I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Blogging, Blogging Advice/Information · July 17, 2019

Self Employed: Finding Work Life Balance in the Summer

Any self employed person will know how hard it is to work through the holidays, especially as a parent. Working from home in any form of self employment means working around the children over the summer, juggling family time with childcare and trying to find a balance that works for the whole family.

Over the holidays Dave will be off when his annual leave will allow – usually about 40% of the time. On the other hand, I’m always at home and make sure that through the holidays I don’t have any work commitments that take me away from the children unless I have alternative childcare arrangements in place.

As a rule we don’t use childcare in the holidays but Dave’s parents will have the children for a day or overnight if we need them to and we have used a holiday camp in the past as well – which the children loved and was a great way for me to get back on top of work too.

I have been told at times to just switch off over the holidays. To just not work and put an out of office on my emails, going back to it all when the children are back at school. In theory this sounds amazing – six long weeks without even looking at my laptop and spending twelve hours a day having fun with the children. But, if I don’t at least keep on top of emails during holidays I will come back to no work. I need to at least invoice for some work each month and agree work to complete and invoice the following month otherwise we’ll be in a financial pickle every time the children are off school.

So I thought it would be worth writing down how I’ll be aiming to get some sort of work life balance through the holidays whilst still getting paid and still having work to come back to in September.

Put family time first and work second

During the holidays I say yes to everything where the children are concerned. We go on holiday, we go on days out, we see friends and family. I then fit work into any time that is left over – mainly in the evenings.

Work when you can

As well as the evenings I will grab moments of work time when I can and I have to be quite resourceful with this. If we have a day at home the children will watch a movie in the afternoon – so I’ll do an hour of work. If we’re on a long journey and I’m not driving I’ll be checking emails or writing blog posts in the car. I’ll usually write what I can on aeroplanes too – any time when the children don’t need my attention focused on them I’ll grab a moment to work.

Prioritise

Over the holidays I have blog work that I need to do. I have two weekly linkies that I run that don’t stop for the holidays. Other than that my only priority is checking emails – and then agreeing work to be done when I have the time or simple things that I know I can do around the children. Anything else is not a priority and can wait until the children are back at school.

Schedule

I do as much work as I can whilst the children are still at school before the holidays start. I will schedule blog posts and a few social posts for during the holidays to relieve some of the pressure of having to post and I’ll then fill the gaps with ad hoc content based around days out or holidays as and when we have them.

Write lists

Lists really help my work life balance in the holidays. I’ll have a list of work I need to do and a list of work that I need to do at a later date. I’ll have a list of life admin I need to organise, things I need to sort out for days trips or holidays and a constant shopping list of food or travel supplies that we need to pick up. Lists make summer holiday organisation so much easier especially when you’re self employed.

Soft play

If all else fails, soft play is a blogger’s best friend. I find taking the kids to soft play for half a day and using their free wifi lets me work whilst I know the children are having the best time in a safe and secure environment. They’re happy and I get to catch up too.

Don’t overcommit

I always overcommit where life is concerned – we have about three spare days in the whole of the summer holidays. But, I don’t overcommit where work is concerned. I know that over the holidays I won’t have time to film talk to camera brand videos or do many product photos. But, I know we can have a short press trip or a review day out and the workload from that will be manageable. Over time I’ve learnt my limits and now I never take on too much work in the holidays and I push timeframes back when I can whilst in the negotiation stages.

Relax

My main focus over the holidays now is to relax. To take a step back, enjoy the children being off school and to know that everything will be fine. Work will be done, the kids will be happy and we’ll have a great six weeks of summer.

But, this is my third summer as a self employed parent working from home. I have had two summers already to get used to working around the children and it really does get easier. My main tip to anyone in the same position? Don’t feel bad if you sit and work whilst the kids watch a movie or you take them to soft play just to get work done. The kids are having a great time and that is all that matters to them. Plus, you juggling work means that you can be right there with them. Give yourself a break – and have a great summer.

If you have any tips on how to juggle life as a work at home parent in the holidays I would love to hear them!

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Comments

  1. Nigel says

    July 18, 2019 at 7:39 am

    Sounds like you have it all sorted for a fun time with your children throughout the holidays. Being self-employed myself I know how difficult it is, but family comes first. Have a fab summer holiday break.

    Reply
  2. JOhn Adams says

    July 18, 2019 at 11:36 am

    If you’re a blogger…don’t commit to making YouTube videos over summer! Too time consuming. Have a good summer.

    Reply
  3. Plutonium Sox says

    July 18, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    Great tips. Soft play and movies are a good call to keep them entertained while you get some work done. I do struggle to relax myself during the school holidays, it’s such a struggle to fit everything in.
    Nat.x

    Reply
  4. Kate Tunstall says

    July 19, 2019 at 1:28 pm

    Love this, Donna. It doesn’t quite apply to me yet as I’m working around a toddler all the time, but some brilliant advice for when the time comes. Have a fab summer! x

    Reply
    • Donna Wishart says

      July 19, 2019 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks Kate – you too! x

      Reply

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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