10 reasons I’m #RockingMotherhood
I’m not shy – I’m an introvert
“She’s very quiet, why is that?” I remember my biology teacher asking my parents at a parents’ evening when I was about 13 years old. It was almost as though there was something wrong with me. For as long as I can remember, even as a child, people have called me shy and responded differently to me than they might others because I’m an introvert. It frustrates me somewhat, although quietly, because I don’t think I am shy. To me, I think of shyness as being when someone is afraid of speaking to other people – they want to revert back to that childhood behaviour of hiding behind their parents legs when someone wants to speak to them. That’s the thing…I’m not really afraid of speaking to other people and I don’t see myself as shy.
I quite like Mondays (a post about comping)
“I don’t like Mondays”, sang Bob Geldof in the 1979 The Boomtown Rats song of the same title. Most people would agree with him!
So why do I quite like Mondays?
Well, I’m on maternity leave at the moment, otherwise I’d like Mondays decidedly less. Every other Monday I can get Autumn weighed at clinic, which hasn’t lost its excitement yet – I love seeing how much my little milk monster has grown.
Sunday Review: Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 with birth inlay
Today I’m quite excited – partly because yesterday Autumn discovered her foot and I’m hoping today’s the day she puts it in her mouth (I find it so cute when babies do that) and because today is the start of the ‘Sunday Review’ posts I’ve decided to start writing!
I enjoy reviewing products – in the past I’ve been sent vouchers or products for free in return for reviewing them for companies. These have included Tesco’s Free From Range products, a Veet Easywax, YUM spreads and Dove compressed deodorants. As such, I thought I’d start reviewing products each Sunday here. My current plan is to review beauty products and baby things alternate weeks, but that may change in the future. Anyway, my review this week is about the Quinny Zapp Xtra 2 stroller and the birth inlay that you can use to enable you to use it for babies before the age of 6 months when they can use it without.
The great homework debate
Yesterday, I read on Mumsnet that Gary Lineker has called for homework to be banned. He said:
‘Homework should be banned. All it does is drive a massive wedge between parents and children, because you end up having to do it for them, and it’s stressful. They get stressed and they don’t want to do it’.
When Cassie cat found her forever home
Contains Sponsored Links¦ Back in 2010 when I was 18, my parents decided they were going to adopt a rescue cat from Cats Protection League. I’d practically moved out a couple of months before to live with my then boyfriend, now husband and was disappointed they’d never had a cat when I lived with them as I’d always wanted one but also excited that there was going to be a new cat in the family!
I still remember when my Mum received the phone call saying they may have found a cat for us and going to have a look at her to decide if we wanted her. We had cuddles with her and fell in love.
Children’s health and poverty in the UK
As both a mother and Social Sciences student, I have found the State of Child Health Report 2017, which was published today, concerning. Poverty in the UK and how it affects the issue of children’s health is something I have been studying this academic year and found very interesting.
Although it’s encouraging to read that we are better than the US, how and why is it that we are worse than a lot of other European countries? We have the fifth highest rate of infant mortality in Europe which is extremely worrying and this is much higher in deprived socio-economic groups. As I glance at Autumn asleep peacefully next to me, I feel quite angry that not more is being done to prevent these small, beautiful, innocent babies from dying.
12 things that have changed since I became a mum
Lots changes once you become a parent, even if it takes some reflection to realise what. Today I’ve stayed in all day; although I felt like going for a walk with the pram, the grey skies, fog and cold weren’t particularly encouraging me to go outside. As such, we’ve spent the day indoors, providing the opportunity to do some household chores. It was as I put my sleeping baby down for a nap on the sofa that I thought “Yes! I can do some washing now!” and then I pondered “Wait, when did I get excited about doing laundry?”
Then I wondered “What else has changed since I became a Mum?” How many of these are true for you, too?
Our first sensory room adventure
Today has been quite busy, we had a baby group to attend at 10am this morning. Last time, Autumn slept through the entire thing. Naturally, this time, she decided to be awake and in constant need of something. Afterwards, we went to the supermarket to stock up on food, which was just as well as I’ve had the munchies today! She hates hats and spent a lot of the time in the supermarket whinging because she was wearing a hat and then whinging because her frustrated wiggling was making her hat come down over her eyes!
