Category Archives: Family Life

T.G.I.F

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Friday again – my favourite day of the week and the start of the weekend. If I’m completely honest, with three children of varying ages I sometimes find weekends exhausting as we’re constantly ferrying them around to various activities and parties. This weekend there are no less than three parties plus Casper’s birthday on Sunday – his party is not until next weekend, thankfully.

By contrast, Friday afternoons are normally a quiet affair. There’s no homework or after school activities, I usually make something nice for dinner and we all just potter around doing our own thing. Sometimes the boys have play dates but today the whole gang is home – the boys are upstairs listening to music and building Lego, Clemmie is playing with the train set and I’m catching up on emails and writing my blog. I have so many blog posts in my head and written out in the note section of my phone, but I just haven’t had the time this week to actually put them together, find pictures and edit them etc. Oh well, there’s always next week…

Friday night is movie night in our house so after dinner there will be popcorn and sweets in front of a film. The boys have a strict system (that they’ve come up with themselves) in place for choosing the film – one of them will pick their top five movies and then the other one will choose which one to watch that night. Then, once they’re in bed, unless we’re going out my husband and I will also watch a movie although tonight I think we will probably plough through another two or three episodes of House of Cards which we’ve just discovered.

Which is your favourite day of the week?

XXX

This Week’s Favourites

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I suppose the title of this post should really be ‘last week’s favourites’…I’m a day late but with all the party preparations last week and then the clearing up yesterday I have a feeling I’ll be playing catch-up all week. Anyway here’s a quick round-up of the last seven days:

1. My thermos mug from Ikea comes in handy on busy mornings when I end up having breakfast on the run.

2. I made another batch of low carb muesli this week (find the recipe here) – my favourite breakfast.

3. Banana bread is great to put in the children’s lunch boxes and as an afternoon treat with a cup of tea. (Recipe here)

4. The week started off very warm and we made the most of the sunny weather with a trip to the playground after preschool. As the week went on it got progressively colder and I think it’s definitely time to dig out the hats and gloves (although I think the chances of finding a matching pair are very slim, given how many gloves were lost at school last winter).

5. Beautiful autumn colours on a crisp, sunny morning.

6. I had been looking for a new ‘smart’ winter coat for a while but not found anything that was quite right. I have a padded coat from Zara which is great when it gets really cold but I wanted a slightly dressier one to wear for nights out. Usually buying coats is a nightmare as I’m small and unless I find one in a petite fit (which means much less choice), the sleeves are too long and it swamps me. But I went into town mid-week to take a few things back and there it was – the perfect coat. As luck would have it there was one left in my size and, being H&M, it was a total bargain at only £39.99! I tried to find it online to link back to for a better picture but for some reason it’s not up on the H&M website, so you’ll have to make do with the picture I snapped in the changing room. The main body of the coat is a black and white tweed type of pattern, with black sleeves and a detachable fur collar which you can of course wear with other coats and jackets as well.

7. It was only a quick trip into town but I did manage to have a wander through our local department store where they were setting up the Christmas display. I know a lot of people complain that the stores bring out the Christmas decorations too early but I kind of like it. The boys’ birthdays are at the end of October and beginning of November but after that I like to start planning for the festive season – I can’t stand stressing about it in mid December when the shops are full of people and things are starting to run out, or worrying about Internet deliveries arriving in time. Only ten weeks to go until Christmas Day folks!

8. Every Friday Clemmie and I go to Gym Tots with my friend and her daughter. The girls love running around, climbing on all the gym equipment and bouncing on the trampolines.

9. As you probably know by now the week culminated with a birthday party for my husband which went on into the early hours of Sunday morning. We all had a great time and he got some fantastic presents – almost all of them golf related!

Hope you’ve all had a fantastic start to the week! X

Weekend Photo Challenge (even later than usual!)- OOTD and ‘sleeping’ children

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{My lovely children having a cuddle in our bed. Not sleeping strictly speaking but close enough I think!}

I haven’t had a chance to sit down at the computer all day, but better late than never! We didn’t get to bed until 3.30 this morning (I can’t even remembered the last time that happened!) so I’ve not exactly been full of energy…

It’s my husband’s actual birthday today so we had a lovely lunch at the in-laws when we collected the children (sooo nice not to have to cook – dinner will be takeaway pizza). Apart from that, the day has been spent clearing up the house after last night’s festivities, opening presents and all the usual things like overseeing homework and music practice. There is still some cleaning to be done but, you know what, I’m going to leave it until tomorrow and curl up on the sofa with my husband, eat my pizza and watch Homeland.

Have a great evening. X

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{Me, in last night’s outfit, a black dress bought from Asos last year and jewellery from a local boutique}

Let’s Get This Party Started!

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Children dropped off at grandparents √

Disco lights and sound system all set up √

Champagne (OK then, Prosecco) chilling on ice √

Canapes ready to go in the oven √

Hair and make-up done √

New dress and shoes on √

Now just waiting for the guests to arrive…

It’s my husband’s birthday and we’re ready to party the night away!

That Friday Feeling

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Yet another weekend rolls around and this week I’ve had to work harder than normal to stay positive. Sometimes bad things happen that we can’t control or fix, but we do have power over our own minds and I really believe that negative thinking creates a downward spiral which is hard to climb out of.

So I’m trying to concentrate on all the good things I have to look forward to and be grateful for my wonderful family and friends. It’s my husband’s birthday party tomorrow, so tonight we will be preparing food, putting up the disco lights and moving furniture to make room for the dancing. But right now, Clemmie and I are cuddling up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and CBeebies on the TV. A lovely, lazy morning.

Hope you have a fantastic Friday wherever you are, and remember:

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More Instagram tips

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{Some of my favourite Instagram pictures}

{Some of my favourite Instagram pictures}

I don’t know about you but I love Instagram – it’s such a fantastic way of capturing the moment and, let’s face it, even the most mundane picture will look pretty with an added filter. If we’re talking Social Media, I much prefer it to Facebook and Twitter (which I really don’t get on with but that’s a different story..)

Having already ordered two sheets of fridge magnets from Stickygram (they should arrive any day now), I’ve found some other great ways of preserving your best Instagram snaps:

1. Design your own mobile phone (or iPad) case using your Instagram photos at Casetagram.

2. Log onto Postagram and make postcards out of your Instagram pictures to send to friends and family.

3. Turn your images into cool stickers to put on letters, cards, notebooks etc at Instagoodies.

4. Printstagram lets you develop and print your Instagram photos. Create a poster sized collage of your favourite images or turn them into greeting cards, a mini book or a calendar.

What do you think of Instagram – love it, loathe it? I would also love to hear if you have any other tips on what to do with your Instagram pics.

 

This Week’s Favourites

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Where has the time gone? It seems like it was only yesterday that I wrote my last ‘Favourites’ post and now it’s Sunday again. Looking back at the photos I can see that even though the week flew by, as usual we managed to squeeze quite a lot in.

1. Because of the building work going on at home, the house was covered in dust at the start of the week so Clemmie and I escaped to a nearby village for brunch. I had Eggs Benedict, one of my all-time favourites.

2. We have finally chosen the tiles to go around the sink in the new downstairs cloakroom. Fingers crossed, it should all be finished by the end of this week in time for my husband’s birthday party on Saturday. I will of course share pictures when it’s all done.

3. I also managed to plant some herbs in two of the pots I bought in Sweden this summer. They were a bargain at less than £10 for three and I love the chalkboard labels on them.

4. I went to two exercise classes this week and decided to reward myself (and my aching muscles) with some new workout clothes from Sweaty Betty.

5. I also bought an early birthday present for myself from Space NK – I just can’t go into that store without buying something!

6. The highlight of the week was without a doubt my birthday on Wednesday and a meal out at Jamie’s Italian to celebrate with my husband and kids.

7. Like mother like daughter. Clemmie seems to have inherited my love of magazines and pesters me to buy one every time we go shopping. This one certainly lives up to is name: I think it has got every shade of pink imaginable on the cover.

8. I made a very exciting discovery this week: they sell Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks in the UK! I don’t know how I could have missed it although in my defence the barista did say they’re new for this autumn. So yummy, especially with whipped cream on top!

9. My husband went away for a golf weekend on Friday so I’ve been on my own with the kids all weekend. I really take my hat off to all the single mums out there, it is bloody hard work! Saturday was spent ferrying them around to various activities (football, swimming, tutor) and then a friend whose husband was also away came over with her kids in the evening. The children had pizza and shared some of my birthday chocolates while watching a movie (although I think Clemmie managed to get more chocolate on her than in her!) and we had Thai takeaway and a glass of wine or two.

Now I’m just waiting for my other half to walk through the front door so I can take a hot bath and then curl up in front of the TV to watch the third series of Homeland. Unfortunately the week has not ended on a good note as someone close to me was admitted to hospital today. Hopefully, it won’t be for long and we’re all doing our best to stay positive.

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend. X

Weekend Photo Challenge: OOTD for Mummy and Child

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The boys were not keen to participate in today’s challenge so here’s another picture of Clemmie (in Zara waistcoat, H&M skirt and shoes which my friend bought for her in New York). I will get them next week when the theme is sleeping, no escaping then!

And because she asked so nicely, here is a picture of me in my new Yoga tops especially for Eszer. My eldest son asked me to also mention that he took the picture 🙂

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday. X

PS. I think the challenge is really meant to be for the Saturday but it’s such a busy day for us that I usually struggle to post anything, let alone take any photos. So I’m always a day late!

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Fall To-Do List

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Fall To-Do List

As most you have probably gathered, Fall is my favourite season. I’ve already written a post on my Autumn Resolutions and another on Ten Reasons to Fall in Love with Fall, but I couldn’t resist one more focusing on the things I want to do in the next couple of months. Now is the perfect time to start new projects, or perhaps pick up on existing ones which fell by the wayside over the summer, and also to carve out a bit of me-time before the Christmas rush begins.

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1. Start taking more pictures with the Nikon DSLR camera I got for my birthday last year (especially as one of my birthday presents this year was a new lens). I’m still getting to grips with it, and often I forget to take it with me or decide it’s too bulky to lug around, so I end up using my phone but the picture quality is so much better with the Nikon.

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2. Make these cookies. Spiced apple cider instant drink mix is not readily available here in the UK but I found some on eBay.

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3. Go to the ballet. As a child I used to love going to see the Nutcracker around Christmas time and my husband has promised to take me this year.

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4. Host a Halloween party for family and friends. After Christmas and their birthdays, it’s the event that the kids most look forward to. Obviously they love all the candy but also the costumes, decorating the house and, of course, the pumpkin carving.

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5. Go away for a weekend with a friend, ideally to Babington House which is the perfect getaway for pampering treatments, delicious food and cocktails (their pear bellini is to-die-for)

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6. Learn how to cook a roast dinner.

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7. Finish off my photo wall. I have bought all the frames and chosen the pictures so all that remains is printing the photos and putting them up on the wall.

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8. Start at least one morning on the weekend with a long walk and take a moment to appreciate the stunning scenery right on my doorstep.

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9. Wear something other than jeans on at least one day a week. I wear lots of dresses and skirts in the summer but as soon as the temperature drops I practically live in my skinnies. The imitation leather skirt I ordered from H&M has finally arrived so I’m hoping that will inspire me to get out of the denim rut.

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10. Make scrapbooks for the boys of their best pieces of artwork, school and sports certificates. I have keepsake boxes and baby books for each of my children but I think that putting papers into a scrapbook is a better way of preserving them.

Happy Birthday to Me!

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{In our house birthdays mean breakfast in bed, even for mummy!}

It’s my birthday today (yay! happy birthday to me!). I still get ridiculously excited about birthdays and even if I don’t exactly whoop with joy at the thought of new wrinkles appearing, I don’t actually mind getting older (hey, it beats the alternative, right?) and hopefully wiser. My friend Angela over at Read,Sugar wrote a great post on why we should all embrace our birthdays, no matter what age we are (read it here).

These days, birthdays are less about the presents (although there were plenty of those as well, including a new lens for my Nikon camera, this perfume, some more Mateus china for my collection and new yoga clothes) and more about the children piling into bed singing happy birthday and covering me with kisses. (Before devouring my cupcakes and getting crumbs all over the bed, but I can overlook small stuff like that on my birthday 🙂 )

It’s been a busy day so far, starting with a gym class followed by coffee with friends and then a quick trip to the tile shop as the building work to repair the damage caused by a leaking pipe is finally underway. This evening we’re going out for dinner as a family to celebrate a little bit more. Now the sun’s out and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful Autumn day and a great birthday! X