One thing my children have always loved to do from an early age is to dress up, over the years they have collected an impressive stash of costumes, all of which are stored in a large, easy-to-access toy box. The kids are forever parading around as Pirates, Princesses and such-like. They love to roleplay whilst wearing their costumes, it’s quite amusing to sit and to listen to the things that they say, the way in which they adjust their voice and take on accents, they have such fun together! Having watched each and every one of the ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ films over the space of a week, E decided to dress up as a miniature Elizabeth Swan – she then found her very own sword and gave her brother what for until he gave in and played along.…
Once the kids have snuggled into their beds and sound asleep, Paul and I settle on the sofa with snacks, drinks, and the dog… There’s nothing quite like having hugs with the hound following a busy day, she may be rather slobbery and incredibly hairy but I couldn’t care less- she’s adorable! Each and every evening Maisy hops onto the couch and snuggles herself into my feet, she will then slowly but surely crawl further upon me, often making it completely impossible to see or to watch the television at all. Our house wouldn’t be our home without the presence of four paws, we’ve spent a few days in the past (whilst moving house and getting ready for our holidays) without a pooch and the house was squeaky clean but scarily silent, though I’m far happier living with the fur, the slobber, the drool, and the many doggy delights.…
Welcome to this week’s #MySundaySnapshot blog post, part of a weekly blog-linky designed purely to share pictures. You are more than welcome to join, click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. The summer holidays have finally arrived and whilst the weather has been a little hit and miss, what with flash flooding, dark clouds and the electricity flicking on and off… I couldn’t care less at this point in time, I’m just so relieved to relax whatever the weather for the next six weeks or so. My mind, my body and my soul is utterly exhausted, I need a really good rest and though I’m sure the summer is going to be busy, busy, busy, I’m going to make the most of every moment.…
I was intending to write this post yesterday. However, despite my best intentions I decided to cut loose and to celebrate the start of the summer by sharing some bubbles with a bestie. At precisely 1.15pm just as school was officially ‘out for the summer’, rain began to heave from the heavens by the bucket load, the electricity began flickering on and off and it felt far more like winter than summer. Not one to let the weather get in the way, I finished off my jobs for the day, loaded the kids into the car and played summer songs all the way home.…
It’s been a week of celebration for the family, Paul and I became an Auntie and Uncle again following the birth of our beautiful new niece. I cannot wait to meet her! Meanwhile the kids celebrated their academic success at their recent presentation ceremony where E scooped a teachers award! J meanwhile picked up a well-deserved book prize for his fantastic progress. It was awesome to watch both J & E take to the stage to collect their medals, books, and certificates. Though being the emotionally mushy, proud parent that I am, I couldn’t help but shed a tear or two… I really wish I could hold back the waterworks at times like these.…
My phone is filled with photos of the kids yet barely any of these seem to be snaps taken together, this is slightly frustrating when it comes to sharing photos for ‘The Sibling Project’. I really ought to insist that the kids stand closer together or pose as a pair but I’m more focused on capturing the moment rather than a posey picture. So here it is – my best attempt or should I say my husbands best attempt at a picture of our little ones and the pooch together whilst out on a walk. I’m sure that we will have plenty of opportunities throughout the summer holidays to snap some shots of the kids together.…
Over the weekend my husband often takes the kids and the dog out on walks, leaving me to catch up on the housework or to take five and enjoy the peace. As much as I love spending time with my family, it’s also healthy to have time out and to spend a little time in your own company now and then. I love looking through the photos which Paul takes whilst out on his walks, the kids always wear such wide smiles, even the dog looks happier somehow! I sometimes feel guilty for taking five, as if I should be doing something productive during that time such as cleaning or clearing around the house.…
I swear I think I might be the married version of Bridget Jones. Not only do I write a diary and/or a blog but I also have Bridgets rather curvey (ever so slightly fat) figure and her well-meaning but ultimately clumsy demeanor which results in an endless series of embarrassing moments. Take this past month for example – I can only compare it to the bloopers from some cheesey sit-com but here it is… It was sports day, the field was packed with children, parents, and staff. Each race was smooth running, fast-paced and slick. That was until one poor kid found themselves struggling in the sack race.…
Welcome to this week’s edition of the #MySundaySnapshot blog series, a blog-linky simply to share snapshots which you are more than welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. With less than a week to go before the summer holidays kick start, the kids aren’t alone in getting a little giddy at the concept of a holiday, I too am rather looking forward to some time out. I can’t wait to be able to switch the alarm clock off, throw the lunchboxes into the cupboard and to rule out routine for a while.…
Throughout life, we meet such a vast array of characters, some of which we become close to as friends or family throughout time. Each and every one of us is entirely different, we have our own unique features, our own quirks, preferences, individual personalities and ultimately differences from one and other. Over the years I have made a number of friends, some of which I’m still in touch with, others I have lost touch with entirely through either circumstance or personal choice. It does strike me though that despite my efforts to maintain friendships, I so often find it becomes a one-way street.…
More often than not it’s the little things which matter the most in life, the little things which you enjoy, the little things which you love and the little things which get you through each day… You know that age-old phrase “the world doesn’t revolve around you”, well that is certainly the case once you’ve had children. My life revolves around these two little things, well they aren’t so little these days but still, they are my World and what matters to them matters to me. E has a great passion for reading, the very moment that she steps foot through the door from school, she’s desperate to read me her book.…
A few weeks back J came home with a set of instructions for how to create his very own Viking ship, the deadline was officially meant to be this Friday just gone but his teacher very kindly extended this until Tuesday which allowed us an extra weekend to put a little more effort into our endeavours. I have to say having looked at the design ideas, I wasn’t really fancying building a boat. I’m quite the crafty type but making a Viking ship seemed a little beyond my ability, thus I left it up to the Dad ‘n’ Lad team to sort out.…
We are now over half way through the year and being the over-organised chick that I so happen to be, I’ve already started putting plans together for the next academic year. I’ve bought myself a rather spang-dangly, glitzy planner and have started penciling dates into the diary, all I need now is a new bag and I’m all set for September! Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from wishing time away, I just like to be ready and prepared well before required. We’ve got our overall calendar in the office upstairs which I like to tick off as time goes by, I also have our family diary filled with appointments and such-like in the kitchen as well as a weekly planner which goes on the wall for us to follow.…
Welcome to another week of the #MySundaySnapshot blog series, a photo-based blog-linky which you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. With less than a fortnight to go until the summer holidays arrive, I am beginning to wind down ready for the ‘big break’. We have so much planned over the summer that already I’ve started putting lists together of things that I need to do, need to buy, need to sort and whilst it’s all very well getting organised, I really need to stop stressing so much about the small things and to focus on the bigger picture – it’s time for less lists and more living!…
They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s not hard to see why. It’s where we come together to cook and enjoy food or to catch up on the events of the day. It’s where we go to enjoy each other’s company, sit, dine and laugh without the TV demanding our attention. All that said… Who wants to spend their summer sitting around in a hot, stuffy kitchen? The sun is out and we should be, too. The garden is a wonderful place for all the family to get together. It combines the benefits of being in the natural world with the benefits of being around the people who are closest to you in the world. …
I made a conscious effort to keep things low key over the weekend. We were all pretty exhausted following what was another full on week, thus the garden was the ideal place to kick back, to relax and to have some fun in the sun. The kids were desperate to get the paddling pool out and with the temperature soaring up to the mid-twenties, they were more than welcome to get wet and to splash around, which is precisely what they did for many hours all whilst screaming and laughing like hyenas on helium. My Little Mermaid It was lovely sitting under the parasol, soaking up the sun whilst watching my daft duo running around the garden in their swimming costumes whilst shooting and squirting each other with water pistols, water bombs and of course the hose pipe.…
I swear as we get closer to the summer, each month just gets more and more manic! June has been crazy busy but filled with plenty of family fun, here are just a few of the many things which I have #LikedandLoved throughout the past month. Watch out! Following a few random fainting episodes, my husband very kindly purchased a smartwatch for me to wear which monitors my heart rate, blood pressure and all that kind of malarky. It’s actually really useful, rather pretty and with the added extra that I can now see messages as they arrive, I’m a smartwatch girl!…
Every now and I take a trip to the beach, not with the kids nor the dog, just myself and my thoughts. It’s such a therapeutic place to visit, no matter what the weather or what may on your mind, five minutes spent by the shore is soothing for the soul. Often following a trip to town or to the shops, I’ll go back via the beach – it’s worth the extra five or ten minutes just for the views. I live in an area so rich in beauty, it’d be a waste if I didn’t take the time to appreciate my surroundings now and then.…
Welcome to another week of the #MySundaySnapshot blog series, a weekly photo-based blog-linky which you are very welcome to join. Click here for further information and guidelines upon this linky should you wish to take part. It’s been a funny old week, I’ve been up and down like a yo-yo never quite sure what to expect from one moment to the next. Don’t get me wrong, I love being kept busy and I’m certainly up for a challenge but with so much going on each and every day I’ve found myself feeling somewhat overwhelmed. I’m not feeling entirely myself at present; As you may have read, I’ve been on and off antibiotics for a few weeks now and come August I will be forking out a small fortune for dental work which will hopefully rectify the issue.…
Here we are at the end of June already – how on earth did that happen?! Thankfully summer has made an appearance at last and we are finally able to enjoy some good weather though how long it may last for is anybody’s guess. Here are a few of my #LittleLoves from the past month… Read Having suffered from random fainting episodes, my husband decided to play it safe and to buy me a smart watch which records my blood pressure and pulse. Not only does this watch keep a close eye upon my health, but it also alerts me to messages and such-like which is super handy – so much so I don’t think I could ever go back to wearing a ‘normal’ watch now!…
