Month: October 2019

My week of Little Sparkles

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A little cheat this week as I’ve included Sunday too as my week was seriously lacking in Sparkles this week.  I’m not sure that arriving safely at my destination after a horrendous drive in atrocious conditions can count as a sparkle, although I was very relieved and thankful.  Most of my Sparkles are from the weekend which was relaxing and quiet.

  1.  A lovely comment on my blog. I received a lovely compliment on my blog this week, from a gentleman with whom I exchanged emails following a post on some old war photographs of my Gramps.  It meant a lot and was a beautiful surprise.
  2. Conkers.  It was cookers night at cubs so after a conker walk the previous day, Little Man learnt the art of conkers and has been keen to challenge us all at home.
  3. Break up!  Unlike the children I have a two week half term and finished on Friday.  I really need this break and am looking forward to ‘my’ week.  I wasn’t at school on Friday as it was a uni day so didn’t get the full excitement but it was still a great feeling to close my laptop on Thursday afternoon.
  4. Cows on the road.  Little Miss and I were in the car on Saturday and paused for the cows to cross the road after milking.  It made me smile and is just a little reminder that we live in a farming community.
  5. Dawn.  Little Miss was feeling really tired on Friday evening, so we decided to let her sleep in and skip parkrun. I got up early to fit in a run before the boys went swimming.  It was tough to start in the dark but I got rewarded with a delightful dawn.  It’s been a really wet week so to run in the dry and in the sun was great.
  6. Harry Connick Junior.  There was an article about HCJ in the Times magazine on Saturday.  I loved him in the 90s and found We are in Love on Spotify.  I’ve been playing it again and it’s still as fabulous as I remember.  I can’t believe the album is nearly 30 years old!
  7. Nature Reserve.  As Sunday was another bright and dry day we went to a local nature reserve.  We collected some chestnuts to roast at home and the children used their nature book to search for different trees, plants and birds.  There was lots of fungi and we found a toadstool which thanks to their book the children discovered was very dangerous.  It’s a great book, there are pictures of different things for you to find and the space to draw or add a photo from your walk.

The 500 Club

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As I published my last post this image popped up in my notifications. I genuinely don’t track any statistics, this blog is my little hobby and for me. I don’t want any pressure on follows, feeling the need to post regularly etc.. but this figure made me proud. I started Seaside Sparkles as a way of recording our family life and 5 years and 500 posts that’s what I’m still doing. It’s random, still anonymous but a genuine account of our little family.

My week of Little Sparkles ✨

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As I sit here on a very wet Saturday afternoon, it’s easy to forget the little autumn sunshine we’ve had between all the rain. It’s been another week of school, work, clubs, there is a comfort in the ordinary.

Here are my sparkles of the week.

1. Assignment 1 done ✅

I have finished my first uni assignment and submitted it two days early! This never happened when I was an undergraduate when I would pull an all nighter to get the work in on time. This time I recognised that I needed a plan to ensure that i could do my course properly without it impacting on our family life and so far it seems to be working. I’m being creative with my study, I used the 2 hour wait at the doctors to review my work and have my set texts with me to read whenever I can, so today that was at the indoor skate park. Fingers crossed for the feedback.

2. Sunny Sunday

It was so bright and sunny on Sunday morning that we quickly got onto the beach in a nearby village. It’s a wild beach with beautiful white sand but further back you can walk through heathers. We walked for a couple of hours, enjoyed a drink in the cafe and played outdoor table tennis. These are the autumn days I love the bright sunshine and some beautiful colours in nature.

3. Mum points

Little Miss has a new drinks bottle since I managed to warp her last plastic bottle! She leaves early to walk to school and as this week it’s been chilly we had an idea to use her new hot for a hot drink at break time. She loved it and I earn a few bonus points for the inspiration!

4. Muddles

Muddles was a mixed up phrase which has become our new little shout at parkrun, a muddle is a muddy puddle of which there were plenty of on today’s run. Now muddles are a little metaphor for life you can either tiptoe around or run through and as you can see from my running tights we ran through them squealing and laughing.

5. Skate Park Life!

Well with some careful planning, the boys who had been to swimming lessons and the girls who had been running managed to meet at the indoor skate park together for a couple of hours of scootering followed by lunch out. A simple but nice way to spend a wet morning.

6. Technology

I was a little bold this week and phoned my mobile phone company to negotiate a new deal as there were a couple of offers I could have taken using my student discount with rival companies. As a consequence I have a free iPhone 11 and a cheaper contract, result. The device is great, the quality of photos is stunning and I’m amazed by the face recognition. I also have finally got Chrome on my work’s laptop, and it’s made things so much easier. I love how technology is facilitating life, although I’m conscious that it’s here to help not enslave us and I recognise that it’s important to put our devices down sometimes.

My Week of Little Sparkles ✨

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Its difficult finding the sparkles in tough weeks. The combination of some challenging and emotional times at work, reading lots of academic journals and then drafting assignments for my studies and the whole caboodle of family life, my life feels pretty full on. But hidden in the melee are the sparkles, the little things which brighten the week.

1. A dressing gown.

I forgot to take a photo of my new dressing gown. Not simply a new dressing gown but a dressing gown! I haven’t had one for years, however with these chillier mornings I needed something to wear. It’s so comfy and warm and I can’t believe I haven’t had one for years, so much better than an old jumper!

2. The NHS

I had to go and see my consultant this week for another cortisone pain killing injection in my foot. Unfortunately it’s looking likely that for long term benefits I’ll need an operation . My consultant is the most consummate professional, always on time, polite, informative etc.. and shows the amazing talent in our NHS. The NHS is always a sparkle in our lives.

3. Christmas shopping

I was early to my NHS appointment so quickly nipped into M&S for a look which is next door to the clinic. Whilst I hadn’t intended to start my Christmas shopping, I saw this bobbing Santa biscuit tin and thought it perfect for a present. For some friends I often buy a family present, maybe a book, hot chocolate and biscuits for them to enjoy together. I really like this and may pop back for some more, at £5 each it was great value. I’m now feeling great for starting my list. I love getting organised for Christmas and will buy a magazine or two over half term to start planning and getting excited for the coming season.

4. Trail running shoes

I know I sneak running in most weeks, but it’s so important to my health. These new trainers are now muddy and dirty just as they should be. The parkrun we do is mixed trails and after the recent poor weather it was time for a seasonal change to trail shoes for parkrun. Parkrun was celebrating its 15th birthday and there were lots of celebrations and emotional moments during the morning. Little Miss had another personal best, she’s getting much closer to my PB by the week, so a very successful and happy parkrun.

5. Army games

Whilst the girls were at parkrun, the boys went to big town after swimming to do a few jobs. Little Man spent his pocket money on some new army figures and spent the afternoon creating an amazing scene. He loves everything military and spends hours making his battle scenes and talking about strategy and tactics. Anything which makes him so happy and focused is definitely a sparkle for me.

6. Family game of Monopoly

With us being in different places all day we made sure that we had family time together on Saturday evening and played a game of Monopoly. We’re competitive but fair, Little Man is a keen property owner, Little Miss prefers money and myself and Mr S both play to win! It’s nice to have a couple of hours with no distraction just to play.