Manifesto | Mum In The Madhouse

Manifesto

My Autumn Manifesto 2013

Make a start on homemade christmas items
Encourage the boys more in the Kitchen
sort the boys toys, sell, give away and recycle all that we can
Find something to occupy me at junior football matches
Learn something new
Decorate Maxi’s bedroom. We have some great things that GLTC and Next have provided for it, so really need to crack on
Talk to my consultant about operation that I need
Summer 2013 was a great time, the BEST summer we have ever had as a family. It was relaxed, filled with fun and sun. It was a summer that will go down in history, that we will look back on in years to come. I see it as a faded photograph with curled ages, slightly worn through over handling, but something treasured to be held close to our hearts. I think that the weather made the summer, but also the fact that we all tried new things, went new places and really tried to embrace the changes that surround us. We succeeded in less electronic time as a family, but didn’t manage to get camping.

Feel free to join in and make your own goals and aims for the autumn, I would love to know what they are.

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Joy, it is a conscious choice

Many people are posting about New Years resolutions and I keep seeing updates on facebook and G+ about dry January and diets. So I wanted to do a quick update on my Winter Manifesto and also my word of the year Joy. I posted last year about the fact that I was choosing Joy. I was making a conscious decision to focus on the good stuff and make the bad stuff less relevant in my life.

It is all about choice and it is my choice. Way back when a very wise person taught me that we always have a choice. Yes there are things in life that we can not change, these are the things that it is not worth expending energy on. It is like worrying about a plane crashing, not matter how much you flap your arms you will not be able to effect it. However, you can change the way you think about it. You can make the choice not to worry about it. It doesn’t take the worry away, but it does give you power over it. So this year I am actively choosing Joy.

However, I am also making this year more joyous by choosing to learn more. I have started a craft course and am making Mini a quilt. I have had the fabric for over six months, but had a mental block on cutting it. I booked the lessons (2 hours every Tuesday) and asked for some help and in two weeks I have cut the fabric, stitched the top and sandwiched it all together ready to quilt. I made this happen.

I have also enrolled on a Collect the Moments e-course from Capturing Childhood, which was recommended to me by my friend Kelly.

Whilst talking about resolutions, goals and aims for 2013, I have been asked to tell you about Hillarys Facebook competition, yes that is the people who have a vast vertical blinds range available. They are currently running a New Year, New You competition on Facebook. The competition offers a chance to win a different prize every week for the next four weeks, and began with a Wii with Wii Fit Plus to get fit this new year. This week is a chance to win a £100 spa voucher, Week 3 is a chance to try something new with Zorbing, and in Week 4 the prize is a Merlin annual pass for a family of four.

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Bikes and BBQ’s – our family Manifesto for 2013

I have mentioned before that I am not a New Year resolutions person, however that doesn’t mean that I do not love to plan, set goals and have aims, as I do. I am just not sure that the dark, dank and dismal January is always the best time for them.

But I do want to encourage my children to set goals and learn how to plan to achieve them. The safest way for us to do this is to set a family manifesto for the year. We have sat down and discussed what we would like to do and get out of 2013 as a family. A family holiday was on our list and we have that booked for November with my wonderful brother nad his family. However, I wanted to do something that brought me closer together with the boys and they both love exercise and sports.

Now I am not the fittest person (that is something of an understatement and although I do watch them play Junior Football. It is not something that I really enjoy. But one thing we all do have is cycles. So we decided the time has come to dust off my Bike. My bike that has been hanging in the garage since Maxi was born. It is over eight years since I got on my bike! That cycling is something that we can all do and have fun doing. Something that brings us together as a family.

So the boys got new bikes for Christmas. Mountain bikes with gears and mud guard and MadDad got a bike carrier for the car.

We live in a beautiful part of the world, but with hills each side of the house, there is no way that I am capable (yet) of riding very far from the house, so the bike carrier was essential.

Our plan is to use our family discovery pass for Dalby Forrest and get cycling followed by a BBQ. Our discovery pass was gifted to us by the Forestry Commission and would be an annual cost of £42, which is super value as Dalby is peppered with bike paths suitable for all levels.

Plus Dalby is a fantastic place to explore, play and just relax. It is somewhere that we love to visit as a family, as you can BBQ in designated areas and is just a wonderful relaxing place.

By taking the boys to Dalby I can ride as far as I can and then return and cook us all a treat. I am hoping that by doing something together, it keeps is all together and helps me get fitter.

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Winter Manifesto

We have had a fantastic, but flu ridden Christmas in The Mad House. Many of you that follow me on Instragram will already know this. It started with Maxi on 23rd and then went through the house. I was taking lots of precautions, but eventually it caught up with me big style and I am the one suffering now and typically MadDad has just returned to work.

I am not a fan of New Years resolutions, but I do a seasonal manifesto and have done for over a year now and I realised that I had missed my winter one out. I guess I was far too busy enjoying the build up to Christmas. I have really enjoyed all the crafting, making and baking that took place and I feel that it might have kick started my creative side again.

Make a seasonal Wreath. I have ideas already for the January and February (valentines) ones.
Get back to using my SAD lamp. I had to take a break due to the eye surgery.
Speaking of eye surgery, it went really well. I have a slight issue with a lose fiber in my right eye, but I am kicking myself as to why I didn’t have it done sooner. so I am going to endeavor to make more of my eyes and try to wear a little bit of eye make up.
I WILL make a start on Mini’s quilt.
I am also going to join a weekly craft group locally and have looked in to joining a local WI, so am going to pluck up the courage to attend.
I am also going to turn the camera off auto more and will be attending a lesson with Cass from Frugal Family.
My main focus this year will be to continue choosing joy and focusing on doing one thing everyday and doing it right.

I am delighted to say that my Choose Joy post has been featured at the Tots100 as one of their posts of 2012 and having read through the others, there are some great posts, so if you want to be inspired by some of the fantastic blog posts and bloggers out there, then grab a coffee and what is left of the quality street and take a read though the others.

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