Freddie & Gingersnap Book Review

LP loves reading stories before bed. Ever since he was born I've read to him at bedtime and now he has started to request particular stories. For example last night he asked me to read Dr Seuss The Sleep Book, which is always a good read for getting him in the mood for sleeping!

When LP saw the cover he was very excited!

He listens (most of the time) to the stories and enjoys the adventures that the characters go on. A while ago I tried reading Harry Potter to him but I think it's a little advanced for him, he likes to see pictures. So when I was sent Freddie and Gingersnap to review and LP saw the cover of the book he couldn't wait for bedtime, he even asked to go to bed early!

Freddie & Gingersnap is a story about two creatures; a dinosaur and a dragon, and how the dinosaur teaches the dragon to fly. As you can imagine for a five year old this sounded like a very exciting story. The beauty of the story is that the two creatures become friends, even though they're meant to be enemies. I think the illustrations are just right for a five year old because they show just how the characters are feeling and this helps youngsters understand what's going on.

We did almost have an incident when reading the book. In the middle there is a page that unfolds and if you pull it in the wrong direction you could tear it. I managed to stop LP before he pulled the page too much and I opened it up for him. He loved that bit in particular.

Freddie & Gingersnap is a short story and can be read within about ten minutes, great if you're looking for a quick read. There are also parts where you'll find your little one reading along with you, this always makes me smile. I'd definitely recommend this book for the younger ones.

Disclaimer:  Freddie & Gingersnap was sent to me for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Chaos IS Normality. Who Knew?

For the last few months I've written a few posts about normality being restored after various incidents. Blogger's block, kids holidays and illness have taken their toll and I always refer to me writing again as being 'back to normal'. Over the easter break I've come to realise that this just can't be true, the interruptions to my writing time seem to happen more often than not so Chaos must equal Normality!

Whether it's blogger's block, being ill, kids holidays or anything else that might pop up, they're all normal; my everyday routine. Those times when things calm down and I do actually have time to get a decent amount of writing done, they're the blips, the disruption to routine. I don't know why I didn't realise this before, after all isn't that what being a parent is? Living amongst complete chaos and somehow managing to not go insane?

I've said before that I thrive on routine, I like to know that what happened yesterday is going to happen today. The time I had last week will be just the same this week and nothing is going to get in the way of that. But of course when you have children this just doesn't happen, there's always something going on. That routine I crave so much is just a figment of my imagination and it will never arrive.

My boys are back at school today and the house is quiet, which is lovely. The kitchen needs tidying, there's a mountain of washing and ironing to do but at least the kids toys are away. I'm trying very hard to find that motivation to make sure all the housework gets done. For the whole easter break I've felt like all things conspired against me and I got nothing done. I was ill for about a week, then LP was ill and then it was my turn again. All this on top of decorating BP's bedroom, a friend's birthday party and travelling to see family. Now that the boys are back at school all I really want to do is go to bed and sleep. I feel drained.

I'll keep going, pushing myself to complete the housework (at least partially) and squeezing in as much writing as I can before the school run. Eventually the fitness will be back into my 'routine' and I'll begin to feel like me again. Finding time for everything is hard, prioritisation just means that some things don't get done. But again, it's human nature and sometimes it's okay to forget about things and just relax. 

Being a parent is difficult and draining and making sure the family and home runs smoothly is a 24/7 job. From now on I'm going to give myself the breaks when I need them and I suggest you do the same. It's pointless berating ourselves all the time for not getting things done, chores will still be there tomorrow. Pushing our bodies harder and hoping that we have the strength to work past illness without taking breaks just doesn't work. Take the breaks you need, take time for yourself and everything else will fall into place. 

Or at least I hope it will...