Our lives are so busy at times that it can be all too easy to focus only on the negative and tiring things that have happened during the week. To counteract this, every week I join the #HappyDaysLinky run by the lovely Katy (whatkatysaid.com) and Sian (quitefranklyshesaid.com) to reflect on all the moments of the past week that have made me happy.

I didn’t do a Happy days post last week as Keith went back to Sea on the Sunday and I didn’t feel in the mood to write about happy stuff. We did have a lot of happy times over the last two weeks though so I’m glad to be back to celebrating them again this weekend. With two weeks to cover I’ll keep it brief:

• We visited the Centre for Life in Newcastle. For the price we weren’t particularly impressed and I think the free museum up the road is much better. That being said, M had been desperate to go and he really enjoyed himself so that made it all worth it.

• A visit to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth was a big hit. If you are planning to visit though I’d recommend booking online a couple of days before as it will save you quite a bit. They were experiencing some kind of bacterial bloom in the seal pool (completely normal and harmless) which is why it looks a bit green but you could still see them clearly if you got up close.

• After quite a boring trip out for the kids to run an errand we stopped off at the Rokeby Inn on the A66 for some food. It’s basic but homely and family run and we really enjoyed it there. After we had eaten we headed outside to the garden where they had a massive trampoline and some play equipment for the kids. We may have been right on the edge of the A66 but the views were incredible and we’ll definitely be going back.

• We visited High Force in Forest-in-Teesdale. It’s a place we both visited a lot when we were younger but we’ve only been once since having kids and M was tiny at the time so didn’t remember it. With all the rain we’ve had lately it was in full flow and looked amazing. Both kids were suitably impressed and despite the number of midgies we spent a good hour just sitting on the bank throwing stones and enjoying the view.

• On Keith’s last day we had a drive out through the countryside and stopped off at the Langdon Beck Hotel. It’s a beautiful old pub with a fantastic beer garden. Although only ten minutes from the nearest village it was like being in the middle of nowhere and the kids had great fun running round outside.

• I was approached by two of my favourite bloggers to collaborate with them on something. I won’t say anymore now as it hasn’t been announced yet but you’ll find out next week. I’m very excited!
• I took the kids to Butterfly World and Preston Park. It’s a place we’ve been to a lot over the years but this was my first time taking them both on my own (you can read about our last visit here.) Thankfully they were both very well behaved and we had a great day. There was one butterfly there that was bigger than my hand, I didn’t even know they could get that big! We also had a nice picnic and play in the park and ventured into the museum for the first time. L got a bit bored in there and we had to rush through, although she did quite like sitting in the stocks in the Victorian Street they have recreated there. The tickets are really cheap and last a whole year so I’ll have to take M back without L one day so he can spend a bit more time exploring as he loves his history.

• We took our annual trip to Beamish. It’s one of M’s favourite places and we go there at least once a year. This was the first time taking L without a pushchair and amazingly she only asked for a carry twice so I’d call that a big success. You can read about last year’s visit here.

Tomorrow we are off the Hardwick Park again and then it’s back to school for M on Tuesday and L starts pre-school on Wednesday so it’s all go. We’re going to enjoy a nice day of nothing today and Keith is going to try and call.

How about you? What has made you smile this week? Any plans for the last weekend before school restarts?