Finding The Time

Like a lot of mums and dads out there I struggle to keep the balance of working and being a parent. As a mum who has recently returned to work I find that my days just seem to pass by like a speeding bullet. Now granted I have only returned to work on a part time basis and have a huge respect to those that work full time and still find time to get everything else done, but it still feels like mission impossible to cram everything that needs doing into a normal working day.

Normally I work all day on a Sunday and Aalliyah usually goes round to my mums or sometimes my sisters for the day. On the weekdays that I work its only usually a 4/5 hour shift so she will go to school then go to after school club until 6 oclock. I always finish at 6 so she would normally get picked up and stay round my mums for half an hour or so until I come home. Although these are the days I work the shortest hours and I have school and school club, these are the days I hate the most. 

The mornings starts like any other. I get up, sort out breakfast, make Aalliyahs school lunch and then make sure she gets off to school OK and on time. We live on the same street as the school so most mornings she likes to assert her independence by walking alone. By the time I have had a quick tidy round the flat and got ready for work, I barely have time for a coffee before having to run for the bus. Then its straight to pick Aalliyah up after work and by the time I get home Its literally only enough time for dinner before its her bed time. I absolutely love my days off as I am not so rushed and get time to spend with Aalliyah even if its just a few hours play time before bed.

Have you ever seen that movie "Click"? The one with the universal remote control? How great would that be? Not so much to fast forward anything. I think life goes by far too quick without the need to help it along its way but it would certainly be great to stop the clock sometimes and have as much extra time as we needed to get things done or to simply savor our most precious memories. Well sadly no such thing has been invented yet, but hey you never know what the future holds right?

However the super smart people at Hive have come up with a fantastic new device that lets you monitor, control and alter your heating from your smart phone or computer. Meaning you can control your heating at the touch of the button where ever you are. Now this may not give you endless more hours to enjoy in the day but it certainly saves time and hassle by allowing you to preset your temperature schedules,adjust levels or set up helpful alerts when your temperature drops below a certain amount. Is there any better feeling after a long day than coming home to a nicely warmed house? I normally have to switch my heating on when I get home and it takes ages to warm up.

The only other thing I like to come home to more is a cooked meal ready and waiting. Thankfully something has already been invented to help with that.... A slow cooker! My godsend when working late!

If you fancy learning more about Hive Active Heating and how it can make a difference in your home then click here to head on over to their site. 

*This post was written in collaboration with Hive Active Heating 

A Permanent Fixture

You may remember a while back I posted about a job interview I had been offered with Toys R Us. It was only a temporary contract but after years of being a SAHM I was eager to get back into employment. The contract was only from October until December and Christmas eve was my last contracted shift. It felt amazing to be back at work and the difference in my income was great. It was still only a minimum paying position but the stable income meant I was able to afford things I couldn't when relying on unemployment benefits. As my last shift approached it all felt bittersweet. I was really getting into the swing of things and felt far too comfortable with my new wage, I really didn't want it to end. Over the course of a few days I saw fellow employees getting called into the office one by one. We were all aware that we would be getting "the talk" and either given our goodbye letters or being asked to stay. It felt like everyone had been called in apart from me which made me all the more nervous. Finally I was called in by the manager and asked how I had felt the past few months had been and if I had enjoyed my time. Obviously I had and I expressed how much I enjoyed the job and how good I felt I was at it. Clearly I had done a good job as I was invited to stay on as a permanent member of staff. It felt amazing to know that someone had acknowledged my hard work and as you can imagine I was thrilled. 

It has been a challenge adjusting to a working routine with early starts, school clubs, dinner plans etc but I wouldn't change it. Although I am only working part time sometimes I come home and can barely make it through the door without crashing into a heap on the sofa! Because of working, one thing I haven't done for so long is blog. I keep meaning to and then just never get round to it. I have let it slip so much but I am hoping now I have some set hours in place I can make more scheduled time for my blog. 

Until my next post.......

Personal Planner Review And **Giveaway**

I must be one of the most forgetful people on the planet! Whether its doctors appointments, peoples names, birthdays even collecting Aalliyah from school!! (It was the last day of term and I forgot about early pick up - Do not judge me lol) So when the opportunity arose to review a wonderful planner from Personal Planner I was eager to get started and hopefully inject some order into my daily life and have a place to note down EVERYTHING in the hope of not forgetting. Its working so far ;)

Personal Planner offers a fantastic service and allow you to personalise so many different features from size, colours, content and even images that you really can make it truly unique. I decided to make a large planner so I could fit everything into it., whether it be related to my personal or blogging life.

When you are on the website, you are guided through a very simple step by step tutorial of how to edit and personalise your planner right down the colour of the elastic binding. I chose to take full advantage of the personalising options and added a front and back image to my planner. You can also choose what content you would like included. So if you travel a lot you can add maps, gym queen? then add a weekly workout table. There are so many different tweaks you can do to make it tailored to suit your lifestyle.

Fancy winning one for yourself? The lovely people at Personal Planner are giving one of my lucky readers the chance to win a planner or notebook of their choice. Just fill in the simple rafflecopter entry below.

Open to UK residents only. Winners details will be passed to company for emailing/delivery of voucher code.

Good Luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Complimentary planner received for purpose of review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.