Friday 3 August 2018

Surviving the school holidays - tips, treats and beating the madness

We all know that being home with the kids is a whole new level of workload, sometimes involving more work than going out to a 9-5 job and almost definitely alot more mentally draining. The constant cycle of feeding, entertaining, cleaning up after, refereeing, personal care giver, and being a walking encyclopaedia gets exhausting, and then it starts again the next day. Solid for 6 whole weeks!!!



I am sure many will agree at two weeks in it is already feeling a little bit like groundhog Day and I am starting to feel a little less enthusiastic at every story I tell, question I answer, activity I plan so what will the remaining weeks bring!

To survive I have put together some treats, ideas and survival tips because we all need a treat and a little time out to keep us sane!

Beauty care - I always feel that if my skin feels good I feel better and happier, so take some time to add some pamper time to your morning/ bed routine, I have been using this amazing cleanser from Angela Langford, sweet cheeks cleanser smells divine is 99% natural so is gentle on your skin, it perfectly balances your skin to give clean and clear results. Containing rose, cypress and papaya these key ingredients work together to cleanse, calm, unclog and tighten pores, stabilise oily skin, exfoliate dry patches, and make you skin glow! what more can our skin need!!



I follow this with some bloom and glow radiance restoring face oil to give me a fabulously radiant glow, so even when I may be feeling a little frazzled my skin certainly keeps me looking fresh throughout the day.



Me time - One thing I do still try to keep to is getting the kids into their rooms at night at a reasonable time, it is the holidays so we are not overly strict but I do like them to have an hour chilling out reading before bed and it gives me a little time to relax and unwind child free before collapsing into bed myself! And chill time means treat time, a small gin (or two) with some tasty treats (not for children)

I have been sent these amazing marshmallows from the marshmallowist and they are no ordinary marshmallow, they are truly special and certainly not to be shared with the children!


Raspberry and champagne flavour are by far my favourite as these are two of my favourite flavours anyway, they smell delicious and are truly divine, real indulgence.



Passion fruit and ginger are tangy, intense with a fiery little kick again, amazing flavours and taste, definitely not any normal marshmallow you will taste. So if you are looking for a treat that is something different and indulgent then you need to try these. other flavours in the range are

Rhubarb & Ginger
Tahitian Vanilla and Golden Pecan
Toasted Coconut finished with toasted coconut flakes
Blueberry & Gin

Practical tips - To help myself I try to find ways to save time and stress during the day, one thing I have started to do is make up snack/ breakfast/ lunch boxes in the fridge, so if i am busy cleaning the after effects of the tornado that ripped through the house (the children) they can grab and go without the endless requests to be fed as let's face it school hols means they eat twice as much and seem to fit in an extra 6 meals a day!!!
It also makes it easier to grab and go for those moments you just need to get out and escape the four walls for a while, instant picnics to keep them happy and act like a magnet - where there is food they follow!



I use boxes like these handy igluu meal prep containers which come with one, two or three  compartments especially handy to have two or three compartments to separate and stop food getting mixed (we are all familiar with the effects of a cucumber touching a sandwich, complete meltdown and refusal to eat), these containers are reusable, dishwasher and microwave safe so life is made just a little easier.
I will mix up the boxes so we have some snacks, some savoury and some sweet it really does save time and stress during the day, and if you prep them the night before it may even give you an extra half hour in bed in a morning if your little ones are old enough to get up and help themselves to a ready prepped breakfast box!


Plan days out to tire and entertain the kids but balance with some quieter chill days so you don't burn out before your hallway through the holidays, check out local sites like castles, leisure centres wildlife centres/ nature reserves as often these will have planned activities for the kids that don't cost the earth and can be educational too. Take picnics to save the stress of eating out and you can feed on demand!



My biggest tip is try to go with the flow of madness and mess as it will soon be over, and soon be replaced by zombie children staring into computer screens!