One Tree House, a Bottle of Fizz and a Magic Moment!

It's not very often that my whole family gets together.  With demanding lives and growing kids (whose social engagements have inadvertently taken over ours!) these events take a lot of  planning.  Knowing that very soon my dear mama would be celebrating the grand old age of three score years and ten (70th birthday for the mathematically challenged amongst you!) the pressure was on....

Does she like surprises? No (enough bad experiences of this in the past).
Would she like a big party? No (too much clearing up and an aversion to being the centre of attention).  What about a trip away? No (too many children and not enough funds!).
A weekend away with just her daughters? No (she would want to celebrate with the Grandchildren too).

She's a hard one to please, I can tell you!

After many weeks of toing and froing, we decided to treat her to a very special afternoon tea at Fanny's Farm in Merstham, Surrey.  About two years ago, a friend of mine had posted a photo of this place on her Facebook page and the image had stayed with me (and the name, for obvious reasons!).  

A booking was made 6 months in advance, for Fanny's Tree House - a fun place for the children and a bit of 'novelty factor' for the adults.  We were allowed to bring our own champagne, along with a birthday cake and the place was ours for 2 hours.

I will allow the pictures to tell the story, as my words probably won't adequately describe this wonderful little 'find'....

There's something very eccentric about this place - little knick-knacks and quirky signs everywhere.  If you're looking for a novel way to celebrate an event, you've found the right place.

We had a truly memorable afternoon and I know that my mum's favourite part was having us all together - even if only for the two hours!

 Linking this post up with Jaime's Magic Moments linky and my usual Monday Club over at Hello Wall...

Silent Sunday 19-05-13

No one ever told me....

Whilst walking our dogs the other day, a friend and I spent the entire hour reliving our weekend and the massive parenting faux pas that we had made. It was Monday morning and her weekend had been a tough one.  On Sunday evening, in an attempt to unwind from the earlier stresses of that day, she had sunk into a bubble bath and promptly burst into tears.  To the surprise of her poor, unsuspecting husband, she then wailed:

"No one ever told me it would be this hard!". 

I must admit that with three children ranging from 8-13 and one crazy dog, this notion runs through my mind on a daily basis!  Our conversation triggered some thoughts on the other things that no one told me before I embarked on the wonderful world of parenting.....

• That I will be forced to spend hours feigning interest in the latest obsession from Minecraft to the intricate details of the last operation shown on Bondi Vet.
• That my children's social life will slowly but surely take precedence over mine.
• That I will never again get a full night's sleep - if it's not through them waking, it will be from lying awake with worry.
• That a 'holiday' will become: same crap rubbish, different location.
• That 'parental guilt', along with his old chum 'worry', will follow me around for the rest of my life.
• That the definition of a 'good night' will shift from laughter and dancing until 3am to bed at 10 pm with a good book and a cuppa.
• That motherhood will be far and away the hardest job I have ever done and the option to 'retire' will not be available.
• That no matter how hard I fight it, I will become my mother (no offence to my lovely mum, but who wants to be likened to their mother?!)
• That after having children, I will no longer be able to go on a swing without feeling sick, jump on a trampoline without the urge to pee, or go on a roller-coaster without first taking valium.
• That by the time my child reaches the age of 8, I will become the butt of all jokes.
• I will never again be allowed a day off 'sick' - when you are a mother, there is no such thing.
• That my car, once my pride and joy, will rapidly become everyone's dumping ground and affectionately labelled 'The Skip'
• That I will never again drink a cuppa whilst it's still hot....in fact I will probably never finish a drink again (unless it's wine of course ;))
• That Sunday nights will cease being a night to curl up on the sofa, watch a good film and prepare for a new week, and become an evening of ironing, cleaning shoes, filling in forms and falling into bed exhausted.
• That the fierce protection I feel for these three human beings, will cause me to threaten small children in soft play areas.

Despite all of this, I love them unconditionally and wouldn't change any of it for the world
(well not much anyway!)  

What things have you discovered about parenting that might have made you think twice before taking the plunge?!  As experienced parents, perhaps it's our duty to let the poor, unsuspecting, first-time parents, know what they're letting themselves in for.....