Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 48, year 3 #R2BC

Whilst Michelle is taking some time away from Reasons to be Cheerful she had kindly let me host the linky for the month of November. This is my last week then I am handing over to the lovely Ojo's World. So here are my reasons this week:

1) Dr Who at 50!

OK yes I am geek and I am raising my children to be geeks so we have loved all the hype around the 50th anniversary of Dr Who! We all just love the programme and there were plenty of in jokes for all of us in the anniversary special:

2) Proud Mummy

My daughter passed her bikeability award at school meaning she should now be safe on her bike! I've already written more about this early in the week. My children are now also featured in a properly published book!

3) Operation Tween Bedroom

Tonight I sold the last piece of surplus furniture from my daughter's bedroom. She and I have put all the pieces she wants into the right places and it looks so much bigger! It does look like we may need another trip to Ikea to get some more Trofast storage units but now its a case of getting her possessions one box at a time down from the loft and putting them away... 

4) Getting Fit!

I wrote yesterday about the fact that I finally feel that my running is coming together! Its a real major reason to be cheerful that I seem to have suddenly upped my game and I am on a roll. I am able to say hi to people as I run so I still have some potential too! The fact that whilst running this week I had a close encounter with a wren is also another reason to smile!

So please join in and tell us why you are smiling this week:

Reasons to be Cheerful week 47, year 3 #R2BC

Whilst Michelle is taking some time away from Reasons to be Cheerful she had kindly let me host the linky for the month of November. It was lovely last week having so many people joining in and sharing what was making them happy. So here are my reasons this week:

1) Proud Mummy

My daughter helped serve afternoon tea at a fundraising bridge tournament in memory of her great grandmother. We helped to raise nearly £500 for Kendal Mountain rescue which is brilliant. My daughter was complimented by plenty of the participants which made me proud. The next day she went to help her injured granny by doing housework and assisting with cooking tea. She has offered to go back again next weekend whilst I entertain her brother and his friends! Meanwhile my son was doing his bit for Cancer Care with the Santa Dash so I am very proud of him too. 

2) Operation Tween Bedroom

Between us my dad and I got the replacement second hand high sleeper from their garage to our house and its finally all up today:

I am a bit worried that there isn't much room for her to grow as the bed is higher than I thought!

Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 46, Year 3 (#R2BC)

Whilst Michelle is taking some time away from Reasons to be Cheerful she had kindly let me host the linky for the month of November. This linky means so much to me and I have been taking part since January 2011 when it was pretty new. It has really helped me to turn my attitude to much more optimistic and less depressed than when I started! That is why I am keen to help keep it going and share the positive things that brighten up our weeks.

So what has made me smile this week apart from being allowed to host the linky?

1) Back to health

My children and I spent 5 days trapped at home to avoid sharing our nasty tummy bug. It really made me smile to be able to leave home and go and out and see other people. Some lovely friends had done their bit by dropping off items that I needed but being it wasn't the same as going out ourselves. By Tuesday all 3 of us had returned to work and school much to our relief!

Being able to go out for a run on Tuesday felt fantastic if knackering and I got to see views like this:

2) Operation Tween Bedroom

Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 31 It's October #R2BC

I can't believe it's October already! This is always a great month as 2 of us have birthdays and there is half term to look forward to. It's also well and truly autumn which is my favourite season. Here are just a few of my reasons to be cheerful this week:
1) Family Fun
We had such a fabulous time at Whinlatter on Saturday on a perfect autumn day in Cumbria. So looking forward to more visits up there over the next couple of months:

2) My boy
Sometimes he drives me round the bend then writes soppy things like this:

and he was even able to help with the washing up now he reach the sink properly (just don't tell him I had to re-wash some of it!):

Pleased to report he got 91/100 out of his second set of 100 words that he needs to know before the end of this school year!

3) Relaxing Sunday

After church and lunch on Sunday we got the bikes out of the shed and headed across town to the park. More about this in a future post but meanwhile here is my big girl demonstrating her pedalling skills:

And my reward was to sit in the sun with a book and a coffee:

In fact several friends appeared in the park so it was nice to sit and chat!

4) Girl time

Whilst my son was at Beavers I retired to the pub with my daughter and another mum. It's lovely to be able to spend time doing big girl things like Cribbage:

She is doing well at school as well this term so no worries on that front either!

5) Shredtober

Well 3 days under my belt and its not really getting easier yet! Pleased to be able keeping it up - just 25 more days to go:

I also went running for first time since my cold struck, not fastest ever but more consistent!
6) Operation House
Been a bit busy this week so not much done but we have sold a surplus chest of drawers from my daughter's room! It looks so much bigger in there now. Just need to sell the existing wardrobe and bunks so that she can get a more useful mid or high sleeper..
I did manage to donate 2 bags of clothes to the North West Air Ambulance and 1 of books to the British Heart Foundation so its small steps... Hoping I can get more done over the next week...

Reasons to be Cheerful New School Year #R2BC

It's been back to work and school here this week which in some ways is a reason to be cheerful! 
1) Back to routine
As much as I love the fact that during the holidays we don't often have to get up and out in the morning I do get confused as to what day of the week we are on! It's nice to be back to routine so I know where I am.. Yes I am now a slave to the alarm clock again and have to drag kids out of bed but at least I know what day it is. I also have time to try and get back in to my running again. I've lost some fitness over the break but hopefully it won't take long to come back...
2) Family fun
We had a fab weekend at Minfest which brought many a smile to our faces with acts like these:

  3) Operation House
Still more little steps being taken and son's room still looking tidy! There is now a desk for children to do homework in our partly sorted front room and my sofa looking cosy:

We had a big clear out over the weekend and kids' made themselves money by letting gramps and I flog their surplus toys:

Here's hoping the rest of this half term goes as well!

Reasons to be Cheerful Week 35 #R2BC

It's amazing how time flies and this is the last R2BC of the summer holidays! Still plenty to be cheerful about even if I am back at work on Monday...
1) Family
We have had family staying up in Kendal for the bank holiday weekend. We only see them about once a year due to the distance and everyone's commitments but my children and I have loved spending time with them:

We have had lots of fun with them including a trip to Sizergh Castle:

And one to Cartmel Races as well as just spending time with them! Hope its not so long until we see them again.
2) Summer
Its been a really nice week weather wise until today. We have had so much sunshine that the sun tan cream has had to come out again:

3) Operation House
So its not been major improvements but I can see a difference in certain key spots:

• The laundry backlog has finally been tackled so there aren't baskets of clothes all over my room. 
• I have re-organised and reduced the contents of the airing cupboard so its easy to use
• The downstairs bathroom has had all the stuff my kids' had dumped in there removed so its now presentable
• I have dug out the kitchen table from underneath all the various craft projects and clutter that seem to migrate there so we can all sit and eat in comfort again

Now I just need that car boot sale to get shot of all the stuff we have decluttered from each room so far..

Reasons to be Cheerful: week 34 #R2BC

It's hard to believe that the summer holidays are almost over already but I am still cheerful! Here are my reasons this week:
1) House Sorting
Its an never ending project but a few days of swapping furniture around and getting my children to part with toys has led to my son's room looking like this:

As you can see he doesn't have much space so having the storage sorted and the amount of toys reduced is essential! At the minute he is paranoid about keeping it tidy so let's see how long that lasts... Now I just need to get the rest of the house sorted...
2) Kids having fun
My daughter has spent 4 days at High Borrans outdoor adventure centre. She is having a fabulous time doing things such as canoeing, caving and ghyll scrambling. By being in a group of school friends she is being challenged to do things she wouldn't normally do. My son had one day there on Friday and he definitely tried things he had told me he would never do! Its fantastic that my children are challenging themselves and having fun at the same time.
3) Family fun
We have also been making time to have fun together. This has included the trip to Morecambe, a Tudor weekend at Sizergh Castle:

A day at Fell Foot and Wray Castle have all added to our smiles. I am sure there is still more to come before we go back to work/school in September!

Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 16 end of the holidays #R2BC

My life may not be as exciting as Michelle's at the minute but I have lots of reasons to be cheerful this week! Here are the things that are making me smile:
1) Last of the Easter fun
Boy did we pack in the fun this Easter! We rounded off our holidays with a couple more fabulous family days out. The first was the RSPB reserve at Leighton Moss:

And then on Sunday we went to a bloggers' day at Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester.  Not only did we have fun but I enjoyed meeting bloggers I had met before or who I had only talked to online. Interesting being described as the blogger with the lovely view from her kitchen window!
2) Praise for my children
I had some lovely things said about my children this week. Some from bloggers such as Chaos and Calm who enjoyed my children at Legoland. Also from other people telling me what polite and well brought up children I have! I will have to remember that when they are driving me mental! Also check over on my daughter's blog for her amazing Gollum impressions.
3) Diet and Fitness
After the previous 2 bad weeks there was a loss on the scales this week! I will be writing more about my plans for doing better when I join in with Fitness Fanatics Fridays from tomorrow. Having lots of support on and off line is oh so helpful. Going out for a total of 40 minutes running on Tuesday really put me in a great frame of mind too. Come back tomorrow if you want to know more..
4) Operation House
An impending visit by a surveyor for the landlady forced me into ramping up the house sorting this weekend. This wasn't a happy experience in itself as I'd rather have been doing something fun with the kids but it has left me smiling in the end! The previous moving of furniture from my bedroom to the living room had left my room in even more chaos than normal. Now I can access my bed from both sides again and the room seems twice the size. The landing is also cleared of all the boxes of stuff looking for a home - I did stash these on the bottom bunk so I know what I'm doing this weekend! The front room is a lot clearer too. I did have empty space all the way across the room at one point this week:

5) Spring?
We briefly got teased into thinking it was properly Spring on Monday and Tuesday again! The blossoms were out and we got to spend 2 evenings having picnic teas outside:

Reasons to be Cheerful: Week 14 #R2BC

This is the last week of Seasider in the City hosting the linky so please pop over to her place! As for me I am tired but cheerful as we reach the end of the first week of the holidays. Here are my reasons:
1) Spring
Its been oh so spring like up here for the last week (apart from the icy wind). We have plenty of blue skies such as that yesterday. The flowers are really coming out now with the daffodils making a real start at opening at last:

The fields around here are full of new lambs:

All this good weather has meant we have had plenty of time for family fun.

2) Family Fun

Its been a busy and fun time with running, scooting and trips to the park. Of course being Easter we had to go on an Easter Egg hunt too. Today we went hiking with the local ramblers group. There will be fuller post tomorrow but this is a taster:

3) Family

My brother and his family have been staying in Kendal for a long weekend and its been lovely to spend time with them. Our boys had great fun playing together and we had lots of fun together:

4) House sorting
The seemingly never ending job of sorting out the house took a huge boost this week. My family came to help replace the ladderax with a dresser which has made my front room seem lighter and bigger:

A lot of hard work but it feels so much better. Now to work out what to do with the rest of the room (and house)!

Operation House 2013: Part One

Regular readers of my blog with know that I really struggle to keep my home uncluttered and tidy! Every year I start off determined to sort it out but for various reasons I always end up failing miserably. So once again I'm going to try and get my house in order... this time I will not fail! 

Yesterday whilst cooking for my new Hairy Diet I got frustrated with my kitchen so decided it was a good place to start making it more organised and feel more spacious. First step was to clear out the foods and spices that were far too past their use by dates. Some had been put in the cupboard when I moved into the house in August 2010 and hadn't been used up! My bin soon started to smell amazingly fragrant as it was filled with the contents of various jars! Its hard to throw food out when you think about how much it cost but enough was enough and space was being wasted by stuff that was no longer any good. 

With my newly downsized cooking essentials I could swap them to a smaller shelf in a top cupboard and move the metalware from the side into a cupboard. Then I tackled the food cupboard and again found some dodgy items lurking at the back. Once only food that was still useable went back in it seems a lot easier to find things and there are no longer tins lurking under the cupboard!

When I moved in my family had helped unpack my kitchen equipment into whichever cupboard seemed good at the time. Over the last 2 years I've sometimes struggled to get to various bits of kit due to the cupboards being awkward shapes. Today I emptied everything out and put them back into the 2 cupboards in a much more organised way. Some items were put on one side to give to charity as I don't need them.

The re-jigging of these cupboards freed up enough shelf space to move glasses, serving dishes and tea set from the lounge storage into the kitchen. This meant I could then put away the new games etc. we have accumulated this year doing toy reviews. A nice bonus! Freed up work surface has meant I can re-jig a bit so that my bread bin now has the extra mugs on top of it and my cooking spoons and knives are much more conveniently positioned.

Next step is to look at the rest of the work surfaces to remove all the stuff that doesn't belong in the kitchen (I spend a lot of time in there so paperwork etc. tends to migrate there!). A nice start to Operation House 2013 but there is a long way to go... Just mustn't get distracted by the view from the kitchen window:

As and added bonus all the bending and stretching has really made my calves ache so its been great exercise too!