one of my own favourite peaceful places.

Our time outdoors might have been short and sweet today, but it certainly cheered us all up and blew the cobwebs away!

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots100 May challenge. If I'm chosen, I would like to visit Elveden Forest. #CPFamilyBreaks