Books We've Been Reading | May 2021 | PLUS WIN A MYSTERY BOOK BUNDLE!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to read. It's something I've always enjoyed and I think it's so important that we grow and nurture a love of reading for future generations. We've really missed our trips to the library, it's so good to be back.  Here's what we've been reading this month....

#BWBR | May 2021

Reading has always been a big part of our family life. I read so much as a child and my daughter appears to be following in my footsteps. Each month we aim to share the Books We've Been Reading and I thought it might be nice to have a nosey through the books that others have enjoyed. As a reader I'm always on the hunt for new reads and as a parent I always want to know what books to keep an eye out for in the library so whether it's children's books or adults books I'd love for you to take part in this link up and help us all to grow our 'to be read' piles! 

#BWBR May 2021

Reading has always been a big part of our family life. I read so much as a child and my daughter appears to be following in my footsteps. Each month we aim to share the Books We've Been Reading and I thought it might be nice to have a nosey through the books that others have enjoyed. As a reader I'm always on the hunt for new reads and as a parent I always want to know what books to keep an eye out for in the library so whether it's children's books or adult's books I'd love for you to take part in this link up and help us all to grow our 'to be read' piles! 

#BWBR April 2021 Blogger Link Up

 

Reading has always been a big part of our family life. I read so much as a child and my daughter appears to be following in my footsteps. Each month we aim to share the Books We've Been Reading and I thought it might be nice to have a nosey through the books that others have enjoyed. As a reader I'm always on the hunt for new reads and as a parent I always want to know what books to keep an eye out for in the library so whether it's children's books or adults books I'd love for you to take part in this link up and help us all to grow our 'to be read' piles!

#BWBR Book Link Up | March 2021

 

Reading has always been a big part of our family life. I read so much as a child and my daughter appears to be following in my footsteps. Each month we aim to share the Books We've Been Reading and I thought it might be nice to have a nosey through the books that others have enjoyed. As a reader I'm always on the hunt for new reads and as a parent I always want to know what books to keep an eye out for in the library so whether it's children's books or adults books I'd love for you to take part in this link up and help us all to grow our 'to be read' piles!

NEW! Book Based Blogger Link Up. NOW OPEN!

Reading has always been a big part of our family life. I read so much as a child and my daughter appears to be following in my footsteps. Each month we aim to share the Books We've Been Reading and I thought it might be nice to have a nosey through the books that others have enjoyed. As a reader I'm always on the hunt for new reads and as a parent I always want to know what books to keep an eye out for in the library so whether it's children's books or adults books I'd love for you to take part in this link up and help us all to grow our 'to be read' piles!

Books We've Been Reading | July 2020

We haven't written a Books We've Been Reading post in a very long time. Largely due to the fact I had a rough 18 months where the blog lay abandoned but also due to the local library being struck by disaster...twice. Our town experienced extensive flooding in November, thankfully my families homes were okay but our wonderful local library was completely destroyed. A temporary library was set up in an unused retail unit in town but then Coronavirus made itself known and closed that! Those first few months with no new books were tough but thankfully our local The Works opened and took good care of us with their amazing 10 books for £10 offer. These are some of our favourites.

*please note that the books below were purchased in store and are not available to directly link online. I have therefore linked to the books elsewhere online. These links maybe affiliate links and may earn me a small commission but you will incur no charge. Thank you for supporting my blog.

Living Arrows | Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This is Iris with my mum and my mum's husband. He's been in our lives for about 7 years now. I was an adult when he entered my life and because of that I feel like I can't refer to him as 'my dad' but in all the ways a girl could need her dad this man has stepped up. He's been there for me through thick and thin. He's held my hand throughout a fair few mental health challenges, he's listened, he's talked and he's understood but most importantly he has embraced my daughter with a love that goes beyond the boundaries of 'mum's husband'. He's her Papa...he's our Papa and we'd be lost without him.

Living Arrows | Fun With Ben and Holly

Fun with Ben and Holly? An interesting title considering the look on Iris's face. She doesn't exactly look like she's having fun! This is one of my favourite ever pictures of my daughter purely because her grandparents had been telling me for weeks how much she enjoys 'the ride outside Iceland' and when I finally got round to seeing it myself this is what I was met with.

Living Arrows | There's A Toddler On The Loose!

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

Back to blogging and back to our favourite post, our weekly Living Arrows photograph. A link up sharing a snap shot of life as a child and what better celebration of childhood than a family party where you get to put on your best party dress, your fancy new shoes and you get to strut (and I mean strut!) your stuff on the dancefloor.

Me and Mine | October 2018

The photo above was taken as we strolled through our home town. The gorilla was promoting a local costume and character hire company and he was making quite an impression! There were lots of children (and adults!) that were afraid of this very lifelike beast but Iris astounded me with how keen she was to get near the gorilla, squealing and laughing and reaching out for a high 5! She amazes me with her bravery, she is absolutely fearless.

Living Arrows | Finger (and face, arms, body and toe) Painting!

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

In my mind this was going to be a lovely Pinterest worthy parenting moment. In reality the photo above shows Iris gagging from the paint she just ate. It's made a good photo but ultimately this wasn't the calm, methodical painting session I imagined, partly due to Iris being a little young and partly due to my completely unrealistic expectation!  

Living Arrows | All The Fun of The Fair

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

The fair's in town! When I was a teenager the fair was the place to be, we spent hours stood around the waltzer making eyes at boys. I have such fond (and rather cringey) memories of the fair and now I get to add a new set of memories as a parent!

Living Arrows | Welcome To The Fun Palace

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This week's post is yet another one featuring our local library. I've always loved the library but since having Iris I've discovered so much more that it has to offer and i'm astounded that it's mainly free or amazingly affordable. These photos were taken at the annual Fun Palace that tours hundreds of places across the UK.

Living Arrows | We are all so tired.

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

This week's Living Arrows is sponsored by caffeine! I am not exaggerating when I say that these last few weeks have been hellish. Iris has always been a fantastic sleeper, even in the newborn days we would get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time so it's been quite a shock to the system for her to turn one and suddenly stop sleeping!

Living Arrows | Another Day...Another Dog Photo....

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

Puppy + Child + Wash Basket = Too Much Cute.

Me and Mine | September 2018

I've seen the 'Me and Mine' link up appear on quite a few of the blogs I follow and decided to have a go myself. I love the idea that it's about sharing a photograph of the whole family as more often than not it's one of us taking a picture of the other two so it's good to be making a conscious effort to get us all in front of the camera.

Living Arrows | My Big Boy Turns 8!

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

This weeks Living Arrows is a special one as it's dedicated to my other child (no, not Daddy!), this week is all about Ian. My big man is turning 8, not that he knows it! He is still very much a puppy at heart. He bounces around the house and greets all people with an enthusiastic jump, lick and fuss. He maybe looking a little grey around the edges but his personality hasn't aged since the day I brought him home.

Living Arrows | One Year Old

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

This week's Living Arrows is a thought provoking one. It was Iris's first birthday and I anticipated a glorious collection of photographs celebrating a glorious weekend of activities. We had a family day on her actual birthday, just me, Iris and Daddy. Then we had plans to go to the football match on the Saturday and then we were having a party with all our friends on the Sunday. In my mind it was going to be 'Insta-fabulous' but in reality the photos are largely just blurry smudges and nothing like the perfection I expected.

Books We've Been Reading | August 2018

The local library has always been one of my favourite places. A peaceful and quiet haven. A chance to get out of the house but not expose myself to too much social pressure. I have also always found comfort in reading and wanted to share this world of wonder with Iris. We read together daily and have a collection of books at home but we love heading to the library to see what new adventures we can discover. This month we borrowed...