I’m no parenting expert, you know that – I’m basically someone who has been fascinated by human behaviour and health all my life.
But there are a few things about kids that I’ve picked up since being a mum, so I’m going to list them here for you incase they are of help.
As always, the thing about parenting is that we all have different set ups, different kids, different environments etc. So no one option will work for all. But perhaps there will be something here that will work for you too.
If not, you are always welcome to ask, I might have ideas for adapting them to your life!
For tips just about bullying click here.
For tips just about school click here.
For everything I’ve ever written about children see below!
How to get Vouchers/Adverts for your school or charity
It's school summer fair season again! That means I've been approached by a LOT of schools in the surrounding area, for either adverts in their…
Anger – what the hell is it all about?
I was chatting with Curly headed boy the other day, as he'd been giving us some serious attitude for a few weeks. He was clearly angry with me, but…
8 Top Tips For Having Wonderful Summer Holidays With The Kids On A Budget
Here are my Top Tips for finding things to do in the holidays to keep those kids of yours busy without breaking the bank! 1) The…
Guest Post – Ten Tips On How To Be A Great Dad
A guest post for father's day: Cat Williams is a relationship counsellor who qualified with the renowned UK charity, Relate, in 2007. She is also a…
What’s the point to an after school club – I get it at last!
After school clubs - we often worry about them. Have we chosen the right one? Too few? Too many? Do kids really need them? If they aren't…
Can a book festival really be fun? Does it encourage kids to read?
Is a book festival fun? I was worried. My kids are used to going to festivals. So turning up at a 'book festival' were they going to be…
The importance of encouraging our children to be their ‘own people’
This is my review of Chapter 4 of 'How to Talk so kids listen' about 'encouraging autonomy'. This is an interesting chapter for me after Curly…
What on earth to do when increasing the discipline isn’t helping?
So I'm onto the 'important' chapter of 'How to Talk So Kids Listen', which is 'Alternatives to punishment'. This is the chapter that got me…
Tips on getting our kids to do what we want/need them to do
So here are are onto Chapter 2 of 'How to Talk so kids will listen'; 'Engaging Cooperation'. Backstory: With a 7yo Curly Headed Boy…
Do we have a bad habit of confusing our kids so they don’t know what they are feeling?
The first book in my long list I'm going to review is: 'How to Talk so your kids will Listen and Listen to kids will talk' by Adele Faber and…
How does it feel when your hero falls off their pedestal?
Oh Lance Armstrong, how gutted am I; you were the ultimate in marketing/hope story dreams. The cancer recovery, the seven wins of the…
My Intuition Isn’t Quite Enough: A Seven Year Old Boy Is Too Tricky!
So Far ... For the last 7yrs since Curly Headed Boy arrived, I've been pretty much surviving on my intuition and dipping into the odd…
Great Toy For Imaginative Outside Play For Boys and TomBoys
Several months ago I was sent the most amazing thing for Curly Headed Boy to review the 'Ultimate Dangerous Den Kit' from Battle Box. OMG was I the…
Do our kids really know that we love them?
We love out kids right? Even when they are being little sh*ts! But we do get frustrated and angry sometimes. We do let 'life' get in the…
Ten Top Cheap Games To Keep Young Kids Occupied Cheaply When You Are Tired
We love our kids, but it's not always easy to have the amount of energy needed to keep them occupied, especially during holidays or when we are…
Is Having Two Kids Harder Than One?
Things are so much easier now! AND SO MUCH HARDER! Philosophically I get that life is just different, children change, our…
Top Tips For Dealing With Twitter Terriers, Facebook Furies and Blog Bummers
I'm not here today. I'm over on the BritMums Blog with my summary about dealing with online negativity or bullying. Go check it out, because it…
Why we changed our mind from state school to private and back again
Choosing schools must be one of the most stressful experiences a parent ever goes through. Changing where you child goes to school is even…
Does your past affect your worries about your children’s schooling?
What makes us feel one way or the other about education and the choices that we have to make for our children? Some of it must be society and…
#DoSomethingYummy: Can you love two children the same amount?
This post is being written as part of the blog prompt for #DoSomethingYummy from Typecast which is the campaign for CLIC Sargent Charity for…
Family Gap Year vs Finding The Magic at home
With the big hairy northern one being made redundant, we've been talking about taking a year out as a family gap year; maybe 6 months in the states,…
How to tell your children about your pet dogs death and decide when to do it
This time last week we said good-bye to our adorable, but daft 14 year old springer spaniel 'Merlin' (on the right). It had taken me weeks to get…
What to tell your kids about Advertising?
Apparently today the government is suggesting media lessons for primary school kids. Do we really need this? What do you tell your kids about…
Video Wed: New School Year Resolutions: What is or is not your responsibility?
I confess, I have a bad habit of taking responsibility for stuff that isn't my shit and getting knackered in the process. I'm about a zillion times…
One Thing I’m Totally Sure Of Is: Everyone wants to feel loved
One Thing I Am TOTALLY sure of is that .. Everyone wants to be loved just as they are. We don't want to be loved, despite our less attractive bits.…
Problem Corner: Tips for dealing with being intimidated by other mums at toddler group or school gate
A lovely Mum I know posted the following tweet oneday 'Hate that I'm intimidated by toddler group. Need to grow some balls. Figuratively speaking.'…
Video Wed: Do you let your child believe in magic?
Superheroes, Fairies, Magic, Sea Monsters: The world of a child is full of magic. So do you encourage it because the role playing and imagination…
Top Seven Tips For The Summer Holidays
I so look forward to the holidays, but the last half-term was a huge disaster, so much so that I couldn't bring myself to blog about it. The big…
Video Wed: BreastFeeding Awareness week: a Doctor’s ignorance and the importance of complaining
Two weeks ago I went to the doctor, it had taken me months to get sorted and I had a couple of quite important things to talk about. The first was…
Video Wed: Back To School and Back To Mine
So it's back to school for Curly Headed Boy for two days, one of which is a Royal Wedding Party! Then off for a long weekend and back again. Then…
Competition isn’t bad it just is
I've been meaning to write about competition for ages as it is a really touchy subject. Should there be competition at schools? Why do some mums…
Some tips for the easter holidays
Curly Headed Boy's holiday started on wednesday and he is off for 1 month, back for a couple of days and off again! I really look forward to the…
7 Tips For Helping Your Child Enjoy School More
So Curly Headed Boy started in reception last September. I expected it to be a bit tricky, but by the end of the first term he was no happier and…
Selfish Benefits To Extended BreastFeeding
Do you know what, I'm a big fan of things being a fair deal, giving and receiving, and not being just about a Mum who forgets herself. Ironically,…
Turning my noisy head off
Why do people have to disagree with us or have a go at us? Do you ever wonder? Wouldn't it be easier or nicer if it was different? Or if…
Is Narration Taking Away Our Children’s Imagination?
Curly Headed Boy has discovered Bambi. After an initial avoidance due to him knowing that the Mummy dies, he sat down and watched it, and has done…
Tummy Bugs, Time frames, Happy Sick Days and Flannels
Curly Headed Boy got hit by the dreaded tummy bug/virus on monday; I got the dreaded call 'Mrs Pearson, could you collect your son from school…
Video Wed: Thought Provoking Cartoon About Education
Hi Guys, Welcome to my new slot 'Video Wed'. Now normally I'm expecting this to be quick little videos to cheer you up, make you laugh, or…
Giving your children confidence by focussing outside of school
So I mentioned a while back that Curly Headed boy wasn't happy at school and had lost confidence. I'm going to summarise all the steps I took to…
Beginnings and Endings: Sad Goodbyes, Home Updates and Happy Times
Sorry I've been a bit quiet folks, but I have a BIG announcement for next week, so be patient, I hope you are going to love it! Last week was half…
A big fan of ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, the way to people’s hearts
I'm a fan of 'hello' and 'goodbye', in fact since having kids I've become a big fan of manners. It's not until you see a young 2-5yr old mimic an…
Baby Led Weaning, dogs, mess and smelly houses!
I've been meaning to post for ages about how the whole baby led weaning went on, having asked people their opinion on whether to be a purist or mix…
The Power of a couple of monkeys in giving security
I've been sharing my tips for helping your kids when they aren't happy at school, as Curly headed boy was struggling (he has just started reception).…
When the second child is praised for it’s poo, the first child can struggle!
I've done a few posts about Curly Headed Boy's struggles at reception, and the good news is that things definitely seem to be improving. This…
FREE Webinar on How to Ensure Your Children Reach Their Potential
So here it is, ta da <big drum roll in background>! I've been hinting at an exciting announcement coming today and here it is. It's funny,…
How Play Dates help with school and bullying
So I have mentioned in a post a few weeks back that Curly Headed Boy wasn't very happy in reception (first year of school). Last week I explained…
When the wind blows your face will stay like that! Ooops!
Curly headed boy was making funny faces, and I couldn't resist the urge to tell him that if the wind blows, his face will stay like that. He…
When your child thinks that ‘everyone’ is against him
I've mentioned in a previous post that Curly Headed Boy is struggling with his first year at school a little, but we have a plan in place to work on…
Top Seven Top Tips for organising a playroom and my guilty pleasure confession
I mentioned the other day that I'm a fan of decluttering. I also have a serious guilty pleasure; boxes (I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE boxes!), but also includes…
When the environment we are in doesn’t encourage us to blossom
We are a bit like plants, and our children are too. Some environments help us to blossom, and some are more of a struggle. Put us in the right…
Remember to see how good you are at stuff
This is as much a reminder to me as to you! I find that we often don't think we are successful or clever at something because the stuff we have…
Thank You Letters that don’t put your kids off forever
I have a mental block with posting things. I know I have. I know where it came from too! I can see my Dad on the other side of the dining room…
My breast mates guest post
I'm not here! I'm very excited to say I've done my first ever guest post over at Aly's 'Plus 2.4' blog for her 'Breast Mates' posts. The reason…
2010 what a year! Gifts and Challenges all round.
I normally write a letter about my year and send it out with Christmas cards, but this year I'm too late, so instead I thought I'd write a blog post.…
Never discount a chance meeting, it might get you on radio!
I know that we all have busy lives and so logically we will often not bother to chat to or make friends with people in a situation that doesn't…
This is how come we haven’t gone anywhere by car for 9 months!
When Little Dimples was born I had a theory, that having had a rubbish sleeper who hated cars, I would most probably get a fabulous sleeper, who…
Help, Am I Deluded?
I've met my fair share of coach/therapist/healer types who were extremely deluded about either their grandiose plans, their skills or their market…
It’s All Change On The Western Front
It's been a weird 6 months, I appear to have been in mega 'declutter your life' mode. You would have thought that giving birth to little…
School: The Problem Is They Can't Do Everything
I've unravelled some of my discomfort last week with curly headed boy starting school, so I feel much clearer this morning. Apart from the obvious…
Handing Your Child Over To Strangers
It's against everything we've ever been told not to do, and everything that a Mother feels is right. But there we all are, handing our children…
Seriously, Why Am I Crying, He’s Just Starting School?!!!
I cried the last morning morning I dropped curly headed boy at nursery 8 weeks ago. I cried when I picked him up. I cried when I bought his…
Baby is Eating: To Puree or Baby Lead Weaning?
So 'Little Dimples' (I'm trying out new nicknames for my kids, as I'm getting a little superstitious about using their real names), turned 6 months…
First’s and Last’s
This week is a perfect example of the dichotomy of a Mum's life, the confusion between pleasure and pain, all at the same time (you know, like the…
TV is BAD, no TV is GOOD, which is it?
Many Mums stop their children from watching any TV, and feel very good about themselves for it. Is that the 'right' choice - NOPE. Others have the…
Choosing Schools, School Assessments and Potential Rejections
So this is a blog very close to my heart at the moment, having just been through an incredibly stressful 2 weeks, with a few more to go! So I can…
Bullying Pt 13 – Ideas on Strategies To Employ
So, I realised that I have talked a lot about what creates the whole bullying situation and how it can be addressed at home. But I haven't gone…
Bullying Pt 12 – The Bully returns for my son
So, if you've read my other posts, you'll know that I was originally inspired to write all these 'bullying' posts by my little 3yr old being…
Is It OK to threaten your toddler with popping their balloons?
I dont know the full news story, but I saw the Wright Stuff talking about a Mum who couldn't get her 3yr old out of the park, so threatened to pop…
Bullying – Summary of what to do
I've been blogging about bullying for ages, but it's a complicated subject and I realised that you might be needing a quick summary on how to start…
Bullying Summary of the Concepts
I thought it might be useful to summarise all the concepts that I have covered in my Bullying Blogs for you guys. (See my other blogs for the…
Bullying Pt11 – More Insights into the Bully
This weekend, I met a 'bully' and gained even more insights into their psychology. I think that the important thing to remember is that each person…
Bullying – Pt10 – What on Earth could be the benefits?
So, if you or your child is being bullied, then it may just be in a minor form, and so it's not a huge button presser. However, if bullying is a…
Bullying Pt9 – Everyone Is a Bully
Oooh, that's a challenging title. But bear with me. Some has just contacted me to say that 'Once a bully always a bully and once a bullied…
Bullying Pt 8 – Why Bully?
Understanding why a child bully's and helping them is much more complicated in my view than the bullied, but still possible. As I've mentioned…
Bullying Pt7 – What is ‘Support’ and ‘Challenge’
So when I say that there will always be a balance of 'Support' and 'Challenge' and people liking or not liking you in life, almost as though there…
Bullying Pt 6 – Do we really want to get rid of Bullying?
So everyone is against bullying, and there are loads of people saying that we need to get rid of it. But is that really true? For one thing,…
Bullying Pt 5 – Is there too much Like in your life?
So this post follows on from the previous one about the fact that only 50% of the world likes you at any one time! I was attempting to look at my…
Bullying Pt 4 – We Can’t Be Liked By Everyone
Lots of us are very driven by what people outside of us think, and so it is important to us that we are liked. Other people are totally aware of…
Your Kids Are All As Great As Each Other
So one of the biggest worries for some Mums is whether their child is doing Ok in comparison to other children around them. Meanwhile, other Mums…
Bullying Pt 3 – Balance at Home?
So do you share the load with your partner of supporting / challenging and being nice / mean to the kids, or does one of you do more of one than the…
Bullying Pt 2 – Where Does Bullying Come From?
(I wrote this post a few years ago. It's not looking at the more obvious reasons behind bullying, but more the energetics behind it) In life…
Even Kids Need a Purpose
I wrote this a year or so ago - I was watching my little 2 and a bit year old today filling the washing basket full of washing to be cleaned, and…
Bullying Pt1 – always there
So, I'm planning on a pile of stuff about bullying over the next few weeks, as I have been motivated to tackle this subject by my 3.5yr old little…