Monthly Archives: October 2012

Signed off

29 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Walking

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“Is she walking properly yet?” My friend asked me this weekend. She hadn’t seen my two year old wobbly footed daughter since March, when she was still resolutely stuck on her behind.

When Frog toddled and then ran into the room, my friend’s question was answered. “Wow,” she said, “It’s like she’s a different child”.

Just seven months ago my daughter was a toddler of the non-toddling variety. We were in the midst of appointment after appointment to get to the issue behind her inability to walk. Hip dysplasia was ruled out, hypermobility was ruled in, along with flat feet. Continue reading »

Why I don’t give in to the tiredness (mostly)

27 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Motherhood, Play

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Friday afternoons are always a bit of a struggle. As soon as I finish my last radio shift of the week, tiredness hits me like a train. I drive home bleary-eyed, battling exhaustion and longing for sleep.

But, as everyone with children knows, sleep doesn’t come to those with kids. Not when you most want it anyway. So rather than giving in to the temptation to lounge on the sofa while my 2 year old laps up the latest episode of Andy’s Adventures, I try and do something with her.

It’s an afternoon with no clubs or toddler activity groups, so we do our own thing. Sometimes it involves playdough, sometimes it involves a cake at the garden centre cafe, sometimes it involves a visit to friends. Continue reading »

Your career ends when you become a parent

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Work

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When I was pregnant I lost count of the number of times I came across a certain myth. “Your career ends when you become a mum” was right up there with “babies sleep through the night by the age of six months” and “if your tummy sticks out at the front, you’re definitely carrying a boy”.

I became pregnant with my daughter when I was 26 years old. It was a planned pregnancy, despite what many people assumed. I was not married. We did not have a mortgage. I had not reached the “right” stage in my career to “take a baby break”. Continue reading »

Geeking it up

21 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in Social media

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I blogged about blogging last week. Actually, I wrote about blogging but decided not to publish. It wasn’t that I was ashamed of what I’d written – I stand by every word – but I didn’t want to max out my self-imposed blog naval-gazing limit.

I’m still really interested to know what people think about the subject though. If you’re a blogger or a PR or an SEO representative, please head over to my guest post at Geekalicious: How do you decide what your blog is worth? Continue reading »

Discipline – how do you know if you’re doing it right?

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in Behaviour

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My daughter had a tantrum today. That’s nothing new. But what was new was what happened afterwards.

After having a tantrum about not being able to swim in a puddle and run amok in a busy car park, my two year old stopped. She stood very still. She waited until I picked her up. And then she hit me in the face.

It wasn’t an arms flailing, screaming, accidental, wrong-place-wrong-time hit. It was calculated. She thought about what she was going to do. And then she did it. A belting thwack! right across the cheek.

Stung, I wrestled her into her car seat, while she silently bit me, pulled my hair, slapped me across the other cheek and pulled a thread from my brand new coat.

This was not a tantrum. Continue reading »

Fancy a cuppa?

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Play

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Review

For all her tantrums and diva strops, my daughter is at a lovely age right now.

Every day I can see new cogs in her brain whirring into action, as she shows me she’s remembering stuff – like numbers, shapes, colours and letters – and going through ideas in her own little head.

My favourite part of this phase is watching her imagination develop and unfurl in front of me.

She talks to everything – dolls, teddies, a pebble on the ground – as if it’s her best friend. I find the responses she gives for these inanimate objects fascinating. After asking her toy tiger if he’d like some “bing bangs” (bangles, to those in the know), she makes him reply, “Yes please. Like bing bangs. Pretty on me. ROAR!” Continue reading »

Bendy friends

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in Play

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My little girl has a friend. They’ve known each other for about 18 months and are just one month apart in age. Within those 18 months much has happened.

One little girl was diagnosed with hip dysplasia, the other with hypermobility. While one was in a spica cast, the other was still mastering the art of crawling as her peers toddled around her.

It’s fair to say, both little girls have had a couple of obstacles thrown their way in the walking department. But both have overcome each hurdle to become funny, feisty, affectionate toddlers.

It was around 9 months ago that I wrote a post about my frustrations at my daughter’s inability to walk. I was tired and emotional about her constant attempts to get up and join in with others her age. I watched as she withdrew into herself, refusing to play, hiding her face in situations with more than one child. Continue reading »

My first time

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Play

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Despite being a mother, you may be surprised to learn there’s a certain experience I have yet to try. Or that was the case until Wednesday this week.

I will never forget the day of my first time.

It was a special moment. When the time came, I knew it was right.I couldn’t put it off a moment longer. All my friends had tried it. I was feeling left out, but I didn’t want to crumble to peer pressure. Luckily, I didn’t have to. My body felt ready. I felt ready. It was time to do it. Continue reading »