(singing).
Hi guys, welcome back to my channel and to an updated evening routine.
Today I'm going to share with you everything that we do on an average day after school,
in terms of dinner, homework, what we do for fun, all of the cleaning tasks that I need
to get done in the evening.
And I'm also going to show you how our new puppy Kiki fits into all of this as well.
It also happens to be a Friday, so we had a bit of a movie night with the kids.
I'm going to show you my skincare routine.
And just basically everything that we do on an average evening, which normally starts
with the school run.
So we're starting out this evening routine by doing the school run, which I've just done.
I've just got the boys and they normally come home, play with Kiki straight away.
And does this happen to anyone else?
I swear, every time I do the school run at 3:00 PM, it rains and my umbrella was back
at home.
So I might just go and blow dry my hair really quick, and the boys are going to get a snack.
So I'll show you what they're having.
Normally the boys are starving straight after school.
So today Jackson is having these little fruity stars.
Fraser's having some popcorn and Caleb is going to have one of these breakfast biscuits.
And while they have that snack, I'm going to make myself a nice cup of tea after I've
been rained on.
And what they normally do is just play with the dog straight away after school, which
is great because she is so excited to see them.
They love teaching her new tricks.
They'll normally get a few treats and train her for about 10 minutes or so.
They've taught her how to sit.
They've taught her paw, and they're doing this new trick where they hold out the treats,
but she only gets them when she sits very patiently, so it's a bit like this here.
He hides them if she's really sniffing around, but when she sits back, then he'll give her
a treat.
We're trying to train her to be a bit more chill, I guess, but she's super clever.
She picks them up really quickly.
And even Jackson, she'll sit and do paw for him as well.
We'll also normally take her out into the garden, but today, as I said, it was quite
rainy.
So rather than go on the trampoline or go into the garden, they're actually going to
go onto their gymnastic rings, which if you saw, Caleb got these for his birthday.
We had a proper builder build support in our ceiling and put these up because the boys
are really into gymnastics.
So they'll burn some energy doing that and then normally get on with some homework.
And even Jackson has some homework nowadays, which he's actually so excited about.
He's currently learning about pirates, so he needed to draw a pirate picture on the
computer.
So he's going to get on and do that in the conservatory.
Caleb had a little bit of homework as well, and Fraser had a tutoring session.
So he's actually going to go upstairs into his bedroom for that.
Fraser has two hours a week of tutoring and he has done since year four.
He's now actually in year six and it's quite an important year because he's got his SATs
exams at the end of it.
And he's also got an entrance examination coming up in three weeks time.
So we're just trying to support him as much as we possibly can with that.
And we use an online service called GoStudent and they're so brilliant.
I would highly recommend them if your child is struggling in any areas or if you're trying
to push them in any areas.
It's such a tailored, individual service and we love it.
And they've actually said you guys can have 10% off of their tutoring packages if you
use the link in my description.
So definitely check that out.
One of the best things about it for me is that Fraser really does enjoy the sessions.
I think when you're trying to get your child to do extra learning on top of school, it's
so important that they actually have fun doing it and with GoStudent, they find the perfect
match between student and teacher.
It's very individual because I had to complete a questionnaire at the beginning and they
base their teacher on their personality, their learning habits, their hobbies, what he likes
and what he doesn't like.
And then they also find very innovative ways to teach him, which suits his learning style.
And they also use videos, quizzes, games, and music to really keep him interested.
All of their tutoring is one to one, so it's a very personal service.
And because you're not limited by geography, because it's all online, there are so many
different teachers that he could be matched with, and there's also so many different subjects
on offer.
And they really believe in sustainable learning, so it's not a quick fix.
They offer 6 to 36 month memberships.
And the best thing about it for me is that it's from the comfort of our own home.
And it's so flexible.
It just fits into our very busy schedule.
Because I actually used to have to drive Fraser to a center, which was 20 minutes away.
It was a 40 minute round trip with the two little ones in the car.
And it actually cost a little bit more than this and he was actually getting one-to-five
tuition.
So this is a much better service.
And to be honest, I wish I knew about it sooner.
If your child is struggling in any areas or if they're prepping for exams or even need
help with their homework, then definitely check them out.
Fraser's homework is getting to the stage now where it's getting so difficult, especially
with maths.
I actually struggle to help him with his algebra, but I can organize for him to have a one-to-one
math session.
And it's great because it's affordable private tutoring.
So I'll leave that link in the description if you want to get 10% off their tutoring
packages, but it's the best partner in crime for parents.
You can easily message the tutor directly as well, ask how your child is getting on
and more than anything, Fraser just really does enjoy the sessions.
So anyway, he's going to do that with Olivia.
I think they were doing a bit of a quiz tonight on verbal reasoning because that's part of
the exam that he's got coming up and it's actually, it's quite difficult.
So he's just going to practice that, and I'm going to get on and make dinner.
Tonight for dinner we're having a king prawn and chorizo paella and it's so delicious,
even the kids love it.
It's quite salty and Moorish, and it's pretty easy to make.
It does take about 40 minutes, but most of that time you're just putting it together
and then you stick it in the oven, so it's actually quite easy to make.
But I'll be sure to link this recipe in the description down below if you guys want to
try it out for yourself.
But first off I'm basically just frying some chorizo in a pan with a little bit of olive
oil for about three to four minutes.
And then once you've done that, I'm adding in some finely chopped onion for about four
minutes, again until the onion is nice and soft.
I also add in some garlic at this stage or garlic paste and mix that in.
And then while I'm waiting, I get distracted by Kiki.
She's so cute at the moment.
She keeps eating my hair.
She's literally like a baby.
Anyway, when that's all soft, then I'm going to add in some peppers, which I've chopped
up, give that a good mix before adding in some risotto rice.
This is what makes it taste like paella.
So you just add that in, give that a good mix.
And once it's all combined, then you add in some stock, so it could be vegetable stock
or chicken stock as well.
And then you also add in a little bit of saffron before putting that into the oven.
So if you have an oven proof pan and a lid, you can just put the lid on and put it into
the oven.
I actually put it into a pan, cover it with tinfoil and then stick that into the oven
for about 20 to 25 minutes or just until the rice has absorbed all of the water.
But all of the flavors work so well together.
And then we normally just roughly chop some parsley and mix that in with a little bit
of lemon zest and lemon juice as well.
And then about five minutes before it's done in the oven, we'll just pan fry some king
prawns.
It doesn't take very long.
And then we just put that on top and serve it with a bit of a rocket salad.
And I also had some extra goujons in the fridge tonight, so I made that for the boys in the
air fryer because I know that they were going to prefer the goujons to the prawns.
Not all of them.
Jackson tends to eat prawns, but I just had them to hand, so I've made them as well.
At any rate, this is what we're having for dinner tonight.
It's so delicious.
It's pretty healthy as well.
And yeah, the boys all really, really like it.
And while I was baking the dinner, the boys were playing Lego on the dining table.
They've always really enjoyed anything to do with building.
And it's quite nice with Legos.
Sometimes they do sets, but equally they really love to play with just random pieces.
Like tonight, they just poured some out onto the table and Caleb said, "I'm going to make
a zombie."
And Jackson said he was going to make some stairs.
Fraser actually did follow an actual set.
We have so many that we break down then remake as well.
So they just got on doing the Lego and then we had to tidy it all up and Jackson helped
me to set the table.
He really loves anything to do with tidying or cleaning or organizing.
So anyway, then we all ate dinner.
I'm trying to teach Jackson to not put his feet on the table.
So I keep telling him off.
But yeah, it's nice.
We always try, if we can, to eat dinner together, talk about the day, what's everyone been up
to, encourage everyone to eat.
And while we were having dinner, luckily Kiki was so exhausted, so she was doing this on
the couch.
She was just so, so tired, which is nice because if she is awake, she tries to hang around
the table.
So it was quite nice and relaxing that she just chilled out tonight.
After dinner, it's tidy up time and we've actually got some leftover paella for tomorrow's
lunch, which is such a bonus.
All of the boys put their dishes into the dishwasher and help me just tidy up the table.
And then we normally take it in turns.
If Matt is at home, one of us will take the kids up for baths and showers and then the
other one will tidy up downstairs.
I actually really enjoy it when I get to stay downstairs and tidy, because I'll just turn
on some music and clean all of the sides, put all the dishes into the dishwasher, vacuum,
sort the couch out, do everything so that once the kids are actually asleep and in bed,
we can just hang out and chill or come downstairs to a nice tidy house.
So I'm just washing up all of the pans that I used and I'm just going to generally clean
up the kitchen and the table while Matt takes the kids up for baths and showers.
At the moment, the two older boys tend to just have a shower and then Jackson still
quite enjoys a bath.
Sometimes we'll do both, or sometimes Jackson will get into the shower.
It really just depends.
But yeah, I'm just going to tidy up and you'll see in a minute, Kiki is still a little bit
unsure of the vacuum.
What she tends to do every day is bark or tries to get the vacuum for the first few
minutes.
And then she kind of like gets over it, wears herself out and then she stops.
But I just have to carry on because I'm going to be vacuuming every single day, so she will
obviously get used to it, but it's so new
to her.
(singing).
And once all of the cleaning's done, I'm actually going to take a few treats up to the kids.
They're watching a movie because it is a Friday, so we tend to always have a movie night.
We've got this really cute little projector.
I'm sure you've seen it before on this channel, but we either project a movie onto this white
screen that we've got or onto Jackson's blind tonight.
We're in Fraser's room and the boys have just got some milks and popcorn and a few little
chocolates as well.
So we're just going to sit there, watch a bit of a movie as a family.
Sometimes we'll watch an entire one.
Sometimes if they're tired, I'll just put the little ones to bed.
But tonight I think we put them all to bed at about 8:30 or 9:00, obviously made sure
they brushed their teeth and everything.
And I actually, even though it's the weekend, I always tend to just lay out their clothes
for the next day.
I find it makes it so much easier in the morning to just say, "Oh, boys, go and get ready,"
and their clothes are all laid out for them.
And then I'm going to come downstairs and just hang out with Kiki on the couch.
And obviously Matt.
Hey guys, all of the boys are finally in bed and we're sitting on the sofa.
I think I'm going to do a little bit of work, got my laptop here, maybe order a few Christmas
presents as well, and we're going to watch something.
We've actually just finished a series called You.
I feel like we're late to the game with that, but in a way it was good because we could
watch all three series back to back and we loved it.
So I think we're going to watch a new film called Red Notice tonight.
It's got the Rock in it, love him, and Ryan Reynolds as well.
So I think we're just going to chill out, do that and then I'll do my skincare routine
and all of that.
Kiki can tell that Matt didn't want her because she just spends her time trying to cuddle
up to him.
So with Kiki, she also has a little bit of a grooming routine and I tend to do it when
she's asleep, because she really doesn't mind so much, but her eyes are a little bit watery.
And the vet said that the best thing to do is just use warm salt water under her eyes
to just keep the tears moving.
So I try to do it when she's a little bit sleepy because she doesn't seem to mind as
much.
As you can see here, she's pretty happy afterwards.
But right before bed, I tend to take her out in the garden just to go to the toilet before
putting her into her crate.
She is crate trained.
She actually really loves it.
It's very much her safe haven.
So if the kids are ever too much, she just goes into the crate and she's sleeps in it
every night downstairs.
I've got a little heater for her and obviously we keep doors open so I can hear her and everything.
And I actually do her a hot water bottle every night so that she's nice and warm, because
apparently puppies are used to sleeping in a pack, so this makes it feel like she's sleeping
next to someone.
And then I also have this little toy that has a heartbeat in it.
But anyway, all of those things combined mean she's actually quite a good sleeper.
So I kind of just tuck her up in her crate and she doesn't make a fuss at all.
She's such a good girl.
And my little routine before bed is I actually wash my Invisalign.
Some of you know, I got this only two weeks ago, but my dentist said the best thing to
do is to wash them with a gentle baby soap, so I tend to give them a really good scrub
and let them soak while I then brush my teeth as normal.
And then I'll put them in for the night.
I'm trying to get used to them as much as possible.
And then for my skincare routine, I will wash my face with special cleansing gel.
And then tonight I'm actually going to do a mask.
I do this about once a week.
It's a pro collagen marine mask.
I just leave that on for about 10 minutes or so.
And then this is the eye cream that I use.
And then I also try to use a toner and then I use this night cream at the moment.
It's the matching pro collagen night cream.
And that is pretty much it.
That is everything that I'm going to do tonight.
I really hope you enjoyed this video, found it interesting and maybe got a bit of inspiration
from it.
Thank you so much as always for watching and I'll see you in my next one.
Bye guys.