Starting Nursery - Part 1

Up until recently the thought of Noah going to nursery made me worry so much and filled me with anxiety. I can't really put my finger on why but I think it's a combination of Noah being my first child, the fact he's been with me every day since he's been born and how much he still relies on me for comfort and reassurance.

Recently I've started coming around to the idea and I think it's due to a couple of things. The fact that he's almost three being one of the main reasons as it feels like it's the right time. Another reason is that I think it would be beneficial for him to have time away from me to grow a little confidence when it comes to his own independence. I also feel at ease about the nursery because all I've heard are positive reports and it also has an outstanding rating from Ofsted. It's just across the street from our house which is great because I can literally run across if he needs me.

A few weeks ago we have a nursery tour with the head mistress and when we arrived all the children were playing outside. As soon as Noah saw them all he got so excited and wanted to play too. Whilst we were waiting in the reception for her to arrive Noah was popping in and out and couldn't decide what he wanted to do, play with the children or hold Daddy's hand. We watched him play while we waited and felt so proud watching him interact with other children and share toys with them.

Once the head mistress arrived she asked Noah if he would like to play and he said yes so she had a member of staff keep an eye on him whilst we went for a look around the nursery. Two minutes later that member pops her head around the corner and tells us that Noah was upset and wanted t stay with us. So after wiping away his tears we went on the tour, toddler in tow.

The nusery is a historical and listed building and that in itself gives the building so much character, never mind the dozens of children's painting and nature finds which are strewn across every wall. I was amazed at how education focused the nursery is as I thought at this age it would be all about play. Another element I love about the nursery is that once a month they have a week of "Forest School" where they spend the week outside, learn to climb trees, forage, play in the mud kitchen, play on tire swings and so on. They also have their own pet turtles, fish, caterpillars and also hatch chicks! The place literally ticks every box for us and we are excited for Noah to start. 


How old was your child when they started nursery?

Starting Nursery - Part 3

This week I've been writing all about nursery as Noah has just started. You can read about our decision and feelings towards nursery here and how our settling in session didn't go to plan here. Today's post is all about how Noah did on his first afternoon without Mummy.

If you know me or have read my previous posts you'll know how anxious and worried I've been at the prospect of Noah starting nursery. I know my son, he's a gentle soul and I know how dependant he is on me. We're together all day, everyday so all my worries were inevitable really.

After our not so positive settling in session I did wonder how Noah would feel about going back but he was excited so that was a big relief. I packed his little rucksack with all the items they suggested I bring; suncream, a change of clothes, a jacket, a hat and so on. I also included his comforter and told him that kiki was coming to nursery with him. I really tried to think of everything I could do or say to make the process more comfortable for him. I even dressed him in a Darth Vader tshirt (Batman the session before) because I thought that may give him a little confidence as he likes to pretend he has superpowers. I really did try to think of everything.

Once we got to nursery we waited outside for the gates to open with the other parents and children. All the other parents were just as worried as me so that made me feel a little better. When we got inside Noah put a piece of fruit we brought from home into the share basket and we hung his bag on his peg and we walked into the main room. 

Noah is in the blue group so we found his table and sat him down next to another boy and directly across from his key worker. I popped on his name badge which they'd provided and she basically shooed me off. I didn't expect to have to go so quickly but I presume this is to make it easier on the child. I bent down to Noah and said I'd just be going to the shop, that he was to play nicely with the other children and when I come back I'll bring him a chocolate coin. At first he seemed to want to come with me but he stayed sitting down and what more, he didn't cry! 

I left the room and I couldn't believe it. I peeked through the door and through the window a couple of times before I left but he was fine, sat there, smiling and chatting away. When I left I felt such relief but at the same time I wanted to cry too! Damn pregnancy hormones.

Once I got home I had three hours to myself and I literally didn't know what to do with myself as I never have time to myself. I had some lunch, did some blogging, entered a few competitions and packaged a few things for eBay and then it was time to go collect him.

When it was time to go I walked up with my neighbour who's daughter attends the same nursery and we were talking about how well both of them did when we'd taken them earlier in the day. When I got there I expected to find him playing and peeked back through the window as I wanted to see what he was doing before he saw me. Much to my surprise he was sat on his key workers knee, all red and bleary eyed. I then heard him cry so I went in and he ran over to me. I asked what was wrong and if he'd been crying for long and she said he'd been upset for the past twenty minutes. He was upset because some of the other parents were collecting their children early so he kept thinking I would be next and didn't understand why I wasn't with them. I suppose in his mind he was confused and just wanted his Mummy. I gave him a cuddle and he began to calm down. I spoke to his key worker briefly and she said he was fine the whole time until that point. They suggested coming half an hour before the session ends and building it up whilst he gets used to it and I'm more than happy with that, whatever makes it easier for him. 

So again it was a experience where it had it's negatives but positives too as it's a big adjustment for him. Now when I ask him about nursery he says he likes it and can't wait to go again so that's great and we'll see how he gets on next week.

How did your child find nursery?

Getting prepared for Nursery

Noah starts nursery this week and I still can't get over it. It only feels like moments ago when he was a newborn in my arms but now he's almost three. He'll only be attending nursery part time, six hours per week but it's still six hours a week apart. It feels like the start of something new and the end of an era as he's spent every waking moment with me. It will be a big change for us but one that I think will really benefit him and one that I know he will thoroughly enjoy. 

To ease Noah into the process I was recently asked if we'd like to put together a little post on all our favourite bits and pieces from The Works. The items I've chosen for this post aren't just things that will be ideal for nursery or new school starters but is also focused on educational pieces too. 

Read and Play Dinosaur Activity Book - £6.00First up I chose this Dinosaur Activity pack from a favourite publisher of ours, Miles Kelly. I chose this because Noah has shown a real interest in dinosaurs lately and I think this would make a great end of week treat for him if he does his best at nursery. 

Wipe off Reward Chart - £4.00
We've never had the need to use a reward chart before as Noah has always been quite well behaved and potty training was a doddle, lucky me! That being said I'm a little apprehensive about how he's going to feel once he's started nursery. I'm worried he's going to cry a lot so I think having a reward chart may help with this, worth a try if we reach that hurdle. 

Kids Big Bag of Craft - £6.00
With Noah being away from me a few hours a week, having a blast at nursery I want him to remember that Mummy is lot's of fun too! We've always enjoyed doing arts and crafts together so I think this craft bundle is just fantastic for stocking up the crafts cupboard and perfect for those rainy days.

ABC Puzzle Train - £6.00
I've taught Noah his colours, his numbers, his shapes and everything else that he knows and that won't stop once he starts nursery. I believe that nursery do teach our children but it's not just their responsibility but ours as parents too. I absolutely love the look of this ABC puzzle train as it's quite a clever way to introduce your little one to the alphabet. 

From choosing the right school or private tuition to buying fun learning resources, we do a lot of things for our kids. We look for the ways to encourage our child to participate more actively in the classroom. Nevertheless, the back to school process becomes pleasant with this parental struggle.

- This is a PR collaboration. 

Project 365 - Week 49/52

3rd December 2017

4th December 2017

5th December 2017

6th December 2017

7th December 2017

8th December 2017

9th December 2017

I still can't get my head around how fast this year has been. As we come towards the end of the year everything seems to be going even faster, it'll be Christmas day before we know it and I'm so unprepared! We really need to start wrapping everything!

This week has been quite good, we've been busy but then had some nice lazy days between to ease ourselves through it. Sunday we visited a Christmas garden centre and a car boot, a relaxed family day really. Monday is always generally a buzz of chaos as Noah wants to lay in and we have nursery, so it's always a rush to get him there on time. Whilst he's at nursery I then walk down to Slimming World with Ava, then head back up home to meet my Mum for the day as she comes to visit us. It's always go go go! Tuesday, a very much needed lazy day! A bit of the same when it came to Wednesday too. Then Thursday we have our new baby group that we go to, Hartbeeps! Ava absolutely adores it, it's unlike any other baby group I've ever been to and we've booked on for next week. Then it breaks for the Christmas holidays which is a shame! It's nice to be able to take her here while Noah is at nursery as I was able to do all these things with Noah when he was a baby. She was worn out after the session and napped whilst I had a spot of lunch in the cafe, it was bliss. I don't often send Noah to nursery on Fridays but decided to this week as I'd booked us both onto a festive crafts session at his nursery in the afternoon. I waited upstairs for him with the craft teacher and the nursery's headmistress brought Noah up to me, he went all shy and couldn't stop smiling when he saw me waiting for him. He gave me a huge hug and we made quite a few different Christmas decorations together but he soon got restless and was playing with the children and found his favourite book, Superworm! Saturday we had quite a lazy day as a family as we had a lot to do around the house but guess what, we've had snow! Will we get a white Christmas this year?

What have you been up to this week? 

Our year - 2014

2014, what a year it has been. It's been a year of big changes and even bigger decisions. It's been a whirlwind of so many emotions as so much has happened, it's all been a blur. Let's have a look back at my year.

January.

We started the new year off with a bang and one huge decision as we bought our first home! We put an offer in and it took a good few weeks of negotiating until they finally accepted our offer. We ended up buying the house for 15k less than they originally listed it for so I consider that a win.

Noah was 2 months old this month and had begun showing signs of separation anxiety. We thought he was a little young to be going through it but it turned out to be the start of a long battle. I wrote "Only have eyes for Mummy" to seek advice from fellow Mummies as it was a confusing time for us and we needed all the advice we could get.

My favourite blog post from January has got to be Before and After Labour - What I didn't know. I like to think this is a frank and honest post and it's not one for the squeamish.

February.

From what I can remember from Feb it was a month of waiting. We had put in our offer on the house and we were negotiating and bargaining. When they finally accepted we were left in the lurch waiting for the next stage. We went on many family walks around the area we had bought into to get the feel of the place and it was such an exciting time.  

I was giving Slimming World a go and was doing well. I was also trying to be more active and was taking Noah on really long walks everyday.  

Noah was of course 3 months old and was sleeping through. His personality was really starting to come through and he had almost grasped the ability to laugh, so cute to watch. 

My favourite post from Feb was "20 facts about Noah" which is lovely to look back on now. 

March.
Come March we were still waiting to get our hands on the keys to our new home. We couldn't believe it was taking so long and we were itching to get the ball rolling. It was so tough because we knew when we finally got the keys it wasn't a case of pack up and move in, we needed to undertake a full house renovation too.

Noah was now four months old and I had decided to start weaning him as he was showing genuine interest in food. None of his first tastes replaced milk feeds but in hind sight I probably would of tried to hold out a bit longer. That being said weaning him slightly earlier than recommended hasn't hindered him in anyway as to this day he has no allergies and eats everything put in front of him.

We had a busy month. Noah took his first trip to the seaside and had a wonderful time in Blackpool with his Mummy and Daddy. I celebrated my very first Mothers Day, we had many many family walks and went through sleep regression, teething and a leap.

My favourite post from the month is probably the "4 month photoshoot" that I shot in our old bedroom. Those are some of my favourite photo's. 

April.
We were still on the home front with news on our house. It turned out that all the relatives who had inherited the house were all falling out about money and we were having to wait so much longer because of it. It was a nightmare. We were driving upto the house every other day and we did see that the front room had been cleared out so that made us feel like things were finally happening. 

Noah was now 5 months old and time was flying by in the blink of an eye. He had started laughing all the time, he knew his own name and he loved his porridge. We were really struggling with stranger anxiety and not many family members understood what was happening which made it even harder. 

Noah experienced a lot of firsts this month. First trip to the zoo, first time painting and first Easter. 

My favourite post from the month was "Taking a look back" and to this day I love reading that post as I just loved being pregnant. 

May.

On the 1st of May we finally got the keys to the house after 5 months of waiting. We started work straight away by ripping out the kitchen and stripping wallpaper in every room. Once we begun we realised how much work had to be done and it was very daunting. We initially thought we would be in the house within a month and that was very naive. It was pretty much none stop work throughout the entire of May, we were there more days than not.

Noah turned 6 months old and was a delight. He seemed to of gained confidence with strangers this month. He was very vocal and everyone would comment on how chatty he was. He was attempting to sit up but was so chilled out and lazy that he hadn't quite got there yet. He was on mashed foods and was sampling finger foods although they made me feel anxious at first.

I celebrated my 26th birthday and it was my first as a Mummy. We celebrated by having a nice day in the gorgeous weather and then went out for dinner at one of our favourite spots. It was a great day.

June.
In June we were still at it with the renovations in the house. It was none stop but we did get an insane amount of work done in that first month. The house of course was no where near ready to move into and as our tenancy had ended on the bungalow we rented we had to move in with Nick's parents.

Noah was now 7 months old and to mark the occasion he woke up with his very first illness, smothered in a cold. This month he had pretty much mastered sitting up, was babbling like nobodies business and loved Spongebob, food and feeding himself.

June was all about renovating, it's all we did. My favourite post from the month was probably one of the dozen of interior posts which you can see here and here.  

July.
This month I feel like the work on our house came to a halt. It was so frustrating because we were still living with the in laws and wanted nothing more than to move into our new home. I wrote about the progress or lack of here and thankfully we picked up momentum shortly after.

Noah had turned 8 months old and the months were still flying by. We were having glorious weather in July so we took advantage of the heat and bought Noah a paddling pool which he absolutely loved. We also had many days out in the sun and documented a week in photo's. 

Noah also modeled for The Essential One which is one of my favourite baby brands. I was a little apprehensive taking him to the shoot because of his stranger anxiety but he rocked it. He even fell asleep on set!

This month my sisters long term boyfriend flew over from American to come and meet us all for the first time. I was a little nervous at first because she is still my baby sister and a guy was travelling from the other side of the world to see her. I like to think I am a great judge of character and the second I met him I instantly liked him and I couldn't of been happier for the both of them. My sister then went over to LA with him to stay over there for three months, she had an incredible time. Alright for some, right?!

August.
Work on the house picked up this month and we made real progress with the bathroom and kitchen, the house was almost livable and we were itching to move in. I found August a tough month and was feeling pretty rubbish which I wrote about here. My Mother in Laws dog Rossi also died too which we all found really hard. Not a nice month. 

Noah was now 9 months old and had just had his 8 month development check with he passed with flying colours. He could wave, clap his hands, dance and wave. He had become so affectionate this month and would kiss and cuddle all the time.

My favourite posts from this month were my documentary posts from The Essential One photoshoot which were "Noah the baby model" and "Behind the scenes". I am so glad that I blogged about it because it's lovely to read through, it was a great day.

                                                                       
September.
The house was almost ready to be moved into. There were still jobs that needed to be done but the house was livable. We ended up moving in at the very end of September and it was a long time coming.

Noah was 10 months old and was coming on leaps and bounds. I blogged about him a lot this month which I loved. As the house had me preoccupied I hadn't wrote about him as much as I had of liked to so it was very refreshing to be able to do so. Noah had a very uncharacteristic sulky day, we had a trip to the sealife centre, had a photoshoot in the garden. I also wrote about what Noah eats and a day in the life of Noah.

October.
We had finally moved into the house but the work was still going on. I updated the blog with a nursery and master bedroom update. It was fantastic to finally see the rooms we had worked so hard on coming together.

Noah had turned 11 months and I couldn't believe he was almost 1 year old, where had the time gone? His bum shuffling had finally turned into a crawl and he was standing too. It seemed like he learnt everything all at once.

I took some of my favourite photo's of Noah ever which I shared on Autumn Days and Bath time with baby. It was also Noah's first Halloween and we dressed him as a pumpkin.

I was very busy on the blog front this month as I felt inspired and had lots of different idea's. My favourite post from the month was "Why I chose to be a stay at home Mummy" and it seems to be popular with my readers too. I also enjoyed writing "My Mummy Confessions" and "Babies best friend" too. 

November.
Noah was now 12 months old, he had turned one! He had mastered crawling, was cruising and finally had two teeth. I still cannot believe how fast our first year flew by us and I felt very nostalgic in this timehop post. We held his birthday party in the new house and it was lovely to have all our family together to celebrate his special day.

A few days before his birthday we had a DIY cake smash. It was so much fun and we took some really good shots. If you are thinking of having one too then go for it. If you would like a little encouragement then check out DIY cake smash tips, I hope they help.

I really enjoyed blogging this month as I focused so many posts on Noah. I put together his 1st year in photo's, wrote all about big changes. I loved November. 

December.
I think December is my favourite month of the year and I featured a lot of festive posts on the blog this month. I wrote about my festive favourites, last Christmas and of course this Christmas which was amazing! Noah was 13 months old and was able to enjoy it so much more, it's only going to get better and better as he gets older too. We had such a busy but lovely Christmas although it seemed to only last two minutes, I can't wait for next year.

Christmas posts aside some of my favourite posts this month were "Swinging in monochrome" and "Ways to help your baby sleep."

Well that is just a brief overview of our year and I know I have missed so much out. It has taken me days to put this together so I can now breathe a sigh of relief. It's been a fantastic year and I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for our little family. 

Project 365 - Week 48/52

26th November 2017

27th November 2017

28th November 2017

29th November 2017

30th November 2017

1st December 2017

2nd December 2017

This week was the last week in November leading in to the start of December, and I still can't believe how fast this year has gone. It's been a case of our regular everyday routine during the week, balancing Noah going to nursery with looking after Ava and sticking to her nap times. Then when she naps, sitting down to work. It's all go go go. On Monday I had Slimming World meeting and my Mum came to visit too. When I got back from my group she was in my house brewing up, which is just what I was freezing! She played with Ava whilst Noah was at nursery, then came to nursery pick up with me. I then took Noah into town for some Mummy and son time, something that we don't get much of with Ava still being so young and breastfed. We did a bit of shopping and he had a treat dinner at McDonalds, it was great! Tuesday and Wednesday was again, a bit of the ordinary but on Thursday Ava and I tried out a new baby group. Once Noah was at nursery we got ready and headed down to it, it's about a mile walk but a lovely walk through the woods. The baby group is called Hartbeeps and it's a structured music and sensory class, very different to anything I've ever been to before. All the sensory activities were Christmas themed, from sensory baskets, dressing up, sending letters to santa, singing, dancing, they even had a snow machine! We enjoyed it so much that I've already booked to go again next week. Having taken Noah to baby groups when he was little it's nice to be able to do so with Ava, all while he's having fun at nursery. Friday and Saturday we had a family party and Christmas light switch on to attend. We are feeling so festive this year, it'll be Christmas before we know it!

What have you been up to this week?

Project 365 - Week 40/52

1st October 2017

2nd October 2017

3rd October 2017

4th October 2017

5th October 2017

6th October 2017

7th October 2017

The week started in a promising light as we just had one week left until our break away to Butlins. Nick only had a week left to work and Noah only had a couple of days at nursery. We had a great family day on Sunday and my Mum came to visit for the day on Monday.

Come Tuesday night Noah was really unwell with a barking cough and extreme wheeze which just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Nick ended up having to take him to hospital at 1:30am as he was really struggling to breathe, it was so scary. I decided to stay home with Ava as she was sleeping, it wasn't right to wake her, take her out in the cold and to a hospital full of 101 bugs especially when we didn't know how long it would take. Although I felt useless staying at home and upset for not being there with Noah I knew he was in capable hands because Nick is an incredible father. I didn't need to worry because they were back 45 minutes later and Noah was so much better. The doctors said he had croup (which we'd already self diagnosed thanks to Dr. Google) and he was given steroid medication at the hospital which had worked wonders by the time he got home, he as able to breathe properly again. I decided to keep him off nursery for the rest of the week while he recuperated and now, 4 days later he's still not 100% but he's getting there. Although he's been unwell which of course has been rubbish, it's been really nice to have him home and has made me realise how much I've missed him now that he's in nursery more.

On Thursday he was feeling a bit better so we headed out for a long walk, to the shops and to the park with Ava. When she'd settled to sleep in her pram Noah and I had some lovely one on one time which is so hard to come by these days. Now that Ava is getting older and less dependent on me (breastfeeds less) that we'll definitely need to arrange more Mummy and Noah time. It was great to play and be silly on the park knowing he should have been at nursery, it somehow seemed to make it more special? The rest of the week has been a bit of a blur really, trying to prepare for our holiday all while blogging, cleaning, cooking and looking after two children. Roll on next week, hopefully it'll be a good one!

What have you been up to this week?

Getting Ready For Back To School With Peppa Pig - #PeppaBackToSchool

AD - We were sent these products for the purpose of this post.

We've almost made it, it's almost time for the kids to go back to school! Woohoo! I'm saying that in jest of course. We've had a fantastic summer and really enjoyed the quality time together, without school or nursery getting in the way. This time next week Noah will be back in school and at the same time, I'll be starting the nursery admission process for Ava. With two big changes on the horizon, I was delighted to receive a huge bundle of Peppa Pig goodies to help prepare the kids for the next stage in their lives and to enjoy in the lead up to it.

The first two products are two essentials needed for both school and nursery, a lunch bag and a drinks bottle. The Peppa Pig lunch bag retails at £9.99 and is available at CDS (The Range), John Lewis, Amazon and at Peppa Pig World. The matching Peppa Pig drinks bottle retails at £4.99 and can be ordered online at Amazon or at Peppa Pig World. I adore the design and colours on them, they make a change from being just bright pink. Noah and Ava have been sharing the since they arrived, though I think Ava has claimed them! She's really taken a shine to the lunch bag in particular.

Next, we have the Count with Peppa toy and Peppa Pig memory game, two fantastic products. We reviewed the Count With Peppa Toy a few months ago which you can read here. It's a fun, engaging, interactive learning toy and the Noah and Ava play with it all the time. It retails at £19.99 and is available online at Argos. The Peppa Pig Memory game, on the other hand, was new to us and the kids really enjoy playing it together. It costs just £3.99 and can be bought online or instore at Smyths. 

Another back to school essential has got to be name labels. We received a couple of sheets of iron and stick-on labels for both Noah and Ava and they are just the ticket for labeling everything, from, water bottles and lunch boxes, through to school pumps and sweaters. Stickerscape name labels come in an array of different designs, are superb quality and prices start at £7.95. I've already stuck half a dozen on their drinks bottles, next up is the iron in uniform labels.

The My First Peppa Pig Activity Calendar was something that really caught Noah's eye and was one of the first things we opened. It's a large plastic calendar which can be hung up, or propped up on a shelf. It's a great resource for teaching children about dates, seasons, weather, temperatures, and so on. We filled ours out together and now it's now proudly on display in our kitchen. The Peppa Pig calendar costs £8.99 and is available on Amazon.

Wellkid Peppa Pig Multivitamins were a nice addition to our box of back to school goodies and brought a smile to my face. He has quite a balanced diet but I do like to include vitamins as extra support to his nutritional needs. Noah tends to have his daily vitamin after a hearty breakfast before he starts his day. You can purchase these vitamins from Holland and Barrett for £7.95.

Last, but certainly not least is the Peppa Pig stationary set and the Peppa Pig pencil case which retails at £1.50 and £3.00 and both are available from Asda. Together, they make a great back to school bundle and one that doesn't break the bank either. Noah has used them quite a few times over the past couple of days, practicing his writing and doodling some sketches.

Are you ready for back to school? Which do you like the look of the most?