I am very thankful for the fact that the little's break up from school this week! I can not tell you how glad I am about that. It will be lovely to have them home and have a break from the school routine.

I am also thankful and happy that it's almost Easter, which means the weather should start improving very soon, we can't wait! I love Easter because it usually means sunny weather, yay!

I am really proud of the kids, they have done so well at school at this term, they've behaved well at home and they're becoming very independent, which is of course, bittersweet!

Very basic and simple reasons to be happy and thankful this week but all is good :)

What are your reasons to be happy/thankful this week?

Sarah xXx

It is SO hard to believe that my children are growing SO fast. Especially my eldest Harry. He's going to be turning twelve years old this year. 12!!! Which means, this coming September, he;s going to be starting high school. That is just crazy! How has time gone so quick? How has he learned so much, so fast? How has it been twelve years since he was born? Wow. Charlie will be in year 6 come September, which is also rather hard to believe, my little 5lb 3oz baby... in year SIX?! WHAT?! And Ellie will be in year three. It feels like she JUST started school! It really does go so, so fast!
Here are a few pictures of my boys and Ellie growing up over the past however many years. It's just crazy.

Harry in 2003.

2005! Wow, Charlie was tiny.

Charlie and Ellie in 2007.

Harry and Charlie in 08.

Charlie in 2009?

Harry.

The boys.

An old collage I made years ago!

World book day in 2009.

Ellie was 2/3 months old in this pic! Aww.

Easter 2013.

Charlie.

2015! They have grown up SO fast!

Part of me really doesn't like the fact they are becoming so independent and growing up so fast, but the other part of me enjoys watching them grow and learn new things. I am nervous and excited at the same time, haha. Bittersweet comes to mind, ha. I am so proud of them all, I really can not tell you how proud of them I am.

Sarah xXx

Yellowmoon very kindly sent us this lovely Easter Bunny Decoration Sewing Kit. 

Ellie was SO excited to get started on this Easter arts & crafts activity. We've never tried a sewing kit before so you can imagine how excited she was!

Each sewing kit contains a pack of 3 bunnies, in 3 different colours, also included in each kit is everything you need to make an Easter bunny, including the bunnies themselves, ribbon, stick on ears/eyes/whiskers, some wool and a plastic needle and of course the stuffing.Instructions are also included.

We emptied the contents of the packet (Ellie choose the purple one because that's her favourite colour). She got stuck right into this, placing the bunnies together. I threaded the wool through the needle and started her bunny off for her, showing her how to sew. She learned that very fast and well away with sewing her bunny and adding the stuffing inside the bunny. Once the bunny was sewn, we added on the googly eyes, whiskers and ears, which are all self adhesive and stick perfectly to the fabric.


Last bit no least we added the ribbon and hung it onto the kitchen cabinet!

Ellie is very proud of her Easter bunny, that she made herself! Ellie said she really enjoyed making this bunny, she can't wait to do more sewing very soon, hehe.



This is a perfect Easter arts and crafts activity for children aged 5 years and above. She really enjoyed doing this! It creates minimal mess and is the perfect introduction to learning to sew!
Priced at just £3.99 I would say the Easter bunny Sewing Decoration Kits are well worth the money and perfect for any child (aged 5+) who enjoys arts and crafts! Especially those learning to sew. :)



Sarah xXx

We were sent a sample of this product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own, honest, personal opinion. I was not paid for this post. 

Monday - Sausage, chips and baked beans.

Tuesday - Spaghetti bolognase wit garlic bread.

Wednesday - Tuna and pasta with salad.

Thursday - Chicken curry with rice and naan bread

Friday - Pizza day!

Saturday - Fish, boiled potatoes and salad.

Sunday - Sunday roast.

I've had a busy week - again! That's really nothing new. I've been everything and nothing, does that make sense? Just the usual household chores I guess. I've felt a bit run down and blahrish but I'm feeling so much better today! So anyway, my reasons to be thankful and cheerful this week...

1) Harry went on a school trip and was away for a few days. They went to an activity centre and stayed in like a hotel place. He's back home now and I am SO glad he is! I missed him a lot and it was not the same here without him. He had a lovely time apart from the fact he fell over and bruised his eye. It looks quite painful but he's thankfully ok! He's glad to be home, too.

2) I'm so looking forward to Easter, it will be a much welcomed break for the kids and I. We don't have any plans as of yet. I'm just looking forward to having them home and spending time with them. Hopefully the weather will be nice! Just over a week until they break up from school. Yay!

3) Speaking of the weather, I took myself for a lovely long walk along the seafront the other day and it was lovely! So peaceful and quiet. The gardens are in full bloom, which is always a plus. Hehe. 


3) My children have been SO good lately. They're never bad anyway but they've been really helpful and sweet. Helping me and keeping themselves amused because I've not felt too well! There hasn't been any bickering and they have really learned to compromise (for example - they take it turns to choose what to watch on the T.V or what games to play etc.) They're growing up so fast!



What are your reasons to be cheerful and thankful this week?

Sarah xXx

Yesterday I deceided I would walk the long way to Iceland and Morrisons. Mainly because I'm trying to keep my steps up as I am trying to loose some weight! Anyway, the weather was mild, the kids were at school so I took a stroll a long the seafront. It's so peaceful and such a pleasant walk! I've forgot how much I enjoy walking a long the seafront.

The gardens a long the 'front are so beautiful! It all looks so green and so spring like! I should really take myself for a walk along the seafront more often to be honest. There's something about walking a long the seafront and through the gardens that's therapeutic, you know?


Spring is just around the corner, I can not wait for the Easter holidays so I can take the kids to the beach and enjoy some lovely spring weather :)

Sarah xXx

Yellowmoon very kindly sent us these lovely Easter wands to review.
My children very much enjoy arts and crafts, especially themed arts and crafts, so these Easter wands were no exception.

Each packet of Easter wands includes four assorted foam designs/characters along with the foam self adhesive mosaic tiles, the wooden wand and of course the ribbons.  Instructions are also included.



Ellie chose the chick one to decorate because, in Ellie's words... "chicks are SO cute" Bless.

Ellie laid all of the bits and pieces out on the table and started sticking the mosaic tiles on right away! She found this quite entertaining and didn't need any help from me. "I can do this myself" she told me when I went to help her. 


When she'd stuck all the mosaic tiles onto the chick, she then added the wand and ribbons (With a little help from this time!)



 Ellie said that it was good fun and she liked the fact that the tiles were easy to stick onto the chick.
She's very proud of her Easter chick wand and really enjoyed this arts and crafts activity!
Ellie also added some Spring Flower Stickers to her chick. The Spring Flower Stickers are also made from moan and are self adhesive (priced at £2.99 per pack) 


It's a lovely quick project for children aged 3 years and over. With minimal mess and Easy to make, I would highly recommend these to anyone who is looking for a nice Easter themed arts and crafts activity!

The Easter Mosaic wands are priced at £3.95 for a pack of four and in my own, opinion, I'd say they are well worth the money. :)

Sarah xXx


I was sent a sample of this product for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own, honest, personal opinions. I was not paid to write this post.

This week I lost 2.2lbs, which means I have 4lbs to do until I reach my first goal!
I think I mentioned last week how my size 10 tops are starting to fit again, which is great! Yes, I can see my flabby bits because a size 10 "hugs" me but at least I can get it on and over my boobs! I'm rather quite chuffed with that! I have been wearing size 12 jumpers which are actually a little baggy on me instead of being too tight and looking awful! I don't think it will be too long before size 10 tops fit me better! The same with my size 10 jeans. I tried on my size 10 river island jeans the other day thinking "There's no way they're going to over my thighs" (They are my absolute favourite jeans) I was very surprised that they DO go over my thighs and I can even do the button up! This hasn't happened for around two years (give or take) so that in itself is quite an achievement. However, I don't feel comfortable or confident in them because they are tight, I'm just pleased I can actually get them over my thighs and the button and zip done up without having to squeeze and pull! If that's no motivation, then I don't know what it is!

I walked around 35 miles in total last week (thanks to my fitbug orb for tracking it). Not bad. Not bad at all! I did ache and only did level 1 of the thirty day shred a couple of times, I was also very tired. I don't want to over do it though. I have children to look after, a household to keep going and a routine to stick to, I can't afford to be ill! I find listening to my body easier now, I know when enough is enough, hence why doing an easier level of the 30 day shred. Does that make sense? 

I have lost a total of eighteen pounds (and a few ounces) so far. All is good.

I've fell off the healthy eating bandwagon this weekend though and I need to get back on it! I haven't done BAD but I haven't done good either. I can do better - I HAVE done better so I know I can do it! It's nice to "indulge" every now and again but it's becoming a habit again. A habit that needs to stop I find myself picking while I'm cooking the kids (yummy) dinners or making packed lunches and that is not a good habit to have. Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!

My anxiety has been in full swing the last few days. I hate it SO much! It's so, so hard to control. I find myself worrying about silly things and then I get anxious and guess what I turn to? Food. Nothing overly bad but even so, rather than eating 2 packets of snackajacks and a special K cereal bar right off in one go, I should moderate it more! Ugh. I feel like I've failed a bit there but again, I could have turned to chocolate or proper crisps. At least I went for the healthier option, even if I did have more than I was suppose to have *sigh*

Let me know how your weight loss journey is going! I do love reading about everyone elses journeys! :)

Sarah xXx

Oh wow, I have been really, really busy this past week and a half. I haven't had much time for blogging but while I have five minutes I thought I would sit down and write (schedule) a blog post - My reasons to be happy and thankful.

I am sooooo happy (and glad!) to have done a proper spring clean, it's taken days upon days but it's SO worth it. I got rid of so much junk/kids clothes/toys and just general things we don't use or need any more. Some went to charity and some I've thrown away. It feels SO good to be rid of it all! My house looks rather lovely now, hehe. Hope it stays nice like this for a while!!!

I'm really, really glad tomorrow is Friday, honestly, I need a rest. I seriously have been super busy. I've still been doing the 30 day shred and walking A LOT. So yes, rather looking forward to (hopefully) having a relaxing weekend.

I'm grateful that I had a really good sleep last night! Oh my goodness, I was super tired, I slept for a solid eight hours! Wow. That never happens. I think I'll sleep that well again tonight because am shattered.

The weather has been lovely lately. Mild and sunny! I took the little's for a walk down to Tesco earlier, it was a lovely walk and we really enjoyed it! We are very excited for it to warm up a little more! Not that we're complaining :)

What are your reasons to be thankful and cheerful this week?

Sarah xXx

Firstly, let me start with last weeks weight loss. I lost about 1.6lbs I think it was. Something like that anyway, I forgot to write it down! Grr. I DID expect more but I'm pleased it was a loss! This weight seems to be coming off ever so slowly. I see other blog posts and Facebook posts from people saying "I've lost 5lbs this week" and I am SO pleased for everyone, I just wish mine would come off like that. I know the tablets I HAVE to take play a part in it being a slow process so I should be proud of myself. And I AM proud of myself, I'm just inpatient lol!

Does not include 30 day shred.

Today I walked a total of THIRTEEN miles! Wow. Just wow. Not gonna lie, when I synced my fitbug orb with my phone, I didn't expect to see that much but I am of course very pleased! I didn't walk it right in one go, just schools runs, walking to town and what not... It all add up! Add that to yesterdays walking distance of 7 miles = 20 miles in two days. Not bad. Not bad at all. I also power walked some of that. Plus level 3 of the 30 day shred. Yes, I am rather pleased with myself! I didn't do the last abs workout tonight as my son came down upset because he has a sore throat, so I stopped to comfort him and give him some calpol. He seems ok now... He's asleep. Might need a trip to the Drs tomorrow, we'll see.

I am doing quite well with my eating, I could probably do a lot better but I'll get there in the end! I do think I've probably burnt off more calories than I have eaten today, which is of course good.Still enjoying the green tea and almonds and pine nuts for a snack. I've cut down on the smoothies, especially the fruit ones because of the sugar, I know it's ok in moderation but I do actually enjoy them more when I only have a smoothie every couple of days and I add greens in when I can. I've been having porridge with banana for breakfast and I loveeeee it. I don't think I could ever actually get bored of that haha, is that weird?

Anyway, I'm rambling on now, I am super tired! I really do need to have an early night. I have a busy week this week - lots of walking and blitzing my house.

*yawns*

Times for bed!

Let me know how your weight loss/fitness journey is going, I'd love to hear about it :) 


Sarah xXx

This weeks weight loss is another small one but none the less, it's a loss and I am happy about that! I weigh myself every Friday by the way.
I've lost another 1.5lbs, which might be nearer 2lbs because I was fully dressed in jeans and a woolly jumper. I'm really pleased I've lost again this weight rather than maintain. I'm happy with it so all is good.

However, this weekend was my Birthday and Friday night I had no children (rare!), so I may have indulged in some treats - including alcohol and Birthday cake. I do think I deserved a treat and I actually don't feel guilty about it! I will however, workout extra hard this week and do some extra walking and what not. Didn't do the 30 day shred over the weekend but hey, it was my Birthday!! (Not that it's any excuse..) I still don't think I have gained though as I have done walking and small exercises. I actually burned a total of 2500 (odd) calories just walking over the weekend, so that's not too bad. 

I had a wonderful Birthday. I got a FitBug Orb and some new trainers, both very much appreciated. I absolutely love my orb and trainers. I am SO lucky. My old trainers had seen better days and I have had my eye on a fitbug orb for a while now. I may even review it on my blog in a few days or so :)


I'm quite shocked that my size 12 jeans are baggy around my thighs, waste and butt. I have to keep pulling them up! I can get away with a belt for now as they're not too baggy and I know I'm not a size 10 yet but I feel like I am getting there, even if it is a slow process.

I am still enjoying green tea, the odd smoothie and I actually now prefer brown rice rather than white! Brown rice takes a while longer to cook but I prefer it! When I first started swapping foods, I hated brown rice with a passion. It's amazing what you get use to and end up actually liking. 

I don't know if I wrote about this, but the meds I take for my IIH (brain disease) make me gain weight/slow metabolism down so that is most probably why it's a slow process for me, even though I am working out every night and walking a good distance most days. I HAVE to take those meds though.

How has your weight loss/healthy eating/fitness progress this week?

Sarah xXx