39 Months.... #TBCSmiles

For those who don't know, there is a more serious side to The Brick Castle. 3 years ago we lost one of our teenagers. It's not a nice tale, but you can read it here if you are inclined. Every month we collect our smiles. We look at them to remind us that it's always worth carrying on, and they are the reason we do so. I don't just collect my smiles, anyone can share theirs with the #TBCSmiles community on Instagram.

Christmas is hard work for everyone, but really stressful for a lot of people and the fear of it going wrong can be crushing. Take the time now to list those things that make Christmas great for you, then put them into order and start to get them ready and ticked off. You'll find there are very few things which must be included, the rest is sparkle. Sparkle is nice, but it isn't what is ultimately important and you don't need to lose sleep over it. Remove some of the stress and everyone will have more time and energy to create their own sparkle - the type that makes smiles you can't predict or plan in advance. The type that makes the best memories.

November 16-22 is Children's Grief Awareness Week. Each classroom in the UK has, on average, one child who has lost a parent or sibling. This year the hashtag is #YoureNotAlone.

Often bereaved children don't want to talk to their family because, like you, they don't want to upset their loved ones. It can make the world a lonely place. Take the time to talk, but more importantly take the time to listen. Remind someone that they aren't alone, you are there when they need you.

We had some awesome smiles this month. It was my birthday yesterday and 3 of our big grown up children managed to eat a meal with me - it was a very smiley day all round. We have other smiles courtesy of some of the reviews we've done recently and a not-so-scary Halloween zombie!

I could have easily made 2 collages of your smiles this month, there are some gorgeous smiles that I had to take out of the final selection. Thank you to everyone who takes part, the grins are awesome and I'm glad you were able to help create them. Anyone is welcome to join in, just tag a smile with #TBCSmiles

Here are just 9 of this month's brightest smiles...to see them all search the hashtag on Instagram

Stoppingattwo / Wemadethislife / Gemzka 182 Mummybio

Susankmann / Angela BDK / Cornelius Blog

Mrs Shilts / Family Fever / Throughamiseyes

Special mention for Genuine Placebo 84 for this gem which can make anyone grin... least scary Halloween outfit ever, but I really hope you wore them on the day!

If you can't see your smiles, keep looking, because they are always there.