Project 365 – April

As a part of Project 365, I have a photo and little diary entry from every single day of the month of April. Some bloggers are posting theirs weekly, others monthly, but all of them are a little look into every day of their lives. April, for me, saw three different countries, Easter break, lovely weather, and lots of staples like Pokemon Go and board games. It was Robin’s birthday in April as well, which is always a fun celebration. Check out the bottom of this post to see some of the other bloggers taking part in this project as well.

April 1st – Last Day in Milan!

Today was our last day in Milan, and in Hadley-Sullivan fashion, we had so many things we wanted to do. We woke up early, checked out of our hotel, and headed straight to an aquarium in Milan. The aquarium is the 3rd oldest in Europe. We’ve previously been in the oldest, in Brighton, so was excited to start to fill out the top 3. This aquarium did feel very old; large tanks, lots of old fish, and nothing flashy like a large tunnel. They also had an outdoor area, which was neat. We then grabbed some amazing pizza nearby before heading to the Doumo. We had been walking around this for days! We went inside, which was grand, and to the underground area of where it use to be. Then, we went onto the roof and walked around. We went for one final ice cream before heading to the airport – I mistakenly got a curry-flavored scoop with my kiwi and pineapple one, which was interesting! We then got on our plane, landed home, and made it along to a local committee meeting, which was good!

April 2nd – Work and Tour

Dann and I were invited to a tour of St. Osyth’s Priory for the grand opening of their wedding event space and their accommodation. It was a very lovely tour, full of history and information on the restoration. Everything felt extremely fancy! We quite enjoyed the event and had lunch there, which was delicious, before heading home. I had a bunch of calls in the late evening for work, before heading off to Raid Hour. It’s so nice to have Raid Hour in the sun! It was slightly windy, but I had a fantastic time. We then went home for dinner, before heading out to the movies. We saw Novocaine, which was really intense, but a fun concept, with good twists. I then went right to bed when we got back.

April 3rd – Gaming Event

Dann and I both had decided that today we were going to do a half day of work before heading off to London for New Game Plus – a gaming-related event we needed to attend for work. It was a pretty chill morning of just cracking on with things we were behind on, before heading off after lunch. We got to New Game Plus and checked out the games there. It was a little crowded and the layout wasn’t the best, but it was good to check out new games and spend some time seeing people! Afterwards, Quang, Sarah, Dann and I all went out for Korean BBQ for dinner, before Dann and I went out to see a play. The dinner was fantastic, the play, which was (this is not) A Happy Room, was pretty interesting especially in the layout of the venue and their stage. We then headed home for bed as it was late in the evening!

April 4th – Friends and Pizza

Whenever Amelia and I attend a cupcake class, she wants to give out the cupcakes to her friends. So, we decided to have a start-of-spring-break cupcake decorating party. We also had just been gifted a pizza oven for review, so it felt like it was meant to be! In the morning, we did our quarterly shopvac-ing of the rugs to make sure they stay up to standard when it comes to living in a busy house, then did some shopping and sorting things. Robin had a school trip to a farm, so there was some extra stuff she needed, and Kai had a half day (but a lunch date) so there was a little bit of here-and-there running about. Everyone came home from their various things (Kai the gym, Robin gymnastics) and we had our party with Amelia’s friends. We made pizzas and cupcakes, played a lot on the trampoline, and on the swing. Kai went out for a walk in the evening and the rest of us settled in for the night. It was a very happy day!

April 5th – Minecraft Experience

This weekend is a little tricky, as Robin has parties each day! Today, she woke up early and went out to get a last minute gift for the party tomorrow before making cards. She and Dann stopped at Tim Hortons and picked up some bites, while I made blueberry lemon muffins for the week. She then got back, we all had breakfast, and then played around a bit and got ready for the day. Robin’s been on VR with Amelia playing Roblox on her laptop. Kai played on his phone before lunch, then went to the gym before Robin headed out to her party. Amelia and I headed up town for Raid Day in Pokemon Go, before Dann and Kai picked up Robin, picked up Amelia and I, and we headed to the Minecraft Experience in London. The Minecraft Experience was really fantastic! We stopped on the way home to grab the Minecraft McFlurry’s to complete our Minecraft Day, and then had dinner. Amelia did drumming after dinner, Kai worked on his art project for school and Robin did a lot of playing.

April 6th – Minecraft Movie

We woke up this morning and Robin was well into playing with toys. She put together a Lego set, opened up some LOL Surprise dolls, and opened up another boxed toy she had from Christmas. It’s great to see her getting through some of her stuff. She then got ready for her friend’s birthday party, which was at Claire’s and she got to purchase some items there. When she got back, we used the pizza oven to make lunch. My laptop, which I use to work downstairs during things like holidays so I can still play, broke which really sucked! Kai went off to the gym, Dann, Amelia and Robin along with myself went out to play hatch day in Pokemon Go. We then headed home briefly, played some Jackbox, and then Dann went to grab Kai’s girlfriend as we all went to A Minecraft Movie in 3D. It was ok, lots of memes and was for a younger audience. Our children loved it! We then headed home, had dinner, and played a bit more Jackbox before bed. Amelia did her drumming and Kai worked on his never-ending art project.

April 7th – Busy Monday

Monday is always the most busy day in our household, but it is especially so on a break. Today, we woke up early and Robin really wanted to play Jackbox, so of course we did. After breakfast, everyone got ready for the day, and Dann and I had a few work meetings to do before we could quit work for the day. I got done well before lunch and came down to play with Robin. Her and Amelia actually helped me make lunch, then we headed out to Hatfield Park to do their Easter Egg hunt. They only had one egg hidden in the hunt, so we spent a lot of time exploring the old trees and looking for it, before we decorated some chocolate eggs and headed to Kai’s first DnD. Amelia, Robin, Dann and I played Spy Guy Fantasy while Kai played DnD, then we headed home before returning up town for Max Monday. One of Amelia and Robin’s very good friends were there, which was fantastic, and we spent about an hour battling Pokemon. Then we went home, had dinner, and started girls night! All of us painted our nails, did face masks, ate candy from our Sweets Direct bag, and watched some movies until the boys went home and we headed to bed.

April 8th – Long Tuesday

Tuesday felt a lot like Monday; Robin’s still obsessed with Jackbox. I had a little work to do in the morning and so did Dann, but then my new laptop arrived! I am so glad I got one so quickly as it really helped me get stuff done while playing jackbox. Once again, Robin and Amelia helped a bunch with lunch, and then we headed off to Cammas Hall for their Easter Trail. It had a lot of riddles, clues, and photo points! We all quit enjoyed it, and we got ice cream at the end too. Then, Dann and I headed home and we got a bit more work done before Dann headed out to Spotlight Hour in Pokemon Go and I had a 3 hour lecture for some students at the National Films and Television School, which went well but really takes all of my energy. Dann made pizzas in the pizza oven, and put on some Tv for a bit of a slow evening before we went to bed.

April 9th – Wednesday with Lunch

Today was a get everything done for work kind of day. We both spent a lot of the morning just working – then went out to lunch as a little treat to a Belle Vie Cafe – a cafe we had not been to in our town. The food there was very delicious, and then we went back home and continued work up until Raid Hour. I have been using my new laptop, which is really growing on me. I am not a big fan of change when it comes to technology, but it’s been easy to add back in all of the programs I use and get it set up ahead of our trip to Croatia for work. That’s the real timeline that’s been ticking down. I also got some ordering done for Robin’s birthday party; cupcakes by a local baker and some party bag items. She’s been to so many parties recently and everyone has really stepped up their game. In the evening, we went out to Raid Hour, which was Stakataka, a new shiny. It was a fun group, I am so glad it’s light out for Raid Hour. Afterwards, instead of heading to a movie, we went back home to crack on with a few more tasks.

April 10th – Easter at the Zoo

Dann had a very long all hands on meeting at work today, which was right in the morning. I did a bunch of work, then we both went shopping for lunch and dinner. Right after lunchtime, we headed to Whipsnade Zoo, which is an Easter trail that Dann picked out. This zoo was similar to the one we went to in London last year for Easter. Kai, being a teenager, only really liked the monkeys but Amelia and Robin both very much enjoyed seeing the animals and especially the butterfly house. I thought the whole place was fantastic – we even got to ride a train around the areas with bigger animals. It was a lovely way to enjoy the sun before heading home for dinner. Amelia did her drumming and Kai went to the gym, as per normal.

April 11th – Another Easter Trail

Everywhere is having an Easter event, so it’s sort of hard to avoid! We did want to do some new things this Easter break, so Dann booked up Celtic Harmony, which was nearby and something he hadn’t heard of. We weren’t sure what it was going to be like, but turned out pretty fun! They had a little trail where you solved riddles and found dragon eggs, clay egg making, basket weaving, face painting, spear-hunting-animal practice – lots going on. It all felt very free form as well. We went to a fantastic drum circle session, which everyone really enjoyed and watched them make friction fire. It’s an interesting place! When we got back, we all had dinner and then everyone played Minecraft together where we made a family world. Dann and I joined on PC, Kai, Amelia and Robin were on Xbox, and we had fun until well past normal bedtime.

April 12th – Fun Saturday

Today was a very long and fun Saturday! We started off the morning by playing more of our Minecraft world, which was so much fun. Amelia built a new family house, I re-decorated the bridge, Robin got a bunch of dogs and Kai found 12 diamonds! Around lunchtime, Dann and I went out to Redchurch Brewery for a tour, which was a lot of fun. We got to try a bunch of different beers and learn all about brewing. Once we were done, we picked up a few other friends and went out to do a bunch of Pokemon Go raids. There are a bunch of Pokemon currently in raids, and we wanted to do shadows and legendries. I ended up getting a few shinies, which was fantastic. Dann and I then went out to dinner at a local pub called The Hare, before I had to head home to do a work meeting.

April 13th – Flying Out

Does everyone else not pack until they day they are flying? I woke up and started packing for Croatia, getting some work done before the flight. Dann and I went out to a big lunch at CoHo, so that we would be nice and full for the rest of the day. It was very delicious! We then went out to play Pokemon Go, as it was a raid day. There were three Pokemon featured in this raid day, which felt very strange. I did get a couple of shinies, before we headed off to the airport. The flight was short and uneventful, we landed and took an uber to our apartment. This place has a beautiful view of the ocean! We went to bed to be ready for the next day.

April 14th – Develop: Reboot

It’s another, wake up, do some work, and then head out! We went to Develop: Reboot early as we have never been before. There were some fantastic games on show, but the floor was much smaller than we previously expected. Dann and I also have quite a bit of work, so we ended up trying to see as many of the games as possible and network with some industry people today. There were a lot of new and old faces we got to talk too. We went out to dinner in the evening to a big meat place, and then went back to our apartments late, with plans to stay in until lunch tomorrow to get work done.

April 15th – Develop: Reboot Day 2

This morning we woke up and went right to the venue, where I played a few more games then jumped in and out of meetings all day. I had a lot of meetings, so that became the sort of main focus. The buffet wasn’t as good as yesterday at the venue, but it was pretty good. Dann and I, along with a friend of ours announced our Game Showcase today, so Dann and I toasted to the launch! We went on a big walk to the abandoned hotels as well, which was very fun. We ended up eating dinner at a random fancy food place along the way, then went to the Garage Party in the evening, but it was just a bit loud and much for us, so we headed back to our hotel to hang out and sleep.

April 16 – Touristy Things

The weather was absolutely stunning today, so Dann and I decided to go out and do touristy things. We headed to the Old Town and walked around in the sun. There was this big tower – we didn’t want to walk the wall as it was too warm and crowded, so instead we went to the tower. It was less crowded and quite fun to walk around. There were a few tour guides talking about how Game of Thrones was filmed there. We then went to a pan-Asian restaurant for lunch called Silk, before continuing our walk through Old Town. There were a lot of historical buildings! We both grabbed some ice cream and then headed back to our hotel to work for a bit before dinner. Dann found a lovely place near our hotel that had more traditional food. After dinner, we went to another after party, which was actually quite good.

April 17th – Spa Day

The last day visiting a country can always be quite weird, because you need to check out of your hotel but still keep your bag and such. We decided, because of that, to spend the day in a hotel spa. We grabbed a day pass for a nearby hotel and went right to their sauna, steam room, and pool. It’s a great way to unwind and not have to carry your things around. They had three types of saunas, a big jacuzzi, and lots of lounging areas. We then went out to lunch and headed to the airport. The flight was just fine, landed back home, grabbed some food and started unpacking and resetting for the weekend.

April 18th – Pizza and Friends

Today I spent a lot of my day doing some writing and work. There is always a lot to catch up when it comes to being away! In the evening, Amelia and Robin had some friends over. We pulled out the pizza oven and all made pizzas. They played a lot of video games, watched a movie, and painted together. Kai went to the gym then hid up in his room, which feels pretty on point for him. The friends headed home and we all went to bed – a simple day. My dad did call in the evening and I spoke to him for two hours!

April 19th – Robin’s Birthday

Robin’s birthday was a bit of a weird one this year! We got her up early in the morning and ready to go see her other parent for a bit, and the other parent didn’t show up. We texted and emailed several times, and then took her home. She was really down after that, so we gave her an early Easter gift and played some games. The parent then messaged an hour later, saying that we were wrong about the time. We weren’t, there is a written, agreed time for everything that we have been following for years. The other parent then wouldn’t admit they were wrong or apologise, instead just being rude to us about it all. Absolutely wild behavior that nobody deserves. We did get Robin to them, for their now shorter time. She came back just after lunch, we all went out for Snorlax Gigantamax battles, and Kai went to the gym. After the battles, we set up for Robin’s party at Waffles and More, where she had 11 of her friends come. Before the party started, but while we were setting up, the other parent had their call with the older two kids, and started yelling at them about stuff that wasn’t happening, which was again extremely odd. It didn’t end up ruining the mood though, and a bunch of Robin’s friends came. They all had a fantastic time playing arcade games and eating tons of food. We then, as a family, went to Robin’s favorite buffet (her choice), which was a little tricky with Kai’s calorie monitoring for his personal trainer, but we brought a scale and asked a lot of questions before going in. Everything turned out alright! We then came home and opened gifts before a bit of playing and then bed.

April 20th – Easter Day

This year, we were meant to have our kids for Easter Day, but due to a lot of back and forth and asking, we let the other parent have them. We had them last year, but it was a make-up for the year before when we were meant to have them and didn’t, so technically this year should have been our year, but we had plenty of warning before the event, which feels very rare lately! We did a normal breakfast, but Kai was concerned about his calories not being counted correctly, so asked to take over a container of protein powder, a Huel and Huel bar. We have been dropping off crates of Huel and Huel bars every few weeks, so thought he was just going straight to somewhere else and send him with them, saying the powder he could keep there. After drop off, Dann and I went on a mission to find some eggs hidden around our town. We didn’t have any luck, but then went back home to get ready for our Easter Picnic that we hosted for the Pokemon Go community. I even hid some eggs! Lots of people came in the end, which was unexpected and quite lovely. We spent a lot of time hanging out and having fun. Then, we went back home to fill eggs. We brought the eggs to Dann’s mom’s where we hid them all around, then filled eggs with a message for our own house. When we picked up our kids, Kai informed us that he still needed to eat over 500 calories, as only vegetables were calculated for him, and that he did eat meat but it wasn’t done correctly, so we then had to scramble and prepare another meal for him. He said the stuff he brought over was left at one house and they went to another, so not sure what happened there. Dann raised what happened to the other parent, who was just rude in reply, so just another annoyance for the weekend, really, but we then played for a while and headed to bed.

April 21st – Easter Monday

Woke up in a house full of eggs! We have three cats, one of which is still a kitten, and totally spent the night finding eggs we had hidden and moving them about, which makes the egg hunt extra fun I think. Everyone gathered all of the 34 eggs we had at our house, which contained a puzzle, stating the real hunt was at their grandmothers. We then opened our baskets, had breakfast, got ready for the day and headed over. The egg hunt there had 54 eggs, with specific things for each of our children, which was fun. We then went to the Harlow Rock event in our town park, which we donated the various rocks we have painted and collected from the Harlow Pokemon Go community, before painting up some rocks and heading back to their grandmother’s for lunch. We played some Jackbox, then dropped Kai at the gym, and headed home for a bit. Once Kai was ready to be picked up, we all went to Geek Retreat, where Robin, Amelia, Dann and I played Don’t Panic, and Kai started DnD. Kai stayed for his DnD, but we all went home and I made dinner, before going out to Max Monday in Pokemon Go. Robin and Amelia’s friends were there, which was exciting! Dann went off to the second round of DnD, the rest of us went home to watch a movie, put on face masks, and paint nails before bed.

April 22nd – Robin’s Inset Day

The first day back to school for some; I got up really early and got all of the bags together. There is always so much going on, on the first day back! Once everything was set up I checked into work, then everyone got up and breakfast was served. Dann took the older two to school, and I made plans to take Robin to Wowland! Wowland just opened up in our local town, so we took a little walk over and went in. It was a big bigger than we thought it would be, and there was a quite a bit to do. One of Robin’s friends arrived quickly, and Robin was delighted. For lunch, Dann picked us up and we went to have the Pizza Buffet at Pizza Hut, where kids eat free, which was lovely. We headed home for some more Jackbox, before the end of the school day. In the evening, I went out to Spotlight Hour in Pokemon Go, then to a local fete committee meeting, then home to make Breakfast for Dinner for a group of friends who play tabletop with us. It was a long, long day.

April 23rd – A Wednesday

This Wednesday felt very much like a catch-up day. I spent a lot of it working on writing projects that have approached their deadline. It was good to feel like I was getting a lot of stuff done. Dann made me a Ruben for lunch, which I was craving so badly, and he even went to McDonalds to get a cup of pickles for it, as the American pickles there are so much better than whatever they sell in shops in England. I had a few afternoon meetings, then we headed out for Raid Hour. It was our Food Bank Donation day, which is always quite fun. After Raid Hour (no shinies for me this time), we went to see Sinners with a friend at the movies. It was a good movie, but also one that ended, kept going, ended, showed the credits, then kept going… I find that to be odd! Dann and I went to Tesco to pick up some top-up items for the Food Bank Donations, which we drop in tomorrow morning. We then headed off to bed.

April 24th – Cupcake Class

I started the day by doing some work, then took a nap after lunch as I thought I had a late night cupcake decorating class. One of the course we are doing soon is one that lasts a little later, so I wanted to make sure I was well rested. After school, we picked up everyone, headed home, got changed, then I dropped Robin off at gymnastics, Kai went to the gym, and Amelia, Dann and I went shopping for her friend’s birthday tomorrow. We then headed home, Dann picked up Robin, Kai returned, and I started dinner. There were a bit of chores that needed to be done, with PE kits needed washing and Robin’s swimming kit needed to be packed and checked. Then, we ate dinner, and Amelia and I headed to our Cupcake Class! As it turns out, it wasn’t the longer one, and instead was a regular length one! We had a fantastic time decorating our cupcakes – it’s so precious to me that I have this time with just Amelia to bond, similar to Dann’s time with Kai at DnD. She really enjoyed it too, and was excited to set a cupcake aside for her friend tomorrow. Then, we headed home, I had a bit of work and went to bed.

April 25th – Friday Fun Day

Today was a very normal day! We woke up, did lunches, set up bags for school, however it wasn’t a normal school day for Amelia or Robin. Amelia had a school trip to the Cartoon Art Museum, where she got to meet a comic book artist and draw some comic books herself. It’s a fantastic trip. Robin had her first swimming lesson at school, which she was pumped for, and then after school she had a back to bounce event that we both went too. Kai headed to the gym after school and Amelia picked up her friend, who’s birthday it was recently, and they both, along with Dann, headed home. Robin had a fantastic time at the bounce event – her school is looking to be more of a community, with lots of events. I have been really finding my own within a mom group at her school, so it was great to eat some curry and hang out with them. Robin loved the different bounce things and got out a lot of her energy. Her and I headed home, and then I made up dinner for everyone. Amelia and her friend made slime, her friend opened gifts, and then they played Minecraft for a bit. We all also tried some white strawberries we found at the store before heading to bed.

April 26th – Work and Pokemon

Weekends are pretty busy! We had a few things to test for reviewing this morning, so we tried them out. Kai, Amelia and Dann played the family Minecraft server, which is coming along well! Robin finally got the last digits for her Dress to Impress Roblox code. We then headed to the town centre to review a new type of frisbee. It was a lot of fun and went far! We then took on some Dynamax Entei – I ended up getting a shiny, which is always fun. We did a morning hour, then went to get lunch. I made beef and broccoli and did some cleaning. Dann took an entire bush out of the back yard, breaking it down to make more space. We then went out for another hour of Entei, that turned into an hour and a half. We then came home and I did some work – I’ve been recording lately, which is something that I do enjoy. I also organised two of the pantry cupboards, which I normally do this time of year, but felt like a real accomplishment with all of the travel lately. We are also trying to eat everything out of the fridge and freezer to reset, so I had a mixed dinner of leftover tacos (but there wasn’t much left) and then a dessert of French toast. I got a refresher hair dye to wash in my hair, which I didn’t think would add purple and lighten the sort of copper my hair goes too (as my hair stylist is currently moving locations), and it actually worked – and didn’t dye my bath tub, which was fab!

April 27th – Community Day

A lazy Sunday was what was needed! I woke up, did some very casual and easy work, and played a few video games in the morning. I made leftovers for lunch, and then we headed out for Community Day in Pokemon Go. The weather was fantastic, so it was great to meet up in our town and play! At the moment, I am hunting for Shiny background Pokemon, so after an hour and a bit, Dann and I headed further afield to find more stops, before heading back into town for the later crew. I did end up with a shiny Pokemon with a background, which was fantastic! When we got home, Dann and I got a subscription for Drop Out, the tv network thing we have both been watching on TikTok, and watched a few episodes of that while Dann made dinner. He had marinated some steak for tacos, which turned out very delicious. We then put on a movie, had a few drinks, and enjoyed a quiet evening in.

April 28th – a Monday

Today felt like a LOT like a Monday, if you know what I mean. I woke up early, did some cleaning, and found that Popcorn (our youngest cat) has learned how to open a new door, getting into the bird treats for some reason, and decorating the house with one of the dried plants we give the birds. A fun start to the day. I had a few meetings today across two different freelance jobs, so it was a bit of a mix of stuff to do! Another freelance job I work has an event next week, so I had a lot of emails and finalization that needed to be done for that as well. I felt a little overwhelmed working on so much at once, especially as the weather outside was fantastic today, so I really just wanted to go outside, but I powered through. At the end of my workday, I got an email from my book publisher, with the absolute final last draft before my book goes to print. It was neat to see all of the little details like fonts, numbers, and squiggles they added! I’ve got the week to proof read it. In the afternoon I went out to Max Monday in Pokemon Go, where I did a few raids, before shopping for dinner. Dann went off to DnD, so it was a just me night – I made dinner, did some cleaning, watched TV, and played some games before he came home and we both headed to bed.

April 29th – Sunshine Day

The sun has been holding strong! Today, Dann and I went out to lunch after doing some work in the morning, at a cafe we’ve not been to in our town. We did brunch, and the food was decent. I took a little walk through the town with my camera, enjoying the sun, and got a picture of these bluebells. We then went back home until Spotlight Hour. A decent turn out for Pokemon Go today, due to the sun! After spotlight hour, we headed home and made a bunch of gnocchi mac n cheese for our tabletop group. We played Dope or Nope, which is a conversational game, until nearly midnight. Then, went to bed.

April 30th – To the Beach

As the weather was holding so well, we decided to go to the beach in the morning! We picked up a friend of ours who loves Southend as much as I do and headed there. We all ate a picnic and took pictures of the water. I even dipped my toes in! We walked around, got ice cream, and took a look at the different game shops. We then headed home for some meetings before joining back up with our friend at Raid Hour. It’s the same Pokemon as last week, which wasn’t as interesting for people, but still saw some hundos and shinies. Dann and I got dinner with our a few more of our friends at mui & koko, before going to the cinema to see Until Dawn, which was far too scary for me!