Encourage Your Kids to #EnjoyMoreWater

As an active, sporty family it has always been important to me to encourage the children to enjoy water and I think I have been quite fortunate that all five of them are happy to drink it without wanting or needing to add anything to it, and without any battles. They will always choose water over other drinks and we have a ready supply of bottles of water in the fridge to grab and go on our way to all of our various sports and activities.

My husband and I choose to lead by example and we both drink between 2-4 litres of water a day, often more. My husband is a tradesman so is very active throughout the day as well as a keen footballer for a local team, in addition to coaching our eldest son's football team, so staying hydrated is a priority for his health and wellbeing. I myself am also very fit & active, attending the gym and fitness classes throughout the week meaning I need to ensure that my body is hydrated to keep everything in tip top shape.

The children all have their own favourite sports and hobbies, and always take at least one bottle of water with them. During any given week, between them we can often spend 3 hours at gymnastics, 2-4 hours at rugby, 2 hours at swimming, an hour at tae kwon-do, 2 hours at after school sports clubs, and between 2-5 hours at football as well as their usual school PE lessons. (No, I don't know how I get anything else done either...)

My children understand that drinking plenty of water is imperative to their health especially when taking part in sports and activities, but with two out of three (64%) parents saying that they don't know how much water their children should be drinking each day, and 42% saying that their children find the taste of water 'boring', Robinsons launched the Enjoying Drinking Water campaign in January 2016 to encourage those who might need a bit of help with their recommended daily intake. The Robinsons Squash'd range is a tasty way to enjoy drinking more water, with no added sugar and free from artificial colours and preservatives, the teeny bottles of super concentrated squash (tiny enough to pop into your handbag or picnic basket but containing 20 servings) are a great way to help you and your kids to stay refreshed this Summer.

The children were more than happy to give these six delicious Robinsons Squash'd flavours (including Summer Fruits, Lemon & Lime, and Orange & Peach) a go, and they were easy for them to use too - they just had to flip, squeeze, and enjoy. We took them along to their training sessions and classes, I popped two bottles in my bag each time so they had a choice of flavours to enjoy during their activity. My top tip to help your kids enjoy more water is simply to always have a bottle to hand, multi-packs of small bottles are very inexpensive and can be refilled - we always have a supply of water in the fridge chilled & ready to pick up and go on a busy day or to grab on our way out to classes or training, and if you have a Squash'd handy, water need never be "boring" again!

This post is an entry for BritMums #EnjoyMoreWater challenge, sponsored by Robinsons.

Celebrating Sporting Achievements | #LoudnProud - 200616

The past couple of months have been exceptionally busy for us in terms of sporting achievements. With 4 out of 5 of my children heavily involved in various sports (while the eldest is nose deep in revision for her final A-level exams) we are out & about almost every day during the week and as the seasons for Rugby and Football have ended, we have also celebrated presentation day awards. There's been so much going on I don't really know where to start, so here is a round up of what 3/5 of the kids have been up to.

Firstly back in April, E was delighted to move up to recreational badge 5 at gymnastics after working hard to complete all of her badge work during her weekday class, which she has continued in addition to her weekend mini squad development training sessions where she is working towards national grading. She always works so hard and it's wonderful to see her efforts paying off as she perfects new moves. She's a little star.

Later on in April (after E's birthday celebrations) was the annual local large schools swimming gala which H was taking part in for the third year in a row. This year he competed in the Y5/6 (with him actually being the only Y5!) 25m front crawl and 50m freestyle races, winning third place in both in nail biting finishes (I managed to scream myself hoarse yet again this year, cheering him on from the spectators area). He is such a fantastic swimmer, he never ceases to amaze me with his power and speed and he's already committed himself and signed up to take part again next year, in what will (sadly!) be his final primary school swimming gala before he heads off to senior school.

In May, H's U10 rugby team finished their season after playing their final matches on the stadium pitch at Bath Rugby's Rec. It's been a great season and I have loved watching the children progress and improve their skills over the year. Although I am clearly biased I have been so proud of how H has improved this season, increasing in confidence and he seems to have really 'got it' this year. I'm excited to see them all move up to U11s in September, I think each and every one of them have done themselves and their club proud. H was delighted to be awarded the 'Most Improved Player' trophy from the four coaches, and I think it will really spur him on & inspire him to do even better next year.

And last but by no means least, J and all of his U15 teammates have had an absolute barnstormer of a season topped off with winning the league, and last weekend they celebrated all of their hard work with a presentation day whole team outing at FootGolf, where they all received their trophies from the Mister and his co-manager, Chris.

On the days where the running around seems endless, the pile of muddy, wet kit and towels seems higher than usual, and you're chilled right through to your bones after a particularly cold match standing out on the touchline (or sweating through everything poolside) - moments like these at the end, when all of their hard work pays off and all of the time you have poured into making sure that they are having fun, keeping fit and enjoying their chosen sports has so clearly been worth it, it just makes it all worthwhile. To see their daft grinning faces holding up their trophy or certificate, to see them laughing and smiling with their friends as they celebrate their wins and pat each other on the back, looking forward to the next season or competition, it reminds you why you do it. These moments, friendships and memories will stay with them forever.

I'm this week's #LoudnProud host, and we would love to hear all about your special moments and achievements so please do share your posts below. We only ask for you to comment on the host post, and 1 or 2 others linkers - please do feel free to grab & display our badge, and we'd love it if you could share the linky love - thanks! The link up closes at Midnight on Sunday. Tweet @jooleroo #LoudnProud with your posts and I will RT and share them. Next week your hostess will be Sarah at Mum of Three World.

Want to know more about #LoudnProud? Check out the 'rules' here.

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Meal Plan Monday 130616

Meal Plan 130616
Monday 13th June	Brinner*
Tuesday 14th June	Caveman chilli served with brown rice
Wednesday 15th June	Pizza & chips for the kids per their request, chicken salad for me and the Mr
Thursday 16th June	Lasagne served with salad and garlic bread
Friday 17th June	Chicken Fajitas with tortilla wraps (served with rice for me)
Saturday 18th June	Home-made beef burgers with salad and chunky sweet potato fries
Sunday 19th June	Roast Beef