Master C is a five year old boy. It's therefore to be expected that he has an obsession with poo at the moment. It's one of his favourite things to shout out at inappropriate moments, and for about six months now he seems to have an obsession with calling me "Professor Poo Poo Pants". I'm trying to follow the parenting course advice of not reacting to the name calling in the hope that he will finally get bored and move on to something else. I'm not sure he ever really will though! I'm therefore not at all sure if agreeing to review the game Poopyhead with the kids was such a good idea. ... read more
Going alone, or with the kids?
I'm going to get a tad controversial here today, just a tad, but this is a topic where my thoughts and opinions have definitely changed over the years. Yet, it's a subject that seems to really divide people, no matter which side of the fence you sit on. What's the thorny subject I hear you ask? Is it political? Moral? Well, children and weddings. It shouldn't be that hard to discuss. After all, a wedding is a celebration of love and, what love is stronger than that between parents and their children? Despite this though the question always seems to come up as to whether or not children ... read more
Pork Pasta Bolognese #HealthyRedMeat
Over the summer life at home has been somewhat disjointed. Moving house, and changing family dynamics, mean that I've followed the advice of someone who very early on told me that the key thing in the early days of all this change was to remember to eat something, and to remember to make sure everyone else eats too. For a little while I was allowed to not aim for a nutritionally balanced home cooked meal every evening, but I just had to make sure that I had a meal every day and that the kids didn't go hungry either. It was quite seriously one of the best bit of advice I could have been ... read more
Capturing Shared Moment with Memory Lane
As a busy parent it can be so simple to over look those special moments that happen with your kids just as part of everyday life. You tend to really remember the trips out to theme parks, things you did on holiday or the big events like birthdays, but there are so many other special things that happen without quite so much fanfare which can for just as precious memories. I was therefore delighted to be asked to work with Channel Mum and Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons to record and share three such special moments and to show you how you can use the new Memory Lane tool to help capture and share ... read more
Confessions of a Summer Parent Challenge – the laid back approach
I'm not going to lie - I do kind of dread the six week summer holidays. My kids like the routine of school and pre-school and enjoy spending their days there with their friends. I'm simply not the kind of parent who manages to set up a Pinterest style set of educational activities for my kids every day, and to be honest life's too short for that. Truth is that whilst the kids are off school I still need to do all the various jobs around the house, plus my self-employed work too, so the six weeks ends up with a hell of a lot of juggling in this household! I keep thinking to myself that I ... read more
Surviving a poxy week
I feel like Master C has been dodging chicken pox since before he was born. His sister had them whilst I was pregnant with him and I remember all the mad googling about what the risks of chicken pox were to an unborn baby. It was all fine though as I'd had them myself as a child (still have the scar to remind me) and there was no risk to him at all. But when you're pregnant you do just worry anyway. That was nearly four years ago and ever since then he's managed to be exposed to the pox loads of time and never caught them. Playdates with friends who came down with it the next day. It going ... read more
There’s a Monster in my Fridge – Caryl Hart & Deborah Allwright
Halloween is has now been and gone (I know, bonkers isn't it! I'm sure it was only June a minute ago) and that was the perfect excuse, if one were needed, for a slightly scary children's book, and that's exactly what There's a Monster in My Fridge is. This rhyming story is hilarious and not only does it include a monster in the fridge, but also a witch behind a screen, a vampire in the cellar and two skeletons in the bath! I'm not exaggerating when I say that I laughed out loud when I read this to Master C for the first time. And as if the words were not funny enough, they are accompanied ... read more
Baby & Child Foot Health
One of Master C's favourite books at the moment is Topsy and Tim's New Shoes. In it, as the title suggests, the twins go off to buy some new shoes with their mum, and Topsy decides that she wants a pair of pink party shoes rather than the sensible pair her mum wants her to buy. Even with the sales assistant explaining why it is important to have shoes that fit well and don't crush all your toes together it's a hard sell to get Topsy to agree. It's a scenario that I'm sure many mothers of girls have, and I know I've certainly been there with Little Miss C before. It is so, so important to ... read more
Featured Post: Making the most of now #PowerOfSoft
I can't pretend it isn't happening any more. Little Miss C's pre-school days are well and truly over. She's been in Reception now for over a week and, although they're not up to doing full days yet, there's no doubt that she's very ready for it. Rather than having a pre-schooler and a baby at home I have a school girl and a nearly pre-schooler. Master C will turn two in a couple of weeks time. How on earth did that happen so fast? In my head I still think of myself as a new parent, yet actually we've had over four years experience at this parenting lark now. With two children I find that ... read more
How Strong is an Ant? And other questions about bugs and insects
We're huge nature fans here in the C family - so much so that Mr C also runs UK Nature Blog when he has time - and we all enjoy getting outside as much as possible to see what we can spot. From a young age Little Miss C has been a big insect and bug fan and we've always encouraged her to see what she can spot in our own back garden. So being asked if we wanted to review How Strong Is an Ant? was a perfect opportunity to teach her a bit more about all the bugs and insects that she enjoys finding under stones and in the soil. The Good Question! books, of which this is one, are a lovely series ... read more