Five films that I want to see this year.

My girls love going to the cinema but it's not very often that I go. I think in the last 3 years I've seen 3 films at the cinema. Toy Story 4, the latest Peter Rabbit one and most recently Lightyear which I thought was brilliant.

One of my favourite things about a cinema trip is watching the trailers and while we were there seeing Lightyear these came up inspiring me to want to go to the cinema more. These are the films that I want to see over the next few months.

Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Starring Steve Carell, Michelle Yeoh, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Julie Andrews, Russell Brand, Danny Trejo.

Release date: 1 Jul 2022.

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance -- Wild Knuckles himself and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

We have always been a fan of the Despicable Me and Minion films but were let down by the last one, I think we watched so many of the trailers that there wasn't much of the film left to see. We're not making the mistake this time.

Thor: Love and Thunder.

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson.

Release date: 7 Jul 2022.

Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods.

Thor is probably my favourite Marvel superhero and I have been looking forward to this film for ages. I've even convinced Becky to come to the cinema with me to watch it. If she doesn't I'm not too fussed, I will still be going even if I have to go myself.

The Railway Children Return.

Starring Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay.

Release date: 15 Jul 2022.

A group of children are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during the Second World War, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home.

I loved the Railway Children films, they seem to have remade it lots of times but this one seems more like a sequel to the 1970 one. It looks like such a lovely film.

DC League of Super-Pets.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon.

Release date: 29 Jul 2022.

Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, when the Man of Steel and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a ragtag group of animals to master their own newfound powers for a rescue mission.

Not my usual choice of film, I'm not a fan of DC one's but this does look funny and it has Dwayne Johnson so it must be good.

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical.

Starring: Lashana Lynch, Emma Thompson, Alisha Weir.

Release date: 2nd Dec 2022.

A brand new take on the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical tells the story of an extraordinary girl, with a vivid imagination, who dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.

Ellie and I got so excited for this thinking it was coming over the summer but we have to wait until Christmas. Ellie loves the soundtrack for the musical and I love the story and original film so it looks like a good mix.

What films are you looking forward to seeing soon?

The best garden games for the whole family.

Summer is here and I know we will be spending more time outside in the garden. I always thought that as my girls got older they wouldn't want to play games in the garden but they still do. They are not one's to just sit in the sun and read or something like that, they have to be busy. It's a shame they didn't like weeding the garden, there's always plenty of that to do.

Whether you have children who need to burn off some steam or just want to have a laugh with friends here are some of the best outdoor activities to beat the boredom and enjoy the sun. 

Bunch O Balloons.

 Bunch O Balloons are amazing and take the stress out of filling water balloons. Fill and tie 100 water balloons in less than 60 seconds. We have had these plenty of times and the girls still love them.

Giant Wooden 4 in a Row Puzzle.

Connect 4 on a huge scale! Make the classic game gigantic with Giant Wooden 4 in a Row. This oversized wooden sensory toy brings coin-dropping fun to playrooms, gardens and parties.

Swingball.

Bring the classic game Swingball in to your garden! Simply hit the tennis ball back and forth along the spiral. It's a perfect ball game where you don't have to worry about the ball going missing over the neighbour's garden.

Croquet Garden Game.

Enjoy hours of fun with the Traditional Garden Games Family Croquet Set! This set contains everything you need for 4 players! Made from durable hard wood this set is made to last. This Croquet set includes 4 wooden mallets, 4 colored balls, 1 target stick, and 8 hoops.

Giant Jenga.

A giant version of the fun traditional family table top stacking game. Build the tower and then take turns to remove a piece without making the whole tower tumble. The winner is the last person to remove a piece and replace it on the top of the tower, leaving the whole tower standing. 

Giant Pass the Pigs.

Perfect for parties, these giant inflatable pigs can bounce around the garden, house, beach or even the pool. Inflate your pair of porkers, throw them and see how they land. The game is for two or more players and is so simple to play. You throw the pigs up in the air and how they fall determines the points you get.

Giant Noughts and Crosses.

A classic game of skill and concentration but giant sized, this noughts & crosses game is perfect to play both indoors and outdoors for garden parties, bbq's, etc. Designed to play anywhere to be able to entertain not just the kids but the adults as well. Included is 9 interlocking foam pieces and 5 noughts & crosses.

What games do you family like to play in the garden?

Why I love using Gousto boxes.

I first heard of Gousto boxes probably a few years ago when reading other peoples meals plans but I never got around to trying them until a few months ago. I am loving them and thankfully my family does too. They are all up for trying new food and we are trying new recipes every time we get a box.

Timo Boldt founded Gousto, a recipe box company in 2012. The idea is to make it simple to prepare wonderful meals at home, and the boxes come with pre measured, fresh ingredients and simple to follow recipes that everyone, regardless of skill level should be able to follow. Katy Kicker has a fantastic blog post answering all of your questions about Gousto.

Why I love Gousto boxes!

It is easy to order your meals!

The website is so simple to use. You simply log on ,select your chosen delivery date and then scroll through all of the recipes available that week. Then on your delivery day your box is delivered and you get to enjoy.

You don't have to get a box every week!

You can get a Gousto box delivered weekly, fortnightly or monthly and skip or pause your subscription any time. We get one when I am all out of ideas on what to cook my family.

It saves time!

I pick the 4 recipes which we want which I admit does take a while as I can never decide on just 4 but then I don't have to pick every ingredient from the recipes, check we have it in or add it to the shopping list. I wait for the box to be delivered and then cook the meal. There is no faffing about forgetting a vital ingredient then having to nip to the shop.

There is so much choice!

On the website every week there is at least 70 recipes to choose from. There are meals for meat eaters, vegetarian meals, vegan options, gluten-free choices and dairy-free meals and even 10 minute meals for those short on time. If you are on a health kick there are calorie controlled meals and healthy choices.

I love the packaging!

Everything comes measured out and has the exact amount for the recipes that you are making. I usually hate putting the food shopping away but I find it fun sorting the ingredients in the Gousto box. The insulated packaging keeps the food fresh and most of it is recyclable. 

We have tried things that we wouldn't usually!

I have chosen meals that we have never had before and it's really pushed us out of our comfort zone, me cooking them and my family eating them. If you had asked my family if they would eat 3 veggie meals in a week they would have laughed in your face but we did recently. We have tried so many leafy greens, the kids are still not fans but they at least tried them.

We have found new family favourites!

Along with my first Gousto box I got a little folder to keep the recipe cards and can go back and make what we had delivered again and I have. I have made the crispy bacon & leek tart several times and am planning to make the Meat-Free Mince Sloppy Joes, Creamy chicken potato-topped pie, Mushroom Wellington and Carrot & Coriander Soup With Chutney Twists sometime in the future.

I've learned new things!

I have learned so many things while making the Gousto recipes. I don't make normal gravy now using granules, I make onion gravy using stock and caramelised onions. I learned how to make gnocchi and also learned that I am not a fan of it, I learned you can make mash without peeling the potatoes and also that Ellie will eat anything if it's on a skewer. lol

It's not as expensive as I first thought.

Paying £50 for 4 meals for 4 people sounded like a lot but sometimes when I do the food shop for 4 meals for the 4 of us it comes to more than £50. I think paying that price is worth it when we are trying new foods, eating well and 99% of the meals are delicious.

When things go wrong they help.

One time I didn't get the text to say my box was on it's way and I got in touch at almost 5pm asking where it was via their live chat. I didn't even expect anyone to reply with it being a Sunday but they did and told me it was at their depot and would be delivered. I wasn't happy as I did want a bath and an early night, it arrived just after 9pm and Gousto were brilliant and gave me some credit to spend on my next box as an apology. 

If you would like to try a box too you can sign up using my referral code and you will get 65% off your first box and 30% off all other boxes in your first month and I will receive £30 credit as a thank you for referring you!

Have you tried Gousto before? What did you think?

Our weekly meal plan! 27th June - 3rd July. #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plane went well. We ate everything and I am glad that I had planned easy to cook meals with it being so warm. I didn't feel like being in the kitchen and most evenings we weren't eating until at least half past seven when Stu had got in from work, Ellie from being out with friends and when it had cooled down a little.

I don't know what it was last week but I had no idea what to cook for this week and to be honest we didn't really need a shopping delivery as we had plenty in the freezer and cupboards. I was lacking inspiration so I decided to order another Gousto box. I am looking forward to the meals and trying some new things. My family are determined that they don't like lamb but they've had it plenty of times before when I've bought lamb mince by mistake or the supermarket have sent it as a substitute. They just don't want to think of eating cute baby lambs. From now on to my family it will just be called spicy apricot stew. lol

We have a fun weekend coming up. The 2nd weekend that we moved to Scunthorpe my dad took us to a local agricultural show but Covid has stopped it happening ever since until now. This weekend it's going ahead again and we can't wait. It's a proper country show with cattle, sheep, horses, lots of stalls, fairground rides, displays and entertainment. I don't think we'll be wanting much to eat when we get home from the show as we will be eating lots of yummy food during the day.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto - One-Pot Spicy Lamb & Apricot Stew.

Tuesday - Gousto - Thai-Style Pork Patties With Sweet Potato Wedges.

Wednesday - Gousto - Sticky Honey Mustard Posh Dogs With Chips.

Thursday - Gousto - Vietnamese-Style Pork With Sticky Rice And Crunchy Salad.

Friday - Pizza.

Saturday - Eating out.

Sunday - Eating out.

What are you eating this week?

Beginning to bloom. #MySundaySnapshot

My garden is starting to come to life and everything is beginning to bloom. I have been walking around with an app on my phone identifying what everything is. What I thought were cucumbers or peppers are tomatoes and it turns out I have wild radishes and marigolds and Zinnias growing. The only plants I am certain about are the sunflowers and pumpkins. lol

Week 25 of #Project365. 18th - 24th June. A photo every day for a year!

What a scorcher we've been having. I usually hate the hot weather but it hasn't bothered me much over the past week. I've been staying inside as much as I can where it's nice and cool. We've had a pretty quiet week. Stu has been at work where he's getting on great, Becky has been to college and only has a next week and then she is finished after 3 years and Ellie is plodding on with school, not long until the end of term. 

Now for a photo every day!

169/365 - 18th June

We had such a pretty sunset, the sky was red! Even the kids were out taking photos.

170/365 - 19th June

I am rubbish at taking panoramic photos but this gives you an idea of the progress in the garden. Stu has cleared the unused side of the garden, weeded it all and them put all the clean stones back. It looks so much better especially with the extra paving slabs that we found under the weeds.

171/365 - 20th June

Me hanging the washing out. I have found that the yellow towels that match my bathroom are not good to dry outside at this time of year. They attract all of those little black bugs.

172/365 - 21st June

Brunch. Pancakes, bananas, strawberries and chocolate sauce.

173/365 - 22nd June

The new Doctor Strange film arrived on Disney+ so I had to give it a watch. It was OK but quite scary and dark. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. To be fair I'm not a big fan of Doctor Strange so I never thought it would be my favourite Marvel film. I'm just waiting for the new Thor film in a couple of weeks. That I am excited for.

174/365 - 23rd June

I went on the Gousto website to check my order had been processed for next week, it has. I also spotted that the black pudding sausages that we had a while ago are back in a couple of weeks. I will have to get them again, they were amazing!

175/365 - 24th June

These flowers shouldn't be where they are in my garden. I planted the wild flowers further down the flower bed but I am guessing the wind blew some of the seeds when I was putting them down or a bird dropped them. Who knows but they are pretty.

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This week my Word of the Week is: Hot! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Hasn't it been hot! I am usually the first one to complain about the heat but over the past week I have actually been enjoying it. I think it's because our house is quite cool when it's warm out, well at least downstairs. Upstairs is still of course roasting but we've been keeping the curtains shut and the windows open and it has been keeping the bedrooms relatively cool. Although just as I am writing this, yesterday lunchtime Becky has taken a fan upstairs because her bedroom is like a sauna.

On Friday I went to see my dad and it was only when I got home that I realised how much I had caught the sun. I was red but thankfully didn't burn. I am blaming the wind as it was quite breezy so it didn't seem as hot as I thought it was going to be.

Usually I would be struggling to sleep in this heat but I am waking up with Stu every morning for him to go to work at 6am so when I go to bed I fall straight asleep and sleep right through. Stu has been continuing his training at work and today he gets to go on the phones for the first time. Eek! He did have a little hiccup midweek, he was late for work as the bus broke down but it was fine as other people that work at the same place were on the same bus, apparently it happens quite a lot. He was only a few minutes late and made the time up at the end of the day.

It was a lot cooler on Saturday and that gave Stu chance to do some more work on the garden. Over the past couple of months he'd cleared the untouched side of the garden and found quite a few paving slabs which have came in useful. Over the weekend he put all of the stones back and it looks so much better. Under the stones there are black bags which should stop the weeds growing back. He's moved the bigger rocks into the corner and he's planning on painting them and then I can do some shopping for some plants.

My garden is doing well with everything growing. Though I was worried that it was too hot for my plants. I've taken to using the hosepipe to water it as there's that much to water now and using the watering can was taking forever. 

Ellie's school has seen sense and told the kids that blazers are optional until the end of term. When we were in town over the weekend we were actually looking for school shorts but they didn't go up to teenage sizes, I asked Ellie if she wanted a skirt but she said no way. She thinks skirts are too girly for her. I suppose she's right, she would rather be running about with the boys than sitting painting her nails with the girls. lol

We are hurtling towards the end of the school year and Ellie has a busy week next week. She has a trip to one of the colleges to try out some of their lessons, a geography trip to a river, I don't really know why it's something about measuring the water and surrounding wildlife, it's part of her GCSE and then on Thursday she has sports day which she is so excited about. It will be the first one she's had at this school thanks to the pandemic happening. I hope it's just warm next week and not too hot! 

I hope you've all had a good week!

5 Tips for achieving your kids five a day from Fruit Bowl.

We are big fans of the Fruit Bowl snacks the blackcurrant yogurt flakes are still my favourite. A while ago Fruit Bowl shared some tips and tricks with me designed to help little ones to make sure they're getting their five a day, every day, all whilst having a bit of fun!

Switch the oven on!

Why not try baking fruit based breads, cakes or muffins for a fun but healthier twist on their favourite treats? The Puff Pastry Peeler Twists using Fruit Bowl Fruit Peelers are a great idea. Giving your child an easy introduction into the many ways to eat their fruit and veg helps them understand their five a day can come in all different shapes and sizes. It is a great way for them to learn skills in the kitchen too.

Playtime!

Encourage kids to get hands on with their food. Snack time doesn’t have to be sat at the table! Why not get kids apple bobbing, or making edible art such as each others’ faces, animals and nature scenes using their picks of their daily fruit and vegetables.

Eat the Rainbow!

We all eat with our eyes, and kids do too! Make their plate the prettiest at the table by creating a rainbow from a mix of five a day snacks. This way they get a fantastic variety of vitamins and minerals! 

Incentivise!

Our little ones are used to getting rewarded with stickers and stamps at school so you can create your own versions at home! By tracking their five a day intake using their own chart, kids will have fun taking responsibility and sticking their own items to the tables you create! 

Fun Names!

Beat boredom with fun new names that kids will love creating and sharing with the family. Broccoli? What’s broccoli? Surprise Trees! Sweetcorn? They’re Golden Treasure Nuggets. Bananas? They’re Big Yellow Telephones! My girls still do this. Tomatoes are Tommy's, we too have Broccoli trees and and raisins are monkey poop. lol

Do your kids eat their 5 a day?

The Brick By Brick Lego exhibition at Ferens Art Gallery in Hull.

Over half term when we visited Hull I decided to have a look online and see if there was anything else to do apart from shopping and as it happens a new exhibition had started the weekend before Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. 

The new exhibition, Brick by Brick is a new touring exhibition featuring the work of 18 artists, designers and photographers from around the world who use Lego bricks as their medium.

The show features a range of two and three dimensional work in a variety of scales, from jewellery to sculpture, and includes both wall mounted and plinth based work.

Using this simple plastic construction block as their starting point, they have created stunning, thought provoking and often humorous artworks which will appeal to art enthusiasts and fans alike.

It's not a massive exhibition but there was enough there to keep us busy and looking for a good half hour and my girls enjoyed it but there was a lot of younger children really enjoying it too.

Inspired by the wide range of art on show there is a Lego graffiti wall, build tables and a selection of Lego books which give you the chance to have a go at creating your own masterpieces.

Participating artists are: The Little Artists, David Hughes, David Turner, Jason Freeny, Ekow Nimako, Janet Curley Cannon, Hannah Gibson, Cole Blaq, Little Big Art, Zino, Eat My Bricks, Samsofy, Michael Brennand-Wood, James Paterson, Valentino Fialdini, Agabag, AME 72 and Jonathan Rolph.

As well as seeing the artwork you could hear from one of the artist's Hannah Gibson this Friday, the 24th June between 1pm and 2pm.

Hannah’s artwork Whispering Sweet Nothings is on display in the Brick by Brick exhibition. Whilst studying Geology she became fascinated by the mineralogy and reactions between various elements, metals and compounds. This led to her passion for working with glass and using recycled or found materials. Join the artist Hannah Gibson to find out more about her artistic practice, her interest in sustainability and recycling, and why she is inspired by Lego bricks. It is free but booking required through Eventbrite.

The exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery will run until Sunday 11 September and is free to attend. The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm and Sundays from 11am to 4pm.

Is this the type of exhibition that you or your family would like to see?

Finding a job is not easy.

With Becky leaving college soon, she is due to start a full time job in July and Stu getting a full time job I am feeling the need to step up and find myself a job too. It is really disheartening at the moment as either no one wants me or I find a job I could get and can't get there.

The last time I had a job was before Becky was born which is almost 20 years ago. I did consider getting a job when the girls started full time school but there was all the hospital appointments with their hearts, Ellie's ears and I was needed more at home for various reasons.

I have only ever done factory work, worked in McDonalds, cleaning and some shop work. Oh and when I was a teenager I worked at some horse riding stables. I have been applying for anything where no experience is needed or training will be given and so far no luck. I have even gone as far to having a meeting and having a proper CV written up and I was "just a mum" until she wrote down some of the experience that I have.

Managing the household budget to ensure bills were paid on a regular basis and on time

Preparation of daily meals to meet with nutritional needs

Organising a time schedule to ensure all tasks of the day are completed

Planning of frequent social, recreational and educational events.

Communicating and negotiating with schools and education associations to aid in development.

I know everyone exaggerates on their CV but the woman helping me did it in such a clever way. 

Living where we live seems to be going against me. I could start a factory job tomorrow but getting there and back, 20 minutes on public transport would be horrendous. Most of the shifts start at 6/7am and I would have to get the bus at 4am and sit around and wait to start work. Getting home from that shift would be fine but getting home from the late shift which finishes at 10/11pm I would have to get the 5am bus the next morning. lol I even went as far as looking at permanent night shift but I would be leaving the house at half 7 on the evening and then sit around for at least 2 hours to start work. 

Cleaning work is the same, early starts and late finishes. I have been applying for shop work but most of the jobs are 8 hours per week spread over three of four days which means I would be working to pay my bus fare. Ugh. All that is left after that is care work and after hearing some of the stories Becky has told me I really don't think I have the temperament for that.

As soon as a job locally has came up I have of course been applying for it but it seems those jobs are always given to people who've been living here in our small town their whole lives and know someone else who works for the company. which seems a bit sneaky but I guess that's how it goes in a small town sometimes. I will keep plodding on and applying for anything that I can find. There has to be a job out there for me somewhere.

Have you got any tips from going a full time mum to getting back in to employment?

Our weekly meal plan! 20th - 26th June. #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went pretty well. We of course ate all the meals from our Gousto box and a few have made it onto the meals my family love list which really surprised me as 3 were veggie meals. I think we have been converted to meatless mince, it is so much tastier than the meaty one. I think going forward we will be buying it and I will be making the mango chutney pastry twists again to dip in soups or just as a snack. 

When I was doing the meal planning I forgot that we were out on Saturday (we went to see the Lightyear film) and it was Father's day on Sunday. We had panini's for tea on Saturday night and on Sunday we had a Chinese takeaway. It was a lovely weekend.

We were all eating later than we usually do last week, partly because it was so warm and partly because Stu isn't getting in from work until about half past 7. It's something I need to think about in future, making sure what the girls and I eat can be reheated or I can quickly cook something for Stu when he gets in. To be honest I don't want to be in the kitchen cooking twice, once is enough. lol Looking at the weather forecast it's still going to be pretty warm again this week so I am going with salads and easy to prepare food. 

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Sticky apple, sausage & bacon with mash and onion gravy.

Tuesday - A chicken salad of some sort.

Wednesday - Smoky pork & mango fajitas.

Thursday - Jacket potatoes with baked beans and cheese.

Friday - Scampi chips and peas.

Saturday - Pizza.

Sunday - Sweet potato and chicken traybake.

What are you eating this week?

Happy Father's Day! #MySundaySnapshot

 Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. Dad's are amazing people, I think so anyway. I have the best one and the girls have a pretty good one too. hehehe

Stu is an amazing dad to our girls. Becky isn't his daughter biologically but he has been in her life since she was almost 4 years old. Of course Becky does have a biological dad out there but he isn't in her life at the moment which is her choice. The girls adore their dad, I think it's because he is as daft as they are. lol He really is a great dad to them. We don't have much planned for today apart from having a lazy day, there will be presents, cards and maybe a cheeky takeaway tonight.

I hope you all have a good day with your dad's and your children's dad's are spoilt rotten. Sending love and hugs to those who can't spend time with their dad's and those who's dad's are no longer with them.

Week 24 of #Project365. 11th - 17th June. A photo every day for a year!

We have had a good week. Stu started his new job on Monday and he is loving it. There is a lot of learning to do being a tech support advisor in a call centre but he's enjoying it. It has taken us some getting used to. For the last 3 years he's been here when the kids have left for school and college and home when they get in. Now he's left before they leave and doesn't get home until at least half past 7 at night. We have been finding a new routine and so far it's working well. I am missing him though, we will be making the most of his days off!

Now for a photo every day!

162/365 - 11th June

Ready for a morning out at the college fun day with Ellie, her friend and her friends mum. I made sure to wear my Stranger Things top as Ellie and I had read they were being sold on ebay for silly prices as Primark had sold out. It's not often Ellie approves of what I wear. lol

163/365 - 12th June

Our Gousto box arrived. Usually I hate putting the groceries away but I do like sorting and putting the Gousto things away, excited about what I will be cooking in the coming week. 

164/365 - 13th June

I got this wall sticker from B&M for a few pounds but didn't want to stick it on the wall as it's textured so just pinned it. We love it and it helps remind me what I have planned for the week.

165/365 - 14th June

My pumpkins are doing way better than they did last year. They have flowers on them now which is a good sign.

166/365 - 15th June

I needed a stick blender to blend the soup that I was making but I didn't have one so improvised using the Breville blender we use to make smoothies, I don't know if you can put hot things in it but I did and it worked, the soup was so good.

167/365 - 16th June

Who'd have thought that my meat loving family would like meat free mince, they didn't only like it they preferred it over meaty mince. We had 3 vegetarian meals this past week and they all went down well. 

168/365 - 17th June

I had a nice day out yesterday. Seeing my dad, brunch out, a look around the auction and then met up with Becky for an hour at the pub. She took this photo. It certainly was beer garden weather. 

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This week my Word of the Week is: Jobs! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Last week my word of the week was Chores and this week is all about jobs, not jobs around the house but proper jobs. It's been a pretty exciting week for us all.

On Friday Stu left his old job as a handyman and started a new job as tech support in a call centre on Monday. It all happened so quickly from having the interview to getting the new job and starting. It is a massive change for him. Going from working outside all day to working in an office, travelling an hour on the bus instead of 10 minutes on his bike and the biggest change are the hours. He's gone from being out of the house for 5/6 hours, 4 days a week to at least 12 hours out of the house 5 days a week.

We did think the bus journey was such a faff and expensive but when we worked it out it really isn't that bad. If Stu had a car he would have to pay £1.50 each way over the Humber bridge and then at least £3 parking which is the same is what he pays in bus fares and that's not even including the cost of fuel. The journey on the bus takes about the same time as in a car, the bus goes whizzing by all the cars in the bus lane queuing for the bridge. lol

 It is taking some getting used to for us all. It's good though, Stu is loving his job and the kids are taking on more responsibility helping more around the house.

We are one of those families which receive some Universal Credit and I was left the job of informing them of the change in Stu's employment. What a palaver that was. At one point I put he was getting £9.54 a month instead of an hour which meant the computers automatically sent appointments out for us to look for more work. I also forgot to put how many hours he would be working. It's a good job the person at Universal Credit was on the ball and advised me what to put and where to put it and cancelled the appointments that we don't need. lol

Stu isn't the only one to get exciting news about a job. Becky has been promised a full time job when she leaves college, in the care home where she works part time since just after she started there. When she started in September they were desperate for staff and things have got better so there was the doubt that they might not need her full time but they do! She spoke to her manager early on in the week and she confirmed as soon as she does her last shift at college she can start full time, that will be in just 2 weeks. Eek! She has already decided to stay on the night shift, she likes it and it does seem a lot less stressful then day shifts.

I have been applying for jobs which at the moment is a bit disheartening. Nobody wants me. I'll keep looking, something will turn up eventually.

How has your week been?