What a weird year 2020 was, and 2021 hasn’t really started all that great either. Trying to stay positive can be really tough….. but having a positive mind is really what keeps me going.

There’s plenty to feel down about- places we can’t go and people we can’t see but I wanted to write about some lovely positive aspects of lockdown or at least of what the last year has taught me. I like to limit how much news I read and have breaks now and then from social media.

Here’s some of my Lockdown Loves.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Getting out for a walk was something we did on a normal weekend even before 2020 hit. What has changed in the last 12 months is we have discovered and explored our own local area. In the past we could traveled for days out and for walks but being unable to do that has made us look a lot closer to home.

At weekends we now tend to pop on our walking boots at the front door and over the last year have discovered some many paths that we just didn’t know about before!

Oscar and Isla’s stamina for walks has massively improved over the last year, they can now manage a 6 mile walk which is fab, only stopping to moan for more snacks. We love to walk up to Hartshead Pike from our house. We also love to discover some of the quieter parts of Saddleworth.

Treat Night

Everyday can feel like Groundhog Day at the moment, especially the evenings. Even though we can’t go out, I have tried to make the weekends special or feel a little different with Treat Nights.

The kids have loved our cinema nights with popcorn, we’ve had some great WII bowling competitions and we’ve even made our own afternoon tea. We also enjoy Zoom quizzes with our friends and family. Doing something a little different at the weekends certainly helps my family and I get out of the rut we probably all feel in.

Namaste

At the start of the year, I decided to look after myself better. With the rollercoaster (or Corona-coaster as it’s known) of last year, I certainly wasn’t looking after myself. Eating and drinking to much and absolutely zero exercise (apart from walking with the family) wasn’t doing my weight or my mental well-being any good.

I have found my love of Yoga once again and aim to stick with it and do a daily practice. I love how yoga makes me feel during and after each session, it’s great for my body and mind.

This year I plan to not only take better care of my weight but also my mental well-being.

I’m Currently Reading

I’ve mentioned before how I joined a book club a few years ago and at the moment we’ve gone virtual. My aim when I joined was to read one book a month which at the time seemed impossible! I didn’t have time to read!

Two years on and I’m still loving getting lost in a good book. Last year I read 29 books, I’m already on my 4th book of 2021! Most days I read one or two chapters a night once the kids are in bed, those chapters soon add up and I’m whizzing through the books.

Some of my recent recommendations would have to be Thursday Murder Club and the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. Let me know what you’ve been reading, I love a good book recommendation.

You Are What You Eat

Looking after my weight and well-being meant a change in diet for me as by the end of last year I was overeating and drinking too much alcohol. I’ve stuck with what I know and pulled out all my Slimming World recipe books.

Over the last month, I have cooked delicious (and super easy) healthy meals and even lost 10 pounds with has made me feel great! A few of my favourite Slimming World recipes have to be Spaghetti Carbonara and Pizza-Topped Chicken! Delicious. Please share your healthy yummy meals with me, I love new ideas!

Feeling Fit

I’ve never been one for strenuous exercise and I’m certainly not a fitness fanatic, but lockdown has meant us being outdoors much more than ever as a family. I’ve also over the last 12 months become to love a walk on my own, I’ve been smashing my 10,000 daily step target and now with daily yoga I’ve never felt better.

The other morning I woke up really motivated to try running. I’m not a runner and have always felt too unfit to run, I used to get out of breath after a fast walk. But I loved it! Getting out for some fresh air myself was great and I hope I can improve my running over the next few months.

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We keep hearing the phrase ‘we’re at a tipping point’ a lot at the moment, and that’s how I feel with my own mental health right now. We spend some much of our time looking after other people that we forget to check in on ourselves.

Just recently I’ve started finding the constant ups and downs a struggle. It’s the YoYo of emotions that have made me think I’m at tipping point. It’s the constant, 24 hours of news about tiers, restrictions, another full lockdown. It’s the missed celebrations, cancelled plans, thinking about Christmas. It’s the worry will school close, will my children be ok and on and on and on and on.

Like most people, we thought (back in March) this would be all over by now and be a bad dream by Christmas but even now there’s no end it sight.

I’ve decided I need to do something about my feelings. I don’t want my low mood to spiral out of control. Spending quality time with my family at weekends definitely helps and as you know being outdoors always makes me feel better. But I think I need to change my mindset and just reset my thinking a little at the moment.

STOP WORRYING ABOUT THINGS YOU CANT CONTROL

Definitely sounds easier said than done, but to stop worrying about what I can’t control would help me a lot. Worrying about if we’ll go into a higher tier or a full lockdown is something I have absolutely no control over.

Whether I worry about it or not give it a second thought wouldn’t make a difference to it happening at all. If I can accept that then hopefully I could stop worrying so much and focus on things that I can control, such as my own behaviour, my own family and it’s day to day life.

MINDFULNESS

This is something we hear a lot about these days but what does it actually mean? It’s paying attention more to the present moment, actually being in the moment and it can help your mental wellbeing.

I’m not very good at ‘being in the moment’. I’m usually looking to what’s next. I love planning and looking forward to things we’ve had booked in our diary. But maybe that’s part of the issue as so much has been and is still being cancelled.

Just being aware of a moment and your area around you right now can allow you to not take things for granted that you may have done normally. This is certainly something I can work on.

SWITCHING OFF

News broadcasted 24 hours a day right to your phone is something that I also need to sort out. Whether you want to read the news or not it’s hard to get a way from it. You open a social media app and it’s all over that, you open WhatApp groups and it’s shared all over there too. Plus there’s ‘newspapers’ that share what they class as ‘news’ and it’s just scaremongering.

I’m certainly going to try and switch off more, which is a big one for me as I’m always on my phone! I love social media (as you probably know) and I love taking photos. But over the weekend, I’m definitely going to switch my phone off and take a break. This weekend I might even take a camera out on our walks and leave my phone at home.

Plan for this weekend- I’m going to try and be more in the moment, embrace what’s around me and switch off from the news.

Have you got any tips for me to be more mindful?

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With lockdown restrictions starting to be lifted, last weekend we headed to the coast to stay at our family caravan for the weekend. After months of not being able to go, it felt fabulous to be out and about.

As you may already know, our caravan is close to Morecambe, in a village called Bolton-Le-Sands. On Sunday we decided to walk along Morecambe’s promenade to the small village of Heysham, something we have done many times over the last few years. There’s lots to see and do on the walk from Morecambe to Heysham including a climbing wall, water fountains and a little playground. Check out the post I wrote about our first trip to Heysham back in 2018.

Usually in the month of July, we head to Heysham for the annual Viking Festival. You can read about when we went he Festival a year or two ago here. This event is always lots of fun but I’m guessing it will be postponed this year unfortunately.

There’s lots of interesting and historical things to see and read about in Heysham including checking out the stone graves and the ancient ruins of St Patrick’s chapel.

It was an extremely windy walk to Heysham on Sunday, the kids loved that we kept getting wet from the waves! As we reached the village, the wind settled and the sun came out. We visited a little tea shop and enjoyed ice creams and coffees. Heaven.

On our way back through the village to the coast we passed St Peter’s Church and a sign caught my eye- ‘Glebe Garden’. From the road I could see a beautiful garden full of pretty flowers and it looked like it was open to the public. We followed the sign and it lead us through the church yard.

Well, we then found a perfect oasis! The garden was lovely and very well kept, with colourful flowers everywhere. The kids seemed interested to look around too and I thought we’d get a quick walk round before they got bored.

Little did we know what treasures and surprises were hidden as we walked through the gardens, the kids didn’t want to leave! Hidden amongst the trees, brushes and plants were fairies, little houses, faces, animals and so much more!

It was such a lovely spot, there were plenty of benches in the garden so we could have taken a few minutes to rest in the sun. Although I had no chance of that, there was too much to see and my children thought it was wonderful. We must have circled the garden several times as we kept missing some of the little trinkets dotted around.

We’ll certainly be back soon. I’m not sure how we missed this beautiful garden on our past visits. Our children called it their very own secret garden.

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When my eldest turned four it was such an exciting time. He was super excited to be starting school just a few months later, he was so ready and he couldn’t wait. My twins at the time of his 4th birthday were newborns, less than six months old, so Joshua starting school eased a little pressure of having three at home all day. Mum guilt makes me feel bad saying this, but Joshua starting school when the twins came along made mum life so much more manageable.

Joshua is now nearly 8 and for the last 8 years my weekdays have been a mixture of part-time working whilst children are at school or nursery and spending my other days at playgroups. Apart from my part-time job (and more recently my blog), my life has revolved around playgroups, mums and tots classes and play dates with my mummy friends. And I love it! And I’ve realised how much I’m going to miss it!

This month (this week actually), my twins turn four-years-old and it’s such a different feeling than the first time round. The twins are probably (most definitely) my last children, so I’ve come to realise how bittersweet this birthday is for me as their mum.

In September they will be starting reception at school. No more playgroups, no more lazy mornings in our pjs just because, no more playing in the park when everyone else is at school or work……

Oscar and Isla turning 4 seems such a big deal to me. It’s like the end of a massive parenting chapter for me and our family. It’s the end of toddlers, babies, nappies, bottles, playgroups, weaning, prams, highchairs and everything in-between! Those things have been my life for the past 8 years.

It’s an end of an era, I’ve realised just how many ‘lasts’ we will have over the next few months. Time really does fly by so fast. It really is a bittersweet time, there’s so much to celebrate but I feel sad too.

My two are extremely excited about their upcoming birthday and I can’t wait to celebrate with them also, but I’m not ready for them to grow up just yet. I’m going to enjoy the next few months and make as many memories as possible, then I’ll definitely be counting down for the half term holidays.

Here’s to the next chapter! All three in primary school, assemblies, parents evenings, half term, growing up, leaning to read and write, and so much more!

Happy 4th Birthday Oscar and Isla x

I’m not talking about being school ready academically! Whether your child can write their name or not when they start reception isn’t that important, well I don’t think so anyway. You hear the term ‘school readiness’ a lot these days, but i’m talking about what things us parents can do to help the transition into school. To make the move as easy as possible for our children. There’s plenty of things we can do as a family to enable a happier transition to school.

Talk Positively About School

We talk a lot about how my youngest (twins Oscar and Isla) will be starting school in September. We call it ‘big school’ but they are just so excited to be going to the same school as their big brother. The more you talk about school, playtime, the classroom etc, the more they will know what to expect. I try to always be positive about school life, saying how much fun it would be. If you have older children in school already, perhaps ask them to talk about what they like about school.

Visit The School/Classroom

When possible, attend any taster days. I remember with my youngest before he started, we were invited to come into the classroom for the afternoon. First we had lunch together in the hall, it was lovely to walk him and watch up pick up a tray and queue for his dinner! He looked so small, but it was a lovely experience to share with him. Plus he was so excited he talked about it for weeks, making it easier to talk about school life as he knew what to expect.

Get To Know The School

If it’s a brand new school to you all, then get to know it. As well as taster days, perhaps find out when any events are on before your child starts school such as a summer fair. At the weekend you could maybe walk or drive past the school, point and encourage your child to say ‘look, it’s my school.’

Encourage More Independance

It’s so easy to see your own children as babies (mine aren’t four years old yet) but encouraging them to be more independent will definitely help them when transitioning into school. Get them to take their own shoes off and put them away, ask them to bring their own plates and cups into the kitchen. Practise putting any difficult shoes on or zipping their coats. These are all things that they may do at school and already knowing how to do things themselves will be less stressful for them. Let them take some control.

Fully Bathroom Ready

Parents all hope that their children will be fully toilet trained before they start school. I’m also meaning basic hygiene. Making sure your child can go to the toilet alone and wash their hands is essential for starting school.

Read More

Whenever you can, read together. Reading is essential to a child’s development. Even before your child can read independently, reading helps your child get to know words, sounds and language. It also can help children learn to look after books, stimulate curiosity and imagination plus develop so many skills. Studies have shown that reading for pleasure makes a big difference to your child’s educational performance. Just 5 minutes before bed perhaps, enhancing good habits now will make it easier as they get older. My eldest is 7 years old and he loves to read.

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For us, the countdown until big school has begun. I plan on making the most of the next few months before I’m dropping off all three children at school!

Taking a trip to the beach during the Christmas holidays isn’t probably on everyone’s to do list. When you think of the beach, you think sun, sand and ice cream! But we love being by the sea, whatever the weather, a trip to the beach with children can be a perfect cheap, if not free day out!

We decided on Southport beach as it wasn’t one we’d been to before as a family. We spend lots of weekends on Morecambe seafront due to our families having caravans there and we visit Blackpool several times a year so we wanted to try somewhere new.

During the Spring and Summer seasons, you are able to park right on the beach at Southport, so no long walks to the seafront with all your buckets and spades. Due to it being Winter that car park was closed, although there was plenty of other alternatives. As we drove into Southport we passed a large pay and display car park but we decided to park in a large retail park instead as everyone needed the toilet so we all nipped in McDonalds. This car park is free for 3 hours.

The seafront was very clean and the area tidy which was great to see. From the retail car park, we got onto the Pier and walked towards the sea right to one end. Southport Pier is the second longest in the country with a cafe, toilets and arcades at the end (which was open out of season). During the summer months you are able to take the pier tram one end to the other. After checking out the views, we decided to walk the other way into the town.

At the piers entrance we had a go on the 2p slot machines in Silcocks Funland, a favourite thing to do when visiting the seaside! After losing all out 2p’s, we headed to the traditional fish and chip shop. To keep costs down, we had brought a picnic including a flask of tea. We picked up two portions of chips and headed towards the park. We sat at a bench and enjoyed a feast of sandwiches and chippy chips! Delicious.

There’s a great wooden playground close to the arcades and the lake. We crossed over the lake and walked along the lakeside which was very idyllic. It was a lovely sunny (but cold) day, there was plenty of people around and the lake was full of swans.

We got back on the pier and this time headed onto the beach. My three thought it was brilliant that they were wearing wellies or walking boots and headed straight for the water. The sea was miles out, but there was still plenty of water for paddling. We spent ages walking through the water, searching for giant shells and throwing stones. Throwing stones into water is a favourite past-time of one of my twins especially, Oscar could literally do this all day.

There’s something about being by the sea! I love the sea air, the views that go on for miles, the freedom of the beach for the kids to run. We have so many happy memories of spending days by the sea, I’m hoping my children will cherish these memories when they’re older, perhaps enjoy the same with their own children maybe.

If your looking for a trip to the beach this winter, I recommend Southport beach and pier, we’ll definitely be back soon the explore a little more.

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For more ideas for days out, why not check out:

Dinosaur Themed Days Out In The North West To Take Dino-Mad Kids,

Fairytale and ‘Magical’ Parks and Woodland Walks,

‘Crafty’ Places To Take ‘Crafty’ Kids Near Greater Manchester.