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Celebrating Christmas with a 3 year old and why I lowered my expectations.
This is the first year that Rosie has been really aware of or excited about Christmas. She turned 3 in September and is the perfect age for the Christmas magic but also slap bang in the middle of toddlerhood and all of the unpredictability that comes with it. We aren’t a religious family so Christmas for us is about being with our loved ones and enjoying a rest after a busy year. Father Christmas. I must admit that I was the most excited about taking Rosie to meet Father Christmas for the first time and we had purposefully held out until she was old enough to enjoy the moment. We…
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Looking ahead to 2022 and why I am not making unrealistic goals anymore.
Every single year I start out with a list as long as my arm of things that I want to change about myself. my life and my finances. This year I am taking the pressure off myself and going for a little more gentle approach. Of course there are things that I would love to achieve and I will instead work on small ways to get there. 2022 is all about progress and not perfection. These are my goals for 2022. Financial Goals. 1. Earn £50 extra per month. We are due to remortgage our house at the end of Summer as our fixed term comes to an end and…
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What we have bought Rosie for Christmas: Stocking Fillers.
This is the first year that Rosie has been really aware of Christmas, she loved decorating our tree, has written her letter to Father Christmas and is eagerly waiting for his visit. We are lucky as she is still young (she turned 3 in September) and hasn’t asked for much. We have decided that Father Christmas will bring her stocking and one special present. Not something that is the most expensive or biggest, but something that she really wants and has asked for – this year that is a set of Bluey figures that we know she will play with loads. I haven’t completely finished her stocking, she needs the customary…
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Taking A Toddler To The Cinema For The First Time.
Chose your time wisely: There were two time options for the showing that we were after. 1030 and 1230 – realistically the 1230 would have been easier as it would have meant we could get up and get ready at leisure before heading to the cinema but Rosie still needs a lunchtime nap most days and that would fall right bang in the middle of the film. We chose to go to one of the dedicated children’s screenings but more popular films have multiple showings throughout the day. Pack Snacks: Despite what we grew up believing, you are allowed to take (cold) snacks and drinks in to the cinema. With…
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What we bought Rosie for her 3rd Birthday: Toddler Present Ideas.
A rundown of the presents that we bought for Rosie's 3rd birthday.
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Why we love toy rotation.
Rosie, like so many other toddlers, is very lucky to have a large family who love to spoil her with toys and books. I am also a serial bargain hunter and the majority of the toys and books I have bought Rosie have been second hand. As you can imagine, this means we have a lot of toys which can often be forgotten about. Toy rotation involves having a smaller amount of toys and books out at one time. Quite often they are displayed openly, on shelves or a bookcase to allow the child to freely pick what they want to play with. By having an edited selection of toys at one…
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Our Christmas Book collection (Toddler/Board Books)
I have loved books since being tiny and ever since finding out we were expecting Rosie, I was excited to read books with her. We are very lucky that we have a huge collection of books (thanks to a very kind Auntie Timmy and my charity shop addiction) so I store seasonal books away when not being used. We are still very much in the board book stage as Rosie is not only incredibly independent but also very heavy handed. These are a selection of our favourites that I would recommend that you add to your Christmas book collection. Dear Santa – Rod Campbell: I absolutely loved ‘Dear Zoo’ as…
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Mess free painting with toddlers.
I first made these ‘mess free paintings’ when Rosie was about 9 months old. It was a rainy afternoon and I was looking for something that would keep Rosie occupied, could be used as a gift for Father’s Day and used things that we had in the house so that I didn’t have to brave the supermarket. The great thing about them is they are completely customisable and dont take much time (or effort) at all – they would make a fab homemade Christmas present! You will need: Paper or Card Paints Glitter, Glitter Glue, Sequins etc Scissors Large Ziploc/Click and Seal bag Photo frame Sellotape To begin, trim your…
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Play: Update your puzzles with this quick step.
A while back I saw on Rebecca from northyorkshiremama (https://bit.ly/2IDPsH) share that she had put some photographs behind the pieces of one of her little boy’s peg puzzles. As they are a similar age, I made a mental note to try it for Rosie but then life got in the way and I completely forgot. I was having a browse in our local charity shop and spotted the Melissa and Doug Latches Board, in perfect condition for £2. I had been looking at similar busy boards previously but thought they may have been too grown up for Rosie, especially as they advertise being suitable for 3+. With it being such…
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The Essentials: Medela Swing Flex Electric Breast Pump.
Before having Rosie I hadn’t really even considered buying a breast pump. I naively expected that everything would come naturally to us both. But of course, it didn’t and I ended up in Boots at Meadowhall. So there we were, on the way home from the hospital, 4 days postpartum, scanning the aisles for a breast pump. On the advice from the countless support workers and midwives who had been guiding us, I ended up picking up the Medela Swing. I had been using the Medela Symphony in hospital so my attachments and bottles would all be compatible which saved a lot of hassle and expense. I used my painstakingly…
