Visiting Sri Lanka

1. Point Pedro - another town by the sea and renowned for its sea food! It is at the tip of the Sri Lanka. The lighthouse is a must visit place but it has now been closed off.

Once the kids and me learned our history properly, we did all the touristy stuff. It was a 5 day- trip in a hire van. The places we recommend you see are:

1. Trincomalee - you need a good 2 days to enjoy what Trinco can offer you. We first went to Trinco beach but instead of swimming at the beach, we took a small boat ride to an island called Pigeon Island. It is is national marine I park and is sublime! If you ignore all the rocks and the cuts you come out with (I'm still suffering from my deep cut on my for -4 weeks post), the marine life is amazing. Even standing in ankle- deep water, you'll see different species fishes. You can go snorkelling which we did and saw so many beautiful beaches. You can go quite deep in the sea and the views are amazing. The island has also got the best corals in Sri Lanka! You can also go see dolphins but you have to be there very early in the morning so we didn't go. Once we came out of the paradise, we went to a temple called Koneswaran temple which holds significant historical meaning. We also visited the 7 wells where the natural spring water is not cold as you'd expect was hot. Very hot! 
2. Sigiriya - this rock housed a famous King back in the 14th century I believe.  It was stunning to see the engineering work of the older day from underground sewage and drainage system and venue a water mill on top of the rock, 660ft high! The king had his queen but also 500concubines from all over Asia! And you see some drawings of them on the rock! It took us altogether 3 hours to climb up and down Sigiriya but the view is absolutely stunning! The kids didn't find it difficult at all but if you are scared of heights, you can climb it half way up and come down!you can see the foundations of where the king's palace, royal courts, swimming pools and dancing halls were! The fact that there was a palace on top of a 200m high rock is fine enough to go and visit it! And you must! Sigiriya is a UNESCO world Heritage site.
3. Dambulla Cave Temple - before you go to the cave you will cross the huge Dambulla Temple with the tallest Buddha temple in the world. The cave temple is surprisingly not underground but on top of a mountain so again some climbing to do but Sigiriya trained us well so this was nothing . Inside is a lot of Buddha statues depicting Buddha's life and is another World Heritage Site.
4. Kandi - a refreshing beauty right bang in the middle of Sri Lanka. You are surrounded by greenery. The view oat night is magnificent. During the day, we visited the Temple of the Tooth, a Bhuddist Temple where Buddha's tooth is located. It also has a museum with great information and displays.
5. Ramboda Falls - we climbed the falls and took us a gold 2 hours altogether but the view from the top was beautiful and the water was chilly, a great reward when you are sweating like a pig. The pathway is narrow so be careful with children but if Mahi ( my running rowdy) did it without being hurt, anybody can do it. You can also swim in it either at the top or near the bridge area.
6. Tea plantation factory - you cannot go to Sri Lanka and not see the tea plantation. We visited a tea factory and learned how tea was made and then were treated to tea with leaves directly picked from the plantations around us with no additional chemicals added. It was yum!
7. Nuwera Eliya - a beautiful little town, in the middle of tea plantations with lots of activities to do! We went on a pony ride and jet skiing but most of all the scenery is the star! You'll get dizzy going and round and round, up and down hills but the scenery is magical!
8. Pinnawala Elephant orphanage - the kids couldn't wait to see the Elephants up close! The elephants come to take a bath in the nearest river and what a sight it was! We had our favourite naughty elephants which we loved to watch. It was such a wonderful experience! 

So this was our trip. We missed the south coast but that'll be on our next visit! The country is beautiful and one with so much history! The kids and you will love every minute of it! Enjoy!

Lidos and Pools

If there was a theme to our May Half-Term it was definetely, pools and Lidos. With all 3 of us loving water and having had good weather, we tried quite a few. Over half-term but also over the years. Here's our best and worst!

1. Cassiobury Park, Watford - This is our favourite although the kids have outgrown it a little bit but still a great one to splash about. It has now been newly refurbished with 2 paddling pools and water. Jet area! It is also fully accessible. Why not make a day of it with a great park next to it, a little train where it takes you through woods. If you go further along, there's some beautiful woods and also a river where you can also splash about! There's also great Eateries around!
2. Hampstead Heath Paddling Pool- If you combine it with a trip to the Golders Green Park which has a mini zoo, playground and flower garden you can take a very long walk all the day down the Hampstead Heath which has a great paddling pool and a playground next to it. We went there a couple of years ago and again was enjoyed by my kids. Not too far away is the open pool which we haven't been but apparently one of the best!
3. Hampton Pool, Hampton - Talking about open pool, we went to Hampton Pool in May. It was the worst! The water was dirty. I got so itchy. The children's pool was heated but a cloudy colour! We only last led less than 1hour. And let's not talk about the changing room!
4. The Serpentine, Hyde Park - yes you can really swim in the big lake after a long day exploring Hyde Park. There's a dedicated swimming area and the water is so refreshing! It was quite an an experience but fun! There's also a smaller paddling pool on the terrace! The changing rooms are quite small though. We teamed up the day with a visit to Kensington Palace and Diana Memory Fountains!
5. Ruislip Lido, Ruislip - although we can't swim i the lake, there's a small splash park. Again, make a day of it with a walk in the woods which has a theme of the solar system! There's also a mini train that'll take you through the woods! So cute!

That's all we've done so far! So get your swimming clothes out!

Go home on time!

Today is 'go home on time day' and so at 4pm today, I packed my bag and left work! Oh wait! That's what I do every Wednesday. And come to think of it, on Monday and Thursday too to spend time with the family and taking the kids to their respective classes! So this day really doesn't apply to me because I was confident to ask for flexible working whenever I started a new job!  I always put my family first and so find work that works for me and my family. Hence why I only jump jobs when I feel confident enough that they will provide what I want! Unfortunately, salary does take a back seat! I never stayed in a job for more than a year as I always find a job which will provide me with flexible working and a higher salary. However, the last 2 years I've stayed in the same job because the flexibility they provide me is exactly what I need right. Now. With a husband working night shifts and the kids needs changing where they need me more to do homework and take them to classes, I need more flexibility. I'm afraid I will lose it if I go to a managerial role where more responsibility is needed. Although, I would love the money that the managerial role will provide, my kids are my priority right now! I czn get that managerial role in 10years time but I won't get my babies back. Hence why, flexibility is more important than salary even though we are struggling financially. But a parent needs to do what a parent wants to do! I love spending time with my kids. Even though I'm at work, because of my flexibility, I know everything that goes on in my kids school life! From who has fallen over to what latest dance move tehy've learned, I know EVERYTHING! And this is why, 'Go home on Time' day is a perfect snoozy for parents to ask for flexible working and for employers to see how beneficial it is to their work life. I'm feeling korenproductiove and feeling more loyal to my employers becusde they are meeting my needs. I am also happier!

Here is a blog post I wrote for Young Women's Trust about my experience of flexible working:
https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/what_we_do/media_centre/blogs/558_how_asking_for_flexible_working_hours_changed_my_life

Enjoy your family time!

Horroble Histories at Hampton Court Palace

As you know, Lucky is a history person and Mahi is catching the history fever too. So when I saw that Horrible Histories is taking the stage at Hampton Court Palace, I said that'll be a perfect outing for us! The tickets were reasonably priced and costs £19 for the 3 of us (under 5s go free).

With 2 showings a day, we picked the 12pm slot so we can have a nice picnic and have the whole afternoon to spend somewhere else (for us, it was outdoor Hampton Pool).

The show was simply superb and laugh out loud! The transitions between different time periods and characters were smooth. We were visited by Boudicca, Henry VIII, Queen Victoria, Guy Fawkes and some which we didn't know about like Richard Turpin and the Bodysnatchers, William and William.

The actors were good. The songs ere amazing. We loved the rapping and twerking from Queen Vic especially!

Of course with the elections coming and Brexit still the talk of the town, they were references to them all and some seriously laugh it loud moments and clapping from the grown-ups.

All in all, we loved it! We learned about new people, we laughed, we squeaked and most of it, we had a good time and will be back to see them in the West End!

#LondonHistoryDay

It's London History Day and since we are discovering a new part of London every other week, I thought I'll share how to discover London and where are the most kid-friendly historic places to visit.

The best way for us to discover quirky places in London as well as historically significant places was by walking tours. Yes they are child-friendly walking tours. But these are not any walking tours. These are chocolate or cupcake and macaroons tours! Yes you heard that right! We went on both tours obviously and took us to different places using different routes. While we filled our tummies with delicious treats we also discovered new places such  a hidden street where Harry Potter was filmed, the oldest bookshop, lots of blue plaques, etc.... The tours were very informative and easy access for pushchairs and wheelchairs! We loved discovering London by walking.

London is filled with historic places. There's so much to see and do hat we are still discovering. The famous landmarks of course like Tower of London, Somerset House, Big Ben, the palaces were all visited. With little kids, I usually go to such places if there's any kid friendly activities so they can make most of it and learn more. To me Hreenwoch is my most favourite. It is filled with history and can easily spend 2 days there going to Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory with the Greenwich line passing through and the National Maritime Museum. However, what we love are the hidden jewels of London such as London Bridge and it's tombs. Although a scary experience, the first half is very informative. Every time we go to the Southbank Centre, we go say hi to Lucky's hero, Mary Seacole's statue near St Guy's and THomas Hospital. Did you know that there's also a Little Florence Nightingale Museum in the hospital itself which hosts family activities too? There are some other great museums such as the Imperial War Museum and the RAF museum in Hendon which are great for war fanatics. Since we live near Harrow School, Lucky is always amazed that she's walking on the pavement that Winston Churchill has walked. But a visit to Harrow School grounds is well worth a visit. It's picturesque. For all the little scientist, St Mary's has a little museum dedicated to Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin. On that note, a visit to universities on their family open days, if hosting one,is another great hit with the kids especially when I tell them who frequented there. We also loved the Centre of the Cell, located in Whitechapel campus of Queen Mary University. With its ginormous pod filled with interactive games, they offer sessions on different science topics. We went to to a session all about the heart and circulation which Lucky loved and write a whole essay and presented it at school. She was in Year 1 at that time! There a few little museums I heard off and on my list to go and see. These are the Foundling museum, Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens museum.

We also love the Olympic Park in Stratford and regularly frequent it when there's a festival. We even went swim alongside paralympians who were training for Rio 2016!! Another landmark is Alexandra Palace. We last went there for bonfire night with a Dead Parade which was amazing to my gore-loving kids. Every year the palace hosts a family-friendly Summer festival with a giant water slide, outdoor cinema, food markets, ice skating and funfair rides. Of course, National Trust  places and the Royal Parks never disappoints either!

London is so diverse and with so much history to it, you can never get bored. the capital has an enormous history and as I find new places, I fall in love with the city even more!

London needs to be celebrated for its history and what a great initiative #LondonHistoryDay is!

PS: please let me know of any other places which I have not covered so I can go visit them

Kids party on a budget

Nearly 2 weeks ago, Lucky celebrated her 8th birthday in a historical way. And nearly 3 weeks ago, we decided to do a birthday party. But even before I came to a conclusion to do a birthday party, i was counting every single penny I'll be spending  to host a party.

Usually we hold a birthday party at a venue since a flat is quite small to hold all of Lucky's friend. I never had a budget but this year I had to tighten my belt.

Hiring a venue is expensive and Lucky only asked to do a birthday party if we can afford it. I only wanted to spend £175 on her whole birthday including presents! But the venues I wanted were in and around that prize excluding her presents. So venue will be a no. It had to be at home and with 11 kids, we thought it'll be a tight squeeze. We can't use our balcony as we are right at the top on the 6th floor so for  safety issues tag is a no go. So  rearranged the living room area in a way that gave us more space.

2nd-  money. I accounted for everything. From party poppers to cakes. Lucky didn't want a big fancy cake but instead wanted cake pops so thankfully that reduced the cost vastly. We had 20 cake pops for £40 instead of laying £60. We brought  2 packs of £1 fairy cakes for our cakes and put them on a £8 castle cupcake stand which came with decorations and cases. We had lots of cutleries, party bags and candles leftover from previous parties so we used them. We brought balloons, table cloth and banner from the pound shop. Everything else was homemade I.e pictures printed from internet and coloured ourselves, homemade invitations.  Food and snacks were from Sainsbury's including homemade made crudités.

3rd - games. As the theme was history, we tried to keep it that way. So we decorated goblets and did flower crowns which were also party favours (saved on buying any party bag fillers). We played Pin the Crown where we had to pin a crown(drawn by Lucky) on a large photo of her (which we already had). We played apple bobbing and the apples they caught was also a party bag filler. We also played eat the chocolate bites where the treated were on a piece of string and the kids had to catch the treats using their moth only. Of course here was lots of dancing and singing too! Money was just spent on goblets, things to build our own flower crowns and decorations for goblets!

The kids had a Blast and no one complained (except when they didn't want to leave). It was an important lesson to us as parents as it taught us that you don't need to splash out a huge amount of parties for your kids to have fun. Kids will have fun with anything! It doesn't matter if the food costs £1 or the cake wasn't traditional, kids just want to have fun regardless of money and space!

My political Lucky

My political Lucky

I don't know when it started but Laksha is very interested in politics. I think it started at the same time I started my campaigning work for childcare and young parents and Lucky asking me where we were going and why.

I always involved Lucky in my campaigning work whenever I can so she understands what's going around. I've taken then to the House of Parliament to talk about childcare costs, I took them to political debates from the last general election and various other events through the volunteer groups I'm involved with. She even asked a question to all candidates at the last general election about extending the weekend to 3 days as she doesn't spend enough time with me due to work :( . I take her when I'm voting too. During the Brexit election is when she got very vocal about how brexit could be a very bad thing (I know, even a 7 year old can see it!). She was very upset about the results and knowing how her chances of studying abroad could be affected and also not knowing what would happen to me (a French citizen)! She can't wait till she's 18 "to vote away" and use her voice!

She's quite active locally too whether it's sending a letter to the local council about improving parks and campaigning againdt littering!

Lucky loves politics and at this age has a great understanding of what's going on around her and how things work. I think it is very important to instill a sense of right and responsibility at a young age so when they grow up they'll understand what is going on. I wish my parents taught me this when I was young. I never understood politics and didn't know how important using my voice was so I can have a better future! So talk about your child about elections and local government. Their future is in their hands and if we don't make them understand that at an early age, they won't understand unless it's too late!