Woods, Ink and Library Visits

After hitting a bit of a downer the other week, these past two weeks have been much better.

I've been more productive and I'm starting to feel a little bit better within myself.

Ru went off to nursery on Tuesday so we took the others for a walk in the woods and found a new route to take, which took us to brand new unclimbed trees.

We also went off track and found a beautiful spot between all the trees where we collected pine cones for the wood burner.

Wednesday Ru should have been at nursery but because the power was being turned off in the village his nursery is in he had to have the day off.

So Wednesday was pretty much spent lining up all his Lightning McQueens.

Oscar also learnt to ride his bike with out the stabilisers on, spurred on by Alex who had his taken off a week ago.

It's nice to see how quickly they've taken to riding their bikes.

As with Noah he's only actually really started riding his bike since we moved here and he went from not being able to ride at all to doing little stunts like standing up on the bar whilst the bike moves!

I also did a little me thing.... (Sorry Mum)

I got some new tattoos.

Getting a tattoo is way for me to heal when things have gone wrong.

Back when I was a teenager I used to self harm (something I'm not proud about or something I really talk about) but as soon as I hit 17 and had a fake ID I was getting tattooed or pierced.

It was my way of letting the hurt and pain out and turning into something beautiful.

My thigh is a constant reminder of the bullying I went through throughout my school life and when I see it I feel sad but when I look at my tattoos I can't really remember why I was sad but I always feel uplifted when I look at them.

I'm 31 and its still my therapy.

When things go wrong or I'm feeling crappy I'll dye my hair and get a tattoo.

It's an instant fix and something beautiful to look at day in day out.

We took the twins and Ru to the Library for the first time, we got their a little early so we had to go and get a coffee while we waited for it to open.

We headed towards the beach and popped into Hunstanton Ice Cream Factory for a drink.

The boys each had a juice and Jon and I had a nice warm coffee.

Once the library was open we headed back and let the boys choose some books to read as I'm getting pretty bored with reading the same ones over and over.

The twins each picked a surprise bag filled with books.

Each bag had a different topic.

Oscar's bag was filled up with stories about magic and Alex's was filled up with stories all about Dinosaurs.

Rupert picked a few new Peppa Pigs stories and one about Jack Frost.

I also picked up a couple of books for Noah as I want him to get back into the swing of reading every day before he goes back to school!

Yesterday we received a letter saying Ru is going to be properly tested for autism and were also sent a sleep diary that I have to fill in.

Reading the letter made me start to feel really uneasy but good as the same time.

Complete mix of emotions!

I also started a new cross stitch project...

Holy Guacamole!!!

 To end the post a picture of the cat ... Why? .... Well why not!?

What have you been up too?

Are you looking forward to the kids going back to school?

Back To School With Despicable Me 3

With the end of the 6 week holidays in sight its around now that most parents start to think about getting everything organised and buying those back to school essentials.

The boys were recently sent an awesome Despicable Me 3 Back to School bundle.

The boys all love the Minions and are desperate to see the new Despicable Me film so when they saw all these goodies they literally jumped for joy.

First up is this rather grumpy Posh Paws Jail Minion Tim.. 

Ru quickly swiped this for himself before the others could even say they wanted it.

He's super soft and his googles are hard plastic, so they stand out nicely!

He's perfect to cuddling up to after a long day at school / nursery.

You can buy him over on amazon for £12.11

Something that I'm always wishing I had handy but never do are tissues....

With all these I think I will be good all through winter!

16 packs on handy Minion tissues,

These will be great to keep a pack in each of the boys school bags plus some in my handbag,

1 box of 60 Minion tissues which ill probably keep in the van,

a pack of handy wet wipes - perfect for Ru as he's always touching things that make him filthy 

and a pack of Minion plasters - I know these won't last long because as soon as there are plasters in the house the boys always seem to find invisable/teeny tiny cuts all over their bodies that demand plasters straight away.

Some cool Despicable Me 3 goodies,

A light up fan with candy,

a water gun filled with candy,

a digital watch,

and a handy I Didn't Do It torch.

The twins haven't actually realised they can eat the candy thats inside yet, I'm waiting to see how long it takes them.

The fan is great at keeping them cool after they've been zooming around the garden on their bikes and Alex loves pretending to shoot everyone with the gun.

You can get a fan pack of two from amazon for £13.31

Noah's been after a watch for a while so was more than pleased when he saw this Minion one.

He's a bit rubbish when telling the time so hopefully now it won't take him long to actually get the hang of it.

Ru took the torch, I thought it would need batteries but it actually comes with them so you can use it as soon as you open it.

The watch is currently on sale for £7.95 on amazon.

Next in the bundle was some very cool school gear..

A brand new Despicable Me 3 back pack that was filled with an a4 ring binder, a note pad, a pen and a mini pencil case.

Alex has decided he wants the bag and Noah got the rest.

He'll use the stationery more than the twins and now being in year 5 he'll have to take more of his own stuff into school.

The only place I can find this to buy is over on eBay for £10.95 plus postage.

Next up is this awesome snack cup ....

The boys have seen these being reviewed by some of their favourite YouTubers and were amazed that they now had one.

Just perfect for Ru who loves his juice and usually leaves his snacks all over the house for the dog to get.

Now I can put his little snacks in his cup and the dog will never be able to take it (unless Ru gives it to him, which he usually does.)

You can find a similar cup on here .

Last term we bought Noah a swimming bag that was absolutely useless and ridiculously hard to carry  as the straps kept breaking, so when Noah got this out the box he was insistent that it would be his new swimming bag.

It would also make a pretty decent PE bag too.

Last but not least, I Didn't Do It Lunch bag & cup.

The twins get free school meals but we pay for Noah to have school dinner which he always complains about and says that he absolutely hates them 

 I've always been a meanie and said no to doing packed lunches as I'm lazy and hate making them but now seeing as Rupert will be at nursery full time and has to have a packed lunch I've said I would do it for Noah too.

Which made him do a happy dance and then demand I do him ham baguettes everyday....seriously now do you see why I hate packed lunches?!?

So this Minion lunch bag will be great for him to take it.

It's big enough to get a decent amount of food in,  and the handy drinks pouch is great to keep his water bottle together...as he's the sort of child that would lose it as soon as he stepped inside the school gates if it isn't attached to something.

Have you got any Despicable Me 3 back to school goodies, if so let me know in the comments below.

xxx

World Calligraphy Day Wednesday 16th August 2017

Manuscript Pen company are delighted to announce the first ever World Calligraphy on 16^th August 2017 with events and workshops taking place around the world and predominantly at the Pen Museum, Birmingham.

Since 1856 Manuscript Pen Company Ltd has been connected with the pen trade and in the forefront of pen nib manufacturing and design in the UK. World Calligraphy day is an event celebrating the history, penmanship and progressive product development and all things calligraphy related.

“We are thrilled to be making this announcement as the founders of this very momentous day. Calligraphy and hand lettering are at the heart of what we do here at Manuscript.  

In recent years, the art of beautiful writing has  taken to new heights with the trends of Modern Calligraphy, Faux Calligraphy and Hand Lettering.

 These new trends have really taken off, encouraging everybody to try their  hand at a whole variety of wonderful creative ventures.” Charles Stockbridge, Managing Director of Manuscript Pen Company Ltd.

Join Manuscript Pen Company to celebrate the art of calligraphy and hand lettering in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. 

Hosting the event, the Pen Museum welcomes Manuscript and a whole host of world renowned creative artists to celebrate calligraphy and hand lettering trends.

Tour the Pen Museum and learn about the many pen companies of Birmingham and the history of the trade starting from quills and dip pens to the modern day fountain pen. Step back in time and try your hand at creating your very own steel pen nib using traditional machinery.

Take part and learn from the experts in designated workshops and demonstrations on the multitude of different writing styles taking the world by storm! 

Try our different types of writing instruments and find the pen for you.

Whether you are an expert, a beginner who’s just getting started or simply an admirer of beautiful writing, come and join Manuscript and your favourite artists including Modern Calligrapher Joyce Lee of Artsynibs, Graphic Designer and Calligrapher Alice Mazilli of Ampersand Alice, Artist, Designer and Letterer Rob Draper, Traditional Calligrapher Stephen Duckett, Contemporary Italian Calligrapher Sandro Bonomo, Handwriting Specialist Sandra Grayson and many more at this event from 11am – 4pm.

*******

I was sent some gorgeous pens to try my hand at Calligraphy and it's become really addictive and I constantly find myself scribbling the boys names down and doodling with the calligraphy duo pen set.

 To celebrate the very first Calligraphy day I am giving away two beautiful pen sets to set you off on your own calligraphy journey....

The Calligraphy Duo-tip pens and The Modern Calligraphy set.

                                      

To be in with a chance to win, just enter the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&Cs

One winner will be picked at random,

The pens sets will be sent on from the PR.

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email before another winner is picked.

UK only.

Ends - 22.08.17

Good Luck.