Morning

7.40am and the house begins to buzz.

Crisp uniforms on, breakfast eaten, teeth brushed, faces washed.

Wax applied to hair and headbands in place to impress.

Bags packed with books, tuck money provided, shoes and coats on.

Perhaps a few minutes spare for a cartoon or two.

Silent Sunday

Linking this with...

Silent Sunday

National Walking Month

Even the shortest of walks can become a great adventure when children are involved and with May being National Walking Month it's time to pop on your footwear and head outside!



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We do quite a lot of walking as a family, more so since getting our dog Spartan last January. It used to always feel like a chore but when you discover places you never knew existed, picturesque scenery and wildlife it is thoroughly enjoyable and something I would recommend for all families to take part in. You can have great fun playing in the British countryside - it's beneficial to both your health and happiness!



Our most regular and favourite walk is in the local fields. They are basically on our doorstep and they are ideal for football, kite flying and exploring! There is a small wooded area that has beautiful views and is usually damp and muddy for the Mini Mes to squelch about it wearing their wellies! On the other side we have the back of a large factory where we all take a guess at how many trailers will be parked up while we play fetch with the dog in the grass, make daisy chains and keep watch for rabbits. Further along there are huge hills to climb in an old off-roading track and lots of puddles to splash about in. It's usually very peaceful here and you can really unwind with the fresh air while getting some exercise in too.

Walking isn't always just about where you go, it's more about what you do and who you are with.
It's a great way to bond with family.

With another bank holiday on the way why not check out your local forest, park or woods and get outdoors for some family fun.

More information on walking and family fitness can be found here and here.

AXA PPP healthcare are holding a live chat where health nurse Kamilla Doughery will be on hand to answer your baby and child allergy questions that you may have regarding the great outdoors. The chat will take place on the AXA PPP healthcare website on Wednesday 29th May at 11-1pm.
You can leave a question in advance here.

We've asked "What natural products can you use to help reduce/prevent hay fever?" which will hopefully help both the Mr and the kids in the future!

You can also pop over to the AXA PPP healthcare Facebook page where you can get more information on family fitness and walking throughout the month: www.facebook.com/AXAPPP


Do you have a favourite walk?



*This is a sponsored post*
 

Family fun - dog walking and puddles

Thankfully the snow has gone and the rain has stopped but the huge puddles still remain!

We have taken the poochie out a few times this week before the Mr has returned from work for some fresh air and some exercise.

The Mini Mes love throwing Spartan's ball into the puddles and getting splashed as he jumps in to fetch it. They like throwing in pebbles to watch the ripples and walking through them to see how deep the water is. Hopefully it won't be long until it's warm enough to take the football without it getting stuck in mud!

Have you had fun outdoors this week?


I'm linking this with...

Fitness - The Gallery

The leaves crackle beneath our wellies and the mud squelches then splashes up our trousers. We duck for branches and bushes, dodge thistles and nettles and plod on across fields with the puppy in tow. Being a pet owner takes dedication. When it's raining or snowing the little pooch still needs his daily exercise.... as do we!

At the same time as walking the dog we are improving our fitness whether that's through jogging along side him flicking his toy for him to fetch, walking and clambering through dirt and streams on our adventures or running to see who can get his ball first to throw next. Fitness can be fun and the whole family can join in.

You can try the new Coca-Cola Work It Out Calculator to find suggestions on how to burn off calories you have consumed to create a healthy lifestyle.

The Gallery Theme this week is Fitness

My week that was...

Another week has flown by with some quite varied weather. We still had a lovely week, and quite a quiet one compared to usual.

Monday we were recovering from a long day at Lollibop so we had a nice chilled day at home. In the morning a friend popped round with a card and flowers for me which was a lovely surprise and in the afternoon the Mini Mes decided to put on a music show and test out some freebies that they received from the festival. In the evening we went to my Grans for our usual weekly catch up and lots of ice cream and treats on the patio.

Tuesday we went to another craft event at the library for the movie Brave. The Mini Mes got to make arrow bookmarks, crowns and then play archery.

Wednesday we had a day at home baking. We made triple chocolate brownies and coffee and walnut cupcakes. In the afternoon the Mini Mes went to their dad's house for the night so the Mr and I had a chilled evening in.

Thursday the weather was a little disappointing yet again so the Mini Mes played beauticians and spent a long while pampering each others feet, giving massages and painting toe nails.




Friday morning I had to wait in for three deliveries but afterwards we went to see The Lorax at the cinema.




Saturday I woke up in domestic goddess mode and spent the majority of the day clearing out drawers and boxes and sorting out old toys, books and clothes. In the evening the Mr treated us all to a delicious Indian takeaway.

Sunday we went to see Brave at the cinema followed by lunch out. In the afternoon we went for a walk in a nearby forest and for ice creams and once home the Mr went out on his CBR for a while while I cooked roast lamb for dinner - yum!

What did you get up to last week?

I'm linking this with...

My week that was... 1st-7th July

Sunday
After a lovely lay in I collected the kids from their dad's house and we went to see Ice Age 4, what a fab movie! Afterwards we met up with my parents in town for some lunch and we enjoyed a lovely homemade ham and chicken pie for dinner.


Monday and Tuesday
Not alot happend today really! The usual school and work routine and an evening indoors due to the rain.


Wednesday
I was feeling rather bleughh today, as were the kids when they got up for school, so we ended up having a duvet day with some movies. There seem to be a few bugs about at the moment so I didn't want to risk them being poorly at school. Plus with it being art week it wasn't as though they were missing out on anything particularly educating today. Well that's what I thought anyway. Better safe than sorry!

Thursday
The weather today made a bit of a turnaround and there was actually some sunshine to be seen yay! In the morning before work I enjoyed a lovely panini and cake with my aunt in a local cafe called The Hideout and after school the Mini Mes and I popped to Co-op for ice creams. The Mini Mes had induction day at school and were pleased with their new teachers. Jamster has the same lovely one from year one and Minxy has a pleasant male teacher. After dinner we all went out for an hour walk with Spartan in the fields.

Friday
Some friends of the family got married today and we were invited to the evening party to celebrate. However we ended up staying in and having an early night as both of the Mini Mes were feeling a bit rough again. Boo hoo!

Saturday
The Mini Mes headed off to see their dad at 10am so the Mr and I made the most of some child free time. We ended up going to see Spiderman at the cinema and having a curry in the evening at a lovely restaurant.

What did you do over the past week? To link up your own post or to see what others have been up to you can head over to the lovely Mummy, Daddy and Me Makes Three

Project 366, 165/366 - Walkies

The Mr was a busy bee this morning so instead of his usual walk with the poochie I took him out for a play instead. I thoroughly enjoyed some wellies, mud and fresh air time.

Bank Holiday Bike Riding

I would much rather stick on my wellies and get wet and muddy outside than be stuck indoors with a TV. Thankfully the sun did make an appearance this bank holiday weekend so we headed out on the bikes for some fresh air and exercise without the need for waterproofs.

Both of the Mini Mes learnt to ride quite a while ago now although Jamster is in desperate need of a new bike (that's on my endless 'to buy' list ready for the summer holidays). He will still happily use it though for now so we headed off to the fields with the poochie in tow too.

Here are some of our pics....

We are lucky to be in such a rural town with a lot of fields. These are literally only a few minutes away and are great for dog walking, kite flying and other sports too.

What did you get up to over the Jubilee bank holiday?
Can your children ride bikes and do they enjoy it too?

Project 366, 147/366 - Sunset

Once all the food and drinks had been finished off and everyone had said goodbye after a lovely BBQ in my garden, me and the Mr headed out for a slightly later than usual stroll with Spartan. The sunset was a really colourful warm glow and despite losing Spartans ball as it was quite dark I managed to get some nice late evening photos.

Project 366, 143/366 - Odd one out

We had our usual evening stroll with Spartan today and I came across this one little red leaved tree amongst lots of green. It summed up very much how I feel at times - a little bit different is good though!