A few weekends ago I was supposed to be attending a blog conference in Birmingham, but unfortunate circumstances meant I no longer had a ticket – or it seems, I didn’t have one in the first place (long story!). However, I had already booked a non refundable train and hotel, so no matter what, I was going to Birmingham anyway, even if it was just for an evening alone and a peaceful shopping trip! In the end, I decided to take Jacob and have some one on one time. I had been promising to take him on a train for ages, so I thought it was actually the perfect opportunity and we would go and have some fun. I didn’t actually tell him what we were doing, just that I had a few surprises for him so it made it more exciting.

I told him that Daddy was driving us to wherever we were going – which was kind of true – as he drove us to the train station and Jacob was really excited then! He did get a little hyperactive, but I think that was just the excitement. I had a feeling it was going to feel like a helluva long journey with a 4 year old so I went well prepared with food…

We arrived at New Street station at 7pm which was his bed time, and he was getting tired then but he was great – I find both boys are so much more well behaved when there is just one of them, and I think that’s because they have my full attention. I know Jacob doesn’t get as much one on one time as Noah these days, and even less when he begins school in September, so this time was important to me. When we eventually made it out of the station we only had to walk around the corner to the hotel, and then we changed into pyjamas and had some down time ready for an exciting day ahead! He didn’t go to sleep until 10pm but we both snuggled in bed and watched TV, and then I read for a while. And ate chocolate. All by myself.

We left the hotel around 8.30am and headed to a Wetherspoons in Birmingham centre for some breakfast. Jacob decided to make a scene by shouting “I’M HUNGRY!” angrily at full volume which got us a few stares, but luckily our food arrived soon after! I did feel proud though when two ladies sat behind us said he had been really well behaved during breakfast 🙂

When we left Wetherspoons Jacob still had no idea where we were going – to be honest, neither did I! Not in finding the place anyway, ha! I hate trying to venture around cities by myself as I’m always worried about getting lost and being late, but luckily there was no time limit on where we heading. Twenty minutes later we finally arrived at the Thinktank Science Museum, and the thing J was most excited about to start with was going up the giant escalator! (He has to go up and down it every time we visit Primarni…)

To be honest, I couldn’t actually believe how big the place was and how much there was to do! I would have liked to have a proper explore of all the levels but Jacob was most interested in Kid Street and that’s where we spent the majority of the four hours we were there. It was great fun for him though, and that was the most important thing for the trip.

He really enjoyed the Science Garden outside too, including pretending to be a hamster for a few minutes!

We did leave around 2pm as I didn’t want to be back home too late so I didn’t want to miss the train, although I did have to bribe him with a lollipop to leave! He was getting tired though so it was a slow walk back to the station, and we only just made it with minutes to spare. He was a bit rowdy on the journey home due to tiredness, and he also embarrassed me in the train station by repeatedly shouting “bum fluff!” – it’s funny now looking back on it but it wasn’t at the time – children, hey?!