I do like to be beside the seaside

Last week the Mister whisked us all off to the seaside for the night. He booked us into a seafront hotel in Weston-super-Mare, and so on Thursday morning the 7 of us packed up and headed to the coast.

At just over an hour away it's a quick & easy drive - although H did ask every half a mile if we were 'there yet'... I can see that driving to the south of France with him is going to be fun.

We had two family rooms at the seafront Premier Inn, girls in one and boys in the other. We offloaded our things and then headed out to have a wander around town. I haven't been to Weston in years, I forgot how lovely it is. Some parts look a little unloved shall we say, but it is a real seaside town (for want of stating the obvious) and I can definitely see that improvements are being made, and it looks to be picking up. The seafront has some beautiful views and is well kept, and I'm looking forward to visiting again very soon.
The hotel was lovely, the staff were really friendly and welcoming and the rooms clean and comfortable. Downstairs is a Brewers Fayre pub restaurant in which we had our evening meal, as well as the breakfast buffet the next morning before we checked out. The food was delicious and excellent value.

We took the kids for a walk around town and along the seafront, and then on to the Grand Pier. It is like a wonderland for kids in there, and the Mister & I got suitably rinsed by the five of them to go on all the rides and games. We had a lot of fun, they really enjoyed themselves. It costs £1 each to get on to the pier and then you have to pay for all the rides & games separately, though you can buy an all day wristband for £12.50 each for the rides for weekends & school holidays. There are lots of rides to go on and plenty to see and do, the kids didn't want to leave!

We got some ice creams & E had a ride on the carousel with Daddy (though I think secretly Daddy enjoyed it more than E did, whether he chooses to admit it or not) and we enjoyed some lunch in a pub in town. It was a really enjoyable couple of days and the kids were immaculately behaved - not a single argument, strop, tantrum or meltdown was had by a single one of them, it was brilliant. This is rare, of course, they're kids after all, but they excelled themselves & I'm really proud of them for making our mini break a fun one without any hassle or stress.

I have been looking back at the pictures I took and can't believe how grown up they all are. I am really enjoying having older children, being less restricted with things we can do and now E is older (and taller, she was delighted to have finally reached minimum height for rides on the pier) they are enjoying each others company more and appreciating having each other to hang out & do things with. Of course I am still having to referee them most days, usually over the rights to the PC or television or someone making a noise when the other doesn't want them to but probably 8 times out of 10, they are great mates. It's good to see, I hope it stays that way.