Week 23 of #Project365. 5th - 11th June. A photo every day for a year!

I seem to have fallen in love with taking photos again thanks to getting my new phone & playing around with all the different photo settings. I thought the camera on my old phone was OK but looking at the difference in photos from my new phone it really wasn't.

Becky has had her 2nd vaccine and had no side effects apart from the sore arm which was great for her because she has gone to her girlfriends for the weekend. I get my 2nd vaccine today. Eek! I am not looking forward to the side effects as I felt rotten for about 24 hours after the first one but it will be worth it to know we're a little bit more protected from the virus.

We had the news about my great aunt that we were expecting. She passed away late Thursday night, 10 days short of her 89th birthday. Like my dad said she had a good innings and lived a great life. I'm OK. I've had a few tears but I think I did all of my crying a few weeks ago when she got taken back into hospital. Now I am thinking of all of the good times I have had with her.

Now for a photo every day!

156/365 - 5th June

My fella got the swingball set back out and we all had a play on it. My girls and Becky's girlfriend spent a good while playing and having fun.

157/365 - 6th June

I don't know how Becky managed to be under her blankets and in a hoodie. I went into her room to open the window as it was so hot. She was video chatting with her girlfriend.

158/365 - 7th June

A thistle I think. It's grew from the wildflower seeds that I planted, I think.

159/365 - 8th June

A new season of Fortnite and my first win. It was so funny when it happened. Becky had said the update and downtime had finished so we both rushed on to have a look at the new map. She said we'll have no chance of winning a game as all the pro's would be playing to make their You Tube videos of their first impressions of the update. I only went and won. I don't think there was any pro's in my group though. lol

160/365 - 9th June

Home alone on Wednesday so I had a bit of a pamper. A soak in the bath and a face mask. It was nice not to be disturbed. I timed it right though, just as I got dried and dressed the postman knocked at the door.

161/365 - 10th June

Becky is fully vaccinated and even got a sticker which I am quite jealous about. I am hoping to get one today. hehehe

162/365 - 11th June

It's only now that my great aunt is no longer with us I realise how few photos I have of her. The majority of the ones I do have are when I was a baby. This one is me and my younger brother.

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

We have had a good week. The kids returned to school and college and we have dropped straight back into our routine which has made things easier. Usually the return to school takes a few days to get used to but this time it was a success. I think it's because we're in the home straight to the summer holidays and the excitement is building! Ellie has worked out that she has just 30 more school days before the end of term. I don't know if she's more excited for the summer holidays or going into year 10 in September and starting her GCSE's.

I was worried with her dropping behind while we were doing the home learning as she was struggling with being moved up to a higher set after Christmas. She had assessments just before half term like they do every few months and it turns out I needn't have worried. She has had great success with them. She got 75% in her English assignment which is more than she's ever got and higher than a lot of her class. I think being in a different class away from her best friends has actually helped her knuckle down and get on with her work.

After the success of Becky staying at her girlfriends for a couple of nights a couple of weeks ago myself and "A's" mum have decided that they do a weekend here and a weekend there which I think is a great idea as it means I get a break from having both of them every weekend! Fingers crossed Becky is going to A's this weekend. She the 2nd dose of the vaccine yesterday so it all depends on how she's feeling. She is hoping she just gets a sore arm like after the first one but we're going to have to wait and see. I am getting my 2nd vaccine on Saturday so I am expecting to feel the same as after my first, not good. I was tired, achy and hot and cold. Eek.

I finally feel like I am having some success in the garden. The wildflowers I planted ages ago are growing, my tomato plant which wasn't doing too well is sort of coming back to life and I think my parsnips and carrots are growing too. All the rain we had a few weeks ago then all of the sun we've been having has really helped.

We have had success with the meal planning this week. Last weeks was a write off, the plan didn't go to plan at all but this week so far so good. Our kitchen gets all of the sun until about 6pm so it's always so warm in there but I have found that cooking and eating later in the day is helping. We might change things tomorrow as it's just Stu, Ellie and me eating. I think we might get a takeaway. I'm using the excuse that I'm getting my vaccine and might not feel well enough to cook. hehehe

I hope your week has been a good one?

Ways to get the kids to help around the house.

I used to think that I was the only person to notice the mess in our house. The kids were oblivious to it and I would have to nag them and shout to get them to help with the tidying and cleaning, even if it was their own mess. Thankfully over the years they have got better at helping around the house and the nagging has just about stopped.

These are some ideas how you can encourage your children to help around the house.

Start them young.

If they are old enough to get toys out they are old enough to learn how to put them away. It’s never too soon to start teaching them how to tidy up their toys or get them to walk around with a duster. There are plenty of pretend cleaning toys like hoovers and sweeping brushes. Make cleaning part of their life from a young age.

Start small!

Give the kids easy jobs to start with, nothing that takes any great skill but when they have completed the task you can heap the praise on them.

Give them choices!

Do they want to do the dusting or hoovering? Washing or drying the dishes? Give them a choice and it will make them feel like they are in control.

Make a to-do list!

Everyone likes ticking off something they have achieved and kids are no different. It makes them feel like they are accomplishing something and gives them the goal of getting the whole list completed.

Take it in turns!

If you have multiple children rotate their chores regularly so they don’t get bored of doing the same job. My girls always used to prefer what the other was doing so they would often swap jobs and they felt like they had got one over on the other.

Accept jobs won't be done perfectly!

Sometimes when children are learning they will not do a job to the standard that an adult would, accept it! They are just learning. Again heap on the praise and be positive that they tried.

Work together!

Doing the housework together as a family can be fun. I like to put some music on, on a Saturday morning and we all have a good giggle while we're dancing about getting the cleaning done.

Give them pocket money!

As children get older you could think about giving them pocket money in exchange for helping around the house. Some people feel that they should muck in and help as they are part of the household but paying for chores is a good way of motivating tweens and teenagers.

Create a rota!

It will help stop arguments about who is doing what and when they are doing it.

Don't give chores as punishments!

If you hand out cleaning tasks as a punishment children will start to associate chores with something negative and will hate to do them instead of just accepting them as part of every day life.

Do your kids help around the house? Do they enjoy it?

(Ad - Gifted) Happiness Habits Jars - 30 days of inspiration.

If the pandemic and lockdowns have taught us anything over the past year or so it's that we need to look after our mental health and do something every day which brings us a bit of joy.

The small business adbra have been helping spread positive vibes during lockdown with their Happiness Habit jars. The jars help you form habits for happiness and well being.

Each glass jar is handmade in East London and packed full of 30 colourful notes and depending on which jar you choose the cards show different things, quotes to provide encouragement or mini activities that support self development.

The 7 different jars are:

Journalling - A month of Journalling Prompts. Perfect for anyone needing the inspiration to start or develop their journalling practice.

Self-kindness - 30 Challenges to help you prioritise your self-care. 

Motivation - 30 Inspiring quotes to help you achieve your goals.

Mindfulness - 30 Challenges to Inspire You to Reconnect and Find Peace in Your Daily Life.

Positive affirmations - A month of Motivational Messages. Get Inspired and find peace.

Sustainability - A month of Inspirational Challenges to live a more Eco-Friendly Life.

Friendship - A month of Motivational Messages. Get Inspired and Reflect on your Friendship.

I was sent the Mindfulness Jar. Which encourages a month of living mindfully. Included are 30 challenges to inspire you to reconnect and find peace in your daily life.

The mindfulness challenge jars are the perfect gift for anyone interested in how they can live more mindfully. On each card there is an activity where at the beginning of every day you simply pick one and see how you can experience an impact on your well being.

These jars are such a great idea to bring some positivity to your day and the mindfulness ones are simple tasks which I have been completing for the last few days and I do feel more relaxed and calmer with taking a few minutes to myself each day. None of the tasks take any great effort and can be done by anyone.

As well as being useful the jars are very cute too and the the cards inside are so simple and pretty. Just looking at the jar makes me happy.

Each jar costs just £12.50 and as well as a lovely treat for yourself they would make a great gift for friends or relatives. After the month is up and you have used each card the jar can be passed on which means it's a gift that keeps on giving.

The affirmation cards are helping people find a bit of positivity in their life. You can try them for 30 days and if you don't fall in love with them, you can simply request a refund and get your money back.

Each jar sold contributes towards humanitarian projects that adbra support to offset 100% of their carbon emissions and have both a social and environmental impact.

I was sent a Happiness Habits Jar free of charge in exchange for this blog post.