As a busy mum of 7 I hate holidays. Well not the actual holiday obviously but it seems to fall to me to plan, price, book and pack for the whole family whenever we go away.
Even just one night can be a real mission as I discovered last weekend packing everything but the kitchen sink - and raincoats which turned out to be the one thing we really needed!
At school the days are frantic with sports days, trips, open evenings and events being crammed into the last few weeks- there are more than a couple of slightly hysterical parents in our playground right now, and texts flying about the need for sports kit, costumes, rehearsals etc.
Then before we know it the long summer holidays are upon us! This is normally quite relaxed for our family. When there are nine of you it's generally not practical or financially viable for us to go away in the summer but this year we have a range of exciting things happening including not one but two trips away.
Firstly much to the excitement of my younger children my dream of taking them to Disneyland Paris will be fulfilled. The older ones have visited a couple of times but as our family grew it became impossible to find affordable accommodation for the whole lot of us.
It was a source of much guilt to me that our Disney-loving young children missed out but finally, with help from someone lovely who knew how I felt about this issue, we can put that right with a trip to see Mickey in the first week of August! Just what we need after a stressful few months after my husband's accident.
Sadly he can't come as he is still not able to walk for long periods but I am leaving him in the capable hands of my older son and the local takeaway.
I of course am looking forward to seeing the children experience Disney, especially Grumpy who cannot wait to see Buzz Lightyear and Woody and visit Pizza Planet. But I am also looking forward to no cooking and with a bit of luck some time after a busy day in the park stretching out my aching limbs in the hotel pool.
Then at the end of August we are staying in a Cotswold cottage belonging to our good friends and I am hoping the weather will be nice enough to finally visit the famous local Lido they keep telling us about!
So, before the children break up and I am too busy with all the extra meals and entertainment required when school is out to think about shopping and packing I dragged out my sad collection of swimwear which has seen me through a breast reduction, many pregnancies and too much sun and chlorine. Hmm. Time for a new set.
And like Disney's fairy Godmother the lovely people from George, Asda's clothing collection, offered me the chance to browse their #SplashedByGeorge swimwear and holiday range including bikinis, swimsuits and tankinis in a range of gorgeous on-trend shapes, colours and patterns.
Now you know me - I love anything vintage so was delighted to see vintage- inspired costumes at bargain prices. I chose a skirted one piece which flatters my waist-less shape and does a great job of minimising my mummy-tummy. I love the spots and the fact that the skirt hides the bikini area which should be kept trimmed but often isn't so much....
For when I'm feeling braver or for my next trip to see Mum in Cyprus I just could not resist the floral and fun bikini with 50's style high waisted bottom half. You can mix and match many of George's bikinis and tankinis to make the most of the bits you like and cover up the bits you are less keen on. Oh on on that note they also do complete ankle to neck cover-up styles for people who want or need to wear this style.
Despite the bargain prices I found the items I ordered to be great quality and a good true-to-size fit.
There were also lovely kaftans and other beach wear and of course shoes, sunglasses and suitcases so you really can do a one-stop shop for all your holiday essentials for the whole family.
I struggle with "drag behind" suitcases so was delighted to be able to order an ultra-lightweight (only 3.6lbs/1.7kg!) "it" suitcase with four wheels on the bottom which allows you to pull behind or alongside you. Suitcases on the Asda website come in a variety of patterns, colours, designs and sizes. The one I ordered was described as cabin sized (check with individual airlines before purchasing) and was spacious inside with no bars or bumps to take up interior space.
As well as a comfortable pulling handle the case also has a sturdy and comfortable smaller handle for men who refuse to pull their case, or for pulling the case off overhead racks. Zips were also well-designed with metal loops for those who find tiny zip tags hard to grip.
Since in three weeks I am going to have to be ushering a herd of very excited small people along train platforms I am relieved to have such a handy case which really is ultra-light!
The George range is available in store or online with delivery and click and collect options available. They even deliver much of their range to a wide range of European countries (but not Cyprus - sorry mum!).
Disclaimer: I was sent a one piece costume, a bikini and a suitcase for the purposes of this honest impartial review.
Even just one night can be a real mission as I discovered last weekend packing everything but the kitchen sink - and raincoats which turned out to be the one thing we really needed!
At school the days are frantic with sports days, trips, open evenings and events being crammed into the last few weeks- there are more than a couple of slightly hysterical parents in our playground right now, and texts flying about the need for sports kit, costumes, rehearsals etc.
Then before we know it the long summer holidays are upon us! This is normally quite relaxed for our family. When there are nine of you it's generally not practical or financially viable for us to go away in the summer but this year we have a range of exciting things happening including not one but two trips away.
Firstly much to the excitement of my younger children my dream of taking them to Disneyland Paris will be fulfilled. The older ones have visited a couple of times but as our family grew it became impossible to find affordable accommodation for the whole lot of us.It was a source of much guilt to me that our Disney-loving young children missed out but finally, with help from someone lovely who knew how I felt about this issue, we can put that right with a trip to see Mickey in the first week of August! Just what we need after a stressful few months after my husband's accident.
Sadly he can't come as he is still not able to walk for long periods but I am leaving him in the capable hands of my older son and the local takeaway.
I of course am looking forward to seeing the children experience Disney, especially Grumpy who cannot wait to see Buzz Lightyear and Woody and visit Pizza Planet. But I am also looking forward to no cooking and with a bit of luck some time after a busy day in the park stretching out my aching limbs in the hotel pool.
Then at the end of August we are staying in a Cotswold cottage belonging to our good friends and I am hoping the weather will be nice enough to finally visit the famous local Lido they keep telling us about!
So, before the children break up and I am too busy with all the extra meals and entertainment required when school is out to think about shopping and packing I dragged out my sad collection of swimwear which has seen me through a breast reduction, many pregnancies and too much sun and chlorine. Hmm. Time for a new set.
And like Disney's fairy Godmother the lovely people from George, Asda's clothing collection, offered me the chance to browse their #SplashedByGeorge swimwear and holiday range including bikinis, swimsuits and tankinis in a range of gorgeous on-trend shapes, colours and patterns.Now you know me - I love anything vintage so was delighted to see vintage- inspired costumes at bargain prices. I chose a skirted one piece which flatters my waist-less shape and does a great job of minimising my mummy-tummy. I love the spots and the fact that the skirt hides the bikini area which should be kept trimmed but often isn't so much....
For when I'm feeling braver or for my next trip to see Mum in Cyprus I just could not resist the floral and fun bikini with 50's style high waisted bottom half. You can mix and match many of George's bikinis and tankinis to make the most of the bits you like and cover up the bits you are less keen on. Oh on on that note they also do complete ankle to neck cover-up styles for people who want or need to wear this style.
Despite the bargain prices I found the items I ordered to be great quality and a good true-to-size fit.
There were also lovely kaftans and other beach wear and of course shoes, sunglasses and suitcases so you really can do a one-stop shop for all your holiday essentials for the whole family.
I struggle with "drag behind" suitcases so was delighted to be able to order an ultra-lightweight (only 3.6lbs/1.7kg!) "it" suitcase with four wheels on the bottom which allows you to pull behind or alongside you. Suitcases on the Asda website come in a variety of patterns, colours, designs and sizes. The one I ordered was described as cabin sized (check with individual airlines before purchasing) and was spacious inside with no bars or bumps to take up interior space.
As well as a comfortable pulling handle the case also has a sturdy and comfortable smaller handle for men who refuse to pull their case, or for pulling the case off overhead racks. Zips were also well-designed with metal loops for those who find tiny zip tags hard to grip.
Since in three weeks I am going to have to be ushering a herd of very excited small people along train platforms I am relieved to have such a handy case which really is ultra-light!
The George range is available in store or online with delivery and click and collect options available. They even deliver much of their range to a wide range of European countries (but not Cyprus - sorry mum!).
Disclaimer: I was sent a one piece costume, a bikini and a suitcase for the purposes of this honest impartial review.