Autumn Half-Term Break: A Big Reason to be Cheerful

Each year I plan our families holidays and realistically if I'd wanted to I probably could have secured us a review holiday this October break and of course it is always really tempting to get away together but sometimes I think it is just as important to be at home and to appreciate what is around you.

Over the last couple of years my parents health hasn't been as good as it used to be and this has meant that my kids haven't been to stay with them, much to the dismay of my children. So with the kids a little older and Mum and Dad feeling a bit better we arranged that Miss M would have three nights staying there alone and then JJ would go for a few nights after.

Miss E was quite happy to stay home and have mummy time and she knows she is next in line for a stay at her grandparents and that is something to look forward to. I am so lucky that my kids adore my parents, just as I do.

Term Time Holidays - Yes or No?

Image Credit: Mayan Ruin from Shutterstock

It's quite a major debate, isn't it?  I am constantly seeing posts across my social media feeds with parents asking other parents if they should take their child out of school to go on holiday. We all know that the price of holidays depends on the popularity of the time of year and it is pretty logical really.

When JJ first started school we took him on a term-time holiday each year as it meant we could enjoy a break with my parents for next-to-nothing and seeing as I wasn't earning major money it was just what we needed. Time to be a family, have fun together and recharge our batteries. We didn't have any qualms about doing it as he was just 4 or 5 years old and the the few days he missed school were not crucial in the overall scheme of things - he is a bright boy.

Then things changed, the twins became old enough to go to school and JJ was learning different kinds of subjects and we felt he might miss out by not being at school. Also the ten days discretionary leave that a Head could issue changed and now Head Teachers can only authorise leave in exceptional circumstances and those circumstances are left up to the Heads discretion. It is a bit of a minefield to be honest now.

Breakfast with Santa - The Kids Can't Wait!

I don't know about you but I've always had mixed feelings about taking the kids to meet Santa.  I know they love it when they are small but very often it costs an absolute fortune, you wait in queue for literally hours and it ends up being a massive anti-climax as your child hates the pound shop tat they are given as a gift.

It really has been a love:hate relationship in the past. The dreams I had in my head for that special white filled day where the kids smile the whole time and behave like angels often ends up with a meltdown and an early bedtime.  Well, no longer there is now a fabulous solution that both adults and children can enjoy together.

Half Term Fun and Memorable Moments #GetPopped

What a great half-term week we have had. I wasn't sure whether to book a holiday but the kids all asked to stay home and just have some days out so that is what we did and it fitted in really well as just before half-term Popchips (the popped potato snack) challenged me to have six days of enjoyable experiences and to take a packet of Popchips with me for each.

They set the challenge to celebrate the launch of their new 6 pack multipacks, which are available in Sea Salt and BBQ flavours. I can genuinely tell you that I am so glad they set me this challenge as I'd not tried Popchips before and I really like them. As someone who needs to be cutting down on calories they are my new best friend at around 70 calories for a packet.

Popchips believe that every day should be filled with joyful and light-hearted moments and I set about capturing those. Not just the moments that you know are pretty special but also the ones that are easily missed and must not be taken for granted. I wrote recently about how important it is to choose joy and to make sure you live in the moment and delight in the small stuff.

Horrible Histories at The De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

We had a fun family afternoon at the De La Warr Pavilion last Sunday. They had gifted us tickets to watch Horrible Histories, Barmy Britain part 3 and to be honest I had no idea what to expect.  The kids all watch the TV programme (well 8 year old Miss M and Miss E do as 12 year old JJ tells me he outgrew it years ago) but he still seems to have a massive collection of the books in his room but apparently reading is different, much more grown-up!

The one hour theatre show is billed as being suitable for children aged 6 years upwards and I think it was perfectly pitched. My kids have not been to many live theatre shows before and I think TV has spoilt them somewhat as they were a little disappointed there were only two actors in it, Neal Foster and Anthony Spargo. Neal and Anthony was fantastic though, so much energy and just bouncing off each other. They were the full works as far as I'm concerned.

I didn't expect to laugh so much at this stage show but it has a definite comedy edge to it. The audience were encouraged to participate in many ways with a sing along, calling out, clapping and one lucky little girl even got to go up on stage, one of mine would have loved that!

I thought the show was super clever, it was two men, one big travel case and two stacks of costumes and they dd everything in front of our eyes including changing clothes but it remained fun and the high-energy kept up the whole way through. We bounced our way though some of the major British historic events and we met King Charles II, the Puritons and Nelson. Here is a glimpse of some of the sketches -

Thank You Lord for My Boy

The girls had an inset day today and as a treat I drove JJ to school so he did not have to ride the bus which requires him to leave home 80 minutes before school starts. Today we drove the 11 minute car journey and wondered why on earth the bus journey takes such a very long time!

That's not what this post is about though. I was on the journey back home when I started to reflect on how very lucky I am that JJ sets his alarm and gets himself up in the morning. I have many friends with 12/13 year old children who have a battle each day to get their child up and dressed. I am truly lucky and very, very grateful that I don't have this fight with JJ. Of course it could all change, the hormones are arriving and it could get much more tricky but for now, I am just happy that he is generally a really good lad and great fun to spend time with too.

BRITA Back to School Hydration Challenge

Recently BRITA (the water filter people) approached me and asked if I knew how much water my children were drinking when they are at school during the day. Of course the answer was no and if I'm honest I knew what the answer probably was - not enough!

I was therefore very happy when they sent me some of their superb Fill&Go water bottles (with nifty integral water filtration) for the kids to take to school each day.  As well as the bottle they also sent me some great ruler stickers to attach to the side of the bottle and these give visual reminders to the kids of how much to drink and by when. This ruler is based on official guidelines and recommends they drink 300ml by morning break, 600ml by lunch, then there is a lunch time reminder to refill the bottle and to have drunk another 300ml by afternoon break and the last 300ml by home time. Thus meaning they would have consumed 1200 mls between the hours of 8.45am and 3.15pm.

Tranquility in the Craziness - Our stop at Hughenden National Trust

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We had the journey from hell last week, it was pure craziness, all I could hear myself saying were things like 'kids, will you stop', 'be nice', 'no more whining' and 'this is not acceptable behaviour'. We were heading home from Telford and our journey should have taken us 4 hours without any stops but we had issues from the start.

Our slip road onto the M52 was closed as they had found a human skull there the day before, the M6 was a massive car park and then had a stranded car and by the time we got to Warwick services we had been travelling for nearly three hours. We thought a quick comfort stop and to eat our picnic was in order but we had to laugh when we were greeted with toilet queues practically out of the services and not a spot of grass in sight as about 8 coaches had all stopped together.

Once on the motorway again we realised that there was something wrong with the car, it couldn't seem to accelerate in the way it normally does and felt as if it was missing a beat and then I checked the motorway flow app for the M25 and found that our stretch had average speeds of 15 miles an hour. Oh, joy, more traffic! So in a moment of inspiration, I suggested to dh that we stop off at a National Trust site and enjoy a couple of hours there instead of another motorway services or the craziness of the M25. By this time we were close to High Wycombe and my National Trust app highlighted that we could travel to Hughenden within about 15 minutes of leaving the motorway.

Dear So and So - The Back to School Edition

Dear JJ,

Love you big boy. I know you are now at the age where you think it is quite embarrassing that mum wants to give you a hug or kiss you goodbye, so I'll respect that you are now a secondary school student and let you be.

I'm so glad your first days at your new school have gone well and I hope you continue to enjoy learning there. I also pray that you make some good friends and find some interesting extra-curricular activities. It is not all about maths and Minecraft JJ, remember that.

Standing with you always, Mummy xx

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Sometimes I dislike my kids...

I absolutely love this photo

I'm not sure you are supposed to be up-front and say that out loud but it is true and I'm always keen to be honest. You know - Mummy from the Heart and all that....

The first time I realised I didn't always like one of my kids I remember panicking and thinking perhaps there was something wrong with me. Maybe I was always supposed to feel complete love and adoration for them, maybe I should find their quirky ways endearing and not rage-inducing? But no, talking to other Mums I found out I was pretty normal. There will be days and times when you could happily give your kids away.

After spending four weeks of near 24 hour a day contact with all my kids I can readily tell you that there have been times I have been driven a little crazy. Three kids in a family is a difficult number I've come to realise, as there is often one of them feeling left out and that means the dreaded bickering. That, along with the following are a few of the times when I sadly dislike my kids -

Summer holidays are made of these...

I love days at home in the summer holidays and especially when friends come to visit. What a nice day we had to chill when Anya and her boys came over to see us last week.

We really didn't get up to much. Anya and I got treated to a song, dance and acrobatic show in my front room where we got told off for chatting too much and were threatened with being chucked out!

We enjoyed what my kids call a pick and mix lunch, where we helped ourselves to pizza and salad and then we took a scroll round some of the grounds and showed off the amazing place where we live.

My kids were keen to show their friends the low-ropes course, so they all had an hours fun down there, practising their balance, laughing (and moaning) at each other and sadly having a tumble or two as well. Anya was superb at helping the kids and she got stuck right as in as the photos show.

Making a Commitment, Prophetic Art and Praying for Healing = Proud Mum

A proud Mummy moment last year when JJ openly prayed for someone else at their Baptism

Oh my word, I am absolutely exhausted. Not because I have physically done too much or got up too early but because the kids are wearing me out. I forgot how full-on it can be being with three kids full-time.

I find myself repeating a dozen times a day 'It's too much' or 'be quiet' as all three of them seem to want to talk to me at once. Some days I can handle it and others I just want to run away and hide. I know parents across the country can relate, it is summer holiday fever and as much as I have been looking forward to this, there are always days when it just feels as if you will fall over the edge.

It's my own fault today, I attempted to work for three hours this morning whilst the kids were at a kids group and I hadn't quite finished by the time they were out so that last 5 minutes of work felt like it took an eternity.

My Crazy Kids - Schools Out for Summer.....

One of my jobs this summer is to sort out all my photos and get them catalogued away. Today I made a start on this and came across some photos I took of the kids in their school uniform having fun last November. I've used the odd one on the blog but as a set I found them really quite funny and very telling of my children's personalities.

As JJ has now left primary and won't be wearing this uniform anymore, I thought I would put them on here so I can enjoy them in the future.

I asked them to model their school uniform as their actual school photos had been awful and this was the first shot they gave me! Bottoms up.....

Looking forward to the summer...

As the summer holidays fast approach there is a palpable level of excitement rising in our house. This is the busiest time of the year for my dh so he is not so much excited as on high alert but the kids and I are on countdown. We have 13 days left at school as I write this and on the one hand it just feels too long, but on the other I need that time to complete my long to-do list and to be able to free myself up for six weeks of fun and laughter.

Last week JJ had his three transition days for secondary school and he loved it, him and his friend were convinced they could not go back to primary school for the last couple of weeks as they were 'just too big now!' However, we have a few key events left at school before they leave: last parents evening, last report, the school performance of the Wizard of Oz and the sure-to-be sad leavers assembly.

I never dreamed we'd be a wetsuit kind of family! #CountryKids

Our lake that the kids love to swim in every day in summer and a wetsuit makes it so much more pleasant

That might seem like a strange statement. What is a wetsuit kind of family you might ask?

Just not one I ever thought I'd be part of is the honest answer. Growing up no-where near the sea and with parents who were not exactly adventurous I've never done any kind of activity that means I needed to don a wetsuit and now being a larger lady I suspect I may never. My husband grew up in similar circumstances and whilst he did lots of adventurous scouting type things when he was young, kids didn't really wear wetsuits when we were young.

Now our lives have changed beyond recognition and we live in 220 acres of beautiful land and have three lakes, one of which has a dedicated swimming area but of course it is cold so the kids want a wetsuit as they love to take a dip every day after school. I'm so looking forward to the nicer weather and them being able to enjoy the lake for swimming and boating.

Out for Mothers Day Lunch at

It's come to the end of a long but enjoyable day and I'm thankful to my children for all the hugs, messages of love, homemade cards and little gifts I got today. I'm also grateful to my husband for doing the homework with the girls and giving me a little time to myself earlier.

It has been my kind of day, there has not been anything massively fancy but we have done things that I've enjoyed. I got up early and breakfasted with my three babes, they smothered me with presents and good wishes. We all went to church parade this morning and I received three cute little posies of flowers. We then headed over to the Windmill Brewers Fayre for lunch and then back home where I read and studied ready for a course I am running on Wednesday.

Following a chilled afternoon at home we headed to our regular church for their cafe style evening service and it was fabulous. A grilled chicken kebab and a movie with my husband have topped the day off. I can go to bed happy.

I think days like Mothering Sunday can be difficult for some as the expectation of what might happen is huge. Will my children remember? Will I get great gifts? Will my husband look after the kids? Can I relax all day and suit myself? I have to be honest and say I try not to build my own expectations up and thankfully my family do OK.  Yes I have stacked the dishwasher and I've made the kids food but I'm OK with that because what I try and remember today is that I'm their mother and it is these things I do with love that mean they want to make me cards and give me breakfast in bed.

10 Top tips for a stress free school morning

I often hear parents talk about how they pull their hair our before school each day and I have to confess that this is one area we do not suffer any problems with, so I thought it would be a good idea to share my tips for ensuring the morning goes without a hitch.

My children are now 7, 7 and 11 and until 18 months ago I was a work out-of-the-home Mum so we needed to leave home by about 7.30am and I had school breakfast club and nursery drops to do, so I do know the pressure of an early morning and multiple children.

Of course my life has changed now and I feel very blessed that we do not need to leave home until 8.25am and as the kids are older they are now more self-sufficient.  Boy did it use to be fun when I had two 18 month old twins to wake, feed, clean-up and dress as well as a 5 year old boy t shepherd and direct, all to leave home by 7.30am.

Parenting with Grace

The terrible twosome laughing together for once!

As I undertook the mundane (but quite enjoyable to me) tasks of tidying the kid's bedrooms and changing my bed the other morning I listened to a podcast from the God Centered Mom. I've been subscribed to this channel for a while but not really listened before but after the podcasts, I listened to today I'll be back and I'd say check it out if Godly parenting is your kind of thing.

More and more as I grow as a Christian I've been thinking about how I shine my light and demonstrate Gods love to all those I meet. Of course, this needs to start with me - being kind and forgiving of myself and then with those closest to me. None of them is perfect so I must not expect that from them and when I speak tenderly to my husband even though he may have annoyed me or lovingly to my children even though they may be screaming at each other I'm doing the right thing and emulating Christ.

Let me assure you it is not at all easy to be as Jesus was. He was the son of God made into man and sent here to experience our world, he was perfect and wholesome. I am broken and flawed but I have given my life to him and now I am dead to my old selfish ways and Jesus lives in me, I just need to let him and not fight it.

How do you stop kids bickering?

Can anyone give me any wisdom please? Is it just part and parcel of family life, that my kids will bicker, argue and try to get one up on each other? Or is there some kind of parenting fail here?

I have 7 year old twin girls and an 11 year old boy and in particular one of my twins and my son will do whatever they can to wind the other one up. Going into the other ones rooms, leaving notes, taking things, making silly noises - just anything to bait the other one. It is a game I think they both secretly enjoy and to some extent I am keen not to rise to it and to just let them sort it out themselves but very quickly they become really quite noisy and one or the other ends up crying and shouting 'Muuuuum'.

My son gets involved in every conversation and we often have to remind him he is not a parent and whatever is going on is not his business. Then one of the twins will try and wind up the other one as she is an easy target and will end up playing the victim and whinging, without retaliating.

I watched the Railway Children the other day and was in awe of the respect and good behaviour demonstrated by the children in the film. I just dream of my children accepting what I say, not arguing back and being nice to each other. We have always had a mantra of it being better to be kind than to be right but kindness towards each other seems to escape them.

Don't get me wrong they are not terrible. I haven't got feral children or anything but I'd just love some ideas for them being nicer to each other. My husband and I seriously considering taking away all screens and tech for quite a period of time and making them play together and share together. This will surely mean they have to sort it out and start being nice to each other, what do you think?

I took the two main culprits for a walk together the other day and threatened them with a boot camp together and they both quite liked the sound of that! Here they are having some fun (ahem) together -

If you look, you'll see JJ has a stick he is threatening to throw towards Miss M. He had no intention of doing so but it was still enough to provoke a reaction! 

Then being the kind big brother, breaking off a large stick for Miss M to carry and play with

Photo bombed by JJ's fingers!

Helping each other jump the stream

There are of course some harmonious times but I really would like to see more of them, so if you have any good ideas then please do leave me a comment.

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#GiveThanksThursday - Winter sunshine, making a difference and feeling loved

Good morning friends, how are you today?

It is time to come together and give thanks. What is making your heart swell this week and where are thanks due?

So thankful for God's creation-
We have been really lucky here weather wise and I've been enjoying the blue skies and fresh mornings. This was my walk to work on Tuesday, you can see why I enjoy my work and living here.

Remembering what it is all about -
I've found January a funny old month. I've hardy been offered any work and this has made me feel anxious and I've also been dieting which is never an easy task for me. This has led to some days where I have felt 'bleuh' and wondered if I should keep on blogging.

Then yesterday I saw the fabulous news that GAVI (the vaccines alliance) have been promised over $7.5 billion dollars over the next five years to help eradicate unnecessary deaths in developing countries. It is when changes like this and also when parliament passed the UK members bill to give 0.7% of our income as aid that I feel as if I know why I am blogging and I smile to myself as I know I helped to make those things come to fruition. Yes of course I only played a tiny part and I do it by the grace of God but if we all play a tiny part things do change.

Feeling loved -
I am so lucky to have three children who are all very affectionate. JJ is probably less so nowadays but at 5ft tall and age 11 I think that is pretty normal. I still get a bedtime kiss, a hug when he comes in from school and if I'm lucky the occasional sofa hug. The girls are both quite huggy and kissy and we spend lots of time together. My husband is not so affectionate by nature but he does give fabulous hugs and seems to know what I need. My family is a real blessing to me and restore me.

Now, it is your turn. Why don't you link up a thankful post and join us in giving thanks -

• Write your post or choose one of your many positive posts to link up
• Please comment on my post as the host and I'll make sure I hop over and comment on yours too. I'll also endeavour to social share them all.
• Then please visit and comment on at least 2 or 3 other posts in the linky. Blog-hops only work when people take the time to share the commenting love.
• If you fancy grab the blog-hop code and put it at the bottom of your post, this means people can visit all posts from everywhere. The linky is not just here it is with us all!

Remember we are using the hashtag #GiveThanksThursday and using that will allow me and others to find your post.

If you fancy grabbing my new linky badge, here is the code, just paste it in to your HTML tab and if you're not sure what I'm on about then just shout I'm happy to help, we were all new bloggers once.

 

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If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!