Juggling all the balls, multi-tasking and time management!

I was rummaging through some old draft posts this morning and came across this..

"Today has been a tricky day.  Not in any grand sense; it's not like we've been fighting dragons or juggling eggs, we'll save those fun activities for some other time; no, it's just been a little tricky.

I went back to work today, after being ill last week, and got myself all caught up.  But my job means that, at this time of year, it is busy and pressured, and a missed day sets me back just too far.  So instead of being off on leave tomorrow, like I'd planned, I decided that I'll need to go into work.  And since neither set of Grandparents happen to be available for babysitting duties tomorrow, then our younger girl, still 3 years old, will be going to Nursery for an extra day.

I had to arrange that, last minute, at 4pm today.  Luckily they have space for her.

Regular readers will already have guessed that I am feeling guilty that I won't be spending the day with her like I'd planned.  But, although I feel guilty, I remind myself that my part-time, annualised hours, flexible working contract means that I will be off work for pretty much the whole of July and August. A contract like that is only possible when you ensure you meet the deadlines you are supposed to when you are there.

At the moment work is busy, meaning I get less time with the children.  But I know I will make it up to them.  And every day, when I pick them up from school and nursery at 3.15pm, I try and ensure to spend time with them then.  To enjoy the evening with stories and lullabies and to balance the day.

It was a tricky day, because it felt like a tricky decision.  But it wasn't really.  It was a decision I'd actually made 2 years ago when I returned to work.

Working mums face this kind of decision every day.  How do you get the right balance?  How flexible are your employees?"

It was interesting to read back to this post, drafted over 6 months ago and never published, because this week I started back at work, in a new job, full time.  Yes.  Let me repeat that - FULL TIME!

The youngest isn't at school yet - that excitement will have to wait until September - but a brilliant opportunity came up and I went for it.

Interestingly I haven't felt particularly guilty this week.  The eldest is absolutely thrilled at being able to stay at After School Club with her mates for an hour after school.  On Thursdays I can now pick them up earlier, weirdly, as I'm not trying to shove work hours into fewer days, and the hubby has seen more of the girls and been able to attend his first parents evening.

All in all, going back full time seems to have forced us to create a better balance of childcare and be more organised on the logistics front (I already know at least 6 different routes to work, and have properly started meal planning, which is incredibly useful as it resulted in a slow-cookered meal being ready for us after work!)

And, I feel more like myself again.  The intellectual challenge will mean that I sleep well!

So how do you manage working and parenting?  Any tips?  Feel free to share them below.

Domestic Goddess: How to clean off wax crayon!

How do you get wax crayon off a white board?

 

Wax crayon is a tricky substance when it's applied to anything other than paper.

My 3 year old recently decided to scribble all over her white board with wax crayons.  I assumed I'd be able to wipe it off with a wipe.  No such luck.

Damp cloths simply slid over the top of it.  I wish I'd have remembered to take a picture of the mess it was in when I started, but here's the finished product after I worked out that some friction was needed and pulled out a microfibre cloth and the Cif cream. (It's still Jif to me, but I'll relent and use the current name!)

As good as new in seconds!

 

 So how do you get wax crayon off other surfaces?  

Here's my quick guide for the domestic goddess hiding in us all.

Wax crayon on:

• Non-Washable Fabrics - Dab with methylated spirits.  Always work on the reverse side of the fabric if possible with a towel under the stain on the right side.  This stops you pressing the stain further into the fabric.  
• Washable Fabrics - Treat as you would non-washable fabrics above then also wash in detergent.
• Plastic tables/toys - Rub with a baby wipe.  You need to rub quite hard to get it off.  For stubborn areas the microfibre cloth and Cif will work.

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How to travel with a recently toilet trained child

You've started the process of toilet training your child, they are doing really well and wearing big girls/boys pants in the day time and you are pleased that the 'accidents' are reducing in number.

So what do you do when you find yourself needing to take a long car journey with them?  Do you put them back in a nappy or pull-up for the duration?  Does that contradict all the messages you've been giving about their progress into big girls/boys pants and the new rule that involves only weeing on the toilet (or potty)?  Will it take you a few steps backwards in the process?

If your journey is going to take longer than half an hour you need, in all cases to ALWAYS put your child on the toilet just before you leave the house and don't give them large drinks within half an hour of travelling.

You also need a toilet training travel pack as follows:

Toilet training travel pack

• Spare pants for the child (At least 2 pairs just in case!)
• A couple of nappies (not to wear - see below)
• A packet of wipes
• A handful of nappy bags
• A muslin (or two)
• A spare set of clothes.  (Maybe two sets of trousers/skirts just in case)
• A potty or travel potty (optional - see below)

Keep it somewhere easily accessible.  I find the foot well under your child's feet the easiest place.  The canvas shopping bags that are so readily available these days are a perfect size to keep this kit in.  

Travelling with a recently toilet trained child

 

By car.  On motorways.

This is the worst type of journey that you can face in the UK.  In  France they've got it sorted because there is a place to stop for picnics and toileting literally every 5 minutes on their main roads.  Maybe this is because the culture is more for picnics than for buy your own lunches at the mall-style service stations you find on UK motorways?  Whatever the reason, you can find yourself stuck on a stretch of UK motorway and the 'Services' sign will tell you that the next 'Services' are in 43 miles.  43 miles!

You are on a motorway.  You aren't supposed to stop on the hard shoulder.  There won't be actual toilet facilities for 43 miles!

You have two approaches on a motorway that don't include putting a nappy on your child and don't ask your child to hold it for half an hour, which may be too much of a challenge early in the training process.

1.  The Special Cushion Method -  This is, by far, my favourite, as you are not racing a clock to find somewhere to stop.

You take a nappy, fold it over so that the most absorbent part is upwards and the tabs etc are tucked under.  Carefully fold a muslin around the nappy so that it could pass for a rectangular cushion.  Hold carefully and place it on your child's car seat so the absorbent part is still upwards.  Carefully ensure your child sits on top of the 'special cushion'.  With them sat on top of it the cushion is placed exactly where a nappy would be if they were wearing it.  If they have an accident, the worst case scenario is that their pants/trousers/skirt and the muslin all get wet.

At the next safe available opportunity you can pull over, pop the nappy/muslin/clothes into nappy bags and seal them to avoid smells, place on clean clothes and make a new cushion.

2.  The Potty in the Car Method - When you need to and it's safe to, pull over onto the hard shoulder.

Girls - For young girls you may get away with staying in the car (safest).  If their child seat is behind the passenger seat you have easier access to them when you turn towards your left shoulder.  You can unhook their seat belt and grab that kit.  Drape the muslin over the back seat behind you.  Sit the potty in the middle of it.  Sit the child on the potty.  Allow nature to take it's course.  Wipe child's bottom.  You could empty the potty out of the car; it involves a tricky balancing manoeuvre where you lift the potty up, through the gap between the front two seats and onto your lap, open your car door a little, empty the potty out, shut your door.  This is only really appropriate for wee wees in my view.  Wipe out the potty and place all wipes in a nappy bag.  Seal tight.  Refasten child securely into child seat.

Boys - For young boys the approach detailed for girls above may work, but they may not be able to sit on the potty.  Instead try them kneeing next to it.  This gets them closer to their target.

You can also buy travel potties that include liners.  This cuts out the need for clean up as you simply seal the bag once they have done.

In both cases this approach doesn't involve getting out of the car, so is probably the safest potty option.

By car.  On main roads with appropriate parking but no actual toilet facilities. 

Where you can pull over and exit your car safely at parking stops or on the road side on lower speed roads you also have another option.  Some may not be comfortable with this option, but sometimes needs must!  

3.  The Potty (or Hold) Outside the Car - When you need to, pull over into appropriate parking facilities.

You can exit your vehicle, place the potty on the floor next to the car, let your child use it, then clean up as before.

Alternatively, in the absence of a potty you can hold your child a little off the ground to enable them to wee (just watch your shoes!)

In both cases I'd consider how you park when you park.  What I mean is, if you park next to another car and open both front and back doors on your car, you create a small private space between your two doors to give your child a little bit of privacy.

Additionally it's easier for children to 'water grass' than to do this over concrete simply from the point of view of keeping your shoes dry and not creating rivers of wee across car parks!  So parking next to a grass verge or hedge is often helpful.    

***

So there are my methods of coping with travelling with a child that is in the early stages of toilet training, and where you don't want to revert to nappies that you have worked so hard to remove.

I hope it's been useful.  If you know of any mums that may find this information useful please do feel free to share this page/URL with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or your preferred social network.

For further tips on parenting, beauty, getting organised, travel, entertaining the kids and cheap days out with the kids, you can follow me by email.  Simply enter your email address in the right hand panel.  You can also follow on Twitter here or the Facebook page here.  

Finally, a selection of potties and travel potties are below in case you need to stock up! 
Thanks.

Meal planning: the big reveal?

I promised a meal planning big reveal didn't I.

My post, about taking the stress out of meal times, has forced me to actually do it.  To actually plan.

Well it's not a whole month, but it is a week's worth and it did inform my shopping list this weekend, which interestingly led to my shopping bill being roughly 30 % cheaper than it has been.

I guess that's one of the advantages of planning.

So here's the plan and the list.  I apologise profusely for the writing quality.  I was unfortunately taught to write in a school that still felt that calligraphy was vital and the use of an italic pen was a necessity.  It means that I naturally want to make my 'o's look like upside down triangles.  Over the years it's evolved into, well, a scribble.  Sorry.

Essentially I have to plan for feed the two girls (Age 6 and 3 respectively).  In the week my hubby and I often don't eat the same meal as we take it in turn to go to the Gym, so if I'm going out, he will sort his own dinner out and vice versa.  It's a funny week this week too as we have a nursery trip on Thursday, so they'll be a picnic lunch required and I'll be home alot earlier than usual for a Thursday.  If I hadn't completed this plan I'd have forgotten that and arrived at Thursday night with no clue what to eat!

We are doing well so far.  The meal's aren't inspiring, but I know what we are having so it's taking the stress out of it all.  Baby steps.

And you know what.  There may just be something in this "forward-planning" lark!

Morning Chaos! When the children just WON'T let you out.

Picture Credit: Truewoman.com

What's the worse thing your child has ever done to delay your progress in the morning? More specifically; to delay your progress first thing in the morning when you are, as usual, running late anyway and need to take them to school and nursery before getting yourself (dressed) to work.

My morning rush today included an impromptu bath and a hair drying session.  Hmmmm.  Not what you'd expect when the girls had a bath last night which included the full shampoo and conditioner treatment.  The problem, I think, is that they are now pretty independent and that lulls me into an unfortunate sense of security.

My problems started when I sent them into the bathroom to brush their teeth.  5 minutes.  Tops.  That's how long they were in there whilst I popped in my contact lenses and did my makeup in my bedroom.  5 minutes is all it took to turn them from two dressed and ready to go to school & nursery children into one "nude, stood in the bath with soap all over her, but no water," child and 1one "surreptitiously stirring a mixture of goodness knows what bath products in the bowl," child.

Obviously I was fairly taken aback.

"What are you doing?" I stupidly asked, as if it wasn't obvious that they were clearly having a bath and mixing a potion respectively 10 minutes before we are due to pile into the car.

I didn't panic.  Much.  They had luckily had enough fun and Younger (the one in the bath) was getting cold and was pretty keen to get out.  So I quickly rinsed her off with a sponge, lifted her out, wrapped her in a towel and asked the Elder to help get the Younger's dress and leggings on whilst I finished getting dressed.

The recovery was good.  I went downstairs and the Elder followed me.  The first thing I noticed about the Younger when she followed us was that she didn't have her leggings on.  The second thing I noticed was that she had very, very, very white legs.

"What have you done?" I asked stupidly, as it was obvious they'd decided that talc was required and had been very generous in the application.  The Elder rolled her eyes.

Luckily, the excess talc came off easily and the Younger happily carried on getting those leggings on.

OK, I am thinking.  We are still on schedule.  Excellent work.  Crisis averted.  Super mummying.

I hadn't quite counted on the sneaky nature of the Elder's morning sabotage.

It was time to quickly plait the Elder's hair.  Hmmmm.  Why is the top of her hair all greasy and smells fruity?  Could it be that in the potion-making stage upstairs she decided to condition her own hair?  Without water?  In just one spot?

Of course it did.

I had to quickly walk her to the nearest sink, rinse her hair to the best of my ability with her leaning back over the sink, so that her school uniform didn't get drenched.  Then hold the hair up, to avoid dripping, whilst she walked through to the lounge, to quickly dry it with a hair dryer.

How we got to school and nursery on time this morning I have NO IDEA.  Perhaps it was recompense for the ridiculous amount of rain!

So what's the best 'delaying tactic' your children have ever used?

How can you navigate a children's party with your principles intact?

Party games at children's parties have become something of a pet hate of mine.  Parties have become a battle ground anyway.  A battle of mums to provide the very best; in location, entertainment, music, party bags, games and cake. 

Growing up in the 80s parties were much less fraught with 'keeping up the Jones'.  They were very traditional affairs.  The expectation was limited to a game of pass the parcel, a single balloon with a piece of cake in a party bag, and a dance around to music in your mates lounge.

With a heaving trade in parties at a variety of locations you find yourself trooping off to bowling alleys, ski villages, soft play centres and steam railway centres.  That's to name just a selection of party venues I've taken one or the other of my girls to over the last couple of years.

But where ever you are there usually comes a point where there will be a party game.

When was it, and who was it, that decided that all the children who lost the party game would get treats?  Who decided this?  Since when did we celebrate those that lost more than the one that won?  Along with the usual "it's not the winning, it's the taking part that counts" speech, we are teaching our children to not care about winning?


With the Olympics coming to the UK I'm not sure this is the right message we should be giving.

Soft play centres are the worst offenders in my experience.  A game of pass the parcel deteriorates, as the children that take a layer off the parcel early in the game all receive a sweet, wrapped in the layer of paper they've pulled off.  Those children become uninterested in the game and disappear off to play.  There's no excitement about who is going to get to open the last layer.  It's such a shame.  My abiding memory of the game, the excitement as the parcel approached, and knowing it was nearly the last layer, but not being 100% certain.  Now, since everyone gets a prize, and often all of equal size, it really doesn't matter if you get the last layer, or indeed any layer, as even those that don't get to unwrap usually get to pick a sweet out of a box afterwards.

We've had a few parties at home for our girls and initially we caved to the pressure and wrapped mini presents within the layers, enough for all children, with a slightly bigger one in the final layer.

But I am tempted to rebel.  I am tempted to go back to traditional, nothing in the layers until the end, pass the parcel.  I am tempted to teach our children that they don't always win.  Surely we should teach our children to be competitive and want to win?
 
It was our daughter's 6th birthday this week. What did we choose to do to celebrate?  We went to the cinema with 9 of her friends.  At £1 a ticket, with a little extra for popcorn snack boxes and a party bag each with a little stationary set, balloon and party cake, it didn't break the bank and there was no need for games.  That's one way to side step the issue!  Maybe the rebellion starts next time?!

To iron or not to iron?

I recently discovered that I am something of an oddity.  An alien in the world of mums.  Unusual. Strange.  Some may say even weird.

Why?

Because I still iron clothes.

I'm not sure how this has happened.  I thought I'd become such a let loose - fancy free - maybe even slip shod mother, when I stopped ironing knickers, vests, tea towels, sheets and duvet covers; just one of the tips in my 5 quick ironing tips for busy woman post.  But apparently I am not as relaxed as I thought.  Relative to the mums commenting over on my How do I find the time? post, I am ironing when I need not.

In fact I haven't come across anybody else who irons their husbands shirts yet.  Now I realise this isn't particularly feminist of me; but really it was never about it being 'the womans' job, or otherwise; it was just that I quite enjoy ironing compared to other potential tasks (like mowing the lawn) that we split between us in our husband-wife partnership.  I like it because I can watch television whilst doing it.  So my husband and I have a split of chores and I ended up with this one.

What's interesting now the children are growing up is that the ironing pile always consists of 50% children's clothes (cotton dresses, T-shirts, school uniform shirts etc), 45% mu husbands work shirts and T-shirts and only 5% mine.  Since I don't walk around smelling really ripe (at least, if I did, I hope my friends would tell me quick!) then I'm not entirely sure how this happens!

This week's discovery, that I'm fairly alone in the ironing world, put me off doing it.  It almost made me resent doing it.  Then, today, there was an incident that put me off even further.
 
I managed to knock the board and spill my jug of water on the floor and on the plug extension.  The iron followed, and sat, in the puddle of water, on our wooden floor, steam hissing and bubbling from underneath!  I was slightly freaked; jumped back away from the puddle, screamed at my daughter to stay across the other side of the room, and carefully walked around the board to turn the plug off before catastrophe could hit.

I was shook up.  In a split second I thought I was going to get electrocuted.  And then I thought I was going to burn the house down.  Irrational I know, but I panicked in those seconds.  I put the iron and board away pretty quickly.

Maybe this is a cue to give up ironing entirely?  What do you think?  Is it 'normal' these days? Is everyone else really good at hanging up clothes quickly after drying outside? Or is it natural to just get dressed and let the creases drop out throughout the day?  Do they drop out? Really? I don't trust it... I really don't.... I need help!

5 Quick Ironing Tips - For Busy Women

So you've barely got time to throw on the lippy in the morning, never mind get all those clothes ironed.  How can you speed up the process to leave yourself time for a cuppa?

1.  Prioritise 

When you haven't got time to iron the shirts, how do you think you've got time to mess about ironing those tea towels, or that under sheet for your eldest's bed?  Scrap that!  Tea towels should be folded and put away as soon as they are dry - no ironing required.  Under sheets?  Come on!  You are going to lie on them and they'll be hidden under the duvet anyway.  Fold them and go.  The same goes for children's vests, pants (knickers, not trousers), socks, tights, pyjamas and, if you can bear it, pillow cases and top sheets.  Most of these items won't be seen and those that will won't retain creases for long.  I know some folk who iron the gusset of pants to get rid of bacteria.  I figure that if I've cleaned them properly it shouldn't be an issue.

2.  Don't Over-dry

Over the winter months our clothes inevitably end up on dryers next to the radiator.  This is an effective way of drying clothes, but the tendency is for them to over-dry.  Cotton based clothes like men's shirts can be a nightmare to iron when they are over-dry.  The best plan is to get them off that dryer the second they are dry.  In fact, they should be very slightly moist and should be ironed as quickly as possible once they are off that dryer.

3.  Use Water

You need a water spray bottle to get those 'over-dry' sections moist before ironing them.  And if you have a steam iron, use it!  Water is your best friend.  You need enough so that the crease is wet before you iron it, and dry afterwards.

4.  Foil

Get a reflective ironing board cover.  They reflect the heat back up to the underside of the material.  Lining the underside of your own cover with foil has much the same effect and is cheaper.

5.  Go Large

Use the largest ironing board you can cope with.  The added space will allow the clothes to sit on top without slipping and allow you to iron bigger sections before having to more the clothes along.


And with that folks; off you go for that cuppa!

Tupperware is NOT just for food!

I absolutely need more Tupperware.  Not for food, but for toys.

I use Tupperware for food all the time.  Batch cooking is definitely a good plan when you have two children under 6 years old, so the freezer is full of various labelled up meals - bolognese sauce and lamb hotpot are the current favourites.

But at this time of year, when you are desperately trying to work out where all the new stuff is actually going to live on a daily basis, Tupperware is used for toys.  Honestly.

Got a new dolls head for hairdressing practise?  Great.  With all the accompanying hair slides, brushes, tongs, bobbles and ribbons?  Pop them into a Tupperware box.  Nice and tidy.

Got some new jigsaws?  Lovely!  Nothing beats jigsaws inside on a cold winters day (except maybe a quiet glass of sherry and "It's a Wonderful Life" on the TV). 

But if it's a child's jigsaw (a Disney princess one for example) I bet the box came with more than one jigsaw actually in it.  Fine until you take them out of their plastic.  And then those dots on the back of the pieces are only of help if you haven't got at least six others with the same dots already! 

Tupperware saves the day again.  Nice and neat. 

It's handy that the local Chinese takeaway delivers its food in perfect size plastic boxes.  I don't even need to buy new!

Today's Lesson Learnt..

It's not a good idea to walk to school if you haven't left extra time to put on the required coats, hats, scarfs and gloves.  My eldest arrived at school a good five minutes late this morning to an empty playground.  The secretary did a marvellous job of not looking too disapproving and I scuttled off like the failure of a mum I must be.

My excuse (if needed) and reason for feeling more smug than embarrassed is this:-  we walked.  A greener, healthier method than driving.  Less stressful too...IF you leave enough time!

Note to self: - when it snows sleep in coat, hat and scarf or leave house before 8am!

Parenting tips from a regular mum this autumn!

I consider myself a fairly average mum that works part-time, which few mums seem to do these days; I have a husband and 2 children, as I'm not yet sure how to get the 0.4 of a child required to exactly meet the average; I eat out and order takeaway more than I think I should and beat myself up about it*; I wash and iron everyone's clothes before my own; I rarely go out with girlfriends; manage a professional manicure about once a year; have opted out of salon colouring and have a strong relationship with Nice N Easy which I will love forever as long as it continues to lie to the world about my hair colour which is clearly brunette and not white at all! And I spend far to much time watching rubbish TV, albeit on Sky+ which cuts out the ads and saves me money but means I have no idea what innovations are hitting the highstreet.

So, with that in mind, here's a much longer list than I originally intended of the things that make my crazy normal life a little easier at the moment and will hopefully help you.

1.  Fork out for School dinners.  The children get a hot meal for £2 a day which I could never emulate.  And I can pick them up and be 'picnic mum' at tea time, not concerned with meat and veg, only with cold sausages, cheese and crackers, dippy egg and beans on toast.  My daughter is testing me this week and wanting to try packed lunches.  It's taken me until 9pm to get them to bed and then make appropriate lunches for tomorrow.  Usually I've done the ironing by then which is still sitting there grumbling at me... grrrrr.

2.  Always have the following either in your bag or easily accessible in the car:  plasters, germolene, a sticker/activity/colouring book, crayons, drinks, snacks, spare nappies (even if the kids are out of them, they are the best at absorbing any large spills quickly!), wipes (whatever age they are), a couple of nappy bags (good for rubbish which gravitates towards mum, if nothing else),  a spare outfit per child including socks and pants** (you'll thank me when you need it).

3.  Children don't tend to like doing tasks that they 'have' to do, like teeth brushing.  I have recently invented the "Teeth Monster" in our house.  Tell them he's lurking and that they need to brush their teeth quick and that you'll help.  Do some little growls, play acting, whilst brushing, then just as you are finishing their teech say, "Quick!  I can hear him!  I'll go and look! and pop out of the bathroom.  Then immediately come back in with arms in, what I like to call the 'T-Rex position', with fingers clawing, and say "I'm the Teeth Monster!  I'm coming to eat up everyone with mucky teeth!" look at their teeth and immediately look disappointed...."oh, that's not fair!  I'm hungry but you have lovely clean teeth so I can't eat you!  My tummy's grumbling...  Is there anyone else?"  In our house the children normally get away but then the Teeth Monster finds my hubby (or vice versa) and says "Hurray, you have Very mucky teeth" and tries to eat their arm, which the children find hilarious and enjoy fighting off the monster!  My children actually ask me to brush their teeth now instead of running away!

4.  Invest in an in car DVD player with 2 monitors for the backseats.  Ours was £50 from Curry's Clearance Store and worth every penny during the 8 hour drive to France on holiday.

5.  Save TV time until 4pm.  The children are tired and hungry by this time, so if limiting TV absolutely limit it to this time slot to enable you to cook in relative ease.

6.  Invest in Sky+ if you ever want to watch programmes of your own again.  Unless you have a much better memory than me and can manage to set the VHS/DVD recorder regularly.

7.  And one final tip for very new mothers;  don't panic if all you feel like doing is crying during the first few months of looking after your first child.  The culture shock alone is enough to throw anyone off kilter, and if you throw in crazy hormones and lack of sleep you have to expect that you won't be at your best.  It'll get easier and more fun as time goes by and as you begin to find ways of managing this new life.  I have cried buckets in my time, literally over spilt milk.  Don't worry about it, that's one aspect of child rearing that's most definitely a given!

And that'll do for now.  Let me know if it was helpful, boring, rubbish, funny etc.... and I'll try better next time!


* not literally of course, mentally.  No need to write in.
** that's knickers if you're in America.  Trousers are trousers in the UK.  Knickers are pants!

Still trying to get the kids to school on time...!

Time to school bell : 30 minutes

So I’m sat on my knees on a wooden floor.. (don’t snigger)…. And I’m pleading with my daughter to put her pink all-in-one waterproof suit on to go to Chatsworth County Estate on her first ever school trip. She’s not having any of it, and I’ve no idea where her other waterproof coat is.

25 minutes.

I could put my foot down, but I‘m stressed, and I don’t want to be the mother that spoilt her first trip for her. So I run around the hall, flinging coats about in an attempt to trace at least one waterproof coat (rain’s definitely forecast). In the chaos the youngest is happily putting her waterproof on. Of course she isn’t going on a trip – just to Nursery. But irony wouldn’t have a job otherwise.

23 minutes…

Eureka! Brainwave! All waterproofs are in the utility after we wore them to do the gardening at the weekend. I grab them in relief.
Which is short lived.

20 mins…

They are, of course, covered in mud, since the girls helped us plant our spring garden so well.

Cue a sprint through the house to the kitchen cupboard for baby wipes, which come to the rescue, and a quick wipe down makes one coat suitable to wear; though whether it passes the in-law test remains to be seen.

Ok, so she’s got her packed lunch, her 2 (not 1) drinks, her trainers (in case of rain), her waterproof (freshly wiped down), sun-cream on (the weather is really that temperamental), and her sun hat…… no. No sunhat.

19 minutes…

Now don’t laugh. I know I’ve just stressed about the waterproof, so why on earth would she need a sun hat as well? Easy. It’s May. In the Midlands. It’s 20 degrees Celsius one minute and hailing the next. But her sun hat is no where to be found.

17 minutes…

She’s had her sun hat roughly 3 weeks. What was I saying about irony.
I find two other old hats. Neither will squeeze onto her head. The youngest finds hers and promptly struts around in waterproof and sun hat as if to mock us.

15 minutes…

I still have the youngest to drop at Nursery so we run to the car. (I run, the children are encouraged in a very exuberant way that results in them slowing down.)

We drop off the youngest. Who is still wearing her waterproof all in one, and her sun hat, and I haven’t the heart to argue with her.

2 minutes…

We park the car and run……….


I so hope she has a good time!

Looking Good On No Sleep?

Tricky one, this.  And I'm in need of advice myself. 

We've had two disturbed nights due to our youngest having yet another cold and spending the nights coughing.  In the end it took a dose of Karvol on her sheets (it is a decongestant capsule that you empty onto a hanky or bedding and it produces a vapour that essentially stops a runny nose in its tracks) to stop the coughing caused by her runny nose and a dose of Calcough to sooth her throat.  But these treatments took some time to take effect during which I had to lie on the floor by her bed, holding her hand, in order to comfort her. 

She's still in a cot bed (which is why I could reach!), but lying on the floor next to her, even if it is carpeted, isn't particularly comfortable.  Not only do I end up with a bruised hip, but I also end up dosing off and waking up half an hour later freezing cold.  Even with the balmy weather we've had in the UK this week, lying on the floor with just a dressing gown on isn't a good idea. 

So I stagger back to bed, by which time it's 4:45am, and try and go back to sleep again.  The alarm goes off at 6am as usual and of course I'm so so so warm and comfortable that the last thing I want to do is get up.  Half an hour's worth of snoozing later,  I end up rushing about trying to get myself and two children ready and out of the door by 7.30am. 

Irony was the name of the game  - because my daughter was, of course, now sleeping peacefully!  I had to lift her out of bed, wrap her in a blanket, and put her straight in the car.  No breakfast together today.

It doesn't take a genius to realise that lack of sleep and no time to get ready does not equal good looking.  Is there a cure for bloodshot eyes?  Does yawning go hand in hand with sophisticated professionalism?  Maybe not. 

Running out of mascara didn't help.

Wearing trousers that were just too short for the height of heel I chose today also didn't help.  (I have a thing about trousers being the right length.  Just above the floor: regardless of heel size.)  I hadn't prepared the outfit the night before you see.  Ironically.

Having absolutely no clean, ironed clothes that are mine also didn't help.

I'm beginning to wish I had a 'fancy' head to simply pick up and pop on, Worzel Gummidge style.

Hmmmm.  Maybe a wig is the first step?

Getting the kids to school on time!

I have read the works of such greats as Anthea Turner, Trinny and Susannah, Nigella Lawson, in the promise that they held the key to some great secret of time.  How to save time to be exact.  One particular publication by the Trinny and Susannah team gave plenty of space to the concept of 'saving time'.  Tips on how best to pack for a holiday, get the kids to school on time etc... 

These works however, misled me.  I foolishly believed there was indeed some great secret and that every other mother in the world was quietly and gently sipping their coffee in the mornings, whilst children dressed themselves, hats and scarfs miraculously appeared on their heads, and school bags were packed full of all the paraphernalia that they seem to require these days (often including money for various trips, but sometimes randomly requiring empty boxes, spare t-shirts, or a piece of homework on 'people that help us').

Finally, after nearly 5 years of being a mother I've discovered the truth that they wished to keep hidden.  I'm really sorry to tell you that you can't 'save' time.  There is no quick fix special methodology that will enable you to do all the chores that being a mother entail.


There is though, a way of traversing the shark invested shores of motherdom in a stress free way.  And it's that way that enables you to sip that coffee whilst hot, instead of throwing it back in the microwave for the 4th time.

In short it's as obvious as the 'more exercise, less food = better fitness' equation that we all refuse to acknowledge is so simple.  The ONLY way to save time in the morning is to move the chores to some other, less time-pressured time.  Such as the night before.

Yes I know that's mumsndads time and shouldn't be further infringed upon.  But seriously, the only way to not tear your hair out throwing the children and their bags into the car on time in the morning (not literally - no need to write in) is to get their bags set out the night before with all the reading books and so forth pre-packed.  To ensure they have a clean uniform (including underwear) all ready and waiting.  To set out the hats, scarfs, and gloves in the hall ready for the last minute dash.  To get your own outfit laid out the night before so you don't throw on the first clean thing you lay your hands on (still trying to be yummy here), and to set out your shoes, makeup, contact lens etc etc, the night before.

However obsessive it may sound, however freaky you may look with your tights laid out neatly by your shoes., it sure beats tearing around the house looking for a clean pair of socks at a quarter to nine when school starts in 5 minutes.

Boring?  Yes.
Sanity saving? Absolutely.

Now where's my packed lunchbox?

Corrie, The X Factor, Ironing, Ballet, Christmas work do..... interesting month?

It's been a funny old month.  (70s flashback....hmmm)

I still can't shift the X Factor obsession.  I keep trying to convince myself I'm not at all bothered about watching the main show, and really....what's the results show but a repeat of the main show? But I keep getting drawn into it.  Who will make it? I'm expecting Mr Cardle to win, but what do I know.  I always liked Diane Vickers until they gave her the wierd popstar-forgot-to-buy-any-trousers-try-these-hotpants-instead makeover after the show.

This week I'm desperately trying to avoid Corrie at all costs.  Controversially I don't do soaps.  Never watched them.  Oh O.K., don't shout...maybe a few episodes of Neighbours when Kylie was still in it.  But the English soaps, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, are not, and never have been, for me.  If I ever went on "Who wants to be a Millionaire", they'd ask me a question on one of those soaps for the £500 and I'd have to use a lifeline for it.  I much prefer my TV entertainment to be less depressing.  Unfortunately I occasionally listen to the News and so am struggling to avoid the current story that apparently there will be a major Corrie accident this week involving killing off some of the main characters.  It's fairly safe to assume I couldn't care less.

I'm also struggling to look yummy when I've got a huge.  No, gigantic.  No, enormous - pile of ironing as usual.  It's definitely bigger than I suspect most people's ironing piles are.  I imagine you've all got one little basket, that is only ever an ironing basket for 24 hours, and then, when the ironing is done, lives an empty life.  Go on; tell me it's not true!  I've got four baskets.  Very rarely are any of them empty. Currently the ironing takes up two, washing takes up the other two.  To be fair I can't complain.  They are full because we've been to Center Parcs to see Santa and, what with the two feet of snow we had during our stay, turned out to be a fantastic winter wonderland break.  Hat's off to the staff there.  Absolutely brilliant.  Taking shifts to grit the site all through the night.  Much better than our local North Derbyshire Council, who can't appear to keep a dual carriageway clear of snow, let alone a hilly school road.

Finally, November involved a re-introduction to the joys of Ballet in an attempt to continue to exercise despite a disillusionment with Pilates classes.  Yes, I got bored.  One Ballet class, and my calves were screaming every time I so much as twitched a leg.... for a week.  The joys of being unfit.  Enjoyed it though, and the second class was an improvement. (screaming for about 48 hours).  Pity I can't go now that life has been almost driven to a halt by a few flurries of snow.  I do so wonder how people living in Norway ever get anything done?  Perhaps if we put the Center Parcs management in charge of snow clearing across the whole county, we'd be getting about a whole lot easier!

Now I'm gearing up for the work Christmas do.  I haven't been for four years and have no clue what to wear.  Typically I've left myself plenty of time for purchasing something should the contents of my wardrobe not suffice.  The do is on Friday!  Any outfit suggestions - let me know!

Spanking new? Or second hand?

Cheeky Monkey No. 2 is still taking roughly an hour to settle down to sleep after initially putting her in her cot bed and saying goodnight.

Showing her that Cheeky Monkey No. 1 is also in bed helped.  But didn't solve the problem by any means. 

I get the feeling, from the way she is crying, that she is still a little unsure about the move to a cot bed (which we did 11 days ago now) and is finding it all too new and strange.  So my approach has been to return to her room no more than 1 minute after she's started crying, and to calmly give her a hug, kiss and place her back in the cot.  The firm, but understanding, approach. 

Finally I got her in bed and asleep, and was able to start on the 'iron-on' labels that I still hadn't managed to get into CM1's school clothes yet, as I hadn't been able to find them, stored as they were, in a 'safe' place. It turns out that the 'safe' place for 'iron-on' labels is, quite obviously, a sewing box.  Female logic is a powerful thing.

So we are prepared for the first day at school tomorrow.  But I am having pangs of guilt for getting her a second hand school cardigan and jumper (with school logo).  Why I should feel that they should be new I don't know.  CM1 certainly couldn't care less.  But I do.  I feel that they should be spanking new.  Untouched.  But in the spirit of being a contradictory female, I also want to re-use, recycle, let old school uniform items meet their school destiny once more.  Especially as I have now discovered charity stores and markets and second-hand baby wear stores (try Lilypads in Chesterfield ) for top fashions for less than £5.

Clearly I am freaking out, in the manner of a occasionally yummy mummy, about completely pointless issues, that I absolutely need not freak out about. 

Unfortunately, being a mum does that to you.  So the tip for today is simple.  Take a breath.  Breathe.  Pause; if only for a few seconds.  And try Micheal Buble for some feel good music. 

Back to School Mayhem!

I haven't had two minutes spare in the last week!  This week Cheeky Monkey No.1 starts school for the first time, Cheeky Monkey No.2 starts a new nursery and I start back at work.

I still haven't managed to find some PE shorts for CM1.  And her name labels haven't yet arrived from Marks & Spencer.  I might be more stressed as a result, but luckily CM2 was more than happy to start nursery today, was absolutely shattered on her return home, and went to bed fairly easily, bearing in mind the nightmare of a week we have had trying to get her to calmly go to sleep in her new cot bed (see previous posts).

It's late.  And I don't suppose the girls will sleep through the night, if the rest of this week is anything to go by, so I'm afraid I only have brief words of wisdom today.

1.  Don't convert a child's cot into a cotbed days before you start back to work after a summer break.
2.  Don't leave school uniform purchases, including name labels,  until the last minute.
3.  Do get your school shoes from M&S.  They are apparently "scuff resistant".  I'm looking forward to testing that claim!
4.  Do enjoy time off with toddlers.... How quickly time flies and before you know it they are at school!

The Essential Day Trip Packing List for Mums!

So you're off on a day trip during these summer holidays. So what to pack?


For the children:

• A snack box (raisins, goodie bars, mini chocolate bars, bananas, at least 2 juice drinks per child)
• Sun hat
• Sun cream (ideally cream them before you go out, but take some spare just in case!)
• Rain coat, or if you can manage it a rain suit (they include legs, and this is England you know!)
• Wellies
• Nappies/wipes/nappy bags if applicable
• Change of clothes for each child (including underwear - in case they get drenched, muddy, sandy... etc)
• A mini high chair, or bumper cushion, for small children in case highchairs aren't available; OR,
• A picnic blanket (regardless of if you've taken a picnic - these are really useful)
• Tissues
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Mini first aid kit (single dose sachets of children's paracetamol and ibuprofen, plasters, antibacterial cream for cuts and scrapes)
• A mini colouring book and pencils for each child (just in case)
• A flask - a large one with a lid that converts to a cup (or two cups if you can manage it. Thermos, of course, do a good one) for that all important cuppa!
• Spare socks for all (for some reason they always need socks)
• A buggy - if only to carry that lot around in.

Having a picnic?

• A selection of sandwiches
• A selection of party food to your taste (scotch eggs, sausage rolls, mini sausages, cheesy dippers, couscous, pasta salad, cucumber sticks, grapes, etc etc)
• Plastic plates for all (makes it much easier to track whether they've all actually eaten anything!)
• More juice for all - ideally not requiring separate cups
• A selection of deserts to your taste (mini jelly pots and spoons, mousse pots, cupcakes/fairy cakes, etc )
• Milk for babies
• At least one bib
• Baby food, and spoons.

For yourself:

• Your wellies
• A change of socks
• Sunhat or baseball cap
• Your own suncream (don't forget those shoulders. See earlier post!)
• Raincoat
• Change of clothes - if only to keep in the car. I've had juice split all over me more than once, and those nappies aren't always foolproof; especially when they are sat on your knee!)
• Adult paracetamol and ibuprofen
• Money!
• Any relevant tickets, annual passes etc

And of course, the all important kitchen sink.
Let me know if I missed anything....

Dancing Mummy? Really? How to manage backstage at a child's dance show

This week our elder is performing in her first ever dance show. I am, of course, hugely emotional about this, being a dancer myself. Alright, alright, so I'm also deluded. Not having danced professionally for 15 years probably means that should be ex-dancer!

It was the dress rehearsal last night. 1 parent with up to 3 children each, to dress, put ribbons in their hair, keep them quiet whilst waiting their turn, take them to the toilet when required and not lose any of them! It was fun, but I wasn't prepared at all! Although I've been involved in this kind of thing many times in the past, I have obviously never done it as a parent! So here's some tips that I've very quickly had to pick up, for when you find yourself responsible for a batch of children in a similar situation!

Firstly; ensure to pack snacks.

Not just any snacks. Chocolate covered fingers near a pristine white tutu isn't a good idea! Dried fruit seems to work well (raisins being my choice). You do have to watch out for the resulting greasy fingers though - which again, don't go well with Lycra! Bread sticks are a good plan. Bananas (but hold them yourself and allow only one bite at a time!). Bite-size sausage rolls. Drinks are needed too, but not blackcurrant! That's one stain you don't want to have to deal with. Flavoured waters are the best bet, colourless that is!

Secondly; entertainment.

I totally forgot this at the dress rehearsal. And because the dress rehearsal also included official photographs, the waits were longer between dances. So I found myself telling the story of Aladdin to four 3 year olds, which quickly turned to a group of about 8 children, some of which were 6 or 7 years old. You need to be very clear about the details of the story you are telling if you've got a group that age. Every single tiny mistake is picked up! I kept them entertained alright, but it was hard work. For the actual show I'll be taking a story book and a portable DVD player! I'm pretty clear which one will be used, but the story book is mainly a back up in case we run out of battery power for the DVD player!

Thirdly: Costume organisation!

If ribbons are required in the hair, connect them to hair slides/grips before you even get there! Ensure ribbons for shoes are laced in before you get there. Take an old t-shirt. One of your own. To slip on top of their costume whilst they are sitting waiting and possibly eating. It pays to stop them wiping their fingers on their costumes even if you've been extra careful with snack choices.

If you've got more than 1 child to dress and undress, you need to keep their bags at least a metre away from each other, and ensure that the costumes get put directly in the correct bag as soon as they come off, even if it means telling the children not to get undressed themselves, and to wait their turn for you to help each one, one at a time. Similarly shoes can easily get mixed up, and ballet/tap shoes often wear down, so that you can't even tell what size each one is. If you take them off you know exactly where they've been put! And of course, it goes without saying that you need to put each child's costume in their hand directly, and not allow them to grab whichever one they see first. Otherwise you'll have some looking like they've squeezed into their costumes, and others looking swamped!

Fourthly, get your parent:child ratios right.

If they are 3 or 4 years old, don't have more than 2 children per adult, if there's only 2 adults. 3 adults can perhaps manage 8 children as a group. But after that, you end up needed to separate the groups again, so you're back to 1 to 2.

Finally; stock up on essentials.

I've no idea why, but you'll end up needing most of the following; safety pins, needle and thread, hair grips, hair spray (even if your child has really short hair!), baby wipes (of course), tissues, hair slides, hair brush, drinks for the adults, snacks for the adults, mobile phone, spare elastic for ballet shoes (same colour as tights/socks), spare ribbons, spare laces for tap shoes, spare socks (and underwear) for the children, socks for the mummy (I got cold toes as I took my shoes off to sit down with the girls!)

And I think that's it!

There you go. Tips on how to survive backstage at the dance show.

Now how to be yummy whilst you're doing it? Go straight from work like I did! My work outfit's probably my smartest, and I was at least still made-up!

New Year, New Tips: How to get out of the house on time.

Wondering how to get out of the house on time in the morning with two children to get ready as well as yourself?

I've finally worked this one out. Unfortunately the biggest contributing factor to success is waking up at a sufficiently early hour. When the children having been waking up in the night, it's all to tempting to stay in bed until they wake up. Especially when their usual hour of waking is about 6am! I find that sleeping in with them when they choose to, results in a more rested mummy, but requires huge speed to catch up and get out of the door! So I guess it's your call.

In our house I have worked out that I need to have both children downstairs eating breakfast by 7am at the latest. Then it's upstairs to change and dress the youngest whilst the eldest plays; into the shower by 7.30am, out by 7.45am, dress eldest and myself by 7.50am, makeup by 7.55am and downstairs by 8am. If I hit the 8am target I can then dry my hair properly whilst they play for a while, check we have the bags ready, get shoes, coats, hats, scarfs and gloves on, and get them out of the door by 8.30am. By the time I've dropped them off at respective nurseries and driven to work it's 9.15/9.30am if I'm lucky.

For those of you without children this will sound like a ridiculously long time to be awake before arriving at work! Up at 6.30am. At work by 9.30am? That's 3 hours for goodness sake!

Yes; and you'll often spend 20 minutes repeatedly putting on stubborn child's coat because the second you turn your back they've taken it off. Which fool designed a coat with 'poppers' down the front? Probably a pal of the mummy who keeps dressing the child in said coat because it's pretty and goes in the washing machine easily!

Other tricks to reduce 'crazy' moments in the morning include:

• Laying out your makeup, contact lenses, perfume, and work outfit, the night before; ensuring to select shoes, lingerie and jewelry that work with the outfit as well. I've been caught out all too often, having selected a white shirt for work the night before, only to find in the morning that the required white bra is in the wash!
• Packing the children's bags with spare outfits, nappies, hats/scarfs/gloves, etc the night before and placing by the front door,
• Selecting the children's outfits the night before. (I fail on this one more often than not!)

I'm also finding that allowing the elder to 'help' with my makeup actually speeds things up. She just gets to put a tiny dab of neutral eyeshadow on for me (gently!) and will stand waiting patiently for her makeup moment for a good few minutes, allowing the rest of the makeup to go on without hitch.

I hope some of that helps!? And if you have any other helpful tips on the morning rush, let me know!