Eating, Drinking and Being Merry #weeklyroundup

Hello everyone and a merry festive period to you all. This is a late in the day post as I actually got lost to what day of the week we were on. It's that weird limbo between Christmas and New Year isn't it where we're all completely stuffed but still eating our weight in chocolate and when we know we should get out of the house and go for a nice walk or something but actually we are more than content staying in our pyjamas and making the most of lazy days indoors.

Today is actually the first day where I've had nothing planned. We've been ice skating, out for dinners, visiting family and spent time catching up with friends but today is now dedicated to my sofa. I have my laptop on my lap, a drink one side and a box of biscuits on the other and I'm trying to make a start on some posts for January because I can all predict that the first month of the year will be a busy one.

But before all of that, let me catch you up on some of my favourite things from the last few days of December . . .

End of Eras and a Changing of Pace #weeklyroundup

Here we are, just a few days away from Christmas and I'm sitting here in the early hours of the morning writing this post, just thinking about the year that has is now behind me. It's been quite the year and honestly I am looking forward to a changing of pace these next coupe of weeks, being able to relax, enjoy time with family and not worry for just a little while.

School is now finished for the holidays and it is also the hubby's first day off of work for the festive period too and even though I'm awake early like always, it's nice to know that technically I haven't got to rush around. 

Time for all the food, drink and merry ways.

Read

I was very lucky to receive a proof copy of Tanya Landman's new YA novella, ONE SHOT from Barrington Stoke. This lovely story won't be officially published until March next year which is when you will see my full review but I just felt it deserved a mention before that.

The Build Up to Christmas #weeklyroundup

It's less than 2 weeks until the big day that is Christmas and I for one cannot wait. This week has been particularly festive with various events at school as well as work parties and of course the obligatory last minute Christmas shopping. I don't want to say I'm finished on that front as there always seems to be something or someone that I've forgotten however I can definitely say that I am very much organised.

I'll admit though as much as I love this time of year, I've felt quite stressed out this week. Things getting to me more than they would any other time, just not enough hours in the day to fit everything in. For example I've already done a food shop this week but I will be getting up early Saturday morning to do the Christmas food and drink shop with my mum who will be in-between night shifts, madness.

And if you haven't heard enough about the C word carry on and read my weekly round up.

Read

I mentioned last week about reading the last in the Dark Artifices trilogy, well I'm over half way through the almost 900 pages which I consider a triumph considering my lack of minutes to do things.

I've made time for my youngest though.

Every evening at her bed time during this month we have been reading Christmas stories together. We take it in turns to read the pages and it's a real win win situation. I get a bit of quality one on one time with her and she gets to practice her reading skills at the same time and let me tell at five years old I can't believe just how well she can read.

Watched

The holiday season of Nailed It.

Elves, Nativities and Festive Activities #weeklyroundup

Oh hello you lovely lot. Can you believe we're are already a week into December? This is the one month of the year that I wish would go slowly and yet it always seems to speed on by, like blink and you've missed it. It's definitely my favourite time of the year. I mean who wouldn't get excited, chocolate for breakfast, sitting by pretty lights in the evenings and of course the excuse to indulge more than you normally would.

And with December also comes the return of our elves. I've sort of lost count but I think this is my sixth year of doing this and it's becoming increasingly hard to a) come up with new ideas as the kids seem to remember everything that they've previously done and b) trying not to forget to move the blooming things, already I have almost forgotten to do something with them, it's a good job that 3 out of my 4 children actually know and can help me with the setting up.

But enough about the elves, here is a snap shot of my life in this weeks weekly round up.

Read

It's such a busy month and that of course means very little time to myself but I had some lovely book post (that I'd forgotten about) so I had to carve out a bit of me time to make a start on the 800+ pages of the new novel from Cassandra Clare. Queen of Air and Darkness is the third book in the Dark Artifices trilogy and part of the Shadow Hunters novels, I have been waiting for a year for this latest release and so far it hasn't disappointed.

Pantomimes and Christmas Cheer #weeklyroundup

Hey there readers. End of another week, in fact it's the end of November, are you ready for the count down to Christmas? Almost all of my Christmas decorations are up, just the tree to go but I promised my eldest that I'd wait until after her birthday which happens to be today. I am now officially a parent to a fully grown teenager! I'm not quite sure how that happened, honestly doesn't seem that long ago when I was in the hospital giving birth to her.

It's been a week of birthday preparation. Wrapping presents, writing cards and attempts to make a llama cake as requested by my daughter. Look out for that picture later on in the post. It's actually the first year where my eldest has been relatively excited about her birthday, normally she isn't fussed by it and much prefers for me people to not make a big deal about it so it's been nice watching her counting down to the big day for a change. 

Read

The weather has been particularly awful with lots of cold winds and pouring rain, it's made me want to hibernate and not come out until Spring. This means it's been the perfect climate for snuggling up under a blanket to read a good book. . . . Shame I haven't had time to actually sit down and read one this week.

I did however get a big delivery of books ready for my mum to wrap up for me as her gift to me for Christmas. 

Now I may not have read books myself but my youngest daughter has been reading books to me every evening and yes a Christmas book or five may have found their way into the reading pile, no complaints from me.

Watched

The Christmas Chronicles on Netflix.

Mince Pies and Winter Warmers #weeklyroundup

Hello you lovely lot, how are we all this week? Well I hope. I feel like this time of year I don't have a lot of time to just sit and be. Even this weekly round up post seems rushed, like I don't have enough hours in the day to fit in writing it. Between myself and the kids, there seems to be things in the diary for almost every day of the week running up to Christmas. Not helped by the fact that I have children in both primary and secondary school.

I think this is partly why I am so organised, I think my mum was the same and I learned those skills quite well. Juggling various day to day activities and errands balanced with those surprise appointments and jobs that decide to pop up when you least expect them. I'm honestly shocked that I haven't managed to double book myself yet!

But despite the minutes and seconds ebbing away, I have put together a short round up for those of you that might be interested . . .

Read

After starting Kingdom of Ash last week (a big 980 pages long), I finally managed to complete it. Although that seemed bittersweet as it was the final instalment of the series, feeling like I might re-read them all quite soon.

I'm now part way through a new novel called Opposite of Always by Justin a. Reynolds, it won't be released officially until next April but I can already tell that it will be a book well worth buying, very funny indeed.

Comedies and Festive Spirit #weeklyroundup

This will only be a short post this week, not because I don't have a lot to say ( I always have a lot to say) but because I completely ran out of time to actually write the weekly round up. It's funny how I manage to get so busy this time of year, lots of outings, things on the calendar and even when I think I'm being really organised, I drop the ball with something.

But I do think it's time to now mention the word Christmas.

Who's prepared? Who hasn't even begun to think about buying presents, let alone wrapping any of them?

I'm going to be a little bit smug now and say that I am almost finished. I've bought all of my presents and wrapped most of them too. I have ordered my Christmas meats and I even done my mum's Christmas shopping too, she now only has two people left to buy gifts for. Like I said, I really do like to be organised.

But onto my #weeklyroundup

Read

Finally I got around to ordering my copy of the last instalment in Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash. At a massive 980 pages long I'll admit that I haven't been able to finish it yet as I only began reading in Monday evening but I'm already over 300 pages in, it's as good as the other books and honestly I'm not quite ready for this series to end.

Haircuts, Heating and Birthday Preparations #weeklyroundup

With November in full swing and Bonfire night done and dusted, it's time for me to start thinking about other events. Of course Christmas is at the front of my mind but before that I have birthday preparations. My eldest daughter will be turning thirteen at the end of this month, I'm not entirely sure how that's possible seen as it doesn't feel like five minutes ago that I was actually giving birth to her!

I've already bought and wrapped the majority of her presents because this year she's requested some presents and some money which I get as she likes to pick out her own things nowadays. And now it's on to thinking about her birthday cake because this year she's requested a cake in the shape of a llama, nothing too difficult, starts scrolling through Pinterest for ideas.

What has also turned up is the wetter weather and the colder temperatures and I'll admit, I finally gave in this week and put the heating on. The extra jumpers and blankets just weren't doing the trick anymore.

But now for what you've really come to read, my #weeklyroundup

Read

My reading has slowed down a little with kids being back at school, me being back at work and the reading and homework slowly starting to build again. But I did manage to read a couple of books. 

One was from Netgalley, called The Stranger Diaries. This would have been perfect for people to read over Halloween but I'm sure it will still manage to come across as a tad spooky even now. 

Darker Days and Cosier Nights #weeklyroundup

Hello November. Every year I say the same but the days seem to pass so much faster with each month that goes by. I've got less than 30 days and my eldest will be stepping into her teenage years, I mean seriously, I'm so not ready for that moment to come round!

But let's just not talk about that yet.

How about those darker days? Did the clock change go well for anyone? I don't want to boast but my kids have never been effected by it, whether they've gone back or forwards my girls have always slept the same. They take after their mum, utterly lazy.

I welcome the clock change in October as I'll admit I love the fact that it gets darker sooner. I look forward to closing the curtains, lighting the candles and putting the fire on, the nights are so much cosier. Although it does make me wish away my weeks as I long for the weekends to just be curled up under a blanket.

And on that note here is my #weeklyroundup . . .

Read

My reading mojo made an appearance in the last fortnight. After my friend lent me a massive pile of books, I felt obliged to read them sooner rather than later and I went back to how I used to read. Picking up a book and not putting it down until I'd finished it, this meant late nights and waking up feeling more tired than usual but I regret nothing.

There's no better feeling than getting lost in a good book.

Some of the titles I read include: The Secret Wife by Linda Kavanagh, The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar, Sister Sister by Sue Fortin and Mistletoe and Mystery by Daisy James (look out for a review at the end of the month.

Watched

Hands up who has started watch The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix? I just couldn't resist however I did stop the urge to binge watch and I instead watched one episode a day. To be honest I don't think I could have viewed more than that at one time because every episode is roughly an hour long.

Family, Rainbows and sleepovers #weeklyroundup

Hello and welcome to another #weeklyroundup. This week saw the start of our half term here. I see from social media that many of you don't begin your holidays until the end of school today. We're actually quite lucky here as we've still got a week to go. This is because the youngest three's school combined all of the teach training days and bundled them all into one week which meant that we got 2 weeks off in October this year.

We've had a great start to our time off because for a change the lovely Mr Hazelden was off with us, it's the first time we've ever had him with us at this time of year and made for a wonderful change. And actually we haven't done an awful lot, it's just been lovely having time, not feeling like we're cramming in conversations into a short space of time.

I even managed a day with just me and the husband when my lovely mum offered to have my daughters for a whole day along with their cousins. The last time we had any time alone together was on our wedding anniversary at the beginning of September so it was really appreciated.

And now it's tine to see the other things I've loved this week:

Read

I haven't had a lot of time to read books for leisure recently as I have had quite a few novels to review but last week one of my lovely friends came to my house to borrow some books of mine to take on holiday with her and at the same time she surprised me with literally a suitcase of books for me to delve into. We've got quite similar tastes in stories so there was plenty for me to choose from.

One of those books happened to be The Husband's Secret. This is a novel that's been on my to read list for quite some time and actually it is an author that I haven't managed to read any of their works before even though I have heard many good things about Liane Moriarty. The book definitely didn't disappoint and I've decided that I'll be asking for a couple more of her books for Christmas this year from various people.

A Summery Feeling Autumn #weeklyroundup

It's been a strange start to October hasn't it. Well I say start but we're over half way through now. Although the mornings have been somewhat darker, the days have been feeling less like autumn, more of a summery vibe with lots of beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures. I'll admit it's been quite odd not having to put on my winter coat yet although I haven't gone so far as to dig out the flip flops again.

Funny thing is that now it's the beginning of half term, I think we can sort of predict that the weather will suddenly take a turn for the colder and wetter!

But enough of my typically British weather talk, on to this weeks weekly round up:

Read

It was a few months back that I begin reading Philip Pullman's trilogy, His Dark Materials. However I got side tracked. Not only with other books that suddenly caught my interest but also with review books which took priority.

But now I've begun to delve back in again.

Bad Backs and New Glasses #weeklyroundup

Hello there and welcome to another weekly round up. I may have missed another week because I was busy promoting the new Hatchibabies but I'm back and I am pretty certain you didn't really miss my updates too much.

So what's new?

Well October hasn't been bad weather wise has it. I've managed to get my washing out on the line more often than not and so far I have also somehow got the husband to keep his hands off of the heating. I plan on not turning the fire on until at least the beginning of November!

I'm still applying for jobs, didn't manage to get an interview for the last position I applied for but I'm nothing but determined, there is a job out there for me somewhere . . . I hope.

Read

My reading has slowed down somewhat again, I've almost lost that mojo to want to pick up a book and get lost in it. Might have something to do with the fact that many books I'm reading lately just aren't living up to their expectations.

The latest novel I read was the latest one from Lauren Oliver called Broken Things. I got all excited as I love the author and the blurb caught my interest but the story itself seemed quite a let down from my initial feelings.

Autumn has Arrived #weekyroundup

I missed writing my weekly round up last week so I guess I have a few things to catch you up on before I get into all that's gone on this week. I had my interview last Monday but unfortunately I found out that I wasn't successful despite getting good feedback. I'll admit it knocked me a bit but I'm trying to remain positive and think that it happened that way for a reason, my time for full time employment will come!

Between work, kids, home life and all the in-between I've come to the conclusion that I really need more time to just sit. I'm trying my hardest to keep fit and healthy but things are certainly getting on top of late. I've gone back to not sleeping very well and I think that's partly down to the fact that I'm stressing about the job issue. With the kids getting older and bills forever increasing, the need for me to be in full time work rather than part time is more paramount now, a pressure I am feeling constantly.

On a positive note though, I was asked for meter readings this week and I've managed to more than half our gas and electric usage over the warmer months which means I won't need to worry so much when we feel the need to start using the heating again. Once less costly bill to contend with!

But enough about me and my moaning, here is the latest #weeklyroundup for your reading pleasure:

Read

I read a really poignant book this week thanks to Netgalley. Every Colour of You by Amelia Mandeville is one of those novels that just blew me away, tugged at my heart strings and left me with a sort of reading hangover. 

It was so unexpected and beautifully written. I'll admit that I cried quite a bit as it neared the end but there's some really important lessons to be learned so I implore people to read this story even when it becomes heartbreakingly sad.

Darker Mornings and Changing Seasons #weeklyroundup

Hey there lovely people. Welcome to another weekly round up. This was our first full week back at school/work since the end of the summer holidays and I don't know about the kids but I'll admit to struggling. It's not the waking up, I mean I tend to be awake way before my alarm goes off anyway but especially after a relaxing weekend away and with the mornings definitely getting darker, the idea of actually having to get up and do things fills me with dread. I've even fallen out with exercising but after buying my first pack of mince pies of the year last week I really need to find some much needed motivation.

The kids on the other hand seem to be taking things in their stride. The eldest who is now in year eight is loving some of her new teachers and appears to have gained back a bit of enthusiasm that she'd sort of lost at the end of the summer term. And my second eldest was thrilled to be chosen as part of the sports crew, gaining her own special hoody to where around school, after last weeks tests she needed a nice boost to her confidence because now the long wait begins to see if she'll pass the tests needed to get into our local grammar school.

And now I'm breathing a sigh of relief that this weekend is now upon us which brings me to my latest round up:

Read

I finished reading the fantastic A Spark Of Light from Jodi Picoult, due to be released at the end of October, expect a glowing review on the blog next month!

Wedding Anniversaries and Back to School Blues #weeklyroundup

Hello there. He we are, a full week into September and I tell you what I'm already reminiscing about the summer holidays. The kids have only been back at school since September and I already miss them immensely. The house is just too quiet, missing an air or kids arguing and the sounds of, I'm hungry are like a thing of the past. I can't be the only one who is already counting down the days until the half term holidays? 

This week seems to be a tale of two halves. The start, preparing for the impending school days. I had to go into school Tuesday for annual safeguarding training whilst my second eldest, who was due to sit both the Kent test and the local grammar test was trying to do last minute revision and we were all  desperately attempting to make the most of the days we had left. I'd already sorted uniform (including labelling), and we'd topped up the stationery so the plan was to simply chill.

My grandparents visited on Monday and I also had to take my poor youngest daughter back to the doctors because her ear infection had failed to clear up after a week of being on antibiotics. And then this second half has been back to the usual routine. Alarms, work and the general day to day goings on oh and not forgetting my tenth wedding anniversary yesterday!

Read

At the start of the week I was still helping my daughter with revision so I read through quite a lot of test papers. What's funny is that I've still got the ability to do them, I thought I wouldn't understand them but I found myself able to answer questions with relative ease.

Ear Infections and the Holiday Blues #weeklyroundup

Hello you lovely lot, the end of another week and a few steps closer to the end of the holidays, something I'm definitely not looking forward to. You may have noticed that my weekly round up post was missing last week, the first time I haven't posted regularly since I started my blog actually but that was because we were on holiday and for once I was determined to have a proper break from the internet.

I was quite absent from social media too and I'll admit it was more than refreshing not having to worry about regular updates etc but on the flip side I did miss putting finger to keyboard and getting things out, even if there are only a handful of you that actually read my blog these days.

Because of my lack of post last week, this weeks round up is more like a fortnight round up as I don't want to leave anything out. . . 

Read 

Reading wise I've had a really good run. Being on holiday gave me a chance to really get into some differing novels whilst the kids played in the pool. And what was really nice was that I enjoyed each of them for different reasons. So the question is what were the books called?

The Affair by Sheryl Browne - This had so many twists, I was second guessing what was happening throughout and was quite shocked at the ending. A book told through many points of view, it is gripping to say the least.

The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X. R. Pan - I'd describe this as slightly paranormal but also extremely emotional, be warned there is mention of suicide.

Watching Glass Shatter by James J Cudney - Family drama and secrets galore, this is a novel that shows us that no matter how much we think we know somebody, there can always be things left hidden away.

Sunbathing, Sleepovers and Holiday Prep #weeklyroundup

Two weeks of the summer holidays gone already, how is it possible? We wish for this time for so long and then it begins to vanish in an instant. I don't think it helps that we've been counting down to our holiday abroad so in a sense I was still wishing away the days. But despite the speed of which it's going, so far so good.

The sun has shone for the majority of the time which does wonders for everyone's moods doesn't it and of course this in turn helps with the kids because they've been outdoors a lot and I find this decreases any bickering immensely. This has meant I haven't even wanted to reach for the gin, I kid, a little.

But while I've got your attention, here's my latest weekly round up for you.

Read

Something that these holiday days have given me is a bit of time. Time to pick up a book at a reasonable hour rather reading late into the night and even better I have been able to read it sunbathing in the garden while the kids splash around in the paddling pool.

This week I devoured what I think is my new favourite novel, Holly Bourne's How Do You Like Me Now? I actually won this book in a competition on Twitter which was a real plus as it had been on my 'to be read' list for a while now but I didn't have the spare pennies to purchase it.

Project 365 2015 Week 52

These past couple of weeks have been a whirl wind. We've been so busy with Christmas, visiting family and generally having a good time, I'm honestly shocked that we've reached the last day of the year!! Because I didn't post a project 365 update last week, this is a rather long one….

Day 354

Afternoon game time with Uncle Alec.

Project 365 2015 Week 51

Finally the kids have broken up from school ready for the Christmas holidays and the countdown is really on for when the man in red will arrive. Just think next time I pop up my project 365 update Christmas Day will have been and gone!

Day 346

A lovely sisterly moment.

Project 365 2015 Week 50

Week 50 of this years project 365, how did that happen? Well the count down to Christmas is well underway and we've been very busy with various school things, including going to see our local pantomime at The Marlowe Theatre, which was fantastic.

Onto this weeks photos…

Day 339

Gracie lost her second tooth, so she'll be asking for those front teeth for Christmas.