There comes a time in your life where you stop and realise that time is really flying. You get stuck in your routines and time just keep passing. But what happened to those moments where you could just sit, reflect, relax, literally not use your brain for list-ticking for just a moment? You’re probably going to say you can’t remember when was the last time. Self-care needs to be taken seriously. However, self-care clashes with all that’s to be expended of being mum. When you become a mother, ALL expectations for caring for your baby become heightened. You’re judged by the world on how you live your day to day. You’re expected to go back to work, run your business,...
We set up Yummikeys on 1 July 2017 and have had a pretty incredible first year. We've been busier than we could have imagined and had some really wonderful customer feedback and blogger reviews. But the icing on the cake for us had been to find out that we've been shortlisted for a Junior Design Award 2018, for the Best Eco Toy Award. There were over 250 businesses shortlisted and as far as we know, only 3 are from small businesses. Our toys are 100% plastic free and made to last a lifetime as a keepsake and to be played with by subsequent children. They're non-toxic and we are careful to reduce our environmental footprint. So it means a huge...
They’re just like us - there’s no escaping the pregnancy side effects - exhaustion, varicose veins etc - the odds are that the Duchess is experiencing some of these too. Albeit she’s better looked after than most of us! The pregnancy wardrobe - most of my pregnancy wardrobe came from my sister who had a baby the year before. But I can still enjoy imagining life as a glamorous mum to be. Speculation on the date - baby number 3 is apparently due in early April but really that means he/she could be born anytime from now until the end of April. Apparently Prince George and Princess Charlotte were both late so we may all be waiting a while. Labour...
Children with a trajectory schema enjoy movement. They like to move themselves and to be moved. They're drawn to watching movement and making movement happen. I recently watched my two grandsons at play. Hamish, 2 years 4 month, was pushing a train around a track. Vincent, 6 months younger, was immediately attracted but appeared to disrupt the activity, repeatedly throwing the trains and pushing them away in random directions out of Hamish's reach, and laughing. Vincent has a trajectory schema. Hamish, who likes an enclosed track made an attempt to join Vincent's play. Throwing a train across the room, at which Vincent laughed his approval, but Hamish then returned to his play - throwing doesn't particularly interest him. This illustrates...
The day started well enough. When Granny arrived, everyone was fed, watered and dressed, my middle child, Hamish, clutching his inseparable companion, Foxy. There was a brief moment when I couldn't find the two older children but they were soon located outside, blocking the drain with pebbles, a favourite pursuit, and Foxy was helping. We loaded everyone into the car and set off to a smallholding where we were buying some new friends for my mum's lonely bantam "Pearlsie Mittens". As I parked at the gate Rebecca shouted "I can see the farmer" and Hamish burst into an enthusiastic rendition of "Eee iii eee iii oh" and continued singing parts of Old Macdonald for the next twenty minutes. While Granny...
