Sorting out our masses of Lego and Playmobil

We are lucky enough to have a guest bedroom on the top floor of our house, a big room with a double bed and plenty of floor space. But during covid and those long months at home I allowed the children to use the guest bedroom as a playroom and a home for their many and varied large Lego and Playmobil sets. The children don't play up there anymore, and we don't heat the top floor over the winter, so I had forgotten just how messy it was. Faced with the imminent prospect of house guests I ventured up to see what I could do to tidy it, and I was quite overwhelmed when I realised the scale of the job in hand.

They had several large Playmobil sets with pieces scattered across the room, and most of the pieces from multiple sets all jumbled together in a large miscellaneous box. Then there were Lego sets, some set up, some half dismantled, all covered in dust and all mixed up. I'm usually quite organised when it comes to the toys and I found it really stressful to see them all in such confusion! So I decided it was time to have a good sort out.

We decided that we wanted to keep the larger Playmobil sets and all of the Lego, which is fine and I'm happy for it to be kept, but I wanted it all in order. I had kept all the instructions and inventories for each set, so I hauled them all out and began on a mammoth sorting task beginning with the Playmobil.

It was quite a job, and it took me many hours spent up in the cold room. I went through all the pieces and worked out which set they went with. I managed to find the vast majority and assign them to a set, there are a few small bits missing but there are more than enough pieces to make up playable sets. The smaller sets were bagged up and lent to my parents for my niece to play with when she visits.

The Lego was more difficult. While looking for a picture for this blog post I came across this ancient post - How I organised the Lego - and I had to laugh at how much simpler our Lego set up was way back then! The children chose their favourite sets and took them away for display in their rooms. Then I broke up the smaller sets and put them away in boxes, as well as sorting through the huge tub of miscellaneous Lego bricks to find any missing parts.

Again, I couldn't find everything, but I think I did a decent job. Now that it is mostly packed away I have officially handed it over to the children. I've said we will store it for them as they are good quality toys that they want to keep, but as soon as they own their own homes with a loft they become their responsibility, and if they want to make some pennies by selling it all on eBay sooner then they are welcome to!

It's amazing what a difference sorting it all out has made to me. Even though I wasn't seeing the room daily, it was always there as a future job at the back of my mind and now it's done! It was a little bit emotional for me because I have loved watching them play with these toys over the years and now they are all grown up. It's not perfect as we still have lots of boxes of toys. But I do keep going up there to admire all the extra space that we now have, and how clean and dust free it all is!

Building up a collection of notebooks and pens

Recently I've been trying to live a more analogue life, spending some time away from my smartphone. I have started to plan my days with a Bullet Journal, and after spending some time in various subreddits on the subject I started to journal again. Along with my existing notebooks for general notes and quotes I now have quite a pile of notebooks and pens which follow me around the house! They are all quite similar in appearance but they each have a specific purpose, and they each have their own dedicated pen which I use to write in them!

My Bullet Journal is an A5 sturdy book from Hobbycraft with nice thick dotted pages. To write in it I use a black Stabilo fineliner along with Zebra Mildliners for highlighting and crossing things off. The black pen is easy to write with and looks good on the page, but I have had some problems with smudging if the page gets wet so I might need to reconsider.

My new journal is an A5 Amazon basics journal with blank smooth pages. I chose a cheap book in case I didn't stick with it, but I'm really pleased with it and I'll buy another the same if I fill it up. To write in it I use an Oxford fountain pen and cartridges which I treated myself to last year. I love writing with the cartridge pen as it's so smooth and satisfying, but it does eat the cartridges quickly. At the moment I'm using blue but I might go for a change with the next pack, maybe purple.

I'm writing in it daily, a sort of stream of consciousness as well as a diary of the things that I've been up to if there is something that I particularly want to remember. I'm also gluing in ephemera like tickets, or something that I've printed that relates to what I'm writing about (I'm not ready to share the unblurred thoughts with the world just yet!)

I write quotes that I want to remember from books in a smaller A6 black notebook which I bought from WHSmiths with lined pages. I use my cartridge pen again for this notebook, although it does bleed through the pages. I don't use this book often but it's filling up nicely.

My rough notebook is a cheap one from Asda, but again cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad quality as it has done really well! It has smooth blank pages and I write it in using whichever biro I have closest to me. I don't worry at all about what this book looks like, it's full of scribbling out and very rough notes. Mainly it's for planning blog posts but I also use it to brainstorm things like new craft ideas. 

Finally I recently bought a little Rhodia notebook to keep in my handbag. The idea is to use it to jot down thoughts that occur to me while I'm out and about (I was inspired by the video below!) and I often use it while I'm sitting in the car waiting for the children at pick up time. I make lists of songs to add to a playlist, books that I want to read and so on. I chose one with quite a dark grid which is a bit difficult to write on, so I would choose a blank one next time.

I probably should think about combining some of these notebooks so that I don't have to keep swapping between them. But I love writing in them!

Why I'm still writing my blog

I started writing this blog nearly twelve years ago. Mia was a tiny baby, Harry was a toddler, and my original intention was to use my blog to share photos and updates with friends and family. It wasn't long before I discovered the world of parent blogging and I began to write for a wider audience. As well as blogging about my family I started to share my craft projects and to write about places that we had visited and products that we used.

Since those early days I've been writing the blog pretty consistently. I slowed down a bit during the pandemic, when like most people I was feeling so overwhelmed with daily life that I couldn't concentrate on the blog at all. But overall I've been a regular blogger, and I usually publish at least three or four posts every week. 

Photo credit Lauren Mancke via Unsplash

I'm pretty chuffed that I've managed to keep up the blogging habit for so long! There are a few reasons why I've kept it going:

My blog is a real creative outlet for me. I love to write and I love to share my thoughts and tips. It keeps my mind busy as I plan and write posts, and if I'm writing about a topic that I've been thinking about it helps my brain to get everything written down and ordered. I'm always planning new posts and I love sitting down for a writing session and getting a batch of posts written and scheduled.

It's a small source of income. I'm lucky enough to be able to earn a small amount from my blog, from both advertising and collaborative posts with brands. I try not to publish too many sponsored posts, and I'm picky about the ones that I do, but it's always nice to be able to contribute a small amount to the family finances. I've also received lots of useful products to review over the years, as well as tickets to attractions that we wouldn't otherwise have enjoyed. 

It has provided me with some online company. I've never been particularly good at promoting my blog on social media, but it did introduce me to Twitter and Instagram, and although I'm not very active I have found some lovely people to follow which can really brighten up my day. There are some bloggers that I've been following since the early days, and I enjoy reading their updates and seeing them and their families grow and change.

I don't worry too much about having a big audience. In the early days I wanted as many readers as possible, mainly to help me secure the best review opportunities. But these days I'm much more relaxed and I'm writing more for myself than an audience. I know that I have readers, and some of my posts do well with the Google search algorithm, so that's enough for me. I'm not getting myself stressed over constantly logging my stats and worrying about how I can improve them.

I'm glad that I've recorded so many of our family memories. I'm so glad that I have so many blog posts about our young family to look back on - even review posts have photographs and details which I want to remember. So I want to keep posting, even though recently I'm a bit more wary about the information I share about my growing children.

Homemade felt Easter bunting

One of my resolutions this year was to try and make a bit of a dent in my craft stash. In particular I have lots of felt and fabric, as well as drawers full of crafty bits and pieces like ribbon and buttons. I love crafting for the different seasons and celebrations, so I decided to make some felt Easter bunting to hang over the fireplace, inspired by my Halloween felt bunting.

I used the same cardboard template to cut out six flags in a variety of different pastel colours. I decided that three of the flags would have decorated Easter eggs and the other three would have a sheep, a chicken and a bunny.

For the different pictures I just searched online for line drawings of the shapes that I wanted, altering them a little to suit how I wanted them to look. I traced the designs from my computer screen onto some plain paper which I used to make templates for cutting out the felt pieces.

Once I had my six different designs planned out I went through my stash for embellishments that would fit. I used a lot of buttons for this bunting, and also various scraps of ribbon in shorter lengths which I had been hoarding. To sew the various parts together I turned to my collection of embroidery threads and cottons.

The bunting is strung together with a length of coloured thread - it was in a Christmas themed pack but I think it fits the bunting flags well! I used a needle to thread it through the flags so they can be easily positioned in case I hang the bunting in a different place in the future. I keep a small command hook on either side of the mantlepiece that I use to attach any decorations.

I'm really pleased with my seasonal bunting! I know that Easter isn't for a little while yet but it has inspired me to get out our small collection of Easter decorations too,and my fireplace makes me smile every time I see it.

Sewing some simple scrunchies for our upcoming cruise

I almost always wear my hair in a pony tail, with just a plain band. But sometimes special occasions call for something a bit more standout, and recently I've been having lots of fun making some simple scrunchies!

My favourites are these two sets that I made for an upcoming cruise - a larger one for me and two smaller ones for Mia's plaits. The first set uses some anchor fabric that I received to review a few years ago. I used most of it for the lining of my beach themed tote bag and the leftovers were the perfect size for scrunchies. I found lots of tutorials for the scrunchies online but I ended up making my own version, it's basically just a long tube of fabric (14" in length and 4" or 5" in width for the smaller and larger scrunchies), a piece of elastic threaded through and the ends sewn together. It's not perfect but when it's tied in the hair you can't see the join.

The pirate scrunchies are made using Disney pirate fabric. If you go on a Disney Caribbean cruise they usually include a pirate themed night and you each receive a pirate bandana to wear. I used the fabric from some previous cruises to make the scrunchies so they will match our new bandanas and those of the other passengers. It's a little difficult to see the fabric, but everyone else on the cruise will recognise it!

I have lots of fabric in my stash which I'm slowly working through, and this is a great way to use up odd scraps of fabric. Scrunchies might not be a desperately cool fashion accessory these days but that  doesn't bother me!

Things that my older children still need me for

I am very much enjoying the fact that now my children are older they are less dependent on me. I love being able to pop out for a run or to the shops without dragging them along with me, and I'm very glad that those nightly reading records are now a distant memory.

But even though they are slowly becoming more independent, there are lots of things that they still need me for!

Taking to school - this is the big one. We made the decision to send our children to school in the nearest town and we are very happy with our choice as it's a great school. But the public transport options are limited, and so for the moment they need to be driven there and back. Luckily our family setup means that we can do it.

Plaiting hair - this was proven when I went away for a few days at the beginning of the year. Mia likes to wear her hair in two plaits, and it's not something that she can do herself. I'm pretty good at plaiting -  she has such unruly hair that I've been plaiting it at least once a day for about ten years now. But my husband lacks the skill so they had to come up with a ponytail hairstyle for her while I was away!

Putting to bed - they both still like to have an individual chat with me before bed.

Printing things - Harry has got this sorted but Mia's laptop doesn't seem to want to do it, so I'm often being called upon to print an urgent piece of homework.

Washing and sorting clothes - I spend a lot of time doing the washing and getting it ready. I do have a new rule - clothes that are put in the washing pile inside out are returned washed and folded but still inside out!

Making food - Harry can make his own breakfast and lunch now which is brilliant! But Mia still needs a bit of help, she claims to be scared of the toaster. I make the packed lunches but to be honest it's easier for me to just get on and do it than have everyone faffing around making their own!

Removing spiders from bedrooms and bathrooms - I'm not very good at this myself but I will grit my teeth and get to it with a glass and piece of cardboard.

Emotional support - they often have things going on that need to be talked about. It can be hard work but I don't mind being there to talk to, it's an important part of my job!

But even though some of these things might be a bit of a pain, I do know that I'll definitely miss them when I'm not needed any more!

Ready for some warmer weather

This year it feels as though it has been such a cold winter. I don't know if it's because we've tried to be a bit more sparing with heating the house, or because I've lost a little bit of weight and I'm feeling it more, but I seem to spend most of the day searching for the warmest place in the house, and going to bed early in my fleecy pyjamas with a hot water bottle.

We have had quite a bit of sunshine over the last couple of months (we recently had solar panels fitted so we've been monitoring it closely!) but it doesn't seem to have translated into any warmer temperatures and I've found it a real struggle to drag myself out of the house for anything. The garden is looking sadly neglected because I just can't bear to be out there for long doing the sweeping and clearing up leaves, let alone get on with jet washing the patio which really needs doing!

I did manage to get myself down to the garden centre this week to pick up some seeds for the spring planting. I knew that I needed some tomato seeds, and I was a bit worried that the tomato shortage might have spread to seeds as people considered being a bit more self sufficient this summer. It turned out that it was actually a legitimate worry as there were definitely gaps on the shelves, but luckily I was able to get some suitable varieties! I also got some easy flower mixes and some unusual varieties of sunflower to try out.

Now I need to decide when to actually get on and plant them, I don't want to get them started too early or else they will be enormous before it's warm enough to put them outside!