• how to make jolly jars
    Kids crafts - tutorial

    How to make a Jolly Jar

    May 8, 2014 - By 

    My son started nursery this academic year and we have been introduced to all kinds of new experiences. His nursery is attached to the local Primary School which means he is very much a part of school life. He wears the school uniform, takes a book bag to school and comes home with two books to read at home every week. He absolutely adores being part of the school community and I’m happy that he is happy. It has been a learning curve for me too. I do the school run, chat with the other mums at drop off and…

  • crafts - Kids crafts - nursery - tutorial

    Hickory Dickory Dock craft

    January 17, 2014 - By 

    My son is really enjoying being a part of his new nursery. I’m enjoying the routine (and a 3 hour break from my son every day, what’s not to love?) and he’s learning more than I could have imagined. This term has been all about nursery rhymes and he came home with a booklet for me which listed all the nursery rhymes they would be learning and some home learning suggestions. I was more than happy to receive the suggestions as, despite my Pinterest addiction, I do occasionally run short on ideas. He’s a busy little soul who’s constantly asking…

  • cooking - nursery - reviews - school

    Feeding an army

    October 11, 2013 - By 

    Now the toddler is at school during the afternoons I find feeding him a little tricky. Although we live near school he starts at 12.25 so I need to fit in lunch, clean him up and get him changed into his uniform before leaving the house, it can be a rush!  Sometimes a lie-in or just playing before breakfast means there are only a couple of hours between breakfast and lunch and he’s not very hungry. Fortunately he’s always really hungry after school so I ensure he has a really healthy meal for his evening meal. my dirty school boy!…

  • nursery - potty training

    Lots of firsts

    October 3, 2013 - By 

    The last week has been very busy in the gingerbread household. I’m not sure why everything has happened at once but the toddler was finally potty trained, started at his new pre-school and Little Sis has given up her dummy (during the day) and had a haircut. All this happened with quite a lot of screams, shouts and tears. The toddler finally started at his pre-school and I’m pleased to say he was potty trained by the time he went. Potty training took up a surprising amount of time and it feels like we tried everything – books, reward charts,…

  • Lego - nursery

    2013 Summer Bucket List

    July 23, 2013 - By 

    I love writing lists and ticking things off so this year we’ve made a Summer Bucket List. In an ideal world I’d have a grown up bucket list (which picked up where my Day Zero list finished off) which would be full of craft and sewing projects. However, I have two pre-schoolers so let’s be realistic… Before the toddler starts Nursery we want to do the following: Visit The Shard Ride the bus to Eastcote House Gardens Go plane spotting at Heathrow Use our Peppa Pig World tickets Visit the end of the line stations – Amersham, West Ruislip and…

  • Creepy crawly cupcakes
    baking

    Creepy crawly cupcakes

    May 18, 2013 - By 

    It’s so cold today, I can’t really believe it’s the middle of May. This morning we went to the annual May Fair at the toddlers new Nursery (he starts in September and I can’t wait!). When we got back he really wanted to have a picnic lunch in the garden but the chilly weather meant we enjoyed lunch looking at the garden rather than sitting in it.  To cheer ourselves up we thought we’d take part in the latest Centre Parcs challenge. Creepy crawly cupcakes We wanted to make something special for our picnic which meant making sure we had…

  • moving - nursery

    Preparing for the school run!

    May 1, 2013 - By 

    Today was our first full day in our new house. The move from North to West London went smoothly with two toddlers in tow. This time round we paid for all our belongings to be packed so Monday night was spent with minimal possessions. The children were brilliant and seemed to enjoy the chaos, hiding in boxes and dragging each other around the empty floors. On Tuesday the removal company arrived early and quickly emptied our house of possessions. We spent most of the morning in the garden and I’m very thankful the weather was warm enough to be outside.…

  • nursery - parenting - toddler

    New habits

    November 24, 2011 - By 

    Edward has picked up new habits from his time at nursery and it’s so strange knowing he’s learning things outside the home. He still chatters away as he’s always done but he now has a few funny mannerisms, such as holding his hands behind his back. His nursery encourage them to do things for themselves but I find it funny that at home he’ll sit on the bottom stair and take him shoes off when I ask him to. He loves his nursery but I’d really like to know what he gets up to. When he’s sitting at the dinner…

  • nursery - pregnancy - third trimester - toddler

    His time vs my time

    November 16, 2011 - By 

    Edward has now had five sessions at nursery. The first two were reduced hours to help him settle in but he’s now completed three full sessions. Our main goal was to help him socialise with other children. I didn’t realise how hard this would be and despite lots of activities he seemed to pick up bad habits rather than good from other children. Without making it sound like I wanted to let someone else take responsibility for his behaviour we decided it would be of major benefit if he had regular time with other children in a secure environment. I’m…