Friday 30 August 2013

Books: A New Understanding

I have read to C since she was tiny however it was not until a few months ago she has begun to show an understanding of things that were happening in the story.
Now she has begun to act out things that are happening with simple role play.  For me this has been an unexpected, yet wonderful development to see.

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Our First Attempt at Moon Sand

So this afternoon C and I played with moon sand in the garden.
Well, Mummy played with moon sand while C pottered around, played with the rabbit and guinea pigs and generally just enjoyed being outside.
This is the first time I have made moon sand, yet I was pleasantly pleased with the results.  For this first attempt I used Sunflower Oil in case C decided to taste it but I needn't have worried.
C is still not a huge fan of messy play and does not really enjoy getting her hands dirty, however she did show an interest in the sand and stuck her hands in it in between watching me build sandcastles and shapes.
She enjoyed knocking down the sandcastles I built and was intrigued by the fish and boat shapes i made with the moulds.  The moulds were part of a beach set that I had when I was a little girl and are still going strong!
Mummy found the moon sand very therapeutic and played with it for hours while watching C potter around.



Tuesday 27 August 2013

Our 1st Busy Bag Activity

Ok, this activity didn't actually fit in a bag but follows the same principals: A simple, usually handmade, educational activity to occupy your child and promote lone play.

I took my idea from watching C at one of our baby groups.  One of her favourite activities to promote hand-eye coordination was posting straws to small holes.  I had an idea to take it one stage further:



Wednesday 21 August 2013

Swimming with Mummy - A Trip to the Stour Centre, Ashford


I have been meaning to take C swimming for a while now, but something or other has always got in the way.  My In Laws successful swimming trip with her while she stayed with them at the beginning of the month, finally spurred me into action.

C isn’t new to swimming.  I enrolled her in a baby swimming course at 8 weeks old and persevered for 6 months until finally admitting defeat.  She absolutely hated everything about it.  The water, the acoustics, the activities, all of it.  She would pretty much cry from the moment you put her in the water until the moment you took her out.  Since giving up on the classes, I have taken her for a few ad hoc trips to our local health club pool but never to the local leisure centre.

Tuesday 13 August 2013

25 weeks pregnant


Today (left) and 25 weeks pregnant with C (right)

The Low after the High

After an all round good week last week, I was looking forward to starting this week with a new lease of life, refreshed and ready to go.

On Saturday night, we got a call from my Mother In Law and my bubble immediately burst.  My eldest nephew had come down with Slapped Cheek.  A relatively minor illness in children but not good at all for pregnant woman as it can cause complications with the unborn baby.  

A Week As A Working Mum

I pondered over this one week for a long time.  My company had offered me a place on a one week course, fully paid and relevant to the work I was doing.

There were so many advantages of going: A change of scenery, a chance to catch up with work colleagues, a full weeks wages and possibly a new avenue for me to explore while working part time.
The main disadvantage of course is that I would need to find full time childcare for C for the whole week.