Thursday, 29 January 2015

The Reading Together Link Up




Hello and welcome to week four of my link up 'Reading together'. Last week I was very happy to receive two link ups which was great to see.  Thank you so much to Rebecca from All about u for a fab selection of bedtime stories, we especially love 'The stick man'.  Also, shout out to Vicky from Single Mother Ahoy  for linking up her lovely book review of The dry-ventures of Ellie and Eddie. A story about two children with dry skin and how they discover what irritates their skin the most. 


Our favourite book this week


Alfie brought this book back from his school library and we absolutely love it. It is called 'Aesop's Funky Fables' written by Vivian French and illustrated by Korky Paul. There are a collection of short stories, many we have already heard of such as The boy who cried wolf, the tortoise and the hare and the wolf and the stork. There are also some new stories which are Jackdaw and the pigeons, the fox and the crow, the traveler and the bear. I really liked how the tales in this book have animal characters placed in human roles and I think that was what drew Alfie into choosing this book. I also liked how at the end of each tale, the overall lesson, or concept is put at the bottom. This is good for the boys who are still fairly young and may not understand the overall lesson that fables tell in each of the stories. The illustrations are beautiful and detailed and help to bring the story to life. Due to its short stories, it a perfect book for the boys to read aloud to me before bedtime, especially if they are feeling a little tired.






The Linky


  • Please add my badge to your posts 
  • Link up your book related posts which can be reviews, what you read together or just a single picture of you reading together. 
  • It will run from Thursday 12am till Wednesday
  • Can be old or new and as many as you like
  • When you add your link, please make sure they lead to your book related posts and not your blog's homepage. It may be difficult for me to find. 
  • Share your link up on twitter using #readingtogether and tag me @gemma_stevens so I know to retweet and comment on your post. 
  • Try and comment on other posts in the link up. 
  • Instagram posts are also welcome.
  • Enjoy reading




SHARE:

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Wicked Wednesdays




- Little brothers are experts at annoying their older sibling. 



brummymummyof2
SHARE:

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

How to avoid being late for school


Since the start of the new term, we have been finding it extremely difficult to get out of bed in the mornings. It is cold and dark, nobody can or wants to move. My snooze button gets over used and I never have any time to sit down before heading out. Getting two kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door is not an easy task by myself. Especially since I have to go straight to work as soon as the children are through the school gates.  

I have come up with a list of things I have now started to do to ensure my mornings a little less chaotic.


Prepare the night before
  • Packed lunches: I used to panic over the unmade sandwiches in the morning and normally would do a pretty shocking job of it. I have now realised that the sandwiches would taste just as fresh if i make them the night before. Also if I find I have ran out of bread, ham or fruit etc I will have plenty of time to run to the shops instead of panicking over an empty fridge and two children with no lunch in the morning. If the children are having hot dinners that week, i will make sure that I have put money in their school bags the night before incase i forget in the morning rush. 
  • Homework/Reading books: We do ours as soon as the children come home from school. They are more alert and still in the learning mode so it is the best time. The boys are just like their mummy, zombies in the morning, so they just wouldn't get them done or it is just not to their best ability. 
  • P.E kits/School bags: Check they are all in order the night before and place them by the front door so you don't forget them. It is easily done. There has been a few times I have had to leave work to take items to school because we forgot them. 
  • Iron and lay out tomorrows outfits: My children tend to have a new school shirt everyday because they get so dirty at school. I also get dirty at my job so we have a lot of ironing to do. I tend to do this on a sunday night but will still need to ensure I have laid out their clothes for them to grab as soon as they wake up. I am a typical woman as I can never decide what to wear to work. To save myself time, I pick out my outfit before I head to bed and also ensure all my makeup is available for me to grab. 
  • Tidy the house: I hate waking up to a messy house and sometimes I have been late for school/work because I was washing dishes or picking up toys. I have now got into the routine of tidying up after the boys bedtime so I can relax a little in the mornings. 



The morning
  • Set your alarm half an hour before you need to wake up: I am very guilty of pressing the snooze button at least five times and declaring that I am allowed 5 minutes more in bed. Soon enough I am extremely late. If you set your alarm earlier than needed, this allows for a long snooze period and a little time checking Facebook/twitter. 
  • No toys: Do not allow the children to play with their toys/electronic until they are all dressed and fed. Same can go for yourself, try to not to get sucked into a social media conversation as time can soon pass very quickly. 
  • Stay calm: I have always found that the more stressed I am the longer it takes to do things. If you are rushing then you are going to make some mistakes such as spilling the breakfast, smudging your makeup, losing the house/car keys, the children will spill something on their uniform so and so on. These are all time consuming accidents which no one has time for in the mornings. 
  • Leave the house 10 minutes early: If you drive to school, it is bound to be busy with all the other parents dropping their children off. Also, make sure you are prepared for a bit of traffic and surprise roadworks/accidents. If like us, you walk to school, make sure you know exactly how long it will take to walk there. We give ourselves five minutes extra incase we are feeling a little slow that morning or if the children want to play with their friends before the bell goes. 

Do you have any tips for making the school bell in the morning? How do you cope in the mornings? Are you an early bird or a late owl? 

Gem x




SHARE:

Monday, 26 January 2015

Living arrows 4/52.




The two of you will never know

How much my love has grown

To be blessed by two

When others have so few


From the moment you were conceived

You were all that I would ever need

To hold you, comfort you and love you both

Is all that I could ever hope



You are my life

You are my hope

To see you both happy

Is my only hope



My happiness has been through you

I loved you both before you were you

There were aches and pains but it was worth it all

I could not foresee what was to be



From the first moment I held you both

My love has only continued to grow

There have never been two children as beautiful as you
Blessed by two by Teresa L. Finke

You Baby Me Mummy
Living Arrows
SHARE:

One short day in the emerald city// Our amazing evening watching Wicked on tour



For Christmas, my sister very generously gave me and the boys tickets to see Wicked on tour at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth. I was over whelmed by this as I have been a fan of the show since I saw it in London three years ago. I was desperate to see it again and I really wanted the boys to see it too. 

The boys were the first to notice that the theatre was lit up in an emerald green and the words 'Wicked' shining above. I knew they were just as excited as me to see the show by their reaction to this and I knew they had so much more surprises in store. We arrived to the theatre an hour early so we had plenty of time to grab a quick bite to eat in the theatres cafe. I also went a bit crazy with the theatres merchandise store. Tom was treated to a cuddly Wicked dragon which was a bit pricey but its rare that we have the opportunity to come to the theatre, so I had to buy it for him. Alfie was treated to a Wicked  lanyard which he can use at school. I treated myself to the shows programme which features all the cast from the show and some very stunning photos from the show. 


Inside the theatre, the stage looked amazing. They had the same set design as the London show with the glittering map of the emerald city and of course the famous metal dragon looking out towards the audience. Thomas was fascinated but a little nervous of the dragon. I had to reassure him a few times that he wasn't real and that he wouldn't be breathing any fire onto the audience. 


At 7.30 the curtain rose and we jumped with excited. The first song is 'No one mourns the wicked' which has Glinda, played by Emily Tierney, enter the stage in a large flying metal bubble. When I saw her, I immediately started crying. I was so happy to be there seeing this truly amazing show. I cried again during the song 'the wizard and I', not a sad song at all, but its one of my favourites and Ashleigh Grey who plays the green witch Elphaba, was amazing. In fact the whole cast was amazing. We were hooked throughout the whole show, even the children who normally find it hard to sit still for five minutes let alone two hours forty-five minutes. Thomas had to be told to sit on his chair and quiet down though during the song 'Defying Gravity'. It is his favourite song and he just wanted to dance and sing along. However the people surrounding us where understandably annoyed. The performance of the song took our breath away, especially the ending where we see her fly and belt out the last lines. The audience went crazy. 


Overall, the show was fantastic from beginning to end. The acting, singing, the costumes and scenery were just amazing, nothing can compare to it. I cannot fault anything with the show and I am really desperate to go back and see it over and over again. If you live in Plymouth, I would definitely recommend going to see it, you won't regret it. It is in Plymouth until February 14th before moving onto Bristol so don't miss out. 

Have you seen Wicked before? What did you think of the show? 

Gem x




SHARE:

Sunday, 25 January 2015

#mysundayphoto // Black and white photo project


- leave the main footpath and you might discover something wonderful






#CheckOutThatView
SHARE:

Friday, 23 January 2015

What my beautiful children have taught me.






Hello, 

I thought it would be fun today to create a list of things that my children have taught me since they were born. They continue to teach me something new everyday, especially when they return home from school. My boys seem to be far more intelligent and wise than I was at their age. They have woken me up to view the world in a whole new way. Children don't see the world as we do, they are innocent, honest, and pure. They see beauty in everyone and everything. Now that I am a mother, my views of the world has been changed for the better and my boys have encouraged me to grow into a more caring and unselfish person. 


What Alfie has taught me: 


Dance like no-one is watching
Don't take life too serious
Have patience
Express yourself
Show off your creativity
Forgive others
Always keep your imagination alive and dream often
Do not let others ruin your dreams
It is ok to be competitive
Tell your family you love them everyday
Be grateful for what you have
Befriend someone who you think is lonely
Be generous
Sharing is caring
It is ok to show your emotions
Sing loudly
Be honest
Never hold a grudge, Let it go. 


What Thomas has taught me:


Do not care what others think you
Don't be afraid to get dirty
Roll down hills
Jump in the biggest puddles
See the good in everyone
Try something new every day
Do not be scared
Laugh often
Always believe in your dreams
Having fun is more important than chores
Say hello to everyone
Smile
Be kind
Learn something new everyday
Always ask questions
Give out hugs often
Be helpful





Are there any lessons that your children have taught you that you didn't see in the list above? I would love to hear them. 

Gem x
Mums' Days





SHARE:

Thursday, 22 January 2015

Week three: Reading Together



Hello and welcome to week three of my link up 'Reading together'. Last week I was very happy to receive two link ups which I was very grateful for. I really appreciated it so thank you. Shout out to Catherine from Storysnug for a fab review of Dangerous! A story about a label obsessed mole who sticks labels on everything. I can kind of relate to this character. Also, thank you to Carla from Random Thoughts of a Twenty Something for linking up her book review of Finding Freckles. 


What we read together this week:



Our favourite book we read together this week was The Elephantom by Ross Collins. It tells the story of a little girl who finds that being haunted by an elephant is not as much fun as she hoped. With parents who seem oblivious to phantom poo, she seeks a solution to her big problem with the help of her gran in the depths of Mr. spectral's shop.

The book is beautifully observed, funny and ghoulish. It is not too scary so it is suitable for timid children like my boys who don't appreciate spooky stories at bedtime. Their favourite part of the book was when the little girl visited Mr spectral's shop. There are so many different oddities on the shelves. We had fun spotting which ones we would buy. Alfie quickly noticed the Doctor who telephone box sitting on the shelf which got him all excited. Thomas found the ending extremely funny, I won't give it away. I loved the expressions on Elephantom's face. It's that look the boys give me when they know they are being a bit naughty, when they think they can get away with anything. 


The Linky


  • Please add my badge to your posts 
  • Link up your book related posts which can be reviews, what you read together or just a single picture of you reading together. 
  • It will run from Thursday 12am till Wednesday
  • Can be old or new and as many as you like
  • When you add your link, please make sure they lead to your book related posts and not your blog's homepage. It may be difficult for me to find. 
  • Share your link up on twitter using #readingtogether and tag me @gemma_stevens so I know to retweet and comment on your post. 
  • Try and comment on other posts in the link up. 
  • Instagram posts are also welcome.
  • Enjoy reading




SHARE:

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Wicked Wednesdays - Don't fall in your new clothes!


- It was O.K! Super mum managed to stop him from falling and take a picture.


brummymummyof2
SHARE:

Tuesday, 20 January 2015

My Children's outfit of the day




This was my children's outfits on Saturday. We ventured into the city for a long walk around Plymouth Hoe so I made sure I dressed them smart but comfortable. I don't normally dress them in similar outfits as I like them to have their own identity/style but they wanted to wear these lovely shirts from Florence and Fred so I didn't feel so guilty.  I also let them pick out their own T-shirts to wear under their shirts as it was very cold outside. Alfie is becoming a little surfer dude since moving down to Cornwall so this surf rock T-shirt really suits him. Thomas is still mad about Frozen and wants to wear this T-shirt all the time. It is from Primark and I think I might have to buy some more in preparation for when the current one gets too small. There Jeans are from Next and their hi-tops are from H&M. Looking at their style, they look like little 1950s teddy boys. 

Gem x





SHARE:

Monday, 19 January 2015

A visit to Clay art, Plymouth

Hello,

Over the weekend we decided to do something we have been desperate to do for a long time which was to visit a great shop called Clay Art.  It is a paint your own pottery studio on Plymouth's Barbican which has a great selection of pottery to choose from. 

It was hard for the children to choose from the plates, cups, bowls, animal figures and tea pots but in the end tom chose a seahorse and Alfie a little dog.


We were given great instructions on how to paint and the products we could use to finish our pottery.  The paint bottles had numbers on the lids which match with the numbers on a chart provided to show what the colours will look like after our pottery had been glazed. This was a big help, especially for the boys. 



Alfie started off painting his Labrador a red collar with a gold tag. I tried talking to him but he had his concentration face on and you could tell he was really into his painting. 




Tom had chosen a sea horse as he is currently studying sea life at school. He picked lilac and brown  and began to paint stripes as carefully as he could. Tom is the perfectionist in the family and got a little stressed when ever he accidentally smudged the paint. 



Here are the finished products. I was expecting to spend a few hours in Clay art but the boys rushed through their painting and we were done within half an hour. They were very happy with their work though and said they really enjoyed themselves. 






Our pottery was left in the shop to be glazed and fired and will be ready for the boys to pick up in seven days. We are very excited to see what they will look like. Over all, this paint your own pottery studio was great fun and I am so glad I took the children there. It was something completely different to what we normally do and it really brought out the boys creative side. The boys birthday are coming up in the spring so I think I am going to hold their birthday parties here as they offer great group packages.

Gem 





SHARE:

Living Arrows: 3/52





Something changed within the boys this week. Their love and friendship has become stronger all of a sudden. They usually fight and will try to get each other into trouble at any opportunity. This week has been peaceful, their friendship stronger than ever. 


Living Arrows
SHARE:
© Gemma The Family Girl . All rights reserved.
Blogger Template Designed by pipdig