How do you keep your children active and entertained during summer?

I know this is a blog mainly aimed at slimming but I am a busy mum with four children too and with the summer holidays fast approaching, I thought now would be a good time to get some summer based activities at the ready!

We are quite lucky in that we live a short walk from a large duck pond so we like to take walks up there and feed the ducks, it's a nice walk and sometimes we will take snacks with us so the children can sit down and have something to eat, it gets them out of the house after all!

It's so easy now with games consoles for children to get carried away and decide to stay indoors slumped in front of the TV but that is not being ACTIVE!  

So what can we do?

• The Park
• Walking to feed the ducks
• Day trips 
• The beach
• Garden activities
• Fun, Fun, Fun!!!

It can be draining for us, imagine how our parents felt!! They laugh at us now though ;)

I don't know about you but my children have the attention spans of fish if something isn't fun and exciting so will often get bored ... you know that BORED, mum I'm bored!!! So we do tend to vary what we do.

Again we are lucky that we have a beach - Barry - only a train ride away and not only is there the LUSH beach but there is also Barry Island, the funfair!! I love the funfair too so this is one of the activities I love as much as them, I am also partial to some candy floss :)

The key to an easy Summer with the kids is simple - You have to plan!

I need to keep my four boys active to wear them out else they'll be bouncing around the rooms come midnight. And as much as they love the fairground and beach sometimes it's the simple pleasures of having a pool set up in the garden, a barbecue and some family time, the pool games tire them out and I get a day off cooking as the hubby is the BBQ King! - Result!

I think The Simpsons have got the right idea!

It isn't always feasible to spend money everyday, maybe the weather isn't looking too good - Quite a regular thing here in Wales! So we do fun things indoors too. We have a Wii console and have Wii Fit for it and the boys love to play this together, they also like to make dens out of the dining table and sheets, cover the floor with blankets and presto ... they are camping out in the wild! All while I have a cuppa in the kitchen.

Kids will be kids though and they will get bored with something that you thought was fun but don't let it ruin it all, tomorrow is another day after all ... You'll have six weeks worth of other days to get it right ;) 

You could also check out Activity Toys Direct for great activity items/toys for your children! It's a great site and so easy to navigate, I'm sure you'll find something to keep your little ones entertained!

So, I'm on a diet, well not a diet but a healthy eating plan, you may have heard of it? It's called Slimming World!

I joined Slimming World in February 2014. I needed to because my weight was just going up and up! I have been a member in the past and found the diet really easy to follow but was struggling to manage it alone in the house, the group offers a great support network and I find that having to get weighed every week by someone else gives me the push I need to stay on track.

You've got free range with food but you do have to eat sensibly and remove fat from meats but you should also take note of the Free and Super Free foods in the book, these are an important part of the plan and should be enjoyed with all meals. 

You also get an allowance of 15 Syn's a day which should be used, they are there for you to use them and I do find that I get a better loss when I have used the Syn's rather than keep them!

In Slimming World you get awarded with a certificate and a sticker as you progress through your weight loss journey. This is the first sticker I got.

I got it for loosing half a stone and I was so happy with it. It really is an achievement and is a great feeling to be awarded for it, no I am not 5 years old but it's still a good feeling ;)

Exercise at home. 30 Day Challenge.

This month I have decided to take on two of the 30 Day Challenges. I am doing the 30 Day Squat Challenge and also the 30 Day Crunch Challenge. So far so good.

30 Day Squat Challenge

30 Day Crunch Challenge

Print them out and stick them somewhere, I have one stuck on the side of the kitchen cupboard and the other on the front of the fridge. At the start it feels like an easy challenge but already it is getting harder. I am now on Day 5.

I'll be a skinny Princess rather than a Dumpy Princess in no time :)