From Frugal Foundations to Fortified Family Future

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning MFW'rs

Start of Week 3 of our summer hols.  

I've at least 2 trips 'out' planned this week, weather depending, although both places offer a 'second bite of the cherry' if we get thwarted this week.  

Vintage Historian - I was thinking about your word search suggestion and wondering whether there were 'themed' word search books available.  First stop was the w0rk$, online and it appears that most of their stock is 'general', but themes exist for things like gratitude and mindfulness.  Which is fair enough, but not quite what i was after.  But then I stumbled on an online version of word searches, that has themed searches, is relatively easy to play (once I figured out how to 'mark' the word I'd found ), and has lots of different themes.  It times you, so I have just taken 314 seconds to do the 'StarWars' grid.  Naturally, I worked out that 314 seconds is 5 minutes, 14 seconds (got my maths in too 😇) and have given my grey matter a bit of a spin before 7am.  Go me! 🤣 I think LG will enjoy doing these word searches, and if they don't or the weather doesn't justify 'indoor games', then I've lost nowt, have I?  If anyone else is interested the site can be found HERE.  

Not too sure what will be for tea today.  I do have a lot of eggs that need using up in the next few days, but some may be sidelined into cake.  

Can't think of anything more spiffily MSE at the mo.  Ta for popping by.

Greying X

Watty1

Online Auntie suggestion:   For LG, I was thinking about her anxiety and about how her world gets smaller when she feels like that.     I've jut had an idea she/you might consider fun.     I will admit this is inspired by the journal I'm using at the moment, which made me remember a book called Animal Breathing Exercises For Children.  It has great exercises like breath like a lion when you are angry, breath like a bee when you want to relax and breathing like a snake to reduce anxiety.  It is really fun.  The author is Alissa  Powell.  

Greying_Pilgrim

Oooh, Watty that's a leftfield (I don't mean that disparagingly) suggestion.  I will look into that. They are definitely letting stressors affect them physically, so relaxation methods could do with being learnt and deployed.

We've just had a fun hour or so playing the online word search.  LG was intrigued with the beep when I'd found a word and came over to look what I was doing.  They literally said, 'this will keep me busy, mum' 🥰  We did a few grids together, and then LG spotted the 'make your own grid' option, so we did that - and played it 🥰 And the weather even played ball, with some squally showers which meant we weren't losing out by being indoors 😁

Greying X

Cherryfudge

Oh, I like a wordsearch! Better not click on the link or the housework won't get done!

'Breathe like a bee' - what a lovely idea. You are a great resource, @Watty1. I am even wanting to find some poor random dog to read to, now!

VintageHistorian

Oh wow Greying, that site looks great! I try to do one online Sudoku puzzle every evening. Started when DS was a newborn as my ability to concentrate had tanked even before I was pregnant and I realised I needed to do something to stop the grey matter turning into pudding.

Have gone from "medium" difficulty to "hard" in the 2 years since and concentration is definitely much better. It's amazing what people will still happily provide for you online without being a big data-sucking corporation.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Afternoon MFW'rs

Well, Vintage Historian needs to take a bow 😁We went for an adventure today, to a teeny-wee market town on the edge of the county line, principally to take in a miniscule, volunteer-led museum that I only knew about because I followed VH's advice to goggle museums of the area on the pedia that is wikid 😁  Originally, it was just going to be me and LG, but I had mentioned to a chum where we might go out and about to this week, and they had other plans, but their plans changed, and so they asked if they could join us today. 

Whilst the museum was very small, the volunteers that run it are uber, uber enthusiastic (as I suspected they might be), and we ended up with our very own tour guide, who told us more about everything than we would ever have gleaned for ourselves, even with the outstanding interpretation boards.  So that was a hit 😁We then went for a wander through the streets of the town, looking at various shops, art instillations and the buildings.  Luckily the tourist information centre was open and I picked up a town map.  We managed to come across some ruins in the town, which had benches in the grounds, so we returned to the car to get our lunch - humble brag - I got us back to the car faster than goggle maps did 😉 jus' sayin' 😉🤣

But actually on the way back, we came across a sign for a play area, and we decided to go and take our lunch there, on the off chance there would be seating etc.  What a good move, the play park was an excellent space - best one I've come across in an age.  There was plenty of seating, but we picked a space out in the open, and the breeze kept the majority of the wasps away.  We had all brought a picnic lunch, and then when we'd finished, the mums nattered and the kiddos played on the play equipment 😁 We wrote a postcard - LG did well considering it was a bit of a 'balancing on yer lap' type job, and popped it in the post box on the way back to the car.  

An excellent, low-cost day, with the unexpected bonus of chums as company.  

Tea is curry, dhal and rice out of the freezer.  

Today counts as one of those MSE bonus days, where a miniscule bit of planning, a scant drop of petrol and a good dollop of luck and good humour, combined to make a day out that we'll all remember.  We've some lovely pictures and a second postcard for LG's diary too 😁

Ta for popping by.  Greying X

badmemory

That sounds like a really good day.

Sunshine_girl2

Your day out sounds great on all fronts. I have googled said museum page and have found a corker that I didn't even know existed . It's definitely on for a visit maybe next week. Another thanks to @VintageHistorian for the information. 

Greying_Pilgrim

How fab Sunshine_girl2 - we've some more options from the list to explore as well, including another museum in the town we were in today, but it isn't open on Tuesdays.  But I saw more of the town today, than I ever have, so I'd love a return visit before the end of the hols, as there are still things to see, even on top of our adventures today 😁

Hooray for help and advice online - I greatly appreciate it (and so does LG, and LG's chum, and LG's chum's mum and.......... 😉🤣)

Greying X

VintageHistorian

Oh I'm so glad you and LG had a good time Greying! And that @Sunshine_girl2 has also found an idea for a fun day out! I'm going to shove those lists at everyone from now on