activities

When your teenager can still surprise you…..

- TracyB 2 Comments

My youngest son is 15 going on 35 so mature for his age group and acts like he is an adult!

As most of you will know if you have teen boys they hit that point where they stop asking you every 5 minutes ‘what we are doing today?’ and hole themselves up in their bedrooms, curtains closed, headphones on with games controllers in their hands and either ignoring you or telling you to get out of their rooms.

This pretty much sums up my youngest for about the past year, where it has been pretty hard to get him motivated with anything. Then Sunday out of nowhere he comes down to the table in the lounge and sets up an area so he can make a model of a tank. Yes I know I thought I was hallucinating too! From 2pm he worked on it all day until around 9ish in the evening breaking only to have his dinner. To be bloody honest I don’t think I have witnessed him sit in one place for anywhere near that long before (even when he is gaming he is up and down stairs getting food and drinks).

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Dressmaker’s course- One of the best things I did in 2015

- TracyB 4 Comments

Up until last year I had a real fear of using sewing machines which I definitely think stemmed from those Home Economics classes you may remember from school if you are of a certain age! I did have one many years ago but just didn’t have the confidence to use it properly and ended up packing it away in the loft where it subsequently got damaged and then I got rid of it.

Last year I took the plunge and booked myself on a 5 week basic sewing course to learn how to use a sewing machine. The course was great and I learned how to make a cushion cover, insert zips and made an apron too. During that course ( where  used a Janome sewing machine) I managed to find a great sewing machine of my own. That way I didn’t have to panic if I broke anything as it then belonged to me. This in itself gave me more confidence when I was using it.

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‘Papa Don’t Teach’ – Would you teach your teen to drive?

- TracyB 2 Comments

Now if you asked me this a few years ago my answer would have definitely have been yes, that would have been because I was then working as a qualified Driving Instructor as a job and obviously had a suitable car which had duel controls. In fact it was something I was really looking forward too. I no longer work as a driving instructor due to my long term illness and so I am now looking at it purely from a parent’s point of view.

Therefore,if you ask me that question today, the answer is a resounding NO! In fact, just today I have booked him to start his lessons with a reputable company and instructor. Many of you will think this is madness to throw all that money away on lessons even though I feel I could teach him no problem but I would only do so in a suitable car with duel controls, believe me I speak from experience that learner drivers  try to kill you on a daily basis when they are only starting.

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Preparing your Home for Christmas Entertaining

- TracyB Leave a comment

 

 

Christmas_tree_bauble for Ida article

The festive season is always a very exciting one and many people look forward to being able to spend quality time with friends and family over this period. This is a time of year when we tend to go out more than usual with everything from office parties through to family meals out, nights out with friends, and other festive activities to enjoy.

 

This is also a time of year when we often tend to have guests over far more than usual, whether it is for a fabulous and fun-filled Christmas dinner or simply tor a few drinks and to exchange gifts and cards. With this in mind, it is important to ensure that you are fully prepared by getting your home ready for the Christmas period and for entertaining your guests.

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Some Easy Craft Ideas For Kids This Christmas

- TracyB Leave a comment

christmas bunting picture

As my boys are now 17 and 15 years old this is something I am starting to miss. We used to do quite a lot on the run up to the festive season and even made lots of sweet treat pressies like the hot chocolate cones, decorated biscuits and cakes. Once they hit mid teens the enthusiasm for crafting waned and it is definitely something that I miss these days ( I expect I have to wait until I become a granny- although I am in no rush for that just yet!). My 15 year old however, will still decorate his own bedroom and will happily make Christmas paper chains if he is in the right mood……..and he won’t thank me for telling you that! I always think doing Christmas crafts starts all the build up and excitement, any time from Oct/ Nov all parents are already talking ‘Father Christmas’ to the kids and the crafts become an extension of that, I still have their school home made decorations too.

Take a look below for some fabulous and EASY craft ideas to get you started:

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Why playtime can also be good for grown-ups

- TracyB 4 Comments
We all know that an important part of childhood is play, and we encourage our children to get involved in imaginative games almost before they can talk. But many of us tend to believe that games aren’t so important for adults. Instead playing is viewed as something superfluous, an activity that takes up valuable time when we could be doing something ‘useful’.

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by  stigeredoo 

This might be true if you sat and played on the Xbox all day long, neglecting your work and forgetting about keeping the house in order and putting meals on the table. But a little bit of playtime can be good for adults. Not only does it give you a break from the daily grind, but some games can also help stimulate your mental agility, we all remember those ‘Brain’ games for the DS right? If you are anything like me you have to have something on the go in the evenings even if the telly is still going in the back round. For me, I love to crochet and knit, something that I can do maybe while I loosely watch a film or programme I have recorded. Lately I have seen a lot of people online trying out the adult colouring craze that is going around ( I admit I do have one myself which I use when I am listening to my audio books before bed). I know some people love the word games that you can get on your phone, my son loves the logo one he has on there or even bingo either as a board game, a phone app or online. All these things just help a little to keep our brains active and give us a little escapism from the hum drum of daily life.

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My dressmaking journey begins.

- TracyB 2 Comments

Today I started a 12 week course in dressmaking. This is something I have been wanted to do for ages since getting hooked on the Great British Sewing Bee. I started my sewing journey earlier this year with a basic 6 week course learning to use a sewing machine, basic hems etc and even went on to make some cushion covers and a tote bag!

I thoroughly enjoyed this course after years of being almost frightened of sewing after horrible memories from secondary school ( bet I’m not alone there!). I was desperate to get a close enough proper dressmaking course as I want to get patterns and make things for myself. I daily see people’s makes on IG and am very jealous and even bought the Dottie Frock pattern as most people said it was suitable for beginners. It probably is but I excitedly opened the pattern and then had instant confusion and folded everything back into the package! Sad but true. So I am hoping this course I started today will sort out any confusion I have that puts me off trying things.

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A letter of apology to my teens

- TracyB 2 Comments

This has been on my mind the last few years but hit hard this year especially.

I would like to apologise to my teens for NEVER being able to take them away on a nice summer holiday like most parents, somewhere in the sunshine abroad.

They are now 17 and almost 15 years old, and I found the holidays much easier in a way when they were younger. We had days in the park with friends, beach days, garden days with friends and we have done a few years camping in the UK which we have all enjoyed.

Our only ‘proper’ family holidays were courtesy of my Mum who for 2 years running in ’07 and ’08 took us all away to Florida to do all the Disney parks and attractions and we all loved those holidays and still talk about them now, as they are normally a ‘once in a lifetime’ holiday that a lot of people never get to do, so in that respect we were extremely fortunate that my Mum footed the bill both times.

Before I was diagnosed with long term illness 6 years ago , I was self employed as a Driving Instructor with a healthy part time business that I was hoping to expand when the boys went to secondary school. However, having to give up work obviously has taken it’s toll financially and so things like holidays etc are not even on our radar. For this I feel personally responsible, as my OH works hard and brings in a decent wage however, on top of a mortgage and normal bills teenagers can be expensive when they eat you out of house and home, outgrow clothes etc at an alarming rate and obviously keeping them entertained is a LOT more expensive than toddlers.

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Date nights when you are married? Really?

- TracyB 9 Comments

***Here is your warning that I’m going to go all ‘Katie Hopkins’ about this one and I appreciate some of you will hit the unfollow button but hey ho!

So all over social media I see this on a daily basis, ‘date night with hubby’, or lunch date with OH or even ( scrapes the bottom of the barrel) ‘coffee dates’ with the love of your life.

First of all the actual word tends to wind me right up, ‘date’ surely is one of those americanisms that have crept into our vocabulary and become the norm. Ok I get it if you are single and talk about going on a ‘date’ as it makes sense. But really as a married couple is this the thing we should be doing? Am I missing something about this? I mean I did ‘go out’ with my other half when we first got together, after a while we got engaged and then married. Surely that is generally speaking the whole point.

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All set for 2015!

- TracyB 10 Comments

I have not made ANY resolutions this year. I have NOT set any major goals to achieve either. My reason being that if I don’t do the things I have vowed to I would I feel like a failure and look back with disappointment.

This year a few things have popped into my head that I would like to make time for, but my life wont stop, or I wont feel like a failure if I don’t really get the chance to do them. I hope that makes sense.

So here goes:

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