As parents I think we take getting in the car for granted. When I mention to the children that we are getting in the car, there is always a flurry of excitement. It doesn’t matter where we are going, it could be to the supermarket to cause havoc shop, to soft play or off on a road trip, they are always really excited about the prospect of going for a drive. I love watching how happy they get over the smallest things, and to be honest I find it quite
We are all warned that buying a child a new pet for Christmas isn’t a good idea, but it can be done successfully if you do it right. My son was given a hamster for Christmas one year, and he became a very responsible pet owner. He learned a lot about caring for an animal, and I don’t regret this period of his growing up at all. If you are thinking of buying a new pet for Christmas, this parent’s guide will help you get your child’s relationship with their new
Essential tips for how to cope with extreme 4 year old tantrums. Helpful strategies & parenting advice.
If you have been following my blog and social media posts recently, you will know that we have had some trouble settling our 4 year old daughter into her new gymnastics class. Last week she was so distraught at the prospect of going that we were not even able to get her to leave the house. It’s been a real parenting challenge for us as we have struggled to know what to do for the best.
So Princess started school this week, and so far everything has gone OK. She was so excited about going, that we were literally counting the sleeps before she was due to start. She would have worn her gingham dress and school shoes every day if I’d have let her, but I gave into my self consciousness about walking around with a girl in her school uniform all summer. Perhaps I should have just gone with it.
Sshh! Don’t tell anyone, but I’m planning a special surprise for my girls this week. On Thursday 28th July, we are having a very special Go Jetters Party and you can join in the fun too! My girls love the Go Jetters, and all the exciting adventures they go on travelling the world so I know this is going to be such a fun event for them. The invitations have been sent, and their very best friends are going to be joining them to play games and of course share lots
Yesterday I felt broken by my children, and I feel terrible for it. As a parent there is nothing worse than the feeling that you are letting them down and that there is more you could do to make the day run smoothly. I am finding this year really difficult and it breaks my heart that my 4 year old has said to me ‘it will get easier when I go to school’. This should be a time when we make the most of being together as a family, but instead
When my son was born I felt totally redundant, he was a distant child from the very beginning. He fed well, he slept well and needed very little from me in terms of cuddles and kisses. When we were in the hospital, after he was born, one of my clearest memories is of him waking up, being fed and changed. I popped him back in his crib, just to go and wash my hands and was looking forward to enjoying a little cuddle with him before he napped. When I
We have had such a great time as Get Set, Splash bloggers for HUGGIES® Little Swimmers®. Water fun is something kids and parents can get so much from and it can be such an easy and simple thing to enjoy. As children’s activities go it can be easy on the pocket too.
Schleich have been making educational toys for over 80 years and they certainly know what they are doing. I have just been reintroduced to them for the purpose of sharing this post with you, but I definitely remember toys like this making an appearance at my school and nursery when I was a child. There is something comforting about seeing a child play with a toy you are familiar with and that isn’t about the digital world. Schleich toys are about learning through imaginative play and encouraging development in a way
With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday 19th June, I thought it was about time I got my 4 year old daughter a little bit more involved in choosing a present for her Daddy. I had no idea what a 4 year old would choose to buy for Father’s Day, so when we had some free time at home the other day I thought it would be an interesting conversation to have. In the name of being able to embarrass her in later years, I made a little recording of our
Well my Little Pudding, I cannot believe that you have become a two year old today. Where has the time gone? It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes ago that you made that speedy and slightly scary arrival into our world and made our family complete. But things have changed so much. You’ve gone from that tiny squidgy bundle of a baby to quite a hefty toddler with a spirit to match.
There are lots of posts on the internet about how we can be better parents to our children. With so many tips and pieces of advice flying around I know it can feel very overwhelming, especially for a first time parent. With so many opinions from friends, family and even the internet, it can be impossible to figure out which is the right route for us to take, in a world that is expecting us to achieve perfection in the parenting stakes. I thought I would flip this on it’s head and
Before we went on our recent holiday we spent a lot of time taking our daughters swimming to get the ready to enjoy their time in the pool. As a Huggies Little Swimmers Get Set Splash Ambassador we are on a mission to encourage parents to take their little ones for a splash around anytime. It doesn’t have to be a faff if you are always prepared and it’s great fun for you and your children. I vlogged about our experience, why we needed to make the effort before our holiday and why
Personally, I believe that parenting is one of the toughest jobs you can ever do. The responsibility of bringing a baby into the world and raising a child is huge. Once you take on the task of looking after a child, that role is always with you in some form or other. There’s no asking for a transfer or applying for another job. Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, there are no get out clauses or notice periods. Fortunately, one of the first terms of the parenting contract is to
Taking the kids swimming can seem like a bit of a chore can’t it? I think us Mums (and Dads too) can put barriers up really quickly and before you know it all the excuses not to go swimming are coming out. There’s getting the stuff ready, making a special trip to the pool and then all the faff of getting everyone changed. Before you’ve even put your hands on a towel you’ve managed to talk yourself out of taking the kids for a splash about in the pool and
I’ll be completely honest and admit that before my blogging days I never used to get YouTube. My son would watch it for hours on end, and my husband used if for tutorials but I didn’t think it really had anything for me and the girls. How wrong was I! It is awesome and it’s become a huge part of our lives in recent months thanks to YouTube Kids.
A recent study in the US by the National Centre for Health Statistics looked into the sleep patterns of single parents in comparison to two parent families. Having been a single parent for many years, it was no surprise to me to read that single parents aren’t getting nearly enough sleep compared to two parent households. The impact of prolonged lack of sleep can have a huge impact on a person’s health, and the consequences of this on a single parent household are potentially significant.
As soon as you get a positive line on your pregnancy test, you’ll no doubt be full of a mixture of excitement and nerves. Having a baby is a life changing experience, and both mums and dads will no doubt be overwhelmed by the amount of advice out there. However, it’s important to relax when you’re expecting a baby, and being prepared will give you peace of mind. Here are 10 tips that any parents can follow when they’re expecting a baby.
Dear Daughter Happy 4th Birthday! I cannot believe that you are actually 4 years old already. Where has the time gone? This year is a big year for you with lots of changes ahead. You’ll be off to school in September, but for now we are going to be making the most of not being part of the school run. We’ve got a good few months of freedom yet.
We have a very special celebration coming up this week. My little Princess is going to be 4 years old. Where on earth does the time go? Come September she will be off to school but that is a whole other series of blog posts in itself. For now we are enjoying having her at home and we are looking forward to celebrating this very special birthday with her.
Safer Internet Day takes place on 9th February 2016. This year the UK Safer Internet Centre are asking us all to ‘play your part for a better internet’ and raise awareness of safe, positive and responsible use of digital connective technology by children and young people. It’s an increasingly important issue for parents, and an area where young people and children need support and guidance like never before. Getting on the internet has become so much easier now and there’s nothing wrong with that. You could easily get the broadband
Highfields Park in Nottingham is one of our very favourite places to go, and my daughter and I visited after going to the theatre on Sunday to see The Elves And The Shoemaker at Lakeside Arts. Princess had the scooter and I had the camera and we enjoyed getting some fresh air together. It was so nice to get out and about after being stuck indoors with tonsillitis the week before.
Do you know what your kids are looking at on their Android smartphones and tablets that you have just bought them? Are you fully aware of the activities that they perform not just online, but offline too? When asked, many parents still go silent and then there are so many confused responses, including yes, most of the time; no, not literally; yes, to some extent and so on. If you don’t know what your child is doing on their tablet or smartphone, perhaps it’s time to look at the Android Monitoring App.
Dear Teen, Sometimes having a big age gap family is tough. I know you are great with your sisters and help out loads around the house with jobs but I’m guilty of letting you get on with things by yourself sometimes, including your A levels.
We had a very special birthday here at Zena’s Suitcase last month. My eldest son turned 18 and you might have caught up with his 18th Birthday letter on the blog. I really struggled with how we were going to celebrate this landmark occasion in his life, and in the end we settled on a family gathering in our local pub.
This Christmas more children than ever will be getting computers, tablets or phones that can get them online. I’ve been catching up with O2 and the NSPCC about their latest research into online safety and they have found that digital technology is a becoming an increasing feature in young children’s lives. Their latest research shows that 55% of the parents they spoke to are planing on buying a connected device for children 4 years old or younger. Is your child going to be online this Christmas?
I was just thinking back over the last couple of months, and it’s dawned on me what a great time we have had this autumn. It has been one of my very favourite times of year for going places and staying at home.
I’ve stumbled across many parenting quotes over the years about having children, some I’ve completed disregarded, some have resonated with me, and some just make me smile. As parents we all need a a few kind words, or snippets of inspiration to give us some kind of clue that we might be on the right parenting track. Here are just 5 of my favourite parenting quotes that have helped me over my 17 year journey. I wanted to share them with you, just in case you had any self doubt or
Recently I’ve been thinking about how to keep the girls busy through the autumn. There is a little part of me that is sad about the wet and cold weather coming, and getting them out to the park becomes not being quite so easy. One thing I haven’t been doing with the both of them over the summer is going to play group. I took Princess when she was at home with me, and I’ve been to plenty of Mother and Baby groups with Little Pudding but I’ve not took
