Now, if your morning routine consists of just having to sort yourself out then this will seem like a totally alien post to you. If, however your morning consists of having to get yourself and several small people up and out of the house by a very fixed time then you may be a little […]
Those precious moments
It’s late at night and three out of four children have been sleeping for a while. Packed lunches are done. Clothes are out for tomorrow. Dinner is prepped. The washing is done. Emails have been answered. Paperwork done. After racing around none stop, I happen to glance down to the fourth little person, who is […]
Teaching children about hand hygiene
“Have you washed your hands?”How many times do you think you have asked this question since becoming a parent?I am estimating the following:At least 5 times per day x 365 days per year x 8 years = 14,600 times … and with four children that is a conservative estimate at that.Viruses and bacteria can live two hours or […]
Avoiding the after school low
The big kids (6 and 8) as we call them are busy, busy, busy during the week. They both work hard at school and try their very best. They also take part in a range of after school activities. When they first started school they would be very bad tempered at the end of the school […]
The most hated parental tasks
I was thinking the other day about what the worst job of parenting (so far) has been for me. There really was no contest. Hands down, the worst job so far has been the 3 times a day process of cleaning a highchair. Now with four children this has so far consumed approximately four years of my life […]
A different approach to weaning
When I had my first baby 8.5 years ago I read and read and read about weaning. What to do; what not to do;what was good; and what was bad; which spoons I should use; and which I shouldn’t; and if it wasn’t homemade and 100% organic it wasn’t going anywhere near my daughters’ lips. […]
Learning begins at home: part two
If you read the first installment of ‘learning begins at home‘ yesterday you will already understand some of my feelings about this subject. My parents were superb at reading to me as a small child and I entered primary school being able to already read. No doubt this was as a result of all the […]
Learning begins at home: Part one
So…I have always felt that learning begins at home. My parents were superb at reading to me as a small child and I entered primary school being able to already read. No doubt this was as a result of all the input from them and also my grandparents. As teachers themselves, I recall them saying […]