Getting your kids ready for spring

Yes tomorrow is the first day of spring and the days are getting lighter and looking forward to it. So means that kids can play out longer and put the laundry out in the garden and then also Easter is on its way, and I did a video on my Youtube channel My Way of living talking about Planning and Budgeting for the Easter Holiday, and means organizing an Easter hunt, and I am writing my Newsletter for March and sharing the things I like to do over Easter. This will be up on my blog site: Everyone can build a castle | Creating goals, habits and being empowered aiming for success

It means getting the BBQ out. Okay perhaps I am getting carried away, we no longer have one, but it good to be able to go outdoors and not with layers of clothing but in thinner jackets and have your kids to help organize and do a spring clean.

I look forward to having the windows open and read a book in the park and have your children’s birthdays in Spring outdoors in the park. There is a local gardens where I live when it starts to get warmer and lighter outdoors, have birthday parties.

Having playdates visiting local historical places, like one of my friends I met up with a weekend ago, visited Arundel and Winchester, which is in West Sussex and Hampshire and we have before now gone to Poole in Dorset and Bournemouth and such lovely places to visit and great for kids to run around and just being near the water can do wonders for you and your children.

There are bank holiday weekends coming and great way to get out, and often in some of the parks, like Wimbledon Park will have a funfair, and the theme parks will start to open.

These can expensive but often there will be offers in the Sun Newspaper and Cereal boxes advertising discount on theme park tickets, and great days out.

So lets put our puffer jackets away and looking forward to wearing my denim jackets and going to give my wardrobe and my sons a revamp and get some new items, and plan some good days out.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Getting ready for school Holidays 2024

So it is half term here in the UK and my son has gone to his holiday club, and then we off to a cat cafe and book swimming, but there are other things you can do so check this weeks Cheat Sheet for inspiration.

getting-ready-for-the-half-term-1Download

Please let me know if you like these cheat sheets, and I enjoying putting then together to share ideas of having fun and stress free, and are completely free to download and print off.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie Challoner

Kids and hot days

Hello and welcome to another blog. What an Autumn so far. It is the first week of the new season and it is warm here in the UK, and means being practical when your kids are off to school or nursery or if you have babies then keep them safe.

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If they are off to school and they are allowed to wear a school summer dress or shorts for girls and boys, then put these on. Try dressing them in light colours, and avoid black if you can. My son has to wear black tracksuit bottoms and a while Polo Shirt, and when it comes home he will change into something lighter, like shorts and a cool cotton t-shirt.

If they get too hot then if they can take their clothes off into something cooler then do so and in the shade hydrating with water and use a cold towel on their forehead. In hot days do a cooling bath, wash or shower and light bed clothes for when it is hot in the evenings too.

Remember sun cream and make sure you pack some sun cream in their bags, and if they get bitten then make sure you have a insect repellent that is safe for them to use and keep a eye on it, as if the bite gets bigger get medical support, as they can get infected and cause blood poisoning and swelling. I got bitten on my foot and because I picked it, sorry for the TMI, but it swelled up really badly and had to take antibiotics.

If they pick up a Tick, then, they don’t pull it out if you not experienced and take them to the doctors or the hospital for them to remove it. Some children can be allergic to bites and stings, and so make sure they have their EpiPen and know how to use it and that it is in date to be used.

If they wear a hat then make sure this in in their bag, but my son doesn’t like hats and is impossible so I just make sure he keeps cool and has cold water and nothing that can causes dehydration.

So yes it is the beginning of the school year and so more blogs to come.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Another Child kicking off and Another Mum telling him off

So just been for a walk with my son, as he was getting restless and it had stopped raining, and walking back he wanted to go back the way we came, but to have a good walk, I wanted to walk around the park and go the back way home.

Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com

As he is kicking off, I notice a man watching giving me looks, as he is walking ahead and I am like in my head as I see him whilst I trying to control my son, like “Yes another child kicking off and another mum telling him off, trying to calm him down, so I don’t need you giving me the evils”.

In the end he was fine, and all was okay, but what is it with people like him. He was a kid once, and I get it, some people don’t like kids, or judging because I am yes “I am a mum, with a child who doesn’t want to do as he is told”.

I know I should ignore but I can’t help but say something. I feel that I am speaking for majority of parents here, and that is, “Kids will kick off”.

We can only do our best, but again people forget, kids will express themselves and it wasn’t a really long walk, just enough so my son and I could get some exercise. However In then end it was fine and very quiet, but like that guy, stop judging and giving parents the evils, and never forget you were a kid, and that will be an issue as a parent.

You can’t always please our kids, but parent them so they know that you are only trying to look out for them and not by any means trying to upset them.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Setting rules for our kids to be respectful of things and others

So this weekend we went to visit some friends who live in the South Coast of England and Henry was playing on a bouncy castle near the seaside and was putting his arm around another child’s, a small child’s, neck. We took him off and apologised to the little child’s parents and it is only right. If someone had done that to Henry I would have expected the same.

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When it comes to kids you do need to set rules and boundaries. I don’t want my son to be seen as rude or unkind. I want Henry to be respectful to others for his own good so he is not avoided or isolated.

It is my responsibility to ensure that he says please and thank you and give to others and be loving.

Today my son is at a holiday club and so never avoid social interaction as it can work miracles because it helps them to build good relationships and will learn how to talk and treat others, and is monitored. Has a small child he would pinch or bite, and a saw another child when we went to softplay and out of the blue this young child went to bite him, and push another child over, and her mum told her off and apologise.

Kids will misbehave and lash out, so it has to be stopped and making sure that they stop to help them be better around other children.

When we go swimming I make sure he gives space to small babies and children when he jumps in and if he has a runny nose take him out to clear it and become responsible by making sure he looks after his stuff and not chuck it on the floor and take care of his personal hygiene.

He will if he has finished eating, take his plate or bowl to to the sink and when he is tall enough have him do the washing up sometimes, and he will help put items away once washed. I want Henry to be respectful of his home and equipment and put things out of the way for safety to help his development and understanding, in that he is responsible for his actions and stuff and most of the time he is well behaved and a lady I spoke to when waiting for a bus at the bus stop, who recognised him from being on the bus before, said “He was very well behaved” and that makes me feel good and the rules we have set him and boundaries are working in terms of being respectful to others.

At the moment I have been teaching Henry that he doesn’t always have his way, as he will be fussy and moan, and this can be so frustrating. So it is we don’t go on the trains, as he loves them and watching them, because I explain to him that it takes time to get out of the door some days because he won’t get dressed when I have told him too and that nothing is going to make him happy and spoils the fun.

Everyone gets a choice not just him and if he respects that then we can go out and have fun, not be a constant battle of who should be in charge, and it can effect everyone when a child play’s up because it effects the mood and the environment.

Noone is perfect but the more we tune into our children’s about respect and of boundaries then the more they will be respectful and teach their children if they decide to have children, themselves, to be the same.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

The Summer holidays only two weeks away

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and following me. I have been going over the holidays and need to sit down and plan further so my son and we can spend time with family, visiting places not visited yet that I know he’d like to see, example Guildford, St Albans, ride on the tram, for my son who keeps asking what it is and not ridden on for ages and not since Henry was born. Making sure we have plenty of time together and have booked a weekend trip to see friends who live in the South Coast of England again and fitting in as much as we can to keep our son entertained.

My son loves trains so planning to see where to go that is new but still enjoys it and visit further up London and places we can walk and just explore. Of course like this week there may be disruption, so need to plan around that and may have to travel by bus.

When visiting London get an Oyster card, this allows you travel all over London and can work on the trains, trams and buses. If you are travelling out of London then you can use your debit card, but there are rail cards available that can give you discounts on travelling on the trains.

I did a video on my Youtube my way of living talking about the Summer Holiday’s: https://youtu.be/sxjpUZnd4ik It is good to plan indoor activities aswell as outdoors because of the weather,and there are plenty of things you can do. Example: Henry and I play shops, as kid I loved playing card games and last weekend my step dad taught Henry how to play Solitaire and can teach this game on their tablets/IPads or with actual physical cards on the table. My son was playing Subbuteo, the football game where you have a pitch with little figures, bowls and create tournaments, like me and my friends did at school, playing countdown when we couldn’t play outside.

Room decorating. I watch a lot of organization videos and why not have you and your kids do a makeover in their bedrooms, on a budget and you can get paints from stores like Wilkos or Homebase, so you can change a room around, with your kids and planting indoor plants, if not out in the garden.

Take kids to the garden centre to choose flowers and plants to keep and look after and have them plant them.

Have your kids cook a summer meal with you or for you, with supervision and have a kids party with friends and family. It doesn’t have to be a birthday or anniversary to have a party just enjoy the time off to catch up with friends and make it a special occasion.

I will be taking my son Swimming which I always do now and spend a few days at a kids club called Youngstars, and plan to take my son with family to do something like Chessington World of Adventures which is not far, Bocketts Farm , London Zoo and if the weather is good take a London Cruise riverboat to Canary Wharf and North Greenwich, where there are restaurants and going to see if there any shows on we can go to up London. I have booked to take Henry to see Blippe at the end of the holidays at the Rose in Kingston Upon Thames and they often put plays on and shows at the Polka Theatres.

So lets get ready and there will be deals on picnic and BBQ food and so worth checking out and pack lunch type food too.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Kids and the heat

I am not going to moan about the weather as I was getting fed up of the cold and so can’t have it both ways and so it all about being sensible, and making sure your kids don’t get too hot, and protected from the heat.

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I use factor 50 for kids and should be 35+ and I put it on Henry, my son, before and during the day and that he is not outdoors for too long, but he actually wanted to go indoors by he own accord, when we had the paddling pool out in the garden this weekend, and get into the shade for a bit.

Kids will let you know if they are too hot and so find shade the best you can and that they are hydrated and not left in cars on their own and that you are with them, have the windows open all the time as they can overheat quite quickly or have your air con on, also have them wear light coloured clothing and have a set of sun glasses and hat.

The one thing I like to have is after bite, especially if you are near lakes and woodland areas and if you are going abroad, along with after sun and if they suffer from Hayfever, make sure you have anti-histamine that is safe for kids to take, and that they have a bath and shower to get rid of any pollen and of the sunscreen, and wash their clothes too.

Be aware of ticks, if you see this on your child’s body get medical help straight away and have someone who knows what they are doing to remove it, and if bites start to swell, get medical help right away, and try an avoid your children from scratching or picking at it as because they can become infected, and cause blood poisoning and become infectious quite quickly.

If they have a verruca make sure these are treated as these can spread along with cold sore,s and avoid kissing, and with Nora Virus, which can develop through heat. If they do develop symptoms then keep them away for 48 hours and indoors making sure you sanitize your home and they wash their hands to avoid any of these too be passed on.

This is not to cause anxiety but just tips so you are stress free and have fun, and for it not to be spoiled due to sickness.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Great Things to do as a family and have fun

There is nothing better than spending time with family and with working, school and chores you don’t always get that time. The place to start is meals, choose a day to have a meal together and plan in advance and do like a buffet style or a sit down meal, with drinks non alcoholic drinks for kids of course and drinks for the adults and the one thing I am looking forward to in the summer is having a BBQ and sitting in the sun, have a good chat and catching up if your kids no longer live at home with you or they are grown up an living in their own place.

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Take a day trip to the seaside. I have an aunty and uncle who live in Selsey and so when we can we will go down there to visit and I love being by the sea, it makes me feel peaceful and calm. Of course it means driving or catching a train, if you don’t want to go abroad but can get discount travel cards , and when I lived in the South coast I had one and it saved me a lot of money when I would travel from London to a place called Bognor Regis and back, then me and my son’s dad had a one as a couple, because when Henry was a baby he could travel for free, and we’d travel to Southampton and Lincoln, so it made sense to have a travel discount card.

If you are a Eurovision fan then why not make it into a last minute party if you haven’t planned already and do cheese on toast with some mugs of tea and get the blankets out depending on how big your sofa is and camp out. Why not make it fun by having a pen and paper of how many points you’d give for each country and where union jack hats and flags or if you from another country do the same but of the country colours and flags. I remember when they used to show Miss World and I was staying at a friends house and we had paper and pen to mark who we thought should win, and would do this with my grandparents when they were alive when watching a TV show called Countdown.

Workout together to get fit. When we had the pandemic the Body Coach Joe Wicks did PE lessons getting kids to exercise and today I did a indoor walking workout on Youtube and was really good fun and my son would often join in with me and my son and I will spend time when he comes home from school play football or dance as often I will have the radio on or music playing from Youtube.

Spend time visiting a national park and gardens. We have often done this and there are many national parks in England like Kew Gardens and you do have to pay but they often have events going on there in the summer and great places to celebrate birthdays or any occasion and I am looking forward to having a picnic and spending time around nature. It is such good fun and somewhere different to go.

https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens?gclid=CjwKCAjwx_eiBhBGEiwA15gLN-7xcso5ATVEgNmikm8oUDn9IAEd2cwXmPWu4NPjdma82RwJLWgJBRoCvYUQAvD_BwE

Visiting a Zoo is good fun and there are places like Chessington World of Adventures, but there are other type of Zoos like London Zoo and Battersea Park zoo and if it is not busy you can just turn up but it is less expensive if you book in advance and check out newspapers and cereals as often they will do deals.

I hope this gives you ideas as another half term is coming up and then it is the Summer Holidays so worth thinking about these ideas and have some good family fun.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Having Quiet time how to make it a good family routine

I am not a healthcare worker or have medical training but a mum who have to learn a lot and thought that being a mum would be a natural adjustment. Well looking back it was a massive change and I did try to prepare myself and be ready but then my son arrived early and became traumatic. However I naturally was in love and he is my world, that I want to share things that I have learned and still learning.

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The one thing I like is Quiet time. I like as soon as it is 6pm putting on my pyjamas and get my son showered and ready for bedtime and because he wasn’t well last week got a blanket and sat on the sofa watching a bit of TV and it really helped my son and I have a good sleep.

There are steps you can take. Choose a time where all your kids can wind down and everyone get ready for bed, or in the mornings too. I don’t do anything until I have had my first cup of tea and Henry has had his breakfast.

Set the tone and set the scene. I do this when creating a new book, but can help with everyday living too and do some reading or do a puzzle that all the family can do. Just having time away from their laptops and tablets, and just spend time just being with your kids and work together to tidy for the day to then have all settled down time to rest and recharge, and spending some as a family.

Have everyone in matching pyjamas. It doesn’t have to be at Christmas or Easter but a weekly or daily thing and plan the TV you going to watch so you can enjoy. Make hot chocolates and why not when it begins to get warmer sit out int he garden with candles and sharing what each person did that day and melting marshmallows over a fire, obviously in a safe place and tell each other stories.

Have time pampering evening. I know this would not interest my son because he will protest that he doesn’t want a shower or a bath, but he does and actually once the moaning has finished, he actually likes it, and good to all freshen up and be ready to go to bed and one thing I liked as a kid was have tea later in the evening. We mainly did this on Sundays after it was a long after having a roast dinner and watch some good old fashioned TV or listen to music and have quiet music playing in the background whilst you read a book.

Bring your past life back that you enjoyed and enjoy with your kids. I like Sunday gatherings or Saturday with family and would love for him to have a sleep over when he is older because still having bed wetting a few times. I loved sleepovers as a kid and can be really good fun. We’d watch horror films. Now I know some may not want to do that, but just being with friends relaxing with everyone in their night gear, can be such fun and enjoy. Why not order or make pizzas and some ice cream, just building time to work towards bedtime and can prevent tantrums when it comes to getting your kids to bed.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Spending time with my son and building his skills

It is so important like all parents want, the best for their child and have a good relationship and gaining trust, because children will have emotions and feelings which as a parent we need to respect, and so doing different activities can help with that.

Took Henry to the Cinemas for the first time during the holidays and a great way to spend time together

Playing games that is not a competition but that you can do together. My son loves spending time with me and my mum playing Lingo. This is game show on TV, but you can download the APP which is free and helps with their knowledge of different words and spelling, and often we, including my step dad will get involved.

Do the chores and dance around the house. I talk about this a lot because to help get my son ready for school I would often put on some music and dance before my son had to go to school and would often when cooking dinner would put some music on. I will sing to him but he tells me to be quiet when I try, and so don’t think mother (me) will be on X Factor or The Voice anytime soon, but some kids love it, and how me and Henry bonded was by sharing the love of dancing listening to some good music and as a kid myself it was a tradition at a kids birthday to play musical chairs or statues, and learned the times table via music. It is a cassette tape and using music to learn the times table.

Let them take the lead on some tasks. Now my son is getting independent, I will when shopping have him carry the trolley or put items into the trolley. Getting them involved is a great way to like shopping, as often as a kid I would play up, and Henry would often get upset when shopping, but now he is alright and be somewhat in charge so I allow him that freedom, and helps him be more responsible.

Get fit together. Last week me, my son was on his scooter and wanted to go by the river and then I began to run to keep up with him and really enjoyed it, so going to make it a weekly thing at the weekends, to take Henry on his scooter and I am going to put on my running clothes and run. Getting fit together helps with keeping it going and energize and enjoy the nature around you and just spending that time together helps me want to keep doing these type of things together, and is fun.

Use bath time to have a chat. When my son has had baths, I will sit on the toilet seat and sing or talk and because they are relaxed and so are you, it is good to catch up on their day and why not read to them too. Now he has a bath his dad who mainly does bath time will have him practice kicking his feet which was advised by his swimming teacher, and it can be such a lovely way to share the day and how they did at school. So would recommend.

Get ready for bed. Once my son has had his wash, bath or shower I also use this time to get ready for bed too. I will stay up a bit once he has gone to bed, but not all of the time, but make sure there isn’t too much light. It is good to have a good night sleep and wake up together in the morning, and have breakfast together and get ready for the day. I will leave my son to get dressed whilst I go upstairs to make the beds and do encourage my son to make his own bed and just sets the tone for the day ahead.

So today my son has gone back to school and will would like to reflect on them. I may do this as a video, but I will see.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie L.M X