My top tips for getting through the summer holidays and an offer just for you!
It’s August already, I just can’t believe it! I’d love to share with you all my top tips for how I’m surviving the school holidays so far, with a little treat for you at the end too!
So we have 3 children and the house can get quite frantic, hectic and stressful when juggling everybody around.
My top tips for surviving the school holidays are as follows:
Food
When organised, planned well ahead and not left until the last minute, mealtimes can be fun and stress-free!
Hop on over to the SHOP section of my website to view more information about my meal planner, which features:
A whole week’s worth of recipes, the full shopping list for all recipes, printable meal planner for the week both with and without the meals so you can mix and match as you please, tips on feeding fussy eaters and lots of information on what you should be eating and other pieces of advice for the kitchen!
There is something in there for everyone, and the recipes are straight forward so the children can get involved in the preparation! I find that when children get involved in the cooking they are more adventurous with what they eat and it’s far more fun! It has always worked for us! There are also plenty of meals that can be frozen, thereby removing the stress of feeding unexpected guests or having unexpected meals at home.
There is nothing worse than hangry children during the holidays, so get those meals planned!
Bedtimes
When my children are overtired become angry and quite horrible, so I think it is really important to stick with a routine - they have their bedtimes and we stick to them.
No you know I do love to say that rules are there to be broken, but you do still need to have your routine and boundaries in place, keep it structured so the children know what their bedtimes are.
I like staggering their bedtimes ever so slightly so we can read a story, chat about the day etc and they can have some mummy time without the others interrupting.
It’s really tempting when the children are off school to want to do lots of activities and go to all different places, but try not to pack too much into your days, otherwise, you really do get seriously overtired children!
Electronics
My children can also get quite horrible if they spend too much time on the iPad, so we restrict it to one hour a day. You can then use it as leeway if you keep it to the end of the day too, if they’ve behaved nicely and don’t everything they were supposed to do, they can have their hour on the iPad.
Which brings me to their jobs around the home. We have a list that lives on the fridge that each of the children must do every day.
Make beds
Tidy bedroom
Open curtains
Bring down their cup of water
Clean their teeth
Get dressed
Put washing into the laundry basket
Read for 20 mins
Practice musical instrument for 15 mins
Help set and clear the table
They also have specific jobs assigned to them individually;
Dishwasher
Helping with the washing up
Hoovering
Caring for Billy the tortoise
Caring for the ponies
Caring for the chickens
Caring for the dogs
Dusting
Ironing/folding the clothes and putting them away
I expect them to get involved around the house, it is a great learning exercise for them and it does help me out enormously too!
My personal coping tactics
Matcha! I absolutely swear by this stuff. I have written an entire blog post on it that you can read here, but let me just run over it quickly for you! It is full to the brim with benefits - increased fat burning, increased energy, aids the immune system, promotes relaxation and packed with antioxidants.
After pony club last week I was so tired, my throat was sore and I was really struggling, I had 3 shots of this throughout the day and felt good as new the next day!
The really lovely Leigh Linton has said that especially for Ask Charlie readers, she will post 5 On-The-Go sachets when you purchase a pot of matcha!
Simply put Ask Charlie in the notes section of your order and she will put the 5 sachets in totally free of charge! I honestly cannot say enough about how amazing this stuff is, it really is great for everything and is absolutely my secret weapon!
I also have my workout programme, and I simply love The Ultimate Shred - it keeps me fit and strong and helps with my osteoporosis and extreme hypermobility. If I don’t exercise I have aches and pains so I have to be fit and strong, and that exercise time is my ‘me’ time.
I try to get 5 workouts in a week, it keeps me sane, strong and healthy. I will also take the dogs out and just get outside alone to take some time for me every now and then. The school holidays are long and hectic and you need to look after yourself too!
Do get in touch if you have any questions and wishing you all a gorgeous August!
Love,