The house was quiet and life seemed a bit too easy with the boys away at Scout camp over the weekend. They weren’t really gone long enough to properly miss them, but they were definitely gone long enough to feel like something was different. As it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend some quality time with our daughter, we decided we should make the most of it.
The thing she wanted to do more than anything was go swimming at Swindon Oasis. The Oasis has slides and she really wanted to have a go on them. But the Oasis is open from 10-6, it takes an hour to drive there, she had a dance rehearsal at 2 on Saturday and we needed to pick the boys up from their camp at 1pm on Sunday. Whichever way you looked at it, it couldn’t be done. She took it surprisingly well, considering she’d had her heart set on it. We will try to go in the summer holidays – she would have much more fun with her brothers there anyway.
So what else to do? My husband, who doesn’t usually go to the cinema with us, started to look into what films were on. He liked the sound of Maleficent. We found a 3.30 showing, which would allow us to get home in time for the all-important Britain’s Got Talent final (my daughter LOVES a TV talent show), grabbed our Tesco free ticket vouchers and set off for the cinema.
‘It’s a shame we didn’t look at the posh cinema,’ said my husband.
The posh cinema is something else. It’s hard to explain how good it is. It costs more, of course (and you can’t use your Tesco vouchers!), but it is so luxurious that it’s nice to pay a visit sometimes. My daughter had never been to the posh cinema before (we’d only been twice ourselves). It’s SO posh they don’t even admit children after 5pm.
I thought the chances of the posh cinema showing Maleficent were slim and the chances of them showing it at that time were even slimmer, but we decided to have a look anyway. And they were showing it at 4pm! We were so excited. We had a drink in the posh lounge before going into the very small cinema with the massive comfy seats and ordering snacks at our seats. For no other reason than we could and it’s just such a novelty.
Maleficent was fantastic. My husband and I possibly enjoyed it slightly more than my daughter, but she was just so happy to be out with Mummy and Daddy on her own, sat in between us as she loves to be.
We’d promised her a meal out after the cinema too. We were all still quite full from the snacks. My daughter was torn between Nando’s and Harvester (which we’ve never been to before, but her friend had told her it was nice). In the end we went to Ask for pizza and pasta, which is a nicer restaurant than either Nando’s or Harvester. By the time the food arrived, my daughter was very hungry and wolfed her food down. This is very unusual – she has a small appetite and is a ridiculously slow eater.
After our meal we rushed home to watch Britain’s Got Talent and she got to sit between us for the whole programme without any boys in front of the telly or talking over it or shouting at her if she started to sing. It was pretty much a perfect day for her.
But she assumed she’d be allowed to stay up to watch the England game afterwards and that was never going to happen!
June 9, 2014
Sounds like a lovely day for all of you. I want to see that film, though probably just on Blu-Ray, not in a posh cinema!
June 10, 2014
It really was a lovely day 🙂 There’s so many films I want to see, but if I don’t see them at the cinema (non-posh one), I never watch them on DVD.
June 9, 2014
Looks like you had great time with your daughter. Hope you enjoyed the cinema. 🙂
June 9, 2014
What a fab day! One on one time must be so difficult to achieve with three. The posh cinema sounds great 🙂 #MagicMoments
June 10, 2014
It really is very difficult, although it may get easier as the kids get older and go off on more Scout/ school trips.
June 9, 2014
What a perfect outing and the posh cinema sounds fantastic. I want to go watch Maleficent too now :). It must be rare for just the 3 of you to go out. Sounds like a very lovely day. I just realised I missed the BGT final!
June 10, 2014
It’s a brilliant film! I don’t think we ever get to go out just the three of us. We quite often have one or two kids each, but that’s for functional reasons rather than going anywhere nice! I’m sure missing BGT final was a small sacrifice in return for a fantastic holiday!
June 9, 2014
How lovely! What a great experience for your daughter, and I bet it more than made up for not being able to go swimming 🙂
June 10, 2014
It certainly did! She didn’t even mention the swimming again 🙂
June 9, 2014
It sounds like you all had a lovely day. I do like the sound of the posh cinema! Also, are you sure your daughter didn’t just wolf her food down to make sure you were all back for BGT?! 😉
June 10, 2014
She may well have done! 😉
June 9, 2014
It does sound like such a lovely day. Glad everyone had fun.
#MagicMoments
June 9, 2014
Aww! Sounds like she had a wonderful time! So special x
June 9, 2014
Sounds like a great day. I want to go to the posh cinema now.
June 9, 2014
That sounds lovely. What a special treat and a wonderful way to enjoy yourselves together.
June 9, 2014
Sounds like a great day just the two of you #magicmoments
June 9, 2014
Aww, what a lovely treat for you all. I do love just spending time with one of the children sometimes, makes it feel very special. Sounds like you had a great time #magicmoments
June 9, 2014
Sounds like a great day – I’m glad your daughter liked it. think I will have to check out that film now! #magicmoments
June 9, 2014
Oh I have not heard of that swimming baths – think I shall have to take the boys there, sounds closer than the one at Swansea. Did you know you can use Orange Wednesdays at the posh cinema?
I had to have alcohol when we went (just because we could – but dam expensive lol).
Glad the three of you had some quality time together and hope your son didn’t get too wet.
June 10, 2014
Sadly I’m not on Orange! It certainly is expensive, but lovely for a special treat.
June 9, 2014
Aww, what a lovely read!
The posh cinema sounds wonderful. I’ve boycotted cinemas theses days as so many are dirty, noisy and over priced…but a posh one could entice me!
June 10, 2014
Thanks very much 🙂 A posh one is very special! I love going to the cinema anyway, but the posh one is so much better.
June 9, 2014
Bless her heart. These special times are so precious aren’t they? I’m not sure who enjoys it more – them or us! That cinema sounds amazing!
June 10, 2014
It really is amazing. I think it’s a close-call over who enjoyed it more!
June 9, 2014
That special kind of day, making life-long memories x.
June 10, 2014
Thank you, I hope so! x
June 9, 2014
Lovely to have that one on one time together. Hope the boys enjoyed their camp too
June 9, 2014
Oh that is lovely. We are so busy being a family sometimes that we forget how much they enjoy time by themselves with you.
June 9, 2014
Such sweet day! I dont remember my parents ever did did to me. I think I am the one who is always out of the house and my sister is the one who get the posh cinema date =P
Seriously speaking this is such a nice gesture. I am sure that she will never ever ever forget this cinema date day ever =)
#magicmoments
June 10, 2014
She had a lovely day, thanks very much.
June 10, 2014
It was, she laps up the attention!
June 10, 2014
Sounds like a fab day for you guys and your girl. We took Lucas to see Maleficent (but not in a posh cinema!!) and we loved it too. Fab post and we had great fun watching BGT too 🙂 #magicmoments
June 10, 2014
Thanks very much, it really was lovely. Glad you enjoyed Maleficent (and BGT!) too 🙂
June 10, 2014
Wow the posh cinema sounds amazing, where do I find me one of those? We haven’t actually been to the cinema with the kids yet, it’s something I’m hoping to do in the summer holidays.
Sounds like you really made the most of time with just your daughter which is lovely x
June 11, 2014
It is so lovely to have one on one time isn’t it. I am desperate to see Maleoficent but Eliza is too young. Nice to hear you had a lovely day…….hoping to have a posh cinema here one day
June 12, 2014
Love the sound of your posh cinema! A trip to the pictures is what me and my ten year old do for our special thing together, with my daughter it is all about afternoon tea these days! So nice to have individual time with them isn’t it, but hard to fit in when you have three!
June 12, 2014
Glad she had such a fun filled, busy day. #magicmoments
June 13, 2014
Sounds like she had a lovely day with mummy & daddy 🙂 #MagicMoments
June 14, 2014
How absolutely wonderful for your daughter. It sounds like she had the perfect day 🙂 Thank you for linking to Magic Moments