by iamcrabstix | Jan 28, 2020 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said’s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took its name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran,
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment (or a few!) from our week which captures a moment of childhood
Week 4
We’ve had an absolutely cracking week, as we’ve been in Tenerife for most of it! The weather wasn’t the best for a few days of it, but it was lovely to leave the day-to-day grind behind and just have fun as a family. It was little E’s first time abroad and he adored everything about it. He had decided he was going to talk to everyone on the plane except us, had high fived quite a few rows of the plane before take-off, got himself a little friend from Holland named Zachariah, with whom he tore up the mini-disco every evening and managed to make himself known to the majority of the entertainment team despite being too young to participate in anything.
RLT adored the splash park and just being outside in general, which we haven’t been able to do for a while thanks to the good old North East weather! I’m not sure we’re going to be able to top this week for quite some time!
by iamcrabstix | Jan 26, 2020 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said’s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took its name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran,
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment (or a few!) from our week which captures a moment of childhood
Week 3
A little late with this one as I haven’t had my phone much. We were wishing the majority of this week away, to be honest!
Little E was supposed to be helping me pack for our holiday, but he kept pulling everything out of the suitcases as I was doing it! He also got a little bit too attached to his brother’s Trunki, so I ended up abandoning my plans to take it. One thing I’ve found with having these two is that if I don’t have two of something, that will be the thing that they covert over all else.
Little E was taken to nursery by Daddy this week and he settled much better – so well done, Daddy, you’ve got that job every Friday morning!
Over the weekend, he was a little under the weather with a cough and just wouldn’t settle to sleep despite being very tired. Thankfully he settled down, but I forgot these moments were now few and far between and did enjoy my hugs!
by iamcrabstix | Jan 12, 2020 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said’s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took its name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran,
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment (or a few!) from our week which captures a moment of childhood
Week 2
It’s been a very long week, hasn’t it?
The boys have loved being back at their activities this week. There were a few objections from the R, the eldest, about going back to nursery, but once he was there, he absolutely loved it as he always does.
He actually told me that he needed a haircut for the first time ever, so I got him booked in straight away to tackle his scarecrow haircut!
Little E, although loving being back at his baby yoga and playgroups did struggle with going to nursery on Friday. After being absolutely fine last week, he did not want me to leave him this week. There is a window between the boys’ rooms at nursery and apparently his big brother was checking on him all-day. When I rang for an update I was advised that he had been “sobbing his little heart out” but his brother was trying to cheer him up via the window. Not really want you want to hear when you’re back at work for the first Friday in 19 months, but he settled as the day progressed.
I should have really expected it as earlier in the week he’d been struggling with the fact that his Daddy had returned to work after Christmas and kept grabbing a picture of him and stroking it. Fingers crossed for less tugging of the heartstrings at drop-off this Friday!
by iamcrabstix | Jan 8, 2020 | general parenting
It seems that fun just finds us during spring and summer, when the weather is oh so pleasant, and there are so many activities and events to enjoy. During the autumn and winter, however, things can be a little more complicated. Then, we’re mostly pushed indoors, and inspiration for having fun can be a little thin on the ground. But just because it’s more difficult to live life to the fullest during the colder months of the year, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Not at all, in fact! You will, however, need to make it happen. To help get you started, we’ve put together some useful tips that’ll put you on the right track. Incorporate the below into winter, and you might just find that it soon becomes your favourite season.
Movie Marathons
You could look at having to stay indoors as a negative thing, or you could see it as an opportunity to really make the most of all the comfort and entertainment that your home provides. What could be better, for example, than settling into a fun movie marathon with your loved ones? It’s easy to set up. Just make sure your living room is cosy, comfortable, and warm, and get the devices that’ll allow you to watch those classic family films. Add some popcorn and other snacks, and you’ll be ready to roll!
Outdoor Adventures
It’s true that the colder temperatures make it much more inviting to stay in the warm embrace of your home. However, it can also be fun to get all wrapped up, and go into the outdoors for a walk with the family. No matter where you’ll live, you’ll find that there is a beautiful space somewhere nearby that allows you to enjoy the great outdoors. Nature in winter is vastly underrated, in our opinion. You see a different side of life, and, since no-one else thinks to venture out, you’ll find that you have the space more or less all to yourself. When you’re finished, you’ll return home and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Perfect!
Baking Afternoons
One of the joys of winter is all the food that we get to eat. We do so under the pretence of keeping that internal engine chugging along and keeping us warm, but we can’t fool ourselves, those foods are also delicious. So it’s recommended that you invest in a quality winter cookbook, one with some delicious cookies and other baked goods recipes. Your child can be your assistant, so they’re included. During the process, your home will fill with those delicious scents, and you’ll get to enjoy all the fun of eating your creations once you’re finished, too.
Arts and Crafts
If the weather looks too miserable to venture outdoors, then why not look at getting an arts and crafts project underway, and see what you can create? You can create a lot with just a few staple supplies. Things like paper products, glitter, and glue dots can be used to create something that’ll have pride of place on your mantelpiece or fridge for many months to come. As well as simply being a fun way to pass a few hours indoors, arts and crafts are an excellent way to develop your child’s creative side, too.
Performance Time
If you want to get creative in a slightly grander way, then you could look at becoming your very own one-family talent production, and put on a show. It doesn’t really matter what type of show you put on, so long as it brings out your family’s inner theatrical side. You could hold a talent show, or hold a singing contest, or work together to develop a play. The good thing about this is that virtually every aspect is fun, from the idea development to finding costumes to rehearsing and then actually putting on the performance.
Friendly Competition
We’re all so used to diving into our phones, tablets and laptops whenever we’re bored that we often forget that people did, you know, used to have fun before the invention of the internet. If you’ve yet to partake in a mega family board game marathon, then winter will provide the perfect opportunity. Fill your home with those classic family board games, and when the weather becomes too severe to venture out, look at getting them out and sitting down for some friendly competition. It’s best to avoid the games that are most likely to cause an argument, though!
Take a Trip
Everyone thinks to take a trip overseas during the summer months, but this isn’t always the best option. After all, there’s so much fun to be had at home during the summer! So why not consider taking a family trip in winter? There are plenty of options available, more options than in summer, so you can find the perfect trip for you and your loved ones. You could head to the islands of southern Europe, and soak up the rays for a week. Or you could head to the snowy regions of northern Europe, and spend some time living a winter wonderland fantasy.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Life is oh so busy, and it’s only when we stop to reflect that we realise just how far we’ve come in life. It’s entirely possible that your children have little to no understanding about what your life was like before they were born. But you know that you were living a different life in those days. So why not use the cold weather as an excuse to show them your history? Bust out the old photo albums, and take a little trip down memory lane.
Art galleries and museums
Finally, why not take a trip to a local cultural site? There’ll be plenty to explore near to your home. When it’s cold and rainy, there are few places more enjoyable than a kid-friendly museum, art gallery, or other cultural attractions. It’ll be fun, but they’ll also be learning at the same time, too — it’s the perfect crime.
by iamcrabstix | Jan 6, 2020 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said’s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took its name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran,
“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment (or a few!) from our week which captures a moment of childhood
Week 1
Hello everybody! It has been a while since my last post, week 14 of 2018 in fact.
Since my last post, we’ve added little E to the family, I’ve finished my maternity leave and have gone back to work three days per week in a different role but same company. I’ve struggled mentally worrying about the boys, giving up my career, losing my identity and struggled massively with anxiety – which bizarrely seems to have majorly reduced since I stopped breastfeeding when E was 13.5 months old.
I have missed this community so much and also missed looking back on my updates so that I am determined to attempt to get back involved.
This week the three-year-old has come back down to earth with a bump. He was so brilliant at Christmas and is very upset at the thought of going back to his nursery and our neighbours taking their Christmas lights down. However, his little brother started nursery and he was elated about that but come pick up time he was so eager to see his brother and gave him the biggest hug when he saw him… then never left his side for the rest of the evening.
It was very sweet. I was so anxious about taking the little one to nursery and leaving him on his own for the first time, but he took it in his stride. No tears, he simply waved goodbye and toddled off to play. He was only supposed to be going for a few hours, but he ended up staying the entire day as he was very content every time I rang for an update. He’s been sleeping 11pm-5/6am since, which is absolutely unheard of for him! 2020 is starting very well for us and I hope it is the same for you!
