As my journey through motherhood continues I find that I'm constantly learning from my children and regularly surprised by what they are teaching me. Now I've got three years of parenting under my belt I realise that some of those earlier lessons are actually quite obvious, but possibly not when you're new on the job. One of those first lessons, which now seems so blindingly obvious, is a child's need to play. It's the way that they learn, work things out in their heads and express themselves. So many times in the past I've heard a frustrated Little Miss C complaining ... read more
Using Time Out Effectively
How do the above help you use Time Out successfully with your children? Read on and I hope I'll explain. Firstly, let's start with what time out is and how to use it effectively in your family. Try to think of time out as a cooling off period rather than a punishment for your child. We all know just how frustrated it is possible to be at times and how, even as an adult, it can be difficult to calm down once we are all worked up. Now imagine being a child and being frustrated and possibly angry, but not understanding the feelings that we have. Their response may well be to scream, ... read more
Rusty needles
Not literally, but that's how my knitting needles feel right now. There's hardly been a chance to do any since Master C came along nearly 8 months ago. I've still been going along to my weekly knitting group, but more time has been spent bouncing the baby than actually knitting. The refreshments and company do make the whole trip very worthwhile though! I've been making a real effort these last few weeks to turn this around though and make some "me time" to actually do some of the crafts that I love. Unfortunately not all my efforts have been in the right direction ... read more
Praise your children
I just can't hear the word praise without thinking of this Fatboy Slim track and also the accompanying video. I was at university when this came out and whenever I hear it I am instantly taken back to the college bar and many, many an hour in there with some lovely friends. So, why am I talking about praise today? You may recall me writing about the parenting course that I am currently attending and as the weeks progress I'm realising just how valuable what I am learning on is. I therefore plan to share the things that I'm finding most successful for our family. Last week we ... read more