We are currently in the process of choosing a secondary school for our eldest daughter. We live in a county that is heavily influenced by the grammar school system, so most children take the 11+ test at the beginning of year six. This is regardless of whether they are...
Most children are fussy eaters at some point in their lives. Both my girls ate really well until they turned three years. Suddenly, they were conscious of the ‘bits’ and would often pick the offending items out of their food. I never stopped adding theses ‘bits’ to...
Do I speak for the majority of parents out there when I say this? We haven't had a decent night's sleep in years because of them. Our bodies will never be the same since giving birth. We spend our days running them here, there and everywhere. We are constantly picking...
I would like your help today. Do you have any lefties in your family? I am not talking about people with particular political views, but one of the supposed 10% of the population who do things the wrong way round. That is what a right-handed person might say, anyway....
Where are you in the pecking order in your family? I am the eldest and I remember that growing up there was a lot of expectation put on me. I rose to it because I didn't want to disappoint my parents. I guess I was eager to please. But I remember that whenever it came...
I didn't know anything about Wakehurst Place before I signed up as a helper for the year 2 trip. So imagine my surprise when we got off the coach, walked around the corner and I saw this: Of course my jaw hit the floor. And then when I found out that the estate is...
A Taekwondo grading means more than just demonstrating a series of moves in front of an examiner. For children, they must prepare by showing respect to their family, behaving politely, making their beds, cleaning their rooms etc. I'm not kidding. Out comes my son from...
Getting muddy, being sporty and teaching our kids to be safe. These are some of the things we are being encouraged to do this week. I found out about these interesting events, so I thought I'd pass on the information. They involve children, getting outside and being...
I recently wrote a set of articles about encouraging children to go beyond earning their weekly pocket money and develop their business ideas as a young entrepreneur. This came about because we were experiencing a lot of negativity from our eldest daughter, which we...
How do you teach your little ones the value of true friendship? Forming relationships with peers is an integral part of development, but not always an easy task. Friends will come and go and there will be heart break along the way. It's not easy to see your children...
The crazy boy has been up to his funny antics again. We were in Rome last week and he was fascinated by the Coliseum. The funny thing about this place is that around the outside you find numerous 'Roman Soldiers' eager to have their photos taken with the tourists and...
My middle daughter took her first ballet and tap exams last week. The children had been practising their routines for a few weeks and were well prepared and the build up had been kept as low key as possible. But this didn't stop my daughter from worrying about them. A...
My five year old son is the joker of our household. He makes us laugh on a daily basis with his crazy, typical cheeky boy antics. His latest thing is to create characters using his clothes. Oh my goodness did I laugh when I saw the strategic placement of the toy cat....
This is me, as seen through my seven year old daughter's eyes: My Mum She's a: Vacuum cleaner Potato peeler A dish cleaner A bedtime reader A hard worker cleaner A hugler A cuddler A school taker A cool maker My Super Mum Apparently I do a lot of cleaning. Don't know...
'Kids, get your shoes and coats on, it's time to go to school now.' Nothing... 'Come on you lot, time to get ready for school.' Still nothing... 'GET YOUR STUFF ON NOW OR WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!' 'Alright, alright, mummy, why do you always have to shout.' This is a...
I grew up in the seventies. We lived on a cul-de-sac, which was inhabited mainly by other families. It was sheltered and it was safe. Life was very different to today. We went to school and we came straight home afterwards. Our parents didn’t take us to after...
My son had a school friend back to play for the first time recently. Within the first half hour this boy had hit my son in the face and made him cry. Then for the next half hour, he tormented my son by taking his train and refusing to share, which resulted in them...
'You're so organised' people often say to me. 'Am I?' I tend to reply. Wondering just how they have come to this conclusion. For the most part I am the way I am because otherwise I would never survive running around after three children and trying to work in between...
‘B-b-b-but m-m-m-mummy…’ I often hear my daughter say. This has been concerning me for some time now. Is it a problem, or is it something she is going to grow out of? We have a noisy household and with two other siblings around, it’s often difficult to have your say....
My youngest has just started school and last week was his first week of doing full days. Since then people have been asking me what I'm going to do with myself now that all the kids are at school. 'Lots of things,' I say. 'Don't worry, I have plenty to keep me...