Unicorns, Flat Packs and Outdoor Adventures #LittleLoves

For some this was half term week but for others like myself, it was a return to school and work and that dreaded routine. There's always something so much worse about that first alarm going off after a break from getting up and rushing out of the door each morning. And there was added stress this week as my 8 year old started swimming lessons with the school so there was an extra thing that needed to be remembered before leaving the house.

I was expecting a few nerves from her but armed with her new unicorn swimming costume she surprised me by being more than a little bit excited to start learning this new skill. I get to go down and help next week and I am keen to see just how quickly she can begin to learn how to transport herself through the water. 

Read

Now I'm trying to stick to one book a week and I'm glad that actually in previous weeks I'd managed to read more than one in a week because last week I'll be honest, I didn't even manage to pick up a book. Being half term, time just gradually slid away. Time always seems to move so much quicker when the kids aren't at school, I am already on count down for the Easter holidays because in my opinion one week off just isn't enough.

Going back to routine this week meant for me the return of healthier eating because with Valentine's day, a birthday and days/nights out, I will admit I consumed a fair amount of junk food. This isn't something I'm feeling guilty about as I think we all need a break every so often however my body is now telling me it needs some goodness back in it. I've been reading up about counting macros i.e. how much protein, fat and carbs I'm consuming rather than looking primarily at the calories.


It all seems a little tricky to begin with but I'm hoping it will kick start some changes in my body now that I'm doing slightly higher impact workouts with weights, I'd really like to shift some of the fat and change it into muscle as I'm really wanting to tone all those jiggly bits up if I can. Is anyone else counting macros or got any advice on where to begin with this?

Watched

A programme that my husband and I binge watched our way through was a new one on Netflix, Altered Carbon. It's been compared to the idea of the film Blade Runner with humans being able to transfer the consciousness into another body if their own body dies or is killed. I found the programme very addictive watching three episodes at a time. My husband wasn't quite as taken as I was but this was more to do with the level of concentration needed to keep up with it.

With characters being in different bodies and the time line sometimes switching from present to past, there was a lot of detail to take in so you do need to concentrate when watching, it isn't a show you can just have on in the background. It isn't my normal go to genre so I think the fact that I really enjoyed it speaks volumes. 

I'm also still making my way through Friends. I've just got to the end of season six so I don't think it will take me long now to watch the rest of them.

Heard

Well on Sunday I heard an abundance of laughter. I went to Go Ape with the husband a couple of friends and I'll be honest even though I was ridiculously scared of attempting it, I couldn't help but laugh along as we went round the site. There was the highly hilarious moment when my phone fell through the trees (luckily it lived to tell the tale) and then there was a group of men behind us struggling more than me to get round made even more entertaining when one of them managed to tread in poo and all sorts of gagging noises came after.

As nice as it is to have family days, it was so nice to have a little break away, have adult conversations, talk without interruption. It was this weekend that I also heard from my mum that she's managed to get our wedding anniversary weekend off in September. We'll be celebrating 10 years so we're hoping to get away somewhere for a couple of days, any recommendations for this would be more than welcome!

Wore

Well I've been wearing the same old outfits but the eight year old has literally turned into a fully fledged unicorn. She had a nice bit of money to spend from her birthday and she opted to use a lot of it to buy some new clothes, all of which were covered in unicorns in one way or another. There of course was a new unicorn onesie, a dress (£2.99 from H&M, bargain!) and also a couple of T-shirts too.

If I'm honest if I thought I could get away with it, I too would be wearing all of this unicorn clothing, who wouldn't to be a little bit more magical? I like the age my kids have got to as they are able to make these sorts of choices for themselves, well most of the time, I will admit to trying to guide them away from certain clothes but over all I like them to be able to express themselves and be the individuals that they are.

Made

This week it's all about the flat pack. Well it is for my husband anyway. After almost 2 months without beds, we finally got around to ordering the youngest two a set of bunk beds. We'd got rid of their old ones just after Christmas as we were having new carpet put down and we thought it would be easier to hold off getting new ones before then. Carpets finally got fitted last week so I ordered the bunk beds along with a new chest of drawers for good measure.

Gracie was beyond excited as she's been asking for bunk beds for a couple of years now, she's claimed the top bunk as her own and I made a point of buying a shelf to hang over the top for her glasses and whatever book she's reading at the time. It's made such a difference to their room, with more floor space to play, now the only thing left to do in there is decorate the walls but that will probably be towards the end of the year.

And lastly ...

After what seems like a long week (the first one after the holidays always is isn't it!), I'm taking the eldest down for her annual eye test tomorrow. Last year she wanted to try contact lenses but she couldn't quite master getting them in, however I think she might be ready to attempt them again as she'll quite often try walking around the house without her glasses on now that she's delving in to the world of make up more and more.

I really like her with glasses but I also know the pressures that come with being a nearly teenager so I'm willing to support her with that choice if it's something she wants. Although I'll admit I'll always prefer her with glasses as that's when she looks most like me.

Have a good weekend everyone.