Things I’m letting go of this summer!

Last summer was a total write off, we had stuff going on which meant we didn't leave the house for weeks and when we did we were filled with anxiety. This summer is going to be different but I have found myself feeling stressed because of the pressure I am putting on myself to make it the best summer ever! The pressure to do more, be more, plan everything, make memories and keep everyone happy!! I have thought about things and I have decided to let go of the stuff that drains my energy, clutters my mind and stops me from actually enjoying the season. I want a slower, gentler summer without the stress!

So here are the things that I'm letting go of this summer:

Overscheduling my days!

Every minute doesn’t need to be filled. I’m saying goodbye to calendars that look like military operations and leaving space for spontaneous moments. We will decide on the morning what we are doing that day, unless we have to be somewhere important. 

Saying yes to everything!

It’s okay to say no. It's one of those things that I seemed to have learned with age. I don’t need to please everyone especially if it burns me out in the process or makes me do something that I don't really want to.

Chasing the perfect summer body!

This is my summer body. It’s already ready. No more punishing myself with guilt or diets. I am happy with my body, I am a little overweight but I am not unfit. Yeah, I couldn't run a marathon but I don't get puffed out walking up a hill and I can keep up with my family easily!

Feeling guilty for resting!

Rest is needed some days, especially if it's hot out! I’m not going to apologise for sitting in the garden or in front of the TV with a cool drink and no plans.

Expensive days out!

Summer fun doesn’t have to break the bank. Give me a picnic in the park, a day just window shopping or a walk out any day.

Putting pressure on myself to make memories!

Memories happen naturally. We don’t need a theme park, matching outfits or an expensive holiday to make them happen!

Being upset when my girls make plans without me!

They girls are growing up and that’s a good thing. I’ll cherish the times when they do choose to hang out with me and I'll let go of the FOMO.

Comparing our summer to everyone else’s!

Everyone’s social media looks amazing online but I’m not chasing someone else’s sunshine, I am going to be happy in my own!

Wearing things that aren’t comfortable just because they’re summery!

If I don’t feel good in it, I’m not wearing it. Bye bye, tight denim shorts and strappy tops that dig in! I have a whole blog post about shorts coming soon.

Apologising for doing things my way!

Whether it’s how I parent, how I relax, or what I prioritise I’m doing what works for me and I am not saying sorry! You do you and I will do me! If you have an opinion, take it elsewhere!

Feeling bad for not loving the heat!

Not everyone thrives in scorching weather. If I want to sit in front of a fan eating ice lollies that is what I will do!

Trying to make summer perfect

Perfection is exhausting and totally unrealistic. I’m embracing the messy, silly and unexpected parts because that’s what real life is all about!

What are you letting go of this summer?

365 Days Of Gratitude. In June I was grateful for...

Can anyone tell me where June went? It flew over. We had a good month with plenty going on. I feel like it was a really productive month getting lots of little jobs done that have been needing doing for ages.

I have seen many people on social media list something every day that they are grateful for and thought I would join in. I did this for the whole of the last couple of years and it has really made me realise that even on the bad day's I have something to be grateful for.

Day 152 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Stu got some DIY jobs done around the house.

Day 153 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for lunch out at the pub. It would be rude not to with them doing 30% off on a Monday!

Day 154 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for Spaghetti Bolognese! It has been ages since we last had it!

Day 155 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the girls reminded me that I needed to order the food shop, I had forgotten all about it.

Day 156 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Ellie has finished the practical assessment part of her course at college.

Day 157 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Ellie has finished her English exams, she is too! She said they were easier than last year. Now we wait for the results in August.

Day 158 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for fleecy pj's! Who'd have thought I'd still be wearing them at this time of year! It felt more like Autumn today!

Day 159 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that my family have let me know their plans for the coming week. It's hard to keep track of them all.

Day 160 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Ellie had a good sort out in her room and it's looking so, so tidy!

Day 161 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that everyone enjoyed the curry that I made. Was a new one for us.

Day 162 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for gardening gloves! I was out today weeding the garden and disturbing all the creatures which live out there. Ants, snails and lots of spiders! Eww!

Day 163 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I didn't melt when I was sorting out the cupboard under the stairs. It was that hot in there if felt like I would.

Day 164 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I could spend the day with my dad. It was nice just hanging out with him while he got on with a few jobs.

Day 165 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the girls spoiled Stu. They took him out for the day as an early Father's Day treat.

Day 166 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the girls gave Stu a great Father's Day! Cards, presents and takeaway for tea!

Day 167 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a lovely lunch out with Stu!

Day 168 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a nice cool living room. I am already complaining about the heat and it's meant to get warmer! Eek!

Day 169 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for leftovers for tea! It was so nice not having to cook.

Day 170 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for ice cream and ice lollies!

Day 171 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I already knows what happens in the latest season of Ginny & Georgia because my youngest gave away some big spoilers.

Day 172 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a quiet day by myself.

Day 173 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful the grass was cut before the rain came this afternoon.

Day 174 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Ellie has finished college for the year and she has passed her course (electrical engineering).

Day 175 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for some help to move the furniture around in the living room!

Day 176 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Becky brought me some lunch when she came in. Just a sandwich and cake but it was better than making my own!

Day 177 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the delivery driver for my food shop had a sense of humour, he had to with some of the silly substitutions that I was sent!

Day 178 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I could watch some of Glastonbury on TV. Lewis Capaldi was amazing!

Day 179 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for the WWE from Dubai! I got to watch it live instead of having to wait until the next day!

Day 180 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I managed to avoid all the spoilers for the last season of Squid Game! I've just finished and loved it!

Day 181 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a lovely lunch out with my family.

What were you grateful for in June?

How I Blog!

Blogging has become such a huge part of my life that I can’t imagine not doing it. I have been blogging for over 12 years now. While it’s all fun and there’s a lot that goes into the process. People often ask me how I manage to keep up with daily blogging and honestly, sometimes I ask myself the same question!

I blog from my armchair with my laptop on my lap. I don't have a desk or a fancy office and I don't think I would actually like that. I am comfy where I am with the TV for entertainment and the world passing by the window.

I’ve always heard that successful bloggers plan their posts well in advance and while I admire that level of organisation I'm not great at sticking to it and I really don't write my posts that far in advance. Most of my blog posts need writing in the week that they go live. Friday Favourites, my Word of the Week post, it is a linky that I have been joining in with probably over 10 years and it is a great way to recap my week. Then there's Project 365 - A photo every day I love recording all the random moments in my life and of course my meal plan can only be written the day or two before it goes live. Recently I have been joining in with The Wednesday Hodgepodge and on a Sunday I usually write that blog post when I see the questions from Joyce are live, it is really becoming one of my favourite posts to write for the week.

The only blog posts I write in advance are one's which go live on a Tuesday and Thursday and they could be about anything and my Share Our Lives blog post which is on the 2nd Tuesday of every month! The people who run the linky kindly gave the prompts I think in December for the whole year so I could get ahead writing those.

Thursday's are my day to panic! I feel the pressure to write posts for the weekend, those that I mentioned above. Thankfully they practically write themselves and being in the blog post writing zone it always gives me a kick up the bum to write other blog posts too which can go live at any time. I often lose track of time on a Thursday afternoon and the next thing I know is that Ellie is coming in from college.

My brain is full of ideas at the most inconvenient times like in the shower, just as I’m about to fall asleep or while I'm in the kitchen making tea. I could scribble down notes of my ideas but I don't and then when I come to writing a blog post my mind sometimes goes blank! Sometimes I’ll have a little burst of inspiration and write five posts in one afternoon and then nothing, apart from my weekly posts. Thankfully I always have some posts in reserve.

Taking photos should be easy except I’ll make a delicious meal, gobble it down and then realise I meant to blog about it or I’ll tidy a little corner of the house just right, perfect light streaming in but forget to snap a photo. I use Pic Monkey to edit my photos and I would be lost without it. I have tried using other apps and programmes but they all seem so complicated. My photos really have improved since my early days of blogging, I really do cringe at the one's in my early posts.

Blogging isn’t just about writing blog posts it’s also about engaging with other bloggers. One of my favourite parts of blogging is commenting on other blogs. I love reading what others have to say and leaving my thoughts. I am pretty consistent with commenting, if I join in with a linky I will try to comment on most of the other bloggers linking up. Linkies used to be such a big thing here in the UK but many of them have stopped now and over the last couple of years I have been joining in with quite a few from American hosts. It feels like the old days of blogging and there is an amazing community. I also go through my Feedly list every day, it is a feed of all my favourite blogs and the new posts that they have published.

I used to be big on promoting and being active on social media but I don't really bother any more. Life got in the way last year and I have never really got back into it. I share my new blog posts each day and that is about it. I think the only social media account I have kept up with is Instagram, I really do like sharing little bits of my life and seeing little snippets of other peoples lives.

How do you blog? Are you super organised or more of a last minute blogger?

Our weekly meal plan! 30th June - 6th July! #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went really well, we ate almost everything apart from the fish & chips on Friday, we ended up with pizza out of the freezer. I wanted tea done and dusted by half past five as the wrestling was on TV early as it was coming from Saudi Arabia. Hooray for the decent time difference which meant I could watch it live which doesn't happen often. The sausages yesterday was just too much sausage with the hot dogs on Saturday and sausages that we're having this week, we had chicken instead.

The poor Morrisons delivery who delivered my food shop over the weekend wasn't too happy. He thought he was going to get grief from me for the substitutions I was given and all the unavailable items. I knew it wasn't his fault so we had a giggle about the substitutions, some of them were silly! We had got a sandwich meal deal and substituted the iced coffee for orange juice which wasn't even close to similar and the orange juice I had ordered they sent apple juice. I ordered mini cans of pop for some days out and they sent big 2L bottles of the pop and I got brown bread instead of white. I'd love to know what goes through the minds of the people picking the orders. 

We have something on most days this week and I am really looking forward to it all. It's all the fun things and not so much of the day to day normal things. I am going for easy things to cook as I don't want to spend all of my time in the kitchen and I know some days I won't feel like spending time in there. Our meals probably aren't the healthiest this week but we're going for convenience this week.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - It's not often we are all together on a Monday as Becky is always sleeping for or after her night shift but she has this week off work so we have plans and will be eating out.

Tuesday - Pork and apple sausages with potato wedges.

Wednesday - Tuna pasta salad.

Thursday - Spam fritters, home made chips and baked beans.

 Friday - Pizza. Home made, well almost. Pre-made bases and we will add our own toppings.

Saturday - Another day with plans so we will be grabbing food on the go.

Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 22nd - 28th June! Week 26 of #Project365

We're almost halfway through the year, how? It doesn't seem that long since January and this month especially has flown over. Summer needs to slow down a little already and we have just started it. Ellie has finished college until September and Becky is going into her second week off work. We have lots going on over the next month, Stu has some time off work and the weather forecast is looking good. There is all the summer feelings here!

I have had a great week and a fantastic weekend so far with Glastonbury and wrestling on the TV. Usually I have to watch live events from the WWE the next day because of the time difference between the UK and the US but this weekend it's in Saudi Arabia which means the shows have been starting at 6pm UK time. I had a big parcel delivered yesterday of things that I have ordered for Ellie's birthday in August, she picked most of the things, clothes mostly but there are a few surprises now hidden away. Today we have no plans at all, we are going to have a lazy day well almost, the kids have mountains of clean washing to put away. hehehe

Now for a photo every day!

173/365 - 22nd June

We finally got the grass cut in the back garden. It was either too hot or too wet to cut it. The grass now still looks burned despite us cutting it when it was a lot cooler than it had been. My plants are doing well though!

174/365 - 23rd June

Just me. Another one of those days where I didn't know what to wear. It was colder than it had been when I left the house, warmed up when I was out and then got chilly again. Of course by the time I got home it was roasting again!

175/365 - 24th June

I changed the furniture around in the living room and this is now my view. I am at the other side of the room and it has really confused my family, they keep forgetting my armchair is now where it is.

176/365 - 25th June

Becky brought me a sandwich in from the bakery when she came in. It always feels such a treat when I don't have to make my own lunch.

177/365 - 26th June

This is the best thing I have bought in months. It's a little USB rechargeable fan that has a stand so I can put it on the arm of my armchair. It cost £3.50 from a shop called One Beyond and it is fantastic and a lot cheaper to run than the big one we have that plugs in to the wall.

178/365 - 27th June

What a surprise yesterday to watch Lewis Capaldi return to performing live at Glastonbury! I almost cried! Last time sung at Glastonbury, 2 years ago he couldn't finish because of his Tourette's. I do love that guy!

179/365 - 28th June

I am not a big milk drinker usually but at the start of the week I was all about drinking strawberry milkshakes now it's all about the Galaxy Mocha Frappe. (I got it from Tesco). Yum!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

I know last week was hot and we had all the summer weather but we were plodding along with life without the true feeling of it being summer. Over the past few days it has really felt like summer even with the not so hot weather. Life feels that little bit more relaxed.

Ellie has completely finished college until September. It feels like they have been saying you're finished for weeks. You're finished but you need to check a piece of work, you're finished but we need this form filling in, oh this one too and you're finished but come back in and return your locker key. Everything is now done, hooray! As much as she loves college and I love her going, learning and being with her friends it feels like a weight has been lifted. We get to sleep a little bit later, stay up a little longer and have so much more freedom.

I also think it has felt so much like summer because Becky has been off work too! Having both girls home meant that it felt like summers when they were both at home for the 6 weeks holiday from school but there has been less pressure on me to organise activities and more of them planning their own things. I said a few weeks ago how I was losing track of who was where and this week has been much of the same and next week or so is going to be no better! Becky has said she's going to buy a whiteboard or calendar on so they can both write down where they are going to be. lol

After all of the sunshine and then the rain my garden is looking like it should in the summer with everything blooming! I was getting worried, there was a lot of green but not so much colour but the flowers have came out now! My pumpkin plants are getting huge, my sunflowers are just over half the height of me, there are lots of different coloured flowers appearing and I have even managed to grow some tomato plants from seeds. There's no tomatoes yet but they're doing well, I was late in planting them so I am not giving up hope yet.

Glastonbury Festival is another sign that it is summer and we will no doubt have it on the TV all weekend, watching and singing along. Today we're looking forward to seeing the Kaiser Chiefs, The Script (we really enjoyed seeing them last week when they were at the Isle of Wight Festival), Raye, Weezer, Tom Odell, and Scissor Sisters.

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay for her Word of the Week linky!

What I have loved this week! Week 26. #FridayFavourites

We have had a good week! I feel like I have found a good balance of being productive and having some lazy moments. Today I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share the things that I have loved over this past week.

Milkshake!

I am not a big milk drinker but over the past week I have been drinking a lot of the white stuff in milkshake form, using Strawberry Crusha syrup! I did feel bad for drinking it to start with as when I was a child it was full of sugar and other nasties but now there's no added sugar or artificial colours or flavours! Bonus!

Cooler weather and rain!

It was red hot here towards the end of last week but by Sunday it had cooled down a lot and I was so happy! We managed to get some weeding done and the grass cut before the rain came and it was glorious! Just what the garden needed! The warmer weather hasn't gone though, if the forecast is correct we should be starting another mini heatwave now.

Steak & Onion baguette with fries and salad!

Finding new blogs to read!

Over the past couple of weeks I have found some blogs that I've added to my Feedly reading list, the list I go through each day reading the new blog posts that have been published from people that I follow. I found them through The Wednesday Hodgepodge and this linky! I love reading about other people's lives, finding new recipes to try and of course connecting with new people! Blogging really is a fantastic hobby!

Moving the furniture around!

I love moving the furniture around in the living room, I do it a couple of times a year. We don't have many options with the fireplace being down one wall but I've moved my armchair, Ellie's computer and a few other little things. While the furniture was out I gave everywhere a deep clean. It was like having a whole new living room.

Discovering an old hobby!

While I was having a tidy in the living room I tackled some drawers which had a load of random things in and came across a Cross Stitch set which I had started but came nowhere near to finishing. That will be my project for the summer! A few years ago I would sit outisde and cross stitch and really enjoyed it, I think it's time to take up that hobby again.

Pink nails!

Sandals!

Monday was the day that I slipped on my sandals for the first time this year only to discover they don't fit. Hmmf. They weren't too small, they were too big. My feet seemed to have shrank over the colder months but I remember last summer I bought a pair off Shein and they were a tad too small for me so my youngest claimed them, it was time to claim them back. They fit like a glove and were even comfier than my old one's! I can see them being worn a lot over the summer!

Squid Game!

There are new episodes being released today and I am very excited! What makes it even more fun is that my youngest started watching a week or so ago. She has never seen any of it apart from little clips on social media so it's all new to her. She's heard myself and her sister talking about it and in the first season knew one of the players wasn't who they said they were so it has been fun seeing her work her way through it and finding out all of her guessing was completely wrong. hehehe 

What have you loved over the past week?

What to buy teachers for the end of the school year and what to avoid!

As soon as we hit June the end of the school year seems to come so quickly. One minute you’re labelling water bottles and hunting for missing PE kits and the next you’re blinking back tears as you realise your child is another year older and their lovely teacher has been a daily part of their life for the past 10 months. Whether it’s their first year in Reception or they’re heading off to secondary school saying thank you to a teacher can feel like a big deal!

So, what do you actually buy a teacher to show your appreciation?

Personalised gifts but be thoughtful about them!

Think keyrings, tote bags or notebooks. Things that are actually useful. Something with the child’s name and year or a little message can feel really special.

A heartfelt thank you card!

A card with a handwritten message from your child can mean more than anything money can buy. Teachers will often keep these in a little stash for when they’ve had a rough day. Bonus points if your child draws a little picture of the classroom or writes something funny they’ve remembered.

Gift vouchers!

It might not seem personal but it’s genuinely one of the most appreciated gifts. Whether it’s for a coffee shop, book store or Amazon! Vouchers allow teachers to treat themselves to something they’ll actually use. Even a £5 voucher feels like a little luxury especially when you add a note showing your appreciation.

Plants or flowers!

A cheerful potted plant or a little bunch of flowers can brighten their home (or classroom). Opt for something low maintenance, think succulents or mini roses. Just avoid huge bouquets that are difficult to get home on the bus.

A group gift!

If you’re in a WhatsApp group with other parents why not club together for one lovely gift? It could be a spa voucher, a restaurant gift card or a nice bottle of fizz. One amazing gift can sometimes mean more than ten novelty candles.

What Not to Buy a Teacher!

While all gifts are appreciated in spirit there are a few things that can be a bit questionable. Here’s what might be better left on the shop shelf:

"World’s Best Teacher" tat!

Yes, it’s cute but how many plaques, mugs and fridge magnets can one person own? After five years of teaching, they’ve probably got a drawer full.

Anything too personal!

Scented body lotion, bath bombs or perfumes sound like a nice idea unless the teacher is allergic, hates strong smells or already has a shelf full. Unless you know their preferences it’s safer to skip it.

Homemade food (unless you’re really confident)!

While that tray of cupcakes might look delicious to you, teachers can be a bit cautious about homemade treats (allergies, hygiene and all that). Shop bought goodies might be a better bet or just stick to the card!

Joke gifts!

Unless you know the teacher well enough to be sure they’ll take it in good humour it’s best not to go down the novelty route. That huge wine glass or cheeky coaster might be hilarious to you but it might not land the same way with everyone.

Do you buy the teachers presents at the end of the school year?

The Wednesday Hodgepodge! #19

I hope you are all having a good week? It's Wednesday which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. What does adventure mean to you?

I’ve never been the type to chase adrenaline or throw myself into the unknown. I like my slippers more than hiking boots and I’m happiest when I know what’s for tea and where I’ve left my keys. Adventure can be small. It can be trying a new recipe, planting something I’ve never grown before in the garden or taking a different route on a daily walk. It can be saying yes to something that makes me a little nervous like meeting new people or starting a new hobby.

2. What are your thoughts on tipping? What businesses or service providers do you regularly tip? Do you resent being asked if you'd like to add a tip? What about when a suggested amount is presented?

As someone from England tipping isn’t really a thing, it’s not rude not to tip! It's something I don't really think about. In fancy restaurants service charges are added to the bill and most other places tips are not expected. The only times I do tip is in taxi's, I round it up to the nearest £5 or £10, the hairdressers and I always give a little extra to the takeaway delivery person if I am paying by cash.

What I do find a bit awkward is when I’m paying by card in a pub or restaurant and a screen pops up asking if I want to leave a tip especially if there’s a person standing there watching. It can feel a bit pressured and sometimes the suggested amounts are really high. 

3. I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream...do we? Is ice cream a favorite treat at your house? What's your favorite flavor? Regular, soft serve, gelato, sherbet, or some sort of non-dairy version of ice cream...what's your pleasure?

I love ice cream, it's something we always have in the freezer, all year around. Tubs of different flavours, ice cream on sticks and of course from the ice cream van which drives around on summers evenings. During the warmer months I eat some sort of ice cream at least a couple of times a week!

My favourite ice cream from a tub is a bit of a cheat, I like Neapolitan where you get vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry but my all time favourite is a 99 Flake from the ice cream van. A soft serve vanilla ice cream in a cone with a Cadbury Flake stuck in and strawberry sauce on the top! I am also partial to a Strawberry Split, vanilla flavour ice cream with a strawberry flavoured ice coating. Yum!

4. What's your 'back in my day, we____________________ ' story or saying?

I am always saying to my girls "back in my day" and it usually revolves all around mobile phones. Back in my day, we had to press 7 four times just to type the letter S, our ringtones sounded like a robot having a breakdown and to get a good one you had to pay £3, the batteries lasted forever without having to charge, we topped up with a £10 scratch card from the corner shop, the only apps we had were the calculator and a stopwatch, you couldn’t just Google it, you text your mate who might know the answer and even then we used texts sparingly as they cost 10 pence each. There were no unlimited plans, we had no camera, no internet and amazingly still survived!

5. Somehow this is our last Hodgepodge in the month of June. Next week's Hodgepodge lands in July. Wow. Sum up your June using three adjectives.

Productive - I feel like I have got a lot done around the house and in the garden.

Hot - It has been so hot here, every day for the last couple of weeks it seems like the weatherman was saying it has been the hottest day of the year every day!

Lazy - Even though I have been productive I feel like when it has been too hot I have been lazy, I don't do well in the heat and lose all motivation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

The latest heatwave has passed which I couldn't be happier about. I am one of those people who all winter complains about it being too cold and then in the summer complains that it is too hot. It needs to be just in-between for me to be happy and over the last couple of days we've had that. It has rained a little too which has been great for the garden. We were forecast thunderstorms but they never came, phew! I am not a fan of thunder! 

The 2nd Year of college is done!

Ellie, my youngest has now been mostly finished college for a couple of weeks apart from going in to finish a couple of things off. It has been quite the year for her, especially after things which happened last summer which I am not going to talk about. She hasn't finished college for good, she is just on her summer break and will be returning in September which reminds me I have have forms to fill in.

When September came around I had been on the phone to the safeguarding staff at college least once a week for the whole of the summer. Ellie hadn't done anything wrong, I was in discussions about how to keep her safe. They were absolutely amazing!!! They went above and beyond to keep her safe in college and by Christmas she was on first name terms with the security guards, reception staff and wellbeing support! 

For the first 3 months or so of Ellie being at college I was taking and picking her up. They could keep her safe in college but the in-between bit was a bit trickier as the bus stop is a little walk away from college. Getting the bus was a nightmare, I hated it! It took me about an hour and a half hour each way. Getting to college on a morning is simple, it's one bus but then I have to come home which involves a 15 minute walk, a bus, then another bus and another 15 minute walk. I had the same journey to do on an afternoon to pick her up, 2 buses there but thankfully it's just one bus home again. Thank goodness for the direct college bus first thing on a morning and last thing on an afternoon. I kept my distance, she sat with her friends and I sat on any empty seat! I hated it! College kids are so loud. lol

She settled in well to the college year and there was an extra girl in her class so there were 3 girls and about 18 boys. Engineering is such a male dominated subject so it was nice to hear that more girls are getting into it.

In January there was a little blip, Ellie skipped a few lessons but because I was in touch with the college so much I found out before it became a problem and may have marched Ellie into college to apologise to a teacher for missing classes. I gave them permission to ring me whenever she skipped lesson again and she never did! I did get one phone call though. Ellie had an assessment and thought it was easier to go to the classroom where it was than to check into the engineering department first. Her tutor thought she was missing, rang me but Ellie was just where she was supposed to be without bothering with the middle bit. Oops.

This year Ellie was doing the Level 2 electrical engineering course and for the first half of the year they were just going over what she had learned in the previous year. She didn't find it much harder than Level 1, there was just more detail in it. She has worked hard, learned lots and has passed everything that she needed to complete the course!

Ellie still refuses to go to the canteen at lunchtime, I can imagine how busy it gets so if she doesn't get to go at morning break she will wait until the afternoon. She has took advantage of the free breakfasts when the bus has got there early and keeps telling me about the amazing hash browns!

Ellie did take advantage of the wellbeing services that they offer at college. Counselling services, somewhere to go just to take a break from the hustle and bustle of college life and again all the staff were amazing. Her engineering wellbeing person has been having fortnightly meetings with her just to check in and make sure everything is going as it should. I really can't thank the support staff enough.

The only gripe both Ellie and I have had with college is they email her when we have both told them to email me. Ellie is still under 18 so it is allowed and supposed to happen but they insist on sending important emails to Ellie's inbox and of course she doesn't check her emails. Things about finance, bus passes and when exams are. 

Now Ellie has the whole of summer to enjoy, her last proper one. This time next year she will be off into the real world. Eek!

How has your kids year at school or college gone?

Our weekly meal plan! 23rd - 29th June! #MealPlanningMonday

Last weeks meal plan went really well even though it was so hot. I made too much of the Sausage, apple and potato one-pan roast, I used a huge roasting tray, one that just to says fits in the oven so we had it again the day after. I love leftovers, it means I didn't have to cook. I am back to cooking what I can early on in the day for tea while it's cool in the kitchen and reheating it when it is time to eat. I always enjoy my meals better this way. If I cook in a hot kitchen I never feel like eating afterwards.

It is supposed to be a lot cooler this week but I am still sticking with the lighter, easy to cook meals. As I am writing this on Saturday afternoon my laptop is saying thunderstorms are coming! Eek! I hate thunder, I have washing out on the line!

Summer really starts this week, I know the first day of summer was over the weekend but this week Ellie officially finishes college for the summer even though she hasn't really been in for the last couple weeks as they had finished their work. I have told her to really enjoy this summer as it's the last proper one she will get. This time next year she will be looking for a job and will be in the real world. Eek! She has lots of plans so it looks like she is going to make the most of it.

I don't have much on this week but do have Becky at home for most of it as she has taken some time off work, for no reason apart from she had holidays to use up and wanted a break. I am going to rope her into helping move the furniture in the living room. I fancy a change around and it's a good opportunity to give it a deep clean!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Stu will be cooking so I have no idea. I am guessing something out of the freezer.

Tuesday - Mango, coconut & lime chicken fillets with udon noodles and some sort of sauce.

Wednesday - Quiche and salad.

Thursday - Bruschetta with mushrooms and bacon.

Friday - Fish, chips and mushy peas.

Saturday - Hot dogs in buns with fries.

Sunday - Sausages, mashed potato and veg.

What are you eating this week?