Thursday photo #207

After a couple of difficult weeks, this has been quite a good one. We’ve settled back into the school routine, the sun has been shining and it was my husband’s birthday. This of course means cake, and every good week needs cake.

Exploring Herefordshire

We live very close to the border between Worcestershire and Herefordshire. And I’m not sure why really, but we never spend a great deal of time in Herefordshire. So at the weekend, we headed that way for a day out. We had an amazing day at Goodrich Castle, then went to Hereford cathedral to see the weeping window poppies.

Every time we go that way, it reminds me how beautiful the countryside is. I’m hoping to do some more exploring over there in the near future. It seems such a shame to be nearby and see so little of the area.

A lifestyle change

This past week has been a bit of a lifestyle change for me. I’ve been working with XLS to try out their meal replacement shakes. This started last Wednesday and since then, I’ve lost 3lbs. But it’s not just the meal replacement shakes that have made a difference. Starting on the XLS programme gave me the kick I needed to get a bit more active.

I’ve been running with Bubbles virtually every day, we even made it up the hills at dawn on Sunday. Last night was my regular long run and I found it so much easier than usual. I have much more energy day to day too. I only wish I’d set my mind to doing it months ago.

Little achievements

It’s easy to lose sight of the little achievements that mean so much to children. For Libby, after struggling with reading for quite a while, she has suddenly started to find it easy. It makes such a big difference to be listening to her reading a story that she’s engaged with rather than struggling through it.

Lia had a bit of a breakthrough this week too. There is nothing she loves more than ballet, it’s the half an hour in the week she looks forward to the most. But it can be a bit difficult for her, because she’s the youngest in the class. Today, she came out telling me that she was star of the week. This was lovely in itself, but apparently she was awarded it for recognising the beat of the Waltz. I knew this was something they learnt about in ballet, but it didn’t cross my mind that she’d manage to pick it up at three. A little achievement but one that means a lot.

Our Thursday photo #207

I loved how engaged the girls were with this book at Goodrich Castle. It’s so difficult to get the girls to pose for a photo without pulling faces or being silly. But actually, these natural photos are the ones I’ll look back on and smile at because they remind me of a lovely day out.