Globetrotter family living

What are your top tips for getting children to do what you ask? We have found that clear instructions with consequences and rewards that are spelled out tend to help us to encourage Isabella to do what we ask.

What family task takes you the longest? Leaving the house! We have to check the house thoroughly as we have three indoor cats and a toddler who enjoys letting them go into a range of different hiding spaces. This doesn’t help us leave the house quickly!

What’s the weirdest thing your children have done/brought home/done to your house? We go to several baby and toddler classes where she brings home some pretty weird and wonderful creations, including some pretty special artwork!

Have your children ever really, really surprised you? How and why? Isabella has a fantastic memory and always has done ever since she was tiny. Sometimes she can remember really in-depth details of events and places, such as where a specific poster is at a train station we’ve only been to once.

What’s the most bizarre thing you have found yourself saying since having kids? We have both started to say things our respective parents said to us when we were children, which is always funny!

What’s the funniest thing your children have ever said/done? I took Isabella to watch an England cricket match at Headingley stadium and during a lull in the game she announced very loudly that she wanted to know where the “barmy army” was, much to the amusement of everyone else sat in the family stand!

Mini moan - what really gets your goat? People who don’t have a young child who park in parent and child parking spaces - especially in sports cars. I don’t think people realise the huge impact this has if you need to get a car seat out of the car / line up a buggy next to your vehicle.

Favourite family day out? We love the Yorkshire Dales but one of our favourite family days out is heading over to the coast (Sandsend or Robin Hood’s Bay) to enjoy some time on the beach and go rock-pooling.

What hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy as a family and separately? Hobbies have been diminished since we had Isabella but we love walking. and have recently really started to enjoy going climbing at the Clip N’ Climb in Ilkley as a family.

What’s the hardest thing about being a parent? Being a parent is hard at times, but getting the balance right when it comes to supporting our little girl and allowing her to be independent but also helping her to learn and do new things and keeping her within boundaries is tricky.

What’s a typical evening for the grown-ups once the children are in bed? We live the glamorous lifestyle of tidying the house, feeding our three cats and then watching some TV in bed (when inevitably one of us will fall asleep mid-show!).

What is Leeds’ most family-friendly restaurant and why? Amalthea Greek Bistro in Adel is run by an incredible team who do everything to make families welcome and we love visiting with Isabella.

What’s the best thing about weekends and why? At the moment our weekends are taken up sorting out our new house, but when things are less busy we love spending time together doing things we enjoy.

What is your most treasured memory? A lot to pick from, however one of the most magical experiences we treasure now was going crabbing during a family holiday to Guernsey where we had a memorable encounter with ‘Pinchy’ the crab!

What’s the number one thing you would change about Leeds? Leeds is fantastic but the transport links to the airport for anyone living in the Adel/Alwoodley area are appalling.

What’s the children’s favourite food/meal? Isabella loves pretty much all fruit, but for her third birthday her number one request was avocado sushi...

What’s your top penny-pinching tip? Aldi nappies are excellent value and compare favourably to ones that are much more expensive.

One family member’s proudest achievement? Charlotte ran the London Marathon a few years ago and nobody else in the family can really compete with that, but as a family all three of us climbing Scafell Pike was a proud moment (Isabella was on my back!).

What one item can you not live without? Since we bought it, our robot vacuum has changed our lives and I can’t imagine going back to the days of not having it!

What can your children not live without? Our little lady loves My Little Pony and I don’t think she could cope without her vast array of My Little Pony toys.

Child’s favourite book and author. Isabella loves On The Way Home by Jill Murphy, which is a lovely book (until you have read it for the 100th time!).