My top 40 Reasons to be Cheerful (week 33, year 3) #R2BC

Happy Thursday or should I say happy birthday to me.  Can you guess why I might have chosen to share 40 reasons to be cheerful?

1. JJ giving me flowers
2. A beautiful meal out with dh on Tuesday
3. A short overnight visit from my Mum and Dad
4. Mum saying I look really relaxed and she is right, I am
5. Dh enjoying his new job and getting involved in the community here
6. Handmade birthday cards from my girls - made with love
7. A day at the zoo with the kids today
8. A carvery dinner for our family on my birthday
9. A cream tea - super yum
10. Meeting some new friends Saturday for a BBQ
11. A family day out Sunday to look forward to
12. A family holiday at the end of the month
13. An amazing new home which is all coming together
14. Friendly and warm neighbours
15. Beautiful finds in a local store
16. Getting more active and enjoying it
17. A few pounds lost because of all the walking
18. My Fitbit flex activty tracker which is allowing me to see my activity level and sleep pattern
19. Time available every day to just Be
20. Constant opportunities to join with like-minded people to worship and pray
21. Living in a breath taking place
22. Having so many trees for the kids to climb
23. Discovering opportunities for me to be able to volunteer and help
24. Being able to be on the beach in 15 minutes
25. Collecting gorgeous pebbles from the beach
26. Discovering new local places
27. Two fabulous parks with lots for the kids to do
28. Finding a great cafe with super food
29. So much time with my kids
30. Marching through the woods and collecting fir cones
31. Giggles and tickles
32. Playing Lego and watching a movie
33. Family meal times and catching up on our days
34. Snuggles on the sofa
35. Taking lots of photos of the kids
36. Working internet so I can catch up with the wider world
37. Uniforms all bought and ready for the new school term
38. Being back at number 13 in the Tots 100
39. Having a wonderful community of on-line friends who are always there
40. Running this linky and enjoying seeing you all each week

Now it is over to you - what is making you cheerful and grateful this week?

If you are new here, welcome.  Do go and have a read about why I started Reasons to be Cheerful and what I feel the key to happiness is. This is a very inclusive linky, it does not come with lots of rules. I just ask for common courtesy, write your post and link it up, say hi to me and then comment and say hi to a couple of other linked up bloggers. They should hopefully come and visit you too and we are all happy - comment love shared all round. I'll aim to get to everyone this weekend.

#R2BC Blogger of the week 

This weeks blogger of the week is C, she is one of those bloggers whose blogs I have been reading for a number of years now and I'd really love to meet her. She talks so much sense and is really encouraging and very real. I love it that she does not just paint a glossy picture of life as a single Mum with three children. Her middle child Smiley has cerebral palsy and severe physical and intellectual disabilities and her youngest son has aspergers and you only have to read the post about Angel her oldest heading off to Africa to know how proud C is of her and how much of a help she is to her mum. You can read more at Looking for Blue Sky

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.  Mich x

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Looking forward to family time at Shorefield Country Park

Our move to East Sussex has gone really well and I feel sure we will all be super happy here but it is pretty intense at first and this summer period is when the business is at its peak, so dh is busy working and to be honest even when he is home his mind is whirring away and working, so what we need is a break away together as a family.

Thankfully Shorefield Holidays are providing us with a 4 night break at their Shorefield Country Park in the New Forest at the end of August. It will be superb for dh and I to be able to have some time to celebrate our 40th Birthdays (both of which are happening in the next 2 weeks) and to make sure we get some quality family time together. Mum and her dog are coming along too and that means we have a babysitter for the evenings and the kids love playing with the dog - so much fun will be had.

Lodge Holiday

I am so looking forward to staying in one of their Millford lodges, I find it makes a real difference to be able to arrive and just get straight into holiday mode instead of having to make beds, like you do in caravans. Of course lodges also have the benefit of really feeling like a home from home with large screen TV, dishwasher and an outside seating area. JJ is also hoping we get one of the ones with the Wii and free DVD rental - but we will have to wait and see. I suspect because we have the dog with us we won't be getting an outside hot tub but they have plenty of lodges with those if you fancy!

We have not been to a Shorefield Holiday park before but the promise of our park being a 5 star site and having had a read of the reviews on TripAdvisor I now feel sure we will have an amazing time.  I often find Trip Advisor a scary read as people really do go for it and say what they think but in regards to the Shorefield Country Park it all seems great, and the park received a certificate of Excellence in 2013 from them.

Trip to the Spa
I mentioned it is dh and my birthdays in August, well I think we need to treat ourselves to a nice treatment or two whilst we are away, so we can relax and unwind after all the stress that has been in our lives recently. Who knew that moving house could take it out of you? The Reflections Elemis Spa is on site and offers a variety of treatments, I have been offered a back massage to review the service and I think I'll be a kind wife and let dh enjoy this. I might just book myself in for a facial and manicure and if I do this a week in advance and pay I get a 20% discount which sounds like a great deal.

Time in the water
The kids do not know we are going on this holiday yet but as soon as they do the first question will be 'has it got a pool' and thankfully I can answer, yes it has two!  Both an indoor and outside pool, so lets pray for some hot weather and we can have a dip in the outside one every day.

Visit to Beaulieu and Exbury
Whilst staying we are going to take a day-trip to Beaulieu and this will be great as I have not visited there since I was abut 10 years old. I'll have to see if my memory serves me right, I expect it will have changed quite substantially in 30 years! I think JJ is going to love the World of Top Gear exhibition and I'll just enjoy being able to walk in the beautiful surroundings and time with my family.

Another day trip we will take is to Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway, I know my Mum will enjoy the beautiful walks and seeing all the different flowers and plants and of course the highlight for the kids will be the 20 minute steam train journey.

Not long now until our holiday and I'll be sure to come back and let you know all about it.  I'll publish a full review here of the holiday park and also Beaulieu and Exbury Gardens. From 26th August you'll be able to catch me live tweeting/ FB sharing and instagramming whilst we are there, so watch out for some gorgeous pictures of good old fashioned family fun!

Do check out the website for Shorefield Holidays to find out more - http://www.shorefield.co.uk/ and you can call them on 01590 648331 with any questions or reservation enquiries that you have.  They will be happy to help I'm sure.


Disclosure: I am being provided with a 4 night holiday for 6at the Shorefield Country park, a meal for 6, a back massage and entry to Beaulieu and Exbury gardens for the purposes of these reviews. All reviews will be honest and I have not been instructed what to write.

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Marriage - No one said it would be easy

I've been thinking about marriage a lot just recently.  Not really my marriage but just the concept of biblical marriage and how society's views towards it have changed. It really saddens me to see so many people rush into marriage and assume it will be so easy and when it is not they bail out. A few weeks ago I was flicking through the Sunday papers at my parents-in-law and on the front page of one was a story about Denise Van Outen and how 'the spark had gone from her marriage' and thus divorce was to be the outcome.

I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors so maybe something really awful has happened in this relationship but the paper said they had spent so much time apart pursuing their entertainment careers that they fell out of love and grew apart. Gosh, that is so sad. How can the pursuit of fame and money be more important than your marriage?

When my parents were growing up back in the 1960's the known norm was to seek a spouse of the opposite sex and get married and that marriage would be for life. I like that - a lot. Nowadays people do whatever they fancy and I expect many reading this would say hooray, thank goodness for that. Not so for me, as a Christian marriage is a really important decision, one to be cherished and nurtured. Here is what the bible says -

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honour among all

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife

Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the Church

I didn't go into my marriage thinking that every day would be a dream, nor that I would always feel 'in love' with my husband every day. I fully realise that a good marriage is about hard work, compromise, upset, difficult decisions and angst as well as the flip side of joy, delight, companionship, support, respect and contentment.

I'm sure my vision of marriage does not fill some people with the desire to run out and do it, they want to read about passion, excitement, heady heights and amazing moments but those things just last a few weeks, months or if you are super lucky years. I'm in this for the long haul - til death us do part.

And if you are married then I hope you are too. Your marriage is really important and it must be cherished. If things feel hard and you are pondering separating or divorcing then please talk to each other. Try harder, see if you can work it out, seek external help. Explore every avenue, be really honest with each other and forgive if you need to. Don't hold onto those past hurts because they help no-one.

In short please don't give up on marriage. Join me in the forever club.

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#TellingTales with M&S

My little M&S models

Today on Twitter M&S are launching a fun new initiative called #Telling-tales. They are urging mums and dads everywhere to use the hashtag to share the funny tales that our kids tell us about why they have come home from school so dirty. I don't know about you but my kids come home filthy sometimes and when I ask why I'm quite astounded at some of the stories I get told.

As a younger boy my son JJ constantly came home with black marker on his white polo shirts, this used to drive me insane as it was so hard to get off. When I asked him how it happened I would get told that the teacher could not be bothered to give them an eraser for their personal whiteboards and they were expected to rub it off with their hands and this was how he got so dirty. Over time I got more and more cross and finally went to see the teacher who assured me they did have erasers available to them but sadly many kids choose not to use them!  Thank goodness I went in their calm, rather than all guns blazing.

Probably my best tale teller is Miss M, she could chat for Britain. Just recently she came home covered in chalk, literally from head to toe and when I asked her what had happened I was told she was a puppy and while having her tummy tickled she had slid along the ground over the other kids chalk drawings. I despair sometimes!  I suppose though the main thing is that they are enjoying going to school and having fun, oh and ensuring they have school uniform that stands up to the job.

M&S is definitely my favourite uniform, it is not the cheapest but price is not my only priority. M&S clothes wash up well, keep their shape, keep their pleats (highly important in skirts and pinnys) and my favourite are their zipped check dresses. For the girls last school I picked up some of these second hand and the girls wore them for a couple of summers and now they have gone to a friends girl and they still look good - that is what you call lasting quality. This time around I was lucky to get them in the sale when they were just £3 each - a super bargain.

Join in with the Twitter fun... and win a really unique prize
On 12^th August (today), using the Twitter hashtag #TellingTales, M&S are asking mums & dads to share their child's most imaginative tales into how their clothes got dirty and the best six entries will win an original illustration of their child’s tale from one of six fantastic children’s artists - Sue Hendra, Ben Mantle, Ben Hawkes, Clive McFarland, Yasmeen Ismail and Mark Chambers. That is a prize that can be cherished forever.

So why don't you head over to Twitter and share your tale of what your child told you about how they got so dirty? You never know you might just win a prize and you are sure to have a good giggle as you read all the other bizarre and outrageous tales us parents get told.

Take a look at the full competition details on the M&S site.

Disclosure: I received £50 of school uniform from M&S as a thank you for taking part in this campaign. They have not instructed me what to write and I remain honest.

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Update for #GetGoodSummer

A few weeks back I joined in with Claire at Clarina’s Contemplations link-up for #GetGoodSummer, she asked us all to set some goals for this summer to make sure that the time did not whizz past before we noticed and realised our time had been wasted.

I set my goals and knew that I would not really start this challenge until August when I arrived in my new house but I forgot to mention this to anyone so the other joiners probably just think I have been a flake and have bailed out – not so!

Here is a recap of my five goals and an update on how things have been going –

1) Spend time with God every day – I did really well with this on my holiday and made sure I had some private study time each day but then last weekend and this week have flown by with the house move – to be expected I suppose. I was pleased to get back on track last Saturday with an early morning prayer walk. Something I have been doing each day and I intend to keep up.... forever!

One of the reminders as I take my morning walk

2) Prioritise the kids above my house – Well it is early days with this one as we have only been here a short while and obviously there is a certain amount of time I had to dedicate to unpacking and sorting the house but it is now in a liveable condition and I am making sure I do something with the kids every day and JJ is being great at making sure we all have family time together – be it a meal, walk round the lake or game of basketball.

3) Get moving – I have been trying to move more. There is so much land here that it would be hard not to, JJ is pestering me to kick the ball around with him, the basketball net in the staff garden is tempting and I’ve already mentioned my daily morning walk which I intend to keep up. I have been sent a FitBit flex wristband to review and it will be good to challenge myself and see how many steps I am managing to do in a day. So far so good and my best day is just over 23,000 steps.

View of my daily lakeside walk

4) Eat mindfully – this is the one I need to work on. I've not really made any conscious effort on this one yet but I've had a parcel arrive from Diet Chef and I'm going to try their programme out for a month. I'm praying that will be a good kick start to healthy eating ongoing. I need to shrink my stomach, remind myself of portion sizes and eat slowly.

5) Tell dh I love him every day - I forgot this one! How bad is that, but now I have remembered that is the good news and I need to get on to it!

So that us me and my brief update, I'll be back in a week or so to report back in again.

What about you? How is your summer going? Did you set any goals?

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#CountryKids - Discovering our woods

Well at long last I'm here, living in the countryside and as such I hope to be able to join in with this linky each week.

We have so much land to be able to explore here and I expect it will lead to a multitude of posts and of course fun. 220 acres will take us some time to get around and there is a lot of history and heritage to this site. I have learned there is wreckage from a WW1 plane in the grounds and also the remains of Ladyspring Grotto, a classical ruin built around a freshwater pond. Apparently if I splash the water on the back wall I will see the remains of a painting done there in the 1800's.

Our first exploration was down into the woods and we followed the noises from a field of sheep and stumbled upon a low-ropes course. It is not in use currently and not open to guests but we saw the 'do not use without instruction' sign a bit too late! We had fun though and then watched the sheep in the field over the stream for a bit too. It is a bit surreal for us town folk to be able to get so close to the animals now. There is just a couple in this photo but through the woods we could see dozens of them and they were so noisy.

Miss M is able to boast of her first fall into the stinging nettles now - poor girl! She called herself a drama queen and booed her eyes out and when I said we needed to walk back she asked me what people would think of her if they saw her legs all covered in nettle rash.  Miss E was super quick to answer and proved herself to be a cutie yet again and said 'they will just think you are beautiful Miss M'.

Here they are before nettle gate!

Miss M - the brave one

Miss E - the cautious one

Click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.  Happy weekend, Mich x

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New Home Cheerfulness (#R2BC week 32, year 3)

<center> <a href="http://www.mummyfromtheheart.com/search/label/reasons%20to%20be%20cheerful"><img width="150" alt="Reasons to be Cheerful at Mummy from the Heart" src="http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac230/RebaMc/reasonstobecheerfulv2-1.jpg" height="150" /></a></center> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: purple;"><strong>-----------------------------------------------------------------</strong></span></div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: purple;"><strong>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 </strong></span><a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=mummyfromtheheart&loc=en_US"><span style="color: purple;"><strong>Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email</strong></span></a> <span style="color: purple;"><strong>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!</strong></span><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4094258" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Follow Mummy From The Heart... on Bloglovin"><img alt="Follow on Bloglovin" border="0" src="http://www.bloglovin.com/widget/bilder/en/lank.gif?id=4094258" /></a></div> Hello all, Happy Thursday.  I hope the week is going well for you and if it is the kids school holidays where you are that they are serene and enjoyable! We have been in our new home for just over a week now and it feels like way longer - I think that is a good thing.  I mentioned that we arrived here at the busiest time of the year and I had no idea what it would be like, but 1500 people on site is OK actually - it is big enough here to accommodate them without it feeling like our privacy is being invaded. The bonus of having this massive Christian festival here at our home is that the children can register for the kids groups and have been enjoying one or two sessions every day, both having fun and learning about our faith. There are also loads of sessions, seminars and fun activities that I can join in with as well. Unfortunately dh is busy working most of it but we are getting occasional times with him and enjoying a family meal together every day. As I write this I'm just getting ready to head out to the festivals 'village fete'. We will all enjoy an afternoon of traditional fun with games, side stalls, a bouncy castle and other activities. The kids are very excited and keep pestering me to go. There is also a makeshift shop there with penny sweets and a cafe that sells the most delicious home-made food.  I can see this week being something we look forward to every summer. As well as the revive festival, I have lots of other reasons for being thankful this week, including - JJ helping out in the tea room and having a ball

Finding a great park just a few miles from our home

JJ and Miss M becoming closer and being nice to each other more often - this is nothing short of a miracle!

Now it is over to you - what is making you cheerful and grateful this week?

If you are new here, welcome.  Do go and have a read about why I started Reasons to be Cheerful and what I feel the key to happiness is. This is a very inclusive linky, it does not come with lots of rules. I just ask for common courtesy, write your post and link it up, say hi to me and then comment and say hi to a couple of other linked up bloggers. They should hopefully come and visit you too and we are all happy - comment love shared all round.

NB: So sorry I did not make it to you to comment last week, as well as trying to unpack and settle in, we have massive internet issues here and I can't get connection that often! I'll try really hard this week!

#R2BC Blogger of the week will also be back in a couple of weeks when I am settled in my new house.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.  Mich x

Imaginative tips for entertaining your children during long car journeys

Planning a holiday? Because of the state of the UK economy, more and more families are choosing to holiday right here in our own beautiful country, opting for cheaper breaks which may involve a long drive to get there. Thankfully, a combination of new technology and old techniques might just balance out the time and keep the kids interested and occupied until you reach your destination.

A favourite from when we were children is good old ‘I Spy’. Keep it inside the car, or choose objects outside for more of a challenge. Alternatively, put a twist on and spice it up by doing your research before you go away, and make a list of landmarks and items you may pass on the way. Set the kids the challenge of spotting the items and crossing them out as you pass them. It will keep them aware of their surroundings but will also give them something to focus on. If you are feeling especially creative, turn it into a Bingo card, with images of the landmarks so they can mark them off. Why not give a small prize for the first one to get a row and a full house?

If your kids have hand-held game consoles or tablets, be sure to pack them! Games and apps provide not only hours of fun, but a massive variety of activities which can even be educational. Have a look for games or apps which tell a story and get your child to follow, learn and discover.

For the especially creative parents, an exciting activity would be to make a model of the journey. Use cardboard for the base and build it up with egg boxes, Papier Mache, and anything else that helps to create the scenery you will pass. Using Google maps or equivalent as a guide, try and reconstruct the landscape almost as accurately as you can. When travelling, use this model to show the children where you are and how far you have come, as well as how far you have left to go! Give them their own little map print-off too if you like and see if they can follow it with you.

Remember pipe cleaners? Have a pack handy for emergencies, and watch the kids create some of the weirdest things you might ever see, using just those furry little wires we all loved as pre-schoolers!

If your kids become stressed or fussy, take time to pull over, let them eat, use the bathroom and generally have a run about and blow off some steam before resuming your journey. Alternatively, travel during the night and hope the kids take a nap!

It’s not the easiest thing in the world, travelling with children, but it will all be worth it once you get to your much deserved holiday. Where will you take them this year?

About the Author

This article was written on behalf of Galt Toys. Galt Toys have been manufacturing toys for over 175 years, and know a thing or two about toys…and having fun!

This is NOT a paid-for post, I have hosted it for free as my children enjoy Galt toys and I think some of the ideas above are excellent, I will certainly be taking pipe cleaners for our next long journey. In fact, here is Miss M painting her Galt tea set that she got for her recent birthday from Nanny.

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It's all coming together - JJ's new room

I am feeling much happier today about how our house is coming together. I'm not good when things are in a state of dishevelment but I have to realise that having order is not everything. We have had lots of fun family time together and are getting to know our new surroundings and meaningful time together is far more important than a house that looks smart.  The majority of the boxes are unpacked, we all have clean clothes, beds to sleep in and I've been cooking meals. I expect to be honest my house is now as tidy as many peoples are in everyday life.

 One of the rooms that is doing OK is JJ's room. His was the first to have furniture in it as we had a large delivery of oak furniture come at the end of June when we originally should have moved in. As JJ is getting older we treated him to new furniture and he is now super pleased to have a desk for his homework and a proper bedside cabinet. It is the little things that make him smile!

At the same time he was really pleased to receive a new bed from Silentnight. They heard that we were moving into our new house and having to kit the kids out with new beds and came to the rescue for JJ, offering him a Healthy Growth Junior kids mattress  and base.

JJ first tried his bed out the day after it was delivered at the end of June and I kid you not when I say I could not get him off it. You had the rest of us in a house with practically no furniture and all sleeping on the floor and JJ like the king in his well-equipped room. He was happy as larry and laid in his bed saying ‘I’m so happy’ just to rub it in!

 His love affair with his bed has not ended yet either, he tells me the mattress is so much better than his old one and he sleeps really well. I can certainly testify that I've not heard a peep from him any night in that bed.
From our point of view I can certainly recommend the delivery service from Silentnight. I had really good communication by phone to book in our delivery and was given a 3 hour delivery slot. I received confirmation of this by text and an hour before the driver arrived he called to advise me. Dh took the delivery in and he said the delivery guys were good and very careful. They also offered to make up the bed and take away the packaging but dh declined this service as he needed to get back to work.

The Healthy Growth Junior mattress is full size and retails for £211, you can purchase direct from Silentnight and they will offer £100 if you trade in your old bed and even take it away for you - sounds good, doesn't it. Just make sure you check out the T&C's to make sure the offer applies to your situation.

The Healthy Growth mattress is designed with breathable EcoComfort Fibre to help keep your child cool at night, especially important in this heatwave we are having. Other features of the mattress are that it is rod-edged to ensure your child does not slip during the night and has Silentnights unique Miracoil spring system inside to offer support and align your child's back as they sleep.

The mattress is foam and chemical free making it a great choice for children with allergies, so it is hypo-allergenic and dust-mite resistant. The border of the mattress is covered in a breathable airflow fabric and has a blue or pink gingham border. JJ also received a matching blue gingham headboard and base but they are no longer for sale. just to comment thought that the legs and headboard where super easy to put together as there was stickers guiding us where the pre-made holes where.

I'd happily recommend the Healthy Growth mattress as JJ is sleeping very soundly and is happy as can be and that makes me happy!

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If you want a different result then things need to change...

I was down in the dumps yesterday. I think the high of moving house had worn off. We went to Bexhill-on-sea on Thursday and found a lovely park, the kids had fun playing and I sat and read my book - all good it sounds. But then I started to look around and hear the chitter chatter of all the other Mums with their friends and I realised I need to go through that again and make new friends here. Sad moment number one.

Friday morning I awoke and went to have breakfast and then like a bat it whacked me, sad moment number two. I felt completely overwhelmed, it seemed as if there was so much to do - boxes to unpack, seven stone to shift, kids to parent through tricky behaviours and trials, friends to make, work to establish, blogging to be done etc etc. I really felt the weight of the world on my shoulders and could easily of had a good cry. Thankfully some great friends talked me though it and a trip out with the kids gave me back some perspective. Yes there is lots to be done but no time pressures. This is not a race I have to win in one week, I'm here for the rest of my life and things will take however long they take.

We have made a big move and I need to acknowledge that. Things will be different and at times difficult. This is the first time I have ever moved and not had to go to work, so where I make my friends will have to take a different angle. I had not realised I would be alone with the kids so much, I need to get my head around that. It is new.....  and yes exciting too. Dh has a whole different set of challenges to me, he has a very big job and needs to plan all the changes he will work with his team to implement, so his place of work becomes even better. Efficiencies he will drive and people he will nurture and develop, those are his talents but they take up a lot of head space and I need to remember that.

I went to a service last night run by the volunteers and that was the first moment I felt things click. I know it is right to be here but I have to be patient as I wait for God to reveal his plans for us, or me specifically. But as I sat amongst the 40 or so people in that room and listened to them singing together in harmony with the voices of about 30 different nations I knew I was supposed to be there. It was beautiful. We all lifted our voices in praise and thanked the Lord for what He had done for us and praised His holy name. As I listened to a young volunteer talk about how we all expect far too much happiness nowadays I knew he was right and I was taken back to that morning when I had felt so sad. The reminder that I am here to serve God and not the other way round was a poignant one.

The decision was made during that service that I need to plan and push myself and make the changes that need to happen. I want different results and thus I need to change what I do. 7am this morning saw me up and dressed, heading out the door for a walk/ slow jog round the nearest lake and it felt good. I found myself a lovely bench to be able to sit on and pray and muse and this will be my daily me time.

Feeling so much better than I did this time yesterday and getting ready to make more changes, all for the better....

Catch you soon, Mich x

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Summer offers at Thorpe Park & win 4 tickets & fast passes

Stealth

Our family always have plenty of fun when we visit a theme Park and growing up in Surrey Thorpe Park was my local one and I watched it morph from a local attraction into the thrill capital that it now is. If you have children aged about 8 years and above I can safely say they will adore Thorpe Park and as such I felt it was my responsibility to share with you a couple of great summer offers and even better give away 4 tickets and fast passes.

Best entry deal ever *
When you buy a full price adult entry ticket (£43.20) you can go to Thorpe park any time you fancy until the end of this season (November) for absolutely free. Then if you want one better than that and fancy free entry for a full year then just pay another £10 and it is yours. Don't you think that sounds pretty awesome?  How I'd have loved that when I lived close by.

Sun Scream
From Wednesday 23rd August to Sunday 1st September 2013 Thorpe Park will be offering a whole host of FREE additional family fun on-site, including daytime silent discos, adrenaline-fuelled stunts, plus freestyle hip-hop and beatbox performances and workshops. What’s more, families and groups can now stay at the Park’s new on-site accommodation, The Crash Pad, and get TWO days of Park tickets included in the price of an overnight stay and when prices start at just £64 per person that is too good to be true.

Of course all this extra fun happens against the backdrop of the parks rollercoasters, you can still get soaked on Tidal Wave and scream your head off on Stealth, one of Europe's fastest and tallest rollercoasters.

You can find out more about Thorpe Park at http://www.thorpepark.com/

Giveaway
Win entry tickets for a family of 4 (or 4 adults) and 4 fast passes for use at Thorpe Park before 10th October 2013.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

* It is me (and not Thorpe Park) saying it is the best deal ever. It might not *actually* be, but I think it is pretty fantastic!

Disclosure: I have not received anything to host this giveaway, I just love Thorpe park and am happy to share some of the great opportunities I get offered with my readers.

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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!

I'm grateful for.... (week 31, year 3)

<center> <a href="http://www.mummyfromtheheart.com/search/label/reasons%20to%20be%20cheerful"><img width="150" alt="Reasons to be Cheerful at Mummy from the Heart" src="http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac230/RebaMc/reasonstobecheerfulv2-1.jpg" height="150" /></a></center> Hello all, we have finally moved and all 5 of us are back in the same house again - this makes me immensely cheerful.  I was reflecting last night on what I am particularly grateful for since we moved here on Tuesday -

I'm grateful that our movers were fabulous and everything arrived in tip-top condition
I'm grateful to the team who got our house ready for us
I'm grateful that there is on-site maintenance staff here and a leak under the sink was fixed the same day
I'm grateful we could have a family lake walk after dinner within 2 minutes of our front door
I'm grateful JJ is going to hassle us every day to take family time
I'm grateful there are loads of challenges here for dh to get his teeth stuck into work-wise
I'm grateful for warm and giving new neighbours
I'm grateful for so many boxes being unpacked and put away already
I'm grateful for the kids behaving and entertaining themselves whilst I do the unpacking and sorting
I'm grateful for dinner cooked for me and the family when we first arrived
I'm grateful for an hour to myself last night to fetch the shopping
I'm grateful I felt chilled enough not to rush this last night but to publish it later than normal now!

Frankly, I'm just grateful for life......

Short and sweet from me this week, but you get the idea.  I'm happy we are here, there are some challenges ahead, things will be different but we are in the right place. Here are a few more pictures of our lovely new home -

Now it is over to you - what is making you cheerful and grateful this week?

If you are new here, welcome.  Do go and have a read about why I started Reasons to be Cheerful and what I feel the key to happiness is. This is a very inclusive linky, it does not come with lots of rules. I just ask for common courtesy, write your post and link it up, say hi to me and then comment and say hi to a couple of other linked up bloggers. They should hopefully come and visit you too and we are all happy - comment love shared all round. I can't promise to get to you all this week I'm afraid as life is just too busy at the moment.

#R2BC Blogger of the week will also be back in a couple of weeks when I am settled in my new house.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.  Mich x

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We're here....

Well we made it.

After what feels like an eternity we are all back together again, our family of five, safe and cosy in our new home.

My time of living in limbo has come to an end and I can start to enjoy every day again instead of each being a countdown to the big move.

Yesterday went really well, the removals guys were excellent, they packed up the house quickly, the stuff with the solicitors happened smoothly and we were on the road for our drive to East Sussex by 2pm. I'm now sat in my new dining room with the wi-fi working perfectly (if you have read any of my prior posts you will know this is a blessing) and I'm feeling anxious as I wait for the removals lorry to arrive. We are not exactly easy to find in our new home, the rain is pelting outside and the wind is blowing, not the greatest day for them but I suspect they must be used to it. I have sausage sandwiches and victoria sponge to offer them, I hope that helps a little.

I've been trying to put my thoughts into this post since last night but I'm not doing too well. I'm all jittery at the moment and the kids are too. I am such a control freak, I want everything to be as it should be - house sale completed, all our furniture and belongings moved into this house and put away, food in my fridge and kids feeling settled.

But they are not settled yet and that is to be expected of course. Last night as dh and I watched a bit of TV we could hear the girls giggling away upstairs, so excited to have finally made it here. By 10pm Miss M was being violently sick, from the over-excitement and thankfully Miss E slept soundly. Tonight we will have beds here for the first time and that will be so appreciated.

I assume JJ is feeling a little strange but he does not know how to explain it, he is teasing his sisters and just generally over-stepping the mark. He is such a big lad that I expect so much from him and generally he is really sensible and helpful, I do need to remember he is just 9 though.

The girls keep telling me they have never moved before and this is new for them, Miss M has been very clingy this morning and all these little clues and behaviours remind me that I am moving into a new season as we arrive here. This is my season to be a mother. Of course I've been a mother for nearly ten years now but right now it feels as if it is what God has made me for, it is where I am to focus most of my energies for the foreseeable future. It does not mean I won't do anything else but it does mean that family will come before most anything else.

Today I feel like I have a clean sheet and we start afresh, who knows what our future will hold.......... we will have to wait and see.

One thing I feel sure of, we are in the right place. God desires us to be here and for dh to be working in this Christian conference and prayer centre as part of his personal ministry. We have been made so welcome here and I can't wait to get to know all the other residents much better. A massive thanks to Hannah for the beautiful cake she dropped round last night.

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Caption this #SatCap

It's been a long time since I joined in with #SatCap, so this post is well overdue. Why don't you come and join in with Cat and share your photo for captioning too.

What is my JJ up to?? Hot me with your best suggestions -

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Reasons to be Cheerful - the holiday edition (week 30, year 3)

<center> <a href="http://www.mummyfromtheheart.com/search/label/reasons%20to%20be%20cheerful"><img width="150" alt="Reasons to be Cheerful at Mummy from the Heart" src="http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac230/RebaMc/reasonstobecheerfulv2-1.jpg" height="150" /></a></center>

Hello, happy Thursday. I hope the sun has been shining on you!  I have been down in Dorset this last week and the weather has been fabulous, I am sunburnt and have even had a dip in the sea!

I am grateful for all things holiday related and time with my parents. We have had a great week - on the beach, in the pool, at the park, out for dinner, doing a spot of shopping, at the arcade, at the splash park, playing games as a family, doing some colouring and craft and just generally relaxing.

Now it is over to you - what is making you cheerful and grateful this week?

If you are new here, welcome.  Do go and have a read about why I started Reasons to be Cheerful and what I feel the key to happiness is. This is a very inclusive linky, it does not come with lots of rules. I just ask for common courtesy, write your post and link it up, say hi to me and then comment and say hi to a couple of other linked up bloggers. They should hopefully come and visit you too and we are all happy - comment love shared all round. I can't promise to get to you all this week I'm afraid as life is just too busy at the moment.

#R2BC Blogger of the week will also be back in a couple of weeks when I am settled in my new house.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.  Mich x

Link up now - 

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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!