Easter Break

We had a long weekend last week.

It started with Good Friday and ended with a Bank Holiday Monday. I wanted to take the children for an away holiday but since Mr S just recently purchased some overly expensive skin care products for me - at my own request, so I can only blame myself - he said, NO, a quarter of any holiday budget has already gone into them toners and stuff thus we have to spend the 4 day holiday in London!

Little H's Easter hat, Easter egg and chocolate nest in the paper cup made by the teachers and the children in his nursery. Little H said, "Mama..I want to have jewels and diamonds on my hat so that I can look cool and stylish..." Sabar je lah....

Big H's Easter bunny hat..I helped him to make those dangling carrots..

Yes, unfortunate as it was for the kids and me, we tried to make the best of it with lots and lots of activities hereabouts.

Friday morning, Mr S and I together with another couple played badminton. The whole hall which had 8 badminton courts was empty, so our kids had plenty of space to run around and we brought some toys and games for them too so that they wouldn't feel bored while the adults try their best to play some sort of game that resembles badminton.

Badminton venue - they couldn't decide the winner for best sign board competition.

We played doubles: couple against couple and although the scores were close, we lost, I think partly because the other guy was 6 feet tall and totally fit - he kept smashing the shuttlecock right at the more 'sensitive' parts of my body and caused me great embarrassment and also, well, let's face it...Mr S and I memang pancit habis...

I already felt the strain in my thighs and and arms and decided to leave the men to play the next two games (where Mr S was mercilessly crushed again and again..poor Mr S!) and sat at the side chatting with my lady friend while we watched our kids play. I haven't played any games in ages and although we lost all the games, the whole experience nonetheless made us feel...well..good about ourselves...no doubt all those feel good hormones being pumped out!

Thus the reason Mr S agreed to take all of us swimming that afternoon.

Swimming venue - where the children go for their swimming lessons and Big H for his karate class.

I have been pestering Mr S to take Big H to the swimming pool for some private tuition - Big H's swimming test is coming soon and he is still not very confident in the deep end of the pool where he is supposed to water tread and his swimming strokes still resemble doggy paddles.

I didn't really fancy getting into the water, partly because I just well...wanted to stay dry but also because I hate to change in the changing room...(it's just too much hassle for me) but Little H wanted to swim in the shallow pool so I had to change and accompany him there while Mr S instructed Big H in the big pool.

In the end however, we all played in the shallow pool - neither Mr S nor I did any 'swimming' - we just played with the children in the water, trying to teach them a few things at the same time definitely, but still, it was mostly play, play, play.

And it was a very pleasant and enjoyable day indeed.

But that night...

The adults in the family all suffered greatly from body aches and pains! Mr S while walking slowly and painfully around the house said, "Tu lah mama...kau dulu kapten hoki patutnya ajar aku warm up tadi dulu sebelum main badminton tu...arghhh!!" (Yes..Mr S will always bring up the topic of 'dulu kau kapten hoki' to point out that I should be many things that I am not now..e.g. thinner, more active, faster, healthier etc. etc. etc.)
"Laaa..." I replied, impatient with yet another kapten hoki gibe, "warm up lah sendiri...anyway, this hasn't got anything to do with warming up lah - it's just because we're OLD...!!"

Surrey Quays - background is the sports shop that we went to get them goggles.

Yes...Mr S and I walked around like rusty robots the whole night and the next day but no...we did not learn from our aches and pains. By afternoon, even while we were still suffering and were only assuaged by a couple of paracetamols, we took the children to Surrey Quays via the tube, to a large Sports Shop called Decathlon, to buy some new goggles and swimming socks for the kids.

The recommended goggles and the swimming socks left to dry at home after a lesson.

(One of the mums I met during the boys' swimming lessons had recommended to me the Decathlon brand goggles especially for Little H who doesn't particularly like his Speedo ones - he keeps taking them off and putting them on again during his lessons and I'm afraid his teacher might lose patience with him one of these days due to his lack of attention during the lessons. Apparently the Decathlon ones are really good for kids and they are also cheap! The nearest store is in Surrey Quays and it is just next to the tube station thus the reason we went there via the tube.)

Not a lot of choice for halal food at the Surrey Quays food court.

We already had lunch at home but as usual, the children gets hungry every time we go out and so we had some food in the food court there - and somehow between us we polished our plates clean!! Still, Big H had to have some more food at home for dinner just 3 hours later! I guess it's true what they say about kids always feeling hungry because they're growing!

After the food..Mr Bump and Mr Noisy were back to normal.

On Sunday, Mr S and I decided to take the children bowling.

Big H's turn to bowl ..or should I say - roll.

Little H's turn now..

It was the kids' first time in a bowling alley and they were very excited. It was really amusing to see Little H when his turn to throw came...either Mr S and I would help him carry the heavy bowling ball onto the roller and Little H would run as far away as he could from the ball and then he would run as fast as he could towards the ball and push the ball as hard as he could. It didn't matter if he had to go to the back of the seats and the tables and it didn't matter that he had to run over feet and in zig zags - he had to have the strongest momentum of all coz "I want to win!" he said.

Come on!!!

Of course, when the game ended and he came in last (this was because each time he shoved at the ball on the roller so hard, he would always tip the roller a bit and this made his ball and his aim go astray) he sulked and announced that he would never, never, never, never, never, never, NEVER go to 'Bollywood Bowl' ever again because he didn't enjoy himself - not even a little!

The funny thing is, later, when we reminded him that the game wasn't a competition and it was supposed to be just for fun and that it didn't matter who won or lost, he replied, "I didn't like it not because I lost, mama...but it's because I didn't like the place..it was too dark...!!"

Yeah right..pandai nak save face budak ni.....

The boys playing in the wet snow...

I think it was really a good thing after all that we didn't have an away holiday this Easter break. We would have felt tired by the journey and would not have enough time to rest before going back to the normal routine and not to mention we would have needed to spend a lot of money for the whole trip. The very, very cold weather during the weekend also, with bouts of sleet and snow made me feel thankful that we were safely at home and not gallivanting somewhere in other parts of Britain which many, as it turned out, had worse snow and strong winds compared to London.

Alhamdulillah, we found great activities to do at home and I think over all, it was a wonderful, wonderful Easter break.