Ahh, our little darlings. Our tweens. Let’s sit for a moment, with a cup of tea, and remember the days when they brought nothing but joy to our lives. Remember just last autumn, as you strolled through the woods, collecting a million conkers or lazy weekend mornings larking around in bed. Oh, those were the days. The pre tween-trauma days. Sigh.

What’s a tween? Allow me to clarify. You’ll have seen the species slouching around school gates, with masterfully untucked school shirts, makeup unmatched to skin tone, and smartphone arm extensions. They are an animal unlike any other. Their indecisiveness rivalled by none. Bewildering, and difficult to anticipate, the tween must always be approached with caution.

Parents who have lived out these days, I salute you. Those who have it to come, I wish you well. Those who are on the journey with me, let’s tackle this head on. Here are five common challenges that each and every pre-teen owner mum, must face. United, we stand.

5 ways the tween years test every mother

1. Mum who?

We’ll keep this short and sweet. If you’re a dad, you’re likely not cool. If you’re a mum, you’re definitely not cool. Yes, you gave birth to them. No, it doesn’t matter. Your days are done. Step aside, you’re officially old and you know nothing

2. Independence day

…weeks, years! Will it ever end?! They’ve found their voice and they’re running with it. They say ‘no’. Why? For no other reason than, Just. Because. They. Can. Family days out are now a bore, dinner conversations obsolete. The bedroom is the place to be. Be prepared for ever changing looks and styles from their clothes to the decor. One minute they want plush comfortable carpet, the next it is laminate flooring so its fine if they spill their make up on it, This is the time when our little people become their own person. They develop opinions, test ground, and rebel to settle into their own personality. And oh boy, that does NOT involve the parents.

3. The intrigue of the unknown

It’s time to let go a little bit. Allow some freedom. You know it’s right, but to pre-teens, freedom is addictive. It’s the Walker’s Chicken and Thyme Sensations of the tween world. Once they get a taste of it, they want it all. For mums, that’s pretty terrifying. Letting go is one thing, but finding the balance is another. After all, what tween likes to hear ‘no’? Especially when it means being kept nothing short of captive in their own double-glazed, semi-detached home, with central heating and every gadget and gizmo you can imagine. Captive, I tell you.

4. Identity crisis, or should that be crises

As your little person comes into their own, image is everything. And for someone who’s always had their clothes selected, their shoes shined, and their hair styled for them, figuring out their own look is quite the challenge. Get ready for serial switch-ups across tonnes of trends.

5. Hormone hell

The pre-teen years are hormone hell for tweens and parents alike. Sure, they probably have a rougher time of it than you, overall. Still, get ready for one almighty adolescent adventure. Just watch out for those swinging moods. Duck, dive, do what you need to do. That’s not all though, being a mum means being there when the dust settles and your tween needs your support. Take those hits on the chin.

And once it is over, we have the teenage years to look forward to. I can't wait!

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I always remember being set an assigment at school that asked us to describe our favourite place in the world but I don't think my teacher was expecting me to go into significant detail as to why my bed was my favourite place!! The assignment was more to do with the places that make us happy and this is was clearly what that teacher was hoping to find!

According to recent research, eating a pub lunch in the Cotswolds has been voted the nation’s ultimate "happy place", with hiking in the Lake District coming in a close second, followed by eating an ice-cream on Brighton Beach. Interestingly, the researchers from SACO, The Serviced Apartment Company, polled UK holidaymakers and revealed one in four Brits believe there is "no place like home" when it comes to holidays.

We recently went on a trip to London to see friends for the weekend and had an amazing time taking in the sights of London, which is apparently number 10 on the list! 

We were really lucky and got a brilliant day of sunshine to walk around and be tourists for the day. Although hilariously, the research found that 27 percent said it was a must to get blown about on a windy beach and 24 percent said you haven’t experienced a true British holiday until you have been caught in torrential rain.

You forget how amazing London is and how the history blends with the modern buildings at every turn. I "may" have mentioned in a previous blog post that I walked 20,400 steps that day and while it would have been good fun to go on an open top bus, walking was the healthier option! 

Happy Places are not just something that researchers created for marketing purposes, Professor Christopher Peterson wrote a book explaining that when we are acutely aware of the moments in our life that give us pleasure, we can extend these experiences to maximize the amount of pleasure we get from them. Finding our own happy place is good for the mind, body and soul. 

So last weekend as we sat in a rooftop bar, looking over St Pauls it is such a shame to think of all the tragedy that London has seen recently because it not only has the ability to inspire happiness but to inspire curiosity, impart historical knowledge and give a sense of patriotism that is rarely found in any other city in the UK.

For me, my happy place will always be wherever my friends and family are. As long as we are laughing, we could be anywhere on this list.

How about you? Where is your happy place?

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I haven't written a frugal post for a little while, mainly because the summer hoildays sucked the life out of my finances but we shall ignore that "small" detail for now.  The beginning of September meant back to school, so after buying school shoes, new uniform and a seemingly endless supply of stationery, it was time to get savvy and a little more frugal.

I have had to dig deep and find the best way to save money, so here is the best of my frugal ways from the past week.

Last weekend we went to London to see friends but rather than stay in a swanky hotel, we stopped in their daughters room and on the first night, had a curry and stayed in with a few drinks. We could have gone out for a meal but instead of trying to catch up in a busy restaurant and paying for over priced drinks, we saved money and were actually able to hear each other talk too. Double win there!

While we were in London we walked EVERYWHERE. Anyone who knows me will know that I am permanently in heels, so you can imagine how my feet felt after walking 20,400 steps around London. It was a gorgeous day (and in light of the recent tube attacks I also felt it was the safer option) but sometimes it is so easy to jump on a tube to get anywhere in London but we saved ourselves the cost of tube tickets and managed to see so much of London while we were doing it!

I keep encouraging the girls to clear out their bedrooms (it is an ongoing process) and they have become a little enterprising, so everytime they look to get rid of something they now ask if I can put it on local selling pages or eBay for them. The youngest has actually made £50 and is loving making money to put in her savings account. 

I am always looking to learn new things, so signed up for a free blogging course this week. I may have been putting content online since 2009 that is not to say there aren't lots of exciting things to learn and put to use. Fab to find a free offer too.

Next week I am hoping to make some savings on my electricity costs ..... wish me luck! 

As always, I’m linking up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Fabulously Frugal things I’ve done this week linky.

Have you managed to stay money savvy this week or blown the budget like me over the summe?

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I spend ALOT of time on a computer and use a laptop most of the time as I can work on the go (or while the girls are doing after school acitvities) but that flexibility comes with its downfalls.

The "mouse" on a laptop isn't the best design for regular use which is why I was interested to find out more about the Penclic B2 Mouse. Apart from the strong ergonomic advantages found in Penclic products, they strive to include nifty technological functions and smart, clean Scandinavian design ... it also helps to prevent RSI.

The Penclic Mouse B2 has the appearance of a classic inkwell with a stylish white pen.The pen and base together are one complete unit, joined at a ball joint. The base resembles a traditional mouse but you move the base itself across the surface of your desk for cursor movement, while you then use the pen portion, to action the standard mouse button controls.

I have enough wires with different devices charging all the time so having a bluetooth connection makes sense and the USB port at the front of the base is definitely handy. This port is for charging up the AAA battery that comes with the Mouse B2. (having the rechargeable batteries come with the device is also a big plus point too).

In all honesty, it took a little time to get used to using a physical mouse again and the B2 Mouse is VERY responsive so it pays not to get too click happy. After using it for a while, I became very conscious that my hands weren't aching in the same way they usually do. Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a general term used to describe the pain felt in muscles, nerves and tendons caused by repetitive movement and overuse. It's also known to be caused by repeatedly using your muscles and joints in the wrong way, so the Penclic B2 Mouse corrects that positioning to make for a more comfortable working experience.

Overall, the design is easy to set up, extremely responsive to use and comes with a handy pouch to keep it stored in, which is useful on the go. At £79.99 it might not be the cheapest accessory on the market but can you really put a price on the health of your muscles and joints?

We are therefore thrilled to have the opportunity to give you the chance to win a Penclic B2 Mouse for yourself, all you need to do is enter below! Good luck!  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & conditions

• The Prize: Penclic B2 Mouse
• The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 7 working days by email
• By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
• There is no monetary equivalent.
• Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
• If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
• End Date 08/10/2017 at 12am

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