For all you people who've been holding your breath since I said I'd do a shop at Lidl to compare prices one day, you'll be glad to know I did so today... Basically they work out about the same - some stuff's more, some stuff's less. The shop came to just under £40 for the week. It has to be said Lidl's melon's are pretty impressive - look very good quality and big, and only £1 each (Aldi's are small, shrivelled and £1.49!). However, Lidl don't stock some pretty basic things like oatcakes, rice cakes and cocoa powder, and I wanted two carrots but they didn't sell them loose so I would have had to buy a bag which would have only led to waste. Lidl also don't sell Salt n' Shake crisps which I like to get because we just don't salt them which is better for everyone (though actually we keep crisps and chocolate bars in Josh's car now so the kids and I aren't tempted by them which means they're actually available for his lunches but he prefers them with no salt anyway).
So, I'm sticking with Aldi from here on in, which makes more sense petrol-wise as well because I drive past it everyday :) I really need to start taking my own bags though - I always forget and now have a cupboard full of them because I'm determined to put them in a recycling collection point eventually!
As an interesting aside, I asked the cashier guy when he'd started his shift coz he seemed bored and he said 6am (it was now about 10:45am). So I wondered when he was on until and he said 7pm! He's still there now and I'm about to put the kids to bed!! So I asked how many breaks he gets and the answer was one! - for half an hour!! Man, it's good to have a job and everything but I don't blame him for looking bored! I asked him how many hours he does in a week, figuring the bonus of long shifts is less days in work, but the answer was 50!! - so he's still there 5 days. I assumed he must just need/want to do that but it turned out most of the employees work those hours. Flip! It made me feel so grateful that I get to be a fulltime mummy, even if it does mean we have less money than we would if I worked. Ooh, that's something I'm thankful for - how fitting for my blog!
Another interesting point I learnt is that the owners of Aldi and Lidl are brothers! Credit to my mum for that piece of knowledge! I wonder how that affects their relationship.. I assume they're in competition with each other and therefore don't share their business secrets but maybe they work together, a bit like Coke and Pepsi?
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Monday, 23 January 2012
Weekly shop halfprice!
I did our weekly shop today. When I arrived at Aldi I realised I didn't have my bank card with me but thankfully had a tenner and some coins in my pocket, plus the money that my parents had given me to pay me back for the shoes I bought for my 2 yr old recently which they had said they would get. So that meant I had £45.50 to do my whole week's grocery shopping with (and that was including the £1 in the trolley)!
At first I was annoyed with myself for leaving my card behind but then I was quite excited by the challenge! After all, the money management course we did recently said cash-only is the way to go. So I went round with my list choosing the cheapest possible options of everything, and keeping a running total of it all in my head (well, outloud actually). This isn't easy when simultaneously trying to passify a toddler and have pleasantries with other shoppers but I managed it and it was really exciting that we managed to get all our shopping without having to do a second trip with more money! It came to a total of £41.32 - for a full week's shop!! Usually I could easily spend about £100... So Aldi (or I guess Lidl) and cash is the way to do it if you're in a position not to be choosey!
Much of it was the same stuff as my last shop that I posted about. The rest came to a total of £6.70, which would have been £6.40 in Sainsbury's so that's interesting. But I would be tempted/blinded by the array of options in Sainsbury's which in itself makes me spend more than the bare minimum. I'm surprised though - I thought there'd be at least a notable saving! I'll shop in Lidl next week and see how it compares! Anyway, overall I did make a significant saving so it was worth it :)
I mentioned tubes of yoghurt in my other food shop post; I looked at the other options today and discovered little fromage frais pots are 69p for 6, ie 11p each so definitely cheaper than tubes. So, as the pots are quick to eat and my 5 yr old has no problem opening them, they're replacing the tubes in his packed lunches! Oh, and they did have bog standard porridge oats today :) Plus it turns out they do usually have rice cakes, they just haven't had any in lately.. Josh got a pack of the big lightly salted ones in Home Bargains today though, for 39p :) Also, I managed to get two packs of free Huggies from Boots (with vouchers)! They're cheaper in Boots than the supermarkets btw (£6.50 a pack) though I believe Costco is the best place for nappy bargains if anyone wants to shop around.
I'm thankful for what I'm learning about budgeting and spending through this, for the fact we had enough cash on us for our week's shopping today, and for the feeling of achievement in my mental arithmetic amidst multi-tasking today! Also thankful for prayer meeting with other parents from school this evening and for friends to hang out with after school :) Thankful for a husband at home to look after kids so I could go to prayer meeting! And for wellies given to us two days ago which, though 3 sizes too big, saved our bacon in school today otherwise 5 yr old wouldn't have been able to play out as we can only find one of each of his pairs of shoewear!!
At first I was annoyed with myself for leaving my card behind but then I was quite excited by the challenge! After all, the money management course we did recently said cash-only is the way to go. So I went round with my list choosing the cheapest possible options of everything, and keeping a running total of it all in my head (well, outloud actually). This isn't easy when simultaneously trying to passify a toddler and have pleasantries with other shoppers but I managed it and it was really exciting that we managed to get all our shopping without having to do a second trip with more money! It came to a total of £41.32 - for a full week's shop!! Usually I could easily spend about £100... So Aldi (or I guess Lidl) and cash is the way to do it if you're in a position not to be choosey!
Much of it was the same stuff as my last shop that I posted about. The rest came to a total of £6.70, which would have been £6.40 in Sainsbury's so that's interesting. But I would be tempted/blinded by the array of options in Sainsbury's which in itself makes me spend more than the bare minimum. I'm surprised though - I thought there'd be at least a notable saving! I'll shop in Lidl next week and see how it compares! Anyway, overall I did make a significant saving so it was worth it :)
I mentioned tubes of yoghurt in my other food shop post; I looked at the other options today and discovered little fromage frais pots are 69p for 6, ie 11p each so definitely cheaper than tubes. So, as the pots are quick to eat and my 5 yr old has no problem opening them, they're replacing the tubes in his packed lunches! Oh, and they did have bog standard porridge oats today :) Plus it turns out they do usually have rice cakes, they just haven't had any in lately.. Josh got a pack of the big lightly salted ones in Home Bargains today though, for 39p :) Also, I managed to get two packs of free Huggies from Boots (with vouchers)! They're cheaper in Boots than the supermarkets btw (£6.50 a pack) though I believe Costco is the best place for nappy bargains if anyone wants to shop around.
I'm thankful for what I'm learning about budgeting and spending through this, for the fact we had enough cash on us for our week's shopping today, and for the feeling of achievement in my mental arithmetic amidst multi-tasking today! Also thankful for prayer meeting with other parents from school this evening and for friends to hang out with after school :) Thankful for a husband at home to look after kids so I could go to prayer meeting! And for wellies given to us two days ago which, though 3 sizes too big, saved our bacon in school today otherwise 5 yr old wouldn't have been able to play out as we can only find one of each of his pairs of shoewear!!
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Changing eating habits
In response to various nudges including looking into achieving optimum calcium/magnesium absorption (for my 2 yr old's teeth), wanting to reduce/stop my refined sugar cravings/intake, and thinking about how fast human eating has changed over relatively recent history compared to how slow the process of evolution/digestive adaptation is, I've been reading about the Raw Food Diet (primariy eating fruit) and I've decided to try it in the mornings and see how it goes, so watch this space!
It would be too expensive and impractical with my family to take it on 24/7 but, as fruit does you much more good on an empty stomach, it makes sense to have it for breakfast and morning snacks (cooked food/protein takes longer to digest than fruit so if it's in your system before the fruit then the fruit has to sit in the stomach longer than it should and ends up fermenting which has repercussions).
Minerals-wise I've recently increased our dairy intake significantly for the sake of my 2 yr old's teeth but I've now learnt that the calcium in dairy is there because of the calcium in the plants the cows eat, and that's the better source - it's more bioavailable and comes with magnesium (arguably more important for bones and teeth than calcium) as well as vitamin D (needed for absorption of calcium and from food as well as sunlight).
I'm obviously just using the Raw Food Diet as inspiration, but this probably helps explain some of my thought on it:
"I suspect that as a species, there probably is a fairly uniform diet that will produce optimal health for most people. That certainly seems to be the case for other animal species. You don’t see other animals debating what they should eat. Human beings, however, have strayed quite a bit from a natural diet. Other species don’t cook their food, or add salt [and] sugar... These changes affect our physiology and taste buds. Human beings aren’t evolving to thrive on harmful substances just because we consume a lot of them; at best we merely adapt to tolerate them more easily. Our bodies do the best they can before finally succumbing to heart disease, cancer, etc.
It seems unlikely to me that some human beings were evolved to thrive on certain foods while some weren’t. I don’t doubt that we vary in our ability to ingest a wide variety of edible matter. But I’m more interested in what fundamental diet we can all thrive on, not merely survive on. Just because we can tolerate a food doesn’t mean we should. We can drink large quantities of alcohol. We can eat cooked food. We can eat goat’s testicles if we want. But just because we can eat something doesn’t mean we should.
...From what I’ve seen, the evidence strongly indicates that human beings were meant to thrive on a diet of raw fruit, some vegetables (especially greens), and possibly some nuts and seeds, and that’s all."
It would be too expensive and impractical with my family to take it on 24/7 but, as fruit does you much more good on an empty stomach, it makes sense to have it for breakfast and morning snacks (cooked food/protein takes longer to digest than fruit so if it's in your system before the fruit then the fruit has to sit in the stomach longer than it should and ends up fermenting which has repercussions).
Minerals-wise I've recently increased our dairy intake significantly for the sake of my 2 yr old's teeth but I've now learnt that the calcium in dairy is there because of the calcium in the plants the cows eat, and that's the better source - it's more bioavailable and comes with magnesium (arguably more important for bones and teeth than calcium) as well as vitamin D (needed for absorption of calcium and from food as well as sunlight).
I'm obviously just using the Raw Food Diet as inspiration, but this probably helps explain some of my thought on it:
"I suspect that as a species, there probably is a fairly uniform diet that will produce optimal health for most people. That certainly seems to be the case for other animal species. You don’t see other animals debating what they should eat. Human beings, however, have strayed quite a bit from a natural diet. Other species don’t cook their food, or add salt [and] sugar... These changes affect our physiology and taste buds. Human beings aren’t evolving to thrive on harmful substances just because we consume a lot of them; at best we merely adapt to tolerate them more easily. Our bodies do the best they can before finally succumbing to heart disease, cancer, etc.
It seems unlikely to me that some human beings were evolved to thrive on certain foods while some weren’t. I don’t doubt that we vary in our ability to ingest a wide variety of edible matter. But I’m more interested in what fundamental diet we can all thrive on, not merely survive on. Just because we can tolerate a food doesn’t mean we should. We can drink large quantities of alcohol. We can eat cooked food. We can eat goat’s testicles if we want. But just because we can eat something doesn’t mean we should.
...From what I’ve seen, the evidence strongly indicates that human beings were meant to thrive on a diet of raw fruit, some vegetables (especially greens), and possibly some nuts and seeds, and that’s all."
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Oops!
Today I'm thankful for friends coming back after school whose company I and the kids all enjoy muchly :) I am definitely energised by people so being with them at the 'grot-slot' time of day (ie tired hungry children and wife ready for husband's help upon his return from work) defintely gives me a timely boost!
I asked the family what they were thankful for today. Josh said cups of tea, I said the above and my 5 yr old said his craft box that he got for Christmas, which he was making a 'sparkle stick' with at the time (his invention)!
5 yr old also wrote another thank you letter today. He enjoys doing these :) Today it was to the family that came round after school. He thanked them for coming, for playing mummies and daddies with him (he likes girls company for this type of play - with boys he tends to want to make things and play outdoors), for their Christmas cards and for going to school and playing with him there! I guess these aren't so much things that they have particularly done *for* him except for the cards (not that they don't do things for him - just that he didn't pick those things!) but the point is that he appreciates them and their company I guess - so in that sense it is an expression of gratitude :)
I'm thankful for a fun music session with reception this morning, for the privilege of being so involved with my 5 yr old's school life including being his partner in maths today and him sitting next to me while I took assembly yesterday :) For my mum and dad taking my 2 yr old to the park this morning where it was clear how much fun he had by the muck he was covered in upon return, and the big grin on his face! I love my boys :) For his leftover sandwiches from my mum, which became my lunch that I would otherwise have had to wait a bit longer for, and make for myself (I was very hungry!).
And for the fact that when I was happily in the throws of housework I realised it was suddenly ten minutes after school pick-up time, which gave me *just* enough time to bundle 2 yr old in the car and get down there before we're supoosed to have vacated the premises! Oh, and for the fact I knew 5 yr old would be fine and looked after despite me having no way of contacting anyone (lost phone) even if I was too late :)
I asked the family what they were thankful for today. Josh said cups of tea, I said the above and my 5 yr old said his craft box that he got for Christmas, which he was making a 'sparkle stick' with at the time (his invention)!
5 yr old also wrote another thank you letter today. He enjoys doing these :) Today it was to the family that came round after school. He thanked them for coming, for playing mummies and daddies with him (he likes girls company for this type of play - with boys he tends to want to make things and play outdoors), for their Christmas cards and for going to school and playing with him there! I guess these aren't so much things that they have particularly done *for* him except for the cards (not that they don't do things for him - just that he didn't pick those things!) but the point is that he appreciates them and their company I guess - so in that sense it is an expression of gratitude :)
I'm thankful for a fun music session with reception this morning, for the privilege of being so involved with my 5 yr old's school life including being his partner in maths today and him sitting next to me while I took assembly yesterday :) For my mum and dad taking my 2 yr old to the park this morning where it was clear how much fun he had by the muck he was covered in upon return, and the big grin on his face! I love my boys :) For his leftover sandwiches from my mum, which became my lunch that I would otherwise have had to wait a bit longer for, and make for myself (I was very hungry!).
And for the fact that when I was happily in the throws of housework I realised it was suddenly ten minutes after school pick-up time, which gave me *just* enough time to bundle 2 yr old in the car and get down there before we're supoosed to have vacated the premises! Oh, and for the fact I knew 5 yr old would be fine and looked after despite me having no way of contacting anyone (lost phone) even if I was too late :)
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Friends galore :)
Today I'm thankful for new friends. For a fun evening of fondue at one of their houses. For my 2 year old going to sleep with his daddy instead of me for the first time ever yesterday! And that he did it again today :) For my 5 yr old's chirpy chattiness :) For the buns we baked this afternoon! For a holiday in Cornwall to look forward to (which we're not paying for)! That Josh was able to get time off work for said holiday. For the fun songs I've been belting out with my 5 yr old in the car to the CD of songs his school will be singing in the musical they're performing at our open morning. Can't wait for it! Let me know if you fancy coming along; it's going to be fantastic!
Thankful for a relaxed morning at another new friend's who has amazing squash (Bottle Green's Spiced Berry - tastes like mulled wine)! - particularly appreciated by me as a non tea/coffee drinker :) Thankful for our other new friends coming round after school, and for the day being lighter a bit later now so the kids could play in the garden for at least an hour after school :) For a laid-back landlord who I'm not overly worried about seeing the 2 yr old scribble all over the walls... And for baked potatoes cooked slowly in the oven :) They just don't compare to microwave-blasted ones!
Thankful for a relaxed morning at another new friend's who has amazing squash (Bottle Green's Spiced Berry - tastes like mulled wine)! - particularly appreciated by me as a non tea/coffee drinker :) Thankful for our other new friends coming round after school, and for the day being lighter a bit later now so the kids could play in the garden for at least an hour after school :) For a laid-back landlord who I'm not overly worried about seeing the 2 yr old scribble all over the walls... And for baked potatoes cooked slowly in the oven :) They just don't compare to microwave-blasted ones!
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Money and food
I did a shop in Aldi today for the same stuff I bought in Sainsbury's recently. It was mainly just for packed lunch and snack supplies thanks to not having to cook a single meal in the house last week! The total in Sainsbury's came to £54.78. At Aldi today it was £38.76. What do you think? I think when you need to be scrimping and saving as we do at the moment every penny counts, so saving £15 is worth it, even if you do have to compromise on quality here and there. Obviously if I had been doing a big shop I would have saved more.. I'll try Lidl next time and report back! There were 4 items on my list I couldn't get in Aldi: plain/slightly salted rice cakes, Huggies nappies, yoghurt pouches and porridge (well, they do sell porridge but not just basic oats - it's with stuff added, and costs more as well). I got yoghurt tubes instead of the pouches but think will just get little fromage frais pots next time if cheaper as 5 yr old fine opening them and they're quick to consume, which were my two reasons for getting the pouches in Sainsbury's (he actually finds the tubes harder than the pots so it makes little sense to buy the tubes, especially if I'm paying a premium, which I need to check). So it's just the rice cakes, Huggies and porridge I will need to source elsewhere. I can't compromise on Huggies because no other brand holds my boys' wee in all night!
Ordinarily I would be quite particular about the specifics of my groceries but Josh and I did a money management course recently and the point was made there that it's wise, and not selfish, to protect your own poverty before you can really start being a help to other people with your finances. So, while I still go for fairtrade banana's and freerange eggs, I tell myself it doesn't make me a bad person/mum to buy non-organic yoghurt, with refined sugar in it or non-organic milk in a plastic bottle or value butter/bread/ham or non-organic apples/cheese/potatoes or disposable baby products (actually they cost more, depending on how you launder nappies etc, but for various reasons I had to switch anyway, though 'at least' I stop myself from reaching for the 'eco-friendly' disposable wipes at the moment). I know God wants me to thrive not just survive but we need to be good stewards of our money too (ie responsible with it) and at the moment the reality is our finances need to go elsewhere. You've got to do what you've got to do :) I'm thankful for that course; it was really helpful and has made me much more aware of where our money goes and how to gain control over it.
Ordinarily I would be quite particular about the specifics of my groceries but Josh and I did a money management course recently and the point was made there that it's wise, and not selfish, to protect your own poverty before you can really start being a help to other people with your finances. So, while I still go for fairtrade banana's and freerange eggs, I tell myself it doesn't make me a bad person/mum to buy non-organic yoghurt, with refined sugar in it or non-organic milk in a plastic bottle or value butter/bread/ham or non-organic apples/cheese/potatoes or disposable baby products (actually they cost more, depending on how you launder nappies etc, but for various reasons I had to switch anyway, though 'at least' I stop myself from reaching for the 'eco-friendly' disposable wipes at the moment). I know God wants me to thrive not just survive but we need to be good stewards of our money too (ie responsible with it) and at the moment the reality is our finances need to go elsewhere. You've got to do what you've got to do :) I'm thankful for that course; it was really helpful and has made me much more aware of where our money goes and how to gain control over it.
Sunday, 15 January 2012
I'm one blessed bunny :)
This has felt like a very long week but packed with lots of fun and company :) I feel thankful for that :) It has also had some significantly stressful moments but I have survived; how could I not be thankful for that?!! Had a lovely moment on Friday when 2 yr old was asleep in car and 5 yr old was at school, and I spotted an old friend walking down the street, so I pulled up and gave her a lift to where she was headed, which made her early - so we sat in the car and chatted for about 40 minutes - love unexpected blessings like that - thank you God :)
Thankful for good friends at school taking 5 yr old there and then to the park afterwards while I was sorting out car issues. Thankful one of said friends lives round the corner, especially as only realised when it was time to leave, that I had no accessable car! Thankful that the bus going past the garage that I took the car to, turned out to be the one which goes all the way from my area to my parents', so I hopped on with 2 yr old and before we knew it we were being fed and looked after again! - and bumping into more old friends at the toddler group by my parents' :) Thankful for how well I've been looked after all week :)
Thankful my husband has a job he enjoys and which doesn't have him stuck in an office all the time but gives him things to look forward to and sunlight and fresh air and changes of scene and interesting things to hear about.
Thankful that God made us because he wanted children and friends and people to shower His love on regardless of where we're at, and that He doesn't view us as measly little unworthy worms but as precious sons and daughters.
Thankful for the free farm we visited yesterday which 2 yr old especially enjoyed, as well as 5 yr old, and Grandpa (who was probably the only person all day to show the pigs [an extended period of] affection!). Thankful the kids went to sleep relatively early last night so I managed to catch up with emails etc (though not my blog, which I forgot about!).
Thankful for my 5 yr old having the confidence and desire to go to the big kids group and stay without me so I could relieve my dad from looking after my 2 yr old in the littlies group at my parents' church this morning. Thankful for the lovely lady who was running the big kids group and really helped 5 yr old feel welcome and at ease without over-doing it. Thankful for the fun we all had at the museum and park this afternoon. For the museum itself and the fact that it's wam and free and open on Sundays!
And last but by no means least, for food and heating! xxx
Thankful for good friends at school taking 5 yr old there and then to the park afterwards while I was sorting out car issues. Thankful one of said friends lives round the corner, especially as only realised when it was time to leave, that I had no accessable car! Thankful that the bus going past the garage that I took the car to, turned out to be the one which goes all the way from my area to my parents', so I hopped on with 2 yr old and before we knew it we were being fed and looked after again! - and bumping into more old friends at the toddler group by my parents' :) Thankful for how well I've been looked after all week :)
Thankful my husband has a job he enjoys and which doesn't have him stuck in an office all the time but gives him things to look forward to and sunlight and fresh air and changes of scene and interesting things to hear about.
Thankful that God made us because he wanted children and friends and people to shower His love on regardless of where we're at, and that He doesn't view us as measly little unworthy worms but as precious sons and daughters.
Thankful for the free farm we visited yesterday which 2 yr old especially enjoyed, as well as 5 yr old, and Grandpa (who was probably the only person all day to show the pigs [an extended period of] affection!). Thankful the kids went to sleep relatively early last night so I managed to catch up with emails etc (though not my blog, which I forgot about!).
Thankful for my 5 yr old having the confidence and desire to go to the big kids group and stay without me so I could relieve my dad from looking after my 2 yr old in the littlies group at my parents' church this morning. Thankful for the lovely lady who was running the big kids group and really helped 5 yr old feel welcome and at ease without over-doing it. Thankful for the fun we all had at the museum and park this afternoon. For the museum itself and the fact that it's wam and free and open on Sundays!
And last but by no means least, for food and heating! xxx
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Danke Schoen
Sorry most posts seem to begin with the same words but... Today I'm thankful for.. my 2 year old having a fun morning out at a lovely park with my mum while I had a nice morning in school doing things such as chatting with 6 year olds about how confusing it is that 'blue' isn't spelt 'blew' or 'bloo', spinning and twirling with 4 and 5 year olds to some classical music and singing Away in a Manger getting faster and slower depending on where I held my hand :) The puppets didn't go down so well (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they went down too well..) so I moved on fairly speedily from them in the end! Also enjoyed extended playtime with reception as ever :) Thankful for all these things :)
For stealing a bit of book-time while 2 year old slept at lunchtime. For getting some housework in with him this afternoon. For a calm time at my parents' after school while 2 year old had a bath and 5 yr old played happily with his knights and castle (which we built there and I'm not sure how I'm going to transport it back to our house now becasue it's pretty sizeable..). For the yummy meatballs we had there and the fact there are enough left over for 5 yr old's lunch tomorrow :) For the children getting to sleep without it being unbearably stressful - I managed to keep my cool through the hyperactive slot (thank you God!) which seems to have appeared this week between teatime and bed..
I'm planning on introducing a quiet, concentration-requiring activity time in this slot because it seems to be needed to help them wind down rather than up. A friend this week suggested blue playdough with lavender essential oil in it - certainly sounds therapeutic to me :)
For stealing a bit of book-time while 2 year old slept at lunchtime. For getting some housework in with him this afternoon. For a calm time at my parents' after school while 2 year old had a bath and 5 yr old played happily with his knights and castle (which we built there and I'm not sure how I'm going to transport it back to our house now becasue it's pretty sizeable..). For the yummy meatballs we had there and the fact there are enough left over for 5 yr old's lunch tomorrow :) For the children getting to sleep without it being unbearably stressful - I managed to keep my cool through the hyperactive slot (thank you God!) which seems to have appeared this week between teatime and bed..
I'm planning on introducing a quiet, concentration-requiring activity time in this slot because it seems to be needed to help them wind down rather than up. A friend this week suggested blue playdough with lavender essential oil in it - certainly sounds therapeutic to me :)
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Merci!
Today I'm thankful for my mum coming round and cleaning for me while I was out!! And for the lovely time my 2yr old and I were having at our freind's house at the time. For her hospitality and child-friendly house :) For the children praying for each other in 'Bible Focus' (assembly) this morning - always like that - very touching :) For my 5 yr old having fun out at his friend's house for tea after school. It's the first time he's done that without me; I didn't even have to pick him up from school to take him there because the other mum took him! 2 yr old and I did join them later because we wanted some company too! Thankful for the playdough fun we had together in the meantime and for the tidying/sorting I got done this afternoon. For the children getting off to sleep quickly.
And that I get to do music with reception - lots of fun! Planning for it now - think we'll explore the sounds our voices can make, maybe using puppets, and respond to some classical music with our bodies :) Might write another little song with them as well; was fun last time we did that - they made one up to the tune of I'm a Little Tea Pot, but all about the toddler in the room who was with us! It's all about enjoying music and experimenting with our voices :)
And that I get to do music with reception - lots of fun! Planning for it now - think we'll explore the sounds our voices can make, maybe using puppets, and respond to some classical music with our bodies :) Might write another little song with them as well; was fun last time we did that - they made one up to the tune of I'm a Little Tea Pot, but all about the toddler in the room who was with us! It's all about enjoying music and experimenting with our voices :)
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Flippin' wee
Today I'm thankful for the warm bed I'm about to get into. I'm thankful for my parents helping with the kids this evening and feeding us some delicious food. For lovely sunny, crisp weather. For a fixed toilet flush. And for fresh bedding that I managed to get on amidst hyperactive activity. It got wee'd on as soon as I'd put it on but it had taken so much effort I don't care; it was only in the corner at the foot end anyway... Neeeed sleeeeeeeep...
Monday, 9 January 2012
The day before tomorrow
Thankful the lessons I was doing went well today. For Caroline looking after my 2 year old for the first hour. For my mum coming and getting keys cut for them so she can call in every so often and help with my cleaning when I'm out :) For Lorna having us round for play and tea after school, and our children really enjoying playing together pretending to be a little family on Christmas night/morning, putting the stockings out and opening them :)
Very tired now. Night night!
Very tired now. Night night!
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Liverpool
Had an action-packed day today! Thankful the kids slept relatively well last night so I had sufficient energy for it! Thankful for my parents' church as somewhere to take the children this morning early enough to provide entertainment for the slot in the day before heading off to Liverpool, which is what I was excited about yesterday :) Thankful 2 yr old slept on the way and 5 yr old happily listened to James and the Giant Peach!
Saw the new floor in the hall of our house there - very pleased with it - much better than all the cracked tiles that greeted visitors before! Thankful that it's done well and I like it :) Thankful for 5 yr old's friend's invite to his birthday party which is the main reason we went over - was lovely catching up with those friends, and nice that the kids happily played on the equipment while I chatted :) Thankful for lovely friends having us round for tea and a play afterwards, who live minutes away from the play centre we had been at for the party, which was with a different set of friends. The food and company were delightful as ever :) And thankful for a straight-forward journey home with one sleeping child and one listening to The Famous Five :) Finally, thankful bedtime was successful despite a few tired tears. Thank you God for all the good things in my life, and for being with me through the less so xxx
Saw the new floor in the hall of our house there - very pleased with it - much better than all the cracked tiles that greeted visitors before! Thankful that it's done well and I like it :) Thankful for 5 yr old's friend's invite to his birthday party which is the main reason we went over - was lovely catching up with those friends, and nice that the kids happily played on the equipment while I chatted :) Thankful for lovely friends having us round for tea and a play afterwards, who live minutes away from the play centre we had been at for the party, which was with a different set of friends. The food and company were delightful as ever :) And thankful for a straight-forward journey home with one sleeping child and one listening to The Famous Five :) Finally, thankful bedtime was successful despite a few tired tears. Thank you God for all the good things in my life, and for being with me through the less so xxx
Saturday, 7 January 2012
Thankfulness and kids work logisitics! (Yes they can go together!)
I went into the lounge earlier to deal with the inevitable carnage of an unsupervised playdough session only to find the playdough NOWHERE in sight. This was worrying! I then found where my 5 yr old had put it, thankfully all in one clump - sealed in an airtight container in the fridge! How sweet is that! That definitely made me feel thankful!
I'm also thankful for the amazing wooden castle with kngiht figures that my friend gave us today, and that my parents helped build it (it had lots of pieces to assemble)! I'd been thinking the kids would like one but haven't had the money to spend on one. My 5 yr old loves it! My 2 yr old's quite excited too :) Hopefully we won't end up in the same situation as its previous owners who fell out over it all the time, hence it being passed on..
I'm thankful that my 2 yr old had an early nap which meant we were able to call the Crucible theatre last minute and get tickets for today's final showing of The Hare and The Tortoise which was on at what would otherwise have been his naptime :) I'm thankful too, that my mum paid for it and the parking! It was good fun and really intimate, in the 'Studio'. Just two actors in it, one of them a talented musician and the other extraudinarily talented at being animated - I was awe-struck by her facial expressions! She was the tortoise. As we entered the theatre there was a bundle in the middle of the set, which we were sitting around, and it turned out to be her! My 5 yr old loved it! Thankful for that :) My 2 yr old was relatively engaged as well; I'm thankful he sat quietly content the whole time, and that we had healthy snacks which helped!
I'm thankful that we're in such a child-embracing church! I took the kids to an informal family prayer activity gathering this afternoon, and am going to make a family prayer appointment for us all where the hope is that the kids in church will receive words of affirmation and hope for their future from their heavenly Father, and the parents will be helped to see their kids through God’s eyes and be able to see the big picture for their children's lives :) Also love the whole no-pressure ethos re parent rota's for covering the children's groups on Sunday mornings :) - to quote the email from the children's groups co-ordinator, "..if there is any reason why you are unable to help in the groups, or if you do not regularly attend here, just let me know and I’ll take you off the rota. Similarly if there are particular weeks that you are unable to do, ..then let me know and I’ll take that into account when putting the rota together." This air of grace helps me want to help and also to feel valued as a person not just as a need-filler :) I would like to think that it won't negatively affect others on the rota too much if some parents stand down for a term or more (meaning others may have to step up more than they otherwise would) because in another season of life we will no doubt have different ones of us helping the others out as situations change for the better or worse in each of our lives. It's a big church with a lot of children and every week seems to be different so I'm really impressed that they manage to remain so flexible and gracious - especially in this area :)
Finally I'm thankful that Josh got his train no probs this am and that I got the kids to bed successfully by myself :) Oh, and that I have an exciting day to look forward to tomorrow!
I hope and pray that anyone reading this (which may well be no-one!), is able to think of things they feel thankful for xxx
I'm also thankful for the amazing wooden castle with kngiht figures that my friend gave us today, and that my parents helped build it (it had lots of pieces to assemble)! I'd been thinking the kids would like one but haven't had the money to spend on one. My 5 yr old loves it! My 2 yr old's quite excited too :) Hopefully we won't end up in the same situation as its previous owners who fell out over it all the time, hence it being passed on..
I'm thankful that my 2 yr old had an early nap which meant we were able to call the Crucible theatre last minute and get tickets for today's final showing of The Hare and The Tortoise which was on at what would otherwise have been his naptime :) I'm thankful too, that my mum paid for it and the parking! It was good fun and really intimate, in the 'Studio'. Just two actors in it, one of them a talented musician and the other extraudinarily talented at being animated - I was awe-struck by her facial expressions! She was the tortoise. As we entered the theatre there was a bundle in the middle of the set, which we were sitting around, and it turned out to be her! My 5 yr old loved it! Thankful for that :) My 2 yr old was relatively engaged as well; I'm thankful he sat quietly content the whole time, and that we had healthy snacks which helped!
I'm thankful that we're in such a child-embracing church! I took the kids to an informal family prayer activity gathering this afternoon, and am going to make a family prayer appointment for us all where the hope is that the kids in church will receive words of affirmation and hope for their future from their heavenly Father, and the parents will be helped to see their kids through God’s eyes and be able to see the big picture for their children's lives :) Also love the whole no-pressure ethos re parent rota's for covering the children's groups on Sunday mornings :) - to quote the email from the children's groups co-ordinator, "..if there is any reason why you are unable to help in the groups, or if you do not regularly attend here, just let me know and I’ll take you off the rota. Similarly if there are particular weeks that you are unable to do, ..then let me know and I’ll take that into account when putting the rota together." This air of grace helps me want to help and also to feel valued as a person not just as a need-filler :) I would like to think that it won't negatively affect others on the rota too much if some parents stand down for a term or more (meaning others may have to step up more than they otherwise would) because in another season of life we will no doubt have different ones of us helping the others out as situations change for the better or worse in each of our lives. It's a big church with a lot of children and every week seems to be different so I'm really impressed that they manage to remain so flexible and gracious - especially in this area :)
Finally I'm thankful that Josh got his train no probs this am and that I got the kids to bed successfully by myself :) Oh, and that I have an exciting day to look forward to tomorrow!
I hope and pray that anyone reading this (which may well be no-one!), is able to think of things they feel thankful for xxx
Friday, 6 January 2012
Lovely weather
My 5 yr old dictated a thank you letter to me today on one of his new pirate notelets :) It was to one of his friends at school who I'll call Bob. He was thanking Bob for various things; primarily the fact that Bob 'lets' him play in his car after school most days, but also for the things Bob sometimes makes for him in school and the present Bob gave him for his birthday. Bob had a bit of a meltdown yesterday when we had to leave prior to any car interior action...
We added to our wall of gratitude today. My 2 yr old had thanked me for a Stringy Cheese earlier so I put that for him (who was asleep when we were doing it anyway). Josh's thankfulness today was for a car to drive to work in, me tidying the house and his work email now working on his mobile (to me that doesn't sound good but it will be useful for him when he's away on business!), and my 5 yr old said a few such as the programme about the sea that he watched with Josh the other day, the craft box he got for Christmas (he LOVES making things! Today it was shields and decorative boomerangs..). He was also thankful for hot chocolate and chocolate (who isn't?!) :)
I'm thankful today for a relativey calm playdough-making session with my 2 yr old which he, later joined by his brother, had creative fun with :) 5 yr old made it into "worm and slug pie" and spent ages decorating it. It's now in an airtight container in the fridge. Hopefully this'll last longer than yesterday's.. I'm thankful for the new batch of biscuits I made today, this time with currants in (much better!), and for the ridiculously simple recipe I make them from which I got on a cooking course for 2 yr olds that I went on with my now 5 yr old with my now 2 yr old crawling around us :) I'm thankful that my 5 yr old enjoyed his first Friday in school (spent mainly playing, cutting and sticking, and also being introduced to the fun world of computers..) and that Fridays there are half days. For the lovely mild afternoon that we spent in the sunny park across the road from school with some of the other familes :) And for my 2 yr old's early nap that he had today that allowed me to tidy the house with plenty of time left to spend with him once he woke (which did include hoovering and washing up!) :) I'm also thankful for an amazing builder friend in Liverpool who's been replacing our hall floor over the last couple of days and I know he will have done an excellent job in our absence. For getting my bridesmaid dress in the post for April and having a lovely phonecall with the bride-to-be who lives in Liverpool (I got to try the dress on while 2 yr old was asleep this am!). For Rauld Dahl books enjoyed by adults and children alike :) For affectionately lively children and for a much needed prolongued and meaningful hug with a mum at school :)
2 yr old didn't eat tea today (omlette); I really hope he sleeps...
We added to our wall of gratitude today. My 2 yr old had thanked me for a Stringy Cheese earlier so I put that for him (who was asleep when we were doing it anyway). Josh's thankfulness today was for a car to drive to work in, me tidying the house and his work email now working on his mobile (to me that doesn't sound good but it will be useful for him when he's away on business!), and my 5 yr old said a few such as the programme about the sea that he watched with Josh the other day, the craft box he got for Christmas (he LOVES making things! Today it was shields and decorative boomerangs..). He was also thankful for hot chocolate and chocolate (who isn't?!) :)
I'm thankful today for a relativey calm playdough-making session with my 2 yr old which he, later joined by his brother, had creative fun with :) 5 yr old made it into "worm and slug pie" and spent ages decorating it. It's now in an airtight container in the fridge. Hopefully this'll last longer than yesterday's.. I'm thankful for the new batch of biscuits I made today, this time with currants in (much better!), and for the ridiculously simple recipe I make them from which I got on a cooking course for 2 yr olds that I went on with my now 5 yr old with my now 2 yr old crawling around us :) I'm thankful that my 5 yr old enjoyed his first Friday in school (spent mainly playing, cutting and sticking, and also being introduced to the fun world of computers..) and that Fridays there are half days. For the lovely mild afternoon that we spent in the sunny park across the road from school with some of the other familes :) And for my 2 yr old's early nap that he had today that allowed me to tidy the house with plenty of time left to spend with him once he woke (which did include hoovering and washing up!) :) I'm also thankful for an amazing builder friend in Liverpool who's been replacing our hall floor over the last couple of days and I know he will have done an excellent job in our absence. For getting my bridesmaid dress in the post for April and having a lovely phonecall with the bride-to-be who lives in Liverpool (I got to try the dress on while 2 yr old was asleep this am!). For Rauld Dahl books enjoyed by adults and children alike :) For affectionately lively children and for a much needed prolongued and meaningful hug with a mum at school :)
2 yr old didn't eat tea today (omlette); I really hope he sleeps...
Thursday, 5 January 2012
The day after yesterday
Today I'm thankful for a good night's sleep last night as was anticipated yesterday! 2 yr old woke up at 5am but managed not to get up til after 6 which feels acceptable, and the main thing is the chunk of unbroken sleep preceeding 5am. I must start being sensible and going to bed earlier again though, but I do like my me time, and it is important too, for sanity, which everyone benefits from!
This morning I did an on-the-spot "Are you thankful for anything right now?" question in the car and 5 yr old immediately replied 'school' which is always encouraging! - especially as we hadn't been talking about it so he wasn't just saying whatever was topical :)
I'm thankful for a fun, extended playtime in the rain and the exuberant singing all the school spontaneously did together in it! For radiators. For the leafy park across the road from school that the kids go to play in most days at lunchtime. For my mum looking after my 2 yr old on Thursday mornings, in such a fun, loving way, and for him feeling so comfortable going off with her. For relationships that transcend differences. For story-reading with my 2 yr old snuggled on my knee this afternoon. For a tidy house. For finally remembering to put the bins out ready for bin day (the first time in about a month! - 'overflowing' isn't even close!). For cheap wholesome easy meals like baked potatoes with cheese and cherry tomatoes. For cosy dressing gowns and my North Face body warmer which I pretty much live in; how did I live without it??! And for the free bag my 5 yr old got with his Cbeebies magazine Christmas present, which is just right for his packed lunch and snack, and he really likes it :)
This morning I did an on-the-spot "Are you thankful for anything right now?" question in the car and 5 yr old immediately replied 'school' which is always encouraging! - especially as we hadn't been talking about it so he wasn't just saying whatever was topical :)
I'm thankful for a fun, extended playtime in the rain and the exuberant singing all the school spontaneously did together in it! For radiators. For the leafy park across the road from school that the kids go to play in most days at lunchtime. For my mum looking after my 2 yr old on Thursday mornings, in such a fun, loving way, and for him feeling so comfortable going off with her. For relationships that transcend differences. For story-reading with my 2 yr old snuggled on my knee this afternoon. For a tidy house. For finally remembering to put the bins out ready for bin day (the first time in about a month! - 'overflowing' isn't even close!). For cheap wholesome easy meals like baked potatoes with cheese and cherry tomatoes. For cosy dressing gowns and my North Face body warmer which I pretty much live in; how did I live without it??! And for the free bag my 5 yr old got with his Cbeebies magazine Christmas present, which is just right for his packed lunch and snack, and he really likes it :)
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Bargain!
I did my food shopping today. It came to £105. It cost me £10... I'm thankful to my parents for giving us their Nectar points!! Included in the shop today was pirate-themed kids thank you notes which my 5 yr old is excited about using for any spontaneous thank you letters he feels like writing :) I'm thankful for that enthusiasm too, and the inspiring notes!
I'm also thankful today for making lovely playdough successfully and it being played with by both boys for a decent amount of time (until 2 yr old pulled an open tin of tuna off the side and mushed it into it..) For a nice conversation after school with 5 yr old's friend's dad. That my car didn't run out of petrol before I made it to the petrol station.. That Wednesdays are so much fun in school for my big boy coz he does craft and art all morning and dancing in the afternoon, all of which he loves :) That my toddler ate lots this evening and should therefore sleep better tonight. We must have had all of about 3 hours last night due to a rumbly tumbly after pears apparently being the only acceptable sustenance from about 4:30pm yesterday. I'm thankful for the biscuits I've made that we can munch on this evening. And I'm thankful that our friend from school is having us all round for a play tomorrow :)
I'm also thankful today for making lovely playdough successfully and it being played with by both boys for a decent amount of time (until 2 yr old pulled an open tin of tuna off the side and mushed it into it..) For a nice conversation after school with 5 yr old's friend's dad. That my car didn't run out of petrol before I made it to the petrol station.. That Wednesdays are so much fun in school for my big boy coz he does craft and art all morning and dancing in the afternoon, all of which he loves :) That my toddler ate lots this evening and should therefore sleep better tonight. We must have had all of about 3 hours last night due to a rumbly tumbly after pears apparently being the only acceptable sustenance from about 4:30pm yesterday. I'm thankful for the biscuits I've made that we can munch on this evening. And I'm thankful that our friend from school is having us all round for a play tomorrow :)
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
How do I keep thinking up new titles for very similar posts???!
Today I'm thankful for the little buddies my 5 yr old has at his little school, and for the fun he had with the one who came round for a play afterwards today. They made a castle from our junk modelling box, played with the new marble run, and also with the Nerf gun and a target they made (though 2 yr old's head was also used as such... They involved him very well in everything else though...) I'm thankful for cheese and bread which see us through many an ill-planned day! For memory-making torential rain on the way to school this morning when we couldn't see in front of us! For being stretched and moulded by challenges and for being encouraged and edified by understanding people. For the fact that the smell of dirty, damp laundry is starting to be counterbalanced by the smell of clean laundry in our bedroom. For playing with my son and his reception class and toddlers most of the morning and part of the afternoon :) For a walk in the dark up the lane with my 5 yr old having survived the 'hazel' (as his friend called the hail - I said "Ooh, can you hear something at the window?" and he ran to look out and exclaimed excitedly, "It's hazel!" Had me wondering for a moment..). For being reunited and catching up with the other families in our school after the Christmas break, and for my children sleeping well last night, which will have helped my eldest with being back today, and also helped me - I felt awake all day - bonus! For getting lots of housework done while my little one had a nap, and for chatting with him sitting on the side while I did the washing up after he'd woken, and he was getting into everything in the cupboards up on the side. And for my Christmas present from my husband which I finally got today! - 'How Clean Is Your House' series 1 & 2!! (I did ask for it :) )
Aww, lots to be thankful for - who'd have thought! How lovely :)
Aww, lots to be thankful for - who'd have thought! How lovely :)
Monday, 2 January 2012
Today
Our first round of thankfulness went down well at tea time today :) We have a few little bits of paper stuck on the window with things we're grateful for :) It looks a bit messy but it's a good mess! I've tried this before, without sticking the notes up, but never really stuck to it (no pun intended!) but, now that it's an official goal that I've written down and everything, I think I'll be more intentional in doing it longterm :) Among other things my 5 yr old was thankful for food, snow, Christmas, toys, and Father Christmas.. My husband was thankful for a free computer (thanks to my sister and her husband who have just moved to America and left it behind!), and my 2 yr old said thank you when I gave him some pear so I'll add that to the notes later!
Today I'm thankful for my old school friend, Caroline Murdoch, moving back to Sheffield a couple of months before me. I'm thankful that, although meeting up has proved kinda tricky, that she had us round for her one yr old's birthday party this afternoon :) I bearly (sp?!) managed to speak to anyone for keeping my 5 yr old occupied who was wanting stories read to him, but it was nice to feel welcome, see friends, make (loose) arrangements to get together without kids so conversation might actually be had, and just to have somewhere to take the kids! I'm thankful that my family all ate the dinner I cooked, and that Caroline provided the lunch! I'm thankful for Josh and my 5 yr old having fun writing a story together in bed just now, about a 'beautiful farm'. For a nice little card-making session with the kids earlier. And I'm thankful that my 2 yr old is sleeping through the evenings so I can go read my book now without interruption!
Today I'm thankful for my old school friend, Caroline Murdoch, moving back to Sheffield a couple of months before me. I'm thankful that, although meeting up has proved kinda tricky, that she had us round for her one yr old's birthday party this afternoon :) I bearly (sp?!) managed to speak to anyone for keeping my 5 yr old occupied who was wanting stories read to him, but it was nice to feel welcome, see friends, make (loose) arrangements to get together without kids so conversation might actually be had, and just to have somewhere to take the kids! I'm thankful that my family all ate the dinner I cooked, and that Caroline provided the lunch! I'm thankful for Josh and my 5 yr old having fun writing a story together in bed just now, about a 'beautiful farm'. For a nice little card-making session with the kids earlier. And I'm thankful that my 2 yr old is sleeping through the evenings so I can go read my book now without interruption!
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Thanks
Today I'm thankful for parents who are great with the children and very generous with their food! We went round spontaneously today and ate a lot, then were later sent home with a lot more thanks to surplus left-overs from their new year's eve party last night which out-did ours! I'm also thankful for clean, dry clothes and children laughing so hard you can't hear them when we're blowing raspberries on them or their Grandpa's tickling them and holding them upside down :) And I'm thankful for good friends, always :)
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