50 date night ideas for parents

Hey readers, 

Date nights are so important to spend time with your loved one and it is good to do fun stuff, so check out my fun list of ideas for when you next plan your date night. 

1. Have a picnic

2. Take a walk, hike or bike ride together. 

3. Take a brewery or winery tour.

 
4. Grab some ice cream. 

5. Rent a canoe, paddleboat, kayak, or paddle board. 

6. Head to a coffee shop. 

7. Go out for breakfast. 

8. Hit the arcade. 

9. Go bowling. 

10. Go ice or roller skating. 

11. Paint together on a big canvas. 

12. Prepare dinner together from another culture.

13. Organise digital family pictures together. 

14. Play video games together.

15. Play cards together.

16. Play a childhood game. 

17. Have an indoor picnic. 

18. Take Youtube dance classes together. 

19. Do a puzzle together. 

20. Watch the first film you ever saw together.

21. Gardening. 

22. Go camping. 

23. Stroll a local farmer's market. 

24. Go geocaching. 

25. Attend a local karaoke night. 

26. Take a driving test in a new car you dream of owning one day.

27. Take a drive around town. 

28. Fine free events in your area such as concerts, art displays etc. 

29. Volunteer together. 

30. Take a bubble bath together. 

31. Lie down in the grass and look at the clouds. 

32. Take random photos of each other at different points in town. 

33. Look at local deals on your mobile app. 

34. Catch up on a tv set together. 

35. Play frisbee golf together. 

36. Go to a spa together. 

37. Make homemade pizza together. 

38. Build Lego together. 

39. Go window shopping. 

40. Go to an escape room.

41. Head to the theatre. 

42. Get a hotel room, take a picnic, and just chill for a few hours in peace. 

43. Go to a desert place together. 

44. Go for a walk together in a country park. 

45. Have high tea together. 

46. Go bird watching. 

47. Go to miniature golf. 

48. Do a photoshoot together. 

49. Go fruit picking together.

50. Go to the zoo. 

What do you think of my list of date night ideas for parents? Have I missed any ideas? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X 

My Sunday photo 11/09/2022

And just like that they back at school with the eldest entering his final year at primary school. My youngest is starting year four so let's get ready for all the fun and games to start 😜

Defeated

Hey readers,

I have depression, however, I can still function fairly well most of the time. This week though I have suffered a knockback which has been hard to even get out of bed to function. 

I wanted to hide because I just didn't have the energy to fight. The only time I got up was for my children; otherwise, I felt numb and worthless.

Everything feels like a chore, having to find the motivation to continue was so hard it felt like a mental workout. 

My body aches because it has taken a battering from my mental torture inside my mind. I am frustrated because I fool myself that I am better when all I do is mask and try to continue.

I suppose with uncertainty my anxiety flares up making me hyper-alert to emotions and always on the lookout because I am not in control. I feel powerless and scared. I hate to think about my future because it saddens me.

My anxiety seeps into my dreams and I relive some painful memories. I don't like it, I smashed all my stuff on my bedside cabinet not realising until I was awake to find the destruction.

People don't realise how hard work it is. I know to change the record but it is true, you can't escape your own mind, there is nowhere to run and feel safe. You have to get through it.

 It is one of the toughest things I have to do, living is hard work when you feel like a pile of crap. I am consciously aware of how I feel. It is exhausting because I am battling my inner monologue.

Sometimes I want to give up a bit I don't because I would never dream of doing that to my children. They are the only things keeping me going at the moment. 

I know it's just an episode where I feel this crap and I know it will pass. it is just getting through this lousy storm to see the other side. During this dark time, it is hard to believe that light will appear because it feels like it will never end.

I think one of the triggers is feeling threatened and not being heard. I feel the injustice and the accusation that has been flowing around.

 It sucks and hurts. Fear that what I need won't be there and the fight forgetting what I deserve is tough going. It wouldn't have been so bad had it not been the situation encouraging the event to then turn the other way.

It is hard trying to fight and price something when really the person should open their eyes, but of course, money talks and who cares about being honest when really it all boils down to the number game, f*uck the individual.

I just feel so angered by life and just trying to prove my point. I just got to keep reminding myself it will pass and take one day at a time.

Cheers for reading. X

Why you should do a brain dump before bed.

 Hey readers,

As someone who struggles at times with sleep due to anxiety one technique that I have found that has helped me is called a brain dump.

Now that you have not heard of the term brain dump let me tell you what it means. 
A brain dump is where you get a piece of paper and you simply just write down all your thoughts that are swirling around in your mind. It is a great way to feel like they have been put away for you to deal with them tomorrow. 

Writing down the thoughts gives a clearer picture instead of thinking over again making it murky and making it feel like there is a lot more on your mind. It can give you more peace to know there is a smaller amount which can be dealt with tomorrow because you can't do anything right here, right now and it is much better to get sleep and be able to function tomorrow to deal with your issues. 

Writing down your worries helps if you worry that you may forget about these things tomorrow, now you can feel pressured because they are written down in black and white on paper. 

It is recommended to give yourself extra time to do this task and also not do it in the bedroom as it is best to go to bed with a clear head and not keep your thoughts with you in the bed. 

Now to make brain dumping a thing it has to be a habit so you have to be consistent and keep doing this every night even though at first this feels like a chore it will outweigh the benefits later on in your journey. The more we keep at it, the more we become better at doing brain dumping to the point where it becomes second nature to you.  

So even if it doesn't feel right at first you stick at it because the benefits are worth it with getting a good night's sleep. Brain dumping also reduces stress and anxiety which also clears the mind. 

What do you think of brain dumping? have you tried it? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X 

My Sunday Photo 04/09/2022

We got some £3 tickets yesterday for cinema day fo course we finally got to see Minions 2 which my youngest is obsessed with!

Autism and change.

Hey readers, 

Today I am going to talk about change in autism as I am autistic and it is one of the big things that pisses me off! I may be an adult, I may have had years living with my diagnosis of autism but still, I struggle with change, more so when it is out of the blue and I am not prepared.

Just for the record..... I HATE CHANGE! I know change happens all the time and it is something that from time to time we all have to deal with, but still sucks nonetheless!

Why do I hate to change so much you ask?

Well, one reason is the unpredictability of it... the not knowing it is happening and when it does it is scary for me. I just freeze and lose myself, I don't know to respond and depending on the situation either totally shut down  - where I go within myself and don't talk to anyone and hide away. Or I meltdown and scream and shout and boy can I do that like a badass!

 I like to be in control, I like to know what is happening and I like to plan things, I am a control freak and when I am met with change from the unknown totally throws me. I am confused and lost and I just go blank, I don't know what to do, looking back when I talk to my husband I can see I could do this or that but when I am an emotional wreck I lose or sense of logic. My thoughts just crumble and I don't know what to do. The range of anger fuels my veins and takes over so I don't think straight or I see the change and just total fear about what is happening.

 It doesn't matter how many times change has happened over the years when I am unaware and not in control. Or when someone says they are meant to come at a certain and they are late over two for example recently and don't tell me what is going on then I literally lose my shit.

 I can't concentrate on anything I am shaking, my anxiety is getting bigger and bigger as time goes by, and I am not in control so don't know what is happening.

 I am left to wait so don't know how to plan. I am better when I am aware of situations occurring and when I take time to adapt and process what is happening. I can take the time to talk to someone, I can research, I can plan.

 In contrast, stations that happen immediately with no notification through, out of such and again it goes back t some not being controlled and having no routine. I am also a rigid thinker so when I focus on one thing such as a change I can't think of anything that is happening because it just takes over my brain. It is exhausting along with the meltdown I am wiped out the next day. 

That is why communication is important for an autistic person to know exactly what is happening...if you let them know if something changing then tell them beforehand for example. 

What makes me happy is routine and knowing what to expect because I am in control as I know what to expect and don't have to use all my energy trying to think outside the box.

Cheers for reading X

How to make quick money online.

Hey readers, 

If you have some spare time on your hands and want to earn some money, there are many side hustles online that you can do to earn a few quid and some aren't that hot to do.

1. Online surveys. 

One of the most popular ways to make a passive income is through online surveys where you fill in questions on a variety of topics that are sometimes short and some more extensive. Normally you get points that you get converted into cash or gift cards. You won't become a millionaire overnight or although with dedication you can earn some money.

2. Delivery driver. 

With food delivery being very popular since lockdown the demand for delivery drivers whether that be driving a car or on a bike is needed and apparently Glassdoor claim that food delivery drivers earn on average £15.00 per hour which is not bad at all. 

Although bear in mind that if you are thinking of becoming a delivery driver you will need to have business use insurance to cover the use of food delivery, and 'hire and reward insurance which allows you to carry and deliver goods in return for payment. 

3. Flip items. 

So what flipping items are where you buy something from a charity shop, car boot sale, Facebook market etc for a low price and then sell it on for a higher price. 
More invested long-term sellers like to buy pallets of large quantity items in a customer returned pallet which will have a variety of items that will or may or may not work but you can sell them on. 

4. Sell photos. 

If you are interested in photography then why not sell your photos. There are so many different types of photos needed that the world is your oyster the landscape, urban, nighttime, abstract, and still life to name but a few.
Many different want to buy photos for different projects such as the media, bloggers, private companies and public companies.

5. Transcriptor.

If you are good at listening then this side hustle is for you. It may be that someone needs the voice recordings from the meets being transferred to written format on paper.  Maybe a Youtuber wants their video transcribing to turn into a blog post. There are just two examples of why someone is looking for a transcription. There are specific websites hiring transcribers such as Way With Words Jobs.

6. Virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant is a great role because you can do it from anywhere around the world as long as you have access to a computer. The role involves a variety of tasks and it is flexible so it can fit your lifestyle. 

An example of a virtual assistant role in a social media assistant is helping with social media with the comments, looking for ideas, dealing with messages, making pins for the social content, and even making newsletters for them. 

What do you think of my side hustles to make quick money online? Have you tried any of them? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section down below. 

Cheers for reading X