• parenting - toddler

    What’s this, Mummy?

    My toddler is quite a chatterbox. At one stage I wondered if he would ever talk, and of course, now he never stops. I’ve realised how I tune out to him (bad mummy). The other day we were in a shop and the sales person was talking away to me and I wasn’t listening. I apologised when I realised and knew it was because I have to tune out to my son, otherwise I would go mad. The toddler is 34 months and has a great vocabulary. He’s inquisitive and very chatty and I can understand what he’s trying to…

  • parenting - school

    Food allergies in children

    Last week we were invited to a breakfast briefing to discover more about children and food allergies and why early detection can make a huge difference to a child’s well being at school. Now I know my children aren’t at school but I’m always happy to learn about things which might affect their health. Food allergies in children Dr. Hilary Jones, one of the country’s top allergy experts, told us about a new report released by the EAACI (European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) which has shown that life threatening allergic reactions in children increased 7-fold in the last…

  • baking - Day Zero - gingerbread - handbags - motherhood - parenting

    Day Zero – Month 19 (April)

    On the 19 September 2010 I started a Day Zero list: a place to record your goals, discover new challenges, and gain motivation to achieve them. I have a list of 100 things I want to do over 1001 days. The list is due to be competed by 16 June 2013. Life with two children is hard. I knew it would be but it’s really hard and I don’t seem to have much time for much besides looking after children. There are also lots of fun times though and I’m never happier than when we’re all snuggled up in bed…

  • parenting - reviews

    Mini micro 3in1 scooter

    We’ve just come back from a lovely week away visiting family. We’re fortunate that the grandparents live by the sea in Devon and the Isle of Wight so there’s no excuse for not getting plenty of fresh air and exercise when we visit. One of the things we packed this time was Big Brother’s mini micro scooter. He’s been having loads of fun with it at home but we knew he would have even more fun scooting along the promenade! Putting the scooter together with daddy Both grandad and nanny were suitably impressed with his scooting skills. The clever little…

  • motherhood - parenting

    Competitive mums

    Like a scab that can’t be left alone I follow someone on twitter that I shouldn’t. We are complete opposites but we are both mothers. She does nothing but boast about her child. To be fair she works hard to give him the best. He goes to a good nursery, has his name down for private school, has beautiful toys and clothes. I’m a stay at home mum of two. I run myself equally ragged but cooking, cleaning, taking trips to the park and dreaming up messy activities. She goes to gigs, concerts, weekend breaks in Europe and has membership…

  • book review - motherhood - parenting - reviews

    Stories of Motherhood

    One of my favourite dates in the year is Mother’s Day! There’s something rather lovely about celebrating mum’s and I remember celebrating my first Mother’s Day just days after my son was born a couple of years ago. I really don’t expect a present from my two this year (a day off from nappies and bottles would be enough – I hope my husband is reading!). Published in time for Mother’s Day on 18 March, Stories of Motherhood, the latest title in Everyman’s Library’s Pocket Classics series, celebrates all aspects of motherhood. This beautifully packaged anthology gathers together more than…

  • Day Zero - moving - parenting - pregnancy - teething

    Out with the old

    2011 has had its ups and downs like any other year but we’re ending it on a high – with an unexpected couple of days with family on the Isle of Wight. I won’t be making any New Year resolutions that I won’t be able to keep. Instead I have my Day Zero list which I’m really enjoying working my way through and will continue doing. There’s a couple of things I am looking forward to in 2012. Here’s hoping: Big Brother has a full set of teeth by the end of the year – I can’t take any more…

  • baby - parenting

    Coping with reflux

    Little Sis is now one month old and we all totally love her. Big Brother constantly holds his arms out towards her when he wants to give her a cuddle and spends hours looking at her and giggling or giving her a kiss on her head. His behaviour, for the most part, is lovely and makes us both happy he has adjusted so well to his new role. He has the odd moment when he doesn’t understand that I can’t stop feeding her to get down on the floor and play but it’s great being a family of four. Unfortunately…

  • baby - parenting - sleeping

    Where my husband tells me he hates babies

    A good friend told me that conversations taking place between a mummy and daddy between the hours of 11pm and 5am don’t count. Which is just as well as yesterday morning my husband told me he hates babies, in particular, our baby. I think he has forgotten that newborns are pretty clueless about bedtimes. Little Sis has no respect for the fact we have busy days, up at 7am with her Big Brother. She happily sleep for 4 hours at a time surrounded by cBeebies and a toddler shouting for attention. But, come the midnight hour when the family is…