There are a few things in particular that make a great winter weekend for me. 

A long muddy walk in the beautiful British countryside with my wonderful family and (occasionally!) adorable dog, something delicious for dinner, a roaring log fire and (if I'm allowed to add one more thing) perhaps a little time in the spa. 

You can therefore imagine my delight when a friend recommended The Four Seasons Hotel in Hampshire. Not only is it entirely family (and dog!) friendly but there are over 500 acres of rolling countryside to explore and only an hour away from London. Estate activities range from horse riding, to clay pigeon shooting, falconry, family bike rides and guided walks while the gorgeous spa facilities offer a range of treatments that are already making my skin tingle! 

With no additional charge for children under the age of 18, an onsite babysitting service and professionally organised children's programmes the hotel can certainly cater for the whole family. And no one is likely to run out of things to do either! Children's activities include games, crafts, reading stories, touring the Equestrian Centre, kite-flying, football, frisbee and treasure hunts. It would certainly be a fabulous place to spend the weekend or a whole week or perhaps a few weeks ....

One lucky winner can currently win a night for two and the dog in a beautiful Heritage suite by entering a competition on The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire website. The winner will also receive a £500 gift voucher to spend at luxury dog outfitters Mungo & Maud. 

Perfect. So that's a holiday for the family, a spa trip for me, a brand new set of accessories for the dog and what was it I had to do? Oh yes ... I just need to win now! 

And I want to be good at everything!! With Christmas coming it seems to be all rush, rush, rush and a complex balancing act of family and work commitments.  As parents we’re always being told that one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself and your little ones is to that of health and wellbeing - which of course it is and we do know that, but… it’s hard … so sometimes it means that we have to STOP, and take some time out from our hectic every day lives!

And that’s exactly what I’ve just done…

I was recently introduced to a local Jersey business called ‘Lavender Lullabies’ run by the lovely Chrissie Toyne, a qualified beauty and massage therapist who is passionate about natural health and wellbeing.  Lavender Lullabies is all about holistic wellbeing and Chrissie offers services that help parents and babies feel calm, content, happy and healthy – and I was to discover that they really do!

Last week, Lex (6 months) and I took ourselves off to our very first baby massage session; I have to admit to feeling a little apprehensive (with a million work tasks on my mind I thought I would get distracted) but as soon as we entered the dedicated space at Chrissie’s studio, we felt immediately at home and relaxed, comfortably cocooned in an area of pure calm and tranquility. We took our place in the small group, along with just 5 other mummies and babies who ranged in age from 3 to 7 months and Chrissie talked us through what to expect from the hour-long session. 

Did you know that touch is your baby’s most developed sense at birth and through it you can communicate love, security and trust to your baby immediately? What a wonderful way to spend real quality time with your little one. We spent a full 90 minutes learning wonderful massage techniques and not only did Lex enjoy and respond to the massage which I absolutely loved giving to him but it has also has real benefits, particularly when dealing with a baby suffering from colic or constipation. In fact baby massage can help with all sorts of baby ailments, even helping to alleviate teething pain!  

Baby Lexi thoroughly LOVED every minute of the session and slept like a dream that night.

I loved it too and feel like a bit of a better mummy for going.  We bonded, smiled, giggled and I gave myself to my baby for 90 minutes of uninterrupted ‘us’ time. Amazing.

So… I’ve learnt some wonderful massage techniques, spent time with my baby and learnt that actually STOPPING sometimes is all you need and an amazing thing to do.

Our 3 year old has also benefited from the new knowledge and bath / bedtime in our house is a tiny bit more gorgeous.

I highly recommend joining a baby massage course in your area and if you’re in Jersey check out Lavender Lullabies via - website www.lavenderlullabies.co.uk.