Science Museum and Natural History Museum

So, while on Saturday we went East, on Sunday we headed West and while we promised rabbits on Saturday, on Sunday we told Emilia she would see dynosaurs!  Needless to say, she was excited.

On Saturday morning we took the tube from Tower Hill to South Kensington and visited not one but two museums in the area, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum.

Rob and I had never been to the Science Museum, so we spent a considerable amount of time there and Emilia was overwhelmed and fascinated by all the computers around, each of which featured a different technology. Like the Museum of London Docklands, the Science Museum also has a designated area for little ones and we took Emilia there first. She particularly liked the magnetic puzzle, although, she didn't want to follow the rules dictated by the museum's worker and went on to make not a puzzle but an artistic creation instead :)

After what felt like forever, we eventually exited the museum and walked to the Natural History Museum. We patiently queued for a bit and finally we were inside, admiring the beautiful and majestic dynosaur that welcomes visitors at the main entrance. Emilia was entranced! The museum was very busy and we were getting tired so we didn't really spend a lot of time here but we will be back...in the meantime, we bought Emilia a cute book featuring the Queen and her dog's visit to the museum, which we have been reading at every nap and bed time since Sunday! 

Overall it was a rather tiring weekend but a quite nice one too, and we are already planning our next weekend's activities! It's nice to be able to be a tourist in your own city and London has so much to offer to everyone, even for peole who have been around for more than ten years like us!

Museum of London Docklands and Mudchute Farm

Rob and I were on a mission to have a busy weekend so we planned two full days for Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we opted to go East and visit the Museum of London Docklands, highly recommended by some local friends. On Friday night we did some online research and learned that the museum has a dedicated area for under 5s called Mudlarks. We had to go! Also, looking at the map, I noticed a farm nearby, another good reason to go. The weather forecast was promising and we were all up for a nice day out. 

We absolutely loved the museum! What a nice surprise. The Mudlarks area was excellent, very well done and Emilia loved playing with the water, the building blocks, and everything else in the room. The whole museum is a real gem, such a charming little space, hosted in an old sugar warehouse. We spent a couple of hours wandering around and then we had lunch in the cute restaurant before heading out to the Mudchute park and farm. 

Getting to the farm was a bit tricky but we promised Emilia some rabbits so we had to go. And her excitement when we eventually saw the rabbits paid us back for all the efforts we mad to get there. It was a beautiful day out, we walked so much and when we got home we were all exhausted and ready to go to bed! 

Art Class

It has been a very busy weekend. On Friday morning, Emilia and I met with our friends Ariana and baby Alexander and ventured to the lovely area of St. John's Wood to attend an art class at 3 House Club. Emilia was super excited to spend the day with her friend Alexander, get messy and meet other kids. The club was very cute and after the class we hung around at the cafe' where we had lunch and then the kids played some more in the soft play area. Needless to say, it took some time to convince Emilia that it was time to go home! It was a beautiful sunny day and we all enjoyed it very much! 

Intrude at the Southbank Centre

Last Sunday morning we strolled to one of our favourite parts of London, the Southbank, to visit the Intrude exhibition at the Southbank Centre. The exhibition was part of the Winter Festival and we caught it on its very last day. I had saeen pictures online of this installation and I knew Emilia would love the giant rabbits. To my disappointment, the rabbits had been moved inside the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall and there were only three (I expected at least ten!). But Emilia's reaction didn't disappoint. At first she was a bit intimidated by their size and didn't dare to get too close but then, as expected, she didn't want to leave and she kept running to say goodbye and blow kisses from one rabbit to the other! 

We concluded the morning with a yummy meal at a local Mexican restaurant, always a great choice for Emilia! 

First London Playdates of 2015

It's so nice to have friends with kids in London so that we can have playdates from time to time. I always try to get organised with Emilia and find activities to do either at home or out and I am always happy to spend some time with other mamas and their kids. It's also important for Emilia to be with small people like her, to relate to them, socialise and share her toys. 

Since we got back to London we have had three playdates already, two with best friend Elias and one with baby Alexander, a 16-month-old little boy who lives just one floor below us. And tomorrow, we are hosting a playdate at our place! 

All in all, we were all good!

All in all, even if we were all sick for the most part of our stay in Italy, we still managed to have a good time! 

Rob took this picture to capture a moment we all thought was quite hilarious. I was feeling horrible, my nose was running and my eyes were teary, so I dragged myself to the couch in the kitchen and covered my face with a tissue. I had just washed my eyes with a camomile infusion and was trying to rest. Emilia saw me and without anyone telling her anything, she grabbed a tissue, joined me on the couch and covered her face with her tissue. Adult imitation is a great thing for kids! :) 

Snow Day

In reality, we had two snow days! It was sunny and not so cold one day, we went to bed and the morning after we woke up to this! 

I personally love it when it snows and if you live outside the city, the view is just magical, I think. It was Emilia's first walk in the snow and she had so much fun stepping into it with her wellies. We didn't stay out in the garden for too long as it was very cold and we were all just recovering from the flu but it was long enough to have a proper snow experience all together, something Emilia kept talking about for a few days...

Cold weather and lots of snow meant that we were stuck inside the house for a couple of days, which also meant lots of indoor activities. We had to get creative! Thankfully, my grandmum was around to keep Emilia busy and together they baked a lot and made delicious pizza! 

And then, when we were all done being stuck inside the house, our good friends Lorenzo and Federica came to the rescue and picked us up with their Range Rover and together we all went to Ilaria and Cristian's for a yummy and hot polenta lunch! Emilia loved the adventure.