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You are here: Home / ADVENTURE / A mum break with a difference

A mum break with a difference

March 14, 2017 by Molly 6 Comments

I’m a firm fan of the mum break. I don’t think it makes you any less of a mum to admit you sometimes need time out, and I don’t think it means you love your kids any less if you crave occasional periods of respite from the mayhem of raising small people. Obviously, for many of us, a regular mum break isn’t always possible. Real life doesn’t always throw up opportunities for time away without the kids (unless you’re an A-list celeb with an entourage of nannies in your household).

That’s why last week was so special. I went on a trip to Cornwall organised by clothing brand Joules, invited along by my buddy Alison from Not Another Mummy Blog. We stayed in the very swish and Instagrammable Watergate Bay Hotel near Newquay and, within about half an hour of arriving, I felt the relaxation wash over me (of course the prosecco at lunch might have helped with that).

Before I go on, I should say this was a HUGE treat for me. I don’t live a glamorous lifestyle – most Thursdays I’ll be rushing not to be late on the school run and then battling my toddler into the car for her weekly swimming lesson. I’m not Kim Kardashian. Drinking prosecco at lunchtime on a weekday is not my usual thing. And that’s why this trip was such a luxury for me – it was a rarity and I soaked up every second like I soak up every drop of wine in my glass on a Friday night. Except I won’t be drinking wine from now on – I’m ALL about the Tarquin’s Gin after our gin tasting session on the Wednesday evening.

Living so close to the seaside in Devon, it’s easy to become a bit complacent about our coastline. But arriving at Watergate Bay was a welcome reminder of how we don’t need to venture far to find stunning beaches. This location provided the ideal backdrop for 48 hours of total relaxation and the beach gave me the perfect opportunity to put my new Joules wellies to the test…

Aside from the picture-perfect interiors, huge attention to detail and wonderful pampering and gifting opportunities organised by the Joules team, the thing that made this break really special was the little things. Drinking a cup of tea in my dressing gown, without any little hands tugging at me to make multiple pieces of toast. Chatting with friends without being interrupted by eager small people wanting to join in (or monopolise!) the conversation. Having time for a hot shower in the morning without anyone banging on the door saying they need a wee or asking me to help put their socks on (turns out Alison makes a very considerate hotel room buddy!).

Of course, inevitably, I missed the kids. That’s always the way of things isn’t it? Even when I was slightly tipsy on cocktails and the excitement of being out in a grown-up restaurant past 9pm (highly recommend the steak at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, by the way) I couldn’t help thinking about the girls and wondering if they were sleeping soundly or playing their new favourite game – musical beds.

We visited Padstow for a few hours (in which I also enjoyed a browse and bit of shopping in the Joules store – isn’t shopping so much more enjoyable when you don’t have a toddler in tow?!) and it was a joy to just wander around taking photographs. There was no Instagram-phobic husband around to rain on my parade and no kids rolling their eyes at mum wanting to pose in front of “yet another” colourful wall. I do love my family so, but their unwillingness to humour my Insta-tendencies sometimes leaves a lot to be desired…

(Whoever lives in this house probably gets Insta-exhaustion too, at the sheer number of people wanting to pose for a photo against those pretty pastel walls!)

One of the things I loved about the trip was chatting with other bloggers – my time is so taken up with mumming and working that I often forget how isolating working from home can sometimes be. It was great to spend time with my pal Alison, finally meet Lucy in real life, and meet Carrie, Annali and Alex. Plus, it was nice to not always be the only one faffing about with a phone or camera.

In typical mum style, I got up at 5am on the final day of the trip in order to drive back home to Devon in time for the school run. I had butterflies of excitement in my tummy at seeing the girls after two nights away, imagining them falling into my arms and covering me with kisses. What did I get? Tears at the very sight of me because they were both disappointed they weren’t going to a friends’ house to play before school, like they’d done after school the night before. That’s gratitude for you.

Five days on it all feels like a bit of a dream. The relaxation, pampering, amazing food, beautiful interiors, interesting conversation and total luxury all seems so long ago. But what remains is my steadfast dedication to the benefits of a mum break, some gorgeous new additions to my wardrobe (HELLO pretty yellow jacket and chelsea boots of dreams) and a sense that, actually, I’m probably not doing a bad job of this mum thing after all.

To see a behind-the-scenes look at the trip, check out the video I made while I was there. Apologies for the slightly tipsy, out-of-focus me at the end!

 

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Thanks to Alison for inviting me along as her guest. And thanks to the team at Joules for the incredible treats and amazing attention to detail. 

Filed Under: ADVENTURE Tagged With: Cornwall, fashion, mini-break, mum break, mum outfits, style, Watergate Bay

« The reality of cooking with kids
A family weekend in Dorset with Travelodge »

Comments

  1. Nikita says

    March 15, 2017 at 3:33 pm

    We so loved having you there! Thank you so very much for coming and hopefully see you again soon! xxx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      March 15, 2017 at 7:24 pm

      Thank you again – best trip ever! xx

      Reply
  2. Jane clarke says

    March 15, 2017 at 7:44 am

    What a wonderful treat. The Gin tasting looked fantastic. I too love Tarquin’s Gin. We buy it on our trip s to Rock. I also love the Joules shop in padstow. I always treat myself when in that shop. They are my kind of clothes.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      March 15, 2017 at 7:24 pm

      I did think of you in Padstow – we should have a girls trip there with mum and Catherine too! x

      Reply
  3. Alison says

    March 14, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    Ahhh what a LOVELY post Molly! I had the best few days and I’m so so glad I got to spend the time with you doing fun things xxx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      March 15, 2017 at 7:25 pm

      It was BRILLIANT. Thank you so much for inviting me xx

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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Have you found any great small brands lately? Shout them out in the comments so we can all support in the run up to Christmas. ⬇️⚡️
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Image description: Molly is smiling and sticking out her tongue to the camera. Her hair is freshly dyed a light shade of pink. She’s wearing a pink t’shirt underneath a black and white star patterned slip dress, with bright pink tights and black and pink earrings decorated with a boob design.
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