10 good things January

January wasn't all doom and gloom even if it did feel that way a lot of the time! Here are 10 good things from our January.

Midge's birthday

She had a lovely day with cake at home and school, lots of gifts including a pug onesie, nail and bath bits plus books and money so she was very happy. The phone rang lots of times and there was very little room left for all her cards!

Midge's sleepover

The girls sleepover went so much better than I thought. They were all well behaved overall, they all got on for the most part and they didn't find me embarrassing by joining in with dancing and nail painting!

Both back to school okay

It sounds like a strange one but I always find relief when school starts okay after a break. Midge is never a problem, she went straight back in with no problems but sometimes the break in routine upsets A. He was fine going back and over time he's become more independent in the mornings which is fab.

Started volunteering

I now volunteer 2 mornings a week at school and am really enjoying it. I get to work in reception on Monday doing phonics and hearing some readers then Friday I change the books and hear readers again but I also float around a bit listening to their stories and playing their games.

Caught up with some family

I've had some nice weekly visits with my Gran and aunt, a long FaceTime with my sister and I had 2 good phone calls with my aunt and my grandparents in Portsmouth. Despite the sad circumstances of us getting together, catching up and seeing each other is special as we all live so far away.

Lots of happy mail!

Got the dog sorted

Peppa is all booked in for an operation to remove some lumps on her tummy. I'm grateful for good family and pretty decent vets. There was a hiccough but overall things are okay and this month she'll be lump free.

Spending time with my nieces

Plymouth Aquarium and pantomime

I had such a good time with year 1 on their school trip. They were shattered by the time we arrived back to school but every single one loved all the activities and so did the adults!

Telling Uncle M I loved him

My favourite moment was telling my late uncle I loved him and saying goodbye knowing it would be our last goodbye. I will treasure that memory and pray to never forget.

Cupcake Mumma

10 Reasons to Smile ~ May

May was quite a nice month. I got a photo through on the school app of my Little A looking all pleased with himself. I'm so happy to say that A is now officially blending 3 letter words and I'm so proud of him. Now he's started he feels more confident, I can just tell. Apparently his teacher showed all the reception staff then went around to the heads office plus various other parts of the school to share her pride of my boys progress, she's awesome!

Very proud Little Man in his phonics class

Midge has been riding her bike to school most days in May and I've been quite surprised by her confidence. She has been waiting ages for a helmet so when I finally bought one she was desperate to ride her bike to school and she's been loving it everyday.

I've had some Comping wins which I'm pleased about, I'm hoping 2 outstanding prizes turn up this month,fingers crossed! I won a huge ball from Wicked Vision which the children find hilarious to use on the trampoline and an instant BBQ which gave us our first spontaneous BBQ of the year.

We've had some lovely weather in May, there were more wet and miserable days than gorgeous basking-in-the-sun days but when the sun came out it really shone and that's been lovely. The house is warm, Midge is in shorts,my flowers are growing and bees and birds are visiting my garden again. Lovely!

I love pink flowers

Mr B has officially left his bacon factory job of 5 years and has a new job starting this week caring and supporting young adults with learning disabilities. He'll be really good at this job and I love that he has a sense of direction now too.

We enjoyed a wonderful 2 and a half hour walk which included country roads, horses, pretty houses, fields of growing corn and blooming trees, plus streams and a happy family.

Stroking horses

We visited the Seal sanctuary in Gweek which I haven't been to since I was little and didn't even live in Cornwall! It was wonderful to return and see how much it's changed. Pops and Grandma treated us to our first half term adventure and we had a great time.

A looking at fish close up

Mr B picked me up a new bike in May and I love it! I'm really nervous on the roads so want to avoid any main ones but otherwise I really enjoy cycling. The day I got it we all went on a family bike ride to a local pub where Mr B treated us to squash and crisps before collecting his well deserved trophies from football.

Mr B with his football trophies

Happy mail always makes me smile and I have had a few really lovely letters and packages land on my doormat in May. I'm really behind yet again on my snail mail but luckily I have a great group of snail mail friends who get that life gets in the way or that you just don't always feel like writing!

Pinterest is a strange thing to be happy about but I've filled my recipe folder with some great looking recipes that I've printed off, it's inspired healthy recipe ideas and given me workout routines too. I'm planning a 60th birthday party next year and it's proving very handy for inspiration.

Cupcake Mumma