Our Family Quote

This last week has been a pretty traumatic week for us as a family. When ill health hit and the threat of death threaten a loved one you start to appreciate what and who you have just that bit more.

This quote really does sum it all up, so this week we will be focussing on what we mean to each other even when little brothers are being annoying, big sisters are bossy, parents are boring and baby sisters cry a lot!

Have a lovely week all!

M xx

Our Family Quote

The kids have decided that every week we should pic a positive or inspirational quote and try to live by it for the week. 

I was really impressed by this notion and good vibes are always welcome in this house, so with that in mind we set about thinking what we want to achieve by this new goal.

Togetherness

Affection

Love

Understanding

Compassion 

Peace

Reflection

Unity

These were just some of the things the kids came up with that they feel we could achieve by referring back to our inspirational quote when things are a bit tense in life and I have to admit, there are some great ideas there.

After some consideration we decided on this as our quote for the coming week...

 

Time is priceless, so this week we will be thinking about what we do with our time and spending it wisely.

Have a lovely week.

M xx

100 Happy Days Challenge

Since January I have noticed very simple but beautiful pictures with the hash tag 100 happy days on various social media sites. When I asked what it was all about  I got a very simple response "Post 1 picture for the next 100 days of something that makes you smile; a picture of your kids, their smile, a flower, your pet, even your dinner!"
It's so easy to take the simple things in life for granted that something like this makes you stop and enjoy the little, precious moments in life.

The reason I have put it off for so long is with everything we have going on at the moment I just knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with it but now with our upcoming nuptials, the launch of our new family business around the corner and the children doing so well at school, now is the perfect time for my 100 happy days.

 Day 1

#100happydays

You can keep up with my 100 happy days on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Feel free to send me links to your #100happydays

M xx

Mothering Sunday

Wishing you all a very happy Mothers Day xx

                           M xx

Rambling Mummy Loves

Like a large proportion of the population my fiance and I celebrate Valentines day, however, after being together for so long it can become increasingly difficult finding something new and exciting.
If you are yet to go out and by your Valentine something special and your worried about it being too late, here are a few ideas to get you started, all available from high street stores...

For Him

You know what they say about boys and their toys!

If you other half is anything like mine then any kind of gadget will be right up his street. Treat him to a radio controlled aeroplane. This is sure to keep him amused for hours.

http://bit.ly/1luoXxc 

For Her

Forget perfume, jewellery or flowers which you've probably bought her for the last few occasions. Think outside of the box and get her something that shows how much you appreciate her hard work and something she will love. Treat her to a pamper voucher and let her choose from a manicure, facial, massage or more. You'll be in her good books for weeks to come

http://bit.ly/M85JRM

For Them

If like us, you've promised not to go overboard or buy each other presents this year why not treat yourselves to a hamper. Grab a dvd, light the candles and get comfy with this Pamper Hamper.

http://bit.ly/1bIamrW

Whatever your plans for Friday 14th February I hope it's the start of a lovely weekend.

M xx

What Black History Month Means to Us

As Black History Months draws to a close I have been reflecting on what exactly it does mean to me and my family and as a family that is fortunate enough to be rich in a number of different cultures I feel it is an important job for me as a mum to educate my children on all of the different histories and cultures that make up 'us' as a family. Whilst this is performed as part of our daily lives in the food we eat, languages and terminology used, family practises and tales of old, Black History Month is a great way of highlighting some wonderful and courageous people who have helped shape the world we live in today and bring to light the many different traditions from around the world.

One of the reasons I felt compelled to write this post is as a mummy blogger I frequent many parenting forums and networks and there has been very little mention of black history month and in some cases no mention at all.

I could spend hours going on about what black history month means to me and reel of names of many black people who have contributed to the world we live in but this post isn't about that, it's about seeing and hearing what black history month means to my children.

I asked each of them what black history month means to them and here are their responses 

Mikhayla-Jae, 11

"I believe Black History Month is a celebration of achievements and movements made by not just famous individuals but by lesser known people too. It is a time to reflect on what is great about our cultures and traditions and acknowledge some of the wonderful things people have done for us. We can also use this month to let our mentors and role models now how proud we are of them and grateful for their contribution to our lives."

Jason-Derrecce, 9

"To me Black History Month means achieving goals  and proving that skin colour shouldn't limit our ability to be who we want to be."

Samuel-Lewis,4

"It means I am proud of who I am and love my mummy and daddy, 2 grandmas,2 grandads and nanny. It means that I get to eat lots of different foods and hear different songs. I love my family."

Couldn't have put it better myself.

M xx

The Labour of Love Continues

Following on from a previous post And so the Labour of Love Begins here is the update and finale of the project that my daughter and I took on.

After having a few heated discussions about the best way to sew the bag together and what colour thread would work best (amongst other discussions!) we finally got around to cutting the fabric out and pinning it together.

As this would be Mikhayla's first attempt at using a sewing machine I was a little(well a lot actually) apprehensive as to how this would pan out so I dug out the user manual and before I would even let her plug it in she was made to read the entire manual.  What I wasn't prepared for were the questions that my daughter would ask after reading some of the guide, particularly as I am yet to read the manual myself...ooops! 

I have to admit that we did have a giggle at some of the terminology and examples shown in the book as neither of us had a clue as to what was going on! We quickly decided that we would work everything out ourselves and got on with the practical side of it all.

What really surprised me throughout the entire process was unexpected bond that we shared. We realise that although we clash at times, we are in fact a lot more alike than we'd both like to admit. She's confided in me her fears and ambitions, what makes her happy and how she is really feeling about starting secondary school in September.
Although we do talk quite openly, it was nice to be able to spend time alone together doing something that we both enjoyed and creating something usable at the end which will hopefully provide us both with long lasting memories.

So here it is, our bag of love and memories

Mikhayla really surprised me with just how well she knew her way around the sewing machine, so off she went with some scraps and thread one afternoon and lo and behold here are her very own creations, made 100% by herself.

She really doesn't realise just how proud she makes me on a daily basis.

M xx

And so the Labour of Love Begins!

So, we've been through ballet dancing, singing, street dance, swimming, drawing and more, but the latest ambition of my 11 year old daughter is to become a designer. 
Unlike most of her other ambitions, designing/making is something that I love and can help her with. Although I don't expect this phase to last, especially with her off to experience the new world that is secondary school in September, this is a skill that I really want to encourage her with.

Pre-adolescent girls aren't necessarily the easiest to bond with and establishing boundaries between friendship and parent/daughter relationships can be quite difficult at this particular stage of their lives which is why I am actually really excited about our plans to spend time together 'creating' some fabulous items.

On a recent trip into town to find some oilcloth to cover our dining table (that has probably been fed as much as the kids have fed themselves!) I stumbled across some pretty cloth that I just knew my daughter would love. At a reasonable price, I snapped up a couple of yards of the material with no particular idea in mind other than the fact that this could be a great bonding experience.
Once I showed Mikhayla the fabric she was thrilled and instantly suggested we make a bag with it. 

At this point, what you have to remember is that other than the odd project at school, my daughter has absolutely no experience or knowledge of the sewing world at all, this includes operating a sewing machine.

We had a look at different styles of bags and we discussed what she would use it for, then it became quite clear that we were going to have to create our own pattern to make her bag.
Not one to be deterred, I thought I could use this as an opportunity to show her as much as I can about the world of sewing, which I loved when my grandma taught me.

I'm guessing this phase wont last for too long so rather than spending a fortune on materials that will then find a home in the bottom of a cupboard somewhere, we have used newspaper to create our pattern but that in itself was a...'experience' shall we say.

So as we embark on what I'm going to call a labour of love, I'm looking forward to the laughs, bond, memories and bag that will be created I have to admit that I'm not looking too forward to the fallouts, impatience and disagreements that will undoubtedly ensue.

Stay tuned for updates of this labour of love!

M xx