This week my Word of the Week is: Half-Term! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

We have had such a lovely week. We don't usually do much during half term, it's just a week and we usually just use the time to relax but every day over the past week has seen something fun or exciting happening.

Stu had his 2nd vaccine on Saturday and apart from feeling a bit hot, cold and tired that was it. He didn't even get a sore arm this time. I should be getting called for mine soon and Becky has her 2nd vaccine next week.

We didn't get up to much over the bank holiday weekend. We took those days to chill. Stuart cut the grass in the garden and realised that our strimmer has stopped working. It's fine, we'll just get another from the auction. The strimmer that broke came from our local auction and it's lasted nearly two years. Not bad considering my dad only paid £2 for it.

Tuesday was when the fun started. Becky, Ellie, my dad's partner Sarah and me had a girly day out shopping. We just went to Scunthorpe but it was nice. It gave Sarah a chance to have a good look around the shops because when she goes with my dad he's the type of person who just gets what he needs and does no browsing. We came home with a big bag full of things each but to be honest we didn't spend that much thanks to getting quite a few reduced things from Primark.

Ellie got it into her head that she wanted fake nails and didn't mind paying £1 from Primark to oblige. Years ago she had the same idea and I got as far as putting one on before she screamed, didn't like it and wanted it off. Easier said than done when they're glued on. Anyway I went with it and this time she loved the nails. They didn't last 24 hours before they started falling off and Ellie realised they were more hassle then they were worth especially when it came to playing on her computer. Long nails are not good for gaming. lol

Just before we went shopping Becky's girlfriend rang and asked if Becky wanted to go to the beach with her and her family on Wednesday. I of course said yes and as it's a 2 hour drive Becky went to stay the night at "A's" house so they could get an early start. They had a fantastic day in the amusements, on the rides and of course on the beach. They didn't get back until late so instead of "A's" mum driving more than she had to Becky stayed another night and ended up coming home yesterday.

On Wednesday Ellie and I did some baking. A Pinata cake and some cookies. The Pinata cake was easier to make than I thought it would be and we had great fun. We ate far too much raw cake mix and icing but that's the best bit about baking. hehehe

A few months ago I went to use my online banking app, on my phone and couldn't. It said it needed to be updated but couldn't because my phone was too old. I didn't use my phone for banking much so just forgot about it until the other day when the Tesco shopping app said the same thing. I said to Stu that I need a new phone and he said he had planned to get me one for my birthday. He had seen a decent one in Argos, the Samsung A12 and when we looked on Wednesday evening it was on sale with £20 off. I convinced Stu that it was a sign and now I have an early birthday present. My new phone arrived yesterday and it turns out I need a new Sim card for it. A nano one. The one in my old phone is one of the big one's. I've had the old sim card at least 8 years and technology has changed so much in that time. I have set my new phone up though, with all the apps I want and need on it so now I just have to wait for the new Sim card to arrive and then ring O2 back to activate it and transfer my number over.

So after a few weeks of not much happening here and life being a bit boring this last week has really cheered me up. There still isn't any news about my great aunt. She's still in hospital, oxygen has been reduced and it's just a matter of time.

How has your week been? What have you been up to?

10 ways to make family meals more enjoyable.

We try to eat together a few times a week at least, all around the dining room table. It's a great way to catch up and have some quality time together as a family. Sometimes it can be a chore getting us all together but it is really worth the effort.

Making family meals fun is important. We don't want to be sat around the table in silence. Here are a few ideas how to make family meals more enjoyable.

Don't rush meal times!

Make sure you have plenty of time for the meal. It is no fun rushing your food and not having chance to talk and spend time together. If you or family are watching the clock it will feel forced. Set aside at least half an hour for a family meal time. We have the rule that no one leaves the table until everyone has finished which encourages the speedy eaters to slow down a little and enjoy their food a little more.

Make regular times to eat together!

If you can plan certain days and times that you will have a family meal there is no excuse for family members not being there and having other plans. We always eat together on a Monday, Thursday and Saturday evening because I know my family will all be here.

Make sure they come to the table hungry!

There’s nothing like hunger to encourage a child to try something they might not like. My girls will eat anything when they are hungry and are way less fussy. If we are having a family meal I try to limit after school snacks.

Get everyone involved!

Involving your kids in choosing and preparing family meals increases the chance that they’ll eat it. It could also encourage fussy eaters to try new foods. There are life skills to be learned: laying the table, cooking, washing the dishes and tidying up.

Be creative!

Have fun with the meals you prepare. Give some new recipes a go or get the kids to try out cooking the evening meal. On a weekend we sometimes try to cook a takeaway type meal which we always enjoy.

Invite other people over!

Now that lots of the Covid restrictions have been eased we can have people visiting again. It is sometimes nice to have extended family over, after all we have a year to catch up on. Inviting your children's friends gives you chance to get to know them better and will keep the kids happy too.

Use meal times as a time to talk.

Family meal times a great way to have a chat and catch up with what's going on in everyone's life. I find more out about my girls now that they are older around the dinner table than at any other time.

Have no distractions!

We have the rule of no phones at the table and I make sure the TV is switched off so there is no distractions. The kids are more likely to talk if there is nothing else going on in the house.

Have a good dessert!

The nights we eat together we always have a fancy dessert, something we wouldn't normally have if we were eating at different times. Banoffee pie, apple pie and custard or something like chocolate fudge cake and ice cream.

Take the night off from nagging!

Make family meal times the night where you don't worry if the kids don’t clean their plate or only take 3 bites of their veggies. Look the other way and relax.

How do you make meal times fun?

(Ad - Gifted) Things to make with Haribo for Father's Day!

We all love Haribo right? I know I do and my family certainly does. Father's day is coming up and a great treat for any dad would be HARIBO!

A family favourite for over 25 years Starmix which now has real fruit juice is a great mix of iconic fruit and cola gummy sweets and features the ever popular Bears, Rings, Fried Eggs, Heart Throbs and Cola Bottles. The Starmix gift box will certainly deliver a moment of childlike happiness for Dad.

The bags of the Football Mix which are fruit flavoured foam & jelly sweets in the shape of footballs, shirts, trophies & football boots you’ll be sure to score with this pocket money gesture for all those footy fans out there. 

Both products are stocked in Heron Foods, B&M, Sainsbury’s, Spar, the Co-op and other places you would expect to find them.

Haribo is good for eating just as it is but it is also good for decorating cakes or using in other ways and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the things you can make with HARIBO for our dad's and those important men in our lives.

Haribo egg chocolate bark.

This is meant for Easter but could be decorated with any HARIBO sweets. It's good for any time of the year and doesn't have to be limited to Easter!

Ice Lollies.

I am hoping for some sunshine sometime soon and there is nothing better on a warm day than an ice lolly. A few years ago we made our own using lemonade and HARIBO.

An easy Anti-Gravity Cake Recipe.

This fun anti-gravity cake topped with HARIBO Starmix sweets is easy to make and is sure to wow everyone who sees it!

HARIBO Starmix Pinata Cake.

A four-layer vanilla Piñata cake frosted with strawberry flavoured buttercream and a surprise centre filled with Haribo Starmix sweets.

Gummy Bear Cookies.

Do any of these take your fancy?

I was sent a selection of Haribo free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

What I loved in May 2021.

I know I was a few days late writing the What I loved in April blog post but May seemed extra short. I laughed at Ellie making lists and plans for her birthday but when I think about it August isn't that far away! Eek!

May has been a tough month to find things to love. The weather hasn't been great and life has been pretty average and I have been worrying about my great Aunt. She's still in hospital, it's just a matter of time. 

Grey's Anatomy. (still)

I started watching Grey's Anatomy at the end of April and I'm now 13 series into it and it's still amazing. There has been a few annoying storylines but on the whole I am still loving it. I've laughed, cried and have been shocked plenty of times. All the surgical interns are now proper surgeons and they've grown up so much. Many of the originals have left but one of my favourites is still in it and I am warming to one of the characters that I really hated when he joined.

The Wii.

Every time I ever think about throwing the Wii out the kids decide they want to play on it or I do. lol For a long time we hadn't used it because a part or wire was missing but Stu found it and we're off again, obsessed with it. The Just Dance games are still my favourites and the Tennis on the Wii Sports game.

Having visitors.

With the Covid restriction's being relaxed we have had a few visitors. My dad, his partner, Ellie's best friend and Becky's girlfriend. It was so strange having people in the house again. (They were all here at different times, not all at once) but nice. It feels like life is just about back to normal for us. Becky's girlfriend has been to sleep over a couple of times and it has been lovely for them to spend some time together. They have been brilliant over the last year, sticking to the rules and social distancing and now they are enjoying seeing each other when ever and where ever they want.

The Friends Reunion.

I never got into watching Friends until after it had ended but since then I have seen every episode numerous times. Over the last few years the girls have got into it too and we were all excited to watch The Friends Reunion! It was brilliant. I laughed and I cried but could have done without James Corden. I would still love one more proper episode though.

More vaccines.

My dad, his partner and my fella Stu have all had their 2nd vaccines and it feels such a relief. I am still waiting for the doctors to get in touch with me for my 2nd vaccine but it shouldn't be long. I was two weeks after Stu in getting my first one so it could be any day now.

Getting out when we can.

The weather has been rubbish for the past few weeks. I was starting to think if the rain would ever stop so we have had to make the most of getting outside whenever we could. Having half an hour in the garden between downpours or rushing to my dad's between showers. We have managed to go for a few walks and bike rides and Ellie has been to the park a few times and wanders with her friends. Thankfully the weather seems to have turned now and we've got plenty of sunshine.

What did you love in May?