Twenty Questions to ask your children...

Life at this time of year is busy. On top of the usual demands of both grown ups in our house working full time, commitments of a blog and a scout troop to run, school and clubs for the children, there is also the extra pull of festive events, plays, Christmas parties and more. Sometimes it feels like the whole family is constantly on the go and we barely have a moment to really talk to each other. So when Shepherds Friendly got in touch to tell me about their 20 questions to ask your children worksheet, I thought it was an ideal opportunity to sit down with Elizabeth (6) and Ben (9) to have a chat and maybe reveal some interesting answers. I do of course chat to them both about their day on our walk home from after school club but they are often tired and sometimes the best I can get out of my eldest is what he had for lunch!




Over the weekend we sat down with with a hot chocolate and a biscuit each and I 'interviewed' both of my children using the worksheet available over on the Shepherds Friendly website. They loved the novelty of it and I found that some of the answers were predictable, others surprised me while a couple were just so heartwarming they nearly brought a tear to my eye. I've typed up their responses below:

Twenty Questions I asked my Children

1. What is your favourite colour?

Elizabeth: Green!

Ben: Red

2. Who is your best friend? 

E: Nathan

B: Billy

3. What is your favourite TV programme?

E: Skylanders

B: Horrible Histories

4. What do you want to be when you grow up?

E: A teacher and a mummy

B: An Author or an inventor

5. What car do you want to have when you grow up?

E: A blue one

B: BMW

6. If you could go anywhere in the world on holiday, where would you go?

E: Cornwall!

B: South Africa

7. Do you want to get married one day?

E: I’m not quite sure…

B: No

8. How many children would you like to have?

E: One

B: Four

9. What age are you when you become an adult?

E: 17

B: 20

10. What are you good at?

E: Skipping and drawing

B; Football and making up stories

11. If you had a superpower what would it be?

E: Fire!

B: Being able to teleport

12. If you had one wish, what would that be?

E: That everyone in the whole world is happy

B: To own a restaurant so I could eat there every day

13. What do I do as a job?

E: Earn money

B: Working in the glass building in Manchester

14. What are you scared of?

E: Nothing because I’m a brave girl

B: The dark

15. What is your favourite song?

E: Bohemien Rhapsody

B: 12 days of Christmas

16. What is your favourite class at school?

E: Dinosaur topic

B: Science because we're learning about Space at the moment

17. What is something I always say to you?

E: Love you lots like jelly tots

B: Be good

18. What is the hardest thing you've ever had to do?

E: Hard work at school

B: Carrying my heavy rucksack on a hike

19. What makes you happy? 

E: Playing with my friends

B: Playing with my friends

20. What makes you sad? 

E: When I fall over and get hurt

B: Being told off

Reading through the answers I can see both my children's individual personalities stand out. My kind and loving but fearless six year old who loves rocking out to Queen and my cautious and sensible but imaginative nine year old who adores his food and loves learning about the world he lives in!

As well as being something to look back on as they get older (I may even ask them again each year to see how things have changed), some of the answers my children gave made me reflect on how I talk to them. The fact that they didn't really understand what I did for work everyday surprised me and I will certainly try to be more open with them about this from now on. Their answers to question seventeen made me wonder if I talk differently to my son and my daughter, She remembers happy words of love while he has the cautionary reminder to 'be good' at the front of his mind. I will work on this.

Overall it was a fun little exercise that we all enjoyed, I would recommend having a go with your children, do let me know in the comments or on twitter if you get any funny or surprising answers!

How to join in:

• Download and print off the worksheet above
• Ask your child(ren) the questions and why not get them to colour in or decorate it too? You could even frame it!
• Why not take a picture and share it on social media to share with your family and friends
• Use the hashtag #ShepherdsTwenty so that you can share your child’s answers with other parents.
• Don’t forget to put a note in your diary to do it again next year (or just let it appear on timehop!)
The twenty questions to ask your children worksheet was designed and provided by Shepherds Friendly Society who offer a range of savings plans including a Junior Isa.

Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.

Fridge Friday...

 

This month my fridge is proudly displaying E's artwork from nursery, including stencil painting, potato printing and a beautiful framed handprint.

It is also showing off some lovely graphics work B has done on the computer at school and in the top right a picture of the fabulous den that he and his best friend built in the playground in the last week of term!

Taking centre stage we have B's certificate from when he was 'Friday's Special person' a few weeks ago and his latest 'star of the week' award for being very helpful...

Dotted inbetween my children's 'trophy’s' we have some photos, including one of B in the bath (this is about four and a half years old but has been on our fridge as long as I can remember!) and some of our recent trips to Chester Zoo and Gulliver's world...

Filling in the spaces are...

the Olympic Tickets being held on by a very specal London2012 snowglobe (We're rather excited!)

...a Free pass to Blackpool water park that we won in the raffle at the school fair

...and of course tonight’s winning Euromillion’s ticket*

So that is the My Mummy's Pennies Family Fridge in July! Please do feel free to join in and leave your link below, don't forget to grab the badge!

I will return with a fridge door full of new favourites in August.

*disclaimer - this may be wishful thinking on my part.

 So what is Fridge Friday all about?

Well, Having two young children, one in school and one in nursery, they are constantly bringing home lovely pictures, creations and certificates of their achievements and I love to put them up on the fridge door to show them off along with some pictures of our days out. It's become a tradition now and if they come home from school or nursery with something they are proud of they immediately ask if it can be put up (Well B asks, E just toddles in to the kitchen and points!)

But, as there is limited space I regularly have to take things down to make room for more and I recently realised that I am not keeping a record of these lovely makeshift displays. So I decided I wanted to do something to capture it. I came up with the idea of doing a monthly post on the last Friday of each month where I take a snapshot of the current adornments of the fridge and document what is being displayed.

I also though I'd try a linky (my first) to see if anyone else fancied joining in? You don't have to link to a blog post it could just be a picture on twitter or whatever you like, so why not share your family's Fridge displays?

Grab my button
and join in with fridge friday
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The Olympics...

 

 

Thank you to Clare at Emmy’s Mummy  for tagging me in her post and passing the Olympic torch onto My Mummy’s Pennies, and thanks to Lou from Bloggomy who started this fun meme.

As you may have seen on previous posts the My Mummy’s Pennies family have caught Olympic fever! We got very excited watching the flame pass through Prestwich the other week and are very excited to be going to watch the football quarter finals at Old Trafford in August! So here goes my attempt at the questions that are being passed around...

1) If every day tasks were Olympic events what would you get a gold medal in?

Definitely Bargain Hunting! As my husband would say I have a sixth sense when it comes to a Sale and can always find that hidden clearance shelf! It’s a trait I get from my mum, we often spend hours on the phone comparing our bargain purchases!

2) As a child (or now even) did you excel at a particular sport and if so which one?

I was not a very sporty child I’m afraid! I have Dyspraxia so I’m rather uncoordinated! (Or clumsy!) I always had an excuse when it cam to PE in school, I had ‘that time of the month’ every other week! Although as an adult my husband (who is a sporty outdoorsy type) has rubbed off on me a little and we have walked up to the top of Snowdon (While I was pregnant with E!) and I have also taken part in the Shine half marathon for Charity so if I had to choose a sport to ‘excel’ in it would be walking! (HeHe! Does that count?)

3) Michael Phelps (swimmer) or Michael Johnson (runner) – which sport appeals to you more?

It has to be swimming! Although as I’ve mentioned above I’m not the sporty type I always enjoyed swimming and have taken both my children to baby swimming classes from 4 months old, which they loved! I t was a fantastic bonding experience and it’s great to see how confident they both are in the water now!

4) How fast can you get out of bed and ready to go out the door if you miss the alarm and sleep in?

Superfast! I start work at 8, so have to be out the house before seven (my lovely hubby does the morning school and nursery run) and I’m sometimes up until 2am blogging so giving the alarm clock a snooze too many is not uncommon! I have been known to leap out of bed, shower, dress, and be out the door in 15 minutes if needed!

5) What fantasy sport would you like to see made into an Olympic event?

  Nappy Changing! That’s certainly one us women would get more medals than the men in!

6) Claim to fame time – Have you ever met an Olympian and who was it?

 Not an Olympian but  as a teenager I worked on reception for a large bank and the Liverpool football players were clients, apparently  regularly chatted to a few of them when they came in, but not being a football fan I had no idea who they were at he time!

7) What event in past Olympics can you remember most vividly?

Not an event as such but I was in the final year of primary school in 1996 and I have fond memories of all the activities and Olympic themed fun we had in preparation for the Atlanta Games that year, In fact when my mum was clearing out my old bedroom recently she found some of my old school books and among them was a collage of the Olympic rings I had done that had been on the wall in my classroom!
 

8) Tuning in at home, not for me or tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms?

Tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms! But it won’t be me going unfortunately! I ordered tickets for the football quarter finals last year as a surprise for my husband to take our two children and his Dad,  I was going to go as well until I found out his Grandad hadn’t been able to get tickets so he’s having mine! I have to admit I’m a little sad not to be going but as I’ve mentioned I’m not a big football fan and I’m really happy that my children will get to be part of it all. It’s lovely actually as four generations of our family will be going together; my children, their Daddy, their Grandad, and their Great Grandad…
 

9) Who do you think most deserves a gold medal (any walk of life not just Olympians).

Has to be my husband! (for putting up with me amongst other things…)

I am passing on the Flame onto…

Hex Mum

Mum Mum Heart

And

Tired Mummy of Two

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the Olympics this summer whether you’ll be watching at home or cheering along in person!