Eighteen years ago yesterday at noon, MadDad and I were wed. We have had a wild ride of marriage with some downs and some great ups. He is always by my side no matter what I do or where I go. He is my lifeboat in stormy seas and my biggest cheer leader. We have […]
What can I say, this has been a weekend of celebrating cake eating, family, friends fun, scoring his first two goals and lots of love.
As a parent we all want to try and save for out children’s futures and even in today’s climate it is worth trying to save for a rainy day. MadDad works in the financial industry so he is my go too guy when it comes to asking about money etc, but I would always suggest that you find an Independent Financial Adviser to help you out with financial planning.
So firstly what is isa season?
In very basic terms it is a six week period in the lead up to when you have to subscribe to your Is, the 5 April 2012 (if you don’t use it, you lose it).
This often means that you can be bombarded with information telling you to open a cash isa on the lead up to this date and if can be very confusing.
So what is an isa?
A Cash isa is a savings accounts where the interest isn’t taxed.
A stocks and share isa is a managed collective investment again where the interest isnt taxed.
Should I prepare for isa season?
I decided to ask MadDad this and he said he would advise anyone to make an appointment with a Independent Financial adviser to discuss this. My first response was that IFA’s are for people with money, to which he told me this isn’t at all true. Many IFA’s get their payment from any investment you make through them or charge a nominal fee and they are perfect for people who are going through major life changes such as parents. They can often take an overview of a situation and help you put your new priorities in perspective.
People often think that isa’s are only for people with money and that they are not something that they can utilise to manage their finances, but again it is often about working smarter not harder and in today’s climate we need to know the best way of making our money work for us.
But don’t take my word for it, go and see a professional!
Eight things I love about you!
You adore being tickled and trying to pretend that you are not ticklish. You challenge me to make you laugh.
Oh and what a laugh. it is infectious, it fills my heart with such joy.
You are fearless. You are a mini thrill seeker, adrenalin junkie and embrace new things.
You are an early riser, but as soon as your head hits the pillow you are off in the land of nod.
You are a team player. You love football and being part of a team.
You do not mind being different. You embrace your curly hair, wear checked trousers and love being you.
You are kind and considerate. You help other people when you can.
You love with a passion.
How can you be eight already? We never really believed that we would have you. You were a challenge form the moment you came in to being and kept us on our toes. You are a joy, my eldest child, an integral part of our family and I love you more each passing day.
Comic Relief day today at school and it was dress up as Where’s Wally (or Waldo, for any American chums) or a character from the books and pay a pound for the privilege which they decided to take from their pocket money. My boys never sit still so this is the best you will get picture wise. They decided that we needed to have a family nerf fight this morning!
They also packed MadDad off to work with red nose day cakes to sell.
What are you doing for Comic Relief?
MadDad may not have driven Maxi around each night to get him to sleep, but he did carry him everywhere! I know that the thing we both found hardest was the lack of sleep. MadDad found it really hard to wake up in the night. He had a “dead to the world” time between 12 midnight and about 4.30am, when he just couldn’t be woken. This was made all the worse when Maxi got unwell and I stopped sleeping as I was so worried about him. In the end it was suggested to him by our amazing baby massage coach that he slept in the same room as Maxi on a Friday night and hopefully by the proximity and the fact that he didn’t have to get ip in the morning he would wake before I did. And you know what, this was a real turning point for both of us. It meant that I got one nights great sleep a week. He managed to wake up before my “mummy radar” kicked in and the pair of them were often to be found in Salisburys outside the Starbucks concession as it opened on Saturday morning.
So for all the Dad’s out there, this one is for you. Enjoy
Winter in the UK is a genuinely unpredictable season, meaning the cold weather can start as early as October and sometimes not depart until March. Whichever type of winter season we have, it is almost certain that at some point there will be the usual headlines about the wrong type of snow hitting train services
There is nothing better than collecting the boys from school and them being really excited. “I have something in my bag for you Mum”, “So do I”. As we get near home the boys get even more excited about it “I can not show you, it has to be a surprise” and the two of them whisper conspiratorially to themselves.
I am smiling big beaming smiles, as I know that Mothers Day is nearly upon us and this means they have both been busy creating their own special card for me.
Queue Sunday morning and the boys excitedly come running in to the bedroom with a cup of tea for me and their cards and jump on the bed and tell me all about their cards. Maxi explains he drew round his left hand, but turned it over once he cut it out, so it looks like his left hand and how I have beautiful brown eyes and love heart lips for kissing. Mini excitedly tells me he did all the cutting out himself and used a punch to make the tree. He used zigzag scissors to cut out his label.
What more could a mother ask for on Mothers Day?
If you are of my generation then you will remember the amazing ticks that the Harlem Globetrotters did. In fact they were all I knew about basketball at one point in my life!
Both of my boys are sports mad and after checking our their you tube video I knew that this would be something that they would adore. The UK tour starts on 25 March, so in order to be in with the chance
to win a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) to the UK venue of your choice then please complete the rafflecopter entry below. The draw will close at noon on Friday 15th March.
Wondering if there is a venue near you? You can find the Harlem Globetrotters tour dates and venues online.
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