Little Loves August 2021

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Reading
Watching
Listening
Making
Wearing

Well, another month has flown by - I think this year has been the quickest on record! We are in the middle of the summer holidays which I love as I adore having all this time to spend with the children. We have no holiday plans but have been on several days out and the children have been booked into various clubs which I think has been really good for them. They've been learning new skills, making new friends and enjoying some quiet days at home. I just hope that the weather improves a little so that we get some more sunshine before the end of the holidays.

Reading

This month I haven't had the time to read as much as I normally do but I have still managed to read a couple of books. I am reading Oh Crap! Potty Training as lots of people have recommended it and we are coming up to that time for my youngest. Potty training is my least favourite activity and all of my children have been slow to pick it up so I am looking forward to learning new methods and tips from this book.

Fiction wise I have been enjoying these books...

The Light Through The Leaves - I loved this book, it starts with the disappearance of a baby girl and follows the story of that girl and her unusual upbringing. We follow her and her birth mother's story.

The Road to Zoe - a story about a dysfunctional yet normal family where the sister goes missing and the reader follow's her brothers search for her.

Hadley and Grace - a modern day twist on Thelma and Louise.

The Shadow Box - A good read, although somewhat predictable. A story of personal exploration as a wife discovers and comes to terms with actions of her husband.

I have also just downloaded The Testaments - the follow up to The Handmaid's Tale book by Margaret Atwood. I am planning on re-reading The Handmaid's Tale book because I haven't read it for a few years and I'm sure that my memory has been tainted by the TV series.

Watching

It's a strange one to admit but I have been watching and loving Love Island! Last series my hairdresser was telling me about it and it was at the point where Shaughna was waiting for the boys to come back from Casa Amor that I started watching it and I've been hooked since. It's quite brutal and does make me wish I was 20 years younger but it's a guilty pleasure every week night and I'm going to really miss it when it's over.

I've also been watching the new season of Virgin River on Netflix. I randomly started watching this when it first came out and I just find that it's nice, easy watching. Something fascinates me about small town USA life so I'm always drawn to programmes in this setting.

Listening

I am still listening to podcasts - new ones that I am enjoying are On Purpose by Jay Shetty (a true inspiration) and Making Money Blogging by Digital Nomad Wannabe. I find On Purpose really interesting to listen to, Jay Shetty is simply inspiring and I learn so much about health, wellness and life from this podcast. The Making Money Blogging podcast has given me so many invaluable tips that I'm trying to employ on my blogs. I love learning new things and improving my work.

We are also still working our way through His Dark Materials on Audible in the car. We are about 3 hours off the end of the last book - I have thoroughly enjoyed them and so have the children. I imagine we will be finished by the end of summer - if anyone has any recommendations what to listen to next they would be welcome!

Making

I have been missing doing crafts over the summer holidays - I just don't have enough time when I have to focus on work at the evening instead of during the day. We have been making lots of sensory activities for Baby N though. This cool rainbow activity is great for learning colours and fine motor control. The printable rainbow was free from 7 Days of Play and my 10 year old daughter loved putting this together.

We have also made some coloured pasta for using in his Ikea flissat table. We made rainbow rice before which was a big hit so we thought we would try a different texture. It was harder to make than the rainbow rice in that it took longer to dye and we got a slightly patchy result on some pieces but it's still fantastic to play with.

Wearing

I have been really lucky to receive some fabulous gifts this month that I've been loving wearing. I'm hugely into gold rings at the moment (and well, who isn't!) and I got two gorgeous rings from Daisy London, one of my favourite jewellery brands. I wear them both on the same finger to give a stacking effect. I love the clean pattern in the artisan stamped stacking ring and the stacked double rope ring looks great on it's own or as part of a collection of rings. In order to get the 'look' ideally your fingers will be full of gold rings!

These rings are made from recycled sterling silver and plated in 18 carat gold and come with a 6 month warranty. They are also beautifully packaged so make a really lovely gift - or treat for yourself!

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I've also had some great bits delivered from Femme Luxe. This knitted white dress is so comfy and stylish and it will be perfect for autumn and winter. I sized up for a slightly baggy look and in the colder months I would team this with tights or leggings. I love white dresses, although they aren't massively practical with the children at home, I just think white is such a smart colour.

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I also got this pair of distressed denim shorts which I am in love with! Pairing them with a pretty top and some chunky jewellery makes the perfect casual outfit for a sunny day while still looking stylish.