I'm a bit late this month, but with good reason. I'm shattered and busy non-stop, so I took my birthday off on 14th, and a day either side I took it easy, so here we are. I'm sure you'll forgive me. 

Being productive and effective is really as much about taking a break from doing it, as it is about actually working. 

In all the time I've collected the #tbcsmiles I haven't missed a month until last month. I have already apologised, and I really was very much grieving my Mum, and dealing with her funeral and all of the other things that need to be sorted when someone dies. My head was far too full, I didn't want to have to turn on my laptop and I just wanted to be left in peace. I guess it happens to all of us at times, and I'm glad I was able to tell myself to stop, and rest. 

I've spent a lot of time sitting in the garden staring at insects, and it's allowed me to think, and wonder, and remember a time when all of those around me now weren't there, and a cheekily-grinning and innocent little girl was.

For anyone who didn't know why I collect my smiles, it is because they are incredibly precious, but so often we let them slip by unnoticed, or forgotten. It's easy to count how many times you cried last month, but how many times did you laugh? We need to remember these times equally. They remind us we can be a success, we can make people's day a bit brighter, we can make other people laugh too. They are the reason we are here. When you strip everything back, all any of us ever really want is to be happy. Start counting the happy times, and revel in your own success with an extra grin. 

It's Summer! Well, it feels like it just now anyway, and the UK is promised a heatwave this weekend, which has given everyone something to talk about, even if some of us aren't as excited as others (I'm not built for hot weather!). It'll also mean lots of playing outdoors, getting together with friends and relatives, and hopefully a lot of smiles.

We've had a few bonfires, a trip to the cinema and a birthday, but mostly spent the last month continuing to sort and pack, take stuff to the tip and send it away with other people who want it or can use it. We never seem to get anywhere close to actually finishing! I guess a surprise move after 15 years and 7 kids really does mean you have no choice but to go through all of that stuff you have been putting off for far too long. 

For us it's meant the rediscovery of tons of treasure, and a million memories. Going through all of the kid's old toys takes you back in a way photographs never can. It doesn't give you a snapshot, it releases all of the stories and the moments. The times things went wrong, or right, the conversations and debates, birthdays and holidays. The daft things they said, pet names and misheard sentences. The precious reminders that make something costing pennies into something so valuable that you can never imagine letting it go.

I've promised my family I won't work weekends, and while we are having to move we don't really have the time, so the #TBCSmiles have been relegated to today. That doesn't mean they are less important, in fact if anything they are more important - especially this month. 

We just had Mental Health Awareness Week, and it's no coincidence that it's placed here in the year. This month we've had the least smiles that we've had in 5 years, and while I'd love to be surprised by that, I'm not. It's been a lot harder for us to make smiles, and it's required more effort for just about everyone. 

Spring in the UK is often cold, disappointingly not-so-sunny, and everyone is tired. Really we need to work less hours through Winter and sleep more, and then we'd be ready to face the world. Instead we are all a bit gloomy and really waiting for Summer to kick in and brighten everything up. On top this year we have the war in Ukraine, the ongoing COVID infections which really haven't gone away, the residual tiredness that most of us feel after catching COVID, the fuel bills flying through the roof and food prices going up. The comfort we've felt for the past 30 years is slipping away, and it's only now we realise just what we had to lose.

Hello Spring! We waited a long time for it, but Easter brought with it excellent weather and a chance for everyone to play out. We had a visit from Grandparents who we haven't seen since last Summer - and it's only the second time we've been able to see them since COVID arrived, so it was incredibly welcome. 

This month has been a bit unexpected for us, as 2 weeks ago we were given 8 weeks notice to leave our house. We've been here almost 15 years, and with 7 children growing up with us, we have accumulated a lot of stuff, and a lot of memories. 8 weeks simply isn't long enough. 

The imminent move has overshadowed Easter and completely filled our time, but we still made some smiles, and we still had an Easter egg hunt, and we have spent hours and hours carefully placing memories in boxes... it's much harder because we love this house and don't wish to leave, and it's where one of our children was born, and where one of our children died.

Easter in itself is full of memories for everyone who has lost someone. Christmas might be the big event, but Easter always involves family and friends, and reminders of what used to be. It's been a hard couple of weeks, and I think that probably shows. We are all exhausted here, and that isn't about to get any easier. It is also the reason that this month the smiles are very late. I simply wasn't in a place to do any writing last week - my apologies to everyone who has been waiting for this post!

You guys have all had your cameras out, and it's been a real pleasure to look through all of the smiles today. I inadvertently took photos up until today, so there may be a couple that really should be in next month, and snuck in. I'm not going to go back through them, I'll just accept that and keep moving forward. I'm only human... 

Here are just 9 of the biggest smiles you guys have shared over the past month (and 4 days) by using the #tbcsmiles hashtag on Instagram. The whole collection is well over 8,000 photos now, each one with an infectious grin, a chuckle or a wry smile, but all have a little joy to brighten your day. 

Anyone is welcome to join in with the smiles, you don't need a fancy camera or Instagram perfect house, as long as someone is smiling, that's all we need. After all is said and done, happiness is everything. 

These smiles were shared by the following Instagrammers: 

OddHogg / PaigeWallbankxo / OurLittleEscapades

GirlyBones78 / BeautiesAndTheBibs / TheStrawberryFountain

SuburbanMum / Haylee_Louise_ / MrsShilts

My family made our own smiles, we really did, but I didn't bring out my camera much. We had a 12th birthday and our kitten Sonja to make us grin, so unsurprisingly star of this month's collection is my youngest son - who smiled through his entire birthday, even when he didn't win at bowling... even when life tests you, the smiles are always there if you look.

It's the 15th, and it's the 3rd month, so that must be the date all Caesars hate - the Ides Of March. Crikey the world is a mess right now. A month ago we didn't realise where we would be, and it's certainly not what most of us would have chosen. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has wiped COVID from the front pages of the news, but it really has only heaped sadness and stress on top of any which existed beforehand. We really do need some smiles, and every single one is worth it's weight in gold, because they are hard won just now. 

The storm is a long way from ending. It can feel helpless, pointless, overwhelming. Remember to take a break if you can. Walk away. Read a book, watch a film, meditate, have a kitchen disco. Immerse yourself in a bubble for a while. Sadly it will still all be there when you return, but you'll be stronger and more able to cope. Never lose hope. Just like every other before it, this time too will pass.

January is usually the hardest month, so let's get straight to it. How is your mental health? It's dark, dismal, Christmas is over and we have every reason for this January to be especially hard because of ruddy COVID.

The pandemic been going on for literally years now, and it is wreaking havoc across the UK (and entire Northern hemisphere / world). We are stressed, tired, and led by people who laugh in the face of their own restrictions. In the UK we are going for it, attempting to get through this wave without any restrictions, and hurtling towards "learning to live with the virus" at breakneck speed... Even though half the people on the bus don't even realise that's where they're going, we are already in the air as the bus attempts to leap the canyon. 

Crikey it's stressful - and we all know we won't all get off the bus unscathed. We didn't even get on it unscathed. We are scratched and bruised and none of us will ever forget this time. It can be hard to remember that it will end. It can be hard to see we will reach our goal, we will win against a virus. Hard to see that this is still temporary. 

The problem with being in a pandemic is that you never really know what's coming next. You might think you have an idea, but then a curveball can fly at you from an angle, and you didn't see it coming...

Today is the 15th. That day of the month when I remind myself I can do this, and I can do it smiling... and you can do it too. We don't really go in for fluffy kittens, horizons and rainbows - we want belly laughs, rude jokes and cheekiness the likes of which can never be spoken aloud - but which makes itself known in the side smiles of youngsters with glinting eyes.

I thought today would be about protection, insurance, and confidence, because I had my COVID booster jab appointment (I'll not bore you with the figures, but they are definitely in favour of getting it done). Before I'd even left the house though, I had a message from my 22 year old daughter, who has tested positive. Today became about uncertainty, worry and feeling like Sheffield is on a distant moon, many many years of travel away from Manchester. 

I am late (again) with the #TBCSmiles this month, but at least with good reason. It was my 50th birthday on Sunday, something I can't quite believe myself. I'm not saying I don't look or act 50, but I certainly don't feel it inside. 

Inside there is still a small part of me which will always be the little girl, and when I find myself wide-eyed at a birthday cake, or crying an expectant and warming tear over a daft Christmas advert, or just hugging someone hard because I really do love them and miss them, I'm glad. I never want to lose that little girl part of me...

A huge personal thank you to everyone who made my 50th birthday the best ever.... 

This time of year is traditionally quiet for smiles, although Instagram seems to be hiding more and more people from the hashtag! There are 250 less smiley photos than last month, which I don't think can be down to people deleting their photos... If you do share yours, and I don't like or comment by the end of the month, it is probably because I've not seen it. I love to see each and every one, so don't be scared to tag me and call me out! 

Hello! It is definitely time for some smiles. October is always our quietest month, and it's easy to see why. The night time is creeping into our day, the cold is forcing us into jumpers and coats. Everyone is back into the post-holiday routine of work and the Autumn school term, but not yet getting excited about Christmas. It's all a bit meh... 

It can make us all a bit gloomy, and when you feel gloomy, it's easy to forget it won't be for long. That's when the collection of smiles really helps. It reminds you of the sunshine, the sparkle, the fun times. It reminds you of the things you like to do, the things you said you'd do again. The things you can do right now. It reminds you of the plans you can make, the places you can go. Best of all, it reminds us that a smile has power. It has so much power that it can last far longer than that moment, and spread far further than the same room. And it shows us we can always do this. 

I'll start with my apology,  the smiles are a day late, and that's because I was stressing over an important hospital appointment this morning, and I just couldn't get into the headspace for writing anything yesterday. I guess we all have those days, even me, and I don't think allowing yourself to let go a little if you can is losing. I think it's protecting your own mental health.
Thankfully my appointment went swimmingly, and in 3 months I should have an idea of when I'll have some pretty major surgery. And crikey, the surgeon is the nicest bloke. I could have hugged him - so there are plenty of smiles from me today. 

Annoyingly I then got home to discover my Internet had the power of a baby's breath, and uploading photos wasn't happening, or this post would have been live many hours earlier... 

There are thankfully many smiles from you guys - we had loads over the last month - including all of those children in shiny shoes and new oversized uniforms, ready to go back to in-person school. Full of anticipation and nerves, especially when the school is new to them. You can also see Summer turning to Autumn over the last month, the blue is less, and the orange is creeping in...

I am a day late with this month's TBC Smiles, but hopefully you'll forgive me. They aren't any less fabulous, and that's got to be the main thing. 

84 Months is 7 years, and I've been collecting my family's smiles for all of this time because they are the reason we do everything, and in the times when I feel like I'm failing, looking at the smiles reminds me that WE CAN DO THIS. 

By Lizzie Royle (my niece)

Anyone else is welcome to join in with TBCSmiles, share your smile, grins, giggles and chuckles over on Instagram with the hashtag #TBCSmiles (watch the spelling, I've just found lots of very old smiles with slightly mis-spelt hashtags).

"Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends.
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends..."

Our 11 year old left Primary school last month, and Facebook showed me a memory to remind me of the day he left nursery, which was 18th July 2014. It's one of the most painful images I have. My innocent littlest baby, full of promise and joy at the world, and delighted with his "Goodbye" bag of goodies. It hurts so much because it's "before", and less than a month later, his sister was dead, and we were a family full of broken people. His life wouldn't ever be so innocent again.

Wow! What a month. It's been a roller-coaster indeed, and with the announcement we will be lifting Coronavirus restrictions in England next Monday, a lot of people's emotions are high. Depending on your point of view, it's scary, it's exciting, it's a relief, it's a massive worry. Everyone's own experience will be different, and we have to respect that. There is no doubt that the roller-coaster will carry on running, and in the UK at least, it is about to get bumpy. Thankfully vaccinations will keep the vast majority of us out of hospital. There is plenty of hope.

COVID or not, my month has featured hospital, my own personal roller-coaster, and one of those weird experiences that really seems like proof someone is watching over you.

It's Summer! It certainly feels like it (on and off) and the warmer weather and sunshine is good food for the soul. It's also full of immunity-boosting Vitamin D and virus-killing UV light. Going outside and catching some sunshine is genuinely great for your health - you've got every excuse. 

Of course, you might have to battle the pollen. But let's glance over that... 

The sunshine and the relaxing of restrictions have had you all out and about over the last month, and you've shared lots of photos of people doing normal stuff that they simply haven't been able to do for ages - it's great to see. Lets hope there are plenty more, because the smiles are second to none.