Having a puppy has quite honestly been one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, but equally it has also been one of the most rewarding, did I think it was going to be quite so challenging? Nope. Even after all of the breed research I did, was I mentally and physically prepared for all that having a dog really meant?
Honestly... Nope.
On the 9th June, Lux turns One year old. The little puppy I brought home back on the 6th August is substantially bigger, stronger and more head strong than ever before, and you certainly know that you have him.
In the 9 months since we brought him home (It's only 9 months!? Wow it definitely feels like longer) he has caused some real mischief. He's chewed up shoes, pants, socks, doormats, toys, and oh yeah... He also ate a hole in my vinyl floor.
Thanks pup.
This is just what goes on in the house... Outside the house he has never managed to nail the 'walking to heal', he does however do a great impersonation of a freight train, maybe you have seen us fly past you at speed in the street, and by fly I mean that I have been hanging on for dear life behind him like one of those parachutes on the boats you find abroad.
Let's just say, there is never a dull moment.
Never.
It was just over this weekend that I was told by someone that they have never seen a dog who is so excited by the world. Lux literally loves to experience everything. Other dogs, people, children, you name it, Lux wants to be involved. This can make walking him an experience no matter how you choose to look at it.
He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body, but his sheer size combined with his energy can make some people understandably feel uneasy.
With Lux turning One, Leo has insisted that he has his own Birthday treat. Leo loves Birthday's and apparently his puppy's is no different. There was talk of me getting into the kitchen and baking a dog friendly Birthday Cake. No kidding... Leo meant every word.
Turns out that Leo is not the only one who wants to celebrate his canine friends special day, 75% of pet owners celebrate their pup's birthday's! This is why Lily's Kitchen have responded to the growing demand with the launch of their Birthday Surprise Gift Box.
The Birthday Surprise Gift box is gorgeous, it is hand illustrated in golden Yellow and Red. Of course it has been Inspired by a steak frites dinner, it means your dog can enjoy real steak with potatoes, broccoli and herbs. It’s the kind of birthday cake every dog really wants on their birthday – nourishing, wholesome and tail-waggingly delicious!
Lux was lucky enough to be sent his very own sample to taste, and from the above photos you can see just how happy he was to take part. He automatically knew this feast was for him and his tail was wagging even more than usual.
What’s inside the gift box:
400g Steak Dinnerwith organic potatoes and broccoli
50g Organic Cheese & Apple Treatswith apple and farmhouse cheddar
A birthday cardall about your wonderful dog
Lily's Kitchen only use the best ingredients, it's proper food that’s easy to digest and deliciously nourishing so you don't need to worry about any nasties being included in your dog's diet. The Lily's Kitchen recipes never include overly processed ingredients, added fillers, artificial flavourings, preservatives or sweeteners, and never any meat derivatives or meat meal.
I am a supporter and I like to help build people up. If someone asks me for help or advice then I will take the time to talk to them about what it is that they want to do. I believe in raising people up and watching them fly, call me crazy but I like watching people succeed. It is for this reason that I just cannot get my head around anybody promoting anything less than that. I cannot understand body shaming no matter which perspective that I look at it from.
Body shaming is everywhere.
Body shaming is anything negative that is said about ANY person, and body shaming is not just directed at women, it is directed at the entire human race. Body shaming is pointing out specific qualities on a person and viewing them as a negative, body shaming is using the qualities about what makes them who they are, against them.
I have been targeted in the past for being 'skinny', and the ironic thing is that the people who have made comments about me, have never once considered that what they say is exactly the same as comments that are made about larger people. Of course when people say horrible things about bigger framed ladies, this is rude and is referred to as fat shaming, but those same comments targeted at smaller framed girls are equally as damaging, and should be seen in the same light.
One of the main points directed at me is my small chest. I have small boobs, and do you know what? That's ok. As a teenager I felt very self conscious about this fact, I willed them to grow but not even with all the wishing power sent their way did they ever really blossom past a B cup. It's taken me well into my late 20's to really accept them and realise that even though they aren't as big as I once wished them to be, they are still part of who I am and that makes them beautiful.
I finally realised that I am in proportion, I am slim and so are my boobs, and I am happy in the skin that I am in.
You only have to look to the tabloids to see body shaming in it's finest form, whether Victoria Beckham is being ripped apart for her slender physique or if Lady Gaga's incredible voice takes a back seat as fans go into a frenzy over her supposed 'flabby tummy', the everyday likes of you and I are surely in for serious trouble!
We have to ask ourselves what gives us the right to comment? What gives us the right to an opinion on the way that somebody looks? No matter how hard I press myself to think about it I just cannot come up with an answer that would validate the comments and the hate that body shaming generates.
We live in a generation that puts girl on girl, boy on girl, boy on boy and girl on boy, there is an expectation to how we are supposed to look, an expectation on having the 'perfect body', but what even is a perfect body? Does such a thing even exist? Surely if you are happy in the skin you are in then it does not matter how everyone else around you looks, all that matters is that they too are happy in their own bodies, and we provide the support and guidance in order to help the rising generations feel accepted and loved for exactly who they are.
I can only imagine the damage that today's judgement and hate for one another will have on our children.
As a Mother I am raising Leo to understand that people come in all shapes, colours and sizes, it's what makes us all so unique and so different from one another, and that's ok. Can you imagine if we all looked the same? How boring would that be. We are diverse and not one person is the same, whether we have birthmarks, different skin colours, one leg, we're big, we're small, one eye, no eyes, big hair, flat hair, big boobs, little boobs or ANYTHING that makes us stand out from the crowd, they are things that we should be promoting and CELEBRATING!
They are the things that make us who we are, and the things that make us beautiful.
Body shaming is pointing out specific qualities on a person and viewing them as a negative, body shaming is using the qualities about what makes them who they are, against them.
I put myself in the public eye, I share my fitness journey, and I accept that I won't be everybody's cup of tea. The reason that I share my fitness journey is not about vanity, it is not about putting myself in the limelight. It is to showcase that anybody can make a change if they so desire. I get messages everyday asking for advice on how people can live a healthier life, and I love that I get to try and help so many different people from my own personal experiences, but then equally I get my share of negative comments...
I have thick skin, and I am very proud of that thick skin. I can read the negative comments about myself and smile. I can laugh it off, but then I think about it.... Not everybody is as thick skinned as I am. Why should they have to feel inferior about comments that are made about them in public? The answer is that they shouldn't.
The internet gives everybody a voice, and they use that voice to say things to people that they would ordinarily never say to somebody's face. The internet provides a comfortable setting for people to literally say whatever pops into their heads, and I don't really think that these people give much thought into what they say.
The time has come for people to stop and think, because the things they say will have repercussions, maybe not directly on themselves but almost certainly to the people that they address them to.
It's time to remember that kindness has the power to make you the most beautiful person in the world, no matter what you look like.
I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, I think it is fair to assume that most people do, because after all the kitchen really is the heart of the home.
I love cooking, and I can only really say that this is a hobby that has come around in recent years because of my passion for health and fitness. I discovered that by cooking from scratch, I could eat tasty food that I enjoyed, and also know the exactly ingredients of what went into the recipes, and in turn this helped me to achieve my personal fitness goals.
I think the beauty of preparing your own home cooked meals is that you can be that little more adventurous, you can spiralize some zucchini noodles to throw into some home made pesto or you can cook up a lasagna using butternut squash slices in replacement of the pasta sheets. The possibilities really are endless, and it puts you in complete control of what goes into your body.
As I cook up to 3 times a day, and it has to be said that I'm not the neatest chef in the world, I am prone to dropping things all over my freshly cleaned stove or splashing sauce up the back of the cooker and inevitably the wall behind it, and this does not sit very well with my inner neat freak. I have been looking at getting some acrylic kitchen splash-backs from Simply Plastics to sit behind my stove, so that I can easily wipe away the daily mess that may land there (thus saving my magnolia wall).
It was only a few years ago that I was ordering ample takeaways each week, and I thought preparing my own food meant grabbing a shop bought jar of pasta sauce and boiling some spaghetti in a pan. Somewhere along the way I found a love in cooking healthy wholesome food that now feeds the whole family, and none of us have looked back.
Takeaways are a rarity these days as I much prefer to cook a healthier curry at home, where you get all the taste of a takeout, but none of the bad bits. I realised that you don't have to compensate on taste when you eat healthily, but you can cut all of the bad bits out and still enjoy your meal.
Leo has recently been expressing an interest in learning to play football, at almost 6 years old I think that this is fantastic, and it is something that I have really wanted to encourage and nurture as I feel like this would be an incredibly beneficial experience for him. I have been researching local teams that I could enrol Leo into so that he can learn the rules of the game, get some experience out on the pitch and playing as part of a team. By chance I got talking to another Mum who was also trying to find a team for her child, only she was looking for a girls team for her daughter, and she told me just how difficult that task was turning out to be...
In the small town where I live in Worcestershire, there aren't as many women's football teams, and there are even less opportunities for younger girls to get involved in training or as part of a girl's team. According to recent research by the Football Association, only 36% of girls aged 10-16 play football, compared to 83% of boys. It also found that 42% of girls aged 10 who don't currently play football would like to.
Women's football although gaining momentum, is still not on a level peg with the male's equivalent and although I was aware that it wasn't as publicised as the male teams, I had never once stopped and thought about how accessible it would be for younger girls who wanted to get involved in a football team.
Being a parent in 2017 means that we need to be educated in gender equality, whether we are parents to boys, girls or even if we have one of each, because believe it or not, gender inequality is a still a thing, even today, and it really does affect us all.
I for one would love to see this change, I have been looking into the fantastic sport that is Women's Football and it has been incredibly enlightening to see just how far it has come over the years and one of the biggest waves forward for the sport has to be the generous sponsorship from SSE, who are one of the UK’s leading energy companies and supply energy to around 8.21 million people throughout Great Britain and Ireland.
Back in June 2015 SSE announced a four year sponsorship deal for the largest cup competition in women's football - The SSE Women's FA Cup. This partnership sends a precise and strong message to the world, and it is helping to strip away barriers and helping women and girls to reach their fullest potential in Women's Football.
This is a really exciting time for the sport, and SSE have got involved because of their firm beliefs that everyone deserves the same opportunities, regardless of gender. Every girl and every boy have the right to discover new skills and confidence, the opportunity to make lifelong friends, the opportunity to be inspired and the opportunity to walk out in front of a passionate crowd at Wembley Stadium.
SSE are the energy behind women’s football and they are creating more and more opportunities for women and young girls to get involved, and it is really making a huge difference at all levels of the game, whether it is getting girls involved in coaching sessions in local parks or playing the big league at the SSE Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley! The below film demonstrates three separate stories playing out in parallel across one day – A football match at Wembley. Each of the stories shows the shared experiences of girls involved in the game from grassroots right through to the elite. Despite all these stories taking place at different levels of the game, they are all brought together by their love for football. It showcases the power of the game and the opportunities it provides women, at every level.
Some of the way's SSE support Women's Football
- Dad's and Daughters
The Dads and Daughters campaign aims to get more young girls to start playing football with the support of their dads. It celebrates fathers around the country who have played a major part in encouraging their daughters to get involved in the sport.
- The FA & SSE Link Up
The recent launch of SSE Wildcats Girls’ Football Clubs will provide girls aged 5-11 with regular opportunities to play football and take part in organised sessions in a fun and engaging environment created exclusively for girls. SSE continue to show their commitment to increasing participation in the women’s game through this new initiative. The clubs will run from spring through summer on a weekly basis and aim to provide a fun and safe space for girls to learn the game and make friends
- SSE Women's FA Cup Final: Kids go Free
The SSE Women’s FA Cup Final 2017 will be played at Wembley Stadium connected by EE for the third year running on Saturday 13th May 2017. The FA’s partnership with SSE means that all children can attend The Final for free. It has been really interesting reading more into the powerful sport that is Women's Football, and I am so pleased to see that the sport is becoming more accessible, and as for girls wanting to get involved, there has never been a better time to put on your boots and kick a football. SSE Final Ticket Competition If you would like to go along to the SSE Women's FA Cup Final at Wembley this Saturday (13th May 2017) then keep on reading because we have 5 tickets up for grabs so that you can take your whole family along! It's a great chance to go along and cheer on Birmingham City and Manchester City as they go head to head for the first piece of silverware of this season! It is set to be a great turnout and I can only imagine that the vibe will be something to remember! The winner will be announced before lunch this Friday 12th May 2017. As we have a pretty tight time frame to play with, I will get an email out to the lucky family as soon as the competition is drawn, and I will need a reply within a quick time frame so that I can make sure that the tickets are ready to collect at Wembley on Saturday 13th May 2017. All you need to do is enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. a Rafflecopter giveaway
I have been meaning to sit down and write this post for months, but there is always something that comes along and gets in the way of what I want and need to say. So now with Leo back at school, I thought I would sit down with a cup of coffee, and bring this here blog up to speed with my YouTube channel (It would mean so much if you could hit the subscribe button while you're over there!)
A few months ago I posted two very personal videos to my channel (I will add them both into this post in case you want to see what I said). The videos followed me as I prepared to go along to my GP for my very first Smear Test, which for those of you who don't know, is a test that helps detect abnormal cells on the cervix.
I am going to go into as much detail as I can in this post, because when I found myself taking to Google, I always found myself on websites relating to the dreaded 'C' word, and I want to offer my personal experience here, and try to help anyone who is currently worrying about an abnormal smear test result.
Women in the UK are invited for a Smear test from the age of 25 years old, and being 27 I was a few years late in booking up and going along. It was something that I admittedly put off and off, it never seemed to be an urgent task for me to comply with, because let's face it... Who wants to go along and expose themselves in such a vulnerable way to a complete stranger?
Even though I had been in hospital to have a baby, a Smear test seemed to be so much more violating. I know that might sound crazy, but my birth with Leo was so straightforward and simple, with very little to no medical intervention. I was checked once when I arrived into hospital, and it was discovered that I was already 9.5CM dilated, and after that I was shown to my birthing pool, and they just let me float around telling me 'if you feel like you need to push, then push'. And that my friends, really was it. I didn't need stitches or any follow ups, so I walked away with a beautiful baby, and a rather fantastic birth experience!
What prompted me to book my Smear Test in all of those years later, was the fact that I had been experiencing some unusual bleeding over the course of a few months. I guess you could say I just had a gut feeling, and with that feeling firmly in place, I called up my local surgery and they got me booked in back in December 2016.
The appointment took place the very next day and by Christmas Eve I had recieved my results letter. The letter confirmed an abnormal Smear Test result, it said that I had borderline changes and HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) that can cause abnormal tissue growth and cause cervical changes, which can sometimes lead to cervical cancer.
Girls aged 12-13 are offered a vaccination against HPV to help protect them against types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. Women aged 25-64 are offered cervical screening to check for abnormal cells in the cervix, and as the vaccinations against HPV were introduced in more recent years, I fall into the category of having the screenings to check for the virus.
Changes in the cells of the cervix are often caused by the human papilloma virus, and there are more than 100 different types of HPV to keep things interesting! Some types are high risk and some types are low risk.
The cell sample that is taken during a cervical screening will be tested to see if there are any abnormalities. If a screening test shows low-grade or borderline cell abnormalities, the sample is then usually automatically tested for HPV.
Test results can vary from:
- Normal - This means no abnormal cells have been found and you won't need to be seen until your next Smear Test (usually every 3 years).
- Inadequate - You may have to repeat the test as the sample initially taken could not be read properly. This could be because not enough cells were taken.
- Abnormal - If you have an abnormal Smear Test Result you could be told that you have:
- Borderline or low-grade changes (called dyskaryosis) - If your result is low grade, it means that although there is change going on and some abnormal cell changes, they are very close to being normal and they may disappear on their own without treatment.
- Moderate or severe (high-grade) dyskaryosis - If your result is high grade dyskaryosis, then your sample won't be tested for HPV and you will be automatically offered a colposcopy (where they have a closer look at your cervix and the cell changes that are going on).
CIN (Cervical Intra-epithelial Neoplasia)
Sometimes the results will come back talking about CIN, but as with all official letters, these things can be very confusing and if you're like me, you will have to take to Google to find out what it all means. I spent a lot of time researching what the result terminology meant before I got my letter back, so I will break it all down for you below (as chances are you have landed here, if you are going through something similar).
CIN is divided into different grades, this describes how far the abnormal cells have gone into the surface layer of the cervix. The cell changes can be classed as CIN1, 2 or 3.
This classification indicates how much of the cervix has been affected by abnormal cells. Essentially the higher the number, the more of the cervix has been affected, and the more likely it is that treatment will be needed to remove the cells.
CIN1 – This means that there are mild changes; affecting only one-third of the thickness of the surface layer of the cervix. These changes are not cancer, and in most cases do not progress into cancer in the future. Usually these cell changes will most likely go back to normal without treatment, but a repeat Smear Test is needed to check that the cells have gone usually within 12 months.
CIN2 – Indicates moderate changes; affecting two-thirds of the thickness of the surface layer of the cervix. This is a little bit of a grey area, because they do not want to over treat you if you do not need it. They might want to see you again in a few months time for a Colposcopy to see if the changes are retreating or becoming more apparent.
CIN3 – Indicates more severe changes, although this is not to be confused for cancer; It means that the cells are affecting the full thickness of the surface layer of the cervix, and this is where treatment will be essential.
Colposcopy
As HPV was found in my sample along with borderline changes, I was referred to the clinical investigations unit at my local hospital for a Colposcopy.
A Colposcopy is where they take a closer look at your cervix, so they can get a better idea of what is going on. The procedure does sound daunting but I have to say that it wasn't a bad experience at all.
I was taken into a room to discuss my case with the lady who was going to be conducting my colposcopy, and she was amazing. She took the time to walk me through what was going to happen, and answer all of my questions. I was then lead into another room where there were two nurses, who would assist with the procedure.
I was offered a wrap around to help preserve some of my modesty through the appointment, and then I lay down on a bed with my legs on rests so that they could get to business. There is a television screen that shows your cervix (hey my cervix has now been on TV!) and I got to watch the entire procedure, which was rather amazing in all honesty.
They put some lotions and potions on the cervix so that the abnormal cells are highlighted. I could see white patches on the top and bottom of my cervix. The colposcopist told me that she thought that the bottom changes were nothing to worry about, but she thought that the top changes which were a little more substantial could be CIN 2 or CIN 3.
I recorded the entire audio of my appointment, so if you are due to go for one and are worrying about the procedure... Give this a watch and I guarantee that your mind will relax, The ladies made me feel immediately at ease, we made jokes and it was over in no time at all.
Don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed!
Biopsies were taken and sent away to be tested. Within a few weeks I had a letter back from the hospital with very good news. The cervical changes that had been found were CIN1, this meant that I didn't need any treatment at all at this stage, and I now need to wait for a second Colposcopy letter, which will be for January 2018. Hopefully at this appointment the cells will have reverted to normal, if they haven't then I may require treatment.
For now though my mind is at ease and I am really impressed with just how amazing this whole experience has been.
If you are due a Smear Test, or you have been putting it off like I did, please, please, please go and book it. It could save your life.
Being self employed and working from my home over the last few years has shown me how incredibly valuable it is to have a space dedicated to work. Somewhere I can sit down with a computer (especially since I upgraded my laptop to a full size desktop spec!) and have everything I need within easy reach. I have spent so much time putting my little home office together, especially the fun bits like adding in some character and really being able to make the space I sit and blog, an enjoyable place to be. When I started thinking about what I wanted in my little work bubble, I just had to include an A4 light box on my wall here because I like to leave myself encouraging messages, right now 'Get Stuff Done' seems to be the motto I need in order to get actually get stuff done...Well that and a rather strong cup of coffe... or Two... if I do so much as glance up, there I am telling myself to stop checking my Instagram and carry on writing!
Of course as much fun as it has been to focus on the arty side of having a dedicated office space, I have also had to think realistically, as there is so much one does need when they work from home. I have purchased a lot of nice office supplies from Engelbert Strauss, it's amazing how much ink a blogger can get through! When people ask me what I do, and I tell them that I'm a 'blogger' I have gotten some rather funny looks, because even in 2017 the word 'blog' or 'blogger' is still a relatively new concept. I have explained what I do so many times that it just rings out of my mouth before I have given them the title some days, but more often than not I would say that I run a website and write the content that I feature on said website. It definitely seems to make my life easier, as everyone knows what a website is! That being said though, the next question on everyone's lips is... 'but how do you make money out of a blog!?' And again this can sometimes be quite tricky to explain to someone who didn't even know what a blog was 5 minutes ago! Blogging has been a real eye opener for me, a hobby that has somehow over time evolved into what it is today. Sometimes I have to punch myself and take a step back from this online space that I have built from the ground up. To think that up until just under 3 years ago, only close family and friends even knew about my online persona and I kept the secret for many, many years. When I got made redundant back in 2014, that was when the cat started to escape the bag that it has been guarded in for all that time. More people were naturally finding out, and as the time passed by, I started to feel more confident about what I had built. I guess looking back, the main reason I didn't ever say anything was because I liked having the freedom to write about what I wanted. If I wanted to speak anonymously about my then day job without any social repercussions (not that I would ever go into details of who, what, when, where, because there has to be some form a line that I wouldn't cross! I definitely didn't want to end up in the company search terms on Google if you get my drift!), but it allowed me to speak freely about my personal experiences, and that meant that I could be as honest as nature intended. To this day I still swear by honesty, because honestly is the only way that I intend to write. Whether it's about my personal life, Leo or a review that I am writing for a company, whatever I say reflects on me. Self integrity is key when you are in a position that might encourage someone to purchase the product off the back of something that you have written about an item or product. I want my readers to be able to trust what I say, if I loved something then I will tell you, and I will equally tell you if there was something that I didn't like, because at the end of the day your experience reflects on me. Being a blogger that works from home is an incredible privilege, but it is also work. At times hard work. If you have a deadline to meet, a video to record, edit, publish, photos to take, photos to edit, a feature to write, check and compile with the rest of the content that you have created, and then throw in having the kids out of school, you will soon see just how much time and just how much effort is poured into a blog. I have been lucky enough to work with some incredible brands over the years, I have been sent products that in some instances I could only have ever dreamed of owning. I have attended some fantastic events, met celebrities and had a taste of how the other half lived, but none of this stuff has just been handed to me. I have had to work for it, produce content and socially share my personal thoughts and opinions, but it's easy to look in from the outside and not see just how much work goes into it.
I say this because people see these at times extravagant parcels being delivered, they comment on how amazing it is that I get 'sent so much free stuff', and there was one instance where my income was referred to as 'free money'. YES. FREE MONEY! Of course I couldn't let that one slide, so I turned the situation around. I said that so basically he went to work and they gave him free money for sitting in an office all day. Just because I don't go out to work, I am still putting in time and the content I create, is how I make money. It's no different to a self employed stone mason, or builder, or window cleaner, hair dresser or anyone who makes a living working for themselves. There are times that I really do have to bite my tongue, I do get that people don't understand the concept, and at times it can all seem quite elaborate to the outsider peering in, but what they don't see are the late nights spent putting it all together before it even goes live. Hitting the publish button is the final stage, when the content and the pieces of the jigsaw have all been pieced together. Well... until the social media promotion begins.
April
has arrived and this week is half term. I am so pleased to have Leo at home for
the next fortnight, so as I write this it is just coming up 10pm. As anyone
with children will know, when the holiday's swing around and you work from
home, you just know that you will be pulling a late shift once the little one's
are tucked up in bed for the evening, and that right there is precisely why I
absolutely love being my own boss.
Although
it is only Monday, it seems that this week is turning into a little bit of a
practical one. Today we spent some time doing some gardening, back in August we
moved into a new build and the lawn has been laid somewhat atrociously, so Leo
and I spent the day digging up the completely bald stretch of lawn at the rear
of the garden, and turned it into a flower bed.
Wish list
Tomorrow
I want to get some things done in the house, and that list alone is as long as
my arm. Can you believe that 8 months on, I am still not completely moved
in?
I know,
that fact alone is pretty abysmal, but it is not through lack of trying. There
is always something more demanding and pressing on the horizon. For instance, I
really want to have some roof windows installed, Solstro has some good roof windows
deals. But this
month I have a car MOT that I just know is going to fail... and then 2 months
later my rather impressive car tax just shy of £300 will swing around demanding
a pretty penny.
Because
the next few months are financially pretty tough, I have been thinking up ways
that I can keep Leo entertained without spending money that I don't have right
now (and maybe get that roof window).
A few
weeks back we collected up some stones while we were out walking the puppy, and
today we sat down at the kitchen table and painted them all kind's of weird and
fantastic shades. Leo seemed to really enjoy this, and for the price of some
paint and paint brushes, we definitely didn't break the bank.
If all
else fails, bake a cake! Relinquish the parental controls and hand your little
one the mixing bowl and the spoon. In fact go as far to let them crack the eggs
and make their own creation. Today Leo made his own version of a chocolate
cake, and instead of cocoa with used Galaxy Hot Chocolate Powder, you
can get them at any supermarket. The next baked good on our list are easter
nests and of course rice crispy cakes.
This is
an essential for us, because if we skip this we have one excited Dalmatian on
our hands, and if you have seen the size of Lux
recently... You will see how this could be problematic! Of course getting Leo
to consent to these essential exercise regimes while he isn't at school can be
pretty tricky. Walking is not Leo's favorite pass time, and he let's you know
about this. So we are filling this next fortnight up with plenty of Easter Egg
hunts!
Easter
chocolates aren't expensive, and it means that we can do a fair few laps while
Leo busily hunts out the chocolate treats!
Go on a
Bike Ride
Whether
it's a bike ride, out and about on a scooter or watching the kids tear it up in
their electric car. Step outside and enjoy this beautiful weather we have been
gifted, it's free and if you throw in a picnic, you have the absolute perfect
afternoon planned.
A few
other inexpensive ideas are:
- Put
on a DVD and have a movie night at home
- Play
a board game
- Have
a family game of Mario Kart on the Wii U
- Let
your 5 year old teach you to play Minecraft.... BEWARE: This will take ALL day!
- If
all else fails.... Go to the park.
The
holiday's don't have to cost an arm and a leg, it really is about planning. We
might only be a day into the half term break, but so far we have already
started to paint the many stones we brought home with us, attempted to fly a
kite on our dog walk (note the 'attempted'), watched Harry Potter and the Order
of the Phoenix and cooked up a rather scrummy cake.
