Sly fox in the kitchen after school #ordinarymoments #whatsthestory

We have had a bit of a re-jig with our hard drives recently and it has unearthed some real gems and i thought i would share some of them. This little bunch of shots made me smile. I can actually remember it like it was yesterday. It was in fact not long after our youngest was born. I think she must have been a couple of months and we were deep into winter.

This was after school one day when it was dark soon after we got home. Only two out of my five were actually in school then! It was one of those times before the extra activities had invaded our schedules as they have now and so when we came home from school it was down time and some snackage and play time.

The school kids were showing me a game they had learnt at school called sly fox and we were playing it in the kitchen and i kept turning round and taking shots as they tried to creep up behind me and  be the ‘sly fox.’ They thought it was hilarious when i didn’t turn round and they managed to get to me in time!

It feels like a simpler time actually without the crazyness that now fills our lives and all the running around. That is the nature of the kids getting older i suppose. Its fun to look back and see the kids all little too!!

 

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Getting Sporty: Old School stylie. #motivationalmonday #MWActive

Taking part this week in the Mark Warner Get families active campaign, you can read about it by following the link. But basically it is about being active..i know..but surprise there. 😉

This week it is all about getting sporty. Made me think of sports day when we were at school, the sack race, egg and spoon, wheelbarrow races. My favourite, the three legged race!! We are coming into the term when many schools are running there sports days but in school nowadays it has changed beyond all recongition. The schools choose the more inclusive ‘afternoon of non-competitive activity’ which involves the kids in the school being divided up into teams of about eight kids, from all different year groups and they then rotate around a variety of different activities.

There are the running races but they are team relay races so that no one child is put forward to win or lose. Im not really sure what my opinion on it is to be honest. I think its great for kids who are maybe not naturally sporty and can feel like they are part of a team…Also one of the sweetest things for me is that as the groups are made up of all the year groups, you get to see the whole of the school community working together. The savvy year 6’s helping and encouraging the nervous reception kids and making sure they are doing their part for their team…but on the other hand it gives no opportunity for any kids to shine on their own. Which surely if any of them will go into any sort of sport – that will have to happen. I dont’ know.

Although thankfully the parents race is now a thing of the past, in our school at least! No more stocking clad women hurtling down a playing field, elbows and fists at the ready, determined to make little johnny proud. Im not sorry at all that we have come into parenting after that had died a death at the hands of the craziness that is health and safety.

But…old style school sports games are still great for having a giggle, getting outside and burning off some energy. We did our own in the local park with some friends and the wheelbarrow race had them collapsing in fits of laughter at the lunacy of trying to make someone run fast on their hands.

Sometimes old school is just the best.

This weeks giveaway is a fabulous Ladies NIKE dri-fit ladies running shirt. Wonderful for helping you get the best out of your work out! If you fancy it,enter the competition on the rafflecopter below.

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Green fingers #motivationalmonday #spring carnival.

We have a small town garden, we live in the middle of a large city and don’t have the 500,000 you need to buy a house with a field size patch of grass behind our house so we have what we have..which is enough i might add…i aint moanin’

The OH and I are not exactly blessed with a love of gardening…neither of us naturally gravitate to tinkering with plants and flowers and there is often a little grave yard of potted plants along our windowsills and dotted around the garden. In fact during the winter we largely ignore the garden and lets face it the winter has gone on a LONG time this year.

This year the garden has been made even more barren by the loss of our adopted pink blossom tree which you can read about here. I still miss it, which is silly really but it has made me really nostaligic whenever i see a lovely cherry blossom in bloom.

Last week we had some sun, it suddenly started to feel like spring, heck i even went outside the house without socks on! *gasp* We spend more time outside when its warmer and so i start to notice our poor neglected garden. Which to be honest wasn’t looking as bad as i thought. It amazing what will just grow regardless. It would seem, rather happily, that despite our best efforts, nature still gets her best frock on even when the dress makers would rather be doing something else instead….bravo nature!

It was nice seeing the sun for a while. Feeling inspired to do more with our garden. Of course its rained and been cold for the past nearly a week so we are a bit on the back foot!! 😉

It was a taking some shade under the tree kind of day for the little sub-woofer.

This week continuing on the gardening theme my giveaway is a book for those of you who are green fingered…its a book by Gardener’s world Toby Buckland called Flowers.

all you have to do is fill in the rafflcopter as per and away you go. The winner of the LEGO dictionary was Sally Poole. PLease get in touch to claim your prize!

and dont forget to go and link up with the spring carnival and check out the mondayclub 


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The mobility of sleep #motivationalmonday #themondayclub

We have, in our family, five little people. That may be somewhat obvious by the the title of my blog. 😉

So it stands to reason that we have had five newborns, had to go through many many months of dodgy sleep patterns, some no sleep patterns and who the heck cares i just want to lie down sleep patterns.

We went for the pic’n mix approach to sleep. Broadly that meant going with whatever works, results in the greatest amount of sleep and once there was more than one little person in the house, resulted in the fewest amount of awakees.  Over the years we have probably dabbled in all the various ‘theories’ but ultimately it comes back to…a default. Go with what gives us the most sleep. Whether thats having a newborn like the princess and the pea inbetween us on our bed or having a 10 year old who has had a bad dream sleep top to toe with us for the night. It all just works out.

I know there are people who get s-t-r-u-n-g out by the thought of a disruptive night, we are a bit different, well i am anyway. Our four year old has been coming into our bed for about 18 months now, every night, without fail. Got to the point when I was almost saying ‘well done’ to her when she managed to get into our bed without waking anyone up!! I never thought i would be one of those people who could sleep inter-linked with someone else. But its amazing what you adapt to 😉

She has pretty much stopped doing it now, i knew she would eventually. There has been points recently where i have had moments where i kind of miss it just a little bit. Maybe a sign that they are growing up and cuddles in bed are becoming far too babyish. *sniff*

I think over the years i have grown less fond of sleep. I find it a bit of a drag. Like there is something else i could be doing…don’t get me wrong those few minutes before you get up are agony, clinging to the mist of dreams, beaten by forthcoming consciousness normally with the help of a baby shaped alarm clock. But there are times when although really i know that i should be asleep that im busy doing something else, robbing my body of its down time as each extra hour of being ‘up’ without the kids means i can just get one.more.thing done.

In our house at least sleep patterns have been fluid..changing with the times, the ages of the kids and the stages they are at. The ultimate goal is everyone in their own bed for the entire night. When that does happen there is a little ‘holy grail’ feeling about it.

But when it doesn’t it isnt the end of the world either.

What about you, how mobile is your sleep?

On this beautiful bank holiday monday I have yet another beautiful box of sunshine from the awesomeness that is LUSH to giveaway. Please follow the instructions on the rafflecopter and don’t forget to check out my lovely friend Pinkoddy and co-host of motivational monday as she has some giveaways going on too.

The winner of the Lego dictionary is Sally Poole. Congratulations and please contact me to claim your prize!!

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A time for every season…#motivationalmonday #themondayclub

A couple of weeks ago I went out for afternoon tea with a lovely lady who featured in my silent sunday for that week. It was a big birthday, you know one of those that can suddenly make you look back at where you have been. Maybe looking back a little and evaluating. This lovely friend of mine has a pretty flawless positive outlook, she is all about grabbing life and running with it.

It was a delightful afternoon, we got frocked up and headed off into town. Most of the ladies who went had been students in this city we all live in and heading into town used to mean a very different thing to all of us thats for sure. It was a lovely time of laughter and connections. Remembering stories and celebrating those to come.

I am a great believer in the seasons of life. That we have times that are fit for a certain purpose and there comes a time to move on from one stage of life without clinging to whats behind. Not always the easiest thing to do it has to be said. But we have seasons in our life and its no use trying to slow them down or stop them. Just have to get in it and embrace it while you are there then bid it adieu with fondness when its your time to move on.

One season in my life i had to very much consciously move on from was baby bearing days. After my 4th baby who at the time we thought was our last baby (oops !). Alongside trying to really enjoy those little newborn days i was pretty aware that they were my last go on the merrygo round of new babyhood. Being honest i was a little sad and had a few moments when i really felt like i was loosing part of my life. But then i gave myself a little talking to.

My turn on the back of this season was over, in the same way that my student days where no more and id rather stick pins in my eyes than go and stand and stick to the sweaty floor of Rock City, listening to a band and drinking lager out of plastic pint cups!

I worked out that its okay to be nostalgic about it, you have earned the right for that in the middle of those long sleepless nights and vomit covered days staring blankly at cbeebies. Sure go ahead get out the pictures, roll down memory lane, get the bunting out and have a good old coo and ahh at your memories…but dont get sad. Its life and its a constant flow. You are never meant to stay there, like the boys from take that said ‘one day this will be someone else’s dream’ 😉

Whilst im moving into the school years and loosing years of my life to being a taxi service…there are others who are choosing Universities and trying to teach their teenagers to cook macaroni cheese!…and others who are on the first steps of parenthood discovering those two blue lines.

I loved being a mama to a new baby. Those moments, those tiny teeny moments…guarded and locked into my heart forever. But we are excitedly looking into a different season and yes crossing into a different decade, for me, may have marked that a little bit too.

Its going to be a good decade!

 

My giveaway this week is a another fabulous box from LUSH! Yay more sunshine in a box 🙂 All you have to do is follow the rafflecopter and pop back next week to see if you got lucky! Angela Glynn you were the winner of THE LORAX dvd. Please get in touch to claim your prize!

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