Sunday 31 July 2022

The apples are nearly ready. #MySundaySnapshot

I was at my dad's earlier in the week and it's always a little bit exciting at this time of year when his fruit trees are starting to really thrive. He's already had a ton of cherries but now we are waiting for the apple and pears to ripen. When they do it will be apple crumbles and pies all round.

Apples on a tree

My Sunday Snapshot linky

Saturday 30 July 2022

Week 30 of #Project365. 23rd - 29th July. A photo every day for a year!

We have had a lovely first week of the summer holidays. We haven't really been up to much, we've just eased ourselves in gently but there has been a few treats throughout the week. Stu got his first full months pay from his new job and now it all seems worth it him leaving the house at 7am. I did chuckle at his attendance bonus, he gets an extra chunk of money just to turn up to work on time. lol I thought that was the whole point of normal wages without the bonus. I'm not complaining though.

Now for a photo everyday!

Sunflower and electric meter
SkyQ menu
Thai-Style pork patties
Fish & chips bag and my girls.
Wildflowers in my garden

204/365 - 23rd July
I now have 3 different types of sunflower in my garden. This one is one of the smaller one's. The big one's are still my favourite.

205/365 - 24th July
I have got into a routine every Sunday of taking a reading of the electric meter and putting the numbers on my account on the British Gas website. I want to make sure they don't give me an estimated bill and my Smart Meter still doesn't work. They know there's a problem but seem to think it's a their end not here. 

206/365 - 25th July
We got the new Sky Q box and it took some getting used to but I am liking it. Everything is there on the box instead of having to use the xbox for things like Netflix & Disney+.

207/365 - 26th July
The Thai-Style pork patties cooking. I originally got the recipe from Gousto but it's a firm favourite in our house now. 

208/365 - 27th July
We got a chippy lunch. I ordered online and sent the kids to pick it up. Chip butties all round.

209/365 - 28th July
We were all home today. Both Stu and Becky had a day off work and we decided to go and see my dad. It's been ages since he last saw us all at the same time.

210/365 - 29th July
The wildflowers in my garden are getting a bit wild but the bees do love them.

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Friday 29 July 2022

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Treats

It has been the first week of the summer holidays here and it's flown over even though we haven't really done much. It has been good just to chill out and relax, especially for Ellie who was ready for a break from school. We have had a few treats over the past week which have been nice. 

On Monday we had the Sky man here installing a new Sky Q box. The bill was going to go up by £10 a month as we were out of contract but with the new Sky box we are paying £10 less than we have been paying. It has taken some getting used to but I love it. It is making me so lazy though with the voice search thing, there is no having to remember what channel everything is on. The only thing I don't like is that I can't set a reminder for my favourite TV shows. I used to like the reminder to pop up to tell me when something like Emmerdale was starting. Oh well, the positives are outweighing the negatives at the moment and now that I have the Sky Q box with Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify on it means Becky can have her Xbox in her bedroom as I am no longer using it which in turn means that Ellie gets her old xbox 360. Consoles in their bedrooms seems like such a treat for them. They have been warned not to play on them too late on an evening though but they are at an age now where they can be responsible, I hope!

Stu is loving the new job that he started about 6 weeks ago and even more so after the last week. He answers phones helping people with tech issues that they have with their phones or bills and often he can offer to upgrade them if they can get a better deal, a lot like us with the new Sky box. This week he had his training about selling broadband and actually sold his first package to someone. They got a good deal and ended up paying less for their package. As an incentive when you sell broadband you get to play the higher/lower card game to win prizes. Anything from a box of chocolate or bottle of wine to a £100 Amazon gift card or a Slush Puppie machine. Stu ended up coming home with a huge bottle of Jack Daniels which he won. He thought he would treat himself and I don't blame him, he deserves it.

From now on the girls and I are calling a Wednesday chippy Wednesday. hehehe They convinced me to get chip butties mid week and it felt like such a treat and I have said we can do it every week if we have nothing on during the school holidays.

Yesterday felt like a real treat having all of my family home. Stu had his day off work, Becky had no work and Ellie is obviously home. It seems ages since we had a day all home together which wasn't a Sunday and even then Becky has been either working a Sunday or coming off or going on a night shift so it doesn't count. It was the one day where we could all go out and do something. We didn't go far, we just went to see my dad but it was a treat for him too, to see us all together. The last time we were all at his was ages ago, probably Christmas.

Stu and Becky are back at work today. I am still not used to them both working more and different hours than they did a couple of months ago. It really makes me appreciate the days and time that we all get together. 

How has your week been? 

Word of the week linky

Thursday 28 July 2022

50 outdoor family activities to do this summer!

We always want to spend time as a family and while the weather is nice it's so good to get outside. Getting outside and enjoying nature is great for physical and mental wellbeing. Sometimes I have to drag the kids kicking and screaming but once we actually get outside they're always happy and do enjoy themselves. 

I know sometimes I am lacking some inspiration for how to turn a day in the great outdoors into a really fun adventure.

silhouette of a family

These are some great ideas to have some outdoor fun and maybe one or two might be something that you have never thought of.

The top 50 outdoor family activities to do this summer according to parents:

Have a picnic.
Watch the sun rise and set.
Go to theme parks.
Bike rides.
Swim in the sea.
Go to nature reserves.
Sightsee in a city.
Jump in the waves.
Fruit picking.
Build sandcastles.
Star gaze on a clear night.
Go to an adventure playground.
Fairgrounds.
Play in a paddling pool.
Go searching for creatures in rock pools.
Dig huge holes on the beach.
Hiking.
Camping.
Bury your legs in the sand.
Bird watching.
Play tennis.
Water balloon fights.
Slide down a water slide.
Play swing ball.
Caravanning.
Mountain biking.
A UK Safari.
Play on a bouncy castle.
Glamping.
Build a den.
Jump into a river.
Climbing.
Fishing.
Go on a treasure hunt.
Hunt for bugs.
Play on a rope swing.
Cloud spotting.
Snorkel in the sea.
Fossil hunting.
Bodyboarding.
Kayaking.
Play a big game of rounders.
Trail runs.
Pedalos.
Build nests for wildlife.
Make an obstacle course.
Ride on electric scooters.
Roller blading.
Surfing.
 Learn a new sport.

I know we will be doing plenty of these things. As well as them being fun a lot don't cost any money like watching the sun set, birdwatching and cloud spotting.

Do you have any outdoor fun planned for over the summer holidays?

Wednesday 27 July 2022

Red onion and bacon tart. - Recipe!

While the weather is warm we want lighter things to eat but we soon get sick of things like salad and quiches so I have been trying new things and one of those things is the red onion and bacon tart which was inspired by one of the Gousto meals we have tried in the past, crispy bacon & leek tart. It feels like a proper summer meal and all of my family love it.

Red onion and bacon tart

Ingredients:

2 Red onions.
A packet of smoked bacon.
A sheet of ready made puff pastry.
Soft cheese.

Red onion and bacon tart ingredients

How to make:

Chop and fry the red onions.

While the onions are frying unwrap the puff pastry and score a 1cm border around the edge of the pastry with a knife. The border with puff up to create a crust.

Spread the soft cheese over the pastry within the border.

Chop the streaky bacon and fry that until it becomes crispy.

Add the fried red onion and bacon to the pastry sheet and pop it in the oven until the pastry is browned, that's it!



This is one of those meals that up until trying similar in a Gousto box I wouldn't have thought of making. It's such a simple, tasty and filling meal which doesn't take long to make at all and all of my family love it. When we have the red onion and bacon tart we have either been having it just with salad or if we are feeling hungrier boiled new potatoes. If I make an extra one we always fight over it the next day as it's one of those things that taste good on the day you make it and even better the next day.

What new recipes have you tried lately?

Tuesday 26 July 2022

18 Summers.

I am guessing by now we have all seen the "18 Summers memes", they have been going around for years. "We get 18 delicious summers with our children. This is one of your 18. If that's not perspective, I don't know what is." 

They always pop up at this time of year, when the schools break up for their summer holidays telling us that we only get 18 summers with our children, while they're kids so we should make the most of them.

Flowers

Years ago when I first saw the 18 summers meme, my heart sank a little and made me feel sad that our kids do grow up so quickly. For a while I used to go all out, stressing myself out over the summer holidays trying to keep the kids busy and happy. Making the most of our time together and then they turned into teenagers and they were so over me organising things. They wanted to play and chat online and spend time with their friends.

I feel that the 18 summers thing is just another way to shame us as parents. Not all parents can spend all of the summer with their children. Some have jobs to go to, some share parenting with another parent and some children are no longer with us. Not everyone can spend 18 summers with their children.

I'll let you into a secret. Becky is 20 in September and this will be her 19th summer and we have plans, we are going to do fun things over the summer that fit around her going to work. Summer fun doesn't stop just because your child turns 18 in fact sometimes it can become even more fun! Beer gardens and pints of cider in the sunshine. hehehe and do you know what's even better she pays her way. Sometimes taking the kids on a day out can be expensive but because Becky is an adult, earning a wage she will pay some towards any day out we have which means we are actually planning on having more days out over the summer! 

As the kids get older summer seems a lot more fun. There is a good balance of spending time with them and them spending time with their friends. I don't have to organise "fun" activities and play dates, they are happy with the odd day out, a full fridge and an internet connection.

The sentiment of the "18 summers" is that we should make the most of our children while they are children but there is no pressure. If you want to stay home in your pj's and do nothing, do it! If you want to go on days out and plan activities, that's OK too but just remember motherhood is challenging enough without the added pressure of making every second count.

I’m no longer counting the summers that I have with my girls and you shouldn’t. Instead I’m just enjoying the time we have together.

How do you feel about the 18 summers memes? 

PoCoLo linky

Monday 25 July 2022

Our weekly meal plan! 25th - 31st July. #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Last weeks meal plan went well considering we were having a heatwave. Getting in the kitchen early on before it got too hot and making what we were eating that night before helped. We ate everything apart from the pizza on Friday. We had home made fish, chips and mushy peas and the stir fry was scrapped and we had burgers on Saturday night. Lots of ice lollies and ice cream were also eaten. 

Ellie finished school for the summer on Friday so she is looking forward to lots of lie in's and lazy days and poor Becky is dealing with the fact that she is an adult now and has to work. She is planning to sneak a couple of lie ins this week around her shifts at work and I think I might have to sleep late too. hehehe

Today is an exciting day. We're getting a Sky Q box. We got an email last week saying our bill was going up by £10 next month so Stu spoke to Sky and they said they could upgrade our old basic Sky box free of charge, give us Netflix for free and the new price is £10 less than we pay now. I feel like we've got a good deal and it's about time, we've been customers of Sky for about 15 years and never had much of a discount from them. 

On the menu this week we have:

MondaySticky chicken with salt & pepper chips with spring rolls.
TuesdayThai-Style pork patties with sweet potato wedges. (A Gousto recipe that we've had before)
Wednesday - Sandwiches, cakes, crisps. A lazy tea.
Friday - Fish finger sandwiches.
Saturday - Takeaway pizza. It seems ages since we last had a takeaway.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday 24 July 2022

Slushy Ice Cream. #MySundaySnapshot

 Over the past week we have eaten so much ice cream and had so many ice lollies. Most of it all has came out of the freezer, before the heatwave I was clever enough to stock up.

Now it's a little bit cooler I thought the girls would be so over ice cream but no, we heard the ice cream van yesterday and I gave them some money to get what they wanted. They came back with this concoction. Ice cream on the top with a flake and slushy at the bottom. It certainly was something a bit different but tasted very nice.

Slushy Ice Cream

My Sunday Snapshot linky

Saturday 23 July 2022

Week 29 of #Project365. 16th - 22nd July. A photo every day for a year!

This week seemed to be all about just getting through it. Ellie was tired with it coming to the end of term and we of course had the heat to deal with. I am not good in hot weather, I have had no patience for anything this past week so taking photos has been the last thing on my mind.

The school summer school holidays started yesterday and Ellie finished year 10. Time really does fly, this time next year she will be preparing to start college or an apprenticeship, she still hasn't decided. We don't have much planned for the summer, all that is on the cards is a couple of cinema trips.

Now for a photo every day!

Youngest washing up and a computer game
Sunflowers
40c temperatures
Grey sky and books
Food shopping in bags

197/365 - 16th July
I roped Ellie into helping with some housework, washing the pots. She knows how to do the job but tried to do it really badly to get out of it. Putting the cups the right way up instead of upside down to let them drain. We had words and then she got on with doing it properly.

198/365 - 17th July
Sunday was a day for doing nothing. I played Hearthstone and online game. 

199/365 - 18th July
My sunflowers are now the height of the fence, taller than me. Not bad considering I thought they were dwarf sunflowers.

200365 - 19th July
It got up to 40C here, the hottest temperature 40.3C was about 50 miles from us. Ellie stayed home from school, we stayed inside with the windows, curtains and doors shut to keep the heat out and the cold in. Every time we moved we sweated so we did as little as possible.

201/365 - 20th July
I was so happy to see grey sky! It was still quite warm until the evening but I was so glad it was cooling down. I couldn't have coped with another day like Tuesday!

202/365 - 21st July
The first of the girls birthday presents arrived. Most of what Ellie wants this year are books and she is Alice Oseman crazy at the moment so got her the Heartstopper books and another set. They were a lot cheaper from The Works than Amazon which surprised me.

203/365 - 22nd July
What a faff I have had getting the shopping this week. Tesco didn't deliver any of my frozen or chilled food on Thursday because they had broken down fridges and freezers so I ended up getting an Asda delivery yesterday. They delivered everything I had asked for. Phew!

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Friday 22 July 2022

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Heat

During the winter I always long for the summer but now it's here I wish is was winter again. lol I have not been coping well with this heat. Of course the biggest news of this week is the heatwave that we have had. My family and I are not lovers of the sun. We prefer to stay inside where it's cool but the problem about the last week was that even inside was hot!

On Monday I laughed at the heat warnings, it didn't seem as bad as the weather people were making out. Yes it was hot but we kept all the curtains shut which kept it coolish in here. We coped with it. Ellie went to school and came home a sweaty mess but still asked to play out with friends. I said no. It was too hot for that and I know that she would forget to drink plenty. 

Ellie woke up with a headache and said felt sick on Tuesday morning. She seemed OK in herself but I didn't take much convincing to let her have the day off from school. None of us slept well and it was nice to go back to sleep for an extra couple of hours sleep. I do think Ellie was faking being poorly to have the day off as I know a lot of her friends were staying off school too. Ellie does sweat more than the average person and that is caused by her heart problems so in the heat we were having it probably was best for her to stay home. She was of course fine by lunchtime. 

On Tuesday it felt like a different type of heat than what we've been having! I stuck my head out of the back door a couple of times and it felt like my eyeballs were burning! It felt quite breezy outside but it was just hot air. The local infant and junior schools and some local shops shut at lunchtime and I had washing to go out onto the line but I couldn't bring myself to go out. 

40C weather

At almost half past five it reached 40C here with us. We were just sat here, not moving and were still sweating. The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was yesterday in Coningsby, Lincolnshire which is about 50 miles from us. Eek! I always though that it was London which got the hottest temperature's but apparently not. 

Stu was dreading going to work but he says the bus rides weren't that bad, the worst thing were the idiots spraying deodorant on the back of the bus. Deodorant and hot air does not go well together. At work there was air conditioning until it stopped working but the managers brought round drinks and ice lollies until the air con started working again. Phew! He said of course it was hot in Hull but coming back over the bridge into North Lincolnshire he felt the temperature rise.

Becky slept through most of the heat on Tuesday as she was working a night shift. She got up at half past six and went to work at about half past seven and in that time she must have said "it's too hot" about 80 times. She had me sweating just watching her faff about. lol

Thankfully on Wednesday it started to cool down and by yesterday the heat had just about gone. As I am writing this I am feeling very annoyed with Tesco. I did my normal weekly shop online and it turns out half of it was unavailable, all my fridge and freezer stuff. It's understandable that they had issues with their fridges and freezers after the heatwave but it's annoying that they still have the products which are unavailable still available to order online. Grr! If I had known most of my order was unavailable I would have left it for a couple of days. I now have an Asda shop coming today with the missing stuff. Hopefully everything is delivered this time.

How have you coped with the heat?

Word of the week linky

Thursday 21 July 2022

Year 10 is almost done!

Ellie finishes year 10 at school on tomorrow. It really seems this whole school year has flown over. It has been nice to have a relatively normal school year after the last couple of years being disrupted by Covid. I remember Ellie asking on the first day of term "do you think I'll do a full year at school? and I said hopefully. It happened she did a full year, the first since year 6! In year 7 we moved house and she finished school a few weeks before the summer holidays started, then Covid happened and she never had a full year at school in years 8 and 9.

My youngest in her school uniform

This was a big year for Ellie. She was starting her GCSE studies. She choose photography, geography and engineering as her options as well doing the normal subjects like maths, English and science. Ellie was very glad that from year 10 the PE lessons dropped down to just one a week.

She has done so well over the last year. I can't believe when she left primary school we were so worried about how she would cope in secondary school, then moved house and she started a new school and that was the change that she needed. The school she is at is amazing! The teachers know how to push her and get her working to her full potential and I am so proud of her.

Ellie was almost top of her year group for praise points throughout the year despite still having few detentions for not doing homework. She is great for doing work in class but not so much at home. Thankfully they haven't had that much homework to do, it just seems what they do have she doesn't like to do it at home. 

My youngest

She has been really enjoying her Engineering and photography lessons and is doing so well with them. We got her a camera for Christmas which has really helped her out with taking photos although the school said it wasn't needed as there are cameras available to use at school.

We finally got to meet all of Ellie's teachers at parents evening in December and it was all positive apart from her Maths teacher who said that Ellie and her friend like to chat, a lot but he can't really tell them off as 9 times out of 10 they are discussing the work. She is doing so well at maths, I think it is because she was moved down a group and now the work is easier to understand.

Ellie was never bothered with English until she got this new teacher at the start of the school year and now she loves it and it's all down to the amazing teacher. The teacher handpicked her class, those kids who weren't doing too well but had potential and she has made sure it was a tiny class with only about 12 kids in to get the most out of them and it's working. We saw her books at the start of the year and the essays were a page long at the most, now they're almost 4 pages long. 

The only subject Ellie isn't doing great in is Geography. I still think it's because she was forced to do that instead of history but she's working better than she was a few months ago, we're not holding out much hope of a good GCSE grade in it.

I remember when she started school in September I told her she was getting one blazer to last her until she left school and every day I would nag her not to lose it and so far so good. She hates wearing it but she is looking after it. She has also got the hang of tying a tie, mostly. We got the proofs for her school photo sent home and it did make me chuckle, they could have at least made her tie her tie properly. lol

My youngest girls school photo

Apart from the detentions for not doing homework we have only had one other bit of trouble and that involved Ellie making some bad choices online which resulted in a phone call from school and a ban from the internet. Ellie wasn't wholly to blame for the trouble but she stirred the pot and sat there and watched while others got involved and made things 10 times worse. She has well and truly learned her lesson now.

Earlier this year Ellie had her mock exams and she surprised us with the results. She got quite a few passes and with more work and revising she will be able to do even better. The revising will be starting in September even though she is not happy about it, it will be happening.

Ellie has a good bunch of friends at school, she has finally found her people. Most of them live nearby which means she is always out with them and the one's that live a little further away she still manages to spend time with them too. 

My youngest girl

Now we can enjoy the summer holidays but if they're anything like the school year they will be over in a flash! 

Have your children had a good year at school?

Wednesday 20 July 2022

A family day out to Fantasy Island near Skegness.

 During the half term holidays we had a family day out to Fantasy IslandLocated in Ingoldmells on the sunny East Coast of Lincolnshire close to Skegness, Fantasy Island is a fantastic destination for the whole family!

Fantasy Island

There are so many things to do at Fantasy Island. Rollercoasters for the bravest thrill seekers and plenty of other rides for those looking for something a little tamer. According to the website there are over 30 rides. Fantasy Island is also home to Europe’s largest seven day market where there really is something for everyone. There is a whole host of restaurants, cafes and bars across the park too where you can take a break.

It really is a great day out. We went with my dad and his partner. They had no interest in the rides but spent hours walking around the market. The kids were of course just there for the rides! 

How it works is the whole of Fantasy Island is free to enter but to ride on the rides you have to buy a wrist band which can be bought in advance or on the day when you arrive at the kiosks.

There are 3 types of wristband:

Little Explorer Wristband.
This wristband is for the youngest, under 0.9m ride for free. There are a selection of children’s rides they can access if they meet the individual height requirements, they may however need accompanying by a paying adult.

Adventurer Wristband.
This wristband can be purchased by anyone 0.9m or above but please note by purchasing this wristband you only have access to both Adventurer and Little Explorer rides only. Individual height restrictions apply.

Discovery Wristband.
This wristband can only be purchased by people who are 1.1m or above. This wristband provides unlimited access to all rides. Individual height restrictions apply.

Arriving at Fantasy Island

Prices vary depending on what time of year that you visit. The rides are open from late March until late October so it's best to check the website for the day you are going to visit. We paid £27 for the Discovery Wristband and that is the most you will pay. You can use an iCard and put credit on it and pay per ride and the ride prices vary from £6 for the rollercoasters down to £2.50 for the little people rides.

I have read that Fantasy Island have a no refund policy so if it's wet or windy and the majority of the rides are closed you won't be entitled to your money back. It is something to think about if you buy your wristbands in advance. 

I was in two minds about paying £27 each for the girls but by the end of the day it was worth it when we totalled up all of the rides that they went on. We arrived just after 10am and were near the front of the queue to buy the wrist bands.

As soon as the girls got their wristbands they were off and rode lots of the rides, there were hardly any queues and most of the rides they were walking straight on and then off and straight onto the next one. Some of them they were even going on two or three times.

Twister
Dodgems

What I did like was that the people manning the rides were really on top of it when it came to safety. Ellie couldn't get her seatbelt on her on the dodgems and the guy checking made sure that she had it secured before he set the ride off going. He also stopped it mid way through the time on the dodgems because a little boy looked upset and overwhelmed with it all.

What took some getting used to was the rollercoasters going over your head when you were queuing for other rides. I would duck every time one came near but it added to the excitement of the day.

rollercoaster
rides at fantasy island

The girls had a couple of hours of riding the rides and we started to need the toilet, there was plenty to choose from and thankfully they were all clean. We then thought about getting some lunch and came across and American Diner which looked so cute and the prices were reasonable. My dad and his partner joined us just after we had ordered and I had an argument with the lady serving.

We placed our order 3 milkshakes, a cappuccino and 4 burgers and fries. What arrived was a milkshake, a latte, a tea and water along with the burgers. I told the person who brought the drinks they were the wrong drinks and they said sorry and walked off to clean a table so I took the drinks back to the counter and the woman was so angry that I did, she was rolling her eyes at me which left me fuming. My dad was talking to a woman who complained her burger wasn't cooked and she'd been talking to someone who had a stale bun and their order was wrong too. It's a shame. I am putting it down to there was one woman in charge then a ton of kids making the drinks and serving them.

Burger, fries and shake

Our bellies were full and the kids went off to ride some more rides while Stu and I left them to it and went for a look around the market. There really is something for everyone! There were clothes, home furnishings, jewellery, toys and much more. Be careful though as there are a lot of copy cat stalls selling fake Gucci, Versace, MKors etc. 
There were also fortune tellers and tattooists. It was only when I saw the tattoo shops that I realised those people I'd seen walking around with kitchen roll taped to their arm had got a new tattoo. It isn't the place where I would trust getting a tattoo. Stu and I stopped off for a pint in one of the bars and by the time we had got back outside at about 2pm we realised that the whole place had really started to fill up and the queues were getting longer and longer.

Sky ride
Techno Jump

By about 3pm it was taking about 15 minutes to get on a ride so we decided to have a play on the arcades but it turns out the arcades at Fantasy Island only accept the pre-pay cards so we crossed over the road and played on those. hehehe 

Fantasy Island is pet friendly and we saw plenty of dogs walking about, obviously on leads. The only places they are not allowed is inside but considering most of Fantasy Island is outside it's good for our furry friends. 

It was a great day out and when my dad's partner said we should arrive early I wasn't convinced but I am glad we did, the girls got to enjoy the rides with hardly any queues. The car parking nearby is rubbish and we heard so many complaining about getting parking tickets but there are plenty of other places to park a 15 minute walk away, near Ingoldmells police station. My dad paid £4 for the whole day.

Have you been to Fantasy Island before?

Tuesday 19 July 2022

Are you drinking enough water?

Half of Brits have no idea how much water they should be drinking on a daily basis, according to research. Despite the sweltering temperatures a third admit they don’t keep themselves properly hydrated. Health professionals say that we should drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower fat milk and sugar free drinks, including tea and coffee all count but water is probably the healthiest.

Fruit flavoured water

Water is the single most important thing to consume to stay hydrated especially in the hot weather. Water is energy! It is the healthy and cheap choice for quenching your thirst at any time. It has no calories and contains no sugars that can damage teeth.

I am one of those people who don't like plain water but I have learned to love squash or water with bits of fruit in. I always had a glass besides me either next to my arm chair in the living room or on my bedside drawers. 

How you can drink more water!

Setting a daily water intake goal can help you drink more water. The act of setting a goal can be motivating and make you more likely to make positive changes that last.

Keep a water bottle in front of you at all times. Whether it is a glass on your desk, a bottle in your handbag, if you always have water near you you’re more likely to drink it

A large glass of water right after waking up is a great way to start the day. Drinking water first thing in the morning can also help you wake up quickly, relieve tiredness throughout the day, aid in digestion, and flush any toxins that might have accumulated overnight.

If you do not like the taste of plain water, try sparkling, adding some no added sugar squash or flavour water with natural fruit, frozen fruits work well if you do not like plain water. It not only tastes great it also can have added health benefits.

You can also set reminders to drink more water using an app or the alarm on your smartphone or smartwatch.

Most tap water is safe to drink but if you have concerns about the quality or safety of your tap water, consider purchasing a water filter.

Create a new habit to help you to remember to keep drinking water such as having a glass after you’ve been to the bathroom or whilst preparing a meal each day.

Eat more foods that are high in water such as lettuce, celery, watermelon, cucumber or Honeydew melon.

Being thirsty can actually make you feel hungry, so every time you find yourself reaching for the cupboard, drink a glass of water to mare you aren’t confusing hunger with dehydration.

Do you drink enough water?