LITTLE MOMENTS 2020: 13/52 : GETTING OUT IN THE GARDEN

Typically the weather has been lovely this week when we are under lockdown. That didn't stop us though as we got out in the garden instead. 

Having lived in flats for 10 years and not having a garden has made us really appreciate having one. 

I loved seeing how blue the skies were and so I grabbed my hat, beach towel, bag and sandles and headed out into the garden to enjoy the sunshine with Blake. 

I filled the bag with the learning bits for Blake along with a drink and snacks so that we could stay out there for awhile. 

The weather may have changed yet again but I'm looking forward to being able to start planting and making the garden a more fun place for Blake to enjoy. Our garden is pretty small but I need to find some garden toys for Blake as he doesn't have many. 

*Sandles, beach towel and hat all pictured are gifted from a previous collaboration. 

Home Learning | Week One

Our first full week of attempting home learning has been a learning curve. I learnt last week when attempting home learning with Blake that he is more interested in learning in the mornings. So we have adapted that and let him have afternoon as free time. This week we have been trying out different things and finding what sort of activities work for us.

Monday

We found Monday really tricky Blake really didn't understand that we are doing learning at home and kept wondering off. I eventually realised it was best to bring the activity to him rather than try and get him to sit at the table. This has worked much better. We managed to get him to do an alphabet activity on his leapstart, used his learning resources alphabee set to spell out words, counting and shape recognition. We attempted a music and dance session on facebook which he wasn't interested in.  I think we just need to find the right one for Blake to enjoy.

Tuesday
Blake was more eager today to sit and do some activities together. We got out the playdough and made sausages to match the numbers on the frying pan worksheet school gave us. We also made shapes out of the playdough, did some singing and played a matching number game called one dog, ten frogs. I decided to attempt the Teach my monster to read app with Blake which was a huge hit with him. I also had a phone appointment so during that time Blake spent most of it playing with Stuart.

Wednesday 
I think Wednesday was the best we did all week, as we fitted quite a bit in. We started off with the phonics sheet from school followed by a story and then Blake was happy sitting doing the Teach my Monster to read app. Once that was done we decided to pop on some music and have a good dance. After lunch we headed into the garden we did attempt to join in with a gruffalo live that was on but Blake wasn't fully engaged in it. Once we got back inside Blake wanted to play with Phil the fridge which is  a fun game.  As Phil spins, players must get their food into the correct holes, but watch out for Phil's door flying open. The winner is the player who gets all their coloured food shapes into the fridge first. 

Thursday 
We went straight into the garden for learning time today. Blake did some number bubbles on the leapstart, played with Phil the fridge, made a easter themed windmill, enjoyed music and dancing followed by using the Teach my monster to read app.

Friday
It was a bit more relaxed today learning wise. We used the Teach my monster to read app and watched a few live sessions of Chester zoo to see the animals.

I think I'm going to sit down this weekend and sort out what we are going to do each morning. The teach my monster to read app is a hit so is one to continue each day.  Blake's teacher has emailed with ideas personally for him so I'm going to be looking  more into that too.

LIKES AND LOVES | MARCH 2020

Lets not going into how this month has been. We all know what's been happening and I've already mentioned about my anxiety surrounding it here. I think it's important regardless to continue my likes and loves as we all need a bit of positivity.

Any items that are gifted to me for a possible mention within this feature will be clearly marked with a * and any affiliate links will be marked with a #.

Mothers Day

It was certainly a different kind of mothers day this year. We ordered in fish and chips for lunch and I received some beautiful flowers from Blake along with a card he made from school for me.

Getting out in the garden

We are making most  of having a garden and getting out there whilst we have good weather. We've now purchased a lawn mower and have a few things we need to sort out. I've loved getting out the *beach towel and sitting in the sun doing activities with Blake.

Netflix:

All the bright places

Loved this film it's based on the book by Jennifer Niven. This is a book I've yet to read but if you love romance it's a lovely film to watch.

Lost Girls

A great murder mystery which is based on Lost Girls: An unsolved murder mystery , a book by Robert Kolker. It's about unsolved murders of young female sex workers on the South Shore barrier islands of Long Island committed by the Long Island serial killer.

Foodie bits:

I shouldn't really be eating these because of diabetes.

Pockys

I came across Pockys on Amazon which are similar to Micardo sticks which Blake absolutely loves. They do loads of different flavours and the cookies and cream have been a popular choice. Blake and I have been sharing them and have gone through 3 boxes.

Loacker Tortina Dark Hazelnuts

These are delicious wafers that are covered in dark chocolate and have hazelnut cream sandwiched  between them.

 Beauty/skincare:

Barry M Mango Lip Scrub 

I've really enjoyed this lip scrub it's great at removing dead skin and tastes pleasant too. It doesn't have a strong mango scent but it's definitely helped my lips especially when I use a lip balm after to keep them soft and hydrated.

Neutrogena Hydroboost Moisturiser and Body gel cream.

I tried the moisturiser first as I wanted to find a great hydrating one that was cheaper than the Olay one I was using.  I've got on really well with it and love the gel formula so ordered a bottle of the body gel cream and can say it's the best body cream I've ever used. It soaks into the skin quickly and doesn't leave a sticky feel. I've got into a routine now of using both of these products every morning.