We eat dinner on our knees
PROPERTY guru Sarah Beeny, 48, has been advising people on their homes for almost 20 years. She and her artist husband Graham Swift live in Somerset with their children, Billy, 15, Charlie, 13, Rafferty, 11, and 10-year-old Laurie. They also have a cockapoo called Maple.
“Normally Friday nights are for relaxing and we have family film nights together. The kids don’t watch TV during the week, so it’s a treat and a chance for everyone to unwind. We eat dinner on our knees.
“The kids usually have school on Saturday mornings, and since we moved to Somerset last year, from our old home in south London, I drive them there.
Which is the perfect time for me to lecture them about picking their clothes up off the floor. Not that they listen. With four kids I can’t believe how well they’ve all settled, you’d expect one of them to be miserable, but we picked a great school and they have all blossomed.
“I still love the city, but lots of things collided to make me think it was the right time to move out.
“In the afternoon, the boys play sports. They enjoy any sport and I try to watch as many football and rugby matches as I can.
“Saturday evenings are for having fun, so normally we see friends. Either we go to their house for supper or we invite people over. Graham and I are both active in the kitchen, but I do most of the cooking in the week.
“On Sundays, I always try to orchestrate a lie-in, but it doesn’t always work as sometimes the kids have to be somewhere. We might walk the dog or work on the farm. We have 200 acres, so something always needs doing. I prefer to go to a pub for a roast, so there’s no washing-up.
“Sunday nights are for chilling out. Everyone has a bath and makes their own supper, like beans on toast or leftovers. Then it’s early nights all round.”