Toddler Tantrums Are in Full Swing

Last weekend we decided to go on a bug and nature hunt at a local park. It's a park we haven't been to as a family before as it doesn't have a playground and generally that is the requirement for any park visit. It had been a pretty tantrum top heavy weekend and I was hoping that a stomp through the park on a gorgeous sunny day would blow away the cobwebs and I'd packed a little treat for each of the kids, a sponge snack called 'Barny'. We'd been sent a pack of both flavours, chocolate and milk and they had gone done very well indeed. They are individually foil wrapped so perfect for popping in your bag for a trip out. 

For our bug and nature hunt we took a magnifying glass, container to look at any creatures and also a basket to collect all our nature finds. The kids donned their wellies and Isla especially was really excited about having a rootle around in the hedges and logs that were lying around. Both of them are fascinated by the conkers at the moment, so we collected plenty of those and a few acorns. 

We also came across mushrooms growing and these amazing leaves that had gone all skeletal. I'll leave Isla to tell you what she found here in this video - I can't quite believe how South London she sounds - "Nature Fings"!

Anyway, it was all going swimmingly until Noah did a poo in his nappy, which coincided with us bumping into friends who had a new Golden Retriever Puppy. While I was chatting to our friends I was also trying to usher Noah over to OH to get the smell sorted out and I didn't see that the puppy had jumped up at Isla. She freaked out, was screaming hysterically and then Noah started screaming too and it was one of those moments when you just wish the ground could swallow you up. The puppy was just being friendly, nothing threatening at all but it was enough to terrify Isla and so that began the downward spiral of our lovely park visit. Even the munching of the Barny bear snack didn't turn things around. 

We tried to carry on with our bug hunt but everything had been thrown off kilter and Noah was ramping up to have another one of his 1 hour tantrums (I knew this because I'd experienced two of the most explosive ones the day before.) He was insisting that I picked him up and I was refusing as he is over 2 now, really heavy and my shoulder is really giving me a bit of pain lately. So he followed me through the park screaming and crying, then did all the usual irrational things that a 2 year does. He also does this awful spitty/ dribbling thing when he really goes for it. He'd brought his scooter to the park but then didn't want to scoot. So eventually I ended up carrying him and the scooter and then the major disappointment for Isla was that we decided to cut the park visit short and not go to the cafe, which looked so enticing with lots of outdoor tables. We were supposed to be having a lovely morning at the park and it had just gone tits up. 

About to Blow...

So there you have it, we tried to be Adventurers but the terrible two's cut our exploring time down. But we did manage to have some fun and we did talk about our finds. Not every family excursion is idyllic and I'd be lying to you all if I said it was. It's hard work at the moment with Noah's sudden outbursts, I've even found myself taking solace in a Barny bear snack!

This post is an entry for BritMums ‘Little Adventures Challenge’ in partnership with Barny, the bear-shaped snack providing a little discovery in every bite. Find out more about Barny here