Last week was half term and we spent the week in a beautiful location at Lake Garda, in northern Italy. The sun was shining and every morning when I looked out across the lake I would imagine what it would be like to wake up to that stunning view everyday. I couldn't...
Year: 2013
Encouraging Children to Read
My eldest daughter has recently turned into a bit of a book worm. What’s surprising about this is she has struggled so much with her reading that it hasn’t interested her much up to now. She has always loved stories though, but enjoyed being read to more than learning...
Nicholas Sparks
I am currently on a Nicholas Sparks book-reading and movie-watching marathon. I always do this. If I read a book I like, then I look for other books by the same author and will usually carry on reading them until I either finish everything they've written or feel its...
The children are learning another language. . .or so they think!
My children think they live in a bi-lingual household. I constantly tell them that they only speak English but they are insistent. 'But mummy we do speak two languages, English and 'up north'.' I remind them that I am from Leeds, which is not in another country and we...
Mumblings Column – May 2013
The Mumblings column appears every month in Vine Magazine, a publication which is distributed in the Sevenoaks area. Vine May13
Childrens’ first moments are memorable – but not always for the right reasons
When I was pregnant with my first child I remember feeling excited about all the wonderful ‘first’ moments I was going to experience. In my fantasy I would teach my child new skills as she grew - passing on my knowledge and experience to her – and it would be a...
The pre primary school training begins
So it's official. Child number three has his place at the primary school. Not that it wasn't expected; his two sisters already go to the school. But still, it's nice to get it confirmed. Whilst completing a myriad of administration forms today, I started to think...
Keeping up with the ‘make do & mend’ society
I have just finished sewing a gym badge onto a leotard, mending a slit in a school jumper and fixing a hole in one of my tops. But instead of feeling a sense of satisfaction I am left with neck ache and a realisation that I am not a natural when it comes to this sort...
Would you trust a complete stranger to look after your child?
Yesterday, in a busy Supermarket cafe, a lady approached me from the next table and asked if I would mind watching her baby whilst she took her elder daughter to the toilet. 'She's toilet training,' the lady said, nodding towards her older child. 'You know what it's...
Being a Parent is a Learning Curve
No one ever interviewed me for the role of parent to check that I was a suitable candidate for the job. So for the last nine years I've been bumbling my way through - with occasional input from Gina Ford, the Baby Whisperer and Super Nanny - trying to cover up my...
WORLD BOOK DAY
Tomorrow is World Book Day, a day designed to promote a love of reading in children. Every year children from preschool age and up are given a token with which they can purchase a book for £1 from a range of books that have been specially produced for this Day. My...
Childhood Aggression
My nine year old can be particularly agressive towards her younger siblings, quite simply because they get on her nerves. But whilst I can understand that she doesn't have much in common with a six year old and a four year old, I can't condone the way that she takes...