October has crept up on me. I cannot believe where the time has gone since I last wrote to you all. I find myself looking at everything to do with Halloween and know that the clocks will be turning back. Dark nights and dark mornings, not my favourite time of year.

Lot's of us start planning for Christmas and deal with Halloween and Bonfire Night in between.

I do like Halloween, I love creating a face on the pumpkin with my children and then roasting the pumpkin seeds - delicious. However, I am not too keen on pumpkin soup! Then I start thinking is this yet another commercial trap to spend our money? I have managed to get some brilliant little cat torches for the children this year, as I know that come "trick or treating" night I will be hunting around for a torch - not this year I am organised!. But did I need to buy them, and like most parents did I "give in" to "pester power". Yes, I did.

"Pester Power" is something not to be under estimated. I remember seeing parents at the supermarket "giving in" before I had my own children, and thinking "I wouldn't do that". Oh, how wrong was I.

With Christmas fast approaching, I started to get that feeling of "stress". As Christmas, in particular can be very stressful, I wanted to find out how you are dealing with the pressure that the children put you under, or do we put ourselves under? I have devised a questionnaire and I would love to get your views.

Christmas can be a very difficult time for so many reasons, and particularly as parents. Trying to get childcare cover for a start, shopping without or with the children, wrapping everything up, writing cards, etc, etc, all for one day! To add to an already pressured time, my daughter has her birthday on Boxing Day, so I have to try and keep the excitement for her too! Oh, what stress!

It is not all doom and gloom though, Christmas is an exciting time, especially with children, so tell us all about your stressful times, a problem shared and all that, and try and enjoy the build up - live for the moment!

Have a fabulous Halloween and Bonfire night and I look forward to writing to you next month.

Best wishes,