We love messy play in our house but coming up with messy play ideas can be a bit of a challenge. I often need an activity that will engage both a toddler and a preschooler at the same time. As it’s school holidays, I search for activities that will help both children play harmoniously without ‘he ruined it!’ being shouted my way. Aside from it being a great way to fill the time, sensory play is important for a child’s development. Research shows that by engaging in sensory play, it helps build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways which help them complete more complex tasks. There are many ways in…
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Motivational Quotes To Inspire Determination
Love them or hate them, motivational quotes can help get you off the ground when you are struggling to make a start. During the evenings, once the kids are in bed, I sometimes find it difficult to rouse enough momentum to crack on with a client assignment or work on my blog. I’d much rather be dressed in my pyjamas, lounging on the sofa and binging on the latest Netflix series. However, if you have serious goals you need to put in some serious work. Then there are the setbacks. It’s easy to think about giving it all up if it feels like your business venture or blog is going…
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Why Children Need to Grow Up Around Nature
My sister and I were very lucky to have grandparents who lived in a small cottage on a countryside estate. As children, we would spend occasional weekends there without our parents. We would explore the fields, build bridges and splash in the brook or go on woodland adventures. I’m sure my grandma never let us out of her sight but she gave us enough autonomy to discover how we can use the great outdoors as our playground. I recently went to visit them with my two boys. As soon as I stepped out of the car, into the soft and gentle countryside, I could feel my mind wander back to…
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Letting Go of Sentimental Clutter
I hoard sentimental clutter. I kept a candle for 20 years because my friend gave me as gift from her holiday in Marrakesh. I refused to chuck it out even after it had melted when I left it next to a radiator. Soft toys from my childhood, old school projects, souvenirs and even birthday cards. I have a book full of ticket stubs of special places I have visited or gigs that I went to. Pebbles from beaches, plane tickets, Spanish pesetas, travel books from 2007. Anything that holds a precious memory I am pained to give up.
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What Happens When Children Choose Flowers For Their Mum
This is a collaborative post. I love getting homemade gifts from my children. My youngest is a bit too young to be making anything yet, but my eldest has now started making me cards for birthdays and Mother’s Day. There is something really special about getting something that is filled with your child’s personality and shows how much they love you. I have already got my handmade Mother’s Day card from Jack that he made at nursery. He is starting to learn how to write his name and so I felt a little emotional when I recognised a few of the letters. Aside from cards, there are other ways that…
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Positive Quotes That Will Lift You Up
A positive attitude can easily be extinguished by whatever life throws at you, be it self-doubt, worries, anxiety or depression. Positive affirmations used to make me cringe a little bit. But since I’ve embraced them and become more mindful, they give me a little pick-me-up when it’s needed most. They are little anchors of hope when everything feels a little muddled. Here are a couple that have stuck with me over the years. Which ones are your favourites?
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The Highway Rat World Book Day Costume for Less Than £2
Jack’s preschool is celebrating World Book Day on 1st March and all the children have been invited to dress up as their favourite book character. They will also be taking part in plenty of activities that will celebrate books and encourage reading. The children will also each be donating a book of their choice to an orphanage in Malawi The Highway Rat is a fairly recent addition to Jack’s bookshelf. We are all huge fans of Julia Donaldson books in this house and have nearly every one of her classic tales. This one is about the rat that rides the highway, stealing other animal’s food and has quickly become a…
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Make Your Own Erupting Volcano Out Of Play Dough
My son is enthralled by all things science related. Whether its watching astronauts brushing their teeth on YouTube, teaching me everything he knows about outer space, or making a tornado in a bottle – his love of science has driven his eagerness to learn and discover how things work. We are always trying to find new ways to nurture his passion for science. He usually comes home from preschool asking if he can ‘do science’. He has become really interested in volcanoes and is fascinated with how they fire out lava. Needless to say he was pretty desperate to try and recreate this at home and as it’s a pretty…
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How We Helped Our Fussy Eater Learn to Love Food
Feeding my eldest used to be such hard work. He didn’t take to breastfeeding that well. I was very weak for a long time after a major postpartum haemorrhage and this seemed to affect my milk supply. As a newborn, Jack lost loads of weight and struggled to put it back on. We tried supplementing with bottles and while it helped him gain weight, he started to struggle with those, too. He’d cry during feeds, cry after them, gag on milk, tug and pull at the teat. He did exactly the same when breastfeeding too. His stomach would gurgle with wind and now amount of Colief or Infacol would make…
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The Places I Love – Suffolk
I think we all have a place that is special to us. For me, one of those places is the Suffolk coast. Growing up, I spent many holidays staying with my granddad who lives a few miles away from Thorpness and Aldeburgh. During my formative years, these idyllic pockets of the sleepy east coast have remained relatively tranquil even during the tourist seasons. I love returning year after year. We stay with my granddad and his wife in their beautiful bungalow, which has over an acre of ground brimming with fruit trees and wildlife. It’s a slower pace of life, you can press pause and unwind. It’s not hard. Especially as…
