Cabin fever anyone? What will be the first thing you do when the lockdown is over? ? . . . The last few weeks have been pretty tense. I slowed down with work so that I could concentrate more on homeschooling etc. But I am now very much dreaming of a day or two without the boys ??. . . Spa day somewhere peaceful with a glass of ? anyone? With no kid, no learning, no other half? Potentially a massage and a swim somewhere hot and sunny? ?. . . . But for now, a walk in the country will have to do. And more time in the house as it is raining cats and dogs today??. Is this expression still in use nowadays?!! I loved it at school ?

What is your top tip to not feel blue? What is that little thing that cheers you up right now? What always makes you feel better, whatever the weather or the news? ? What never missed to make you happy? ???. . . Today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. It's called Blue Monday ? But, let's be honest, it is just a gimmick created by a travel company years ago to get us to book holidays ? . . . My top tips to not feel blue: - Spend some time outdoors every day, even for a walk - Exercise first thing in the morning so that your body releases endorphins for a brighter day - Use affirmations. They are a great self-help strategy to help self-confidence and belief in your own abilities. - Enjoy a little treat every night. You deserve it after homeschooling! That would be some ? for me please! ? - And remember, however tough things are, there is always hope of a better day. There is always some light at the end of the tunnel!?? ??? . . . May your Blue Monday be a blue sky, both metaphorically and physically! For me, it will be a memory from an autumnal walk in Kent ? That face ?? #BlueMonday

(AD) CHRISTMAS TIDY UP! . . . And just like that, the magic of Christmas ended a bit later this year. Indeed, we left our decorations up until last week ??Did you too? I loved having them all up even in January! . . . Thanks to the boxes I ordered at @ryman, we got this quick and easy! And with my very own little Frenchie helper, it was simple to put it all in storage for next year! ?. . . . We have so many of those Really Useful Storage Boxes at home! They are fab for all occasions: to store toys in the house. Or even old baby clothes I can't give away because they have too many memories attached to them. I am a bit of a hoarder sometimes ?? What do you use yours for? #ReorganiseWithRyman

MUM GUILT ? . . . Guilt comes in many shapes and forms... Do you suffer from 'mum guilt'? What makes you very guilty during the lockdown? . . . This year, I made the promise to myself that I will try not feel guilty all the time. After all, I have the right to think that I am a decent human being ? But the perfectionist in me, who always wants to do everything above and beyond really struggled in 2020. Anxiety took over before Xmas to the point where I was physically ill. So, something needed to change this year ? . . . But this week, I am already feeling guilty. Guilty not to spend enough time with Baba. Guilty when I don't work and spend time with him. Guilty that I should try to make more money or work more. Guilty when the house is a mess. Guilty if I snapped at Baba after a long day. Guilty to go to bed tired and somehow very unsatisfied with my life at the minute. Guilty if I don' tick certain boxes that society has invariably imposed on mums. Or that we impose on ourselves sometimes? ? Guilty not to be good enough for my family. And so much more! I even felt bad because I was feeling guilty! Such an endless vicious circle! ⛔ . . . Mum guilt at its best! I have not experienced this for a long time. Truth is I usually don't care what others think of me. I realised a long time ago it is useless to worry about it??. . . . But others can make you feel like the worst person on earth... People who don't actually know you, or who you truly are, will judge you and make you feel guilty ? . . . But the truth is... You might simply imagine things and people don't judge you or actually think you are rubbish at that mum thing ?‍♂‍. Or they might very well be judging you and think you suck. But then, you have to ask yourself this question...Do they even know what it is like to be a parent? ?. . . Who are those people judging your motherhood skills? Do you really care what they think of you? They don't have the full picture! It is more worries on your plate! Don't think about them. They are not worth your time or energy ? Just be you, do what makes your family happy. You know what is best for your tribe. Listen to your instinct. Take care of yourself ❤️???

(AD) READING EGGS APP? . . . Fancy some help with homeschooling? Something children can use on their own so that you can get on with your work? Click on the link in my bio to take up your free 30-day trial to Reading Eggs now! ? . . . I downloaded it this weekend and I can tell you it is a success with Baba! He is usually not super keen on practising his alphabet ???But I caught him using the app on his own! Victoire! ?. . . Start with the placement test. It helps matching lessons to your children's ability. Et voilà! ?? . So many things I love about the app! ? - There are so many sections for all age groups - You have hours of practice guaranteed with over 120 lessons! - It's fun and colourful with songs, all kinds of games - It gets harder progressively and you can also have access to more challenging tasks - You have access to a parent dashboard to see how your kids are progressing - You also have a story factory with a step-by-step guide to writing a story for being super creative - Each time Baba completes a section I get an email to let me know what he learnt and some extra ideas for further learning through play - parent dashboard includes printable activity sheets for extra practice - It includes home learning tips to help parents get the best out of the app - You also have some maths activities! ??? What is there not to like?! It is such a great resource and very good support too for me! I can keep an eye on Baba learning, while I do some work. ⭐Redeem now your free 30-day trial with the link now in my bio to make homeschooling less stressful⭐ @readingeggs #readingeggs #learntoread #eggsplorer

#TeamFabletics LA VIE EN ROSE ? . . . Say no to good resolutions in 2021! ⛔They make you feel guilty and you are more likely to give up before January! Instead, think smarter! ? No need to rush, it is all about building good habits and having fun at the same time! ? . . . This year, I want to be more active, but also make the most of my local area. So we went for a long walk with the boys near us. No need to say that with my new @FableticsEU outfit, I felt super feminine! Even taking a break in the sun ?. . . If you are not already a VIP member, sign up now via the link in my bio. There are some new styles every week and some fab offers in January: 2 pairs of legging for £24€ or 50%OFF on a whole outfit! ? What is your smart goal this year? This little something you can do every day that will make you feel good? Share your #SmartRestart habit that will make you restart your year and mindset on a positive note ? #FableticsUK ?OUTFIT GIFTED, I am an ambassador for the brand and get to try its new releases each month ?

FEELING MISERABLE ???BUT LET'S LAUGH! ?? . . . It's Friday! Double click if you will pour yourself a big glass of vino tonight ??. Tell me something that made you laugh or giggle this week! ? . . Do you feel MEH? Already bored of being stuck at home with the kids after barely a week? I get you ? I went for a bike ride early this morning and I could not stop but laugh a bit. Within 5 min, I came across 3 people in total and this is what I saw ?: - the first one was a lady with a baby and a toddler way behind her, crying big tears. A tired mama with two kids and already a meltdown before 10 am. The lady gave me a sweet smile ? - Next was another mum with a young girl happily playing with a puppy (a Christmas present?). Far behind, clearly pissed off and unhappy to be part of this morning fun, a moody teen? - Last was a lady telling off her dog for not following her. The Frenchie bulldog was clearly not on the same page as his mummy! ? Do you know why I was on my bike in the freezing cold at 9.30am? Because I needed some fresh air. I slapped the door, told Grumpy to deal with Baba and off I went. I had been up from 7am trying to work and having technical issues. And I could not log onto the zoom lesson because our internet was gone. And Baba was less than ready to learn... Already! So I just had enough by 9am! ? Not even feeling guilty to let the kiddie with Papa. I have done enough this week, it was his turn to have fun! ? But those three mamas reminded me that we were all in the same boat, struggling! Really miserable and tired. But all of them gave me a smile. One even joked with me. She has not lost her humour. ???So let's laugh!???Tell me something that made you laugh or giggle this week! Bring it on! We all need some sunshine with this dark grey day ??? Hit me in the comment. I will sit down tonight with a good glass of wine and read all your stories ?Have a great weekend peeps! ? a memory from Xmas of my fave Frenchie in his element. Playing and looking so Frenchie in this gorgeous @cyrillusofficiel jumper via @alexandalexacom #cyrillusetvous #alexandalexa

SCHOOLS CLOSURE UNTIL THE SUMMER ?. . . Rumour has it that schools might be closed until the summer...What are the chances in your opinion? ???. What do you make of the BBC learning proposed to support parents? A gimmick to cover the current mess? Will you use it? Do you have enough work from school to keep the little ones busy? And now parents could report their child's school to Ofsted if online lessons aren't up to scratch during lockdown ? Thoughts on this? Would you do it? ?. . . Each day, I read the news and I feel for the teaching profession and parents. No doubt the second time in winter is harder. I won't lie, we had our moments with Baba already ?. . . But I am keeping a homeschool journal so that when this is over, I will be able to look back at everything I did with him while working full time. And I bet you I will feel pretty proud of it even if yesterday, I felt like a MASSIVE FAILURE! ??. . . I have already told you the other day. You got this and if sometimes you don't... Well, tomorrow is another day! It is harder than the first time around but keep the wine ready and enough chocolate in the house for everyone! Or you can kill your other half...Considering this right now! ???? Sending you all the good vibes possible! #yougotthis #yougotthisgirl #yougotthismama

MON PETIT POIS SCHOOLED AT HOME??. . . And that's it for another few weeks of homeschooling and the joys that go with it ? What do you think of it all? Do you feel that schools should remain open at all costs? Kids are said to be less likely to get ill ?‍♂‍. . . Do you feel like once more, the government is letting parents down? Many argue that kids' education is yet again stripped away from them without any warning. It goes even without talking about the exams cancelled...? . . . Some even say that we should vaccinate teachers and school staffs so that we can reopen school ASAP? What do you think? ?. . . . And Boris to talk to us again later on today... Either way, mums are will be more vulnerable in the working place thanks to another lockdown with homeschooling ?. . . Just remember this! YOU GOT THIS! And take it all with self-kindness. My little pea here present will have to do with my skills to educate him while trying to run my own little business ???

BONNE ANNÉE 2021 ??? . . . How are we all feeling about 2021? Did you have a nice break over the Christmas holiday? Did you come up with some reachable targets you can achieve without feeling too much pressure? ? . . . We are back homeschooling in Kent. So I decided to focus on only three things 2021 ? ? 1. Be kinder with myself and not feel guilty when I don't achieve things. It is not worth the stress to the point to be physically sick! 2. Take time for others and nurture my relationships. We are stronger with our tribe. I want to spend more time with people who are here for me and lift me up. 3. Be smarter when working. It is not about being busy. It is all about working smart and achieve more while spending less time. I would love to develop my passive income. Have you made the same choice for this year? Did you pause over last month and reflected on what you really wanted for 2021? Will you put less stress and pressure on yourself as a mum? ? A snap that summarises well what we have been up to over the last two weeks. Relaxing at home with a good book in our Pjs ?? Happy Monday!