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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Before I tell you about my week I just want to take a moment to think of Jessica! Jessica was the daughter of Louise who blogs at Little Hearts, Big Love and today marks 5 years since she passed away. Jessica is someone that I will never forget, her smile was infectious and she was always the happiest girl despite her health problems. She was a real inspiration to me and many others. Louise was the first blogger who I came across who blogged about heart defects, she gave me the confidence to write about my girls hearts on my blog and raise awareness about heart defects. Louise once said "Jessica spread so much joy in her short life that her godmother once referred to her as a “joy carrier”. Every year since Louise has encouraged everyone to mark the day by doing something positive and bringing joy to someone's life.

I thought Joy was the perfect word for this week. Remembering Jessica and because we have had a pretty joyful week too. There has been a lot of little moments which have made us smile.

The weather was nice over the Easter weekend and we got a lot of jobs done around the house and garden. Stu put the sealant in the bathroom which needed doing, he tidied the garage up and I got the planters at the front of the house weeded and we had a walk to the farm shop to buy some bedding plants. I do love that place. The fruit and veg is amazing but I love all of the chutneys and pickles.

We have ate so much chocolate, Easter eggs are the best type of chocolate and Ellie and I have had a little lie ins most days. We seem to have been sleeping later and later as the week has gone on. I have been mixed up with what day it is. We had 4 days over Easter feeling like a Sunday and as I am writing this I am convinced it's Wednesday. I won't get back on track for a while yet as Ellie has a teachers training day next week and doesn't go back to school until Tuesday.

Ellie and I went to Hull on Tuesday for a bit of shopping, I needed to get my dad's partner a birthday present and we could have gone to Scunthorpe which was closer but the buses still only cost £2 for a single journey so we thought we'd go that bit further and treat ourselves to a McDonalds. Ellie bought herself a few more dresses and I even treated myself to a couple of tops for the summer.

On Wednesday Becky finished her night shift at 8am and was up by midday, she wanted to come with Ellie and me to see my dad. It was nice for my dad, he doesn't get to see both of the girls at the same time often. It was nice of Becky to make the effort, when we got home she of course went back to bed for a nap. hehehe

Yesterday felt like the first day that I had to relax and do nothing. Nothing as in not go anywhere, I still had the house to tidy and the cleaning to catch up on but it was nice to take it all at my own pace. Becky was out with her friends and Ellie was doing her own thing.

How has your week been?

Preconceptions about Parenting.

Before I was a parent I had big ideas about the type of parent I would be. Oh how it makes me laugh now. I was going to be the perfect mother with the perfect children. It's funny the ideas we have before we actually have children. You don't realise how hard being a parent is until you are one! 

I always said My kids will never throw tantrums in public. hahaha. Ellie was my star tantrum thrower. I remember an epic one when we were shopping in Iceland and she laid on the floor screaming. I walked away and she would scream louder. It's not like she wanted something like sweets, she just didn't want to be shopping. I ended up dragging her by the hood of her coat on the polished floor and she thought it was the best thing ever! 

I always said that I’ll read to them every night. I did for years and then they got TV's in their rooms and the books fell by the wayside. Thankfully over the years the TV's have sometimes stayed off and they read for themselves.

I always said I would never say “because I said so. I think that is my biggest excuse for anything when I don't really have a reason. lol

I always said screen time would be limited and I did to start with. Tablets and smart phones weren't a big thing when Becky was little so all she had was the TV and it was on for most of the day and she didn't fixate on it until it came to bedtime and then she needed to watch. lol As they got older my girls probably did have too much screen time but I don't think it did them any harm. They spend more time away from screens now than looking at them.

I always said I won’t give in to pester power. It is so easy to say that but when your child is asking for a biscuit for the 88th time in an hour sometimes it is easier to say yes! The other week I said to Ellie she wasn't playing out with her friends but she pestered me and was out within an hour just so I could have some peace.

I always said I won’t shout at my child. hahaha Of course I didn't when they were little but since then I think I have every day. Now they're teenagers asking nicely doesn't always work.

I always said my kids will never sleep in my bed. They didn't when they were babies but when they older and were poorly they did and Stu was kicked out of our bed and he slept either in their bed or on the sofa. When Ellie was about 5 or 6 she had a real issue with going to sleep in her own bed and ended up on a night going upstairs and falling asleep in Stu's and my bed by herself and then Stu would carry her to her bed when either of us went to bed. It wasn't a big issue.

I always said that my children wouldn't have a dummy. That lasted about 3 days. Becky had one and Ellie had one. I think Ellie was more attached to hers than Becky ever was and it was a struggle to stop her using it. The dummy fairy came one day and took all the dummies and she accepted it. Phew!

I always said that I would never bribe my children. As soon as they understood what I was offering in exchange for them doing something I bribed them. Tidy your room and you can have that ice lolly, finish your homework and then you can have a biscuit and now bring the washing in and then you can go out with friends.

I always said that my kids will have good manners at all times. I do try but they still don't now. Sometimes I have to still remind them to say thank you for things. 

I always said that my kids will be presentable at all times. They were when they were babies and I could dress them but since then, not so much. Some days now I say to them, are you going out dressed like that?

I always said that I will never boast about my kids. hahaha I have a blog now so of course I do! Social media has made it so much easier to boast.

I always said that parenting isn’t as hard as people say. I say try it and find out for yourself. Sometimes I feel like I am just winging it.

How do you feel? Before you had kids did you say things you weren't going to do and then do them?

Dresses, skirts and shorts. A teenagers shopping wish list.

 Ellie my 15 year old has always been a bit of a tom-boy in how she dresses but recently she has decided that she wants to wear dresses, skirts and shorts. It came as a bit of a shock to me but I am more than happy to let her choose how to dress even if it is costing us buying some new clothes. We bought a few outfits a couple of weeks ago and since then she has been making lists of clothes that she has found online, mostly off the website Shein.

I have never been a fan of the Shein website. I used to think it was all cheap, tacky and full of awful clothes but Ellie got her prom dress from there and it is actually pretty amazing considering it didn't cost that much. She has been showing me dresses, outfits and things and they look pretty good and they don't cost the earth.

These are some of my favourite things that she has on her wish list. Dresses, skirts & tops and short outfits.  I thought some of the outfits were a bit dressy to wear every day but she has said the outfits would be dressed down by wearing trainers or boots and with her denim or leather jacket.

ROMWE Fairycore Contrast Lace Cami Dress - £10.99

ROMWE Butterfly & Floral Print Drawstring Dress - £11.49

SHEIN EZwear Ribbed Rainbow Striped Butterfly Embroidery Dress - £11.49

SHEIN Sweetheart Neck Puff Sleeve Drawstring Ruched Dalmatian Dress - £13.99

SHEIN EZwear Split Hem Camo Dress - £7.99

SHEIN EZwear Lettuce Trim Rib-knit Tee & Split Hem Plaid Skirt Set - £9.99

Solid Tank Top & Ditsy Floral Print Ruffle Hem Skirt - £11.49

SHEIN ICON Pop Art Print Tube Top & Bodycon Skirt - £12.49

SHEIN EZwear Stripe Crop Halter Top & Bodycon Skirt Set £9.49

SHEIN EZwear Notch Neck Split Hem Lettuce Trim Tank Top & Push Buckle Belted Shorts Set - £15.99

Zip Up Drawstring Thermal Lined Hoodie & Shorts - £14.49

SHEIN EZwear Ditsy Floral Print Lettuce Trim Tee & Shorts - £8.99

Ohh! To be a teenager again, have the body and have the confidence to wear clothes like this. A lot of the clothes which Ellie puts on her wish lists are still black, I sometimes wish she'd wear a bit of colour but I guess she takes after me, most of my clothes are black. I think what put Ellie off wearing skirts and dresses in the past was that she thought she had to wear fancy shoes or high heels but she's come to realise a lot of dresses will go with other footwear that she is more comfortable in.

Are your teenagers followers of the latest fashion trends?

Top 20 cleaning tips to make clothes last longer.

Here I am linking up with the Not Just A Mom ladies and this months prompt is: Favourite cleaning hacks. I really struggled with this topic. I just get on with the cleaning and didn't think I had many hacks to share until I looked back through my emails and spotted one cleaning clothes and how to make them last longer, there was quite a few of these tips which I hadn't used but do now.

I hate buying clothes, when I buy something I want it to last a long time and there are ways that can help your clothes to last longer! It only takes a few little, straightforward changes to make your clothes last longer, such as removing stains as soon as they appear to avoid having to run them through the washing machine five times, replacing your laundry detergent or using less and more when needed.

The top 20 cleaning hacks for making clothes last longer!

Organize your laundry correctly. Separate darks from whites, keep heavy materials apart from light ones, badly dirty clothing from less filthy and always wash towels separately. 

Your whites will naturally bleach without the need of electricity if you dry them outside in the sun. Get them out on the washing line!

A small amount of laundry detergent applied straight on to a stain can work just as well as stain remover.

Wash jeans and things like t-shirts with a stuck on design inside out. It prevent the colours from fading so quickly.

Help your laundry scent last longer by air drying (not tumble drying), using fabric conditioner and storing in a cool place once dry.

That small hole in your sock or tear in your sweater's elbow is only going to get bigger. If you love that piece of clothing, either mend it yourself or take it somewhere to get mended before putting it in the washing machine which could aggravate the tear and further damage the garment.

Jumper smells a bit musty? Rather than a wash, pop it in the dryer on a cool setting for ten minutes or use the spin cycle setting on your washer. You could always just spray it with a fabric refresher spray too.

Perfume is meant to be sprayed on your skin, never spray perfume on clothing as the alcohol base and chemical fixatives will ruin clothing. Instead carefully apply it to your neck and back of wrists before dressing. 

Before your tights are worn for the first time, soak them in water and freeze them to prevent irritating ladders.

Reduce the water temperature that you wash clothes in. It will of course save on your electricity bill but it is also an excellent way to keep clothes looking new and fresh for longer. Hot water wears out clothes more quickly, fades fabric colours and can go as far as totally ruining a fragile garment in one wash.

You can speed up the machine drying process by adding a clean, dry towel to the mix. Toss it into the dryer with your wet clothes to dry everything faster.

All those heavy chemicals aren't great for the shelf life of your clothes and it's expensive, too. Dry clean as little as possible. Try spot cleaning or hand washing until a deep clean is completely necessary.

Avoid hanging your sweaters. Instead, fold it and put it in a drawer. Jumpers and cardigans might stretch out of shape while they are hanging up because of the weight, especially if they are made of wool, cashmere, or angora.

Use hair conditioner to un-shrink wool. believe it or not, it is actually possible to un-shrink your washing machine knitwear disasters.

Keep coloured fabrics bright with a little fabric conditioner. It can also make ironing easier and repair damaged fibres and make your clothes last longer.  But not too much or it will build up over time.

Wash clothes with a zip or delicate items inside out. It stops them snagging on other items in your wash.

Wash a stain as quickly as possible, if you get the stain in the wash within minutes, it will nearly always come right off.  Also use lemon and salt or oxy laundry bleach on sun cream stains, soak in laundry bleach for red wine marks and lemon and neat laundry liquid on under arm stains.

Fix shrunken clothes by reshaping them when wet and laying flat to dry.

Iron without an iron. A few wrinkles but can’t be bothered to iron. Just hang up and give a light spray with water and watch the wrinkles drop out. You can even put it on as it dries to speed up.

Re-dye black clothing rather than purchasing new items. There are ways to keep your black jeans from fading but if the harm has already been done, you may give faded darks new life by applying specialised clothes dye.

Have you and cleaning tips to make clothes last longer?