01 02 03 The Organiser UK www.theorganizeruk.com 04 05 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 24 21 24 21 24 25 26 27 28 29

The Organiser UK www.theorganizeruk.com

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04/09/2016

How to make life a little bit easier for yourself and your kids.

 Think back to the lazy summers of our youth , what made it so different from our lives today , apart from the obvious bills to pay , rent to find , health issues, financial worries and work woes? 
We were free . Free from the constant connection to something , there was nothing but us . No social media, no adverts telling us what we needed , no designer clothes , no phones , no selfies, no Disneyland , no daytime television , gaming , no junk food , no noisy battery filled toys , no homework , no after school clubs , no competition. No pressure . 
We had no "stuff" to worry about , obsess over , or whine for . 
It's the first week back at school next week and my diary is already bulging with party invitations and after school stuff even though I  have culled a few activities during the school holidays .  
I now try to focus my kids time  on what they love doing  with any after school activities , choosing quality over quantity , this allows  more time in their week for parties or play dates and to still allows my kids plenty free time just to relax and recharge at 
home .
I also try to be more present by switching off the internet on my phone for the full day if  I'm at home  and try to leave my phone at home when I'm out with the kids so I'm more focused on the present , and to be honest it feels quite liberating . I also sometimes need to  put my phone away in a drawer and only check it twice a day when I'm at home  to avoid the social media temptation . 
If I have five minutes for a coffee I pick up a crossword or read instead of checking my phone and it's far more relaxing than reading about someone else's rose coloured day . 
We might not be able to fix all the distractions of our full to bursting lives , but we can go some way to simplify what we can for ourselves and our kids . We can stop making our kids so busy , stay in the present , stop filling up the "free" time and just slow down . If our kids are lives constantly over burdened  then so are ours . 
 

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posted by The Fifamaster @ 6:15 am   0 Comments

22/08/2016

How to find five minutes to recharge ,when you live with pre-schoolers.

 
Kids come in all shapes and sizes with amazing little personalities . I happen to have been blessed with two very noisy ,very active, funny little kids , with larger than life personalities .Whilst this makes our day crazy, hectic and somewhat frantic , I wouldn't have it any other way , However I often find myself needing time to recharge my batteries over a cup of coffee which hasn't gone cold .
Like most kids mine are constantly demanding food , or stuff ,  or help with .....(fill in the blank ) , and of course my time and attention . This can result in the simple task of unloading the dishwasher taking a good 45 minutes to complete.
It is also quite clear that spending a full day on a family day out does not satiate my kids longing for my attention when we get home . It's seems the more attention they have the more they need . 

So how do we find five minutes in our day to gather our own thoughts and to breathe ? 
Well , you could try nipping to the toilet ... Oh wait no, not an option as it is always a family expererience, as soon as you leave the room your little shadows urgently need to go and are so desperate they can't wait until you've finished ! 

How about having a shower ? Well, with one child on the toilet and one trying to clamber  into shower with you, this is not a satisfactory option .

How about when we are cooking the tea , surely we can get some quiet time to think here... Oh wait we have to fight off the six thousand requests for drinks , and  the "how long is tea going to be? "  on repeat . 

So by process of elimination I have come to realise that taking full advantage of the five minutes in your day between when you put the kids to bed , and the first time that they get back up again is the best time to enjoy uninterrupted bliss ! 
 



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posted by The Fifamaster @ 2:41 am   0 Comments

19/08/2016

The dreaded road trip with the kids .

 I've just compleated a two hour road trip with the kids which after numerous stops has in fact taken nearly four hours in total .  I suppose we were lucky to actually get out the house after the curious incident of the  lost sandals, the refusal to get dressed , a refusal to go for a last minute wee, the refusal to eat breakfast , and the "I'm not coming " incident . However after a two hour delay in getting out the house and a refusal to put the seatbelt on , we eventually get in the car , armed with packed lunch , a kindle , and a drink . How hard could it be to get from A to B ?  
Before we get to the end of the cul-de-sac someone has knackered their kindle , the elder child snatches it away to "fix" the problem and proceeds make it worse, waving it in my face to "fix" as I'm on the motorway . 
First stop at the services to fix the said kindle . 
"Does anyone need a wee while we are here? " I ask,   "No" is the surly reply from both my children . 
The four little words ever parent dreads on a motorway, 
 " I need a poo" causes us to stop at the next services, whereupon we all pile out of the car and deal with another refusal to get back in the car and put the seatbelt on . 
It is belting down with rain , visibility is hideous, and the traffic is dreadful . The "how long now " question has been asked a zillion times and I'm having to stop myself from telling my four year old that it's his fault we are not there yet . I'm told off for putting the wrong filling in the sandwiches from one child and the other one moans about her juice being too weak . I'm thirsty hungry and my feet have gone numb. One child is too hot , the other child is too cold. 
We stop at the next services for another wee. 
A drink is spilt on the duvet in the back seat , the child who's duvet is wet starts crying . 
We have another zillion questions about how far it is , a complaint that the tunnel is too dark . 
We reach our destination , I open the caravan door, I am told off that there is no electricity, and no water , I have yet to step over the threshold . 
I have read many many articles with tips on how to make a road trip with kids easier .  Apparently if you put little snacks in little containers for them to thread, or give them a pack of eye spy travel bingo cards to look out for it keeps them quiet for the full journey . Not even Mr tumble sitting next to my kids in the backseat would prevent the complete and utter chaos which ensues as soon as we pile in the car , the sun however is now out . 
 

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posted by The Fifamaster @ 9:13 am   0 Comments