Spending Time With your kids when there is a Lockdown

So Christmas is now over and we are in a Lockdown again and so could have a house full of bored kids, well fear not, as there are things you can still do, and that is have a kids Tea Party, and make loads of cakes, obviously may mean a trip to a Supermarket, but getting kids to bake is so rewarding and because they made them will eat them.

Image from: Deposite photos

The other thing you can do is buy gifts for them where they have to build things, or even things like empty boxes, Tins, Food Pots and Tags off of clothes. You know you get those little Ribbon bits on your clothes, which are for hanging them, cut these off and they make brilliant ribbons for handmade gift tags.

Have a movie day or evening with picky bits, and have all your kids in the Living room and play back to back movies. This time of year they usually put on some films which are family favourites, such as Home Alone, ET, Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music.

The other things you can get them to do, is to create Thank you letters or cards to Santa, but to family who helped Santa choose their gifts. I know there are many shops still closed but you can still order bits online and there are Stationary shops like Whsmiths open.

Have them create home videos to Thank Santa for the gifts they got and post it to the family who helped buy their gifts.

Image from: 123FR.com

If your kids were given vouchers have them search for some items, as gift cards can still be used online, to buy with them or have them make a list of items they would like to buy with their gift cards, then see if the items they would like are available to purchase.

Play games like musical chairs, musical statues, give us a clue a home favourite, but I did used to cheat and my brother too, as he would talk which is not part of the game or board games or teach your children some card games.

The Classics are still going strong and my son loves Playing Connect 4. At Secondary school me and my friends created a Connect 4 championship where you can win a cup, which I earned and felt like making a speech, but then the bell went.

Image from: https://www.kindpng.com/

Create a lucky dip. So easy to make. All you need is a cardboard box, some newspaper or tissue paper, cellotape and wrap some little toys or L.O.L balls, and get each child to pick out a hidden present in the lucky dip box. Remember to put a slot in the box or play another classic pass the parcel.

Buy a small Karoake machine and why not invite some of your friends children for a playdate. I know we aren’t supposed to have huge numbers in one place, but 2 to 3 kids extra I don’t see what harm they can do, just make sure when they come into your home that they wash their hands and if they have a cold and you feel that they should stay away then let their parents know, but remember they are kids, so should not be excluded but you can send them a little something from you and tell them when they are better that they can come to a playdate another time, that will still put a smile on their faces and give them an extra present too or create them a personal lucky dip, with hidden items in.

I know we are in Lockdown but we should not allow us to be restricted.

The other thing you can do is create food parcels for friends or family, and have the kids deliver them to their neighbourhood. The one thing we can get out of this year is doing regular acts of kindness, as I bet there were a lot of people on their own and thinking about this, does break my heart and I wrote a blog on one of my other sites talking about this too: https://carrieseverydayliving.wordpress.com/2020/12/24/christmas-wishes-covid-thinking-about-those-on-their-own-at-christmas/

Another thing that you can do is buy your kids a Scrapbooking kit and use many different types of craft paper and glue, and stamps. I as a kid loved putting things into my scrapbooks of what I loved at the time and store many memories. These are great things to do, that create fantastic memories and can share when they return to school, or when they have kids of their own.

I am a big believer that kids should be allowed to be kids and have many different activities and have sweets, and be able to just be, instead of being controlled all of them time.

I loved it when I was able to playout on my Estate I lived, as a kid and pretend to be mums and skate and ride our bikes, that is a childhood, not being told you can’t do this and can’t do that. Just let them be a child and enjoy their childhood with many games and things that make them look forward to.

We should still be able to have fun and enjoy the time we have with our kids, and why not if you have a fireplace, lite it, with a hot chocolate and all chill watching some good Post Christmas TV.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie (L.M) X

The Ten Things to Stay Clear of when you just had a baby

Being a mum of a now 7 year old there many things I look back on that I wish I had stayed clear of, because when you have just had a baby you are very hormonal and what life to be stress free as possible, as some things can add to our hormonal states.

Image from: https://st.depositphotos.com/1040166/2355/i/600/depositphotos_23556995-stock-photo-adorable-baby.jpg

Here are Ten Things to Stay Clear of when you just had a baby:

1. Don’t bother with a manual breastpump, as you will be there all day and can make you feel defeated and so it is electrical all the way. Of course if you can feed your baby directly from the breat than that can be a lot more convient, but if your baby has trouble latching on keep trying, but express can still help give your baby your milk, if you want to.
2. Moses baskets. It was great for a couple of nights but I was so paranoid about it tipping over and so if you are bringing home a new born baby, by a crib or smaller cot, as they are a lot more stable and there are ones you can buy that has wheels.
3. Programmes like 16 and pregnant as it will be a tearjurker and cause unneccessary anxiety. Instead watch items that shows you the progress of each stage of your pregnancy of birth, as I found this kind of TV or video to be more appealing as it makes it into a wonderful journey.
4. Too many Trebor mints. As I was having a lot of indigestion when pregnant was trying to eat and drink anything hat put it at ease, and having a trebor mint did help but then I ended up having too many, meaning I eventually felt sick having anymore. You can have the hot water and honey and works wonders if you have indigestion whilst pregnant, but don’t drink this once baby is born and you are breastfeeding.
5. Free nappies. We were given a load of free packets of nappies at a baby show in the Oympia Exhibition centre and did hold very well in that Henry had a massive pooh explosion when he was first bought home, and threw those free nappies away. Either use Pampers (Not the two in one), but for each age or Chicco ones.
6. Bumpers for cots. I read a really terrible story about a baby who got caught up in a bumper in his cot and so don’t by these as they are very dangerous and a few times I found Henry underneath it. Honestly you do not need them.
7. lightweight pushchairs. I have changed my mind on this, because I did find some pushchairs quite heavy but there is a reason for that, and that is because when you attach bags to them they won’t easily tip up, or easily brake, and I will when I have another baby, have them in baby carrier close to my chest most of the time.
8. Certain baby bottles. As talked about before we when I was due with Henry bought a load of bottles and only used one, but was told to change it as they hospital where Henry stayed for month before we could take him home recommended Avent bottles.
9. Tight leggins or jeans. When you have just had your baby, even if it is C-Section avoid anything too tight around your waist or abdominium and have light, very stretchy clothing as you will bleed a lot and want to be comfortable.
10. Going bra less. Whilst breastfeeding and when you first nurse your baby as they will leak and so wear good nursing bras and purchase some breast pads.

This is my last post on this site before Christmas and so will blog more Post Christmas. I really hope you have a bloody good one, and if someone asks to hold your baby and have washed their hands, then let them whilst you have some free time.

When it comes to bringing home a new baby all want to do is hold them close but you do need to rest too, and so if someone offers to hold them and look after them for a bit, then take them up on it.

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many thanks for reading,

Carrie (L.M) Xh

Keeping kids safe at Christmas

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Christmas should be a time where we spend it with those we love and cherish and a time to forgive and forget.

However there are some things that you should be aware of to make sure all of your children in your family are safe.

Tip 1# Avoid babies pulling Christmas crackers as the wooden piece inside can spark and the toys within Christmas Crackers can easily be picked up and swallowed.

Wait until they are aware of a Christmas cracker and pull it so the little toys and bits full onto the table and have a plastic container to put them in.

Tip 2# Don’t serve a childs food that has been warmed in the oven as china plates can be really hot and burn their fingers

The last thing you want is your young children having nasty burns, and if they help out with the cooking, then keep them away from the cooker or hobs in case they do touch them.

Tip 3# Be careful of the thorns from a real Christmas tree as they can hurt if they tread on them with bare feet or hands, and keep pets away too as they can get the thorns in their paws.

I have always had when I decorated a for Christmas is have a plastic tree as saves so much money and the thorns never fall off as they artificial.

Tip 4# Don’t put trees near fireplaces as they can catch fire, and the last thing you want is a fire in your home.

This applies to gifts being put underneath a tree, and never alite a candle near it either, or place a candle on top of a TV. I remember someone did this at Butlins. Not a good idea at all.

Tip 5# If you buy secondhand toys which I have done in the passed make sure all bits are there and look for wear and tare. Also if there little bits and pieces that come with a toy, make sure that they are kept in a bag away from very small children as they can still up to 3 years old, put things into their mouths.

I choked on a Spearmint once on a bus and so it can easily happen. If young children play such games supervise them all the time.

Tip 6# Be careful of lighting the Christmas pudding never do it with a child next to you, do it on a table away from them and avoid putting money inside, which was the old tradition once upon a time.

The tradition where you would put money in it has long gone as the coins are a lot smaller and thinner, so can easily be swallowed.

Tip 7# Make sure toiletry products are sealed and away from Children, and avoid buying skincare products with perfume for kids, as many kids like Henry my son, has ended up with an allergy to them.

I always buy fragrance free for my son, because in the summer he can get really bad eczema from head to toe, so I buy Sanex and the Boots own kids moisturiser.

Tip 8# Don’t have their money in their hands as muggings can be frequent this time of year, so show then where to keep it safe. All cash should be Zipped up in a purse or wallet at the bottom of their bag, and give them a gift card rather than cash, as these are rarely stolen and can be put together with your bank cards.

I rarely give my nieces or my son cash, but as my two nieces are older and don’t really have an interest in toys, I will give them a gift card they can use, as they are proper girls, love to shop just like me.

Tip 9# Keep kids away from Alcohol. It is tradition in my family to have a Snowball, but being a mum myself do not want my son drinking any kind of alcohol until he reaches teenager years. Of course the Christmas pudding in usually dressed with Brandy which is burned through the pudding, but do a plain one for the kids, as we don’t want anyone puking because of the Brandy, and of course some serve it with Brandy Butter.

If they decide when they are older to still not drink then honour their wishes as not everyone is keen on drinking anything alcoholic, and stick to soft drinks.

Tip 10# Avoid kids from drinking out of a glass, because if they a drop it and it smashes, cleaning glass up can be a task that you can be forever finding bits of glass every where in a whole week. Give kids a beaker rather than a glass, as if they tread on glass they can easily hurt their feet.

Glass shattered can go everywhere and should be avoided, and the same for China plates. If they are toddlers have their own plates, with knives and forks.

So, those are my tips to keeping your kids safe this Christmas and I am going to see if I can fit in another blog on this site before the big day, but for now I wish you a Merry Christmas and if I don’t blog before Christmas day, I hope all your wishes do come true and your children love it.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie (L.M) X

P.S: I am raising money for the Charity Tommy’s this year, as it was seven years ago that my son was born premature, and they offer support to families who has experienced premature births or stillbirths and help raise awareness too:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theparentingadventuresprematurebirths

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Kids and Family Traditions

Check out this article about 11 Free Christmas Traditions https://millennialboss.com/free-christmas-traditions/

To help our kids get the most out of Christmas it is good to have family traditions, like my family have had, example: anyone over the age of 21 don’t receive gifts from my Uncle and Aunties anyone, but will buy a gift for the kids in the family, and as a kid it was traditional for my Grandad Skinner to slice the Turkey, and we as kids were allowed a Snowball, which is Advocate and Lemonade and to give it an extra kick add in a piece of lime or lime juice and a sweet cherry.

Kids should have tradtions that they can continue on to their own children they may have one day.

I now go for a walk every Christmas Day and Boxing Day, or would go for a run, as I would take a break from Running and start up again on Christmas day.

I am still going to have snowball this year and will be buying the little bottles, and add a bit of ice as it can become warm.

You can add in traditions of making your kids Advent Calendars rather them buying one. I did this for my son Henry last year, and still got to do some of the activities I included in it.

All you need to do this, is get a unit which you can pull out boxes or I used a reuseable cardboard box, got some little boxes from Amazon and put in little toys from Christmas Crackers my mum had with some bits purchased from Poundland and some chocolate included.

My son, Henry loved this and will do this again as it is good to have a tradition where you make them their Advent Calendar and they make their own Christmas cards.

As a kid one of us Grandchildren would be the one helping my Grandad distribute the gifts to each person who was there, and then the adults would play a card game after Dinner was finished.

We would sit down and watch some good Christmas TV, and Uncle Bark and Uncle Corby would often have a Christmas show, along with Morecombe and Wise and Cannon and Ball and Comedies like Only Fools and Horses, some mothers do have ’em and TV shows like Top Of The Pops, to see who would be Christmas number 1. Their was the Horse Guards Parade, in which Her Royal Highness, Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II would attend, along with other members of the Royal Family.

I have a feeling I went to this, as this would be held near my Nan Skinners, in the Earls Court Arena, but not sure.

They were often Royal Horses in this show, at which my Auntie Fai new well as she would look after the Queen Horses in her younger years, alongside The Duchess of York’s Father.

We would go to the pub before going to my Nans, along with my Uncle and Aunties, and then we would go to my nans before they got back. My Dad had quite a few by the time he got back to have dinner at my Nans, and often got into a debate over football.

If you want a good family Christmas don’t talk about football.

Then on Boxing Day we would go to my Nanny Roses as this was her birthday, and would have drink in the Bedford first. My Nan Roses drink was a Gin and Tonic (G ‘n’T), and had a cabinet with this in and noone was allowed to go near it. It was her secret stash and wanted it to be kept that way.

So kids and family traditions do mix and is a good combination as they will tend to follow it on and have more happy Christmases to come.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie (L.M) X

Celebrating the New Year with your kids

When we are kids we know or at least I knew without being told that when Christmas came it meant that there would be a new year coming by, and time to make our resolutions.

To help kids grow we should make Christmas and New Years a big deal, as not everyone person gets to relive their childhood and should be part of their growing up. Get them to create DIY banner to celebrate the new year.

It Keeps them busy whilst you do your errands or want to watch a bit of TV, or you can all get involved, with some festive drinks to go with the designing of a new years banner.

Kids like to be kept busy, because like my son Henry he constantly has to have something to do, otherwise he becomes boystrious and disruptive.

Have your kids set goals and new dreams for every new year, and as a kid I am glad my mum took us up to London on New Years Eve once and got to see the fireworks. I haven’t done that since back when I was a kid, but is worth going to, and as I see it, it is another year you are alive for and should be full of fun and dreams.

Rumour has it that a certain Virtue Reality star with her Love, Lee Mack, will be appearing on the Joules Holland show. Lets see if this happens, and who will be shocked and I do have many family members who do watch this, and I wish that they will be amazed when they see her.

Now I know we are still on a kind of Lockdown, which I keep being reminded of, but should that stop our kids for enjoying themselves and having a party table of their own? No!

Have them create posters, with photos and images printed from Google of what they would like to do in the new year.

Make homemade hot chocolate and if you have a fireplace heat some marshmellows.

A chocolate log always goes down well and I am going to have one of those this year, as they are lovely and scrumptious cakes and everyone can share, or why not, like you can do for Christmas have them bake a cake for the new year. Who says you can’t have cake at New years aswell as Christmas?

My Nan Skinner would often let us stir the Christmas cake mixture and then make a wish, and then yes, lick the bowl.

I would often have a DVD night on New Years Eve with some bits to eat, and it is great to have the whole family seated watching films and chilling, and then toasting to the new year.

Let your kids stay up late if they want to, as these times and memories should be cherished.

So I wish you all a wondeful Christmas. I will try to fit in another parenting post before the big day, but if not, I will post on this site Post Christmas and go over the year gone.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

P.S: Please check out my JustGiving page which I have set up to raise money for a Charity called Tommy’s. All donations will be welcomed, and many thanks in advance:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theparentingadventuresprematurebirths

Becoming A Parent

Hello and welcome to a new parenting post. I am writing about becoming a parent, as it was 7 years ago that my son was bought home after spending his first month of him being in the world, in hospital.

Was I prepared? No! It was massive culture shock and I have created an Ebook to help you prepare for your baby who has come into the world.

When becoming a parent be aware that they can make a lot of noise especially at night as they are adjusting from being in your womb to being in the big wide world, and many babies when inside your tummy will be active mainly at night. The way to give your newborn baby reassurance as they do look for this, even when being a newborn baby, by swaddling them into a blanket or there are Swaddling blankets you can get.

Babies don’t have no sense of time, but they sleep mainly during the day. Henry at first didn’t like to be left in his Moses basket to sleep, so mainly slept when I was holding him, and they will even in the early years when you pick them up, become hungry because they associate you with food. This can be disheartening at first because you want them to associate you with love and effection.

They will do, but they can be super hungry when they are first born.

Never worry too much on breastfeeding, but do it if you can and if you want to. Formula is okay even at new born anda baby will still get the nutrients it needs.

Image from https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/mother-feeding-her-baby-picture-id1146850141?k=6&m=1146850141&s=612×612&w=0&h=ejHfwcHvUqQ4AJ-cS-UnXhWPKlm3ntsde3vALHPpGbA=

If you want to be shown how to properly bath your baby then speak to the midwives to show you, and practice with a doll first. I wish I had and been much more prepared in this area, as my sons first bath at home was diasterous because someone stripped him naked even before I got the bath ready.

The NHS method of safetly bathing a baby has changed, even from when Henry was born 7 years ago, here is a video they have created to show you, how to safetly give your baby a bath.

Don’t buy too many baby gros and nappies as once your baby is born they grow so quickly.

Getting organized for Christmas with a new born can be a lot of weight on your shoulders so delegate if you can, and doing a wish list online, such as on sites like Amazon, so they can see what you want to buy for family and friends and get your partners before baby is born so you don’t have to worry about this at all.

Don’t be put off in wanting items for yourself as being the mum of a new born, you can do with a treat or a splurge so do so, and no, do not feel guilty by doing this at all.

The main things you need to think about:

The other items are, take in a good book and put some music on your phone to listen too, as when I have another child this is exactly what I am going to do.

Having a baby is no easy task, and so if there are those that can lend a hand then take them up on it.

So I will be writing more and if you have just had a baby, then Congratulations.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie (X

P.S: I am raising money for the charity Tommy’s as they do a lot of work to support and raise awareness of Stillbirths and Premature births, so here is a link to my JustGiving page if you would like to make a donation. Many thanks in advance if you do so:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theparentingadventuresprematurebirths

Gift Guide For kids at Amazon 2020

If you haven’t seen blogs on my other sites then please go to my Squarespace site and I have added a new Youtube page where I will add my Youtube videos.

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I am working alongside with Amazon this year for Christmas and here are some of their Top of the Range gifts for kids:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3IH8EYQE5B4UW?ref_=wl_share

I have put together more items in this video below:

I will be posting more as we get nearer to Christmas 2020 at Amazon.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

P.S: Please check out my JustGiving page, my fundraiser for this year’s Christmas, Tommy’s, see link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theparentingadventuresprematurebirths

Check out my related posts and link to my Instagram page below:

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Helping kids to create dreams

If you have read my posts for a while you’ll see that I talk a lot about teaching kids many things, and the one thing I would always encourage is to help kids to create dreams. There is no age restriction when it comes to developing dreams of their own.

Children will begin when they become 4 or 5 aware of themselves and start to build likes and dislikes more as they continue to grow. My son love buses and trains, and so last year for Christmas I made him a homemade book about buses.

There are books available also about buses. I bought my son a couple of books from Amazon about buses.

If you child loves football then go for a kick about with them, and invite some of their friends if they can come along. I know there is another lockdown, but doesn’t mean you should stop being with people, and in my local park, South Park Gardens there are a load of kids having a good time having a game of football.

As a kid I loved music and was bought a new single or an album. If they love playing a musical instrument then buy them a simple books of tunes to play, or book them some lessons on playing an instrument.

I knew a guy I worked with at Sitel who played the Guitar, and playing a musical instrument is a great skill to learn, because it helps them with co-ordination.

Have them write down their dreams and help them create a board of all the thing they dream of doing too, and have a chat about it.

Helping kids use their imagination unlocks the key to their mind and encourages them to talk, make decisions and be a kid.

They should have a good childhood and those that stop it, are selfish and are imbecilic. I have come to see that there are those that want to bring you down towards your children, but letting them dream and create memories is a childhood to remember and that is all we want at the end of the day, for our kids to be happy and have a fantastic future.

Stay Safe, Stay Strong.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

P.S: Please check out my JustGiving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/theparentingadventuresprematurebirths

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