Family Time Archives - Page 4 of 9

Pre Empty Nest Syndrome? Is this what I have?

Not quite a teenager and not a little boy content with running up to his mummy and back. My little boy is growing up and I’m finding it hard.

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When I saw my eldest son ‘M’ for the first time, it took my breath away. The moment is always with me and I look back and talk about it whenever I can….here with you, with the kids and with my friends. The feeling was no different with my second boy ‘G’. I’ve always had a strong drive to keep both of my boys safe and a bit wrapped up in cotton wool. Those that know me would nod along now and hopefully smile in recognition as I’m probably the most over protective of the lot. I’ve heard of empty nest syndrome but never pre empty nest syndrome….my babies are still at home, just growing up.

empty nest syndrome — ‘M’ aged 4….he’s 11 now. Oh how time has flown.

As my eldest reaches towards 12 I am having a few moments when I struggle with him taking that next step towards teenagehood and being more independent. I think maybe it’s because it’s the start of another school year and so many different questions….and behaviours have begun to show.

The reluctance by him to spend as much time with me has been something to get used to. Having him want to spend time alone, chatting with his friends without wanting me around is something new. I love it so much, that he’s growing up and he has lovely friends who all get on and laugh at their own in-jokes. However, I’m now looking on at this and not instigating it. It’s not created by me – for him…..I’m not included as much, wow, when did this happen? I’m starting not to be the only big thing in his world. It’s a bit of a shock!

The full on unashamed spontaneous hugs have also started to fizzle out, when they do come it’s magical and I crush him in my embrace. He does that ‘ok mum’ and giggles, knowing that I will undoubtedly now ruffle his hair which he has just preened and styled to an inch of its life.

My rational side knows that I am proud of what we have achieved. This is what I have been preparing him for so why does it give me a lump in my throat even writing about it?

I know that being a parent is to nurture and care for our young and I realise that they are not to be owned by us. We have to prepare them and set them on their own unique path. I hadn’t realised until now that the notion of this would be so hard, I had been in the caring role for so long.

It’s all such a learning curve being a parent. I’m always amazed at the different emotions it brings.

Am I alone or is this normal or even normal-ish? Do you ever get these feelings?

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Flight Experience Simulator Review and Giveaway

During half term we all had a great day out in London. The boys have been working really hard at school and we wanted to have a family trip out to do something different.

A trip on the train is really the way to do it as far as I’m concerned to get up to london, it’s so nice not to have to drive and worry about the other traffic, stopping because someone wants the loo or bad weather making it a more stressful trip. On the train I can relax, have a cup of tea and we can all stretch our legs if we need to.

We had a real treat in store for us as we were invited as guests to try out the Flight Experience™ in Putney.

Flight Experience™ was the original flight simulator business to ‘open the cockpit to the world’. They are the world leader in flight simulation entertainment. The simulators are built to an extremely high standard using the latest technology in both hardware and software and in fact are used by flight schools, universities and airlines for actual pilot training. They are approved by many aviation regulatory authorities around the world.

We were warmly welcomed by Paul and Nick into the spacious reception where we watched the 6 minute information video before our experience. My OH would be taking charge of the controls and the boys and I were going to be the passengers. It was all really exciting. Scenic flights start at £109.00 and there are many different packages to choose from. The fly and dine looks great for a special occasion.

One of the attractions for us was that we could all be part of the flight. The boys and I could go into the simulator and sit in the back of the cockpit being part of the whole thing. To fly the simulator there is a guide age of 14 and height of 5ft 1′ (155cm)

Our pilot Paul took us through all the procedures needed to understand what was going to happen and what would happen during the flight. This really is as near as you are going to get to being a real pilot. The cockpit is an actual Boeing 737 twin-engine commercial aircraft. As you can see from the pictures there are so many switches, lights and aircraft paraphernalia that it is very high-tech and had the boys and I enthralled.

On our trip we took off from Heathrow (with us giggling with excitement in our seats) my other half concentrating fully and taking instruction from our pilot. We were suddenly hearing all the terms you would imagine such as ‘thrust off’, ‘spoilers’ and ‘altitude’. After flying through the sky he landed us safely back in Heathrow, to a hearty round of applause. We then were treated to a slightly more tricky landing coming into Hong Kongs Kai Tak airport which is now closed but was the international airport in Hong Kong from 1925 to 1998. It is known for its dramatic landing over the densely populated Kowloon area onto the runway jutting out into Victoria harbour. It was said to be one of the ultimate tests of a pilots skills and we did it! The graphics on the simulator as brilliant and clear, giving a realistic view of your outside surroundings. We loved it and I can highly recommend it for a gift, day out for yourself or the family.

You can actually win one in my giveaway here today. Such an amazing prize and I’m so pleased to be able to offer it to you today. Enter in the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Take command of the world’s most popular jet airliner; the Boeing 737! You will sit in the Captain’s seat and take-off, cruise and land the plane. With thousands of airports to choose from, land at a challenging airport or fly to your home town in an experience you will never forget.

We were gifted a scenic flight experience in order to carry out our review, lucky us:) All views are my own.

5 Tips on Buying a Family Car

If you are thinking of what you need when buying your family car. Have a look at my top tips which I found have been really useful to us.

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The cars that I have bought over the years have changed so much. Not only that but the types of cars that are available now are so much smarter than when I first started driving.

I remember the old mini that I first passed my test in, it was a little beauty but rather temperamental. When it was cold I would have to bump start it down a hill behind my flat just to get it started! I didn’t think too much of it at the time, it was just what I needed to do to get it going. It’s a different story now though, so many more things to think of. Mainly that I am a mum now and I have to take different things into account.

So, it’s a good way to pass on some tips that I have learnt over these past few years. Here I have my..

5 Tips on Buying a Family Car

1. Safety, this has to be the number one thing for me now. Since having children the whole priority on what I need from a car has changed. Cars.com is great because it’s packed full of information about different cars, makes and models. Plus, it has other helpful information as well, including car seat safety check tips and more!

2. How many people are going to regularly travel in the car. We now have a car that normally seats 5 but has 2 emergency seats that turns it into a 7 seater when needed. It’s great to have that flexibility to do that without having the size that a full 7 seater needs all of the time.

5 tips of buying a family car — How many seats do you need?

3. How long to you plan to keep the car? Our discussions are around the money we pay versus how long we plan on keeping it. If your children are younger and you need the space for longer then you need a car that has a good reputaion for lasting and holding it’s value.

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4. Space around the car. By this I mean roof rack and bike rack. See what added space the car can offer. Last year we put a bike rack on that holds up to 3 bikes comfortably. We also have the option of a top box if needed. This all makes a big difference when going on day trips and holidays. It’s better to have the inside of the car clutter free for us.

5. My last tip might seem a bit more frivolous but don’t be fooled. I’m talking about interiors! Bright white leather does look stunning and I’m sure that the latest glossy mags show it off to its glorious best. Now come back down to earth and you will realise that a family car is going to get grubby hand and footprints in every conceivable place. Think long and hard about this often overlooked accessory on a family car. Choose wisely!

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Taking Care of our shoes with Granger’s Care Kits

Well, the weather has certainly turned, what a true brit I am to be starting the post talking about the weather!

It seems like only yesterday that we were having some beautiful sunny walks and staying out for what seemed like forever as the sun didn’t set until nearly 9 o’clock.

We had some amazing days out in the summer and still make the most of it now, no matter what the weather.

Taking Care of our shoes with Granger's Care Kits

We had a lovely long walk through bournemouth gardens following a mystery trail. It took us from Coy Pond all the way to the seafront. I certainly had sore feet by the end of it and my lovely OH made the final walk back to the car and then came back to pick me up. I felt a bit of a wimp but it was a nice treat not to have to do the last bit of the walk, I was so tired!

Well I can say that with two boys it’s hard not to start fretting about muddy foot prints coming into the house. Even getting out of our car and coming inside is now an exercise in trying not to get our shoes full of mud from the front garden.

So one of the things that has made it easier is having the chance to try the new cleaning kit from Grangers I have been giving it a go to see if I can make a difference to how the boys shoes look. I’ve also got the chance to have a look at the clothing care kit to treat my waterproof jacket. It gets even better as I have a fabulous giveaway to end the post with so you will get the chance to try out some products too!

Taking Care of our shoes with Granger's Care Kits

The Footwear Care Kit was what I was most looking forward to trying as the amount of shoes I goes through for the boys is huge. Shoes are so expensive and what I really need to do is protect the ones we have and properly make use of the investment I have put into them.

Each kit contains one bottle of Footwear + Gear Cleaner, one bottle of Footwear Repel, one Footwear Brush, and a free tube of Leather Conditioner.

Using is easy and reminded me of when I was small and would sit with my grandad watching him while he carefully cleaned his work shoes. How different memories come to the surface doing the simplest of things. Like being Featured on MovingBabies there are so many things which have an impact on what I do with my own children. The grip on the handles is comfy and you can make it an easy job by doing it regularly. Like with most things, the more you do it the better the result.

Taking Care of our shoes with Granger's Care Kits

Safe to use on all types of footwear – including those made from leather, suede, nubuck, and fabric – Footwear Care Kit cleans and protects all footwear without adversely affecting any of the technical features your shoes or boots may possess, and is perfect for restoring the water-repellent finish found on boots with Gore-Tex® and eVent membranes.

Taking Care of our shoes with Granger's Care Kits

I was offered a product to review for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. Clean shoes are a massive bonus!

Halloween Luminous Lanterns Giveaway

Luminous Lanterns Giveaway

Oh yes it’s fast approaching us…the time of the year for the streets to come alive with little monsters running around. Yep kids wanting sweets!! Trick or treat is a favourite in our house and we love to dress up and also dress the house up!

I have a great Giveaway for you today. These are perfect for Halloween which is just around the corner.

Create a sumptuously soft glow, place a tea light or two inside the bag. Weight down with a little gravel and decorate your outside space.

There are 5 bags here to use. Place the lantern bags on a suitable surface and watch the lovely atmosphere they can create.

Enter in the rafflecopter giveaway below to win.

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Open to UK entrants only. See contacts page for full terms.

Good luck!

Keep bags well away from children and animals due to the risk of burning!

How Quality Child Care Can Affect Your Child

As a parent, we all want to give our children everything that we can, and one of the best places to start is education. Embracing your child’s natural curiosity and creating a positive learning experience from a young age will give them the tools that they will need to succeed in life. When you send your child to day care, you should choose an establishment that is of high-quality, as well as a good reputation, and that will help your child to develop into a wonderful person.

Communication And Interaction Skills

When you send your child to child care in Sydney, or anywhere else, it will be a new experience to which they are not familiar. However, one of the first lessons they will learn is how to interact appropriately with each other and enhance their overall communication skills. They will learn to follow simple instructions and also to get along with each other. Having excellent communication skills and being able to interact with other members of society are essential skills for them to succeed in their lives.

Create A Hunger For Learning From New Experiences

One thing that you may find when your child starts to attend nursery for the first time is that they develop a hunger for learning and trying new things, which is common in many children. The newly found passion can be something that they will take with them into their adult lives, always wanting to learn more, try new things, and expand their horizons.

Help To Develop And Heighten Their Senses

When you immerse your child in a creative learning environment, you will also help to develop and enhance their five main senses which are;

Sight
Sound
Touch
Taste
Smell

As well as these main senses your child will also benefit from the development of other senses such as balance and special awareness. When they are introduced to new situations with strange sights, sounds, smells, and so on, it will heighten their senses and help them to be comfortable with new surroundings and people.

Becoming Adaptable And Self Sufficient

Another significant benefit of sending your child to a quality child care centre is that they will learn to adapt to new situations and people, and also start their long journey on the way to self-sufficiency. The road is a long one, and it will be many years before they are ready to fly the nest, but giving your child these essential life skills from an early age will provide them with the tools that they are going to need to be successful in their lives.

If your child is coming to the age where they are ready to start nursery school, take your time and look at all of the options that are available. Choose a facility that excites your child and will nurture their hunger for learning, take a look at various local government websites for advice from the government on schools in New South Wales or wherever you live. Visit and speak to each establishment and choose the option that will give your child the start in life that they deserve.

This is a collaborative post

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The Best Butternut Squash Recipe

I like to try all the different vegetables on offer and this week I had an organic box delivery which had a great Butternut Squash nestled inside.

I wanted to make the most of what I could do with it so I have devised the best butternut squash supper recipe I can imagine which is great for all the family.

Luckily my boys and OH love their food and will try all the different dishes that I come up with. My eldest son loves sweet potatoes and I think that the butternut squash looks very similar. They have had it before but not like this, being made the star of the show!

The Best Butternut Squash Recipe — Quartered and with the seeds removed

4.8 from 5 votes

The Best Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe

The Best Butternut Squash Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

The Best Butternut Squash Recipe. Great for all the family to enjoy.

Course: Main Course

Servings: 6 people

Author: mainy - myrealfairy

Ingredients

1 Butternut Squash
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper To personal taste
200 g Quinoa
50 g Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Slice the Butternut Squash into 4 or 6 slices depending on how large it is.
Place on a baking tray with lining paper
Sprinkle on the olive oil
Add salt and pepper to taste
Roast in the over for 40 minutes
Cook the Quinoa for the required time depending on pre cooked or part cooked.
Take the Butternut Squash out of the oven and immediately grate over the parmesan cheese.
Serve straight away with the cooked Quinoa.

Recipe Notes

Tastes great with shredded cabbage!

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I’d love to know that you think of this supper dish and if you are a fan of butternut squash.

If you like easy, delicious recipes then I think you will love my Easy Focaccia Bread. Try these two together and wow your friends and family.

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Things that make you go eerrgh!

This was a post I wasn’t going to write, I had no intention to put my fingers to the keyboard and spell out the continuation of my throat saga. If you remember my poem The Silence that was the start of my throat problems and I had hoped it would all be done and dusted by now.

But no, a couple of months ago I sat here writing looking like this:

I had to go and have an 24hr PH test. The tube goes down my throat and sits down in my oesophagus. For 24hrs this had to stay there doing it’s thing and measures the amount of acid that wells up (refluxes) from your stomach into your oesophagus, and helps to find out if your symptoms are caused by acid reflux which is the flow of the stomach contents back into the oesophagus. It sounds strange and it is but the effect on my throat so far has been so painful and sore that I had become desperate to find out the cause. The tube, as you can see on the picture runs out of the nose and is taped to the side of my face and leads down to a contraption which records all of the data.

What you can’t see is that when I opened my mouth you can see the white coated tube running down the back of my throat, it’s bizarre! That’s why I had to entitle this post; Things that make you go eerrgh! There’s nothing I like less than seeing other peoples medical bits and bobs.

Probably one of the biggest fears I had to conquer was actually having the tube threaded up my nose and down my throat. It just goes against every natural instinct in my body. Suffice to say I gagged, put up my hand like the nice doctor said I could if it got too much and we all stood there not moving until I had the balls to motion to carry on. It’s horrendous and I couldn’t really get over that fact. I’m a whimp and it was clear to see.
via GIPHY

After some dramatics and copious amounts of tears coming out of my eyes due to the effect of gagging and the feeling on my nose, it was finally down and sitting in the right place inside of me.

Things that make you go eerrgh! — A little anatomy lesson!

Here you can see that there’s quite a long piece of tube needed to go down and dangle there catching the data. It stops just before the sphincter. When I ate I had to push the relevant buttons on my little hip pack to show that I was eating or drinking. This would be transferred to the printout when it came the following day so that it reflected the correct results. The same for if I laid down to sleep. If I had any of the symptoms then I could record that too. Acid feelings and those sorts of things would show up by way of an electro mark and all add to what they could find out. The doctor could see that I was not at all comfortable with it being there and although it should be in for 24hrs I asked what the minimum was. Reluctantly he said to try to get past 4hrs. It was like that statement sparked off a mental countdown timer in my head that I didn’t even know I had.

By the time it got to the early hours of the morning I was so freaked by the feeling of it going down the back of my throat that I took it out myself. Really strange feeling. I took a deep breath and gently peeled off the cotton sticky plasters holding the tube in place around my nose. Then, really really carefully and nice and slow, I started to pull the tube out of my nose. Mind over matter had to come into play once again. Finally after a few seconds which felt a hell of a lot longer, the ends of the tubes came out of my nose. What a feeling that was, I gave a little whoop of joy and was immensely relieved that it had come out so smoothly and was over and done with.

I had the best couple of hours sleep ever after that! So pleased that it was behind me. It seems like a natural end to this particular post. I’ll do another update soon and let you know how it’s all going. Thank goodness it’s done for the time being though.

Have you ever had to have one of these procedures or anything similar, come on, let’s share some stories!

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Stunning Stourhead National Trust Estate

We had a real treat recently with our trip to Stourhead which is a National Trust estate with huge gardens and house. We won a family ticket which was a thrill in itself and we wanted to go somewhere that we hadn’t previously heard of.

My OH and I had a look through the national trusts site. With our need to have somewhere; family friendly, a long walk and a good house to have a nose around, coupled with somewhere within 1 to 2 hrs drive, we settled on Stourhead in Wiltshire. It seemed to have all the elements that would suit us. It does state that no balls are to be taken for the kids and I can understand that they don’t want a football to go hurtling into all their beautiful plants and flowers.

We packed a good old family picnic in the morning and set out on our trip. It didn’t take too long to get there from our home in Dorset, just over an hour. Our prize ticket did work OK. I’m always a little worried when using a voucher or something that ‘the computer says no’ or there is a problem with that day or time being excluded. Everything was fine though.

The house is stunning and you can see from this view looking up from the gardens that it is framed really well by the care that is taken over the gardens. you can also see by the dark clouds that rain was a feature of our day too!

The literature and the information around the house charts the lives of the last family to have Stourhead, parents Henry and Alda Hoare and their only son Harry. The family were devoted to each other and to Stourhead. Behind the public rooms used for entertaining and shared with visitors were the intimate family spaces where the family could relax and be themselves.

As you move around the family home, you follow in the family’s footsteps from their arrival and through the war years. Henry and Alda were devastated when Harry was killed in World War 1. They gave Stourhead to the National Trust in 1946.

In the playrooms there were dressing up areas for the children to try on clothes from the era that the family were in residence. Our boys had some fun in there. It’s a good break if you are doing the tour in the house with children as they can let off a little steam without worrying that they will upset anyone.

There is also a picture quiz where they have to go round and find pictures of dogs in different paintings around the house. The boys love a bit of competition between themselves so it was another task to keep them occupied.

So much care and dedication was put into the gardens by the family, it was such a labour of love for them.

“The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinkling of lighter greens here and there.“

Dogs are welcome across Stourhead’s countryside areas all year round. They are welcome in the landscape garden from March-October after 4pm, after 3pm in November and all day, every day from December-February.

The kitchen gardens were in full bloom. The plants were massive and growing so well. I would of loved to chatted with one of the gardeners to get some tips but I didn’t manage to. In one of my posts where my OH made my pallet garden you can see what we have managed at home. I’m really chuffed with what we have managed on a small scale and for free! My dream would be to have a huge garden devoted to fruit and veg.

The visit was wonderful and I think the rain added to the day in ways that surprised me. There were times we had to stop and take shelter under some of the huge trees or hide under the arches. In those times we felt some more of the magic of Stourhead.

Have you been there or visited other walks that you would like to share? I’d love to hear about it.

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Songmics Double Canvas Wardrobe Review and Giveaway

It’s not long until the boys go back to school and we have started to have a look at where we are going to hang all the shirts, jumpers and his new suit. Starting the senior year is a big event and we are all very excited. As the boys are getting older they are having more and more clothes between them and its all taking up so much space.

So, when Songmics offered us the chance to take a look at their Amazon store we were delighted to have the chance to browse. There is so much that they sell and we were so pleased to see this massive double wardrobe which we knew was just what we needed.

A huge bonus for you today is that I have a double wardrobe to giveaway! It’s such a super prize and so generous of Songmics. I’m over the moon to be able to offer this to you. The rafflecopter entry form is further down the post.

My eldest son wanted to be in charge of putting together the wardrobe as it was for his room and I was pleased to let him! For once it was great to see clear instructions of how to put it together and what was even better was that all the pieces were there and labeled correctly. It was such a good start!

I left him to it and within 10 minutes look what he had done. He made a great start and there was a calm in the room that I was pleased to see. It helps that everything is in order and packed well.

Bit by bit he built it up and the wardrobe was starting to take shape.

Look at this, no bendy or wobbly bits, it’s perfect for the space too.

The structure is really sturdy and you can see and feel that it will stay together very well. There are two hanging spaces either side of a central shelving unit.

Once the inside of it is all put together then it was time to put the non woven fabric cover over it. That is a bit more of a two person job but still really quick.

The front covers are in three parts and roll up when you need them to and they have zippers so that you can close it up. There is plenty of space in it and as it carries a load of 5kg on the shelves and 15kg for the hanging space it will suit us down to the ground.

Please pop over to the songmics facebook page and give them a like, you can also click on the in the competition below. good luck everyone and thanks again for joining me, it means alot that you have enjoyed the post so please do let me know what you think!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given a this double wardrobe for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and written views are my own. I would also like to thank Songmics for supplying the prize for the giveaway

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You can actually win one in my giveaway here today. Such an amazing prize and I’m so pleased to be able to offer it to you today. Enter in the rafflecopter below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

5 Tips on Buying a Family Car

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Luminous Lanterns Giveaway

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How Quality Child Care Can Affect Your Child

Communication And Interaction Skills

Create A Hunger For Learning From New Experiences

Help To Develop And Heighten Their Senses

Becoming Adaptable And Self Sufficient

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe to Blog via Email

You can actually win one in my giveaway here today. Such an amazing prize and I’m so pleased to be able to offer it to you today. Enter in the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway