Family Wellness Mama

So, the big day has been and gone and we're bubble and squeaking our way through the last of the Christmas leftovers. The little mans room resembles Toys R us' shop floor after a busy Saturday and I can't even look at another mince pie. Sitting here, three days later, drinking Baileys and eating Chocolates with no idea what day it is. I can look back on the past week with a fondness that is typical of Stage 5. I have come to the conclusion that, for parents, there are not 12 days but 5 stages of Christmas: Stage 1 - Annoyance  Leaves have barely begun to fall from the trees outside when most shops are erecting their Christmas Trees inside. Much premature excitement from the little ones follows and you'll spend the next few months reminding them that advent calendars don't have 100 windows for a reason. Stage 2 - Panic Yes, the shops have been banging on about  it for months but you didn't realise it was this close! Stage 2 panic usually  peak...

Getting stuck in at a playcentre When I first stepped foot into a children's play centre a few years ago I thought I'd walked into a zoo. A zoo filled with children out of their minds on sugar. The music was booming and the place smelt of dirty nappies and greasy food.  The children were climbing over each other inside ball filled containment areas or running headlong into cushioned walls. The strobe lighting gave me a headache and the couple next to me were having a heated debate about an episode of Jeremy Kyle. Despite all of this, the little man loved the place and since then we've spent at least one afternoon a month in a play centre. Over the years my feelings towards play centres have changed. Maybe my senses have been dulled because of repeated exposure or maybe it's because the first play centre we visited was on the more 'scary' end of the spectrum. But, I'm now able to enjoy our time at the play centre almost as much as the little man. H...

Mummy's favourite! So, the advent calendars are open and Christmas time is officially upon us. Although the stores have been trying to win me over since Halloween; now that it's officially here I've decided to well and truly embrace the festivities.  It's only two days in and we've taken the little man to two Grottoes and a Christmas Fair. The tree is up and we've started work on a home made Christmas snow globe!  I'm also feeling a tiny bit smug about the fact that I'm three quarters of the way through the Christmas shopping. If you're not in the Christmas spirit yet, I hope our Grotto snaps below will help get you in the mood. Commuting bears Could Penguins replace the Liver Birds? The little man was shocked to discover that the walls weren't real Sleepy bears

Have you seen a matching scarf and gloves? Missing since September. So. I've come to the conclusion that - for children - hats, scarves and gloves sets are the worst winter investment ever! This glove is thought to have survived a visit from the glove munchers My son has an exceptional talent: at least once a week he manages to come home from school minus a glove or scarf. The hats are usually safe on his head; though he did exceed expectations this week by losing his jacket too Name tags make no difference either. *The magical glove munching fairies at school actually seem quite partial to a tag or two. I think it's high time coat manufacturers cottoned on (geddit) to a niche in the market and built in, irremovable , hat, scarf and gloves sets! The search continues for this fella's colorful  companion  But, for now I'm at my wits end. We're only a few months in to the school year and the little man has lost three glo...

So, it's been seven days now and the wounds have almost healed. Well, enough for me to finally talk about it... Last Sunday, after a wonderful family afternoon at nanny's house. We returned home to a scene of horror. Our beloved hamster, Shay Shay Bombay, was dead! Not only was she dead but, she had died in a most spectacular way. Shay Shay had come over all dramatic and dragged her little hamster house to the ground floor of her tiny metal condo. She then removed the roof of the little house and sprawled out on the upturned roof to die. Since we had all bustled into the little man's room together. It would have been impossible to hide it from him and, as I try to be as honest a parent as possible, I wouldn't have wanted to lie. However, I wish we'd had a little more time to prepare ourselves. I was actually crying when I broke the news about our fluffy friend who wasn't, as she appeared, sleeping. Even Daddy was choked up! Shay Shay had been  the wo...

Check out our very own Pudsey coat hanger, designed and decorated by the little man... We'll be auctioning it to the highest bidder at nanny's house on Sunday. If you would like to donate to children in need, please follow this  link

So, the October half term decided to, very helpfully, fall the very week before I got paid.  It was my week off with the little man and I was keen to make it a fun one; though we were on a budget.  One of our most memorable days out during the holidays was also one of the cheapest, I kid you not, and the little man still hasn’t stopped talking about it. We had an actual full day of fun family adventure for under £20! Our journey started at the Albert dock ferry terminal where we bought our tickets and were pleasantly surprised to find out that Mersey Travel were running a half term promotion. Three attractions for the price of one: Ferry ride, Spaceport and the U-boat Story. We hopped aboard the ferry and sat outside on the top deck to listen to some fascinating facts about Liverpool. Our first port of call was Seacombe Ferry Terminal for Spaceport . Spaceport was a two minute walk from the terminal and the helpful signs led the way. Onc...