Several months ago we entered the Olympic draw in the hope of securing tickets for London 2012. Usually an unexpected withdrawal in our bank account would be greeted with suspicion, however on this occasion the disappointment of a balanced account was palpable and with that our Olympic dream was seemingly over. Okay this may sound a little dramatic, as in reality I have never wanted to compete in the Olympics but I had hoped to be a spectator, and an enthusiastic one at that. Last chance saloon and we secured tickets for the rowing at Dorney. It may not have been our first choice or even our second or third but we were going to the Olympics and the kids were coming too.

A few weeks ago in an attempt to build the excitement for our offspring, we watched the Olympic torch arrive at the Madejski stadium in Reading. Dinner from a burger van, loud music to dance to and some fire (the lighting of the torch). What more could a 3 year old and 1 year old ask for?

As parents of young children we’ve had our fair share of sleepless nights but a 5.45am wake up call following 4.5 hours sleep was pretty harsh even for us. We (Andy and I) had stayed up to watch the entirety of the opening ceremony but had I known Paul McCartney was going to be rolled out yet again to sing Hey Jude, after the athletes had been presented, I may well have retired to bed earlier!

Anyway kids dressed in their Team GB t-shirts and we were safely installed in our car. We had expected to queue today but for the most part we were pleasantly surprised – excellent parking and shuttle service, followed by a lovely 2km stroll in the sunshine to the venue and a very slick security process (Heathrow could learn a thing or two). Only slight complaints were the long queues for free water and expensive food which meant we missed the first two races. Kids lasted a good couple of hours in the stand. All in all a lovely day where we got to talk freely to perfect strangers (wish it were possible to do this more often) and were welcomed warmly by some very helpful volunteers. Definitely a day for GB to feel proud.

‘I Did It Mummy’ fundraising for BIBS – https://www.justgiving.com/IDidItMummy