movies Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Movie Review – The Lego Batman Movie

February 24, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

As I mentioned in my previous post about Sing, we were lucky enough to see two movies over half term and this was the other movie – The Lego Batman movie. If you have seen the original The Lego Movie, then you may well be prepared for the humour and ridiculousness of The Lego Batman movie, but if not then be prepared!

I want to start by saying, I did really enjoy The Lego Batman movie. It was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be. The humour was there in heaps. But so was the stupidity. If you were to say the movie wasn’t ridiculous in parts, then you’d be lying. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but its just a fact. Kids will love it – they will probably even laugh at parts they don’t understand. People who love Batman, will probably love it or hate it. Adults will definitely find humour in it – but may well be divided on whether or not it’s a good movie. There are so many nods to older Batman movies, comics and even the original TV series, that you can’t help but appreciate the effort that has gone into the movie, even if plot is definitely somewhat lacking.

Anyway, the movie is obviously about Batman. He’s a loner. He doesn’t really like people. He doesn’t really do anything other than fight crime, but even then he’s just indifferent about it all. There are so many DC villains in this movie, it’s unreal. The movie really starts with the realisation that Batman just sort of takes everything and everyone for granted and doesn’t even care enough to dislike the Joker – shock horror! This upsets Joker somewhat and sets him on a path to prove that Batman wouldn’t be happy if Joker wasn’t there to be his biggest enemy. The story then gets a little far fetched – but in someways adds more humour, especially with the addition of other bad guys (my favourite being Voldermort). So without spoiling things, the movie twists and turns in a fairly predictable but still enjoyable (and funny) manner, resulting in a sort of sad/happy moment (where some may cry – my kids did – but I didn’t, as it was still a bit stupid).

I’m sure my review doesn’t make it sound great but it also probably doesn’t give it enough credit where credit is due. I laughed. I laughed a lot. I enjoyed it. But it was ridiculous. Would I watch it again? Yeah probably. Would I buy it on DVD? Nope…

Movies to look out for in 2017

January 13, 2017 by Bel 1 Comment

After seeing Star Wars: Rogue One the other day, which technically is a 2016 movie, I decided it might be exciting to look at what is being released in 2017. As you probably know, I absolutely love movies. I try hard to keep up with new releases at the cinema but unfortunately being a mum and working for myself, often get in the way. While there wasn’t as many movies to look forward to as I expected, here’s what I found.

January

A Monster Calls is by far the movie to look out for at the beginning of the year. I have to admit it wasn’t even on my radar until Megan told me she was reading the book at school, then I noticed there was a film release by the same name. When we went to the cinema to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I saw a trailer and I was sold. I have to say, I still don’t know an awful lot about the storyline but I’d definitely like to see it. Otherwise, I don’t know anything about the other movies being released in January though I have seen previous XXX movies and I’m not fussed about Underworld.

February

Another quiet month is February, with the only movie we’re likely to see being The LEGO Batman movie. Again I don’t know a huge amount about the movie and I wasn’t even a massive fan of the Lego Movie, but Lily is massively into Batman right now and Chris always has been so I have a feeling we’ll be squeezing that into our half term. Fifty Shades Darker is also another major movie out that month but it doesn’t hold any interest for me.

March

Maybe I’m just not very up on new movies but March also seems quiet for movies I want to see. My top pick by far is Beauty and the Beast, even though I’m skeptical about the Live Action version. Disney’s animated version is my absolute favourite movie and so while I may hold my breath whilst watching, I still can’t wait to see it. Also on the list for March is Logan as a possibility. I do love Hugh Jackman, especially as Wolverine so this will be a consideration. There is a Power Rangers movie out that I’m sure will be popular, as might Ghost in the Shell but again, no interest.

April

Just in time for Easter holidays, is yet another Smurf movie. This is called Smurfs: The Lost Village and while I did enjoy the other two movies, there is no Neil Patrick Harris in these so I’m not sold yet. Sadly there is nothing else that grabs me for April either! There is yet another Fast and the Furious movie out this month but sadly I gave up watching them some time ago.

May

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is out in May and this could well be the only movie I want to see in May. I loved the first Guardians of the Galaxy and I am a huge superhero movie fan (especially Marvel) so this will be a must. I have no idea what it will be like but fingers crossed it will be good and not a terrible sequel. I notice also that there is an Alien movie – Alien: Covenant – but I’ve heard nothing about that and can only assume it’s connected somehow to the Alien movies by it’s title. There is also another PotC movie out, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales but I have to admit I haven’t even seen the last one yet, despite liking the first couple. There is a Baywatch movie too but… well no comment.

June

Wonder Woman is out in June and while I haven’t seen Batman Vs Superman yet (nor am I in any rush) from what I can understand, Wonder Woman stood out as much as Spider Man did in Captain America: Civil War. Lily is massively into the DC girls at the moment so depending on it’s rating, we may see it with the kids. However Chris has also always been into DC more than Marvel so I’m sure we’ll be going no matter what. Chris mentioned seeing The Mummy but I don’t really understand it as a movie. Is it a re-make of the first one or just a movie by the same name? Also Tom Cruise is in it so…
Cars 3 is also out in June but I haven’t seen Cars 2 yet, despite owning it on DVD! I’m definitely not as into the Cars/Planes movies for Pixar as I am some of their others but no doubt Cars 3 will get seen, even if its not at the movies. June is clearly THE month for movies, even if not great ones. Despicable Me 3 is also out, as is Transformers: The Last Knight. I liked Despicable Me (the first one) but not so much 2 and I’ve always been a Transformers fan but I didn’t see the last one at the cinema and so I doubt I will see this one there either.

July

As I mentioned in June about Wonder Woman, the new Spider Man definitely stood out in his role in CA:CW. I loved Tobey Maguire as Spider Man and while I had mixed feelings about re-casting, I liked Andrew Garfield too (though I still haven’t seen The Amazing Spider Man 2). I’m really hoping this new Spider Man: Homecoming movie will be great, but even if not there will be a few minutes of Robert Downey Jr and so that’s a win. Apparently there is an Untitled Disney Movie set for this month too (Live Action) so I’m sure that’s something we’ll be keeping an eye out for!

August

There is absolutely nothing scheduled for August that grabs me as a must-see movie, or even a maybe see movie. In fact, something called The Emoji Movie is coming out and that just makes me roll my eyes.

September

There is nothing in September either, though an Untitled Sony Animation vaguely has my interest. There seems to be a Flatliners remake and I’m not sure how I feel about that either.

October

Despite not thinking there would be another Saw movie out, Saw: Legacy is being released in October. That said, I never have and never will see a Saw movie at the cinema, despite loving them, as I’d be too scared about freaking out. Instead we will likely wait for it to arrive on DVD. Nothing else grabs me, especially Blade Runner and Cloverfield sequels (or remakes?). There is a My Little Pony movie which, if desperate, we may see with the kids.

November

Thor: Ragnarok is out in November and since he didn’t star in the most recent Captain America movie, I’m definitely having Thor withdrawal. That said, I didn’t see Thor 2 for ages after it was released and November can be a little busy so I guess we’ll have to see. Also out in November is Justice League and while I really want to love it (and see it of course), I have huge concerns as to the quality of some of the more recent DC movies, namely Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman.

December

Not a huge Star Wars fan but Star Wars VIII is out and we are bound to go see it as Chris loves Star Wars. Pitch Perfect 3 is out too and I LOVE the Pitch Perfect movies. December is a little unfortunate in timing as we’re always busy but hopefully we’ll make time. I believe there is also an Untitled WB movie due out in December but no doubt more will be released about that nearer the time. There is also Jumanji which I’m sure will be popular generally but probably won’t be something we see.

If anyone has any recommendations, about any I haven’t mentioned, I would love to know. I don’t keep as up to date on movies as I would like to at the moment so I’m always happy to learn more!

Save

Movie Review – Star Wars: Rogue One

January 10, 2017 by Bel 2 Comments

Yesterday, Chris and I went to see Star Wars: Rogue One. I’ve never really been a Star Wars fan (I don’t hate it, I just was never fussed) but I have seen all the movies. Last year I went with Chris to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and really enjoyed it, but I wasn’t especially fussed about Rogue One. I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised though.

When the movie first started, I wasn’t particularly sold on Jyn’s character. It wasn’t that I didn’t like her but I do worry if we’re just getting female leads (like Rey too) because we’ve tolerated male heroes for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all pro equal rights, but I just don’t want it to be a girl for token sake, rather than because they are genuinely the right person to be the lead. Anyway, Jyn just reminded me of Katniss Everdeen so I wasn’t really sold and in fact the first half of the movie didn’t really grab me. I cry at nearly every movie I ever watch and so when I tell you I didn’t cry when a certain person died on Eadu, you might be a little surprised.

However, when Jyn and Cassian go at each other on the way back to the council, and you’re kind of on both people’s side at the same time, it’s pretty obvious that Jyn is now going to start helping. Her speech at the council was actually quite emotional (despite being very typical of movies) and from then on, she was onboard and so was I. The gang getting together and becoming “Rogue One”, almost made me cry in itself but when it all really got going and everyone banded together, that definitely got me. I love a good villain and I’ve always been a champion of bad guys, but there is something about the Rebellion, that just gets me. The way that people fight, knowing there is a high chance they will die, is just very refreshing.

That said, and I don’t like to write these posts with spoilers, I was definitely surprised by many of the deaths on Scarif. I even leant over to Chris and said “its like Game of Thrones, no one is safe”. For the most part, I expected the storyline that happened and not just because you know what happens in the next movie. However there were several parts, especially deaths, that I didn’t. As I already mentioned, I loved the banding together of EVERYONE and the way they worked together to get the data out (and then even to safety in the big reveal last scene). I sobbed at the deaths, especially the (most?) surprising couple on the beach towards the end. It was completely devastating how it ended on Scarif to be honest, but somehow refreshing that it didn’t have a neatly tied up bow at the end too.

For me, the stand out performances were definitely Cassian and of course K-2S0 (he was amazing and hilarious and another sob!). The rest of the team making up Rogue One were pretty awesome too, the pilot, blind guy and his sidekick protector. I’ve never really followed the thread of who’s in charge when it comes to the Dark Side (it’s confused me through both the first trilogy and the second) so I can’t really comment on those (I don’t even know who is who) but Darth Vader was pretty cool. Watching 4-6 I never really understood how he was considered scary, because the movies always just seemed a bit outdated (I was in my twenties watching them) but I could definitely see it in this movie. However my biggest shoutout, has to be to a nostalgic feel. While the movie was made now, it didn’t feel too new. The pilots (fighting in and out of Scarif) all felt very much like they had in 4-6, as did Darth Vader. I loved that the filming just didn’t smack of better graphics, cgi etc all because it was made now and not then.

Overall I enjoyed the film a lot, though not as much as The Force Awakens (despite that feeling very NOW and modern and new by comparison to the other movies). I did like the way it fills the gap between 3 and 4, though honestly I still try and forget 1-3 exist.

Life Lately – an update (Dec)

December 8, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

So I was going to do my November monthly round up but the truth is I don’t really remember much of it as it went past in a blur! I genuinely don’t remember the last time I felt like I had some spare time to sit down and just blog about life and how things were going. Anyway, today I do and so here I am to give you a little update! November was hectic and the look on Tink’s face (see mug) was pretty much my face for the whole month (and still now really). Since September and October were crazy busy with Halloween, I didn’t start my Christmas Market prep till November and this proved to be pretty stressful. That said, I managed okay and Christmas Market has now been and gone and I can breath a sigh of relief. Orders and CG are still busy but somehow by comparison, life feels quite calm right now.

Aside from the above mentioned preparation, not a whole lot happened in November but there are a couple of things worth noting. First and foremost, things started to get a little Christmasy! We attended Gainsborough’s Christmas Light Switch on, got Christmas coffee from both Starbucks and Costa, plus I had a little Christmas Lush (I hope to have more!). Second, we were lucky enough to see two fantastic movies this month – one being Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, the other being Moana. Both were really amazing in completely different ways but it really was great to have another Harry Potter movie to look forward to and of course a dose of Disney (especially one I hadn’t known much about and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it).

Other than that, there hasn’t been a whole lot of new going on. We did all have a family get together on November 20th as that would have been my mum and dad’s 40th Wedding Anniversary, had he still been around, so that was nice but a little sad too. As I mentioned, life has been pretty hectic but it finally seems to be settling down now. The girls have a fair bit going on at school so I’m coming and going a lot right now but hopefully I will be finding time to blog again now, in between making orders, opening advent calendars and picking the girls up from school discos. This month has Megan’s birthday and Christmas in it, so I’m definitely hoping to make the most of December.

Summer Bucket (and Spade) List

July 15, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

With summer holidays fast approaching I have to admit I’ve started to wonder what I can do to occupy the kids. For the most part they’re fairly happy kicking around the house or even going out to the local park, but its always nice to get out and about – especially as we live so close to the beach and other beautiful countryside. I’ve flicked through Molly’s Guide and the Primary Times to see if there are any good vouchers for local attractions, or even free activities days. I’ve even been scouring the net for things to do that won’t cost the earth. I came across an article on Haven’s blog about alternative beach activities and since Mablethorpe and Skegness are so close to us, I figured I could put some of the ideas to use.

Anyway, with the help of the kids, I put together some bucket list items that we’d like to tick off this summer. Here’s what we came up with.

Visit the beach (preferably on a day sunny enough to paddle/swim and build sandcastles – easier said than done in the UK)
Travel on a double-decker (preferably open top) bus.
Go to London on the train and catch a theatre show. We’d love to see Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Aladdin. Maybe even Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Swim at the local pool, preferably once a week.
Catch a movie at the cinema, especially on the cheap kids show either Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Walk to the local park, play and have a picnic lunch.
Get out the tent and go camping. Megan spent a few nights in her sleeping bag last week and now they’re both obsessed with the idea of going camping.
Go to a theme park. I recently saw that Drayton Manor had a discount on their tickets, or places like Alton Towers and Legoland often have 2 for 1.
Attend a Yule Ball and Harry Potter convention. We actually have tickets and dresses for this already. We’re pretty excited to be attending a ball.
See the poppies at Lincoln Castle. These are here till September and I would love to see them before they leave.

As I was finishing off the list of things we’d like to do, Lily added “buy a new house”. While it’s not really part of my Summer Bucket List, I do wish that it was! I think selling the house that fast at this stage would be a bit of a dream, but I guess we can hope!

What do you have planned for the summer?

Save

June Round-up

July 7, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Watching: Fringe (I started back at Season 1 and I’m up to 4), Orphan Black (catching up on Season 4), Orange is the New Black (had to wait till after Paris but then binged Season 4), re-watched Season 5 of OUAT with Nat before we went to the convention, The Great British Sewing Bee, of course Game of Thrones (last episodes!!), the usual Casualty, Holby City, Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow etc. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Just Go With It, Zootropolis, Twilight, Olympus has Fallen, Deadpool,
Reading: Wait for Me, Kingdom Keepers: Disney at Dawn, Cinder.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): Ears!! It’s still been all about the ears. I announced the last day of £6 ears and my social media blew up. In total I think I took orders of over 50 sets in the end. Other than that there was a Woody dress, a Jessie dress, a Belle dress and apron, a Baymax dress and jacket, a custom Sleeping Beauty fabric dress, some custom pencil cases, plus the usual bows and jewellery orders.

And in other news…
– We went to see Zootropolis at the cinema and I loved it.
– We spent a whole day looking for a new car for Chris but he ended up with a really nice one and it was totally worth it. We also got ice cream from Blyton on the way home!
– Lily got a short story printed in a book. It’s not technically printed yet but we got a certificate and I had to give my permission for it to be published.
– Megan had her first day at secondary school on a taster day. It didn’t go as well as she’d hoped but she has another in July.
– I helped Nat to pack up all her belongings and load them into my car and hers. She then moved in with us a few days later.
– Nat and I went to Paris for a very long weekend. We saw loads of tourist attractions, plus attended a OUAT convention and spent the day at Disneyland Paris. It was a great trip but it was lovely to be home.
– We got new broadband. Not a major event in itself but its all connected to Chris now having a BT contract so its all good. Also it seems faster which is great.
– Had our first viewing on the house since being on the market since April. It didn’t come to anything but at least it’s a start.

Looking forward to in July:
– Honestly, nothing really. Most of July is busy with school things, like Sports Day, Transition Day, school reports, end of year service, Leavers Party, Leaver assembly etc. but otherwise I have nothing planned myself in July.

Save

Movie Review – Zootopia (or Zootropolis as it is here)

June 9, 2016 by Bel 1 Comment

This weekend, I finally say Zootropolis! The girls had seen it with their dad when it first came out but I wasn’t too fussed (it was an animal movie after all) so I figured I’d just wait. I wasn’t at all excited by its upcoming announcement and I didn’t actually even watch a trailer until the week the girls went to see it. I have to admit it looked pretty funny and I would have taken them, had their dad not done so first. From what I read online, Zootopia/Zootropolis seemed like it was a big hit (especially Judy) and so I figured I would see it whenever I could. Then at the weekend, Vue showed it on their kids special (£2 each) and so I booked for all 4 of us to go.

Luckily, I wasn’t disappointed. Generally I’m not a fan of animal movies – it doesn’t matter if it’s Lion King, Finding Nemo, Bambi, Dumbo or whatever – I just don’t find them that interesting. However Zootropolis was a lovely surprise.

The thing I love about Disney movies, its their multiple appeal levels. For kids, there is the basic storyline and humor. For older kids there are even world topics like sexism, racism etc. And then for adults there is a whole level of humour and pop culture that goes over most kids’ heads but that we love and appreciate. Zootropolis was just like this and I loved it from start to finish.

Yes, I cried. Several times actually. I loved Judy and of course Nick. I spotted the bad guy quite a way off though, even before it was obvious. The characters were great though and I laughed out loud at several of the sloth scenes.

As always, a highly recommended Disney movie to watch for all the family. Despite having a lead female character, having a male co-star makes this definitely a unisex movie. Disney tackles taboo topics in subtle ways and lets you believe that if a Bunny can be a Cop, you can be anything!

February Round-up

March 8, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Somehow the beginning of March seems to have escaped me already and I realised I never did my monthly round-up! Despite the fact February actually ended at the beginning of last week, I thought I should make the time to sum up anyway!

Watching: Vampire Diaries (Seasons 3-6), new series X-Files, current series NCIS, Limitless, Blindspot, Mean Girls, Tron Legacy, Moulin Rouge, Terminator Genisys, Ant Man, Deadpool, The Walking Dead,
Reading: George’s Marvelous Medicine, Fantastic Mr Fox, Six Lies
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): Custom dresses – it’s been really nice to sew a few different things. I made a Snow White fabric dress, a Mickey travel themed dress, an Alice in Wonderland fabric dress and a Thumper fabric dress. I also made a few other dresses including Belle (blue) and Honey Lemon. There was a Marauders Map passport cover and a few new pencil cases too. Finally I knocked up a Wendy Disney-bounding dress for Amy to wear on her birthday in WDW.
I also pimped out a Locker for a competition and I’ve done a fair bit of cooking this month!

And in other news…
– Spent the first week of the month feeling completely ill! Was so glad when I finally got over it.
– Pancakes on Pancake Day – yum! We had stuffed savoury pancakes for mains and sweet ones for dessert.
– Had probably one of the best Valentine’s Days ever. We spent it as a family and it was fab from start to finish.
– Lily was in a class assembly and Megan was in her first Shine assembly of the year.
– Booked extra tickets for the same Harry Potter convention as before, this time for a Yule Ball.
– Celebrated a belated Galentine’s Day, Amy’s birthday and Easter, all in three days while Amy visited.
– Lily had her first ever sleepover – and I cried because she’s growing up!
– Chris and I traveled to London and Walker Stalker. It was a bit of a flop but we made the best of a bad situation. We did have a nice hotel room, bought a few nice things and had a lovely meal out.
– Finally made headway with the house. We made a list of all the DIY to do, booked people to come and do valuations on the house and started looking for houses to buy.
– The girls attended their first school disco together, at the same time. Usually Lily fell in to the lower school part and Megan the higher, but for the first year they are together. They looked so grown up too!
– My GBF Adam came to visit for the weekend. I only saw him once last year so it was really nice he came to visit so early in the year!
– My mum finally returned from holiday. She went away from 1st Feb to 29th Feb and it felt like a long time! I cried when we first chatted afterwards…

Looking forward to in March:
– Finding out which secondary school Megan will go to (I know by the time I wrote this since it was 1st, but it was a major point in March). This will begin our house hunting.
– Lily’s 8th birthday. Technically this has already happened by the time I wrote this post but I definitely was looking forward to it.
– Chris’ birthday. It falls a little later in the month but I always enjoy celebrating anything with him.
– Getting a handle on selling the house. Making a good dint in the DIY and getting the house on the market.
– Closing Closet Geek for 10 days. This is connected to the last one really but because of all the DIY we have to do, I’m closing my store for just over a week. I do love to work and sew but it will be nice to have a break too.
– Easter Holiday. Just like Half Term in February, I enjoy having the kids off school. This is partly because I enjoy their company and partly because I love not having to trek out in the morning and can stay in my PJs!

Movie Review – Deadpool

March 4, 2016 by Bel 3 Comments

Last week on Wednesday, Chris and I finally got around to watching Deadpool. We’d been wanting to see it since release day but for one reason or another, we just never got a chance to go. However we made the most of our Meerkat movies 2 for 1 and headed off to the Vue in Scunthorpe, grabbing some midday tickets in a cinema with no more than 10 people in it!

I always write my movie reviews with no spoilers so of course that limits what I can tell you. However I loved, LOVED this movie and I would recommend it to anyone with a good sense of humour and a dirty mind.

Deadpool, while sort of classed as a superhero, is actually more of an anti-hero. There are parts of the plot that are actually pretty sad – I won’t give anything away if you don’t know about the plot already – but when Wade Wilson (as a regular human) realises his whole world is going to change, it’s kinda upsetting. It’s also sad seeing the transformation, the way he is treated etc. However the thing I love most about Deadpool/Wade Wilson, is that his humour is the same before, as it is afterwards. The person, or the superhero, depending on what you want to call him, is basically the same before and after, he just has kick-ass powers!

The film is funny from start to finish – the opening credits being very amusing with things like “God’s perfect idiot” (that would be Deadpool), “A hot chick,” “A gratuitous cameo” etc. instead of the names of the actual actors. It also says things like written by asshats, produced by idiots etc. The humour continues with references to both Stewart and McAvoy when talking about Professor X, many many references to Wolverine – both the character and his actor, reference to Ryan Reynolds, “Your friendly neighborhood Deadpool”, plus many many more!

Deadpool is a much underated character and while Ryan Reynolds wasn’t fantastic in Blade Trinity or Green Lantern (though I loved it regardless), he was fantastic in his brief cameo in X-Men. I’m so pleased that Deadpool got his own movie as it’s not only hilarious, disgusting and rude, Ryan Reynolds is amazing. It’s not often that I re-watch a movie but I honestly can’t wait for its DVD release as I will be watching it again straight away.

Our Valentine’s Day

February 15, 2016 by Bel 1 Comment

As I mentioned in my Wish List post for Valentine’s Day, February 14th has always been so much more than about couples for me. Ever since Megan was born, I have always bought a gift for her on V Day and when Lily was born, her too. It’s a silly thing really I suppose, but I love them just as much as any partner I’ve had – generally I love them a lot more!

This year, my mum – my go to babysitter – is away in New Zealand and so I knew there would be no me and Chris time anyway. To be honest, we find our own time to spend together – usually Monday nights or the odd trip away. In fact tonight we might be heading out to see Deadpool! Anyway, when I knew that the day would be spent as a family, I decided it would be nice to really spend it as a family and spread the love around amoungst us.

About two weeks ago, we decided that for Valentine’s Day, we would each buy each other a gift. So I would get for Chris, Megan and the girls (as I would anyway), but they would each buy a gift for each person too. Megan has her own bank account now so this was really exciting for her. She picked out Lily and Chris’ gift all by herself, then her and Lily chipped together (though Megan purchased it) for mine. I helped Lily pick out something for Megan and she was cheeky with Chris’ and pinched something from a Nerd Block we received, knowing it was something he’d like. Chris got it easy – already knowing he would buy for me, he picked up a box of chocolates for the girls (at my suggestion) and so really he didn’t have to use much brain power! To be fair, I know he struggles enough for mine.

On Valentine’s Day morning, we got up at normal (relaxed) time as part of the enjoyment of the day was not to feel rushed. We opened our gifts from each other and said thank you of course!

I bought Chris a pair of Star Wars pj bottoms, but also a new copy of Burgle Bros (a game he’d bought on Kickstarter and I’d accidentally split my tea on an ruined half the cards). Megan bought Chris a Star Wars Deathstar ice cube maker and Lily got Chris the White Walker figure from Game of Thrones.

Chris got the girls Ferrero Rocher as I mentioned before and he got me a photo frame and a really cute Me to You bear that’s a) a bee (I love bees, being nicknamed Bee by close friends) b) a blue nose friend and Chris has always bought me those and c) it says Bee Mine on it (lame pun but I still love it).

For Megan I got her a Pop Funko figure of Disgust (I think Megan pulls some similar faces!) and Lily bought her a Ravenclaw coaster and some Ravenclaw socks. For Lily I got her a Mulan Pop Funko (apparently her new favourite Princess) and Megan got her some Lego (Wyldestyle) since she seems to be into this again! The girls together bought me a really awesome Mickey Mouse Disney Tradition, which is funny because the Minnie was on my wish list last week!

There were nice cards, plenty of hugs and kisses and it was really lovely! Next up came breakfast – well more like brunch! We had all our favourite things, including; turkey rashers, croissants, pain au chocolat, cheese topped baguettes, real butter, chocolate crepes and prosecco (the girls had chocolate milk). The croissants and pain au chocolat were freshly made and they were amazing!

After brunch we played board games. First was Chris’ new copy of Burgle Bros – we played twice and lost both times. Next was “Say Anything”, a game that Megan has been dying to play for years and it was pretty fun. Afterwards we headed into the lounge and watched Tron Legacy. This was “boys” pick for movies and although Chris and I had seen it before, the girls both surprised themselves by enjoying it too.

After the movie it was actually dinner time. None of us were especially hungry but we knew we needed to fit it in, as we had plans for another movie after dinner. We had planned a three course meal, earlier in the week, and each taken responsibility for a course. Megan picked to do garlic bread slices topped with cheese, while I made Beef Stroganoff and Lily chose chocolate fondue for dessert. Chris was in charge of drinks so he bought us a bottle of rosé and the girls were allowed some strawberry and lime cider.

Finally, completely stuffed after dinner we headed back to the lounge again and this time it was “girls” pick. Though Lily wasn’t convinced, Megan and I chose Moulin Rouge and though no one but me had seen it, I think it went down fairly well. Of course its a bit of a strange movie but its also amazing too. Both girls cried at the end (like me) so I think that’s generally a hit!

After this it was Lily’s bed time and so she headed up while the rest of us just relaxed. Megan went to bed an hour later and we weren’t long after that either. All in all it was a really lovely day and something I would definitely consider doing again.

Tomorrow I’m planning a belated Galentine’s Day for all my favourite girlies and I’m really excited for that too. February is turning out to be so much better than January and at least the year feels like it’s off to a good start!