Blogtober Day Thirty One!

Its Day Thirty One! We have reached the last day of October and the final post of Blogtober 2019! 

I am so thrilled to have completed the challenge this year So our final Blogtober Post I am going to write about what the boys are wearing for Halloween.

After recent circumstances, James school decided not to have the Halloween party for Years One to Six and instead they just had a school disco. But there was a Halloween party at Beavers for James. 

James left getting his costume up to mummy and all I got told was it had to have a mask. So this year James is going as a glow in the dark skeleton. Mummy has also bought him some glow in the dark slap bands and some Halloween glow stick necklaces.

For Freddie, Nursery had a Halloween dress up day. Trying to find a costume for Freddie that was in two separate parts so he could still go to the toilet was so hard. So Freddie went to Nursery dressed as a spider! He looked so adorable.

We have brought both costumes to nana and gaga's house so the boys could wear them to show nana and gaga.

Blogtober Day Thirty

So today I am going to write about Pintrest!I have been on Pintrest for a few years now and I love it! 

When we were going on holiday last year, I was addicted to Pintrest for finding ways to entertain the kids in the airport, what to pack for them etc

I also searched the resort we were staying in to get lots of idea's about things we could do while we were there. 

I also used it when we were going to Alton Towers with the kids a few years ago. Again this was to get idea's on how to keep the kids entertained on the coach for six hours and what we would need to pack for them in the suitcase. 

Another trip I used it to get idea's for was for when we were traveling on the trains to and from Surrey to visit Andy's family. 

Travelling with the kids is the main time we use it to get idea's, especially if it is a long trip like the coach to Alton Towers or the train to London.

So for me I use Pintrest to get ideas for travelling.

I have now also set up a board called Scouting. Since I am becoming an assistant leader with James Beaver group I have been looking on Pintrest to get some ideas on things we can do with the kids to go towards their badges.

What do you use Pintrest for?

Four Signs You Child Is Ready For A Dog

Are the kids asking you for a puppy? Any pet is a big responsibility for a child, and a dog needs a lot of care. If the time is right, caring for a dog can be a good way to teach your children responsibility, and how to look after animals, but if they’re not ready, it can end up with you being the only one who takes care of the dog. 

Image - free for commercial use

You’ll need to feel confident that the kids can be in charge of feeding, walking and cleaning

up after the dog, with only minimal help from you. Here are the best signs that they’re ready. 

1. They’ve done their research. A dog is a lot of work, but it’s a good sign if your child has gone away and done their own research about dog ownership. Have they looked into what breed might suit the family best or researched local rescue centres or puppy breeders? Do they know all about different toys, dog beds and food brands. Have they thought about where they could walk the dog or whether the house is suitable for one? If they’ve done their homework, this is a good sign that they’re aware of the responsibilities of dog care and aren’t just thinking about a cute puppy to play with. 

2. They’re well behaved around other dogs. If you have friends or family who have a dog, take note of how your child behaves around them. Do they hassle the dog to make it play with them, or do they patiently wait for the dog to approach them? Are they respectful of the dog’s space? Are they kind to it and interested in looking after it? If they can’t behave nicely with someone else’s dog, they’re not ready for a dog of their own. It’s important for children to know how to interact with dogs safely, like knowing how to safely approach them and how to pet them nicely. If they can’t do this, you run the risk of them being injured by the dog if they aggravate it.

3. Are they responsible? If the children are going to be in charge of caring for a dog, you need to know that they’re responsible enough for the care. If they’re already responsible around the house, this is a good sign. If they’re happy to help with things like doing dishes or other chores, then they should be able to manage looking after their dog. Kids of all ages can help with the dog, so don’t let them off. Even toddlers can do things like fill water dishes, or brush the dog, whereas older children can manage walks and cleaning up after them.

4. You’re willing to help. Small children can’t be expected to care solely for a pet, so you will need to be ready to step in and help. Even older children may need help sometimes whether with the cost of dog ownership or with dog care when they’re busy with their studies.

**Collaborative Post**

Blogtober Day Twenty Nine

Its day twenty nine! We are almost at the end of Blogtober 2019! 
Today the prompt I am using is "Instagram Round up!"

Over the last couple of years, Instagram has become one of my favourite social media platforms. Its become my favourite as I have it attached to both my  Blog Facebook page and my Twitter account so anything I post on Instagram will go directly to them both to save me going onto each platform individually and reposting!

I also use Instagram to keep up with what my favourite musicians, bloggers and sports stars are up to! I have seen loads of photos of one of my favourite musicians who has been on tour in Asia and is currently in Australia. I have also kept up with Manchester United via Instagram and of course my blogging friends!

First thing in the morning I check Instagram to see what has been happening on the tour in Australia and see what I also check to see what has been posted to Instagram stories the evening before. I then try and post to Instagram stories either via photos and or text. I have really taken a liking to posting on Instagram stories as I don't have a camera that I can do proper vlogging on. 

So what are my favourite Instagram pages?

First off I love Katie Ellison. Katie is a mum of 3 based in the UK. Her feed is gorgeous, a mix of home, lifestyle and her three gorgeous kids, 

Another page I love is Mrs Meldrum. Rebecca is another UK mum, based in North East Scotland. She has three gorgeous little girls, Her oldest is a few months older than James

Then we have the Manchester United official Instagram page. This page posts a lot of photos from match day and also behind the scenes. 

Finally we have Ada & Alfred. This is the page for my friend Alex's shop. I have bought a few bits from her in the past and currently I am using my Fierce and Female backpack most days. When we go out as a family I can fit our medical kit and a spare set of clothes for Freddie in and still its only half full!

Tell me below who or what your favourite Instagram pages are!

Living Arrows 2019 43/52 - Blogtober Day Twenty Eight

Welcome to Living Arrows post 2019! If you haven't heard of the linky before, This was set up by Donna at What the Redhead Said and the name comes from the poem by Kahlil Gibran "You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth" Each week I post one photo of James and one photo of Freddie and share what they have been up to that week!

Today's post is also my Day Twenty Eight post for Blogtober 2019!

This week is Half Term for the boys so we have come to visit nana and gaga!

James last week had a disco at school on Monday night. It was a wear it blue night in memory of the little girl who died as blue was her favourite colour. James also had his fancy dress/Halloween party at Beavers! It was also his two leaders last night before our two new leaders and mummy as assistant take over after half term!

Freddie last week had a lovely time at nursery. He had his nursery rhyme challenge where all the kids sang nursery rhymes for the parents. Freddie was a bit shy and grumpy and cried a little bit. He also had his fancy dress Halloween theme day where he went dressed as a spider!

#ACEWinterRefresh Challenge!

Winter is almost upon us and with that comes even more washing than normal!

Freddie started the school nursery in September and with that came another two school jumpers, two extra pairs of trousers and five more polo tops! 

Not to mention the fact Freddie then gets changed into normal clothes when he gets home, so there is basically double the amount of washing from him! Then of course you have to add in the fact James goes swimming on a Wednesday morning with school so we have a set of swim shorts and a towel to wash every week as well!

Unlike James, Freddie seems to only get one day out off his trousers and jumper! In fact there was one day before half term he came home with mud up the inside of his trousers legs so they had to be washed that night to make sure he had a clean spare pair for the rest of the week!

We've been using Ace for Colours powder on the boys school clothes and it has certainly been refreshing them, and keeping the colours of the jumpers and of course the school logo nice and bright especially when they are being washed every other day! The towel James uses for swimming comes out of the wash so soft and smelling lovely!

Ace for colours has definietley been helping us and I plan to keep using it to keep the uniforms nice and refreshed!

**This post is an entry for the BritMums #ACEWinterRefresh Challenge, sponsored by ACE for Colours Powder. Get help for all kinds of stains with the ACE Stain Helper http://www.acecleanuk.co.uk/ and pick up the range at your nearest Morrison’s store or buy online on Amazon.**

Blogtober Day Twenty Seven

Today the prompt is "Favourite Ways to Relax".

So for me the best and easiest way to relax is to put my headphones in, open up Spotify and chose a playlist, then open up my kindle app and chose a book!

Yep I am one of those boring people who gets relaxed when reading. I have been known to start reading a book on my app and actually fall asleep with my phone in my hand. 

The best bit is that the kindle app keeps my place, so unlike a physical book where if I fall asleep I lose my place as I tend to drop the book. I can re open the app and the book is still at the same place!

My favourite author has to be Cathy Glass, who writes about the real life experiences she has as a foster parent.
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So yes the best way to relax is to read and listen to music. What does everyone else do?