Our Blog
In a few weeks time we will be living with a 4-year-old little boy. I can't even fathom how this is possible as it feels like only yesterday he was born, but what I have come to realise recently is what inquisitive little nuggets 4-year-olds are.
I absolutely love the beach - there is nowhere I would rather be. Yet surprisingly I very rarely have made the trip to the great British seaside. As a child we used to go to Sandbanks for holidays, but as a teenager and adult, other than the odd drunken night out in Brighton visiting friends at uni there, I have not made the most of the fun to be had on our very doorstep.
With the Easter Holidays upon us parents are feeling that curious mix of emotions - excitement to have their little ones to themselves with relaxed mornings, no longer rushing to get ready and out of the house so as not to be late for schools and nurseries, mixed with sheer horror at having the kids all to themselves, to keep them entertained, busy and happy. We frantically fill up the diaries with play dates, outings, activities and try and make the time pass seamlessly.
This blog was going to be very different. I spent all week pouring my heart into writing a letter to my Mummy. She may not be physically with me anymore but I wanted to share with her all she taught me, that really has shown itself to me with such force since becoming a mother myself.
With Mother's Day this Sunday we have compiled a foolproof gift list sure to put a smile on the most exhausted of Mother's faces. Husbands and children you can thank us later. ;)
Are holidays ever that relaxing when you have young kids with you? Being an avid sun worshipper this was one of the major life changes I've had to grapple with over the years. Gone are the days of packing a suitcase full of the bestseller books to devour as I lazed all day on a sun lounger sipping rose wine and dozing off every now and then when it all got too much. I’m lucky now to get on a sun lounger for an hour, let alone the whole day. If I'm to get any sort of tan it is from running around after the kids.
What do you get when you mix a bottle of red wine and a night in watching your best friends on TV who feature on Million Dollar Listing LA? The confidence to book a trip to LA with two tiny people, two adults and..... 3 seats. And that was how our LA adventure was born. Since becoming a family of 4 we have taken quite a few flights, and our son has been entertained with a KeepEmQuiet pack and an iPad whilst our daughter was young enough to gaze around and sit on my lap.
I’ve seen a lot of posts about a New Year New Me this past week, and so I’ve decided for me I'm going to give some thought to a 'New Year New MumMe'. If you’ve read my post on Mamazou.com about guilt, entitled 'Guilty Feelings Have No Rhythm' you will know that I feel guilty a lot and therefore I focus too much on what I’m not doing as opposed to what I am doing.
This week marked a major landmark in a parent and child’s life - the first birthday. My baby girl turned 1. I planned meticulously - the presents were wrapped, the balloons blown, and even her big brother had a little something to open (A little nod to my wonderful Mummy who used to do this for each of my siblings and I on a birthday so we felt included in the excitement of the present opening). This is the second time I am experiencing a baby turning 1 and each time has brought with it the same confused emotions.
One of the biggest adjustments for me since giving birth to my baby girl last year has been spending so little time with my eldest just the two of us. I can count on one hand the times we have done things together just us this past year. But recently I have crossed a major hurdle with my daughter, who seems to have passed a huge separation anxiety stage and is now better at being looked after by others, giving me the opportunity to spend some serious quality time with my little man.
Anyone that knows me knows that I love Christmas. I mean, I don’t even just love Christmas, I'm slightly obsessed by it. I’m chomping at the bit to put our Christmas Tree up but am patiently waiting until Dec 1st, although we have started to listen to Christmas Carols in the car already.
So the kids are finally quiet, meaning you have survived another day until bedtime and now what… you probably have a To Do List as tall as your toddler and piles of washing! But being a Mummy is an insanely hard, knackering, wonderfully rewarding job, and you need to treat yourself with a little respect and serious downtime once in a while.
Here are some tips and tricks to unwinding and making the most of some precious silent moments:
I have quite honestly had a week from hell in parenting terms with a vicious vomiting bug knocking out both the kids & I like dominoes (how my husband who normally catches everything going has evaded it makes my mind boggle!) I have been knee deep in washing bed sheets and having kids taking over my bed, as well as having it myself, which has ultimately left me shattered and VERY behind on this blog post.
One of my favourite things about being a parent is being reminded of my incredibly happy childhood. From toys that my kids are playing with which remind me of my youth (the famous red & yellow car anyone?) to cartoons and films which I cherished as a child, the nostalgia can be overwhelming and wonderful at times. Seeing the excitement in my children's eyes and thinking of that innocent excitement that I too once held can fill me with memories so strong I feel like I am living them all over again. But what has filled me with the most immense feeling of nostalgia so far in my son's small life is reading our first chapter book together.
I have found that having a toddler and a baby can mean that I am tempted to stay at home more than I used to. Between regular toilet trips for a freshly potty trained toddler, and the milk feeds, nappy changes and food feeds for the baby, if you are in a home environment this is all made a lot easier.
Travelling with kids can be one of the most daunting experiences as a new parent, and then as you expand your family, this daunting feeling increases! Taxi journeys, navigating airports, queues, flights and delays...the list goes on! The stress of travelling is what gave birth to the idea of Keep Em Quiet but we have found these items are also MUST HAVE essentials to make the trip that bit less bumpy.
