Back in April, my friend Bex (who blogs at clearlybex.co.uk) and I packed up and headed off to Last Drop Village in Bolton for a much needed spa break!

It was heaven! We booked the midweek Revive in 25 break, which cost us £90 each. For that, we got unlimited use of the spa facilities, 1x 25 minute treatment each, a 3 course dinner each and then breakfast the next morning. We also got a complimentary room upgrade because we booked direct – result!

Spa:

The Last Drop Village Spa boasts an 18m long swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool, Rock Sauna, Bio Sauna, Steam Room, Aromatherapy Room and a Halotherapy room. There are sun loungers around the hydrotherapy pool, and the hydrotherapy pohttps://www.lastdropvillage.co.uk/spa-wellness/the-village-spa/ol itself is both indoor and outdoor. If you go through to the outside part, there’s plenty of seating, jets, a fountain and an infinity edge, overlooking the Bolton Countryside – it really is beautiful!

Bex and I spent all afternoon relaxing in the spa, before heading upstairs for our complimentary treatments – we were both booked in for facials. The staff were great – they listened to our skin issues and used appropriate products. (I have really sensitive skin, so the therapist went and got some other products which she felt would be better suited for me).

After our facials, we went back up to our room and took our time getting ready for our evening meal. The bathroom was beautiful, and the complimentary bathroom products were great quality too.

Restaurant:

Once we were both ready, we went down to the restaurant. Our break included a 3 course evening meal from the set menu. I’m vegetarian, so they also brought out the menu for specialist diets, and I could choose from that too. This was the main menu, and we could choose items with an Asterix next to them…

I opted for the soup of the day, which was Tomato Soup, the Potato Gnocchi and the Vanilla cheesecake. All of it was delicious, and I was full to the brim once I’d finished.

Drinks weren’t included with our evening meal package. The drink prices were about the same as in any hotel or restaurant in Manchester City Centre. The table service was great, but you could go to the bar to order, if you preferred.

Twin Room:

After our meal, we turned in for a much needed full night’s sleep! Both beds were super comfy, and we both had a great night’s sleep! The next morning, we went down for breakfast. There was a huge buffet you could help yourself from, or a menu if you preferred table service. I settled on a plate full of pastries while Bex had an English Breakfast.

Once we’d eaten, we packed up our bags and then checked out. We kept a small bag each and put everything else back into the car. Bex and I headed back down to the spa for another few hours of heaven. We explored the village grounds next – They are stunning…

Grounds and Village:

We explored the boutiques and stores before stopping off for a much needed tea and ice cream in the Tearoom. All told, we had a wonderful break, and we both felt it was great value. We’re hoping to sneak off again for another Mum’s Night Off once the kids go back to school in September… Fingers crossed for that!

Do you manage to get away without the kids? If so, are you a fan of spa breaks, or are City breaks more your thing? Check out The Willow Tree’s post on planning a family trip to London if you’re considering heading to the capital for a City Break. To read more of my own travel adventures, browse the Travel category!

My Sunday Photo

This Week’s My Sunday Photo was taken when we went camping a few days ago. The dogs may both be looking angelic here, but they were pests the entire time! I definitely wouldn’t advise camping with two bonkers boxer pups in tow!

Finally: Find more of my photography blog posts here.

This week, Kate on thin ice was focussing on friends and friendship in her best boot forward linky. Despite being too late to link up, I decided I’d join in and use the same bullet points she used in her own post….

Is it important to have friends in your life?

For me, yes – definitely. I don’t have millions of friends, but I have a handful who I know I can trust and depend on. I’d never have survived mentally this past decade without them in my life. Everyone is different though – I think my husband would be happy to go through life without socialising at all, and not maintaining any friendships.

When I was in school, I had a large group of friends, but I wouldn’t have called any of them my best friends – until my final year anyway. My best friend from school and I travelled very different paths, she went off to uni but we still met up, talked and text all the time and went on girly holidays together…

Until she emigrated in 2010 anyway. She left shortly after I got married and found out I was expecting Sam, and she hasn’t been back to visit since. I know that if she turned up at the door tomorrow though, it would be like the last 8 years haven’t happened. We are both so laid back, we’d quickly fall back into step, laughing and cringing about our adventures. (The photo is us in Kavos in 2002 – we were both just 18 and on an 18-30s holiday). Good times!

Facebook Friends

I have lots of friends I have made on social media. I have met several of them in real life, and a handful have become close friends too. Bex and I (pictured below) chatted on Twitter for years. We finally met up when our daughters were both tiny, and we’ve been inseparable since. She lives 90 miles away, but we still talk every day, meet up as often as we can and have helped each other through some tough times.  We’d never have crossed paths if it weren’t for social media, and I can’t imagine my life without our friendship.

Bex and I managed to sneak off for a spa break recently – you can read all about it in this blog post. The majority of the “social media friends” I haven’t met in real life, I met through blogging or via baby groups when I was expecting back in 2010-2012. Some of them have helped me deal with my son’s Autism diagnosis, my Mum’s death and other problems I’ve encountered in the past 7 years. They have gone above and beyond what I’d expect from “real life” friendships, which somehow made it even more amazing. I for one am a big advocate for making online friends – as long as you do it safely! I’d never just add someone random, and always meet somewhere very public if I do meet them in real life.

What I Want From My Friends

For me, friendship is a two way street. I like to listen to friends’ problems and help them solve them. Meeting up for a brew and a catch up is something else I love to do with friends. I like checking in to see how they are doing, just as much as I like them to return the favour. Personally, I am a firm believer in “a problem shared is a problem halved” and having someone to confide in and moan to about whatever is going on in my world is a huge help to me mentally. I want the same things I give, I guess… Trust, honesty, kindness, empathy. I am extremely lucky to have a group of friends who are all of that and much much more.

I met one of my closest friends back in 2000 when I was working in a factory for the summer. We’ve been really close since then. We used to go out most weekends together, and we got married in the same year. I was her chief bridesmaid, she and her hubby to be were the only guests at my wedding. She had twins a few months after my eldest was born, so we shared maternity leave too.

We don’t talk every day now, and we don’t meet up all that much, but I know she would be here the second I asked her to be, and she knows I’d be there for her at the drop of a hat as well. Some people want time with their friends, as much as I’d love us to be able to meet up more than we do, life gets in the way. She works and has 3 kids, I work and have 2 kids – one with special needs. It’s a logistical nightmare trying to meet up. This meme basically sums up our lives….

I have, in the past had to cut people from my life who were definitely not a positive influence. While it was hard at the time, I am a better person for it.

Thinking Positively

I am definitely a social person. The thing I hate most about working from home is the lack of opportunity to socialise. No meeting up at the coffee machine, moaning in the staff room, gossiping over the photocopier.

There are huge perks to working from home too, I  guess… Namely the chance to work from wherever, wearing whatever I want. That includes my PJs, from my bed,in a coffee shop when I need a change of scenery. We can’t have it all ways!

I’m luckier than a lot of people and definitely get more social interaction to keep me ticking over… Even if most of it is via my phone or social media…!

My Sunday Photo

This week’s My Sunday Photo involved toasting marshmallows when we went camping! Yum Yum!

If you’re a fan of My Sunday photo, why not visit Kids, Cuddles & Muddy Puddles. She’s shared some fab photos this week, so check her out!

Finally: Find more of my photography blog posts here.

This week, the Summer Holidays have been in full swing. We are on Day 10 now, and the sun has been shining every single day… until today. I never thought I’d be so happy to see rain returning to Manchester! My word(s) of the week this week are camping at Lady Heyes….. camping

Camping At Lady Heyes

I took my youngest camping for the first time this week, and she LOVED it! We headed to Lady Heyes park in Frodsham, Cheshire. As it was our first trip, we borrowed my sister’s pop up tent, for ease. We packed up an air bed, sleeping bags, my BBQ, hubby’s camping stove and off we went…! Thankfully the campsite was under an hour away. If you’re heading further afield, these road trip activities for kids might come in handy!

We had a lovely 24 hours camping at Lady Heyes, and did lots of traditional camping stuff…

Setting Up Camp

Yep – we pitched the tent – all by ourselves! (OK, so it was a pop up tent, but we are still claiming it as a victory – especially considering we got it back into the bag the next day, too)!

We remembered to pack milk for a cup of tea. (Admittedly, it was so hot, the milk curdled after this one cup, so it was a bit of a waste, really).

We made cheese and beans on toast for our camping tea – Camping toast is so much better than toaster toast, somehow!

Exploring The Camp Site

We went to the clubhouse, and I indulged in this Malteasers ice cream and a 0% alcohol beer – I know how to party!

Toasting Marshmallows

When it started to go dark, we made a fire and toasted some marshmallows. Did you even go camping if you don’t toast marshmallows? I’ll be researching some more exciting campfire desserts for next time though!

My daughter loved being able to run around and play outside all day and evening. The campsite had a playground right near our pitch, so she spent a lot of time on there making friends. This meant I got some time alone with the camp fire and my kindle…

We had such a good time, I have already booked to go back and do it all over again…. With the dogs and my son instead, though! (I’m not brave enough to take both kids on my own just yet. The inevitable “I need a wee” trips at 3am put me off!

Needless to say, it was a fab camping trip! It far exceeded my expectations, so I was a very happy camper! Check out more of our Travel Tales here.

Finally, find out why camping is good for your mental health here!

As a Mum, it’s difficult not to be critical of yourself… I think most mums will agree with that? Maybe you wish you could stay at home with the kids but have to work? Maybe you don’t get to take the kids to all the places they’d love? Perhaps you wish you could bake with your kids but have no idea which way up the cake tin goes?

None of that is relavent in this linky though… This Mum Can is about celebrating the stuff you CAN and DO do… Maybe you got the kids to school on time all week? Perhaps you remembered to buy the ingredients required for their cookery class? Maybe you found the toy they’ve been begging for at a bargain price? It may be something and nothing? But in that moment, you were Super Mum?

I love the #ThisGirlCan hashtag used to encourage women to be more active, and I have seen a few mums use #ThisMumCan alongside that. I thought using it to build each and every Mum up, and help us celebrate all the things us mums CAN do would be a great boost both on social media and on our blogs.

Let’s celebrate all our our accomplishments – no matter how big or small? Dads and Carers are welcome to join in too, of course… the # was just too long if I included everyone in there haha!

The link will run all month, so you have plenty of time to link your post up. This isn’t a super strict linky – just comment on what you can. Do remember though, that backlinks boost your DA – even if they are no follow! Commenting on others will help get your blog out there.

Each month, I will publish a new linky and feature 1 post from the previous month, which deserves a special shout out…

Seeing as how it’s month 1, I’m going to shout MYSELF out…..

Yesterday, my daughter’s beloved Thumper Teddy was pretty much destroyed by our dogs. After 2 hours of trawling the web, I accepted that the teddy is no longer available to buy. There were tears (from her, me and her dad), then poor Thumper’s remains were tied up inside a pillow case and washed at 30 degrees while my daughter painstakingly collected all the fluff from the garden.

We washed those by hand, and then I started the 3 hour process of stitching him back together… It was no mean feat, but I am happy to report Thumper is now back in 1 piece, and only looking slightly worse for wear for his ordeal. I was, of course SUPER MUM for the entire…. 5 minutes he was back with my daughter!

JOINING IN WITH THIS MUM CAN:

If you want to join in with #ThisMumCan, all you need to do is add this badge into your blog post and then your link to the linky below… Tag @TheTinaBailey on Twitter and I’ll share your tweets, to help your blog post reach new readers.

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My Sunday Photo

I took this week’s My Sunday Photo at Ordsall Hall. It is a White Cabbage Butterfly, which I found so beautiful. I snapped this on my iPhone 7 and have made no alterations to the image.

Finally, you can find more of my photography blog posts here.

My Sunday Photo

This week’s My Sunday Photo blog post features my dogs. Monty (The White one) and Minnie (the brown one). They are so cute, I can’t stay mad at them. Even when they destroy the kitchen.

Finally: Find more of my photography blog posts here.

For the first time in a very long time, I am feeling optimistic about the future.

Why?

I have always lived my life in the here and now. I’m reluctant to plan anything for fear of letting anyone down or being let down. I’m a special needs mum who has depression and exhaustion to deal with. This means I usually make plans day to day, so I know how I’m feeling and can plan accordingly).

After living like this for the past 5 years, I have realised that I haven’t really been living… I have been existing. If I want to break the depression circle, I need to get out of my comfort zone. I have done several things in recent weeks to push myself into doing this….

What Changed?

Firstly, I had a long talk with hubby (who also has some serious health issues to deal with). We decided he should reduce his working hours and take on more of the caring at home. I would then be free to put more time into my blog, and earn an income from it.

I also set up GirlsGospel with the intention of slowly growing it as a lifestyle blog. This is a space where I can be me, rather than “mum” – if that makes sense? I’ve found myself writing far more content than I had planned for GirlsGospel, and it is picking up traffic and readers faster than I imagined. (That’s only because I have been reading and commenting on so many other blogs. I’m not kidding myself into thinking this is a super blog, or anything, don’t worry)!

While these changes may seem small to some, they appear to have made a massive difference to my outlook and my depression. I guess I feel useful again, because I am contributing to the family income. (I was going back to work once our youngest turned 1 – Then our son was diagnosed with Autism, so that plan was no longer an option). My depression kicked in around the time I realised I couldn’t physically do a 9-5 and be up all night with our son, as well as attend all his appointments and get him to and from school 11 miles from home.

So for me, I guess I feel optimistic about being a contributor again. Being able to lighten hubby’s load and help make ends meet has definitely left me feeling more optimistic about the future.

Fingers crossed it’ll continue!

You’ll find more lifestyle blog posts here.

This morning doesn’t seem like a particularly good day to be cheerful to me… England were knocked out from the World Cup last night, so most of the country is looking glum. It’s not the end of the world though, really.

England

I’m smiling on the inside, because those Boys did us proud! If we rewind to this time last month, nobody genuinely expected England to make it as far as the Quarter finals, never mind being 20 minutes away from a place in the World Cup Final for the first time since 1966.

Roll on 2022 I say!

Who knows where we could get to next time round. Do you believe football really could come home? Will 2022 finally be OUR year? I certainly hope so! I can imagine the entire country will grind to a halt if we get to the final – can you?

Rain

I’m cheerful because it FINALLY looks like we might get some rain soon. After over 3 weeks without a drop of it in Manchester, the plants are desperate for a good downpour – My tomatoes would love some fresh rainwater instead of tap water!

It has been so hot recently, even my hubby is moaning – and he never moans about the heat! The rain is definitely welcome here – our allotment is desperate for a decent drink! Word on the street is the hose pipe ban could possibly be scrapped IF we get enough rain in the North West this week. Fingers crossed for rain!

That’s about it from me today – two reasons to be cheerful. How many things do you have to smile about this week? More or less than I do?

Why not have a read of the other participants’ Reasons to be cheerful blog posts…. You can find them all by clicking on the button below!

Why not check out Kate on thin Ice’s Best Foot Forward linky for more positive blog posts!

Find more of my Lifestyle blog posts here.