Oh, the weather outside is frightful but the central heating is so delightful…and since I’ve got no place to go, let it rain, let it pour and let it blow! We are currently in the midst of ‘a storm’ or what us hardened ‘Northerners’ refer to as ‘a larl bit of wind and rain’. it’s typical winter weather for wet and windy Cumbria and other than getting a bit wet whilst out and about, then finding that our bins had been blown over, it’s just another day. I don’t mind staying indoors throughout the winter, I’m not a big fan of getting cold.…
We have reached the final fortnight before the Christmas holidays commence. I won’t lie, whilst the kids have been busy opening their advent calendars, I too have been busy counting down the days until I can finally collapse on the couch without having the endless school shoes to clean, lunch boxes to empty (and to wash out), bags to pack, uniforms to get ready and all of that malarkey. I’m more than ready to have a rest and relax with a mince pie in my mit and a glass of baileys by my side. With only nine and a half working days to go (actually eight and a half now that today is done), we are so almost there… The kids are rather enjoying the Christmas countdown.…
Around this time each year, I dig out the Christmas themed books ready for the kids to enjoy before bed. Due to bedroom revamps, the kids no longer have sling/ display style bookshelves. They have cupboards filled with books but unless I either wave them in their faces or shove them directly under their noses it’s unlikely they would notice just how many books they have to choose from. To make things a little easier, I’ve decided to create a ‘book box’ (which at present is seasonally styled) from which the kids can pick up a short story to share before they go to sleep.…
Welcome to this week’s rather festive #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a snap-sharing-blog-linky series that you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. Well, we quite literally shopped till we dropped this weekend and I’m pleased to report that we officially have Christmas covered. I’ve still got my cards to write (which I’m hoping to get signed and sent before the week is out) then we just need to fill the fridge with festive goodies and we are ready to rock and roll. We were given a ‘kid-free night’ this week thanks to my folks and whilst we’d have loved to have gone out and got merry, we just had way too much wrapping to do.…
It’s come to that time of year when board games suddenly rise in popularity as families sit down around the table to enjoy some festive fun by playing their latest purchases. We were recently sent Senor Pepper, a brand new, fast-paced family board game from University Games to rate and review. What’s The Aim Of The Game? The aim of the game is to be the first player to grab hold of the correct amount and colour of peppers and it’s not easy! Flip your card over, count the senor peppers required and get grabbing! As I said, it’s far from easy as there are a few catches: there aren’t enough peppers for every player, two colours may cancel each other out and players also need to avoid the trap to win the cactus juice as a reward!…
Having shocked the pants off by me by decorating the tree without whining, falling out, sticking all the baubles on one branch or causing any issues whatsoever, these two little treasures have finally mastered the art of being fabulously festive without any fuss. Once upon a time, we’d build the tree and before we were even able to wrap it with lights at least one of the kids would have been whining. We’ve had bauble bedlam, tears over tinsel and an almost full-on fight over who got to place the fairy on top of the tree… The kids are obviously a little older and far more able to deal with decorations these days, they are no longer intent on causing chaos.…
It’s official – December is upon us and it’s finally time for the Christmas countdown. The kids woke early this morning to find that Rocko (the Elf) had returned in style by wedging himself into a toilet roll and rolling from top to bottom down the stairs. He had apparently written “I’m back” along the toilet roll and attached to his hand was a letter from the North Pole and £2 from the Tooth Fairy who he’d obviously bumped into whilst on his travels… Having finally cleared up the trail of toilet roll, the kids were eager to open their advent calendars.…
Welcome to this week’s #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a snap-sharing-blog-linky series that you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. I can’t tell you how glad I am that it’s the weekend – this week has dragged and I’m in much need of some downtime. The kids went to the beach this afternoon with their Dad, the dog, and their Grandad whilst I busied myself with Black Friday bargains ordering bits and bobs for Christmas. Despite it being bitterly cold, they apparently had a great time and I’d love to say the same but whether it’s on the high street or online, I’m just not all that keen on shopping or spending.…
Here we are at the end of November already, with Christmas just around the corner it’s certainly a busy time of the year and there’s been plenty going on especially so over the past month. Here’s a few of the many things which I have #LikedandLoved throughout November. Bonfire Night I am a huge fan of fireworks, they may be explosive and somewhat dangerous but they are just so magical! As always, my family and I went to two firework displays within the first week of November, both of which were great fun. Freya Ridings Having listened to Freya Riding’s live album on Alexa I couldn’t wait to get my hands on tickets to see her live for myself.…
Excuse the rather late post, I’ve had an emotionally demanding day followed by a much-needed night out with my bestie thus have been somewhat occupied. However, I am now home, have had a hot bath and am curled up in my pj’s with my Macbook ready to write this months #LittleLoves. So – without further ado, here a few of my highlights from November. Read I had seen and added ‘The Little Book of Hygge‘ to my Amazon wishlist many moons ago but wasn’t willing to part for £9.99 for the pleasure. Whilst at work, I had the chance to peruse a ‘Children In Need’ charity book sale and came across what appeared to a brand new copy of the book for only 50p!…
When it comes to planning holidays for the whole family, the Caribbean may not be the first place that springs to mind. However, the Islands that make up this region of the Americas can actually be a great choice. Both for entertaining the kids, and for ensuring parents get a well deserved relaxing break as well. Read on to find out more. Climate One of the best things about the Caribbean is a fantastic climate. In fact, apart from a brief rainy season, you can expect hot weather most of the year-round. Especially in tourist-focused locations like the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Guadeloupe. …
It’s exactly one month until the big day, I’ve still so much to do before the but at least one thing has been ticked off the ‘to-do list’ – the kids have seen Santa! Armed with their wish lists at the ready, the kids excitedly queued up to see Santa in his grotto. I must admit, I was beginning to wonder whether J still believed, but having seen his face whilst talking to Santa it was plain to see that the magic is still alive and kicking. Having shared their wish lists, both J & E were given a little gift which funnily enough was exactly what they each after – J got a mini Nerf gun whilst E was given a brand new spirograph set.…
Though I’ve tried my hardest to take things easy and to keep our calendars clear, it’s been another none-stop week filled with fairgrounds, festivals, Frozen part two and oodles of fun. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to get any easier with the countdown to Christmas looming, there’s so much going on that I can barely keep track. It’s no wonder that the kids are exhausted, we barely get the time to sit down and rest before we are back out and about doing this, that or the other. I myself feel as if my head is spinning, much-like the kids must have felt whilst riding the teacups the other day.…
Welcome to this week’s #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a snap-sharing-blog-linky series that you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. Despite the sniffly noses and hacking coughs, we got ourselves out to the local Dickensian Festival this weekend. Having finally found a parking space we tootled into town to take a look at the local stalls and shops. Paul and I had a mulled wine or two whilst the kids enjoyed the fairground rides and attractions which were dotted around the town. Once we’d seen everything we felt we ought to visit, we finished up by taking the kids to visit Santa.…
Excuse the blurry photo which I’ve used as part of my #LivingArrows post for this week, only it’s tricky getting a decent photograph of these three together without one or the other looking in the wrong direction or worse – moving from the shot entirely. Each and every evening my living room becomes a playground for our pooch and her trusty pals – the kids. I swear, our dog is more human than hound, it’s almost like having a third child, only without the bottles, nappies and the sleepless nights. This dog of ours has her own spot on the sofa, she even has the cheek to steal my cushions and will often be seen snatching blankets from the kids to keep cosey while they watch television whilst under her weight.…
Having enjoyed a bit of a lay in bed this morning, I felt the need to make up for my extra ‘mattress time’ by getting a few jobs around the house done and quite literally dusted… Whilst Paul and E were out at swimming lessons, I busied myself with sifting and sorting through three months worth of paperwork. I’m proud to report that the filing cabinet is now in perfect order and all remaining rubbish was thrown into the burny-bin, which was lit earlier this afternoon. I then cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed downstairs and even managed to complete putting together two family photo-calendars ready to be printed closer to Christmas or whenever Vistaprint lower their prices to an acceptable amount.…
Welcome to this week’s #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a snap-sharing-blog-linky series that you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. It’s that time of the year when it’s dark when you wake and dark by the time you come home from work. Should you be lucky enough to manage to get out during the day, then the likelihood is that it’ll either be throwing it down with rain, blowing a hooley, or flipping freezing. I tend to spend November to January hibernating at home, I would usually say that ‘home is where the heart is’ but I’ll be frank, right now home is where the heating is and thus where you’ll find me.…
It hasn’t been the nicest of November’s so far what with the wet weather, a sickness bug and the dark nights but we’re marching through the month as best we can. It’s just been too wet, too cold and too dark to play outside which has lead to us suffering from a serious case of four-wall-fatigue. I quite like snuggling on the sofa watching television with the twinkly lights shining, a candle burning and the heating on full but I can only hack the winter hibernation for so long. The kids are worn out bless them, they’ve had so much on recently with school and all their extra-curricular clubs and activities that by the weekend they’re just too tired to tango.…
Whilst some weeks seem to whizz by, others are a real trudge as I feel as if I’m literally wading through the week. As I mentioned in my previous post; the kids weren’t so well over the weekend, thus they didn’t do a whole lot unlike Paul and I who spent almost every second of every hour cleaning, cooking or waiting upon our little lovelies. Don’t get me wrong, I love having kids and I love being a Mum but it can be really tough at times, especially so when illness occurs. As you can imagine, I’ve not exactly been snap-happy this week with being confined to our four-wall-fortress (aka spew city), thus the photo used this week was taken a few weeks back whilst out on a walk.…
Well that was a waste of a weekend! Our little man hardly ever gets sick but during the early hours of Friday, he was struck down with a horrid stomach bug. This resulted in the poor mite plastering his high sleeper bed, his desk, (and his brand new laptop), the full length of the corridor, the top of the stairs, our bedroom and both bathrooms with vast amounts of vomit. I’ve never seen so much sick if I’m honest and neither Paul nor I quite knew where to begin with the cleanup. It was quite literally up the walls! I’ve never been so thankful to have a vax carpet cleaner in my life, let’s just say if it wasn’t for that magnificent machine, I suspect that we may have been ordering new carpets for almost the entirety of upstairs.…
