Christmas this year for us was very much the standard schedule – up first thing to open stocking presents, eat bagels and smoked salmon and drink bucks fizz, then a short break for showers before we move on to the next pile of gifts. It feels like we have different family and friends visiting for days on end, each bringing more and more presents.

Understandably, by the end of all this excess my nine year old has rather lost perspective.

To try and ensure she doesn’t turn into Veruca Salt, one of her presents this year was a diary. “It isn’t for you to list your complaints in,” I warned her, “this is a special kind of diary. This is a gratitude diary.”

“What’s that then?” she asked, looking sceptical.

“Well, every day you make a list of things you’re grateful for. They don’t have to be big things.”

“Like what?” she asked, still not looking convinced.

“Maybe you could be grateful for having your own lovely bedroom, or getting a penguin bar in your lunchbox, or having such a fabulous Mummy?” I suggested.

She raised her eyebrows, but smiled, and started to decorate the front with star shaped stickers.

Of all the self-help style techniques that promise a more positive attitude to life, the gratitude journal has some of the best evidence behind it. Repeated studies have shown that the act of being grateful, particularly when written down, can have numerous emotional and physical health benefits. People who keep a gratitude journal have been shown to feel better about their lives as a whole, feel more positive about the future, get more sleep and even have a reduced risk of heart attack.

Now that’s something to be grateful for isn’t it?

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By creating this book called ‘Once upon a time’ we are fundraising for Save the Children. The profit of all book sales will be donated to the charity.

Once upon a time by Seventeen parent bloggers | Make Your Own Book

Thank you to all parent bloggers who took part in this story book for their time, creativity and empathy! Together we made it happen!

Now it’s onto you! We are raising money for those kids, born with the challenge to survive. Let’s help them write a better story of their life, one that will make them smile!

Besides, the book is funny and colourfil, making it the perfect Christmas gift for a child. You can view and purchase the book HERE.

‘Save the Children works in more than 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential.’

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So, we give participating bloggers same story line, which is ‘Once upon a time…’ (so we really give you the freedom to be as creative as you want) and we ask you to write a short story aimed at small kids as well as an image of a drawing you or your kids make, or simply a photo you take to support your story.

I will then collate all your unique creative stories and images, and I will be designing them into a children book (using the Blurb book-making and book-selling platform). Once the book is ready and goes life, I will share the link with you so you can buy it as a gift or for yourselves, share it, recommend it to friends, and generally spread-the-word for the campaign and the book, so we raise as much money for Save the Children, as possible. Hope you agree it’s all for a great cause, and hopefully the book will make a wonderful Christmas gift. 100% of all money raised will be sent on a monthly basis to Save the Children UK.

So, the benefit for you as a participating blogger? Apart from making good to kids born in poverty and challenged to survive, your story will also help you raise your profile and get great publicity! All bloggers will be introduced by a paragraph about the blog, your photo and link to the blog.

Here is the creative concept and how I came up with the children story book:

‘Once upon a time, I was born and challenged… challenged to survive.
 I’ve got a story, which is different to yours. Although, it is similar to the million children around me, who were born with the same challenge. It’s not easy to keep on telling my story, to keep on living it.
Would you help writing a better one for me? A story of a better life.
A story with a different ending, despite having the same beginning.’

The deadline for all stories and images is 20th November, so we can make it happen in time for Christmas. However, please let me know if you are interested asap, so I can sign you in for the book.
To summarise, what I’d need from you is:

• Creative children (bedtime) story around 300-350 words (or 1,500 characters)
• Image to support your story, ideally something you make with your kids and take a photo of
• Your details: your name, blog name, blog link, your photo and a short description about your blog

Let’s collaborate in an effort to change the story of those kids, born with the challenge to survive, and help them write together a better story of their life, one that will make them smile. Now it’s onto you. Please email me asap, if interested.

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It’s the National Baking Week 17th – 23rd October, and to celebrate it, we teamed up with Steenbergs Organics to give you a chance to win this Organic Luxury Chocolate Cake Box!

To enter our Bake & Win photo contest…

1/ Get baking (and no cheating please )

2/ Take a photo of your yummy home-made cake or whatever you prefer and upload it on our Facebook page not later than 27th October

3/ Share with your friends and ask them to vote for you. The one with most votes will grab the prize!

Simple as that! And if your little helpers are happy to bake with you, let them take part and share the fun!

Steenbergs Luxury Gift Box for Bakers is ideal for those who love baking their own home made cakes – there’s nothing yummier and why go to all that trouble if you are not using the finest ingredients? This version contains Steenbergs organic Fairtrade vanilla extract. This box isn’t just for cakes and it’s full of delicious ingredients.

This baking hamper contains:

- 500g of Suma’s organic Fairtrade cocoa powder

- 500g of Sunflowers organic self-raising flour, stoneground in Yorkshire

- 150g of Green & Black’s organic 72% cook’s chocolate

- 500g of Suma’s organic icing sugar

- 100ml of Steenbergs organic Fairtrade vanilla extract.

Closing date: 27th October

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London is wonderful during the autumn. It really is, as it is wonderful during all the seasons. But the autumn… it’s something different. The colours are connected one to each other in a magical dance. You can hear the music, coming from the trees, and not only because of the wind, not only because of the pumping rain drops, playing their last dance before crushing into the window. The music comes from the calm, relaxing atmosphere, from the saddened orange sun, still trying to be warm, but so hard to drill the clouds, of course from you and me, thinking of the last summer…

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