10 Things That Made Me Smile This Month

Summer time is here but it is still so easy to focus on the negative in every day life. I am incredibly guilty of being the type of person that when something goes wrong, I instantly think everything is going wrong. So this week, I have decided to compile a list about what has made me smile this past month to try and get me to focus on the positives instead. 

1. The Glorious Sunshine. OK, so the heatwave we had last week had my make up dripping and my squash warm within 0.56 seconds of being in my hand, but the Sun has been most welcome. It is lovely soaking up some rays and getting some vitamin D. Living where I am too, there is some incredible scenery that becomes stunning when the Sun is shining. I think sunshine makes everyone happier.  
2. Netflix and Chilling. My Husband and I have been picking out some amazing films to relax with during an evening. There is nothing better than getting the children to sleep, curling up with a nice cold drink and sticking a film on. Some of the titles we have been watching lately have been; 'Things We Lost in the Fire', 'What Maisie Knew', 'Stranger Than Fiction' and 'The Age of Adaline'. If you do not have Netflix, I could not recommend it enough. Watching a good movie really does help to relax me before bed, although because of our parental state of tiredness it does take a couple of evenings to complete a film. 
3. Making the most of what we have. I did this by making a DIY box for my children to use as a pool. We have never purchased a pool for our garden as it is decking and quite small. The other Saturday, though, the temperature was just too high. So, we emptied out the big toy box that we use for the garden toys and filled it with water. It was perfect. It's big enough for the boys to get in and sit so they were happy enough and it helped take the edge off of the heat that day. It's amazing what you can come up with when you make the most of what you have in the house.  
4. A blast from the past. The other week, I ended up sitting in my garden chair, soaking up the sun and watching my children partake in an old past time of mine: painting the walls with water. It took me right back to my own childhood when I would spend hours with a paintbrush and a bucket of water. The boys loved it. Simple things like that end up being the most fun. 
5. Our Dinosaur Pool Returns. On Fathers Day, we spent the day watching my boys splash about at my parents in an actual pool. This was the day after their make shift box pool, so I think they were pretty chuffed to see it return from last summer. It is such a fun pool, perfect for little ones. To see which pool we have check out my blog post from last Summer; 30 Activities To Do This Summer. The dino pool features on number 27 of this list. 
6. My Love of Ant and Dec Grows. Hearing the news about Ant from my favourite duo saddened me deeply. Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge fan of the pair and watch everything of theirs. I am obsessed. So, after seeing support for Ant plastered all over the internet, it made me smile. I am so happy that he is getting the help and support that he needs. We all have our battles and tough times, I can not imagine how hard it is having to deal with them with the whole nation watching your every move, worried about being judged. I think he has been incredibly brave coming forward to deal with this in such a mature way. I just hope that it isn't long before we see his awesome smile and the duo back side by side making the nation laugh and weekends that bit brighter. 
7. My Surroundings. I have felt very relaxed lately, sat down looking around at my surroundings. It is so lovely living in the country side and seeing all of the colours looking beautiful and stunning. It helps me to stay mindful and calms me. I feel lucky living where I do.  
8. Getting Too Clever for his Boots. My Child came home the other week and demonstrated what he had been learning at school by jumping off the sofa. I told him to stop jumping off the sofa, or he would hurt himself. His answer was; "I'm just checking that gravity works Mummy! I learnt about it at school!" Well, who am I to argue with that?!  
9. Picnic Items from Asda. We went to our local Asda and picked up some amazing plastic picnic items. Now the weather has finally improved, I have really enjoyed being able to use these items. 
10. Bargain Garden Toys. Asda has also come up trumps when it comes to some amazing fun outside garden toys. I came across their '2 for £10' deal and purchased a giant snakes and ladders game, and some chalk toys as the boys love drawing on the driveway at my parents. Check out their fantastic range of garden toys HERE. 

10 simple things have made me smile this month. They may be simple but they have a catastrophic effect when thought of. Thinking of 10 things helps to remind me that there is good in this life, a lot of good. Now, it's time to make some memories and discover more things that will make me smile. What has made you smile this month? Pop a comment below, I would love to hear from you. If you fancied finding out more about what makes me smile, check out my post on Just A Few Parenting Highlights.

For more daily doses of parenting highs and lows, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.