10 things to do in Coventry with children.

Hey readers,

I live in Coventry so felt inspired to do a post all about things to do in Coventry. There is a mixture of free or paid, outdoor or indoors that make perfect family days out.

1.War Memorial Park. 

The War Memorial Park is a large and beautiful park in Coventry that showcases formal gardens. The children will love it as it has a sand park plus in the summer has a water park. 

2. The Odean cinema. 

If you're looking for something to do with children indoors then Odean maybe the one. They have a kids club where a film shows once a day where it is discounted at the weekends and every day during the summer holiday.

3. Coventry Transport Museum. 

This is a motor museum for all and it is perfectly situated in the city centre. It showcases a collection of British road transport from bikes, cars, cars and cycles for you to explore and learn about the history of British transport. It is free entry for all and is open every day from 10am till 5pm. Also, check out the website as they do have activity sessions however they do charge you for them.

4. Coombe Abbey Park. 

Situated on the outskirts of Coventry is a beautiful park that has over 500 beautiful gardens, woodlands, lakes etc. Perfect for a family day out and even has picnic benches to eat al fresco. 

5. Herbert Art Gallery.

This is ideally located in the city centre where it has a wide selection of art displays from the natural world to the Old Masters and even interactive pieces to your little ones interested. It is free as well so makes a cheap day out for the family. 

6. Lady Herbert's Gardens.

Just a little further up the road from Coventry Transport Museum is Lady Herberts Gardens. Great if you want to have a sit down as plenty of benches, also lots of lovely flowers and greeny to see if you want a wander around. Also, in the summer great for having a picnic outdoors. 

7. Coventry central library.

Has plenty of books to loan out, free events such as open mic poetry and book tours, plus there is also rhyme time and coding club to take the children too. In the summer you can participate in the reading challenge where every other week you get a stamp for reading books and at the end if you read six books you get a certificate and medal. A great way of getting children into reading and doing some free over the summer holidays. 

8. Coventry cathedral.

Opposite Coventry Herbert art gallery is the Coventry cathedral with the old ruins that are still intact after the wall. Also, there is the new cathedral that is build to represent the old cathedral.  you can view the beautiful architecture and the history of Coventry. 

9. Coventry spy mission treasure trial.

Pick up the spy mission themed walking treasure trail around Coventry. Then why not explore Coventry on this self-guided Spy Mission themed Treasure Trail. As you follow the Trail route, can you solve the sneaky clues set on existing buildings, permanent features and monuments to crack the code and complete the mission just like a true secret agent?

10. Coventry Canal Basin. 

Coventry Canal Basin is in the heart of Coventry (Bishop Street) there are shops, boat hires, small businesses and a range of historical canal artefacts for you to explore.  on the canal trail are 15 artwork commissions and it makes a great walk for the family to check them out. 

Cheers for reading X 

10 reasons to take up a hobby!

Hey readers,

Have you ever felt like you are missing something or need to learn and expand your mind? Well, maybe one solution is to start a hobby and learn should start up a hobby today.

1. Challenges. 

Taking up a new hobby will give you that thrill of a challenge and something to problem solve. It will get you thinking of finding a solution to a situation.  

2. Stress relief. 

Hobbies give you that opportunity to wind down and do something for you that you can relax. It is a great opportunity to give you some stress relief and do something that brings you joy. 

3. Personal growth. 

When you start learning something new it allows you to grow as a person. If your talent like being good at art adopting this into a hobby can help increase your skill, practice and have better overall performance in enhancing that skill. 

This will not only help you improve your skill but also it helps give you a feel-good factor in knowing that you have learnt something and you can reap these rewards within time. 

4. Self-confidence. 

When you decide on a hobby you want to do it gives you self confidence because your learning and it is helping you grow as a person. 

Seeing the changes can give you the boost in feeling better about who you are as a person. Plus, when taking on a hobby you are doing something for you that can lift your mood because it is constructive and has a positive effect on your life. 

5. Sense of purpose.

Having something to do and finding ways to improve your knowledge on topics can give you more meaning in life. Hobbies can make you feel good because you feel you have a purpose to do something for you. This, therefore, can help with staying physical and mental activity for longer. Overall, it can give you a longer more fulfilling life. 

6. Friendships and social skills.

Some hobbies are done in a group such as an art or writing group where you meet like-minded people. This can help you improve your social skills or even make positive friendships in your life. 

7. Learn new skills. 

Of course, you could learn something new when you take on a hobby it doesn't have to be something you already can do. Hobbies can help you learn new skills such as knitting or learning to do Salsa.

8. Get out of the house. 

Having a hobby that is somewhere outside is a great motivator to get out of your home and doing something elsewhere instead of being stuck in the four walls. 

9. Opening your mind up.

Taking on a hobby allows you to learn more, think more about different ideas and opens your mind to new possibilities. 

10. New opportunities. 

Some hobbies such as blogging, for example, can give you new opportunities such as getting paid to do a blog post or review a service wherein some situations you may not have been able to afford that luxury. Alternatively, you may meet other like-minded people and it is a great way to connect.

Do you do a hobby? have you found a hobby that benefits your life? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 

Cheers for reading X 

10 signs of a mombie

Hey readers,

Even heard of the term mombie or do you think you may be one yourself, well I have 10 telltale tales below. 

1. Caffeine. 

You only function when you have coffee in the morning and let's face it has to be about three cups of stone cold coffee. 

2 Bedtime.

Never has the thought about going to bed been so sexy. It appears that the mombies fantasize about bedtime rather frequently during the day and she doesn't care about getting the latest trendy clothing oh no sleep rules fact. 

3. Dishes.

You thought as you sat on the sofa half dead that evening that, sod it! I don't need to wash the dishes this evening because I am too tired. The dishes can be done in the morning. Turns at the following morning you are extremely miffed about the idea of doing the dishes in the morning. *Doh, hand me my cold cofffee*. 

4. Forgetfulness.

Due to suffering from mombie, it appears that you are forgetful 90% of the day. Many times has the mombie walked into a room and just completely forgot what the hell she is doing in here. 

5. Tip.

Looking at your home it is a tip because let's face it mombies are too tired at this point to even give a sh*t what Kim and Aggie would make of it, that is what cupboards are for hiding the mess ;). 

6. Fashion. 

The ultimate conundrum is whether it's worth getting changed or just hang out in your pj's with no bra on all day long looking like Waynette Slob and actually not giving a f*ck.

7. Sleepyhead. 

When a mombie looks in the mirror she will resemble a panda with your dark black circles around your eyes, hell she could fit right in at the zoo.

8. Zone out. 

When you see a mombie she will look vacant in the face as almost as if mentally she is not here and you would be right. Zoning out is an art form that a mombie will have perfected during her time being a mum. 

9. Snooze. 

Mombies where ever possible will seek the opportunity to have some shut eye. One competition a mombie has to face is being stealth mode in trying to not get the child to see the mombie shut her eyes. She loves kids telly for only one reason and that is for her to get the change to have a snooze when the child is not looking. 

10. Emotional.

With a mombie you get exhaustion which causes havoc on the old emotion. One minute the mombie maybe in a jolly mood the next she may be rocking in the corner as she has only realised that it is only 9 am in the sodding morning.

 Also, mombie has a predator 'the husband' who can not be tamed with passive aggressive comments to attack the target with, unless he supplies mombie with a hot coffee then all is forgiven. 

Do you identify with a mombie? love to hear your thoughts below. 

Cheers for  reading X 

Reasons to have a Fitbit.

Hey readers,

You probably have heard of a Fitbit but if you haven't then a Fitbit is basically a digital step counter. 

However, there are more additions to the Fitbit such as tracking your sleep, encourage you do more exercise and on the app, you can keep a  record of how you have been doing over a long period of time.

Why should you have a Fitbit? 

1. Track.

Wearing a Fitbit all day means you can monitor how many steps you are doing and because you can visually see the number it is a great motivator to keep on stepping on. 

Since buying a Fitbit I have increased my step count each day because I can visually see it and it spurs me to keep ongoing.

2. Competition. 

A fun element of owning a Fitbit is that on the app you can invite friends to encourage you and compete with one another to be the one to have the most steps that day.

Alongside using the Fitbit as a step counter you can gain badges when you reach certain milestones. 

An example of this would be the urban boot badge where once you have reached the first 5000 steps you will be rewarded.

In total there are over 100 badges that you can achieve. The difficulty varies from the start where it is fairly easy right too the really difficult ones such as climbing the 700 stairs in a day. 

In psychology, it is said that it is much better to start off with goals that are small, measurable, achievable, realistic and have a target.

 If you start off small you grew in confidence and it will over longer period give you the stamina to stick out the exercise regularly.

You can also show the badges you have earned on social media for friends to see. 

Which again is a  great motivator to keep going as you can physically see the achievements have occurred whilst using a Fitbit. 

3. Customer Service. 

When reviewing Fitbit online and reading peoples experience of owning a Fitbit and dealing with customer service overall it has been positive. 

Fitbit is very responsive and helpful if you have a problem with your Fitbit.

4. Water-resistant. 

All Fitbits are water-resistant in the sense that they are rainproof and splash-proof and can deal with a sweaty workout if you so wish.

 Bear in mind though they don't recommend showering, swimming or washing up. But don't worry because it is easy to put the Fitbit on and off. 

5. Fun. 

I personally think Fitbit is fun with the graphs, the buzz when you have achieved 10,000 in the day and the badges.

 There are even realistic workouts that can easily do in 10 minutes to help build up your fitness level on the Fitbit app, and yes doing exercise does get recorded.

 Generally, you feel good when you see the results and it is tangible so it is much real to believe. 

I definitely would recommend a Fitbit if you want to get motivated and feel inspired to exercise. 

You don't even have to buy a brand spanking new, Fitbit. I picked up a fab Fitbit off eBay for less than 20 quid and was only used once. So, there is available depending on your budget. 

Do you use a Fitbit? Love to hear your thoughts in the comment section. 

Cheers for reading X 

My Sunday photo 10/03/2019

10 quiet acitivies to do with children

Hey readers, 

You may be looking for some quiet activities to do at home with the children then you have come to the right place as I have 10 fantastic ones for you to feast your eyes on. 

1. Colouring in. 

I love colouring in with the children as I am not very good at imaginary play due to being autistic and just can't think outside of the box as it were. That is why colouring is a great activity because not only do the boys enjoy it but so do.

 It also great bonding activity to do with children and because they are concentrating on the colouring means they are quiet for a minute or two. 

2. Movie. 

A brilliant thing to do when you want a quiet day with your children is to put on a DVD on and maybe have some popcorn. I like blankets because you can snuggle down. My boys like the blinds down to make the room dark because they say it is like going to the cinema. 

3. Reading.

Now my 7 year loves reading by himself so what happens is he sits next to me whilst I read my book. Normally under my quilt with the heated blanket on as it makes us feel cosy and it is really nice to do something together but separate. I think one of the reasons is because he loves being like mummy.

 Alternatively, my 5-year-old likes grabbing interactive books and we sit together and read through it. 

4. Lego.

Lego is brilliant for kids to play with as it gives them something to focus on, build and learn. 

5. Threading. 

 A simple activity you can do at home is getting some beads and thread them through a pipe cleaner. This activity is great to help children improve coordination with their eyes and hands. 

6. Play-Doh. 

Play-doh is fun in making shapes or objects. It is great to tap into children's imagination. Using play-doh helps with fine motor skills such as cutting the play-doh up and using muscles in the hands to flatten, roll, poke etc. 

7. Board games.

Playing games such as Snakes and Ladders or shopping list are a hit for my 5 and 7-year-old. It is a fun way to have family time and also teaches little ones about taking turns.

8. Building a den. 

Building a den doesn't have to be fancy you can just through some throws over a chair or sofa but my kids love it and have so much fun coming in and out. 

They also love the fact the den is super dark and taking their torches in is a lot of joy for them. 

9. Yoga kids. 

Type into Youtube Yoga kids and there are some brilliant videos that you can play in your living room and the kids just love joining. 

The videos on Youtube are really good at making the kids based yoga-friendly, fun and not too complicated to do. 

10. Cupcakes.

Kids love helping so why not have a go out making pitta pizza or rice crispies cakes - I even have done a recipe on the blog here. 

What quiet activities do you with your children?

Cheers for reading X  

7 positive qualities a autistic person has.

Hey readers, 

Going say it again I'm autistic and I like repetition ;) Anyhow I thought as a place to come back to when I feel a bit crap about myself and my disability to remind myself it is good in autism. Yes, it can be a pain in the arse but with everything, there is a Ying to the yang. Please note that everyone is different in the spectrum and some things you may agree but you may also disagree. But this is my personal take on how autism affects.

 Here goes:

1) I am very black and white thinking and though some things don't come naturally to me. You can guarantee that if you ask me to do the washing up more often then I will automatically do as requested. I am very conscientious and will do some things in a split second.

2) I am an autistic parent and though again a lot of natural skills I am not blessed with. That said it does not mean that I cannot learn and adapt. I am also at times harder working parent as I am aware of the lack of qualities and try to accommodate them. An example of this is when I first became a parent I could not say, "I love you" to my son. I worked with worker and husband and over time it is something that I do unconsciously now. It was not easy and it took a long time but it can be done with the right support and knowledge. 

3) I love routine and so do children. Which is perfect for my children as they know what to expect and they can feel safe knowing what is happening.

4) There is this idea that autistic people are humourless. I can tell my friends that is BULLSHIT! Autism I feel in the press and research gets a hard deal. It's either one extreme or other and that is not true either. Yes, some cases it happens but a lot are floaters and can have variations a lot more than just two types of profiles.

 I have a sense of humour, I particularly dark and sarcastic one at that. I love sarcasm and I love comedy. I love laughing so there you go stereotypes. 

5) Autistic people are passionate and can spend a long time on their hobbies. They take the time to care and work hard for what they feel passionate about. 

6) Autistic people can show affection, not always in a conventional way but they do it their way. Which I believe makes it more authentic and true to them. There are more depth and feeling there. It might not be a physical thing and can be a practical thing but the thought is there and how we go about it means working our arses to do it.

7) Autistic people tend to not care what people look like and are more accepting of an individual.

Cheers for reading X 

10 supermarket hacks

Hey readers,

Going shopping can be costly when you go with no plan and impulses kick in. We all want to save money so I have put together some tips on how to save money whilst going to do your supermarket shop.

1. List.

The first hack would probably be the most important one and that is to write a list prior to going shopping. It is important to stick to your list and do not buy extra things at the supermarket that you do not need. 

By writing down a list you already have a pre-understanding of what you want so you are prepared to get it and get out. You don't have to waste time looking for things and decided because you already have the plan in place.

2. Brands.

Instead of buying branded items swap to supermarkets own version because at the end of the day most of the time you are paying for the name. Don't be put off by supermarkets own food because it can be just as good but half the price.

3. Stomach.

Make sure when you do go shopping that you don't go on an empty stomach as this will make you want to buy something on an impulse which intern means wasting money.

4. Online.

Check online for supermarket vouchers or offers, preparation is key. A really good app to download is my supermarket where you can search for a product and compare the prices of the different supermarkets to get the cheapest deal.

5. Supermarkets.

A brilliant way to reduce your supermarket shopping is a swap from the main supermarket to a more budget-friendly one such as Aldi or Lidl.
 You will be amazed at how much you save but do be careful when going down the middle aisle as we all know the delights there.

6. Supermarket deals.

You may think when it comes to a supermarket deal where you can buy 3 items for 2 or BOGOF (buy one get one free) you are saving money. Firstly you have to ask yourself do you really need this and if so work out the maths because sometimes it can cost more then actually buying the item singularly.

7. Vegetarian.

Try having meals without meat a couple of times a week can save you money as meat is expensive. There are plenty of delicious recipes that don't need meat so don't be put off and give it a try you might be amazed.

8. Pre-made items.

Save money on buying pre-made items such as vegetables, buying it pre-chopped could cost you more. Also regarding ready meals can add to your budget, it is much better if you have the time and skill to cook from scratch to do it that.

9. Bulk meals.

A cheap way of saving money on the grocery shop is to up the amount of food so that you can batch cook and freeze meals for a later date not only does this method save you money but it also saves you time, win-win.

10. Yellow stickers.

Yellow stickers are where supermarkets knock down prices of food when they want to get rid of it because it is close by it's sold by date. It is ok to buy yellow stickers, people seem scared of buying yellow stickers.  I have done for many years and not been poorly. The date of the food is short-lived so a tip would be to freeze for the food and can use it at a later date.

Hope you have found these tips useful.

Cheers for reading X

Reasons why I love Come Dine With Me

Hey readers,

Can you believe that come dine with me has been on our screens for over  13  years? I for one still one it and it is one of my favourite programmes.

 Come Dine With Me is a programme where five or four contestants compete with one another to get the £1000 reward. each contestant gets a night to host a dinner party at their home. they have to serve a starter, main and pudding. each guest then rates the host on the whole night a number out of ten. the person with the highest score win.

However, this is not just a cooking completion and there so many more reasons to love the show. let me share the reason below.

1. House tour.

 I love it when you see the guest going around people's houses, I am naturally nosey (I blinking love through the keyhole as well for that very reason). I  like seeing how people put their homes together.

2. Narrative.

One of the main elements of the show that makes it so successful is, of course, the legend that is Dave Lamb. He is the abrasive of the show and it is full of beautiful sarcasm and times so well.

3. The contestants.

Well, where do we go with this one, of course, the contestants are great especially hats off to the people that chose who goes on the episode? The variety is really good especially when you know they are going to be a clash. to be fair though it can also be good when getting along. I think the element of surprise is something that helps viewers wanting to come back for more.

4. On-screen drama.

If you have watched come dine with then you ahem to admit it is hilarious when some sort of drama d happens. whether it is a drunk host letting their snake on the table to then poo or the host kicking our the guests because they have had enough it makes great entertainment.

5. Food.

I also like seeing what people come up and seeing it going bear-shaped. Not to mention when you question what the F is that. A couple of my favourites is when a self-confessed barbie wannabe decides to serve a pudding of truffle with the secret ingredients a sausage, I kid you not, lol! Or there was this other person who decided it would be a great idea to layout sushi for her guests on a person layer on the table. the guest would have to take the food off from the naked body, I mean you can't make this sh*t up.

Do you love to watch Come Dine With Me?  love to hear your comments below.

Cheers for reading. X