CBN Interview: Hannah Roberts

Today's interview is with inspiring Mama Hannah Roberts. Hannah talks to us about the joys and challenges of being a single parent and her passion for crafting and making with her son.

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Hannah, a 24 year old mum in York. I'm the youngest of my mum friends, which is strange because I'm the eldest of my non-mum friends. I previously studied as a Montessori Directress in 2009, and am currently doing my level 3 in child-minding. I have done a few courses offered by Family Learning through my local Children's Centre and am starting some more in October, just to add to my experience. My goal is to start running my own arts and crafts classes for under 5's (and parents) and a possibility of a bigger project has come up as well. So with goals in mind, I take my first step and am really quite chuffed to be doing this interview.

Tell us about your son Oscar

My little boy Oscar is 2. He is the beat of my heart and the total love of my life. He is quite sensitive, sweet and caring. He shows a lot of empathy toward others and always like to make people feel better (unless it's all too much for him and he will just cry). He can be quite shy with new or estranged people, but is so comfortable when he is ready. He doesn't like dealing with or talking about sadness and he has always hated goodbyes ('no mami, don't like it a say goodbye, don't like it a too sad mami'). He is also really funny, very inquisitive and knows exactly what he wants and when he wants it, just like his mama. (He is good at vocalising it too, just like his mama!)

What is the most challenging thing about being a single parent?

Not having someone feed me chocolate and make me tea while I nursed the new-born through the night! Just kidding. It definitely has to be not having anyone to bounce ideas off, no one to give me input or insight, or to call me out on my bad parenting moments (because I'm not going to front; I shout, I snap, I swear and I do time-out, because I'm human, and I fuck up sometimes).  Being a single mum means that my ideas are the only ones I have, but (and this is really hard for me) I have to accept I might have made a bad choice somewhere (as listed above), and the fact is, I have to realise it and fix it by myself which can be really hard to do. No one likes to think they aren't doing the best for their child. I might be 'mum' but I am not always right.

What is the best part about being a single mum?

I think being a single parent is such a sensitive subject to some people and others daren't ask about what one might actually enjoy about it. Are you kidding? I get to be mum and dad! That is so freaking cool. Not only does it mean Oscar will see me doing hair and make-up, cooking, cleaning, baking and making, but he will see his Mama changing tyres, wrestling him to the ground, chasing spiders outside, fixing pipes and unblocking toilets, barbeque-ing and playing a bit of football. Also there is no change of routine, there is no favourite parent. There is just me. I love being able to make decisions as they suit Oscar and I like eating porridge for supper if I dont feel like cooking a meal. I love the words of encouragement I get from friends and family and (teehee) I love the male (and quite often very good looking) supermen who always feel the need to help a single mum up the stairs with her buggy. It can be hard and it can be stressful, but it's the best choice I could have ever made and at the end of the day, it's me and my boy against the world. And we make a damned fine team!

Tell us about any parenting philosophies or ideals you may have

I kind of just do things that make sense to me and go with the flow. I wouldn't say I followed any kind of parenting style in particular, but I do take ideas from wherever I can and I'm always open to new ideas or advice. If something isn't working, I change it. I take my cues from Oscar and I try not to be an obstacle to his learning and development. One of my favourite quotes is "Follow the child" by Maria Montessori - I guess I do that with Oscar. I'm just a mum trying to do the best I know how to do for my child - like we all are.

How has parenting changed your outlook on life and your aspirations for yourself?

It has made me realise even more how important the little things in life are. I have always loved taking time to smell the flowers and finding out what makes things work, but now that I have Oscar, things like that have just become so important because there is just so much learning involved in it, and I didnt realise it before. I think the world is so fast-paced and not enough time is spent on enjoying the journey...it's a prize driven rat-race, and if there's one thing Oscar learns, I hope its just to stop, take a step back and take it all in. And I constantly try to do the same.

Tell us about any creative hobbies you have and how you manage to incorporate them into your busy days.

I love making and preparing activities for Oscar, and homemaking, and they are my hobbies... I love a bit of DIY, but my newest loves are baking and gardening and upcycling, they can be included in the answer to the next question too. I'm not too good with needle crafts but I would love to work on them, especially applique and embroidery, and some crocheting! I think my house is starting to become a reflection of all the things I love and do (it has taken a while, and started from nothing but I'm getting there!), and that makes me very happy. I get stuff done all the time, I do lots with Oscar because he loves helping so much and I do lots of stuff after he goes to bed.

When you get the chance, what is your favourite thing to do purely for yourself?

This is an easy one... My 'me-time' is post Oscar-bedtime (usually from 7pm). I eat shitloads of chocolate and paint my toenails! When I'm not too lazy, I have looong (yes, 3 o's long) baths, with loud classical music playing...and I leave my mobile downstairs (because I am a CrackBerry addict and am constantly checking my BBM or Facebook).

You've always slept next to Oscar - what has been the best and most challenging thing about bedsharing?

The most challenging thing (other than being forced to lie still in a specific position so Oscar can have his hand on my boob in exactly the right spot), would be overcoming the common misconceptions people have about co-sleeping.

It's the most natural thing next to breathing for us, and the most beautiful. Oscar was in my bed from the first night of his life and still is today. We have experimented with a toddler bed, (next to mine/in another room) but he is not ready and I'm so ok with that. It's what he knows, it's safe and familiar, it's mummy's arms, and it's *our* space. Just like a child will decide when he needs to drop a nap, or start using a potty, so will he decide when he wants his own space to sleep in and his own room. I always give Oscar the option for naps or bedtime in his own bed, but he freely chooses mine and I wouldn't have it any other way. *And I love the snuggles*

What is the worst parenting moment you’ve experienced?

I was going to London with my mum for the first time by megabus. What a trip that was! The bus was full, and in the hour and a half it takes to get to East Midlands Station (where the we change from bus to train), Oscar was sick all over his clothes, then after we changed him, filled his nappy, then after we changed him and as we were arriving at the station, filled his nappy again. We rushed to the babychange and as I pulled out the wipes, a voice over the intercom alerted us that our train was now arriving at the platform, on the other side of the station. Mum told me to grab the bags and run, she would catch up with Oscar. I was to tell the conductor to hold the train! Well, that experience traumatised me to the point I didn't visit my mum in London for about a year, I made her come up to York instead! Can you blame me!?

What springs to mind when you think of one of your favourite moments since becoming a parent?

The one thing that will always stick in my mind and heart is the feeling of that new born head fitting into the palm of my hand, with that soft, silky hair and those big malteser eyes looking up at me, realising this is it, here he is. My baby, we did it.

What are some of your favourite crafty or creative things you like to do with Oscar?

I love taking Oscar to the river, he loves being outside so much and we are so lucky to live minutes from the Foss so we spend a lot of time down there, exploring. We collect treasures on our walks for our nature table, and Oscar always asks me to take pictures of things he likes. I then take from what we have seen outside and 'bring it in' by preparing mini-projects and activities for him related to what we have seen or felt or remembered. I try to include a lot of sensory things in our every day, and I guess I kind of shift my house around seasonally, so that makes a big impact on what we do together too. 

Right now we are in the process of celebrating the beginning of Autumn (as we see it). We have pressed and laminated leaves to make a sun-catcher. We have baked the most delicious stoned-fruit crumble and we have 'read' why leaves change colour.

And my favourite: we are making a life-cycle mobile based on caterpillars we have watched. This was truly the most amazing lesson and for Oscar to have been so interested in it, was something we had to do.

(We grew some purple sprouting brocolli in one of our growbags, and they grew and grew  After collecting our first purple sprout, I noticed the leaves had holes in them. We went away for a couple of weeks and when we returned home, we found laced leaves...not brocolli leaves...laced! Upon further inspection, we found some really fat caterpillars, and some really tiny ones. So began our lesson. We observed them daily and the tiny ones became bigger, and the bigger ones vanished. One morning, Oscar called my attention to our 'dirty window'. I looked and looked until I finally saw the smallest little cocoon right at the top of our glass door. I told Oscar that it was a special bed called a cocoon that the caterpillar had made to have a rest in, and when he comes out, he will be a beautiful butterfly! Oscar asks to check the cocoon every single day -and we have had to read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' every single day too! -, so hopefully we will see our very own butterfly emerge from its cocoon, and bazinga, the 2 year old has learnt first hand about metamorphosis!)

What are the best and worst pieces of parenting advice you’ve been told by others?

Best: Sleep when the baby sleeps. I still do this even though Oscar has practically dropped his daytime nap.Take lots of photos. Spend lots of time outside. Don't try to do too much. Let your little one help you, because they love to! Respect your childs 'no's'. And *dont put too much pressure on yourself, your best IS good enough!'*

Worst: Leave him to cry. Or put him in a crib in his own room.

What gem of knowledge would you pass on to a new parent?

Just cherish those first moments, cup his head in your hand, smell his hair, stroke his soft skin, look at his little starfish hands and cuddle him skin to skin. Do that, and hold those memories forever.

What is your one piece of must-have parenting kit?

Nothing material, but the ability to see the world through the eyes of my child in order to help him understand it

If you could change one thing about the world today to make it better for your children, what would it be?

For people to accept and celebrate differences and love unconditionally... that's world peace right there!

Retreat

~by Kendal

I have been a little low in energy recently, a little unwell and generally run down. I’m not someone who gets sick a lot, or gets colds and coughs and viruses very often, but I often find that I am most susceptible to such things when the seasons change and there’s a shift in the general energy of the world around me.

So it has been recently, feeling this way, that I’ve been doing a lot of resting. Honestly, I’ve been pretty lazy. I’ve been spending a lot of time in retreat, thinking about what retreat means and why it is so important to our health.

All of us, each one of, parents or not, lead busy lives. Sometimes, overwhelmingly so. We are always trying to catch up, trying to be organised enough that we don’t miss just one thing on our schedule, falling behind and knocking our carefully planned rotas off balance. Sometimes it feels like we are walking a precarious tightrope where the very thought of taking time out, of being mindful and present, is too much to occupy.

And this is when my body says, Enough. When it demands that I stop and go into retreat, a kind of self-imposed hibernation until I am ready to take stock again, and go just a little slower.

But the idea of going slowly into anything, of resting, is so very at war with the society and culture most of us live within, where we are bombarded with slogans selling us the glory of a fast paced, modern life. Everything accessible. Everything achievable. As long as we keep going.

It’s easy to see why so many people, families especially, have reacted against this way of living and long for a simpler way of life. It’s easy to understand why more and more people are refusing to spend their energies on things that are, essentially, counterproductive.

But at the same time, for most of us, we still have to function within a world that does not value the idea of rest and going slow. Health is not a consideration in most jobs, and certainly not the toll that constant, uninterrupted work can take on your psychological and emotional health.

For our family, we try to do our best to find ways that ease the strain living and working in this society can bring. That means eating as much wholesome, nutritious food as possible. It means valuing rest when rest is needed. It means spending time outside in all seasons where we can feel closer to the elements. Sometimes it means putting on a few episodes of Community rather than finishing that quilt that is half-done and piled up in my craft room.

So lately, when I have been in great need of rest, I have done my best not to feel guilty, which is easier said than done when you have an energetic toddler racing around you. I have tried not to feel too bad when I have opted to put on Marry Poppins so that both Ava and I can curl up under a quilt on the couch. In fact, I have generally embraced my inner slob, telling myself that a few unwashed dishes or a dining room table covered in freshly washed clothes, is not the end of the world,

If we had a cat, and a working fireplace, I imagine it would curl up in front of the warm embers and sleep whenever the day has taken its toll and its bones and muscles are tired. Right now, I need to curl up and do the same (Ava provides a good and constant source of warmth – my little human hot water bottle)

And when I start to feel bad that I’m not going to the park every day, I try to remember that it is not my job to fill up Ava’s days with a constant stream of activities. Like Kim John-Payne says in Simplicity Parenting, sometimes the greatest gift we can give our children is boredom. So we read more, we play more inside, and we paint and watch the rain and sometimes watch a film, and it feels okay, it feels necessary for right now.

The greatest thing about taking refuge in the comforts around you is that it brings focus to the smaller, often unnoticed parts of life that are spectacular in their simplicity. The coolness of bed sheets when you first climb into bed. Heating milk in a pan, sipping a hot chocolate in an armchair by the window.

I find myself exploring spaces inside, changing them around a little until they feel just right. I find myself renewing an interest in my home, taking stock of the details around me and paring away until there is less clutter, more space.

Whatever it takes, when the time to retreat emerges, I make my home into a sanctuary, and surround myself in a fortress of quilts, favourite films and good food, safe in the knowledge that soon I will be ready to emerge again, soon I will have the energy to engage and connect beyond the walls of my house, renewed, restored.

‘Sanctuary is a word which here means a small, safe place in a troubling world. Like an oasis in a vast desert or an island in a stormy sea’ 

Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events

Pixie's 1st Birthday!

~by Emi

Dear Pixie,

It was exactly one year ago today that you joined us earthside. What a wonderful little girl you are!

After a VERY brief 2 hours and 37 minutes from start to finish, you came into our world, with so much hair!

A few hours old...

With Grandad Reece...

One month...

Day by day, you grew and grew... learned to smile, to laugh...

Two months...

You are surrounded by people who love you, Mama, Daddy and your brother Ru,
Grandad Reece, Sarah and Josh,
Grandad Eddie, Babka and Nana Ralph,
Great Nannan and Great Grandad,
Kendal, Howard, and Ava,
Alex and Stuart...
So many people.
You are cherished.

Your Mama and Daddy love you so very much.

Three months...

You are such a joyful little soul.

Four months...

You have already learnt so much in these first twelve months.

With Auntie Wendy...

Devoted Daddy...

I'm holding you closely whilst you nurse right now, and I could not be prouder or happier.

Pixie Willow Nise Ralph.

You are so very loved.

Happy Birthday, my little Lintu.

xXx

Review - 'A First Book of Nature' by Nicola Davies

~by Emi

Beautiful. Exquisite. Stunning.

The first three words that spring to mind every time I have occasion to open 'A First Book of Nature'.

Originally given to Ru as a third birthday gift from Godfather Tom G. in June, Ru and I must have looked at it every other day since.

Why?

Well, first off, it looks like an art journal, travelling through the seasons, every page a complete visual delight. It looks beautiful, from the cold depths of the snowy winter lands right up to the warmth and joy of life in Summer.

I often find myself studying the pictures long after my children are asleep, admiring and appreciating the tiniest details that my three year old may overlook within the images. The illustrator, Mark Hearld, has excelled himself, his influences from Edward Bawden are apparent, an artist I myself enjoy. There are a few images that remind me of Nikki McClure's work too.

As for the text itself, it includes poetry, simple recipes, how-to's, factual information and inspiration for activities.

Starting with Spring, the book journeys through many topics including listening to a pond, bird migration and nesting, making compost and cherry blossom.

Summer brings us honey, caterpillars and butterflies, rock pooling, dens and five reasons to keep chickens (Number 1 is 'They look very silly when they are taking a dust bath.')

The colours of Autumn deliver wind, geese and acorns, worms, apples and berry picking, complete with pictures resplendent in the shades the time of year is known for.

Last, but by no means least, is Winter. Here, a fox runs through a night-time snowscape, save seeds, watch deer in the dawn and mull over naked winter trees.

This would be an amazing gift for any child, but especially for those from a home that follows and celebrates the seasons, perfect as a permanent addition to a seasons table.

I almost don't want to say any more, as all I can do is URGE you to buy this book as soon as you possibly can, and I will definitely be checking out Nicola Davies' other titles.


Buy This Book. Do It. You Won't Regret It.

I Promise.

This Week

Ru got to hold a teeny owl...

We spent lots of time outside...

And lots of time feeling sad because of teething...

Miss Ava discovered a love for bridges

...and giant statues of horses

And we spent as much time as possible exploring

The Benefits of Music

~by Emi


Our home is all about the music.

Between my husband and I, we own an electro-acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, a 7-string electric, plus 4 other electric guitars. I play to an alright standard (defining 'alright' as able to play every chord except B's and F's because my fingers aren't strong enough!), and Stephen is the lead guitarist in a signed industrial metal band.

Add in Ru and Pixie's large box of musical instruments, and we have a whole raft full of eardrum-splitting noise makers.

Me, circa 2008 with my favourite guitar

We play music every day, ranging from the sweet soul that is Kate Rusby, a LARGE amount of country music, right up to ska and metal.

Stephen rocking out on stage...

We sing. All the time. Quite often, we find ourselves singing our conversations to one another. Imagine a conversation between Ru and I about what he wants to eat for breakfast but sung... crazily...

We love music.

It is so deeply embedded in the heart and soul of Stephen and I, and it's something that we want to share with our children as much as possible. We are eagerly awaiting our children being old enough to take them to music festivals. (Nothing better than live music!)

Like art, we believe that music is essential for the happiness of the human soul. Because of this, we try and incorporate it into our day in many, many ways.

Ru playing with a keyboard, aged 18 months

We play music from my laptop throughout the day, usually starting with some gentle folk in the morning, moving through several different genres over the course of the day. When we have to travel, we play music in the car.

We use music to change moods, to life unhappiness, to calm nerves, to soothe fractious babes.

We periodically sing and sign for Pixie, and have a daily living room disco.

We play with our instruments, to songs we adore and making up our own songs, tapping out beats, strumming guitar strings.

Stephen dancing with Pixie, aged 3 months

I grew up in a home filled with country music, Stephen with 60's pop, classical and 80's metal, and we both love sharing our favourite songs with Ru and Pixie.

What amazes me is that even from being very tiny, Ru especially has had very definite ideas about what songs he does and does not enjoy, retaining lyrics from those he loves. It's not unusual to hear him singing snippets of Ed Sheeran. What is it about certain songs that grab his attention? That do something to him that make him simply *have* to get up and move?

The other day whilst I was playing No Doubt, he stripped off his clothes. When I asked him why, he answered with "Because I *need* to be naked to dance to this song!" But why, Reuben?

"Because it makes me happy!"

Who am I to question logic like that?

As adults, we can approach music with a certain snobbery. We may only listen to a few specific bands, or songs from one time period or genre, thus limiting our exposure to the huge wealth of aural wonderfulness out there. None of those pre-set ideas exist with children. They take in everything we play to them, almost greedily feeling the beat, tapping feet, drumming hands against the table, bouncing, dipping, twirling. It's like they cannot control their reactions to it, that they simply *must* move with it, be a part of it. Every sinew and muscle echo the movement in the music.

We've all seen the stereotypical child at a wedding, dancing alone on the floor, blissfully unaware of everyone else, just enjoying the music, exploring the movement of their bodies.

Babies especially are perfect examples of the human's natural instincts towards music. Pixie will clap and bob and sway and laugh and smile and bounce, feeling every note. Music is an aural art and young children are aural learners. Since ears are fully mature before birth, babies begin learning from the sounds of their environment before birth. How many expectant mothers sing to their unborns? Have their partners talk to their bumps?

It's one of the most beautiful sights, watching Pixie or Ru dancing, unfettered and free. She doesn't know how much joy she is bringing me, how big a smile she's putting on my face with her adorable, uncoordinated little dance moves. Ru has no idea how much it means to Stephen when he theatrically spins around with a guitar, proudly telling me "I'm rocking out like Daddy!"




Aside from the fun aspect of music, there are so many wonderful developmental benefits to music. Learning an instrument, for example, teaches concentration, coordination, and self-confidence. Children who practice self-expression and creativity are often better communicators later in life.

Music is accessible to everyone. Simple shakers made from plastic bottles filled with rice are a staple in homemade instruments, along with pinging elastic bands wrapped around plastic tubs and hitting saucepans with wooden spoons. It is all around us.

In 1997, two studies found very wonderful things. Firstly, that children given piano lessons showed dramatic improvement in their spatial-temporal IQ scores (important for some types of mathematical reasoning) than those who had no lessons or received IT lessons. The second study explored the link between intelligence and music, and found that music training is superior to IT instruction in hugely enhancing abstract reasoning skills in children, the skills needed for learning maths and science. Both studies are echoed by Susan Hallam, at the Institute of Education, University of London. She states that 'Speech and music have a number of shared processing systems. Musical experiences which enhance processing can therefore impact on the perception of language which in turn impacts on learning to read.'

As if that wasn't enough, more and more studies are exploring the very real links between children with autism, ADD and epilepsy and increased levels of concentration and improved social skills when exposed to music.


And on top of all of this, with the vast amount of music available on sites like Youtube and Last FM, there is no excuse for your child to grow up not knowing who Queen is!




In life, you can never truly absorb everything there is to know.

Music is like that.

It is inexhaustible, there is always more to learn.










Please, please leave us a comment! What are your children's favourite songs? What gets them, and you, moving?



Additional Resources

Paul Borgese - 'The Mozart Effect: Fact or Fiction?'

CBN Interview - Washed Up Family jewellery

Today, we bring you an interview with the lovely Angie and Luke Griffiss-Williams, parents to Grace and Jude, creators and designers of stunning seaglass jewellery at Washed Up Family. They've joined us today to talk to us about their business, parenting and offer a giveaway!

Tell us about yourselves…
We are both 36. Angie is a SAHM to Grace and Jude. Luke is a photographer, a painter and wears a very big hat. He has been involved in the arts from a young age and studied art at college but has only recently considered going full-time as an artist.


Tell us about Grace and Jude…
Grace is 3 ¾. She likes to paint and visit Nannie. She also loves bouncy castles and having her face painted. She is a whirlwind and an adrenaline junkie!
Jude is 8 months and is much more placid. She likes milk, cuddles and playing with her big sister.


Why did you decide to start Washed Up Family?
We discovered some sea glass on a family walk along the beach and thought it would be fun to make some jewellery. We really enjoyed making something beautiful from something discarded. A couple of friends encouraged us to sell some pieces.


When creating your jewellery, what inspires you?Designs are rarely pre-planned. Instead we try to pick interesting pieces of glass and then allow the wire to dictate the design based on the natural curves of the glass.

What is the hardest thing about balancing parenthood and crafting?
Actually, the listing of items in our shop and the computer work side of things is more difficult than the actual crafting which we can do as a family.  We have a lot of late nights!


How do you include Grace and Jude in your crafting?
We all collect as a family – Grace loves collecting and has found some of our best pieces so far. Jude is still a little small, but comes with us in the sling.


What items do you enjoy crafting the most?
Luke likes working with the thicker wire and more chunky glass to the more delicate pieces. Angie really enjoys collecting and sorting the gems from the less usable pieces.


Is there anything you are particularly excited about/proud of in your shop right now?
It’s really nice to have such variation in the shop right now – and it’s so exciting seeing someone wearing our jewellery and getting pleasure from it. We love selling at Craft Fairs and markets because we get to see that first hand.


Where do you see Washed Up Family going next?We are on the search for driftwood wood to make sea glass mobiles and windchimes. We are considering making bracelets and Angie would really like to have a go at making earrings.

How has becoming parents changed your relationship with one another?
We are less spontaneous now and stay closer to home. It has cemented the way we work as a team though.


What is your favourite thing to do, just for yourself?
Luke really likes to sketch and Angie would really like a bath alone every now and then!


What is the worst parenting moment you’ve ever experienced?
Grace is a bolter, and trying to keep track of her, particularly in shops or busy areas can be challenging at best. A particularly terrifying moment was when Grace darted into a lift and was out of the front door of a department store before we managed to get down the stairs. Fortunately, there was a bookshop next door and we found her sitting happily reading without a care in the world – unlike her parents!


What springs to mind when you think of one of your favourite parenting memories?
Seeing the whole family curled up in our new superking size bed after Jude’s birth.

What are the best, and worst, pieces of parenting advice you’ve been given?
The worst was “you need to stop breastfeeding as soon as possible, or all your hair will fall out”! The best was to “ascribe the best possible motive to your child’s behaviour”.


What has most surprised you on your parenting journey?The willingness of people to help out – there have been times when we have both been ill, and people have really rallied to help us. That’s been amazing. Also, how much harder two is than one!

If you could change one thing about the world today to make it better for your child, what would it be?The majority of the world’s problems can be summed up as the dehumanization of people – whether it’s two people or two nations fighting, children being used as labour, allowing people to starve, it all centres around seeing others as less than human, and as having less value than ourselves. If we could change one thing, it would be that culture of dehumanization.

And finally, tell us about your generous giveaway today!
We are offering any one item from the shop as a giveaway to one of your readers, and we have a 3-for-2 code for everyone who doesn’t win! A perfect opportunity to stock up for the holiday season!

The code is CBN2012, and is valid until the end of the year. To use the 3 for 2 code, please buy two items from the shop, and send us a “conversation” containing the code and free item you would like, which must be the same price or lower than the other items. Please do not buy all three and use the Etsy voucher code tool - it won’t work for a 3 for 2.





To win, simply head over to Washed Up Family's Etsy store HERE, find your favourite piece amongst all the beautiful goodies there, and leave a comment here telling us why that one called to you.

The winner will be chosen using a random number generator at 7pm on Monday 10th September.


You can also find Washed Up Family on Facebook too!