Michelle Louise: family time

This last couple of weeks have been so busy, with so much work to do and not much time for fun. So imagine our excitement when we found that a little bit of fun had come to us!

We'd been hoping for snow all winter. There's been loads of rain and a good dose of hail, but snow has been in disappointingly short supply. So it didn't take long for Noah and I to throw on our coats, grab our cameras and run outside.

Sometimes you just need to abandon the washing up, put that pile of paperwork to the back of your mind and go have some fun. We snapped a few pictures, threw a few snowballs at each other (I managed to hit Noah square in the face, whoops), and made the most of it while it lasted. We even managed to pull the husband out of work long enough to join in too! It might not have been much, but it was such a welcome treat.

The craziness of English weather means you never really know what you're going to get from one hour to the next and true to form, it stopped as suddenly as it started.

Just a few days later and it feels like spring is on its way, but what a wonderful way to end to the winter season and throw a bit of family fun into an otherwise work-absorbed week.

Have a wonderful week ahead x

The Lake District has to be my favourite place in the world. Whatever the season and whatever the weather it's always beautiful.

Growing up my family had a caravan in the South Lakes area, and it just so happened that my husband's family did too. We both have so many happy childhood memories around here it makes sense to us that our son has this connection as well.

The Great Langdale Valley is only about 3 miles out of Ambleside and offers some truly stunning views. The walk between Skelwith Bridge and the village of Elterwater has become so popular there's now a pathway through the fields, which means it's just perfect for an afternoon stroll whatever the weather, and for families with young children taking the pushchair isn't a problem.

White-washed cottages with slate roofs, smoke rising from chimneys and a good old fashioned pub with an open fire greet you in Elterwater, with the pikes rising to one side and the lake stretching out to the other. It doesn't get much more picturesque than this.

These kind of days are my favourites; strolling through the countryside with my boys, low clouds and light rain, not a breath of wind to stir the waters, all wrapped up against the chill. They're just perfect. And then just as the cold is starting to set in and our legs are beginning to tire we get to call in at the fabulous Chesters By The River for a deliciously decadent hot chocolate (Honestly, I have no regrets).