Spring Cleaning Tips

Ah it's that time of year again, everyone is looking to spruce up their gardens, freshen up house exteriors and start the traditional spring clean. Sound familiar?
Well now anyone who knows me will know that 'Show Home' is definitely not a term used for my house, so it may come as a shock to hear I love a good spring clean! Curry's have gathered their top ten spring cleaning hacks and asked me to share some tips  so here  are my tips for making spring cleaning a bit easier
Prepare For a Mammoth Day
Put dinner in the slow cooker (if you haven't got one, go get one ASAP they are amazing) that way when you have worked all day for a sparkly organised house. You will appreciate the ability to just dish up and eat without any faff.
Plan
Have a list of what you'd like to achieve and try to stick to it, don't get distracted and end up 'sorting' through old copies of Cosmo for 2 hours!
Multitask
Make sure you are being efficient, put bleach in your loos before you start so they've had a good steep before you scrub, set the washer and dishwasher away while you are cleaning floors then when you finished you'll have clean dishes and clothes 3 jobs in 1!!!
Sneaky Tricks
There are lots of natural ingredients that make cleaning much easier...

• Lemon and vinegar make a fab degreaser and will cut cleaning time for windows, tiles, oven hoods and hard surfaces. Just mix 3mls lemon juice , 10mls white vinegar 400mls warm water use in a spray or on a cloth
• Half a lemon in a bowl of boiling water boiled heated in the microwave for 5 minutes will enable you to wipe away any stubborn stains with ease and it smells nice too
• Hairspray will remove crayon from laminated or painted wood, no more child created masterpieces on your skirtings or bookcases! 
• Bicarbonate of soda mixed to a paste and spread on your oven will remove even the toughest stains if left to soak for an hour
• Popping the shower head in a jug of white vinegar for 20 minutes will remove all limescale effortlessly
• Windows and mirrors can be given and amazing shine by using a solution of water and vinegar sprayed on to the glass then wiped off with scrumpled newspaper!
• and one for the potty training months, a solution of water and biological washing liquid ((about 50mls liquid to 700mls water))  can be used as a cheap and effective carpet freshener if your little darling has tinkled on any carpets, just wash out the puddle with water and towel dry and then spray on your solution lightly. The bio liquid breaks down any remaining odour causing enzymes!

** always conduct a patch test first when using any of these natural products, the monkeyfooted mummy can not be responsible for any reactions!**

Set a Timer

Have a change of scene every 30 minutes even if it's just a quick breath of fresh air. It will keep you motivated and stop you feeling like you are in the middle of a marathon (Which you are!!)

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How Much Does A Child Cost?

I don't mean to buy an ACTUAL child, that would be too wrong for words, no I mean to bring up a child. How much do you think that costs?

This is a conversation that Spartacus and I have had more than once, see the official research shows that the cost is around £200,000 infact LV have looked into this thoroughly even creating a calculatorand they've found it costs £229,251.00!

 

Now Spartacus thinks this infographic is fairly accurate but I don't think we spend that much at the moment, although I know that in comparison to some families we are fairly frugal. So here are my skinflint tips to keep costs down

Wipe Out Waste

I hate food waste, it's a real bug bear so I try very hard to use everything we buy, if my kids don't want crusts on sarnies, I use the crusts for breadcrumbs, just grate and freeze but make sure you date the container. If veg looks about ready for the off I make veggie burgers or pakoras and freeze for another day. I cook in bulk and freeze in portions, and I get creative with leftovers. We call it trash can salad, a mish mash of all the bits left over in the fridge (boiled egg, ham, beetroot, potatoes and chilli anyone?)

Go Old School

Reusable wipes, cloth Nappies, a make do and mend attitude? All of these things save money, cloth nappies are so good for the environment, our totsbots are amazingly easy and fuss free to use and save an average of £500 in their use. Stitching a torn dress or changing it into something else like a top or skirt is so easy especially in the age of you tube and Pinterest, you can find instructions on everything!

Save £2 Coins

A friend of mine saves every £2 coin she gets and says it adds up massively by Christmas time. Imagine have a nice lump to spend on gifts and shopping without any effort.

Buy Pre loved

There are so many bargains to be had on ebay, gumtree, selling pages and in Charity shops. We buy lots of books, clothes toys and furniture pre-loved. The kids are young enough not to notice or care where their gifts came from and buying pre-loved satisfies my inner hippy, it's greener and cheaper. WIN WIN! I even bought my wedding dress from Brides By Barnados, an ex display Roland Joyce beauty that should have been £995 and cost me a measly £250

How do you save your pennies now that you are parents?

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A Culture of Entitlement

Yes I'm off on one again! I do NOT understand this new madness of spending a fortune to give your kid a massive pile of stuff for Easter

I've seen lots of pictures this Easter of extravagant piles of gifts waiting for children. In fact this post has been brought about after seeing a picture in a facebook group of a table filled with gifts. I shan't show it as it's not mine and I don't have permission. In the picture (for two children)

• 6 giant (like wholesale sized) bags of sweeties
• 20 Easter eggs
• A pile of toys and games
• A selection of fancy dress
• A pile of new clothes
• DVD's
• Board games
• Soft toys
• Two baskets of toiletries and more sweets.

This was from just parents, not an accumulation of family gifts!

Now I'm going to keep religion out of this, despite the fact that today IS a religious celebration! But seriously it's Easter people, you know like a long weekend full of food and family not an opportunity to have a second christmas (although we have a £50 budget for that too!) So let me state right off if you buy this amount of stuff for your kids I know you are reading this thinking, 'well it's none of your business, what has it to do with you, they are my kids and it does them no harm.' I'm sure you beleive this, I'm sure you are 100% certain that I'm just a stingy stroppy cow who should be quiet. You are after all 'making memories'

Perhaps you are right but let me tell you this, it is my business as a member of a society filled with people who are becoming spoiled, debt riddled and cross that they can't have whatever they want! I know this because I'm spoiled, well I was spoiled, I grew up spoiled. With parents who could be manipulated into buying my affections with STUFF because they had dared to separate. I got a lot of stuff for Christmas, Easter, Birthdays I got a lot of pocket money a lot of clothes I got a lot of everything.

You know what I learned, I learned that I like stuff, I like to buy and shop so when I got to 16 and things all went pear shaped for the parents financially I got a shock, and when I was at uni and credit was given freely, it didn't matter that I didn't 'have' the money, that was until I had to pay my bills! Lessons were quickly learned that if I wanted to keep my flat and my social life I was gonna have to work hard (3 jobs and over 60 hours a week hard!) I entered my marriage in hefty amounts of debt, Luckily I married a rather sensible financial thinker. But it's still taken a lot of hard work and sacrifice to clear my slate!

You see, when kids get lots then they begin to expect A lot. They get used to getting. They expect to be given things so disappointment comes hard, like not getting that job or mortgage or even before that, when you can't afford £160 for new shoes for them, that's gonna suck big time. Because the memories you are making are memories full of STUFF. We live in a culture of expectation and entitlement of people believing they should get what they want because they want it, not because they've worked hard, and that my friend starts with the excessive gift giving and materialism that parents start. Yes my friends it may feel nice to spoil them rotten but I would bet my last hard earned penny that when your little darling is a 15 year old diva screaming at you for a new iPhone after she broke hers you won't feel so good.

What the heck happened to being as happy as can be with Good Friday Marching and followed by an Easter orange, then some egg decoration, egg rolling and a bit of chocolate for brekkie on Easter Sunday? So I'm not afraid to stand up and say, my kids work for their money, they are expected to help out and take care of their stuff. They earn money for being kind and helpful and they save too they may not like it when they are teenagers but I'm darn sure they'll appreciate having a deposit for a house when the time comes!

 

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Family Fun at Blue Reef Aquarium

Blue Reef Aquarium is situated a stones throw from gorgeous Tynemouth Beach, within waling distance of some great shops bars and restaurants so it makes for a perfect family day out

 

Admission prices are ..

The aquarium has a cafe and gift shop alongside everything else in the attraction.

Before you go inside it is worth noting that at the entrance you can pick up

• paper and crayons to create 'rubbings' of diffent sea life shapes around the aquarium
• Question Sheets to answer along your journey
• timetable of shows and talks
• A step for teeny tiny's so they can see in the tanks easily

There is lots to see as you go around with Star fish, Stingrays, iguanas, sharks, Frogs, Otters, More species of fish than I can recall , giant eels a whole area for tamarins and then outside you can see the beatiful seals and sea lions

 

We had a great time checking out all the tanks and the kids had lots of questions. There are talks throughout the day about the aquarium and all of its dfferent inhabitants, you can watch the seals being fed and theres also a seal show.

 

Outside are some very friendly chickens, who provided fabulous entertainment for my little Termite I'm not sure the poor chicken was so impressed with her though! Peanut and the Golden Child enjoyed playing in the outdoor park which is suitable for young children.

 

The gift shop is packed to the ceiling with any amount of attractively displayed goodies, from pens and stationary to stuffed toys and games.

 

The Cafe offers a range of hot and cold snack and drinks, icecreams and cakes. Sadly it is priced, like most visitor attractions, somewhat on the higher side for whats on offer but they do make a nice cuppa!

After we had seen all there was to see we took the kids for a stroll along the beach across the road, great for blowing off the cobwebs and allowing the kids a bit of crazy time

This post was written as part of the Millenium Hotels Newcastle Guide and our entrance was paid for

 

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My Thankful Thursday, The Mr !

Inspired by Jennie from Odd Socks and Lollipops I have decided to write a personally dedicated Thankful Thursday Post, to my well and truly brilliant husband...

So this is him (and me) an our wedding day, weve been together 14 years, and if I'm being honest with you that means that HE has put up with 14 years of

 

• Crazy ideas
• Regular PMT
• Me stressing about EVERYTHING
• Watching me start grand jobs of redecoration and rennovation, knowing he will be left to finish them
• Terrible housekeeping
• More tears than you can shake a stick at ( I cry easily)
• My family (this is no mean feat for anyone we are a messed up bunch!)

He has dealt with everything our life has thrown at us with diplomacy and tact, fixing ay problem he can, he provides a good life for us, working many hours in our business and at university. He has supported every parenting decision I have made without batting an eye lid even when I declared I would be giving birth at home! He is kind and funny and handsome and smart and he is my absolute rock, my protector and provider. I love him unconditionally and he amazes me.

So this week I am very grateful for my man

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Thankful Thursday Linky - 2 April

Hello hello to all my regular linkee's and welcome along to any new friends, don't be shy we like new people!

It was lovely to see some new faces last week, please do keep spreading the word for us. I especially loved this post from Jennie over at Odd Socks and Lollipops which has inspired me to start some personally dedicated Thankful Thursday posts.

I shall be embarking on a tech-free challenge over the Easter break and so will be quiet around social media but please do keep linking up I love to read your posts and I will be tech-tastic when I come back!

Thankful Thursday is my weekly linky for us all to share our silver linings, brags, boasts or just something that made us smile. Be it a picture, a word, a sentence or a great big essay lets share what we are thankful for this week. It can be a new post just for this linky, a picture, a video, one word or a thousand this linky is all about thankfulness so whatever has made you grateful this week I would love to know.If you would like to link up I would love for you to grab the badge below and spread a little linky love to some of the others taking part, by commenting on their posts and don't forget to spread the word, invite lots of people and help me grow this linky and make Thursdays a happier place.

• Please add the badge below to your post
• Comment on the other link ups, at least the one before yours but more if you wish.
• Tweet a link to your post to @monkeyfeettweet using #thankfulthursday and I shall retweet it for you

 

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Travel is Education - So What Harm Is a Bit of Time Off School Going To Do ?

I have always stood firm in my commitment that I will not take my children out of school once they start year 1 I will not book holidays during temr time, but heres the thing, Peanut is in year one now and I'm waivering on my committment. Because Travel is Education right?

My children can say several phrases in Greek, and Spanish, they've spent afternoons playing with children from 5 different countries and they've all managed to communicate just brilliantly without the need to all speak the same language. they've celebrated Easter in Crete learning about the traditions of Greece and the celebrations that take place. They have done all of this on family holidays, some of which took place DURING TERM TIME!

Easter in Greece tends to fall differently to the UK as they follow a different religious calendar, so we would not have been able to celebrate with the many friendly and welcoming Greeks had we not have missed school. Yes you heard it The Monkeyfooted Mummy is a school skipper! Now then this particular trip was taken whilst Peanut was in nursery and therefore had no compulsory need to attend, although we did ask and, have granted, permission to take time off.

Do I think it's wrong to miss school? Yes I do. I think taking two weeks off school to sit around a pool drinking cocktails and getting a tan while your kids attend kids club is not beneficial to their education. I think the excuse that holidays are cheaper during term time is exactly that, an excuse. We are each responsible for ensuring our child maintains a standard of education and our poor teachers don't get the luxury of cheap holidays (well most of them don't) BUT I understand that not everyone has the funds to afford a holiday otherwise. Imagine though that a 2 week holiday is 5% of in-school time, so they are learing only 95% of what they should!

Is there ever a time that children should be allowed out of school? Is travel ever Education? Yes I think it is, I believe wholeheartedly that my children learned more in 10 days in Crete celebrating Easter than they will have learned at nursery, we still did our reading and writing and we constantly pull education into everything we do 'how many fishes do you see, what letter can you read,, which do you think is higher etc' But I don't think 10 days staying in an All Inclusive hotel and never leaving to discover your host country and culture is educational although there is a benefit to the uninterrupted family time that you would have.

So is Travel Education? I think it can be and I think a blanket ban does not work, just recently we had the opportunity to take the family to India for 2 weeks, but it would have been 2 weeks in the school term, it would also have been two weeks at a perfect temperature for the children, unlike going in the summer. The trip would have involved visiting housing in Delhi in all ranges, from the slum areas right up to luxury apartments and housing. We would have seen the Taj Mahal and traveled on an Indian train (an experience never to be forgotten by all accounts) but we didn't go, because the school wouldn't have been able to grant permission. Do I regret that decision, yes I absolutely do, so much that at the next opportunity we will leap at the chance regardless of any fines, I will however begrudge any money I have to pay in education fines when I know my children will have learned things not on the curriculum, not in any book and nothing they could have learned sitting in a classroom.

It is a sad state of affairs that our head teachers can no longer use their own judgement on individual cases, like ours for instance. As a Head Teacher would it not seem like a perfectly brilliant opportunity to allow two of your pupils the chance to see India in all its splendour, and all of it honesty, to see different cultures and religions, witness first hand how other children learn and live? Honestly I think any head would be bonkers to refuse this chance to his/her students so long as it wasn't during assessment time.

So much can be gained outside of the four walls of school that I hope our government rethink a blanket ban and start to consider the flexibility of gaining education away from school.

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