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While we always sit as a family to eat (unless there’s a swimming lesson or a hockey training session that clashes), Sunday dinners don’t often slot into our weekends and usually only for a treat. With my partiality to a Yorkshire pudding the size of my palm, I was more than willing to go along to the Toby Carvery to check out their latest addition to their carvery – lamb. For £4.99 the girls had dinners the size Mrs VFAD’s usual helping but not fazed by the portion, they tucked in and enjoyed it all. For 4 carveries, 4 soft drinks and 4 mega desserts our bill came to £53.00.

Firstly, it has meant that my addiction to custard creams and chocolate digestives has continued mainly unchecked over the summer months as I have been able to burn my excessive intake of most things sweet whilst running on and off road around the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is at the edge of my town (I’m not meaning to boast here but I can easily devour a whole pack of creams in one sitting). With the 5 year old now able to cycle, a snoozing two year old in the Sport for the ride and Mrs VFAD and I running, we can be Out’n’About together enjoying the fresh air and burning off the custard creams, digestives and the copious amounts of ice cream that has passed our lips this summer. There are also adaptors available for car seats if your little one isn’t quite ready for the larger seat (follow guidelines for age appropriate use for buggy running to ensure safety). They say exercise is the key to good health and although I jest about my biscuit intake if I didn’t have the opportunity to get out and exercise whether this was running or just enjoying the fresh air, I know I would face challenges and at the very least frustration.

Sun, glitter, faux fur and a little bit of make believe is really all you need for a wonderful weekend at the Just So Festival at Rode Hall this weekend. Our audience looked bemused but we didn’t care and so we flossed away even managing a parent kid dance off! We threw off our shoes and wondered around the barefoot walk, we chalked messages, jived to the groovy tunes in the Lightfoot music theatre, we honed our circus skills, painted our faces, tried our hand at mime and even met Fairy Blossom the fairy queen. For lunch we chose Indian while the girls went all American with Hotdogs and then we paused in the sun to soak up the atmosphere and slurp away at ice creams.

We know that for girls, having an active mother and/or father is associated with a higher probability of being active than an inactive parental figure so we want to set the best example we can. The fact that, for some, doing exercise helps to maintain a clear mind is another reason why we want to encourage our girls to build exercise into their routines. In a world which is crowded with images that can have a corrosive effect on our own well-being, using exercise to shake off the preoccupations of everyday life and the effect of social media can be a form of relief – whether for teens or adults. It’s brilliant the This Girl Can campaign represents and champions women of all shapes, sizes and ages by using only real women in their campaign – no photoshopping or retouching.