Week 3 of #Project365. 16th - 22nd January. A photo every day for a year!

 The home learning hasn't been that bad this past week. I think we have found more of a routine and Ellie has finally realised that she's not on holiday and between 9am and half three she needs to do school work. It took some getting there but I am hopeful things will be easier from now on.

We have had another week of not doing much and mostly staying home. There is an advantage to the lockdown, we get to stay in the warm. The weather has been terrible here, grey and wet although yesterday was brighter.

Now for a photo everyday!

16/365 - 16th January

Pretty pink cupcakes. I reviewed a baking box and it kept us busy most of Saturday afternoon.

17/365 - 17th January

More TikTok wraps, this time sweet one's. We had strawberries, chocolate spread, bananas and Biscoff spread. They were so good.

18/365 - 18th January

Ellie was doing some maths quizzes online and came across this question. Which months have 30 days? She got it wrong the first time around and ticked all except February which in my opinion was right but it was wrong. She had a right shout at the computer saying they should word it more clearly. Which months have "only" 30 days. She had a point. lol

19/365 - 19th January

Both girls doing their home learning. I was starting to get a bit annoyed that the kids were spending so much time looking at screens but yesterday Ellie's school sent a message out saying that on Tuesday it will be a screen free day. No Zoom calls, no online learning and no computers! We're very happy about it. 

20/365 - 20th January

I had CNN on most of the day watching Trump leaving the White House and Biden going in. I got all emotional seeing Kamala Harris being sworn in. What a bit of history! 

21/365 - 21st January

Becky was sick of spending time on her laptop so got out a paint by numbers set which I got her last year. She's made a good start and I think it will take her a while to complete it.

22/365 - 22nd January

I stood for 50 minutes waiting for Ellie to get her year 9 booster jabs. She was not happy, she thought she was just getting one injection but ended up with one in each arm. 

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

 This week my Word of the Week is:

Another week of nothing much apart from home learning. Everything is feeling a bit samey at the moment. Get up, school work, have lunch, more school work, watch a film, have tea, play Fortnite, watch TV then bed. It's boring. In the first lockdown the sun was shining and home learning was new but now the weather is rubbish it is not as much fun.

We're in a good routine with the home learning and Ellie had come to the realisation that she has to do her school work and there's no getting out of it despite her trying to last week. She has done some great work and has started getting feedback from her teachers who have nothing but praise for her. She's been getting a ton of Trackit points for her efforts which I am told are like house points from when I was at school. Ellie works well when she has something to aim for, a reward.

I forgot about how samey the lessons are at school. I totally forgot that you don't do just one lesson about a topic and move on. For 2 weeks Ellie has done work about a poem. Nettles by Vernon Scannell which I now almost know word for word. I cheered yesterday when they moved on to a new poem. She's still learning about volcanos in Geography and the periodic table in one of her science lessons.

Ellie has always struggled with maths and nothing has changed there. It took 4 of us to help Ellie understand her work this past week, similar shapes. Stu and I didn't have a clue and Becky wasn't sure and I ended up on video chat with Becky's girlfriend explaining how to work it out. She is a bit of a genius when it comes to maths. We finally got the hang of these maths problems. Phew!

All week the weather has been terrible. It has done nothing but rain. On Wednesday evening I thought there was someone walking around in the kitchen which was a tad worrying as I knew I was the only one downstairs, of course there wasn't, it was the rain lashing at the window although it could have been hailstones.

The only day which didn't feel samey was Wednesday. What an exciting day. We had a power cut. The electricity was off for about an hour in the whole of our town. That meant a break from the home learning for both of my girls which wasn't great for Becky. She missed the end of one of her college lessons and the start of another. Of course the power cut didn't reach as far as Scunthorpe so the tutor thought she had just left the lesson. A quick email to explain sorted things out.

There was also Donald Trump leaving the white house and the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. What a wonderful day for America. I watched the news on CNN all day and I found it so interesting and pretty emotional. I was gutted that they didn't have to drag Trump out of the White House kicking and screaming like I imagined. hehehe

Becky got to the point yesterday when she was sick of doing the same things, she had finished her college work for the week and was bored so she got out a big paint by numbers set and cracked on with that.

It hasn't been a bad week, just a samey one. The weather is supposed to be better today so we're hoping to get out for a walk. Ellie also has to go to school for her year 9 booster injections from the school nurse. I am quite excited about getting out and doing something different. 

I hope you have all had a good week?

A bit of fun! The Disney Tag.

It has been ages since I have done a tag, I saw this on YouTube, I don't remember who did it but I did save the questions into a draft post.

I love all things Disney and these questions really got me thinking.

Which Disney character is your favourite?

There is so many to choose from but the first which sprung to mind was The Genie from Aladdin. I preferred the Robin Williams one to the Will Smith one.

Which Disney princess is your favourite?

Merida from Brave! She's feisty, independent and a bit of a rebel.

Which Disney villain could give you nightmares?

Lots-o-Huggin' Bear from Toy Story 3. He was evil. I am betting he gave a few kids nightmares.

One Disney movie that you have watched at least 10 times?

Finding Nemo. Becky used to be obsessed with it but I have watched it without her just for my own amusement. It's such a good film.

Which is your favourite of all the live action Disney remake?

I love the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast. I loved everything about it. Emma Watson was the perfect Belle and Luke Evans was a brilliant Gaston! 

During your childhood what was the first Disney movie you remember watching?

Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. My dad took my brother and I to the cinema to see it when they were randomly showing it. It was the first film I saw at the cinema too.

Which Disney song is your favourite?

It's the Circle of Life from The Lion King.

Who would be your Disney pet?

Heihei from Moana. He's not the cleverest rooster but he is very funny.

Who is your favourite Disney couple?

Nala & Simba from The Lion King. They grew up best friends and then life partners. Simba wouldn't be king if it wasn't for Nala and they find their way back into each other's lives after years of being apart. How romantic.

Who is your favourite Disney sidekick?

Olaf from Frozen! No one can hate a talking snowman with his own flurry and he can sing. 

What is the saddest moment in a Disney movie?

When the toys are heading into the Incinerator in Toy Story 3. It gets me every time. As soon as they hold hands I start crying even thought I know they are going to be OK.

Which is your favourite Disney Pixar movie?

Up! Another Disney film guaranteed to make me cry but I do love it.

What is your favourite Disney quote?

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  from Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh.

Do you love Disney too?

(Ad - Gifted) The Mindful Baking Box from Britain Loves Baking - Review!

Coronavirus has changed the everyday lives of most people and we're looking for new ways to entertain ourselves and keep ourselves busy. Baking is a great way to move away from watching the news and concentrate on something else. It is now considered an act of mindfulness and many have spoken out about its benefits. It is a fantastic way to relax and when you have baked there is always a delicious treat rewarding your efforts. 

Britain Loves Baking, the direct to consumer baking box business launched during Covid to safeguard the jobs of the founders employees has launched its Mindfulness Box Initiative, a baking box that not only tastes good, but does good.

The box is created for ‘those anxious and stress moments’, or a mindful gift for to someone you know who is experiencing isolation anxiety or is feeling down. The box is to a provide wholesome distraction and enable them to focus on something therapeutic, relaxing and enjoy tasty bakes at the end.

The boxes include: Focused Focaccia, Meditation Cupcakes and Raising Your Self Esteem Polenta & Sesame loaf. All ingredients are supplied ready measured out, with a step by step recipe card and full instructions and video tutorials on Facebook and You Tube.

I love how everything arrived, all measured out. The liquids were in little plastic bags I am assuming in case they leaked which was great. All that wasn't included was 2 eggs and water.

Each recipe came with clear and easy to understand instructions. There was a lot of waiting around for the yeast to do it's stuff for the Focaccia and Polenta & Sesame loaf but that gave us time to make the cupcakes.

I am no expert at baking any type of bread. It's something I usually shy away from but making the Focaccia and Polenta & Sesame loaf was easy and the end results were fantastic. There was a lot of waiting around for the yeast to activate and the dough to prove but it was well worth the wait.

Focused Focaccia.

From the smell of a freshly-baked loaf filling your home to the first bite of a homemade hunk of bread to the scientific evidence that cooking and baking is beneficial for your mental health.

Raising your self esteem with the Tuscan Polenta Bread. 

The positive effects of opening the oven and taking out a loaf you have laboured over cannot be overstated. The sensory impact of seeing the finished loaf for the first time, the whoosh of heat from the oven, the aromas of caramelised sugars, the sound of the crust singing and the taste of fresh bread is a collection of joys. It is a uniquely satisfying payoff, and pride in such an achievement can feed directly into boosting self esteem.

Mediation Berry Cupcakes.

So this is a trick for all you people who think you can’t meditate and would also like an excuse to eat some sweets with intentionality.  I hereby give you official sanction, if that’s what you need: make yourself some cupcakes but here’s the catch: when you make it, you have to focus on it. That means you’ve got to keep your phone out of sight, turn off the TV or ignore it if you’re in a public space where one’s blaring, step away from your computer, and don’t even allow yourself a magazine or a cereal box to stare at.

Considering the kids don't like olives the Focaccia was gone by the end of the day and the Polenta & Sesame loaf didn't last much longer. Of course the cupcakes were eaten as soon as they were iced. lol

Didn't we do well?! 

The Mindful Baking Box aims to support the nations mental wellbeing and Britain Loves Baking will produce the box at cost and sell it for £10 with the difference donated to the Mental Health Foundation, the UK’s leading charity for everyone’s mental health.

I think that is a fantastic price for this baking box considering what is included in it. Doing a bit for charity is a massive bonus too. I think one of these baking boxes would be fantastic for kids to do too, incorporating it into their home learning. There is the science aspect as well as teaching them how to bake.

Each week during lockdown Greg Wixted, the founder of Britain Loves Baking and his team will randomly gift up to 20 boxes and anyone can nominate someone or themselves via the contact section via the website.

I was sent the Mindful Baking Box free of charge in exchange for this blog post.