As I said in my previous post, weekends simply aren’t long enough! It doesn’t matter how hard we try to get everything done and dusted there’s always appointments, places to be and things to do either in or out of the house. If I were to list of all the things that we do over the weekend, I’d either bore you to tears or waste quite a few sheets of A4 paper. I am well aware that our schedule is a little squeezed over the weekend yet the kids are quite happy to muck in and to do their bit. Having taken our little lady to her swimming lesson (which is a fifty-minute drive away), I was suddenly aware that I was driving what felt like a skip on wheels.…
How is it that weekends go by in the blink of an eye? Two days simply just aren’t enough! Whilst I was lucky to be left to laze in bed for an extra few hours yesterday, it didn’t seem to make a jot of difference, as I still feel completely and utterly exhausted no matter how much rest I seem to get. I really ought to get to bed earlier but I’m a night owl or perhaps a vampire, as I function far better in the darkness than the daylight. By the time that the kids have had their tea, finished their homework, had a bath, read a story and are tucked up in bed, there’s only an hour or two before it’s bedtime for us.…
Welcome to this weeks #MySundaySnapshot post, a recently launched blog-linky that you are more than welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you fancy taking part. Having a child with travel sickness can be stressful for both the child and the parent, especially if you happen to the one behind the wheel. To avoid danger or disaster (by which I’m referring to my daughter plastering herself and the upholstery with puke) I’ve become accustomed to making a number of stops whilst on the road with my little lady. Over the years I have found a number of scenic side-roads and stops at which our little lady can either have a short stroll, take a breather or empty the contents of her stomach whichever she pleases. …
Thanks to the weather, we’ve been stuck indoors for the majority of our spare time together, thus I haven’t snapped many shots of late. However, this recent photo of my crazy kids sat within close proximity to each other is a current favourite of mine and one which I thought I’d share as part of the Siblings project series. Whilst we have a large people carrier with tonnes of space, I tend to use the Mini most often when out and about. The kids are quite content squeezed into the back seats and I’m far happier driving something a little smaller, speedier and let’s face it – far more stylish than an MPV!…
It’s finally Friday! I’m not sure whether it’s the god-awful weather or the fact that I’m absoloutly cream-crackered, either way I’m rather relieved that the weekend has arrived. It’s been the most bonkers and bizarre week, there have been many points at which I’ve seriously wondered whether I’m either in the midst of a bad dream or worse – being filmed for some warped reality show. Earlier this week for example, I took E to the hospital for an eye test. Said eye-test somehow resulted in me cracking my tooth and having to make an emergency visit to the dentist. This was followed shortly by a lengthy diversion in which E and I sat stationary whilst watching a Police Man being chased down the road by a bull … I was later told that the clothing which I had chosen to wear for the day was not only inside out but also back to front!…
I’d like to think that our kids get their creativity from Paul and I, whether that’s true who knows. Either way both J & E are incredibly creative kids, who seem at their happiest when sat at the table with their colouring pens and crayons. Little Miss Mindful E has become rather taken with what we refer to as ‘mindful colouring’ whereas J has transferred his skills to his laptop, which he is now using to create a range of comic strips and animations upon. Little Graphics Guy Whilst I’m forever trying to find homes for the kids endless piles of pictures, portraits and such-like, I couldn’t be a prouder parent. …
I often wonder if our beloved basset hound Maisy is half-human as she is happiest whilst wearing clothes, which seems rather odd considering that she is a dog. We discovered Maisy’s love for clothing during Halloween, when she dressed up in a witches outfit. Maisy didn’t seem to mind being dressed up at all, although once we had finished our trick or treating she was rather reluctant to have the clothing removed. She is forever raiding the washing basket, carrying our clothes to her bed and laying upon them, often wriggling herself into the odd shirt or jacket. Bassets’ are certainly a bizarre breed of dog, they are far from ‘normal’!…
Welcome to this weeks #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a blog-linky that you are more than welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you fancy taking part. Sitting at the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee in my hand, watching the rain drops roll down the french doors, the radio began to play a particular song from the past. A smile crept along my face as I instantly recognised the intro, my foot tapping to the beat, I flicked through my photos to find this particular shot snapped whilst out on a wander.…
I must be getting old, either that or I’m just plain boring. Having spent almost an hour frantically searching through my wardrobe for something to wear, I eventually found something suitable and made my way out to the local bistro to celebrate my friends fortieth. I was once such a sociable sort, I never struggled with conversation nor confidence when out. These days though, I find myself feeling anxiously awkward and tend to avoid conversation at all cost. It’s not that I have nothing to say, it’s just that I don’t feel much like talking, especially so whilst sat at the table with people I’ve only just met or barely know.…
After what has felt like a none-stop week, Friday has finally arrived – Hurrah! Whilst I’d love to tell you that we have nothing planned and can therefore slouch on the sofa and rest for the weekend, that isn’t quite the case. As I said, it’s been a busy week although fun-filled throughout. We’ve had Pancake Day, World Book Day and of course it’s been Fairtrade Fortnight, thus fairly full on! Amongst all the activities, we’ve also managed to fit in dance classes, visits to and from Grandparents, shopping trips, homework and numerous chores. Tonight, we are quite possibly going to the roller disco (as per usual for a Friday) although I’ll be honest – I don’t really fancy leaving the house in this weather – it’s pouring it down!…
Many of us experience stress on a daily basis. Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems – it’s thought to be one of the leading causes of heart attacks! Whilst sometimes you can remove the causes of stress from your life, this isn’t always possible (raising kids can be a big stress, but no-one wants to get rid of their kids), which means you need to look into forms of stress relief. Whether it’s your job, parenthood, financial problems, relationship problems or something completely different triggering your stress, here are seven ways in which you can make your stress disappear.…
Being actively involved within Education, I was more than aware that ‘World Book Day’ was fast approaching. However, I somehow left things till last-minute thus missing the postage deadlines to purchase costumes or hats for the kids to wear. As my children have been asked to cast their costumes aside in favour for a hat, I was half hoping things would a little easier this year. Who was I kidding?! E had it in her head that she wanted to be Mary Poppins. Could I find a suitable hat? Could I heck as like! J very kindly lent us his grey hat to cover in ribbon and flowers, which I ran around like a mad woman finding and purchasing as the local florist happened to be shut – typical! …
Having children can result in those bad days on a semi-regular basis, when we have to put so much of our energies, emotional and physical, into our children, something has got to give. Let’s face it; our relationships can suffer as a result. And even the tightest of family units can feel the pressure, not just because of children, but because of life in general. But what happens when you and your partner haven’t had a proper conversation for so long, or you’ve felt like passing ships in the night? How can you cope with these issues? Listen Having a child means both of your lives have changed.…
I don’t know about you, but when I’m out and about on the road with the kids in the car, I suddenly feel far more safety conscious. It’s as if I’m driving with the crown jewels in the back seat, yet in reality I’m driving with two precious children worth far more than the crown jewels thus have good reason to be cautious. My husband and I ensure that both cars are serviced at least once a year and given a full MOT testing. We also keep a close eye upon the wear and tear and the pressure of all four tyres, although I’m still not completely comfortable with the idea of driving a car without a spare tyre on board.…
We’ve been meaning to take E to swimming lessons for over a year now but sadly our local pool was demolished and we were left quite literally high and dry. Whilst we regularly take both J & E swimming at the leisure centre (which is a fifty-minute drive away!) it isn’t quite the same as lessons. Having phoned around a range of leisure centres and private pools, I found a range of slots were available for swimming lessons but none of which were at a time that we could attend. Last week however, I found that the Nuffield Health Centre offered weekend-based swimming lessons and we were ever so lucky to ‘bag-see’ the last place.…
Life is busy as like most people – I tend to live life in the fast lane. I’m forever rushing here and there to do this, that and the other without really considering the bigger picture, a permanent picture which I and you etch upon the planet, the carbon footprint which I leave behind. Energy consumption is an important factor to consider when taking your carbon footprint into account, the energy which we use in some cases still relies upon fossil fuels, that and the fuel which we fill our cars with. How Big Is My Carbon Footprint? It begins quite literally from the moment I wake until the moment I sleep, even when I’m sleeping in fact continue to add to carbon footprint as my phone charges overnight, my landing light remains on and the boiler ticks over throughout the night.…
Welcome to this weeks #MySundaySnapshot post, which is part of a recently launched blog-linky which you are more than welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you fancy taking part. It’s been a weird week weather wise, according to the news it was the hottest February ever recorded! I was rather enjoying basking in the sunshine but sadly the rain has return right on time for the weekend. Apparently we are about to endure ‘Storm Freya’ which I’m sure will amount to a bit of wind and rain which will be no surprise for us hardy ‘Northerners’.…
Having blogged for the past three years, I’m well aware that it isn’t quite as simple as just writing a post… Whilst the content is obviously the most important aspect of any post, there’s so much more to writing and setting up a blog post such as pictures, videos, links, category’s, spell-checks (which I really ought to do more of before hitting the ‘publish’ button) and of course SEO. What is SEO? SEO stands for ‘search engine optimisation’ which will be of importance if you plan on making money from your website. If you fancy ranking highly in the rabbit warren that is google’s search results then you need to consider SEO before posting anything online.…
Life as a mum is a busy one, let’s not beat around the bush here. You have so much to think about. A job perhaps or a home to run. School runs, after school activities and clubs, the holidays and homework. It can all pile up and before you realise it, you end up with a cup of tea you made four hours ago that hasn’t been drunk and you have forgotten to even eat. Sound familiar? You are not alone. So when it comes to style and embracing our personalities we can often leave ourselves quite low on the priority list.…
February is technically the shortest month in the year, yet it seemed to drag somewhat which feels a little unusual as I’m forever mentioning how time flies. We’ve certainly not stopped throughout this month, both Paul and I have run ourselves ragged trying to get as much as we possibly can done and dusted around the house and we still have plenty to work on. Without any further waffle, here are a few of the things which I have #LikedandLoved during February. Fourteen Years Together & Valentines Day Having met and started dating on 13th February 2005, Paul and I have since celebrated Valentines Day twenty-four hours prior to the publicised date.…
