Back in the days when I had two small, preschool-aged children, I used to dread the long summer. Throughout term-time we enjoyed a range of toddler groups and classes (like our wonderful Suzuki Music group), but when it came to the summer holidays, these all closed down. The friends who I'd … [Read more...] about 10 IDEAS FOR SURVIVING SUMMER WITH YOUNG CHILDREN
Seasons
100 FREE OR CHEAP SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Summer's here, and the holidays are looming - which, if you're a parent of school-aged kids, means kiddoes everywhere, all the time - argh! Someone pass me the gin. Before you start with the sand and the shovel, though, I have good news for you: here are 100 free or cheap summer activities for … [Read more...] about 100 FREE OR CHEAP SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
A FATHER’S ROAD TO ADOPTION
Is anyone else scrabbling about, the day before Fathers' Day, trying to think of a suitable gift for their kids' dad? Or is it just me? DesertDad is incredibly difficult to buy for. He doesn't really want anything, bar a decent whisky, and then I'm caught between whether it's appropriate for … [Read more...] about A FATHER’S ROAD TO ADOPTION
MOTHERS’ DAY AND BABY LOSS
Approximately 1 in 8 pregnancies end in miscarriage. It's a startlingly high figure, and I count myself as guiltily fortunate to be excluded from it. But so many of my friends have experienced miscarriage in a variety of ways, at a variety of stages, that despite being daily driven up the wall by … [Read more...] about MOTHERS’ DAY AND BABY LOSS
30 SIMPLE LENT ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES
Want some creative Lent activities for families and children this year? Nope, thought you didn't. Because, if I know you well (and I'm starting to think I might), I know that you show up to this blog exhausted by parenting and life and everything in between. You really don't need anything … [Read more...] about 30 SIMPLE LENT ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES
HOW NOT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR IN-LAWS
A couple of weeks ago I was having a text conversation with my sister-in-law about some of the family arrangements for Christmas. At one point, I was about to type a reply saying, "Your family is ridiculous!" Allow me to back-track and give some context. I get on really well with my in-laws, and … [Read more...] about HOW NOT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR IN-LAWS
‘BABY SHARK’ NATIVITY SONG (AND THE ADOPTIVE ROLE OF JOSEPH)
One of the important spiritual preparations I've made this Advent to enable my heart to draw closer to the Christ-child, to recognise the wonder of God-incarnate, sent from heaven to rescue us from ourselves, is... ...to re-write a Nativity version of "Baby Shark". Yeah, that kind of sums up my … [Read more...] about ‘BABY SHARK’ NATIVITY SONG (AND THE ADOPTIVE ROLE OF JOSEPH)
WHAT GOES IN OUR ADVENT BASKET?
The kids and I love Advent, and all the fun preparations for Christmas. We have loads of little traditions that we look forward to, and try to focus on sharing the story of Jesus' birth in creative and fun ways. One of these traditions is our Advent basket. You may do something similar in your home … [Read more...] about WHAT GOES IN OUR ADVENT BASKET?
END-OF-TERM TEACHER GIFTS: ARE THEY COMPULSORY?
It's that point of the year when we're all (figuratively, if not literally) crawling our kids to school, fingernails scraping the parched grass as we pant towards the finish line of next Friday. Of course, we're aware of just how much our children's teachers have done for them this last year, and … [Read more...] about END-OF-TERM TEACHER GIFTS: ARE THEY COMPULSORY?