Holidays Tips

Remember the summer holidays? Despite the fact we’re only a few weeks into the school term, it feels like a long time ago already! But, one thing that does stand out as clear as day is the fact that plenty of children struggle to get back into the rhythm of learning when they’ve been off for so many weeks.

It doesn’t matter what a child’s ability level is or what their additional needs might be: ‘brain drain’ (where everything you’ve taught them seemingly flew off out the window when the holidays began!) affects them all. But really, it’s not surprising, is it? After all, you’d be pretty rusty too if you didn’t do your job for six weeks!

So, with that in mind, it can be useful for parents, teachers and teaching assistants to have a few tricks up their sleeves to help childrens’ minds stay sharp when they’re not in a formal learning environment. The tips below (suggested by Hope Education) are just as good for the school half term or Christmas holidays as they are for a summer break, so see if anything below strikes your fancy… and give it a go when it’s time for the next school holiday! 

This is a collaborative post 

Preparing Your Child For University

I think training your child for university goes something like this 

"Mum I've got the ice cream out "

Silent pause 

"Mum can I have Ice cream please "

See I've just got to cut out the middle wo(man) so I said to my son 

"Why don't you after you've got ice cream out , why not scoop it yourself ?"

"No"

There you have GCSE cookery and won't scoop out his own ice cream ...

But if you think about it , really hard and deeply it is clinging onto that last bit of helicopter parenting before they head off to university next year. I've never been a real helicopter parent I mean I was the one who unceremoniously dumped them at Beavers whilst they were crying and said to my husband 

"Let's leg it "

I think that style of parenting is called cave wo(man) parenting where the child battles for their survival .... 

And my son he's survived ~ he turns 18 next week so I've done good :D

But he'll be bringing his washing home from university as its £2.00 a wash £1.00 to dry ! that's if he's more local !

Any how's preparing your child for university starts at the welcome talk ~ they can be underwhelming and you would be fogiven for thinking at times you're at a 1980s wedding venue !

All it needed was for Kevin Bacon to leap up and start dancing !!

" Everyone cut Footloose "

But 1980s underwhelming type venues give way to departmental talks and you know they've made the right choice in their subject. And that's the important part knowing they've made the right choice and helping them analyse it all .

And when my son goes next year to university , I'll still be ready to scoop his ice cream . It's his way of saying I think 

" You're my mum , forever my mum"

Excuse me I've something in my eye .

Chase The Sunlight Like None is Watching

Chasing the last dabbled glow of summer throught the trees , feel like warmth like a millions hugs swirl around me . Knowing everything is within my grasp being the creator of my own desires.

"I don't have to be liked to know I am perfect "

Is what I wrote on my Facebook status the other day , you see I use my social media to empower myself , yes I may occasionally worry .... * possible not true

But the photos I take are the windows to my soul , they light me up and I feel free and so relaxed , I take this over the real world anyway.

The woods feeling like an exotic jungle !

The lure of the sunshine is a magnet to me and I like a hummingbird to nectar flutter quickly to seek it out , for I can not rest until I have seen in my minds eye the perfect shot. It doesn't neessarily have to be a shot that I take with my camera but if I love the shot within my minds eye that I can create a happy memory attached to that moment in time.

I chase the sunlight till the sun goes down , I forever chase my dreams and if I don't achieve them one day then I will go out the very day and seek them again.

Hotter Shoes Mystery Boots Review

Last night I was invited to the Hotter shoe shop in my city of Derby for a Blogger event. This Autumn Hotter shoes are inviting you to fall back in love with their Hotter Originals: handpicked by their founder Stewart Houlgrave as the much loved styles are the true embodiment of their Comfort Concept.

They are Shake,Sugar,Tone,Leanne,Whisper,mystery, Jewel, and Lance.

We were allowed to choose a pair of shoes or boots and if we choose a pair that  came from the Originals range were allowed to have a bag too. Now I don't usually use a handbag as I reserve the for high days and holidays but now I wouldn't be without my bag. The other day we all went out to the garden centre as a family : my husband patted his pockets and yep he had his keys or so we though. My son and I hadn't taken our keys as we thought my husband had so after a lovely trip to the garden centre completed with a Holly Bush and cake we arrived home to find that what my husband thought was his keys was in fact change. And neither or my son had keys after much deliberating and shakes of fists at the world we had to pay £69 for a Locksmith to get us back in ! SO now I will alway take a small back with me in which my house keys will sit !

The Asher handbag which is leather and priced at £65 

Hotter is the UK's biggest shoes manufacturer - making a pair of shoes every 20 seconds.

We were welcomed with drinks and nibbles ( *calorie free ) *might not be true 

In February 2010 there were 5 Hotter stores- today there are over 80.

Hotter shoes taking care of Sonia ( Mummyloves blogger ) on her birthday !

Secret #ComfortConcept features in every pair include cushioning, flexibility,lightness & wiggle room for toes.

The soles of the shoes made in the Hotter factory are filled with millions of air bubbles.

Hotter started making slippers now they make shoes as well as comfortable slippers.

Hotter shoes have #comfortconcept features in every pair include wiggle room for toes.

Perfect Hotter Shoes box for Jack !

I decide to take my review Mystery Boots out for a walk in my local woods and they didn't disappoint me with their comfort.

The Mystery Boots are £89 and have a full zip for easy wear.

Head back past the farm catching sight of my favourite short of traffic jam ~! A tractor jam ! 

Disclosure ~ I was invited to an event where I as Mentioned got to choose a pair of Boot and matching handbag, The cat is my own .

Twice Baked Apples Stuffed With Blackberries

I was fortunate enough to be send a hamper of sugar for baking with , as Autumn is just about upon us now we usually find ourselves in search of soul food that fills us up and keeps us warm through the Autumnal nights. Food that is just enough to take the edge of the coolness of the breeze that whistles past our faces and our feet crunch upon slightly crunchy leaves. A walk that leads to the joy of blackberry picking that is nothing better than foraging.

I had two lonely cooking apples left the others had been baked in an obligatory first Apple and blackberry crumble.

Ingredients

Two or more cooking apples or any large apples cored

Light Brown Sugar (I was using Whitworths Light Brown Sugar)

Handful of blackberries

Method

I sprinkled 2 teaspoons of the Whitworths Light Brown sugar into each apples you can increase or decrease this according to personal taste.

I preheated the oven to 180c then placed the apples in a suitable roasting dish for 20 minutes.

Whilst the apples were baking the placed the two handful  of Blackberries in about a table spoon and a half of Whitworths Light Brown Sugar.


After this time take the apples out of the oven and place equal apples of the sugared blackberries  in each apple. Then place back in the oven for about 10 minutes.

After this time take the apples out you will noticed the blackberries have  created a blackberry sugary syrup which you can spoon over the apples once they have been placed into serving bowl.

Serve with your choice of cream, ice cream or custard or just enjoy on its own.

SO I hope to encourage you  to get baking and encourage have your own office bake off! Whitworths produced a bespoke Facebook app with a creative ‘all you would need’ #GOBO tool kit, please use this to launch your own office bake-off and encourage your colleagues to get involved!

Disclosure I received a hamper of sugars in order to develop some recipes and will receive a fee for doing so.