Helping Your Children Through Times Of Upheaval | Collaboration

No matter who you are or what kind of life you happen to live, there are always going to be times when
things are a little up in the air. This can happen due to a number of reasons, and it is not always clear
what actually led to any specific set of conditions or occurrences happening. Whatever they might be,
you will at all times find that it is hugely important to be able to help your children through such tough
times, and that is actually a kind of skill which any parent can learn easily enough. In this article, we
are going to take a look at some of the things you can do to help your children through times of
upheaval - so that they come out the other side not just unharmed, but maybe even stronger.

Park Dean Newquay Review | Blog

This year we made it our aim to see more of the U.K. and after visiting Bluestone in Wales at the start of the year we decided that we’d give Newquay in Cornwall a go for our summer holiday. I’d alway been told great things about Newquay and it did not disappoint! I’ll be doing a separate blog post all about the things we got up to during our trip but in this post I wanted to share with you my thoughts about where we stayed as I’ve had a lot of questions via my social media. Just to add, our time at Park Dean in Newquay was not gifted. We paid for our stay ourself but I wanted to share our experience and my thoughts as some of my followers on social media have asked about our trip.

How to cope in the heat when pregnant! | Blog

Being pregnant starts off being great fun but no matter when in the year your baby is due, the end of pregnancy is always a bit sucky! It is even more suckier (is that even a word?!?) if you’re at the end of your pregnancy in the summer. Smidge was born in June and Pickle was born in September so I’ve gone through 2 summers being seriously pregnant and it was no fun! You’re hot, you’re sweaty and you’re swelling up like a balloon! The last thing you need is a heat wave at the same time! But seeing as this is the UK and the weather is unpredictable at the best of times you can pretty much guarantee that if you are pregnant during May, June, July or August you’re going to see at least a week of scorching sunshine. So I’m here to share with you my top tips for keeping cool in the heat!

Happy 1st Birthday Smidge | Blog

Dear Smidge,

I can’t quite believe that it was 1 year ago that you came crashing into our lives. Your arrival actually started on the 7th June when I had the most terrifying experience of my life. To cut a very long story short I’d had a big bleed at home about 7.30 at night. Bleeding in pregnancy is a big no no and with the amount of blood I honestly went through about half an hour of thinking that I’d lost you and that was the most terrifying feeling in the world. The hospital you were born in was amazing though and the staff instantly checked everything and thankfully you were fine. Fast forward nearly 24 hours and at 7.11pm on the 8th June 2018 you were placed into my arms and I fell in love. I'd always worried how I’d feel when you were born because how could I love anyone as much as I loved your brother? I needn't have worried as the moment when I saw you it was like my heart doubled in size. I’d felt that exact same overwhelming love and sense of motherly protection that will never ever leave me. You were so tiny but so perfect when you were born and all I remember saying as I drank you in was “oh my god he looks like his brother!”. You were the spitting image of Pickle but as you’ve grown you couldn’t be any different.

You are my little whirlwind. You are into everything, constantly on the move and you sure do keep Daddy and I on our toes. Speaking of Daddy... you are such a Daddy’s boy!! Daddy is always the one you want (unless you’re hurt then it’s Mummy all the way) and you and your Daddy are as thick as thieves. Your the same with your brother. Pickle loved you before he’d even met you and when he finally got to see you it was like there was this unbreakable bond that instantly formed. Your brother always puts you first and cares about you more than you’ll ever know. He celebrates your milestones with us and gets just as excited as us when you learn a new skill or when you get a new tooth. You may constantly try to wrestle your brother but I know that’s because you love him too and I’m so excited to see how your relationship with him develops as you get older.

Your other best friend in this house is the dog. Poor Maisie dog doesn’t get a break when you’re around as all you want to do it’s cuddle and play with her. You squeal with delight when she licks you and you get so upset when we separate you to give Maisie a break.
You never stop moving. I don't think I’ve ever seen a baby that is as inquisitive as you. You want to explore absolutely everything. As draining as it can be, it’s also a trait that I hope you never loose. There are some downsides with being into everything though... you are constantly covered in bruises! You started crawling at 7 months and you were cruising round the furniture by 10 month. Then, a week before your first birthday you started to walk and things ramped up a notch as you want to walk everywhere but just don’t have the best balance yet. It won’t be long and you’ll be running around and I’ll forever being having an anxiety attack about where you are!

You may have been an early mover but your teeth took their time to come in. At the age of one you now have 4 teeth. The bottom two and then the two fangs next to your top teeth. It’s quite funny to look at as one of the top teeth is quite big so I call it your snaggle tooth!
You are such a happy, smiley, cheerful boy (most of the time) and it’s a good job you are as it’s been your saving grace at times. Especially at 3am when you won’t go back to sleep. Ahh sleep... you are the WORST sleeper and, up until a couple of weeks ago, your sleeping issues were the bane of our lives. You still slept in your cot in our room but 9/10 times you’d end up going downstairs with Daddy to sleep as it’s the only place you’d settle. You went through a phase when you were about 5 months where you’d scream for about an hour at 11pm and then again at 2/3am. Finally we got some help from a sleep consultant and about a month ago you moved in with your brother and you’ve been sleeping like a champ!! It’s just one of the things that I am so proud of you for.

So, little boy, as you turn one I want to say thank you. Thank you for testing the limits of my parenting and my sanity and showing me that I am strong enough to survive. Thank you for our breastfeeding journey. Thank you for always keeping me on my toes. Thank you for showing me how much love my heart can actually hold. Thank you for being the cheeky funny, happy, loving little soul that you are. I love you so much little boy and I just wish you’d slow down a bit and stay little for a little longer.


Happy birthday Smidgey ❤️