My daughter breaks up from school on Friday 17th July. I am looking forward to the break and not having to rush her in the mornings for a while.

Her father now has to pay higher child maintenance, which is great, as I won't have to worry so much of giving her extra cash in the holidays.

Next year is her final year (Year 11) so this a big milestone for her.

I have the date for her prom already in my diary and will start looking for dresses for her already through the charities I work with

Summer holidays are nearly here. Time to Google and Facebook search the ever living crumbs out the local area, find ever free or very low cost outting. See who has sales in their summer toys cos when I got the waterpewpews out of storage the cheap plastic has warped somehow and the footballs aren't refilling with a pump anymore. So time to shop, thankfully I got swimwear for this year from last year's sales lol. Plus it's my youngest end of primary school! Where's the time gone? In positive was just yesterday they were a babe in arm. I can't afford teacher gifts this year, I can bake em a cake or something. Maybe cook em dinner first their first weekend off too lol. Idk. Something meaningful but affordable. And one big day out treat, something like Beamish or blackpool or Windermere for a day trip.

I'm very lucky mind, cos my local council and market have different family friendly activities on throughout the summer. Most of in July but if we do all the busy activity stuff first, follow up with some home activities (maybe a sponsored clean! If only we could sponsor a holiday :⁠-⁠D ), but simple things like cornflour on the lino with socks in, you've indoor ice skating. Draw faces on balloons and let them go so looks like the balloons are blowing raspberries. Then reuse those balloons for some kitchen safe chemistry. And kids my age are keen to show their maturity, so let them take turns planning and budgeting and preparing and then cooking dinner. Make it special, like a role play at a Michelin star restaurant or whatever eatery they want to imagine you're at. Can use paper to make menus with the nights speciality on it. Teach them cooking and budgeting and planning skills, embed their maths and English and science work into (maybe com tech too with the online research for recipes or ingredients). And make a family bonding activity. If your kids are really into cooking you could invite their friends over and extend the special evening to include their friends (good idea for some teens and most preteens, as they start needing friendships more than feeling overly parented). And any age, you can never go wrong with a bucket of water full of sponges. By mid August they'll be so worn out they'll sleep til sept lol (unless you're my kids then they'll have done all the above within the first weekend without breaking a sweat ^⁠_⁠^).

Summer holidays are always stressful and emotional, the lack of routine is hard on diverse families. Juggling childcare, children's wishes and interests with work and family opportunities together. It's alot to manage for any parent, more so for low income parents. Cos there are social expectations that over the summer holidays we'll have somehow enriched our children through some specific activities or thing. Like a museum trip or holiday abroad. The things I've listened above as free, low cost or using what you'd already use in special ways (like cooking, crafting) often get belittled as "not that special, that what parents should magically be fitting into every moment in the day in the couple of hours between waking up and school/work, then leaving school/work and bed". It's poppycock. End of the day, between work or looking for work or housework or whatever else is overwhelming the parents mind and making them feel like failures in these costly days and years. If all you can do on any given day is find some time to do with the time, energy and resources available to you is one activity with you kid, then you are enriching them. I'm not talking bug activities like the ones I first mentioned, I'm talking sitting and watching a movie together, talking about a book, talking about work or school or friends. Play some easy word games, like would you rather or the alphabet game. Give them a task or challenge to do before you go to work and then discuss it afterwards. Like "take a photo of something historic" or "do a kind deed" or "surprise yourself" and then talk about what they did, why they picked that thing, how it fit the task, how it felt, would would they do like to do next. Etc.

The best thing we can do is try to give our kids as much of our time as we're able too, however much we can as often as we can with as much focus and intentionally engagement as we can. Doesn't matter if their summer holidays means a Disney world cruise or throwing stones at the local brook, what they'll remember most when they grow up, what will stick with them longest, is us showing an interest in them and their lives, in their ways.

I can't use this summer holidays to give my kids "the time of their lives". But with the time I have with them, around all our commitments, I can enjoy hanging out with my kids and invest time, attention and love into their lives and growth (I'll probably still shout at them to get their shoes outta the hallway for a change too - I said I'd try, not that I'd be perfect >⁠.⁠< ). No such thing as a perfect parent, or perfect holiday or perfect life. We should strive to enjoy what we can while we can for as long as we can. Yes you can can can! (⁠^⁠^⁠) Sorry not sorry, the cringe in me must be expelled before July 20th to avoid the shame of the cheugy all summer long. Have fun everyone.

Is nice windy day, the wind is nice cool loving it so much

Hello everyone, I hope everyone out there are enjoying summer, thanks for the book. I did read it and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who participated in it

Came from the Food bank, where we do a shopping for 5 pounds, they didn't have much in today but it's better than nothing. Weather is good today. Thank God the heat wave is gone. I've put baby to sleep and my older son went out with his friends. I'll do some laundry now and cook as well.

It’s nice to have the weather warmer. Getting to get things done slowly. It gets easier on some days.

Happy about the sweet weather.

What a week it's been.

My daughter had her very last day in school where they had a massive foam fight and she won an award for student most likely to be a millionaire. I really hope so.

My youngest went to his 1st settling in session in reception by himself and he practically shooed me out of the door. Which was bitter sweet but I absolutely don't regret my decision to send him to school at 5 instead of 4. It's really set him up to thrive in an education system that isn't ready to support neurodivergent children properly.

My middle son is struggling in this heat. Like me he is neurodivergent and medicated for adhd. This adds its own tricky problems because with a raised heart rate it makes it harder to regulate your own temperature. Keeping him in school is difficult at the best of times but his hay-fever and the heat are making it so hard. His dad took him a fan yesterday and had to fight for him to be allowed it because the school don't allow them.... even in 33 degree heat! Luckily with his ehcp its mentioned about dysregulated behaviour when too hot or cold so they agreed. But fighting to keep a kid in school shouldn't be this hard.

I took the 3 kids up to mam tor in the early hours of Sunday morning to watch the sun rise for the summer solstice. It was such a beautiful and inexpensive experience.

I have 5 weeks left until my double knee surgery. And I'm panicking. As a single mum I've timed it in the summer holidays so I can avoid missing school journeys and letting anyone down or relying on people. But with that timing brings its own challenges. I'll be alone with my youngest in recovery, I need to pre plan convenience meals and snacks for him. I need to buy things that will allow us to make a bed and live downstairs for a while. Pay for taxis to get to and from my rehab appointments etc and the anxiety is a lot.

I know I can online food shops but the cheapest supermarkets near me don't offer that service so once again I'm back winging life and hoping I don't sink x

Belfast is 26 degrees and I've made the choice to keep my child off school. I get uc tomorrow and already owe out 50 percent of it to debt. So I will need to budget for a while to break even on finances again, so we will be spending the start of summer at home every day.

Woke up late today because baby was up at 2 o clock and stayed up for 2 hours than went back to sleep past 4. Had a chill day stayed home all day watching the World Cup. Hopefully if tomorrow the weather is nice we will go to town. Baby is asleep now and I hope he will sleep well throughout the night.

When everything seems doom and gloom

Put in the news it’s all fighting and violence, scroll through social media again everyone moaning, posts that are depressing.

Little cash to do things with the kids, people beginning to post about day trips and holidays causing parent guilt as what’s a holiday it’s been that long? Kids constantly ask if they can go on holidays as their friends are.

I think social media can be a real cause of mental health because some people make out they have it all, they have top of the range phones, children in clubs, extravagant holidays, photo after photo of their perfect lives when in fact it’s all for show and to brag those very people are probably in so much debt. But not realising the pressure their posts put on those less fortunate.

Is it any wonder that mental health issues are on the rise? It’s a real shame that family time isn’t championed as laughter and fun is the best medicine so families should be helped and encouraged to have fun family times as this then helps the wellbeing of all. And why should holidays and fun be only really accessible to those more fortunate. Then there’s attendance fines which add more pressure to already struggling families.

Not logged in for a while as been busy time, son turned 13 so been juggling the cost of that, we’re fortunate that weather was nice and had bbq and put out camping tent in garden. He was aware we didn’t have much money. At least we made most of it xx very proud of him as a person as he knows it's hard but also I told him this is my burden to carry not his. I need be self aware not to “pass “ on my frustrations onto him xx

The book came in post today and this was really warm feeling to be part of something much bigger and support out there xx thank you to The changing Realities Project for campaigning and support and peer support from other members. xx