Win a Family Ticket for Babe - The Sheep-Pig Live on Tour

**Closed**  Sadly Karl B did not contact me to claim the prize. So I have drawn again and massive congratulations to Jacqueline J who won this giveaway. I've sent you an email, please respond within 14 days to claim the prize as per the T&C's. Thanks, Mich 

I don't know about you but I really love live theatre: I would go up to the West End each month if I could but as I like nice seats it has come to a point where we can barely afford it nowadays and that makes me sad.

I realise I've been missing a trick though as many of the best shows are not just limited to London West End they can be in more provincial theatres or even starting in London and then touring the country. I need to widen my horizons and I realised this when my husband gave me ticket for Dirty Dancing for Christmas. Not Dirty Dancing in the West End that might have cost us £120 for the two of us but Dirty Dancing at Eastbourne that costs just £40 for the two of us - result! I can't wait to go.

Babe, The Sheep-Pig
I'll tell you what else I can't wait to see at the theatre in Eastbourne and that is Babe, The Sheep-Pig, it looks so very clever. This new production is adapted from Dick King-Smith’s much-loved children’s novel which inspired the Oscar-winning 1995 film, and will feature stunning puppetry from the teams behind War Horse and Cirque de Soleil, bringing the characters of Hogget’s Farm to life on stage.

There is also an original score and an utterly charming ‘baa-ber sheep’ quartet. Babe, the Sheep-Pig tells the story of the lovable Babe in a heart-warming tale of friendship, adventure and bravery.

Trust – My Word for 2017

 

I discovered a few months back that I need to learn to trust the Lord more. To know that He has my back and to be able to really relax into who I truly am and what He has destined for me but it is isn’t always easy. It should be but for some reason, I find letting go and relinquishing control very difficult.

My head knows that the Lord is with me every step of the way and my heart is catching up and starting to feel it. I’ve been distant recently if I’m honest, not connected with God as much as normal and I think I was working things through in my own way. Not the best one that is for sure, but the only way I know how.

On Christmas day afternoon I got my laptop out and searched for Slimming World groups as I knew I needed to take a positive measure to help myself shift some of this weight that is making me poorly. I’m becoming more and more breathless, my arthritic knees hurt, my calves hurt, my feet hurt and I keep getting trapped nerves. Add to that my horrendous periods and I am a bit of a mess right now. I can’t go on like this, I need to find my fight and to start to live as if I want to be here.

The way I am going right now I am heading for an early death; the way I am living is no different to if I were taking illegal drugs or drinking too much alcohol. Excessive food, especially fat and sugar are poison to my body and I need to change things. I had to laugh though as I read a post from 17th January last year where I talked about making small changes for life and the first one I need to implement was early to bed and early to rise but here I am a year later thinking I need to do that again. So no, it never did become a habit.

But there is hope, I have to keep on trusting – that I can do this, that the Lord wants me to succeed and that life can be richer when I am healthier and not held back by my weight and my own heavy mindset. So this morning I went along to join Slimming World, I was there at 8.30 am and it seems a great group, the leader is lovely and I feel motivated and ready to tackle this demon that has ruled me for so long, too long.

The change has started. I’m partying tonight but there will be no excess, just some fun with my family and friends and I suppose the early night will have to wait for tomorrow…

I’m going to set myself a target to update this blog at least once a month and share my progress of how I am doing. After all this blog was set up to be all about the progress and not the perfection.

Thanks for sticking with me readers and not giving up when my efforts are less than perfect.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year. Be blessed, Mich x

#1GoodThing End of Year Round-Up

At the end of November I posted to say I'd be sharing a picture a day on Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag of #1GoodThing. This picture would sum up a moment in my day that was really good and I was grateful for. My aim was to stay focused on the truly important things during December when things can go a little crazy and it worked.

Therefore I'm going to keep going and it will be an ongoing project for me in 2017 sharing at least #1GoodThing every day in an effort to keep me grounded and thankful for all that God has provided.

If you want to join in with me, you are really welcome. I love to come and see the photos others are sharing with #1GoodThing and I comment and like all of them. I'm also hoping in 2017 that more people will seek out other photos with the hashtag and comment and like those and we will get some reciprocation and community going but I'm still very small fry on Instagram so we will see where it goes and I won't set myself any unrealistic targets that will tie me up in knots and make me feel useless if people don't get on board.

It is that same old nugget of staying true to your own goal and that for me is about being thankful and staying in the moment. Anything else that comes about is a nice bonus.

I've been doing a round-up of some of my favourite posts shared by others with the #1GoodThing hashtag for Advent (Week 1, week 2, week 3) and here is my final one of the year.

So excited to share this #BestNine2016 image from Vic Welton as it includes the pic where she revealed her much awaited pregnancy. All the love in the world Vic x

#2016bestnine #1GoodThing #lifeupclose #happiness #instagood #pregnancy #summer #sunflowers #alicantegram #alicanteharbour #girlonthetrain

A photo posted by Victoria Welton (@vicwelton) on Dec 30, 2016 at 7:33am PST

Boxing Day in Brighton - Sale Shopping and Ice-Skating

For as long as I can remember I have looked forward to the January sales, all sales in fact. We would have our family Christmas and all I'd hope for was money to be able to go and shop on 27th December. As of course when I was young shops didn't open on Boxing Day like they do now so I had to wait that extra day. Over the years I've grown less and less fond of shopping and now I hardly go to the sales at all but I do seem to have cultivated two young girls that have gained my love of shopping.

As Christmas starts early on 23rd December in our community by the time it gets to Boxing Day we are all ready to escape and thus two coaches arrived on Boxing Day morning and off we all went to Brighton. We did the same last year and it was a great day; friends and families split into smaller groups and we go off and do our own thing. My husband and son headed off for a waffle and then to the cinema to see Rogue One and us girls indulged in some sale shopping and a gorgeous Italian lunch, followed by ice-skating at the Pavilion ice-rink with about thirty other friends from our community.

Will You Be Watching the New Years Fireworks in London?

Photo Credit: Novotel

This year my husband and I will be doing separate things on New Years Eve. He'll be taking a group of our volunteers to Night Church in Hastings to ensure that anyone there on the streets has somewhere safe to drop in for a cuppa and a listening ear throughout the night and I'll be with our children at a community party.

We'll all have the day together, maybe taking a trip to one of our favourite National Trust sites for a frosty walk and then sharing an international dinner with around 80 other people in our community. Then once my husband has left it is party time (not because he has left you understand, just because that will be the start) with mocktails, games, dancing and lots of fun. I'm not sure if all the kids will stay up for the clock to chime twelve, we will see but whatever way it goes I know we will have fun.

I do miss our old tradition for New Years Eve though. When we lived in Hertfordshire my husband would work most New Years and we would all go up to London together and stay over in a central hotel. He'd then go to work late in the evening and watch the fireworks at midnight from the top of his building in Euston and the kids would fall off to sleep in the hotel room and I'd watch the magnificent London fireworks out of the hotel window with a glass of wine and some choice snacks.

Christmas Reasons to be Cheerful #R2BC

It's the day before the kids break up from school and I have tons of blog post ideas in my head but to be honest I can't be arsed to write any of them. It has got to that point when it feels more of an obligation than a joy to write and thus I am downing tools and having a Christmas break.

I'm not setting myself any rules or expectations, I'm just going to go with the flow. Bar wrapping my kids presents everything is done and ready, we have a couple of Christmas parties on Thursday and Friday and my parents and brother will arrive Friday afternoon to stay in the on-site cottage for a few nights. This is just perfect as it means we get to see loads of them but they still get time to relax after the kids have exhausted them and we don't all have to fall over each other in my small house.

#1GoodThing for Advent - Week 3 Round-up

Happy Sunday friends, I've been a tad busy again today and thus this is very, very late in the day but never mind!

I'm still really enjoying flagging one photo a day to highlight something good going on in my life. It definitely makes a difference for me to focus on the positive and I'm super grateful to those who join me with #1GoodThing.

I've picked four of my favourite pictures shared for this last week and I hope you enjoy them -

Only at Christmas - The nut cracker has been located and the kitchen floor is strewn with shells! #aftertheplayground #ukparentbloggers #kcacols #coolmumclub #HighlightsofHappy #capturingtheday #capturemypositive #1GoodThing #nuts

A photo posted by After The Playground (@aftertheplayground) on Dec 12, 2016 at 11:54am PST

In all the hectic preparation for Christmas, it's so good to have a chance just to stop and reflect on the miracle of Jesus' birth. For me, this is what Advent is all about. #1goodthing

A photo posted by Naomi Lynas (@lifebynaomi) on Dec 11, 2016 at 10:47am PST

Birthday Ice Cream's for us all today celebrating Daddy Lloyd's birthday, my #1goodthing was getting to spend all day together as a family #birthday #special #icecream #ghirardelli #DCA #hotfudgesundae #photoaday #project366

A photo posted by Louise Lloyd (@teamlloyd) on Dec 12, 2016 at 2:42am PST

Taken with my phone through the lens of my sunglasses 😎 in #Harrogate. It's been a golden, misty day. Have you ever tried this with your phone and sunglasses? Worth a try!

A photo posted by JanetT (@falcondalejan) on Dec 14, 2016 at 7:28am PST

Don't forget if you want to join in, just tag any pictures on Instagram or FB with #1GoodThing and I'll be able to see them and will comment and like them. The reason I started this was to keep a positive focus during the month of December when so many people either go a bit crazy with the bigness of the festivities or some people, of course find it a very hard month in terms of missing loved ones and such.


Linking up with Lizzie for Share the Joy linky.

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Hogwarts in the Snow - Our Family Visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour

Last weekend we went up to Hertfordshire to visit my husbands parents and seeing as we were in the area we thought it really was high time that we visited the Warner Brothers Studio Tour again. After all, who doesn't love Harry Potter? The tour is advertised as being in London but it is actually on the outskirts of Watford and for me as a local of 15 years that will always be Hertfordshire. Not that it matters it just means it is super accessible by public transport from central London as well as being close to major roads such as the M25, A1M, M1 and M11.

It really is the easiest place to get to and with the brown attraction signs everywhere, you'll have no trouble. The parking lot is also enormous and has no charge which makes a nice change from many of the major UK attractions.You also do not get any traffic jams heading in and out, well we haven't on the two occasions we have visited and we went on weekends at peak times. 

The last time we visited was about two and a half years ago and I wondered how much would have changed but actually I can fully advocate a second visit as many things had changed and of course there is also the special Hogwarts in the Snow Christmas feature running at the moment, from Saturday 19th November 2016 to Sunday 29th January 2017. I notice that most of December is already sold out, so if you fancy going, get in quick and book your January tickets now.

#1GoodThing a Day for Advent - Week Two, Sunday Round-up

Loads of fun last night, we enjoyed an international meal with our pastoral group. 8 nationalities sat around the table, this is my #1goodthing. We ate Korean sticky chicken, Spanish tortilla patatas, tomato chicken, Russian salad & bread. Followed by kurgizstan apple pie, Italian panacotta & raspberry coulis

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Dec 8, 2016 at 6:08am PST

Afternoon friends, I'm a little late with this today but I suspect no-one has noticed!

We are away at my husbands parents this weekend and this is the same area where we lived for fifteen years before moving to East Sussex, so it has been fabulous to catch up with some old friends and many of the kids Godparents. So nice to grab a decent cuppa in John Lewis this morning and catch up on their news, whilst the kids shared excitedly about what they had been up to as well.

In one weekend we have managed to see loads of people, not quite everyone but near enough. I had a great evening with my friend Kate who I've known since Uni and we did our usual of a take-away and some Saturday night TV as well as a look round her new gorgeous period cottage.

We also headed over to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour to see the making of Harry Potter. We have been there before and really enjoyed it but there have been lots of changes since we were last there with the addition of the Hogwarts Express train (so iconic) and the whole studio tour was decorated for their #HogwartsintheSnow feature with Christmas and snow displays.

It's been a great weekend to top off a fab week, which saw us enjoying a Christmas meal out with friends, having our pastoral group round to ours for a meal, where they cooked for us and we had food and people from eight nationalities around the table and we also had a good open afternoon at the girls school.

Video Review: Samsung AddWash WW8500 12kg Washing Machine

You know the M&S adverts, "this is no ordinary sausage roll this is an M&S sausage roll" and all those kind of things? Well this washing machine that I have been trying out is no ordinary washing machine, it is a Samsung AddWash machine with ecobubble technology and digital inverter motor, it is the pinnacle of washing machines and for me becomes my number one brand for laundry appliances.

I've had a few Samsung products over the years and I have to say they have lasted well, we have a small TV upstairs that we have had for almost two decades and the girls have Tab2 tablets that have taken such a battering and they are still going strong. Samsung is a name I trust and will happily buy but I admit I had no idea they did large kitchen appliances and now I am keen to let the world know how good they are. I said this to my Korean friend Eun Keoung when she came for dinner the other night and she laughed and said 'of course, they are Korean'.

#1GoodThing a Day for Advent - Week 1 Sunday Round-Up

I had to stop the car on the way home tonight & take a picture. I love living in Battle, it is such a pretty little town, with the abbey as a backdrop. Today's #1goodthing

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Dec 1, 2016 at 3:18pm PST

Good morning friends, I hope you have great plans for today. I'm off to church where my hubby and I are on children's group this morning so that will keep us busy and then back home for lunch and a chilled afternoon. Christmas movie and some wrapping might be in order I think.

I've enjoyed the first week or Advent, it has been pretty low key for me, I've started a great colouring devotional called 'Words of Grace', been super busy at Food Bank, spent some time with the little boy I coach and put all the Christmas decs up.

You might have seen that I am sharing one picture a day during Advent with the hashtag #1GoodThing, this is my way of staying grounded during this crazy season and making sure I look for the silver lining, the one good thing. It is a simple gratitude project, I did it last year and it worked well and hence I am doing it again.

I opened it up for anyone to join in and a couple of fab instagrammers have been joining in regularly and then a couple of others just dipping in. I'd love it if more people felt they'd like to take part and there are no rules, just tag your image #1GoodThing and ideally check out others using the hashtag. I'll come and like/ comment on all participating posts.

Here is my round-up of my 4 favourite posts from this week -

Last week, I asked the florist for some white and sparkly Christmassy flowers. She did a great job. I actually love going in to florists: apart from the cold, I think they might be my ideal place to work. These flowers are my #1goodthing today.

A photo posted by Naomi Lynas (@lifebynaomi) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:20pm PST

We made these Advent boxes last year and then put them away 'somewhere safe' . So of course we had no idea where they were this week and it took me 3 hours to

This little girl is about to turn into double figures this week and she really is turning into a little lady. We celebrated early with a trip to see Moana with her classmates! #blessed #1goodthing #daughter #myworld #love #almost10

A photo posted by Louise Lloyd (@teamlloyd) on Nov 27, 2016 at 10:28pm PST

find them. #Thismamaloves #ukparentbloggers #kcacols #coolmumclub #HighlightsofHappy #capturingtheday xxx #capturemypositive #1GoodThing #aftertheplayground

A photo posted by After The Playground (@aftertheplayground) on Dec 1, 2016 at 11:04am PST

New on the blog with a free printable - one-a-day verses for your Advent calendar about the nativity and identity of Jesus. Getting ready for Christmas! 🎄

A photo posted by JanetT (@falcondalejan) on Nov 28, 2016 at 1:04pm PST

We made these Advent boxes last year and then put them away 'somewhere safe' . So of course we had no idea where they were this week and it took me 3 hours to find them. #Thismamaloves #ukparentbloggers #kcacols #coolmumclub #HighlightsofHappy #capturingtheday xxx #capturemypositive #1GoodThing #aftertheplayground

A photo posted by After The Playground (@aftertheplayground) on Dec 1, 2016 at 11:04am PST

A bit of an Advent theme going on there but isn't that just perfect?

Thanks for reading and joining in.  Have fun, Mich xx

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Review: Leather and Canvas Personalised Holdall from Bags of Love

Oh my word, I am in love! Just look at this beauty that arrived this week -

Most weeks I receive an email from a company making personalised canvas prints or photo gifts and if I'm honest I groan a little as I have made so many over the years that I've exhausted the mug, mouse-mat, keyring, phone cover routes for gifts for people. I have to admit to being intrigued when Bags of Love contacted me though as they suggested I might like a personalised leather backpack and this was something quite different to anything I'd seen on the market before.

I headed over to their website for a search and what did I find? Absolutely tons of products that I have never seen personalised before - tea towels, blankets, duvet covers, wash bags, wallets, aprons, tea trays, bowls. I could go on and on as they have so many products to choose from and they all look stunning.

Yes, it really was gift heaven. My family are not easy to buy for as there is never anything they want, they are not material but what they all love most are their family, so personalised gifts with the grand-children's faces smiling out at them are just right.

Reasons to be Cheerful - Happy Advent!

Sat in the car colouring and meditating on 1 John 4:10, waiting to pick the kids up from school. This is today's #1goodthing. I'd love you to join me in sharing your gratitude during December. Let's stay grounded together!

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Nov 29, 2016 at 12:16pm PST

As I prepared to turn my computer off last night at ten to midnight I suddenly realised that I hadn't done my Thursday #R2BC post and my heart sunk. Do I stay up and do it now or be sensible and go to bed? My sensible self won I'm pleased to say and off I went. I've now just got back indoors for the first time today and I realised I had better write my post straight away as some people might be waiting on me to link up but then boom, I realised it is December and thus the lovely Becky over at Lakes Single Mum is hosting this month. So there is my first reason to be cheerful!

Before sitting down to write this post I wondered what I might share this week. It has just been quite average and boring I pondered but actually I have a whole ton of reasons to be cheerful, lets go for one of my list posts. I know Rachel likes them!

1. JJ went to a mates on Saturday for the afternoon and had a fab time. He seems to have found himself a really good friend since starting secondary which is ace.
2. The girls and dh and I headed in Battle town for the start of the Christmas festivities, we enjoyed a Christmas tree festival at the church, craft fair, Santa parade and some yummy homemade cakes.
3. Sunday I had an afternoon out with just Miss M and we enjoyed a massive burger together. it is so nice to have one on one time with each child.
4. The girls have had their medieval banquet day at school so the costumes are done and the food finished. No more homework projects this year! 
5. I got to have lunch out with dh as he was off work when the kids were at school. It was great to really catch up.
6. Our car got washed, hoovered and cleaned inside. Believe me this does not happen very often.
7. I have finished all the Christmas shopping, yay!
8. I've started a fab colouring devotion for Advent called 'Words of Grace'. I am enjoying having a bit of time to just be and reflect whilst I colour in.
9. I had a really good conversation with another blogger and she gt me thinking about a big project I started investigating a couple of years ago and then put down.
10. There are no plans (I said NO PLANS) for this Saturday and can you tell, I am pretty excited about this? I feel like my to do list is never ending at the moment and this might be a chance to catch up.
11. I have a new Samsung AdWash washing machine being delivered and installed next week and I can't wait as mine is so noisy and rubbish and I've never had such a decadent machine before, it is worth £1000 and I get to put it through its paces and review it.
12. I've been offered a review holiday for next year. Our family were desperate to go abroad again after our wonderful first Spanish holiday this year so I pitched out to a couple of travel companies to see if they could help me and hurrah, one of them has offered me a holiday. Now I just need to find decent priced flights, which isn't easy in half term.
13. I'm really enjoying my #1GoodThing a day project that I started on Instagram and Facebook. There has even been a couple of other join in which is cool.

Laughing at this joker! New hat bought today and she is super happy! #1goodthing

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Nov 26, 2016 at 7:30am PST

I do hope you've been having a good week. Why don't you link up with Becky and share....

 Mich x

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Shrek's Adventure! London - Our Review

Shrek's Adventure! London
Last Saturday the girls and I set off to meet our friends in London for a visit to Shrek's Adventure! This is perfectly placed by the London Eye making it easily accessible to many main line stations such as Charing Cross and Waterloo and the District, Circle, Jubilee, Northern and Bakerloo underground lines. We had booked our tickets online and this meant we had timed entry and didn't have to worry about any queues, result!

My family had visited Shrek's Adventure! when it first opened back in July last year (check out my full review from then) and we had a good time but there was one big niggle for us and that was the queueing internally. Well I am super glad to say that this issue really has been sorted out and it meant that we were in the attraction about 70 minutes, which is pretty close to the 75 minutes that the attraction advertise it as.

Join in with Me? #1GoodThing for Advent/ December

Chuckling away at the reindeers in the #Battle #Christmas parade. Let the festivities commence... Advent starts tomorrow & this is the start of my #1goodthing hashtag for Advent/ Christmas. Do you want to join me in sharing at least one thing a day that you are thankful for? It's good to stay grounded in this crazy time & remember the every day blessings. I'll be commenting on all the posts & each week sharing a round-up of my favourites on my blog.

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Nov 26, 2016 at 6:39am PST

Last year during Advent I chose to relax on the blogging front and to express my gratitude for all the blessings I have in life by taking part in a visual record on Instagram and Facebook, sharing one photo a day with the hashtag #1GoodThing.

I really enjoyed it and it helped to keep me grounded and grateful during December and the run up to Christmas which can be a bit crazy, so I will be doing the same again this year and I wonder if you might like to join me?

My project will be for Advent, which is from Sunday 27th November through to Christmas Eve but if you don't celebrate Advent then your project could be for all December or the 24 days leading up to Christmas, just like an advent calendar but instead of a chocolate a day you get a blessing in the form of a photo and remembering just how wonderful your life is.

I learnt a long time ago that choosing to be happy and thankful is the major difference between living a contented life and longing for more, more, more.....

Of course things might actually be tough for you right now, I'm not trying to make light of that but I know from experience that lightening the load by focusing on something positive can really make a difference, so I encourage you to dig deep and join in.

I'm not strict either, I don't care about rules, so join in every day, some days or just once, whatever you fancy but any posts shared with #1GoodThing I'll like and comment on and then each Sunday I'll do a round-up of my four favourite photos from that past week on the blog here.

I hope this sounds like something you might enjoy.

Be blessed, Mich x

Let #ashchristmas commence. Steak & chips followed by Directors entertainment! Loads of fun is today's #1GoodThing #epig #crazypeople

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Dec 24, 2015 at 6:24am PST

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Family Fun at London's South Bank

Everyone in my family loves the South Bank in London, there is so much to see and do there and what I really love is that much of it you can enjoy for free. I have to be honest and say I'm not entirely sure how far the South Bank stretches but I'm sure you won't mind if i mention some places that are beyond the remit of the South Bank. Basically it is all easily walk-able along the river.

Shrek's Adventure!
We visited here last weekend and had lots of fun, my review will go live on Sunday but you can read how we got on last year when we visited for the girls birthday. The niggle we found back then has been totally rectified so they are doing a good job. This attraction takes about 75 minutes to go round and it is like an interactive theatre show. Something really different to everything else available.

Other Merlin Attractions
You can buy super value combo tickets if you fancy a day of high energy fun and so many of the attractions are all grouped together in the same area of the Thames. There is the London Eye, Sea-life Aquarium, London Dungeon all literally next door to each other.

I really can't grumble - Reasons to be Cheerful #R2BC

Morning friends, how are you this week? I'm well, despite numerous aches and pains that I am sure would suit a body at least thirty years older than mine! lol

But enough of my niggles, it is Thursday morning and that means for me and the cheerful gang that we will share the reasons this week why we are feeling grateful. There are so few of us who join in with this linky nowadays that it would be really tempting to just give up and to be honest there have been a couple of times I've handed over the reigns and walked away for a bit but I can't get it from under my skin. There is nothing better than giving thanks and acknowledging that there is always a silver lining, a glimpse of blue sky and that when we choose to approach the world with a thankful heart even the roughest times can be got though.

I've learnt so much from some of the women who have (and still do) joint in with this linky over the last five years. Thank you especially to Becky, Candi and Rachel who tirelessly post and encourage me to look again at my own life. I am especially thankful that Reasons to Be Cheerful gave a prompting to some people in their darkest times and helped them through a rough patch.

If you are new here this week, why don't you join us? All you need to do is link up a post that is making you cheerful, one where you share your gratitude, or boast about your kids or look for the silver lining?

A Child Free Weekend in London - A Big Reason to be Cheerful!

Love this shot. You know when a photo just makes you smile. It was my first time walking across the Millenium bridge over the #Thames yesterday. #London

A photo posted by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on Nov 14, 2016 at 2:38am PST

Happy Thursday, I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

I've had a great week, it has been pretty low key but the weekend was superb as my husband and I got to go and stay in London together without the kids. It happens once or twice a year and you just can't put a price on the value of that time alone as a couple. So thank you Annie for looking after them so well and they had a ball with you, there are not many babysitters they ask for again.

Quiet Train Ride 
We set off fairly early Saturday morning so we could make the most of the day and it was great to spend 90 minutes just chatting without any interruption. I had downloaded some programmes to watch and taken my book and I didn't need either. Hubby was on good form and good company! lol

Premier Digital Conference
We attended the Premier digital conference during Saturday and had a good time. Neither of us had particularity high expectations as last years conference was a little basic for us but they had upped their game and the stream for experienced bloggers was way better. I particularly liked the sessions on legalities and vlogging. I've made a promise to myself that I'll vlog once a week from Jan, ekkk. I better start getting in some practise.

I was a finalist in two of the award categories for the Premier Digital awards for my faith blog Progress Not Perfection. We didn't go to the awards in the evening though as I already knew I wasn't a winner or runner up and sadly they only pay for those tickets and the cos was beyond our means.

Rediscovering Netflix

I have a little confession to make - Netflix has been sitting there unloved for a few months. I went off and had a little love affair with another on-demand TV provider and shhh, don't tell Netflix but I liked it.

This other service seduced me with more variety, newer films and shows my kids love but then.... it went and started to change things. The kids channels were no longer included and the price of having variety was nearly £20 a month so I let them go and here I am, back with my first love Netflix and rediscovering all it has to offer me for less than half the price.

Here a few recommendations of shows/ films my family are loving right now -

White Collar - I adore this box set so much. I am on season 4 now and the plot just gets better and better. Of course it helps a lot that the eye candy is so good and I'm not sure about you but I find it so easy to fall in love with TV characters, Matt Bomer who plays Neal Caffery is just divine (but also gay in real life!).

Fooling Myself or Fresh Revelation?

Call it what you will but I’ve been living under a lie for the last few years. If you asked me (or even if you didn’t) I would have told you that I’m a glass-half-full kind of girl. I believe I’m very positive and I’d have said that I have my attitude sorted; I am positive and I know how lucky I am and I’m grateful for all I have.

But last Saturday as I sat listening to Angela Kemm at a conference I had a fresh revelation – there is so much work for me (for you Lord) to do in this area. Yes I’ve made massive progress and leaps forward since becoming a Christian fourteen years ago but actually I still have that negativity and unbelief at the heart of me.

On Thursday before I went along to my coached running session and it wasn’t easy. My coach Jax was pushing me and I said something along the lines of being too heavy to do something and quick as a flash she stopped and talked good forthright sense to me and told me to stop with the negativity, I talk as if I’m the heaviest woman alive and I’m not.

What she did was give me a good old virtual slap round the cheek and pass the message on to me ‘get over yourself Mich’. I needed to hear this and Angela picked up on it and spoke similar to me again on Saturday and as I walked out of the conference I was reminded that I need to change my thinking. There is no more I can’t, everything must be I can. The Bible tells me –

‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me’ Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

So today Lord, in your strength I stand on my virtual soapbox and say yes Lord…

I can lose weight

I can run for fitness and fun

I can be a good wife

I can be whatever God destined for me

I am enough and today God is already very satisfied with me, whether I change or not.

He loves me and is pleased.

Thank you father. Mich xx

Can you Give-up a Tub of Quality Street to help the Homeless this Christmas?

I wrote in my other blog recently how I'm going to be helping at a pop-up winter night shelter over the next few months. It's not something I've done before and truth be told I don't feel that equipped to do it but I know that after I've attended the training I'll feel more confident and to be honest, with God by my side I'll be able to do anything that is required of me.

Whilst I'm focusing my (small) helping efforts here, others have it so much worse. Can you imagine having no place to sleep and then the temperature drops to minus 9 and stays at that temperature? Back in 2012 I travelled to Minsk in Belarus for a week with the charity campaign Operation Christmas Child. Our remit there was to deliver shoe box gifts to those in need and as such I saw a great deal of poverty and met many children living in orphanages.

As I read some of the stories that MissionWithout Borders (MWB) have shared with me for their Street Mercy Project I was transported back to my time in Minsk and meeting all those gorgeous kids who were living in homes with holes in the roof (literally) and having to deal with the issues of abandonment and neglect by parents who have been driven to binge on cheap home brewed 100% proof vodka.

10 Reasons to Visit Nymans, National Trust - West Sussex

During half-term we fancied out a day out at a National Trust site, our son was staying with his grandparents, so it was just the girls and us and we wanted to visit somewhere new to explore. About an hour away from us in West Sussex, just five miles outside Crawley is Nymans, which the National Trust describes as a garden lovers' home for all seasons, with an extensive yet intimate garden set around a romantic house and ruins.

It is a busy enough site that they have regular trails and activities for all the family and we felt sure there would be something to keep us all interested. We weren't wrong, have a look at these ten reasons why we would recommend a family visit to Nymans - 

1. Loads of Opportunities for Play

Bloggy Reasons to be Cheerful

Happy Thursday friends. I hope you are well and managing to keep a smile on your face in the wake of the US presidential elections. All is good here and I'm feeling tip top.

Just a short post this week as I'm super busy but the reasons to be cheerful that I'm sharing are all blog related. It has been a fab week and in fact I am feeling really good about blogging at the moment. Maybe after 8 years I have finally found my happy place and feel confident in what my blog is and where I fit into the web-sphere.

Viral post
I've been a fan of Operation Christmas Child for about 13 years now and every year my family enjoy making shoe boxes. In 2012 I was lucky enough to travel to Belarus with them to give out shoe boxes and present some live webcasts. There can be a lot of negativity about Samaritans Purse, the charity that runs the Operations Christmas Child programme so I wrote a post this week about the reasons you might not want to take part and it has gone viral. My best page views in a very long time and a very decent amount of shares on Facebook too. 

8 Reasons Not to Take Part in a Shoe Box Appeal (Operation Christmas Child)

Christmas, it is a time for giving and for receiving but for me, much more than that it is a time of goodwill, for thinking of others, for being generous and for reaching out.

You'll see lots of blog posts at this time of year from people taking part in shoe box Christmas gift schemes (particularly Operation Christmas Child) and your children might come home from school, church or something like brownies with a leaflet asking you to help and make a shoebox of gifts for a child, family or elderly person in need.

What do you do with this leaflet? That request from your children? Because let's be honest most kids want to get involved, their heart is to do something kind.

Do you bin the leaflet and hope your kid will forget? Do you tell them 'No, we are not getting involved as that charity is making kids become Christians'? Do you quickly remember how low your bank balance is and decide that £10 would be better off spent on your own child? Or maybe you adopt that age-old opinion, that charity starts at home.

Let's be honest, it is completely up to you what you do. No-one has to do anything they do not want to and no-one has the right to judge you for your choices. You just have to be happy yourself with what you choose to do or as the case may be, don't do.

The Benefits of Time Outdoors for all the Family

Just over three years ago our family took the brave decision to sell our house and move away from the area we had lived in for fifteen years. My husband and I both changed jobs, the kids changed schools and we swapped a town and being close to London for the countryside and being close to the beach. It was the best thing we have ever done!

At the time we moved the children were 6, 6 and 10 years and becoming increasingly accustomed to indoor play, multi-media activities and days out to theme parks, swimming and the like. Yes we took them to the play park and we would sometimes walk around a local lake but there was no-where near enough time spent outside just enjoying being kids, breathing in the fresh air and running free.

When you live on a main road and children are not allowed out to play it really does restrict their freedom and imaginative play. Here in Sussex we live in 220 acres of land and the kids have friends who live in the same community and they go and collect conkers, play make believe in the church yard, skate on the private roads or organise mini sports days on the west lawn. The world is their oyster and they have so much freedom to play here.

"For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality. Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear – to ignore." Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods.

It's Thursday and that is a Reason to be Cheerful

Happy Thursday Fiends, I hope you are well. Welcome to this weeks edition of Reasons to be Cheerful.

I have a very busy day today but I am loving Thursdays at the moment.

1.  First off I have my coaching session with a little boy that I am meeting once a week for a year and it is a real joy getting to know him. I'm praying that I'm able to make a difference in his life and to help him enjoy school more. Check out the charity TLG if you are interested to volunteer to do the same they run this service in schools all across the country.

2.  Then straight after I head off to my coached run, where I will be put through my paces by the lovely Jax. Running isn't at all what I would choose to do but I have to do some exercise and this is as good as anything. It also helps that it is funded and fun. I definitely want to give a shout out to Jax's blog Walk2Run as it is really inspirational and if you are local to Bexhill/ Hastings then you must come and join one of her fun walks or coached sessions, she is ace.

3.  I've then got a delivery to make and a quick rush home for a shower and lunch before being at the girls school for their parents evening at 2.30pm. I'm praying that this goes well as I need to speak to the teacher about Miss E as she is already getting really concerned about her year six SATS. I'm not sure if I need to push for another formal dyslexia assessment or not.

4.  We are then off to JJ's school for a special awards ceremony where he will receive a prize for work of excellence in IT last year. He is very chuffed and I am super proud. This is the boy that we all wondered whether he would be able to settle into school or if it would always be a struggle for him.

Then once that is done, it is home for dinner and relax......

The Boots We Wear

 

I’m in a good place right now, one where I am hearing God speak to me and that is both exciting and also scary. I find it really interesting that at times I can tune in and others I just have no idea what is being said or how God is prompting me. I suppose, logically there has to be times of rest or quiet otherwise I would get exhausted from constantly hearing God’s promptings for me to change and improve.

At church on Sunday our Senior Pastor Paul was speaking on unbelief and fear, he felt God had given him a powerful message to share with us about being careful what boots we step into each day. He had a big, heavy pair of wellies on stage that he stepped into and told us that each day these ‘old faithfuls’ sat by the side of his bed waiting for him to step into. His boots have a word branded onto the bottom of each of them – on one is fear and on the other is unbelief.

It is all too easy each day for any of us to slip into the habits that we are used to, the things we find familiar and comfortable and his boots of fear and unbelief are what he could easily wear every day if he didn’t put some thought and effort into it. BUT and this is a big BUT, when Paul gave his life to Christ he got given a new pair of boots, a much better pair, those of love and faith. Of course being new boots they are not as worn-in, or as comfy and familiar as the old ones but with time they too can become our favourite boots and of course they are much better and the rewards from wearing them are much richer.

I’ve been musing over this message since I heard it and of course praying for guidance on what it is that my boots have branded onto the bottom of them. At first I thought one of mine might be fear too and there are definitely times that I suffer from unbelief but this morning as I drove home from dropping the kids to school and I was musing how the children prefer to go in the car with a different parent to me I realised that the branding on the bottom of one of my boots is rejection.

Oh my word, what a revelation. I now know for sure I suffer with a spirit of rejection and I have never knowingly realised this before. I feel rejection in my life in so many ways and it is so easy for this to make me feel negative and down. There is nothing massive that I can pinpoint and say was the crux of my problems or issues and therefore this is probably just something I have dismissed before but for me it is real and it is a big deal and I need to get past it. So I’ve ordered a book by John Eckhardt called ‘Destroying the spirit of rejection’ and I’m hoping it will help, it has great reviews and over the next few weeks I’m going to be doing some praying with a friend and immersing myself in this subject.

As I think about this more and more I realise that I’ve felt rejected in so many ways in my life and it is now probably just a lens that I view life through. It is turned on as a default setting and that is bound to steal my joy. So I have doctored my shoes and tonight when I step out the house to go to a new bible study group (ekk a little scary) I am wearing the shoes of love and acceptance as that is what my faith in God gives me.

I am OK. I am more than OK. I am good enough. I walk in love and acceptance and spirit of rejection and fear be gone in Jesus name. Amen

8 Ways to Prepare for Baby Number Two

Image Credit: Boy cuddling pregnant belly from Shutterstock

You've found out you're pregnant, you've had the three month scan and all is looking good so now is the time you can start to tell all your friends and family and spread the joy of knowing that a new babe will soon join your family. Of course you are excited, but if you are anything like me you'll also be a little nervous and maybe even overwhelmed. Your family of three will never be the same again!

How you feel might well depend on the age of your first child and the potential gap you'll have between your children. According to the U.K. office for National statistics the average age gap between a first and second babe is about 36 months, although I have friends who had as little a gap as 8 months by falling PG with a newborn and then having their second baby prematurely. That really would scare the pants off me! My age gap was a much more sensible 45 months but the tricky part for me was that babes two and three came at the same time of course!

To help you beat that feeling of being weighed down with worries of what might be it is important to get prepared for your second babes arrival. Try and get all the practical things but of the way nice and early and this means if you do feel tired or poorly later on in pregnancy you are not stressing about all the tasks still to be done.