Crazy With Twins - The beautiful, funny & unsightly truths about raising 3 year old twins & an 8 year old singleton... with one on the way!

One thing we hadn’t factored into our home renovations projects, was wall art. Now that our new extension is complete, our new kitchen is almost complete and the lounge and hallway are almost complete, we have lots of wall spaces that just need “something”. The first question was whether to have mirrors, photographs, clocks or wall art. Some walls we’ve decided, definitely need some wall art of some kind.

I hadn’t realised just how many choices there would be, when choosing wall art for our home. Do we want canvas or acrylic? Do we want a framed print, a poster or a painting? Did you know you can get prints on metal and wood? And then there are tapestries too.

Fine Art America have a fantastic selection of wall art options and their website makes it easy to navigate through the different options. You can browse by room, browse by medium or browse by theme. Don’t be put off by the name – prices are in British Pounds and they are shipped to the UK.

Another bare wall that definitely needs some art (this is the hallway by our back door).

My children love the animal prints. My oldest daughter has a number of cat themed framed prints on her wall, so I think we will carry on the framed print theme, in all of the children’s bedrooms. We are currently undecided on whether the twins will be having a unicorn themed bedroom or a hare and rabbit themed bedroom. Bunny’s room is going to stay with a cat theme, but we are re-doing the whole room. Bear however, loves anything to do with space, dinosaurs or cars, so we will deviate away from the animal theme when it comes to his new bedroom.

Our bedroom wall definitely needs some sort of artwork too!

Downstairs, I’m not so keen on the idea of framed prints. We have photo tiles going up the stairs and I like that the image goes right to the edges. I think for downstairs, we will likely be looking at acrylic or canvas prints.

My favourite type of art, has to be landscapes. I love to be able to immerse myself in an image of nature, particularly if it has the sea in the image. I love the ocean and find it both calming and cleansing. Being by the sea is good for the soul. How gorgeous is this acrylic print by Sean Davey titled “Golden Mile”. I could definitely imagine that in my home. In fact, on closer inspection – I like all of Sean Davey’s images.

Image of the sunrise catching a rolling ocean wave close to the shore. This piece of art is called Golden Mile by Sean Davies and is available to purchase from Fine Art America — Golden Mile by Sean Davies – Available from Fine Art America

I typed in “Ocean Art” on Fine Art America’s website and it brought up 870,838 images. That. Is. Insane! Talk about spoilt for choice. How am I supposed to choice one now?

As a writer, another thing I have always absolutely loved, is quotes. So when you can get quotes in art, this makes my heart sing too. I love this one for example. It’s called “Home is wherever I am with you” and it was created by Linda Woods.

Green canvas art print which says "Home is wherever I am with you" by Linda Woods. Available to purchase from Fine Art America. — “Home is wherever I am with you” by Linda Woods – Available from Fine Art America

I also found you can get complete collections of art, so if I wanted to carry a full theme on throughout my house, I could do that, with prints that match. Like this seascapes collection by Larry Marshall.

Collection of 7 images of ocean sunsets which are part of Seascapes Collection by Larry Marshall - Available from Fine Art America — Seascapes Collection by Larry Marshall – Available from Fine Art America

Now I realise this is unlike me to do a whole post about one website, but when I was asked to take a look and see what I think, I was blown away by how much choice there was. And the prices are completely reasonable too. I was also impressed to find that I could buy everything from notebooks, to coffee mugs, to fleeces in the same designs as the prints. This is going to make continuity so much easier when it comes to decorating the childrens bedrooms. I highly recommend giving this website a browse if you are looking for wall art for your home.

Disclaimer: This post was written as part of a paid collaboration, but all words and opinions are entirely my own.

Looking for childcare was a complex enough subject before Covid-19 but now, amidst social distancing and a gradually easing lockdown, childcare options are vastly complicated. There are however, tools available to make it easier.

My son used to go to a nursery and switched almost a year ago to a pre-school, for a number of reasons. It was the right decision for him and he really loves his pre-school and the staff that work there. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and as we are a shielding family, he’s sadly not going to be able to return to his pre-school. In September, he should hopefully be starting Primary school and because I’m very fortunate to work both my businesses from home, childcare worries are now a thing of the past for me.

For many, finding childcare is now the most complicated it’s ever been. Some places are shut due to Covid-19, some are only taking children of keyworkers and some childcare providers are fully open. Many parents work patterns have been thrown into chaos too, with redundancies galore and many businesses changing their operating hours. The result, for many parents, is having significantly different childcare needs, to what they had pre-lockdown.

There is, however, an amazing website, which can help those confused about childcare. Trusted by over 2 million members, childcare.co.uk is a well known and award-winning resource for parents. The website helps you decide whether you are likely to need a childminder, nursery, au pair, pre-school, nanny, private tutor, babysitter, nurse or other kind of setting for your little ones. You can access childcare.co.uk from Amazon Alexa too, which is fab for busy parents.

Once childcare.co.uk has guided you through which type of childcare is most suited to your situation, you can also use the online tools to find childcare near you. It’s ideal for researching long term childcare provisions for your family, but also is a fantastic platform for last minute or emergency childcare. There’s also a section where you can find private tutors, midwives and doulas too.

Out of curiosity, I had a little look for childcare in my area, to see how comprehensive the website really is. Childcare.co.uk returned 452 listings for childcare services provided within 5 miles of my home. WOW! That’s a lot. I had no idea there even were that many childcare providers near me. Not only that, but at the touch of a button you could see all 452, complete with photograph, short introduction for each one and a full comprehensive profile. Hourly rates were also clearly displayed, which saves you clicking through hundreds of pages looking for the prices. Every childcare provider also has reviews which you can read to see other parents experiences of each setting. You can add filters for factors which are important to you, such as whether you want them to be male or female and even specify if you are looking for a non-smoker too.

looking for childcare after coronavirus, using childcare.co.uk

If you have specific requirements, such as wanting a childcare provider with experience of special needs or experience caring for newborns, you can find these things listed on each providers profile. Its also easy to see if a childcare provider has their own car, is first aid trained and what additional childcare qualifications they have. You can view their availability at the touch of a button and request to see documents such as their OFSTED reports, DBS check certificates, ID and many other certificates too, which provides great peace of mind. After all, you are going to be trusting this person with the most important person/people in your life, so it’s essential to be thorough. Having all this info at your fingertips, without having to even put in an email address (no spam here), is brilliant. For those looking for free childcare and tax-free childcare schemes, these things are also listed on each childcare providers profile.

Having explored the childcare.co.uk website in depth, I have no hesitation in knowing where to go next time I need to find childcare. The website was so easy to use and full of tips and guidance, to help parents make the right choices for their circumstances. I’d recommend this website as a first port of call for anyone looking for childcare, whether that’s permanent, short-term or last minute.

This Post has been written as part of a paid collaboration with Childcare.co.uk but all words, opinions and recommendations are entirely my own.

Our extension is now mid-build, so we are turning our attentions to how we will do up our garden, once the builders have left. We have lots of DIY ways to improve our garden and thought we should share them, for others wondering how to improve their own gardens.

Since we moved here, our garden has been a source of frustration, as we have been desperate to get cracking with it. It had broken, wonky, stained and uneven patio slabs, a dead allotment section and lots of rubbish which had been dumped by the people who lived here previously. The grass is 90% weeds, 10% grass, there were random concrete borders dotted about and a random bush in the middle. The fence once side is broken and the fence the other side was clearly put up by someone who has no idea how to put a fence up. There’s also not a single part of our garden which is completely flat, it’s all bumpy rises and dips.

So Where Do We Start?

The Garden Fence

We are starting with the fences. We’ve already ordered three new fence panels to replace the broken ones and are choosing the best fencing paint to make them look nice. I think we are going to go with a dark blueish hued grey to match our neighbours fence. We’ve also requested a quote for our other fence to be completely redone.

The Lawn

We’ve decided the only way to improve the lawn is to hire a digger and a skip and completely flatten and re-turf the whole lot. Whilst this may be costly, it would simply be too much work to try and resolve it any other way. We will then have a nice level, weed-free lawn for the children (and bunnies) to play on.

Decking

We’ve decided we’d love some decking from our back door, going into the garden. We will add a seating area and the BBQ and possibly even a hot tub. The question is what colour of wood stain to go for?

Flowers, Arbours and Accessories

Onto the smaller things. We plan to have some quaint little stepping stones sunk into the grass, leading up to an arbour. I want to grow some climbing flowers up the back wall and have flower beds alongside both fences. I LOVE seeing things grow and I love trees, so we have been growing Japanese Maple trees in pots, which we will also plant in the garden. The world needs more trees and we intend to plant at least three, probably more.

Our DIY Garden

The end result will hopefully be a beautiful garden with nice grass, plenty of flowers, trees and places to sit, plus our decking area to relax in the evenings with family and friends. I love that it will be a DIY garden as our hard work will be so much more appreciated knowing the work and love that has gone into making it look nice.

What are your top DIY Garden tips?
Please share in the comments!

Disclaimer: Post written as part of a collaboration, but all words and opinions are entirely my own.

The UK has been on “lockdown” to protect it’s citizens from Covid-19 (caused by Coronavirus) for over a week now. My family have been in isolation for much longer. For us, week 3 is drawing to a close (week 4 for Bear). Let me explain…

A Cough and a Fever

Four weeks ago, Bear was struck down with an almighty fever, exhaustion and a cough, for five days. We called his preschool and let his toddler club know, that we were isolating him. He was far too poorly to go anywhere anyway. At the time, the government advice, was just to isolate the poorly child and the rest of the family, were to carry on as normal. Just as that week drew to an end, the government changed it’s tune. The new advice was to isolate the whole family. We spoke to 111 on four occasions and they told us that isolation wasn’t really necessary as it was “highly unlikely” that Bear had Covid-19. Advice was very conflicting. At the time, people were being told if they hadn’t been to China or Italy, they “didn’t have it”. Regardless of this, we decided to air on the side of caution and isolate to a cottage in the countryside. It was perfect because there was lots of open space for the children to play and get fresh air. Thankfully none of us developed any symptoms.

Lockdown begins in the UK

On returning home, the government, put us on “lockdown”. I say lockdown in inverted commas, because I very much believe we are about to be locked down further. I think this current spell is just stage 1 of lockdown, as the guidelines have not been at strict as other countries who are currently experiencing lockdown.

Lockdown was something I was advocating and wanting. As someone who has a weak immune system (as a result of two years of chemo and two different cancers), I didn’t feel safe knowing people were carrying on as usual. I’m classed as “vulnerable” and would be likely to be one of those hospitalised, should I catch Coronavirus. We as a family are on a 12 week isolation because of this. If one of us were to go out, they could bring the virus back into the house and that’s not a risk we can take. Before lockdown, social distancing was not something people were taking seriously. I’m not even convinced everyone is taking it seriously now! Lockdown was, and still is, necessary.

White cat gazing out of the window symbolising the Coronavirus lockdown in the UK

So how have we got on, with our first week of lockdown?

Well apart from a midnight visit from a paramedic, because I was having chest pains, a chest Xray at hospital and a course of antibiotics, for a chest infection I’ve had for 7 weeks… All has been good!

Wearing a face mask, as instructed by a paramedic, during the UK Coronavirus lockdown — Wearing a mask, as instructed by a paramedic, to reduce the spread of Coronavirus, during medical examination.

The weather was glorious for the first part of the week, so we spent much of Monday- Wednesday in the garden. We’ve mowed both lawns, weeded and dug flower beds, replanted flowers that were growing in the wrong place and planted some seeds. We reorganised the shed and we watched the children practice their gymnastics, ride their bikes, play ball games and of course they helped us with the gardening. They’ve been playing with their pet bunnies and we even had lunch outside. It felt like a summer holiday – without leaving our home.

The kids have been doing PE with Joe Wicks on YouTube Live every weekday morning, without fail. I’m a big fan of The Body Coach, as I met him once at a press event. He’s a real charmer. He even gave us a shoutout on the first session! They’ve also been doing ballet with The Ballet Coach on Facebook live at 4pm each weekday. All four children have painted rainbows to stick on our windows and to send to relatives. This is part of a global initiative to spread cheer and to show support to the world’s keyworkers; who are risking their lives to keep the rest of us safe. Check out The Rainbow Trail on Facebook. In between, at random times, we’ve scattered in a smattering of school work here and there. I’ve made them books, where I’m sticking in all their school work, plus a few photos of other things they’ve been doing. Hopefully one day, when life is normal, I’ll get to show the twin’s teacher all the things they’ve done whilst isolated and in lockdown.

Home Schooling during Lockdown

The girls cracking on with some homeschool work

I didn’t create a rigid schedule or routine for the schoolwork. At the end of the day, I’m not a teacher and we all need to bear in mind, that there will be an adjustment period in all this. I want my children to understand why we are isolated, but without them living in fear or feeling anxious. Their home should be their safe space and it’s so so important that we continue to let kids be kids, and not just bog them down with work and worries. I feel happy that we’ve achieved a really good balance of educational activities and family fun so far. I hope that we can keep it up as all four children seem so full of smiles and laughter at the moment. It’s so heartwarming to see.

Blurry I know… But look at those happy faces PILLOW FIIIIIGHT!!!

Whilst isolation is viewed by many as a time of restriction, I am choosing to see the blessings instead of the restrictions. How often do we get this much time together as a family, at home? Where we aren’t dashing out on school runs, food shops, gym runs, hockey runs, toddler club runs, trips to the cinema and packing our spare time with excursions. Whilst I love all those things and I love our regular family life, there’s something really special about spending so much time together at home. Time where we prevent boredom with creativity and silliness. We get to take an active interest in our children’s education and be partly responsible for it. All these moments, where they’re usually at school and growing independent without us, we are now getting to share with them.

Children painting rainbows for the rainbow trail, during the coronavirus lockdown in the UK

The UK has gone crazy with panic buying amidst the Coronavirus outbreak.

I went to the supermarket this morning at 10am, when it opened. I struggled to find a parking space, there weren’t many trolleys left and inside was absolute carnage. By 10:15am the toilet roll aisle was empty. The pasta was all gone, the CAT LITTER, of all things, was almost empty. In true British style, the digestive biscuits were gone and the teabags were fast running out. I tried to snap a picture of a trolley, pushed by a lady, who was bulk buying bottled water. Seriously? We aren’t having our water supply cut off! What is wrong with people?! Tinned foods, long life everything and cereal was flying off the shelves. Fresh meat supplies were depleting fast and people were seriously hitting up the freezer aisles.

Now, not that I should have to justify my own reason for being there, but I have a family of six and we had genuinely run out of most things. We were in need of a full weekly shop. I stuck to buying just what we needed for one week and where things were running low, I opted for alternatives, knowing others may need certain items more than us.

It’s important that people remember… Shops aren’t fully running out. They all restock every night. But people need to stop the panic buying in order for supermarkets to keep up with the restocking.

So having experienced the stockpiling coronavirus craziness for myself, I thought I’d compile a post to help those of you yet to do your shopping.

Here are my tips on how to survive the supermarket and how to navigate the panic-buying phenomenon.

Morrison’s toilet roll aisle on Sunday 15th March 2020

How to stockpile during the Coronovirus panic-buying

1. DON’T! Just don’t. Have some humanity. That’s it!

BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED!

If you panic-buy, you are contributing to the problem. You are causing vulnerable people to go without.

Tesco toilet roll aisle in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 panic buying frenzy

Shopping Tips during the Coronavirus Outbreak

Get There Early

If you have items you genuinely need, or need to do your family’s weekly food shop, get there early. Early hours of the morning or when the shop opens is your best chance of getting what you need. However, this is also the busiest time. Expect long queues and crowds. If you need Free-From foods, infant formula or other specialist items, you are going to need to get there early. If you have additional needs and can’t cope with crowds, I’d suggest going to a 24 hour supermarket in the small hours of the morning, when most people are asleep. Alternatively, get someone to go for you.

Try online shopping, but don’t rely on it!

Many people are being blasé about the whole thing and saying, “Oh I’m okay, I do my shopping online”. That’s a great idea, BUT not all supermarkets are keeping stock back for online shoppers. Be aware that you may only get a fraction of what you ordered because whilst people are panic-buying, even the “substitutions” are out of stock. The same rules apply to you too – don’t stockpile! Just because you’re ordering online and nobody can judge your basket, doesn’t meant you should over-order. Be fair.

Try an online shop first and make a backup plan for the items which aren’t delivered.

Buy Premium Brands If You Can Afford To

If you can afford it, buy premium brands. There are families living in poverty who don’t have that luxury. Parents with young children, elderly people, disabled people, single people, who are living in hardship and simply cannot afford to buy premium brands of products. If you aren’t struggling to pay your bills, buy the more expensive items and leave the budget brands for those living in poverty.

Check On Your Elderly Relatives, Friends Neighbours

Some people are less able to get to the supermarket and some are just outright frightened. I can’t blame them – the supermarkets are carnage right now. Get them to make you a list and go on their behalf, or accompany them to the supermarket. Our most vulnerable need to feel safe and protected and not alone. Show them that community spirit is still very much alive.

Morrison’s 30 mins after opening on a Sunday, during the Coronavirus panic buying

Food Banks are Suffering

People are so busy hoarding and stockpiling that they aren’t donating to food banks. Many food banks across the country are running out of toilet rolls, pasta, long-life milk and tinned foods. There are thousands of people in this country who rely on food banks, as they cannot afford to eat. If the food banks can’t help them, what help is there for those who are living in poverty?

Nobody chooses to go to a food bank. It’s humiliating and degrading. People don’t go there out of choice, they go there out of hardship and desperation. Empathise. Give up some of your stockpile and donate it to those less fortunate than yourself. If you’ve done your weekly shop already – go back to the shop and do a foodbank only shop. Check online at The Trussell Trust for your local foodbank and there will be a list of items which they are most in need of. My advice would be to deliver it there yourself. Whilst people are fighting over toilet rolls in supermarkets, I wouldn’t trust leaving them in a supermarket food drop box.

Be Polite and Be Kind

Remember that supermarket employees are working much harder than usual. They are probably having a really rough week, with customers panic-buying, making demands and complaining about stock levels. Remember to still be kind and courteous, They are all doing their jobs, as best as they can, in difficult circumstances.

Look out for other customers too. I came across an elderly lady, close to tears this morning. She was overwhelmed by the crowds and didn’t know the way to the toilet roll aisle. An equally overwhelmed gentleman couldn’t find the end of the queue and was worried he’d end up at a self service till. Open your eyes, look around you and help those who need it.

Don’t Panic

Help stop the panic-buying. Do your normal food shopping, without hoarding. Help those who are vulnerable or worried. If you don’t need it, don’t buy it. See if you have any luck with online shopping, but have a backup plan. Donate to the food banks. Be kind. That’s it. Stop acting like animals. Stop panicking. Be human. The Coronavirus pandemic is frightening people enough, without you adding to their fear, by hoarding three years worth of pasta in your larder!

Our extension has been a long time coming. It’s been almost 3 years since we started putting the plans in motion for an extra bedroom and bathroom. There was architect drawings, planning permission, structural surveys, builder visits, expert advice, edits to the drawings, quotes, lliasing with the project manager and a whole heap of obstacles. But we are nearly there! We are just waiting for the builders to confirm a start date with us and we are good to go. Finally. Hurrah!

Woman holding sledgehammer and man holding paintbrush - Photo by Umanoide on Unsplash — Photo by Umanoide on Unsplash

Regular readers will know, that I’ve harped on about this a few times now and we’ve made so many plans for decorating. I can’t put into words how excited we are and how much this extra room will benefit our family. Once the work gets underway, I will be photographing and videoing the transformation, not just with the extension, but all our home renovations. I’ll then be able to share it all here on my blog and maybe even on Pinterest and Instagram too!

As soon as the extension is complete, we have plans to fit a new kitchen and new flooring throughout the downstairs of our house. After much deliberation, we’ve decided on vinyl click flooring for downstairs as it looks like laminate but is waterproof and much harder wearing. It’s perfect for making cleaning up easy after the usual family meals, spills or arts and crafts.

We are also having our hallway and landing replastered and have plans to redecorate all of the bedrooms, transform the toilet room and retile the bathroom. And one thing which clearly shows my age, is how excited I am about getting a nice deep pile, soft, fluffy carpet for the bedrooms. Who knew you could get excited about carpet?!

All of this comes at a cost of course, so it will be done one room at a time, as and when we can afford it. It means I’m having to be much more structured with my work time too, as it’s easy to slack off when you work from home! But I have big plans for both businesses this year, so fingers crossed, with a little hard work, we can achieve all that we aspire to do.

*Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post with an ad link. All words and thoughts in this post are truthful and entirely my own.

Those of you who have been long term readers of mine, may remember the MAD Blog Awards from a few years back. The MADS (Mum and Dad Blog Awards) celebrate some of the best blogs in the UK. I was very very lucky to get to go to the prestigious MAD Blog Awards ceremony four times. In 2013 I won the award for Best Baby Blog In 2014 I was a finalist for Outstanding Contribution to Blogging In 2015 I was a finalist for Best Pre-School Blog In 2016 I won the award for Best Pregnancy Blog Photo by Tom Arber Photography for the MAD Blog Awards. And that’s all down to you – my loyal readers, for nominating me and then voting for me. Thank you so much for helping me win those accolades. Those awards, mean SO MUCH to me. They are the pinnacle of my blogging career and fill me with pride. The MAD Blog awards ended in 2016 and have been greatly missed by all of us who were so lucky to go in the past.

BUT NOW THEY’RE BACK!

I am SO EXCITED to hear that the MAD Blog awards are back for 2020. The only problem is that there are now more amazing blogs than ever. Competition is fierce and everyone wants a ticket to the awards, but you can only get one, by becoming a finalist. AND SO… Here is the part, where I ask you very sweetly, to please consider nominating me for a MAD Blog Award again in 2020. I would be most grateful for nominations in the BEST BABY AND TODDLER INFLUENCER category. I am also eligible in the following categories: Favourite Family Lifestyle influencer Favourite Tween and Teen Influencer But the toddler category means the most to me. I have documented so many moments of my parenthood journey on this blog, but you may have noticed the category now says “influencer” rather than blog. Well, you may or may not know, that as well as writing this blog, I also share my parenting journey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook too. Plus… I’ll take any excuse to wear a pretty dress!

HOW TO NOMINATE ME FOR AN AWARD

To nominate me for a MAD Blog Award, please: Click here to go to the MADS nomination page and in the box for Baby and Toddler Influencer (or whichever category you’d like to enter me for), you need to put: http://www.crazywithtwins.com It takes less than a minute to nominate and would mean a great deal to me. Thank you in advance, to those of you kind enough to do it. You do NOT have to fill in every box. If you don’t have any other bloggers that you’d like to nominate, you can leave the other boxes blank. But here are a few suggestions of some other amazing “influencers” whom you might like to consider: Mum of Three World The Mummy Adventure Inside Outside and Beyond 92three30 Not My Year Off Susan K Mann Williams World Stressy Mummy Pink Oddy

Hockey Heroes is a new initiative started by Hockey England, which aims to get more young children into hockey. Aimed at children aged 5-8 years, Hockey Heroes is a 6 week programme which teaches children fundamental hockey skills. These hockey skills are broken down into hockey “super powers”, with a new super power being taught each week. This course is a gateway to other hockey clubs for children, which they can go on to join once they’ve mastered the basic hockey skills. My 7 year old twins, affectionately known as Tiny and Fluffy, enrolled in this course for the Autumn 2019 sessions. I am honestly blown away by how much they have learnt and how well they’ve taken to hockey in just 6 weeks. So much so, that we are going to pay for them to do the second part of the course, which starts in March 2020. Before the Hockey Heroes training began, the twins were sent a starter kit each. Each starter kit included:

Two children’s sized hockey sticks (plastic ones, as they are safer for young children to use)
One lightweight hollow hockey ball (again – safer than a regular hockey ball)
A high quality Hockey Heroes branded t-shirt, personalised with their names
Stickers to decorate their sticks

The starter kits got the children excited about learning to play hockey, before they’d even arrived at their first session. Each Hockey Heroes session is taught by carefully selected “Hockey Champions”. The children all seemed to love the Gloucester Hockey Champions, Kim and Kalena; they were both patient and professional in coaching the heroes their new super powers. Parents are encouraged to take part at the beginning of each session, where the children have a little free-time with the sticks and balls. There was such a lovely atmosphere as all the parents were helping and cheering on each others children. The children were also taught resilience as play continued in wind, rain, thunder and hail, but just look at those proud happy faces! Every session is one hour long and focusses on a different skill. At the end of each hour, the children are given a sticker (which goes on their hockey stick) to recognise that they’ve mastered their new hockey super power. The skills that were covered over the first six week course were:

Dribbling
Passing
Teamwork
Goal scoring
Inner superpower
Outer superpower

After each session, parents receive a “Club Spark” email, which talks about what the children have learnt in that lesson. It also gives tips and advice on activities you can do at home with your children, to help them practice their new skills. I loved the superhero focus of Hockey Heroes as this doubles as positive reinforcement and adds an additional element of fun and empowerment to the sessions. Hockey is a really inclusive sport, which welcomes children of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels. Hockey Heroes don’t expect children to have any experience as they teach all the necessary skills needed. This sport also allows children to make new friends, outside of their school circle, as well as getting them active and building confidence as they unlock their inner character and physical superhero powers. I am amazed at how much my twins learnt in just 6 weeks and they thoroughly enjoyed Hockey Heroes. It taught them a whole new skill set to what they’d learn in their existing hobbies. I would absolutely recommend Hockey Heroes to any parent. Hockey Heroes is a great value, low-commitment opportunity for children to try a new sport. It costs only £32 for the 6-week course and is really easy to register online at www.hockeyheroes.co.uk.

I’ve always had a laid back approach to potty training my children, but even I wouldn’t plan toddler toilet training whilst on holiday… … Sometimes, however, despite our best intentions, our tiny tearaways have their own ideas! Yes… Baby Bear decided that right at the start of our camping trip, last summer, was the perfect time to start toilet training. Talk about potty training on the go! Although I can’t really call it potty training, because Bear went straight from nappy to toilet. He outright refused to use a potty. In his eyes, there is only one place for the potty, and that is on his head, to wear as a helmet! We rolled up to one of our favourite campsites in Dorset, pitched our tent, built the kitchen, tables, chairs, installed the lighting and heating, blew up the beds (we don’t take camping lightly!). And then as my twins demanded their first trip to the toilet, Baby Bear proudly announced that he wanted to go to the toilet too. So I sat him on the loo, fully expecting nothing at all to happen, when he did it. Bear very quickly learnt, from all the clapping and cuddling and telling him what a good boy he was, that he could talk Mummy and Daddy into buying him sweeties for every wee he did on the toilet and a prize for every poo. Our simple camping trip had gone to a full blown toddler toilet training holiday. We thought it was a fluke. He wouldn’t keep it up. All previous attempts at toilet training and potty training at home, had been futile. We’d decided that we’d wait until he decided for himself, much like we did with the twins. I blogged about the twins’ toddler-led potty training about four years ago. The twins were 3 (almost 4) when they finally learnt to use the toilet. Bear was only just 3 years old when we went on our camping trip. It wasn’t a fluke though. Every toilet trip – he went too! There were a few accidents on the journey home and in the days following our arrival home, but within the week, he was completely dry every single day. No potty in sight. He would tell us when he needed the toilet and that was that! How easy that was, in comparison with toilet training the twins. The most exciting part for Bear though, was getting to go shopping and choose himself some “big boy pants”. He wanted boxers like Daddy. Have you ever seen anyone look so excited over a pair of pants?! For toddler toilet training and potty training resources, check out the other posts below.

I know a lot of people don’t like new year’s resolutions but I do. I had such a lovely Christmas with my family. Cutting off from daily stresses and getting out into the countryside did me the world of good (post about our wonderful trip coming soon!). I started the new year surrounded by family and it’s the first time in over a decade that I’ve properly celebrated New Year’s Eve. I have begun 2020 feeling refreshed, invigorated and full of ambition. So yes… I have new year’s resolutions. Mostly simple ones, but resolutions nonetheless.

Four children standing in front of an outdoor Christmas tree in Padstow, Cornwall

2019 was generally a very good year. I achieved a lot personally, and as a family we made some really wonderful memories. Mostly due to lots of lovely little trips away! I went on a blog retreat and a retreat with my side business. We went on numerous camping trips, day trips and we did France, Monaco and Italy in one trip. We spent Christmas at Coombe Mill and we made much more effort to visit friends and family this year. We have a whole bunch of beautiful photos to celebrate the year we had, and that makes me smile.

Family photo of two adults and four children

2019 did have it’s downs too – namely my miscarriage. But one thing I think I did too much last year, was forgive too much. There were quite a few people I let treat me badly and I need to be stronger in that sense. I think that has always been my weakness, truth be told, I’m too forgiving and often when people don’t deserve it. I shouldn’t feel ashamed for standing up for myself and my family and what I feel is right. And I shouldn’t tolerate people treating me like I don’t matter. This year I want to work harder and play harder and stress less. I want to love more and take less shit. So without further ado, here are my main new year’s resolutions for 2020. They’re pretty self explanatory… Save more Spend less Blog more Procrastinate less Post more Comment less (Leave people to look stupid instead of correcting them. Stay silent when people leave nasty or misinformed comments. Stay silent when people patronise or insult or bitch. Leave them to show their true colours.) Show more compassion Take less shit When someone makes you feel angry or upset… Walk away, stay silent. Leave them to fester in their own arrogance. Smile. Be the better person. Fundraise & volunteer Do some good in the world. Work more efficiently and strategically Don’t lower my rates Know my worth Work more when the kids are at school Work less when the kids are home ALWAYS, ALWAYS, FAMILY FIRST! Love myself more Listen to criticism less Eat more fruit and veg Eat less meat and less junk Aim high. Go for those ambitions. You can achieve more than you think! Less indoors More outdoors and GET SOME EXERCISE! So there you have it. And yes… I know I’m posting these right in the middle of January, but I have already made a start on them.