Tag Archives: children

My First Mothers Day – Guest Post

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As I sit and write this firstly I am amazed that my 3 month old is asleep before 11pm at night, I do feel a slight tingle of victory and secondly I am trying to find the right words to sum up how I feel about being a new mummy.

 Mothers Day

On Sunday 10th March mothers across the country will be celebrated for their awesomeness and damn right hard work. Mothering really isn’t for the faint hearted, I have run businesses, worked managing high profile events and even tried to train for a marathon, but I would say that my journey as a mum has been the toughest and most enjoyable.

I had the strangest pregnancy full of many complications and morning sickness you could not even imagine, if I was the Duchess of Cambridge the papz would have had to set up camp outside the Gynae ward. But it all made it worth it, when on 12th November I welcomed to the world my precious little girl. I still remember her birth (it was such a lie when they tell you that your forget) I still wince and shudder in fear when I think of the contraction pains, but I guess that in itself is a whole different story. (Mr Epidural guy I love you!!!)

I think I am getting distracted, back to the point of this piece. Motherhood has been the best experience I have ever had, not only has my daughter reminded me that there is more to life than chasing wealth or material things. But she also has shown me how to live, every day I wake up wanting to enjoy the beauty of each day. I look at her little face and see every hope and every dream I ever had, yes she is only 3 months old, but watching a baby really does make you realise that life is for loving and living. It’s such a different feeling from staring at my husband’s face in the morning, there are time I could quite happily turn over and go to back to sleep when I see him. The love I feel from motherhood is on a different plain, the type of experience where you just stare for ages into space and feel completely content.

In essence this mother’s day means to me that I am part of something much greater than myself, I have a little human being I am responsible for. It does not mean I don’t want presents, I think I have left my husband enough threatening messages that he won’t forget to buy me a gift. Just for good measure Mr O if you are reading this it is Mother’s day, where is my gift?

I hope you enjoyed my mothering mind dump so to speak? (Guess what she has been asleep for half an hour since I wrote this!!! I am still winning)

Abi x

The brilliant Abi is Online Editor for OnInLondon please check them out and Abi also tweets under @boseonas

Casual and Boarding shoes – Guest Post

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It often pays to treat your kids to something a bit different every now and again-if you’re able to, getting them gifts where they’ll be active, such as scooters, bikes and skateboards, can be a great way to get them some fresh air as well as guaranteeing they get a bit of exercise and time away from the computer-although you probably won’t want to be this strict, a family in Australia gave up on computers and other electronic devices entirely and as a result the children in question developed to a greater extent as people. One learned to play the piano, another became focused far more on sports and was all the healthier for it, and the third developed a talent and passion for art. If your children can get more involved with moving around on two or four wheels they’ll hopefully develop more of a degree on self-reliance (with the added bonus of not needing lifts in the car as much for shorter distances, if they’re going to see their friends for example)

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If you’re thinking of treating your kids to a skateboard, getting them the right kind of shoes for the board can be a bit of a tricky decision. Obviously, the fashion implications will be the most important consideration as far as your kids are concerned at least! Most skate shoe suppliers have a wide range of styles, shapes and colours though; this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. If they’re going to be used for actual skateboarding though, there’s one or two things you should have a think about. The materials and technology used in skateboarding shoes are by now fairly widespread in terms of

 

availability, further adding to your choices, but as children are liable to wear through shoes at a pretty rapid rate don’t spend too much on them unless you’re able to do so, or you may find yourself out of pocket! Durability and comfort, after style will be near the top of the wishlist-where durability is concerned, you may have to make a trade-off-skate shoes by their nature are more rigid, made of tough materials and narrow at certain points to allow for the width of skateboards and the amount of times they’ll be striking the ground and the board, with some scuffing to be expected as well. In this case, you might need to work on obtaining shoes that offer a good enough blend of features for what your kids will be doing.

Vulcanisation is a slightly complex but interesting method of shoemaking that you might want to consider-this involves the rubber molecules being ‘cross-linked’ by heating them and mixing with sulphur in the process. This in turn greatly improves elasticity and strength as well as longevity, which is a great upside, however going back to the comfort aspect, they can potentially be less comfortable due to the bonding process packing the molecules closer together. Also, the sole is thinner so may wear quicker even though it may improve feel and performance on a board.

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There are plenty of places to get your kids shoes, and it might be worth checking out an online store or two to get a feel for what’s available. If you want to have a look at a selection of kids skate shoes - visit www.skatehut.co.uk.

#CountryKids – Coombe Mill Style

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So those of you that don’t follow me on Twitter (@OneDad3Girls) or Instgram (OneDad3Girls) we have been at Coombe Mill.

This was our first visit to Coombe Mill and it won’t be our last (we’ve booked up for next year already)

We have all enjoyed the week so much It’s difficult to put it into words so this may end up being quite picture heavy.

One of the great things about Coombe Mill is the morning Feed Run which involves all the children gathering at 9am every morning and greeting one of the farmers (this week we had Farm Ted and Farmer Kym) and all loading onto the tractor and trailer. Feed Run

They then make their way around the farm and stopping off at each an every animal and getting in amongst the animals and giving them their food.

FeedingThe first day the girls weren’t 100% sure and stayed a little to the back but by the end of the week they were straight in there and looked forward to it everyday. Now these girls are usually scared of the smallest animal but Mia was wanting to get in there with the pigs and didn’t mind the goats trying to jump up at her. Aly also came out of her shell and by the end of the week they looked like totally different children.  Girls FeedingThis experience was helped so much by the farmers especially Farmer Ted who was such a loving character and there seemed like nothing he didn’t know whether that be about the animals or what to do in and around Coombe.  Farmer TedDuring the day we would also have a little walk around and Aly always enjoyed feeding the goats and they all loved the rabbits, it wouldn’t surprise me if I found one of the rabbits in the suitcase.

My favourites were without doubt the deer and I couldn’t believe how tame they were and how close they’d get to us.

Deer sml

This has been our best week as a family ever and we can’t wait to do it all over again.

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

House husband the TABOO!

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Below is my first piece that I have written for anyone else and appears on OnInLondon I’d love to know what you think good or bad – please have have a look at their site here

What’s the most rewarding job?
If you’re a parent the answer is pretty easy it’s to be able to stay at home while your children grow up and to see them develop.

It’s often been the mum who stays at home but why? Why is it deemed taboo to become a stay at home dad? For me it would be the greatest job in the World.

When Alyssa who’s now five arrived in the world I booked two weeks holiday from work so I could be there if and when needed and going back to work afterwards was the hardest part of it all. Every day I would leave at 8am and not be back till 6pm and it was like this for almost 3 years and I felt like I missed out on so much of her development. Her first steps, seeing her grow into the girl she is now.

Before Mia came along I left work for a 6 month period which coincided with her birth and a two month period afterwards.

During this time it allowed me and Aly to bond more than ever and also as my wife was heavily pregnant I took her to preschool and saw a whole new part of her life.

Little Mia popped into the world and as I didn’t have to get up for work in the mornings it meant I could do the night time of getting her off to bed and settling her and we bonded in those early mornings downstairs while the house slept.

I’d never say being a stay at home dad is easy as some days you want to get out the house and have some adult contact but it’s by far more rewarding than any bonus from a 9-5 job. Picking them up from school, hearing about their day at school or just picking them up after a fall, even the poorly cuddles on the sofa all have their own rewards.

So with all this positivity why aren’t more dads doing it?
For some reason people see it as a sign of weakness.  I am man I must earn the money. It’s a very medieval thought and in 2013 a lot of women earn the same if not more than men so to use the money excuse it a poor one. Advertisers don’t help matters as they seem to aim at mums and sometimes forget that more and more dads are staying at home.

Then you have the day clubs, the clubs for parents to get together and allow the children to play with each other. Again most of these are aimed at mums and the few times I went people looked at me as if I was at the wrong place.

This is not a dig at the mums all of who do a brilliant job it’s just the taboo that has been attached to stay at home dads. Hopefully this view will change and dads won’t be put off from staying at home and enjoying the benefits that come with the role.

It All Started In Barcelona

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABarcelona – Feb 2007

So here we are, enjoying a short break in the lovely Barcelona, just the two of us.

We had been trying for a baby for a little while, but not a long time. Laura had bought a pregnancy test while in the airport before we had left England but she decided not to tell me. After dropping our bags at the hotel before we head off to have a look round and grab some dinner Laura heads to the bathroom and a few minutes later comes out with a look on her face, straight away I can tell “We’re having a baby!”

The words you’ll never forget, the words that will change your whole World.

By this stage we’d been a couple for 6 years and married for almost 3 years so we knew we were ready to start this next chapter.

Before we left for this little break we’d just had the news that the landlords wanted our flat back by the end of March. Laura at the time had said that these things happen for a reason and now we knew what that reason was.

Straight away I wanted to tell everyone but was told I had to wait and that is by far the hardest part. Once we got home Laura had made the doctors appointment and it was confirmed that she was pregnant. Shit! It was starting to hit home and the next stage was the 12 week scan.

I didn’t really know what a 12 week scan involved but I knew I wanted to be there and I was nervous. This would be the first time that I’d get to see my baby and even know 5 years later I still have the photo (even if I don’t know what I’m looking for).

Was everything ok?

Can you tell what it is?

So many questions but at that moment when you see your baby and hear the heartbeat everything stops. The lady said everything looked normal and as expected but it was too early to tell what sex it would be.

20 Week Scan

The next time we saw anyone was at the 20 week scan and this is normally the one where they can tell what sex the baby is likely to be.

After all the checks and measurements had been done the question was asked “Can you tell what it is?” Her reply was I’m 99% sure it will be a girl (they don’t like to sat 100% because people have actually sued them when they got it wrong)

BINGO! We now have something to work with, a colour if you will.

Colours

Finally I get to feel like I can do something. By this time we’d moved into our new house which would now become a family home. Granted I’d lose my office but I could live with that, I mean how much stuff can a small baby need?

Oh how wrong could I be. First there’s a moses basket – why? What’s wrong with a cot? A baby bath – but we have a bath! Changing table – can we not just use the floor? Wardrobe – she’ll be tiny can she not just use my sock draw? Then there’s the stuff like sterilizer, bottles, monitors (not to be used as walkie talkies when you want a cup of tea), the list is endless and when it’s your first you need everything new as the baby will be able to tell.

The most expensive outlay is the pram/travel system. Its important to get the best you can afford and make sure it’s easy to fold down and lightweight. We went for a complete travel system which included a car seat. This system lasted until she was almost 3.

So we’ve decorated and bought the entire contents of several baby shops all we need to go is wait until the due date of 5th November.

 

 

 

Our Christmas 2012

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Christmas 2012 was probably the best we as a family have had.

It was the first year that Mia understood presents and what Santa was all about.

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Christmas morning started at about 7ish with the girls coming into our bed to open their stockings.

We then wondered down the stairs to see if Santa had been…

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They couldn’t believe their eyes, I wasn’t sure they’d remember hope to open presents how wrong was I.

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The girls soon got into the swing of things and it wasn’t long before wrapping paper was flying everywhere and the excitement on their faces was worth it, of course they got spoilt.

Once the excitement of opening the presents was over we headed to the In Laws for the rest of the day and the best part of Christmas for me the food.

For the most part of the day the girls played together really well but as usual the wanted to play with each others toys or the toy the other was playing with. I think they really enjoyed the day.

How was your Christmas?

I Choose Sellotape

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tape

All children are of course different and that’s what makes them special.

Mia is totally different from Aly, but it would be boring if they we’re the same.

Aly is my little girl and always will be, we are both stubborn but I wouldn’t change anything about her. She is without question unique. While most of her friends love sweets she hates them and anything like that, she doesn’t like fizzy drinks and will only drink water or apple juice. Her favourite foods are yoghurts, salads and fruit.

After school the other day Aly had just got a good report and her teacher said her handwriting was really progressing so it was decided she could chose a present from the Tesco Local, out of everything in the shop all she wanted was a pack of sellotape! No chocolate, no magazine nope it was a 99p pack of sellotape.

I told you Aly was unique, there is nothing she likes more than creating various things using paper, tissue and sellotape. On Saturday she spend the whole day with a pack of paper and pipe cleaners making book wallets and bags for her soft toys.

I’d much rather she was like that than sitting in front of the television stuffing her face full of sugary sweets.

DISNEY JUNIOR WISHES YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

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New birthday gallery, Birthday Book, launches at DisneyJunior.co.uk from 7th December

Lucky children will celebrate their birthdays on Disney Junior each month

Disney Junior, the multiplatform brand for children aged 2–7 years and their families, today sees the launch of a birthday gallery on its website, www.disneyjunior.co.uk. Birthday Book will allow parents to upload photographs of their children ahead of their special day as an online memento, with the photos of a lucky few going on to appear on Disney Junior itself.

To upload a photo to Birthday Book, parents or guardians can simply follow the instructions at www.disneyjunior.co.uk. Birthday images on the gallery will appear for the whole month in a special frame featuring Disney Junior’s most popular characters and a random selection will appear on air.

Birthday Book is the most recent addition to Disney Junior’s successful raft of digital initiatives, which includes the recently launched online destination Jake’s World, an immersive experience for children inspired by Disney Junior’s number one rating series, Jake and the Never Land Pirates,  and Superbia, which offers young people the chance to enhance their experience and enjoyment of their favourite Disney Channel shows by creating avatars, decorating their own virtual rooms and visiting the virtual homes of their favourite Disney Channel characters.

Disney Junior’s animated and live action programming blend Disney’s unparalleled storytelling and beloved characters with learning, social and emotional developmental themes designed for children aged 2 – 7, to create a great co-viewing environment for children and families.