The British Homemaker - One day at a time

I am not the typical homeless person because I have some very caring friends and a good supportive mother who sees me through what I need. However, there are a few things I’ve come to realise about not having your own home: Your routine and comfort zones no longer exist, no matter how hard you try. You spend more than you would running a house. Mentally you are always aware of someone else around you in a very different way, not always in a good way. Your friends jump on board with you and keep you going, the most important way is emotionally. Suddenly mopping floors and cleaning baths become a dream. Dodging traffic wardens becomes a new hobby. En suite becomes a multi use room: shower, wash, wash up, change. Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night {because its down the hall} becomes a mini trip…door key, light, loo roll. Everyone seems to need your address, only when you don’t have one to give they have that ‘look’ in...

Photo fun whilst we were on a trip to Minehead two weeks ago….. Sometimes just walking, sitting, watching and idle chit chat is all we need. Peace.

My second stint at being homeless. Not my doing, it was just circumstances of the landlord and the indecisions of a would-of-been landlord. However it has not been plain sailing and as good as my mom is and as much as she is trying to help and be supportive, we are just totally different in characters, routines and attitudes. I am in her home, I have invaded her space and routine, I try to play by her rules {not that she really has rules, but expectations is more like it} yet for a few weeks we have been hit and miss with each other. We haven’t argued or anything of that nature, we just got into our own ways and forgot to stop and communicate. The constant opposition and hurdles knocked my confidence sideways. My kids and I need our own home, we need our space, routine, our own things around us and we need each other. We miss being our own little family doing things our way, we miss our silly moments, our bedtime routines and cuddles on the sofa while debating a tv programme. It’s ju...

The start of a new school year can be exciting yet expensive and time consuming, over the years I have learnt what not to do and how best to do the challenge. Here are my top 9 must-do’s:   Don't wait till the week before school starts! Two weeks before is fine {that’s what I usually do}. Make a shopping list for each child then go house shopping. It’s surprised what items we already have that we’ve stashed or forgotten about, especially stationary. Decide on your labelling system and get the kids involved. Be it a permanent pen or sewn in labels, most kids can do an effective job. Don’t try and do other shopping in town at the same time, make it a specific day for school shopping. With older kids, give them their own budget and let them go off and pick up there items. If you are like me and buy reduced priced items when they aren’t in season now is a good time to get them out, last year I didn’t buy many uniform items other than logo sweaters because...

A few weeks ago I got talking to the lady who founded Woman's Essence Magazine , Ady. Over a couple of emails I am excited to share that I am now an official writer for her upcoming, inspiring and woman focused online magazine! I get to write for two sections, Home & Family and Social & Relationships, both of which I think I cover pretty well. I have many an experience that I am happy to share so pop on over to the site and show me some love, ok? Ok my articles aren’t there yet, I’m still writing them but ya know what I mean. If you have/are experiencing some in life that you would like me to write about, please email me at: thebritishhomemaker @ gmail.com and I will dig through my journals, memory bank and/or anything else I have that can relate to the subject. What are you reading at the moment?

Even though I have been pretty slack at blogging for the last few months! Seems I am merited with a lil cute award anyways!   Thanks Tammy ! So now you gotta do this for YOU to get this same award! comment here. blog about this award linking back to me. tell me when you have blogged/linked. give the award to 7 of your favourite bloggers. add The British Homemaker on Facebook .   Have fun!  

We all have friends, different flavours, different backgrounds, different ages, colours and all that lot….but I am always amazed how friends really step up a level when the going gets tough…over the last few months I have made some really awesome ones who have lifted me when I’ve felt my life was too much, laughed when I tried to be funny, hugged me when I felt alone and assured me when I was feeling insecure. Friendship isn’t always on our wrists or visible for the world to see, we don’t always appreciate them but its when they need us, or we need them that the word friend really kicks in. I love my friends, the young and old, male and female, Lds and other. I am truly blessed to have so many people to inspire, guide, help and encourage me….and best of all…allow me to be in their lives!

Preparing for our camping trip I debated the options on how to cook, gas or bbq. In the end the bbq bucket won because I just love the taste of bbq’d meats. I had it all planned out in my head how I was going to serve a variety of good food whilst in the basicness of camping. This little baby got used twice! For these yummy chickens and for roasted marshmallows! My Bffffffff and F {secret joke} Michele {who’s tent we stayed in} allowed us to use her gas stove, cheating I know! But it was still the best £12 I’ve spent and I can see it becoming a permanent fixture in our lives. Kirsten and Charley love nothing more than to sit in the garden with me at night and now we have this they toast their marshmallows easily and safely. I picked this one up from Sainsbury’s just after their sale, but that’s ok, I did manage to snag me a water filter for half the cost at the same time! {Review on that another day!} Please remember that this should still be used under adult supervision...

On 29th July the kids and I took off to Cardigan in Carmarthenshire for an 8 day camping trip with our fellow Lds Single Adult and families and had a blast of a time. I’ve camped before but not a whole week with limited facilities but I have to say we just totally loved it. The Gellie-Liahona Campsite is owned and run by a fellow Lds family who are awesome, we’ll definitely be going back there again next year! Over the last few years the kids and I have really rethought our lifestyles and realised how materialistic we’d become so going back to basics wasn’t a hardship {though at times it was uncomfortable having dirty hair and limited clean clothes!} but actually freed us of all the things the worldly shackles. Now I am hyped on camping and already have another weekend planned with Single Adults only! We got there around 2ish but late on the night we hit a local beach in New Quay… Charley, along with my friends kids, jumped in the water…only Jules and Michele went in full...