Just Another Linky #39

Welcome to week 39 of Just Another Linky. Thank you to everyone that popped by and linked up last week, I loved reading each and every post. I love our little JAL community!

This week thankfully has been so much better than last week and we have enjoyed some lovely time together.

Meet your hosts

HOST - Beth | Life-As-Mum | @lifeasmumblog

CO-HOST - Kirsty | Something Crunchy Mummy | @crunchy_mummy

Here are just a few rules:

- No more than 2 posts a week - Please!

- Comment on at least 2 other posts

- New or old posts welcome

- Grab the badge below so everyone knows where to find us

Feel free to tweet your post, along with the hashtag #justanotherlinky, mentioning @lifeasmumblog and @crunchy_mummy and we will retweet for you.

By linking up to this linky you are giving Beth & Kirsty the right to copy one of your photos if you are chosen for the Favourite Post of the week.

We are open every Saturday from 12am until Monday at 11:55pm.

This weeks Favourite Posts

My favourite post this week was by Sons, Sand & Sauvignon with I Don't Need Your Parenting Advice. It's so well said and I think all us parents have wanted to say this at some point.

** GRAB THE BADGE **

 

<a href="http://www.somethingcrunchymummy.com/p/just-another-linky.html?m=1" target="_blank"><img alt="thumbnailsize" border="0" src="http://i67.tinypic.com/t9f86g.png" style="border: none; max-width: 100%;" /> </a>

An InLinkz Link-up

Fire Station Activity Book and Playset - Review

Being one of Parragon Book Buddies means that we are lucky enough to receive a book a month to review. The great thing about the books we get sent is that they are not just reading books, every now and then they send us something with an activity for the boys. For our December book we got sent Fire Station Activity Book and Playset, the boys were so excited as they are both obsessed at the minute with fire engines.

This set is great as it comes with an activity book which has the instructions on how to set up the fire station on the first two pages and then the rest of the book is full of great activities for children. The book is great for Finley who is 4, we sat down for ages doing the activities.

After having a look through the activity book we got started on making the fire station. I have to say it was very fiddly but with help from me the boys were able to put it together. The instructions are great as they show you exactly what you need to do to set up the station.

In the set there is a fire station, fire engine, lots of firefighter figures, a tree, fires, a dog, as well as a few other fire station relate figures.

The playset is made from thick and very durable card which is definitely needed with my two. They loved playing with it and their imagination came to life with all the little figures. The whole set and the book are bright colours which keep the boys interested in it.

This is a fantastic set and the boys really enjoyed it, I can see it being a book that comes out again and again.

* We were sent the Fire Station Activity Book and Playset for free and all opinions are 100% my own *

Wicked Wednesdays #49

When your trying to play on the iPad but your brother wants a piggy back! 

A Pretty Tough Parenting Week

As we enter a new week it has got me reflecting on the week just past. It started out well with an excellent first night for Noah in his big boy bed but it went down hill from 8.15am on Monday morning!

We left home just after 8.15am to start our second week of driving Finley to his new preschool, as we have yet to move, and 10 minutes into our 25 minute journey we hit some traffic. I had presumed it was something to do with the low bridge we travel under every day so I didn't take the turning that would take us around the back roads. First bad move right there. We crawled along for 30 minutes! Until we reached what was causing the traffic jam, traffic lights for the relaying of tarmac to someones drive way. I have no words for how this made me feel fit for the blog. We arrived at preschool dead on time and luckily found a parking space right outside.

I then received an email at lunchtime from the council to say they wouldn't be considering our new address as we were yet to exchange even though they had evidence of us buying the house, which meant Finley will be classed as out of area. Cue tears, shouting and telephone calls to loved ones that could calm me down and speak words of wisdom. Bedtime 2 of the new bed came and wasn't too bad but we were woken up a few times by both of the boys. Not the best night but not the worst.

Tuesdays commute to preschool came and I got stuck in even more traffic, this time heading through the little village Finley's preschool is in. I was so close yet so far, but with no spaces outside the preschool this time off we marched to get there on time. Not too much drama this day so onto Wednesday it was.

This time the commute was drama free, we were early and the week was looking up. After a lovely walk with a friend, her daughter and their dog Wednesday was problem free, until that night. The boys went down ok but we had a rough night with another few wake ups and Noah announcing at 5.10am it was morning time. After some coercion we managed to get him back to sleep until 6.30am. Once the morning arrived there was a very tired mummy and two very tired children!

Throughout the week the boys behaviour had been getting worse with their attitude and general fighting between themselves. I was looking forward to Thursday and a date at the soft play so they could just run wild.

Thursday wasn't too bad, we had fights and attitude but with our trip to soft play the boys were happy. And then Thursday night came.

The night of hardly any sleep.

I saw every hour on Thursday night/Friday morning and to say my mood wasn't the best on Friday morning is an understatement.

Noah was off to preschool so it was a day for me and Finley. I had planned the cinema but after some not listening from him and finding out the motorway was half closed, that idea was binned off so we headed into town for a coffee. I explained we had a few jobs to do and then we could go for our treat. After touching everything in a card shop along with a tantrum and then pulling down a sign in another shop I announced there would be no treat and that we would be going home. So off to the car we went with Finley literally screaming the town down and making me look like the worst mother in the world. When we got home there were tears from me but then everything seemed to calm down. Until after nursery pick up. All they did was fight and with my tiredness I shouted a few times and couldn't wait until bedtime! Cue the mummy guilt and the questioning myself of am I too tough on them?!

Saturday was no better with the constant fights and the not listening. Both my husband and I were at the end of our tether. Where had this come from? And I am ashamed to say this but I really wasn't enjoying parenting at this point after 6 whole crappy, no sleep, stroppy toddler days. We needed a break and we all just needed some sleep!!

Sunday morning really was no better and with the cancellation of the McDonalds breakfast before we headed off to see my husbands parents for their birthday due to some terrible behaviour, the day was looking to be a lot like the rest of the week been.

But to our relief it wasn't. It was a good day. Yes there were tantrums but no major fights and I enjoyed their company.

The past week has been a tough one and one of the toughest we have had in a very long while. This is partly due to the lack of sleep on all our parts and I really have my fingers crossed for a better week next week.

They still managed to make me smile

My Sunday Photo 17/01/16

Just Another Linky #38

Welcome to week 38 of Just Another Linky. We are now well into January, half way through in fact, and is it just me or has it been so slow? I'm not complaining as it's lovely to be able to have time to soak up everyday life.

Thank you once again to each and everyone of you that linked up last week, I loved reading each and everyone of your posts. I did a marathon linky read last night, and it was great to read so many great posts.

It was my blog birthday on Thursday, Something Crunchy Mummy is 1 whole year old! It's been a great year and I am looking forward to seeing what the next year will bring. Now lets get down to business.

Meet your hosts

HOST - Beth | Life-As-Mum | @lifeasmumblog

CO-HOST - Kirsty | Something Crunchy Mummy | @crunchy_mummy

Here are just a few rules:

- No more than 2 posts a week - Please!

- Comment on at least 2 other posts

- New or old posts welcome

- Grab the badge below so everyone knows where to find us

Feel free to tweet your post, along with the hashtag #justanotherlinky, mentioning @lifeasmumblog and @crunchy_mummy and we will retweet for you.

By linking up to this linky you are giving Beth & Kirsty the right to copy one of your photos if you are chosen for the Favourite Post of the week.

We are open every Saturday from 12am until Monday at 11:55pm.

This weeks Favourite Posts

My favourite post this week was by Dear Mummy Blog with Beat the January Blues! January can be rather depressing but these tips are great.

** GRAB THE BADGE **

 

<a href="http://www.somethingcrunchymummy.com/p/just-another-linky.html?m=1" target="_blank"><img alt="thumbnailsize" border="0" src="http://i67.tinypic.com/t9f86g.png" style="border: none; max-width: 100%;" /> </a>

An InLinkz Link-up

Primary School Deadline Day - The Start Of Our Journey

So here we are on the primary schools deadline day and I am going to be honest with you, I feel sick. Have I made the right choice? Have I done the application form online right? Come 12 'o' clock and it will be too late, whatever decision I have made is then in the hands of the council. A seriously scary thought.

The only problem is we are applying for a school out of our current catchment area. I say current as we are in the process of buying a house literally a stones throw from the school we would like Finley to go to. And the reason for the move is for the school. This school holds so much history and hope and I haven't even set foot in it! I just know. My husband and his whole family went there, we have friends children that go there and that will go there, and it is the heart of the little community that we are so longing to be apart of.

When we sold our house in August we thought we would have moved in, or at least exchanged, to the new house ready for today. The biggest day of this year in my eyes. One of the biggest days as a parent. The day when applications close on the process that will choose my child's future and that is what we are doing, choosing our child's path. And as a parent we want to get it right.

This picture has brought me to tears over the past few days. I love it so much. I look at it and see my precious son that I want to do the best for, who I want to give the best start in life to and what if I mess it up? What if I make the wrong decision, because it's up to me as he is too little to make these decisions for himself. I so want him to go to our first choice school, this is what we have worked towards with the house move and this is where we have been aiming for. This school will teach him and help him grow into the beautiful, caring boy that I know he will be as he already is at just 4 years old.

For most when submitting that application on January 15th 2016, they will know in their heart that their children will get the place that they want. And they know if they don't that they can fight it. For us this isn't the case. Yes we are in the process of buying the house but due to some unforeseen circumstances along the chain we were not able to complete in time. This means we don't know when we will be in, we would hope by April in case we have to appeal for a place. We have been told because we haven't exchanged Finley will be classed as an out of area child and our new address will not be considered. Even with all the evidence because the system in so black and white. Which I could argue is a good thing and more things in this world need to be black and white and have a proper system, but in our current situation this doesn't work for us.

This decision will decide the future for both boys, because where Finley goes, Noah will go. It would also mean enrolling Noah into a different preschool to the one he is due to start in September. This is because of traveling and not able to be in two places at once. And so that he would get to know they children he would be going to school with.

For today marks the day that my tears need to stop as there really is nothing I can do. We haven't exchanged and there are no loop holes we can jump through. We just need to keep our fingers crossed he will get the offer of a place in April, and if not hope we are in our new house so we can appeal.

This isn't the start I wanted in our primary school journey but it's our journey so we will make it great and make it work whatever happens.

Good luck to everyone that is applying for their child's school place this year.

It's My 1st Blog Birthday

I can not believe I have been blogging for one year. Where has that year gone. I can remember sitting here this time last year setting up my corner of the internet, trying to find a name and with so many ideas of what to write but no real idea what I was doing.

My blog has given me so many things. A place to vent and a place to showcase our days out. We have received some fantastic things to review, as well as host some giveaways, and I am so thankful to the companies that took the time to contact me and gave me that opportunity. But most of all it has brought me friends. Friends that I have never met and friends that I have met just the once. Whether I have met them or not I feel like I know each and every one and they have been a great support to me with the 'me too's' and the 'I know how you feel'.

I firstly want to thank Emma at Brummy Mummy of 2. You made me take the leap into setting up this blog. I had been following you on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and when you published your post So You Wanna Start A Blog I thought 'lets do this' and I am so glad I did, so thank you!

Then there is Emily at Twin Mummy and Daddy and Sarah at Run Jump Scrap who were the first bloggers I met in person at BritMums last year. We all met at Paddington and a friendship was formed from then. They were my safety nets there and thank you both for being so kind. And since we met they have been my go to people for advice or even to just say hi when I feel lost in this blogosphere.

Thank you to everyone I met at BritMums and to those that took the time to come by and say hello, Mummascribbles, It's Mostly Okay and Twinderelmo. You will never know how much that meant that you knew who I was. Especially Amie from Finding Our Feet who told me she loved my blog, that made my year!

I can't mention everyone that has made an impact on me and my blog because otherwise this post would be full of tags but I can't publish this without mentioning Helen at All The Beautiful Things who I have never met but I feel like I know you so well and thank you for taking the time to comment on my posts. Then there is Beth at Life As Mum who gave me the opportunity to join Just Another Linky, which I believe is one of the main reasons my blog has grown how it has. It gave me the opportunity to find and communicate with some fantastic blogs and bloggers. That brings me to all of the people that link up with us each and every week. Whether you pop by every week or every now and then, thank you!

And I promise this is the last person I am going to tag and that is Nigel (Emily's husband) at DIY Daddy for commenting and supporting my blog. Thank you.

Then to the rest of you gorgeous bunch, thank you! I wish I could mention you all.

I could never have known what this blog was to give me when I set it up and where it would take me. Each and every day I link up with fellow bloggers and read some pretty amazing blogs. I'm not sure where my blog will take me but I am pretty happy with where it is at the moment. People are reading my posts and engaging with me on a daily basis.

Thank you to each and every person that takes the time to like, comment and share my posts and pictures on all my social media. Each and every like, comment or share means so much to me.

I took the leap just a few months after I set up the blog to share it with my friends and family and I was so nervous with how it would be taken. But it couldn't have gone better and I want to thank them for their support and for actually reading my, sometimes, rambling posts.

I couldn't go without mentioning Tots100. I know stats aren't everything but this month I got into the top 500, position 491 to be precise, but to get into the top 500 is amazing!

This little corner of the internet where I share my children's tantrums, what I'm having for tea, pictures that I find beautiful and experiences I want to share has brought me so much joy and I cant wait to see what the next year will bring.

So once again, THANK YOU! You have made this blog what it is today and you have made me smile.