Meh to Mondays hey, nobody likes them, am I right?..and after a wonderful weekend away to celebrate Mother's Day, this post-weekend slump has hit me harder than usual. Weep.
Sunday saw this family get wrapped up in our winter gear and head for the stunningly Autumnal Golden Acre Park in Leeds, where we met with my friend and fitness trainer, Caroline, and her three gorgeous boys, Barnaby, Ralph and Henry, for a walk around the lake.
Urgh, right now it feels like greater pressure- on top of weight pressures- to not be able to actually admit I'm feeling down about my weight going up!
This Sunday was the first day of spring and the sunniest we've had since last summer, so there couldn't have been a more perfect day to head to Sheffield and take part in the incredible Sport Relief's Games.
Ready...Steady...Go!
Sleep-deprivation isn't just for parents of newborns, I'm still waiting for my 5 year old, Oliver to sleep through the night, every night. Really.
Both he and Alexander are light sleepers like their Mama and both will usually wake up at least once a night if not more. Good times.
...And it's not just us who are suffering, the majority of parents I've asked recently, seem to be too. It appears we are all relentlessly searching for the holy grail of consistent sleep-argh remember the full 8 hours pre-kids. It's but a distant memory for myself and so many.
My kids, Oliver (4 nearly 5 and Alexander, 2) have never been the greatest of sleepers (they take after me) but sleep patterns seemed to have gotten worse towards the end of the summer with a serious lack of structure, outbreaks of tonsillitis for my toddler and a period of nightmares (my eldest and I to be honest) pre-school starting!
We were all shattered!
Fast forward to Oliver starting and settling in at school (he's so happy), a more structured routine and a few dietary changes and the boys are sleeping better than ever. So, I wanted to share what has worked for us.
Ok I realise it's a a BIG Hollywood-worthy TITLE, a grand old statement but it's the truth, really-changing my diet has changed my life!
I know, I know, I've written about my relationship and complete and utter love affair with food a lot here (along with sharing my recipes) but hear me out (again) recently I've had an epiphany, a change of heart somewhat, a shake up in my fridge and life.
I'm not the greatest sleeper, I never have been really and in the words of my mother my, "energy has always been boundless". My kids seemed to have taken after me (which is good and bad).
We all get stressed out at times and it's inevitable isn't it, with the constant juggling of kids, work and life. The endless pursuit of finding balance along with precious time out is stressful in itself-I need a lie down just reflecting on it all!
...Some days I want to high five myself for achieving all of the above and other times, I feel like I'm failing miserably.
The last few months in particular though have seen me making some small changes to my life that have made a HUGE difference-I feel calmer, happier and more in control than ever before so here's my list:
