The rain stopped....... and we got to the park

I've found the rain of the last couple of weeks very difficult. Being in a new area with not many friends I am reliant on getting outside and especially going to the park with the kids.  I have energetic children, especially the girls and they need to run all that excess energy off or they start to go a little stir crazy.

I am so grateful that the rain has let up this and we have been able to get out and enjoy some outdoors time. The grass is still slippy and the ground very muddy but it is all good fun.

I'm also grateful for my beautiful new camera and the joy of learning how to use it.  I am loving the photos it is producing.

I also thank the Lord of the privilege of having twins, I'm practically redundant at the park as they don't really need me. They have each other to push on the swings, a compete set for the see-saw and a mate to run and climb with - perfect!

There was nothing special about yesterday, it was just a trip to a local park but we had fun and I captured some lovely photos, so I'm sharing them as part of Mummy, Daddy, Me's Ordinary Moments and I'll also hook up with my old linky #R2BC as I'm over flowing with gratitude right now.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, be blessed. Mich x

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My picture: His words - Self control

In the last couple of weeks I've been feeling lots of gentle nudges towards sorting out my weight. Now I think about it, it is funny how things start to happen without you trying too hard when the time is right. I've been out exercising more this week, started to wear my fitbit again today, drinking more water and I'm starting an exercise class and accountability with some other Christian women next week. I can't wait!  I need this, Thank you Lord.

Join in
I've not created a linky, but if you have a post then leave me the URL in the comments and I'll come visit and add a real link into the body of this post, so you are always here for others to find and you get a nice bit of real google juice from it!

Please go and visit -

Nic at the Road Outside

Claire at Clarinas Contemplations

Rebecca at the Beesley Buzz

Wishing you all a fabulous week. Do let me know if you have any prayer requests.

Mich x

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Hive Active Heating – a great new invention

I’m in awe of the way technology is changing how we live our lives. It seems that every few months there is a new innovation that will allow us to do something quicker or better than we ever did before. Then there are a few special innovations that allow us to do things we never could before and at the same time to save money as well – perfect!

I’ve just sat and had a good read of the web for an hour or so and investigated the new Hive Active Heating product from British Gas and been really impressed. We all waste so much money through not controlling the heating on our houses correctly and in the past it has been difficult as we have basic thermometers that are often not that accurate and we are scared of coming home from work to a cold house if we turn it off. Yes they have programmes you can set, but what about when we need things different from the program?

Perhaps one of the kids has been sent home from school ill and the last thing you want is to walk into an icy house. Well no problem if you have the Hive Active Heating as from your web browser (as you leave work) or your mobile as you jump into the car to drive to the school you can turn your heating on and the house will warm in the time it takes you to do the school collection and pick-up.

Before my husband and I had children we would both work long and erratic hours and again I always begrudged heating the house when we were not in it, but it was always that dilemma of what time we might come home. Now with this simple system, I can just download the app to my apple or android product and press a button to activate not only the heating but also the hot water (as long as I have a hot water tank) to click on however long before I get home. I also say that if you are not into apps you can control it by text message too.

Of course the system works from in the house as well as when you are out. If I’m having a lazy Sunday afternoon watching a movie with the kids and then fancy a bath, there is no need for me to have to go and boost the water I can do that from my phone which is sat next to me. It really is the ultimate in easy heating and water control.

You would be forgiven for thinking this might be something just for those who have lots of money to spare but actually the Hive Active Heating system is reasonably priced. For £199 you get everything you need and a professional installation from a qualified British Gas engineer and British Gas estimate that you can start to save about £150 per year by controlling your heating efficiently.  That means the Hive starts to pay for itself in just over a year and of course it will last for quite some number of years and if you are a British Gas customer with a Homecare agreement, you’ll be pleased to hear this is covered under that.

Please don’t think you have to be a British Gas customer to benefit from this great new invention though. You can still continue your supply from wherever you are happy as this has been designed to work with your existing heating system.

I must not forget to mention what I think is one of the best features too – frost protection.  If you turn your heating off in the winter as you are going away the temperature dips below 5 degrees this will kick in and protect your pipes, maintaining a temperature of 7 degrees, there really is nothing worse than coming home in freezing winter weather to burst pipes and water damage.

There is so much to this system that I’d recommend you take a look for yourself, check out this 2 minute video and learn about the items mentions above as well as the scheduling function and ability to monitor your home.

If you feel you would like to invest in the Hive Active Home system you can purchase it directly from the website and British Gas will email you within three days to arrange the installation. I think it looks like a great product and if I still owned my own home I would definitely talk to the husband about installing it, it is clear to see why it won Best Home Gadget of the year in the Stuff Gadget Awards 2012.

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How to have a strong Christian marriage

Yesterday I posted how to have a good marriage and as promised here is the second instalment, this time focusing on what makes a strong Christian marriage. We established yesterday that every marriage is different and that we all have our own requirements of our spouse but there were some reoccurring themes like strong communication, tolerance and hard work. 

The same come out again as important factors for a good Christian marriage but there are also some traits that did not come up at all in conversation with my secular friends. Prayer, you can understand being omitted but I wonder why encouragement and trust did not get mentioned? It just goes to show what an enormous subject this is.  Sadly for anyone about to get married I can't tell you there is any secret that will ensure all goes well for you.  Just read as much as you can and I'd highly recommend attending a marriage preparation course or speaking to some mature Christians.

I thought it might be fun to throw in a male perspective so I asked my dh what his advice or tips were in regards to marriage and he pondered for an age and then told me he was a man of few words and apparently that is what made us have a successful marriage!  Hmm I think he was insinuating that I do the talking for us both and luckily that make us both chuckle and thus he gives the first tip for a good marriage, make sure you can laugh together and not take things too seriously.

He did then grow more serious and started to reel off a number of factors, such as partnership, acting as one, watching each other’s backs, trust and communication (both listening and speaking).  Also not expecting everything to be done the way you want it or in your time frame (I think that was a hint for me to lighten up), being able to have difficult conversations and discuss sensitive situations and looking to encourage each other. He then said as you develop your understanding of each other and your partner’s insecurities, you need to be there to support them in their weaker areas.

Then he finished by saying it was important to look for ways to keep it fresh and not allow your marriage to get monotonous. Make sure you have things to look forward to as well as shared hopes, dreams and visions; being on the same track, travelling in the same direction. I have to say I felt he summed it all up pretty well and I was surprised to get so much from him. 

As well as dh, I some excellent advise to share with you from a number of Christian bloggers -

3 Children and It – I think it's about constantly putting your spouse first and for me, that means before children....I know that is controversial for some but I truly believe kids are happiest when their parents love and respect one another....and they are willing to show it!

Johnson Babies – I think an understanding of 'forever' should exist before marriage. I think tolerance is the most important gift, before and after you have found love. Acceptance, compromise, and forgiveness follow closely after. They all appear as simple words, until exercised.

Diana Quartey – I see tolerance as accepting someone who is different from you, and loving them. Not so much having feelings of love with all the goose pimples and stuff, but working towards the 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 kind of love.

Secrets of the Sandpit – Vital ingredients include trust and respect, lifting each other up not pushing each other down and keeping short accounts - sorting out issues as soon as you can. Love is a choice you make every day, not a feeling that comes and goes. Love is being responsible for your own character, but the other person's needs - not the other way round. Love is equality - you must love and respect yourself in order to have something of value to give the other person.

Gourmet Mum – Speak kindly and try not to shout. Make the effort you did when you were first together, and try to get once a week just to have fun together (even if money is tight see this as a priority as it's investing in your marriage) even if it's a dinner at home with no TV & phones.

Emily Davies – I think the best advice I was given was on the topic of communication/conflict resolution: never use the phrases "you never..." or "you always" when facing a disagreement. It forces me to bite my tongue and slow down/ focus on the real issue. Always forgive, accept that you can't change them (remember it's not your responsibility to), never go to bed on an argument, hug often. Work towards solutions rather than 'being right' and holding grudges. Pick your battles. You being right is not the most important thing

The road outside - For me, what makes our marriage work is a general acceptance of each other - good and bad - and an understanding that we are married for life, full stop! I do think that 'being ready' to be permanently joined to another person is the key - and that's not to do with age, it's to do with knowing who you are. On a lighter note, I still flirt with my husband every day, still run to greet him when he comes home, still laugh at his jokes and listen to his stories.

Everyone else is normal – Lashings of repentance (I'm sorry) and forgiveness (that's OK), making time for yourselves regularly, and time to talk about what's really going on in your heart/world and having no Plan B!

Clarinas contemplations – Communication, communication, communication... Not holding grudges or leaving things unsaid... Take time to talk! Make time to ask each other honest questions and listen to the answers. Hold short accounts and don't go to bed angry with each other. Get things resolved that evening! Most of all, have fun together. Do things together and enjoy each others company. And pray. Pray for him and for your marriage every day!

I'll leave you on that important thought for a successful Christian marriage - pray.  Pray alone, pray together - just pray!  I have found the Stormie O'Martian book 'The Power of a Praying Wife' to be an amazing resource that really helped me get into the habit of praying for my husband. A chapter day took me about 20 minutes and I genuinely felt my love for him grow as I focused my attention on praying for him and his needs, even when he was annoying at times.  Yes, can you believe it? He can be annoying, but then so can I!

If you have any more nuggets of wisdom, then do feel free to add them to the comments. I hope you have found this post useful.

Mich x

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What makes a good marriage?

At the end of December, I posted some photos showing my husband and I through our nineteen-year relationship. I didn’t really share any words, except to mention that life is very different now to how we ever imagined but that we are happy with that.

One of the comments on that post said they would love to hear my views on what makes a successful marriage and I thought why not, it is something I am very passionate about. Last summer I wrote a post titled ‘No one said it would be easy’ and I outlined in that what a strong and lasting marriage is for me –

“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 also said that I realised my version of a good marriage is not what most people want to hear, they want to know that marriage is filled with passion and exuberant times and of course, it is not at all doom and gloom. Getting married is one of the best things I have ever done, it turned my world upside down and led me into opportunities and new choices that I never knew were possible. For me, it is extra special as it was marrying that led my husband and I to become Christians and to find a way to live life differently.

While I was musing what it is that makes a good marriage I put the question out to some blogger friends, both Christians and those not overtly of any faith. It seems that people like to share on this subject and I ended up with a whole wealth of useful information and perspectives. 

In fact I ended up with so much that I need to split this into two posts, so this first instalment will be what makes a good marriage and then tomorrow I’ll post what makes a good Christian marriage and it will be interesting to see if perspectives differ.

For now I'll hand you over to some prominent bloggers, who share their advice for a successful marriage -

The American Resident - I think never taking the marriage, the partnership, the friendship or each other as individuals for granted is the key. When we start to do that we start to get unhappy and stressed and have to slow down, make time for each other and get back on track. 

DorkyMum - Never ever stop communicating, but be aware that you may have different ways of doing that.

Being Mrs C - Making time for each other without children, date nights make such a difference.

Thinly Spread - Knowing when to shut up. Space for each other's individual stuff - it's a partnership not joined at the hip. Realistic expectations - that mad bit has to mellow or life would grind (!) to a halt. At the end of the day I like him, he makes me laugh, I would rather spend time with him than anyone else.

Pink Oddy – Always stop to look at things from their perspective.

Mari’s World – My husband is also my best friend, there is a mutual respect between us and a desire to make the other happy. Also when we disagree we never harbour the grudge. On the whole try to go to bed with a discussion solved, an apology made and ready to start a new day

Little Lilypad blog - BE SILLY… don’t take yourself too seriously. Laughing always makes everything else easier. 

Kiddy Charts - Don't over analyse what your man says to you - by and large men are simple creatures, and usually what they say is exactly what they mean, unlike us ladies!  

Cambridge Mummy - Go into marriage expecting it to be work - it's not easy, it's not simple, it's hard work and is something that always has to be worked at. There's no coasting. There's no easy option. And I know that this sounds really negative, but I believe that after nearly 10 years together, we are only just starting to scratch the surface of making it work. And as hard as I find it - and I do find it hard, being a grown up and being married - I don't regret it one bit. It's the best thing I ever did.  

Actually Mummy - Tolerance, not expecting romance and passion.  In fact she wrote a fab post on this very subject here.

Boo, Roo and Tigger too - Understanding what is important to either one of you. I love to tell Mr Boo all about my day as soon as he gets home as I've missed my best friend, whilst I know he may have had a long busy day he lets me chat away knowing that once I have told him everything I will relax and unwind for the evening. 

The Crazy kitchen - My mum once said to me "Helen, you just have to learn to live with it" ...referring to the annoying things that both my husband & dad do...she's been married for 48 years so I suppose it works..

Keynko - An understanding that normal life is not a Hollywood romance, it is dull and difficult - but always strive to reach a happy ending.

Mums The Word - My advice would be to try and see the positives in each other. Yes, it bugs me that my Husband doesn't put his washing in the basket and he's practically allergic to washing up, but he's very kind and does everything he can to make me and Sausage happy, which is so much more important than the small, stupid things. 

I think we have some real gems in there. Of course, every marriage is different and my stance would be to establish with your partner what is important to you both, as long as fundamentally you both like each other and you go into your marriage knowing who you are and who they are with realistic expectations then you should be able to make it work but it will take work, never ever expect it to be an easy ride!

Thanks so much to everyone for their input, tomorrow I'll post the next instalment with all the advice shared by my Christian blogger friends.

Have a blessed week, Mich x

My picture: His Words

The rain has kept on coming this week and this has meant we have mostly stayed home. With dh at work all week the kids and I have had a lot of time together, we have crafted, played, cooked and snuggled and in the main it has been great. However they have gone a little stir crazy and it was so nice to get out for a good long walk when the rain broke on Friday.

The girls saw those puddles and the glee shone in their eyes. We agreed to do our walk first and then they could do puddle jumping and get soaked near home before stripping off. I was really struck by how they just jump right in and enjoy themselves, no second thoughts, no worrying about what others think - they just go for it and I was reminded that is what God wants me to do. Listen to Him and then jump right in and go for it - whatever it might be!

Join in
I've not created a linky, but if you have a post then leave me the URL in the comments and I'll come visit and add a real link into the body of this post, so you are always here for others to find and you get a nice bit of real google juice from it!

Hop over and visit Suzanne at Nuggets of Gold to see her stunning photo and what words she has matched it up with.

Wishing you a blessed week, Mich x

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I want to make a difference with Tearfund

Some might look at this little orphan girl and see poverty, I see spirit and beauty

Right now I feel a spark and a passion that I've not felt for a while and it feels really good. Not just good from a gratuitous sense but good as in right. Since becoming a Christian eleven years ago I've had a strong desire to 'work for God' and to do what He requires of me. Of course I have found that being a Christian is not always easy, life is not full of the big glamorous stuff and much Christian service is the mundane and everyday but of course that is necessary too.

However, there have been times in the last eleven years where God has required me to step outside my comfort zone and to do something that makes a difference. Something that impacts others in a positive way but also allows me to grow and to know Him more. It is in these times when I feel alive and I know that I am in the right place doing the right thing.

Today I'm feeling a sense of anticipation, I'm buzzing with excitement, my husband has said that I should go ahead and apply to be one of three bloggers who will travel to Cambodia with the Christian charity Tearfund in March. He will ensure that our children are looked after while I travel (if I am lucky enough to be chosen) and tell the stories of the people I meet.

Now what I need to do is convince the judges that I am a worthy winner. I wonder what would make Michelle the right choice to send abroad to blog for Tearfund?

I could literally write pages to persuade you why I feel I am right but at the core this is not about me, this is about the people who live in Tonle Batie, Cambodia and how I can possibly help them. This community are working hard to pull themselves out of poverty and along with the local church they are finding innovative and original ways to make a difference to their everyday life. I would be privileged to lend my blogging community and social media power to help Tearfund find another 60 regular donors who are able to give £3 per month ongoing.

Here is what I can offer -

1) A heart to serve our Lord and to be faithful to Him. After much conversation, prayer and contemplation I feel I could do a really good job as a storyteller for Tearfund.
My natural writing style is 'from the heart' and hence the name of my blog. When I travelled with ONE the blogger coordinator told me I had a beautiful writing style which people relate to as it is authentic. I get the kind of joy from my writing which only comes when you are utilising one of God's gifts.

2) Experience of travelling abroad with a charity in the capacity of blogger to tell the stories of the people I meet.
In October 2012 I was privileged to travel with the ONE Campaign to Ethiopia as a #ONEMom blogger and during this eight day trip I wrote, photographed, recorded and shared the stories of the amazing people I met. Our trip was designed to find out if aid works; when our developed and wealthy countries give money to those in need is it used for good or just thrown away by the governments and people in power? I was overjoyed to find that in Ethiopia so much good is being done and I loved being able to tell the stories of the Mums and inspirational people that I met there, people like Mulu and Gebeyehu.

Gebeyehu at the Bright Future project in the Merkato slums, Ethiopia

Then in December 2012 I travelled to Belarus with the Christian charity Operation Christmas Child to host their live web casts and to tell the stories of the children I met on both my blog and the OCC blog too.

I still partner with both organisations and blog for them as well as organising twitter parties, giving advice and on-the-ground volunteering for OCC too by coordinating shoe box collections.

3) My blog is well read and I have a strong social media presence
My blog started (2008) as a personal journey and soon morphed into a parenting blog which has grown beyond my wildest expectations. I have always been very open about my Christian faith and I believe God uses my blog as an evangelistic tool. I have a strong readership and rank highly in all the parenting charts. I believe my readers and blogging community would be happy to support me and to share my content across their own channels. They did this back in 2012 when I travelled and I know I can call on them again.

Another good example of people supporting initiatives I have been involved with is the meme I started with a blogger colleague in September 2011 for the Save the Children Healthworkers campaign, in a weekend we managed to persuade 164 bloggers to post about the cause and I don't have the statistics to hand any longer but the reach on twitter was in the millions.

I currently write for the BritMums blog and I'd happily speak to the other blogging networks that I have affiliations with to see if I could guest post for them about the Tearfund bloggers journey. I feel quite confident I could secure a number of guest posts.

4) I use a variety of media and social media and will share across multi-platforms
As well as posting via words and photos, I'm comfortable on film and audio and will happily share my journey in these ways to ensure that I reach the most people possible. I've embedded one of the soundclips that I made whilst In Ethiopia, people really seemed to enjoy these unedited and raw accounts of my time there. My Instagram feed was also really popular and a great instant way to draw people in and make them feel as if they are there with you.



I'm hoping you can tell that I am on fire about this opportunity and that I would go out of my way to do my part to ensure that new donors are secured and also to tell the stories of the people I meet.

Thanks for your time considering my application. Whether I'm chosen or not I'll happily support those bloggers who go on this journey. I did speak to the representatives at Spring Harvest last year about supporting Tearfund as a blogger and I left my details with them but sadly I did not hear anything back and then of course life got rather busy when we upped and moved to our new home in a Christian prayer and conference centre last summer. Of course this move is a wonderful thing in terms of this opportunity as it no longer means I am in a tied job and I am free to take up opportunities such as these when they present themselves.

Praise the Lord.

Mich x

Disclosure: This is my entry to the Tearfund bloggers challenge. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

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Looking back at 2013 - A massive year of change

At the start of every year it is of course important to look ahead and to visualise where you might be going that year and where your priorities lie but before you do that it is great to go over the year before and remind yourself of what has gone before. 2013 feels as if it has been really eventful for us as a family but generally it has been a great year. I've had a look back over my blog and chosen a pertinent picture and post from each month to help me remember 2013 in years to come.

I was really surprised when I looked at my post from the end of 2012 about all the things I wanted to do in 2013, I can honestly say I met or made headway on them all. What a fabulous feeling.

If you are new to my blog you might find it interesting to have a peek at some of the posts and find out a little more about Mummy from the Heart.

January
The year started with me musing what it means to be a 'normal' mummy blogger. I realised there are some rites of passage which mean you have made it as a mummy blogger, things like shopping at Boden and reading a broadsheet paper. I failed on all counts and you know what? That is OK - read Confessions from a normal mummy blogger and see that Mich is just a regular kind of imperfect girl.

I had had a fab trip to Wales with JJ for a blogging event and we just loved our alone time.

February
My lovely Nan passed away at the beginning of February after a rubbish battle with cancer. I am so proud of how my Mum has dealt with losing her mother and I know this month will be tough for her.

On the blog I held my third New Bloggers Forntight and I hosted posts by new bloggers for new bloggers. There was a whole wealth of great posts, full of lots of tips and advise.  Check out the posts from 2011, 2012 and 2013.

May 2014 be a blessed New Year

Happy New Year friends, it has been a pleasure to journey 2013 with you.

I am sure this next year will be an eventful one and I have high hopes of what God will be up to in my life and yours.

I'm not big on resolutions as I just find they are made to be broken but I do like looking forward and vision, so here are my expectations for 2014 -

What are yours?

BTW - have you seen the new canvas colour function in Picmonkey, it allows you to create your own little graphics like mine above. I love it!

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19 years ago today...

A guy that I was not that keen on picked me up from a very wet pier that I had just fallen over on.

He then saved me from dancing with a very creepy guy at the nightclub on the pier.

We had our first kiss that night and the rest as they say is history.......

Now here we are 19 years later with three small people to call us Mum and Dad and a life very different to the one we might have imagined all those years ago. I'm happy where we are and what we are doing and I'm happy to be with you.

Love you babe xx

I thought it might be fun to track through the years of photos of the two of us and see how we have changed.

1995 - on holiday

Christmas Party - 1996

1998 - on holiday

1999 - At a party

Our wedding - 2002

2006 - End of year ball

2008 - Family wedding, girls aged 1.5 years and JJ was 5 years

2010 - Another family wedding

2012 - My birthday

Christmas eve - 2013. Very blurry but I love the happy faces!

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My extra special Mum

I count myself as an super lucky woman, not everyone has a Mum a fabulous as mine. Each time you see those competitions where you can enter someone to win an award for being exceptional I feel I should enter my Mum. It is a bit of a tricky one really though as there is no one exceptional reason why she should win. Thankfully she has not had to parent a terminally ill child, rescue someone from a burning building or overcome a massive tragedy.

What she does is just be her loving self every day. She once told me I was the heart of her heart and I feel exactly the same way back, it is so sad that we do not live closer and get to see each other every week. I think we do well for living a couple of hours apart and I cherish the time we have together, even if there are usually three very intense children after her attention.

Whatever the circumstances I can always turn to my Mum and if I needed her she would be here in an instant. Back in October dh and I got to have four wonderful days away together as her and Dad were happy to come and stay in our house and look after our children.  No walk in the park as they are pretty full on! In fact most years since have had the children we have been able to escape for a short break to spend time together and my kids are happy to welcome their second Mum here.

It is a massive blessing to know we can turn up at my Mum and Dad's house and they will be happy to see us whenever. 'Mum, can I leave all three kids here so dh and I can go to the cinema?' Yes sure is the answer I get. If I had to ask 'Mum, can I borrow some money, we are in trouble?' I know the answer would be yes sure again and when I need a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk a difficult situation through with then she is the one I turn to.

As well as the important traits of being loving, giving and always there, I can't fail to mention that she is also fun (read a bit nutty), a fabulous shopper and a great friend to have.

Thank you Mum for being super ace. I really do appreciate you and know I am blessed to have a Mum like you.

When the Halifax gave me a £50 voucher as part of their 'Giving Extra to someone special' campaign, I knew exactly who I wanted to buy a Christmas gift for. Mum has been hankering after a cream and navy spot Cath Kidson day bag and as these are £50 it seemed just perfect! I hope you enjoy using it Mum.

Disclosure: I was provided with vouchers to allow me to buy a present for someone extra special. I have not been told what to write and I remain honest.

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Christmas 2013 - the year of....

Santa coming during the day time and bringing one of his elfs too!

Indoor bouncy castle fun, yes I had a go too, much to Miss E's delight!

Home-made entertainment and fun and games with our community. Wii dance, board games, hide and seek and party games - it was good!

Classic Christmas morning fun with the kids opening their presents before Daddy cooked us pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, all served with maple syrup.

All of Christmas on a large scale, big trees, enormous open fires and Christmas dinner for 80!

It has been a good one. 2013 has been a year of change that is for sure!

Happy Christmas all. Mich xx

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From our house to yours.... Happy Christmas

Stunning window in St Marys Church, Battle 

Today the kids break up from school and we I intend to go awol from the world of blogging for a while. This is the first year in our new home and we have family to go and visit, movie dates, brisk walks, sofa snuggles, board games wars and three days with our new big family of 77 staff and volunteers to enjoy.

I wish all my readers a beautiful Christmas, may you and your families really enjoy yourselves and I wish you peace and joy for the coming year.

I made one of those Elf Yourself videos but I've managed to lose the embed code and I can't bear the thought of making another so you can still watch my family and I enjoying a silly time at a mock office party if you follow this link.  Oh yes we can bust some moves!

Be blessed, Mich xx

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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!

Just 6 more sleeps to go...

Christmas is drawing ever closer and the children are literally in a frenzy.  I can't believe how excited they are this year but it is beyond any other years I've experienced with them so far.

I don't want to wish the days away but I am so ready for them to calm down. Once they finish school we are off visiting relatives for a few days and then straight back into the organised festivities here in the community we live in.

The other weekend we were really glad to find a local Christmas tree festival to go and visit. Since all the children have been born we have been part of a Christmas tree festival every year, most years submitting a family tree and this was one of our traditions that we feared we might lose. Thankfully it does not have to be so as there is a local festival. It is much smaller and is a combined crib and tree festival and is actually far less commercial and much more true to our faith than our old one used to be, so it is good.

Take a look at some of the fabulous submissions in the festival -

Do you have any Christmas tree festivals local to you? The idea does seem to be taking off now.