by iamcrabstix | Sep 4, 2022 | eet, Reviews
Disclaimer: Sleep Plan mentioned in this blog post was gifted by Baby 2 Sleep for the purposes of honest review. There has been no editorial control over this post and all opinions remain my own.
Anyone who knows us will know that I am constantly asking anyone and everyone for advice on getting my eleven month old baby to sleep more and better; why won’t my baby nap? why is he still waking four or five times a night? how can I cure baby FOMO?
I thought that because I was still breastfeeding, at eleven months, that this was why he was still not sleeping through the night. But as he is eating [alot of] solids through the day it didn’t make sense as to why he wouldn’t nap. Yes, our house isn’t always quiet because of his three-year-old brother, but even when RLT is at nursery, little one only goes down for such a short time. Why won’t my baby nap?
This lack of quality sleep, I was sure, must be affecting him cognitively. Although he doesn’t show any signs of ever being overtired as he smiles from the moment he wakes to when you try to get him to sleep (then all hell breaks loose). The lack of time for myself, for my other son and to basically do anything without a very inquisitive baby with me, was beginning to take its toll, so when I saw the opportunity to review a build your own sleep plan from Baby 2 Sleep, I contacted her asking for help in answering why won’t my baby nap? Why does he hate sleep?
Nicole, who owns Baby 2 Sleep is a sleep consultant who is one of the very few I’ve found that has actual qualifications. There are lots of accounts on Instagram from people who are not qualified and encourage you to let your baby cry to sleep, which is a terrifying concept to me. So I was grateful to find Nicole who practises gentle and reassuring sleep methods.
Nicole provided me with the tools in the form of videos which cover different topics related to sleep, which informs your knowledge of sleep (I clearly had none), which in turn helps you to help your baby. Because I’ve been single-handedly potty training a three-year-old at the same time as trying to watch these videos, I’ve had to dip in and out as it’s like trying to watch something in the middle of a rave when my kids are together!
I haven’t managed to watch all of the videos yet, but the ones I have I can honestly say have completely opened my eyes. I have made some small changes at naptimes, which have already started having a massive impact. Nicole explains sleep so magnificently, how bodies fight sleep, what we need to promote good sleep and advice for how to gently prepare our babies for sleep. The videos I have access to are for babies aged between 9-12 months so are spot-on for the needs of E. From only watching six videos so far, which are around five minutes in length, I already recognise that E was struggling with being over sensitised, over-tired and not being able to stitch his sleep cycles together without feeding and I never realised that before. I thought that he associated breastfeeding with sleep, but I never understood how much this was impacting on him moving through sleep cycles on his own.
We’ve made some minor adjustments in his nap routine, simple things that I had never thought of such as if he wakes earlier for the day, his nap needs to be earlier, the next nap needs to be a certain time after waking and longer than the one before. It sounds ridiculous even typing that because it seems so obvious but advice on how to support him to go to sleep without feeding from me and him drifting off to sleep on his own has seen overwhelming changes. Where a few days ago, I would have to feed him to sleep on the bed, he’s now having his naptimes in his cot. This is massive for us as I now have that naptime for one-to-one time with his brother, so it’s making a world of difference to our entire family.
I’m excited to update soon as I should finally get to watch all of the videos during naptimes today and I will update in a week or so, when I have been able to write up an entire plan which also looks at bedtime. As I’ve been solo parenting and on late train station runs, bedtime is still a little up in the air – but I have definitely identified the issues in that, thanks to Nicole’s videos, so I look forward to being able to implement some changes to help! Then I will just have the issue of the three-year-old who also doesn’t seem able to stitch his sleep cycles together and likes to bed hop during the night!
by iamcrabstix | Oct 19, 2021 | Reviews
Disclaimer: I was offered an affiliate code for this review, but I have decided against using the scheme to ensure this is an honest reflection of my experience.
So after the general embarrassment of seeing myself on the social adverts for the MSc Digital Marketing and Data Analytics at York St John University, I decided that I would write down my honest review of the course now that I have graduated.
Background to studying my masters
I have tried to study for my masters so many times but found the schedules to be totally impractical around work and living in a remote area. I was accepted onto the executive masters in marketing at my local Russell Group university twice (once it never ran due to lack of interest and the second time my employer said they couldn’t afford it). So I ended up studying CIM qualifications via distance learning – I got through, but I found that I was provided with presentations from taught sessions which meant nothing without the narrative around them.
Thankfully things have progressed in the past ten years and with masters loans being generous, the power is in the learners’ hands more than ever. As I have shopped around, work in education and am currently procrastinating on the literature review I am supposed to be writing, I thought I would write my review of the course.
To give context, I was a marketing manager for ten years, when I was on my second maternity leave in 2018 we found out that our eldest son had some additional needs which meant that I stepped away from my full-time role in order to support my family. My job was a big part of my identity, I am exceptionally lucky to have a part-time strategic role that explores market insights, but my heart will always lie in engaging with customers. So when I have been quoted by the course to say that it has given me something other than being mum, I really mean it.
By the time I finished the course at the beginning of 2022, I will be in a position to persue my career once again and I feel that I have used my time productively for myself as well as for my family.
Try before you buy
I dipped my toe into the masters by studying the short course which was co-branded with Mediaworks during the first lockdown. I found the content to be extremely user-friendly and interesting. I got a certificate of completion, so felt I’d accomplished something during lockdown one. Importantly for me, I found the mix of academic theory with practical examples of application a godsend and the lecturers friendly and knowledgeable.
I did umm and arr for quite a while, but when it came to a few days before enrolment I asked myself if I would regret not doing it and I absolutely would have, so I went for it. The admissions team were great – as I’ve managed admissions myself – I know what stress those final days before enrolment can be, but they never showed their frustration with my many questions!
Time and Money
These are probably the two biggest challenges when deciding to study a postgraduate course. Thankfully these decisions have probably never been easier – the course is completely flexible (with the obvious exception of your coursework deadlines!). You have the opportunity to explore the course content in your own time, the tutorials are recorded if you can’t access them in real-time you can access them afterwards and you can chat with your tutors via MS Teams! If you were a big fan of Microsoft Messenger back in the day, it is ideal!
Fellow students
You do get the opportunity to be part of a cohort via chats and live lectures on Teams and get to know familiar faces. A few of us have followed each other on LinkedIn and support each others posts.
I have also been exceptionally lucky and have a chat on the side with one of my peers and we cheer each other on, as well as support each other through our assignments.
I also discovered that Carly from momoftwolittlegirls.com is a fellow student, via tweets from her on my timeline! She has recently started a full-time role after 10 years away from the workforce thanks to her studies and her blogging success, that is one example of the diversity of the employment of the students. Some have even started straight after their undergrad and use publicly available data to shape their assignments.
Would I do it all again if I knew what I know now?
The answer to this would be without a doubt. It has to be the most flexible and responsive to customer needs MSc on the market. The insight you gain from Mediaworks is fascinating and current. If you’ve been thinking about masters for a while and worried about fitting everything in, I don’t think there will ever be a better opportunity than this one.
by iamcrabstix | Aug 25, 2021 | Reviews
Everyone that knows me personally knows that my fiancee works in local journalism, but many of you won’t know the details (to be honest, I find it hard to keep up!).
One of his current projects is a little closer to home than they usually are (and definitely closer than INews was!) in that he’s working with the team that has launched a new website which showcases the best of Newcastle called NewcastleWorld.
Like most people in the North East, we naturally gravitate to Newcastle in our downtime for the amazing nightlife, culture, food and football. Some people go up the road to Sun’lun, but I was one of the ones in the Gallowgate End with my Grandad at St James’, sorry! I also saw Tino score a hattrick against Barca!
NewcastleWorld is a source for a wealth of information ahead of visiting Newcastle, as well as for those who live, work and play in the City.
Written by a team of great journalists, whom Mark has worked with for years – I know that NewcastleWorld is going to be a valuable resource for people like me! I’ve already found out so much about bottomless brunches that I did not know about – now just to find a babysitter!
There is a daily newsletter that shares the top stories and happenings, as well as a curated selection of news stories on business and politics on how it affects the people of Newcastle.
I’ve already switched my football-mad family onto the insights on Newcastle United, with Liam Kennedy bringing exclusives, which have already got many fans talking and complementing the refreshing approach.
by iamcrabstix | Jan 26, 2021 | Reviews
Christmas 2020 was an emotional rollercoaster. Having something to look forward to as the world opened up again was high on our agenda, and the tickets for Christmas at Raby Castle happily coincided with that dream when the email arrived in early September. We don’t live that far away from Staindrop, so we accessed the grounds to the castle late summer when we were able, this thankfully meant that we were added to the mailing list to let us know the Christmas sessions were going on sale – so we snapped up the Fireside Stories with Father Christmas tickets for our 4-year-old and 2-year-old
Last year was the first year our eldest enjoyed Christmas, so with the little one being another year older too, we were excited to see the magic through their eyes. We booked 9,30am on Christmas Eve as we thought any earlier would be really hard for the little one to understand why there was such a wait for the presents!
As covid restrictions didn’t lift as we had all hoped before Christmas, Raby Castle had an impossible task – did they cancel altogether or did they pivot how they offered a little bit of Christmas to the children and thankfully they pivoted! Everyone who bought a ticket was offered a refund or an alternative and in my personal opinion, the alternative saved Christmas!
Rather than changing our expectations of Christmas Eve – it topped any expectations that we had. I know they couldn’t summon the snowfall, but the snow fell, the reindeer were huddled beneath the trees when you looked over from the castle grounds, it was brilliant!
The first part of the experience was supposed to be on the Castle Terrace which is outdoors, where children could spot the
presents around the terrace – but as we were the first ones there and they could see the anticipation in the little ones, they let us go into Santa first because there was no queue. Santa was in a present store, which is a sheltered outdoor space in a courtyard of the castle, which is not normally open to the public.
Not the best quality picture but the little one turned away from Santa as he started talking, almost as to compose himself and had the biggest grin in his face. It was worth it, just to see that elation. Father Christmas was absolutely wonderful and had a great chat with the children, our eldest did not move, he could hardly speak I think he was so immersed in the moment. As they were the only ones there, I think they got a little extra time as the ‘Footman’ on the door kept coming around as to almost prompt Santa, but we did not feel rushed it felt like an organic end to the experience. The presents the children got were very high quality too.
We present spotted around the castle afterwards, which because of the snowfall and reindeer felt magical. We even met a little pony called Elvis. We talked to the cafe and shop but unfortunately, the shop was not open as we had walked back up to the castle before opening time, I think it was meant as an ‘exit through the gift shop’ from the enchanted walk. We had tickets for the enhanced walk but as we had finished early with Santa, our boys were a little tired of waiting in the cold for the walk to open, so by the time we got in they weren’t as enchanted as we had hoped for! They did make it to the end to get their little gift, though!
So truly thank you, Raby Castle, for saving our Christmas and giving our little boys a little bit of Christmas magic.
by iamcrabstix | Aug 12, 2020 | Reviews
We were fortunate enough to get tickets for the opening night of the Virgin Money Unity Arena to see the legend that is Sam Fender on Tuesday 11th August 2020. I thought that I would share my honest review for anyone who is due to go. Going to a concert in a pandemic may cause some people to be anxious, but they really have thought of everything to make it a great experience.
The Virgin Money Unity Arena is the first of its kind, it is the first dedicated socially distanced music venue operating in the grounds of Gosforth Park, Newcastle. The team behind it are SSD Concerts – a North East events company with vast experience organising events, such as This is Tomorrow Festival and Bingley Weekender and the social/publicity/comms side of things appears to be Virgin Money’s very capable marketing team who are also North East based.
The venue is just off the A1 North, so it was easy to get to and the flow of traffic was good and there was very little queuing.
What do you need to know before you go?
Check your ticket email and any subsequent emails you may receive, as they will enclose the details you need but as a reminder:
Tickets – print them off. Don’t have a printer? They will accept them on the screen of your phone, make sure you have enough battery to show them! Thanks to the very responsive team on the venue’s twitter account for getting back to me within a minute with an answer to that question before our gig!
Allocated arrival time – you will have an allocated arrival time, this is to keep the numbers of people trying to enter the venue at once down to reasonably sized two-metre distanced queues and to limit waiting times for car parking/drop-offs. Stick to it if you can, it is there for your benefit.
Parking – there are fields for parking and another area for drop-offs/pick-ups within the grounds of Gosforth Park. It is a one-lane road so depending on how many people are before you there may be a slight queue, but the cars kept moving, we were in and parked within a matter of minutes. Leaving the venue was really easy too as stewards were there to stop/start different rows of traffic to keep it all flowing and to ensure everyone could get out fairly.
Remember your masks – you will need to wear your mask when you have your tickets checked, right up until you arrive at your viewing platform. Staff were regularly checking and asking people to put masks on. This means you need a mask on anytime you leave your viewing platform to go for drinks, food, toilet or wander around the field.
Food and drink – there are various bars at the back and front of the venue – the option to preorder is available with your ticket information and the pick-up point never had any people waiting at all. Small 2/3 minute queues were at other bars. There was the option to buy 4 pint pitchers for £22.50, pints were £5.50, there was also a pims and prosecco van. Waiting times on food were per vendor, so some were faster than others. There were also people walking past the platforms to sell shots and beer and cider directly. No cash, card payments only at the designated bars.
Merch – there were a great set of bespoke for the event t-shirts/posters on sale and the usual Sam Fender designs at £25 each. Card payments were taken. This may be artist-specific, but this is how it was set up for Sam Fender. There were also mobile vendors who walked around the venue to sell merch.
Platforms – You will be given a number when you have your ticket scanned, this is your viewing platform number and you have to stay in that platform and not move around them to other platforms. If you are put off by standing, there were a number of seats available for those who wanted them. The platforms were three metal barriers, one at the front and two at the side and were a great size and plenty of room between you and everyone else. The platforms are tiered too, so the ones at the back were slightly raised, to allow everyone to see the stage.
Toilets – there are loads of portaloos to the side of the venue, absolutely loads, so you will never have long to queue nor far to walk from your viewing platform. You must wear a mask. Alcohol gel is available just before all toilets and there is also some in the portaloos. Staff were constantly checking the cleanliness of the toilets throughout the event and replenishing paper towels.
I won’t write anything about the actual gig, because I don’t want to spoil it for the people who are attending the second Sam Fender concert, but you will love being back seeing live music.
Verdict
I absolutely loved it and I was absolutely gobsmacked how the venue managed to get absolutely everything right on the first night. It was so well organised. Considering that no one had ever done this kind of event in the country before, it was absolutely faultless. If you’re attending, you will be very happy and if you are tempted, I would say go for it!
As a 37-year-old mum of two used to love going to gigs (I haven’t enjoyed the arena since the days of being sponsored by Telewest!) but as I’ve got older I enjoy my personal space a bit more, this was ideal for me and would be very happy to go to more events like this going forward and for this to be the new normal!
by iamcrabstix | Mar 16, 2020 | Reviews
Having two children at very different stages, aged one and three, I struggle to find places in County Durham that are suitable for them both, especially on a rainy day. So I took to facebook to ask for recommendations and decided to give Daisy Street Play Spennymoor a try, based on the recommendations of a mum with two children of similar age to mine. I was reluctant at first because the website images looked unappealing (the website has since been updated and is much more appealing), which I shared on the facebook discussion, but the mum reassured me that it really was worth going along. I wasn’t disappointed.
Daisy Street Play is situated on an industrial park, just outside Spennymoor near what is now called Durham Gate, but what oldies like me know as the old Black and Decker factory area. It is tucked inside an archway just off the main road in Enterprise City and there is a generous car park thanks to it’s setting.
Under 6 months are free and between 6-12 months are £1.50 and £2.95 for our three-year-old, and we were able to play for around five hours if we wanted to, which is fabulous value for money. The staff were nice and engaging, one lady even keeping a lookout for families leaving so that we could secure a table, which I thought was really kind of her. The decor is lovely, the seating is comfortable and you are able to keep an eye on your children while you grab a cup of something or even a cake, thanks to the room being completely open plan. I even thought it would be ideal to take the children on my own; as I would be able to see them both, even if they darted off into different directions – I get major anxiety about taking the boys out on my own, so this was a big plus for me.
The room has a dedicated play area that has well-looked after toys for little ones and a beautiful tipi area and a selection of books available. There is also a self-contained ball-pit that has a super-fast slide built on top of it, along with a mini climbing wall to get to it for the more adventurous and older children. Make sure you’re waiting at the bottom as the slide is fast!
There is a lovely drawing area with a selection of stencils, pencils and crayons available and a roll of drawing paper, so children aren’t limited by size. There is also a wall covered in blackboard paint and chalk available, which pleased our buddying Banksy.
There was also a further area with lots of figures and buildings for imaginative play. It was all contained by a little fence, so no worries about little ones wandering. I was thoroughly impressed and would urge any parents in the area to try it themselves. We were big fans of Little Land Play in Peterlee, which sadly recently closed and this is the best alternative we have found locally.
