I’m going to be brutally honest with you; every stage of the parenthood journey has brought me happiness and anxiety in equal measure! Just as I’ve dared to think that I’ve overcome one challenge another begins and to honest with you it’s been exhausting. There’s been pregnancy sickness, sleepless nights, nappies, toilet training, sitting in car parks while my babies slept, weaning, the list goes on BUT do you know what when I look back now the details of the challenging times are actually really hazy. What I do remember most are the fun memories that we’ve made of going to the park, reading, playing, first steps, painting, trips to the beach, dog walks, tree climbing, tickling, laughing, this list...
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...
Motherhood second time round comes with a whole load of challenges you perhaps didn’t quite expect. Top of the list is the constant feeling that you are never quite managing to devote your entire attention to anything or anyone. The mum-guilt of neglecting one sibling whilst you tend to the other can be pretty overwhelming to begin with – until you learn to juggle, and then it eases a tiny bit. I took me quite a while to develop my strategies of dividing my time and ensuring one-on-one moments with each child were quality. My answer is Baby Massage. As an International Association of Infant Massage Certified Instructor, Massage in Schools Programme Instructor and mum to three children aged 6,...
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...
