INTRODUCING A PARTNER

If you've followed me for a while you'll know that I have been a single parent since 2019 when I decided to leave the boys Dad, it's still the best decision I've ever made and most definitely the right one for me and the children. I do have to say since being a single Mum I feel as though my relationship with my boys just gets stronger and closer every single day, we are a team and I know they adore our set up as much as I do. But that is what makes introducing a partner into that so incredibly important, you absolutely have to get it right as so many don't and the implications on children can truly affect them for the rest of their life. I've witnessed it sadly first hand on the other side of the parenting with the boys and I certainly was not about to put them through anything like that myself. That being said I thought I'd share my story and what I did do, it's generally a mystery from the outside isn't it? You see a casual arm on an instagram story then before you know it they're everywhere.

OVERSHARING BABY PHOTOS

Naturally as parents we all want to gush and share moments of our children's life and with the digital age it's ever more popular to do that with photos. At what point though, are we over sharing? When is enough, enough and when is it impeaching their privacy? As tiny human raisers, we are responsible for their presence on social media, we decide what to share and what information to put across, so it's us who has to be sensible and accountable when doing so I'm not a advocate of going in hard and removing all traces of your children online, but I am definitely wiser now more than ever about how much I share of my little ones across my social platforms and blog.

SUMMER HOLIDAYS WITH KIDS

It's finally that time of year we have all been waiting for, it's summer - well apparently it is, but has someone actually told the British weather because it's not quite got the memo. It is what it is though and summer holidays are definitely here now, I know some schools have been broken up a little while but it's only just here for my boys, I think our local area stay in a week longer in July in compensation for the extra week they get in October. I have to admit I do quite enjoy that as 6-7 weeks is a very long time to have off, it's finding that balance of trying to keep them occupied whilst also juggling everything else in life. Work is a really big element too, it's not always achievable for parents to be at home for the holidays, especially single parents but I'm thankful that this summer I've got a solid three weeks at home with my two which feels fantastic.

TWINLAKES THEME PARK REVIEW

Last week we made the short trip to one of our local theme parks, Twinlakes. It was the Easter holidays and I knew the boys would just love the excitement and adrenaline on offer there. Being ten and almost eight I feel that Twinlakes has enough on offer to keep them occupied and with the weather really temperamental at the moment, I knew there was options in case the heavens decided to open. I also think it's worth mentioning that I noticed a lot of families of wide age groups, ranging from young babies (0-2) up to teenagers having an absolute blast, that really highlights just how much there is on offer there for everyone. I'm generally of the view there aren't many places you can take a two year old and an eleven year old and they both have fun, but Twinlakes would definitely be one of those places.

CLIP N CLIMB NEWARK

Having two lively boys I'm always looking for activities and adventures to tire them out, especially ones that wont involve the words 'when are we going home?'. Luckily we found a brand new one not too far from us. We're not entirely new to Clip n Climb and have used other centres locally too, but we're yet to find two the same so there's always a little bit of variety if you head to a new centre I find. Clip n Climb are a worldwide brand and have lots of different climbing centres, they have over 50 different climbing challenges each designed for different abilities and there really is something for everyone, regardless if you're an expert or a beginner.

MENS GIFT GUIDE

I don't know about you but I simply find the men in my life the hardest to buy for and as luck would have it, my family is male heavy. Fathers day in particular can be a tricky one, there is a lot of generic stereotypical gifts out there, but for me I find once a Dad has had their first few Fathers days, they've probably racked up enough 'No1 Dad' socks to open a shop - I like something a little different. That being said the range of gifts to buy can be vast depending what your loved one is into so it can be difficult to know where to begin. I've popped together a little guide that I think can be useful anytime you're looking to buy something for that special male in your life.