Category: Uncategorized

We had a flood!

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

Maybe not as dramatic as it sounds but you know me i am dramatic af. Basically we woke up yesterday to our kitchen in a puddle of water and it gushing from the stop cock (the way water comes through and can be turned of in case of emergency) had basically exploded. James ran out to the street and turned the water off and started drying up the flood. Being home owners it was our responsibility and only ours to get this sorted. Luckily we were due to get our sink changed that day anyway! He was due to come a few weeks before but cancelled twice so I guess it was pure luck the plumber came out on the very day we needed something major fixed. Which obviously caused more expense and took more time and a lot more stress.

We’re hoping that everything drys ok but we can already tell we have a lot of damage so may need to replace everything but for now I’m just glad it was fixed basically same day and lucky nothing bad happened and it wasn’t worse. Dehumidifier is on round the clock now to try suck up all the moisture it can but as our floorboards suggest it’s pointless. Hopefully our insurance will cover this or I might have a mental breakdown after all the stress and upset it’s already caused. It’s really hard when something happens to your safe space. But for now it’s fixed and we have a shiny new sink and tap even if it may need ripping out again at some point if we have to replace all the cupboards and work tops from the damage 🤦🏻‍♀️ here is a before and after.

Unwind

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

Have that bath, eat that chocolate bar and scent your room with candles because it’s time to chill tf out.

Everyday we get ourselves in such a stress and forget to take time for us. To unwind, to get patterns where a certain routine makes us feel calm. So put your phone on charge, close your eyes and breathe. Take a few minutes for yourself. When it all gets to much just have a few selfish seconds because you need it.

Work stress, family and friends, just personal things getting you down and don’t know how to escape it? Switch off. One thing I’ve learnt recently is the need to be selfish. We only get one life so we do we spends our life’s miserable and wanting to stop sometimes. We’re human we feel so much more stronger which is both a blessing and a curse! Sometimes I envy some animals because they seem to have it made!

How to unwind? Well it’s all about finding what works for you. I might say go make a cup of tea and sit down for five minutes but you could a caffeine aversion or it may stress you having caffeine as it gives you more energy. So I’ll give you some suggestions and if you like them try them, If not maybe it’ll give you some ideas into what you could do to unwind.

First of all an easy grounding one. Breathing. If you’re feeling stressed and can’t escape a situation just take a breath. Stop close hour eyes and concentrate on your breathing, feel your body moving and your organs working together. Feel your mind unwind and try to relax into it. Rationalise you’re thoughts and come back to the room. If you’re really up against stress then excuse yourself for a moment and do it in private. Take yourself to a bathroom or staff room if at work or just any room you can to just take a minute to yourself. I found this helpful in my old job when things would get to much I’d take a step back and breath to calm my self and slow my anxious mind. Since becoming a mum I find this one of the easiest tools I use to just take a step back and be calm and rational. Having a screaming, tantrum throwing Grenade that is your toddler can really cause you to get worked up at times. But we don’t want to meet fire with fire and give them the attitude they give us. Of course sometimes things get to much and you might become the “shouty parent”. But how do we stop getting to that stage? I’ve had a few days recently when the tantrums have been constant, embarrassing and heart breaking. I’ve wanted to cry and scream and it’s exhausted me. I’ve found that when he’s having a monumental tantrum because he can’t hold your used tissue or something as absurd as that it can help. I feel the stress, embarrassment and defeat in me so I take a step back. I close my eyes and breath I remind myself he doesn’t understand how to explain how he feels and then think in my head how to explain things to him in a calm way. If he’s been pretty full on all day and the few seconds don’t help then I will leave him watching tv and stand in the kitchen for a minuite I’ll do the breathing and calm myself and come out a new person.

Secondly have some water. Have a nice drink, waters best as it’s healthy and best for you. It’ll refuel you and help you think clearer. Taking the time to just drink and relax can make you feel miles better. Ever wondered why you always accept a cup of tea or coffee when at work when you’re not even thirsty and may have had 16527 cups already today? Your body is starved of water and it always makes you feel better.

Self care is probably the most important thing you can do unwind. When you’re feeling particularly in a dark spot in can feel impossible to want to look after yourself but you must. Force yourself to run a warm bath, shove a ridiculously funky bath bomb in and light yourself some candles. Turn the light of, get in and close your mind of. Don’t take your phone in the bathroom so you can fully disengage. Exfoliate and pamper yourself. Wash and condition you’d hair slowly feeling how it feels as you do it. Sink into the bubbles and just unwind into the warm ness. Warm water comforts us and sitting in a smell explosion tub helps even more. Once out Put a face mask on, moisturise, dry your hair nicely. Put on some fresh pjs and enjoy the feeling. It’s amazing how much just having a wash can help you feel.

Treat yourself, if you can afford to treat yourself every now and then absolutely do it! Buy that cute top! Buy a nice chocolate bar, buy a new book, buy whatever it is that makes you feel happy. Just think about that feeling you get when you first wear/use or eat a treat and how you’ll feel then. Why shouldn’t you buy something if it’ll make you happy!

Turn your phone off when you’ve done what you need to on it. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of instagram, Facebook then twitter. You’ll spend the nights looking through carelessly stressing yourself and it’s really unneeded. Perhaps just turn it off for little time sections and then increase it. Use that time doing something else. I use the time to read. I love reading because it takes me away to a far away place. It takes me out of reality for a little while and my mind and emotions are stretched. It helps me unwind and instead of reading how someone doesn’t like some chocolate bar they brought online my brains out to something better.

Journal. Write down your feelings it helps, whether it’s in a book or like me in the form of the blog sometimes it helps to get the thoughts out from your head and into the real world.

Talk to someone. Try to talk to a friend or family member about your feelings and let them out. Talk about random rubbish and just try to live in the moment. Try to enjoy conversations where you’re not distant thinking of other things switch off because I guarantee the things your thinking odd are not that important.

It’s all about finding what’s good for you but this what just works for me. When I’m in a stressful situation or dark place I try to use these as much as I can and it normally works. Just taking the time to rationalise yourself and disengage is sometimes all we need.

My experience owning a African Pygmy hedgehog.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

After years of talking James Into it he finally allowed me to get one. After finding a breeder willing to drive to me from a hour away for extra tenner we got our little guy milo. I named him and we got him a few weeks after he was ready to leave so was still a baby. He was a pedigree and sent us his birth certificate (which traced his great great grandparents) alongside some food and bits we might need. We had already gotten him a large cage, heat mat and washable carpet fo protect his little feet and keep the warmth and cut up blankets for him to snuggle in. (Yes adorable)

It took him a while to get used to us and would be very scared around us and Puff into a ball but with some guidance from the breeders we learnt if we tickled his spine gently he would enjoy a massage and sometimes even lick us. Some hedgehogs love to be held but milo didn’t do so we just let him really do his own little thing and handle him with oven gloves till he was comfortable with us.

We brought him cat toys which he loved playing with he’d play noseball pushing a bell ball around and enjoyed play fighting with little toys on a string. He also loved to chew and play with empty toilet rolls. His favourite thing however was his wheel he would run all night long!

He ate dried cat food and ate chicken as a treat which he absolutely loved and would eat so fast. Bathing him was a bit of a task! Despite videos online hedgehogs do not like water and should never be on their back in water and the water should never be too deep they breath water in their noses or they sneeze constantly and could get ill. Also they have to keep warm so baths need to be warm and dried quickly! We started bathing him in our bath but it was to slippery for him so we brought another washing up bowl just for him and bathed him with a toothbrush and baby was to get gently under his bristles and to get his feet we also once a month had to trim his toenails which he hated but needed doing.

Despite him being a part of the family he was very difficult to look after (we also had a hamster to look after too). He would need constant spot cleans of his cage and he would need cleaning every other day as he would stink as his wee and enormous pops would smell horrid. (His cage was disgusting to clean every time as his poo was awful Constance’s and would go hard especially on his wheel).We where constantly having to shake of his mats and blankets for poo then clean them and dry them quickly ready for next day to be changed! He would constantly tip over his water bowl so had to replace it constantly incase he didn’t get enough to drink. He was also quite grumpy so cuddling wasn’t his thing which is cool but hard when your working so hard to look after him!

When I fell pregnant I couldn’t get down on floor to clean him out and he’d always escape his playpen and hedgehogs run bloody fast so my husband had to take over which became tiring and when our baby was born we had to get family to look after him while we where in special care. When our son was a few months old we decided to Rehome him because of the amount of cleaning and care and little attention he was getting because of the baby!

So we decided to go with a friend who I got to prove her knowledge on hedgehogs before he went to her. She still sends me photos now and it’s very cute he is happy and loved. I felt so sad when he left us but it was for the best for all of us. Would I get a hedgehog again? In short no. Although I loved him they are so much work and while it was ok when I didn’t have a child and wash to do having a child and a hedgehog just won’t do and whenever children came to look at him he wasn’t very happy too see him so I decided that he probably wouldn’t like my son when he was interested in him either. Also the electric bill and cleaning products we used to clean him out expense is quite high too and our hamster was so much easier to care for. I’d say this pet is suited for people with children 5 and above!

Rainy day activities.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

The rain hit hard over the weekend causing floods in some places so we decided to stay in. We recently brought a tuff tray so I decided let’s use it to make mess!

Today we used paper and paint. We got out our dinosaurs, trains and cars to make tracks and prints. We set up the washable paint and cellotaped three bits of paper (A3) together. We got our sponge and normal paintbrushes out and set them up nicely. We put glitter and sequins ready to be scattered on too. We did it while Elijah napped so he saw something was new and got excited to play with it. He kept saying wow!

We talked through the colours and what the items were, letting him choose what he used and showing him how to make foot prints and track prints on the paper. His favourite thing was the large sponge paintbrush which he enjoyed the texture off. He loved soaking it with paint and saying ew and giggling as he brushed it over the paper. We painted his hands and he used his hands to paint and enjoyed doing so! He learnt how to do it himself and grabbed the paintbrushes and dipped the paint on and then painted his hands. He enjoyed the play session lots and lasted atleat twenty minutes.

Normally on rainy days inside we have some sort of themed play. We will normally get the colouring books out and colour. We will get a pack of stickers out and stick to some scrap paper of previous squiggled drawings and make new pictures.

We also get out play dough to shape and mould new things. We get his play dough sets out like his dentist kit and minions hairdressers salon and have themed play. We’ll pretend to make food and make animals and balls and just smash them.

We get out a set of toys at a time like a happy land set and play with them. Normally we get the train track out and pretend to be boarding trains. We will also get the house out and make pretend with the house. We play with the zoo and make pretend there too. We love playing with animals and dinosaurs and have hi speed races across the livingroom with his cars.

The toy kitchen and food is a good thing to do together too. We pretend to cook and stir in our saucepans and serve each other food. We do cutting and seasoning and lots of wash up up too. We talk through the food and what we’re doing too learn what things are and the words for a action.

We play with our puzzles, we work together to do these and he enjoys helping. We play snap and learning games. We always read flash cards together to learn words and colours and shapes. We play wooden magnetic fishing games and try to work the motor reflexes at the same time as spending quality time together.

We set up picnic blankets and have tea party’s and picnics indoors for lunch and sometimes we bring our teddy’s along.

We bake food together. Elijah sometimes helps with making lunch and whenever is bake he loves to help decorate and stir the bowl for me!

Anything can be an indoor activity if you let it be. Don’t let the rain stop the fun! A day in-front of a film with some supper yummy snacks is always fun too and it is important to unwind and relax.

World mental health day 2019

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

I will always talk about mental health. I will always say it is okay to not be okay. For years I suffered in silence. It all started when I was around 16 but in some respects earlier. I was bullied and because of that I became a very anxious person. Growing up I started to get mood swings, they have been labelled as hormones, a bitchy attitude or just who I was.

As I grew older I started getting into bad places at times. I wondered if everyone would be better without me? I wondered if it would be easier for everything to just stop. I realised this was not normal but I never really felt I could speak to my family or boyfriend at the time. I’ve always kept myself to myself. It wasn’t till I started working in care when I was more responsible to other people where I started to get affected by stress. I became a insomniac and I stared to get severe ocd. It became horrific. I was running on empty looking after others while feeling awfull about myself. I still put on a happy face and pretended I was ok when I really wasn’t. Little things would upset me and I would cry. Everyone would think I was over emotional and a cry baby not knowing the struggle I was going through every day just to exist. I’d get defensive and snap and broke up with my boyfriend at the time and felt nothing. I was desensitised and didn’t give two hoots I’d thrown away a 3 year relationship. But I made the right decision and he was one of the worst things in my life and something I could change easily. He made my anxiety worse and made my depression worse and was never there when I needed him.

I still struggled on but eventually one day at work something set me off and I went to see a doctor. I spilled about everything, how I had spent years feeling wrong, how I wondered why I got out of bed in the morning, how my days of would be spent in bed and I was unable to give my all to a job I should love. I explained how I’d become fixated on doing tasks over and over and I would get a panic attack if not done wrong and hot and itchy. I explained I had started flicking light switches on and off and there was nothing I could do. I explained how I’d have to double check every switch was off and correctly in a room as I left as I’d worry the house would burn down. I explained I had to do certain things as in my head my family and friends would die if I wouldn’t do it. I knew I didn’t need to in my heart but my head wouldn’t let me stop. I was diagnosed with ocd, depression and anxiety. I was offered counselling and tablets. Tablets didn’t work just made me feel shit and I tried so many. I gave up in the end. Sometimes tablets are for you and sometimes they’re not the only things that help are mega strong ones that make me feel even more exhausted. Counselling was ok it started over the phone but when it came to a in person day I panicked. I went in and was basically told by some old man I was too young to feel how I was. I felt so stupid and worse I screamed back how many people have you looked after that beat you for washing them and caring for them? How many times have you had someone scream at you for days on end while you try to help them?How many times have you took a hour to get out the door as you didn’t feel you turnt a light switch off right and sobed? I left feeling horrid and refused anymore counselling. I kind of blacked it out and pretended I was fine for a short while it worked.

I met James and my mental health improved by itself. We moved out and I was the happiest id ever been. Eventually my work pattern changed and I basically worked 4 nights a week and saw James three nights a week and I felt horrendous. Work got really stressful and I had personal things at work where I was made to feel like crap and I ended up having a breakdown. I came home from work sobbing rocking back and forth unable to move I was so sad. I called my doctor and went in and was signed of work. I was due on shift in a hours time and had only had a few hours of since my last two days straight and sleep ins and was due for another that night. I hadn’t slept in days I was exhausted and my feelings got the better of me. My mum came over as I called her as my manger was saying I wasn’t aloud to be of work sick as they couldn’t cover my shift. I wasn’t allowed to. Which made everything even worse my mum came round and told my manger to stop calling me I’m off sick and if she harrasses me anymore she’s be explaining to me how to go elsewhere to complain. She explained I was shaking sobbing in a corner and they expected me to come into work to look after a vulnerable adult when I couldn’t even look after myself. She explained if I’d been hit by a bus I wouldn’t be told to come into work and they wouldn’t tell me I was not aloud to be off work and put the phone down. For the first time I fully allowed myself to feel everything again and had a month of despite my managers telling me I had to come back daily and forcing me to have meetings while of sick and telling my work collegues personal confidential things and doctor telling me not to go back. I eventually felt a bit better and left where I was based for elsewhere in my company, things where a bit better and I was back on medication and just looked online at counselling and learnt to talk to people when feeling down.

I was ok with the odd down stage until I had my son. I was a nervous wreck at first I worried I’d be a terrible mum and I wasn’t like the rest. Everything made me anxious. I was sad and had nobody to talk too. When I returned to work when I first went back I was a wreck. My ocd came back along with my anxiety I was annoying people, questioning things. My arms and hands would be red raw from my hand washing from my ocd and I’d get palpitations. My pulse on shift once went to 144 bpm sitting there relaxed. I cried at night because I knew I was annoying others and felt terrible for it. My insomnia returned. But things calmed down I stopped caring so much.Over time I calmed again. Eventually though I became stressed again and everything flared up. On top of work I was a mum and had all the mum guilt to go with it and worry and decided I couldn’t work anymore. I had that thought again about how everyone would be happy without me so off to gp again and signed off. I decided to leave and concentrate on my family. I have felt better since stopping work. I’m not stressed. But I still have times I’m depressed. I still have times I’m a bit of a mess. I still have severe anxiety and always will. I will always question everything and that’ll never change. I will always have difficulty accepting love and and not questioning everything my loved ones do. But I have found that talking helps. Relaxing helps and taking the time to step back and excuse my self from situations has helped massively.

We need to talk about mental health and normalise it. Suffering in silence is hell and makes everything ten times worse. Sometimes we need a little cry or to go out for coffee and talk. Sometimes we need to know that others have similar feelings and your not just crazy. Sometimes we need a little break and to put our self’s first. Sometimes it’s ok to concentrate on you before others and that’s ok. If you need help or someone to talk to I am always there. But most importantly if you feel not ok, pop to your gp. Sometimes a diagnosis is all you need to start feeling better about yourself. You are important and you are loved. You are not alone and never will be.

Parent shaming and why you shouldn’t do it.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

Here’s a blogpost I wrote on my old blog which I wanted to share on my new blog as I think it’s important. Parent shaming!!


Nothing boils my blood more. Example… you’re eating your dinner and a child has a little hissy fit. The child is one and can not control or understand their emotions, their parents are visibly stressed out that they are causing a scene they try everything they possibly can, toys, snacks, drinks, songs and sometimes their phones ( just because they get their phone out does not mean it’s all their kid does is watch tv and phones no some parents just use it to distract them as a treat). But you sit there loudly moaning about that child. You comment on the parenting and rip them apart and end with the child’s a spoilt little pain in the ass which is not true.
Let me educate you. You where a child. You cried the same you where a pain in the ass. You’re parents also didn’t do that great of a job to teach you how to be a decent human being to not over look that a baby is being a baby and ruining your experience in a family pub where there will obviously be children if there’s a high chair somewhere. And that parent is stressed they feel awfull, you don’t know what sort of day they’ve had or what’s happening. Today I was that parent who was ripped apart as my child screamed because he was in pain. Not hungry, not being a little pain in the neck. He was in pain we learn after he was quite unwell which required a trip to the doctors and admissions into the hospital and X-rays. I tried to calm him down whilst also leaving him with his dad so I could call the doctors to get a appointment while we finished our dinner as he looked quite unwell while we where eating while you also picked me apart for that. Then you had the nerve to smile as I left as if you haven’t spent the whole time moaning about my child because he gave you his biggest grin and said goodbye to you and you realised he is just a poor adorable little baby.
My point being before you judge a mum or dad for how they parent or their child having a breakdown just think how stressed they may be and how exhausted they are of the constant criticism. Have a bit of compassion and remember the world is bigger than you and while some (not all) parents try their absolute best to not be loud and try to calm their child to create a enjoyable experience for all whilst also teaching them manners and how to act in public it is bloody hard work and don’t need you tearing them down.
Rant over.

Enjoying the little things

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

Having a toddler it’s hard to enjoy the little things when your world goes by so quickly. This morning we got up and did our morning routine. As much as I adore a lay in I’m becoming fond of our routine. I love coming down with Elijah chatting away as we make breakfast, Elijah stands with me and talks to me as I make it and tells me what I need to get such as a bowl, spoon, milk and cereal. He gets so excited and I love watching him dance around excited for what’s next. We sit and have breakfast together and I don’t feel lonely as I used to when James would be at work and on my days off I would be alone. I enjoy how Elijah eats by himself now and I sit and think how clever he’s become, he doesn’t make a mess and tells me when he’s done and tells me how much he enjoys the food by saying “a NICE!! Mmmm!” Tilting his head back smiling!

I enjoy getting him dressed in the morning, I enjoy picking outfits and letting him choose. My favourite thing to do is buy him lovely clothes and letting him choose what to wear everyday. I love him looking stylish and his little confident stride as I compliment how lovely he looks everyday! Boys probably going to have the worlds biggest bead by time he’s in school!

I love playing with him. I love he can play alone too, but I love when he brings me his toys because he wants to include me. I love playing together and pretending to be different characters or doing an activity pretending it’s real. I love doing arts and crafts and activities he needs me for as it’s nice to be able to help him do things he can’t normally do. I love teaching him. I love showing him the world and explaining what it is and teaching how to be a good person. I love our chats about animals and daddy and will never get bored of saying lion 197227726 times a day as he gets so excited. I love watching his imagination work away as he plays or thinks and talks.

I love having a cuddle, it’s rare now but I absolutely adore it. It makes it all worth it. It makes me feel like his mummy again and not just someone who does everything for him. I love it when he tells me he loves me and calls my name when I leave the room. I love hearing “muummmmmy where are yooooouuu “ and his excitement when I return. I love how much he loves everyone and shares his love. I love how he shares his toys without a problem and insists on sharing! I love watching him learn and his mind working and how proud he is of himself and how proud we are.

I love when I read him story’s and he sits twiddling his fingers and trying to read it with me sitting cuddled up to me on sofa or in his story tent in his bedroom. I love how he insists on a big cuddle before bed and taps our backs as he does so. I love watching him dream and how cosy he looks and how I ache missing when he would sleep on my tummy but now he’s his own boy and wants his own bed. I love being his mummy.

Things I’ve used to try and sleep.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

First of all let’s get it straight I’m not condoning having to use medication to sleep. If you get to a state you rely on medication it’s time to speak to your g.p or local practitioner for advice.

One thing I struggle with badly is the need to sleep. Here I’m going to outline some of the things I’ve used to try and aid sleep and here are some of my essentials. Although sometimes they don’t always work they do help.

Sleep masks first of all. It’s important when choosing one it is one soft and not scratchy, I buy silk, so it’s soft against eyes and doesn’t cause wrinkles. The ban should be adjustable as the elastic only ones ping back and can be quite tight and uncomfortable which can inturn irritate you and disrupt sleep. I don’t the pressure light on my eyes helps and the darkness. If you have dyslexia or light sensitivity this really helps if you can’t sleep in a room with slightest light in. I need pitch black so this is a light saver.

This works. The pillow spray and roll on have been life savers for me. The smells from the pillow spray relax me and stay with me all night. The oil on my pulse points on my whist not only smell great when you breath it in but when absorbed in you feel instantly relaxed. It’s gray for teaching you relax and breath deeply also. I’ve tried other sleep sprays with no success. This may be expensive but it’s worth it!

Sleepy by lush. Sleepy cream and body wash both really help me relax the aroma therapy side and lightness of both really help me relax and my body feel ready for bed.

Sometimes/ many times I rely on sleep pills to help me sleep. Kalms do a natural range which can help which aren’t Medicated and can be brought on shop floor. I use what I’ve been told by doctors and sometimes have to use stronger prescriptions they’ve given me. They believe it’s caused by my anxiety so there’s not much I can really do. You should always go to speak to a g.p if your having long term sleep disruption or if s big life event has caused sleeplessness.

Christmas/ Birthday gift guide for a 2 year old.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

With Christmas and elijahs birthday fast approaching I thought I’ll start shopping early to stop the panic and it being so hard on the bank all at once. Separating some gifts for his birthday and some for his Christmas I’m almost done just a few more gifts to get so here’s a few bits I’ve got. If you’re stuck this might help you out with some ideas!

Ive already got Elijah a leapfrog Ice cream cart and three pop up books and also a magnetic drawing pad. I’ve been wrapping the gifts as getting them so they’re already wrapped and ready for his birthday. I brought the icecream cart as I think it’s a good learning toy to teach him about sharing and it’s a good game to play together to use the imagination. The pop up books as boy loves a book and a magnetic drawing pad as I’ve waited forever to get him one. I’m planning to get him a eisel for Christmas and some little figures and cars as stocking fillers. I may get him a scooter or balance bike but I haven’t decided.

Play-doh kitchen set with moulds and kitchen bits. Elijah loves play doh and gets it out almost everyday. He loves his little kitchen so I thought when I saw it it’s the perfect thing to get as he can make his own fake food!
Elijah has a few puzzles but not many. Elijah started to really like dinosaurs and animals recently so I got this lovely collection of puzzles we can do together and he’ll love the finished result.
For some reason my phone won’t rotate this photo but oh well! This book is from a range of books he already has where you pull apart to see more things. Elijah loves interactive books at the moment and it’s teaching him to explore . He also loves vehicles so this book I know he’ll love.
For some reason I saw this in tkmaxx it’s official Disney and is moana I just think it’s from a different. Country perhaps and that’s why the name is wrong. Oh well the kid loves his “onana” do I thought I’d treat him to the toys and he doesn’t have a toy boat yet that doesn’t belong in the bath!
Kinetic sand. Kids love playing with sand and Elijahs no exception when I saw this at a ply group I was sold because Elijah could finally play in the sand without rolling in it and drowning his clothes, my clothes and the house in it after he’s done playing in his sound box. This has things he can mould and explore and the perfect rainy day activity.
A counting book with flaps. Elijah loves flaps and lions so I brought this only as it had a lion on it. I want him to learn to trace the numbers so he one day can learn to write them. A long way of but good to start and play young.
Elijahs a long way of learning to write but I got this book so he can try copying and tracing when he’s older. I will do it and he can watch and when he’s older he’ll work it out however long that may be I brought it as it was on sale and I thought perfect for when he’s nearing school age and until then there’s lots of items that start with the letter you trace!
A cash register! Elijah loves pressing buttons and had a go on one at soft play and loved it. I thought this will be great for make pretend play and something he’ll grow to love. A lot of gifts I buy are stuff he’ll like later on in the year as he gets a lot that he can play with now and not later. He has a basket for his shopping also included. My friend is buying him a trolley so he’ll poop himself with the idea of that!
Magnetic play board. Elijah can learn how magnets work and move them around. He lives stickers so may like magnets.
Bath crayons because everyone can be a Picasso.
Puzzle book. This looks great fun and we love priddy books so much. The puzzles look quite easy and is a book at the same time. The bits are cute and colourful and well no doubt have lots of fun.

Afternoon tea set. Elijah already has one but it’s terrible and bits are missing. I brought this lovely sass and belle set and had to take it out to show how cute it is! It’s run so can use to have water or squash and wash up! Can use for teddy bear tea party’s and when he has guests over. I’m so excited for him to open this one!

Alot of things are marketed age 3. I feel bad know my son enough to know he no longer puts things in his mouth unless it’s food so he’s pretty good on that front. So long as you watch him with things with age restrictions I see no problem and it’s probably just a insurance or in some cases packaging thing. I’ve seen Elijah plying with similar to a lot of these things markets 3+ since younger than now and had no problem. Most of these toys mummy needs to play with him anyway which I don’t mind atall. Not a few more bits to buy and I’m all done. Next thing to find a massive monster truck car as boy is obsessed with massive cars. Brownie points if it has a lion on it!

Did school/college really help me in life.

by Charlie-Jane, posted in Uncategorized

In someways I could argue yes it has helped me. I mean it’s taught me to behave and how not to behave. It’s taught me how to make friends and stay in contact with some of said friends. It’s taught me how to read and write. I’ve learnt about our history and heritage. I’ve learned who I am and what I will become. It enabled me to have a education which I can use in life. It’s enabled me to work in my field and get further because of it. I’ve got the option to go to university if I wanted to train to do things I may want to do as I have the grades.

It hasn’t however taught me basic lessons. Yes I may be able to work out change for a tenner if I buy something but it hasn’t taught me the most important lessons. I wasn’t taught how taxes work, how much I’d have to pay. I wasn’t taught about how much childcare would cost and that I may have to leave my job as the pays not worth it. It doesn’t teach you how to look after a child. The health and social project where I was given a toy doll at 13 to hurdle around everywhere like a teen mum taught me shit all. It didn’t teach me how to be a mum. It didn’t teach me how to wash, bath, feed and comfort a Ill child. The food tech classes taught me basic cooking and not how to make meals. I can make a good salad or cake from recollection but that’s where it ends. I did however learn to wash up what a shitty life skill that is!Wood tech taught me how to saw and shape wood but I’ve never had the need to make a wooden key chain. Graphics taught me how to design but very badly, terribly and not from scratch using other people’s bits and bobs to make my own work. I never learnt to take photos and learnt myself from just doing. In citizenship I didn’t learn that if I vote there’s basically no point as democracy is pretty much screwed in this country.

I was never taught how to run a house and clean, I taught myself to sow and cook and clean. I wasn’t taught how much my bills would cost or what I would need for a house. I was never told how to turn on the heating and the cost that would incur. I was never taught how to fix a leak or paint my house. I was never taught nutrition. Sure we’d touch on it but we where never told how to look after ourselves and what to eat to feel good and be healthy. I’d go shopping when I first moved out and buy pure unhealthy crap and rack up a massive bill. We where never taught to talk about our feelings, we never had support for emotions. We were allowed to be bullied so that our adult lives would become hard and untrusting. We where never taught how to save for a mortgage and work. We where never taught about trolls. We where never taught how to be good wife’s/ mums / people. We were told to address teachers as mr/sir/miss/mrs and not by their names when you never do that now which was supposed to make you unrelatable to the teachers. Something I find bizarre considering they’re looking after you all day you’d think they’d crack a smile when you may be going through some personal stuff at home.

Although I earn a lot to school and am grateful to of received a education. Something I’m extremely proud of that is free in this country. There is so much we should of been taught so that adult life doesn’t hit you with a cold hard slap when you start your first job. So when you move out you’re not stressed out of your mind working everything out in your own way. I will teach Elijah about saving, tax, housekeeping and everything I wish I was taught about as he grows so I know whatever school doesn’t provide I can. Hopefully one day this will change and children will know more than us! Until then teach and share tour knowledge and whilst you learn share that with others too.