The worst British snacks!

Late last year I wrote a blog post about my go-to snacks. You know the comforting ones you grab when you're peckish, bored, avoiding your responsibilities. Those snacks were the good ones but this post is dedicated to the British snacks that make you pause, squint and just wonder why they are even in existence.

Pickled Eggs!

Pickled eggs have been around forever. They're hard-boiled eggs that have been dunked in vinegar and left to marinate until they become pickled. You find them in old school pubs or behind chip shop counters but to me, they look like something from a science lab. Some people love them with a pint. They're rubbery, tangy and smell like they could strip paint!

Battered Mars bars!

Scotland's contribution to the dessert world! On paper, it sounds like a fun idea. A chocolate bar which is battered and deep fried but when you actually bite into one you realise the whole thing is an experience you weren't prepared for. The outside is hot and crispy and the chocolate inside is molten. The batter becomes strangely soggy, like it's confused about what it's meant to be and before you know it, you're drinking warm chocolate through the batter. The only time this snack makes sense is when you're drunk, freezing cold and standing outside a chippy at midnight.

Beef Jerky!

Beef jerky can be good in America but here is a gamble. Half the time it's so tough you feel like you're giving your jaw a workout. The other half is flavoured with something suspiciously labelled smoky BBQ that tastes like it was invented by someone who has never actually eaten BBQ. It's salty, chewy and it sticks in your teeth like it's trying to live there rent free!

Cheese Strings!

Cheese Strings is a childhood snack that tricks you into believing you're eating cheese. They're marketed as fun because you can pull them apart into strings, which is the most exciting part of the whole experience. They taste slightly cheesy, like rubber and bouncy enough to question what percentage is actually dairy. Kids love them but for grown adults, you're basically eating a cheese flavoured candle.

Marmite on toast!

This is the snack that divides the nation. People either love it, hate it and feel strongly about it. For those of us who are firmly on the absolutely not side, Marmite is a snack that can ruin your whole day with just one smear. It's salty, intense and tastes like misery. The smell alone can clear a room faster than a fire alarm!

Mini pots of trifle!

Trifle is lovely. Proper trifles but mini supermarket trifles are not good. The cream tastes like thick nothing, the jelly always feels warm, even when it's been in the fridge and the sponge is somehow both soggy and dry at the same time, which shouldn't be possible. Every layer feels like it belongs to a different dessert.

Cup a Soup (especially Tomato)!

I love a comforting soup but Cup a Soup is something else. The tomato flavour tastes like someone tried to liquefy ketchup and accidentally added dust. It's got that weird powdery aftertaste and it never mixes properly! You always end up with little clumps floating around. If you want soup, make soup.

Pork Scratchings!

A pub classic but also a dental hazard. When they're good, they’re crunchy, salty and satisfying. When they're not good, they’re rock hard, painfully salty and sharp enough to cause an injury. Some even have hair on them. Eww!

Rice Cakes (Especially Plain Ones!)

Rice cakes are one of those snacks people pretend to enjoy when they're being healthy but they taste like air. Flavoured ones are fine, but the plain ones just make me sad. You might as well chew on cardboard. At least cardboard has texture.

Twiglets!

I'm sorry if you love them, I really am but Twiglets taste like burnt Marmite on a stick. They're crunchy but they also taste like they were designed to test if you really are a snack lover. Marmite is already controversial enough, we didn't need a crunchy version trying to ruin our days too!

If you love any of these, no judgement, you're braver than me. I am sure some of these snacks were invented as a dare. Now I'm curious, what's the worst snack you've ever tried?

Parenting young adults - When their partner stays over!

Nobody really warns you about this stage of parenting. You get plenty of notice about sleepless nights, tantrums, slammed doors and teenagers who communicate entirely in sighs but nobody sits you down and says one day another adult will stay in your house and it will feel strange for reasons you can't quite explain! When your children are adults and have been in a solid relationship for a decent amount of time, it's bound to happen, they want their person to stay over. Eek! 

I thought I'd be relaxed about it. I told myself I'm modern, reasonable and there would be no stress over the partner of your adult child staying over and I said it all very confidently, right up until the first time it actually happened and that is a whole different story! Oh! and before anyone jumps to any conclusions, don't assume there are shenanigans happening and people are sharing beds.

The first stay is just weird! The house feels different. Everyone’s polite in an over-the-top way. My young adult keeps checking in with me using their eyes, like they’re asking permission but without words. Their partner is doing that careful guest behaviour where they’re trying not to take up too much space, even though their presence alone already feels quite big. That first night, I go to bed far more awake than usual. Not worried exactly, just aware. Aware of doors closing and of footsteps moving around. It is just weird!

Morning comes and immediately I remember someone else is here. I suddenly care about how I look when I leave my bedroom, even though this is the same house where I will happily wander around with no bra on, scruffy PJs and with my hair doing whatever it wants. I become oddly aware of my voice, my clothes and the general state of things. Then comes the first kitchen moment. That overly cheerful "good morning". Everyone is smiling a bit too hard. Breakfast is awkward. I don’t know whether to offer breakfast or pretend I was just grabbing something and will be back later. They don’t know whether to sit, stand, or hang around near the doorway. Your young adult goes to the bathroom, abandoning me and then I have to make small talk, it is just so awkward.

I notice me editing myself too. There is less muttering, less narrating what I'm doing and fewer random comments fired out there. I'm still me but a slightly toned down version. I'm the version I use around people you don’t know very well yet. Which feels odd, because this is my house and I usually don’t filter much at all. As the day goes on, things ease a little with conversations lasting longer and then nighttime rolls around again, bringing with it that same quietness. I don’t talk about it but you know everyone else is aware too.

What surprised me most was how grown up it all felt in a how did we get here so fast! One minute I was tying their shoelaces, the next I'm sharing a sofa with another adult who is part of my child’s life now. This person isn’t just passing through, they matter to my young adult and that adds some extra importance to everything. I want to be welcoming without putting on a show, I want to be myself and I want my home to feel safe for everyone.

By the second or third stay over, things become a lot less awkward but still not how they usually are. I've moved past the initial shock but I'm still getting used to things. I start noticing things more. The way the house sounds with an extra person in it and how conversations change slightly. It is different having another adult around, someone who isn’t your responsibility but is still there, someone who belongs to another family, another home and is now in mine for a short time. Somewhere in the middle of all this, I've had a few emotional moments and realised this isn’t really about the guest at all, it’s about my child growing up, about them building relationships that don’t revolve around me and I am no longer the centre of their world!

As time goes on, the awkwardness does fade. I've stopped overthinking everything, worrying about if I'm doing things right and I have gone back to being more myself. The house has settled down again, even with an extra person in it and sometimes, if I'm lucky, that extra adult starts to feel less like a guest and more like a member of the family. Someone I can chat to easily and who fits into the rhythm of the house without trying too hard. It doesn’t happen straight away and it doesn’t happen all the time but when it does, it takes the edge off those wobbly days.

If you’re in that stage now, feeling like your house has shifted slightly and you’re still adjusting, that’s normal. It doesn’t mean you’re not supportive or relaxed or handling it well. It just means you’re human and this is one of those quiet parenting milestones nobody really talks about and if nothing else, it’s proof that somehow, without much warning at all, you’ve raised someone old enough to bring another adult home and that’s both a lovely thing and a slightly surreal one all at the same time.

Share our lives - I wish I had known!

It's that time of the month again when I join in with the Share Our Lives bloggers. This month's prompt is: I wish I had known!

I wish I had known is such a simple sentence but it really had me thinking and I found this blog post really hard to write, not because I didn't know what to write, I just had too much! There have been so many "I wish I had known" moments throughout my life.

I wish I had known about my girl's heart defects sooner!

This was the first thing that I thought of. I always wonder and think I wish I had known. For so long, the problems with my girl's hearts went undetected. They were both born with holes in their hearts which needed surgery to fix and are left with leaky valves now. I was just an irrational young mother saying to any health professional that would listen that something wasn't right. The day my youngest was born she was sweating a lot and the nurses said it was normal as it was a warm day, it wasn't normal. My eldest couldn't put weight on, she was skin and bones despite me feeding her as much as she would eat. The health visitor told me to feed her fatty food, all the things that in hindsight probably weren't great for her heart. Then there were the constant chest infections and colds they would catch, all normal, apparently. All of those things were because my girl's hearts were working harder than they should. When the reality finally came crashing down it was overwhelming. The appointments, the specialist visits, the what if's but the relief was amazing too. It turns out mother really does know best. If I’d known I’d have fought harder, asked more questions, pushed for more opinions but hindsight is funny like that. You can’t change what you didn’t know at the time.

I wish I had known that losing things gets worse as you get older!

I honestly thought I would become more organised with age but no! The older I have got, the more I have become that person who puts something somewhere safe and then spends the next hour trying to remember where that safe place is. I find myself looking for my phone when it is in my hand and that thing I was looking for is usually right in front of me. Life now has a built-in treasure hunt. lol

I wish I had known to enjoy time with my girls more when they were younger!

When you are in the thick of it raising little ones, you spend so much time constantly looking ahead to the next big milestone. I was guilty of it when my girls were little. I was always wishing time forward: I couldn't wait until they slept through the night, learnt to walk and talk, I couldn't wait for them to start school and so on. Looking back now that they are older, I miss those younger years. I do wish I had slowed right down and soaked in the magic of those everyday moments while they were happening. The endless bedtime stories, sitting in the park shivering while they happily played, them asking why about everything, the disaster zone of a kitchen after we tried baking together, those days out that felt like such an effort at the time but turned out to be our absolute best family memories and even the arguments over their homework. Now that the house is quieter and they're all grown up, those are the moments I'd give anything to have back just for one more afternoon.

I wish I had known that rest isn't something you have to earn!

Ugh, the guilt that used to come with just sitting down on the sofa for five minutes! For years, I had an invisible checklist running in my head and I wouldn't let myself actually relax until every single job was ticked off. I used to treat downtime like a prize that I had to work hard for. I would make the beds, put a load of washing on and have a quick tidy around before my first cup of tea in the morning. Why? No one was here saying I had to work to have a cuppa. It took me far too long to realise that rest isn't a reward! These days I am trying to be much kinder to myself. If I want to spend an hour just sitting there watching rubbish on TV or scroll on my phone, I do it without the guilt trip. The jobs around the house will always be there after I have relaxed for a little while.

I wish I had known sooner that not everything deserves a reaction!

Learning to bite your tongue is definitely one of those things that seems to come with age because I certainly didn’t have that skill when I was younger! I used to be the sort of person who felt like every little comment, disagreement or bit of drama needed an answer. If someone said something I didn’t like, I’d be straight in there, ready to explain myself and set the record straight. As I’ve got older I’ve realised that not everything needs a response. Sometimes people are looking for a reaction and the best thing you can do is not give them one. These days I let a lot more things slide. In real life, I’ll smile, nod and carry on with my day. Online it’s even easier. I can just ignore it, mute someone or block them. Life is too short to spend your time arguing with people who have already decided what they think anyway.

I wish I had known that being a good mother doesn’t mean being perfect!

Being a good mother doesn’t mean being perfect! I used to put so much pressure on myself to get everything right and compare myself to other mums so much. I always felt like I could be doing more and had a little voice telling me that I could have done something better but the older I’ve got, the more I’ve realised that children don’t need a perfect mam. They need someone who loves them, supports them, listens to them and is there when they need them. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way but my girls have never held those against me. They know I love them and they know I’ve always been there for them. That means far more to me than whether I got every single parenting decision right.

I wish I had known how much fun middle age would actually be!

The world tells us that getting older is all downhill and middle age something to dread but no one really talks about the good parts. About the freedom that comes with getting older or the confidence that slowly appears when you stop worrying about the little things. I love being in my 40s. I am comfortable in my own skin, I don't have to impress everyone any more, I have life experience, survived things I once thought I couldn’t and I have become kinder to myself. Middle age isn’t the end, it is just the beginning. Getting older was definitely not something to fear.

What about you? What do you wish you had known?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

The first September in 20 years without a child going back to school!

It's September and for the first time in about 20 years, I don't have any children going back to school or college and that feels very strange to say. August would normally be spent thinking about the new school year, buying everything the girls needed and trying to get everyone ready for another year of early mornings and school runs. I'd be looking at school uniforms, buying new shoes, sorting out stationery and always wondering how on earth the six-week summer holidays had gone by so quickly but this year, none of that has happened. My girls are adults now. They have their own lives, their own routines and their own plans. They don't need me to make sure they have everything ready for school because, well, they don't go to school any more.

I am finding it all a little strange and what has surprised me most is that I'm missing things I never thought I'd miss.

I miss buying school uniforms. For years, school uniform shopping was a massive chore! Every summer there would be a list of things the girls needed and off we'd go. There were shirts, trousers, skirts, jumpers, socks, PE kits and school shoes. I remember one year I thought I would get ahead of myself and buy the school shoes not long after they had finished school for the summer. Of course, September rolled around and Ellie had gone up a size, so I had to pay twice for school shoes. I probably could have returned the pair that didn't fit but I never thought of that. I even miss the stationery shopping when the girls would try and convince me that they needed the glittery or scented pens, fluffy notebooks or really expensive pencil sharpeners. Buying new stationery made September feel like a fresh start. Now I can walk through the stationery aisle without having a reason to pick anything up. I still of course look though, who doesn't love new stationery?

For years, making packed lunches was a big part of my morning routine. I'd be in the kitchen making sandwiches, putting fruit into lunchboxes, adding a drink and whatever else I thought they might eat that day. There were days when most of it came home again, which was always slightly annoying and then there were the days when they suddenly decided they didn't like something they'd been eating happily for months but I miss those little lunchboxes sitting on the kitchen side.

I spent years wishing I could stay in bed longer and now I can, I don't want to or have to get up to use the toilet and then I am awake for the day. I miss the busy school mornings when we were all rushing around trying not to be late getting out of the door, someone not wanting the breakfast I had made and even the arguments over lost shoes that were always right in front of them! At the time, I probably didn't appreciate those mornings as much as I should have. Now I miss the noise, the chatter and even the school run. There were days when I wasn't a fan of doing the walk to and from school, especially when the weather was awful or we were running late but looking back, it was also time together which I miss now.

For around 20 years, school was just part of our lives. The school calendar was also part of our family calendar and we used to plan everything around it. September meant a new school year, October was half-term, December meant Christmas holidays, then came February half-term, Easter holidays and then another week's break sometime before the summer. It just carried on year after year until suddenly it didn't. I think that's what makes this September feel so different. We can go anywhere whenever we want to within reason.

It's not all bad though there are some big positives to not having children at school any more. I don't have to set an alarm in the morning, I don't have to remember which days are PE days and have their kit ready and I don't have to panic because someone has suddenly told me at 8pm that they need something for school tomorrow. I can make plans without checking the school calendar and I can have a slower morning without someone shouting that they're going to be late. Then there's the money. No more new school shoes, uniforms, stationery, school trips and all those little things that add up to pay for.

We spend all those years working towards this as parents but I don't think anyone really tells you how strange it feels when they get here. Yes, I miss the school days but there are some lovely things about reaching this stage too. I have more freedom, more time for myself and two grown-up daughters who are becoming their own people.

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

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

August went by in a flash! It is always a busy month for us with Stu's and Ellie's birthday but this year seemed extra busy. We've had days out, a week where we were full of cold, the bathroom was decorated, plenty of sport to watch and lots of family time which always makes me happy. It was a good month!

In August I was grateful for:

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Today I am grateful the drains were unblocked again! The pipes and sewers are damaged. The water board knows and it's going to be fixed sometime soon but they said that back in April too.

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Today I am grateful for tissues and cold and flu tablets. Stu has given me his cold! Ugh!

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Today I am grateful for a little lie in this morning! It means I can stay up a little later and watch a bit of WWE's SummerSlam!

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Today I am grateful for cough medicine and that I am not suffering alone with my cold, Becky has it too.

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Today I am grateful for a nice lunch with Becky, it has been a while since we got Costa delivered.

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Today I am grateful that I am just about over the cold that I've had. I can breath through my nose again and I'm not coughing as much! Yay!

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Today I am grateful for jacket potatoes for tea! Nice and easy!

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Today I am grateful to spend time with my dad! Been to his today, helped him with a few computer things and had lunch! Perfect!

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Today I am grateful the shower isn't broken! We thought it was as the water was coming out of the bottom. Turns out the shower head was blocked with limescale! Of course it was, the limescale is terrible here!

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Today I am grateful for a lazy Sunday! I've done nothing productive at all and enjoyed every moment!

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Today I am grateful that Stu has got half the bathroom decorated. He will be doing the rest at the end of the week.

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Today I am grateful that Ellie has another 2 job interviews lined up!

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Today I am grateful I saw the eclipse tonight. It wasn't that amazing but I saw it. lol

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Today I am grateful that I could stay inside today where it was cool!

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Today I am grateful for lunch at my dads. Bacon, black pudding and tomato sandwiches! Yum!

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Today I am grateful for a fun day out celebrating Stu's birthday a day early.

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Today I am grateful for a quiet day at home, Stu had a nice birthday and takeaway pizza for tea!

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Today I am grateful for The Freeman Hospital and their amazing surgeons, doctors and nurses which mean my girls are still here today! Today is 17 years since Becky had open heart surgery to fix a hole in her heart and tomorrow is 17 years since Ellie had her surgery. They both had the same issues with their hearts. Those days were some of the hardest of my life. I never thought we were going to get through the day, the week or even the month at the time. There were so many worries and so many things going through my head but here we are 17 years later and they are both fit and healthy.

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Today I am grateful for BBQ pulled pork in buns for tea! It was so good and I gutted there are no leftovers for tomorrow.

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Today I am grateful for more rain and not having to go out and water the garden!

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Today I am grateful that Ellie was OK with not getting a pass on her English GCSE resit. She did better than last year so it's not all bad and is booked on an intensive course to get something that counts as the English GCSE.

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Today I am grateful for an evening at the pub! Hour and half of a singer singing 90's tunes, football and a bottle of prosecco!

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Today I am grateful for football on the TV and that Hull beat Man United!!

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Today I am grateful for a nice afternoon watching sport. F1 and then the football. I can't believe that Erling Haaland has cut his hair and the tribute to Kevin Keegan was something special!

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Today I am grateful that Stu cooked tea! It was nice to have a night off during the week!

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Today I am grateful that I could go into town and pick up a few extra presents for Ellie's birthday.

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Today I am grateful to get a few jobs done around the house!

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Today I am grateful I didn't have to go out this afternoon, that rain was awful!

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Today I am grateful Ellie had a good night out with her friends!

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Today I am grateful Ellie had the best birthday! We had a meal out and a fab night out, my legs are aching from all the dancing I did. lol

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Today I am grateful for a day of doing nothing!

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Today I am grateful for a day at home getting some little jobs done.

What were you grateful for in August?

My September goals & plans!

I’m carrying on with my monthly goals and plans because writing things down really gives me that little kick up the bum to actually get things done. I always feel more motivated when I have a list to look at instead of just thinking I should probably do that at some point. When it’s written down it feels more official, like I’ve made a little promise to myself.

I did pretty well with my goals in August and ticked a lot off my list.

Get some important life admin done - Yes, I have done as much as I can at the moment and it felt good getting it done.

Drink more water during hot days - Yes! We had plenty of hot days and I was mindful about making sure I drank enough. I sometimes had different drinks on the go at one time. Like now, I have a glass of blackcurrant juice, a glass of lemonade and a cup of tea beside me.

Go and see the new Spider-Man movie - No, I couldn't find the time for a cinema trip but Ellie went with her friend and said it was brilliant! Hmmf!

Celebrate Stu and Ellie's birthday - Yes! We had a lovely day out in town for Stu's birthday and then for Ellie's, we had a meal out.

Make a summer dessert I’ve never tried before - Nope! It has either been to hot to want to spend any time in the kitchen or I have been just too busy.

Have a mooch around the charity shops - Yes and I was very disappointed. The clothes racks were filled with overpriced items which came from Primark, Temu or Shein.

Have a picnic - We ate outside a few times. Meal deals from Tesco sat in the park, sausage rolls, doughnuts and a nice drink from Greggs.

Make lots of things with tomatoes from the garden - Not yet, not enough have been ripe at the same time so we've just been washing them and eating them straight away.

Decorate the bathroom - Yes! Stu worked hard, it is all finished now and it looks fantastic!

Have an ice cream from the ice cream van - We had several!

In September, I want to:

Celebrate Becky's birthday!

It is Becky's birthday in just over a week and we have plans and a good idea how we are going to celebrate. She has her own plans too, with a night out in town with friends, so there will be plenty of birthday celebrations going on.

Get ahead with my blog posts!

There was a time when I had lots of drafts written and posts which could go up at any time but now I only have a handful. I want to get ahead with writing more seasonal things, which should be easy to do as I have the ideas. It is just finding the time to get everything written down.

Go to TK Maxx!

I love this time of year when shops start getting all the autumn things in and TK Maxx is always fantastic for seasonal stuff. I'm not planning on buying anything but if something takes my fancy I know I won't be able to resist. I love looking at the autumn decorations, mugs, candles, blankets and all the other bits and pieces that start appearing.

Sort my wardrobe out!

I know the summer weather is supposed to carry on for a little while. Apparently we are getting another mini heatwave this month, which I can believe because it has been a hot summer. I want to sort out my summer clothes, pack a few away which I won't wear again until next year and check what I have for winter before bringing things out of storage. I'm sure I'll find things I've completely forgotten about.

Start shopping for Christmas!

Once Becky's birthday is over, I want to start buying gifts for Christmas. When I asked the girls what they wanted for their birthday, they had no idea until two days before, so I already have some ideas for Christmas as long as they don't buy the things before. This is the problem when buying presents for people who are old enough to buy their own things. You think you've had a brilliant idea, only to find they've already treated themselves!

Have a proper Sunday dinner

After all the summer meals and lighter meals, September has me craving a proper home made Sunday dinner. Roast meat of some sort, tons of veggies and of course Yorkshire Puddings!

Go to Hull Maritime Museum!

Last month, when we were in Hull celebrating Stu's birthday, we saw a big queue outside of Hull Maritime Museum and thought it must be good, so of course we want to visit. You can book a timeslot online, so there will be no queuing. The Hull Maritime Museum explores Hull's 800 year history with the sea with roughly 1,300 objects highlighting the area's whaling, fishing trade and rich seafaring past. It sounds really interesting and I'm looking forward to having a proper look around rather than just walking past it and wondering what it's like.

Watch the Harry Potter movies!

It has been at least a year since I last watched them, so I think it's about time to visit the wizarding world again. I'm not sure whether I'll watch them all in one go but I'd like to start from the beginning and work my way through them. I do love the Harry Potter series.

Sort out photos from the summer!

We've had quite a few family days out and celebrations, so September could be a good time to go through my photos, delete all the duplicates and blurry ones and I want to print a few out to have around the house.

Give the garden a good tidy!

It needs it. I have been slacking with it either being too hot, rainy or me just not having enough time. August was busy so this month I should have more time to get out there. Do some weeding, pull up dead plants and sort out our little shed where there are piles of plant pots and goodness knows what else.

What do you have planned for September?

The random summer jobs I had as a teenager!

When I think back to summer jobs when I was younger, I don’t think of fancy internships, building a career or anything that looked impressive on a CV. I think of sweaty afternoons, doing jobs I probably wasn’t qualified for, earning a few extra pounds and convincing myself that I was basically an adult because I had somewhere to go and something to do. Looking back, some of the things I did during the summer were actually quite funny. Some were proper little jobs, some were more like helping out, and some were probably just excuses to spend time somewhere I wanted to be. If I wanted money for sweets, clothes and going out with friends, I had to find something to do and looking back, I think those summer jobs taught me a lot!

Babysitting - because I fancied the older brother!

This is one of the most obvious teenage summer jobs, except my reason for doing it wasn’t because I had a burning passion for childcare. Sometimes, when you are a teenager, you make decisions based on very important life factors. Like whether there is a cute older brother involved. There may have been a time when I was around 16 years old and babysitting was made slightly more appealing because I fancied the child’s older brother. The child was about 5 years old and the older brother was a little bit older than me. Teenage logic was brilliant. I convinced myself that doing almost anything was a good idea if there was even the smallest chance of seeing someone I liked. Looking after someone else’s children is a big deal when you are still basically a child yourself. Although I do wonder what the parents were thinking about leaving their precious children with a teenager who probably still needed reminding to tidy her own bedroom.

Working at horse riding stables - when I already had horses at home!

This one still makes me laugh because looking back, it seems slightly ridiculous. I spent time working at horse riding stables, mucking out the stables, cleaning saddles, making feeds, filling up hay and water buckets all in exchange for riding lessons, even though I already had horses at home and I was quite good at horse riding. I wasn't even paid! When I finished work, I still had to help with my family's horses. You would think that if you had horses the last thing you would want to do during your summer holidays was spend more time surrounded by horses but back then, horses were my passion, so spending my summer working with them and helping out seemed like the perfect job.

Cleaning a betting shop - before I was even allowed inside!

One of the strangest summer jobs I had was cleaning in a betting shop. I would go each evening after it had closed, empty the rubbish, hoover and clean. What is funny about it was that I wasn’t even old enough to be inside one when it was open. I was under 18, so I couldn’t actually walk into the betting shop during normal hours but I could go in and clean when it was closed. Madness! I was even responsible for making sure the shop was locked up each evening, which was crazy considering I was only about 16 years old. One night I remember finding a bag filled with that day's takings. Someone hadn't put it in the safe. I panicked, rang my dad from the shop phone and he said hide it somewhere and leave a note on the counter. It seemed like a good idea at the time but if someone had broken in, they would have just read the note and found the money. lol I got a bonus in my pay that week for being so honest and trying to help. Each Friday I would turn up to collect my wages, which would come in a little brown envelope and would have to try and get the manager's attention so he could come outside and give me it. 

Working in a laundrette - maybe this explains why I hate laundry now!

Another summer job memory that makes me laugh is working in a laundrette. At the time, it was just another way to earn some money but now, as an adult who looks at a pile of washing and immediately feels tired, I have to wonder if this was the beginning of my laundry problems. The sound of machines spinning all day, the smell of washing powder, folding clothes, dealing with other people’s laundry. I think teenage me accidentally ruined laundry forever. I am sure this was the summer I put on a ton of weight as the woman who owned it was a feeder. She made sure all the staff were fed when they were working and she was an amazing cook, so everyone ate far too much, with her asking again and again to eat more!

Car boot sales with my dad - one of my favourite summer memories!

Doing car boot sales with my dad was so much fun, even getting up ridiculously early, loading the car with things we wanted to sell and heading off before most people had even had their first cup of tea. Car boot sales were a proper summer tradition and you never knew what you were going to find. One person’s unwanted clutter was another person’s treasure. Doing them with my dad was probably less about making money and more about spending time together.

When I look back now, I realise those summer jobs were a big part of growing up. They weren’t glamorous, weren't always fun but they gave me independence, stories and memories.

What summer jobs did you have as a teenager?

Music that screams summer - My nostalgic playlist!

Isn’t it funny how a song can act like a time machine! One moment you’re sat there doing the washing up, and then a few notes float through the radio and bam, you’re fifteen again, dancing barefoot on the lawn, eating ice pops and hoping your crush walks past! Summer, I think more than any other season, has a soundtrack. It’s the season of car windows down, festivals in fields, beach days and spontaneous BBQs. So, I thought I’d share my nostalgic summer playlist, the songs that instantly take me back to those golden days, whether I was a teenager riding my bike or a twenty-something dancing at weddings with bare feet and a Pimms in hand.

Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams!

Let’s start with a proper classic! I wasn’t even alive in 1969 but this song makes you feel like you were living that carefree summer where everything was simpler and the biggest worry was probably what you were doing the next day. I remember this one always being played at family BBQs when I was younger. The grown-ups would be standing around with their drinks, getting all nostalgic and singing along at the top of their voices while us kids pretended to be embarrassed. We’d roll our eyes, act like they were so uncool and fast-forward a few years and now I’m the grown-up shouting the chorus, thinking I sound amazing while my girls are probably looking at me the exact same way I used to look at my parents.

Miami - Will Smith!

Party in the city where the heat is on! This track came out in the late ‘90s and made every British teenager, me included, dreamed of jetting off to palm lined streets and beach parties where everything glowed orange and cool people danced in slow motion. I never made it to Miami, but that didn’t stop me from blasting this on my CD player while lounging in a back garden on a plastic sun lounger.

Steal My Sunshine - Len!

This song is an instant mood lifter! The second it starts playing, you can’t help but feel a little bit happier. Maybe it’s the weird talking bit at the beginning or just the fact that it sounds like sunshine. This song was everywhere on every summer playlist, every radio station and definitely every homemade CD. I can still picture listening to songs like this on a chunky portable CD player. Summer just felt different back then. Days were spent outside, sitting on the grass with friends, chatting about absolutely nothing and thinking we were much cooler than we actually were. Now when I hear it, I’m instantly transported back to being younger.

Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega!

Did you even have a summer in the late '90s if you didn’t dance to this? It’s pure cheese, but in the best possible way. Every time it starts, I grin. It’s got that carnival vibe, a bit of silliness and it’s impossible not to dance along to it even if you’re just doing the mum shuffle in the kitchen these days.

Mr. Brightside - The Killers!

Technically, this isn’t a summer song but it somehow became one. If you were anywhere near a pub beer garden, a BBQ or a house party in the mid-2000s, there was a very good chance this song was going to get played. It didn’t matter if you knew all the words or only knew the loud bits. Everyone shouted along like they were auditioning for a band. Even now, when those first few seconds play, you can’t help but join in.

Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen!

This is bubblegum pop at its absolute best and I’m not even going to pretend I didn’t love it from the very first time I heard it. It was impossible not to sing along, even if you tried to convince yourself you were too cool for it. I remember it being one of those songs that everyone knew whether you were a teenager, a parent, or someone who claimed they didn’t listen to that sort of music but somehow knew every single word when it came on.

Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader

You know when the sky turns that perfect shade of pinky orange, the fairy lights come on and you’ve just poured another drink? That’s when this song comes on. It's mellow but joyful, like the musical equivalent of a warm breeze. This one makes me think of summer holidays.

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

It’s angsty and slightly awkward and yes, I still know every single word. This one’s for the eyeliner-wearing, guitar-strumming, misunderstood teen in all of us. I remember blasting this on a dodgy stereo with the windows open during a heatwave, trying to look moody and cool while melting in black jeans. It’s the ultimate I'm not like the other girls” summer anthem and now it makes me laugh and sing every time I hear it.

Hot in Herre - Nelly

“It’s getting hot in here! This was a summer anthem that felt like it had played in every club, car and back garden for about three years straight. It was the song to dance to at every party, and I remember shouting the lyrics with my best mates, even though we absolutely weren’t taking off all our clothes!

I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas

Now this one was practically law at every summer party in the late 2000s. Tonight’s gonna be a good night. As soon as that line hit, you knew it was time to abandon your flip-flops, grab your mates, and dance like you had no responsibilities. It was the song I blasted while getting ready for a night out, the one that played as the sun set over a BBQ and the one that somehow gave me a second wind just as I was thinking about calling it a night.

What songs scream summer to you?

Share Our Lives - Favourite current music!

It's that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Favourite current music.

I’ve realised something about myself over the years. I am not a music person in the way other people are music people. I don’t go hunting for new releases and I can’t tell you what’s number one in the charts unless the girls are playing it loudly but music still plays a big part in my life.

I always say I’m not into new music, which is mostly true. I do technically know current music thanks to TikTok but only the good bit, the catchy 30 seconds that everyone dances to or mouths at the camera. Most of the time I don't know who sings it or what the song is even called.

When I’m cleaning, cooking or doing anything around the house, music is happening and when it goes on it’s always the same stuff. My girls like to remind me that my music is old. My happy place is cheesy 90s pop. Proper sing it like you mean it pop, the kind of songs that come on and make you feel happy! Then there’s the rock side of my music taste, which feels very serious compared to pop but still ends up being equally dramatic. Classic rock is what I love. Bon Jovi is basically a household staple. Guns N’ Roses also make regular appearances, especially when I’m feeling a bit grumpy or need motivation and then there’s Meat Loaf. He was an absolute legend! I do dip into rock from the early 2000's like My Chemical Romance, Green Day and Limp Bizkit. A while ago, my youngest said she had found this great group but I probably wouldn't like them because of their bad language. She played me a Limp Bizkit song that I sang along to. That was a proud parenting moment for me which really shouldn't have been but the look on her face was priceless.

The songs from musicals have a big place in my heart too. You have to sing them loudly and I usually do when I am in the kitchen making tea. My family find it hilarious. I'll be halfway through cooking and suddenly realise I've got an audience watching me put on my own little performance. Then there are the big power ballads. If I've got a ton of housework to get through, I'll usually be listening to Celine Dion or Whitney Houston singing and dancing along. Folding clothes, mopping floors and hoovering is much more fun with good music.

I'm quite happy listening to the music I've always loved and I probably always will be. I think I always go back to the same music because it's comfortable and familiar. So many of the songs remind me of different times in my life, I don't feel like I have to keep up with every new artist or know what's in the charts.

What's your favourite music at the moment?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

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

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

July went by in a flash, I know I say that every month but last month seemed to go extra quick. I think it was because we were all out of routine with Ellie not being at college, Becky and Stu having time off work at the start of the month and a couple more mini heatwaves. There was a lot to be grateful for.

Day 182 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that England won their match! It was so stressful watching it.

Day 183 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a day at home as we have a busy couple of days coming up.

Day 184 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that an appointment that Ellie had today went really well. Me worrying for days about it was a complete waste of my time and energy.

Day 185 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a fab day at the country show! I am also grateful that my brother could get our dad's car running after a split in the petrol pipe thing.

Day 186 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Stu cooked for us tonight. Pie, mash and veg.

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Today I am grateful that Ellie knows some interesting people! Minding our own business, walking down the high street and see a man with a snake around his neck! Of course Ellie knows him, we stopped for a chat and it turns out the snake is a support pet!

Day 188 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that my family all ate together tonight, it doesn't happen often.

Day 189 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for fresh strawberries! My dad was given loads and brought me some!

Day 190 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful Ellie really is finished with college now. She had a call yesterday asking her to go in and fill in some paperwork that she was meant to do before she left. Oops. It's all done now!

Day 191 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I could jump into a cold shower this afternoon when I had enough of being hot and sweaty!

Day 192 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that we're through to the semi final of the World Cup!!!

Day 193 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for so many butterflies and bees in my garden. They are loving all the flowers!

Day 194 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a day out in Hull and that it has been a lot cooler here!

Day 195 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for help watering the garden since I had to do it with watering cans because of the hosepipe ban.

Day 196 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a few drinks while watching the match. Gutted they lost but they played well.

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Today I am grateful for lunch with Becky and her partner! They stayed home especially to spend time with me!

Day 198 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for new things to watch on TV since I've watched nothing but football for the last month! Elle off Prime is brilliant and I have just started Little House on the Prairie!

Day 199 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful it was nice and cool so I could do some work in the garden!

Day 200 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a day of sport! Last nights wrestling, the Belgian Grand Prix and finally the World Cup final! I am so glad Spain won!

Day 201 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that all the clean washing was put away!

Day 202 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful everything went well for Ellie with the couple of appointments which she had. She only rang me twice panicking when she got lost and then couldn't find the bus stop.

Day 203 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I got my usual food shop delivery slot despite me forgetting to book it until late this evening!

Day 204 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I am always putting leftovers in the freezer, they came in handy tonight!

Day 205 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for lunch at my dad's, a catch up with him and my brother and cherry crumble to bring home!

Day 206 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for homemade pizza, well almost! I bought the bases ready made and just added our own toppings!

Day 207 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful Becky had a great time at Hull Pride. She didn't get in until the early hours of this morning.

Day 208 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Ellie's job interview went well, she'll find out about it later in the week but even getting to the interview stage these days is a fantastic achievement!

Day 209 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for hair dye! The roots coming through are gone and so are all the greys!

Day 210 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Becky did some baking and it was good! Banana bread and brownies!

Day 211 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that my peppers are finally growing! I feel like I have been waiting forever!

Day 212 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a nice night out with family. It wasn't a late one either.

What were you grateful for in July?